This Week In WWE TV – January 13-19, 2014

This week: Daniel Bryan ditches the Wyatt Family and the YES chants are back, not that they ever really stopped, in a memorable ending to Monday Night Raw. Plus, Kofi upsets the champ, Big Show KOs Zeb Colter, Punk crosses Kane and gets abandoned by the Outlaws, John Cena Senior, #EMMAtaining and not your average episode of Main Event.

RAW

– The Usos d. Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan by DQ in 5:38. Lots of chants for Bryan. Bryan and Bray dominated. Jimmy fought back and The Usos hit a pair of dives, but Harper and Rowan then ran in for the DQ to stop a double superfly splash. The Usos managed to escape and Bryan took a superkick in the process. Bray then made Bryan take a Sister Abigail and had Rowan and Harper help him up the ramp.

– John Cena d. Damien Sandow in 6:52. They showed clips of Sandow’s MITB cash-in match from October before this match. Sandow was competitive, even though they hyped this as ‘John Cena in action’ and he countered an AA, before escaping the STF. Sandow used Edge’s Edgecator again, which he’s calling the Royal Arch. Cena used a tornado DDT for a near fall before Sandow avoided another AA. Cena countered the You’re Welcome into the STF but Sandow made the ropes. Sandow then used a crossface on Cena. However, Cena powered out and turned it into the AA for the pin. After the match Cena hugged his dad who was in the crowd. Cena gave Sandow a lot before winning.

– Brad and Kane blamed each other for what happened between the Usos and the Wyatts. Brad suggested doing the match again in a steel cage. Kane had a better idea, a cage match where the door was locked and he had the key. Big Show d. Jack Swagger in 1:19. Zeb’s sign this week said ‘You’re a BIG part of the problem’. Big Show won quick with the chokeslam, then chased off Cesaro when he thought about attacking. As Zeb checked on Swagger, Big Show then went back and grabbed him. Cesaro tried to make the save but Big Show sent him outside, before knocking out Colter. Apparently Big Show doesn’t like signs.

– In a rematch from Smackdown, The Shield d. CM Punk and The New Age Outlaws (Reigns pinned Punk) in 12:15. After an even start, Ambrose and Rollins escaped GTS attempts by Punk before bringing in Reigns. Who the crowd briefly chanted for. Punk took out Reigns with a dive, before finally being cut off. Reigns busted out a running apron dropkick which looked awesome, not to mention pretty painful. Punk sold his eye after that. Punk sent Ambrose into the steps, but when he finally went to tag, the Outlaws walked out on him. That left Punk 3 on 1 and he tried to fight The Shield off, until Reigns hit the spear for the win. This was going better than the Smackdown match before the Outlaws walked out. The Shield gave Punk the triple powerbomb after the match as well.

– Backstage, Bray gave Bryan a pep talk. AJ and Tamina Snuka d. The Funkadactyls (AJ pinned Cameron) in 2:51. Before the match, Emma was shown in the crowd, holding a ‘#EMMAtaining’ sign and was referenced by the commentators by name. Cameron was in the whole match and Naomi was knocked off the apron when Cameron was close to a tag, before AJ hit the shining wizard for the pin. Tamina went to attack afterwards but Naomi made the save and gave AJ the Rear View.

– Backstage Orton was shown looking for The Authority. Orton complained to Kane, who told him to take his frustration out on Kofi. The Ultimate Warrior was announced as the first Hall Of Fame entrant this year. Renee interviewed Heyman, who said he wasn’t impressed by Big Show knocking out an innocent elderly gentleman and neither was Brock. Kofi Kingston d. Randy Orton in 13:41. This was a long one. It wasn’t particularly bad, but really long and slow paced. Orton was on top for most of the match, with Kofi getting brief flashes of offense. As Orton went for the DDT from the apron, Kofi then escaped and hit the SOS for the out of nowhere win. Orton tore up ringside and then attacked John Cena Sr, causing Cena to run out and chase Orton off. They stretchered Cena Senior out and Cena left with him in the ambulance.

