RAW LIVE Coverage and Discussion Thread - 8th July, 2013

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RAW Results - 18th July, 2013
Live From: Baltimore, MD
Announcers - Jerry "The King" Lawler, JBL, Michael Cole

Live Stream - http://www.uowforums.com/showthread....898#post985898

Tonight is a night that many in WWE will be talking about long after the lights go down on this episode of Raw. For the first time since the last time there was a Job Performance Evaluation, Vickie Guerrero goes under the gun as Vince McMahon, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon let Vickie know of her fate as the person who is in charge of Raw to the extent that she does not do anything that a McMahon disagrees with. Speaking of three people who put fear in the hearts of all in the WWE, the Wyatt Family is supposed to debut tonight. When is their job performance evaluation?
We begin with an extended cut of the Wyatt Family video.

We are in Baltimore, Maryland and your announcers are Michael ‘In the building where the guy writing this report attended his first wrestling show’ Cole, Jerry ‘Where getting crabs is not always a bad thing’ Lawler and John ‘We smell spices on Monday Night’ Layfield.

A ladder is in the ring and so are Brad Maddox and Vickie Guerrero.

Vickie welcomes everyone to Raw. She says that she has been diligently working on the pay per view. The ladder is a symbol of spectacle. Great names have been associated with this ladder. Names like Shawn Michaels, Razor Ramon, and the one and only Triple H. This ladder means something special to her. It represents how she has climbed year after year in her career. If she falls, she is holding everyone responsible.

Vickie climbs the ladder and sits on top.

There is no book showing how a woman can dominate a company like General Electric, IBM, or WWE. No one held her hand and told her how to run a show or how to run a roster of WWE Superstars. She says that she has done everything on her own. She has brought the greatest matches and the best entertainment.

She might not have seen eye to eye with the WWE Universe. Every decision was made for the fans.

Jerry Lawler gets on a house mic and he lets out an Excuse Me. He says that he received word that in preparation for the job evaluation, they will consider any and all factors. That includes the opinions of the WWE Universe.

Vickie thanks Jerry for that information. Vickie says that she considers the WWE Universe just like her family. They have had good days and bad days. At the end of each day, every family has each other’s back.

Vickie announces that tonight John Cena will stand face to face with Mark Henry. There are matches with the participants in the WWE Title Money in the Bank Ladder Match. Christian will face Kane. Randy Orton will face CM Punk and Daniel Bryan will face Sheamus.

Match Number One: Daniel Bryan versus Sheamus in a We will give you singles matches because Teddy Long has an exclusive deal on multi-man matches Match

They lock up and Sheamus backs Bryan into the corner and he gives a clean break. They lock up again and Sheamus with a side head lock and take down. Sheamus with a shoulder tackle. They lock up and Bryan works on the arm and wrist and he takes Sheamus down to a knee. Bryan with a hammer lock and Sheamus with an elbow.

Bryan with a clothesline and he gets a near fall. Bryan with kicks to the leg but Sheamus with forearms. Sheamus with a knee drop and he rubs his knee across the head. Sheamus pulls Bryan to the mat and he applies a wrist lock. Bryan with a knee to the midsection followed by kicks against the ropes.

Sheamus with a rake of the eyes while Bryan tries to work on the arm. Sheamus gets a near fall. Bryan is caught by Sheamus and Sheamus with a back breaker. Bryan sends Sheamus to the floor and he goes for a knee but Sheamus catches him and they collide with the ringside barrier and both men are down as we go to commercial.

They lock up and Sheamus backs Bryan into the corner and he gives a clean break. They lock up again and Sheamus with a side head lock and take down. Sheamus with a shoulder tackle. They lock up and Bryan works on the arm and wrist and he takes Sheamus down to a knee. Bryan with a hammer lock and Sheamus with an elbow.

Bryan with a clothesline and he gets a near fall. Bryan with kicks to the leg but Sheamus with forearms. Sheamus with a knee drop and he rubs his knee across the head. Sheamus pulls Bryan to the mat and he applies a wrist lock. Bryan with a knee to the midsection followed by kicks against the ropes.

Sheamus with a rake of the eyes while Bryan tries to work on the arm. Sheamus gets a near fall. Bryan is caught by Sheamus and Sheamus with a back breaker. Bryan sends Sheamus to the floor and he goes for a knee but Sheamus catches him and they collide with the ringside barrier and both men are down as we go to commercial.

