SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report was originally published on PWTorch.com five years ago this week…
KELLER’S RAW REPORT
JULY 1, 2013
SIOUX CITY, IOWA
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
[Q1] -The show opened with Vickie Guerrero gazing into the camera and announcing pridefully that the WWE Champion would face the World Champion today. She sucked up to the McMahons in thanking them for letting her present this match – John Cena vs. Alberto Del Rio.
(WK Reax: The concept of the WWE Champ vs. World Champ carries almost zero weight as a special attraction without an actual brand split that keeps the titles on separate shows with separate sets of challengers, plus having a long-term champions who haven’t crossed paths for a very long time. Those conditions aren’t even close to met, so it feels a bit flat.)
-The Raw opening aired.
(WK Reax: Yes, the Raw opening actually aired! I had practically forgotten what the opening theme song was.)
-Daniel Bryan danced and skipped and jumped to the ring as Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and JBL introduced the show. They went to them briefly at ringside.
Bryan said last week the burning question last week was finally answered: Was Daniel Bryan the weak link? The crowd chanted “No!” He said after making Randy Orton tap out, indeed the answer turned out to be no. He said that “begs” an entirely new question, which is whether he can ride his momentum to winning MITB and getting a title shot. He asked what three-letter word would answer that. The crowd was hilariously and shamefully slow to catch on, so he told them the answer was “Yes! Yes! Yes!” He said he wants to be WWE Champion and follow in the footsteps of the greats, such as Bruno Sammartino, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, The Rock, Daniel Bryan.
(WK Reax: Keep in the mind political mine field it is when these names are listed and names such as Bret Hart, Shawn Michaels, and even Triple H are left out.)
He vowed he will become WWE Champion again after history repeats itself at MITB. Sheamus interrupted him and reminded him he beat him 18 seconds for the World Title. Bryan asked if he calls 1-800-FELLA if he will come out here and Brogue kick himself in the face. Sheamus said that was pretty funny. “I didn’t know you had a sense of humor. I always thought trolls were supposed to be grumpy.”
Orton then walked out (sporting some grey whiskers on his beard under his chin) and said as they discuss how long it’s been since they were champion, for him it’s been two years. He said he’s not hungry, he’s starving. He said a starving man takes what he needs. He said he needs the WWE Title so at MITB in two weeks, no one is safe.
Kane’s pyro blasted (not nearly as loud as it used to be, though) and he walked out to agree with Orton that no one is safe. Kane said he has no problem committing unspeakable acts against his opponents, including his supposed friends. Bryan asked why he was looking at him. Bryan said it’s not his fault that Kane couldn’t beat Orton. Kane said it’s every man for himself. They ended up arguing over who would be WWE Champion.
Christian interrupted. He said when it comes to the ladder match, one man has more experience and success than anyone in WWE history, and that’s him. He said he was gone for a while, but he wants “one… more… match…” for the WWE Championship. He said he might not be the biggest, strongest, scariest, or harriest guy in the match, but he is the best.
C.M. Punk walked out and said he made a promise to himself that he wasn’t going to do the predictable thing and walk out like this, but then he heard the magic word – best. He said he respects Christian and all he’s accomplished, but not only is he the best in the world, he’s best at the MITB ladder match because he’s the only one who can say he’s won it twice. Soon, that’ll be three times. He said no one can touch him in the ring.
Punk then called out Rob Van Dam. He said he knows he’s fearless and will do whatever it takes to grab the suitcase. Bryan said if he says another word, he’ll make him tap out faster than Orton did last week. Orton slammed the mic down and approached Bryan. Kane stepped between them. Bryan said he did’t need anyone fighting his battles for him. Orton gave Kane an RKO. Cole and JBL said no one is safe. Lawler said the smart ones are getting out of the ring before things heat up.
[Q2] -The announcers reflected on that segment. Lawler said this All-Star match-up is loaded and RVD has to be wondering how he’ll do. Cole said they’d be featuring vignettes on past great world champions throughout the show.
-A brief vignette aired on Buddy Rogers and then Lou Thesz. They showed the current WWE Title on the screen for Rogers and then the current World Title for Thesz.
