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Click Here to Join 411’s LIVE WWE Raw 25 Coverage

January 22, 2018 | Posted by Tony Acero
WWE Raw 25 Tom Casiello

PRE-SHOW

– Raw 25 is so big we’re getting a pre-show for it.

– Renee Young, Peter Rosenberg, & David Otunga are the hosts from Barclays. We head to the Manhattan Center, with JR & The King.

– Back to Brooklyn for more hype of all the guests that are going to be here tonight. They talk favorite Raw moments, including Tyson & Austin, the Triple H & Stephanie wedding, and the Nexus debut.

– Charly interviews the APA, who have their office set up. They talk about opening up the office for one more night. Unfortunately, they locked themselves out of the office.

– Renee hypes the Rumble on Sunday.

– We now get highlights from the first Raw, including Bobby Heenan trying to get into the building dressed as a woman.

– We now get highlights from the first Raw, including Bobby Heenan trying to get into the building dressed as a woman.

– Sam Roberts is outside with the fans. This leads to footage of the Austin Zamboni moment.

– Renee, Rosenberg, and Otunga reflect on Steve Austin moments.

– They now hype tonight’s IC Title match.

– Next is footage from Mick Foley’s first WWF title win on Raw.

– We now get footage of the night Eric Bischoff was named Raw GM.

– Bischoff joins the panel. He’s happy to be back, and puts over WWE. He says becoming Raw GM in 2002 was surreal. He says people were shocked, and some didn’t like it, but the locker room was gracious to him. He met with Undertaker, and everything went well. He knew he could work with Vince and was excited to work for him and they had a mutual respect.

More stuff happens, but Tony accidentally deleted all of it because he’s an idiot.


It’s RAW 25!!!! I was 6, two years into my wrestling fandom, completely unsure if I was even allowed to watch the show. I don’t remember much outside of how enthralled I was with The Undertaker. The rest is a blur until about….the age of 10 when I fell headfirst into the pool that is wrestling fandom. Where were you?

Monday Night RAW!!!!!

We start RAW in Barclays but quickly switch over to Brooklyn and the McMahon children are on their way down the ramp. Shane and Steph welcome us. Shane then thanks every single superstar that has ever stepped foot in the ring. Shane then thanks all the unsung heroes such as production, stage hands, and the like. Most importantly, Shane thanks all of us…new and old.

Video package for RAW that is, admittedly, pretty cool. Although the current product is rather stale, these moments remind me of the fandom we possess and adore. You’ll likely get a lot of fuzzy feelings tonight, and I encourage you to let them happen.

After the video, the kids have one person to thank specifically. One person who has made all of this possible. Stephanie introduces the Chairman of the WWE and the creator of Monday Night RAW!

THANK YOU VINCE chant.

Steph clarifies the chant for Vince, who seems uninterested. Vince isn’t one who smells the roses, and if he does, it’s not for long. Tonight, he’s going to smell the roses. They smell so good. Vince basks in it then tells everyone goodnight, and looks to leave the ring. Steph stops him, says they got him a little something.

Apparently, Shane and Steph started a GoFundMe Account to make Vince a commemorative plaque. It looks like it costs roughly $25 at your local trophy shop…wait, do they still have trophy shops?

Vince is not impressed, either. He says it feels cheap, but then again, they ARE in Brooklyn…

Vince wants to get this straight – everyone chip in and give him…a plaque?

Vince then makes fun of our dental hygiene.

Vince says he has one person to thank and it’s no one here. The crowd is loud with their ASSHOLE chant.

Vince then thanks himself. he didn’t need us, his family, no one. Just him. Not one person in the world that has ever helped him…

*glass shatters*

STONE COLD!! STONE COLD!!!

Vince wants to try and explain a few things. He says a lot of things have changed. Stone Cold looks great, but Mother Nature has not been too kind to Vince. He’s a member of AARP now. He’s got heart problems. He is now a senior citizen. But Shane…Shane is in his prime!

Shane looks to Austin, stands back a bit, asks Austin for a handshake. Austin obliges and holds Shane’s hand up. Stunner to Shane!

Austin’s music hits. He turns to Vince, and Vince has two cans of beer as the crowd chants ONE MORE TIME.

