Redemption Bound?
Six nights before Night of Champions, the 1059th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Air Canada Centre in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. For the first time since September of last year, 2012 WWE Hall of Famer and eleven-time World Champion “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge appears on WWE television as the outspoken and controversial Hall of Famer brings back his infamous talk show to his hometown of Toronto, The Cutting Edge, and his guest would be the #1 Contender for the WWE Title at Night of Champions this Sunday night, Daniel Bryan! After Cody Rhodes failed to defeat WWE Champion Randy Orton last week, the second-generation star was unceremoniously fired by WWE COO Triple H just days before Cody’s wedding. Following the unjust firing, Cody Rhodes brother, Dustin, took to Twitter to express his outrage over his little brother’s dismissal, which led to RAW General Manager Brad Maddox inviting Dustin to come to RAW and go one-on-one with Randy Orton and the proud veteran accepted and so, on RAW, “The Bizarre One” Goldust returns to a WWE ring to compete on RAW for the first time in three years to combat the “face of the WWE”, WWE Champion Randy Orton and, if Goldust manages to defeat the WWE Champion, then Cody Rhodes will get his job back!
Match Results
- Non-Title: Kofi Kingston def. Curtis Axel by DQ after Curtis Axel ignores the referee’s five-count.
- Bray Wyatt (with Luke Harper & Erick Rowan) def. Dolph Ziggler by pin following the Sister Abigail.
- 6-Diva Tag: Naomi, Natalya, & Brie Bella def. Layla, Aksana & Alicia Fox by Alicia Fox tapping to Natalya’s Sharpshooter.
- Non-Title: Alberto Del Rio def. R-Truth by submission to the cross armbreaker.
- Santino Marella def. Antonio Cesaro by pin following a hip toss.
- Damien Sandow (with Fandango & Summer Rae) def. The Miz by roll-up.
- Non-Title: Randy Orton def. Goldust by pin following the RKO. As a result, Cody Rhodes does not get his job back.
- Rob Van Dam def. Ryback by DQ following a low blow on the steel ring post.
- Non-Title: Daniel Bryan def. Dean Ambrose (with Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns) by roll-up.
Detailed Results
In his hometown of Toronto, the crowd erupts as RAW kicks off with 2012 WWE Hall of Famer and eleven-time World Champion “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge as the legend makes his first WWE television appearance in nearly a year to host his controversial talk show, The Cutting Edge! Edge welcomes everyone to The Cutting Edge, saying that the reason he is on RAW is because he was invited by the COO of the WWE, Triple H, who said it would be “good for business”. Edge continues, saying that Triple H thought it would be a good idea for Edge to have a “reunion” with his former tag team partner, the reigning WWE Champion Randy Orton. However, the Hall of Famer says that Orton never has anything interesting to say and he has a problem with Orton becoming Triple H’s “lackey”, so the WWE Champion is not going to be the guest on The Cutting Edge, instead, it is going to be the #1 Contender for the WWE Title at Night of Champions, Daniel Bryan. Daniel Bryan then makes his way to the ring, joining Edge on The Cutting Edge. Daniel Bryan says that there is “satisfaction in the struggle”, saying that, no matter how many times Triple H tries to hold him down, he will beat Randy Orton and he will be the WWE Champion again! Edge says that he sees a little bit of himself in Daniel Bryan, saying that Bryan deserves a “fair shot” to try and beat Randy Orton for the title. The Cutting Edge is then crashed by the originally intended guest as WWE Champion Randy Orton comes out, saying that the only place that cares about Edge is Canada. Orton then says that it is a shame that Edge’s body “failed” him at such a young age, but Edge comments that Orton is supposed to be the “face of the WWE”, but he acts like an entirely different body part. Edge then says that he may have problems with his spine, but at least he has one! Edge continues, saying that, when it comes to picking talent, Triple H “sucks”.
The Hall of Famer is then interrupted by the COO of the WWE, Triple H, who comes out to the stage and stands next to his hand-picked champion, saying that Edge can say whatever he has to say to his face. Edge comments that he can freely speak his mind because he does not work for the WWE, saying that Triple H does not know anything about picking talent, saying that the COO did not think that guys like himself, Chris Jericho, and John Cena could not make it in the WWE, saying that he knows Triple H has a huge nose, but sometimes the COO has to look past it. Triple H says that he procured a large sum of money to allow Edge to appear on RAW to promote the show, Haven. The COO then admits that he was wrong a couple of times over the years in picking talent, saying that both Chris Jericho and John Cena proved him wrong, but he was one guy he was right about when he pegged him as a “failure” and that is Edge! Triple H continues, saying that Edge “never drew a dime” before saying that he is going to give Daniel Bryan the opportunity to prove him wrong when Bryan goes one-on-one with United States Champion Dean Ambrose, saying that, since Ambrose is going to have the other two members of The Shield in his corner, Bryan needs someone in his corner. When the crowd starts an “Edge” chant, Triple H comments that Edge’s days of “fighting like a man” have long since passed, saying that Big Show will be the one to be in the corner of Daniel Bryan. Triple H then says that he is not a “dictator” and Edge responds, saying that he did not have to “marry into success” and he earned his Hall of Fame ring. Triple H says that, since he can’t hurt Edge, maybe he can hurt the ones that Edge loves. With that, The Shield drags out a beaten and barely conscious Christian, who is tossed on the ramp as a concerned Edge rushes to his best friend’s side, calling for help before referees come out to help!
