The following article is Jason Powell’s review of the 2014 Slammy Awards edition of WWE Raw that aired on December 8, 2014. Join Jason Powell tonight for live coverage of the 2015 Slammy Awards edition of Raw.
WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Greenville, South Carolina at Bon Secours Wellness Arena
[Q1] Footage aired from Survivor Series of Big Show punching out John Cena. The narrator said Cena gets a chance to settle the score in the Raw main event… Michael Cole and JBL started on commentary. Cole welcomed viewers to the 77th annual Slammy Awards. “Or something like that,” he said…
Ring announcer Lilian Garcia introduced Jerry Lawler, who introduced Seth Green as the host of Raw and the 2014 Slammy Awards. “Oh my goodness,” Green started. He said he couldn’t be more excited to be back as host. JBL mocked Green’s haircut on commentary. Green said the awards belong to the fans because their votes determine the winners. Green was interrupted by The Miz’s music.
The Miz and Mizdow joined Green on the stage. Miz forced a hug and cheek kisses on Green. Miz said he’s the A-Lister that Green needs in one of his projects. Green said he sees an A-Lister, but it’s Sandow, not Miz. The fans cheered. Mizdow smiled. “This guy’s awesome,” Green said. Miz said Mizdow is not awesome and reminded everyone that Mizdow is his stunt double.
Miz set up the This Is Awesome Moment of the Year Award. The nominees Occupy Raw, Stephanie McMahon going to jail, Goodbye Authority (Sting’s debut was included), and the All-Time Greatest moment at WrestleMania 30 with Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, and The Rock. Cole said it’s up to the fans to vote via the app…
1. Dolph Ziggler vs. Seth Rollins (w/Jamie Noble, Joey Mercury). Cole hyped their respective TLC pay-per-view matches. Ziggler backdropped Rollins onto the ring apron and then dropkicked him to the floor, and the show cut to break roughly 30 seconds into the match. [C]
[Q2] Late in the match, Ziggler backdropped Rollins off the ropes. One security team member distracted the referee while the other pushed Ziggler off the ropes. Rollins hit the Curb Stomp and pinned Ziggler…
Seth Rollins defeated Dolph Ziggler in 7:50.
Sting won the This Is Awesome award. Rollins, who was heading up the ramp, stormed the podium and ran off Green. Rollins complained that Sting cost him his biggest match and ran The Authority off. Rollins said he was accepting the award on behalf of Sting, because he doesn’t deserve it, whereas Rollins does…
The New Day made their entrance and didn’t get a very positive reaction. Cole said Kofi Kingston would face Stardust after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: What was saw of the match was good. I wish they would give Ziggler continuous momentum, but losing the way he did was acceptable. Rollins has already accepted two Slammy Awards. For those who didn’t watch the pre-show, he accepted one that was awarded to Randy Orton “in his memory.” Was Sting even nominated? I could have sworn he was tied in with The Authority going away, but I could be mistaken.
Cole ran through the Slammy winners announced on the Slammy Pre Show that aired on WWE Network…
2. Kofi Kingston (w/Big E, Xavier Woods) vs. Stardust (w/Goldust). Kingston won after hitting a cross body block off the top rope. New Day clapped and said “new day” repeatedly and some fans chanted along…
Kofi Kingston beat Stardust in 3:00.
Powell’s POV: The New Day already has me longing for the old days for these three. The sad thing is that I like the three of them individually, but the this act does nothing for me.
[Q3] John Laurinaitis was introduced. Big Johnny came out waving as he approached the podium on the stage. The crowd reacted with silence and then a few boos. Johnny said he wanted to address the big elephant in the room. He asked when People Power was going to return. He said the people have spoken and it’s time to bring back Big Johnny. The fans groaned.
The Surprise Return of the Year nominees were Hulk Hogan, Batista, The Rock, and Ultimate Warrior. They hyped the voting was open and ran through a brief video showing stupid people how to download the app… [C]
The Surprise Return of the Year went to Ultimate Warrior.
