H.G. Gillis of Nova Scotia, Canada (7.5): Best segment: The "final" Highlight Reel. Worst segment: Anything with Shane McMahon's silly dance. Ever since the Draft, I've been watching WWE on a regular basis for the first time in years, and I really enjoyed tonight's episode. The Cena-Batista stuff was very good and Jericho's promo was incredible. The only thing that doesn't sit right with me is the lack of progress the company has made in getting the fans to buy C.M. Punk and Kofi Kingston as champions. I am yet to watch a single WWE show where Punk is treated like a top guy and he lacks the credibility to carry himself as a worthy champion. Kofi's path, meanwhile, seems like a complete miscalculation; his bland smiling babyface character comes off as phony, which is a shame given how flashy and exciting his in-ring work can be. As for the Adamle swerve... well, at least it means he won't be on ECW anymore (paging Todd Grisham). I think I might enjoy Adamle in this new position, although that Batista vs. Cena Summerslam announcement was unforgivably flat. Finally, whoever booked that segment with Cole and the champs should get a raise; the old "put J.R. in harm's way" routine worked like a charm, and for the first time in a long time it sounded like the fans were behind Michael Cole as as their announcer. With more of this seemingly left to come, Cole has a great opportunity to receive support and acceptance from the fans.
Adam J. Grammas of Westchester, Ill. (0.0 - Based on what I saw): Okay, I'll come right out and say, I didn't watch the whole show Monday night. (I was watching the Cubs help themselves save the top spot in the NL Central.) But the last five minutes is enough to comment on. In fact, I pretty much agree word for word with what Sean Banks wrote in the first set of Reax. What are the TNA haters saying after watching last night? I know naming Adamle the GM was meant to "shock" because he's such a terrible announcer, but that just fell flat. The audience was completely silent, not knowing how to react to such a stupid decision and, quite frankly, a let down after two hours. And then Mike Adamle's trying to hold John Cena close. I'm assuming Cena and Batista were actually in on the storyline, but they didn't seem to know how to react, either. Then the show goes off the air in complete silence with Cena and Batista just sort of standing around. Like Sean Banks wrote, the best thing about Raw these days is Mickie James, and Smackdown - with less main event talent - is the best WWE program right now.
Michael Hurst of Kissimmee, Fla. (3.0): Best match: Highlight Reel. Worst match: Adamle as GM. Quick thoughts. Jericho is Raw, and his feud with Michaels is tops in '08. Vince to Regal backstage before his match, "do the job, and oh yeah, wear this to the ring." LMAO! I texted my buddy and told him I thought the free agent was going to be MVP; I could not have been more wrong. MVP entertains me. The C.M. Punk title win a few weeks ago was an awesome shock, but I have little to no interest in seeing him as a World Champ anymore. Santino's facial expressions are golden. Kofi Kingston has tons of energy and Jamie Noble is hilarious; they need to utilize both each week. Love Mickie, love Katie Lee. The main event was decent, I'm just tired of the same old booking of "let's put enemies together in tag matches and see if they can co-exist." My pick for G.M. was Ted DiBiase, but then I started thinking it would be Shane McMahon himself when nobody came out from the curtain. Adamle as GM, Adamle as a central figure on a primetime LIVE broadcast? "Holy I just wasted two hours of my life, Batman!"
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....
