To paraphrase the secretary from the timeless classic Ghostbusters 2, "yea, I'm back". I know you all missed me, but let's skip the hugs and emotional reunions. It's a new season of Raw and a week from the Night of Champions pay per view, thus, we have a lot to talk about. This card has some highly anticipated matchups, but we'll discuss those in the preview later this week. For now, we have to discern who was HOT and who was NOT this week. If you've read my column before, the results may surprise you, but as always, I'm calling 'em like I see 'em. Let's get to it.
HOT
1. Chris Jericho - I suppose he would get the nod for getting back in the main event of the pay per view, but above and beyond that, he said the one thing we have all wanted to say for weeks, "WE KNOW YOU HAVE AN EMAIL YOU IDIOT! JUST READ IT!" Even when being fantastically entertaining, Jericho finds a way to maintain his heel heat, and did so brililantly while furthering his grievance with the anonymous GM. It seems that Jericho will be the guy to get the GM to reveal him/herself, which is good since the gimmick played itself out a long time ago.
2. John Morrison - Yup, I'm as surprised as you are. I've been known to criticize this charisma-less superstar in the past, but this week may have been his coming out party. After a fantastic showing against Jericho last week, Morrison took WWE champion Sheamus to the limit in a Falls Count Anywhere match this week. Unfortunately, the aforementioned Jericho cost him the match, but not before Morrison performed a couple of spots that wrestling fans will be talking about for a while. This guy is the future of in ring competition, and I even thought the bit they did before the match showing Morrison doing parkour was a great idea to promote his character. Keep it simple, showcase what this man is good at, and you might just have the next Bret Hart on your hands. That's right, I said it. Forget the HBK comparisons because HBK was full of charisma. Morrison can go in the ring, can give out sunglasses and look pretty, and can't cut a promo to save his life. Sounds a lot like the Hitman to me.......
3. Goldust/William Regal - Their trading places match was just plain entertaining. Regal looked surprising right in Goldust attire, and his mockery of Goldust's mannerisms were spot on. Couple that with Goldy's use of brass knuckles, a nod to Regal's favorite toy, and you had pure entertainment for the short time these men graced the ring. It IS possible to do a comedy match and have it actually be funny!
NOT
1. Nexus - The once powerful group was pretty powerless on this night. A few months ago, they were taking on the whole Raw roster, but on Monday, they were taken out by Cena and Orton. Yep, 5 guys were taken out by 2. It is possible that they will redeem themselves and get Barrett the title on Sunday, but for now, the group seems very vulnerable. I'd also like to point out that no 2 Nexus members are set to compete for the Unified Tag Titles, which many thought would be a logical step for the group. If they don't get the nod Sunday and Barrett does not win the title, I think it's safe to say that the group is as good as done.
2. Edge - Is he a good guy or a bad guy? His promos seem to play to face tendencies, leading to the crowd popping when he comes out for a match, only for Edge to wrestle like a heel and play to the crowd, hoping they will boo. I don't get it, and it's getting a little annoying to try and figure out what exactly his character is. Plus, he lost to Mark Henry. I know it was a bodyslam competition, but he lost to Mark Henry. You are going to get on the NOT list if you are a main eventer and lose anything to the Kool Aid Man.
3. Evan Bourne - Can someone get this man acting lessons? If I were to guess, I'd say Bourne weighs about 170 MAX. He was wrestling Edge, who weighs about 240 pounds. However, when the match stipulation was announced to be a bodyslam challenge, Bourne was grinning like an idiot. Did he not realize that he was outweighed by 70 pounds? We know you are a good guy Evan, but you have to understand that you are tiny! Grin when you get put in a Shooting Star Press match, not a bodyslam match. Clearly you were going to lose, and you did. Lesson learned, we hope.
Left off this list was Randy Orton, who again emerged from the pile as the strongest competitor. These days, no one can touch the Viper, but will he take home the title this Sunday? Usually, building a challenger up this strong is a surefire sign of a champ retaining, but with 6 competitors, your guess is as good as mine. Stay tuned for my NoC picks this Saturday where we will discuss this and other issues further. Until then, look for content to really pick up on the site. The break is over, so check in every day!
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