John Cena challenged Dolph Ziggler to a match
PHOTOS
TAMPA, Fla. - One week later, and it looks like
Dolph Ziggler's still stewing over the suspect slop that was dumped on
him from above on New Year's Eve, bringing his 2012 to a messy end and
humiliating The Showoff just days after his biggest victory over John
Cena to date.
Still, Mr. Money in the Bank wasn't quite so riled up that he was
willing to buy into Cena's continued jabs, standing firm in the face of
the Cenation leader's opening address when Raw descended upon the Tampa
Bay Times Forum in Tampa, Fla. While Cena rained insults down upon The
Showoff, Ziggler stuck to his guns and tossed a few barbs of his own in
the direction of the 10-time WWE Champion, ultimately declaring for the
Royal Rumble and promising to do whatever it took to keep Cena from
winning. When it came time to answer Cena's challenge for a one-on-one
bout in Tampa, though, The Showoff drew the line and turned the Cenation
leader down outright.
Somewhat unfortunately for Dolph, though, Big E Langston took that
exact opportunity to break his silence and accept Cena's challenge on
behalf of his boss. We've got to hand it to the big guy: He's a man of
few words, but he sure does make them count.
John Cena def. Dolph Ziggler
VIDEO
Dolph Ziggler's sour mood looks like it's going to extend into 2013
after The Showoff fell short in his attempt to avenge the embarrassment
he suffered at John Cena's hands in a No Holds Barred Match. Ziggler
stormed into the contest early, looking for some payback against the
Cenation leader for dousing him with doo-doo on New Year's Eve. But Cena
stood firm in the face of The Showoff's speedy onslaught and eventually
claimed revenge of his own after AJ Lee's interference forced the
referee to expel her and Big E Langston from ringside. With The Showoff
isolated, Cena surged forth and swung the momentum back his way, kicking
out of nearly every move in Ziggler's arsenal. Cena seemed on the verge
of finally paying The Showoff back for his ill-gotten victory at WWE
TLC: Tables, Ladders and Chairs.
An unfortunate incident nearly derailed the contest for Cena, though,
after he inadvertently knocked out the referee by tossing Ziggler into
him while powering out of the sleeper hold. With the official
incapacitated, Langston stormed the ring and dropped Cena once again.
But the attack by Ziggler's monstrous lieutenant wasn't enough to keep
Cena down. The Cenation leader ultimately powered out at the count of
two when a replacement ref arrived, unleashing a final Attitude
Adjustment on Mr. Money in the Bank to bring Raw's first match of 2013
to its close.
Kaitlyn def. Divas Champion Eve via Count-out
VIDEO
Kaitlyn's pursuit of the Divas Championship continues to come up
short, as the beautiful bruiser once again challenged Eve for the
butterfly-emblazoned title and once again walked away with a technical
victory that notched her the 'W,' but not the championship. In this
case, it was Eve who willingly called off the contest despite dominating
early on with her ground game and technical expertise. Once Kaitlyn
rallied back, though, the Gracie-trained jiu-jitsu expert clearly wanted
no part of her persistent challenger and vacated the ring after just a
few minutes of action. Eve's departure awarded Kaitlyn the victory via a
count-out, but stopped the title from changing hands all the same.
Team Rhodes Scholars def. WWE Tag Team Champions Team Hell No
VIDEO
One championship pursuit that seemed to turn a corner was Team Rhodes
Scholars' endless chase of the WWE Tag Team Championships, as the
brainy bros knocked off Team Hell No in a non-title match in Tampa. The
tandem of Cody Rhodes and Damien Sandow has long pursued Kane and Daniel
Bryan's twin titles, and while they've typically come up just short of
Team Hell No, the Scholars pulled off the tag upset in the Sunshine
State. Kane and Bryan took control of the bout early on, isolating
Sandow in a mirror of the Rhodes Scholars' own divide-and-conquer
strategy, but the intellectually gifted grapplers proved that patience
is indeed a virtue and turned the tide after Bryan tweaked his knee.
Capitalizing on the submission expert's injury, Rhodes quickly tagged in
and went to work. Rhodes escaped Bryan's last-ditch attempt at a small
package and pounding the 'No!' man with Cross Rhodes for the win.
