Go386 - Carl Edwards guest hosts WWE Raw

Sorry, Kyle Busch and Joey Logano fans.

Carl Edwards, who drives the No. 99 car, was 99 times better than Busch and Logano were in their previous stints as Monday Night Raw guest hosts.

Some may say it had to do with Busch and Logano having lesser story lines than those of Edwards. I disagree.

Edwards seemed much more relaxed on the microphone. He delivered his points nicely, showing that there must have been more preparation on his part and WWE's part than Busch and Logano with WWE.

Let's review more closely:

Carl Edwards as guest host

1. The Daytona 500, which is this Sunday, got numerous plugs during the 2-hour plus show. REACT: Nothing like free advertising.

2. Hornswoggle drives out in Edwards' car. REACT: Nice swerve.

3. Backflip off the top rope! REACT: Edwards is a natural athlete to be able to do that. I was impressed. I'm sure NASCAR cringed, but he has done this countless times after race victories.

4. Great speaker. REACT: As I mentioned above, Edwards kept my attention when he spoke.

5. Saints pops. REACT: Nothing like getting cheap pops from the Louisiana crowd. Edwards is smart, even though this was a no-brainer.

6. John Cena. REACT: Edwards emphasized his friendship with Cena, raising his stock with fans.

7. Sheamus. REACT: I loved Sheamus' line to Edwards about Edwards making him No. 6 in the Elimination Chamber: "If you don't, you won't make it to Daytona next week."

8. Edwards tells Randy Orton? REACT: I didn't like how Edwards had Orton reveal the Ted DiBiase-John Cena and Cody Rhodes-Orton matches. Minus points for the guest host.

9. Jared from Subway. REACT: Jared got strong television time for someone who wasn't guest host. I laughed during the segment with WWE teasing Jared would get his hair cut by CM Punk and company, because they wanted him as their "spokesperson." Solid segment.

10. 4th match made. REACT: Counting Sheamus-Christian and the last two matches, Edwards made a Santino Marella-Jack Swagger match for Superstars. Good for Edwards.

11. Kofi Kingston. REACT: Edwards apologized that Kofi didn't get a Raw match. That was a nice touch, leading into Point 12.

12. All 6 Elimination Chamber wrestlers in singles matches next week. REACT: While Sheamus-Orton, DiBiase-Kofi and Triple H-Cena aren't earth-shattering, Edwards just made his fifth, sixth and seventh matches! The concern with next week's host, Jerry Springer, were appropriate.

13. "The road to WrestleMania is heating up. So gentlemen, start your engines!" REACT: Awesome Edwards' quote.

Final thoughts on Edwards: If Edwards is on top of his game Sunday like he was tonight on Raw, he'll win the Daytona 500. While Edwards didn't have tons of television time, he made seven matches! And he did a backflip off the top rope. Grade: B+.

The matches

1. WWE Champion Sheamus beats ECW Champion Christian in a non-title match. REACT: I questioned this match at first, but considering it was given some time, I liked it. I thought it was smart that Christian said he felt offended Edge didn't consider a WrestleMania match with him. The match was very solid. The win builds up Sheamus big-time, which was the reason for the match.

2. U.S. Champion The Miz and Big Show beat Unified Tag Team Champions DX and Straight Edge Society (CM Punk and Luke Gallos). REACT: I loved the "Shaved Head Society" sign. It was also revealed that Big Show was fined for hitting a referee last week. The intrigue during this match was off the charts. I thought it was smart Punk and Gallos were eliminated first. They don't need the belts. Big Show taunting Michaels was a highlight, and The Miz pinning Michaels was shocking even though it makes sense. Big Show and The Miz will do well with the titles. I didn't get Big Show basically calling out Chris Jericho. I do like the name ShowMiz over MizShow.

3. Gail Kim beats Jillian. REACT: I knew this match would be super-quick when neither Diva was introduced. Gail's finisher was solid, but is the Gail-Maryse match really now at the pay-per-view after we were promised it last week? Nice Maryse, though, is funny.

4. Cody Rhodes beats Randy Orton. REACT: What a stunner, here. While it was meant to push Sheamus-Orton, I think it pushed Rhodes more. I'm not sure that was the point, especially with Rhodes later coming to Orton's aid. Confusing.

5. Ted DiBiase vs. John Cena ends in a no-contest. REACT: It's a shame DiBiase took the beatdown here. I guess he'll recover better than Rhodes would have. The goal was for Cena to be enraged, and that was accomplished.

The angles

1. Shawn Michaels wants DX to wrestle as a team at WrestleMania. REACT: Out of Undertaker-Michaels or Michaels-Triple H, this is the third option. It won't happen. Michaels telling Smackdown GM Teddy Long he wanted into the Smackdown Elimination Chamber match was a sign of desperation. Carlito was a distraction in the background, but the superkick was a strong payoff. Carlito caught Long, too. Michaels saying, "My career is over" was confusing. What's next?

2. Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, Randy Orton. REACT: I can't figure out where things are going with these three. I would prefer an Orton-DiBiase match.

3. John Cena-Batista-Vince McMahon-Bret Hart. REACT: Cena called out Batista. Nothing. Cena called out McMahon, who came out with 10 security guards. Does anyone else think Cena-McMahon is a flashback to Austin-McMahon? I did like how McMahon said Batista may have done what he did because Cena tossed him out at the Royal Rumble. Or maybe because he just doesn't like Cena. I also like how Cena fired back about how McMahon is all about the money. I think it's silly how Cena told McMahon that Bret wants one more match. Why is Cena asking if McMahon wants the match? While McMahon did say yes to the match, he later changed his mind after Bret beat him down. What was the point of this? I'm thinking we're goig to see a tag-team match between these four. A singles match would be a trainwreck.

Final Raw thoughts: Sheamus was built up more and the tag-team belts changed hands. I do have some concerns over some of the other angles (The Legacy, Bret-McMahon and Michaels). Edwards helps this rating. Grade: C+.

WWE Hall of Fame inductees

1. Ted DiBiase. REACT: Awesome first selection. Great clips were shown. He was such a great wrestling character.

LATEST HEADLINES AND MY REACTS

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TNA Wrestling

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Hulk Hogan reportedly frustrated because he feels pressure to give pushes to wrestlers he doesn't want to push. REACT: Pressure from whom? Dixie?

Hogan reportedly wants to push Tomko. REACT: I've always thought highly of Tomko.

Hogan said having Rob Van Dam on the roster would make things a lot easier. REACT: Yes, fans would care more. I would leave Sabu at home, though.

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Hogan and The Nasty Boys reportedly share laugh at the expense of Jay Lethal. REACT: I like the Lethal character. That's a shame.

Eric Bischoff reportedly trying to recruit Jim Ross. REACT: I don't blame him, but Ross seems happy with WWE.

Scott Steiner removed from the roster page. REACT: That stinks. Steiner is great.

Sting reportedly misses last month's Genesis pay-per-view due to family emergency. REACT: Sounds legitimate. It's a shame he was criticized.

Reports say driving by Nick Bollea and parenting by Hulk Hogan constitute gross negligence in The Graziano Family Lawsuit. REACT: This trial will be ugly.