Jesse’s WWE RAW Report: Summerslam Looming
By Jesse Castleman
Six days away from SummerSlam, Bret the Hitman Hart Kicks off Monday Night Raw. Hart greets the live crowd in Sacramento, California and expresses his disgust in Team WWE’s. Nexus’s momentum needs to be stopped, and calls out Edge and Chris Jericho in an attempt to put Team WWE back together. And out comes Chris Jericho, who was forced off of Team WWE due to his loss to John Cena last week. Hart tells Jericho to shut up, and says that it’s time to man up because he doesn’t have the time. He’d only be hurting him self, because no one wants anything to do with Jericho. Hart tells Jericho to do the honorable thing, and then asks Jericho to rejoin Team WWE. Jericho, although he says he made him think, Jericho says no and calls Hart a phony, and that he’s got him figured out. Jericho only cares about dismantling Bret Hart right now…
Out comes Edge before Jericho can finish Bret off with his vocal daggers. Edge asks Chris what’s wrong with him, explaining that Bret Hart is the reason why they are in the business right now. Then Edge rejoins the team officially, and shakes his head at Jericho.
Edge kicks at Bret, but he catches him and pushes him down for a sharpshooter, but before he can lock it in Jericho interrupts it and pokes Hart in the eye. Natalya runs in the ring and begs Bret for something. Just then Nexus is shown beating the living hell out of Tyson Kid and Davey Hart Smith. Bret and Natalya run up the stage to get to Kidd and Smith. Wade Barrett does most of the damage to the Hart Dynasty stars, and when he finishes his assault he mockingly exclaims that The Hart Dynasty won’t be Edge and Jericho’s replacements.
Bret is backstage, about to go after Jericho and Edge with a steel chair, but John Cena stops Hart and bringing him to his senses. Cena ends by begging Bret to stay with his injured family so that he can find and talk to the Big Khali.
Awesome! The Miz enters the ring with his US Championship and Money In The Bank briefcase. Little Evan Bourne makes his way to the ring to face the Miz to a nice pop. Bourne has a black eye tonight, from his match in WWE Superstars. Miz beats on Bourne to start but Bourne fights back. Miz regains control with a boot, and then beats on Bourne a bit. The Miz hits a HUGE corner clothesline on Bourne, who manages to kick out from a near fall. Bourne fights back and hits a beautiful back-jumping Hurricanrana on the Miz off the middle rope. Near fall. Miz ends the match with a big skull-crushing finale on Bourne. Miz grabs the mic and says he doesn’t care who wins the title this Sunday, because he’s ready to cash in his briefcase to get his title shot. Because he’s the Miz and he’s awesome.
Shot to Cena pleading his case to the Big Khali.
Back live on Raw, the red carpet is back, along with Melina. Making her return to the ring tonight, Melina is seeking a shot at her vacated Divas championship from an unfortunate knee injury this past January. Alicia Fox makes her way to the ring and prepares for battle with Melina. This non-title match begins with Fox beating down on Melina. Melina sneaks back, beginning her onslaught onto Fox. Before Melina can truly take control of the match, Fox steps outside. Melina runs after her but is met with a clothesline. Alicia drags her by her hair chokes Melina while driving her knees into Melina’s spine as well. Fox traps Melina into a bear hug like maneuver, and just when things are looking bleak for Melina, Fox is flipped by the resilient Melina into a Last Call Sunset Bomb. Melina pins Fox for the victory, and celebrates in the ring over the fallen Fox.
Backstage Josh Matthews interviews the Big Khali, asking his allegiance to SummerSlam. Khali grabs the mic and says WWE, then rants in his native tongue. Matthews asks Khali to speak in English since his brother Runjit is not available tonight to translate for him. Khali again grabs the mic and challenges Wade Barrett to a match tonight.
During the commercial break, the GM sent an email to Michael Cole at ringside, who explains that Melina will wrestle Alicia Fox at SummerSlam for the Diva’s Title. The GM also confirmed Khali’s match against Wade Barrett. In other news, the Diva’s Summertime Spectacular takes place tonight, pitting the Bella Twins against Eve Torres and Gail Kim, against Maryse and Jillian in a three-way bathing suit tag team match. Sheamus will also call out Randy Orton tonight.
Cut to Edge and Jericho venting backstage. Edge asks Jericho what’s wrong, and Jericho begins to question his decision to quit team WWE and that Hart may have been right. If Team WWE loses this Sunday, he and Edge will be ostracized. Edge responds by saying that both he and Jericho have survived all of the big names and stables in the WWE over the last decade, and that they don’t need to save the company because they will continue to survive. Jericho parlays that they are not just survivors, but architects, even generals, and that they should take out Cena and Bret Hart, because if there is not match at SummerSlam, they are in the clear. Edge says good thinking.
