by Lee Stevens, Torch specialist

Thank you for joining me as we put Raw "Under The Microscope." This is not a complete recap of the show, but a closer look at what was said, what was done or what was seen during the broadcast.

Making a list, checking it twice

I can't disagree with Edge's assessment of John Cena as the Rated-R Superstar insisted that Cena wanted to be the one that all of the fans looked up to and would feel that he was "their guy. He went on to compare Cena to Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin as examples of wrestlers who had been in that role in the past. His choices were solid as all three men enjoyed their time on top, not just with championships, but also in popularity.

The surprising part was that this marks one of the few times Bruno has been mentioned by name. I thought it was incredible that he was even shown recently in clips from WrestleMania and WrestleMania 2 and now he his name is actually spoken during the opening segment. It could be nothing, but not having Sammartino in the Hall of Fame is one of the biggest omissions. I understand Sammartino's vocal objections relating to Vince McMahon are the reason, but after holding the title for nearly eight years in a row, he has earned the spot.

Finally, The Rock has come back to Witch Mountain

Hogan and Austin were a solid addition to the list, especially since Hogan is already in the HOF and Austin will be joining him shortly. Two other names which could have easily slipped in are Bret Hart and the man who made several surprise appearances during the commercial breaks. The Rock made his first appearance since inducting his father and grandfather into the Hall last March as he promoted his new movie. I hope you noticed that he didn't bring any of his catch phrases with him and he introduced himself as Dwayne Johnson. In addition to his current role in "Race to Witch Mountain," Mr. Johnson will also be appearing in "The Dentist" and "Planet 51" this year.

The Dragon

Congratulations to Ricky Steamboat for his induction into the Hall. I'm not surprised that he's going in, as he deserves the honor, but I thought they would save him for another year. Since the WWE has started to induct people soon after their careers end, or in Ric Flair's case, as it's still going on, the pool of qualified individuals who are still in Vince McMahon's good graces is starting to get smaller. With Steve Austin and Terry Funk going in, you not only have name recognition, but strong chances of entertaining induction speeches and I am surprised they didn't save a popular name like Steamboat for another year.

I did enjoy seeing Steamboat footage and not surprisingly, they picked his matches with Randy Savage and Ric Flair as two of the best. Interestingly, both matches ended not with signature moves, but with inside cradles or small packages. Instead of a traditional set-up with the same order of moves, the sudden pin gave both matches a realistic finish and it's not surprising that both matches are considered classics.

That's why I didn't mind that Chris Jericho's first shot to Steamboat wasn't caught by the camera. What some people consider a mistake gave me a sense of realism. The camera person shouldn't know that Jericho was going to hit him and it would have been much too convenient if the camera pulled out just before the attack. Obviously, we don't want to miss every important moment, but in a world where wrestlers plot surprise attacks with a camera directly in front of them, it's nice to see a genuine moment with a camera.

In the moment

Credit to the WWE for a pair of other realistic moments in two separate segments. I have been critical of the delay in deliver certain moves and Shawn Michaels is one of the biggest culprits. Kudos to him for delivering his superkick with no hesitation and getting the victory over JBL.

Triple H also gets a thumbs up for his approach to the ring without his entrance music. If he is angry enough to destroy a door, a mirror, a limo, and most of the backstage area, I don't think he would wait for his music to start.

Do you have these in a size 13?

Michaels is advancing to face Vladimir Kozlov next week for the right to face The Undertaker at WM 25 and once he again, he did it with his foot. The replay just after his match provided an interesting contrast. They showed JBL connecting with a boot to the head of Michaels, but it wasn't enough to finish him. They quickly followed up that replay with the shot of Michaels connecting with a boot to the head of JBL, leading to the pin. Although the moves are slightly different, it's rare that such similar moves are shown back-to-back making an easy comparison. Perhaps JBL should invest in stronger shoes.

If I had a hammer

I like my bad guys to be a bit cowardly, so I don't have a big problem with the final segment. My only concern was with Triple H when he first approached the door behind which was Randy Orton. Triple H desperately wanted to get his hands on him, so he kicked the door. Normally, this would be understandable, but not when you have a sledgehammer in your hand. Then again, if you're able to hide a sledgehammer like he did, he's obviously quite used to carrying one around for extended periods of time. Perhaps he forgot it was there. Perhaps he had strong shoes. Perhaps he could loan them to JBL.

Peter and Oscar

Since the night was dominated by movies and sledgehammers, it seems appropriate to mention that Mickey Rourke wasn't the only one to come up short on Oscar night. Peter Gabriel also lost out in the category of Best Song. He also opted out of performing his song "Down to Earth," because producers were cutting it down to just 65 seconds. The song is featured in the movie "Wall-E," which clearly isn't Gabriel's first brush with animation. Both videos for his songs "Sledgehammer" and "Big Time" featured ground-breaking animation.

Bank on it

With C.M. Punk's victory over The Miz and John Morrison, he is now entered in his third Money In The Bank Ladder Match at WrestleMania. He was part of the match at WM 23, which was won by Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy, and then Punk was victorious last year. With his third appearance, he will tie Shelton Benjamin for the most times appearing in this match, unless of course, The Gold Standard qualifies for this year's event. Other wrestlers who could enter the match for the third time include Edge, Matt Hardy, Chris Jericho, Finlay, and Mr. Kennedy, although Edge, Hardy, and Jericho will likely have other matches scheduled for WM 25.

Just because you win the match doesn't guarantee that you'll have a chance to cash it in for a title shot. Edge, Rob Van Dam, and Mr. Kennedy all put their MITB briefcase and the title contract on the line, with Edge and RVD holding on to the privilege after their defense. Mr. Kennedy lost his chance at a title shot in a match against Edge.

The championship success rate for the person with the briefcase is 100 percent, if you take into account that Mr. Kennedy lost his briefcase in a non-title event. Edge redeemed the first briefcase and turned it into a championship win over John Cena. RVD did the same thing the following year against Cena. Edge took advantage of his victory over Mr. Kennedy and went on to take the title from The Undertaker, and last year Punk slipped past Edge.

No visitors please

Near the end of the episode, Randy Orton ran down his list of accomplishments during the past few weeks, including putting Shane McMahon "in a hospital bed right next to his old man." I would assume each would want a private room, but assuming Orton is correct, I certainly hope the McMahon boys have better luck during their stay than in the past. Security is obviously very tight. "Hey, there's a tall, burnt guy with no shirt on and he looks angry, can he come in?"