Randy Orton def. Heath Slater
VIDEO
Heath Slater's 3MB may be hard at work in the studio, but it was
Randy Orton who racked up the hits against the band's frontman Heath
Slater in the Tampa Bay Times Forum. Slater made a name for himself in
2012 as a Superstar who wasn't afraid to take on some of WWE's Legends,
but Slater felt the wrath of the original Legend Killer in Florida as
Orton attacked him early and often in the short, physical contest.
Slater took it to Orton as best he could by targeting the former WWE
Champion's recently separated shoulder, but The Viper would not be
denied in his unmanning of Slater. Toughing it out through Slater's
strategy, The Apex Predator shook off the red-haired rocker's offense
(and the interference of 3MB) before lashing out with an RKO to bring
Slater's evening to an unceremonious end. No encores necessary.
Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett def. Santino Marella
PHOTOS |
VIDEO
The Barrett Barrage rolled through its Italian opposition in the
Tampa Bay Times Forum when Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett
collided with Santino Marella in a grudge match that had come about
following an unceremonious interaction between the two earlier in the
locker room. Santino was fighting for the honor of Ricky 'The Dragon'
Steamboat, who Barrett had the temerity to insult backstage, but The
Milan Miracle's noble gesture ultimately fell short in the face of
Barrett's onslaught. With the WWE Hall of Famer at ringside, Santino
seemed poised to pull off the upset for a brief period, but the champion
rallied by dodging The Cobra and unleashing the Bull Hammer on an
unsuspecting Santino. The strike put The Italian Stallion down for the
count but stopping short of mixing it up with Steamboat himself.
U.S. Champion Antonio Cesaro def. The Great Khali
Lightning struck twice for the mighty United States Champion when
Antonio Cesaro battled The Great Khali in a reprise of their physical
title bout on last week's WWE Main Event. The Swiss Superman's mantle
was not up for grabs this time, but The Punjabi Giant was out for
retribution all the same. Khali went to his time-honored strategy of
crippling chops and power moves in his attempt to unman the U.S.
Champion, but Cesaro stood firm and once again rallied for the victory.
In the bout's final minutes, Cesaro went to work on Khali's knee and hit
an airborne variation of the Very European Uppercut, throwing the big
man off balance before executing the Neutralizer on the towering former
World Champion to bring the bout to an emphatic close.
Sheamus def. Jinder Mahal
PHOTOS
Not to be outdone by his friendly rival Randy Orton, Sheamus got his
own licks in on a member of 3MB only a few days after he and The Viper
butted heads on SmackDown. Whereas Orton faced Heath Slater in a match,
however, The Celtic Warrior stepped into the ring against Jinder Mahal.
Regardless of the bandmate, though, the result was ultimately the same.
Mahal was game for his bout and hardly withered in the face of the
former World Heavyweight Champion. But Sheamus never truly allowed Mahal
to find his rhythm, shaking off 3MB's attempt to swing the match. He
ultimately cut Mahal down with a thundering Brogue Kick. The victory
elevated The Celtic Warrior to victory and put 3MB at 0-2 for the
evening. Your move, Randy.
Not to be outdone by his friendly rival Randy Orton, Sheamus got his
own licks in on a member of 3MB only a few days after he and The Viper
butted heads on SmackDown. Whereas Orton faced Heath Slater in a match,
however, The Celtic Warrior stepped into the ring against Jinder Mahal.
Regardless of the bandmate, though, the result was ultimately the same.
Mahal was game for his bout and hardly withered in the face of the
former World Heavyweight Champion. But Sheamus never truly allowed Mahal
to find his rhythm, shaking off 3MB's attempt to swing the match. He
ultimately cut Mahal down with a thundering Brogue Kick. The victory
elevated The Celtic Warrior to victory and put 3MB at 0-2 for the
evening. Your move, Randy.
WWE Champion CM Punk def. Ryback in a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match
VIDEO
It was a long time coming, but WWE Champion CM Punk finally faced
feeding time in the Tampa Bay Times Forum, battling Ryback one-on-one in
a Tables, Ladders and Chairs Match for Punk's WWE Title that was
originally slated to go down at WWE TLC in December. Punk's unexpected
trip under the knife delayed the contest for a full month, but with The
Straight Edge Superstar cleared by WWE medical officials, the champion's
brief reprieve from his ravenous challenger was finally at an end.
