12/26 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: The last Raw of 2011, C.M. Punk homecoming, final hype for the January 2 mystery


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WWE TV Reports


12/26 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: The last Raw of 2011, C.M. Punk homecoming, final hype for the January 2 mystery
Dec 26, 2011 - 10:00 PM


By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Chicago, Ill.


[Q1] Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler checked in on commentary from ringside. C.M. Punk's music played. The Chicago crowd roared, only to have John Laurinaitis walk out wearing a Punk t-shirt. Laurinaitis sang his own praises and then claimed he was wearing the t-shirt because he's a Punk believer.

Punk's music played again and this time Punk walked onto the stage to a big pop in the sold out building. Once inside the ring, Punk did a lap and pumped up the crowd and jawed at Laurinaitis. Punk had a mic in hand and paused while his hometown fans chanted his name.

"If I didn't know any better, I'd say you were trying to antagonize me," Punk said to Laurinaitis. He asked whether he was poking the WWE Champion with a stick. Laurinaitis said he was giving Punk the gift of having the night off as a holiday gift. "Who says I can't be unpredictable?" Laurinaitis said.

Laurintiais said he listens to the WWE Universe and knows they want to see him in action. He said Punk will have not one, not two, but three matches. He clarified by saying that Punk would have a gauntlet match against three opponents. If one of the opponents picked by Laurinaitis wins, that person will receive a title match next week.

Punk asked what happens if he wins all three matches. Laurinaitis said he hasn't given that much thought. Punk said that if he survives the three matches, then the fans should get a fourth match. Punk said the fourth opponent should be Laurinaitis. "You don't really want to do that," Laurinaitis said. "You don't want any of this."

The fans chanted "You can't wrestle" at Laurinaitis. "It looks like they've been watching All Japan tapes," Punk said. He recalled Laurinaitis saying that he listens to the fans. Thus, he asked the fans whether they want to see the two of them meet in a match. The crowd roared. "You left me no alternative," Laurinaitis said. "You're on"...

As the announcers were yapping, they were cut off by the latest January 2 video. "The Force shall arrive to reclaim what is his," read the voice. "The powers that be will be shaken. The first shall arrive. Do you understand? " The video closed with a graphic that read, "The End Begins...Next Monday"...

A split screen shot showed Cody Rhodes and Booker T in ring gear... [C]

Powell's POV: As much as the fans in Chicago would probably enjoy seeing Punk destroy Laurinaitis, I hope this is just a way of whetting the appetite of the television audience for a future match between the two.

[Q2] 1. Booker T defeated Cody Rhodes in a non-title match in 12:05. The announcers recapped Cody's attacks on Booker prior to their match at TLC. Cody was getting the better of Booker and tossed him to ringside to set up the commercial break. [C]

Late in the match, Booker caught Cody with a roll up for a near fall. Cody came back with a quick cover of his own. Booker missed the scissors kick. Cody came back a short time later with a kick off the ropes and went for a cover, but Booker kicked out at the last second.

Cody set up for Cross Rhodes, but Booker fought out of it. Booker came back with a missed kick, but he eventually hit the scissors kick. Booker covered Cody and pinned him clean. Booker performed the spinaroonie after the match...

Powell's POV: Wow, that match really dragged and the crowd seemed to lose interest the longer it went. Keep in mind that the live crowd probably put up with some fill time action during the commercial break.

[Q3] Backstage, Zack Ryder told John Cena that he owes him one. The crowd booed when they saw Cena, who said Ryder doesn't owe him anything. He said Ryder isn't the U.S. Champion because he was given something. Rather, he's the U.S. Champion because he earned it. Ryder asked Cena about Kane. Cena said he's going to the ring and if Kane is in the building, he's going to make sure the last Raw of 2011 goes off with a bang...

Lawler announced that Punk's three opponents will be Jack Swagger, Dolph Ziggler, and Mark Henry. Lawler said that if one of those wrestlers wins, then they will get a title match next week. He said that if Punk wins all three matches, he gets a match with Laurinaitis tonight...

Powell's POV: I'm surprised to see Henry's name on that list given his ongoing groin issue. Has he recovered? Will his involvement be very limited? Will Punk lose before he would be scheduled to face Henry?

Backstage, Big Show was talking with Kelly Kelly when referee Scott Armstrong interrupted and told him that he has to see Mr. Laurintitis immediately... [C]

Backstage, Laurinaitis spoke on the phone while David Otunga stood by. Laurinaitis told Clay that he will see him next week on the first Raw of 2012. He then told Otunga that Clay sounded irritated and added that he would hate to be his first opponent. Big Show entered the room and Otunga said Show's "sucker punch" on Smackdown was grounds for a lawsuit.

Otunga mocked Show for having the shortest title reign in history. Show said he could beat Otunga with one arm tied behind his back. Laurinaitis threw out the idea of Otunga dropping the lawsuit talk in exchange for accepting Show's challenge meet him with one arm tied behind his back. Show said a giant with one arm is still better than a smug lawyer with no testicles...

