SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
APRIL 20, 2015
LIVE IN ALBANY, N.Y.
AIRED LIVE ON USA NETWORK
[HOUR ONE]
-They opened with a recap of last week’s angle with Randy Orton and Seth Rollins choosing their stips for their Extreme Rules main event.
-Michael Cole introduced the show as they focused on a cage hanging above the ring. Cole said Orton and Seth will fight inside that cage on Sunday.
-Orton walked out to his music as Cole asked JBL who he thinks got the better of the deal last week. JBL said Orton did by stopping Seth’s henchmen from interfering. Booker T said “it really doesn’t matter” and he just needs to vanquish Seth, but he can’t do it because “the kid is that good.” Seconds later on camera Booker said Orton is “that good” and “we still don’t know how good Seth Rollins really is.”
(WK Reax: You gotta love Booker. He basically said last week’s big angle and the video package at the start of the show was pointless, and then spewed gibberish about Seth being better than Orton, only to quickly turn around and say Orton is “that good” and we don’t know how good Seth is. What? My head hurts trying to track this.)
Orton entered the ring and the cage had lowered around it. He said Seth is “one dumb bastard.” He said Seth made a mistake by thinking his greatest weapon is the RKO. He said that’s not it. He said his greatest weapon is inflicting pain on those who deserve it, and he says Seth deserves it more than anyone. He said the RKO would be too quick and easy, anyway. He began describing what he’ll do to Seth in the cage once the door is locked. He explained how he’d break his jaw so no one has to listen to him run his mouth week after week. Then he said he’ll stick a boot into his gut and break a rib or two. He made fun of his “stupid little blond streak.” And once the beating is over, he’ll end his reign as WWE World Hvt. Champion.
Seth Rollins’ music then played. He walked out with J&J Security. Seth said Orton has an anger problem. Orton said he doesn’t have an issue with anger, he has a problem with Seth and he’ll make sure he goes away on Sunday. Seth said he wasn’t really listening to what Orton was saying all that closely because he was “responding to emails and whatnot.” He summarized it as Orton is going to beat him up because he’s a jerk and take his title and the losers in the crowd will cheer as an escape from their miserable lives. “Does that about cover it?” Seth asked.
(WK Reax: Seth’s point is a good one. It took Orton five minutes or so to say what Seth summarized in one breath. That does tend to be a problem with Orton’s promos sometimes, and many others, when they’re asked to do promos longer than five minutes.)
Seth said he plays this game of human chess better than anybody and that’s why he is well on track to becoming the greatest WWE Hvt. Champion of all time. He said he can outmaneuver anyone inside the ring and outside of the ring he can outthink anybody. He said he is the best at all of it, and the belt he’s wearing proves it. He said Orton is one of the best ever, but he’s that much better which is why he’ll leave Extreme Rules as champion, with or without a cage and The Authority. Orton had enough of Seth going on and on, so he turned it up a notch or two and said since he banned the RKO this Sunday, he’s going to RKO “every son of a bitch I see” and then before Raw goes off the air, he’s going to RKO Seth “and that is a promise.”
(WK Reax: Orton is engaged right now and doing some of his better promos. His personality isn’t exactly witty or particularly “entertaining” relative to others on the roster who are asked to carry long talking segments, but he did paint a picture of what he plans to do to the annoying heel Seth Rollins on Sunday, and the interaction with him and Seth – who is always tremendous – made you want to see them let loose in the cage.)
-Cole hyped Triple H’s big announcement about “Tough Enough.” Booker T talked about his time coaching the show along with Steve Austin and Trish Stratus.
-Dean Ambrose’s ring entrance took place. [c]
-A clip aired of Luke Harper powerbombing Dean through the announce table three weeks ago on Smackdown.
(1) DEAN AMBROSE vs. LUKE HARPER
On his way to the ring, Harper said after tonight, Dean will be afraid of him. As Dean went on an initial flurry, Booker said Dean is totally out of control, but looks good doing it. Luke recovered with a bulldog and kicked Dean in the jaw. They brawled out of the ring and into the crowd and then back to ringside 30 seconds later. Cole said the match is over and has been tossed out, but they continue to fight.
WINNER: No contest in 3:00.
-Harper threw Dean into the entrance stage LED wall, then off the stage. Dean landed on his feet and somersaulted and then charged back onto the stage, but Harper had retreated. JBL said it’s going to be awesome and “let ‘em fight.”
-Backstage Seth and J&J were looking around with great concern that Orton could be anywhere. Titus O’Neil and Darren Young surprised them from behind with his yelling. Jamie Noble told him not to be doing that. A production worker was laughing. Seth yelled at him and said he might wipe the floor with him and we’ll see how funny that is. Seth then jumped back when he turned and saw Triple H. Triple H asked why they look so nervous, like there’s an RKO waiting for them around every corner. Seth said he’s not scared of Randy at all. He said he’ll handle Randy, but what about Kane? He wanted to know if Triple H had talked to Kane at all. Triple H said he got his voice messages, but he’s been busy prepping for Tough Enough. He said when Kane arrives, he’ll talk with him. Seth asked, “What about Randy?” He looked around, all concerned, and then whispered to Hunter, “I could use more security.” Hunter said it’s one guy, implying he can handle things with J&J. Seth wasn’t happy.
-The Lucha Dragons ring entrance took place. Cole said they’d face The New Day to determine who’d fight Cesaro & Tyson Kidd for the tag titles at Extreme Rules. [c]
(2) LUCHA DRAGONS vs. THE NEW DAY (Big E. & Kofi Kingston w/Xavier Woods)
JBL and Cole observed that Big E’s clapping was a half beat off. Big E.’s looks of confusion and paranoia that the fans are chanting “You suck” as they clap is pretty hilarious. They cut to Cesaro & Kidd with Natalya standing near a monitor, but not watching it, and instead chatting with each other. The crowd enthusiastically chanted “Lucha!” with the Dragons. Xavier distracted Sin Cara at ringside, giving New Day a chance to take over. Booker, nonsensically said, “This is the New Day, right here, I think, guys.” Huh? They cut to a break at 3:00 with New Day in control. [c]
The New Day was still in control after the break. They cut to Cesaro & Kidd again backstage. Finally Kalisto hot-tagged in and went to work on Kofi with rapid-fire offense and flashy moves. Big E broke up a pin attempt. Sin Cara tagged back in and was suddenly 100 percent after taking a beating for eight minutes. He and Kalisto dove onto Kofi and Big E at ringside. Everyone was slow to get up. Xavier, hiding under the ring, held onto one of Sin Cara’s leg as he tried to re-enter the ring, giving New Day the countout win.
WINNERS: New Day in 9:00 to earn a tag team title shot at Extreme Rules.
-After the match Orton came out and gave a celebrating Xavier and Kofi “RKOs out of nowhere.” Orton challenged Big E to take him on and get an RKO of his own, but Big E backed down. Orton celebrated to his music as the announcers reacted.
-They went to the announcers on camera as Cole plugged the WWE Network free for the month of April. JBL touted every WWE PPV and no commitment. Booker said even more important is every PPV available for $9.99. Cole plugged the “first-ever televised Russian chain match.” That’s WWE, not counting all of the other promotions over the decades that televised them. A clip aired of John Cena beating Bad News Barrett on Raw last week and then being confronted by Lana and jumped by Rusev. [c]
-A video package aired on the Roman Reigns-Big Show feud.
(3) FANDANGO vs. CURTIS AXEL
Fandango, without a dance partner, came out. Axel didn’t get to beg the fans not to turn the channel or rip off his t-shirt. Fandango won quickly with his top rope legdrop. Then he danced at ringside near fans.
WINNER: Fandango at 1:15.
(WK Reax: So WWE has decided Fandango, after a couple reinventions, needs to just be a babyface mid-card act where fans can have dancing to his music.)
-The announcers hyped the Miz vs. Mizdow match with “The Miz” brand at stake. They also hyped Triple H’s major “Tough Enough” announcement. [c]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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[HOUR TWO]
-Cole said this was Triple H’s first Raw appearance since WrestleMania. He talked about the ending of his match with Sting at WrestleMania and all the various wrestlers involved. Booker T said he was checking his email and texts to see if he was back as coach of Tough Enough. Cole joked that if they haven’t contacted him yet, probably not. That seems like it was a joke at someone’s expense.
Triple H entered the ring and said Seth Rollins is clearly the man who will be the Face of WWE for the next ten years. He said it’s time to find the next Seth Rollins. He said that starts on June 23rd “right here live on the USA Network” with the return of Tough Enough. That’s a Tuesday. He asked who hasn’t closed their eyes and dreamed what it’d be like to step onto the stage as their music played in front of tens of thousands and millions watching at home. He moved on to asking people to imagine the energy and power and fame and glory of standing in the ring at WrestleMania in front of 76,000.
He said being a WWE Superstar is better than any dream you could ever have. He said now you have the opportunity to turn the dream into reality. He said all you have to do is show the WWE Universe that you are tough enough by sending a video submission to WWEToughEnough.com. He said you might make the cut as one of the ten men and five women to be in the series, and there will be one man and one woman left standing who will receive a WWE contract. “Do you have what it takes?” he asked.
Kane’s music played and out walked Kane. Triple H looked a little annoyed. Triple H said, “I have to admit, you’re a little bit seasoned to be in Tough Enough. Know what I mean?” He chuckled. Kane said he texted and emailed and voice mailed him all week. Triple H said he was letting him cool down. Kane said it’s been his honor serving him, but he cannot deal with the constant disrespect of the man he helped become champion. He said Triple H has put his faith in Seth, but he doesn’t think he’s worth the investment. He gave Triple H his two weeks’ notice. Triple H asked him not to do something he’ll regret tomorrow. He told him to talk it out like men in the back.
Seth then walked out and said let Kane quit because good bye and good riddance. Kane said he didn’t have the gall to call him a loser last week when he had his hand around his throat. Triple H said it’s not the time or place. Seth said Kane lost because it was his job to lose so he tucked his tail between his legs and was a coward and did what he was told because that’s what he’s paid to do. Kane yelled that Seth is a spoiled little punk who has been given everything and think he’s earned it. Kane asked if he thinks anything had been different if they had recruited Dean Ambrose instead of him. He said The Authority could have made El Torito champion. Triple H finally yelled “Enough!” and stepped between then. “This is not how we do business.” He gave Seth and Kane serious staredowns. He said Kane did what was right for business last week, which is what he always does. He said no one has been more loyal to The Authority than Kane. He said that’s why in the cage match against Orton, he is making Kane the “Guardian of the Gate.” Seth made a hilarious “whhhhaaaat?” face. Triple H said anyone who wants to get into the cage will have to through Kane. Kane thanked Triple H and said he won’t let him down. They shook hands.
Seth asked if Triple H was really going to reward Kane for this behavior. Triple H said Seth better learn to get on the same page as Kane really fast. Kane held out his hand. Seth acted like a kid having to eat something he hated as he finally slapped Kane’s hand and left. Cole said Kane was going to blow, but Triple H averted disaster for now.
-They went to the announcers at ringside who hyped Roman Reigns speaking about the Big Show attack plus John Cena’s U.S. Title Open Challenge. Cole threw to the Divas battle royal last week on Raw leading to Paige winning and becoming the no. 1 contender for the Divas Championship followed by the post-match attack by Naomi. They showed Naomi backstage getting ready to face Brie Bella. [c]
-Triple H intervened on a backstage heated discussion between Kane and Seth. He told Kane he’s known him for 20 years and he’s one of the toughest guys he’s ever met, but he’s a corporate man now with corporate responsibilities. He said he is no longer hellfire and brimstone. Kane said, “Oh yes I am and I’m going to prove it,” Kane said before storming off. Seth told Triple H, “See what I’m talking about?” Triple H said it took a lot of people to make Seth the champion, including Kane. He told him to start appreciating that. He said thinking he’s the man doesn’t make him the man; going out there and proving it makes him the man. Seth said, “What about Randy threatening to RKO me?” Triple H said he’ll face Dolph Ziggler, the match he was supposed to have last week. The crowd cheered. He told him to start showing the world what he already knows. Seth said he will destroy Ziggler tonight and then the entire world will know what he’s all about. “I am no longer the future, I am the man,” he said. Then he looked at his belt with pride.
