Detailed Results
RAW would kick off with the RAW Guest General Managers of the evening as eleven-time former World Champion Edge and two-time World Heavyweight Champion Christian would reunite to take control of RAW for one night only! After the seven-time former tag team champions make their way to the ring, Christian says that he has decided that they should have a special edition of The Peep Show tonight. However, Edge interrupts, saying that he thinks it should be his talk show segment, The Cutting Edge, and that The Peep Show sounds like something for “perverts” in the 1920s. Edge then proposes the idea of doing the first ever “Cutting Edge Peep Show” and, with Christian and the fans approving of the idea, Edge & Christian then announce that their guest will be the self-proclaimed “future of WWE” Seth Rollins. Edge then ups the ante by announcing that, tonight, Seth Rollins will go one-on-one with his former Shield teammate Roman Reigns! Christian then announces a huge Champion vs. Champion Match, pitting United States Champion Rusev against Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler! Getting a little too excited about the announcement, Christian mistakenly adds that both competitors will be “completely naked”. Admitting he went a little too far, Christian jokingly suggests that only one of them should be naked.
Christian then says that he’s got to bring the audience back and “Captain Charisma” certainly does that by asking the fans if they would like to see Daniel Bryan here tonight! Edge then confirms that Daniel Bryan will be there later tonight to address the fans! The Guest GM’s were then set to do a vintage five-second pose for the fans, but the fun was brought to a screeching halt with the surprise appearance of WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman. Lesnar & Heyman enter the ring, but Edge & Christian do not back down, keeping their eyes focused on Lesnar & Heyman. Heyman says that he cannot help but wonder why a man with a “broken neck who can never wrestle again” and a man with “too many concussions to ever wrestle again” would “swim in the shark-infested waters” that are inhabited by the most “merciless predator” in WWE, the WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. Heyman then dares the two retired veterans to “make a move”, saying that he knows that they cannot make a move because something as simple as a slap across the face could put either one of them or both of them in a “wheelchair” for the rest of their lives. Heyman continues, saying that Brock Lesnar has no interest in ending the careers of two men whose careers are already over and that his client is a “conqueror” and he wants to “penetrate the virgin neck” of John Cena. Heyman is then interrupted by the arrival of the #1 Contender for the WWE World Heavyweight Title at the Royal Rumble, John Cena.
With a look of determination on his face, John Cena enters the ring to confront his Royal Rumble opponent, staring down the smug WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Cena says that the only reason that he doesn’t knock Lesnar into next week right now is because he doesn’t want Brock to have any “excuses” come the Royal Rumble. Cena then says that he is out there because he has a “resolution” and a “gift”, saying that his “resolution” is to beat Brock Lesnar at the Royal Rumble and win the WWE World Heavyweight Title while his “gift” is for Paul Heyman. Cena then grabs Heyman by the lapels, which baits Lesnar in as Brock charges at Cena and the #1 Contender scoops Lesnar up, but before Cena could deliver the Attitude Adjustment, the champion quickly wiggles free and retreats to the outside. With the smug look wiped from his face courtesy of John Cena, Brock Lesnar would not take his eyes off of John Cena as Heyman tries to convince Brock to save the fight for the Royal Rumble. Opting to listen to his advocate, “The Beast” holds the WWE World Heavyweight Title belt high before Lesnar & Heyman head to the back.
In a big match made by guest General Managers Edge & Christian, the opening match of the night would be a rare Champion vs. Champion Match as Intercontinental Champion Dolph Ziggler would go one-on-one with United States Champion Rusev, with Lana in his corner, in a non-title match. Incensed over his inability to keep Dolph Ziggler down, Rusev would stomp away at Dolph in the corner, ignoring the referee’s five-count and the referee has no choice but to disqualify Rusev. With the match over, the United States Champion would aim to put Dolph Ziggler in the shelf as Rusev locks in the Accolade on the Intercontinental Champion, using the bottom rope for additional punishment. Referees rush out and are eventually able to get Rusev off of Ziggler before Ryback rushes to the ring, blasting Rusev with the Meat Hook Clothesline, forcing Rusev’s retreat from the ring.
After sending a clear message to Rusev with the Meat Hook Clothesline, Ryback says that, ever since he debuted in WWE, there has been a “misunderstanding” between him and the fans. Ryback then explains that, at the age of 12, he was the guest bell ringer at a WWE event in Las Vegas and, on that night, he knew that he wanted to become a WWE Superstar. Ryback says that, nearly ten years ago, he got his shot to be a WWE Superstar when he was known as “Silverback” on Million Dollar Tough Enough in 2004, showing his elimination from the competition. Ryback says that, following the crushing elimination, Ryback sunk into a deep depression and he did not even talk to his family for nearly a year because he was so “ashamed” of losing everything that he had worked for. Ryback continues, saying that he would work for a barbecue restaurant in Louisville, KY and he would come home from that job to an “empty apartment” with nothing but a stack of WrestleMania DVD’s to remind him of everything that he lost. Ryback then says that he came across this book called “The Secret”, which is a book about positivity that taught him about how powerful the human mind can truly be and this new outlook on life got his life back on track and back in WWE.
Ryback then shows his unforgettable WWE debut as Skip Sheffield in 2010 when he, along with seven other NXT competitors, debuted as The Nexus on RAW, where they laid waste to John Cena, assaulted commentators, and ripped the ring and ringside area to shreds. Ryback continues, saying that he was on top of the world as a part of The Nexus, but on a fateful night in Hawaii, he broke his ankle in three places. Ryback reveals that he continued to compete with the broken ankle and, as a result, he ended up breaking his leg all the way from his ankle to his knee. Ryback then shows the scar that runs from his knee to his foot, saying that the scar is a daily reminder of how lucky he is to be in WWE today. Ryback then says that after two surgeries and three different doctors telling him that he would never be able to wrestle again, he returned to WWE as Ryback. Showing a video package highlighting his dominance as Ryback, Ryback would then address Rusev, saying that this is not some sort of “America vs. Russia thing”, this is “one big guy kicking another big guy’s ass thing”. Ryback then says that one thing that Rusev and the fans need to know about him, is that he feeds on negativity, digesting the negative people and things and turning them into positives, leading the fans in a “feed me more” chant.
The Divas were in action on RAW as Natalya, with Tyson Kidd in her corner, would go one-on-one with Divas Champion Nikki Bella, with Brie Bella in her corner, in a non-title match. Early on in the match, Natalya would knock Nikki Bella to the ring apron and, when Natalya knocks Nikki off of the ring apron, Tyson Kidd catches the Divas Champion and Nikki smiles at Natalya’s husband. Natalya then knocks Nikki down with a baseball slide before tossing the Divas Champion back into the ring. However, an argument between her husband and Brie Bella distracts Natalya long enough for Nikki Bella to take advantage as Nikki hits the Rack Attack on Natalya, pinning Natalya for the win.
Backstage, The Miz & Damien Mizdow are caught off-guard by Naomi rushing in with a big hug for The Miz and, after Naomi requests a private talk with The Miz, Mizdow exits. Naomi explains that, thanks to The Miz and his Hollywood connections, there is a producer interested in Naomi. Naomi then says that The Miz has taken a lot of crap from her husband before wishing The Miz good luck in his title defense.
By virtue of a disqualification win over the tag team champions at WWE TLC, The Usos would get another shot at the gold on RAW as the twin brothers would challenge The Miz & Damien Mizdow for the WWE Tag Team Titles. In a hotly contested title match, The Miz & Damien Mizdow would throw everything at The Usos from The Miz locking in the Figure-Four Leg Lock to hitting the Skull Crushing Finale, but The Usos would continue to kick out of every pinfall attempt. The Miz would then go for the Skull Crushing Finale a second time, but Jey Uso would fight out and tag in his brother as Jimmy Uso blasts Miz with a super kick, followed up with a double super kick from both of The Usos. Jimmy Uso then comes off of the top rope with the Superfly Splash to The Miz, pinning The Miz as The Usos win the WWE Tag Team Titles for the second time in their careers! After the match, an elated Naomi runs out to celebrate with her husband and brother-in-law as the 2014 Tag Team of the Year ends 2014 as the WWE Tag Team Champions. Jerry “The King” Lawler then conducts an in-ring interview with The Usos as the new WWE Tag Team Champions as the champions invite the Hall of Famer to a barbecue celebration after the show. Lawler then asks Jimmy Uso about the recent tension between him and his wife, Naomi, and Jimmy says that he and his wife have always been on the same page, saying that they were the ones who “played” The Miz and it feels “damn good”.
Cesaro would then appear in the ring on RAW with some very frank comments, saying that 2014 should have been his year, citing his victory in the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal at WrestleMania. Cesaro explains that the decision-makers in WWE have told him that he does not “connect”, saying that he does not connect, he “delivers”. Cesaro then says that he doesn’t care about connecting with the fans and he does not care about the “pageantry” or “fancy, elaborate entrances”, all he cares about is what he does every time he steps into the ring. Cesaro then says that that there is nobody in WWE who can do what can do in the ring, daring anyone to come out there and prove him wrong. However, Cesaro could not have predicted the man that would make his return at that moment as former Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett would answer the challenge! Barrett tells Cesaro that he’s got some “bad news”, saying that there will be something “connecting” tonight and it will be his Bull Hammer Elbow connecting with Cesaro’s “shiny head”.
Answering Cesaro’s open challenge, Bad News Barrett would return to action on RAW, going one-on-one with “The Swiss Superman” Cesaro. In the end, a rake to the eye behind the back of the referee would allow Bad News Barrett to hit the Bull Hammer Elbow on Cesaro, pinning Cesaro to pick up the win, making a successful return to action.
The bizarre wildman known as Luke Harper was in action on RAW as Harper would go one-on-one with Jack Swagger. At the end of a hard-fought match, it was Luke Harper blasting Jack Swagger with the Discus Clothesline, pinning Swagger for the win.
Then it was time for a match six months in the making as former Shield teammates would finally go one-on-one as Roman Reigns would square off with “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Seth Rollins, with J&J Security in his corner, with Roman Reigns’ recent rival Big Show a guest on commentary. Throughout a hard-fought match between the two former tag team partners, J&J Security would frequently get involved on Seth Rollins’ behalf, but Roman Reigns would continue to fight back. After narrowly avoiding the Curb Stomp and blasting Rollins with the Superman Punch, Roman Reigns was ready to finish the match with a Spear to Rollins, but that is when Big Show would abandon the announce position to pull Roman out of the ring, ending the match by disqualification. Big Show then delivers several shots to the mid-section of Reigns, tossing Roman over the announce table before tipping the entire announce table over on top of Roman! As Big Show leaves with Seth Rollins, WWE doctors and referees check on Roman Reigns at ringside.
In what was described as a “career-defining moment” by the man himself on Twitter, former WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan would make a special appearance on RAW to address the fans regarding his future. Bryan says that it is an “honor” every time he steps into the ring and the fans were the only ones who thought that he could main event WrestleMania and he did just that, beating Triple H, Batista, and Randy Orton all on the same night to become the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Bryan then says that, five days after WrestleMania, he got married to the girl of his dreams and that made for the best week of his life. Bryan then explains that, after returning from his honeymoon, that is when all the unfortunate events began in his life, recounting his dad’s passing, saying that he was not there for his father because he was busy wrestling. Bryan continues, saying that a month later, he had a career-changing injury that required surgery and the doctors did not know what was wrong, saying that the doctors could not “fix” him. The former champion then says that being in front of the fans is the only thing that could take the pain away because wrestling is what he loves and it’s what he has dreamed of his entire life, saying that there was no one who cheered louder than him when The Authority was removed from power, but it hurt because he could not be there for that moment.
Daniel Bryan then says that the doctors did not have any answers for him and he talked to his friends, his family, and even Edge, saying that you get to a point in your life where you have to make a decision, whether all of this is worth it or not. Bryan continues, saying that he made a special request so that he could come out there and make the announcement himself, asking the question that was on the minds of all of the fans, is his career over? The tone of the moment then changes with one simple “no” before Daniel Bryan gets fired up, saying that is not the announcement he came to RAW to make, shouting that he is ready to “fight” and he is ready to “compete” before asking if he will be in the 2015 Royal Rumble Match. Daniel Bryan then confirms his entry into the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match with a resounding “yes”, leading a “yes” chant that is echoed throughout the arena!
Backstage, former tag team champions The Miz & Damien Mizdow confront guest General Managers Edge & Christian, demanding a rematch for the WWE Tag Team Titles tonight. The guest GM’s grant Miz & Mizdow a match, but not against The Usos and not for the WWE Tag Team Titles.
In an impromptu tag match made by Edge & Christian, The Miz & Damien Mizdow would be forced to compete for the second time on RAW against the former NXT Tag Team Champions, the big, dangerous, and destructive team known as The Ascension! In the end, it was a dominant victory by the newcomers as Konnor & Viktor hit their Fall of Man double team maneuver before Konnor pins Damien Mizdow for the win.
With Seth Rollins vowing to invite not only John Cena, but Brock Lesnar as well, it was then time for the first edition of The Cutting Edge Peep Show as guest General Managers Edge & Christian would welcome “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Seth Rollins as their guest. After poking some fun at Seth Rollins by calling him “General Zod 2000” and “The Walking Pile of Suck”, Edge & Christian bring out their guest on The Cutting Edge Peep Show, Seth Rollins. With J&J Security by his side with champagne and wine glasses in hand, Seth Rollins would make his way to the ring to join Edge & Christian. Seth Rollins says that it is an “honor” for him to be on the first edition of The Cutting Edge Peep Show, saying that Edge & Christian pioneered a generation and, if it wasn’t for them, then he might not even be in WWE today. However, Edge & Christian sees through the positive attitude of Seth Rollins and Rollins says that that he had an incredible 2014 in WWE, saying he won the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase and became known worldwide as the “undisputed future” of WWE. Rollins then says that no one in WWE had a better year than he did, which prompts Edge & Christian to come up with several people who could lay claim to having a better year than Seth Rollins, including John Cena, Dolph Ziggler, Sting, Daniel Bryan, and even “The Doctor of Style” Slick!
