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WWE Raw Reax #2: "When Triple H flashed the four fingers for the Horsemen, I actually stood up from my chair." Mar 31, 2008 - 11:18:19 PM
Dan Kuester (10.0): This show rates a 10 with me just because of the Ric Flair ceremony. I am like many long time fans and I have not had an easy time coming to grips with the end of the Ric Flair era. I know that many wrestling fans quit watching the product when WCW went out of business, I watch WWE every once in a while and had they handled this as badly as I feared they would I might have just been done with wrestling. I doubt I ever watch every week again the way I once did but when WWE presents things this well and treats the greatest wrestler ever with the respect he deserves it makes you feel good about the company. Certainly there have been enough times when people say, "You like to watch that" and I don't always have a great answer for them. These last three shows (four if you count the Hall of Fame) centered around Ric Flair were simply first class all the way. I am not ashamed to admit I was pretty emotional watching the three part weekend (HOF, Wrestlemania, Raw) with just a great tribute to Ric Flair. It's as if they realized they had some long time fans watching and they did a good job building the strong heel champion, had what I thought was a really good short match with Punk and Jericho and a strong Orton/Hardy match. Really great show. Kudos to WWE.
Dave Voigt of Toronto, Ont. (10.0): Best match/Worst match: Irrelevant. I was worried they were going to do something tastless with HBK's odd comments at the beginning of the show, but this show was all about Flair the rest was just filler. That was pure class all the way, no McMahons, just the boys in the back. The ony man in the history of the business to deserve that kind of send off, I really hope he doesn't come back, because I will remember this Raw very fondly, and a Mick Foleyesque return in 18 months or so would just ruin it. Thanks Naitch, you will be missed.
Jamie Golliver of Athens, Ala. (10.0): Best Match: Ric Flair Farewell Address and Tribute. Worst Match: N/A. I enjoyed the first part of Raw, especially the surprising challenge of first JBL and then Matt Hardy toward Randy Orton. The crowd enthusiasm made the return of Cryme Tyme and the win by Kendrick & London fun as well. Santino Marella is gold no matter what they have him doing. I flipped channels back and forth until it was time for Ric Flair to address the crowd. Seeing the look on his face as he made his way to the ring conveyed that he is at peace with his in-ring career being over. It was great as Ric Flair spoke while the crowd honored him with chants and cheers. When Triple H's music hit, I thought this oughta be good. Boy, was I surprised at how good it ended up being. When Triple H flashed the four fingers for the Horsemen, I actually stood up from my chair. It was an adrenaline rush hearing the old Horsemen music and seeing Dillon, Windham, Blanchard, and AA walk to the ring. As the legends and current WWE wrestlers were announced, I was holding out hope that Roddy Piper's bagpipe music would hit. Not a big deal, but I thought the Hot Rod might make an appearance. When Ric's family was announced and they showed him breaking down, it was hard not to well up myself. My favorite part was when the various WWE wrestlers, referees, and agents came down the ramp and chanted "Thank you, Ric!" How cool was it to see a smiling Edge standing alongside a cheering JBL while Randy Orton wiped away a tear? The crowd response was the loudest and most exciting I have heard in a long time. I am 35 years old and have admittedly been lukewarm toward and disappointed with WWE the past several years. But not tonight. For tonight, I found myself not wanting Raw to end because I was thoroughly enjoying the well-deserved and respectable sendoff being given to the "Nature Boy." The wrestler I cheered against as a child and cheered for as an adult was in the spotlight once again and I wanted to continue to be a part of that for as long as possible. Tonight, Ric Flair "walked that aisle and styled and profiled" one last time. This show garners a perfect 10.0 from me based on that historical segment alone. As the best wrestler to ever live exclaimed on more than one occasion: "WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
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