WWE Monday Night RAW
Location: Chicago, IL
Date: March 3, 2014
Commentators: Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL
Tonight’s WWE RAW Pre-show kicks off with Josh Mathews, Booker T, Alex Riley and Hacksaw Jim Duggan as fans file into the arena. The panel talks about tonight’s show as WWE Superstars begins taping in the background.
– The panel reveals The Usos vs. The New Age Outlaws tonight with the titles on the line. They talk about actor Aaron Paul hosting the show tonight. The panel talks about WrestleMania XXX now. We hear a big CM Punk chant in the background. We see footage of Daniel Bryan challenging Triple H last week.
– We see Daniel Bryan arriving backstage with Brie Bella. Renee Young approaches Bryan for comments on Batista. Bryan says he’s going to show Batista what a real man is tonight and it’s not some jacked up, wanna-be movie star. We see footage from Batista’s heel turn on SmackDown.
– The panel talks about how much heart Daniel Bryan has but how Batista is the real deal. We get hype for The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family. We see footage of John Cena‘s injury angle from last week. Mathews acknowledges the CM Punk chants and says we haven’t heard from Punk in some time. We go to a WrestleMania Rewind promo.
– We get hype for NXT and the WWE Network. Renee Young is backstage with The New Age Outlaws. They’re not happy about defending the titles tonight and say The Usos won’t get a win over them again. We go down to Tom Philips and Byron Saxton as Los Matadores defeat Curtis Axel and Ryback for Superstars. Jerry Lawler interviews Matadores and El Torito after the match. Fans chant for CM Punk. They talk about maybe becoming WWE Tag Team Champions. We get more hype for tonight’s show as the announcers make their way out. The panel talks about Brock Lesnar and The Undertaker now. We go backstage to Renee Young. She knocks on Lesnar’s door but Paul Heyman walks up wondering what she wants. Heyman says when Brock is ready to talk, he’ll be happy to. Heyman walks into Lesnar’s dressing room and we go back to the panel. Aaron Paul will be on the post-show tonight. That’s it for the pre-show.
– RAW kicks off with Michael Cole welcoming us. We go right to the ring and CM Punk’s music hits to a huge pop. A huge Punk chant starts up as fans wait for Punk to come out. Instead, Paul Heyman comes out to boos.
Heyman hits the ring and the chants for Punk are deafening. Heyman holds the microphone out so we can hear, as if. Heyman says Punk deserves louder than that and they go crazy again. Heyman sits down in the middle of the ring like Punk once did. Heyman says he came here tonight to tell the story of a Paul Heyman Guy that was never truly wanted in WWE. A Paul Heyman Guy they thought was too small to main event WrestleMania. Heyman goes on and says they don’t want him in WWE right now either. The Punk chants start up again. Heyman came here tonight to tell us the story of a Paul Heyman Guy who had the balls to say what nobody else has the balls to say. Heyman gets a big pop for Chicago. Heyman introduces himself and says this is his pipebomb about CM Punk.
Heyman says Punk is not here tonight. Fans chant for Punk. Heyman says nobody is more upset that he can’t see Punk perform tonight than he is. Heyman says if Punk was here, he’d be proving why he is the best in the world. Heyman wonders why Punk isn’t here tonight and why nobody will talk about him anymore. Heyman says there is a finger to point and there is someone to blame. Heyman blames the fans. Heyman says when Punk was with him, he was the longest reigning champion of the past 25 years. Heyman says the fans took Punk away from him and made Punk their hero. Heyman blames someone else – The Undertaker. Heyman says Punk’s downward spiral began when they couldn’t beat The Streak last year. Heyman tells Taker he wants revenge. How do you get revenge against Taker? Heyman says he wants to see The Streak taken away and conquered and there’s only one man that can do that – Brock Lesnar. Heyman introduces his best friend in the world and out comes Lesnar.
Fans chant for Punk as Lesnar hits the ring. Heyman shows us footage from last week where Taker chokeslammed Lesnar. We come back from the video and the Punk chants start up again. Lesnar asks for the “f—ing mic” from Heyman. Lesnar says unlike some people, he doesn’t make claims that he can’t back up. Lesnar says Taker attacked him because Taker is scared to death of him. Lesnar says many have tried to conquer The Streak and all have failed. He names Triple H, Shawn Michaels and CM Punk. Lesnar calls them failures. Lesnar says he will end The Streak and drops the mic. Heyman and Lesnar leave together but out comes Mark Henry. Henry stares down Lesnar from the stage. Lesnar tells him to bring it. Lesnar leaps off the steel steps and they start brawling at ringside. Lesnar whips Henry knee first into the steps. Fans chant for Punk as Lesnar grabs part of the steps and rams them into Henry’s face. Lesnar tears apart the announcers table and tosses the monitors into the ring. Lesnar puts Henry through the table with a F5 as Heyman looks on. Fans chant for Punk and Lesnar nods his head at them. Heyman raises Lesnar’s arm as we go to replays. We come back and Lesnar is smiling as trainers check on Henry.
– Still to come, The Usos vs. The New Age Outlaws for the titles. We go to commercial.
WWE Tag Team Title Match: The Usos vs. WWE tag team champions The New Age Outlaws
Back from the break and out comes WWE Tag Team Champions The New Age Outlaws. They cut a promo and Road Dogg says Chicago isn’t worthy of hearing their catchphrases. Out next comes The Usos.
Jey Uso starts off with Road Dogg and they go at it. Punk chants immediately start up. Dogg hip tosses Uso into the turnbuckles and covers for a 2 count. Uso goes out to the floor and Billy Gunn stomps on him before rolling him back in. Gunn is the legal man now. Gunn with right hands. Uso turns it around in the corner as Dogg comes in. Dogg counters with a big clothesline for a 2 count. Dogg keeps control and tosses Uso out to the floor. Fans chant for The Usos as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and The Usos are in control. Gunn tags in and kicks Jey in the face, breaking up a pin. Gunn covers for a 2 count. Dogg tags in and keeps up the attack. Jimmy Uso finally tags in and unloads. Jimmy and Gunn go at it. Dogg gets knocked off the apron. Samoan Drop on Gunn. Dogg comes back in but catches a powerbomb. Jimmy with the back splash on Dogg. Jimmy with a corkscrew from the top for a close 2 count. Jimmy superkicks Dogg off the apron. Gunn rolls Jimmy up for 2. Gunn with a big tilt-a-whirl slam for another 2 count. Jimmy blocks the Fame-asser and tags in his brother, all while leaping out on Dogg. Jey with a superkick to Gunn. Uso goes up top for the Superfly Splash for the win and the titles.
Winners and New WWE Tag Team Champions: The Usos
– After the match, The Usos celebrate their first title reign.
– We get a clip of Aaron Paul in Need For Speed. The Bella Twins, Natalya, Aksana and Alicia Fox are backstage waiting on Paul to arrive. Apparently Paul is giving Dolph Ziggler a ride later. Aksana says she would like to ride too because she likes fast cars. We go to commercial.
Big E vs. Cesaro
Back from the break and Cesaro waits in the ring as WWE Intercontinental Champion Big E makes his way out. The bell rings and they go right at it. We see Jack Swagger and Zeb Colter at ringside. Cesaro with a huge backbreaker for a pop from the crowd. More back and forth. Big E slams Cesaro but Cesar tosses him out to the floor. Swagger comes over but gets decked. Big E comes back in and Cesaro catches him with a Cesaro Swing.
You can still see and hear crew members putting the announcers table back together. Swagger runs in after the Swing and lays Big E out for the disqualification, the same thing that happened last week.
Winner by DQ: Big E
– After the match, Cesaro isn’t happy at all. Big E gets up and lays Cesaro out with a Big Ending before leaving. Cesaro tries to recover as Zeb yells at Swagger.
The Shield vs. The Wyatt Family
We go to the ring and out comes Seth Rollins, Roman Reigns and Dean Ambrose. Back to commercial. Back from the break and out comes Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper. A “this is awesome” chant starts up before The Wyatts hit the ring. Before they can get in, Rollins and Ambrose leap out onto them. Reigns meets Wyatt in the ring and hits a big Samoan Drop. Bray gets tossed to the floor. Rollins beats down Harper in the ring as the bell rings. Harper counters with a German from the top but Rollins lands on his feet. Rollins tosses Harper and Rowan to the floor. Rollins leaps out onto Harper, runs back in and leaps out onto Rowan. Rollins takes out Harper again as Reigns smiles. Ambrose and Bray go at it. Rollins falls from the top. Harper whips Rollins into the barrier. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Harper has Rollins grounded. Harper drops him with a big right hand and taunts the rest of The Shield. Rollins drops Harper off the distraction. Ambrose argues with Bray on the floor but Reigns stops him. Rollins reaches for a tag but nobody is there. Rowan comes in and goes after Rollins. Rollins drops him in the corner but Harper runs in and hits Reigns with a big boot, knocking him off the apron. Ambrose tags in and unloads on Rowan. Ambrose with a flying clothesline and a dropkick to the knee. Ambrose with a leg whip and a Figure Four. Harper runs in and breaks the hold. Reigns takes Harper to the floor and throws him over the barrier into the timekeeper’s area. Wyatt lays out Ambrose in the ring. Bray with right hands on Ambrose now.
Harper comes back in and keeps control of Ambrose. Fans start chanting for Punk as Rowan works over Ambrose for another pin attempt. Harper comes back in with uppercuts on Ambrose. Ambrose with a big clothesline out of nowhere. Ambrose also lays out Bray but Reigns was knocked off the apron before. Ambrose crawls for a tag but Rollins drops off the apron. Ambrose looks at him shocked. Rollins walks out and heads to the back. Reigns stops him and asks what’s going on. Rollins says he can’t be the glue that keeps this together. He says Rollins and Ambrose can figure it out. Bray splashes Ambrose in the corner and hits a running clothesline for a 2 count as Reigns breaks the pin. Reigns tosses Bray to the floor and hits a Samoan Drop on Rowan. Superman punch for Harper and for Bray. Rowan decks Reigns. Ambrose saves Reigns from Rowan. Reigns sends Rowan to the floor with Bray. Ambrose helps Reigns hit the big apron dropkick to the head of Harper. Ambrose mounts Bray with right hands. Reigns spears Rowan up onto the announce table and over to the floor. Harper dives out and sends Reigns back over the table. Ambrose leaps onto Harper and they brawl. Bray sends Ambrose face first into the ring post.
Fans chant “this is awesome” as Bray rolls Ambrose in the ring. Bray turns upside down in the corner and hits Sister Abigail on Ambrose for the win.
Winners: The Wyatt Family
– After the match, we see Rollins watched everything that happened from the ramp. The Wyatts pose over Ambrose as we go to replays and Rollins looks on. Rollins doesn’t look content with his decision.
– We go backstage to Renee Young and Batista. Batista says the “Yes Movement” is the dumbest thing he’s ever seen. He can’t believe what’s being passed as a WWE Superstar these days. Batista says guys like Daniel Bryan will never beat guys like him. He says it’s a fact and we have to deal with it. Back to commercial.
Summer Rae and Fandango vs. Emma and Santino Marella
We go to the ring as Summer Rae waits with Fandango while Emma and Santino Marella make their way out.
Santino starts off with Fandango and fans chant for CM Punk. They immediately tag out and in come the Divas. Another tag and then one more. And another. Fandango finally decks Santino and unloads with a clothesline. Fandango with an uppercut. Fandango keeps control and goes to the top but misses the leg drop. Santino with a right hand and a jawbreaker. Fans chant for Dolph Ziggler. Emma and Summer both come in and go at it. Emma with a clothesline and another, and a third. Summer misses in the corner and Emma wraps her up on the ropes. Emma dances around and hits the low crossbody in the corner. Santino chases Fandango off with the Cobra. Emma applies the Emma-Lock on Summer for the win.
Winners: Emma and Santino Marella
– After the match, Emma and Santino dance around and act up.
– We get a look at the feud between Sheamus and Christian. Still to come, Sheamus vs. Christian. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a WWE Network promo from Stephanie McMahon.
Sheamus vs. Christian
We go to the ring and out first comes Christian. Sheamus is out next. Fans chant for CM Punk before the match starts. They meet in the middle of the ring and talk trash. Christian slaps Sheamus and goes to work on him. Sheamus chases Christian around the ring and grabs his leg. Sheamus sends Christian into the barrier multiple times. Sheamus rolls it back in the ring and stomps away. Sheamus with a slam and a big knee for a 2 count. Christian turns it around and works Sheamus over. More back and forth action now. Sheamus with a big clothesline. Sheamus with an Irish Curse backbreaker for a 2 count.
Christian sends Sheamus flying to the floor and then dropkicks him back. Christian leaps out but hits the floor. Sheamus sends Christian into the steel steps. Christian blocks a slam and hides behind the announcers as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Sheamus gets sent out to the floor. Christian with more offense and a 2 count. Christian unloads on Christian and chokes him. Christian goes up top but misses a splash. Sheamus makes a comeback but misses the high knee. Sheamus with the forearms to the chest on the apron but Christian fights him off. Christian leaps off the top but Sheamus catches him and drops him on the top rope. Sheamus with the forearms to the chest now. Sheamus with a 2 count. A “this is awful” chant starts up. More back and forth. Christian nails the frogsplash for a close 2 count. Fans chant for CM Punk. Sheamus with White Noise for another 2 count. Sheamus ends up hitting a Brogue on the apron for the win.
Winner: Sheamus
– Still to come, Daniel Bryan vs. Batista. Also, John Cena will address The Wyatt Family.
– Back from the break and Sheamus is backstage with Renee Young. He feels he’s finally getting into his groove. Christian attacks him and throws him into the backstage set. Christian beats Sheamus with a stage light. Referees pull him off and tend to Sheamus.
The Bella Twins vs. Aksana and Alicia Fox
We go to the ring and all four Divas are waiting in the ring. Brie Bella starts off with Aksana. Nikki comes in and hits Aksana with a knee to the face. Aksana pulls Nikki off the top and tags in Alicia. Alicia covers Nikki for a 2 count.
Aksana comes back in and slams Brie’s face into the mat. Another tag from Alicia as Brie fights back. They ground Brie in the corner again. Alicia comes in with another 2 count. Nikki ends up hitting a missile dropkick. Alicia gets caught up in the corner and Nikki hits her finisher for the win.
Winners: The Bella Twins
– We see Daniel Bryan making his way to the ring. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see the stars of Sirens at ringside. Daniel Bryan makes his way out to a big pop. Bryan says the people in Chicago understand one thing – the fans have a voice. He has a voice and tonight, they’re going to hijack RAW, he says. A big “yes!” chant breaks out. Bryan says he’s not leaving the ring until one of two things happen. A Punk chant starts. Bryan says he’s not leaving until Batista comes to fight or until Triple H comes to answer his challenge. The music interrupts and out comes Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
Fans chant for Punk as Triple H and Stephanie enter the ring. Triple H holds his arms wide open and Stephanie laughs. Stephanie admires Bryan’s tenacity as she brings up all his losses. Fans are booing big time. Stephanie says Bryan should be embarrassed to be out here, not trying to hijack RAW. Bryan doesn’t care what she says. He asks Triple H about the challenge. Bryan says he’s stronger than ever. Triple H asks why Bryan can’t just accept his failures and inadequacies. Triple H says this is the Excuse Era or the Blame Era because these guys just blame everyone else and make excuses. Fans chant for Punk and boo Triple H. Triple H says if someone fails in WWE, they’re just not good enough. That’s the reality. He says Bryan’s reality is he’s a B+ player. Triple H says B+ is pretty damn good, why does that anger people? An “asshole” chant breaks out. Bryan says fans see through Triple H’s lies. A big “yes!” chant breaks out. Stephanie chimes in and knocks Bryan for coming from the indies. She says without her family, Bryan would have nothing. She says 21 trucks came to the arena today to make everything look good for Bryan. The ring, the TV distribution, everything is provided by her family. Without the McMahons, Bryan wouldn’t have his underdog persona, his t-shirts or fans chanting for him. She says they made Bryan.
Bryan jokes that maybe he should face Stephanie at WrestleMania and fans chant “yes!” for it. Tripe H says he’s 90% sure she would whoop Bryan’s ass too. Triple H says it’s just not going to happen. Triple H says he’s not falling for the bait. Triple H mocks Bryan and talks to him like he’s a child. He says WrestleMania is the showcase of the immortals and Bryan just doesn’t measure up. Triple H tells Bryan to get out of his ring. A “no!” chant starts up. Bryan says this isn’t Triple H’s ring. Stephanie says yes it is. Bryan says this is the fans’ ring and they start cheering again. Triple H says everything in this arena, including the fans and Bryan, belongs to them. Triple H tells him again to leave the ring. Bryan tells Triple H to make him. Stephanie calls out Kane and the pyro goes off.
Bryan leaps out and takes out Kane on the floor. Stephanie calls for security to come out. Referees try to pull Bryan off Kane but are having no luck. Security finally comes out and backs him up the ramp. Stephanie yells at Bryan to get out and stay out. Security forms a wall between Bryan and the ring. Fans chant for Bryan. Bryan vs. Batista will happen in the main event.
– Still to come, Cena will address The Wyatt Family. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we see what happened with Lesnar and Henry from earlier. We go back to the pre-show panel to talk about tonight’s show.
Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler
Alberto Del Rio waits in the ring. We hear a car engine revving up and in comes actor Aaron Paul driving a Shelby Mustang. Dolph Ziggler is in the passenger seat. They get out to a big pop.
Aaron Paul sits down for commentary. Del Rio goes right to work on Ziggler and beats him down. Del Rio keeps control but misses in the corner. Ziggler with a big dropkick and right hands in the corner. Ziggler with a neckbreaker. Del Rio with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a 2 count. Ziggler counters a move with a tornado DDT and a 2 count. Del Rio works on the arm and nails a superkick. Del Rio covers for another 2 count. Aaron Paul stands up on the announcers table and taunts Del Rio. Ziggler blocks the cross armbreaker with a Zig Zag for the win.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
– After the match, Paul applauds Ziggler and heads in the ring to celebrate with him. Back to commercial.
– Back from the break and Paul Bearer is announced for the 2014 WWE Hall of Fame.
Big E vs. Jack Swagger
We go to the ring for Big E and Jack Swagger as we see what happened earlier. Before the match can get underway, Cesaro hits the ring and lays out Big E with a Neutralizer.
Winner by DQ: Big E
– Cesaro and Swagger have words in the middle of the ring. Swagger shoves Cesaro. Cesaro says they are even now. Swagger shoves him again. Cesaro drops Swagger and goes for a Cesaro Swing but Zeb Colter stops him on the mic. Zeb tells Cesaro to be a Real American and not listen to the fans. Zeb tells Cesaro to help Swagger up and he does. Zeb says they need to put it behind them. They reluctantly hug and Zeb leads a “we the people!” chant.
– Back from the break and out comes John Cena walking gingerly to the ring. Cena hits the ring and a big CM Punk chant starts up. Cena thanks them for the warm welcome and they boo. They cheer when Cena says he was injured by The Wyatt Family last week. Cena says he will not have a match tonight under doctor’s orders. Fans chant “yes!” now. Another big Punk chant starts up. Cena talks about his history with Chicago and says he respects the city. Cena says he’s been listening to the whole hijack stuff and the WWE Universe wants change. A “yes!” chant starts up. Cena says he respects that but fans need to respect this – success in this company is earned and change will come through him. Fans boo that. Cena says to any WWE star out there, especially Bray Wyatt, come get it. The lights go out and when they come back on, The Wyatt Family is on the big screen.
Bray cuts a promo and compares Cena to a championship horse that is starting to break down. Bray asks Cena how long he thinks he can fend them off. Bray say mercy is calling Cena by name. Bray says he’s the reaper and he’s going to put Cena down. Bray tells Cena to follow the buzzards and that’s it.
– We see Batista heading out for the main event when Randy Orton stops him. Orton wishes Batista good luck in the match. Batista walks off and we go to commercial.
– Back from the break and out comes Lana. She tells us to all rise for the Bulgarian Brute and out comes Alexander Rusev. He stands up on a podium and cuts a promo in Bulgarian.
– We get a look at Hulk Hogan‘s return and media appearances for WWE last week. Hogan will be on next week’s RAW with a big WrestleMania announcement.
Daniel Bryan vs. Batista
Out first comes WWE World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton to watch from ringside. Batista is out next followed by Daniel Bryan. The match begins at 11:01pm. Batista shoves Bryan to the corner to start.
Batista overpowers Bryan again. Bryan takes Batista’s knee out and goes to work on the leg. Bryan with kicks to the leg and a choke with his boot. Bryan with a running dropkick to the knee. Batista breaks out of a half-crab next. Bryan with uppercuts. Batista with a big clothesline out of nowhere and the crowd boos. A “you can’t wrestle” chant starts next. Batista tosses Bryan out to the floor as we go to a commercial at 11:05pm.
Back from the break and Bryan is fighting back but Batista hits a knee to the gut. Bryan ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own on Batista. Bryan with a running dropkick in the corner. Bryan goes for another but Batista rolls to the floor. Bryan charges and nails a suicide dive, sending Batista into the barrier. Bryan goes to the top and nails a missile dropkick. Bryan with kicks to the chest now. Bryan hits the roundhouse for a 2 count.
Kane, Triple H and Stephanie make their way out to watch the match. Batista sends Bryan flying into the steel steps. Batista then launches Bryan into Orton, who is still sitting in a chair. An “overrated” chant breaks out. Batista brings Bryan back in the ring but Bryan nails a kick to the head. Orton comes in and takes out Bryan.
Winner by DQ: Daniel Bryan
– Orton immediately turns for a RKO on Batista but Bryan takes him out with a knee. Bryan with a knee for Batista. Bryan knocks Kane off the apron and sends him into Triple H. Bryan gets ready but Batista spears him out of mid-air. Kane rushes the ring but Triple H holds him back. Fans chant for CM Punk. Triple H grabs a mic and says he’s tired of Bryan’s fantasy crap… but Bryan kicks him in the face. Batista nails a Batista Bomb on Bryan. Triple H takes off his tie and nails a Pedigree on Bryan. Triple H, Stephanie and Kane stand over Bryan. Stephanie mocks him with a “yes” chant. Fans chant for Punk as Triple H’s music hits and RAW goes off the air.
– The RAW Backstage Pass post-show opens up with the panel. We see Kane, Triple H and Batista in the ring with a fallen Daniel Bryan. Big Show and John Cena run down to help clear the ring. We go backstage to Renee Young and Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie doesn’t believe that was a sign that Triple H is facing Bryan at WrestleMania. Renee tries to get a word with Triple H but he keeps walking. Byron Saxton gets a reaction from Curtis Axel and Titus O’Neil in the locker room. We go back to the panel to talk about tonight’s show and plug the live Main Event tomorrow night.
– We see Byron Saxton interviewing The Usos immediately following their big title win earlier. The Usos were very hype and said this was for their family and for their fans. They give a shout-out to their late uncles Yokozuna and Umaga. We go back to the panel to hype tomorrow night’s live Main Event. We get a look at Aaron Paul’s involvement and he speaks backstage with Renee Young. He felt honored to get the Jesse Pinkman chant. Paul talked about how WWE is a cool, incredible and badass family and he was glad to be a part of it. We go back to the panel for more thoughts on RAW, hype for Big Show’s return to SmackDown and more plugs for tomorrow night’s live Main Event on the WWE Network. That’s it for the post-show.
Source: www.ringsidenews.com