By Wade Keller, PWTorch editor

KELLER'S WWE RAW LIVE BLOG
JULY 18, 2011
LIVE FROM GREEN BAY, WISC.
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

[Q1]

-The show opened with Vince McMahon walking to the ring with John Laurenaitis. Laurenaitis looks like someone who's job is to soullessly say goodbye to wrestlers whom McMahon has decided to fire. Michael Cole said everyone with WWE has been waiting since last night for word on what's next. The crowd chanted "C.M. Punk! C.M. Punk!" McMahon said they'd never hear him say that man's name again. He called him the biggest ingrate ever and said he walked out on everyone in the crowd and everyone in the locker room or ever been inside the ring. "He's nothing more than an egotistical, selfish turd." He said nobody is bigger than WWE, not The Rock, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, not Hulk Hogan. "This is a promotional marketing global juggernaut that cannot be stopped," he said. He then announced that they'd crown a new WWE Champion tonight.

-He listed the tournament's first round: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler, R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio, and The Miz vs. Alex Riley. Riley got a nice pop, unless the pop was for Miz.

-He said conspicuous by his absence in that tournament is a man he will mention - John Cena. The crowd booed. Vince said he'll boo him, too, because he let him down. He said he lived up to his promise of firing Cena if Punk left the building with the belt. He said he consulted with Laurenaitis and there will be severe consequences. He promised fans tonight will be a night they will always remember. His music played and he walked to the back.

-The downside of hosting a tournament right away is presents, unopposed by any voice on the show, the idea that if someone takes the title belt, they'll just dust themselves off and make a new one. It takes some of the sting off of what Punk did for McMahon to essentially no-sell it and just decide to create a new champion. The bright side is it makes what Punk did feel more "real," but this is essentially what WCW did 20 years ago this month when WCW V.P. Jim Herd fired Ric Flair and then booked Barry Windham vs. Lex Luger for the vacated title belt. It was a really flat match and got Luger's reign off to a bad start, lacking the credibility of the lineage of the title. Why was McMahon so worried about Punk leaving with the belt if he could just crowd a new, officially recognized champion the next night?

-They went to Cole and Jerry Lawler at ringside. Cole said Cena believes he has already been terminated. He quoted his Twitter account where Cena said he had already been "Future Endeavored." He also read his apology to The Rock. Cole then shifted to talking about the tournament graphics.

-The Miz came out for his first round match. [c]

1 -- THE MIZ vs. ALEX RILEY -- WWE Title Tournament Round One

-Lawler talked about the "horrific" fall Miz took in the MITB ladder match last night that damaged his knee. Miz was still favoring his leg as he walked to the ring.

-Riley went after Miz's leg, wrapping it around the ringpost and then applying a half crab. Miz kicked himself free, sending Riley rolling to the floor. Miz clutched his knee.

-Cole said this might be the biggest Monday Night War in history.

-Miz came back with a Skull Crushing Finale out of nowhere for the win. Lawler said Lady Luck was with Miz, whereas this was a big lost opportunity for Riley.

WINNER: Miz in 5:00 to advance to the semi-finals. (*1/4)

[Q2]

-They showed R-Truth walking backstage. Cole called him strange and unhinged. [c]

-A video package aired on John Morrison. Cole said Morrison is on his way back to WWE after being injured by R-Truth.

2 -- R-TRUTH vs. JACK SWAGGER -- WWE Title Tournament Round One

-Truth came out to no entrance music, as usual.

-Cole said Big Show suffered a fractured fibula and will be out around two months. Lawler said he could hear a snap last night.

WINNER: Truth on a roll-up in 4:00 to advance to the semi-finals. Not a lot to this one. (*)

[Q3] [c]

-Alberto Del Rio drove out in an expensive car and then gloated his way to the ring.

-Lawler said he wishes he could afford Del Rio's garage. Is Del Rio's character's garage bigger than Jay Leno's?

-"My name is Mr. Money in the Bank, Alberto Del Rio." He said he has the right to a title shot anytime, anyplace . He said he tried to cash it in last night, but Punk ran like a chicken. He said this all happened because Cena couldn't do the job. Oh, he did the job. He said as champion he will be a Superstar everyone can respect.

-Del Rio's personal ring announcer, Ricardo Rodrigues, walked out and introduced Del Rio again, this time in Spanish. [c]

[Q4]

3 -- ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. KOFI KINGSTON -- WWE Title Tournament Round One

-Cole actually acknowledged that Daniel Bryan won the Smackdown MITB match. He said he'd have more to say about that on Smackdown on Friday night. It's about time WWE talks more about Smackdown during Raw. They really underutilize the potential synergy between those two shows.

-Cole talked about Cena apologizing to The Rock for his childish comments lately. Cole said Rock called Cena's apology "phony" and asked McMahon not to fire Cena. Cole said Cena feels he has already been terminated and that McMahon vowed to deal out punishment later in the show. Lawler said he hopes Cena isn't fired. Lawler said Rock vs. Cena will be epic if it happens.

-Kofi dove onto Del Rio at ringside at 1:00.

-After Del Rio lost, Lawler said: "Alberto Del Rio, you were destined to be eliminated from this tournament."

