Show
Raw
Results
Date and Location
Monday, Aug 27 | 8/7 PMC
Where to watch
Raw: Aug. 27, 2012
Raw Results : Quick Hits
Raw results: CM Punk battered Jerry Lawler in a Steel Cage Match Jerry Lawler's Memphis foesRaw Results : Full Details
MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Not content with just beating Jerry “The King” Lawler in a RAWactive Steel Cage Match, WWE Champion CM Punk battered the WWE Hall of Famer senseless after the bout for refusing to call him “The Best in the World.” The carnage only ended when John Cena charged to ringside and demanded the cage be lifted. In three weeks at Night of Champions, Punk and Cena will tangle one-on-one to determine who really is best. ( PREVIEW) Also, Triple H questioned whether we've seen the last of him inside the squared circle.
Punk and Lawler engaged in a heated war of words; Punk wanted Lawler in a match
Raw kicked off with Jerry “The King” Lawler demanding an apology from WWE Champion CM Punk, who kicked the Hall of Famer in the head on last week’s show. But instead of a sincere apology, Lawler received a string of insults from Punk, who still holds a grudge after Lawler’s claims on Raw 1,000 that Punk turned his back on the WWE Universe. After the bitter words — which included Punk calling into question Lawler’s manhood — Punk suggested they fight, leaving the decision for Lawler to think about it, which he agreed to do.
Ryback def. Jack Swagger
Two streaks continued on the final Raw in August. Ryback racked up another win, while Jack Swagger failed to win a singles match — a trend that unfortunately has continued since January. In the brutal contest, The All-American American didn’t stand a chance against the larger and more brutal opponent.
Divas Champion Layla def. Natalya
At the start of the Divas match, Vickie Guerrero interrupted and tried to get in a few words, but it would have to wait until after Divas Champion Layla beat Natalya. As soon as the match was over, Vickie stood in the center of the ring and claimed Raw General Manager AJ Lee was out of bounds by asking Dolph Ziggler to put his Money in the Bank contract on the line against Chris Jericho. She went on to beg the WWE Board of Directors to put her in charge, claiming AJ is childish. Not wishing to hear any of Vickie’s criticisms, the GM headed to the ring to slap and attack Vickie, driving her from the ring.
Jerry Lawler agreed to face CM Punk in a match
After CM Punk tweeted that he’d give Jerry Lawler the first punch if they met in a match, Lawler responded by addressing the entire WWE Universe in attendance and around the world. After rattling off his formidable opponents from back in the day, the WWE Hall of Famer vehemently agreed to face Punk. “I know I’m not the best in the world, but I don’t think you are either. … I’ve never backed down from a challenge in my life and I’m not about to start. … You're damn right I’ll fight you tonight.”
John Cena def. Intercontinental Champion The Miz
In front of a WWE Universe split on showing support for John Cena, Intercontinental Champion The Miz looked to put away the Cenation leader. With an aggressive attack, Miz gave Cena all he could handle. But after a Five Knuckle Shuffle and hard-hitting Attitude Adjustment, Cena put away the Intercontinental Champion in a non-title bout.
Daniel Bryan and Kane attended anger management class
WATCH | EXCLUSIVE: Daniel Bryan talks about anger management class
Asserting her control as Raw General Manager, AJ Lee sent Daniel Bryan to anger management class. The WWE Universe got a glimpse of how the former champion handled himself in his sessions with a series of exclusive videos. During the classes, Bryan grew frustrated while Kane opened up and spoke bluntly about his dark, twisted past.
WWE Universe decided Punk vs. Lawler match format in a RAWActive vote
Putting the WWE Universe in control, Raw General Manager AJ Lee declared the match format between WWE Champion CM Punk and Jerry Lawler would be decided by a RAWactive vote. The three potential matches were: Tables Match (#WWETables), Steel Cage Match (#WWECage) or No Disqualification Match (#WWENoDQ).
