Contractual Obligation.
One night after the profitable madness that was Money-in-the-Bank, the 999th episode of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Mandalay Bay Events Center at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas, NV. After a happy accident resulted in John Cena making his own history by becoming RAW’s “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank”, earning himself a guaranteed WWE Title shot that can be cashed in at any time in the coming year, will Cena cash in on RAW? John Cena also revealed via Tout that he has a major announcement on RAW, so what will this announcement be? What about SmackDown’s “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler? After Sheamus prevented Ziggler from cashing in at Money-in-the-Bank, will Dolph make another run at the gold on RAW? Also at Money-in-the-Bank, CM Punk survived an unusual hardcore war with Daniel Bryan in a No DQ Match with AJ as the Special Referee to successfully retain the WWE Championship, but a visibly disappointed AJ was left in the wake of the title retention, so what’s next in this love triangle between CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, and AJ?
Match Results
- WWE Tag Team Championship: R-Truth & Kofi Kingston (c) def. The Prime Time Players (with A.W.) by R-Truth (c) pinning Titus O’Neil following the Little Jimmy to retain.
- Alberto Del Rio def. Zack Ryder by submission to the cross armbreaker.
- Rikishi def. Heath Slater by pin following the Rump Shaker.
- Mixed Tag Match: Daniel Bryan & AJ def. The Miz & Eve by AJ rolling up Eve.
- Brodus Clay def. JTG by pin following the Funkasplash.
- Non-Title: CM Punk def. Big Show by DQ after Big Show shoves the referee.
Detailed Results
The first ever RAW in the Mandalay Bay Events Center kicks off with WWE Champion CM Punk, fresh off of his successful title retention over Daniel Bryan in a No DQ Match with AJ as the Special Referee at Money-in-the-Bank. The champion that he “started a revolution” in Las Vegas last year and he has proven over the past year that he is the “best”. Punk continues that RAW will celebrate 1,000 episodes next week, saying that, back when RAW began in 1993, a guy like him never would have made it in the WWE, much less being in his eighth month as the WWE Champion. Before the WWE Champion can continue, he is interrupted by his opponent in the main event, “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show. Big Show says that both he and Punk know that he was inches away from getting his hands on the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase last night, but John Cena was in the right place at the right time. Show continues that, had he won the Money-in-the-Bank contract, then he would be cashing it in right now. Punk says that Big Show “almost” won, but almost only counts in horseshoes in hand grenades, adding that Show did what he always does as Show left destruction everywhere, but then he loses. The champion admits that Big Show probably should have won at Money-in-the-Bank, but he did not. Big Show says that, if CM Punk left tomorrow, the fans would move on in about a week. Big Show continues, saying that Punk is “not special” and even using Punk’s own words against him, saying that Punk is just another “cog in the machine”. CM Punk responds by saying that he is the WWE Champion and Big Show is not before saying that Show is a “bitter, underachieving shell of a man who just happens to be a giant”. Show argues that that is Punk’s “opinion” before saying that, after he knocks CM Punk out and defeats him, and then John Cena can cash in his Money-in-the-Bank contract and take the WWE Title from Punk.
The WWE Tag Team Titles were on the line in the opening match of the night as R-Truth & Kofi Kingston defended the tag gold against The Prime Time Players, with A.W. in their corner. During the match, A.W. gets on the ring apron, distracting the referee in the hopes of assisting The Prime Time Players, but the distraction backfires as Kofi Kingston, the illegal man, hits Trouble in Paradise on Titus O’Neil and R-Truth follows it up with the Little Jimmy en route to picking up the win for himself and Kofi Kingston as the duo successfully retain the WWE Tag Team Titles.
Backstage, Eve interrupts a conversation between Daniel Bryan and AJ to inform the two of them that the WWE Board of Directors has granted a rematch from last week’s RAW as Daniel Bryan and AJ will team up against Eve and a partner of her choosing. Eve then tells Bryan and AJ that “payback” is exactly what AJ is.
After failing to defeat Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Title at Money-in-the-Bank, an angry Alberto Del Rio was in action on RAW as “The Mexican Aristocrat” went one-on-one with “The Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder. In the end, it was Alberto Del Rio locking in the cross armbreaker, forcing Zack Ryder to tap out to pick up the win. After the match, Del Rio tries to cripple Ryder by reapplying the cross armbreaker, but Ryder is saved by a former WWE Champion who has not been seen in nearly a year as “The Master of the 619” himself, Rey Mysterio, rushes to the ring, taking it to Del Rio and hitting the 619 on Del Rio!
