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The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
OCTOBER 27, 2014
SAN ANTONIO, TEX.
LIVE ON USA NETWORK
[Hour One] -A video package aired on the two Hell in a Cell matches the night before on PPV including Bray Wyatt’s interference in Seth Rollins vs. Dean Ambrose, John Cena putting Randy Orton through a table with an Attitude Adjustment off the ropes, and then Paul Heyman looking on at a celebrating Cena.
-They went live to the ring with Triple H, Stephanie McMahon, and Kane with Triple H’s music playing. Steph welcomed fans to Monday Night Raw and arrogantly said she’s sure they are happy to have them grace their presence. She said with great self-satisfaction that fans got “one hell of a show” last night. Hunter laughed uproariously. Steph said fans got their money’s worth for $9.99. Hunter called it a bitter sweet night because of Orton losing an epic Hell in a Cell encounter with Cena, but then introduced Seth as “the future of the WWE” and someone “quickly becoming the standard-bearer of the WWE.” Out came Seth.
Rollins limped to the ring, with Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble not far behind. Nice to see some selling of the effects of the HIAC match. Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL talked about the beating Seth went through at the PPV. Cole noted that Bray was the reason Seth won. Steph encouraged fans to cheer louder for Seth. The crowd began chanting “You sold out.” Rollins said the fans are “the best” and thanked them. He said Ambrose is no longer a thorn in his side. He said the lunatic fringe should be institutionalized. When the crowd chanted “Ambrose, Ambrose,” Seth said he’s done with him. Instead, he said he’s aimed at Cena.
The crowd chanted “Let’s Go Cena! / Cena Sucks!” Rollins said he will face Cena later one-on-one and leave him a pool of his own failure, just like Ambrose last night. Seth’s music played as the segment appeared ready to end. But then Orton’s music played.
Orton quickly marched to the ring angrily as Hunter tried to prepare for his arrival as Seth looked suddenly nervous. Orton said he’s sorry to break up their little love-fest. He speed-talked through a rant aimed at Rollins. He blamed Rollins for his loss, saying the Curb Stomp from last week’s Raw still affected him. He couldn’t even finish his rant before diving at Seth. Kane, Hunter, Noble, and Mercury pulled them apart.
Hunter told Orton to calm down. Orton said he’d calm down “when he’s dead.” Hunter told the crowd to shut up, losing his composure as he tried to get Orton to regain his. He told Orton to “get on his bus and get something to drink.” He said emotions are too high to deal with this tonight. Orton then struck with an RKO out of nowhere on Seth, then left the ring. Hunter stared off into space in frustration with his failure to control the situation. They helped a disoriented Seth get up; Seth stumbled to the back. Lawler said he doesn’t know where he is. JBL said he better figure it out quickly.
-Lawler plugged Hulk Hogan appearing later on Raw. Cole plugged that Big Show & Mark Henry would face Goldust & Stardust later. Cole said Show would try to regroup after his loss at HIAC. [c]
-A clip aired from the Raw pre-show where Big Show told Mark Henry in the locker room he was disappointed he came out to ringside the night before. Henry said he was there to celebrate, not get in his way. He then suggested they go after the tag team titles together.
(1) GOLDUST & STARDUST vs. MARK HENRY & BIG SHOW – WWE Tag Team Title match
The crowd chanted “Sexual Chocolate.” The announcers chuckled. Cole said they’ve been watching WWE Network. Henry beat on Stardust, then backed toward his corner. Show slapped Henry’s shoulder to tag himself in. Henry glared at Show. Show headbutted Stardust. Henry then slapped Show on the back of his shoulder and asked how he likes it. When Henry told Show he hurt him, Show said, “That didn’t hurt; you’re tougher than that!” They cut to a break. [c]
Back live, Goldust had Show on the mat. They replayed the tag that upset Henry and led to a shouting match. Show and Henry tagged just fine for a few minutes. Show gave Stardust the KO punch and then fended off Goldust’s interference. Henry then entered the ring and complained again about something. Then he gave Show the World’s Strongest Slam. Then he threw a limp Stardust onto Show and the ref counted to three.
WINNERS: Goldust & Stardust at 11:06 to retain the tag titles.
-Afterward Henry scowled and gave Show another World’s Strongest Slam. He yelled at Show for hitting him (i.e. the tag on his back). Some fans chanted “One more time.” When Show struggled to his feet, Henry gave him a third slam and a splash. He yelled, “That’s what I do!” The announcers replayed what happened. JBL said the slap on the back is no reason for Henry to be that upset.
(WK Reax: What JBL said is a problem. It doesn’t make any sense that Henry would snap like that over being slapped on the back for a tag. There needed to be another layer here that the announcers tapped into so the turn made some more sense in terms of tapping into Henry’s motivations. At least Lawler did say someone needs to get to him and find out what’s going on.)
-The announcers plugged Cena vs. Seth as the TV main event. Cole hyped that Roman Reigns would be by later with an exclusive interview to comment on the Ambrose-Seth HIAC match. [c]
-Renee Young caught up with Henry backstage. She asked him why he did that. He said, “I did that to him before he did to me.” He said Show always wanted to be him and has always been jealous of him.
-They went back to the announcers. Cole threw to a video package on “the man known as the juggernaut.” Really? That’s what he’s “known as”? It was made worse by Cole’s chummy awkward smile after he said “juggernaut.” It was a short video.
-They interviewed Reigns via satellite again. Reigns said it’s good to be seen and he’s getting stronger every single day, but there’s nothing cool about being on the sideline. When JBL asked about the Ambrose-Seth match, he said Dean is his boy and he brought the fight. He called Seth a weasel who hides behind people. He said he hopes Seth is watching because when he’s medically cleared, he’s going to make sure Seth isn’t the future of WWE, but he’s part of the past. “Believe that,” he said.
(WK Reax: This was better than the last satellite interview with Reigns. He actually had something to say about his former Shield members and issued a mission statement. By the way, someone needs to tell JBL it’s “Hell in a Cell,” not “Hell in THE Cell.”)
-A.J. Lee’s ring entrance took place. [c]
(2) A.J. LEE vs. ALICIA FOX – Divas Title match
Paige joined the announcers on commentary. Paige said she was going to win the Divas Title last night, but blamed Fox. Fox put Lee in a chinlock and then looked toward Paige at ringside. Cole asked if she was looking for her approval. In the end, after a til-a-whirl backbreaker by Fox, Paige shoved Fox from ringside. That opened up Lee to surprise Fox with a schoolgirl from behind.
WINNER: A.J. Lee at 3:38 to retain the Divas Title.
-Afterward Paige entered the ring and feigned a deep apology to Fox. Fox was skeptical. Paige kicked Fox and threw her to the floor with a thud. Then she catapulted her into the ringside barrier toward a bunch of women in pink Hulkamania t-shirts representing breast cancer awareness. She rammed her head into the barrier. Lawler got up to protect Fox. The crowd chanted “King! King!” Paige left as her music played. Cole called her actions totally unnecessary.
-They went to Cole and JBL at ringside who reacted to Reigns saying he is aiming for Rollins when he returns. They threw to a freeze frames of the Ambrose-Seth main event with Bray’s interference. Then they announced that Ambrose would face Cesaro later. [c]
-Cena’s ring entrance took place. He praised the crowd’s excitement. He said, “You guys are acting like you’re raising some sort of championship banner here tomorrow night.” The announcers acknowledged the San Antonio Spurs. The crowd chanted for the Spurs.
[Hour Two] Cena said last night was an epic night. He said it might not be the last chapter in his feud with Orton, but it might have been the highlight. He said it was an opportunity to face the Beast and prove you’re the best. He said he defeated Orton and has earned a title match again. The crowd cheered and booed. He then took Lesnar to task for “sitting at home thinking he’s a champion” while he’s there every night fighting like a champion. He said when Lesnar decides to “come back to WWE,” he will lose to him. He said until then, everything he does will be a statement to Lesnar.
He shifted to talking about Seth. He said if Seth is the future, the future isn’t next week, month, or year. He said tonight he will “go through the future.” He said Seth is about to go face-to-face with the guy who runs the place. Then out walked Steph to her music.
She plugged the Cena-Seth main event, calling Seth the “standard bearer of the WWE.” She said she can’t wait until Survivor Series featuring a traditional Survivor Series elimination tag team match. Cena plugged the $9.99 price. She said she had a business proposal. The crowd began doing the “What?” chant, but she cut it off by telling Cena not to pander to the crowd by getting them to cheer for the Spurs. “Even I can do it,” she said. She chanted for the Spurs. The crowd chanted along. “It’s so easy. You tell them what they want to hear and they just repeat it.” Cena said he’s just listening to the fans, which she should try to do more often.
She asked him if he hears the fans chanting “Cena sucks!” at him. She said she hears it. She said the people don’t matter, and what they care about is seeing him tear himself apart and leave it all on the line and blood and guts. She asked if he does it all for the appreciation of the fans. She said it doesn’t have to be that hard because he could join The Authority. She said it sounds crazy, but he would be loved and appreciated and respected with them. The crowd chanted, “No! No! No!”
She said maybe The Authority could help guarantee a victory for him against Lesnar. She said if he beat Rollins later, he could be the captain of The Authority. He said they could give him the power and accolades he deserves and the chance to be part of a family. He said all he deserves is a chance to step into the ring and tell the people how much he loves doing it. He said she has it all upside down. She tried to talk, but Cena talked over her. He said they show up all the time because they are all part of this together. She said when he’s gone, the people won’t care about him anymore or even remember him. She said they can make sure they do. Cena said if he did that, they’d remember him as a low-life sellout punk. He said he never will be that person, so “Hell no!”
(WK Reax: That sounds a lot like a behind-the-scenes pitch that’s made to former main event wrestlers to get them back in the “family,” be it Bret Hart, Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, or Ultimate Warrior. WWE has the power to include former stars in their history pieces or exclude them.)
Triple H walked out to his music. He told Steph he told her Cena wouldn’t budge an inch. Hunter said Cena has been around 10-12 years, but he’s been around 20, and “it gets harder every single year.” He said Cena is starting to eek by every single night and hanging on by a thread physically and mentally. He said the future is coming, whether he wants to believe it. He said the future doesn’t have to be as hard as it will otherwise get. He said he can have longevity and doing the right thing over time. “Or you can be the beat up shell of your former self who hobbles into the ring here for one last hurrah.”
(WK Reax: If Undertaker is watching and considering a return, this type of promo might talk him out of considering it.)
Hunter said maybe he has to prove to him that he cannot stop the future. He said if he wants it his way, he can work against the Authority. He said he can assemble a Team Cena to take on Team Authority at Survivor Series. He said he should find people to stand up with him and try to survive against The Authority. He said they will teach him it doesn’t pay to fight The Authority. He said he better smarten up that The Authority always wins. The announcers wondered who would stand with Cena and risk the wrath of The Authority.
(WK Reax: Cena was strong here holding his ground and being true to his character.) [c]
Check out the latest episode of the Wade Keller Pro Wrestling Post-show covering the latest episode of Raw: CLICK HERE to stream (or search “wade Keller” on Spotify, Apple Podcasts, or any other iOS or Android app to subscribe free)
(3) THE USOS vs. THE MIZ & MIZDOW
The announcers talked about Cena building a team for Survivor Series. Somehow they ended up talking about whether Tom Cruise takes acting classes. The Usos got in their stereo dive onto Miz and Mizdow at ringside, then they cut to a mid-match break. [c]
Lawler plugged the second-screen action seen on the WWE App during the break. Late in the match, the Usos switched places, which Cole called “twin magic.” It’s also been known as “cheating” over the years. In this case, the selling point to defend the babyfaces cheating is that Mizdow had just broken up a fair and legal pin attempt by an Uso on Miz. Miz fell pray to a small package.
