The Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission approved the WWE Network application from Rogers this past week that will enable the broadcaster to sell the Network to other cable companies in the country.
As of now, the WWE Network in Canada is only available to Rogers subscribers and is not accessible through over-the-top devices like the rest of the world. Rogers signed a 10 year deal for the Network in Canada.
The application called for the addition of the Network to the list of non-Canadian programming services authorized for distribution. In the application, Rogers confirmed that the Network service would broadcast the same content as that broadcast by the WWE Network in the United States and that the service would complement its other offerings.
Without the CRTC adding the WWE Network to the non-Canadian programming services list, Rodgers would have been unable to negotiate with other cable providers to make the Network available throughout the whole of Canada.
The Nikki Bella promo from Smackdown was heavily edited from the original one that she cut on Tuesday during the tapings.
Nikki, the new Divas champion, cut a promo on the former champ AJ Lee which was well received from the crowd despite playing the heel. Nikki talked about AJ’s “sob stories” and how she has worked harder than her without going to tell the world what she had done to get where she is today.
“Looks like this #fearless diva is too hot for #SmackDown & #WWE,” wrote Nikki on her Twitter after the edited promo made it on the air.
Her boyfriend John Cena wrote that he is proud of Nikki for speaking from the heart despite WWE not airing the entire promo.
TNA announced today that their upcoming Maximum Impact tour in the United Kingdom will all be Impact television tapings.
With a television deal now in place, TNA can tape television shows weeks ahead of their airing just like they did with Spike and with a healthy crowd expected in the UK it makes sense to turn those non-televised shows into TV ones.
The tapings will be on Thursday, January 29 at The SSE Hydro in Glasgow, Scotland, on Friday, January 30, at the Phones 4u Arena in Manchester, England, and on Saturday, January 31 at the London SSE Arena at Wembley in London, England.
In a further announcement, the six finalists of popular Challenge TV series TNA Wrestling: British Boot Camp 2 will all star on the TNA January 2015 UK Tour and as a special thank you to the UK fans, the six Boot Camp finalists will hold a free meet & greet at each event, signing autographs from when doors open until the start of the show.
The live Steve Austin podcast tomorrow with Vince McMahon on the WWE Network is scheduled to go an hour immediately right after Monday Night Raw according to the online schedule of the Network website.
This special edition of The Steve Austin Show: Unleashed, will be the first on the Network after the company plugged Austin’s podcast a couple of times during Raw over the past couple of weeks. The podcast will take place at the BOK Center in Tulsa, Oklahoma.
Austin does not technically work for WWE and has nothing to lose anymore so who knows maybe he will touch the CM Punk interview from earlier in the week.
Today is the last day of the #FreeFreeFree WWE Network promotion for the month of November.
Starting tomorrow, those who do not cancel their subscription online will be charged $9.99 for the month of December so if you do not plan on keeping the service you better cancel before 11:59PM tonight.
Those who did not take part in the promotion can still sign up today for one day and see the Survivor Series for free but again, your subscription will run out at the end of the day.
It will be interesting to see when WWE releases their next quarter earnings how many fans signed up for the free month and how many did not keep the service once the offer expired.
Unsurprisingly, the CM Punk interview on Colt Cabana’s Art of Wrestling podcast was the talk of the town among WWE Superstars and staff members.
Several industry insiders say that while the talent were happy with what was said, management was not pleased about it and it could have been avoided if a non-disparaging agreement was reached with Punk. According to other reports, Triple H was absolutely livid about the interview.
Punk was not legally bind to keep his mouth shut over what happened and the only thing he couldn’t discuss was the terms of the settlement. As he discussed, thanks to a powerful attorney, he was able to get everything he wanted and more, and blew the company off when they asked for a non-disparaging agreement like they signed with Alberto Del Rio.
The talent were mostly happy because Punk outed WWE’s management disasters when it comes to booking and how they treat their own when they are injured. They are topics that while all of them are aware of, none of them would be wise to go and complain about them.
There seems to be one notable change to Impact Wrestling when the first-run shows return to its new home, Destination America.
