Posted on 11/04/125 by Philip Stamper
New Mexico hosts Raw for the first time tonight, according
to Joe Tessitore.
CM Punk kicks off Raw
There was a recap of CM Punk beating Jey Uso to win the
world title (including reaction shots of fans live-watching
the event at home).
Punk entered the arena with the World Heavyweight
Championship belt on his shoulder, and the camera followed
as he made his way through the stage. Punk posed with fans
as he walked down the long aisleway toward the ring, where
he soaked in the crowd reaction.
Punk started with: “Is it great to be champ on a Monday
night in the great state of New Mexico or what?!” Punk felt
good to be there as champ, and he had a long list of people
to thank for helping him get there. Fans chanted, “You
deserve it.”
The first person he wanted to thank was his smart, funny,
intelligent, tough, and mean when she wants to be wife, AJ
Lee. She stuck with him through the bad times so they could
stand together, chests puffed out, in the good times.
Second, he wanted to thank the fans. Some called them the
WWE Universe, but to him, they were CM Punk fans. He doesn’t
get there without them, and they should give themselves a
hand. They chanted for Punk.
The third person he wanted to thank was Jey Uso. Punk
thanked him for the hard fight and said Jey was truly ‘main
event.’ He wanted to remain friends, but he wouldn’t cry
about it if they couldn’t be. When he returned, he said he
didn’t come back to make friends, he came back to make money
and be champion—and now he was.
Punk didn’t know how much time he had left, and SummerSlam
taught him he had to hold on to the strap as tight as he
could. The good news was that there was no snake in the
grass like Seth Rollins with MITB waiting to cash in. Punk
then paused his promo to swing the belt around over his head
to mock Rollins’ usual celebration. Punk warned Rollins he
would put him back on the couch if he came after him.
Punk knew the crown meant there was a target on his back.
The locker room was filled with badass talent. He had to be
the best in the world to keep the title. He knew Bron
Breakker and Bronson Reed were coming for his gold.
Punk wanted to be a fighting champion, and there were a lot
of people he wanted to punch in the face, The Vision
included. He wanted to test himself against the best in the
business, including guys like AJ Styles. Unlike Styles,
Dominik Mysterio didn’t deserve a shot, but Punk would still
love to punch him in the face.
Punk put over JD McDonagh (who he called an exceptional pro
wrestler) and Finn Bálor, and said he’d love to have a
banger with Sheamus. He also would love to face John Cena
one more time. Punk ended with, “The champ is here.”
Logan Paul interrupted. Punk interrupted his entrance
because he didn’t want to hear from Paul. Punk suggested he
go back to SmackDown and answer Ilja Dragunov’s open
challenge.
Paul said he was a Ferrari, while Punk was a used Honda
Civic with 250,000 miles on it. Paul has already faced the
best, and beat Styles at WrestleMania.
Paul Heyman and the Vision interrupted. Heyman called Logan
a bitch who should go to the back of the line, because the
front of the line belonged to Reed and Breakker. Heyman
warned the men in the ring and told them to leave, but they
didn’t budge. Logan said he got to the ring first and should
get the title shot.
Breakker said Heyman bought everyone two weeks to live (by
keeping them out of the battle royal). They had to sit in
the back for two weeks after they dropped Rollins in the
dirt. Breakker said Punk’s had his moment, but he wasn’t
waiting anymore. Breakker warned them to get out of his ring
before he whipped them like a dog.
Punk knew a fight was coming, so he told Paul to fight with
him or get out of the ring. Paul was about to leave, but
Breakker shoved him on his ass.
The Brons swarmed Punk and beat him down. Paul decided to
help, but they beat him up too, and Reed laid him out with a
Tsunami. That allowed Punk enough time to recover, so he
attacked the Brons with a chair, and they bailed.
(The show was 26 minutes old by the time this ended.)
********
Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer & Nikki Bella vs.
Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez
Judgment Day got the heat over Bella using a distraction
during a break. Perez crunched Bella with a springboard
moonsault, but Bella fought off Rodriguez moments later and
hit a tornado DDT before making a hot tag to Vaquer.
