By Jon Mezzera, Torch Specialist

As promised, here is my WWE Raw Roster Hitlist. My Hits and Misses are based on the caliber of the Superstars, along with the way they are being booked by WWE creative. In addition to the normal Hits and Misses, I have added an On The Bubble section for those wrestlers who are either too new to decide, or for those who are talented, but totally misused.

ROSTER HITS

Beth Phoenix: Beth has been very impressive in her second run in WWE after coming back from an injury. She deserves to be the Women’s Champion as she does have the wrestling ability and the size to be justified in getting a push as the dominant WWE Diva. The Glamazon role is interesting as it mixes the beauty and physicality that it takes to be a top Diva. It is too bad they don’t have much competition for her.

Candice: Candice is out right now with an injury, but she had been working very hard to improve her abilities before the injury, so she gets a Hit. Did she deserve to be Champion? No. Does she still have a long way to go before being ready for that position? Yes. But has she come a long way? Definitely. She has the look and personality, and if she continues to improve as she has, she can be a top Diva in the ring, as well as outside for a long time.

Jeff Hardy: Jeff has gotten some of the best reactions on Raw recently, and with good reason. He has always had an amazing way of connecting with the fans without talking. The Hardy Boyz got over huge with the crowd, and they never talked. It is remarkable what he has done with limited mic work over the years. He is exciting to watch, and he gives everything he has in the ring. He has incredible charisma. If he could cut consistently good promos, he should be in the hunt for the WWE Title given his ability and how the fans respond to him.

Jillian Hall: Jillian is one of my favorite Divas. She has the looks and personality, and her terrible singing persona is very entertaining. Unlike so many of the other Divas, she has really developed a character that is fun to watch. Her in ring work is decent. She has shown more ability than a lot of the other Divas. Like Candice, she has a long way to go, but if WWE would give her more time, she could improve in the ring and also be a top Diva for a long time.

John Cena: Cena is a polarizing figure. He gets the biggest reactions in the company. Half love to cheer him, the other half love to boo him. That leads to a monster reaction. He has a lot of charisma and is very good on the mic when he gets something well written. Unfortunately, his writing has often been poor. He needs to be more serious and intense and less silly, to get more fans to cheer him. He is solid in the ring, and can have excellent matches with the right opponent under the right circumstances. He isn’t a great worker, but has great passion. Did he deserve to be the Champion for so long? No. But he does deserve a spot at the top of the roster.

Cade & Murdoch: Lance and Trevor have grown on me this year. They are not a great team, but a good one. They have good chemistry together. I am really enjoying their role as heels who pretend to be babyfaces. I love it when they do guest commentary. The hints at tension between them have been o.k., but they are too valuable as the top heel tag team on Raw to break up. Obviously WWE has to treat them and the rest of the division with more respect.

Mickie James: Mickie is possibly the best all around Diva in WWE. She has the looks, the personality, the mic skills, the acting ability, and the in ring ability to be a huge star. WWE needs to go back to her more crazy persona that worked so well.

Mr. Kennedy: ... Kennedy! His mic work is great. He has a ton of the “it” factor. He is always fun to watch. He is solid in the ring and has shown flashes of being very good. He has also shown flashes of being not so good. He needs to work in the ring to elevate that part of his game up to his mic work which is so good. He is captivating to watch, and if he can become a consistently good worker, he will deserve a WWE Title run some day.

Randy Orton: Orton has been deserving of his current WWE Title run. He is good in the ring, and plays his character very well. He is solid on the mic and can deliver good promos. That is one area that he needs to work on. His slow methodical pace in the ring is also something that could use some improvement. But, he has improved a lot in those areas. He is a credible Champion and his feud with Shawn Michaels has been very good.

Ron Simmons: Damn! It is ridiculous, but I love his one word promos. He should keep out of the ring at this point in his career, but that doesn’t mean that he can’t be involved in storylines or feuds. His brief feud with Santino Marella was fun. Even if they don’t use him for any other purpose, I laugh every time he delivers his line.

Santino Marella: Santino has become one of the best reasons to watch Raw each week. He is incredibly funny in his role. You never know what he is going to say, but you can count on the fact that it is going to be good. His wrestling ability is lacking, and that will hold him back from ever being more than a mid-card comedy act. But, WWE needs mid-card comedy acts, and in his case, he is actually funny. His feud with Steve Austin was superb.