Backstage, Seth Rollins and his security ran into Paul Heyman, who said he was there expecting a sweep for Brock Lesnar in Slammy Awards. Heyman said he’s been talking with Lesnar about Rollins and if he wins his match. Rollins cut him off and said he will win and if he decides to cash in his Money in the Bank contract then neither Lesnar nor Heyman will see it coming.
Heyman said he knew Rollins was the future of WWE the moment he Curb Stomped Lesnar. Heyman said Lensar isn’t the person standing in Rollins’ way as being the future of WWE. Heyman said Cena is responsible, and Rollins should make sure that Cena is firmly entrenched in the past…
NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte made her entrance for a match. Cole acknowledged that she’s the daughter of Ric Flair, then set up a Charlotte video package. Cole said Charlotte vs. Natalya was coming up after the break…
Powell’s POV: That is a cool surprise. These two had a hell of a match at the NXT Takeover event. I doubt they’ll get enough time to make this a comparable match, but it should be fun.
[Q4] [C] 3. NXT Women’s Champion Charlotte vs. Natalya (w/Tyson Kidd) in a non-title match. The broadcast team hyped the pay-per-view. Charlotte got in Natalya’s face and gave her a “Wooooo.” The crowd gave the same reaction whenever Charlotte threw chops. Later, Natalya went for the Sharpshooter, but Charlotte countered into a small package, which Charlotte rolled over and got the pin…
Natalya pinned Charlotte in a non-title match in 2:30.
Powell’s POV: Really? That’s how you debut the daughter of Ric Flair? The surprise part was fun, but having her lose a short non-title match sends the wrong message about her and the NXT Takeover III event. She can avenge the loss and she’ll be fine, but this could have been much better.
Santino Marella came out and did some comedy before introducing the nominees for Shocking Moment of the Year – Seth Rollins turning on Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose; Nikki Bella turning on Brie Bella; Bray Wyatt leading a children’s choir, and Brock Lesnar beating Undertaker at WrestleMania 30. Lawler pimped the app voting… [C] Cole hyped Cena vs. Big Show…
[Q5] Brock Lesnar beating Undertaker at WrestleMania 30 was the Most Shocking Moment of the Year. Paul Heyman came out to accept the award. Heyman delivered his intro about being the one behind 21-1.
Bray Wyatt’s music played and he made his entrance without any interaction with Heyman. Cole hyped Wyatt vs. Ambrose for TLC, so the storyline larynx injury hasn’t changed anything. Wyatt explained the meaning of the rocking chair that Ambrose broke. He said “she” was sitting in that rocking chair underneath the cypress tree. “That was her chair,” Wyatt said.
Wyatt set up footage of his attack on Ambrose by saying he took a something form him that he can never get back and so he decided to take something from Ambrose. After the footage was shown, Wyatt asked the live crowd if that shocked and frightened them. There were “no” responses.
Wyatt said he doesn’t think people know who they are dealing with. He said he’s a monster and he despises every last one of them. Wyatt said they are moths drawn in by his flame and if they get too close he will burn them. Wyatt said everyone will conquer Ambrose and look down at him. He said he won’t allow the fans to cry for Ambrose because he deserves everything he has coming to him. “The end is near,” Wyatt said. He did the “tables, ladders, and chairs” bit until a siren interrupted him.
An ambulance backed into the arena. Ambrose emerged from the back of a smoke-filled ambulance wearing a neck brace. His music played and the crowd popped. He pulled a table out of the ambulance and threw it on the stage. He did the same with a chair and a ladder. JBL said he’s surprised Ambrose is even walking. “What is wrong with Dean Ambrose?” JBL asked.
Ambrose stood on the stage and ripped off the neck brace. Ambrose brought a ladder and a chair to the ring. He jabbed Wyatt with the ladder. Wyatt threw another chair into the ring and it appeared to hit Wyatt accidentally. Ambrose set up a table in the ring and Wyatt rolled out to ringside. He returned to the ring apron, but Ambrose threw a chair at him that knocked him down.
As Wyatt writhed on the floor, Ambrose took the mic and said the only way Wyatt will leave TLC is in the back of an ambulance. Ambrose said he will become the monster and he’s going to eat Wyatt alive. Wyatt flashed a look of concern and examined his own head for a potential cut from the chair…
Powell’s POV: Finally, Bray Wyatt was a true heel who badmouthed the fans. I love it. He’s an amazing talker, but this is the first time he really went full fledged heel route and directed his words at the fans. It’s nice that there was some explanation for the chair, but it really needed to occur before it was broken so that it would have meant something at the time. Overall, though, a really good segment.
At the podium, Green laughed and said that was pretty awesome. Ugh. Green introduced Jerry Lawler to introduce the nominees for Diva of the Year – Brie Bella; Nikki Bella; Paige; A.J. Lee…
[Q6] [C] A.J. Lee won the Diva of the Year award. Beforehand, Lawler did some horny old man comedy, then all four Divas were shown together. For some reason, Titus O’Neil showed up wearing an intentionally tacky suit. Lee said she is proud to say that she has redefined what it means to be a Diva. She said she hopes that next year’s award is won by Baley, Sasha, Emma, Charlotte, or Paige. However, she said the queen is not ready to vacate her throne and she will become a four-time Divas Champion…
Backstage, Renee Young interviewed John Cena, who said the universe was shocked when Vince McMahon told Steve Austin that all the superstars need to step up. Cena said Show thinks he did that, but he showed everyone who he really was. Cena said Show is The Authority’s puppet and he’ll do everything to bring them back.
Cena brought up the tables match and said it’s an uncertainty. He said Rollins can’t pin him and isn’t man enough to make him tap out. Cena said that if Rollins steps up, then he has to seriously consider stepping down. Cena said he wants to be the champion and they either “step up or step aside.” Cena said everyone will see that he’s not done stepping up. Cena said he’s going to put Rollins through a table on Sunday…
Erick Rowan made his entrance. Cole spoke about the Steve Austin Podcast with Vince McMahon delivering record breaking numbers (without going into details) and said it’s now available on Podcast One. Cole said Rowan vs. Luke Harper was coming up after the break… [C]
Powell’s POV: I would say that Cena is going to win on Sunday, but you never know when they’ll do another one of those eight day Cena redemption storylines. Either way, it was a good promo and I don’t mind him talking as he did about Rollins simply because Rollins is cast as a wormy heel. Finally, I don’t know if Lee saying she hopes one of NXT women win the award next year is a sign about her future with the company, but I do know that it will be overanalyzed to death in the days ahead.
Footage aired of Erick Rowan slamming the stairs into the head of Big Show late in Raw last week…
4. Intercontinental Champion Luke Harper vs. Erick Rowan in a non-title match. Harper dragged a ladder to the ring with him. They fought to ringside and Harper pulled the ladder into Rowan for the DQ.
[Q7] After the match, Rowan caught a charging Harper with a forearm and slammed his head into the stairs. He picked up Harper and dropped him head-first onto the stairs…
Erick Rowan beat Luke Harper by DQ in 2:05.
Powell’s POV: This is a match that should have meant so much more. They rushed the breakup of the Wyatt Family and there didn’t seem to be any major fan interest in seeing them collide. What a shame. They had the crowd with them with the post match brawling, but creative would have had a money match if they played their cards right.
Backstage, The Usos approached Naomi and were celebrating their Slammy Awards win from over two hours earlier. Jimmy told her winning the award was the second best thing that happened to him, but marrying her was first. Naomi said the agent that Miz turned her onto is legitimate. She said she has a screen test next week. Uso said he doesn’t trust Miz and would be going with her. She questioned if she trusts her and thinks she’s talented. She ended up walking off…
Adam Rose, The Bunny, and the Rosebuds came out to no reaction. Rose asked the crowd if the Slammy Awards were smashing. Eh. He said the only thing that could make it better is if he were host. When he didn’t get the response he wanted, he said under his breath that the fans know nothing.
