Mike Johnson reports that at this time, there is no specific timetable for an official announcement on the project or a debut date. Jarrett has had several meetings with potential partners last week, and is reportedly blown away by how many are interested in getting involved with the project.
Toby Keith, as well as Hermie and Elliot Sadler are rumored to be involved in the new project.
– It should be an interesting note that as of today, the WWE has changed their list of participants for the 2014 Royal Rumble match. Noticeably absent is Bad News Barrett, whose name has been removed from the list. Also, added to the Rumble match as of last night are Ryback, The Usos, Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, Titus O’Neil, and Darren Young. Make of that list what you will, with 25 names no listed that leaves 5 open spots for additional superstars, including mystery entrants. You can check out the updated Royal Rumble lineup at this link courtesy of BJack.
– Also in discussions for the Royal Rumble is the obvious edition of a Divas Title match pitting the champion AJ Lee against Naomi of the Funkadactyls. This match has been building on Raw over the past several weeks, though the match hasn’t been conclusively added to the card. The addition of this match will be based around time constraints on the PPV after the rest of the show is put together.
– According to the WON, it appears that all creative plans for Hulk Hogan’s WWE return are said to be finalized. It’s unknown when WWE will bring Hogan back to WWE TV. It also seems likely that WWE could use Hogan to make a final sell for the WWE Network, which launches on February 24th.
– Sheamus and Chris Jericho are both signing this weekend in Pittsburgh, PA at the “World of Wheels” event. The Royal Rumble PPV is also being held in Pittsburgh, PA this weekend. Let the rumors run wild.
– The 2014 WWE Hall of Fame is a success. After just recently going on sale, tickets are nearly sold out without only upper tier seats remaining.
– I haven’t seen this noted on any other sites, but during Raw last night when Michael Cole was discussing the WWE Network he mentioned that the Network would cover all past WWE PPV’s… Starting with WrestleMania III. Not sure if they failed to realize that PPV’s started with the Wrestling Classic, or if the Classic and the first two WrestleManias will be omitted from the Network? That wouldn’t make much sense if so, especially with the 30th Anniversary of Mania right around the corner.
George Scott, one of the key figures in modern pro wrestling, has died at the age of 84. There was information late Monday night that Scott had died. His death was confirmed Tuesday morning via Greg Oliver of Slam Wrestling, who reported that Scott died of lung cancer.
The Canadian wrestler/booker started his wrestling career in the 1950s, traveling throughout various territories in the U.S. and Canada, including working for Stu Hart’s Stampede Wrestling promotion. Historically, Scott is most-remembered for his behind-the-scenes career as a booker in the 1970s and ’80s. Following a stint with Jim Crockett promotions, Scott joined the new WWF management team following Vince McMahon’s purchase from his father, Vince McMahon, Sr., in the early 1980s.
Scott booked the first WrestleMania and helped with the formation of “Saturday Night’s Main Event” on NBC, making him one of the key figures in WWF/E’s history. Scott’s legacy as a booker was second to none.
Ricky Steamboat, who worked for Scott in both Jim Crockett Promotions and later in the WWE, commented on George’s passing. Here’s what the Dragon had to say… “I am very sorry to hear that, he was a good man to me. He played an important part in starting my career in the Carolinas against Ric Flair, The Nature Boy”
Operation: Gimmick Impossible Introduction
This is a new feature here at CrazyMax where yours truly, Cpl. Dick Peters, will go over some of the most memorable, and not so memorable, gimmicks of all time. I will be receiving a new mission every week, and once each mission is accomplished, I will give you a report of my debriefing. The goal of these missions is for yours truly, Cpl. Dick Peters, to work my way up the ranks and become a “Major” Dick in time. I can promise you, I will not stop until I accomplish this goal. So without further adieu, I bring you my first Mission….”The Prisoner 902714, better known by his inmates as “Nailz”.
