-- 7/5 WWE Raw Reax

Terrie Neilson of Las Vegas, Nev. (8.0): Best: Miz gets serious; Cutting Edge. Worst: Santino/Kozlov vs. Regal/Khali. The two biggest stories running through the night were Money in the Bank and Nexus. Both got strong runs during the night. I didn't think there was much filler, save for the Santino-Kozlov-Regal segments. And, alas, what could have been sweet filler was ruined by Khali and Singh. Why does WWE insist on keeping Khali around? Really? ... Miz gets dark and serious. I like it; it's a nice progression in his character. If Truth needed time off, this worked well. If Truth is being buried, it worked too, but he doesn't deserve it. Cutting Edge and the tag match that followed effectively furthered the Jericho-Edge storyline by focusing on the dynamic that they're both heels now. Edge still seems to be the default face, but I can go with that. During the tag match, there was an audible oops when Jericho called for the Lionsault that Orton ducked away from. Finally, my biggest fear for Nexus is that they will be buried before WWE reveals the GM. I sure hope I'm wrong on that.

Bill Sartori of Windsor Locks, Conn. (4.0): Please end the email farce, now! The blinking lights and the sound effects are too much. As for the big tag match on the show, you could see it a mile away that (a) Jericho was getting speared and (b) Bourne was getting the RKO. All in all, a fairly competent set-up for the PPV in two weeks. I wonder what the real reason is that R-Truth is out of MITB?

Richard H. of Wilmington, Ohio: An okay Raw, but I feel the formula is really getting stale. Lets stop all the action while the anonymous GM flicks the lights and makes noise so Michael Cole can read, and I quote, the latest spam from the Wizard of Raw. Nothing stood out as good, but the stinker of a skit/match with the foreign exchange really brought the show to a dead halt. Any combination of Santino, Vladimir, Khali, and (sadly, because he is a top notch technical wrestler) Regal is going straight to comedy purgatory. Their credibility as capable wrestlers has been shredded and there is nothing left for them but to become laughing stocks in WWE. Long live McMahon's newest court jesters. ... I am not buying Austin as the GM. Next week, the mystery GM can claim he has finally come back to (insert host town) and can you smell what the GM is cooking. Or maybe he will be the best GM there is, the best there was, etc. ... Cena finally got to destroy a Nexus member...and it was his clone. One down, five to go. And we're still waiting for somebody from Nexus to actually be in a match instead of a constant stream of brawls.

John of Cocoa Beach, Fla. (5.0): Best Match: Orton/Bourne vs. Edge/Jericho. Worst Match: Alicia vs. Eve. If there are anymore Raws like last night, I'll be watching the NFL in two months. It's interesting how there's now a three-sided war: Raw faces vs. Raw heels vs. Nexus. It's also time now to stir the pot further; maybe it's time for the Nexus to crash Smackdown or Season 2 of NXT. Last night, I saw WWE kind of give up on John Morrison as Shawn Michaels, R-Truth as the late Junkyard Dog, and Eve Torres as the next Trish Stratus. I like Alicia's new mean streak and catty behavior, but Melina is sorely missed. As far as who's replacing R-Truth in MITB, I think even a blind person can see Triple H taking his place. ... Solid booking for the tag team match with a teaser on a face turn by Edge or Jericho and Randy Orton proving he's the Austin of the 2010s by giving Evan Bourne the RKO. Essentially, Money in the Bank is a hybrid of the Royal Rumble and a triple threat match. It's a lot of guys in the ring at the same time with no allies. ... For saying he's not his dad, Ted DiBiase is contradicting himself again. In the storyline he hired Virgil, fired Virgil, and now has a valet, Maryse, similar to his dad having Sherri Martel. ... There was a really interesting backstage segment with Arn Anderson and Sheamus. Was it a bit of a shot at Eric Bischoff in WCW? And seeing WWE's "This Day in History" on the late Yokozuna getting bodyslammed by Lex Luger on the Intrepid was fun to see again, regardless of how the whole Lex Express storyline went. It all adds up to more signs the WCW guys will be inducted in the Hall of Fame next spring. ... Overall, it was a fair show to help lay the groundwork for the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. I did notice how the crowd popped with the Austin teases as the unknown GM. I'm guessing next week, the email will be signed off with something like, "If you smell what the GM is cooking."

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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