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Ruler of Raw (part 3: Earls of Raw)

Date Added: February 15, 2012
Story By: Wayne Little

So here we are once again, time for another column in my series to find out who truly is the RULER OF RAW. Today’s column marks the half waypoint of the series, the column where we move from the lower carders to the real contenders. Though having a mixture of the top and bottom names in one part of the countdown can cause some controversy and today is no exception. Of all the parts of this countdown, today is the day that will have the most arguments over people that belong in different spots then where the stats put them, but remember that, it is the stats not me that determined the order and I stand behind them. Ok well that’s enough talk let’s get into it then, but first here is a refresher on who has come before.

50. Santino Marella
49. Mark Henry
48. Val Venis
47. John Morrison
46. D-Von Dudley
45. Goldust
44. Carlito
43. Victoria
42. Test
41. Mark Henry
40. Vince McMahon
39. Christian
38. Jerry Lawler
37. Bubba Ray Dudley
36. Faarooq
35. Shelton Benjamin
34. Owen Hart
33. Hardcore Holly
32. Cody Rhodes
31. Bradshaw

30. Ric Flair

Matches: 133 (56-69-8)
Main Events: 52 (16-32-4)
World Title Matches: 3 (0-3)
Other Title Matches: 6 (2-4)
1on1 v contestants: 37 (14-19-4)

Well here’s one of those main eventers I was talking about, you can’t really get much bigger than Ric. However big Naitch was though, his stats are hurt by the fact that when he appeared on Raw he was well passed his peak and was used more as an enhancement talent than as a main event star. Just look at his Main Event stats; he was only able to win 31% of the time. In the words of Flair himself, “To be the man, you need to beat the man”, and that’s exactly what the superstars of Raw did.

No matter how Ric was used, his legend does not deserve to be this low in any countdown (unless it’s looking for the worst, not the best). Even though Raw was not kind stat wise, it did rejuvenate his career giving us some more great Flair moments. One of my favourites was his performance in Eugene’s version of musical chairs, but who could ever forget his farewell after his “retirement”.

29. Trish Stratus
Matches: 161 (82-69-10)
Main Events: 10 (3-6-1)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 9 (5-4)
1on1 v contestants: 16 (8-6-2)

The second Diva to appear on the countdown comes as a bit of a surprise, you would be hard pressed to find an argument from anyone that could say that Trish did not deserve to be the leader of the Divas. She finds herself in position 29 though with two divas finishing higher, definitely not what was expected of her. Why though is she so low? It’s not like her stats are that bad; in fact, they are quite respectable, it’s just that the others have better. While everyone will say Trish was the greatest Diva and they are probably right, emotion has nothing to do with this and as I keep saying, the stats don’t lie.

Trish’s stats are affected by the fact that at the beginning of her career she was just used as a beauty, performing “girly” roles and therefore losing a bit. Later on she was able to turn this around but she still spent a lot of time putting others over such as Victoria, Lita and Mickie James.

28. William Regal

Matches: 142 (62-73-7)
Main Events: 17 (5-12)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 16 (9-7)
1on1 v contestants: 49 (16-29-4)

Just to prove that wrestling is not just dominated by the Americas here is our token Brit in the countdown. Over the years, many a Pom has tried to make it in the WWE but none have really had the success that Regal (Bulldog notwithstanding) has had. While not being a major star, Regal has had a lengthy run with constant ventures into the upper mid-card with various title runs.

Regal has had some great moments while wrestling on Raw including when he managed to win the 2008 King of the Ring Tournament. My most favourite memories though are from his time as the Commissioner and GM of Raw.

27. Godfather

Matches: 100 (44-44-12)
Main Events: 3 (3-0)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 4 (3-1)
1on1 v contestants: 21 (6-9-6)

All stats have to have some sort of anomaly and Godfather is that anomaly for this countdown. By sheer luck he just scrapes into the countdown by exactly meeting the required amount of matches to qualify and then with even more luck manages to find himself in 27th place due to the scoring system. While having the worst main event percentage at 3%, he manages a perfect score of 10 for his main event win percentage of 100% for winning all three of his main events while under the Kama Mustafa gimmick. Then also while not managing many title matches he has managed a 75% win rate that again gave him a larger score for that section. These two big scores have helped his other stats push the Godfather higher up the list than he deserves.

While I believe Godfather belongs near the bottom of these rankings I cannot say that he has not had some great Raw moments, the problem is I can’t really remember them. The one thing I do know even though I never saw it was that Raw was where he first introduced the “ho’s”.

26. X-Pac

Matches: 170 (88-64-18)
Main Events: 21 (10-7-4)
World Title Matches: 1 (0-1)
Other Title Matches: 14 (5-9)
1on1 v contestants: 42 (19-18-5)

Ah the 1-2-3 Kid (aka X-Pac), he was always one of my favourites back in the day. Both characters were great and had success, which can’t be said for most wrestlers with multiple gimmicks. No matter if he was wrestling as a singles wrestler or as part of a tag team (with Marty Jannetty, Bob Holly, Road Dogg or Kane) he has known success. Whether as a member of a stable (DX) or as a leader of a stable (X-Factor) he has known success. But of course things changed and X-Pac did become a different person and became a lesser wrestler than he was, even to the point of people inventing the phrase “X-Pac Heat” to show how much he became hated by the fans

I was hoping that X-Pac would make at least the top 20 where I think he belongs but it was not to be. Being an X-Pac fan, I of course have a few great memories of him. As the 1-2-3 Kid who could forget his shock win over Razor Ramon or his great world title match against Bret Hart. As X-Pac who could ever forget his return to the WWE to join DX.

