At Tuesday night’s WWE television tapings from Oklahoma City, Booker T revealed during the Saturday Morning Slam tapings that the new General Manager for SMS will be 2013 Hall of Famer Mick Foley.
WWE issued a press release on Tuesday afternoon announcing that a new General Manager will be determined for Saturday Morning Slam after various WWE superstars competed for the job over a 3-week period.
It’s possible that Mick Foley is the interim General Manager until that competition takes place and a permanent GM is named.
– This week’s Social Media SmackDown opens with World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio vs. Damien Sandow. They had a verbal exchange before the match. Del Rio got the win with his cross armbreaker submission hold.
– Backstage, Daniel Bryan and Kane are shown arguing. Later tonight, they will get a rematch against the Prime Time Players, except this time – Kane will be the one that’s blindfolded and Bryan will have his arm tied behind his back.
– Antonio Cesaro defeated The Miz in a Best of 3 Falls Match to retain the United States championship, 2 falls to 1.
– A video aired hyping Fandango’s debut for later in the show.
– Randy Orton and Sheamus are shown talking backstage. Orton will face the Big Show later in the show.
– Jim Ross interviewed Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger in the ring. JR played up his history with Swagger, a fellow Oklahoma native, but Swagger played the heel and trash talked the Oklahoma Sooners. Zeb Colter started ranting about anti-immigration issues and said at WrestleMania, an English speaking American will finally be World Heavyweight Champion again. JR and Colter got into an argument, which led to Swagger knocking off JR’s cowboy hat and getting in his face. Alberto Del Rio ran out to make the save and cut a promo on Swagger.
– The Prime Time Players defeated Team Hell No in a non-title match. Kane was blindfolded and Bryan had his arm behind his back. The finish came when Kane and Bryan started arguing during the match, which allowed Titus to roll up Bryan up for the win. After the match, Kane and Bryan hugged, but Bryan then slapped Kane in the face.
– Backstage, the Big Show was interviewed and said he’s going to make an impact later tonight against Randy Orton.
– Sin Cara defeated Heath Slater (with 3MB).
– Backstage, Fandango is interviewed by Matt Striker. Striker mispronounced his name several times – which lead Fandango to call off his debut. He says he will debut when Striker can get his name right.
– Randy Orton vs. Big Show is the main event. The Shield came out and surrounded the ring. Sheamus came out to even the odds. The Shield beat down Orton and Sheamus. Big Show knocked out Roman Reigns and Ambrose and Rollins ran away. Big Show choke slammed Orton, but Sheamus then hit Big Show with a Brogue Kick and knocked him out of the ring. The match ended in a no contest.
ESPN.com has released their weekly WWE Power Rankings and John Cena jumped to the top of the charts after barely breaking the top 10 last week (9). Following Monday’s episode of WWE RAW, here’s a look at this week’s ESPN.com WWE Power Rankings:
1. John Cena
2. CM Punk
3. Triple H
4. Brock Lesnar
5. Ryback
6. Randy Orton
7. Sheamus
8. Mark Henry
9. The Shield
10. Jack Swagger
The article noted the “awkward” wet spot on Triple H’s pants during his brawl with Brock Lesnar and gave big props to John Cena and CM Punk for their stellar main event match. The article also questioned WWE’s decision to continue pushing Jack Swagger’s after he was arrested for DUI and drug possession last week:
“So does WWE have a wellness policy or not? How can Swagger get arrested for DUI and possession of marijuana last week and not only avoid suspension, but star in multiple segments on Raw? Weed the People.”
Former WWE Superstar MVP announced that he’s done wrestling for New Japan Pro Wrestling. He tweeted on Tuesday morning:
“I would like to thank New Japan for allowing me to realize a dream! I LOVE Japan & will forever be grateful! I left on good terms as always.”
“I WILL return to wrestling eventually. The door is open for a return to WWE, NJPW & even TNA. However my focus now is developing my TV show.”
