October 22 , 2012 Monday Night RAW results The October 22 , 2012 Edition of RAW is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE ' s RAW brand , which took place on October 22 , 2012 at Izod Center in East Rutherford , New Jersey . Summary . Somewhere in the swamps of Jersey , across the parking lot from the same MetLife Stadium where WrestleMania 29 will be held next year , Raw kicked off with the long - awaited finale of the Tag Team Tournament to determine the No . 1 contenders to Team Hell No ' s Tag Championships at Hell in a Cell . And when all the dust had settled , it was Cody Rhodes & Damien Sandow , Team Rhodes Scholars , who proved tougher than the rest and punched their ticket to face the formidable champions . Still , Rey Mysterio & Sin Cara certainly made things interesting for the cocky Team Rhodes Scholars , utilizing their high - flying lucha skills to even the playing field against the coordinated beatdowns of Rhodes and Sandow . Team Rhodes Scholars made an early attempt to turn the tide of the match by taking the fight to the outside , but Rey & Sin Cara hit back with a seated senton and suicide dive , respectively , against their brainy opponents . Rhodes & Sandow would soon find their rhythm , though . They pinned Sin Cara in their corner and proving the old adage correct that two hearts ( or in this case , Superstars ) are better than one by unleashing a tandem stomping that left The International Sensation dazed and confused until Sin Cara was able to retaliate with an enzuigiri that toppled Cody Rhodes to the ground . Rhodes bounced back nicely , though , tagging back in Sandow and continuing their divide - and - conquer strategy , keeping Sin Cara grounded with a series of attacks that included the Elbow of Disdain from Sandow . The Mexican Icon found his second wind when Rhodes took him up for a superplex , though , unleashing a tornado DDT that allowed him to tag in Mysterio . The Ultimate Underdog stormed into the match with a week ' s worth of pent - up fury , unleashing a stupendous sequence of offense against Rhodes before nailing both Scholars with a double 619 and Droppin ' the Dime on Cody for the win . . . until Sandow literally threw himself under the referee ' s falling arm to disrupt the three - count . The distraction was sufficient opportunity for Rhodes to wrench Mysterio into Cross Rhodes and slam him down for the win . The fun and games weren ' t done , however , as Kane and Daniel Bryan appeared on the TitanTron , congratulating Team Rhodes Scholars on their victory . But as for whether the new No . 1 contenders would capture the twin championships at Hell in a Cell , the bickering champions had one message : " HELL NO ! " Having served The Miz a piping - hot helping of crow last week on WWE Main Event , new Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston stormed into Raw and did his championship proud with a hard - fought win over a very game Michael McGillicutty in IZOD Center . McGillicutty , the irascible former WWE Tag Team Champion , came out swinging and looked dominant for the majority of the contest , using a series of brutish strikes to keep Kofi at bay , but the champion came up strong at exactly the right time . Using McGillicutty ' s own headstrong energy against him , Kofi dodged a turnbuckle attack by the son of WWE Hall of Famer Mr . Perfect and transitioned seamlessly into a lightning - fast Trouble in Paradise that put McGillicutty down for the count . With The Miz stewing at commentary and absorbing Kofi ' s strategy , however , it ' s safe for the WWE Universe to assume that Kingston will have his work cut out for him when he defends the championship at Hell in a Cell . It ' s safe to say that the WWE Universe was surprised to say the least when John Cena stepped aside to allow Ryback to sign the No . 1 contender ' s contract last week on Raw . And this week , in the shadow of MetLife Stadium , the Cenation leader stepped into the ring not to expound upon his decision , but to give the WWE Universe a preview , in his own words , of what they can expect at Hell in a Cell . And what , exactly , did the historic main event of Hell in a Cell hold in store ? To put it simply : " change . " " Change is 6 - foot 3 , " Cena said . " Change is 291 pounds , and when ' change ' sets foot into this ring , all he can hear over and over again is ' FEED ME MORE ! ' " Before Cena could continue , though , the riff of " Cult of Personality " rumbled through the loudspeakers and the WWE Champion strutted out , 337 days atop the mountain under his belt and looking thoroughly bemused at what he called Cena ' s " new role " of being " Ryback ' s personal cheerleader , " not to mention the supposed greatness of the Super Bowl Champion New York Giants ( it is truly hard to be a Second City Saint in the city ) . And regarding change ? " I ' ve been WWE Champion for 337 days and counting , which means you haven ' t been champion for a lot longer than that , " Punk said . " And that is change you can count on . " " Everybody knows when CM Punk makes a promise , he keeps it , and I promise I will walk out of Hell in a Cell still the WWE Champion . " Cena , however , had heard enough . Riled up by Punk ' s insults , Cena turned