3/4 Powell's WWE Old School Raw Live Coverage: The Rock and Triple H appear, Ric Flair, Dusty Rhodes, Honky Tonk Man, The Million Dollar Man advertised, Undertaker returns

By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Buffalo, New York at First Niagara Center

[Q1] The show opened with an old school version of the WWE logo and Vince McMahon's old sound byte stating that it's the recognized symbol of excellence in sports entertainment...

The Undertaker's music played inside the arena and he walked onto the stage, where he lifted his arms. The lights turned on and the WrestleMania 29 logo appeared behind him on the big screen as flames shot off...

Gene Okerlund narrated a video stating that tonight WWE goes Old School. Past and present stars were featured in the video. "Tonight we're taking you back in time as Raw goes old school"... The old WWE Raw theme music played with a mix of past and present stars featured in the throwback video...

The siren played and pyro went off above the ring. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler introduced the show and noted that the building was sold out. Cole was wearing the old yellow jacket and Lawler was dressed in his old red gear. They acknowledged Taker's appearance and questioned whether he would be returning at WrestleMania...

C.M. Punk's music played and he and Paul Heyman came out and walked to the ring. Punk and Heyman soaked up the boos for a moment before Punk said, "I should be main eventing this year's WrestleMania." He said he should be defending "my championship" in the main event of WrestleMania.

Punk said he's not main eventing WrestleMania and he's not the champion "because of you." Punk pointed at the crowd and said they stole from him what he considers most precious. Punk pointed at a few fans and said "you did." Punk said in screwing him, the fans only screwed themselves. He said that if he's not in the main event of WrestleMania then there's no point or purpose in him being at WrestleMania.

"But what I just saw, what the world just laid their eyes on gives me that purpose," Punk said. "You took from me and now I'm going to take from you. I am going to beat The Undertaker at WrestleMania. You like your streak? You like those numbers 20-0 so bad that you roll your eyes when I mention the historic 494-day title reign, the longest in decades?"

Punk said the fans get snarky when he brings it up, yet none of them have don anything great in their entire lives. Punk said the new number is 20-1 and he's alcohol and drug free. He said that he ends The Streak at WrestleMania. "Deal with it," Punk said.

Randy Orton's music played and he walked onto the stage and started talking as he walked down the ramp. Orton said Punk shouldn't be so confident since he beat him at WrestleMania. Orton said Punk has never faced Taker at the show of all shows. He said he faced Taker eight years ago when he was a rookie and came "that close." Orton said he's not a rookie anymore.

Orton said he wanted to ask the WWE Universe who they would rather see face Undertaker at WrestleMania. Orton entered the ring and asked the fans whether they would rather see him or Punk face Undertaker.

Big Show's music played and he walked out with a mic in hand. Show asked what makes Punk or Orton think they have what it takes to beat Taker. Show said he faced Taker, but he didn't have his knockout punch back then. Show said that if you're going to end The Streak, you need to be more than a Viper or Straight Edge, you need to be a giant. "And this giant is going to knock that 20-0 Undertaker's Streak right into oblivion," Show said.

Sheamus's music played and he walked out with a mic. They used the old school graphics for each wrestler during their entrances. Sheamus said it's going to take more than a big fist, a GTS, or an RKO to put Undertaker down. Sheamus said it might just take his big boot, all the heart in the world, and a little bit of luck. He said that when you have the luck of the Irish on your side then anything is possible.

Powell's POV: Unless you're facing Alabama in the BSC National Championship Game.

Vickie Guerrero delivered the "excuse me" line. She walked onto the stage and announced a Fatal Four-Way match with Punk vs. Orton vs. Show vs. Sheamus with the winner facing Undertaker at WrestleMania 29...

The announcers hyped a Rock vs. John Cena "point/counterpoint" segment for later in the show, plus Triple H's reaction to his brawl with Brock Lesnar from last week...

[Q2] A shot aired of Ryback walking backstage. Cole said he would be facing Antonio Cesaro after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: I'm surprised they went with Undertaker's appearance to start the show. It was a hot opening, yet the quick cut to the opening video was a bit of a letdown. I like the four-way match setup. The four wrestlers involved do not have obvious WrestleMania matches. Granted, Punk has been long rumored for the match, but at least the other three wrestlers feel like realistic opponents for Taker.

