The second 3-hour edition of RAW in two weeks kicks off with Cole, Lawler and Booker introducing the fans to this week's broadcast and explains the voting process for tonight's "Power To The People" theme. Last summer, the WWE held a similarly themed RAW called the "Viewer's Choice" and it ended up being one of the worst RAWs in recent memory. Save for the debut of The Nexus, nothing ended up being truly memorable for that entire show. The bar was raised for tonight.
- IN-RING: CM Punk comes out to a big reaction from the fans charged with the flurry of online rumors that Punk will be announcing his leave from the WWE tonight. Punk spends his entire time putting himself over due to the fact that he pinned Rey Mysterio at Sunday's Capitol Punishment Pay-Per-View and John Cena on last week's 3-Hour RAW. He then demands to be put in contention of the WWE Title. The Anonymous RAW GM chimes in by basically denying Punk his title shot. After several more attempts by Punk to force the mysterious authoritative figure to change his mind, the GM then decides to book a No. 1 Contender Match between himself and Alberto Del Rio. CM Punk tries to argue again and the GM then adds in that it will now be a Triple Threat Match adding in Rey Mysterio. Punk screams at Booker and the announce team to end the opening segment. No mention of Punk leaving the WWE yet but I can guarantee that everyone was listening real closely as they waited for the big news. WWE throws out a Triple Threat Match to add interest in tonight's show but it's clear who the winner will be anyways, CM Punk.
- Michael Cole then announces an upcoming Divas Title Match to kick off the show competitively. The choices for contenders are Eve, Kelly Kelly, or Beth Phoenix. Lawler then shows how the voting process is done with his iPhone as he chooses Kelly Kelly. Subliminal messaging in the work, folks.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- IN-RING: The Bella Twins come out to some boos as Brie gets ready to defend her title tonight. But against who? Lawler mentions that he felt bad for just voting Kelly and said that he wants to vote for all the choices despite only being able to vote once. So here are the results for the voting:
1st - Kelly Kelly - 53%
2nd - Beth Phoenix - 36%
3rd - Eve Torres - 11%
Kelly Kelly ends up winning the poll which seems obvious to begin with. Strong number for Beth as the fans show great dislike for Eve Torres. That's a confidence destroyer.
Match 1
WWE Divas Championship
Brie Bella (c) (w/ Nikki Bella) vs. Kelly Kelly
Luckily, the WWE put the Divas Match on the first hour of the show meaning that if people were to tune in at the regular time of 9:00 (EST), nothing would have been missed. This match itself was very forgettable. No one in the ring is capable of putting on a watchable match but thankfully, it's kept short. The big surprise here is that Kelly Kelly ends up winning the belt making it her first title win in her WWE career. You might not know that as Michael Cole continued to misinform the TV audience throughout the match calling Kelly a "former" WWE Divas Champion. After the match, Kelly gave a "heart-warming" speech saying that without the fans' votes, she wouldn't have had the opportunity to win the belt. Good way to add importance to the votes themselves but it was still incredibly cheesy.
Winner: Kelly Kelly at 3:01 with a roll-up for the pinfall victory. (Kelly Kelly wins the WWE Divas Title)
Rating: *
- VIDEO: A video package for Evan Bourne. The "magical" Evan Bourne as Cole puts it.
- That video wasn't without purpose as Cole announces that the following match will feature Evan Bourne but it's up to the people to decide his opponent, will it be Jack Swagger, Mason Ryan, or Sin Cara. Hm, two heel heavyweights or a luchadore, high-flying, impressive, complimentary to Bourne's skills which were shown off in that video package earlier, babyface Sin Cara? Decisions, decisions.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- IN-RING: Looks like the WWE are timing their voting opportunities in between commercials to add time for people to actually vote. Good move. Evan Bourne walks out to the ring as he awaits his opponent. Lawler indicates that he'd like to see Bourne and Swagger continue their feud. Booker is partial to Sin Cara, as is everyone else. Here are the results:
1st - Mason Ryan - 51%
2nd - Sin Cara - 30%
3rd - Jack Swagger - 19%
I'm sorry, but what? That's right, the Batista knock-off ended up winning the hearts and money of the WWE Universe as they solidly placed Mason Ryan in first place in the voting. Ignore the live audience booing this decision. Last year, voting was rigged. This year doesn't look any different.
