WWE Monday Night RAW, 7th January 2014 - Superstar Ratings

The Wyatt Family

The first episode of Raw in 2014 had all the glitz and tension to make it one of the best shows of the year to come.

The old school themed show clearly made maximum usage of the returning legends and put them into tensed situation with the current roster. Ric Flair and Roddy Piper showed that the skills they have for cutting promos is still intact while Rikishi, Jake Roberts and Sgt. Slaughter put in some nostalgic in ring performances along with the new age outlaws.

On the present side of the roster, Daniel Bryan made his debut as a Wyatt family member. The Shield looks closer to their eventual explosion while Roman Reigns continues to get the big push. To sum up there were lot of action to make it worth seeing again. So here is a look at how the superstars performed in the latest edition of WWE’s flagship show.

3MB- 3/10

3MB

Though the trio is assigned to the comedy genre of the show, 3MB always produces the goods and does the task wonderfully.

Their work this week was to make look Too cool good and give the fans a nostalgic moment. Though they did it with dedication the fact that Drew McIntyre is being wasted for such a gimmick is unacceptable.

The best part however is that they at least got some time on live television with some Attitude era legends.

The Great Khali- 5/10

The Great Khali

There isn’t much needed to say about how Khali is being used by the WWE. After his initial push which saw him destroy The Undertaker and win the World heavyweight championship, Khali has been relegated to a comic character.

His match with Sandow was nothing short of embarrassing but a win gives the big man a credible rating. After all a win is a win itself.

Damien Sandow- 5/10

Damien Sandow

A talent like Sandow being used for comedic purpose only in a degrading heel scene doesn’t make any sense what so ever.

Last week at least he had the luxury of winning the match, but this time not only he lost the match to a man that could barely walk, Sandow also got his rear kicked by a man that’s the age of his grandfather. Sandow is on a downward spiral now and is a prime example of talent being wasted.

Curtis Axel- 5/10

Curtis Axel

One of the biggest failures of 2013, Axel seems to be heading in the wrong direction this year also. He gained nothing in his squash match against Langston and seemed to be setting up a clash between Langston and Ryback rather than benefiting his own career.

There is no direction whatsoever for Axel now, and it looks destined to continue for some time unless any miracle happens.

Sin Cara – 5.5/10

Sin Cara

Just when you thought that the masked man was getting a big push, he hits on the roadblock called Alberto Del Rio.

Ever since, Hunico started performing under the mask, Sin Cara was shown more interesting in the ring. But his latest match didn’t have anything to boast as it was plane below average one. It didn’t have the chemistry like his previous matches and a loss adds salt to the wound.

Alberto Del Rio- 6/10

Alberto Del Rio

The Mexican returned to in ring action after a concussion and went straight to finish his feud with Sin Cara.

Though the match didn’t have any fireworks as mentioned earlier, Del Rio seemed to be back on track to be crowned as the king of mid card. The taunt involving Batista will also work wonders for Del Rio as he could get a high profile match with the Animal. So the WrestleMania season seems to be bright for him if he is booked the same way as this week.

The Usos- 6.5/10

The Usos

As usual there was a lot of energy from the Usos on a night where their father also performed. There weren’t anything special from the Usos as the Wyatt family stole the show.

The tag team match was solid and the Usos now have great momentum as they head to the Royal Rumble. Maybe another shot at the Tag team titles will drop in the future since they are the hottest team in the division at the moment.

Rey Mysterio- 6.5/10

Rey Mysterio

It was good to see the high flying veteran make his return to the ring. There were glimpses of the problem he is having with his legs but Rey still managed to produce the speed which made him famous in the first place.

But like the Usos, Mysterio was also overshadowed by the Wyatts. In-ring action clearly helps Mysterio since it’s better to see him in the ring rather than being invisible.

Randy Orton -6.5

Randy Orton

The Unified champion was given the task of re-igniting his feud with John Cena after Stephanie McMahon’s big announcement.

And since it was old school Raw, the creative decided to give the legend killer a helping hand by giving one of the best microphone performers in the history of professional wrestling, Ric Flair.

