The John Report: WWE Roster Evaluation - Raw
by: John C. on: 2/29/2004 9:38 pm est  In the following two columns, I will be doing a thorough evaluation of the entire World Wrestling Entertainment talent roster. It is something that I did back in April 2000, planned on doing again, but I never got around to it. Four years later I’m back at it. What better time to do it then right before WrestleMania? I think it’s the perfect time to evaluate what the WWE has on their plate. First, though, are some explanations about the grading system. The Grading System I tried to look at each wrestler's workrate, mic work, charisma, drawing power and importance to the company as a way to grade them. For the people like the valets, managers (are there any left?) or McMahon family members I will just give them a grade based on the role that they play. I won’t be covering tag teams. I’ll just deal with the individuals when their names come up. For each wrestler, I will give a letter grade with A+ being the highest grade and anything lower than D- being a failure. Last time I did this, nearly four years ago, the top three were Triple H, The Rock and Kurt Angle but none of them received the A+ grade. Is there a WWE wrestler today worthy of an A+ rating? Keep on reading to find out. For a better explanation of my criteria, here's a look at the grading system. A+ = Workrate, mic work, ring psychology, charisma are exceptional. The closest thing to a perfect wrestler. A = Excels in all of the key areas that I explained above. B, B+, A- = High midcard wrestler who needs a little work in some areas in order to improve. C, C+, B- = Midcarder who has not reached his potential or a wrestler who is unable to improve on some areas due to their size and/or natural talent. D+, C- = Nearly unwatchable. D or lower = I would rather watch paint dry. F = So bad that I’d rather watch Mae Young give me a lap dance. Simple enough, right? This list of talent that I’ll be evaluating comes from the WWE.com Superstars list. It is current as of February 29, 2004. I will talk about everybody from the wrestlers to divas to announcers and whoever else is listed on the site. Some write-ups will be long while others will be short. Depends on the individual, obviously. The grading will be based on their current activity with the company. When judging talent I’ll factor in their activity over the last six months or so in order to gauge how valuable or invaluable they are to the company. Before I get people complaining to me about any of my comments, please remember that I respect every person involved in wrestling. It’s a tough, demanding business that requires these performers to sacrifice many other things in their lives. While it may seem like I’m “bashing” somebody, it’s nothing personal. It’s just their work on WWE television. Finally, I will also have a section called Outlook that will offer my opinion on the individual and where I think he or she can go in the future, both immediate and long term. It will be a prediction more than anything. Here’s the list coming at you in alphabetical order, as seen on Raw’s WWE.com page. These are the active wrestlers. They include both males and females. BATISTA I think it’s safe to say that Batista is employed more for his look than for his abilities in the ring. Fact is, the guy is a huge specimen. He’s as physically impressive as anybody on the roster, but he’s going to need to be more than that. Looking good can only take you so far. To his credit, I don’t think he’s a complete stiff like Nathan Jones is. He seems to have decent mobility and good ring presence. There’s definitely room for improvement. If all goes well, he’s going to get better in every area and develop into an impressive heel monster. If that doesn’t happen then he’s going to be one of those guys who gets hated on by fans because he’s only there because of his body. I think we’ll have our answer by the end of the year. Grade: C+ Outlook: In six months time he could either be at a main event level if he really improves or he could be in the midcard, hanging off of people like HHH and Flair as he is now. BOOKER T. Booker’s career is coming to a close. A few months ago he had a back injury that sidelined him for several weeks and he’s been heard on interviews over the past year or so saying that he’s only got a year or two left. It’s a shame that he never got to hold the WWE title after WrestleMania XIX. I guess that’s politics for you. His character is stale, to say the least. He rarely gets promo time, nor has he had a good storyline to sink his teeth into. I think it’s safe to say he’s going through the motions. He’s a solid midcard role player who always gives his best efforts and conducts his business the right way. One of the really good guys in wrestling. Overall, I’d say he’s average, but heading downhill faster than he’d be going uphill. Grade: B- Outlook: I don’t think much will change. He’ll be a midcard babyface until he retires, I’m guessing. A heel turn would be ill advised, even if it is different. BUBBA RAY DUDLEY He’s a solid tag team worker. Nothing great, but nothing horrible either. You need veterans like Bubba around in order to help the younger guys out. I like his mic work a lot, but they never seem to give him promo time. Solid as a worker. A character change wouldn’t do him much good at this point. He’s too established to really do something different. Just another vet hanging around, filling up the card. Grade: C+ Outlook: Tag teaming with D’Von as he has been for the majority of his career. His solo work in 2002 proved that he’s definitely better off as part of the team. CHRIS BENOIT Without question, Benoit’s one of the top three workers in the company right now. He has been a top-notch worker in the business for nearly two decades now. He’s the model of consistency. His character right now is that of the hardworking guy who has a lot of respect from the fans because he has paid his dues in the business. I think he’s most effective as a babyface rather than a heel because his offense is the kind that has the fans popping for his moves. From the rolling Germans to the headbutt to the crossface, his moves are as over as anybody. Just listen to the crowd when the crossface is applied. He’s over now about as much as he’s ever been. His only negative is his mic work. Frankly, I don’t think he’s that bad. As long as he can get his point across verbally he’s fine. He doesn’t have to tell jokes or sing like The Rock. Not everybody should be expected to do that. I think they’d be best served to do sit-down interviews with Benoit. Those could be really effective for him, just as they were when he was feuding with Angle in early 2003. Despite that one flaw, Benoit is terrific. When he has a match the fans know that they’re getting quality. They know that whether he’s against Mark Henry or Shawn Michaels, Benoit will be the same. He’ll be great, just as he always is. Grade: A- Outlook: If all goes well, he’ll be the Raw World Champion by Backlash. Hopefully, the reign lasts at least three months rather than some transitional reign that leads to another run by a familiar, large nosed individual. CHRIS JERICHO The most complete package on the Raw roster. Chris Jericho is just entering his wrestling prime because he’s still in his early thirties. His best strength may be his mouth. He’s an all-time great as far as cutting promos go. He’s able to be funny when he needs to be and serious when the situation calls for it. His work in the ring is top notch. He may not be at the very top, but he’s right there, just a notch below the truly elite. Jericho’s good enough that he rarely has bad matches. He gave Goldberg his best match during his WWE run and his match with Shawn Michaels a year ago was the best one contested by Raw superstars. I think he’s at his best when he’s a heel. He knows how to rile a crowd up with his verbiage and he’s able to continue that during his matches. And, really, who doesn’t love the cocky pin that he does? Lately, he’s been involved in a romantic angle with Trish Stratus that has slowly turned him babyface. He’s had less “big matches” because of that, but it shouldn’t make us forget about how good he really is. Grade: A Outlook: Another run with the World Title should be in his future. Whether it will happen or not is up for debate. He has all the tools to be a champion. It would be a crime if he were kept away from the title just as he has been for over two years now. CHRISTIAN A personal favorite of mine. Christian is arguably the best “backstage” performer on Raw right now. That means that he excels at those backstage vignettes that we regularly see on WWE television. He’s always played a heel during his time with the WWE. It’s a role that suits him perfectly. Christian excels at playing the smarmy heel whose confident to your face, but deep inside you know he’s pissing in his pants. A valuable midcarder performer, Christian will be around for a while. Guys like him are necessary for elevating others and keeping the fun in the program. Rarely is there a show where Christian isn’t there to deliver a funny one liner. His work in the ring is average. Not a “must see” type of worker, but not bad either. He’s great at selling and cheating whenever the opportunity arises. One of his faults is that his offense appears weak at times, which is something he needs to clean up. There are too many times where he’ll grab a headlock two minutes into a five-minute match. That’s just not necessary. It’s something he can definitely improve upon. Grade: B Outlook: I don’t think he’ll go above the Intercontinental Title level anytime soon. Christian is a solid contributor both in and out of the ring, but I just don’t see him moving up the pecking order. D-VON DUDLEY The slightly weaker half of the Dudley team. He talks less than Bubba, his moves draw less reaction than Bubba’s moves and he is blander than Bubba. He’s going through the motions, just as Bubba is. The passion for the business is still there, but what else is he going to do? His best days are probably behind him although that doesn’t necessarily make him bad. It just means he’s slowing down a bit. Grade: C Outlook: Teaming with Bubba as usual. I really can’t see him doing anything else. GARRISON CADE The future is bright for Cade. Unless you watch Heat regularly, you probably haven’t seen much of Cade. What I’ve seen is a guy who obviously loves the business he’s in. You can see it in his eyes. He looks like he’s eager to learn and improve. When he’s been given the chance to talk, he’s contributed with solid promos. With his size, McMahon’s going to like him for a long time to come. He needs to pick the brains of the talented veterans around him in order to improve in all facets. Right now he’s usually teaming with Jindrak. They are decent together. They still need a gimmick that works for them. Are they cocky heels or courageous faces? Somebody needs to decide so that we can see more of what Cade can do. It’s too early to judge him, but the grade below is based on what we’ve seen so far. Potentially, he can be a lot better. Grade: C Outlook: Once his character is more defined he’ll be able to grow in other areas, such as workrate and mic skills. He’ll continue to work with Jindrak as a tag team. GOLDBERG Not a huge fan of this guy, as most people know. Honestly, though, these past twelve months have been good for him. In that sense, I respect the guy for improving as much as he did. It’s just that he was never that good in the first place. As I’ve said before and will likely say again, a wrestler needs to do more than look intense or look impressive because of his physique. You have to be more than that. Goldberg doesn’t understand the business as well as he should. He spazzes out on fans who don’t like him (see Bad Blood 2003), he gets in confrontations with his peers backstage (see Chris Jericho) and he doesn’t put the effort into becoming better at his craft. He’s not a draw anymore. He was five years ago, definitely. But that’ a long time ago now. He hasn’t done much to improve WWE business. Some of that is his fault and some of it is the company’s fault. He’s still a sloppy wrestler who can’t talk very well, has only one level of acting (intense) and is too much of a mark for himself in order to really “get it” and become something special. Athletically he looks like he’s great. Mentally, though, he looks like crap. Bottom line is that he’s too inconsistent to be relied upon by a WRESTLING company that is trying to get the actual wrestling over. That’s why we won’t be seeing much of Goldberg in the near future. Grade: B- Outlook: He won’t be around WWE after WrestleMania. I think he’ll probably work in Japan for a bit and do some more acting in bad movies that nobody will ever watch. Frankly, I won’t miss