RAW 1000th Episode Results In CM Punk Retaining WWE Title, DX Reuniting And More [PHOTOS]
WWE RAW 1,000th episode did big things for World Wrestling Entertainment. From the second the new opening vignette began rolling until the retaining WWE Champion, CM Punk, outdid every performer, and turned heel, the show brought the WWE Universe most what it wanted.
The WWE Championship bout was promoted as the main event of the show, and it did not disappoint. John Cena cashed in his Money in the Bank contract, granting him a WWE Title match in any place at any time, and the current champion held nothing back to keep the prestigious belt around his waist, including attacking The Rock.
Dwayne The Rock Johnson, a WWE legend and occasional returning superstar confirmed earlier that evening that he would be wrestling for the WWE Championship this coming January at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view, one of WWE's biggest annual events. When The Rock returned to the ring to stop The Big Show from attacking Cena during the Punk vs. Cena match, CM Punk took the opportunity to take the people's champ out with a devastating clothesline and a GTS, effectively making himself WWE's biggest villain and retaining WWE Champion by disqualification.
This heel turn is the event's shock moment, since CM Punk has been the second biggest face, or fan favorite, behind John Cena, for over a year. This excellent storyline move could prove to be a poor economic decision on the writer part, since CM Punk as a face is one of the company's most marketable superstars.
This three hour show had more than just one watch. From the very beginning they captivated long time wrestling fans with a montage of old and new footage to bring back all most exciting, and most saddening RAW moments.
As soon as the live show started, WWE brought out one of the most popular groups of all time, D-Generation X. A long standing group, DX has gone through several reincarnations since it began in 1997, and last night was the first time in over a decade to feature Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac.
Starting out with just the duo of Michaels and Triple H, the two teased the audience who hadn't seen the other three members in action for some time. When the group finally reunited in nearly full form the crowd was ecstatic, and they became elated when the five-some brutalized rookie superstar, Damien Sandow.
The first fight of the evening was the six-man tag match to take up most of the roster, featuring Heavyweight Champion Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara facing Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio. The tag match crammed in some of the big names that wouldn't fit if they all had singles matches, and built up a feud when Ziggler attacked his own team mate, Jericho, allowing Sheamous to pick up the victory with a Brogue Kick.
There was a match between Jack Swagger and Brotus Clay, but it was merely a squash to put Clay over, similarly to the type we've seen since his debut. The main reasonfor the match was to bring out Mick Foley as Dude Love for comic relief, dancing, and a Mr. Socko attack on Swagger.
After the laughs, the storyline wedding between Daniel Bryan and AJ Lee started, and like all RAW weddings, this one didn't go as planned. Vince McMahon came out and revealed that AJ Lee is the new RAW General Manager.
The surprise match of the night ended up being an outstanding contest between Christian and The Miz for the Intercontinental Championship. The two work well in the ring together and had a fast-paced back and forth match, ending with The Miz wining the IC title after a Scull Crushing Finale and solidifying his comeback.
Guest stars for the show outnumbered the matches by far, with non-wrestling related celebrities like Charlie Sheen a part of the broadcast. Aside from the ones mentioned already, returning stars included Jim Duggan, Trish Stratus, Slick, Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, Bret Hart and Stephanie McMahon.
They also continued the Heath Slater vs. Legends angle with him facing Lita, who informs Slater that she hired some protection. When the John Bradshaw Layfeild and Ron Farooq Simmons come out, Slater runs out of the ring, but is confronted by the legends he had already faced: Road Warrior Animal, Sid, Vader, Rikishi, Sgt. Slaughter, Roddy Piper, Diamond Dallas Page, Doink the Clown and Bob Backlund. Lita hits a Twist of Fate and lands a perfect Moonsault and the match is over.
The one thing left on the bill was for Kane to face a group of low-card wrestlers who were looking to make it big. The arena goes black, The Undertaker comes to the ring, and The Brothers of Destruction demolish the entire group with Chokeslams and Tombstones.
One of the most anticipated WWE events in years, RAW 1000 lived up to the hype. The landscape of the company has been altered with CM Punks heel turn and AJ Lee becoming the new RAW GM, and fans were treated to some great matches from current stars and memories from older ones.
The only issue with the show was the absence of the United State Champion, Tag Team Champions and Divas Champion, who appeared only in backstage footage. With a three-hour show every week from now on, WWE should consider booker more matches with them, and slightly fewer hoaky scenes.
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