Thanks to CJ for sending in the following report:
I attended the Raw house show in Syracuse NY today and there was quite a good turnout. It was either sold out or very close to it. Got very close to the action, not front row but very close.
Justin Roberts welcomes us to the arena and National Anthem plays
Match 1: Brodus Clay & Tensai (with Funkadactyls) beat 3MB (Slater and McIntyre) with Jinder Mahal at ringside.
Tensai is sporting new ring attire that is very similar to that of Brodus Clay's. Brodus and Tensai control most of the match with the 3MB getting some offense in. Jinder Mahal interferes occaisonally to have Slater or McIntyre get the upper hand. Tensai had a fairly cool spot where he rolled into McIntyre while he was prone in the corner. Finish comes when Brodus hits Slater with a splash. Brodus and company celebrate in the ring with kids from the audience.
Match 2:: Justin Gabriel beat JTG
JTG comes out to crickets…NO REACTION whatsoever. most people in my row asked who he was. Solid match seeing Gabriel win with the 450 splash. After the match the Shield comes out to destroy Gabriel and lays him out with the triple powerbomb. They cut a decent promo where they say that their opponets for later tonight, Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback, wont stand a chance against them and Reigns told us to believe in the shield. Decent pop for them
Promo airs of Antonio Cesaro running down America and it was announced by Justin Roberts that later in the show Cesaro would face the Miz in either a 2/3 falls match or a no DQ match, and that we will find out which it is later in the show by everyone tweeting their responses and see which match type was the most popular.
Match 3: Bray Wyatt beat Alex Riley
Great match by these two with back and forth action. Wyatt cut a promo before his match that was basically a cut/paste of stuff from his debut promos on NXT, but still pretty awesome. Most people didn't know who Wyatt was and I had to remind them that this guy used to be Husky Harris of the Nexus. Great pop for Alex Riley and had great support for him all throughout the match. Finish came as Wyatt hit him with a swinging STO preceeded by a kiss to Riley's forehead. An amusing spot happened when Wyatt avalanched Riley in the corner Wyatt danced with Riley's limp body. Riley seemed to be in amazing shape for a guy that we rarely see on TV anymore
Vickie Guerrero comes out to enormous heat with her usual "Excuse Me" Shtick. She introduces Tamina Snuka for the next match with Layla
Match 4: Layla beat Tamina Snuka
Pretty standard Divas match with Vickie getting involved by distracting Layla. Finish came when Layla poorly schoolgirled Tamina for a 3 count.
It is revealed at this time that the match between Miz and Cesaro is for the US title and it is going to be a No DQ match.
Match 5: Antonio Cesaro retained his title by defeating the Miz
Cesaro got plenty of heat for his promo that was aired earlier in the night and was acting like the cocky heel we see on TV. Miz then came out to a pretty good pop and then the match started. During part of the match Cesaro took his title and left, but the Miz chased after him to bring him back to the ring. it was a back and forth match with a Singapore cane being used by both men. At the beginning of the match, people chanted for Cesaro to pull out a table from underneath the ring, but he teased the crowd by pulling it out, and then shoving it back under for massive boos from the audience. Table is set up in the corner for the match but is not used during the match even though it was teased numerous times. Finish comes when Cesaro hits the Neutralizer on Miz for the win. After the match was over, Cesaro attacked the Miz but Miz regained the upper hand and threw Cesaro through the table. Intermission begins
Match 6: Zack Ryder beat Michael McGillicutty
Very short match for unknown reasons. Mike seemed to be working quite stiff on Ryder with his punches and chops. Finish came when Ryder hit the Rough Ryder on Mike. The 3 count seemed quite fast and Mike kicked out at 3 but the match was given to Ryder. Very weird. Maybe Mike forgot the finish or something.
Match 7: CM Punk (With Paul Heyman) beat Kofi Kingston
Promo before the match by Punk. He runs down Syracuse by saying its a terrible place and that he is from a better city. He then goes on to say that the only decent NY'er is Paul Heyman, which gets alot of heat on Punk. Very mixed reaction for Punk. Many Cena chants and many Punk chants while out there.
A close second for match of the night. This match was very competitive as both men got alot of offense on each other. Kofi hit the SOS on Punk to which got a decent reaction. Alot of Boom Boom Boom chants as well.Throughout the match Punk made fun of Kofi by mimicking Kofi's Boom Boom Boom thing he does with his hands, and Paul Heyman doesn't interfere throughout the entire match. Momentum swings in Kofi's way as Punk misses with his Randy Savage-esque elbow drop and then Kofi hits him with the Boom Drop. A few minutes later, Punk hits the GTS for the win. Solid match.
Main Event: John Cena, Sheamus, and Ryback beat the Shield (Roman Reigns, Seth Rollins, and Dean Ambrose) by DQ
When Cena, Ryback, and Sheamus entered, they all easily got the top 3 pops of the night. In order from highest to lowest: Cena, Sheamus, Ryback. When the Shield entered, they entered through the audience and they walked so close to my position; they had to be at least an arms length away. It was truly amazing to see them that close, as Ambrose is easily one of my personal favorites to watch. Shield dominates Cena throughout most of the match. Ryback came in to totally dominate the Shield near the end. Ryback is about to hit Reigns with the Shell Shocked but Rollins comes in from behind with the steel chair and hits Ryback for the DQ. Cena and Sheamus come in to the ring and Sheamus hits Rollins with the Brogue Kick on Rollins that sends him over the top rope. Cena and Ryback simultaneously hit their finishers on the remaining members of the Shield to end the show. Cena, Sheamus and Ryback high five kids around ringside for a few minutes and then they leave. Match of the Night
Justin Roberts then gets on the mic and tells everyone that it was a pleasure that they came to Syracuse and that they will see us again in the future soon.
Biggest Pops: (In order from highest to lowest that are notable)
Cena
Sheamus
Ryback
Miz
Biggest Heat: (In order from highest to lowest that are notable)
Vickie Guerrero
Cesaro
Shield
3MB
Interesting notes:
A woman came to this event carrying a large cut out of Randy Orton's face, but unfortunately for her, he didn't show up. I thought this was hilarious.
A young girl in the front row held a sign that said "I hated John Cena way before it was cool." Simply fantastic.
Before the Main Event, Cena threw his wristbands out into the crowd and one person threw one back.
All in all it was a great show, and I would definitely come back next time they are in town, but will definitely remember to bring a witty sign of my own.
Nick was born and raised in Detroit, Michigan, and lived there until the age of 18, when he decided to pack his flack jacket and move to New York City.
