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This week’s RAW rolled out of Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa leading up to the Night of Champions PPV. The show was angle driven, as very few matches were booked on the show. This week’s episode saw Fandango getting his nose busted open, which might lead to some time off for the dancing superstar. There were reports that his nose might be broken, but we’ll get more details in a couple of hours. This week’s RAW kicked off with Triple H and Randy Orton like the past couple of weeks, and the corporation once again made life difficult for superstars who have raised questions about their modus operandi.
This week’s show also saw the “firing” of a superstar, as well as the divas attacking AJ Lee to get some retribution. So who were the top superstars of the show? Let’s find out.
5. Rob Van Dam
At number five is the human highlight reel, Rob Van Dam. The number one contender for the World Heavyweight championship took on Mr. Money in the Bank, Damien Sandow this past week, and during the course of the match was distracted by the World Heavyweight champion, Alberto Del Rio. Rob Van Dam proceeded to beat Damien Sandow and continued to build momentum, and one feels that the presence of Ricardo in RVD’s corner will give him the advantage during the World Championship bout at the Night of Champions PPV.
Rating: ** ½
4. The Big Show
With Big Show being the new target of the corporation, everyone wanted to see how the big man would react to being subjected to watch Daniel Bryan getting attacked helplessly. Stephanie McMahon revealed that Show was broke, and needed to keep his job in the WWE. Show was then put into a match against Daniel Bryan in the main event. Although Show tried to explain that he didn’t want to hurt Bryan, Bryan didn’t have any of it and tried to take out the giant. In the end, Show was forced to knock out Daniel Bryan to end the show, and this can be the beginning of Big Show’s emergence in the company. Big Show was fantastic during his segment with Stephanie and once again in the main event, and played his part to perfection.
Rating: ** ¾
3. Randy Orton
The WWE champion took on Cody Rhodes in the match of the night, and came out victorious. The corporation showed their true colours once again, with Triple H putting Rhodes’s career on the line. With Orton winning the bout, Cody was fired from the WWE by the COO, Triple H. Orton’s run as the WWE champion has been over shadowed by Triple H and the new Corporation, and one feels all that can change after the Night of Champions PPV.
Rating: ***
2. Daniel Bryan
The hottest superstar in the industry at the moment is none other than Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan fits the fiery underdog character perfectly, and has been on a roll, putting on great matches and filling the arenas for quite a while. This week, Daniel Bryan was first involved in the opening segment, and then in the main event of the night as he took on the Big Show. With Daniel Bryan once again annihilated and humiliated by the Corporation, how can Bryan overcome the odds in the coming weeks? Daniel Bryan is the best thing in professional wrestling at the moment, and has constantly been the best superstar in the WWE, and we can only wait and see how the storyline plays out.
Rating: *** ¼
1. Cody Rhodes
At number one is none other than Cody Rhodes. Cody has been underutilized in the WWE for a while now, and he showed this week just how good he really is. He put on the match of the night with Randy Orton and nearly pulled off an upset victory over the WWE champion, but was beaten by Orton and was then fired by Triple H. Cody might be taking some time off as he’s getting married soon, but I can’t wait to see him back in the WWE, and how he is integrated into the storylines. Cody is a future champion, and I hope that he makes his return sooner than expected.
Rating: *** ½
