WWE Raw – 2010 Results
1/4/10; Dayton, OH; Nutter Center
1/4/10 – featured an opening segment in which Justin Roberts introduced Bret Hart as the guest host of the show; moments later, Hart appeared, took the mic, and said “Well I guess Hell froze over” as the fans chanted “We want Bret” and “Welcome back;” Hart thanked the fans for their support over the years and noted he won the King of the Ring tournament in that same arena only to be jumped by Jerry Lawler, with the camera then showing Lawler smiling at ringside; Hart then asked for Shawn Michaels, with Michaels appearing and Hart asking to bury the hatchet and call for a truce; Michaels then said Hart deserved what happened to him in Montreal and that he disrespected Michaels and the business in 1997, while the crowd chanted “You screwed Bret;” Michaels then said there was a big part of him that didn’t regret but there was another part of him; Michaels said he always respected Bret but got the feeling Bret never respect him and there were times he couldn’t look at Hart; Michaels then said he didn’t think of Montreal when he thought of Bret, instead remembering their WrestleMania 12 Ironman match; Hart then said Michaels wasn’t the easiest guy to work with at the time and he had his issues but said it was a good time to put it behind them and said they could be friends; Hart then extended his hand to Michaels, with Michaels shaking it; Michaels then went to leave but came back and hugged Bret; as Michaels left, Hart called out Vince McMahon but McMahon didn’t appear (debut of a modified theme song for Hart); included an ad promoting WWE Hall of Fame 2010 tickets going on sale Jan. 16; featured a backstage segment in which Josh Matthews attempted to interview McMahon, with McMahon saying he just left a meeting and had no idea Hart had called him out; McMahon then said he would call Hart out later in the broadcast; included the announcement WWE Divas Champion Melina suffered an injury the previous week in Manchester, NH and a 8-woman tournament would be held to determine the new champion; featured a backstage segment in which Chris Jericho & the Big Show discussed their title match later in the show against WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels, with Jericho saying he would present Hart with an idea for the match that he couldn’t pass up; included an ad for “The Marine 2;” featured a backstage segment with Hart and Jericho in which Jericho suggested Hart be the guest referee for the tag team title match so he could call for the bell the moment Jericho gets either Michaels or Triple H in the Walls of Jericho, with Hart saying he wasn’t a hypocrite and Jericho would have to win the match on his own; included a backstage segment in which Triple H and Hornswoggle talked about the new line of Mattel WWE action figures, with Triple H saying the only way Hornswoggle would get to play with them was if DX won their match; Michaels then walked by, with Santino Marella then appearing dressed as Jericho wearing a suit; Triple H then showed off the fact he had trained Hornswoggle to attack, with Hornswoggle jumping on Santino; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read more than 2 million women watched Raw the previous week, beating every show on The CW, Lifetime, Hallmark, TLC, Oxygen, and NBC; included a backstage segment with McMahon and Randy Orton in which Orton offered to kick Hart in the skull if McMahon gave him the word but wanted the #30 spot in the Royal Rumble if he did so; McMahon then said he had his own security and to never confront him again; Orton then walked off and was confronted by Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr., with Rhodes & Dibiase then saying they would be ringside for Orton’s match with Kingston and would kick him out of the group if he didn’t win; featured the announcement Mike Tyson would host the following week’s show; included a graphic noting the recent death of “Dr. Death” Steve Williams; featured a video package recapping the events of the 1997 Survivor Series; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was seen by more people than any show on Fox, ABC, CW, and NBC; featured a closing in-ring segment in which McMahon wished the fans a Happy New Year and said there was no reason to call out Hart because Hart and Michaels had already buried the hatchet; McMahon then thanked Hart for being the guest host and promoted Tyson being on the show the following week until Hart walked out to the ring; McMahon then said he knew the fans wanted to see Hart apply the Sharpshooter and then said he would never forget Hart spitting in his face or punching him backstage after Survivor Series; McMahon then said he hoped Hart would tell him he’s sorry, with Hart saying he came to get closure, he got it from Michaels, and that McMahon wanted it as much as Hart; McMahon then said he remembered WrestleMania 2 and the battle royal where Andre the Giant was the past and Hart was the future; McMahon then said he wanted to personally nominate Stu Hart into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame and then thanked Hart for every moment he gave the WWE audience; McMahon continued to sing Hart’s praises with the two shaking hands and then raising Hart’s arm in the air and playing to the crowd; moments later, McMahon kicked Hart in the groin, dropping him to the mat, and then walked off:
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Maryse defeated Brie Bella (w/ Nikki Bella) by pinning an interfering Nikki with the French Kiss DDT at 2:18 after Maryse spotted the Bellas switching places in the ring; moments later, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin appeared, said he might call Maryse back if she won the tournament, and that he would own the decade (debut of a new theme song for Mizanin)
MVP defeated Jack Swagger, Mark Henry, and Carlito at around the 6-minute mark by pinning Swagger with the Playmaker after Swagger and Carlito collided on the ring apron; stipulations stated the winner would become the #1 contender to the WWE US Title; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin provided guest commentary for the match (the match began during the commercial break)
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels (w/ Hornswoggle) defeated Chris Jericho & the Big Show at 12:01 when Triple H pinned Jericho after Michaels hit the superkick behind the referee’s back as Triple H was in the Walls of Jericho; stipulations stated Jericho would be kicked off Raw if he and Show didn’t win the titles; after the match, Triple H took the mic and said Jericho was gone, with Michaels then leading the crowd in saying “Suck it” (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Evan Bourne in a non-title impromptu match with the boot to the face and the crucifix powerbomb at 1:45; prior to the match, Sheamus cut an in-ring promo regarding his match the previous week against John Cena, said he was through with Cena, and that he would not defend against Cena at the Royal Rumble; moments later, Bourne came out and said the only reason Sheamus had the belt was because he was given an opportunity, and that he could beat Sheamus if given the opportunity; Sheamus then agreed and said if Bourne could beat him then he would get a title match at the Rumble; mid-way in the match, Sheamus kicked out of Bourne’s Shooting Star Press
Randy Orton pinned Kofi Kingston at 11:00 with the RKO after lifting his hands to block the spin kick to the face; Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. sat ringside for the bout; stipulations stated Orton would be kicked out of Legacy if he lost and that Rhodes & Dibiase would beat him up
1/11/10; Minneapolis, MN; Target Center
1/11/10 – featured an opening segment in which Justin Roberts introduced Mike Tyson as the guest host for the night, with Tyson then showing footage of him being confronted by Steve Austin on Raw in 1998 and knocking Shawn Michaels out at the end of WrestleMania 14; as the fans started to chant “You screwed Shawn,” WWE World Champion Sheamus interrupted, said Tyson wasn’t an icon, and said being the world champion made him the baddest man on the planet; the two then faced off until Randy Orton appeared, said he wanted the world title, and wanted the title match at the Royal Rumble; moments later, John Cena came out and noted he had beaten everyone in the ring, even Tyson by way of “Mike Tyson’s Punch Out,” and argued he should get the title shot; Kofi Kingston then appeared, said Cena and Orton have had plenty of world title reigns and opportunities while he hadn’t had any; Sheamus then said he wanted the Rumble off and told the other three to earn their title shot by winning the Rumble match; Tyson then said Cena, Orton, and Kingston would face off later in the show to determine Sheamus’ challenger at the Rumble; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was the #1 show on cable; featured a trailer of “The Marine 2;” included footage of Cena appearing at the Fiesta Bowl the previous week and serving as the grand marshal at University of Phoenix Stadium, with comments from Cena and Fiesta Bowl officials; featured a backstage segment with WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels in which Michaels said he wanted to make peace with Tyson as he did the previous week with Bret Hart, during which Triple H tried to talk him out of it noting Tyson was insane; included a backstage segment with Tyson and Michaels in which Michaels said he forgave Tyson for knocking him out, with Tyson saying he enjoyed it and would like to do it again; moments later, Chris Jericho appeared and said he and Tyson were now friends and would face DX later in the show, and if Jericho’s team won then he would have free range to come and go from Raw as he wants; featured an ad promoting WWE 2010 Hall of Fame tickets going on sale the following Saturday; included a backstage segment in which Josh Matthews attempted to interview Tyson regarding his match later in the night, during which Hornswoggle interrupted; Tyson then took Hornswoggle aside and detailed what he would do to him if Hornswoggle interfered in his match; featured a backstage promo by WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in which he spoke of being kicked out of the WWE lockerroom six months, being mistreated by the likes of John Bradshaw Layfield, and the fact no one wanted him around; Mizanin then said he doesn’t use that lockerroom anymore because he has his own and has left that locker for the Evan Bournes and MVPs of the world; Miz then walked into the arena and the ring, said MVP had earned the right to be humiliated by him, and that he would be respected by the wrestlers and the fans; moments later, MVP appeared at the entrance stage wearing a suit and said he had worked hard to move beyond his past and earn the respect of the fans; MVP then took off his jacket, tie, and shirt, noted he spent 9 and a half years in the Florida State Pen system, and then dared Miz to make the first move; eventually the two came to blows with MVP knocking Miz to the floor with the Drive By; included a video package recapping the 2009 WWE Hall of Fame; featured an ad promoting “Tyson” on DVD; included a backstage segment in which Carlito tried hitting on Gail Kim, with Vince McMahon then walking past them on his way to the ring; featured the announcement the Batista vs. Rey Mysterio Jr. match the following Friday on Smackdown! would be a steel cage match; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read 70% of Royal Rumble winners over the past 10 years have gone on to win the world title at WrestleMania; featured an in-ring segment in which McMahon said Bret Hart wasn’t on Raw because he was intimidated by him and Hart would never be seen on WWE TV again; included a backstage segment showing Jericho and Tyson in training for their match against DX; featured the announcement Don Johnson & John Heder would host the following week’s show:
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Alicia Fox pinned Kelly Kelly at 2:01 by reversing a hurricanrana attempt into a powerbomb
Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Mark Henry & Evan Bourne at 4:17 when Rhodes pinned Bourne with Crossroads after Bourne hit a flying knee to the head of Dibiase; prior to the match, Rhodes & Dibiase cut an in-ring promo in which they noted they and Randy Orton were three of the final four in the 2009 Royal Rumble but times had changed, with the two then claiming it was their year to win the Royal Rumble; during the segment, Dibaise said “The Marine 2” was better than the original in every way, with Rhodes saying his 5th grade graduation video was better than “The Marine”
Santino Marella defeated Jack Swagger in an over-the-top-rope challenge at the 55-second mark; prior to the bout, Swagger cut an in-ring promo saying he would win the Royal Rumble and then made an open challenge for anyone to come out and try to throw him out; moments later, Marella interrupted and said he was about to issue his own open challenge to throw him out
Randy Orton defeated John Cena and Kofi Kingston at 11:15 by pinning Kingston with the RKO; stipulations stated the winner would challenge WWE World Champion Sheamus at the Royal Rumble; late in the bout, Cody Rhodes came out of the crowd and assaulted Cena on the floor behind the referee’s back while, moments later, Ted Dibiase Jr. came out of the crowd and knocked Kingston off the top allowing Orton to hit the RKO; early in the match, WWE World Champion Sheamus appeared at the entrance stage to watch the contest
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Eve pinned Katie Lea with a reversal into a roll up at 1:54; Maryse provided guest commentary for the match; after the contest, Eve and Maryse had a confrontation at ringside
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels defeated Mike Tyson & Chris Jericho in a non-title match at 5:43 when Michaels pinned Jericho after Tyson took off his shirt to reveal a DX shirt underneath and knocked Jericho out with a punch; prior to the bout, Michaels interrupted DX’s in-ring entrance to challenge World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker to face him the following week and accept his challenge to a WrestleMania rematch; late in the match, Hornswoggle ran out to the ring, in boxing gear, and faced off with Tyson; stipulations stated Jericho would have free range to come and go on Raw if his team won; after the match, Tyson’s son came in from the crowd to celebrate with Tyson and DX
1/18/10; Knoxville, TN; Thompson-Boling Arena
1/18/10 – featured an opening video in tribute to Martin Luther King Jr.; included Justin Roberts introducing Vince McMahon, with McMahon then cutting an in-ring promo saying he did what he did to Bret Hart so the fans would remember him for the way he was instead of what he has become, then comparing Hart to a piece of gum that lost its flavor; McMahon then blamed the fans, saying they demand faster, bigger, and stronger superstars; moments later, World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker appeared and spoke about being in Montreal in 1997, then pointed his finger at McMahon and said he screwed Hart twice; Taker then called McMahon a coward for his actions, with McMahon then leaving ringside; Taker then addressed WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Shawn Michaels and his claims he would end Taker’s WrestleMania streak at WrestleMania 25 and Michaels’ challenge of a rematch for WrestleMania 26; Taker then said he wanted to answer Michaels personally, with Michaels then coming out; Taker then said he had nothing to prove to Michaels and rejected the challenge, but then said he would face Michaels later in the show if Michaels was up for it; Michaels then turned down the offer, saying he wanted to do it at WrestleMania and would challenge Taker at WrestleMania after Michaels won the Royal Rumble; Michaels then ended the segment by saying he would take Taker’s streak, title, and soul at WrestleMania; featured a backstage segment with Michaels and WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Triple H, with DX then speaking with guest co-host Don Johnson; Michaels then walked off, with Johnson and Triple H then discussing whether guest co-host Jon Heder was going to show up or not; Johnson then found someone dressed as Napoleon Dynamite, but it turned out to be Carlito who then walked off; included a backstage segment in which Heder, Brie & Nikki Bella arrived in a limo, with Heder speaking to someone in the limo and telling them to stay in the car until he called for them; Heder then jokingly said “Go Nashville!” before one of the Bellas whispered they were in Knoxville, with Heder then saying “Go Knoxville!”; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read, since its inception in 1988, more than half the Royal Rumble winners have gone on to win the title at WrestleMania; included a segment in which Johnson, Heder, and the Bellas came out to the ring, with Johnson saying the main event would feature DX; Heder said DX was OK but they needed something new and then brought out his “close personal friend” WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, with Miz then thanking Heder for putting him in the Royal Rumble match; Miz then commented that Triple H said Johnson should be hosting the show alone and said Johnson once was the hottest thing on TV; Miz then compared Tubbs to MVP, with MVP then interrupting from the entrance stage and apologizing for the antics of Napoleon Dynamite and Pedro (Miz); MVP then said he was now part of the Royal Rumble match and said his goal was to throw Miz out of the ring; MVP then said he would go ahead and throw Miz out of the ring and would follow by throwing out Heder; the Big Show then came out, with MVP fighting off Miz until Show knocked him out; Heder then said Show was his insurance policy for the night and that Show & Miz would face DX later in the broadcast, with Johnson saying he wanted no part of them; featured a graphic on how to donate to AmeriCares in the wake of the Haiti earthquake; included a backstage segment with Heder, Show, and Miz with Hornswoggle then appearing and yelling at Heder; Triple H then appeared and said Hornswoggle just challenged Heder to a match; after Triple H had words with Miz & Show, he suggested Hornswoggle and Heder be added to their respective teams for later in the show, with Show & Miz agreeing; featured footage of Steve Austin’s appearing the following Monday on NBC’s “Chuck;” included a backstage segment with Johnson, Kelly Kelly, and Heder in which Heder began freaking out about being part of the main event, with Miz & Show then walking in and reassuring Heder that they had it under control; Johnson then told Heder he was making a mistake, with Miz saying “Harley Davidson & the Marlboro Man” was a mistake; Miz & Show then gave Heder a Ric Flair-style robe, which read “The Flame” on the back; featured a backstage segment with McMahon and Triple H in which McMahon suggested calling Taker out the next week, with Triple H saying McMahon has backed himself into a corner and that if he didn’t call out Bret again then the world will know McMahon’s a coward; moments later, Triple H spoke with Michaels until Hornswoggle appeared, with Triple H saying he had something serious to discuss with Michaels but would bring it up later; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame sold out over the weekend in 35 minutes; featured a trailer for “The Marine 2;” included the announcement James Roday & Dule Hill of “Psych” would host the following week’s show:
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Evan Bourne in a non-title match with the boot to the face and crucifix powerbomb at 1:54; prior to the match, it was noted Bourne would be part of the Royal Rumble match; during the opening moments of the bout, Randy Orton appeared ringside; after the contest, Orton entered the ring, with Sheamus then holding up the title in Orton’s face
Mark Henry defeated Jack Swagger in an over-the-top-rope challenge at the 31-second mark; prior to the bout, it was noted Swagger, Santino Marella, Dolph Ziggler, CM Punk, Chris Jericho, and Henry would be part of the Royal Rumble match and that entries would happen every 90 seconds; following his entrance, Swagger cut an in-ring promo in which he challenged Marella to a rematch, with Marella then coming out dressed as Sonny Crockett from ‘Miami Vice;’ Marella then said he was the president of the Italian Don Johnson Fan Club and was taking the night off but found a replacement, with Henry then appearing
John Cena & Kofi Kingston defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes at 10:57 when Kingston pinned Rhodes with a crossbody off the top after Dibiase moved out of the way; prior to the bout, it was noted Cena, Kingston, Rhodes, and Dibiase would be in the Royal Rumble match; after the match, Rhodes appeared to take offense to Dibiase’s actions
Eve & Gail Kim defeated Maryse & Alicia Fox at 2:49 when Fox submitted to an armbar from Eve
Randy Orton pinned Chris Masters (w/ Eve) with the RKO at 2:42; during the opening moments of the match, WWE World Champion Sheamus appeared ringside; after the bout, Sheamus slid in the ring and kicked Orton in the face before putting his boot on him; Sheamus then walked up the aisle and held up his title belt
Hornswoggle, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels (w/ Don Johnson) defeated Jon Heder, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, & the Big Show at around the 7-minute mark when Hornswoggle pinned Heder after hitting the frog splash onto Show, with Heder trapped underneath, after Michaels hit the superkick on both Mizanin and Show; Heder was introduced as “The Flame” (“from the Great Ball of Fire”); after the bout, Johnson helped Heder backstage; moments later, Triple H took the mic and said Michaels would have to find another way to go after World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker; as Michaels went to reply, John Cena came out to the ring, said he won the last Royal Rumble he competed in, and planned to do it again; Show then staggered into the ring, said he too was in the Rumble match, and fought with DX until Cena knocked him to the floor; DX then sent Cena to the floor, with Triple H then dumping Michaels to the floor before announcing he too would be in the Rumble match (the bout began during the commercial break)
1/25/10; Columbus, OH; Nationwide Arena
1/25/10 – featured a behind the scenes look at John Cena starring in the season premiere of “Psych,” which would air Wednesday; included a backstage segment with Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. in which they discussed their loss earlier in the show, with Randy Orton then walking in and saying he would beat WWE World Champion Sheamus with or without their help; featured a backstage segment with Cena and guest host Dule Hill in which Hill said guest host James Roday couldn’t make it because he had to have an emergency appendectomy; Cena then spoke about how fun it was to host “Psych” and got Hill pumped up to be hosting Raw; Cena then left, with WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin walking in and saying he was more famous than Hill & Roday combined, with Hill saying he would put Miz in a match later in the show against an opponent of his choosing; included an ad promoting “The Best of Raw: 2009;” featured an ad for WrestleMania Axxess tickets going on sale Saturday; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com had more than 4.3 billion page views in 2009 – beating CBS.com, NBC.com, Fox.com, ABC.com, UFC.com, NBA.com, and Nascar.com; featured an in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he said that if World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker were in the buliding, then he would dare him to call him a coward as he implied the previous week; McMahon then said he sold Bret Hart up the river to WCW and he was never heard from again; McMahon asked the fans whether Hart should come back to the WWE, with the crowd roaring in approval before Vince said Hart would never again appear in the WWE; McMahon then went out to the crowd to get their opinions, with one fan saying Bret would beat him up in the ring; McMahon said there was no good reason to bring Hart back because he was the past and McMahon was concerned with the present and future; as McMahon went to leave the ring, Cena came out and said he never had a problem with McMahon until recently, when he embarassed Roddy Piper at Madison Square Garden and began insulting Hart; Cena then said McMahon sometimes only eyes his superstars as commodities that he throws away when their expiration date comes up; Cena said McMahon would invite Hart to Raw the following week and if he didn’t then he would prove to everyone that the superstars mean nothing to him and that he would find him on his 90th birthday and beat him up, on behalf of everyone from Andre the Giant to Outback Jack to Hart; Cena then walked off, with McMahon then taking the mic and saying he would invite Hart to be on the show the next week and then said Cena would be in action later in the night against WWE World Champion Sheamus; included a backstage segment in which Carlito showed Hill the production truck, with Hill bringing up Carlito’s match graphic and then said he would bring up a random code to find out Carlito’s opponent later in the show, with Hill then choosing Kelly Kelly; featured a video package recapping the history of the Royal Rumble match; included a backstage segment with Cena and Hill in which they talked about how exciting the show has been, before Cena called up Roday on speaker phone; moments later, Alicia Fox walked in and needed some psychic help, with Hill hanging up on Roday and saying he saw a fox standing victorious in the ring and he would be ringside to see it; featured the announcement ECW World Champion Christian & Kane would face Ezekiel Jackson & William Regal the following night on ECW; included the announcement William Shatner would host the following week’s show:
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Shawn Michaels & Triple H defeated Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. when Michaels pinned Dibiase with the superkick, moments after the champions collided and briefly had a staredown
The Big Show pinned MVP at 1:02 with the chokeslam; prior to the bout, MVP cut an in-ring promo on WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in which he said Miz would eventually have to stop hiding behind guest hosts and Show, with Miz then appearing and saying “Straight up ballin'” is a term MVP picked up in prison; MVP then said Miz would be popular behind bars and that other inmates would fight over being his exclusive friend; Miz remained in the aisle for the duration of the bout; after the match, Miz climbed in the ring and held his title belt above MVP’s body
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Maryse pinned Eve with the French Kiss at 2:07; prior to the bout, Maryse cut an in-ring promo until guest host Dule Hill began playing with the entrance pyro; Hill then apologized to Maryse but she said she didn’t accept it and called him a loser
Kofi Kingston (mystery opponent) pinned WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in a non-title match at 3:40 with the spin kick to the face after Miz became distracted by MVP’s entrance music; during the match, it was noted Shelton Benjamin and Kane would be part of the Royal Rumble; moments after the match, MVP walked out on the entrance stage and stared at Miz in the ring
Carlito fought Kelly Kelly to a no contest when Santino Marella came out before the match began, held up “The Best of Raw: 2009” DVD, said he looked stupid in it, and was going to make the “Best of Raw: 2010” DVD by coming to Kelly’s rescue, beating Carlito, and then winning the Royal Rumble; Santino then slid in the ring but was immediately jumped from behind by Jack Swagger, who threw Santino to the floor, and them rammed him head-first into the ringpost before doing push-ups beside his body and leaving ringside
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Semi-Finals: Gail Kim pinned Alicia Fox at 1:57 with the modified jawbreaker; guest host Dule Hill provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Fox confronted Hill at ringside and slapped him across the face for telling her she would win
WWE World Champion Sheamus defeated John Cena via disqualification in a non-title match at 9:49 when, as Cena was being counted-out on the floor after being kicked in the head, Randy Orton slid in the ring and dropped the champion with the RKO; moments later, Orton attempted to drop Orton with a DDT from the second rope but Cena reversed it into the FU (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
2/1/10; Nashville, TN; Sommet Center
2/1/10 – featured an opening graphic noting the passing of Jack Brisco; included Justin Roberts introducing Edge as the winner of the 2010 Royal Rumble, with Edge then appearing and cutting an in-ring promo on his win and the comments made by Chris Jericho at the Slammys in which Jericho thanked Edge for being hurt; Edge then said those comments spurred him on to make sure he didn’t miss a third WrestleMania due to injury; moments later, Edge said Jericho has his Slammy and his mug shot on TMZ while Edge has his shot at WrestleMania; he said he could face World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker – a man who he’s faced and lost to at WrestleMania – or he could face WWE World Champion Sheamus – a man that has never been to WrestleMania – and would make his decision in the near future; moments later, Sheamus interrupted and bragged about his win at the Rumble over Randy Orton, with Edge saying he’s made a career on beating John Cena and has also beaten Orton; Sheamus then told Edge to leave and go back to Smackdown! before he puts him on the shelf for good, with Sheamus then blindsiding Edge until Edge fought him off and dropped him with the spear; included a vignette on the Elimination Chamber; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read more than 2.3 billion photos were viewed on WWE.com the previous year; included a video recapping the Montreal Screwjob; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Vince McMahon in which McMahon said no one was likely to see Bret Hart during the show; moments later, McMahon walked into his office and yelled at a Canadian off screen, with guest host William Shatner then being shown and saying he couldn’t wait to see Hart embarass McMahon later in the show; featured a fake TV ad promoting Shatner’s spoken-word album in which he covered the theme songs of John Cena, Rey Mysterio Jr., and WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels; included a backstage segment in which Triple H confronted Michaels on eliminating him from the Rumble, then laughed it off; Michaels then said he wasn’t supposed to be eliminated, should have won, and should have been able to face and defeat Taker at WrestleMania; Triple H then said Michaels had to get over his obsession and focus on getting into the Elimination Chamber; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included a backstage segment with Randy Orton and Ted Dibiase Jr. in which Dibiase congratulated Orton on his win and apologized for what happened the previous night, with Orton then staring at him and walking off; featured clips of McMahon’s comments in the wake of the Montreal Screwjob; included a video package in tribute to Brisco’s passing; featured a backstage segment in which Maryse interrupted Gail Kim speaking with Kelly Kelly and said what was going on with WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James and Michelle McCool were doing on Smackdown! was a disgrace and wanted to have a great wrestling match with Gail to determine the new Divas Champion; included a backstage segment with WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin and the Big Show, sitting in Shatner’s set for “Shatner’s Raw Nerve” in which Miz said Show would be WWE World Champion at the Elimination Chamber; moments later, CM Punk, Luke Gallows, and Sarina walked in wanting a rematch for the WWE Unified Tag Team titles, with Miz & Show saying they wanted the title shot; Shatner then walked in – as “Raw Match Negotiator” – and said Punk & Gallows vs. Miz & Show vs. DX would take place the following week; featured a backstage segment with Triple H and Michaels in which Triple H tried to snap Michaels out of his depression and said there were plenty of other guys Michaels could face at WrestleMania, with Michaels replying with “Not for me” and walking off; included an ad promoting Edge hosting “The Cutting Edge” Friday on Smackdown! with Taker as his guest; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw was the #1 show on cable the previous week – beating every show on TNT, A&E, Spike, VH1, Fox News, MTV, TBS, and ESPN; featured clips of McMahon assaulting Hart the previous month on Raw; included an ad promoting WWE The Music Vol. 10 “A New Day;” featured the announcement NASCAR’s Carl Edwards would host the following week’s show; included a closing in-ring segment in which Jerry Lawler introduced Shatner, who was escorted out by Brie & Nikki Bella; Shatner then brought out Bret Hart, noting he was a fellow Canadian and his hero; after Hart came out, the two shook hands and Shatner left the ring; Hart then said he came back to the WWE for the right reasons but he didn’t come to Nashville to find peace but rather to confront McMahon; McMahon appeared moments later and said he doesn’t regret anything he’s done or said to Hart, with Hart replying it was the first honest thing McMahon has ever said to him; Hart noted the comments from John Cena that McMahon was pathetic, with Hart referencing his stroke and being confined to a wheelchair and feeling pathetic; Hart said he promised himself he would never feel pathetic again, and then said he was back to feeling pathetic when McMahon kicked him weeks earlier; Hart said he worked for McMahon for years just hoping McMahon would someday appreciate him, then said – if he was nothing more than a piece of chewing gum – he still had enough flavor to kick McMahon’s ass then and there; McMahon replied by saying Hart’s catchphrases made him sick, wasn’t a hero to anyone, and was pathetic; McMahon then said Hart would have been nothing without the likes of Steve Austin, Mr. Perfect, and Shawn Michaels – who actually had charisma and a command over the English language; McMahon then said Stu Hart wasn’t going in this year’s Hall of Fame because he doesn’t deserve it, with Hart then kicking McMahon, pulling his jacket over his head, repeatedly punched him, and set him up for the Sharpshooter until Batista made the save and assaulted Hart; Batista then held Hart so McMahon could spit in his face as the crowd chanted “Cena”:
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: John Cena pinned Cody Rhodes with the FU at 2:53; prior to the match, an on-screen graphic advertised Stacy Keibler appearing on “Psych” later in the week
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Triple H pinned Jack Swagger with a reversal into the Pedigree at 9:10
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Randy Orton pinned Shawn Michaels at 6:39 with a roll up immediately after Michaels attempted a kip up; during the bout, it was noted Michaels was fined for assaulting a referee the previous night at the Royal Rumble
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Ted Dibiase Jr. pinned Mark Henry at 3:06 with a modified DDT after Henry struck the turnbuckle shoulder-first
Elimination Chamber Qualifying Match: Kofi Kingston defeated the Big Show via disqualification at 8:18 after Show, temporarily blinded, accidentally knocked out the referee with a punch; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin provided guest commentary for the bout until he was chased backstage in the final moments by MVP who came out of the crowd; after the contest, Show argued with referee Scott Armstrong over the decision before throwing around the ring steps as the initial referee was tended to in the ring and placed on a stretcher
2/8/10; Lafayette, LA; Cajundome
2/8/10 – featured an opening segment in which guest host Carl Edwards was seen spinning his car in the parking lot and into the arena; after the car entered the arena, it was revealed Hornswoggle, not Edwards, was driving; Kelly Kelly then introduced Edwards in the ring, with Edwards then coming out alongside Brie & Nikki Bella; Edwards then did a backflip off the top before taking the mic, recognizing the New Orleans Saints won the Super Bowl the day before, and noted the Daytona 500 was coming up; Edwards said he had a friend in John Cena, with WWE World Champion Sheamus then interrupting, noting he aimed to get to WrestleMania as champion, and said he should be the last man to enter the Elimination Chamber; ECW World Champion Christian then walked out, shook Edwards’ hand, and said Edge came out the previous week and said he would face either World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker or Sheamus at WrestleMania without mentioning Christian; Christian then noted Vince McMahon’s announcement that ECW was going off the air, insulted Sheamus, said all the ECW stars would become free agents, and thought he would test the waters on Raw by challenging Sheamus to a match later in the show; Edwards agreed, leading into the opening match; included a backstage segment with WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels in which Michaels apologized for being obsessed with facing Taker and said he wanted DX to be together at WrestleMania, with Triple H saying he was focused on winning the Elimination Chamber; featured the announcement Bret Hart had been banned from the arena, followed by footage of what happened the previous week after Raw went off the air in which Batista attacked John Cena and dropped him with a powerbomb onto the steel ring steps; included a backstage segment in which Cody Rhodes confronted Ted Dibiase Jr. about qualifying for the Elimination Chamber, with Dibiase saying he was better than Rhodes; as the two argued, Randy Orton walked in and questioned whether Dibiase thought he was better than Orton and then said Dibiase would be facing Cena later in the show; Orton then confronted Rhodes on costing him his match at the Royal Rumble and said he would face him later in the show; featured an ad promoting WWE NXT; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with WWE Unified Tag Team Champions the Big Show & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin regarding their title victory, during which Show said Miz proved he was a better tag team partner than Chris Jericho and Miz saying they would dominate all of the WWE; featured a backstage segment in which Shawn Michaels confronted Carlito and Alicia Fox regarding the whereabouts of someone, then found Teddy Long nearby and asked him to trade him to Smackdown! so he could get into the Elimination Chamber and beat the Undertaker; Long then said the match was already set, with Michaels pinning him against the wall until Triple H broke it up; Triple H then asked whether Michaels was willing to throw his career away, with Michaels saying his career was over and then superkicking Long; included the announcement Ted Dibiase Sr. would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame, followed by a video package recapping his WWE career; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw was the #1 show on cable the previous week and out rated college basketball on ESPN by 3 to 1; included a backstage segment with Edwards and Jared, with Santino Marella then walking in and singing the “$5 footlong theme;” Marella then complained that Jack Swagger must pay for taking him out of the Rumble, with Edwards making a match between Santino and Swagger for Thursday on WWE Superstars; moments later, Kofi Kingston and suggested Edwards set up singles matches for the next week between all the Elimination Chamber participants; they then discussed the integrity and class the next week’s host would have, leading into the announcement Jerry Springer would be the host; the camera then cut backstage as Edwards spoke but the audio cut out; featured Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Edwards in which he announced Sheamus would face Orton the following week, Dibiase would face Kingston, and Triple H would face Cena:
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned ECW World Champion Christian in a non-title match at 9:44 with the crucifix powerbomb after ramming Christian shoulder-first into the ringpost and kicking him in the face (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated CM Punk & Luke Gallows (w/ Serena) and WWE Unified Tag Team Champions Triple H & Shawn Michaels in an elimination match to win the titles at around the 16-minute mark; during the ring entrances, it was announced the Baton Rouge show would take place the following night as the Smackdown! taping; following Punk & Gallows’ entrance, Punk cut an in-ring promo claiming the part of the country heavily relied on drugs and alcohol, noting Mardi Gras and their celebrating the Super Bowl win; Punk then noted Jared Fogle from Subway was in attendance and said he would be the perfect spokesperson for the Straight Edge Society, with Jared saying no; Punk then said he expected as much and said he would make an example out of him, then sent Gallows and Serena out to get him; moments later, they were interrupted by DX’s entrance; during his entrance, it was noted Show was fined for striking the referee during the previous week’s show; Teddy Long sat ringside for the match; eliminations: Michaels pinned Punk with the superkick after avoiding the Go To Sleep at around the 10-minute mark; Miz pinned Michaels with a roll up after causing Michaels to collide with Triple H after Michaels tagged himself into the match against Triple H’s wishes; after the bout, Michaels stormed off (the match began during the commercial break) (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray, The Big Show: A Giant’s World)
Gail Kim pinned Jillian Hall at the 55-second mark with the modified jawbreaker; Maryse provided guest commentary for the bout; during the match, it was noted Maryse and Kim would compete for the vacant WWE Divas Title at Elimination Chamber; after the bout, Maryse took the mic, entered the ring, and said she was a big fan of Gail’s and was looking forward to having the best match of her life; Maryse then began speaking French and chuckling before wishing Gail good luck and shaking her hand
Cody Rhodes pinned Randy Orton at 2:47 with Crossroads after WWE World Champion Sheamus slid in and out of the ring, distracting Orton; after the bout, Sheamus kicked Orton in the head; moments later, Rhodes forced Sheamus from the ring with a steel chair
John Cena fought Ted Dibiase Jr. to a no contest when Cena jumped Dibiase before the match began, threw him to the floor, threw him into the ringside barricade, and applied the STFU; moments later, Cena took the mic and cut an in-ring promo regarding the attack he sustained the previous week from Batista and challenged him to try to come out and finish the job; following the commercial break, Cena remained in the ring and determined that maybe Batista’s attack was part of a business decision orchestrated by Vince McMahon; Cena then said if he wasn’t going to fight Batista, he wanted to talk to McMahon; McMahon then appeared surrounded by 10 security guards, eventually giving them up to enter the ring with Cena and admitted he did pay off Batista to attack Bret Hart but Cena was never part of the equation; Cena responded by saying McMahon was only about money while he lived for moments like being part of the Elimination Chamber and WrestleMania; Cena then said he spoke with Hart and Hart said he wanted to wrestle McMahon at WrestleMania; Cena then left the ring, asking whether McMahon was up to the challenge; after Cena continued to prod him, McMahon eventually gave in and accepted the challenge; Cena then said there was one person left for McMahon to tell and went backstage; as McMahon began to cut a promo on Hart and reviewed the footage of him spitting in Hart’s face the previous week; moments later, Hart came out of the crowd, jumped McMahon, and then fought off two security guards that got in his way; moments later, McMahon – from the entrance stage – rejected the offer for a match at WrestleMania as Hart chased him bakcstage with a chair; Hart then began tearing up the production area near the entrance stage, threw around the ringside monitors, and destroyed the commentary table as the show went off the air
2/15/10; Des Monies, IA; Wells Fargo Arena
2/15/10 – included a crawl throughout the show announcing the Westminster Kennel Dog Show was airing live on CNBC; featured an opening segment in which the Iowa National Guard Color Guard presented the flags as 15-year-old Allison Buel sang the National Anthem in honor of President’s Day; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was seen by more people than both NBA games on TNT combined; featured an in-ring promo by Bret Hart in which he said Vince McMahon didn’t want to show up to the show but Hart came with intent of finishing their feud then and there; Hart then mentioned McMahon’s line of “You deserved to be screwed,” said Vince deserved to have the holy hell beaten out of him, and said he looked forward to beating McMahon at WrestleMania but that’s not to be; Hart then thanked all the WWE superstars backstage for welcoming him and the fans for supporting him; Hart singled out John Cena for his support and, since his issue with Vince wasn’t going to be resolved, he said goodbye to the fans before leaving the ring; moments later, Hart was seen speaking backstage with Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Alicia Fox, Primo Colon, Gail Kim, and Evan Bourne in which they wished him well; moments later, Hart was seen speaking with Cena, with Cena trying to talk Hart out of leaving before Hart walked out of view; a woman then accidentally backed into Hart’s limo, with Hart’s leg becoming seriously injured; Gail, Primo, and Bourne then came to check on Hart as he was helped out of the car and onto a stretcher; Hart was then taking from the arena in an ambulance; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read no WWE superstar has won more than one Elimination Chamber match except for Triple H, who has won 4; featured an in-ring segment in which Justin Roberts introduced Jerry Springer as the guest host of the show, with Springer then coming out with two of the security guards from his show; Springer then said he was going to host a special segment of his show called “The WWE’s most intimate relationships revealed;” Springer then introduced Kelly Kelly, who announced she was pregnant, didn’t know who the father was for sure, but she had a good idea; moments later, Santino Marella came out, hugged Kelly, and shook Springer’s hand, calling him Maurey Povich; Kelly then said, after Santino left that night, she needed someone to finish the job, with Michael Cole then saying his thing with Kelly was a secret; Jerry Lawler then claimed he was the one responsible and joined everyone else in the ring, with Springer saying Kelly was too old for Lawler and he usually picks up his kids at recess; Brie & Nikki Bella then came out to the ring, with Nikki saying Brie was a man; the Bellas then began to fight each other until they were held apart by security; when Springer again asked who was in the room that night with Kelly, Chris Masters came out, with Kelly confirming it was him; Eve then stormed out to the ring, with she and Kelly getting in a catfight until they were pulled apart; when Eve confronted Masters, Masters said Eve wasn’t giving him what he needed; Eve then admitted to having her own affair, with the Great Khali, alongside Runjin Singh, then coming out to the ring, picking up Eve, and kissing her; Springer then said he had the results of the paternity test and said the father was Hornswoggle, with Hornswoggle then running out to the ring and hugging Kelly; out of disgust, Springer said the WWE was crazier then his own show and then left the ring; after Springer got halfway up the ramp, Lawler admitted that they all got together to freak Springer out and that none of the stories were actually true; Lawler then said Khali wasn’t even sure what was going on, with Singh saying Khali was with the fans in thinking it was a giant waste of time; Lawler then said Springer’s intimate relationship was about to be revealed, with Mae Young then coming out and kissing Springer’s face as the talent in the ring chanted “Jerry;” included an ad promoting “John Morrison: Rock Star;” featured the announcement Antonio Inoki would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame; included surveillance footage from another angle of Hart’s leg injury sustained earlier in the show; featured a video package hyping the Elimination Chamber; included a “Final Thought” by Springer in which he spoke about the potential outcomes of the Eliminaion Chamber before leaving with Young; featured the announcement Jewel & Ty Murray would host the following week’s show:
WWE World Champion Sheamus defeated Randy Orton via disqualification in a non-title match at 8:34 when, after Sheamus attacked Ted Dibiase Jr. on the floor, Cody Rhodes jumped Sheamus from behind; Dibiase & Rhodes appeared ringside mid-way through the match; after the bout, Dibiase & Rhodes tried to speak to Orton in the ring; moments later, Orton dropped Rhodes with the RKO, Sheamus kicked Dibiase in the face, and Orton dropped Sheamus with the RKO
MVP & Mark Henry defeated WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show in a non-title match at 6:34 when MVP pinned Miz with a crucifix as Miz attempted to pin MVP after Show kicked him in the face (debut of Miz & Show’s combined theme song)
Ted Dibiase Jr. pinned Kofi Kingston with Dream Street at 2:58
Triple H defeated John Cena via disqualification at 11:50 when WWE World Champion Sheamus interfered and kicked Triple H in the face as he attempted the Pedigree on Cena; prior to the bout, Cena cut an in-ring promo wishing Bret Hart well in the wake of his injury backstage; Cena then addressed Batista’s attack weeks earlier and invited Batista out to the ring; eventually, Batista appeared on the big screen, shown via satellite, and said he was doing Cena a favor by not being in Des Moines; moments later, Batista said he would be on Raw the following week to see how much Cena wanted to run his mouth then, then said he was pulling for Cena at the Elimination Chamber; after the bout, Cena attempted the FU on Sheamus but Sheamus raked him in the eyes and kicked him in the face as well; moments later, Sheamus dropped Triple H with the crucifix powerbomb before holding up the title belt
2/22/10; Indianapolis, IN; Conseco Fieldhouse
2/22/10 – featured an in-ring segment in which Justin Roberts introduced Chris Jericho as the new World Heavyweight Champion, with Jericho then bragging that he was going to WrestleMania; Jericho then said he agreed he would never return to Raw after dealing with Mike Tyson the previous month but he changed his mind after his win the previous night in the Elimination Chamber; moments later, Edge’s music interrupted Jericho, with Edge jumping out of the crowd and dropping Jericho with a spear, knocking him to the floor; Edge then took the mic and said Jericho was going to WrestleMania to face Edge; after both men left ringside, John Cena came out to the ring, took the mic, and said he could be added to the list alongside Bret Hart of people screwed by Vince McMahon; Cena then said he was due a rematch against WWE World Champion Batista and said he wanted it then and there; McMahon then appeared at the entrance stage, said Hart was sitting at home humiliated, and that he offered Batista a title shot anytime and anywhere after Batista helped him out against Hart; McMahon said the situation isn’t personal, just business, and that Batista wouldn’t be defending the title until WrestleMania; McMahon said Sheamus also deserved a title rematch after his loss in the Elimination Chamber and that if Cena could win his match later in the show then he would get the title match at WrestleMania and if he lost then Sheamus would get it; Cena immediately agreed to the stipulation and demanded to know who he would be wrestling, with McMahon saying Batista; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read fans from all 50 states and 24 countries had already bought tickets for WrestleMania 26; included a backstage segment with Jewel, Ty Murray, Kelly Kelly, Eve, Brie & Nikki Bella in which Jillian Hall and Alicia Fox interrupted, with Hall singing “You Were Meant for Me” until Jewel had her stop; the two exchanged words, with Hall threatening to send Jewel to move back into her car until Jewel slapped her across the face; featured a backstage segment with Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes in which Rhodes said Ted Dibiase Jr. had been talking all weekend about wanting to win the Elimination Chamber and beating Orton, with Orton saying he blamed himself for not being the leader he should be; Orton then said that’s why he asked for Legacy to be in a six man tag team match later in the show and asked Rhodes to tell Dibiase that he was sorry; Orton then left, with Dibiase walking in, the two talking, and Rhodes telling Dibiase that their plan was still on; included an ad promoting the following night’s debut of WWE NXT; featured a video package to the tune of Placebo’s “Running Up that Hill” recapping Shawn Michaels challenging the Undertaker to a WrestleMania rematch during the 2009 Slammy Awards, Taker later rejecting Michaels’ challenge, Michaels trying to win the 2010 Royal Rumble, tension between he and Triple, and superkicking Taker during the Elimination Chamber; moments later, Michaels cut an in-ring promo in which he said he did what he had to do the previous night and while every action has a reaction, he was counting on that from Taker; moments later, Taker came to the ring and said Michaels had his attention, with Michaels saying their match at WrestleMania, some said was the best match of all time but Michaels made one mistake and he can’t live with that; Michaels then said Taker refused him a rematch and ignored him, which is why he cost him the World Heavyweight Title; Taker accepted the challenge for WrestleMania but said he wanted Michaels’s career on the line this time, with Michaels saying Taker didn’t get it and that if he couldn’t win at WrestleMania then he wouldn’t have a career; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 26; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included a segment in which Jewel, on crutches, and Murray at the entrance stage hosting a Diva bullriding conteset between Eve, the Bellas, and Kelly; after all four women lasted the 8 seconds on the mechanical bull, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show interrupted, with Miz insulting the guest hosts and Show saying he could do it too; Show then went down on the floor but none of the divas would agree to hold his tag title belt; moments later, Show rode the bull but couldn’t last the 8 seconds without falling off; Miz complained that the bull was going faster than it did for the divas as the mechanical bull motioned at Show, taunting him until Show punched the bull, with Jewel saying that was just stuffed animal cruelty; moments later, Murray & Jewel said Miz & Show would defend the titles in minutes against MVP & Mark Henry; featured an ad for the 2010 PBR World Cup and Jewel’s “Stay Here Forever” from the Valentine’s Day film; included the announcement Wendi Richter would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame by Roddy Piper; featured a backstage promo by McMahon in which he said he was considering facing Hart at WrestleMania and that he had nothing to do with Hart’s injury and wanted Hart to make one more appearance for a proper farewell; included the announcement Hart would appear on Raw the following week, Cheech & Chong would serve as guest hosts, and Orton would face Dibiase on the show:
WWE Divas Championship Tournament Finals: Maryse pinned Gail Kim at 2:50 with the French Kiss after blocking a victory roll by dropping Kim throat-first across the top rope
Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, & Yoshi Tatsu defeated Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase Jr., & Cody Rhodes at 9:52 when Bourne pinned Rhodes with the Shooting Star Press; prior to the bout, it was noted Sheamus suffered a concussion in the Elimination Chamber; late in the match, Orton turned on Rhodes by dropping him with a DDT from the middle rope and followed by dropping Dibiase with a RKO on the floor (Tatsu’s debut as part of the Raw roster)
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Christian pinned Carlito with the Unprettier at 3:01; prior to the bout, Heath Slater, Christian’s rookie on WWE NXT, cut an insert promo on working with Christian; moments later, Michael Tarver, Carlito’s rookie, cut a similar promo (Christian’s debut as part of the Raw roster)
WWE Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated MVP & Mark Henry at 2:46 when Show pinned Henry with a punch after Henry caught Miz, the illegal man, coming off the top and dropped him with the powerslam; prior to the match, Daniel Bryan, Miz’s NXT rookie, was shown watching on backstage; Henry’s shoulder was heavily taped after crashing through the barricade the previous night during the Elimination Chamber
John Cena defeated WWE World Champion Batista via disqualification in a non-title match at the 25-second mark when Batista kicked Cena in the groin; stipulations stated Cena would earn a WWE World Title shot at WrestleMania if he won and that Sheamus would earn the title shot if he lost; after the decision was announced, Batista clapped for Cena before stomping him in the face; Batista then left the ring, with Cena struggling to his feet; after Batista noticed Cena was back up, he slid back in the ring and assaulted Cena around ringside; moments later, Cena was tended to by two trainers, with Batista initially going backstage but then returning ringside and smacking Cena across the back with a steel chair; Cena began pulling himself up from the floor, prompting Batista to hit him three more times across the back; moments later, Batista raised his armed at the top of the entrance stage as the show went off the air
3/1/10; Oklahoma City, OK; Ford Center
3/1/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he said he had seen his peers backstage whispering, saying Michaels was crazy for putting his career on the line against the Undertaker at WrestleMania; Michaels then referred to himself as Mr. WrestleMania, noted Taker’s streak, and then invited any of his doubters to come out and face him; moments later, Triple H appeared, said he knew Michaels could beat Taker at WrestleMania, and said – of all the wrestlers he’s faced in 15 years – Michaels was the best he’d been in the ring with; Triple H then said Michaels has no peers backstage, said DX might not be tagging up again for a while, but then said they would get their rematch later in the show against WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show; Triple H then said 28 days from then would be the day after WrestleMania and he wanted to throw a party for Michaels to celebrate his win over Taker, then followed by saying he believed Michaels would beat Taker to end the streak at WrestleMania and Michaels would still be in the WWE; the crowd responded with chants of “HBK,” with Michaels then agreeing to the tag team title rematch; included a backstage segment with guest hosts Cheech & Chong, with Brie & Nikki Bella then walking in and offering a tour backstage; Chong was left alone, with Hornswoggle showing up and offering him a box of Lucky Charms, which had hallucinogenic effects; featured footage of Bret Hart, on a crutch, arriving to the arena in a limo; included a backstage segment with Chong and Eve, during which Cheech walked in and reminded Chong not to eat sugary cereal because he gets on a sugar high; Cheech then asked why Chong was running his hair through William Regal’s hair, with “Eve” then revealed to be Regal; Chong then confused Chris Masters with Kelly Kelly, with Kelly’s voice being heard as Masters mouthed “Stop looking at my chest;” moments later, Cheech joined Chong in eating more of the cereal; featured a Taker-Michaels WrestleMania commercial to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave;” included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s show was the #1 show on cable TV – beating out the Olympics on CNBC and college basketball on ESPN; featured an in-ring promo by John Cena regarding what happened to him at the Elimination Chamber and WWE World Champion Batista’s attack on him the previous week; Cena then called for Batista to come out, with a half dozen security guards lining up at the entranceway before Batista appeared; Batista then said the security guards were there to protect Cena, not himself and said he attacked Cena the previous week to ensure he would get to face Cena at WrestleMania; Batista agreed that he and Cena broke into the WWE around the same time, said they were the two biggest stars since the Attitude Era, but they could not be more different; Batista then argued why the company chose Cena over him as the name and face of the WWE, and said the torch was passed from Steve Austin to Cena instead of Batista; Cena responded by saying he has given his life to the business while Batista expects the business to be given to him, with Batista agreeing and saying he was there to make money and win titles; moments later, Batista noted the last time they wrestled he broke Cena’s neck and that Cena knows he can’t beat him; included a backstage segment with Cheech, Chong, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Primo Colon, Carlito, Katie Lea, and Yoshi Tatsu in which all the WWE talent was shown wearing a mustache like Cheech; moments later, a rooster was shown in a cage and, in Santino Marella’s voice, said the divas pajama pillow fight match was coming up soon; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included the announcement Mad Dog Vachon would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame by Pat Patterson; featured Justin Roberts introducing Hart, with Vince McMahon appearing instead so he himself could make Hart’s introduction; moments later, Hart came out on a crutch and told McMahon that if he was serious about letting Hart have one more chance to address the crowd then he should get the hell out of the ring; McMahon then admitted he invited Hart to Raw for a different reason, then brought up the fact Hart challenged him weeks earlier for a match at WrestleMania; Hart admitted he wanted to fight McMahon for 13 years, with McMahon then goading Hart by reminding him of every thing he had done wrong with him to motivate Hart to go ahead with the match; McMahon said Hart wouldn’t want to let the fans down, with Hart reminding him that his leg was broken; McMahon responded by calling Hart a coward and kicking him in his injured leg; McMahon left the ring, calling Hart a coward until Hart accepted the challenge; moments later, McMahon said he would face Hart’s biggest fan the following week – Cena; included an ad promoting “Shawn Michaels: My Journey;” featured the announcement Criss Angel would host the following week’s show and that Randy Orton would face Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. in a handicap match:
Randy Orton defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. via disqualification at 9:02 when Cody Rhodes interfered; after the match, Orton attacked Rhodes before he was eventually double teamed; Orton eventually regained the advantage and cleared both men from the ring (WWE Superstar Collection: Randy Orton)
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Jack Swagger pinned Santino Marella with the gutwrench powerbomb at the 27-second mark; prior to the bout, AC/DC’s “Thunderstruck” was played as the camera focused on the Money in the Bank briefcase hung above the ring
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: MVP pinned Zack Ryder (w/ Rosa Mendes) with the Playmaker at the 46-second mark
Eve defeated Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Jillian Hall, and Alicia Fox by pinning Fox with a somersault splash in a pajama pillow fight match at 1:56; prior to the bout, Cheech & Chong appeared to the tune of War’s “Low Rider” to introduce the divas, but ended up not introducing one by name; Cheech & Chong remainded ringside for the duration of the match, sitting in swivel chairs; after the bout, Hornswoggle appeared and gave Cheech & Chong more Lucky Charms; the participants appeared three at a time, implying it was a 3-on-3 bout
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated Triple H & Shawn Michaels at 4:31 when Miz pinned Michaels by avoiding the superkick and using a roll up after Michaels became distracted by the Undertaker on the big screen; during the bout, it was noted Show would face Edge Friday on Smackdown!; after the contest, Triple H tried to console Michaels but he stormed off; moments later, Sheamus came out of the crowd, assaulted Triple H, and knocked him to the floor before kicking him in the head; moments later, Triple H staggered to his feet, with Sheamus kicking him in the head, sending him over the commentary table; Sheamus then stood on the commentary table and looked down as the show came to a close
3/8/10; Portland, OR; Rose Garden
3/8/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by the Undertaker in which he said Shawn Michaels had a dark cloud over him and him trying to shake it would ultimately cost him his career at WrestleMania; Taker then preceeded to say Michaels’ career would rest in peace, with Michaels interrupting; Michaels then said the dark cloud was already gone and said while he cost Taker his match at the Elimination Chamber because he had to, Taker cost Michaels to lose the previous week out of fear, and asked Michaels to put his career on the line at WrestleMania to intimidate him; Michaels continued by saying no one lives a perfect life and nothing lasts forever, then proposed a no count-out, No DQ stipulation for the match to make sure it only ends by pinfall or submission; Taker responded by saying Michaels might be the best man to ever step in the ring but he would open the gates of Hell to make sure Michaels’ career ends at WrestleMania, with Michaels saying the dark cloud would return after Mania but it would be haunting Taker instead and it would bring with it the image of Michaels ending Taker’s Mania streak; included a backstage segment with Criss Angel, Hornswoggle, Brie & Nikki Bella with Angel then taking a thread from one of the Bella’s tops and running it up his throat and out of his eye; Jillian Hall then walked in and said she should be Angel’s assistant later in the show, then singing Aerosmith’s “Angel” until Angel took her voice away; featured a WrestleMania 26 ad to the tune of Kevin Rudolf’s “I Made It;” included Audioslave’s “Be Yourself” during a promo for John Cena vs. WWE World Champion Batista at WrestleMania; featured a video package hyping Cena vs. Batista; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding Batista and facing Vince McMahon later in the show; featured a backstage segment with Angel and Evan Bourne in which Bourne thanked Angel for getting him a Money in the Bank qualifying match against William Regal later in the show; moments later, Regal and Skip Sheffield walked in, with Regal and Sheffield eventually agreeing to take part in a trick in which Angel correctly picked that Regal picked the number 56 out of 100; after Angel guessed it right, Sheffield told Regal that Regal now owed him a Travis Tritt CD; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Batista in which he responded to Cena’s comments earlier in the show and gave his word that he would not get involved in Cena’s match with McMahon; featured the announcement Steve Austin would host the following week’s show; included a look at WWE.com and a rundown of the WrestleMania card to the tune of Audioslave’s “Be Yourself;” featured an in-ring promo by Triple H regarding the assault he sustained the previous week from Sheamus; moments later, Sheamus interrupted and challenged Triple H to a match at WrestleMania; Triple H then praised Sheamus for doing what he’s done in his first year with the WWE, then brought up his own first year in the WWE, his undefeated streak, and the fact he was crushed in his WrestleMania debut and had to fight his way back from obscurity; Triple H then said Sheamus would have to be sure that he wanted the chance, with the two men then brawling in and out of the ring; eventually the fight returned to the ring, with Triple H dropping Sheamus with the spinebuster and clearing him from ringside; included a backstage segment with Angel and Santino Marella in which Angel crushed styrofoam cups, with one of the cups having a knife sticking upright inside it and Angel having to smash the three safe cups and avoid the fourth; featured a Taker-Michaels WrestleMania commercial to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave;” included a WrestleMania recall moment focusing on Austin dropping both Brock Lesnar and Bill Goldberg with the Stunner at WrestleMania 20; featured an ad promoting “Shawn Michaels: My Journey;” included the announcement that the following week’s show would be built around WrestleMania rematches, including Triple H vs. Randy Orton, Michaels vs. World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, and Cena vs. WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show, and that the contract signing between Bret Hart and McMahon would take place for their match at WrestleMania:
Eve, Kelly Kelly, & Gail Kim defeated WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Alicia Fox, & Katie Lea at 3:03 when Maryse submitted to Eve’s armbar
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show fought John Morrison & R-Truth to a no contest in a non-title match at the 36-second mark after Morrison & Truth laid out their opponents with double team moves outside the ring; prior to the bout, Miz cut a promo on Morrison & R-Truth in which he compared them to Lex Luger & Davey Boy Smith boring the crowd to death at WrestleMania 11, then said they might get a better match out of the Buswhackers; after the contest, Morrison & Truth cut an in-ring promo in which they responded to Miz’s comments that they had no credibility as a team
Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Randy Orton in a handicap match at 11:49 when Dibiase pinned Orton with Dream Street after Orton knocked Rhodes to the floor; prior to the bout, Orton interrupted Rhodes & Dibiase’s entrance to jump both men from behind; during the match, the crowd chanted “Randy” at Orton; after the contest, Rhodes dropped Orton with Crossroads before he and Dibiase did Orton’s trademark pose above his body
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Evan Bourne pinned William Regal (w/ Skip Sheffield) at 1:28 with Air Bourne; Audioslave’s “Be Yourself” played before the match while the camera focused on the briefcase hung above the ring; Christian, alongside Heath Slater, provided guest commentary for the match
Vince McMahon pinned John Cena in a No DQ handicap gauntlet match at 11:20; Criss Angel served as the guest ring announcer for the match; following his entrance, McMahon took the mic and said he wanted to make sure Bret Hart was sitting at home watching the bout and that McMahon would pin Cena; McMahon then said the match – previously scheduled as a singles match – would now be a handicap gauntlet match; Vladimir Kozlov interfered on behalf of McMahon to start the match, with WWE IC Champion Drew McIntyre coming in at the minute mark, Jack Swagger following a minute later, Mark Henry coming in at the 6-minute mark, and WWE World Champion Batista arriving during the final moments; the No DQ stipulation was not mentioned until McMahon took the mic late in the match and added the stipulation; upon coming out late in the match, Batista laid out Henry with a spear and knocked him to the floor after Henry refused to assault Cena with the timekeeper’s bell; moments later, Kofi Kingston attempted to make the save but sustained the sit-down powerbomb; Batista then hit the spear and powerbomb on Cena as Cena attempted the FU on McMahon; the show ended with Batista standing over Cena’s body
3/15/10; San Diego, CA; Sports Arena
3/15/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Steve Austin, the show’s guest host, spoke about being back on Raw and facing Bret Hart at WrestleMania 13; Austin then said Hart was one of the best wrestlers he’d ever faced and said Vince McMahon always brought his A game; Austin, in-between drinking beers in the ring, spoke about overseeing the contract signing later in the show between Hart and McMahon for their match at WrestleMania; moments later, John Cena came out for his opening match, with Austin leaving; WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show followed moments later, passing by Austin in the aisle; included ads promoting Austin’s “Damage” on DVD March 23; featured a backstage segment with Austin and Shawn Michaels, with Austin saying he thinks Michaels could beat the Undertaker but he didn’t think he would; Michaels responded by saying everyone thought his career was over after his loss to Austin at WrestleMania 14 but he proved them wrong, then saying he would prove them wrong again at WrestleMania 26; moments later, World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho interrupted and said he would embarass Michaels later in the show before Taker retires him; Michaels then said he would send Taker a message by destroying Jericho; after Michaels left, Jericho tried to be friendly with Austin but Austin ordered him out of his office; included a video package regarding the Taker vs. Michaels match at WrestleMania, to the tune of Johnny Cash’s “Ain’t No Grave,” mixed with comments from Cena, CM Punk, Show, Triple H, MVP, Rey Mysterio Jr., and Jericho; featured the announcement Randy Orton, Ted Dibiase Jr., and Cody Rhodes would participate in a triple threat match at WrestleMania; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding his match at WrestleMania and facing Triple H later in the show, during which Orton said he takes Triple H seriously but not Rhodes and Dibiase; featured an ad promoting the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame on USA; included a video package announcing Gorgeous George would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame; featured a WrestleMania Recall segment focusing on Kane attacking Pete Rose during WrestleMania 14, followed by the announcement Rose would host the following week’s show; included the announcement Triple H & Orton would face Sheamus, Dibiase, & Rhodes the following week in a handicap match; featured a closing in-ring segment in which Hart and McMahon came out to sign their contract for WrestleMania, with Austin appearing moments later; Austin then addressed McMahon, saying when he went into the WWE Hall of Fame the previous year it was one of the proudest moments of his career; Austin then said Stu Hart was supposed to go into this year’s class but McMahon made sure it wouldn’t happen; Austin then said Stu would be part of the 2010 Hall of Fame, despite McMahon’s objection; McMahon responded by saying he didn’t mind that because all of the Hart family would be in attendance and they’re all disfunctional; Hart responded by saying it didn’t matter if both his legs were broken because he would still beat McMahon, then challenging McMahon to make the match no holds barred; McMahon quickly agreed, then saying it was another example of Bret screwing Bret; the two men then signed the contract, with Austin then telling McMahon he was looking forward to seeing McMahon take the worst ass kicking of his life; Austin then walked up the aisle, then said he had one last thing to tell Vince but would let Bret say it; McMahon then turned around to find Hart had taken off his leg cast, with Hart saying it was a ruse all along with a little help from Cena along the way; Hart then said McMahon can’t back out of the fight because he would sue him for everything he’s got; Hart then hit McMahon with the cast, knocking him over the table in the ring, then hitting him a second time across the head:
WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show pinned John Cena at 7:35 with the punch to the face after raking Cena’s eyes to avoid the FU; Cena received a mixed reaction during the bout; late in the match, WWE World Champion Batista came ringside, distracting Cena; after the contest, Batista slid in the ring and whispered something to Cena as Cena lay prone on the mat
