WWE RAW: Results & Review (27.01.15) [The One They Cancelled]
A day after the controversial and disappointing Royal Rumble and we learn that the live Monday Night RAW show from Hartford, Connecticut has been cancelled due to the historic storm that hit the North-west of the US, causing roadways to be closed and thus causing WWE to cancel. So, RAW was held at WWE headquarters and we are welcomed by Booker T and Michael Cole who talk about the reasons the live show was cancelled as well as the happenings from the previous night’s Royal Rumble event.
There were obviously going to be no matches held here, because the show is being held at an office building, so we saw complete replays of both the WWE World Heavyweight Title match from Royal Rumble between Brock Lesnar, John Cena and Seth Rollins, and the Royal Rumble match itself. When these matches weren’t on, Michael Cole, Booker T, Renee Young and Byron Saxton interviewed the few superstars who had made their ways to WWE headquarters for the show.
Cole interviewed Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman. Brock spoke about retaining his title against Cena and Rollins last night and went on to give his thoughts on Roman Reigns, the man who won, controversially, the Royal Rumble match and will go on to face Lesnar in the main event of WrestleMania 31. Heyman said that Reigns will not win. Lesnar said he looked forward to meeting Reigns later tonight. It was a basic interview, like each of the interviews would be on this show.
It was announced that Arnold Schwarzenegger would be inducted into the “Celebrity Wing” of the WWE Hall of Fame this year. Schwarzenegger has apparently been a long-time fan of WWE and made an appearance on an episode of SmackDown in 1999 in which he backhanded Triple H and posed in the ring with the WWF Title.
Saxton interviewed Roman Reigns. He asked Reigns questions that were obviously aimed at the very negative response he’d received in Philadelphia at the Royal Rumble. Reigns spoke about how the fans have a right to “boo” who they choose because they pay their “hard earned money” to go to the shows. This is the same stuff Cena has spouted for years and will not help Reigns if they want him to be a babyface going forward. Reigns spoke of his Rumble victory, about Brock Lesnar, and about the idea of him being the “chosen one” by WWE management, in which Reigns said that “even if” he was, he still had to “prove himself” and “step up” at the end of the day.
Renee Young interviewed Daniel Bryan, and this was a basic interview too, with Bryan thanking fans, talking about failing to win the Rumble, and saying that Reigns stepped it up and deserved to win. This seemed like Bryan being instructed to make excuses for Reigns so the fans would cheer him again, but I don’t see it happening. Roman Reigns is being pushed too soon, and would be better suited to a smaller role in which he learns from people, like he had in The Shield, or like he would have if he turned heel and joined The Authority.
Some stuff was announced for WWE’s next PPV, Fast Lane. John Cena against Rusev was announced, and a segment in which Triple H will call out Sting. The strange episode ended with Reigns and Lesnar having a face-to-face to tease and hype their main event title match at WrestleMania. We’ll see what happens when WWE are in front of a crowd again next week.