Official Raw/Smackdown Aftermath, Ratings and Review Thread

[Jack-Hammer]

Overall, I thought Raw was pretty solid last night. My only real complaint regarding the show was the wrestling content. I was looking forward to The Miz vs. Tyson Kidd and was disappointed in how it ended. However, last night's show was mostly something of a simple platform to launch next week's Raw, which I'm expecting to be great.

Next week's show in Toronto will be commercial free and is possibly going to be Bret Hart's last night on Raw for a while. That may very well have changed by now, however, given he's going against The Miz for the United States Championship next week. I'm curious and excited to see what's going to happen.

Sheamus, John Cena and Batista all looked strong last night. Each week, Sheamus looks more and more like he does belong in there with big stars. The match between Cena and Batista was rumored to be an old fashioned loser leaves town type but an I Quit match works well. If Batista really is going to be leaving the WWE, there's a certain poetic justice to him screaming into a mic I Quit.

Vickie Guerrero gets more heat than probably any heel in wrestling today. The noise level of the boos she was getting last night was almost a marvel in and of itself. I'm quite glad that the WWE did things the way they did by having her announce that she's the GM of Raw only to resign it at the end of the night. I didn't expect that to happen and I think it was a great idea not to rehash the Edge/Vickie angle again.

Randy Orton seems to become more over as each week passes. I think they've found the perfect niche for Randy Orton. I also love the fact that he's being kept away from the WWE Championship scene. Orton is only 30 years old and he's already a 6 time world champion.

It was also kinda fun to see the NXT Rookies in a match against 4 WWE pros last night. I do kind of feel bad for John Morrison as he was placed on a team with Goldust and Santino Marella. However, it was good for the Rookies to get some more Raw exposure. Daniel Bryan, God bless him, he finally won a match on WWE television. Granted it was against Santino but, kay-fabe, Santino is a 2 time IC champ. I'm hoping that last night on Raw was a turning point for Bryan on NXT. Raw also did a good job of hyping the first NXT elimination, which takes place tonight and, quite frankly, I can't wait. I thought they also did a nice job hyping the Drew McIntyre situation, which is still a mystery as nobody seems to know behind the scenes what's going on there, as well as the IC title match between Kofi and Christian.

I like the fact that Ted DiBiase and the Colon Bros. made an appearance last night. I'm wondering if the Colons do become part of The Fortunate Sons faction that the WWE is rumored to be starting with DiBiase. It'd make sense as all three are the sons of wrestling legends and would immediately cause the stock of the Colons to rise. I think it'd be a good move if they want to be a quick force in the tag team scene.

I also liked Raw because it looks as though the guest host concept may not be around for too much longer. The angle of the hosts having power at the show has been changed, so maybe that's a sign of things to come. I really think that the guest host angle has ultimately done all it's going to accomplish. Flavor Flav was tolerable and was only on screen for maybe 6 or 7 minutes total.

Overall, I enjoyed Raw last night. If the wrestling content had been better, I'd go so far as to say it was a great show. But, I have a feeling next week's Raw will qualify as great.

 

[Ferbian]

I think this weeks episode was absolutely epic.

I liked some of the matches there were put out there, some good ones, and some that served a purpose, which I will get back to.

Flava Flav, while he has got to be one of the most ridiculously dressed guest hosts I have yet to see, I still think he was pretty decent, he was entertaining at times, and I laughed my ass off for his backstage segment with William Regal, much love for Williams rap which was pretty damn well scripted, and very very well handled, one of the better backstage segments of a longer time I would go as far as to say.

Many of the matches were pretty good, due to some well placed wrestling back and forth in a majority of the matches, and while some have been short, or didn't happen (Batista vs Mark Henry) it still served a purpose of furthering the storyline put forth for the specific feuds the wrestlers were involved in, I liked Batista's submission hold, and I think it should definitely be used at Over the Limit.

Very very strong episode over all, some mark out moments here and there, like the "permanent General Manager" or the Ted DiBiase and The Colons part.

