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Torch Flashbacks
WWE Raw Reax #2: "The best part of Raw was Mike Adamle. People who criticize this guy need to..."
Aug 5, 2008 - 10:43:49 AM


Frederich Stubbs of Los Angeles, Calif. - Occupation: Dancer (4.0): Best: Triple Threat, Main Event. Worst: Championship Story Development. This episode was a prototypical example of how bad Raw has gotten. The wrestling in the triple threat match was very good, but the finish was formulaic and non-sensical because why would Punk resist the Walls of Jericho? To get a Triple Threat at SummerSlam? Huh? We are supposed to believe he wants that? As for the IC Title, I love Kofi and his ability in the ring, but where is his mic time? Fans dig him because he is exciting, but he has no personality to speak of. Fans will bore of this quickly and that's a shame because he is a damn good performer. And as for the main event, I HATE the fact that creative forever uses the tag titles as a secondary storyline. I long for the days of classic Survivor Series when the tag titles were on the line and every superstar jumped to get into the action for a shot at them. Now they are an afterthought used to further the storyline for Batista and Cena? A sidedish to sub-par meal. A large fries to go with a Big Mac, if you will? Haven't we seen this with John Cena and HBK not that long ago? The rating I gave here was for the actual wrestling on this show (Rhodes and DiBiase looked good, as well as the matches I already mentioned) and for another stellar performance on the mic from Santino and Beth Phoenix.

Adam Riemer of New York, N.Y. (8.0): Best: Mike Adamle actually impressing me. Worst: The Clean IC Title Win. Let's start with the worst, since overall I actually really enjoyed this show. I understand that Santino is now in the IC Title hunt, but it seems abrupt to end both Katie Lee's and Paul Burchill's title hunts in one quick night. However I really like Santino and Beth together on TV, and if the WWE is smart they will make them the new "Power Couple" on Raw holding both the IC Title and Women's Title. The best part of Raw was Mike Adamle. People who criticize this guy need to have an open mind in wrestling. Vince McMahon was one of the worst announcers in WWE history, but he was one of the best characters as well. Same with Eric Bischoff, terrible announcer, great performer on the mic. Mike did a very good job here tonight. He seemed annoyed at first with the crowd reaction, then he got arrogant... which is good. His "Adamle Original" lines might get old if they use it EVERY week, but for now it is great in establishing something different for the Raw GM and not constantly trying to re-hash the Eric Bischoff type GM. His matches made sense, they were entertaining, his promos were good (love the Regan comparison actually) and finally we get some closure to the Kane "what's in the bag? (his mask)" angle. Kane got pushed as a main event heel for all of 2.5 seconds, it's time to progress this stupid "is he dead?" angle. The tag title match was great, I love Rhodes and DiBiase. I really liked that they showed a lot of promise in actually carrying a match with two main eventers that can't really "wrestle." I also liked how Cena got Batista fired up with the slap. Overall, a pretty good show. I would suggest that the WWE should stop showing clips from the far superior year of 1997 and how much more truly interesting and fun wrestling was back then, but good for them for trying to move Raw along solidly.

Colin Johnson of Kalamazoo, Mich. (8.0): Best Match: C.M. Punk vs. JBL & Jericho. Worst Match: Kane vs. Matt Striker. This was just an overall very good Raw. Adamle did well on his first full day on the job, C.M. Punk regained some credablity in his handicap match, and the Batista-Cena feud took a step in the right direction while still making Rhodes & DiBiase look strong. Santino and Beth are getting more entertaining every week, and I like the idea of the "winner takes all" tag match at Summerslam against Kofi and Mickie. The only part of Raw I didn't enjoy was Kane's segment. I was really into the storyline when it first came out, but now I just don't care, and Adamle saying "we're going to find out what's in his bag next week" doesn't excite me, seeing as everyone know's it's his mask. Punk NEEDS a clean win over JBL at Summerslam, and he NEEDS to start being used in the second hour. I think Punk's match should've traded spots with the main event. Speaking of the main event, it was a good match, but I hope they have Rhodes and DiBiase immediately envoke their rematch clause next week, so they can regain the tag titles after Batista and/or Cena finally snap and cost themselves the titles. We'll see what happens.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "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.

