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The following report was originally published on PWTorch.com five years ago this week…
WWE Raw TV Results
June 3, 2013 – Episode #1,044
Live in Hartford, Conn.
Aired on USA Network
Report by James Caldwell, PWTorch assistant editor
[HOUR ONE]
This week’s live WWE Raw opened with an ominous video package. Tonight, the latest on John Cena vs. Ryback heading into Payback and Triple H returning after two weeks away.
Live in the arena, WWE went right to a graphic promoting Triple H vs. Curtis Axel tonight. In the arena, Justin Roberts introduced…Stephanie McMahon to open the show. On commentary, Michael Cole said it’s been about a year since Stephanie appeared on Raw. Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL sold shock ringside.
In the ring, Stephanie, dressed in a business suit, said it feels great to be back on Raw. Unfortunately, she wishes it were under better circumstances. See, two weeks ago, her husband, Triple H, competed in a brutal match at Extreme Rules, then competed again the next night against Curtis Axel. She said her husband wasn’t even able to finish the match. Stephanie said that even with Triple H medically cleared to compete tonight, she has made an executive decision not to allow Hunter to compete. The crowd booed. Steph said she made this decision as an executive, wife, and mother. More boos. Steph said she won’t let Hunter jeaopardize his health against Curtis Axel, who she said is “beneath him.” Steph said this decision is not about the fans, then asked the crowd not to be so selfish.
The crowd booed, then Vince McMahon’s music interrupted. Memorial Day Raw ratings bomb = bring out the McMahons. Vince entered the ring with a big smile on his face, then hugged Stephanie in the ring. Vince bounced up and down before wondering if the crowd is happy to see him. Vince said he has a request. It’s a personal one. He would like for the crowd to please…please don’t boo Stephanie. The crowd booed, of course. Vince, looking very grandfatherly, said Steph has feelings just like the fans. More boos. Vince said Steph is right because his son-in-law Triple H … pause … he’s given everything possible. The crowd responded with a loud “Triple H” chant. Vince said they care more about Triple H than the fans do. Vince said Triple H will not – will not – compete here tonight. More boos.
Vince and Steph started to leave, but Vince remembered something. Another “Triple H” chant interrupted. Vince asked what they want. “Triple H” chant. Vince said the crowd wants his heart, liver, lungs, soul, and spleen, apparently. Vince said WWE is family entertainment, not a blood sport. “Give us some blood!!!” a fan near the arena mic shouted over the rest of the crowd.
Vince turned his focus to Kofi Kingston. He said Kofi was put through a table last week on Smackdown and the crowd chanted, “One more time.” The Raw crowd chanted it, then Vince said there will not be “one more time” for Triple H, not now or any other time. Vince said Steph is right that Curtis Axel is beneath Triple H, just like the crowd is beneath Triple H.
Suddenly, The Shield’s music played. “Get out of there!” JBL shouted toward the McMahons. Dean Ambrose, Seth Rollins, and Roman Reigns made their way through the crowd before Raw abruptly cut to break at 7:10 with Shield on the way to the ring.
[ JC Reax: This came across like a ploy to turn Triple H into a super-babyface (finally getting the “Triple H” chants they wanted at Summerslam 2012) and for Vince to send his latest message about wrestler health, trying to suggest that the masses are hypocrites because they don’t care about wrestler health. ]
[Commercial Break]
Back from break at 7:13, The Shield was in the ring. And, Vince and Stephanie were nowhere to be found. Cole said that the McMahons left the ring during the break “without incident” and now The Shield is set for six-man tag action. Randy Orton’s music then played to bring out Orton as the first participant for the face trio. As Orton entered the ring, WWE replayed footage from Smackdown when Daniel Bryan destroyed The Shield to close the show.
[Q2] Kane’s pyro shot off to bring out Kane and Daniel Bryan, who marched to the ring shaking his head about not being the weakest link.
1 — THE SHIELD (U.S. champion DEAN AMBROSE & WWE tag champs SETH ROLLINS & ROMAN REIGNS) vs. RANDY ORTON & KANE & DANIEL BRYAN — six-man tag match
As the match started, Cole noted that Stephanie McMahon is trending on Twitter after a “bizarre” opening segment. Cole said he wants to hear from Triple H after the opening segment. Cole turned his attention to the match in the ring, noting Shield is undefeated in six-man tag matches. On the WWE App insert video, Tons of Funk were shown watching the match intently. Cole then clarified that Shield have “never been pinned or submitted” in six-man tag action if you “want to get down to the nitty gritty.” Ref Mike Chioda was heard clearly giving the wrestlers a 30-second time cue. 30 seconds later, Rollins covered Kane for a nearfall and Raw cut to break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Rollins dropkicked Kane into ShieldTown, bringing in Ambrose to continue punishing Kane. The crowd fired up with an “RKO” chant, but Kane continued to take a beating. Suddenly, Kane broke free and tagged in Orton, causing the crowd to explode. Orton fired off offense to anyone ready to receive offense, then he delivered a dual DDT to Ambrose and Rollins, sending the crowd into a frenzy. “Listen to this place!” Cole declared.
Orton wanted the RKO, but Reigns entered the ring, distracting Orton. Rollins then popped Orton from behind with a kick to the head, sending Orton down to the mat. Rollins covered, but Orton kicked out in-time.
At 10:00, the match slowed down with Shield taking their time on Orton while trash-talking him. Meanwhile, the announcers brought up The Undertaker, noting Taker has not been seen since Shield took him out several weeks ago. As Shield continued to work on Orton, WWE noted that “Stephanie McMahon” is still trending on Twitter.
[Q3] The crowd tried to rally behind Team Voices with “Yes!” chants, but Shield continued to keep Orton on their side of town. Next, the crowd tried a rally clap, then Orton found separation on Reigns with a back drop suplex. But, Rollins tagged in to dropkick Orton, but Orton intercepted with a desperation dropkick of his own.
At 15:00, Orton finally made the corner to bring in D-Bryan for a trademark House of Fire entrance. Bryan creamed Ambrose with a clothesline, then fired himself up. Bryan delivered left-leg kick strikes, knocked Rollins off the top rope, and popped Ambrose in the head with a kick. Bryan then hurancanrana’ed Rollins off the top rope into Ambrose. Bryan followed with a suicide dive to Reigns on the outside, popping the crowd.
Back in the ring, Bryan delivered a missile dropkick to Ambrose, but Ambrose kicked out. Bryan followed right up with the No! Lock on Ambrose, but Reigns broke it up just in-time as the crowd was ready to explode if Bryan could get the tap-out.
This brought in Kane, but he didn’t see Rollins coming with a kick to the head. Reigns then smashed QB Kane with a spear. But, Rollins didn’t see an RKO coming from Orton. Orton posed too long, though, allowing Reigns to smash Orton into Bryan, sending Bryan reeling. Ambrose then spiked Bryan into the mat for the pin and the win.
WINNERS: Shield at 17:15. Another epic TV six-man tag match featuring The Shield and Bryan, keeping the faces on the chase trying to find any way to take down Shield in a six-man tag match. The hot crowd really took this up to another notch. (***1/2)
Still to come: Alberto Del Rio vs. Big E. Langston in Match #5 of their 2-2 series. Also, Chris Jericho and C.M. Punk in a Contract Signing for Payback, with Paul Heyman representing Punk.
[Commercial Break]
Locker Room: Daniel Bryan was shown flipping out about the loss to The Shield. Randy Orton tried to defend what happened out there, which Bryan did not appreciate. Bryan turned toward Kane and said everyone thinks he’s the weak-link out there. Bryan said that must be why Orton won’t apologize to him because he thinks it’s his fault. He said they don’t respect him. “We do respect you!” Kane told him. “But you have lost touch with reality.” Bryan shook his head and said the reality is he is the weak link. Bryan then shouted in Orton’s face that one match can prove that he is not the weak link and he will earn everyone’s respect. Bryan said that because it’s clear they don’t respect him, he will have another match. And he will beat the respect out of someone else. Kane and Orton, exasperated, watched Bryan leave.
Backstage: Triple H was shown arriving in the building. Hunter asked where Vince McMahon’s office is, then he marched down the hallway to find Vince and Stephanie McMahon. Stephanie kissed her husband, then told “Paul” that he can’t let Hunter wrestle tonight. She said she was on the phone with Hunter’s family and their kids. Hunter sternly replied that he is wrestling tonight, to which Steph replied that Curtis Axel is not worth it.
Vince stepped into the shot to note Hunter is not being too “cerebral” right now. He said “this kid is good,” then told Hunter to get his ego out of this way. “Oh, you’re talking about ego?” Hunter told his father-in-law. Hunter said what’s happening is he’s wrestling Curtis Axel tonight. Vince told him no, then Hunter asked who’s going to stop him. Steph stepped in front of Vince to calm him down, then slapped a piece of paper into Hunter’s chest and told him not to do something he’s going to regret. Vince left his office, then Steph closed the door for a closed-door meeting with Hunter.
[ JC: If nothing else, credit WWE for trying to come up with a compelling show-long story to counter the NBA Playoffs Game 7 instead of packing it in and taking it on the chin in the TV ratings. ]
In-ring: The Usos, wearing yellow facepaint, were introduced for the next match. Cole said they will explain after the break.
[Q4] [Commercial Break]
2 — THE USOS vs. PRIME TIME PLAYERS
The come-down match following the six-man tag was joined in-progress back from break. The announcers discussed the McMahon Family Business happening in Hartford tonight as the Players worked on Uso. Cole noted that the new facepaint is supposed to give the Usos an advantage entering battle. No advantage early on as Cole offered a Kardashians reference to fill time. Synergy since a spot for WWE’s “Total Divas” aired during the Kardashians’s season premiere last night on E!
Titus O’Neil airballed a corner charge, then Uso made a tag simultaneous to Darren Young entering. The action broke down at 4:00, then Titus got hung up in the ropes. Darren then ran into a superkick before the Usos combined for a Superfly Splash. It was good for the win, prompting Cole to note the Usos are making a case for a future Tag Title shot.
WINNERS: The Usos at 4:32.
Backstage: Big E. Langston & A.J. Lee were shown walking down the hallway. On a split-screen, Alberto Del Rio & Ricardo Rodriguez were also shown walking. Big E. and Del Rio meet in Match #5 next.
[Commercial Break]
Coming back from break, WWE plugged WWE’s partnership with the Special Olympics. Back live in the arena, WWE showed representatives and athletes from the Special Olympics on the front row.
[HOUR TWO]
Coming back from break, WWE plugged their partnership with the Special Olympics. Back live in the arena, WWE showed representatives and athletes from the Special Olympics on the front row.
On-stage: Ricardo Rodriguez came out to introduce Alberto Del Rio for the top-of-the-second-hour main event. Cole noted Del Rio is the #1 contender to Dolph Ziggler’s World Title, then WWE replayed footage from the Del Rio vs. Big E. Langston series leading to Match #5 tonight. WWE also focused on tension between Big E. and A.J. last week on Raw.
[Q5 — second hour] Big E. was introduced to the ring along with A.J. Lee. More footage from the Series set the stage for the decisive match tonight. Before the bell sounded, Cole noted A.J.’s injured boyfriend, Dolph Ziggler, is on the cover of the June WWE Magazine.
3 — ALBERTO DEL RIO vs. BIG E. LANGSTON (w/A.J. Lee) — Match #5 in 2-2 Series
Del Rio knocked Big E. to the outside early on, but Big E. avoided a baseball slide-kick, then he smashed Del Rio with a clothesline. Meanwhile, Cole claimed that Ziggler is not at Raw tonight and is recovering from his concussion at home. Cole said an interview with Ziggler is on WWE’s App.
Back in the ring, Langston man-handled Del Rio as A.J. watched intently. The announcers turned their attention to the McMahon Family Drama and some vocal males responded to the match with a “We Want Ziggler” chant. Meanwhile, Zeb Colter was speaking on the App. Suddenly, Del Rio slapped on the Cross Arm-breaker, but Langston used his power to flip onto his stomach and power Del Rio to the ring apron. Del Rio then tried the move again, Big E. tried to flip again, but this time Del Rio trapped Big E.’s shoulders to the mat and it was good for a three count.
Post-match, Del Rio quickly scampered out of the ring to celebrate with Ricardo while A.J. sold frustration ringside. WWE replayed the pinning predicament for the finish, then cut back to Del RIo celebrating on-stage while Langston and A.J. stood around in the ring.
WINNER: Del Rio at 4:53. The finish was unique, but an anti-climatic way to apparently end the Series. Maybe it’s going seven. But, if it was the finale, and if Del Rio is ever going to be taken seriously as a top face, he needed a more decisive victory over Langston here.
Backstage: Sheamus was shown walking down the hallway. He’s up next.
[Commercial Break. A spot for Smackdown in Houston on July 25 advertised Sheamus, Del Rio, Big Show, Orton, and “many more.”]
