Jason Jordan Shines in Loss to Roman Reigns, Continues to Elevate WWE Raw Stock

As the lights pointed at Jason Jordan get brighter, the suplex savant keeps upping his game.

On Monday's WWE Raw, Jordan flourished opposite Roman Reigns, putting on arguably the night's best match. Jordan was supposed to be a pawn in Reigns' rivalry with John Cena here but came out looking like an absolute star.

The former SmackDown tag champ kicking off Raw with a banger against Reigns comes one week after doing the very same against Cena.

After the storyline reveal that Raw general manager Kurt Angle is Jordan's long-lost father, WWE hasn't given Jordan much of a narrative to work with. He hasn't had a sustained rival to collide with. Instead, he finds himself caught in a feud with bigger stars than himself as Cena and Reigns have competed to see who could beat him faster.

But Jordan has thrived in this supporting role. 

He battled Cena on the Labor Day edition of Raw and looked most excellent in the process. He pushed and tested Cena and held his own in there with the 16-time world champ. Jordan made the most of his opportunity with top-notch competition. 

On Monday night, Jordan tangled with Reigns. The Big Dog toppled the emerging star, but Jordan's performance was a bigger topic of conversation. 

RealSport writer Kyle Fowle was among those impressed with what they saw:

Jordan showed off great power and intensity. His facial expressions were compelling, dramatic, pronounced.

He continues to develop a signature move set and continues to get his footing as a solo act. In one exchange, Jordan beautifully countered the Superman Punch and cranked on a crossface. And his consecutive Northern Lights suplexes are downright gorgeous. 

During his run as one-half of American Alpha, he didn't get this much time in the ring on his own.

His old partner, Chad Gable, often carried the load. Jordan charged in late in the match and relied on his energy and athleticism. Now as a singles star, he's been allowed more room to spread his wings.

That evolution and the fact that he looked like he belonged on the same stage as both Cena and Reigns are more important than whether he earned a W at the end of those bouts.

As The Canvas Theory pointed out, Jordan claimed a pair of victories despite what it says in the record books:

That's spot-on. Jordan went up against two top-tier guys and looked fantastic. He was one of Raw's highlights for two weeks running. One can't make a career on that, but it's a hell of a start for a young guy charging up the ladder.

Wrestlers have to have matches like these to snag the audience's attention and make a name for themselves.

WWE needs to keep feeding him grade-A foes. An Intercontinental Championship clash with The Miz should be on the horizon, as well as showdowns with Cesaro or Samoa Joe. Jordan looks more than ready to take them all head-on.