With two weeks before the Royal Rumble, Noah Mark is back with his analysis of the second raw of 2014. Check out The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us your thoughts.
Daniel Bryan & Bray Wyatt Kick Off Raw vs The USO’S – YES!
The Usos vs. Bray Wyatt & Daniel Bryan (Part 1) Raw starts off with the match advertised last week of Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt. The USO’s were in the ring at the start of Raw ready for the match. The lights blacked out for the Wyatts entrance, and came back on 30 seconds later to reveal Daniel Bryan and The Wyatts already in the ring. I liked the quick entrance. The match was good with Daniel Bryan in a more aggressive style. Luke Harper and Derek Rowan, interfered just before The USO’s were about to get airborne on Daniel Bryan and Bray Wyatt. This prompted another DQ on the Wyatts in their second week in a row with Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan drops to his knees to receive a Sister Abigail from Bray Wyatt. As I said for the last two weeks, I’m okay with this story in it’s context, provided it doesn’t go 16 weeks to WrestleMania. YES!
Damien Sandow holding his own against John Cena – YES!
Damien Sandow vs. John Cena I was fortunate to be in the crowd at Raw in Orlando, FL the night after The Hell-In-A-Cell Pay-Per-View. It was on that night that Damien Sandow cashed in his Money-In-The-Bank briefcase on John Cena. Although he didn’t win the match then, it was a great competitive match with Cena, and this episode of Raw was no different. There is a great chemistry between Sandow and Cena, and proof that Sandow should have a much more elevated status in WWE. All the things about Damien Sandow I enjoy are stripped away, no more robe, no more witty promos, he’s seemingly just an angry body. Where’s the man that would sign autographs with a quill pen? Why do we get “Sandow-Gimmick-Light”? I question this especially, because when he is called upon he delivers. Match was great. Don’t throw away Sandow after this. YES!
Kane & Brad Maddox, No Triple H or Stephanie. Kane and Brad get into it backstage, and Mr Maddox comes up with a Bray Wyatt & Daniel Bryan vs The Uso’s rematch in a steel cage for the main event. With Kane adding that he will personally chain the cage door shut. I thought this would spell disaster for Daniel Bryan, with some ulterior motive for his former Co-Tag Team Champion.
I did like the fact that Triple H and Stephanie were not on the show this week. Although they seem to back Orton, promoting him as the face Of WWE, they haven’t been targeting John Cena, like they did Bryan, with beat-downs and impossible handi-cap matches. YES!
Left – Intense Big Show to confront Brock Lesnar 1/6 YES! Right – Jolly Big Show eventually Beating Up Zed NO!
On an unrelated note, is Kane injured? Kane is one of the longest tenured Superstars on the roster, I know he has been working several holiday house show matches, however I don’t recall him having a TV match since that aforementioned Orlando Raw I was at where, on that show he shed his mask, this was after returning from filming a See No Evil sequel. It looked like he had a noticeable limp coming down the aisle way.
Big Show vs. Jack Swagger I don’t like smiling big show. I liked hoodie and skull cap wearing, intense Big Show from last week. I want all business Big Show. I want a focused Big Show that is going to seriously take on Brock Lesnar. Big show almost has John Cena-itus. Big Show should learn from his mistakes. Smiling Big Show ended 3-4 Raws this fall, then lost the Big One. Big show can smile his way to another loss at the Royal Rumble. I like Zeb Colter, but for some reason I DON’T want to see him hurt. I like Paul Heyman, but I DO want to see him get hurt. NO!
Moments before The New Age Outlaws, pull back their hands and walk out on CM Punk – NO!
CM Punk & The New Age Outlaws vs. The Shield I’m hoping after The Royal Rumble, CM Punk will move away from The Shield. I love Roman Reigns but If the Shield were to break up, I don’t think he should be put against CM Punk one on one, yet. I like the idea of him building up his singles resume, perhaps with a Big E, Dolph Ziggler, a returning Jericho, maybe even Daniel Bryan, before we see CM Punk vs Roman Reigns in a big time match. I love the New Age Outlaws, and I don’t want to boo them. I haven’t checked out the Smackdown Spoilers (They are scheduled to take on Cody Rhodes and Golddust) so I’m curious to see if they are “bad guys” now. They both appear to be in great shape, and would love to see them, hang around till WrestleMania, but not at heels. Besides, book him however you wish, but at WrestleMania XXX they will no doubt be faces one way or another. NO!
Meaningless win for AJ. Waste of talent – NO!
