Last week saw Daniel Bryan taken out of commission with three deadly tombstones at the hands of Kane. Bryan is set to return to TV for the first time since the death of his father and is expected to address his match with Kane at Extreme Rules. Stephanie McMahon is set to make a public apology for Kane's actions last week. Also on this episode is the final round in the Intercontinental Championship #1 contenders tournament with a match between RVD and Bad News Barrett. There will also be special appearances from Rick Flair and X-Men star, Hugh Jackman.
Tonight's show starts out with a recap of last week's handicap match between the Wyatt Family and John Cena.
The action begins with a steel cage surrounding the ring. John Cena's music hits and he makes his way to the ring.
Cena gets on the mic.The crowd boos him and he asks "Why?" He elaborates by asking why 11 million fans voted for him to take on all 3 members of the Wyatt Family. He says that you either die a hero or live to become a villain. He recounts his draft to the Raw brand 11 years ago and the ovation he received on that night. Cena acknowledges that the WWE Universe is fickle and realizes that no one remains on top forever. He warns the Universe that Bray Wyatt is a dangerous man. He says that if Wyatt escapes the cage, then so does his message.
The Wyatt's entrance interrupts Cena and the place goes dark. A child's voice begins singing "He's got the whole world in his hands". The lights go on and a choir of children stands at the top of the ramp singing. The lights go off again and Bray Wyatt approaches the ring, also singing. The children follow Wyatt down to the ring. Wyatt blows out his lantern and when the lights come on, the children are wearing sheep masks. Wyatt lets out a maniacal laugh. One of the sheep children is sitting on Bray's lap.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with a replay of Wyatt's stunt from before the break.
MATCH: The Usos vs. Rybaxel
The match starts out with Jey Uso and Curtis Axel. Axel drives Uso to the corner. Uso fights back with a shoulder block. Ryback is tagged in. Jay takes it to Ryback with a series of right hands. Ryback fights back and goes for the splash but Jay moves and tags in Jimmy. They double team Ryback. Axel interferes and the Usos send both of them out of the ring. The Usos dive over the top rope and land on Ryback and Axel. Jay appears to have hurt his ankle.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Ryback in control of Jimmy Uso. Axel is tagged in and delivers a strike from the middle rope for a 2 count. Axel gets Uso in an armbar. Uso fights back but is stopped by a knee to the face from Axel for the 2 count. Ryback is tagged in and delivers a slam to Uso for a 2 count. Ryback drives Uso to the corner and sets him on the tope rope. Axel is tagged in and they go for the double superplex. Jimmy fights back and knocks Ryback off the ropes. He then shoves Axel onto Ryback. Jey is is tagged in and hits the crossbody on Axel for the 2 count. He drives Axel into the corner. Ryback tries to interfere but eats a superkick. Axel meets a Samoan drop followed by a stink face for the 2 count. Axel reverses the whip and tags in Ryback. Ryback hits a spinebuster for a 2 count. Ruback loads up the meat hook but eats another superkick for the 2 count. Uso hits a couple chops. Ryback reverses and hits the clothesline. Ryback goes for Shellshock but Jey rolls him up for a 2 count. Axel is tagged in and so is Jimmy. Axel doesn't see the tag on Jimmy. Jey hits another superkick on Ryback. Axel hits the Perfectplex but Jimmy hits the splash from the top rope as Axel comes down to the mat. The Usos get the 3 count.
WINNERS: Usos via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
A vignette plays for Adam Rose. It announces that he will be appearing next week on Raw.
Cesaro and Paul Heyman are shown bag stage talking about RVD. Heyman says that RVD is getting under his skin and that the last person who got under his skin was The Undertaker. He says while he may practice unethical business practices, he nonetheless takes his clients to the top.
A replay airs of Kane's attack on Daniel Bryan last week on Raw.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with a shot of Kane's mask in the glass box.
Sheamus makes his way down to the ring. He is attacked from behind by Titus O'Neil. Despite the attack, Sheamus chooses to go on with the match.
MATCH: Sheamus vs. Titus O'Neil
The match starts with O'Neil driving Sheamus to the corner. Sheamus comes out of the corner and hits the brogue kick for the 3 count.
WINNER: Sheamus via Pinfall
The Twitter exchange between Ziggler and Sandow concerning Hugh Jackman is shown. Jackman will be coming on after the break.
*Commercial Break*
A vignette for Bo Dallas plays.