John Morrison says he has R-Truth’s back, and that they cannot control anything and hold up their part. R-Truth says he has Morrison’s back too, but that they need to find a replacement fast. Enter Mark Henry, who says he wants in, and that they should consider his match right now, an audition. Cut to Nexus backstage, looking on the television. After a moment, Barrett shakes his head and motions Nexus to move out, as if they were on a mission.
Back on Raw Ted DiBiase makes his entrance with the gorgeous Maryse in his arms. He watches her walk up the stairs, and then the two help each other into the ring. Mark Henry enters next, but finds that Nexus has gone to ringside, minus Wade Barrett. They weaken Henry, and toss him into the ring steps before his match against DiBiase can start. Referees call for medical assistance at ringside. Henry is still down, unconscious at ringside.
Sheamus will call out Randy Orton next.
Back on Raw Sheamus enters to confront his challenger for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam, Randy Orton. He says that he wasn’t afraid to be in the ring with Orton last week, but that he was afraid of what he would do to Orton. All Sheamus has done since joining the WWE has been putting a hurting on wrestlers, including John Cena, Evan Bourne, and ending Triple H’s career. After a video montage showing the hurt that Sheamus has put on his opponents, Sheamus continues by saying that he isn’t afraid of anyone in the WWE. He calls out Orton, and continues on, but Orton interrupts him and walks to the ring. Randy calls Sheamus full of it because of his reluctance to admit that he was afraid of what Orton would do to him last week. Sheamus says that everyone takes him seriously ‘round these parts. Orton says the he is not Triple H or John Cena, and that Sheamus has never beaten him. Then Sheamus says that he will beat Orton at SummerSlam, and that he will never get another title opportunity because he will go to the end of the line. Orton rebuffs, saying that he will beat Sheamus, and that if he wants to do something about what he didn’t do last week, then he better so something about it right now.
Blinks! Cole has received an email from the GM: Their match at SummerSlam will bar any outside interference, and anyone who chooses to interfere will be suspended indefinitely. He also agrees with Orton’s point in their argument, and says Sheamus should prove himself and do something about last week right now. Sheamus and Orton stare each other down, but Sheamus decides not to fight Orton. Fake out, Sheamus turns back to hit Orton, but falls short. Sheamus turns about to walk out of the ring, and Orton attacks him from behind! Sheamus shakes Orton off of him and hits a big hit to Orton’s face. Sheamus misses his big bicycle kick on Orton, who drops Sheamus into a big backbreaker. Sheamus is down, and Orton gets a strange look on his face, reminding me of his days as a heel… Surely enough, Orton goes for his patented career ending punt to Sheamus’s head. Orton runs to Sheamus, but stops short, instead choosing to walk away instead. He grabs Sheamus’s title on his way out and tosses it to him. Smiling, Orton walks up the ramp smiling.
NXT Rookie Matchup back on Raw. Kaval. Percy Watson, and Lucky Cannon will face off against Mike McGillicutty, Husky Harris, and Alex Riley. These rookies face off as Sheamus sits at ringside. Husky Harris ultimately squashes Kaval in the end for the pinfall victory, at which time Sheamus snaps at ringside, and beats down Mike McGillicutty and Lucky Cannon. He continues throwing McGillicutty into the outside Barrier. Sheamus chases the rest of the rookies offstage, except for the fallen Kaval. Kaval is lifted, then, and Sheamus hits an extraordinary crucified power bomb on Kaval. Sheamus is over Kaval, screaming, “hurtin’!” afterwards. Sheamus grabs a mic and tells the GM that he had done something about last week now, and says that Randy Orton is next in line for a hurtin’ at SummerSlam. Cut to John Morrison and R-Truth walking backstage to the ring.
Out comes R-Truth to the ring, asking the audience what’s up again. William Regal and Zack Ryder are in the ring, and John Morrison joins R-Truth. Regal and Ryder take over quickly against R-Truth. Morrison gets the hot tag, however, and hits a wonder move (see footnote 1) on Ryder, which Regal breaks up. Morrison recovers and hits the Starship Pain on Ryder. 1-2-3 and Morrison and R-Truth are victorious. Backstage,
Maryse and Jillian are in the ring with Santino Marella and Vladmir Kozlov, the special guest referees. Eve and Gail Kim slide down a fun beach slidey thing to make their ring entrances, as do the Bella Twins. As always, Marella provides brilliant comic relief as the referee, and the swim suit girls battle it out until the finish of Nikki Bella hitting a splash onto Jillian in the middle of the ring, pinning her for the victory. After Marella celebrates with the Bella twins, Tamina sneaks into the ring, and walks up to Marella, then motions for him to make his exit. Marella does so, walking by Tamina, who slaps his ass and smirks at the smitten Santino, who walks up the ramp and exclaims to Kozlov that, “she just slapped my ass!”