In-ring: Sheamus was introduced for the next match back from break. Sheamus stopped to pose with a fan on the front row who looked exactly like C.M. Punk, complete with Punk’s beard styling. Cody Rhodes was then introduced to represent Damien Sandow against Sheamus. Before the bell sounded, Sandow joined the announcers to promote a new book, “Fate of the States,” written by JBL’s wife.
[Q6]
4 — SHEAMUS vs. DAMIEN SANDOW
Sandow stumbled over himself, prompting the announcers to wonder what’s wrong with him. Sandow covered by saying he’s watching his best friend face a brute of a man. Cole then quizzed Sandow on being exposed as a liar during the Shell Game on Smackdown. “I’m a magician,” Sandow dryly replied. Rhodes knocked Sheamus to the floor as the announcers debated Mental vs. Physical Strength. The “Prince of Precision” then dragged Sheamus back into the ring to inflict more punishment. Meanwhile, Sandow plugged the first item for Smackdown – another Mental Feat competition.
Sheamus made his comeback at 3:30, startling Sandow. Sheamus then posed for the crowd, prompting Sandow to note he’s embarrassing himself on television. Rhodes cut off Sheamus, then nailed a neckbreaker for a two count. Rhodes measured Sheamus for Cross Rhodes, but Sheamus countered. Rhodes then tried a top-rope moonsault, but Sheamus avoided. Sheamus followed right up with White Noise, insulting Sandow, who then declared that Cody is brilliantly playing opossum.
Sheamus warmed up for the Brogue Kick, then Rhodes stumbled into Sheamus to take the Brogue. Sheamus covered and it was good for the win. Ringside, Sandow just sneered and shook his head. He said Sheamus is causing the audience to “drink from the trough of ignorance.”
Sheamus then walked out of the ring to approach Sandow, who told him to just leave. Sheamus wanted a handshake, but Sandow slapped his hand away. So, Sheamus slapped Sandow across the face, knocking down Sandow to the floor. Sheamus resumed his celebration as Sandow sold intense anger recovering on the floor.
WINNER: Sheamus at 5:22. Payback for Sandow on June 16? It’s certainly building to a grudge match at the PPV.
Still to come: Jericho-Punk contract signing. The graphic was changed to remove C.M. Punk and only feature Jericho and Paul Heyman.
Video Preview: The “Total Divas” spot that debuted during the Kardashians last night.
[Commercial Break]
Did You Know: The WWE App has been downloaded over 6,000,000 times. How many times has it been deleted?
Backstage: Triple H was hot about Vince McMahon while having a stern conversation with Stephanie McMahon. Hunter threw his bag in the trunk of his vehicle, then told Steph to tell that “crazy old bastard” that he will be in the ring at the start of next week’s Raw ready to wrestle Curtis Axel. Hunter’s vehicle sped away as Steph sighed about being caught in the middle of Family Drama.
[ JC: That was an abrupt end to this week’s story, unless it’s a swerve and Hunter returns to the building. ]
Smackdown: Ryback destroyed Kofi Kingston, who was wrestling with a pre-existing elbow injury. Cole said this is why WWE is concerned about Triple H wrestling tonight. He said Kofi will be out a couple of months.
Backstage: Daniel Bryan kicked a trashcan, then paused when Ryback approached him. Ryback talked down to Bryan, who said he’s not afraid of him. “You have truly lost your mind,” Ryback said. He vowed to make Bryan the Missing Link tonight.
GM Office: Paul Heyman was standing by with Curtis Axel, then Vince McMahon walked in. McMahon said Hunter isn’t facing Curtis Axel tonight, and Axel won’t be facing Hunter next week, either. Heyman smiled and said he supposes they’ll see each other on Smackdown. Heyman started to leave with Axel, but Vince said Axel will still be in action tonight. “Oh, here it is,” Heyman sighed. Vince said Axel will be in action tonight. And it will be against John Cena in a re-match from last week. Only, this time it will be a No DQ match. Vince then gave Axel one of his “young lions” pep-talks before an annoyed Heyman and Axel left.
[Q7] Backstage: Fandango was shown walking down the hallway with Summer Rae on his arm. Fandango’s in action next.
[Commercial Break]
Smackdown plug: The Miz hosts MizTV with special guests Randy Orton & Team Hell No. Plus, Curtis Axel will be on the show.
