3/3 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: C.M. Punk homecoming? The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family, Daniel Bryan vs. Batista, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, actor Aaron Paul hosts

By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired live from Chicago, Illinois at Allstate Arena

[Q1] Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL introduced the show and hyped that 13,731 fans were in attendance. They hyped the six-man tag match, and Batista vs. Daniel Bryan...

C.M. Punk's entrance music hit and the Chicago fans popped huge. The fans calmed down a bit when he didn't make his entrance, then started a loud C.M. Punk chant. Paul Heyman made his entrance instead. Awesome! Once Heyman was in the ring, the fans booed loudly and another Punk chant started.

Heyman held up the microphone and then leaned over the ropes with it to encourage the crowd. "I believe he deserves louder than that," Heyman said. The fans cheered and he held up the mic again. Heyman said down in the ring in Punk style and breathed into the mic once.

"I came here tonight to tell the story of a Paul Heyman Guy," Heyman said. He said that man was never really wanted in WWE, and "they" thought he was too small to headline WrestleMania. Heyman said he had too many tattoos and would rebel against the authority. "They didn't want him in WWE from day one and they don't want him in WWE right now," he said. The fans responded with loud Punk chants.

"I came here tonight to tell you the story of a Paul Heyman Guy who had the balls to say what nobody else had the balls to say," he continued. "I came here tonight to tell you about a Paul Heyman Guy who who born in, raised in, and still lives in Chicago. My name is Paul Heyman and ladies and gentlemen, this is my Pipe Bomb about C.M. Punk... who is not here this evening."

Heyman started to deliver "the biggest part of his pipe bomb." The fans chanted again, so he held out the mic for them. He said he wouldn't disagree with them because no one is more disappointed than he is that he can't see Punk perform in the ring. He said if Punk were there he would prove his detractors wrong and show the entire WWE Universe that he is the best in the world.

"So what really happened?" Heyman asked. "Why isn't C.M. Punk here tonight. Why won't anyone talk about C.M. Punk anymore. There is someone to blame. There is someone accountable for why C.M. Punk just wouldn't put up with it anymore." Heyman pointed the finger of blame at "at each and every single one of you."

Heyman told the fans they can boo him all they want, but the truth hurts. He said people accept lies whereas the truth hurts. He said that when Punk was with him, he was the longest reigning champion in 25 years. Heyman accused the fans of taking Punk away from him by giving him their love, respect, and affirmation. "And how far did it get you?" Heyman asked.

Heyman also blamed The Undertaker. He said the downward spiral began when "we" couldn't beat The Streak at WrestleMania 29. "And if anybody wants to carry a message to The Undertaker right now, tell him that Paul Heyman wants revenge," he said. Heyman said he wants to see The Streak taken away from Taker, and the only man who can do it is Brock Lesnar.

Brock's music hit and he headed to the ring. Footage aired of Undertaker roughing up Lesnar last week. Lesnar seethed in the ring. The fans chanted C.M. Punk's name again. Brock took the mic from Heyman and smirked. "Unlike some people, I don't make plays that I can't back up," he said. "Last week, The Undertaker attacked me because I believe, yes I believe in my heart that that man is deathly scared of me."

[Q2] Lesnar said many men have failed to end The Streak. He listed Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and "your own baby boy" C.M. Punk. "At WrestleMania 30, The Streak is going to get conquered by me," Lesnar said. Brock and Heyman started to leave the ring together when Mark Henry's music played and he walked onto the stage.

Lesnar motioned for Henry to come down. Brock backed up and then charged into a shot from Henry. Brock recovered quickly and whipped Henry into the barricade, then picked up a part of the ring steps and slammed it onto Henry's head. Lesnar tore the announcers' table apart and the crowd gasped as something went flying. Lesnar picked up Henry and F5'd him through the table. The crowd responded with more Punk chants... Cole hyped the tag title match for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: Heyman's promo was an instant classic. I love the way they got the high out of the crowd and then brought them down with Heyman. As entertaining as his promo was, it is also intriguing in that he didn't badmouth Punk. A reader asked after Punk left if I thought Punk would be aligned with Heyman when/if he returned. I didn't think so at the time because his absence has the fans hot for him. However, I love the idea of heel Punk vs. babyface Daniel Bryan at some point, so a reunion actually makes a lot of sense if that's the direction they eventually want to go in. Great opening segment. There were Punk chants, but the fans were also listening to every word Heyman said.

The New Age Outlaws made their entrance. Road Dogg said the people of Chicago aren't worthy of hearing his catchphrases. The Uso Brothers made their entrance for the tag title match...

Powell's POV: The crowd was gasping because one of the monitors that Lesnar threw went through the ring and into the crowd, according to Dot Net Member Rich Conner. He notes that while it appeared to hit fans, "no one appears hurt." Another sign that Punk returns tonight? Dot Net reader Brian Wozniak sent a photo of a new Punk shirt that is being sold at Allstate Arena tonight. Update: The shirt is not new. Rather, it's the special edition 434 t-shirt that's been out for a while.

1. The New Age Outlaws vs. The Uso Brothers for the WWE Tag Team Championship. There was another loud Punk chant early in the match. The Outlaws had one of the Uso's isolated in their corner, and there was a "Let's Go Uso's" chant heading into the break.

[Q3] [C] After the break, Jey Uso made the hot tag to Jimmy Uso, who worked over both Outlaws. Billy Gunn came back, but missed a Fameasser. Jimmy tagged in Jey and then dove onto Dogg at ringside. Jey went up top and hit the splash for the win...

The Uso Brothers defeated The New Age Outlaws in 9:30 to win the WWE Tag Team Championship.

Powell's POV: The Outlaws went out in style as that arguably the best match they've had since returning. The announcers played up that this was the first time The Uso's had ever held the titles. Good for them. They managed to escape the "Heroes of WWE Superstars" status and slowly but surely worked their way up the ladder. Meanwhile, I've enjoyed the Outlaws over the years and have no problem with them playing a nostalgia role that doesn't involve them holding the gold.

A clip from "Need For Speed" was shown... Backstage, Natalya, The Bella Twins, Aksana, and Alicia Fox talked about Aaron Paul. Aksana said she'd like to go for a ride. They all got quiet, then asked her what she meant. "I like fast cars," she said. Not one person anywhere in the world laughed outside of the Gorilla position area. If I'm wrong and you laughed at home, don't embarrass yourself by emailing me about it.

2. Intercontinental Champion Big E vs. Cesaro (w/Zeb Colter, Jack Swagger). No televised entrance for the Real Americans, and only a second of E's was shown. A crew came out and worked on the announcers' table as the match took place. The fans popped for everything Cesaro did, especially the Cesaro Swing just over a minute into the match.

Swagger ran in and hit the Swagger Bomb on E for the DQ. Cesaro wasn't happy. Afterward, E hit The Big Ending on Cesaro. The fans booed. Zeb held up his arms while looking at Swagger, then did the same while talking to the fallen Cesaro inside the ring...

Big E defeated Cesaro by DQ in 1:25.

[Q4] The announcers hyped Bryan vs. Batista. The Shield made their entrance through the crowd. Cole hyped The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: No, they didn't forget they did the same thing last week. The announcers played up that Swagger did the same thing to Cesaro last week. This show is moving a long at a rapid pace. I like it. The crowd is hot and this has the pace of a hot show. I doubt they can maintain it for three hours, but it's been a fun 45 minutes.

The Wyatts delivered their personalized to the city video screen introduction before making their entrance...

