Brian S. of Baltimore, Md. (5.0): Best match: Hardys vs. Miz/Morrison. Worst Match: MVP vs. Dreamer. I love the concept of the draft, and it's the one show I make sure to watch live every time/year it happens. Fun show, but several choices seemed so odd, not in a good way. Matt Hardy to ECW; if a Hardy was getting dropped to an area WWE clearly is trying to tank, shouldn't it be Jeff Hardy as more punishment for his transgressions. Plus, it'd give him a chance to prove his worth as a brand's top champion without risk, since Vince obviously doesn't care about ECW. Poor Matt. Next, Kane to Raw doesn't make sense because Kane's last run on Raw was flat, to say the least. It also sets up a ECW Title match featuring a Raw "superstar" vs. a Smackdown "superstar." Great way to define a band, eh? And why move Kennedy back to Smackdown? His push got scuttled a bit by his suspension (his fault), an injury (not his fault) and being behind too many other big faces like Hardy and Triple H. Now he is, well, behind Hardy and Triple H because of their moves. With the other moves he could have risen to second top face on Raw at some point. And if your network show is doing crazy good business with Hispanic viewers, why move the most recognizable Hispanic wrestler on Earth to another show on a pay station? Also, why do they feel a need to torture Jim Ross, easily the best announcer of the last 20 years? All that said, I love the Punk, Triple H, Umaga, and Batista moves. It did think it was odd how every wrestler, sorry sports entertainer, that moved was a significant name. Having EVERY move be so big took away some from the draft concept. Something like an occasional Charlie Haas or Shelton Benjamin or random low-talent diva move would have made the drafting of the main eventers and upper mid-carders to a different show seem more special. Overall, the draft felt a little like the storyline equivalent of a TNA X-Division or indie spotfest because of it: big move after big move leading to viewer burnout.
A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (8.5): Best match: Battle Royal. Worst match: Diva tag team match. A very good show, overall. Unlike some reviews out there, I actually liked the Vince McMahon injury angle, because it implies that the million dollar giveaways are finally over. I didn't even bother to register this past week, because I really don't care. They had to end it some way, and I guess a large prop falling on your collapsing stage isn't a bad way to go out. I am happy to see Matt Hardy go to ECW and Kane to leave, because the strong parts of that show are really the young and rising talents and Hardy seems like a good role model for them (although, to be honest, Benoit seemed like a good role model also one year ago). I am sad to see all the main reasons to watch Raw move to Smackdown, because I don't watch Smackdown much anymore (and I'm not sure if I get the channel that it's moving to). The only move that I wish happened that didn't was Kurt Angle back to WWE (and we could have sent the likes of Lance Cade, Chavo Guererro, and Mike Adamle to TNA). Kudos to Great Khali and to WWE for mentioning his movie involvement. Please continue to give him moments like that!
Sam Weiss of San Diego (9.0): Overall a very good show - for a change on Raw we had plenty of matches. That made a difference, plus Vince finally figured out how to make the lottery segments not so boring. Two specific items stuck with me after the show: (1) the Y2J heel promo, and how Jericho presents himself authentically, and (2) the injuries or Melina and Batista as both looked (and probably were) real. As for the draft picks, the only thing that was missing was moving MVP to Raw which I think would have been best for everybody. The moves that were made all seem logical to me and I look forward to some interesting new matches.
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.
LATEST PRO WRESTLING TORCH NEWSLETTER #1039 (17 PAGES)
This issue begins with a cover story by Wade Keller who attended Brock Lesnar's first UFC victory on Saturday night in the semi-main event in front of a record-setting crowd in his hometown. Keller's BBL looks at Lesnar's place in MMA and in what ways he seems more comfortable than ever... Bruce Mitchell's Memo examines the dilemma of Chris Benoit and the Hall of Fame... Sean Radican reviews the two latest TNA DVD releases... In-depth coverage of the TNA Hard Justice PPV including Keller's match report with star ratings and the newsletter-exclusive Roundtable Reviews... Jason Powell's "Page 2 Buzz" with scoops and insider analysis... WWE Newswire, TNA Newswire, and ROH Newswire with insider news, big story analysis, and notebook tidbits... Plus Keller's reports on Raw, Smackdown, and Impact, the Top 5 Stories of the Week, and more....