WINNERS: The Usos at 10:47.
-They showed Cena talking to Dolph Ziggler and then shaking his hand.
-They plugged Hogan was up next. [c]
-Backstage Kane came up to Ziggler and said there’s word going around he is chatting with Cena. He said that’s an act of aggression if he’s considering being on Team Cena. Ziggler reacted with concern and fear, almost seeming to be on the verge of tears.
(WK Reax: Huh? Why would anyone cheer for a babyface who wilts under pressure like that? He hung his head like he was chewed out by his dad for dropping a catch in little league. Ugh.)
-Hogan came out wearing his pink Hulkamania t-shirt. He said he was so happy to see Cena beat “that no good Randy Orton.” Has Hogan not gotten the memo that Orton just turned babyface? Geez. He said he’s eager to see Cena regain the WWE Title from Lesnar. He then acknowledged WWE’s breast cancer awareness campaign, which was the main thrust of his appearance in the ring. He called the women battling breast cancer the real superstars and the real inspiration. He closed by posing in the ring with breast cancer survivors who were at ringside throughout the show.
-They showed Bo Dallas backstage getting ready for his open challenge. [c]
-Bo came to the ring as Cole wondered if his name was still Bo Washington, since he changed his name last night to avoid sharing a name with the city of Dallas. He said it’s now time to find out who Bo-lieves they can beat him. Out came the returning Ryback.
(4) RYBACK vs. BO DALLAS
The fans loudly chanted “Feed me more!” Ryback finished Bo quickly and easily with the Meathook Clothesline and Shellshock.
WINNER: Ryback at 1:13.
(WK Reax: Not even a hint of Ryback being a bully. He’s totally rebranded as a dominant Goldberg-like babyface. They could try to rebuild him for a Royal Rumble title match against Brock Lesnar, since WWE can get away with a slightly weaker than usual title match with the 30-man Rumble match carrying that event, yet I think people would be intrigued to see Ryback vs. Lesnar just for the physical match-up.)
-They went to the announcers who reset the show, noting what Reigns said earlier.
-They showed Ambrose pacing around like a lunatic backstage. [c]
-They announced Miz TV would feature Henry on Main Event tomorrow night on WWE Network.
-Cesaro’s ring entrance took place. The announcers recapped the Orton segment at the top of the show. A clip aired of Orton in a rage telling Tom Phillips that he RKO’d Seth’s face in the mat because he vowed to deal with the problem his way.
-Ambrose limped out to the ring, still with that crazed demeanor. A video package then aired on the Ambrose-Rollins HIAC match. They noted that it was Bray who prevented Dean from winning. Ambrose stood on the announce table and said he beat Rollins within an inch of his life, but then Bray showed up. Ambrose said he doesn’t care why Bray interfered, but vowed that you “don’t screw with Dean Ambrose!”
[Hour Three] Ambrose jumped into the ring and attacked Cesaro with the mic. Cesaro bailed out, but Ambrose continued to beat on him. Ambrose called out Bray so he could kick his ass, too. Bray showed up on the video screen. He said when he sees Dean, he sees his own depraved reflection. He said they share in common that they come from a tortured place and live in a world not made for them. “I know you, I am you,” he said. “I’m going to dismantle you and feed on the spoils. Run, Dean, run.”
-They cut to the announcers after Bray’s video speech. That was it. No response from Ambrose, and no match with Cesaro. Lawler said that was weird, but maybe Ambrose is the only person who can make heads or tails of it. JBL looked like a really old man in a nursing home who had no idea where he was. Cole talked about the Survivor Series tag match, and the announcers again sold the idea that Cena might have trouble finding anyone to team with him and face the wrath of The Authority.
