Double Disqualification = Rematch
The show began with a rematch between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan. I am a fan of both of these men and I was not sure who to root for in this one. At one point, both men ended up outside the ring and got so aggressive with one another to the point where they both ended up getting disqualified. This led to Bryan, who has been obsessed with not being called the “weak link” for quite some time now, going to Raw Managing Supervisor Vickie Guerrero and demanding a rematch for later in the evening, which Vickie eventually agreed to.
AJ Lee Strikes Again
During a match between Kaitlyn (accompanied by Layla El) and Aksana, Kaitlyn’s theme music hit and out comes WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee dressed as her. Aksana tried to take advantage of the distraction, but Kaitlyn was able to hit her with her signature maneuver “The Spear” to get the pin and the win. After the match, AJ Lee had her friend Big E Langston come out and they then proceeded to mock Kaitlyn by re-enacting the hoax that AJ pulled on Kaitlyn a few weeks ago. Layla ended up having to restrain Kaitlyn from losing her marbles. It is very clear that the animosity between these former BFFs is far from finished.
The Rock Electrifies WWE 2K14
WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler was in the ring to reveal the cover for the upcoming video game, WWE 2K14. After some chicanery from Team Brickie (Vickie Guerrero & her assistant Brad Maddox), Lawler revealed the real cover, which turned out to be graced by none other than Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson. WWE 2K14 will be available this coming October.
John Cena Reacts to Mark Henry’s Performance
The previous week on Raw, it appeared that Mark Henry was announcing his retirement. WWE Champion John Cena was at ringside, at Henry’s request, during his speech. After coming into the ring to pay his respect to Henry and embrace him, out of nowhere, Henry hits Cena with his signature maneuver “The World’s Strongest Slam”. It was all a set-up just to send a message to Cena and challenge him for the championship, which will happen at the upcoming WWE Pay-Per-View event, Money In the Bank. On this edition of Raw, Cena responded to Henry’s performance by discussing how low some people will sink to pursue the WWE Championship. He pointed out how Henry not only used his own family, but also disrespected WWE Hall of Famers Ric Flair, Shawn Michaels, and Edge, who actually did announce their respective retirements at one point. Cena then stated that the only part of Henry’s phony speech he agreed with was the fact that the WWE Championship has to be earned.
The Usos Become #1 Contenders
In a Triple Threat Tag Team Match to determine the #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Championships, which are currently held by Shield members Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns, Tons of Funk (Brodus Clay & Tensai) (accompanied by The Funkadactyls (Naomi & Cameron Lynn) took on both The Usos (Jimmy & Jey) and 3MB members Drew McIntyre & Jinder Mahal (accompanied by 3MB leader Heath Slater). While I am a fan of both Tons of Funk and The Usos, I decided to root for Tons of Funk in this one. In the end, it was The Usos who came out on top to become the #1 contenders. So, in the near future, Rollins & Reigns will defend their championships against Reigns’ second cousins The Usos, which I hope takes place at Money In the Bank.
CM Punk Wants Answers
Paul Heyman calls out his former client, CM Punk, to address Punk being attacked by Heyman’s current client Brock Lesnar the previous week on Raw. First, Punk tells Heyman to inform Lesnar that he is coming for payback. Then, Punk wants Heyman to tell him the truth on whether or not he had anything to do with Lesnar’s attack on him. Heyman denied the allegations and swore on his children that Lesnar acted on his own. Punk then apologizes to Heyman for doubting him and embraces him; however, the look on Punk’s face during their embrace seemed to indicate that he is still a little suspicious. Personally, I think Heyman was behind Lesnar’s attack on Punk. Afterwards, Punk went one-on-one with one half of The Prime Time Players Darren Young (accompanied by the other half of The Prime Time Players Titus O’Neil). After Punk beat Young, O’Neil jumped Punk from behind and The Prime Time Players proceeded to beat down Punk. Then, unexpectedly, Heyman sends down his client and Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel to even the odds. After Punk and Axel dispose of The Prime Time Players, Punk does not appear to be happy with either Heyman nor Axel. Later on, backstage, Heyman told Punk that he had arranged for Vickie Guerrero to make a tag team match for the following week on Raw between the team of Punk and Axel against The Prime Time Players, which Punk didn’t seem too happy about.
First Money In the Bank Ladder Match Announced
WWE Vice President of Creative Stephanie McMahon announced the participants for the WWE Championship Contract Money In the Bank Ladder Match. The way a Money In the Bank Ladder Match works is that numerous superstars compete and the first superstar who climbs the ladder to retrieve a briefcase hanging from above that contains a contract that guarantees a superstar an opportunity at the WWE Championship at any time for up to a year, wins the match. This is the exact same case for a World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money In the Bank Ladder Match. As for the participants for this year’s WWE Championship Contract Money In the Bank Ladder Match, it consists of Christian, Kane, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus O’Shaunessy, CM Punk, Randy Orton, and Rob Van Dam. This match will take place at Money In the Bank and while I am a fan of all these guys, I will be rooting for Christian.
Chris Jericho and Ryback Ousted
Both Chris Jericho and Ryback barged into Vickie Guerrero’s office to state their respective cases on why they should be included in the WWE Championship Contract Money In the Bank Ladder Match. Vickie responded by making a one-on-one match between the two at Money In the Bank.
Mark Henry Addresses His Actions
Mark Henry addressed his actions from the previous week on Raw. First, he gloated over how he fooled everybody and showed no remorse whatsoever for his actions. He then vowed to take the WWE Championship from John Cena come Money In the Bank.
Daniel Bryan Conquers
In the main event rematch between Randy Orton and Daniel Bryan, the WWE Universe got to choose the stipulation, which turned out to be a Street Fight. After brutal back-and-forth action between the two, it was Bryan who locked Orton into his signature submission hold “The “No!” Lock”, with the assist of a kendo stick, to force Orton to submit and emerge victorious. After the match, Orton shook Bryan’s hand in a sign of respect. It appeared that Bryan was finally satisfied.
