WWE RAW in Abu Dhabi Results

[Andrew]

Here are the results from Day 1 of 3 of WWE's Raw World Tour show in Abu Dhabi:

At the beginning of the show, Tony Chimel introduced the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw GM, John Laurinaitis. He was booed out of the Zayed Sports City Tennis Stadium, which to me meant the crowd was knowledgeable about the current scene in WWE. He welcomed the fans and said that WWE is honored to be in Abu Dhabi for the first time ever. He also promised a great show and hyped the double Main Event.

(1) Alex Riley beat Drew McIntyre. Riley was over and a lot of people were chanting "Riley" during the match.

(2) WWE tag champions Primo & Epico beat Santino & Mason Ryan to retain the WWE Tag Titles. People loved Santino and this was the comedy match of the show. Santino got his heat back post-match by nailing Epico with The Cobra.

(3) Michael McGillicutty beat David Otunga. Otunga came out and dissed the crowd by saying that he could see that his reputation precedes him judging by the raucous reception. Then, he dissed the crowd by saying that they probably don't know what "raucous" means, so he used some synonyms. He then said that the Raw Interim GM promised him a workout against an unnamed opponent, so McGillicutty showed up, and beat him.

(4) Kofi Kingston beat Chris Jericho. Jericho got the biggest pop of the night so far, and did his JeriTroll gimmick with his "light-up jacket and holding the mic without talking" spiel. The crowd turned on him because of this, except a few chants of Y2J from the front row, which he hilariously responded to by telling them to shut up. It took a while for the match to start because of Jericho's heel mannerisms (leaving the ring, the arena, etc.). Once it got going, this was the second best match of the show. Jericho played his role very well. He even proceeded to rip off a sign from one of the fans and took his time ripping it into pieces, which was funny. He is a badass in person. I love his new character.

After Kingston won, Jericho laid out Kofi. Kofi was then carried out, leading to intermission.

[Intermission]

(5) U.S. champion Jack Swagger beat The Miz and R-Truth in a three-way match to retain the U.S. Title. Pre-Match, The Miz cut a promo on the crowd with all his catchphrases. He lamented them for booing when it took 16 hours of flight time to come all the way over here. He also promised a victory at the Elimination Chamber.

(6) John Cena beat Kane via Disqualification when Kane used a steel chair on Cena. Biggest pop of the night, by far, went to Cena. People went crazy for him. This was a pro-Cena crowd. There were some dueling chants and "Cena Sucks" signs, but they were easily overwhelmed by the pro-Cena crowd.

Post-match, Kane chokeslammed Cena and left, but after Chimel announced the decision, he came back, and was on the receiving end of an Attitude Adjustment. Cena then proceeded to tell Kane that he proved he doesn't need a chair to beat him, so challenged him to a No DQ match tomorrow night (Day 2), where he can use anything he wants and he will still beat him.

(7) WWE champion C.M. Punk beat Dolph Ziggler to retain the WWE Title. Punk received the second best pop of the night, and was as popular as Cena. Lots of C.M. Punk t-shirts in the crowd. Ziggler riled up the crowd before the match doing his "Showoff" gimmick. This was the best match of the show, by far. Quality wrestling by both. At one point, they were both counted out and the match was declared a double count-out, but John Laurinaitis re-started the match and C.M. Punk won with the GTS. No one takes it as good as Dolph Ziggler.
​

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Sounds better then the WWE Raw show they did last year in China that surfaced onto the internet. I hope there is a chance I can see either of these days. I bet watching Jericho do his JeriTroll would be awesome at any live event. Also the main event just on here looks like it's a nice edition to the short feud Ziggler and Punk have had.

 

[Heisenberg]

Seems like a pretty good show but why Kofi over Jericho?

 

[Kiffy Lube]

Why wouldn't Jericho lose? He's made a living off of it.

 

[Don Draper]

I know it's just a house show but being in a US title match is not a good sign for Miz.

 

[We Are Legion]

Otunga came out and dissed the crowd by saying that he could see that his reputation precedes him judging by the raucous reception. Then, he dissed the crowd by saying that they probably don't know what "raucous" means, so he used some synonyms.

: That actually sounds pretty hilarious. Wish I could've seen that.

Otunga absolutely nails that "douchebag" character to a tee. It's probably not entirely an act, but I'm okay with that.​

 

[Troy]

Impressive that they are doing a tour in Abu Dhabi, not an area that I thought WWE would be popular in. Kofi over Jericho is an interesting decision but I guess it doesn't really hurt anything since it is just a house show. Mainevent sounds good and overall it looked like a decent show.

 

[Andrew]

DAY TWO RESULTS:

Just like the first day of the tour, Justin Roberts introduced the Executive Vice President of Talent Relations and Interim Raw GM, John Laurinaitis, to a chorus of boos. He welcomed the fans to the event and said it was an honor to be here in the United Arab Emirates. He pitched both main events coming up tonight and promised a surprise for C.M. Punk.

(1) U.S. champion Jack Swagger beat Alex Riley via submission to retain the U.S. Title. Riley was the first wrestler to come out and received an even bigger pop than last night. I don't know if it was because he was the first babyface out, or people genuinely like him here. Jack Swagger was booed and heckled throughout the match. He played to the crowd well and attracted loud boos every time he did it. He won the match after catching Riley with the Anklelock submission. Lots of "Swagger Sucks" and "Riley" chants throughout the match.

(2) Michael McGillicutty beat Drew McIntyre via pinfall. Drew came out first and dissed the crowd, asking if they understood English. He said he had been through a 14-hour flight and barely had any sleep, so he wanted everyone to be quiet while he was talking. Then, he said it doesn't matter anyways because tonight the losing streak ends and he cannot wait to leave this backwards-thinking country (ouch). He promised that he will not lose. Michael McGillicutty came out and you could tell he was amped up and ready to tear it down. Many people probably didn't know it was the anniversary of his father's death, but you could tell based on him using many of his father's signature moves throughout the match, ending with the infamous Fisherman Suplex, or for this occasion, the Perfect Plex. There were many "Let's Go Michael" chants during the match. The crowd also chanted "Loser" to Drew after the match was over.

(3) WWE tag champions Primo & Epico beat Santino & Mason Ryan via pinfall to retain the WWE Tag Titles. Santino was very popular with the crowd, as he is everywhere. This match was almost the same as last night with slightly different comedy spots. Formulaic tag team match. Mason played the big man role and Santino played the face in peril being double-teamed by the tag champions up until the hot tag. Unlike last night, it was Mason Ryan who took the pinfall. A lot of "Santino" and "Let's Go Ryan" chants throughout the match.

Before the next match of The Miz vs. R-Truth, Miz came out to a big pop, but proceeded to turn the crowd on him by telling them to be quiet and listen to how great he really is. He said he was a former two-time U.S. champion, four-time Tag Team champion, two-time Slammy Award winner, and WWE Champion. He said he is a huge star. He said he has accomplishments neither the crowd nor R-Truth have. He also said that he brought R-Truth up to main-event level, but he failed even when riding his coattails to get to the top. This started a "What" chant from the crowd, which Miz replied to with his signature "Really" question. What happened next was a memorable "What" vs. "Really?" duel that you had to witness live to see how great the exchange was. I hope WWE cameras caught it on tape. He then promised to embarrass R-Truth next. Unlike last night, Truth showed up to his old crowd-pleaser entrance, singing "What's Up," which the crowd happily joined in.

(4) R-Truth beat The Miz via pinfall. The match was slow to start with Miz and Truth playing to the crowd in their own way. Truth would scream to one section, "What's Up," and get one back, while Miz went to that same section and wondered, "Really?" This match had the most heat of any match up to this point and was also the best in-ring action to this point. Truth hit the Lie Detector for the pin and the win.

[Intermission]

(5) Chris Jericho beat Kofi Kingston by pinfall. Jericho did the same entrance and trolling he did last night. Kofi made his entrance and attacked Jericho before the bell sounded, selling the post-match Jericho attack he suffered last night. In the middle of the match, Jericho caught Kofi with the Lion Tamer and Kingston reached the ropes to break the hold. Jericho managed to kick out of Trouble in Paradise closer to the end. In the end, Jericho pinned Kofi with the Code Breaker. I wonder if there will be a rubber match tomorrow night.

(6) John Cena beat Kane via pinfall in a No DQ match. Cena received a monstrous pop coming out. Even louder than last night. Unbelievable how popular this guy is for a crowd that has only seen him on TV. Unlike last night, though, the dueling chants of "Let's Go Cena / Cena Sucks" were much louder and prevalent. The match involved chairs, stairs, guardrails, and a microphone, and was all over and around the ring. Cena kicked out of the chokeslam, and Kane broke the STF by reaching the ropes. In the end, Kane brought a chair to the ring and it backfired when Cena kicked it into his face and hit the Attitude Adjustment for the pin and the win.

Post-match, Kane said he wasn't done with him and challenged Cena to a Tables match tomorrow night to wrap up the tour. (Cena and Kane were advertised for a tag match on Day 3.)

Next was the main event WWE Title between C.M. Punk and Dolph Ziggler. Punk got the second loudest pop of the night, after Cena, but I still say he was as popular as Cena based on the number of t-shirts in the crowd. Before the match could begin, John Laurinaitis came out and said that he promised he would surprise C.M. Punk and here he is. He had two surprises. (1) Appointing his Legal Counsel, David Otunga, as the special ring enforcer for the match. (2) He is making this match two-out-of-three falls (since it wasn't mentioned before or during the show live). Punk was really enjoying himself here, playing to the crowd and slowly taking his shirt off to milk the crowd and keep them guessing to which section he would throw it to. When he finally did, he channelled the Rick Rude Dance before throwing his shirt to the crowd.

(7) WWE champion C.M. Punk beat Dolph Ziggler 2-1 in a two-out-of-three falls match to retain the WWE Title. Punk got the first fall rather quickly with a roll-up. Ziggler got the second fall after countering the GTS with a Fameasser. Towards the end of the match, there was a ref bump and Punk caught Ziggler with the Anaconda Vice and he tapped, but there was no ref. Otunga brought in another ref and was talking to him on the live mic and telling him to be fair and call it right down the middle, while the ref had his back to the ring. While Punk was distracted by what was happening outside the ring, Ziggler caught him with the Zig-Zag and Otunga sent the ref to the ring for the count, but Punk kicked out. Otunga was furious at the ref and got into the ring and berated him. Then, he turned his attention to Punk and got in his face, but got a GTS for his troubles. Punk then hit the GTS on Ziggler for the final pin and win.

What happened after the match was very memorable to the people who were still in the stadium. Punk thanked the crowd and said that this crowd is one of the best crowds he has ever wrestled in front of live (which is a big compliment given where he has wrestled in the past) and that tonight and last night were unbelievable. He said he can't wait to do it again tomorrow and promised that WWE will be back in Abu Dhabi again. He then went ringside and was given a turban to wear as tribute to the people of the United Arab Emirates. He actually looked like Sabu wearing it. What a memorable end to the show.

​

 

[Kingslayer]

WWE really needs to start pushing Alex Riley again, he could easily be a main eventer with the right build up. The fact that he's continually over even though he's done absolutely nothing for months on end is a testament to his charisma. If that fucking goof Ryder got a US title just for being over on the undercard, then Riley, a much more charismatic, far superior mic worker with the right build and look to be a credible star should too.

 

[Andrew]

I do feel Riley could be getting pushed. I hope McIntyre can pull a victory somewhere... I guess they'll wait for TV.

The house show in Abu Dhabi is looking like a success.

 

[Chadillac]

Abu Dhabi is very secular is nature compared to the rest of SE Asia. It's much like Dubi in that it's main focus is economic growth with Western global powers. It's a demoncracy by middle eastern standards, and it's culture is very pro western. While religious traditions are still a staple of the GCC member, it is not a theocracy. I just want people to be educated about Abu Dhabi, and other Arab nations like it. Don't be surprised it is firtle ground for American sports and entertainment. I'm surpised it took this long for Vince to get there. Next stop...Rhihad!!!! (Saudi Arabian capital), here WWE comes next! Just please follow State Department protocol and bow to King Abdulla for domestic consumption. Diplimatic Security servises would most definatly have to come and protect Cody for all the MILLIONS of Cody Fans that would be mobbing any stadium. Wait... Abu Dhabi got screwed out of seeing Cody? Screw that show!

Anyway, proud of the WWE for finaly showing up in SE Asia. How big was the crowd?

 

[Andrew]

Crowd was said to be around 7,000 for the first night, second night was said to be more bigger so i'd assume 10,000.

Chad, it was a RAW Tour, they used McIntyre on the tour because they didn't want to use Brodus Clay.

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia could work as a tour.

But glad Vince is focusing on shows out in the Arab Nations, it will grow and it's good money.

 

[AF.]

WWE wrestlers would be absolutely mentally and physically drained I'd imagine. Especially CM Punk and Dolph Ziggler (who seem to wrestle far too much these days).

Reading house show results is always cool. The Miz losing is once again is frustrating though.

 

[Heisenberg]

The arena only holds 5000 odd seats so 10,000 is a bit extreme.

Seems like another good show and I think The Miz could go good as a face.

 

[Chadillac]

Crowd was said to be around 7,000 for the first night, second night was said to be more bigger so i'd assume 10,000.

Chad, it was a RAW Tour, they used McIntyre on the tour because they didn't want to use Brodus Clay.

Riyadh in Saudi Arabia could work as a tour.

But glad Vince is focusing on shows out in the Arab Nations, it will grow and it's good money.

You think some people would have been mildly upset with the use of Brodus Clay in that area? Maybe they were listening to some culture adviser who said dont do it. Whatever reason they didnt use him, I think the crowd would have probably enjoyed some funkasouras. Hey Drew, What did they do with the Divas? You seem pretty educated on foregin stuff, i can tell by your responce to mine, But you think on a tour in Saudi Arabia they could even use the divas? I dont really think they could. But thanks for responding in a very intellgent way, Drew. And thanks for spelling Riyadh correctly for me. Greatest day of my life!!!!!!!