In-ring: Fandango’s music played to a big reaction from the crowd. Summer Rae then danced on-stage to pave the way for Fandango making his entrance. The Hartford crowd was more engaged in “Fandango’ing” than recent crowds. WWE then cut to footage from last week’s Raw when special ref The Miz took over Fandango vs. Wade Barrett. Back live, Fandango and Rae posed in the ring as Cole noted Fandango is facing Great Khali tonight. Introduced “from India,” Great Khali came out with Natalya and Hornswoggle for the match.
5 — FANDANGO (w/Summer Rae) vs. GREAT KHALI (w/Natalya and Hornswoggle)
Khali mocked Fandango’s dancing early on. Lawler then drew attention to Khali’s chin, leading to a Jay Leno joke that caused Cole to snort and lose it on commentary. Fandango had enough of this and tried to work on Khali in the corner, but Khali escaped and did the indy-style leg kick with a knee slap to simulate the sound. Fandango then bailed from the ring and tried to regroup with Rae. Fandango then left up the entrance ramp, drawing boos.
Suddenly, The Miz appeared on-stage to yell at Fandango. But, Miz didn’t see Wade Barrett following behind him to smash Miz with the Bullhammer. Barrett held up the IC Title belt in the air as FandangoRae stood their ground on the floor while Miz sold on the stage. No count-out decision announced here. Barrett then marched to the ring, as he’s apparently facing Miz next.
WINNER: No Decision announced when Raw cut to break at 2:40. It came across like WWE wanted to protect Fandango by not stressing a match decision, which is a good sign that they’re still in the Fandango business.
[Commercial Break]
6 — IC champion WADE BARRETT vs. THE MIZ — non-title match
The bell sounded immediately back from break. An upset Miz tried to attack Barrett, but Barrett cut him off and continued the pre-match attack on Miz. Meanwhile, Cole noted that Fandango is trending on Twitter right now. Lawler said Summer Rae might have something to do with that. In the ring, Miz made a comeback, then climbed to the top rope, but Barrett cut him off.
[Q8] Miz teased the figure-four leglock, but Barrett shoved him away and nailed Winds of Change for a nearfall. “Come on!” Barrett shouted. Suddenly, Fandango’s music played to bring out Fandango and Summer Rae on-stage for an encore. FandangoRae danced as Barrett screamed from inside the ring. Barrett then turned around and Miz took down Barrett before awkwardly applying the figure-four. Barrett flailed around in the ring trying to sell the move, then he tapped out. On-stage, FandangoRae sold satisfaction over this outcome against the IC champ.
WINNER: Miz via submission at 3:23. It looks like Barrett vs. Miz vs. Fandango for the IC Title at Payback.
Still to come: Ryback vs. Daniel Bryan. Plus, the Punk-Jericho contract signing with Paul Heyman rep’ing Punk. It’s next.
Movie Plug: “12 Rounds 2” starring Randy Orton is out tomorrow.
[Commercial Break]
Exterior Shot: Hartford, Connecticut. On commentary, Cole recapped events at the top of the show when Stephanie McMahon made a surprise appearance to veto Triple H wrestling tonight. Then, Hunter showed up and told Vince and Stephanie that he is wrestling tonight. “No you’re not,” Vince told Hunter. Then, Hunter bailed from the arena and told Stephanie to tell her crazy father that he will be wrestling next week on Raw.
[HOUR THREE]
Contract Signing
Jerry Lawler was standing by in the ring to set up the Jericho-Punk contract signing. After setting up the match for Payback, Lawler welcomed out Chris Jericho first. The lights went down, pyro shot off, and Jericho emerged on-stage in a light-up black jacket. Jericho marched down to the ring as Cole noted Jericho suckered Paul Heyman into accepting a match on-behalf of Punk for Payback.
Lawler then welcomed out Paul Heyman, representing C.M. Punk. Heyman marched down to the ring without music as Cole identified him as Punk’s proxy tonight. Heyman stood opposite Jericho, then sat down at the contract table. Lawler said all they need to do to make this official is have some signatures.
Before signing, Heyman took the mic. Over his shoulder was a “Bring Back 1-2-3 Kid” sign. Heyman said that they could have signed this contract in private, but since Jericho needs his ego massaged, he will say the following to Jericho’s face: when Jericho shows up in Chicago to face The Best in the World — Jericho cut off Heyman and filled in Heyman’s descriptors. Jericho added some insults about pizza, donuts, and an ice cream sandwich tattooed on Punk. Pause for a “Y2J” chant. Jericho said all he wants is Heyman delivering Punk at Payback on June 16.