Rose was the presenter of the LOL Moment of the Year. The nominees were Mr. T’s Mother’s Day message; WeeLC; Mizdow as a stunt double; Stephanie McMahon being thrown in the pudding pool by Vickie Guerrero. The broadcast team said the voting was open… [C]
The broadcast team ran through the awards won on the pre-show…
[Q8] Damien Mizdow won the LOL Moment of the Year. Miz and Mizdow came out. Miz took the award and delivered an over the top acceptance speech about being an actor. The fans chanted for Mizdow. “I hear you,” he said. “You want Miz now and you got Miz now.” Miz said there’s someone who deserves credit for the Slammy and the tag titles, and who has been there for him since day one – the moneymaker…
Powell’s POV: The Miz’s acceptance speech was great. Sure, we’ve heard the moneymaker bit before, but I continue to get a big kick out of him big-footing his tag partner.
Rusev and Lana made their entrance. Cole announced Ruseve vs. Jack Swagger for TLC. Lana said the LOL award should go to Barack Obama and the U.S. economy. Swagger came out and said that what goes around comes around in America. He said that Rusev broke Zeb Colter’s leg and now he’s going to snap Rusev’s ankle.
Swagger charged the ring and fought with Rusev on the floor. Swagger got the better of the brawl and applied the Patriot Lock. Rusev sold it by crying out in agony as four referees pulled Swagger off him. The fans chanted “We The People”… Cole hyped Cena vs. Big Show… [C]
Powell’s POV: Quick and effective hype for Rusev and Swagger. The crowds react to Swagger when it’s done in that manner and this was no exception.
Cole announced Goldust and Stardust vs. The New Day as the TLC Kickoff show match…
[Q9] 5. Ryback and The Uso Brothers vs. Kane, The Miz, and Mizdow. Seth Green sat in on commentary. Cole told Green he’s a three-time Slammy Award winner. Green played nice and asked what categories. “A number of things,” Cole said. Hilarious for all the wrong reasons. Oh, and there was a match going on in the ring. [C]
Late in the match, Jimmy Uso went after Miz, who told him he was trying to help him. Miz ducked and pulled the rope down, causing Jimmy to tumble to the floor. Ryback clotheslined Miz and performed Shellshocked for the win. After the match, Green entered the ring and tried to raise Ryback’s arm unsuccessfully. The Usos hoisted Green on their shoulders and they all yelled “Feed Me More”…
Ryback and The Usos beat Kane, Miz, and Mizdow in 10:00.
Cole set up a video of the first Slammy Awards in 1986. It was all about the wrestling musical performances back then… Ricky Steamboat was introduced and countless viewers immediately thought of him referring to C.M. Punk as “C.M.” The broadcast team gave him a standing ovation. He spoke about match of the year and mentioned his matches with Ric Flair and Randy Savage.
[Q10] Steamboat read the nominees for the Best Match of the Year Slammy Award – Daniel Bryan vs. Randy Orton vs. Batista at WrestleMania 30; John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt in a Last Man Standing match at Payback; Evolution vs. The Shield at Extreme Rules; Team Cena vs. Team Authority at Survivor Series… A.J. Lee made her entrance… [C]
Powell’s POV: I don’t get bent out of shape about Slammy Award winners or nominees because they don’t mean anything, but I’ll take The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family over The Shield vs. Evolution. I can think of plenty of matches I’d list before Cena vs. Wyatt as well.
An ad hyped WWE Week for USA Network. It carried a Christmas theme even though it starts Monday and WWE will actually have another Raw before Christmas…
Team Cena vs. Team Authority won the Slammy Award for Match of the Year. JBL said it’s hard to argue with that. No, it’s actually easy, but why bother? Dolph Ziggler came out and accepted the award. He said the moment at Survivor Series was the coolest thing that’s ever happened in his life. He said he thinks “we’re” going to build on that and said the only reason he was in the match is that fans have stood by him…
6. A.J. Lee vs. Summer Rae. Summer patted Lee on the head to start. Lee got fired up, but Summer cut her off and had a run on offense. There was an AJ Lee chant from the fans who will do anything C.M. Punk tells them (kidding…kinda). Lee came back and applied the Black Widow for the win…
A.J. Lee defeated Summer Rae in 2:30.
Rob Van Dam came out to introduce the nominees for Extreme Moment of the Year. The reaction was kinda ho-hum, but part of it was that there seemed to be multiple chants going on. The fans did get on the same page to chant along when RVD said his name.
[Q11] The nominees were Brock Lesnar destroying John Cena at SummerSlam; Kane attacking Daniel Bryan on Raw; Chris Jericho hitting Bray Wyatt with a cross body block off the top of the cage; Seth Rollins performing the Curb Stomp on Dean Ambrose on top of cinderblocks… [C]
Chris Jericho won the Extreme Moment of the Year award. Fandango came out and accepted the award. He mentioned his first match was against Jericho and then actually used Goldust’s line while saying people would never forget the name of Fandango again…
Mick Foley and daughter Noelle were in a WWE Shop spot and also pushed WWE Network… Footage aired of Big Show knocking out John Cena at Survivor Series… Backstage, Renee Young interviewed Show, who hyped his Raw match with Cena and his TLC match with Rowan… [C]
[Q12] The broadcast team ran through more pre-show awards… Booker T came out and listed the nominees for Superstar of the Year – Brock Lesnar; Dean Ambrose; Daniel Bryan; Roman Reigns; Bray Wyatt; John Cena. Lawler encouraged viewers to vote, Cole hyped Cena vs. Big Show…
Powell’s POV: This is a really dull show if you don’t care about the awards. The Wyatt and Ambrose segment was effective in setting up their TLC match, but that’s been the only strong TLC hype tonight. I assume they’ll take another swing via the Cena vs. Show match.
Next week’s Raw guest general manager will be Chris Jericho…
Roman Reigns won the Superstar of the Year Award.
The announcement was well received by some women. Reigns said this isn’t satellite. He said the Slammy isn’t the brass ring, but he loves it. He said he doesn’t care whether it’s John Cena, Brock Lesnar, Triple H, or Vince McMahon himself. He said if you’re at the top of the stage he is stepping up… John Cena made his entrance for the main event… [C]
Powell’s POV: Really? Come on. The live crowd’s silence to the announcement aside from a few squeals from female fans really said it all. The fans were responsive to his promo, but the idea that he won the fan voting is asinine. This hurts him if they want him to be a top babyface. Nothing will make a good portion of the fan base reject him more than feeling like he’s being shoved down their throats.
[Overrun] Big Show made his entrance after the break…
7. John Cena vs. Big Show. The dueling chants for Cena started when the bell rang. Show controlled the early action. Cena came back with a DDT. Cena applied a sleeper, which was very appropriate considering the state of the show and the live crowd at this point.
They got the crowd fired up down the stretch when Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Show. Cena covered him, but Seth Rollins, Jamie Noble, and Joey Mercury ran in for the DQ. Rollins set up a ladder and planned to Curb Stomp Cena from it, but Dolph Ziggler ran out for the save. Big Show recovered and hit both men with knockout punches.
Erick Rowan ran out to after Show, but Luke Harper followed and attacked him from behind at ringside. They ran Rowan into the the ring steps. A “Feed Me More” chant started. Show slammed Rowan on the steps.
Ryback’s music hit and he ran out and attacked Big Show and then clotheslined Harper. Kane came out and attacked Ryback with a chair. Harper put Ziggler through a table. Cena hit the AA on Harper. Rollins performed the Curb Stomp on Cena. Rollins said he wanted to make an example, so he put Cena through the broadcast table with help from his security team. The heels posed over Ziggler in the ring to close the show…
John Cena beat Big Show by an apparent DQ in 5:40.
Powell’s POV: A strong closing segment that showcased some of the TLC matches and put heat on the heels, but it wasn’t enough to save this marathon show. It’s hard enough to take the Slammy Awards seriously, but when the announcers basically laugh them off it’s impossible. Factor in the ridiculous and damaging win for Roman Reigns (assuming he’s a babyface) and I’m already dreading the 2015 Slammy Awards.
Be the first to comment