WWE Raw Live Coverage & Discussion Thread - 05/09/2016

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Venue: Century Link Center
City: Omaha, NE
Announcers: JBL Michael Cole & Byron Saxton

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with a look back at last week when WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns and The Usos took on AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson in the main event.

– We’re live from Omaha as Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined by JBL and Byron Saxton. Tonight’s main event will see The Club take on Reigns and The Usos in a six-man Elimination Match.

– We go to the ring and out comes Chris Jericho for another edition of The Highlight Reel.

Jericho tells fans to shut up as he enters the ring. He says his guest was supposed to be Dean Ambrose but Ambrose isn’t here because of him. Jericho says he gave Ambrose a ruptured disc, whiplash and other injuries last week. Jericho says Ambrose may not be in WWE for a long time because of him but he has the next best thing… the remains of Mitch, the potted plant. Fans chant for Mitch. Jericho goes on and shows some of the many hilarious tweets about Mitch. Jericho says nothing was funny about Ambrose screaming in a hospital. He goes on and says Mitch has more worth to WWE than Ambrose. Jericho says people relate to Ambrose because he’s a slob and a loser just like the fans. Jericho says he can’t relate to that because he’s a Legend, the Superstar of all Superstars. Jericho says he doesn’t care about the new era because he’s going to give us what we want… the gift of Jericho. Jericho tells us to drink it all in. The music hits as fans pop and out comes Big Cass.

Fans chant “how you doin?” as Cass hits the ring. He tells them to shut up. Enzo Amore is still out of action with a concussion. Cass says if better have a receipt with that gift so he can take it right back to the store. Cass acknowledges Jericho is one of the greatest of all-time but says Jericho doesn’t understand what the new era is about. Cass says “we have arrived” is a warning. He warns Jericho that he’s arrived and says Jericho is standing in his way. Cass threatens to run through Jericho. Jericho tells Cass to run to the hospital and check on his buddy Enzo Annoying. Cass says he’s not running anywhere because we stand and fight in the new era. Cass stands up to Jericho and looks down at him, challenging him to a fight. Jericho goes to mention how he’s the best in the… Cass cuts him off and says Jericho may be the best in the world at what he does but he’s 7 feet tall and you can’t teach that. Jericho asks Cass if he wants to fight and tosses the mic. Jericho takes his jacket off but throws it over his shoulder and leaves the ring as fans boo. Cass calls Jericho SAWFT and Jericho runs back to the apron but takes a big boot. Cass’ music hits as Jericho stumbles to the back.

– We go to the announcers and they hype tonight’s show. Paige vs. WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte and Baron Corbin vs. Dolph Ziggler will take place. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Jericho approaches Stephanie McMahon backstage. He says there’s no respect in this new era and Shane McMahon is to blame. Jericho wants to team up with Stephanie to end Shane and the new era. Stephanie says Jericho is right, Shane does foster all this behavior and she approves of it. She books Jericho in tonight’s main event against Big Cass. She does a bad SAWFT and warns Jericho to never try to drive a wedge between her and her brother again.

Dolph Ziggler vs. Baron Corbin

We go to the ring and out comes Dolph Ziggler. Baron Corbin is out next.

We get a sidebar video from Corbin, who says he’s not a part of the new era because this is his era. He says he doesn’t give a damn about anyone, especially Ziggler. They go at it and end up in the corner. Ziggler fires back and unloads, causing Corbin to retreat to the floor. Ziggler follows but Corbin knees him in the ribs and takes over. Corbin misses a big boot and gets hung up on the barrier. Ziggler dropkicks Corbin into the crowd. Corbin comes back over the barrier as Ziggler looks on from the ring. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Corbin is in control in the ring. Ziggler makes a comeback with a splash and a neckbreaker. Ziggler goes on but Corbin turns it back around with a big clubbing shot. Corbin stands over Ziggler and beats him around. Ziggler lures him in and hits a Fame-asser for a close 2 count.

Corbin blocks a Zig Zag and hits Deep Six for a close 2 count. Corbin puts a boot on Ziggler’s head and shows off as fans boo. Ziggler rolls him up for a 2 count. Ziggler with a splash in the corner and right hands. Corbin drops him into the top turnbuckle and hits End of Days for the win.