MVP has been wrestling for New Japan since 2011 and wrestled his final match for the promotion on January 4th at the Tokyo Dome. He also tweeted the following about his new TV project and says he’s currently a free agent:
“I’m currently working on a TV project with Lionsgate TV. I’ll release more details soon. But right now I’m not affiliated with ANY company. And for the record my show has NOTHING to do with wrestling. I’m excited about it. The people at Lionsgate TV have been awesome!”
WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross has updated his blog, which you can read in its entirety at JRsBarBQ.com. Here are some highlights of what JR said about:
Glenn Beck not appearing on RAW: “I did not miss Glenn Beck not appearing on RAW. As I’ve said, I’m not a political animal and I hadn’t even heard Glen Beck’s name mentioned since he exited CNN. I’d suggest that Beck got more publicity over this WWE business than he has for any thing else that’s happened in his career except when Bill Maher occasionally makes fun of him on Maher’s HBO show.”
Donald Trump in the WWE Hall of Fame: “Amazes me how some who follow me on Twitter @JRsBBQ or hit our Q&A section of the site can differentiate a WWE HOF induction for a celeb from an active participant. Donald Trump going in the ‘celebrity wing’ is essentially an honorary award and should not be confused with someone like Bruno or even a broadcaster like Mean Gene Okerlund. However for some reason there are many who feel that Trump is going into the WWE HOF over say, for instance, Macho Man Randy Savage, etc. That’s simply NOT the case but many refuse to want to understand this matter. BTW Donald Trump made many contributions to WWE including WM’s 4&5 and his involvement in the hair match with Mr. McMahon at WM23 did huge business.”
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar: “I am hopeful that HHH vs. Lesnar is a major part of WM29 and I have NO issues with this or any other viable match being a ‘return’ contest. Those that have issues with big time matches having a second go around have issues that I honestly can’t fully fathom. I can’t think of too many, major WWE main events that haven’t had a return match with the exception of a small handful. This concept has been around since before I got in the business in 1974 and is a viable part of the fabric of what sports entertainment is.”
WWE issued the following press release on Tuesday morning:
VORTEXX ON THE CW ANNOUNCES UPCOMING THREE-WEEK SPECIAL ON WWE SATURDAY MORNING SLAM
WWE Superstars Battle to Become the General Manager and All-Powerful Boss of Saturday Morning Slam
LOS ANGELES (February 26, 2013) – Vortexx on The CW, an affiliate of Saban Brands, today announced a WWE Saturday Morning Slam special to debut during the five-hour kids television block, airing on March 2, March 9 and March 16 at 10:30 a.m. During this three-week special, fans can expect to see larger-than-life WWE Superstars battle it out in the fight to be named the General Manager of WWE Saturday Morning Slam.
In the first episode, which airs on March 2, mayhem breaks out among the Superstars of WWE Saturday Morning Slam. It’s time to bring in a powerful General Manager to reign them all in. As the WWE Superstars start to jockey and compete for the chance to become boss, things get even more heated.
The battle to be boss continues on March 9 when four top WWE Superstars face off to impress the powers-that-be. The electrifying conclusion to the story will air on March 16 when the new General Manager of WWE Saturday Morning Slam will be crowned.
“We are very excited to offer our fans the opportunity to witness all of the extreme in-ring action leading up to the crowning of the WWE Superstar who will become the General Manager of WWE Saturday Morning Slam and rule over them all,” said Elie Dekel, Co-President of Vortexx. “We hope the fans are just as eager as we are to see who will claim the ultimate title.”
– To coincide with the DVD release of the Royal Rumble PPV this week, the full event has been released on iTunes for $11.96 in HD or $7.96 in Standard Definition. Individual matches, including The Rock defeating CM Punk for the WWE Championship, can be purchased for $2.99.
– Monday’s WWE RAW had a Trendrr.tv social media score of 360,794, a big 26% jump over the previous week and 17% over the 2013 average. RAW ranked #1 on cable for the fifth consecutive week.
– Here is the latest episode of WWE Backstage Fallout:
See who Paul Heyman had the nerve to chew out in the Raw edition of “Backstage Fallout.” Plus, R-Truth gets back to business.
