-Justin Roberts introduced Mike Tyson. Oh God, they're giving him a live mic? Crowd seemed into him when he got into the ring. Tyson said last time he was on Raw, it was quite an experience. The Titan Tron showed what happened all those years ago when Tyson was a guest of Vince McMahon's, and the aftermath. Small "you screwed Shawn" chant after that. Before Tyson could say much more, Sheamus interrupted. He came to the ring and said it was he who is now the baddest man on the planet and that Tyson is washed up. Tyson took a shot at Sheamus but missed and Sheamus told him he better connect next time. The two went nose-to-nose with Tyson selling anger quite well. Randy Orton's music interrupted and he was the next to come down. Orton said he wasn't interested in making a Sportscenter moment; instead, he wants to face Sheamus at the Royal Rumble. Orton said Tyson better make him number one contender soon. Then, John Cena's music came over the speakers and he came out. Cena said he was here because "the Packers are in the play....the Vikings are in the playoffs and the Packers are going home!" The Minneapolis crowd wasn't very kind to that slip. Cena noted how he has beaten both Sheamus and Orton, as well as Tyson. Cena was referencing Mike Tyson's Punchout video game. He implored Tyson to make him number one contender. Then Kofi Kingston came out. I smell a multi-man match!
Orton told Kofi he beat him last week so he shouldn't even be part of the discussion. Kingston agreed, but said that he hasn't ever had a WWE Title match, while the others have had countless opportunities. Kofi said he wouldn't take "no" for an answer. Sheamus asked for the Rumble off and told the others to go to the Rumble and earn a shot like everyone else. Tyson said he never ducked a fight in his life, so there is no comparing him and Sheamus. Tyson said if the three of them want a shot at Sheamus, they'll get a chance to earn it tonight as they'll be part of a Triple Threat Match tonight, with the winner facing Sheamus at the Royal Rumble. Tyson's music sounds like a rip-off of one of the Rock's many themes.
-The announcers noted that we'd find out what sort of retritubtion Mr. McMahon would have coming to him for what he did to Bret Hart last week.
[Commercial Break]
(1) Kelly Kelly vs. Alicia Fox-Divas Championship First Round Tournament Match Fox got a forearm after a break in the ropes. She worked the side headlock very early on. Does Kelly always wear sneakers or is it just more noticeable here? Kelly took Fox out to the outside and then landed a head-scissor take-down inside the ring. Hurricanrana attempt, but Fox turned it into a powerbomb for the win.
Winner: Fox, at 2:00. Fox takes on Gail Kim next week in the second round of the tournament. Match was not good.
-A triple-threat number WWE Championship one contender's match is still to come tonight.
[Commercial Break]
-They showed John Cena as Grand Marshall of the Fiesta Bowl last Monday.
(2) Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase vs. Mark Henry & Evan Bourne Rhodes got the mic before the match and said last year at the Royal Rumble, Legacy was three of the last four left in the Royal Rumble match. Rhodes said this time, it'll be different. Ted said that's right, it's his year. Crowd did the "what" chant throughout the entire thing. The two politely argued about who's better (with Cody sneaking in that his 5th grade graduation video is better than the original "Marine" movie, when Ted tried to talk about being a movie star). Michael Cole said all four of these men would be in the Royal Rumble match. What happened to MVP and Henry?
Hurricanrana and dropkick by Bourne at the outset, but DiBiase ended up dropkicking him off the apron and to the floor. Rhodes took advantage of a referee distraction to further injure Bourne. Dropkick by Rhodes after a tag that got a two-count. Bourne finally made the hot tag and Henry got the better of Legacy. Tag to Bourne, but DiBiase pulled Rhodes out of the way of Air Bourne. Henry got low-bridged and Rhodes connected with Cross-Rhodes to pick up the win.
Winners: Legacy, at 4:17. OK tag match.
-DX was backstage and Triple H was trying to talk HBK out of doing something related to Mike Tyson. Michaels said he made peace with Bret Hart last week and wants to do the same with Tyson this week. Hunter called Tyson "insane." Apparently, they're going with the story that Tyson knocked HBK out for four years (at least for tonight), and not the back injury (which they've referred to before). HBK walked away after saying he saw the new Tyson documentary and thinks Mike is a changed man.