Heyman, annoyed, signed the contract and handed it over to Jericho. But, before signing, Heyman asked Jericho if he is truly prepared to face the Best in the World in Chicago. Heyman said he understands they are in an arena filled with Jerichoholics tonight, that won’t be the case in Chicago. Heyman told Jericho that he will be heckled and jeered in front of a hometown crowd where Punk can do no wrong. Heyman said Jericho might be the Best in the World at what he does, but Punk is the BITW at what he does. “And what C.M. Punk does is make liars out of people who think that they can lay clam and not C.M. Punk can clam to the title of being the Best in the World,” Heyman said, dragging out the BITW ending.
[Q9 — third hour] Jericho pretended to think things over and take account of Heyman’s words before replying that perhaps they should have this match at Summerslam in Los Angeles. Heyman said he appreciates Jericho’s negotiating skills, but the answer is no. “How about in Madison Square Garden in New York City?” Jericho asked. “Tempting,” Heyman said. “But, no.” Jericho got a big smile, then suggested right here in Hartford. Big pop for that suggestion. WWE went to a wide-shot of the crowd freaking out about this suggestion.
“No,” Heyman said before emphatically dropping the mic on the contract table. “Well, I guess we’ll have to have it in Chicago, then,” Jericho said. He said one thing he knows is that when you act like a jackass, like C.M. Punk, then you get treated like a jackass. Jericho signed the contract, making it official for now.
Jericho then wondered where they should file this contract. Jericho said he has a really good idea. He walked toward Heyman, walked past Lawler, said Lawler is looking good tonight, stood over Heyman, and told Heyman to stand up. Now. Heyman tried pleading with Jericho, who told him to shut up and unbutton his jacket. “Unbutton your jacket before I rip it off,” Jericho told Paul. Paul reluctantly unbuttoned his jacket, then said he knows exactly where this contract needs to be filed.
Jericho rolled up the paper and placed it inside Heyman’s pants, annoying Heyman, who just stood there with hands in his pockets. “See you in Chicago,” Jericho said in a high-pitched voice before leaving the ring. Heyman continued to stand in the ring with paper in his crotch before WWE cut to a shot of Jericho smiling on-stage.
Still to come: Cena vs. Axel in a No DQ match, plus Ryback vs. Daniel Bryan.
[Commercial Break]
Wednesday on Main Event: Sheamus vs. disappearing Antonio Cesaro. Now taking bets on whether this match will be changed tomorrow at the Smackdown taping.
Back from break, there was a parade of Divas to set up a six-Divas tag match. Before the bell sounded, WWE stressed Kaitlyn’s secret admirer deal, as opposed to A.J. being #1 contender to the title held by Kaitlyn. JBL added that he hates Twitter because Paul Heyman is now trending.
7 — THE BELLA TWINS & A.J. LEE vs. Divas champion KAITLYN & CAMERON & NAOMI — six-Divas tag match
The heel trio dominated Naomi early on. Naomi then broke free to tag in Kaitlyn. After chaos broke out, A.J. decided to walk away from her tag partners, leaving Bella alone in the ring. Kaitlyn finished her off for the pin. Afterward, a crazy or calculating A.J. stared down Kaitlyn to continue stretching out the build-up to their title match.
WINNERS: Team Kaitlyn at 4:32.
[Q10] Still to come: Ryback vs. Daniel Bryan.
[Commercial Break]
Locker Room: Daniel Bryan was shown firing himself up to face Ryback, but he turned around to find Kane. Kane told Bryan to be careful after what Ryback did to Kofi Kingston on Smackdown. Kane said in all the years he’s been here, he’s never seen anyone with Bryan’s heart, desire, and will to compete, but he doesn’t have to prove anything. Bryan soaked in Kane’s words, but then shouted that he has something to prove. And without him. “I mean I don’t want you anywhere near me tonight!” Bryan shouted at Kane. Kane said he gets it, then told Bryan that he’s outta here. “Call me when you find your mind because it’s obvious that you’ve lost it,” Kane told Bryan.
Announcers: Cole, Lawler, and JBL transitioned to talking about Wyatt Family buzz after last week’s Raw. Cole offered more clues about the group.
Vignette: The Wyatts. Bray Wyatt was focused on as a cult-like leader living in the swamps. “We’re coming,” Wyatt concluded.
