WWE Monday Night Raw
July 12, 2010
Lexington, Kentucky
Commentators: Michael Cole & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Report by: Matt O’Brien of Wrestleview.com
Welcome to your RAW recap for July 12, 2010
My name is Matt O’Brien, columnist for Wrestleview, and filling in for David Stephens this week.
Tonight’s episode is live from Lexington, KY at the Rupp Arena.
Scheduled for tonight’s show is Florence Henderson of Brady Bunch fame as our special guest host. Matches include Randy Orton vs. Edge and John Cena in a handicap match against the ENTIRE Nexus faction.
We see the opening montage of WWE history, followed by a video package of the Nexus attacks on John Cena. Last week’s confrontation between Cena and Wade Barrett is shown. They hype the handicap match, and then show Cena’s brutal assault on Darren Young from last Monday.
The RAW theme hits and we are underway!
“We are six nights away from the first Money in the Bank”
Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler announce that Young cannot compete in tonight’s match. Cena only has to fight six guys now…Here comes John Cena down to the ring!
Cena thanks Justin Roberts, the fans, and the WWE roster for help last week. He says a “white flash” was missing last week from the WWE-Nexus brawl-Sheamus. Cena says Sheamus will one day realize when it comes to the Nexus, we are all in this together, but next week Sheamus will wake up and realize he is no longer has the WWE Champion. Cena says he will rip out Sheamus’ face and replace it with his butt…nice, John. Cena cuts one of his “cute” promos. He references Sheamus being a two time champ because of luck and interference. The steel cage will determine just who the better man is. Cena says this Sunday the champ will be here. John switches gears to tonight’s match and says last week Darren Young ran into 250 lbs of crap-your-pants-orange-wearing-t-shirt and cannot compete. Cena says he will take out all of the Nexus. The crowd is mixed on Cena, some boos, some CENA chants.
Nexus comes to the ramp in their new t-shirts. Barrett says they get to do whatever they want tonight to Cena with a clear conscience because everything Cena has coming was brought on himself. Barrett again emphasizes that Nexus is a part of a much bigger picture. Cena threatens the Nexus.
EMAIL ALERT
Cole announces that if anyone interferes in the match tonight they will be suspended for ninety days, but that Nexus must use tag team rules tonight or suffer the same consequence. Barrett says it doesn’t matter cause Cena will be in the ring all alone. Cena gets quiet and says that he will at least take a few down with him.
-Commercial break-
We are back. Eve Torres is welcomed to ringside and sits next to Lawler. Diva’s Champion Alicia Fox makes her way to the ring. We see a clip of last week where Fox feigned her leg injury. Eve and Fox stare each other down. Gail Kim makes her way down to the ring for her match with Fox.
Alicia Fox vs. Gail Kim
They lock up and Kim takes down Fox, whips her to the corner and goes for a monkey flip. Fox blocks and goes for a pin. Fox grabs a headlock in the center of the ring. Kim fights back and hits a flapjack, then a dropkick, followed by a cross body in the corner. Fox retaliates and hits her scissors kick and picks up the win. Very short match.
WINNER: ALICIA FOX
EMAIL ALERT
Cole announces that because Fox faked her injury last week, Eve gets another championship match at MITB! Eve smiles as Fox poses with the title.
Lawler and Cole hype the two main events for later tonight.
-Commercial break hits and we see a commercial for MITB-
Raw is back. We see a look at wwe.com. Making their way to the ring is the Hart Dynasty, followed by Tamina and Usos.
Six-Person Tag Team Match: Hart Dynasty vs. Usos & Tamina
Start off with Tyson and hitting offense on Jimmy. He hits a rolling somersault on both Usos outside. Tamina then knocks Tyson off the ropes as he is going for a springboard. Usos go for a cover, but a kick out. Tyson becomes the baby face in peril as the Usos cuts the ring in half. Tyson hits the tag. DH cleans house of the Usos. He hits back suplex on Jimmy. Tamina breaks up the pin. Natalya takes out Tamina!
Jay Uso hits a kick to DH’s face. Jay hits splash on Smith and gets the pin.
WINNERS: USOS & TAMINA
Cole and Lawler emphasize that Dynasty is in trouble this Sunday when the titles are on the line.
We go to the back with Barrett and Jericho. Jericho says Barrett is doing exactly what he told him to do. Jericho looks like a proud father and begins to walk off. Josh Matthews tries to interview Jericho but camera goes back to Barrett as he and Yoshi Tatsu run into each other. Barrett threatens Tatsu. Nexus surrounds him, and then beat him down. Tarver spookily looks down at Tatsu.
-Commercial break-
We are back. I Fight Dragons are in the front row tonight. Ted Dibiase and Maryse come down to the ring. Both are decked out in fancy clothing. The two flirt in the ring before Ted poses in the corner with the Million Dollar Title. Cole hypes Ted’s place in MITB this Sunday. Ted introduces the Million Dollar Couple. They are the most powerful couple in the WWE Universe. They are Ted and…the briefcase for MITB! Ted says that when he has the case, he will shower Maryse with gifts, but he will get the ultimate gift-the WWE Title.
John Morrison hits the stage. He gives his sunglasses to a kid at ringside, and then enters the ring. He mocks Ted and Maryse. He says you can’t shower Maryse with gifts because the French don’t take showers. Maryse says something in French. Morrison translates her rant as saying everybody smells, but also that she resembles a platypus. Ted attacks Morison. John fights back and goes for Starship Pain but Maryse pulls Dibiase out of the ring. They head to the back as Morison poses in the corner with the MITB briefcase in the background.
Cole then again hypes tonight’s handicap match.
-Commercial break-
A Brady Bunch theme hits with Santino, Regal, Khali, Kozlov, and others, even Doink. Hilarious! Santino’s Bunch!
Florence Henderson is in the back with a pie. She gives it to Santino. Santino jokes around and a laugh track plays. Florence is excited to be here. She asks Santino if she is excited tonight. Regal comes in and says her appearance here is appalling. Who’s the new GM, Gilligan? Regal is mad because he didn’t get a laugh track. Regal says he would talk to the Partridge family if he wanted to raise kids right. Florence slaps Regal. Santino is turned on by it and goes to kiss her. Florence blows him off. Very funny segment.
Cole and Lawler talk about R-Truth being out of MITB due to his injury at the hands of Miz. We learn Truth’s replacement for the Raw Money in the Bank ladder match will be named tonight. We then go to a video package on Edge’s history with the Money in the Bank match going all the way back to Wrestlemania 21 where he won the match for the chance at a title match at any time. We see Edge cashing it in at New Years Eve Revolution 2006. Back live, Edge is making his way through the back to the ramp for his match with Randy Orton up next.
-Commercial break hits and a preview plays for tomorrow’s NXT when the Nexus will come home-
We are at the top of the second hour as Edge enters the arena, followed by Randy Orton, who gets a huge pop. We see highlights of last week’s tag team match between Bourne/Orton-Jericho/Edge. Cole and Lawler emphasize the “every man for himself” mentality the stars for Sunday’s ladder match have going into the pay per view.
Edge vs. Randy Orton
Orton and Edge lockup. They separate then lockup again. Edge gets Edge in the corner and punches Orton. Randy then gets Edge in the corner. Orton hits a clothesline, then stomps Edge’s head. Cole hypes Edge’s role as the opportunist and how he could pull it off again at MITB. Lawler wonders if the winner of MITB will cash it in after the Cena-Sheamus cage match. Orton gets Edge down and slingshots him under the ropes. Edge rolls to the outside. Orton tosses Edge back in the ring. Edge hits a big boot on Orton as he tries to reenter the ring. Orton falls to the arena floor. Edge gets Orton back in the ring, but Orton hits a powerslam out of nowhere. Edge reveres an Irish whip and throws Orton out of the ring. Orton is down on the arena floor as we hit a break.
-Commercial break-
Back live. Edge hits a drop toehold and pummels Orton. Edge then grabs a headlock. The fans begin to stomp and Orton fights the headlock. No avail as Orton begins to fall down, but then hits a back suplex. Both men pull themselves to their feet. Orton with a series of clotheslines, then another powerslam. Orton with a series of hard right hands on Edge. Orton goes for a DDT buts Edge reverses for the his own DDT. Edge signals for the spear. Orton hits a punt on a charging Edge! Orton goes for the RKO, Edge blocks and goes for a spear, Orton leapfrogs and gets schoolboy. 1..2..NO! Orton hit s backbreaker and signals for the RKO. Jericho comes out and distracts Orton, allowing Edge to sneak up and get a pinfall on Orton.
WINNER: EDGE
Jericho then comes in and hits a Code Breaker on Edge, Orton with the RKO on Jericho! Bourne comes out and goes the Air Bourne half way across the ring, but Orton turns it into an RKO!!! Amazing moment. Orton poses in the ring and on the ramp as we see multiple replays of the RKO.
In the back, Skip Sheffield is interviewed by Josh Matthews. Josh tries to ask him if they will target the rookies or pros tomorrow on NXT, but John Morison comes by. They mouth off to each other before Nexus surrounds him. John tries to fight them off but they outnumber him. They throw Morison through a pair of doors. Heath Slater hit s huge kick. Barrett directs traffic and has them throw Morison into a large steel case. Morrison is down.
-Commercial break airs with a video package on the Elimination Chamber DVD, Satan’s Prison-
We return and United States Champion Miz makes his way down the aisle. He says everyone is talking about winning MITB, but talk is cheap. We see the video of Miz taking out R-Truth. He asks if we all get it. He has never been more serious. His actions speak for themselves. He doesn’t need a ladder to take out Truth; he did it with his bare hands. He took away Truth’s ability to compete, to play catch with his son, and achieve his dream of winning the WWE Championship. But he got off easy compared to the other superstars this Sunday when Miz has a ladder in hand. “One down, six to go.”
EMAIL ALERT
Cole goes to the podium. The GM says Miz will now face R-Truth’s MITB replacement. GM says just when you think you have the answers, he changes the questions. Mark Henry’s music hits!
Mark Henry vs. The Miz
Miz goes for a punch but Henry catches him and begins tossing around Miz. They go to the outside where Henry misses a charge and hits the podium. Miz hits Henry with plastic boxes at ringside. Miz then dumps trash on Henry. Containers and trash surround and cover Henry. Cole and Lawler are quiet as we see a replay. Henry tries to pull himself up. Miz gets an evil look on his face as he walks away.
WINNER: NO CONTEST
-Commercial break-
We are back live and down to the last thirty minutes of the show. Florence Henderson makes her way to the ring to the Brady Bunch theme. Justin Roberts introduces her as “America’s favorite mom.” She greets the fans and even kisses a baby at ringside. She says hello to the WWE Universe. She says she is feeling “groovy.” She asks if we are too. She introduces the next match as an Eight-Man Brady Bunch Tag Team match.
The Regal Bunch- William Regal, Primo, Zack Ryder, and Doink the Clown vs. The Santino Bunch- Santino, Vladimir Kozlov, Great Khali, and Goldust
Santino and Regal start off. Regal takes down Santino with a kick. Florence mocks Regal by wearing his robe, which infuriates the Englishman. Santino hits the Cobra on Regal! All eight men hit the ring. We are down to Doink and Santino. Khali gets the tag. Doink stomps Khali’s foot, and then tries to slam him. He then uses a squirt gun on Khali. Khali is blinded but only for a second before he hits a chop to the head and gets the pinfall.
WINNERS: THE SANTINO BUNCH
After the match, Santino tries to kiss Florence again. She ducks, then goes and kisses Khali. He lifts her up and gives her another smooch.
We see a Summerslam flashback of the Shawn Michaels-Razor Ramon Ladder Match from Summerslam 1995.
-Commercial break with another preview for the Nexus homecoming tomorrow night-
Back to Cole and Lawler. They go over the Smackdown Money in the Bank match. We then go to a video package on CM Punk’s second MITB win in 2009 at Wrestlemania XXV. We then see the night Punk cashed in his title shot and beat Jeff Hardy for the World Championship.
We go to Edge in the locker room. Josh Matthews goes to interview him, but Edge cuts him off. Can this guy just get an interview in? Edge says Jericho personifies what MITB is all about. You have to have eyes in the back of your head. Edge says he has an advantage. He has a secret that nobody else knows about. He has a little voice dancing in the back of his mind reminding him to be ruthless and void of compassion. He has no morals and no rules. He loves destroying the lives of everyone else. The little voice talks to Edge and it even listens to him. He told the voice that in six days the fun truly begins.
We go to Evan Bourne who is icing his neck. Sheamus comes and mocks him. Nexus surrounds them. Sheamus says you can have Bourne and walks off. Bourne looks timid. They slam him Bourne’s head into the same steel cases they used on John Morrison. When they are done Sheamus reappears and mocks him. But Nexus comes back! Sheamus now looks timid. Nexus fake to go after Sheamus and the Celtic Worrier takes off running! He grabs a random person in the back and asks where John Cena’s locker room is.
-Commercial break-
RAW returns with Nexus in the ring awaiting the arrival of John Cena. Cena’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring.
John Cena vs. The Nexus
We start with Cena and Tarver. The lockup and Cena takes him to the corner with a series of punches. Cena hits a fisherman’s suplex. Justin Gabriel tags in. He locks up with Cena. Cena does the same thing and gets him in the corner. Cena is keeping the ring cut in half. Skip Sheffield tags in. They lockup but Skip is too powerful. He begins to punch Cena t the ring but Cena slips out. He manages to avoid the Nexus corner. The all back off and regroup on the arena floor. They surround the ring and Slater hits Cena from behind, allowing Sheffield to capitalize. They get Cena in their corner and hammer away on him.
Slater tags in and hits a back suplex on Cena, then another, then a third. David Otunga tags in but Cena fights back and takes a few Nexus members off the apron. Otunga hits a suplex on Cena. He hits a few kicks on Cena. Barrett tags in. Cena gets the upper hand and takes Barrett down with a shoulder tackle, then hits the five-knuckle-shuffle. He hits the Attitude Adjustment on Barrett, but Sheffield tags in. He hits a big clothesline on Cena. Otunga tags in. He hits a spinebuster on Cena. Gabriel tags in and goes up top. He hits the 450 splash and pins John Cena.
WINNERS: THE NEXUS
After they surround Cena but he hits the outside and grabs a chair, chasing the Nexus off. They backpedal to the barrier. They surround the ring but Sheamus hits the ring with a chair! A bloody Cena and Sheamus clean house with steel chairs as we off the air!
Quick Match Results:
Alicia Fox defeated Gail Kim to retain the Diva’s Championship
The Usos and Tamina defeated the Hart Dynasty
Edge defeated Randy Orton
Mark Henry and Miz fought to a no contest
The Santino Bunch (Santino, Great Khali, Goldust, and Kozlov) defeated the Regal Bunch (William Regal, Doink the Clown, Zack Ryder, and Primo)
The Nexus defeated John Cena
Raw Thoughts
Tonight’s opening segment was a good build for the main event. Cena got kind of cute in his promo but did a good job of referencing history with Sheamus’s title wins. This weekend Sheamus has to prove that he is not a fluke champion.
Eve and Alicia are doing a good job so far in their program. They may not be the most talented in the division, but they seem to play very well off of each other. Eve has done a great job as the top baby face diva on Raw. It’s also nice to see the mystery GM get involved in the Diva’s division.
Even if all she said was in French, Maryse was the best part of the segment with Ted Dibiase and John Morrison tonight. It’s not that they are that bad, she is just that good.
The mixed tag match was fairly short but it did what it needed to by establishing Usos as a credible threat to the Hart Dynasty. Tamina and Natalya may be the most interesting part of the feud.
Florence Henderson is not a name you think of to host a wrestling program, but WWE did a good job of keeping her role limited and she did a great job herself. She played along and appeared to be having a good time. The Brady Bunch video was hilarious, as was the laugh track. Having Santino get turned on by her was even better. The Brady Bunch Tag Team Match was pretty much a throw-away but it was entertaining. Seeing Doink out there was great.
If you want the difference between a believable heel and a not-so-believable heel, look at tonight’s episode and the differences between Edge and Miz. Miz came across as ruthless when he talked about taking R-Truth’s dreams away and made Truth look sympathetic. They way he stared down Mark Henry after taking down Henry was conniving. On the other hand, you have Ede to talked about some little man inside him who would talk to him. It was just stupid. Edge is in great need of a character makeover.
They did a very nice job of building the two ladder matches for Sunday. They have made both matches feel important.
The Randy Orton RKO on Evan Bourne was sick! Best move of the night and one of the highlights of 2010!
The Nexus continues to be terrifying. The sick look on Tarver’s face after they took out Tatsu was scary. They way they snuck up on the wrestlers backstage was eerie. Having Sheamus play off them was interesting until they had him run like a scared little kid. This man is the WWE Champion. At least they pulled it back together at the end of the night by having him come to Cena’s aid.
Speaking of the main event, it was a very good match. Cena cut the ring off until Nexus gained the advantage. It was nice they had Gabriel pin him instead of having Cena win or get a DQ win. With the way things are building to MITB, we can assume this Sunday will either end in a no contest with NXT taking out both, or NXT taking out Sheamus for interfering in their affairs, thus setting up Barrett and Cena for Summerslam.
All in all a good show tonight. Great job building the Ladder match, as well as the WWE title match. The steel cage stipulation will be interesting given the likely involvement of Nexus.