-- WWE Raw Reax 7/16

Annabella Cordana of Raleigh, N.C., marketing associate (4.0): A lot of people were not happy with the Punk/A.J./Bryan storyline. I wasn't one of those people. I found it to be highly entertaining, so I'm very displeased with what I saw tonight. MITB left a lot of unanswered questions since A.J. didn't pick a side, and for C.M. Punk to exit the storyline tonight without closure on his part and no reaction whatsoever to A.J./Bryan's engagement, especially after claiming to care about A.J.'s well-being, was unsatisfying and puzzling to me. The fact that the commentators made no inquiry as to how Punk may have reacted to the engagement tells me that he's out of this story, and that really disappoints me. I wouldn't have been as disappointed if I'd at least gotten some explanation as to why Punk was walking away. I predicted that Cena would announce a cash-in for Summerslam, so I was a little surprised that he said the 1,000th Raw instead... The Punk-Show match was fun to watch, but the rest of the show was utterly forgettable.

Jason Stockdale of Middle Village, N.Y. (6.5): Best: Ziggler-Jericho segment. Worst: Clay-JTG. I thought Dolph Ziggler delivered a great cocky heel promo that at one point was going to lead to a Vickie face turn by Ziggler pushing the envelope and saying he was better than Eddie Guerrero. Jericho getting involved with Ziggler reminds me of what Paul Heyman said about Terry Funk on the ECW DVD about Funk wanting to put guys over later in his career... It was nice to see Swagger technically not lose; it could be Ryback's first feud... I'm sick of Cena, but it was an interesting dynamic having Show trying to goad him into cashing in. Every important segment (Bryan/A.J., Jericho-Ziggler, Punk-Cena) hooked you in. It's going to be interesting to see how Creative screws them up.

Dave Harlequin of Charlotte, N.C. (3.0): Best Match: Punk vs. Big Show. Worst: dancing fat guys vs. my remote control. Overall, this felt more like a two-hour-long commercial for the 1,000th Raw than an actual episode of Raw. I felt that nothing worthwhile really happened, with the exception of teasing a possible Ziggler-Jericho feud (maybe over the MITB briefcase?) and a surprisingly decent match involving Big Slow. I'm not sure what to make of the D-Bryan/A.J. "wedding" angle, or the failing resurgence of the tag division - I guess I'll wait and see there. Other than that, not one, but two dancing fat guys, more pointless mixed tags with unbalanced rules where women can hit men, but men can't hit women, and the continued burial of Zack Ryder and Jack Swagger. Bad business as usual. I stand by my earlier statement - Punk should just do the WCW Jeff Jarrett "lay-down" for Hulk Cena and get it over with already. Everyone knows what's going to happen. I'll be changing channels during the WWE Title match next week - they won't be getting ratings out of THIS Neilson Ratings household.

John Pitroff, 27-years-old (10.0): Best Match: Punk vs. Show. Although there wasn't all that much wrestling on this show, I thought this show was very enjoyable from beginning to end. Good flow, pacing, and everything seemed to serve a purpose. Fans always hear about the lack of "star power" in WWE, but I see it as a blessing, getting to see guys work their way up the ladder and get better spots on the roster... Punk opened strong with a great reaction, Show played his part well, and the segment was given the right amount of time before it got to be too much... I thought the Tag Title match was well done. Finally, it seems like tag team wrestling is making a comeback in WWE. AW is amazing with his comments and has me laughing several times throughout the match... Del Rio looked strong again, albeit at the expense of someone who has far more charisma and reaction from the audience in Zack Ryder. Rey's return was a nice surprise and this gives Del Rio something to do outside the main event scene, where he really doesn't belong... Rikishi's surprise was nice and I like Slater's legends gimmick - it is getting him over in an odd way, as he is somehow making it work... The Miz still needs a little something extra to get himself to where he needs to be... The Bryan and A.J. stuff was very well done, and I'm glad to see the next chapter written in this story. I was wondering how they were going to keep Bryan relevant and in the spotlight after his recent title chase. He is so good in every role he has been given - he reminds me of Kurt Angle how he can switch gears from heavy, storyline-oriented material to serious ass-kicker. ... Ryback has officially won me over... Ziggler-Jericho was great. I look forward to this feud, and it is exactly what Ziggler needs at this point in his career to really make him a star. It should lead to some great matches from these two... Great main event, with Show looking dominant, but Punk never giving up. It reminded me of earlier Punk-Henry matches. Cena's announcement was well done after I figured they were waiting for Summerslam. Now, we can really see how serious WWE is about C.M. Punk and his title reign. A clean pin by Punk on Cena is necessary at this point to establish Punk and his legacy. Is WWE ready to pull the trigger and put him over their biggest star? I really hope Punk's great title reign didn't happen just because Cena was busy doing other things. For fans always complaining about new talent needing to get the spotlight, this show showcased a lot of young, up-and-coming guys ready to take the next step. It is definitely a different era. Looking forward to next week.

***

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