KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT
JUNE 21, 2010
BRIDGEPORT, CONN.

[Q1]

-After the Raw opening, pyro blasted and Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talked about the NXT Season One Rookies interfered in the main event and wreaked havoc on John Cena and others. Lawler said during the melee, a new WWE Champion was crowned - Sheamus.

-Vince McMahon's music played. He walked out to a mixed reaction. He said last night there was "ultimate sheer chaos" in one of their main events, and as a result they have a new WWE Champion - Sheamus. He said there is only one person to blame for that chaos - Bret Hart. He said he told Bret he was going to have to make tough decisions as general manager, but not bad decisions. He said he made a bad decision, "hindsight being 20/20," when he fired Wade Barrett and dismissed the entire former NXT group. He said that set off a whole chain of reactions. He said Bret was taken on a joy ride and shaken up a little. He said that's no reason not to show up last night at the Fatal 4-Way event. He said as a result of Bret not showing up, there was chaos. He said Bret didn't bother to hire extra security or "tip off other WWE Superstars that something might be happening." He said it's all on Bret. The crowd chanted, "We Want Bret!" Vince paused to let the chant get stronger. It didn't.

He said as a result of the chaos, as the Chairman of the Board of WWE he has no choice but to relieve Bret of his duties as G.M. of Raw. "In other words, Bret, you're fired," he said. He said it give him a certain feeling of closure, a term Bret once used. He said now he has a bigger announcement to make. He said a new G.M. is running things. He said that new G.M. prefers to remain anonymous. He said that new G.M. will be issuing his instructions through a computer on the announce desk in front of Lawler and Cole. This whole segment is one weak twist and turn after another.

A ping noise came through and Cole noticed that an email came in from the new G.M. He said it said that all seven members of the former NXT group have officially been hired. The crowd reacted with a mix of cheers. Cole said the email said they'll address the WWE Universe tonight. Vince said things are beginning with a bang. He told everyone to enjoy the show. Sheamus's music played and he walked onto the stage with the WWE Title belt. He headed to the ring and McMahon stood there smiling.

Sheamus absorbed a chant of "You suck! You suck!" He struggled with his words, but he said he didn't want to win the WWE Championship that way. He scratched his forehead and seemed bothered. He said last night he wanted to prove he belonged in the top echelon by beating three top WWE Superstars in the ring on his own. He said that didn't happen. He said, "What I am trying to say is I don't deserve this and I can't accept this championship under these conditions." He handed the belt back to McMahon. McMahon reached toward the belt. Sheamus laughed and then pulled the back to his chest. He smiled and laughed and said he'll accept it because no matter how it happened, he is the new WWE Champion. Lawler said, "He got me." Sheamus called it a glorious opportunity and glorious occasion. He wanted to send a special message to the former NXT guys. "Thank you!" he said. "Thank you for interfering in my match last night. Thank you for taking out Bret Hart last week. Thank you for jumping the WWE Superstars in the back. And thank you for giving me the opportunity that I needed." He said before the NXT "lads" get carried away, he wanted them to know he didn't need their help. He said everybody knows he could have won the Fatal 4-Way match on his own. He said now that he has the title, he'll never lose it. John Cena's music interrupted him.

Cena marched to the ring. He seemed very happy with the reception he received. He asked to join the party. He said he had people to thank. He said Mr. McMahon has announced a new mysterious G.M. "I'm interested," he said. He also told Cole to thank the anonymous NXT "jim-brones" because now he doesn't have to worry about them showing up, but he knows they will show up. He said it's only a matter of time before he settles his issues with them. He also thanked Sheamus, "the human jar of mayonnaise," for winning the Fatal 4-Way. He said since he entered last night's match as champion, he gets a rematch. He thanked Bridgeport because he can't think of a better place for a title match between he and Sheamus. Sheamus said there will be no WWE Championship match tonight. He told Mr. McMahon to kindly ask Cena to leave or he'll do it himself.

