Hey guys, I just got back from the RAW Brand House Show at the Citizen’s Business Bank Arena in Ontario, CA. Here’s The Champ’s Report for the show.
Match #1
Brodus Clay w/Naomi and Cameron vs Jack Swagger
Swagger played the cowardly heel in this match. He kept attacking and retreating throughout the match. Brodus mocked him by doing a Chicken Dance. Brodus ends the match with a Big Splash. 1-2-3.
Winner: Brodus Clay
Brodus was way over with the crowd.
Match #2
Tensai vs Bo Dallas
A few Albert chants broke out as usual. The crowd was dead for the most part during this match. A side note, I realize that Bo isn’t even on the main roster yet, but what a generic titantron he has. It makes Braden Walker’s look like Randy Orton’s. Tensai dominated this match. Bo Dallas barely got any offense in at all. Bo was up against the turnbuckles and Tensai came charging towards him. Bo avoids it and rolls up Tensai 1-2-3.
Winner: Bo Dallas
We are now joined by the WWE Champion, CM Punk (who was limping to the ring). He says he is not cleared for singles competition tonight. He has a doctor’s note to prove it. He said “This is real life and I will not be competing tonight. Ontario, go back to doing whatever you do.” Dolph Ziggler’s music hit. He comes out with Big E Langston and AJ Lee. Dolph is wearing a surgeon’s mask and says he is sick with the flu and he cannot compete either. He has a doctor’s note as well. Vickie Guerrero comes out and makes Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk vs John Cena and Ryback for the Main Event. She also announces that The Miz will challenge Antonio Cesaro for the United States and we can vote for the stipulation. We can vote for a NoDQ Match or a 2 out of 3 Falls Match. NoDQ wins by a landslide.
Match #3
Alex Riley vs Damien Sandow
Damien cuts his basic promo. He says “What” is his least favorite word as the crowd chants it. A decent match with A-RY really being over with the crowd. Sandow hits the Terminus after the Cubito Aequet and this one is over 1-2-3.
Winner: Damien Sandow
You’re Welcome.
Antonio Cesaro appears on the video screen. He basically cuts the same promo where we Americans squander our opportunities (blah blah blah). He says he will be the United States Champion
for a long long long long long long long long long long long long long long long (yes, he said it that many times) long long time.
Match #4
Antonio Cesaro (c) vs The Miz in a No Disqualification Match for the United States Championship
This is one of the best matches that I have ever seen in person. A Kendo Stick and 2 Steel Chairs were in play. The crowd is chanting “We Want Tables!” Cesaro goes to the outside and pulls out a table much to the delight of the crowd. He realizes that he doesn’t like us, so he puts the table back under the ring. Miz catches him with a baseball slide and takes him down. Miz pulls out the same table, but Cesaro kicks it in Miz’s face. Cesaro picks up the table that Miz took out and puts it back under the ring. Major heat for that, I thought it was funny. Awesome spot happened when Miz had control of Antonio. Miz Irish Whipped Antonio off of the ropes, Miz attempted a Leap Frog, but Cesaro (all in one motion) snatched him out of mid-air and turned it into a sick Tilt-O-Whirl Backbreaker. Miz starts wearing down the Champion’s legs. Miz locks in the Figure Four in the middle of the ring. It look like Cesaro is going to tap, but he gets his hands on a Kendo Stick that was in the ring and blasts Miz in the head with it. Antonio hits the Swiss Death uppercut, but Miz kicks out. Miz gets the Kendo stick and hits his patented running clothesline with the Kendo Stick. Miz goes under the ring and grabs the same table that was pulled out twice. Miz tries to set up the table, but one of legs is broken. Miz lays the table against the corner turnbuckle and is calling for a Spear. Antonio uses the ref as a shield, which forces Miz to hit the brakes. Cesaro pokes Miz in the eye and quickly hits the Neutralizer..1-2-3.
Winner: And Still United States Champion Antonio Cesaro
Post Match, Cesaro tries to Suplex Miz through the table, but Miz blocks it. Miz tries to Suplex Cesaro through the Table, but Antonio blocks it. Miz is then able to Spear Antonio through the table. I can’t wait to see how this feud plays out on TV.
Intermission time
Match #5
Tamina Snuka vs Kaitlyn (c) for the WWE Divas Championship
I couldn’t believe the pop that Kaitlyn received, I didn’t think she was this over. Kaitlyn is still a little sloppy in the ring, but she is getting better. Tamina had her down and climbed to the top rope. I thought for sure that she was going to miss the Superfly Splash, but she connected. 1-2-Kickout by Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn hits the Spear and gets the 1-2-3.
Winner: And Still WWE Divas Champion Kaitlyn
Some guy sitting near me was singing Kaitlyn’s Theme very loudly. Weird, I guess he likes to “Spin the Bottle”.
Match #6
Cody Rhodes vs Zack Ryder
Not much to say about this one. A little “Cody’s Mustache” chant broke out. Zack hit the Broski Boot and the Rough Ryder to seal the victory. 1-2-3.
Winner: Zack Ryder
Main Event
CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler w/AJ Lee and Big E Langston vs John Cena and Ryback
I thought this was a match to protect CM Punk, but he took his fair share of bumps. As John Cena was sprinting to the ring, Punk tried to tackle him, but he missed. It was pretty funny to see. Punk and Ziggler made frequent tags and isolated Ryback from his corner. Ryback makes his comeback and nearly decapitates Ziggler with the Meathook Clothesline. He gets his “Finish It” in, but suddenly…Big E Langston is on the ring apron. They have a stare down and the crowd wants them to go at it. Langston gets down, but the distraction allows Ziggler to catch Ryback with a Superkick. Ryback recovers and makes the hot tag to Cena, but the ref doesn’t see it. While the ref is pulling Cena to his corner, Big E Langston gets in the ring and hits his Finisher EASILY on Ryback. He picked up Ryback as easily as he did Hornswoggle, I kid you not. Cena tattles on Big E and the ref looks to the crowd for advice. Big E Langston is ejected. AJ starts freaking out and shoves the referee while yelling at him. AJ is tossed as well. John Cena hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, followed by the AA on Dolph. 1-2-3.
Winners: John Cena & Ryback
Decent show overall. The US Title Match was great and the Main Event was very good. The rest seemed like filler.
During Monday’s RAW, a promo video aired for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony television special, which premieres next Tuesday night. Only Bruno Sammartino, Trish Stratus and Donald Trump’s inductions will be featured on the show.
Here is an updated statement from Mick Foley regarding the situation, including his plan to make fools of the people who decided against including him on the TV special:
“Thanks for all the messages of support concerning #WWEHOF. I’ll give the best speech I can, and let the decision makers make the decisions.”
“I’m in a much better frame of mind after watching my new DVD with my kids. I have SO much to be proud of. No way I’ll give fans anything less than the best possible speech I can. And if the powers-that-be decide not to air my speech on television, I’ll accept that it was a simply a decision that was beyond my control, and do everything I can – through the passion for my profession – to make that decision look as glaringly stupid as possible.”
Jonathan Woodgate thinks Tottenham striker Harry Kane has to leave north London for Real Madrid if the opportunity arises.
Kane is yet to win a trophy in his career, despite scoring 205 goals in 311 appearances for Spurs, and rumours of interest from Real won’t go away.
Woodgate, who played for both Tottenham and Real Madrid, doesn’t see Kane winning the Premier League at Spurs and urges him to leave for Madrid if he wants to reach the levels of Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi.
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“If Real Madrid come in for you – especially Harry Kane – he has got to go,” Woodgate told Stadium Astro. “If he wants to win trophies and get onto that next pedestal of Messi, Ronaldo and that type of player, he has to go.
“I don’t see him winning the league at Spurs, not this season and not in the next few seasons, they have got too much building to do to get up there with Liverpool and Man City. For me, if he wants to win the European Cup then he has got a chance of winning it at Real Madrid.”
Woodgate added: “I think his game has improved over the years. Harry Kane is an unbelievable No 9 but with the assists he has got this season, he can play 10. His passing and general play with his back to goal, he’s an exceptional footballer. He reminds me at times of Teddy Sheringham when he comes into those areas as a 10.
“For me, he is the best striker in the Premier League. Even when there is a fit [Sergio] Aguero, a fit Kane and fit [Jamie] Vardy, Kane is No 1 in the Premier League. He just gets better and better. He has a chance to break Alan Shearer’s record.”
Gary Neville claims Anthony Martial “needs to score 10 to 15 goals a season” if Man Utd have a chance of winning the Premier League title.
The Frenchman has so far contributed two Premier League goals this campaign as the Red Devils have moved level with Liverpool on 33 points at the top of the Premier League.
In comparison, Bruno Fernandes has scored 11 this term and Marcus Rashford has bagged seven, with Martial scoring another four in the League Cup and Champions League.
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On Martial’s low goalscoring record this season, Neville told Premier League Productions: “I was actually surprised by that stat [of Martial’s goal record this season], I didn’t know that stat before it was said in the interview.
“He’s someone that needs to score more goals, needs to score 10 to 15 goals a season, I think he needs to be up to that mark for United to have a chance of winning the league.
“He can’t just rely on a [Marcus] Rashford or a Fernandes to score the goals. He needs to be hitting those types of figures. I’d like to see him be more ruthless.”
Meanwhile, Man Utd now take a brief break from Premier League action as attention turns to the domestic cups. Watford arrive at Old Trafford in the FA Cup third round on Saturday, but first comes a crunch Carabao Cup semi-final against rivals Manchester City on Wednesday.
“Perfect start (to 2021), three points so we have to look forward now to keep doing well,” Fernandes told club media.
“We have another competition to play and we want to be in the final, so now time to recover, take the energy back to us and try to win that game.”
Arsenal defender William Saliba is on the verge of returning to France by joining Nice on loan, according to reports.
The 19-year-old is yet to make a Premier League appearance this season, despite joining for a £27 million fee in July 2019.
Due to Arsenal’s treatment of the youngster, he’s been the centre of plenty of transfer speculation.
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It now looks like the Gunners have decided on a move for the centre back.
According to the Evening Standard, Saliba will join Nice on loan at some point during the January transfer window.
The report states that talks are in an advanced stage between the two clubs. He is set to join until the end of the 2020/21 campaign.
The Ligue 1 side will not pay a loan fee, but have agreed to pay his weekly wages in full.
The Frenchman earns a reported £40,000 a week and his contract runs until June 2024.
The deal will reportedly not include a permanent option, as the Gunners see him as a bright star for the future.
The loan move will give Saliba a chance to regain some confidence in a league he is comfortable with.
He made 36 appearances in all competitions for previous club St Etienne, but he’s been reduced to Arsenal’s Premier League 2 side in North London.
The centre back has been previously linked with a return to St Etienne. Club captain, and former Arsenal player, Mathieu Debuchy said the club would be open to ‘welcoming Saliba back’.
That loan failed to materialise, with Nice becoming the only French side to submit a bid for Saliba.
Nice currently sit 12th in Ligue 1 after 16 matches. They’ve picked up 22 points during that time.
They started the season playing Europa League football, although Saliba won’t be able to feature in Europe as they finished bottom of Group C.
Everton are hoping to tie down Lucas Digne to a new long term contract after he was linked with a January move to Man City.
The left back has been in great form this season when he’s been available.
He was an important part of the Toffees’ exciting start to the campaign before picking up an injury in November.
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Digne has since been linked with a move to fellow Premier League side Man City, forcing Everton officials into action.
According to the Daily Mail, the Toffees are in talks with Digne about a new long term deal.
The report states that talks are looking ‘positive’, hinting at a swift conclusion for all parties involved.
Digne’s current deal expires in June 2023 and earns him a reported £90,000 a week.
That’s the deal he originally signed back in August 2018 when joining Everton from Barcelona for an £18 million fee.
Everton chiefs want to improve his current contract to prevent any interest in a move to City.
In December, Pep Guardiola’s side were linked with a big money move for Digne.
It’s thought that Guardiola had named the 27-year-old as his ideal left back, to replace the likes of Benjamin Mendy and Oleksandr Zinchenko.
Chelsea were also linked with the Frenchman in July, despite Everton deciding to hold out for a high fee.
Digne is currently training to return to the first team after receiving ankle surgery. Everton coaches are hoping that he will be back before the end of the month, when they play Steve Bruce’s Newcastle on Saturday 30th January.
Ancelotti is having to use versatile defender Ben Godfrey at left back. The 22-year-old has been impressive when called upon, but he provides far less attacking threat.
The Toffees’ next fixture is against Rotherham United on Saturday in the FA Cup.
Live from Houston, Texas this is the Raw Deal for episode #1025. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport.
The opening video package showed highlights of all the different Raw introductory video packages over the last twenty years. It was cool to see them all mixed together like that with the various songs playing during the montage.
Raw began with WWE Chairman Vince McMahon. Vince said over 4 billion viewers have watched Raw according to Neilsen ratings. Yes they count people many times more than once. Vince said people enjoyed Raw because he’s a certifiable genius…and because of the fans, who he thanked. He mentioned matches for later including Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena in a steel cage. He also spoke about how there would be a Rock concert in the ring. He hoped we would enjoy the show and before he could finish he was interrupted by Big Show.
Big Show was in a dress shirt and a suit jacket. No tie. The former World Champion wanted to address McMahon about the travesty that happened on Smackdown. McMahon didn’t like being interrupted or being called “Vince” like Big Show just did. McMahon said Show looked slender and referenced the title belt not being in his possession anymore. McMahon said everybody in Houston (cheap pop) needs to take a look at what happened on Smackdown. They aired a clip of the World Heavyweight Title change on Smackdown last week. JBL was at the announce table for Raw this week with Cole and Lawler, so they narrated what happened when Del Rio won the World Title in a Last Man Standing match. Del Rio won when he pushed the announce table onto a fallen Big Show.
Show complained about the fact that he had a World Title match last week. He mentioned his iron clad contract which means he had more power than anybody in the building. McMahon asked Show what he wanted. Show said he wanted McMahon to strip Del Rio of the World Heavyweight Championship.
That led us to the introduction of the new World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio thanks to Ricardo Rodriguez. No car. He just walked out. Only a car when he has matches, I guess. Del Rio said Show liked to bully Rodriguez, but when Show gets attacked he turns into a crybaby. Del Rio said instead of complaining he should do something about it like having a match against Big Show for the World Title. The crowd chanted “si si si” (that means yes), but Show said no because he’s not prepared. Del Rio told Show to “show some cojones” (that means have some balls – it’s a loose translation). Show said he’s not going to waste his rematch opportunity for tonight. He suggested the Royal Rumble. Show theorized that a smart man like him gets to choose his battleground and at the end of the night of the Royal Rumble they’re all going to be talking about him as the World Champion once again. Del Rio called Show a fat jackass. McMahon just looked on without saying anything. Del Rio had a bucket. Rodriguez grabbed it. Show threatened him that he would break his spine in half if he threw water on him. Rodriguez threw it and it was a bucket of confetti in the colors of the Mexican flag. Show was angry, so he went after Del Rio. Del Rio took him down with a hurricanrana (yes really) and then gave Show an enziguiri kick in the corner. Show retreated. Vince McMahon said: “Ladies and gentlemen, the World Heavyweight Champion – Alberto Del Rio.”
Analysis: Good segment. Show comes off as a bit of a coward as a heel while Del Rio got right in his face and wanted them to have their rematch right there. Instead it’s coming at the Royal Rumble. At the end of it, McMahon gave Del Rio his endorsement as a way to put him over as a new babyface that has been elevated by winning the World Title. The crowd reacted favorably to Del Rio, so that’s a good sign. I think Del Rio’s win meant a lot because Show has been booked as a dominant heel for the last six months or so. It was treated like a big deal when Del Rio won the World Title and that’s how he was presented here.
This feels like the right place to insert a poll.
At the announce table were Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler and JBL. Cole mentioned all of JBL’s gimmicks over the 20 years of Raw. I’m fine with JBL joining the team for this show. He’s the best announcer in WWE. I’m not just saying that because I’m now writing columns for LayfieldReport.com as of last week. It’s the truth.
(Commercial)
They showed a clip from September 7, 2009 when Bob Barker was hosting Raw. Classic moment with Barker hosting Price is Right with Barker and Chris Jericho. That was an awesome comedy segment.
Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton
Barrett is the IC Champion. Title is not on the line here. On Wednesday on Main Event it’s Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro. That should be great. Orton dominated the action around ringside as Cole mentioned it was a sold out crowd with over 14,000 fans in attendance. Orton gave Barrett a clothesline over the top rope that sent him to the floor. That set up the vintage floor to commercial spot.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Orton regained control of the action during the commercial break. Barrett hit his knee strikes against the ropes followed by a big boot to the face for two. Orton countered a chinlock with a back suplex. Spinning powerslam by Orton and then he hit his backbreaker variation. Orton with the DDT off the ropes as Cole said that it was “Vintage Orton.” He is right about that. Barrett recovered to throw Orton shoulder first into the middle turnbuckle. Barrett capitalized by knocking out Orton with the Bull Hammer elbow. He covered for the win after 11 minutes.
Winner: Wade Barrett
Analysis: **1/2 A clean loss for Orton just like that? You don’t see that very often. Perhaps this could lead to his heavily rumored heel turn in the near future. I’m not sure. I didn’t expect Barrett to win the match after Orton went into the turnbuckle and Barrett hit his finish, but it’s good for Barrett to get a big victory like that. The chemistry is always pretty good for them. The crowd was into it. It will be interesting to see where the story goes with Orton.
In addition to the Rock concert later we’ll also find out who the first inductee for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame will be. They already announced it was Mick Foley on their website, but it hasn’t appeared on television yet.
(Commercial)
The “Did You Know” told us that when Raw debuted on January 11, 1993 that Kofi Kingston was 11 years old, Cody Rhodes was 7 and AJ Lee was 5. I was 12. And you don’t care. Me neither.
Booker T and Teddy Long told Eve that if she got disqualified or counted out in her Divas Title match against Kaitlyn she will be stripped of the title. Eve tried to flirt with Booker. He just laughed with her and so did Teddy, so she slapped Teddy in the face.
Earlier today, Daniel Bryan and Kane had a follow up to Anger Management class with Dr. Shelby from four months ago. Bryan suggested they lie to get out of there quickly. Shelby walked in to say he’s proud of them. They all hugged. Bryan said clearly they beat the anger thing, so he wanted to go. Shelby asked Bryan his favorite part about Kane. Bryan said he likes that Kane is tall and that he can set things on fire by lowering his arms once in a while. He also said Kane is a good dancer. Kane said that Bryan is very agile while also having a great beard. Kane said that Bryan isn’t afraid to try on women’s clothing. Bryan wasn’t thrilled about it, but they carried on.
Shelby said he had one more surprise. Into the room walked Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes. Shelby talked about how this was an experiment and Sandow corrected the origins of the experiment going back to Pavlov. Shelby wanted them to find their happy place. Rhodes & Sandow questioned Shelby by calling him a failure. Sandow wondered where he graduated from. Sandow said they would be better off getting advice from Dr. Phil. Shelby started to freak out and he told Bryan & Kane to get Sandow & Rhodes. Kane & Bryan knocked Rhodes & Sandow out of the room. Kane said that’s what he calls a happy place. Bryan started yelling “yes” and then Kane & Shelby joined in on the “yes” chant.
Analysis: That was a fun comedy segment although not as funny as their better comedy segments from the summer. Instead of Shelby focusing on Kane & Bryan, they used Rhodes & Sandow to show how the tag champs are more a team these days. Then Shelby joined in on the craziness with them. The crowd seemed to like it, so it worked in that sense.
Kane walked to the ring along with Bryan. It’s Kane vs. Sandow after a break.
(Commercial)
In two weeks at the Royal Rumble it’s Team Hell No defending the tag team titles against Team Rhodes Scholars. I think it’s time for the title change there.
Kane w/Daniel Bryan vs. Damien Sandow w/Cody Rhodes
Kane started off on the attack, but Sandow was able to take control with a kick to the chest as Kane was getting back into the ring. There was a brief “Cody’s mustache” chant. Sandow hit the Elbow of Disdain for two. They were showing tweets of WWE personnel on the bottom of the screen. Kane quickly recovered from the Sandow attack to hit a Chokeslam in the middle of the ring. He covered for the victory. The match went two minutes.
Winner: Kane
Analysis: That was quick. I didn’t expect it to end so soon. It wasn’t a total squash because Sandow had some offense, but he didn’t get a lot. I still think Team Rhodes Scholars will win the tag titles at the Royal Rumble.
Up next is the first inductee for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame. That individual will be in the arena after the announcement. That’s a good way to keep people interested as they reach the top of the hour.
(Commercial)
We got a replay of the confrontation from the beginning of the show involving Big Show and Alberto Del Rio.
Justin Roberts: “Please welcome the first inductee to the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame…Mick Foley.” Foley entered to his theme song. Cole, Lawler & JBL were standing at the announce table in appreciation of Foley. The Mickster was wearing a Cactus Jack shirt along with a WWE jacket. No flannel? Heel. I’m kidding about the heel part.
Foley thanked the fans for the warm reception right there in Houston, Texas. Cheap pop. All of a sudden the music of The Shield started up. That led to the entrance of Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns. At least they told the person playing the music when they were going to show up. They’re nice like that. Before they could get a hold of Foley, Ryback’s music started up. He ran down to the ring by himself to a nice reaction. Ryback threw Ambrose & Rollins to the floor. They came back quickly to attack Ryback. Randy Orton ran down (theme music guy must not like him since he had no song) and then Sheamus (no song either) also ran down to the ring. The babyfaces dominated The Shield. Ryback gave Ambrose his Shellshocked finisher. Ryback’s music played as The Shield retreated. Loud “Feed Me More” chants to end the segment.
They aired a replay of what we just saw.
Analysis: It’s nice to see some babyfaces fighting together against The Shield. The story was that The Shield had attacked Orton and Sheamus in the past. A six man tag match in the near future is likely.
Josh Mathews went into the ring to talk to Ryback. It’s like a Tough Enough reunion! Ryback said that when he wrestles CM Punk, The Shield has allowed Punk to walk away with the WWE Championship. Ryback didn’t care about conspiracy theories or investigations. Ryback said he will not and cannot rest until he gets back at The Shield for what they have taken from him. He said “Feed Me Shield” repeatedly.
Analysis: Ryback paced around too much during the promo. Other than that his delivery was good. Most of his promos are kept under 30 seconds, which is the right move.
The announcers led us to a video package that showed some of the outrageous gimmicks that have graced Raw over the years. I’m not going over it, but it was basically a comedy thing that showed bad gimmicks like Man Mountain Rock, Bastion Booger, The Goon, Gillberg, The Sultan, Max Moon, Mantaur, The Boogeyman, Naked Mideon and others. It even featured “A Real Man’s Man” William Regal with his theme song. It ended with Goldust doing his stuttering gimmick.
Divas Title match with Eve defending against Kaitlyn after the break.
(Commercial)
Kaitlyn’s full entrance wasn’t shown. Kaitlyn had on a “Don’t Mess With Texas” t-shirt. Lilian didn’t even announce Kaitlyn as from Houston for the easy cheap pop.
Divas Championship: Eve vs. Kaitlyn
If Eve gets disqualified or counted out she loses the title because last week she got counted out intentionally. JBL said it was great when Eve slapped Teddy Long backstage. I agree with that! Eve got a cheap kick to the head of Kaitlyn for a two count. There was actually a brief “Let’s Go Kaitlyn” chant, which is better than most crowds would do. Eve applied an arm breaker by wrapping her arms around Kaitlyn’s shoulder. Kaitlyn powered her way to the ropes. Kaitlyn got a rollup using her healthier right arm for two. Clotheslines by Kaitlyn followed by a shoulderblock. Reverse DDT by Kaitlyn got her a two count. Crowd responded to it nicely. Eve kicked Kaitlyn in the knee, which led to Kaitlyn’s face going into Eve’s knee. Eve hit her neckbreaker finisher. Kaitlyn kicked out surprisingly. Eve ripped the Texas shirt of Kaitlyn. Kaitlyn hit her Gutbuster on Eve. Eve rolled to the floor. Kaitlyn followed her. Eve threw Kaitlyn into the crowd. She went back into the ring thinking Kaitlyn was still there, but instead Kaitlyn slid back into the ring without Eve seeing it. Kaitlyn hit a Spear for a three count and the victory after six minutes.
Winner and NEW Divas Champion: Kaitlyn
Analysis: ** It’s been a while since we’ve seen a divas match get six minutes, so it was refreshing to see that. I thought they worked hard and the crowd was into this match more than any of their other matches. The finish was creative with Eve thinking Kaitlyn was outside the ring when in fact Kaitlyn was setting her up for the Spear finisher.
Backstage, Josh Mathews talked to Brodus Clay. They showed a clip of last week when CM Punk insulted Brodus Clay in his promo by mentioning that a 400 pounder like Clay soiled his hands by dancing with fans. Brodus said the following: “I don’t shuck n jive because I have to. I shuck n jive cuz I was BORN to!” Thanks to my excitable friend Andy for quoting that for me.
Analysis: Maybe Brodus is angry because he wasn’t a part of the bad gimmicks video package from earlier in the show? That could be it.
(Commercial)
A Raw flashback video aired from March 12, 2007 when Vince McMahon and Donald Trump had their contract signing for the hair versus hair match. Trump shoved McMahon over the table. I barely remember that. Vince probably thought it was great, though.
Brodus Clay entered for his match. CM Punk got a big reaction. CM Punk’s WWE Title reign is at day #421 now. There was a “Cookiepuss” sign in the crowd that they showed during Punk’s entrance.
CM Punk w/Paul Heyman vs. Brodus Clay w/The Funkadactyls
This is non-title of course. Clay was very aggressive early on because he was mad about Punk’s comments from last week. Punk escaped to the floor. Back to the ring, Clay hit a body slam on Punk. Punk came back with a boot to the face followed a springboard clothesline to knock Clay down. Neckbreaker by Punk, who then mocked Clay’s dancing. Punk hit some kicks, but Clay caught him and gave him an overhead suplex. Headbutt to the chest by Clay. Corner splash by Clay missed, so Punk decked him with a kick to the face. Top rope elbow by Punk. Then Punk applied the Anaconda Vice for the submission victory after three minutes.
Winner: CM Punk
Analysis: *1/2 That was one of the better Clay matches I’ve seen. That’s not saying a lot because Clay’s matches are so short. Punk gave him some offense. Then when Punk got the advantage his offense really worked. He couldn’t hit him with a GTS because he’s so big, so the Anaconda Vice was the better choice for a finishing move. I like when wrestling makes sense.
After the match, Punk talked with Heyman standing behind him. He said later in the show The Rock is going to come out to do what he does. He said you may have your opinions, but he’s a man of facts. He talked about making a 400 pounder tap and that it was a fact that he was the WWE Champion. Punk said Rock will entertain if you’re into that stuff, but that at Royal Rumble he will not leave as WWE Champion because Punk is the best in the world. He said that’s not an opinion – that is a fact.
Analysis: The promo went about two minutes. Straight to the point. I liked it. Punk looked very motivated during that match as well as the promo.
(Commercial)
The song “What Makes a Good Man” by The Heavy is one of the theme songs for the Royal Rumble.
Michael Cole threw it to a video package featuring the best vehicular moments in the history of Raw. It led off with Stone Cold giving the beer bath to Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon & The Rock. There were a lot of Stone Cold moments as well as Kane ones. They even showed the Santa Claus moment from Christmas Eve a few weeks ago. We also saw when Cryme Tyme & Cena destroyed JBL’s limo. Steve Austin running over Rock’s car with a monster truck was also shown and that was a favorite moment of mine. It ended with Vince McMahon getting blown up in a limo.
Backstage, Mick Foley was talking on a cell phone to Dewey – that’s one of his sons. The Rock showed up and Mick wanted him to shake his hand. Instead, The Rock gave him a hug. Rock & Sock Connection! Foley kept saying “finally” to encourage Rock to get into his routine, so they said Finally The Rock & Sock Connection are back in Houston. Rock went into his promo routine and managed to rhyme disclaimer with Hall of Famer. Vickie Guerrero showed up to tell them to be shut up because they were so loud. She said it was her show. She asked Rock if he had anything to say to her. Rock said he had nothing to say to her. Foley was shocked by that. Rock said there’s a time and a place for that. Foley mentioned last year when Rock gave him a Rock Bottom and Rock brushed it off quickly by saying nobody remembered that. Rock said to trust him and enjoy The Rock concert later on.
Analysis: It was nice to see the Rock N Sock Connection together again. They were such an integral part of Raw’s success in the late 1990s and early 2000s (Foley was done as a full timer in early 2000, but Rock was still going). They always had great chemistry. It was shocking to see Rock go quiet when Vickie got in his face. However, it set up something for later with his Rock concert. It’s a good way to keep people interested in what’s coming up.
Sheamus entered to take part in some over the top rope challenge that would take place after the break.
(Commercial)
Over The Top Rope Challenge: Sheamus vs. 3MB (Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal)
This is how WWE promotes the Royal Rumble match. 3MB tried to team up to eliminate Sheamus, but they failed. He made a comeback and nearly threw out McIntyre, but then his buddies saved him. Mahal was on the middle rope. Sheamus avoided the attack from the other two and knocked Mahal over the top to eliminate him. Sheamus gave McIntyre a backdrop over the top to the floor. Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick on Slater, but Slater moved. Sheamus was on the apron. He pulled Slater over the top, but Slater held on. McIntyre & Mahal pulled Sheamus to the floor to eliminate him. Slater won. Match went about four minutes.
