– WWE is taping this week’s Main Event and Smackdown shows from San Antonio, TX. Randy Orton vs. Antonio Cesaro will be taking place on Main Event. For SmackDown, the only thing advertised is Del Rio’s Championship fiesta.
– WWE returns to Providence, Rhode Island on March 16th for a RAW brand live event. Tickets go on sale at Ticketmaster.com tomorrow morning with the pre-sale password WWEPROV.
– Mick Foley is the latest WWE personality to be booked for an upcoming Comic Con event. Foley will be appearing at the Niagara Falls Comic Con in June.
– WWE.com has published an interview Tyson Kidd, who recently suffered a bad knee injury that he described as “ligament and meniscus tears in his right knee and a fracture in his tibia platea.” The article states that he’ll be out for 6-8 months.
TNA star Bully Ray’s bachelor party will take place on Wednesday night at Rick’s Cabaret in New York City. The following press release, which notes that Hulk Hogan is invited to the party, was sent out on Tuesday:
“Bully Ray” From “TNA Impact Wrestling” Chooses Rick’s Cabaret New York For His Bachelor Party, To Be Held Wednesday Night, Just One Day Before His Wedding to Brooke Hogan (Hulk Hogan’s daughter).…The Marriage Ceremony Will Air Live on Spike TV, Thursday at 8pm, 7pm Central.
Pro Wrestling Superstar “Bully Ray” proposed to Brooke Hogan on Spike TV’s “Impact Wrestling” Show last Thursday night.
Surprisingly, she accepted despite her dad Hulk Hogan’s look of dismay as he stood by. They are getting married on Spike TV’s “Impact Wrestling” show this Thursday night, January 17th, live, 8pm, 7pm central.
Several pro wrestlers are throwing Bully Ray’s bachelor party at the famous Rick’s Cabaret New York this Wednesday night, January 16th. On the guest list are some rock and roll notables and other pro athletes who are friends of the groom.
No expense has been spared. The grapplers have reserved the entire second floor VIP lounge and the Deluxe Sky Box. Over 75 Rick’s Cabaret Girls will provide the entertainment.
Rick’s Cabaret’s award winning executive chef Mr. Nestor is preparing a menu designed especially for the brawny brawlers. He describes it as “Rib Eye steaks, red meat, and more steaks!”
Following dinner they have reserved the entire roof deck and smoking lounge to enjoy cigars and brandy.
Hulk Hogan, who disapproves of the wedding, was invited to the bachelor party, and it remains to be seen if he will show up.
Mr. Ray said, “I’m looking forward to my bachelor party. Rick’s Cabaret has the hottest women.”
Rick’s Cabaret Girl Mandy said, “We love all the pro athletes, it will be an awesome party with non-stop lap dances!”
Rick’s Cabaret Girl Maya met Bully Ray on a previous visit to the club. “He is such a man! I wanted him all to myself, but Brooke Hogan must have won his heart,” she sighed.
Originally, Eve Torres was scheduled to defend the against Kaitlyn at the Royal Rumble in a Lumberjills match, but the decision was made last week for Eve to drop the title to Kaitlyn on RAW in her final match before leaving WWE. No word yet on who Kaitlyn’s challenger will be.
– WWE officials are said to be impressed with the recent work of NXT Diva Sasha Banks, formerly known Mercedes KV. The 20 year old diva made her NXT debut back in November.
– According to WWE sources, Kamala has been contacted about being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame this April. Kamala had a main event run in WWE against Hulk Hogan during the late 1980’s, had a feud with the Undertaker in 1992 and then worked as a comedy babyface after that. He also wrestled in Memphis as well as WCW.
– Here is the latest episode of WWE Backstage Fallout, featuring interviews from Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW:
– On Monday’s RAW, we saw Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett get a surprising clean win over Randy Orton. While Orton jobbing to Barrett might seem like it could be related to the news of Orton taking time off soon to deal with personal issues, f4wonline.com reports that the loss will actually play into Orton’s eventual heel turn.
– NXT star Bray Wyatt continues to tease that he’ll be debuting on RAW soon, tweeting on Monday night:
Following her title loss to Kaitlyn on Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW and her subsequent “quitting” of WWE during a backstage interview that aired on the WWE mobile app, Eve Torres is in fact leaving the company.
Torres reportedly approached Vince McMahon last month and informed him of her intentions to depart the company. It was decided that she would stick around while they could wrap up her program with Kaitlyn and the decision was made in the past week for their match to take place on the 20th Anniversary of RAW.