Sheamus fought Evan Bourne to a no contest when Sheamus attacked Bourne before the bout with the mic; moments later, Sheamus dropped Bourne with the crucifix powerbomb, knocking him to the floor; Sheamus then grabbed the mic and cut a promo on growing up and looking up to Triple H as Triple H overcame Shawn Michaels, the Undertaker, the Rock, and Steve Austin; Sheamus then said he was supposed to defend his WWE World Title at WrestleMania but Triple H cost him that opportunity, then saying he would take Triple H’s throne
WWE Divas Champion Maryse pinned Kelly Kelly in a non-title match at 1:21 with the DDT; after the contest, Maryse kicked Kelly to the floor and assaulted her at ringside; moments later, Eve and Gail Kim made the save with WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool and Layla then attacking Gail and Eve; McCool eventually knocked Eve out with a kick to the head before holding up her title belt and leaving the ring; Vickie Guerrero then appeared at the entrance way and celebrated with McCool, Layla, and Maryse
Shawn Michaels defeated World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho via count-out in a non-title match at 6:23 when Jericho walked out of the ring after avoiding the superkick; immediately after the bell rang, Edge attacked Jericho from behind in the aisle, brought him into the ring, and hit the spear; moments later, Edge took the mic and said “Spear” before leaving ringside
Triple H defeated Randy Orton via disqualification at 10:02 when Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes attacked Triple H after he dropped Orton with the Pedigree; moments later, Dibiase & Rhodes double teamed Orton until Triple H made the save; moments later, Sheamus came out of the crowd and kicked Triple H in the face, with Dibiase & Rhodes then dragging Orton to the floor where Rhodes hit Crossroads; Sheamus then placed his foot on Triple H and posed
WWE World Champion Batista pinned Kofi Kingston in a non-title match at 2:53 with the spinebuster and sit-down powerbomb; the champion’s face was busted open mid-way through the bout following a kick from Kingston
3/22/10; San Jose, CA; HP Pavilion
3/22/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he said he had a feeling and it was the same feeling he had in January 1992 before he threw Marty Jannetty through the Barber Shop window and in March 1996 before he won the WWE World Title; Michaels said he felt he could do anything and said while his new DVD might make it seem as though his career is coming to an end, he had a lot more to do; Michaels continued to discuss the Undertaker, saying he would soon be known as the man that ended Taker’s WrestleMania winning streak, until the lights dimmed and a highlight package aired of Michaels’ career; moments later, the graphic on the big screen read that Michaels’ career would end at WrestleMania; as a response, Michaels called out Taker, with guest host Pete Rose then coming out on the entrance stage; Rose then said he wished Michaels the best of luck at WrestleMania and wanted him to tune up later in the show against Kane in a No DQ, no count-out match to get revenge for what Kane had done to Rose in previous WrestleManias; included a video package highlighting the John Cena vs. Batista match at Summer Slam 08; featured an ad promoting Steve Austin’s “Damage” on DVD; included a backstage segment with Triple H and Randy Orton in which they discussed their handicap tag team match later in the show; members of the San Francisco 49ers were shown in attendance; featured a video package highlighting Batista beating Cena at Elimination Chamber to win the WWE World Title; included the announcement Stu Hart would be inducted into the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame by Bret Hart and the Hart Family; featured an ad promoting the 2010 WWE Hall of Fame telecast on USA; included a video package highlighting the Cena vs. Batista match on Raw the day after Elimination Chamber; featured a graphic promoting all the WrestleMania events from Wednesday through Sunday; included an in-ring promo by Hart regarding his upcoming WrestleMania match with Vince McMahon, in which he referenced the ‘Bret screwed Bret’ line and said everyone would be chanting ‘Bret beat Vince’ the following week and that all the Harts were heading to Phoenix; Hart then said Vince had driven half his family out of the WWE while the Harts would be witness to him beating up Vince; Hart then listed his WrestleMania matches against his brother Owen, Roddy Piper, Steve Austin, Michaels, and Yokozuna and said WrestleMania 26 would be the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be; moments later, McMahon appeared at the entrance stage and said, one way or another, Hart was screwed; featured a backstage segment in which Rose wished Michaels luck in his match with Kane; included highlights from the Cena vs. McMahon match in which Batista interfered; featured the announcement Bob Ueker would be inducted into the WWE 2010 Hall of Fame by Dick Ebersol; included a backstage segment with Christian and Rose, with Rose making fun of the San Francisco Giants until he was confronted by Kane and dragged away; featured footage from Batista costing Cena his match the previous week against WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show; included an ad promoting WrestleMania Axxess; featured the announcement the cast of ‘Hot Tub Time Machine’ would host the following week’s show; included a closing segment in which WWE World Champion Batista, flanked by several security guards, came out to the ring and cut a promo saying Cena would never beat him and that he didn’t see the fans as fans but as dollar signs; Batista then called for Cena to come out for their scheduled confrontation, with Cena then appearing and saying he let the fans down by losing the title to Batista and that he’s failed to stop Batista week in and week out; Cena continued by saying he saw vulnerability in Batista’s eyes and that he can be beat and he would be the man to do it; Cena then went to leave until Batista called him out, with Cena laying in on Batista until he was pulled away by security, with Batista eventually rolling to the floor and being held back by officials as Cena was held back in the ring by security; Batista eventually left backstage as Cena stood alone in the ring to close the show:
John Morrison (w/ R-Truth) pinned WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show) at 8:31 with Starship Pain after taking Miz off the top with a sunset flip into a powerbomb; Truth and Show provided guest commentary for the match; during the contest, it was announced Truth and Show would compete Friday on Smackdown; after the match, Show shoved Truth on the floor, with Morrison hitting a baseball side on Show before leaving ringside with Truth
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Kofi Kingston pinned Vladimir Kozlov with the spin kick to the face at 2:21; Jack Swagger provided guest commentary for the match
Sheamus, Ted Dibiase Jr., & Cody Rhodes defeated Triple H & Randy Orton in a handicap match at 5:03 when Sheamus pinned Orton with a boot to the head as Orton attempted to drop Rhodes with a DDT from the middle rope; prior to the bout, Dibiase & Rhodes cut an in-ring promo in which they said they would have been superstars regardless of Orton’s help and that Orton and the fans would respect them within one week’s time; after the contest, Triple H cleared Sheamus from the ring (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Shawn Michaels pinned Kane in a No DQ, no count-out match at 5:27 with the superkick; during the bout, Michaels used both the Crippler Crossface and ankle lock; late in the bout, the lights went out in the arena; when they came back on, Taker appeared in the ring, dropped Michaels with the chokeslam, and then disappeared (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray, WWE Superstar Collection: Shawn Michaels)
WWE Divas Champion Maryse, WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, & Layla (w/ Vickie Guerrero & Alicia Fox) defeated Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim, & Eve (w/ Mickie James & Kelly Kelly) at the 57-second mark when McCool pinned Kim with a reversal into the Faith Breaker
3/29/10; Phoenix, AZ; US Airways Center
3/29/10 – featured an opening video highlighting the Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker match the previous night at WrestleMania 26; included an in-ring promo by Batista in which he said his loss at WrestleMania to John Cena was a fluke and that it would be forgotten within a month; the crowd then chanted “You tapped out,” with Batista then saying he was entitled to a rematch and said Cena couldn’t beat him; moments later, Cena interrupted, as fans briefly chanted “Cena sucks,” reminding Batista that he said Cena couldn’t beat him and that Batista tapped out; Cena then said this was a night all the fans would remember due to it being Michaels’ farewell and that he would give Batista his title rematch later in the show; Batista rejected the offer and briefly fought with Cena until Cena cleared him from the ring; moments later, Jack Swagger came out of the crowd and jumped Cena from behind with the Money in the Bank briefcase before ordering a referee out so he could caseh in the title shot; before a referee could get to the ring, Cena attempted the STFU, with Swagger immediately going to the floor and calling off the title shot before leaving ringside; included highlights from the Michaels & Marty Jannetty vs. Jacques & Raymond Rougeau match from the 7/25/88 Madison Square Garden show; a graphic read it took place 6/18/88; featured footage from Michaels throwing Jannetty through the Barber Shop window which aired 1/11/92; included footage of media appearances and WrestleMania Axxess events during the week, featuring Cena, Kofi Kingston, Hornswoggle, WWE US Champion & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin, Sgt. Slaughter, Santino Marella, John Morrison, Brie & Nikki Bella, Bret Hart, the Big Show, Chris Jericho and comments from international fans who flew in for the event; featured a backstage segment with guest hosts Rob Corddry and Clark Duke in which they talked about ditching John Cusak and Craig Robinson; moments later, Santino walked in like Cusak in ‘Say Anything;’ the two then joined Brie & Nikki Bella, Rosa Mendes, and Tiffany in a hot tub; included a segment with Triple H at the entrance stage in which he spoke about it being the end of an era and discussed meeting Michaels 16 years earlier, then saying they would take on the world and face each other; Triple H alluded to the Wolfpac and he and Shawn only having each other when that ended; Triple H then said there was something he always wanted to say to Michaels and he would do so in front of the whole world, with Sheamus then juping Triple H from behind and knocking him out with a steel pipe; featured highlights from the WrestleMania X ladder match between Michaels and WWF IC Champion Razor Ramon; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read photos from Taker vs. Michaels had already been viewed more than 10 million times on WWE.com; featured highlights from the WrestleMania 12 Ironman match between Michaels and WWF World Champion Bret Hart; included an in-ring promo by Hart in which he congratulated Michaels on his career and said he was one of the greatest wrestlers ever; Hart then talked about the entire Hart family beating up Vince McMahon the previous night, then mentioned Owen Hart, Stu, Helen, and Davey Boy Smith before revealing the T-shirt he was wearing featuring he and Owen on it; Hart then thanked the fans for their support over the past 3 months; moments later, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show interrupted, with Miz calling Hart a thief for stealing the TV time that was rightfully his; Miz then said he was 17 wins away from tying Taker’s undefeated WrestleMania streak, which drew laughter from Hart and the fans; Miz then called Hart overrated, with Miz & Show then preparing to gang up on Hart until David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, & Natalya Neidhart came out; Miz & Show then quickly left ringside, with Hart taking the mic and challenging Miz & Show on behalf of Smith & Kidd; Show rejected the challenge but Miz accepted it and eventually convinced Show to do the same; featured highlights of Michaels’ run with DX; included Corddry and Duke in the hot tub, with Tiffany and Rosa leaving after getting creeped out; moments later, Robinson appeared on a flatscreen TV and implied that they were behind the fact he didn’t make the show; Robinson then had the Bellas step out of the hot tub so Mark Henry could take their spot; Hornswoggle eventually appeared in the hot tub with the three; featured an ad promoting Michaels’ “My Journey;” included highlights from the Michaels vs. Taker match at WrestleMania 25; featured a closing in-ring segment in which Michaels came out to address the crowd; before he said anything, the Undertaker appeared at the entrance stage, tipped his hat to Michaels, and returned backstage; as Michaels began to talk, the crowd chanted “Please don’t go;” Michaels then talked about breaking into the business at 19, being in the WWE at 23, and now being 44; the crowd replied with “Thank you, Shawn;” as tears streamed down his face, Michaels thanked the audience for providing him a home when at times he had nothing else; Michaels then thanked Triple H for being his friend when no one else wanted to be around him; Michaels then mentioned the production team, the cameramen, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and Jim Ross for making him look as good as they did, then noting a guy named Adam who works at WWE Headquarters by putting together the video packages; the crowd chanted “One more match” until Michaels said he didn’t want to go back on his word to the fans or Taker by coming back to the ring, then saying he would do everything in his power to make sure that doesn’t happen; Michaels then thanked Hart, saying he drove Hart crazy back in the 90s and Hart had every right to say what he said about Michaels over the years; he then said he wanted to thank Hart for forgiving him and giving him a chance to rekindle their friendship; Michaels thanked McMahon for his patience, the opportunity, and keeping him focused when he was on a crash course; he then thanked the audience, and they replied with another chant of “Thank you, Shawn,” for letting him show off in front of them every night; the crowd chanted “HBK” before Michaels thanked Jesus for saving him and told his wife and kids that he was coming home; Michaels then finished with “The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels has left the building” before leaving the mic in the ring and walking up the ramp; Triple H came out moments later with the two hugging before Triple H held up the DX glow sticks and put them on the ground in front of them:
Christian pinned Ted Dibiase Jr. in a lumberjack match at around the 6-minute mark with the Killswitch when the lumberjacks began fighting on the floor; prior to the match, Ted Dibiase Sr., Pat Patterson, IRS, Nick Bockwinkel, and Arn Anderson came out to the ring, followed by Roddy Piper, Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, and Ricky Steamboat; Jerry Lawler then joined Piper’s group at ringside, followed by the introduction of Clark Duke & Rob Corddry from ‘Hot Tub Time Machine;’ Duke & Corddry then said WWE World Champion John Cena & a partner of his choosing would face Batista & Jack Swagger later in the show and said the following match would be a legends lumberjack match, since they go back to 1986 in their movie; Michael Cole provided sole commentary for the match; after the bout, Dibiase Sr. tended to his son in the ring until Jr. shoved him and walked off (the bout began during the commercial break)
Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, Eve, & Gail Kim defeated WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, WWE Divas Champion Maryse, Vickie Guerrero, Alicia Fox, & Layla at the 20-second mark when Eve pinned Maryse with a roll up; after the bout, Phoenix’s team chased Vickie out of the ring before successfully fighting off the rest of her team
David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Bret Hart & Natalya Neidhart) defeated WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show via count-out in a non-title impromptu match at around the 7-minute mark when Show dragged Miz out of the ring as Miz was caught in Kidd’s Sharpshooter, with Miz & Show then going backstage (the match began during the commercial break)
WWE World Champion John Cena & Randy Orton (mystery partner) defeated Batista & Jack Swagger at 8:06 when Orton pinned Swagger with the RKO; following his entrance, Swagger cut an in-ring promo on winning Money in the Bank at WrestleMania; after Cena appeared, he took the mic and said Batista would remember his partner because they’re old friends, with Orton then coming out
4/5/10; Moline, IL; I Wireless Center
4/5/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger reviewed footage of how he won the title the previous week on Smackdown! from Chris Jericho; Swagger then discussed almost seeking a title shot the previous week against WWE World Champion John Cena, saying he chose to beat someone better than Cena; moments later, Cena interrupted, congratulated Swagger on his title win, and noted Swagger said he was leaving Raw because no one on Raw could compete with him; Cena then called Swagger a weasel and challenged him to a match for later in the show, offering to put his title on the line; Swagger rejected the offer, with Randy Orton then interrupting and saying Swagger should face the man that beat him the previous week, that being Orton; WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show then came out, with Miz cutting his own promo until Raw guest host David Otunga came out to the entrance stage – with “Raw” written into his hair – said Orton would face Swagger and Cena & Batista would challenge Miz & Show for the tag team titles; after Otunga left, Orton attempted the RKO on Cena but Cena shoved him off with Orton then dropping Swagger with the RKO before staring back at Cena; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw was the #1 show on cable the previous week, beating every show on TBS, FX, MTV, History, TLC, ESPN, and TNT; featured Otunga’s vignette from NXT, followed by footage of him winning the previous week’s NXT battle royal; included a backstage segment with Otunga and his entourage in which Santino Marella interrupted, thinking Otunga had brought in the A-Team; moments later, Hornswoggle was shown messing with Otunga’s green M&Ms, with Otunga then sending his entourage to chase after Hornswoggle; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 27 coming to Atlanta April 3, 2011; included a “Don’t try this at home” PSA; featured the announcement the 2010 Draft would take place in 3 weeks during a 3-hour Raw; included a music video recapping Shawn Michaels’ farewell speech at Raw and highlights of his career to the tune of the Verve Pipe’s “Colorful;” featured an ad promoting “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology;” included the announcement David Hasselhoff would host the following week’s show:
Sheamus pinned Kofi Kingston at 2:59 with the crucifix powerbomb after twice kicking Kingston in the face; after the bout, Sheamus pulled a lead pipe out from under the ring and struck Kingston in the head with it, as he did the previous week to Triple H; moments later, Triple H was shown on the big screen walking out to the ring; following the commercial break, Sheamus cut an in-ring promo saying it took Shawn Michaels eight years to win the world title, where it took Sheamus just a few months; Sheamus then said his moment was taken away from him by Triple H; Sheamus said Michaels left so he wouldn’t have to face Sheamus, then said Triple H didn’t have one more great match in him and was too stubborn to leave with Michaels; moments later, Triple H came out to the ring, pulled a sledgehammer out from under the ring, assaulted Sheamus in the ring, destroyed one of the monitors, and then chased him into the crowd; Triple H then took the mic and said Sheamus brought a pipe to a sledgehammer fight
Eve won a 8-woman battle royal at 2:37 by last eliminating Jillian Hall; other participants included Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, Rosa Mendes, Katie Lea, Brie & Nikki Bella; WWE Divas Champion Maryse provided guest commentary for the match; all the women wore dresses for the match; stipulations stated the winner would challenge Maryse the following week; order of elimination: Mendes (0:06), a Bella (0:15), a Bella (0:22), Kim and Katie by Kelly (0:48), Kelly by Jillian (1:13), Fox by Eve (2:03)
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated WWE World Champion John Cena & Batista via count-out at 2:27 when Cena left the ring to fight with Batista, who walked out of the match during the final moments; after the bout, David Otunga appeared at the entrance stage and said Miz & Show would defend the titles again later in the show against Cena and himself
Ted Dibiase Jr. pinned Christian at 4:17 with Dream Street after ramming Christian shoulder-first into the ringpost; prior to the match, Dibiase, in possession of the Million $ belt, cut a promo in which he said his father was never there when he needed him but that he gave him the title belt to make it up to him
Randy Orton pinned World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger in a non-title match at 10:50 after avoiding the gutwrench powerbomb and hitting the RKO (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show defeated WWE World Champion John Cena & David Otunga at 5:58 when Show pinned Cena with the right hand punch, moments after Otunga refused to be tagged into the match and left the apron; during his entrance, it was noted Otunga would be interviewed the following day on “Access Hollywood;” after the bout, Batista came into the ring while the three other men went backstage and dropped Cena with the sit-down powerbomb; moments later, Batista took the mic and called for the spotlight to be put on him; Otunga, from the entrance stage, then said Batista had an announcement to make; Batista then knelt down beside Cena and said he would get his title rematch at Extreme Rules in a last man standing match
4/12/10; London, England; O2 Arena
4/12/10 – featured an opening segment in which several hooded people came out with cut outs of David Hasselhoff’s face and of him from Baywatch; moments later, the guest host drove out in KIT to the tune of the ‘Knight Rider’ theme song; Hasselhoff then addressed the crowd, saying he would hold a Baywatch babe triple threat tag team match and then said Randy Orton would challenge World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger at Extreme Rules; Hasselhoff then said the opening match would be for the WWE Divas Title; included an in-ring segment in which WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show claimed they were the greatest tag team of all time; Miz then asked the crowd who was better than them, with Bret Hart then interrupting and saying the Hart Foundation and the British Bulldogs were easily better; Miz then said Hasselhoff wasn’t the only 90s icon who was delusional; David Hart Smith, Tyson Kidd, and Natalya Neidhart then came out, with Smith challenging Miz to a singles match; Smith then said, if he won, then he and Kidd would earn a tag team title shot at Extreme Rules; Miz then accepted the challenge, despite Show’s objection, and said if he won then Bret would the following week declare Showmiz the greatest team of all time; featured a backstage segment with Batista and David Otunga in which they discussed last week’s incident with WWE World Champion John Cena, with Batista then telling Otunga to get him a cup of coffee; moments later, Hasselhoff appeared with Brie & Nikki Bella, with Otunga making fun of him until Hasselhoff announcing Otunga would face Cena later in the show; Hasselhoff then asked KIT how long it would take for Cena to beat Otunga, with KIT saying 22 seconds; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read that “WrestleMania” was the #1 searched word on Google on WrestleMania Sunday; featured an ad promoting “Hart & Soul: The Hart Family Anthology;” included an ad promoting the WWE Draft in 2 weeks; featured a backstage segment with Carlito and Vladimir Kozlov in which Carlito said the guest hosts were hurting their careers and that the cast of ‘MacGruber’ would host the following week; during the segment, Carlito said if he wasn’t drafted to Smackdown! then he would quit; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding his match with Swagger at Extreme Rules and facing Batista later in the show; featured a “Don’t try this at home” PSA; included highlights from the European tour thus far, with comments from Cena, Kingston, Kelly Kelly, Mark Henry, and Evan Bourne:
Eve pinned WWE Divas Champion Maryse to win the title at 2:00 with a roll over after blocking the French Kiss; prior to the bout, Eve briefly danced in the ring with guest host David Hasselhoff (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Unified Tag Team Champion & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ WWE Unified Tag Team Champion the Big Show) pinned David Hart Smith (w/ Tyson Kidd & Natalya Neidhart) in an impromptu match at around the 6-minute mark with the Skull Crushing Finale after Show punched Smith in the kidney behind the referee’s back; stipulations stated if Smith won then he and Kidd would challenge Miz & Show for the titles at Extreme Rules and that if Miz won then Bret Hart would have to delcare the following week that Miz & Show were the greatest team of all time (the bout began during the commercial break)
Evan Bourne pinned Carlito with Air Bourne at 3:47 after blocking a Back Stabber off the top rope
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated David Otunga (w/ Batista) in a non-title match via submission with the STFU at 3:08; Otunga used the NXT theme as his entrance music; Batista remained at the entrance stage for the duration of the bout; after the contest, Cena motioned to Batista to come in the ring to face him, with Batista stripping off his shirt and calling for the spotlight to be put on him; Batista then said he would determine when he would face Cena, with Cena then leading the crowd in a chant of “You tapped out”
Kofi Kingston defeated Sheamus via disqualification at 5:08 when Sheamus attacked Kingston with one of the ringside monitors; prior to the bout, Sheamus said he would face Triple H in a streetfight at Extreme Rules; moments later, Kingston interrupted and said he wanted payback after what Sheamus did to him the previous week and David Hasselhoff gave him the match; after the bout, Sheamus twice rammed Kingston into the ringpost and then kicked him in the face
Brie & Nikki Bella defeated Gail Kim & Kelly Kelly and Rosa Mendes & Jillian Hall at 1:56 when one of the Bellas pinned Rosa with an inside cradle after the Bellas switched places behind the back of guest referee Santino Marella; David Hasselhoff sat in a lifeguard chair for the match; the entrants came out to the ‘Baywatch’ theme song and ran in slow motion, ala the opening of the show; after the match, Santino accidentally swollowed the lifeguard whistle, with Hornswoggle then running out and hitting the frog splash to make Santino cough it up; moments later, Santino and Hornswoggle hugged
Randy Orton defeated Batista via disqualification at 11:52 when, after Orton dropped Batista with the RKO, World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger ran out and dropped Orton with the gutwrench powerbomb; moments later, WWE World Champion John Cena jumped Swagger on the floor and locked Batista in the STFU, with Batista tapping out as several referees ran out to pull Cena away
4/19/10; East Rutherford, NJ; IZOD Center
4/19/10 – featured Lilian Garcia as the guest ring announcer for the night; included an opening in-ring promo by Triple H in which he spoke of the volcano in Iceland erupting and said the entire Raw roster was stuck in Europe as a result; he then said he wouldn’t be facing Frank the audio guy in an Ironman match to take up the 2-hours and that the WWE had planned to give them the best show they could; Triple H cut a promo on facing Sheamus at Extreme Rules before he was interrupted by CM Punk, alongside Luke Gallows & Serena, who said he had two words for the crowd – “Jersey sucks;” Punk then noted he could be part of Raw the following week as a result of the draft, with he and Triple H then discussing the fact Punk would put his hair on the line against Rey Mysterio Jr. at Extreme Rules; Triple H then said it was a free country, then went to the floor to point out several fans in the front row, as well as Lilian; Punk replied by saying he wasn’t asking Triple H to join the Straight Edge Society, he was telling him; Triple H was then double teamed by Punk and Gallows, with Punk pulling out the cutting shears until Mysterio made the save; moments later, Triple H held Punk so Mysterio could cut off a chunk of his hair; featured WWE World Champion John Cena speaking from Belfast, Northern Ireland regarding being stranded with the other Raw roster in Europe and facing Batista in a last man standing match at Extreme Rules; included an in-ring segment in which Vladimir Kozlov said he had been treated unfairly and then called for Jerry Lawler to come in the ring to read Kozlov’s statement in which he protested the way he had been treated by the Raw guest hosts and that he deserves better competition; after Lawler left the ring, MacGruber (Will Forte) and Vicki St. Elmo (Kristen Wiig) came out with American flags, with St. Elmo saying Punk, Gallows, & Chris Jericho would face Triple H, Mysterio, & Edge later in the show by order of Vince McMahon; MacGruber then noted Jon Bon Jovi, Paul Blartt: Mall Cop, and Snookie and the Situation were all from New Jersey and that Kozlov was a giant pile of suck; Kozlov then challenged MacGruber to a match for later in the show but MacGruber said he already had a match, against R-Truth; MacGruber then said he rigged the entire arena to blow up should Kozlov try to run, with Truth then exploding at the entrance way and leaving behind only his shoes; Kozlov finished the segment by saying he would see MacGruber later in the show; featured a backstage segment with MacGruber and Triple H in which MacGruber was shown trying to leave the arena and Triple H pointed out that he peed his pants; MacGruber then said he didn’t pee his pants but his friend did and he offered to trade pants; MacGruber then said his friend was Kane, with Triple H then telling Kane the story until MacGruber ran off; included a promo by Randy Orton in Belfast, Northern Ireland in which he discussed his World Heavyweight Title shot against Jack Swagger at Extreme Rules; featured a sneak peak of “MacGruber,” with appearances by Jericho, MVP, Mark Henry, Kane, and the Great Khali; included a backstage segment in which Jericho told the Straight Edge Society to follow his lead and they would be fine; moments later, MacGruber and St. Elmo spoke with Jericho about being in the movie, with Jericho saying he stole the movie and had spoken with the director about a sequel with him in the lead role; MacGruber then asked Jericho for advice in his match against Kozlov, with MacGruber then hugging Jericho; featured an ad promoting the following week’s draft; included a video package hyping the last man standing match between Cena and Batista:
WWE IC Champion Drew McIntyre pinned Matt Hardy in a non-title match at 3:05 after yanking Hardy off the second turnbuckle, with Hardy landing on the back of his head
The Undertaker pinned World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger in an impromptu non-title match at 15:48 with the chokeslam and tombstone; prior to the bout, Swagger addressed Randy Orton before issuing an open challenge to anyone backstage; when no one answered the challenge, Swagger went to leave until Taker’s gong sounded, with Taker then appearing (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
MacGruber (w/ Vicki St. Elmo & Ryan Phillippe) & the Great Khali defeated Vladimir Kozlov via count-out at 1:34 when Khali stalked Kozlov backstage; the bout was originally MacGruber vs. Kozlov in a singles match but Ryan Phillippe appeared at the entrance stage as Kozlov attempted the Iron Curtain and said he pulled some strings to get MacGruber a tag team partner – his half brother, Khaluber; after the bout, MacGruber plugged Shrek 4 until Vicki whispered in his ear, with MacGruber then plugging his own movie May 21
Triple H, Edge, & Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Chris Jericho, CM Punk, & Luke Gallows (w/ Serena) at 11:02 when Triple H pinned Punk with the Pedigree after Mysterio hit the 619; during Triple H’s entrance, Sheamus interrupted on the big screen from Belfast, Northern Ireland and beat up a crew member as an example of what he planned to do to Triple H in their streetfight at Extreme Rules
4/26/10; Richmond, VA; Coliseum
4/26/10 – 3-hour 2010 WWE Draft – featured Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, & Matt Striker on commentary; included highlights of the Sheamus vs. Triple H streetfight the night before at Extreme Rules; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger regarding his win the previous night over Randy Orton; moments later, Edge interrupted and said his win over Chris Jericho in a steel cage made him next in line for a title shot; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE superstars had visited 300 military installations, hospitals, submarines, and the Pentagon in the past 6 years; included a backstage segment with Teddy Long and the Big Show in which Long said he was excited to have Show on Smackdown; featured an in-ring promo by Sheamus in which he claimed Triple H’s career was over as a result of his win the night before at Extreme Rules and said he was now after WWE World Champion John Cena; moments later, Orton interrupted, said he too had done horrible things to Triple H, but that he fought Triple H like a man to his face and not from behind; Sheamus replied by saying Orton lost his title shot, with Orton threatening to drop Sheamus with the RKO; Cena then appeared at the entrance stage and said the guest host could settle the matter; Cena then pretended to take a call from WWE informing him there was no guest host for the show, then saying he would choose the top contender by having Sheamus face Orton later in the show; after Cena went backstage; Sheamus attempted to kick Orton in the head, with Orton avoiding it and attempting to drop Sheamus with the RKO until Sheamus slid out to the floor; included a “Don’t try this at home” PSA; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read the WWE has more than 100,000 hours in its video library which powers WWE Classics on Demand; included the announcement Wayne Brady would host the following week’s show; featured a backstage segment with Dibiase and Carlito in which Carlito turned down an offer from Dibiase; after Carlito walked out, Dibiase confronted R-Truth and said he was looking for someone to watch his back and carry his bags, with Truth saying Dibiase was looking for his own Virgil; Truth said he would have to think about it, then slapped Dibiase across the face; included footage of Cena performing to the troops to the tune of Nickelback’s “Never Gonna Be Alone,” in honor of National Armed Forces Month:
Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith (w/ Bret Hart & Natalya Neidhart) defeated WWE Unified Tag Team Champions – WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & the Big Show to win the titles at 11:41 when Miz submitted to Kidd’s Sharpshooter after sustaining the springboard Hart Attack; prior to the bout, Miz cut an in-ring promo in which he complained about the Hart Dynasty beating them the previous night, then made fun of them for being part of a dynasty when they hadn’t won any championships; Miz then called for Hart to come out and live up to his agreement to call ShowMiz the greatest tag team of all time; moments later, Hart appeared at the entrance stage, said ShowMiz were the greatest tag team of all time, said the Mountie was the greatest WWE IC Champion of all time, and David Arquette was the greatest world champion of all time; Hart followed by saying talk was cheap and that the Hart Dynasty would be called tag team champions by the end of the night; after the bout, Hart, Neidhart, Kidd, & Smith celebrated in the ring; moments later, during the commercial break, Show knocked Miz out with a punch (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Michelle McCool & Layla (w/ Vickie Guerrero) (Smackdown) defeated WWE Divas Champion Eve & Maryse (Raw) at 4:31 when McCool pinned Maryse with a boot to the face after Maryse began making fun of Eve; during the bout, the crowd briefly chanted “We want Mickie;” as a result of the win, Kelly Kelly was drafted to Smackdown; moments later, Kelly appeared at the entrance stage
CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Serena) (Smackdown) pinned Evan Bourne (Raw) at 3:41 with the Go To Sleep after, as Gallows & Serena distracted the referee, a hooded man came out of the crowd and crotched Bourne on the top rope as he attempted Air Bourne; as a result of the win, the Big Show was drafted to Smackdown
Ted Dibiase Jr. & Santino Marella (Raw) co-won a 10-man battle royal at 8:52 when Dibiase eliminated Rey Mysterio Jr.; other participants included WWE IC Champion Drew McIntyre, Kane, R-Truth, and Shad Gaspard (Smackdown) and MVP, Mark Henry, and Yoshi Tatsu (Raw); order of eliminations: McIntyre by Tatsu (0:24); Tatsu by Shad via a clothesline (0:34); MVP by Mysterio (5:56); Shad & Truth by Santino (6:05); Henry by Kane (6:35); Kane by Dibiase (6:40); Mysterio by Dibiase; after the bout, Dibiase dropped Santino with Dream Street; as a result of the win, John Morrison, Truth, and Edge were drafted to Raw, with the three men then appearing at the entrance stage