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MORE "Torch Flashbacks" ARTICLES
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT (5 Yrs. Ago): Eric Young headlines, Jerry Lynn, R-Truth, Dusty Rhodes, Sabu, A.J. Styles, Jarrett, D-Ray 3000!
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Bruce Mitchell Feature Column - The Fluke Death of Owen Hart - May 23, 1999
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Torch Newsletter #550 cover story on Owen Hart's death (PART TWO) - May 23, 1999
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Torch Newsletter #550 cover story on Owen Hart's death (COVER STORY) - May 23, 1999
KELLER'S WWE BACKLASH PPV REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (04-18-04): Benoit vs. HBK vs. Triple H near-five-star classic, Orton vs. Mick "Cactus Jack" Foley
POWELL 5 YRS AGO: Annual trade deadline would be better than a draft
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WWE Draft Flashback: Keller's newsletter article on first WWE draft five years ago with Heyman, Angle, Triple H
WWE News: Steve Austin calls Hulk Hogan "pile of trash" and "manipulator" as he gives his side of walking out on WWE in 2002
WWE buries Steve Austin - PWTorch Newsletter coverage from June 2002 including Keller editorial
KELLER'S WRESTLEMANIA 15 MATCH REPORT with Analysis and Star Ratings (10 Yrs. Ago)
WRESTLEMANIA 15 READER REAX & POLL RESULTS (10 Yrs. Ago)
WRESTLEMANIA 15 ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS: Keller, Mitchell, Powell, Zavisa rate and review PPV event (10 Yrs. Ago)
KELLER'S WRESTLEMANIA 15 COVER STORY: Headline Austin beats Rock for title at WM15 (March 28, 2003)
TORCH STAFF RAW ROUNDTABLE REVIEW 5 YRS. AGO (03-22-04): Powell, Keller, Mitchell, McNeill rate and review
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (03-22-04): Draft Lottery after WrestleMania 20 leads to Rhino receiving World Title shot, Eddie Guerrero vs. Triple H, and Edge returning
TNA ROUNDTABLE REVIEWS 5 YRS. AGO: Keller, Powell, Mitchell, McNeill review the 3/17/04 TNA event on PPV
KELELR'S TNA PPV REPORT 3/17/04 (5 Yrs. Ago): Jarrett vs. Chris Harris, Abyss vs. A.J. Styles, Vince Russo new on-air authority figure
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (03-15-04): Michaels & Benoit vs. Evolution, Jericho vs. Matt Hardy, TNA special - Booker & RVD vs. Dudleys
KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (02-23-04): Hardy & Test vs. Booker & RVD, John Morrison debuts, Sheriff Austin

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UPCOMING EVENTS LISTING

Articles Grouped by Category
Torch Today
FOURTH OF JULY: Fun facts from the Great American Bash 10 & 20 years ago
TORCH MONTHLY AWARD VOTING: Polls OPEN for best/worst in pro wrestling from the month of June (Part 2 of 2)
TORCH MONTHLY AWARD VOTING: Polls OPEN for best/worst in pro wrestling from the month of June (Part 1 of 2)
WWE News
WWE News: John Cena says where he will be in ten years, talks about "feud" against The Rock
WWE News: Tommy Dreamer interview, Hacksaw Jim Duggan working on a book, Breaking Point PPV update
WWE News: Jeff Hardy contract status update, Hardy's future to be decided soon
TNA News
TNA News: Latest episode of the Spin Cycle with Sting, Jarrett, Cornette, Foley greatness (w/VIDEO)
TNA News: TNA video game franchise without a home after Midway Games bought out; Analysis of interesting domino effect involving WWE
TNA News: Sting talks Shockmaster with Jeff Jarrett, Jim Cornette (w/VIDEOS)
ROH News