The announcers asked viewers to Tout which wrestler they feel should face Taker...

1. U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Ryback in a non-title match. The popup box style promo showed Cesaro boasting about speaking five languages. He said Ryback barely speaks one and he is a neanderthal. Referee Scott Armstrong wore the old blue shirt and bow tie referee gear. Cesaro was not wearing his thigh wraps. Ryback dominated the opening minute or two, but Cesaro came back strong heading into the break. [C]

Powell's POV: The crowd is really flat. Ryback told them to wake up as he made his entrance, and Goldust acknowledged how dead they've been on Twitter. There are pockets of lively fans, but it's not the red hot atmosphere you would expect for Taker's return and during WrestleMania season. For what it's worth, Dot Net Member Mike Roth told me beforehand that it took forever to get into the building and into seats because they opened the doors late. On a positive note, WWE is going all out with the Old School theme with the old guardrails, red, white, and blue ropes, the WWE turnbuckle pads, the announcers using a table with monitors rather than their usual setup. I love the way they take this seriously.

After the break, Cesaro was still in control and slapped Ryback across the face. Ryback went for his clothesline, but Cesaro caught him with an uppercut. Cesaro set up Ryback for The Neutralizer, but Ryback powered out and put him away with Shellshocked...

Ryback beat Antonio Cesaro in a non-title match in 8:05.

[Q3] After the match, Ryback started to walk toward the back when Mark Henry's music played. Henry walked out and stopped for a staredown with Ryback before confidently heading to the ring. Justin Roberts went right into the introductions for Henry's match...

2. Mark Henry vs. Zack Ryder. Henry dominated Ryder and won the squash match with the World's Strongest Slam...

Mark Henry beat Zack Ryder in 0:50.

Powell's POV: A good match from Ryback and Cesaro. Yes, it still bothers me that WWE continues to feed its secondary champions to top names. I bitch about it every week. Henry looked dominant and is obviously on a collision course with Ryback at WrestleMania 29.

A graphic teased the four-way match... Backstage, Dolph Ziggler, AJ, and Big E Langston were shown walking. Lawler said Ziggler would face The Miz after the break... A Fandango vignette aired and hyped his Raw premiere for later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: WWE is airing all of their movie trailers, but they are doing it during commercial segments rather than during the show. No complaints about that. Meanwhile, Dot Net reader Allen Sale noted on Twitter that Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show had issues with The Shield on Smackdown last week. In other words, don't be surprised if something occurs tonight that sets them up with a match against The Shield and gives Punk his match against Taker.

The Miz stood in the ring and introduced his "mentor" Ric Flair, who got a huge reaction from the once flat live crowd...

3. Dolph Ziggler (w/AJ, Big E Langston) vs. The Miz (w/Ric Flair). Miz got the better of Ziggler and caught him with a kick that sent him to ringside. Flair strutted on the floor. Then Miz strutted in the ring as Flair climbed onto the ring apron and cheered him on. [C]

[Q4] There was back and forth action after the break. Ziggler sold his knee. He locked in a sleeper at 8:15. Miz escaped the sleeper and then flung Ziggler into the air and down to the mat. Miz hit a clothesline in the corner and followed up with a top rope move. AJ distracted the referee while Langston took a shot at Miz.

Flair ran over and chopped Langston, who no-sold the chops. Flair backed off, but Miz kicked Langston through the ropes. Dolph went for a rollup and got a two count. Miz came right back with the Figure Four for the win. Flair did his flop and phantom elbow drops. "I hope that wasn't Little Jimmy," Lawler said...

The Miz defeated Dolph Ziggler by submission in 10:05.

The announcers spoke at ringside. Lawler hyped the four-way main event as "probably the biggest in the history of Raw." They hyped the new WWE Magazine and The Rock and John Cena segment... [C]

Powell's POV: A good television match. In fact, that was the most entertaining Miz match in recent memory. Working with Ziggler and having Flair at ringside certainly helped, but it was very entertaining even though the Miz and Flair pairing still annoys me. The four-way is the biggest main event in Raw history? Didn't the announcers just mock themselves for overhyping matches last week before they put over how big Cena vs. Punk was going to be?