(WK Reax: I am a big fan of this. Historians may squabble a bit about the lineage and such, but there’s enough there to make the case that the belts date back to those respective reigns. Anything that WWE does to make history seem important and introduced today’s fans to the biggest names in history is a big plus because the more important they make the past seem, the more important what happens today will also feel, i.e. history in the making.) [c]
-A vignette aired on the Wyatt Family.
(WK Reax: Everytime I see the Wyatt Family in these skits in the backwoods, all I think about is Zeb Coulter and Jack Swagger standing in front of that building and then the green screen appearing instantly, revealing they were at WWE studios just playing a part with a fake background. I know they didn’t air that on the TV shows, but the fact that they did that at all for public consumption still doesn’t sit right with me.)
-They showed The Shield walking toward the ring. Then they showed a clip of The Usos & Christian beating The Shield on Smackdown, which Cole noted as only the second time The Shield lost a six-man tag match. As the Usos walked out, JBL said they are one of the most exciting teams to come along in WWE in a very long time.
(WK Reax: They are really trying to give the Usos a boost right now. Too bad they needlessly had them job out so many times on TV in the past.)
(1) THE USOS & CHRISTIAN vs. THE SHIELD (Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns & Seth Rollins)
Cole noted that for the first time Raw was being shown in Israel on SportOne. At about 2:00 the Shield members regrouped at ringside. The Usos and Christian dove onto them, then they cut to an early break. [c]
[Q3] They showed a clip from the commercial, via the WWE App, of some of the footage that didn’t air. Christian surprised Ambrose with a neck breaker at 9:00, but Reigns broke up the pin attempt. In the end, Ambrose blocked a Kill Switch attempt, then Reigns dropped Christian over the top rope throat-first, then Ambrose schoolboyed him for the win.
WINNERS: The Shield in 10:00.
-Backstage Bryan approached Kane and told him he talked to Vickie and got her to agree to give him a rematch against Orton. Kane said he actually was happy to hear that. “Thanks, little buddy,” he said. Bryan then added, “Oh, and I’ve been named special guest referee.” Kane seemed upset for some reason.
-Dolph Ziggler’s ring entrance took place. He came out alone. [c]
-WWE Fact: Last Friday, Smackdown was the most socially active show on broadcast and cable TV, beating every other show by five times.
-A clip aired of Ziggler crashing Del Rio’s fiesta on Friday night on Smackdown. JBL called it disrespectful. Cole acknowledged that Ricardo was injured. Lawler joked that Ziggler put the broken guitar on sale on eBay, “no strings attached.”
(WK Reax: I’m not sure having Ziggler grab a guitar and swing it at Del Rio and then hit Ricardo with it is a great idea since it actually creates a comparison between Ziggler and Jeff Jarrett. No one has talked about it, but Ziggler in terms of size, long-hair, and lean muscular body is actually more reminiscent of a young Jarrett than probably any other wrestler physically. Although he actually has Steve Corino’s eyes; it’s uncanny at a certain angle.)
(2) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. JINDER MAHAL (w/Heath Slater, Drew McIntyre)
Ziggler won with a Zig Zag out of nowhere. The announcers didn’t even get out of their early-match joking around stage.
WINNER: Ziggler in 2:00.
[Q4] -3MB attempted to triple-team Ziggler afterward, but Ziggler outmaneuvered them and then gave Drew the Zig Zag at ringside. He stood on the announce table and played to the fans. JBL said he’s never looked better.
(WK Reax: It’s alright to give Ziggler a quick TV win, and having him face off against 3MB communicates to fans that he’s indeed a full-fledged babyface now.)
-Up next in the history lesson is Bruno Sammartino representing the WWE Title belt and Harley Race representing the World Title.
-Lawler hyped the Cena vs. Del Rio match later.
-Cole said Mark Henry has accomplished everything in his career except win the WWE Title. He said a special look at Henry was up next.
(WK Reax: A “Special Look”? That was the term the AWA used in the mid-to-late 1980s for their music videos on wrestlers. I bet Cole didn’t know that.) [c]
-Vickie bickered with Brad Maddox and was mocking the McMahons always getting in her business. Triple H walked in and said she should continue with her disparaging comments about his family. She said he was mistaken. Hunter said he likes the job she’s doing with the show so far. She said she’s a little stressed over being told to do different things by different family members. Hunter said she should listen to everything they say and then do none of it and instead do what he says. She said, “Yes, sir,” but she looked stressed out from it all.