Vince and Austin cheer. Vince is slow to drink. He then chugs one, and hugs Austin. Vince holds Austin’s hand in the air, pouring beer on Shane in the process. Austin finishes his beer, hugs Vince again, then allows Vince to walk away. Vince then stops, frozen. He turns to Austin, then tells him no. That’s weird. They cheer once again. Austin with a Stunner to Vince!

Both kicks were relatively weak, just sayin….

Shane gets up again?

Another Stunner for Shane.

I wish he’d stun Cole for sounding like a total ass while quoting Austin’s catchphrases more than once tonight….


Match 1: Absolution, Alicia Fox, and Nia Jax vs Sasha Banks, Bayley, Mickie James, and Asuka

All eight women attack each other. The stop and we have a staredown. Remember when Alicia was a team captain of some of these girls? We start the match officially with Sonya and Asuka. Asuka eats Sonya alive then hits some kicks to the chest before kicking her out of the ring as we get a commercial break.

Back from the break, and Mandy Rose is getting her ass handed to her by Asuka. She tags in Sasha, who grabs Mandy and hits a suplex with the help of Asuka. Mandy rushes to the corner and tags in Nia. Nia stares Sasha up and down. Sasha ducks under Nia, hits a kick to the chest. Dropkick to the legs and a kick to the face. Cover for 1..2..NO! Sasha runs…right into a hard shove down on her back from Nia. Nia covers for 1..2…NO! Nia tags in Mandy. She stomps Sasha in the corner then tags in Sonya while Cole talks about Booker sucking at Royal Rumbles. Alicia Fox is in the ring, and hits a Northern Lights on Sasha. Alicia with a cravat from behind. She works it in more and more, not allowing Sasha to escape. Sasha is finally able to, but Alicia hits a kick then a cover for 1..2..NO! Cravat from behind once again. Alicia drops Sasha on her back, and we get another commercial break…

We are back to the match that no one cares about due to the WWE and everyonbe is beating everyone’s ass outside of the ring except for Sasha and Alicia Fox. Sasha hits the knees then locks in the Bank Statement and gets the win.

Winners: Sasha Banks, Mickie James, Asuka, and Bayley

Match Quality: NR
Personal Enjoyment: NR
Total Rating: NR

The girls celebrate…then Asuka sends Mickie James out of the ring! She sends Bayley over the top rope next. Sasha goes for the Bank Statement, but Asuka holds the ropes then sends Sasha to the outside and celebrates while Cole has an orgasm.

Backstage, Angle is talking to the smallest ref the WWE has about not being able to afford another incident with Brock, Braun, and Kane.

In comes Coach!!!! He says he sees so many of his old friends, and every time he hits a corner, it’s someone you’d least expect! In come Harvey and the Brooklyn Brawler. Another knock, and Teddy Long is here to dance! He shkaes the hand of Kurt then slaps hands with Coach. Another knock, and in comes BROTHER LOVE! He calls Kurt “Brother Olympic Boy!” haha. He then tells Coach he loves him! Next comes…..The Boogeyman, who is still in pretty good shape. He chews on some works as everyone stares awkwardly. Boogeyman pulls some worms out of his mouth and puts them in Coach’s hand.

Cole: “How did Coach worm his way in here?”

Shut up, Cole….

Taker returns next, apparently.

We head back into time, where JR and Lawler are ringside. JR brings up The Undertaker. King claims to have buried them all. We get a look back at The Undertaker and his moments on RAW.

The Undertaker makes his entrance, and it’s weird to have the lights on all the way. He makes the short walk to the ring and enters. Fin introduces him.

Loud Undertaker chant as he looks around the crowd.

The carnage began on this sacred ground of evil 25 years ago. For 25 years, I’ve been digging holes, and any person who dared step foot into the dark side got buried. For 25 years, I’ve taken legends and ripped them off their pedestals and thrown them in the cold, dark earth. Stone Cold answered to the reaper. Mick Foley answered to the reaper. Even his own flesh and blood Kane had to answer to the reaper. They all tried. They all failed.

There’s an ICOPRO banner hanging up. Tight.

And now, on this sacred ground, I declare for all of those who have fallen – it is truly time you rest…in…peace…

The Undertaker stops talking and drops the mic. He stares down the crowd.

Backstage, APA is playin poker with Heath Slater and Rhyno. JBL calls and Heath drops a pair of threes. JBL wins the hand. Heath says he has kid, and JBL says yeah and their daddy is broke.

A knock on the door is heard, and a stack of money is dropped on the table. It’s the Million Dollar Man!!! He asks what their price is, then laughs it up. Teddy takes a seat at the table.

Back to Barclay’s and we get a General Manager rundown. Johnny Ace is first, as he comes out lookin pretty damned good in red, I must say. William Regal is out next, looking both dashing and evil. Man I love that guy’s presence. NXT chant. Eric Bischoff is next!!! He’s all smiles. Lastly, the General Manager of Smackdown….

DANIEL BRYAN!

Bryan comes out to celebrate, but said celebration is cut short by….THE MIZ!!!!

Miz and his cohorts walk out. Miz stares directly at Bryan, and removes his glasses. Miz then walks away, continues his introduction, then points at Bryan to mock him…

That’s it…

Booker T likes the word “relevant.”


Match 2: Intercontinental Championship Match
The Miz vs Roman Reigns

Miz scowls at Roman whiel the crowd chants how much they hate him. Reigns overpowers Miz, shoving him into the corner. Another lockup attempt after Reigns stares down the crowd. Miz escapes the ring, then punches Reigns. He hops onto the top rope and flies off with an axe handle only for Reigns to attack with a hard punch. Reigns leaves the ring, notices Miz is hanging over the bottome rope. Bo is there to stop it. Reigns hits a right hand to bo. Miz slides through the ropes, attempting a kick to Reigns, but Reigns side steps and hits an uppercut. Ref checks on Miz as Reigns hops on the apron. Curtis interrupts and Miz kicks Reigns off the apron. he leaves the ring and sends Reigns into the steps!

We are back from a break to see Reigns hitting a clothesline. Miz stands in the corner only for reigns to hit him with a bunch of clothelsines. Reigns hits the ropes and bounces back with a big boot. miz is down. Reigns leaves the ring. Drive by from Reigns! Miz is in the ring. Reigns in next. Miz up in the corner. Reigns rushes, and Miz moves! Reigns hits the shoulder in the corner. Miz pins! he uses the ropes!!! He almost gets it! 1..2….NO!!!! Miz with the YES Kicks in the middle of the ring. Miz’s final kick is blocked and Reigns picks Miz up for a powerbomb. Pin for 1..2…..NO!!! Bo and Curtis take Miz out of the ring and try to give him some time. Reigns attacks both of them, then sends Axel into the apron and Bo into the ringpost. Reigns sends Axel into the timekeeper’s area. Miz attacks from behind. He sends Reigns into the ring and goes for the Skull Crushing Finale. Reigns tosses him aside. Superman Punch! Cover for 1..2…NO!!! Reigns is up in the corner. He waits. Bo holds onto the foot of Reigns!! MIZ WITH A CLOTHESLINE!!! The ref sees. He yells at Bo and Axel. He sends them both to the back! Miz is pissed. Reigns rolls him up!!! Dallas and Axel are on the apron! Reigns sends both of them flying! SKULL CRUSHING FINALE!!!!! Miz covers! 1..2…..NO!!!!!! Miz wants another one. He locks in the Full Nelson. Reigns with an elbow. Another. A third. Again! He hits a hard one. Damn. Miz releases the hold.

Miz goes for a hard spear. Miz moves. Reigns hits the 2nd turnbuckle. THERE IS NO PAD!!! Reigns hits steel!!!! Miz covers! 1..2…..3!!!!!!

Winner:
Good finish, and Miz winning makes me happy.
Match Quality: **1/2
Personal Enjoyment: ***
Total Rating: **3/4

Backstge, the poker hgame is getting intense with The Usos, Jeff Hardy and MVP joining.

In the ring, Christian is here to host The Peep Show! He welcomes us all to The Peep Show. Christian has some guests who won their titles on the first night that they teamed. He introduces Seth and Jordan.

Christian asks for an update, and Seth tries to tell him but Jordan interrupts. Every time Jordan speaks, however, the crowd boos him. He says it’s amazing…but the crowd keeps shutting him down. He says it’s an honor to be in the presence of Christian and all the other legends. He wanted to thank all of the fans for the support, but mostly to congratulate his dad. The crowd is unrelenting. He wants everyone to stand up and give Angle a big round of applause.

The music of Cesaro and Sheamus hit.

Sheamus tells Jordan that he’s got it all wrong. All the legends have been in line all day to get their autographs. They are The Bar. Funny enough, those same legends have the exact same sentiment – they fully expect them to reclaim the tag team titles. In fact, they thanked Sheamus and Cesaro in advance for doing so. Cesaro says it’s not jordan’s dad who sucks – it’s Jordan.

Cesaro and Sheamus lead a YOU SUCK chant ala Angle’s music. Jordan gets pissed and attacks. Sheamus is sent to the outside. Seth with a suicide dive to Sheamus! Seth hops on the apron. Jordan holds the arms back of Cesaro. Seth springboards. KNEE! But Cesaro moves! Seth hits Jordan with a knee, dorpping him in the process!

Backstage, Charley is with Alexa! Charley brings up The Rumble. Does Alexa think she will still be champion come Mania? Alexa is insulted. She isn’t just a champion; she is a goddess! In comes Charlotte Flair to interrupt. She says the only reason Alexa is champ is because she is on Smackdown Live. She says Alexa doesn’t have the size or the Pedigree. She quotes her father about beating the man. If she doesn’t believe it, why not ask Flair herself.

In comes Flair who says that Charlotte will be champion until Charlotte decides to hang the robe up. WOOOOOOO.

Backstage again and the Poker Game is getting larger. Nattie wins over Slater again. Dana is there to crunch the numbers. Slater has lost a lot of money….

Bray Wyatt is at the Manhattan Center! King is thoroughly impressed with Bray Wyatt’s ability to blow out an electric lantern.

Matt Hardy is next and…are they giving away this match?


Match 3: Matt Hardy vs Bray Wyatt

Lockup to start. Matt runs into the ropes then nearly eats a Sister Abigail. He escapes and sends Wyatt into the corner. Matt attacks the back of Wyatt in the corner while JR questions what the hell Sister Abigail is. Matt hits a Russian Leg Sweep then hops on the 2nd rope. He waits for Bray to stand, then hits an elbow to the back of the head. Matt waits, kicks, goes for twist of Fate, but Bray escapes, then hits a huge crossbody in the middle of the ring. JR drops SLOBBERKNOCKER as we go to commercial.

Back from a break and Matt hits a jawbreaker. He blocks a right hand and hits a few of his own then does the DELETE HEADBUTTS in the corner. Matt screams and hits a clotheslnie in the corner. Bulldog is escaped and Bray goes for a splash. Matt dodges. Bray hangs upside down. Matt screams in happiness. Bray is pissed. He runs into a Side Effect! Cover for 1..2…NO!!!! DELETE chant. Kick to Bray. He goes for another Twist of Fate, but Bray pushes forward to get some freedom via rope lock.

Bray clips Matt, who hangs himself up on the second rope. Sister Abigail from Bray. Pin for 1..2…..3!!!

Winner: Bray Wyatt
What the hell was the point of this??
Match Quality: *
Personal Enjoyment: *
Total Rating: *

JoJo introduces some of the greatest female superstars of the last 25 years. The Bella Twins are out first. Maryse is next, with a hell of a bump, still as beautiful as ever. Kelly Kelly out next and damn… Lilian Garcia is announced next. Jacqueline is here! Torrie Wilson out next, and she’s still gorgeous. The Undertaker’s wife decides to make an appearance, and so does Terri Runnels!! Awwww how sweet. Maria Kanellis is out too!

Trish is out next and last!

I don’t really know what I expected, but I’m not sure I’d fly out for this…

Backstage, Jericho stops Elias and asks to borrow his guitar to sing a little song for him. This ends in Jericho putting Elias and his stupid scarves on The List!

Elias is in the ring now for a song of his own. Crowd chants Stupid Idiot while Elias argues back and forth between playing and not playing. Eli then points out Jimmy Fallon being in the crowd, and yes there he is. Yay…? Elias wants to show Jimmy how it’s done.

