[intro music playing]
[John Cena] Then.
[Ric Flair] Woooo!
-[glass shattering] -[The Rock] If you smell…
-[bell tolling] -[Cena] Now.
[Roman Reigns] Acknowledge me.
-[Triple H] The King of Kings… -[Cena] You can't see me…
[Cena] Forever.
Together.
[McIntyre] Feels like everyone's lost their mind recently.
Liars. Seth Rollins. Hypocrites. Jey Uso.
Cowards. Sami Zayn.
Just plain idiots.
[Sami] I thought we were alike.
But the more truth I'm hearing out of Drew McIntyre,
the more I'm realizing we are not anything alike.
I'm not a person who points a finger at everybody else
for their own shortcomings.
I lost when I let everybody down in my big championship opportunity.
You know what I did? I stayed motivated
and it carried me all the way to victory in the main event of WrestleMania.
I got to make my family proud.
Do you think you're making your family proud?
[McIntyre] One of us are not walking out here tonight.
[Cole] Drew McIntyre versus Sami Zayn.
Zayn comes off the ropes now with an elbow,
believes Sami may have tweaked something, and it does look like the ankle, Wade.
Sami Zayn can't even stand on the leg.
[McIntyre] One of us are not walking out of here tonight.
[Cole] McIntyre to the back of the knee.
A compassionless move by McIntyre.
Claymore!
McIntyre showed no remorse tonight.
As you can see behind me,
Sami Zayn currently being looked at by WWE medical staff.
I'm hoping he might be able to give us an update on his--
You think you can talk about my damn family?
I'm nothing like you.
You brought this on yourself.
[yelling]
That's enough! Get him out of here! Get me medical.
[bell rings]
[Cole] Both men deserve all the credit in the world here tonight.
The World Heavyweight Champ,
Seth Rollins, retains
against an incredible performance from Jey Uso.
Oh, my God. Who the-- McIntyre.
McIntyre with a claymore to Jey Uso.
McIntyre has lost it.
Drew McIntyre coming after everyone who he believes has wronged him.
The truth will set you free.
[crowd boos]
["Born To Be" plays]
♪ Born to be the greatest of all time ♪
♪ This is where I draw the line ♪
♪ Can't stop my shine They know it's my time ♪
♪ Let the world know I've arrived ♪
♪ I'm on the rise… ♪
♪ Unstoppable ♪
♪ Watch me do the impossible ♪
♪ Watch me do what I got to do ♪
♪ I'm too hot for you I'm not about to lose ♪
♪ I'm the greatest! ♪
♪ Big smile for the haters ♪
♪ Whole world know that I made it ♪
♪ Call me the greatest! ♪
[crowd cheers]
[Cole] Drew McIntyre's anger has been simmering all week,
and he's about to blow his top in moments
as he kicks off Monday Night Raw against Jey Uso.
You are looking live
at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse in Cleveland.
This is Monday Night Raw.
["Main Event Ish" plays]
[crowd cheers]
[bell rings]
[announcer] The following contest is scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first from San Francisco, California,
weighing in at 242 pounds,
"Main Event"
Jey Uso!
[Cole] Ladies and gentlemen, we are moments away
from Jey Uso versus Drew McIntyre.
But what a night tonight.
First he went to SmackDown.
Saturday NXT Deadline.
Tonight CM Punk is back on Monday Night Raw.
One of the most sought-after free agents in history makes his decision.
Where is Punk going to end up? Live tonight.
[Wade] And "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes has a story to finish.
Unfortunately, so does the sinister Shinsuke Nakamura.
After weeks of coded threats and sneak attacks,
these two go one on one for the first time ever.
Later on tonight.
[Cole] What a reaction for "Main Event" Jey Uso.
[Wade] Yeeting good in the neighborhood.
[crowd cheers]
[crowd chants] Yeet!
Welcome to Monday Night Raw.
[crowd cheers]
-I got yeet back. -[crowd] Yeet!
I'm excited about that one.
Bruh, I'm also excited about CM Punk being in the building.
[crowd cheers]
Tonight, he decides if he want to sign with Raw or not.
But if y'all want to see him punch the sign with Raw,
let me hear you say yeet!
[crowd] Yeet!
Hey, we'll gain a real one if you do.
But last week, we lost a real one, too.
Yeah. My dawg Sami Zayn. Get well, Uce.
[crowd chants] Sami!
By the hands of Drew McIntyre, though.
He came after Sami. He came after me and Seth,
after a hell of a main event last week.
If you ask me, though, Drew ain't trying to be honest. Uh-uh.
His actions show different.
So to me, that's two-faced.
But tonight, it's face to face with the yeet master,
"Main Event" Jey Uso.
Me and Drew McIntyre about to stand on business tonight.
And tonight, he about to get got--
["Gallantry" plays]
[announcer] And his opponents from Ayr, Scotland,
weighing in at 275 pounds,
Drew McIntyre!
[crowd boos]
All right, enough of the arse kissing, Jey.
Don't you think that locker room is in enough state with you in it?
Adam Pearce, please hear me right now, and trust me.
Let him go.
Nick Aldis, you can have him on SmackDown.
Cause trust me, we do not want CM Punk in that locker room.
He will destroy this place from the inside out.
I'm sorry. You actually know him? You know him personally?
I'm one of the few people that traveled the world with him.
I know what he's actually like, so I know how this story ends.
But it's not about him. It's about you, Jey, look at me.
[crowd chants] CM Punk!
You wanna talk about Seth Rollins?
He deserved where he got. He made it personal.
But Sami Zayn, you might actually have a point there.
So, Sami, I want to talk to you. I know you're at home right now,
and maybe I had a little to do with why you're at home right now.
You did run your mouth a lot, and you did cross the line
when you talked about my family. And to be fair to me,
I did leave you with one good leg,
but I'm sorry.
You see that, Jey.
That's called a freaking apology. That's how it's done.
It's not perfect, but you're incapable of one when it comes to Drew McIntyre.
You want to keep booing me like I'm wrong?
No, no, no. I ain't wrong here, I ain't wrong here.
Let's do a little social experiment.
Cleveland, imagine if you can,
somebody hurt a family member of yours, hurt you, your mom,
your dad, your sister, your brother, your son, your daughter. They hurt them.
Would you want revenge?
[crowd] Yeah!
Imagine they never apologized.
By show of hands. And be honest.
Would you want to take revenge on them?
Well, for a few of you, the truth will set you free.
You didn't have your hand up? No. What's your name?
Austin. Get a shot of Austin.
His family. He don't care about you. And he's a fricking coward.
Now, Jey.
You think you just come out here with your fake-arse apologies,
say a stupid made up word, do this crap and everything's just forgiven?
Hey, hey, Drew, stop, it don't go like that.
All right. Clearly, you can't dance.
But, uh, if y'all want Drew McIntyre to catch this yeet down.
-Let me hear you say yeet. -[crowd] Yeet!
[Cole] This is a scheduled match tonight to kick off Monday Night Raw.
-[bell rings] -Drew McIntyre and Jey Uso.
Bell rings. We're underway, and Uso wasted little time
-going to work on McIntyre. -[crowd chanting] Yeet!
And McIntyre trying to create some space,
but Jey Uso knocks McIntyre over the top rope and Uso is on fire.
[Wade] Yeah, it was a cheap shot attack on McIntyre,
hadn't even got his jacket off.
Let the man get started.
[Cole] It's not a cheap shot if the bell rings.
McIntyre is furious. Uso in control.
We're back live in moments.
We are live tonight in Cleveland, Ohio at the Rocket Mortgage FieldHouse.
McIntyre Uso kicking us off here tonight on Monday Night Raw.
And it's been a very salty Drew McIntyre against Jey Uso one-on-one.
[Wade] This is just descended into a slugfest in the early goings.
Such is the hatred and bile that exists between these two.
[Cole] Well, the revenge tour for Drew McIntyre
continues as he now looks to take out Jey Uso.
Last week he took out Sami Zayn.
Sami Zayn now out of action indefinitely
with a partially torn meniscus in his knee. Still being evaluated.
Not sure how much time Sami will miss,
but that's in the hands of McIntyre last week.
Hook of the leg, kick out by McIntyre
off the cross body.
[Wade] Well, hats off to Drew McIntyre for showing some accountability
for his actions last week and apologizing to Sami Zayn.
Maybe one day Jey Uso will learn a lesson from such magnanimous behavior.
[Cole] Here's the deal. Everybody keeps talking about this apology that Jey Uso
supposedly did not give Drew McIntyre.
You know, if you look at the history and this is a fine line, Wade,
but Jey Uso really doesn't have anything to apologize for.
[Wade laughs] You are, okay,
Jey Uso made McIntyre's life a living hell for the best part of 18 months.
Stole his dreams away from him,
and now you're acting just like the rest of the enablers in the locker room,
like Sami Zayn and Seth Rollins and Cody Rhodes.
Liars, hypocrites, cowards, and, yes, plain idiots
that McIntyre alluded to earlier, you're one of them.
[Cole] Has Drew McIntyre apologized to Seth Rollins
for assaulting him here last week?
[Wade] Wait a second. Seth Rollins attacked Drew McIntyre first.
[Cole] He was coming to the aid of Jey Uso.
-[Wade] Let's stop splitting hairs here. -[Cole] Oh! What a suplex by McIntyre!
[Wade] Watch your mouth.
McIntyre hears this, you're in big trouble, Cole.
[Cole] And Uso is in trouble, and now, the Scottish Warrior,
6'5", 270, Drew McIntyre begins the beatdown of Jey Uso.
[Wade] Yeah, and it's a richly-deserved beatdown
at this point, in my opinion.
McIntyre has waited a long time for this.
It must feel like catharsis.
[Cole] McIntyre wasted little time to pick his moment last week
after a hard fought World Heavyweight Championship match for Jey Uso.
And now, Uso trying to fight back.
Jey with the right hand stuns McIntyre,
blocks another right. Jey now, starting to fire up.
[crowd] Yeet!
McIntyre with a reversal.
Oh, and Uso runs into a back elbow.
[Wade] It's just that easy when you're 270 pounds of Scottish beef.
Boom. Right to the kisser. Flatlining Jey Uso in one move.
[Cole] You know you've known Drew McIntyre for most of your adult life, Wade.
And have you ever seen him in this onery mood
that he's been in as of late?
[Wade] Well, I've always known that Drew McIntyre
is capable of dangerous and evil things
when set off, but for it to have been a sustained period of time
like we've seen over the past couple of months.
I did not know he was capable of this.
He's just not getting it out of his system. That's the problem.
[Cole] Again, Drew is just trying to pick off every single person
that he perceives to be an enemy.
And now McIntyre slowly stalking, waiting for his moment.
Drew went for the claymore and landed right on the announce table,
as Jey Uso moved out of harm's way.
And now Jey looking to pick up the pace. McIntyre, taken out.
Jey Uso's got a chance!
[Cole] And Jey Uso now with an opportunity,
McIntyre is going for a superplex, Uso able to block.
This is our first matchup of the evening.
Drew McIntyre looking to settle old scores against "Main Event" Jey Uso.
And now Uso has McIntyre where he wants him.
[Wade] Well it's been one way traffic for the past four or five--
[Cole] Oh it still is! Tremendous core strength by McIntyre!
[Wade] Simply cannot write off McIntyre. Can attack you from all angles.
[Cole] And now we want to show you what just happened a few seconds ago.
The core strength of McIntyre.
Now, this happened during the commercial break.
This is a Drew McIntyre I don't recognize.
Right onto the steel underneath the ring.
[Wade] Using that catapult to crack the collarbone and the neck of Jey Uso,
and Jey Uso hasn't looked the same since.
[Cole] This is a McIntyre I do not recognize.
Vile, delusional, brutal, remorseless McIntyre on tour
to take out everyone he believes has wronged him recently.
[Wade] Don't blame the man, blame the circumstances that created the man,
and those circumstances all lead back to the doorstep of Jey Uso.
Jey Uso now trying to fight back and Jey feeling it.
Uso with the right hand to McIntyre.
Now McIntyre with a Glasgow kiss stops the momentum of Uso just like that.
[Wade] Just game changing move after move from McIntyre. One hit.
[Cole] Over the top. McIntyre, so agile for his size. Lands on the apron.
And now Drew going to go up top. This could be a disaster for Jey Uso.
McIntyre, nobody home, rolls through, Uso superkick right to the midsection.
And now a right hand by Jey.
And Uso, Samoan drop, cover for the win to knock off McIntyre.
And if McIntyre lost there, how irate would the Scottish Warrior have been?
[Wade] I dread to think what would have gone down,
but this was the moment, McIntyre with the Glaswegian kiss
straight to the noggin of Jey Uso,
but Jey Uso can dig deeper than most immediately.
Back on top with that Samoan drop.
[Cole] Critical moment though, here, for McIntyre,
as Jey Uso looks to take apart McIntyre with this opportunity.
[Wade] Jey Uso needs to finish this quickly.
He's taken one hell of a beating so far in this match up.
-U… -[crowd] …so!
[Cole] And Jey with a full head of steam, McIntyre moves out of harm's way.
And now McIntyre with a neck breaker.
And a kip up by McIntyre.
[Wade] Yeah. Find me another 270-pound-plus athlete
that can do that at this point in a matchup.
[Cole] And now just staring back at Jey Uso.
We learned last week in the match with Sami Zayn, Wade,
McIntyre has no remorse at all.
He'll pull the trigger now to put his opponents away,
which was a mistake he made the first time around against Rollins,
went for the claymore, runs into a superkick by Uso,
and now Jey looking to rally.
[Wade] Uso going up top.
You know what's next, Cole.
[Cole] Uso's… Oh!
McIntyre got the knees up.
[Wade] McIntyre knew as well as anyone.
[Cole] Future shock DDT, cover, hook of the leg on Uso.
Jey kicked out at two!
[Wade] That is how McIntyre beat Jey Uso
several weeks ago in the WarGames advantage matchup.
[Cole] But not tonight.
Uso able to kick out of the future shock DDT.
McIntyre can't believe it.
[Wade] The knees up from McIntyre from the splash
and immediately pouncing, nailing this future shock DDT.
Three or four weeks ago it was enough.
Not tonight. This is a different Jey Uso who simply is not saying die.
[Cole] Tremendous mettle being shown here,
and now, McIntyre clearly trying to remove, and does,
the protective padding on the top turnbuckle.
[Wade] Well, you saw the look of despair in McIntyre's eyes
after that kick out from Jey Uso.
By any means necessary at this point for McIntyre.
[Cole] McIntyre, in position.
[Wade] Might not need that turnbuckle.
[Cole] Spear by Jey.
For the win on McIntyre.
Kick out at two by Drew,
and the frustration showing on Jey Uso,
who believed he had McIntyre beaten there.
[Wade] Well, both men have absorbed the heavy artillery of their opponents
and are still going.
[Cole] Oh, and look it, the official does not see this.
McIntyre sticking a thumb right in the eye of Uso!
The official dealing with the turnbuckle pad.
Jey Uso is momentarily blinded.
Claymore from McIntyre!
A disgraceful way to win this match over Jey Uso.
[bell rings]
["Gallantry" plays]
[announcer] Here is your winner, Drew McIntyre!
[Cole] I'll say it again, Wade,
this is not the Drew McIntyre that I've known for the past couple of years.
He'll do anything in his power to extract revenge and he's going to do it,
it seems, every chance he gets.
[Wade] Drew McIntyre's behavior over the past five years in WWE
has been impeccable.
He's gone off the deep end recently
because of the actions of the likes of Jey Uso.
[Cole] Well, let's show you what happened in the closing moments of the matchup.
Jey Uso with a spear and we thought that it was over.
But McIntyre able to survive.
Now remember McIntyre had exposed the turnbuckle earlier on.
And as the official is dealing with that,
McIntyre just sticking a thumb in the eye of Uso.
He would blind Uso. And then this.
[Wade] That deep gouge to the eyes of Uso, followed by the claymore.
Uso completely defenseless,
and perhaps some level of catharsis for McIntyre.
[Cole] McIntyre, demanding that official Rod Zapata raise his hand in victory.
And I fear, Wade, that the Drew McIntyre revenge tour
is far from over.
I don't know, that may well be the moment
that McIntyre decides to get his life, his career, back in order.
This could change things for McIntyre from here.
Well Drew McIntyre made it very clear at the top of the program tonight,
he does not want CM Punk here on Monday Night Raw,
one of the most sought-after free agents in history,
visited SmackDown this past Friday night with a mic drop moment.
[music]
[crowd cheers]
[Corey] Listen to this place.
[man] This is insane.
[CM Punk] The question of the hour I'm getting,
"CM Punk, now that you're back in the WWE,
"where are you going to sign?"
Is CM punk going to be on SmackDown, Raw or NXT?
There's a few people,
they don't like the happy-go-lucky CM Punk,
so allow me to turn this up to 11.
Who do you want me to talk about?
Do you want me to talk about Cody Rhodes? I could tell you some stories.
Maybe I could fight Kevin Owens. Him and I are probably too much alike.
Who would feel comfortable working with somebody who randomly just punches people
in the face backstage?
I mean, it's 2023, ladies and gentlemen. You just can't be doing stuff like that.
That's insane.
Can I trust a guy who hears voices in his head?
One guy I'm pretty positive that would tag with me.
-His name is… -[crowd] LA Knight, yeah!
Yeah, or do you want me to talk about somebody who's not here.
Roman Reigns.
Don't forget who the OG Paul Heyman guy is.
Everybody's welcomed me back with open arms except for that one guy.
But I'm not going to put any stock in anything he has to say,
and it's not because of his whiny voice.
It's because he's not even the man in his own household.
Everybody wanted to talk about finishing their story.
I'm back to finish what I started.
We're going to find out exactly where I signed
and begin my journey of finishing my story.
And that means one thing.
Main eventing WrestleMania.
[Corey] What brand is CM Punk going to join?
[Cole] The headline is simple. Where will CM Punk end up?
Which brand will have exclusive rights to the best in the world?
CM Punk's decision is live.
Tonight.
[Cole] And we are back live on Monday Night Raw.
Shinsuke Nakamura says why is everybody
talking about Cody Rhodes finishing his story?
Shin suffered the same fate five years ago, and no one cared about him.
Tonight, Nakamura, Cody Rhodes go one-on-one.
Shinsuke had this warning for "The American Nightmare."
Cody… Cody…
Cody…
[continues in Japanese]
[Cole, in English] It happens later on tonight on Monday Night Raw.
Shinsuke Nakamura says, "Cody Rhodes you asked for this."
"The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes versus Shinsuke Nakamura, live tonight.
[music]
Hey, you two, listen up.
Let me get this straight.
Me and Rhea aren't here for one week.
And thanks to you two clowns, the wheels are falling off around here.
I don't know if the wheels are falling.
-Don't you ever-- -Shut up, JD.
Truth continues to break into our clubhouse.
-Yeah. Lock the door, will ya? -Exactly.
And, JD, you and Dom, you guys lost against The Creed Brothers.
And I know it's a sensitive subject right now, Dom,
so I'm really sorry, but my Latino heat,
he lost his NXT North American Championship.
You know what, Sucio?
You losing that championship? That sucks.
People not showing up to Raw?
That sucks.
Clearly things haven't been going our way.
But as far as The Creed Brothers go,
you and I, we're not going to take them lightly.
We're going to handle business Judgment Day style.
Noted, but it seems like saying you're the leader
is a lot easier than being a leader.
You know what, Rhea? I'm really sick--
Take it easy. I'm not just talking to you. I'm talking to the family.
And I'm sick of the disrespect.
It's time that we remind people that we run Raw.
I'm not going to let my Division disrespect me.
So tonight I make an example out of Maxxine Dupri.
You do that.
-This is your big night! -Yeah it is.
You don't need to be nervous, all right? You prepared for this?
[crosstalk]
I'll be out there tonight, just in case.
Oh, yeah!
[crosstalk]
What's up y'all?
Where are you going?
I'm headed down to The Judgment Day clubhouse.
Gotta decorate for the holidays, dawg.
I want everybody to get the Easter egg they deserve,
-you know what I'm saying? -Truth, Truth.
Please, please be careful, okay?
-Judgment Day, they're dangerous. -Dangerous.
And I don't mean to break your heart, but…
-I don't think you're really in the group. -[squeals]
Whoa, whoa, whoa! Wait a minute, Gabe.
You got 'em all wrong, man.
I am in the group!
And they're just misunderstood.
Now, I gotta go, all right?
Happy Thanksgiving!
Leave me some there, Big R. A little leftover.
-You're ready, right? -She is ready. She is.
She's ready for a hell of a match! Hell of a match!
♪ This is my brutality! ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ I eat, sleep, bleed The demons in your dreams ♪
♪ I eat, sleep, bleed ♪
-[fireworks explode] -[crowd cheers]
[bell rings]
[announcer] The following contest is schedule for one fall.
Introducing first, representing The Judgment Day,
she is the Women's World Champion,
Rhea Ripley!
[Cole] Rhea Ripley took offense
when she found out that Maxxine thought she was ready for bigger matches,
and maybe somewhere down the line,
a shot at the gold.
