Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, July 15th, 2013 (USA Network)
Location: The Barclays Center in Brooklyn, NY
Results by Thomas Gibbs
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”
Raw starts with new Raw General Manager Brad Maddox going coming out and entering the ring.
Maddox: Welcome to Raw, my name is Brad Maddox! Tonight, it is my first night as General Manager. As my first act we’re going to have a Money in the Bank rematch. Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler! I’m determined to be the greatest RAW GM of all time! Which is why-
WWE Champion John Cena comes out and heads to the ring.
Cena: So this is the Maddox era! Take a good look cause this is the only time during the Maddox era that the other person in the ring is hated more than you.
Maddox: That’s a bit disrespectful-
Cena: No no no. I heard the crowd all the time, and they’re excited for that match you made. The jury’s still out on you. You might be ok.
Maddox: Thank you! And John i’m glad you came out. I’ve always admired you ever since I was a teenager watching you on TV. I admire your courage, strength, will to win and I admire the way you treat those less privileged than yourself. Which is why for the first time in WWE history I am going to allow you to choose your OWN opponent at Summerslam! I’m gonna let you choose, John! I’m going to bring every superstar out, and i’m going to let you pick your opponent. John, you’re going to make that decision-
Cena: HOLD ON! You’re gonna make me choose my own opponent? I could choose Doc Hendrix. I could wrestle Michael Cole if I wanted to. Nah, he wrestles like a girl. Speaking of, I could wrestle one of the Bella twins!
Maddox: Anyone you want.
Cena: Do you realize how catastrophic that could be?
Money in the Bank winner Randy Orton comes out and heads to the ring.
Orton: Maddox. Careful. Don’t get too far ahead of yourself. There’s a very good chance come Summerslam that John Cena will NOT be champion. Don’t worry, i’m not gonna cash in tonight. I don’t want to make the same stupid mistake you made last year. You see, I believe you should take advantage of opportunities given, not squandered them. I also believe in being straight up. So i’m telling you face to face that when I cash in MY Money in the Bank contract, you’ll never see it coming.
Fandango comes out and heads to the ring with Summer Rae.
Orton: You interrupted me!
Fandango: SHHHHH….Randy, you won’t be cashing that Money in the Bank briefcase in against John Cena. You’ll be cashing that in against ME! John, there’s only one man that the entire WWE Universe wants to see take on you. And his name…is…FAAAAN…
Cena: FAAAAN…
Fandango: …DAAAAAAN….
Cena: DAAAAAN….
Fandango: GOOOOO-
Orton attacks Fandango from behind and the two start brawling. Fandango kicks Orton out of the ring. Orton runs back in and tackles him down. He lands punches, then throws him over the top.
Maddox: Hand on just a second! You want physicality? How about the first match of the night! Randy Orton versus Fandango! Get a referee down here!
A ref runs down, and this match is about to happen.
[Commercial]
[Match 1]
[Singles Match]
[Fandango vs. Randy Orton]
Match is in progress. Orton stomps on Fandango, picks him up and delivers an uppercut. He goes for a nee drop but Fandango rolls away. Fandango gets up and stomps on Orton at the ropes. He presses a foot against his head and then throws in a knee to the face. Fandango grabs Orton and goes for a suplex, but Orton counters with a suplex of his own. Fandango rolls out of the ring. Orton comes after him with a clothesline to the back. He smacks Fandango head on the apron. Fandango kicks him off and runs away. Fandango catches up to him and nails him with a clothesline. He picks Fandango up and back suplexes him on the barricade. Back into the ring. Orton covers and gets a two count. Orton whips Fandango into the corner and runs at him. Fandango counters with a kick to the face. He chokes him out at the ropes and nails a right hand to keep him down. Fandango with another knee to the face. Fandango with a 1/4 nelson hold. Orton gets to his feet and lands body blows followed by a headbutt. Whip followed by a back body drop by Orton. Orton with right hands putting Fandango in the corner. He climbs on top of Fandango and delivers a ten count of punches to the head. He takes the limp Fandango and lands a dropkick. He covers and gets two.
Orton stomps on Fandango a bit. He whips him in the corner and runs. Fandango with a kick to the midsection. Orton falls out of the ring. Fandango exits the ring and whips Orton shoulder first into the ring steps. He climbs up on the steps and does a little dance.