WINNER: Kingston with a surprise roll-up at 4:00 after countering a cross armbreaker attempt. (*) [c]

-A flashback aired to Davey Boy Smith beating Bret Hart to win the IC Title at Summerslam in England with Vince McMahon, as an announcer, declaring it one of the greatest matches in history.

-Cole said he thinks Del Rio was robbed because his shoulders weren't really down for the third count. Then after the replay Cole admitted the right call was made.

-Josh Mathews interviewed Kingston backstage about his win. Kofi said last night he participated in one of the most dangerous matches and came up short, but today is a new day. He said he took his first step toward becoming the new WWE Champion. The crowd gave him a mixed response.

-Rey Mysterio's ring entrance took place.

[Q5]

4 -- REY MYSTERIO vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER (w/Vickie Guerrero)

-Ziggler threw Rey out of the ring, but Rey somersaulted to the mat and landed safely. Ziggler attacked him at ringside and then controlled the action in the ring.

-Rey made a brief comeback at 2:00, but Ziggler cut it off and took over again.

-Cole said McMahon is calling yesterday "Black Sunday" given what happened.

-Rey ducked a 619 at 4:00 and then scored a convincing near fall on Ray after an inverted bodyslam.

-Rey hit the 619 and then splashed Dolph off the top rope a minute later for the win.

WINNER: Rey in 4:00. (*1/4)

-These matches are appropriate in length given the reality of packing an entire seven match tournament into one two hour show. But they're way too short at around four minutes given that the stakes are high and these are evenly matched wrestlers. It cheapens the very concept of top stars wrestling each other to have each match end in roughly just four minutes.

-At ringside Cole and Lawler reset the show for those joining in during the second hour. They showed the brackets.

-They showed McMahon talking to Laurenaitis backstage while standing in front of a monitor with the brackets on it.

-A commercial aired for WrestleMania travel packages to Miami. How many fans bought travel packages and believe the Cena-Rock match is actually in jeopardy? [c]

5 -- A.J. & GAIL KIM & EVE TORRES & BETH PHOENIX & KAITLYN & KELLY KELLY & NATALYA vs. THE BELLAS & MARYSE & ROSA MENDEZ & ALICIA FOX & MELINA

-Kelly wore a Green Bay Packers jersey to the ring. Cheap heat.

-Cole said Joey Styles, whom he called a "moron," asked fans to push for Cena to remain employed so he doesn't have to sit through a Cole vs. Lawler rematch at WrestleMania next year.

-Chaos broke out at ringside in the opening minute. Mendez attacked Phoenix inside the ring, but Phoenix came back with the Glam Slam for the win.

WINNERS: Phoenix's Team in 1:00.

-Cole said up next would be the semi-finals.

[Q6] [c]

6 -- KOFI KINGSTON vs. THE MIZ -- WWE Title Tournament Semi-Finals

-Miz rolled through on a Kofi crossbody block at 3:00 for a believable near fall.

-Kofi went after Miz's knee. Cole called it poor sportsmanship. Lawler took exception and asked his brain could hear what his mouth was saying.

-Miz scored the pin with the Skull Crushing Finale a minute later.

WINNER: The Miz in 4:00 to advance.

-Scott Sanford interviewed R-Truth backstage. They never say Scott's name on Raw, for some reason. R-Truth said conspiracy kept him away from the MITB briefcase, but it won't keep him from beating Little Rey Rey. He told the little kids to cover their eyes. [c]

[Q7]

-A video package aired on Andy Leavine, including footage of the house he grew up in, across the street from a former meth lab. He said his neighborhood is full of people drugged out and drunk. He said he grew up keeping to himself. His high school wrestling coach talked about his silent rage. He said he worked hard in college, but returns to his hometown sometimes just to remember where he came from.

7 -- R-TRUTH vs. REY MYSTERIO -- WWE Title Tournament Semi-Finals

-Rey dove onto Truth at ringside at 3:00 and then they cut to a break. [c]

-They showed that during the break Truth knocked Rey off the top rope and then had since grounded him in a chinlock.

-I'm hoping this new thing where Cole talks about what WWE subjects are trending on Twitter fades soon.

-The announcers really pushed the resilience of Rey during Truth's sustained offense.

-At 9:00 Truth countered a 619 attempt with a hard clothesline collision for a near fall.

[Q8]

-Rey side-stepped a Truth charge in the corner and took him face-first into the second turnbuckle with a drop toe hold. Truth fired back with a kneelift, but then Rey hit a springboard bodyblock off the middle rope. Truth went for his scissors kick seconds later, but Rey countered and hit a basement dropkick for a two count at 11:00.

-Truth KO'd Rey with a neckbreaker drop, but Rey grabbed the bottom rope to save himself during the cover.

-Rey came back with a 619 and a top rope splash for the win.