[Wade] Well, to misquote Will Smith,
keep Mami's name out of your bloody mouth!
[Cole] Maxxine, be careful what you wish for,
because coming up next,
you're gonna go face-to-face and toe-to-toe
with perhaps the most powerful woman in WWE today.
The Eradicator, the Women's Champion,
in action, live, next!
["Demon In Your Dreams" continues playing]
[Cole] The Royal Rumble is presented by Cricket.
With fast and powerful nationwide 5G coverage,
you can stress less, smile more.
Lot of smiles here tonight, Cleveland, Ohio,
jam-packed crowd about to see Rhea Ripley,
the Women's Champion, in action.
And I think they're hoping that we don't see a massacre.
[Wade] Things could get really, really ugly tonight.
This is a mismatch.
["Shoooosh" playing]
[announcer] And her opponent,
accompanied to the ring by Ivy Nile,
representing Alpha Academy,
Maxxine Dupri!
[Cole] So, WWE encouraged Superstars and fans
to reach out on X and offer Maxxine advice.
Here's a sampling of some of that advice. Demon Evil Muscle said,
"Call in sick. Get a disguise. Head to Mexico."
Mandy EV Fan said, "Stay home."
Akira Tozawa from the Alpha Academy, said, "Maxxine, just take a deep breath."
And, then, Coach Chad Gable said,
"I've never been more excited than for this match tonight."
[Wade] Yeah, well, let me pull up Coach Chad Gable on that one.
He said a little earlier, as he was giving a pep talk to Maxxine Dupri,
"You don't need to be nervous."
What planet is Chad Gable living on when someone in Maxxine Dupri,
who has literally had one singles match in her entire career…
[Cole] It's six matches overall.
[Wade] …goes up against the most dominant,
dangerous version of Rhea Ripley,
the Women's World Champion,
-we have ever seen? -[bell ringing]
This is a proverbial David versus Goliath-type match-up.
[Cole] Rhea Ripley said she is going to prove
to the women's division that she's the boss, that she's in charge.
And I'm not so sure how smart that was.
The slap by Maxxine,
and Rhea Ripley, not going to allow her to get out of harm's way.
[Wade] Well, I hope you enjoyed it, Maxxine, 'cause it's downhill from here.
[Cole] Couple of clotheslines from the Women's World Champion.
You wanna slap me, huh, Maxxine?
[Wade] Maxxine's inexperience
gives her no insight to how little she truly knows.
[Cole] And Maxxine trying to play defense there,
but Rhea Ripley showing her power now.
Maxxine up top.
Hammered away. And sends Rhea into the corner!
A bit unorthodox, but it worked.
-And Maxxine with a big smile on her face. -[Wade] No, no, no! Did not work at all!
Look at the face of Rhea Ripley.
Just making things worse.
[Cole] And Maxxine, driving Rhea into the corner.
Maxxine, a bit surprising at the offense she's shown here.
And, now, she realizes she just ticked off Rhea.
Maxxine, though…
Standing switch that time, and a roll-through by Maxxine.
And Rhea with a boot. Down goes Maxxine.
[Wade] Well, Maxxine lasted a lot longer than I thought she would.
Credit to Maxxine.
She pulled out some interesting maneuvers then. Oh, dear.
[Cole] Yeah, Rhea's done playing games.
Riptide!
[Wade] Just muscling the body of Maxxine Dupri around
-wherever she feels like it. -You think this is funny, huh?
You think this is funny?
You wanna have a match with me?
You ain't nothing!
[referee] Come on! Rhea, come on!
-Finish it. Come on! -You are nothing!
You and me, little girl!
Hey, come on. Watch the hair.
[Cole] Rhea could've pinned her off the Riptide.
She's just gonna do more damage. Again, remember what Rhea said,
remind everyone who she is.
Prism Trap locked in!
-Tap, tap, tap! -[bell rings]
["Demon In Your Dreams" playing]
♪ Look at my eyes This is do or die ♪
And will not let go!
And, now, Ivy Nile steps to the champ.
[Wade] Ivy Nile is the only reason Maxxine Dupri did not get savaged.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Be very careful, Ivy Nile,
as Maxxine Dupri just learned.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, as Rhea Ripley celebrates, coming up next,
women's tag team action,
including these two women in action,
the life of the party.
My division!
You're nothing in my world.
[upbeat pop music]
[Carter] It always seems impossible…
[Katana] Until it's done.
If we accepted "No," we wouldn't be where we are today.
♪ And it feels so electric ♪
♪ Do it like I do it now ♪
♪ Turn it up Get electric ♪
♪ Do it like you do it now Do it like you do it now ♪
Every door that's closed, we've ripped it off the hinges.
Stepped through and chased our dreams, no matter what.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] The dream was so real, it had to come true!
And, now, we've set our sight on the Tag Team Titles, which means…
♪ Do it like you do it now Do it like you do it now ♪
It's only a matter of time.
[Katana] If you think you've seen everything Kayden and Katana can do…
Then, you ain't seen nothing yet.
♪ Do it like you do it now Do it like you do it now ♪
[Wade] The women's tag division is heating up.
The two up-and-coming teams look to climb the ladder.
Potential championship implications,
as Carter and Chance take on Hartwell and LeRae later on tonight.
♪ Yeah, we bankin' But we ain't afraid to fight here ♪
♪ And our fashion moving forward Couple light years ♪
[crowd cheering]
Punk, it's Pearce.
[Cole] Minutes away from one of the biggest decisions
in WWE history.
Which brand gets CM Punk?
WrestleMania comes to Philadelphia next April,
and WWE takes over the City of Brotherly Love all weekend long.
It all starts Friday with SmackDown,
followed by the WWE Hall of Fame.
Saturday is NXT Stand & Deliver.
And Monday, the Raw after WrestleMania, the biggest Raw of the year!
All those events will take place at the Wells Fargo Center,
and individual tickets for all those shows go on sale this Friday!
This Friday, WrestleMania weekend in Philadelphia!
[announcer] Please welcome the general manager of Monday Night Raw,
Adam Pearce!
[crowd cheering]
Ladies and gentlemen, the time for a sales pitch
is over.
After going to SmackDown and talking to Nick Aldis,
and going to NXT to talk to HBK,
the man I'm about to bring out here may not need an introduction,
but he needs to make a decision.
And after 25 years of knowing him, I'm sure he's gonna make the right one.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
the man that calls himself the best in the world,
CM Punk!
-["Cult of Personality" playing] -[crowd cheering]
[cheering intensifies]
♪ Look in my eyes What do you see? ♪
♪ The cult of personality ♪
♪ I know your anger I know your dreams ♪
♪ I've been everything you wanna be ♪
♪ Oh, I'm the cult of personality ♪
♪ Like Mussolini and Kennedy ♪
♪ I'm the cult of personality ♪
♪ The cult of personality ♪
[crowd cheering]
♪ Neon lights Nobel Prize ♪
♪ When a mirror speaks The reflection lies ♪
♪ You won't have to follow me ♪
♪ Only you can set me free ♪
-[music fades out] -[crowd cheers]
[crowd chanting] CM Punk! CM Punk! CM Punk!
I thought I was in a bit of a sullen mood, and then I come out here,
and I see all these signs, and I hear all these people…
[crowd cheering]
Truth is, I have a huge decision to make.
We, if I may, have a huge decision to make.
And I've been thinking about it all week.
And the reason I've been so consumed and worried about it
is because I love you guys.
[crowd cheering]
But the truth is,
this town, and this building specifically,
hasn't always historically been kind to CM Punk.
[crowd booing]
I walked back here through the hallways,
there's a lot of ghosts, ladies and gentlemen,
and I'm doing my best to face 'em head on.
A lot of people might not know this,
but I debuted in this building.
[crowd cheering]
Yeah! Was anybody there? I had Mickie James on my arm.
True story.
We walked down that ramp, we got into this ring,
and it was so good, I went back and they said,
"We're sending you to Louisville, Kentucky. Have fun in OVW."
And, gosh, I didn't wanna go,
but while I was there, I embraced being uncomfortable,
and I learned how to love it.
Exactly like when I came to the WWE for the first time,
and I didn't know what I was in for.
But I embraced being uncomfortable, and I learned to love it.
I triumphantly return to this town,
this same building,
World Heavyweight Champion!
I was ready to put on a show for everybody here!
[crowd cheering]
And, then, Randy Orton kicks me in the head backstage…
and I wake up and they tell me,
"By the way, we stripped you of the title. You couldn't compete.
You're no longer the champion."
And I was like, "Cleveland!
Again!"
Was anybody here ten years ago
for the story that I'm about to tell?
I'm not gonna bore you with details
'cause a lot of it is in my rear view mirror.
I'm focused on the future. I'm focused on the now.
I'm focused on everybody here in this building today.
[crowd cheering]
But ten years ago, I had to take myself off the hamster wheel.
I had to, for better or for worse,
make the hardest decision of my life.
And I don't regret it. I don't look back.
But there was always that part of me that wondered
if anybody paid to see CM Punk that day I walked out of Cleveland,
if they were disappointed.
Backstage, I saw a young lady by the name of Indy,
and she told me that she felt betrayed as that little kid.
And I told her a story
of when I saw "Rowdy" Roddy Piper appear on WCW Television.
And as a young wrestling fan,
I felt the exact same way.
So, I understood.
So, if you're here now, if you're watching at home, and you're disappointed
that CM Punk walked out, I understand.
And hell, ladies and gentlemen, I apologize.
[crowd applauding]
I've gone to SmackDown, and I've listened to what Nick Aldis has to say.
He put together a very substantial offer. You understand.
I went down to NXT, I hung out with Shawn Michaels.
And there's a 15-year-old CM Punk somewhere in the universe
who's tickled to death
that he got an offer from Shawn Michaels
to go help mold the next generation of superstars.
It's a great deal.
Adam Pearce has put together a deal that, honestly,
is head and shoulders above both those other deals.
[crowd cheering]
But can be very real and very honest with you folks right now?
My mind
was probably already made up when I looked at the calendar,
and I saw Cleveland.
[crowd cheering]
I'm here to bury those ghosts.
I'm here to right a few wrongs.
My future starts now.
[crowd cheering]
You couldn't write a better television show, ladies and gentlemen.
Ten years, almost to the day,
CM Punk walked out.
And regardless of how you feel about it,
CM Punk walks right back in!
[crowd cheering]
And if you're happy about it…
if you're mad about it,
you better learn to love it, 'cause congratulations, Adam Pearce…
[crowd cheering]
the newest Raw Superstar is named CM Punk…
[crowd cheering]
and CM Punk is home!
[cheering intensifies]
[Cole] Now we're talking!
CM Punk because the exclusive…
He's exclusive to Monday Night Raw!
[crowd chanting] CM Punk! CM Punk! CM Punk!
[Wade] Great job, Adam Pearce!
[crowd cheering]
-[Cole] Welcome back to Monday Night… -["Visionary" playing]
[chuckling] Ooh!
Uh-oh.
[Wade] Might not be a friendly welcome.
[crowd singing along]
♪ Burn it down! ♪
[crowd cheering]
[crowd singing along]
-[music fades out] -[crowd cheers]
-[crowd singing "Visionary"] -[crowd chanting] CM Punk! CM Punk!
Cleveland, Ohio!
[crowd cheering]
CM Punk.
Welcome to Monday Night
-Rollins. -[crowd] Rollins!
I hope you know
how incredibly fortunate you are
to even be standing in this ring right now.
But could you just do me, just one, one little favor,
just one thing.
one thing, please?
Don't you dare call this place your home.
[crowd booing]
[crowd chanting] CM Punk! CM Punk! CM Punk!
You abandoned this place ten years ago.
Not only did you abandon it,
but you actively tried to tear it down.
You spent ten years slandering me,
slandering every single person back in that locker room.
And, then, you wanna walk back in here and call this place your home.
This is not your home!
This is my home!
[crowd cheering]
[crowd singing "Visionary"]
I've been here.
Everybody in the back,
those are my brothers and sisters.
Everybody here, everybody watching at home,
that is my family,
and this is our home!
And I will do everything within my power to protect it from people like you!
[crowd cheering]
Let me make one thing perfectly clear,
I don't want there to be any confusion.
I know I'm a bit worked up.
I want everybody to understand.
I'm going to say it plainly, with every fiber in my being,
I hate you.
[crowd cheering]
But…
if you're going to be a part of WWE again,
then I want you on Monday Night Raw.
[laughing]
Because the truth always comes out, pal.
The truth always comes out.
I know, you know, everybody else knows,
this is your last chance.
And, so, one of two things is gonna happen.
Either you're gonna expose yourself,
you're gonna self-destruct like you always do.
And I'll be the first person in the back to slam the door shut on your legacy!
Or, if by some miracle,
you have changed…
and you've got any gas left in this old tank…
maybe one day you'll be lucky enough
to stand across the ring from me…
in a World Heavyweight Championship Match.
And, then, I will expose you for the fraud that you are.
I will show you that there are levels to this,
I will wrestle circles around you,
and I will let you understand, in real time,
what it means to be the best in the world.
[crowd cheering]
[crowd chanting] CM Punk! CM Punk! CM Punk!
Are you done?
That's your one pass to stand here and speak to me disrespectfully
without me coming after you.
I have never asked for anything to be handed to me,
and I've always done things, stubbornly, the hard way.
And I'm here to do that.
Adam Pearce, where are you at?
If we're making things official, we might as well make it official.
CM Punk is entering the Royal Rumble.
[crowd cheering]
And when CM Punk wins,
maybe, Seth,
it's you he's coming after!
[mic thumps on floor]
[Cole] CM Punk is now part of the Monday Night Raw roster!
He is exclusive to Monday nights,
which leads to intriguing match-ups, perhaps, of what we just saw.
But how about the passion, the emotion
of our World Heavyweight Champion, Seth Rollins?
We are in for a hell of a ride.
[Wade] Punk exclusively on Monday Night Raw!
The people are pumped up! I'm pumped up!
The locker room, maybe not so much.
But we can, perhaps, worry about that down the line, Michael.
Well, ladies and gentlemen, for the first time in ten years,
CM Punk is gonna be part of the Royal Rumble.
It was 2014 in Pittsburgh
where CM Punk made his last in-ring appearance in WWE.
That, in the Royal Rumble match.
It all comes full circle the last Saturday of January.
Well, coming up next on Monday Night Raw,
it is the battle of the behemoths.
It is "Big" Bronson Reed.
He's taking on Ivar, who will be accompanied by Valhalla.
Bronson Reed, the gods have spoken,
and you are the sacrificial lamb that is going to awaken the beast,
Ivar, the one true warrior.
[Ivar] The first time we met in battle, Bronson,
they stopped us before I could destroy you.
-[bell ringing] -[Cole] Double countout!
[Ivar] Well, let those wounds be your warning for tonight!
I put you down in agonizing defeat!
[both grunting]
Ivar, you are not some chosen one from the gods.
You think that those useless security guards in suits
were sent out there to stop us?
They were sent out there to save you from me!
But this time, no one will save you.
This is not going to be some sort of clash of the titans.
Ivar, tonight is your Viking funeral.
[dramatic instrumental music]
[Cole] As we all gather ourselves after the announcement from CM Punk
moments ago on Monday Night Raw,
we prepare, Wade, to, well, batten down the proverbial hatches.
[Wade] Oh-ho-ho! Monday Night Meat, it's coming home!
[Cole] Two 300-plus pounders collide yet again!
"Big" Bronson Reed versus Ivar,
live, next, on Monday Night Raw!
["Battle Tested" playing]
[Cole] "Big" Bronson Reed set for action on Raw.
Bring that Viking out. Let's see what he's got.
He ain't got nothing.
["Vicious" playing]
♪ Valhalla is here ♪
[bell rings]
[announcer] The following contest is scheduled for one fall.
Making his way to the ring,
accompanied by Valhalla,
representing The Viking Raiders,
Ivar!
[Cole] We talk about the size of these men, the girth, the power,
but they can move around the ring, at times, wading like a cruiserweight.
[Wade] Oh, powerhouses that are so big and nimble,
it is unfathomable that a human being as large as these two are
can move as rapidly as they can.
And here's the thing, what a spectacle it is
when you get two monsters like this colliding.
We need to christen this "The Beef Planet Division."
I actually texted that to Adam Pearce earlier.
-Hasn't replied yet, but we'll see. -[Cole] I think he's a little busy.
[Wade] He is, but I think it's a great idea.
so he's not shot it down.
[Cole] Before this match-up gets underway, I cannot wait to see,
over the course of the next little bit on Monday Night Raw,
and in the weeks to come,
the fallout of the decision moments ago by CM Punk
-to join Monday Night Raw. -[bell rings]
He just had an emotional moment with Seth Rollins moments ago.
More on that later on, on Raw. And we're under way.
This is Ivar and Bronson Reed here, one-on-one.
Now, this is an important match-up, Wade, because both of these men
have been jockeying for position to try to get an opportunity at Gunther
in the Intercontinental Championship.
You win here tonight,
perhaps you get an opportunity down the road.
[Wade] While they did collide…
[Cole] Wow, what a collision!
[Wade] These two did collide a couple of weeks ago,
on Monday Night Raw, fought all the way to a double counter
and continued brawling all the way to the locker room.
Take a look at this kind of power from Bronson Reed,
it's something that Ivar, as big as he is, has never really experienced
prior to meeting Reed.
[Cole] That was like getting run over by a bulldozer
as Bronson Reed just takes the fight to Ivar.
Whoa!
[Wade] The fascinating thing about these two fighting,
they are used to being able to physically bully their opponents around the ring.
It's crazy seeing how they react when that gets taken away
as we take another look.
And Ivar getting turned inside out.
By the big Australian Bronson Reed.
[Cole] Yeah, but Ivar fighting back.
Big clubbing blows. Middle of the ring.
[Wade] Big guys just do not like other big guys.
It makes them feel normal.
And these two are anything but.
[Cole] Bronson Reed, now full head of steam, bullpen, down center of the ring.
It's like two Mack Trucks colliding.
Ivar gonna roll out for a breather,
and Bronson Reed as well, right in front of us.
[Wade] Not quite sure who got the worst of it.
Both big men feeling a little hurt right now.
And then staring across the ring at one another.
[both growling]
[speaking indistinctly]
[Cole] Two big bulls going at it.
[Wade] Two big bulls who won't take a back step.
[Cole] Again! Trying to cut each other in half.
What's going to give? Ivar or Reed?
[Cole] It has been an historic night here tonight
on Monday Night Raw. CM Punk has decided to sign exclusively with the Red Brand.
More on that later on, tonight.
But we're in the battle of these two huge 300-plus pounders, Bronson Reed and Ivar
have been beating the hell out of each other during the commercial break.
[Wade] Both monsters throwing the heavy leather at--
[indistinct shouting]
[Cole] Spine buster by Ivar in a kick out.
That was incredible.
Listen to the splat.
My goodness.
I want to show you what happened before the commercial break.
Just two huge men
colliding like tractor trailers.
[Wade] Once again, the nimble movement of Bronson Reed getting out of Dodge
-just in the nick of time. -[Cole] Uh oh, wait. Yeah, yes!
[Wade] The greatest move in sports at the table.
But no, Ivar, simply to wise to it.
[Cole] Ivar took it away from me, buddy.
He's tasted that several times already, maybe tonight we'll not see another one.
[Cole] Reed was going for that tsunami from the top rope.
[Wade] I like Ivar. I'm a little disappointed. I wanted to get yelled at.
[Cole] And now Ivar, heading up to the top rope.
[Wade] With some high flying moves of his own.
[Cole] And Ivar! My goodness!
Just cannonballing through Bronson Reed.
[Wade] Bronson Reed has absolutely no clue where he's at.
You feel if Ivar can get him in the ring, this one is over.
Take another look
at the impact all down on the left side of Bronson Reed.
[Cole] And then you saw that weirdo Valhalla
-cheering Ivar on. -[Wade] Weirdo?
-Watch your mouth. -[Cole] Sort of disappointed.
-[Wade] Oh, this might be it. -[Cole] Seemingly retired the antlers.
[Wade] This might be the doomsault, Cole!
[Cole] Not quite, Bronson Reed not allowing it to happen.
[Wade] Too much taken out of the tank of Ivar at this point, just took too long,
climbing up to the top rope to capitalize.
[Cole] Bronson Reed up in the second rope.
These two men beating up one another from high above the ring.
[Wade] This much mass should never be anywhere near the top rope.
But I'm enjoying seeing it up there.
[Cole] Now going to the top rope is Bronson Reed.
They got you all tongue tied.
Reed and Ivar!
From way up high!
Superplex! Ring rattling superplex.
Reed collapses into the cover
-for the victory. -[bell rings]
[announcer] Here is your winner,
"Big" Bronson Reed!
[Wade] While there was really nothing
in that match-up at all till right at the very end,
two big monsters pushed on the top rope.
The ring shifted as they landed, and Bronson Reed with just enough energy left
to drape an arm over Ivar, score the victory.