– WWEShop.com is already selling the new Triple H “Tremble Before The Hammer” t-shirt that he debuted last night on RAW.
– Vince McMahon was irate backstage at Monday’s RAW when CM Punk gave John Cena a piledriver during the main event. The piledriver is a banned move in WWE and the only reason Vince did not take disciplinary action was because it was CM Punk and John Cena performing the move. Here’s a video clip of the spot:
http://youtu.be/jB-b7uL7wyM
– Matt Striker interviewed the Prime Time Players, Darren Young and Titus O’Neil, backstage at last night’s RAW for a WWE.com exclusive video. Young mentioned he’s been away for a while but now he’s back.
– Striker also spoke with Damien Sandow about his tag team match against The Undertaker at Saturday night’s WWE live event form Waco, Texas. Sandow acted shaken up and said he was still feeling the effects from facing the Dead Man.
– Tonight’s WWE SmackDown and Main Events tapings will take place from the Chesapeake Energy Arena in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Friday’s SmackDown will have a a “Social Media” theme to it, with WWE advertising live tweets, touts, and other interactive features that will be incorporated into the taped broadcast.
New WWE superstar Fandango will debut on SmackDown and RAW announcers Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler will be on hand, with JBL in South America for his latest mountain climbing adventure.
– Shield member Roman Reigns tweeted the following about Randy Orton blindsiding Seth Rollins on RAW while The Shield was distracted by Sheamus:
“@RandyOrton strikes fast, but The Shield always hits last. Due time we’re going to skin The Viper. #ShieldBringsTheSword #BelieveInTheShield”
– Here is the trailer for the WWE Studios film “The Marine 3: Homefront” starring The Miz:
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, Darren Young wrestled a tag match with his partner, Titus O’Neil. This conflicts with recent reports by the Wrestling Observer and PWInsider.com, that Young would be out of action for 6-8 months with a knee injury. After RAW, he tweeted:
“#DYoung out of action? #aintnobodygottimeforthat @WWE #RAW #millionsofdollars”
– WWE’s RAW crew was very tired and beat up following this past weekend’s live events tour of Qatar and Turkey.
– WWE stars Rey Mysterio, AJ Lee, Kofi Kingston and Layla participated in a Make-A-Wish event on Monday at a local Dave & Busters in Dallas.
– Here is a video preview for Bret Hart’s new “Dungeon Collection” DVD set, due out March 5th (now on sale at Amazon.com):
– Following the announcement that Donald Trump will be the celebrity honoree in this year’s WWE Hall of Fame, here’s an update of this year’s class, arguably one of the strongest in history:
– Bruno Sammartino
– Mick Foley
– Trish Stratus
– Bob Backlund
– Donald Trump
– Chris Jericho’s new “Robot Combat League” show hosted by WWE star Chris Jericho premieres tonight at 10pm EST on Syfy. The first episode, titled “Rise Of The Machines,” replays at midnight. Jericho spoke with Showrenity.com to hype the show and spoke about the technology behind the robots and the diverse backgrounds of the show’s contestants.
– WWE’s official tagline for The Rock vs. John Cena WrestleMania 29 main event is, “Greatness vs. Redemption.”
– Fandango (Johnny Curtis) worked this weekend’s WWE live events and was accompanied to the ring by a beautiful young lady. They danced before the match and we have not heard anything about his dancing partner being an NXT Diva. Fandango will debut at tonight’s SmackDown tapings.
– As seen on Monday’s RAW, WWE will be holding “Old School RAW” next week, with the classic RAW opening video, on-screen graphics, arena setup, interview segment format and appearances from WWE legends. During the promos that aired on Monday’s RAW, legends that were shown as appearing include Mean Gene Okerlund, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes and “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase.