Winner: Baron Corbin

– Still to come, Reigns and The Usos vs. The Club in an Elimination Match. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a look at Stephanie banning Ric Flair from ringside at Extreme Rules last week. Charlotte and Ric Flair approach Shane backstage now. Ric praises Shane and Charlotte wants Shane to put Stephanie in her place in regards to Flair being banned from ringside. Shane says Stephanie’s decision will stand and Charlotte needs to learn how to stand on her two feet. Shane says Flair is also banned from ringside tonight. Flair can’t believe Shane and Stephanie are getting along.

– JoJo is backstage with Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows and AJ Styles. We hear boos from the arena. Styles wants to talk about last week before tonight’s Elimination Match. Styles says he had the chance to destroy Reigns with a steel chair but he didn’t, he took the high road. Styles says we saw what road Reigns took with the table powerbomb. Styles says he won’t hesitate to take Reigns out now. Style says he will get the title on his own but tonight, The Club is officially back together again. They “too sweet” each other and walk off as we go to commercial.

Fandango vs. R-Truth

Back from the break and The Gorgeous Truth is in the ring with Goldango. Goldust and Tyler Breeze go to ringside as the bell rings and Fandango locks up with Truth. Fandango drops Truth first and poses for boos. Truth counters, does some dancing and nails a hip toss. Truth with some more dancing and offense in the corner. Fandango dumps him over the top to the floor.

Fandango brings it back in the ring for a 2 count. Truth ends up getting the win after Breeze gets knocked off the apron. Goldust is shocked.

Winner: R-Truth

– After the match, Goldust is shocked. The two teams look on at each other as The Gorgeous Truth heads up the ramp.

– Kevin Owens, Cesaro, WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz and Maryse are backstage arguing with Shane and Stephanie. Stephanie announces a Triple Threat for the title at Extreme Rules. Sami Zayn walks up and says the fans want to see him prove he can be a champion. He proposes a match against The Miz and if he wins, the match at Extreme Rules is a Fatal 4 Way. The McMahons agree and everyone is dismissed. Stephanie tells Shane they handled that pretty well and she walks off as we go to commercial.

Paige vs. Charlotte

Back from the break and Natalya is on commentary. WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte makes her way out alone as Ric Flair is banned from ringside. Paige is out next for this non-title match. She gets a pop.

The bell rings and they lock up. Charlotte takes it to the corner. Paige counters and catches a kick, taking Charlotte down for a hold. Charlotte brags about this being her house but Paige kicks her in the face on the apron. They tangle on the floor and Charlotte sends Paige into the apron, then runs her over. Charlotte brings it back in and unloads with kicks in the corner. The referee backs her off and Charlotte tells him to keep his hands off. Charlotte drops Paige with a big boot for another 2 count.

Charlotte with knees as she keeps Paige grounded. Charlotte slams Paige to the mat and shows off. Paige rolls her up for a 2 count. Paige drops Charlotte with three kicks. Paige with a high running knee in the corner. Paige with a running knee in the middle of the ring for a 2 count. Paige ends up ducking a big boot and nailing a kick to the face for a close 2 count. More back and forth. Charlotte drops Paige with a big chop. Charlotte goes up for a moonsault but Paige cuts her off. Paige positions Charlotte for a superplex and headbutts her. Paige nails the superplex for another close 2 count.

Charlotte with a roll up for 2. Charlotte counters a pin attempt with one of her own. Paige nails Charlotte and tries to get the PTO locked in but Charlotte gets to the bottom rope. Paige unloads in the corner and is pulled off by the referee. She comes back and Charlotte sends her face first into the turnbuckles. Natalya gets up on the apron as Charlotte tries to steal a pin. Paige takes advantage of the distraction and hits a fall-away slam for a 2 count. Ric Flair comes down to ringside and yells at Natalya. Charlotte takes advantage of a distracted Paige and hits a backbreaker. Shane McMahon’s music hits and here he comes. He brings a bunch of referees with him and they escort Flair to the back but he’s not happy. Charlotte looks on and Paige rolls her up from behind for the win.

