Vince McMahon kicked of the monumental 1000th episode of Raw by thanking the fans and then introducing D-Generation X. As Triple H and Shawn Michaels performed their signature DX entrance, complete with new memorabilia which Triple H amusingly joked about wearing to sell more of, 'The Game' then asked "Didn't there used to be more of us?" Which cued the entrance of past DX members Road Dogg, Billy Gunn and X-Pac. It was a nice moment seeing them all reunite in the ring and you could see all the genuine fun they were having together.
But Damien Sandow then surprisingly interrupted them, so HBK decided to hear him out on how they could improve since they were all a bit "scuzzy". After some DX huddling, they then super kicked and Pedigreed the 'Intellectual Saviour'. While this didn't look great for Sandow, his inclusion in this segment would've really boosted his profile. It was an enjoyable start to the show, and the right one to get the crowd energised. Plus seeing them all together again (bar Chyna) was a feel good moment.
Sheamus, Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara defeated Chris Jericho, Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio in a fair tag team match. A match with this talent involved deserved more time for me, it probably would've been better suited to a regular Raw or SmackDown, but it made a nice change of pace from any nostalgia acts that were sure to come. Jericho was pinned by Sheamus after his own partner Ziggler punched him on the apron, further building on their feud which could be a very entertaining one.
Brodus Clay came out and introduced one of Mick Foley's old alternate personas Dude Love before quickly beating Jack Swagger in a squash match (he was a World Champion once, right?). After the bout Dude Love and Clay danced together in the ring, it was a lamer segment of the night.
As AJ and Daniel Bryan prepared to be wed, with the old and very funny (to the point where AJ couldn't help herself but laugh) wrestling manager Slick performing the ceremony, AJ halted the proceedings and revealed that she had received another proposal from someone else earlier that day. Vince McMahon then joined them and revealed that the proposal was for her to take the position of GM of Raw, which she accepted before leaving Bryan at the altar. AJ as GM is either a genius move on WWE's part or one that just won't work out, I can't see there being a middle ground.
A furious Daniel Bryan the proceeded to tear down the wedding set, until WWE Champion CM Punk came out and rubbed in the fact that he'd just been dumped. Bryan retorted by calling himself the "greatest superstar of all-time" just before The Rock's music hit and 'The Great One' came out to a superb reception.
The Rock told Bryan that it isn't up to him to determine the greatest of all-time, but the fans. He also informed CM Punk that whoever is WWE Champion at the Royal Rumble next year he will be facing for the title. Punk said that he hoped a match between them was even sooner so he could beat Rocky. Bryan then chimed back in and told The Rock that he will somehow become WWE Champ so he could face him and become the face of the company. 'The People's Champ' decided to the give bryan his wedding gift in the form of a Rock Bottom before leaving. It was an enjoyable segment, although I was maybe expecting more from the first CM Punk and Rock face to face encounter. I'm hoping they'll face each other at the Royal Rumble, the lead up would be brilliant.
Bret Hart came out to the ring and introduced Christian and The Miz for their Intercontinental title match.
The Miz defeated Christian (c) to win the Intercontinental Championship in an average to decent title bout. It wasn't a bad match, just a bit disappointing for a Christian involved one.
A more serious Triple H came out and asked Brock Lesnar to answer his challenge of a match at SummerSlam. Instead Lesnar's representative Paul Heyman joined 'The Game' once again and informed him that Lesnar's answer was no. Triple H began to then call Lesnar a coward and a fake. Heyman ridiculed him for name calling and questioned his parenting skills which touched a nerve with 'The Game' and his wife Stephanie McMahon who joined them both. She claimed that Heyman's kids will grow up being ashamed of him, calling him a business failure and "a professional parasite" and slapped him.
That was enough for Heyman, who accepted the SummerSlam match on Lesnar's behalf. Brock Lesnar himself then came out and began brawling with Triple H until 'The Game' threw him out of the ring. It was a solid segment, it's always great seeing Heyman on the mic and seeing Stephanie back was a bonus too.
Heath Slater set an open challenge to any legend in attendance to a No Disqualification match, so out stepped the high flyer Lita to accept, who revealed that she'd hired the APA for protection. As Slater tried to backpedal he was forced back to the ring by all the former legends he'd encountered over the last few weeks and had a Twist of Fate and Moonsault applied by Lita for the win.
Before Kane's match Jinder Mahal (joined by Drew McIntyre, Hunico, Camacho, Curt Hawkings and Tyler Reks) complained that they had been underutilised and surrounded the ring. Then those famous bells sounded and The Undertaker made his return to join forces with his brother to take out the group of wrestlers. The Brothers of Destruction eventually finished them off by applying a Choke Slam and Tombstone Piledriver to Hunico and Curt Hawkings. Taker's return was obviously met with a very enthusiastic response form the fans.
John Cena beat CM Punk (c) via disqualification, with CM Punk therefore retaining the WWE Championship. The bout had been fairly average really, with both men trading moves for a while until the referee was inadvertently knocked out. This cued Big Show to come out and punch Cena with a knockout blow. A conflicted Punk helped the referee back into the ring and attempt a cover on Cena, with him kicking out. Show once again interfered by attacking Cena, this time causing the DQ finish. Punk watched on as Show continued the assault on Cena, simply leaving the ring as The Rock raced out to Cena's aid. As Rock set up Big Show for a People's Elbow the WWE Champion ran back in and struck 'The Great One', then applied a GTS. Punk looked on blankly as he then picked up his title and left.
Although the ending wasn't as striking as The Nexus attack a couple of years ago or CM Punk's promo from last June as promised from various sources, it was certainly a very interesting one. My prediction is that Punk has finally had enough of playing second best on PPV's and shows to Cena, The Rock and the like. He feels he deserves better treatment as WWE Champion and with his talents, which is actually true. Hopefully we'll get a more mixed Punk like we had leading up to last years Money in the Bank event and not a flat out face Punk. Nevertheless we should all look forward to an intriguing promo from CM Punk next week I reckon.
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