The Funkadactyls vs. AJ Lee & Tamina Snuka Throw-a-way match, AJ being underutilized. AJ hasn’t had many title defenses, the belt isn’t as special, not because of the person, because of the booking. She taps out and pins people left and right, then a silly beat down afterwords. If you’re going to give her a clean win, why bother, having the faces beat her down after the fact, they lost. This is why there is a huge drop off in star power in WWE, because you have someone like an AJ Lee who can cut a dynamite promo, you can cultivate that, make people want to see her, and let her flourish! Instead of losing her in the shuffle of 20 Total Diva® tag matches. NO!
WWE Hall Of Fame 2014 Inductee The Ultimate Warrior will Headline The 2014 Hall Of Fame. Ironic I watched a DVD about how he was horrible person to work with, held up Vince McMahon for money at SummerSlam 1991, and “self destructed” But as the saying goes Money Talks, and there is a lot of people who remember the guy you see below and could care less about what was hapening behind the curtain. So for that (and because our Webmaster is a huge fan of the man from Parts Unknown) we say YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW and our Overall Raw Rating
Busted Open satellite radio show with Roman Reigns
Host: Dave Lagreca, Doug Mortman, and Mike Riker
Airs Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays on Sirius 92 and XM 92 from 2-4 ET
On being the only member of The Shield to beat CM Punk; if there are any cracks in The Shield: The match as far as me beating CM Punk that’s– that’s something everybody’s going to have to get used to. Me taking down a lot of the top superstars, on my own. As far as cracks in The Shield–you know I don’t see it as a “weak link” type thing. I think the match up, you know like; it’s a very similar match up between Seth Rollins, Dean Ambrose and CM Punk. They’re all very technical-sound wrestlers. I bring something a bit different to the table. I’m a heavy hitting brawler. CM Punk tried to go toe-to-toe with me in that regard and it failed for him.
On if he looks at himself as a standout member of The Shield since being voted Most Improved Wrester by the Busted Open Nation: I don’t look at it too much–read into that type of stuff too much but I do agree with it; you know what I’m saying? When you wrestle as much we do; we like to consider ourselves the backbone of the company. Without us, all these dates that we’re able to do; they’re just not going to be possible. We’re the guys that do the dirty work. We’re there every single day. We don’t miss a show. There’s no weekends off for us. So I think that’s a huge contribution to my improvement. Anytime you can work on your craft; week in and week out; and focus on it, you’re gonna get better at anything. So for me, it was just apart of the process. Traveling with Seth and Dean, wrestling everyday with those guys; your grandma could get better at wrestling if she was able to do that.
On what would be his focus if he were to find himself next to his partners in the Royal Rumble: Oh that’s simple. We’re all in there together. Nothing changes for us. It’s business as usual. We’re gonna eliminate everybody and we’re going to do it with the most efficient teamwork possible. And then once we get to where it’s us three we’re gonna have to figure that out then. The gloves may come off or maybe we’ll make a stand. Maybe we’ll do something no one’s ever done before. We walk out of that sucker; who knows? That’s gonna have to be up to everybody to tune in and pay attention. Cause we’re gonna put on a good show.
On what is his goal for 2014: I think just to stay on the track that I’m on. Continue to dominate in these singles opportunities I get. And then when the right opportunity presents itself, I’d like to capture a singles title. There’s plenty of room in The Shield for another singles title; if not two more. I know Seth is thinking the exact same thing. And that’s what makes us money is we’re all on the same page as far as where we’re trying to go. If you’re not trying to climb to the top; if you’re not on that ladder; you’re in trouble, man. You might as well just stay over there by the water cooler and watch us dominate. So if we can get a couple of singles titles along with that US title; that’ll be key for us in 2014.
His thoughts on the WWE Network: I mean just groundbreaking stuff. This is something for a damn near century we’ve been working towards. Since pro wrestling started and then evolved into Sports Entertainment. This is kind of what we’ve been pushing towards for years and years now. For the WWE, that was really the next step; to broadcast and advertise under our own name. So it’s a big, big moment for our company. And I’m sure nothing but the best is lined up in our future.
His thoughts on possibly being the “face” of the company in 2014: I don’t know about the “face” of the company. That’s kind of being used right now. I’d like to come up with something a little more fresh. You know Randy Orton is doing that whole “face” of the company thing. I think I’m better than him so if we can get a one upper situation, that’s—maybe the “backbone” of the company. Maybe the “balls” of the company. Something cool like that, you know? I don’t know about the “face” of the company. Maybe the “man” of the company. That sounds about right.
– In addition to the previously reported names added to the Royal Rumble on RAW this past Monday night, it was also revealed during the show that CM Punk will be an official entrant in the match.