We are back and Sheamus with a quarter nelson and chin lock. Bryan with European uppercuts and kicks in the corner. Bryan flips over Sheamus in the corner and Sheamus counters the flying clothesline with a uranage back breaker and he gets a near fall.

Bryan with a kick and Sheamus with a double sledge followed by a shoulder in the corner, a knee lift and a flying back elbow for a near fall. Sheamus sends Bryan into the turnbuckles again and he Irish whips him but Bryan gets his knees up. Sheamus with a Finlay slam and then he signals for the Brogue Kick but Bryan moves and Sheamus crotches himself and goes to the floor.

Bryan with a suicide dive on Sheamus and both men are down. Bryan sends Sheamus back in and he goes up top for a missile drop kick and he connects. Bryan gets a near fall. Bryan with kicks of Yes to the chest but he misses the round kick when Sheamus rolls out of the way and to the apron. Sheamus with forearms across the chest but Sheamus is on the apron this time. Sheamus with a clothesline from the apron.

Sheamus goes up top for the flying shoulder tackle but Bryan crotches Sheamus on top. Bryan punches Sheamus and he goes for a super rana but Sheamus holds on to the ropes and Sheamus with a flying shoulder tackle for a near fall. Sheamus gets Bryan up for White Noise but Bryan tries to fight out of it. Sheamus backs Bryan into the turnbuckles. Bryan with a drop toe hold to Sheamus that sends him into the turnbuckles and Bryan with a kick.

Bryan with a round kick for a near fall. Bryan goes up top again and this time for the diving head butt, but Sheamus moves and Sheamus gets a near fall. Sheamus punches Bryan but Bryan with kicks. Sheamus misses a short arm clothesline and Bryan with more kicks. Bryan with a crucifix for a near fall and then he tries for the No Lock but Sheamus counters with a Cloverleaf.

Bryan counters and wins with the small package.

Winner: Daniel Bryan

After the match, Sheamus and Bryan stand face to face in the ring and they look at the briefcase before shaking hands.

Michael Cole says that WWE sent a reporter to look for the Wyatts and we go on that journey. He is told that it is a few miles away and you will know.

We go to commercial.

After the match, Sheamus and Bryan stand face to face in the ring and they look at the briefcase before shaking hands.

Michael Cole says that WWE sent a reporter to look for the Wyatts and we go on that journey. He is told that it is a few miles away and you will know.

We go to commercial.

We are back with a look back at AJ costing Kaitlyn her match against Alicia Fox on Smackdown.

AJ Lee is with Big E Langston and he tells him to make sure that he listens for Kaitlyn. Langston reminds AJ that she beat her once and she will beat her again.

AJ hugs Dolph Ziggler who shows up and they want a moment together without Big E.

Dolph talks about why AJ was not there last week for him. He reminds her about their pact to both be champions.

AJ says that she will do anything to make sure that they both leave Money in the Bank as champions and she wants to make sure that Dolph will do anything for her. She asks Dolph if he wants to go all the way. Dolph says that he wants to go all the way to his third WWE Championship.

We see the Mark Henry video package . . . one more time.

Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns vs. Tensai and Brodus Clay

We go to the arena and out comes WWE Tag Team Champions Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns with Dean Ambrose, who stays in the crowd. The Shield appears to a pop from the crowd. Rollins and Reigns hit the ring as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Tensai is out with Brodus Clay. Clay starts things out with Seth Rollins and takes control. Tensai comes in for some double teaming. Tensai with a big suplex on Rollins for a 2 count. Clay comes back in and keeps up the attack on Rollins. Clay with a big splash in the corner but he misses the splash on the mat. Reigns comes in and hits a big superman punch on Clay for a pin attempt. More of Reigns in control. Rollins comes back in for another pin attempt. Reigns tags back in to keep Clay down in their corner. Reigns takes Clay to the mat. Rollins comes back in with kicks on Clay in the corner. Reigns and Rollins hit flying shots in the corner and Clay falls to the mat. 2 count by Reigns.

Reigns continues to beat Clay around. A “boring” chant starts in the crowd. Reigns gets Clay on his shoulders but Clay slides down and rolls Reigns up for 2. Clay with a big slam on Reigns. Rollins tags in as does Tensai. Tensai goes to work and unloads on Rollins. He misses in the corner but knocks Rollins across the ring with a shoulder tackle. Tensai with a rolling senton in the corner on Rollins. He runs into a big boot and Rollisn drops him face first into the second turnbuckle. Rollins knocks Clay off the apron. Rollins goes to the top but Tensai knocks him out of the air. Tensai with a big shot and a 2 count. Rollins with big kicks to the head now. Reigns comes in. Rollins takes out Clay on the floor and Reigns spears Tensai for the win.

Winners: The Shield

- Back from the break and we get another video of the WWE.com reporter looking for The Wyatt Family. He pulls up on a big white house with a bunch of junk in the yard. We see Erick Rowan in the backyard chopping wood in his sheep mask. Luke Harper grabs the camera man and tells him to follow.

- We go to the ring and out comes WWE Champion John Cena.

Cena comes out and talks about the crowd being hype. He calls Mark Henry out and here he comes to the ring. Henry says Cena has the same look he had last week – the look of fear. Cena says he isn’t afraid. Henry says he should be. Henry says he’s starved and only one thing can solve his hunger. Cena says he must be talking about a Snicker’s bar. Henry isn’t laughing. Henry says he’s a new man. Henry calls Cena a puppet like the fans. Henry says the WWE Title will validate his career. Henry says he will be a first ballot Hall of Famer if he can beat Cena. Henry says he’s even sold out his family. Cena says Henry better win on Sunday then. Cena says Henry has lied to everyone, all for leather and gold. Cena says Henry will lose the respect of everyone and 17 years will be gone for nothing if he can’t win on Sunday. Henry doesn’t care what Cena or the fans think. Henry points out that some fans love Cena and some hate him. Henry threatens Cena for interrupting him. Cena drops the belt and takes off his shirt, getting ready to fight. Henry doesn’t want to fight for free. He says he took a 50% pay cut before and doesn’t want to lose any money. Henry changes his mind and levels Cena with a clothesline. Cena comes back and goes for an Attitude Adjustment but collapses with Henry’s weight. Henry nails a World’s Strongest Slam. We go to replays.

- Josh Mathews is backstage with Randy Orton. Orton talks about winning Money in the Bank and says if Cena retains on Sunday but is in a bad state like he just was, Orton won’t hesitate to cash in and take the WWE Title.

- Back from the break and The Miz is now on commentary.

Chris Jericho vs. Curtis Axel

We go to the ring and out first comes Chris Jericho to a big pop. We see footage of Ryback quitting last week. Out next comes WWE Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel with Paul Heyman.

Heyman comes out wearing glasses because of the black eye he got from Alberto Del Rio on SmackDown. Heyman takes his glasses off to reveal a nasty shiner. Heyman isn’t here as a martyr for CM Punk, he’s here to bask in perfection tonight. Heyman introduces Axel. Axel cuts a promo about Jericho and heads for the ring. The bell rings and they go at it. Axel drops Jericho first. Jericho comes back with clotheslines and sends Jericho out of the ring. Jericho dropkicks Axel through the ropes and works him over on the barrier. Jericho with a chop. He brings Axel back in the ring. Axel cuts him off coming in. Axel takes back control and we go to commercial.

Back from the break and they’re going at it while Heyman screams at ringside. Lots of back and forth. Jericho goes for Walls of Jericho but Axel counters. Jericho with a nice suplex for a 2 count. Axel with a big shot to the back of the head for a 2 count. Jericho hits a big crossbody from the top but Axel kicks out at 2. Axel counters Lionsault with his knees. Axel with the swinging neckbreaker for 2. More back and forth. Jericho hits a Lionsault but Axel kicks out at 2. Axel blocks a Codebreaker and drops Jericho on the ropes. Axel with a Perfectplex for another close 2 count. Axel with right hands to the back of the head now. Axel shows frustration. Jericho blocks a neckbreaker and goes for Walls of Jericho, locking it in. Axel makes it to the ropes and breaks the hold. Jericho knocks him off the apron and Axel hits his face on the announce table. The Miz laughs at Axel. They have words and The Miz gets ready to fight. Axel goes back into the ring but catches a Codebreaker for the win. This is Axel’s first loss since returning with the name change.

Winner: Chris Jericho

- Still to come – Punk vs. Orton and Christian vs. Kane. Back to commercial.

- Josh Mathews is backstage with Damien Sandow and Cody Rhodes. He asks about the Money in the Bank match and their friendship. Sandow tries to speak for Cody when Zeb Colter walks up with Antonio Cesaro and Jack Swagger. Wade Barrett appears and makes his case for winning on Sunday. Fandango appears to a big pop and goes to say his name but Barrett levels him with a big forearm to the head. Barrett walks off. Cesaro and Swagger come face to face with Rhodes and Sandow.