3. The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family. Seth Rollins dominated the early action with flashy offense. Roman Reigns was shown smiling in reaction to Rollins' offense. He went up top again, but Bray Wyatt threw Ambrose into the ropes and Rollins tumbled to the floor. [C]

The fast-paced action continued after the break and Ambrose locked Erick Rowan in the Figure Four briefly. Somewhere, The Miz is screaming "Gimmick Infringement!!!" Or something like that. Wyatt worked over Ambrose and then The Wyatt Family isolated Ambrose in their corner and made quick tags while working him over. The Punk-loving crowd took a break from chanting for their hometown hero and delivered a "This is awesome" chant instead.

[Q5] The break from the Punk chant didn't last long, though, as they went right back to a Punk chant at the top of the hour, as Rowan slowed things down by grinding both of his fists into the side of Ambrose's head. Ambrose broke it up briefly by reaching up and pulling on Rowan's beard. A Roman Reigns chant started as he waited for a tag. Ambrose performed a clothesline on Luke Harper.

Ambrose crawled to his corner to tag Rollins, but Rollins dropped off the ring apron and left. Reigns followed and asked what he was doing. Rollins yelled that they weren't there for his tag and told them to figure it out. Reigns headed back to the ring and checked back into the match.

Later, Reigns speared Rowan over the announce table. Inside the ring, Harper blasted Ambrose with a big boot to the head. Cole yelled about how it was armageddon. Wyatt grabbed Ambrose and ran him into the ring post. "This is awesome" chanted the crowd. Rollins was shown watching the match from the stage with a scowl on his face. Inside the ring, Wyatt performed Sister Abigail on Ambrose for the win...

After the match, Cole played up that Rollins had been the architect and peacekeeper of The Shield, but he apparently had enough and walked out on his teammates. Rollins was shown again on the stage and then highlights of the match were shown.

The Wyatt Family defeated The Shield in 14:00.

Powell's POV: Either Rollins' beard is about to get bushy or they are setting up a triple threat between The Shield members for the U.S. Championship at WrestleMania. Or at least those are my best guesses. This was high energy madness. I preferred the Elimination Chamber match more, but this was a lot of fun.

Backstage, Renee Young interviewed Batista, who said the Yes Movement was the dumbest thing he's ever seen in his life. He said the fans read comics and dream that they can become a superhero like Daniel Bryan. He said that's fantasy. He said Renee and the WWE Universe may not like it, but it's a fact and everyone needs to deal with it... [C]

Powell's POV: The live crowd wasn't responsive to Batista's jabs. I'm not sure if they were distracted, didn't hear it, or didn't care. I'd actually be surprised if they didn't care because he was mocking the Yes! chants and their fandom.

A WrestleMania video hyped that the show is 34 days away... Highlights aired of The Uso Brothers winning the WWE Tag Team Championship...

[Q6] WWE Main Event Live will feature The Uso Brothers vs. The New Age Outlaws in a rematch for the WWE Tag Team Championship. Cole hyped that the Outlaws invoked their rematch clause...

Powell's POV: For those who missed it, WWE Main Event will be broadcast live on WWE Network at 6:00 p.m. CT. The show will remain in that slot until WrestleMania 30. It will continue to air on Wednesday nights on ION Network. Dot Net's Ryan Kester will shift his live coverage review to Tuesdays starting with tomorrow night's show. So if you don't have the network or just want to follow along, stop back on Tuesday nights for Ryan's coverage.

4. Santino Marella and Emma vs. Fandango and Summer Rae. The C.M. Punk chants started when the bell rang. Santino and Emma had fun tagging in and out to start because it forced Fandango and Emma to do the same due to the mixed tag rules. In the end, Emma performed the Emma Sandwich and then applied her submission finisher for the win.

After the match, Santino picked up Emma and nearly dropped her (intentional). They did Emma's dance together and they actually found a group of fans doing the dance in the crowd. Emma also did Santino's dance afterward...

Santino Marella and Emma defeated Fandango and Summer Rae in 3:25.