Voting Results
Steel Cage Match: 48 percent
Tables Match: 20 percent
No Disqualification Match: 32 percent
Santino Marella def. Heath Slater
PHOTOS | WATCH | EXCLUSIVE: Santino on The Cobra's affection for Aksana
As former United States Champion Santino Marella battled Heath Slater, the lovely Aksana made an appearance at the top of the entrance ramp just when Santino was poised to strike with The Cobra. Although momentarily distracted, Santino managed to strike with his vicious finisher to send Slater spiraling to the canvas. ( WATCH: Slater Touts about beating Sin Cara on SmackDown)
Sin Cara & Brodus Clay def. Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow
After a high-flying move from Sin Cara took out Damien Sandow on the outside of the ring, the 350-plus-pound Brodus Clay got some air of his own and crushed Cody Rhodes into the canvas for the win. To celebrate the victory, The Funkadactyls, members of the WWE Universe and even Sin Cara all danced together in the ring.
WWE Tag Team Champion R-Truth def. Daniel Bryan
The warning signals were there from the start, when Daniel Bryan had to compose himself as the WWE Universe started calling him “goat face” before the match could get going. But when R-Truth led fans in chanting “Yes! Yes! Yes!” Bryan got caught up in chanting “No! No! No!” The distraction caused Bryan to lose the match by count-out. Afterward, he flipped his lid and the steel ring steps.
Triple H unsure about his future
PHOTOS | WATCH | EXCLUSIVE: Triple H is emotional following his address
While taking a brutally honest look at himself in front of the WWE Universe, Triple H admitted: “Brock Lesnar has made me ask the question: Am I done?”
As The Game talked about what it has meant to him to compete for fans, he admitted he is unsure if he will compete again. “Time is the one thing you cannot fight. Time will win,” he said.
After revealing he never wanted to be the guy who just hung around past his time, he said, “Hopefully in some way, you’ll never forget me. Thank you.” ( WATCH: A look at Triple H's career)
World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus & Randy Orton def. Alberto Del Rio & Dolph Ziggler
When Ricardo Rodriguez slid Dolph Ziggler’s Money in the Bank briefcase into the ring, Ziggler grabbed hold of it. Next, The Viper struck quickly, dropping Ziggler with a backbreaker. The World Heavyweight Champion followed up with a blistering Brogue Kick for the win for his team in a bout featuring some of WWE’s most fierce competitors.
Zack Ryder def. David Otunga
With Kane sitting silent at the announce table in place of Josh Mathews ( FULL STORY), The Big Red Monster watched Zack Ryder take on David Otunga. After Ryder scored the win, The Devil’s Favorite Demon charged into the ring and grabbed hold of Ryder. Apparently having second thoughts, Kane released Ryder from his clutches. However, Otunga wasn’t so lucky and was the recipient of a vicious Chokeslam.
WWE Champion CM Punk def. Jerry Lawler
PHOTOS | WATCH | EXCLUSIVE: Punk on Lawler and facing Cena at Night of Champions
In a match decided by a RAWactive vote, WWE Champion CM Punk goaded Jerry Lawler into hitting him first to stat their bout. When the WWE Hall of Famer took him up on his offer, he sent the stunned champion reeling. After the shock wore off, Punk mounted a dominating and punishing offense against Lawler.
At one point, Lawler struck Punk down and went for an escape from the cage. But the champion dragged him back to the center of the ring to exact more punishment. Next, Lawler battled back, shoving Punk face first into the stinging steel cage, then delivered a series of blows finished off with a clothesline and more punches. Then, after Lawler climbed to the second rope, he blasted Punk with a fist drop.
As the battle waged on, Punk put an end to the war by making Lawler submit to the Anaconda Vise.
But Punk wasn’t done yet.
After the win, Punk grabbed a lock and chain from under the ring and locked himself inside the steel cage with his downed opponent. With Lawler in his clutches and a microphone shoved in his face, Punk demanded Lawler call him the best in the world. When the WWE Hall of Famer remained defiant, Punk repeatedly pummeled him.
With Lawler in severe pain, John Cena rushed to ringside and called for the cage to be lifted. Despite Cena’s presence, Punk continued reigning down more blows on Lawler. When the cage finally lifted, Punk quickly exited, while Cena and WWE officials rushed in, coming to Lawler’s aid.
Throughout the 1970s and 1980s, Jerry "The King" Lawler became a beloved hero in his hometown of Memphis, Tenn., by taking on all comers. On Raw, "King" took exception to CM Punk's remark that he had defeated "a bunch of nobodies in Memphis" and got "into a slap fight with a Hollywood comedian." The WWE Hall of Famer named the Legends he'd beaten in "The River City's" Mid-South Coliseum, but who were those guys? ( WATCH)
If you were the AWA or NWA World Heavyweight Champion, travelling the globe defending your title to prove that you were at that time "Best in the World," it was required that you put the 10,000-seat sold-out Mid-South Coliseum on your itinerary, face Jerry Lawler and hope you escaped with your title. ( MORE "KING")
"Superstar" Billy Graham
WWE Hall of Famer “Superstar” Billy Graham reimagined what it meant to be a sports-entertainer. His bleached blond hair, feather boas, tie-dye and chiseled physique made a tremendous impact on greats like Jesse “The Body” Ventura, Hulk Hogan and countless others. Graham claimed to be “the man of the hour, the man with the power, too sweet to be sour.”
In 1972, "Superstar" battled beloved AWA hero Verne Gagne in a series of matchups that took Gagne to the limit and established Graham as a bona fide threat. In 1977, "Superstar" ended ring icon Bruno Sammartino’s WWE Championship reign, and subsequently held the title as a villain for an astonishing 10 months — a record that stands to this day. ( WATCH)
After losing the WWE Championship, all that was left for him to accomplish was to face Jerry "The King" Lawler. Graham traveled from Madison Square Garden to the Mid-South Coliseum, where he won the CWA World Heavyweight Title on Oct. 8, 1979. "King" took exception to Graham's claim over his territory, and the two clashed for the championship in several monumental matchups. Lawler finally defeated "Superstar" for the title on Nov. 12, 1979, and the former WWE Champion was sent packing. – ZACH LINDER
Dutch Mantell
Old hands trade war stories about veteran grappler “Dirty” Dutch Mantell with the reverence and zeal normally reserved for folk heroes, pioneers and Bill Brasky.
Just how tough was the rugged bullwhip-carrying Yosemite Sam lookalike? In 1985, Mantell took then–NWA World Heavyweight Champion Ric Flair to the limit in a Steel Cage Match, and a year later, he teamed with Jerry Lawler in a Tag Team Texas Death Match in Memphis, Tenn., that went an astounding 28 falls before the winning fall was counted. Mantell was a regular in "River City," though he also gained notoriety in territories such as Florida, Puerto Rico and WCW. ( WATCH)
Mantell’s lone stint on WWE TV came in the mid-1990s when he managed a rookie Justin “Hawk” Bradshaw, who would eventually go on to greater fame as JBL. JBL chose his company wisely: The sagacious Dutchman was instrumental in putting Superstars such as “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Ultimate Warrior and Sting on the map. – JOHN CLAPP
Jack Brisco
Jack Brisco was a world-class athlete before he donned a pair of wool wrestling tights. Brisco turned down a football scholarship at Oklahoma University to go to rival Oklahoma State University. Brisco was the first Native American to win the NCAA Wrestling Heavyweight Championship, in 1965. Even more amazing was that during his junior year as an OSU Cowboy, the future two-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion didn't get taken down once during the entire season. ( WATCH)
The future WWE Hall of Famer proudly defended his title in Memphis, Tenn., against Jerry “The King” Lawler on Sept. 16, 1974. Approximately 15 minutes into the match in which he was being outclassed by the mat mastery of Brisco, it appeared "The King’s" vaunted right hand had knocked out the champion and Lawler scored the pinfall that would finally crown him as NWA World Heavyweight Champion. However, the referee quickly discovered that Lawler had used a chain (nobody ever claimed Lawler the legend was also a saint). The decision was overturned and Lawler was disqualified. – JOEY STYLES
Andy Kaufman
In 1982, Andy Kaufman was one of the most controversial actors in show business, starring as the lovable Latka Gravas on the sitcom “Taxi,” and having appeared on polarizing “Saturday Night Live” segments. But Andy always had been fascinated by the world of professional wrestling, and through an odd turn of events, he ended up entangled in one the industry’s most bitter rivalries with Jerry Lawler. ( READ: KAUFMAN AND "THE KING")
It was much more than just "a slap fight," as CM Punk put it on Raw. After challenging women to wrestle him in his nightclub performances for years, Kaufman took his act to Lawler's hometown. After riling up Memphians by mocking their Southern way of life, Kaufman clashed with Lawler in a notorious match. The despised Hollywood outsider was sent to the hospital after two devastating piledrivers, and Kaufman continued to wear a neckbrace for months.
Their conflict escalated from local Memphis, Tenn., television to a legendary encounter on the July 28 edition of “Late Night with David Letterman,” solidifying its place in not only the annals of wrestling history, but also that of all pop culture. Sports-entertainment had never before featured an actor at Kaufman’s degree of fame so prominently, and his involvement paved the way for celebrities in rings for decades to come. – Z.L.
Harley Race
World-class tough man, seven-time NWA World Heavyweight Champion and WWE Hall of Famer, Harley Race was fortunate to survive Memphis, Tenn., after a 60-minute time limit draw with "The King" on Dec. 11, 1977. With the title still around Race's waist and because the champion fulfilled his NWA-mandated obligation to defend the title against Lawler, The King of Memphis wasn’t entitled to a rematch. The man who ironically would go on to become WWE’s “King” Harley Race at the end of his career, steered clear of Jerry “The King” Lawler for the rest of his NWA career. ( WATCH) – J.S.
Bill Dundee
Though not immediately recognizable to younger members of the WWE Universe, Bill Dundee was a cornerstone of the exciting, unpredictable Memphis, Tenn., wrestling territory throughout the '70s, '80s and '90s. ( WATCH)
The Scottish transplant, who passed through Australia before settling in Tennessee, may best be remembered by national audiences for a brief spell as William Regal’s top hat–wearing, bespectacled manager, “Sir William,” in early '90s WCW. However, his legacy in Memphis’ Mid-South Coliseum is that of a short but feisty slugger who was supremely difficult to put away. (Dundee held variations of the Southern Heavyweight Title more than a dozen times.)
Dundee fought against — and teamed with — Jerry “The King” Lawler countless times over three decades, though few of those encounters hold a candle to their Loser-Leaves-Town Match for the AWA Southern Title in 1983. The classic bout saw haymaker after haymaker, and Dundee even plied Lawler’s trademark piledriver against "The King" — a major affront in Memphis. – J.C.
Jesse "The Body" Ventura
A former U.S. Navy underwater demolition specialist and Minnesota governor and WWE Hall of Famer, Jesse “The Body” Ventura can also add main-eventing the Mid-South Coliseum against Jerry Lawler to his list of accolades. ( WATCH)
“The Body” and “The King” had a series of brutal battles that saw Lawler lose the AWA recognized Southern Heavyweight Title to Ventura after being knocked out cold by a chain given to him by manager Jimmy Hart. Lawler would win back the title in his mandated rematch with help from the San Diego Chicken (a story for another time) and Ventura headed back to Minnesota to try and capture the AWA World Heavyweight Championship. – J.S.
