WWE Raw TV taping report
September 23, 2013
Chicago, Ill.
Report by Darren Z., PWTorch reader

- After Raw ended, during C.M. Punk's post-show segment, Jerry Lawler grabbed a kendo stick and gave it to Punk, who used it to hit Paul Heyman a few times.

Then, a fan threw in a White Sox hoodie, which Punk laughed at, then threw out the ring. But, another fan brought him an authentic, brand new Blackhawks jersey and threw it to him, which he immediately put on. I believe that's why he stayed a bit longer than the usual post-show sign-off and kept saying "Thank you" to the crowd, because he was a little emotional.

Other Notes:

- There was a legit sell-out, but it wasn't nearly as loud as Chicago crowds typically are. The obvious stars received big reactions, but most of the matches were pretty quiet, or a random chant broke out, which is sad, because the quality of matches I thought were strong tonight.

- After the opening segment, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon cut a promo announcing the Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston match and the Randy Orton versus either Ziggler,Truth, or RVD match. They messed up once, so the lights went out and they started again, which fueled a chant by the crowd.

- During a commercial break, Jerry Lawler asked the crowd to make the WWE App voting the most in WWE history.

- Bray Wyatt came out before the Wyatts's match and cut a promo on Chicago, drawing a fair amount of heat. When the Wyatt Family came out, which I think was during a commercial, they received more of a pop than boos.

- Fandango's music was over. He wasn't.

- There's weren't too many random chants, but there was a "Randy Orton" chant and an "over-rated" chant for Del Rio.

- Two biggest takeaways from Raw - the Rhodes Invasion was awesome. Typical Wrestling 101, but Cody and Goldust are getting a nice rub from it. And, the crowd was invested in it. Lastly, the continued development of Punk-Heyman has been brilliant. When 90 percent of TV goes toward Triple H and the corporation storyline, it's nice to see a completely separate angle people can invest in.

- Overall Score: 8.0. Best Match: 11-on-3 elimination match. Worst Match: Divas tag match and Wyatts vs. Prime Time Players.

- Biggest Pops: C.M. Punk, Daniel Bryan, RVD/Santino.

Biggest Heat: Randy Orton, Triple H.

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