Highlights aired of Christian hitting his finisher on Sheamus on Smackdown. Cole hyped Sheamus vs. Christian for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: The mixed tag match was comedy relief that gave the fans a chance to catch their breath after the six-man tag match and the frantic pace of the overall show. It was nice to see Emma get to work in more of her NXT offense than usual.

A video featured Stephanie McMahon pimping the WWE Network. She spoke about being able to sit down and watch with her daughters and show them when their grandfather was "just an announcer" before he became the evil Mr. McMahon...

Powell's POV: This was as bad as heels appearing in the Be A Star videos. Stephanie's character is a complete 180 from what we saw here. Don't get me wrong, I really think the best thing she and Triple H could do is act like they did on the NXT Arrival show on regular WWE television, but until their confusing characters change they shouldn't confuse viewers even more with these conflicting ads.

[Q7] 5. Christian vs. Sheamus. Another Punk chant started and ended fairly quickly. Sheamus performed the Irish Curse at 2:25 for a two count. They took the match to ringside where Sheamus had the upperhand, but Christian slipped away and hid behind the broadcasters heading into the break. [C]

Powell's POV: Correction from earlier. The reader who sent the shot of the new C.M. Punk shirt was mistaken. It's actually the Best in the World 434 shirt. It's listed as a special edition, but it's not new. My apologies for the error.

Christian took control of the offense and the crowd picked up the Punk chants, but then Sheamus came back with White Noise for a two count. Christian came back with a fulcrum kick, but then Sheamus caught him with the Brogue Kick from the ring apron and pinned him...

Sheamus pinned Christian in 14:05.

[Q8] The announcers hyped John Cena addressing The Wyatt Family. It sounded like the fans booed when Cena was shown on the graphic. A commercial for the WWE themed Scooby Doo DVD was shown... [C]

Powell's POV: I feel for these two. They work well together and the effort is always there, but the idea of pairing the two returning wrestlers in a feud when the fans haven't been given anything really new to sink their teeth into is a bad idea. As for Scooby, they spoiled the finish by showing John Cena standing over the villain inside a ring. Granted, I don't know definitely that it was the finish, but something tells me the cartoon monster isn't getting up from the Five Moves of Doom. He would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids and wrestlers.

Backstage, Renee Young interviewed Sheamus about his win over Christian. Before he could say much, Christian stormed into the picture and attacked Sheamus violently. Christian slammed his head into part of the set while asking if he thinks he's better than him. Referees entered the scene and pulled Christian away...

6. The Bella Twins vs. Alicia Fox and Aksana. No televised entrances for either team. Cole hyped Bret Hart for the new WrestleMania podcast. Here's hoping he didn't use the same tin can he called into Chris Jericho's podcast with. In the end, Nikki finished off Alicia after a backbreaker...

The Bella Twins defeated Alicia Fox and Aksana in 4:15.

Powell's POV: Didn't we just see these four clowning around backstage together earlier the show? Aksana might be rattled after dropping the knee on Cameron's eye. She did a bit where she hovered over one of the Bella twins and acted like she was slapping her repeatedly with both hands. It looked more like she was fanning the Bella than slapping her. The fans didn't really react to anything.

A shot aired of Daniel Bryan walking backstage. He doesn't watch his fiancee's tag matches either... [C] A shot aired of Wrigley Field... Highlights aired of USA Network's "Sirens" television show. Cops ate cookies. Two of the actors were shown in the front row. They seemed to be the only people laughing...

Daniel Bryan made his entrance. Cole encouraged viewers to go to Twitter and use the hashtag Yes Movement. Ugh. Chicago was into the Yes! chants in a big way. Bryan told the fans that's what he likes to hear "because the people here in Chicago understand one thing - you have a voice." Bryan said "We have a voice and tonight we are going to hijack Raw."

Powell's POV: Good lord, they're trying to take ownership hijacking Raw. I suppose you can't blame them for trying.

