– Tonight’s WWE RAW kicks off with Chris Jericho outside the arena with a megaphone. Jericho is yelling at a group of fans, calling them parasites. He’s trying to get them to sign a petition so he can come back on RAW. He says he feels sorry for the children of America and we go to the RAW opening video.
– Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler welcome us to RAW from Hartford at the XL Arena. Sheamus will defend the WWE Title against John Cena tonight and Vince McMahon will address the rumors of Bret Hart’s return tonight. We go to the ring.
– The music hits and out comes John Cena to the usual pop. Cena goes under the ring and brings out a table. Cena sets the table up in the ring. Cena sits up on the top turnbuckle and talks about how Sheamus won the WWE Title at TLC. Cena says he gets his rematch tonight and wants it right now. Cena says we’re going to make the rematch a Tables match. The crowd pops and starts chanting for Cena.
The music hits and out comes WWE Champion Sheamus. Cena, still sitting on the turnbuckle stares him down. Sheamus takes the pic and says Cena is the challenger with something to prove. He says he has nothing to prove because he’s the WWE Champion and RAW belongs to him. Cena says RAW belongs to the WWE Universe. Cena asks if they’re going to have a Tables match or not. Sheamus says it’s on his terms and he’s already put Cena through a table so that’s not a challenge. Sheamus says he’s going to beat Cena straight up, one-on-one in the main event tonight. Sheamus goes to walk away but Cena comes at him. Sheamus charges but Cena hits him with the Attitude Adjustment through the table. Cena leaves with Sheamus laying on the broken table. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we go to ringside with Cole and Lawler. They lead us to a party backstage with Gail Kim, The Bella Twins and tonight’s guest host, Timbaland. Josh Matthews walks in and asks Timbaland the status of tonight’s WWE Title match. Timbaland says he is the realest guest host we can ever have. He asks why he would postpone one of the biggest matches of the century, if I heard him right. He asks the fans if they want to see Sheamus vs. Cena for the WWE Title tonight and they pop. Timbaland teaches the Divas a dance.
– We cut to Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes walking backstage. Cody had a cope of The Marine 2 in his hand. They walk into Orton’s locker room. He says it’s time to break up Legacy because he’s wasted the past year on them two. He talks about losing the six-man on RAW last week. He says he’s not WWE Champion and they’re not Tag Champion so it’s a failure. Cody says they bailed him out all the time and helped him win the WWE Title. Ted says Orton should be thanking him. Orton says he is going to test them. He’s arranged Ted vs. Evan Bourne and Cody vs. Mark Henry tonight. Orton will be at ringside for the matches and says if they lose their matches, he will kick them out of Legacy and beat the hell out of them. Orton walks off.
– We see Chris Jericho still outside with a picket sign, trying to get back onto RAW. He’s talking to nobody as everyone is in the arena watching the show.
– Voices hits as Randy Orton makes way out to the ring to watch the matches of Ted and Cody. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Jericho is still outside, yelling about how he was the victim of a conspiracy. He’s asking for people to sign the petition to get him back on RAW.
Ted DiBiase vs. Evan Bourne
We go to ringside where Randy Orton is sitting. Out comes a pissed off Ted DiBiase. He enters the ring as we cut to a quick preview of The Marine 2. Ted stares Orton down as Evan Bourne makes his way to the ring.
The bell rings and Ted attacks, knocking Bourne to the mat. Ted misses an elbow drop and Bourne follows up with a few dropkicks. They run the ropes and Ted hits a big clothesline for a 2 count. Ted hits a long suplex for another 2 count. Ted goes to work on Bourne with rights and a headlock on the mat. They trade shots in the corner and pin attempts until Bourne hits another dropkick. He goes to the top rope but DiBiase meets him. Bourne pushes Ted off the ropes and ends up getting dropped into the turnbuckle. Ted hits Dream Street for the pinfall and the win.
Winner: Ted DiBiase
– We go to ringside where Orton is just looking away from the ring. Apparently Ted is still in Legacy. Back to commercial.
