James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (6.0)

I'm giving this show a thumbs up, but I felt some of the momentum from the Nexus Invasion angle was lost. The problem for WWE is trying to balance three big stories right now: Nexus Invasion, Cena vs. Sheamus, and the Raw brand wrestlers in the Money in the Bank ladder match at the next PPV.

This week, WWE put the final spotlight on the MITB situation with a seemingly anti-climatic "peaceful ending" to Raw with Randy Orton posing with the MITB briefcase. It was fine to promote the PPV, but it seemed to take away some of that "anything can happen" momentum that has helped Raw steadily increase ratings every week for the past five weeks. Understandably, WWE can't deliver a huge Nexus angle every week, as it's impossible to sustain, so perhaps it was good in the long-term to focus on the regular top stars like Orton, Edge, Jericho, Bourne, etc. and hold off a big Nexus development for next week.

Nexus minus Wade Barrett wasn't too big of a loss this week, as Skip Sheffield continues to step up as a potential lead heel within the group. The beat down on the WWE Legends was fine and helped advance the angle sans Wade Barrett and without being in the main event spotlight... The opening segment with John Cena, Sheamus, and an inconsistent anonymous Raw GM started things off on a poor note. The segment fell flat, for me. It was part of a first hour that seemed to drag down the show before the Nexus angle created more life the rest of the way through.

Tony Donofrio, PWTorch.com Contributor (7.0)

Another really solid edition of Raw. That's two in a row for the red brand. The first hour wasn't particularly great but the second hour was very good. Starting with the minor annoyances, I was glad that they got the array of things that got on my nerves out of the way in the first half hour or so. Having to listen to Michael Cole every time we get that annoying computer sound was irritating. The rough part about it was that it cut into what was a pretty good promo from Sheamus and some interesting interaction from him and John Cena. Following that up was Vladimir Kozlov and Santino was okay once we got through the entire segment. It started off looking like a throwaway segment but it was saved by Regal and the now almost definite team of Kozlov and Santino. These two could make a legitimate team if the comedy is cut down slightly.

Moving onto Nexus: First of all, it was nice to see them finally get an established name. Secondly, they are the best thing going on Raw right now, easily. If you had told me nearing the end of NXT season one that these guys would be even as close to relevant as they are now, I'd have laughed at you. I did like the angle last night barring the attack of other WWE stars and the rosters similar ban from attacking Nexus. However, I would've like to have seen someone help defend the WWE legends and risk the "suspension." It could have been an established star like Cena or even a mid card face that could benefit from being part of a major storyline. The attack came across really well on TV also. This is turning out to be one of the best angles in WWE in years.

As for the major players, it was another solid show. The eight-man tag was a strong effort. The ending of the match was a little anti-climatic for my taste, but still a good match. The eight wrestlers chosen for the MITB match were good chooses as well. At WrestleMania, it's usually a mix of upper-mid card wrestlers. For the Raw match, we're getting a nice mix of upper and mid card guys that can all work a match pretty well. Pertaining to the WWE Title, I would have liked to have seen Sheamus be a little more dominant but at least it was a solid, clean win. A similar type of match really could've helped Jack Swagger's reign as World Heavyweight Champion on Smackdown. Overall though, no real complaints from Raw as the show steadily got better as the two hours went on.

Greg Parks, Torch Columnist (6.5)

One good, long angle and one good, long match were enough to give this show a thumbs-up for me. Raw was short on wrestling aside from the eight-man tag, but it goes to show you don't need 50 minutes of wrestling on a two hour show to be considered by some a "good" show. Kozlov vs. Santino and the Usos and Harts were two mid-card angles that were advanced nicely here as well.

The Divas match was just plain ugly, and we could've used some follow-up on the Maryse/Ted DiBiase relationship. Sheamus beating Mark Henry didn't do a lot for me; Henry isn't that high up on the card right now, but perhaps the image of Sheamus beating a competitor the size of Henry will stick in some fans' minds. Plus, you had to have him doing something on this show. Well, I guess not, since Rey Mysterio was absent from Smackdown this past week.

The NXT angle was pretty good, even though it was a bit long. Picking off the legends one-by-one was like something out of a horror movie. A coincidence with Rob Zombie hosting, I'm sure. He did a nice job, by the way, and thankfully they kept the guest host out of the way. The main event was a fun tag match, even if the ending was a bit predictable.

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