[Commercial]
Fandango with a cover for two. He applies the nelson hold on more. Orton with body blows. Fandango whips. Orton goes for a reverse neckbreaker, but Fandango counters with a back suplex for two. He picks Orton up and Orton with right hands. He whips Fandango in the corner. Fandango with a kick, but Orton blocks and hits a clothesline followed by a t-bone suplex. Orton picks Fandango up and puts him on the turnbuckle. Orton with a headbutt. He climbs to the top and hits a superplex! Orton waits for him tow get up and hits two clotheslines. He ducks a clothesline and nails him with a powerslam. Fandango rolls on the apron and catches him with a jump kick to the head. Fandango climbs to the top and goes for the leg drop, but Orton saddles Fandango on the turnbuckle pad and lands a headbutt. Orton grabs Fandango by the neck and connects with a DDT off the second rope. Orton sets Fandango up and nails him with the RKO for the three count.
[Winner via Pinfall: Randy Orton]
[Time: 13:01]
A quick recap of the Ziggler/Del Rio World Title matches shows AJ accidentally costing Ziggler the title.
Meanwhile, Ziggler is backstage. AJ runs up to him.
AJ: Ziggie? Baby, you’re still mad I know, but are you gonna start talking to me?
Ziggler: Yes. It’s fine. You apologized. It’s time to move on.
AJ: I’m so glad.
She hugs him.
Ziggler: No…you don’t understand. It’s time for ME to move on…from YOU. We’re done.
Ziggler walks away. AJ is shocked.
Backstage, Mark Henry is heading to the ring.
[Commercial]
Mark Henry comes out and heads to the ring.
Henry: Last night John Cena came as advertised. He is one of the greatest champions of all time. He did something I thought was impossible. He beat me. I gave him all he had and took Cena to his limits. I came this close to winning the championship.
“You tapped out” chants.
I did tap out. He’ll tap out every last one of you too. I’m not making excuses or apologies for what I done. But I know John Cena has the choice to pick whoever he wants to fight at Summerslam, and I wanna be that guy. I took him to his limits once, and i’ll take him to his limits again.
The Shield comes out from within the crowd. Tag Team champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns along with United States champion Dean Ambrose come out and head to ringside. They surround the ring. Henry looks at them and waits for them to strike first. They start climbing on the apron, but Henry doesn’t move. He takes his jacket off and attacks Reigns. Ambrose and Rollins double team on Henry. Reigns joins in and Henry powers over all three of them. He knocks them down. Ambrose applies a sleeper and Reigns with a spear to Henry! The Shield stomps and punches on Henry until he stops moving. Then they picks him up and deliver a triple powerbomb.
The Shield hold up their titles and unite over the fallen Henry.
Up next, World Champion Alberto Del Rio takes on Dolph Ziggler.
[Commercial]
Maddox is on the phone.
Maddox: I’m doing fine, mom. Yeah, i’ll pick something up on the way home. Oh HEY!
Jericho walks over
Jericho: Hey! First night as GM. That’s a big job for a kid your age. But seriously, so far so good right
Maddox: Absolutely. Actually I had a stroke of genius. You want to be WWE Champion, right? Well you should impress Cena tonight by taking on, I dunno, a former WWE Champion like, say, RVD?!
Jericho: Wow. Sounds like a popular decision, so what you’re saying is RVD vs. Y2J here tonight on Raw! With matches like that you’ve got one hell of a future here, kid!
Maddox: Thanks!
Jericho pats him on the shoulder and walks away.
Alberto Del Rio comes out and heads to the ring for his match.
His opponent, Dolph Ziggler, comes out and enters the ring.
[Match 2]
[Singles Match]
[Alberto Del Rio vs. Dolph Ziggler]
Bell sounds. They circle each other and Dek Rio with a kick to the gut. He stomps him down and whips him into the ropes. Ziggler ducks, bounces off and lands a dropkick for one. Ziggler with a right hand into a neckbreaker for one. Ziggler with ten elbow drops in a row to Del Rio for a two count. He waits for Rio to get up. He runs at the corner and Del Rio moves causing Ziggler to bang his head on the turnbuckle pad. Del Rio stomps on Ziggler’s head, then picks him up and puts him on the top turnbuckle. He sets up for a reverse superplex and it connects! He covers and gets a two count. Del Rio focusing on the head some more. He presses Ziggler’s face against the ropes. Del Rio runs at him in the corner, but Ziggler avoids and catches Del Rio with a running clothesline. Ziggler whips, Del Rio counters and Ziggler with a kick to the head. He runs at him and Del Rio back body drops him out of the ring.
