A.A. Norman of Tulsa, Okla. (6.5) Best mic work: Cody Rhodes and Ted Jr. vs. Hacksaw; Worst mic work: Opening Stephanie reading her script off to the side of the camera with Shane McMahon. Please make Santino and Beth Phoenix an on-screen couple. It was begging for them to make out instead of pin out at the end of the match. It would be so perfect. If Santino can't beat anyone up, why can't he just send Beth to do it for him? Santino has been having so much trouble with women lately that it would certainly solve this problem. Cody Rhodes and Ted Jr. are doing wonderful on their characters. If they continue teaming with JBL, even Bradshaw might become a little more bearable to watch. However, not enough of a show to sell the PPV for the simple fact that I spent most of the show fast forwarding via DVR. I agree that Kane has great facial expressions, but at the same time, he needs to get his mask gimmick back. Compromise? A modified mask that still emphasizes his facial expressions. Hey, it worked for the Phantom of the Opera!
Steve Feinberg of Cleveland, Ohio - PWTorch subscriber (7.5): Best Match: Punk-Batista encounter. Worst: Santino vs. Glamazon. A pretty good show heading into the p-y-per-view, and while many are criticizing the JBL-Cena car attack, I don't see it the same way. Just wondering, but... did we see the car hit Cena? Was Cena shown under the car? And while Wade Keller wrote that, JBL seemed to be wondering if he overdid things, why not take the different approach? JBL's wondering "where the hell is Cena?" "What's he got in STORE for me now that I couldn't finish him off?" What are his two thug Cryme Tyme buddies going to be dreaming up for Sunday in the parking lot?"
Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (9.0): Best: Cena promo; Michaels promo; Kane's transformation in progress Worst: Punk vs. Kane As a go-home show tonight fell kinda flat, but there were some noticeable things. If there was a feud to be had between Kofi & Mickie and Paul & Katie, most of the gas has been spent on that one. Both faces got relatively clean wins in fairly short time, so not sure where that can go. Matt Striker gets some airtime as wall decoration for Santino; nothing against Santino as he was fine as usual, but that's sacrilege that Striker is getting omitted. So is Beth a face now after her match with Santino? If so there are no strong heels on the roster, and that can't be good. Noble's foot-in-mouth character fits well for squash matches or segments. Looks like Layla may be the object of his eye here, like Michelle was on Smackdown, but he's got more work cut out for him to win her over which could make for a nice storyline. Cena gave the promo he should have in the first place, the intense take-no-prisoners kind. Shawn's was much shorter but also well spoken. His recovery seems a little speedy, but then we're also supposed to believe that Cena is apparently very injured or worse. None of the matches were that good, but Punk-Kane and Jericho-London did the most in terms of character and story development. Jericho is looking for a new set of Jericholics, but London's been given no time to be established as a solo performer, though it made sense that London faced Jericho due to Michaels's ties to him. Kane's situation is much clearer now as "he" seems to mean himself. Kane's character has been softened up bit by bit over the years, and now he's questioning the possible "death" of the monster within, the killer instinct. For once, a substantial meaty storyline for Kane to feast on if done right. And so far, so good on that one.
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....