-Nikki Bella made her ring entrance, accompanies by Brie. Cole said Brie is with Nikki only because she has to be her assistant for the next 30 days. Freeze-frames aired of their match at the PPV as Lawler explained how Nikki won. [c]
(5) NIKKI BELLA (w/Brie Bella) vs. NAOMI
Nikki dominated early and gloated. They fought to ringside. Brie, on orders from Nikki, grabbed weakly at Naomi’s leg. That was enough to open up Naomi to Nikki’s torture rack finisher. Brie turned her back, dismayed that she had to help Nikki win by cheating. JBL said if Brie is so unhappy, she should just quit WWE instead of fulfilling her 30 days of servitude. Brie reluctantly raised Nikki’s arm in the post-match celebration. Nikki ate up Brie’s submissive quandary.
WINNER: Nikki at 4:16. [c]
(6) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. KANE
Kane dominated early. Cole said he’d love to see Ziggler on Team Cena at Survivor Series. They cut to a break at 3:00. [c]
The match began to feel like a time-filler because, well, it was at this stage of the show. The crowd seemed to sense it, too. Ziggler teased some comebacks and eventually countered a chokeslam and rolled up Kane for the win. The announcers sold it as a surprising upset.
WINNER: Ziggler at 13:25.
-Seth hit Ziggler from behind afterward. Cena saved Ziggler from a double-team attack by Kane and Seth. Rollins bailed out, and Cena clotheslined Kane. [c]
-Smackdown will be a Halloween special, including a 12-Divas Halloween costume battle royal.
-Cena stood in the ring for the main event as his music played. A video game simulation aired of Cena vs. Lesnar in WWE 2K15. Seth then made his ring entrance.
(7) JOHN CENA vs. SETH ROLLINS (w/Joey Mercury, Jamie Noble)
Rollins revealed taped ribs, selling the beating from HIAC and the Orton RKO earlier. Cena beat up Rollins at ringside early in the match. Mercury and Noble protected Seth, and then Seth dove at Cena after having a few seconds to recover. He rammed Cena back-first into the ring apron and then took over offense. Lawler noted that while Seth is hurting from HIAC, Cena had just as tough of a match last night, also. [c]
Back and forth match, with Seth in control most of the time and Cena making brief comebacks. JBL claimed Seth is showing why he is “so popular.” Lawler took exception with that comment. Seth leaped off the top rope with a forearm that missed by a mile but Cena sold like he was shot by a sniper. Cole called it a “glancing blow.” Seth settled into a chinlock on the mat.
[Overrun] They picked up the pace with some near falls. Cena backdropped a charging Seth over the top rope onto Mercury and Noble at ringside. Cena caught a charging Seth with a boot, then landed a twisting DDT for a near fall that the crowd popped for. JBL said Cena can’t beat Rollins any more than he can beat Lesnar. Cena set up an Attitude Adjustment, but Rollins landed on his feet. Cena went for an STF, but Seth escaped and kicked Cena, then scored a near fall. Lawler said Seth is on top of his game. “This is awesome!” rang out from the crowd. Seth grabbed Cena on the top rope and powerbombed him across the ring into the corner turnbuckle and scored a near fall. Cena came back with an STF next as a counter to Seth’s curb stomp. Kane charged into the ring to break it up, so the ref DQ’d Seth.
WINNER: Cena via DQ at 22:13. Good match.
-After the match, Ziggler ran out to return the favor for Cena. When Noble and Mercury got involved, the tide turned. The locker room emptied and a huge brawl broke out. The announcers wondered who would side with The Authority and who would side with Cena. Hunter and Steph walked to the stage as Seth retreated with Noble and Mercury onto the stage, too. They observed the chaos with everyone including Heath Slater, Titus O’Neil, El Matadores, Tyson Kidd, and seemingly everyone else from earlier in the show. The announcers closed as the brawl continued on the ramp and Cena stood tall alone in the ring.
(WK Reax: Solid show. A good dose of some good wrestling matches mixed with significant storyline developments, in particular with Rollins-Orton, Bray-Ambrose, and Survivor Series.)
OR CHECK THIS OUT AT PROWRESTLING.NET: Dominik Mysterio on what his wife thinks about all of the chaos, looks back on debuting in a match against Seth Rollins, teaming with John Cena, facing CM Punk in his WWE return match
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