Daniel Bryan def. Fandango
SEATTLE, Wa. – Perhaps it’s only
fitting that the 2013 Slammys kicked off with a bout between two of its
biggest nominees: Not only did Daniel Bryan and Fandango go head-to-head
in several categories, but they also battled out the first tilt of the
evening when Raw convened in Seattle. Unfortunately for the Breakout
Star of the Year nominee, Bryan denied Fandango any in-ring glory,
although the hometown hero’s night ended on an ominous note when all was
said and done.
Bryan
fed off the energy of his fellow Washingtonians to force Fandango onto
his heels, but the dancing king gritted his way through the former WWE
Champion's kicks to gain a brief advantage. A missed top-rope leg drop
proved the difference-maker, giving Bryan all the room he needed to
finish Fandango off with a flying headbutt and running knee.
Bryan
didn’t get to “YES! YES! YES!” his way into the sunset, though, as Bray
Wyatt appeared on the TitanTron and offered Bryan one last chance to
join his Family or face his wrath; an offer that was met with an
emphatic "NO!" that may cost Bryan dearly in six days' time.
Damien Sandow def. Santino Marella
Santino is responsible for more “LOL” moments than
most in WWE, yet The Italian Stallion wasn’t exactly cracking up when
Damien Sandow bested him in the ring just moments after The Rock won the
“LOL!” Moment of the Year Slammy. Sandow put on a clinic for his TLC
opponent Big E Langston at the announce table, picking Santino apart
methodically and making a strong case for his status as the No. 1
contender to Langston’s Intercontinental Championship.
The
Italian Stallion briefly turned the tables and went so far as to
produce The Cobra for a match-ending strike, yet Sandow was ready with a
leg sweep that took Marella down. The Enlightened One followed up with
“You’re Welcome” for a win that had him smiling. Langston, however, was
less than impressed, getting in Sandow’s face and forcing the No. 1
contender into a hasty retreat.
The Miz def. Kofi Kingston
From one double-cross to another, The Miz and Kofi
Kingston wasted no time continuing their tumultuous rivalry only
minutes after The Shield awarded Shawn Michels the Double-Cross of the
Year Slammy. The animosity between Kofi and The Awesome One – started
over a bait-and-switch Miz pulled last month – seemed to finally get the
better of the typically genial Boom Squad General. Despite a
surprisingly ferocious display by Kingston, Miz displayed the patience
of a born trickster when he reversed Kofi’s roll-up by launching him
into the turnbuckle, pinning the loopy Kingston with a fistful of
tights.
Lest
anyone think Miz had the bragging rights sewn up, though, the “Wildcat”
showed his claws and pounced on The Awesome One after the match,
delivering an atypically aggressive Trouble in Paradise that felled his
opponent like a tree.
Cody Rhodes & Goldust, Big Show & Rey Mysterio def. The Real Americans, Ryback & Curtis Axel
Not only did The Real Americans lose the Tag Team
of the Year Slammy to Cody Rhodes & Goldust, but the self-styled
patriots were stewing in defeat when they teamed with Rey Mysterio &
Big Show to topple Ryback & Curtis Axel in an Eight Man Tag Team
Match on Raw. The four fan favorites started out strong thanks to Big
Show; things got hairy for a while though after Jack Swagger turned the
tide against Goldust to give their opponents a lengthy leg up.
“Rybaxel”
traded offense on The Bizarre One and softened him up for Antonio
Cesaro, yet the former Intercontinental Champion managed to reach his
brother for a last-minute tag. Axel entered the fray at the same time
and immediately fell to a barrage of offense from both Cody and
Mysterio, who capitalized on Big Show’s dismantling of Swagger, Cesaro
and Ryback to finish the deed with a 619. Booyaka!
Sin Cara def. Alberto Del Rio
Despite the fact that Sin Cara wasn’t in the
running for Superstar of the Year, the masked International Icon is
certainly making a strong case for consideration in 2014. The
freshly-inked highflier not only defeated Alberto Del Rio for the second
time in two weeks; he did so in gritty, heartfelt fashion, gutting out a
lengthy victory over his cunning countryman.
