RAW Guest Hosts: Top 10 Best, Worst of Past Year

This week marks the one-year anniversary of the RAW guest host concept being born. The idea has gone on with much criticism by fans. While certain weeks have brought wrestling alumni back into the ring, other weeks have brought celebrities (if you call them that) who have no place in the ring.

RAW has seemed to steer clear of the guest host spot in recent weeks, lessening their role in weekly programming and, on some weeks, not having a host at all.

The following is a countdown of the 10 best hosts in the last calendar year, followed by the 10 worst.

Although musician/director Rob Zombie is slated for tonight's RAW from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, as well as actress Florence Henderson (I wish I was kidding) scheduled for July 12, the spot on the show is seemingly being phased out.

No. 10 Best - The Cast of MacGruber

Date: April 19, 2010

I was there that night at the IZOD Center. It was the RAW that was dominated by Smackdown due to the volcanoes stranding most of the RAW superstars in Europe. This was the last RAW before the Extreme Rules PPV. It was the last RAW to feature HHH, at least for the time being.

Nobody expected anything worthwhile from this episode, but Will Forte, Kristen Wiig, and Ryan Phillippe tried their best to deliver. For a show that was in shambles, what they threw together in short time was impressive. Weighted for more defying the odds breaks this guest into the top 10.

No. 9 Best - Ashton Kutcher

Date: May 31, 2010

Kutcher knew what he was talking about when he hosted RAW. He also used his Twitter account to hype up the show and bring in a storyline. This began the trend of using the Internet and social networking (see: NXT Nexus storyline).

What hurt Kutcher and left him outside of the top eight was the fact that all of his segments were taped. If Ashton was on the ramp, live, just once, he could have truly showed how much of a wrestling fan he was.

No. 8 Best - Seth Green

Date: July 13, 2009

It was just the third guest host ever and the first non-wrestler to do so. It was the first time that fans openly said, "this might be a bad idea".

However, Seth ate it all up and put on a show the best way that he could. Seth became the first guest host to put himself into a match. Unlike many that have come after him, Green was gung-ho about the idea. He acted realistic and was just like a fan being there. He wasn't pretending to be a pro on the mic, but rather, was just natural.

No. 7 Best - Mark Cuban

Date: December 7, 2009

Props to the Mavericks owner.

Mainly, because he took one hell of a bump.

Did anyone really think that Cuban would really do it? I wouldn't mind WWE using Cuban again. Here's hoping that WrestleMania comes to Dallas very soon.

No. 6 Best - Jeremy Piven

Date: August 3, 2009

Piven was the first heel guest host, which has a special place in my heart.

Sure, he was there promoting a bad movie. He wasn't the only one who has done that. Piven made multiple appearances in the ring that night, though. While some others will hide backstage, Piven showed his face and showed that he really wanted to be there.

Piven at the top rope, trying to take out John Cena, was one of the most memorable moments from all of the guest hosts. Good form, Jeremy.

No. 5 Best - Jesse Ventura

Date: November 23, 2009

"The Body" is one of the best on the mic in this business. Granted that he was only there to present a TV show that proves how nuts he is.

Regardless, Ventura spoke like he had his hand on the pulse of the business. That night, Ventura ranted about how the same people were getting title shots, something that fans can agree with.

The battle royal was very entertaining. Inclusion of Randy Orton immediately brought on the feeling of WWE teasing a change, only to let Orton win at the end. Instead, Sheamus, who my friend and I joked as being the favorite, was the surprise winner.

What followed was the shocking heel turn of Ventura, as well as Sheamus putting Cena through a table. Weeks later, the same thing would be seen, leading to one of the most shocking title wins of the last ten years.

No. 4 Best - Batista

Date: June 29, 2009

That's right. Batista. The very first guest host ever.

Why was this so shocking, you might ask?

Nobody knew this was going to happen. This was the only guest host to date that was never announced earlier, mainly because it was brought to our attention that night.

It also gave Batista more time to work on his mic skills and pick of Randy Orton, who had injured Batista in storyline.

Looking back at Batista that night, the first little bits of the heel Batista that you had been waiting for for years was coming out of him. A very under-rated job by The Animal.

He's also my pick for the first repeat host (if it continues). His heat was awesome when he quit and his abrupt quitting could lead to some interesting altercations from a one-night only appearance.

No. 3 Best - Bret Hart

Date: January 4, 2010

Any inkling of TNA possibly beating WWE in ratings was squashed when Bret Hart returned. It was an appearance that brought old wrestling fans back, even if it was just to see what was happening with Bret.

The moments with HBK and Vince McMahon were awesome. It also gave us our first glimpse of Bret Hart in charge, something we would see for a bit longer until just recently. It was a nice gesture by Hart to bury the hatchet with the company and leave in a more honorable way.

No. 2 Best - "Stone Cold" Steve Austin

Date: March 15, 2010

Austin's prescence helped to push forward the Hart/McMahon Wrestlemania match

While his shirt was just plain black, his fists were closed, and he wasn't wearing shorts, it was still Austin.