Winner: Paige

– After the match, Charlotte sits up and looks concerned as Natalya stares at her from ringside. We go to replays. Charlotte clutches her title in the ring as Natalya looks on from the floor.

– We get a look back at Jericho and Big Cass earlier tonight. Still to come, Cass vs. Jericho in the main event. Also, Reigns and The Usos vs. The Club. Back to commercial.

The Miz vs. Sami Zayn

Back from the break and out comes Sami Zayn to a pop. The red carpet rolls out as Maryse and WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz come out for this non-title match. If Sami wins, he gets a spot in the Extreme Rules IC Title match.

Fans start the match with “ole!” chants. Sami goes for a quick roll up early on. Lots of back and forth to start. Sami ends up sending Miz to the floor for a breather. Sami runs the ropes for a dive but Maryse pulls Miz to safety and fans boo. Sami goes to the floor and hits a moonsault from the barrier. Sami goes back in the ring while Miz is down on the floor. Fans chant for Sami. Sami goes back out and tosses Miz into the barricade. Sami launches Miz into the opposite side and gets another pop. Sami drops Miz on top of the barrier. Maryse comes over and runs her mouth to Sami as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Sami unloads in the corner but gets dropped to the floor and into the steel steps. We see Owens looking on backstage. Sami holds his jaw as the referee counts. We see Cesaro watching backstage now. Sami comes back in but Miz drops him with a big kick to the face for a 2 count. Miz stomps away in the corner now. Miz keeps control and nails the ax handle off the top. Sami blocks a Skull Crushing Finale but Miz hits a DDT. Miz gets frustrated after pin attempts. Fans chant for Sami as Maryse cheers Miz on.

Sami blocks a Figure Four and hits a Michinoku Driver for a 2 count. Sami slams Miz and goes to the top for a pop. Sami is forded to land on his feet and roll through. Miz kicks the knee out and applies a Figure Four. Sami finally makes it to the bottom rope and breaks the hold. Miz stomps on him. Miz ends up trying to cheat by using the rope for leverage on a pin. Miz argues with the referee as Sami recovers. Sami catches Miz in the corner and hits the exploder suplex into the turnbuckles. Sami hits a Helluva Kick for the win and the spot at Extreme Rules.

Winner: Sami Zayn

– Renee Young is backstage with Becky Lynch but they’re interrupted by Emma. Emma knocks Becky and tells her to watch her back as Dana Brooke attacks. Emma and Dana are now together on the main roster and issue a warning to Becky. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get the Bob Backlund – Darren Young vignette from SmackDown.

– Cole leads us to an “UpUpDownDown” video with Xavier Woods, Dolph Ziggler, Sasha Banks, Big E and Kofi Kingston that ends up being a Pizza Hut commercial.

– Zack Ryder is backstage talking to Shane. Ryder says WrestleMania 32 proved he can be a player here. Shane thanks Ryder but they’re interrupted by Kevin Owens. Owens isn’t happy about Sami getting a title shot at Extreme Rules. Ryder says he should be in the Fatal 4 Way at Extreme Rules, not Owens. They have words and Shane makes Ryder vs. Owens for tonight. If Ryder wins, he’s in and Owens is out at Extreme Rules.

– Roman Reigns is backstage talking to The Usos as fans in the arena boo. Tom Phillips walks in for their thoughts on tonight’s six-man match. Reigns says it’s about two things – representing their bloodline to the fullest and getting a win over The Club.

Sin Cara vs. Rusev

Back to the ring and out comes Sin Cara with WWE United States Champion Kalisto. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and we get a look back at Kalisto taking out Rusev on SmackDown. Lana is in the ring. She introduces Rusev as our next United States Champion and out he comes. Rusev has words with Kalisto as the bell hits. Rusev takes Cara to the corner with big knees and beats him down. Rusev with some trash talking to Kalisto and a big clothesline to Cara. More trash talking to Kalisto. Rusev with a big slam. Rusev paces around the ring and stares at Kalisto as fans chant for Lana. Another big slam from Rusev.

