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The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER WWE RAW REPORT
AUGUST 18, 2014
LAS VEGAS, NEV.
AIRED ON USA NETWORK
[Hour One]
-The new WWE logo debuted in the WWE “Then, Now, Forever” intro video.
-The show opened with a Summerslam highlight video. They really went a new direction with the video editing, getting more creative with the effects, narration, and theme. It closed with an image of Brock Lesnar standing tall with the WWE World Hvt. Title and Michael Cole’s commentary that he won the title “in convincing fashion.”
-Daniel Bryan’s music played, but Stephanie McMahon came out doing the Yes chant and throwing her arms in the air as she circled the ring celebrating. She wore a red Bryan-style t-shirt that said, “Steph! Steph! Steph!” When she actually entered the ring, her music took over. She thanked the fans for chanting her name. She claimed the “Yes!” chants were actually “Steph!” chants. Clever.
She shifted to talking about Summerslam. She said they’ve monitored social media, and many are saying Summerslam was even better than WrestleMania, and one of the reasons is because they crowned a new WWE World Hvt. Champion. That got a mixed reaction. She said tonight the Authority will present the brand new championship belt to Lesnar. She wished Cena a fast recovery from one of the most brutal beatings she’s ever seen. She said she didn’t know how Cena would recover from that. She said Jericho also had to recover from the lesson in humility as he lost to Bray Wyatt, plus Dean Ambrose learned that Seth Rollins was really the one who made The Shield. She said the biggest loser of the night was Brie Bella. She said Brie learned you don’t mess with the Authority. She pivoted to pushing the WWE Network.
(WK Reax: This is where having the lead heels also be in charge hurts their sales pitch. If Steph is doing her job as a character, fans hate her. Yet why would fans support financially a company run by people they hate? That said, it’s a good strategy to tout the quality of the event so those who missed it feel like they need to sign up to watch the replay.)
She thanked Triple H for his support and “for always being faithful,” unlike Daniel Bryan. She said all Brie cares about is herself, and now Nikki will tell the true story about Brie. Out walked Nikki. Nikki’s mic wasn’t on at first. She claimed Brie betrayed her. She said it was supposed to be the Bella Twins vs. The World, but it’s never been that way. She said it’s never been that way with Brie, and she’s always cared for her, but every since they were kids she’s been selfish and manipulative. She said she’s sick of Brie telling her she will never have a husband. She said, though, she won in that situation because, yes, Brie married first, but she married “that scraggly goat-faced Daniel Bryan.” Steph added: “A man of no integrity who clearly, clearly was cheating on her.” Steph said she beat her sister and pushed the WWE Network $9.99 price.
Nikki began to get emotional and said Brie has mistreated her her whole life. She said she could say she lost a sister, but in reality she never had one. She said now she feels free and so damn good. Brie was supposed to walk out at that point, but she didn’t or else her music didn’t play on time. Either way, Nikki and Steph looked uncomfortable and at a complete loss for a few awkward seconds.
Steph told Nikki not to lose her nerve. Brie entered the ring and asked Nikki why she was doing this. “I am your sister and I love you,” Brie said. “We are sisters for life. You have destroyed our family. I don’t even know.” She said she can forgive her. Nikki said, “You can forgive me?” Then she slapped Brie hard. Nikki said, “I could never forgive you.” Brie got up and left, crying. The crowd chanted, “You sold out!” at Nikki.
(WK Reax: I was expecting worse, to be honest. I think Nikki was believable in her heel role and feeling justified in turning on her sister. Brie was reasonably sympathetic, too. Steph was, as usual, good in her role.)
-Jerry Lawler plugged the tag match coming up. [c]
-A clip aired of Nikki slapping Brie.
