Young guns and guest hosts
It's been several weeks since a late night Monday post. While this won't be a complete Raw review (the show was brutal), I'd like to catch up on the overload of fresh faces and comment on the last few guest hosts.
Young guns
Young talent is what will keep WWE going strong long after the legends (Undertaker, Shawn Michaels, Triple H -- for starters) retire.
Let's throw out the top young names:
Raw: Sheamus, Kofi Kingston, The Miz, Jack Swagger, MVP. And to an extent -- Cody Rhodes, Evan Bourne, Ted DiBiase.
Out of this group, Sheamus is getting the biggest current push. I remember it was only a few months ago when I was watching him on FCW and saying he was going to be a star one day. I just didn't think it would be this soon. With HHH and others backing him, though, he's on the fast track to face WWE Champion John Cena in a few weeks.
Kingston got a major push with Raw's top heel in Randy Orton. Whether he makes it past Orton, or not, he's been elevated to a level where he won't lose any momentum. It was necessary, as he's a fresh face fans like and he pulls off some insane moves.
The Miz's rise is due to hard work and an above-average push with strong heel story lines. He is only going to get better. I don't see him stepping back at all.
Swagger and MVP seem a little more established than Rhodes, Bourne and DiBiase. Rhodes and DiBiase have been held back by Orton, although they are learning from one of the best. Bourne seems to be too undersized for WWE to give him a major run, which might be OK if he remains a strong mid-carder.
ECW: Shelton Benjamin. And to an extent -- Ezekiel Jackson, Tyler Rex, Vance Archer, Yoshi Tatsu, Zack Ryder.
I won't argue with anyone who says Benjamin is WWE's top athlete. The guy pulls off some amazing moves, and I'm hoping he starts getting into matches where he can steal the show regularly.
The rest of these ECW names are young, and learning. I think Rex has the biggest upside of the names I listed, but time will tell.
Smackdown: John Morrison, CM Punk, Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth. And to an extent: David Hart Smith, Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Mike Knox, Tyson Kidd.
Morrison has the best tools of anyone I listed to do huge things. He has really made most forget about being a great tag-team wrestler. He's much like Michaels, breaking out of that mode and going to (eventual) world champion stardom. Yes, I said eventual.
I put Punk on the list because he's reminded fans the last several months the art of a good promo -- the way to draw immense heel heat -- and to be a great wrestler at the same time. He really keeps my attention as a heel, and that's rare. He's a lot like Chris Jericho in that respect.
Much like the last few Raw names, Ziggler and R-Truth seem to have a slight up on David Hart Smith, Drew McIntyre, Eric Escobar, Mike Knox and Tyson Kidd. Most of that is due to story line pushes, although their heel heet and fan base is stronger than the others.
It's nice to see WWE is in good hands for its future with names like these.
Guest hosts
Nov. 16: "Rowdy" Roddy Piper is a legend in this business. He had a decent showing as Raw GM, although most of the skits were lame.
Nov. 23: Jesse Ventura's Breakthrough Qualifying Matches made this three-hour show one of the better guest host shows. The concept was brilliant and it put Sheamus front and center.
Nov. 30 (last night): Verne Troyer (Mini-Me) is one of the worst guest hosts yet. Did someone forget to inform him to come out before 1/4 of the show was over? And the skits? They were just "there." As for the matches (there were only four!), almost everything was flat (Chris Jericho vs. Triple H wasn't horrible, but I was surprised Jericho has to face DX next week alone.)
Dec. 7: Mark Cuban will generate some solid national media for this show. I'm also thinking he'll give Jericho an assist.
Dec. 14: Dennis Miller should keep this three-hour Raw flowing nicely.
LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS
I'm way behind on the latest Internet rumblings, but here are some big items I've come across the last several weeks:
Ric Flair gets married for the fourth time. REACT: Space Mountain is alive and well.
Linda McMahon resigns as a Director of WWE on Nov. 6 according to an SEC filing. REACT: If anyone doubted her seriousness about her Senate run, stop.
Jamie Noble retires. REACT: Surprising.
The Undertaker vs. Chris Jericho at next year's WrestleMania. REACT: I see that as a no-brainer.
Matt Morgan latest to donate his brain after death to Chris Nowinski's Sports Legacy Institute. REACT: Classy.
Dave Meltzer reported Shane McMahon and UFC's Dana White talk. REACT: Shocking.
Jim Ross says he may be out three to four more months. REACT: Best of luck to Ross in his recovery.
WWE boycotting Israel. REACT: Opposition is rampant.
WWE and NBC Universal agree to keep Raw on USA through 2014. REACT: Refreshing.
The Great Khali suspended by the Punjabi Police for an unauthorized leave of absense. REACT: Ridiculous.
Tammy "Sunny" Sytch takes cheap shot at Sable as it relates to Brock Lesnar's bad health. REACT: Sickening.
The New York Post reports O.J. Simpson watches WWE in jail. REACT: Seems like a lock he'll be watching for the next nine to 33 years.
Ring announcer Lauren Mayhew leaves WWE. REACT: That didn't last very long.
WWE drops from No. 122 to No. 182 on the Forbes' list of the 200 Best Small Companies. REACT: Somewhat surprising, but nothing to be concerned about.
