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WWE Raw Hitlist: Bret Hart returns to confront Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon, Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston, DX vs. Big Show and Chris Jericho for the Unified Tag Titles

Posted in: Powell Editorials
By By Jason Powell
Jan 5, 2010 - 04:01 PM

Dot Net Members are listening to 50-minute audio recaps of last night's WWE Raw and TNA Impact shows. Rich Twilling handled the Raw audio, while I took the Impact audio. They will also be listening to an interview with former WWE creative team member Court Bauer regarding the Monday night battle on Wednesday. You can gain access to all the perks of Dot Net Membership for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

WWE Raw Hits

Bret Hart and Vince McMahon: They built up to this segment throughout the night and then kept the story going by having Vince take the cheap shot at Hart. This wasn't Vince's finest acting performance, but it was still entertaining. Bret was very good in his guest host role and it was great to see the live crowd give him such a strong reaction. WWE simply must move one of their upcoming Raw shows to Canada. At this point, no Canadian shows are scheduled, but how can you bring back Bret and not have him appear in Canada?

DX vs. Chris Jericho and Big Show: This was the best DX match I've seen since they reunited. They've had some good outings, but this was really hot down the stretch with some great near falls. Jericho was in rare form again last night, and his backstage verbal exchange with Bret was excellent. By the way, did the fans pass on singing the goodbye song because they don't want to see Jericho leave or because they don't really believe he's gone for good?

Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston: One of the better matches of the Monday night battle. I went into the show expecting a Kingston win, but you had to know Randy was going over when they said Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase were going to kick him out of the group if he lost the match. Still, it was a nice hook that made the match a little more interesting. Kofi was given plenty of offense and it will be meaningful when he finally pins Orton clean.

Sheamus vs. Evan Bourne: A nice match that made Bourne look strong early only to have Sheamus kick out of his finisher and look dominant in the end. I loved the hook that Bourne would earn a title shot if he won the match. It made the match feel a little more meaningful even though I didn't expect him to win the match. So far so good for Sheamus.

Overall show: WWE didn't deliver the big surprises like TNA did, but I thought they delivered the better overall show. I really enjoyed both products and there's no denying that TNA's show was the more newsworthy of the two shows because of the surprises, but Raw countered with a far more cohesive event with a big name guest host. Every match on the show had a hook in that it was either a title match, for a title shot, a tournament match, or for a spot in Legacy.

Steve Williams tribute: A pleasant surprise. I didn't expect WWE to acknowledge his passing. It still bothers me that they didn't acknowledge the passing of Eddie "Umaga" Fatu, but at least they got it right with Doc. Sadly, it looks like they'll only acknowledge deaths if they don't fear that painkillers were involved. Nevertheless, a classy tribute for Williams. It's just a shame that Jim Ross couldn't have been there to deliver a heartfelt tribute to his longtime friend.

WWE Raw Misses

Bret Hart and Shawn Michaels segment: Don't get me wrong, it was surreal to see the two of them standing in the ring together after all these years. The fact that they put their differences aside and appeared on camera together was great. However, I felt like WWE rushed into this and the happy ending too soon. We waited 12 years for Bret to come back to WWE and sound off. Instead of ripping into Shawn on this show and saving the makeup for a future show, it was all handshakes and hugs. It's great they have on-air closure, but I wish they would have stretched this out and really built up to this moment.

Mike Tyson hype: I expected more than a simple graphic for Tyson. He got the same amount of hype that the company will give Don Johnson and Napoleon Dynamite. I realize he's no longer boxing, but he was a huge pay-per-view draw for years and still has that train wreck appeal that people tune in to see. I'm not sure what I was hoping for, but I thought they would deliver more hype for Tyson than the average guest host. How about a video recapping his last run with the company?

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