Picking the RAW Roster’s Best & Worst!
The Kingfish Arnie Katz picks the best (and the worst) in each important category on today’s RAW roster!
It is not always obvious who truly excels in the wrestling show. A good ring worker can look bad if the matches are against poor wrestlers or they are booked poorly. A superstar could be good with the mic, but get a bad script. And, of course, there’s the matter of opportunity. Wrestlers who don’t get mic time don’t have much of a chance to show their oratorical skill.
That notwithstanding, it’s an intriguing question. I’ll be sharing my judgments in a series of three columns and plan to update it every two or three months.
WWE frequently refers to the people on their roster as “talent.” Let’s see who actually has some.
Best with the Mic
1. Triple H – Even as a babyface, HHH creates an aura of menace and power with his rants. His work in dramatic vignettes, especially comedy, isn’t as good as his solo efforts, but no one build the importance of a match like this guy. He is a natural heel, but he has the ability to get the crowd behind him, even when he is pitted against another babyface – and when he is standing tall against Ultimate Evil, he is the epitome of the Modern Hero.
2. John Cena – Cena has added a serious side to the comic approach he used after he stopped rapping. The anti-Cena cult is still there, stronger in some arenas than others, but he has become the embodiment of the Heroic Babyface.
3. Ric Flair – Just when you think he’s going to phone it in, Ric Flair gets off a classic promo. He isn’t as consistent as he was 20 years ago, but he’s still the best when he gets rolling.
Most Improved: Jeff Hardy.
Worst with the Mic: Umaga
Best in the Ring
1. Chris Jericho – He’s not the biggest guy on the roster, but he wrestles a forceful style that tends to minimize his height disadvantage. Y2J is good with the mic and will eventually crack the “top three,” but he also does it all in the ring. I’d like to see the Lionsault more often and the Walls of Jericho less as a finisher, but it’s nice that he has more than one way to end a match.
2. Shawn Michaels – HBK works a match about as well as anyone in professional wrestling. He combines showmanship, athleticism and a sense of drama. He’s not as physically huge as Vince McMahon likes ‘em in WWE, but he really works hard and can sustain it during long matches.
3. Umaga – He is the best Monster heel in WWE. He is strong, surprisingly agile and dramatically scary. He sometimes looks bad in meaningless squashes, but his brawling, animalistic style is at its best in major contests.
Most Improved: Mr. Kennedy
Worst in the Ring: William Regal
The Best Look
1. Chris Jericho – He’s reasonably young, in reasonably good shape and presents a reasonably contemporary look. Cutting the long hair certainly represented a risk, but the more modern style serves him better in 2008.
2. John Cena – The pants, a holdover from his rapping period, still look strange, but he has a great physique and looks like a main eventer.
3. Mr. Kennedy – It’s not so much that he has a great look as that he doesn’t look too old for his role. On a roster that is studded with guys playing too young, he is young.
Most Improved: Shawn Michaels
Worst Look:
Best Non-Wrestling Character
1. Jim Ross – He is the voice of RAW and, to an extent, of WWE. Despite his diminished role in the talent area, he is still the main man when they turn on the mics and camera.
2. Maria – Now that she no longer plays a halfwit, Maria has moved to the front in the Diva division. The fans love her and, as the Playboy pictures prove, she is physically irresistible, too.
3. Jerry Lawler – He isn’t as quick with a quip as he was give years ago, but he is still the perfect complement to Jim Ross. His off-kilter sense of humor plays well against Ross’ plain country persona.
Most Improved: Todd Grisham
Worst Non-Wrestling Character: Hornswoggle
That’s it for today. I’ll be back tomorrow with another installment of the Internet’s fastest-rising daily wrestling column.
– Arnie Katz
Crossfire4@cox.net
(3/19/08)
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