WWE Raw: Three Stars of the Night for Nov. 6, 2023

Welcome to our Three Stars feature, where I take inspiration from hockey’s “three stars” tradition to highlight the three standout performers following one of WWE’s flagship shows. These rankings are based on how entertained or impressed I was by an individual or group’s work, be it a remarkable match, a stunning move, or a compelling promo or segment.

So, without further introduction, here are Raw’s three stars for Nov. 6, 2023.

1. Sami Zayn

Raw kicked off with Seth Rollins and Sami Zayn exchanging kind words after the latter kept the former from becoming a Money in the Bank cash-in victim at Crown Jewel. Rollins said he wanted to repay Zayn for the favor, but Zayn declined, saying his intention wasn’t to gain anything from Rollins. Instead, he was working to prevent Judgment Day from becoming the Bloodline 2.0.

Still, Rollins persisted, and the two agreed to meet for the World title later that evening.

The former Ring of Honor standouts then went on to have a stellar match where Zayn proved once again that he’s deserving of a world title run, even if it is brief. Admittedly, I was hesitant to get emotionally invested as I was expecting Judgment Day to ruin this. But as the encounter drew to a close, I found myself sucked in.

Zayn scored several near-falls and looked to have Rollins moments from tapping out to a Boston Crab until the champion rolled the challenger up for a surprise pin. Despite the loss, Zayn was fire on all fronts and should still be regarded as a world title threat.

2. Ivar

Ivar has been making the most of his opportunities as a singles performer ever since his Viking Raiders partner Erik was shelved due to injury. During the Fatal 4-Way match to determine Gunther’s next victim challenger, Ivar made a good showing for himself, drawing strong reactions to his offense from the fans gathered in Pennsylvania’s Mohegan Sun Arena.

But following a wonky finish that saw The Miz score the win, Ivar went on a tear. He pummeled the Hollywood A-Lister with a shower of fists, eliciting boos from the crowd before punctuating the beatdown with a crushing moonsault.

via WWE’s YouTube

Based on the post-match angle, we should expect to see more out of Ivar in the coming weeks, which is a good thing. Ivar in hoss fights with Gunther or Bronson Reed should make for an excellent 15 minutes of television.

3. Kofi Kingston

The New Day battled the Judgment Day in Raw’s opening contest, and for what it was, it was a solid television match. Yet what stood out to me was the performance of New Day member Kofi Kingston.

Some might say that the 15-year veteran has slowed down thanks to injuries in recent years. But Kingston’s movements and energy were as crisp as ever here. At one point, Finn Bálor attempted a monkey flip on Kingston, but the former WWE Champion countered by landing on his feet. Later, Kingston hit a perfect somersault plancha to the floor, and he showed impeccable timing on one of his signature spots as he slid between the middle ropes to deliver a kick to the face of a charging Damian Priest.

via WWE’s YouTube

Ultimately, though, the New Day fell to the tag champs. It was an odd booking decision by WWE after Kingston and Xavier Woods recently announced their intentions to make a run for the titles. Still, seeing Kingston bounce around the ring like it was 2008 was a joy to watch.

Now, I turn it over to you, Cagesiders. Who are your three stars of Raw? Let me know in the comments section.