I took a look at the calendar, and I noticed that 26 weeks have now gone by in 2009, leaving 26 weeks remaining until we get to 2010. Seeing as how we're halfway through the year and I'm on a plane and have nothing better to do, I thought it would only make sense to have a look at the WWE roster and see how well everyone is doing thus far, as well as taking a look at what I see in store for them over the rest of the year. I was going to do this for the TNA roster, as well, but really, I don't give a **** anywhere near enough to do even more research than I'm already doing. Just give everyone a "C" or below, and it'll be fine. Anyway, back to the WWE roster, I suppose it's only right to start out at the top with the champions..


WWE Champion Randy Orton: Well, he's the WWE Champion at this very moment, so that's gotta automatically mean his grade can't be a failing one, I would imagine. Sure, he's had more than his fair share of occasions where he hasn't looked like the strongest champion of all-time, but in one way or another, he continues to win matches. He's had some pretty nice highlights thus far in 2009, including winning the Royal Rumble, as well as winning the WWE Title twice. I think it's hard to overlook a lot of the negatives, though. I understand that he's a heel and all, and I understand that Triple H has the motives that would be understandable in him trying to destroy Orton, but he's done it on too many occasions for my liking, and that makes it tough to really give Orton a high grade, WWE Champion or not.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I fully expect him to drop the title at Night Of Champions, but from there, it's not like he'll be dropped down to competing for the US Title or anything. He's "MainEvent4Life", and deservedly so. At some point before 2010 rolls around, I'm expecting to see Orton VS HHH inside the confines of Hell In A Cell. It'll probably happen at either SummerSlam or at the HIAC-themed PPV that takes place in October, and damnit, that had better be the last time those two face each other for a long, long time.

World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk: Again, being the World Heavyweight Champion should mean that he can't have a failing grade, I'd say. Not only is he the World Champion, but he also won Money In The Bank at WrestleMania 25, going on to successfully cash his title shot in. Right now, he's in the middle of what could end up being a very well-done heel turn. On the other side of the coin, he's not exactly going out of his way to do many "heel" things, so he may not turn at all. Either way, it's making for interesting television, and it's easily his best work since he became a member of the WWE roster.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think it's time for him to be a heel, so I hope this turn actually becomes official. From there, not much will change. Smackdown is still loaded with names that Punk can have great matches with, and once The Undertaker returns, that's a very interesting potential feud that could go in multiple directions.

ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer: It's only fair to give Dreamer the same slack that I'm giving to Orton and Punk, I suppose, even though the ECW Title is nowhere near as prestigious as the other two titles. He's still "The Man" on his brand, though, so it counts for something. He's undefeated on PPV this year, winning the ECW Title in his first PPV match and successfully defending the ECW Title in a Championship Scramble for his second match. He hasn't had any "classic" matches, though, but that's to be expected. He's done his job quite well, though, and remains over to the point that him holding the title isn't killing it or anything.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: This one could/should be easy to predict. I don't think he has much time left in his wrestling career. In fact, I think he'll either lose the title at Night Of Champions, then retire, or he'll lose the title at Night Of Champions, then retire on ECW two nights later. After he retires, I'd like to see him take over as the General Manager of ECW. One, because it would just make sense to keep Tommy involved with the ECW name, even after his in-ring days are through.(I'm sorry Tiffany I still love you)

United States Champion Kofi Kingston: You know, at this point, I'll just say that anybody in current possession of a title belt will not have a failing grade to this point in the year. Kofi has had somewhat of an up-and-down year, although the "ups" have been more plentiful than the "downs". He was supposed to be a show-stealer at No Way Out inside of an Elimination Chamber, but of course, Edge changed those plans. He was the highlight of this year's Money In The Bank, even though he didn't win the match, but that was his only "big" loss of the year. He's still exciting to watch, no matter who he steps into the ring with, so he'll always have that going for him.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm hoping that he doesn't drop the title to Big Show in the program that they're apparently about to work. There's plenty of potential opponents for him to feud with over the title, from The Miz to Jack Swagger to Evan Bourne to MVP to Carlito to Ted DiBiase, and the list goes on and on. I see him dropping the title eventually, only to win it back before the year is over.

Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio: Of the entire roster, I don't think there's another person that will benefit from the Draft more than Rey Mysterio. On the Smackdown brand, with the guys in the "main event" scene, Rey is able to fit right in, to the point that a World Heavyweight Title reign wouldn't be frowned upon like it would have been pre-Draft. Yes, there are still those out there who feel Rey belongs as far away from the World Title as possible, but I'm not one of those people. Not anymore. Not as a member of that roster. He's worked extremely well with all of the "major" players on Smackdown, and as long as he stays away from The Undertaker, he'll be fine. He's had a really good year on PPV, winning the IC Title on two different occasions (with a successful title defense mixed in between), as well as putting on a magnificent performance in the Elimination Chamber at No Way Out.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm telling you, ladies and gentlemen.. Rey Mysterio will be the World Heavyweight Champion sometime before January 1st, although it'll probably be another short (no pun intended) reign. Trust me on that one. It's coming. Prepare yourselves.

One-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Edge: Look no further, folks.. this is your 2009 First-Half MVP (Most Valuable Player, not Montel Vontavious Porter) for the WWE. He's got quite the portfolio to this point. He's 6-2 on PPV in 2009, has four titles won, has been involved in Match Of The Week candidates on almost a weekly basis, and has helped to make his opponents look like a million bucks almost every time out. He single-handedly helped people look at John Morrison as a legit candidate for the World Heavyweight Title. The only thing preventing him from having a perfect grade is his torn achilles tendon.
Grade: A-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, if some of the early reports are to be believed, it'll be nothing short of a miracle if he can even wrestle before the 2009 calendar year is over, so I'm not really expecting much from the guy. Some have said that he should appear on-screen from time-to-time during his time off, but I disagree. Let him stay away and get everything healed and rested, and when the time comes, surprise the wrestling world by bringing him back. One thing's for sure, though.. it's a big loss for the WWE, as a whole.

One-half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Chris Jericho: First off let me say there is no Biased thing on this blog.Now that I have said that let's continue along with Edge, he's been having the most consistent year of anybody on the roster. As soon as you hear his music hit, you know what you're going to get with him.. either a solid well-spoken promo or a solid well-wrestled match. He's won two different titles on PPV this year, and he's had some better-than-expected matches with Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat. There really doesn't appear to be much that(My Hero) Chris Jericho can't do.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With the injury of his tag team partner, that opens the door to different things the company can do with Jericho. They can find a way for Jericho to pick a different partner, and then go from there. They can have the titles change hands, and move Jericho back to full-time singles work. Personally, I think he's going back to working singles. It's where he's at his best. He'll add to his trophy collection before the year is over, in my opinion, winning the IC Title at least one more time, and perhaps even win the World Title once.

Divas Champion Maryse: She has just about perfected her "****" role at this point, and is still improving in the ring, so things are definitely going well for "Mo Reese" (**** you, Michael Cole). She's had the Divas Title for a lot longer than most people expected (her reign is creeping up on 200 days now), and I fully support the decision to keep the belt on her for so long. She's earned it by her mannerisms alone.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Unfortunately, once a title reign reaches this length, the countdown until the reign is over is in full effect. I think the reign ends at Night Of Champions, as a matter of fact. From there, she has a bit of an unfinished storyline involving The Miz that I'd like to see explored. I think they'd make a great on-screen "couple". As far as her in-ring time, I think she'll continue improving, and become the top Diva in the company, which is something I never thought I'd say. I almost can't believe I said it there.

Women's Champion Michelle McCool: She continues to get pushed, even though she has yet to prove, even a single time, that she can make live audiences care about her in any way. Those not "in the know" must really be confused as to why she keeps winning. I tried and tried to give her the benefit of the doubt, but time and time again, she let me down. This **** is completely worthless. I have nothing else to say.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Although I'm not too happy about her taking the Women's Title from Melina, I do think Melina can be a positive in Michelle's career. In no way, shape, or form should she ever be a "ring general", which she would be against people like Maryse, etc, based on experience. Against people like Melina, she can work in the background and take a secondary role, which will hopefully improve her in-ring work. I wouldn't count on it, though. Hopefully, her boyfriend (*cough*Undertaker*cough* ) finds someone else to ****, which would then send her to the proper part of the roster, perhaps even sending her to the "Future Endeavors Club".