Eve is engaged to “MMA royalty” Rener Gracie and will be the new face of the Gracie Academy’s “Women Empowered” self-defense program.
Eve tweeted the following this morning about her decision to leave WWE and displayed a good sense of humor in what has to be an emotional time for her:
I arrived Texas with the Divas Championship in my luggage, and left Texas with this belt. Whelp, time to go http://t.co/QxXJMPG5
– David Otunga is interviewed in the new issue of WWE Magazine and had this to say about the success of the former members of Nexus:
“I think everybody has been doing great. We pretty much are the new top guys of WWE. We’re all here now. Ryback just contested a championship match, and he’s got another one coming up. Daniel Bryan has been a champion before and Wade Barrett is well on his way. Heath Slater has his own crew now. I just filmed my first movie with Halle Berry. I think it all turned out better than we planned.”
– WWE superstars Cody Rhodes and The Miz exchanged some trash talk on Twitter following Monday’s RAW. Rhodes Tweeted:
Not mad. I'll still be competing at #RAW30 all while Yoshi will still be pretending to not speak English, Miz still learning the figure-four
Dolph Ziggler is interviewed in the February 2013 issue of WWE Magazine. Here are some highlights of what Ziggler said about:
What It Was Like Winning Money in the Bank: I can only speak up so much — whether it’s backstage or on Twitter and in interviews — and if I didn’t think I was this good, then I wouldn’t keep telling people to put me in these situations. I’ve been saying for years that I deserve to be there, and I value my word as something that truly means something. That’s why that came out. It’s about damn time that people woke up to what just about everyone in the world had already known.
The Worst Thing That He Does: I don’t listen … to a point where if I think something’s right, I’ll go ahead and do it anyway, and it’ll be the wrong thing to do. That’s what’s holding me back. I tell myself how great I am, but sometimes I’m wrong. Some people have been here a lot longer, and sometimes they’re going to be right, and damn it, I’m going to have to pay attention to that.
As previously reported, WWE superstar The Rock is on the cover of the February 2013 issue of WWE Magazine. Inside, The Rock is interviewed about a wide variety of topics, including his Hollywood career and what he believes are the keys to success. Here are some highlights of what The Rock said about:
His Hollywood career: “Honestly, if I could start my Hollywood career over again, I wouldn’t change a thing. Every success and failure, every love and heartbreak, it’s all led me down the path I’m on. This will be my 13th year of acting on the big screen, and I’m lucky to be enjoying the Hollywood career I have these days — but I also wake up every morning with the mindset that there is no substitute for hard work, and there’s no amount of sweat I won’t drop to achieve my goals.”
The Key to Success: “‘What’s the key to success?’ is something I’m asked every single day. I don’t believe there’s only one ‘key to success.’ But what I do believe in is hard work, and daily, focused commitment and sacrifice. I believe in being gracious with your successes, and humbled by your failures. I trust my gut and always keep my family close. I live in optimism and faith. When I grab opportunity and success by the throat, I don’t let go.”
WWE Hall of Famers “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Shawn Michaels were rumored for Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW from their home state of Texas, but neither man showed up. It turns out, both men were in Las Vegas. Here’s what they wrote about not attending RAW:
Hitting the hay in Las Vegas. Hope RAW was a fun show. I was already booked here at the Shot Show in Vegas, as I am every year. #hunting
Michaels said he won’t be at tonight’s SmackDown tapings from his home town of San Antonio and said it’s unfortunate that some WWE fans don’t appreciate that he has non-WWE commitments.
Jim Ross also tweeted about Austin and Michaels missing Raw:
On Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW, two more title matches were announced for the Royal Rumble: Alberto Del Rio defending the World Heavyweight championship against the Big Show and Team Hell No defending the Tag Team championships against Team Rhodes Scholars.
Intercontinental champion Wade Barrett is also now confirmed for the Rumble match. With those changes in place, here’s the updated card for WWE’s upcoming Royal Rumble pay-per-view:
WWE Championship Match:
CM Punk (c) vs. The Rock
World Heavyweight Championship Match:
Alberto Del Rio (c) vs. Big Show
Tag Team Championship Match:
Team Hell No (c) vs. Team Rhodes Scholars
Royal Rumble Match Participants:
– John Cena
– Randy Orton
– Sheamus
– Antonio Cesaro
– Wade Barrett
– Dolph Ziggler
– Heath Slater
– Drew McIntyre
– Jinder Mahal
On Monday’s RAW, Kaitlyn defeated Eve Torres to capture the Divas Championship. Here are reactions from the rest of WWE’s Divas:
AJ Lee: “Despite the fact that I really enjoy punching her face, there is no one that deserves that moment more than Kaitlyn. I’m a proud mama.”
