-- WWE Raw Reax 6/18

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio: Another highly uneven example of WWE at its best and worst. Best: yes, Ziggy, it's about time to cut Vickie loose. Let her stay with Swagger, then Ziggler can transition to face and engage new and different foes to rebuild his record. Worst: aptly named train wreck of Richter, Lauper, and Slater. Only the interjection of Piper made it barely watchable... As for Santino and the U.S. title, the championship needs to be on a legitimate wrestler, not the company's premiere comedy act. Marella is great at his niche, nearly always bringing laughs from the crowd, but he demeans any title he wins just by having it... Yet again, WWE "fires" a character only to have the same character show up again multiple times. The Laurinaitis beat down was believable but dragged out way too long. Any wrestler wronged by Laurinaitis got his chance to take revenge last night. But, did every wrestler he wronged have to get his shot on air? Other favorite things from Raw - Cena only on the last 12 minutes, Albertensai not on at all, Clay virtually non existent, and Cole being relatively quiet. Although, the perfect broadcast by Cole would be wearing a muzzle so we didn't have to hear him at all!

Frank of Los Angeles, Calif. (3.0/5.0): Best: Punk/Sheamus vs. Bryan/Kane, and a little bright light in the tag division. Worst: Cyndi Lauper segment. I thought A.J.'s segment was trippy and cool. The one thing WWE is doing right is playing this A.J. story with Punk, Kane, and Bryan, and I have a feeling this isn't the last triple threat match we see. And, who does she love? ... Cena beating Big Johnny- I saw it coming, although I found it weird that Big Johnny foretold his loss by booking this match on Sunday. Other than that, WWE better go back to the drawing board if they're moving Raw to three hours.

- Rob W. of Tulsa, Okla., athletic media relations (5.0): Best Match: Players vs. Primo/Epico. Worst: Del Rio vs. Santino. If I had ordered No Way Out, I’d want my money back after they basically put on the same show one night later. The opening tag match was good, as usual, but did very little to truly advance the Punk/Bryan/Kane/A.J. storyline. We still have no idea where her loyalties lie. And, why is the WWE Championship feud about a love triangle and not, you know, the title? I feel like they could do the same storyline without the belt, which feels secondary... The tag match was well-executed while it lasted, but the crowd had no reason to care after the AW storyline had been ignored for three weeks and his turn occurred out-of-the-blue in a non-advertised match at a pay-per-view that very few of them had seen... Yes, Big Johnny was all over the show, and yes, it was very annoying after he was “fired” the night before. If I had paid money to see him “fired” a night earlier, I’d probably be a little more upset that he didn’t really go anywhere.......

But, my biggest gripe, and the reason I felt motivated to write in, was the Heyman-Triple H exchange. I thought it was the highlight of the show seeing two good talkers go back-and-forth, and the verbal exchange was well-constructed with enough twists to keep all levels of fans interested. I have two huge problems with it, though. First and foremost, Triple H makes a terrible face. Even in a face role, he can’t resist throwing in a few insults and backhanded complements that aren’t very becoming of “good guys." And, his COO character (which, again, is supposed to be a face) has been made to look boorish and inept from the start. How are we supposed to believe he’s a competent executive (and a good guy) when he makes light of workplace safety regulations, reneges on contracts, challenges his employees to fights, and repeatedly assaults their legal counsel? In the real world, what boss is allowed to do those things? And, what boss who does those things is hailed as a hero? It says a lot about the way Vince and Hunter view leadership (and how out of touch with reality they are) that they expect their fans to cheer a boss who regularly commits basic workplace violations and in general comes across as a jerk. Also, it severely undermines Brock Lesnar’s character that he refuses to accept the match (I know he eventually will, but still). WWE had a golden storyline handed to them on a platter when they had a genuine, credible ass-kicker and former champion from a legitimate fighting promotion join their company. Let him run wild and wreak havoc, and build a character that people pay to see get his comeuppance at Summerslam or WM29. It just wasn’t hard. Instead they’ve turned him into some diva who lost his return match, comes back with a bunch of ridiculous contract demands, and refuses to meet his enemy in the ring. Who cares when he gets beat down? He’s already lost and WWE has made him look like a whiner. Way to castrate your golden goose, WWE. I’ve never booked a wrestling show and I’m probably making it too simple. But, to me, professional wrestling face characters should be made to look like good people fighting for righteous causes and heel characters (main event heels, at least) should be seen as intimidating, evil forces that are difficult to overcome and unafraid of a challenge. And right now, neither Hunter nor Lesnar fit those descriptions at all.

***

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.

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