Here are WWE’s video packages hyping “Old School RAW”:
John Cena’s match against CM Punk at the end of Monday’s WWE RAW is getting rave reviews. Here’s what the wrestling world was tweeting about the match:
Lance Storm: Since I don’t get PPVs this may be the best John Cena match I’ve ever seen. #RAW
The Usos: Hell of main event match right there!!!! #Raw
David Otunga: Wow! Power bomb, Pile Driver, and hurricanrana?! Awesome match! @WWE @WWEUniverse #RAW #WWEDALLAS
Ezekiel Jackson: Matches like these remind me why I’m a fan… #RAW #WWEDALLAS
Shane Helms: Hellova match!!!! Props to both @JohnCena and @CMPunk I love great wresting, sue me.
Tamina Snuka: #WWERaw #WWEDallas That Cena and Punk Match was Absolutely Amazing #GooseBumps
Joey Styes: @JohnCena vs @CMPunk on @WWE #RAW was @WrestleMania Main Event quality! Both are future Hall of Famers #instantclassic
Matt Striker: A frankensteiner to disorient n then an AA…Wow…. Cena has to have silenced his critics…
Vickie Guerrero: @JohnCena and @CMPunk great match. I watched as s fan and have much respect for both men. #wwe. #mania
WWE RAW opens with a hype video for the Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman fight. The video shifts focus to John Cena, CM Punk and The Rock’s WWE Title.
– We’re live from Dallas, Texas as Vince McMahon makes his way out to a big pop. Vince is walking but using crutches to make it out. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler are on commentary as Vince heads to the ring.
Vince says everyone knows he likes to do things in a big way. He says we’re getting closer to WrestleMania so we need something big each week. Vince is ready to fight and calls out Paul Heyman, referring to him as an “ultimate fighter.” Heyman comes out in some gear and cuts a promo on his way to the ring.
Heyman says he’s been waiting for this fight. Heyman says Vince has portrayed him as one of the biggest wimps. Heyman knocks the Dallas Cowboys and gets some heat. Heyman says he’s not going to take it easy on Vince. Heyman says he has watched Vince take out every other promoter, including him, and has watched him beat the US Government but tonight, Heyman is coming for all Vince has got. Heyman slowly approaches Vince and has a question for him. Heyman out of nowhere tackles Vince on his crutches. Heyman grabs a crutch and smacks Vince with it in his injured hip when he stands up. Vince gets up with the other crutch and catches a swing from Heyman. Vince hits Heyman with the crutch twice and knocks him down. Brock Lesnar’s music hits and out he comes.
Lesnar hits the ring and readies for an attack on Vince. Triple H’s music hits and out he comes to the stage, startling Lesnar. The Game approaches the ring as Lesnar readies for a fight. Lesnar exits the ring and meets Triple h on the floor. They go at it and get tangled up. The brawl goes around ringside as the fans pop. HHH tosses Lesnar into the steel post. Lesnar is busted open and bleeding as Triple H sends him into the post again. Triple H charges and sends Lesnar over the barrier and into the timekeeper’s area with a clothesline. HHH approaches with a crutch but Lesnar attacks. Lesnar with knees to the face. Lesnar slams HHH on top of the announce table. Lesnar is really busted open and bleeding now. It looked like he hit the ring post very hard. Lesnar brings HHH back in the ring and swings a chair but HHH nails a spinebuster. HHH with a massive chairshot to the back. Lesnar retreats as HHH’s music hits. Lesnar is checking the wound on his head. Very intense segment there.
– Still to come tonight, The Rock vs. CM Punk. Also, The Miz will have MizTV with Alberto Del Rio and Jack Swagger. We see Ryback heading to the ring. We go to commercial.
– Back from the commercial and we see footage of the Triple H and Brock Lesnar brawl that just happened. Cole tells fans to Tout their thoughts on what happened.
Ryback vs. Dolph Ziggler
Dolph Ziggler, AJ Lee and Big E Langston are waiting in the ring as Ryback makes his way out.
Ziggler ducks the lock up and shows off some. The go to lock up again and Ziggler goes behind. Ryback counters and slams Ziggler on his face. Ryback slams Ziggler again and stands over him. Another big slam from Ryback. Ziggler fights back and hits a dropkick. 2 count for Ziggler. Ziggler with more kicks and punches. Ryback fights out and drops Ziggler with a shoulder. Ryback catches Ziggler in mid-air and slams him. Ryback takes the fight to the corner now.