him at all. JAZZ She’s arguably the best worker in the women’s division. The problem is she’s injury prone. Whether it’s her knee or her shoulder, it seems like Jazz is always coming back from some sort of injury. She doesn’t have much of a character aside from being the woman that looks angry all the time. It isn’t exactly original. Since Teddy Long is her mouthpiece they don’t expect her to cut promos. That’s probably a good thing. If she were healthier her grade might be a bit higher. As it is, I’d say she’s around average overall. Grade: B- Outlook: If she’s healthy she’s a valuable heel wrestler in the women’s division. I don’t think the company can rely on her until she proves she can be a more durable competitor. A future women’s title reign could be in her future. JON HEIDENREICH He’s probably the worst worker on either roster. Hiring Heidenreich was a mistake that I think the WWE realized a few weeks after it happened. Since his first few matches on TV (tag matches to hide his weaknesses), he hasn’t really been used at all. That’s probably a good thing. His reported sloppiness in the ring, he hurt Steven Richards’ shoulder when he botched a move, has definitely hurt his chances of being anything in the company. Aside from being huge, there’s not much to him. He doesn’t seem like he can promo or act worth a lick. So why’s he there? Beats me. Could you imagine him in a match with Nathan Jones? It’d be the worst ever. Grade: D Outlook: Either they throw him into the fire to see if he can succeed or he gets released for not being good enough. I’m thinking he’ll be released sooner rather than later. KANE One of the wrestlers with a long tenure with the company. He’s worked there for nearly a decade while the Kane character has been active on WWE television for six and a half years. I liked when they took his mask off. It made his character fresher. Instead of being the boring guy with the mask, Kane has an edge now. He’s more sadistic and evil. He’s pretty good as an actor. You can tell from his facial expressions that he’s into the character he’s playing. As a worker he’s okay. I think he was pretty good in 1998, but maybe that’s because the rest of the roster wasn’t as good as today’s roster, or because he was still fresh back then. He’s not a horrible worker, really, but he does nothing to make him stand out above others. As an upper midcard character, he’s fine. Grade: B Outlook: I doubt he’ll move up the ladder very much. He’s a veteran who plays his role well. Hopefully they keep him heel for a while because a face turn would be ill advised. LANCE STORM I think Lance Storm is on the wrong show. His talents (a quiet guy who is a good worker) would be better utilized on Smackdown, the WWE show with more wrestling. While it’s obvious that WWE has tried to get Storm over, the gimmicks just haven’t been good. The Un-American angle was stale and the “guy with the big dick” storyline has died a sudden death. Just give it up. What they should do is move him over to Smackdown, pair him up with Dawn Marie just like they did in ECW and have him just WRESTLE. He’s a good wrestler. He is inconsistent. He is a valuable person on the roster, or at least he should be. With the right backing, Storm could actually work as a midcard, IC title level character, whether he’s a heel or face. As long as the writers get behind him, the fans will too. Just give him a shot already. Grade: B- Outlook: I don’t see them doing anything with Storm, sadly. For whatever reason, McMahon doesn’t seem to be a fan of this guy. It’s a shame. LITA I think Lita is fortunate that she’s still employed, quite frankly. I don’t see a reason why she’s still there. The reason she got over a few years ago was because she did that sloppy flying headscissors off the top rope. It was rare for the crowd to see something like that. Problem is she hasn’t added anything since then. She’s just there. Lita’s the women’s babyface wrestler that is heading nowhere. They haven’t put the Women’s Title on her mainly because her work in the ring is so sloppy that everytime I watch her, I hope that she doesn’t injure somebody on some botched move. She seems like a good person in every way, but as a wrestler, she just doesn’t have it. Grade: C+ Outlook: She’d be better off as a valet for somebody. Since I doubt they’ll do that, I’d expect her to toil in the women’s division while the more talented women pass her by (just as Victoria did as the babyface woman that won the belt from Molly). MARK JINDRAK The other half of the “Give them a damn name” tag team along with Garrison Cade. Jindrak was in WCW a few years ago as a part of the Natural Born Thrillers stable. Since then he’s done…uh…not much. I can’t say I notice much of a difference in Jindrak. He’s been given little opportunity in his WWE career. There were rumors during the summer of 2003 that he’d be joining the Evolution stable. Obviously that never happened. Why? I’d call it a lack of faith by WWE management. Aside from that vertical leap that is impressive looking, everything else screams BORING when I see him. They have little confidence in him, it seems. He’s still young enough that they can wait a few more years before really tossing him in the fire. I’ll put him a notch below his partner because I think Cade shows more potential as far as being a character and talker. Grade: C Outlook: I think he’ll continue working in the tag team with Cade. MATT HARDY The most underused talent on the WWE roster. Hardy possesses everything that WWE management seems to like. He can work, he’s got a good character, he’s a decent talker and he’s over with the fans. The only thing holding him back could be his size, but really, he’s not THAT small. He’s about the same size as Bret Hart was and he’s bigger than Benoit or Guerrero. On top of all those reasons, he’s a WWE lifer. Vince loves those kinds of people. Hardy is devoted to the business and the company he works for. Why isn’t he being used right? I honestly have no idea. It’s one of those things that has me scratching my head. Hardy’s a durable wrestler who should have a slot on every PPV possible. Instead he’s watching on the sidelines while lesser individuals take his spot. Heel or face, Hardy needs to be used. The fact that he isn’t used is a crime. His grade could be higher, but based on where he is on the roster, how can it be higher? I can’t justify going higher. Grade: C+ Outlook: I think the writers will come to their senses. After WrestleMania, Hardy gets a push as a babyface wrestler in the midcard. There could be an IC title run in his future. Either that or he’ll do jack shit just as he has for the past year. MOLLY HOLLY Dean Malenko trained her at one point in her career and it shows. Much like Malenko was, she’s the silent, excellent worker who makes everybody around her better. Her character isn’t that diverse. Molly’s just the girl who goes out there, works hard, cheats once in a while and finds ways to get the job done. I like watching her work as a heel. She knows how to do it. She may never be as over as Trish Stratus, but that’s just fine. Molly’s the glue that holds the division together. If you need a good match, throw Molly out there. She’ll get it done. She’s also got a pureness about her that makes her attractive to a lot of male fans. She’s more “real” than most of her peers. Unlike Torrie, she’s not in the business because she dated a wrestler. Unlike Stacy, she’s not there because she happened to win a dance contest. Molly’s there because she is a wrestler. She truly loves the business and it shows in everything she does. Grade: B Outlook: Molly will continue working as a heel because that’s what she excels at. She looks like a natural at it. RANDY ORTON The brightest future of anybody on the Raw roster. That’s what Orton has going for him. When you think about where he is now at his age (he’ll be 24 this year) and where he’ll be in four or five years, I think of him as somebody who is going to be relied upon by WWE management. Orton’s the kind of guy who you can tell is going to do everything he can to succeed in the business. He wants it. He’s been given an opportunity at a young age to succeed. He’s similar to the Rock in a lot of ways, most notably that they both are third generation wrestlers. It’s definitely a good thing for Orton that his dad used to work for Vince McMahon. You don’t see many other guys his age getting his kind of push. The more I see him, the more I think Orton deserves it. Look at him now compared to a year ago and it’s a different person. He’s a good talker, he plays a young confident character and he’s decent in the ring. He’s got a long ways to go in the ring, but I don’t think it will take him that long. Considering that he’ll likely be wrestling people like Foley, Benoit, Jericho and Michaels this year I think he’s going to learn a lot. Can he live up to the hype? I think so. Grade: B Outlook: I think he’ll get a sniff at a main event at some point during the year. He’ll probably lose a title match to a babyface champion. In 2005 he may win the world title, en route becoming the youngest champion in WWE history. RENE DUPREE I believe Dupree is the youngest person on the Raw roster at just 20 years of age. You don’t see that often in the business. Rarely are people hired and put on TV at such an age. He must have really impressed some people when they saw him work. At this point Dupree is a role player, just taking up space in the horrible Raw tag team division. His anti-American gimmick got off to a good start when La Resistance debuted, but has since died down since they never get promo time anymore. While his nipples are a favorite at the Oratory Forums (I have no idea why), my favorite thing about him is that stupid dance he does where he skips around in glee. It’s such a stupid thing that it makes me laugh everytime I see it. It’s like he’s saying: “Now is the time to dance!” And he does. Since he’s never been given the chance to have a ten-minute match in a ring it’s tough to gauge his work. I think he’s definitely tolerable, but at this point he’s nothing more than that. I’m going to have to see more of him before I can really judge him. Grade: C+ Outlook: I think it’ll be a few years until he’s on his own as a singles wrestler. I see him tagging up with others for at least the next twelve months. No point in rushing him. There’s plenty of time. RIC FLAIR At 55 years of age, I think Flair’s time as a worker is over. At least it should be. He’s got nothing left to prove inside the ring. His presence, however, is always a plus. Flair’s still one of the best promo people in the business and his legendary status makes what he says important. By hanging around with Orton and Batista, he makes them better in the eyes of the fans. The average fan thinks that if Flair thinks those guys are that good then maybe they are. That’s credibility right there. His grade reflects his impact more than his work in the ring. When people think of wrestling, they should think of Ric Flair. Nobody loves the business more than that guy. Grade: B Outlook: I think we’ll see his legit retirement match this year. He’ll be around TV as the manager of Evolution. It’s a role that suits him well. Nobody could ever have as much credibility as a mentor. RICO Rico’s gimmick screams midcard all the way. It’s fun for about two minutes, but once the “shock” wears off he’s pretty boring afterwards. The comparisons to Goldust are obvious. I don’t think he’s even in Goldust’s league, if you’re talking about when Goldust was at his best. Considering Rico is in his 40s his future doesn’t seem to be too bright. He seems like he could be a decent worker, although I can’t ever remember him getting more than ten minutes in a match on WWE TV. People have told me he did good stuff when he was in OVW, but I’ve never seen those tapes. Basically, it’s about opportunity. He’s never been given that opportunity for one reason or another. Grade: C Outlook: Either he’ll stick around as a guy who is always on Heat or he’ll get released. I just don’t see them doing anything more with him. ROB CONWAY Here’s another guy with a lot of potential. Conway’s been wrestling for seven years and will be 30 later this year. Unlike others on the roster like Cade and Jindrak, he’s not necessarily young. He’s got experience and he’s just entering his wrestling prime. Conway seems like a guy that can put on good matches if given the shot. Much like Rico above, I’ve heard good things from his OVW days. As we all know, however, that does not necessarily translate into WWE success. First thing they need to do is get Conway a new gimmick. The French sympathizer thing can only go so far. From what I understand he’s mostly worked as a heel in his career. Give him a shot on his own, let him cut some promos as a confident guy and