Instant Reaction - WWE Raw 9/8
By Benjamin Tucker, PWTorch TV specialist

Overall Score - 5.5

There are few Raws that felt as uneven as this week's program. Amidst half-hearted story development were two fine pay-per-view quality singles matches, the single greatest promo of John Cena's career, and a segment starring Jerry Springer that nearly brought the world as a whole to tears. The whole situation reeks of a burned out writing team desperate to get a product out on time. Until order is re-established backstage, Raw will continue to be a half-baked program that has a few successes surrounded by lost characters, meaningless feuds, and a lack of a sense of urgency.

Just by looking at the structure of Raw, it can be seen that something is deeply wrong. The Bo Dallas-Jack Swagger program that had gained serious traction in the mid-card was completely ignored this week. The Dust Brothers turned heel a mere few weeks ago, but instead of developing their characters the duo was thrust into a meaningless squash match. Rusev and Mark Henry's story took a back seat as well, with Lana spouting more anti-American rhetoric that came across as more of a retread than a way to generate an issue between the two monsters.

Even the main event between Randy Orton and Roman Reigns, for as entertaining as it may have been, ended unbelievably oddly. Instead of the Authority collaborating to help Randy Orton alone beat down Roman Reigns, the angle was presented in such a way as to give both Kane and Seth Rollins an equal spotlight. This may create heat for the Authority in general, but it minimizes the importance of the individual members. Why not alter the close to make Randy Orton the focus? Or Seth Rollins? Why water down the effects of a brutal beat down for no reason? Raw was not thought out well, and in just about every aspect of the program it showed.

What to Watch Later:

(Q1-2): Chris Jericho and Bray Wyatt's cage match was yet another solid encounter that felt like it should have been better. The spots were fine, but with a middling background behind the match, it felt as if it was missing something. At least Jericho only had a single visual win over Wyatt before losing (unlike a certain other encounter with one John Cena).

(Q4-5): John Cena flat-out stole the show, delivering the best promo of his career. He wasn't too cutesy, he wasn't too over the top, and he didn't get off topic; John Cena is a force for good and always will be, and his work tonight showed why his character is different from Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar. This simple black and white storytelling is sorely missed in wrestling, as seen here. Cena's promo made me want to see him beat Brock Lesnar. I believed in what he said. There was no attempt to be "cool." Cena cut a classic babyface monologue that should forever be seen as an example of the fire and passion a wrestler should give when they pick up a microphone.

And I said all of that without even mentioning Paul Heyman. That is how great John Cena was on Raw.

(Q12-over-run): Despite the odd interference that closed the show, Roman Reigns and Randy Orton delivered another solid encounter. Reigns is slowly improving, though his mic work is still rough. Still, solid near falls and action (plus a commercial break cutting out part of Orton's chinlock) made this a fine main event.

Other Bits and Pieces:

- There are few words to describe the Jerry Springer portion of Raw. Taken too seriously to be funny, too funny to be taken seriously. Springer's stretcher job was perplexingly horrendous and the Bella drama, if anything, was taken down a notch. Stop forcing the Bellas to do what they're weak at. Hide the weaknesses, promote the strengths.

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

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt