WWE Monday Night RAW
Location: Baltimore, MD
Date: July 8, 2013
Commentators: Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler
Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with a vignette for The Wyatt Family – Erick Rowan, Luke Harper and Bray Wyatt. Obey, danger. They’re coming. We go to the normal RAW opening video.
– We go to the ring and Vickie Guerrero waits with Brad Maddox. She welcomes everyone to RAW. They have a ladder behind them. Vickie talks about what the ladder represents in WWE and brings up names like Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon and Triple H. She says this ladder represents her career with WWE. If she falls, she’s blaming it on all the fans. Vickie climbs to the top of the ladder and talks about how she’s done her job well in a tough environment. Vickie goes on but Jerry Lawler interrupts her from the announce table. Lawler has just received word that the McMahon family are going to be considering any and all factors for her job evaluation tonight, including the opinions of the fans. Fans can get on the WWE App and vote on Vickie’s job. Vickie kisses up to the fans and says they are like her family. Vickie announces that John Cena and Mark Henry will meet face to face in the ring. Also, Christian vs. Kane, Randy Orton vs. CM Punk and Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan.
Sheamus vs. Daniel Bryan
Daniel Bryan comes right out to a big pop from the crowd. We cut to a promo for Rob Van Dam’s return before Sheamus makes his way out.
Back from a commercial break and out comes Sheamus. They lock up and Sheamus takes Bryan to the corner. Sheamus with a headlock takedown. Sheamus with a shoulder block that sends Bryan down. They both look up at the Money in the Bank briefcase hanging above the ring. Bryan goes to work on his arm now. More back and forth now. Sheamus fights out of the corner and drops an elbow and a knee. More knees from Sheamus. Sheamus takes Bryan back to the mat and works on his arm now.
Bryan fights back and kicks Sheamus several times against the ropes. Sheamus comes back and slams Bryan for a 2 count. Bryan runs the ropes but Sheamus catches him with an Irish Curse backbreaker for 2. Sheamus ends up on the floor. Bryan leaps out from the apron but Sheamus catches him and drops Bryan face first into the fan barrier. Both men are down as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Sheamus has Bryan in a headlock. Bryan fights out. Bryan with uppercuts and kicks in the corner. Bryan ducks a clothesline but Sheamus catches him with Irish Curse again. 2 count for Sheamus. More back and forth now. Another 2 count by Sheamus. Sheamus runs into boots in the corner. Sheamus hits the rolling senton. Bryan dodges the Brogue Kick and Sheamus tumbles over the top rope and to the floor. Bryan runs and nails a suicide dive through the ropes. Bryan brings it back in the ring and nails a missile dropkick for a 2 count. Bryan with kicks to the chest while Sheamus is on his knees. Bryan misses the last kick and Sheamus rolls to the apron. Sheamus hits the series of forearm shots to the chest. Bryan drops after a big clothesline. Sheamus goes up top but Bryan cuts him off. Bryan climbs up for a hurricanrana but Sheamus hangs on and Bryan hits the mat. Sheamus with a battering ram for a 2 count. Sheamus goes for White Noise but Bryan blocks it and fights out. Bryan sends Sheamus face first into the corner. Bryan with a huge kick to the face for a 2 count. More back and forth. Sheamus locks in the Cloverleaf submission but Bryan counters with a roll-up for the win.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
– After the match, Bryan and Sheamus meet in the middle of the ring and look up at the briefcase. They shake hands and Sheamus heads to the back while Bryan celebrates.
– We see a video of a WWE camera crew out in “the sticks” somewhere looking for The Wyatt Family. Someone tells them it’s about 2 miles up the road. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what happened on SmackDown with AJ Lee and Kaitlyn. Big E Langston is backstage with AJ now. Dolph Ziggler walks in and asks Big E to give them a second alone. Ziggler brings up her not being out there with him on RAW or SmackDown last week. AJ smooth it over but Ziggler is interested in only winning the World Heavyweight Title back.
– We get a promo video for Mark Henry.
– We get a promo video for Mark Henry.
WWE tag team champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. Brodus Clay and Tensai (non-title)
We go to the arena and out comes WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns with Dean Ambrose, who stays in the crowd. The Shield appears to a pop from the crowd. Rollins and Reigns hit the ring as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Tensai is out with Brodus Clay. Clay starts things out with Seth Rollins and takes control. Tensai comes in for some double teaming. Tensai with a big suplex on Rollins for a 2 count. Clay comes back in and keeps up the attack on Rollins. Clay with a big splash in the corner but he misses the splash on the mat. Reigns comes in and hits a big superman punch on Clay for a pin attempt. More of Reigns in control. Rollins comes back in for another pin attempt. Reigns tags back in to keep Clay down in their corner. Reigns takes Clay to the mat. Rollins comes back in with kicks on Clay in the corner. Reigns and Rollins hit flying shots in the corner and Clay falls to the mat. 2 count by Reigns.
Reigns continues to beat Clay around. A “boring” chant starts in the crowd. Reigns gets Clay on his shoulders but Clay slides down and rolls Reigns up for 2. Clay with a big slam on Reigns. Rollins tags in as does Tensai. Tensai goes to work and unloads on Rollins. He misses in the corner but knocks Rollins across the ring with a shoulder tackle. Tensai with a rolling senton in the corner on Rollins. He runs into a big boot and Rollisn drops him face first into the second turnbuckle. Rollins knocks Clay off the apron. Rollins goes to the top but Tensai knocks him out of the air. Tensai with a big shot and a 2 count. Rollins with big kicks to the head now. Reigns comes in. Rollins takes out Clay on the floor and Reigns spears Tensai for the win.
Winners: The Shield
– Back from the break and we get another video of the WWE.com reporter looking for The Wyatt Family. He pulls up on a big white house with a bunch of junk in the yard. We see Erick Rowan in the backyard chopping wood in his sheep mask. Luke Harper grabs the camera man and tells him to follow.
– We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion John Cena.
Cena comes out and talks about the crowd being hype. He calls Mark Henry out and here he comes to the ring. Henry says Cena has the same look he had last week – the look of fear. Cena says he isn’t afraid. Henry says he should be. Henry says he’s starved and only one thing can solve his hunger. Cena says he must be talking about a Snicker’s bar. Henry isn’t laughing. Henry says he’s a new man. Henry calls Cena a puppet like the fans. Henry says the WWE Title will validate his career. Henry says he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer if he can beat Cena. Henry says he’s even sold out his family. Cena says Henry better win on Sunday then. Cena says Henry has lied to everyone, all for leather and gold. Cena says Henry will lose the respect of everyone and 17 years will be gone for nothing if he can’t win on Sunday. Henry doesn’t care what Cena or the fans think. Henry points out that some fans love Cena and some hate him. Henry threatens Cena for interrupting him. Cena drops the belt and takes off his shirt, getting ready to fight. Henry doesn’t want to fight for free. He says he took a 50% pay cut before and doesn’t want to lose any money. Henry changes his mind and levels Cena with a clothesline. Cena comes back and goes for an Attitude Adjustment but collapses with Henry’s weight. Henry nails a World’s Strongest Slam. We go to replays.
– Josh Mathews is backstage with Randy Orton. Orton talks about winning Money in the Bank and says if Cena retains on Sunday but is in a bad state like he just was, Orton won’t hesitate to cash in and take the WWE Title.
– Back from the break and The Miz is now on commentary.
Chris Jericho vs. WWE Intercontinental champion Curtis Axel (non-title)
We go to the ring and out first comes Chris Jericho to a big pop. We see footage of Ryback quitting last week. Out next comes WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel with Paul Heyman.
Heyman comes out wearing glasses because of the black eye he got from Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown. Heyman takes his glasses off to reveal a nasty shiner. Heyman isn’t here as a martyr for CM Punk, he’s here to bask in perfection tonight. Heyman introduces Axel. Axel cuts a promo about Jericho and heads for the ring. The bell rings and they go at it. Axel drops Jericho first. Jericho comes back with clotheslines and sends Jericho out of the ring. Jericho dropkicks Axel through the ropes and works him over on the barrier. Jericho with a chop. He brings Axel back in the ring. Axel cuts him off coming in. Axel takes back control and we go to commercial.
Back from the break and they’re going at it while Heyman screams at ringside. Lots of back and forth. Jericho goes for Walls of Jericho but Axel counters. Jericho with a nice suplex for a 2 count. Axel with a big shot to the back of the head for a 2 count. Jericho hits a big crossbody from the top but Axel kicks out at 2. Axel counters Lionsault with his knees. Axel with the swinging neckbreaker for 2. More back and forth. Jericho hits a Lionsault but Axel kicks out at 2. Axel blocks a Codebreaker and drops Jericho on the ropes. Axel with a Perfectplex for another close 2 count. Axel with right hands to the back of the head now. Axel shows frustration. Jericho blocks a neckbreaker and goes for Walls of Jericho, locking it in. Axel makes it to the ropes and breaks the hold. Jericho knocks him off the apron and Axel hits his face on the announce table. The Miz laughs at Axel. They have words and The Miz gets ready to fight. Axel goes back into the ring but catches a Codebreaker for the win. This is Axel’s first loss since returning with the name change.
Winner: Chris Jericho
– Still to come – Punk vs. Orton and Christian vs. Kane. Back to commercial.
– Josh Mathews is backstage with Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. He asks about the Money in the Bank match and their friendship. Sandow tries to speak for Cody when Zeb Colter walks up with Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger. Wade Barrett appears and makes his case for winning on Sunday. Fandango appears to a big pop and goes to say his name but Barrett levels him with a big forearm to the head. Barrett walks off. Cesaro and Swagger come face to face with Rhodes and Sandow.
– We get another video of the WWE.com reporter at The Wyatt Family house. Luke leads him into a room and tells him not to stray. Luke leads the reporter to a room where Bray Wyatt is. We go to commercial.
Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio
Back from the break and out comes Sin Cara. World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is out next for this non-title match.
Back and forth to start the match. Cara with some high flying moves. Del Rio turns it around with shoulder thrusts in the ring. Del Rio charges and misses. Cara with a big hurricanrana. Cara goes to the top but Del Rio kicks him in the back of the head. Cara falls to the mat and Del Rio covers for 2. More back and forth. Another big kick by Del Rio but Cara keeps kicking out. Dolph Ziggler’s music hits and out he comes to the stage. Cara rolls up a distracted Del Rio but he blocks it and drops Cara. Ziggler walks to the ring and says he feels bad about what he did to Ricardo Rodriguez. Ziggler mocks Ricardo and does his own introduction for Del Rio. The match is still going on as Ziggler insults Del Rio. Del Rio with a big superkick to Cara. Del Rio runs out of the ring and starts brawling with Ziggler. Cara comes leaping off the top and takes out Del Rio on the floor. Ziggler runs off and taunts Del Rio from the ramp.
Winner: No contest
– Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox are backstage walking as we go to commercial. Her job evaluation is up next. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see Baltimore Raven Ray Rice sitting behind the announcers. They show us a video of what happened with Mark Henry and John Cena earlier tonight.
– Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox are in the ring now. The apron is black and there’s a table with three empty chairs. Vickie sits on a stool and Maddox is standing beside her. Out next comes Vince McMahon with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Stephanie speaks first and says they’re here to evaluate Vickie’s performance. Stephanie thanks the WWE fans for voting on the WWE App on whether or not Vickie passes or fails. Stephanie lets Vickie speak and the fans start booing her. Vickie says she has always loved the McMahon family and the fans. Vickie talks about some of the things she’s done. She takes credit for inspiring The Undertaker to return at WrestleMania. Stephanie mocks that one. She points out Vickie was also responsible for bringing back Brock Lesnar, who brought havoc with him. Stephanie says Vickie has to take responsibility for her actions. Stephanie asks Vickie if bringing back Brock was a good idea. Vickie apologizes for Lesnar attacking them. Vince speaks up and says it was a stroke of genius. Vince says we can all agree that Vickie is entertaining. He goes on and Triple H is up next. He admits Vickie can be unintentionally entertaining but she’s horrible at her job. Triple H says she botched the recent WWE 2K14 reveal on RAW. He says fans boo her every week and it’s bad for business. He knows Vince thinks that’s entertaining but it’s not, he says. Triple H says the fans want and deserve better than Vickie.
Vince thinks Vickie should be permanent General Manager of RAW. Triple H speaks up and doesn’t agree. He calls Vickie a puppet who strokes Vince’s ego every week. Triple H says we should let Stephanie decide Vickie’s fate, since she called the meeting. Vince says he has no problem with daddy’s little girl making the decision. Triple H says he has no problem with the mother of his children making the decision. Vince wants what’s best for entertainment and Triple H wants what’s best for business. Stephanie says she won’t let anyone or anything drive a wedge between her and her family so she’s going to let the votes on the WWE App decide. We get a graphic and 25% voted pass, 75% voted fail. Stephanie says the fans have spoken and Vickie failed. Vickie gets upset and starts yelling. Stephanie has two words for Vickie… you’re fired. Vickie drops to her knees and drops the mic. The fans start singing goodbye to her. She pushes Maddox away and starts crying and throwing a fit on the mat. Vickie crawls to the desk and begs the McMahons. Vickie gets up on the desk and continues throwing a fit and yelling. Vince takes the mic and asks if the people are happy. Vince says the fans have broken Vickie’s heart. Vince says Vickie didn’t fail, each and every fan just failed. Vince says Vickie could have been the most entertaining General Manager of all-time. Vince says we need a new General Manager of RAW and the people deserve this. Vince names Brad Maddox as the new General Manager of RAW. Vickie starts screaming again. Vince escorts Vickie out of the ring and Maddox looks shocked. Vince puts his jacket around Vickie and helps her to the back. Maddox follows. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Vickie is crying to Vince about how she loves her job. Vince says he’s going to make it right somehow. Maddox walks up and apologizes to Vickie for what happened. He thanks Vince and says he won’t regret this decision. Maddox keeps his hand extended but Vince doesn’t shake it. Maddox says he’s going to pick up where Vickie left off. Vince asks how long is Maddox going to keep his hand out like that. Vickie attacks Maddox out of nowhere and starts hitting him. Vince takes his jacket back from Vickie and leaves her crying.