Another former RAW Superstar returned to Monday Nights as the one and only Samoan super heavyweight Rikishi took on Heath Slater! The former Intercontinental Champion did not miss a beat as Rikishi humiliates Slater with the Stink Face, hitting the Samoan Spike on Heath before finishing the match with the Rump Shaker! After the match, Rikishi was joined in the ring by his two sons, Jimmy & Jey Uso, as the Samoan trio got down, Rikishi-style, in the middle of the ring!
After Daniel Bryan abandoned her in a Mixed Tag Match last week, Eve would team with a hand-picked Superstar in a rematch of sorts as AJ and Daniel Bryan faced Eve and former WWE Champion The Miz in a Mixed Tag Match. During the match, The Miz distracts the referee to give his team the advantage, but AJ catches Miz from behind with a dropkick. Shortly after this, an angry Miz distracts the referee again, but this allows Daniel Bryan to illegally enter the ring and reverse a roll-up attempt between AJ and Eve, allowing AJ to get the pin over Eve for the win. After the match, Daniel Bryan says that he is finally ready to say something that he was too “scared” to say when they were together as Bryan says that he “loves” AJ. Bryan then admits that, last week, he proposed to AJ to try and get the advantage in the WWE Title match, but, this week, he doesn’t want anything except for AJ’s hand in marriage. Bryan then gets on bended knee, presenting a ring to AJ and proposing to AJ again! An emotional AJ then shocks the world by saying “yes”, she will marry Daniel Bryan!
Moments after their shocking engagement, Daniel Bryan and AJ both revealed, via Twitter, that they will get married live on next week’s 1,000th Episode of RAW!
After mowing down both Curt Hawkins & Tyler Reks at Money-in-the-Bank, Ryback would be “fed” his first former World Champion as “The Undefeated War Machine” was set to go one-on-one with “The All-American American” Jack Swagger. However, Swagger would not allow the match to even begin as Swagger attacks Ryback, hitting the gutwrench powerbomb on the monstrous Superstar. The unreal power and resiliency of Ryback would power through, however, as “The Sin City Cyborg” fought off the ankle lock of Swagger, delivering a triple powerbomb to Swagger and kicking Swagger out of the ring!
One night after outlasting seven other Superstars in the World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match to earn the World Heavyweight Title contract, allowing him the opportunity to cash in his briefcase at any time he sees fit in the coming year for a guaranteed shot at the World Heavyweight Title, SmackDown’s “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler, along with Vickie Guerrero, appears on RAW. Dolph says that he will be the next World Heavyweight Champion, saying that he is better than Hall of Famers like Bret Hart and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Ziggler is then interrupted by Chris Jericho, but Dolph cuts Jericho off, saying that Jericho will not steal his spotlight, reminding Jericho that he won his Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match and Jericho lost his. Ziggler continues that he can’t remember the last time that Jericho actually won anything, saying that Jericho has been touting how he is “the best in the world at what he does”, but what Jericho does is “lose”. Dolph then says that no one has been given more chances than Jericho, saying that Jericho has been “coasting along”, adding that Jericho is “all hype”. Dolph then asks Jericho when he won an important match, asking if Jericho is losing his “touch”, but Jericho had heard enough from “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” as Jericho hits the Codebreaker on Ziggler before walking away.
“The Funkasaurus” was in action on RAW as Brodus Clay, with The Funkadactyls, Cameron & Naomi, in tow, went one-on-one with JTG. In the end, it was Brodus Clay hitting the Funkasplash on JTG en route to racking up another win.
Then it was time for the main event as WWE Champion CM Punk would face the unenviable task of going one-on-one with “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show in a non-title match. During the match, CM Punk would manage to take Big Show off of his feet, but was unable to put Show away and Big Show would regain the advantage, hitting the chokeslam on CM Punk. However, Punk would get his foot on the bottom rope, which would enrage the giant as Show continues to punish the WWE Champion and would shove the referee down, forcing the referee to end the match. John Cena then rushes out, which makes Big Show opt to leave the ring. Cena then starts to make his major announcement, but Big Show interrupts, saying that he is not stupid because he knows that Cena is going to announce that he is cashing in his Money-in-the-Bank contract right now. As a referee rushes to the ring ready to take the briefcase and start the title match, Big Show tells Cena that Cena would be a “fool” not to cash in his title opportunity right now, saying that Cena will never have an easier title match. Cena tells Big Show “no” before letting CM Punk know that he will be cashing in his Money-in-the-Bank contract on next week’s 1,000th Episode of RAW for a WWE Title match against Punk! Cena then follows up his major announcement by blasting Big Show in the skull with the steel briefcase!
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