As I said, very strong episode if you ask me, definitely worth a firm A

 

[The Todd]

It wasn't as good as last week, but it still felt like must-watch TV, instead of watching out of loyalty. This Raw blew everyone of last year's Raw out the water, but it wasn't a terrific show.

Orton's RKO segment wasn't brilliant, but I get they are turning the move into the modern-day Stunner so we'll keep building it up. Edge was good - but not outstanding - and Vickie being brought out as the guest host was brilliant. My fan-side was praying for The Rock - I still remember his speech on Smackdown when he said he'd appear on Raw - but Vickie was a great choice. Unfortunately, a potentially terrific storyline was ruined by her resigning at the end. This could have got Orton so much babyface heat he'd be challenging Cena in the popularity stakes.

As for the rest of the show, I didn't mind that the matches were short. Raw is the entertainment show designed to want you to buy the PPV. You pay to watch your wrestling, Raw is about furthering storylines and characters, so I'm fine with that. Each match had a point to it, even Bourne/Ryder, and furthered a story.

I'm really liking the Truth/Dibiase saga, and the introduction of the Colons into it was good and made sense. Looking for this to drag a bit further than Over the Limit, though, so to develop them both properly. I wish Morrison had come to help Truth, like Truth did the week before. Little things like that can bug me at times.

Cena/Batista/Sheamus feud is very good. Sheamus belongs with them. He's terrific on the mic, and looks the part. Glad Sheamus hasn't slipped off the radar and I'm actually looking forward to the 'I Quit Match'.

Miz/Jericho has masses amount of potential, but I wouldn't want them to win the tag titles too soon. Let the HD continue to develop. I don't like DH Smith smiling all the time, though. It looks too forced. Natalya needs more of a role. Hope Miz doesn't drop the title to Hart. Current stars come before the old ones.

Good episode, and definitely will have me tuning in next week out. Job done.

 

[Ferbian]

Yet another good episode from Smackdown, I liked how they started off with the Intercontinental championship match, only to have Drew return and regain his championship, it was strongly made, and I'm hoping for a feud between Kofi and Drew with time.

This episode had some good matches, while there weren't too many of them, I still think that this episode yet again put out the match of the week, Kofi vs Christian was very strong, and so was Rey vs CM Punk, finally surfacing the "4th member of the Straight Edge Society"

It had some good segments as well, I loved the Swagger segment, while certainly it got a little drawn out and could eventually even be called boring, I think it served it's purpose of furthering his character, and I believe he got INSANE heat from that segment for a moment, until Big Show came out, pretty nice pop.

Loved how big Show wrecked Jack's trophies, clearly showing that they weren't real (at least I damn well hope not, who'd be so stupid to let someone wreck your real championship trophies?) and I'm thinking at least any of the things that he presented that weren't football or wrestling related, were fake.

Either way, very good episode, loved every minute of it A

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Smackdown - May 14, 2010

Thumbs Up

Christian vs. Kofi Kingston - This was an excellent match and the best match of the week. I think the two of them work very well together and it was simply a great treat of an opening match. If I were the WWE, I'd find some way to have these two guys have as many matches as we can stand.

Teddy Long returning the title to Drew McIntyre - I can understand if this is a disappointment for some, but I think it's going to work out for the best in the long run. McIntyre will get great heat for this as the letter Teddy Long reads pretty much verifies the feeling that McIntyre is Vince's "pet" and that's pretty much guaranteed to get him heat. And the IC title will have three viable challengers after it in Kofi, Christian and Matt Hardy once he returns. I've heard rumors that Kofi Kingston could be turned heel soon and being screwed out of the IC title that he won fairly would be the perfect excuse to do so.

MVP & JTG vs. The Dudebusters - The match was decent, nothing special. But, what I liked is that this is another potential sign of the growing WWE tag team roster. Neither MVP or JTG are doing anything of relevance right now and I can guy into them as a tag team. So, for now, I'm giving it a thumbs up.