the subject of conversation to another recent hot topic : his injured elbow . He would not be interfering in Punk ' s scheduled title match at Hell in a Cell , but as for tonight , " Regarding yours truly , I am 100 percent medically cleared , " the Cenation leader said , flexing his elbow for emphasis and inviting Punk into the ring for an impromptu rumble down the Turnpike . And for a minute , it looked like Punk would acquiesce to Cena ' s request . But eventually , the warning shrieks of Paul Heyman won out and the champion strode back to the locker room , a smile on his face and title held high . After weeks of dominant victories over a slew of competitors , United States Champion Antonio Cesaro was left stewing following an upset loss to the dynamic Justin Gabriel on Raw . Cesaro has made it quite clear to the WWE Universe that he believes all competitors born in the U . S . A . to be beneath him , and even made it a point to proclaim his own greatness in Italian before his match began . Gabriel , however , is a South African and apparently unfazed by Cesaro ' s foreign elitism , because no sooner had the insults left the " Swiss Superman ' s " mouth than " The Cape Town Werewolf " flew into action , clearing the ropes with a dive and stunning Cesaro in the match ' s opening moments . The strategy worked , and Cesaro failed to find his rhythm for the remainder of the contest . Gabriel , who fell to Cesaro in a recent contest , used the experience of facing the champion to his advantage , withstanding a brutal barrage from the U . S . Champion before knocking Cesaro off the top rope and connecting with the 450 Splash to earn himself une grande victoire over the elitist foreigner . In just as surprising a fashion as it began , the AJ Lee Era of Monday Night Raw came crashing to an abrupt halt when , with Mr . McMahon at her side , AJ announced her resignation as General Manager . Following a mysterious meeting with the WWE Board of Directors at WWE Headquarters , AJ took center stage in her home state of New Jersey to announce that she had decided it was best to resign her post following accusations she ' d been " fraternizing " with an unnamed Superstar on the roster ( AJ denied the accusations ) . In her final moments as GM , AJ took the opportunity to give the WWE Universe a tear - jerking thank you for supporting her through her meteoric rise through the ranks and , especially , her tenure as General Manager . It was a humble , heartfelt moment and both The Chairman and the WWE Universe seemed to appreciate AJ ' s candor . And then , of course , Paul Heyman showed up . With much fanfare , the mad scientist of ECW made an elaborate , eloquent plea to The Boss to name him the new General Manager of the red brand , as Mr . McMahon is required to immediately name a replacement . The Chairman had a similarly eloquent response for Heyman . " No . " Instead , he introduced the " Managing Supervisor " of Raw , none other than Vickie Guerrero . No sooner had The Queen Diva taken the stage than Heyman attempted to curry favor with the new boss lady , asking Vickie to revoke CM Punk ' s WWE Title Match against Ryback at Hell in a Cell . Heyman was , again , denied his request , as Vickie kicked her second administration ( clearly , her show - running glory days have yet to pass her by ) off with a bang by announcing two main events for her first Raw back in charge : a Champion vs . Champion Match that would also be the largest Lumberjack Match in WWE history . That was enough to send Heyman fuming back to the locker room , but Vickie wasn ' t done yet . " Tsk tsk , " Vickie began as she set her sights on AJ , elaborating that the allegations against her were not just " fraternization , " but that AJ had an affair with a Superstar . Vickie brusquely dismissed the former GM , commanding her to pack up her things and leave the arena . With nothing left to lose , however , AJ wasn ' t about to leave without getting one last shot in at Vickie . And so she did , pouncing on the Managing Supervisor and unleashing one final attack on Vickie before skipping off to the locker room . The Miz ' s fortunes have not improved since losing the Intercontinental Title to Kofi Kingston on WWE Main Event , as The Awesome One found himself back in the ravenous Ryback ' s path on the final Raw before Hell in a Cell , in a rematch from a recent contest between the two . The result , sadly for Miz , remained the same . Not only that , but The Awesome One didn ' t even have a chance to get rolling in the match . Miz looked skittish to be in the " human wrecking ball ' s " sights again , and the powerhouse rising star made him pay in kind . Ryback unceremoniously dismantled Miz , bringing new meaning to the phrase " playing with your food " before pummeling Miz to the mat with Shell Shocked to earn himself a high - profile victory before heading into Hell in a Cell . Next on the menu : CM Punk . Dolph Ziggler was in the money on Raw Monday night when he squared off against Tag Team Champion ( or Tag Team Champions , depending whom you ask ) Daniel Bryan and , thanks to an inadvertent distraction from Kane , picked up a hard - fought win in IZOD Center . Bryan and Ziggler built off their strong history of