Superstar Spotlight: It's A Long Way (To The Top...)

There have been a handful of people saying RAW didn't make any progress, and they are just waiting for the return of John Cena. You might be right, but you can't argue that nothing happened in the past week or so. I may be in the minority, but I saw a few things to be optimistic about. You'll always have people whining about wanting 'their guy' to be pushed to the top, but as you know in WWE, they mostly do what they want. Here's another way to look at it: there isn't room yet for everyone yet. You still have your top guys like Randy Orton and John Cena, and the guys right below them like CM Punk and Sheamus. After that, it's really a crapshoot; there's a lack of definition between mid and low card anymore, and people classify wrestlers as championship stars, the middle, and jobbers. Without getting into another argument about revamping the midcard, people are doing the best they can with the position they are in. 

Wade Barrett is one of my favorite stars today. He seemed like he was in good position in the beginning of the year to be in the title picture, but an unfortunate injury sidelined him for awhile. Wade is back with a new gimmick and finisher, but there are those of you out there who still complain that he should be immediately pushed. What's wrong with reintroducing him to the crowds for a few weeks? If I can be bold, I don't see Big Show being a major part of the title picture. I see Sheamus winning at Hell In A Cell, but part of me can see him holding the title for a month or two. Maybe Wade is next in line, who the hell knows. What I do know, is that Wade is actually putting his background to good use, and he's not saddled down with a stable anymore. (Not saying Nexus was bad, I liked them but WWE screwed that up.) I like the direction Wade is headed in, and I think he could make more of an impact if he had a specific secondary finisher, but it is currently being used by another guy in the 'spotlight.'

How great has Antonio Cesaro been? According to some, not very impressive, but I think people expected him to be teaming with Kassius Ohno (Chris Hero) or something like his Ring of Honor character. He is basically playing the same guy but he had a bit of an odd introduction to the 'Universe'. I'm glad they didn't just make him an outsider learning to wrestle, and he worked well with Aksana and Teddy Long but he came in with skill. I'm a fan; I think he makes the (Very) European uppercut look brutal, and I think the Gotch Neutralizer is a good enough alternate finisher. His relationship with Aksana had basically run it's course, although I do like managers/valets I think Cesaro is a guy who can do without one. He is a good United States Champion (although anything is better than what Santino did) and I love his character. He's a perfect blend between a comedic foreigner like Santino, without the over-the-top goofiness, and he has a little bit of Nikolai Volkoff and Iron Sheik in him. Cesaro is proud of being European, but he can handle himself in the ring and I think you can build a midcard division around him.

Speaking of building a division around someone, how about Damien Sandow? I know he's now a 'Rhodes Scholar,' but as long as he continues to be featured it's a good thing. Sandow does a lot of things right; he pulls off everything from cutting an effective promo to the way he cradles a microphone like a goblet. You tend to notice little things, and right now he is up there with CM Punk as far as pulling things off and making those little extra steps or references work. Sandow should help Cody Rhodes get back in the spotlight, which is good because they work well together. I didn't specifically say which division to put Sandow in, because he looked to be a key part of singles division, but tagging with Cody doesn't hurt either. It gives him room to breathe on a crowded roster, which was the point of the whole argument. I like the tag team tournament; I like all of the new teams because although they could be called 'thrown together,' they have purposes for being aligned in the first place. Sandow will be a success with Cody, but he works a hell of a singles match as we saw on Monday night. Either way he goes he's going to be a great star because he doesn't seemed forced and he has an arrogance about him that makes you want to hate him. Your welcome.

There you have it, just three guys alone that are doing good things, they are just making the rest of the show a better experience. I don't want all three guys shot to the top immediately because they are all fine tuning themselves at a good pace. The reason other guys in the past failed in the past is because the were given the spotlight too quickly. I'm not picking on them, but look at Jack Swagger and Drew McIntyre. Both of them were given the platform but never had anyone completely behind them, and they are struggling to get back on track. I say let the guys I mentioned continue to get better, and they will get their shot in due time. Instead of WWE waiting for Cena and ruining pushes, they are giving these guys a small test to see what they can do. So far Wade, Cesaro and Sandow have been great and they just get better as they go. There are good things on television you just have to find them. 

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