Mike Tenay, the long time TNA commentator, will be giving up his spot for the younger Josh Mathews, the former WWE broadcaster who was surprisingly let go earlier this year.
Mathews spent 12 years in the WWE and did several commentary work for WWE including Raw, Smackdown, and NXT. He was then moved to host the Raw and pay-per-view pre-shows on the WWE Network before getting axed in June of this year.
Mathews signed a TNA deal as soon as his no-compete clause with WWE expired. He moved to Nashville to work at the TNA headquarters and is currently in charge on redeveloping the new TNA website.
In the interview with Colt Cabana, CM Punk ripped on WWE for their lack of care for those who are injured and how everyone is rushed to get back in the ring, specifically mentioning Dr. Amann, WWE’s ringside physician.
Punk first mentioned the Rumble concussion story, where he was told he passed his concussion test but they made him run the ropes like a rookie to test him. He told them that if he passed the test why should he run the ropes, mentioning that their concussion test is a joke.
He then talked about having a lump in his back which everyone at WWE dismissed until he got it checked out by a doctor and it ended up being a staph infection which could have killed him anytime.
Then came the elbow surgery, where he was “cleared” after just a few weeks. He showed up at TV to cut promos but was told by Michael Hayes that he was good to go. Punk mentioned that he still had to fly to Birmingham to visit Dr. Andrews who performed the surgery and to see when he will get cleared. Michael Hayes, who told him he’s cleared, said that he talked to Dr. Amann and Amann called Dr. Andrews and got him cleared through the phone. Punk ended up not wrestling anyway and told Hayes that he doesn’t care and won’t get in the ring until he flies to Birmingham himself.
Following all the allegations, WWE issued a statement to Yahoo! Sports which carried a story on the front page about Punk’s comments.
“WWE takes the health and wellness of its talent very seriously and has a comprehensive Talent Wellness Program that is led by one of the most well-respected physicians in the country, Dr. Joseph Maroon,” said the statement.
Following the explosive CM Punk interview, Ryback hit back at Punk on Twitter for calling him a “steroid guy.” In the interview, Punk described the feud with Ryback as something that took 20 years off his life and repeatedly called him that “steroid guy.”
“For the record if I quit for being fragile and insecure I would make up excuses too. Things didn’t go my way for a long time and I kept going day in and out,” Ryback said. “Slander is a powerful thing and to state complete made up nonsense for no reason shows his insecurities.”
The Big Guy also added that he continues to bust his ass studying matches any chance he gets and cuts promos when he’s driving even when he’s hurt to better himself.
In a funny tweet sent earlier yesterday, he wrote, “Happy Thanksgiving Everyone. The Big Guy has plenty to be thankful for,” and added a photo of 8 of his action figures surrounding an action figure of CM Punk which is laying on a broken table with dumbbells on him.
Punk also made fun of Ryback when recounting a story when he came back from eye laser surgery and was attacked by Nexus, telling the guys before not to touch his eyes. Obviously, someone poked him in the eye and Punk along with Luke Gallows decided to shoot back on the Nexus members as payback with Punk imitating Ryback’s voice when Ryback – who this time he called him by his real name Ryan Reeves – told them that they were supposed to go over in the battle and not take a beating.
Several movie websites are reporting that Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson is being considered for the leading role in the fifth instalment of Transformers, replacing Mark Wahlberg.
The story making rounds is that Johnson, along with Bruce Willis, will be brought over for a crossover story with G.I. Joe as both franchises are owned by Paramount Pictures.
Transformers 5 is set to be released in 2017 with a new director set to take over from Michael Bay who helmed the first four Transformers movies.
The Transformers franchise is one of the best selling in Hollywood.
Former WWE champion CM Punk discussed why he left WWE back in January of this year during a discussion with Colt Cabana on his podcast.
Punk said that he was not feeling good health-wise, dating back to the November European tour where he was wrestling being sick. He suffered a concussion at the Royal Rumble and WWE did a concussion test and they told him he passed even though Punk was not feeling good.
The next night on Raw is when all hell broke lose and that was the day he packed his bags and left, telling Triple H to “f*ck off” and getting a hug from Vince McMahon before walking out.