Khali is backstage walking to the ring and is mauled by Nexus, who take out Khali’s knee. Khali is down, clutching his knee as an official hovers over him before Raw pauses for a commercial break.
Back on Raw, Nexus enters and makes their way to the ring. Standing in their militaristic line, Barrett says that he has just been informed that his match against Great Khali has been cancelled. He exclaims that Nexus is an unstoppable force,
Sheffield grabs the mic next and guarantees that Bret Hart is next to join their list of beaten legends. Then Otunga grabs the mic and warns that any superstar considering joining Team WWE at SummerSlam should think twice after seeing the damage they did to more superstars tonight because they could be next.
Bret Hart and John Cena walk into the Miz backstage, where the Miz proceeds to ask the two if they will indeed be asking him to join their team. Bret asks Miz if he’s in, or if he’s out. Cena follows upon Miz’s request. After taking in that Cena has just asked him for his help, Miz marvels at how things have changed, and says that he’ll let them know his decision on Sunday. Miz walks away, and then Bret and Cena shift their focus to Jericho and Edge.
Back on Raw, Nexus is surrounding the ring as lumberjacks to the upcoming match. In walks Edge, followed by Jericho to the ring. Both superstars acknowledge Nexus’s presence at ringside. Hart is next to enter, to a mild pop, the ring, and he removes his leather jacket to reveal his batman t-shirt. Cena is last to enter, and with a giant pop from the crowd, the match begins. Edge tosses Cena to the wolves, and Jericho tags in to do the same, so Cena is beaten badly pretty early. Jericho attempts to throw him out again, but Jericho is instead thrown to the outside. This time, however, Nexus merely stares Jericho down, allowing him a free pass. Nexus steps up to the apron as Jericho and Edge exit the ring and stare down Cena and Hart. R-Truth and John Morrison run down the ramp and join their teammates in the ring to make it 4-on-7. Edge and Jericho, who have hesitated leaving at this point, return to the ring to support their teammates, bringing the final tally to 6-on-7 and the brawl between Nexus and Team WWE begins. Wade Barrett is tossed out of the ring, and he exits through the crowd, telling his stablemates to retreat. Cena’s music hits as Nexus stares Team WWE down to end the show.
Quick Results:
The Miz def Evan Bourne by pinfall
Melina def Alicia Fox by pinfall
Ted DiBiase w/Maryse vs Mark Henry ends in a No Contest
R-Truth and John Morrison def William Regal and Zack Ryder by pinfall
Bella Twins def Jillian & Maryse, and Gail Kim and Eve Torres
Wade Barrett vs The Great Khali is cancelled due to Khali’s injury
Edge & Chris Jericho vs Bret Hart & John Cena Lumberjack Match ends in a No Contest
PROPS to:
CHRIS JERICHO for toying with us all in his intense confrontation with Bret Hart
THE MIZ for executing his standout character on the mic and in the ring, putting on a nice match with EVAN BOURNE
JOHN MORRISON for executing a wonder move (see footnote 1). I personally have never seen anything like it in wrestling
SANTINO MARELLA for continuing to do his thing, making me laugh, and just living the good life with the divas
WADE BARRETT for his stellar microphone work, as always. The guy can talk the talk, but we’ll find out if he can walk the walk at SummerSlam
What is this? What about:
WILLIAM REGAL is still wrestling?
BRET HART, and his batman t-shirt for that matter, is a living legend, yes, but with the way things are looking, he isn’t going to help out much against Nexus at SummerSlam, besides providing leadership and experience
Who will be THE GREAT KHALI’s replacement at SummerSlam?
So this edition of Raw set things up for SummerSlam, and how things have twisted, turned, and swerved since Money in the Bank. We’ve found out that Jericho and Edge are back on Team WWE, Sheamus will have to defeat Randy Orton on his own at SummerSlam, Maryse is gorgeous, wait we already knew that, and The Great Khali and his possible replacement Mark Henry are both injured. What we don’t know yet is who the seventh member of Team WWE will be at SummerSlam. The Miz? Goldust? We’ll find out Sunday at SummerSlam. The matches this Sunday will be:
Sheamus (c) vs Randy Orton for the WWE Championship barring outside interference
Nexus vs John Cena, Bret Hart, Chris Jericho, Edge, R-Truth, John Morrison, and a mystery partner in an Elimination Match
Alicia Fox (c) vs Melina for the Diva’s Championship
And Smackdown’s Kane (c) vs Rey Mysterio for the World Heavyweight Championship
Remember, questions, comments, fan mail, they’re all-welcome; so hit me up if you’d like. Until next week, peeps. And don’t forget the footnote below!
*Footnote 1: “wonder move” being a maneuver by John Morrison onto Zack Ryder during their match tonight on Raw, where Morrison catches Ryder in a Rock-bottom-like start point back flip by Morrison simultaneously as Ryder front flips.