(1) ERICK ROWAN & LUKE HARPER vs. MARK HENRY & THE BIG SHOW
Cole threw to the German announce team – Bernhard Wulff and Carston Schaefer – who were at ringside next to them. JBL claimed they were still talking about the World Cup. Show knocked Harper over the top rope. [c]
Back from the break, Show was still alone in the ring as Harper was recovering. Rowan got in a big spot a minute later by body slamming Show. It led to a near fall. As Rowan celebrated, Show recovered and then he surprised Rowan with a DDT. The crowd was into the match, even clapping encouragement in unison for Show’s hot-tag to Henry. Rowan at ringside hit Show with a running forearm. Henry splashed Rowan in the corner inside the ring. Harper entered the ring and charged at Henry with a boot to the face. Harper slipped on impact and fell awkwardly, but was okay. Rowan scored a two count on Henry. Rowan and Harper set up Henry for a double-team move, but Show made the save. Henry then gave Rowan the World’s Strongest Slam for the win. Lawler asked, “Who can beat these two guys?” The question is whether there are any heel teams, period, to face them. JBL said the Usos should be concerned.
WINNERS: Show & Henry at 11:37.
(WK Reax: I wonder if they’re not giving Show and Henry a dominant run as a team to set then up for matches against Lesnar?)
-Lawler plugged Rybaxel & Randy Orton vs. Sheamus & RVD & Roman Reigns in a six-man tag match. [c]
-WWE Fact: Summerslam was the most social active show on all of TV, blowing away competition on major networks.
-Backstage Ric Flair congratulated Dolph Ziggler on his IC Title win. The Miz walked into the picture wearing that strange white outfit that looks like he’s preparing for a colonoscopy. He said the title will soon be coming back to him, an A-lister. Ziggler said he’s not an A-lister, he’s an A-hole. Flair laughed and let out a “Wooo!”
-They went to the announcers at ringside who bragged up Summerslam’s social media activity. Cole said one of the reasons is because of one of the greatest lumberjack matches they’ve seen. The announcers commented on freeze-frames from the match. Good sales pitch for people to sign up for the Network to see what they missed.
-Rene Young interviewed Seth Rollins. He said he did what he told the entire world he would do. “I didn’t run, I didn’t hide,” he said. “I stood, planted my two feet in the center of that ring and proved I am not only the future WWE World Hvt. Champion, but I’m the future of the entire WWE.” Dean Ambrose walked up behind him and poured a bucket of ice water on him. Ambrose shrugged and said, “What? It’s for charity.” He hit him in the face with the bucket and then attacked him. They had a brief intense brawl before officials separated them.
(WK Reax: Ambrose’s delivery of the line, “What? It’s for charity” will be one of the highlights of the show no matter what else happens. He actually reminded me of Harry Connick Jr. right there. Not sure if he’s heard that before. Also, good promo from Rollins. I love that as a heel he claimed he did something when the truth was he did the opposite – he ran from Ambrose every chance he got. I hope he drops the Jeff Jarrett-style “ha ha” thing he does during pauses, though.) [c]
-A replay aired of the Rollins-Ambrose segment. Then Rollins barged into a meeting between Triple H and Kane. He said they need to get rid of Ambrose once and for all because he’s an out of his mind lunatic. Triple H told him to relax. Hunter said he is giving Rollins a rematch against Ambrose, and he’s letting the WWE Universe decide the stips. He said when Rollins finishes off Ambrose tonight, “the blood will be on their hands, not ours.” Kane wished him luck.
(2) PAIGE vs. NATALYA
Before the match, Paige said she wants to say that she respects and loves A.J., so she’s dedicating this match to her. A minute into the match, with Paige on offense, A.J.’s music played and she skipped to the ring. Natalya schoolgirled the distracted Paige for a surprise leverage pin. Cole said the one-upmanship games continue. (Wouldn’t it be one-upswoman-ship?)
WINNER: Natalya at 1:39.
-Afterward A.J. said that despite everything, she also respects and loves Paige and she dedicates her life to her. She said she needs to get into that ring and shake her hand now. Paige bailed out and retreated. “Don’t try to out-crazy crazy,” said JBL. Lawler told JBL not to say crazy when crazy is near.
-Lawler announced the stips: No Holds Barred, Falls Count Anywhere, or No Disqualification. So they can basically plan their match and do exactly the same thing no matter what the fans vote for? They should take time to explain the differences in the rules. [c]
-They went to the announcers who pitched the Network for $9.99. Lawler talked about the usual two original programs – Total Divas and Legends House. JBL pitched the PPVs including the Royal Rumble next year.
-Triple H’s music played and he and Stephanie walked to the ring. Hunter talked about the Cena-Brock match. He said it’ll go down in history as an Instant Classic (copyright Christian Cage). He said, “Two men stood in this ring and they gave it every single thing they had to represent the WWE into the future.” Huh? Strange syntax there. They removed a red covering and revealed the new WWE Title. The crowd reacted tepidly. It doesn’t look very masculine with all of the diamonds. They’re also not making a big deal out of the change in the WWE logo. It’s everywhere, but no one’s talking about it specifically.
[Hour Two]
A smiling Lesnar and Paul Heyman walked out. Cole called it the most one-sided match in WWE Title history. Lesnar held the title belt and posed for pictures on all four sides of the ring with Triple H, Steph, and Heyman. A “Lesnar! Lesnar!” chant broke out. Lawler gushed about the new belt.
Heyman introduced himself to the crowd. “I’m the one behind the one who conquered the one who thought he was the one to beat the one in twenty-one-and-one.” He channeled Vince McMahon as he introduced Lesnar as the new undisputed champion. He said his client has authorized him to reveal a secret that the Authority doesn’t want revealed tonight, which is that Cena is not in the building. The crowd cheered. Lesnar laughed. Heyman said Cena can’t be there because he can’t physically appear thanks to his client, Buh-rock Les-nar. Lesnar laughed and said, “I love it when you say that. Say that again.” Heyman said he’s been in the industry in one form or another since he was 14 years old, and he’s never seen a Superstar take an ass kicking the likes of what Cena took last night at Summerslam.
He called Cena the top Superstar of a generation. He said The Rock’s run on top was legendary, but only three years or so. He said Steve Austin’s run on top – bigger crowd pop for him than Rock – was around four years or so. He said there has been one constant and one man in almost every WrestleMania main event the past ten years, and that man is Cena. He said he has to give credit to Cena for fighting past the 30 second mark, because most men would have handed over the title belt at that moment and lived to fight another day.
He said he couldn’t understand why so many people who love Cena love him with a passion. As an aside he said his children love Cena “which really pisses me off to begin with,” but now he gets it. He said Cena took a beating and kept coming back for more. He said he never gives up. He said he earned his respect and admiration to the point where if he had time on his hands, he’d love to make him a Paul Heyman Guy. He said if they wrote the history of WWE right before Lesnar beat Cena, Cena would go down as the greatest fighting champion in WWE history, but Lesnar does not share those opinions. Heyman broke into Richard Nixon mode when he said that. He said careers die at the hands of Lesnar. He said the same thing awaits any man who walks into the Beast’s Lair. He said it’s almost an unfair fight to begin with because his client isn’t a man, he’s The Beast. He said the Beast will lay wreckage upon any man who tries to take the title from him.
He said if fans are too cheap or stupid or ignorant or blind to spend $9.99 on the WWE Network, he will tell them what happened last night. He explained that Lesnar dismantled Cena using basic Brock-o-nomics: Eat, Sleep, Suplex, Repeat Suplex Repeat Suplex Repeat Suplex Repeat Suplex Repeat…” He did that actually 16 times. That drove the point home. Lesnar was just tickled by that. Heyman added: “Eat, Sleep, Conquer, John Cena.”
-They went to the announcers at ringside. Lawler said he cannot stand listening to Heyman. Lawler has said that in every decade since the 1980s, I believe. Cole threw to a clip of the Steph-Brie segment earlier.