Punk said WWE pretty much fired him, first suspended him for 2 months after he quit and then received termination papers in June for breach of contract.
In the long interview, Punk also says that he now despises professional wrestling and doesn’t want anything to do with anymore. He and WWE reached a settlement where he got what he wanted and there is no working relationship between himself and the company and there will never be.
The interview covers a lot of topics, such as injuries, royalty checks, wrestling with Ryback, The Shield, Batista, The Rock, and much much more. You can listen to it below.
There will be no more immigration problems for Bad News Barrett as the former Intercontinental champion revealed on his Twitter that he finally got a U.S. green card which gives him a permanent resident status of an immigrant in the United States.
“Hey @BarackObama, thanks for the Green Card. You’re the man!” the Brit wrote, adding the emoticons of an American flag, a football, fist bump, and a thumbs up.
Barrett had issues for a couple of months at the end of last year due to work visa issues which prevented him from entering the United States and working there. He was kept off WWE television until all his paperwork was sorted out.
Getting a green card solves all the problems as he does not need to renew his visa anymore and can work anytime in the country.
2K today announced new content for the popular WWE SuperCard collectible card game for mobile devices. The update is available now for download on iOS and Android devices.
WWE SuperCard adds more than 60 new cards, 24 new in-ring animations and a new “Survivor” rarity level, boosting the game’s extensive array of collectible content to offer additional replay value. WWE SuperCard also increases card limits and improves reward drops, enabling fans to quickly climb the ranks as they take their ultimate WWE SuperCard roster to new heights.
The game has more than four million downloads since the game’s launch on August 14, 2014 and an average rating of 4.5/5 stars on the App Store for iOS devices, as well as 4/5 stars on Google Play.
TNA Wrestling issued a press release today announcing the final four episodes of Impact on Spike.
All four episodes will be ‘Best Of’ shows, highlighting the best of the year 2014 and the greatest moments in TNA history, including matches and footage seen for the first time on Spike.
On December 3 and 10, Impact will be showcasing the best of 2014 while the December 17 and 24 episodes will be a countdown to the all-time best TNA moment.
“For the past 9 years, TNA and Spike have partnered to deliver the best professional wrestling in the world to our fans week in and week out. Before the move to our new home on Destination America in January, we wanted the final four episodes on Spike to celebrate the best moments for this incredible year of IMPACT and the greatest moments in TNA’s history,” said TNA President Dixie Carter.
“I will always have a special place in my heart for Kevin Kay, Scott Fishman and the incredible team at Spike. Together we did amazing things and I wish them nothing but the best in their endeavor.”
The post-Survivor Series Raw got the attention of a lot of interested fans as it did 4,249,000 viewers in total, up almost half a million viewers from the previous week.
Sting’s debut and the removal of The Authority from power can be pretty much attributed to the audience jump, which was the best one since the August 11 show.
Hour one drew a huge 4,734,000 number, followed by an even bigger drop of three quarter of a million viewers in the second hour for 3,992,000 viewers, and then slightly up to 4,012,000 in the third and final hour.
(Ratings credit: PWinsider.com)
TNA today announced the first television tapings for the new Impact Wrestling on Destination America, which will take place in New York City.
The company will tape for three straight nights starting on January 7 from the Manhattan Center with tickets going on sale on Friday, December 5, at Ticketmaster.com. Tickets will start at $20 each.
“With the explosive sold-out crowds in New York City this past summer, returning to the Manhattan Center for three huge events as IMPACT WRESTLING debuts on Destination America was an easy decision,” said Dixie Carter.
After Monday Night Raw went off the air, John Cena and Dolph Ziggler continued to beat up on Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble as Daniel Bryan stood in the corner watching the show.
The 10-plus minute after show ended on a big high, as Ziggler, Cena, Bryan, and referee Mike Chioda contemplated what to do to end the show. Cena invited Michael Cole in the ring as the crowd booed when Cena told them he’s the man everyone want to see. Cena then asked the crowd if they want Cole getting kicked in the face, a question which got a big pop from the crowd.
“Zig-man, do the honors,” Cena said, as Dolph Ziggler super kicked Cole in the middle of the ring. Cena then helped Cole up, raised his hand, and thanked the crowd for coming.
Once again, the WWE as we know it may have changed again! Following Survivor Series, I have not read anything about the pay-per-view, as I want to be/am truly intrigued by the results of the show, particularly the main-event. So, why wait! Read on to find out what WWE looks like tonight!
Monday Night Raw TV Report for November 24th, 2014 – “Authority Revoked”
Introduction Segment: Video Promo
A black-and-white montage, mixed with images and real-footage of Sting at Survivor Series is aired.
Segment #2: Arena Promo
The Authority – Triple H and Stephanie McMahon – walk out. It is revealed they are no longer “The Authority”, as last night at Survivor Series, they were defeated by Team Cena. Stephanie puts the blame of their loss on Sting, then starts to sob as she is out of power. The fans are ecstatic, so Triple H berates them for being “bullies.” He also threatens us to “be careful what we wish for,” as he thinks that no one else can be as powerful as them. He questions Sting’s motives, then predicts what will happen when they’re not around. “The Game” swears that we will “beg them to come back.”
Before they can “graciously” exit, a certain man who The Authority ran roughshod over for a long while returns – Daniel Bryan! His music plays to a loud pop and he jumps out with his “yes” taunt, along with the entire arena doing the same. He gets in the face of both Triple H and Stephanie, and follows them up the ramp as they leave.
Commercials.
Segment #3: Arena Promo
Daniel is still in the ring, announcing that he has been chosen by John Cena to manage Raw tonight, so he asks the rest of Team Authority to come out. Seth Rollins, Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper, United States Champion Rusev (with Lana), Mark Henry, Kane, Joey Mercury, and Jamie Noble stand on the stage. Bryan gives them all matches and jobs: Rollins with Tag-Team partners of the fans’ choosing between Kane/Henry, Harper/Henry, or Noble/Mercury, taking on John Cena and Dolph Ziggler; Rusev has to either defend his United States Title in a Battle Royal against the locker room, or say the Pledge Of Allegiance; Kane will be stripped of his “Director of Operations” gig, and instead pick up a job at the concession stands; Luke Harper will defend his newly-won Intercontinental Championship against Dean Ambrose; and Mark Henry will face the man he beat at WrestleMania XXVIX, Ryback! That first contest is up next! Ryback charges down the ramp, running Henry into the post face-first, then ramming his head repeatedly against the barricade. Referees separate the two, as the upcoming match is in question.
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Match #1: Single – “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry VS. Ryback
Ryback completely dominates this bout, getting the quick victory after the Meathook clothesline!
Winner via Pinfall: Ryback
Segment #4: Backstage Promo
Triple H and Stephanie walk into The Boss, Mr. McMahon. They apologize to him, but Vince doesn’t accept it; instead he says he is “disappointed.”
Commercials.
Match #2: Single for the Intercontinental Championship – “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose (Challenger) VS. Luke Harper (Champion)
(Note: It is announced that we have our first match for Tables, Ladders, and Chairs on Sunday, December 14th, as Dean Ambrose will take on Bray Wyatt in a T.L.C. Match)
Harper shoves Ambrose into the corner right away, but Dean comes back with quick punches. Luke turns it around again, but Dean slides under and trips up the I.C. Champ. He works over Harper’s arm with a lock until Luke gets out of it by twisting Ambrose’s nose. Dean hits back, sending Harper to the floor then following up with a springboard plancha!
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Harper now in control, wearing Ambrose down with a grounding rear chinlock. He also clamps on the Gator Roll front-facelock, and hurls Ambrose into the barricade. Dean makes a comeback, rolling up Harper for two, then nailing him with a clothesline for another near-fall! He ties Harper up in the ropes, slaps him a few times, then runs at him with a front-dropkick! Dean dives off the middle rope with a legdrop, but only gets two! Harper tries a powerbomb but Ambrose hops out of it and gets a near-fall with a backslide! In the corner, Dean blocks a top-rope suplex with headbutts, and rockets off with an elbow while Luke was still standing! Another two count by both men, with the action going back-and forth! Harper decides to leave with his I.C. Title in tow. Ambrose cuts him off with a suicide dive, then drags him back in the ring. He sets up for the Dirty Deeds DDT, but Harper pushes Ambrose into the referee, causing the contest to stop.
Winner: No Contest due to Referee Stoppage
Post-match, Ambrose pulls a chair from under the ring and plants Luke with the Dirty Deeds DDT on it. He then goes and gets a ladder, but before he can use it, Bray Wyatt jumps him from behind and drives him to the floor with Sister Abigail. Bray then throws Ambrose over the announcer’s table, and places a bunch of chairs on top of him. Wyatt kneels in his familiar pose on the table.
Commercials.
Segment# 5: Video Promo
It’s another “New Day,” this time with Big E!
Segment #6: Arena Promo
Lillian Garcia welcomes the stars of the movie, Jingle All The Way, Larry The Cable Guy and Santino Marella. Unfortunately, their promo was pointless until Goldust and Stardust came out, scaring off Larry, thankfully!
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Match #3: Tag-Team for the Tag-Team Championship – Goldust and Stardust (Challengers) VS. The Miz and Damien Mizdow (Champions)
Miz does the brunt work for the first bit, while Damien mocks getting hurt just the same as Miz. Starduust knocks Mizdow off the apron and sends Miz soaring over to the floor as well for a break!
Commercials.
Miz and Stardust continue to battle it out, then Miz is hit hard and tags out, rolling to the floor and having a doctor check on him. Damien and Stardust grapple, with Stardust, then Goldust is tagged in and works over Mizdow with an armbar. Mizdow counters a boot, but is planted with a spinebuster for two! Stardust back in and continues to punish the arm of Damien. Mizdow manages to push Goldust off the apron, then chop-block and wrap up Stardust in the Figure-4. Goldust kicks Damien off, but Mizdow fights back. He tries a Skull-Krushing Finale on Stardust, but Stardust rolls through. Miz tags in while Stardust Mizdow with The Disaster Kick. Miz drives Stardust to the mat with the Skull-Krushing Finale for the 1 – 2 – 3!
Winners via Pinfall and STILL Tag-Team Champions: The Miz and Damien Mizdow
Both Tag-Team Champs celebrate, however Mizdow gets the cheers as he holds up his titles.
Commercials.
Segment #7: Backstage Promo
“Concessions” Kane is being told what to do by his new boss, the Concessions Station manager. She orders him to stay away from the deep fryer, because he likes to “burn” things and not to steal any chips, just sell them!
Segment #8: Arena Promo
United States Champion Rusev and “The Ravishing Russian” Lana are out. Lana rants that it isn’t fair what Daniel Bryan is making them do, so they try to leave. Bryan appears on the Titantron and reminds them of their options, either recite The Pledge Of Allegiance, or face the entire locker room in a Battle Royal for Rusev’s U.S. Title. He also decides to bring out an “enforcer” to make sure they do this properly, Hall-Of-Famer and former WWE Champion Sergeant Slaughter!
“The Sarge” walks out and intimidates them into beginning, but they cannot utter the phrase “United States Of America.” Rusev pushes Lana’s mike away and starts to get in the face of Slaughter, when Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter run down. Rusev starts to stomp away, but Swagger stands up and slams him down, then clamps on the Patriot Ankle Lock.
Zeb, Swagger, and “Sarge” pose in the ring while Rusev and Lana begrudgingly walk away.
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Segment #8: Backstage Promo
Kane is dolling out food to customers when Larry The Cable Guy and Santino Marella walk up. Santino orders a hotdog with extra mustard, so Kane dumps a load of it, right onto Marella! He hands a clean hotdog to Larry, telling him he’s a “big fan.”
Match #4: Single – Justin Gabriel VS. Fandango (with Rosa Mendes)
The new-and-improved Fandango (dressed in all black, with Rosa donned in black and red) is aggressive from the get-go, taking over this bout and finishing Justin off with the flying legdrop from the top rope!
The Big Show will be out next to explain his actions from Survivor Series.
Commercials.
A match for Main-Event on Tuesday is made, which will be Dean Ambrose VS. Kane.