And make no mistake, Ryback was nothing if not very, very hungry when
he finally stepped into the ring against Punk. Ryback literally came
out swinging against the champion, tenderizing Punk with body shots and
vicious blows from the steel steps, but Punk took advantage of the
unique stipulation to fortify his counterattacks. Punk battered Ryback
with chair strikes to soften him up for his signature kicks, but Ryback
had a similar strategy. He matched Punk shot-for-shot with his own chair
and, at one point, delivered a bone-crunching suplex to Punk that drove
the champion, back-first, onto a prone ladder.
Punk rallied from the brutal assault to set up a ladder in the center
of the ring, but Ryback seemed to irrevocably take control of the bout
when he slammed Punk atop the ladder and then dropped him through a
table, leaving the champion incapacitated and the title within reach.
But right when the beast scaled the ladder, the arena lights cut out.
When the lights returned, they revealed The Shield, who stormed the
ring. The trio unleashed a beating on Ryback, executing the triple
powerbomb and allowing Punk to scale the ladder unscathed. Against all
odds, the WWE Champion survives, extending his historic reign by yet
another day. Next stop: the Royal Rumble.
World Heavyweight Champion Big Show def. Kofi Kingston
VIDEO
Big Show's reign of terror rolled into 2013 when the World
Heavyweight Champion followed up his shellacking of poor Ricardo
Rodriguez with a resounding win over Kofi Kingston, the recently
dethroned former Intercontinental Champion. Looking for a rebound win
one week after losing his title to Wade Barrett, Kingston couldn't catch
a break when he squared off against The World's Largest Champion. 'The
Wildcat' didn't even have a minute to get going before Show leveled him
with an immediate KO Punch, cutting Kingston down and kicking off his
own 2013 on a high note.
The Rock confronted WWE Champion CM Punk
VIDEOS
Finally, it's come down to this: WWE Champion CM Punk and The Rock,
in the ring one-on-one. And while the first 2013 encounter between the
two (and their first faceoff since Raw 1,000 back in July) was only a
verbal one, the atmosphere was still pulsating with electricity and
animosity as their WWE Title bout at the Royal Rumble drew ever nearer.
Before The Rock could address the people, however, CM Punk took the
opportunity to drop another 'pipe bomb.' In his own words, the term has
been misinterpreted since that fateful 2011 night in Las Vegas. 'Pipe
bomb' has taken on the meaning of a tell-all missive, but to the
champion, it is simply the truth. And the truth is, despite his efforts,
Punk found that life in WWE had not changed much, and claimed that
talented Superstars such as himself were still subject to the whims of
an audience he believed to be fickle and ill-informed. In that vein,
Punk snarled that he did not succeed because of 'the people' who
suddenly rallied to his side: He succeeded despite the 'system' that had
been established to keep him and his ilk down, and the fans who
supported it in the first place.
'I have beaten you,' Punk said to the Universe, the establishment, to
anyone and everyone his words could reach. 'I have stomped you out
under my oppressive boot and I'm gonna do the same to The Rock because I
don't care if he's back. You do not get to win.'
At that point, The Rock had enough. The Brahma Bull's music hit and
for the first time since July, The Great One stalked down to the ring
and wasted little time in addressing the champion's comments. 'Twenty
days,' The Rock said, addressing the number of days Punk has until the
fateful WWE Title Match between the two at the Royal Rumble. 'Twenty
days. Time's up.'
What followed was a proverbial clash of the titans on the microphone,
as Punk's bilious rhetoric clashed with Rock's patented braggadocio.
After a tense back-and-forth, The Rock laid his own personal truth bare.
His own 'pipe bomb,' if you will. 'The Rock is back to entertain them,
The Rock is back to stop you, and after 10 long years, The Rock is back
to win that,' he said.
Punk countered with a response that had no shortage of malice, but
The Great One would not be deterred. 'Twenty days,' Rock warned again.
'Time's up.' And before Punk could reply, The Brahma Bull struck with a
Rock Bottom, leaving the WWE Champion in a heap on the canvas and
sending an unmistakable message to The Straight Edge Superstar.
Welcome to 2013, WWE Universe. It's gonna be quite the year. Twenty days.
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