From there, we take a look at the rest of the roster, in no real particular order. I suppose, for the sake of everyone's sanity, I'll just work with those who are currently in regular rotation on TV, or who have been recently. If you haven't been used in forever and a day, you won't be in this blog

John Cena: He's had one of the best years of anybody in the company as far as their records on PPV go, going 5-2, including a successful World Title defense and a World Title victory, but in each of his two losses, he lost the World Title, as well (that was quite a long sentence that featured far too many commas for my liking). What killed him was his feud against Big Show, who is just so damn tough to work with sometimes. That feud went on for far too long, and featured far too many matches that bored me to absolute tears. That, above all else, stands out for the first six months of John Cena's 2009, which is really unfortunate.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: It hasn't been that long, but it feels like forever since he's had title gold around his waist. That'll definitely change before the year is over(Which i hate to admit), although I don't think it'll be at Night Of Champions. Really, what else is there to say here? He's the biggest star in the company. His spot in the Raw main event is pretty safe.

Triple H: Ah, good old Triple H. I've said a lot about him and his year thus far, so there isn't much to add here. I've made it quite clear that I haven't enjoyed much of anything he's done so far. His high grade comes from just how dominant he's looked since the beginning of the year. Sure, he hasn't won every match that he's been in, but going by how much it takes for him to pick up a victory VS how much it takes for him to be defeated, that's a run of sheer dominance that rivals anything the WWE has ever seen.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I have a sneaking suspicion that it won't be too much longer until he has the WWE Title in his possession once again. From there, it's a bit of an interesting road, as the Orton feud has been beaten to death, but feuding with John Cena, Batista, and Shawn Michaels wouldn't exactly be the freshest things, either. If you're going to move people like MVP or Jack Swagger up to the main event scene, they wouldn't stand a ****ing chance against this guy. Sadly, we're in for a long few months at the top of the Raw cards.

Jack Swagger: I've loved his work on ECW ever since his debut, and I love the decision to send him to Raw. For the most part, he accomplished everything there was to accomplish while in ECW, and for someone as young and as relatively inexperienced as he is, that's a real sign that his future is insanely bright. He was given quite a nice run with the ECW Title, and while he failed to recapture it after losing it, he was still able to go out against the likes of Christian and Tommy Dreamer, and still hold his own (and in the case of Dreamer, hold his own, as well as help carry Tommy to something watchable).
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Honestly, he has an outside chance of being bumped up to the WWE Title picture before 2009 is over, but more realistically, I think it'll be around Summer 2010 before he reaches that level on more than a one-off match basis. He has one or two US Title reigns in his not-too-distant future, though, I'm almost sure of it.

Jeff Hardy: The end of his 2008 was really good, but he hit a slow patch in the beginning parts of 2009, with losing the WWE Title, as well as his disappointing feud with his brother. He had a below-average time on PPV, with a 3-5 record overall, including losing the WWE Title, losing the World Title mere minutes after winning it, as well as losing in an Elimination Chamber, and failing to retain the World Title. As part of the main event scene on Smackdown, though, he's able to go out on a weekly basis and put on good matches with a variety of opponents, so it's not a total loss for the guy or anything.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: As of this very moment, this is almost impossible to figure out, as his contract runs out at the end of the month, with no word as to whether or not he'll re-sign with the company. These could be the last few weeks we ever see Jeff Hardy in a WWE ring, folks. If you put a gun to my head, however, and forced me to predict if he re-signs or not, I'd have to say that I think he'll definitely be back. I don't think Vince McMahon can really afford to just let one of the company's biggest stars walk away like that, especially because there won't be any sort of no-compete clause due to his contract expiring. Jeff becomes a free man on a Saturday, and could very well be a part of the Impact taping two days later. Vince knows that, and I think he'll do everything he possibly can to sweeten the deal a bit, so that Jeff returns. If Jeff does return, I see no reason why the second half of his 2009 wouldn't be as successful as the first half of his 2009 was, if not even more so. I'm sure that some of his losses had to do with the fact that the company wasn't sure whether or not he'd be back, so doing something like giving him the World Title for six months wouldn't have been the best idea in the world.