Segment #9: Arena Promo
The Big Show walks out, addressing the fans on his reasons for punching John Cena at Survivor Series. Show states that he does despise The Authority, however, he had to do it so he could continue to keep his family in good standing. Big says he looked around at the odds in the match, and sided with The Authority because they were stronger at the time. He then begins to ran on the fans for cheering and/or booing at the wrong time, which he thinks is during his promo. He wants them to give him a “mulligan” and start fresh again. The crowd now calls “you sold out,” which turns Show into an angry man. “How high and mighty all of you are to pass judgment on me when you have nothing, nothing on the line!” He wants respect because he is The Big Show. He then calls out the “cowards” from backstage to come out and say what they want to him upfront.
Erik Rowan answers the call. Show is not impressed, seeing Rowan as laughable and mocking him. He tries to convince Rowan to leave before something happens, but Erik declares “I don’t like bullies,” then punches and kicks away on Show. He puts Big out the floor, then Show walks off.
Segment #9: Backstage Promo
Seth Rollins, Joey Mercury, and Jamie Noble are discussing Seth’s bout later when Dolph Ziggler walks in. The “Show-Off” informs them he sent out a “tweet” to all his followers (1.4 million!), trying to convince them to vote for Jamie and Joey to be Rollins’ partners. He walks away and Seth is not pleased.
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Match #5: Single – Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki Bella) VS. A.J. Lee
(Note: Nikki Bella is the new Divas Champion, after defeating A.J. at Survivor Series with help from her Brie, who kissed A.J., which then she turned around in to Nikki’s finisher, the “Rack Attack.”)
Lockup with Brie pushing A.J. into the corner and slugging away harshly. A.J. fires back with punches and a spin-kick, then pushes Nikki on the outside. This allowed Brie to capitalize and hit Lee with a hard clothesline. She then gives A.J. a drop-down armbreaker and chokes her against the bottom rope.
A.J. comes back with a Lou Thesz press and then a running clothesline in the corner. She almost takes it with a Shining Wizard knee-to-the-head, but Brie got the shoulder up! Brie kicks Lee off, then Nikki grabs A.J.’s arm, allowing Brie to take this with a La Majistral Cradle!
Winner via Pinfall: Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki Bella)
Post-match, A.J. is sick of the Twins antics, telling them that “two of you do not even come close to being half the woman I am.”
Commercials.
Match #6: Mixed Tag-Team – Tyson Kidd and Natalya VS. Adam Rose and The Bunny (with The Party Posse)
Kidd and Natalya win this pointless bout after The Bunny accidently trips up Rose, allowing Tyson to roll-him up.
Winners via Pinfall: Tyson Kidd and Natalya
Segment #10: Backstage Promo
Rene Young interviews Ryback, who is concerned with Thanksgiving and hunger, so he goes to find the nearest concession.
Ads.
Segment #11: Video Promo
The “New Day” is coming next week to Raw, with Big E., Kofi Kingston, and Xavier Woods!
Segment #12: Backstage Promo
“The Big Guy” found his food, ordering what he wants from Kane. “The Big Red Machine” does not have what Ryback wants, so “The Big Guy” takes out his anger and douses Kane in mustard, running him off. He then chucks a bag of peanuts at him too, calling “Hey Kane, you forgot your nuts. Stupid!”
Segment #13: Backstage Promo
John Cena and Dolph Ziggler are asked about Survivor Series by Rene Young. They put over the odds they faced, with Cena putting over Ziggler, and both give props to Sting for helping them out. They are quite happy with the turnout.
Commercials.
Match #7: 3-On-2 – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler and John Cena VS. Seth Rollins, ???, and ???
It is revealed that Noble and Mercury have received 93% of the vote to be Rollins’ partners.
The bout starts out with Noble and Mercury being “stooges,” and Seth has to regroup them for a break.
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Noble effectively works over Dolph, until Ziggler hits back with a high-dropkick. He goes for the hot-tag to Cena, but Mercury is switched for first. They trade back-and-forth, until Dolph tucks and gets the tag. Cena is all over Mercury and Noble, then both he and Dolph get the victory after an Attitude Adjustment and Zig-Zag at the same time!
