-- 3/29 WWE Raw Reax

Jeff Van Solkema of Grandville, Mich. (9.5): Best Match: Swagger/Batista vs. Cena/Orton. Worst Match: Divas match. Wow, what a show. One of the best post-Mania shows in a long time. The only real drawback was not having a wrestler debut. The show was light on wrestling, but heavy on planting seeds for the coming year with a lot of subtle storylines to watch. The Swagger cash-in tease was well done. Instead of winning the belt when the champ is down, Jack winning in a clean match would really elevate him. Christian and the Hart Dynasty getting wins was nice. The Sheamus attack was well done too. When Miz said he would be undefeated at Mania like Undertaker I believed him. That might have been his Austin 3:16 moment he's been looking for. We definitely need to hear from Orton soon. The crowd loves him as a babyface, but we need more background. His mannerisms are still heelish at times, so he might be good as a tweener. The Shawn Michaels speech was extremely moving. He's my favorite wrestler and it will be hard to see him go. I liked how he talked out of character. I also liked not having the whole roster come down and congratulate him. Just Triple H at the end with the glowsticks was fitting, so was Taker's nod. He touched on a lot of subjects and people. The crowd was really moved, they didn't want him to leave, but they respected his decision to walk away for good. I liked how he mentioned Bret Hart. It would be fitting for both of them to have their last match at WrestleMania 26. Just a great show.

Jon Gargis of Cartersville, Ga. (6.0): Best Match: ShowMiz vs. Hart Dynasty. Worst Match: The five-second Divas match. While one great left tonight, two future greats stepped up their game. First, kudos to The Miz. His mic work against Bret Hart had to be the best of the night save for Shawn Michaels's touching remarks. Miz's ring skills have come a long way as well. The second guy worthy of praise was Jack Swagger. Yes, Swagger's win in MITB was surprising, but his cowardly heel act tonight already made his win worth it. I would love to see him play this role for a couple of months while holding the briefcase, but earn some good wins here and there as well. The only bad part of his performance tonight was his use of the briefcase as a weapon. While banning blows to the head is ultimately good for wrestlers's health, why would someone using a metal briefcase as a weapon continue to hit someone in the back instead of the head? Sheamus's attack on Triple H with a metal pipe looked just as bad. If Orton keeps getting cheered despite his current role as a tweener, then he needs to be put in the title hunt despite the plans involving Batista-Cena. It's sad when a Divas match can't even be given 30 seconds, yet the flavor-of-the-week guest hosts get multiple segments. The women deserve better, and how can you say there will never be another Trish Stratus if you never give the Divas several minutes to shine? Here's hoping the potential shown by several superstars tonight will pay off down the road.

Adam Riemer of New York, N.Y. (10.0): Best: HBK. Worst: It doesn't even matter. Honestly, nothing on this show really mattered to me more than HBK saying goodbye. I will say, though, that Batista continues to impress me as a heel, Swagger has so much upside now, and Orton got a pop tonight that brought me back ten years to the glory days. Orton as a face is going to work as long as they keep him this way - his "Austin" defining moment is so close. I am glad to see the Hart Dynasty getting the rub, and I like how they are going to challenge the champions. Tag team wrestling is back...for the next month or so at least. The main reason this show got a 10.0 was because of HBK's farewell. This was so real, so amazing, and so absolutely genuine. HBK went really deep and discussed his bad years, his only friend at times with Hunter, and his appreciation and gratitude towards Bret Hart and Vince McMahon. I'm happy he didn't do the Flair route with everyone coming out and what not. I enjoyed how he just left on his own. Having Triple H come out was a nice touch, too. It's going to be strange not seeing HBK on TV anymore or at least for the time being. Thanks to Shawn for all the memories giving his heart, body, and soul to professional wrestling fans.

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on these shows for a "TV 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 and Impact, click here.

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