[Commercial]
Del Rio picks Ziggler up and back suplexes him. He waits for Ziggler to get up. He goes for the crescent kick, but Ziggler ducks it. He runs forward and Del Rio with a flapjack slam. He stomps on Ziggler again. This time he runs at him and Ziggler with a tornado DDT out of the corner for a two count. They get up and trade punches with one another. Ziggler wins out and whips Del Rio. He ducks and Del Rio with a strong right hand knocks him down. Off the ropes he goes for a dropkick, but Ziggler moves and he gets hung up. Ziggler dropkicks Del Rio back into the ring and gets a two count before the champ puts a leg on the ropes. Ziggler goes for the legdrop bulldog, but Del Rio counters with a german suplex for two. Del Rio with headbutts. Del Rio signals for the Cross Arm Breaker. He goes for it, but Ziggler counters with a swinging neck breaker for two and a half. Off the ropes, Del Rio shoves Ziggler into the turnbuckle corner and delivers an inzigiri kick to the head for two and a half!
Del Rio puts Ziggler in a tree of woe position and kicks away at the chest. He goes for a tackle, but Ziggler lifts himself up causing Ziggler to hit the post shoulder first. Ziggler stands at the turnbuckle, grabs Del Rio and hits a legdrop bulldog off the top! He covers and the bell suddenly rings. Ziggler looks over and sees AJ Lee at the timekeeper position. Before he can respond Del Rio gets up and catches Ziggler with the crescent kick to the head for the three count.
[Winner via Pinfall: Alberto Del Rio]
[Time: 14:57]
AJ enters the ring and, enraged, she starts smacking Ziggler around. Ziggler tries to hold her off and shove her away. Big E. Langston then runs into the ring and nails Ziggler with a running clothesline! Langston picks Ziggler up and hits the Big Ending. Langston and AJ stand over Ziggler. AJ gets on her knees, lifts Ziggler’s head up and plants him a kiss before setting him aside and walking off with Langston.
Tonight, Cena decides his opponent for Summerslam.
[Commercial]
R-Truth comes out and heads to the ring for a match, rapping along the way.
R-Truth: BROOKLYN, NEW YORK! WHAT’S-
The lights go out. Bray Wyatt appears on the tron.
Wyatt: We’re here…
Just like last week, Wyatt and his family come out in pitch black with a lantern guiding them to the ring. Wyatt sits in his rocking chair and blows the light off the the lantern. The lights come back on the Wyatt brothers attack Truth in the ring. They pummel Truth and throws him out of the ring. Wyatt just watches. When the finish Wyatt gets up from the chair and walks into the ring.
Wyatt: They’re been lying to you, man. There ain’t no such thing as a hero. Not anymore. But you and you and you, you have become addicted to the illusion of what a hero. You’ve become addicted to the illusion of what a hero does for you. You think you need someone to tuck you in at night, kiss you on the cheek and tell you everything is alright. But everything…everything…EVERYTHING IS NOT ALRIGHT! What if I was to tell you that the man who made you is alive? What if I was to tell you that your own flesh and blood turned his back on you? I will never turn my back on you. Maybe the answers you seek have been slapping you right in the face. Or maybe I, Bray Wyatt, the eaters of worlds, have been right all along.
Truth jumps back on the apron with a steel chair. Wyatt stands in the ring and embraces Truth coming into the ring. He’s begging for it. Truth looks unsure as the other Wyatt boys surround him from behind. Truth looks at them and Wyatt blindsides him. They pummel on Truth. They holds him up. Wyatt takes Truth, kisses him on the forehead and delivers a swinging reverse STO.
Wyatt: You are not the truth we seek. Kane…follow the buzzards.
He starts laughing, then gets on his knees.
At the WWE App you can decide now whether The Usos, Tons of Funk or the Prime Time Players face the team of Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger.
[Commercial]
A video plays promoting the new WWE performance center.
Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger come out with Zeb Colter.