ROH News: Lance Storm's first match out of retirement announced, details on second match against Chris Hero
ROH News: Notes on Toronto Gauntlet match, Nigel McGuinness below-average performances into storyline, ROH selling PWG DVDs
TOP FIVE STORIES - Weekend edition: Three WWE PPV title changes, WWE announcer leaving, Lashley blasts Sapp, Jerry Lawler's son arrested, "State of TNA" address
Other News
Other News: Torch Talk All-Star Lanny Poffo Video interview, great poem on taking out Hulk Hogan
Other News: Brian Blair denies hitting his children in Father's Day Fight; local news runs 911 call leading to arrest (w/VIDEO)
Other News: New clip of Rob Van Dam doing a stunt for his upcoming movie (w/VIDEO)
PPV Reports
THE BASH PPV COVERAGE: Listing of the Torch's WWE PPV coverage - Title changes, Jericho writes on Rey match, Miz on Cena match
RADICAN'S WWE THE BASH PPV BLOG 6/28: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Hunter PPV
CALDWELL'S WWE THE BASH PPV REPORT 6/28: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of Orton vs. Triple H, Punk vs. Hardy
TV Reports
7/2 TNA Impact Recap by Wilkenfeld: The oddly-invincible Jeff Jarrett
NWA CHARLOTTE TV REPORT 7/3: New version of The Sheik debuts, First NWA Charlotte Women's champ, blading on camera
PARKS' WWE SMACKDOWN REPORT 7/3: Ongoing "virtual time" coverage of the show, including Punk & Jeff Hardy vs. Jericho & Edge
Arena Reports
7/3 WWE in San Diego, Calif.: First-hand report on Edge's apparent injury, Punk vs. Rey Mysterio, Ricky Steamboat in action
6/27 ROH in Chicago: Austin Aries vs. Nigel McGuinness, KENTA vs. Black, Petey Williams looks odd, Crowd eats up Flair's generic promo
6/28 PWG in California: Joey Ryan vs. Necro Butcher, Davey Richards vs. Young Buck, Michael Jackson entrance themes
MMA / UFC Coverage
UFC News: Kimbo Slice, Rampage Jackson, Rashad Evans plus rest of cast of TUF 10 to be revealed...
UFC - ENNIS COLUMN: The Lay of the Lane - A look at MMA's top heavyweights from Brock to Mir to Carwin to Fedor to...
MMA: Plan a week of UFC and other MMA viewing with the Torch's viewer's guide including Liddell vs. Wanderlei Silva
KELLER'S TAKE
KELLER: How bookers, like Jeff Jarrett last night, show that they're the toughest SOBs in the world
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT TAKE 7/2: Thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
KELLER'S ECW ON SCI-FI REPORT 6/30: Results, star ratings, thoughts, observations, nitpicks, and quotebook
MITCHELL'S TAKE
MITCHELL SHORT: WWE Proving Once Again That Life is Easy...
MOJO MITCHELL'S 6/29 Raw Stream Of Randy Orton Faces ECW and Loses and That's The Main Event
Mitchell Short: Your Thank-You Note to WWE
MCNEILL'S TAKE
The Names Have Been Changed To Protect The Buyrates: McNEILL Previews WWE Bash 2009!
Redemption: McNEILL previews TNA Slammiversary 7!
MCNEILL BLOG: A Modest Proposal For Monday Night Trump
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Analysis of WWE's roster shuffle from the 15-person trade - who benefited, which brand needs help
CALDWELL: Instant Reaction to key storylines on Raw and post-PPV developments
CALDWELL: WWE Smackdown/The Bash PPV analysis - Don't Mess with C.M. Punk's dynamic character
RADICAN'S TAKE
RADICAN: Torch readers sounds off on Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw (w/Radican Reax)
RADICAN: Mark Henry's shining moment on Raw leaves a bad smell in the room
RADICAN: A follow up on the Death Before Dishonor audio with Feinstein with notes on Special K angle, Punk-Raven feud, where's Misawa now?