-Dolph Ziggler’s ring entrance began. [c]
(3) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. THE MIZ – Intercontinental Title match
Ziggler’s music was still playing after the break. The fans got to know the long version of his song. Justin Roberts did formal ring introductions for the title match. That always makes things feel a little more prestigious. Ziggler sold an awkward landing on his left knee. Miz focused on it. They cut to a break at 2:00. [c]
Miz applied a figure-four mid-ring. Ziggler reached the bottom rope to force a break. Cole noted that #ICTitle is no. 1 trend in the world. Ziggler swept Miz off his feet when Miz stepped onto the ring apron. Ziggler kicked Miz, but fell off the ring apron afterward. The ref counted out Ziggler as soon as Miz beat the count reentering the ring.
WINNER: Miz at 7:15, so Ziggler retained the IC Title.
(WK Reax: Good finish to extend this feud. These two can have some good matches and maybe develop a memorable feud.)
-Afterward, a frustrated Miz attacked Ziggler. JBL accused Ziggler of faking his injury to get intentionally counted out. Ziggler came back and hit a Zig Zag so he could celebrate with his music to end the segment.
-The announcers commented on the flag match results from Summerslam between Rusev and Jack Swagger.
-Rene interviewed Swagger backstage. He was very serious and solemn. He said that last night he aimed to defend the country he loves, but he failed. He said what makes America the greatest country on Earth is when things get hard, they come together. He said in times like this, they unite. “That’s We the People.” He said he won’t give up. He said he’s going to pick himself up and come out swinging.
(4) JACK SWAGGER vs. CESARO
No Zeb, as he was still selling being kicked in the face by Rusev. JBL said about Swagger, “I stayed away from him. I can’t stand the man. I don’t want to be in the same room. He stinks.” Swagger went for a Patriot Lock from the ring apron when he caught a Cesaro big boot. The ref forced him to break it before the five count. Swagger applied it again in the ring. Cesaro reached the ropes, so again Swagger had to break. Cesaro then quickly gave Swagger a Neutralizer for the surprise win. Cole said Swagger wasn’t at 100 percent.
WINNER: Cesaro at 4:28.
-Afterward, Bo Dallas came out onto the stage. He said Swagger let down 318 million Americans last night. He said he has lost his self-respect and dignity, but he can get it all back if he just Bo-lieves.
(WK Reax: Well, it looks like Swagger’s being moved to a feud with Bo Dallas. I look forward to Zeb Colter getting into it on the mic with Bo.)
-Rene interviewed Chris Jericho backstage. Jericho had a similar expression and mood as Swagger. He talked about wrestling Bray in comparison to the “literally dozens of Hall of Famers in the WWE.” He said his upside down spider walk is by far the most disturbing thing he’s ever witnessed inside a WWE ring. He said he saw an emptiness inside Bray’s eyes. He said he cares about nothing and is dead inside. He said even though he lost, at least he’s not dead inside. He said he has three things Bray will never have: A fire inside him that burns him to be the best at what he does, a fighting spirit, and the best fans in WWE history. He said the fans will have his back no matter what he does. He encouraged a Y2J chant. He said Bray can never take that away. He laughed and walked away.
(WK Reax: I like these backstage interviews that are being incorporated into the format more.) [c]
-Cole hyped Show vs. Rowan on Main Event on WWE Network tomorrow night.
(5) RANDY ORTON & CURTIS AXEL & RYBACK vs. ROMAN REIGNS & SHEAMUS & ROB VAN DAM
They cut to a break a few minutes in. [c]
Back from the break, Sheamus bashed Axel with ten forearms to the chest. He then gave the same to Ryback. The crowd counted along. The crowd chanted “We Want Ryback” because he’s from Las Vegas.
[Hour Three]
Next a “Feed me more!” chant broke out. The announcers acknowledged that Ryback is from Vegas.
(WK Reax: If Ryback was this popular everywhere, he could be given a hot streak on TV and then awarded a title match against Lesnar. It’s too late to start that now, but maybe for October or November if they’re desperate to feed Lesnar tough guy challengers to knock down this fall/winter.)
