James Caldwell, Torch Assistant Editor (8.0)

Solid, focused episode where there was virtually zero filler, they had a good guest host (who can do a solid back flip off the top rope), and WWE continued to build intrigue for the WrestleMania 26 line-up focusing on Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels in separate storylines.

Shawn Michaels is back to that 2008 form when he was involved in awesome programs with Ric Flair, Chris Jericho, and JBL. He plays the "tormented spoiled superstar" so well and his "walking into the sunset" after superkicking Teddy Long was terrific to sell the storyline. The audience knows Michaels isn't done, so the intrigue is how he comes back after losing the tag titles, snapping on Triple H, and dropping Teddy. It's good stuff.

Bret Hart's physicality with Vince McMahon looked much better this week than last week. Hart clearing the Raw set was...random...but him standing tall in the ring at the end of the show still without his match with McMahon was a good conclusion for next week.

John Cena is also clicking right now. He's found his voice on the mic and his passion jumps through the TV screen to grab viewers at home. Wherever he goes with Hart, McMahon, and Batista remains to be seen, but he's found his niche in one of WWE's top programs going to WrestleMania. He's likable as a babyface and being paired with Hart can only help.

Jon Mezzera, PWTorch.com Contributor (6.5)

This was an interesting show and a hard one to grade. My Hits & Misses was one of the longest that I've ever done as there was a lot to like about the show, plus a fair amount to dislike. Also, I guess I was feeling a bit verbose and had a lot to say about the show. Here I will be more brief.

The opening wasn't good with the NASCAR introduction and Hornswoggle's random appearance. It got better with Sheamus and Christian's verbal exchange which I enjoyed. Their match was solid, but a bit off. I liked the plot developments on this show, specifically the further tension in Legacy (with a very good back stage segment and an interesting match with Orton vs. Rhodes), and the disintegration of DX (with a good backstage scene, the development in a good Unified Tag Team Championship match, and the great scene between Shawn Michaels, Teddy Long and Triple H). I continue to want to see where these angles are headed for WrestleMania, especially the later. Of course, there was also the hot ending to the show with the confrontation between John Cena and Vince McMahon over Batista's involvement last week and whether or not McMahon would wrestle Bret Hart at WrestleMania. That was a very good scene, with a very nice performance from Cena on the mic. Hart's surprise attack on McMahon was great. I liked how his fit after McMahon refused to wrestle him mirrored his fit after the Montreal Screw Job.

On the negative side of things, the Divas were an after thought. They have something in mind for this program between the new attitude Maryse and the confused Gail Kim. But as opposed to the recent Smackdown Divas angle, this has not been given time to develop. Kim vs. Jillian was one minute long. How are we supposed to care about it? I was also annoyed by the lack of wrestling in the second half of the show (a grand total of about 4 minutes). Also, this week brought to the forefront one of the problems with the guest host concept, which is that the powers of the hosts seem unlimited when hosts from one week can make matches for the next week. Why could Carl Edwards book three big matches for Jerry Springer's Raw next week? If this gimmick is going to continue, at some point these types of questions have to be addressed by WWE.

Greg Parks, Torch Columnist (7.5)

Boy does WWE gear up during Wrestlemania season. They're really bringing out some good television as of late. Monday was no exception. The only disappointment is that Sheamus doesn't have a lot to do, as he seems to be only a cog in the wheel of the break-up of Legacy. Shawn Michaels devolving into madness has been fun to watch; it hasn't exactly been subtle, but that's OK sometimes. Speaking of Sheamus, he got a good showcase match with Christian, who must've gained WWE's confidence by carrying Ezekiel Jackson to a good match at the Rumble.

I was surprised to see Miz and Big Show win the tag titles and would've honestly preferred Punk and Gallows winning. But hopefully that's a sign that WWE has something bigger in mind for Punk at 'Mania. The Gail Kim vs. Maryse feud continues to intrigue, though they got so little time this week, it was laughable. Carl Edwards did a fine job as guest host and was 100 times better than Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. It also helps that there hasn't been the focus on guest hosts what with the build to 'Mania being the focus now. The main event once again brought out the best in both Cena and Vince. The post-brawl attack on inanimate objects by Hart was too much like Survivor Series '97, but that's a small complaint.

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