Rosa Mendes: “Wow we have a new Divas Champion @KaitlynWWE, she seems to be hitting the weight room quite a bit, well I will be hitting the weight room even more!! This new road to #Wrestlemania diet plan couldn’t have come at a better time, I will be a fitness Goddess in three months time. Hang on and enjoy your title reign while its still yours.”
Alicia Fox: “Congratulations @KaitlynWWE…. Enjoy your 15 mins of Fame!! Xoxox #TheCLOCKisTICKING #FoxyingisaFULLTIMEJob!!”
Tamina Snuka: “#Raw20 Wow @KaitlynWWE NEW DIVAZ CHAMP Enjoy it while it last cause a Statement Will be made and shown in the NEAR Future #Congrats”
The 20th Anniversary of WWE RAW opens up with a mash-up of RAW opening videos from over the years.
– We’re live from the Toyota Center in Houston, Texas as Michael Cole welcomes us. We go right to the ring and Vince McMahon is waiting. Vince talks about RAW’s success over the years and thanks the fans. He announces John Cena vs. Dolph Ziggler in a steel cage for tonight. He also plugs The Rock’s Rock Concert. Vince is interrupted by Big Show and out he comes.
Show says everyone needs to wait because the travesty that happened to him on SmackDown needs to be addressed. Vince says he doesn’t like being told what to do and doesn’t like being interrupted. Vince picks on Show for losing the World Heavyweight Title. Vince airs the footage from SmackDown where Alberto Del Rio won the title.
Show says he wasn’t prepared for a Last Man Standing match and blames Booker T. Show wonders if Booker was trying to make Del Rio a hero to the Latinos. The crowd boos Show. Show says Booker is jealous of him. Vince asks Show what he wants done about it. Show wants Del Rio stripped of the title. The music hits and out comes Ricardo Rodriguez and Alberto Del Rio to a big pop.
Del Rio says Show comes off very small. Del Rio says instead of complaining to Mr. McMahon, do something about it. Del Rio proposes a rematch for tonight. Show says no and the crowd chants si. Show says he wasn’t prepared on Friday and isn’t prepared tonight. Del Rio tells Show to show some balls for once in his life. JBL and Jerry Lawler are on commentary with Cole tonight by the way. Show says he’s not going to waste his rematch tonight. Show wants the match at the Royal Rumble. Show says people won’t be talking about the Rumble winner, CM Punk or The Rock. They’re going to be talking about him. Show tells Del Rio to enjoy his 15 minutes of fame. Del Rio calls Show a fat jackass. Show asks Vince if he’s ok with how Del Rio is acting. Ricardo and Del Rio have a present for Show now. RR picks up a bucket and Show warns him. Ricard tosses a bunch of confetti on Show and they laugh at him. Show goes after RR but Del Rio stops him. The brawl and Del Rio hits a hurricanrana. Del Rio with a kick to the head that sends Show out of the ring. Vince introduces Del Rio to the crowd as he celebrates.
– The announcers hype Rock’s concert and tonight’s steel cage match. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see highlights from when Bob Barker hosted RAW.
Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton
We go to the ring and Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett is in the ring. Randy Orton is out next to a big pop.
They lock up and Orton takes it to the corner. Back to the corner and Barrett works Orton over in the corner. Barrett ducks a clothesline and Orton hits a Thesz Press. Barrett goes to the floor but Orton follows. Barrett gets his face slammed into the announcers table. Orton back drops Barrett on the fan barrier and brings him back in for a 2 count. Orton stomps away now. Barrett gets dumped back to the floor as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Barrett is in control. Barrett with a headlock but Orton fights out. Barrett cuts him off and takes Orton to the apron with knees to the head. Barrett with a big kick for 2. Barrett goes back to a headlock now. Orton breaks free with a big backdrop. Orton comes back with clotheslines and a big powerslam. Barrett ducks out of the ring but Orton nails the backbreaker. Orton with the second rope draping DDT as the crowd pops. More back and forth. Barrett with the Bullhammer elbow for the clean win.
Winner: Wade Barrett
– Still to come tonight is the first Hall of Fame announcement. Back to commercial.
– WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres runs into Teddy Long and Booker T backstage. Booker says Vickie Guerrero agrees that Eve will be stripped of her title if she tries to run away or get counted out tonight. Eve tries to play up to Booker but he laughs in her face. Teddy laughs at her too. Eve smacks Teddy in the face and walks off.