Jack Swagger & The Big Show - While I do think that the segment dragged on for longer than it should, I still enjoyed it. Swagger in the ring, surrounded by all his trophies, still bragging about his achievements was just fun for me. Swagger seems confident and comfortable in his skin and has done a great job of playing the "I'm just simply better than you are" heel role. The Big Show coming out to ruin his moments and destroy his pictures and trophies was a nice touch. Show has gotten over quickly but I have ho interest in this being a long term feud. I hope that Swagger wins at Over The Limit and they move him onto something else. For now, the feud is fine but a long term feud with the Big Show would end up dying a slow and boring death.

Team LayCool vs. Beth Phoenix - This is a very, very minor thumbs up because the title needed to change here. Beth Phoenix has apparently torn her ACL and will be out for a while. I was going to put this thumbs down, it is a Divas match after all, but I'm wondering if perhaps one of Team LayCool will be turned face for the title situation.

Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk - This was another great match and was a very good preview to the ppv match these two will have at Over The Limit. I think it's been a very entertaining feud overall. Punk is one of the best heels in the business right now and Rey Mysterio has helped make this an important feud for Punk. I'm curious to see what'll happen at Over The Limit.

Overall Show - I very much enjoyed most of the show, easily the best show of the week for this week. The Kofi vs. Christian and CM Punk vs. Rey Mysterio matches along with the Swagger segment were the highlights of the night.

Thumbs Down

Shad vs. Jesse Guyver - Not really much to discuss here. A throwaway 2 minute match with Shad beating the piss out of a jobber.

Kane vs. Chavo Guerrero - Pretty much another throwaway match with the winner never being in doubt in the slightest. Completely forgettable. Chavo has gone from the biggest jobber on Raw to the biggest jobber on Smackdown.

 

[BRING BACK SID!!!]

Well what can i say after a few years of boring storylines and talking taking up 1 hour 50 min of the 2 hour show they finally had a good RAW and all i can say it FINALLY!!!! There was actually good wrestling for once. I mean yea the divas were kinda boring as usual but there was actually a match with Evan Bourne that lasted more that 45 seconds and didnt involve him getting his ass beat him landing a wheel kick and a shooting star press annd end of match. Swagger was actually pretty impressive against Orton yet Orton can make anyone look good at this point. Ted put on a good show quick yet entertaining ( i still feel they need to push him more) and in my opinion Christian vs Edge was the best match WWE has had on TV in years. Christian finally showed what he is worth if used right ( what made him a main staple of TNA) i just hope they keep him going in the right direction. Buzz...well i mean he forgot his lines and didnt know what the hell he was doing but i mean hes a hero he can do whatever he wants. They just need to keep his name with the big dogs and not lower/midcard guys. Bret winning was totally unexpected which is what i think we all missed that "WOW i didnt see that coming" aspect of wrestling and i think they did that with bret winning. All id like to say is well done WWE just dont screw it up next week. Anyone elses thoughts? Not only on the show but what about the talent they used/using including Bourne, DiBasie and Christian.

 

[Kenny Powers]

Raw really pulled out all the stops tonight. It was one hell of a way to open the show with Bret coming out first and spouting with Jericho. Seeing Edge come out to face Christian was the icing on the cake. It felt wrong not seeing this type of match being shown on a PPV, but Raw felt like a PPV show so I guess no harm done.

Edge def. Christian
This was a very solid match that everyone has been waiting years for. A lot of great finishes and close calls throughout the bout. When Undertaker came out as Edge's opponent after he beat Christian, I couldn't believe it. I was disappointed seeing Edge take the easy count out, but there was no need for a second match.

WWEShop.com Commercials
These were better then I thought they would be. I actually got a chuckle out of them. I think they could of picked a better guy to play the Geico spokesperson, but I'm just splitting hairs here.

Celebrity Guest Host Buzz Aldrin
Buzz wasn't really shown too much tonight. I think he did a a fine job in some areas. Anytime WWE puts a celebrity in the middle of the ring for an extended amount time it is usually a bad idea. I don't think Raw really needed a guest host since it was commercial free in Canada with Bret Hart's final match and appearance. Buzz would of been a decent host for a Memorial Day or 4th of July Raw in the states. Having an astronaut talk about the U.S space program in Canada isn't doing anyone any favors.

Ted Dibiase defeated Yoshi Tatsu
This was a short match but it was cool to see Virgil back. The whole Million Dollar Man gimmick really never worked for any one else but Ted Sr., but I think Ted JR. will transition into his role quite well.

