WWE RAW - 2 September 2013: Superstars of the show

RAW last night continued in the same manner as it has the past couple of weeks since SummerSlam, with the process geared towards the goal of ‘building heat’, wherein the audience and the WWE universe develop discontent and serious dislike towards the power-hungry villain faction as the underdog hero gets beaten down and one-upped time and time again. With the next pay-per-view two weeks away, with the way things have been going, does Daniel Bryan look like he has any chance of winning the WWE title? Well, the answer simply is – NO, NO NO! This week too, he was laid to waste by the powers in charge with the ‘face of the company’ standing tall over Mr. ‘B+’.

This week, the performances were over all quite good and the stars that I thought shined the most were the ones you normally wouldn’t see getting that much of spotlight otherwise. It seemed like the top guys except for the main-event duo, were given a night off more or less with several superstars being MIA. But that resulted in the segments being given ample time and scope for development and the superstars did deliver good. With that being said, the top 3 this week comprises of:

3MB/Primetime Players

We, the fans, are so caught up at times with our obsession with stars that we tend to overlook the ones who help the stars look like the stars they are. While in the WWE, the term is enhancement talent, 3MB proved last night again as to why they are so much more than that. I am always impressed with their ability to make the opposition look good and their selling ability is one of the best and maybe the decision-makers know that. They did their job and Prime time players came off looking like ‘Millions of dollars’ with the win.

PTP, riding on the wave of publicity being generated by Darren Young, is a good team for the brass to go with in their tag-team division. Titus O’Neil is the future top guy if he bides his time in the company. They had a fun match with the 3-man band, the kind that we all love to watch and reminisce talking about the good ol’ days!

Big Show

Since his return, the giant has been inactive but featured in a big way in the ongoing power saga featuring the McMahons. Last night, his acting skills were put to the test as he had to carry the emotional burden of the angle, including the conflicted mind of his with regards to Daniel Bryan’s predicament, on his large shoulders. Show is extremely convincing as both a babyface and a bad guy, but his likeability and the ‘gentle giant’ side of his, easily shines through and makes it very easy to sympathise with him, like during last night’s RAW.

This week, it was Stephanie McMahon who joined the long list of people who have emasculated the Big Show on public TV, while the giant stood around sobbing and looking conflicted. His anguish at having to follow Triple H’s orders, despite being sympathetic to Bryan had the crowd invested and that’s saying something for a guy who has been on TV non-stop for almost two decades now.

Cody Rhodes

Young Cody was clearly the star last night and while we have always known him as a talented superstar, last night was the first time I thought he truly showed flashes of the Rhodes genes in him and how much of a bright future he has in this business. He had the match of the night against Randy Orton, wherein the crowd was hanging on to every move, especially when Cody hit his finisher and covered the champ for a near fall. With his career being on the line, this was a must-win situation for Rhodes and he ultimately fell to an RKO. In a move that cemented Triple H as among the most hated guys, he fired the young stud just days before his wedding!

I don’t think Cody would be gone for too long and when he returns, he is in line for a big babyface reaction and if his passionate promo backstage is anything to go by, he sure looks ready for the challenge this time.