WWE Raw TV Results
June 9, 2014 - Episode #1,097
Live in Minneapolis, Minn.
Report by James Caldwell (@JCTorch), PWTorch assistant editor

The Card: The Shield vs. The Wyatts in a six-man tag match, RVD vs. Cesaro and Wade Barrett vs. Sheamus in MITB qualifying matches.

WWE Network Pre-Game Show

- The pre-show opened with a live show inside the Target Center as Josh Mathews introduced the show. Mathews was joined by Booker T, Kofi Kingston, and Alex Riley this week. The panel quickly plugged The Authority making a "breaking news" announcement regarding the WWE World Title at the top of the show. Plus, Seth Rollins explains why he broke up The Shield.

- Backstage: Renee Young interviewed Rob Van Dam about his Money in the Bank qualifying match against Cesaro.

Live Raw on USA Network

Raw opened with Justin Roberts formally introducing The Authority, Triple H and Stephanie McMahon, to begin the show. Hunter's music played to bring out the smiling power couple ready to make a big announcement. As they made their way into the ring, WWE introduced Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL ringside at commentary.

Once in the ring, Hunter smiled and said it's a good night to be right. Stephanie liked that, then said they often times have the honor to make blockbuster announcements. Steph said they've all been hanging in the balance with the WWE World Title situation, but, tonight, they finally have resolve. She introduced Dr. Joe Maroon.

Earlier Today: Dr. Maroon delivered a pre-taped message about Daniel Bryan facing long-term health problems if he attempts to compete this month. Dr. Maroon said Bryan can return to competition after recovering.

Back to Stephanie, who said they can't expect an A-Plus recovery from a B-Plus Player. Boos. Hunter said this is a business and they need a champion. Therefore, Bryan cannot compete at Money in the Bank later this month. Steph then officially stripped Bryan of the WWE Title to boos. "No!" shouts from the crowd. Hunter and Steph tried to act sincerely disappointed by having to make the announcement.

Steph said if Bryan could not compete, unfortunately their hand is forced. Steph offered "condolences," then said her assistant tried to contact Bryan earlier today, but he did not return her phone call. Steph added that she offers her condolences to his "ungrateful wife," Brie Bella, who apparently quit for nothing.

Stephanie continued that at Money in the Bank, there will be a WWE World Title ladder match, which drew boos and light, conflicted applause. Hunter then looked up to the ceiling, where the WWE and World Title belts were hanging above the ring. Stephanie said the first man qualified last week on Smackdown (she meant Raw), Alberto Del Rio.

Hunter then announced Randy Orton as the second qualifier. Hunter guaranteed a new WWE World Hvt. champion at MITB later this month. The crowd groaned. "Amen to that!" Steph said. They kind of stood there waiting for a reaction or inserting a pause to move on to other business.

Hunter went back to WrestleMania, attempting to erase Bryan's feat beating Hunter and winning the WWE World Title on the same night. Hunter said Bryan is just not championship material, proving them right. He said Bryan is not even here tonight. "That's how bad it is," he said.

Hunter moved on to saying he's been preaching adapt or perish. This led to Hunter saying Seth Rollins adapted. (Boos) Hunter then went back to a replay of the end of last week's Raw when Rollins turned on The Shield and joined Evolution.

Back live, the crowd booed. Hunter said he believed in Seth Rollins. He then addressed Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns. He said what is left of the once-dominant Shield will whimper to the end. Tonight, they will step into the ring in a six-man tag match against The Wyatts. And, they will probably have a hard time finding a partner tonight. He said it will probably be more like a handicap match. He told everyone to pull out their phones and capture Shield whimpering into extinction. "Tonight, The Shield will perish," he said. Hunter's music played as Stephanie smiled at his declaration.

Announcers: Lawler called it a dark day for WWE with Bryan stripped of the title. Cole posed the question of whether Shield will find a partner tonight, then said Sheamus vs. Barrett in a MITB qualifying match is next.

[Commercial Break at 8:12]

[Q2] In-ring: Justin Roberts formally announced a MITB qualifying match opening things up in the ring. U.S. champion Sheamus was introduced first, charged with trying to excite a crowd taken out of the show in the opening segment. IC champion Bad News Barrett was out next as Cole wondered what Daniel Bryan is thinking about right now.

Barrett had a mic to interrupt Cole. He sent a message to anyone who tries to qualify for MITB that once he climbs to the top of the ladder and grabs the WWE World Title, he is never, ever coming back down the ladder of greatness. Another round of England vs. Ireland.

1 -- U.S. champion SHEAMUS vs. IC champion WADE BARRETT -- MITB qualifying match

As the match started, Cole brought up the Bryan discussion, saying it was disingenuous of Stephanie to "reach out" to Bryan through her assistant. JBL got tripped up on his pronouns calling Stephanie a "he" a few times, ignoring Cole's attempts to interject for the save. Cole surmised JBL isn't listening to anything, then went back to calling the action in the ring. Sheamus and Barrett suddenly went flying over the top rope to the outside and Raw cut to break with both men selling on the floor.

[Commercial Break at 8:22]

Raw returned with Barrett working on a headlock mid-ring. Barrett followed up with Winds of Change for a two count. Barrett glanced up at the title belts hanging above the ring, then teased Wasteland, but Sheamus elbowed out and followed with a bodyslam for a two count. Sheamus then called for the Brogue Kick, but Barrett saw it coming and slid out of the ring. Sheamus tried to follow with a dive to the outside, but Barrett moved and Sheamus ate the guardrail. Barrett quickly rolled back into the ring and the ref began a ten count. Sheamus made it back in just before ten, though. Barrett followed right up with Wasteland, but only for a two count.

[Q3] Barrett contemplated his next move as Sheamus sold on the mat. Barrett removed his elbow pad to tease the Bullhammer Elbow, but Sheamus countered with White Noise. Another two count, only. Barrett then posted Sheamus on the ring apron, drawing the ref's ire. Barrett continued to beat up Sheamus, nearly getting himself DQ'ed. Barrett backed away too far, then turned around and took the Brogue Kick right in the mouth. Sheamus draped himself over Barrett for a three count.

WINNER: Sheamus at 13:10 to qualify for MITB. Very good TV match re-engaging the crowd after the opening segment. Barrett has finally developed a heel edge/presence as a singles wrestler that was only present when he led Nexus years ago. (***)

Scoreboard: Del Rio, Sheamus, and Orton are in the MITB match.

Suddenly, the Wyatt theme interrupted. On the video screen, Luke Harper spoke on behalf of Erick Rowan. Bray Wyatt then resurfaced on Raw to discuss urges. He said The Shield used to refer to themselves as the most dominant force in their universe. But, he doesn't remember it that way. Bray said Shield fell to the sins of man - lust and greed for glory. He said he is re-born and can never be broken. His urges will never be satisfied.

[Commercial Break at 8:36]

Back live, Justin Roberts introduced Lana, who emerged on-stage to set the table for Rusev. Lana called the leader of America weak and a "sissy." He said their leader is what they call a "girly man." Lana introduced a video-shopped Barack Obama doing weak work-outs in a hotel gym. Lana then introduced a photo of Vladimir Putin, calling him strong and a man amongst men. She said Putin will crush President Obama, then Mother Russia will take its rightful place.

Roberts interrupted with a formal announcement for Rusev. Rusev emerged on-stage waving a Russian flag while wearing a gold medal around his neck. Rusev stared straight ahead and introduced himself before throwing the flag around. Suddenly, Zack Ryder was in the ring. Ringside, Lana removed Rusev's gold medal, placed it inside a box, and Rusev entered the ring to pose and stretch before facing a heavily-tanned Ryder.

[Q4]

2 -- RUSEV (w/Lana) vs. ZACK RYDER

Rusev rocked Ryder with a hard elbow to the back of the head early on. Rusev followed with a leaping kick to the face. Ryder sold unconsciousness flat on his stomach, then Lana called for Rusev to crush him. Rusev slapped on The Accolade and Ryder quickly tapped.

Post-match: Rusev maintained the hold an extra few beats, then Lana told Rusev that's enough. WWE replayed the beat down, then Rusev stood tall in the ring celebrating his victory. A giant Russian flag came down from the ceiling and Rusev continued to celebrate.