[Q2]

Another email arrived. Cole read it. It said in the TV main event, Sheamus would defend the WWE Title against Cena. The fans and Cena were happy. Cole then read that the special referee would be Mr. McMahon himself, to be sure no one would interfere since he commands instant fear and respect. Cena smiled and walked to the back. I'm not sure about Cena no-selling losing his title like that. I suppose if the wrestlers in the four-way match last night represented 25 world title reigns, Cena has reason to expect he'll have several more title reigns, right? [c]

1 -- EVAN BOURNE vs. CHRIS JERICHO

Lawler said he thinks last night's win was the biggest of his career. They showed a freeze-frame of Bourne in mid-air flipping onto Jericho to win last night. Jericho called Bourne a fly-by-night wanna be. He said if he doesn't win tonight, he's going to walk out of WWE forever. Cole said Jericho has spent 20 years in the "sports entertainment industry." Bourne scored two early two counts with leverage pin attempts. Jericho bailed out and they cut to a break. Let's get this straight. Jericho's career is at stake. He almost just got pinned twice. And WWE thinks it's acceptable to go to a commercial? It sends a message that what happens in the ring is missable, take it or leave it. [c] A commercail aired locally for tickets going on sale for October's "Bragging Rights" PPV in Minneapolis, Minn. at Target Center. Jericho was on offense after the break. A clip aired of Bourne flipping onto Jericho at ringside, but Jericho reverse-whipping him into the ringside barrier to take control. Lawler said Jericho may have been frustrated lately with the impact he's been having, but he shouldn't put undo pressure on himself. Lawler said he's a fan of Bourne, but he doesn't necessarily want to see Jericho's WWE career come to an end. Bourne kept making comebacks and scoring near falls.

[Q3]

Lawler said they shouldn't consider Bourne an underdog against anyone anymore. He gave Jericho a huracanrana off the top rope for a near fall. A very different crowd tonight, with Bourne getting almost all of the pops. Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho. Bourne fought it and crawled to the bottom rope force a break. He got a big pop for that. Bourne then climbed to the top rope and went for the Shooting Star Press, but Jericho lifted his knees and hit a Code Breaker for the win.

WINNER: Jericho in 11:00.

STAR RATING: **3/4 -- Another good match, not up to last night's on PPV, but still very good.

-Afterward, Jericho leaned over and helped Bourne to his feet. It appeared he was going to congratulate him on a good fight, he shoved him hard to the mat and walked away. Cole said that is the "me-first cockiness" that brought Jericho success before. Lawler said he's not sure that's a good approach.

-Cole noted that the NXT rebels are now officially WWE Superstars. Lawler hyped the main event of Sheamus vs. Cena with Mr. McMahon as special guest referee.

-A commercial for NXT announced Lucky Cannon would face Cody Rhodes on NXT tomorrow night. They replayed the announcement earlier of a new anonymous G.M. controlling Raw.

-Backstage Vince was shown talking on his cell phone. He confirmed he gave the new G.M. "complete, ultimate authority." He said he likes surprises, but asked the G.M. not to surprise him again.

-Backstage Ted DiBiase approached Virgil. He said they've known each other a long time and he wanted to apologize for his actions last week. He said that being said, his services will no longer be needed because he has decided to upgrade. In walked Maryse. He said she appreciates the power of money. Virgil said he'll need him for protection. DiBiase said he'll go to the drug store for that. DiBiase leaned in and said, "You're fired!" Virgil looked down sadly and walked away.

-Josh Matthews interviewed Natalya and The Hart Dynasty backstage. He asked for their reaction to Vince relieving Bret of his position as G.M. Natalya said they should have seen it coming. She said the NXT rebels shouldn't have been hired, they should have arrested for what they did. Tyson Kidd said the last time one could say both sides were at fault, but this time Bret did absolutely nothing wrong. Natalya said they're going to make a vow to never let that happen again. David Hart Smith said they're going to carry on the Hart name. Natalya said they're dedicating their match to Bret Hart. "These Harts won't stop beating," she said.

-A limo pulled up outside the arena.

[Q4] [c]

-The Hart Dynasty made their way to the ring. A clip aired of what the NXT rebels did to Bret last week. Cole said the entire locker room was in the arena protecting the main event while Bret was being bounced around inside a limo.

2 -- TAMINA (w/The Usos) vs. NATALYA (w/The Hart Dynasty)

Cole said he considers himself like Robert Gibbs, President Obama's press secretary, or Ari Fleischer, delivering the orders of the new G.M. to the WWE Universe. A minute into the match, the NXT rebels walked to ringside. They surrounded the ring. Barrett said they were there to apologize. Kidd flip dove onto them at ringside. Smith slid out of the ring somewhat awkwardly to join the fight. Cole said this might not have been wise of them. The NXT Seven beat up Kidd and DHS, then entered the ring.

WINNER: No contest in 1:00. [c]

-Otunga said they really are sorry for what they did, but they did what they did out of love for WWE. He said they loved WWE so much, they would do anything to get noticed. Now that they're WWE Superstars, they want things to resort to normal. Health Slater took the mic next and said, "We're trying to say we're sorry. We have no problem with the WWE locker room. We have no problem with the WWE Universe. The attacks the last few weeks have been nothing personal." He said there are a few individuals worth apologizing to.