-A Henry video package aired with rookie footage and newer footage. It lasted about two minutes.
-Orton made his ring entrance. [c]
[Q5] (3) KANE vs. RANDY ORTON – Daniel Bryan Special Ref
The announcers talked about past world champions as Kane and Orton methodically fought back and forth in the early minutes. The chat shifted to RVD returning for MITB. When Cole asked Lawler how he’d grade Bryan’s performance as ref so far – a stupid question since Bryan hadn’t had a chance to do anything – Lawler appropriately replied: “So far he’s standing and watching.”
At 5:00 Bryan yanked Orton off of Kane as he punched Kane in the corner. Orton pushed Bryan’s hands off of him. Bryan DQ’d Orton and raised Kane’s arm. The bell rang. Kane shoved Bryan and turned down the win. Bryan then ordered the match restarted. Then they cut to a break. [c]
The screen noted that Orton was trending worldwide no. 1 on Twitter. Kane had Orton in a head twisting chinlock. Orton punched out of it. As Orton set up the RKO at 12:00, Bryan stood in front of him and ordered him to wait until Kane wasn’t touching the ropes anymore. Kane then surprised Orton with a boot to the face. Bryan made a rapid three count and gave Kane the win.
WINNER: Kane in 12:00.
-Kane didn’t like this type of win, either. Bryan insisted to Kane he would have won even without his help. Kane grabbed Bryan by his throat. He finally let go and rolled out of the ring. The crowd booed when Kane didn’t chokeslam Bryan. As Bryan watched Kane walk to the back, Orton gave Bryan an RKO. Cole said Orton “had every right to do that; you can’t blame him.” Cole said those three are all in the MITB ladder match.
[Q6] -Backstage Punk told Paul Heyman, standing next to Curtis Axel, that he can beat up the Prime Time Players himself, without Axel’s help. Heyman said he didn’t understand the hostility from him toward them because Axel helped him last week. Punk said he trusts Heyman, but not Axel. Heyman said in 2005 he heard the same thing about Punk, but he used his best judgment and that was good enough for him then. “Trust me, trust my best judgment,” he said. “And in my best judgment, Curtis Axel is worthy of your trust.”
-Cole plugged Cena vs. Del Rio again. Then they went to clips of Bob Backlund representing the WWE Title and Dusty Rhodes representing the World Title. [c]
-A clip aired of “Total Divas” featuring the Bellas. It premieres late this month. We can finally say “this month.”
-Fandango and Summer Rae danced onto the stage and to the ring. Then Sheamus was revealed as his opponent.
(4) SHEAMUS vs. FANDANGO (w/Summer Rae)
When Fandango obnoxiously danced early in the match, Sheamus imitated him, which popped the crowd. Cole talked about JBL taking a long time to reach world title status in his career. JBL said Ted DiBiase and Roddy Piper, two of the best of all time, never did. Cole said Lawler got to be WWE or World Champion. Lawler quickly inserted that he was the AWA World Champion, though.
(WK Reax: It is a bit sad that the AWA lineage isn’t given more of its due in WWE’s current acknowledgment of history. WWE owns the history of both titles and all of the footage, and the AWA was considered one of the Big Three World Titles in the 1960s, ‘70s, and ‘80s. The NWA/WCW World Title outlasting the AWA World Title seems to have doomed the AWA Title to a distant third standing, especially since it never “merged” or was brought back in any form, so there’s no lineage to the current two belts WWE recognizes. So it doesn’t do WWE any good to complicate matters and water down the notion that the two belts that ever mattered as represented on Raw every week, but it’s too bad for those of us who know how important the “third” World Title was close to 30 years of pro wrestling’s history. Good for Lawler to jump in and acknowledge that part of his history.)
This match stayed in first and second gear as the announcers continued to meander into various casual topics of conversation.
[Q7] In the end, Fandango simply walked out on the match. JBL said, “Aww, come on!” Cole said he was fox trotting his way out of there. Cole said that’s not the way Sheamus wanted to win tonight, but Fandango had enough of Sheamus’s brutality.
WINNER: Sheamus via count out in 6:00.