Shawn Michaels: HBK is my favorite professional wrestler ever. At one point, The Rockers were my favorite tag team, and he quickly became the first heel that I actually cheered for in my early days of being a fan. Since I can’t imagine anyone not putting him in the Hit column, I don’t feel much else needs to be said other than how lucky WWE fans have been the last few years since his incredible comeback.

Triple H: Triple H has his share of detractors who make good points. He is past his prime, has gotten too large to be as good in the ring as he once was, has had multiple injuries that slow him down, and his backstage power keeps him on top of the roster even if people disagree with him being there. But, he still delivers. He can have good matches. He can deliver on the mic. Despite what people say about him not putting talent over (true to a certain amount), he has jobbed at his last three WrestleManias. He does jerk things to be sure, but he has done the right thing too. He is a legitimate star, who can help Raw. Most fans give him great receptions, so he is helping. But, he has to act with Raw’s best interests in mind more often.

Umaga: He has come a long way from the indestructible savage. He has shown that he can do more than just squash opponents in short matches. He’s had very good brawl matches against Triple H and John Cena. He is a solid worker, whose size and ability make him a huge plus to the roster. His character can’t talk, and creative is inconsistent with how much of a savage he is (how can he put together a Survivor Series team if he can’t talk?). Those are creative issues that he is stuck with. He is the #2 heel on Raw right now, and deservedly so.

William Regal: Regal is an asset to the WWE. His current role as General Manager is something that he has done well in the past as WWE Commissioner back in the day. It gives him a chance to show off his great mic skills. He is very funny. But, he is also a good wrestler. He can still have an important in ring role. It would be nice if WWE found a way to utilize both his verbal and in ring abilities better.

ROSTER MISSES

Bobby Lashley: Lashley’s injury came at a good time, which is an odd thing to say. He was on the verge of the fans turning on him after his monster push early in his career, as he hadn’t proven that he deserved that push. He is big and impressive looking. He is very athletic and has a nice amateur background. But, he is terrible on the mic. He has no charisma. He doesn’t have “it.” His in ring work ranged from bad to solid. He has potential. He can definitely do incredible things in the ring, but he needs to learn to sell, and he needs to be more complete in the ring. He has potential, but his push was not successful, and he has been a Miss so far.

Cody Rhodes: He would not be on the roster at this point in his career if it weren’t for the fact that he has a famous wrestler father. He has a less than generic look. He has shown decent mic skills, but nothing to get excited about. His in ring ability is lacking. He is very bland. He is young and can improve, but right now I don’t see anything in him other than a name.

DH Smith: DH Smith = Cody Rhodes + steroids. I guess we don’t know it was steroids, but he was suspended very early in his career for violating the Wellness Policy.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan: Duggan is the one guy on Raw who is similar to some of the guys I talked about in my TNA Roster Hitlist. He is way past his prime, and despite the fact that he had a good career, he should not be wrestling any more. He got good responses from the crowd, but that was more nostalgia than anything. His recent attempt to get the crowd to chant “U-S-A” during his tag match with Super Crazy on Raw showed that the nostalgia is wearing off. When he appears, someone more deserving does not.

Jonathan Coachman: Once upon a time, Coach was an interesting character. Those days are over. His act is tired. He is only on for comedy and it isn’t funny most of the time. His interaction with William Regal is o.k., but not great. Perhaps this Miss is mostly due to the poor writing as of late and his non-entertaining feud with Hornswoggle. At this point he isn’t adding anything to the show.

Mr. McMahon: It seems like when McMahon is off the air, ratings go up. When he is featured in multiple segments, ratings go down. I am sick and tired of McMahon vs. Wrestler X. He can be a valuable on air contributor, but in smaller doses. A McMahon sighting on Raw should be seen as unexpected and special. He should not be on every week.

Robbie and Rorry McAllister: The Highlanders lingered in tag team limbo for a long time. There was a point where they weren’t on Raw for so long, people probably forgot who they were. They have a lame gimmick and are nothing special in the ring. Their recent heel turn has been met with indifference from the crowd. Nobody cares about them at all.

