Seth Sells Out.
One night after an explosive and hard-hitting Payback, the 1097th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Bankers Life Fieldhouse in Indianapolis, IN. In a war for the ages at Payback, The Shield collided with Evolution in a No Holds Barred Elimination Match and, while Evolution dished out the majority of the punishment, it was The Shield who walked away with a clean sweep of Evolution as The Shield eliminated Batista, Randy Orton, & Triple H without losing any member of their own team! Was the epic clash between these two factions at Payback the final chapter of the rivalry or does Evolution still have its sights set on destroying The Shield?
While John Cena and Bray Wyatt tore the house down in their Last Man Standing Match at Payback, honorable mention has to go to The Usos and Luke Harper & Erick Rowan, who destroyed each other amidst the carnage made by John Cena and Bray Wyatt. At the end of a hellacious match, it was John Cena delivering the Attitude Adjustment through a wooden anvil case before tipping another case on top of the broken case, trapping Bray and keeping Bray down for the ten-count. Now that John Cena emerged from Payback as the last man standing, has Cena stopped The Wyatt Family’s crusade to tarnish his legacy?
Also at Payback, WWE Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon gave Daniel Bryan an ultimatum, either surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Title or Bryan’s wife, Brie Bella, would be fired. However, it was Brie Bella who would make the decision as Brie refused to be victimized by Stephanie McMahon, announcing that she quits before slapping Stephanie across the face, humiliating Stephanie and sending her running to the back in tears! With Brie Bella no longer in WWE, will the punishment for her actions fall on Daniel Bryan?
Match Results
- Sheamus & Rob Van Dam def. Cesaro & Bad News Barrett (with Paul Heyman) by Rob Van Dam pinning Bad News Barrett following the Five-Star Frog Splash.
- Bo Dallas def. Kofi Kingston by pin following the Bo Dog.
- John Cena def. Kane by DQ after Kane ignores the referee’s five-count.
- Los Matadores (with El Torito) def. Heath Slater & Drew McIntyre (with Jinder Mahal & Hornswoggle) by Los Matador rolling up Heath Slater.
- 2-on-1 Handicap Match: Alicia Fox & Aksana def. Nikki Bella by Alicia Fox pinning Nikki Bella following the Axe Kick.
- Adam Rose def. Jack Swagger (with Zeb Colter) by pin following the Party Foul.
- Non-Title: Luke Harper & Erick Rowan def. The Usos by Erick Rowan pinning Uso following a side slam.
- Money-in-the-Bank Qualifying Match: Alberto Del Rio def. Dolph Ziggler by submission to the Cross Armbreaker to qualify for the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match.
- RybAxel def. Goldust & Sin Cara by Curtis Axel pinning Sin Cara following the Axel Cutter.
Detailed Results
One night after a hellacious No Holds Barred Elimination Match against The Shield at Payback that ended with The Shield pulling off a clean sweep, RAW kicks off with Evolution as WWE COO Triple H, “The Animal” Batista, & “The Viper” Randy Orton make their way to the ring. Triple H says that they all think that The Shield has won and The Shield thinks it is over. Triple H continues, says that he never “loses” and it will not be over until The Shield no longer exists and that is going to happen tonight. However, Batista takes the microphone away from Triple H, saying that he is “done” with The Shield and he wants the title match that Triple H promised him. Visibly annoyed, the COO gets another microphone and tells Batista that there is a reason that he is the “leader” and there is a reason that he is the “boss” and the reason is that he sees the “bigger picture”, saying that he has a “plan”. The disgruntled Batista says that he does not care about Triple H’s plan, saying he came back and he did what he said he was going to do when he won the Royal Rumble Match to earn a one-on-one title match and he wants it tonight! The COO reminds Batista that the WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan, is injured and cannot compete, saying that he could not give Batista a shot at the title even if he wanted to. Triple H then adds that, even if he did give Batista a title shot, he would probably just “choke” anyways! Triple H apologizes, saying that things are “stressful” tonight, asking if Batista wants to be remembered as the guy who could not defeat The Shield. Triple H says that he has never started a fight that he did not finish and he is not going to start tonight, saying that this ends when The Shield is no more and, when that happens, Batista will get everything that he was promised, but until then, “no one is getting anything”. Then, in a shocking announcement made with a calm demeanor, Batista tells Triple H, “I understand and I quit”! Batista then does the Queen’s wave to the crowd before he walks out of the ring and to the back as the crowd chants “yes”. Enraged, Triple H shouts at Batista to not come running back to him when his career in Hollywood fails, telling Batista that he is “finished”! Triple H then shouts at Batista to “get back here” before he tosses the microphone down!
With Cesaro’s advocate, Paul Heyman, a guest on commentary, Payback matches would spill over onto RAW as United States Champion Sheamus would team with “Mr. Monday Night” Rob Van Dam to face “The King of Swing” Cesaro, with Paul Heyman in his corner, and Intercontinental Champion Bad News Barrett. During the match, Sheamus would go for the Brogue Kick on Cesaro, but Paul Heyman would pull Cesaro out of the ring and, at the coaxing of Paul Heyman, Cesaro would walk out on his partner! Moments later, Sheamus would hit the Brogue Kick on Bad News Barrett and Rob Van Dam would follow it up with the Five-Star Frog Splash, pinning the Intercontinental Champion to pick up the win for himself and Sheamus.