– One of the main events for this week’s SmackDown was revealed during WWE RAW on Monday night. In a non-title match, Attitude Era greats The New Age Outlaws will square off against the WWE Tag-Team Champions Goldust and Cody Rhodes.
– Paul Heyman’s Heyman Hustle site has released the first teaser video for the upcoming WWE DVD on Heyman’s career.
Jim Ross revealed over the weekend that he will be working with WWE on the project:
“Been asked by WWE to be a part of the upcoming Paul Heyman DVD of which I’m anxious to participate. Once details are worked out we will schedule a time for me to head to WWE HQ and tell a few…dozen Heyman stories.”
– CM Punk tweeted the following about WWE’s announcement that The Ultimate Warrior is being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame:
.@UltimateWarrior in the hall of fame. Overdue. Randy Savage next please.
The following are highlights from a new WWE.com interview with Jake “The Snake” Roberts:
On how his return at Old School RAW came about: “I got a call from [Diamond] Dallas [Page] on Saturday afternoon saying, “Dude, are you sitting down? Are you alone?” He told me WWE wanted to talk with me about an opportunity. At that point, I went completely blank. I couldn’t think, I couldn’t make sense of what was inside my head. It has been such a journey for me. They told me they were going to play it really old school by keeping it a secret from everybody, which was pretty cool. It brought back a lot of memories.”
On being hidden backstage at Old School RAW in Baltimore: “They said I was going to fly into a different airport so nobody saw me. I flew into Washington instead of Baltimore. They picked me up there and told me to call when I was 10 minutes away from the building so they could smuggle me in. I went to one of the busses and I stayed on there until about 10 minutes before the whole thing. I had no idea what we were going to do. At about five o’clock, after I had been there for about four or five hours, I was told what was going on. I was told to chill out and they’d bring me food and to call a number if I needed anything. It was a good, because it gave me time to reflect about where I’d been and what got me there.”
On his new level of respect for CM Punk: “I appreciate CM Punk so much more now than I ever have. He kneeled down over at the side, got completely out of the picture and allowed me to have that moment. It was incredible. It shows people what a true professional he is. He really raised himself up on my list of people that I respect. He didn’t have to do that. I’m the old fart who screwed up what I had. To be allowed to come back to WWE is the greatest gift that’s ever been given to me. Back in the day, I never appreciated what WWE had given me, because I was in too much disarray and too confused about my own life. I let opportunities foolishly slip through my hands. To be given this opportunity to come back and grab a small piece of what was, that’s very special.”
Check out the complete interview online at WWE.com.
Noah Mark is back with his analysis of Old School Raw! Check out The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us if you agree with this week’s picks.
Orton playing the generic Bad Guy, he’s much better than this. NO!
Ric Flair, Randy Orton, & John Cena PromoOld School Raw kicked off with the 16 time “Nature Boy” Ric Flair out first. He was quickly interrupted by former Evolution partner. Randy Orton. Randy Orton said he respected Ric Flair, but he needed the time more to address the one on one rematch putting himself vs John Cena for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at The Royal Rumble. Ric chimes in saying he’s not as good as he thinks. Orton threatens Flair, Cena ends up making the save.
For me this segment fell flat, and seemed forced. Orton was seemingly going through the motions, with “I respect you, but….” going into generic heel mode. This is not The Viper I know and enjoy. I feel some people don’t give Randy Orton the credit he deserves for his promo and character skills, he makes great facial expressions, and conveys a cold-hearted disposition. Well normally he does, this promo didn’t do Orton any favors. Clearly Ric Flair is getting order, or he had a few in the back, because he sounded marble mouth in this segment. Cena didn’t offer anything to this segment either. One month ago Cena may have delivered the best promo of his life in Seattle. Here, I felt the whole thing was boring. NO!
NO!
Jerry Lawler Health Update: Earlier in the day we reportedBreaking News Jerry “The King” Lawler was hospitalized. Of course with Jerry’s Heart Attack last year during Raw, your first thought would be another heart issue. Thankfully it seemed to be a stomach virus or food poisoning. however that didn’t stop the WWE from sensationalizing by directing viewers to turn to the WWE App to get an update on Jerry Lawler. NO!
Daniel Bryan…er Wyatt. So far okay. YES!
