Official RAW Thread for 07/25/11 - Start Game

[Juan]

It had been far too long since that theme was played on raw.

To be fair, this was Ryder's only 2nd time on Raw since the draft

[CSL]

Michael Cole in those trunks looks a lot like Mr. Kennedy. Same physique and everything :o

snap, my stream started botching right before he came out and the first frozen shot of Cole, my "natural reaction" was Kennedy until I thought for a second

[Innovator]

God I missed Ricardo Rodriguez

[ClockShot]

ALBERTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO DELLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL RIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

[Rock Bottom]

I like how HHH is teasing the "I re-signed someone." Twice. Neither were Punk, but neither were really let-downs. Pretty good. Glad to see Morrison back too. I know people think he's bland, but I think he'll be main eventing if he can stay away from injuries and cuckold gang bangs.

[CSL]

bland isn't the word

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Morrison punches like a girl. He needs to not brawl with people. Other than that I'm glad he's back.

[RawRocks]

Commentary is so much more refreshing with JR on the mic.

[Innovator]

JR in two minutes already built up Del Rio and Kofi

[Innovator]

But Simmons is right, Kofi's music is too happy

[Beth Phoenix Fan]

i hope that if kelly teams up with beth phoenix against maryse and melina, maryse and melina get beth in their corner and take turns stinkfacing her!

[ClockShot]

Damn that was close.

[blak23]

good match

[CSL]

i hope that if kelly teams up with beth phoenix against maryse and melina, maryse and melina get beth in their corner and take turns stinkfacing her!

post of the month

[Innovator]

I can't follow that post.

[Rock Bottom]

Alright, this should be pretty good.

[RawRocks]

Please let Cena win the strap.

[Skippord]

wasn't Josh Matthews wearing a jacket and tie earlier?

[Innovator]

Please let Cena win the strap.
So you want the last 5 weeks of TV to mean nothing?

[Innovator]

WWE_Creative (https://twitter.com/#%21/WWE_Creative) WWE Creative



And here comes the second-shortest reigning WWE Champion of all time (and no, that wasn't a height joke) #RAWTonight (https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23RAWTonight)

8 seconds ago (https://twitter.com/#%21/WWE_Creative/status/95686097237057536) Favorite (https://twitter.com/#) Retweet (https://twitter.com/#) Reply (https://twitter.com/#)

[RawRocks]

So you want the last 5 weeks of TV to mean nothing?

never implied that.. that strap doesn't need to be in the hand of Rey Mysterio.

[Cool King]

http://img856.imageshack.us/img856/1576/25207410150274397318658.jpg

[Battlekat]

Please let Cena win the strap.

Never thought I'd say this, but I'll take that over another Mysterio reign.

[Innovator]

CMPunk (https://twitter.com/#%21/CMPunk) CM Punk



“@juhbrew (http://twitter.com/juhbrew): @CMPunk (http://twitter.com/CMPunk) Can I get an address so I can invite you to my wedding?" 1060 W. Addison

CMPunk (https://twitter.com/#%21/CMPunk) CM Punk



“@RealKingRegal (http://twitter.com/RealKingRegal): You live with Elwood Blues? @CMPunk (http://twitter.com/CMPunk)” It's a big place.

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Do we get a clean finish here?

[Innovator]

I'll take a Rey title run where they let him win.

[Rock Bottom]

I think Mysterio should retain honestly. ADR would be major heat though if he gets the title out of this set-up, top two raw faces.

[Rock Bottom]

I'd rather see a Cena heel turn though. But whatever.

[Innovator]

Well, at least Rey has outlasted Yokozuna for title reign.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

WWE_Creative WWE Creative
If you're planning on watching next week just to see the Diva Battle Royal then you need to take a long, hard look in the mirror #RAWTonight

COUGHCOUGHCOUGH BETH PHOENIX FAN COUGHCOUGHCOUGH

[CSL]

GOTTA CHECK THOSE LEG KICKS SONNNN

[CSL]

lollll if Cena walks out with the belt here, new server or no new server TPWW's going nuclear

[Innovator]

Lagana (https://twitter.com/#%21/Lagana) David Lagana



WWE has done huge cliff hanger endings the last 5 weeks. What we got this week? #IWantWrestling (https://twitter.com/#%21/search?q=%23IWantWrestling)

2 minutes ago (https://twitter.com/#%21/Lagana/status/95687325794840576) Favorite (https://twitter.com/#) Retweet (https://twitter.com/#) Reply (https://twitter.com/#)

[Rock Bottom]

I can see why Rey took it easy in his match with The Miz now. They're wrestling though, that's pretty good.

[CSL]

should have Punk show up every time there's a title match and jack the new belt every time, just finish main events with guys shrugging their shoulders

[FearedSanctity]

lol, poor Rey. Middle of his match Cena and Punk competing chants break out

[Skippord]

then CM Punk posts pictures with nothing but WWE title belts in his fridge

[Corporate CockSnogger]

Nice counter.

[Skippord]

that looked badass

[RawRocks]

what a match!

[CSL]

Cena's giving Rey a shitload, weird "dynamic"

[ClockShot]

This match ain't so bad.

[Juan]

Have these guys ever wrestled each other? This is pretty good

[Juan]

lol mini STF

[Innovator]

And Rey puts it on better than Cena

[Next Big Thing]

Ha

[ClockShot]

Whoa!

[blak23]

stealing cena's submission nice rey

[Rock Bottom]

This match is pretty god damned good.

[RawRocks]

holy crap

[Battlekat]

I rip on these two alot (especially Rey) among friends, but this is a great match.

