Superstars of the show - WWE RAW 9/9/13

Daniel Bryan was impressive, yet again

I knew going into RAW last night that it would be good as it was being done out of Toronto, Canada. Canadians love them some good ol’ wrestling and it seems to me that while there have been so many Canadians on the WWE roster, the promotion just doesn’t go there enough because the crowd goes nuts everytime the show is out of cities such as Toronto, Montreal, Calgary etc. It has always got a ‘RAW after WrestleMania” feel to it. And last night was no different.

Hometown heroes such as Edge and the returning Santino Marella got thunderous receptions while Daniel Bryan could have easily passed off as being a Canadian just by the response he got. And surprisingly, so did Goldust who appeared on RAW for the first time in three years. Along with that, we also had the self-indulgent chants going every-time the action got a tad too slow, from the one for the commentators to the superstars of the past (Chris Jericho, Randy Savage, Undertaker). And oh yes, in what seemed to have been a thing of the past, the crowd started fandangoing when the superstar and his entrance theme made its presence felt. He must have felt real good I am sure.

On to the in-ring action, I thought it was a great go-home show for the WWE and built up great anticipation for this Sunday’s pay-per-view, Night of Champions. Easily among the best RAW shows this year, every segment from last night was spot on and there were some clear instances where lines were blurred between reality and fiction. Edge opened the show and the following exchange with Triple H was an excellent way to start things off. Given the realism in the barbs they threw at each other, I would have loved for them to settle it in the ring, but I don’t think that’s going to happen. And boy oh boy, was AJ Lee on fire or what, when doing commentary, throwing stingers at Jerry Lawler who seemed to be taken by surprise.

This week, the superstars of the show are the ones who in my opinion showed the most presence and garnered the best reactions of the night. So, let’s get right to it:

Bray Wyatt

I am a fan of the gimmick and the guy oozes charisma and promise like no other. Along with the creepy and yet enchanting entrance, Bray Wyatt showed last night how well he can work. Paired up against the show-off Dolph Ziggler, it was a departure from the usual staple of squash matches and the big guy was extremely impressive with his athleticism and ability to move aroundin the ring.

Watch out for the guy as he is poised for great things in the future. Also, he has a cool-sounding finishing move called Sister Abigail. He should go far.

Daniel Bryan

While in the storyline, Randy Orton is being pushed as the Face of the WWE, Bryan clearly has the audience on his side. An elated crowd thrusting their hands upward with the fingers pointing out, cheered on Bryan as he finally looked strong on RAW after weeks of being pushed to the side by the evil corporation.

After being a guest on the Cutting Edge to open the show where Bryan held his own, he was entrusted main-event responsibility yet again and he delivered with yet another terrific showing against Dean Ambrose of the Shield. After the match ended, just when it looked like yet another beat-down was about to follow, Daniel Bryan managed to overcome the odds and the show went off the air with him celebrating with the WWE title, as if he had just won it. Definitely would entice people to buy the pay-per-view in the hopes that he may actually win the title.

Goldust

Dustin Runnels made a comeback to the WWE after 3 years and was immediately put in a high-pressure match against the champion Randy Orton with the stipulation that his brother Cody Rhodes’s contract was on the line. Before the match, highlights from the career of The Bizarre One was shown throughout the show and it was great to see the talented Goldust getting so much airtime.

His match against Orton was excellent and elicited a much-deserved ‘You’ve still got it’ chants from the WWE Universe. His counters were fun to watch and the match was worked at a very brisk pace. Even though he lost, I am hoping this isn’t the last time we have seen the Goldust character as it’s a very entertaining act and Dustin owns the gimmick.