Luke Harper, Erick Rowan & Daniel Bryan vs. The Usos & Rey Mysterio Our first chance to see Daniel Bryan on TV as a Wyatt. First the original Wyatt trio appeared for their normal entrance, followed by the fourth Daniel “Wyatt”. Daniel Byran came out looking like he was in a Janitor or prison jump suit. A blank stare on his face, as he teamed up with Rowan and Harper to take on The Usos and Mysterio. I enjoyed this, I thought Bryan looked good with the group. They ended up losing the match due to Harper getting rolled up after a brief disagreement with Bryan as to who should come into the match when Rowan tagged both men. I would have preferred The Wyatts to win clean in this match. Their first week out and they’re arguing, I think an eventual separation from Bryan would be more effective if they were on the same page to start. But I’m still okay with this story line, provided I don’t have to wait 15 more weeks for Bryan to “Snap out of it”. YES!
Too Cool & Rikishi just 3 of the Old School Legends at Raw YES!
WWE Legends On Old School Raw:I was happy to see some of my old school favorites on Raw. Everyone had a good role on the show and for older fans this definitely was a great nostalgia feel. I will say that over the past few years we’ve seen a crop of “usual” legends. Most of which were not actually on a whole lot of episodes of WWE Raw. I would love to have seen a Raw with more attitude era and post era stars. Some of them are still affiliated and working for WWE. Perhaps WWE held a few back for a Royal Rumble appearance. There was also no “old school” diva on this show. I know Mae Young was originally scheduled to attend this show, however Mae Young experienced health issues and was unable to appear. With Brock Lesnar, in attendance this seemed like a perfect time for Sable to make an appearance in the show. YES!
Piper’s Pit – Piper’s still got it plain and simple. His interaction with The Shield, the hottest faction, group, whatever you what to call them. Piper pinching Roman Reigns cheek put goosebumps on my arm. I saw Reigns neck throbbing, great moment! People have compaired Dean Ambrose to Piper in the past, it was great to see Ambrose get to interact with a Legend. This would not be his only legend interaction on this episode of Old School Raw. I enjoyed seeing CM Punk and The New Age Outlaws come in to save piper. YES!
View Page 2 to find out more YES and NO from WWE RAW Old School and our Overall Raw Rating
After the televised portion of Old School RAW ended on Monday night, a short angle took place involving Jake “The Snake” Roberts, CM Punk and the New Age Outlaws. All of the guys were celebrating and posing in the ring when Punk grabbed a microphone. He said they have three words for us, to which Billy Gunn said, “Jake The Snake!”
After those guys cleared out of the ring, a post-show dark match took place between Randy Orton and John Cena. Booker T served as the special guest referee for the match. The match was kept short. Cena forced Orton to tap out to the STF, but Booker was knocked down and didn’t see it. Cena ended up winning the match by disqualification when Orton was in trouble and hit Cena with a low blow to retain his title.
– As previously reported, CM Punk was booed by some fans after his match against The Shield at the December 26th WWE live event from Chicago.
The boos came after Punk apologized to the Chicago fans for not being able to wrestle on the previous year’s holiday show from Chicago because he was out with a knee injury.
When some fans booed, Punk said he doesn’t care what they think about him and asked the crowd if they’d rather see John ‘Cena vs. Randy Orton’ instead of him.
– WWE.com has published an article looking at which NXT talents will be the next breakout stars, including NXT Women’s Champion Paige, Aiden English, Alexander Rusev, Enzo Amore, Sami Zayn, NXT Champion Bo Dallas, Emma and The Ascension.
– Here’s the latest WWE Backstage Fallout video from Friday’s SmackDown:
“Big E Langston and Nikki Bella comment on their nights at SmackDown.”
Here are some highlights of what Antonio Cesaro said to the Baltimore Sunduring a recent interview:
2013: “Well, I started the year as the United States champion, and now I am not the United States champion. But I’d say I’m part of the most entertaining group in the WWE, and the best tag team right now, the Real Americans.”
Working with CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan on the Independent Scene: “We’ve been on the road with each other for a long time. I’ve been with guys like CM Punk, Seth Rollins and Daniel Bryan for almost 10 years now. It’s definitely a bond because we all know where we came from. We know we performed in front of 20 or 30 people in some old, rusty building, and now we’re performing on the biggest stage. There’s definitely a pride in that. There’s definitely a bond in it as well.”
Chris Hero’s Release: “It certainly was disappointing. When we signed with this company, we both knew what we were getting into. We both made each other a promise that we would work as hard as possible, whether it’s as a team or singles competitors. I know he’ll wind up on his feet, and he probably already is, and he’ll continue wrestling all over the world.”