The Rock's music played and he walked out with the WWE Championship in hand. Cole hyped that there were 15,597 fans on their feet for The Rock once he entered the ring. Rock stood in the ring and soaked up the cheers, perhaps waiting for the top of the hour.

[Q5] Rock said he just flew in from Panama where it is 95 degrees every day. He said he was excited about coming to Raw. He said a woman at the airport asked if he needed a jacket. He said Rock doesn't need a jacket because he has electricity coming out of his body. Rock said then his plane landed and he stepped out of the plane and said, "Sweet Harlem Shakin' Honey Boo Boo, it's cold here!" Rock said there were icicles forming on The People's Nipples.

Rock said the cold was okay because after ten long years, he could proudly say "Finally, The Rock has come back to Buffalo." The crowd responded with a loud Rocky chant. Rock noted that they are 34 days away from WrestleMania. The camera showed a shot of the WrestleMania sign over Rock's shoulder.

John Cena's music played and Lawler played up how the music interrupted The Rock. "You don't interrupt The Rock," Lawler said. Cena said he's sorry he interrupted, but he had to come out right this second. Cena received some boos. Cena said he's been waiting for this moment for a year and Rock doesn't even know why.

Cena said Rock can't know why because he's Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson. He said the man conquered WWE, conquered Hollywood, and came back and conquered WWE again. Cena said Rock doesn't know what it's like to tell people he cares about to do something and fail. Cena said he told every person who would listen that he needed to win their WrestleMania 28 match.

"And I failed," Cena said. "You don't know what that does to a man, Rock. I'll tell you, it makes you feel worthless." Cena stopped to allow the "Cena Sucks" chants to play out. Cena said that lost to Rock set his life into a tailspin. Cena said both professionally and personally his life sucked because he could not get over his obsession.

"You were responsible for my collapse," Cena said. He said Rock was also responsible for Cena's turnaround. Cena said it was no coincidence that he won the Royal Rumble on the same night that Rock won the WWE Championship. Cena said it's his chance at redemption and he is not throwing this chance away.

Rock paused and looked at Cena and then listened to the live crowd's faint chants. "That fire, that desire, you have no idea how happy I am to see that," Rock said. He said that's the man that said he was going to beat Punk last week and he did. Rock said he knows what this match means to Cena. Rock said no one in the locker room has Cena's passion, his fire, or his will to be great.

"No one except The Rock," said Rock. "As much as it matters to you, John, it means so much more to me." Rock said that when his music hits and he connects with everyone in the arena and watching at home, it matters to him. "You get something straight right now, you ain't getting redemption, jack, you're getting your ass kicked," said Rock.

Cena said those were strong words. He said at times like this he likes to step back and quote one of the great philosophers of our era. He recalled Tyson saying he was going to eat someone's children. He said it's sad that Tyson is remembered for that because there's something he said that reminds him of Rock.

Cena recalled Tyson saying that in order to be the greatest that ever lived you have to beat everyone living. Cena said he has accomplished everything in his career and overcome every roadblock except for Rock. "At WrestleMania, your time is up and my time is now," Cena said intensely.

Rock said his time is just getting started. He said he had a quote for Cena from a famous athlete. "Winning is about heart, you've just gotta have it in the right place," Rock said. "The man who said that quote, Lance Armstrong. He was full of crap and so are you." Cena laughed as Rock kept a straight face.

"Well played, Rock," Cena said. He said Rock had unbelievable confidence in his eyes, whereas he had that confidence a year ago. Cena said he will make history in 34 days at WrestleMania 29 when he becomes WWE Champion. "You just crystalized everything that is Rock and John Cena," Rock said.

Rock said the big difference is that Cena thinks he can beat him, "but I know I can beat you." Rock got up close to Cena and said he will beat him at WrestleMania 29. Rock slowly said, "If you smell what The Rock is cooking." Rock's music played to close the segment as Rock and Cena stared one another down as the camera got the shot of the WrestleMania sign between them...