Six nights before he and Paul Heyman face CM Punk in a 2-on-1 Handicap Elimination Match at Night of Champions, Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel, with Paul Heyman in his corner, would go one-on-one with Kofi Kingston in a non-title rematch from Friday’s SmackDown. During the match, Curtis Axel would get carried away in the corner, repeatedly kneeing Kofi Kingston and ignoring the referee’s five-count, which results in Curtis Axel getting disqualified! Much like on SmackDown, Paul Heyman realizes that, if Axel gets disqualified at Night of Champions, then Heyman will be left all alone with CM Punk. Axel tries to calm his manager, saying that won’t happen this Sunday, but when the Intercontinental Champion tries to use Kofi Kingston to prove his point, Kofi fights back, taking Axel out with Trouble in Paradise!
Backstage, the emotionally torn Big Show is confronted by an old friend, Hall of Famer Booker T. Booker says that, even though they have never seen eye-to-eye, he knows that Big Show is a “professional” and he would have done the exact same thing to Daniel Bryan last week. Booker then says that, when Big Show is in Daniel Bryan’s corner later tonight, the people are going to want Big Show to be a “hero”, but Big Show needs to remember one thing, and that is his family. Booker tells Big Show to not let his “pride” make a mistake that he cannot take back and Big Show tells Booker that pride is about all he has left.
The most haunting and destructive force in the WWE today made an appearance on RAW as the spiritual leader of The Wyatt Family, Bray Wyatt, with his “brothers”, Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, in his corner, would go one-on-one with “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler. With some help from Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, Bray Wyatt would take the advantage in the match, putting Dolph Ziggler down with the Sister Abigail en route to picking up the win.
After tweaking his knee getting off of the ring apron earlier in the night, Paul Heyman would make his way to the ring on crutches with Curtis Axel and his personal doctor in tow. Heyman says that he does not believe in the Canadian health care system, so that is why, when he travels to other countries, he brings his personal physician, Dr. Michael Kursenbaum. Heyman continues, saying his personal doctor has confirmed that he either tore his meniscus or his ACL and a proper MRI in the United States will determine his actual injury. Heyman then says that, “regretfully”, he is withdrawing himself from competition this Sunday at Night of Champions! Heyman claims that he was looking forward to teaming with Curtis Axel to put CM Punk out of commission, but now he is going to return to New York to get the medical care he needs, but he will be back. RAW General Manager Brad Maddox then comes to the ring with WWE Physician Dr. Michael Sampson, who says that WWE’s medical staff is more than qualified to perform a medical evaluation on Paul Heyman. The GM then tells Heyman that the only way for Heyman to be officially removed from the match at Night of Champions is to be evaluated by a WWE physician! At Dr. Sampson’s request, Paul Heyman reluctantly sits down and allows Dr. Sampson to test his injured knee as the trained physician twists and pulls Heyman’s leg, checking closely for any abnormalities. After a thorough check, the doctor informs the GM that, despite the injury happening no more than 30 minutes ago, there are no signs of any injury to Heyman’s knee! As an angry Heyman threatens legal action against Brad Maddox and Dr. Michael Sampson, CM Punk interrupts, rushing to the ring with a kendo stick in his hand. This is when Paul Heyman’s knee gets miraculously better as Heyman shoves his personal doctor into a kendo stick shot from Punk as Heyman flees from the ring and escapes through the crowd! After Punk takes Curtis Axel out as well, Punk focuses on Heyman’s personal physician as “The Best in the World” destroys the doctor with countless kendo stick shots, with the final shot being straight to the skull!
Before she defends the Divas Title in a Fatal 4-Way Match against Naomi, Natalya, & Brie Bella at Night of Champions, Divas Champion AJ Lee was a guest on commentary as the team of Layla, Aksana, & Alicia Fox faced Naomi, Natalya, & Brie Bella in a 6-Diva Tag Match. In the end, it was Natalya forcing Alicia Fox to tap out to the Sharpshooter to pick up the win.
Before he defends the World Heavyweight Title against Rob Van Dam at Night of Champions, World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio would face R-Truth in a non-title match. In the end, it was Alberto Del Rio locking in the cross armbreaker on R-Truth, making Truth tap out to pick up the win.