(WK Reax: The problem with doing countouts routinely is that it draws attention to the issue of whether wins actually matter all that much. I mean, if Fandango is willing to just walk out and lose, doesn’t that undermine the notion that these random TV matches matter. The announcers need to get out of their late night dorm room chatter about random stuff and plug themselves into the notion that the outcome of these matches that fill Raw have to be portrayed as mattering. They need to sell the unprofessionalism and stupidity of Fandango giving up on a win like that.) [c]
-Chris Jericho joined the announcers. He said he hadn’t seen JBL in five or six years. JBL said he’s one of the reasons he retired. Jericho wished everyone Happy Canada Day.
(5) RYBACK vs. THE MIZ
Jericho said Ryback is a bit of a “distructure.” A minute later he said, “I speak American and Canadian.” He called Michael Cole “Mitchell Cole.” He pushed his nickname for Ryback, “Cryback.” Ryback called for the ref to stop the match claiming he had a knee injury when Miz kicked it. Jericho said he’s never seen that.
WINNER: Miz via forfeit in 6:00.
-After the match Jericho entered the ring and gave Ryback a Code Breaker. Ryback sold it by lying flat on his back as Jericho played to the crowd. Lawler said Ryback wanted to live to fight another day.
(WK Reax: Another odd finish where a wrestler involved didn’t seem to care at all about a loss.)
-Up next a clip aired of Hulk Hogan representing the WWE Title and Ric Flair representing the World Title.
(WK Reax: I’m glad they grouped these two together because in the 1980s, they were no. 1a and no. 1b in the eyes of fans and as top draws for rival promotions. When I flew to Oakland, Calif. to see their first advertised one-on-one match ever, which was a non-televised house show, it was a sight I never imagined I’d see – those two in the ring together. That was what a real dream match between two different world champs felt like – something you’d fly across the country to watch happen. Tonight’s Cena-Del Rio match, despite these video, isn’t even a smidgen close to that because WWE hasn’t cared enough or been disciplined enough since the brand split to make it matter at this point.)
[Q8] [c] -Mark Henry walked onto the stage to his music. He said he is known as the Strongest Man in the World, “and I didn’t get that name out of some Cracker Jack box, either.” The crowd “What’d” him. He talked about representing the U.S. in the Olympics. He said he has maintained that status legitimately for the last 17 years since he entered WWE. He said he has earned the respect of every Superstar he has ever worked with, but there is jealousy and politics and back-stabbing in this business.
He said he “pretended to like the boys” for years and “did all the right things for the business,” but it got him nowhere. He said after all of the years he’s given to WWE and “you people,” he earned the right to be WWE Champion. He told the fans they’re just a bunch of puppets. He said at MITB, he’ll finally have his chance and no one will keep him down anymore. He said for years people will say he earned that WWE Championship after he wins it. He looked at the camera and told Cena, “At Money in the Bank, I’ll beat your ass.”
(WK Reax: Nothing can top what he did two weeks ago, but that was still a nice “heel challenger” promo.)
-Vince McMahon walked up to Vickie and Maddox backstage as they talked about Henry. Vince asked Vickie what he told her about Bryan last week. She said he told her he’s small and has issues. Vince said she’s obviously not listening to him. He said that main event tonight is awesome. She was relieved and thanked Vince for recognizing her idea was a good one. He then changed his tune and said she’s throwing money away because it should be on pay-per-view. He said she, and other family members, don’t understand what constitutes good business. He said there is a list a mile long of people who were excommunicated, fired, or literally bodily thrown out of the building by him because they wouldn’t listen and wouldn’t do what he says. He told her to enjoy the rest of the evening. She tried to keep herself composed.
-Cole plugged the PTP vs. Axel & Punk match. [c]
[Q9] (6) C.M. PUNK & CURTIS AXEL vs. THE PRIME TIME PLAYERS (Darren Young & Titus O’Neill)
(Quotebook – Jerry Lawler: “I wouldn’t believe Paul Heyman if he said he was lying.”)
(Quotebook – JBL: “Out of seven billion people, he’s probably the most dishonest person on the planet. I just think he’s one of the greatest managers of all time.”)