They also bleeped "whoop-ass" and his "Steve-weisers" were really Miller Lites, but come on. It's still Austin. No matter how you slice it, it's still pretty cool.

No. 1 Best - Shaquille O'Neal

Date: July 27, 2009

Shaq made this a very exciting episode. His showdown with The Big Show was exciting, and while we wish it was a full-fledged match, this was good as it is. Big Show can't wrestle well, so imagine Shaq. Short and sweet was good here.

The reason that this trumps all of the others is the notoriety it brought RAW. Clips of this show were seen everywhere. Other athletes, such as Johnny Damon and Ben Roethlisberger, didn't get the same attention.

No. 10 Worst - ZZ Top

Date: July 20, 2009

Now for the worst ten, and we start with the members of the band ZZ Top.

Why were they even here? Were they promoting something? Does anyone even know?

This was the first really bad guest host. It was just a matter of time before there was a bad host.

Most of the segments were with them in the back, including them jamming backstage with a bearded Santino. Unnecessary.

Speaking of unnecessary, WWE decided that they had to bring them out, just to prove that they were actually there. The only thing worse than not having the guest host not there is to have them there, but act like they aren't until the very end.

No. 9 Worst - Flavor Flav

Date: May 10, 2010

This was just dumb. The only reason it isn't higher is because he was hardly on the program.

So, how come a seldom-seen guest host breaks the top ten? Because he was promoting this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RG3KCm6cSVg

A black version of "Tales from the Crypt"? With Flavor Flav as the Crypt Keeper? And this show only created six episodes, the last of which aired eight months before his appearance?

WHY DID THIS HAPPEN?!

No. 8 Worst - Mark Feuerstein and The Big Show

Date: June 14, 2010

This just happened two weeks ago. It was bad. The episode was good, but Feuerstein had no purpose in being there.

Didn't need to see him and Big Show, who apparently can come to help guest host RAW. Feuerstein was the blueprint of a bad guest host spot.

Random celebrity (if that): Check
Promoting something that most people don't like: Check
Clearly look like they don't belong in the WWE in any capacity: Check
Random backstage segment that includes the Bella Twins and/or Santino Marella: Check
In-ring segment/match that includes Ted DiBiase: Check

I don't know one person that watches Royal Pains. I do, however, know one person that will never start now.

No. 7 Worst - Buzz Aldrin

Date: May 17, 2010

A commercial-free RAW in Canada. The host: an American astronaut.

Gotta love the logic.

That same genius must have had two more ideas: don't give the senile and crazy old man free range to say whatever he felt like and let him do the moonwalk in the ring.

Vintage Buzz Aldrin.

No. 6 Worst - Rob Corddry and Clark Duke

Date: March 29, 2010

Who?

They were two of the guys from Hot Tub Time Machine.

How forgettable was this week? The two of them challenged Divas to sit in a hot tub with them and none of them wanted to. The last two to leave, The Bella Twins, were awarded future Divas title matches. Three months later, they haven't been acted upon.

No. 5 Worst - NASCAR Drivers

Kyle Busch and Joey Logano
Date: October 26, 2009

Carl Edwards (pictured)
Date: February 8, 2010

Had to group these two together because, let's be honest, you probably thought they were the same people anyway. They talked about cars and stuff. They wore things with patches from other places.

It was really forgettable, obviously.

Np. 4 Worst - Cedric the Entertainer

Date: September 21, 2009

I am yet to actually watch this entire episode still. I almost refuse to.

One would think that a comedian, like Cedric the Entertainer, could at least crack some good jokes. Instead, it was just a travesty.

He also wore a cape and a mask and HE squashed Chavo.

I know it wasn't really him, people. I'm not stupid.

I can't even continue to talk about this.

No. 3 Worst - Jewel and Ty Murray

Date: February 22, 2010

I didn't know who Ty Murray was. I didn't know he married Jewel.

I had forgotten about Jewel. I wished I had forgotten this episode.

Does anyone else really care why this was a bad episode? We just know that they have no place on WWE television.

No. 2 Worst - Jon Heder and Don Johnson

Date: January 18, 2010

Napoleon Dynamite and the white guy from Miami Vice... the TV show.

AND they are advertising a bad movie? AND they aren't one of the major stars of the show?

Of course, this makes sense, especially because Heder is apparently heel.

He wants to wrestle, you say? Sure, that won't piss off any of the other wrestlers on the roster.

No. 1 Worst - Jon Lovitz

Date: May 24, 2010

Just awful. A night for contradictions.

He wasn't funny, yet he promotes his comedy club.

He isn't talented, yet he hosts a talent show.

He's original, yet he takes the same idea the Osbournes had when they hosted.

He's unathletic, yet he knows this wierd pressure point grapple that knocks people out.

WWE should do the right thing and, for any replays of this episode, put any Jon Lovitz clips right alongside Chris Benoit's matches.