Bret Hart def. The Miz for the United States Championship
Well this was pretty much what I expected. Well actually I think a lot of us wanted to see Brian Danielson come out as Bret's protege and win the U.S title. The No DQ match was predictable and there wasn't anything special about the match expect for of course Bret putting the sharpshooter on for the last time and winning a championship in Canada in his last match. I think Bret will either retire the championship or vacate the belt for a tournament. Either way works since the U.S Title hasn't been relevant in years.

LayCool and Maryse def. Eve and The Bella Twins
WWE are actually making the divas a little more relevant then TNA for once. The audience was dead silent for this match for the most part though. I guess McCool and Layla are the Coke Zero version of the Beautiful People with their entrances and matching titles. I still don't care about the diva's division, but at least WWE does for now.

Randy Orton def. Jack Swagger via DQ
This was a good match with a predictable finish. Canadians are going crazy wondering who to cheer between Orton and Edge.

Evan Bourne & Gail Kim def. Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox
Well its nice to see these two actually get a win for once, especially Kim. I think this is the first win Gail has got on Raw in months. Her finisher was piss poor, but at least she got a W. Is there any couple more mismatched then Ryder and Fox?

Cena def. Sheamus by DQ
Another predictable finish with Batista coming in at the end. Canadian fans really hate John Cena. I have never heard Sheamus receive that many cheers before on any Raw ever. He didn't get huge pops, but it was weird to hear the crowd behind Sheamus that much. Cena is always going to be the same character whether people like it or not it seems. I'm no Cena fan, but I don't understand why people buy a ticket to Raw just to chant Cena Sucks. If you really hate Cena that much, then don't pay to see him. That is like paying to see a movie only to bicker at the actor in the leading role.

This Raw was red hot for the first hour and good for the second. I wasn't into the main event, but I guess it was because I didn't go to the bathroom for 2 hours. Anyways, it will be interesting to see the aftermath from the PPV and where the U.S title stands. Also, a new permanent GM will be named next week on Raw. Where does this leave Jon Lovitz? Hopefully the crowd will give Jon more love then Canada gave Aldrin.

 

[Star-ratz]

Bret Hart is the US champion??

LULZ!!! And people have the nerve to give TNA shit about their sometimes ridiculous booking when the WWE is just as bad...if not worse!! Putting a belt on Bret "I had a stroke and I can hardly walk, talk or wrestle yet I'm good enough to be a WWE champion" Hart is worse than those has beens The Band being TNA Tag champions!!

 

[People's Champ]

Bret Hart is the US champion??

LULZ!!! And people have the nerve to give TNA shit about their sometimes ridiculous booking when the WWE is just as bad...if not worse!! Putting a belt on Bret "I had a stroke and I can hardly walk, talk or wrestle yet I'm good enough to be a WWE champion" Hart is worse than those has beens The Band being TNA Tag champions!!

Holy crap relax! Guaranteed Bret doesn't wretle once to defend this title. He will vacate it and we will have a tournament for the new U.S champ. Besides when was the last time The Miz defended this title anyway? I agree with nickboi in another thread as this was a way for The Miz to lose the belt without looking bad. If you watched at all Bret didn't do anythingv til after the Hart Dynasty beat on the Miz. Then he put on the Sharpshooter (which looked fantastic by the way) and the Miz tapped. That's it. You won't see Bret on PPV defend it. Its for storyline to take the belt off Miz and allow him to focus on his team with Jericho.

As for Raw, I thought it was pretty good. As kenny powers said, those WWE shop comercials weren't bad. I found myself laughing , not hard, but laughing nonetheless. I enjoyed all the matches from Edge-Christian to Swagger-Orton. And I'm very curious as to who is going to be the new GM of Raw. Overall I enjoyed tonight's Raw.

 

[Spidey Revivey]

Hart def. Miz for US Title: I cheered.

Michael Cole acting heelish: I cheered again.

You know you're 90s nostalgic when you mark out to Batista applying the Rings Of Saturn on John Cena. That was priceless.


