WWE Raw Reax 7/23

Cameron, 20, Garbage Man (8.0): Best: Punk-Cena. Worst: Swagger squashed. I really really enjoyed this Raw; it was a great look into the past and also it had a look towards the future. First, I loved seeing the original DX reunited, and it was great to see Billy Gunn come back. I also enjoyed the six-man tag match because it furthered the Ziggler-Jericho feud and I really hope it leads to a match at Summerslam for Ziggler's MITB contract... The whole Brock Lesnar-Triple H segment went a little too long and Paul Heyman became a little annoying, but I was glad to see Triple H stand his ground so they might market it as a level fight instead of making Brock seem unstoppable and then lose... I laughed so hard at the Mae Young/Hand Child segment cause it really seemed that they were poking fun at themselves... The Daniel Bryan/A.J. wedding had another twist with A.J. being named GM, so it'll be interesting to see how their feud goes going forward. I hate what they've done with Jack Swagger - at least let him show some offense. He got some good stuff in against Ryback, yet Brodus Clay squashed him in all of 14 seconds. I think he has more potential, and they're wasting a potential U.S. Titleholder cause I believe it's been on Santino's waist too long; I hope it doesn't go the way of the Cruiserweight Title... I was thrilled to see the Acolytes come back, and I really missed the Clothesline from Hell... I thought I would never say this, but I'm excited for the Punk-Cena feud. I had my doubts about the way Cena cashed in his MITB, but I liked what they did with it. And, I hope it goes all the way to the Royal Rumble to possibly give the chance of a Cena-Rock re-match. All in all, they did all they could and hit a home run by giving a nod to the past an toasting to the future.

Kevin, PWTorch reader (5.0): Best: Rock blasting Daniel Bryan. Worst: A.J. becoming Raw GM. To quote the new IC champ, Really? Really? Really? A.J. as Raw GM? This a terrible choice! It was enough to deal with the love triangle saga, which was lame! Now we have endure her as GM! Just a waste. Edge would of been perfect, as he can hold his own a mic and he wouldn't take any trash from the Superstars. Overall, I just felt like the 1,000 Raw left a lot to be desired. However, seeing The Miz being relevant again was nice and Punk being heel should be interesting.

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio (9.5): Best: Taker's return. Worst: over-runs. Well, Vince McMahon lived up to his reputation Monday night. After weeks of constant hype and rising expectations, Raw1K finally aired. It was possibly the best overall Raw ever. It had a great collection of legends, young talent, current Superstars, and surprising developements to appease almost everybody. Almost. Yes, there was a shortage of actual matches and some of the bits fell a little flat, with the slow burn turn of Punk giving the final few minutes a weird vibe. My only real gripe is one that has plagued Raw since they started doing "over-runs." Why in the name of McMahon, Sr. do you still need to go to over-runs when you have three hours now? Other than that, I congratulate VKM, the WWE Superstars and Legends, and the fans on a well done special event. Although, somebody needs to tell Lawler that one of the very first MITB cashes was by RVD when he cashed in on Cena for ECW One Night Only - after announcing it well in-advance!

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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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