Question 3 Now, we are going to randomly assign you 3 Superstars. Please tell us how you would like to see the below Superstars involved with WWE in the future (You can select more than one for each):
Wrestling regularly on Raw/SmackDown
As a regular commentator on Raw/SmackDown
Starring on a WWE reality show Starring on a WWE highlights show
Wrestling at WrestleMania or SummerSlam
Involved in the Raw/SmackDown storylines
Involved in the WrestleMania or SummerSlam storylines
Do not want him involved with WWE in future?
Question 4: In your household, how many kids ages 4 or older are fans of World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE)?
Comment Below and tell us how you think the Legends & Superstars listed should be used – if at all.
(Thanks to SEScoops correspondent Noah Mark for sending in this info)
Happy New Year everyone! Noah Mark is back with his the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us if you agree with this week’s picks.
Alright everyone, I’ve been sitting on writing this article to give all of us enough time to digest what we saw on Monday. I didn’t want to make a knee jerk reaction to what I saw. So hopefully here is my calm observation.
Daniel Bryan Takes On Luke Harper – YES!
Daniel Bryan Joins The Wyatts: Daniel Bryan is an incredible wrestler, he’s got a likable personality, and he’s good on the mic. Shawn Michaels definitely taught him well, but Bryan has that extra ingredient needed to make a star, that unteachable “it” factor. You either have it, or you don’t. Bryan has it, and it has developed over the years to something a massive audience can get behind. We are in in a time where WWE has failed to match the caliber star power and top new talents of the decades before it. So partly due to John Cena’s injury Daniel Bryan is given the ball. The crowds love him, and are behind him. Daniel Bryan headlines Summer Slam with Cena, followed by the next 3 Pay-Per-Views with Orton. The Pay-Per-View buy rates were down from the previous year. It shouldn’t rest squarely on Bryan’s shoulders, there is an incredible short shelf on top stars, with practically all of them on John Cena’s level either retired or part time. Look at Survivor Series, headlined by Big Show vs Randy Orton, drawing one if not the lowest Survivor Series buy rates in the PPV’s history. I could argue that Daniel Bryan in the main event SAVED the prior three pay-per-views from a similar dismal buy rate.
Erick Rowan vs Daniel Bryan – YES!
Nonetheless, back down Daniel Bryan goes on the card, he becomes the scapegoat, pun intended! Bryan’s been in a feud with the Wyatts since the end of October. My anger and frustration has clouded my appreciation for the Wyatts, and this story line. So let me look at it just from the perspective of the story line alone. The Wyatts have a great persona, Luke Harper and Erick Rowan can hang with the likes of just about anyone in the ring. I feel Bray Wyatt is the weakest wrestler out of the group, but wrestling isn’t the most important talent needed for this, Bray could easily fit in a horror movie, he looks the part and is competent enough. So after two months of mostly Daniel Bryan getting the short end of the stick, on this past Monday’s Raw Bryan is given a chance to go one on one with Bray Wyatt. All Bryan must do is defeat Luke Harper and Derrek Rowen.
Daniel Bryan Joins the Wyatt Family. YES!
After the two matches Bray comes in the ring, the match starts, Erick and Luke join in on the attack. Bray tells Bryan he’s afraid this is where their story ends. He says he has no mercy left to give. He says this is his fault. Bryan says you’re right, you were right all along and joins the Wyatts. (View Full Details here) So within the story line itself. I’m okay with this, in fact I’m totally fine with this scenario, provided Daniel Bryan is out of this “spell” by The Royal Rumble. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, in this day in age, with people wanting instant gratification, binge-watching full seasons of TV shows in a sitting, I can’t wait 16 weeks for WrestleMania XXX for Daniel Bryan to come out of his spell. Doing so may inflict permanent damage on his popularity. So if Daniel Bryan is “following the buzzards” for four weeks, I’m on board. YES!
CM Punk takes on Seth Rollins on an “Off Night” – NO!
CM Punk vs. Seth Rollins: Everyone has an off night, Seth Rollins and CM Punk didn’t work. there were a few botches, CM Punk tried to cover by turning a move off the ropes into a small package, but it was sloppy. I would imagine most of the heat goes on Seth Rollins, but it takes two to tango. CM Punk on Twitter knew it was a stinker NO!
“@RMB316: @CMPunk IM sure you hear this a lot. Good match on #Raw really enjoyed it. Keep it up all the best in 2014” it was garbage.
– Regarding CM Punk’s recent tweets, where he seems to be giving the impression that he is frustrated and tired of traveling, the feeling within WWE is that Punk always talks about leaving when he gets frustrated. Regardless, WWE doesn’t seem to think Punk is leaving the company at any point in the near future.
