Fat Jesus' Promoting Synergy Blog: Monday Night Raw 8/13/12! My First WWE Live Event!

[The RAW set during a non-lit up part before the show. ]

From walking into the American Airlines Center and sitting down within literally throwing distance of the ring everything hit me. I never thought I'd be able to go to a WWE event, much less have these good of seats for my first show. There was a buzz from everyone. The place was packed, not sold out, but full on camera side and behind the announce table. There were "WOOO" and "Let's Go Cena" chants an hour and a half before Raw (or even Superstars matches) begun. Just outside outside seats there was a merch table which was perpetually packed well before and well after the show ended. The start of Raw and any pyro that went off were loud (nothing like on TV) and you could feel the heat from them coming off the stage. When people came out like Punk, Cena, Bryan, Christian, Jeircho, Piper, Ziggler, Miz, Lesnar, Heyman, AJ, Triple H, Shawn the crowd erupted with cheers and boos. Surprisingly Vickie got/is getting major (the most) heel heat (from a crowd stand point) cause I couldn't even hear what she was saying as she introduced Ziggler. I never looked at the tron when people were in the ring and I could see everything clearly. When superstars had to lay in wait during matches you could see them peeking in the ring waiting. The bigger moves like suplexes or when Big Show chops people or Christian slaps people could be heard over the crowd and you could tell it all was painful. The F5 that HBK took sent a gasp through the crowd at all.

[A shot of the RAW stage sometime during]

There were three matches that had the crowd hot as hell. When Piper's Pit was announced and the Triple H/Shawn Michaels/Brock Lesnar segments the crowd was crazy as well. The first match which had our section in a complete frenzy was the triple threat between Dolph Ziggler (with Vickie Guerrero) vs The Miz vs Chris Jericho. On TV it cut out for a commercial break, but there we had an awesome 15 minute match. It started off slow, but the crowd was into it. "Y2J", "Let's go Ziggler/Ziggler sucks", "Miz is Awesome/awful" chants were rampant. During the last 7ish minutes I (and about 5 other people in our section) weren't even sitting. The dropkick Jeircho gave to Ziggler. The Superplex-Powerbomb. Vickie putting Ziggler's foot on the rope after the Codebreaker. The Skull Crushing finale to Ziggler. All the two counts and close near falls the crowd counted along then gasped. EVERYONE was on their feet for the Wall of Jericho attempts. And when Ziggler hit the Zig-Zag there was a gasp/cheer and everyone counted "1-2-3" in unison (at least in our section) as the match ended. I was so tired cause for a solid 5 minutes I was standing, cheering and clapping. When I watched this match on TV it was a little slow and had the commercial break like I said. But live it was simply astounding.

[Couldn't get a great shot of HBK coming to the ring cause he be lined for it. But I got this great shot of his tron]

The other matches weren't as good, IMO , but the crowd was still hugely hot for them. The opening bout between the WWE Champion CM Punk (he got a massive pop) and The Big Show. Then the tag team match between Cena/Punk and Show Bryan. Me and my friends "No No No" signs we're briefly seen in the open and a little better when Bryan came out to interfere in the Show/Punk match. The crowd was already in a frenzy when Bryan had the No Lock on Punk and then Cena tore out and everyone went nuts. LETS LIGHT IT UP hit and another roar happened as the ever lovely AJ skipped down to the ring and told everyone about the tag match now made for later. Later in the night, as Bryan was coming out for the match, me and my friends clearly got on TV (and I noticed us on the tron) as Bryan psychotically yelled at the crowd coming down to the ring. The best pic I have right now is down below. The crowd really got into this match whenever Bryan would yell "NO" at Show and when Cena/Punk started doing each others moves. It ended with a huge pop as Cena hit the AA, Punk saved Cena, then a kind-of hush as Cena refused to shake Punks hand.

[HBK right after he took a shocking F-5 from Lesnar and when he has him in the Kimora]

Other than what I mentioned above nothing else noteworthy happened. Every other match was better in person than it was on TV. I cheered for everyone. Got in on any chant. Helped start the "Albert" chant if it was heard. You name the person, I stood up and clapped for them. Heyman got a huge amount of heat with the Texas comments and really spurred the "Let's Go Texas" chants. ON TV the last segments looked way better. In the crowd it just seemed like everyone was standing around. We had no clue it had even cut to commercial after Lesnar took HBK out of his car. And everyone was confused for the whole (what turned out to be commercial break) as nothing was happening in-ring or on the tron. When HBK was carried out and took the F5 I was shocked as he hadn't taken a bump in what two years now? After the show went off-air Big Show came out to cut a Miami promo. How that we're losers here and took at shot at us since the Heat won the Finals this year. Cena came down and they brawled ending with Cena giving Big Show a VERY impressive looking AA. They look much better in person. And Cena cut a promo to get the crowd going before thanking us all for being there.

[Cena promo after Raw ended and he AA'd The Big Show]

The night could not have been any better. From being there for the first time with two of my best friends. To seeing all the superstars I cheer for night in and night out live. To get to experience something new. I just loved everything about the night. No matter how boring or bad it may have looked on TV, I had a blast and I would do it all again in a heartbeat. And may, on February 25th.