[Cole] Bronson Reed surviving Ivar tonight.
[Wade] That impact just reverberated around the entire arena.
Hey, guys, Where's Rhea?
Funny guy. Hey, welcome to our show,
Punk.
Between us,
I really hope you're the guy who finishes the story around here.
Because if you do, I'll be the one waiting.
Have a good night.
[Cole] It's a different world than it was ten years ago, CM Punk.
[Wade] Enemies everywhere you look.
["The Other Side" playing]
[announcer] Please welcome JD McDonagh, Dominik Mysterio,
the undisputed WWE Tag Team Champions,
Finn Bálor and Senor Money in the Bank, Damian Priest,
The Judgment Day!
[Cole] Dominik Mysterio looks so much better without
the North American title. They're dangerous, competent and evil.
The Judgment Day is here, live, next.
[Cole] We all know the Royal Rumble
is the last Saturday of January in Saint Petersburg.
Well, the next night, the critically acclaimed
Undertaker 1 Dead Man Show is coming to Clearwater.
Secure your tickets to see the WWE Hall of Famer live
when tickets go on sale this Friday. Go to wwe.com for details.
Meanwhile, The Judgment Day is here, live on Raw.
[crowd booing]
You know,
I can't help but feel the need to remind everyone just who we are.
All rise for The Judgment Day.
And all rise for the only two-time
undisputed Tag Team Champions, Damian Priest and Finn Bálor.
So, Cleveland.
The Judgment Day are in town.
Step up, and get put down.
We have a simple message
for every WWE Superstar, and that is, it doesn't matter
if you've already been dealt with by The Judgment Day.
It doesn't matter if you're a returning superstar and it doesn't matter
if you're a new superstar like the Creed Brothers,
you're all officially put on notice.
The Creed--
[crowd booing]
[speaking indistinctly]
-The-- -[R-Truth] Hey, fellas, guys, fellas.
Hey, I went by the clubhouse, to do some decorating.
It looks like y'all went and got a lock for the front and the back door?
How y'all gonna have a holiday party and I don't get an invitation?
Truth! This is not some kind of holiday party that you're walking into.
And if it was, you wouldn't be invited.
JD, JD.
Take it easy, dawg. Relax.
Truth, come in the ring. I kinda want to hear what you have to say, man.
We're rich, y'all.
Hey, I got a lot of ideas that I want to share with y'all for The Judgment Day
that's gonna help the group out right here in Cleveland.
Can I?
Yeah, Let's hear it. Let's hear it.
Okay.
First off,
I think we gotta kick JD out.
-[crowd cheering] -I'm sorry, dawg.
Nobody likes you.
And second,
DP, you've got to stop calling yourself the boss.
No.
I think you're a fantastic boss.
I like you being the boss, but it makes Mami mad.
Mami get upset.
Then Mami be getting confused.
-We all get confu-- -Truth, Truth, man.
You're a funny guy.
I understand why people like you.
The locker room likes you.
I like you.
Finn Bálor likes him.
I'm pretty sure every single person in this building likes R-Truth.
[crowd cheering]
Wassup?
[crowd cheering] Wassup!
Everybody loves R-Truth.
Except me.
[Cole] Oh, no!
Now look at the rest of these losers.
This is four out on one.
[Wade] That is no way to treat a fellow member of The Judgment Day.
[Cole] First off, he's not in The Judgment Day
and second off, this is ridiculous.
R-Truth is out here having a little bit of fun.
Gonna get some backup. The number one contenders for the tag title,
Julius and Brutus, the Creed brothers are here.
[Wade] Still, four on two, Cole,
at this point, Truth is down and out.
[Cole] They already took out Dom and JD McDonagh last week.
[Wade] Creeds are getting absolutely flattened here by The Judgment Day.
[Cole] Now McDonagh and Dominik all over Julius Creed.
[Wade] The sign of inexperience from the Creeds,
thinking they could do any damage here.
[Cole] Doing the right thing to come out here and look at Julius Creed.
Oh, my goodness! And now in to help his brother, Brutus.
[Wade] The damage may have already been done to Brutus
but Julius Creed is taking everyone out.
[Cole] Bálor knocked down. Priest looking for a South of Heaven.
On two men. Not gonna happen.
Down goes Priest!
[Wade] These Creeds are something special, Cole.
[Cole] They're the number one contenders for the tag titles.
I told you, you got to be careful with them.
Wait, not now.
You guys gotta be ready.
-I told you, boys. -Yeah, I get it.
Down with Truth.
I don't care about your story.
I sure as hell don't care about Cody's story.
I care about finishing my story.
We got it figured out, don't we?
I think so.
I thought he'd be happy.
What did I do?
You did nothing.
He was getting a World Heavyweight Championship
match against Seth Rollins at the day one edition of Monday Night Raw.
Good for him.
You think it would be.
Gentlemen.
Whoa! Ja-makin' me me crazy.
No, no, I don't do that anymore.
I've heard so much about you.
I heard you're awful at video games.
I gotta find the bathroom.
-I'll catch up with you. -I'm glad you're here, man.
Good to have you.
And I'm glad you guys are here.
Look, I had an idea that involves the intercontinental title.
I wanted to run it by you guys.
Maybe we should do it in my office.
Come on, let's go, man.
Can you hold the door?
I got you.
[Cole] Adam Pearce needs an assistant.
Did I hear that right? McIntyre, Rollins, the World Heavyweight Championship
on day one, January first, San Diego.
[announcer] The following is a tag-team match scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance.
[Cole] Well, this duo said earlier tonight that they want tag team gold.
If you want to tag team gold, you got to keep winning.
They hope to keep their winning streak intact,
but they have to face Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell.
Tag team action, live, next on Monday Night Raw.
Candice LeRae and Indi Hartwell set to take on Katana Chance and Kayden Carter
Tag Team action and--
Not again. I want to figure out what Adam Pearce has against me.
The fact that we have to sit here
with the tag team champions yet again, on commentary.
-Chelsea Green, Piper Niven. -You sound so excited.
-[Cole] I'm not, honestly. -[Wade] Gonna welcome--
Oh, you said don't invite them.
I thought you said do invite them.
[Cole] I said don't invite them.
[Chelsea] We'd be eating oysters and drinking champagne.
But instead we're with Maddie and Wayne.
[Cole] Chelsea, I've been waiting all week
-to review last week. -[Chelsea] I bet you have.
[Cole] I want to take you back to Monday Night Raw
because it was Kayden and Katana against Natalya
and Tegan Nox in tag team action. And the annoying I mean, very nice
Chelsea Green and Piper Niven
with us on commentary. Off the keg stand, Kayden and Katana would pick up the win.
Now this is what everyone was talking about all over social media,
the fact that Chelsea Green finally got put in her place
when she tried to stick her nose in the business of Katana and Kayden.
[Chelsea] Who told you to say that?
[Cole] My question is, I understand you contacted--
[Chelsea] What's your question? Get to it.
[Cole] What do your attorneys say about this?
[Chelsea] My attorneys are not happy, honey.
I have filed formal complaints, and you're gonna be next.
[Wade] You got whooped last week by Carter and Chance.
If they win again, they may get--
[Cole] Say that again.
[Wade] Whooped. That's what the Internet said.
[Chelsea] Did you look that word up in the dictionary, Wayne, did you?
[Cole] This is a big match-up because the winner of this match
could perhaps find themselves an opportunity
at tag titles down the road.
-[Niven laughs] -[Chelsea] That's funny.
[Cole] Well, eventually, you're going to have to defend them.
[Niven] I might find myself on the cover of Sports Illustrated,
but you know, I won't hold my breath.
[Wade] Piper, I've actually got a question for you, because last week,
when Chelsea got whooped at ringside, hold that thought.
[Cole] I like that, can you say it one more time?
[Wade] Whooped at ringside,
by Carter and Chance, Piper you didn't actually help Chelsea at all.
Why was that?
[Niven] Because if I keep fighting her battles for her,
how is she going to get any stronger?
It's character building.
-You think I'm really-- -[Cole] Look at this!
That's incredible. I'd love to know how Chelsea
and Piper would defend that.
And here comes Candice LeRae.
[Wade] Very few teams can comprehend the kind of movement and dual tag team
moves that Carter and Chance--
Perhaps LeRae has got it figured out though.
[Cole] Cover for the win, and a kick out.
[Chelsea] Who put you up to this?
You two seem to be very anti…
[Cole] There are other people that can't stand you either, Chelsea
or Piper, Natalya and Tegan Knox.
[Niven] Listen, people don't have to like us,
but one way or another, they will respect us.
[Cole] There are people that respect and like you, Piper. I understand that.
Chelsea, that's a different story.
That's what my sources tell me.
[Chelsea] I'm gonna let Nick Aldis and Adam Pearce hear from me.
-[Cole] Cover. -[Niven] You've done it now.
[Cole] Is this enough? Breaking things up.
[Wade] I want to let you know, Chelsea, Matthew Cole over here
does not actually have any sources.
-They exist solely in mind. -[Chelsea] In his tiny little pea brain.
[Wade] Little Mikey boy--
[Cole groaning] Spine buster by Indi Hartwell.
Indi looking impressive as she tags in Candice LeRae.
[Wade] LeRae and Indi Hartwell have quite the tag team history together.
Used to be NXT Women's Tag champs.
[Chelsea] Yeah, well, we're not in NXT anymore, are we?
[Cole] Well, Katana and and Kayden, the longest reigning NXT Women's
tag team champions ever roll up now.
[Niven] We're actually a shoo in to become
the WWE reigning tag team champion.
[Cole] Tag, and Katana Chance gonna go up high.
And here we go. That is called the after party.
And it's party time for Kayden and Katana.
[bell dinging]
[announcer] Here are your winners, Kayden Carter and Katana Chance!
[Cole] Thank you for joining us. It was, uh, fun.
You're welcome to come back again next week.
-[Cole] I'm sure you're going to invite-- -[Wade] I'll extend an invite.
[Cole] What a win for Carter and Chance.
[Wade] The momentum continues.
[Cole] Boy, she is just annoying.
Victory Monday.
Huge rounds win yesterday, I smashed a guitar.
And tonight, Monday Night Raw,
in my hometown of Cleveland, Ohio.
I love it, I love the sound of it.
But for real, can we trust him?
I don't like him.
But it's the right place, and he wants the match really, really bad.
Interesting, interesting, so very interesting.
You know, all day
I've been hearing about a mystery partner of yours.
Make me wonder who possibly will team up
with the two of you.
So tell me, who is it?
Who is your mystery partner?
You shouldn't worry about our mystery partner.
What you should worry about is what the General Gunther's gonna think
when you disappoint him, again.