– Goldust and Cody Rhodes d. RybAxel (Cody pinned Axel) in 6:04. They acknowledged Ryback’s Twitter exploits, which I’m a big fan of. RybAxel isolated Goldust for a while, before Cody made a comeback and beat Axel with Cross Rhodes. Alberto Del Rio d. Rey Mysterio by submission in 4:56. Rey did an inset promo, reminding us he had the longest time in the Rumble and saying he’d win again this year. Del Rio worked on the arm but missed an attack in the corner and hit the post and steps falling outside. Rey hit the 619, but Del Rio crotched him as he went for the splash. After a superkick to the back of the head, Del Rio then won with the cross armbreaker. Del Rio said this would happen to Batista if he showed up next week and again said he’d throw Batista out of the Royal Rumble.

– Punk asked Kane where The Authority were and blamed HHH for the Outlaws and The Shield. Kane told Punk he’d just been told by The Authority that Punk was in the Rumble, so he could headline Wrestlemania. Punk said he had no problem with that, but he had a problem with Kane. An Usos promo for the steel cage match aired, which was cut together pretty uniquely.  Steel Cage Match: The Usos d. Bray Wyatt and Daniel Bryan in 7:47. Kane locked the cage before the match. Crowd got into this by the end, after a double back superplex on Bryan. Bray went for the Sister Abigail, but was hit with a superkick. The Usos then tried to climb out and as all four fought on the cage, Bryan was knocked off, causing Bray to get crotched on the ropes. Jey jumped onto Rowan and when Harper went after him, it gave Jimmy room to hit the floor as well and win the match.

– Jimmy hit Harper with a superkick and The Usos celebrated. Bray tried to make Bryan take the Sister Abigail again. This time though, Bryan threw him off. The crowd chanted YES and chanted for Bryan. Bray dared Bryan to hit him and when he wouldn’t, Bray tried to charge at him, but Bryan moved and attacked to a big pop. Bryan hit three running dropkicks in the corner and a series of kicks before pulling off his Wyatt costume to reveal his normal gear underneath. Rowan and Harper tried to get in but couldn’t. Bryan sent Bray into the cage to knock Rowan and Harper off when they tried to climb in. He then got another huge YES chant going, before giving Bray the running knee and celebrating on top of the cage. This angle sure didn’t hurt Bryan’s popularity as people worried it might, because this got exactly the reaction WWE would have hoped for.

MAIN EVENT

– There was a memorial graphic for Mae Young before the show.

– Kofi Kingston d. Curtis Axel in 12:08. They played up Kofi’s win over Orton quite a bit. Crowd got into Kofi. After an even start, Kofi hit a dive after avoiding being thrown into the apron with a tuck and roll through the ropes. That was pretty cool. Axel took over soon after. Kofi fought back and Axel avoided Trouble In Paradise before Kofi got a near fall with a crossbody. In the end Axel avoided another Trouble In Paradise and Kofi kicked the post, but Kofi surprised Axel with a roll up after being thrown back into the ring to get the pin. After the match Axel tried to attack but Kofi avoided it. Ryback then came out, but instead of going after Kofi, he walked around the ring and straight back up the ramp.

– In a clip from HHH’s WWE.com interview, HHH said Orton’s actions on Raw would be looked into and handled internally. Damien Sandow d. Sin Cara in 4:05. Sin Cara hit a dive early but Sandow quickly took control. When Sin Cara fought back, Ryback then interrupted. Again he just walked around the ring, as Sandow caught Sin Cara with the You’re Welcome for the win.

– Backstage, 3MB thanked Brad for giving them a handicap match tonight. They claimed they’d be dropping their debut album soon. Brad claimed out nobody liked them, but he didn’t like the PTP either and he only made the match so everyone backstage wouldn’t have to put up with them. In the arena, Bad News Barrett and his giant podium on a forklift appeared. They’ve set the podium up so the gaval makes an even more annoying noise. Bad News Barrett’s Bad News was that he’d be entering the Royal Rumble, so there’d be no surprises. He insulted the crowd like a big meanie, before guess who came out again to do another lap of the ring.

– Three On Two Handicap Match: The Primetime Players d. 3MB (Young pinned Drew) in 1:55 when Drew was distracted by Titus breaking up a pin and Young rolled him up. Titus didn’t even tag in. 3MB demanded Brad restart the match, but instead, Brad put them in a six man tag. Three On Two Handicap Match: Los Matadores and El Torito d. 3MB (Fernando pinned Jinder) in 4:04. Torito ran wild on Jinder and Los Matadores took out Slater and Drew. Torito then gored Slater, leaving Jinder to be finished off by Los Matadores with their still doesn’t have a name double samoan drop slam move. Afterwards Ryback interrupted their celebration to do one more lap of the ring to end the show.

NXT

– The show started with HHH coming out and announcing there’d be a live NXT on the WWE Network on February 27th. Adrian Neville d. Tyler Breeze in 9:16. This stemmed from the lumberjack match between Bo and Neville four weeks before. Fairly even match. Neville avoided the Beauty Shot but missed a middle rope phoenix splash, which got a near fall for Breeze. Neville countered a second Beauty Shot into a sit out powerbomb for a two count before Breeze stopped the corkscrew shooting star. Neville blocked a hurricanrana off the top though and hit the corkscrew shooting star for the pin.

– CJ Parker d. Jason Jordan in 1:07 with the palm strike, which is apparently called the Third Eye now. Bo Dallas d. Mojo Rawley in 3:48. Bo shook Mojo’s hand before the match. What a nice guy. Crowd got behind Mojo, but I think some people chanted Let’s Go Bo as well, so it finally happened. Mojo threw Bo around early and pretty much dominated, until he missed a splash in the corner and Bo rolled him up with the tights for the win. Mojo’s still limited, but they kept this simple and the crowd were into it.

– In the main event, Kofi Kingston d. Alexander Rusev in 12:11 in their rematch. I’d seen this touted as a worst match of the year candidate from live reports. It went a bit too long, but I’ve seen much worse. It started completely fine, but the crowd eventually turned on it, presumably because it was so long and so late in the taping, including Feed Me More chants when Rusev inexplicably did the Ryback hand movements and the crowd doing the wave. Reminded me of an hour 3 Raw match from last year, when crowds chanting random things was more prominent in the wake of the post Wrestlemania Raw. Kofi got a near fall with the SOS. Lana tried to distract him as he went for the Trouble In Paradise, but Kofi avoided a charge by Rusev and hit Trouble In Paradise for the pin.

SUPERSTARS

– Xavier Woods d. Brodus Clay in 4:14. Truth did commentary. Brodus had new theme music and wore a pinstripe suit to the ring. Brodus was on top for a while before Xavier made a comeback. Brodus hit an exploder suplex, but missed a splash off the second rope and Xavier hit Lost In The Woods for the pin. And The Primetime Players d. Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre of 3MB (Titus pinned Drew) in 6:45. 3MB eventually cut off Young. Titus ran wild and Young gave Jinder the Gut Check. Drew then hit a running boot to Young, but walked into the Clash Of The Titus sky high to give PTP the win.

SMACKDOWN

– New Age Outlaws d. Goldust and Cody Rhodes in 4:44. Miz was on commentary with JBL and Cole this week. I really don’t know how Miz got a promotion considering his Main Event performances lately. This didn’t make for a good three man booth. At all. Road Dogg tried to play nice at the start, but gave Goldust a cheap shot after teasing a handshake. Cody ran wild before Cody avoided a Fameasser and Billy countered the Cross Rhodes. Cody avoided a second Fameasser and hit the disaster kick, but Vickie came out and started talking about the Royal Rumble, which distracted Cody allowing Billy to roll him up.

– Renee interviewed Punk. He confirmed he’d be calling out The Shield later. Rey Mysterio d. Alberto Del Rio in 8:49. Before the match, Rey claimed Del Rio was worried about Batista returning on Raw, but he should be worrying about him tonight. Del Rio tried to unmask Rey during the match. Del Rio cut Rey off with a tilt a whirl backbreaker as he went for a 619. Mysterio got a near fall with a tornado DDT and hit the 619 after escaping the cross armbreaker. Del Rio got his knees up to block the splash, but Rey ducked a kneeling superkick and rolled Del Rio up for the pin. Del Rio attacked after the match and put Rey in the cross armbreaker.

– The Wyatts came out and Bray cut a rambling promo. Renee interviewed Punk again for some reason. Punk said he was going to call out the Outlaws as well as The Shield. Punk said this was The Authority’s opportunity to get what they wanted, but someday, he’d get what he wanted. Naomi d. Tamina Snuka in 2:36. Emma and her #EMMAtaining sign were shown again, dancing to The Funkadactyls music. Naomi took an ugly landing on a flapjack. AJ tried a distraction and Cameron took her out. Naomi then won with a split legged moonsault. A Mae Young tribute video then aired.

– Heyman came out. He pointed out Lesnar was in a fight with Mark Henry, before Big Show attacked him and gave the misleading impression he could physically dominate Brock. He said Lesnar would conquer Big Show at Royal Rumble. Heyman claimed Big Show would never try knocking him out like he did Zeb, because he had Brock by his side, but Big Show interrupted. Heyman tried to warn Big Show not to try anything, only to run away when Show got in the ring. Show showed a replay of him throwing Lesnar across the ring on Old School Raw. He pointed out he was a Heyman guy once and he knew Heyman was scared. Show said he had a message for Brock, that he was going to knock him out at Royal Rumble.

– Big E Langston d. Fandango in 4:18 with the Big Ending. Renee interviewed The Shield about the Royal Rumble. Ambrose said they were on the same page. Renee asked if Ambrose would throw Rollins out if he had to and he said no, but Rollins claimed he couldn’t even if he tried. Rollins said he’d do it if he had to, causing Ambrose to change his mind. Reigns said he’d throw them both out in an instant, but regardless, one of them would win and they’d still be united.

– The Usos d. The Real Americans in 9:14. Zeb was in a wheelchair and a neckbrace. As they did the We The People pose on the ramp, Zeb’s wheelchair started wheeling down the ramp and Cesaro and Swagger had to stop it, which was the highlight of the show. Zeb complained about Big Show before the match and said he hoped Lesnar treated Show the same way Show treated him. The Usos were taped up from the cage match, which helpfully made them easier to tell apart. Jimmy got worked over and Cesaro gave him the giant swing. Jimmy managed to hit a whisper in the wind though and tagged in Jey. Swagger ended up getting Jey in the ankle lock but Jimmy hit a superkick. Cesaro used Zeb as a shield to avoid Jimmy, but got sent into the barrier. Jimmy then wheeled Zeb into Cesaro, before Jey gave Swagger an electric chair drop and Jimmy hit the superfly splash for the pin. Zeb was fantastic as the cartoon villain here.

– Punk came out and called out The Shield and The New Age Outlaws as promised. He ran down HHH as well in the process and it was during that part when The Shield and Outlaws came out. Kane stopped them from attacking Punk though. Kane said The Authority didn’t want it this way and told Punk that they weren’t against him, they wanted him to main event Wrestlemania. He claimed his top directive now was that Punk was treated justly and with the respect he deserved. Punk said Kane’s word didn’t mean anything now he was a sell out and a suck up. Kane then told The Shield and the Outlaws to get him, before running in himself while Punk was distracted and chokeslamming him.