[Commercial Break]
-Jerry Lawler thanked Fozzy for supplying the official Royal Rumble theme song, "Martyr No More."
-Michaels was backstage with Tyson. Michaels forgave him for knocking him out at Wrestlemania 14. Tyson said he didn't need Shawn's forgiveness, and doesn't regret doing it. In fact, he'd really like to do it again. Chris Jericho then walked up and told HBK to leave. Michaels reminded Jericho that he was kicked off Raw....twice. Jericho said he got Tyson's private number, and they bonded. He said Tyson and he came up with a deal: DX wrestles tonight and if DX loses, Jericho can go to any show he wants. And DX will be facing the team of Jericho and Tyson. I think we can see where this one is going already.
-Cole did some shadow boxing at ringside, so excited to see Tyson compete in a WWE ring. Lawler looked embarrassed for him. They sent it to clips of last week's Raw, where Bret Hart returned to Monday Night Raw.
-The announcers questioned whether there'd be retribution for the incident that took place between Vince and Bret, and also plugged the triple-threat match for this evening.
[Commercial Break]
-Jack Swagger was already in the ring. He interrupted an announcement Cole and Lawler were making at ringside, saying he'd win the Royal Rumble and go on to win the title at Wrestlemania. He said no one can throw him over the top rope, and he made an open challenge for someone to try. Santino Marella accepted the challenge. Some boos for Santino. Marella said he was about to come out and make a similar challenge. He said he'd drop Swagger like a bicycle with no kick-stand.
(3) Jack Swagger vs. Santino Marella- Over-the-Top-Rope Challenge Swagger almost literally beat Santino from pillar to post. He picked up the dead weight that was Santino, and tossed him over the top. But Marella held on and hip-tossed Swagger out with him, with Santino landing on the apron.
Winner: Marella, at :55. Pretty pointless, other than to establish Royal Rumble rules.
-They plugged Tyson & Jericho vs. DX.
-All three triple-threat participants were walking backstage in a split screen. That match is next.
[Commercial Break]
-The announcers again talked about the main event tag match.
(4) Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. John Cena- Triple-Threat Match to Determine #1 Contender for the WWE Championship at Royal Rumble Orton had to act like he'd been in a 15-minute match about five seconds in so Cena could pull him out of the corner, toward the middle of the ring and he and Kofi had a mis-communication about a double-suplex, making Orton have to sell it even longer. Orton tried to run away from both Cena and Kingston as Kingston fired away on Orton with rights. Kofi threw Orton out of the ring as the two babyfaces stared at each other to not much of a reaction. Sheamus came out to get a closer look at this point. Both Cena and Kingston turned their attention toward him, allowing Orton to sneak up from behind and take out Kingston and Cena. They went to break at this point.
[Commercial Break]
Orton had Kingston in a chin-lock in the ring, while Cena was recovering on the outside. Orton grabbed Cena and gave him the DDT with Cena's legs draped across the middle rope. Kingston flew off the top and onto Orton for two. The three men traded advantages with an array of their usual offense. Kingston went for the Boom drop, but Cena locked in the STF. Orton made the save, but Cena landed the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Not much of a reaction for Kofi setting up for the Boom drop. I continue to be amazed at the lack of reaction the past few weeks. Kofi gave the Trouble in Paradise to Cena, knocking him out of the ring in the process. Cody Rhodes came out and tossed Cena into the steps, then distracted the ref while DiBiase took out Kofi in the ring. Orton hit the RKO for the win.
Winner: Orton, at 11:14. Well, that could explain people not getting behind Kofi; WWE has really cooled on his push lately. Orton vs. Sheamus is an interesting direction.
-Josh Mathews was backstage with Mike Tyson. Before Tyson could answer Josh's question, Hornswoggle came up to Tyson and gave him a couple crotch chops. Oh no, Tyson is going to eat him! Tyson said if he saw Horny during his match, he'd tear out his intestines and jump rope with them, among other gruesome things. The zoom in-zoom out camera shots on Tyson are kinda strange.
-DX vs. Tyson and Jericho is still to come.