[blak23]

so the stf is a leg submission. i always thought it was moreso a chin vice

[Juan]

2 of the 3 hardest workers in WWE right now tbh

[CSL]

why is anybody surprised that this is good?

[Innovator]

Cenas been rejuvenated since the Punk match.

[Fat Aaron]

This match is good. And having JR call it is making it better.

[Rock Bottom]

Good ref.

[Innovator]

why is anybody surprised that this is good?
Haven't paid attention the last 15 years.

[ClockShot]

Eek. Rey almost landed wrong.

[Rock Bottom]

Because Cena's using his moveset as part of something more exciting than just getting beaten up for 20 minutes and coming back with the same shit over and over.

[Juan]

why is anybody surprised that this is good?

becuz rey myserio sux man

[Juan]

REALLY?

[FearedSanctity]

DAMNIT, COME ON DEL RIO

[#BROKEN Hasney]

why is anybody surprised that this is good?

I'm not shocked it's good with them getting time to do it, but I was feeling it could go either way, which was a bit shocking. Fun match.

[blak23]

bullshit

[RawRocks]

And NEW WWE Champion! John Cena!

[Next Big Thing]

No surprise there

[Juan]

Cult of personality!

[ClockShot]

CULT OF PERSONALITY!

[CSL]

fucking Cult of Personality

[Skippord]

holy fucking awesome

[Rock Bottom]

YEAH!

[Battlekat]

PUNK!

[Emperor Smeat]

:D PUNK

[FearedSanctity]

YUUUUSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSs

[RawRocks]

CM Punk!

[Juan]

PUUUUUUUUUUUNK

[Corporate CockSnogger]

PUNK

[loopydate]

Innovator just filled the cup.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

FUCK YES

THE MUSIC AND PUNK

[blak23]

new music from punk i dig it

[Next Big Thing]

He's here

[Cool King]

PUNK!?

[Next Big Thing]

I want that t shirt

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Holy fuck this is perfect

[Juan]

I think The Naitch called this theme music change for Punk a few weeks ago

[Skippord]

coming out to this music may make this the greatest thing ever in wrestling for me

[blak23]

i woulda waited longer to bring him back

[Rock Bottom]

Wow. Belt said Punk, obviously.

[Next Big Thing]

this is awesome

[Juan]

i woulda waited longer to bring him back

here we go

[RawRocks]

what a swerve!

[el bobbo]

What the holy fuck? Awesome god damn Raw.

[CSL]

would have preferred Miseria Cantere :shifty:

[Rock Bottom]

I have to say, they have put the WWE title into the most interesting situation it's been in since the undisputed title.

[Nark Order]

WWE just took a dump on all of our faces.

[Rock Bottom]

Excellent raw. Night.

[CSL]

hey the size tags work on the smileys

:rant:

or not. my eyes do deceive me

[Cool King]

So if Cena's win makes him the official WWE Champion, then Cena now has the most reigns of the WWE Championship with 9.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

WWE just took a dump on all of our faces.

If that's a dump in my face, I'm into hardsports now.

[rob11]

coming out to this music may make this the greatest thing ever in wrestling for me
I had a feeling he would use it. Freaking awesome!!!!!!!!

[Battlekat]

Can't wait to see where they go with this next. Much more solid show this week and yet another cliffhanger that makes me anxious for next week. It's been a while since they've had me this interested.

[Crazy Nick]

awesome!

[Hanso Amore]

I just dont get why they didnt have cena in the tourney and win.

I dont get any of this booking.

[blak23]

here we go

im just sayin

[Eighty 0ne]

Fucking awesome.... Punk FTW

[Corporate CockSnogger]

I like Cult of Personality and it fits Punk, but I'm going to miss him coming out to This Fire Burns

[#BROKEN Hasney]

U just dont get why they didnt have cena in the tourney and win.

I dont get any of this booking.

Because Vince made the tournament trying to make everybody forget about Punk and was going to fire Cena. So HHH took over and blocked the firing of Cena and granted his rematch.

[The Gold Standard]

I want that Shirt.

[Nark Order]

Why did the give the belt to Mysterio only for him to lose it an hour later to Super Cena? Punk coming back is awesome but I'm not just going to forget about them giving the belt to Cena again. They have no clue what they are doing.

[Y2Ant]

fsdajfslkfjsdkljf;asdjlfsdj yesssssss

That was the best ending to RAW in a long time. Well, apart from that shoot promo he did a couple of weeks back.

[Immortal Moose]

First post, but I thought that was perfect.

[Cool King]

I'm glad Triple A fixed the server.

If he didn't, it would have been decimated tonight.

[Volare]

New title perhaps in the future too?

[Jordan]

BEST RAW EVER

WHAT A FUCKNIG MAIN EVENT

HOLY SHIT I LOVE RASSLIN

[Nark Order]

Because Vince made the tournament and was going to fire Cena. So HHH took over and blocked the firing of Cena and granted his rematch.

This whole angle has turned into an abortion now. The greatest angle of the past 5 years is now a massive nonsensical clusterfuck.

[Shisen Kopf]

Living Colour, that takes me back to when I was a kid. CM Punk is the best thing since stone cold back in 97

[CSL]

Cena was still on his way "out of a job" even after the tournament final had been set. And the whole Cena thing was a big part of what led to the Vince/Trips switch and really sold the whole angle. And Cena/Punk II draws more than anybody else/Punk does.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

This whole angle has turned into an abortion now. The greatest angle of the past 5 years is now a massive nonsensical clusterfuck.

For you. For me I liked everything on this Raw from start to finish and even last week.