Ziggler tries to fight back but Ryback catches him again, slams him in the corner and then on the mat. Ziggler rolls to the floor as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Ryback has Ziggler in a long standing suplex. Ryback finally slams Ziggler after about a minute of holding him up. Ziggler rolls back to the floor. Ryback goes after him and brings it back in the ring. Ziggler charges with a kick but Ryback throws him back. Big E Langston runs over Ryback on the floor. Langston leans against the fan barrier and shows off some. Ziggler brings Ryback in the ring and covers for a 1 count. Ziggler with a dropkick to the back of the head for another pin attempt. Ziggler counters and nails a big DDT. More back and forth. Ziggler applies the sleeper hold. Ryback breaks it with a jawbreaker. Ryback comes back and slams Ziggler on his face. Another big slam. AJ distracts the referee. Here comes Big E but Ryback knocks him off the apron. Ryback with two more big slams on an attacking Ziggler. Ryback hits Shellshocked for the win.
Winner: Ryback
– We get the trailer for WWE Studios’ The Call.
– We go to the ring and out comes CM Punk by himself. Back to commercial.
Back from the break and CM Punk is in the ring. He says people will witness history tonight. Punk says tonight is not about John Cena or The Rock. Punk says tonight isn’t even about WrestleMania. Tonight isn’t even about the people. It’s not about the WWE Title either. Tonight is about the future, CM Punk. Punk goes no bragging and says he has earned the right to go to WrestleMania. Punk says he is an icon among superstars. Punk says he is immortal, the greatest of all time. A legend, an icon, the best, the greatest. Punk says he is God and drops the mic. The crowd boos him. Punk yells that he’s God one more time and exits the ring as his music hits.
– We get the announcement and video for Donald Trump’s 2013 Hall of Fame induction.
– Mark Henry and The Great Khali are shown walking to the ring. Back to commercial.
Mark Henry vs. The Great Khali
Back from the break and both men are in the ring. They start going at it. Henry runs into a big boot. Khali unloads with chops in the corner. Khali with more chops to the chest. Khali drops Henry with a big overhead chop. Henry rolls to the floor and Khali follows. Henry makes a comeback and rolls Khali back in the ring. Henry with a splash in the corner. Henry nails the World’s Strongest Slam for the win.
Winner: Mark Henry
– We see a clip of The Miz in The Marine 3.
– Out comes The Miz for another episode of MizTV as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and we get a vignette for Fandango. He debuts Friday on SmackDown.
Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter are waiting in the ring with The Miz as World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio comes out with Ricardo Rodriguez. Del Rio looks upset. Miz says we’re cutting right to the chase tonight. He introduces everyone. Pops for Ricardo and Del Rio. Miz says Swagger and Zeb have been engulfed in controversy this past week. Zeb says he was looking forward to talking to Glenn Beck but he chickened out. Zeb addresses Del Rio. Zeb says we have a problem in this country – 11 million undocumented workers. Zeb calls them illegals. Zeb brings up amnesty for those 11 million illegals and says real Americans already have a tough time finding work. Zeb says those people sneak across our border to take our jobs and medical services. Zeb says Del Rio’s people drain us. Miz wants to hear what Del Rio has to say. Miz asks Del Rio how hard it is to get citizenship in Mexico. Zeb says it takes 10 years to be a citizen of Mexico because of corruption. Zeb brings up the fact that foreigners can’t own property in Mexico. Zeb asks what is wrong with Del Rio and his people. Del Rio says not to disrespect his people. Zeb tells Del Rio to listen when he talks.