The Undertaker: While he hasn't competed since a few weeks after WrestleMania 25, he was still involved in some really good matches this year, from a four-star Elimination Chamber at No Way Out to the Match Of The Year (thus far) with Shawn Michaels at Mania to a couple televised matches against Shelton Benjamin. Not too shabby for someone that is 44 years old and only seems to wrestle a handful of times every year. This was one of the best "workrate" years of his career, without a doubt.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: If we're talking about his outlook for the rest of 2009, I'd say it's looking really good. If we're talking about Smackdown's outlook for the rest of 2009, I'd say it's looking nowhere near as good. Hear me out, folks.. sure, it'll be good to see Taker once again, but in the world of kayfabe stature, he's a giant amongst men on the Smackdown brand. CM Punk, Jeff Hardy, Rey Mysterio, Chris Jericho, Edge, Dolph Ziggler, Matt Hardy, John Morrison, etc have all either been beaten repeatedly by Taker in the past, or wouldn't be viewed as being "big" enough to stand a chance against him. As great of a year as he's had, and as loyal as his fanbase is, not even Mysterio's biggest fans would think he'd last five minutes with Taker. You can only keep Taker away from the World Title for so long on that show. He can't feud with Kane forever.

Christian:The ECW brand was good for Christian, as well as being really good for ECW itself. He's at the perfect level in the company to succeed in his role.. a big enough name where he can bring some prestige to the ECW Title and help make his opponents look good, but not too big of a name where it just isn't believable that he's there and competing with the folks he's been competing with. He had a nice run as the ECW Champion this year, defending it on a few different occasions and coming out successful.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: A part of me is surprised he wasn't moved to either Raw or Smackdown in the "trade", but I'm glad he's still there. He's more than able to work with the new names on ECW, from veterans such as William Regal and Shelton Benjamin to rookies such as Sheamus and Yoshi Tatsu. I do think his time on ECW is winding down, however. If another "trade" isn't made by the end of the year, he'll just be moved in next year's edition of the Draft. In the meantime, he'll win at least one more ECW Title. I don't doubt that at all.

Batista: Ah, good ol Batista. He spent a large portion of the year looking like an out-of-control fool with an anger problem, and has also spent a large portion of the year sitting on the sidelines with an injury. Sure, he won the WWE Title in there somewhere, but it amounted to one of the most ridiculously pointless title changes I've seen in all my time as a wrestling fan. Not the greatest six months in the history of the business, that's for sure.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: When he returns from his injury, he has the ready-made storyline of "you have my title, I never lost it, blah blah blah" waiting for him. Unfortunately, that probably means another round of matches with Randy Orton, or another round with Triple H. Neither of those options are very appealing to me. Another match with John Cena could be alright, but I wouldn't want to see it stretched out beyond one match.

The Miz: Just about all of his success as a singles competitor this year has been on the mic, but it's been some mighty fine mic work, so it counts more than if he was just cutting a random promo here and there. He sent me into orgasmic fits with his anti-John Cena promos, and he has held his ground against Cena (regardless of what anybody else tells you) in their matches with each other. I just don't know if I could comfortably give him any more than an "average" grade, because there's no telling of what he's truly gained from his feud with Cena. At face value, he was allowed to work with someone who is well out of his "league", and not just as complete squash material (again, regardless of what anybody else tells you). However, if the momentum isn't capitalized upon, it was all for nothing, and he might as well have been feuding with "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan from the beginning.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I wouldn't be surprised if he continues running his mouth about Cena for a while, but ultimately, the entire storyline was a test to see how well he could handle being a singles competitor. He had the best mic work of his short career, and he was impressive in two matches against Cena (regardless of what anybody else tells you), so I'd say he's more than earned a spot in the US Title discussion. It'll be fun to see if he can step his game up against midcarders, or if it was just because he was in there with the biggest name in the company.

Matt Hardy: All Matt bias aside, this hasn't been a very good year for the guy. His heel turn ended 2008 on a good note for him, but his feud against his brother fizzled out rather quickly, and his hand and abdominal injuries just about killed any momentum he had left. A move to Smackdown was probably for the best, I'd say.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, if Jeff decides to stay with the company, I'm sure those two will cross paths once again. I'm hoping the company won't just turn Matt face for no real reason, and have the Hardyz team up again. It kinda defeats the whole "BWAHAHA I tried to kill you on several occasions!" heel turn just a bit. When he returns, he can be a good name for John Morrison to face, provided that he returns in the type of shape that he was in pre-abdominal injury. Hell, Morrison is a "risk-taker", just like Jeff Hardy is, so you could say that Matt hates daredevils. Perhaps he walked in on his mother getting freaky with Evel Knievel or something. Whatever.

