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WWE Raw Hits

Randy Orton attacks Triple H and Stephanie McMahon: Great angle to close the show. Was it PG? No. Was it politically correct? No. Was I offended? Hell no. I'll let the people who monitor the PG programming claims worry about the rating. WWE desperately needed a hot angle to close the penultimate edition of the show heading into WrestleMania 25 and this angle delivered. Orton's performance was outstanding. The crazed look in his eyes throughout the segment and the way he hovered over his prey was tremendous.

Chris Jericho and Ric Flair: A great way to open the show. I am concerned that Jericho stomping the watch will lead to Shawn Michaels giving Flair his storyline blessing to face Jericho at WrestleMania 25, but so far the match is still listed as a handicap match with Flair at ringside. The only flaw in the segment was Jerry Lawler standing by at ringside and letting it happen only to challenge Jericho to a match later in the night. Otherwise, this was a great angle and Flair bleeding enhanced it.

Santino Marella: It was nice to see him get some mic time again. How could you not root for Santino in his quest to become Miss WrestleMania? They have to find a way to get him into the battle royal.

Christian, MVP, Kofi Kingston, and C.M. Punk vs. Shelton Benjamin, Finlay, Kane, and Mark Henry: Good action with the rapid fire finishers down the stretch. It was also nice to see Christian score the clean pin. Does Shelton losing two matches in a row mean he's in the doghouse or make him the favorite to win the Money in the Bank match?

Shawn Michaels video: Nice touch to have HBK use Taker's own tactic on him. I would have preferred a verbal exchange with Shawn live from the graveyard, but this was well done with Shawn playing head games with Taker.

Overall show: Great bookend angles to open and close the show. It was nice to see WWE deliver edgy content in those segments. Again, I don't see how either angle could possibly qualify as PG programming, but the tamer product we've seen in recent months helped make these two angles stand out.

WWE Raw Misses

Edge vs. Big Show: A boring match and more Vickie Guerrero drama. I am confident that the Triple Threat match will be entertaining, but this was a horrible preview. I hate that the focus of this feud is on Vickie Guerrero rather than the World Hvt. Championship. This feels like a throwaway match rather than a huge WrestleMania title match.

John Cena: Those pre-taped promos were dreadful. It's time to give up on the lame humor attempts and deliver the money promo that this match desperately needs.

Jeff Hardy vs. Dolph Ziggler: It was nice to see Jeff appear on Raw for the first time in weeks. One of the problems I've had with the buildup for the Hardy vs. Hardy match was that their storyline was relegated to Smackdown, whereas the other top wrestlers are crossing the brand split lines on a regular basis. This segment really needed a Matt Hardy appearance and some type of angle so that viewers who only watch Raw could get a taste of their storyline.

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