Three-hour Raws will be the norm once July 23rd rolls around, but the era of “People Power†might not make it until then.
Headed into this “special†three-hour Raw, Mr. McMahon was advertised to come back to evaluate Johnny Ace’s performance.
Mr. McMahon wasn’t thrilled and instructed Laurinaitis to put on a good show or he would fire him at the end.
But naturally, that wasn’t the case. The end was a show with a cliffhanger and a sore jaw. But don’t be confused by the knockout punch at the show’s climax. This week’s Raw was anything but.
MATCHES:
1-World Champion Sheamus vs. Tensai (w/Sakamoto): Laurinaitis sought out an angry Tensai to take care of Sheamus, who insulted Johnny Ace shortly before. The two men clashed in fierce battle as nasty marks were left on both of them. Tensai almost put Sheamus away, but got a two-count for a believable near-fall. He wouldn’t get the chance to try again as the Brogue Kick did him in. Tensai assaulted Sakamoto at ringside afterwards.
2-United States Champion Santino Marella/Layla vs. Ricardo Rodriguez/Beth Phoenix: This unorthodox mixed tag offered some decent spots. Phoenix pinned the Divas Champ with the Glam Slam and sent a clear message. Rodriguez was stripped of his suit (and his dignity, or what’s left of it) when it was revealed he wore a Justin Bieber shirt.
3- Intercontinental Champion Christian vs. The Great Khali vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Jack Swagger: In a Fatal four-way elimination match to decide the new number-one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, Khali was first to go as all three men pinned him simultaneously. Ziggler pinned Swagger, much to Vickie’s dismay. Christian and Ziggler battled back-and-forth, near-fall after near-fall. Christian hopped onto his ankle and Ziggler caught him with his finisher to get the three-count.
4) Ryback vs. Willard Fillmore/Rutherford Hayes: The “Goldberg†chants continue, as do the squashes of no-name jobbers. Get this man some real competition already.
5- Kofi Kingston vs. Big Show (Steel Cage): Kofi looked to avenge his fallen partner, as R-Truth fell victim to Big Show’s right fist while he was interviewed backstage. Kingston would put up some offense but he ultimately wound up Show’s latest subject of destruction.
6-Sin Cara vs. Curt Hawkins: Brief match, as Sin Cara won after a vicious face-plant huracanrana.
7-Vader vs. Heath Slater: Yes, you read that correctly. It was in fact, 1997 once again, as the fans popped big for the Vader Bomb, which led to a three-count. Nice surprise.
8-C.M. Punk/A.J. vs. Kane/Daniel Bryan: A.J. entered two minutes in and jumped onto Kane and kissed him. Kane tagged in Bryan and retreated to the back. Punk tagged in and pinned Bryan with a top-rope elbow drop. A.J. sat down in the ring like Punk used to and smiled at Punk, as both he and Kane shot a confused look.
Final Thoughts: The poor Boss just has no luck at the end of Raw episodes. He’s been blown up in a limo, he’s had a stage collapse on him and now he has been knocked out by Big Show. The added stipuation that Laurinaitis will be fired if Show doesn’t win at No Way Out was nice. Another memorable moment from this show included the Punk/Bryan/A.J./Kane segment as A.J. continued to flawlessly play the “crazy chick†role. Big Show has been built up well. Dolph Ziggler should make things fun against Sheamus on Sunday. Overall, the show did a good sell for No Way Out, as WWE did what they could, as they currently lack the star power of Chris Jericho, Randy Orton and Alberto Del Rio.
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