– Cole shows us footage from earlier today where Kane and Daniel Bryan met with Dr. Shelby for an evaluation. Bryan tells Kane that they should lie to Dr. Shelby and tell him what he wants to hear. Kane agrees and in comes the doc. They have a group hug before sitting down. They answer some questions about each other. Shelby brings in Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. He wants them to cause a trigger for Team Hell No’s anger and see how they handle it. Shelby wants Rhodes and Sandow to antagonize them and when they get angry, wash it away and find their happiness. Before that can happen, Sandow and Rhodes end up correcting Shelby and running him down. They call Shelby a failure and say Dr. Phil would be better. Shelby tells Bryan and Kane to attack and they get rid of Rhodes Scholars.
Kane vs. Damien Sandow
We go to the ring and out come WWE Tag Team Champions Kane and Daniel Bryan. Kane will face Damien Sandow after the commercial.
Back from the break and Sandow comes out with Rhodes. Kane takes control early on and unloads on Sandow in the corners. Kane with a sideslam for a 2 count. Kane with more offense on the floor. Kane brings it back in but Sandow kicks him. Sandow turns it around and works Kane over now. Sandow goes on and hits the Elbow of Disdain. Sandow comes off the top but Kane catches him with a chokeslam for the win.
Winner: Kane
– Back from the break and we see what happened with Big Show and Alberto Del Rio earlier tonight.
– Justin Roberts introduces Mick Foley as the first inductee into the 2013 Hall of Fame class. The crowd chants for Foley and out he comes to the ring.
Foley thanks the crowd for their ovation but The Shield’s music hits. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns come through the crowd and surround Foley in the ring. Ryback’s music hits and out he comes for the save. They beat Ryback down but he turns it around. They beat him down again but now comes Randy Orton for the save. Orton gets beat down also and out next comes Sheamus. Sheamus fights them off. Orton and Ryback join in and the clear the ring after Ambrose takes Shell Shocked. The Shield backs up the ramp as Orton, Ryback and Sheamus stand tall in the ring.
– Ryback gets a big “Feed Me More” chant going. Josh Mathews enters the ring to interview Ryback. He talks about how The Shield has allowed CM Punk to escape every time they face off. Ryback says he can’t rest until he gives back The Shield what they have taken from him. Ryback starts a “Feed Me Shield” chant.
– We get a video of some of the more bizarre gimmicks over the years – Man Mountain Rock, Bastian Booger, Gillberg, The Sultan, Damien Demento, The Goon, Max Moon, The Boogeyman, Naked Midian, stuttering Goldust and others.
– The Divas Title match is up next after commercial.
WWE Divas Title Match: Kaitlyn vs. Eve Torres
Lilian Garcia announces this match as Kaitlyn waits in the ring. WWE Divas Champion Eve Torres comes out next. If she gets counted out, she will lose the title in this match.
The bell rings and they lock up. Eve with a headlock but Kaitlyn turns it around. Eve goes to the floor and Kaitlyn won’t let her back in. Eve comes in and goes to the corner. Kaitlyn is told to back off by the referee. Eve kicks Kaitlyn back and then kicks her in the face for a 2 count. Eve mounts Kaitlyn and unloads. Eve with a takedown and 2 count.
Eve turns it around and chokes her in the corner. Eve with a submission now. Kaitlyn counters with a roll up for 2. Kaitlyn with clotheslines now and then a big shoulder. Kaitlyn with an inverted DDT and a close 2 count. Eve comes back with a neckbreaker for a close 2 count. Eve shows frustration. Kaitlyn picks Eve up on her shoulders and drops her over the knee. Eve rolls out to the floor but Kaitlyn comes after. Eve tosses Kaitlyn into the fan barrier and walks back to the ring. Kaitlyn gets in first and spears Eve for the win and the title.
Winner and New WWE Divas Champion: Kaitlyn
– Josh Mathews is backstage with Brodus Clay. We see CM Punk’s pipebomb from last week where he namedropped Clay. Clay wants Punk to keep his name out of his mouth. Clay says that pipebomb is about to blow up in Punk’s face and walks off. Back to commercial.
Brodus Clay vs. CM Punk
Back from the break and out comes Brodus Clay with Cameron and Naomi. Out next comes WWE Champion CM Punk with Paul Heyman.
The bell rings and they go at it. Clay knocks Punk down and Punk goes to the floor to regroup with Heyman. Clay brings Punk back in and keeps up the assault. Clay beats Punk down in the corner and scoop slams him. Clay drops an elbow and another. Punk turns it around an springboards in with a clothesline. Punk with a neckbreaker. Punk mocks Clay’s dancing. Punk with another neckbreaker. Clay with a submission on the neck now.
