-- 10/26 WWE Raw Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best Match: Show vs. Triple H. Worst Match: Noble vs. Sheamus. Raw has had some really bad outgo shows in the past, but this one was definitely not one of those. At least it was good for my entertained brain. The show got off to a good start with JeriShow's promo. Because of the mobility of the tag titles Show can make plays for other brand's titles. Smackdown will need to explain how it is Big Show got this opportunity before anyone had a chance to earn it. Orton feuding with Kofi seems like several steps back for him, but then it will be nice to see him make a reasonable trip back up top. I'm confused, though, how Kofi was the only problem when Legacy didn't complete their duty. But that could be just a sidestep toward Orton vs. Legacy (one or both) down the road since it was Orton's gift from Legacy that Kofi vandalized. So Sheamus is a free agent, eh? I'm guessing his ECW contract was a short probationary one? Miz gets to brag some more about being the only Raw win. It works as a nice consolation prize, and led to some sweet stuff with Swagger, Eve, and Bourne. The biggest problem with the match was the count continuing when Evan dived outside. Shouldn't that have stopped the count? The racers seemed like nice enough guys, but both were pretty stiff on the mic, which explains the multiple instances of wrestlers coming out to be their voice. Most of the matches were payback matches, which was fine. Even the main event was one, and a fun one to boot the crowd got into. In turn the main event fairly cleaned the slate on the Raw-Smackdown loss on the guy side. Again, though, Lawler channeled Edge for a trapezoid reference. Just like TNA, we have the same problem of a three-way where the two opponents are plugged in without officially earning their right. What's worse, in WWE's case, they spent the whole show making a big deal out of the two guest GMs making the booking decision on John Cena's opponent. They were even shown watching a match once (should have been more). In the end, who really booked the match? Hornswoggle! Horny tainted the mixed tag match, and now he's tainting the title and DX in one swoop! In the end, I had more entertainment than headaches so the 8.0 stays here. The Bragging Rights score is still a work in progress.

Adam from Edmonton, Alb. (7.0): Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. Kofi Kingston. Worst Match: Melina & Santino vs. Jillian & Chavo. Raw felt like a throwback. It was something called storyline progression. Tonight, it seemed like Raw's youth movement was in full swing. First off, I absolutely knew Chris Jericho would be the first person we saw tonight, and man, does this guy ever take a night off?! He's so damn good all the time and any young wrestler should aspire to be everything Jericho ever was or ever will be because he's the best in the world at what he does. And that's not a line. That's the truth. His exchange with Big Show was great. Although Big Show's reason for costing Raw the match was kind of lame. But, I guess it kind of hints at how little lack of elevation there is in Raw's main event scene; it's always hogged by the same four guys (Cena, Triple H, Orton, HBK), so why not go get a shot on Smackdown? And for the record, nobody cares about the Brand Extension anymore. In my opinion, WWE needs to go back to basics by revamping their show format. I haven't liked the Brand Extension since Vince McMahon won control of the WWE back from Ric Flair wayyyyyyy back when. So, then we got our look at the hosts, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano. Now, I don't who they are or which is which, but in terms of one being babyface and one being heel, I thought that idea was cool. Kofi Kingston however should hands down be the MVP of tonight's show. His victory over Chris Jericho was HUGE, despite how the announcers downplayed it. Kofi Kingston's victory over Chris Jericho and subsequent manning-up to Randy Orton was the best thing I've seen on WWE TV since C.M. Punk attacked Jeff Hardy or Jericho attacked Flair. It was something Kingston needed to do in order to establish himself as a true superstar who isn't afraid to go toe-to-toe with the big dog. Hopefully the WWE will turn this into something and not another tease like they did with MVP a few months ago. Meanwhile, this Randy Orton-Legacy split has been interesting to watch. But it seems for every step they take forward, they take two steps back, which is just making me lose interest. It's just too inconsistent for my liking. The last real problem I have is just one small thing – Triple H. Now, as a wrestling fan, I've had a hot/cold relationship with Triple H. He is the kind of guy you hate to love but at the same time, you love to hate. The problem I have with Triple H is, why the hell is he going around making booking decisions? Why does he get to decide stipulations and matches? It made sense leading up to Bragging Rights because Jericho got the same powers over on Smackdown, but that was just to make qualifying matches. My point is, I think at this point, whether it's backstage politically or in the ring publicly, I think Triple H is doing more harm to the business now than he ever has. I'm sorry, but if Triple H wants to elevate talent like Drew McIntyre, Sheamus, and others, then HE needs to work with them and HE needs to enhance them. Not just mention them, only for them to be squashed on Smackdown or forgotten about. He even did that with his own team for Bragging Rights. I know we're supposed to think Triple H is the coolest person in the world, but...he really isn't. He's a man with a script. Give the script to someone else, I beg you! Overall, I think this episode of Raw was good, only if creative doesn't lose their focus and decides to evolve some of these feuds in a logical way. People will only pay for Orton vs. Kingston if you offer it to them on PPV. Just sayin'.

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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