Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, January 25th, 2010 (USA Network)
Location: The Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio
Results by 411 Mania
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”
-Live from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH
-Hosted by Michael Cole & Jerry “The King” Lawler
D-Generation X vs. Legacy
Triple H stops his intro half way through as he realizes Hornswoggle isn’t there, and Shawn says he’s not here because he sent him home. Shawn says this is serious, and HHH asks if they’re going to go over this one more time. Shawn wants to know why HHH doesn’t understand the position that he’s in. He says HHH knows how much it means to him, and how he wants his shot at Undertaker and how he wants his shot to end the streak. Shawn asks if that’s too much to ask, and HHH says yes it is too much to ask. HHH says this is the Rumble, and even though they’ve been telling jokes for the last six months its Rumble time and it is time to get serious. He says if getting a title shot, and being in the Wrestlemania main event isn’t your goal you should get out of the business. He says he knows how much Shawn wants Taker, but he wants the title shot just as bad. He says at the Rumble they can work together and take care of the other 28 guys pretty easy, but in the end it will come down to the two of them. He says they’ll always be friends, but if he has to step on Shawn’s dream to get to his then that’s exactly what he’s going to do. Shawn says he understands, and that’s that. Rhodes starts things off with HHH, and they trade blows in the corner with HHH getting the better of it. Cody misses a dropkick off the ropes, and HHH goes for a quick pedigree but Dibiase pulls Rhodes outside to save him as we head to break.
We return from the commercial as HHH makes a tag to Shawn who delivers a flying forearm and inverted atomic drop to Cody Rhodes. Shawn delivers a chop to Cody, and knocks Dibiase off the apron before heading to the top rope. Dibiase gives a quick distraction allowing Cody to roll to the floor, but Shawn just reverses course and takes both men out with a crossbody on the floor. Cody gets thrown back inside, but Dibiase grabs Shawn’s leg coming in and that allows Cody to delivers a swinging neckbreaker. Dibiase tags in the match and stomps Shawn down in the corner, and then fires Shawn into the top buckle before tagging Cody back inside. Cody delivers a straight right hand for two, and delivers a knee drop for two more. Dibiase tags in and delivers a standing dropkick picking up a two count, and then hits a snap mare. Dibiase hits a running boot to the face for two, and tags in Cody. Rhodes hits a Side Russian Legsweep for two, and locks in a front facelock. Shawn tries to walk Cody to the corner for the tag, but Cody lets Shawn go and knocks HHH from the apron. Shawn hits an inverted atomic drop, but when he goes for the tag there’s no HHH. Cody tags in Dibiase who goes for Dream Street, but Shawn counters and goes for Sweet Chin Music. Dibiase partially dodges it, and catches the kick low but Shawn is able to make the tag to HHH. HHH hits a high knee, and delivers a running clothesline in the corner. Facebuster connects by HHH, and Rhodes is in as he eats a spinebuster. Dibiase gets hit with a spinebuster as well, and HHH goes for the Pedigree. Shawn tags himself in, and DX stares down. Rhodes pushes HHH into Shawn, but as Dibiase helps up Rhodes Shawn hits sweet chin music on him. HHH knocks Dibiase from the ring, and Shawn makes the cover for the pin at 10:02. They give a half hearted celebration after the match, and shake hands, but the dissension continues to mount.
Winners: D-Generation X (Michaels pins Dibiase-Sweet Chin Music **3/4)
-During the match Cole and Lawler confirmed the earlier reports that James Roday is not there, and Dule Hill will be hosting by himself. That leads to a behind the scenes look at Cena on Psych.
Montel Vontavious Porter vs. The Big Show
MVP says there’s something he needs to say to The Miz. He says Miz is the US Champions, but the problem is MVP is the number one contender. He says he can continue to hide behind guest hosts, and his new 500 pound defender, but he can’t keep running away. Eventually Miz will have to face him for the title, and when he does MVP will be become a three time champion. Miz comes out and says he doesn’t even know what “straight up ballin” is. He asks if it is a euphemism for some unspeakable act he picked up behind bars. He finds it shocking that despites MVP’s incarceration the people accept him, and they can’t stand Miz. He says while MVP was taking mugshots he was a star on multiple reality shows. While MVP was making license plates he was becoming a bigger celebrity than MVP will ever be. He says maybe that’s why everyone dislikes him, but MVP interrupts to say people dislike him because he’s a jack ass. He says Miz keeps bringing up MVP’s time behind bars, but he knows Miz would be very popular in prison. In fact they’d be fighting over the right to be his exclusive friend. Miz gets sick of that, and says he would like nothing more than to have their US Title match right now. MVP asks why he doesn’t, but Miz says he has a friend who wants to make a statement. Show attacks MVP early with a headbutt sending him into the corner where Show delivers a brutal chop. Show goes for an avalanche which misses allowing MVP to hit a facebuster. MVP delivers a drive by kick, but a second charge runs into the chokeslam which finishes at 1:01. Well MVP got a nice promo, and then got completely buried. How nice.
Winner: The Big Show (Pinfall-Chokeslam DUD)
They announce that Vince McMahon has an announcement on the future of Bret Hart tonight.