Punk with kicks but Clay catches him and hits a suplex. Clay runs over Punk and hits a headbutt. Clay misses a splash in the corner and Punk takes the knee out. Punk with a kick in the face. Punk goes to the top and hits the big elbow drop. Punk applies the Anaconda Vice and Clay taps out for the win.
Winner: CM Punk
– After the match, Punk mocks Clay some more and takes a mic. He says he just came to do what he does every Monday night. Punk says The Rock is going to come out later and do what he does. Punk talks about The Rock and says Rock will not leave Royal Rumble with the title because he is the best in the world and that’s a fact.
– They plug tonight’s Rock Concert and Cena vs. Ziggler in a cage. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a look back at some crazy RAW moments involving automobiles over the years.
– Mick Foley is backstage on the phone with his children. The Rock walks up and Foley hangs up. Foley goes to shake Rock’s hand but Rock didn’t come here to shake Foley’s hand. They hug and Rock congratulates Foley on the Hall of Fame induction. They do some Rock & Sock comedy when Vickie Guerrero walks up. She can’t hear herself think and tells them to shut up. Vickie reminds them this is her show. Vickie runs her mouth some more and Rock says he has nothing to say to her. Foley is surprised. Rock says there’s a time and place for everything. He tells Foley to enjoy the Rock Concert.
Over the Top Rope Challenge: Sheamus vs. Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre
Sheamus comes out for an over the top challenge before we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and 3MB are in the ring. They beat Sheamus down to start but he fights them off. They try to toss Sheamus over but he fights back. Sheamus tosses Drew over but he hangs on and Slater makes the save. They beat Sheamus down again. Sheamus eliminates Jinder first and then McIntyre. Sheamus tries to Brogue Slater but gets hung up on the apron. 3MB rush over to help Slater and Sheamus gets eliminated.
Winners: 3MB
– After the match, Sheamus comes back and interrupts their celebration. Slater and McIntyre catch Brogue Kicks to end the segment.
– Josh Mathews is backstage with John Cena. He asks about tonight’s steel cage match and Big E Langston. Cena says we should be talking about RAW and runs off a bunch of names in typical Cena fashion.
– The Miz comes to the stage to hype Miz TV. He says his special guest is a Hall of Famer and gives us a hint: Whoooo! Miz struts to the ring as we go to commercial.
The Miz comes out and introduces his guest, Ric Flair. Flair struts to the ring and takes a seat. Miz asks his most memorable RAW moment. Flair says the night after he retired where they had the farewell for him on RAW. Flair wants to talk about the future, not the past. Flair says he’s honored to be here. Flair says he’s looking forward to when Ryback takes out The Shield. They have a “really?” off and Flair dances. Miz tells him to do it again. Miz calls that a magical moment. He plays a video of some of the best stars on the mic from over the years including The New Age Outlaws, Chris Jericho, Mick Foley, DX, R-Truth, CM Punk, Val Venis, Steve Austin and others.
Miz says one catchphrase was missing from that video and talks Flair into doing a promo but he’s interrupted by United States Champion Antonio Cesaro.
Cesaro comes out with a US flag. He says he doesn’t need catchphrases. Cesaro rips into Miz and Flair as the crowd chants USA. Cesaro tells Flair he has nothing to show for being great in the past. Except maybe a bar tab he can’t pay. Cesaro says the only thing the four fingers stand for these days is Flair’s four ex-wives. Miz gets upset and tosses a chair. Miz says he will pay Flair’s bar tab tonight but will give Cesaro the receipt right now. Cesaro says he’s going t be the bigger man and walk away. Flair stops him and delivers some chops. Flair whips Cesaro into Miz for a Skull Crushing Finale. Flair goes for a Figure Four but stops. Flair lets Miz apply the Figure Four. Miz tightens the hold as Flair drops elbows on his jacket. Miz kicks Cesaro out of the ring and Flair drops a knee and another elbow on their coats. Flair and Miz pose as Flair’s music plays.
– Still to come, Cena vs. Ziggler in a steel cage match. Back to commercial.
Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes
Back fro the break and Cody Rhodes is in the ring with Damien Sandow. Kane and Daniel Bryan are out next. Cody and Bryan go at it. Cody with an early pin attempt. Cody keeps control and drops a knee on Bryan. Cody wastes time and Bryan pulls him into the Yes Lock for the win.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
– Michael Cole shows us a WWE App video of Eve Torres complaining to Matt Striker about how she’s a victim. Eve sas she does’t need WWE and quits. She blames it on people like Striker and the fans before waking off. The announcers play up Eve quitting.