The Specialists
GARDNER'S KEY MOMENT OF THE WEEK: ECW brand's star power, identity, purpose extinguished by The Trade
HITS & MISSES - TNA IMPACT 7/2: Kevin Nash's moneyball, Eric Young wins a match, SuperJJ thinks he's Triple H, Matches too short (as usual)
CHARACTER MATTERS: Why The Game Doesn't Play with Me - The Flaws of Triple H's On-Air Persona
Guest Editorials
EDITORIAL: Historical perspective on Austin Aries's ROH Title victory - his journey from main event to mid-card back to main event
EDITORIAL: TNA needs to K.I.S.S. the King of the Mountain match to make it more appealing to TNA viewers
EDITORIAL: How WWE could have better handled the Vickie-Edge segment on Raw and caught up with the year 2009
Torch Feedback
Smackdown TV Reax #1: "Fresh match-ups, superstars, and storylines just create great TV"
Thursday Night TV Reax - SS/Impact: "X Division, we hardly knew ya after Abyss beat up the only two representatives who showed up"
ECW TV Reax #2: "Yoshi is already on the road to being the next Funaki at this point"
Ask the Editor
Ask the Editor: Wouldn't incorporating MMA-style holds into pro wrestling matches just be trying to be something it's not?
ASK THE EDITOR: Have the Michaels-Batista promos crossed a line with use of insider terms, references to "jobs"?
ASK THE EDITOR: Why do wrestlers in WWE refer to wrestling as "the business" and not "the sport"?
DVDs - VGames - Books
RADICAN'S ROH DVD REVIEW SERIES: 2/7 "Proving Ground: Night 2" (Danielson-Generico, Steen-Richards)
RADICAN'S TORCH DVD REVIEW SERIES: YouShoot with Sabu: Sabu opens up about working in WWE, incident with Kurt Angle, negotions with TNA, more...
RADICAN'S PWTorch DVD review: The Best of RVD TV Vol. 1: RVD trains MMA with a UFC fighter, talks the power of the mind with The Ultimate Warrior, discusses love on a beach with Samoa Joe
Torch Flashbacks
KELLER'S TNA IMPACT REPORT (5 Yrs. Ago): Eric Young headlines, Jerry Lynn, R-Truth, Dusty Rhodes, Sabu, A.J. Styles, Jarrett, D-Ray 3000!
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Bruce Mitchell Feature Column - The Fluke Death of Owen Hart - May 23, 1999
OWEN HART 10 YRS. AGO: Torch Newsletter #550 cover story on Owen Hart's death (PART TWO) - May 23, 1999
VIP Exclusive Features
7/4 Bruce Mitchell Audio Show, part two: The Vickie Guerrero Injustice, Torrie Disrespect, Jericho Laments Schedule, Wrestler Twitters Going Too Far, Punk's Surprising Hardy Comment, TNA's Ho-Hum Kidnapping of Lauren (76 min.)
7/4 Wade Keller Hotline - The News: Edge Injured, Jeff Hardy's Uncertain Future, WWE PPV Strategy, Wrestling on FX? (19 min.)
7/4 VIP East Coast Audio - Smackdown: Punk-Hardy great exchange, Rey loses to Kane, Dolph and Maria an item? (40 min.)
Torch Trivia
TORCH TRIVIA 2/28: Which wrestler backed out of a WWA PPV in February 2002?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/27: Who said this quote about Hulk Hogan's athleticism 11 years ago?
TORCH TRIVIA 2/25: What said this quote about WWE's mid-1990s drug testing policy?
Torch Instant Polls
FOURTH OF JULY POLL: What's your favorite July 4th "gimmick" in pro wrestling?
7/3 SMACKDOWN MICROSCOPE POLL: What related topic from tonight's Smackdown do you want to see analyzed Under the Microscope?
TNA IMPACT POLL: Who was the MVP of the 7/2 episode if you saw the show?
PWTorch Free Podcast
6/23 Nostalgia Audio with Brian Hoops: Former WCW rapmaster PN News joins Brian Hoops to preview upcoming Midwest shows (10 min.)
FREE AUDIO: Keller & Mitchell Discuss Randy Savage's Place in WWE History, Elizabeth's Strengths and Weaknesses
FREE FOR ALL TODAY - 5/31 Keller Hotline: Tons of info on Kennedy situation, immediate future, plus what top star's days in TNA are numbered, what's working against Kennedy getting big push in TNA, much more
Annual Obituaries
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 1999 - Muchnick, Rick Rude, Owen Hart, Renegade...
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2000 - Solie, Albright, Duncum, Tsuruta, Blue Demon, Al Costello
SPECIALIST: List of Deceased Wrestlers for 2001: Johnny Valentine, Terry Gordy, Chris Adams, Bertha Faye, Helen Hart