WWE Monday Night Raw: 1 September, 2014 - Top 5 moments of the week

Uninspiring might be one of those fitting adjectives that could describe WWE’s latest edition of Raw. There was a lot of pressure on the company as NFL would be returning from next Monday night and the creative will be tackling that with two big SummerSlam rematches.However, this also meant that they were not ready to let the fuel burnout this week. Keeping away the big six man tag team match, the in ring action felt like it was just there to kill time.There weren’t many memorable segments to speak about, but the WWE managed to give enough moments here and there to make a list out of it. This week did no good for their buildup to Night of Champions though. However, here’s a look at the top five moments from the lot.

#5 Stars of the Divas division come together

Heading into Night of Champions, the WWE had two hot angles running in the divas division. On one side there were Paige and AJ Lee going at it for the Divas title and then there were the Bella twins who exploded at SummerSlam.

WWE decided to intertwine both angles with a pinch of Stephanie McMahon this week and it proved to be something more than what met the eyes.

Paige is in the danger of jobbing for either of the Bellas which will be a shame considering how much momentum the champion is carrying around.

Meanwhile, the most exciting prospect would be a feud between AJ and Stephanie. It would be another big deal for the divas division if it materializes now that Stephanie has proven her mettle in between the ropes.

#4 The Highlight reel

The way in which the WWE starts a show is as important as how they end it. This time, WWE left no stones unturned when they opened Raw with a star packed Highlight reel.

It was supposed to be an interview with Randy Orton, but we all know that it wasn’t going to end up that way. Rollins, Hunter, Kane, Cena and Reigns followed up, thus setting up a big six man tag team match for later that night.

Apparently everyone wants a piece of the WWE Championship without having anything to do with Lesnar. This cements the idea of how Lesnar is seen among the superstars while Cena just wants to settle the score with the beast and not the title.

#3 Paul Heyman cant screw it, can he?

Heyman has been a mainstay in WWE programming ever since he stepped foot in the company. And unlike some managers, he is someone who has gotten better with age.

Whenever WWE needs to pull off a microphone promo, they know who they have to go to. Recently, the WWE have been letting Lesnar get some limelight with his video packages but when Lesnar goes missing, it’s Heyman that pushes things forward. The feud wouldn’t have been this successful without Heyman’s brilliance.

Though it is an easy route to take to let Heyman do the work in Lesnar’s absence, some new and innovative alternatives should be sorted out by the company as they can’t go on like this without Lesnar being there.

#2 Reigns getting the pin

The match had Randy Orton, John Cena, Chris Jericho, Kane and the man who picked up the win, Roman Reigns. The ending of the six man tag team match was another indication of what they have in store for the superstar.

During the match, Cena was having a hot run and he could’ve just taken it home once he gave an Attitude Adjustment to Kane. It would’ve made more sense since he is out to prove a point but he chose to tag Reigns instead.

He speared Kane and picked up the win while Triple H was staring with disappointment. Reigns might’ve been overshadowed by Cena in the end but being the one who pinned for a win works well in his favour.

#1 Cenas aggression, again

WWE gave birth to an angle last week where Cena was allowed to show his darker side. He simply ran over Bray Wyatt to initiate that and followed up this week when he was on fire in the six man tag team match.

Cena simply wasn’t taking a fall throughout the match and was just fending off his opponents no matter where they came from.

He set up Kane for Reigns and went on to have some words with Hunter. The face-off that he had with Triple H was nothing short of intriguing while slamming Rollins into the announce table rounded off what he is right now.

It was a momentum killer for the Architect but the angle pushed forward the idea of Cena being a different person.