Guest Editorial - Raw Reax
By Evan G., PWTorch reader

I give Raw last night a 12/10. That's right, a TWELVE out of ten. And the reason for the extra points? The reason that makes this show the best wrestling show ever... Not just the best Raw, not just the best Nitro, not just the best Tuesday Night Titans, or even the best Wrestling Challenge where Moondog Spot and a guy who never worked out faced The British Bulldogs, but the best show ever? The A.J. Lee and Big E. vs. Great Khali and Natalya match.

Let's start with Khali. Clearly this former Heavyweight champion was raised watching the mat work of Ric Flair, the aerial work of Superfly Snuka, and the mic work of Dusty Rhodes. He is, to borrow Lex Lugar's former slogan, "The Total Package." He singlehandedly could win a war against Pakistan. The locker room laughs when C.M. Punk calls himself "The Best in the World." They know the true dominating force and most fearsome entity is the Punjabi Madman... The Beast from the Near East, The All-Indian Indian, Bollywood Khali... The Great and Powerful Khali.

Last night Khali was teamed with Jim "The Anvil" Neidhart, and seconded by Dink in a match that showed how a match can play out when no one discusses how it's supposed to end. Let's skip to the ending... the best ending since Owen Hart stunned Steve Austin, or when David Sammartino lost his father's love by submitting to Ron "Bear Hug" Shaw.

A.J. was in the vice like grip of Jim Neidhart's sharpshooter. As the women's - no, wait - Divas champion, and one of the featured attractions at Summerslam, everyone knew how this would turn out. She would find a way... that championship quality... to somehow get out of Jim's sharpshooter. Instead, in a stunning angle twist that kept everyone still watching on their toes, the following occurred in order:

(1) Jim Neidhart released the hold.

(2) A.J. then tapped out.

(3) The crowd watched quietly as they realized they were watching the greatest match in wrestling history.

(4) "The Anvil" raised the referee's hand to declare himself the winner.

(5) The referee, wanting more of this smooth, catch-as-catch-can style, told Jim to keep wrestling.

(6) Jim reapplied the hold and the women's champion quickly tapped out. Again.

A classic, ten-star wrestling match!

Did you watch Raw? We welcome your 0-10 score and comments for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, email to pwtorch@gmail.com .

[Torch art credit Grant Gould (c) PWTorch.com]

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