Not to mention the original Virgil...good God this was a 5 Star show.

 

[Vega]

Maybe that was the most awesome RAW I've ever seen. It had the feeling of a great PPV, thanks to the fantastic crowd. The audience was hot the whole time. All the matches were decent, the Christian/Edge-match was plain awesome. About every promo was interesting and Bret shining the last time was a feel-good-moment and a nice final chargeback-gesture by Vince. If you haven't seen it, try to watch it. Over The Limit will likely be great, too and that PPV could be magical. I like the way the WWE goes into the last few weeks.

 

[D-Man]

Ok, Raw was fucking INCREDIBLE last night. Honestly, best Raw I've seen in years.... yeah, I said it... YEARS.

The entire show was pay per view caliber, from start to finish. As a matter of fact, if the show was a PPV, I'd say that I got more than my money's worth. It was just markout moment after markout moment.

The way I see it, last night's Raw was Vince's apology for fucking over the Canadian fans back in 1997. Even though the screwjob is infamous and will never be forgotten, I can only imagine what it's like to be a Canadian fan and always remember that the last time Bret Hart appeared in a WWE ring in Canada, he was being bent over and fucked like a 12 year old prostitute. I'm sure Vince always felt somewhat guilty of this. Considering the fact that aside from his extremely inflated ego, he always makes sure the fans are always paid back for their years and years of support to the WWE.

This goes ESPECIALLY for Canadian fans. Last night, we all witnessed the first hour of programming that was JAM PACKED with nothing but WWE Superstars that came from Canada. I was so happy for the fans in Toronto because they really got everything that they've been craving for years out of the WWE. If they don't forgive Vince by now for the Montreal Screwjob, they never will.

Thank you, Vince, for a spectacular show and for restoring your allegiance to your true, loyal, Canadian fans.

 

[The People's Peep]

Great Raw last night. We open with Bret forfeiting his match, then Jericho comes out and persuades him into a no DQ match. At this point, everyone knew that Jericho just screwed the Miz and he is going to lose his belt. But they didnt care because Bret and Jericho were in the ring. Jericho couldnt get the heat as the fans were loving the two canadians. To make it better, Edge comes out for his pick your poison match. He starts talking and out comes CHRISTIAN! I was jumping just seeing them in Toronto in the same ring. Then they were having a match! I almost cried! Just as expected, the crowd loved the two of them. A fantastic match between the two with Edge just pulling out the victory. Then we get Orton on the tron saying that he didnt choose Christian to fight Edge. BONG. The Undertaker comes out! Edge doesnt fight him, but it was still awesome to see taker.

The first hour was incredible. Even Maryse and Eve backstage was great. The commercials were very funny too. the second hour was solid, but not as good as the first hour.

This episode of Raw gets an A

 

[rko102]

I thought RAW was really good this week. But I might only be saying that because as a resident of the great country of Canada, I was subject to only seeing the wrestling matches as all backstage promos, video packages and otherwise less important subject material were cut from the Canadian broadcast. Why is that, do you ask? Well, if you don't know already, the Canadian broadcast had commercials. So last night for me, it felt more like a PPV, especially since all I saw was wrestling. But that's okay. I don't mind; I was glad to see some really good wrestling matches for once, and at the end of the night I was satisfied.