– Still to come, Rock Concert. Back to commercial.
– AJ Lee is backstage with Big E Langston. She looks back at some of the weddings on RAW over the years.
Langston shows a clip of her and Daniel Bryan’s wedding. AJ gets emotional and Dolph Ziggler comes in to cut a promo on his match with Cena tonight.
– We go to the ring and out comes Jim Ross to join commentary. Back to commercial.
Steel Cage Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. John Cena
Ziggler is out with AJ and Langston. John Cena is out next to a big pop. Ziggler tries to escape early on but Cena stops him. It’s JR, Lawler and JBL on commentary for this match. Cena takes control until he runs into a big dropkick. 2 count by Ziggler. Ziggler beats on Cena now. Cena goes face first into the cage wall. Ziggler with a big splash in the corner and a neckbreaker. Ziggler with another neckbreaker as AJ looks on.Ziggler goes for another neckbreaker but shows off and Cena counters. Cena goes for an Attitude Adjustment but Ziggler blocks it and gets a 2 count. Ziggler keeps control and works Cena over. Cena catches in and catapults him into the cage. Ziggler climbs up but Cena stops him.
Cena pulls Ziggler down and starts climbing. Ziggler stops him and they trade shots on the top rope. Ziggler knocks Cena to the mat but Ziggler falls with the top rope between his legs. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and they trade shots on top of the cage. They come back to the top rope and Ziggler dropkicks Cena to the mat. During the commercial, Langston stopped Cena from escaping by holding his leg. Ziggler keeps control now as AJ looks on. Cena blocks a shot into the cage and fights back. Cena comes back with his usual moves. Cena with the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena goes for the AA but it’s blocked. Ziggler uses it to climb up the cage. Cena exposes Ziggler’s rear and throws him into the cage. Ziggler blocks another AA and hits a superkick for a close 2 count. Ziggler crawls for the cage door but Cena pulls him back. Langston tries to pull Ziggler out. Cena and Langston play tug of war with Ziggler’s body. Cena pulls Ziggler back in and applies STF. Ziggler counters and locks in a sleeper hold.
Cena powers to his feet with Ziggler on his back. Cena climbs up the cage wall, still with Ziggler on his back. Cena falls back to the mat and lands on Ziggler. Ziggler climbs while Cena goes for the door. Ziggler stops Cena from escaping. Cena kicks Ziggler back. Cena goes for the door but Langston slams it on his head. Ziggler with a close 2 count. Cena runs up to escape the cage. Cena kicks the door in Ziggler’s face. Langston starts swinging a chair at Cena’s legs and he crawls back over the top of the cage. Ziggler hits Zig Zag for a close 2 count. Ziggler climbs the cage but Cena stops him. Cena pulls Ziggler to the mat. Ziggler runs up and nails a huge DDT from the top rope. Cena still kicks out at 2. AJ throws a fit at ringside and goes crazy. AJ climbs the outside of the cage and makes it to the top. Langston comes in but Cena fights him off. Ziggler charges with the briefcase but Cena ducks and it hits Langston. Cena nails the AA on Ziggler for the win as AJ watches from the top of the cage.
Winner: John Cena
– Cena heads up the ramp as AJ screams from the top of the cage. We go to replays.
– Up next is Rock Concert. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and out comes The Rock to a big pop. The ring is set up with a guitar, a chair and mic stand. Rock says it’s an honor to close out this special night. Rock talks about his first time on RAW and we see a pic of his Rocky Maivai gimmick. Rock picks on how he looked and says that picture proves if you put your mind to it, you can overcome anything. Rock takes a seat and the crowd chants his name. Rock’s first song is sung to the tune of Heartbreak Hotel. It’s about Paul Heyman. Rock calls him a diva with floppy breasts. Rock says Heyman’s fat covers his little penis that he hasn’t seen in years. Rock points out a special guest in the crowd – Dusty Hill from ZZ Top.
Rock asks how the ladies are doing. He says his favorite curve on a woman is her smile. He starts his second song and says there’s a special woman he wanted to sing a song to. Rock calls Vickie Guerrero out so he can sing to her. Vickie hesitates but comes out to the stage. Rock sings this song to the tune of Eric Clapton’s Wonderful Tonight. He disses how she looks, how she abuses power. He says she looks like a hooker and not the expensive kind. Rock calls her a “biotch” and says she looks “Horrible Tonight.” Vickie throws a fit on the stage. Rock gets the fans to sing it to Vickie and everyone cheers. Rock tells the fans that is one horrible looking biotch and asks the fans if they’re having fun.
