WWE Raw Results: 10 Fun Facts from the 2012 Slammy Awards

Ric Flair returns at the 2012 Slammy Awards. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

This past Monday night, WWE presented their fifth consecutive Slammy Awards live on Raw. Although most of the awards proved to be meaningless, the show was saved by the numerous returns from former stars including Ric Flair, Tommy Dreamer and The Boogeyman, among others.

The overall excitement of the show was enough to make it one of the most enjoyable episodes this year, regardless of some of the garbage that was featured. With it being the final live edition of Raw in 2012, it's safe to say that WWE ended the year on a very high note.

While watching the show, I noticed a handful of highlights that could be seen as interesting or intriguing to any ordinary WWE viewer. For those of you who may follow me on Twitter, you'll know that I have an obsessive knack for fun facts regarding various past WWE events.

Here, I'll attempt to entertain and enlighten you with knowledge, as I present my observed monumental, record-breaking, history-making moments from the 2012 Slammy Awards. 

Philadelphia Hosts the Slammy Awards for the Second Time in History

Members of the Philadelphia crowd dance with Brodus Clay. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

In late 2008, it was announced that the prestigious Slammy Awards would be returning to WWE for the first time in over a decade. The event took place on the December 8 edition of Raw in Philadelphia, only six days prior to their (final) Armageddon pay-per-view.

After weeks of speculation, it was finally announced on last week's Raw that the Slammy Awards would be returning on the December 17 edition of Raw live from Philadelphia. The live crowd really helped enhance the overall event on Monday night and certainly made for an electric environment.

Rey Mysterio Closes and Opens the Awards in 2011 and 2012 Respectively

Rey Mysterio. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

Throughout the latter half of 2011, Rey Mysterio was sidelined with a knee injury that saw him out of action for many months. However, that didn't stop him from returning at the 2011 Slammy Awards to present the award for the Superstar of the Year, which was the last award presented that night.

At this year's event, Mysterio kicked off the show with a valiant victory over Damien Sandow in the opening bout. Mysterio is always fun to watch no matter where you place him in the card, so I'm fine with the fact he went from nearly closing the 2011 Slammy Awards to opening the 2012 Slammy Awards a year later.

No Slammy Award for CM Punk

WWE Champion CM Punk confronts Ric Flair at the Slammy Awards. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

Since 2008, the only superstar to have won a Slammy Award every year was CM Punk, winning in a different category each year.

Four years ago, Punk won the "OMG" Moment of the Year Slammy Award for cashing in his Money in the Bank briefcase on Edge to win the World Heavyweight Championship. The following year, Punk won the Shocker of the Year Slammy Award for exiling Jeff Hardy from the WWE.

In 2010, the Straightedge Savior cut a cryptic promo after winning the Despicable Me Award for his singing "Happy Birthday" to Rey Mysterio's daughter. Just last year, Punk emerged with Slammy Awards in the categories of T-Shirt of the Year, Pipe Bomb of the Year and Superstar of the Year.

Despite all the success he's achieved this past year, it apparently wasn't enough to get him the 2012 Superstar of the Year Slammy Award. Punk's spoke the truth on Monday night when he said that John Cena winning that award was an absolute joke. 

Ric Flair Makes History Five Years Later

Ric Flair makes his shocking return to WWE. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

If there was one thing we didn't see coming at the 2012 Slammy Awards, it was the monumental return of Ric Flair. It's been quite a while since we've seen him appear on the flagship show, so it came across as a major shock when his signature "WOOO!" was heard on Monday night.

Additionally, it was exactly five years ago from Monday that Flair defeated Umaga in a match where his career was on the line. This certain fact may not seem all that significant, but I just find it interesting to see Flair go from wrestling one his final matches on Raw to returning to the company exactly five years later. 

First Time Flair, Boogeyman and Dreamer Have Appeared on Raw Since 2009

Tommy Dreamer makes a pleasantly surprising appearance at the 2012 Slammy Awards. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

Ric Flair wasn't the only familiar face to return at the 2012 Slammy Awards, however, as household names such as The Boogeyman and Tommy Dreamer also made their presence felt on Monday night. All three guys created their own monumental moment on the show, which made for some fun nostalgia.

Prior to this week's Raw, none of them had appeared on the flagship show since 2009. During that year, Boogeyman was released, Dreamer announced his "retirement" from WWE and Flair was punted in the skull at the feet of Randy Orton, never to be seen again.

Their returns at the 2012 Slammy Awards made the show feel more special as a whole and I, for one, was absolutely ecstatic to see them all back on Raw for the first time in nearly three years. 

