Dot Net Members are listing my 55-minute audio recap of Monday's WWE show. You can gain access to all Dot Net Audio, the ad-free version of the site, the Dot Net Members' forum, and the ability to write your own blog for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

WWE Raw Hits

C.M. Punk vs. Jeff Hardy vs. Edge: The best match of the night. It was great to see these three get plenty of time, and Punk pinning Edge sets up Punk vs. Hardy nicely for the pay-per-view. I'm really looking forward that match, and I'm curious to find out where this leaves Edge since he's not in the WWE Title match at The Bash. I enjoy what they're doing with Punk right now. He's not apologizing for the way he captured the belt, and he's not a full fledged heel. I hope he makes a full heel turn at some point, and I wonder if we're on the verge of seeing a double turn with Edge and Punk. Edge is a great heel, but there's some serious babyface potential there as well.

Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio: An awesome way to open the show. Does it hurt the Intercontinental Title when it's defended in the opening match? Not when these two deliver a great match. I'm more excited about the IC strap than I have been in years, and that's due to the awesome program these two are having. Here's hoping their program lasts as long as the Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels program did because I could watch them work together once per week and not get bored.

Randy Orton vs. Triple H vs. Big Show vs. John Cena: I still despise the idea of having the same four guys compete for the vacant WWE Championship, but the match itself was strong. Again, though, what was the point of having Orton drop the title in the first place? Was hurting Orton and damaging the title with yet another change really worth whatever rating they popped for this match?

Battle Royal: This wasn't just another punch and kick battle royal. They wrestlers worked hard and there were some fun spots mixed in. I liked the bit with The Miz hiding under the ring, but it does make the announcers look like tools for not being able to keep track of the 10 wrestlers who were in the match. I cringed when MVP was eliminated so early, and I can't say that the idea of another Orton vs. Hunter match is appealing, but this was much better than the average battle royal.

WWE Raw Misses

Donald Trump buys WWE Raw: WWE makes another attempt to generate mainstream publicity. It worked with TV Guide, but there's not much more mainstream buzz over the storyline acquisition. I blew it when I said Vince's ego got in the way when he kept trying to interrupt Trump, as the Trump footage was pre-taped. Even so, the segment was a big disappointment.

I understand the logic of going back to someone who played a big part in drawing the biggest WrestleMania buyrate of all-time, but it feels like a tired repeat angle. The live crowd groaned and I did the same at home when the announcement was made. Again, I realize that WWE is trying to generate mainstream publicity, but they scored plenty of it for the Denver Debacle and it failed to pop a rating. My concern is that the angle will turn off more regular Raw viewers than it will draw fringe fans who tune in because of whatever mainstream buzz they score.

Santino Marella: A lame backstage skit with Vince McMahon. Santina needs to go away once and for all, and Santino needs to be put in a new program that people actually care about.

Primo and Carlito vs. The Hart Dynasty: A horrible introduction for the Hart Dynasty on the Monday night show. They just threw them out there with no introduction and showed that Primo and Carlito would have defeated them clean had it not been for the run-in by Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase.

Tommy Dreamer vs. Christian: Dreamer received no reaction from the live crowd. It's a shame because his ECW Title win storyline was a lot of fun, but it just goes to show that the masses aren't watching the Tuesday night show. And why would they? WWE doesn't make any fuss over the ECW on Raw or Smackdown. In fact, they keep showing adds that tease things they've already revealed on Raw. For instance, last week's teaser was that viewers who watched ECW would find out who the new ECW Champion was even though a previous graphic had already showed Dreamer with the ECW Title. Last night, one the teases was that viewers could find out whether Dreamer was still the champion after Raw even though his match with Christian had already taken place.

WWE Raw brand: Donald Trump made a lousy investment. The Raw brand is lousy right now. This show was saved by the Smackdown wrestlers. Raw has star power at the top of the card, but they're not putting the mid-card acts in positions to shine. I'm bored by seeing the same guys at the top of the card and there are no signs that anyone else will be added to that mix anytime soon.

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