By Jon Mezzera, PWTorch Specialist

RAW HITS

Heyman Starts Raw: The hype for Brock Lesnar vs. John Cena wasn't as strong in the go home show as it was last week with that great video package WWE put together. But, this was still a pretty good show opening promo from Paul Heyman. He did a nice job of setting up Lesnar's history against legends like The Rock, Hulk Hogan and The Undertaker. It went on a bit too long, but was still a good way to build anticipation for this big PPV main event.

Reigns Interview: Roman Reigns gave a good performance in his post-match interview with Renee Young. I liked his line about what happens to a viper when you knock his teeth out. Reigns has been up and down on the mic. I think he has had more downs than ups since The Shield broke up, but this was definitely a step up for him.

Rollins vs. RVD: I wish WWE would give Rob Van Dam some wins to make a victory over him seem like a big deal. Who did Seth Rollins beat? A former star who can't beat anyone. This was a good match. I wish we had seen more of it. It was only 8 minutes much of which was on a commercial break, but I am still giving it a Hit for the effort that Rollins and RVD put into it. Rollins' paranoia afterwards thinking that Dean Ambrose was hiding in one of the packages on stage was also well done. I like the fact that he thought of it, but dismissed it, only to have Ambrose then actually pop out of one of the boxes to attack him. But, I could have done without the anti-authority Ambrose giving a $9.99 plug for the Network.

Swagger vs. Cesaro: I don't really understand what happened to the push for Cesaro. He has been on a major losing streak as of late. He deserves to be in a much better position than he finds himself in now. He is being used to have good matches and put over babyfaces. That is a fine role in general, but that also defines Cesaro as an enhancement talent and he is so much better than an enhancement talent. The good news is that he is continuing to have good matches. This match against Jack Swagger was an example of this. Like Rollins in the previous match, Swagger needed a strong win heading into SummerSlam. I just question the opponent. But at the same time, it was very enjoyable to watch.

Wyatt - Jericho: This was an interesting sit down face to face encounter between Bray Wyatt and Chris Jericho. I liked the format for this interview as it was just a little different from the types of interviews that we often see on WWE tv. I like how Wyatt dismissed Michael Cole so he and Jericho could just talk to one another. This wasn't really a back and forth, but the mic work from both Wyatt and Jericho was strong here. I hope that their rematch at SummerSlam is better than their boring match from Money in the Bank.

Sheamus vs. Orton: Once again, we have a good match where the right wrestler won against the wrong opponent. Rob Van Dam loses all the time so beating him doesn't do much for Seth Rollins. Cesaro has been losing a lot lately, and should be protected more than just being an enhancement wrestler to put over Jack Swagger. And here we have the US Champion Sheamus being fed to Randy Orton. Sheamus and Orton work well together in the ring. I really enjoyed this match. That final spot with Orton catching a mid-air Sheamus with the RKO for the victory was very good. But, I don't like treating the US Champion as a jobber. There have to be better opponents who can help put Rollins, Swagger and Orton over. If RVD had won some recent matches, then he would have been a perfect opponent for Rollins. If Sheamus wasn't the US Champion, then I wouldn't have a problem with this. I just wish WWE would protect the US and IC Champions better than they do.

RAW MISSES

Corporate Kane: WWE just keeps messing around with Kane's character. Did anyone really miss Corporate Kane? Was anyone really excited last week at the promise of yet another change in Kane's character? Do we really need another person making matches on Raw? I'm just really tired of The Authority and the heel authority figures taking up so much tv time each week.

Bryan Having an Affair: This was bad on so many levels. I don't understand why WWE would steal from a TNA storyline, especially a bad one. I understand that pro wrestling is a type of soap opera, but this is going too far into that soap opera world for me. I don't like how Stephanie has gotten the better of Brie Bella every week since she was arrested. I understand the idea of building up Brie getting revenge on Stephanie, but there still needs to be a little more balance in the build. Going into the whole possible affair angle didn't make me want to see the match any more. The acting wasn't as strong this week as it had been from those involved in this angle. I'm assuming we will see some type of hidden camera exposing that Stephanie and the physical therapist made the whole thing up, but I still won't care about it. I'm also concerned that Stephanie won't end up getting hers in the end as I'm assuming Nikki Bella turns on her sister.

Cena's Rebuttal: This is a minor Miss. I liked parts of John Cena's rebuttal to what Heyman said at the start of the show. I liked how serious and intense Cena was in talking about his match against Lesnar. However, I could have done without all the talk about the cheers and the boos and the various pro and con chants that he has heard. I could have done without the acknowledgment that there are fans who keep wondering when Cena will turn. That type of insider internet fan talk doesn't really belong in a promo as far as I'm concerned. I also don't like having Cena call out Lesnar, but not having Lesnar respond. That makes him look weak. That works for most heels, but it shouldn't be how they promote Lesnar.

Hogan's Birthday Bash: This felt out of place to me in the final segment of the go home show before SummerSlam. WWE is desperate to get more subscribers for the network and is pushing the $9.99 price tag down our throats to the point where Hulk Hogan was talking about it during his birthday bash. But, if they really want people to pay for SummerSlam (either on the network on through PPV), then it seems like they could have come up with a better end of the show. The nostalgia was fine. In another situation, this would have been ok. It is fun to see guys like Roddy Piper and Paul Orndorff. The bit with The Outsiders and Scott Hall polling the fans with Hogan revealing an nWo shirt was fun. But, it could have been at a different part of the show. Having Brock Lesnar interrupt brought the SummerSlam hype back into the segment, but that didn't make me want to see the PPV any more than I did before. Having Lesnar act like a bit of a bully towards some senior citizens and then backing down from Cena didn't make the conquerer of The Streak look like a strong challenger for The WWE World Championship.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's WWE Hits & Misses Specialist, providing his point of view for Raw and Smackdown each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

For another view from the original Hitlist author, compare Jason Powell's views to mine by visiting prowrestling.NET's "Hitlist" section here.

We suggest these recent related articles...

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt

9/7 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Paige vs. Banks, Rollins vs. Ryback, Orton vs. Sheamus, Cena & PTPs vs. Rollins & New Day

8/24 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Opening Segment, New Day, Dudleys return, Stewart, Sting