Objective 1: The Beginning
The Nailz gimmick started with a few vignettes where he was never shown, only heard talking about how the Big Boss Man was a prison guard during his stay. Nailz would go on and on about how the Boss Man mistreated him and that Boss Man has no idea on what it’s like being on the other side of the bars. Nailz always spouted off the number of days he had been incarcerated, 2,478 days to be exact, or 6 and a half years. It had been that long since he had been free and that now that he was out of prison, he was going to take it out on the Boss Man once his sentence was up. Oh, and let us not forget about his ridiculous voice. I don’t know who’s idea it was to give Nailz an audio distorted voice, but it sounded like somebody on whippets. After weeks of vignette, the guy finally made his debut on the May 30th, 1992 edition of Superstars. This is the only thing the guy did worth a damn in the WWF. It is one of my favorite debuts of all time because of the brutality and the viciousness in which it was done. Also, for 1992 it was very ahead of it’s time as far as the WWF goes because you never saw anything like this. Take a look for yourself by watching the clip below. The goodness starts around the 2 minute mark:
After his debut the Boss Man took a short hiatus and didn’t come back for a few months. Nailz would go on to destroy a few jobbers along the way and cut promos on the Boss Man while he waited for him to return. By the way, the guys promos were such trash. He would start every promo with “Who’s the boss now……BOSS MAN!!!!” He would stroke his night stick like he had some form of perverted sexual intentions. Nailz squashed the “Boss Man’s friend” Virgil at SummerSlam ’92 as he continued on his path of destruction. Nailz would use a form of a choke as his submission/KO finisher. How it was legal is beyond me. After Summerslam, Nailz would just bide his time and wait to get his hands on the Big Boss Man one more time. That time would come at the 1992 Survivor Series.
Objective 2: The Blow Off
Following a most awesome debut, the storyline just sort of fell flat. It took too long to get any sort of payoff for the Boss Man and by the time Survivor Series finally rolled around it seemed like nobody cared. I’m not sure they ever cared to be honest but after that sort of debut you want to get to the payoff as soon as possible if you ask me. Let Boss Man stay at home until August, have him come back and attack Nailz but Nailz get away before any damage is done then you set up the match for SummerSlam. That way the Nailz debut is still fresh in peoples minds and the feud is hot and you get the blow off sooner. You could also let Nailz lose by DQ by attacking him with the night stick then extend it to Survivor Series where they had there Night Stick Match and that would have made for a pretty good feud. However, this is the WWF in the early 90’s and 75% of the pay per view matches never made sense so we got the pile of shit that they gave us. And I DO mean pile of shit. The blowoff came at Survivor Series 1992 where Nailz looks to exact his last bit of revenge by defeating the Big Boss Man in a night stick on a pole match. This match was really awkward and didn’t really deliver at all. The gimmick of the match was, you had to shimmy up a poll and retrieve the night stick to use as a weapon. They went at it for about 5-7 minutes then Big Boss Man finally gets his hands on the night stick, BARELY USING IT, and wins the match with the Boss Man Slam. However, before the Boss Man is able to exact his revenge the almighty Nailz steals the night stick from the Boss Man and attempts to hit him with it but Boss Man gets out of the way and ends up stealing the night stick back. He then lays into Nailz a few times before Nailz gets out of the ring and gets to the backstage area. Back there Sean Mooney sticks a mic in Nailz face and the ex-con says he’s not finished with Boss Man yet. They’d have some Cage matches at the house shows with Boss Man going over, but for TV purposes, THIS FEUD WAS FINISHED.
Objective 3: The Ending
Shortly after the Survivor Series match, Vince McMahon had the ingenious idea of having Nailz feud with the Undertaker, two guys who didn’t sell. They filmed the television taping where the stare down took place but nothing came of it. The feud and the gimmick came to a screeching halt after Nailz had a confrontation with Vince McMahon over his Summerslam pay. Nailz supposedly pushed over Vince McMahon in his chair and then choked him on the ground. Suffice to say, he was fired on the spot and he never appeared in a WWF ring again, and thank God for that!