After debating who would start the match, Axel stood on the ring apron. Seconds later, he tagged himself in from behind. After the first exchange with Young, Punk asked Axel to tag him. Axel refused. After a few more ignored or spurned requests, Punk asked Heyman to order Axel to tag him in. Axel celebrated a dropkick to Titus, then Punk demanded a tag again. Fans chanted for Punk. Titus recovered and clotheslined Axel. Titus yelled, “You want a tag, I’ll tag you!”
Finally at 5:00 Axel gave Punk a hot tag. Punk charged in against the just-tagged-in Young and took control. He hit the Go To Sleep a minute later. Titus charged in, but Punk tossed him over the top rope. Axel then tagged himself in and stole the pin for the win. Heyman ran into the ring, presented Axel with the IC Title belt with a wide smile, and didn’t seem the least bit concerned with his bad etiquette. Lawler said Punk can tell he’s been had.
WINNERS: Axel & Punk in 7:00.
-They showed clips of Steve Austin representing the WWE Title and Sting representing the World Title.
(WK Reax: You can tell how much WWE fears TNA these days with their putting over the legacies of both Hogan and Sting on this show.) [c]
[Q10] (7) KAITLYN (w/Layla) vs. ALICIA FOX
More casual random chat from the announcers. Lawler said: “If she was my wife, I’d never swap her.” Kaitlyn won with a spear in 2:00.
WINNER: Kaitlyn in 2:00.
-Afterward A.J. skipped onto the stage with Big E. wearing her Divas Title belt. She called Kaitlyn trash and brought up some “unsavory modeling photos” she had taken when she was broke and desperate. She put on the screen a faked picture of a very very overweight Kaitlyn in a pose. A.J. said, “I know you all can’t unsee that.” She said it was a reminder of where she came from, and after she loses her rematch at MITB, she’ll end up back there. Big E. and A.J. shared a laugh together, then A.J. skipped to the back.
-As Vickie and Maddox chatted, Stephanie McMahon walked into the room and gave Vickie a hard time for not even watching her own show. Vickie said she’s trying to do everything, but she hears her voice and Triple H’s and Vince’s in her head bouncing around. Steph said what’s special and fantastic about Raw is how unpredictable it is “because literally anything can happen.” Steph sounded like she related to Vickie’s situation. Vickie was relieved. She said it’s especially tough for “us women in a male-dominated environment.” Vickie made a joke. Steph asked Vickie if she was trying to be funny. “Since when did we become girlfriends?” she asked. Steph said she needs to know exactly where she stands, so next week they’ll have a public job evaluation. Vickie was scared. Steph assured her she could be promoted and become the official G.M. Vickie seemed to relax. Steph then said on the other hand she could lose her job. Steph said that’s what makes Raw so great – you never know what could happen next. [c]
-The RVD video aired hyping his return.
-Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes walked to the ring. Sandow said he and Cody will remain best friends despite competing in the same MITB match. Cody said he and Sandow are the last of their kind, “men of character.” Sandow demanded “silence!” Then he said, “You’re welcome.”
-Cole hyped the MITB match for a World Title shot.
-Zeb Colter led Antonio Cesaro to the ring. He told fans while they were sleeping or watching some reality show, their country was stolen from them and they don’t even realize it. He ranted about the law congress passed that forgives 11 million illegal immigrants, traditional marriage is now under attack because of the Supreme Court, and free speech and privacy are also under attack. He said he doesn’t understand why their leaders are bound and determined to drop this country to its knees. He then announced that Jack Swagger is back. Swagger joined them. Zeb said you’re either with them or against them. “We the people!” he concluded.
[Q11] (8) ANTONIO CESARO (w/Zeb Coulter, Jack Swagger) vs. CODY RHODES (w/Damien Sandow)
Lawler wondered if Zeb has any sense of humor whatsoever.
WINNER: Cesaro in 2:30.
(WK Reax: Well, nobody knew who to cheer there.)
-Up next, they showed clips of Triple H representing the WWE Title history and Jeff Jarrett representing the World Title history. No, not really. Booker T, actually.