[Commercial Break]
-They showed clips of MVP winning the U.S. Title #1 Contender's Match last week.
-The Miz was backstage, outside the WWE Superstars Locker Room. He said when he first came to WWE, no one in the WWE Universe or in the locker room respected him. He said he was banned from the locker room for six months for eating chicken over a ref's bag and spilling something on it. Miz talked about seeing JBL every day and did his JBL impersonation of Layfield sarcastically complimenting Miz. Miz said he has his own locker room now and that locker room is for the Evan Bourne's and the MVP's. At this point, he made his way into the arena. He congratulated MVP for joining the long list of those who have been publicly humiliated by him. Miz said if it was up to him, MVP would still be in jail. Miz said he'd rather the people boo him for something he is rather than cheer him for something he's not. Miz said MVP walks around with all his bling: You can put diamonds on a dog, but it's still a mutt. Great mic work from Miz there. Probably his best ever. MVP came out.
MVP said he never hid from his past because he doesn't want others to make the same mistakes hem ade. He said he has worked hard to earn the respect of the WWE Universe, something Miz still hasn't done. MVP refuted Miz's point, saying he's no mutt. MVP took off his jacket and tie as fans chanted "MVP," while some chanted, "Miz is awesome." MVP said if they're talking about animals, he is a bengal tiger while Miz is a monkey flinging poo. Miz said he'd fling some at MVP's lips so he can taste what's coming out of his mouth. MVP said Miz thinks he's tame because he has become fan-friendly. MVP opened up about his past, saying he spent 9 1/2 years in the Florida prison system. He said he lived in a world that Miz has only seen on TV. He said Miz's Real World and his real world are worlds apart. MVP dared him to open the tiger's cage. The men went face-to-face, but Miz backed away first. MVP threw the mic at Miz's crotch, then exchanged blows with him. MVP hit a flying forearm, then a running boot that showed a bit of light. It sent Miz out of the ring. Really good segment for both guys, and good to see them get a sizeable amount of mic time. Really laid out the differences between the two.
-They showed clips of last year's WWE Hall-of-Fame ceremony, to hype up this year's. Cole and Lawler plugged the on-sale date.
-Tyson knocking out HBK from 1998 was shown. That punch looked like it connected pretty solidly. The announcers talked about the tag match as well as possible retribution that Vince will face for kicking Bret Hart in the gut last week.
[Commercial Break]
(5) Eve Torres vs. Katie Lea Burchill- Divas Championship First Round Tournament Match No entrance for Katie Lea, and Eve got half of one. Maryse was at ringside on commentary. Cole said Raw signed Katie Lea Burchill after she and her brother were kicked off ECW. Nice back-breaker by Katie Lea as I struggle to remember the last time Burchlil has seen significant ring time. After some non-descript offense from Eve, she rolled up Burchill for the win.
Winner: Torres, at 1:56. Eve takes on Maryse next week in the semi-finals of the tournament. The two ladies exchanged words as Eve exited the ringside area.
-They showed clips of Tyson's punching prowess throughout history. He teams with Jericho against DX tonight.
-Carlito was flirting with Gail Kim backstage when a stoic Vince McMahon walked by. He ambled emotionless down the hallway. I guess we'll hear from him next.
[Commercial Break]
-They showed the finish of the triple-threat match from earlier, then showed the graphic of Randy Orton vs. Sheamus for the Rumble.
-Mr. McMahon walked out, arms akimbo as usual. Vince put an end to the rumors that he hired extra security for the night, then played up "we want Bret" chants. McMahon said Bret wasn't there because he's intimidated. He said last week, he screwed Bret. Vince said he doesn't play nice, like Bret tried to do last week. McMahon said he got closure last week with Bret writhing in pain, humbled and humiliated by him. McMahon said Bret won't be at Raw this week or any other week, then said Bret would never, ever, be seen in WWE again. We all know what that means in wrestling storylines. McMahon had an evil half-smile on his face as he stood in the ring.
-Tyson was working out with Jericho backstage, showing that he still has that left-right combo working. Their match is next.
[Commercial Break]
-Next week's guest hosts: Actors Don Johnson and Jon Heder.