You can say clusterfuck, hotshotted, whatever. but nonsensical? The guy who has a rematch clause for losing the title getting a title shot with the new CEO wanting that match to happen on his first Raw in charge to shake things up, but not just throw a tournament that had already been set up out? Makes perfect sense.

[Hanso Amore]

They should have prolonged this. Have the title match at the Next PPB. Then have the champ crowned the next night on Raw and get interrupted by Punk

[Nark Order]

Man, I could not get into that at all. Even Punk's return was royally fucked up because of the new music. If it had been his normal theme, everybody would've recognized it and flipped the fuck out. I want to hop in a time machine and go to two weeks ago,

[Cool King]

I was actually falling asleep during the Mysterio/Cena match. Not because I was bored, but I was actually really tired. It's been a long day for me and it's 4:20am here now.

But as soon as Cult Of Personality played and CM Punk walked out, it woke me up and now I'm not tired at all.

[Xero]

Would have marked 100 times harder if I knew the music had a connection to Punk. That was amazing. Perfect ending. I've missed the cliffhanger endings.

This is now three weeks in a row that I am totally stoked for RAW.

This build is seriously rivaling the build to SummerSlam 98. May be the best SummerSlam main event build since then.

[Cool King]

New title perhaps in the future too?

Probably.

Maybe we'll see Punk/Cena II at SummerSlam to see who the real WWE Champion is.

Winner get's a new belt.

[Innovator]

The minute Cult hit, something with Punk was going down. All is right in Inno's world.

[Nark Order]

For you. For me I liked everything on this Raw from start to finish and even last week.

You can say clusterfuck, hotshotted, whatever. but nonsensical? The guy who has a rematch clause for losing the title getting a title shot with the new CEO wanting that match to happen on his first Raw in charge to shake things up, but not just throw a tournament that had already been set up out? Makes perfect sense.

Because why would a face GM make a face Champion wrestle again on the night that he just won the title against a face challenger? Those angles are supposed to be reserved for chickenshit heels. It didn't make sense at all. Maybe if they had done it next week. I want to fucking vomit.

[BigCrippyZ]

Great match between Cena and Rey and great way to end the show with Punk. Also, really loved the commentary from JR tonight, especially during the main event.

I must admit, JR and Lawler still have really great chemistry and feed off of each other so well. JR has such passion and the ability to truly emphasize the excitement and importance of a match through his commentary. I hope they truly keep him around.

Really a great RAW tonight. :y:

[CSL]

The minute Cult hit, something with Punk was going down. All is right in Inno's world.

figured they were just going to tease it and hold off on him actually appearing

[Innovator]

figured they were just going to tease it and hold off on him actually appearing
I thought there would be a video or something. This works though.

[Juan]

SummerSlam is like 2 weeks away. I dunno how much longer people expected them to hold off on bringing Punk back

[Skippord]

figured they were just going to tease it and hold off on him actually appearing
I kind of thought they would do a bunch of teases with all of his old music

also that new titantron is pretty sick

[Nark Order]

Totally killed this for me. Why even bring Mysterio into this? The whole thing just really bothers me. There's a tourney that is completely negated by Super Cena? HHH comes in as a face and fucks over Mysterio for no reason and he's not even mad about it? They change Punk's music on a return so nobody knows who he is?

Jesus.

[Kal-El]

3 markouts in one night! When's the last time that happened? It's been along time, but I can't remember when Raw has been this good. Anticipating next weeks show.

[James Steele]

Narc...just quit watching.

[Juan]

Totally killed this for me. Why even bring Mysterio into this? The whole thing just really bothers me. There's a tourney that is completely negated by Super Cena? HHH comes in as a face and fucks over Mysterio for no reason and he's not even mad about it? They change Punk's music on a return so nobody knows who he is?

Jesus.

Can't help but feel that you're over thinking this whole thing

[dhellova guy]

I dunno. Felt rushed to me. Could have done it next week.

Still pretty good though.

[Jordan]

STILL MARKING OUT

[Kal-El]

Now they need to fix the quality of wrestling matches as a whole. Exactly how many times tonight did someone dive into the turnbuckle head first?

[CSL]

only "qualm" I have with the music change is the aforementioned not many people knowing about it so it naturally affected the response. There were probably 200 people going fucking apeshit when it started while being stared at by about 10,000 wandering why they like Living Colour so much.

[Nark Order]

I just feel cheated out of a moment. If I had heard Punk's music I would've gone batshit fucking crazy. Instead I'm left confused for 30 seconds. It was just done poorly IMO. I wanted my mark out moment.

[Jordan]

Now they need to fix the quality of wrestling matches as a whole. Exactly how many times tonight did someone dive into the turnbuckle head first?

Are you serious? The Main Event was insane, the opening match was awesome, and Kofi vs Dolph was sick, not to mention the wank worthy diva's match. Give it a break, that was fucking wrestling tonight!

[Battlekat]

Narc...just quit watching.

I have to agree here. If you're not enjoying any part of what has gone on the last several weeks; then I really don't see how you can continue to watch. I've been watching since 1995 and I have to say this is some of the most compelling stuff they've put out since 1997-2002.


EDIT: Didn't really mean Narc specifically just anyone in general that can't find any enjoyment out of the product

[Jordan]

I just feel cheated out of a moment. If I had heard Punk's music I would've gone batshit fucking crazy. Instead I'm left confused for 30 seconds. It was just done poorly IMO. I wanted my mark out moment.

Better now than Summerslam.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

only "qualm" I have with the music is the aforementioned not many people knowing about it. There were probably 200 people going fucking apeshit when it started while being stared at by about 10,000 wandering why they like Living Colour so much.

Yeah, kinda think that was the point in a way though. Have it playing for a while before he appeared to stir confusion about WTF is going on.