Melina: Her program with Beth Phoenix was fun to watch (I don't think I've ever seen anyone kick themselves in the back of the head before), and her Women's Title victory was well-deserved. Once she was drafted over to Smackdown, though, I, as well as millions of others, forgot she was even in the company. She damn near disappeared off the face of the earth once she moved to Friday nights, and once she was found, it was only to lose the Women's Title to the Black Hole Of Worthlessness known as Michelle McCool. Hot start to the year, but it fizzled out tremendously,don't worry Melina Daddy's here.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Another go-round with McCool is in her near future, but what I'm really looking forward to is a potential match/feud with Natalya. That has the potential to be really good, which is nearly the polar opposite of anything she could have with McCool.

Big Show: He's had a much better year on TV than he has on PPV, going 0-4 in matches that you had to pay to watch. On TV, however, he's looked good against the likes of The Undertaker, John Cena, and Randy Orton, so it hasn't been a total loss for the guy. He's shown fire and motivation from time-to-time, but not often enough to warrant a really good grade or anything but I still think a trade to ECW would be the best thing for him.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I don't know where this current storyline with Kofi Kingston (and perhaps Evan Bourne) is going, but I hope it isn't leading to a US Title reign for the big guy. Kofi (and perhaps Bourne) need this time to shine, and Show's "walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk-hit a move-walk" matches won't exactly make for thrilling moments with those guys.

Mickie James: She's undefeated on PPV, and has been on the winning end of countless matches on TV, whether it was singles or multiple tag variations. It's been a good year for her thus far, but she hasn't won a title, which really prevents her from having a better grade.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think her undefeated PPV streak continues on at Night Of Champions, and from there, things are looking up. There are a few different Divas she could feud with after Maryse, and they'd all work for their own different reasons. I fully expect her to keep the title for a couple months or so.

Evan Bourne:He was involved in some strange booking decisions (aka his entire feud with Mark Henry), but for the most part, he's been his exciting self. It's just difficult to follow along with where the company wants to take him. They'll build him up, bring him right back down, and then build him up again. A lot of you have left me feedback saying that a move to Smackdown would've made more sense for him, and while I do agree with that, I simply felt that the company liked him enough to place him on their biggest show.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009:He'll probably be involving in several "nothing" feuds, but at least these "nothing" feuds will be loosely tied into the US Title picture, where as his "nothing" feuds in ECW were just that.. nothing. If he and Kofi Kingston are given the proper amount of time to work together, it could probably blow your mind, scoop it up, put it back into your head, and then blow your mind once again.

Mark Henry: He was just "there" for the most part this year. How a man with his size and look can just blend into the background, I'll never understand, but he did. In his only two matches on PPV this year, he failed to win Money In The Bank, and he failed to win the ECW Title in a Championship Scramble. Not exactly deflating singles losses, but losses nonetheless.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: His outlook looks a whole helluva lot better now than it did a few weeks ago, that's for sure. His sudden face turn on Raw still surprises me when I stop to think about it. I'm really intrigued as to where he goes from here. Picking up a pinfall victory over the current WWE Champion in your first night on Raw, followed by a short domination of the WWE Champion's lackey the following week, looks good, but that doesn't mean Mark will be in line for title shots and main event slots on PPV anytime in the near future. Because we all know how the business works, I'm almost guaranteeing a feud against Big Show sometime soon. I'd love to see him hit Show with the World's Strongest Slam. That would be fun to watch. From there, a run with the US Title isn't out of the question. I just don't know if he can fully break the "glass ceiling" that is the Raw main event scene.