go from there. They’re not going to know who’s good or not unless they give them a chance. Based on his credentials, Conway deserves that chance as much as anybody. Once again I wish I could see more of this guy because it’s hard to grade him. Grade: C+ Outlook: Since WWE usually can’t tell what a dead gimmick is, he’ll probably toil as part of La Resistance for most of the year. Hopefully they put him on his own by the end of the year. ROB VAN DAM RVD is many things. The most common perception of RVD is that he’s underutilized. There are some that think he’s the most underused talent on the WWE roster. They may be right. It seems like WWE management never seem what to do with the guy. One thing that’s for sure is that RVD is over huge with the fans. He’s going on three years as a babyface in the WWE and throughout that time he’s always been popular. No sign of a dwindling fan base for RVD. That’s something that management has to notice. It means the fans like him. His athleticism is unparalleled, but his character is non-existent. With virtually no promo time and no depth to his stoner gimmick, RVD is a lame duck right now. He gets stuck in tag teams with other babyface wrestlers who are in the same boat as him because the writers have no fresh ideas for the guy. One of my gripes about RVD is that I think his matches are far too similar. It seems like he goes through the motions more than anybody. However, he has shown some improvement over recent months by selling moves better and pacing himself well. Like I said about Lance Storm earlier, I think RVD would be MUCH better suited on Smackdown. Not only is it friendlier to those who are weaker on the mic, but it’d also give a stale babyface some fresh matches. Grade: B Outlook: Since it’s likely that he’ll re-sign with the WWE in the near future (his contract is up in a few months), I’m expecting him to get a push at some point. That’s usually the case when people re-sign. A world title? Maybe down the road. Not this year, though. ROSEY You know what they say about shit? If it smells like shit and it looks like shit then it’s usually shit. That’s Rosey for you. I just don’t see much in the guy. He’s impressive looking and he has some decent moves, but what else can he do? They’ve tried to get him over as a comedic face yet I don’t ever seem to recall the S.H.I.T. gimmick getting any sort of serious attention. It’s just a waste of time. Grade: D Outlook: I think he’ll be released from his contract during the year. SCOTT STEINER If you want to know who the most deteriorated wrestler on the WWE roster is, his name is Scott Steiner. Ten years ago he was a lot like Kurt Angle. He wrestled the technical style, busting out the amateur moves and showing amazing speed at the same time. Obviously years of being in the ring have taken their toll on his body, as has the drugs that he’s obviously used to pump up his body. He’s far too bloated now. I bet it’s hard for him to tie his shoes. Worst of all, the WWE has never got behind his heel character that worked so well at the tail end of WCW’s run. Instead of letting him cut vicious promos he’s not even doing anything. Sure, there are injuries that have slowed him down too, but even when he was healthy they didn’t give him a shot. The only time he was featured in feuds was as a babyface, a role that he just wasn’t that good at. Grade: C Outlook: He should retire soon, or maybe ask for his release and finish his career up in Japan where he is loved. If he doesn’t he’ll just toil in the Raw midcard because it’s obvious they have no plans for him. Frankly, I can’t blame them. SHAWN MICHAELS It’s pretty remarkable that I’m able to hand out a grade to my all-time favorite wrestler. I never thought he’d be a full timer after he hung up the boots in ’98. The comeback has been amazing. He’s probably been the best performer on either roster since Survivor Series, a night that was a coming out party for him. It’s as if that night made him realize that he could be relied upon as a full timer and since that time he’s been stuck at the top of the roster. His work in the ring isn’t far off from where he was in his best days seven or eight years ago. I think he's better mentally now than five years ago, but physically he's smaller. I say better mentally because once you're out of it for five years you're going to have time to reflect and study things that could make you better in the future. For example, I think the timing for his comebacks is really great now. He just knows what to do and when to do it better than anybody else. I think it's something you learn over time rather than something you can just pick up right away. I don't know if he's better, but I wouldn't say he's worse either. He's about the same to me. Character wise I think he’s a bit stale. A heel turn would do him wonders right now. I know some people probably think he couldn’t do it because of his Christian faith, but it’s not like he’s got to rip up a bible or something. I’d just like to see heel HBK back. On the other hand, his babyface comebacks in matches are so good that if they put him on the other side we’d be losing those great comebacks. The only thing stopping him from a higher grade is that character. I think he’s over more for his legendary stature than for his gimmick. That’s why it’s a factor. Grade: A- Outlook: I think he’ll stay near the top of the Raw food chain for all of 2004. They’ll probably put the world title at him at some point. I’m guessing the summer. I don’t see a heel turn in his future although I hope I’m wrong on that. SPIKE DUDLEY Spike is the mayor of Jobberville right now. He’s the modern day Barry Horowitz without the pat on the back. He got a decent push when he first came into the company, but since then he’s been relegated to jobber guy. It’s understandable considering his small stature. I like him because he always gives 100% effort no matter who he’s against or what show he’s on. You just know this guy is going to give it his all. That’s why he’s still got a job. Sad thing is respect can only take you so far in this business. Spike’s a lost cause on Raw. He could fit better on Smackdown too, especially with the cruisers. Grade: C Outlook: Not much more than what he’s doing now. He’ll still be the mayor of Jobberville. STEVEN RICHARDS Stevie Night Heat. I think that says it all. If Spike is the mayor of Jobberville then Steven is the most famous