Elias finally starts playing as Jimmy watches. Eli sings a short song bout the legends, even calling Taker a decrepit old man. He mentions The Rock, says he still sucks.

He is interrupted by…..JOHN CENA!!

He comes down to the ring and the crowd is split as per usual. Cena says that both he and Brooklyn have balls. Ah, Cena is going in and out of his Denzel voice. Cena is mentioning the beach balls in the crowd. Security takes the ball away. The crowd chants ASSHOLE and Cena says they’re chanting The BIG APPLE. Elias tells Cena to shut his damned mouth. He says no one wants to hear Cena. They came to hear Elias and Cena ruined it. Cena considers this, then tells Elias to do something about it.

Cena removes his shirt and squares up. Elias says that’s not how it works. He doesn’t take orders from Cena and doesn’t take orders from these Brooklyn scumbags either. He fakes leaving, then attacks, but Cena hits a shoulder tackle. Another. YOU CANT SEE ME. Five Knuckle Shuffle to Elias. Eli is up. Attitude Adjustment, but no! Elias floats off. LOW BLOW TO CENA!!!! Elias heads outside to grab his guitar. He smacks it across Cena’s back!

Wow….

Cena grabs the leg of Elias, and scurries to stand up. Elias grabs Cena. He hits The Drifter. Or is it Drift Away? I dunno. He hits it, though.

I’ll be damned, they let Cena get one up on this guy…

The Poker game has now added The New Day. JBL goes All In….does that mean he’ll be joining Cody Rhodes?

Anyways, JBL tells Slater and Rhyno that if they want to fight, they go to the ring. So I guess we’ll get them and Titus/Apollo soon….

The Million Dollar Man wins the hand with a Royal Flush, and Farooq goes Damn.

Mark Henry is all smiles backstage!!! He runs into The Godfather, who introduces a girl named Olivia. Godfather tells a story about Mark Henry once being known as Sexual Chocolate. Henry says we’ve all grown up. But it looks like Godfather stayed the same. Henry then shakes the hand of Olivia, and looks to put some game out there. Godfather says to hold on, that’s his wife!!!

Even Godfather has grown up…


Match 4: Titus O’Neil and Apollo Crews vs Heath Slater and Rhyno

Rhyno starts with a chop to Titus. Another. Titus gets him in the corner and hits a chop of his own. Titus hits another one. Tag to Apollo who works the arm of Rhyno. He reverses and tags in Heath. Slater drops off the top rope onto the left arm of Apollo. He yanks on the arm then hits the ropes. Right hand to the head. Heath sends Apollo into the ropes. Reversed. Rope work. Dropkick from Apollo! APollo with a stalling suplex. He hits it after some time and asks for a Worldwide chant.

We are back to RAW and all four men are brawling so much that the ref calls for the end of the match…

Winner:

Match Quality:
Personal Enjoyment:
Total Rating:

While all four men are battling it out in the ring, the music of The Dudley Boyz hit!!! Everyone leaves the ring while The Dudley Boyz head to the ring. They call for a fight, wanting a piece of each of the guys out of the ring.

The guys outside of the ring try and talk Heath into heading into the ring. They then toss Heath in. Slater turns and Bubba hits a body slam. D-Von goes to the top rope while Cole gushes about the WAZZZUPPP drop. Corey hilariously calls for an upgrade, then drops a Dilly Dilly! hahaha.

Bubba calls for the tables!

D-Von heads to the outside. Loud table chant. Titus, Apollo, and Rhyno all cheer D-Von on.

In the ring, we get a 3D to Slater, into the table!

Backstage, Charley interviews AJ Styles. She brings up his title defense. AJ cuts her off and claims that he wants someone to do this interview with him. Charley leaves and AJ introduces…Mean Gene!!! Gene looks better tonight than the last time we saw him.

Gene brings up AJ’s upcoming match with a 2-on-1.

AJ: “Well lemme tell ya something, Mean Gene!”

Awesome.

AJ then gives his opponenets the nickname KAMI. He says that they truly think they’ll be walking out of the Royal Rumble as Co-Champs. AJ says he’s gotta hit them hard and fast, and if they do it right, the last thing that will be ringing in their ears will be the announcement that AJ is still the champion. AJ tells Gene he loves him then leaves.

