As last week's Raw concluded, leadership of Nexus was no longer in question. There would be no drawn out feud for control, nor would there be a match to decide that fate. No, the decision was made swifty, as CM Punk scaled the steel cage and symbolically stripped away Wade Barrett's livlihood with the removal of his Nexus armband. Groupless and titleless, Barrett's night ended in dismay.
Fast forward to Friday and Barrett took his anger out on the Big Show, seemingly signifying his decision to avoid the group that he created. With Barrett completely out of the picture, CM Punk could take the helm as undisputed leader of the new Nexus.
What we didn't realize is that Punk would not merely assume the position atop Nexus. Ever the motivator and manipulator, Punk decided to put the Nexus through gang-like initiation rituals where only the strong and willing would survive.
Did all of Nexus pass? Did John Cena's advertised return thwart the new Nexus? Most importantly, did it render any members HOT or NOT? Let's find out:
HOT
1. John Morrison - Do you think he's gotten enough of a rub yet? Last year at this time, Sheamus was busy holding the WWE title. This year? He's respected enough to put over an up and comer, and he's damn good at it. Morrison has looked like gold lately, and yet another solid match with Sheamus should continue to solidify his spot near the top of the card. At this point, if John Morrison is on the card, you know you are getting a good match. That's a great thing to be known for and that fact should hold the Prince of Parkour's spot atop the card. Whether he is on Raw or Smackdown, that first major title is coming this year and every week seems to be another step in the right direction. Six months ago I utterly disliked the man. Now, I'm hoping to see him wear gold. You impress the Mouth, you know you are going places.
2. Shawn Michaels - You have to be on the HOT list when you are the first superstar ever to be a "first ballot Hall of Famer". Obviously, Ric Flair got honored while still active, but if anyone deserves a quick turnaround into the Hall of Fame, it's HBK. This man is the epitome of second chances, as he turned his life around in a way that touched so many people. Not only that, he is one of the few talents to truly own the idea of sports entertainment and he showed it off Monday night. A delighted crowd got to see the Showstopper who nonverbally communicated to the crowd in a profound way. Without saying a word, he made an impact on the show. THAT is talent. There are few who understood the wrestling business like HBK and it's fitting that he gets a spot in the Hall of Fame so soon. He deserves it and I can't wait to watch his induction.
3. Alberto Del Rio - The man who got embarassed by HBK lands on the HOT list. Doesn't make sense, you say? I say that being the guy who got the airtime WITH HBK makes a rookie incredibly worthy of this spot. It could have been anyone to go out and verbally spar with the legend, but the Mexican aristocrat got the nod. Not only that, he already had a match earlier in the night, so this was his second appearance on a show, one of which he has no affiliation. This is a Smackdown superstar getting a ton of Raw attention, which means the powers that be have a lot of faith in this man as a talent. I think it's justified as he's doing quite an excellent job in his role. It's pretty clear that he will be a champion soon, so get superkicked is only the slightest of setbacks. Heck, many of the greats have taken that kick, and it may be a matter of time before Del Rio can call himself a great.
NOT
1. Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater - Are they out of Nexus? It may be so as they both declined to strike each other with kendo sticks. Being a part of the nexus garnered these two a tag team title reign and main event exposure they couldn't have dreamed of this soon. Now, they seemingly have given it all away out of fear. While I am not a fan of physical pain for the greater good, it's hard to side with Gabriel and Slater's decision here as it could cost them their jobs with WWE. Who knows where they will be now that they seem to be out of Nexus. We'll see if they can find a place for themselves, but for now, leaving Punk's new, stronger Nexus looks like a big mistake.
2. Santino Marella and Vladimir Koslov - Their value to each Raw broadcast is to lighten the program from the seriousness of many of the stories. These men bring a sense of humor to the table and always deliver in that capacity. Well, usually they have that role. On Monday, they were set for a match when Nexus ambushed them before even having a chance to perform. Their role was negligible and resulted in physical injuries as a result of doing nothing more than standing in the ring. Talk about "wrong place, wrong time". Considering I enjoy their shtick, I hope these two come back next week and make light of it, as a broadcast never does feel complete without a little comedy.
3. R-Truth - This week's "it sucks to be me" award goes to the author of "what's up". A few months ago, Truth beat The Miz for the United States title. Nowadays, Truth can't buy a victory. He was beaten yet again by Alberto Del Rio and it was worse than the traditional pinfall loss. He was embarassed outside the ring by Alberto's ring announcer and counted out as a result. Truth needed some focus, but chose to focus on Ricardo Rodriguez instead of ADR. Bad move, as getting counted out 2 minutes into a match never makes you look good. I think at this point, Truth is merely there to put over young talent. That's fine, but at least Sheamus got to do it honorably. Truth did not.
I intentionally left out CM Punk and John Cena from these lists as I figure they will find their way onto these lists more often than not in the coming months. Cena's participation in the show was brief, as he verbally sparred with Punk via satellite on the titantron. It was a good promo, but I'd be hardpressed to make John Cena HOT because of it.
As for Punk, his leadership skills are unique and he created programming that was certainly unpredictable. I'm not sure if I found the bit on top of the titantron in bad taste, but I just couldn't bring myself to place him on a list as a result of his performance Monday. He did a fine job in his role, but he is a great performer so that will always be the case. Monday's show was about his group earning their keep, and most did that.
Moving forward, we should expect to see Cena in person dealing with the new Nexus and Miz trying to hold on to his title. I'd like to continue to see minor stories develop as those haven't been as prevalent the last two weeks. I understand that everything now is about the rumble, but you need minor stories to explain some eliminations in the big match. It'll also be interesting to see what becomes of Slater and Gabriel. Isn't it weird that the only member of the original Nexus that is left is David Otunga? We shall find out what will become of this new group, and what will happen with its old members. There is always something to look forward to, which is why Monday is my favorite day of the week.
PS: Enjoy all that is HBK in the clip from Monday night!
Written by:
