WWE Monday Night RAW Review From Chicago 12/26/11

[Editor's Note: No Smackdown Review, Keg Stand, or Random Wrestling Review this week. I'm using the holiday weekend as an excuse. I might not bring back my Smackdown Review. Remember that this site becomes Wrestling Pipe Bombs tomorrow. Save this link: www.wrestlingpipebombs.blogspot.com]

I was at RAW last Monday in Chicago. It was a good show and I took many photos (over 150). I would like to share some of my thoughts and show you several exclusive photos.

Many people have probably seen RAW by now or at least read about it so I won't be reviewing RAW. I'm just sharing some of my thoughts and I will post several of my good photos.

Before the Show

• Fans in line said that they saw Booker T at the Target store that was across the street. After hearing that, I wasn't surprised when I saw Booker T make an appearance on RAW.
• I talked with a guy who follows the dirt sheets very closely. Some of the things he mentioned: LayCool will be returning in 2012, Randy Savage might go into the 2012 Hall of Fame, Undertaker does not want to face Triple H at WrestleMania 28, Stone Cold might face CM Punk as early as SummerSlam 2012, Stone Cold might face Goldberg at a future Pay-Per-View event, and Brock Lesnar will return to the WWE after retiring from UFC. I'm interested to see if any of that happens.

Before WWE Superstars

• The reports are true...Skip Sheffield did have a dark match in the Allstate Arena last Monday. He was introduced as "Skip Sheffield" and he was wrestling as a babyface. He won with his clothesline finisher move. 
• It was nice to see that Michael McGillicutty, Sheffield's opponent, is still in the WWE.

WWE Superstars Match #1: JTG vs. Alex Riley

• It was so weird to see JTG and Alex Riley. I'm surprised that JTG hasn't been future endeavored yet and I can't believe that Alex Riley went from PPV matches to being on Superstars. 
• I asked one of the fans if JTG is a heel now and he replied, "I don't think JTG is a face or a heel at this point. He's just a jobber right now." 

WWE Superstars Match #2: Air Boom vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins

• Wow...Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins. I wonder how many people were hoping to see those two guys when they bought their ticket.
• This was a really good match. Probably the best match of the night. It is a decent match to watch if you haven't seen it yet: http://youtu.be/jXHwFdWLh-8

RAW Segment #1: John Laurinaitis and CM Punk

• JL had very good heat. I couldn't really hearing him talking because the boos were so loud. The fans were obviously upset that he mocked CM Punk's entrance. 
• CM Punk got a good response but I think that it would have been bigger if JL wasn't there. 
• The "You Can't Wrestle" chants directly at JL were great.
• I think it would have been better if Punk got a chance to come out first and do a short promo by himself but I think the crowd reacted nicely to this segment. I think we made JL more over as a heel. 

RAW Segment #2: Booker T vs. Cody Rhodes

• I didn't like this match too much. It felt like a very long match and Booker T looked a little bit sloppy in the ring. I did enjoy seeing Booker T win. When is the last time Booker T won a match on RAW?
• Seeing the Spinaroonie after the match was really cool. 

RAW Segment #3: Big Show and David Otunga backstage

•  The fans loved Big Show's comment about Otunga not having any testicles.

RAW Segment #4: Eve and Zack Ryder vs. Natalya and Tyson Kidd 

• Before the match, Ryder asked Eve to be his New Year's Eve date but Eve rejected him. Then Tyson Kidd and Natalya entered and Kidd got cheap heat by saying that Canada is better than the United States. 
• Ryder seemed to be over with Chicago. I was surprised that the match was so short.

RAW Segment #5: John Cena, The Miz, and R-Truth

• Wow...John Cena said, "Chicago" like 25 times during his promo. The fans were booing him so Cena tried to get as many cheap cheers as he could by referencing Chicago's three WrestleManias, mentioning his match with CM Punk at Money in the Bank, mentioning Eddie Guerrero, and suggesting that Chicago is on the same level as New York City. It's a little bit sad that the WWE's TOP FACE had to work so hard to get some cheers.
• The Miz's promo after his match with Cena was just as cheap as Cena's promo. The Miz got some heat but it was cheap heat. He had to say that Chicago was a crappy city and he had to mention the Green Bay Packers. Obviously, the WWE was scared of Cena being booed out of the building and Miz getting a babyface reaction.
• R-Truth's return was awesome! The crowd loved R-Truth's hilarious promo and we were chanting "R-Truth". 
• I'm okay with R-Truth being a face now. R-Truth's recent popularity isn't because he turned heel. It is because he changed his gimmick. His gimmick as a crazy guy is why he's popular. It shouldn't matter if he is a face or heel. 

The other segments: Big Show vs. Otunga, Del Rio in a wheelchair, and CM Punk gauntlet match

• Otunga vs. Big Show was boring.
• This was the first time I have seen Otunga, who is from Chicago, in the Allstate Arena.
• Del Rio's promo from his wheelchair was entertaining. I was surprised to see him. I assumed he would miss the show so I appreciate that he still appeared on RAW despite being unable to compete. 
• Daniel Bryan's run-in was very random and he reached the ring before his music started playing. 
• I wasn't surprised Punk lost to Ziggler. Mark Henry was not able to compete so I was very confident that the gauntlet match would end before Punk faced Mark Henry.

MAIN EVENT Segment: Kane and John Cena 

• Kane's pyro didn't scare me this time.
• Cena almost getting burned by the pyros was cool to see.
• Kane's promo was great!
• Those damn kids botched the "Cena Sucks" chant at the end. Everyone was chanting "Cena Sucks" but the kids started chanting "Let's Go Cena". It almost ruined the ending.

 

After-RAW

• Cena left the stage when RAW went off the air and then quickly reappeared on the floor near the ringside seats.
• Cena entered the ring and got into a fight with Kane. Cena, of course, was able to knock Kane out the ring to send the fans home "happy".
• After Kane left, Cena got the announce table to cut a promo about how much he respects CM Punk. 

Dark Main Event Match: CM Punk vs. The Miz in a steel cage

• This was officially a WWE Championship match. CM Punk obviously won and retained his title.
• This was an okay match but it was the first cage match I have ever seen.
• After the match, Punk cut a short promo. http://theinfamousjcity.com/2011/12/27/an-infamous-exclusive-presentation-cm-punk-cuts-a-promo-after-his-monday-night-raw-steel-cage-dark-match-against-the-miz/

Other thoughts:

• I thought it was a solid show. There were no historic moments but several good moments: great CM Punk and JL segment, good Dolph Ziggler and CM Punk match, Booker T beating Cody Rhodes, great Kane promo, R-Truth making his return, and Cena's entertaining Chicago promo.
• The Chicago crowd was good as usual. Not the best Chicago crowd atmosphere I have experienced but the crowd brought their A-Game during the opening segment and Cena's promo in the middle of the show. 
• I was disappointed that Santino and Triple H did not appear on the show. Chicago loves both of those guys. It would have made the show more entertaining. I'm not really surprised that Triple H was a no-show despite the dirt sheets saying he would be there but I was really shocked that Santino wasn't there. This was only the second time I didn't see Santino at a WWE Event. I have seen him five times and each time he got one of the loudest pops in the arena. Santino is very popular in Chicago. 

Okay...and here are more photos that I took at RAW:

The view from my seat

Kane tries to set Cena on fire

This is what the fans in the arena see during commercial breaks

Cena sends the fans home "happy" by knocking Kane out of the ring

Cena cuts a promo on the announce table

A lot of fans stayed to see the Main Event.

CM Punk celebrating on the cage with his WWE Championship