Vladimir Kozlov: For the most part, he hasn't really done much. Every week, for what seemed like several months, he'd come out on ECW, squash a jobber, then cut a promo about wanting more competition. However, that never went anywhere. Then, out of bum**** nowhere, he came out one week smiling and playing to the crowd like a face from the 1980s. However, that never went anywhere. Now, he appears to be involved in some sort of team with William Regal, and I'm hoping the trent doesn't continue.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I've been calling for him to contend for the ECW Title ever since he was drafted to Tuesday nights, and that stance hasn't changed. I'm intrigued by the possibility of him playing the comedy role to William Regal's straight-man character, though. That has the potential to be hilarious, and it might even lead to Regal turning on Kozlov, which would set up for some good matches. Regal could work really well with Kozlov's offense, and he'd probably be able to make him look like half-a-million bucks.

Shawn Michaels: I almost gave him an "A" grade just for his promo work against The Undertaker, as well as his match with Taker at WrestleMania. It's not like he's been around since then to **** up all of his good work or anything, but his work pre-Taker wasn't always the greatest. He did his thing with JBL, but the excitement level of that was really out of his hands. He helped carry Vladimir Kozlov to the best match of his WWE career (which proves that he's infinitely better than Triple H), though, which counts for a lot in my book.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Well, whenever he decides to make his return to the company, he needs to be put back into the WWE Title picture, not just floating around in random feuds. He's too good for that role. The problem is.. unless he returns as a heel, I don't want to see Shawn Michaels VS Triple H for the billionth time, which I'm sure we'll be given at some point. I'll say this.. whenever he returns, it doesn't really matter to me what he does, just as long as we don't get another several month stretch where he has the same exact sad face in every single promo he's involved in, like we got last year and into the very beginning of this year. That was brutal.

Kane: He didn't fare very well in the Elimination Chamber, or in Money In The Bank, and he just disappeared for a long period of time after that. It's hard to critique the first half of his year, because there just isn't that much to work with.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Kane has been one of the most over enhancement talents on the roster for years now, and really, have any of you seen anything that would lead you to think that stops now?

John Morrison: When Morrison & Miz split up, people figured Morrison would get the better singles push between him and The Miz, but I don't think many people predicted his push would be as big as it has been. He's been made to look like an equal to the biggest names on the Smackdown roster, and holds a clean pinfall victory over the current World Heavyweight Champion, as well as a Match Of The Year candidate where he went toe-to-toe with a 9-time World Champion for nearly 20 minutes. It's been a good year for this guy.
Grade: B+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: He's one of the fastest rising superstars on the entire roster. People figured he'd be a solid midcarder on Smackdown, but he's had a long string of really good performances, catapaulting him into the discussion of future World Champions. The fans have really bought into his face turn, as well, which is the important thing. I think he ends up as the World Champion sometime towards the very end of the year, perhaps at Survivor Series or soon thereafter. It's his time, and he's ready.

MVP: I was one of the only people that said he'd do perfectly fine for himself as a face, and as a member of the Raw roster. He had a mini-program with the WWE Champion, was able to dominate a match against Triple H (albeit until being beaten by a single move), and cut the best promo of his career (face or heel) against Jack Swagger this week. I'd say that counts as doing perfectly fine for himself.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: This current storyline with Swagger has all sorts of potential to be good. I think both men get elevated because of it. Once it's over, I'd like to see MVP move on to face Big Show, which could be the last feud he needs before stepping up into the main event picture, even if it only happens to be on a temporary basis.

Shelton Benjamin: He hasn't had a whole lot of success so far this year, and that's probably being nice about it. He had some really good matches against The Undertaker early in the year, which shows that the company is trying to push the guy (Taker doesn't get involved in many mini-programs like that, as it's usually title matches and "blood" feuds of some sort). He's had quite the interesting return to ECW thus far, to say the least.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Losing to a debuting Yoshi Tatsu(my favorite at this point) in a few seconds probably wasn't the best way for Shelton to return to ECW, but Shelton will get his revenge and eventually move on. However, the strange way he's being booked makes it difficult to predict what his future holds. I wouldn't be surprised to see him as the ECW Champion in a few months, but at the same time, I also wouldn't be surprised to see him jobbing to Tyler Reks(Don't Ask Me), either.