Debriefing Mission 1: Nailz
With how great the debut was, there was no chance this gimmick was going to work. The idea was great because you already had an established star like the Big Boss Man who needed an opponent and what better opponent to give him than a ex-convict whom he supposedly beat on in prison. On paper it sounds like a good idea but in execution it fell flat and amounted to nothing memorable. The best part of this whole gimmick was his debut and after that there is absolutely nothing worth watching. There was a lot of junk being put out in 91 and 92 and this is one of them. However, it wasn’t terrible and the debut makes the gimmick worth a little bit. Nailz would appear once in WCW vs. Sting at a WCW PPV in 1993 as a replacement for Scott Norton. Due to trademark rights, he was simply called “The Prisoner”. Nailz would continue to work the gimmick on the indies, even appear on the AWF using the name “Nails”, with an “S”.
Can you believe this guy was once called “Mr. Magnificent” Kevin Kelly? YIKES!
Now, I am off to speak with the Commander to see what the next Mission is that he has in store for this Dick. Until next time CrazyMaxers, this is Cpl. Dick Peters, standing at attention.
We’re currently looking for a full time Monday Night Raw Reviewer, but for right now I’ll be handling the duties. Should you wish to join Crazymax.org as a writer or reviewer, please contact us at Crazymaxorg@gmail.com
Here we go with this week’s edition of WWE Monday Night Raw, January 20th, 2014 from The Nutter Center in Dayton, Ohio
– As per usual on this holiday, we open with a video package on Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
– Live in the ring stands the Authority, HHH & Stephanie McMahon. HHH reminds us that the winner of the Rumble will meet the Champion at WrestleMania. Just as it appears Trips is going to bring out Batista, Randy Orton’s music hits, to the groans of many… Orton blames the Authority for spending more time on the new Network than paying attention to him. Stephanie shows a video from last week where Kofi Kingston pinned Orton, and Randy then attacked John Cena’s father. Stephanie is appalled of Orton’s actions last week and threatens to strip him of the title is he doesn’t start listening to the Authority. Orton blames the Authority for his actions last week, forcing him to wrestle Cena at the Rumble, and bringing back names like Brock Lesnar & Batista who want his belt.
HHH tells Orton he needs to fix some things starting tonight. Trips tells Orton he has a rematch with Kofi Kingston tonight, and then after the match Orton will meet with John Cena tonight and “make right” with him. HHH tells Orton he’s going to have to start doing some things on his own. CUE BATISTA’S MUSIC! Out comes “THE ANIMAL”. After Batista plays to the crowd, HHH hands him the mike and leaves the ring. Orton wants a handshake but Batista walks away. Orton tries again and Batista begins to speak. Batista says that Orton was worried about WHY Batista was back. Well Batista clears that up, informing Orton that he’s back for the WWE World Title. Batista says he plans to win the Royal Rumble, and headline WrestleMania to take on whoever the WWE World Champion is at that time. Batista leaves Orton in the ring as we take a break.
-Commercial Break-
It wouldn’t be Raw without the token 6-Man tag of the week!!!
1. IC Champion Big E Langston & WWE Tag Team Champions Goldust & Cody Rhodes vs. The Shield. Big E and Dean Ambrose start this match out. Rollins tags in early but Big E with a gorilla press slam and a tag to Goldust. The Rhodes brothers work over Rollins, including a nice delayed gourd buster by Cody Rhodes. The Brotherhood continue on the offense until Rollins hits a back elbow to gain control. Rollins lands some big stomps to Cody in the corner. Cody gets whipped into the corner, but counters into a roll up for a 2 count. Cody goes for the disaster kick, but Rollins rolls out of the ring. Cody comes off the top with a crossbody to the outside onto Rollins!!!! The Shield regroup as we go to commercial break…
Back from break, Roman Reigns is in control of Cody Rhodes. Cody fights back, but eats a punch by Reigns. Reigns hooks Cody into the ropes and tags in Ambrose. Ambrose lands a stiff dropkick, followed by Rollins who gets a 2 count on Cody. Rollins with more stiff shots to Cody in the corner. Rollins tries to dive onto Cody in the corner, but Cody moves. Rollins gets to Reigns, and Reigns cuts off Cody from making a tag. Cody comes off the ropes and connects with the DISASTER KICK ON REIGNS. Both men are now down. Reigns gets to Ambrose, and Cody HOT TAG TO BIG E.. And it’s Langston on fire with clotheslines and a belly to belly suplex on Ambrose. Big E knocks Reigns to the floor and hits his big tackle to Ambrose. Big E lifts Ambrose on his shoulder for the BIG ENDING, but Rollins saves him. Rollins gets tossed to the outside. Ambrose with a boot to the face of Big E. Ambrose comes off the top, but Big E catches him and hits a belly to belly suplex!!! Big E with his BIG SPLASH and a cover for another 2 count on Ambrose. All the men are now in the ring. Reigns with the SUPERMAN PUNCH to Cody, and a SPEAR to Goldust. Ambrose tags in Rollins now, and Rollins connects with the CURB STOMP and covers Big E for the 3 count! The Shield gets the win!!!!
