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10/5 WWE Raw in Everett, Washington: C.M. Punk vs. Big Show in a cage for the WWE Championship, Dean Ambrose vs. Santino Marella, Xavier Woods vs. Tensai, Daniel Bryan homecoming tag title defense

Posted in: WWE Live Events
By
Oct 6, 2012 - 10:53 AM

WWE Raw live event
Everett, Washington
Report by Dot Net reader Chase Conway


This was the first time I had been to an event that wasn't televised and it ended up being quite a lot of fun on many levels. First off, the Comcast Arena was barely half-full. Majority of the 100 level was sold but the 200 was quite bare overall. That did not stop the crowd from being lively and one of the best Washington crowds since "No Way Out" in 2009.

A.J. came out first to talk up the main event with C.M. Punk interrupting to massive boos. He complained saying we weren't showing enough respect, went backstage, and came out again to even more boos. He got in the ring, boasted about how John Cena wasn't there, and said he wasn't dressed to wrestle so he'd be leaving as well, then proceeded to skip around in the ring. A.J. then informed him he was having a match, with Big Show, and in a steel cage, then proceeded to skip around outside the ring. Punk was playing the bad guy in the best way here and being one of the few of his supporters in the crowd it was incredible.

Daniel Bryan and Kane had a video segment where Daniel played off the Washington crowd and started bickering with Kane early. Funny and grabbed the crowd.

1. Eve defeated Layla and Kaitlyn to retain the WWE Divas Championship. Layla and Eve got great ovations while Kaitlyn received more than I anticipated for her not doing a whole lot yet in her career. An OK match but a typical Triple Threat. Eve, of course, won after Layla kicked Kaitlyn in the head and Eve took the opportunity for the pin.

2. Tensai defeated Xavier Woods. A good back and forth with Tensai picking up the win. While the match was nothing special, what was great was how well Woods won over the crowd. Good energy and charisma with promise. Very familiar of Kofi before he got pigeon-holed into the tag division.  

3. Kane and Daniel Bryan defeated Kofi Kingston and R-Truth to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship. The match ended up being extremely good with a lot of comedy spots. It opened with Daniel going back and forth with the crowd and him telling us he expected better from his home state. He said we didn't deserve to see a hug. It was great. Near the end there was a group hug between Kofi, Truth, and Kane (couldn't tell if Jimmy made his way in there or not), which Daniel refused to be apart of. He tried to run his way in and failed. Bryan and Kane won after a chokeslam on Kofi. Everett loved Kane to the point of amazement. It's like he's hit that veteran point where he can do no wrong. Kane and Bryan finally hugged at the end then Daniel stole both belts and ran to the back.

Video of Zack Ryder played. He spoke about his match later in the night. We also had the choice to text for either a two-out-of-three falls or a lumberjack match between him and Antonio Cesaro later in the night.

4. Brodus Clay (w/Funkadactyls) beat Damien Sandow. Clay came out to a good reaction followed by another personal favorite in Sandow, who gave his usual speech about us not being worthy but was fantastic live. Damien did some pre-match calisthenics that included his cartwheel which gave away the ending right there. Brodus won in typical fashion and then danced in the ring with some children, one of which was wearing an Austin 3:16 shirt. Warmed my heart.

Intermission

5. Santino Marella defeated Dean Ambrose. Santino was a big favorite while Ambrose was automatically reviled. An alright match with Santino winning with the Cobra. One thing that annoyed me is that Ambrose acted almost exactly like the Miz from his earlier days, and that isn't a compliment.

6. Antonio CEsaro defeated Zack Ryder to retain the United States Championship. Cesaro came out to a lot of boos and USA chants, especially after his fantastic mic work while Ryder got his usual big reaction. A.J. announced the lumberjack match had won by a whopping 88 percent (thank god). Everyone who had already wrestled during the night (save for Kane, Bryan, and, for some reason, Truth) came out to serve as lumberjacks. A good match with Cesaro winning and proving he is part of the future of the WWE.

7. C.M. Punk defeated Big Show in a cage match to retain the WWE Championship. Big Show came out to a hero's welcome and played it justly. Punk came out to complete hate, at least where I was, which is odd since the Seattle area is usually very pro-Punk (even his "Happy Birthday" to Mysterio's daughter that happened in Seattle got a fair amount of cheers). Punk got into his usual yelling match with a member of the crowd too.

Overall, a fun match. Outside of a couple of sleeper holds not technical by any means. A lot of Big Show chest slaps. Punk won after climbing the cage before Show could escape out the door. Punk then proceeded to get on the mic and talk about he's beaten everyone, is the best in the world and the sexiest, which followed up with Show ramming Punk's head into the cage and giving him the WMD.

Punk was carted up the ramp on a storage crate by referees who "accidentally" let Punk go from the top of the ramp, creating a slight Mankind moment circa 1998. After finally carting the champion up the ramp and backstage the night was over.

Notes: Overall, a fantastic and fun show. Best I've been to since the aforementioned "No Way Out" years ago. A lot more kids there than I've ever seen before, which explains the majority of the matches having a lot of comedy spots. The kid behind me ate it up and made the show for my friends and I. He was screaming "C.M. Sucks" while wearing a Punk shirt. Classic.

I didn't see a whole lot of people disappointed by the lack of John Cena, but there was enough star-power on the show to let it slide. A couple of curmudgeons beside me hated everything (and were slightly homophobic/racist) but the joy of all the kids around made the show hard not to get into.

The biggest pops were probably for Kane, Bryan and Big Show while Punk, Sandow and Cesaro got the worst. Washington can be very hit and miss when it comes to reactions. It can either be rabid with emotions or very passé with everything. Luckily WWE caught us on a good night.

Sidenote: this was the very first WWE event for the two people I went with. Both watched when they were younger but fell out of it and turned into UFC fans. Over the past few months and pay-per-views, I have turned them into fans and both really enjoyed the show. One was so into it, she was convinced someone was going to lose a championship. Good times.

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