Backstage, Swagger and Ziggler bickered about the gauntlet match. Swagger said Ziggler wasn't even going to get in the ring because he was going to beat Punk. Vickie showed up and said it doesn't matter who beats Punk. She said the important thing is that one of them will win and then bring the WWE Championship to her stable. Mark Henry showed up, bumped into Ziggler, said "excuse me," and left...

Zack Ryder and Eve were introduced for a mixed tag match... [C]

[Q4] 2. Zack Ryder and Eve defeated Tyson Kidd and Natalya in 3:00. Kidd jumped out to a fast start, but Ryder recovered quickly and went on the offensive. Cole plugged that July 23 will be the 1,000th episode of WWE Raw. The women worked briefly and then Ryder hit the Rough Ryder and Kidd and scored the pin...

The announcers hyped that John Cena was planning to call out Kane after the break... [C]

Cena's music played and he was greeted with way more boos than cheers. "They're everywhere, Stu, they're everywhere," Cena said during his weekly look into the camera before heading to the ring. Cena paused before speaking to soak up the boos. "I can't exactly say that I'm Chicago's favorite son," Cena said.

Cena recalled having his first match in the Allstate Arena and noted that the city's fans are salty "and sometimes a little more than salty." The boos continued. Cena recalled a classic moment involving Eddie Guerrero, and C.M. Punk defeating him at Money in the Bank.

Cena said that it's often said New York is the home of the WWE. The fans booed. He said it's another sold out building in Chicago and told the fans to let the world remember Chicago. He got some love for that. Cena said Chicago will now see John Cena vs. Kane. However, The Miz's music played.

The Miz walked onto the stage with a mic in hand. "Actually, John, I want to see me versus you," Miz said. He claimed 2011 was the year of The Miz and bragged about beating Cena in the WrestleMania 27 main event. He admitted the win was a little tainted because people say he won because of The Rock.

[Q5] The fans chanted a "Rocky" chant. Miz told them not to start a stupid chant. He said Rock stole his shining moment, and now he wants to prove that he can beat Cena without The Rock. He said he wants his final image of 2011 to be him standing over a beaten Cena. Cena said he wants Miz to shut up and wipe off his horrible tan. Cena accepted the challenge...

3. John Cena defeated The Miz via countout in 2:20. Cole said he had it on good authority that Miz spend the holidays in Hawaii and has a real tan. Funny. Cena applied a headlock. He eventually threw Miz toward the ropes. Miz ducked to ringside and said he's the most must see WWE Champion of all time.

The Miz was eventually counted out while he spoke. Miz said it didn't matter how he beat Cena because he did it at WrestleMania. He called himself a winner unlike the Chicago Bears.

R-Truth's music played and he headed to ringside in street clothes. Truth attacked The Miz and whipped him into the guardrail. Miz fought back, but Truth tackled him and they both toppled over the announcers' table. Truth continued to rough up Miz at ringside. Truth grabbed a mic and talked smack to Miz in between punching him. Truth said he's going to take his time getting to Miz...

The announcers hyped the gauntlet match... [C]

Powell's POV: Fro those keeping score at home, R-Truth was suspended on November 22. It was a 30-day suspension, so he was eligible to return. It looks like they're going with completely over the top R-Truth for his babyface run. The crowd was not responsive to his mic work tonight.

After the break, the announcers recapped R-Truth attacking The Miz. They made a big fuss over Truth hitting Miz with the stupid water bottle, which Miz didn't even sell, nor should he. Cole said Kane is here and will address the John Cena situation later in the show...

Introductions for the next match took place...

[Q6] 4. Big Show defeated David Otunga by DQ in 2:00. Per the match rules, Show had one arm tied behind his back. Cole stressed that Show's right hand (knockout punch) was tied behind his back. Show got the early advantage while Otunga ran away and kicked him a couple of times. Show threw Otunga to ringside.

Mark Henry's music played and he walked to the ring in his ring gear. The bell rang for the DQ. Henry took Show down with a shot as Otunga watched from ringside. Daniel Bryan's music played. Bryan headed to ringside. He climbed the ropes and stumbled a bit while heading back to ringside. Bryan held up the belt to mock Henry. Meanwhile, Show got his arm free and grabbed Henry by the throat. Otunga punched Show, who let go of Henry and chokeslammed Otunga...

The announcers hyped that Kane will "explain his actions but on his terms" later in the show... The WWE Network video aired... [C]

Powell's POV: Henry is still limping his way through the groin injury. I guess you have to go under the knife in order for Vince McMahon to give you time off for a groin injury (see Alberto Del Rio). WWE needs to add a new wrinkle to the obnoxious WWE Network commercial or people will stop paying attention to it (like I have).

Alberto Del Rio's music played. Ricardo Rodriguez, who was wearing a neck brace with a bow tie, wheeled him onto the stage in a wheelchair. Ricardo introduced Del Rio as only he can. Del Rio said he suffered the most painful injury a man can suffer when he tore his groin last week. The fans cheered (and Vince McMahon probably called Mark Henry a pussy or something equally absurd while his backstage cronies laughed in an over the top manner).