The show returns with Dolph Ziggler in the ring. Ziggler talks about how much he loves the warm weather. He plugs the new X-Men movie. A trailer plays for X-Men: Days of Future Past. Upon return Ziggler welcomes Hugh Jackman to the ring. Jackman gets on the mic. He talks about how great it is to be back on Raw. He says the best part is that anything could happen. Ziggler says thats funny because something happened to him last time Jackman was on Raw. A video plays showing Ziggler getting knocked out by Ziggler. The 2 men shake hands to bury the hatchet.
Sandow interrupts dressed up as Magneto. He talks trash to Ziggler and Hugh Jackman saying that Ziggler is shaking in the ring not because he is afraid, but because he is starstruck. The crowd starts chanting "Knock him out!" Jackman makes fun of Sandows costume. Sandow says behold the power of magnetism. A sound effect plays and Jackman pretends that the mic is being attracted to Magneto's hands. He throws the mic down and delivers a hip toss to Sandow and Ziggler hits the Zig-Zag.
A recap plays of Evolution's feud with The Shield.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter making their way to the ring.
Paul Heyman gets on the mic and says that he isn't the evil manager everyone thinks he is. He says that his kids at home thinks he is funny. He tells a knock-knock joke saying "Knock Knock" "Who's There?" "Mike" "Mike Who?"
The match starts out with Swagger getting behind Cesaro and slamming him. Cesaro fights back with 2 no leverage slams. Swagger rolls out of the ring. Cesaro delivers a double axe handle to the outside. Swagger fights back by driving Cesaro into the barricade. He gets a 2 count back in the ring. Swagger drives Cesaro into the ring post and hits a clothesline for a 2 count. Swagger gets Cesaro in a submission hold. He delivers a knee to the mid section and sends Cesaro into the ropes. Cesaro hits a European uppercut but his momentum is stopped with a big boot for the 2 count. Cesaro fights back but is distracted by Zeb Colter. Swagger takes advantage and attacks Cesaro. Swagger is distracted when Heyman attacks Colter and pulls his mustache. Cesaro hits a German suplex and gets the 3 count.
WINNER: Cesaro via Pinfall
A replay airs of Bray Wyatt's stunt from earlier in the night.
Cena is asked backstage about what was just shown. Cena says nothing and walks away.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with another shot of Kane's mask in the glass box.
MATCH: Alberto Del Rio vs. Cody Rhodes
Del Rio attacks Rhodes from behind. Rhodes fights back and drives Del Rio to the corner. Del Rio hits a suplex for a one count. Rhodes reverses again and hits a clothesline followed by a scoop slam. RHodes hits the arm drag and gets Del Rio in a submission hold. Del Rio gets up but is driven to the corner. He gihts back and hits RHodes with a right hand. Del Rio hits a back side slam for a 2 count. Del Rio gets Rhodes in a headlock. He goes for another back side slam but Rhodes fights back with a drop kick. Del Rio catches Rhodes with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a 2 count. He gets Rhodes in another headlock. Rhodes fights out and hits the uppercut. He hangs Del Rio on the middle rope and kicks him in the groin. Rhodes goes to the top and ears a right hand from Del Rio. Del Rio locks in the cross arm breaker and Rhodes submits.
WINNER: Alberto Del Rio via Submission
*Commercial Break*
Cesaro and Heyman are seen again talking backstage.
Lana comes out and introduces Alexander Rusev.
MATCH: Alexander Rusev vs. Xavier Woods
Woods hits a dropkick early on and follows up with an aggresive offense. Rusev catches Woods and slams him to the mat. Lana tells Rusev to Crush. Rusev stomps Woods on the back and goes to lock on the Accolade but R-Truth interferes. They send Rusev out of the ring and knock him off the apron.
WINNER: Alexander Woods via Disqualification.
A video package plays of John Cena granting wishes for Make-A-Wish foundation.
RVD is interviewed backstage about his match tonight. He says Bad News Barrett like giving bad news and tonight he is going to get some at the hands of RVD. Zeb Colter interrupts and proposes that they team up to stop Cesaro and Heyman. RVD refuses and walks away.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Los Matadores and 3MB in the ring
MATCH: Los Matadores vs. 3MB (Heath Slater and McIntyre)
The show starts with McIntyre and Los Matadores squaring off. Matadores hits a dropkick. McIntyre fights back and tags in Slater. Matadores ducks a clothesline and hits a back elbow off the middle rope. Los Matadores makes the tags and sends Slater into the corner. Los Matadores does a headstand in the corner and hits an armdrag on Slater. Outside the ring Mahal is gored by El Torrito. Inside the ring Slater hits his finisher for the 3 count.