– We have a look at last week’s main event between Bryan & Wyatt vs. The Usos. Bryan makes his big face turn! HOORAY! Up next, we’ll hear from Daniel Bryan!
-Commercial Break-
Back from break, Daniel Bryan is already in the ring. “Yes!” chants galore from the WWE Universe. Very loud “Daniel Bryan” chants from the crowd before he can even speak. Bryan says that after Raw last week, a lot of people asked Bryan if he had a plan for joining The Wyatt Family. Bryan said he had to take down Bray Wyatt mentally. He says he had to do some things he wasn’t very proud of and keep some friends in the dark. He said he had to stand side by side with 3 men who he despises. He waited for the perfect time, and it was last week. Daniel Bryan doesn’t follow the buzzards or anyone else. Bryan tells Wyatt the he exposed him. Bryan says that Harper and Rowan are in the rumble match, so that leaves Bray Wyatt one and one with him at the PPV. The lights go out, and Bray Wyatt appears on the big screen. Bray says where he comes from, being a traitor is a sin. Bryan didn’t expose him, he only exposed himself as a coward. Bray tells Bryan that the fans cheered for him as he attacked him, but he is a traitor. People only look up to him because they choose to kneel to a traitor. Bray tells Bryan to go home and hug his mother, tell her he loves her, and that he is sorry. Bray says everything that happens to Bryan from now on, is his fault. The screen goes black as we go to commercial.
-Commercial Break-
2. Fandango (w/Summer Rae) vs. Xavier Woods. R-Truth on commentary for this one. Fandango starts off on the offense, Xavier counters with a flying headscissors and a sit-out style dropkick. Woods lunges at Fandango, but misses and Fandango returns with a nice looking twisting Falcon Arrow. Fandango goes up and lands the big legdrop for the easy win in LESS THAN 2 MINUTES. Wow, can we say squash? Who did Woods piss off??? Fandango with the win heading into the Rumble.
– Backstage, Kane & Brad Maddox chat. Maddox claims he brought Batista back. Stephanie comes into the office and excuses Maddox. Stephanie asks Kane what he was thinking when he choke slammed CM Punk on Smackdown. Stephanie tells Kane that they both knew it was a risk making Kane a part of The Authority. Stephanie tells Kane that he can’t put his hands on a WWE Superstar. Kane says he understands, and he apologizes. Stephanie says she accepts his apology, but he needs to apologize to CM Punk. Kane reluctantly agrees and leaves the office for the ring.
-Commercial Break-
– Corporate Kane makes his way down to the ring and politely asks CM Punk to join him. Punk obliges… Kane tells Punk that he overstepped his boundaries, and he apologizes for choke slamming him on Smackdown. Punk says he didn’t hear what he said, and that he should say it again. Kane says again that he apologizes. Loud “one more time” chants from the crowd, but Punk kindly informs Kane he doesn’t need to apologize again. HOWEVER, Punk says he is sorry too, and attacks Kane with the microphone!! Punk knocks Kane out of the ring and Kane is livid. Brad Maddox makes his way to the stage. Brad says he is going to give Punk what he wants, and that’s a fight. Maddox says Punk will fight one-half of The New Age Outlaws. The outlaws then make their way to the ring. Billy Gunn wins a hand of rock, paper, scissors, what a shocker….