- We get another video of the WWE.com reporter at The Wyatt Family house. Luke leads him into a room and tells him not to stray. Luke leads the reporter to a room where Bray Wyatt is. We go to commercial.

Sin Cara vs. Alberto Del Rio

Back from the break and out comes Sin Cara. World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio is out next for this non-title match.

Back and forth to start the match. Cara with some high flying moves. Del Rio turns it around with shoulder thrusts in the ring. Del Rio charges and misses. Cara with a big hurricanrana. Cara goes to the top but Del Rio kicks him in the back of the head. Cara falls to the mat and Del Rio covers for 2. More back and forth. Another big kick by Del Rio but Cara keeps kicking out. Dolph Ziggler’s music hits and out he comes to the stage. Cara rolls up a distracted Del Rio but he blocks it and drops Cara. Ziggler walks to the ring and says he feels bad about what he did to Ricardo Rodriguez. Ziggler mocks Ricardo and does his own introduction for Del Rio. The match is still going on as Ziggler insults Del Rio. Del Rio with a big superkick to Cara. Del Rio runs out of the ring and starts brawling with Ziggler. Cara comes leaping off the top and takes out Del Rio on the floor. Ziggler runs off and taunts Del Rio from the ramp.

- Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox are backstage walking as we go to commercial. Her job evaluation is up next. We go to commercial.

- Back from the break and we see Baltimore Raven Ray Rice sitting behind the announcers. They show us a video of what happened with Mark Henry and John Cena earlier tonight.

- Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox are in the ring now. The apron is black and there’s a table with three empty chairs. Vickie sits on a stool and Maddox is standing beside her. Out next comes Vince McMahon with Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.

Stephanie speaks first and says they’re here to evaluate Vickie’s performance. Stephanie thanks the WWE fans for voting on the WWE App on whether or not Vickie passes or fails. Stephanie lets Vickie speak and the fans start booing her. Vickie says she has always loved the McMahon family and the fans. Vickie talks about some of the things she’s done. She takes credit for inspiring The Undertaker to return at WrestleMania. Stephanie mocks that one. She points out Vickie was also responsible for bringing back Brock Lesnar, who brought havoc with him. Stephanie says Vickie has to take responsibility for her actions. Stephanie asks Vickie if bringing back Brock was a good idea. Vickie apologizes for Lesnar attacking them. Vince speaks up and says it was a stroke of genius. Vince says we can all agree that Vickie is entertaining. He goes on and Triple H is up next. He admits Vickie can be unintentionally entertaining but she’s horrible at her job. Triple H says she botched the recent WWE 2K14 reveal on RAW. He says fans boo her every week and it’s bad for business. He knows Vince thinks that’s entertaining but it’s not, he says. Triple H says the fans want and deserve better than Vickie.

Vince thinks Vickie should be permanent General Manager of RAW. Triple H speaks up and doesn’t agree. He calls Vickie a puppet who strokes Vince’s ego every week. Triple H says we should let Stephanie decide Vickie’s fate, since she called the meeting. Vince says he has no problem with daddy’s little girl making the decision. Triple H says he has no problem with the mother of his children making the decision. Vince wants what’s best for entertainment and Triple H wants what’s best for business. Stephanie says she won’t let anyone or anything drive a wedge between her and her family so she’s going to let the votes on the WWE App decide. We get a graphic and 25% voted pass, 75% voted fail. Stephanie says the fans have spoken and Vickie failed. Vickie gets upset and starts yelling. Stephanie has two words for Vickie… you’re fired. Vickie drops to her knees and drops the mic. The fans start singing goodbye to her. She pushes Maddox away and starts crying and throwing a fit on the mat. Vickie crawls to the desk and begs the McMahons. Vickie gets up on the desk and continues throwing a fit and yelling. Vince takes the mic and asks if the people are happy. Vince says the fans have broken Vickie’s heart. Vince says Vickie didn’t fail, each and every fan just failed. Vince says Vickie could have been the most entertaining General Manager of all-time. Vince says we need a new General Manager of RAW and the people deserve this. Vince names Brad Maddox as the new General Manager of RAW. Vickie starts screaming again. Vince escorts Vickie out of the ring and Maddox looks shocked. Vince puts his jacket around Vickie and helps her to the back. Maddox follows. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Vickie is crying to Vince about how she loves her job. Vince says he’s going to make it right somehow. Maddox walks up and apologizes to Vickie for what happened. He thanks Vince and says he won’t regret this decision. Maddox keeps his hand extended but Vince doesn’t shake it. Maddox says he’s going to pick up where Vickie left off. Vince asks how long is Maddox going to keep his hand out like that. Vickie attacks Maddox out of nowhere and starts hitting him. Vince takes his jacket back from Vickie and leaves her crying.