In-ring: Daniel Bryan’s music played to bring out Bryan “Yes’ing” toward the crowd. Bryan hit the ring, then pointed to himself that he will prove his point tonight. On commentary, Lawler ominously wondered if Bryan will prove himself or be slaughtered tonight. Cole said they find out next.
[Commercial Break]
Earlier Tonight: Daniel Bryan took it to The Shield in six-man tag action, but Shield still managed to defeat Bryan, Kane, and Orton by pinning D-Bryan. Suddenly, the Scott Steiner siren played. An ambulance backed up to the entrance ramp and Ryback emerged to kick off his entrance music. Ryback marched to the ring eyeing Bryan, then hit the ring. Before the bell sounded, the announcers broke down the Cena vs. Ryback Three Stages of Hell match at Payback.
[Q11]
8 — RYBACK vs. DANIEL BRYAN
Once the bell sounded, the Battle of Original Nexus Members started with Bryan charging Ryback with an aggressive attack. The crowd chanted, “Goldberg,” at Ryback, then chanted, “Yes!” as Bryan delivered Yes! kicks to Ryback. But, Ryback came back with an overhead slam to begin wearing down Bryan. Ryback took too much time following up, though, allowing Bryan to place the #1 contender in a submission, which then allowed Bryan to smash Ryback with repeated strikes for a nearfall.
Bryan tried to follow with a flying smash, but Ryback “helped” Bryan land hard on the outside. Ryback pounded his chest, then breathed heavily as Bryan sold on the floor leading to break.
[Commercial Break]
Back from break, Ryback was in control and Cole declared this a “clinic in pain.” Ryback, still breathing heavily, backed up in the corner to build momentum for an attack on Bryan. Ryback slowed down the pace as some fans taunted Ryback with “Goldberg” chants. Ryback then dragged Bryan by the beard into the corner before beard-tossing him across the ring. Ryback wanted to end it with a corner attack, but Bryan side-stepped and Ryback went shoulder-first into the post.
At 10:30, Bryan fired up the crowd setting up for his comeback, then he delivered double knees in the corner followed by a running kick for a nearfall. Bryan then climbed to the top for a missile dropkick. He went back to the top and measured Ryback for a flying diving headbutt clear across the ring, and he connected. But, Ryback kicked out of a pin attempt. Bryan started to doubt himself, but slapped himself around before delivering left-foot kicks to the chest. Bryan wanted a big kick, but Ryback ducked and threw Bryan into the air for a big powerbomb. This took the air out of the building.
Ryback let the crowd soak in the move, then he stalked Bryan for another powerbomb, but Bryan suckered in Ryback for the No! Lock. Ryback teased tapping out as the crowd went nuts for the possibility of Ryback tapping. Bryan tried to lock in the hold deeper, but Ryback reached the bottom rope for a break, taking the crowd down like a missed three-pointer on a fast-break.
Ryback rolled to the outside to recover, then Bryan went flying through the ropes with a diving headbutt. Bryan overshot Ryback, who “guided” Bryan back-first into the announce table. Ryback then smashed Bryan back-first into the ringpost. Ryback had enough on the outside, so he rolled Bryan into the ring, then retrieved a table from under the ring. Ryback measured Bryan for a powerbomb through the table, and he connected, smashing Bryan. The ref called for the DQ, awarding Bryan the win.
WINNER: Bryan via DQ at 15:05. Another excellent performance from Bryan making Ryback look like a million bucks, while Ryback seems to be have found his groove as a heel. It seems like WWE removing the Hunter-Lesnar Extreme Rules cloud from the equation has allowed Ryback to breathe in the #1 heel role.
[Q12] Post-match, Ryback wasn’t done, as he brought out another table as Bryan’s music played. Cole said Ryback doesn’t care about the match decision, just taking out opponents as replacements for John Cena. Suddenly, Cena’s music played to bring out the WWE champion storming down to the ring. Cena, with title belt in-hand, stood over Bryan to ensure no more damage to Bryan, then Ryback approached the ring to fight Cena. Loud “Cena, Cena, Cena” chant as Ryback inched toward Cena.
But, Curtis Axel’s music suddenly played. Axel and Paul Heyman emerged on-stage as Cena and Ryback continued to square off, ignoring Axel. Ryback then backed off the ring apron to save his aggression for Payback as Axel made his way to the ring to face Cena. With Ryback no longer a threat, Cena called for medics to enter the ring to check on Bryan. Raw cut to break ahead of the main event.