competition , stringing together a technically crisp contest that brought out the best in both Superstars and provided strong support for Bryan ' s skill as a current champion and Ziggler ' s as a potential future one . The match was dead even almost the entire way through ; Bryan ' s intricate mastery proved to be the perfect foil for The Showoff ' s flashy dynamism . Each time Ziggler got a head of steam going , Bryan reversed Mr . Money in the Bank ' s dizzying attacks into intricate holds like a surfboard and a Figure - Four Leglock . Ziggler seemingly gained the upper hand by suplexing Bryan off the apron and onto the outside area , but the flash , boom and burn of Kane ' s entrance seemed to spell doom for The Showoff . Kane ' s presence seemed to galvanize Bryan into a late game run , as the " No ! " man bounced between the ropes like a ping - pong ball before decking Ziggler with a clothesline . Bryan traded near - falls with The Showoff before Ziggler found his footing . . . and lost it just as quickly , missing a turnbuckle attack when Bryan dodged The Showoff ' s leap , leaving Dolph to tumble painfully to the outside . Bryan countered with a high - risk attack of his own , and the two found themselves back into the ring . Ziggler struck fast , hitting a top - rope facebuster on the " No ! " man , but Bryan rallied with a textbook kick to The Showoff ' s head . With victory in hand , Bryan seemed to set up for his final strike . . . until Kane decided to get the crowd riled up by instigating a " YES ! YES ! YES ! " chant among the New Jersey faithful . This , of course , did not sit well with Bryan , and as the submission technician devolved into an irascible mess , Ziggler capitalized to hit Bryan with a top - rope Zig Zag for the victory . The antics did not end there , however , as Team Hell No seemed ready to descend into physicality before Matt Striker made his presence known , announcing that Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero decreed Team Hell No would compete in a contest she referred to as " The NewlyTag Game " against Team Rhodes Scholars . Put your makeup on , fix your hair up pretty , and meet Kane & Daniel Bryan tonight in the IZOD Center for " The NewlyTag Game , " where tag team partners can display how well they know each other , moderated by none other than Matt Striker . What could go wrong ? Well , funny you should ask . Tag Team Champions Team Hell No began the game , with Daniel Bryan and Kane each taking a turn on the mic to tell the WWE Universe about themselves . Bryan was up first . " My name is Daniel . I am a former World Heavyweight Champion . I do not have a goat face . I am ' The World ' s Toughest Vegan . ' And more important than anything , I ' M THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS . " Kane responded with a surprising revelation or three : " My name is Kane . I ' m a Scorpio . I enjoy long walks on the beach , rainbows and puppies . " Well , actually , not quite . But Bryan ' s contestation of that argument ( " YOU DO LOVE RAINBOWS ! " ) led to a signature bickering session between the champions until Team Rhodes Scholars decided to intervene . But they had no plans to participate in the game , however , as Damien Sandow deemed the contest no less than " the putrefaction of society , " before the No . 1 contenders stormed off stage , leaving Team Hell No to claim victory by forfeit . No sooner had Bryan celebrated their triumph , however , than Kane set his sights yet again on Matt Striker . Striker , however , high - tailed it out of the ring with minimal fanfare , pausing at the top of the ramp to toss some snide comments Team Hell No ' s way before running face - first into Big Show . The World ' s Largest Athlete wasn ' t one for games , either , tossing Striker unceremoniously aside before stomping down to the ring for his match against Kane . When big collides with big , what unfolds is typically something along the lines of a Hollywood monster movie . Big Show and Kane ' s clashes are similarly the stuff of WWE legend , and their battle Monday night lived up to the legacy of their previous ones . And after a thunderous fight , it was The World ' s Largest Athlete who stood tall when the bell rang . Show looked dominant heading into his World Heavyweight Championship Match with Sheamus at WWE Hell in a Cell , using his might to overpower Kane and prevent The Big Red Monster from getting into a groove against him . Show manhandled The Devil ' s Favorite Demon and seemingly put Kane down for a quick defeat . But the Tag Team Champion rallied quickly , mounting an offensive strike against the giant and preparing to deliver the Chokeslam . . . until Team Rhodes Scholars materialized atop the stage , distracting the Tag Champions and giving Big Show the opportunity to fell Kane with a KO Punch for the 1 - 2 - 3 , and allowing Team Rhodes Scholars to get the last word with an attack on Bryan . Safe to say the Tag Team Title Match at Hell in a Cell will be a must - see . John Cena wasted no time in finding former Raw GM AJ Lee in the locker room area , offering his support following her unceremonious resignation and asking her why she didn ' t fight the accusations leveled against her by Vickie