Match 2
Evan Bourne vs. Mason Ryan
The show must go on and we now have Evan Bourne taking on a green giant. Light, cruiserweight versus a heavyweight usually works as long as the right people are involved. There was Hurricane vs. Triple H, Rey Mysterio vs. Kurt Angle, but Bourne vs. Ryan is one better left forgotten. Every time Mason Ryan steps into the ring it becomes aware that the WWE 100% rushed him onto live television from the development territory, FCW. Mason Ryan continues to look lost out in the ring and I can't really blame him for it. What's worse is that the WWE are trying to make the "lightweight vs. heavyweight" idea work in this match but it just ended up looking awkward. This match was two less moves by Bourne away from being a squash match. More harm than good done in the second match of the night.
Winner: Mason Ryan at 4:02 with a House of Pain for the pinfall victory.
Rating: *1/2
- Kane vs. Mark Henry is the next match of the night and the fans choose the stipulation. The options are a Body Slam Match, an Arm Wrestling Match, or an Over The Top Rope Match. These aren't really matches, more like challenges. Mark Henry is then shown walking in some dark corner of the 1st Mariner Arena as he heads towards the ring.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- VIDEO: WWE plugs next week's TWO-hour regular edition of RAW which hails from Las Vegas, Nevada. As with Vegas tradition, the RAW will be themed as a "RAW Roulette" edition. So gimmicks all night tonight and then more gimmicks next week. It's a wonder that the WWE fans don't care about stipulation matches anymore as the WWE churns them out quicker than Cena's next T-Shirts.
- VIDEO: The WWE then uses this time to add interest into this "match" by throwing it back to last Friday on SmackDown where Big Show beat down Mark Henry leaving Henry to be attended by the medics. Then on this past Sunday, Mark Henry returned to slam Big Show through the announce table.
- IN-RING: Mark Henry fills up time with a surprisingly well-done promo. Not to say that Henry isn't capable of good promos but this one really captured everyone's attention. Very well done as Henry puts himself over as a viable threat effectively erasing his happy-go-lucky days as a face in the minds of the WWE Universe. He also said "ass". The WWE then sends it to another commercial break. A lot of time for the fans to vote for these challenges.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- It was then time to find out the results of the most recent poll:
1st - Arm Wrestling Match - 52%
2nd - Over The Top Rope Match - 35%
3rd - Body Slam Match - 13%
So I guess an Arm Wrestling Ma...Challenge it is. I'm not going to list this as a match since it really isn't one.
- IN-RING: Kane makes his entrance to some cheers as he looks to get some revenge on Henry's attack on his former tag team partner. The arm wrestling apparatus is brought into the ring. "This is stupid" chants. Let 'em hear it, WWE Universe. Kane and Henry lock-up and they try to build up some drama but it's just arm wrestling. Unless there's a wager involved, there is no point. Winning this isn't going to elevate someone from a midcarder to a title contender unless it was booked to have that stipulation, then everyone would pay attention. As with every Arm Wrestling Challenge in the history of the WWE, no one takes their loss nicely as Henry attacks Kane before his own defeat causing a DQ. Mark Henry then proceeds to beat down Kane by using the apparatus and ramming Kane out of the ring. After being rammed back first into the steel ringpost, Mark Henry clears off the announce table as he looks to repeat his actions from Capitol Punishment. After a few moments, Kane is sent crashing through the announce table by The World's Strongest Man. A medic tries to check on Henry but Henry chases him off saying that he's going to suffer just like Henry did when the WWE didn't give him respect. Another "black" male being held down by the WWE similar to R-Truth. Perhaps a new tag-team will be formed between them? That could be interesting.
- Michael Cole then jumps to a discussion of R-Truth adding focus on Truth stealing the WWE Title last week on RAW and then bringing it to the PPV. They'll hear from Truth...next.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- Behind the remains of the announce table, Lawler tries a stab at a sob story as he says that his phone may been broken during the altercation between Henry and Kane.
- VIDEO: We enter RAW's regular hours with a video package of R-Truth. It then features the finish of Sunday's championship match as a "Little Jimmy" splashes a drink in Truth's face which cost him the match.