3. CM Punk vs. “Bad Ass” Billy Gunn. The Road Dogg on commentary… Punk starts off with some quick offense, Billy tries hiding on the floor but Puk follows out. CM continues the offense until he allows himself to be distracted by the Road Dogg and Gunn attacks Punk from the back. Punk gets rammed into the apron as we take a break…
Back from break, Punk is back in control with a sleeper, but Gunn counters with a back suplex. Gunn goes with a chinlock on Punk, CM counters with a GTS attempt but Gunn counters with a nice dropkick. Gunn tells Punk to “SUCK IT”, and Punk replies by nearly kicking Billy’s head off!!!! Gunn rolls to the floor and Punk follows. This time PUNK ATTACKS ROAD DOGG!!!! Back inside, Punk is all over Gunn with a calf kick, some cotheslines and a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Now PUNK DOES THE CROTCH CHOP TO GUNN!!! SUCK THAT!!!! Punk with the knee in the corner. Road Dogg distracts on the apron and Billy takes back over with a tilt-a-whirl slam on CM. Gunn tries a charge in the corner, Punk moves, and Billy hits the post!!! CM Punk goes up top, but Road Dogg pulls Gunn out of the ring!!!! PUNK DIVES ONTO ROAD DOGG!!! Back inside, Gunn nails Punk and goes for the Fame-Asser, but Punk dodges and lifts Gunn up in the GTS for the 1……..2………3!!! PUNK WINS THE MATCH in 9:00! Fun match for a Billy Gunn match.
– Following the match, Brad Maddox & Kane walk out to the stage. Kane congratulates Punk. He says he sees why he calls himself the best in the world. Kane says this Sunday, Punk will be able to prove himself. Every number is random, except for his. Kane says that CM Punk will be the #1 entrant in the Royal Rumble match. I called this 2 weeks ago, I’m all for Punk being #1, I just hate that this is leading to HHH vs. Punk at Mania. What a waste of Punk…
– In the back, a camera is waiting for John Cena to arrive… Late Arrivals? We must be back in 2000 again…
-Commercial Break-
Back from break, we see a video package highlighting the history of the Royal Rumble by the numbers. It’s a short video and doesn’t cover half the “numbers” the video package used to… We go back to the announcers, and they all talk about the passing of Mae Young. The announcers then show us a video package highlighting the life of the late Mae Young. RIP
– Here comes Rey Mysterio… He’s going one on one with Alberto Del Rio… For the third time in a row… Joy….
-Commercial Break-
4. Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio. This match wasn’t over the first two times, I don’t know why do it again. I assume this is just leading to a Batista run in. Lots of the basics from both men to start. Some chain wrestling, some tackle spots. Del Rio goes for a monkey flip, but Rey connects with a dropkick to the face for a 2 count. Del Rio lifts up Rey and connects with snake eyes on the top rope. Del Rio gets hung up on the top rope, and Rey connects with a kick to the face!!! Del Rio goes to the outside where Rey connects with an Asai Moonsault!!!! Back in the ring, Rey connects with stomps to Del Rio in the corner, and then hits a baseball slide to the mid section. Rey connects with the 10 mounted punches. Rey gets whipped into the corner, and Del Rio charges and hits a big stomp to Mysterio. Del Rio hangs Mysterio on the side of the apron and hits a running boot to the head. Rey is thrown back in the ring, and Del Rio goes up top. Del Rio comes off with a double axe handle and covers for a 2 count. Del Rio applies a chinlock, Rey fights back to his feet, but Del Rio connects with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker for a 2. Del Rio works over Rey in the corner, but Rey back to his feet and starts to fight back, but Del Rio grabs Rey and slides him face first out of the ring as we go to commercial!!!!