Ruse with a bear hug right in front of Kalisto now. Rusev hits a fall-away slam on Cara, still staring at Kalisto. Rusev with a 2 count. Cara ends up hitting a DDT from the corner. Cara with a kick and a chop. Cara with a springboard crossbody. Cara springboards back into Rusev and gets caught. More back and forth. Cara with a moonsault from the second rope. Rusev goes to the floor for a breather but Cara nails a big dive. Fans do the “lucha!” chant as Cara brings it back in. He misses a senton, rolls through and gets dropped by a big boot. Rusev taunts Kalisto, who jumps on the apron and back down. Lana gets on the other side of the ring to distract the referee. Kalisto nails a kick on Rusev as he charges, allowing Cara to steal the win.

Winner: Sin Cara

– After the match, The Lucha Dragons head up the ramp as Lana and Rusev throw a fit in the ring. We go to replays. We come back to Rusev throwing the steel steps at ringside.

– Still to come, The Family vs. The Club in six-man elimination action. Back to commercial.

Elimination Match: AJ Styles, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson vs. The Usos and Roman Reigns

Back from the break and out comes Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. AJ Styles is out next. He joins them and they head to the ring together. Out next comes The Usos and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns as fans boo.

Anderson starts off with Jey Uso and works him over. The crowd seems hot to start. Uso nails a dropkick and takes Anderson to the corner. Reigns tags in and launches Jey into Anderson with a shulder thrust. Jimmy Uso follows up and then Reigns nails a clothesline on Anderson. Jimmy covers for a 2 count. Anderson pushes him back in the corner and turns it around with a kick to the face. Gallows tags in and charges with a big splash. Styles tags in and charges with a big right hand in the corner. Styles with another shot and a tag to Anderson. Anderson powerslams Uso and works him over. Anderson takes a shot at Reigns on the apron. Anderson exposes his knee but misses a knee drop on Uso. Jey tags in and unloads. He nails Gallows on the apron and goes back to Anderson. Anderson dodges a Samoan Drop but gets rolled up for 2. Gallows nails Uso while the referee isn’t looking. Anderson pins Jey Uso and he’s eliminated.

Jey goes back to the locker room and Reigns comes in. Styles comes in for his team but Gallows talks him out and in he comes. Reigns rocks Gallows and nails Anderson. He knocks AJ off the apron with a big right. Uso tags in while Reigns nails Gallows. Uso with a crossbody and a 2 count. Uso unloads on Gallows and hits an enziguri. Uso with the Rikishi splash in the corner. Uso hits Anderson but turns around to a big boot from Gallows. Anderson tags in and talks trash. Uso rolls him up for the pin. Anderson is eliminated.

Back from a commercial and Jimmy Uso was eliminated during the commercial. We see a replay of Styles hitting a Phenomenal Forearm to get the pin on Uso. Styles and Gallows take turns on Reigns now.

Reigns fights back on Gallows and nails a Superman punch for the pin. Gallows is eliminated. Styles attacks Reigns and beats him up.

Styles hits the Pele kick and sends Reigns to the floor. Styles leaps to the floor and nails a big right hand. Styles takes apart the announce table as fans cheer. Reigns recovers and launches Styles over the announce table. Reigns waits for Styles to get up behind the table. Gallows and Anderson appear from the barrier with a steel chair and nail Reigns for the disqualification.

Winner by DQ: Roman Reigns

– Gallows and Anderson still have the chair but The Usos attack them for the save. Gallows, Anderson and The Usos end up in ring and Gallows and Anderson send The Usos back out. Reigns comes in and hits a spear on both men. Styles drops Reigns with a kick. Styles goes for a Styles Clash on the chair but Reigns dumps him to the apron. Styles stands up on the apron as Reigns stares him down. Reigns picks the chair up and drops it in front of AJ. Fans chant for both Styles and Reigns. Styles kicks the chair back to Reigns. Reigns picks it up and Styles springboards in but Reigns ducks it. Styles goes out the other side of the ring and talks trash from the floor as Reigns stands tall in the ring with a chair. Reigns raises the title in the air as Styles looks on.

– They aired another vignette for The Colons earlier. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a look at the elimination match.

