Even the mightiest of armies can be defeated. Of course, the easiest way for a great army to crumble is internally. That is exactly what is happening to Raw's army, as this week's Raw saw the disintegration of the superteam that was supposed to rid the WWE of Nexus. It's now a 7 on 5 battle, with the remaining 5 gelling about as well as Mel Gibson in a group of orthodox Jews. The Nexus is strong, but they may not have much in the form of opponents at Summerslam the way things are going. So is Nexus HOT? Is the entire Raw team NOT? Find out below in this week's HOT or NOT:
HOT:
1. Sheamus - The Nexus/Team Raw storyline has been monopolizing the airtime lately, but we must not forget that Sheamus is actually the champion at this time, and he will be defending that title agains Randy Orton at Summerslam. His work last night certainly reminded us of that, as his promo after his match was fantastic. I really liked how they tied in the beginning of his career to now, as it showed wonderful continuity and really showed the growth of the Sheamus character. No one has grown more in the past year than Sheamus, and he really has been one of the most impressive men on the roster recently. Also, that staredown at the end with Orton was awesome. Most of the credit goes to Orton, but the intensity there was great. Yesterday's show went a long way to remind people that more than 1 match at Summerslam is coming from Raw and has hype.
2. Melina - The lady famous for her split returned to the ring Monday, but not where we all thought she would. Most thought she would return to aide her beau, John Morrison in his feud with Ted Dibiase and Maryse, but Melina pulled a twist and returned to attack the Diva's champ, Alicia Fox. The sultry diva looked great with jet blue hair and a hanging white top, but looked even better performing some of her signature moves. She showed no signs of ring rust, and even though I have been quite high on Eve, I was reminded why Melina is THE diva of today. To be honest, it's really not close.
3. R-Truth - I'm giving him the nod this week because he cut a promo that was actually coherent. This spot was between Truth and Morrison (gasp!) who both did well with their limited roles this week, but Truth took it due to standing right up to Edge. I actually believed for a second that Truth could feud with Edge, and that's something I never would have thought before that. Somehow, Truth is becoming the ultimate face, and even though he looks absolutely ridiculous sometimes, he is quite popular. For once, he spoke English in a promo, so maybe this is a sign of positive things from Truth in the future.
NOT
1. Chris Jericho/Edge - Their work on the show was fantastic. They absolutely played their roles to perfection and it was even a great swerve to see them become friends again. However, they end up on the NOT list because they played their roles so well that they played themselves off of the Summerslam card. While I fully expect them to end up on the card somehow, their decisions at this point look stupid. Summerslam offers a huge payday. Walking out of the main event and big money will land you on any bonehead list in the history of the world. Thus, both of these men stupidly land on this week's NOT list.
2. Evan Bourne - Remember last week when Evan Bourne landed on the NOT list due to being on the B team? Yea, that was nothing. This week, Bourne wasn't even on the show! So much for this guy's push. I'm sure we all hope he picks up his push after Summerslam, but it's really a shame that this guy went from main eventing Raw to completely off the show in about a month. Hopefully, this is just an aberation, because we all like seeing the Shooting Star Press on a weekly basis.
3. Ted Dibiase - I know I know. He ends up here more often then not and it seems like I am the high school nerd trying to knock the star jock down to size. That's not the case though, as he lands on the NOT list this week for jobbing to Khali. Remember when Khali beat the Undertaker and was an imposing figure that everyone in WWE feared? Neither do most people, so losing to Khali these days is pretty shameful. Thus, it sucks for Dibiase to have to do the job, especially in such a short match. He is another guy who will benefit from Summerslam being over, because he won't be doing anything serious until after that happens.
Noticeably absent from the list is Cena and the Nexus. By this point, we alll know that story and its importance in the Raw landscape, but on last night's episode, it simply wasn't the focus. The continued implosion of Cena's team was, as well as building the WWE title match, so look for next week to have plenty of the Nexus, as it is the final Raw before the big showdown at Summerslam. That match will main event the show, so it's safe to say that it should dominate Raw as well.
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