WWE Raw TV Results
April 22, 2013 - Episode #1,038
Taped 4/22 in London, England
Aired on USA Network
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor

Second Hour

[Q6] Back from break, Cody Rhodes's music was playing. Rhodes was in the ring with Damien Sandow as Tensai looked on ready for a fight. After WWE replayed Sandow beating Brodus Clay earlier in the show, the next match began.

4 -- TENSAI (w/Brodus Clay and Cameron & Naomi) vs. CODY RHODES (w/Damien Sandow)

Cody controlled early on as JBL noted Tensai is a legend in Japan, but he hasn't found his footing back in WWE. This led to the announcers cracking dancing jokes. In the ring, Cody hit the Disaster Kick to the back of Tensai's head for a two count. More jokes from the announcers, then Cody dropkicked Tensai into the corner. But, he missed with a corner attack, allowing Tensai to make his comeback. Silence as Tensai covered Rhodes for a two count.

Tensai followed with a rolling butt splash in the corner before Sandow hit the ring apron to exchange Tensai in witticisms. But, Clay yanked down Sandow. Back in the ring, Tensai delivered a two-handed bomb before butt-splashing Rhodes center-ring. It was good for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Tensai at 4:33. Just another filler TV match. It doesn't seem like this feud is going anywhere.

Backstage: Kane and Daniel Bryan were shown standing together. Bryan wanted to know if The Undertaker was here, to which Kane replied he will be here. Bryan, frustrated, said they need to be on the same page and talk strategy. Bryan demanded Kane call him on the phone. Kane replied that he's not exactly the type to carry a cell phone, which drew some laughs in the live crowd. Bryan pulled out some diagrams to tell Kane that he has a great strategy for beating Shield tonight, but Kane ripped them up and told Bryan not to show Taker *diagrams*. Bryan promised not to, then who appeared to be Shield members jumped them in the locker room and left them out cold on the floor. The camera showed Shield-like boots walking off.

[Commercial Break]

Moments Ago: What appeared to be The Shield took out Kane and Bryan in the locker room. On commentary, the announcers speculated that Taker might have to go at it alone against Shield tonight. They said not even Taker can handle Shield one-on-three.

Smackdown Rebound: WWE flashed back to last Friday when Big Show & Mark Henry beat Sheamus & Randy Orton in a big tag match.

[Q7] Backstage: Josh Mathews brought in Ryback to discuss his title challenge against John Cena at Extreme Rules. Mathews asked Ryback about watching Shield decimate Shield last Monday. Ryback said he was attacked by Shield more times than he can remember, but Cena never helped him. So, he wanted Cena to know how it feels. Ryback said he admits that he enjoyed it, but some people still don't seem to understand, including Mick Foley. He said he looks in the mirror and sees the next WWE champion, but perhaps they need to discuss this in the ring tonight. "Ryback Rules," he concluded.

In-ring: Big E. Langston slowly walked out on-stage to his own hip-hop track. Big E. clapped weightlifting chalk together in his hands before stomping down to the ring and firing himself up. Big E. threw up his right hand and stared into the crowd before Raw cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Back from break, Lawler talked up Big E. Langston as a future WWE champion, then Zack Ryder was introduced as Big E.'s opponent. Ryder, now with flat hair, quickly hit the ring to face Big E.

5 -- BIG E. LANGSTON vs. ZACK RYDER

Langston completely dominated, then nailed the Big Ending for the pin and the win. After the match, Langston held his pose covering Ryder for a few extra seconds to enhance the visual of him dominating tonight.

WINNER: Langston at 1:45. Interesting that they're breaking out Langston on his own, while still keeping him associated with Ziggler and Lee.

Still to come: Shield vs. Taker & Kane & Bryan in a six-man tag match. The announcers wondered aloud if Kane and Bryan will still be able to compete tonight.

[Commercial Break]

[Q8] Back from break, the bell tolled and The Undertaker made his way out on-stage to a big reaction. Taker then slowly walked toward the ring, commanding the attention of the audience. Taker stood on the ring steps and "raised the lights" as Cole hyped Taker's ring entrance. Taker then entered the ring before dramatically removing his jacket hood, drawing another strong reaction. Taker then paced the ring to loud "Undertaker" chants.

After a pause, The Shield's music played to bring out Shield through the crowd. Taker continued to pace in the ring as JBL solemnly said he hates to see Taker go out like this. Taker continued to stand his ground in the ring before Shield hit the ring. Shield got him cornered, but Kane's pyro hit to interrupt the proceedings. Kane and Daniel Bryan hit the ring selling the effects of the locker room attack, then Taker, Bryan, and Kane cleared Shield from the ring. Shield regrouped on the outside as the face trio stood tall in the ring. Cole excitedly said the match is next.