Winner: Heath Slater
Post match, 3MB celebrated. Sheamus pulled Mahal outside the ring. Slater was on McIntyre’s shoulders celebrating. Sheamus knocked them down and gave Slater a Brogue Kick. Then Sheamus gave McIntyre a Brogue Kick.
Analysis: I was surprised that 3MB actually won, but it wasn’t done in a way to put them over because Sheamus got his heat back by destroying all three guys post match.
In the locker room, Josh Mathews talked to Cena in the locker room. Cena went into one of his promos where he talked really fast by mentioning big names on Raw and he stopped himself when he said Braden Walker. Mathews was laughing. Cena also ran down his history on Raw over the years by talking fast once again. Cena said he’ll do to Ziggler what World Wrestling Federation did to Monday Night Raw ten years ago: “Get the F out.”
Analysis: It’s really hard for me to give an accurate description of Cena’s promos when he talks very fast. This one was pretty good, though. He covered a lot in a short time. You don’t hear people say “World Wrestling Federation” on this show anymore. That’s a rare occurrence.
The Miz said he had a special guest for Miz TV. He said it was a Hall of Famer and it would be awesome. He offered a hint to who it would be: Woooo! That’s after a break.
Analysis: Good hint to keep viewers tuned in as they head toward the top of hour three.
(Commercial)
Back from break, we got a replay of when Ryback, Randy Orton & Sheamus worked together to attack The Shield earlier in the show.
Miz TV Segment with The Miz & Ric Flair
The Miz mentioned talk shows in the past like The Cutting Edge, The Highlight Reel & Piper’s Pit. He said it was an honor to have the only two time Hall of Famer on his show, Ric Flair. Flair entered in a suit and he showed off his two Hall of Fame rings. He has four divorces too. Woo!
They sat down on the chairs to chat about Flair’s history on Raw. Miz even mentioned Flair playing musical chairs on Raw. That was classic. Flair said his favorite Raw was the night after he retired. Other than the birth of his kids that was the best night of his life. Miz started saying “really” a lot. Flair responding by saying “woo” many times. Miz threw to a video package showing some of the key catchphrases in Raw history.
The video package highlighted all the signature phrases in WWE history. There was a Spirit Squad sighting in there. Even Gene Snitsky saying “it wasn’t my fault” got in there. Indeed by Funaki made an appearance. Of course “Damn” by Ron Simmons. Good to see Hurricane & Lance Storm in there too. We also saw a lot of the current catchphrases from guys like Punk, Rock, Ryback, The Miz and The Rock among others. Last but not least it was Stone Cold Steve Austin saying “that’s the bottom line because Stone Cold said so.”
Analysis: I really enjoyed that video package. Good memories there.
When the video package ended, Miz encouraged one more catchphrase. Flair said he couldn’t get in trouble because he has four ex-wives. He went into his routine talking about how he was a kiss stealing son of a gun when Antonio Cesaro’s music started up.
The US Champion Antonio Cesaro walked down to the ring with an American flag in his hand. He insulted Miz & Flair saying they embody America like nobody else. The crowd chanted “USA” during his speech. Cesaro talked about how Miz was a failed reality star while Flair spent $20 million (Flair said $30 million) trying to keep his image. Cesaro said now Flair has nothing to show for it except for a bar tab that Flair can’t afford anymore. Cesaro showed Flair the four fingers and said the only thing they mean anymore is that Flair has four ex-wives. Miz stood up for Flair saying he’ll pay Flair’s bar tab and give Cesaro the receipt right now. Cesaro went to walk away, so Flair gave Cesaro some chops and then Miz gave Cesaro the Skull Crushing Finale. Flair was going to give Cesaro the Figure Four, but then Flair told Miz to do it. Miz applied the Figure Four Leglock to a big ovation. Then Flair gave a knee drop and elbow drop to their jackets. Classic Flair.
Analysis: That was an effective use of Ric Flair because he gave the rub, as they say, to Miz by putting him over by letting him apply the Figure Four Leglock at the end of the segment. The crowd was into everything Flair did. It was a fun segment. As for Cesaro, it looks like he finally has a credible opponent in a feud against The Miz. That could lead to some very entertaining matches.
(Commercial)
The 20 year Raw anniversary flashback took us to January 19, 1998 when Mike Tyson was introduced by Vince McMahon.
Analysis: This is my favorite Raw moment ever. It was such a big thing at the time and even today it still holds up. Vince McMahon’s reaction to Austin’s entrance was classic. The brawl that erupted was an amazing moment. That was a point when Raw really became a must-see television show for all wrestling fans and they really got a lot of momentum in the Monday Night Wars against WCW. This angle was a really big deal for WWE because of when it happened and who was involved with it.
As Daniel Bryan made his entrance, we saw a replay of what happened earlier with Dr. Shelby having an Anger Management session with Kane & Daniel Bryan. At ringside, Cody Rhodes was combing his mustache in a mirror.
Cody Rhodes w/Damien Sandow vs. Daniel Bryan w/Kane
Rhodes was on offense for the first thirty seconds by focusing on the knee of Bryan. As Rhodes was standing over him, Bryan took him down and applied the No Lock. Rhodes tapped out to lose the match in less than a minute.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Analysis: I’m all for Daniel Bryan winning matches. It’s just that this match was too quick to really leave an impression. I guess by giving Bryan & Kane dominant wins on this week’s show it makes up for last week when they lost a non-title match to Team Rhodes Scholars. That’s typical of the even booking that WWE usually does.
On the WWE App earlier in the show, Eve talked to Matt Striker. She complained about people not liking her and how the fans should be cheering her. She said she doesn’t need any of this anymore. She quit WWE right there.
Analysis: That was the news that was on the internet earlier on Monday. That’s another diva choosing to walk away from the company just like Kelly Kelly, Brie & Nikki Bella and Beth Phoenix all within the last year. Eve improved a lot in 2012, but if her heart isn’t in it and she wants to try other things then more power to her. The divas roster is really thin right now, though. It’s time to call up some NXT girls and hopefully use my favorite diva Natalya better than they currently are.
(Commercial)
Plug time. We have the first episode of TJR Radio in 2013 coming at you Tuesday (today for most of you when you read it) at 10pmET/9pmCT. Join The Ace, Frank the Clown and me as we talk about this week’s Raw, the World Title change last week, the Royal Rumble and whatever else you want to talk to us about. We’re also on iTunes RIGHT HERE. It’s a two hour show that’s always a good time, so join us live or listen at that same link after the show is over. We do the show every three weeks or so.
This Friday on Smackdown will be “Alberto Del Rio’s Championship Fiesta” in San Antonio.
Backstage, AJ Lee said her favorite Raw moments over the years involved romance. Big E Langston stood beside her as she talked. That led to a video package from June 26, 2005 and the wedding of Edge & Lita. That’s when Kane showed up from under the ring/stage to interrupt. Kane gave a Tombstone to the priest.
The next wedding video focused on the Triple H/Stephanie wedding vow renewal from February 11, 2002. Hunter called Stephanie a slut (they bleeped that word out), Hunter knocked down Vince and then Stephanie screamed.
Big E said this wedding moment made him shed a tear. It was from July 23, 2012 when AJ Lee didn’t marry Daniel Bryan because she said yes to Vince McMahon to become the GM of Raw. That lasted a few months.
AJ Lee was crying saying it was the best moment of her entire life. She said she lost it because of John Cena. Ziggler showed up to hug her. Ziggler said tonight Cena is going to feel the pain he’s caused inside and outside the ring. Ziggler said he’s been preparing for this his entire life. He said he would show the world that he was just too damn good and this would be the greatest show stealing performance in the history of Monday night Raw. Show…off. They left.
Analysis: That was a creative way to mix in some old wedding clips and tie it in with the current storyline involving AJ. My favorite moment was the outfit that Trish wore during the Kane/Lita wedding. That was an all-time classic in terms of how gorgeous Trish was in that outfit. Ziggler’s promo was very good as usual.
Jim Ross entered the arena. Ross joined the announce team to call the steel cage match that was coming up after the break.
(Commercial)
Back to the show, Ziggler was already in the ring. They don’t have time to show his whole entrance? That’s odd. Jim Ross was at the announce table replacing Michael Cole for this match. JBL told him to replace Cole permanently. John Cena made his entrance to a good reaction.
Steel Cage Match: John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler w/AJ Lee & Big E Langston
You can win via pinfall, submission or exiting the cage. Ziggler tried to run out the door, but Cena stopped that and he hit a suplex. After a nice exchange, Ziggler hit a dropkick for a two count. The “Let’s Go Cena/Cena Sucks” chants were loud as Ziggler took control with a neckbreaker and then a jawbreaker for two. Cena went to slingshot Ziggler into the cage, but that just led to Ziggler trying to climb up. Cena brought him back into the ring. They battled on the top rope, which was a battle that Cena won because Ziggler landed crotch first on the top rope. AJ reacted to the move with a very sad expression on her face. Way to sell it, AJ.