Seth Rollins then says that, ever since Survivor Series, he has been a “party pooper” and, in 2015, that Seth Rollins is “gone”. Rollins says that he wants to have a “celebration” for the “new Seth Rollins”, but they cannot do that without someone who sees the value in “personal evaluation”, calling for Big Show to join him on The Cutting Edge Peep Show. Seth Rollins then says that he wants to bring out a guy who has helped him see the “error” of his ways, asking for John Cena to come to the ring. However, Cena does not show up and Edge comments that Rollins just doesn’t have the “charisma” that he and Christian have. Rollins responds by saying that he is not “like” Edge & Christian because he is “better” than Edge & Christian. Rollins then admits that he did not want Cena to come out there to propose a toast, he wants Cena out there because he wants something from John Cena.
Now demanding his presence, Seth Rollins orders John Cena to come out to the ring, but when Cena still does not come out, Rollins says that Cena is leaving him “no choice” but to “force” John Cena’s hand. With that, Seth Rollins uses his Money-in-the-Bank briefcase, delivering a cheap shot to the mid-section of Christian! Taking issue with Seth Rollins attacking Christian, Edge gets in Rollins’ face, shoving Rollins before finding himself surrounded by Rollins, Big Show, and J&J Security. Big Show then grabs Edge by the throat, clawing Edge’s surgically-repaired neck and forcing Edge’s face down against the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase. With Rollins placing his foot on Edge’s neck, Rollins screams for John Cena to come to the ring, saying that he thought that Cena “respected” Edge, saying that if Cena is half the man that he says he is, then Cena will come out there and stop him from paralyzing Edge. With Edge in a very vulnerable position, Cena rushes towards the ring, but is halted by Seth Rollins, who orders Cena to stay where he is. Rollins then says that Cena knows what Rollins wants and if Cena does not give him what he wants, then he will break Edge’s neck!
Pondering the repercussions of his next move, John Cena would not take his eyes off of Seth Rollins as he begins to rush towards the ring, but when Rollins lifts up his foot, taunting Cena, Cena again stops in his tracks. Rollins then reminds Cena that Edge is a husband and a father, saying that if Cena wants Edge to ever be able to play with his child, then Cena will give Rollins what he wants. Rollins continues to antagonize Cena, saying that Cena grants wishes year round and he bets that Edge wishes that Cena would come to his rescue right now. Rollins then asks if Cena is the “phony” that he believes he is or is Cena the “real deal”, demanding that Cena bring The Authority back or he will “paralyze” Edge and it will be on Cena’s conscious for the rest of his life. Rollins says that Cena has made his life “hell” since Survivor Series and he will fill the rest of Cena’s life with “regret” and he will make sure that Edge is never able to hold his child again. Given no choice but to give in to the madman’s demands, Cena tells Rollins to “stop” before reluctantly agreeing to bring The Authority back. However, Seth Rollins orders Jamie Noble to bring a microphone to John Cena so that the whole world can hear Cena. Rollins then demands that Cena repeat himself and, after mumbling that he will bring The Authority back, Rollins forces Cena to repeat himself again and an emotional Cena screams that he is bringing The Authority back!
Seth Rollins then yells in glee that The Authority is back, high-fiving J&J Security. However, Big Show does not release his grip on Edge and Seth Rollins says that John Cena has to know him better than that, saying that he’s going to do it anyways! Luckily for Edge, Cena tackles Rollins just in time, knocking Big Show and J&J Security down before tackling Rollins again, but Big Show would pull Cena off of Rollins, leveling Cena with the Knockout Punch. Back on his feet, Seth Rollins then follows up with the Curb Stomp to Cena, planting Cena face-first into the mat. With John Cena taken out and The Authority back in power, Seth Rollins celebrates with Big Show and J&J Security as they exit the ring and walk up the ramp to the stage where they are greeted by WWE World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and his advocate, Paul Heyman. Heyman extends his hand to Seth Rollins and Rollins shakes Heyman’s hand. With their apparent master plan coming to fruition, the contingent on the stage is joined by the newly reinstated Authority as Triple H & Stephanie McMahon come out to the stage with glasses of champagne in hand, joining in on the sinister celebration.
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