WWE Raw Reax 7/23

Shawn of St. Louis, Mo., scientist (8.0) Best: Lesnar-Triple H segment and Undertaker return. Worst: Wedding and St. Louis parking and traffic. I was there live and with one of the best seats in the house. The crowd was pretty hot for most of the night. The only things that really fell flat were Charlie Sheen, Rock's Royal Rumble announcement, and the GM announcement. Expectations were pretty high for the GM and people around me agreed that it was a pretty huge let-down. The biggest crowd pops of the night go to The Rock and Undertaker with the APA following closely behind. I was at WrestleMania 27, which felt like a stepping stone for WrestleMania 28. So, Rock announcing his intent to wrestle in six months was another let-down. When you're at a show as special as WrestleMania or, in this case, Raw 1,000, I think people were hoping he'd challenge the Cena-Punk winner for the belt that night or something crazy... A humorous thing that might not have been shown on TV was Undertaker's inability to get his coat off. It got caught on his gloves and officials at ringside finally got it loose after about 15-20 awkward seconds. Another thing that may not have been clear was when the crowd threw Cena's shirt back in at him. He tossed it to a guy in front of us, but then the one that came back into the ring came from over near the Spanish announcers. I'm not sure if a guy actually threw his own purchased shirt in there or if there was a crowd plant to throw it or what. Then, Cena threw the second shirt back to the same guy that got the first one. Then, he acted like he was expecting him to throw it back. It was strange. I thought the match was awful, but the Punk heel turn saved it... Overall, I went for a nostalgia show and it delivered. I had a great time. The only thing missing was Steve Austin, which was a huge bummer, but he's recovering from surgery. For me personally, Sean Mooney, Slick, Mae Young's hand-child, and Howard Finkel were icing on the cake.

Joey B. in N.J., artist: Best: Austin clips. Worst: Clay-Swagger, Sheen. "Raw 1,000 starring Triple H" could have been the title, but despite his lengthy camera time, the show was chock full of guests, surprises, and clips as was befitting. Overall, a fun show. In no particular order: I'm going to be Debbie Downer twice here, but I don't get the A.J. thing - to be blunt, she has a nice body, but her face just doesn't do it for me. The wedding angle played out well, though, and I was surprised at the twist with Vince. Daniel Bryan has really come into his own, and you can tell he's very comfortable in the skin of this persona and he was great Monday night. I'm not sure if Rock tagging him with Oompa-Loompa is a plus... As for Cena, I agree with an earlier Reax that Cena is more enjoyable/tolerable when he wrestles more and speaks less... Charlie Sheen?? What, one of the Housewives of N.J. wasn't available? ... I was surprised not to see Edge there, and bummed there wasn't a major Austin segment... Debbie Downer time again, but maybe because I was a bit older I never got on the DX bandwagon. I found them juvenile and them getting kids to yell "Suck it!" really bothered me. Seeing them all together (although it took up a lot of time) was fine, but after X-Pac sleazily chatted up Trish, I had to take a shower... Brock Lesnar's return was good because of Heyman, although Triple H & Steph repeatedly attacking Heyman makes no sense when they're doing a lawsuit angle. The negative was sitting through more Hunter, and him clotheslining Brock over the ropes - where's the sense in that?... All the social media stuff is over-bearing... I've enjoyed the Slater vs. Legends angle these past weeks. I hope they have a plan where to go with him now that it's done because he has some momentum... Oh yeah, there was a title change! Miz's reaction to winning the belt seemed genuine after what they've put him through the past year or so. Which reminds me of Jack Swagger! Whose Cheerios did he pee in?! What a burial, and why?... Please note here, fellow Torch readers, my prediction: Rock vs. Punk with Punk as a heel will result in Rock jumping the shark, and people will boo him and cheer Punk at Royal Rumble.

Mike Booble of Springfield, Ore.: The 1,000th (999th) episode of Raw did not disappoint. Instead of useless filler and an over abundance of comedy bits, they did a great job focusing on Episode 1,001... DX seemed like the DX of old. There seemed to be a return to that natural chemistry that made them must-see in the late '90s. And, the confrontation between Triple H and Brock Lesnar was done perfectly, save the part with Stephanie. It was very physical, as it should have been with the two sides getting pretty personal, allowing for further development of the feud... Heath Slater also took another step in branding himself a must-see every week. His interactions with the Legends and his delusional self-importance reminds me of a smarky Chris Jericho from WCW. So, it will be interesting to see where he grows from here... The wedding was a farce, as I think all expected, but the surprise announcement of A.J. as the GM was shocking, and a nice way to get the most over character on TV on every week. Although Daniel Bryan came across as a victim, he sets up well for a potential match or at least confrontation with Charlie Sheen. I just hope he isn't forgotten now that his run with Punk is over... I thought Raw ended well. With an apparent C.M. Punk heel turn, it gives Creative a big storyline going forward. I love the potential Rock-Punk exchanges and the build-up to Royal Rumble with Punk hopefully keeping his title for that long. Taking it off him at Summerslam just to put it back on him two months later would be a travesty. It means more in the match if Punk has had the belt for a year-plus. And, it would make a seemingly guaranteed Rock victory a big deal.

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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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