Rock wants to talk about kicking ass now. He calls out WWE Champion CM Punk to the ring. Rock wants to tell Punk something man to man. Rock sets his props to the side and waits on Punk. Out comes Punk to the stage with Heyman right behind him. Rock has some facts of his own in response to Punk’s earlier promo. Rock says it’s a fact that Heyman has twinkie tits. Rock informs Punk that he isn’t God. Rock declares that he will beat Punk for the title. Punk rushes the ring and Rock meets him on the outside. They start brawling on the floor. WWE referees try to separate them. They break free and go at it some more. Rock drops Punk with a right hand. Booker T, Finlay, Arn Anderson and other officials are trying to break it up now. The crowd chants for Rock. RAW goes off the air with Punk and Rock staring at each other as officials keep them separated.
– It was officially announced on RAW that Mick Foley is the first member of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013.
– The January 11th episode of WWE SmackDown averaged 3,130,000 viewers, which is up from 2,721,000 viewers the week before.
– WWE legend King Kong Bundy teased on Sunday night that he is Hall of Fame bound and a big announcement would be coming on Monday night. As it turns out, Bundy will not be joining the WWE Hall of Fame, but the “Pro Wrestling Report Hall of Fame” on April 5th in New York. It sounds just as prestigious.
– Despite not wrestling a match on Monday’s 20th Anniversary RAW, Zack Ryder reached 1 million Twitter followers shortly after the show went off the air, officially becoming a #SevenFigureBroksi.
– The following matches were taped prior to RAW for this week’s episode of WWE Superstars:
* Kofi Kingston vs. Michael McGillicutty
* Zack Ryder vs. JTG
– WWE announced on RAW that new World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio will hold a a fiesta on Friday’s SmackDown celebrating his big win.
– After losing the Divas championship to Kaitlyn on RAW, Eve Torres announced during an interview on the WWE App that she is quitting the company. As noted earlier today, Eve recently gave notice to WWE that she is leaving to get married and pursue other non-wrestling projects.
Here’s video of Eve’s final WWE match and Kaitlyn’s Divas title win:
Tonight’s 20th Anniversary RAW will mark the final WWE appearance for reigning Divas champion Eve Torres.
She is expected to drop the Divas championship tonight to Kaitlyn.
Torres has been with WWE since 2007 and is the latest in a long line of Divas to be burnt out of life on the road, including Kelly Kelly, the Bella Twins and Beth Phoenix.
She recently gave her notice to WWE that she’s leaving and will be focusing on her upcoming wedding to Rener Gracie and other non-wrestling projects, including her women’s self-defense program.
– TMZ.com has an article about Hulk Hogan filing a $50 million lawsuit against the Laser Spine Institute in Florida. LSI performed several procedures on his back starting in 2009 to treat multiple lumbar spinal abnormalities including scoliosis and multiple bulging discs, but Hogan claims that the procedures actually made his back worse and says he was never informed that the laser treatment only provided temporary pain relief.
Hogan eventually underwent major back surgery with a different team of doctors and says he missed out on tens of millions of dollars in employment opportunities. If that’s not bad enough, Hogan says LSI used his name and image to promote their business without his permission.
– Samoa Joe will be hosting a seminar for the Ludus Wrestling School this Saturday (1/20) in Brooklyn, NY.
– Backstage at Sundays TNA Genesis pay-per-view from Orlando, morale among the locker room was high. Everybody felt like it was a solid show with a great main event and the roster feels like the company is moving in the right direction.
The following press release was sent out earlier today:
Clearwire inks Deal with WWE®
CLEAR Sponsors WWE Superstar Ryback™ and WWE Diva Kaitlyn™, Autograph Sessions at Fry’s Marquee Event Takes Place Tonight at Toyota Center in Houston
HOUSTON – Jan. 14, 2013 – Clearwire today announced a marketing partnership with WWE for 2013. The agreement marks the first time Clearwire retail brand CLEAR has worked with a global entertainment organization on this scale across the United States. Clearwire will activate at a total of 20 WWE events that will take place in 20 cities throughout 2013. Financial terms of the agreement are not being disclosed.
“Our market research has shown that WWE fans are a perfect match for attracting new customers to CLEAR,” said Dow Draper, senior vice president and general manager of retail at Clearwire.
“Our pioneering efforts in the 4G arena with other heavyweights has blazed a trail of innovation for our customers looking to connect Wi-Fi enabled devices to our high speed 4G internet network in 80 cities nationwide.”