WINNER: Rey in 13:00 to advance to the final match. These two are friends outside the ring and they seemed to have good chemistry and worked to have a good match inside the ring. (**1/4) [c]

-As Rey waited in the ring to face Miz in the championship tournament finals, Vince McMahon interrupted. Vince walked to the ring in a jacket that is a shade of pink you usually only see in those really diverse bag of jelly beans. McMahon entered the ring and said he won't deny Miz or Rey the opportunity to become WWE Champion, but they're almost out of time, and he has something more important to say, so he asked Rey and Miz to postpone the championship match until next week. He apologized and told Rey not to be selfish. "This is bigger than you," he said.

Vince said no man is bigger than Cena. "I can make a new John Cena," he said. The crowd chanted C.M. Punk's name. McMahon said there is no denying Cena's work ethic and contributions to WWE over the years, but he has to make a big decision. He said sometimes you have to make a difficult decision in business and do what's right for each of the fans from a business perspective. He said sometimes he makes decisions from a long-term standpoint and you don't even understand what he's doing, but in time they will and in time they'll thank him. He said, "As much as he'd like to not have to do this..." at which point a chant for Punk broke out again. McMahon said he wanted to get this over with. Cena's music then played.

[Q9]

-Cena entered the ring to a mix of cheers and boos. He yanked the mic away from McMahon. He told everyone to relax because he wasn't going to go into a swearing tirade or "show my genetalia" or rip on his family. He said he knows what he is about to do, "and I'm okay with it." He said he won't go through what he made Shawn Michaels go through. He said Michaels is the greatest performer to ever step foot inside the ring. He said for years all anyone said about Michaels was he screwed Bret. He said he carried that burden his entire career. Cena said he didn't want to be the guy who screwed C.M. Punk. (He said the name!) Cena said his answer was no. He said he knew what was at stake. He said he asked for the match. But there was more to it, because it was also about Vince McMahon wanting to keep his bubble in tact and his company in one piece. He said he had no interest in being Vince's patsy. "No... way..." he said. Cena said if Punk is out there watching, "It was a hell of a match, son. Thank you so much."

Cena said if he let McMahon screw Punk or let him throw out the match, he would have made the WWE Championship meaningless. Cena said Vince can make ten more versions of him. He said he has eight months to find another opponent for Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson at WrestleMania 28. He said he'll find someone for him and WM will go off without a hitch as if he wasn't ever there. But meanwhile, he plans to walk away with his pride and dignity. Cena said he'll let McMahon finalize his speech and do his walk, but he wants to finish by saying he loves the WWE and believes he truly belongs right there in the ring. He said if he's about to tell him he's not welcome here and he has no other option. "I love this. This is what I do. If you make me walk tonight, I will walk onto someone else's television show and keep doing this, brother," he said. Cena just came closer to acknowledging TNA than WWE ever has before. Depending on how they finished this segment, that was potentially worth a huge ratings bump for Impact.

Cena said he proved tonight that one thing he will not do is kiss McMahon's ass. McMahon stopped Cena from leaving the ring and said he won't deny him the satisfaction of what he was about to do. He said as much as it hurts him personally and business-wise to say it, "John..." Triple H's music then played.

Hunter walked out wearing a suit and a tie. He entered the ring as McMahon looked confused. McMahon nervously smiled. Hunter whispered something in McMahon's ear. McMahon asked for a second mic. He then introduced Triple H as his son-in-law. Hunter said he got there as quickly as he could. He said there was a Board of Directors meeting this morning. He said last night they flew from Chicago to Green Bay, and he received a phone call and flew back to the office in a jet for a meeting this morning. He said the Board asked him to talk to him because they're concerned about the current situation. Hunter asked if they could talk about that in the back. The crowd booed that suggestion.

Triple H said he tried to talk to him before he got to the ring, but he didn't make it. "Most of all, the Board is concerned about you," he said. McMahon mouthed, "I'm fine." Hunter said they realize everything about the global empire is due to his vision, but at the same time, the Board is concerned about his "extremely questionable - their term, their words - decisions as of late." Hunter looked like it was tough to say the following words: "They have filed an injunction against you with a vote of No Confidence." McMahon tried to laugh it off. Hunter added, "Vince, the family agrees." McMahon exhaled. Triple H: "On top of that, Vince, the Board has appointed someone to take over the day-to-day operations of the WWE. I can't believe I'm going to say this, but Vince, it's me." The crowd applauded.

Vince began to get emotional as the crowd began to chant "Cena! Cena!" Triple H said he's not going to fire John Cena. Cena slapped hands at ringside. He said he won't be doing anything else. His voice cracked as he told Vince that he told him from day one that nobody is bigger than this business. He said it's just business. "I can't believe I'm going to say this, and it's with all due respect, I am here to inform you that, Vince, you are relieved of your duties." Vince began to cry. Real crying. Red faced, tear flowing. Hunter hung his head. The crowd sang the "Hey, hey, hey, good bye" song. Hunter's voice cracked as he said he didn't want to do that, but he was doing what was right for the business. Hunter asked Vince to look at him. He said, "I love you, pop, and I'm sorry." Hunter then walked to the back as Vince stood alone in the ring. The crowd chanted "Triple H." Hunter looked back at the ring, then walked off the stage.

Vince stood with his hand in his pocket and stood there as the fans began to cheer him, as if to really say goodbye. Vince wiped his nose and the show went off the air as a "Thank you, Vince!" chant began.

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