Here’s RAW in case you missed it:
From The Power Balance Pavilion in Sacramento, California:
Hosted by John “Bradshaw” Layfield (JBL), Michael Cole and WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler.
HOUR 1:
1. AN OPENING REMATCH FROM SMACKDOWN!: Wade Barrett vs. Daniel Bryan.
THE SPECIAL GUEST REFEREE FOR THIS MATCH: RAW General Manager Brad Maddox.
THE WINNER: WADE BARRETT!!!
NOTE: Brad did a very quick 3-count, which nearly led to him getting assaulted by Daniel.
2. Damien Sandow vs. Randy Orton.
THE WINNER: RANDY ORTON!!!
INTERVIEW: CM Punk.
Josh Matthews asked Punk why he is facing his former friend the week before Summerslam, and he stated that he wants him before he gets to Brock Lesnar.
3. A MIXED TAG TEAM MATCH: The Great Khali and Natalya Neidhart with Hornswoggle vs. Big E Langston and WWE Divas Champion A.J. Lee.
THE WINNERS: THE GREAT KHALI AND NATALYA NEIDHART!!!
HOUR 2:
WWE Chairman Vince McMahon asked Brad Maddox why he made himself the referee for the Barrett-Bryan rematch. Brad stated that Daniel’s matches get wild, and that The WWE Universe would appreciate an authority figure in the ring. He also stated that the reasons for the very fast 3-count was that he got caught up in the excitement, and that he hadn’t refereed in a while. He then asked Vince to make him the referee for the WWE Championship match on Sunday. Vince asked him if he would be fair and impartial, and not yo call Daniel any names, he said yes.
When Vince was about to make it official, Triple H (Hunter Hearst Helmsley) appeared. He was disgusted by the idea of Brad refereeing the match, and he took the spot, and Pedigreed Brad!!!
4. Kane vs. Titus O’Neil with Darren Young.
THE WINNER: KANE!!!
NOTE: After the match, The Wyatt Family (Bray Wyatt, Erick Rowan and Luke Harper) appeared. As Rowan and Harper were ready to attack, Kane stood under the Titantron and summoned the flames.
INTERVIEW: The Bella Twins (Brie and Nikki).
Josh wanted to know Brie’s thoughts on being slapped by Natalya Neidhart last week. As she was speaking, Natalya appeared and challenged Brie to a match on Sunday. Brie decided to include Nikki, and Eva Marie (Total Divas) decided to join them. Natalya then brought in The Funkadactyls (Naomi and Cameron) as her partners, making it a Six-Divas Tag Team Match.
5. A NON-TITLE MATCH: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Alberto del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston.
THE WINNER VIA SUBMISSION: ALBERTO DEL RIO.
INTERVIEW: Christian.
Renee Young asked Christian for his thoughts on facing del Rio for the title on Sunday, and he stated that all he wants is one more match. Much to the amusement of del Rio.
6. TAG TEAM MATCH: The Real Americans (Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger) with Zeb Coulter vs. The Usos (Jimmy and Jey).
THE WINNERS: THE USOS!!!
HOUR 3:
7. MIZ TV with The Miz.
HIS GUESTS: Daniel Bryan and WWE Champion John Cena.
The Miz asked them both for their thoughts on their championship match at Summerslam, and Daniel stated that he was happy someone stood up to Vince. Cena stated that he’s happy Triple H will referee the match, because he knows what it’s like being in the main event. Cena then stated that the reason why he chose Daniel is because he’s great. Daniel stated that the reason why he doesn’t watch television is because of people like Cena who are all style and no substance. Cena stated that he has his critics, and that Daniel isn’t the first, but not the last.
He then ran down a list of people that he defeated, to which Daniel thought that Cena is better than his opponents. Cena stated that Daniel is not in the same league as them. Daniel told him that next Sunday will be the biggest match of his life. He also mentioned a tradition he saw in Japan when a wrestler wants to energize his opponent, he slaps him. Cena slapped him, and Triple H appeared to prevent the both of them from assaulting each other.
Randy Orton also appeared with his red Money In The Bank briefcase staring at Cena and Daniel.
8. Fandango with Summer Rae vs. R-Truth.
THIS MATCH NEVER GOT STARTED.
9. A 20-MAN BATTLE ROYAL.
THE PARTICIPANTS: Rob Van Dam (RVD), Tons of Funk (Tensai and “The Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay), The 3MB (Heath Slater, Jinder Mahal and Drew McIntyre), RyBack, The Prime Time Players (Darren Young and Titus O’Neil), Wade Barrett, The Usos, Justin Gabriel, The Real Americans, R-Truth, Fandango, The Great Khali, Kofi Kingston and “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry.
THE REWARD: The winner will face Dean Ambrose for the WWE United States Championship at the Summerslam Kickoff pre-show on Sunday.
THE WINNER, AND #1 CONTENDER: ROB VAN DAM!!!
NOTE: After the match, The Shield (WWE United States Champion Dean Ambrose and WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns) surrounded the ring, and Mark Henry returned to the ring to help RVD. Within minutes, The Big Show appeared and The Shield retreated!!!
10. THE MAIN EVENT: Paul Heyman vs. CM Punk.
Paul Heyman spent most of the time stalling until he summoned Brock Lesnar. He then called out CM Punk, and Punk took a TV camera and hit Lesnar from behind. WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel appeared and Punk assaulted him too.
Match #2 and the 20-Man Battle Royal are the highlight matches of the night!!!
Damien Sandow, Randy Orton and the participants of the Battle Royal are the wrestlers of the night!!!
The return of The Big Show and the 20-Man Battle Royal are the highlights of the night!!!
ANALYSIS: This was a BIG improvement over last week, but the Battle Royal should have been the main event.