-Legacy is in the locker room, and Rhodes says he didn’t know where his head was at with Kofi and Cena, but this week he thanks him for sparing him the kick. Dibiase goes to say something, but Orton interrupts and says there’s been all this tension between them but now they’re on the same page. He says then they go lose to DX, and last week Sheamus attacks him from behind and his backup is in the back fighting. Orton says they need to get it in their heads, because at the Rumble match only one man can win. Between Orton and Sheamus rest assured Orton will win, and he’s going to do it with or without them.
-John Cena is in the back talking to Dule Hill, but wants to know where James Roday. Dule says he James had an appendectomy and that’s why he’s not here. Cena says Dule needs to make this his night and he takes off. Miz then stops by and wants to know why Psych wasted their time with Cena when they could have had him. Miz says he had to google his name to find out who he is, and he’s more famous than Dule and his hospitalized co-star. Dule is sick of Miz, so he books him in a match tonight.
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Maryse vs. Eve Torres
Maryse says the other divas with their little championship dreams their wasting their time. She starts talking in French, when she is interrupted by pyro because Dule Hill is messing with the buttons. Maryse calls him a disrespectful loser, and yells at him some more in French. Okay then. Eve attacks with a series of forearms in the corner, but Maryse answers with a slap. Eve comes right back with a dropkick for two, and then stops a backdrop attempt with a kick. Eve hits a standing senton, but misses a moonsault. Eve counters Maryse’s DDT attempt with a northern lights suplex for two, but an attempted Irish Whip is blocked by Maryse. Maryse hits the French Kiss, and that finishes at 2:06. I’ve seen worse, but not much.
Winner: Maryse (Pinfall-French Kiss ¼*)
Vince McMahon is up next!
-Mr. McMahon is out, and he says if Undertaker were here tonight he would look him square in the eye and dare him to call him a coward. He said his own son-in-law HHH said that if he didn’t bring Bret Hart back some of the fans might even consider him a coward. Vince says there’s not one good reason why he should bring Bret Hart back. He says economics 101 says you buy low and sell high, and he sold Bret to WCW when he was at his height and he was never seen or heard from again. He says we all forgot about Bret Hart until Shawn mentioned him, and Vince then asks if we want Bret Hart back. The crowd of course responds in the affirmative, and Vince tells them to listen to this announcement. He says Bret will never again appear in the WWE. He says he’s a businessman, and he knows what’s right for business. When the crowd boos he asks if they think they know more than he is. He says the arena must be full of billionaires, and he then decides if they’re so smart he’s going talk to them. He walks through the crowd and asks the crowd if they think he’s afraid of Bret. Of course the rednecks in the audience do nothing to help the overall opinion of the average wrestling fan, and Vince gets back in the ring and says there is no good reason to bring Bret back because he is a part of the past. Vince says he’s concerned with the present, and the future, not concerned with someone who is just a footnote of the past. Vince thanks them for their consideration and kindness, but he’s interrupted by John Cena. Vince says if Cena is out here to change his mind he shouldn’t even think about it. Cena says he knows where Vince stands, and he never had a problem with Vince until recently. He says Vince said Bret was a used up piece of gum who can be chewed up and thrown away, and at MSG he treated Roddy Piper like a washed up piece of crap. He tells Vince he had a lot of help building his empire. People like Piper and Hart, and the problem with Vince is that he gets this idea in his head that WWE Superstars are nothing more than commodities and when they hit their expiration date they’re gone. He asks if that’s what he thinks of people like Shawn, Vince, and Cena himself. He says the reason people don’t respect Vince is because he only cares of lining his pockets and serving his ego. He says he brought Bret Hart back only so the last thing people would see was Vince kicking him in the gut. Cena says Vince isn’t a coward, but he’s just pathetic. Cena says next week Vince is going to have Bret on Raw, because Bret deserves to be there. He says if he doesn’t then on Vince’s 90th birthday Cena is going to find him, and pick him up out of his wheel chair and knock his false teeth right down his throat. Because he will have proved that everyone who worked for him what they already knew. Vince says he’s not a coward, and he will invite Bret Hart back to Raw next week and he won’t even flinch. Vince says since Cena wants to make such an impact tonight, he’s going to put him in a match with Sheamus.
The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston
Kofi hits an armdrag into an armbar, but Miz hammers out sending Kofi to the ropes. Kofi hits a crossbody for two, but a second attempt meets the boot of Miz for a two count. Miz drives a knee into the lower back of Kofi, and grabs a rear chinlock. Miz fires Kofi back to the mat, and delivers a running boot to the face for two. Miz hits a running boot to the ribs, and stomps Kofi in the face before delivering a legdrop. Miz goes back to the chinlock, but Kofi is able to strike his way free. Miz whips Kofi to the corner, but runs into a bicycle kick as Kofi heads to the top. Kofi delivers a splash off the top, but misses a jumping clothesline and Miz hits a neckbreaker-backbreaker combo for two. MVP’s music hits, but he doesn’t come out. The distraction allows Kofi to hit Trouble in Paradise however and that picks up the win at 3:38. MVP wanders out and stares down Miz from the ramp. Kofi went from feuding with Orton to playing third wheel in a mid card feud. Too bad.