Cody Rhodes vs. Mark Henry
Back from the break and Randy Orton is still sitting at ringside. Out comes Cody Rhodes followed by his opponent Mark Henry, to a nice pop. Henry strikes first with a big toss across the ring and a clothesline. Henry goes for a big sitdown drop but Cody moves and splashes him on the mat. Cody with a dropkick. Henry nails two big clotheslines and a headbutt, knocking Cody into the ropes. Henry splashes Cody in the ropes and lands on the floor. Henry looks to have injured his knee. Henry comes back in the ring and goes back and forth with Cody. Cody takes the knee out and hits a big DDT for the pinfall and the win.
Winner: Cody Rhodes
– After the match, Orton pats Cody on the back and walks with him up the ramp.
– We go backstage with Gail Kim and Jillian Hall. Jillian wants into the party so she can audition for Timbaland. The camera cuts to the side where DX has Hornswoggle with a skateboard taped to his chest. Triple H says HBK had Horny all week and only took him to church. HHH says he’s doing what anyone with a new midget does, taping them to a skateboard and seeing how far they go. Hornswoggle is loving this. HBK says this whole Bret Hart and Vince McMahon stuff is bothering him. Triple H tells Shawn not to do anything stupid. We cut back to Jillian singing. Timbaland walks out and isn’t impressed. Triple H tapes Horny to the skateboard and rolls him into Jillian, knocking her down. Timbaland high five’s Hornswoggle as we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and tonight we will see DX take on Big Show and a partner of his choice as well as Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz. If Kofi wins, he gets a US Title shot on next week’s RAW.
Kelly Kelly vs. Maryse
We go to the ring where Kelly Kelly is making her way out. Out next is her opponent Maryse. The bell rings and Maryse poses in Kelly’s face. Kelly hits her with a right and they start brawling.
Maryse gets up first and they go back and forth. Kelly with a clothesline and a dropkick. Kelly hits a crossbody from the top for a 2 count. Kelly whips Maryse into the corner and charges. Maryse moves and Kelly hits the turnbuckle. Kelly ends up on the top and Maryse brings her down to the mat. Maryse hits her DDT for the pinfall and the win.
Winner: Maryse
– After the match, Maryse takes the mic and starts laughing. She asks Melina if she’s watching and says something in French. Maryse says Melina will never be as sexy as her. She says they both know she’s the next WWE Divas Champion and says something else French. Maryse drops the mic and starts walking away when she sees Kelly trying to get up. Maryse runs and kicks Kelly in the ribs before heading off to the back.
– We go backstage where Vince McMahon is shown heading to the ring. He will be addressing Bret Hart’s possible return to WWE. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Chris Jericho is still outside trying to get back onto RAW. Big Show walks up. Jericho says he’s doing this for them. Big Show tells him to give it up, it’s over. Jericho says he lays awake at night thinking about this. Big Show says all good things come to an end. Show says he’s on RAW and Jericho is on SmackDown and long distance relationships don’t work. Jericho asks if there’s anyone else. Show says he’s moving on and tells Jericho to let go. Show hands him an envelope as Jericho starts to get emotional. Show walks off. Jericho says he’s going to cherish this forever and peeks inside the envelope. Jericho starts laughing with a smirk on his face as we go back inside.
– We go to the ring where Vince McMahon makes his way out. Michael Cole talks about speculation regarding Bret Hart’s WWE return and mentions the 1997 Survivor Series. Lawler puts over Hart and how big he is.
Vince says good evening and a “we want Bret” chant breaks out. Vince talks about his guest host concept for RAW and says it proves there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the WWE Universe. He says he’s going to address some rumors and suggestions from the fans. He says he has a special guest host for next week’s show and that name is Bret “The Hitman” Hart. The fans pop and start chanting again. Vince says for the younger fans, he’s put together a brief and unbiased video of Bret’s history in WWE. We go to that video.