Back from break, Del Rio is in control of Mysterio. Del Rio throws Mysterio back first into the steel steps. Both men now back Del Rio lifts Rey onto the top rope and tries to take his mask off. Rey gets hung upside down in a tree of woe and hit with some big stomps. Rey bails from the ring and Del Rio gives chase. Del Rio bends Rey around the ring post and then covers for a 1 count. Rey fights back with some punches. Rey charges Del Rio in the corner, but Del Rio moves and Rey hits hard into the corner. Del Rio lifts Rey back on the top rope again and hangs him upside down. Del Rio charges, but Rey moves and Del Rio goes shoulder first into the ring post. Rey is on the top rope, and comes off with corkscrew tackle. The ref starts the 10 count. Both men back to their feet and Mysterio his a head scissor. Rey lands on the apron and goes up top. he connects with the seated senton. Del Rio goes for a sunset flip, but Mysterio counters with a kick to the face. Mysterio covers for a close 2 count. Del Rio lifts Rey up for a spine buster, but Rey reverses into the 619, but Del rio catches him and catapults him into the corner. Del Rio connects with the kick to the head for another close 2 count. Del Rio calls for the cross arm breaker. he goes for it, but Rey gets out. Del Rio lifts Rey on his shoulder, but Rey again counters and this time connects with the 619!!!!!!! Rey “drops the dime” with the splash off the top, but Del Rio grabs the bottom rope to break the 3 count. Rey goes back up top. Rey jumps off, but Del Rio catches him into a FACEBUSTER… Del Rio then locks in the CROSS ARMBREAKER AND MYSTERIO TAPS OUT!!!! Del Rio Wins in 15:00!!!!
– After the match, Del Rio starts to celebrate when Batista makes his way to the ring… Del Rio starts talking trash to Batista and tells him to leave. Batista stares a hole through him. Del Rio tries to attack him, but Batista connects with a spinebuster. Batista lifts Del Rio up and connects with A STANDING BATISTA BOMB!!!! Nice… Batista poses for the WWE Universe with a prone Del Rio still in the ring.
-Commercial Break-
Back from break, The Big Show makes his way to the ring. He and Brock Lesnar will have a “face to face” confrontation. Big Show says that at the rumble, he will be in one of the biggest fights of his career. Then he does a pretty damn good impersonation of Paul Heyman, lol… Big Show calls Lesnar one of the toughest guys in the WWE but he just doesn’t like Lesnar. Big Show tells Brock to come out to the ring and meet him. Paul Heyman makes his way onto the stage, but doesn’t say a word. Brock Lesnar‘s music hits… Brock and Heyman make their way down the ramp, but stop short of the ring. Brock and Heyman start making their way back up the ramp and then go to the back. Big Show tells Brock to come back down to the ring and get in his face. Brock and Heyman make their way back out and back down the ramp. Brock and Heyman stop short of the ring again and stand there looking at Big Show. Lesnar walks up the stairs and gets in the ring. Brock and Big Show get face to face. Brock makes a quick movement at Big Show, and Big Show flinches. They finally lock up, and Big Show moves Lesnar once, and then dumps Lesnar out of the ring. Lesnar is furious and starts destroying the announce table with a chair… Lesnar tries to slide in the ring, but Big Show steps on the chair. Lesnar retreats out of the ring again…. Heyman runs to Lesnar and tells him not to get back in the ring. Lesnar thinks about it, and then he and Heyman walk back up the ramp. Lesnar tells Big Show that he will see him on Sunday….