Not sure if that's a good thing or not, but the payoff was there.

[Haze]

Sooooo...how pissed would you be if you were one of those schmucks who went and paid hundreds of dollars for one of those CM Punk shirts, only to have them sold on shopzone for $20?

[Nark Order]

I have to agree here. If you're not enjoying any part of what has gone on the last several weeks; then I really don't see how you can continue to watch. I've been watching since 1995 and I have to say this is some of the most compelling stuff they've put out since 1997-2002.

I agree. Until tonight. They just handled it poorly IMO. I feel really cheated out of a mark out moment. It was really rushed and the music thing is inexcusable. Just poorly done.

[Blitz]

Haven't seen this segment, but Punk coming out to Cult of Personality is amazing. If he uses Miseria Cantare at Summerslam, all the better.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

Sooooo...how pissed would you be if you were one of those schmucks who went and paid hundreds of dollars for one of those CM Punk shirts, only to have them sold on shopzone for $20?

Not up yet. Dammit.

[Kal-El]

I still marked out for Punk. I kinda like the fact they changed the music it kept me guessing till the end . . . and it built up the anticipation.

[Haze]

Not up yet. Dammit.

New merch gets posted on Tuesday...keeping checking in tomorrow.

[CSL]

Haven't seen this segment, but Punk coming out to Cult of Personality is amazing. If he uses Miseria Cantare at Summerslam, all the better.

if he'd have used Miseria Cantere tonight with the intro/the lighting/WWE production and so on, there's a decent chance I'd have involuntarily pissed all over my chair, TV, g/f, ashtray and so forth. Probably worked out for the best.

[Shisen Kopf]

Punk is the shit if only bc on Living Colour. When I was a kid they were my favourite band.

[Kal-El]

Are you serious? The Main Event was insane, the opening match was awesome, and Kofi vs Dolph was sick, not to mention the wank worthy diva's match. Give it a break, that was fucking wrestling tonight!

Kofi vs Dolph? Pretty sure they didn't wrestle each other tonight. No, but seriously the wrestling does not compare to what it was about give or take six years ago.

[Haze]

From the moment the opening riff hit, I was marking out like a little kid. My roommate had no clue what was going on.

[Loose Cannon]

really good show, although I think I fell asleep for a few minutes during the Cena/Rey match. dunno what the fuck happened, but I know I missed the entrances and half the match.

ending was pretty incredible. for a minute I was thinking they brought back Punk really soon, but Juan just pointed out SS was 2 weeks away, so that makes sense. PPV's come so quickly these days.

[Xero]

I'll say this. It WAS rushed. I do not disagree with that. And I agree with the music aspect. It would have been better to do it in a smarter city so it'd get a pop. But you have to remember that this was likely a spur of the moment thing. I have a feeling that the MITB match was planned the way it was after Punk's promo. He was probably scheduled to lose and then they realized what they had.

I have no doubt in my mind that WWE was not going into SummerSlam with the thought of Punk vs Cena as the main event just a month ago. Punk got white hot, and they only had a few weeks to work with.

Now, if they had some better planning, and actually planned this out from Capitol Punishment, it would have gone smoother and been more of a slow build. A few extra weeks of Punk away and all that.

But for what it is, I'm vastly enjoying this whole storyline. It has me more hooked than I have been since probably 97-00. They're doing cliffhangers perfectly, and making me look forward to RAW. A few imperfections with the title or music, and even the rushed feel, aren't going to kill it for me. It's just too good.

[Battlekat]

I agree. Until tonight. They just handled it poorly IMO. I feel really cheated out of a mark out moment. It was really rushed and the music thing is inexcusable. Just poorly done.

I guess that's somewhat justified, but I don't think a theme music change could ever ruin an entire moment for me. It kind of added a little mystery and intrigue, similar to the lights dimming before you heard "IF YA SMEEEEL!" when the rock returned earlier this year.

[Supreme Olajuwon]

Kinda feel like Punk's old theme became iconic at Money in the Bank. Like anytime you would hear the opening of his theme you'd think back to that night and that moment when he was the biggest thing ever.

But it's cool.

[Xero]

Wouldn't be surprised if Punk was pushing for the music weeks ago but just didn't get it. Would have been better to have it when he came out for the Vince angle, and had been established for the PPV.

But I'm not hung up on the music. I like Cult of Personality, it fits Punk. It just took away from a huge pop is all, and that may have been the point. Hasney had said that it could have been to add to the confusion, and it certainly did, even for me (didn't know it was Punk's theme, actually thought it was the SummerSlam theme).

[#BROKEN Hasney]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7bnwY48HpM8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Lock Jaw]

Funny. Just yesterday I watched for the first time some of Punk in ROH. The segment where he signed his WWE contract on the title. So I heard him come out to the music yesterday.

So when it started playing tonight I was like... "Huh? This music... who's music is this? Wait... I saw Punk use it..." and sure enough, it was him.

In conclusion, would have marked out so hard if it was his normal music. Instead only marked out a little.

Whatever, though. I don't really care. Should be good. :y:

[Krimzon7]

How awesome is the way he worked the crowd...without speaking?

[Loose Cannon]

so do we know if Punk signed a new deal yet? Or is Summerslam it?

[Krimzon7]

Funny. Just yesterday I watched for the first time some of Punk in ROH. The segment where he signed his WWE contract on the title. So I heard him come out to the music yesterday.

So when it started playing tonight I was like... "Huh? This music... who's music is this? Wait... I saw Punk use it..." and sure enough, it was him.

In conclusion, would have marked out so hard if it was his normal music. Instead only marked out a little.

Whatever, though. I don't really care. Should be good. :y:

punk is a free agent now...doesnt it make sense that he uses his ROH music since WWE owns old song?

[FearedSanctity]

so do we know if Punk signed a new deal yet? Or is Summerslam it?

That's the big question. Obvious he has a new deal, but for how long? Years or a month?

[GD]

http://img818.imageshack.us/img818/3888/67522264.jpg

[Mr. Pierre]

I thought I read here that the "Best in the World" Punk shirt was selling for $550 on eBay? I'm sure it'll be on WWEshop.com at a slightly more reasonable price.

[Raven Reaper]

Has anyone here mentioned yet that the writer of Raw is also the one responsible for this whole Punk era thing? Guess what? It's none other than Khali's former manager, RANJINH SINGH!!!!!

[GD]

I know :D

[CSL]

because Singh is the head writer doesn't mean he's responsible for it, it could have come from a bunch of different places. The writers job is also to shape all of the greenlit ideas into a coherent wrestling show on top of being creative.

[CSL]

#holddowntheminorities

[GD]

They are acknowledging both John Cena and Rey Mysterio as champions.

[Corndad]

Damn just watched it recorded. That ending was f'n epic. Perfect way to bring him back. Sets up the Punk Cena rematch for SummerSlam you would think right?

Cena has been on a roll match wise recently, sure he's worked with two of the best going with Rey and Punk but damn those matches have been great.

Freakin Ryder on Raw. Enough said.

JR back was a nice surprise too. I see them just having Cole do Smackdown now.

[jkman61494]

For those who are upset with the ending, I think it's a lot of people that are gun shy. Frankly I am one of them. The WWE had an AMAZING angle last year with Nexus and you had a guy like Wade Barrett who seemed like a super heel.

It was interesting, fresh and different. But they took a 4 month angle and completely killed it in 2-3 weeks with shoddy booking. The whole plan seemed to go great until it's like the writers realized "wow, it's almost time for the Royal Rumble, we're in trouble!"

I love what they're doing with Punk but I agree a lot of this seemed to be rushed. I think they could have gone backward a month and started this all in June. Have the Punk/Cena angle take time to marinate on people.

Then you could have had Mysterio hold the title and lose it to Cena in July. You then have the Punk reveal, having been off TV for about a month.

You'd then have an entire build up to this match from MITB to Summerslam instead of rushing this plan ahead.

[Mr. Pierre]

This angle is too hot not to pull the trigger on it for Summerslam. It would probably be ideal if Summerslam were the 28th rather than the 14th, so Punk can sell the "I'm not under contract" thing for 2 more weeks, but who cares? This main event is going to be fucking great.

[Emperor Smeat]

The reason behind the new music is pretty simple because Vince banned anything related to CM Punk which includes his previous tron and music which is something Triple H didn't unbanned yet.

So for Punk's return to occur on tv, he needed new music (ROH theme) and a new tron. The announcers also never said his name due to the banning on his name by Vince.

It should be interesting if Rey cashing his rematch during Summerslam to make it a potential 3-way match or if they just have him lose next week and forget all about the WWE title tournament and Rey's claim to the title.

[Y2Ant]

I was actually falling asleep during the Mysterio/Cena match. Not because I was bored, but I was actually really tired. It's been a long day for me and it's 4:20am here now.

But as soon as Cult Of Personality played and CM Punk walked out, it woke me up and now I'm not tired at all.

Same.

Exact same thing happened when he cut that shoot promo. Luckily this time I don't have to be in work in 5 hours like I did that night :cool:

[Raven Reaper]

because Singh is the head writer doesn't mean he's responsible for it, it could have come from a bunch of different places. The writers job is also to shape all of the greenlit ideas into a coherent wrestling show on top of being creative.

Well, different writers or not, THEY all need to get thanked and showered with Austin's beer. :p

[Y2Ant]

Would have marked 100 times harder if I knew the music had a connection to Punk. That was amazing. Perfect ending. I've missed the cliffhanger endings.

This is now three weeks in a row that I am totally stoked for RAW.

This build is seriously rivaling the build to SummerSlam 98. May be the best SummerSlam main event build since then.

Seriously haven't enjoyed wrestling so much since the attitude era. Amazing.

[owenbrown]

Is Miz hurt or is he getting de-pushed or what?

[Aguakate]

The time for WWE to give Punk the opportunity to become THE man, to give him the chance to fully develop his character, take control, and take the WWE to another level is NOW...I hope WWE fully understands this and does not drop the ball, because there will be no other time...it's make or break time...

...but it looks like WWE "gets" it...JR is back, Triple H is in as the authority figure on tv, Punk is getting exposure, so...

...let's keep our fingers crossed.

[Lock Jaw]

I, for one, am not a fan of JR being back. Last couple times he has come back... I dunno. He just seems to have lost it. Doesn't know what to say half the time. Its nice to hear him from time to time, but I don't want him full time.

[Aguakate]

He's just rusty...it's not easy to do play-by-play, and if you add that he hasn't done it consistently for about a year or more, even more so...it takes time for him to get his "swing" back...but he will...

[Stickman]

I think this was rushed but it is greatness.

[St. Jimmy]

http://vids.wwe.com/12696/wwecom-exclusive-cm-punk-tells-t

Neat. Someone signed a Contract.

[St. Jimmy]

Here's the thing about the music. I knew the moment I heard that music it was Punk because of my exposure to ROH. They're trying for those people with this angle and I think it's working REALLY well. I am excited to see how this plays out.

[Crimson]

Totally killed this for me. Why even bring Mysterio into this? The whole thing just really bothers me. There's a tourney that is completely negated by Super Cena? HHH comes in as a face and fucks over Mysterio for no reason and he's not even mad about it? They change Punk's music on a return so nobody knows who he is?

Jesus.

I agree with the Mysterio thing. I RARELY watch RAW but I tuned in tonight for most of the show. The main event was great..I didn't know whose song it was in the end but it was a great theme and I was wondering who it was gonna be..

But yea Super Cena just keeps killing it, every time I tune in every other month he's winning another freaking championship match , he's not even that great. And another thing I dont like is there's rematches all the time..like a rematch from a ppv the night before, a rematch next week from tonight. a rematch on the same show ...PRETTY POINTLESS

[GD]

Punk is the shit if only bc on Living Colour. When I was a kid they were my favourite band.

Interesting.

[Aguakate]

Punk is the shit 'cause he's a Cubs fan.

[Jura]

Totally killed this for me. Why even bring Mysterio into this? The whole thing just really bothers me. There's a tourney that is completely negated by Super Cena? HHH comes in as a face and fucks over Mysterio for no reason and he's not even mad about it? They change Punk's music on a return so nobody knows who he is?

Jesus.
I feel you on the part about Mysterio getting screwed and Cena just destroying the whole thing but I don't have a problem with the music even though I never heard it before or knew it had a connection with Punk. If anything I would have prefered the AFI song.

[Lock Jaw]

Listened to the AFI song after a bunch of people here mentioned it. Seems like it would make a pretty terrible theme.

[JimmyMess]

Did they not learn anything from the nWo in 1996?

Everybody.... Steve Austin, The Rock, Shawn Michaels... they all alluded to the attitude era with this angle... potential ($$$$$, money, money, $$$) why did Punk not come out of the crowd, out of nowhere, to present himself as the "real" WWE Champion...


They FUCKED this angle up. For fucks sake.

[Jura]

Listened to the AFI song after a bunch of people here mentioned it. Seems like it would make a pretty terrible theme.
Not the whole song but as a one off for a special occasion like this. The slow build up along with the drum beat and you know everyone is going to stomp their feet and boom Punk appears.

[Aguakate]

It's true what they say...fans will NEVER be satisfied. NEVER. EVER.

[Juan]

Here's the thing about the music. I knew the moment I heard that music it was Punk because of my exposure to ROH. They're trying for those people with this angle and I think it's working REALLY well. I am excited to see how this plays out.

Glad someone gets it

[Jura]

It's those few minutes of confusion before the surprise that I like. They don't do that enough.

[Aguakate]

The first time Triple H said he was going to bring out someone he had signed, I thought HBK was going to come out, and that somehow they were both going to run the show, with HBK acting as Triple H's assistant..

...I'm an ass.

[Lock Jaw]

I thought Jericho was coming.

[Tom Guycott]

I thought he was talking HBK too.

Also, I don't get how the people in these forums didn't know "Cult of Personality" meant Punk was coming out. I MARKED THE FUCK OUT when I heard it! You need to up your IWC cred. ^_^

It would be like Danielson changing to "Final Countdown", and everyone here going "I didn't know it was him coming to cash his MITB case."

[Malfeitor]

I would have never expected Punk to come out to Cult of Personality, so I marked pretty hard.

[Aguakate]

I wonder if, like I said before, WWE will have Punk and Cena do a Ladder Match for the WWE Championship, like they did in 1994 when both Razor and HBK had an Intercontinental Title.

[Mr. Nerfect]

I think a straight up match would be enough to sell tickets. Also, I am watching RAW, already know what will happen, and will mark out. RAW seems like it was perfectly booked, in my opinion. The only thing I would have changed is Alex Riley as Ziggler's opponent, to set-up a US Title match between the two at SummerSlam. Ziggler wins, but with Vickie help, leaving Riley to earn a title shot and work out a way to counteract Vickie.

Also, I hope The Miz or someone interrupts Cee Lo Green and reminds him that this is the WWE and not the Grammys, or something like that. Also, I hope that the WWE puts CM Punk over at SummerSlam. The WWE doesn't need John Cena dominating right now. Have Colt Cabana or The Rock cost Cena his match against Punk. Fuck, even Ryder would be good enough. I hope the Nexus isn't done quite yet. I don't want to see them everywhere with Punk, but I have no problem with Punk remaining their "guidance."

Fuck:

* John Cena vs. CM Punk for the undisputed WWE Championship

* Christian vs. Randy Orton in a No Holds Barred Match for the World Heavyweight Championship

* John Morrison vs. R-Truth

* Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett

* Kelly Kelly hopefully defending the Divas Championship against Beth Phoenix

SummerSlam is shaping up to be solid at the worst, and damn excellent at the best.

[Tom Guycott]

On a semi-related note, Living Colour seems to owe both Punk and Rockstar Games a huge debt of thanks for lining their pockets years after the fact via this song. I had only heard it like twice ever via legit radio play many, many moons ago.

[Juan]

It's those few minutes of confusion before the surprise that I like. They don't do that enough.

This too

[Tazz Dan]

I actually liked the way Punk came out. The music was built up good, and when he came out the crowd popped nicely.

Good Raw all round really.

[Raven Reaper]

Yep. Btw, this theme song is used during his ROH era.

<iframe width="425" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/NzdUy90vTuk" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

And I liked it better than his Killswitch Engage theme.

[Cool King]

I think Raw was really good last night.

You had your usual Diva's match which was alright. It made Kelly Kelly look good and that's all that mattered really. She is The Diva's Champion afterall and she does seem to be getting better in the ring, though the Lou Thesz Press was a bit messed up, though that was probably due to Melina falling down too early. The Miz/Mysterio match was really good and I was a bit surprised that Mysterio won. I was expecting The Miz to win but it all made sense at the end of Raw.

