You know that feeling you get when you finally break up with an abusive girlfriend? How about that feeling you get when you do something that you know is in your best interest, but know it will piss a lot of people off? What about the feeling of jubilation that comes when you beat a rival and know you are one step away from you life's goal?
Those are just some of the emotions felt by Raw's top competitors heading into Monday's broadcast. Some had a successful Sunday, while others were broken and buried (literally). With so much coming to a close on Sunday, the question Monday became "what new stories would emerge?"
Answers were abound, but who stood out on Monday? Who was HOT? Who was NOT? And for some, who was completely non-existent? Let's take a look:
HOT
1. John Cena - If you saw the show, was there any doubt that this guy would hold the top spot? The dude finally overcame his nemesis of the last 6 months and the entire group was completely absent from Raw. This left Cena to do what he wanted, and he chose to deliver on so many levels for the fans. His promo was funny, his Vickie jokes with King were hilarious, and he then put on a fantastic match with Dolph Ziggler, which he won. About the only downfall of Cena's night was how it ended. That leads us to the man at spot #2......
2. CM Punk - The man who has delighted us with his quick wit, astute observation, and overall aptitude behind the announce desk has finally stepped out from behind it. In doing so, he attacked the biggest star in the business, John Cena. Was this who he was referring to in his Slammy speech? Probably, though I still contend that Randy Orton would have made more sense. As it stands, in Punk's short explanation, he said that Cena only understands aggresssion and that's what he showed him. It seems the story may be based around Cena's over the top antics and Punk's beratement of them. With Punk's self-righteous attitude demeaning the barbarism of Cena, it will be interesting to see if people believe what Punk is saying but still cheer Cena. This has potential to be a great feud and the matches that go along with it should be fantastic as well. It's amazing how a 15 second attack can get you so excited about the future!
3. Dolph Ziggler - Did anyone get more of a rub on Monday night? Going toe to toe with John Cena is always a good thing for a worker, and this was no exception. I literally thought that Ziggler was going to win the match at a few different points, and if the fans bought that Ziggler COULD beat John Cena, even though he didn't, then this match did a lot for Ziggler. It certainly did, and it's clear as day that the IC Champ is a hell of a worker. What he lacks as a character, he more than makes up for in the ring. This was a great rub for him and I can't imagine people not taking notice of Ziggler as a result of this match. Even with a loss, it was a good day to be Dolph Ziggler.........except for the fact that he's still with Vickie Guerrero.
NOT
1. Nexus - The resident hellraisers were nowhere to be found on Monday. We know exactly what happened to Wade Barrett and Husky Harris (though 1 chairshot shouldn't take Harris out for over a day), but the other Nexus members were found laid out in the dressing room. All except David Otunga........Now, most figure that Cena took them all out, but could Otunga have something to do with it? Time will tell. For now though, Nexus was not on Raw for the first time since June. In some way, they were home licking their wounds, whether Otunga was there or not. The fact that they usually dominated the show's coverage and on Monday were not seen at all is reason enough to be #1 on the NOT list. These guys are humbled and down right now. It sucks to be them at the moment, but I would bet that they will find a way to bounce back with a vengeance.
2. Vickie Guerrero - Vickie is the new Stephanie McMahon, only uglier. Sorry, I had to get in a joke of my own! Everyone else seems to rag on her, and here's the crazy thing....IT WORKS! She is incredibly over as a heel, and people LOVE to hate her. The crowd on money gave her so much heat it was ridiculous! Based on that, Vickie gets the "it sucks to be me" award for Monday, as she took more crap than an Elephant at the zoo. Obviously, Vickie is quite a trooper backstage, as she is allowing the guys to go out there and make fun of her even after she has lost weight, but as an on screen character, she dealt with a lot on Monday and it sucked to be her on that night.
3. Eve Torries - I had a hard time picking someone for this third spot, but I'm going to give it to Eve because I feel bad for her. This girl is one of the most talented Divas on the roster. Her athletic ability is uncanny and I think a babyface match between Eve and Natalya could be a lot of fun. High flyer vs. power wrestler is always fun if people can adapt and I think Natalya and Eve could. Instead, we are getting Melina vs. Natalya with Melina seemingly going heel. Not that Melina isn't talented, but I've never felt Eve has gotten a fair shake despite being capable of doing more than most every woman to step foot in the squared circle.
This episode of Raw had a lot of positive. What should be interesting moving forward is how Nexus will return and what their goal will be at this point. Is there still a "bigger picture" and if so, what is it? Even still, Raw was excellent without the Nexus, and if Nexus has a good story moving forward, it's going to be even better. The Punk/Cena thing has so much potential, as does Miz/Morrison. Plus, we're going to start building towards the Royal Rumble soon, which happens to be my favorite show of the year. I love this time of year in the WWE and things are only going to continue to get better. I just wish I loved this time of year in general as much. So to close, Raw is HOT while Long Island is NOT, and that is NOT OK!
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