Dressed as Indiana Pacers player Lance Stephenson, Damien Sandow comes to the ring, inciting the Indianapolis fans by calling them a “losing city” that supports a “losing team”. Sandow then displays his best basketball moves before he is interrupted by the arrival of “The World’s Largest Athlete” Big Show. Sandow dares Big Show to try and get on the board, so Big Show hurls the ball at the mid-section of Damien Sandow before leveling him with the Knockout Punch. Big Show then easily dunks the ball, breaking the basketball hoop in the process.
In a rematch from their match at Payback that ended inconclusively once Kane made his presence felt by assaulting Kofi Kingston, Kofi Kingston would go one-on-one with the self-proclaimed “inspiration”, Bo Dallas. In the end, it was Bo Dallas hitting the Bo Dog on Kofi Kingston, pinning Kofi for the win.
For the first time since being humiliated by Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella at Payback when Brie Bella quit WWE and slapped her across the face, WWE Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon would appear on RAW. Stephanie says that Daniel Bryan showed just how “selfish” he was at Payback by refusing to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Stephanie continues, saying that Brie Bella should have been fired, but she gave Bryan & Brie “chance after chance” and she got a slap to the face for her trouble. Stephanie says that she is “tough”, asking how Daniel Bryan can live with himself, having to look at Brie Bella and knowing that her dreams were “shattered” because of Daniel Bryan’s “selfishness”. Stephanie says that this is about something bigger than either Daniel Bryan or Brie Bella, it is about the WWE World Heavyweight Championship. Stephanie then announces that, in four weeks at Money-in-the-Bank, if Daniel Bryan is cleared to compete, then he will be defending the WWE World Heavyweight Title against Kane in a Stretcher Match! As if that was not a big enough announcement, Stephanie also announced that, if Daniel Bryan is unable to compete at Money-in-the-Bank, then the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match will be for the vacant WWE World Heavyweight Title!
Stephanie then starts to turn her attention back to Daniel Bryan, but the Principal Owner is interrupted by John Cena. Stephanie congratulates John Cena on his victory over Bray Wyatt in the Last Man Standing Match at Payback. Cena says that he is sure that they have not seen the last of Bray Wyatt before saying that some of Stephanie’s decisions have been “questionable”. Cena continues, saying that the situation with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship has gotten out of control and he knows what it is like to win a championship, he knows what it is like to lose a championship, and he knows what it is like to have to give away a championship. Cena says that, like Daniel Bryan, he suffered an injury that forced him to forfeit the championship. Cena says that no one person is bigger than the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, not Daniel Bryan and not a “spoiled, jealous egomaniac” like Stephanie McMahon! Cena tells Stephanie to “face facts”, saying that Daniel Bryan is “good” and telling Stephanie that the crowd can make all the noise that they want, but it comes down to proving it in the ring. Cena continues, saying that Bryan proves that he is championship material every time he steps into the ring and Bryan earned the championship by beating him at SummerSlam, but The Authority took the title away from Bryan. Cena says that the reason that he forfeited the title when he was injured was because he knew that he would get a shot at the title when he returned. Cena then says that the whole situation is Stephanie’s fault, saying that Daniel Bryan is afraid to surrender the WWE World Heavyweight Title because he is afraid that he will never get another shot at it and that Stephanie will “eliminate” him from WWE. Stephanie says that Daniel Bryan is “good”, but he is not “great” because he is unable to compete, saying that Daniel Bryan has not defended the title in over 30 days and, as the boss, she has to do what is “best for business”. Cena argues that Stephanie has let her hatred of Daniel Bryan get in the way of what is best for business and she has made an “embarrassment” of the history of the WWE World Heavyweight Championship, wasted everyone’s time, and made an embarrassment of herself! Cena then says that, on a scale of 1-10, he gives her a zero as a boss, telling Stephanie that a zero means that she sucks! Stephanie says that she does not care what he or the fans give her as a grade before saying that she is going to give John Cena a chance to prove just how tough he is tonight when Cena goes one-on-one with Kane right now! Stephanie then tells Cena that “payback is a bitch” and so is she before Stephanie leaves the ring as Kane makes his way to the ring.
In an impromptu match made by WWE Principal Owner Stephanie McMahon, John Cena would go one-on-one with “The Devil’s Favorite Demon” Kane on RAW. However, the match would not last long as Kane would ignore the referee’s five-count in the corner, resulting in a disqualification win for John Cena. After the match, Kane would send John Cena into the steel steps before trying to deliver the Tombstone Piledriver to Cena on the steps, but Cena would fight back, sending Kane into the steel ring post before hurling the steel steps into the face of Kane! Referees then rush out to break up the fight and Cena heads to the back as Kane sits up. In a fit of rage, Kane tosses the steel steps around and rips apart the announce table, smashing a chair on the table and tossing it into the ring and storming away from ringside.
