Instant Reaction - WWE Raw 4/21
By Ben Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 7.5

After a fantastic Raw two weeks ago and a sleepier event seven days ago, I thought tonight's event found a nice groove in between. The wrestling was fine and didn't overstay its welcome, the various promo segments were compelling and paced well, and the Extreme Rules event on the horizon was hyped well throughout the entire broadcast.

- I could hardly stand to watch Daniel Bryan at the beginning of Raw, nearly in tears as he entered the ring as he learned of his father's death presumably shortly before Raw. It was a gutsy and admirable move for him to still come out for the broadcast, and it was nice for WWE to write him out of the show without having to do much so that he can deal with his life outside the ring first and foremost.

The opening made lemonade out of lemons, with Kane's beat down of Bryan being sufficiently brutal to take the champion off TV for another week while also portraying the new #1 contender as a true monster. This was the most compelling segment Kane has been in since he turned heel on The Undertaker back in 2010. The fact that his actions were going too far for even The Authority was a nice touch.

Verdict: Watch It.

- The opening match of Bad News Barrett vs. Sheamus also happened to be the best of the show. These two work very well together and the crowd was pretty into the match. It is odd that Barrett is gaining so much of a following. With him, Cesaro, and the Wyatts all essentially encouraging fans to cheer them with chants, signs and crowd-pleasing moves, are we on the verge of seeing WWE foray deeper into the concept of shades of gray characters?

Verdict: Watch It.

- Bray Wyatt cut yet another fantastic promo on John Cena, which (once again) successfully played to the crowd, though maybe not to the extent Wyatt was hoping for. Still, strong mic work.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Los Matadores vs. 3MB has been typed so much on my phone that it has become an autocorrect suggestion. Next.

Verdict: Skip it.

- I thought the Evolution-Shield promo exchange was very well done. Evolution looks larger-than-life and The Shield are stepping up to the plate well. Orton and Batista seem more comfortable in these roles, and the face trio continue to develop well. Trim off a minute of Seth Rollins's promo and you have a nearly perfect exchange.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Good thing WWE decided to kill all of the Brotherhood's momentum before opting to split them up. Genius move, guys. The Usos squash was filler.

Verdict: Skip It.

- Week 12 of Fandango and Santino comedy. Nope.

Verdict: Skip It.

- John Cena's response promo to the Wyatts and their increasing popularity with the fans was well done. His story with Bray is more logical this month, but it's still suffering from Cena acting bipolar. What, no Photoshop this week?

Verdict: Watch It.

- Cesaro vs. RVD was an okay match that never seemed to be anything more than a collection of spots. In other words, it was an average RVD match. Not bad for what it was, but it didn't give Van Dam a lot of momentum heading into the tournament final next week.

Verdict: Watch It.

- Paige is gaining popularity, but the main roster Divas are severely limiting her in-ring ability. Case in point: this match. And please stop screaming in your matches.

Verdict: Skip It.

- Rusev still shows me nothing, but I'm being patient at this point. A squash is a squash, plain and simple.

Verdict: Skip It.

- The main event wasn't a technical masterpiece, but it did its job well enough. Cena essentially beating all three Wyatts did seem to be a stretch, but the ending visual of Bray singing to a downed Cena is really all that matters.

Verdict: Watch It.

So, overall, a very hit-worthy show. Only a few lulls in the action and almost everything added to the hype for Extreme Rules in some form or fashion. Now it's time to see how the final Raw before the PPV fares in... well, bringing the hype home.

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

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