person in the town. Richards is a decent wrestler, but will probably nothing more than that. He’s serviceable in that he’s not bad, yet he’s a long ways away from being considered somebody to give a push. Grade: C Outlook: I can’t see him changing what he’s doing now. He’ll be “the Heat guy” for a while. TEST Can you believe that Test has been employed by the WWE for about six years now? It seems crazy to me. Thing is, if you look at a tape of him back then and now you won’t notice much of a difference. That’s a problem. When he came in he was somebody with a lot of potential. He had the look that Vince likes, the size that Vince likes and he got an impressive push from the beginning. In early 2000 it seemed like he’d be the perfect choice to go after HHH considering he stole his fiancée from him. Didn’t happen. Nothing has happened. This past year he had the Scott Steiner feud that never seemed to end. The “Testicles” thing many months ago was a disaster. It seems like every attempt to push this guy gets stopped just because nobody’s ready to accept him in that role, or any role. He just seems like a midcarder in every way. I think he’s young enough that he can still get a push, but I just don’t see what they can do with him in order to really get him over. Grade: C Outlook: Feuding with people lie Richards on Heat seems like all he’s going to do. THE HURRICANE Interesting to note that Hurricane falls with the “T”s in the WWE’s alphabet, which I guess means his first name is The. I found that bizarre. I also find the company’s use of Shane Helms to be bizarre. Here’s a guy who I LOVED in WCW. Great worker, good at getting the crowd into his matches and a strong passion for the business. Instead of ever getting behind him he’s saddled in the ridiculous comic book character gimmick. Boring. What’s funny is I see this entire Hurricane merchandise on the Shopzone website, but I NEVER see the Hurricane! I just don’t get it. They want to sell the masks to the kids, yet they don’t want to put the guy on TV. I’m confused. Helms can flat out work. He’s on the wrong show right now. Put him on Smackdown, let him go with the cruisers and get rid of the ridiculous gimmick. He’ll get over on his own if he’s given the chance to do it. Once again I throw that word out there: Opportunity. That’s what it’s all about. Grade: C Outlook: I think they’ll come to their senses and move Hurricane over to Smackdown where he belongs. Maybe it’ll happen at the Cruiserweight Open at WrestleMania. TOMMY DREAMER Pretty much in the same boat as Spike and Richards. I just don’t see them doing much with Dreamer in the future. He’s very passionate about the business and even had a short stint with the creative team. Considering the shape of his back, maybe he can retire from active competition in order to help behind the scenes. The grade doesn’t necessarily reflect his skill level. It’s representative of his standing in the company. Grade: C- Outlook: I think he’ll be working backstage for the company rather than as a performer. TRISH STRATUS Yummy. I mean, yeah, it’s Trish. Another fave of mine. I think Trish is one of the better all around women performers in WWE history. She’s been in the company for about four years now. In that time she’s been a heel valet for a midcard tag team, been featured in a bigger role with Vince McMahon as his girl, performed well as a determined babyface worker and has now concentrated on a romantic storyline. She’s gone full circle I think. She’s hot, she has good matches, she’s a decent actor compared to some of her peers (compared to Torrie and Sable a doorknob is a good actor), and she’s always over with the crowd. It’s not just because of her body. It’s because she has passion and dedication to her craft. The business would be better off if they had more people with her attitude, male or female. Grade: B Outlook: I think there’s a heel turn in her future, just to see if she can pull it off as a wrestling heel. TRIPLE H Who? Never heard of him. Oh, you mean THAT guy! The one with the nose? Yeah, I know him. What’s there to be said about HHH that hasn’t already been said? I don’t think there is anything to say. He’s probably the wrestler with the largest number of critics. He’s also got people who are going to like him no matter what he does because of his dedication to the business. Where do I sit? Somewhere in the middle. He’s not as good as he was four years ago, but he’s still above average. There hasn’t been a Raw related WWE PPV without HHH in the center of it. To say he’s the company favorite would be an understatement. He’s family. He’s in the inner circle more than probably any wrestler ever. That’s influence. To deny that influence would be naïve. If somebody believes that he’s just “another wrestler” then they’re probably drinking something. With that said, this is about his performance. Let’s the run the checklist. Character? Established about as much as anybody can be. He’s the cocky heel with the proven track record. Mic work? Is good, but not great because he’s usually long winded in his promos. Often times he’ll cut a five minute promo when he really only needs three minutes. Workrate? It fluctuates depending on the opponent. He can’t really carry the mediocre workers, but he does have good matches with the really good ones. One thing that I think he can do is be more consistent. Sometimes he loses that aggressive in a match and focuses too much on resting during the match. It’s not just the “WWE style” though. It’s him looking out of shape at certain times. Come on Steph, don’t let him eat your Twinkies! Keep them to yourself! As a performer Hunter is still pretty good although he’s definitely not as good as he was in his best days four years ago. Grade: B+ Outlook: I think he’ll stay heel for a while before taking an ill advised babyface turn. It’s ill advised because he’s not a good babyface. Since they’re probably going to do Lesnar vs. Hunter at WM21 he’s going to be a face by then because Lesnar is the better heel and you know Hunter would go over. Maybe he’ll feud with Orton along the way too. VAL VENIS Good worker, a strong talker, has “the look” that promoters seem to covet and he’s being wasted. Throw him into the pile along with Storm, Hardy and Hurricane as the Sunday Night Heat All-Stars that should be going places. Venis has been with the company for almost seven full years now. That’s one of the longest