Powell Editorials WWE Raw Hitlist: Randy Orton handcuffs Triple H and kisses Stephanie McMahon, Chris Jericho and Ric Flair, Edge vs. Big Show vs. John Cena hype, Santino Marella wants to be Miss WrestleMania By Jason Powell Mar 24, 2009 - 12:02 PM Email This Article | Printer Friendly Page Send Us News & Results | Back to Main Listing Dot Net Members are listening to my 51-minute audio recap of last night's WWE Raw show. You can gain instant access to this recap and all Dot Net audio for the price of a Subway footlong sandwich ($5 per month) by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page. 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. HELP SUPPORT DOT NET! BECOME A MEMBER AT OUR CHARTER RATE OF JUST $5 A MONTH - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO SHOWS, MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AD-FREE MAIN LISTING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO) GOT AN IPHONE OR IPOD TOUCH? 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Styles vs. Samoa Joe vs. Daniels for the TNA Title, Desmond Wolfe vs. Kurt Angle, Tara vs. Awesome Kong, Amazing Red vs. Homicide for the X Division Title WWE Raw Hitlist: Hype for John Cena vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels at Survivor Series, Ricky Hatton as guest host, Randy Orton's "hood" line regarding Kofi Kingston, Mark Henry, and MVP Powell's TNA Impact Hitlist: Dixie Carter's speech to the talent crew, hype for Hulk Hogan, the build for A.J. Styles vs. Daniels vs. Samoa Joe, Team 3D vs. Matt Morgan and Hernandez, Tara vs. Hamada WWE Raw Hitlist: Ozzy Osbourne and Sharon Osbourne host Raw, Chris Jericho vs. John Cena vs. Big Show, Sheamus destroys Jamie Noble, The Miz vs. Evan Bourne, vintage Michael Cole