........and now the fun begins. Just when it looked like John Cena's prophecy would be fulfilled and the Nexus would be history, 2 assailants saved Nexus from the brink of destruction. Those assailants have since been revealed to be Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris of Season 2 of NXT, but as of this writing, they were merely that, hired guns that are not new members of the Nexus. However, due to their actions, John Cena IS the newest member of Nexus. Much of the broadcast was focused on this new alliance, but who came out looking the best? Some have thrived, while others have suffered, even those not involved in this major storyline. Find out who in this week's HOT or NOT:
HOT
1. Wade Barrett - This is about as obvious a pick as there can be. We are talking about the new #1 contender to the WWE title, who has the services of a 9 time champion. This 9 time champ must do whatever he says or risk termination from the WWE. The effects of that ruling have already reared its ugly head, as Barrett used it to his advantage in the 20 man battle royale for #1 contendership. Barrett utilized Cena as a bodyguard of sorts, protecting himself until it was just him and Cena left. With everyone else in tow, Barrett took to ordering Cena out of the ring, which Cena had to oblige to. No one has more power than Barrett right now, and you have to believe that he is about 3 weeks away from being WWE champion, given the power he has on his side.
2. John Cena - From a character perspective, he should certainly be on the NOT list, as the dominant superstar has been reduced to errand boy of the Nexus. From a performance perspective though, Cena belongs right here, and for good reason. He played his role perfectly last night, enacting a plan from the beginning to kill Nexus from the inside, only to be stopped by the GM and ruled to follow Barrett or be fired. The wind was taken out of his sails at that moment, and his acting from that point forward was absolutely brilliant. Wrestling is about telling a story, and nobody tells a better one than John Cena. Just imagine if he took that ability to the big screen in a movie that was made by someone other than WWE films and thus, didn't suck?
3. Goldust - Is this 1995? Seemed like it for a couple of minutes, as the "Bizarre one" revealed himself to be the secret admirer that has been sending the messages to The Million Dollar Couple. However, he was never after Dibiase or Maryse, he was after the Million Dollar Belt! This was definitely a pleasant surprise, as I think any male or female revealed as the culprit after either Dibiase or Maryse would have been a letdown. Goldust stalking the belt due to his love of gold was brilliant, and the veteran will get a chance to make Ted Dibiase remotely relevant. Tall task, but the guy has worked with less. This might be the best thing to ever happen to Ted Dibiase, but it's even better for the fans as this story has already shown the potential to be quite entertaining.
NOT
1. Michael Tarver - Before Nexus, Tarver was merely an outcast who refused to participate in NXT games. With the group, Tarver grew into a downright scary enforcer for the group. That may have all ended last night though, as John Cena took out his frustrations on the man, and later was insinuated to be removed from the Nexus as well. Quite a tragic turn for this promising enforcer, as unlike Darren Young, I don't think he can play the other side of the coin as a babyface. Thus, there's no place for Tarver to work as a bad guy not in Nexus. About the only idea I would have for his character would be for him to be simply angry, and to just beat up whoever he feels like on Raw. That would keep him bad, but he wouldn't have to associate with the group that kicked him out. That group took up most of Raw's broadcast though, and he is no longer a part of it now, so clearly this is a horrible career development for Michael Tarver.
2. LayCool - I have been a huge fan of their work........until last night. The character development of this group has been great, but whoever thought strapping mics to them to wear during a match was a good idea should probably be fired. First off, it didn't enhance the match or make it funny, and it also affected what they can do, as evidenced by Layla's mic falling off as she went to attack one of the sisters. On top of all that, Laycool LOST to the Bella twins. That's like the University of Alabama right now losing to Charleston Southern. Monday was just an all around terrible night for Laycool. However, if they are down about it, I'd be more than willing to cheer them up!
3. Daniel Bryan - While I don't agree with many who have already voices their displeasure with Bryan getting "buried" last night, the fact of the matter is that Daniel Bryan the man's only involvement on Raw was getting his ass kicked. Outside of Tarver who lost everything, there was no one that had a worse night than Bryan. Well, maybe Zack Ryder who got beat up by a giant hand in his only appearance. However, Bryan was attacked in a much more brutal manner, and for that reason, it sucked to be Daniel Bryan last night. With that said, don't expect the U.S. Champ to be down for long. I'm sure he'll be just fine moving forward.
I haven't been so excited for Raw in a long time and I felt the show delivered on a lot of levels. The Cena/Nexus storyline is going to be very interesting to follow, and it truly is becoming must see TV each week. The only negative moving forward is that Edge is now going to Smackdown just as he got a good storyline and seemingly turned face. He should do great things over on the blue brand, and I expect his battle with stupidity to continue. As for Raw, we now have a solid top story and an interesting minor story with Goldust and the Million Dollar title. It should be a lot of fun to watch the next few Raws.
Before we close, I want to take a moment to refer you to the logo at the top. As you can see, it's a lot better now, thanks to Rich Massa, who designed this new one. I am awful when it comes to graphic design, so I just wanted to thank Rich publically for saving my ass in that regard!
Written by:
