-- 3/1 WWE Raw Reax

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla., writer (5.5): Best Match: Orton vs. DiBiase. Worst: Cheech & Chong. About four weeks away from WrestleMania 26 in suburban Phoenix, Dave Batista rose like the phoenix with probably the best promo he's ever cut. I've thought many times what if Batista never got hurt during his first title run. I believe that cost Dave a lot of momentum, as he was red-hot as champion. He had great feuds as the top face on Smackdown against JBL, Edge, MVP, Mr. Kennedy, and the late Eddie Guerrero. John Cena became a polarizing figure as champ, and with the brand extension, Batista and Cena were rarely on the same shows. But, more than likely, WWE went with Cena due to his promo-cutting skills. The transformation from courageous champion to bitter man has totally redefined Batista and it has made him much more of an asset to WWE than before. This is helping set up a memorable WrestleMania 26 with several great matches to look forward to. It's still anybody's guess what becomes of the Legacy feud, but I'm seeing fans slowly warm up to Randy Orton as a babyface. I liked the pep talk Triple H gave Shawn Michaels, and the end of the tag title match gave Undertaker a point up on HBK in the psychological war. But, I can see a chance of maybe Triple H interfering and costing Shawn the match and going heel. Perhaps that Congressman who shouted, "You Lie!" at President Obama should have been at Raw yelling at Vince when he was dressing down Bret Hart. There was one good thing about the show: this time with Raw in Oklahoma City, we didn't see Jim Ross get embarrassed. Unfortunately, Cheech & Chong and Hornswoggle did enough of that for all of us. Obviously, WWE isn't going after the General Mills cereal sponsorship.

Steve of Boston, Mass. (2.5): Best Segment: Batista on the mic. Worst: Cheech & Chong. Other than Batistia looking like a great heel, potholes continue to litter the "Road to WrestleMania." I think WWE missed a great opportunity to have CM Punk come on Raw and chastise Cheech & Chong for their drug use. They could have had Rey Mysterio come out to rescue Cheech & Chong and beat up Punk since they seem to be facing each other at WM. Bret-Vince is just dull, Bret has lost some charisma, and I'm tried of Vince screaming "Bret screwed Bret." The broken leg story is dumb, as it's obvious Bret & Cena planned for a woman to back into Bret's limo and pretend his leg is broken, so Vince would then agree to wrestle him. I always love MITB with prior winners Punk and Edge, but this year's participants look very weak. I'm surprised Triple H is not in a headlining match at WrestleMania. Also, Orton's storyline is confusing and he's such a great psycho heel, why try to turn him face? Lastly, next week we get Vinnie Mac in the black jeans and sweatshirt against Cena and at some point we'll have Batista take out Cena to close Raw. Yawn.

Chris F. of Chicago, Ill. (6.0): Best Segment: Batista-John Cena. Worst Segment: Bret Hart-Vince McMahon. Up until last night, I was really against the idea of seeing Batista and John Cena in one of the main event spots at WrestleMania. However, I must give credit where credit is due. The writing staff, for all of their repugnant choices in the last five years, which in the process has weakened my love for this business I've been watching for 20 + years, really hit a home run last night on this feud. For the first time since 2005, I bought into the character of Batista, and for the first time since 2003, a WWE Title match at WrestleMania actually has my interest. There was something very real to the exchange last night and it reminded me of '85 with Piper and Hogan. Piper was very anti-establishment (kayfabe wise anyway) against the poster boy of public relations. Piper felt he should have been the face of the company, but it went to Hogan. Fast-forward 25 years later and you have (possibly) just as intense (in some ways far more intense) of a feud in the making. This is the feud we should have gotten a few years back when they squared off in the summer. Sadly, on the flip side of this, I continue to be appalled by the Bret-Vince build-up, although, for far different reasons than most would think. It is not with the writing, but because this feud is not designed for the "WWE Universe." Once upon a time, the mere mention of these two facing off at WrestleMania would have caused the entire wrestling world to collapse under its own hysteria. The problem now, however, is that this company has driven away so many fans like me, who are the "traditionalists," who actually have a sense of wrestling history, that the audience has no clue who Bret Hart is and would rather watch Hornswoggle. It is sad, and it is frustrating. If you don't believe that a crowd can impact how well a feud is remembered, look no further then Hogan and The Rock at WrestleMania 18. Fans can make or break an angle, and right now they are seriously breaking what should be, under Taker-HBK, the marquee match-up of this year's show. I am still looking forward to the match and I know the crowd will go NUTS for the match because WrestleMania is a traditionalist's paradise, but I just hate seeing what could have been the build up of the century turn into something that is a mere blub to the Chain Gang of current WWE fans.

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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