Things were getting awkward as Del Rio seemed to be waiting on something. Oh, cue the Bella Twins, who came out and said the fans should treat him with some respect. They took turns bickering over which one of them came up with the idea of throwing Del Rio a party once he recovers. Del Rio told the twins to go away. Thank you...

The announcers plugged the WWE 12 video game while game clips were shown... A shot aired of C.M. Punk walking backstage. Cole said he would attempt to run the gauntlet after the break... The Royal Rumble video featuring Santino Marella aired...

[Q7] [C] 5. C.M. Punk defeated Jack Swagger (w/Vickie Guerrero) in the first leg of a gauntlet match in 3:25. Swagger got in a share of the offense, but Punk put him away with a roundhouse kick that set up his pin. Ziggler made his entrance. Swagger worked over Punk, who sold a knee injury. The referee asked Punk if he could go. Punk emphatically said yes while nodding his head. [C]

6. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero, Jack Swagger) defeated C.M. Punk in the second leg of a gauntlet match. The match was joined in progress after the commercial break. Swagger remained at ringside and stood by Vickie. Dolph dominated the wounded Punk with help from Vickie and Swagger.

[Q8] Dolph hit a Fameasser and made the cover, but Punk kicked out at the last moment for a good near fall. John Laurinaitis walked to the ring. Punk blasted Ziggler with a kick to the head and went for the cover, but Laurinaitis called for the referee. He said that the ref can't see everything that happens, so he was throwing Vickie and Swagger out.

Laurinaitis stood on the ring apron. "About your proposed match with me tonight," Laurinaitis said. I'm not going to get in the ring right now..." Ziggler hit the Zig Zag on a distracted Punk and pinned him. Ziggler grabbed the WWE Championship and celebrated as if he was the new champion.

Ziggler did an over the top victory lap around the ringside area with the title belt. Punk recovered in the ring and watched as Ziggler celebrated with the title belt on the stage... The announcers hyped Kane's response to John Cena for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: The match put more heat on Laurinaitis than Ziggler, Swagger, or Vickie. I assume that's by design and I'm really starting to wonder whether they're going with Punk vs. Laurinaitis at the Royal Rumble given that it's not like they need that match to sell the show. Punk vs. Dolph should be a hell of a match next week, but I don't think this match made people take Dolph's chances seriously.

An ad for Smackdown hyped Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in a Falls Count Anywhere match...

Kane's pyro and music hit. He headed to the ring wearing his outer mask and then removed it as part of his entrance (the other mask stays on). Kane said that what people see before them is his true self and his essence. "I may wear a mask, but it is all of you who spend every waking second living a lie," Kane said.

John Cena's music interrupted Kane's speech. Cena walked onto the stage with a serious look on his face. Pyro exploded on the stage. "Stop, Cena," Kane ordered. He said he didn't come to the ring to pick a fight with Cena, who avoided the James Hetfield and Michael Jackson treatment.

Kane said Cena has led all of the fans astray by asking them to rise above hate. He said the world is a dark, dark place. "It's okay to hate," Kane said. "Humans are hateful by nature." He said the natural impulse is to hate so why not embrace it. He said people hate their bosses (shut up, Dot Net staff), their neighbors (true), their spouses (no way I'm going near that one), and their miserable existences (I am right now during this painful promo).

[Overrun] Kane said that once you embrace the hate, you become honest with yourself. "You become free," Kane said. "What you fail to realize John is that with your denial, you grow weaker by the moment. And until you embrace that which you deny, you can never be truly free." The fans trade "C.M. Punk" and "Let's Go Cena" chants.

"But I am going to help you, John," Kane continued. "And all of these people are going to help you on your path toward enlightenment. Because right now the last image you will see this year, the last thing that you will hear is each and every one of these people chanting the words which tear your soul apart - Cena sucks."

Kane said "Cena sucks" a few times in hopes of getting the fans to follow along. Some did, but not as many as creative must have expected. The chant picked up once the high-pitched voices started the "Let's Go Cena" chant again. Cena remained stone faced on the stage. The cameras showed the fans who were standing and yelling "Cena sucks." Cena put his head down and the show went off the air...

Powell's POV: I'm not a fan of Kane talking or that painful delivery he used. I liked that the character was darker and mysterious again because of the mask. Hell, a small portion of the viewing audience was questioning whether it was even the same guy. Now we know it's the same guy and he's using a delivery that bored the fans.

The good news is that Kane is playing into theme that Roddy Piper started when he hosted Piper's Pit. WWE is once again teasing that the boos are getting to Cena, and it was certainly no coincidence that the show concluded with Cena's head down. So while I didn't care for Kane's promo and hated (yeah, I've embraced it) his delivery, I do like where they are going. How about Kane just stops talking again?

Overall, I was pleasantly surprised that we were treated to a show with a serious tone rather than a campy holiday week show. There were no backstage parties or bad Hornswoggle skits. It wasn't a great show, but it sure beat the campy alternative. I'll have more to say about the show on Tuesday in an All Access podcast, and in the WWE Raw Hitlist. Thanks for watching along with me. Happy holidays.

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