Tonight, WWE Champion CM Punk squares off against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan. Also, Johnny Ace has his performance as general manger reviewed by Triple H!
World Wrestling Entertainment presents RAW
Date: 1/30/2012
From: Kansas City, MO
Johnny Ace makes his way down to the ring as is shaking hands with fans and crew members. Ace is actually looking forward to his performance review. He believes his performance has been good overall. He is confident that HHH will make him the full-time RAW General Manger. Ace thinks he called the match right down the middle at the Royal Rumble. At the Elimination Chamber, Punk will defend the championship against Kofi Kingston, Dolph Ziggler, The Miz, R-Truth and Chris Jericho. WWE Champion CM Punk will be in action tonight against WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan! That announcement brings out WWE Champion CM Punk who believes that Ace is going to be fired tonight. Ace believes that Punk should apologize to him because he didn’t screw Punk out of the championship at the Royal Rumble. Punk doesn’t want to start over fresh with Ace. He just wants Ace to be fired by Triple H tonight.
WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan makes his way out and makes sure that Punk and Ace remember who he is. He talks about how he was busy winning a steel cage match last night. He doesn’t consider Punk to be much of a challenge for him tonight compared to what happened last night. They decide to put on a great show for the fans since they have been friends for over ten years. The 2012 Royal Rumble winner, Sheamus, makes his way down to the ring as well. He says that he could win either the WWE Championship or the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at Mania! He also says that he hopes HHH kicks Ace’s ass! To end the segment, Punk shakes Bryan’s hand.
Commercials –
Opening Contest: Randy Orton vs. Dolph Ziggler
Wade Barrett and Josh Matthews are in a luxury box for the this match. Barrett obviously cares to know what happens to Orton tonight. They will be wrestling on Smackdown this week. Ziggler avoids Orton as he runs the ropes and taunts him. Barrett regrets not ending Orton’s career when they had a falls count anywhere match. Orton continues to work on Ziggler with an uppercut but Ziggler kicks Orton in the head as we go to commercial.
Orton gets out of a sleeper hold sending Ziggler into a corner back first. Ziggler misses a splash in the corner is met with a few clotheslines but avoids a snap power slam to dropkick Orton. Ziggler follows up with a neck breaker and does some situps. Orton crotches Ziggler on the top rope. Orton connects with a superplex for a two count. Orton connects with the snap power slam and but Ziggler counters the elevated DDT attempt and puts the sleeper hold on Orton! Orton nearly rolls Ziggler up but Ziggler hits the Fame Asser for a near win! Orton clotheslines Ziggler over the top to the floor and sends Ziggler into the guard railing. Orton plants Ziggler with the elevated DDT. Orton signals for and hits the RKO to win the match.
Your Winner: Randy Orton via pin fall
Match Rating: ***
Commercials –
Backstage, Johnny Ace is talking to people, including William Regal. Regal decides to share that he has conjoined twins daughters and keeps them locked in his attic. By the way, he shook hands with Curt Hawkins. Yeah, I know nobody cares about that.
Commercials –
Second Contest: Brodus Clay vs. Tyler Reks
There is a giant disco ball hanging from the ceiling now for Clay. Clay hits a belly to belly suplex after absorbing a few blows and hits his running cross body to win the match.
Your Winner: Brodus Clay via pin fall
Backstage, CM Punk is talking to Daniel Bryan. Punk doesn’t know what a vegan means and Bryan doesn’t know what straight edge means. Well, Bryan is actually straight edge as well. Punk tells Bryan that he isn’t a role model but rather the best wrestler in the world.
Commercials –
Third Contest: WWE Champion CM Punk vs. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan
They follow the code of honor to start the match. Wait a second, this isn’t ROH! Bryan dropkicks Punk early on and drives Punk’s legs into the canvas. Punk snap mares Bryan and kicks him in the back. Punk misses a leg drop and is kicked by Bryan. Bryan stomps on Punk’s elbow as he has been focusing his offense on his elbow. Bryan is back dropped over the top to the floor. Punk comes off the apron with an axe handle. They begin to trade uppercuts on the floor until Bryan tosses Punk over the railing. Punk takes Bryan down with a back suplex. Punk hits a springboard clothesline but Bryan kicks out at two. Punk delivers a back breaker for a two count as well. Bryan misses a dropkick in the corner and is nearly pinned as a result. They collide as they looked to hit a cross body as we go to commercial.