Dolph Ziggler: I'll be the first person to admit this.. Dolph Ziggler has done a helluva lot better for himself than I expected once the gimmick made its debut. I still don't buy that he has a main event run in him, but I'd love to be made a believer on that. His feud with The Great Khali has gone on for longer than it should have, but most everyone that I talked to figured it would be a one or two match squash for Khali, but Ziggler has more than held his own. I'm going to need to see more than just matches against Khali before I fully decide on this guy, though.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With Edge's injury, everyone on Smackdown's midcard moves up a slot, and that includes Ziggler. If he continues to improve, he'll be feuding over the IC Title before too long, although I don't think he ends up winning the belt. That's still several notches above where I originally thought he'd be at this point.

Cody Rhodes: Week in and week out, he's been made to look like a complete fool against Triple H (and Batista, for that matter), and that's pretty much been going on all year long. Orton and DiBiase have been made to look bad against them, too, but Cody's been the "go-to" guy for ass whippings. He's taken more Pedigrees, Batista Bombs, and sledgehammer shots in six months than most wrestlers take in their entire careers.
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: For the time being, I expect Cody and Ted Jr to become Tag Champs, now that Edge is out. Eventually, though, the much-rumored face turn for Ted Jr will, more than likely, take place, leaving Cody pretty much ****ed. He'd better touch the Triforce and wish for a new tag team partner, or he's probably as good as gone after feuding with Ted Jr for a month or so.

Ted DiBiase: He's looked better than Cody has, but he's still been nothing more than a stooge for Randy Orton, taking numerous mollywhoppings in the process. The wheels of his apparent face turn have already begun to spin, and I like what they've done with it thus far. He's stood up to Orton twice now, and he looked great in a match against Orton. That helps carry his grade above Cody's.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'd hate to jump all over the result of a single match, but Ted Jr's match against Randy Orton last week proves, to me, at least, that the rest of his 2009 could be really bright. He'll be main eventing WrestleMania in a few years, folks, but in the immediate future, I see a Tag Title reign for him and Cody, followed by the full-fledged face turn. He'll be the US Champ before too long after all that takes place.

R-Truth: The last two or so months have really been good for R-Truth, as he's been given a lot of time on the mic, and has even stepped his in-ring game up a bit. There still doesn't appear to be much room for growth with him, though, but at least he's not as bad as he was a few months ago.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I'm hoping that he loses all the "flip for no reason" **** in his offense. If he can do that, he'll become infinitely more tolerable. I'd actually buy him as a possible IC Champion at that point. Until then, however, I think he'll just bounce from random feud to random feud.

Carlito: He and his brother had a pretty successful run as the Tag Team Champions, and they appeared to be the frontrunners to get the titles back sometime in the near future, but obviously, things have changed.
Grade: B-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: He works better as a heel singles competitor. Unfortunately for him, he's been a face tag team competitor for several months now. With this new heel turn, the Raw midcard just gained another solid worker. I'm sure he'll feud with Primo for a few weeks, but he'll eventually move on to bigger and better things. I just hope he can stay motivated this time.

Primo: Well, he definitely had a good thing going for him as far as his team with Carlito goes. They worked extremely well together, and like I said earlier, they had a successful run as Tag Champs. He seemed comfortable working with his brother, for obvious reasons, which made for better matches than when he was wrestling singles.
Grade: C+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Carlito's turn doesn't appear to be very good news for Primo. I just don't see him as being any sort of legit singles threat on Raw, which is why I think Eric Escobar will be moved up from FCW so that he can reunite with Primo (they were the Puerto Rican Nightmares in FCW, winning the FCW Tag Titles on three occasions). If that doesn't happen, I don't see a way that Primo remains with the company too much longer.

William Regal: He was being absolutely wasted on Raw, so I was extremely happy to see him get sent to ECW. Teaming with Kozlov is an interesting move. They were impressive in their only match together, but really, there hasn't been much to the guy's year thus far.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: There are a few options for Regal on ECW. Not only can he be a legit contender for the ECW Title, but if the company decides to run with this newfound team he's formed with Vladimir Kozlov, they could be a force in the tag team ranks. As I mentioned in my outlook for Kozlov, I'm intrigued by the thought of some sort of an "odd couple" team. So, so, so, so, so much potential there.

Finlay: It seems like he's been feuding with the ECW Champion for years now, but he doesn't have a single title reign to show for it. I guess that says a lot about his role with the company. He's a solid, veteran worker that is like a teacher in the ring, helping to make people look better in every match, but he isn't really meant to be seen as having the potential to become a champion.
Grade: D+
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Yes, he's moved to Smackdown now, but I don't see his role changing at all. He'll still work with younger talent to help guide them and make them better, and he still won't be seen as having any sort of real potential to become a champion.