My favourite match by far was Edge vs. Christian, not only because I wasn't expecting Christian to appear on RAW, but because this is a match I've wanted to see for so long. If I remember correctly the last time these two guys faced each other one on one was back in 2001 after Christian turned heel and split from his "brother". So this has been a long time coming, and it was really fun to see, especially with all the near falls that really kept the crowd into it. My second favourite match had to be Orton vs. Swagger, and I've gotta say Swagger is getting better and better each week. And it's really smart and subtle, how Orton has slowly made the transition from heel to face. The crowd loves him now, and it's obvious WWE realizes that. Undertaker's appearance was also surprising, but I wish they could have done more than just have him get a countout win over Edge and then chokeslam him to the mat. A short match between them would have been great.
Most of the other stuff was mediocre; the divas match was a little longer than usual, which was nice for once, and Maryse looked great (gotta love French Canadians ;p, just like me!). The tag match with Bourne/Kim and Ryder/Fox was okay...but I really wish Ryder would get a win for once, he was so good on ECW.
Bret Hart vs. The Miz was ridiculous, especially with the fact that Bret won the title, but when the match became no disqualification, I knew that was coming. I figure Bret only won because the show was in Canada, which makes sense because it's what the fans want to see here. Bret's a hero to Canadians, but I've never completely understood that because when I started watching wrestling he was long gone.
The Batista attacking Mark Henry moment was a little boring in my opinion. I know they're trying to hype up Batista's power and domination for the I Quit match at Over The Limit but still; I think they could have done it another way.
Cena/Sheamus wasn't very exciting for me, especially because I hate Cena's wrestling ability. I was going for Sheamus the whole time, and those knees to Cena's head were really nasty and convincing looking.
The one thing I wanna bring up is the fact that an American astronaut was the guest host on RAW in Canada. I really don't understand that, and it's so obvious that the crowd didn't give a shit when Buzz came out and started addressing them. Aside from the fact that he's pretty old, he also seemed a little uncomfortable on the mic, and at times, at a loss for words. But at least he did better than Mike Tyson, who barely made any sense at all when he hosted.
If I missed anything that's too bad since I feel I've written a ton already.
Overall I give the show a 9/10, and that's NOT counting everything we missed in Canada because of commercials.

 

[Ferbian]

I absolutely loved this weeks episode, it was incredibly strong, and had multiple, and I really mean MULTIPLE times that had me marking out for the segment.

There's only really two things I think that could've potentially have hurt the show as a whole, and that's the fact that I think Bret Hart vs Miz could've been better if it hadn't turned into somewhat of a clusterfuck of talent all over battling each other, and really no offense whatsoever to properly build talent, the fact that Miz went down pretty easily after a few moves and a finisher, didn't do anything for Miz's further establishment.

Either way, I loved the most of the matches (with the exception of above mentioned) and I think this week's show had a few candidates to the "Match of the week" thread, which only says a lot about how the show as a whole functioned, it was very very well handled, and it hyped the pay per view PERFECTLY.

I'm in love with Batista right now, the submission hold and the fact that he destroyed Mark Henry (again, 2006 anyone?) which only builds his brutality, I very well think the brutality in it self could have John on the verge of quitting.

I loved the match between Edge and Christian, truly had me believing that either one of them could come out as the winner of the match, and I believe it may very well be my choice for match of the week, I don't believe I've seen as good overall grappling in the period of time I've watched wrestling (2009 -> now, not counting things that I've Youtubed etc.)

The segments were pretty good, the worst one was probably the Buzz Aldrin segment although, found it a little boring, but still decent.

Overall a great show, perhaps the best one of this year, or to say the least in a very long time A

 

[Jack-Hammer]

WWE Raw - May 17, 2010

Thumbs Up

Bret Hart and Chris Jericho - This was a really fun opening segment. Bret Hart's mic work was solid and I admit that I was a bit torn when he said that he wasn't going to wrestle The Miz. I liked it, and yet I didn't because I knew it wouldn't be much of a match. Jericho ultimately carried the segment by taking great shots at Bret and the Hart family. It reminded me a lot of when Jericho was hating on the various WWE legends last year. Hart being talked into the match with The Miz was a nice touch.

Edge vs. Christian - This was a great match from start to finish. It was just plainly a nice surprise. Both these guys worked hard in a great back and forth match that fans were into from the opening bell. I'm surprised the WWE didn't advertise the Pick your Poison matches last week to hype them. At any rate, great match and I'm hoping we'll somehow get to see more of these two against each other in the future.

The Undertaker vs. Edge - This was quite unexpected and a big surprise. Taker came out to a huge pop and it's always nice to see him on Raw. I can't complain about the cheap ending for the actual match because Edge didn't need to actually lose to someone the status of The Undertaker a week before Over The Limit. Taker gave Edge a huge chokeslam, the crowd popped big for it and everyone was happy in the end.