Triple H and Road Dogg Return for the Second Consecutive Year

The New Age Outlaws make their return on Raw. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

Not only were we treated to the returns of Ric Flair, Tommy Dreamer and The Boogeyman on Monday night, but we witnessed the glorious comebacks of Triple H and Road Dogg as well. Their returns felt more like deja vu, as we had also seen them make an appearance at the 2011 Slammy Awards.

Similar to last year, Triple H returned to accept the Match of the Year Slammy Award for his epic battle with Undertaker at WrestleMania 28. Donning a short hairstyle, HHH didn't give much of an update on his in-ring status, but at least he managed to make the awards feel somewhat meaningful.

For the first time since Raw 1000, Road Dogg made an appearance on Raw alongside Billy Gunn. The dynamic duo presented the award for Comeback of the Year, but I think we can all agree on the fact that we would've preferred to see them in the wrestling ring instead.

The Miz and Alberto Del Rio Join Forces for the Second Straight Year

The Miz, Tommy Dreamer and Alberto Del Rio win on Raw. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

It's a well-known fact that The Miz and Alberto Del Rio aren't the best of friends inside or outside the ring, but when they do align with one another, they make for a cohesive unit. In a WWE TLC rematch, Miz and Del Rio (alongside Tommy Dreamer) once again defeated 3MB in tag team action on Raw this past week.

At the 2011 Slammy Awards, Del Rio and Miz also teamed with one another in a successful effort against CM Punk and Randy Orton. If you had told me a year ago the two would be joining forces at the same event a year later as fan favorites, I would have never believed you in a million years.

Undertaker Is Teased for the Third Time in the Event's History

Triple H accepts his Slammy Award on Raw. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

After WrestleMania 25, Undertaker began wrestling a lighter schedule that saw him compete actively every so often. Once he suffered an injury in late 2010, it was decided that he'd only be able to wrestle once a year at the most, and that's at WrestleMania.

His matches at WrestleMania have been known as some of the greatest of all time, so it should come as no surprise that a few of his performances at the show of shows were Slammy Award-worthy.

He and Shawn Michaels won the 2009 Slammy Award for Match of the Year for their amazing bout together at WrestleMania 25. Once HBK accepted the award, he foreshadowed a potential rematch between the two at WrestleMania 26.

At last year's event, Triple H returned from "injury" to accept the 2011 OMG Moment of the Year for when HHH nailed a Tombstone on Taker during their epic match at WrestleMania 27. It was also that December night that HHH teased challenging the Deadman the following year at the show of shows, which he eventually did.

On Monday night, the Game made his first televised WWE appearance in nearly four months, accepting the 2012 Slammy Award for Match of the Year on Taker's behalf. Although he didn't challenge Taker for the second straight year, he at least hinted at a potential return from the Phenom in the foreseeable future.

Dolph Ziggler and John Cena Face off on the Raw Following TLC in 2010 and 2012

Dolph Ziggler delivers a flurry of offense on John Cena. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

In recent months, Dolph Ziggler and John Cena have had quite the beef with one another after what occurred during the "scandal" storyline also involving AJ Lee and Vickie Guerrero. The two have had some excellent matches together over the course of their feud, which was certainly evident at WWE TLC on Sunday night.

At the 2012 Slammy Awards, the two bitter rivals once again clashed, but this time in tag-team action.

However, this wouldn't mark the first time that Cena and Ziggler have collided on the week following WWE TLC.

One night removed from WWE TLC 2010, the bleached-blonde Superstar faced Cena for the first time ever on Raw, where the Cenation leader emerged victorious. Although Ziggler came up short of defeating Cena, it was only a small preview of what was to come two years later.

John Cena Closes the Show Once Again

Big E Langston lays a beating on a defenseless John Cena. (Courtesy of WWE.com)

While Undertaker may be undefeated at WrestleMania, John Cena has a winning streak of his own at the Slammy Awards. He's headlined the event every year since its revival in 2008 and has competed in a match at each installment.

Interestingly enough, Cena has never suffered a loss at the Slammy Awards, either. Over the years, he's scored victories over Edge, CM Punk, Randy Orton and now World Heavyweight Champion Big Show at the annual event.

At the conclusion of last year's show, Cena was on the receiving end of a chokeslam after being ambushed by a returning Kane. This year, Cena was attacked by the debuting Big E Langston, an NXT standout who has since formed an alliance with AJ Lee and Dolph Ziggler.

Someone be sure to remind Cena to watch his back at next year's event.

 

In conclusion, I thank you for reading through my latest piece.

I usually do "fun fact" pieces after every pay-per-view, but I found there was much more to write about regarding the 2012 Slammy Awards rather than WWE TLC, so I opted to analyze this week's Raw instead. Even still, drop your thoughts below as to whether these should continue based upon how much you enjoyed reading it.

Also, be sure to follow my official @WWEFunFacts page on Twitter for more my useless wrestling knowledge and have a very happy holiday.

GSM out.

 

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