-Last week, twice. -[indistinct chatter]
Very confident.
Good luck.
I highly doubt you're going to find somebody
that wants to associate in public
with two weirdos like you.
[speaking German]
[Cole] Who is going to tag with D-Y-I?
Well, ladies and gentlemen, The Man Becky Lynch, has some unfinished business.
Becky Lynch is here, live, next on Monday Night Raw.
Chelsea Green threw me for a loop.
-Give me a break. -[Wade chuckling]
[announcer] Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
"The Man" Becky Lynch.
[Cole] You know, I mentioned unfinished business for Becky Lynch.
Five years in the making.
It has to do with the irresistible force of Nia Jax.
It was last week here on Monday Night Raw
that Nia Jax went one-on-one with her former friend
and tag team partner, Shayna Baszler.
Once again, Wade, in that match-up last week,
here on Raw, Nia Jax was dominant.
[Wade] Yeah, it was a hell of a battle.
But ultimately, like many women in the past,
Shayna Baszler was squashed with an annihilator.
Victory once again for the irresistible force, however, post-match,
"The Man" Becky Lynch would had crossed words with Nia Jax
earlier in the evening, stormed the ring.
However, Nia Jax, perhaps wisely, didn't want to engage.
The Man has a long standing score to settle with Nia Jax.
[Cole] Nia Jax blamed Becky last week
for interrupting her victory and, "stealing my spotlight".
[crowd cheering]
The Man has come around to Cleveland.
And I'll cut to the chase.
I've come here to call out Nia Jax.
Now, Nia and I have never gone one-on-one in this ring,
but for the last five years we have been linked together
for this reason.
[Cole] Well, this was over five years ago.
It was Team Raw and Team SmackDown.
A massive brawl before Survivor Series would take place.
Now this coming up is the right hand heard round the world.
Now watch the shadow in the background right on the nose of Becky Lynch.
This right by Nia Jax would break Becky Lynch's nose.
Then the iconic moment when "The Man" Becky Lynch, would take over.
Well, it may seem petty to bring it up now,
but damn it, I'm petty, and considering
for the last five years, nearly everybody that I have fought
has tried to use this as a burn against me,
I think it's time that we get to the root of the problem.
For the last five years, Nia and I have kept missing each other.
I went on to Main Event WrestleMania.
She went on to get double ACL surgery.
Because Nia is a woman so unlikable
that even her own knees wouldn't stand up for her.
Then I had a child and she got fired.
But now, it's 2023.
I'm here, she's here, and I think that--
["Greatness" playing]
[Cole] The "Irresistible Force" Nia Jax.
And Becky alluded to it, Wade.
These two have never gone one-on-one.
You can just feel that's coming.
[Wade] Mia Jax certainly dressed for combat right now.
We might not have to wait too much longer.
Well, I'm not fired any more, Becky.
I'm right here in front of you.
Better than ever.
And you know that punch you just showed,
that was a lucky swing, a lucky swing that almost ended your career.
A lucky swing that I didn't even get all of it.
I'll tell you what, imagine if I had you right in front of me and I aimed
and I punch you with my full force.
You wouldn't even get up.
And everybody's so mad that I broke Becky's face.
But Becky, this is a contact sport, right?
What else did you expect?
No. See, I didn't expect anything less.
And I don't even hold it against you, Nia,
because everybody knows that you are the most dangerous woman in this ring.
Anybody who has stepped in here against you has been injured or hospitalized.
Broken bones,
hell, you've nearly ended a few careers.
And that's why people like you haven't stopped talking about me
for the last two years that I've been gone.
You know, what's ironic is that the careers
that I nearly ended, you have me to thank for yours.
You see? You see? You see, this is what I do actually hold against you.
And this is the narrative that I need to change.
Because if it was just about a broken face,
then these people would have checked out,
moved on as soon as the blood dried.
But it is about what that night represents.
It is about what The Man represents, it's about getting knocked down by
whoever thinks they can get away with it or by life or by circumstance.
It's about dusting yourself off,
getting back up and fighting like hell.
Because that is what I have done my whole life.
That is what I did that night, and that is what I have done ever since.
But you?
You and your minions have spent years going around
saying Becky Lynch ain't a Main Event star.
But then I proved you wrong.
And now all you say is that I'm a Main Event star because of you.
Well, that is a lie.
That is a lie I need to end.
And if I can't end that lie, then I need to end you.
I get it.
You need me.
You need to prove to everyone here that you're just not about that one moment.
More importantly, you need to prove to yourself
that your career wasn't just some accident after I broke your face.
Otherwise, I'll always be the woman who made The Man.
I'll tell you what I need right now.
I need you to shut the hell up.
Because I didn't just come around to Cleveland to talk.
I came here looking for a fight.
[crowd chanting] Becky! Becky!
You need this a lot more than I do.
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Nia Jax, playing mind games, making Becky wait.
Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome the American Nightmare,
Cody Rhodes.
Cody, I want to start with tonight's
breaking news that CM Punk has decided to sign with Monday Night Raw.
What's your reaction?
Well, good on Adam Pearce for getting it done.
Happy for the fans.
Happy for USA.
Happy for seeing CM Punk.
But the Royal Rumble is right around the corner.
You can't start, certainly can't finish two stories at once.
Both Punk and I are very aware of that.
Well, with the Rumble a few weeks away, let's turn our attention to tonight.
After what happened last week, what's going through your mind
as you get set to face Shinsuke Nakamura?
You know, had we stripped this all back
had he not misted me in the eyes, I'd be a lot more excited about this interview
talking about a first time ever encounter.
A former Rumble winner, a former champion.
The 14 year legacy he had in Japan before he ever came over here.
But that was him then. What I've discovered about him now…
He's vicious.
And vicious is okay by me
because guess what? Got a problem? Nowhere to solve it.
It's Monday Night Raw. It's Cleveland, Ohio.
Stardust debuted in this building. Did you know that?
Talk about undesirable, the undeniable.
Here's the thing. Shinsuke Nakamura said that I asked for this.
You're damn right I did.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Cody and Shinsuke in our main event tonight.
["Symphony No. 9 in E Minor" playing]
[bell rings]
[announcer] The following is a six-man tag team match
scheduled for one fall.
Introducing first, Ludwig Kaiser, Giovanni Vinci,
and the Intercontinental Champion,
"The Ring General" Gunther,
Imperium!
[Cole] So, Wade, Kaiser and Vinci got a lot of pressure tonight,
not only teaming with Gunther,
but coming off that two out of three falls loss last week.
The DIY, they are in dire need of a victory.
[Wade] Yeah, the results simply haven't been good enough
for Vinci and Kaiser of late.
With Gunther around, they better step it up.
[Cole] It's a six-man tag team match.
The question is, who did Gargano and Ciampa pick to be their partner?
We'll find out live next on Monday Night Raw.
[Cole] Imperium set for six-man tag team action
here tonight on Monday Night Raw.
And "The Ring General" Gunther explaining to Kaiser and Vinci,
"You better get along. You better win."
["It's Our Moment" playing]
♪ We are ♪
♪ DIY ♪
-♪ Yeah, we're on top ♪ -♪ Only way… ♪
[announcer] And their opponents,
first Tommaso Ciampa and Johnny Gargano,
DIY.
[Wade] Michael Cole, it's your favorite tag team.
Do Yourself It.
That's what it stands for, right? [chuckles]
So who is going to tag with them if anyone?
[Cole] Yeah, who did Ciampa and Gargano get to tag tonight?
[man] Awesome!
[singer] ♪ I came to play… ♪
[Cole] What?
♪ Time for you to get down On your knees… ♪
[announcer] And their tag team partner,
The Miz.
[Wade] That's M-Z-I. Miz, right?
That how you spell it, Cole?
[Cole] Wait a minute. How on earth is this going to work out?
[Wade] I don't know. This trio has quite the history between them.
I'm trying to figure that out myself but, uh--
[Cole] Let's-let's just recap real quick, right?
Miz brought Tommaso Ciampa into WWE.
Ciampa got hurt, missed nine months of action.
Miz never picked up the phone to text or call him.
Ciampa got ticked off, came back and then they had a big, big melee.
Johnny Gargano, what did he do?
[Wade] He exposed Miz as paying Dexter Lumis,
to fake attack him for attention,
a bit like Jussie Smollett once upon a time.
But I'll tell you what.
To be fair,
there's a Cleveland link between Gargano and Miz.
And let's look across the ring from this trio.
The fact that Imperium has stood there.
The enemy of my enemy
may be my friend.
Something like that. You know, mutual distrust
and dislike of Imperium, perhaps,
is what has convinced Miz and DIY to team up.
-[Cole] Well, the one thing that I… -[bell rings]
…detest about Miz and Gargano
is that they are fans of the Cleveland Browns.
But nonetheless, Gargano was at the game yesterday rallying the crowd.
Browns won again, somehow,
and Gargano now starts things off against Giovanni Vinci of Imperium for DIY.
They sit after the two out of three falls win over Imperium last week.
[crowd chanting "Johnny Wrestling"]
Gargano, from here in Cleveland,
and the Intercontinental Champion Gunther decides I want to start this match.
[indistinct chatter]
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Oh, and a big right hand by Gunther.
A cheap shot on Gargano.
Looked like he was gonna tag Miz in, Gunther and Miz, of course,
their great match-up back at Survivor Series.
-[speaking indistinctly] -[Cole] Tonight marks the 549th day
that Gunther has been the Intercontinental Champion.
That is a record, the longest reign ever,
as Kaiser comes in off the tag.
[speaking German]
[Cole] And again, just so much pressure on Kaiser and Vinci tonight.
[Wade] Yeah, this tag team within Imperium, Kaiser and Vinci,
they have been capitulating of late.
Constant mistakes,
too many owls getting racked up, and bickering and squabbling.
Two, three--
[Cole] Gunther's gonna make sure that does not happen.
"The Ring General" does not take losing lightly.
[Wade] This trio of Imperium have been together for over three years,
including their time in NXT and even competing in Europe.
They know each other so well.
You never saw these issues up until two or three months ago.
[Cole] Tag. Ciampa is legal.
Not sure that Vinci realizes it. He does now.
And the double team now from DIY.
[grunting]
-[Wade] Such a well-oiled machine DIY. -[Cole] Oh!
He said last week, winning the two out of three falls match with Imperium,
said it felt like the beginning of something special.
[Wade] Yeah, something reawakened inside DIY,
-and they are getting that… -[Cole] Oh!
[Wade] …back under them but I spoke too soon.
Completely chopped down there was Ciampa.
[Cole] And now Gunther goes on the attack with a big boot,
collapsing the face of Ciampa.