Zeb says this isn’t personal. He says Del Rio encourages his people to sneak across our border in pursuit of the dream. Zeb says the ones that fail conveniently forget to leave our country. Zeb says he won’t stand around and let it happen. Zeb says those people are criminals. Del Rio and Zeb argue. Del Rio says his time to talk is over and he needs to shut up. Del Rio says America is the greatest country on Earth because it belongs to everyone. Del Rio says he is just like everyone else. Del Rio says Zeb and Swagger can’t come and hide behind the constitution. Del Rio says he doesn’t like bullies. He says if they have a problem with him and have the balls to do it, then make them leave now. Del Rio drops the mic and takes off his coat. Swagger takes the mic and says we will see Del Rio at WrestleMania. Swagger yells “we the people” and slams the mic down. Swagger and Zeb leave the ring as Del Rio looks on.
– Still to come, CM Punk vs. John Cena. We see Randy Orton walking to the ring. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see that during the commercial, Zeb colter accused The Miz of conducting a bias interview. Miz was laid out by Jack Swagger.
Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro
WWE United States Champion Antonio Cesaro is waiting in the ring as Randy Orton comes out. Back and forth to start the match. Orton with a nice throw and a 2 count. More back and forth. The end comes when Cesaro comes off the top and catches a RKO for the win.
Winner: Randy Orton
– Daniel Bryan and Kane are backstage talking about their match with Titus O’Neil and Darren Young tonight. Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox come up and already have tension. Bryan will be blindfolded while Kane will have one hand behind his back.
– Back from commercial and Sheamus is out wearing a suit. He talks about the Oscars and has a bone to pick with Hollywood. He shows footage of Dead Man Down. Sheamus shows another clip that has Barrett in the background. Sheamus mocks Barrett’s small role in the movie. Out comes the WWE Intercontinental Champion with a mic.
Barrett makes his way to the ring and they have words. Sheamus ducks a clothesline and Barrett avoids a Brogue Kick.
– Still to come, Punk vs. Cena. Also, The Shield will deliver a message. Back to commercial.
Cody Rhodes vs. R-Truth
Cody Rhodes is in the ring and Damien Sandow is on commentary as R-Truth makes his way out for the next match. We see footage from last week where R-Truth returned and saved Kofi Kingston from Sandow. Truth with some dancing and offense early on. Cody turns it around in the corner and drops Truth. Cody wails away and slams Truth on his face.
Cody with a submission now. Truth ends up getting the win and the best of Sandow also.
Winner: R-Truth
– We get another “We The People” video from Swagger and Colter. The Miz vs. Swagger is announced for tonight. Back to commercial.
Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. Darren Young and Titus O’Neil
Back from the break and here we go. Bryan is blindfolded and Kane has one hand behind his back. Young works fine in the match so apparently he’s not injured. Bryan finally gets a tag to Kane and he unloads with one arm. Kane works over Young with one arm and goes for a chokeslam. Kane kicks off Titus and fights off Young. Kane chokeslams Young for the non-title win.
Winners: Kane and Daniel Bryan
– Still to come, a message from The Shield. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what happened with Triple H and Brock Lesnar earlier.
– Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns make their way through the crowd and down to the ring.
Ambrose says things have to get worse before they get better. He says there will be no peace in WWE. He says The Shield makes a lot of people in the back nervous. Ambrose says nothing will stop them from doing the job they came to do. Reigns speaks next and says they will win every single team. Rollins talks about how they’ve dropped Chris Jericho, John Cena, Ryback, Sheamus. He asks if anyone else wants to step up and out comes Sheamus. Sheamus tells them to come fight him on the stage. Reigns and Ambrose start up the ramp. Randy Orton comes in the ring and drops Rollins with a RKO. Orton leaves back through the crowd. Ambrose and Reigns run back to the ring as Sheamus looks on. Orton watches The Shield from the crowd while fans chant his name.
– Still to come, Cena vs. Punk in the main event. Swagger vs. Miz is after the next commercial.
The Miz vs. Jack Swagger
Back from the break and Jack Swagger is out with Zeb Colter. Out next comes The Miz. Miz with offense early on. Swagger gets dumped over the top and out to the floor. Swagger tries to come in but Miz kicks him back to the floor. Miz comes off the apron but Swagger slams him hard on the floor. We see Del Rio and Ricardo watching backstage. Swagger brings it back in the ring and works Miz over.