The video shows a lot of great Bret clips and then flashes to the 1997 Survivor Series and all the drama surrounding the match with Shawn Michaels. We see clips of the old interview where Jim Ross asked Vince about the incident and Vince said that Bret screwed Bret. Back in the arena and Vince still insists he did not screw Bret Hart and that Bret screwed himself. Vince says despite Bret’s bad actions, he’s allowed Bret to come back to WWE and even be inducted into the Hall of Fame. Vince talks about after Bret’s induction speech. Vince says he extended his hand to Hart after the speech for a shake but Bret disrespected him. Vince says despite all that, he’s now proving he’s the better man because there’s nothing he wouldn’t do for the WWE fans. Vince cuts on the fans for their What’s. Vince tries to announce Bret as next week’s host again but can’t say Bret’s name. Vince apologizes and says Bret Hart will never be a guest host on Monday Night RAW. The crowd boo’s as Vince heads to the back. Shawn Michaels’ music plays and out he comes, stopping Vince.
Shawn enters the ring and Vince introduces him, getting a pop from the crowd. Shawn has a serious look on his face as they chant his name. Shawn says sometimes there are rivalries that are bigger than this industry and so big that you can’t deny the people or yourself, talking to Vince. Vince says he must be talking about the Hart-Michaels rivalry. Shawn says no, he’s talking about The Undertaker. Shawn says he knows he can break the WrestleMania streak. Shawn proposes the rematch at WrestleMania this year and tells Vince to make it happen. Vince says he won’t make the match because it’s not in his best interest. If it’s going to happen, Shawn has to make it happen. Vince goes to leave but Shawn stops him. Shawn says he understands Vince being afraid of Undertaker but being afraid of Bret Hart, that’s another story. Shawn says Vince doesn’t have too many open chapters in his life left and maybe it’s time he brings some closure to the story with Bret. Shawn tells Vince to bring Bret Hart back to WWE and back to Monday Night RAW. Shawn promises Vince if he brings Hart back, only good things are going to happen. The crowd chants for Bret. Vince says he isn’t afraid of Taker, Hart, Shawn or any man who walks on this earth. He says he is fearless. Vince asks Shawn to repeat the phrase about only good things happening. Vince kind of mocks this and asks Shawn if he really wants Bret back. Shawn says he would be happy to see The Hitman one more time. Vince says if only good things are going to happen, the next week on RAW – 2010 starts off with Bret Hart as special guest host. No Chance hits again and Vince makes his way to the back.
– We go backstage with Josh Matthews. He talks about the WWE Title main event tonight and welcomes John Cena in. Matthews is talking to Cena when Sheamus attacks from the side. He beats Cena down and starts stomping on him until officials pull him off. We go to the break with Cena trying to recover on the floor.
– Back from the break and The Bellas are backstage looking at Timbaland’s CD. Eve and Gail walk by talking and we see MVP talking with Timbaland. MVP is playing Timbaland’s video game and gives him a copy. Kofi Kingston walks in and thanks him for the chance tonight to earn a US Title shot. MVP recalls that Kofi originally beat him for the US Title and wants a shot if Kofi wins it. Kofi agrees. The Miz walks in and says MVP won’t get his shot because Kofi will never have the belt. Gail walks over and Miz tells her she can’t keep up with Maryse. Timbaland says that if Kofi beats Miz tonight then he gets the title shot right after the match.
– We go ringside with Cole and Lawler who talk about Bret Hart’s return. They show replays of the altercations tonight between John Cena and Sheamus.
The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston
We go to the ring where WWE’s United States Champion The Miz comes out. If Kofi Kingston wins this match then he gets the title shot immediately after winning. Out comes Kofi to a nice pop from the crowd.
The bell rings and they lock up. Miz ends up with a suplex and kicks to the gut on Kofi in the corner. The ref has to pull Miz off Kofi. Miz hits the big clothesline in the corner and goes to the top. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise out of nowhere for the pinfall and the quick win.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
WWE United States Title Match: Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
Kofi celebrates after winning the quick match. The Miz is still laid out as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Miz charges Kofi in the corner but gets kicked. Kofi comes off the top for a 2 count. Kofi with another move for a close 2 count. Kofi comes off the ropes and backslides Miz into another 2 count. Kofi with a big Russian leg sweep followed by the Boom Boom Drop. Kofi hits Trouble in Paradise and goes for the pin. Randy Orton runs down and pulls the referee out of the way and pulls Kofi out of the ring. Orton throws Kofi into the steel post and lays him out on the floor with an RKO. Lots of heat here for Orton. The referee tends to Kofi as Orton stares at them and we go to break.
