WWE Raw Riclist: Ric Flair retirement ceremony, plus Randy Orton, Matt Hardy, C.M. Punk, Big Show, and JBL

WWE Raw Hits

Ric Flair retirement ceremony: It really hit me last night while I was writing my blog Where were you when Ric Flair took his final bow? I'm 35 years old and this guy has been wrestling as long as I've been alive. If that's not mind boggling enough, he's 59 years old and he just stole the show with his in-ring performance at WrestleMania. Think about that for a minute. Granted, Shawn Michaels provided some help, but Naitch rose to the occasion and held up his end of the bargain just one year shy of his 60th birthday.

People first started writing off Flair back in 1989 when WCW boss Jim Herd decided he was too old to be a main eventer. Just think about how all the pay-per-views he headlined, the shows he stole with his in-ring efforts, the great Royal Rumble win, the television ratings he's drawn, and the memories he gave fans in the 19 years since he turned 40. And those aren't even considered Flair's peak years as a performer.

I am still critical of the way WWE handled Flair's retirement angle. There were many things I wish they would have done differently in the months that led up to this past weekend. However, they got everything right the last three nights. The HOF ceremony was terrific, Flair's final match was superb, and last night's tribute was off the charts. The retirement ceremony ranks right up there with my favorite moments in television history. I'm not just talking about pro wrestling television, I mean all of television.

WWE should submit this footage for Emmy consideration. I doubt they'd win given pro wrestling's stigma as lowbrow entertainment, but they deserve to. That sendoff was more emotional and rewarding for me than the finales of "MASH," "Cheers," "Six Feet Under" (not an immensely popular show, but one of the best finales you'll ever see), and any other television show swan song I've watched over the years. It's a shame most entertainment critics will never even give the footage the time of day (not that they'd be able to really appreciate it anyway) because this was truly a classic television moment.

Four Horsemen: Finally, after all these years, we got to see Arn Anderson, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and J.J. Dillon standing along side Flair with four fingers raised in the air. It was the first time they've appeared together in the same ring in 20 years and it was totally worth the wait.

Randy Orton vs. Matt Hardy: I almost forgot the show actually started before Flair walked out. This was an entertaining match. Matt was very energetic and seemed more motivated than ever to prove that he's more than a mid-card performer. I really enjoyed the finish and I didn't see it coming. I love the way they've established that Orton can hit the RKO out of nowhere. It would be cool if he and the announcers started selling the RKO like they used to sell the DDT back in Jake Roberts's peak years.

Chris Jericho vs. C.M. Punk: A good six-minute match. It didn't steal the show, nor was it designed to. Of course, nothing that didn't involve Flair was going to steal this show, but you know what I mean. I wish they had have been given more time, but perhaps this was simply the first match in a long program.

Big Show: It didn't take much for Show to move on from Mayweather. I'm not crazy about what he's moving on to, but I suppose a feud with Great Khali was inevitable given Vince's love for big men matchups. I really thought they would need Mayweather to come out and take a chokeslam to help Show get his mojo back after losing, but the way he shrugged off the loss was surprisingly suffice. I'm not sure it entices viewers to order the WrestleMania replays, but it definitely helped him move on. This guy is really on a roll right now so I hope his feud with Khali is quick and painless.

WWE Raw Misses

WrestleMania fallout: WWE was in a tough position because of the Flair ceremony, but Big Show wasn't the only guy who just seemed to move right on from his WrestleMania defeat. Although Orton gloated about his win (and I loved the idea of teasing viewers who didn't know the result of the match by playing his opponents' music first), neither John Cena nor Triple H bothered to sell their failure to win the WWE Title. Flair deserved to take center stage, but WrestleMania really didn't come across as the major event for anything other than Flair's loss. The video packages were nice, but there should have been more focus on the fallout from the biggest show of the year.

JBL in the title picture: We'll see where this goes, but my initial reaction to putting jBL in the title picture is hardly positive. He's a great talker and was a strong champion on Smackdown. In fact, I think he should go back to that brand because he fits in better with big men like Undertaker and Batista. He's just not a good fit on Raw and there are no obvious matchups for him.