WWE Raw Hits

Melina: Am I the only one who enjoyed her return more than John Cena's comeback last night? Good intensity and fun offensive moves.

JBL's deal with Shawn Michaels: I have no idea where this is going and that's why I like it. JBL had a little Million Dollar Man thing going even more than usual last night and I'm looking forward to seeing how this angle plays out.

Intercontinental Title tournament: I'm giving this a hit even though I find it odd that they suddenly decided to hold a No. 1 contenders tournament when they had been handing out IC Title matches to anyone. I'd love to think that WWE is going to place a renewed emphasis on the IC Title, but it appears they're primary motivation is selling the new IC Title DVD.

WWE Raw Misses

Stephanie and Shane McMahon: Their bickering session looked forced and scripted. Of course, it was forced and scripted, but I don't think that's quite what they were going for. Whatever happened to the slow build? Steph dropped some subtle hints regarding a heel turn in recent promos, but they just cut right to the chase last night and it came off very awkward. I'm sure the network is asking for more McMahon family fun, but I don't any buzz over the latest edition of the family soap opera.

John Cena's return: They had him beat the hell out of Chris Jericho to show that he has more of an edge this time around. Unfortunately, this attack came just moments after he hung out with the fans in the concourse, made a Diamond Dallas Page entrance through the crowd, and cut a promo in which he kissed the ass of WWE fans everywhere. I don't care how sincere his comments are. It's impossible to be seen as edgy when you verbally fellate the fans. Worse yet, it made Jericho look really weak heading into their pay-per-view rematch.

Mr. Kennedy: Did they really waste his return so that he could come out and host a campy fan video segment? Are you kidding me? I know they have to promote his DVD movie, but this was the best they could come up with? I can't help but wonder if the Raw creative team would have put more thought into this segment if Kennedy worked on their brand instead of Smackdown.

Chris Jericho vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista: This should have been a major event given the three wrestlers involved and because there was a title shot on the line. The live crowd sat on their hands and never got caught up in the match. A major disappointment.

Shawn Michaels and Rey Mysterio defeat John Morrison and The Miz: It was bad enough when WWE failed to put over Miz pinning Michaels last week, but to come right back and have HBK and Mysterio come right back and avenge their loss was even worse. WWE has to start thinking about the future and they need to start using veteran performers to help the young guys get over. No, I'm not looking for a New Blood vs. Millionaires Club angle (we're already getting that in TNA), but I do believe guys like HBK could afford to lose a couple of high profile matches to help elevate some of the younger talent.

Goldust vs. Santino Marella: The company has cut talented performers such as Elijah Burke and Armando Estrada to save money, yet the found a place for Goldust on the roster again?

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