WWE Raw Analysis: Chris Jericho Teases Fans and CM Punk Drops Another Pipe Bomb

Just like SmackDown this past week, Raw was fairly average until the main event. I felt they were just going through the motions as they didn’t really have anything they wanted to exploit too much two weeks before the best pay-per-view event in wrestling history, the Royal Rumble.

We found out that the tag titles had been lost by Air Boom at a house show the previous night and are now held by Primo and Epico.

They then went on to have a very short rematch which left me feeling unfulfilled, as I thought they ended what could have been a good tag match way too soon.

Despite not giving this opener much time, they still managed to overrun the program by nearly 20 minutes. That’s a long time when you are desperate for bed because it’s 4:20 a.m. in England.

I have just read that Evan Bourne has been suspended for 60 days due to the Wellness Policy the WWE operates, which is probably why the titles changed hands and the rematch was short.

Who said procrastination was a waste of time?

Mick Foley came back to announce his ambition to compete in the Royal Rumble so his kids can watch their dad do what he used to do best.

Will Mick Foley make it into the Royal Rumble?

John Laurinaitis saved a dying Foley and came out to denounce these rumours and deny Foley any involvement in the upcoming 30-man extravaganza.

I guess that’s a no then.

Not even a cheap pop could save Foley from the awful crowd.

Chris Jericho was revealed to be one of the participants in the main event of the night—a six-man tag match (did you really expect it to be anything else?) pitting CM Punk, Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho against Mark Henry, Dolph Ziggler and David Otunga.

Chris Jericho, light-up jacket and all, came out dressed to compete but kept with the same persona that is becoming extremely annoying—basically running around screaming “yeah!” Think Daniel Bryan’s celebration but extended and way more irritating.

I still want that jacket.

I was willing to let it go because I thought we would get to see Jericho’s first in-ring action in over a year.

How wrong was I?

Jericho tagged in when David Otunga was downed, cheered for a bit, tagged Bryan and left the arena. I can’t be bothered with this gimmick anymore.

It was good for the first two weeks. If his intention is to annoy and disappoint the fans in attendance and watching around the world, then it is mission successful.

I would have preferred it if he hadn’t have returned.

If Jericho wins the Royal Rumble, I riot.

Bryan and Henry ended up fighting all over the arena so that was the end of them, leaving Punk against Otunga and Ziggler—until Mick Foley came waddling back down the ramp, insisting he had been made a part of the match.

He ended up winning with the patented Mandible Claw and he even seemed to coax Jerry Lawler out of his boring trance state and we saw a glimpse of the old-fashioned commentator he once was.

Johnny Ace, as many call him now, broke up the party by reversing the decision of the match as he claimed to have never given Foley clearance to wrestle in the match.

It’s clobberin’ time!

CM Punk then unleashed on the executive vice president of talent relations. Even typing that annoyed me.

He told Johnny a few home truths, accusing him of being jealous of the success he, Ryder and Bryan were experiencing as he never made it as a singles wrestler despite being Animal’s (Road Warriors) brother.

Oh yeah, Jack Swagger is US champion...it sort of slipped my mind.

Mick Foley then tried his hand at berating the executive vice pr—screw it, Johnny Ace—but he snapped! Hitting Foley with the microphone was the greatest thing John Laurinaitis has done since becoming the interim Raw general manager.

Foley fail.

Hopefully this will lead to a good pay-per-view at the Royal Rumble as WWE have been pumping out some quality programming over the last few months.