Swagger keeps control and works on the leg of The Miz. Swagger hits the Swagger Bomb for another 2 count. Miz makes a comeback and hits the neckbreaker. Swagger catches Miz and dumps him on his head for another pin attempt. Miz makes another comeback and hits the clothesline in the corner. Miz goes to the top with an ax handle shot for a 2 count. Miz goes for a kick to the face but Swagger catches him. Miz counters and rolls Swagger up for 2. Swagger blocks the DDT and shoves Miz back, getting his leg tangled up in the ropes. Swagger goes after the leg and takes Miz back down. Swagger applies the Patriot Act for the win.
Winner: Jack Swagger
– Cole and Lawler are snacking on some food from Sonic at ringside.
– We see footage of The Rock unveiling the new WWE Title last week and then CM Punk attacking John Cena with the old title.
– We get a Tout video from Triple H and see what happened earlier with Brock Lesnar. We see some fan Tout videos also discussing the brawl.
– Josh Mathews is backstage with John Cena. Cena cuts a promo on his match with C M Punk tonight. He says you either step up or step aside tonight. Cena says he asked for this match to prove that John Cena is back. Cena says he hopes his critics are hungry. He doesn’t care what The Rock is cookin’ but he’s serving humble pie. Cena says our time is now.
– Cole leads us into a preview for Chris Jericho’s Robot Combat League on SyFy. We get a preview.
– Back from the break and we see a clip of The Undertaker’s entrance from Saturday night’s live event in Waco. Lawler talks about the speculation that comes this time of the year about Taker returning for WrestleMania.
#1 Contender’s Match: CM Punk vs. John Cena
We go to the ring and out first comes CM Punk. The winner of this one will face WWE Champion The Rock at WrestleMania 29. Out next comes John Cena.
They do formal ring introductions before the bell. They lock up and the crowd is all into it. They trade holds with back and forth to start the match. They lock up and Cena takes Punk down with a headlock. More back and forth. Cena sends Punk to the floor with a hip toss. Punk looks on from the floor as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Cena unloads on Punk. Cena with a fisherman’s suplex. Punk side steps and drops Cena for a 2 count. Punk mounts Cena with elbows. Neckbreaker and another 2 count by Punk. Punk with a head-scissors now. Cena powers to this feet with Punk’s legs around him. Down goes Punk. Punk runs into a boot and catches a running bulldog. Cena with a 2 count. Cena grounds Punk to the mat with a facelock. Cena with a headlock takedown now. They run the ropes and Punk nails a heel kick for 2. Punk with a headlock now.
Cena fights up and out of the hold. Punk kicks him in the chest but gets taken down by a flying shoulder. Punk ducks the next and Punk ends up out on the floor. Punk with a suicide dive, taking out Cena on the floor. We go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Punk is in control after blocking an Attitude Adjustment during the commercial. Cena comes back with the flying shoulders. Punk counters and locks in the Anaconda Vice. Cena turns it into a 2 count. Punk with a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Punk calls for GTS but Cena goes for the STF. Punk scrambles to the ropes and knocks Cena back. Punk springboards in with a clothesline for 2. Punk springboards in again but Cena catches him in the STF. Punk fights out and counters with an Anaconda Vice. Cena breaks it and applies the STF again.
Punk turns that into a 2 count and finally they’re separated for a minute. They get up and trade lots of big shots in the middle of the ring. Cena ducks a kick and slams Punk. Cena calls for the Five Knuckle Shuffle but Punk kicks him in the face. Punk goes for GTS but Cena slides out. Punk counters that with another pin attempt. Punk nails a big knee to the face in the corner. Cena blocks the bulldog and slams Punk on his head. Cena nails the Five Knuckle Shuffle and goes for the AA. Punk slides out. Cena blocks GTS and nails a powerbomb for a close 2 count.