WINNER: Rusev via submission at 1:00 flat.

Still to come: Seth Rollins explains why he turned on The Shield.

[Commercial Break at 8:47]

Minneapolis: Target Field exterior shot. Cole hyped the AWA being part of WWE history.

In-ring: On cue, Curtis Axel was in the ring with Ryback. Goldust's music then played to bring out Goldust by himself. R-Truth's music then played to bring out Goldust's tag partner this week as WWE continues to shine a light on the weak babyface undercard. Before the match started, WWE showed Cody Rhodes standing backstage watching Goldust's latest efforts. JBL said Cody has been a highly unsuccessful general manager thus far.

3 -- GOLDUST & R-TRUTH vs. CURTIS AXEL & RYBACK

Ryback and Axel delivered a double suplex to Truth early on. Truth escaped, then tagged in Goldust, who took the loss to Axel.

WINNERS: Ryback & Axel at 2:17. Time to get this train rolling. It's pretty clear what they're going for on Goldust being the weakest link according to Cody's plan.

Backstage: Layla was sitting down at the make-up chair getting ready for the show. Layla heeled on Minneapolis and Summer Rae, who snuck into the camera shot to dump a substance over Layla's head. Summer knocked over Layla, who sold being a mess heading to break.

[Commercial Break at 8:56]

[Q5 -- second hour] 3MB was strangely in the ring for the top-of-the-second-hour segment. Heath Slater addressed The Shield, which explained why they were in the ring. Shield's music quickly interrupted and out came Dean Ambrose and Roman Reigns with purpose in their steps.

Shield quickly hit the ring and attacked 3MB, who tried to fight back. But, Ambrose and Reigns overpowered them. Heath Slater then decided to bail up the ramp. WWE went to a weird camera shot of nothing, then Reigns suddenly speared Slater off-camera. WWE cut back to a shot of Slater out cold on the stage as Reigns stood over him.

Reigns then marched down to ringside as WWE went to an actual camera shot of Reigns delivering the spear. Now in the ring, Reigns and Ambrose prepared to speak. Ambrose calmed himself down, then noted Shield was untouchable and they will go down in history as one of the greatest groups ever. He said they dominated and beat everyone, including Evolution. But, they weren't healthy. They had a cancer and that man's name is Seth Rollins. Boos.

Ambrose said history is full of people like Rollins. Someone who will stab his brother in the back and sell out to The Authority. He said when he gets the chance to re-arrange Rollins's face, his nose will be over here (wrapped around his ear). And then he's going to rip his ear off and stuff his dirty hair in his mouth where his teeth used to be. Ambrose called Rollins scum and said they look forward to hearing what Rollins has to say.

WWE cut to a backstage shot of Rollins watching, dressed in a suit. Back to Ambrose, who said they will listen to Rollins's lies, listen to Triple H, and then beat the hell out of him. Ambrose dropped the mic like it was a bomb that he couldn't touch anymore. Reigns then spoke into a quiet mic that Rollins committed the most unforgivable sin. Reigns paused for them to bring his mic up, then he called Rollins scum. Back to Rollins, who no-sold the words from Reigns with cliched heel poses.

Reigns continued that Rollins is only part of the problem. He said Randy Orton thinks he's the face of the company, but he'll make him the ass of this company. Then, he'll come after Triple H. Reigns said they're going to have their own Game of Thrones. Reigns tossed the mic in the air and glared into the hard camera as the crowd cheered on Shield's remaining two members. Another backstage shot of Rollins watching the promo closed the segment.

Tonight: Rollins breaks his silence. Also, Shield and possibly a new tag partner against The Wyatts. Cody Rhodes isn't picking Shield's partner, right?

[Commercial Break at 9:09]

Back from break, The Usos were on the stage. The WWE tag champs did their pre-match war dance routine, then hit the ring for tag action. Fandango's music then played to bring out an angry Layla on-stage. Layla tried to work through the embarrassment before Fandango walked out on-stage and danced from a distance. Suddenly, Damien Sandow emerged on-stage doing a ribbon routine in a too-tight-for-TV ballet outfit. That was not a McNeill Livecast poll option.

[Q6]

4 -- WWE tag champs THE USOS vs. DAMIEN SANDOW & FANDANGO (w/Layla)

Usos with an early uppercut to Fandango, who tagged out to Sandow. Sandow posed and did a ballet pose before prancing around the ring. Uso tried to figure out his approach to Sandow, who executed a takedown. The crowd picked up a "Let's Go Sandow" chant to honor him trying to make the most of the gimmick. Sandow did some more poses and prancing to a mock babyface reaction, then the tag champs started throwing superkicks. It led to a top-rope Superfly Splash on Sandow for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Usos at 2:19. Curious booking involving rising stars The Usos in this bit, as they were the #3 story behind Sandow's gimmick of the week and Layla getting a milk bath from Summer Rae.

Still to come: Michael Cole sits down with Seth Rollins.

[Commercial Break at 9:20]

Back live, Xavier Woods was in the ring sporting a new look. Bo Dallas's music then played to bring out Dallas dressed in his soaking-wet black t-shirt reading "BO-LIEVE" in white letters. Cole and JBL had an odd conversation about where else Dallas lost matches besides WWE, then Dallas took the mic and sent a message to Daniel Bryan. He said Bryan has a lot of anger. Here. Inside. But, there's only one way Bryan can come back stronger than ever. And it has nothing to do with what the doctors say. The secret is ... Bo-Lieve.

5 -- BO DALLAS vs. XAVIER WOODS

Woods opened in control, then somewhat mocked Bo's poses. Bo tried to remain in a good sportsmanship mode, but suddenly changed to a mad face just before locking up with Woods. Nice camera shot. Bo gained control, then returned to super-smiley Bo posing for the crowd. Bo told the crowd that Xavier is doing his best, then the crowd picked up a "C-M Punk" chant. Dallas tried to quiet them with a big strike to the face, then Bo called for and executed his running Bo-Dog for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Dallas took a victory lap around the ring, shouting, "6-and-oh!" Dallas then paused to realize he wasn't being a good sport and returned to the ring to encourage Xavier. He told him he will be champion one day.

WINNER: Dallas at 2:31. It's one thing if Bo were just a cog in the wheel and has room to grow in the background, but the mid-card is so poorly developed that Bo being part of back-to-back "eh" segments is not going to do him any favors.

[Q7] [Commercial Break at 9:30]

Back live, Paul Heyman was in the ring for something different. Heyman introduced himself and noted he is the "one" in 21-1. He said he earned that distinction when his client, Brock Lesnar, conquered The Undertaker at WrestleMania. Solid pop for the Lesnar name-drop in his home market. Heyman followed up by noting Lesnar was the most dominant athlete in history at the University of Minnesota, which drew applause.

Heyman said he and "his client" came up with an idea this morning. He said his client wants to do something special tonight and that is a WrestleMania Victory Party. The crowd thought "he" was Lesnar and got excited for a potential appearance, but Heyman said his client wants to celebrate ... winning the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal, which brought out Cesaro to boos following the set-up and swerve. Rob Van Dam was then introduced as Cesaro's opponent.

6 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. CESARO (w/Paul Heyman) -- MITB qualifying match

On commentary, Cole noted The Authority took the WWE World Title from Daniel Bryan, even though Bryan was not here at Raw. How did they take the belts if Bryan wasn't here? RVD opened things up with a top-rope thrust kick, then delivered a flip-dive smash on the outside. RVD on the offensive heading to break.

[Commercial Break at 9:39]

Back from break, Cesaro was working on RVD in the ring. Cesaro kept the crowd quiet with a mid-ring headlock, then some of the crowd picked up a "We Want Lesnar" chant. RVD escaped, then flipped over Cesaro to mount a comeback. But, Cesaro cut him off and knocked RVD to the outside, where he barricaded him.

Back in the ring, Cesaro uppercut RVD, then stomped RVD in the chest. "R-V-D" chant to try to rally Van Dam, who remained on the defensive. Van Dam finally made a full comeback with a split-legged moonsault, then Cesaro looked to Heyman for advice, but Heyman was speechless with hand over mouth. RVD tried to follow with a corner attack, but Cesaro flipped him into the air for a big European Uppercut. But, only a two count resulted.