[Q6] Lawler hyped the four-way main event... [C]

Powell's POV: That's more like it. No nonsense like last year where it looked like they were more concerned who was better on the mic than selling the actual pay-per-view. Cena didn't smirk away everything Rock said. Rather, they seemed on the same page perhaps more than they ever did last year. A very strong exchange and all around good business. They just sold a lot of pay-per-views.

The announcers spoke at ringside and set up footage from earlier in the show of Undertaker's return...

4. "Hacksaw" Jim Duggan (w/Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes) vs. Jack Swagger (w/Zeb Colter). Swagger went to ringside and grabbed Duggan's two-by-four. Swagger entered the ring with it and struck Duggan with it. Slaughter and Rhodes entered the ring and both took board shots. Swagger pointed at the WrestleMania sign, yelled We The People, and then put Duggan in the Patriot Lock...

Jim Duggan beat Jack Swagger by DQ.

Powell's POV: Good work on commentary by Michael Cole, who came off genuinely outraged and concerned by Swagger's actions. The crowd liked Duggan and the other legends, but the segment didn't seem to generate much heat on Swagger.

The announcers set up a brief preview for The Marine 3 movie... Daniel Bryan and Kane were shown walking backstage. Bryan flashed angry looks at Kane, but turned his face away whenever Kane would look at him. Lawler said they would be facing The Prime Time Players next... [C]

[Q7] Backstage, Colter was building up Swagger because he took up three people. Josh "The Stalker" Mathews popped up out of nowhere and stuck a mic in Swagger's face and asked him how he could be so disrespectful. Swagger said this is his America. Suddenly, Alberto Del Rio knocked Swagger down with a shot from behind. They had to be pulled apart...

5. Kane and Daniel Bryan vs. The Prime Time Players (w/"The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase). The announcers explained that the Players asked DiBiase to manage them because they're all about Millions of Dollars. He said he would think about it if they could beat Team Hell No.

A small "We Want Virgil" chant started, but the crowd was otherwise quiet as the Players were on offense. Kane tagged in and the crowd didn't exactly fire up as he went through his offensive sequence. Kane ended up chokeslamming Darren Young and pinning him.

After the match, DiBiase pulled out a one hundred dollar bill and shoved it in Young's mouth. Daniel Bryan snuck back to the ring and took the $100 bill out of Young's mouth...

Kane and Daniel Bryan beat The Prime Time Players in a non-title match in 3:45.

A shot aired of Honky Tonk Man from behind backstage... [C]

Powell's POV: The crowd has died again. It's a shame because WWE has really kept this show moving and is giving them a lot of big names. By the way, Ted DiBiase gets my vote for Donald Trump's inductor at the WWE Hall of Fame ceremony.

5. Brodus Clay and Sweet T (w/Honky Tonk Man, Cameron, Naomi) vs. Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre (w/Jinder Mahal). Before the match, Slater told Honky that no one came to see him and told him to go back to Las Vegas with the other Elvis impersonators. McIntyre charged at Tensai in the corner and missed. Tensai rolled him up for the win.

Brodus Clay and Sweet T beat Heath Slater and Drew McIntyre in 0:24.

After the match, Clay and Tensai danced. Honky interrupted and played to the crowd for a minor pop. His entrance music played and they all danced. Slater returned to the ring to protest. Honky hit him with a guitar shot to the head and the babyfaces danced again...

[Q8] The announcers hyped Kofi Kingston vs. Fandango for after the break... A Fandango vignette was shown... [C]

Kofi Kingston stood in the ring. Justin Roberts introduced Fandango. A female danced onto the stage. Fandango came out and corrected Roberts, who was wearing a powder blue tux. He coached Roberts on the pronunciation of his name. Fandango said he would not stand there while he butchered his name. He said everyone would remember this night because it was "almost the night that you got to see the debut of Fandango"...

The announcers hyped the Triple H appearance for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: I get a kick out of the way they delayed his debut on Smackdown and now Raw, but it didn't get any heat. Could someone drop a cheap Scott Norwood reference to wake up the Buffalo crowd?

A video recapped the Triple H and Brock Lesnar segment from last week...

[Q9] Triple H made his entrance and immediately pissed his pants. No, not really. Hunter did his water spitting routine and posed on the ropes while a camera shot from the crowd showed him above the camera phones of fans that were shooting photos of him. A cool camera shot.