25. Billy Gunn

Matches: 174 (94-65-15)
Main Events: 28 (11-13-4)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 12 (8-3-1)
1on1 v contestants: 45 (11-30-4)

So here we are now into the top half of the countdown, 50% of the qualifiers have been done leaving us with the top 50% of them to fight it out. Starting the top half off we have our second member of DX, The Bad Ass Billy Gunn. As I was compiling the stats, I got a slight shock with Gunn’s numbers. His win/loss record is 54%, which other than Lawler who is only in on a wild card is the best of the wrestlers not in the top 20. But early on his Raw career that stat was even better. As part of The Smoking Gunn’s, he was pretty much unbeatable on Raw and even coming into the Outlaws he was still pretty the same. Nevertheless, is tag team dominance did not translate to his singles action as shown by his poor stats when facing others of the countdown.

Of all the members of DX, I would have to say that Gunn was probably the only one that I was never a fan of as an individual, while The Outlaws are probably my favourite tag team of all time, Gunn himself I am not a fan. Though saying that he still deserves his spot here especially with moments like when him and Road Dogg pushed Cactus Jack and Chainsaw Charlie off the stage in a dumpster.

24. Road Dogg

Matches: 129 (64-50-15)
Main Events: 18 (10-6-2)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 19 (9-7-2)
1on1 v contestants: 28 (6-18-4)

Wow, three DX members in a row including both members of the Outlaws smack bang after each other, who would have seen that coming. I can accept them all being up this high, my only problem is that they should probably have been turned around the other way. X-Pac has done the most and deserves to be a little higher than the others are and Road Dogg having done the less, deserves to be lower.

Having done the less of the three does not mean that he has done nothing. As I said with Hardcore Holly, my favourite time in Raw was the early stages of the Hardcore Title and one of my biggest memories was the match where Road Dogg ended up pinning Al Snow in the Snow. But if you are really looking for a memory it has to be the entrance of the New Age Outlaws (of which the majority is the Road Dogg), easily the best ring entrance I have ever seen.

23. Kurt Angle

Matches: 131 (64-57-10)
Main Events: 46 (18-22-6)
World Title Matches: 2 (0-2)
Other Title Matches: 6 (3-3)
1on1 v contestants: 49 (25-20-4)

Wait, did I just see that correctly? Kurt Angle didn’t even make the top 20? That can’t be right, hang on a minute while I go and check these stats over again………………………………............................................................................................................. Nope everything checks out, Kurt Angle is the first major superstar to bow out of contention. While not being one of the outright favourites to be named the Ruler, Angle was at least an outside chance, but in the long run, he couldn’t even make it into the top 20. When you look at the stats you start to realise why, he only won 49% of his matches and only 35% of his matches were main events of which he only won 39%. These are not the stats of a Ruler; one with that sort of title needs to be more dominant.

Maybe on Smackdown Angle might have a better chance of winning the title but on Raw he was more of just a mid to upper card wrestler. While not having as many moments on Raw as Smackdown, he still has some good ones like his Iron Man Match with Shawn Michaels or who could ever forget the milk bath.

22. CM Punk

Matches: 102 (52-44-6)
Main Events: 31 (13-15-3)
World Title Matches: 5 (3-2)
Other Title Matches: 4 (2-2)
1on1 v contestants: 46 (23-20-3)

Wow, the world champions are dropping like flies, but unlike Angle, if I did this column in six months instead of now CM Punk would be a lot higher as his Main Eventer status keeps rising. At 30% of his matches so far being Main Event matches yet only really reaching the Main Eventer status in the last six months, only big things can still be before him.

Maybe by next year I would happily say that CM Punk should be higher in the countdown but as it currently stands, I think this is a pretty much adequate spot for him for now. He is really only now making himself a real name on Raw but he has had some great moments in the past including his first ever World Title win. Oh and wasn’t there something about a little speech he gave last year, I’m sure something like that happened.

21. Melina

Matches: 103 (51-49-3)
Main Events: 5 (3-2)
World Title Matches: 0
Other Title Matches: 10 (7-3)
1on1 v contestants: 6 (4-2)

Melina is a bigger star on Raw than Trish Stratus, Kurt Angle, CM Punk or even John Morrison at that, really, I don’t think so. I’m sorry Melina is talented and has been one of the best ever Diva’s but she doesn’t deserve to be this high, what really has she done? She only just scrapes in to even be in this countdown by a couple of matches and it’s only because of the scoring rule that she gets this high. It’s the fact that most of her winning percentage stats are over 50% that got her up here, but at least it wasn’t enough to get her into the top 20. Oh and to come to think about it she also only beat CM Punk by the barest of margins, and only one pairing later on got closer.

In terms of Raw moments really only two things come to mind that she has really given to us, her squealing when she was Morrison’s valet and that entrance, oh yeah that one.

Well that was definitely a mixed bag of wrestlers wasn’t it, but who really belonged in the middle of the pack? Should have the Godfather and Melina been so high or did just relying on stats hurt my countdown? Should Kurt Angle have been higher or are our memories of him tainted by nostalgia? Is Trish Stratus really the third best diva of Raw history? Should have the three members of DX be in a different order? Why do wrestlers outside the America’s really have trouble making it on Raw? Who has made the top twenty if this is the calibre of wrestlers who missed out?

I previously stated that this part of the countdown would be the most controversial of the five parts and looking at all the questions that have been asked I think I have proven my point. What is your opinion, please leave your feedback at zzzorf@yahoo.com and let me know what you think on these issues and anymore that you may have with this part of the countdown.

So that’s it for today’s edition of the RULER OF RAW, as per usual it has been an honour writing for you and I will see you in a few days with the back end of the top twenty when I name the DUKES OF RAW.

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