-- 12/7 WWE Raw Reax

Alex Roberts of the U.K. (4.0): I really wanted to like Raw this week because WWE produced some strong, focused segments and continued their much-needed commitment to pushing new stars up the card. The problem is that I'm struggling to connect with those pushes and the same old ridiculous segments sat alongside the focused and well-executed ones. As much as I want to buy into Kofi Kingston as a face on the rise, I can't primarily because WWE hasn't given me reason to care about him. He didn't need a cheap win over Orton this week, he needed some mic time to establish a character and put this feud into some kind of context so that I want to see him win rather than just wanting to see Orton lose. WWE did manage to get past their serious mis-step with Sheamus last week and made him look credible. They pulled a big attention-grabbing show-closing segment out of the bag, but my problem is that Sheamus has been built up by retiring a jobber and kicking an announcer in the face. Hhe has nothing else to his name. I just can't buy into him as a real threat no matter how well he handles himself on the mic (and he was very good this week). While putting Cuban through a table will grab headlines, it doesn't make me think Sheamus can beat Cena. Elsewhere, DX opted not to promote their handicap main event with Chris Jericho and instead went back to horrible skits with Hornswoggle. On the plus side, the match itself did a fantastic job of selling the TLC match. Also, The Miz's strong and clean win over Mark Henry was much needed. Right now, Miz is the only mid-card act who WWE has invested real time into developing on TV. Elsewhere, as random as it was, I liked Masters's apparent face turn. WWE needs a strong mid-card face and Masters is as good an option as anyone else, I guess. Meanwhile, Evan Bourne loses again while Jack Swagger and MVP are nowhere to be seen. WWE needs to start deciding on whether they're serious about pushing any of these guys and stick with it. One final note - I thought Cuban did a good job as guest host and handled himself well in the huge number of segments he was in. WWE also managed to give some potential mainstream exposure to a nice mixture of people, as Legacy, Kingston, Cena, and Sheamus all grabbed spotlight moments with him. It's on weeks like this that the guest host concept comes into its own. Nevertheless, I feel like a hypocrite right now. After begging for new stars to be featured for longer than I care to remember, I'm still not enjoying the show with new pushes being given.

Samantha of Washington, D.C. (7.0): Best Match: Chris Jericho vs. DX handicap match. Worst Segment: DX and Hornswoggle. This was an above-average Raw in my book and a definite improvement over last week. Mark Cuban was a great host; he was obviously comfortable on the mic. I enjoyed his exchange with Legacy and if you are an NBA fan, you would have found Cody's promo on the Mavs and Cuban hilarious. I loved when Sheamus put him through that table and I really want the belt on Sheamus on Sunday. DX and JeriShow looks very promising going into Sunday based on that handicapped match. The DX and Hornswoggle segment was awful. I am sick of the lame comedy and that annoying grunting. Shawn Michaels and Triple H are embarrassing themselves. Somewhere, Bret Hart has a satisfied smile on his face, I'm sure. Randy Orton and Kofi Kingston should be a great match on Sunday. One last question: when and why did Chris Masters get over? All he can do is jiggle his pecs. Big deal!

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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