Chris Jericho (Smackdown) pinned Christian (w/ Heath Slater) (Raw) at 9:58 with the Code Breaker as Christian came off the top; prior to the bout, Jericho cut an in-ring promo claiming Edge tried to break his leg at Extreme Rules and he wanted Edge fined and suspended; Jericho then said the loss also was caused by the fact he was shaken by his loss to Heath Slater on NXT and demanded Slater come out to apologize; Slater then came out to the ring, noted Jericho’s recent loses, and said he would lose again to Christian; after the bout, Jericho dropped Slater with the Code Breaker; as a result of the win, Kofi Kingston was drafted to Smackdown; moments later, Kingston appeared at the entrance stage, then ran in the ring and dropped Jericho with the spin kick to the face
World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger (Smackdown) pinned John Morrison (Raw) in a non-title match at 14:29 with the gutwrench powerbomb after attacking Morrison from behind as Morrison attempted Starship Pain; as a result of the win, Christian was drafted to Smackdown; Christian appeared at the entrance stage moments later and motioned to Swagger that he wanted the belt
Hornswoggle (Raw) defeated Dolph Ziggler (Smackdown) via count-out at the 39-second mark after Ziggler chased Hornswoggle around the ring, pushed him into the ring, and Hornswoggle then began throwing his shoes and helmet at Ziggler; after the bout, Ziggler put Hornswoggle in the sleeper; after the bout, Jerry Lawler tended to Hornswoggle in the ring; as a result of the win, Chris Jericho was drafted to Raw; moments later, Jericho, wearing a suit, appeared at the entrance stage
Batista defeated Randy Orton and Sheamus at 16:47 by pinning Orton after Edge interfered and dropped Orton with the spear after Orton hit the RKO on Sheamus; prior to the match, Batista came out and said he should be the #1 contender and that the way WWE World Champion John Cena beat him at Extreme Rules was a joke; Batista then said he wouldn’t leave the ring until WWE World Champion John Cena got in the ring with him; moments later, Sheamus interrupted and insulted Batista; Orton then came out and said he would beat Sheamus and then beat Batista; Cena then appeared at the entrance stage and said the match – orginally set for Sheamus vs. Orton – would now be a triple threat match; stipulations stated the winner would become the #1 contender to the WWE World Title
5/10/10; Pittsburgh, PA; Mellon Arena
5/10/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Randy Orton in which he said Edge never wanted to team with him, rather he saw him as a threat; moments later, Meatloaf interrupted and said he had a new CD and there was a song on there that Orton should use as his new theme song, written by Jon Bon Jovi; after the crowd briefly chanted “RKO,” Orton gave Meatloaf the go ahead and sing “Elvis in Vegas;” Orton then turned to leave until Meatloaf began singing other songs on the album; Orton eventually dropped Meatloaf with the RKO, with Edge then coming out on the entrance stage and running down Orton’s attacks on Meatloaf, Freddie Prinze Jr., Seth Green, and Wayne Brady; Edge then said he went to the WWE until they agreed that guest celebrity hosts would have no authority and that a permanent general manager was needed; Vickie Guerrero then appeared and said Orton would be repremanded for his actions and would face Edge & a partner of his choice later in the show in a handicap match; members of the Pittsburgh Steelers were shown in the crowd; included backstage footage of Edge speaking with Batista; featured the announcement Rey Mysterio Jr. would face CM Punk on Smackdown!; included a vignette on WWE Divas Champion Eve; featured footage from eaerlier in the day in the empty arena of Maryse training with a martial arts expert until she became frustrated with him and beat him up; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding his handicap match later in the show, during which Orton said he hoped Vickie would come ringside during the bout; featured comments from Buzz Aldrin regarding his hosting the commercial-free Raw the following week, during which Mark Henry hit Aldrin over the back with a steel chair; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the WWE has been making wishes come true for kids via the Make-A-Wish Foundation for more than 25 years; featured an in-ring promo by WWE World Champion John Cena in which he thanked Sheamus for giving him another week to think about what kind of match he wanted with Batista at Over the Limit; Cena then said some said his win at Extreme Rules was cheap but that he was not a coward and would prove it by not taking the easy way out in the rematch – an I Quit match – and that Cena would give up his rematch clause should he lose the title; moments later, Cena called for Sheamus to come out so he could thank him in person, with Sheamus then appearing and saying if he came out to the ring then Cena would be in no shape to face Batista; as Sheamus made his way down, Batista came out of the crowd, with the two men then quickly double teaming Cena; Batista followed by twice ramming Cena into the ringpost on the floor before rolling him in the ring so Sheamus could kick Cena in the face; Batista then attempted the sit-down powerbomb in the ring until Mark Henry made the save, assaulted Batista, and kicked him to the floor; included a backstage segment with Edge and Vickie in which Edge said he found a tag team partner and that the reason he said the hurtful things to Vickie the last time they were on Raw together was to get the fans behind her, but they turned their backs on her just like they did him; Edge then asked Vickie to be ringside and eventually talked her into it; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 on DVD and Blu-ray; included a look at Flavor Flav’s Nite Tales; featured Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding his upcoming match with Henry and facing Cena in an I Quit match at Over the Edge; included an ad promoting WWE Classics on Demand; featured a backstage segment with Flav talking with Brie & Nikki Bella about his new show, with Vladimir Kozlov and Santino Marella interrupting and Marella saying he wanted to be Kozlov’s tag team partner; William Regal then walked in and told Kozlov not to pay Marella any attention and that anyone could rap as good as Flav, then did his own freestyle with Flav making fun of it and walking out; included the announcement Cena would face Sheamus the following week:
Chris Jericho pinned WWE Unified Tag Team Champion David Hart Smith (w/ Natalya Neidhart) at 3:08 with a rake to the eye and the Code Breaker; stipulations stated Jericho & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin would challenge Smith & WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Tyson Kidd at Over the Limit if Jericho won; after the bout, the Miz was shown watching on backstage
R-Truth (w/ Flavor Flav) defeated William Regal via disqualification at the 28-second mark when Carlito & Primo Colon attacked and double teamed Truth in the ring, with Carlito finishing by hitting the Back Stabber; prior to the bout, Truth came out with guest host Flavor Flav, who took the mic and spoke about his new show; after the bout, Flav briefly joined the commentary team before tending to Truth in the ring; after the contest, Ted Dibiase Jr. appeared at the entrance stage, shook the hands of the Colons, and gave them each an envelope
Evan Bourne pinned Zack Ryder at 2:07 with Air Bourne after Gail Kim prevented Alicia Fox from pulling Bourne off the top rope; prior to the bout, Ryder took the mic and thanked Fox and Gail for coming out ringside again and said the last moment in the arena before “they blow it up” was him getting his first win on Raw; after the contest, Bourne left ringside with Gail
WWE Unified Tag Team Champion Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) pinned WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in a non-title match at the 42-second mark with a roll over; stipulations stated Miz would defend his title against one of the Hart family the following week; after the contest, Miz took the mic and said he would decide which person he would defend his title against and said it wouldn’t be Kidd or Smith; Miz then said Natalya wanted him in the ring but it wouldn’t be her either, but rather Bret Hart
Daniel Bryan, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Darren Young, David Otunga, Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, & Justin Gabriel defeated John Morrison, Goldust, Yoshi Tatsu, & Santino Marella in a handicap match at 3:36 when Bryan pinned Marella with an inside cradle; all of Morrison’s team came out wearing his sunglasses; after the match, Sheffield and Young hoisted Bryan on their shoulders in victory
Batista fought Mark Henry to a no contest when he jumped Henry as he entered the ring and then assaulted him with a steel chair Batista had been sitting in before Henry’s entrance; prior to the match, it was noted WWE World Champion John Cena and Sheamus were banned from ringside for the bout; after the match, Batista repeatedly hit Henry with the chair before putting him in a modified crossface; two referees tried to pull Batista away but he only broke the hold after choking Henry unconscious; moments later, Batista left the ring as a trainer tended to Henry
Randy Orton defeated Edge (w/ Vickie Guerrero) & Ted Dibiase Jr. (mystery partner) in a handicap match at 4:55 by pinning Dibiase with the RKO after R-Truth appeared at the entrance stage, briefly distracting Dibiase; after the match, Orton stalked Vickie on the floor until she screamed that she resigned, with Orton then dropping Edge with an RKO on the floor and Vickie running backstage
5/17/10; Toronto, Ontario; Air Canada Centre
5/17/10 – commercial free episode; featured an opening in-ring promo by Bret Hart, wearing a Toronto Blue Jays jersey with ‘Hitman’ on the back, in which he discussed his match later in the night against WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin; Hart then said he wasn’t going to wrestle as he didn’t want to be remembered as someone who stuck around too long; Chris Jericho then interrupted, questioning why Hart came back to the WWE in the first place and said Hart deserved to have been screwed in Montreal; Hart responded by saying he remembered when Jericho was just a kid training with his dad Stu and brother Keith; Jericho said he was better than Hart ever was, and said he was now the best there is, the best there was, and the best there ever will be and Hart knew it; the crowd responded with a chant of “We want Bret” before Jericho said Hart’s legacy hinjed on whether or not he faced Miz later in the show and that Stu would be ashamed of him; as Jericho went to leave the ring, Hart said he would take Miz on; Jericho said he knew Hart would get himself disqualified and goaded Hart into accepting a No DQ stipulation, with Hart accepting and saying he would have the US title by the end of the night; included a GEICO parody promoting WWEshop.com, featuring the Great Khali & Runjin Singh; featured a backstage segment in which Maryse complained about Trish Stratus to the makeup artist; moments later, Maryse began insulting WWE Divas Champion Eve, with Eve then coming up behind her and assaulting her until referees pulled her away; included a backstage segment with Buzz Aldrin, his wife, and Vickie Guerrero in which Aldrin reminded Vickie that she had resigned, during which he accidentally said WWF, and that her replacement would be named the following week; Aldrin then had Brie & Nikki Bella escort Vickie away; featured footage of Sheamus beating WWE World Champion John Cena in a tables match at TLC; included a Mastercard parody making fun of R-Truth slapping Ted Dibiase Jr.; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 26 on DVD; included a Dos Equis parody with Santino Marella as “the most entertaining man in the world;” featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding his match with Sheamus later in the show and facing Batista in an I Quit match at Over the Limit; included the announcement Jon Lovitz would host the following week’s show; featured a GEICO parody promoting WWEshop.com, featuring Goldust:
Edge pinned Christian at 12:09 in an impromptu match with the spear after avoiding the Killswitch and ramming Christian shoulder-first into the ringpost; prior to the bout, Edge cut an in-ring promo on his match at Over the Limit against Randy Orton; moments later, he was interrupted by Christian’s entrance; after the match, Orton appeared on the big screen and said he didn’t know why Christian was out there because that wasn’t the opponent Orton had picked for him; the Undertaker’s music then sounded, with Taker then coming out to the ring (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge)
The Undertaker (mystery opponent picked by Randy Orton) defeated Edge via count-out at the 39-second mark when Edge stood on the ring apron and then dropped to the floor rather than take the match; immediately after the bout, Christian threw Edge into the ring where Taker dropped him with the chokeslam
Batista fought Mark Henry to a no contest when he attacked Henry in the aisle before the match with a 2×4; Henry’s shoulder was heavily taped as a result of the attack he sustained from Batista the previous week; after the contest, Batista ran Henry into the ring steps; moments later, Batista climbed in the ring and had the spotlight put on him
Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Virgil) pinned Yoshi Tatsu at 3:10 with Dream Street after avoiding a kick to the head; prior to the match, it was announced Dibiase would face R-Truth at Over the Limit; during the bout, there was a brief chant of “Virgil;” after the contest, Dibiase cut an in-ring promo saying Virgil would be in his corner when he beat Truth at Over the Limit (Virgil’s first appearance in 16 years)
Bret Hart defeated WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin to win the title in a No DQ match at 3:55 via submission with the Sharpshooter after WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd hit the Hart Attack; prior to the bout, Miz was shown talking backstage with Jericho; moments later, he took a mic from Josh Matthews and cut his own promo on Hart as he made his way out to the ring, saying he would humiliate and embarass Hart and make him submit to the Sharpshooter; during his entrance, Hart gave his sunglasses to a ringside fan; early in the match, Miz took the mic and said he found some men to counter Smith & Kidd, knowing they would come out; William Regal & Vladimir Kozlov then came ringside, with Smith & Kidd then coming out of the crowd and the four men brawling backstage; moments later, Chris Jericho came out of the crowd, drawing Natalya Neidhart to come out; Smith & Kidd soon returned to the ring; after the match, Hart & the Hart Dynasty celebrated in the ring (Over the Limit 2010)
Maryse, WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool, & WWE Women’s Champion Layla defeated WWE Divas Champion Eve, Brie & Nikki Bella at 3:31 when Maryse pinned Nikki with the French Kiss; prior to the match, it was announced Maryse would challenge Eve at Over the Limit; after the bout, the referee held Maryse back and Brie held Eve back as the two tried to get at one another
Randy Orton defeated World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger (mystery opponent picked by Edge) via disqualification in a non-title match at 7:20 when Edge interfered; stars of the new USA Network show “Covert Affairs” were shown in attendance before the bout; after the match, Orton dropped Swagger with the RKO but then suffered the spear from Edge
Evan Bourne & Gail Kim (w/ Buzz Aldrin) defeated Zack Ryder & Alicia Fox in an impromptu match at 3:25 when Kim pinned Fox with Eat Defeat; prior to the match, Aldrin cut an in-ring promo which was interrupted by Ryder, alongside Fox, who made fun of Canada and claimed the moon landing was a fake; Aldrin then showed footage of him punching out the last guy that said it was fake; Aldrin then said he would be in the corner of Bourne & Kim as they faced Ryder & Fox; after the bout, Aldrin celebrated with Bourne & Kim in the ring and did a moonwalk
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Sheamus via disqualification in a non-title match at 9:19 when, after hitting a FU to the floor, Cena was attacked from behind by Batista; Batista then hit three spinebusters and followed with a modified bow and arrow submission hold as the show went off the air
5/24/10; Toledo, OH; Huntington Center
5/24/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Batista, his arm in a sling, was escorted out by referees and helped into the ring; Batista then sat in a wheelchair in the ring and called for the spotlight to be put on him; he then cut a promo saying he quit at Over the Limit because his life was being threatened and that he would be out for weeks, months, or even years but would return to get WWE World Champion John Cena back into the ring; moments later, Justin Roberts interrupted to announce WWE US Champion Bret Hart was the new general manager of Raw, with Hart then coming out to the ring; Hart then said Batista could get his rematch with Cena by beating Randy Orton to qualify for a title shot at Fatal 4 Way; Batista replied by saying he would quit the company and industry rather than wrestling while hurt, with Hart then saying Orton won via forfeit; after Hart left ringside, Batista then turned his attention to the crowd, saying the WWE was nothing without him and repeatedly threatened to quit before yelling “I quit” into the mic; Batista yelled at the crowd before having the referees wheel him backstage; included an ad promoting WWE Classics On Demand; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was the #1 entertainment show on TV; included a backstage segment with Maryse and guest host Jon Lovitz in which the two argued before Lovitz told her off; featured a backstage segment with Hart, Chris Jericho, and Edge in which Edge and Jericho argued over who should get the final spot in the WWE Title match at Fatal 4 Way; Hart then said Edge, Jericho, and Cena would battle later in the show and if either Jericho or Edge won then they would get in the match; Hart followed by saying if neither man won then he would find someone else; included an ad promoting the Undertaker returning to Smackdown on Friday; featured the announcement Hart had vacated the WWE US Title he won last week; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding his win over Batista at Over the Limit, the attack on him by Sheamus, and other potential challengers; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which noted the WWE’s numerous awards for their support of the US troops, including the “USO’s Legacy of Hope,” “Corporate Patriot,” and “Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award;” included an in-ring segment in which Lovitz, escorted to the ring by Brie & Nikki Bella, hosted a talent show; the Great Khali & Runjin Singh performed “Putting on the Ritz” and Jillian Hall got the buzzer before she could do anything; Lovitz then turned to the crowd and picked a man by the name of Joe in the front row; Joe said he could pull his eyeball out of his face, and then did so proving it was a fake eye; Ted Dibiase Jr. & Virgil then interrupted with Dibiase offering to buy the eye; moments later, Santino Marella came out and knocked out Virgil with a move he learned from Lovitz, with Dibiase then dropping Santino with Dream Street; featured an ad promoting WWE’s Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, and Wade Barrett regarding who they wanted eliminated next on NXT; featured Michael Cole announcing that he would call for Daniel Bryan to apologize to him in the ring on NXT or he would sue him for the previous week’s altercation; included a backstage segment with Edge and Jericho regarding their match later in the show with Cena; featured the announcement Ashton Kutcher would host the following week:
Fatal 4 Way Qualifying Match: Sheamus pinned Mark Henry at 4:04 with a boot to the face after Henry’s injured shoulder went out as he attempted to slam Sheamus off the top
Maryse & Alicia Fox defeated WWE Divas Champion Eve & Gail Kim at 2:04 when Maryse pinned Eve with the French Kiss after Fox kicked Eve in the face behind the referee’s back
R-Truth pinned Mike Mizanin at 10:05 with the Lie Detector; stipulations stated the winner would be the new WWE US Champion; during his entrance, Miz cut a promo while walking out to the ring saying he would take back the title that never should have been taken from him (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) defeated Vladimir Kozlov & William Regal in a non-title match at 1:20 when Kidd pinned Regal following the Hart Attack after Smith avoided the knee to the head; after the match, two men and a woman attacked the Hart Dynasty and hit a triple splash off the top onto the three members
Fatal 4 Way Qualifying Match: Edge defeated WWE World Champion John Cena and Chris Jericho in a non-title match at 10:23 by pinning Jericho with the spear after Jericho dropped Cena with the Codebreaker; stipulations stated Edge or Jericho would earn a spot into the WWE World Title match at Fatal 4 Way if they won; after the match, Sheamus came out on the ramp and stared back at Edge, on the floor, and Cena, in the ring; moments later, Randy Orton appeared at the entrance stage as the show came to a close
5/31/10; Austin, TX; Frank Erwin Center
5/31/10 – Memorial Day – featured an opening segment in which Edge, already in the ring, attacked Evan Bourne; moments later, Bourne fought back with a series of kicks but missed Air Bourne and sustained the spear; Edge then took the mic and said Bourne was an example of what he would do to his opponents at Fatal 4 Way – WWE World Champion John Cena, Sheamus, and Randy Orton – and that he would be a 10-time WWE World Champion after the match; Orton then came out, with Edge saying he knew he wasn’t 100% after Over the Limit and that he would hurt him at Fatal 4 Way; Orton responded by dropping Edge with the RKO; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE superstars had visited 300 military installations, hospitals, submarines, and the Pentagon in the past 6 years; featured a backstage segment with guest host Ashton Kutcher and WWE Divas Champion Eve in which Kutcher complained about Zack Ryder insulting him via Twitter, with Kutcher then saying he would put a hit out on Ryder; moments later, Mike Mizanin walked in with Kutcher saying he spoke with Bret Hart and they arranged for the Miz to face Daniel Bryan later in the show; included a backstage segment with Hart, Ryder, and Alicia Fox in which Ryder said Hart was in on Kutcher putting a hit on him; moments later, Natalya Neidhart, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd walked in with Hart saying the team that attacked them the previous week were the Usos who he hired to Raw; Hart then said he couldn’t show them any favortism so they would have to do something if they wanted payback; featured an ad promoting WWE’s Best Pay-Per-View Matches 2009-2010; included a video package dedicating the episode to the American Armed Forces; featured an in-ring segment with Hart in which he said he had met with Teddy Long and all the Raw and Smackdown stars would be on hand for the following week’s 3-hour episode; Hart then solicited ideas from the fans and wrestlers about what to do for the following week’s program; moments later, Ted Dibiase Jr. & Virgil came out with Dibiase saying they should give him full control of the show and offered to buy him off; Kutcher then appeared on the big screen and said the fans should pick the matches and stipulations for the next week’s show, with Hart agreeing and making it official; Vince McMahon then appeared and said Hart looked 10 years older since WrestleMania, with Hart noting he hit McMahon 18 times with a chair at Mania; McMahon continued by saying Hart would have to make some hard decisions at some point and that they won’t always be popular; McMahon then wished Hart luck in the role and hoped his story would have a happy ending; included a backstage segment in which Ryder, with Fox, questioned Orton as to if he was the one Kutcher had take him out; after Orton replied that he would have already taken Ryder out if that was the case, Edge attacked Orton from behind, further injuring his shoulder; featured an in-ring promo by Jay & Jimmy Uso and Tamina, during which the Usos said they were related to the Wild Samoans and Tamina was the daughter of Jimmy Snuka; the three then said the WWE Universe respected the Harts but not their own legendary wrestling family; Natalya, Smith, & Kidd ran out and attempted to hit the Hart Attack but were all laid out by the Usos & Tamina; moments later, the Harts sustained triple splashes off the top; included an in-ring segment with Ryder, alongside Fox, in which he demanded to know who Kutcher is going to have to try to put him out; Kutcher then appeared on the big screen and said he would tell Ryder, with Jerry Lawler then getting in the ring with a chair; after Kutcher said it wasn’t Lawler, the Great Khali came out with Kutcher then saying it wasn’t him either; Goldust soon followed, with Kutcher saying it wasn’t him either; Fox then took the mic and said she was tired of the joke, then dropped the mic; as Ryder went to pick it up, Fox dropped him with an axe kick before Kutcher insulted Ryder on the big screen; featured a backstage segment with Sheamus and Edge in which they talked about hurting Cena like Edge hurt Orton earlier in the show; included a WWE Classics On Demand ‘This Week in History’ segment focusing on the career of the Junkyard Dog and noting his passing on this week in 1998:
WWE US Champion R-Truth pinned Chris Jericho in a non-title match at 9:48 with a cradle as Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho
Santino Marella & WWE Divas Champion Eve defeated William Regal (w/ Vladimir Kozlov) & Maryse at 2:31 when Marella pinned Regal after Kozlov came in the ring and dropped Regal with the Iron Curtain behind the referee’s back; prior to the bout, Marella took the mic and again asked Kozlov to be his tag team partner, then said Eve had agreed to make love to Kozlov if he said yes; Eve then quickly corrected Marella, with Marella saying she would love for them to be a tag team; after the match, Kozlov immediately left ringside
Daniel Bryan pinned Mike Mizanin with a crucifix at 2:07; after the bout, Miz knocked Bryan to the floor and held him so he could apologize to Michael Cole; moments later, Bryan knocked Miz into the announce table and Cole
WWE World Champion John Cena & Evan Bourne (sub. for Randy Orton) defeated Edge & Sheamus at 11:19 when Bourne pinned Sheamus with Air Bourne after Cena dropped Sheamus with the FU and sent Edge to the floor; prior to the bout, Cena came out on the entrance stage and said Orton was too injured to compete but there were a lot of guys backstage who hated Edge & Sheamus so it was easy to find a new partner; Cena then introduced Bourne, noting he had payback to give for what happened earlier in the show (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
6/7/10; Miami, FL; American Airlines Arena
6/7/10 – 3-hour Viewer’s Choice episode – featured an opening in-ring segment with Bret Hart & Teddy Long in which they said the fans could vote on the matches and stipulations throughout the show and that the participants in the WWE World Championship match at Fatal 4 Way would see action and the fans would pick the opponents; moments later, Randy Orton walked out with his arm in a sling saying he wanted a match despite his injury; Edge then appeared saying Orton should get a match with him and Hart followed by saying the fans would decide; Long then said the fans would choose whether the two would face off in a debate, sit up contest, or a match with Edge’s arm tied behind his back; the audience chose the third option, with Long then saying the opening match would be Chris Jericho vs. the Big Show in either an over the top rope challenge, submission match, or body slam challenge; included a backstage promo by John & Jey Uso with Tamina, Trent Barretta & Caylen Croft, and the Great Khali & Hornswoggle in which they said they should be the ones to face WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd later in the show; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has more than 100,000 hours in its video library which powers WWE Classics On Demand; included a segment where Bradley Cooper, one of the guest hosts, came out on the entrance stage, talked about the upcoming A-Team movie, and said the fans should have a great night; featured a backstage segment where Lawler was approached by Quinton Jackson and Sharlto Copley, with him telling them he needed the A-Team’s help in finding his missing crown; moments later, Jackson & Copley came into the hallway and were approached by Brie & Nikki Bella, with Jackson & Copley staying in character as members of the A-Team; included a backstage segment with Sheamus and Kane in which Kane questioned whether Sheamus was behind the Undertaker’s injury; featured a vignette on Wade Barrett; included Savannah conducting a backstage interview with Barrett regarding his win in NXT, with Barrett saying she should interview him the next week after he accomplishes something never before done in the WWE; featured a backstage segment with Ted Dibiase Jr. & Virgil, with Jackson & Copley coming in and accusing Dibiase of stealing Lawler’s crown; moments later, IRS walked in wearing Lawler’s crown, saying Lawler didn’t pay back taxes on the crown; IRS, Dibiase, and Virgil then escaped after using gas and putting on gas masks; included an ad promoting WWE Classics On Demand; featured a backstage segment with Hart and Edge in which Edge complained about facing Orton later in the show; moments later, Kane confronted Hart as to whether he was responsible for Taker’s injuries; included an ad promoting The Undertaker’s Deadliest Matches; featured an ad promoting season 2 of NXT; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw was the #1 show on cable the previous week; featured a backstage segment with WWE World Champion John Cena and Evan Bourne in which the two thanked each other for their tag team match the previous week; moments later, Savannah conducted an interview with Cena regarding his match later in the night against either World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger, CM Punk, or Rey Mysterio Jr.; included a backstage segment with Copley, still in character, and Gene Okerlund in which Okerlund said Copley should try to outshine the original A-Team and made fun of the guy WWE got to replace him, with Josh Matthews then appearing; featured a backstage segment with Jackson tied up beside Dibiase, IRS, and Virgil; included an in-ring segment with Dibiase, Virgil, & IRS, with Jackson against the ropes, in which Dibiase said he too had a price and said he grabbed Jackson for a reason; Roddy Piper then came out, talking about facing Mr. T at the first WrestleMania, and noting Jackson was the new Mr. T; as Piper prepared to beat up Jackson, Dusty Rhodes, Okerlund, & Copley drove ringside; Jackson then broke away from Dibiase, Virgil, & IRS, tore off his shirt, and dropped Virgil with a chokeslam; Okerlund then interviewed Copley and Rhodes in the ring on how they helped make the save; featured the announcement Mark Feurerstien of USA’s Royal Pains would host the following week’s show; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Mysterio, Swagger, and Punk, alongside Serena & Luke Gallows, regarding possibly facing Cena later in the show:
The Big Show defeated Chris Jericho in a body slam challenge at 2:52; prior to the bout, Matt Striker, at ringside, announced the results of the stipulation poll: over the top rope challenge: 11%; submission match: 41%; body slam challenge: 48%; after the match, Show locked Jericho in the Camel Clutch, with Jericho then submitting and Show being announced as the winner via submission; moments later, Show tossed Jericho over the top to the floor
WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) defeated the Great Khali & Hornswoggle in a non-title match at 1:18 when Kidd pinned Hornswoggle after avoiding the frog splash; prior to the bout, Striker revealed the results of the poll to determine the champions’ opponents: John & Jay Uso: 36%; Trent Barretta & Caylen Croft: 10%; Khali & Hornswoggle: 54%; after the contest, the Usos & Tamina ran out and brawled with Natalya & the champions until the champions knocked them out of the ring; moments later, Jerry Lawler left the broadcast table after saying something was wrong
Vladimir Kozlov defeated Santino Marella in a dance off; prior to the bout, Striker announced the results of the stipulation poll: match: 9%; arm wrestling contest: 7%; dance off: 84%; after the bout, the two shook hands with Kozlov then spinning Marella; Marella then jumped at Kozlov, telling him to catch him, with Kozlov landing a headbutt and leaving the ring
Maryse won a 12-diva battle royal at 3:55 by last eliminating Jillian Hall; order of elimination: Rosa Mendes by Brie & Nikki Bella via a catapult (0:27); Tiffany by WWE Women’s Champion Layla via knocking her over the top rope as Tiffany punched WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool in the corner (0:44); Kelly Kelly by McCool via being knocked off the apron (1:25); Gail Kim and Alicia Fox eliminated each other (1:51); the Bellas by McCool & Layla via being knocked off the apron (2:01); McCool & Layla by Eve when Eve threw Layla into McCool (2:36); Eve by Maryse & Jillian (3:34); Jillian by Maryse; prior to the bout, Jerry Lawler revealed the results of the stipulation poll: 6 on 6 tag team match: 11%; battle royal: 73%; champion (Eve) vs. champion (Layla): 16%; during the match, it was announced Gail would face Alicia on WWE Superstars
Kane defeated Sheamus via count-out at 7:27 when Sheamus opted not to get back into the ring after sustaining the chokeslam and rolling out to the floor; prior to the bout, Striker revealed the results of the poll to determine Sheamus’s opponent: Kane: 88%; Mark Henry: 3%; Evan Bourne: 9%
Mike Mizanin & Zack Ryder defeated WWE US Champion R-Truth & John Morrison at 3:21 when Miz pinned Morrison with the Skull Crushing Finale after Morrison missed a charge in the corner; prior to the bout, Striker revealed the results of the poll to determine Truth and Miz’s tag team partners; Truth’s partner – Christian: 29%; MVP: 17%; Morrison: 54%; moments later, Miz came out and made fun of the fans’ picks thus far in the night, said it didn’t matter who his tag team partner was because he would win, and that he would take back the US title; Miz’s partner: Dolph Ziggler: 38%; William Regal: 17%; Ryder: 45%
Randy Orton defeated Edge via disqualification at 1:35 when Edge repeatedly stomped Orton in the corner; stipulations for the bout stated Edge had to wrestle the match with one arm tied behind his back since Orton had one of his arms in a sling; late in the bout, Edge’s arm came free and he refused to have it tied back; after the match, Edge attempted the spear but Orton kicked him in the face and sent him to the floor; Edge folowed by twice hitting Orton in his injured shoulder with a steel chair
Matt Hardy pinned Drew McIntyre at 1:27 with the Twist of Fate; following McIntyre’s entrance, Teddy Long appeared on the big screen and said Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, and a mystery opponent – shown only in shadow – would be options for McIntyre’s opponent; the shadowed figure was shown doing a Hardy pose; following the commercial break, Matt Striker revealed the results of the poll: Tatsu: 4%; Goldust: 8%; and the mystery man with 88%; moments later, Hardy revealed himself and shook Long’s hand before walking out to the ring; after Hardy’s appearance, McIntyre took the mic and said the match wasn’t happening because Hardy was suspended; Long then came out and said Hardy was suspended from Smackdown, not Raw, and that the match would take place; after the contest, Hardy continued to assault McIntyre and shoved down the referee before pulling out some of McIntyre’s hair as McIntyre fled the ring
WWE World Champion John Cena fought CM Punk (w/ Luke Gallows & Serena) to a no contest in a non-title match at around the 10-minute mark; prior to the bout, Matt Striker revealed the results of the poll to determine Cena’s opponent: World Heavyweight Champion Jack Swagger: 23%; Rey Mysterio Jr.: 32%; Punk: 45%; late in the bout, Wade Barrett, wearing an armband with “N” on it, walked on the entrance stage; moments later, Daniel Bryan, Skip Sheffield, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, & David Otunga, each wearing the same armband, came out of the crowd, assaulted Gallows, Punk, and Cena; moments later, they attacked Striker at ringside, Jerry Lawler, Justin Roberts, and several of the ringside attendents; after they partially destroyed the ringside area, including tipping over the commentary table and unhinging the bottom rope, all of them beat down on Cena, with several hitting their finishing moves and Bryan spitting in Cena’s face; minutes later, the eight walked backstage together as Cena was tended to in the ring and eventually put on a backboard and taken out on a stretcher; Cena gave a thumbs up as he was taken backstage
6/14/10; Charlotte, NC; Time Warner Cable Arena