Reigns eventually got a hot-tag against Axel. Once again Axel took some great bumps for him. He gave Axel his running boot on the apron. Then came the Superman punch on Axel, followed by one for Ryback on the ring apron. When he set up the spear, Orton entered and gave him a backbreaker from behind. Roman tagged in RVD right away. RVD dove onto Axel for a two count. RVD leveraged Axel down with a leg scissors for a nice near fall. Then he hit a split-legged moonsault. Ryback broke it up. Sheamus gave him a big boot. Sheamus sold a leg injury right afterward on his heavily taped thigh. Orton gave Sheamus an RKO. RVD then gave Orton an enzuigiri. Reigns then caught Orton with a spear. Axel threw Reigns shoulder-first into the ringpost. RVD then gave Axel drop spin wheel kick followed by the Five-Star frog splash for the win.
WINNERS: RVD & Reigns & Sheamus at 11:13.
(WK Reax: I wouldn’t have predicted RVD would get the pinfall win there. I guess that I like that they didn’t just do the obvious and have Reigns beat Axel, yet it seems like as predictable as it is, they’d want to feature Reigns at every opportunity as the strongest dominant wrestler on the rise scoring pins for his team at every opportunity. Interesting booking.)
-They went to the announcers at ringside who threw to a clip of the Ambrose-Rollins set-up earlier on the show. Lawler pushed fans to vote on the WWE App.
-A commercial hyped “Summerslam: Backstage Pass” on WWE Network immediately following Raw. [c]
-Flair caught up with Orton backstage and said he wanted to talk about Reigns. Orton told Flair he didn’t want any advice from him. He told Flair if he didn’t back off, he’d find out why they call him the Legend Killer.
-Bray Wyatt spoke from a dark corner backstage. He said maybe he doesn’t have a soul and his role on earth is to collect them from others. He called himself the new face of salvation.
-The Usos ring entrance aired. [c]
-WWE Fact: Smackdown last Friday beat every other show on cable for the 11th straight week.
(6) THE USOS vs. THE DUST BROTHERS (Gold & Star)
JBL said Goldust & Stardust could go to Downtown Las Vegas and would still seem weird. I’m not sure whether the Cody-to-Stardust or Jeff Hardy-to-Willow transition is stranger or which of the two has had more fun playing their alter-ego. Cody is all-in with his schtick, though, and I respect that. “They’re a good team, but I don’t like weird people,” said JBL. “I stay away from weirdos.” This from the guy who befriended Vince McMahon and became his traveling buddy back during his World Title push. When Cole accused JBL of rambling for three hours, JBL said, “It’s been two hours twenty-four minutes. I’ve got a lot of rambling left.” As for the match, the crowd seed split, with a leaning toward the Usos. Cody scored the pin with a sunset flip after countering a powerbomb.
WINNERS: The Dust Brothers at 5:55. [c]
-Cole announced Orton vs. RVD as the Smackdown main event, which explains I suppose RVD scoring the winning pinfall in the six-man tag earlier – so Orton beats someone with a recent high-profile win on Smackdown. Cole also called Smackdown the no. 1 show on cable TV, wisely pushing the bragging rights of being the most watched show on cable at least on Friday nights.
-Rusev and Lana walked out. During the entrance, Lawler recapped the Swagger-Rusev finish, noting that Swagger didn’t give up, but he did eventually pass out, and then Rusev took cheap shots afterward. Lana said President Vladimir Putin is very proud of Rusev’s victory. Mark Henry interrupted. He marched to the ring to confront Rusev. JBL shifted to babyface for this segment. As the crowd chanted “USA!” Henry asked Rusev if he heard that American pride. Henry said he had the honor of representing the United States twice in the Olympic games and they are two of his proudest moments. “And I’ve never had a problem with anybody, and their country, their beliefs, and their flags – except the way you two jackasses do it,” said Henry in perhaps the most level-headed, well-reasoned statement ever made on a pro wrestling show when it comes to patriotism. It sure beats Shawn Michaels’s “love it or leave it” approach.