[Q9] Bryan said he wasn't going to leave the ring until one of two things happened. The fans erupted with Punk chants. Bryan said those two things were Batista coming out to fight or Triple H coming out to accept his challenge. There were some boos that it wasn't Punk related.

Triple H's music played. Hunter and that nice lady who watches wrestling with her daughters came out. The fans chanted for Punk and gave Stephanie boos that were similar to Vickie Guerrero during her peak. The crowd got quiet as Bryan spoke about being screwed over repeatedly.

Bryan once again challenged Triple H to a match at WrestleMania 30. Hunter chuckled and said, "Well, that's not going to happen." He asked what's up with Bryan's generation and why they can't blame themselves. He said this generation makes excuses and says "they held me down, they screwed me over, they buried me."

As the Punk chants picked up, Hunter said the truth is that "anybody who failed here, they were not good enough." Hunter told Bryan that he is a B-plus player. Hunter said B-plus is pretty damn good and is better than the people it angers. Hunter said it's "a good little spot" for Bryan, but it will take more than a B-plus player to get him to lace up his boots at WrestleMania.

The crowd chanted asshole. Bryan paused. Hunter gave him a strong cue to talk over the asshole chants by saying, "They're saying it's your turn." Bryan said the fans see through Hunter's lies and that's why they chant. He said Hunter comes out and says that's what's best for business, but they don't listen to the people or the Yes! Movement.

Bryan said the only way that they will get Hunter to see it is if he beats the crap out of him at WrestleMania. Stephanie told him his argument is very compelling. The boos started to drown her out again. She asked why they would listen to the people when they will turn on a dime faster than he realizes. She said the only people who won't are she and Hunter.

Stephanie said it's intoxicating that the people chant his name and ask him for his autograph. She said it goes to his head and she understands "especially where you're from." She said that without her family, Bryan would have nothing. She said 21 trucks pulled up to the arena and made it look "like this for you." She also mentioned the ring, social media platforms, etc. She said Bryan wouldn't have his "underdog persona," Yes! t-shirts, or the people chanting. "We made you," Stephanie said. The fans chanted No!

Bryan told Stephanie that her delusions of self-importance are admirable. He challenged her to put on Triple H's trunks while he put on her skirt so that Hunter could sit back and watch. Meechum!!! Hunter said he's 90 percent sure she would whip Bryan's ass. "Daniel, it's just not going to happen," Hunter said. He eventually told Bryan to get out of his ring.

"This isn't your ring," Bryan responded. "This is their ring," he said while pointing to the fans. Hunter said everything in the arena "including them and you belongs to us." He once again told Bryan to "get the hell out of my ring." Bryan stepped up and said, "Why don't you make me." Stephanie called for Kane, who came out right on cue.

[Q10] Bryan performed a suicide dive onto Kane and threw rapid fire punches at him. Stephanie called for security, who came out. Bryan stood on the ramp and looked down at the ring as security stood in a line at the bottom of the ramp. The fans chanted Daniel Bryan to close the segment, as Cole hyped Bryan vs. Batista for the main event, and Lawler hyped John Cena's appearance... [C]

Powell's POV: Another example of the intelligent booking they are using for this feud. They know Bryan facing Hunter is a letdown to the Bryan fans who want to see him challenge for the championship at WrestleMania. The approach they are using has Bryan passionately challenging Hunter, only to have Hunter shoot him down. There should actually be a big pop once Hunter finally accepts the challenge to a WrestleMania match. It won't win over all the fans, but I appreciate the way this is being executed.

Highlights aired of Brock Lesnar roughing up Mark Henry earlier in the evening... Cole hyped the WWE Network and told viewers they could witness all the destruction of Lesnar in WWE. Um, okay... The pre-show panel of Josh Mathews, Booker T, Hacksaw Duggan, and Alex Riley spoke about the show...