tenures of anybody. He’s a veteran who had chances in the past. Never got a REAL chance, but he got some minor ones. At least he had a character at one point. Now he’s not even allowed to bring girls to ring if he’s against Orton because they have to protect him as the “ladies man.” When that happens to a character it tells you that the company isn’t excited about them. What a shame because I think they’ve got a hidden gem in Val Venis. Grade: B- Outlook: Realizing they rarely move anybody up the roster, Venis gets a midcard push that sees him in a feud for the IC Title. Oh, who the hell am I kidding? They won’t use him. Bastards! VICTORIA Love her. Absolutely love her. Here’s a woman who was a fitness model, fell in love with wrestling, trained to be a wrestler and after years of putting in the work she came out from it as a very good women’s wrestler. You can’t help but respect her for that. It doesn’t end there, though. She’s continually improved as a worker, as a character and as an overall performer. Her work as a heel for nearly two years was very good while her newly established face persona is off to a good start. I think those tight shorts she wears is part of the reason for that. They’re just really, really short and nice and…uh, where was I? Yeah, her shorts. No, I mean, her character. It’s working. Fans are getting into it. I think part of that is because of the work she did as a heel who got over by working hard at her job. She’s the perfect example of somebody whose hard work has paid off for her. Grade: B Outlook: I think she’ll stay as the main babyface in the women’s division while Trish, as I predicted earlier, goes the heel route. They have great chemistry together. These are non-wrestlers who are regular contributors to Raw and/or Heat. They could be announcers, divas, managers or management types who don’t have actual matches. AL SNOW I don’t watch Heat much, but from what I’ve heard he’s pretty good. Since he used to be a solid worker he can offer opinions on the actual wrestling, unlike Jerry Lawler, who never knows how to do that right. His humor is sharp as well. I think he’d be terrific as a heel backing, funny competitor. Hopefully he gets the opportunity to do it one day soon. Grade: B- Outlook: Lots of potential as an announcer. I think they’ll move him up to Raw full time by the end of the year or early 2004. ERIC BISCHOFF Very good talker with a strong character. Some would say his character is a bit stale, which is true to an extent, but I believe it’s still good. He’s been playing the role on and off for eight years if you count his WCW days. His promos work so well because of his delivery and demeanor whenever he talks. He plays it well. You can’t deny that. The more they give him to work with, the better he is. As Raw improves (and I think it will this year), so does Bischoff. Grade: B+ Outlook: I think he’ll stay on Raw as the heel GM for most of the year. I don’t think he’d work as well as a babyface. JERRY LAWLER Past his prime. His best days were when he was a heel announcer who told FUNNY jokes. It wasn’t the lame-ass crap he’s been spewing out since he returned in late 2001. I miss the old Jerry Lawler. It wouldn’t be hard for him to go back to that. Just start backing the heels again. When both announcers are supporting the faces it never works as well. It’s much better when they bicker. We don’t get enough of that. He’s also very poor at describing moves and why a person is using their particular holds. It’s something that his counterpart on Smackdown, Tazz, does so much better. Lawler just hasn’t figured out how to change his style when he really needs to do it. Grade: C+ Outlook: Since he’s tight with Ross I think he’ll have this job for as long as he wants it. I can’t see him doing much else. JIM ROSS Still the best play by play guy in the business. If he was working with Tazz full time he’d be better than he’s ever been. It’s as simple as that. I loved their work during the Royal Rumble. During the Invasion with Heyman he was excellent. Since Lawler has been back they’ve been below their usual high standards. The good thing is that with wrestling getting more attention on Raw, Ross is going to shine more. He’s the perfect announcer for a guy like Benoit or Michaels because he can talk about their credentials and make it work because the fans know about his time in the business. It’s called credibility. It’s also passion for the business. I like Ross. I feel that he’s under appreciated at times by some fans. Ross is one of the more valuable members of the WWE’s television team. Grade: B+ Outlook: I can see him stepping down as an announcer in maybe three years just because he’s been doing it long enough. Until then, he’s not going anywhere. JONATHAN COACHMAN He was better in 2003 than any other year. I don’t mind his heel act in small doses. He just doesn’t have that much depth to it. His humor isn’t really funny because his delivery is poor. I also think a lot of what he does is forced. He’s more of a manufactured announcer rather than a natural one. In other words, I think he does it because it’s his job, not because it’s a passion of his like it is for Ross. Grade: C+ Outlook: He’ll be the heel announcer guy backstage on Raw as well as continuing his duties on Heat. LILIAN GARCIA All she does is sing the anthem and ring announce. She’s a really good singer. Improved in the ring announcing. What else is there to judge her on? Nothing. At least she’s better looking than Howard Finkel. Grade: B- Outlook: She’ll continue to sing and ring announce. Tough one, eh? MICK FOLEY Still one of the best promo men in all of wrestling. Foley always gets his opinions across whether he’s trying to be funny or cut serious promos. I think he’ll end up having a couple of matches in the next few months, putting over Randy Orton in the end. I doubt he’ll be a weekly fixture after May or June, but I could see him coming back for Summerslam or Survivor Series. He has a few matches in him just as long as they find the right stories. Considering his mind for the business, I think he’s got a few ideas already in his head. Grade: A- Outlook: Still valuable as a part-timer. He’ll be on Raw in different spurts. Three months on, three months off. That sort of thing. MISS JACKIE I think WWE management has given up hope on her as a wrestler. She’s there for strictly T&A now. Can’t say that’s a bad thing since