WINNER: 3MB via Pinfall
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Stephanie McMahon making her way to the ring. She gets on the mic and says that she tried to stop Kane but the demon is unstoppable. She then invites Daniel Bryan to the ring. His music hits and Daniel Bryan makes his way to the ring with Brie Bella. Bryan is wearing a neck brace.
Daniel Bryan gets on the mic and says that he almost believed Stephanie when she told Kane to stop beating him but everyone knows that she is full of crap. Stephanie says its no secret that her and HHH never wanted him to be WWE Heavyweight Championship and that at times emotions ran high. Bryan retorts by asking how Stephanie thinks his wife felt every time he got beat up at the hands of the authority. Stephanie kisses up to Bryan and says she understand what its like to see your husband in pain. She then apologizes to Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella. Bryan says he still thinks she is full of crap. Stephanie invites Bryan and Bella to the ring to look her in the eyes as she apologizes. Bryan says he will still see a liar in her eyes. He says that although he is battered, he will never give up. He promises that if Kane takes him down, he is taking Kane down with him. Stephanie gives Brie Bella a shot at the Diva's Championship tonight as proof of her apology.
Another shot plays of the glass box but now Kane's mask is missing.
*Commercial Break*
MATCH: Paige vs. Brie Bella
The Match starts with both women locking up. Paige take Brie to the mat. Brie fights out and hits a dropkick for a 1 count. Paige fights back and tosses Brie into the corner. She proceeds to stomp Brie and follows up with a suplex for a 2 count. Paige shoves brie through the ropes and delivers a series of knees to Brie's head. Brie fights back and goes to the top rope. Paige stops her and hits the superplex. Flames explode at the top of the ramp and Kane's music hits. Kane's is nowhere to be seen. Kane emerges through the mat from under the ring. Daniel Bryan tries to fight him off but is thrown aside. Kane tries to drag Brie under the mat but Daniel Bryan attacks him with a monkey wrench. Kane sits back up and chokeslams Daniel Bryan. He drags Brie towards the hole in the ring but she fights out and runs to the aid of Bryan. Kane laughs in the ring as the flames explode again.
*Commercial Break*
A replay of Kane's attack is shown as the show returns.
Daniel Bryan and Brie Bella are shown backstage. Brie is visibly shaken. Bryan is being examined by a WWE doctor. Stephanie McMahon comes in and asks if Daniel Bryan will be able to compete at Extreme Rules. Bryan assures her he will be there and she will regret dragging his wife into this. Brie Bella flips out, calling Stephanie a bitch and telling her to get out.
Another replay of Bray Wyatt's choir spot plays.
John Cena is shown coming out of his locker room. He apologizes for ignoring the interviewer before. He says that he was so caught up in Wyatt's mind games that he thought the WWE Universe had turned its back on him. He says that he will buy Wyatt a mule to ride to the ring at Extreme Rules. Cena assures that he will win at Extreme Rules.
Bad News Barrett takes his place atop the raised podium and says he's got some bad news for RVD. He says that while WWE's slogan is "Now, Then, Forever", RVD's should just be "Then", because "Then" is when he was last relevant.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Bad News Barrett in the ring.
MATCH: Bad News Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam
The match starts out with the two locking up. Barrett drives RVD to the corner and RVD fights out. They square up again and RVD gets Barrett in a wristlock. He bring Barrett to the mat. They lock up. RVD brings Barrett to the mat in a headlock. Barrett runs towards RVD but RVD pulls down the top rope and sends Barrett to the outside. RVD hits the moonsault off the apron. He sends Barrett into the ring for the 2 count. He locks in a headlock. Barrett fights out and send RVD to the outside with an elbow to the face. Barrett drives RVD into the barricade and follows up by smashing his head into the announce table. Barrett throws RVD back in the ring for the 2 count. He sends RVD off the rope. RVD reverses and rolls up Barrett for a 2 count. RVD is sent to the corner. He tries to leap over Barret but is caught and meets a kick to the midsection.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Barrett in control. RVD fights back. Barrett reverses the Irish whip. RVD rolls over the back of Barret. RVD is caught by a big slam from Barrett for the 2 count. RVD is sent to the corner and sent choked with Barrett's boot. Barrett hits the neckbreaker for a 2 count. Barrett locks in a sleeper hold. RVD fights out and rolls up Barrett for the 2 count. Barrett eats a kick to the jaw. RVD hits several clotheslines and takes Barrett down to the mat. Cesaro approaches the ring but is stopped by Swagger. The 2 fight outside the ring. Barrett goes for the Bull Hammer. RVD ducks it and hits the spin kick. He follows up with the rolling thunder and goes to the top rope for the 5 star frogsplash. RVD is distracted by Cesaro. He fights him off and goes for the frogsplash but Barrett gets his knees up. Barrett hits the Bull Hammer for the 3 count.
