#1 Contended.
With the world still reeling from RAW 1000, the 1001st edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the U.S. Bank Arena in Cincinnati, OH. After shocking the world by attacking The Rock and laying “The Great One” out with the GTS to close last week’s RAW, this week’s RAW will kick off with WWE Champion CM Punk, who will explain his change of attitude and why he attacked the wrestler-turned-actor. Also, after interrupting her own wedding to Daniel Bryan to bring out WWE Chairman & CEO Mr. McMahon, who revealed the Diva as the new General Manager of RAW, what will AJ have in store for RAW on her first night as the red brand’s General Manager?
Match Results
- Non-Title: Alberto Del Rio def. Santino Marella by submission to the cross armbreaker.
- #RAWactive Match: Street Fight: Non-Title: Sheamus def. Daniel Bryan by pin following the Brogue Kick.
- Titus O’Neil (with A.W. & Darren Young) def. Kofi Kingston (with R-Truth) by pin following the Lo Down.
- Randy Orton (in his WWE return) def. Heath Slater by pin following the RKO.
- Chris Jericho & Christian def. Dolph Ziggler & The Miz by Chris Jericho pinning The Miz following the Codebreaker.
- Tyson Kidd def. Tensai by DQ after the referee reversed the decision due to a post-match assault.
- #1 Contender’s Match: John Cena and Big Show fight to a No Contest after CM Punk interferes.
Detailed Results
Anything can happen on a live show and, before RAW even began, it did happen as the show kicks off with Michael Cole & Jerry “The King” Lawler explaining that a pyrotechnic malfunction before the show caused a portion of the RAW set to catch fire! This fire delayed the fans’ entrance into the arena as fans were still filing in as RAW went on the air.
With the stage fire extinguished, RAW kicks off with the man who shocked the world last week by laying The Rock out with the GTS as WWE Champion CM Punk makes his way to the ring to explain his actions. Punk says that most Superstars talk about their WrestleMania moment, but, last week, he had himself a RAW moment. The champion says that he was “uncomfortable” with how RAW 1000 went off the air last week with Jerry Lawler proclaiming that Punk had “turned his back” on the WWE fans. Punk then leaves the ring and sits on the announce table to question the Hall of Famer, saying that The Rock is not the WWE fan base, The Rock is a “larger than life, extremely charismatic, delusional movie star” who showed him, the WWE Champion, an “incredible lack of respect”. Punk continues that The Rock acted like he was not even there last week and, when The Rock did talk to him, he informs Punk of his title match at the Royal Rumble and Rock acted as if he was just going to take the title away from Punk. The WWE Champion says that The Rock tried to make RAW 1000 all about him and so he showed The Rock the kind of man that “The People’s Champion” is dealing with. Punk then says that it is not a “popularity contest”, it is the WWE and he is its champion. Punk continues that, when The Rock was battling John Cena, you couldn’t shut The Rock up, but now The Rock has found his silence and he knows what that means. Punk then tells Jerry Lawler that, regardless of how it is spun, the 1,000th episode of RAW ended like every episode of RAW should end, with the focus and the spotlight on the WWE Champion.
“The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show then makes his way to the ring to confront CM Punk as Big Show says that, technically, ended with CM Punk, but the end of the show was really about him. Big Show explains that he was the one who cost John Cena the WWE Title and made Cena the first man in Money-in-the-Bank history to cash in the contract and not win a title. Big Show continues that CM Punk could not beat Cena even after Cena was knocked out and, had he not interfered, Punk would have tapped out in the STF. Big Show then says that the “only reason” that CM Punk is still the WWE Champion is because of him before the giant vows that he will be the next WWE Champion! Punk responds by saying that, between the two of them, the only one who is winning anything is him.
John Cena then rushes out and is in no mood to talk as Cena attacks Big Show, striking with lefts and rights, before Big Show decides to exit the ring. The brand new General Manager of RAW, AJ Lee, then comes out to make her first decision as the new GM, announcing that the main event will see John Cena going on with Big Show with the winner challenging CM Punk for the WWE Championship at SummerSlam!
The new #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title was in action on RAW as “The Mexican Aristocrat” Alberto Del Rio went one-on-one with United States Champion Santino Marella in the opening match of the night. In the end, it was Alberto Del Rio forcing Santino Marella to tap out to the cross armbreaker as Del Rio picks up the win. After the match, Alberto Del Rio proclaims that Santino Marella is “beneath” him, as is Sheamus and the WWE fans before Del Rio makes the bold decision that he will not compete again until SummerSlam when he challenges Sheamus for the World Heavyweight Title!
As Brodus Clay and Vickie Guerrero take part in an impromptu dance-off, they are interrupted by “The Intellectual Savior of the Masses” Damien Sandow, who shows footage of what happened to him at the hands of DX last week. The self-proclaimed “martyr” then attacks Brodus Clay from behind, stomping away at “The Funkasaurus”, leaving Brodus hurting in the ring.
For the first time since being left at the altar last week, Daniel Bryan confronts RAW General Manager AJ Lee in her office. The GM accuses Bryan of plotting to marry her just to get her committed to a mental institution, but Bryan argues that he was “committed” to marrying AJ. The GM then states that she is willing to start her regime on a “clean slate”. AJ then gladly informs Daniel Bryan that he will be in action against one of Bryan’s “favorite” opponents, World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus. Bryan asks AJ if it is for the title and the GM says “no” before AJ mocks Bryan by chanting “no” to his face.
