-- 5/7 WWE Raw Reax

Darren of Roseville, Calif.: I watched this episode of Raw in fast-forward speed. There are many storylines lacking. Although the return of Paul Heyman is good and I hope that he is the mouthpiece for Brock Lesnar, why are Lord Tensai and John Laurinaitis still on my screen? I say WWE gets rid of the whole GM thing, as this angle was dead when the "anonymous general manager" was never revealed. I believe the only way to salvage Lord Tensai is to have him turn face on Laurinaitis to get the crowd behind him. Better yet, why don't they just swap Tensai with Damien Sandow? When is the Draft anyway? I can't wait until Wade Barrett comes back. Overall, is this what WrestleMania lag looks like? Can anyone say "off-season?"

Jeremiah, military (4.0): Best: rushed logo and my favorite, Dolph Ziggler. Worst: any "via satellite" interview, especially when the guy "arrives" in the dark match afterwards. The general manager angle is dead to me after the McMahon days. Punk's pipe bomb is a repetitive "you're a toolbox" angle. The Divas are way weaker than TNA knockouts right now. The only thing weaker than The Miz's booking is his tan. I did like the Sheamus/Orton heat - it gave Sheamus more than a happy babyface feel.

John, receptionist from England (5.0): Best Bit: Paul Heyman. Worst Bit: crowd reaction to Heyman. "Really?" as The Miz would say. One of the best promo guys in the business returns and he gets a lukewarm response. If this would have been the Attitude Era, fans would have raised the roof... Raw was flat this week. This Lord Tensai character is not catching on for me. Replete with comical man breasts, a super-sized skull, and screaming every time he does a move, I fast-forward when he appears on my TV screen... Randy Orton & Sheamus vs. ADR & Y2J was good, but the way in which Big Johnny put them in the Fatal Four-Way match at OTL was hurried. It's as if the writers don't know what to do with long-term storylines in WWE's writing environment... WWE has now entered into the "lazy, throw anything together" period. OTL isn't really necessary; it's a hindrance like seven of the PPVs during the year and it needs to be scrapped to allow storylines to breathe... The only good things on WWE TV at the moment are the Brock Lesnar-Triple H storyline and Daniel Bryan-C.M. Punk. Does anyone care about the abysmal Cody Rhodes-Big Show feud? Or, does anyone care yet about AW's stable? It's too early on to say, granted, but I don't think a stable of jobbers will appeal to the masses.

***

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 photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch.com]

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