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-- 10/19 WWE Raw Reax

Justin Shook of Columbia, S.C., USC student (8.0): Best Match: Triple H vs. John Cena. Worst Match: Jillian Hall vs. Melina. This was actually a very enjoyable Raw. Snoop Dogg seemed knowledgeable and comfortable on the mic and also with the wrestlers. The initial DX segment had its funny parts, but they are giving these guys way too much time every week. I'm a huge HBK fan, but I can't help wishing he was having star-elevating matches with young guys like Kofi, Miz, or John Morrison (if he was on Raw). HBK should spend his last few years getting new stars ready for the main event spotlight. DX is not helping that happen. I went into Triple H vs. John Cena feeling less then enthused. I couldn't help but think HBK vs. Cena would have been better, as their almost one-hour classic from two years ago is one of my favorite matches in a long time. Also Cena won at Mania and HBK won on Raw, so there was a score to settle. Either way, Hunter and Cena really worked hard and put on a match that was fun to watch and had that epic big match feel that seems rare these days. The Randy Orton-Ted DiBiase "match" was so well done. The intensity was off the charts and the crowd was white hot for it. That's great news for WWE because when they pull the trigger on DiBiase vs. Orton, it will be a big deal and the fans will care about the match. The Cena vs. Orton video package was very well done and might score a few extra buys from people on the fence. The closing segment with all 14 members of the seven-on-seven match was well done, as it showed only enough fight to leave me wanting to see more. The negative segment was the five vs. five match where if a team Raw member was pinned they were off the team. The match was short and seemed pointless. I was expecting MVP to get the pin. The Divas match was under one minute. That's enough said. Give these ladies some time. The next Trish and Lita cant rise up with minute long matches. Everything else was solid. A 20-minute match has not been seen on Raw on a LONG time, many storylines for the PPV were advanced, and the seven vs. seven match seems like its going to be fun. All and all, I feel Raw promoted Bragging Rights very well and the show was a vast improvement over the past few weeks.

-- 10/18 TNA Bound for Glory PPV Reax

Brian J. Adkins of King, N.C. (6.5): Best Match: Kurt Angle vs. Matt Morgan. Worst Match: TNA Knockouts tag team match. The show had some great wrestling along with plenty of highlights such as high-flying - as always - from the X-Division wrestlers. Also, the tough shots taken during both the ladder tag team match and the Monsters Ball match. It also did well in trying to highlight that the younger guys are being elevated to main event level even in defeat such as Angle and Morgan. Scott Steiner did a very admirable job showing plenty more fire than usual considering his limitations. Eric Young winning over two bigger men was a nice surprise. The live crowd was very vocal and I always like when they use a smaller arena as opposed to a larger venue so the crowd reactions are picked up better. As others have said, the most glaring problems were from the production side. A lot of inexcusable mistakes were made, especially missed camera shots. For those who have been complaining about WWE being overproduced, well this is what you get when it's not laid out in such a slick manner. It was an amateurish looking show. One live reviewer said the feed kept going in and out there in the arena on the big screen. They had this problem back in January at Genesis, which I attended live in Greensboro. It sounds harsh but someone should either be fired or at least taught how to do a more efficient job.

Then, we have the problems that have plagued TNA for several years now - their apparent inferiority complex when it comes to WWE and poor booking/creative ideas. If the involvement of Randy Couture's wife with Tara was Russo's idea, I believe he was trying for his "work/shoot" style that has never effectively worked. All it did was make everyone look dumb as no one acted like they knew who she was or what they were doing instead of the intended reaction of shock and awe that an MMA fighter's wife was picking a fight. The Full Metal Mayhem tag match had the exact same ending as the TLC match from WM X-7 and the Monster's Ball match had a similar ending as the Over the Edge '98 match between Austin and - surprise! - Mick Foley as Dude Love and special ref "Mr." McMahon. I know not every fan has seen every PPV or match ending, but it's what I immediately thought of when I saw them. One thing they should have copied from WWE - since this was supposed to be their WrestleMania - would have been to make this PPV four hours long, even if it had to start at 7:00 p.m. here on the East Coast. It would have given them plenty of time to compensate for taking down the scaffolding, which was the shakiest structure I've seen since the first scaffold match between The Road Warriors and the Midnight Express. It also could have given other matches such as Joe vs. Lashley and the main event of Styles vs. Sting more build-up and time to tell more of a story in the ring. Why did Borash say the World Title match had a 60-minute time limit when there was less than 30-minutes left in the show? For all the criticism, I was entertained and I am hoping they learn form their mistakes, but the cynical side of me has to say they haven't so far, so why would they start now?

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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