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This story does contain brief spoilers from Old School Raw.
* As mentioned at the beginning of the show, Jerry "The King" Lawler was not able to attend the show due to illness. Very quickly after he was taking into hospital, several websites claimed that he was having chest pains or heart trouble. This is a reference to a heart attack that Lawler suffered on air in 2012. According to an interview with Lawler, he was suffering with a stomach infection.
* The decision had been made to keep the interview exclusive to the WWE App. However, someone (unknown who) thought it was wrong to use Lawler's health scare to promote the app. Cole was later given permission to give an update on the show.
* Right now, only Vince McMahon knows what the plans are for the current Daniel Bryan / Wyatt Family story line. Every decision related to it has been made by him.
* It was rumoured that the Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) would be winning the WWE Tag Team Championship at Old School Raw, and then defend them at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. As we saw, the Wyatts did not challenge for the titles, and current champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust were confirmed for the Royal Rumble match. No one knows what the plans are for either team apart from Vince.
* Dolph Ziggler was scripted to be a part of the show. However, he suffered a concussion just before Raw at the Superstars taping. WWE chose to keep Ziggler off the show for health reasons. His injury is minor and he is expected to be cleared before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
* There is a lot of heat on Ryback right now. It is very clear that Ryback has become sloppy in the ring, putting his opponents at physical risk. It is because Ryback keeps injuring opponents that his many pushes keep being halted. Ryback was the one who caused Ziggler's concussion, hitting him with a stiff clothesline. Management were also unhappy with his commentary during the Curtis Axel match as he came across as amateurish. Others (not management) were also unhappy about his reference to Lilian Garcia. Triple H has gained heat in the past by constantly making jokes about Garcia having a large chin, likening her to a horse. Michael Cole and JBL deliberately ignored the comment.
* During the show, Michael Cole revealed that Batista, Cody Rhodes and Goldust will all be in the Royal Rumble. Alberto Del Rio also suggested that he will be in the match too.
* Several websites have already jumped to the conclusion that Batista's first feud will be with Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio cut a heel promo on Batista after his match, threatening to target him in the Rumble match. Batista has since responded via Twitter.
* The WWE clarified how Del Rio suffered his recent concussion. It had been implied that he had been hurt after a botched dive by Sin Cara (Hunico). In fact, Del Rio landed awkwardly after a sunset flip powerbomb from the top rope. It does not mean that either man was actually at fault.
* Speaking of Sin Cara, a lot of people backstage believe that they have seen the last of the original Sin Cara (Mistico). His contract expires in February, and it may not be renewed. If this happens, Mistico may return to wrestling in Mexico right away. He will need to apply for a new visa in order to sign with Ring Of Honor or TNA Wrestling, but he will not be allowed to use the Mistico character outside of Mexico.
* After his match, Cody Rhodes removed one of his boots and then limped to the back. He was checked out by doctors and confirmed to have a minor ankle injury. However, he still worked a match on the SmackDown tapings and did not seem to have any trouble with it.
* Mark Henry was not injured as a the result of either attack by Brock Lesnar. However, the official word is that he has a dislocated elbow. He will be taking time off to sell the injury. Some seem to think that he will be in the Royal Rumble match.
* Lesnar was hurt after his encounter with Big Show, but not injured. When Big Show threw him across the ring, Lesnar landed face first on the mat, and hit one of his knees pretty hard. He was seen limping from the ring. The WWE have "leaked" word that Lesnar was only pretending to limp to sell Big Show's throw. But the limp was genuine, and is not serious.
* Neither of the Bella Twins were injured in their match. Nikki suffered a minor leg injury at a house show last week, with dirt sheet sites believing she had re-aggravated her recent shin injury. The WWE were aware of the story being online, and wrote Nikki's bad leg into story line to fool people who visit such sites. Brie was sore after taking an awkward fall following a missed diving dropkick. Brie did the fall on purpose, because she felt it would make missing the dropkick seem more costly.
* There was a lot of back and fourth about how the main event should end. Both plans would further Roman Reigns' face turn and eventual departure from the Shield. Ambrose distracted Punk, allowing Reigns to hit the spear finisher and get the pin. The emphasis was put on Reigns being the only Shield member to win a singles match against Punk. An alternate ending would have seen Billy Gunn attacking Ambrose. This would lead to a brawl between Ambrose/Seth Rollins and the New Age Outlaws. Distracted by the brawl, the Referee would not see the spear or the pin attempt. Reigns' would complain to the Referee, allowing Punk to recover and hit Reigns with the GTS and get the pin. Reigns would then blame his team mates (specifically Ambrose) for costing him the win.
* No-one knows for certain when Jake Roberts' return was confirmed. DDP recently admitted to turning down an offer to return for Old School Raw, while Roberts claimed that WWE turned him down last week. It is known that DDP asked WWE to change their minds. It is not known if Roberts' comments were genuine or a work. DDP eventually agreed to be a part of Old School Raw if Roberts could be on the show, and his DDP YOga program was plugged. Cole made a few references to Goldust being in better shape, but did not point out that he was using DDP's program.
* A lot of websites have jumped to the conclusion that Roberts will be in the Rumble match. Both Roberts and DDP have been campaigned for several months to have Roberts included in the match. It was intended to be a "goal", to encourage Roberts to complete rehab and get back into physical shape. The WWE were reluctant to work with Roberts again due to his multiple relapses. But the fact that he was brought back for Old School Raw shows that they have faith in Roberts' recovery. There is no proof that he is going to be in the Rumble yet, but it looks more likely than ever.
All of this after their first Raw of 2014?