[speaking German]
[Cole] Huge crowd tonight in Cleveland, Ohio, for Monday Night Raw.
This is a six-man tag team match-up.
It is the Imperium against the unlikely team of DIY and The Miz.
Oh, my goodness.
[Wade] So perfectly executed there by Kaiser.
And now big Gunther in to pick the bones of Ciampa.
[indistinct conversation]
[Cole] The Intercontinental Champion Gunther with another cheap shot
driving Miz off the apron.
Ciampa looking to take advantage
as Gunther turned his attention to Miz and Gargano.
[Wade] Miz is lucky he's got any teeth left after that boot.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] Ooh, big knee from Gunther dragging Ciampa back to the corner.
Tag made to Vinci.
-Vinci, so impressive. -[Wade] Oh. Ooh-hoo-hoo.
I love that crossbody.
Most high impact rapid crossbody I have ever seen
in the history of this sport
[Cole] Just three incredible athletes,
and if Vinci and Kaiser can finally get back on the same page,
how dangerous will they be?
-Oh! -[Wade] Oh, just as I was about to say,
they appeared to have done it tonight.
-The window has opened. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Here comes Cleveland's own Johnny Wrestling. Johnny Gargano.
-[thuds] -And Gargano picking up the pace.
Oh, Johnny taking out both members,
-Kaiser and Vinci. -[crowd cheering]
[Wade] Oh, that's the greatest engine in WWE.
It's going to take a lot to stop it turning over.
[Cole] And slingshot spear by Gargano.
-Cover. -[crowd chanting "One, two…"]
[Cole] Ca-- Oh, saving things is Vinci.
[Wade] Yeah, Vinci thankfully on the right page with Kaiser for once.
Just saving the match for his team for now at least.
[Cole] Oh. Gargano moved out of harm's way.
and Vinci tumbles to the floor.
[Wade] It was a hard landing for Vinci. It might be the end of him in this match.
-Nice uppercut there. -[grunting]
[Cole] Big right hand, Kaiser. Gargano able to slip from behind.
Oh, and a big kick. Down goes Ludwig Kaiser.
[Wade] Talk about a jaw loosener
Gargano perhaps too beaten up to capitalize, however.
But now Cleveland's other favorite son, The Miz,
perhaps may enter the fray.
[Cole] A look of disdain in his eyes.
-Tag. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And Miz and Gunther are going to go at it,
and the Intercontinental Champion misses wildly.
And here comes the southpaw, the Miz.
[indistinct chatter]
[Wade] Gunther got a taste of this at Survivor Series.
[Cole] He would love another opportunity
at the Intercontinental Championship with the Miz.
-Miz into the corner. -[screaming]
[Cole] Down goes Gunther, Miz fired up.
[Wade] Miz has just tapped back into that main event level competitor
we simply hadn't seen for years.
[Cole] Miz is going to launch himself off the top rope. Crossbody.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And now pounding away on… on the Intercontinental Champion.
Big kick by Miz again.
[crowd cheering]
[Wade] Gunther may rue the day he lit the fire underneath The Miz
back on Miz TV weeks ago.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] If Graves were here, he'd be calling this the famous "it" kicks.
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Caught Gunther.
And now turns over to the Boston Crab.
[Wade] In the blink of an eye, after overwhelming offense.
[Cole] And Ciampa with a running knee.
[Wade] Just as the match-up was slipping away.
And this one is completely broke down.
-Referee losing all control. -[shouting]
[Cole] Double team by Imperium.
[Wade] Yeah, unfortunately Ciampa is not the legal man, however.
[Cole] Miz and Gargano back to their feet.
[all grunting]
[Cole] Double DDT's.
[crowd cheering]
[both screaming]
[Cole] And Gunther tried to put an end to that celebration.
Dragon screw by Miz.
-Miz looking for a Figure Four. -[crowd cheering]
[Wade] What a statement this would be.
[Cole] Middle of the ring Figure Four. Miz's got it in.
[Wade] I've never seen Gunther tap out.
[Cole] Gunther…
trying desperately to hang on.
Figure Four.
Miz has got it locked in good.
-[thuds] -Gargano…
into the Gargano Escape.
Gunther's going to tap. Two submissions.
Locked in, Gunther trying to make it to the rope.
-[Wade] Can't escape. -[Cole] Tag made.
Smart move by Gunther.
-Vinci elbow. -[thuds]
[grunting]
[Wade] I made the cardinal sin of writing Gunther off there. My bad.
[Cole] And Vinci now looks to take advantage.
Miz lands on his feet.
Vinci.
-Skull Crushing Finale. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Cover.
Miz, DIY with the win!
[bell rings]
[announcer] Here are your winners,
the team of DIY and The Miz.
[Wade] Wow, the city of Cleveland is on a hot streak right now.
[Cole] Incredible closing moments of the match.
The Figure Four, the Gargano Escape.
Gunther makes a tag,
but in the end, Miz with a Skull Crushing Finale for the win.
We've got breaking news tonight
about Monday Night Raw next week in Des Moines, Iowa.
The undisputed Tag Team Champions will put the titles on the line
against the number one contenders,
Bálor, Priest, versus The Creed Brothers live next week on Raw.
[Wade] And two weeks in a row,
Chelsea Green and Piper Niven have had ringside seats
to watch the spectacular offense of Carter and Chance.
Next week on Raw, they get an even closer look.
Women's tag gold on the line,
Green, and Niven defending
against the fast moving Carter, and Chance.
[Cole] And again, coming up next week on Monday Night Raw,
we are in Des Moines, Iowa.
Two championships on the line.
Can it be the Creed Brothers' night?
Hell yeah, it could be the Creed Brothers' night.
These guys walked through everybody in NXT.
And since arriving here on Raw, they've walked through the competition.
[Cole] It is time now for our main event.
["The Rising Sun" playing]
[Cole] The dangerous Shinsuke Nakamura claims he's been reborn,
that he's the real nightmare.
He takes on "The American Nightmare" Cody Rhodes live next.
[Cole] It is a cold night in Cleveland, Ohio.
Monday Night Raw is live.
Home of the Browns, playing pretty well.
Cleveland Cavaliers and Donovan Mitchell.
And also tonight, historic breaking news on Monday Night Raw.
And if you're happy about it,
if you're mad about it,
you better learn to love it 'cause congratulations, Adam Pearce…
[crowd cheering]
The newest Raw superstar is named CM Punk.
[crowd cheering]
And CM Punk is home.
[crowd continues cheering]
You abandoned this place ten years ago.
Not only did you abandon it,
but you actively tried to tear it down.
You spent ten years slandering me,
slandering every single person back in that locker room.
And then you want to walk back in here and call this place your home?
This is not your home.
This is my home.
[crowd cheering]
CM Punk is entering the Royal Rumble.
[crowd cheering]
And when CM Punk wins,
maybe, Seth, it's you he's coming after.
[crowd cheering]
[rock music playing]
[speaking German]
-[crowd cheering] -What?
I want an Intercontinental Championship match.
[breathing heavily]
You are a pain in…
You know what?
I grant you another championship match under one condition.
If I beat you again, which I will,
you can never challenge for this beautiful title again
as long as I am the champion.
Done.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Gutsy move by The Miz.
Meanwhile, the ever dangerous Shinsuke Nakamura
set for our main event.
-["Kingdom" playing] -[crowd cheering]
Wrestling has more than one royal family.
[crowd cheering]
[fireworks exploding]
♪ Adrenaline in my soul ♪
♪ Every fight out of control ♪
♪ Do it all to get them off their feet ♪
♪ Crowd is here, about to blow ♪
♪ Waitin' for me to start the show ♪
♪ Out the curtain Lights go up, I'm home ♪
-♪ Whoa! ♪ -[all] ♪ Whoa! ♪
[fireworks exploding]
♪ When I was younger Hard times breed better men… ♪
[announcer] And his opponent from Atlanta, Georgia,
weighing in at 222 pounds,
"The American Nightmare"
Cody Rhodes.
♪ …You took my dreams but not my name ♪
♪ You'll follow me into the end ♪
♪ I am my kingdom ♪
♪ Lights go down, I'm ready now ♪
♪ Tear this roof off for the town ♪
♪ Gonna give 'em what they came to see ♪
♪ Hear the crowd on their toes ♪
-♪ Ready for me to start the show ♪ -[crowd cheering]
♪ Out the curtain Lights go up, I'm home ♪
-♪ Whoa! ♪ -[all] ♪ Whoa! ♪
[fireworks exploding]
♪ When I was younger ♪
♪ Hard times breed better men ♪
♪ Better men ♪
♪ You took it all away I give it all away ♪
♪ Can't take my freedom ♪
♪ Here to change the game A banner made of pain ♪
♪ I built my kingdom… ♪
[Cole] So much to talk about in this match.
Tonight, for the first time ever,
Shinsuke Nakamura and Cody Rhodes go one on one here in WWE.
I want to start with Shinsuke,
'cause I believe what we've seen in the past couple weeks
-is a man who is bitter… -[bell rings]
…a man who is jealous.
He talked about Cody Rhodes wanting to finish his story.
Shinsuke said, "What about me? Our story is parallel to each other."
"Five years ago, I won the Royal Rumble."
"I didn't win the championship just like Cody."
"But nobody's talking about that in my career."
[Wade] Well, it's about time
Shinsuke Nakamura turned bitter and jealous
'cause five years is a hell of a long time
to wait to try and complete your own story.
And no, Cody Rhodes does not get to call dibs
on fulfilling his childhood dream.
That is open to everyone.
If you want to fulfill it, outcompete everyone else in the locker room,
including the likes of Shinsuke Nakamura.
[Cole] Nakamura has been stalking Cody Rhodes for months,
leading up to this point.
Nakamura said earlier tonight
that your weakness is that you don't respect me.
He said, "Cody, you want the admiration of the WWE fans."
"I freed myself of that burden."
"I now draw my own destiny."
Those are the words of Nakamura.
[Wade] May well be that desire for admiration in the past
that has held Nakamura back,
and now he's shed that skin of the past.
He's more dangerous than he's ever been.
[Cole] And Cody Rhodes. Shinsuke ducked.
The right hand moved out of harm's way.
Cody with a nice dropkick.
[Wade] These guys go in reversal for reversal,
stepping out of each other's maneuvers.
First time they've encountered one another.
-Clearly studied up on their opponents. -…three, four, five, six, seven, eight--
-[Cole] Two veterans of the game. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] You've got to wonder, is Cody completely focused on Nakamura tonight?
[Wade] You might dislike Nakamura's personality and actions,
you have to respect his achievements and his abilities in that ring.