(6) Degeneration X vs. Chris Jericho & Mike Tyson Michaels turned Triple H's "are you ready?" into a question for the Undertaker: is Taker ready for a re-match? He said he wanted his answer next week. Tyson was billed as 250 lbs, for those interested. Tyson started things off with Michaels. Collar-and-elbow tie-up, and Tyson shoved HBK down! Another one and again Tyson shrugged him off. And a third time. Shoulder tackle by Tyson on a surprise attack try by Michaels. Then he tagged in Hunter. They went nose-to-nose and they broke a tie-up in the corner. Jericho got a blind tag after another tie-up backed Trips into the heel corner. Triple H went for an early Pedigree, but Jericho weasled his way out of it. Tag to Michaels, who got an atomic drop in. After a few roll-ups were traded, Jericho got rolled up (showing a lot of ass in the process) for two. Tyson tagged in, but Hornswoggle came to the ring. He was dressed as a boxer and Tyson tagged out. DX backed up Hornswoggle as Jericho jawed with them. Tyson stood behind Jericho, took off his shirt to reveal a DX tee. "Vintage Tyson!" shouted Cole as Tyson punched Jericho in the face. HBK made the pin for the win. Crotch chops all around!
Winners: DX, at 4:44. Not a big fan of all the selling DX had to do for Tyson, but whatever. Fine for a spectacle.
Tyson's son was invited into the ring by DX and all five of them did the crotch chops as the fireworks went off. They showed a replay of what happened. Don't know if the punch looked good or not, because they didn't show a good angle. Perhaps that answers the question. The faces posed in the ring as the show went off air.
Really interesting that they decided to go with the heel vs. heel match at the Rumble. Does Orton become the de facto face here, considering the fair number of face pops he's been getting?
Absolutely loved the dueling promos between Miz and MVP and it was the best mic work I've seen out of both guys. The dueling chants from the fans was also great stuff and went a long way towards making this the most heated segment in the show. This actually has me stoked for a Miz/MVP match. It's also got to be the first time I've heard JBL's name dropped in almost a year on WWE television.
Another sign that Shawn's lost his touch: The old Shawn would have celebrated in the ring with Tyson and then popped him in the mouth with the superkick to get revenge anyway. Oh well. Still a decent segment, but can we really keep going with the "Jericho's been kicked off Raw" angle if Jericho never really leaves?
- Was Tyson's theme song a version of the Godfather's old music, sans the Ho Train intro? Or it felt like semi-generic music I used to hear as an entrance theme on No Mercy for the N64. And speaking of Nintendo...
- John Cena giving a shout out to Glass Joe and Piston Honda! Nice!
- I don't get putting Orton vs. Sheamus at the Rumble either...that doesn't help the Champ's heel heat. I was sure it was going to be Kofi.
- Miz/MVP segment was the Highlight of the Night.
- There was a sign that simply said BENOIT during the main event, that was clearly visable when Tyson punched Jericho and in the replays. Also a sign with the old WWF scratch logo near it that popped up once. Weird.
- The weird cuts to Tyson backstage...did he pretape portions of his promos? Like he'd say a few sentences live, then the cut to a pretaped sentence with the close-up, then a wide shot to live again? That was the vibe I was getting.
"Unless you did something unspeakable with a cactus, 'Shaqtus' is not a real word." - Santino Marella
Originally posted by Spiraling_Shape- The weird cuts to Tyson backstage...did he pretape portions of his promos? Like he'd say a few sentences live, then the cut to a pretaped sentence with the close-up, then a wide shot to live again? That was the vibe I was getting.
I was trying to figure that out myself. They may have used the two cameras to cover some heroic editing, but if they did, it was truly heroic, because it looked seamless to me (and, you know, I used to be able to spot that stuff).
Just a dreadful ending... but it DID confirm to me that NOT spending money and leaving the house just to see it live was the right call. Even if there was an unbelievable Bryan Danielson dark match, I will definitely live.
What was up w/ Orton at the end of his match? Dude looked legit pissed at Kofi. I believe I even made out a "fuckin' STUPID!" after getting the pin, to go w/ all the other plain ol' "stupid!"'s.