Del
Rio, clearly wary of Sin Cara in the wake of last week’s upset,
initially picked his openings carefully and tried to whittle away at the
luchador’s defenses. The strategy worked for a time, and
“Mexico’s Greatest Export” kept his opponent earthbound with a
smothering mat game … until Sin Cara reversed Del Rio’s top
rope-superplex into a tremendous powerbomb. With Del Rio plastered onto
the mat, Sin Cara had only to administer his signature senton to send
the former World Champion home stewing once again.
Brodus Clay def. Xavier Woods
Looks like big Brodus Clay wasn’t feeling
particularly funky this evening. Despite the crowd-pleasing presentation
of Fan Participation of the Year, The Funkasaurus wasted no time in
spoiling the general mood of the WWE Universe – not to mention Xavier
Woods – in a display of aggression he
hasn’t shown in years. The exciting newcomer Woods has found himself in
Brodus’ crosshairs of late after the big man accused Woods of
piggybacking off his success, yet the PhD candidate has successfully
schooled the tag-team titan over the last few weeks. That was not the
case in Seattle; Brodus stomped the doctor out in a matter of moments,
though he wasn’t content with a simple victory and continued to pound Woods with splashes until Tensai and R-Truth hauled him away.
CM Punk def. U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose
How’s this for Insult of the Year? Despite the
fact that CM Punk bested the self-proclaimed “baddest man in The
Shield,” Dean Ambrose, it was the star-spangled champion’s ascendant
teammate Roman Reigns that truly left The Straight Edge Superstar
humiliated after the match was over.
Suffering
through a set of bruised ribs, the bout was an uphill battle for Punk
from the word go. Ambrose ruthlessly exploited his opponent’s injury,
countering a cross body with a knee to the chest that left the former
WWE Champion writhing in pain. Punk slowly fought his way to an
advantage with body blows of his own, and Ambrose’s hasty dismissal of
his Shield-mates after a ringside spat left him vulnerable to a surprise
roll-up from Punk. The Shield’s pack-of-Hounds mentality kicked in
immediately, though, when Rollins distracted Punk at ringside and Reigns
capitalized, obliterating the battered victor with his Slammy
Award-winning Spear.
The Wyatt Family def. The Usos
The Usos have been on a scorching run of late, yet
the twin brothers were left out in the cold when they felt the wrath of
a different kind of Family. The highfliers’ hot streak was snuffed out
in brutish fashion by The Wyatts, who grounded the Samoan sensations
with impunity only six days before they face Daniel Bryan in a 3-on-1
Handicap Match at TLC.
Despite
the fact that Bray Wyatt himself did not partake in the action on Raw,
his lieutenants Erick Rowan and Luke Harper acquitted themselves
perfectly on his behalf, using their brute strength to counter Jimmy
& Jey Uso’s high-flying offense. The brothers briefly gained the
advantage against Luke Harper, but the bearded brute rallied from a
top-rope splash to administer his crushing clothesline and put the twins
to bed.
Natalya def. Tamina Snuka
AJ Lee has said no challenger will ever be able to
pry the Divas Championship from her clutches. It can’t bode well for
the “black widow,” though, that her woman-at-arms Tamina Snuka was left tapping to
AJ’s TLC challenger Natalya just days before AJ puts her prize up for
grabs. Tamina stormed her way to the early advantage, dominating The
Queen of Harts in an opening burst that seemed to indicate a decisive
win was in order. But the two Divas’ first Raw match in almost three
years ended with Natalya triumphant after
she took advantage of a failed interference from AJ – and Tamina’s
subsequent disorientation – to ply the Sharpshooter for a submission
win.
WWE Champion Randy Orton and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena met in a ‘Championship Ascension’
With 20 former WWE and World Champions gathered in
the ring, John Cena and Randy Orton exchanged their final words as
individual champions, and, just as in their contract signing, the peace
broke down in epic fashion. Orton delivered a cheap-shot to Cena
following a handshake from The Champ and signature maneuvers were soon
flying left and right: CM Punk received a retaliatory Sweet Chin Music
from Shawn Michaels after he went to town on Triple H; Daniel Bryan
responded by blasting HBK with a running knee; but disaster really
struck when Bryan dodged the RKO and shoved Orton full-speed into a
defenseless Stephanie McMahon.
Despite
Orton’s shock, Triple H immediately Pedigreed his “Face of WWE” while
Kane and Cena rushed to Stephanie’s defense. And while The Champ stood
unified in collective concern with The Authority, the corporate power’s
chosen representative slithered away, stunned and alone, with history
literally hanging in the air.
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