4/27 WWE Raw Reax

Andrew Champagne of Ithaca, N.Y. (4.0): Best: Orton-MVP. Worst: Batista-Big Show. I expected a lot better given how incredible Backlash was. There were some good spots, but even those came with caveats. The opening segment was decent, but did it REALLY need to be dragged out to 20 minutes when it could have easily been done in ten? Kofi-Kendrick was an exciting three-minute match, but that's all it was - a three-minute match that could have gone longer if Orton and MVP's segment was cut in half. Orton-MVP was good, but the non-finish dragged it down. Shane's run-in made sense, but didn't he say this was going to end the week after No Way Out? We're after Backlash, and it's looking like Triple H will come back and save the day at Summerslam as the crowd grows even more against the storyline. Batista and Big Show have never had chemistry, and the crowd was dead for it until Cena showed up. The one thing I really enjoyed was Miz's promo, and I really hope they come through with a push for him. However, what they'll probably do is hitch him with Kendrick, put them in a one-month feud with the Colons, and forget about them. This was a real letdown, and it's gotta get better fast before the momentum from Backlash is completely lost.

Mike Kereakos of Bloomington, MN (7.5) Best match: Orton vs. MVP. Worst match: The eight-diva tag team match-up. I thought this was a stronger edition of Raw, mainly because of the focus on the draft going into effect. WWE did a good job focusing on the latest Raw draftees, rather than say having Triple H or Cena dominate the show. The Orton vs. MVP match was solid, and I thought those two did fairly well together for a fresh new match-up. I also thought the Kendrick vs. Kingston match up was pretty solid as well. I totally forgot about Ken Kennedy, and it will be interesting to see what the WWE does with him once he makes his long awaited return. I hope Kennedy comes back as a heel, because he's more suited for that persona rather than a babyface role. Matt Hardy hit on all cylinders as the whiny heel, and it brought out a different side to his character. I especially enjoyed how WWE really put the spotlight on The Miz. Miz challenging Cena was classic stuff. This segment in a weird way kind of reminded me of the old WCW days, when Tank Abbott kept coming out week after week challenging Goldberg. Here's hoping the storyline outcome for The Miz and Cena is better than that WCW one years back. One thing is for sure, though. I believe The Miz will get a big push on Raw now that he's away from John Morrison and swimming with the big sharks on Raw.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "WWE 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.

We suggest these recent related articles...

WWE PPV REAX #1: "I wanted the biggest event of the summer to end with an exclamation point; it ended with a semicolon and a question"

WWE PPV REAX #1: Battleground finish generates mixed reactions...

WWE PPV REAX #2: In-Person Battleground Report on overall show, reactions, more