6/14/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Wade Barrett in which he said Bret Hart asked him to come out and apologize after the previous week’s attack on WWE World Champion John Cena; moments later, Barrett had the other NXT rookies come out, with all of them but Daniel Bryan coming through the crowd and joining Barrett in the ring; after they got in the ring, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, and other ringside attendants walked out; Barrett then went to all the rookies, with Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, and David Otunga saying they would refuse to apologize; Barrett said the rookies were treated like dirt and like animals; eventually, Hart interrupted and said 8-on-1 didn’t make them tough; Barrett cut him off by bringing up Bryan, saying Bryan felt remorse about the situation and that’s why you won’t see him again; Otunga said he and the other rookies wanted their own locker rooms, first class travel, and guaranteed contracts and if they didn’t get them then there would be more attacks; Hart turned them down, saying he wouldn’t sign any of them and that Barrett cost himself the title shot because of last week’s attack; Hart then fired Barrett and threatened to get the police on them if they didn’t get out of the arena; during the commercial break, Cole & Lawler returned to the commentary table; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Randy Orton regarding the status of his injured shoulder, facing Sheamus later in the show, and his thoughts on the NXT rookies’ attack; featured footage of the Big Show filming an episode with Mark Feuerstein of Royal Pains; featured a backstage segment with guest host Feuerstein, Brie & Nikki Bella discussing Show’s upcoming appearance; moments later, Ted Dibiase Jr. & Virgil walked in with Dibiase offering Feuerstein a new car if he would make him co-guest host; seeing Show standing behind Dibiase & Virgil, Feuerstein made fun of Dibiase; Show then suggested he team with Feuerstein to take on Dibiase & Virgil later in the show; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com received 10 million page views during Viewer’s Choice Raw the previous week; featured an in-ring promo by Cena regarding the attack on him the previous week, during which he said he noted the NXT rookies had been fired but his situation with them was not over and he would promise not to press charges; moments later, Gabriel, Tarver, and Sheffield came out of the crowd, with Lawler, R-Truth, William Regal, Santino Marella, and Evan Bourne coming out to the ring; a brawl then errupted with the rookies, Mark Henry, Randy Orton, Edge, and Sheamus; eventually the WWE pros gained the advantage and chased the rookies backstage and out of the arena; included an ad promoting The Undertaker’s Deadliest Matches; featured Mathews conducting a backstage interview with Sheamus regarding his involvement in the brawl against the rookies, with Sheamus saying he would be the one to take out Cena and not them; included the announcement WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin would defend against Truth at Fatal 4 Way; featured a WWE Classics On Demand ‘This Week in History’ segment focusing on the 6/20/81 Philadelphia Spectrum bout in which Don Muraco won the WWF IC Title from Pedro Morales; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Viewer’s Choice Raw gave WWE.com more visits than MLB.com, NFL.com, Apple.com, NBA.com, MTV.com, and Disney.com:
Mike Mizanin defeated WWE US Champion R-Truth, John Morrison, and Zack Ryder at 9:04 when Miz pinned Truth when, after Morrison hit Starship Pain on Truth, Miz attacked Morrison from behind, threw him to the floor, and made the cover; moments before the finish, Ryder hit the Rough Ryder on Truth but was knocked to the floor by Morrison
Evan Bourne defeated Chris Jericho via disqualification at 2:49 when Jericho repeatedly kicked Bourne in the ropes and pulled his fist back as though he would punch the referee; prior to the bout, it was announced about 500,000 votes were cast the previous week as part of Viewer’s Choice Raw; during the match, Bourne kicked out of the Code Breaker; after the contest, Jericho attacked Bourne until Bourne fought back and hit Air Bourne (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Divas Champion Eve & Gail Kim defeated Maryse & Alicia Fox at 2:32 when Eve pinned Alicia with a neckbreaker after Alicia accidentally kicked Maryse off the ring apron; prior to the bout, it was announced Eve, Gail, Maryse, and Alicia would battle in a four-way match at Fatal 4 Way
The Big Show & Mark Feuerstein defeated Ted Dibaise Jr. & Virgil at 3:55 when Feuerstein pinned Virgil with a Worm and elbow drop after Show dropped Virgil with the chokeslam; after the bout, Dibiase stuffed a dollar bill in Virgil’s mouth before taking it back and leaving ringside
Santino Marella pinned William Regal at 1:20 with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage; prior to the bout, Vladimir Kozlov was announced as the guest referee for the match; after the contest, Bret Hart appeared, told the three to join him on stage as the rest of the roster – WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd, Goldust, the Great Khali, Jey & Jimmy Uso, Evan Bourne, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, John Morrison, R-Truth, Zack Ryder, Yoshi Tatsu, Primo Colon, Ted Dibiase Jr., and Mark Henry – came out; Hart then said he wouldn’t let history repeat itself before the show went to commercial break
Edge & Sheamus fought WWE World Champion John Cena & Randy Orton to a no contest at around the 18-minute mark when the lights in the arena went out; moments later, the NXT rookies were shown backstage kidnapping Bret Hart, putting him in a limo, and the limo smashing itself into nearby cars; the Raw roster stood on the entrance stage for the match to prevent interference from the NXT rookies; after the bout, the NXT wrestlers took Hart out of the limo as Wade Barrett told him he wanted an answer from Hart by Sunday
6/28/10; Philadelphia, PA; Wachovia Center
6/28/10 – featured an opening statement that the NXT season 1 rookies would be called Nexus and that Vince McMahon’s condition was being kept private; included an in-ring promo by WWE World Champion Sheamus in which he said he would beaten John Cena the previous week with or without interference from Nexus; Sheamus then noted, due to the previous week’s match, Cena was no longer the #1 contender and that he would have to get in the back of the line; moments later, Cena appeared, and then asked for Sheamus’s help – noting Nexus targetted Cena and they would soon target Sheamus since he was the WWE World Champion; Cena then called out Nexus, with the Raw GM sending an e-mail saying he would take action against Nexus the following week and would allow Wade Barrett to speak with WWE officials later in the show; Michael Cole, reading the e-mail, then said any member of Nexus would be fired for physical contact and any WWE superstar initiating contact would be suspended; Cena replied by saying Sheamus should kick off Raw with a title match, with Cole then saying – per the GM – Sheamus would face Mark Henry later in the show; Cena then gave Cole his e-mail address for the GM to address him personally; moments later, Cole mentioned the upcoming Money in the Bank ladder match and that the eight men participating would be revealed later in the show; Sheamus then left the ring, with a steel cage then lowering over the ring as Cole announced Sheamus would defend against Cena at Money in the Bank in a cage match; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read 100 million video clips had already been watched on YouTube.com/WWE; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with R-Truth regarding what he thought should be done to Nexus, with Truth saying it would be too easy to fire them and that they should be left in the WWE “zoo;” included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with the Great Khali & Runjin Singh regarding what should be done to Nexus, with Singh then translating that Khali is a big dumb giant, he was tired of protecting him, and that Khali would run if Nexus showed up; Singh then walked off; featured an in-ring promo by guest host Rob Zombie in which he announced Randy Orton, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, R-Truth, Chris Jericho, Evan Bourne, Ted Dibiase Jr., John Morrison, and Edge would be the eight participants in the Money in the Bank match; Edge then interrupted on the big screen, saying he hadn’t seen Rob since he dropped his theme song years before; after Zombie left the ring, Edge reminded everyone that he won the first Money in the Bank match and cashed it in on Cena; footage then aired of Edge winning Money in the Bank at WrestleMania 21 and winning the WWE World Title from Cena at New Year’s Revolution 06; Edge then said he did the same thing against the Undertaker and that he owned Money in the Bank; moments later, Cole received another e-mail which read the eight participants would face off in a 4-on-4 tag team match later in the show; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, Justin Gabriel, & David Otunga regarding the GM’s statement, during which Sheffield assaulted a backstage crew member; featured an in-ring segment in which Jerry Lawler introduced a trailer for “Ricky Steamboat: The Life Story of the Dragon” before bringing Steamboat out to the ring; moments later, Michael Hayes, Dean Malenko, Arn Anderson, and Mike Rotundo joined Steamboat in the ring and praised him for his career; Nexus then came out and surrounded the ring, with Anderson being thrown into the ringpost, Malenko being rammed into the barricade, Rotundo pulled to the floor and assaulted, and Lawler, Steamboat, and Hayes attacked in and out of the ring; moments later, Steamboat attempted to fight all six men in the ring but was quickly overpowered; following the commercial break, Steamboat was taken backstage on a stretcher while Anderson, Lawler, Rotundo, Hayes, and Malenko were helped by referees; during the segment, Cole reminded the viewers that the WWE superstars couldn’t intervene per the rules of the Raw GM earlier in the show; Matthews replaced Lawler on commentary for the remainder of the show; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read John Cena has granted more than 175 wishes for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and is the most requested superstar from WWE, NBA, or NFL:
Natalya Neidhart, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd fought Tamina, Jimmy & Jey Uso to a no contest when Tamina & the Usos jumped the Hart Dynasty from behind during their ring entrance, assaulting all three on the floor; moments later, Tamina returned to the ring, rolled Natalya into the ring and hit the splash off the top
Vladimir Kozlov pinned Santino Marella at 1:23 with the Iron Curtain; stipulations stated if Marella won then Kozlov would become his new tag team partner; after the bout, Kozlov attempted twice to pick Santino up but Santino fell back down both times; William Regal met Kozlov in the aisle and shook his hand; moments later, Regal assaulted Marella in the ring until Kozlov returned to the ring and sent Regal to the floor; Kozlov then helped Marella to his feet and carried him backstage
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Mark Henry in a non-title match with a boot to the face at 2:31; prior to the bout, Henry was escorted out to the entrance stage by Lucky Cannon
WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox & Maryse defeated Eve & Gail Kim at 3:14 when Fox pinned Gail with the scissors kick
Randy Orton, Evan Bourne, John Morrison, & R-Truth defeated Edge, Chris Jericho, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, & Ted Dibiase Jr. at 15:10 when orton pinned Dibiase with the RKO; prior to the bout, Maryse escorted Dibiase out to the entrance stage; following his entrance, Morrison pulled a ladder out from under the ring and positioned it at ringside; the Money in the Bank briefcase was suspended over the ring for the match; after the match, the eight men continued to brawl, culminating with Orton shoving Miz off the ladder in the ring, climbing the ladder, and taking the briefcase to end the show
7/12/10; Lexington, KY; Rupp Arena
7/12/10 – featured an opening announcement that Darren Young would not be able to compete as scheduled in the main event; included an in-ring promo by John Cena regarding the previous week’s fight with Nexus, his upcoming steel cage match with WWE World Champion Sheamus at Money in the Bank, and facing Nexus in a handicap match later in the night; moments later, Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Skip Sheffield, & Michael Tarver appeared at the entrance stage with Barrett saying Cena disrespected the Raw GM and would get what he deserved; Michael Cole then read an e-mail from the GM which read any WWE superstar that interferes in the handicap match would be suspended 90 days and that Nexus would have to tag in and out of the match or they too would be suspended 90 days; included a “Did you know?” graphic which stated WWE programming is seen by more than 15 million people every week in the US; featured a backstage segment with Barrett and Chris Jericho in which they talked about Jericho teaching Barrett during NXT; moments later, Jericho walked past Josh Matthews attempting to get an interview; Barrett then confronted Yoshi Tatsu about coming to Cena’s aid the previous week, with the other members of NXT then appearing and assaulting Tatsu; I Fight Dragons, who perform the Money in the Bank theme song, was shown sitting ringside for the show; included an in-ring promo by Ted Dibiase Jr., in a suit, alongside Maryse in which he called them the Million $ Couple before explaining that it was he and the Money in the Bank briefcase which hung above the ring; as Dibiase explained to Maryse that him winning Money in the Bank would benefit her and lead to him being WWE World Champion, John Morrison interrupted and insulted Maryse before Dibiase eventually jumped him; Morrison soon gained the upper hand but Maryse pulled Dibiase out of the ring as Morrison attempted Starship Pain; featured a promo to promote Santino Marella, Goldust, the Great Khali, & Vladimir Kozlov vs. William Regal, Zack Ryder, Doink the Clown, & Primo Colon set to the tune of the Brady Bunch theme song; included a backstage segment with guest host Florence Henderson and Marella in which they discussed the match later in the show; eventually, Regal walked in and tried to make a joke to get a laugh track reaction like Marella got; Regal eventually said the Partridge Family was better than the Bradys, with Henderson then slapping him; featured highlights from the WrestleMania 21 Money in the Bank match and Edge cashing in his title shot against WWE World Champion John Cena at New Year’s Revolution 06; included a backstage segment in which Matthews attempted to interview Sheffield regarding Nexus appearing on NXT the following night; moments later, Sheffield confronted Morrison with Morrison fighting off several members of Nexus before he was eventually overpowered and laid out; featured an ad promoting ‘Satan’s Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber;’ included a Summer Slam Recall recapping the 1995 ladder match between WWF IC Champion Shawn Michaels and Razor Ramon; featured highlights from the WrestleMania 25 Money in the Bank match and CM Punk later cashing in the title shot to win the World Heavyweight Title from Jeff Hardy; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Edge regarding his match with Randy Orton earlier in the show and Jericho attacking him after the bout; featured a backstage segment where Evan Bourne was tended to by a trainer; moments later, Sheamus walked in and said it would have been a lot worse if it were him; Nexus then appeared behind Bourne, with Sheamus saying Bourne was one of Cena’s guys and then walked off; Barrett then further attacked Bourne’s neck before Nexus walked out, with Sheamus then insulting Bourne until Nexus reappeared in front of him, scaring Sheams to Cena’s lockerroom:
WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox pinned Gail Kim in a non-title match at 1:38 with the scissors kick after avoiding Eat Defeat; Eve provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated Eve would challenge Alicia at Money in the Bank
Tamina, Jimmy & Jey Uso defeated Natalya Neidhart, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd at 2:44 when Jey pinned Smith with a splash off the top after kicking Smith as he had Jimmy covered with a roll over
Edge pinned Randy Orton at 11:36 with a reverse facebuster into a cover after Orton became distracted by Chris Jericho at ringside; after the bout, Jericho immediately dropped Edge with the Code Breaker, with Orton then dropping Jericho with the RKO; moments later, Evan Bourne ran out, fought off Orton, and attempted Air Bourne but Orton hit an RKO in mid-air; moments later, Bourne was tended to by officials in the ring (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin fought Mark Henry to a no contest in a non-title impromptu match at around the 1-minute mark after Henry ran into the Raw GM pedestal at ringside, with Miz then hitting him with a trash can and dumping the trash over his body; prior to the bout, Miz cut an in-ring promo regarding the upcoming Money in the Bank match, with Miz showing footage of his recent attack on R-Truth and saying it would pale compared to what he would do to the other participants; moments later, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM saying Miz would now face Henry, Truth’s replacement in the match; Cole then said “Just when you think you have all the answers, I change the questions”
Santino Marella, Vladimir Kozlov, Goldust, & the Great Khali defeated William Regal, Primo Colon, Zack Ryder, & Doink the Clown at 1:47 when Khali pinned Doink with a chop to the head; Florence Henderson was the guest ring announcer for the match; during the match, Regal was briefly distracted by Henderson wearing his jacket on the floor; after the contest, Santino went to hug Henderson but she passed him by to kiss Khali
Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, & Heath Slater defeated John Cena in a handicap match at 7:18 when Gabriel scored the pin with the 450 splash; stipulations stated any WWE wrestler that tried to help Cena would be suspended for 90 days and that if Nexus did not tag in and out of the match then they would be suspended 90 days; after the bout, Nexus attempted to attack Cena only for Cena to grab a steel chair, assault Slater with it on the floor, and clear the ring; moments later, Nexus surrounded the ring only for WWE World Champion Sheamus to run out with a steel chair and help run Nexus from ringside
7/19/10; Tulsa, OK; Bank of Oklahoma Center
7/19/10 – featured an ad promoting ‘Satan’s Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber;’ included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Wade Barrett regarding whether he could compete individually against Mark Henry; after Matthews left, WWE World Champion Sheamus appeared and told Barrett he had a proposal for him and declined Barrett’s invitation to come into Nexus’s locker room; featured Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler, from ringside, conducting an interview with John Cena, backstage, regarding Nexus and noted that no one WWE superstar could face them; Cena then said he wanted to meet with Barrett and Nexus in the ring later in the show and implied he wanted to join them; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has more Facebook fans than NFL, NHL, NASCAR, and MLB; featured an in-ring promo by Sheamus in which he bragged about having beaten Cena three consecutive times and that Cena wouldn’t be getting another title shot anytime soon; Sheamus then said he made a truce with Barrett and Randy Orton would now have no chance at Summer Slam to beat him; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin then interrupted, carrying out the Money in the Bank briefcase, and said he was the one in control because he could get a title shot at any time, whether it be at Summer Slam, WrestleMania, or later in the show; Miz then said he would stalk Sheamus until the right moment came, with Sheamus replying with he was the champion and Miz was nothing; as Sheamus went to leave the ring, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM stating Miz should remain ringside if he wanted to cash in the title shot because Sheamus would be facing Evan Bourne next; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Miz regarding what happened moments earlier with R-Truth, with Miz saying Truth just cost him the WWE World Title but there would be more opportunities within the next year; featured a Summer Slam Recall focusing on the Steve Austin vs. Undertaker match from Summer Slam 98; included a backstage segment where Sheamus was tended to by a trainer and referee and yelled at Brie & Nikki Bell and Gail Kim, who he saw laughing nearby; moments later, Orton confronted Sheamus, who had an ice pack to his head, and said he would be champion at the end of Summer Slam; featured a look at John Morrison being on the cover of the current issue of Muscle & Fitness; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Cena designed a new 7-Eleven coffee cup and all proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation:
Randy Orton defeated Chris Jericho and Edge at 15:10 by pinning Edge after dropping both men with the RKO; stipulations stated the winner would challenge for the WWE World Title at Summer Slam; Jericho had his right arm taped following an injury sustained at Money in the Bank; following the commercial break, Edge cut an in-ring promo challenging Jericho to come back out, saying their history dates back 11 years and that they’ve cost each other two many matches and championships; moments later, Jericho took the mic and said he could get Nexus to do whatever he wanted and could have them take years of Edge’s career; Edge replied by saying Nexus would rather side with him, with Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, Michael Tarver, Heath Slater, David Otunga, and Justin Gabriel then interrupting; Barrett said Nexus would be lucky to call either man an ally; moments later, Nexus surrounded Edge and attacked him as Jericho cheered them on, with Sheffield hitting a spear on Edge before Jericho locked the Walls of Jericho on him; Jericho eventually released the hold as he noticed Nexus staring at him, with Barrett then saying Edge had a point too; Nexus then assaulted Jericho, with Barrett punching Jericho in the face and Otunga hitting a spinebuster; Barrett then stood over Jericho and said he didn’t teach him anything as his pro (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Eve pinned Maryse (w/ Ted Dibiase Jr.) at 1:17 with a kick to the head; Dibiase provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Dibiase protested the finish since Maryse’s foot was on the bottom rope during the cover; moments later, John Morrison attacked Dibiase and hit Starship Pain
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Evan Bourne in a non-title impromptu match at 10:30 with the kick to the head after kicking the ropes into Bourne’s leg as Bourne attempted to get back in the ring; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin sat ringside for the bout; after the match, Miz assaulted Sheamus with the Money in the Bank breifcase and dropped Sheamus with the Skull Crushing Finale onto the briefcase; moments later, Miz ordered that he was cashing in his title shot and waited for the bell to ring until R-Truth came out, with Miz taking back the briefcase, briefly fighting with Truth on the floor, and retreating backstage
Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov defeated William Regal & Zack Ryder at 2:55 when Marella pinned Ryder with a diving headbutt after Kozlov dropped Ryder with a spinebuster
Wade Barrett pinned Mark Henry at 3:21 with a fireman’s carry into a slam after kicking Henry in the face as Henry became distracted by Nexus, who appeared moments earlier at the entrance stage; Henry had a bandage on his head following Money in the Bank; stipulations stated Nexus could not be ringside for the match; after the contest, Barrett knocked Henry to the floor before taking the mic and telling John Cena to come out and face them like he said he would earlier in the show; following the commercial break, Michael Tarver took the mic, said Cena needed to acknowledge Nexus ran the show, and needed to apologize for his recent attacks against them; moments later, Cena appeared and said he wanted the same thing WWE World Champion Sheamus got earlier in the show, a truce; Barrett rejected the offer and said he wanted Cena as part of Nexus; Cena turned down the offer and left the ring but said he would take all of them down, with or without help; Cena said the peace offering was just a test and that he had help from a team that would face them at Summer Slam; Edge, John Morrison, R-Truth, the Great Khali, Chris Jericho, and Brt Hart then appeared ringside, with Cena’s team rushing the ring and scaring Nexus into the crowd
7/26/10; San Antonio, TX; AT&T Center
7/26/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena regarding Nexus and the announcement of his team the previous week, then saying his team would end Nexus at Summer Slam before comparing the team to the Super Friends; moments later, Chris Jericho walked out, with the crowd chanting “Y2J,” with Jericho taking offense to it being referred to as Cena’s team and that he influenced Wade Barret and thus he knew him better than anyone; Cena replied by saying the team was Jericho’s; Jericho continued to argue with him until Cena said Jericho was vital to the team; moments later, Jericho said Cena was just like Nexus but he had the crowd’s support and that, once Nexus was taken care of, he would take Cena out as well; Michael Cole then interrupted, after receiving an e-mail from the Raw GM, to state the Summer Slam match would now be an elimination match, Nexus would face seven WWE stars in an elimination match later in the show, and Cena and Jericho would be in a tag team match as partners; included a backstage segment with Edge, Ted Dibiase Jr. and Maryse in which Edge told Dibiase he wished he was on his Summer Slam team instead of the Great Khali; Dibiase then said he would beat John Morrison later in the show and prove to Cena that Morrison and Khali didn’t deserve to be on the team; moments later, Runjin Singh was shown looking on nearby; featured a Summer Slam Recall focusing on the Ultimate Warrior vs. WWF IC Champion the Honkytonk Man match at Summer Slam 88; included a backstage segment in which Khali confronted Edge, with Singh then saying he heard everything Edge said about Khali, and Khali challenged Edge to a match; Edge agreed but said that if Khali lost then he would be off the team; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read nearly 4 times as many people watched Raw the previous week than Major League Baseball on ESPN; included a backstage segment with WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin and WWE World Champion Sheamus in which they talked about their altercation earlier in the show and teaming up to face Cena & Jericho later in the show, with Miz saying he would cash in his title shot after their tag team match and would take Sheamus’s title; Sheamus then knocked the briefcase out of Miz’s hand and walked off; featured an ad promoting ‘Satan’s Prison: The Anthology of the Elimination Chamber;’ included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Cena designed a new 7-Eleven coffee cup and all proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation; featured an ad promoting NBC airing the WrestleMania 26 World Television Premiere on Aug. 7; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Randy Orton regarding his WWE World Title shot at Summer Slam and his attacks on Sheamus and Miz earlier in the show:
Randy Orton pinned Jey Uso (w/ Jimmy Uso & Tamina) with the RKO at 2:33; WWE World Champion Sheamus sat ringside for the match; after the bout, Jimmy jumped Orton from behind only for Orton to gain the upper hand; moments later, Sheamus slid in the ring to try to kick Orton in the face but accidentally kicked Jimmy instead; Orton followed by dropping Sheamus with the RKO; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin then ran out to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot; as the referee waited for Sheamus to get to his feet, Orton slid back in the ring and dropped Miz with the RKO; after the commercial break, Sheamus and Miz argued in the ring until Michael Cole received another e-mail from the Raw GM in which it was ordered Sheamus & Miz would face John Cena & Chris Jericho later in the show
Edge fought the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) to a no contest at the 1:30 mark when Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, & Michael Tarver came out, with Edge and Singh escaping ringside; Cole called the match by himself after noting Jerry Lawler was getting ready to be part of the elimination tag team match later in the show against Nexus; stipulations stated Khali would be off John Cena’s Summer Slam team if he lost; after the bout, Nexus surrounded Khali but then let him leave the ring unharmed
Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, & Michael Tarver Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Jerry Lawler, Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd in an elimination match at 11:44; prior to the bout, Natalya Neidhart escorted Smith & Kidd to the ring but returned backstage before the match began; Tarver pinned Tatsu with a modified powerslam at the 51-second mark; Slater pinned Lawler with a jumping side Russian legsweep after avoiding the fistdrop from the middle turnbuckle (elimination came during the commercial break); Slater pinned Smith with the jumping side Russian legsweep at 6:58; Otunga pinned Goldust at 8:13 with an elbow drop and spinebuster after Young tripped Goldust from the floor; Sheffield pinned Henry with a clothesline at 10:07 after Henry splashed Gabriel in the corner; Young pinned Kidd at 11:01 with a full nelson into a facebuster; Barrett pinned Bourne with the fireman’s carry into the forward slam; after the match, Bourne sustained Sheffield’s clothesline, Otunga’s spinebuster, and Gabriel’s 450 splash; Barrett then took the mic and said his team dominated because they had a common purpose while John Cena’s team had too many egos and agendas; Sheffield and Tarver then cut promos saying they had a focus and would save Cena for last at Summer Slam
WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox pinned Brie Bella (w/ Nikki Bella) in a non-title match at 1:04 with the scissors kick after Jillian Hall came ringside and prevented the Bellas from switching places behind the referee’s back; after the match, Jillian took the mic and sang Queen’s “We Are the Champions” until Alicia attacked her and dropped her with the scissors kick
Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) pinned John Morrison at 2:17 after hitting a drop toe hold and causing Morrison to butt heads with R-Truth, who provided guest commentary for the bout and prevented Dibiase from using the ropes for leverage during the final moments; after the bout, Morrison argued with Truth over the loss; moments later, John Cena was shown watching the situation backstage
WWE World Champion Sheamus & WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin defeated John Cena & Chris Jericho at 13:23 when Miz pinned Cena after Jericho attacked his partner and dropped Cena with the Code Breaker; after the bout, Jericho applied the Walls of Jericho on Cena, with Cena then reversing it into the STFU; moments later, the Great Khali came out to break up the fight only to be dropped by Edge and a spear; John Morrison and R-Truth then came out, with all the men arguing and Khali dropping Morrison and Edge with chops to the head as the show ended
7/26/10; San Antonio, TX; AT&T Center
8/2/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Edge in which he said his Summer Slam team was letting him down and that he was going to start doing things his own way; Edge then challenged Wade Barrett to a match later in the show; moments later, R-Truth appeared and said it was fine if Edge didn’t want to listen to John Cena but it had to be a team effort; the two had words until Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM, which read Edge would face Barrett immediately; included a “Did you know?” graphic which noted the WWE’s numerous awards for their support of the US troops, including the “USO’s Legacy of Hope,” “Corporate Patriot,” and “Secretary of Defense Exceptional Public Service Award; featured a Summer Slam Recall focusing on the Bret Hart vs. WWF IC Champion Mr. Perfect match from Summer Slam 1991; included a backstage segment with John Morrison, the Great Khali, and Runjin Singh in which Morrison said the team of seven wouldn’t win if they didn’t work together and noted Khali would face Ted Dibiase Jr. later in the show; moments later, Michael Tarver and David Otunga appeared and said they didn’t attack Khali the previous week because they respected him, then said Cena was looking to kick him off the team but that they would love to work with him; featured an ad promoting Saturday’s WrestleMania 26 World Television Premiere on NBC; included a backstage segment with Edge and Jericho in which Edge said Cena needed them and not the other way around and that, together, they could take over the WWE; the two then shook hands and hugged before Cole received another e-mail from the GM which read Edge & Jericho would face Cena & Bret Hart the following week and that Nexus would serve as lumberjacks for the bout; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Randy Orton regarding his match with WWE World Champion Sheamus at Summer Slam and facing WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin later in the show; included the world television premiere of the trailer for “Legendary,” starring Cena; featured a segment in which Will Ferrell & Mark Whalberg, of “The Other Guys,” spoke about their film until Brie & Nikki Bella appeared and began hitting on Ferrell while Whalberg was ignored; Ferrell quickly turned them down, with Whalberg then bragging about how big a WWE fan he was and that he cried when Wendi Richter was inducted into the Hall of Fame; after Ferrell walked out, Whalberg said he liked WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox anyway, with one of the Bellas shoving him:
Edge fought Wade Barrett to a no contest at the 6-minute mark when Edge ran into the crowd after Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, Heath Slater, David Otunga, & Michael Tarver ran out to the ring; following the commercial break, Edge confronted John Cena backstage about why he didn’t help him against Nexus, with Cena saying he was just doing what Edge asked; Cena then said the only way his team would win at Summer Slam was if it was seven on seven, with Edge then saying he was off the team; moments later, Chris Jericho appeared and said Cena should be the one to quit the team and challenged Cena to a match with the loser getting kicked off the team
WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox, Jillian Hall, & Tamina defeated Eve, Gail Kim, & Natalya Neidhart at 2:53 when Alicia pinned Natalya with the scissors kick after Natalya knocked Tamina to the floor; after the bout, Alicia took the mic and said her’s was the greatest reign in the history of the title, that she had beaten the other five divas, and that there was no one that could beat her; moments later, Melina appeared with Alicia trying to flee the ring until she was pushed back in by Jillian; Melina then laid out Alicia (Melina’s surprise return after an 8-month absence)
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Goldust in a non-title match at 2:08 with the High Cross crucifix powerbomb; prior to the bout, footage was shown of a Sheamus vs. Goldust ECW bout from 2009; after the bout, Sheamus took the mic and noted his progress in the past year and said he ended Triple H’s career and would do the same to Randy Orton at Summer Slam (the first time the powerbomb is referred to by name)
John Cena defeated Chris Jericho at 14:12 via submission with the STFU; stipulations stated the loser would be off the WWE’s team at Summer Slam; Jericho tapped before Cena had the hold properly applied; after the bout, Jericho threw the ring steps in frustration; moments later, Cena took the mic and said he didn’t want Jericho off the team but wouldn’t beg him to join it; Jericho then approached the ring but turned around and went backstage
The Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) at 2:20 via submission with the head vice after Dibiase became distracted by Wade Barrett & Skip Sheffield, who appeared ringside late in the bout
Randy Orton pinned WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin in a non-title match at 14:15 with the RKO; prior to the bout, Miz cut an in-ring promo in which he said Orton hurt his own career by attacking Miz the previous week; early in the match, WWE World Champion Sheamus appeared at the entrance stage; after the bout, Sheamus ran ringside but Orton held him off from entering the ring as the show ended (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
8/9/10; Sacramento, CA; ARCO Arena
8/9/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Bret Hart in which he spoke about training for Summer Slam, Edge and Chris Jericho leaving the WWE team after Hart vouched for them, and then asked for both men to come to the ring and face him; moments later, Jericho came out with Hart telling him he was only hurting himself by not being part of the WWE team since Nexus obviously wanted nothing to do with him; Jericho again rejected the offer, said Hart was a phoney, and he was going to dismantle him in their tag team match later in the show; Edge then appeared, said Hart was the reason he and Jericho were in wrestling, and that Hart could count him in as part of the team; Edge then went to shake Hart’s hand only to try to kick him, with Hart going for the Sharpshooter until Jericho poked him in the eye; Edge and Jericho then went backstage as Natalya Neidhart ran out crying; footage then aired on the big screen of Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Darren Young, and Michael Tarver brutally attacking WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd backstage; Barrett then looked at the camera and said Smith & Kidd obviously weren’t joining Team WWE; after the commercial break, Kidd & Smith were tended to backstage by Hart, Natalya, and a trainer; as Hart went to go after Nexus, John Cena appeared and said Hart was walking into a trap and that they first needed to find out who was really going to be on their team; included footage of Cena speaking backstage with the Great Khali; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Khali in which he said he was loyal to Team WWE and challenged Barrett to a match later in the show; included a backstage segment with Jericho and Edge in which Jericho said Hart could be right in saying Nexus had to be stopped; Edge countered by saying he and Jericho had survived Steve Austin, the Rock, Undertaker, DX, Vince McMahon, and the Alliance and would survive Nexus too; Jericho then said they should take out Cena and Hart so that there would be no match at Summer Slam, which would keep them in the clear; featured a backstage segment with R-Truth and John Morrison in which they talked about needing replacements, with Mark Henry appearing and volunteering his services; Nexus was then shown watching the segment in their locker room; included a “Did you know?” segment which read WWE’s Facebook page has more fans than ESPN, NHL, Major League Baseball, and the NFL; featured an in-ring promo by WWE World Champion Sheamus in which he said he wasn’t scared of Orton and would beat Orton at Summer Slam; Sheamus then showed on the big screen a highlight package of himself recapping his success over the past year, during which he said he ended Triple H’s career and would do the same to Orton; moments later, Sheamus called for Orton to come out, with Orton saying Sheamus was full of it, that Orton wasn’t Triple H or John Cena, and that Sheamus has never beaten him; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated anyone who interfered in the title match at Summer Slam would be suspended indefinately and that there would be no rematch; the GM also wrote that if Sheamus wasn’t scared of Orton then he should do something about it, with the two then coming to blows; Orton eventually won the fight and teased to Sheamus that he would kick him in the head, then stopping short before grabbing Sheamus’s belt on the floor, raising it up, and then throwing it to Sheamus before leaving ringside; included an ad promoting Raw: The Best of Seasons 1 & 2 on DVD; featured the trailer for “Legendary,” staring Cena; included a Summer Slam Recall focusing on the jailhouse match between the Big Bossman and the Mountie from Summer Slam 1991; featured footage of Khali getting ready to walk out for his match against Barrett only to be attacked by all the other members of Nexus; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Cena designed a new 7-Eleven coffee cup and all proceeds will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation; featured the announcement Justin Long would host the following week’s show:
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin pinned Evan Bourne in a non-title match at 4:00 with the Skull Crushing Finale; after the bout, Miz took the mic and cut a promo saying he didn’t care who was WWE World Champion after Summer Slam, Sheamus or Randy Orton, because he would take it from them whenever he was ready to cash in his title shot
Melina pinned WWE Divas Champion Alicia Fox in a non-title match at 3:38 with the Last Call sunset bomb; during the commercial break, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which announced Melina would challenge for the title at Summer Slam (the first time the move is referred to by name) (Melina’s TV return match after a 7-month absence)
Mark Henry fought Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) to a no contest when Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel confronted Henry ringside before the match began, with Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, David Otunga, & Michael Tarver then jumping Henry from behind, assaulting him, and throwing him into the steel ring steps; moments later, Nexus left through the crowd; Henry was quickly tended to by referees
Alex Riley, Michael McGillicutty, & Husky Harris defeated Kaval, Percy Watson, & Lucky Cannon at 3:03 when Harris pinned Kaval with a clothesline from behind and the running senton; after the bout, WWE World Champion Sheamus, who sat ringside for the bout, attacked Cannon and McGillicutty on the floor before dropping Kaval with the High Cross inside the ring; Sheamus then took the mic and said his attack was a message to the general manager and guaranteed he would still be champion the following week
John Morrison & R-Truth pinned William Regal & Zack Ryder at 2:12 when Morrison pinned Ryder with Starship Pain
Brie & Nikki Bella defeated Maryse & Jillian Hall and Eve & Gail Kim when Nikki pinned Jillian with a crossbody off the top at 2:51; the women made their entrance by sliding down a giant inflatable slide; the ringside area was decorated for summer; Santino Marella & Vladiir Kozlov served as guest referees for the bout; after the match, Tamina confronted Santino and spanked him as he went to leave the ring
John Cena & Bret Hart fought Chris Jericho & Edge to a no contest in a lumberjack match at the 5-minute mark when, after Jericho & Edge were knocked to the floor, the lumberjacks of Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Darren Young, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, & Michael Tarver faced off with Cena & Hart; prior to the bout, Barrett cut an in-ring promo saying his match with the Great Khali had been canceled and that Nexus would shift the power in the WWE permanently; Sheffied and Otunga followed by saying Hart would join the injured list alongside Ricky Steamboat and Vince McMahon and that anyone thinking of joining Team WWE should consider what they did to WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd, Mark Henry, and Khali; moments later, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin confronted Cena & Hart backstage and said he wanted to hear them ask him to be on the team; after they did, he said he would let them know Sunday; moments after the match, John Morrison and R-Truth ran in the ring to watch the backs of Cena and Hart; eventually, Jericho & Edge did the same; the two teams then fought until Team WWE cleared Nexus from ringside, with Nexus then leaving through the crowd; the show then ended with Team WWE in the ring and Nexus looking on from the crowd (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
8/16/10; Los Angeles, CA; Staples Center
8/16/10 – featured an opening segment with Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, & Justin Gabriel in which Barrett said that which doesn’t kill them would only make them stronger and noted they beat six of the WWE’s top names; Barrett said there would be more pain and misery for anyone that gets in their way; moments later, John Cena interrupted and noted Barrett tapped out, causing Nexus to lose the match at Summer Slam, and Daniel Bryan eliminated half of Nexus by himself; Cena called Otunga a male escort, Tarver a MMA bank robber that works as a male stripper, Slater was the girl from Wendy’s – causing a brief “Wendy’s” chant, Young was proof Cena’s mom had an affair with Buckweat, Gabriel had an “alternative way of thinking,” and all the jokes went over Sheffield’s head; Young went to interrupt Cena, only for Cena to note he was out of the match within a minute and should be known as the weakest link; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Nexus would face Team WWE in a series of singles matches, and interference from other Nexus members would be met with consequences; Barrett then addressed his men, saying those who lost their matches would be kicked out of the group; Otunga then took the mic and said Barrett would face the same outcome should he lose; Cole then received another e-mail which read Barrett would be in the first match against Chris Jericho; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read “WWE Summer Slam” was the #1 search term on Google Sunday; featured the introduction of guest hosts Justin Long, Charlie Day, & Jason Sudeikis, who in turn introduced WWE Unified Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd, with Natalya Neidhart; moments later, Cole received an e-mail from the GM which stated the champions would now be known as simply the WWE Tag Team Champions and Bret Hart would present them with their new tag team title belts; after Hart appeared and revealed the new belts, Nexus appeared on the big screen with Barrett saying Justin Gabriel would face Hart; Gabriel then cut a promo in which he said he would hit Hart with the 450 splash; included an ad promoting ‘Raw: The Best of Season 1 & 2’ on DVD; featured a trailer promoting “Legendary,” staring Cena; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, alongside Alex Riley, regarding his attack earlier on the night on Daniel Bryan, with Miz saying everyone joked that Miz should have been Bryan’s rookie; Miz then said Riley was the next breakout star, with Riley then calling Bryan boring; featured a backstage segment in which Young told the other Nexus members he wanted Cena; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Edge regarding his upcoming match with Slater; moments later, Slater appeared and gave Edge the option of not showing up; after Edge made fun of him, Slater jumped Edge from behind; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read more male viewers watched the previous week’s Raw than every show on ABC, Fox, The CW, TNT, TBS, NBC, and ESPN; Joe Manganiello of ‘True Blood’ was shown in attendance; included a backstage segment with Long, the Great Khali, and Runjin Singh in which they discussed Khali’s girlfriend in India; moments later, Day and Sudeikis walked in and made fun of Khali’s girlfriend, thinking he couldn’t understand them; Khali eventually scared them off but then agreed his girlfriend was “butt ugly,” then walked off with Brie & Nikki Bella; featured a video package recapping Summer Slam Week in LA, with comments from fans, MVP, Miz, WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Women’s Champion Layla, the mayor of Los Angeles, Evan Bourne, Matt Hardy, Randy Orton, Carmen Electra, and Eve regarding the festivities, appearances, and volunteer work:
Wade Barrett pinned Chris Jericho at 5:22 by catching Jericho attempting the Code Breaker and reversing it into the fireman’s carry into a forward slam; Jericho’s right arm was heavily taped for the bout; during the match, the remaining members of Nexus were shown watching on backstage; stipulations stated Barrett would be kicked out of Nexus if he lost (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Michael Tarver pinned Daniel Bryan at 2:10 with a roll up after Bryan became distracted by WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley at ringside; stipulations stated Tarver would be kicked out of Nexus if he lost; early in the match, there were chants of “Daniel Bryan;” after the match, Tarver & Riley held Bryan so Miz could attack him, with Miz then dropping Bryan with the Skull Crushing Finale onto the briefcase outside the ring
Justin Gabriel defeated Randy Orton (sub. for Bret Hart) via count-out at 2:50 when Orton began fighting in the crowd with WWE World Champion Sheamus, who appeared ringside late in the match; stipulations stated Gabriel would be kicked out of Nexus if he lost; after Gabriel’s entrance, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read he didn’t like Hart, didn’t want to see him wrestle on Raw again, and didn’t care what the fans thought; the GM then said he had found a replacement for Hart; after the contest, Orton dropped Gabriel with a RKO inside the ring and then assaulted Sheamus with a steel chair on the floor, repeatedly hitting him over the back; moments later, Orton ran back over as Sheamus struggled to his feet and dropped Sheamus with a RKO on the floor
Skip Sheffield & David Otunga defeated John Morrison & R-Truth at 3:00 when Sheffield pinned Morrison with a clothesline; during the bout, the remaining members of Nexus were shown watching on backstage; stipulations stated Sheffield & Otunga would be kicked out of Nexus if they lost
Alicia Fox, Maryse, & Jillian Hall defeated WWE Divas Champion Melina, Gail Kim, & Eve at 2:55 when Jillian pinned Eve after pulling her off the top as Eve attempted a moonsault; prior to the bout, Jon Lovitz was shown in the crowd
Heath Slater defeated Edge via count-out at 4:30 when Slater slid back into the ring to avoid Edge’s spear on the floor; stipulations stated Slater would be kicked out of Nexus if he lost; after the match, Edge dropped Slater with the spear inside the ring
John Cena defeated Darren Young via submission with the STFU at 8:00; stipulations stated Young would be kicked out of Nexus if he lost; prior to the bout, the remaining members of Nexus came out on the entrance stage; after the match, Nexus surrounded the ring, with Cena then leaving ringside; moments later, Nexus surrounded and attacked Young; during the segment, Jerry Lawler referred to Young as “Daniel Bryan” until he was corrected; Young then sustained Sheffield’s clothesline, Barrett’s forward slam, and Gabriel’s 450 splash
8/16/10; Los Angeles, CA; Staples Center
8/23/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by WWE World Champion Sheamus in which he said the young fans were spoiled brats, then said Randy Orton was just like them for the way he treated Sheamus after failing to win the WWE World Title at Summer Slam; Sheamus then noted the upcoming Night of Champions and said Orton should never get another shot at the title; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that read Sheamus would sit at the entrance stage to watch a series of matches later in the show to determine his challenger at the pay-per-view; included a trailer promoting “Legendary,” staring John Cena; featured an ad promoting the following week’s 900th episode; included a look at Cody Rhodes appearing on SyFy’s ‘Warehouse 13’ the following night; featured media clippings and photographs from the WWE’s debut in China during the weekend, during which it was noted more would be shown from the tour the following week; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding his match later in the night against WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin and Miz’s actions against Daniel Bryan; featured an ad promoting Smackdown moving to the SyFy Channel; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Miz regarding Cena’s comments earlier in the show, with Miz noting he didn’t cash in his title shot at Summer Slam because he had already agreed to be part of Team WWE only to be snubbed by Cena; featured a segment on the stage in which Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Michael Tarver, & Heath Slater, with Cole then receiving another e-mail from the GM which said the ban on title shots for Nexus had been lifted; Barrett then confronted Sheamus and said their truce was over; included the announcement Rey Mysterio Jr. would face World Heavyweight Champion Kane and Kofi Kingston would face WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler on Smackdown; featured a WWE Classics on Demand This Week in History focusing on the 1986 Big Event in Toronto; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Sheamus in which he said he would make his decision momentarily in the ring:
Edge pinned R-Truth with the spear at 4:21; after the bout, Edge took the mic, walked up the ramp, and confronted WWE World Champion Sheamus at the entrance stage to say he hadn’t proved himself until he had beaten Edge
Chris Jericho defeated the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 3:57 after avoiding a boot in the corner; after the bout, Jericho took the mic and told Sheamus to choose him for Night of Champions; moments later, Khali came up behind Jericho and chopped him off the top rope to the floor
WWE Divas Champion Melina pinned Jillian Hall with the Last Call at 2:37; prior to the bout, Jillian sang Eminem until Melina’s entrance interrupted her; after the bout, WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Women’s Champion Layla appeared on the big screen and said they had an offer Melina couldn’t refuse for the following week
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin defeated John Cena via disqualification in a non-title match at 13:03 when Daniel Bryan jumped Miz from behind on the floor; after the bout, Cena left ringside, allowing Bryan to lock Miz in a crossface until several referees swarmed the ring to pull him away; after the bout, WWE World Champion Sheamus left the stage (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso (w/ Tamina) at 3:00 when Kozlov pinned Jey with the Iron Curtain; after the bout, Jimmy attempted to attack Santino on the floor but Tamina stopped him and helped Santino to his feet
Randy Orton defeated John Morrison and Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) at 4:45 by pinning Morrison with the RKO as Morrison attempted a springboard into the ring; after the bout, Orton dropped Dibiase with the RKO as well
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned Zack Ryder with the boot to the face at the 11-second mark; prior to the bout, Sheamus took the mic and said he wouldn’t wait until Night of Champions and would defend his title then and there against someone who has never had a WWE World Title shot before; moments later, Ryder appeared and said Sheamus made the biggest mistake of his life and he would be the next champion; after the bout, Sheamus took the mic, bragged about his successful title defense, and said he now had another 30 days before his next title defense, which would mean no title match at the pay-per-view; moments later, Wade Barrett appeared and noted, by winning NXT, he gets a title shot at the pay-per-view of his choice; Barrett then said he wanted it at Night of Champions; Michael Cole then received another e-mail from the GM which read Barrett would get the title shot, along with Chris Jericho, John Cena, Edge, and Randy Orton; each man then appeared, with the other five men circling Barrett and assaulting him before Sheamus threw him to the floor; Jericho then dropped Sheamus with the Code Breaker, Edge dropped Jericho with the spear, Cena dropped Edge with the FU, and Orton dropped Cena with the RKO to end the broadcast
8/30/10; Boston, MA; TD Garden
8/30/10 – 900th episode; featured an opening video recapping some of the highlights from previous episodes; included an in-ring promo by Bret Hart in which he noted the 17-year history of Raw, saying he was unsure whether it would catch on at first, and that it had the most episodes in the history of prime time television; Hart said only he and the Undertaker are still with the company after all that time; as Hart went to introduce Taker, World Heavyweight Champion Kane interrupted to say Taker was now just a man after Kane’s assault on him and that he was just like Hart, forever damaged; Kane then said Taker was last himself when he beat Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 26; Hart responded by saying Taker would beat Kane like he always does; Kane then said Taker took out an icon in Michaels so he would have to take out an icon himself in Hart; Kane put a choke on Bret, with WWE Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd running out to try to make the save; Kane knocked them to the floor when a gong sounded and the lights went out; when they came back on, Taker was in the ring standing between Kane and Hart; Kane then left the ring when Michael Cole received an e-mail from the general manager which read Hart would face Taker later in the show; featured highlights from the 1/11/93 debut episode of Raw; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw had more episodes than Survivor, The Amazing Race, and American Idol combined; featured highlights from the 9/28/98 episode in which Steve Austin drove to the ring in a zambonie and attacked Vince McMahon; included highlights from the 6/7/10 episode of Nexus coming through the crowd to attack John Cena; featured a backstage segment with Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, David Otunga, Michael Tarver, and Justin Gabriel in which Tarver said people were saying Nexus was getting weak since Darren Young was kicked out and Skip Sheffield was injured; Barrett responded by saying he would take the WWE World Title and Nexus would do something to keep people talking and he knew what it would be; included a trailer for “Legendary,” staring Cena; featured highlights from the 9/7/09 episode hosted by Bob Barker; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Jericho in which he said he had an epiphany and that he would leave the WWE if he didn’t win the WWE World Title at Night of Champions, then saying he would prove how serious he was in facing Nexus later in the show; featured an ad promoting Smackdown! moving to SyFy on Oct. 1; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read, at its current pace, Jersey Shore would reach its 900th episode in 2083 and Snooki would be older than Betty White; featured highlights from the 1/4/10 episode in which Hart and Michaels made amends; included footage from the recent debut in China to the tune of ‘Soul Survivor (2012)’ by Angels & Airwaves, with comments from Randy Orton, WWE World Champion Sheamus, WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, Chris Jericho, Cena, Rey Mysterio Jr., the Big Show, Jui Li – the Chinese WWE host, and Mark Henry; featured highlights from the 9/27/99 episode in which Mankind hosted ‘This is Your Life’ for the Rock; included an in-ring promo by CM Punk, alongside Luke Gallows & Joey Mercury, in which he said he was better than the Rock because he doesn’t drink, smoke, or make crappy movies like ‘The Tooth Fairy;’ Punk said Rock epitomizes the septic tank that is Raw, which he said was nothing but bad morals; Punk then said “I’ve got two words for you – Katie Vick;” Punk continued by introduced a video package of Triple H breaking into Orton’s house on 3/9/09, Cena throwing Edge into a body of water on 8/21/06, DX invading WCW on 4/27/98, and Steve Austin hosing Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon, and the Rock with beer on 3/22/99; Punk then said the fans were just the kind of people who would put a second mortgage on their house so they could see Austin spray Punk with beer; moments later, Austin’s music began playing; after Austin didn’t appear, Punk let on that he tricked the crowd and made them disappointed because they make him disappointed; Punk then showed a clip from the 6/12/03 Smackdown of Brock Lesnar’s superplex on the Big Show which broke the ring; Punk replied by saying the clip represents being criminally obese, then noting he had no idea who the other guy was with Show; Show then interrupted by saying if Punk really wanted to embarass him, he should bring up when Eddie Guerrero gave him a tainted burrito, when he did the sumo wrestling thing, or when he kissed Vickie Guerrero; Show then did a Hulk Hogan impression endorsing the Straight Edge Society, with Punk saying Show was boring and nobody likes him; moments later, Show easily cleared all three men from the ring; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw has had 256 more episodes than Monday Night Football; included highlights from Triple H’s return during the 1/7/02 episode and subsequent attack to Kurt Angle; featured Matthews conducting an interview at the entrance stage with Sheamus, with Sheamus taking the mic and saying he was the reason Triple H wasn’t there to celebrate with everyone else and that’s why he was being punished by having to face five men at Night of Champions; moments later, Edge interrupted to talk about his accomplishments since his Raw debut, called Sheamus Beeker from the Muppets, and said he would take the title back at Night of Champions:
WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley defeated Daniel Bryan & Kaval and Kofi Kingston & Michael McGillicutty at 3:22 when Miz pinned Kaval with the Skull Crushing Finale immediately after Kaval hit the Warrior’s Way onto McGillicutty; after the bout, Bryan kicked Riley to the floor, with Miz then sliding back into the ring to hit Bryan with the Money in the Bank briefcase
WWE Divas Champion Melina & Eve defeated WWE Women’s Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Women’s Champion Layla at the 52-second mark when Melina pinned Layla with a roll up; after the bout, McCool took the mic and said the win was just like Melina, completely forgettable; Layla & McCool then challenged Melina to a unification match at Night of Champions; Melina then accepted but only if it was a lumberjack match, with Layla & McCool agreeing; moments later, Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Alicia Fox, Maryse, Jillian Hall, Brie & Nikki Bella, and Tamina then joined Melina and Eve at the entrance stage
Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes fought John Morrison & R-Truth to a double disqualification at the 51-second mark when all four men began brawling in the ring; stipulations stated the winners would become the #1 contenders to the WWE Tag Team Titles; after the match, both teams continued fighting on the floor until Morrison & Truth gained the upper hand
Bret Hart fought the Undertaker to a no contest; prior to the bout, Wade Barrett came out and said the match wasn’t going to happen because it was the 900th episode and people wanted to talk about the future, not the past; Taker quickly won a brawl with Barrett and knocked him to the floor; moments later, a gong sounded and the lights went out; when they came back on, Hart was gone and World Heavyweight Champion Kane was in the ring; Taker and Kane fought until he got a choke on Kane, with the gong sounding again and the lights going out; when they came back on, Kane was gone; the remainder of Nexus then came out, with Taker fighting them off until the gong sounded again and the lights went out; when they came back on, Barrett had Taker up for the forward slam, which he then hit; Kane was seen watching on from the entrance stage as Justin Gabriel followed with the 450 splash; Nexus then stood over Taker’s body as the crowd chanted “Nexus sucks;” Taker struggled to sit up but then laid back down
Jack Swagger defeated Evan Bourne via submission with the ankle lock at 2:17 after avoiding the Shooting Star Press and clipping Bourne in the leg; prior to the bout, Swagger cut a promo on his way to the ring in which he said he returned to Raw a hero; roughly 30 seconds into the bout, Alberto Del Rio drove ringside and was introduced by his own ring announcer; after the contest, Del Rio said he was the reason Rey Mysterio Jr. wasn’t at the show because he was in the hospital; Del Rio then said he was disappointed because his Raw audience didn’t get to see it but he would recreate the attack with Bourne; Del Rio then ran in the ring and locked Bourne in the armbar before then kicking him to the floor; moments later, Del Rio went to put Bourne’s arm in a steel chair until Mark Henry ran out and punched the chair out of his hand
Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, & David Otunga defeated John Cena, WWE World Champion Sheamus, Edge, Chris Jericho, & Randy Orton in an elimination match at 11:16; Jericho was eliminated when he walked out of the match before locking up with Tarver (1:17); Edge was disqualified when he shoved referee Charles Robinson for seemingly no reason (1:43); Slater pinned Sheamus with a reverse bulldog after Gabriel kicked Sheamus in the head from the apron (7:11); Cena pinned Slater with the FU (7:54); Otunga submitted to Cena’s STFU (10:28); Gabriel pinned Cena with the 450 splash (10:40); Orton pinned Gabriel with the RKO (10:54); Orton pinned Tarver with the RKO (11:04); Barrett pinned Orton with the forward slam
9/6/10; Washington DC; Verizon Center
9/6/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Wade Barrett – alongside Heath Slater, David Otunga, Michael Tarver, & Justin Gabriel – cut a promo discussing Nexus’s attack the previous week on the Undertaker; moments later, Otunga, Tarver, Slater, and Gabriel took the mic, said they were the new phoenoms of the WWE, bragged about their elimination match win the previous week over Team WWE, Slater noted he pinned WWE World Champion Sheamus as part of the match, and Gabriel boasted about hitting the 450 to both Taker and Cena in the same night, pinning Cena in the process; Barrett then noted he pinned Randy Orton to win the match and would win the WWE World Title at Night of Champions; Orton then appeared and said he took out two members of Nexus within 30 seconds the previous week with the RKO, with Barrett then challenging him to try the same on him; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Gabriel vs. Cena and Orton vs. Barrett would take place later in the show with Nexus barred from ringside; included a trailer for ‘Legendary,’ staring Cena; featured a backstage segment in which Josh Matthews spoke to WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin, with Miz hiding something behind a curtain and saying he would show the fans the road to awesome; included a backstage segment with Edge and Zack Ryder in which they discussed Chris Jericho losing his shot at Night of Champions, with Ryder saying Edge should take him on as a former top contender himself; Edge then made fun of Ryder before making an open statement to the Raw GM that he should make Ryder his opponent; featured a backstage segment with Ted Dibiase Jr. and Maryse in which Dibiase was shown speaking on the phone with someone and telling them he loved them; Maryse then said she found a note in their stuff which read the person wanted them, with the two then arguing over who the note was meant for before Dibiase stormed off; included an ad promoting Smackdown moving to SyFy Oct. 1; featured an ad promoting the following week’s season premiere featuring Raw Roulette; included an extended look at ‘Legendary,’ with comments from Cena, Devon Graye, Patricia Clarkson, and Danny Glover; featured an ad promoting Season 3 of NXT, with all the rookies except the previously announced Aloisia; included an in-ring promo by Miz in which he recapped his time spent on MTV, as a contestant on Tough Enough, and the verbal abuse the fans gave him telling him to leave because he didn’t belong; Miz then spoke of his tag team with John Morrison and that the fans said he was just Morrison’s sidekick, then noting he would go on to win Money in the Bank; Miz said he was the biggest star in the company before unveiling the new cover of WWE Magazine with him on the front; he then said all the fans were wrong and that he had earned the right to say he was awesome; Daniel Bryan then walked out and commented on how he was the anti-superstar for the fact he has a cheap haircut, generic music, and the fact security doesn’t know who he is; Bryan then said he knows he could beat Miz for the US title and showed a doctored WWE Magazine cover on the big screen which read “Miz taps out” which could run after their match; Bryan said he knew he could beat Miz, make him tap, and take the title; as Miz went to respond, Bryan asked him whether he would accept the challenge to a match, with Miz saying yes; Miz then went to attack Bryan but was briefly locked in the LaBell Lock until Alex Riley came out of the crowd; Bryan fought him off, knocked Miz to the floor, and locked Riley in the hold; Riley then tapped out as Miz watched on from the floor; moments later, Bryan kicked the blown up WWE Magazine cover in the ring; featured a WWE Classics on Demand ‘This Week in Wrestling History’ segment focusing on the WCW Monday Nitro premiere from Sept. 4, 1995 at the Mall of America and Lex Luger’s surprise appearance, leading to the Monday Night Wars and WWE’s eventual victory; included the announcement Taker would face CM Punk Friday on Smackdown; featured Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Jericho regarding his comments the previous week in which he said he would leave WWE if he didn’t win at Night of Champions, and the fact he now wouldn’t be challenging for the title at the pay-per-view; Jericho refused comment; moments later, John Morrison was seen sitting next to Jericho and used several of Jericho’s own lines in making fun of him:
John Morrison (mystery opponent) pinned Chris Jericho at 10:00 with Starship Pain after knocking Jericho off the top rope; after Jericho’s entrance, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read, due to their actions the previous week, Jericho and Edge would be taken out of the Night of Champions main event if they did not win their respective matches during the show (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Divas Champion Melina pinned Alicia Fox at 2:09 with the Sunset Split; prior to the bout, Alicia cut a promo while walking to the ring in which she said she would become the “undefined” women’s champion after beating Melina for the divas title and LayCool at Night of Champions (the first time the move is referred to by name)
John Cena pinned Justin Gabriel at 6:10 with a FU off the top after Gabriel went up top to attempt the 450 splash; stipulations stated Nexus was banned from ringside for the match
Edge defeated the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) (mystery opponent) via count-out at 1:18 after kicking Khali in the knee and sliding back into the ring as the two were out on the floor; following Edge’s entrance, Cole announced John Cena would face the winner of the Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton match later in the show; after Khali’s appearance, Edge went out to the floor and acted as though he was going to destroy the Raw GM laptop but eventually thought better of it; stipulations stated Edge would be taken out of the Night of Champions main event if he lost; after the bout, Cole received an e-mail from the GM which said the win wouldn’t stand under those circumstances and that it would be restarted as a No DQ over-the-top rope challenge
Edge defeated the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) in a No DQ over-the-top rope challenge at 1:40 after pulling Khali’s leg as he stepped over the rope rope; Khali stepped over the top rope to attack Edge on the floor at around the 50-second mark but the match continued; stipulations stated Edge would be taken out of the Night of Champions main event if he lost
Randy Orton pinned Wade Barrett with the RKO at 6:04 after Barrett became distracted by Darren Young at ringside; WWE World Champion Sheamus, John Cena, and Edge provided guest commentary for the bout; late in the bout, Young appeared and told Barrett he wasn’t the weakest link of Nexus, he was the missing link; after the contest, Orton dropped Young, Edge, and Sheamus with the RKO; stipulations stated the winner would face Cena the following week; moments later, Orton and Cena squared off in the ring
9/13/10; Cincinnati, OH; US Bank Arena
9/13/10 – Raw Roulette – featured an opening backstage segment with John Cena, Randy Orton, Josh Matthews, & Eve beside the Raw Roulette wheel; moments later, Cena had Eve spin the wheel to determine what kind of match Cena and Orton would have later in the show, with the wheel landing on a tables match; Matthews then discussed the fact that the last tables match Cena was in, he lost the WWE World Title to Sheamus, with Cena then hyping the upcoming bout; included Justin Roberts introducing Chad Ochocinco, of the Cincinnati Bengals, as the guest host; Ochocinco then came out to the ring, welcomed the fans to the season premiere of Raw, and said he was the most handsome guest host Raw has had; WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin soon interrupted, praising his fellow Ohioan before referring to himself as a champion and saying Ochocinco would never hold a title because he plays for the “Bungles;” Ochocinco responded by saying his team was going to the SuperBowl and the Red were going to the playoffs; Miz followed by making fun of the team and saying they were overrated; Michael Cole then responded with an e-mail from the Raw GM that read the wheel would determine Miz’s match for the night; Alicia Fox then appeared on the big screen and spun the wheel, landing on a submission match; Cole then said the non-title match would be against a wrestler of Ochocinco’s choosing, with the guest host naming Daniel Bryan; featured an ad promoting Smackdown moving to SyFy Oct. 1; included a backstage segment in which Jillian Hall spun the wheel with Edge to determine Edge’s upcoming match, both singing Dead or Alive’s “You Spin Me;” featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE provides Raw, NXT, Smackdown, and pay-per-views to the American (Armed?) Forces Network which is broadcast to the military in 175 countries and U.S. Navy ships at sea; several of the Bengals were shown sitting ringside; included a backstage segment with William Regal, Ochocinco, Brie & Nikki Bella in which Regal landed on a trading places match; after Ochocinco told Regal he would have to dress as his opponent, Goldust walked in and gave Regal a blonde wig; after Regal and Goldust left, Sheamus walked in and Ochocinco said if John Morrison beats him later in the show then he would earn a spot in the Night of Champions main event; the wheel was then spun and landed on falls count anywhere; featured an ad promoting ‘Legendary,’ staring Cena; included a backstage segment with Edge and Zack Ryder in which Ryder questioned why the GM was being tough on Edge, with Edge calling him a tool and that when he wins the title at Night of Champions he would be MIA; moments later, Sheamus confronted Edge about his claim of winning the title and said Edge should pay attention to what he does to Morrison; featured a backstage segment in which Morrison was shown doing parkour; Pete Rose was shown in attendance:
Daniel Bryan fought WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) to a no contest in a non-title submission match at around the 4-minute mark when Miz rolled out to the ring, took the mic, complained of a hernia, and said Bryan could face Riley if he wanted a fight (the match began during the commercial break)
Daniel Bryan defeated Alex Riley (w/ WWE US Champion Mike Mizanin) in a submission match at the 37-second mark with the LeBell Lock; after the bout, Miz attacked Bryan and held his face to the title belt, saying he would never hold it and he was average at best; moments later, Bryan reversed Miz into the LeBell Lock, forcing Miz to tap and prompting the crowd to chant “You tapped out”
Edge defeated Evan Bourne in a bodyslam challenge at 1:25; after the bout, Edge dropped Bourne with a spear; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Edge would compete in a second bodyslam challenge for attacking Bourne after the match
Mark Henry defeated Edge in a bodyslam challenge at the 34-second mark; after the bout, Henry tended to Bourne on the floor
R-Truth & Eve fought Ted Dibiase Jr. & Maryse to a no contest in a song and dance match; prior to the bout, footage was shown from the commercial break of Gail Kim spinning the wheel and it landing on a song and dance match; Truth sang a new song, “Get Crunk,” rather than his theme music; moments later, Dibiase said the contest was rediculous but he would go through with it anyway; Dibiase then sang Frank Sinatra’s “My Way” while Maryse danced; moments later, Dibiase & Maryse attacked their opponents but Truth & Eve eventually cleared them from the ring