– The following are some recent WWE attendance figures:
December 26th event in Chicago drew 10,000 fans
December 27th event in Hartford drew 7,000 fans
December 27th event in Indianapolis drew 5,500 fans
December 28th event in Newark drew 8,000 fans
December 28th event in Detroit drew 6,500 fans
December 29th event in Hershey drew 4,900 fans
December 29th event in Washington, D.C. drew 9,000 fans
December 30th event in Toronto drew 7,000 fans
December 30th event in Richmond drew 8,000 fans
CM Punk’s match against Seth Rollins from Monday’s RAW received mixed reviews from fans online – and now Punk himself is among the people who think they under-delivered. In response to a fan who said the match was good, Punk tweeted:
“@RMB316: @CMPunk IM sure you hear this a lot. Good match on #Raw really enjoyed it. Keep it up all the best in 2014” it was garbage.
He also said he’s sick of traveling, another sign that he’s burned out and might be questioning how much longer he wants to endure the demands of being a WWE Superstar:
– After Monday’s WWE RAW went off the air, CM Punk defeated The Shield in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match. Punk got the win after hitting the GTS on Dean Ambrose.
– There were some technical difficulties during the broadcast of Monday’s WWE RAW. Fans watching via DirecTV and Comcast (and possibly other providers) saw the feed freeze and get pixelated several times during the show.
– Both WWE crews today (leaving Richmond and Toronto) are experiencing travel issues today. Vickie Guerrero tweeted:
It was announced on the special New Year’s edition of WWE RAW on Monday night that at next week’s special “Old School” themed edition of RAW, CM Punk will battle Shield member Roman Reigns in a singles match.
Also announced on RAW, in one of the promised “blockbuster announcements,” Stephanie McMahon revealed that John Cena would challenge Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at the main event of the Royal Rumble pay-per-view in a traditional Championship match.
We noted earlier that NBA star LeBron James posted a tweet on his official Twitter account asking how he could obtain a WWE World Championship belt. Not only did The Rock respond to James, but John Cena and CM Punk did as well. The following are their responses:
You need one? I may have one 4uRT @KingJames: Who do i need to talk to to get one of those World Championship Belt? WWE belt. The real ones
Speculation on CM Punk’s WWE future ran rampant this weekend after Punk posted the following tweet after his match at the WWE live event in Detroit, Michigan:
Thanks Detroit. I don’t have many of these left in me. Off to DC and coffee with Lyle Preslar.
Apparently people are reading too much into the tweet, as it’s being said within WWE that they do not expect Punk to leave at any point in the near future.
As noted in the spoiler report for this week’s WWE SmackDown show, which was taped on Sunday night in Washington, D.C., following the main event, Wade Barrett came out for a “Bad News Barrett” segment.
Apparently the segment was not part of what is expected to air on the broadcast, as live fan notes from the show claim that CM Punk came back out to interupt the segment. Punk reportedly hit Barrett with his “GTS” finisher to send the crowd home happy.
For a complete WWE SmackDown spoiler report for this week, click here.
– With the latest rumors that Brock Lesnar is interested in fighting for UFC again, we’ve heard from a reliable source that Lesnar has it written into his WWE contract that he is permitted to fight for the MMA promotion. This claim is being denied by multiple executives within WWE, however those close to Lesnar insist it’s true.
– The official WWE website has published a list of the top 10 “mic moments” in 2013. Number one went to Mark Henry’s fake retirement speech. Trailing Henry at number two was AJ Lee’s Diva pipe bomb, while CM Punk’s promo against The Rock rounded out the top three.
The following are highlights from a recent interview with TNA star Bully Ray:
On having old school respect for the wrestling business: “I am the last of a dying breed. The last of the old-school pro wrestlers. I have the old-school respect for the industry. I think old school in and out of the ring. A lot of these guys coming out of wrestling school today, they ask when they’re going to be on TV. Nobody wants to pay their dues any more. ‘Pay your dues,’ there’s three words every young wrestler should have emblazoned in their forehead. Pay your dues, get out on the road, go live in your car, go eat bologna and cheese sandwiches, go struggle and make no money. When you finally get some success, you’ll appreciate it a whole lot more.”
On why he’s stayed in TNA: “The reason I stayed in TNA is because, right now, it’s the best business decision for me. It’s a good fit for me. I always make my decisions based on business. At the end of the day, this is the wrestling business. I also like the younger guys that are here in TNA, and I’d like to help some of those guys move forward with their futures.”
On TNA vs. WWE: “Why would you want to watch TNA over a John Cena-Randy Orton match?. I’m really not sure. I find John Cena’s matches very entertaining, and I find Randy Orton’s matches very entertaining. I also know, if you watch Bobby Roode and AJ Styles, or Samoa Joe and Austin Aries, you’re going to be even more entertained by watching those guys.”