- IN-RING: R-Truth then makes his anticipated appearance as Michael Cole recaps the bonus hour of RAW with the Divas Title Change, Ryan beating Bourne, and Henry's actions. So, people who tuned in late didn't miss out on much. Truth then begins his promo as the fans chant "What?" since they don't have anything better to do."I got got by Little Jimmy!". Christian then interrupts Truth to a huge reaction. He's a heel but the fans still love him. Christian then shares his own problems as he complains that he never lost his PPV match due to the referee not noticing his foot under the bottom rope - they cut to a photo as evidence - and that he should be World Champion right now. The Miz then joins the two men in the ring as he complains about his loss to Alex Riley. Christian adds that Miz lost to Riley while Christian and Truth were featured in title matches. Hey look, the WWE putting importance on title matches, enjoy this rare moment. Cheesy catchphrase shouting moments later, SmackDown GM Theodore Long comes out on-stage to shut them up and announce a 6-Man Tag Match between those three and Cena, Orton and Alex Riley. In keeping with the theme, the fans pick the stipulation. Good segment here as all three men are given their spotlight without Cena, Orton or even Riley breaking their momentum. They all had great chemistry which was a bit funny at some points but overall cheesy. Gone are the days where heels are menacing. Also, having the SmackDown GM come out to announce the possible main event to RAW instead of the Anonymous GM who's sitting at ringside is a little head-scratching.
- Michael Cole then brought the attention back and announces that Dolph Ziggler, who won the US Title belt at Capitol Punishment, will make his first title defense against Kofi Kingston in their millionth match tonight. The fans pick the stipulation as the choices are: Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match, Vickie Is Banned From Ringside....Match, or a Submission Match. It's up next.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- IN-RING: Vickie Guerrero introduces Ziggler as the new United States Champion as they make their way to the ring. Kofi Kingston follows with his entrance as he looks very focused. The results are now in:
1st - Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match - 51%
2nd - Vickie Guerrero Banned From Ringside - 31%
3rd - Submission Match - 18%
This shows that the fans care more about WRESTLING than having Vickie Guerrero at ringside. Or maybe it's the WWE showing that they care more about stretching out a match as long as they can to fill up a 3-Hour RAW since they don't have many ideas to fill it up in the first place. I think that sounds about right.
Match 3
WWE United States Championship
Best 2 out of 3 Falls Match
Dolph Ziggler (c) (w/ Vickie Guerrero) vs. Kofi Kingston
So the billionth encounter between Ziggler and Kofi starts quickly with Kofi looking to tear Dolph limb from limb. Where did all this determination come from? What makes this match much more important than the other ones? I will say that while this match-up is one of the most played out match-ups in the history of the WWE, the two young men still manage to put on watchable after watchable matches. If you don't know what other matches to put on the card, might as well put out the trillionth Ziggler vs. Kofi match. A commercial break interrupted this match-up but when we return from the break, we are shown through a replay that during the break, Dolph Ziggler ended up picking up the first fall from a Zig Zag to the ringside mat. That's disappointing. Kofi then kicks out of a Fame-Asser and follows up with the SOS (which I normally hate but this one look really good) and picks up his first fall to tie up the game. Both men traded moves until the action spilled to the ringside once again. Ziggler out of frustration grabs his title belt and tries to cause a DQ but Kofi ducks and hits a huge Trouble in Paradise on Ziggler. Kofi rolls Ziggler into the ring and goes for a slow cover but Ziggler touches the bottom rope with two fingers to break up the pin. Ziggler then leaves the ring once again and stumbles towards the timekeeper's area and looks to climb over the crowd barricade but Kofi quickly stops him but is met with a microphone out of nowhere. This causes a DQ so Kofi gets the fall and wins the WWE United States Title! No wait, apparently this DQ is special and overwrites any progress made in the match so far and Kofi Kingston wins by the DQ but Dolph Ziggler retains the belt. So everything you just watched for about ten minutes was for absolutely nothing. Solid match with good drama but if the WWE are going to continue matching up Ziggler and Kofi, at least have a clean finish.
Winner: Kofi Kingston at 12:21 by disqualification. (Dolph Ziggler retains the WWE United States Title)
Rating: **1/2
- VIDEO: We are given a replay from last Monday where temporary GM "Stone Cold" Steve Austin announced tonight's theme and smashed the RAW GM laptop, doused it with beer and ran it over with his ATV. There have been so many times where people have broken the laptop only for it to reappear the next week with no repercussions. It's pointless.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- A graphic appears featuring WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels as he's being hyped as next week's special guest. This must have been made very recently in the night as it isn't a hometown appearance, rather the WWE officials must have gotten word that Michaels was in town for next Monday in Vegas and they asked him to make a possible appearance on RAW, HBK accepted the terms and he's now the guest host. Should be good but it doesn't look like he'll have much involvement besides the usual return promo, backstage segments and main event announcement. We then see Alberto Del Rio make his entrance as the announcers continue to fawn over his vehicles.