WWE World Champion Sheamus pinned John Morrison in a non-title falls count anywhere match at 6:43 after Chris Jericho hit Morrison over the back with a steel chair, moments after Morrison hit a crossbody from the top of the stage onto Sheamus at the entrance stage; after the commercial break, Jericho was shown sitting in the ring and cut a promo saying he would remain sitting until he got an e-mail from the GM that he would be let back into the Night of Champions main event or he would quit; when there was no response, Jericho threatened to track the GM down and expose him to the world; moments later, an e-mail arrived which read the GM doesn’t take ultimatums; Jericho responded to the “no chance in hell” statement by the GM, saying it wasn’t Vince McMahon because McMahon wasn’t a coward; another e-mail then arrived saying the match at Night of Champions would be an elimination match and Jericho was back in; moments later, Jericho guaranteed he was walking out of the pay-per-view with the title; a third e-mail then arrived saying Jericho was back in the match pending winning his handicap match against WWE Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd; Cole then said it would be a steel cage match (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Chris Jericho defeated WWE Tag Team Champions David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) in a non-title handicap steel cage match at around the 5:30 mark; Smith escaped over the top of the cage at around the 1-minute mark after Jericho sustained the Hart Attack; Kidd submitted to Jericho’s Walls of Jericho after Jericho reversed a hurricanrana off the top; stipulations stated Jericho would qualify for the Night of Champions main event if he won (the bout began during the commercial break)
Goldust (as William Regal) pinned William Regal (as Goldust) in a trading places match at the 27-second mark after hitting him with a pair of brass knuckles; the wrestlers came out dressed as their opponent for the bout
Randy Orton defeated John Cena in a tables match at 15:14 by reversing a FU into the RKO; Chad Ochocinco was the guest ring announcer for the match; late in the bout, Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, David Otunga, & Justin Gabriel attacked both men but Cena and Orton eventually put them all through tables; moments later, Chris Jericho and Edge interfered but Edge then accidentally put Jericho through a table in the corner with a spear; WWE World Champion Sheamus then appeared but Cena eventually dropped him with a FU on the floor
9/20/10; Indianapolis, IN; Conseco Fieldhouse
9/20/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which the new WWE World Champion Randy Orton was introduced to the crowd; before Orton could address the crowd, Sheamus interrupted and said he had been WWE World Champion twice and both times was screwed out of the title, then noting Orton had never beaten him in a one-on-one contest for the title; Orton replied that Sheamus had never beaten him and that if he wanted a rematch, he should get it fast before he gets a punt to the head; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Orton would face Sheamus in a Hell in a Cell match in two weeks; moments later, Sheamus said he would beat Orton in Hell in a Cell, then ordered Orton to give him the title belt since he really didn’t beat Sheamus for the championship; Orton then said he would hit the RKO on his own grandmother to keep the belt and would do the same to Sheamus’s grandmother just to see the look on her face; Orton then tossed Sheamus the title belt before dropping him with the RKO; moments later, Orton returned to the ring and attempted to kick Sheamus in the head but Sheamus slid to the floor; included the announcement ‘Legendary’ would be released the following Tuesday at Walmart; featured backstage footage of John Morrison working out for his match later in the show against Chris Jericho; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has been making wishes come through with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for more than 25 years; featured a backstage segment with Edge and Zack Ryder in which Edge said he and Ryder weren’t friends and that he should be WWE World Champion; moments later, WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan interrupted and asked Edge to keep it down because he was reading; moments later, Edge challenged Bryan to a match later in the show; included an ad promoting Smackdown moving to SyFy Oct. 1; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with John Cena regarding his match with Wade Barrett later in the show; included an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ on DVD at Walmart; featured an ad promoting the WWE’s charitable efforts; included a “Did you know?” graphic that read WWE.com’s highlights of Raw, NXT, Superstars, and Smackdown are seen more than 10 million times each month; featured a backstage segment showing Barrett speaking with David Otunga, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, and Justin Gabriel; included Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Chris Jericho in which he promoted his new 3-disc DVD set and said he would continue to get better, with Jericho then saying he got the IP address from Cole’s computer and would soon find out who the mystery GM is; Jericho then said he would demand a title match against the winner of Orton vs. Sheamus to blackmail the GM; Orton then appeared and challenged Jericho to a non-title match the following week and would give Jericho a title shot if he won, with Jericho saying he’s made a career of embarassing people just like Orton; members of the Indianapolis Colts were shown in attendance:
WWE Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes defeated Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov in a non-title match at 4:13 when McIntyre pinned Kozlov with the Future Shock; David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd provided guest commentary for the bout; after the contest, Kidd noted he and Smith would get their title rematch the following week
John Morrison pinned Chris Jericho at 10:20 with a knee to the face and Starship Pain; after the bout, Jericho was visibly upset as some in the crowd chanted “Y2J”
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Edge via reverse decision in a non-title match; Edge originally pinned Bryan with the spear at 4:03 after Mike Mizanin, who provided guest commentary for the bout, dropped Bryan over the top rope as Alex Riley, who ran out moments earlier, distracted the referee from the opposite end of the ring; prior to the entrances, Mizanin walked out with a mic, saying he did not tap out to Bryan, that he suffered from a tender ligament, and the doctors told him not to compete at Night of Champions; Miz then said he had to save himself from potential surgery but would regain the US title; during the contest, Miz announced Riley had been signed to assist Miz; after the bout, Michael Cole recieved an e-mail from the GM which read the decision was overturned due to interference, with Edge then taking the mic and saying he was sick of the anonymous GM interfering with his career; after Edge left ringside, Miz & Riley double teamed Bryan in the ring for several minutes, with Riley holding Bryan as Miz repeatedly slapped Bryan across the face and then dropped him with the Skull Crushing Finale; Miz and Riley then left ringside as the crowd chanted “You tapped out” at him (Bryan’s first appearance using Wagner’s ‘Ride of the Valkyries’ as his entrance music)
WWE Unified Women’s Champion Layla (w/ WWE Unified Women’s Champion Michelle McCool) pinned Melina at 2:03 with a modified jawbreaker off the top; McCool provided guest commentary for the match
R-Truth & Eve pinned Ted Dibiase Jr. & Maryse at 2:37 when Eve pinned Maryse with a reversal into a neckbreaker; after the bout, Dibiase and Maryse argued over the loss until the words “I will have you” appeared on the big screen with a heart (Truth’s first appearance using ‘Crunk’ as his entrance music; Dibiase’s first appearance with new entrance music)
John Cena defeated David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, & Michael Tarver (w/ Wade Barrett) in a gauntlet match at 13:47; prior to the bout, Barrett took the mic, stood on the commentary table, and said Cena would have to beat the other members of Nexus in a gauntlet match before facing Barrett in their previously announced singles match; Cena pinned Slater with the FU (2:25); Cena pinned Otunga with an inside cradle (6:55); Tarver submitted to Cena’s STFU (7:58); Cena defeated Gabriel via disqualification when the other members of Nexus and Barrett attacked Cena; Barrett stood on the commentary table for the duration of the bout; moments later, Cena cleared the ring with a steel chair; Cena then took the mic and said he wanted his match with Barrett, with Barrett saying he had nothing to gain before agreeing to the match at Hell in a Cell but only under the stipulation that Cena joins Nexus if he loses; Cena agreed but then added his own stipulation that Nexus is gone from the WWE if he wins, with Barrett agreeing as the show came to a close
9/20/10; Indianapolis, IN; Conseco Fieldhouse
9/27/10 – featured an ad promoting Smackdown moving to SyFy on Friday; included an ad promoting Nickelback on tour; featured footage of John Cena in the media to promote ‘Legendary’ on DVD, with appearances on ‘Late Night with Jimmy Fallon,’ ESPN, BET, WFAN New York, and more; included a backstage segment with Ted Dibiase Jr. and Maryse in which they argued over who cost them the match the previous week; moments later, a letter was slid under their door which read “Next week you will be mine;” featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read “More than 60,000 teens are expected to participate in this year’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge;” included an in-ring segment of The Cutting Edge in which Edge had the Raw GM laptop and mic as his guest, where an electronic voice kept the GM’s voice anonymous; after the two argued, the GM said Chris Jericho was bluffing over knowing who the GM was and that Edge would be in action; as Edge went to leave ringside, Cena came out as his opponent; featured an ad promoting “Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho;” included an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ on DVD; featured the announcement Johnny Knoxville would appear as a guest star on the following week’s show; included an ad promoting the WWE’s charitable efforts; featured a backstage segment with Cena and R-Truth in which they talked about Cena’s match at Hell in a Cell, during which Cena said he would be on Smackdown Friday; included a closing ad promoting Smackdown moving to SyFy Friday:
Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley defeated WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan & John Morrison at 5:14 when Miz pinned Bryan with the Skull Crushing Finale after ramming Bryan into Morrison on the apron; during his entrance, Miz cut a promo in which he said he embarasses Bryan each Monday night and would do the same again; Bryan interrupted moments later, with Miz then questioning who his partner would be; after the contest, Morrison brawled with Miz on the floor until Bryan tackled both men from the ring; moments later, Morrison, Miz, and Bryan brawled amongst themselves until Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated Bryan would face both Morrison and Miz at Hell in a Cell in a submissions count anywhere bout
Natalya Neidhart won a 10-diva battle royal by last eliminating Alicia Fox at 4:17; stipulations stated the winner would become the #1 contender to the WWE Divas Title; WWE Divas Champions Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla provided guest commentary for the bout; other participants included: Melina, Gail Kim, Eve, Jillian Hall, Tamina, Maryse, Brie & Nikki Bella; order of elimination: Melina by Tamina (0:42); Gail by Tamina after dropping her across the top rope (1:33); Tamina by Eve (1:52); the Bellas eliminated themselves while attempting sliding dropkicks (2:39); Maryse by Eve (2:57); Eve by Alicia (3:04); Jillian by Alicia after a reversal (3:47); Alicia by Natalya
The Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) defeated Sheamus via disqualification at 1:05 when Sheamus assaulted Khali on the floor and threw a chair at his face; prior to the bout, Sheamus cut an in-ring promo retelling a Irish legend in which a prince cut off his own hand to lay claim to the throne and said he would do the same if he had to in order to take the WWE World Title at Hell in a Cell; Sheamus then issued an open challenge to anyone backstage; during Khali’s entrance, Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler advertised Mick Foley’s new book, ‘Countdown to Lockdown;’ after the bout, Sheamus twice kicked Khali in the face on the floor
John Cena defeated Edge via submission with the STFU at 9:15; Edge originally won the match at 6:57 with the spear but the Raw GM ruled after the fall that the match would continue since Cena’s foot was under the bottom rope during the cover; during the bout, it was announced Cena would automatically win should Nexus interfere in his match with Wade Barrett at Hell in a Cell; late in the contest, there were dueling chants for both men; after the bout, Edge confronted the laptop, with the GM saying Edge lost fair and square and should walk away; moments later, Edge shoved the laptop off the podium and broke it in half
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel (w/ Wade Barrett, Michael Tarver, & David Otunga) defeated Evan Bourne & Mark Henry at 3:19 when Slater shoved Gabriel onto Bourne, moments after Bourne hit Air Bourne; after the bout, Nexus attacked Henry on the floor and Bourne in the ring, ending with Gabriel hitting the 450 splash onto Bourne; moments later, Barrett took the mic and cut a promo on what John Cena would do for Nexus following Hell in a Cell; Otunga then took the mic and said Nexus would be at Smackdown on Friday, with Tarver adding no one could stop them
WWE Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes defeated David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) at 3:13 when Rhodes pinned Smith with Crossroads after McIntyre prevented the challengers from hitting the springboard Hart Attack; after the bout, Smith argued with Kidd and Natalya over the loss and walked backstage by himself
WWE World Champion Randy Orton defeated Chris Jericho in a non-title match via disqualification at 13:16 when Sheamus interfered as Orton attempted the RKO; prior to the bout, Jericho cut an in-ring promo saying he wasn’t afraid of Orton, despite his change from the clean-cut fresh-faced man he was when he came to the WWE; Jericho then said he would be known as the Viper Killer and would add Orton to the list of men he has defeated during his career – Steve Austin, Rock, Triple H, Kane, Shawn Michaels, Eddie Guerrero, Rey Mysterio Jr., John Bradshaw Layfield, Big Show, Edge, Undertaker, MVP, and CM Punk; after the commercial break, Jericho continued by listing Invader #1, Invader #2, Villano 1, II, III, IV, and V, Juventud Guerrera, Apollo Dantes, the Great Muta, Masahiro Chono, Yoshi Tatsu, Perry Saturn, Lex Luger, Sting, Ric Flair, Bill Goldberg, Buff Bagwell, Flash Funk, Kevin Nash, Diesel, Oz, Scott Hall, American Starship Eagle, Booker T, Stevie Ray, Sho Funaki, Jado, Gedo, Dean Malenko, Scott Norton, Flash Flanagan, Razor Ramon, and others; Sheamus appeared ringside mid-way through the contest; after the bout, Orton assaulted Sheamus before sustaining the Codebreaker from Jericho; moments later, Jericho brought a steel chair into the ring but ended up receiving an RKO; the crowd then chanted “Punt” before Orton kicked Jericho in the head; Jericho was then tended to in the ring by trainers and a stretcher was brought out for him as Orton and Sheamus, on the floor, locked eyes (Hell in a Cell 2010, The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
10/4/10; Wichita, KS; Intrust Bank Arena
10/4/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, & Justin Gabriel came out, with Barrett spoke of his win the previous night over John Cena and identified the two men who interfered in the bout as Husky Harris and Michael McGillicutty; Barrett then said he didn’t know either man, did not ask for their help, and they are not part of Nexus; moments later, Barrett called out the other members for almost getting him disqualified in the bout but then said it was a night to celebrate before then asking Cena to come out to the ring; Barrett told Cena it was the best thing that could have happened to him, with Tarver telling Cena he failed at trying to end Tarver’s career and handed him a Nexus armband; moments later, Cena took off his own armband and replaced it with the Nexus one; Slater then gave Cena a statement that he had to read to the fans which said any enemy of Nexus was now an enemy of his; Barrett followed by saying Cena and a member of Nexus of Cena’s choosing would face Evan Bourne & Mark Henry later in the show, with Cena choosing Tarver for the opening bout; included the announcement Rey Mysterio Jr. would face Alberto Del Rio Friday on Smackdown; featured an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ on DVD; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE offers all US military personnel free tickets to all live events in the US; featured a backstage segment in which Johnny Knoxville talked about ‘Jackass 3D’ with Gail Kim and Melina, with Zack Ryder then walking in and getting pranked by Knoxville; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding the announcement from the Raw GM, with Cena then chasing Harris and McGillicutty down the hallway and into the Nexus lockerroom, with Barrett saying he had something to talk over with Cena; featured an ad promoting WWE Classics On Demand “Rocktober,” focusing on the Rock; Atom Smash, who performed the Hell in a Cell theme song, were shown in attendance; included an in-ring segment in which Michael Cole said the Raw GM would no longer speak with his voice altered and would instead communicate via e-mail to Cole; he then reviewed footage of Edge destroying the laptop the previous week and called for Edge to come out and apologize; after Edge appeared, he said he was on a crusade against stupidity and said Cole was the epitome of stupid since 1997 and would rather listen to a recording of Jim Ross than a live Cole; Cole then received an e-mail from the GM that said the #1 contender for the WWE World Title would be determined later in the show in a 20-man battle royal and that Edge had been traded to Smackdown; Edge responded by saying that was a good thing because he wouldn’t have to deal with the GM or that “tool,” with Cole telling Edge he needed to treat him with respect; Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley then came out, with Miz calling Cole a visionary; Edge, Miz, and Riley then had words, with Miz eventually saying he would be at Bragging Rights to either compete for the WWE World Title or lead Team Raw to victory; moments later, Edge brawled with the two, hitting the spear on Riley before sustaining the Skull Crushing Finale from Miz; featured a backstage segment with Nexus and Cena in which Barrett said he had been looking to get rid of Tarver so Cena did him a favor and he would help him win the battle royal later in the show, with Otunga saying Cena would help one of the others win if Barrett was eliminated, which Barrett took exception to; included an ad promoting ‘Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho;’ featured a backstage segment with Maryse and Knoxville in which Ted Dibiase Jr. walked in, thinking Knoxville was the one who sent letters to Maryse in recent weeks; moments later, Dibiase walked into the giant hand that hit Ryder earlier in the show; Maryse was then hit with the hand as well; included a clip from ‘Jackass 3D;’ featured an in-ring segment with Knoxville in which he quickly plugged his movie before trying to leave the ring, with Dibiase & Maryse then coming out to prevent him; moments later, Dibiase slapped Knoxville across the face and put him out with the Million $ Dream; the words “You are mine” then appeared on the big screen, with Goldust then coming up behind them, dropping Dibiase with the Final Cut, and saying he didn’t want Maryse or Dibiase but instead the Million $ Belt; featured an ad promoting a Nickelback ticket contest for their upcoming show in Las Vegas; included a video segment recapping the WWE’s 25-year relationship with the Make-a-Wish Foundation, showing the multiple wishes granted over the years with the likes of Steve Austin, Bret Hart, Rock, Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, Ric Flair, Batista, Ted Dibiase, as well as current stars, mixed with comments from WWE Divas Champion Layla, John Cena, Triple H, and Make-a-Wish Foundation’s David Williams regarding the impact the superstars have had on the organization; featured a backstage segment with Cena and Otunga in which Otunga said Cena could make it work in Nexus and that he was there if he ever wanted to talk; included the announcement Chris Jericho would be out of action indefinitely as a result of the attack he sustained the previous week from WWE World Champion Randy Orton:
Evan Bourne & Mark Henry defeated John Cena & Michael Tarver at 8:57 when Henry pinned Tarver with the powerslam after Cena left the apron and began signing autographs for ringside fans; Wade Barrett, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, & David Otunga were at ringside early on but returned backstage during the commercial break; early in the bout, Cena and Bourne shook hands; after the contest, Cena took the mic and said he would destroy Nexus from within, then hit Tarver in the head with the mic; Cena followed by hitting a clothesline on the floor and slamming Tarver onto the ring steps; after the crowd chanted “One more time,” Cena slammed him again on the steps, then clipped him in the knee in the ring before applying the STFU; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read, per the stipulations of their match, Cena had to take direction from Barrett or he would be fired; Cena then spent several moments in the ring, Cena eventually left the ring as the crowd chanted their support
Natalya Neidhart defeated Alicia Fox at the 42-second mark via submission with the Sharpshooter
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan defeated Sheamus via disqualification in a non-title match at the 29-second mark when Sheamus repeatedly kneed Bryan’s head against the ropes; after the bout, Sheamus dropped Bryan with the crucifix powerbomb
Brie & Nikki Bella defeated WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla at 1:04 when one of the Bellas pinned McCool with a crucifix after the Bellas switched places behind the referee’s back; McCool & Layla wore headset microphones for the duration of the bout
Wade Barrett won a 20-man battle royal at 19:35 when John Cena eliminated himself; prior to the bout, Cena did not appear when his entrance music played, instead coming out with the rest of Nexus during their entrance; order of elimination: Evan Bourne by Sheamus via a boot to the face as Bourne was on the apron (0:08); David Hart Smith by Sheamus via a clothesline (0:19); William Regal by Cena (0:34); Santino Marella by Mike Mizanin (1:46); Zack Ryder by Mark Henry via a press slam (1:56); Primo Colon by Henry via a press slam (2:10); Henry by David Otunga, Heath Slater, Wade Barrett, & Justin Gabriel (3:12); Otunga by Cena (3:25); Vladimir Kozlov by Barrett (during the commercial break); Darren Young by Slater & Gabriel (during the commercial break); Slater by Morrison via a clothesline (9:37); Tyson Kidd by Morrison via a springboard kick as Kidd was on the apron (10:37); Miz by Morrison via a bodyscissors over the top rope (11:57); Gabriel by R-Truth via a jump kick to the head (13:23); Truth by Ted Dibiase Jr. via a backdrop (13:38); Dibiase by Barrett (14:05); Morrison eliminated himself when he fell off the apron after kicking Barrett in the head (15:23); Sheamus by Cena after being knocked off the apron (16:47); Cena eliminated himself after Barrett ordered him to do so; stipulations stated the winner would challenge WWE World Champion Randy Orton at Bragging Rights; after the bout, Orton came out to the ring and held up the title belt in Barrett’s face as the show ended
10/11/10; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
10/11/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena in which he addressed the fans chanting “Don’t give up” the previous week and said he was in a tough situation to either follow Wade Barrett or be fired; moments later, Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley interrupted, with Miz saying he was the leader of Team Raw at Bragging Rights and offered Cena a spot on the team; Cena said he was open to the idea but then suggested he be the team leader instead of Miz; moments later, Barrett interrupted and said he didn’t want Cena to focus on anything other than to be in his corner at Bragging Rights when Barrett challenges WWE World Champion Randy Orton; Riley then said Cena should focus on Barrett because Miz would cash in his title shot and walk out of the pay-per-view with the title; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read the winners of matches later in the show would determine Team Raw; it was then ruled that Miz would face Cena later in the show to determine who would captain Team Raw; Miz responded by telling Cena he would beat him and then Barrett that if he was to cash in the title shot, there was nothing Barrett could do about it; Barrett responded by hitting a headbutt on Miz and eventually clearing Miz and Riley from the ring after they double teamed Barrett; Barrett then yelled at Cena for waiting too long to save him; included a backstage segment with Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, and the other members of Nexus in which David Otunga questioned McGillicutty and Harris about their involvement at Hell in a Cell; moments later, Barrett walked in and told McGillicutty and Harris to leave and suggested Otunga face Orton later in the show; Otunga suggested Justin Gabriel face Orton instead, with Barrett agreeing; featured an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ on DVD; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read “More than 60,000 teens are expected to participate in this year’s WrestleMania Reading Challenge which starts this week;” featured a trailer promoting ‘Knucklehead’ in theaters Oct. 23 and 24; included a backstage segment with Cena and R-Truth in which Truth talked about Cena joining Nexus, that a lot of the guys backstage didn’t agree with it, and that if Barrett told Cena to take out a WWE guy, he would have to; Truth then said there was another way out of it, then telling Cena to quit; included an ad promoting WWE’s support of the American military and the annual Tribute to the Troops events, with comments from Art Myers, director of Armed Forces Entertainment, Shawn Michaels, Gen. David Petaeus, President George W. Bush, President Barack Obama, John Morrison, Chris Jericho, John Cena, and several soldiers; the segment was set to the tune of Goo Goo Dolls’ “Not Broken;” featured an in-ring promo by Natalya Neidhart in which she said at Bragging Rights she would take the WWE Divas Title from LayCool; moments later, WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla interrupted and said Natalya has to shave herself before every show because she has the same facial hair as her dad; moments later, as LayCool attempted to leave the ring, Melina, Eve, Gail Kim, Brie & Nikki Bella attacked them on the floor and threw Layla into the ring; Natalya then tried to put Layla in the Sharpshooter but McCool pulled her to the floor and the two left through the crowd:
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: R-Truth (w/ Eve) pinned Ted Dibiase (w/ Maryse) at 3:23 with the Lie Detector, moments after Goldust, with Aksana and the Million $ Belt, appeared at the entrance stage and distracted Dibiase
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: John Morrison pinned Tyson Kidd at 3:20 with a backflip slam; prior to the bout, Michael Cole noted the Raw GM told him it was to be a triple threat match also involving David Hart Smith but Smith wasn’t in the building
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: Santino Marella pinned Zack Ryder with the Cobra at 1:46; prior to the bout, Vladimir Kozlov escorted Santino to the entrance stage; after the bout, Tamina came out to the ring and celebrated with Santino
WWE World Champion Randy Orton pinned Justin Gabriel in a non-title match with the RKO at 11:03 after Gabriel injured himself by hitting the 450 splash as Orton attempted to move out of the way; David Otunga & Heath Slater escorted Gabriel to the ring but were ejected a minute into the bout
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: Sheamus pinned WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan in a non-title match at 5:19 with the kick to the face; during the bout, Michael Cole incorrectly stated Bryan was part of the reason Team WWE lost at Summer Slam (The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: CM Punk pinned Evan Bourne with the Go To Sleep at 2:18 after crotching Bourne on the top rope as Bourne attempted the Air Bourne; prior to the bout, ring announcer Justin Roberts introduced Punk as the latest edition to the Raw roster; after the contest, Punk knocked Bourne to the floor, repeatedly rammed him into the barricade, and sent him shoulder-first into the ringpost; moments later, Punk applied the Anaconda Vice on the floor until he was pulled away by several referees; after the commercial break, footage was shown of Bourne being helped backstage
Bragging Rights Qualifying Match: Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) pinned John Cena in a No DQ match at 10:31 after Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris interfered, with McGillicutty hitting the swinging neckbreaker and Harris following with the running senton; stipulations stated the winner would be the Raw team captain; after the contest, Cena fought with McGillicutty and Harris in the ring until Wade Barrett ran out and pulled Cena away, with Cena almost throwing a punch at Barrett in the process; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated Cena & WWE World Champion Randy Orton would face McGillicutty & Harris the following week; Barrett then took the mic and said McGillicutty & Harris would officially become part of Nexus if they won, implied Cena should lay down for them, and then provoked Cena to try to hit him; Barrett then said Cena wasn’t going to hit him not because of what the GM said but because he was scared that Barrett would embarass him; moments later, Cena left the ring alone, with Barrett then telling Cena “You can’t see me”
10/18/10; Calgary, Alberta; Scotiabank Saddledome
10/18/10 – featured an opening segment in which Teddy Long walked out to the ring and said he was there to take over Raw; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which told Long to get out of the ring; Long then had the Bragging Rights trophy brought out to the ring and bragged about the Smackdown team beating Raw the previous year; the GM then sent another e-mail which told Long to get out of the ring or else; as Long went out to the floor to argue with Cole, another e-mail came through with Long then announcing he was disconnecting the Raw GM; Long then introduced the Big Show as the Smackdown team captain, with Edge, Alberto Del Rio, Kofi Kingston, Jack Swagger, Tyler Reks, and Rey Mysterio Jr. following; moments later, Mike Mizanin & Alex Riley interrupted at the entrance stage and said it looked like Smurf village grew up next to a nuclear power plant, then calling Edge Smurfette; Miz then introduced his team of CM Punk, John Morrison, Santino Marella, Ezekiel Jackson as the surprise new member, and Sheamus; the two teams then began brawling in the ring before Smackdown cleared Raw; Show then said the Smackdown team would leave willingly only if Miz faced Show later in the night, with Miz agreeing; included an ad promoting ‘Knucklehead;’ featured a backstage segment with John Cena and WWE World Champion Randy Orton in which Orton told Cena he would kick him in the skull if he got in his way, with Cena saying he would break the leg off if he tried; included a vignette on R-Truth to the tune of ‘Crunk;’ featured the announcement WWE World Champion Randy Orton would face World Heavyweight Champion Kane Friday on Smackdown; included an ad promoting the WrestleMania Reading Challenge; featured a backstage segment with Cena and Neuxs in which Wade Barrett told Cena to test Michael McGillicutty & Husky Harris and see whether they were worthy of joining the group, then telling Cena to get him a glass of water; included a backstage segment in which Bobb’e J. Thompson, unnamed in the segment, was playing Big Show beating up Miz on a video game, with Miz then confronting him until Show walked in; featured a backstage segment with Cena and Nexus in which Cena gave Barrett his glass of water, with the crowd then chanting “Water boy” before Barrett threw the water back in Cena’s face; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Smackdown was the #1 entertainment show on cable TV and SyFy’s most watched Friday show in more than 5 years; featured a segment in which Vickie Guerrero came out on the entrance stage and introduced WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler; moments later, Ziggler cut a promo on himself as he and Vickie came out to the ring; moments later, WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan interrupted and said he could do better than Vickie and he’s not even a ladies man; Bryan then said he didn’t have a lot of things Ziggler had but he had the ability to make him tap out, then challenging Ziggler to a match at Bragging Rights; Ziggler accepted but then challenged Bryan to a fight then and there, before slapping Bryan in the face and pulling Vickie in front of him; Bryan then tackled Ziggler to the floor and applied the LeBell Lock on the floor; moments later, Eve, Brie & Nikki Bella, Melina, Kelly Kelly, and Gail Kim came out to the ring, surrounded Vickie, covered her in glitter, and scared her backstage; moments later, the divas surrounded Bryan and he danced with them; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Long, beside Show & Hornswoggle, in which Hornswoggle took the Smackdown flag and led the Smackdown team out of their locker room; featured an ad promoting WWE with comments from John Cena, Maria, Barack Obama, Hillary Clinton, George W. Bush, Nancy O’Dell, John Legend, Shaquille O’Neal, Triple H, Kid Rock, Snoop Dogg, Jeremy Piven, Carl Edwards, Nicole Scherzinger, Ben Stiller, and Floyd Mayweather, WWE appearances by Adam Sandler, the Osbournes, Bob Barker, Mike Tyson, William Shatner, Jon Heder, Mickey Rourke, and Donald Trump, WWE superstars in media, and a look at their charitable efforts; after the ad, Cole urged fans to speak out against recent political comments against WWE by visiting WWE.com; included a backstage segment with Barrett and Cena in which Barrett said he wasn’t finished with Cena or Orton:
WWE Tag Team Champions Drew McIntyre & Cody Rhodes defeated Tyson Kidd & David Hart Smith (w/ Natalya Neidhart) at 3:17 when McIntyre pinned Smith with the Future Shock after Kidd and Smith began arguing when Smith opted to apply the Sharpshooter instead of the springboard Hart Attack; after the bout, Kidd and Smith argued over the loss; during the match, there were several chants of “We want Bret”
Goldust (w/ Aksana) pinned Zack Ryder with the Final Cut at the 28-second mark; prior to the bout, Ted Dibiase Jr. & Maryse appeared at the entrance stage to watch the match; after the contest, Dibiase attacked Goldust in the ring while Maryse chased Aksana, in possession of the Million $ Belt, backstage; moments later, Goldust dropped Dibiase with the Final Cut
WWE World Champion Randy Orton & John Cena defeated Michael McGillicutty & Husky Harris at 7:55 when Orton pinned McGillicutty with the RKO after Cena dropped Harris with the FU; prior to the bout, Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, David Otunga, & Justin Gabriel appeared at the entrance stage; after the bout, Cena extended his hand to Orton but Barrett ordered Cena to leave the ring and stand by the announce table; Nexus then surrounded the ring as Nexus swarmed Orton; the crowd repeatedly chanted “Cena” as Orton was assaulted in the ring, eventually sustaining Justin Gabriel’s 450 splash; Barrett then took the mic and ordered Cena to get in the ring and drop Orton with the FU, with Cena reluctantly hoisting Orton on his shoulders before Barrett said he wanted Orton for himself; Barrett then dropped Orton with the Wasteland as Cena left the ring
Natalya Neidhart defeated Alicia Fox via submission with the Sharpshooter at 1:04; prior to the bout, a graphic on the screen promoted Raw airing on the America Forces Network in 177 countries and US Navy ships at sea; after the contest, WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla interrupted, made fun of Canada and the Hart family, and surrounded the ring; moments later, McCool kicked Natalya before locking her in the Sharpshooter as Layla took a photo; Natalya reversed the hold into the MADT before Layla pulled McCool to the floor
Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley, Sheamus, Mark Henry, WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan, John Morrison, CM Punk, Ted Dibiase Jr., Jimmy & Jey Uso, Santino Marella, William Regal, Primo Colon, Ezekiel Jackson, & Vladimir Kozlov) fought the Big Show (w/ Hornswoggle, Kofi Kingston, Edge, Alberto Del Rio, Tyler Reks, Rey Mysterio Jr., Kaval, Chavo Guerrero Jr., JTG, WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Drew McIntyre, Chris Masters, MVP, & Luke Gallows) to a no contest at the 1-minute mark when Teddy Long interrupted to propose the Raw and Smackdown teams have a battle royal; Bobb’e J. Thompson introduced Show for the bout; prior to the match, it was noted the Bragging Rights main event would now be an elimination match