[Q8] Cesaro followed up with forearm strikes, then delivered a butterfly suplex for another close two count. "Stay on him!" Heyman shouted at Cesaro, who missed with a lariat. RVD then thrust-kicked Cesaro before delivering Rolling Thunder. Two count, then RVD kind of delivered a corner leg whip. On the other side of the ring, Cesaro yanked RVD into the ringpost and tried to injure his leg. Heyman shouted at Cesaro to seize his moment, then Cesaro snatched RVD for The Neutralizer. It was good for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Cesaro and Heyman stared up at the title belts hanging from the ceiling. The announcers speculated on whether Cesaro is next in line to be WWE World champion.

WINNER: Cesaro at 10:53. Okay match. The crowd has been dumped on with the Bryan announcement and Lesnar teaser, so they understandably struggled to engage in the match.

Scoreboard: Sheamus, Del Rio, Cesaro, and Orton are in the MITB match. WWE then cut to a photo of Orton lounging somewhere, as he's on vacation, per The Authority's wishes.

Announcers: Cole, Lawler, and JBL reset the show. Cole noted Hunter's declaration that he always wins, then vowed to end Shield tonight. Cole replayed a portion of Hunter's promo hyping the main event six-man tag or handicap match.

Up Next: Seth Rollins speaks.

[Commercial Break at 9:52]

Seth Rollins Explains It All

Back from break, Michael Cole was standing by to introduce Seth Rollins. Rollins emerged to his own theme music, which sounded like a cliched clashing noise theme. Rollins entered the ring sporting an all-black suit and waited out boos from the crowd before sitting down opposite Cole.

Cole tried to open the interview, but Rollins cut him off. Boos. Rollins said he doesn't understand what the controversy is all about. He said what he did last week wasn't a big deal; he was just doing what was best for his business.

Rollins said the greatest faction in WWE history was created by him, which gave him the right to destroy his own creation. Rollins said Ambrose is in no way responsible for The Shield. He called Ambrose a lunatic and Reigns the golden boy. Rollins said he harnessed and controlled Reigns, but without that, he is worthless. Reigns said they owe him every ounce of success they ever achieved.

Cole interjected that Shield was about three individuals who formed an awesome team, not just one man. Rollins said he supposes they will find out later tonight when the "pathetic remnants" of The Shield have their last hurrah tonight against The Wyatts. But, Cole, why is this such a surprise? He said they beat everyone and conquered the world. They even beat Evolution in a clean sweep at Payback. What did he learn in that moment? Rollins said he learned that to be a success in this business, you have to evolve and adapt. Boos. "You sold out" chant from the crowd.

[Q9 -- third hour] Rollins let the chant play out, then said he "bought in." He added, "I bought into the evolution of Seth Rollins," he said. Rollins said it took a lot of guts to do what he did last week, but everyone is fixated on him betraying his brothers. Maybe to Reigns and Ambrose, they were brothers, but to him, they were just business partners. Boos. "And I severed a business relationship," he said.

Rollins said he put his fist out for two years. And, every night, what he meant is what he's going to say right now. Rollins said everyone better start believing in Seth Rollins. Rollins sat down in his chair and said that's all Cole wanted to hear. Oh wait, Ambrose vowed to come out here to kick the hell out of him after he said his piece. "Well," Rollins said before chucking his chair out of the ring. "I've said my piece."

Rollins opened his arms for Shield to come find him as Cole left the ring in the background. Ambrose and Reigns emerged off-stage, then marched down to the ring as Rollins waited in the ring. Suddenly, the Wyatt theme interrupted. No Rollins. Just Rowan and Harper in the ring. A two-on-two fight broke out as Rollins called shots from ringside. Rollins suddenly re-entered and Reigns got his hands on Rollins, but Bray Wyatt hit the ring and indirectly helped Rollins escape.

Suddenly, John Cena's music played and Cena hit the ring to get a piece of the fight. Cena cleared the ring, then stood in the ring with Ambrose and Reigns. Cena fired up the crowd, then chucked Cole's chair out of the ring as WWE strategically cut to various camera shots not to focus on Cena's injured eye. Cena, in his neon green gear, stood next to Shield in their black combat gear as the Wyatts regrouped ringside. Cole was mid-sentence hyping a potential six-man tag main event as Raw faded to break.

[Commercial Break at 10:05]

Main Event plug: Seth Rollins vs. Dolph ZIggler Tuesday night on WWE Network in a Smackdown re-match.

Moments Ago: A fight broke out between The Shield and Wyatts, Rollins escaped potential harm, and John Cena stood next to Shield.

Announcers: Cole confirmed a main event of Cena & Ambrose & Reigns against The Wyatts in a six-man tag match.

In-ring: Paige's music played to bring out the Divas champion for singles action. Alicia Fox, joined by Aksana, was introduced as Paige's opponent. Cole acted like the Foxsana alliance is new before the bell sounded.

7 -- Divas champion PAIGE vs. ALICIA FOX (w/Aksana) -- non-title match

Crazy Fox quickly took control to cut off the face champ. Fox lost control on the outside, then made a comeback back in the ring. She lost focus, though, since her character is crazy, then Paige slapped on her inverted Sharpshooter and Fox was forced to tap out.

WINNER: Paige via submission at 4:57. So, does this make Aksana next in-line for a title shot? Or, is anyone else left for Paige?

[Q10] Post-match: Fox started to throw a fit, then left the ring to grab popcorn and anything else she could find. Aksana tried to calm her down, but Fox slapped Aksana, then shoved popcorn in Aksana's face. Fox continued to assault her associate before calming down and acting like everything was okay. This was a long match and post-match, continuing to spotlight Fox.

Still to come: Shield & Cena vs. The Wyatts.

[Commercial Break at 10:19]

Announcers: Cole hyped the season finale of "Legends House" this Thursday on WWE Network.

In-ring: Jack Swagger was standing in the ring staring straight ahead like a robot. Next to him was Zeb Colter holding a sign requesting Santino's deportation. Santino's music then played. No Emma with Santino, who said in an inset promo that he thinks "Mr. Zeb Carter" should be "exported" to hell.

8 -- SANTINO vs. JACK SWAGGER (w/Zeb Colter)

Santino knocked Swagger to the outside early on, then Zeb slapped Swagger across the face. Swagger yelled, so Zeb slapped Swagger in the face again. Swagger screamed like a fired-up cadet, then marched back into the ring to assault Santino. But, Swagger missed a corner charge and Santino pulled out his cobra puppet. Swagger blocked, then nailed a gutwrench powerbomb for the pin and the win. "The slaps worked," Cole declared.

WINNER: Swagger at 1:56.

Still to come: Cena & Shield vs. The Wyatts in a six-man tag.

[Commercial Break at 10:28]

[Q11] Locker Room: Goldust was sitting down still dressed in his facepaint and gear. Cody Rhodes walked in and said he finally found the right tag partner for Goldust. Someone who can match Goldust's starpower and someone brighter than all the stars in the galaxy. Someone who can magnify Goldust's brilliance. Cody said this man will join Goldust next week. Now the train is rolling. "Cody Rhodes has lost his mind," JBL said on commentary.

Announcers: Cole reset the show, flashing back to the Daniel Bryan health update. Bryan will be re-evaluated in the coming weeks to get him back in the ring as soon as possible. Then, Stephanie McMahon stripped Bryan of the title and announced the MITB ladder match will be for the WWE World Title.

MITB Qualifiers: Sheamus, Del Rio, Cesaro, and Orton.

Office: Triple H and Stephanie were shown surveying the line-up thus far. Steph said she can't get over John Cena, though. She doesn't understand why Cena is getting involved with The Shield. Hunter said it doesn't matter since tonight is the last night ever for The Shield. Smackdown GM Vickie Guerrero then walked in and said she thought they could celebrate Brad Maddox's firing and Daniel Bryan's injury. Vickie pulled out a bottle of champagne, choked on it, and Steph slapped it out of her hands. Steph reprimanded Vickie, then warned her not to make her fire her again. Vickie shook like a leaf, then left.

In-ring: The Shield was introduced for the main event.

Next Week: Movie actor/comedian Kevin Hart is hosting Raw from Cleveland.