“Our partnership with Clearwire will provide another way for our fans to access their favorite WWE content whenever and wherever they are through CLEAR’s high speed 4G internet network,” said Andrew Judelson, Executive Vice President, Sales and Partnership Marketing, WWE. “Additionally, Clearwire will have extraordinary opportunities to connect with our passionate, diverse and multi-generational fan base at upcoming WWE events.”
WWE Superstar Ryback and WWE Diva Kaitlyn will be making an appearance at the Fry’s Electronics store from 11:00 a.m. until 1:00 p.m. today to sign autographs for fans inside the store. Fry’s is located at 11565 S.W. Freeway 59, South Houston, TX 77031. Fan’s attending the event at the store can qualify to win one of four back stage passes to meet with WWE Superstars or Divas. The store’s phone number is (832) 200-3300.
Fans attending tonight’s Monday Night Raw® event in Houston at the Toyota Center, 1510 Polk Street, will be able to see CLEAR internet product demonstrations and also have an opportunity to create posters to use throughout the arena during the telecast. There will also be an integrated CLEAR website presence on WWE.com all day today.
This month CLEAR will have presence at WWE events in Los Angeles, Sacramento and Las Vegas.
– The Rock has been added to another WWE RAW taping – the March 4th show from the First Niagara Center in Buffalo, NY.
– Following his release from WWE on Friday, Trent Barreta’s superstar profile has been removed from the company website. There was no official “future endeavors” announcement made.
– Early ticket sales for the 2013 WWE Hall of Fame Ceremony at Madison Square Garden are very strong. The event is expected to sell out well in advance.
– Here’s the Punk and Paul Heyman promo that aired on Friday’s SmackDown from inside the Sun Life Stadium in Miami, FL:
– With tonight marking the 20th Anniversary of WWE RAW, Chris Jericho is asking his Twitter followers to share their #JerichoRawMoment.
Within an hour, #JerichoRawMoment was trending worldwide on Twitter, with some of the responses including Jericho’s WWE debut, his overturned WWE title win over Triple H on RAW, ripping into Stephanie McMahon, calling Scott Steiner “King Arthur” and more.
– Here is Chris Jericho’s recent appearance on Chris Hardwick’s Nerdist podcast, released on Monday morning:
WWE Champion Chris Jericho sits down with Chris and Matt to have a riveting conversation about network mergers, talk about Jericho’s love of comedy and classic TV show spin-offs!
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW celebrates the show’s 20th Anniversary and takes place from Houston, Texas. The following is a preview of what to expect tonight:
– The Rock returns to RAW and will host a “Rock Concert” to continue the hype for his WWE Championship match against CM Punk at the Royal Rumble.
– WWE Divas Champion Eve will defend against Kaitlyn.
– Dr. Shelby returns to perform an evaluation on WWE tag team champions Daniel Bryan and Kane.
– An announcement is expected regarding the first members of the WWE Hall of Fame’s Class of 2013. WWE announced last week that Mick Foley will be part of the class and King Kong Bundy tweeted on Sunday that a major announcement regarding him in the Hall of Fame is expected tonight.
– Many legends from the 20-year history of Monday Night RAW are expected tonight. WWE has been teasing that Ric Flair will be in attendance to confront WWE Champion CM Punk. Jim Ross has confirmed he’ll be at the show.
Texas natives Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker are also strongly rumored for the show. Bret Hart was reportedly contacted for an appearance, but he made it clear to WWE that he only wants to be used when there is a meaningful role for him (unlike his brief cameo at RAW 1,000).
WWE stars that will not be at tonight’s show are Brock Lesnar, Kevin Nash and Edge.
We’ll have full RAW results here on the site later tonight, make sure to check back for those.
– Brodus Clay and Natalya will be hosting the first WrestleMania Reading Challenge of the year later today in Texas.
– Santino Marella suffered a neck injury at Friday night’s WWE live event from Austin, Texas. He’s been taken off the road while docdtors evaluate the extent of the injury. Jamie Noble filled in for Santino on Saturday night, wrestling Tensai.
– NXT is getting a lot of focus in WWE lately, especially with Triple H now overseeing things. There is a feeling that developmental system is currently very strong, which bodes well for the future of WWE and the flow of talent getting called up to the main roster for years to come.
– Speaking of NXT, Bo Dallas worked another match at last night’s WWE live event from Tyler, Texas. Dallas teamed with Justin Gabriel and Yoshi Tatsu to defeat 3MB. Dallas has been getting great reviews for his ring work and he’s seen as one of the most promising developmental wrestlers.