(WK Reax: I think I could have called most of these video pairings of the two champions pretty accurately, era by era. Given the timing, prominence of reigns, and political standing of the wrestlers, this has followed the book with the only moderate surprise being they didn’t choose to ignore Sting. They’re passing up some big names like Ultimate Warrior, Randy Savage, and Lex Luger, but you could have predicted that due to various factors. They could have substituted The Giant for Sting if they wanted to be more politically “safe” and hype current home team wrestlers more consistently.) [c]
-WWE Fact: WrestleMania 29 has been the top selling sports DVD for five straight weeks.
-The Bellas welcomed Eva Marie and Jo-Joe to WWE. Cameron, Naomi, and Natalya walked in and called out the Bellas for bragging so much about their starring role in the “Total Divas” show. A Bella made a weight joke aimed at Natalya. They even took digs at A.J., whom they said belonged in a padded cell.
-They went to the announcers reacting to the bickering. They announced the Wyatt Family would debut on Raw next week. They threw to another video on them. This included nonstop footage of the rocking chair in the shed with creepy background chatter ending with “We’re coming!” JBL said he can’t wait.
-Alberto Del Rio’s ring entrance took place. No Ricardo. Cole explained he got hurt on Smackdown last week.
(WK Reax: If this match was so big, they really should have had both Del Rio and Cena cut promos about this match specifically and also give the non-rivalry a little juice. How come UFC can make me care about a fight between two guys I’ve never heard of with two 30 seconds promos, but WWE can’t get replicate that with all of their TV time?)
[Q12] [c] -Cole hyped a special appearance on Smackdown this Friday by Punk.
(9) JOHN CENA vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO
Slow early pace with some casual headlocks, a breather at ringside from Del Rio, and then some offense with kicks by Del Rio. JBL acknowledged the pacing, saying it was a “feeling out process.” Cena charged at Del Rio in the corner, but Del Rio moved and Cena went shoulder-first into the ringpost. Cole said that could set up Cena for the Cross Armbreaker finisher. Del Rio yelled at Cena at ringside, “That’s why I’m the real champion, not you!” At 5:00 a “Fruity Pebbles” chant almost got rolling. They cut to a break after Cena avoided a charging Del Rio. [c]
Back from the break Del Rio had Cena in a chinlock. Cole called it a rarity in the history of Sports Entertainment for the WWE Champ to face the World Champ.
[Q13] Del Rio worked over Cena’s arm and also went for near falls. JBL said “This is for bragging rights forever” with all the passion and conviction of asking for a check deposit slip at the bank drive-thru. Cena teased an Attitude Adjustment, but Del Rio escaped and suplexed Cena for a two count.
At 16:00 Henry walked out. The announcers told Henry not to ruin this. The distraction of Henry at ringside led to Del Rio scoring a surprise roll-up two count. Ziggler ran out and climbed to the top rope. His distraction opened up Cena to give Del Rio the Attitude Adjustment for the win.
WINNER: Cena in 17:00.
-Afterward, Henry intimidated the belt holder at ringside to hand him the belt. Henry walked into the ring with the title belt. Cena jumped back when Henry teased using it as a weapon. Henry then dropped the belt and told Cena he was weak. He laughed and began to walk away. When Cena bent over to pick up the belt, Henry made him flinch, then laughed about it. Henry then left. Cena waited until he was definitely out of range before actually picking up the belt. Cena’s music played as JBL said he thinks he just saw fear in Cena’s eyes.
-They closed with a shot of the announcers at ringside. Lawler hyped that next week the Wyatt’s debut. Another vignette aired. When was the last time the show ended with something like that?
(WK Reax: This felt like one of those weeks where Vince McMahon and Creative didn’t have much of anything offer in terms of forwarding storylines or epic promos, so they pulled out the World Champ vs. WWE Champ gimmick and threw vignettes together to make it feel big. Unfortunately, throughout the show, it was apparent everyone was looking forward to whatever they had planned for the Fourth of July and/or preparing for the Japan tour. It was a nonchalant show that, if it was a car on a freeway, would get a ticket for going too slowly, not for speeding or reckless driving. The crowd didn’t help matters, either.)
NOW CHECK OUT LAST WEEK’S 2013 FLASHBACK: 5 YRS AGO – Keller’s WWE Raw Report (6-24-13): Heyman promo, Punk vs. Young, Orton vs. Bryan, Del Rio vs. Jericho, Khali vs. Ryback, plus Sandow, McIntyre, Jinder
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