WWE RAW: Most improved superstar of the week

As a fan, you have to like the product WWE is presenting today. Sure, it isn’t the best that the WWE can do, but it is a lot better than what once was. Remember when the highlight of the show used to be Santino Marella running around with the prestigious Intercontinental championship? Or John Cena making poop jokes and being the unquestioned face of the company? Today, we have two cult heroes in Daniel Bryan and CM Punk as the number one and two faces respectively of the company. As a wrestling fan, there is very less you can ask for.

There has been one other superstar, who after swimming around in the bush leagues is finally finding his feet in the WWE. He has been with the company for over 10 years, and has been one of the most entertaining superstars in the past couple of years. If you had asked me a couple of years ago whether Hunter Hearst Helmsley’s earlier gimmick would work in the current WWE, I would have said no. Who in their right minds would want to see a colloquial narcissist whose gimmick is that of a gentleman who would attack people? By adding another dimension to such a character, this performer has received praises for carrying himself so well. He is none other than Mr. Monday in the Bank, the intellectual saviour of the masses, Damien Sandow.

This past week, Sandow was involved in a match against the human highlight reel and the number one contender for the World Heavyweight championship, Rob Van Dam. The match went for just over 10 minutes, and although Sandow ended up on the losing side, he was the most improved performer of the week. With Sandow holding the Money in the Bank briefcase and with Cody Rhodes out of the picture, there is a good chance that Sandow can cash in his contract at next month’s Night of Champions PPV. With the management high on Sandow’s work ethic and his presence, that might just happen.

There is little to no doubt in anyone’s mind that Sandow has been one of the most underutilized superstars over the past couple of years. With Cody Rhodes by his side, both the performers became a part of one of the most entertaining tag teams in recent memory. Rhodes Scholars were unsuccessful in getting their hands on the tag team gold, but with Sandow now pursuing a singles career, one has to believe that the former Idol Stevens can become the next breakout star in the company. The biggest loophole that the WWE now faces is putting the Cody–Sandow feud on hold.

There were reports that Cody would face Sandow at the Night of Champions PPV with the Money in the Bank briefcase on the line. Cody has defeated Sandow a couple of times before, and has earned the opportunity to fight Damien Sandow for the briefcase. This past week, Cody Rhodes was unceremoniously fired from the WWE, and with Rhodes now being out of the picture for a while, it will be interesting to see what the WWE has in store for Damien Sandow. One feels that this is the perfect opportunity for the WWE to insert Damien Sandow into the main event scene, since he can cash in his briefcase any time he wants without getting interrupted by Cody.

The paradigm of the WWE is slowly shifting, and with only few more days to go to the Night of Champions PPV, it will be interesting to see what WWE comes up with for Damien Sandow. Although Sandow lost this week, he can easily cash in his contract against the winner of the RVD–Alberto Del Rio match at the PPV, and defeat the already tired competitor to get his hands on the big gold belt for the very first time. Will that actually happen? We can only wait and find out.