There were shades of Orton’s old legend killer gimmick which was a refreshing thing to see. He hasn’t been in the ring for quite some time now and the company should be thinking about giving the same so that he doesn’t look rusty at Royal Rumble. But for now, though the promo didn’t produce anything noteworthy it was good to see Orton get some television time with his old mentor.

John Cena- 6.5/10

John Cena

Like Orton, Cena didn’t have much to do in Raw than re-launching their feud for Royal Rumble. There were no traces or mention of Lesnar in the whole thing which made it rather stale.

But the skill that Cena possess to produce that occasional giggles and witty counters is worth mentioning. He might not have been involved in the in-ring work, but Cena left his typical mark on the show alongside Flair.

There wasn’t anything new about the clash, so for the moment let’s just go with the flow and wait for Royal Rumble to conclude so that this storyline would move further.

Big E Langston- 7/10

Big E Langston

There seems to be no-one in the roster that could put a stop to Langston’s run. His run of winning matches reminds us of Goldberg more than what Ryback makes us do.

The push that is currently assigned to the big guy seems to be in the right direction so far and we could see Langston consolidating his main event spot this year. The intercontinental championship is stuck around Langston’s waist for the time being so expect some more title defenses in the near future which would be extended squash matches.

The Real Americans and Rhodes Brothers – 7.5/10

The Real Americans

The tag team division is slowly creating a slot between the mid card and the main event scene which is consistent and entertaining.

Two of the best teams in that division, the Real Americans and Rhodes brothers produced another high paced match which was a treat in the old school Raw. The relevance of the tag team titles seems to be increasing as weeks pass by and cum WrestleMania expect it to be booming than the other midcard ones.

Brock Lesnar- 7.5/10

Brock Lesnar

The beast made another statement this week by breaking Mark Henry’s arm. The momentum from last week seems to be intact without any drop.

Paul Heyman seemed solid as ever with his character. Henry seems to be out of the situation for now and the introduction of Big Show to the proceedings was a nice touch. Lesnar’s short term target might be set now and his presence itself works like a terrifying feat among the fans.

Big Show- 7.5/10

Big Show

After being booked in a rollercoaster manner over 2013, Show seemed to be a legitimate threat this week when he ran in for the save.

In the long run, Show might fall as victim to the beast but a brief moment that reminded the fans of how dominating he was, was a good thing for the giant.

Show is bound to receive the limelight for some time with his feud with Lesnar and he badly needed this too.

CM Punk- 8/10

CM Punk

Punk, Cena and Orton all belong to the same caste. They are stars that the company is built around, and while Cena and Orton enjoy the luxury of getting their nights cut short only to a promo, Punk does double duty by getting involved with the microphone and giving a main event.

His match with Roman Reigns was nothing short of an amazing encounter and Punk even showed the dedication to take a fall to put over a young star. He has taken a central role in the Shield breaking angle and seems to be sinking into the role well.

Expect Punk to do the job well and return to the title seen soon because that’s where he belongs.

Wyatt Family and Daniel Bryan – 8/10

Wyatt Family

Now it’s safe to say that Daniel Bryan is actually part of the Wyatt Family. From being an underdog who was pulled down constantly by the Authority to being member of the creepiest gang in WWE, the transformation of Bryan is currently the backbone of the company.

Seeing him along with the captivating Wyatts makes the situation creepier yet interesting. In terms of storyline, the development in this case deserves appreciation.

Thought Bryan lost with his first outing with his new family members, he looks determined to change the landscape of WWE. A teaming up of Bray Wyatt and Bryan promises to produce sparkles and that’s why the Wyatt family gets a better rating even in defeat.

Roman Reigns – 9/10

Roman Reigns

By the looks of it, Reigns is all set to follow the path that was once build by the WWE for Batista. his win over Punk has stamped him as the best member of the Shield.

The tension among the trio is at its epitome now and Reigns is going to reap all the benefits from the split. His resume is building up impressively. The win against Punk where his tag partners lost, is another golden feather in his crown.

There is a lot more coming from this guy and being the standout performer of the show this week it only the start of things.