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By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Raw guest host Bob Barker was charming at times, completely lost at times, but an overall entertaining host for tonight's edition of Raw.

The potential problem with Barker hosting the show was WWE mixing two completely different themes into a two-hour broadcast six days before a PPV. WWE needed all the help it could get convincing the audience to spend $40 on a first-time event revolving around a submission match concept WWE doesn't emphasize.

Raw was a variety show with the volume turned up featuring hit-or-miss comedy from Santino, Jillian Hall, IRS, and Chavo Guerrero while mixing more serious angles with John Cena, Randy Orton, DX, and Legacy. The audience seemed to adjust accordingly, which helped WWE avoid a potential disaster with the product mix they presented.

The only disaster of the show was no big deal at the end of the day when Barker seemed to be lost after Big Show won the bodyslam challenge against Santino. It was a small gaffe after several other entertaining moments, such as Barker standing up to Chris Jericho, who somehow managed to stay in character despite wearing a Price is Right name tag over his bare chest.

Barker helped make the show entertaining by maintaining his trademark even keel and quick one-liners without getting too worked up. Even when Barker seemed lost or in need of a little push to get a segment rolling, it was easily excusable.

The real problem for WWE was trying to sell an all-submissions match PPV on Sunday with storylines that inorganically flowed into the PPV and with wrestlers who rarely incorporate submissions into their moves. It's anyone's guess what submission MVP will try to use in the Unified tag title match.

(This is working under the assumption that every match on the PPV is a submissions match, which Michael Cole said throughout the Raw broadcast, as opposed to the TV advertising that said the "main event matches" are submission-only. Regardless, WWE didn't make it to clear to the audience what they were selling on Sunday.)

WWE took a very limited, short-term approach to building up the PPV. They didn't have an eye on the September PPV three or four months ago when they could have made submissions a point of emphasis on TV or slowly built up match-ups that naturally would have led to a submission stipulation.

The problem is best-exemplified by the build-up to the C.M. Punk vs. The Undertaker match. It wasn't until Smackdown three days ago that C.M. Punk's Anaconda Vice from his ROH days was emphasized in an "oh, by the way" manner to promote Punk vs. Undertaker at the PPV.

As for tonight's Raw, Bob Barker hosting the show was a welcome, entertaining cover to distract from WWE's lack of long-term planning for the Breaking Point PPV. WWE hopes Randy Orton's strong performance to close the show and DX brawling with Legacy backstage was enough to convince the audience to spend $40 on a loosely-defined PPV on Sunday after they were entertained for two hours on free TV.

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