[Commercial Break at 10:38]

This Friday: U.S. champion Sheamus vs. Cesaro in another encounter. It's on Smackdown.

In-ring: John Cena was introduced to stand next to The Shield. The Wyatt theme interrupted and Bray told Minneapolis that they're here. Bray led Harper and Rowan down to ringside as Cole attempted to explain why the Cena-Bray feud is still continuing after Payback because Bray believes he has been re-born. Apparently Bray was re-born as Shinsuke Nakamura, as he kept twitching and shaking like New Japan's IC champion before entering the ring to start the match.

[Q12]

9 -- JOHN CENA & THE SHIELD (ROMAN REIGNS & DEAN AMBROSE) vs. THE WYATTS (BRAY WYATT & LUKE HARPER & ERICK ROWAN) -- six-man tag match

Before the bell sounded, the two sides met center-ring, then a mid-ring brawl broke out. Referee Charles Robinson tried to restore order, then found two men in the ring, and called for the bell. Reigns opened things up working on Rowan, but Rowan fought back with a forearm and tagged in Harper, who had a strong last week. Harper three times tried to suplex Reigns, but Reigns blocked and delivered a suplex of his own.

Ambrose tagged in and tried to run at Harper, but Harper big-booted him in the face. Harper limped across the ring, selling a knee injury, then tagged in Bray. Harper continued to shake his knee out on the ring apron before Rowan tagged in. Ambrose kind of rolled to the outside, then Rowan barricaded Ambrose. Rowan was slow to follow up, allowing Ambrose to whip Rowan into the ring steps. Rowan cut off Ambrose from making a tag, though, and Bray resumed the attack on Ambrose. Harper shook off knee pain and tagged in to work on Ambrose again.

Suddenly, the crowd woke up with a "Let's Go Cena / Cena Sucks" dueling chant. In the ring, Ambrose delivered a jawbreaker to escape Harper as the dueling chant kept going in the background. The crowd quieted down, then Harper resumed control heading to break.

[Commercial Break at 10:52]

Back from break, Ambrose fought back on Rowan, exciting the crowd, but Rowan cut him off with a sidewalk slam for a two count. Ambrose finally broke free and hot-tagged John Cena, who hit the ring with power offense. Cena knocked around Rowan, dumped Harper out of the ring, punched Bray out of the ring, and then took a big shot from Rowan. Rowan followed with corner blows, then punched Cena in the facial region to work on Cena's weekend house show injury.

[Q13 -- over-run] The Wyatts continued to work on Cena well into the over-run. Bray danced with Cena, then hung upside down in the corner before missing on a running butt splash. Cena finally made the hot tag to Reigns, who came in hot on Harper, who also tagged in. Reigns ran over all of his opponents, then Ambrose sent Rowan out of the ring. Chaos everywhere.

Cena suddenly ran into Sister Abigail from Wyatt, Reigns suddenly nailed a Superman Punch on Bray, and Harper big-booted Reigns for a close two count. Harper contemplated his next move, took too long, and turned around to take a big spear from Reigns. Reigns covered Harper for the win.

WINNERS: Shield & Cena at 20:22. The match dragged and dragged, then hit a strong peak at the end. Very up-and-down match reflecting WWE's current roster condition.

Post-match: Ambrose and Reigns hugged as Lawler said he doesn't think they have seen the last of Shield. Cena nodded his approval, then WWE cut to a backstage shot of Triple H and Seth Rollins unimpressed watching on a monitor. Ambrose, Cena, and Reigns got the spotlight with babyfaces standing tall to close Raw as the show closed at 11:07 p.m. EST.

FINAL THOUGHTS: Not a very strong or hot show coming off the big ending last week. Some strong moments, such as Shield's post-Rollins turn promo, but the environment is just not ripe for strong overall TV programming in a watered-down three-hour format and with a weak, underdeveloped mid-card. WWE is going through a lot of changes removing Bryan from the title picture, removing Seth from Shield, adding in NXT wrestlers, loosely continuing the Cena-Bray feud after the non-blow-off at Payback, and a just-okay MITB title match line-up thus far. The best indicator that WWE is trying to find their way is that top star, John Cena, is kind of floating around as Shield's unofficial new partner.

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