-A soundbite aired with Naomi saying she kept being told to be a good girl and wait her turn. She said Paige got in her way, so she removed her from the equation. She said she’s done waiting. Good heel promo, although as JBL pointed out, she makes a lot of sense.
(WK Reax: Of course, there was zero counter argument by Cole or Booker explaining that Paige won last week’s match fair and square, and Naomi went about things the wrong way with the post-match attack and how she was a sore loser who couldn’t accept she came up short. WWE’s biggest deficiency is not having a voice of reason on the announce team that counters the strong pro-heel arguments by JBL that so easily pierced, but rarely are.)
(4) NAOMI vs. BRIE BELLA
Nikki joined the announcers on commentary. Nikki said she’s up for any challenge, but to date Naomi hasn’t defeated her for the title. Nikki said she feels bad for Paige, but she’ll take on whomever deserves it. Cole said it might be Naomi, who is putting on a clinic against her sister in the ring.
(WK Reax: Seriously, Cole’s role should be pointing out that Naomi shouldn’t be rewarded for a title shot because she is the cause of Paige, the rightful no. 1 contender, being out injured. Her behavior shouldn’t be rewarded, yet this whole storyline is ignoring that. The Bellas are heels, Naomi was a heel in hurting Paige, so there’s no sympathetic person in this situation.) [c]
The announcers touted Naomi as perhaps the most athletic of all current Divas. Booker said he thinks Naomi might be the greatest Diva of all time. Nikki said you have to be more than athletic, you need to have that star power. She said no one noticed Naomi until she took out Paige last week.
(WK Reax: Huh? How does star power help you win matches? Shouldn’t one of the announcers point out that star power has nothing to do with whether you can wear your opponent down enough in the ring to score a pin or submission?)
Brie avoided a top rope crossbody attempt by Naomi and scored a two count. Naomi countered quickly with a Rear View for the win. Booker said, “She didn’t even break a sweat.” After a hard fought match, Booker decided to say that? Why? Cole said, “Guys, whether you like the tactics or not, how can you deny the success of Naomi?” Booker again said she didn’t break a sweat.
WINNER: Naomi at 9:09.
-They cut backstage to the circus scene that is WWE catering. Heath Slater chatted up Erich Rowan saying he is going to be the new United States Champion. He asked him what kind of salad dressing he put on his lettuce. Rowan walked away. Slater stood up and got RKO’d out of nowhere. Cole didn’t say “RKO out of nowhere” but instead just “RKO.” Orton then snacked on a chip and said, “That makes three.” Everyone else in catering kept their distance.
-Back to ringside with the announcers, they reacted. Booker said Slater probably isn’t going to be the new champ after all. [c]
-A video package aired hyping the Cena-Rusev “Russian Chain Match.”
-Roman Reigns’s ring entrance took place. Cole touted Raw as the longest-running episodic TV show in history. Roman looked as irked as always, while also trying to make sure he kept his balance walking down the steps. Clips aired of Big Show’s attack on Reigns last week. He said he doesn’t feel like talking, he feels like fighting. He told Show to “bring your ass out here right now.” Instead, Bo Dallas’s music played. JBL said the return of Bo Dallas is bigger than Tim Tebow’s. Bo said he couldn’t help but hear anger in his voice. He quoted Yoda “from the greatest Star Wars movie ever made, Episode One, ‘Anger leads to hate, and hate leads to suffering.'” The deserved dig at Episode One didn’t get the pop it should have.
Bo said Roman has definitely suffered after failing at WrestleMania. He told Roman, “Let’s face it, you’re kind of a bust.” He said he is the Tim Tebow of WWE. Roman looked like the words stung more than he’d like to admit. Bo said he fails time after time after getting chance after chance. He said, “Despite what millions of people think, I know one day you can be WWE Champion.” He said if he works hard, his dreams can and will come true. He entered the ring and said, “All you have to do is Bo-lieve!” Roman gave him a Superman punch and a spear. Roman said if Show had any guts, he’d be out there tonight, but he has no choice on Sunday. He said at Extreme Rules he will bring the big fight to Big Show and he will be the last man standing. He said, “And you can buh…” He paused and looked over at Bo Dallas. He then said, “You can Bo-lieve that.” He dropped the mic. JBL said, “You can’t steal a man’s catch phrase like that.”
(WK Reax: Man, I’m not sure in any context portraying Reigns as the bust that he’s been, relative to the overly ambitious push he was given, is the right move. Reigns seemed bothered by what Bo said because it rang a little too true.)
-They went to Ziggler warming up in the back. [c]
(5) ZACK RYDER vs. SHEAMUS
After telling the ref to ring the bell, Sheamus said, “Before we get start with this.” Then he surprised Ryder with a boot to the face. He laughed and said that was easy. He rolled over Zack Ryder and said he could pin him, but that wouldn’t fun. He said Zack deserves more than a 30 second match. He held the mic as he beat on Ryder. He said he’s no different than the fans in that he can’t last ten seconds with him. He set him on the top rope and drove knees into him a few times. He said he thought New Yorkers were supposed to be tough. He eventually called for the Brogue Kick, but Ziggler entered and cut him off and gave him a Zig Zag. Ziggler then went to check on Ryder before calling for a retreating Sheamus to come back to the ring for a fight.
WINNER: Sheamus via DQ at 3:30 due to Ziggler interference. [c]
-They plugged that Chris Jericho interviews Stephanie McMahon on WWE Network live after Smackdown on April 30.
(WK Reax: They usually have scheduled those interviews for the day after the end of a free month as an enticement for subscribers to renew.)
-Cena’s ring entrance took place. On the stage, he shouted, “I know it’s late, but I think you’ve got something left.” That seemed to be acknowledging the crowd energy level had dropped over the last few segments.
[HOUR THREE]
When Cena entered the ring, he said, “Albany, you’re not fading on me. You’ve still got something left in the tank.” Then he did the Double J “ha ha ha.” He talked about his Russian Chain Match scheduled at Extreme Rules. He said Rusev, just as some of the fans do, cringe every time he says “The Champ is Here!” He said Rusev wants to destroy him as revenge for his handing Rusev his first loss. He said Rusev is aiming to take the fighting spirit away from him. He said as long as he’s breathing, he’s going to wrap his hand around that chain and never give up the fight to win. He said Rusev’s plan is to beat him motionless and confidently stomp to all four corners and get back his U.S. Title and then drop the Russian flag and prove that WrestleMania was a fluke. Cena said when he gets knocked down, he gets back up every time. He said the U.S. Title is a symbol of opportunity, and on Sunday Rusev will have “an opportunity to have a Russian chain shoved right up his ass.” He said he’s focused on the match of his life and he’s not in a losing mood, so bring on his U.S. Title Open Challenge opponent. “You want some, come get some!” he shouted.
(WK Reax: Vintage Cena promo. Good promo.)
(6) JOHN CENA vs. KANE – U.S. Title match
Cena looked a little thrown off by Kane being his challenger. Booker said this could be the biggest mistake of his career. JBL said he wasn’t sure if he was coming to the ring as Director of Communications or as his opponent at first. The Cena battle chant broke out. Kane kicked Cena to ringside early and dropped him over the edge of the ringside barrier. They cut to Seth and J&J watching on a monitor in the back. Then back in the ring Kane delivered a side slam for a two count. Cole said Rusev could have accepted some of these open challenges by Cena, but he wanted to wait for Sunday’s Russian Chain match. Kane just dominated the match for the first several minutes. Cole said Cena was so surprised by Kane accepting his challenge, he hasn’t been able to get out of the blocks. At 5:00 Cena made a comeback just as Kane signaled for the tombstone with the throat-slice gesture. Cena flipped out of the Tombstone and gave Kane an AA out of nowhere for the win. Seth and J&J laughed backstage. Cole said he wasn’t sure what was so funny for them.
WINNER: Cena at 6:26 to retain the U.S. Title
-JBL hyped Ziggler vs. Rollins.
-A commercial hyped Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling cartoon debut episode airing on WWE Network right after Raw. That’s nostalgia and a very low budget exclusive for the Network. [c]
-Backstage Kane was recovering from his loss and walked past Triple H, who gave him a certain look that said “Loser.”
-Renee Young interviewed The Miz backstage. She talked to him about the Miz brand being on the line against his former stunt double. Miz said he is the A-list Superstar. He said he is the sole reason Damien Sandow has a job in WWE. He said it’s a joke he has the audacity to challenge him for his brand. He held up the DVD case for his movie, “Marine 4.” He said he went through boot camp training to prepare for the role and he is a machine. He said he’ll be victorious. Renee interrupted Miz to say Byron Saxton was standing by with Cena. Miz yelled, “Come on!”
-Saxton interviewed Cena about his win. He said this shows what is so great about the U.S. Title Open Challenge. Since these post-match victory interviews never happen otherwise, you knew he was about to get hit from behind by Rusev. And sure enough, he was. Rusev jumped him and then wrapped his chain across Cena’s nose and yanked back in an Accolade. A ref ran in and tried to get him to release the hold. Rusev did as the camera zoomed in on Cena’s writhing in pain. [c]
-The announcers reacted to a clip of Rusev’s attack on Cena before the break.
(7) THE MIZ vs. DAMIEN MIZDOW (w/Summer Rae)
As Rae entered the ring with Mizdow, JBL asked if she was in “Marine 4” or a remake of “Dukes of Hazard.” Miz was introduced second. Mizdow scored an early two count with a schoolboy. Miz kicked Mizdow and applied a side headlock. When Miz retreated to ringside a minute later, he looked at Summer Rae. Mizdow intervened and went after Miz. Back in the ring, Miz kicked Mizdow in the corner. Mizdow rallied against Miz with a string of offensive moves and scored a near fall. Miz countered a Skull Crushing Finale and rolled up Mizdow with a yank of the tights for a near fall. Miz kicked Mizdow in the face and set up a Skull Crushing Finale, Summer Rae turned on Mizdow with a rake of his eyes and then Miz gave him a Skull Crushing Finale for the win. Summer Rae entered the ring and celebrated with Miz.
WINNER: Miz at 2:50.
-Miz said it’s only fitting that he say one more time: “Because I’m the Miz and I…” Orton jumped in and gave Miz an RKO. Cole finished the phrase, “That is awesome!” Orton played to the crowd. Cole said he hopes Seth is watching because Orton promised one for him tonight.
-They went to the announcers at ringside who pushed Extreme Rules. They hyped Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett, and JBL added that’s “Bryan’s health permitting.” Cole said he had big news and announced Ambrose vs. Harper in a Chicago Street Fight. [c]
-The announcers touted WWE receiving the Cynopsis Sports Media Award for Best Over-The-Top Content Service for WWE Network.
(WK Reax: I have a feeling that award means nothing to anyone watching.)
-A Bray Wyatt vignette aired. He said people wonder what motivates him. Money? Power? Respect? He said for most men, it’s a combination of all three. He said there is a fear that motivates him, whoever “him” is. He said he can’t lift the weight of his own personal failures, which will suffocate and blind him until the only thing he can see is his face looking down at him. He said he can’t wait for that moment when he realizes all of his hard work was for nothing. “Behold the new face of fear,” he concluded.