- IN-RING: Alberto Del Rio then gets into the ring and cuts a promo of his own as he puts himself over Rey and Punk adding interest into the Triple Threat Match giving depth to Del Rio since Punk already had his time to shine earlier in the night, good move but Rey Mysterio is now the only one left without a purpose. We are then abruptly thrown to a commercial break as the fans looked forward to the Triple Threat bout.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK, SmackDown advertisement hyping up the fall-out between Christian and Randy Orton and their title match from Capitol Punishment -
- IN-RING: Del Rio is still in the ring as CM Punk makes his entrance. A graphic appeared hyping Punk's theme being released on iTunes to be purchased through the WWE. Does the band "Killswitch Engage" get anything out of this? Lawler announces that they've received "hundreds of millions" of texts tonight. This is laughably stupid and I bet it was Vince McMahon himself who fed Lawler this line through the headsets. Rey Mysterio was the last to come out to a nice pop. Zack Ryder signs have been shown at ramp-side all night but one got a real good shot when Rey went to embrace a young fan. We are soon met with results of the stipulation for the Triple Threat Match which have been plugged throughout the night:
1st - Falls Count Anywhere Match - 66%
2nd - No Disqualification Match - 23%
3rd - Submission Match - 11%
I thought the No DQ stipulation would have won but I guess Falls Count Anywhere it is. No one appreciates the Submission Match anymore, it's a shame.
Match 4
#1 Contender Match for the WWE Title
Falls Count Anywhere Match
Alberto Del Rio vs. Rey Mysterio vs. CM Punk
For a Falls Count Anywhere Match, this match stayed in the ring the majority of the time. This was your usual three way battle. Start in the ring, trade moves first one on one then two on one then back to one on one, go outside, go back inside for more one on one, then another person joins while another drops out, then a barrage of signature moves followed by the finish. Only difference for tonight is that all three men are competent wrestlers so the action never dipped below average. Everyone had their opportunity to shine which is important especially for Del Rio. It's big enough for him to be featured in a match alongside Punk and Rey, two top WWE stars, but also for him to get good offense. What's baffling about having to build Del Rio up this way is that he won the first ever 40-Man Royal Rumble, he should already be considered a top WWE star except he isn't. During the final moments, Rey lands his Torpedo "Extreme Weak and Unexciting" Splash off the top turnbuckle onto Del Rio but failed to get a cover as Punk grabbed the fan-favorite from behind and tossed Rey causing him to slide into the ringpost and out of the ring. Punk then covers Del Rio to get the win and the WWE Title shot. Looks like it will be Punk vs. Cena for the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View which should be a very good match since they've had great encounters on RAW before.
Winner: CM Punk at 11:36 by tossing Rey out of the ring to steal a pin on Alberto Del Rio. (Punk is now the Number 1 Contender to the WWE Title)
Rating: ***
- IN-RING: After the match, CM Punk grabs a microphone and begins to speak as the fans are once again glued to their television screens and hanging onto his every breath. Punk says that July 17 (the day of the PPV) will be the most historic day of his career and one in the history of the WWE. He tells us that he's been brutally honest in his career which has gotten him into more trouble than what it's worth, but July 17th will be the day when his contract with "World Wrestling Entertainment" expires. Wow, I expected a Loser Leaves WWE Match stipulation to be tagged to the WWE Title Match but instead they went with the "Contract is running out" angle. What's more is that CM Punk addressed the WWE by its full name despite the letters no longer standing for anything anymore. Punk adds that when the clock strikes midnight and Sunday bleeds into Monday, he will be leaving with the WWE Title. Big news being announced here as the most important angle in recent months unfolded in a matter of minutes. Will Punk head to Ring of Honor and give them the needed Superstar boost for their new upcoming television tapings?
- The announcers then plug the upcoming match: Cody Rhodes vs. Daniel Bryan. Choices are a Paper Bag (On A Pole) Match, A No Count-Out Match, or a Collegiate Rules Match which is basically an Amateur Wrestling Match but they hate saying wrestling so it's called Collegiate Rules.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- IN-RING: Back from the break and Daniel Bryan is shown in the ring already waiting for his opponent. Cody Rhodes soon makes his entrance and his bag men hand out paper bags for the front row audience. Here are the results for the stipulation:
1st - No Count-Out Match - 51%
2nd - Paper Bag Match - 43%
3rd - Collegiate Rules - 6%
I was hoping for Collegiate Rules but No Count-Outs it is.
