Instant Reaction - WWE Raw 6/10
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

DVR Guide: What to Watch Later

- Bryan vs Rollins (Q10-11)
- Kaitlyn Secret Admirer reveal (Q11)
- Cena-Ryback segment (Q12)

Overall Score - 7.0

Raw wasn't a home run, but it did a very good job of advertising Sunday's show, filling out the undercard and giving viewers last-minute reasons to catch the program. The few other matches on the show either highlighted new gimmicks or furthered the Triple H saga, which I don't see a point in, but isn't bad television. In other words, WWE made every segment feel like it mattered tonight, and created a show that was good enough to watch all three hours.

The real surprise of tonight was the Divas segment, with A.J. duping Kaitlyn. It was such a simple angle, but it worked fantastically. Kaitlyn doesn't have the best acting skills, but it was serviceable, and A.J. looked like a monster verbally tearing her down. I thought it was easily the best Divas angle since Kharma's debut (which never materialized into anything, but still), and had they actually put a focus on A.J.'s title aspirations in the weeks beforehand, this would have meant just that much more. As it is, I thought this was still a great segment.

Of course, Daniel Bryan once again stole the show with a great match against Seth Rollins. Great pacing, awesome nearfalls, and just about the only part of the show past Hour One that got the crowd entirely on their feet. Bryan has a real connection with the crowd, generating reactions even bigger than Cena. Every segment he has been in has been a real gem, and tonight was no exception. Seth Rollins only added to the match, more than holding his own in the ring.

The closing segment to Raw wasn't as strong as these other segments, but it got the job done pretty well. It hyped the two matches that were already highlighted in previous weeks (table and ambulance), while talking about the lumberjack stipulation and giving one last hard sell for Payback. It would have meant more if the match was focused on earlier in the show, but it was still successful.

The other parts of the show were solid but not quite as entertaining. The Punk-Jericho and World Title matches were essentially glossed over tonight, with Jericho cutting a bland promo and Dolph Ziggler not making much of an impact upon his return. Curtis Axel replacing Fandango on Sunday makes sense, but the match that preceded it was entirely unnecessary. Antonio Cesaro's squash win... eh, what was he doing on his way to the ring? Leg thrusts? Why? Next gimmick, please. And, while I loved Bryan-Rollins, the other two Shield matches didn't exactly set the world on fire.

Nothing tonight was too bad, though, and the show did its job of making me want to see Payback. Saving the big guns like Bryan, Ryback, and Cena for later in the show seemed to help the pacing for tonight, making it a lot more pleasant to sit through the program. A good night for wrestling - let's see how they follow it up on Sunday.

Questions? Comments? Reactions? Find me on Twitter @BTuckerTorch, where I talk about wrestling and... stuff!

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