Ziggler/Bourne was also a good match and it left me looking foward to see what happens with Ziggler and his "Follow This" thing he has going. Good theme remix too. The same goes for Del Rio/Kingston, good match, and seeing Ryder on Raw is always good. Though it looked like Cole took the Rough Ryder a bit rough. (Yeah, I see what I did there)

The main event though, was, from what I remember, pretty good. It was nothing spectacular but I did notice that Cena wasn't wrestling like he usually does, and Mysterio was pretty much in control for the majority of the match, which made him look good and made him dropping the title not look so bad.

Though I'll be honest, at first, I didn't like the fact that Cena was getting a title match, and I didn't like it even more when he won. I thought it just made the past month totally irrelevant.

But then, "Cult Of Personality" played, and I was left thinking a mixture of "Who the hell is this?" and "This better not be some obscure (To the rest of the world) North-American celebrity". Nothing was happening, which made me even more curious, but then, lo and behold, CM Punk walks out.

I was surprised and thought "Holy Shit". Punk and Cena in the ring was perfect and it showed just how divided the fans are. I thought it represented the division with the WWE fans perfectly. To me, it's like Cena and Punk are representing the fans. Both sets of fans don't like each other, the characters of Cena and Punk, don't like each other. Cena's fans mostly want entertainment, be it matches, promos, music, whatever. Punk's fans mostly want wrestling and good angles. Both men excel in what their fans want.

I don't get why people are complaining about Punk's return. Sure, if "This Fire Burns" was used, we'd all be shitting ourselves but not necessarily the crowd. We have to remember that the majority of the time, the crowd consists mostly of children, so using "Cult Of Personality" would have left most people in the crowd, wondering what was going on. And it did. It made seeing Punk suddenly appear, even more surprising.

You don't always need to hear a massive roar from the crowd in order to mark out, but I will agree it helps. But the WWE went for something different, they went for suspense, they made you curious as to what was happening, then they teased you by not doing anything, then they just threw CM Punk at you out of nowhere. I doubt that the people who aren't happy at the return, saw Punk appear and thought "Oh, Punk's back. :|".

I'm sure everyone was surprised to some degree.

But massive post over now, it was a good Raw and I enjoyed it and I look forward to next week. :y:

[Mr. Nerfect]

It's an awesome wrestling theme, actually, and suits Punk perfectly. He's been using This Fire Burns (which also fit him) since his debut. It's about time for a switch.

Also, just a random note: John Cena has now overtaken Triple H as the record-holder for most WWE Championship reigns.

[DaVe]

I sort of agree that Punk getting new music could have reduced the size of the moment a bit, and that Punk's old theme was almost set in stone as his theme for life after his Money in the Bank entrance, but his new theme is a pretty damn good song. Never heard of the song or the band, but damn it's good and fits Punk.

[rob11]

Are we forgetting? Zack Ryder had a match on Raw and won!

[MIZantine Empire]

I thought he was talking HBK too.

Also, I don't get how the people in these forums didn't know "Cult of Personality" meant Punk was coming out. I MARKED THE FUCK OUT when I heard it! You need to up your IWC cred. ^_^

It would be like Danielson changing to "Final Countdown", and everyone here going "I didn't know it was him coming to cash his MITB case."
im not even really a huge iwc guy, and no little about the ROH, but i knew instantly it was punk.i was watching with my cousin, and when cult of personality hit, he goes, who the hell? and i was like its CM punk!!! yes i was giddy, lol.

[MIZantine Empire]

Are we forgetting? Zack Ryder had a match on Raw and won!
haha ya i figured the board would explode when he came out. its funny cuz like 2 days ago i watched when punk invaded comicon. and he asks triple h "when are you putting zack ryder on the air?" or something along those lines. i havent been this excited for wrestling since i was 12. its just fun and keeps me on the edge of my seat like old times.

[Rammsteinmad]

My big concern for Punk now is will he still be a shoot-talking guy? Or is he just gonna go back to being a regular WWE guy? (Assuming he 're-signed' with the company).

Punk 'shooting', talking behind-the-scenes stuff and mentioning non-WWE people is really what got this whole thing started.

[Rammsteinmad]

Overall good Raw though, and I definitely like this direction they seem to be taking with a big emphasis on 'wrestling'.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

My big concern for Punk now is will he still be a shoot-talking guy? Or is he just gonna go back to being a regular WWE guy? (Assuming he 're-signed' with the company).

Punk 'shooting', talking behind-the-scenes stuff and mentioning non-WWE people is really what got this whole thing started.

Does he need to be though? It got him off the ground, but that's when he was on his way out. Now he can just be anti-establishment with HHH re-signing him purely because it was the "right thing to do" and the shareholders wanted it, OR do a Rock 1998 with him where he was the big face going into Survivor Series but ended up starting the corporation. He's a damn fine promo guy just going by the numbers and as long as he has input into what he says/is allowed to improvise with his pipe-bomb, he can make most situations work.

[Seth82]

That was fucking awesome with him using Cult of Personality

it really fits Punk to a T

kind of a nice throwback to his ROH days

[Xero]

My big concern for Punk now is will he still be a shoot-talking guy? Or is he just gonna go back to being a regular WWE guy? (Assuming he 're-signed' with the company).

Punk 'shooting', talking behind-the-scenes stuff and mentioning non-WWE people is really what got this whole thing started.

The thing about this is that it all fit into kayfabe. There has to be a sense of realism in the Punk character I think, but he doesn't need to shoot on WWE or someone else in every promo to get over. Like Hasney said, he needs to be anti-establishment. I think shooting will be a part of the character, but no where as huge as it was these past few weeks.