Colter: So this is Brooklyn, huh? The “melting pot of America” huh? I don’t get it cause all I hear on the streets is Spanish, Chinese, Greek, Italian, and something called Yiddish. Where’s the English? If this is the “melting port” it should be changed to the “port o potty.” We’ve allowed thousands of illegal immigrants and foreigners to sneak in and take our opportunities. Cena, this is your chance to make something right for your country. You can choose one of these two true American people. Everyone, put your hand to your chest and say it loud and clear. WE THE POWER!
Lawler: I dunno if Cena is gonna choose anyone from WE THE PEOPLE, but we’re gonna see the what WWE Universe chose to face you guys.
The results show The Usos with the majority vote.
As they enter the ring, The Usos come out and head to the ring next.
[Match 3]
[Tag Team Match]
[The Usos vs. Jack Swagger & Antonio Cesaro w/Zeb Colter]
Bell sounds. Jey gets behind Cesaro. Cesaro avoids and Jey shoves him in the corner. Tag to Jimmy. Jimmy rolls Cesaro up for one. He jumps off and smacks Swagger. Cesaro grabs Jimmy and hits a gutwrench powerbomb. tag to Swagger. Swagger stomps on Jimmy and then hits a Swagger bomb. He punches him in the corner and distracts the ref so Cesaro can land some kicks. Tag to Cesaro. Cesaro lands a double foot stomp on Jimmy. He covers and gets a one count. Cesaro with a sleeper hold. Jimmy fights both him and Swagger off and tags Jey in. Jey with a headbutt. He climbs the top and hit a cross body for two. Swagger enters and Jimmy with a side kick. Cesaro uppercuts Jimmy and knocks him out of the ring. He grabs Jey and goes for another gutwrench, but Jey counters with a sunset flip for three!
[Winners via Pinfall: The Usos]
[Time: 02:16]
Tonight, RVD takes on Chris Jericho.
[Commercial]
Mr. Money in the Bank World Title winner Damien Sandow comes out and shows off his briefcase as he enters the ring.
His opponent, Christian, comes out and heads down to the ring.
[Match 4]
[Singles Match]
[Damien Sandow vs. Christian]
Bell sounds. They grapple. Sandow with clubs to the back and a headbutt. He whips, Christian counters and Sandow slides out of the ring. Christian runs after him. Sandow tries to his an elbow, but Christian avoids and climbs the turnbuckle. Sandow sees him coming and throws him out of the ring off the top. He puts him back in the ring and covers for two. He puts Christian on the turnbuckle. Christian fights back and hits a tornado DDT for two. Christian and Sandow gets up. Christian with punches and whips. Christian with a running forearm. He puts him at the turnbuckle and lands some punches. Then a drop toe hold on Sandow. He hops over the top and smacks Sandow back in the ring. Christian climbs up top and hits a cross body for two. Sandow with a shot to the gut. He goes for La Termina, but Christian counters and catches him with a back elbow off the top. Christian sets up for the killswitch, but Sandow hits Christian in the back of the head and hits a side Russian leg sweep. He goes for the Elbow of Disdain, but Christian grabs Sandow and counters with a bridging pin for the three count.
[Winner via Pinfall: Christian]
[Time: 02:58]
Sandow: And still your intellectual savior of Money in the Bank…DAMIEN SANDOW!
Suddenly, Cody Rhodes runs down and tackles Sandow! He lands a volley of punches until officials hold him back. Sandow retreats into the crowd with his briefcase.
Still to come, Cena picks his opponent.
[Commercial]
Brie Bella is in the ring for a match.
Her opponent, Naomi of the Funkadactyls, comes down.
[Match 5]
[Singles Match]
[Brie Bella w/Nicki Bella vs. Naomi w/Cameron]
Bell sounds. Naomi and Brie grapple. Brie with an arm wrench, but Naomi kicks out of it. Off the ropes and Naomi with a flipping clothesline for two. Brie gets Naomi on the apron and Naomi with a kick to the head. Brie gets to the outside and pulls Naomi causing her to slip on the apron. He gets in the ring and covers for two. Stomps to Naomi followed by a hair toss. Naomi with a camel clutch submission on the ropes. She pulls Naomi to the ring and makes a two count. Brie with a chin lock. Naomi to her feet. She lands some rights, goes off the ropes and hits a sunset flip for two. Brie with a running clothesline. Brie applies another chin lock. Naomi with shots to the gut. Brie goes for a back suplex and Naomi counters with a hurricarana. Naomi with a dropkick to Brie. And another. She tosses Brie into the ropes and hits the “Rear View.” Brie at the turnbuckle. Naomi climbs to the top and hits a cross body for the three count!
[Winner via Pinfall: Naomi]
[Time: 04:08]
[Commercial]
CM Punk comes out and head to the ring.
Punk: I know Paul Heyman is in the building. And I know Brock Lesnar is in the building. And I know i’m not waiting anymore, so come on out boys.
Punk waits for them. Heyman walks out.
Heyman: You know what i’m looking at right now? I’m looking at an empty ring because in MY world, you don’t exist. Try this one on for size. Am I lying? In 2005 WWE had no vision for you…C.M. Punk was a figment of Paul Heyman’s imagination. And what did I do? I took you in, I befriended you, I taught you, I trained you, I martyred my entire career for you…and then we reached the holy grail together. We were the reigning defending WWE Champion for 434 days. We were the longest reigning WWE Champion of the past 25 years. We came within an inch of breaking The Undertaker’s streak at WrestleMania. WE were the best…in the world. And here’s part of the equation you seem to forget about. Without me there is no we. Without Paul Heyman, CM Punk, you’re not the best in the world. You can boo that all you want cause everyone has been stopping me and asking the same question. Why? Why did you betray CM Punk? You are a Judas! Here’s the truth! I’ll tell you why I have an aversion to the truth. It’s a harder pill to swallow, Mr. Straight Edge. The truth is you failed us when you lost to Undertaker. Then you went home. And when you came back you thought you were better than me. CM Punk…better than Paul Heyman? Ha! So I lied to you. I manipulated you. I played you because you can never claim that CM Punk dumped Paul Heyman. NO! History is going to write that Paul Heyman dumped CM Punk. You wanted to keep it personal, so I kept it as personal as I could make it. Here’s some truth. You have no family. You are estranged from your mom and dad. You have no wife. You have no children. All you have…is them. All you have is their admiration and respect. All you have is their affirmation. Listen to them!
The fans cheer for Punk.
Heyman: And all you want, all you crave, all you need in your life is the WWE Championship. You took my best friend away from me and I took your chance at the WWE Title away from you and each and every one of them! You’re gonna find out, as bad a reputation as I have at business, i’m a whole lot worse personally. Here’s the kicker to it all “best friend”, “brother”, “business son”, you made me swear on my CHILDREN, but it was my children who made me see this so clear. Daddy, why doesn’t Punk listen to you like Brock listen to you? Daddy, isn’t Brock going to hurt Punk? Daddy, can Punk beat Brock Lesnar? And if you want to know why I cost you the opportunity to go after the WWE title, here’s the harshest truth of them all. I betrayed you because CM Punk…you can’t beat Brock Lesnar!
Punk: Are you done? You want to talk about the truth? I saw first hand last night that the truth DOES hurt. And maybe I should’ve seen it coming, but damn it Paul I trust you. And all I have to show for it now are these thirteen staples in my head. But the other truth is you know me better than anybody when i’m lying and when i’m telling the truth. And when I want something I won’t stop until I get it! The truth is Paul, i’m gonna get you. This time I swear on YOUR children that I am going to get you! And I will get everybody that conspired against me, every single one of your associates. Everyone who had knowledge of it, everyone who enjoyed it. Your clients, your friends, your family, anyone that steps between you and I and opens their eyes at me, I will get my hands on and rip apart! You want the truth? The truth is you don’t have a future because i’m going to burn everything around you until you’re the last man standing. And i’m gonna keep you around long enough to hurt you worst of all. So tell me, you son of a bitch! Am I lying!?
Heyman starts sweating.
Heyman: No. No, you’re not lying, and since you want to tell me I have a lack of a future, let me spell your immediate future out for you.
Heyman gets on his knees and mocks Punk’s entrance.
Heyman: IT’S CLOBBERING TIME!