(Commercial)
Back from the break, Cena & Ziggler were fighting at the top of the cage. They were on the top rope where Ziggler gave Cena a dropkick. During the break, Cena was close to leaving the cage. That didn’t work because Langston grabbed his foot outside the ring. Ziggler was able to keep the match going. In the ring, Cena hit his shoulder tackles followed by a spinning suplex. Five Knuckle Shuffle by Cena. He went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Ziggler grabbed the cage. Cena grabbed his tights, which exposed some Ziggler ass and Dolph countered a whip into the cage with a superkick. That got two for Ziggler. Ziggler tried to escape the cage. Cena held his legs while Langston held Ziggler’s arms. Cena was able to pull Ziggler back into the ring. Cena went for the STF on Ziggler, but then Ziggler countered it into a sleeper hold. Cena ended up walking towards the ropes with Ziggler on his back, Cena walked up the turnbuckle and he dropped back to counter the sleeper hold. That was an awkward looking spot right there. Both guys were down in the ring. Cena was close to exiting out of the door, but Langston slammed the door into Cena’s head. Cena fell back into the ring where Ziggler covered for a two count. Ziggler went out the door. Cena climbed over the top of the cage and kicked the door into Ziggler’s face. Cena was close to hitting the floor when Langston started banging the steel cage with a chair. Cena went back into the ring where Ziggler hit a Zig Zag for one…two…no! Cena kicked out. Ziggler tried to climb over the top, but Cena brought him back down to the mat. Cena was perched on the top rope when Ziggler jumped up there to bring back Cena with a huge DDT. I love that spot. That got Ziggler a two count. Meanwhile at ringside AJ Lee was freaking out. Then she started to climb into the cage. Big E Langston entered the cage through the door. Cena avoided that attack and Ziggler ended up throwing his briefcase into Langston’s face. Ziggler turned around and Cena gave Ziggler an Attitude Adjustment for the pinfall victory after 16 minutes.
Winner: John Cena
Analysis: ***3/4 Outstanding match! I’m guessing the Cena haters are probably freaking out about the outcome of that match. I’m not a Cena hater, so I enjoyed it. I can understand why people would complain because Ziggler hit Cena with every one of his big moves and Cena kept kicking out of them. All Cena really did was hit the Attitude Adjustment to get the win. I like their chemistry, though. They did an awesome job of building up the nearfalls and the crowd was really into the match. They had to do a creative finish due to the steel cage settling as well as the presence of Big E and AJ outside the ring. I liked what they did. Ziggler was phenomenal like usual while Cena also did a great job. I enjoy their matches quite a bit. Cena’s winning the Rumble and WWE Title at WrestleMania. I have written that since August. He lost quite a bit in big matches last year. It’s part of the story. It’s winning time for him in 2013. His time is now…apparently.
Post match, AJ was sitting at the top of the cage freaking out about what happened. Cena celebrated his victory.
(Commercial)
As the show reached the top of the third hour, The Rock made his entrance to a thunderous ovation. He was wearing his “Just Bring It” t-shirt that had a Brahama Bull symbol on the back of it.
The Rock Concert
Rock said he was honored to be out there to end this night. He said he remembered his first night on Raw. They showed a picture of his first time on Raw when he was looking goofy as Rocky Maivia. “Sweet moonwalking baby Jesus what was I thinking?” He said he looked like an escaped mental patient ready to audition for the Backstreet Boys. He says the picture showed us that if you put your mind to it you can overcome anything.
Analysis: Good job by him making fun of himself.
He said he wanted to focus on this Rock concert in Houston. He said the first song would be sung to the tune of Heartbreak Hotel. Rock sang a song about a diva that wore a suit and had floppy breasts…Paul Heyman. Rock said that Heyman’s fat covered up his little penis that he hasn’t seen in years. “He hasn’t seen it…in years.”
Analysis: That was okay. Not great.
He grabbed his guitar for the next song. I should point out that he had a stand that likely had the words on it. Smart move. He pointed out Dusty Hill of ZZ Top sitting at ringside. Rock asked how the ladies were doing. They screamed. Rock said that his favorite curve on a woman was her smile. He said the fellas should use that in their repertoire. Rock asked for Vickie Guerrero to come out there. She stood at the top of the ramp.
Rock sang an Eric Clapton song to Vickie, who was smiling at the top of the ramp. The song said that she asked if she looked good, but Rock said “no biatch you look horrible tonight.” Rock said she wasted everybody’s time, dressed like a hooker – not the expensive kind. Rock told her to take a one way flight because “biatch you look horrible tonight. I said biatch you look horrible tonight.” Then everybody joined it to say: “Biatch you look horrible tonight.” Loud “Rocky” song for that one. The Clapton song was “Wonderful Tonight” in case you’re wondering.
Analysis: I liked that one way better than the first one. It helped that Vickie was there to overreact to everything. The crowd loved it and enjoyed singing along especially to the “biatch you look horrible tonight.” That’s fun for the whole family!
Rock moved the musical equipment because he wanted to call out somebody right now. He wants to call out the WWE Champion CM Punk. CM Punk and Paul Heyman stood at the top of the ramp. Punk held the WWE Title over his head.
Rock gave Punk a fact: “For 421 days nobody has been able to stop you. Fact – that man beside you – your manager – has Twinkie tits.” That led to a “Twinkie tits” chant. It was brief. Rock told Punk that he wasn’t God, but as God as Rock’s witness in 13 day he will beat CM Punk for the WWE Title. Punk handed the WWE Title to Heyman. Punk whispered something in Heyman’s ear.
CM Punk charged the ring where Rock met him outside the ring for a brawl. Referees ran down to break it up. They continued to brawl outside the ring. More officials tried to break up the fight and it ended with them being pulled apart to end the show.
Analysis: I think aside from the “Twinkie tits” line it was an excellent serious promo from Rock. He didn’t like when Punk called himself God last week and he looked right at him to say he was going to take the WWE Title from him. That’s all we need. Straight to the point.
The brawl at the end was okay. I like to see Raw ending like that once in a while because it ends things on a high note. Usually Raw ends with the long drawn out staring and that’s cool once in a while, but they do that too often. Plus with the way they did here they still ended it with the intense staredown between both guys. I’m really looking forward to the match at the Royal Rumble. It’s going to be a big one.
Three Stars of the Show
1. Dolph Ziggler
2. John Cena
3. CM Punk
Ric Flair almost made it. It’s amazing that the oldest guy on the show has the most energy.
The Scoreboard
6 out of 10
Last week: 7
2013 Average: 6.5
Last 5 Weeks: 7, 4.5, NA, 3, 5
Final Thoughts
It was a slightly average show. Last year’s Raw average score was a 5.8, so the 6 rating for this week tells you that I thought it was on a similar level to that. There was some good in-ring action especially Cena/Ziggler and promos were decent. I thought that second hour was pretty boring at times, though.
Despite all the hype for the show, this week’s Raw did not have a special feel to it aside from clips that showed us some highlights of the last 20 years of the show. I thought we would see guys like Steve Austin, Triple H or Undertaker, but obviously none of them appeared on camera. All we got were Mick Foley and Ric Flair, who was a lot of fun. Speaking of that Triple H guy…
I had to share that. It was too good not to share. Let’s just move on.
The Rock/CM Punk storyline was furthered a bit, but not that much. Aside from the brawl at the end there wasn’t enough interaction for me. I would expect that next week’s Raw (the last one before the Royal Rumble) will be when they have a longer face to face showdown.
Cena beat Ziggler again. The match wasn’t that different from last week’s match except that this was in a cage. It had the same story since Ziggler kept hitting Cena with everything he could and Cena kept kicking out of his big moves while finding away to get the victory.
Kaitlyn’s Divas Title win over Eve was okay. It was probably the best match they’ve had together, so congrats on that.
I’m pleasantly surprised that Orton lost clean in the way that he did to Barrett. I wonder what that’s going to lead to in the future.
Smell ya later, Eve. Thanks for all of that booty poppin’ over the years. Is that what they call it? I don’t know. I’m tired and just wrote over 7,000 words. I need some scotch.
—————–
We have the first episode of TJR Radio in 2013 coming at you Tuesday (today for most of you when you read it) at 10pmET/9pmCT. Join The Ace, Frank the Clown and me as we talk about this week’s Raw, the World Title change last week, the Royal Rumble and whatever else you want to talk to us about. We’re also on iTunes RIGHT HERE. It’s a two hour show that’s always a good time, so join us live or listen at that same link after the show is over. We do the show every three weeks or so.
I am re-posting my reviews of every Royal Rumble 30 man (or 20/40 men) only at TJRWrestling.com throughout the month of January. It’s a lot of fun to re-live these matches. The most recent posts are about the 2001 Rumble and the 2002 Rumble, so check those out. If you read the 2002 Rumble match review you can see the video of my favorite elimination in the history of the match. At the bottom of the posts you’ll find links to all of the Rumble match reviews.
I’ll have various other columns through the week on TJR and I’ve also added LayfieldReport.com to the stable of sites that I post at, so be on the lookout for future columns. I decided to avoid announcing what they are because sometimes I am late posting them or don’t get around to finishing them and then people get mad at me. I’ll post when I can. Hopefully I’ll have two to three posts every week in addition to the Raw Deal (not counting Rumble match reviews).
* RAW on January 11th in Austin, Texas drew 8,000 fans for $300,000
* RAW on January 12th in Laredo, TX drew 7,200 fans for $230,000
* SmackDown on January 12th in Alexandria, Louisiana drew 4,000 fans for $100,000
* RAW on January 13th in Corpus Christi, TX drew 6,500 fans for $230,000
* SmackDown on January 13th in Tyler, Texas drew 3,800 fans for $90,000
* RAW on January 14th in Houston drew a sellout of 14,426 fans with 11,500 of those paid
– WWE ’13 video game sales are still going strong, better than WWE ’12 .
– TNA’s lawsuit against WWE was dismissed on Wednesday after TNA filed a motion this week stating that a settlement has been reached between the parties.
* MORE On WWE Bringing Back Former Stars (Benjamin, Morrison, Masters & More)
Live from San Jose, California this is the Raw Deal for episode #1026. Follow me on Twitter @johnreport. I wrote this live on Monday night.
There was a video package highlighting Martin Luther King Jr.’s “free at last” speech because it is MLK Day. WWE usually starts off Raw like that on MLK Day.
No video package or theme song to start the show. Instead it’s Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero walking arm in arm with Paul Heyman. Vickie said it’s her job to put on an entertaining show and to do the right thing. She said it’s about doing the right thing not the popular thing, especially when it comes to The Rock.