Winners via Pinfall: “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler and John Cena
Post-match, Daniel Bryan runs down and puts Rollins back into the ring, where Cena gives him an A.A. after Dolph superkicks him! As Cena, Dolph, and Daniel are celebrating, a familiar bing rings out in the arena. The lights flicker, but unfortunately, it is not Sting. Unfortunately, it is the “Anonymous” Raw General Manager. “They’re” back! Michael Cole hops up to the Raw General Manager booth beside the commentator’s table, announcing that next Monday (December 1st) will be “Cyber Monday.” The Raw General Manager says that it will be back to business. Numerous “bings” go off as Cena, Cole, Ziggler, and Bryan ponder what just happened to close the show.
End Of Raw.
Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp
Coming off what seemed like a hot Survivor Series, from the appearance of Sting and couple of title changes, this was an ok Raw. I was expecting a Sting appearance, I’ll be honest, so was quite disappointed when he was not on the show live. However, Daniel Bryan returning slightly made-up for it! Onto the particulars:
Excellence: Triple H and Stephanie; as always, he really exuberated his passion for this business in his promo and it shone through. Stephanie’s “crying” was spot-on as well.
Nice to see Daniel Bryan back, and he or Roman Reigns are the perfect choices to “escort” The Authority out of the arena, since they’ve both been put through a lot courtesy of the duo. I did like his role, but wish it was a little more and that he had interaction with his real-life (and not-so-secret) wife Brie.
Great matches between Ambrose/Harper, Miz/Mizdow & Goldust/Stardust, and Lee/Bella. Glad the feud between Ambrose/Wyatt isn’t over either! Also, good to see Swagger/Colter back in action and hopefully his rivalry with Rusev/Lana will be better and longer.
Kane was funny in the role tonight, but he should get back to being a monster soon.
I’ve really liked the “New Day” promos from Kofi, Xavier, and Big E., so am interested to see what their new group is all about. Big Show was great at emotional range in his promo; and I like the new Rowan, so this could be a good little rivalry. Like the new-look Fandango too.
Very nice to hear Cena put Ziggler over, and happy they had him be the winner at Survivor Series! Much deserved and hopefully this catapults him into another main-event spot soon!
Bogus: could’ve totally done without the Larry The Cable Guy and Santino segments – just a waste; same with Adam Rose/Bunny – just end this stupid “feud” already.
The main-event was nothing special. It was very predictable and frankly boring.
I really hope the anonymous Raw General Manager is a one-time gig; it was intriguing at first the last time, then it got really lame really quick. They better not bring it back full-time!
Overall, Raw was just “ok.” Other than Daniel Bryan, nothing too special happened, it kind of felt like run-of-the-mill, which is not necessarily good coming off a Pay-Per-View. However, there were a couple new feuds planted, and one that is continuing well, so I’m happy with those. Let’s hope next week’s is much better!
Until then, as always, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!
The man who had a big helping hand in shaping up Sting to be The Icon and The Franchise, Eric Bischoff, congratulated the former WCW champion in a message on Twitter.
“Congrats to @sting, @WWE. I am very happy and proud to see Sting on a platform he deserves. Great for @WWE and wrestling fans world wide,” Bischoff wrote yesterday.
Sting spent most of his career working for Eric Bischoff, first in WCW, and then in TNA, proving to be a loyal “soldier” in the Monday night war and after WCW closed up shop. Sting and Ric Flair share the honor of having wrestled the last match ever on WCW Nitro.
The much-hated anonymous Raw General Manager angle returned on the show last night much to the annoyance of WWE fans.
The sound byte that accompanies the Anonymous Raw GM messages was played at the end of Raw and Michael Cole then announced that next week the show will be Cyber Monday with fans deciding most of the matches and stipulations via the WWE app and he also announced that the Anonymous Raw General Manager would be resuming his duties from next Monday.
The angle started four years ago in June 2010 with Michael Cole reading messages from a laptop that was placed at ringside. The whole anonymous Raw GM angle ran for a whole year, then it came back in July 2012 and Santino Marella decided to find out who the person behind the laptop messages was. Eventually Hornswoggle looked like he was “outed” as the man behind it although he was never officially announced as the Anonymous Raw GM.
