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WWE Raw Reax #3: "I don't think it's a good well to go to too often, but it helped build Regal into a monster heel." Apr 28, 2008 - 11:04:32 PM
Todd Hilliard of Pinellas Park, Fla. - 54 years old (9.0): Best Match/Moment: Regal cutting the feed. Worst Match: The Diva Battle. Growing up in Pinellas Park, I LOVED the hotshot ending on Florida Championship Wrestling. It made going to the arena an absolute necessity. While it was obviously frustrating, that delayed gratification makes it great. I don't think it's a good well to go to too often, but it helped build Regal into a monster heel and was well motivated. Did we really need to see Orton tap? Was he REALLY going to win the title anyway? We know this is building to Cena vs. Triple H at Summerslam, so here was a moment to do something different and buzz-worthy. It has us ALL talking. My buddy Ronnie called me because he thought it was fantastic! Overall the show had an exciting tone. The Jericho vs. HBK conflict was out of character and strange for a wrestling show, and really want to see where the Kennedy-Regal dynamic is going. Hell, Cody Rhodes even impressed me with the crispness of his work tonight. After a ho-hum first hour, the last hour really had me and I'll be back next week AND telling people to tune in!
Mike Hautamaki of Virginia, Minn. (8.0). Best Match: Orton vs. Triple H (including the ending). Worst Match: The 12-Diva Train Wreck. The ending of the show will get a lot of heat, but I liked it. I didn't care about seeing the finish because I didn't care about seeing another Orton vs. Triple H singles match, even if it was for the belt. At least the ending was something different and played into William Regal's new direction on the show. Good to see Mr. Kennedy back. His face-off with Regal was classic, especially when he got up from the scrum a bit bloodied. Why didn't Santino and Carlito get a shot at the tag belts at Backlash? Instead we get another pointless singles match with Santino and Cody Rhodes on Raw. The other tag match stunk, too, but Trevor Murdoch saved it with his Garth Brooks impression. And finally, we had the interesting twist in the HBK-Batista-Jericho triangle. Michaels's silence has me looking forward to next week.
R.W. Cushing of Eagan Minn. (9.5): Best match: Everything besides JBL. Worst match: JBL in action. This was the hands down best Raw that I have seen in years. Now, it is a very cheap tactic to just fade out the main event... but as long as it isn't a recurring thing then it was well executed. I figured that JBL would just interfere, but they gave a refreshing end. When was the last time you watched a WWE TV show and had to jump online to figure out what happened afterwards? Last time it happened to me was back in the Attitude Era. The crowd was hot for the majority of the night. Maybe they should go to New York City, New Jersey, and Boston more often? The only reason this show didn't get a 10/10 in my book is JBL. I finally realized why I didn't watch Smackdown in 2004. JBL is a terrible character, has a terrible physique, and his talents are best used at a table sitting next to Michael Cole.
We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. Just to add a twist to this feature, include not just your hometown, but also your occupation (mechanic, lawyer, stay-at-home-dad, college student, etc.) so readers get a flavor for what everyone does as "day jobs." To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.
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