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WWE Raw Hits

Batista vs. Randy Orton: WWE had to do something to make it seem like Randy Orton was vulnerable heading into the Judgment Day match that nobody expects him to lose. As such, they made Batista look dominant and Orton look weak and wounded heading into the match. Unfortunately, I don't think it was enough to make the masses feel like there's a strong chance they'll see a title match on Sunday. It's a shame because Batista challenging Orton for the title should be so much bigger than it feels. Perhaps the biggest problem is that WWE had three title changes on the Backlash show, which was great at the time, but leaves people doubting that they'll see major titles change hands at Judgment Day.

Mickie James pins Maryse again: The Diva matches are still being booked as throwaway fodder on all three WWE brands, but at least they're telling a story with Mickie and Maryse. I thought this might play out with a title match at Judgment Day, but no match was announced so I assume this will be a television feud. Here's hoping creative gives these two more than the usual three minutes whenever their title match takes place.

The Miz: Another fun promo from the most consistently entertaining performer on Monday nights over the last three weeks.

Matt Hardy: He's getting over nicely as a heel on the Raw brand. The whining promos regarding his broken hand have been great and the live crowd responded nicely with "Hardy sucks" chants.

WWE Raw Misses

John Cena vs. The Miz: An exhibition match? Again, I enjoyed The Miz's performance last night, but the three-minute match that was stopped by Vickie Guerrero was silly. It wasn't quite as silly as the idea that Vickie could force an injured Cena to wrestle in an exhibition match before he was medically cleared, but still silly. I wonder who got the earful when the WWE website announced this match yesterday only to yank it because it was positioned as something Chavo Guerrero came up with on the fly.

Batista vs. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes: A lame finish. I knew they weren't going to have DiBiase and Rhodes go over clean, but Batista was disqualified for swinging a chair at Rhodes and not even making contact. Lame. I'm also bored with all the handicap matches we've been getting on Raw lately. Last week's show focussed on a handicap match and the rating for the show was lousy. Granted, there are other factors that contributed to the rating being down, but you'd think WWE might at least consider the possibility that viewers aren't enjoying the handicap matches.

Santina: The live crowd enjoyed this much more than I did. It was cute at first, but it's just not for me. Sure, the live crowd is laughing, but they always laugh at Santino Marella.

Overall show: I was excited by the two previous episodes and curious to see how far WWE would go with the new draftees. It felt like those wrestlers were put on hold this week because they had to sell their third pay-per-view in six weeks. I get that, but it didn't make for the most exciting two hours of television.

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