[Cole] Got him. Nakamura with a running knee
dumps Cody the apron,
-and Shinsuke Nakamura taking control. -[groans]
[Cole] This is our main event on Monday Night Raw.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] We're back live on Monday Night Raw.
Good vibrations, or bad vibrations, I guess you would say,
for Shinsuke Nakamura to Cody Rhodes.
And Shinsuke has been dominating since before the commercial break.
[Wade] Attacking the throat with shot after shot
over the past few minutes.
And Cody really starting to struggle at this point.
[Cole] And Nakamura!
Knees to Rhodes, cover for the win, and a kick-out.
I was going to mention a bit earlier, Cody's got so much on his mind.
He's talked about the "finishing the story" thing.
He heads into the Royal Rumble. He was the first man to declare for that.
Cody is trying to win back-to-back Royal Rumbles
when we head to Tampa Bay next month.
Only three men in the history of WWE have ever been able to do that,
and that's how difficult it is.
Hulk Hogan, Stone Cold Steve Austin, "The Heartbreak Kid," Shawn Michaels,
all three Hall of Famers,
the only ones to ever win back-to-back Royal Rumbles.
[Wade] And there is very few people who will ever achieve the kind of things
that those three men you just mentioned did,
and it is a tall task for Cody Rhodes
to try and replicate what he did last year.
[Cole] But the pressure for Cody is,
he believes, Wade, that that is his only path
to being able to finish his story, winning the Championship.
And there's Cody with a big right hand to Shinsuke.
And now Rhodes looking to rally, off the second rope. Cody Cutter!
Didn't get any of it 'cause Nakamura blocked.
-Trying to turn it into the armbar. -[Wade] Completely scattered.
Cody is trying his best to block this,
preventing those legs of Nakamura getting extended.
-Manages to get his way out. Nice escape. -[Cole] Looking for Cross Rhodes.
Nakamura trying, and now he's got the armbar in.
[Wade] Straight back into that armbar.
[Cole] What an incredible sequence there between Nakamura and Rhodes.
Cody, you wanna quit?
[Wade] Now with so many dangerous strikes, torturous submission holds.
Cody knows all about it right now.
[Cole] Yeah, Cody trying to make it to a rope and force a break,
and wise move by Rhodes there.
[Wade] You'll just see that Shinsuke didn't quite get full extension
on that left arm of Cody Rhodes.
That's the only reason Cody is still in this match-up.
[Cole] Nakamura, who won the Royal Rumble back in 2018.
Oh, kick right to the back of the neck.
Now right here, this is vintage Shinsuke Nakamura.
That sliding release German and Nakamura is in control.
[Wade] Nakamura has done everything in this industry
except for becoming a World Champion here in WWE.
[Cole] And that eats at him. That's what's driving Nakamura--
[Wade] It eats at everyone who's never won a world title,
but Nakamura now solely focused--
[Cole] Oh, nice knee strike.
Cover again on Rhodes. Is it enough to put Cody away?
-And Cody gets-- -[Wade] Just a sloppy cover.
Nice shot to the jaw with the knee,
but hooking a leg there was crucial.
Nakamura is just enjoying this too much however.
[Cole] You call it sloppy, I call it cocky.
And Nakamura now looking for the Kinshasa,
and Cody Rhodes cuts him off the knees.
[Wade] With someone like Cody Rhodes, you can't be sloppy or cocky.
It really is that simple. You give him a hint of a window,
he's going to kick it right open.
[Cole] And again, Rhodes.
We now know two of the 30 men in the Rumble field,
Rhodes, and of course CM Punk,
who announced earlier tonight on Monday Night Raw,
not only is he joining the Red brand exclusively,
but he's entering the Royal Rumble.
He's got a story of his own to finish.
Oh, and Cody Rhodes now showing a mean streak.
[Wade] Shredding those ligaments in the knee of Shinsuke Nakamura.
-[indistinct chatter] -[grunting]
[Cole] Cody now looking to power Nakamura off.
Nakamura back down to the apron. Cody's been--
[Wade] Cody's been softened up too much. Maybe he hasn't.
[Cole] Nakamura goes face first and Cody buys himself some time.
[Wade] Make no mistake, Cody is in a bad way in this match-up
and needs to get this finished as soon as he can.
Back to the knee of Nakamura.
[Cole] Now a half crab on shin
and Nakamura middle of the ring,
trying to make it to a rope to force a break.
-[speaking indistinctly] -[groaning]
[Wade] Shinsuke in agony
after the previous attacks on the knees of the Japanese superstar.
Cody slowly but surely grinding his opponent down here.
-[groaning] -How about it, Shinsuke?
-[Cole] Listen to Nakamura. -How about it?
-[Cole] Is he going to tap? -[groaning]
[Cole] Makes it to the rope to force the break.
[speaking indistinctly]
[Wade] Been in that hold a hell of a long time however.
[Cole] Cody has put so much pressure on himself, Wade,
that every single match-up has become a must win.
[Wade] Well, just about winning the Royal Rumble
is about winning a WrestleMania.
[Cole] Oh! Now it's Cody Rhodes and Shinsuke Nakamura
both down in our main event.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] And Shinsuke Nakamura,
just before we came back from the commercial break,
caught Cody on the ear with a step-up enziguri.
Cody stunned momentarily,
and now both men down in the middle of the ring.
This is our main event on Monday Night Raw tonight.
Jam-packed here in Cleveland, Ohio.
Shinsuke Nakamura said,
"You want admiration, Cody."
"I freed myself of that burden."
"I draw my own destiny."
"I have been reborn."
For Cody Rhodes, it's just continuing to plug away,
continuing to build momentum, continuing to move on to the Royal Rumble,
where he hopes to win back-to-back.
[crowd chanting "Let's go, Cody"]
[Cole] And this here before the commercial break.
[both grunting]
[Wade] Cody going high risk, and for once it paid off.
But right now we've descended into a slugfest between these two.
Both men must have very little left in the tank at this point.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] Both men digging down deep.
Nakamura though with a nice combination.
Stunning. Cody. Cody, though--
[crowd cheering]
[Wade] What a war of attrition this one has been.
-Ebbing and flowing-- -[Cole] Powerslam.
[Wade] Now all the momentum back on the side of "The American Nightmare."
[Cole] You mentioned it before,
the exhaustion setting in what has been a great main event
here tonight on Monday Night Raw.
[Wade] The exhaustion, the pain, the wounds of war.
Both men softened up, and right now--
[Cole] A sleeper locked in by shin.
[groaning]
[Cole] Nakamura, will he get Cody to tap out or pass out?
[referee] Cody, what do you say?
[Wade] No way you can extricate yourself from a move like this.
[Cole] Cody Rhodes trying what he can, but Cody may be failing.
Trying to slip… the chin underneath there for protection,
but Nakamura's got it locked in.
[crowd chanting "Cody"]
[Cole] The chinlock now applied to Cody Rhodes.
[crowd chanting "Cody"]
[Cole] Sleepers change to the chinlock.
Rhodes now back to a vertical base
with Nakamura on his back.
-[indistinct chatter] -[both grunting]
-[Wade] Nakamura thought this was over. -[Cole] Oh!
[Cole] And Cody.
Desperation move there.
[Wade] Just as Nakamura was smelling victory,
Cody Rhodes pulling off a power move here,
dragging himself out of that predicament.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] Now Cody's struggling back to his feet.
Nakamura--
Oh, Disaster Kick caught Shinsuke.
Cover by Rhodes. Hook to the leg now for the win.
And a kick-out by Nakamura.
[indistinct chatter]
[Nakamura screaming]
[Cole] Cody Rhodes paying homage, Bionic Elbow.
[shouting]
[crowd cheering]
[Wade] Cody's got Nakamura right where he wants him here.
Time to go in for the kill.
[Cole] Nakamura!
Cody Cutter!
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And now Cody Rhodes off this beautiful Cody Cutter,
looking to put Nakamura away.
[Wade] This place is coming unglued.
Cody Rhodes hitting top gear at the right time.
[Cole] Looking for Cross Rhodes.
Nakamura, mist.
-[crowd cheering] -[bell rings]
[Cole] Blinding Cody.
It forces the official to call for the bell and disqualification,
and Nakamura's not done yet.
Shinsuke Nakamura now mauling Cody Rhodes,
who has been blinded by that red poison mist.
[Wade] Cody completely defenseless at the feet of Nakamura.
Just when Cody had victory in sight.
[indistinct chatter]
[Cole] Cody was gonna put Nakamura away.
Then he struck with a mist, did Shinsuke.
And now Cody Rhodes is blinded, has no idea where he is,
and Shinsuke Nakamura having his way.
Cody just trying to fight back, but he can't see.
And now from behind,
-a despicable attack from behind. -[Wade] Oh.
[Cole] And a Kinshasa to the back of the neck to a blinded Cody Rhodes.
Hey, enough.
[Wade] Cody just isn't gonna get to write his own story.
The bull's-eye on Cody is just too big,
and Nakamura is making it clear, nothing is off limits.
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Nakamura has been bitter. He has been jealous.
He claims that Cody Rhodes doesn't respect him.
And Nakamura plans to show Cody no respect tonight.
[Wade] Nakamura is going to beat that respect
into "The American Nightmare."
Cody Rhodes might not even make the Royal Rumble at this point.
[Cole] And here come the Creed Brothers.
Brutus and, uh, Julius Creed coming to the aid of Cody Rhodes
as Shinsuke Nakamura wanders away.
-The damage has been done. -[crowd booing]
[Cole] A smile on the face of Nakamura.
And who knows what damage he would have caused
if it wasn't for the Creed Brothers… tonight.
[crowd booing]
[Wade] Cody may need some medical attention at this point.
[Cole] Just a pathetic display…
by Nakamura.
[Wade] Call it pathetic.
It's been highly effective at derailing Cody Rhodes
in his pursuit of completing the story.
[Cole] Again, Rhodes was closing in on the win with a Cross Rhodes
when Nakamura spun out of it,
and then the red poison mist to the eyes and face of Cody Rhodes,
completely blinding Cody.
Cody was defenseless at this point,
which led to the all-out assault and attack by Shinsuke Nakamura,
who planned to do more damage
before the Creed Brothers came to Cody's aid.
[Wade] It was all over for Nakamura in that match.
It was clearly gonna be Cody's victory at that point.
[Cole] And Nakamura has returned again.
[indistinct conversation]
[crowd booing]
[Cole] Again, a cowardly assault
by Shinsuke Nakamura,
and, Wade, you mentioned it,
every time, Cody keeps trying to write another chapter in a story,
yet another obstacle is thrown in his way.
[crowd booing] tacle is thrown in his way.