Guerrero . As it turns out , the answer was the last thing Cena ( or anybody else in the WWE Universe ) would expect : The Superstar in question was none other than Cena himself . The allegations arose after the two shared a " business dinner , " and AJ decided not to fight the accusations to avoid dragging Cena ' s name through the mud . A gobsmacked Cena assured AJ he ' d do what he could to help , but a conversation with Mr . McMahon bore no fruit : " If it wasn ' t this , it ' d be something else , " The Chairman said . As for Vickie ? Mr . McMahon remained undecided , and it appeared that what would be would be . In a last attempt to right the situation , Cena went to Vickie and tried to undo the damage , but he was met with similar resistance . " Perception is reality : You asked AJ on a date on Raw , and ended up taking her to dinner . " Therefore , according to The Queen Diva , the reality of the situation was this : Cena cost AJ her job . With Hell in a Cell only days away , the time was ripe for Alberto Del Rio to deliver a statement . And that ' s exactly what he did , taking it to Zack Ryder in a brutal matchup in IZOD Center that saw a game Long Island Iced - Z fall victim to Del Rio ' s Cross Armbreaker . Ryder put up a tough fight against The Essence of Excellence , stringing together spurts of offense and nearly connecting with the Broski Boot . But it was Del Rio who had the final word in the contest , trapping Ryder ' s arm in the ropes and finally forcing The Ultimate Broski to tap to the Cross Armbreaker . Del Rio added insult to injury by keeping the hold locked in past the bell as a vicious statement to Randy Orton before they collide at Hell in a Cell . Is there a new Apex Predator in WWE ? Only time will tell . The highway was jammed with broken heroes and a small army of WWE Superstars on Monday in IZOD Center as three dozen lumberjacks roamed ringside for the Champion vs . Champion Match between CM Punk and Sheamus , the largest such match in the history of Raw and the first main event of Vickie Guerrero ' s tenure as Managing Supervisor . The contest was appropriately pulse - pounding , but in the end , it was a Superstar who wasn ' t even involved that proved to be the most impactful man in the ring . Punk took an unconventional route against The Great White , attempting to use his technical acumen as a way to slow down the brawling World Champion and prevent him from building to the devastating Brogue Kick . The strategy found early success ( although Punk was the first competitor to get tossed back into the ring by the lumberjacks ) , but Sheamus , as always , would not be kept down . The Celtic Warrior rallied quickly , but Punk took advantage of the unique stipulation by shucking Sheamus over the ropes , leaving him to the mercy of the lumberjacks before attempting a pinfall . The Second City Saint would repeat his strategy throughout the match , and after a few trips over the ropes for Sheamus , the lumberjacks began to target each other , with one group attempting to assist The Great White while another worked to keep him down . The Voice of the Voiceless moved to capitalize with a trio of top - rope strikes , but after connecting with the first two , Sheamus countered with a thunderous punch to the WWE Champion ’ s . An attempt at a headlock by Punk seemed to have Sheamus down for the count , but The Great White powered up , and that ' s when Sheamus began to roll . The Celtic Warrior moved fast , clobbering Punk with ax handles , forearm clubs and shoulder tackles , powering out of Punk ' s attempted pinfalls before planting The Voice of the Voiceless with a rafter - shaking superplex . Punk decided to use Sheamus ' own power against him , reversing The Celtic Warrior ' s turnbuckle charge into a small package , but that proved fruitless as well . Sheamus would continue to withstand Punk ' s assault , dodging The Second City Saint ' s flying elbow and planting him with a furious Irish Curse . The Voice of the Voiceless used his last wind to throw Sheamus to the lumberjacks again , but The Great White was ready , rumbling with the enforcers before making his way back to the ring . Attempted attacks on Sheamus by Antonio Cesaro and Jinder Mahal ended unceremoniously , but before the World Champion could execute the Brogue Kick on Punk , Big Show made his way up to the ring and planted The Great White with a chokeslam while the referee ' s back was turned . Punk picked up the pieces and covered Sheamus for the pin , but instead of his theme music , " FEED ME " roared through IZOD Center speakers and Ryback , the one Superstar conspicuous by his absence , made his way to the ring . With Ryback hot on his heels , Punk made a move to leave the ring , but the lumberjacks were right there to throw him back . Each time Punk tried to escape , his fellow Superstars tossed him back into Ryback ' s waiting maw , where The Second City Saint felt the wrath of the No . 1 contender ' s earthshaking attacks before fortune finally afforded him an escape . It was a luxury the champion may not have on Sunday when he finds himself enclosed in the place where rivalries are settled , with the hungriest beast in the stable staring him down bold and stark in the ring .