Meanwhile at The Manhattan Center…

Both men are awake as a siren goes off. The lights go out and….here come DX!!!

Well, right now it’s Triple H and HBK. HBK says everyone has been asking him to give his favorite moment, and he can’t even remember 25 minutes ago. HBK then says he’s been thinking, then brings up the sausage incident. He then brings up the Christmas Story and HHH cuts him off on that one too. HBK then says what bothers him more than anything – is how HBK used to be the boss of this group and now HHH is like the boss of everything. HBK plugs the Network. HHH then gives props to the crowd. He says this is the place where it all started. He says that we all lit the spark that caused the inferno. He says they are here because of us. HHH says 20 years ago, they started something special. They would walk to the ring every week with Rick Rude, with Chyna, and they’d do whatever the hell they felt like doing and say whatever the hell they felt like saying. DX has always been at the forefront of this whether it was being here with us on the first episode of RAW or driving a tank to the door of WCW, or whether it was being here for the 25th Anniversary, DX came here because this is home. He then says that they will be at the forefront of the next 25 years…

Are you ready?

Triple H says he didn’t come alone…

OH YOU DIDN’T KNOW?!

Here’s Road Dogg and Billy Gunn! Road Dogg wants to get down to the real nitty gritty! Road Dogg does his intro

Road Dogg then introduces…X-PAC!!!

X-Pac wants Manhattan Center to raise hell and make some noise. He knows this is a DX reuinion…

123 chant! haha. Nice.

He knows this is a DX Reunion, but there can’t be a 25th celebration without…RAZOR RAMON!!!

And we get a commercial….

We’re back and Razor says HEY YO then says you can’t have a party on RAW without the bad guy. Razor brings up “both locations” and the crowd boos. Razor says that this show is just…TOO SWEET!

This is good enough to garner the attention of The Balor Club.

Finn, Anderson, and Gallows enter the ring. Bad ass Too Swet chant from the crowd as Balor smiles. Triple H holds up the Too Sweet sign in the air, and so does everyone else. Billy Gunn is about to say SUCK IT, but The Revival’s music hits, and they come out not very happy.

oh, ok, there’s a match here. Thanks for tellin us…


Match 5: Gallows and Anderson vs The Revival

Anderson gets hit with a leg drop from Dawson. He grabs the head and tags in Dash, who holds a knee up and Anderson gets tossed into it. Dash with a back elbow then a side headlock. Anderson sends Dash into the corner. He tags his partner, and Dawson eats a leg lariat. Side headlock from Anderson. Tag to Dash. Tag to Gallows. Gallows with a clothesline. Uppercut. Splash in the corner. He locks the head.

Dawson in and eats a boot. Side kick to the head. Tag to Anderson. Magic Killer to Dash! Pin from Anderson. 1…2….3!!!

Winners: Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson
….
Match Quality: NR
Personal Enjoyment: NR
Total Rating: NR

After the match, Dawson punks Razor. X-Pac with the X-Factor. Road Dogg jukes and jives then Billy hits a Fameasser. Sweet Chin Music to Dash. Pedigree from Triple H. DX and Co then tell Finn to go up top. Finn hits the top rope. Coup De Grace to Dash.

Too Sweet in the center of the ring, and Billy Gunn’s got two words for ya….

SUCK IT!!!

We head back to The Barclay Center, and Kurt Angle’s music hits. He is out with a large number of legends. APA, Brother Love, Christian, Bischoff, Goldust, Regal, Boogeyman, Godfather, then a majority of the other wrestelers that are here including The usos, New Day, Bo and Axel, Rhyno, Sheamus and Cesaro, and a few others that would literally have NO reason to be out here…..

After a break, Kane and Braun make their entrance, then Heyman introduces Brock. He rushes down the ring and Brock meets him. Brock with a clothelsine. In t he ring, Braun sends brock over the top rope. He then sends Brock into the barricade. Kane is hurt on the side of the ring, I missed what happened. Braun wipes the announce table clean. Running Powerslam through the table to Brock!

Braun’s music hits, and he heads to the center of the ring. So ultimately, everyone that was out there had no real reason to be there.

What the fuck, RAW….what. The. Fuck?

End Show

article topics :

RAW, WWE, Tony Acero