Ted DiBiase vs. Yoshi Tatsu - Although this was pretty much a throwaway match, it was still a solid contest between the two. However, the reason I'm giving it thumbs up was just because of Virgil's appearance. It was cool to see him as it's been well over a decade since I've laid eyes on the guy. I like how DiBiase is incorporating bits and pieces of his father's leagacy and mixing his own character into it. I also dig that Virgil wasn't in one of those cheesy tuxes as with his Ted, Sr. Just little distinctions like that can make a difference.

Bret Hart vs. The Miz - I'm somewhat mixed on this as I was actually hoping that Bret Hart would bring out Bryan Danielson to take his place. However, that match was very useful in hyping the tag team title match at the ppv. The crowd was hot and I do very much like the fact that the WWE isn't remotely trying to hype Bret Hart as being what he was. Hart won the United States Championship and, while I'm not overly crazy about that, I do wonder what this ultimately is going to mean for the title. Will it be vacated? Will a tourney be held? After all, Bret Hart can't defend the title in an actual wrestling match without half a dozen people being involved. The Miz delivered a great promo on his way out to the ring, as usual, though I wish they hadn't made him look kind of weak by tapping to the Sharpshooter so fast. Still, the overall positives outweighed the negatives.

Team LayCool & Maryse vs. Eve Torres & The Bella Twins - Yeah, I was surprised that I actually found myself enjoying this. The match overall was definitely above averages for the Divas and Layla used a couple of roll-up/pin combinations that impressed me. It looks as though she's actually worked on her in-ring abilities to some degree. Maryse & Eve actually have something that looks like a half way decent rivalry going on. It wasn't spectacular, don't get me wrong, but it was very good by Diva standards.

Jack Swagger vs. Randy Orton - While it wasn't as good as Edge and Christian, it was a quality match and both of them worked hard. Orton is still so over that it's almost scary at times and Swagger continues to come across as a strong champion. A good, solid effort for them both.

John Cena vs. Sheamus - As with Swagger & Orton, this was a good solid match that had both of them looking strong. While it did drag a little a few times, the overall match was entertaining. I can't complain about the ending as it keeps Cena from losing before the ppv and means that Cena has yet to pin Sheamus in a one on one setting.

Batista - Batista looked to have the spring back in his step and the swagger in his walk that he had prior to losing to John Cena at WrestleMania. He looked brutal and ruthless when beating on the injured Mark Henry and even more so when he attacked Cena during his match with Sheamus. While I have little doubt that Cena will win the match against Batista this Sunday, it could still be a fun match to watch.

Overall Show - Last night's Raw was one of the overall best episodes of Raw in quite a long time. Wrestling content last night was very much improved over the past few weeks, some great promos took place and Over The Limit was strongly hyped and built. There were a few nice and cool surprises last night and it just added onto the program itself.

Thumbs Down

Evan Bourne & Gail Kim vs. Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox - While I thought the overall match was pretty solid, it was little more than fodder in a cheesy attempt to get Buzz Aldrin over. Aldrin's presence out there and his promo before it just overshadowed the match and it just really wasn't necessary.

Commercial Spoofs - Most of these just came off as cheesy. They weren't needed at all, but at least they were kept short.

 

[Jack-Hammer]

The numbers are coming in for last night's Raw and the numbers are up pretty decently compared to those of recent weeks. Raw pulled in a 3.44 Nielsen Rating last night with an average audience of 4.9 million. The first hour of the show drew a 3.37 while the second hour drew a 3.5.

It's not a fantastic number, but it's much closer to what Raw usually averages than the numbers its drawn over the past several weeks.

 

[Ferbian]

Decent episode this week, it wasn't as good as last week although.

I have to admit I found it funny with the small Big Show segments in between the matches.

The start off of this show was pretty awesome, with the whole Straight Edge Society and "adding new members" so to say, which I have to admit I liked, only to hype the match between Rey Mysterio and CM Punk when Rey came out.

I have to admit although that I had expected more from the return of the Peep Show, which, while the segment was decently entertaining, it could've been better, with a host that has at least some kind of significance, say, having Big Show for example in there could've served a purpose.