Justin Gabriel stepped up next and said they first want to apologize to Bret Hart. He said by firing Barrett, their only connection to WWE, they had no choice but to go after him. He said they hope he's doing okay now. He also apologized to Kidd and Smith. He said they had to defend themselves tonight. He said he hopes they can all coexist peacefully. Darrin Young stepped up next and apologized to John Cena. He said when he was on NXT, people used to call him The Black John Cena, but he said they needed to make an impact and there was no better way to do that than by attacking the top dog in WWE. He said Cena will get his title back.

Skip Sheffield took the mic next and apologized to the fans. He said personally speaking, those good fans supported him on NXT. He asked for them to say his catch phrase, "Yep yep yep, what-a-do." They booed instead. He told the youngsters that they scared and the parents, he hopes they can find it in their hearts to forgive and forget. Michael Tarver stepped up next. He said as a single parent who used to be homeless, he wanted to apologize to his kids. He said he raised them better than that. He said he did everything he could legally to grab a career in WWE. He said everyone knows they would have done the exact same thing they did to get in the door.

[Q5]

Barrett took the mic and said that the men standing behind him did what they had to do, but what about him? He said he was the only one who had a job. He had a pay-per-view title shot, so why would he align himself to those desperate match. He said loyalty. He said long ago they agreed to have fun on NXT, but they wanted to be sure they all ended up with contracts. He said they would no longer let WWE management dictate their careers. The crowd chanted, "You suck! You suck!" He said they have formed a nexus, a bond that will never be broken. He said he is glad to say his contract and his PPV title shot has been reinstated by the new G.M. He said that leads him to Sheamus, the new WWE Champion.

He said the reason Sheamus is WWE Champion is because of them. He said he was lucky enough to capitalize on what they did to Cena. He said if they were able to make a target out of Cena, they can make a target out of him. He said at any time he can take Sheamus's title off his face. He told Sheamus to wipe that smug look off his face. He said some day he will lose his title, and some day he will become WWE Champion no matter who he has to beat. He said when that happens, he will make no apologies. Cole said, "You can call them Radicals, you can call them Extremists, you can call them anything you watch, but they have what they want - contracts on Raw." He said they also have strength in numbers. That is just a strange next chapter in this once hot-angle of two weeks ago. You're not really left knowing what to think or feeling anything very strongly regarding them. [c]

3 -- ZACH RYDER (w/Titus O'Neil) vs. JOHN MORRISON (w/Eli Cottonwood)

Morrison was scheduled to face DiBiase, but DiBiase walked onto the stage with Maryse and said he has better things to do than wrestle, so he found a suitable replacement. Out came Ryder. There's just no sense of any baseline rules to how this show works. DiBiase gets to just name a replacement for himself in a scheduled match? Did the new G.M. agree to it? Cole asked Lawler if he thinks Maryse is a gold digger. Morrison avoided a Rough Ryder and won clean with Starship Pain. Afterward Morrison and Eli interacted over how to celebrate his win.

WINNER: Morrison in 3:00.

[Q6]

-Matthews caught up with Cena backstage. He asked him about the NXT Seven's apology. He said they can say it was nothing persona, but they put his career, his title shot, and Raw in jeopardy. He said his loyalty lies with the WWE Universe. He said they make him a target, but they claim it's not personal. He said every action has a reaction. "Apology not accepted," he said. He said his first goal is to get his WWE Championship back. Mr. McMahon walked up to Cena and said neither Cena nor Sheamus will have any excuses. He said his job is to be sure the best man wins. He wished Cena luck. [c]

4 -- EVE TORRES & GREAT KHALI vs. ALICIA FOX & PRIMO

What happened to Khali going back to India to be with his family and friends and regroup? After the bell rang, Primo tagged Alicia in, so Eve tagged in, too. Cole and Lawler marveled at Eve's huracanrana last night. Eve kicked Fox in the head and Cole called it an enzuigiri. At 3:00 Eve hit a moonsault, but Primo broke it up. Primo asked Eve for a kiss, but she slapped him instead and then tagged in Khali. Primo begged off as Fox walked to the back clutching her ribs and her Divas Title. Khali then finished Khali with the Punjabi Plunge.

WINNERS: Eve & Khali in 4:00.

-Backstage Randy Orton was shown for the first time. Lawler said he asked for time to speak.

[Q7] [c]

-Orton made his way to the ring. Cole said he's not happy with the outcome of last night's Fatal 4-Way title match. Orton said if the NXT rebels want to interfere in his match, now that they're under WWE contract, it's merely a matter of time before he punts each of them in the skull. He said as for Barrett, he accepts his apology. "In fact, I hope you become the next WWE Champion." He said if he does, then he's staring into the eyes of the man who is going to take it from him. During a pause, a woman could clearly be heard yelling, "I love you Randy!" The Miz's music interrupted. He walked onto the stage. Lawler wondered why he'd interrupt The Viper. He said, "Really? You in another WWE Championship match? Really, Randy? How can I put this in words you'll describe." He messed up his syntax there, then continued: "You hear voices in your head? So do I, and do you know what they're telling me? That I am sick of seeing your face in the main event. I am sick of seeing you hit your RKO on suspecting victims week after week. I am sick of The Viper, period."

He said he has made some excellent accomplishments, but he has come up short of something in particular - holding the U.S. and WWE titles at the same time. Miz said he has had his chances over and over, so it's time to go to the back of the line because the next WWE Championship match isn't Orton's, it's his. He said it's a little industry secret that he might have heard about, but if he tells him about the secret, he has to be extremely quiet about it. He said, "It's because I'm The Miz and I'm..." He then cheap-shotted Orton with a kick to the gut. Orton ducked a clothesline and powerslammed Miz. Orton pounded the mat, but Miz slippped out to the floor. Edge then surprised Orton with a spear. Edge leaned in and said, "Now the real fun begins, Randy." Edge's music played as they cut to the break. [c]

-The ring intro took place for Mr. McMahon, then Cena, then Sheamus.

[Q8]

5 -- SHEAMUS vs. JOHN CENA -- WWE Championship Match

The match began with 12 minutes left in the hour. There was a regular ref, with Vince enforcing from ringside, which wasn't really the impression given throughout the show. Sheamus dominated the early minutes. The Cena "haters" were heard here as a loud "Cena sucks!" chant broke out. The higher-pitched chants fired back "Let's Go Cena!" Lawler said he doesn't think Cena has been the same since the original attack by the NXT rebels two weeks ago. [c] Sheamus continued on offense after the break. The Cena chants broke out again at 8:00. Cena teased a comeback at 10:00, but Sheamus cut him off and hit an Irish Curse backbreaker. Cena finally got full advantage with a sudden drop toe hold into an STF. Sheamus crawled toward the bottom rope and grabbed it to force a break. Cena held it on for a full four count, breaking just before five.

[Q9 - Overrun]

Sheamus rolled to the floor. When Cena pursued him, Sheamus whipped him into the ringside steps. Sheamus grew frustrated when he couldn't score a pin. He set up the ringside steps in the aisle and whipped Cena into them. He rolled Cena back into the ring. Sheamus then kicked Cena in the skull. The NXT rebels ran out at 14:00. Lawler exclaimed, "Not again!" Sheamus escaped through the crowd. They attacked Cena again.

WINNER: No contest in 14:00.

-The NXT rebels through Cena into the announce table area. The announcers were long gone at this point. No sign of Mr. McMahon enforcing anything as the special referee, but after a minute he walked into the ring with a mic in hand. He told the NXT rebels to stop and leave Cena alone. He asked if Cena was still breathing under the announce table. He invited the NXT rebels into the ring and told the fans to take a good look at those extraordinary athletes. He said he can't take full responsibility, but he can take some. He listed Cole, Lawler, Cena, and "especially Bret Hart." He asked for a round of applause for himself. He said next week the new G.M. is going to reveal something. Vince stared at the intense faces of the NXT rebels lined up around him. He started to get nervous as he wondered if they were taking aim at him.

He then laughed and said, "You guys almost had me there for a second. My life flashed before me. That would not have been good." The crowd began a chant of "Daniel Bryan! Daniel Bryan!" The NXT rebels completely surrounded McMahon. McMahon had nowhere to run this time. After a long pause, they attacked McMahon, aggressively swarming him. He tried to slide out of the ring, but they stopped him and stomped away at him. Sheffield clotheslined him. Otunga and Slater held him in place and Barrett lifted him onto his shoulders and he slammed him over his head hard to the mat. Gabriel then hit his 450 splash on McMahon as the other six looked down on McMahon. Barrett then led them out of the ring. A chant of "NXT! NXT!" broke out. Again, you're left not sure what to think of this group of seven, but they are messing with the big boys so it leaves you intrigued by what the reaction will be. The show ended with people checking on McMahon's condition.

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