[Commercial Break]
9 — WWE champion JOHN CENA vs. CURTIS AXEL (w/Paul Heyman) — non-title No DQ match
Back from break nine minutes before the top of the hour, the match was about to begin. Or, the bell sounded just seconds before they returned from break. Cena and Axel circled the ring, then Heyman tripped Cena from the outside. This allowed Axel to dropkick Cena out of the ring before delivering a running knee on the outside.
Back in the ring, Axel continued attacking Cena while Lawler wondered aloud why Vince McMahon booked this as No DQ when he knew Heyman would be around. JBL essentially said McMahon is blood-thirsty and likes this kind of match. Axel then called for a chair from Heyman, who slid a chair into the ring. Cena blocked a chair shot, though, before slamming the chair across Axel’s back. Cena then chucked Axel over the top rope to the outside.
On the floor, Cena chucked Axel into the announce table before clearing the table. Suddenly, Cena heard the ref counting. Apparently count-outs are still in-play in a No DQ match. Cena chucked Axel back into the ring, but Axel cut him off returning to the ring. (Former WWE referee Jimmy Korderas provided the official ruling on Twitter: “For those asking, DQs & count outs are two different things. No DQ matches are not necessarily no count-out as well unless stated.”)
Back in the ring, Axel tried to use the chair, but Cena ducked. Cena then stood up and realized he did not have a weapon to counter Axel’s chair. Cena ducked a wild shot as the announcers plugged Axel vs. Triple H potentially happening next week. Cena then dropkicked the chair into Axel’s face. He covered, but it wasn’t enough for a pin.
Cena lost control moments later, allowing Axel to begin tearing apart Cena. Axel scored a non-threatening two count, prompting Heyman to encourage Axel that he got “two on the champ.” The announcers then slipped in a note about Axel facing Chris Jericho this Friday on Smackdown. Back to the match, where Axel grabbed the chair and stalked Cena, who was doing a lot of talking giving Axel some instructions. Axel then popped Cena with the chair for a nearfall.
[Q13 — over-run] At the top of the hour, Axel delivered another chair shot for a nearfall. Heyman shouted more encouragement to Axel, who delivered another chair shot to the back. Heyman told him to keep going. Two more chair shots to Cena, then a jab to the gut. Axel placed the chair on the mat, then measured Cena for a neckbreaker onto the chair, but he kind of slipped on the chair and barely managed to slam Cena into the chair for another nearfall.
At 10:30, Axel went back to stalking Cena as the crowd tried to implore Cena to wake up. Axel measured Cena for the Perfectplex onto the chair, but Cena blocked and entered Super Cena mode to slap on the STF. Heyman told Axel not to tap out, then he grabbed a tablet from ringside, handed it to Axel, and Axel smashed Cena in the head with the tablet.
Cena rolled to the outside to recover, which brought Axel to the outside. Cena then grabbed Axel and teased the AA on the outside, but Heyman pleaded with Cena that he’s a human being. Cena instead tried to smash Heyman, but Axel saved his boss. Ryback suddenly showed up and attacked Cena from behind. Ryback then ran Cena through a table propped up against the guardrail, KO’ing Cena. In the ring, the ref reached a ten count, giving Axel another count-out victory.
Post-match, Ryback stood over Cena and sarcastically encouraged Cena to get up. As Cena remained KO’ed leaning against the table scraps, Ryback threw his fists in the air and declared, “Ryback Rules!” Raw abruptly signed off five minutes past the top of the hour.
WINNER: Axel via count-out at 12:58. This was probably the best Axel has looked in three weeks since being re-packaged. And, Ryback finished his strong night by standing tall over Cena to continue presenting the idea that Cena’s title is in jeopardy in two weeks. Solid booking for the PPV title match.
OVERALL: Thumbs Up show. It was weird, though, in that it was almost a Tale of Two Shows with the McMahon story concluding half-way through the show before WWE focused on the WWE Title picture, Bryan, and Jericho-Punk during the second-half. This would have been a very strong two-hour Raw, especially when WWE had a hot start, but they cooled off the McMahon Drama half-way through and left a big gap in the middle of the show.
NOW CHECK OUT THE PREVIOUS 2003 WWE FLASHBACK: 5 YRS AGO – WWE Smackdown Report (5/31/13): PPV-quality line-up including Reigns vs. Bryan, Jericho vs. Cody, Seth vs. Kane, Orton vs. Dean, plus Ryback, Del Rio, Big E, Kofi
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