Kevin Owens vs. Zack Ryder

Zack Ryder is out first for the next match. If Ryder wins, he replaces Kevin Owens in the Fatal 4 Way at Extreme Rules. Owens is out next. Owens takes control early on and applies a headlock, claiming it to be the best. Owens talks trash, mocks Ryder and keeps control. Owens goes to the floor for a powerbomb but gets back-dropped.

They come back in and trade offense. Owens misses the corner cannonball. Ruder goes for the Broski Boot but Owens rolls to the floor. Ryder follows and beats Owens down against the barrier. Ryder brings it back in the ring and goes to the top. Ryder hits the big elbow drop but Owens barely kicks out. Owens blocks the Rough Ryder, drops him on the top rope and nails a superkick. Owens with a pop-up powerbomb for the win.

Winner: Kevin Owens

– After the match, Owens goes to ringside to yell at the announcers.

– Cole shows us Enzo Amore’s injury from payback and says he’s recovering from a concussion. Renee is backstage with Big Cass for his comments on tonight’s main event. Cass says it’s the biggest match of his career and he dedicates it to Enzo. Cass says he’s doing this for the both of them since Enzo’s on the shelf.

– Back from the break and we get a video from Freddie Prinze Jr., who plugs the new First Impressions show on USA Network. He gets a “New Day rocks” chant going.

– The chant continues as WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day make their way to the ring. We get a sidebar video from earlier in the day with The Vaudevillains promising to take the titles at Extreme Rules and take things back to a bygone era where success was earned and champions were respected.

Kofi Kingston speaks first and brings up the match against Simon Gotch and Aiden English at Extreme Rules. Xavier Woods says they will be using the extreme power of the Booty O in this match. They all worship the big Booty O and hail The Booty. Big E gets another “New Day rocks” chant going until the pyro goes off and out comes Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley.

The New Day vs. The Dudley Boyz

The Dudley Boyz make their way to the ring for this non-title match. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Bubba Ray has taken control of Kofi. Big E finally comes in and turns it around as Woods looks on from the floor. Kofi comes back in but Bubba counters and tags in D-Von. D-Von keeps Kofi grounded but Big E comes back in and they double team D-Von. Bubba ends up running in but Big E hits the belly-to-belly. Big E begins the Unicorn Stampede on D-Von in the corner.

Big E launches Kofi in the corner and then dances as Woods plays Francesca 2 The Trombone. The Vaudevillains attack Woods and Big E at ringside, leading to D-Von getting the pin on Kofi with a clothesline.

Winners: The Dudley Boyz

– After the match, Gotch and English hit the ring and beat Kofi down. They hit him with the Whirling Dervish and say this is what men do. They leave the ring with Kofi laid out. Kofi and Big E come in to check on Kofi.

– Still to come, Big Cass in the main event against Chris Jericho. Back to commercial.

Big Cass vs. Chris Jericho

We go to the ring and out comes Big Cass. Chris Jericho is out next as the lights go out. We see something happening on the stage but only see the lights of Jericho’s jacket moving around but it looks like he’s getting beat up. We see someone wearing the jacket come to the ring and it’s Dean Ambrose. Jericho is down on the stage, yelling at Ambrose. Jericho begs Ambrose to take it easy on the jacket. He comes down to save it but gets beat up. Jericho gets a rake to the eyes and drops Ambrose. He leaves the ring but bumps into Big Cass on the floor. Cass manhandles him and tosses him in the ring to a Dirty Deeds from Ambrose. Ambrose tears up the jacket some more and tosses it as Jericho looks on. Ambrose’s music hits and we go backstage to Shane and Stephanie watching. Shane says he doesn’t know where her new attitude is coming from but it’s welcomed. He says they did well tonight. She thanks him for giving her a shot. She jokes that maybe they can star on the next episode of WWE Ride Along and they agree that would be taking it too far. Shane leaves. Stephanie stops and stares at the photo of Vince and Shane that she had fixed. She seems hesitant about everything. We go back to the arena as Ambrose looks on from the stage and Jericho throws a fit in the ring. We get another replay of Ambrose destroying Jericho’s $15,000 jacket.