Vaquer ran wild on Rodriguez, but couldn’t hit SVB because
Rodriguez was too big. Vaquer hit a flying crossbody instead
for two. Vaquer gave Perez the Devil’s Kiss to the delight
of the crowd. Bella tagged in and hit Perez with “Rack
Attack 2.0,” but Rodriguez broke up the cover (barely).
Vaquer sent Rodriguez over the top and tried Devil’s Kiss on
the apron, but Rodriguez blocked it and slammed her face-
first on the apron.
Bella tried a cradle, but Perez shoved her into the ropes.
Rodriguez gave her a cheap shot (with the referee’s back
turned), and Perez followed with Pop Rox for the pinfall
win.
That’s two straight pinfall wins over Nikki Bella for
Roxanne Perez.
Match result: Roxanne Perez & Raquel Rodriguez defeated
Nikki Bella & Women’s World Champion Stephanie Vaquer
(12:47)
********
They aired John Cena’s announcement regarding the tournament
to determine his final opponent. Adam Pearce was backstage
with a tumbler of balls, drawing names for the tournament.
That’s one way to determine the final opponent for one of
the company’s all-time greats.
Jey Uso approached Punk backstage. Punk wondered if he was
talking to Jey Uso or little Roman. Jey said he was talking
to Main Event Jey Uso. Jey warned Punk they wouldn’t stop
coming after him as long as he was champion and offered to
help him against The Vision tonight. Punk gladly accepted.
(It seems like Jey is getting his usual babyface reaction so
far. If anyone is booing, it’s hard to hear because people
are also Yeeting.)
********
Penta vs. El Grande Americano (w/ Bravo & Rayo Americano)
Penta went for a Canadian Destroyer on the apron, but El
Grande blocked it and dropkicked him off the apron. El
Grande tied Penta’s mask to the bottom rope during a break,
which always seems to happen to Penta (and always during the
break).
Penta made his comeback as soon as they returned from break,
but El Grande cut him off with a Finlay Roll. Penta came
back with kicks, a tornado DDT, and a big flip dive. (The
crowd chanted, “Holy sh-t” at the big dive.)
Bravo tried to interfere, so the referee tossed him from
ringside. As she argued with Bravo, Rayo gave El Grande the
metal plate to put in his mask. Penta avoided the loaded
headbutt and went to the top. Rayo tried to interfere, so
the ref tossed him too.
Penta decided to give Rayo a dive before he could leave. El
Grande went for a running headbutt, but Penta superkicked
him. (It was a silly but amusing visual because of how far
away Penta was from actually getting headbutted.)
Penta followed with a Canadian Destroyer for the pinfall
win.
— Rayo and Bravo tried to attack Penta, but he escaped.
Match result: Penta defeated El Grande Americano (10:26)
********
There was a pre-taped interview by Asuka and Kairi Sane.
They issued a warning to Bayey and Lyra Valkyria. Asuka said
her kindness would not last forever, and they were coming
for the tag titles.
Rusev had an interview during a break. He complained about
losing to Dom and Penta before stating he wanted to win the
tournament and face John Cena.
********
Dominik Mysterio segment, Rey Mysterio returns
Dom called himself the king of the luchadors. He proved he
was the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all time and
the greatest AAA Mega Champion of all time.
Rey Mysterio interrupted to a big reaction and “Holy sh-t,”
chants. The announcers discussed rumours that Rey had been
cleared. Rey said Dom crossed the line when he called
himself king of the luchadors. (Some fans chanted, “Dirty
Dom,” so others booed the chant because Rey was standing
right there.)
Rey mentioned all-time greats El Santo, Blue Demon, and
Eddie Guerrero. Dom responded, “You keep my father’s name
out of your mouth,” which also got a huge pop. Dom said he
was better than all of those men, including Guerrero. Dom
said he was also better than Rey.
Rey said Dom could disrespect him if he wanted to, but he
wouldn’t let Dom disrespect lucha libre. The crowd chanted,
“Whoop his ass.”
Dom said he made the Mysterio name relevant. Dom has already
surpassed everything Rey has ever done and threatened to
kick his ass unless he got out of the ring.
Rey agreed to leave the ring but wanted Dom to understand
three things: As long as Rey was around, Dom would never be
king of the luchadors; this would never be Dom’s ring; and
Dom would never be the greatest Mysterio.