Kane vs. Christian
We go to the ring and out first comes Kane. Christian is out next to a nice pop.
They lock up and Kane takes it to the corner. They break and Christian gets the crowd to clap. They fight in the corner and Christian mounts Kane with right hands. Kane whips Christian hard into the corner and he goes down. Back and forth now. Kane misses an elbow drop. Kane grabs Christian by the throat and shoves him back into the corner. Kane scoops Christian for a slam but he slides out to the apron and drops Kane over the rope. Christian with a shoulder off the second rope for a 1 count. Christian with kicks to the head. Christian with the roll up from the second rope but Kane blocks it. Christian drops Kane into the middle rope and chokes him with it. Christian leaps out to the floor with the big right hand. Kane goes to press Christian but he slides out and sends Kane to the floor. Christian goes to the top and leaps out with a big splash, taking Kane out. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Christian drops Kane with a tornado DDT for a 2 count. Christian gets a clap going again. Kane runs over him with a big boot. Kane goes to the top but misses the big right hand. Christian goes for a spear but Kane chokeslams him for the win.
Winner: Kane
– After the match, Kane looks up at the briefcase as his music plays. Bray Wyatt appears on the big screen. He’s in a rocking chair with a lantern. He talks about how people are sheep and need to be led. Bray says it’s time for the masses to wake up and see the lie they’re living in. He goes on and says this is not the beginning, it’s the end. The lantern goes out and he strikes a match, lighting it again. We see Erick Rowan and Luke Harper in the shadows. Bray says we’re here. His music hits and here they come marching into the arena, lantern in hand while the lights are out. The lights come on and Kane gets beatdown by Harper and Rowan. He fights them off and sends Harper to the floor. We see Bray watching from a rocking chair on the ramp. Harper pulls Kane to the floor and they take back control, sending him into the steel steps. They unload on Kane and hit him with half of the steps. Rowan had trouble getting the steps up and waited for Harper to assist him it looked like. Bray walks over, drops to his knees and poses in front of Kane with Rowan and Harper. We go to commercial as the crowd chants for Husky Harris.
– Back from the break and we see Vickie Guerrero walking backstage with her belongings. Ryback gives her a hug and says she deserves better.
AJ Lee and Alicia Fox vs. Kaitlyn and Layla
The Bella Twins are on commentary as WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee comes out with her partner Alicia Fox. Kaitlyn is out next with Layla.
Layla and Alicia start things off. Back and forth until Kaitlyn attacks. Kaitlyn ends up spearing AJ out on the floor and unloading on her before they’re separated.
Winner: No contest
– CM Punk is backstage with Josh Mathews talking about Randy Orton and Money in the Bank, where Punk says he will grab the briefcase for an unprecedented third time. Punk says he’s the best in the world.
CM Punk vs. Randy Orton
We go to the ring and out first comes Randy Orton as the briefcase hangs high above the ring. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes CM Punk. They lock up and go to the corner. Lots of back and forth with dueling fan chants to start the match. Orton with a big dropkick and some stomps on Punk. Punk turns it around in the corner with knees. Punk drops Orton for a 2 count. Orton brings Punk in from the apron but Punk counters the draping DDT. Punk sends Orton out to the floor with a dropkick. Punk leaps out with a suicide dive and takes Orton out. Both are down as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Orton is in control with a headlock. Orton with a t-bone suplex for a close 2 count. Lots of back and forth. Punk rolls through a pin but Orton kicks out at 2. Punk with a neckbreaker and another 2 count. Punk nails the big elbow drop and gets the crowd hype. Orton blocks GTS and they both go down. Punk blocks the RKO and the back and forth continues. Punk nails another high knee in the corner. Punk goes for GTS but Orton fights out. Punk blocks a RKO with a big kick to the face. Punk nails a GTS for the win.
Winner: CM Punk
– After the match, Punk is celebrating when Daniel Bryan attacks him and throws him over the ropes and into the ring post. Bryan goes under the ring and brings a ladder into the ring. Bryan runs over Orton with the ladder. Bryan sets the ladder up and climbs up for the briefcase. Bryan’s music hits as he celebrates with the briefcase and RAW goes off the air.
Source: www.ringsidenews.com/