Lesnar’s bumps were over the top, and not really in a good way. They almost came off goofy to me… Like Shawn Michaels selling for Hogan… Okay, maybe not THAT goofy, but they just seemed too over the top. If this was supposed to make me want to see the match… It didn’t… How about reminding us of the time the two broke the ring??? Sell us on their past… IMO, this segment fell flat…
-Commercial Break-
5. AJ Lee and Tamina vs. Cameron & Naomi. Prior to the match, we see that nobody would celebrate AJ’s “longest reigning divas champion” part with her. Bad News Barrett informs AJ that it’s because nobody likes her. AJ scream, Josh Matthews question AJ. Lee tries to throw a cake in Matthews face, but he ducks and AJ nails Tamina with the cake… Okay… Whatever… Here we go with “action”… Cameron and Tamina start the match off. Tamina starts off using her power, knocking Cameron around the ring. Snuka drags Cameron over to the corner and tags in AJ. AJ connects with a swinging neck breaker and covers for a 2 count. AJ & Tamina continue their offense on Cameron… Cameron catches Tamina charging at her with a pair of boots… TAG TO NAOMI… Naomi comes in on fire… Tamina takes some bumps, but comes back with a boot to the face of Naomi… AJ tags in, leans down to scoop up naomi, but Naomi counters with an INSIDE CRADLE ON THE CHAMP!! 1……..2………3!!! The Funkadactyls pick up the win in around 2:00…. Naomi pins the champ! I’m looking for this to get added to the Rumble PPV…
-Commercial Break-
– Back from break, we see a SECOND Royal Rumble “by the numbers” video, covering the numbers they left out of the first one… I think they need to go back to having just one video for this…
– Some more comments and video honoring Martin Luther King Jr.
– And here come the Usos, ready for tag team action against the Wyatts… NEXT!!!
-Commercial Break-
6. The Usos vs. Eric Rowan and Luke Harper (w/Bray Wyatt). Jey Uso and Harper start… Harper & Rowan dominate Jey early… Rowan tosses Jey to the outside. Harper tries to chop Jey against the ring post, but Jey moves… Jey tags Jimmy!!!! Jimmy comes off the apron onto Harper and tosses him back in the ring. Jimmy on top of Harper… Jimmy and Harper now trade blows. Jey gets a blind tag. Jey comes off the top with a cross body on Harper, but Rowan breaks up the pinfall. Harper hits Jey with a big boot to the face and covers for a 2 count. Rowan & Harper again on the offense… Rowan squeezes the temple of Jey, the announcers compare it to Sgt. Slaughters drilling temple hold, and for any moron who has ever mocked that move over the years, why don’t you let someone try that move on you… I guarantee it hurts more than most other gimmick holds(see Claw, Iron). Jey fights back to his feet, but Rowan tosses him back down. Rowan locks in the temple squeeze again. Rowan transitions into a neck crank. Jey back to his feet again, and tries to break, but Rowan connects with a forearm to the face and tags in Harper. Luke Harper with a cover for a 2 count. Harper charges Jey in the corner, but Jey gets the boot up. Jey goes up top, but Harper pushes him off face first into the barricade as we go to commercial!!!
Back from break… Rowan & Harper dominate Jimmy Uso… Harper connects with a catapult on the middle rope as Bray Wyatt starts talking. Bray asks the WWE Universe if this is what they want to see. He then says that hell is what Bryan has to look forward too. Back in the ring, Harper has a rear chin lock locked in. Jimmy starts fighting back and connects with a Whisper in the Wind type move. Both men are now down trying to make a tag. Jimmy gets the tag to Jey. Jey is on fire attacking Rowan and Harper. Jey with a kick to the gut and a uppercut. Harper charges in and Jey connects with a Samoan drop. Jey connects with a superkick to Rowan on the apron. Jimmy Uso comes over the top onto Rowan on the outside. Jey Uso tries a suicide dive, but Harper nails him before he can even come through the ropes… Harper charges and eats a boot in the corner by Jey. Harper connects with a MICHINOKU DRIVER to Jey Uso.