Originally posted by Spaceman SpiffWhat was up w/ Orton at the end of his match? Dude looked legit pissed at Kofi. I believe I even made out a "fuckin' STUPID!" after getting the pin, to go w/ all the other plain ol' "stupid!"'s.
I didnt notice it the first time, but I went back & watched it again after reading your post. It looks like he gets legit pissed even before the RKO, almost as if the match was supposed to end another way and Orton was pissed that Kofi missed a cue or something? He almost looks like he's mad that it had to end with the RKO, like maybe something else was supposed to happen instead. Weird.
Ladies and gentlemen, the following public service message is brought to you by your friends from D-Generation X, who would like to remind each and every one of you that if you're not down with that, we've got two words for you... Sheamus vs. Orton 2010 = Angle vs. HHH 2001, with John Cena playing the role of Steve Austin.
I know Jericho's on record saying that he's secure with his position and that he doesn't really care how often he loses to HHH & Shawn... but can someone let him know that his FANS care? Oi.
smark/net attack Advisory System Status is: Elevated (Holds; June 18, 2006) While the switch from Cena to RVD should alleviate some complaints, the inevitability of the belt's return to Cena (note where Summerslam is this year) and the poor initial showing by the new ECW are enough to keep the indicator where it is for now. The pieces are in place, though, especially on RAW, for improvements to be made to the IWC's psyche in the near future.
Originally posted by geemoneyJericho said he got Tyson's private number, and they bonded. He said Tyson and he came up with a deal: DX wrestles tonight and if DX loses, Jericho can go to any show he wants. And DX will be facing the team of Jericho and Tyson. I think we can see where this one is going already.
Anyone who didn't immediately see the ending of this scenario a mile away, well I just feel sorry for you.
The Miz truly is awesome. It was really interesting how he gave people a brief glimpse at some of the junior high shit that goes on backstage.
(edited by Kevintripod on 12.1.10 0517) The best part of waking up is not Folgers in your cup, but knowing that Chuck Norris didn't kill you in your sleep.
During their next "attempt" at humor, please have HBK's back give out and HHH's quad tear again. Nothing life threatening, just something to keep them out of the ring for a long time.
The crowd was terrible all night. Every segment including the Miz/MVP got a boring chant. You know what is boring, Minnesota. I am curious about Orton/Sheamus, however it all but telegraphs Cena winning the Rumble. The DX skits have to end soon with Jericho, it has gotten tiresome. If any good news came out today is that Austin is going to guest host, the March 15th Raw.
How does that telegraph Cena winning the Rumble? He may well do, but only because it would allow him to choose to fight Batista. More likely that Hunter/Shawn wins the Rumble and targets Sheamus/UT.
Austin is hosting March 15th? Acouple weeks before WM? Odds are he's the one that he's the one that makes the Hart/McMahon match for WM. Just the thought of Austin, Hart and Vince in the ring together again makes me giddy.
Originally posted by JustinShapiroMiz and MVP, omg. That was so good that it felt out of place on Raw.
(edited by JustinShapiro on 12.1.10 0040)
Almost seems like someone was asleep at the wheel to allow Miz to cut that awesome, shoot style promo and then have a great, prolonged confrontation with MVP in the ring. Seems more like something we would see for a main event program than the US Title. So that was pleasantly surprising.
Thanks for coming Kofi, enjoy the MITB match, if they even let you in. I do admit his "Boom" crap is a little annoying.
Jericho, just go back to SD and be The Man. DX is just making you look like a fool, everyone knows it except you.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Like, apparently the plan for the three way finish. I thought something was off DiBiase because he took so long to turn up after Cody did his bit, but apparently Kofi was supposed to do something to cue Ted's interference and he never actually did it.
Orton could've been slightly more professional than yelling at Kofi before and after the pin, but he's Orton, this is what he does.
Originally posted by thecubsfanOrton could've been slightly more professional than yelling at Kofi before and after the pin, but he's Orton, this is what he does.
Which is hilarious when you realize how much better Kofi is than Orton was at Kofi's current level of experience/development.
Oh,and I absolutely LOVED the ref pushing KellyKelly's shoulder into the pinning position after the powerbomb. Lord, did I laugh at that, and then they showed in on the REPLAY! Has this happened before?