Alberto Del Rio made his entrance. A sports car could be heard revving its engine and then the car drove into the arena. Actor Aaron Paul was driving the car and Dolph Ziggler was in the passenger's seat. They got out of the car together and played to the crowd, which was responsive...

7. Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio. Aaron Paul (Jesse on "Breaking Bad") sat in on commentary. They spoke about video games and Paul said he played as JBL and couldn't beat anyone. Paul said his movie "Need For Speed" has no green screen or CGI and is "just raw and real." Del Rio hit his superkick and went for a cover. Aaron Paul stood on the announcers' desk and distracted him momentarily. Ziggler came back and hit his finisher for the win...

Dolph Ziggler defeated Alberto Del Rio in 2:45.

The announcers hyped the announcement of the next WWE Hall of Famer for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: Science, bitch! We better get at least one Jesse Pinkman "bitch" from Paul on the WWE Raw post show tonight.

[Q11] Paul Bearer (a/k/a William Moody) was named the newest member of the WWE Hall of Fame Class of 2014. A video played for Paul Bearer...

8. Big E vs. Jack Swagger (w/Cesaro, Zeb Colter. The bell rang and Cesaro immediately hit the ring and attacked Big E for the DQ before he and Swagger could even lock up.

Big E beat Jack Swagger by DQ in 0:05.

Swagger and Cesaro bickered after the match. Swagger shoved him twice and Cesaro took Swagger down and set him up for the Cesaro Swing. Colter got on the mic and told him not to do it. Coulter won out and Cesaro released Swagger and helped him up. Coulter said they needed to hug it out and put it in the past. "We're brothers, we're real Americans," Zeb said. Cesaro and Swagger hugged, then joined Zeb in the "We The People" line... [C]

Powell's POV: A nice tease for what appears to be an inevitable split. I was waiting for Zeb to low blow Cesaro, but I like that they are taking their time and building up to the moment when Cesaro finally snaps.

Cole hyped The Uso Brothers vs. New Age Outlaws for the WWE Tag Team Championship on the live WWE Main Event television show on Tuesday. He then announced that Daniel Bryan vs. Kane has been added to the show, which will be live Tuesday on the WWE Network...

John Cena made his entrance with his left knee heavily bandaged. He tried to run and then stopped and hopped while selling his leg injury. The C.M. Punk chants started and Cena seemed to be waiting for them since he didn't say a word until they started.

[Q12] Cena jokingly thanked the fans for the "warm Chicago welcome." He said he was injured by the Wyatt Family last week. Some of the fans cheered. He said those fans may be disappointed to learn that he won't have a match per doctor's orders. A Yes! chant broke out. Cena said he'll take that as their way of saying get well soon.

Cena said that even though he's not going to compete, he still wanted to come out. He held the mic out to let a small C.M. Punk chant grow. Cena said he wanted to come out "for that." He said he wanted to hear the energy and passion of an entire city.

Cena said he doesn't have a match, but the Allstate Arena has always had a special place in his heart. He said he competed in WrestleManias, and Brock Lesnar kicked the holy crap out of him, and it wasn't all that long ago at Money in the Bank that he had a special moment with someone in Allstate Arena.

"Chicago and I, we haven't always seen eye to eye," Cena said. "But I'm big on respect and I respect the hell out of this city." He said they may boo him out of the arena, but he hears them, knows they're honest, and damn sure knows they are loud. Cena said he's been listening to the "hijack business." He said the WWE Universe wants change. A Yes! chant broke out.

Cena said he respects that, but they need to respect that respect in WWE is earned it and will go through him. Cena said that if Bray Wyatt thinks he's in the driver's seat he is dead wrong. "My name is John Cena and I've given the last 12 years of my life to this business," he said. He noted that he was in the same place his career started in the Allstate Arena. "And I'm doing the same thing I did then, I am standing tall right here."