Per the orders of new RAW General Manager AJ Lee, her estranged ex-fiancée, Daniel Bryan, would go one-on-one with World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and, as voted on by the WWE fans via Twitter, the week’s #RAWactive match would be a Street Fight! It wouldn’t take long for the fight to leave the ring as Sheamus would drop Daniel Bryan back-first on the steel ramp before driving Bryan face-first into the WWE logo. Daniel Bryan would manage to fight back, delivering several kicks to the skull of the World Heavyweight Champion, eventually knocking Sheamus off of the staging area to the concrete below as the champion apparently injures his ankle! Bryan then dives off of the stage, delivering a knee to Sheamus’ face. Later on in the match, Sheamus would land a suplex on Daniel Bryan on the arena floor. Sheamus then slides a steel chair and a kendo stick into the ring, but Daniel Bryan throws them back out of the ring. However, after Sheamus tosses Bryan to the outside, Bryan grabs a kendo stick and Bryan delivers several shots to the World Heavyweight Champion before setting up a steel chair in the corner of the ring. Sheamus would then wrestle the kendo stick away from Bryan, delivering a couple of shots to Bryan before Bryan delivers a dropkick to Sheamus, whose head collides with the steel chair! After Sheamus is able to kick out, Bryan grabs the chair again, but an angry Sheamus knocks Bryan down on the outside before the champion takes apart the steel ring steps. Bryan is still able to fight back as he counters Sheamus, sending the champion shoulder-first into the steel ring post. Daniel Bryan then slides the bottom portion of the steel steps into the ring before going back to work on Sheamus. Back in the ring, Sheamus and Daniel Bryan battle over the kendo stick with Sheamus getting the better of the situation. Daniel Bryan then avoids White Noise, but could not avoid the Brogue Kick of Sheamus as the World Heavyweight Champion hits the signature move en route to picking up the win!
Despite not being able to stand after his Street Fight against Sheamus, Daniel Bryan is lying in the ring and, despite the best efforts of referees, Bryan says that his neck is hurt, demanding he get a doctor in the ring. WWE Tag Team Champions R-Truth & Kofi Kingston then make their way to the ring as the champions say that they’ve got business to handle, so Daniel Bryan should leave. Daniel Bryan responds by punting R-Truth’s invisible friend, Little Jimmy, as Bryan says that R-Truth’s friend is an “imaginary child”. A group of mental hospital orderlies then come out and confront R-Truth, but AJ Lee comes out and orders the men in white coats to escort Bryan from the ring as the GM states that Bryan is “mentally unstable”!
It was revealed during RAW that, this Friday on SmackDown, WWE Chairman & CEO Mr. McMahon will be on hand to reveal the new General Manager of SmackDown!
The WWE Tag Team Champions appeared on RAW as Kofi Kingston, with R-Truth in his corner, went one-on-one with Titus O’Neil, with AW and Darren Young in his corner. During the match, Darren Young would try to distract Kofi Kingston, but R-Truth would take Darren Young down. However, this would distract the referee, allowing AW to throw his shoe at Kofi, distracting Kofi long enough for Titus O’Neil to hit the Lo Down on Kofi en route to picking up the win.
After being pummeled by legends for the past several weeks, most notably by Lita and The A.P.A. on RAW 1000 last week, “The One Man Band” Heath Slater appears on RAW to put out an open challenge to any “current WWE Superstar”. However, Slater got more than he bargained for as, after a two-month hiatus, “The Viper” returns to RAW as Randy Orton answers the challenge! The nine-time World Champion makes quick work of Heath Slater, hitting the RKO en route to picking up the win.
Former tag team partners would reunite on RAW as Chris Jericho teamed with “Captain Charisma” Christian to face “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” Dolph Ziggler and new Intercontinental Champion The Miz, with Vickie Guerrero in their corner. At the end of a chaotic match, it was a bit of payback for Christian as Christian delivers a thumb to the eye of The Miz, allowing Chris Jericho to hit the Codebreaker en route to picking up the win. After the match, there was no time to celebrate as Dolph Ziggler clocks Chris Jericho from behind with the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase!
After getting defeated by Tyson Kidd last month, the destructive Tensai, with Sakamoto in his corner, went one-on-one with Tyson Kidd on RAW. In the end, it was Tensai hitting the Tenson on Tyson Kidd en route to picking up the win. After the match, Tensai would continue the assault, dropping multiple elbow drops on Tyson Kidd before laying Kidd out with a modified backbreaker. The referee of the match then makes the rare call to reverse his original decision, giving the victory to Kidd via disqualification! Tensai would again take his frustrations out on his devout worshipper, Sakamoto, slapping Sakamoto around and tossing him out of the ring.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan is declared “sane” by his assigned therapist, but Bryan is then met by his “anger management therapist”, Kane! Kane assaults Bryan, leaving him laid out!
WWE Champion CM Punk then takes a seat as a guest on commentary for the main event as John Cena goes one-on-one with “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show with the winner challenging CM Punk for the WWE Title at SummerSlam. During the hard-fought match, Big Show would side-step an oncoming John Cena, sending Cena into CM Punk, who was seated at ringside! Shortly after this, Cena would go for the Attitude Adjustment on Big Show, but CM Punk would enter the ring, attacking Cena from behind and kicking Big Show in the skull! The WWE Champion then states that neither man is the winner of the match because they are both “losers”. Then, in a scene similar to last week, CM Punk walks away from the ring. However, RAW General Manager AJ Lee comes out, saying that CM Punk is “wrong” because both Big Show and John Cena are “winners”. AJ then announces that, at SummerSlam, CM Punk will defend the WWE Title against John Cena and Big Show in a Triple Threat Match! This brings CM Punk back out, who argues with the GM over the decision, demanding that AJ show him “respect”, but AJ just smiles in the WWE Champion’s face, unaffected by CM Punk’s objections.
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