Lesnar comes out! Lesnar makes his way to the ring. Punk wants him in the ring. Punk is distracted by Lesnar and Heyman attacks him from behind. Lesnar pulls him out and Punk fights back. Lesnar throws him into the barricade. Punk and Lesnar are trading blows back and forth. Lesnar chucks Punk across the ringside area and tears his hoodie off. Punk tackles Lesnar and lands blows against the apron. Heyman chucks Punk over the announce table. Punk gets on the table and leaps on Lesnar. Lesnar grabs Punk and smacks his back against the post. Lesnar grabs Punk, lifts him up and gives him the F5 onto the table. Lesnar stands on the table over the downed Punk. Heyman yells at him. As they leave Punk gets up by himself as the fans cheer him on. Punk grabs his neck and looks injured.
[Commercial]
Cena walks down the hallway. Great Kahli walks over to him.
Kahli is speaking to him in Punjabi. I assume he wants Cena to pick him as the Summerslam opponent.
Cena pats him on the chest, speaks something in Punjabi himself, and leaves.
MEANWHILE
Maddox walks around in his office. Stephanie walks over to him.
Maddox: Hey, Stephanie!
Stephanie! Hi Brad. How are you?
Maddox: I’m great!
Stephanie: Good. So how’s it going? I got to say I was worried. This is your first night…how has it been?
Maddox: Good. First day on the job is always tough!
Stephanie: Sorry Brad, but…I wasn’t asking you.
Triple H walks over.
Triple H: Well to answer Steph’s question, I think you’re doing a good job. Hey, did you by chance talk to Vince at all today?
Maddox: Well I haven’t gotten around to actually talking to Vince-
Triple H: Yeah, that can be kinda hard to do around here. You know it took some brass to book some of those matches tonight AND to make Cena pick his Summerslam opponent.
Stephanie: And if Cena picks who we think he might picks…
Triple H: And if Cena picks who we think he’ll pick, then Vince won’t be happy. And with the edgy nature you were hired-you know why you were hired right?
Maddox: Because I was the right man for the job?
Triple H: Because you were the only guy standing there at the time.
Maddox: Oh…
Stephanie: Regardless, you’re the GM and doing a great job so far.
Triple H: I think it’s all gonna work out great. Good luck in your future endeavors.
Triple H and Stephanie leave. Maddox looks confused.
Rob Van Dam comes out and heads to the ring for his match with Chris Jericho.
[Commercial]
Jericho comes out and heads to the ring.
[Match 6]
[Singles Match]
[RVD vs. Chris Jericho]
Bell sounds. They circle each other and grapple. Quick break. Another grapple. RVD gets behind Jericho. Jericho with a counter from behind. RVD powers out of the hold and turns him over on the mat. Jericho applies a head scissors and RVD jumps out of it. They break. Jericho with a kick. Chops to the chest. RVD throws some punches. Jericho shoves RVD. RVD with a bump, off the ropes and Jericho with a dropkick. Jericho whips RVD. He goes for a back body drop, but RVD flips over, lands on his feet and lands a spin kick. RVD with a shoulder tackle in the corner. He runs over to Jericho and lands a monkey flip. RVD with a standing moonsault for two. Whip, Jericho counters, but RVD slips behind. He goes for a leg sweep, but Jericho avoids and lands an inzigiri kick to the head. Jericho grabs RVD and hits a back suplex followed by a dropkick to the back of the head.
[Commercial]
RVD with a leg scissors hold on Jericho. Jericho gets back up. RVD whips him and Jericho counters with a roll up into an attempt at the Walls of Jericho. RVD fights out of it, but Jericho switches to a slingshot onto the turnbuckle. Jericho stomps on RVD and slingshots his neck onto the bottom rope. Jericho runs the ropes and baseball slides RVD out of the ring. RVD gets back on the apron. Jericho grabs RVD and goes for a suplex, but RVD blocks it. RVD tries, but Jericho plus. Jericho goes for the suplex and RVD lands on his feet. He catches Jericho with a spin kick to the face for a two count. Another leg scissors to Jericho. Jericho gets to his feet and counters into a roll up for two. Jericho lifts RVD up and powerbombs him off. He covers and gets a two count. Jericho with chops to the chest. He whips RVD. Jericho goes for a dropkick but he misses and lands on his back. RVD runs the ropes and goes for rolling thunder, but Jericho rolls out of the ring. RVD gets on the apron and hits a springboard moonsault on Jericho.
