Superstar Ratings – WWE RAW 6th May

This week’s episode of Monday Night RAW wasn’t as captivating as it could have been, and in the process, received less ratings compared to the other episodes this year. Although I’m not surprised by the news, one has to wonder what would be going through the minds of Vince McMahon and the creative, as making compelling TV isn’t what the WWE has been focusing on for a long time now. Anyway, this week’s episode saw the return of Triple H for a segment, as well as Brock Lesnar, although he wasn’t present for the live episode. Not only that, but the WWE publicised Heyman and Lesnar’s visit to the WWE HQ through the entire afternoon and evening on Monday, hoping it would drive some interest among the fans.

This week’s Superstar Ratings focuses on the impact the superstars had, as well as their performances during their matches. So without further ado, let us get down to business.

John Cena:

Analysis: We start things off with the WWE champion, who also opened the show with his promo. John Cena will not be involved in any matches till Extreme Rules as Vince wouldn’t risk the champion aggravating his injury. His promo was pretty flat, and his attempt at being funny backfired. Cena was also present when the show ended, as Ryback delivered a chair shot to Cena, and stood tall over him. Although Cena isn’t all over the show the way he used to before, he hasn’t done justice to his abilities in cutting a promo since a very long time.

Rating: *** (Out of 5 stars)

Ryback:

Analysis: Ryback is in dire need of a manager, as his mike skills are below average, and this way, no one would take him as a legitimate threat for the WWE title. Does anyone think Ryback will win the WWE title at Extreme Rules? No, but the same thing happened with Swagger, and with a manager like Colter, he is a contender for the World title. Ryback’s promos are monotonous, and he doesn’t generate much interest or heat from the fans. Although he drove the point home with his attack on Cena to end the show, Ryback needs to do a lot before he can get over with the fans.

Rating: ** ¼

Randy Orton:

Analysis: Orton is involved in a feud with the Big Show that seemingly no one cares about. Orton should be in the title contention, seeing that Punk will be out for quite a while. Although Orton’s gimmick and his ability to cut a promo hold him back, he has often found ways to change his character, and that is what is needed. The Orton-Show feud should end soon, and I won’t go against another Orton-Christian feud sometime soon, as their initial feud was arguably the feud of the year.

Rating: **

Damien Sandow:

Analysis: For me, Sandow was the superstar of the week! How? He utilised the limited amount of time he had to the maximum. From the very first word he said, till the very end, the ‘Intellectual saviour of the masses’ kept me entertained. His version of Orton’s theme has already gone viral among the internet wrestling community, and he deserves a run with the mid card singles title soon.

Rating: ****

I won’t be taking appearances by Big Show, Chris Jericho, Tons of Funk and the sort, as they had very little to no impact on this episode. Just a heads up.

R-Truth:

Analysis: Where is R-Truth going? No one knows! First he teamed up with Kofi, and then Kofi won the US title! I was a big fan of R-Truth during his NWA-TNA run and his second coming to the WWE, but he needs a drastic change in his character to keep fans interested. He gained a count-out victory this week against Fandango. Nothing impressive.

Rating: * ¼

Fandango:

Analysis: To be honest, I have become a fan of Fandango’s character. Curtis is playing it to perfection, but this week, he was involved in yet another 3 minute match/segment that no one really cared about. How can you make people care about someone? How about booking him in a 15 minute match with a clean finish? Maybe that’s too much to ask.

Rating: **

Alberto Del Rio:

Analysis: The former world champion has been impressive in recent weeks, and is booked as a threat for the World title. I’m still not okay with Ziggler losing almost every TV match he is involved in, as it doesn’t do justice to the person holding a major title. Anyway, ADR had another good match with Ziggler while it lasted.

Rating: ***

Dolph Ziggler:

Analysis: He’s one of the most talented superstars in the company, and the current world champion. But no one takes him seriously, and why should they? He keeps losing almost all of his matches, albeit he makes his opponents look good while doing it. That’s why he’s such a phenomenal athlete. Ziggler had another 15 minute encounter with ADR before being DQ’d.

Rating: *** ¼

Jack Swagger:

Analysis: Swagger’s post match beat down was pretty impressive. He completely destroyed Ricardo by spearing him with the ladder, and took out Ziggler and ADR. That was one of the highlights coming out of the episode. Can he become the new World champion? I wouldn’t mind seeing that, but I’m hoping Ziggler retains the title at Extreme Rules.

Rating: ***

The Shield:

Analysis: Instead of giving the three individuals separate rating, I’m considering them as one. The Shield have been pretty impressive, and they registered yet another win this week against the team of Kofi and the Usos. Soon, they might get to wear the tag titles around their waists, which will be interesting to say the least.

Rating: ***

Kofi and the Usos:

Analysis: The US champion teamed up with the Usos to take on The Shield, but failed to register a victory. Nothing spectacular.

Rating: **

Antonio Cesaro:

Analysis: Here’s one man who is being grossly underutilised. Cesaro is a phenomenal talent, and had a 200-odd day run as the US Champ. He had a squash victory of Ryder, who at this point, is completely buried, and cut a good promo after the match. Hopefully, he will be involved in more meaningful feuds going forward.

Rating: ***

Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar:

Analysis: If I were to pick the three top stars for the night, Lesnar and Heyman would easily make the list, along with Sandow. Heyman proved once again why he is one of the greatest managers of all time, and Lesnar showed great intensity in the segment. They drove the point home, and in the end, came out looking good.

Rating: *** ½

Triple H:

Analysis: Usually, Triple H does a good job with his promos. But this week, it felt pointless, as Hunter just said things he normally says. He took up a lot of time, which could and should have been reduced.

Rating: **

I’m not going to review the Divas match, as I can’t give negative ratings to anyone.

Kane:

Analysis: Kane is one of the better performers in the company, and can make anyone look good. Although Ryback didn’t come out looking as good as he did against Daniel Bryan (He was going head to head with the best wrestler in the world. So that doesn’t surprise anyone), but Kane made him look like a star, which was the point to begin with. In the end, Kane did his job well.

Rating: ***

Well, that does it for this week’s superstar ratings. Let us know what you think, and who you believe made the biggest impact by commenting below.