-- 11/23 WWE Raw Reax

Richard Hougland, Torch reader: A good set-up, a good theme, a guest host that knew what he was doing, good matches, and a satisfying main event - how could they screw this up? Surprisingly enough, they didn't. This was, to me, the best Raw since going to the rotating guest hosts. For once, the all-powerful guest host actually seemed to be in charge, even ordering Vince McMahon around and ignoring whatever rules he wanted to. The few drags on the program included the obligatory plugs by the guest host and the continuing decline of the Divas division. To paraphrase Yogi Berra: "Can't anybody here play this game?" The Divas are not helping their own cause with missed moves, but they are miscast with poorly written storylines. I love the build-up for Kofi as a respectable main-eventer, especially as foil for Orton and possibly Legacy. And Sheamus was only going to get a title shot by winning this Breakthrough battle royal, at least until he learns to be a better performer in the ring. Somebody please get him some spray-on tan. I've seen zombies and albinos with more contrast. Last but not least, kudos to McMahon for actually going through with the breakthrough concept and giving a chance to the many young wrestlers being used by the WWE. Now it is up to the fans to support this trend or get stuck with Orton/Cena/HBK/Triple H/Jerishow infinitum.

Alex Roberts of the U.K. (6.0): Best Match: Cena vs. Punk. Worst Match: DX vs. Hart Dynasty. It's hard to know what to make of Raw this week given how uneven and inconsistent it was. The opening exchange between Orton and Ventura was fantastic and not only did it set up the tone and theme of the night, it allowed WWE to finally acknowledge one of their biggest problems and take fairly radical steps toward fixing it. In general, I thought Ventura was fantastic all night and hearing him and Vince calling the main event was oddly fantastic. However, this show also delivered a DX comedy angle at the expense of promoting their first-ever meeting with The Hart Dynasty and the aftermath of the Survivor Series title match. At some point Michaels and Triple H have to make a decision on whether they want to be a comedy side act or main event talent. The interaction between Kane and Batista was solid and was another step on the road to getting Batista over as a heel, although their resulting match on Smackdown will (as they always are) most-likely be a trainwreck. Also, let's not overlook the irony of setting up Batista vs. Undertaker 60 on a night focused on finding a fresh main event. However if all this is leading to Batista-Rey for the title at WrestleMania, I can live with it. Elsewhere I have reservations about WWE booking the first-ever meeting between Cena and Punk on free TV. It went well and they didn't give so much away that it's now useless as a future money match. Of course, Raw was all about the tournament to crown a new number one contender, which was a refreshing change of pace. I loved the concept of a tournament only open to those who haven't held a World Title. I think WWE should have done this a long time ago. My kneejerk response to Sheamus winning is that this is too soon for Sheamus, he isn't ready to beat Cena and win the title and I don't think doing the job is going to do him any favors either. WWE seems to have booked themselves into a corner. As unprepared for this as Sheamus is, I won't come down too hard on WWE for at least trying to make a fresh main event. You also have to wonder why they didn't give this shot to Ted DiBiase. He might be only slightly more prepared than Sheamus, but from a bigger storyline picture, DiBiase challenging over Orton makes sense and allows them to plug The Marine 2 a lot. On the plus side, Kofi Kingston is popular with the fans and the next few weeks of Raw should be interesting to see what they do with Sheamus, Kofi, and even guys like The Miz, DiBiase, and Swagger. Unfortunately, everything will no doubt be overshadowed next week by yet another DX comedy angle.

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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