Henry said seeing Rusev wave his flag got under his skin, though. He said it made him sick to his stomach. A “USA” chant broke out even louder. When Lana tried to talk, Henry shouted her down: “I’m not talking to you.” Henry disagreed with their assessment that in America, the power is gone. He called Rusev “boy” and told Lana to translate what that term means to him. He vowed to give Rusev a personal guided tour of the Hall of Pain. Rusev looked slightly intimidated, but put up a brave face. Rusev took the first shot to break their staredown. Henry punched him back. He blocked a Rusev roundhouse kick and then gave him a World’s Strongest Slam. Lana looked concerned. A louder “USA” chant broke out. Henry then splashed Rusev. Rusev sold it like, well, like he was splashed by Henry. He gasped for air. Henry left as his music played. Lana nearly was left in tears. Henry slapped hands with Lawler, Cole, and JBL. He put on JBL’s hat. Henry walked right past the German announce team without any high-fives. I wonder if they felt left out or relieved. [c]
-Cole narrated clips of the Heyman/Lesnar gloating session earlier. Then he plugged that Cena returns next week to talk about his loss to Lesnar. They showed him flat on his back being tended to by medics at Summerslam.
-Lawler announced the results of the fan voting. The winner was Falls Count Anywhere (41%) followed by No Holds Barred (34%) and No DQ (25%). Lawler acted like that was his choice.
(7) DEAN AMBROSE vs. SETH ROLLINS – Falls Count Anywhere
All men with receding hairlines should go with the Ambrose look. Lawler: “You know what they say? What happens in Vegas stays on Facebook.” They brawled onto the stage right away. Ambrose blocked a suplex onto the stage and then gave Rollins a suplex onto the stage. JBL said that should do it. Rollins kicked out. Back in the ring Ambrose slammed Rollins on a chair. He then dove off the middle rope and landed with a chair smash on Rollins’s body. He got a two count. The crowd wanted tables. Rollins reversed Ambrose head-first into a chair wedged in the corner. After a two count, they cut to a break. [c]
Ambrose made a comeback after the break. As Rollins was hitting Ambrose with a kendo stick, Ambrose catapulted him into the corner in a cool spot. Ambrose then used the kendo stick as leverage for a side leg sweep for a near fall. Ambrose threw several chairs into the ring next. Ambrose set up a superplex onto the pile of chairs, but Rollins blocked him. Rollins then sunset flipped him off the top rope onto the chairs. Ambrose kicked out.
[Overrun]
Rollins put Ambrose’s face on a table set up in the ring and then climbed to the top rope. Ambrose got up and suddenly was feeling just fine. He superplexed Rollins through the table. Kane stood up at ringside with a look of grave concern that the wrong guy was about to win. When Kane climbed onto the ring apron, Ambrose shoved him to the floor. Ambrose tossed Rollins hard to the floor. Ambrose then dove through the ropes onto both Kane and Rollins. JBL reminded viewers it was Falls Count Anywhere. Back in the ring Ambrose gave Rollins a clothesline and Rollins did a full flip. Ambrose gave Rollins his Dirty Deeds finisher, and made the cover. Kane yanked Ambrose off of Rollins. Kane then took off his jacket and punched away at Ambrose. Cole called it ridiculous. Ambrose made a comeback and ran across the announce tables and dove onto Rollins in the crowd. He threw him back to ringside. The crowd began a “This is awesome!” chant. Ambrose threw Rollins onto the announce table – after kindly removing the metal monitors because he wanted to hurt Rollins, but not too badly – but then Kane grabbed Ambrose and chokeslammed him onto the table. “This is a two on one assault!” declared Cole. Rollins then gave Ambrose a Curb Stomp on the table.
Kane then set Ambrose’s face on cinder blocks stacked at ringside which are used to support the ring bell. Rollins stomped Ambrose’s face into the blocks, which crushed under Ambrose’s face. The crowd gasped. Ref Charles Robinson ran over to check on Ambrose. He called for urgent help and called off the match officially.
WINNER: No contest at 20:26. (***3/4)
(WK Reax: Memorable main event worthy match on Raw. Rollins and Ambrose are a great mix of youth, experience, personality, athleticism, and cool factor that WWE had been sorely in need of. The big angle at the end is a great set-up for Ambrose’s eventual return to seek revenge against both Kane and Rollins.)
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