This is something I've heard suggested on PWInsider and it's a great idea, I think. You can definitely have Punk and Triple H in a struggle for power type thing a bit down the road, maybe leading into Mania. It would be an updated version of Austin vs. McMahon, with the upside being that, when it comes to their inevitable match, Hunter can really work and put a pretty big spin on things.

Also, quick note, I watched it again this morning and noticed that Cena's title's plates were ridiculously thin, compared to the one Punk came out with (which I'm pretty sure is the real belt). Not sure if it was a replica or just a shitty backup, but it wasn't a proper title.

[#BROKEN Hasney]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/7bnwY48HpM8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

Watch the guy bottom right when the belts are held up. Cena holds his up, he cheers. Punk holds his up and he violently boos, but when he hears the cheers for Punk, he has to spazz out and cover his ears. It is gold.

Not that I couldn't imagine SOME people who post here doing the same, just the opposite way round...

[Dark-Slicer Diago]

It's great to see Punk with Cult of Personality again and I can't wait to see where it goes from here.

[edyhdrawde]

I knew it was Punk as soon as the song started, because it fits who Punk has been in the last few weeks. He has everyone wrapped around his finger at the moment, so he is the leader of the cult of personality. Personally the only thing I wondered when hearing the song was if he would come out alone. I was hoping for Cabana and Kings of Wrestling to come out with him.

Screw Mysterio winning and losing. He's a pale shadow of what he used to be and it least he got a good match out of Miz and Cena.

[XCaliber]

The only thing I didn't like about the show was having two title changes in one night when they could have just as easily made it triple threat match unless they were planning to have Cena turn heel and I still think Punk should have come out to this rather than the C.o.P. it has a much better intro and would have at least created a little bit of mystery of who it was to the casual fans:

<iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/GbwdTtRHQAU" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[XCaliber]

Also Zack Ryder WINS in a squash match against Cole WWWYKI BRO!

[Aguakate]

I didn't realize that was Michael Cole 'til halfway into his entrance...I thought it was Santino.

[Savio]

The only thing I would change is have the mainevent be a triple threat instead Miz/Cena/Rey. I am not a fan of these real short reigns which have been popping up lately.

[Lock Jaw]

I didn't realize that was Michael Cole 'til halfway into his entrance...I thought it was Santino.

Honestly thought it was Santino at first as well.

[Inadequacy]

Definitely can't wait for True Long Island Story this week.

[Lock Jaw]

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx342/ryancorven/FAN%20Network/PunkReturns4.gif

[Lock Jaw]

Next week, Stone Cold Steve Austin will decide who is Tough Enough, and who must turn in their belt and go home!!

[DAMN iNATOR]

http://www.gifsoup.com/webroot/animatedgifs7/2879866_o.gif

[Lock Jaw]

http://i51.tinypic.com/nvyw1.gif

TIME TO PLAY THE GAME

[Lock Jaw]

http://i770.photobucket.com/albums/xx342/ryancorven/FAN%20Network/Zack-Cole5.gif

"I WON! I WON ON RAW!"

[Droford]

and he beat a future sure fire first ballot hall of famer at that..

or not.

[Lock Jaw]

Certainly beat Michael Cole much easier than Jerry Lawler ever did!

[Rammsteinmad]

'Zack Ryder won a squash match'.

Never thought we'd hear that!

[VSG]

Michael Cole in those trunks looks a lot like Mr. Kennedy. Same physique and everything :o

I am glad I wasn't the only one who thought that.

[Droford]

Im assuming for Smackdown tonight they drag out Hornswoggle and have him beat Cole in a squash.

Maybe next week on RAW HHH will let Eve finally get her revenge on Cole for interrupting her matches earlier on.

[BigCrippyZ]

Maybe next week on RAW HHH will let Eve finally get her revenge on Cole for interrupting her matches earlier on.

I'd let Eve get her revenge all over me anytime! Especially after watching her shake her ass last night! :naughty:

[Aguakate]

So, we're just going to let the whole Anonymous RAW GM thing slide by?

[Shadrick]

Everyone knows its Lock Jaw, so it doesn't really matter.

[Beth Phoenix Fan]

<iframe width="560" height="349" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/c2bpOBn35c8" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

i hope beth phoenix gets stinkfaced by maryse(but eve will stinkface maryse to get back at her) in the battle royal next week and when she wins it, hopefully kelly will stinkface beth at summerslam for a long time.

[James Steele]

So, we're just going to let the whole Anonymous RAW GM thing slide by?

Since it is the CEO/Chairman who has been dominating the decision making role on RAW lately, and it has only been 1 week without mention of the RAW GM, I think it is ok to not worry your pretty little head about it yet.

[thedamndest]

The podium was there.

[James Steele]

In all honesty, I'd keep my damn mouth shut when Triple H is making decisions if I were the RAW Anonymous General Manager.

[SammyG]

Am I the only one who thinks Punk's new music is terrible

[loopydate]

No, but you're certainly in the minority.

[Lock Jaw]

It isn't terrible. I like his old one more. Which is natural since I have all the "emotional connections" with his old one, and none with the new one. If he keeps it, I am sure it will grow on me.

[Xero]

From a lyrics standpoint, Cult of Personality is better right now.

"This Fire Burns" works on a lyrics standpoint, too, just not as well.

[Lock Jaw]

No one listens to the lyrics.

[Lock Jaw]

And by "no one", I mean myself.

[Aguakate]

I like how WWE has given some guys REAL music, instead of the ones their guy used to make...what was his name, Jim Johnston or John Johnston, something like that?