The Wyatt Family video flashed. Bray appeared on the big screen. He said Cena built an empire around him. He questioned if he could feel the energy and the people. He said Cena reminds him of a championship horse that has been running for a long time. He said the people cheer for him, but then one day the horse starts to slow down and reality sets in. He said the horse isn't looking for the next finish line, he's somewhere in the back of the barn laid out on a slab.

Wyatt asked when Cena's reality is going to set in. "How long do you think you can just fend us off?" he asked. "Mercy is calling you by name. I am the reaper and I am going to put you down." Wyatt said he knows what Cena is really afraid of. He said the loneliest man is the man who sits on atop his empty castle. He asked who will be left for Cena when he takes it away...

A backstage shot aired of Batisa. Randy Orton approached him and wished him "the very best of luck out there tonight with Daniel Bryan." Orton said that was all and walked away, leaving Batista doing a double take... [C]

Powell's POV: Cena's promo sounded like a collection of greatest hits lines rather than something new. I like Wyatt's promo a lot, but they need to put heat on him heading into this match and make it seem like something is at stake for Cena. There's no heat on The Wyatt Family stemming from the injury angle last week because they tried to convince viewers that Cena was really hurt in a flukey manner rather than putting the heat on The Wyatts for injuring him.

Lana walked out and introduced Alexander Rusev, who came out and spoke in Bulgarian... Cole made the first major mention of Hulk Hogan's return last week. Footage aired of Hogan on NBC's Today show. Cole announced that Hogan would appear on next week's Raw in Memphis...

Randy Orton made his entrance and the announcers questioned what he was doing out there...

[Overrun] Batista made his entrance. Daniel Bryan made his entrance to Yes! chants...

9. Batista vs. Daniel Bryan. The fans started out with a Boo-tista chant and followed up with another for Daniel Bryan. Batista got the better of Bryan early on as the fans chanted "you can't wrestle" at him. Batista tossed Bryan to ringside as Cole announced that they had a final commercial break. [C]

After the break, Bryan went on the offensive and performed a suicide dive on Batista at ringside, then caught him with a missile dropkick back inside the ring. Bryan threw kicks to the head of Batista and covered him for a good near fall. Orton was shown sitting in a chair reacting to the close call for Batista.

Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Kane walked to ringside. The fans chanted for C.M. Punk. Batista whipped Bryan into the ring steps. Batista picked up Bryan and threw him into Orton, which knocked Orton and his chair over backwards. Back inside the ring, Bryan caught Bryan with a kick. Orton entered the ring and struck Bryan for the DQ.

Daniel Bryan beat Batista by DQ in 10:15.

After the match, Orton set up for an RKO on Batista, but Batista shoved him off and Bryan hit him with the running knee. Bryan dropkicked Batista, then dropkicked Kane off the ring apron and into Triple H. Bryan set up for a suicide dive, but Batista cut him off with a spear. The fans chanted for Punk.

Hunter reached down and grabbed Bryan by the hair and said he's getting tired of his "little fantasy crap." Bryan kicked Triple H in the head. Batista picked up Bryan and powerbombed him. Triple H took his jacket and tie off. Triple H hit the Pedigree on Bryan. Stephanie did a mock Yes! chant. Another C.M. Punk chant started. Triple H's music played as The Authority and Kane stood over Bryan to end the show...

Powell's POV: No C.M. Punk. WWE did more than just get through the Chicago show without him. They delivered a compelling three-hour show in front of a hot crowd and kept them engaged until the end. Granted, there are plenty of Chicago fans leaving the show disappointed that they didn't get their wish and I'm sure there are plenty of viewers who feel the same, but they didn't let the fans hijack the show to the point that the show was a lost cause. Rather, they forwarded several storylines and turned in a strong show. I'll have more to say about Raw in tonight's Prowrestling.net Live and in tomorrow's WWE Raw Hit List. Join us for Prowrestling.net Live at 10:30 p.m. CT (11:30 p.m. ET) at Blogtalkradio.com/prowrestlingdotnet.