Heyman said he was out there in a show of unity and solidarity with Vickie. He complained about how The Rock defamed the character of him and Vickie. He even said Vickie was the sexiest GM of this and any other television show. When he said Rock’s name the crowd cheered loudly.
They aired a video of Rock’s song about Heyman last week. Then they showed the footage from when Rock made fun of Vickie last week even though she didn’t want to see it again. “Beyotch you look horrible tonight.” I think I might have spelled it “biatch” last week. My apologies. I should be better up to speed on the spelling of such articulate words.
Vickie said that while The Rock is there in San Jose, she has banned him from entering his arena. She said if Rock enters the arena he’ll be arrested by the San Jose police department. Vickie said she had a camera outside to show Rock, who found out he can’t enter the arena. They showed a picture of Rock outside with some cops standing by.
Rock said of course Vickie Guerrero bans The Rock because she wants to screw the people and the People’s Champion. Rock said there’s not anybody on the planet that can stop him from getting into the ring tonight. The cops looked like indy wrestlers of course. Rock suggested that a cop arrest CM Punk for being a fake champion and saying he’s like Manti Te’o with an imaginary girlfriend except Punk has an imaginary nutsack. He told another cop to arrest Heyman for not wearing a bra in public. Rock told the other cop that Vickie has her head shoved up her ass if she thinks Rock won’t be in the ring later in the night. He said there’s no way – and the Rock means no way – that he’ll be unable to get into the ring later tonight.
Vickie was furious in the ring. She said if Rock gets in the building the only song he’ll sing is Jailhouse Rock. She ended the promo with this: “If you smell – excuse me – excuse me – if you smell what The Vick is cooking.” That was funny.
Analysis: They set up an ongoing theme for the show with the story of whether or not Rock will get into the building. I thought his promo was okay. The cops looked like three short indy wrestlers rather than actual cops. But that’s what they always do. Vickie was awesome in the segment while Heyman played the role of the guy that sucked up to her.
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler were the announcers for the show. There will be a Beat The Clock challenge where the winner of the challenge gets to pick what number they are in the Royal Rumble match. First up in Beat The Clock is Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro.
(Commercial)
Later in the show, John Cena addresses the WWE Universe about the Royal Rumble. At least they don’t give him preferential treatment. Now that’s sarcasm!
Beat The Clock Challenge: Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro
The good thing about “beat the clock” is I don’t have to keep track of match times since it’s right there on the screen. Orton got a Thesz Press early on leading to some punches. The announcers did a good job of explaining that the guys were going for pinfalls early so they could beat the clock. Cesaro got an inside cradle for two, but then Orton hit a dropkick for a two count. Orton hit a clothesline outside the ring. Three minutes into the match with both guys in the ring they went to break. No floor to commercial spot. It’s a swerve!
(Commercial)
We were back from break at the seven minute mark (that would mean a four minute break) and they were fighting on the turnbuckle. Apparently #BeatTheClock was trending worldwide, so that’s nice. Cesaro knocked Orton off the top rope sending him all the way to the floor. Gutwrench Suplex for Cesaro gets a two count at eight minutes. Cesaro applied a chinlock, Orton used a headbutt to get out of it and then hit a couple of clotheslines followed by the powerslam. Orton went for the DDT off the ropes, but Cesaro countered into a jackknife cover for two. Cesaro threw Orton into the air and hit his awesome uppercut for a two count. Great nearfall as they have passed the ten minute mark. Cesaro threw Orton shoulder first into the ring post as Cole brought up Orton’s shoulder injury history. Cesaro rolled him back in and he looked back at the clock. When Cesaro rolled into the ring Orton hit the RKO to win the match at the 11:36 mark. Cole said it was out of nowhere like usual.
Winner: Randy Orton at 11:36
Analysis: *** That will probably be the longest Beat the Clock match and likely the best one too. I thought their chemistry was very good. I’m sure that if they had a feud in the future it would be very entertaining because their styles mesh very well. I really liked the finishing sequence with Orton getting thrown to the post and falling out of the ring. That allowed him to recover to set up Cesaro for the RKO finisher. I doubt anybody watching the show thinks 11:36 is going to be the best time in the BTC challenge, but it was a solid match to set the benchmark.
There was a video package on Mick Foley for the Hall of Fame. Same video that they played on Smackdown.
The Shield did a promo on their handheld camera. As they were telling us to open our eyes, we saw video of Ryback getting attacked at Survivor Series. Their attacks on Randy Orton, Sheamus, Miz and Ryback again were also shown. The video ended with them saying they were just getting started.
(Commercial)
Big Show entered the arena. He’s getting his World Title rematch against Albert Del Rio at the Royal Rumble. They showed a replay of Del Rio’s World Title win two weeks ago on Smackdown. The Royal Rumble match is a Last Man Standing match just like the Smackdown match was.
Big Show vs. Zack Ryder
Brad Maddox showed up at the announce table. Cole said Maddox doesn’t work there. Maddox is on TV way more than people that actually work there. Show hit Ryder with the KO Punch and the match ended in less than one minute.
Winner: Big Show
Analysis: It was longer than a sneeze, but not that much longer.
Post match, Show gave us a preview of his Last Man Standing match at the Royal Rumble. As he was counting, the crowd chanted “What” at him and he got mad about it. He said he’s not playing. Then he left.
Analysis: Good intensity by the big guy. The Last Man Standing rematch on Sunday should be awesome like the match on Smackdown was.
Ryback vs. Heath Slater is up next.
(Commercial)
Backstage, Paul Heyman was on the phone talking about how The Rock was not getting into the arena. Brad Maddox walked up to him saying he would do anything to be famous. Heyman shook his hand and said he admires his dedication. He said he would help Maddox become famous. Maddox was happy about it. Heyman went back to his phone.
Analysis: Legit or a swerve coming? You decide.
Ryback vs. Heath Slater w/Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal
This is not a Beat The Clock match even though I assume Ryback is in the Royal Rumble. We know the 3MB guys are. Slater’s weak offense lasted about ten seconds before dropping Slater with a clothesline, spinebuster and then the Meat Hook Clothesline. Ryback knocked McIntyre off the apron and then threw Mahal into McIntyre while he was on the apron. Ryback finished Slater off with Shellshocked for the win after about 90 seconds.
Analysis: Now you know why it wasn’t a Beat The Clock match.
Post match, Ryback said his job is fun. He said this Sunday is his first Royal Rumble and that it was a match he was made for. He said it is the match that will lead him to the main event of WrestleMania. Then he led the crowd in “feed me more” chants.
Analysis: Typical short Ryback promo. He’s definitely a favorite to win although I pick Cena.
Outside the arena, The Rock was talking to the cops once again. He mentioned he’s been out there for an hour. Rock said the cops are there to protect and serve the people, not Vickie Guerrero. He talked about how the people worked hard to see The Rock in the arena tonight. He said if you listen right now you’ll hear 15,000 people in San Jose chanting The Rock’s name and that led to the “Rocky” chant. One of the cops said his wife and kid were in the arena and that he had a ticket. Vickie wanted them to arrest Rock. One of the cops said Rock wasn’t breaking any rules. She said she was their superior. How is she superior to cops in the city of San Jose? I don’t even know at this point. Vickie said CM Punk would address the WWE Universe coming up next.
Vickie said she’ll let Rock into the building if he apologizes to her. He said he’d get in the ring on his terms not hers. Rock also said “beyotch you still look horrible tonight.” She left angrily. Rock told the cops he had an idea.
Analysis: The drama continues. If you want to call it drama. Feels like filler to me.
(Commercial)
Next Monday is Raw Roulette from Las Vegas. I feel bad for the fans of Las Vegas that have to see that Raw Roulette gimmick nearly every time they are in their city. Then again it’s Las Vegas and I’d love to live there.
The WWE Champion CM Punk and his adviser Paul Heyman entered the ring at the top of the second hour. Punk was clutching the WWE Title in his arms across his chest.
CM Punk held the WWE Title in his hands and mentioned that for 428 days he has proven that he is the man. Heyman held the microphone in front of his mouth. Punk talked about how he has worked half his life to attain this. He called it the most prestigious title the WWE has to offer. He won’t allow Rock or any man to take this from him. Punk said Rock is there to entertain, electrify, sing songs and tell jokes. Punk is there to “hurt people and be the champion.” He will not allow The Rock to leave the Royal Rumble as the WWE Champion. Punk said the WWE Title is important and prestigious because he has made it that way. What’s prestigious to Rock is meaningless and insignificant things like the people. Rock is proud to be the People’s Champion almost as proud as Punk is of being a real champion. Punk said he’s looked into Rock’s eyes and knows why he’s so proud to be People’s Champion because he knows he can’t be this (he means being the WWE Champion).
Punk said a long time ago he chose honest arrogance over hypocritical humility. He said Rock chose all of you (the fans). He said you can call Rock electrifying, the Brahma Bull, the Great One, but you can’t call him the champion because this you earn with blood, sweat and tears. Punk said for 428 days he has earned the right to be called champion and to be the man. Punk told Rock for six days to enjoy being the People’s Champion and to enjoy the people. He said that the “people do not matter.” This (the WWE Title) is all that matters. He said that in six days at the Royal Rumble it doesn’t matter what The Rock is cooking. What matters is the Undisputed WWE Champion, best in the world CM Punk.
Analysis: I absolutely loved that promo. It was a money heel promo that got right to the point and he was so focused while delivering it. His intensity never wavered. His emotion didn’t change. He held the WWE Title in his hands while Heyman held the microphone and he talked about what mattered to him. He doesn’t care about the people like The Rock does. All he cares about is being the WWE Champion. He spent his life getting to that level and for the last 428 days he has proved he’s the best. I loved it. It would be nice if some babyfaces were allowed to give promos like that instead of telling jokes, but that’s not how WWE does things. If babyfaces did promos like this and the ones that Big Show delivers they would be more likable. Honesty is a likable quality. It’s not that hard to understand.
