Cesaro Proves Himself Main Event Worthy When Given Spotlight

When Cesaro climbs between the ropes under the bright lights and begins to batter his foes with uppercuts, he looks every bit like a main eventer.

WWE certainly hasn't treated The Swiss Superman like a marquee act, but he continues to give glimpses of what he could do on center stage. He continues to provide examples of his ability to deliver headliner-level performances.

As fans saw again on Monday's Raw, when offered substantial ring time and a high-profile opponent, Cesaro thrives.

Just about every one of John Cena's open challenge matches for the United States Championship has been excellent. In Washington, D.C., with Kevin Owens watching from the announce desk, Cena took on Cesaro in his latest impromptu title bout. The result was a tremendous mix of technical wrestling and brawling, a contest that drew in the audience and held their attention throughout.

This was more than just another successful edition of Cena's open challenge, though. This was a teaser of what could be with Cesaro.

The bout felt especially big as the bell rang and the two wrestlers eyed each other from a distance. Electricity increased as the action unfolded, both Cesaro and Cena expertly playing puppet master with the fans.

Cesaro vs. Cena went for over 20 minutes before Owens stepped in, ending the clash without a proper ending. It has to rank as one of the best TV matches of the year and is in the conversation for Cena's best U.S. title match on Raw to date.

The critics raved about it. Former ECW champ Tommy Dreamer called it "amazing":

Will Pruett of ProWrestling.net had similar thoughts:

And as ProWrestlingMag noted, Cesaro's performance was proof that he "can hang":

A great match does not a star make, but when Cesaro is given an opportunity like this, he makes it clear he belongs on a high level. In the heat of the spotlight, he looks plenty comfortable. Going up against one of the biggest names in the business, he looks as if he belongs.

This is nothing new from the powerhouse.

His chances at big matches are scarce, but when they come he makes sure they are memorable. Flash back to Elimination Chamber 2014 when Cesaro took on Randy Orton, Daniel Bryan and others inside the steel structure for the WWE title.

Cesaro flourished in a field filled with top names. His brawls with Sheamus and his flurries inside the chamber were among the moments that most stood out in that match.

In February last year, WWE pitted him against Cena in a match that, like the one from Monday's Raw, felt like it belonged at the end of a pay-per-view. His collision with Bryan in a Gauntlet match in 2013 was simply stellar and one of the year's highlights.

During the lead-up to the 2014 Elimination Chamber event, he and Orton tore the house down on SmackDown.

Again what would normally be a standard TV match became something special thanks to Cesaro being clutch and one of the most well-rounded mat workers on the roster today. Again he faced main event level competition and looked like a main eventer in the process.

The trouble is, WWE doesn't open the door for Cesaro like this often enough.

Looking at his CageMatch.net profile, one sees that his opponents in 2015 have not exactly been major stars. He's faced Big E on Raw, Bo Dallas on Superstars and Kofi Kingston on SmackDown in recent action. The last singles match on Raw or SmackDown of his to go over the 10-minute mark was a loss to Ryback last November.

WWE hasn't made Cesaro a high priority, but he keeps showing that it should. 

He's by no means a mic master, but there's plenty of "it" factor and charisma when he wrestles. And fans have shown that they will forgive a lack of interview prowess if there's enough in-ring excitement to make up for it.

Rey Mysterio doesn't talk on a main event level, but got big-time opportunities thanks to his high-flying prowess. Bret Hart was once the centerpiece of the franchise despite being below average on the mic. What they have in common with Cesaro is that when it came time to tell a story in the ring, they left fans breathless, thrilled and gushing about what they saw unfold on the mat.

The King of Swing did that on Monday night. And he has done that at an impressive clip when asked to be a more prominent part of the show.

It's time for WWE to start putting Cesaro in that position on a more permanent basis.