BTWNCHAOSNORDER’S gives a recap of 01/16/2012 World Wrestling Entertainment’s “Monday Night Raw” at the Honda Center, in Anaheim, CA. This was pretty much a full crowd that was on hand for tonight’s Raw at the Honda Center in Anaheim, CA.
* Jack Swagger winning the U.S. Championship from Zack Ryder was pretty much a given, after what Kane did last week.
* Hilton Perez certainly tried to get the referee’s attention on the Bella Twins’ attempt at Twin Magic, so he definitely took matters in his own hand. Can’t blame Ian Clark for calling B.S. on the matter at hand, but yet this is another dull, too short Divas match that isn’t showcasing Natalya, or even the Divas Champion, Beth Phoenix.
* R-Truth was definitely strong on the mic tonight, pulling in some nice, cheap plugs on the Disneyland Resort just down Katella Ave. in Anaheim, bypassing nearby Angels Stadium. The “Pinocchio’s lying” part really was the funniest part of the promo IMHO.
* Kane was also golden w/ his own “Embrace The Hate” promo towards Cena after he “obliterated” Swagger outside the ring.
* Plenty of “Somebody Call My Momma” signs on display for “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay. I’ll give him a month or two to gel into his new gimmick, then decide on how good it is in conjunction with his power style. At least they have some use for Naomi & Cameron. My advice: keep them that way, & don’t let them wrestle in the ring (see Naomi’s ring performance on NXT Season 3).
* Nice promo by Daniel Bryan to address what happened to A.J. on the last Smackdown show.
* Punk is just freakin’ crazy on the mic, and that’s why he’s one of the best, if not the best today.
CM Punk has Words for John Laurantitis
SUPERSTARS MATCHES
* Santino Marella & Mason Ryan d. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins when Santino hit the Cobra on Curt after Mason kicked Curt’s head in.
* Jinder Mahal made Alex Riley tapout to what looked like a Camel Clutch from my vantage point on the lower levels.
* No surprise on the dark main event. John Cena got the DQ win over Kane via a chair shot to the gut, ate a chokeslam, then after a few minutes before Kane ran back into the ring, gave Kane the AA to send the crowd home happy.
Overall, a much better presentation than last week’s “goose egg” in Corpus Christi, TX. Plenty of intrigue as we go in the next Smackdown in Vegas, & the Go-Home Edition of Raw before the Royal Rumble. Now I can get this out of the way, and prepare for WrestleReunion 6 in 2 weekends. Maryse will definitely be one of my top prorities for photo & autograph, alongside……AKIRA TOZAWA.
For more photos of the show, please visit my gallery.