-- 10/12 WWE Raw Reax

Eli Brooke of Tampa, Fla. (2.0): I cannot remember a time when Raw was this consistently awful. It reminds me of several years ago when we would get Austin/JBL vs. Scott Hall/X-Pac every week. The opening segment was so bad. DX is UNWATCHABLE. They aren't even close to funny. It is embarrassing to watch. I always defend loving wrestling to people but it is hard when two older men who honestly are not over try to be funny. (HBK is still riding his legendary status, so he still is popular slightly.) There is nothing appealing at all about Triple H's gay jokes or book plugs. I think the guest hosts have all been awful except Dusty, DiBiase, and Shaq. The divas are used poorly. WWE built up Orton as a killer until WrestleMania 25 when he was ruined and has been ever since. I try to put myself in the shoes of a little kid and see what would be appealing, but I can't think of anything. When I was very young in the '80s and I became a lifetime fan, I got into the feuds and drama of matches where I suspended my disbelief and wanted to see who the better wrestler was. You know why we loved Warrior vs. Hogan, Hogan vs. Andre, Hogan vs. Savage, DiBiase vs. Virgil? We wanted to see who the better wrestler was! Impact is better than Raw because at least stuff happens on Impact. You can miss Raw after Raw and you won't miss a beat or anything of consequence. Raw gets a 2.0 because the Orton/Legacy interactions advanced a story. That's it. Ugh.

Sam, Torch reader: Best: Humbly writing a reax to PWTorch for the first time and the fact that Triple H did not use his peak minutes to talk to his "buddy." Worst: Triple H's phone call to his "buddy" to start off Raw. How should my first reax look like? Could we not have had one of the best heels on both brands interrupted to be told that Raw should be starting with DX? Chris Jericho is a highlight of both TV shows and all house shows. The guy is one of the best talkers on the mic, and this is how he is utilized? Should we be psyched up about Triple H teasing the crowd and asking them if he should make the call to his "buddy?" Or did Triple H just want to get across his "I am not the most technologically savvy guy in the world" line on TV? Either way, the phone call dragged, and sadly, it was not fun to see how the crowd literally went to sleep. I thought only C.M. Punk could do that. It was perhaps and arguably the most nightmarish opening act of Raw from anyone in a long time. Did you also notice how the guest host for next week was first given a plug in the show 47 minutes into the first hour? And we had not even seen the current guest hosts do much at that point. ... John Cena was booked in a qualifying match and we were supposed to believe that he would win? Considering the fact that he will compete in an Iron Man match at the PPV, did WWE officials think more Cena on the PPV would sell? You never know. I think 60 minutes and more of John Cena would have been an overdose even to a casual fan. There were some things that were really worthwhile. What a great way to set up Ted DiBiase's face turn in a month's time with a win over Orton while Rhodes pinned Cena, denying Ted the opportunity for Bragging Rights. It is falling into place perfectly and by the time Ted's movie comes out in December, he is really going to be ready to face Orton and possibly Rhodes. Kofi-Bourne was a preview of what they can do inside the ring if given 10+ minutes on a PPV. Just like what we saw with Morrison-Ziggler at Hell in a Cell, Kofi Kington and Evan Bourne is prime for another rematch soon.

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.

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