But here comes Daniel Bryan down the ramp and he attacks Bray Wyatt!!!! This gets Harper’s attention, and Jey Uso rolls up Harper for the 3 count!!!! The Usos get a big win in 12:00…
– The Usos theme plays briefly before it morphs into Daniel Bryan’s music and the fans chant along with Daniel & the Usos… The Wyatt Family sits at ringside with Bray laughing…
– We’re STILL waiting on John Cena…
-Commercial Break-
7. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston. Non-Title rematch from last week… Since Kofi won last week, shouldn’t this be a title match??? Orton starts with control, questioning where John Cena is. Kingston retaliates and Orton takes a powder to the floor… Kofi comes chasing after Randy and throws Orton face first into the safety barricade. Orton tries to escape and lures Kingston near the announce table where Randy rams Kofi into the table repeatedly before the two head back in the ring. Orton with a cover, but Kingston out and trying to fight back. Kofi with a flying forearm for 2… Orton grabs Kingston by the trunks and yanks him face first into the corner buckle… Orton on the offense, but keeps looking for Cena and it allows Kingston some offense here and there… Randy tries a European Uppercut but Kofi counters with a BACKSLIDE for 2… Orton back on top, tries for the suspended DDT, but KINGSTON COUNTERS AGAIN WITH THE S.O.S.!!!!! 1……….2………..ORTON KICKS OUT THIS WEEK!!!! Orton back on the offense when we go to the cameras in the back… JOHN CENA HAS ARRIVED!!!! Cena comes trucking into the building… You see, he’s so pissed off, he waited until now to get to the arena…
And to quote Lance Storm via Twitter… “John Cena’s lucky this isn’t a Bill Watts show. Arriving 2:59 minutes late to a 3 hour show.” …
Orton is looking up the ramp waiting for John Cena. Kofi has a hold of Orton’s leg as John Cena makes his way to the ring. Orton rolls out of the ring but Kofi cuts Randy off so Cena can get to him…. Cena attacks Orton, throwing him into the ring post and then into the crowd…. RANDY ORTON WINS BY DQ IN 5:00…..
Cena and Orton are fighting in the crowd and up the stairs of the Nutter Center…. Cena picks Orton up on his shoulders, but Orton fights out with elbows… Orton starts walking way and Cena gives chase… Cena catches up to him and lands some big punches…. Orton fights back with an elbow to the face…. Orton and Cena are now in the main lobby. Cena chases Orton out of the arena…. As Cena starts to catch up, Orton jumps into the passenger side of a car and takes off. Apparently, Orton and this driver just happened to know exactly when and where this fight would escalate….
Cena makes his way back into the arena and through the crowd as his music starts to play… This was done with a very Stone Cold-esque feel to it, but the crowd wasn’t particularly hot for this.. Not saying they didn’t make noise, they just weren’t going nuts… I can’t blame them… Not only have I seen enough of Cena, Orton, Cena vs. Orton, but the angle behind this is soooo boring… Out of all the matches at the Rumble, I’m looking forward to this one the least, though I’m not saying it’ll be a total dud… If this was supposed to sell the PPV… Well, they better thank God for the WWE Network… Cena celebrates in the ring with the WWE Universe as we go off the air.
As part of WWE Raw, Brad Maddox & Kane informed CM Punk that he will enter the WWE 2014 Royal Rumble match as the #1 participant. This was undoubtedly done to further the angle between CM Punk & The Authority heading into the proposed Punk vs. Triple H match currently penciled in for WrestleMania XXX.
Crazymax’s BJack should be posting his “Raw Report” later tonight with further details on the angle involved in the announcement.
It was revealed during the first hour of WWE Raw tonight that the 2014 Royal Rumble “KICKOFF” Panel will consist of three former Rumble winners, including “The Heartbreak Kid” Shawn Michaels, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, and the winner of the very first Rumble back in 1988, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan. These three men will likely be headed up by someone like a Josh Matthews who will attempt to host the event. Let’s see if whomever hosts this panel can keep control of Ric Flair a little better than good old JR.
As reported yesterday, Daniel Bryan was expected to run a gauntlet of imPACT tests today in regards to the concussion he sustained last Monday night during the Steel Cage main event of WWE Raw. According to Mike Johnson of PWInsider, Daniel Bryan has been cleared to return to action.
As noted earlier, Bryan is at RAW and should be appearing on tonight’s show. It’s likely WWE will “play it safe” today in order to guarantee Bryan for the Royal Rumble on Sunday. As of last week the plan was to have Bryan meet Bray Wyatt at the Rumble PPV, though a few sources have noted there’s also a possibility of both being part of the Rumble match itself.
