-- WWE Raw Reax 4/23

Mike Booble of Springfield, Ore., PWTorch reader: Best: Kofi-Jericho. Worst: ending segment. If WWE is trying to prove Brock is a badass, why do the terrible promo? Build off the beat down of Josh Mathews. Brock can't deliver scripted lines. Why try? Have him just shoot on Cena, call him p**sy, and say he's gonna beat his ass. Make him cut UFC promos. He knows that. WWE could make it into just a flat-out brawl. The storyline is completely pointless.

Steve in Pompano Beach, Fla. (5.5): Best: Edge promo & Bryan's ref antics. Worst: Cena-Lesnar contract signing. This Raw was a bit of an improvement compared to the two that came before it. In my opinion, Edge helped a lot with that; his being there and the promo he gave really gave Raw the energy boost needed to go a full three hours. The matches were all right for the most part, and things like D-Bryan's heel ref actions and the Punk-Jericho bit rounded things out nicely. That said, I still can't seem to care very much about Cena-Lesnar. It still seems like it's happening way too soon for it to have any real impact. And, though Brock played his part well in the segment, seeing Cena coming out with that chain made Cena look ridiculous. Not what this feud needs at all.

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio: Well, that went down the bowl quick. Edge gives Cena a pep talk, name-drops all over the ring, and gets the arena sheep bleating like there is no tomorrow. Then, the whole show skipped the rails. The best Diva they have (not saying much right now) "injures" her ankle in a freak accident, so I will give it worst of show, but there was so much bad I cannot list it all. Cena's character appears lost, Lesnar is rapidly losing all "legitimate" heat for cheap heel tactics, Eve is an administrator (?), and the Jericho-Punk angle becomes even more predictable. Did anyone really think that was alcohol in the bottle that he was drinking from? It was also a pretty lame drunk imitation. I still want to see Punk kick Jericho's ass, but not nearly enough to order this PPV. As for the Lesnar return to action, meh, I can wait until the Results Raw the following Monday. Sheamus-Bryan? Recycled crap. Get rid of Johnny now, before this show deteriorates even more.

Matt of Westbrook, Maine, auto detailer (7.0): Best: Edge promo and Kofi-Jericho. Worst: Divas with the Phoenix injury. Overall, I thought Raw was a solid three-hour show with match hype for Extreme Rules and trying to build storylines for the future. I liked the heavy dose of tag team wrestling. It's also a great way to get more people on the card and on TV... Kofi vs. Jericho was an entertaining match and went on for a good amount of time. But, the Jericho-Punk feud has gone downhill to me. Punk was too much and now Jericho has lost the upper hand? They took it too far this week and I just tuned out. However, their in-ring abilities will make up for it and then some.... Sheamus and Daniel upped their feud and I think their match at Extreme Rules, given time, will be memorable... Cena and Brock can go in almost any direction. They did do a great job of showing Lesnar's past and building him up. Their match could be a true main event or it could be a sloppy, ground-wrestling match with lots of ring-rust on Brock. I see this feud going to at least Summerslam. WWE needs this feud right now and I can't wait to see where Brock Lesnar ends up in the coming months.

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We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here or email us at pwtorch@gmail.com.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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