WWE Raw house show results
March 25, 2012
Charlotte, N.C.
Report by Lee Dula, PWTorch reader

Good crowd. Only the lower section was opened and was approximately 80-90 percent full. Lots of kids, but expected due to late afternoon start time. There was a scary moment before the show when a fan required medical attention from EMTs. I'm not sure what happened, but he was taken away on a stretcher with 4-5 EMTs in tow.

(1) U.S. champion Santino beat Jack Swagger to retain the U.S. Title. Good comedy during the match as Swagger tried to convince Santino to a handshake. Santino eventually did and they turned it into a dance routine, before Swagger cheap-shotted Santino. Santino eventually won the match. Good overall start to the show.

(2) Eve beat Kelly Kelly. Actually a very good match with Eve distracted by a "hoeski" chant.

(3) R-Truth beat Leo Kruger, an FCW newcomer from South Africa.

(4) Ryback pinned Alex Riley. Fairly short match, as Ryback (Skip Sheffield) had most of the offense. He acted a little too intense at times, but maybe this was back of the new gimmick. He was heckled by fans doing a "Goldberg" chant that I think he truly didn't like. Ryback won and yelled at a "Goldberg" fan to "get a life."

(5) WWE tag champions Primo & Epico (w/Rosa Mendes) beat Zack Ryder & Mason Ryan to retain the Tag Titles. Very well done match with great teamwork and double-teaming by Epico and Primo. Really good old-school tactics. It was great to see that. Ryder, of course, got a huge pop, but Mason was very good as a babyface and got a pop when he tagged in to save Ryder. Epico & Primo then won via pin over Ryder while all four wrestlers were was fighting. During the match, some fans chanted, "We want tacos." Epico turned and yelled, "We aren't Mexican, we are from Puerto Rico, idiots!"

(6) Chris Jericho pinned Kofi Kingston. Very solid match as both wrestlers went back and forth the entire match. Jericho tried the Walls of Jericho, but Kofi escaped and was later hit with the Codebreaker for the win. Jericho makes it looks easy and Kofi did a great job keeping up with him.

(7) Brodus Clay pinned The Miz. Great pop for Funk, and major heel heat for Miz. Miz carried the match, selling good shots from Funk. At one point early on, Funk danced as Miz tried to attack him and each dance move resulted in hitting Miz before he could strike. Very well done. Miz eventually lost. It's hard to see Miz headlining WM27 last year and now losing to Funk a year later. I hope they have plans for him at Mania.

(8) John Cena beat Kane in a Last Man Standing match. Huge pop for Cena, naturally. He sold a major beat down from Kane during the match, and even went through a table in the turnbuckles. Cena would later AA Kane through a table for the win. Good overall match; nothing special, but entertaining, although Kane vs. Cena is getting old, if it isn't already.

(9) WWE champion C.M. Punk beat Dolph Ziggler in a 2-out-of-3 falls match to retain the WWE Title. Huge pop for Punk. Also, Ziggler continues to impress me every time I see. He sells well, moves well, and shows passion for getting the match right. Not just technically with the moves, but the overall storytelling, heel persona, and confidence. His ability to hang with Punk leads you to believe he can carry a match alone and do it very well. There was a great "Billy Gunn" chant at Ziggler tonight. Ziggler turned, looked puzzled (but was about to laugh), and said "I could do worse." Punk heckled a fan for wearing a University of Michigan hat, calling him and "idiot" and saying between moves, "Michigan sucks."

Both wrestlers worked their butts off for a good, evenly-paced match. Ziggler won first fall, and after constant Ric Flair chants from the crowd, Punk applied the figure four to win the second fall. During the third fall, Punk was kicked in the mouth and he appeared to lose a tooth, as an object landed ten feet away on the floor. Jericho interfered, kicked Punk in the head again, and Dolph wasn't able to score a pinfall. Jericho came back and was kicked by Punk, who then hit the GTS on Ziggler for the win.

After the match, Punk tried to make amends with the Michigan fan by going over to shake his hand, but pulled away at the last second, leaving the crowd to laugh at the gullible fan.

Punk then called out Arn Anderson, stating his Hall of Fame induction was long overdue. Cena walked out with Arn and they both stayed in the ring as Arn addressed the crowd. Great speech by Double A as Punk and Cena looked on laughing and clapping as Arn thanked the fans for their support. He said he and the Horsemen worked their "asses off" each and every night. He thanked Ric Flair, Tully Blanchard, Barry Windham, and J.J. Dillon during his speech.

To close the show, Punk asked security to go in the back for something/someone. They left and Dustin Rhodes came down and waited ringside to congratulate Arn. They all left together as Punk stopped to talk to Justin Roberts and then shake the fans's hands at ringside as he left.

A Raw Supershow was announced for Charlotte on October 29.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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