Bryan has control of Punk working on his right shoulder. Bryan connects with a snap suplex and taunts the fans. Bryan heads to the top rope but Punk kicks Bryan and begins to chop him. Punk hits a top rope hurricanrana. Punk hits a spinning heel kick and a swinging neck breaker. Punk knees Bryan in the corner and hits a running bulldog! Punk signals for the GTS but Bryan gets out of it and bails to the floor. Punk baseball slides Bryan and goes for a suicide dive but is met with a forearm shot by Bryan. Bryan leaps off the top to hit a missile dropkick for a near win! Punk avoids a kick and nearly rolls Bryan up for a win. Punk rolls through a hurricanrana for a near fall, but is kicked in the head. Punk blocks a superplex and shoves Bryan off the top. Punk gains his footing on the top rope to hit an elbow drop for a two count. Bryan counters the GTS with a crucifix pin for a two count. Bryan tries for the LeBelle Lock but Punk counters and catapults Bryan into a corner before kicking him to the apron. Chris Jericho comes out and hits the Code Breaker on Punk!
Your Winner: Daniel Bryan by disqualification
Match Rating: ***1/2
Guess what? Mike Tyson is in the WWE Hall Of Fame now.
Fourth Contest: The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston
R-Truth is on commentary for this match. Miz cut a promo before the match talking about Kingston doing a handstand at the Royal Rumble. He mentions how he lasted over forty five minutes in the Royal Rumble match. Miz believes he is going to headline WrestleMania again.
Miz hammers away on Kofi with several forearm shots. Kofi misses a splash in the corner and is met with a knee lift by Miz. Miz maintains control with a clothesline and clotheslines Kofi in the corner. Miz hits a top rope double axe handle for a near fall. Miz plants Kofi with a DDT moments later but isn’t able to keep Kofi down long enough. Kofi kicks Miz in the face in the corner and hits a cross body off the top rope for a two count! Kofi nails Miz with the Trouble In Paradise to win the match!
Your Winner: Kofi Kingston via pin fall
Match Rating: *1/2
Backstage, Johnny Ace believes that David Otunga is trying to get his job, but Otunga assures him that isn’t the case.
Commercials –
Main Event: WWE Divas Championship
Eve Torres vs. (champion) Beth Phoenix
Eve got the early offense just hammering away on Phoenix. Well, Phoenix hit a clothesline and finished Eve off with the Glam Slam to win the match rather quickly.
Your Winner and STILL WWE Divas Champion: Beth Phoenix
Kane appears on the big screen and asks Eve how does it feel knowing that Ryder’s pain could have been avoided if Cena embraced the hate. Kane says that until Cena embraces the hate, he can’t beat him and he can’t beat the Rock at WrestleMania. He will continue to punish Ryder until Cena gets the message. Tonight, he is going to use Eve Torres to pass the message along to Cena. Kane is standing behind Eve, who falls down and is crying. John Cena runs out and brawls with Kane until Kane bails to the floor, but he follows him to the floor. Cena sends Kane into the ring steps shoulder first. Cena picks up the ring steps and rams the steps into Kane’s face! Cena rams Kane with the ring steps again. Cena goes to the announcers table and looks to set that up for something on Kane. Kane avoids the Attitude Adjustment and escapes through the crowd! Cena is in the ring to celebrate what he has done.
Commercials –
Johnny Ace comes out and says he isn’t nervous about his job because he knows that the fans have appreciated what he has done. He says that the RAW ratings have been up compared to last years numbers. Ace says puts himself over on several categories because he felt he did them well. Here comes Triple H to give him his job performance review. HHH says he has been watching Ace for awhile since Ace back-stabbed him and took it for him. HHH tells Ace that he was worse than anyone else in the General Manager spot. HHH thinks Ace tried to use the role to make himself a star. Ace is trying to defend himself. Ace is here to make RAW better, not to be a star. Ace will do anything to save his job. Ace proceeds to apologize to the crowd but the fans aren’t buying into what he is saying. Ace is sorry for offending anyone and apologizes. The fans are booing him big time. HHH suggests that Ace join a certain club, a club that Vince McMahon created. Yep, the Kiss My Ass club. Oh my god, Ace gets some chap stick out and gets on his knees. He is actually puckering up! HHH laughs at Ace saying “ha, you were actually going to do it, you freak!” HHH says he came out here to do what needs to be done. HHH says that the board has made it clear he can return to RAW and run it whenever he wants. So, HHH goes to fire Ace, but instead we hear a gong! Wait a second… it’s the Undertaker! Taker walks out from the backstage area! Taker makes his way down to the ring. Taker circles around HHH who has his fists ready for a fight. Taker stares at HHH and then looks at the WrestleMania banner. Taker signals for the end of HHH at Mania! HHH puts his hand on Taker’s shoulder before leaving the ring to end the show.
Final Thoughts:
I thought it was a solid episode of RAW this week. Orton/Ziggler was a good opener, though Ziggler is losing a lot of big matches in the past two days. The Punk/Bryan match was very good as well. I’m figuring the day they meet on pay per view they will put on one hell of a match, because they did that today in limited time and have delivered on the independents before as well. Plus, we got the return of the Undertaker. I don’t care how many times that guy returns, I’m always glad to see him comeback. Overall, I’m going to give this weeks show a thumbs up.
Thanks for reading.