WWE Raw Reax 8/13

Dave Harlequin of Charlotte, N.C. (7.0): Best Match: Jericho-Miz-Ziggler. Worst Match: Sin Cara-Tensai. Overall, I thought this week's Raw was a decent improvement. While the Piper's Pit segment was a bit of a train wreck, the Triple Threat match that followed more than made up for it. The Punk/Cena-Show/Bryan tag match and Lesnar segments were also very well done. I am so glad Heyman is there to speak for Lesnar, as the big man is much better the less he speaks... My only real complaints were the usual botch-fests from Sin Cara and the Divas, but it seems WWE is intent on spotlighting them regardless of how bad they are or what anyone thinks... It was sad to see JTG getting jobbed out over speaking his mind and sadder to see Christian losing, but the rest of the show made up for it. I'm glad to see a decent undercard coming together for Summerslam and while I know the World Title match isn't really cancelled, I can still hope, right? Either way, I'll definitely be watching this Sunday - so good job, WWE.

Steve in Pompano Beach, Fla., raconteur & bon vivant (3.5): Sooo, yeah. That's what WWE chose to lead into Summerslam with - one decent match in Punk & Cena vs. Show & Bryan, a let down of a triple threat, a bunch of filler, and a half-hour's worth of horrible acting near the end, which made it seem like Raw was coming live from Pine Valley instead of Dallas. Hopefully Smackdown will do a better job in the way of making fans want to order the PPV, because to this viewer, Raw sure as hell didn't.

Mike Booble of Oregon: You know that photo every celebrity has of them in high school, the one where they have braces, or nerdy glasses, basically the chess club look? That was C.M. Punk last night. He looked like a pre-pubecent Triple H still trying to grow facial hair. What was he thinking? Luckily, unlike mathlete Triple H, Punk has an ability to rise above the hate. His interaction with John Cena was very comical, but not in a Santino as the U.S. champ kind of way. It help further put him over as a straight-edge Rodney Dangerfield. But, as good as Punk is, as one of my buddies pointed out last night, he's not as over as Daniel Bryan, who is the most over wrestler on Planet Earth. The crowd eats up everything he does, and just like any great character, he changed very little about his persona to flip from face to heel. Simply going from "Yes!" to "No!" refreshed him before he got stale and kept him relevant while not feuding for a World Title. Stale, though, would describe A.J. Not that she personally is stale, but the power-suit wearing female GM character is. We all know they have no actual power, so why not make each GM unique? They really missed the boat by taking her clothes off, so to speak, and making her corporate. It would have been far more effective to let her skip down to the ring in her plaid skirts and braids, not to mention far better to look at. Overall, I think they have a lot going for them right now, and I was skeptical with the change to three hours. Even after Summerslam, they have multiple storylines, and with the development of some new characters, they've built a solid foundation to finish the year with before ramping up for the Road to WrestleMania.

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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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