The tears will not stop. Every time WWE showed a promo, video clip, or hell, just mentioning Dusty Rhodes tears me up. They really went all-out to pay tribute to great man.
Seth Rollins kicks off RAW, acknowledging Dean Ambrose being a worthy adversary, however, not good enough to take the title. The self-praising is cut off when Dean Ambrose charges back in and Rollins runs off. Entertaining Ambrose takes a chair and refuses to leave the ring until he is granted a rematch at Rollins. Instead, Rollins whines to Triple H and Stephanie backstage who say the problem is being handled. Sheamus heads to the ring.
Dean Ambrose and Sheamus have a decent fight, until Randy Orton interferes, allowing Ambrose to roll up the new Mr. Money in the Bank for the pinfall. So, Ambrose still wants a title shot, and Orton and Sheamus will feud. Huh.
Backstage: Rollins rubs his title win in the faces of J&J Security, who then taunt Rollins to be the next contenders for the championship. Are we wasting time for any particular reason?
Well, I just do not get it. Wade Barrett deserves better. Did I miss something? Did Barrett do something to piss off Vince himself? I mean, he wins a title, goes on losing streak. He wins King of the Ring, and jobs to everyone. I really am astounded. Tonight it gets worse as R-Truth pins Barrett in about a minute after not even realizing he had a match. King Waz Up in now in charge. Spiders beware. At least post-match, Barrett gets some revenge, except there is no coming back from this. I think my boy is buried for good.
Up next might as well have been the main event. Dolph Ziggler and Kevin Owens tore the house down with a match made of pure awesome. Ziggler sold everything Owens dished out, and Owens proved once again he is main event material. Fantastic chain of moves which saw Owens earn the win, and when he faces Cena again, he wants the United States Championship. I would not mind seeing Ziggler face off with Owens again… and again… and again.
Backstage, Paige is trying to preach about the evils of The Bellas. Considering ALL of the Divas are currently booked as heels, this will not go over well. Paige needs a partner to face The Bellas tonight, and doesn’t get any volunteers.
This would be a GREAT time to bring in the NXT Women!
Kane vs. Randy Orton was as eventful as one could expect, until Sheamus comes out, Kane makes the match a No DQ, and Orton winds up eating Brough Boot. Kane wins. Yay.
Backstage is far more interesting as Seth Rollins taunts Kane, and then brings up how he always had Undertaker or Paul Bearer to help. This sets Kane off and threatens to eviscerate the champion on live television. Trying to convince us Kane should be the next contender?
The Miz defeats the Big Show by count out, because Show jaws with Ryback on the outside. Since this is Miz’s hometown, he gets somewhat of a positive reaction. I sense a triple threat for the Intercontinental Championship in the near future. Say what you will about these three individually, but I think this feud could get entertaining.
Roman Reigns comes to the ring, to address his Battleground opponent, Bray Wyatt, and demands answers to his interference at Money in the Bank. Bray, from the TitanTron says it should have been him to qualify in Money in the Bank and ascend the ladder. I think Wyatt eluded to Daniel Bryan, but I’m not quite sure. As usual, the promo got pretty cryptic and creepy, unfortunately, some “boring” chants could be heard… until Bray mentions Father’s Day and shows a picture of Reigns with his daughter while signing “I’m a little teapot…”
That certainly upped the creep-factor by a gazillion.
Paige comes out, for a 2-on-1 Handicap match, as no one opted to tag with her tonight. The announce team refer to it as the “Bella Empire.” Michael Cole points out the hypocrisy, as the Bellas seemed to admit to cheating, yet the ref allowed it last night. They get away with it to win, and seem to get away with it when they appear to lose. Well, The Bellas win.
Up next is MGK. I don’t care. Live crowd seemed to enjoy the performance though.
Except… except for the part where Kevin Owens DESTROYS Machine Gun Kelly and powerbombs him off the stage. You could see the padded underneath, but still, this will likely see coverage on major media outlets! Welcome to WWE!
Next up we have The “Slowly Losing Sanity” New Day up against Adrian Neville and the new WWE Tag Team Champions, the Prime Time Players. I have to say it again, I did not expect a title change so soon. New Day is in a bad way early on as Young takes control, and then Titus owns the ring as Neville soars over the ropes with a corkscrew plancha. Back from commercial, Young is taking the beating. The action gets crazy as New Day get angry, and we get an all out war between the trios, lots of counters and big moves, culminating with Titus hitting the spinebuster-bomb on Big E., with Young cracking Kofi’s innards with the gut-buster, culminating with Neville squashing him with the Red Arrow.
I love the PTP. Yes, there was a time I couldn’t stand them, but they found their niche, and damn it works.
Recap of Kevin Owens murdering MKG.
Backstage: Kane and Ambrose have a heart-to-heart. Kane reminds Ambrose he has been champion before, but Ambrose disagrees, saying, “nah, it was the other Kane.” Ambrose cuts a sweet promo about how he lives for wrestling and will do anything to hold the WWE Championship, while Kane… has a job. Is loyal to the Authority. Doesn’t have the heart Ambrose has.
Up next, Triple H and Stephanie announce the next contender to the WWE Championship and will face Seth Rollins at Battleground.
Off the bat, The Authority informs it will not be Kane, J&J Security, or even Dean Ambrose. Seth Rollins then hits the ring with a big smile on his face. Rollins puts himself over, and earns the praise of Triple H. However, Triple H cuts an interesting promo, whether the investment in Rollins was worth it… and out comes BROCK LESNAR. The crowd chants “Suplex City” and Seth Rollins backs off slowly and leaves the ring visibly scared of Lesnar.
Wow. Decent RAW. That finish. Damn.