Coming up later, John Cena talks to the WWE Universe about the Royal Rumble.
Speaking of the Royal Rumble, vote in the poll.
(Commercial)
Beat The Clock Challenge: Dolph Ziggler w/AJ Lee & Big E Langston vs. The Miz
The time to beat is 11:36 by Randy Orton. The clock counts down for this match. It’s the battle of the Ohio guys. There were a lot of quick pinfall attempts by both guys. Ziggler hit a nice dropkick for a two count. They worked a really slow pace for the first couple of minutes until Miz used his shoulder to attack the left knee of Ziggler. The story is The Miz loves the Figure Four Leglock after Ric Flair taught him to do it last week. Miz went for the FFL, but Ziggler shoved him to the floor and then Langston attacked Miz outside the ring. Back in the ring, Ziggler got a two count. They went to break four minutes into the match with both guys in the ring and over 7 minutes left on the clock.
Analysis: I’m guessing neither guy beats the clock during the break. I’m going out on a limb there huh? You don’t have to answer that.
(Commercial)
Back from break, there were four minutes left on the clock with Ziggler working over Miz in the ring with a chinlock. Miz came back with a kick to the face for two. Miz hit his running corner clothesline followed by a double axehandle off the top for two. The crowd bought that as a nearfall. This crowd is loud, so that’s a good sign. After each guy got a nearfall (and Miz pulled Ziggler’s tights to expose his ass), Ziggler hit a jumping DDT for a good two count. Miz got his backbreaker, but Ziggler countered out of the neckbreaker and then Miz recovered to apply the Figure Four Leglock. AJ jumped on the ropes, so Langston pulled Ziggler towards the ropes, which he grabbed to break the hold. Langston teased an attack. That distracted Miz and then Ziggler hit the Zig Zag to win the match at the 10:56 mark.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler at 10:56 – New Beat The Clock leader.
Analysis: **1/2 It was a solid match as you’d expect from them. I think the pace was a little too slow in the early going, but the last two minutes were very good. Ziggler won because of his friends outside of the ring so Miz was kept strong. I liked the Figure Four spot where Langston pulled Ziggler’s arms towards the rope to break the count. That was a smart spot to do in that situation. The finish worked too. I enjoyed the match.
There’s a Royal Rumble fan fest this weekend in Phoenix. It’s nice to see them add a fan event to it like they have Axxess at WrestleMania and also Axxess at Summerslam as well.
Up next is the Anger Management Graduation of Daniel Bryan & Kane along with Dr. Shelby.
(Commercial)
In the ring was Dr. Shelby in a robe and hat for the Anger Management graduation ceremony. Daniel Bryan and Kane entered in gowns as if it was an actual graduation. Bryan had his hair slicked back for the occasion. There were caps on a table in the ring.
Shelby told Kane that when they first started Kane was a maniacal mask wearing monster. He said Daniel was a tightly wound little man-child that would snap if anybody said anything about his goatface or that his beard looks like a hotel for rats. He said now they’re calm, peaceful and ready to graduate. Kane and Daniel Bryan placed the caps on their heads.
Shelby said usually there’s a valedictorian at a graduation. He asked both guys who they thought should be valedictorian. Kane said Daniel should be valedictorian. Bryan said “no” and that it should be Kane. They argued about it like usual. Shelby yelled at them to calm down. Shelby asked Bryan if a hug would make him feel better. There’s a “Dr. Shelby” chant. Shelby said what if everybody everywhere hugged at the same time. Kane asked if Cole and Lawler had to hug too. Shelby said yes. Lawler hugged Cole. Dr. Sampson at ringside hugged Michael Cole too. Kane pointed out three guys in the crowd. They hugged. There was a freaky looking guy in a yes shirt with a mustache that hugged his friend. Then they got everybody in the crowd to hug. “1…2…3…hug!” Shelby hugged Kane and Bryan at the same time. Then Bryan’s music played to end the segment.
Analysis: I figured there would be some kind of interference by Damien Sandow & Cody Rhodes, but they didn’t show up at all. Getting everybody in the audience to hug was a bit silly. It wasn’t that bad, though. It’s not like they were trying for compelling television with that. It was a fun thing intended to make people happy in the audience and they did like it, so in that sense it worked. Is that the end of Dr. Shelby? I guess so.
John Cena talks later. That’s nice.
(Commercial)
As we returned from the break, we saw a clip of Kaitlyn winning the Divas Title and then Eve quitting WWE after her loss. She has left the company. That’s legit.
Kaitlyn vs. Alicia Fox
Kaitlyn got an entrance. Alicia did not. Cole talked about the changes in Kaitlyn’s life as Divas champion. What changes? Her bag is heavier? Tamina was looking on backstage. Kaitlyn took down Alicia with a dive outside the ring. Alicia gave Kaitlyn two hair whips and then a clothesline. The crowd was very quiet. Alicia missed a kick in the corner. Kaitlyn hit a Spear for the win after two minutes.
Winner: Kaitlyn
Analysis: A short match like usual from the women. If you wonder why the crowd is dead for these matches you can blame the lack of time because they have no reason to care about women they barely see. But there’s no point in making a long point about it since it’s nothing new. I like the Spear as a finisher for Kaitlyn. It’s simple and it works. She can hit it on anybody to win a match.
Paul Heyman said that he wants CM Punk to sit in a skybox to watch Heyman deliver a speech. It’s not a “pipebomb” but instead it’s a “Paulbomb.” He was going to show Punk to his skybox as they went to break.
(Commercial)
Back from break, Paul Heyman was on the microphone in the middle of the ring. CM Punk was sitting in his skybox. Heyman said that he knows that a lot of what Punk said earlier went over the heads of the fans. Heyman said he would be acting as Punk’s interpreter by keeping it simple (saying it slowly) for the fans.
Heyman said it’s not a foregone conclusion that The Rock is going to leave the Royal Rumble as WWE Champion. Heyman said that January’s flavor of the month is The Rock. He claimed that if Rock is concentrating on Heyman then that means he’s not concentrating enough on Punk. He mentioned Punk was the longest reigning WWE Champion of the last 25 years. “Therefore just like the people, The Rock is stupid.”
Right on cue The Rock’s music started up. Rock held up a ticket. He got into the building with a ticket and that also meant his theme music got to play for his full entrance. That must be a powerful ticket. That “banned from the building” angle they did was dumb. The Rock thanked the San Jose police for the ticket. Heyman was about to say something, so Rock called him Twinkie Tits and told him to leave the ring.
The Rock looked up at CM Punk sitting in the skybox. He mentioned Punk was WWE Champion for 428 days and that it’s incredible. Rock said Punk has earned the right to call himself the Best in the World. But he said it’s Punk’s last night on Raw as WWE Champ. Rock said he’s proud to be the People’s Champ. Rock said he’s the kind of man to stand in front of Punk and rip his face off.
Rock mentioned coming back to be WWE Champion and mentioned Martin Luther King. Rock said if Punk looked into his soul then Punk knows that Rock has promised to beat him for the WWE Title. Rock said that when Rock wins the WWE Title the people are going to say “free at last, free at last – good God almighty we’re free at last.” He’s referring to free at last in terms of how WWE would be free if CM Punk wasn’t the WWE Champion anymore.
The lights went out and The Shield were in the ring attacking The Rock. Rock tried to fight them off, but he couldn’t do it. The Shield were too much for him and they connected on the three man Powerbomb to take out The Rock in the ring. They quickly left the ringside area. It’s interesting to note that Roman Reigns is a cousin of The Rock.
CM Punk said that Rock has to pay a price for his freedom. Punk said that when The Rock wakes up from his dream he’ll realize that the Great One just wasn’t great enough to beat the “Best in the World.” Rock did a great job of selling the attack. There was some spit coming out of his mouth and also blood. He sat up a bit while Punk held up the WWE Title in his skybox with a confident look on his face.
Analysis: That was a very good segment. Rock’s promo was more serious, which is what I like to see. It wasn’t about creating some silly phrase to get trending on Twitter. He spoke like a confident man that felt like he was going to be the WWE Champion on Sunday night and I think that’s what a lot of us want to see from him in terms of promos.
As for the attack of The Shield, the question is did Punk send them there or are they not working for him? It’s a good question to leave out there because what we just saw is something that could happen at the Royal Rumble on Sunday. Most think The Rock is going to leave as WWE Champion, but you never really know. As I mentioned I thought Rock did an awesome job of selling the move by The Shield.
(Commercial)
Back from break, they replayed The Shield’s attack on The Rock. Cole pointed out that Rock was able to walk to the back on his own power so he will be fine for the Royal Rumble match on Sunday.
Beat The Clock Challenge: Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett
The time to beat is 10:56 by Dolph Ziggler. This is the last “Beat The Clock” match so only six people get to compete for it. They brawled early on with Sheamus getting the advantage with a nearfall one minute into it. Barrett gave Sheamus a clothesline over the top to the floor. That set us up for the vintage floor to commercial break spot two minutes into the match.
(Commercial)
Back from break with 5 minutes left on the clock as Barrett hit a suplex for a two count. Sheamus made a brief comeback that led to the ten forearm blows to the chest of Barrett. He looked at the clock before his tenth punch. Suplex back into the ring by Sheamus got him a two count. Barrett avoided a Brogue Kick and hit Sheamus in the chest followed by a kick to the face for a two count. There’s 2:30 left on the clock. Barrett hit an elbow drop off the middle rope for two as we’re under two minutes now. Sheamus connected with White Noise as Sheamus looked at the clock to see 1:15 on the clock. With about one minute to go, AJ ran into the ring while Ziggler and Langston were outside the ring. Barrett hit the Bossman Slam for two. Sheamus hit the Brogue Kick with 0:02 left, but there wasn’t enough time to cover Barrett.
No Match Winner – Ziggler’s 10:56 time won Beat The Clock
Post mach, Sheamus was mad about the distraction by AJ. Ziggler ran up the aisle with Langston and AJ. He was happy he won the Beat The Clock challenge, which means that he gets to pick his spot in the Royal Rumble match. He was laughing at Sheamus from the top of the ramp.