[Commercial Break]

6 -- THE UNDERTAKER & WWE tag champions DANIEL BRYAN & KANE vs. THE SHIELD (DEAN AMBROSE & SETH ROLLINS & ROMAN REIGNS) -- six-man tag match

The bell sounded back from break and the two teams felt each other out. Kane then tagged in Taker, causing Ambrose to freak out and the crowd to react. Taker went to work on Ambrose, then wanted Old-School, but Ambrose punched him in the gut. Taker came back with a boot to the gut before trying Old-School again. This time, Taker successfully walked the top rope before clubbing Ambrose across the back. Taker had enough of Ambrose, so he tagged in Kane.

Kane worked on Ambrose, then Reigns tagged in and took punishment from Kane. D-Bryan was in next to dropkick Reigns in the corner. More in and out tags working on Reigns, then the crowd chanted for Taker. Reigns responded by gaining the advantage on Kane, leading to Shield isolating Kane and beginning their trademark attack.

[Q9 -- third hour] The match continued with Kane escaping Ambrose with a sidewalk slam before punching Rollins in the gut to escape. Kane tagged in Bryan, who landed successive Yes! kicks to Rollins before back-flipping over Rollins and nailing a big clothesline. Bryan Danielson vs. Tyler Black continued with Bryan kick-striking before delivering a kick to the head for a nearfall. Bryan then dumped Rollins clear over the top rope to the outside. Bryan wanted to follow with a suicide dive, and he connected, sending Rollins crashing into the guardrail.

Back in the ring, Bryan came off the top with a missile dropkick to Rollins. Bryan then wanted a big corner attack, but Rollins moved and Bryan ate the corner turnbuckle, bringing an excited crowd down. Taker watched with concern as Raw cut to break.

[Commercial Break. Chael Sonnen narrated a UFC 159 commercial with a wrestling-style promo. Well done.]

Back from break, Shield was in control of Bryan as the Brothers of Destruction paced the ring apron. Rollins then started taunting Taker, who responded with a throat-slash gesture and vowed to make Rollins feel pain. Rollins ignored Taker's threats and brought in Ambrose to continue working on Bryan. Bryan finally broke free and hot-tagged Taker, drawing a big reaction.

Taker cleaned house, then focused on Ambrose. Snake-eyes into a big boot put Ambrose on the mat. Taker then dropped a leg for a two count. Taker wanted the Chokeslam and set it up on both Ambrose and Rollins, but Reigns came out of nowhere to spear Taker for a close two count. Reigns sold shock over his spear not finishing away Taker, then Shield tried to isolate Taker, but Taker dropped Rollins with a clothesline for a nearfall.

Kane tagged back into the match at 17:30 and delivered signature offense before climbing up-top. Kane landed a flying clothesline, then called for a Chokeslam of his own. But, Rollins escaped and kicked Kane's hand. Ambrose tagged in and tried to follow up, but Kane chokeslammed Ambrose. Bryan then tagged in and the action completely broke down. Left in the ring were Bryan and Ambrose. Bryan wanted a top-rope headbutt, but Ambrose moved and Bryan ate the mat. Ambrose then trapped Bryan's shoulders to the mat and hooked his legs for a three count to win.

Post-match, Taker sold shock as Shield celebrated on the outside. Shield then took off into the crowd and headed for the top of the arena while Taker and Kane tried to figure out what happened in the ring. After a replay of the finish, WWE showed Kane and Taker trying to console Bryan, who shook his head in anger over the loss.

WINNERS: Shield at 19:05. Solid six-man tag match. As expected once this match actually started, Bryan took the loss to protect Taker as well as Kane. Overall, even with Shield beating another big-name set of opponents, it feels a bit too much like rinse and repeat. A sense of danger is missing right now. Perhaps it's because Raw feels very dry and antiseptic tonight.

[Q10] Still to come: Mick Foley has accepted Ryback's invitation for a confrontation tonight.

THIRD HOUR COVERAGE CONTINUES...

Alerts: Follow PWTorch staffer's live, real-time tweets during Raw at Twitter.com/PWTorch/torch-staff .

We welcome your 0-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, email to pwtorch@gmail.com .

We suggest these recent related articles...

CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 10/5: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Lesnar returns, Cena's Open Challenge, more

CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 9/28: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - John Cena's Open Challenge, Paul Heyman, Reigns vs. Wyatt main event, MizTV, more

CALDWELL'S WWE RAW RESULTS 9/21: Complete "virtual-time" coverage of live Raw - Night of Champions fall-out, Cena vs. Rollins U.S. Title re-match, Bizzaro Kane, more