WWE RAW Results: February 18, 2013

“I Want That One.”

After last night’s Elimination Chamber, the lineup for WrestleMania 29 is a lot clearer and, with 48 nights before “The Show of Shows” rocks the WWE, the 1030th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Cajundome in Lafayette, LA. Through two referees, Paul Heyman, and a plethora of deplorable tactics by CM Punk, “The Great One” is still the WWE Champion as The Rock successfully defeated the determined ex-champion to secure his spot in the main event of WrestleMania where he will defend the WWE Championship against the man he defeated at last year’s WrestleMania, the winner of the 2013 Royal Rumble and ten-time former WWE Champion John Cena! Also, in a surprising upset, “The Real American” Jack Swagger was able to survive his Elimination Chamber Match debut as Swagger was able to catch the veteran Randy Orton out of nowhere with a roll-up, surprising “The Viper” and winning the match to earn his shot at the World Heavyweight Championship on “The Grandest Stage of Them All”, WrestleMania!

Match Results

• Mark Henry def. Sin Cara by pin following the World’s Strongest Slam.
• Non-Title: No DQ: The Miz def. Antonio Cesaro by submission to the Figure-Four Leg Lock.
• Non-Title: Alberto Del Rio def. Dolph Ziggler (with Big E. Langston) by submission to the cross armbreaker.
• 6-Person Mixed Tag Match: Brodus Clay, Tensai, & Naomi def. Primo, Epico, & Rosa Mendes by Brodus Clay pinning Primo following a double splash by Brodus Clay & Tensai.
• Jack Swagger def. Daniel Bryan by submission to the Patriot Lock.
• 6-Man Tag: The Shield def. Chris Jericho, Sheamus, & Ryback by Dean Ambrose pinning Chris Jericho following a knee to the face off of the top rope by Seth Rollins.
• Randy Orton (with Daniel Bryan) def. Kane by pin following the RKO.

Detailed Results

Forty-eight nights before he gets his shot at redemption when he challenges the man who defeated him at last year’s WrestleMania, The Rock, for the WWE Championship on “The Grandest Stage of Them All” WrestleMania 29, RAW kicks off with the winner of the 2013 Royal Rumble Match, John Cena. Cena states that, after Elimination Chamber, WrestleMania 29 finally has meaning as the two main event championship matches are set as Jack Swagger will challenge Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title, while he will challenge The Rock for the WWE Title. Cena is then interrupted by the self-proclaimed “Best in the World” CM Punk, with Paul Heyman in tow, as a visibly unhappy Punk asks Cena if he really wants to challenge The Rock at WrestleMania, saying that facing The Rock is the “easy way out”. Punk admits that The Rock defeated him at Elimination Chamber, but points out that he had The Rock pinned for about “eighteen seconds” and he also struck an official, which should have cost Rock the title, per the stipulations of the match. Punk then reminds Cena that Cena has never defeated him, but Cena argues that he is not talking about wins and losses and, for once, it is not about CM Punk. Punk then says that, for 434 days, he was the WWE Champion and he “bested the best” in this business, while Cena strolled into a “circus-like” Royal Rumble and throw some “ham and eggers” over the top rope, saying that Cena got “lucky”. Punk continues, saying that they have already seen The Rock vs. John Cena and a rematch would be a “rerun” because Cena will lose because he just cannot get the job done.

Cena asks Punk what he wants him to do and Punk tells Cena to “just walk away”, saying that Cena has something that does not belong to him, advising Cena to walk away from WrestleMania and walk away from the WWE! Cena refuses and says that he is not going to throw away a golden opportunity. Cena continues, saying that he has not beat CM Punk, nor has he defeated The Rock, so they have a “problem”. Cena then offers the solution, challenging CM Punk to a one-on-one match and, if Cena wins, then Punk will “go away”, but if Punk wins, then he will give Punk his WrestleMania title shot! Cena then proposes that they have the match right here, right now, and see who is heading to the main event of WrestleMania! Punk says that Cena has just made the dumbest decision of his life and he is going to take Cena up on his offer, but he wants to do it on next week’s RAW. Cena agrees to Punk’s terms, telling Punk that, next week, he will beat CM Punk for the first time and he will go to WrestleMania to defeat The Rock and, then, they will all know that “the champ is here”! Will John Cena finally defeat CM Punk next week or will Punk take Cena’s spot in the main event of WrestleMania?

Backstage, the frustration over losing to The Shield at Elimination Chamber boils over between Sheamus and Ryback as the two big men nearly come to blows, but Chris Jericho breaks it up. Jericho tells them that they have to do what it takes to save the WWE, the place that he loves and he will never work for any other promotion again. Jericho continues that there is no way that RAW Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero can turn down the value of seeing Jericho, Sheamus, & Ryback going against The Shield! Both men agree that, if Jericho can get the match made, then they are on.

After laying waste to Randy Orton, Jack Swagger, & Chris Jericho following his elimination from the Elimination Chamber Match, an angry “World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry would go one-on-one with Sin Cara on RAW. Mark Henry absolutely dominates the high-flyer, squashing Sin Cara with the World’s Strongest Slam en route to picking up the win. After the match, Mark Henry would look to drop Sin Cara with a second World’s Strongest Slam, but The Great Khali would come out with revenge on his mind. Henry tosses Sin Cara to the side, but when Khali enters the ring, Mark Henry exits the ring, smiling at Khali and mocking “The Punjabi Giant”.

Whether it was intentional or not, The Miz got disqualified in his United States Title match against Antonio Cesaro at Elimination Chamber and, on RAW, The Miz would go one-on-one with United States Champion Antonio Cesaro in a non-title rematch and, this time, there would be no disqualifications. Early on in the match, Antonio Cesaro would send The Miz injured shoulder-first into the steel ring post before bringing out two steel chairs and a kendo stick. Back in the ring, Cesaro delivers a kendo stick shot to Miz’s shoulder and, despite Miz briefly fighting back, Cesaro would regain the advantage, tugging on Miz’s arm through a steel chair! Somehow, The Miz would get two quick, but crucial, shots on Cesaro as, when Cesaro charges The Miz in the corner, Miz moves out of the way and Cesaro runs knee-first into a steel chair. Miz then trips up Cesaro, dropping Cesaro’s throat onto another steel chair. Finally, Miz locks in the Figure-Four Leg Lock on Antonio Cesaro, forcing the United States Champion to tap out to pick up the non-title win!

Backstage, the ever-crumbling partnership between WWE Tag Team Champions Kane & Daniel Bryan leads to another confrontation as Daniel Bryan says that he is not sure if he feels “comfortable” teaming with Kane anytime soon. Bryan then says that he has requested a one-on-one match against Jack Swagger and he does not want Kane to accompany him Kane then says that maybe he will request a match and go it alone, as well. Kane comments that he does not deal well with “snakes” before turning around to see “The Viper” Randy Orton standing before him. Kane tells Orton that he does not like snakes because they slither around on the ground and “can’t be trusted”, so he stomps on their heads with his boot. Orton says that there was a time when he would be scared of what Kane just said, but now that he has traded in his chokeslams and Tombstone Piledrivers for hugs and “group therapy”, Kane is more like Barney the Dinosaur!

Elsewhere backstage, RAW Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero commends Paul Heyman on getting the stipulations added to the WWE Title match at Elimination Chamber because it backfired. Heyman says that he has nothing to say to Vickie, but the Managing Supervisor says that she has something to say to Heyman, something that will change Heyman’s life and career. However, Vickie says that she is going to wait to say it to Heyman in public and Heyman says that he does not like “surprises” and Vickie says that she is aware of that.

In a rematch from last week’s SmackDown, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio, with Ricardo Rodriguez in his corner, would go one-on-one with “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler, with AJ Lee & Big E. Langston in his corner, in a non-title match. Despite the best efforts of Big E. Langston throughout the match, Alberto Del Rio would take Langston down before locking in the cross armbreaker on Dolph Ziggler, forcing Dolph to tap out to pick up the win. After the match, an angry Big E. Langston hits the ring, taking Del Rio down and shouting that Del Rio’s “time is over”. Langston then lays Del Rio out with the Big Ending, leaving the champion in a heap in the ring. Ziggler sees all of this take place and decides to grab his Money-in-the-Bank briefcase and is ready to cash it in, but Ricardo Rodriguez saves Del Rio, grabbing the briefcase and running off with it! Langston would chase Rodriguez to the back as Rodriguez accidentally drops the briefcase. Ziggler instructs AJ Lee to retrieve it, but after AJ hands it to Dolph, Del Rio catches Dolph with an enziguiri, preventing the cash-in!

Intercontinental Champion Wade Barrett makes an appearance on RAW, saying that he is already a top-tier Superstar, but he is also a “movie star”. Barrett then shows the trailer for the new film, Dead Man Down, which stars Colin Farrell, Dominic Cooper, and Terrence Howard, in addition to Wade Barrett. Sheamus then appears on the TitanTron, saying that he is good friends with the film’s real star, Colin Farrell, so he saw the movie and the best part of it is that Barrett does not speak in the film!

RAW featured a 6-Person Mixed Tag Match as Primo, Epico, & Rosa Mendes faced Brodus Clay, Tensai, & Naomi, with Cameron in their corner. In the end, it was Brodus Clay & Tensai squashing Primo with a double big splash en route to Brodus Clay pinning Primo for the win.

Following his huge Elimination Chamber Match victory that earned him a World Heavyweight Title shot at WrestleMania, “The Real American” Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter appear on RAW for Swagger’s State of the Union Address. Swagger says that, last night, he conquered the Elimination Chamber and he put the weight of America on his shoulders. Swagger continues, saying that there is only one man “honest enough” to deliver the State of the Union Address and that is Zeb Colter. Colter then stands at the podium, saying that the Bill of Rights gives them the right to speak their minds and exercising their First Amendment rights is what Americans do. Zeb continues, saying that the State of the Union is “poor”, blaming illegal immigrants for taking their “freedom”, saying that there is a “big problem” in America and they need to fix it. Zeb says that the World Heavyweight Title match at WrestleMania is about more than the championship, it is a battle for the “heart and soul” of America as, on one side, there is a “true patriot” in Swagger and, on the other side, there is Alberto Del Rio, who only came to American to “reap the rewards of our motherland”. Colter continues, saying that, at WrestleMania, Swagger is going to win the World Heavyweight Title and “reclaim” America!

After his State of the Union Address, the new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at WrestleMania, “The Real American” Jack Swagger, with Zeb Colter in his corner, went one-on-one with one-half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, Daniel Bryan. In the end, it was Jack Swagger locking in the Patriot Lock on Daniel Bryan, forcing the submission expert to tap out to pick up the win.

The Managing Supervisor of RAW, Vickie Guerrero, then appears in the ring with Paul Heyman as Vickie says that she has a “huge announcement” that could drastically change Heyman’s life and career. Vickie then makes the announcement that she is hiring a new assistant before introducing the new Assistant to the RAW Managing Supervisor, Brad Maddox! Maddox then makes his way to the ring, saying that his new job is a “reward” for his exposure of Paul Heyman as the brains behind The Shield. Maddox continues, saying that Mr. McMahon granted him the job of “Assistant Managing Supervisor”, but Vickie corrects Maddox, saying that Maddox is the “Assistant to the Managing Supervisor”. Heyman then says that he does not care what either of them have to say before Heyman tries to leave the ring. However, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon appears on the TitanTron, live via satellite, reminding Heyman that he granted him the stipulation that was put on the WWE Title match at Elimination Chamber. Heyman commends the Chairman for showing a “big heart”, but McMahon says that he does not have a heart and, even if he did, it would be “black”. The Chairman then shows footage of Heyman saying that he would do anything to get the stipulation added last week, reminding Heyman that he did get the decree put “in writing”. McMahon continues, saying that he could even fire Heyman, but firing him is “too good” for Heyman. The Chairman then says that he is only two weeks removed from hip surgery, thanks to Heyman and Brock Lesnar. Heyman tries to deny any involvement with Brock’s attack, but McMahon tells Heyman to shut up before saying that, next week on RAW, the Chairman will come to the ring, crutches and all, as he and Heyman are going to have a “fight”! Upon hearing this, Heyman immediately drops his microphone with a look of fear and shock on his face. How well will Mr. McMahon fare in a fight against Paul Heyman given the Chairman’s injured state?

