Top superstars of the show - WWE RAW (24/06/13)

It’s not an easy task to follow up on a show as awesome as the RAW last week, where WWE put out one of the best shows in a very long time. This week’s show though, delivered on most levels and was as much of a treat as the last one…well, almost!

The action in the ring was splendid and featured amazing matches, while storylines leading into the summer extravaganza were furthered without being rushed too much. Be it the CM Punk – Heyman angle, McMahons’ warring family act and Cena-Henry storyline, the pace seems set for timely build-up for all of these angles.

However, the storyline involving the Divas championship and Sheamus – Rhodes Scholars looked to be where it was earlier, though the latter has a new wrinkle added in the form of Christian, who teamed up this week with the Irish Fella. But, as a passionate wrestling fan who still believes that one of the W in the WWE stands for wrestling, I feel we were spoilt for choice with the wrestling matches on display and so, my picks for this week’s superstars of the show were also the ones who shone in the ring the brightest.

Randy Orton

The Viper has been one of the mainstays of the company for a very long time now, but off late he has been relegated to a mid-card position and it was a pleasant sight to see him in the main-event of the night and in the able company of the ‘Goatface’, boy did he deliver!

Orton, already a veteran in this business, has always been a great worker and capable of consistently producing good-to-great matches with most people in the company. He does get a bit of heat for being predictable and essentially wrestling the same type of match every time. But this Monday night, he pulled out all the stops when it came to wrestling a match in a style that suited his adversary more. And it wasn’t even a pay-per-view.

Both men left it all in the ring, and outside of it (thanks to the street fight rules) and Randy took major punishment and didn’t wrestle his usual style which sees him controlling the proceedings. While the match ended with DB as the winner, Orton sure didn’t lose and his show of sportsmanship went down great with the audience.

Chris Jericho

RAW is Jerichooooo…..very hard to argue when this man says it, because it isn’t just a catchphrase that caught on. It really is the truth and for Y2J to be doing it this good for this long, it is nothing short of mind-boggling.

I am a huge Jericho-holic and one of the many reasons why is because of his incomparable work rate. While guys from the earlier era who still wrestle, such as Taker, Rock & Triple H are essentially inactive or on a part-time schedule, Jericho is still hanging in there with the best the industry has to offer on a weekly basis and does better than all on most nights.

The quintessential company man that he is, he doesn’t choose his spots or positioning and gives his 100 % every night and last Monday was no different. His match with the World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio was spectacular and filled with near-falls and it didn’t even end with a proper result. He even put Dolph over on his way out off the match, further solidifying his ‘bullet-proof’ status.

Daniel Bryan

What can be said about this guy, who seems to be making a habit of stealing the show every time there is a show!

It speaks volume about his star-status that the pint-sized Bryan got to open the show and close the show too. In between all of that, we were treated to pure sports-entertainment, with energetic promos and breathtaking action in the ring. His match with Orton was deservedly the main-event and left no one guessing on whether Daniel Bryan has arrived.

Not the one to slow his pace for anyone, he found able company in Orton who kept his end up and the result was violence at its artistic best. A chairshot, kendo stick shots to the head and crashing through the table couldn’t put the little man away and when he cranked on the Yes Lock with all his might, pulling Orton with the weapon, we saw a sight that added more credibility to DB’s imminent shot at the WWE championship….a tap-out by the ‘Apex Predator’!

An awesome match to end a great night for the WWE.