Triple H smiled as the crowd cheered. He looked around as he heard a Triple H chant start. It never really picked up. Hunter said the last time he stood in the ring with a mic in his hands was eight days after being defeated by Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam. He said it was eight days after Lesnar broke his arm for the second time and he thought his career might be over.

Hunter said he didn't know whether he was trying to convince the fans or himself that it was over. He said the second the cast was off, he was back in the gym training with no real goal in mind. He reference his day job as the COO and noted that he even cut his hair. He said he eventually got to the point that he was in the best shape he's been in in years.

Hunter said he was just waiting for a reason. He said he found himself looking at an old man who had undergone hip surgery. He said put aside that old man created all of this and his own wife and kids were crying at his bedside, Triple H said he was smiling on the inside because it finally gave him a reason.

"Brock Lesnar, if you think for one second that we were done after SummerSlam, reach up on top of your head and feel those 12 staples and know that we were just getting started," Hunter said. He said it's five weeks from the big dance. "Here we go, Brock," he said. "I'm calling you out."

Triple H said he knows that Brock is the guy who usually does the destruction, but last week he split him wide open. "So here we go," he said. "WrestleMania, let's finish what we started, you and I, because I'm back. The ass kicker is back. The King of Kings is back. The Game is back and he's calling you out for WrestleMania." Hunter asked Lesnar if he's going to show up and fight for WrestleMania. "Or are you just going to sit there and bleed"... [C]

Powell's POV: A good promo that chronicled their last match, the angle, and the challenge well. The live crowd started strong and faded by the end, but it was a good promo. Let's hope Triple H calls it quits soon because he may need a full quarter-hour segment just to get through his nicknames at the rate he's going.

A recap of the main event segment with The Shield interrupting the Randy Orton vs. Big Show match. Sheamus made the save, Big Show knocked out Roman Reigns. They didn't show Sheamus delivering the Brogue Kick to Show...

The announcers spoke about how big Social Media Smackdown was. Um, okay. They set up The Shield's latest video...

[Q10] The Shield were featured in a handheld camera video. Dean Ambrose said everyone was throwing their names in the hats for Undertaker at WreslteMania. Seth Rollins said people have forgotten that Taker isn't the only one undefeated. Ambrose said the eye of justice is always watching. Reigns said Show got one shot and it will never happen again. They said they would be watching...

6. World Hvt. Champion Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) vs. Intercontinental Wade Barrett in a non-title match. Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter walked onto the stage. Colter held his arm back to restrain Swagger. At 2:15, Del Rio applied the arm breaker over the ropes and broke the hold. Barrett caught him with a shot as he tried to reenter the ring and then assumed control of the match.

It didn't last long, as Barrett went to the second rope and played to the crowd before missing with a second rope elbow. Ricardo tried to get a Si chant going with the dead crowd. Ugh. Del Rio slapped his leg and hand and got no reaction. A short time later, Del Rio applied the Cross Arm Breaker for the submission win...

Alberto Del Rio beat Wade Barrett in a non-title match in 4:55.

The announcers hyped Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler for Friday's WWE Smackdown television show... The announcers once again hyped the four-way main event as one of the biggest in Raw history... [C]

Powell's POV: Gee, I can't believe the secondary champion lost a non-title match to the top guy. A champion vs. champion match should mean something, but WWE has ruined that gimmick in so many ways. I can't even blame the three-hour format for the flat crowd tonight. This has been a tough crowd from the start.

A Zeb Colter and Jack Swagger video was shown...

Powell's POV: It was comical to watch Swagger mouth a lot of the words Colter was saying as he was saying them. Oops.

The New Age Outlaws music played and the crowd came to life. They chanted along with Road Dogg's entrance routine. A balding Billy Gunn took the mic and delivered the "If you're not down with that" line...

[Q11] 7. Road Dogg and Billy Gunn vs. Primo and Epico (w/Rosa). The heels were working over Dogg during the opening minute when a "you've still got it" chant broke out. It was mistimed, but at least we know the crowd is alive. In the end, Gunn hit the Fameasser on Primo and got the pin...