Winner: Kofi Kingston (Pinfall-Trouble in Paradise *1/2)
-Carlito takes Dule Hill on a tour of the WWE Production truck. Dule wants to know what all the buttons do, and he tells them it brings up the graphic page. Carlito says Dule should put him in a title match, but Dule has a better idea. He’s going to punch in a random code, and whoever comes up will face Carlito next. Dule punches in the numbers, and the lucky winner is…Kelly Kelly? Carlito likes the sound of that, and hustles off to the ring.
Carlito vs. Kelly Kelly
Carlito is out in street clothes, and Kelly comes out scared half to death. Santino comes out, and tells Kelly not to take another step. He says he has the Best of Raw 2009 DVD in his hand, and he looks like a “stupido” several times. He says he’s going to do something spectacular in 2010, and take Kelly’s place. Then he’ll go to the Royal Rumble and pull off the shocker of the year by winning and going to Wrestlemania. Santino heads to the ring, but he’s attacked by Jack Swagger who fires Santino inside only to throw him over the top rope. Swagger drives Santino face first into the ringpost, and does push ups on the floor over him. So I guess this means we’re robbed of the sure to be epic Kelly Kelly-Carlito bout?
No Match
-Recycled Royal Rumble stat package that airs every year is shown. This is always cool.
-Cena meets back up with Dule Hill, and he thinks that one thing could make tonight better. Cena has James Roday on speaker phone, and he wants us to let Sheamus know that The Berzerker and Carrot Top called and they want their love child back. Alicia Fox stops by, and she said she hears that Dule is a psychic. She wants him to predict what is going to happen in her match tonight with Gail Kim. He says he sees a Fox standing victorious inside a ring. He lets her know that he’ll be with her as her good luck charm. She tells him he better be right, and Dule wants to know what that means. Cena theorizes it could mean any number of things. A Tecmo Super Bowl tournament, keg stands at the ice cream machine at Golden Corral, or most likely she’s going to have Mark Henry remove his appendix the hard way.
WWE Diva’s Championship Tournament Semifinals-Gail Kim vs. Alicia Fox
Gail gets the jobber entrance for this one. Alicia hits the ropes and delivers a shoulder block, but Gail comes back with a monkeyflip. Gail armdrags Alicia back inside, but Alicia fires her into the top buckle. Alicia hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for two, and then whips Gail into the corner. Alicia misses a running kick, and Gail hits a powerslam for two. Alicia comes back with a small package for two, but Gail answers with a spin kick. Gail counters a running powerslam sliding down the back, and hitting her falling big boot for the win at 1:56. This was worse than the first one. Afterward Alicia gets in Dule’s face, but he tries to suck up and said it was a misunderstanding. She is not amused, and smacks him.
Winner: Gail Kim (Pinfall-Falling Big Boot DUD)
Main event is next!! Sheamus vs. John Cena, non title match.
Sheamus vs. John Cena
Back from commercial and out comes the WWE Champion Sheamus for this non-title match. Out next comes John Cena to a big pop. The match starts and they lock up and go to the corner after testing each other for a minute. Sheamus breaks the hold and shows off some. Cena takes Sheamus back to the corner and the ref breaks it up. Cena shows off now. Sheamus charges but Cena fights back with right hands and hits the bulldog for a 2 count.
Sheamus takes control and backs Cena in the corner. Sheamus beats Cena down with a bunch of kicks. Cena catches Sheamus with a suplex for 2. They come off the ropes and Sheamus drops Cena with a clothesline. Sheamus with another pin attempt. Sheamus controls the match now, dropping Cena with rights. Sheamus launches Cena into the opposite corner and covers for another 2 count.
Sheamus gets Cena on the apron and hits a running knee to the face, knocking Cena out to the floor. Sheamus goes for another but Cena counters and goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Sheamus counters that with a DDT for a 2 count. Sheamus hits a big powerslam for another 2 count. Cena goes for the STF but Sheamus counters and kicks Cena out of the ring. Sheamus comes to the floor and throws Cena into the steel steps. The referee begins his count and Cena comes back in at the 9 count. Cena counters a move and hits the shoulder blocks off the ropes and back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Sheamus counters the Attitude Adjustment with a knee to the back and a 2 count. Sheamus goes for the big axe kick but Cena counters it with the STF. Sheamus reaches the rope and breaks the hold. Cena comes out to the floor after Sheamus but gets kicked in the face with Sheamus’ big kick. Cena is laid out again as the referee counts.
Out of nowhere, Randy Orton rushes the ring and lays Sheamus out with the RKO. Orton gets down and taunts Sheamus as the referee calls for the bell. Cena comes up to the ropes and Orton grabs him. Orton goes for the DDT off the ropes but Cena counters with the Attitude Adjustment, laying Orton out.
Winner: Sheamus by DQ
– Cena celebrates in the ring with Orton and Sheamus still laid out. RAW goes off the air.