Match 5
No Count-Out Match
Daniel Bryan vs. Cody Rhodes
This match ended as quickly as it began as two underrated by today's WWE standards wrestlers are given a smidgen of the spotlight tonight. I've just also now realized the presence of SmackDown Superstars. Last week was understandable with the theme being "WWE All Stars" but this week shouldn't need SmackDown stars. I guess with the booking team and Vince's mistreatment of the team being incompetent towards filling up 3 hours using RAW's regular roster, they HAD to use SmackDown stars. This match, for what it was, was good. Both men shared their big spots and neither looked bad. Unfortunately, not much can be gained from such a short bout.
Winner: Daniel Bryan at 2:25 with a Small Package for the pinfall victory.
Rating: *1/2
- THERE WAS A TERRIBLE DANCE CONTEST THAT FILLED UP THE TIME BETWEEN THE LAST MATCH AND THE MAIN EVENT. I WILL NOT WASTE MY TIME WRITING ABOUT THIS DANCE CONTEST. I WILL SAY THAT MICHAEL COLE ATTEMPTING THE WORM WAS ONE OF THE FUNNIEST THINGS I'VE SEEN HIM DO IN HISTORY.
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
- One more plug for next week's RAW starting at its regular time, RAW Roulette theme, and Shawn Michaels as the special guest.
- IN-RING: The team of heels make their entrances first as the WWE showed a "YouTube" video of the finish to the WWE Title Match at Capitol Punishment which also interestingly gave away the finish, you would think that the WWE would take that down by now. A quick plug for Money in the Bank the PPV on July 17th which sits about three weeks away. Cole notes Miz's MITB win last year which contributed to his first ever WWE Championship win. Alex Riley then comes out as the first for the babyface team who got a nice reaction, Randy Orton then followed to a big pop and finally John Cena came out to a huge pop. While John Cena has been the "poster-boy" of the WWE for half a decade now, the WWE did a good job at preserving his appearance until needed on this edition of RAW which contributed to a huge reaction from the fans who were dying to see their hero. During Cena's entrance, Cole started a plug on Night of Champions which comes out of September. Soon, however, the results of the final voting are received:
- 1st: Elimination Match - 79%
- 2nd: One Fall To The Finish - 15% (why couldn't they just say regular 6-Man Tag Match? This just seems like a misleading way to word it)
- 3rd: 20-Minute Time Limit - 6% (no one in the right mind would vote for a stipulation that would end their main event of the night)
- COMMERCIAL BREAK -
Match 6
6-Man Tag Team Elimination Match
John Cena/Randy Orton/Alex Riley vs. Christian/R-Truth/The Miz
This match was your average multi-man tag main event on RAW. Alex Riley was the first to go by The Miz until The Miz got his by John Cena. R-Truth was sent packing by Orton while Christian speared Orton for his elimination. Orton later slides into the ring to land an RKO on Christian which allows Cena to follow up with the STF for the overall victory. The action was good and the fans were responsive but this still came off as bland. No big advancements, no big moments, nothing but just a 6-Man Tag Match with no hook to keep you interested until next week. Alex Riley got eliminated pretty early in the match which is disappointing considering his recent push and PPV victory over The Miz at Capitol Punishment. I would have rather had Orton get screwed out the match to be the first gone on the babyface team, followed up Cena and then have Riley get the overall victory for his team. Of course, Cena and Orton would need to be involved in some way to assist Riley hitting home the reason that Riley is still "new" to the big leagues but he would have gotten the major win and fans would continue to see him as future big player on Monday nights. Instead, he takes the fall and the focus is placed on Cena who doesn't need all the attention at this point in his career.
Winners: John Cena, Randy Orton, and Alex Riley at 19:58 with Cena locking in the STF on Christian for the submission victory.
Rating: **1/2
OVERALL: While this edition of RAW wasn't as awful as last year's "Viewer's Choice" but nothing really stood out as memorable save for Kelly's title win, CM Punk and maybe Mark Henry's work on the mic. The only big hook to keep fans interested for RAW next week is CM Punk's announcement of his leave seeing as how he and Cena didn't have direct interaction on this episode. Luckily for the creative team, next week's RAW is gimmicked along with the appearance of Shawn Michaels but there really needs to be a complete overhaul of the way the WWE does things creatively.
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