The matches was pretty good, I think it was a shame they had to finish the match between Jack Swagger and Kofi Kingston that way, the match was awesome, but the ending wasn't really what I had hoped for, I would've much rather seen a clean ending with no interruptions, because this match could've definitely gone on to be the match of the week, had it not ended like that.

I'm excited to see if Christian is gonna be entering a feud with Chavo Guerrero and / or Dolph Ziggler, could be nice seeing Chavo put on some good matches again, he has it in him, and Dolph Ziggler, well he really deserves a push by now, so much potential in that kid.

Good episode, wasn't like last week, but it was good: B

 

[The Legend]

im happy that the animal batista attacked john in the match becauseit gives him the edge heading into over the limit and keeps the rivalry fresh

 

[Thriller Ant]

Very good show tonight. Like some people said in the LD, the opening 10 minutes were perfect. They recapped the main event of the PPV, named the new GM (Bret Hart), got Orton into the main event of the next PPV while protecting his injury, and got Batista's retirement taken care of. The US title match was good, the guest host segments weren't bad, and the Uso's made a great debut. The triple threat main event was outstanding as well. Very, very good Raw this week.

 

[The Doctor]

What a great RAW. The opening ten minutes were exciting and everyone in it played their roles to perfection. The US Title match was a very entertaining match that gave me a result I had long awaited: R-Truth with gold! The Usos made a very impressive debut against the Hart Dynasty. The guest host segments, while bizarre, were still funny, and helped develop DiBiase's character slightly. The triple threat match was incredible and exciting. I wanted Cena to win to get a fresh face into the four way match, but Edge works out fine for me.

There were no really bad parts to tonight's RAW. Overall, I give it an A.

 

[The Ram]

This Raw was great. The opening was great and boy did Batista looked banged up. They took care of batista retirement and all that in a good heel like fashion. It was way better than when JBL said he quit at wrestlemania. I also liked how the same time Batista quit they got Randy Orton into the Fatal four way ppv with out him having to do a match so he wouldn't hurt himself. The Uso brothers debuting was great. I mean I dont't think none of it was leaked on the computer and it was a total suprise. R truth winning the US title was great too. Instead of the Miz winning it again they gave it to another worthy contender. Oh and Bret Hart being anounced as the new GM was certainly a suprise to me.People said that it was a good chance that he might be the new GM but I didn't believe it. So another great suprised for me. Then the triple threat main event was great too. This Raw was awesome.

 

[MissCG]

I agree, really good show overall. They accomplished an awful lot in the first 10 minutes (Batista quitting, getting Orton in the fatal four way and naming the new GM) and I must say Bret as GM was a surprise. I mean I know people were throwing his name around, but I really wasn`t sure they would go with him. The US Title match was really good and so was the triple threat. I even thought Jon Lovitz did a decent job guest hosting and pretty much had the right amount of airtime.

 

[Invert]

I honestly thought that this was a great RAW. The triple threat match at the end was great. I'm not a Cena fan, but I don't doubt his ability to carry a good match. The only part that I wasn't thrilled with was Regal & Kozlov getting squashed. Regal deserves better than that.

I guess TNA competition is forcing them to raise the standards. I like it.

 

[Ferbian]

I completely agree with Doc on the grade, this show was absolutely awesome.

Had some good promos, I especially liked Batista's promo, and couldn't help but laugh at him telling Bret Hart "What is your malfunction?", I think it was an absolutely GREAT move to put Bret Hart as general manager, I said that from the start, that it would be a good move, well, they finally listen, and I'm thankful for that.

The matches was pretty damn well handled, I loved the triple threat qualification match, and I'm excited to see that Edge is in the run, alongside Sheamus and Randy Orton, I think it's a good move to put Sheamus back into it, giving him some kind of significance again, which is needed.

On and off note, how hot did Maryse look backstage during that segment with Lovitz? damn!

Overall the show was absolutely awesome, good move on giving R-Truth the united states championship, great move of putting the General Manager position to Bret Hart, simply amazing.

I loved the ending with the stare down between all the qualified wrestlers, Randy Orton walking out, I don't know why, but it felt he returned after months of being out of action, I marked out, I really did.

Great, great show, A