Analysis: **1/2 A good match just like the other two matches in this “Beat The Clock” challenge throughout the show. I thought they would book it so Sheamus would win it, so I was surprised to see him fall short. I liked the finish because it doesn’t hurt Sheamus too much due to the interference and it puts over the idea that Ziggler’s an intelligent wrestler that is going to do what it takes to get ahead of his opponents. I don’t think anybody believed Barrett was going to win the match, but he was still booked strong, which is a good thing. I didn’t mind “Beat The Clock” this show because at least the matches weren’t as short as they usually are.
We got another reminder that we’ll hear comments from John Cena later in the show.
(Commercial)
In Vickie’s office, Ziggler was happy about his win. He kissed AJ in front of Vickie. Vickie wasn’t thrilled about it. Ziggler wanted to pick #30, but Vickie said he didn’t get to pick any number. He had to pick number one or two.
Analysis: That made the whole “Beat The Clock Challenge” concept useless by the end of the night. It also means Ziggler will likely be one of the biggest stars of the Royal Rumble match.
They replayed The Shield’s attack on The Rock. Cole wondered if Punk was involved with The Shield.
Backstage, Vince McMahon bumped into Punk & Heyman. McMahon said that if The Shield gets involved in Punk’s match at the Royal Rumble there will be consequences. Punk said he had nothing to do with it. Heyman pointed out that Shield has attacked Orton, Hell No, Ryback and Sheamus. McMahon said if The Shield interferes in Punk’s match at Royal Rumble then McMahon will strip Punk of WWE Title. Punk and Heyman were not happy.
Analysis: There goes that match finish possibility. Of course he didn’t say Brad Maddox’s name. I’m just throwing that out there. I still pick Rock to win the match, but there are ways to have Punk retain. When I write Royal Rumble preview column that will be posted on Friday or Saturday I will be sure to mention a few scenarios.
(Commercial)
The World Champion Alberto Del Rio made his entrance by walking to the ring. He hugged fans on his way to the ring. I guess as a babyface he’s too nice to drive his cars into the arena.
Alberto Del Rio w/Ricardo Rodriguez vs. Tensai
This is non-title of course. Del Rio hit a flying headscissors off the second rope. Then Del Rio hit a German Suplex. Running enziguiri kick in the corner by Del Rio. Moonsault off the second rope by Del Rio got him the victory. The match went about one minute.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio said that there was going to be a count of ten at the end of their match at the Royal Rumble and that when Del Rio does the counting it will be in Spanish. Then he counted to ten in Spanish along with the San Jose crowd. Ricardo said “si” into the microphone and the crowd chanting along with “si” along with it. That means “yes” for those that don’t know. I think Lawler said Robert Del Rio at one point in there.
Analysis: Quick squash match over Tensai the jobber. There was no interaction between Big Show and Del Rio on this show. I would imagine they do something on Smackdown to add more hype to that matchup.
The announcers plugged WWE Axxess tickets for WrestleMania 29 on sale this Saturday at 10am. Just a tip for those going that haven’t gone before, you can get the general tickets for Axxess at the building itself. If you want the more expensive VIP tickets you should get them on Saturday or at some point soon because they usually sell out.
There was a video package for the next Hall of Fame inductee…Bob Backlund. It’s about time. He should have been in years ago, but for whatever reason (I think he said no before) they didn’t do it until now. He was a WWE Champion for six years at one point and then in the early 1990s he returned as a crazy heel. For guys like me it was a lot of fun to see him make that comeback because I had heard a lot about him, but since he was a top guy before the first WrestleMania I didn’t see him that much. Congrats on the Hall of Fame, Mr. Backlund.
John Cena was shown walking to the ring to talk about the Royal Rumble.
(Commercial)
John Cena ran out to the ring to address the WWE Universe. His time is now…apparently. Bad joke. Sorry. I’m tired.
Cena said we all enjoy Sundays because it’s a day to do whatever you want. He pointed out a kid in the front row saying he loved Sunday because it’s a day off from school. Cena asked the kid if he played video games and mentioned Black Ops 2. Cena said his username was “Skidmarks187.” He said he eats Fruity Pebbles and plays video games on a Sunday. Cena found a chick in the crowd saying her Sunday is reliving her Saturday by posting good pics of herself. Then he kept rambling on. I hope this has a point. Cena said the guy you may have met is…that guy right there. He pointed at a large man in a “I’m a Heyman Guy” shirt. He kept on rambling on. He said the point is we all do things on Sundays that are different except this Sunday.
Cena said that if you win the Royal Rumble this Sunday you get a golden ticket for a title match at WrestleMania. This Sunday superstars can be born, history will be made and this Sunday will be an all out war. He said the video games will be on pause, the yoga will be done at home and the hangovers will wait until Sunday night. This Sunday the world will find out what he already knows…long pause…”this Sunday I will win the Royal Rumble!” He said it emphatically.
Sheamus came out to say he’s going to win the Royal Rumble. The Primetime Players wondered what “fella” was talking about. Randy Orton’s music started up. He didn’t come out there to dance or talk about déjà vu. He said we’re looking at the man that’s going to win the Royal Rumble. The Miz also made his entrance to say “really” a bunch of times and say he’s going to win the Rumble. Kane was next along with Daniel Bryan. They argued about who is going to win the Royal Rumble. Kane said he was going to win, then Bryan said he was going to win and that continued on until Antonio Cesaro’s music hit. Cesaro said he’s going to win the Rumble and he’s going to dedicate his win to the United States of America. The 3MB entered to say they are going to win the Royal Rumble. How many microphones were used for this segment?
All of this led to everybody from the back running into the ring to start a big brawl. Even Great Khali slowly made his way out there. There’s a Michael McGillicutty and Alex Riley sighting. Even JTG! Of course they’re getting tossed out, but at least they’re there. Everybody started brawling as Michael Cole did the best job he could to remind us that the Royal Rumble match is this Sunday. The show ended there.
Analysis: Cena’s promo was below average. This was a moment where they should have had him talk about how much he has fought to get back the WWE Title he lost well over a year ago and that this Sunday is his chance to prove that 2013 is going to be his year. Instead he tried relating stories to a kid, a woman and a funny looking dude in the crowd. The only serious part of the promo was the end of it, but by that time I was dozing off because it was getting boring. I would have loved a more serious promo in this spot.
The brawl at the end of the show is something they do most years. It’s not really fresh or new, but it’s an obvious way to set up the match.
My pick to win the Royal Rumble? John Cena. I’ve been writing that since August if you’re paying attention. I’ll have more about that in the Royal Rumble preview we will post on Friday or Saturday.
I was hoping for a Great Khali promo about how he was going to win the Royal Rumble. He’s a threat to win. Come on you sons of bitches, let him deliver the go home money promo! Okay now THAT is sarcasm.
Three Stars of the Show
1. CM Punk
2. The Rock
3. Dolph Ziggler
The Scoreboard
5 out of 10
Last week: 6
2013 Average: 6.5
Last 5 Weeks: 6, 7, 4.5, NA, 3
Final Thoughts
It wasn’t a great show, but not that bad either which is why it gets the 5 out of 10 score. That doesn’t mean I’m any less excited about the Royal Rumble PPV because I always love that event. I was already ready for the Rumble with or without this show, to be honest.
The best part of the show was the promo by CM Punk, the promo by The Rock in the ring and the attack by The Shield on The Rock. That carried this week’s edition of Raw. It increased my interest in The Rock vs. CM Punk and my interest was already very high. They didn’t brawl this week. It was verbal sparring from them and it worked.
When I think about the matches there wasn’t a whole lot there except the three “Beat The Clock” matches which were hyped as a reward for the winner, yet in the end it turned out to be a punishment for Ziggler as the winner.
Whoever wrote the show ending promo from Cena really did a poor job with it. He was out there dying in front of the live crowd and rambling on like an idiot. The end of the show wasn’t that exciting or well booked at all.
In the end it probably won’t hurt the buyrate of the Royal Rumble, which should be one of the biggest in the history of the event. Rock vs. Punk is a dream match while the Rumble match itself is always a draw. The pay-per-view was going to do big numbers with or without this week’s show.
—————–
I am re-posting my reviews of every Royal Rumble 30 man (or 20/40 men) only at TJRWrestling.com throughout the month of January. It’s a lot of fun to re-live these matches. The most recent posts are about the outstanding 2007 Royal Rumble and John Cena’s surprise win at the 2008 Royal Rumble. At the bottom of the posts you’ll find links to all of the Rumble match reviews.
This year’s Royal Rumble PPV preview will be posted on Friday afternoon most likely. Then on Sunday night I’ll write about the Royal Rumble live at TJRWrestling.com with full results & analysis. I will post it on other sites after the event, but if you want it live you need to go to TJR.
I might have another post or two during the week as well, but I’m not sure yet.
– Following Rey Mysterio’s return to action at last Friday’s Raw live event in Los Angeles, California, WWE officials say there is currently no scheduled date for his full-time return. According to the Wrestling Observer, there has been talk of Mysterio returning this Sunday at the Royal Rumble, or at least at Tuesday’s SmackDown taping in San Diego, California.
– In attendance notes: Friday’s Raw live event at the STAPLES Center in Los Angeles, California, drew 11,000 for $450,000. Saturday’s Raw show in Ontario, California, drew 7,000 paying $255,000. Sunday’s joint show in Fresno, California, drew 6,500 for $200,000. Last Thursday’s SmackDown live event in Anchorage, Alaska, drew 5,700 for $230,000. Friday’s SmackDown show in Fairbanks, Alaska, drew 3,000 for $135,000. Saturday’s SmackDown show in Stockton, California drew 4,500 for $125,000.
– The official television commercial for Pain & Gain, starring Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson and Mark Wahlberg, has been released. The Michael Bay-directed film will be released in theaters on April 26.