One of my favorite songs pretty much sums up everything on Raw yesterday outside of Edge's return, "Nothing Else Matters" by Metallica.
Of course, there were actually other important things that happened on the broadcast, from an in-ring debut, a new vignette, a title change, and two new #1 contenders to the WWE championship. However, none of those things can compare to when a legend decides (or in this case his body decides for him) to hang up the boots forever. The rest of the show must go on though, as no one man's retirement has ever or will ever stop the WWE. Still, it has to land him on the HOT list, right?
If you answered "no kidding" to that last question, you'd be right, but there's still the matter of filling the other 5 spots. So who is deserving of those you ask? I suggest you keep on reading to find that out:
HOT
1. Edge - For the first time, a member of the HOT list does not get there based solely on their performance on the show. Edge's speech was fine considering it was unscripted and from the heart. He gets this spot on the list because of his legacy though. This is a man that, as you heard in the speech, won more championships in the WWE than any superstar in history. I know that more championships were available in his time than any other time, but that is still an incredible feat. This is a guy that started stealing the show at a young age and the WWE rewarded his hard work every step of the way. I won't talk too much about his career as there will be a separate piece for that, but know that Edge earned this spot for the legacy he is leaving for himself. The guy is a true star and I really respect him for walking away before it's too late. I hate hearing about the latest wrestling tragedy and I'm glad that Edge is retiring before becoming one. Solid life decisions are not always the norm in wrestling, but I'm glad to report this one. Solid competitor and true entertainer, Edge will be missed. Now, let's finally give Christian his due!
2. R-Truth - Who said that? Ok, I guess I did. I've been very rough on this guy (see the Mouthing Off crew's take on him in the Elimination Chamber prediction show), but it would be wrong of me to leave him off this list when he is one of the new #1 contenders to the WWE title. Now, that may or may not have to do with a punishment to another man in the match (which we will talk about later), but either way, R-Truth will be main eventing a WWE Pay Per View. Wow, I never thought I'd say that! I'm not all of a sudden sold on the guy, but kudos to the WWE for trying to mix up the main event scene at least a little bit. It won't hurt anyone for Truth to get a token shot and I think after all of his years of working without complaint it's a nice token of appreciation. We may have a problem if he wins the title, but I doubt that will happen. Still, for this Raw, Truth makes the HOT list. Just don't get used to it!
3. Brie Bella - Is this a bad dream? Maybe it is, but I woke up this morning, went on WWE.com and found out that i wasn't dreaming. Brie Bella is actually the Divas Champion! Yea, I'm not a fan of this move either, but she belongs on the list for becoming a first time champion regardless of how it happened. The match wasn't great, but the twin stuff finally paid off I guess. This is more painful than fun to annoint a Bella to the HOT list, but winning a title does warrant a spot here. That's good enough for me but I still hope it is a short title reign.
NOT
1. John Morrison - This man is a prime example of why you don't let yourself become whipped by a significant other. A few months ago, this was the #1 contender to The Miz's WWE title. His match with the champ was quite solid on the first Raw of the year and he continued to shine over the next couple of months. However, this idiot managed to take a huge opportunity and blow it. Reports have stated that Morrison, perhaps influenced by his real life girlfriend Melina, gave Trish Stratus the cold shoulder at Wrestlemania. The word is that he did so because Melina felt she should have been in the match or at the very least, that Trish and Snooki were taking away from the current Diva lineup and undermining them. Of course, Melina is a heel and thus had no chance to be in the match, but I'll ignore logic just as she did. If all of this is true and Morrison was a jerk about the whole thing, he deserved punishment. I believe that came Monday as Morrison was pinned cleanly by R-Truth, a guy he is usually held in higher regard than. I hope that this punishment hits home for Morrison as he's a talented guy that doesn't need to leave his career in the hands of his girlfriend. If she is going to cost him his spot in the company, she's probably not worth it. He has some bridges to mend, but until he does, he'll probably be a frequent inhabitor of the NOT list.
2. Eve Torres - If ever someone deserved better, it's Eve. Here's a girl that has possibly the best natural athletic ability ever for a diva but she has now twice been a transitional champion who never gets to showcase her full skillset on TV. It's a shame really, and even moreso it is a shame that the Bellas are holding the title now. Despite popular opinion, the Divas division does have some talented workers. Unfortunately for them, it seems that the WWE doesn't care as they continue to get little TV time and the wrong Divas continue to get pushed. It's a horrible trend and one I tend to feel terrible about. That is life though and the truth of the matter is that women's wrestling has never been a major draw. Thus, this trend will continue, and I will continue to feel bad for people like Eve. It was a bad night to be her.
3. Sin Cara - Ok, it's not that he had such a bad night. His debut was just ok, and for me, that wasn't enough. There was no flow to his match with Primo as I kept wanting to see the pace quickened but it simply did not happen. The guy can do some amazing things, but I don't think this first match was a great showcase of that. I feel like it may have been done to humble him a bit and make sure he knows he has to earn things in the WWE and won't just get handed titles off of his CMLL reputation. I'm fine with that, but I was not fine with this match. Maybe the hype was too great, but I was just underwhelmed. The other thing is that his finisher could be sweet but it's going to be damn near impossible to hit on some opponents. He will need something else to be credible, I think. In any case, this guy needs to show me more the next time around. The Mouth is not an easy man to please!
Along with Sin Cara's debut match, the Divas title switch, and the #1 contender gauntlet, there was also a vignette that aired seemingly promoting the debut of Awesome Kong (or whatever name WWE gives her). This should be very interesting to see as she is the antithesis of what the WWE has been pushing in the Divas division. Maybe she is the savior to our prayers for that division. I sure hope so because it's not good right now. What also isn't good is Edge's health and we wish him well. Raw was good without his speech and great with it. I have included it just in case you missed it. Watch with a tissue if you tend to get emotional!
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