Cena climbs to the top but can barely make it. Punk cuts him off and nails a chop and right hand. Punk climbs up for a superplex. Cena counters and hits headbutts, sending Punk back to the ring. Cena climbs up and hits the big leg drop for a 2 count. Punk with a big kick to the head. Punk with another high knee in the corner. Cena grabs him and nails the AA out of nowhere for a 2 count. Cena ends up on the floor and the referee counts. Cena makes it in at the 9 count. Punk goes for GTS again and nails it but Cena kicks out at 2. Punk goes for another GTS but Cena catches his leg and applies the STF. Punk makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Punk goes for the knee and hits a solid piledriver. Cena still kicks out at 2. Punk covers again for 2. And again.
Punk goes to the top but misses the big elbow drop as Cena rolls out of the way. Cena botches a hurricanrana and nails the Attitude Adjustment for the win and the WWE Title shot at WrestleMania 29.
Winner and New #1 Contender: John Cena
After the match, Cena celebrates as we go to replays. We get a graphic for Cena vs. Rock II at WrestleMania 29. Cena heads up the ramp and poses as RAW goes off the air.
As seen in the opening segment of Monday’s WWE RAW, Brock Lesnar brawled with the returning Triple H and wound up getting his head busted open the hard way when Triple H threw him into a ring post outside of the ring.
Lesnar received twelve staples backstage to close the gash on his head, but was walking around backstage afterwards and telling everybody he was fine.
Here is video footage of the Paul Heyman vs. Vince McMahon “fight” that eventually turned into a brawl between Brock Lesnar and Triple H:
WWE aired footage on RAW of Michael Cole visiting Glenn Beck’s radio studio in Irving, Texas earlier in the day, trying to get a comment about why he declined WWE’s invitation to appear on RAW. Cole was escorted out of the building after being told that Beck would not not speak with him. Here is video footage of what went down:
WWE issued the following statement on Michael Cole’s attempt to meet with Beck, saying that Beck “hid” from WWE cameras:
Glenn Beck declined WWE’s invitation to address our fans live on Raw® tonight and then hid from WWE reporters when approached this evening at his studios in Dallas. WWE attempted to get comment from Beck but was unable to gain building access after Beck’s representatives said he was “not in the building,” which clearly couldn’t be the case just prior to his show airing live from the same studio.
Beck referenced WWE as “stupid wrestling people” in a segment that aired on TheBlaze TV last week, criticizing a recent WWE storyline involving WWE characters World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio™, Jack Swagger™ and Zeb Colter™.
Similar to other television shows and feature films, WWE is in the entertainment business, creating fictional characters that serve as protagonists or antagonists. To create compelling and relevant content for our audience, it is important to incorporate current events into our storylines.
WWE is creating a rivalry centered on a topical subject that has varying points of view. This storyline was developed to build the Mexican American character Del Rio into a hero given WWE’s large Latino base, which represents 20 percent of our audience.
Triple H made his WWE television return on Monday’s episode of Raw, brawling with Brock Lesnar in the opening segment of the show. The two are expected to square off at WrestleMania 29.
Speaking of Triple H, he is now on Twitter and can be followed at @TripleH. He tweeted the following Tout video on Monday night, declaring that “the ass kicker is back.”
– According to the script for tonight’s WWE RAW, the opening segment is scheduled to be the fight between Vince McMahon and Paul Heyman.
– Chris Jericho appeared on this week’s edition of former WCW star Konnan’s MLW radio show. In part 1, Jericho talks about Triple H’s rise to power behind the scenes in WWE, his current WWE deal and more. You can listen to the show at MLWRadio.libsyn.com.
– Shield member Roman Reigns tweeted the following about about tonight’s WWE RAW:
WWE sent out the following press release on Monday night:
GLENN BECK SAYS NO TO RAW®, WWE® GOES TO BECK
Glenn Beck has declined WWE’s invitation to address our fans live tonight on Raw, in response to a segment that aired on TheBlaze last week where Beck referenced WWE as “stupid wrestling people.”
Instead, WWE is sending a video crew to Beck’s studios to get comment from the talk show host and political commentator.
Tune-in to Monday Night Raw tonight at 8/7C on USA Network to see if Beck responds.
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