Winner by DQ: Kofi Kingston
– Back from the break and Josh Matthews asks Randy Orton why he attacked Kofi just now. Orton says it’s over when he says it’s over. Orton says next week on RAW, he and Kofi finish it. He can’t think of a better way to kick off 2010 than kicking someone in the skull.
DX vs. Big Show and
Out first for the next match is the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions DX to a nice pop. DX do their usual intro and rip on Big Show. Chris Jericho comes walking down the steps through the arena and takes a ringside seat. He has a ticket that he got from Big Show earlier. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Big Show with his partner Chavo Guerrero. We see Chris Jericho still sitting at ringside. Jericho looks a bit confused. Chavo and Triple H start the match off. Chavo attacks with a kick to the ribs. Chavo goes for the trio suplex but only hits one as Triple H blocks the next one. Triple H hits a big vertical suplex and drops a knee for a 2 count. Chavo comes back with a dropkick and rights in the corner on Triple H.
HBK comes in with chops and an atomic drop on Chavo. Chavo comes back with a kick to the jaw and a 2 count on HBK. Chavo backs HBK in the corner and beats him down. The ref is distracted while Show works HBK over. Show is tagged in. Show walks over HBK’s chest and picks him up by his neck and throws him back down. Chavo comes back in and stomps away on HBK. Triple H and Show end up coming in as do HBK and Chavo. It comes to Triple H and Show going at it. Show spears Triple H as Jericho yells from the front row. Chavo tries a frogsplash off Big Show’s shoulders but misses it as HHH moves. HBK and Show tumble over the ropes but HBK hangs on. Hornswoggle comes in but gets stopped by Chavo. Triple H makes the save and hits the Pedigree on Chavo for the pinfall and the win.
Winners: DX
– After the match, Chris Jericho comes over the fan barrier and is pissed that Big Show lost. He tears up the stairs and starts yelling. Jericho goes to climb up in the ring but HBK knocks him back to the floor with Sweet Chin Music. Triple H takes the mic and says Jericho and Show get their title rematch on next week’s RAW and if Jericho loses, there is no more hanging around RAW.
– Cole and Lawler plug tonight’s main event before showing replays of Cena and Sheamus from earlier tonight. We go back to commercials.
WWE Title Match: John Cena vs. Sheamus
We go to the ring where Justin Roberts introduces the special ring announcer for this match and out comes Timbaland with The Bella Twins on his arms. Timbaland takes the mic and tries to get the crowd hype before introducing the challenger and his friend, John Cena. Out comes Cena to a good pop. And out next is the WWE Champion Sheamus.
The bell rings and they meet in the middle of the ring with right hands. Cena hits his bulldog early but Sheamus counters and hits a clothesline. Sheamus starts stomping on Cena before a series of right hands. Sheamus with shoulder thrusts in the corner. Sheamus hits a suplex for a 2 count. Cena comes off the ropes with shoulder blocks and a back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He goes for an Attitude Adjustment but Sheamus hangs onto the ropes. Cena pulls him away from the ropes but Sheamus pulls the referee down. Cena slams Sheamus but the referee disqualifies Sheamus for pulling him down. Sheamus retains the WWE Title.
Winner by DQ: John Cena
– After the match, Sheamus takes his belt and starts heading up the ramp. John Cena comes over the ropes and attacks Shieamus from behind. Cena brings Sheamus back to the ring but gets kicked in the face and laid out. Cena gets up again but Sheamus hits him with another kick to the face. RAW goes off the air with Sheamus holding the WWE Title up on the ramp and Cena down in the ring.