On his dream match: “Bully Ray vs. CM Punk would be the match. Paul Heyman has told me directly that me and Punk standing across from one another with a microphone in our hands would be deadly. Given the opportunity to have absolutely no restrictions on what we’ say and to just go at it, you’d be looking at the two guys who can spit venom better than anybody else out there in the industry. And I know we could back it up in the ring.”
Check out the complete interview online at WEEI.com.
– WWE’s long-running Authority storyline is currently scheduled to climax at WrestleMania XXX on April 6, 2014 at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome in New Orleans, Louisiana, with Triple H facing CM Punk in a singles match. However, there is also the possibility of Roman Reigns facing “The Game” at the pay-per-view event spectacular, as the 28-year-old is currently slated as a “back-up plan.” In recent weeks, WWE has teased a Reigns babyface turn.
– Though most of WWE’s business metrics have either gone down or remained almost identical in recent years, traffic to the official WWE website has greatly increased. Through November, WWE.com has averaged 15.1 million viewers per month. This is up 31.3% from the year before, which averaged 11.5 million visitors on a monthly basis.
Despite the great increase in web traffic, this has not accordingly translated to sales increases on WWEShop.com. Merchandise sales are only up 3.5%, from 903 in 2013 to 935 this year.
– Antonio Thomas, who appeared for WWE in 2005 and 2006, discusses his tenure with the company and career on the independent wrestling circuit in the latest edition of Colt Cabana’s Art Of Wrestling podcast. The podcast also features a happy holidays message from CM Punk. The synopsis for the show is as follows: “One half of WWEs Heartbreakers. With just a short run on TV, its interesting to see how a wrestler recovers and continues in the wrestling industry. Antonio is still a force on the independent scene. Plus Colt, Cliff and Punk wish everyone happy holidays.”
Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays! Noah Mark is back with his the latest installment of “The YES! & The NO! of WWE RAW.” Comment below and tell us if you agree with this week’s picks.
Complete WWE RAW Results (12/23)
WWE RAW (12/23)
Here are some quick thoughts about this weeks edition of Christmas Raw. Did you watch it?
The WWE Diva’s are awesome to look at. Not so awesome to watch wrestle.
12-diva’s Jingle Bells Match: The tag team division has been completely turned around. At one point it seemed like there was barely a tag team division. AJ Lee is the best women’s wrestler on the roster, why aren’t we seeing her in great matches. I guess I know why, because of Total Diva’s. That doesn’t mean there can’t be great woman’s wrestling. NO!
John Cena, CM Punk, and Big E. Langston victorious to end Christmas Raw
CM Punk John Cena & Big E Langston vs The Shield I enjoyed the match, Cena, Punk and Big E all out there. The end seemed silly though. Why would there suddenly be a disqualification, because the two illegal Shield members saved themselves from being pinned by Big E? It doesn’t make sense, but still the match was better than the Good Santa vs Bad Santa, which I thought for sure would close the show. Therefore it gets a YES!
The USOS vs The Prime Time Players: The match was fun to watch. Good tag team action YES!|
The USO’s and The Prime Time Players all celebrate after the match. Barf
The USOS & Prime Time Players Curtain Call Before the match Darren Young mistakenly refer to Austin Texas as Houston, to get some sort of heel heat, I didn’t have a problem with this. I did have a problem with after the match, The USO’s and The Prime Time Players all doing the Millions of Dollars dance. Here’s why I have an issue with it. This is starting to become a thing, with Superstars hugging after the match, we saw it a few weeks ago with the Michael Strahan, Miz, Titus O’neil segment. We saw it with Big Show, Rey Mysterio and The Rhodes. Forget about ruthless aggression, these guys are all becoming wimps! It’s OKAY for two fan favorites to dislike each other, and not hug at the end. I’m not saying they need to attack each other after the match… but I’m hoping it’s just a lighthearted Christmas episode thing, and not a growing trend. Although with the recent article of WWEshopping their television shows to TV Network’s including Disney. We might see everyone hug at the end of matches in the future. NO!
“Bad Santa’ full of Christmas Cupcakes
Good Santa Vs Bad Santa:It is what it is I guess. Mark Henry playing the good Santa, Damien Sandow playing the bad Santa with produced backstage segments contrasting the two. The announcers played it up as you would have expected. The whole concept is silly. Bah Humbug! NO!