* As mentioned at the beginning of the show, Jerry "The King" Lawler was not able to attend the show due to illness. Very quickly after he was taking into hospital, several websites claimed that he was having chest pains or heart trouble. This is a reference to a heart attack that Lawler suffered on air in 2012. According to an interview with Lawler, he was suffering with a stomach infection.
* The decision had been made to keep the interview exclusive to the WWE App. However, someone (unknown who) thought it was wrong to use Lawler's health scare to promote the app. Cole was later given permission to give an update on the show.
* Right now, only Vince McMahon knows what the plans are for the current Daniel Bryan / Wyatt Family story line. Every decision related to it has been made by him.
* It was rumoured that the Wyatt Family (Erick Rowan & Luke Harper) would be winning the WWE Tag Team Championship at Old School Raw, and then defend them at the Royal Rumble pay-per-view. As we saw, the Wyatts did not challenge for the titles, and current champions Cody Rhodes and Goldust were confirmed for the Royal Rumble match. No one knows what the plans are for either team apart from Vince.
* Dolph Ziggler was scripted to be a part of the show. However, he suffered a concussion just before Raw at the Superstars taping. WWE chose to keep Ziggler off the show for health reasons. His injury is minor and he is expected to be cleared before the Royal Rumble pay-per-view.
* There is a lot of heat on Ryback right now. It is very clear that Ryback has become sloppy in the ring, putting his opponents at physical risk. It is because Ryback keeps injuring opponents that his many pushes keep being halted. Ryback was the one who caused Ziggler's concussion, hitting him with a stiff clothesline. Management were also unhappy with his commentary during the Curtis Axel match as he came across as amateurish. Others (not management) were also unhappy about his reference to Lilian Garcia. Triple H has gained heat in the past by constantly making jokes about Garcia having a large chin, likening her to a horse. Michael Cole and JBL deliberately ignored the comment.
* During the show, Michael Cole revealed that Batista, Cody Rhodes and Goldust will all be in the Royal Rumble. Alberto Del Rio also suggested that he will be in the match too.
* Several websites have already jumped to the conclusion that Batista's first feud will be with Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio cut a heel promo on Batista after his match, threatening to target him in the Rumble match. Batista has since responded via Twitter.
* The WWE clarified how Del Rio suffered his recent concussion. It had been implied that he had been hurt after a botched dive by Sin Cara (Hunico). In fact, Del Rio landed awkwardly after a sunset flip powerbomb from the top rope. It does not mean that either man was actually at fault.
* Speaking of Sin Cara, a lot of people backstage believe that they have seen the last of the original Sin Cara (Mistico). His contract expires in February, and it may not be renewed. If this happens, Mistico may return to wrestling in Mexico right away. He will need to apply for a new visa in order to sign with Ring Of Honor or TNA Wrestling, but he will not be allowed to use the Mistico character outside of Mexico.
* After his match, Cody Rhodes removed one of his boots and then limped to the back. He was checked out by doctors and confirmed to have a minor ankle injury. However, he still worked a match on the SmackDown tapings and did not seem to have any trouble with it.
* Mark Henry was not injured as a the result of either attack by Brock Lesnar. However, the official word is that he has a dislocated elbow. He will be taking time off to sell the injury. Some seem to think that he will be in the Royal Rumble match.
* Lesnar was hurt after his encounter with Big Show, but not injured. When Big Show threw him across the ring, Lesnar landed face first on the mat, and hit one of his knees pretty hard. He was seen limping from the ring. The WWE have "leaked" word that Lesnar was only pretending to limp to sell Big Show's throw. But the limp was genuine, and is not serious.
* Neither of the Bella Twins were injured in their match. Nikki suffered a minor leg injury at a house show last week, with dirt sheet sites believing she had re-aggravated her recent shin injury. The WWE were aware of the story being online, and wrote Nikki's bad leg into story line to fool people who visit such sites. Brie was sore after taking an awkward fall following a missed diving dropkick. Brie did the fall on purpose, because she felt it would make missing the dropkick seem more costly.
* There was a lot of back and fourth about how the main event should end. Both plans would further Roman Reigns' face turn and eventual departure from the Shield. Ambrose distracted Punk, allowing Reigns to hit the spear finisher and get the pin. The emphasis was put on Reigns being the only Shield member to win a singles match against Punk. An alternate ending would have seen Billy Gunn attacking Ambrose. This would lead to a brawl between Ambrose/Seth Rollins and the New Age Outlaws. Distracted by the brawl, the Referee would not see the spear or the pin attempt. Reigns' would complain to the Referee, allowing Punk to recover and hit Reigns with the GTS and get the pin. Reigns would then blame his team mates (specifically Ambrose) for costing him the win.
* No-one knows for certain when Jake Roberts' return was confirmed. DDP recently admitted to turning down an offer to return for Old School Raw, while Roberts claimed that WWE turned him down last week. It is known that DDP asked WWE to change their minds. It is not known if Roberts' comments were genuine or a work. DDP eventually agreed to be a part of Old School Raw if Roberts could be on the show, and his DDP YOga program was plugged. Cole made a few references to Goldust being in better shape, but did not point out that he was using DDP's program.
* A lot of websites have jumped to the conclusion that Roberts will be in the Rumble match. Both Roberts and DDP have been campaigned for several months to have Roberts included in the match. It was intended to be a "goal", to encourage Roberts to complete rehab and get back into physical shape. The WWE were reluctant to work with Roberts again due to his multiple relapses. But the fact that he was brought back for Old School Raw shows that they have faith in Roberts' recovery. There is no proof that he is going to be in the Rumble yet, but it looks more likely than ever.
All of this after their first Raw of 2014?