In a match made official by Vickie Guerrero earlier in the night, the team of the six-time former World Champion Chris Jericho, “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus, & “The Sin City Cyborg” Ryback would attempt to put an end to The Shield as they squared off with Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, & Roman Reigns in a 6-Man Tag Match. During the chaotic match, Chris Jericho would lock Dean Ambrose in the Walls of Jericho and Roman Reigns would attempt to make the save, but Sheamus would cut Reigns off at the pass, sparking a brawl. As the referee tries to break up the brawl, Seth Rollins would come off of the top rope with a knee to the face of Jericho, allowing Ambrose to pin Jericho to pick up another victory for The Shield!

“The Intellectual Savior of the Masses” Damien Sandow was set to go one-on-one with Kofi Kingston on RAW, but Sandow would not allow the match to begin, immediately attacking Kofi and ravaging Kofi in and out of the ring, but Kingston is saved by his friend and former tag team partner, R-Truth, as Truth rushes to Kofi’s aid! In the ring, Truth takes it to Sandow, dropping Sandow with the Scissors Kick before tossing Sandow out of the ring.

After his tag team partner, Daniel Bryan, failed to defeat Jack Swagger earlier in the night, the other half of the WWE Tag Team Champions, “The Big Red Machine” Kane, would go one-on-one with “The Viper” Randy Orton on RAW. During the match, Kane was winding up to deliver the chokeslam to Randy Orton, but Daniel Bryan would march out to ringside, distracting his tag team partner long enough for Orton to pop up and deliver the RKO to Kane en route to picking up the win.

After enduring every dirty tactic that CM Punk had to dish out at Elimination Chamber en route to retaining his title, “The People’s WWE Champion” The Rock would appear on RAW for a special Championship Celebration. Before The Rock makes his entrance, the University of Lafayette marching band performs in front of their hometown before the members of the marching band line up on both sides of the entrance ramp, playing The Rock’s entrance theme as the WWE Champion makes his way to the ring! The Rock says that CM Punk showed what a “piece of trash” he is at Elimination Chamber by spitting in his face, but The Rock has still defeated Punk on two straight pay-per-views. Rock continues, saying that he is going to WrestleMania as the WWE Champion, but he is not going there with the particular belt he currently holds! The Rock explains that he has been in the business for a long time and he has “deep respect” for the WWE Championship and, when the title belt was unveiled by a “certain WWE Superstar” eight years ago, the title belt worked and some people even thought it was “cool”. Rock says that some people also think that Bigfoot is real before saying that the belt that represents the prestigious WWE Championship should not look like a “toy” and it should never, ever “spin”.

The WWE Champion then hands the spinner belt to a stagehand, telling him to make sure that the belt makes it to the Hall of Fame. Rock then continues, saying that the WWE Title belt should “inspire” you and it should be “worthy” of being worn around the waist of former champions who have “paved the way” like Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Bret Hart, & Stone Cold Steve Austin. The Rock then unveils the brand new WWE Championship belt, adorned with the Brahma Bull logo that The Rock has brought to prominence! The WWE Champion then picks up the new title belt for the first time, saying that he wanted a title belt that was “timeless” and “prestigious”, but, above all, they needed a title belt that was nothing short of “badass”! With the new belt draped over his shoulder, The Rock poses the question as to whom he will defend the title against at WrestleMania, John Cena or CM Punk. However, The Rock says that there is one man that he wants to face at WrestleMania, a man that he wants to face for both professional and personal reasons. Before he could speak the name, John Cena comes out with a smile on his face, staring down The Rock from the staging area, but CM Punk then comes out of nowhere, blasting Cena from behind with the old WWE Title belt! Punk then looks at the old spinner belt and tosses it the ground before pointing at the new belt held by The Rock and saying, “I want that one”. Punk then stoically stares down the WWE Champion before walking to the back, having made his presence known.

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