Live Announcing: I would say it was a good thing that Michael Cole and JBL announced the show live from Stanford CT. (They had pre-recorded cut-in’s from the arena, but voiced most of Raw Live) it gave it a fresh feel, JBL made some topical references as he eluded to on twitter. The Batista announcement which clearly wasn’t scheduled for the show originally was added in, and the live commentary allowed for reaction from JB and Cole. Did you miss Jerry “The King” Lawler? I did not. YES!
@NEIL_MALONE@WWE@GoToBermuda pre taped? Not sure u noticed, our commentary was live. The Romo reference should have given that away.
“Santa Claus is an Illegal Immigrant” – Zeb Colter
The Real Americans vs Los Matadores: Another good tag team match on Raw. We saw the Antonio Cesaro swing, which if you haven’t’ seen live is an awesome thing to watch. With all the tag teams in the WWE, I think the WrestleMania pre-show match should involve all the tag-teams that one make it to the PPV. Perhaps the winner can face the champions. YES!
RAW OVERALL: NO! Call me scrooge if you will, but the over cheesy holiday wrestling show, should go on Smackdown! I think Raw looses it’s coolness by being lame. If Disney pony’s up the cash this could be what you see on RAW every week so get used to it! There was some good action on the show which I enjoyed, no real progression of WWE story lines but the big announcement of The Animal Batista, which was awesome to see.
It appears now that WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee will not be punished for her obscenity-laced tirade against NBC Universal personality Michelle Beadle at last week’s Tribute to the Troops event at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Pierce County, Washington. According to F4WOnline.com, the matter is “over and done with” after Lee and WWE Superstar boyfriend, CM Punk, were spoken to.
After news of the incident caught fire online Sunday, WWE hit damage control in order to downplay the story and keep it from being reported by the mainstream media since the idea of a wrestler behaving abusive toward a celebrity “is the exact last thing they want public.” Organization officials asked Beadle—one source in WWE said “begged”—to go on Twitter and “say what happened and leave it at that.”
She wrote, “Once and once only: I’ve known CM Punk for years. Considered him a friend. When I saw him at the arena, I said ‘hey f&$?face’. The exact same way I talk to everyone. His girlfriend was no where near this. And I kept walking along with my assistant and two members of WWE PR. Next thing I know, I’m being yelled at. I honestly thought it was a joke. Period. The event went on and it was amazing. So I hope we can move on from this ridiculously lame ‘story.’ As for the crazies, BLOCKED! And Happy freaking Holidays!!!”
Beadle and Punk dated for a brief period of time, with one person with knowledge of the situation describing their dating period as “a second” to F4WOnline.com.
Punk confided to people close to him that he was unhappy with WWE’s handling of the matter. The day after the incident, he stated on Twitter, “It’s difficult to always try to do business the proper way with a company that refuses to practice the same standards.” Despite this friction, those close to him don’t expect him to bolt from the promotion, nor would company officials want him to.
In a separate matter, some company officials were upset with Punk for tweeting about hockey on Sunday, since it was the day of a pay-per-view. After news of the incident surfaced, he directed a number of messages to the mascot of the Los Angeles Kings.
– WWE Hall of Famer Jim Ross recently commented on the possibility of Daniel Bryan vs. CM Punk at WrestleMania 30. He wrote at JRsBarBQ.com:
“On the surface, yes, but it’s all about the presentation and the reason for them wrestling. It’s unlikely to occur but I have no idea of the WM30 card.”
– With the news of Batista returning to WWE leaking online this past weekend, Dave Meltzer is speculating that WWE could have Batista is returning before the Royal Rumble, win the Rumble match and go on to face Randy Orton for the WWE World Heavyweight championship at WrestleMania XXX.
We’ve heard that Batista will be involved in a program with Triple H and Randy Orton upon his return, playing off their past as part of the Evolution faction.
– Here’s the latest installment of WWE Backstage Fallout featuring behind-the-scenes interviews from Friday’s SmackDown:
The official “Nerdist” YouTube channel recently added a video featuring an “All-Star Celebrity Bowling” match between “Team WWE” and “Team Nerdist.”
It’s a no-holds barred edition of All Star Celebrity Bowling, as WWE Superstars CM Punk, AJ Lee, Fandango, and Kofi Kingston try to put Team Nerdist into submission.
Team WWE’s Charities: http://www.langefoundation.com/ http://bestfriends.org/The-Sanctuary/
TEAM WWE: CM Punk AJ Lee Fandango Kofi Kingston
TEAM NERDIST: Chris Hardwick, Founder Nerdist Industries Matt Mira, Nerdist Podcast Ron Funches, Comedian Matt Cohen, Nerdist.com