Kane vs. Christian

We go to the ring and out first comes Kane. Christian is out next to a nice pop.

They lock up and Kane takes it to the corner. They break and Christian gets the crowd to clap. They fight in the corner and Christian mounts Kane with right hands. Kane whips Christian hard into the corner and he goes down. Back and forth now. Kane misses an elbow drop. Kane grabs Christian by the throat and shoves him back into the corner. Kane scoops Christian for a slam but he slides out to the apron and drops Kane over the rope. Christian with a shoulder off the second rope for a 1 count. Christian with kicks to the head. Christian with the roll up from the second rope but Kane blocks it. Christian drops Kane into the middle rope and chokes him with it. Christian leaps out to the floor with the big right hand. Kane goes to press Christian but he slides out and sends Kane to the floor. Christian goes to the top and leaps out with a big splash, taking Kane out. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Christian drops Kane with a tornado DDT for a 2 count. Christian gets a clap going again. Kane runs over him with a big boot. Kane goes to the top but misses the big right hand. Christian goes for a spear but Kane chokeslams him for the win.

Winner: Kane

- After the match, Kane looks up at the briefcase as his music plays. Bray Wyatt appears on the big screen. He’s in a rocking chair with a lantern. He talks about how people are sheep and need to be led. Bray says it’s time for the masses to wake up and see the lie they’re living in. He goes on and says this is not the beginning, it’s the end. The lantern goes out and he strikes a match, lighting it again. We see Erick Rowan and Luke Harper in the shadows. Bray says we’re here. His music hits and here they come marching into the arena, lantern in hand while the lights are out. The lights come on and Kane gets beatdown by Harper and Rowan. He fights them off and sends Harper to the floor. We see Bray watching from a rocking chair on the ramp. Harper pulls Kane to the floor and they take back control, sending him into the steel steps. They unload on Kane and hit him with half of the steps. Rowan had trouble getting the steps up and waited for Harper to assist him it looked like. Bray walks over, drops to his knees and poses in front of Kane with Rowan and Harper. We go to commercial as the crowd chants for Husky Harris.

- Back from the break and we see Vickie Guerrero walking backstage with her belongings. Ryback gives her a hug and says she deserves better.

AJ Lee and Alicia Fox vs. Kaitlyn and Layla

The Bella Twins are on commentary as WWE Divas Champion AJ Lee comes out with her partner Alicia Fox. Kaitlyn is out next with Layla.

Layla and Alicia start things off. Back and forth until Kaitlyn attacks. Kaitlyn ends up spearing AJ out on the floor and unloading on her before they’re separated.

- CM Punk is backstage with Josh Mathews talking about Randy Orton and Money in the Bank, where Punk says he will grab the briefcase for an unprecedented third time. Punk says he’s the best in the world.

CM Punk vs. Randy Orton

We go to the ring and out first comes Randy Orton as the briefcase hangs high above the ring. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes CM Punk. They lock up and go to the corner. Lots of back and forth with dueling fan chants to start the match. Orton with a big dropkick and some stomps on Punk. Punk turns it around in the corner with knees. Punk drops Orton for a 2 count. Orton brings Punk in from the apron but Punk counters the draping DDT. Punk sends Orton out to the floor with a dropkick. Punk leaps out with a suicide dive and takes Orton out. Both are down as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and Orton is in control with a headlock. Orton with a t-bone suplex for a close 2 count. Lots of back and forth. Punk rolls through a pin but Orton kicks out at 2. Punk with a neckbreaker and another 2 count. Punk nails the big elbow drop and gets the crowd hype. Orton blocks GTS and they both go down. Punk blocks the RKO and the back and forth continues. Punk nails another high knee in the corner. Punk goes for GTS but Orton fights out. Punk blocks a RKO with a big kick to the face. Punk nails a GTS for the win.

Winner: CM Punk

- After the match, Punk is celebrating when Daniel Bryan attacks him and throws him over the ropes and into the ring post. Bryan goes under the ring and brings a ladder into the ring. Bryan runs over Orton with the ladder. Bryan sets the ladder up and climbs up for the briefcase. Bryan’s music hits as he celebrates with the briefcase and RAW goes off the air.

[Rob]

This concludes this week's Raw coverage!