[Commercial]
Jericho with an arm lock on RVD. RVD gets to his feet and hits body blows. Jericho with a blow to the back. He whips. RVD reverses and lands a running kick at the turnbuckle. Off the ropes and RVD with a shoulder tackle and a clothesline. Kick to the gut and this time Jericho with two shoulder tackles. Jericho to the apron. He climbs the turnbuckle and hits a double axe handle. Off the ropes and Jericho with a running bulldog. Jericho goes for the lionsault, but he misses. RVD off the ropes and he hits rolling thunder. Jericho whips, RVD counters. He goes for a springboard kick, but Jericho ducks and catches RVD with a DDT. Jericho waits for RVD to get up. He grabs him and goes for the Walls, but RVD counters and catches Jericho with a kick to the head. RVD whips Jericho to the turnbuckle. Jericho with a face to the face. He goes for a bulldog, but RVD shoves Jericho into the turnbuckle. RVD goes for the split legged moonsault, but Jericho rolls out of the way and hits the lionsault for two and a half!
Jericho grabs RVD and goes for a head smack to the turnbuckle, but RVD counters with a high kick to the forehead that knocks him down. RVD climbs the turnbuckle and goes for the Five Star, but Jericho straddles RVD at the turnbuckle. Jericho climbs up and goes for the superplex, but RVD headbutts him off. RVD with a rolling senton off the top! He covers and gets a two count. RVD picks Jericho up. HE goes for a hurricarana and Jericho counters with the Walls of Jericho! RVD scrambles to the ropes and grabs them. Jericho stomps on RVD’s leg a bit and breaks. RVD with a right hand. Jericho goes for a kick and RVD counters with a rolling kick. RVD climbs the turnbuckle and hits the five star frog splash for the three count!
[Winner via Pinfall: Rob Van Dam]
[Time: 21:35]
Up next, Cena makes his Summerslam choice.
[Commercial]
This Friday on Smackdown, MizTV with Paul Heyman
Every Raw Superstar is standing on top of the stage as they await Cena’s decision.
John Cena comes out, makes his way through the crowd of Superstars, and heads to the ring.
Cena: It is now time for me to tell you who I selected to face me for the WWE Championship at Summerslam. I…I can’t do that. I can’t do that because I haven’t made my decision yet. All night I have listened to superstar after superstar tell me why they should challenge me. But I left out what might be the most important voice in the WWE. The WWE Universe. I know sometimes we don’t see eye to eye, and frankly you’re a bit tough on me. But the reason your voice is so important is because that toughness is honestly. I respect the honestly and I want to make a decision for a match that you’d like to see. So with a decision this historic I need your help.
Unanimous “YES!” chants.
Cena: You guys are getting the hang of this. I want you to make this the best event ever, and for you make the match you want to see. So on the stage you see a collection of WWE Superstars. I’m gonna say names and you tell me how you feel about facing me for the Championship. We got a birthday boy in the house. How about Heath Slater?
Boos
Cena: No dice on Slater, how about ANY of 3MB?!
Boos.
Cena: Don’t hinder Jinder! How about the man who holds Money in the Bank Randy Orton?
Mixed reaction
Cena: There’s a guy you can’t miss. How about Great Kahli?!
Boos
Cena: And look at el presidente over there. How about Alberto Del Rio?
Boos.
Cena: There’s a gentleman who just had a wonderful match. How about Y2J?!
Cheers.
Cena: There were two people in that match and one of them just got back. What about Rob Van Dam?!
More Cheers.
Cena: He can fly, but can he dance? There’s one who can dance out there. How about Faaaan….daaan…go?!
Boos.
Cena: I don’t have my own hotline, but this guy does. How about Sheamus!?
Mixed.
Cena: I see you out there Ryback, breathing all heavy. How about Ryback?
Boos.
Cena: Is there anybody i’m forgetting.
“YES!” chants.
Cena: Nah, we’re good. I wanna thank you guys for your help, but i’ve made my decision. This is an individual that deserves this opportunity-
“Daniel Bryan” chants.
Cena: Guys, I respect the beard, trust me. This is a guy who deserves this match and it’s gonna make Summerslam an awesome occasion. If he should choose to accept my offer, well then…I select to face me for the WWE Championship at Summerslam…I select Daniel Bryan.
Big cheers! Daniel Bryan comes out from the crowd and runs down to the ring. “YES!” chants going crazy. Bryan goes over to Cena and shouts “YES!” to him. As Bryan gets the fans to keep chanting the show comes to an end.
Credit: Thomas Gibbs
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