Dom tried a cheap shot, but Rey saw it coming and hit him
with a 619. Rey went up for a splash, but Dom bailed.
This was a fun segment, and the crowd was hot for it.
********
Bayley and Valkyria met backstage. They weren’t exactly on
the same page, but Bayley convinced Valkyria that everything
was good between them. They did their special handshake, but
Valkyria didn’t know what to make of this.
Becky Lynch segment
As the announcers were talking, Becky Lynch suddenly
appeared, and she climbed on the announce table. She said
she has been going through a lot. Her hot husband was laid
up at home. The Vision ruined everything. A crooked referee
seems hellbent on holding her down, and Pearce sent her
(Lynch) home to cool down—even though she was the definition
of cool.
Lynch told the crowd that the only thing cool to come out of
New Mexico was a TV show about how much meth they did.
Maxxine Dupri wasn’t cool either. Dupri was lucky to survive
a match against her, but now she wouldn’t shut up about it
because the idiot fans made her feel like she belonged. (I
think a young fan yelled, “We’re not idiots!”)
Lynch called herself the greatest of all time. A match
against her was not a test Dupri could cram for. Dupri would
make one wrong move in their next match, and it would be her
last.
As Lynch marched to the back, she came face-to-face with
Asuka as she entered with Sane for their match.
********
Asuka & Kairi Sane vs. Bayley & Lyra Valkyria
Asuka and Sane had the heat on Valkyria until she gave Sane
a gut-wrench powerbomb. Bayley tagged in and ran wild on
Asuka, hitting a diving elbow drop to the back of her neck
for two. Sane cut off Bayley after making a blind tag, but
Bayley responded with a Bayley-to-belly for two.
Bayley gave Sane a sunset flip powerbomb into the
turnbuckle, and Valkyria followed with a diving leg drop for
a nearfall. (Sane barely kicked out before three.) Sane gave
Valkyria a double footstomp (as Valkyria held herself up
using the ropes), but Bayley broke up the cover.
Valkyria and Bayley hit Sane with a backbreaker/elbow drop
combo, but Asuka broke up the cover. Bayley broke up a
double-team attempt by Asuka and Sane, so Asuka shoved
Valkyria into Bayley, knocking her off the apron.
Valkyria tried a move off the ropes, but Asuka caught her in
the Asuka Lock, and Valkyria tapped out.
— Asuka and Sane cornered Valkyria after the match, but
Alexa Bliss and Charlotte Flair ran out (to Bliss’ music) to
chase them away. Asuka and Sane were all smiles as Bliss and
Charlotte posed with their title belts.
Match result: Asuka & Kairi Sane defeated Lyra Valkyria &
Bayley (13:28)
********
Perez and Rodriguez entered the Judgment Day locker room
with some good news: Rodriguez was getting a world title
shot against Vaquer. Bálor and McDonagh were happy to hear
it.
Dom barged in, upset about what happened with Rey earlier.
Dom wondered why they didn’t help him. Bálor said they
weren’t invited to his little celebration. Bálor told Dom
that he and McDonagh were about to win back the tag titles.
After they left, Perez talked Dom into being at ringside for
their match.
World Tag Team Championship match: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee
(c) vs. Finn Bálor & JD McDonagh
Judgment Day got the heat right away by attacking the champs
as soon as the bell rang. Dragon Lee gave Bálor a sit-out
powerbomb and tagged in Styles, who laid out both guys with
a slingshot dive.
A double-down spot led to Dom sauntering out during a break,
holding a shillelagh. Styles gave McDonagh a Pelé kick as
they returned from break. Dragon Lee tagged in and went on
offence until Bálor cut him off with a slingblade and
running dropkick. Dragon avoided the Coup de Grace and
applied a cradle for two.
Styles took a swipe at Dom, so Dom jumped on the apron to
distract the referee. McDonagh held down Styles while Bálor
went for a Coup de Grace, but Styles moved and Bálor hit
McDonagh with the stomp by mistake. Styles hit McDonagh with
a Phenomenal forearm, but Bálor broke up the cover.
