January 2 , 2012 Monday Night RAW results The January 2 , 2012 Edition of RAW is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE ' s RAW brand , which took place on January 2 , 2012 at FedExForum in Memphis , Tennessee . Summary . After wishing the WWE Universe a happy new year and sharing his resolutions for 2012 , John Cena addressed Kane ’ s hateful rage . The leader of the Cenation said he ’ ll continue to enjoy whatever response he gets from the WWE Universe , and thanked them , despite Kane ’ s recent actions . Ready for a fight , he called out The Big Red Monster . Rather than getting in the ring with Cena , Kane promised him he ’ ll embrace the hate and personally witness its true power tonight ! Daniel Bryan and Cody Rhodes were in title - free action just four days before they ’ ll each defend their championships on SmackDown . World Heavyweight Champion Bryan , whose confident attitude continued to grow stronger , gained more momentum with a victory over the Intercontinental Champion . This Friday on SmackDown , Bryan will defend the World Heavyweight Championship against Big Show , and Rhodes will put his Intercontinental Title on the line in a match with Booker T ! After throwing Randy Orton down a flight of stairs in a vicious Falls Count Anywhere Match on SmackDown , Wade Barrett continued his path of destruction , this time targeting Santino Marella . The Italian Superstar bravely told his opponent that the “ Santino Marella Choo - Choo Trains ” will run over the “ Wade Barrett Garage ” in the Royal Rumble Match . But on Raw SuperShow , Barrett viciously defeated his courageous opponent with a side slam despite Marella ’ s valiant effort . Unable to keep his temper under control , Sheamus unloaded on The Miz , and their match – which never began – ended in a No Contest . As a paranoid Miz tried to escape through the crowd , his former tag team partner , R - Truth , appeared with Little Jimmy . The Awesome One ran back toward the ring , where he was met by Sheamus ’ big boot . Left down , The Miz was vulnerable to another assault by the retribution - seeking R - Truth , who hit his friend - turned - traitor with a water bottle just as he did the previous week . CM Punk lost his bout against No . 1 contender Dolph Ziggler , but retained the WWE Championship when the match ended in a count - out thanks to a distraction by Interim Raw GM John Laurinaitis . The EVP of Talent Relations ran down to the ring to advise the WWE official about the exposed turnbuckle . Meanwhile , The Straight Edge Savior nearly hit his opponent with the GTS , then locked him in the Anaconda Vise , but the official never saw Ziggler tap because he was talking to Laurinaitis . Punk ended up outside the ring , thanks to Laurinaitis , who pulled down the ropes , allowing him to slide out . Punk couldn ’ t get back onto the mat before the 10 - count , giving his opponent the victory . While the cocky Ziggler didn ’ t win the title , he left proudly holding Punk ’ s WWE Championship knowing he ’ s defeated him for two straight weeks . Former Divas Champions Kelly Kelly & Eve joined forces to take on Brie & Nikki Bella on Raw SuperShow . The twins were victorious when they used a little bit of “ Twin Magic , ” swapping places and pinning Eve for the victory . After weeks of cryptic “ 1 - 2 - 12 ” videos on Raw SuperShow , Chris Jericho made a shocking return and was warmly welcomed by the WWE Universe , greeting some with high - fives at ringside . As he urged them for more cheers , " # Y2J " instantly became the No . 1 worldwide trend on Twitter . But as the Superstar – who was dressed in a dazzling , light - up , blinged out jacket – prolonged his homecoming , the WWE Universe ’ s chants of “ welcome back ” soon turned to boos . A smiling Jericho exited without addressing the Memphis crowd , leaving the irritated WWE Universe wondering why he ’ s back . Ditched by their tag team partner , Kane , Mark Henry & Jack Swagger were forced to fight John Cena , Big Show & United States Champion Zack Ryder in the Six - Man Elimination Match . Big Show and Mark Henry were first eliminated by a double count - out in the Handicap Match . With the numbers working against him , Swagger put the ankle lock on Ryder , but Cena tagged in and hit The All - American American with the Attitude Adjustment for the victory . After the match , Kane surprisingly emerged up through the ring to attack Ryder , then tried to suffocate Cena . The Big Red Monster nearly pulled the United States Champion down through the hole in the ring , but failed when Cena pulled his friend out of the abyss . Before Cena could get his hands on Kane , a monstrous burst of fire erupted from the hole in the ring , allowing The Big Red Machine to escape .