Beth Phoenix: This has been a rough six months for "The Glamazon". The entire storyline with Santino/Santina absolutely derailed any momentum she had before. She loses on PPV (0-5, including losing the Women's Title) and she loses on TV (countless times), and it all adds up. She deserves a lot more than that, and now that the Santina storyline is done, I'm hoping that she can start making her way back up the rankings.
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Dear God, I hope she can bounce back from the Santina fiasco, because she's incredibly talented, and she brings something different to the Divas division that nobody else in the company can bring. I see absolutely no reason why she can't return to competing for a title, espcially now that the Raw Divas scene is stronger than it has been in a long time.

Mike Knox: The start of his year had a lot of potential, but it kinda fizzled out as the weeks went by. Honestly, the time that he nearly injured Jamie Noble probably played a big part in that. For those that don't remember, a week after No Way Out, Knox and Noble faced each other in a singles match on Raw. As Knox was setting up for his finisher, there was a bit of miscommunication between the two men, and Noble landed rather awkwardly, injuring himself. It looked like it was a really serious deal, but it ended up being nothing more than a "stinger", if I recall correctly. From that point on, things changed for Knox. He hasn't wrestled with the same intensity since then. Maybe his push ended because of that very lack of intensity, or maybe his push ended and that's what caused the lack of intensity, but either way, his push hit a wall and hasn't been the same since.
Grade: C-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I think he's in trouble, to be honest. I think his lack of TV time has to do with him being punished, even though the Noble incident was an accident more than anything. He's got the right "look", and has an impressive physical-style offense, but things have gone downhill since Noble was injured, and it probably isn't going to change anytime soon.

Santino: First and foremost, thank goodness the Santina storyline has run its course. That was a bad idea of epic proportions, as it nearly destroyed the entire Women's division all by itself, as well as ruining Santino for a while, turning him into an even bigger joke of a character than he already was. As Santina, he won several matches, but you can't really count those as anything special, because of the manner in which they were won.
Grade: D
Outlook for the rest of 2009: As Santino, he might be even more over now than he's ever been, which is a good sign for his future with the company, I suppose. He'll never be a WWE Champion or anything, but when you're over, you're over, and there can always be a role for someone who is that over, as long as he doesn't find trouble with drugs and/or injuries.

Tyson Kidd: Realistically, he hasn't done all that much since being called up to the ECW roster, but he's got about as bright of a future as any young wrestler in the entire company, in my opinion. I'm still not 100% sold that the brand switch was the best move for him, although, as I mentioned last week, there are plenty of positives in moving this guy to a bigger show.
Grade: B
Outlook for the rest of 2009: Don't be suprised when he and DH Smith are Tag Champions by the end of the year, ladies and gentlemen.

David Hart Smith: He had an impressive ECW debut, and has shown flashes of brilliance since then, but like several others, there just hasn't been anywhere near enough material from him this year to truly grade him on. That leaves me to grade him on a few matches, and his short-term potential.
Grade: C
Outlook for the rest of 2009: I still don't think he's ready to be a singles star in the company, although it sure does appear as if they want to eventually push him as such. For now, he's better off teaming with Kidd and improving that way.

Gail Kim: As I've mentioned before, her return has been quite the disappointment, in my opinion. I expected a lot more out of her, but she just hasn't "clicked" with her opponents or the live crowds like I thought she would. A move to Raw could be what she needs, as she has a fresh group of Divas to work with, but it could also be the final nail in her WWE coffin. Only time will tell, I guess.
Grade: D-
Outlook for the rest of 2009: With the way the tag match on Raw was booked, you'd think Kim was the next in line for Maryse's Divas Title, instead of Mickie James. I guess that's a good sign for Kim and her fans. Now that she's away from Michelle McCool, she should be able to move up the ranks a bit quicker and easier, much to Uncle Joe's chagrin.

The Brian Kendrick: Man I really wanted things to turn out great for him but since he has been drafted to Raw he hasn't done anything but Job to superstars such as Santino
Grade: F
Outlook for the rest of 2009: A first-class ticket to join the "Future Endeavors Club".