Before he and Jack Swagger join 3MB, Tons of Funk, Jimmy & Jey Uso, and The Prime Time Players in a Tag Team Turmoil Match on the Night of Champions Kickoff to determine the new #1 Contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles, Antonio Cesaro, with Zeb Colter in his corner, would go one-on-one with the returning Santino Marella. In the end, Santino Marella would pop off a hip toss on Antonio Cesaro, catching Cesaro off-guard to pick up the win.
“Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” was in action on RAW as Damien Sandow went one-on-one with The Miz. During the match, Fandango & Summer Rae would dance out to the stage, distracting Miz long enough for Damien Sandow to catch The Miz with a roll-up to pick up the win.
Backstage, Canada’s own Renee Young interviews the legendary Goldust, who says that it is no secret that he has been the “screw-up” of the Rhodes family, while Cody has chosen to live the “right” way. Goldust says that he has had second and third chances in the WWE and he has screwed them all up, but tonight, Cody Rhodes gets a second chance. Goldust is then interrupted by WWE COO Triple H, who says that Goldust is under a lot of pressure and he really hopes that Goldust does not let his little brother down.
Then it was time for the return of “The Bizarre One” as, for the first time in three years, Goldust would be in action on RAW as the former Intercontinental Champion would go one-on-one with WWE Champion Randy Orton in a non-title match and, if Goldust wins, then Goldust’s younger brother, Cody Rhodes, gets his job back! Throughout the match, Goldust would pull out all the stops, going above and beyond to try and bring his little brother back to the WWE, but Randy Orton would survive, hitting the RKO on Goldust en route to picking up the win and ensuring that Cody Rhodes does not get his job back. After the match, Randy Orton tells Goldust that it looks like Goldust’s “dream” of getting Cody’s job back has been “shattered”, just like Daniel Bryan’s dream of regaining the WWE Title will be shattered at Night of Champions.
Moments after his crushing loss to Randy Orton, Goldust is confronted by the Executive Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon, who crushes Goldust even further, saying that Goldust failed to get Cody Rhodes his job back and Goldust let down the entire Rhodes family, asking Goldust what it feels like to be a “loser” like Cody. Stephanie then tells Goldust to go join his brother in the unemployment line before telling Goldust to say hi to his dad, Dusty, for her.
Six nights before he challenges Alberto Del Rio for the World Heavyweight Title at Night of Champions, “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam, with Ricardo Rodriguez in his corner, would go one-on-one with Ryback. During the match on the outside, Ryback would twice ram RVD crotch-first into the steel ring post, which results in a disqualification. After the match, Ryback would drop RVD in the center of the ring with Shell Shocked.
Backstage, Stephanie McMahon informs Big Show that, if he puts his hands on The Shield in the main event, he will be fired! After receiving this news, Big Show would grab a television, smashing it on the concrete in a fit of rage.
Then it was time for the main event as the #1 Contender for the WWE Title at Night of Champions, Daniel Bryan, with Big Show in his corner, would go one-on-one with United States Champion Dean Ambrose, with Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns in his corner, in a non-title match. During the match, Seth Rollins would distract the referee, but when Roman Reigns goes for the Spear, Daniel Bryan moves out of the way and Reigns collides with the steel steps with a similar fate awaiting Seth Rollins, who misses Daniel Bryan and bounces face-first off of the announce table. However, the distraction would still allow Ambrose to take advantage, but shortly after this, the #1 Contender would surprise the United States Champion, rolling Ambrose up for the win. After the match, Daniel Bryan tosses Dean Ambrose out on top of Reigns & Rollins before Randy Orton makes his way to the ring, but Daniel Bryan dives to the outside, taking down the WWE Champion. However, The Shield quickly jumps on Daniel Bryan and Randy Orton joins in, but the attack is halted when Big Show rounds the ring with a steel chair in hand. Fighting with his emotions, Big Show reluctantly drops the chair and watches as Orton taunts Big Show before planting Daniel Bryan with the RKO in the middle of the ring. Big Show starts to head to the back, but WWE COO Triple H and Executive Vice President Stephanie McMahon come out as the COO orders Big Show to go to the ring and knock Daniel Bryan out! With his job on the line, Big Show makes his way to the ring and with Randy Orton watching, Big Show struggles to do Triple H’s bidding, which results in Randy Orton getting in Big Show’s face, reminding the giant what is at stake. Orton then holds Daniel Bryan for Big Show, screaming at Big Show to “do it”, but Big Show refuses and Orton screams at Big Show that he is the WWE Champion and he has been given the power to tell Big Show what to do. When Orton goes to pick Daniel Bryan back up, however, Bryan rushes at the WWE Champion, putting Orton down with the running knee! Daniel Bryan then celebrates with the WWE Title belt while Big Show walks away with a smile on his face.
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