(WK Reax: Could he be talking about Roman Reigns?)
(8) RYBACK vs. ADAM ROSE (w/The Rosebuds)
Cole noted that Miz was part of the 2004 Class of Tough Enough and Ryback was also part of the Tough Enough alumni in that class. They showed old clips of him with hair on his head and not his face. Rose went for a sleeper at 1:00, but Ryback powered out and then finished Rose with the Meat Nook and Shellshock.
WINNER: Ryback at 1:30.
-Afterward, Ryback clotheslined a hot dog and a banana from Rose’s party animal gang. He then gave both of them a double Shellshock. Ryback then said: “What did the banana say to the hot dog? Nothing, because they’re asses just got Shellshocked.”
-Renee Young caught up to Kane backstage and said it was a roller coaster of a night for him. She asked how he felt about the social media reaction to his loss. Kane didn’t know what she was talking about. She read a statement by J&J saying Seth said they’re going to get Kane a gift after their match tonight – perhaps denture cream or a box of Depends. Kane barged in on Seth, J&J, and Hunter and said, “Denture creme? Depends?” Seth asked how he heard about that because it was supposed to be a private conversation. Jamie Noble hung his head in shame. This seems like a rib on Seth’s issues with private stuff getting out. Seth yelled, “I’m sorry, alright.” He said the whole Orton thing has him on edge and he knows Kane helped him win the Money in the Bank contract. He said it’s just really embarrassing when he keeps mentioning it over and over. He said he knows he’s done all he can to help him stay on top, so he’s dedicating his match against Ziggler to him. “You win, okay? You’re the bigger man. Literally and figuratively.” Seth said. Then he and J&J walked away. Orton showed up in the foreground eyeing them. [c]
(9) SETH ROLLINS (w/J&J Security) vs. DOLPH ZIGGLER
The bell rang 49 minutes into the third hour of the show. Seth stomped away at Ziggler in the corner at the start. A “Let’s Go Ziggler” chant rang out. Ziggler gave Seth a neck breaker and a leaping elbow drop to the chest for a one count. Seth came back with a knee to the gut. Seth catapulted Zigger into the corner turnbuckle. Ziggler bumped over the top to the floor and then they cut to a break. [c]
Back live, you won’t believe this, but Seth had Ziggler in a chinlock mid-ring. Ziggler fought out of it right away. Seth remained on offense, though. Ziggler made a comeback and DDT’d Seth for a near fall. Both were slow to get up.
[OVERRUN]
Seth landed an enzuigiri on Ziggler for another two count. Ziggler surprised Seth with a superkick to the chin for a near fall. Sheamus then ran out and distracted Ziggler. Sheamus told Ziggler to kiss his ass. Seth then seized the opening with a running powerbomb of Ziggler into the corner followed by his face plant for the win.
WINNER: Seth at 11:33.
-Afterward, Seth grabbed the mic and gloated about doing what he said he was going to do. He said at Extreme Rules, Orton’s RKO won’t save him. Triple H’s music played and out walked Hunter. Seth seemed surprised. Hunter said Seth is the man who will defeat Orton this Sunday. Seth asked for him to have a chance to finish his thought. He said he will prove on Sunday this is his WWE and he is the man. Kane then interrupted. The cage lowered around Seth as Hunter and J&J tried to keep Kane from walking to the ring. Cole said Seth’s plan backfired. Seth panicked and tried to escape the cage. Orton gave him an RKO off the side of the cage. Cole finally said it: “An RKO out of nowhere!” Kane laughed from the aisle as Orton picked up the World Title belt and stood over a knocked out cold Seth. Cole wondered if they’re looking at the next World Hvt. Champion. He did note that the RKO won’t be legal on Sunday.
(WK Reax: A strong final segment, and adding Kane as the guardian of the gate in the match add a fun twist. Seth is the type of heel you look forward to seeing get beat up. Orton has done some of his best work as a no nonsense top babyface. Seth is a good foil for him.)
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