The New Age Outlaws beat Primo and Epico in 2:40.

The announcers hyped WrestleMania 29 and The Rock vs. John Cena for the WWE Championship... Highlights aired of the Rock and Cena segment from earlier in the show...

The announcers hyped that "Triple H's wife" Stephanie McMahon is on Twitter... The announcers hyped the four-way main event... [C]

The announcers set up Tout videos from fans about who will face Undertaker at WrestleMania. One fan got all racist by saying Sheamus would win because he's Irish...

Backstage, a group of wrestlers were standing in front of a giant birthday cake. Gene Okerlund was introduced. He came out and introduced Mae Young as the oldest living member of the WWE Hall of Fame. Mae was escorted onto the stage by a group of Divas. Okerlund led everyone in the happy birthday song. Even Mark Henry was out there singing.

C.M. Punk's music interrupted the singing. Punk and Heyman walked past the birthday cake. "What are you going to do about it, woman?" Punk yelled at someone in the crowd.

Powell's POV: Mae's birthday is actually March 12. This makes my "How Old Is May Young?" question headline pretty damn pointless. Dammit. Raise your hand if you were hoping that Punk was going to put Mae through the table with all the birthday cake. Okay, those of you with your hands up, I will see you in hell.

[Q12] [C] The WrestleMania video aired. We are 34 days away...

8. C.M. Punk (w/Paul Heyman) vs. Big Show vs. Sheamus vs. Randy Orton in a Fatal Four-Way match to earn a match against Undertaker at WrestleMania 29. Punk rolled to ringside. Orton and Sheamus followed and stared him down. Punk rolled back inside the ring and Show roughed him up. Show cleared Punk and Sheamus from the ring and then fought Orton. They went to ringside and Orton rammed Show into the ring post. Later, Show recovered and was standing tall heading into the break. [C]

At 8:00, Punk delivered repeated knees to the head of Big Show. However, Show stood up and caught Punk with a knockout punch. Sheamus went after Show, who quickly put him down and regained control. Show went to the second rope and missed a splash. Sheamus picked up Show and performed White Noise for a two count at 9:40.

[Overrun] Cole reset the show at the top of the hour. Sheamus set up for a Brogue Kick, but he ran into Randy Orton's power slam. Show recovered and chokeslammed Orton. Sheamus went for a Brogue Kick, but Show caught it and chokeslammed him for a two count. Show set up for a knockout punch on Sheamus, who ducked and caught Show with a Brogue Kick.

Orton snuck back inside the ring and caught Sheamus with the RKO. Punk ran in and caught Orton with a kick. Punk followed up with the GTS and pinned Orton for the 1-2-3. Lawler said Punk can't be the WWE Champion, but he can be the man who takes The Streak away from Undertaker at WrestleMania.

C.M. Punk defeated Randy Orton, Sheamus, and Big Show in a Fatal Four-Way match in 11:40 to earn a match against Undertaker at WrestleMania 29.

The gong sounded and Undertaker's music played. Undertaker appeared in front of the "A" in the "RAW" set and slowly made his way onto the stage. Taker looked at Punk, who scowled back at him. Taker's flames went off on the stage as Cole hyped Taker vs. Punk for WrestleMania 29...

Powell's POV: A good main four-way main event. The commercial interruption was awkwardly timed and it seemed to prevent it from being anything special. The outcome was expected, but I like the idea of giving Punk a clean win in a big match since he lost twice to The Rock and then to John Cena. In fact, I'd give him at least one more big win before WrestleMania.

WWE did a really good job with the small details on the Old School Raw. The set, the attire of the broadcast team, the graphics, the look of the ringside area, and the old Raw theme music were all nice touches. The announcement of the names from the past who would appear made all of those appearances feel less eventful, but it looks like WWE felt like advertising those names to bring extra viewers to see their big WrestleMania angles was more important. The hype for the key WrestleMania 29 hype was very good and Rock and Cena are off to a strong start.

Thanks for watching along with me. I will have more to say in Dot Net Members' audio later tonight. Check back on Tuesday for three different perspectives on Raw via my Hitlist, Will Pruett's Pause review, and Ryan Kester's Rundown review.