In tag team action, Los Matadores, with El Torito in their corner, would face 3MB’s Heath Slater & Drew McIntyre, with Jinder Mahal & Hornswoggle in their corner. In the end, it was one of the Los Matadores rolling Heath Slater up to pick up the win.
In a 2-on-1 Handicap Match made by Stephanie McMahon, Nikki Bella would be forced to face both Alicia Fox & Aksana. The numbers disadvantage would overwhelm Nikki Bella and Alicia Fox would hit the Axe Kick on Nikki en route to picking up the win. After the match, Alicia Fox would toss Nikki Bella out of the ring before hitting a backbreaker on the floor.
Luke Harper & Erick Rowan then appear in an undisclosed location next to an empty rocking chair. Harper tells Rowan that, now, they must take up his “cause” and that “retribution” cannot be achieved until The Usos are dealt with, vowing that The Usos will “burn”.
As Zeb Colter & Jack Swagger continue their efforts to derail The Exotic Express, Jack Swagger, with Zeb Colter in his corner, would go one-on-one with Adam Rose. In the end, it was Adam Rose hitting the Party Foul on Jack Swagger, pinning Swagger for the win.
With their leader, Bray Wyatt, noticeably absent from his rocking chair at ringside, The Wyatt Family’s Luke Harper & Erick Rowan would face WWE Tag Team Champions The Usos in a non-title match. In the end, it was Erick Rowan hitting a vicious side slam on one of The Usos en route to picking up the win over the WWE Tag Team Champions.
In a qualifying match for the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match in four weeks at Money-in-the-Bank, “The Show-Off” Dolph Ziggler would go one-on-one with Alberto Del Rio. In the end, it was Alberto Del Rio locking in the cross armbreaker, forcing Dolph Ziggler to tap out to pick up the win and qualify for the Money-in-the-Bank Ladder Match.
After a loss to RybAxel at Payback prompted Cody Rhodes to tell Goldust that his brother deserves a better partner, Cody Rhodes would handpick his brother’s partner for a tag team match against RybAxel and Cody’s hand-picked partner would be the high-flying Sin Cara. In the end, it was an unsuccessful experiment for Cody Rhodes as Curtis Axel hits the Axel Cutter on Sin Cara en route to picking up the win for RybAxel.
“The Bulgarian Brute”, who now resides in Russia, Rusev, would appear on RAW alongside Lana as Rusev would be honored as a hero by the Russian Federation. The snappy-dressed Rusev would stand atop a podium as Lana proclaims that they are about to see the Hero Federation Award Ceremony, where they present an award for “heroic feats”. A nicely-dressed Russian man then presents Rusev with the Golden Star Award, placing the star around the neck of “The Super Athlete”. Rusev then gives a brief speech in Russian before Lana proclaims “long live The Super Athlete, Rusev”, telling the crowd to rise and show respect for the Russian National Anthem. The anthem then plays in the arena as confetti rains down on the crowd.
Before Roman Reigns went one-on-one with Randy Orton in the main event, The Shield appeared on RAW to address their clean sweep of Evolution at Payback. Dean Ambrose says that they faced their biggest challenge to date at Payback, but they did what they said they were going to do with a clean sweep of Evolution. Seth Rollins then says that, at Payback, The Shield “adapted” while Evolution “perished”, saying that the whole world was a witness to Evolution’s “implosion”. Rollins continues, saying that Evolution were not “one” like The Shield and, in the end, they were just “three strangers”. Roman Reigns then states that the men standing in the ring are brothers before telling Randy Orton to get out there so he can break his jaw with the “symbol of excellence”. With a sledgehammer-wielding Triple H by his side, Randy Orton would slowly make his way down the ramp, but upon seeing the sledgehammer, Seth Rollins would quickly head to the outside of the ring, grabbing a couple of steel chairs to even the odds. Triple H tells The Shield that what he does better than anyone is “adapt”, looking at his sledgehammer as he says that Payback was “plan A” and tonight is “plan B”. The COO then says that there is “always a plan B” before one of the most shocking moments in recent memory took place. After hearing what Triple H had to say, Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns would step forward and Triple H’s “plan B” would become apparent as Seth Rollins would turn on the two men he has stood alongside for over a year as Rollins slams his steel chair in to the back of Roman Reigns! Dean Ambrose would then glare at Seth Rollins in disbelief before Rollins jabs Ambrose in the mid-section. Rollins then goes absolutely insane, repeatedly smashing the steel chair over the back of Ambrose to the point of the chair breaking into pieces! Rollins then grabs another steel chair, setting it in the center of the ring and driving Ambrose’s face into the steel with the Curb Stomp! Seth Rollins then exits the ring, standing next to Triple H and hanging the steel chair to Randy Orton. As Triple H & Seth Rollins look on, Randy Orton systematically destroys Roman Reigns, repeatedly driving the chair into the back and chest of Reigns. As Triple H & Seth Rollins stand on the ring apron, Orton rips the vest off of Roman Reigns before picking up the helpless Reigns and planting him with an RKO on the chair. A grinning Triple H then stands with Randy Orton & Seth Rollins over the broken bodies of Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns as the crowd chants “you sold out” at Seth Rollins.
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