Snitsky: Snitsky is big and ugly. That is all he has going for him and that shouldn’t be enough to get a spot on the most watched wrestling program in the world. Think about how many people see Snitsky on Raw compared to Samoa Joe on Impact. It is mind boggling. He is slow, a poor worker, and not deserving of his spot at all.

Val Venis: I was a fan of his for a long time. But, he has been a jobber for way too long, making only occasional appearances, to warrant keeping around. Yes, jobbers are needed and he at least has a name that many fans recognize. However, I am sick and tired of hearing Jim Ross try to convince the fans that he is a threat to his opponent when we all know he isn’t.

ON THE BUBBLE

Brian Kendrick: and Paul London As with multiple guys in TNA, Kendrick and London should both be Hits, no questions asked. They are very exciting to watch, more so than most on the roster. They have been the most enjoyable tag team in the WWE in the past few years. They aren’t given a chance to talk, so it’s hard to judge those skills. But, the problem is that since coming to Raw, they haven’t been pushed. The tag division on the whole isn’t pushed, but they have gotten the shaft and lose to much lesser teams. They should be pushed in a big way as a team, or back on Smackdown in the Cruiserweight division. They are being wasted.

Carlito: Carlito has literally been On The Bubble with the WWE for quite some time. If the rumors are true, then he might not even be on this list for much longer. I am a big fan of Carlito. He is great on the mic and solid in the ring. He has a ton of potential to be a star, but for whatever reason, it just hasn’t happened yet. It doesn’t look like it’s going to happen on Raw any time soon. He has talent and can be very entertaining. I hope they work things out and he gets a good push and delivers on his potential.

Charlie Haas: Haas is a good technical wrestler. He can have good matches. But, he is lacking in charisma and mic skills. His chemistry with usual tag team partner Shelton Benjamin has been very good. If WWE wants to keep Haas on the roster, I see value in continuing the World’s Greatest Tag Team. However, I don’t see value in Haas as a singles star. He’s never been given a chance to be a singles star, and there is probably a reason for that.

Hardcore Holly: Holly is one of those guys who has been around WWE for ever and is a serviceable guy to have around. He is a solid worker, and he can talk. He has had many injuries over the years which have hurt his career. He has good credibility, because of his longevity. But, he is never going to have meaningful feuds or great matches.

Maria: If kept out of the ring, Maria would be a Hit. When first introduced, she was a terrible interviewer who constantly messed up. WWE went with that gimmick, scripting her to mess up. That has developed into a fun character over the last few years. Her interaction with Santino has been fun. But, WWE insists on putting her in the ring. She might have improved, but she is not a wrestler. Keep her out of the ring and she is more valuable. Even with her entertainment value, her act is getting old, another reason why she is On The Bubble.

Melina: Melina is very talented as a manager. Her work with MNM in the past, and even just Johnny Nitro was outstanding. She has a presence to her that goes beyond just her looks. She is decent in the ring, and with more improvement could be a legit wrestler, but that will take time. The problem is that she isn’t being used right now. She isn't’ good enough in the ring to just be a wrestler. She needs to be a manager as well, and they aren’t doing that.

Shelton Benjamin: Unlike his tag partner, Benjamin has shown he can be a singles star. He is lacking on the mic, but has shown slight improvement in his few recent opportunities. He is a great athlete and can do so many amazing things in the ring. He deserves at least a major push with Haas, and better yet, a push as a singles star once again. He has to improve on the mic, but WWE needs to let him shine in the ring and get behind him as a serious wrestler.

Super Crazy: He is a fun guy to watch. He brings a lot of energy to his matches that is unfortunately often lacking. His problem is that he should never have been taken off of Smackdown. He should be in the Cruiserweight Division. Or, he should be on ECW where he actually wrestled back in the day. He has value, but he has seldom been on recently. Give him a good build on one of the other shows and he would get a Hit. Keep him around on Raw for no apparent reason, and he doesn’t.

Jon Mezzera is PWTorch.com's Hitlist Specialist, providing his point of view in the Torch's hitlist format for Raw, Smackdown, ECW, and TNA Impact each week. Email him at jmezz-torch@sbcglobal.net.

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