WINNER: Bad News Barrett via Pinfall
Cesaro attacks RVD after the match. Swagger come sin and attacks Cesaro. He slams Cesaro and turns his attention to RVD. RVD fights out of Swagger's grasp and sends him to the mat. Swagger flees the ring. RVD goes to the top rope and hits the frogsplash on Cesaro.
A replay of The Shield taking out their opponents on SmackDown and the 5 on 3 match that followed.
The Shield is shown backstage talking about how they're going to take out Evolution.
*Commercial Break*
The show returns with Randy Orton making his way to the ring with HHH and Batista.
Triple H gets on the mic and says that The Shield reminds him of Evolution. Orton says that they will never be Evolution. Triple H goes on to say that he brought them into this world, and Evolution is going to see them out. The Shield's music plays and they make their way to the ring.
The two teams stare each other down and Rick Flair's music hits. Flair says he has had alot of fun in St. Louis in the past. He says it is an honor to share the ring with men who exhume dominance. He recounts his days with the Four Horseman. He says that he has seen the word greatness come full circle, and that he is talking about the Shield.
MATCH: Randy Orton vs. Roman Reigns
Reigns takes it to Orton with several right hands. Orton fights back and sends Reigns to the outside. Randy Orton goes for the suplex to the floor but Reigns reverses. He sends Orton back in the ring but Orton rolls back out. Orton fight back and sends Reigns into the steel steps. Orton sends Reigns back in the ring for a 1 count. Reigns fights out but is clotheslined over the top rope. Orton drags him back in the ring and goes for the DDT but Reigns squirms out. Reigns fights back. He ducks a clothesline and delivers one of his own. He hits a big right hand to Orton in the corner. Orton's head hangs outside the ring and Reigns dropkicks it. Reigns loads up the Superman punch but HHH pulls his leg. The Shield attacks HHH and Batista o nthe outside. Reigns is sent off the ropes and hits the Superman Punch. He goes to the outside to fight Batista and HHH. The ref calls for the bell.
Evolution gains the upper hand and beats up the Shield. Evolution sends Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns back in the ring. HHH gets Ambrose in position for the pedigree but Seth Rollins hits a dropkick off the top rope. The Shield fights back and gains the upper hand. Reigns delivers a round of spears. They go to triple power bomb HHH but Batista and Orton come into the ring with chairs. The Shield fights them off but HHH manages to escape.
REVIEW
This was a decent episode of Raw. Cena and Wyatt's promo in the beginning was creepy, over the top, and incredibly awesome. Cena seems to really be cracking from the mind games of The Eater of Worlds. I can see this rivalry ending with Cena being put to pasture. He hasn't had a break in a while and this would be the perfect opportunity for him to take a nice long vacation. This feud will probably not end at Extreme Rules, but when it does , the results are sure to be monumental.
The segment with Daniel Bryan, Brie Bella, Stephanie, and Kane was also awesome, if not a bit predictable. I loved how they kept showing the mask throughout night and then all of sudden it was gone. Kane coming out from under the ring brought me back to The Attitude Era and really established Kane as The Big Red Monster once again. The wrench was also a nod to classic Kane.
I don't know why, but the feud between Evolution and The Shield seems to be missing something. Overall, I think it's that I'm just tired of seeing Batista, Orton and Triple H. While they are all talented inside the ring, I find them to be three of the most boring wrestlers to ever lace up their boots. Triple H plays a good heel, and he was awesome back in the day with DX, but he has gotten stale over the years. Hopefully The Shield will decimate Evolution at the conclusion of their rivalry and send them to the wrestling retirement home. It seems to be going that way and as I mentioned in previous coverage, this is turning out to be a symbolic rivalry that signals the dawning of a new era in sports entertainment.
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