Bálor told Dom to hit Styles with the IC title belt. Dom was
about to do it, but the referee saw him. Sheamus showed up
and attacked Dom. The ref was distracted again, this time
arguing with Sheamus, so Bálor hit Styles with the
shillelagh. McDonagh crawled into a cover, but Dragon Lee
broke it up.
Dragon Lee wiped out Bálor with a dive, and Styles gave
McDonagh a Styles Clash for the pinfall win.
Match result: AJ Styles & Dragon Lee defeated JD McDonagh &
Finn Bálor to retain the World Tag Team Championships
(10:30)
*********
Bella apologized to Vaquer for tonight’s loss, and as a
result, Vaquer having to defend her title against Rodriguez.
Vaquer told her not to worry about it. Bella was doubting
herself because she wasn’t sure she could hang with the rest
of them anymore. Vaquer told Bella to be herself because she
was one of the greats who paved the way for this division.
That meant a lot to Bella, who wished her luck next week.
********
Heyman met with Jey in his locker room. Heyman wondered why
Jey would team with Punk, who prevented him from becoming
champion. Jey appreciated that Punk faced him man-to-man
with no tricks. Heyman was about to mention Roman Reigns,
but Jey said he didn’t care what Reigns, Jimmy Uso, or
anyone else thought about him.
Heyman warned him that the leash was off with the Brons
after he asked them to stay out of it two weeks ago. The
Vision would go after anyone who didn’t conform. However,
that didn’t apply to Jey because Jey had a vision of his
own. Heyman wished him luck.
********
John Cena tournament bracket announcement (part one)
Pearce announced the first two matches in the first round of
The Last is Now tournament to determine John Cena’s final
opponent (chosen by “random” draw):
Rusev vs. Damian Priest
Shinsuke Nakamura vs. Sheamus
Both matches will happen on Raw next week, and Cena will be
in attendance. Nick Aldis will announce two more matches on
SmackDown.
Also on Raw next week:
Stephanie Vaquer (c) vs. Raquel Rodriguez for the Women’s
World Championship
Charlotte Flair & Alexa Bliss (c) vs. Asuka & Kairi Sane for
the Women’s Tag Team Championships
********
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso vs. Bron
Breakker & Bronson Reed (w/ Paul Heyman)
During a break, Punk hit a clothesline off the ropes, but
Breakker went down awkwardly. Breakker likely missed the
planned spot because Punk shook his head when Bron went
down. Punk said something to the ref, and they went back to
the spot. Bron countered Punk’s Irish whip, so Punk booted
Bron. As the ref checked on Bron, Reed decked Punk to get
the heat.
The Brons worked over Punk as fans chanted for Jey Uso. The
Brons gave Punk a Shatter Machine, but Jey broke up the
cover. Jey (who was over as a babyface) got the hot tag and
he hit Reed with strikes, enziguris, a running hip attack
and a spear, but Breakker broke up the cover. Punk wiped out
Breakker with a dive, and Jey hit Reed with a suicide dive.
The four men awkwardly brawled outside the ring as the
referee counted to ten for a double count-out. The crowd
booed.
— The babyfaces were getting the better of the brawl until
Breakker speared Jey. Reed knocked down Punk, and Breakker
sent him over the barricade. Reed held up Jey in the ring so
Breakker could hit another spear, and Reed followed with a
Tsunami.
Punk chased the Brons from the ring with a chair, but the
Brons grabbed chairs of their own.
Punk stood tall against the Brons as Logan Paul ran out to
seemingly even the odds with brass knuckles in hand, but he
turned around and knocked out Punk. Heyman held back the
Brons from going after Paul, who handed the knux to Heyman
as the crowd chanted, “F—k you, Logan.”
Match result: World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk & Jey Uso
vs. Bron Breakker & Bronson Reed ended in a double count-out
(10:17)
I think this match is an example of why the company isn’t
quite ready to put a world title on Bron Breakker. I don’t
agree with it necessarily, but the missed spot with Punk and
a few other awkward moments during the match and post-match
are hard to ignore. More experience (house shows) would’ve
helped him work that out by now, so we’ll have to wait a
little longer, as Logan Paul is up next for Punk.
Paul was an early title challenger for both Jey Uso and Cody
Rhodes during their reigns, so he’ll slide in again and be
an easy (and obvious) first successful title defence for
Punk whenever it happens.