she’s damn hot. I’m assuming her managing Rico is over now. If it’s still there it won’t matter a whole lot since he’s not headed anywhere. Grade: C+ Outlook: She’ll continue to do absolutely nothing, but since she’s hot, nobody will notice. STACY KEIBLER Uh, what can I say? How about she’s got legs? Yeah, she does. Does she do anything else? I don’t think so. She’s good for a 30 second pop at least. She’s got that power just like Hogan did. Her bending down gets the crowd excited just as Hogan’s Hulking Up did. It’s a gift, I guess. Grade: B- Outlook: She’ll continue to do absolutely nothing, but since she’s hot, nobody will notice. It’s nice to copy and paste. STONE COLD STEVE AUSTIN Probably the best person at energizing a crowd, even after his retirement. The Sheriff gimmick got off to a slow start, but it’s been good over the past few months. On the mic he’s one of the best ever even though the WHAT? thing is annoying. It’s still over after three years. Austin’s presence on Raw is very important because there’s nobody in the WWE who can give wrestlers as much of a rub (no, not literally) as Austin can. Let’s just hope that if he does have a match in the future, that he puts the other person over. He doesn’t need wins. Grade: B+ Outlook: This is just a guess on my part, but I think he’s going to have some sort of match this year. Call it a hunch. He may be turning heel too. Lots of possibilities for him, which is a good thing. TERRI She’s old. She needs to go away. Now. Grade: D Outlook: I think she’ll be released. What use is there for her? THEODORE LONG Great character. Not used to his fullest. Now that Henry and Mack are injured there’s a lot of doubt as to what Long is going to do. He could keep managing Jazz, but it’s still not enough. Hopefully they keep him on as a manager because he’s really good at it. I love the words “haterade” and “belee dat” more than you will ever know. Grade: B Outlook: These are the people who have missed significant time due to injuries, personal leaves, movie roles and/or other reasons. None of these people will receive a grade. Just brief comments. CHRIS NOWINSKI – Injured with concussion. No idea if he’ll be able to compete again. His head injuries have WWE management worried for him. GAIL KIM - Currently injured. Needs to be a more consistent worker. IVORY - Training people in OVW. Might be released soon. JACQUELINE - I think she’s training people in OVW. Should be released. MARK HENRY – Injured shoulder. Will be out until at least August. MAVEN - Injured. Should be back after WrestleMania. Could be receiving a push. RODNEY MACK - Injured. Should be back in a few months. SHANE MCMAHON - Not an active TV character at the moment. SYLVAN GRENIER - Injured. Uncertain when he will be back. THE ROCK - Busy filming movies. Not active enough with the WWE. When he’s around he’s arguably the best performer on the show. WILLIAM REGAL - Injured. Career may be over. THE RAW RANKINGS This is for the wrestlers only. I’ve ranked them from #1-30 for the men and #1-5 for the women. In the case of multiple people being given the same grade I’ll just put them in the order that I see fit. THE MEN 1. Chris Jericho (A) 2. Shawn Michaels (A-) 3. Chris Benoit (A-) 4. Triple H (B+) 5. Rob Van Dam (B) 6. Randy Orton (B) 7. Kane (B) 8. Christian (B) 9. Ric Flair (B) 10. Goldberg (B-) 11. Booker T. (B-) 12. Val Venis (B-) 13. Lance Storm (B-) 14. Matt Hardy (C+) 15. Rob Conway (C+) 16. Batista (C+) 17. Rene Dupree (C+) 18. Bubba Ray Dudley (C+) 19. The Hurricane (C) 20. Test (C) 21. D’Von Dudley (C) 22. Scott Steiner (C) 23. Garrison Cade (C) 24. Mark Jindrak (C) 25. Rico (C) 26. Steven Richards (C) 27. Spike Dudley (C) 28. Tommy Dreamer (C-) 29. Rosey (D) 30. Jon Heidenreich (D) Comments: Jericho stands out amongst his peers. He’s the best talent overall right now. I didn’t feel that he deserved a grade of A+ however…Tough call between Michaels and Benoit, but I went with Michaels because he’s more established on Raw. I think Benoit will be passing him in the near future…For all of the negative things that I may say about him, I still put HHH in fourth because you can’t deny his impact on the show…If I did this four or five months ago then maybe Goldberg would be higher. However, since he’s likely gone from the WWE after WrestleMania, I can’t justify putting him any higher…From #12-15 you’ll see four people who I believe have a lot of talent, but are horribly underused…The easiest part of this was sorting the bottom two. Not hard at all. THE WOMEN 1. Trish Stratus (B) 2. Victoria (B) 3. Molly Holly (B) 4. Jazz (B-) 5. Lita (C+) Comments: Pretty easy to sort. I think it’s going to be hard to knock Trish off…Victoria and Molly are really close in a lot of areas, so it was tough to pick…Lita is definitely last. Far too sloppy in her work. FINAL THOUGHTS Overall, I liked the roster more than I thought I would before I did this evaluation. I don’t think Raw’s roster is as deep as Smackdown, which I’ll get to in that section of the evaluation, but it’s better than what I thought about before I dove into this column. One of the things I found myself saying a lot was that people were either underused or they were on the wrong show. I think that’s something management needs to take a look at rather than having these people waste away on a program that obviously has no use for them. It’ll be especially cluttered when people get off the injured list and back into good health. Raw will be overloaded at that point. The top of the roster is strong, however, especially with the top three of Jericho, Michaels and Benoit. You can’t go wrong with any of them. The evaluation of the Smackdown roster will come the weekend after WrestleMania, so around March 21 or so. Also included in that part will be my final thoughts on the roster, and the ultimate rankings that will put the entire WWE in order from first to worst. When that’s all done I may do a feedback column with your thoughts on my rankings. I’m sure people will have differing opinions. That’s fine. I say bring it on! If you’ve made it through all that I thank you. I know it was a lot to read. It was a lot to write too, believe me. It came in at just under 10,000 words. So what did you think? Liked it? Hated it? Let me know. Don’t be afraid to holla at me, playa. Smell ya later, John C. - wwfjohnc@hotmail.com AOLIM: JohnC1104 |
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