The Big Show & Edge co-won a Raw vs. Smackdown battle royal at 8:31; Hornswoggle provided guest commentary for the bout; order of elimination: an Uso by Show (0:06); the other Uso by Show (not shown); JTG (0:10); Alex Riley by Kofi Kingston (0:25); MVP (not shown); Chris Masters by Mark Henry (1:48); Tyler Reks by Henry via a clothesline (2:14); Henry by Show, Luke Gallows, & WWE Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes (2:49); Chavo Guerrero Jr. by John Morrison (3:11); William Regal by Show (not shown); Primo Colon (not shown); Vladimir Kozlov by Rhodes & WWE Tag Team Champion Drew McIntyre; after the elimination, the crowd chanted “We want Bret;” Santino by McIntyre & Rhodes (4:20); Gallows by Sheamus (4:31); Alberto Del Rio and Morrison eliminated each other after knocking each other off the top (5:32); Swagger, Ted Dibiase Jr., & CM Punk by Edge (5:40); after the elimination, Swagger pulled Edge out to the floor and applied the ankle lock; Kingston by Sheamus (6:14); Rey Mysterio Jr. by Ezekiel Jackson (6:37); Rhodes & McIntyre by Jackson (6:47); WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan by Show (7:14); Jackson by Show (8:00); Mike Mizanin by Show via a choke throw (8:25); Sheamus by Edge after hitting the spear; after the bout, Wade Barrett was shown speaking backstage with Nexus and John Cena in which Barrett told Cena to raise his hand to prepare for what would happen at Bragging Rights
10/25/10; Green Bay, WI; Resch Center
10/25/10 – featured an opening in-ring segment with Wade Barrett, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, WWE Tag Team Champions John Cena & David Otunga in which Barrett recapped Nexus interfering in the Undertaker’s Buried Alive match with World Heavyweight Champion Kane before saying Nexus’s actions did not have to be explained; Barrett then discussed his match at Bragging Rights against WWE World Champion Randy Orton, with Cena saying Barrett was about to get beat so he interfered to get Orton disqualified and to give Barrett the win; as the two began to argue, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated Barrett was due for a rematch and the referee would be chosen by the winner of a match later in the show pitting Orton against any member of Nexus; after the crowd chanted “Cena,” Barrett chose Cena as the opponent; Otunga then stepped in and said Cena should be fired for the way he treated him after their title win; Barrett then said Cena & Otunga couldn’t exist as a team and ordered they face Slater & Gabriel to open the show; included the announcement that Kane would host the Undertaker’s funeral Friday on Smackdown; featured an ad promoting ‘Knucklehead;’ included an ad promoting Toby Keith’s “Bullets in the Gun” and the announcement he would be part of the broadcast; members of the Green Bay Packers were shown in attendance; featured a video package on WWE’s literacy efforts, with comments from Rey Mysterio Jr., author Will Weaver, librarians who have worked with the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, and past winners of the challenge; included a backstage segment with Keith, Brie & Nikki Bella, and Santino Marella in which Marella said he was a big fan of Keith and sang his own country song; moments later, Sheamus walked in, called Marella a disgrace, said he let down the Raw team at Bragging Rights, and challenged him to a match; Marella accepted, with Sheamus then grabbing him by the shirt and telling him he better show up; featured a backstage segment with Barrett and Cena in which Cena argued over the opening match, with Barrett reminding him he was still employed by WWE because Barrett allowed it; Cena responded by saying Barrett made him hand over a WWE title, with Barrett responding by saying if Cena could beat Orton then he would make him an offer that would benefit both of them; included the commentary team urging fans to vote the following Tuesday, then jokingly telling fans not to show up wearing WWE T-shirts; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Cena is the first celebrity to join Michael Jordan on the Make-a-Wish Foundation Ambassador Council; included an ad promoting ‘Smackdown: The Best of 2009-2010;’ featured a ‘Stand Up for WWE’ segment with comments from the WWE superstars about why they do what they do for a living; included a backstage segment with Barrett, Slater, Gabriel, and Otunga in which Otunga asked for the others to leave before confronting Barrett about making him lay down to lose the tag team titles and threatened to reveal why Nexus really attacked Taker at Bragging Rights; Barrett then called for Michael McGillicutty & Husky Harris to come in, then announcing they were now part of Nexus before telling Otunga to decide which side he was on; Otunga then said he was part of the group; featured the announcement Pee Wee Herman would appear as part of the following week’s show:
Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel defeated WWE Tag Team Champions John Cena & David Otunga to win the titles at 2:52 when Wade Barrett, who was ringside for the match, ordered that someone had to lay down for the good of the group and ordered that it be Otunga; after the bout, Cena went backstage as Barrett celebrated with the new champions in the ring
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan defeated WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero & Kaitlyn) via submission with the LeBell Lock at 11:03; prior to the bout, Vickie cut a promo at the entrance stage in which she said Ziggler would erase the sole Smackdown blemish at Bragging Rights and the only reason Bryan won was because of a biased official; following the entrances, CM Punk walked out wearing a DARE T-shirt and Chicago Cubs jacket and joined the commentary team; during the bout, Punk said William Regal should get the sole credit for training Bryan because all Shawn Michaels did was take $3,000 from him; during the finish, Vickie pulled Ziggler’s foot under the bottom rope with hopes of getting the hold broken but the referee didn’t see it until after the decision; moments later, Ziggler tried to sneak up on Bryan as Bryan and Punk stared at each other but Bryan quickly turned around and scared Ziggler to the floor (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla defeated Melina & Gail Kim at 1:05 when McCool pinned Melina with a boot to the face after making a blind tag
Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) pinned R-Truth (w/ Eve) in an impromptu match at 10:26 with the Skull Crushing Finale after avoiding a scissors kick, moments after hitting a baseball slide on Riley; prior to the bout, Miz cut an in-ring promo in which he noted he lasted the longest on Team Raw at Bragging Rights and he was on the cover of the Smackdown vs. Raw 2011 video game, which is released the next day; Miz then said the Raw team should have been comprised of seven of himself instead of him and six losers; Miz then challenged Rey Mysterio Jr. to face him; moments later, Eve walked out to the ring, ranted on Miz, and called him a frog faced loser; Riley then stepped in and said the rest of the Raw team was heading toward unemployment and Miz could beat anyone on the team; moments later, Truth appeared to answer the challenge; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which made the match official
Santino Marella pinned Sheamus at 1:43 after John Morrison, who appeared ringside late in the bout, pulled Marella out of the way as Sheamus attempted a boot to the face in the corner; prior to the bout, Toby Keith was introduced as the guest ring announcer and was escorted to the ring by Brie & Nikki Bella; after the contest, Marella and Morrison celebrated at the entrance stage
John Cena (w/ Wade Barrett) defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton in a non-title match via disqualification at 15:37 when Barrett pulled Cena out to the floor as Orton attempted the punt to the head and dropped Cena with a clothesline; prior to the bout, the commentary team advertised the Fan Appreciation Day Saturday in Hartford, CT; stipulations stated the winner, Orton or Nexus, would determine the referee for Orton vs. Barrett at Survivor Series; after the contest, Orton attacked Barrett in and out of the ring until Heath Slater, Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater attacked Orton; Cena made the save moments later, with Barrett then taking the mic, ordering Nexus out of the ring, and saying the referee for the title rematch would be Cena; Barrett then said he would fire Cena if he didn’t win the title at Survivor Series and he would be relieved from being part of Nexus if Barrett won the belt
11/8/10; Manchester, England; Evening News Arena
11/8/10 – included Michael Cole & Josh Matthews, subbing for an injured Jerry Lawler, on commentary; featured an opening in-ring segment in which John Cena stood behind a Nexus podium in the ring and read from a scroll to introduce Wade Barrett, who then appeared with Michael McGillicutty, David Otunga, Husky Harris, WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater; Barrett then addressed his hometown crowd before calling out Otunga for taking Nexus to Smackdown without his permission, then telling him he better win if he tries something like that again; moments later, Barrett confronted Cena for costing his team the win the previous week on Raw, then reminding Cena of the stiuplations for the WWE World Title match at Survivor Series; Cena replied by saying, regardless of the outcome at Survivor Series, he would give Barrett and anyone else the beating of a lifetime; Barrett replied by telling Cena to go ahead and announce him as the new champion; before Cena could, WWE World Champion Randy Orton walked out to the entrance stage and said he didn’t care what happened to Cena because the only thing he cared about was making sure Barrett didn’t take the belt; after Barrett noted no one was backing Barrett like Nexus was backing him, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated the only way the Survivor Series match could end was via pinfall or submission and that Nexus would be banned from ringside; Cole then said Barrett & Nexus would face Orton and four other men in a 10-man tag team match, with the GM picking Orton’s team, and Cena would be the guest referee; Cena then shoved the podium and Otunga down before leaving the ring; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 27 tickets going on sale the coming Saturday; featured an ad promoting Steve Austin’s ‘Hunt to Kill’ on DVD; included a backstage segment with Nexus in which Barrett told Otunga he would be facing Cena later in the show; featured an ad promoting ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; included an ad for the following week’s ‘Old School’ 3-hour episode; featured Matt Striker conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding who his four partners might be later in the show, with Mike Mizanin then walking in and saying the GM said he would be one of Orton’s partners; included a backstage segment in which Otunga walked into the Nexus dressing room, causing everyone else to get quiet; Otunga then said he would beat Cena and told everyone else they didn’t have to ask Barrett’s permission for every little thing; featured a segment in which Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov came out wearing suits and derby hats, with Santino noting he and Kozlov had spent the past 3 weeks studying the English culture; Marella then said he wanted to make peace with Sheamus with an in-ring tea party; after Sheamus came out, Santino continuously but accidentally made fun of Sheamus to the point where Sheamus himself was laughing along and said he forgot why he was angry with Santino in the first place; moments later, Kozlov, thinking that he was helping, reminded them that Sheamus was angry because Santino beat him; Santino then accidentally spilled tea on Sheamus, with Sheamus then knocking over the table set up in the ring; Cole then received an e-mail from the GM which stated Sheamus would face Santino and Kozlov would have to leave ringside; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the WWE’s debut in China won a prestigious commemorative plate of appreciation from the EXPO 2010 Shanghai Organizing & Executive committees; featured a backstage segment showing Cena watching the WrestleMania ticket ad; after the ad, Barrett was shown standing beside Cena, saying Cena should consider never being at a WrestleMania again if he doesn’t give Barrett the title at Survivor Series; included the announcement Big Show would face World Heavyweight Champion Kane on Smackdown; featured a ‘Stand Up for WWE’ segment with comments from Randy Orton, Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, Natalya Neidhart, David Hart Smith, Ted Dibiase Jr., Goldust, Cody Rhodes, and the Usos about growing up in WWE:
Eve, Brie & Nikki Bella defeated Maryse, Tamina, & Alicia Fox at 3:09 when one of the Bellas pinned Fox with an inside cradle after the other Bella sustained Maryse’s French Kiss and the Bellas then switched places in the ring; the participants wore soccer gear for the match
Jimmy & Jey Uso defeated David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd (w/ Natalya Neidhart) at 3:36 when Jey pinned Smith with a kick and the splash off the top after Smith knocked Jimmy to the floor; prior to the bout, it was noted Natalya would face both WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla in a handicap title match at Survivor Series
Goldust pinned Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage at 3:24 after both men became distracted by Aksana, who came ringside late in the bout, fighting with Maryse over the Million $ belt; earlier in the bout, Maryse took back the title belt; after the match, Aksana ran backstage with the title
John Cena defeated David Otunga at 4:00 via submission with the STFU after hitting the FU; Wade Barrett, Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel escorted Otunga to the ring before the match but went backstage, under the orders of Barrett, before it began; during the bout, there were dueling chants of “Let’s go, Cena” and “Cena sucks;” following the commercial break, Barrett confronted Otunga backstage, noting Otunga has lost a lot lately but would give him a chane to redeem himself by facing Edge on Smackdown; Barrett then said Otunga was out of Nexus if he lost
Sheamus defeated Santino Marella via disqualification in an impromptu match at 3:01 when Marella hit a low blow; early in the bout, as Marella tried to avoid Sheamus, Michael Cole received another e-mail from the GM which stated Marella to get back in the ring and compete or be suspended; after the bout, Sheamus kicked Santino in the face; moments later, Sheamus continued to assault Santino and attempted to hit the crucifix powerbomb, only for John Morrison to make the save and clear Sheamus from the ring with a springboard kick to the face; Morrison then helped Marella from the ring
Wade Barrett, Husky Harris, Michael McGillicutty, WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel (w/ David Otunga) defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton, R-Truth, Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley), WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan, & Mark Henry at 15:18 when Barrett pinned Orton after Riley hit Orton with the Money in the Bank briefcase behind the back of referee John Cena, with Miz following by dropping Orton with the Skull Crushing Finale; during the bout, it was noted Jimmy Snuka, Roddy Piper, the Iron Sheik, Jim Duggan, Nikolai Volkoff, and Gene Okerlund would be part of the following week’s show; after the bout, Harris and Otunga hoisted Barrett on their shoulders as Nexus celebrated at the entrance stage
11/15/10; Hershey, PA; Giant Center
11/15/10 – 3-hour episode – Raw Old School – featured the company intro from the mid 1980s “The recognized symbol in excellence in sports entertainment,” followed by the original Raw opening featuring current superstars and divas; WWF banners were hung from the rafters for the show and on-screen graphics were 1980s style; Michael Cole wore a Vince McMahon-type suit and Jerry Lawler wore his ring gear; the entrance stage was in the style of the early 90s “RAW” letters; Justin Roberts, wearing a formal ring announcer outfit, opened the show by introducing Gene Okerlund; Okerlund then conducted a podium interview with Bob Orton Jr., wearing a cast on his arm; Bob then said WWE World Champion Randy Orton wasn’t yet in the arena but was on his way; Orton then said he didn’t care what Randy had to go through or that John Cena was the guest referee at Survivor Series and didn’t care that it would cost Cena his career; Wade Barrett then interrupted, said he would be champion at Survivor Series, and owed nothing to the old school tradition; Mike Mizanin, with Alex Riley wearing a Raw is War t-shirt, then walked out and said he changed the course of the previous week’s main event and implied he might cash in his Money in the Bank title shot later in the night, taking the title shot away from Barrett; Cena then appeared on the big screen and said he would make sure Miz wouldn’t cash in the title shot by facing him in a match, with Miz accepting the challenge; the ring ropes were traditional red, white, and blue and the referees were dressed as they were in the 1980s and 90s; included a backstage segment with David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd in which they discussed their differences, with Tony Atlas then appearing and talking about the differences he had with Rocky Johnson but that they were successful in the ring; featured a backstage segment with Atlas, talking to himself, and Yoshi Tatsu, who faked suicide after listening to Atlas; included Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Randy, alongside Bob and beside an old WWF backdrop, about the upcoming title defense at Survivor Series; moments later, R-Truth, wearing a Survivor Series T-shirt, interrupted to tell Orton that Cena was going to cost him the title one way or another; moments later, Orton said he would punt Cena in the head to prevent it; featured an ad promoting ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; included an ‘Update’ segment hosted by Okerlund hyping the new Old School line on WWEShop.com; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania tickets on sale; included a backstage segment with David Otunga, Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, WWE Tag Team Champions Heath Slater & Justin Gabriel in which Otunga said someone had to send Truth a message; moments later, Barrett walked in and agreed that someone had to deal with Truth and it would be Otunga; Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated Otunga would have a match later in the show while Truth would face Barrett; Barrett then said his match would prove he can win the WWE World Title without Cena; Cena then walked in and said Barrett should thank him for facing Miz later in the show; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read 80 superstars have been inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, including Andre the Giant, Freddie Blassie, and Gorgeous George; included an ad promoting ‘The John Cena Experience;’ featured a backstage segment with John Morrison, Jerry Brisco, and Arn Anderson speaking about Sheamus, with Sheamus then coming in, knocking Morrison out with a kick, and saying he would face Morrison at Survivor Series; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read the WWE was originally the WWWF and was founded in 1963 by Vincent J. McMahon; featured a backstage segment with Jim Duggan and Aksana, with the Million $ belt, in which Duggan said Aksana’s mom was also backstage; moments later, the “mom” was revealed as Dusty Rhodes in drag, with Kelly Kelly then throwing a net on her, and Goldust taking the belt back; Goldust then gave the belt to Ted Dibiase & IRS, with Dibiase offering the belt to his son and Jr. rejecting it and walking off; Goldust then asked Cody Rhodes for grooming tips, with Dusty, Kelly, Aksana, Dibiase, IRS, Tatanka, and Duggan dancing until Ron Simmons walked into frame and said “Damn;” included a “Promotional consideration paid for by the following” segment featuring the voice of Lord Alfred Hayes; featured footage from WrestleMania tickets going on sale during the weekend in Atlanta, with comments from Mayor Kasim Reed; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE was just named one of America’s hottest brands of 2010, along with Droid, iPad, Silly Bandz, Buick, and Gillette; featured the announcement Rey Mysterio Jr., the Big Show, MVP, Kofi Kingston, & Chris Masters would face Alberto Del Rio, Cody Rhodes, Drew McIntyre, Tyler Reks, & Jack Swagger at Survivor Series; included a segment where all the legends shown thus far on the show came out to the entranceway and were introduced by Roberts before Roddy Piper walked past them and into the ring to host the closing segment; Piper then said old school wasn’t about nostalgia but a time in which if you had a problem, you did something about it and you manned up; Piper then introduced Cena before listing the WWE Hall of Famers like himself who had never held the WWE World Title, saying that if Cena gives Barrett the title at Survivor Series then he’s spitting in all their faces; eventually, Barrett came out to say Nexus might be banned from ringside but they would neutralize Cena the moment the match was over; Orton then came out and said he’s thought for a week about taking Cena out, with Orton instead then attacking Barrett as Cena watched on; as Orton attempted the RKO, Cena, wearing a Nexus T-shirt, stepped in between with Orton dropping him with the move instead; Orton then fought off Barrett before attempting to punt Cena in the head, with Cena instead dropping him with the FU; Barrett then walked back in the ring, with Cena dropping him with the FU as well before throwing down the Nexus T-shirt; Piper then raised Cena’s hand on the floor as the show ended:
WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) defeated Mark Henry in a non-title match at 4:26 via submission with the sleeper, moments after Henry sustained the Zig Zag but kicked out; prior to the bout, Ziggler cut an insert promo comparing himself and Vickie to Randy Savage & Miss Elizabeth; Henry used his ‘Sexual Chocolate’ theme song for the bout
WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater defeated David Hart Smith & Tyson Kidd at 3:05 when Gabriel pinned Smith with the 450 splash after Kidd kicked Smith in the face as Smith went to make the tag; Smith & Kidd wore ‘WrestleMania’ T-shirts while coming out to the ring; after the bout, Kidd smiled from the aisle as Smith looked on
Ezekiel Jackson pinned the Brooklyn Brawler (w/ Harvey Wippleman) with the uranage at the 50-second mark; Howard Finkel was the ring announcer for the bout; after his entrance, Brawler took the mic and insulted the crowd, with Wippleman making a challenge to any current superstar; several times during the bout, Michael Cole referred to the current year as 2011
John Cena defeated Alex Riley (sub. for Mike Mizanin) (w/ Mike Mizanin) at 3:43 via submission with the STFU after hitting the FU; prior to the bout, Miz cut a promo saying the Raw GM never sanctioned Cena vs. Miz so he was free to make a substitution, then sending Riley in his place; after the bout, WWE World Champion Randy Orton ran out and fought with Miz before fighting off an interfering Husky Harris & Michael McGillicutty; Orton and Cena then faced off and began fighting until referees and officials swarmed the ring; moments later, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated Cena and Orton would be on Piper’s Pit later in the show
Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov defeated Jimmy & Jey Uso (w/ Tamina & Jimmy Snuka) at around the 6-minute mark when Marella scored the pin with the Cobra; prior to the bout, Nikolai Volkoff, with the Iron Sheik, sang the Russian National Anthem; moments later, Marella & Kozlov came out, with Kozlov joining Volkoff in singing the anthem; Marella then cut them off mid-way through because they were so bad and introduced Slick, who came out dancing to “Jive Soul Bro;” Sheik then cut a promo saying there without be no Hulkamania without him; stipulations stated the winners would be the #1 contenders for the WWE Tag Team Titles; after the bout, Sheamus ran out and kicked Kozlov before backing Santino into the corner; moments later, John Morrison ran out and kicked Sheamus in the head, knocking him to the floor; Morrison then took the mic and called Sheamus a bully and challenged him to a fight then and there; Sheamus appeared to accept but then walked away (the bout began during the commercial break)
Kofi Kingston pinned David Otunga at 4:50 with the spin kick to the face after ramming Otunga’s face into an unprotected turnbuckle; Kingston wore a King of the Ring T-shirt on his way to the ring; during his entrance, Kingston cut an insert promo regarding the match in which he compared himself to Koko B. Ware; late in the bout, George Steele wandered into the ring and ripped one of the turnbuckles open, throwing the insides at the referee, before walking backstage
Wade Barrett pinned R-Truth (w/ Eve) with Wasteland at 5:06; during the bout, both John Cena and WWE World Champion Randy Orton were shown watching on backstage
Alberto Del Rio pinned Sgt. Slaughter at 1:54 with the running kick to the head in the corner; prior to the bout, Ricardo Rodriguez went to introduce Del Rio, only for Tito Santana to walk out and do it himself; moments later, Del Rio was driven out by Chavo Guerrero Sr.; it was noted that Del Rio would captain a team at Survivor Series; Del Rio then took the mic and said Santana & Chavo were doing the right thing in showing the new school respect; moments later, Sgt. Slaughter came out, called Del Rio puke, and said if he wanted respect he could earn it by facing him; after the bout, Del Rio applied the armbar on Slaughter only for MVP to run out and clear Del Rio from the ring; MVP then helped Slaughter to his feet
Mae Young defeated WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool & WWE Divas Champion Layla in an impromptu non-title No DQ falls count anywhere match at the 54-second mark by pinning Layla in the aisle after Natalya Neidhart, Gail Kim, Eve, and Melina attacked the champions; prior to the bout, Okerlund conducted an interview with Mae, who was walked out by Brie & Nikki Bella, with Okerlund showing a video package of her highlights in the WWE, with comments from the Fabulous Moolah, Okerlund, Jerry Brisco, and Pat Patterson; McCool & Layla then walked out and made fun of her age until Mae challenged them to a match
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan pinned Jack Swagger in a non-title match at 10:44 with a kick to the head after avoiding the gutwrench powerbomb; prior to the bout, Howard Finkel introduced Jim Ross, who would provide guest commentary for the bout; Bryan walked out wearing a King of the Ring T-shirt; Cole was ignored throughout the match by Ross; immediately after the bout, Ted Dibiase Jr. attacked Bryan, dropped him with Dream Street, and laid the title belt on Bryan’s body; moments later, Dibiase left ringside with Maryse; as Ross went to leave ringside, he twice hit Cole in the face with his cowboy hat
11/22/10; Orlando, FL; Amway Center
11/22/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Wade Barrett – alongside David Otunga, Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater – regarding John Cena’s actions at Survivor Series, noting he was a biased referee and was fired for his actions; Barrett then said he was due another shot at WWE World Champion Randy Orton, with Michael Cole receiving an e-mail from the Raw GM that said the match would happen later in the show; Barrett replied by saying he allowed Cena to come to the arena to say his final words to the audience; included an ad promoting the following week’s show as a 3-hour King of the Ring special; featured Cole introducing CM Punk as a new member of the Raw commentary team, alongside Cole & Jerry Lawler; included a clip from ‘The John Cena Experience,’ focusing on Cena backstage during WrestleMania 26; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read fans from 30 countries and all 50 states had already bought tickets for WrestleMania 27; included a backstage segment with Michelle McCool & Layla in which they complained about losing the WWE Divas Title; moments later, they were denied access to the arena by security since they were no longer title holders and part of Raw; moments later, WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart walked by and said she had never seen McCool & Layla before, prompting security to eject them from the building; featured a backstage segment with Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov in which they discussed their loss at Survivor Series, with Santino depressed until he found Tamina, who sang to him before kissing him on the lips; included Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding his title defense later in the show, with Orton saying he didn’t care who the referee would be because he guaranteed he was leaving with the title belt; featured a backstage segment in which Cena was shown speaking with Santino, Gail Kim, Yoshi Tatsu, R-Truth, and Eve; included an ad promoting ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; featured an in-ring promo by Cena in which he said the fans had no idea how much he respected the company and those that came before him, like Steve Austin, Shawn Michaels, Triple H, and the Undertaker, and said working for WWE let him live out a fantasy and let him have the best 9 years of his life; Cena then noted he missed his niece being born recently but would be able to give his mom the best birthday present she’s had in 10 years – that he would be onhand for it; Cena, after repeatedly tearing up, prompted all the women and children to chant “Let’s go, Cena” and all the men to chant “Cena sucks” to send him off the right way; Cena then told Barrett to stop taking shortcuts and finding the easy way out, then saying “Karma’s a bitch” – with his audio being cut out for the obscenity – before noting Billy Kidman was probably pissed at him for taking more time than he should; Cena then thanked the fans for all they do; after going backstage, Cena was cheered on either side of the hallway by WWE superstars and staff before shaking Orton’s hand and walking out of the building; Barrett then walked into camera view and gave Cena the “You can’t see me” hand sign behind Cena’s back; included a segment in which Gene Okerlund hyped the old school line of clothing on WWEShop.com; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 27 tickets; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has released 49 video games and sold more than 50 million games globally; featured a backstage segment in which Melina wished John Morrison good luck in his King of the Ring qualifying match; included an ad promoting ‘The John Cena Experience;’ featured the announcement Rey Mysterio Jr., the Big Show, Kofi Kingston, MVP, Alberto Del Rio, Jack Swagger, Cody Rhodes, and Drew McIntyre would vie for King of the Ring spots Friday on Smackdown:
King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Sheamus pinned R-Truth (w/ Eve) at 11:05 with the kick to the face and crucifix powerbomb; Truth came out to the ring to “What’s Up,” instead of “Crunk” which he had been using for the past several weeks
King of the Ring Qualifying Match: Ezekiel Jackson pinned Alex Riley (sub. for Mike Mizanin) with the uranage at 1:55; prior to the bout, Riley came out and said Miz suffered an anxiety attack 10 minutes earlier but he had been authorized to wrestle in his place and qualify him for the tournament
King of the Ring Qualifying Match: WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan (w/ Brie Bella) defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) in a non-title match at 1:53 via submission with the LeBell Lock; prior to the bout, Brie ran out to be in Bryan’s corner; after the contest, Nikki Bella came out to celebrate with her sister and Bryan
WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart defeated Alicia Fox in a non-title match at 2:16 via submission with the Sharpshooter
King of the Ring Qualifying Match: John Morrison pinned Tyson Kidd with the Flying Chuck and Starship Pain at 3:18 (Kidd’s debut with new theme music)
WWE World Champion Randy Orton pinned Wade Barrett with the RKO at 3:51, moments after John Cena prevented referee Mike Chioda from counting the pinfall after Barrett hit Wasteland, with Nexus then chasing Cena into the crowd; during Orton’s entrance, he was attacked from behind in the aisle by all the other members of Nexus; after the commercial break, it was announced Nexus would be banned from ringside for the bout; moments later, Barrett made his entrance and argued with the referee that he should win the title via forfeit; Orton’s music then played, with Orton eventually limping back out after injuring his knee earlier in the attack; immediately after the bout, Mike Mizanin, alongside Alex Riley, came out to cash in his Money in the Bank title shot
Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) pinned WWE World Champion Randy Orton to win the title at 2:44 by blocking the RKO and hitting the Skull Crushing Finale
11/29/10; Philadelphia, PA; Wells Fargo Center
11/29/10 – 3-hour episode – 2010 King of the Ring – featured an opening entrance stage promo by Alex Riley in which he compared Mike Mizanin winning the WWE World Title to man walking on the moon for historical significance; as CM Punk make vague remarks about Riley, even noting his recent DWI, Riley replied by saying he wasn’t afraid of a party and there would be a celebration later in the show; Punk wore a Colt Cabana T-shirt underneath his jacket for the show; included a look at Edge, Steve Austin, Triple H, Bret Hart, and Brock Lesnar’s King of the Ring victories; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 27 tickets; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE programming is available in 600 million homes worldwide; featured an in-ring promo by R-Truth in which he said John Cena went out like a champion the previous week but his war with Nexus cost him the fans; Truth then challenged any member of Nexus to face him, noting they won a battle but not the war; moments later, Josh Matthews was shown backstage getting an interview with Michael McGillicutty, with McGillicutty answering the challenge; McGillicutty then walked down the hallway until he was attacked by someone off camera; the assailant was shown wearing jean shorts, dropped McGillicutty with the FU, and then gave him the “You can’t see me” hand sign; included a backstage segment with WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan, Brie & Nikki Bella in which the Bellas appeared to fight over Bryan until Alex Riley, wearing a Bluetooth, walked in and – after a brief phone conversation with Miz – told the Bellas they were no longer needed for the Miz’s celebration; Riley then made fun of Bryan, saying he could have everything the Miz has if he only listened to his former NXT coach; featured the announcement Edge would face World Heavyweight Champion Kane in a non-title match on Smackdown, with the winner determining the stipulation of their bout at TLC; included the announcement Randy Orton injured his patella during the previous week’s attack he sustained from Nexus and wasn’t in the arena; featured an in-ring segment with the Miz, with Riley, in which Michael Cole stood up, jumped, and clapped during his entrance; Miz then took the mic and said he had a big party planned but instead showed two still images from the crowd after his win – both girls upset by his victory – and said those two images were worth thousands of parties; Miz then held up his title and directed his comments towards John Bradshaw Layfield, Triple H, and Cena in noting he was champion; Miz noted Orton’s injury, making fun of it, and said the fans can’t achieve their dreams but he did; moments later, he referenced comments made two weeks earlier by Roddy Piper in which Piper said he made things happen; Miz had Riley hold up the new book, ‘The WWE Championship: A Look Back at the Rich History of the WWE Championship,’ and made fun of Piper, Ricky Steamboat, Mr. Perfect and others who aren’t listed in the book; Jerry Lawler then took the mic and said Miz’s win made him clever but not awesome; Miz responded by calling Lawler a bitter old man who never achieved what Miz did; Cole the joined in, saying it was Miz’s night and Lawler should let him have the floor; Lawler replied by saying Miz should give someone a title shot to someone who hadn’t been jumped by seven people, noted he had never gotten a title shot since he came to the WWE in 1993, and wanted the title shot; Miz turned him down, with Lawler calling him a coward; as Miz responded with several insults, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that said Miz would defend the title against Lawler later in the show; the e-mail continued by saying it would be a TLC match; moments later, before the show went to commercial, Punk noted it was Lawler’s birthday; included an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ and ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read fans from 30 countries and all 50 states had already bought tickets for WrestleMania 27; included the announcement the 2010 Slammy Awards would be held in two weeks; featured a backstage segment with David Otunga, Husky Harris, WWE Tag Team Champion Justin Gabriel, and Wade Barrett in which Barrett said Cena being fired means there were no restrictions on what they could to do him; included a backstage segment with Lawler and Arn Anderson in which Anderson congratulated Lawler on getting the title shot, then shook his hand after the two discussed the potential injuries that could be faced in a TLC match; Cole & Punk called the remainder of the show themselves; featured a video package on the WWE’s support of the U.S. military; included an in-ring promo by Barrett in which he said he himself was the only one that could get Cena his job back, and all Cena’s efforts are to goad Barrett into letting Cena be reinstated just so he could get revenge; Barrett said Cena would never work in WWE again and his plan wasn’t working because he’s already used the element of surprise and had nothing else; moments later, Cena appeared on the big screen and said he made another promise before he got fired and that was to take out all the members of Nexus; Cena, noting security wasn’t going to do what Nexus or Barrett said, replied to Barrett by saying “Surely you can’t be serious,” as a nod to the late Leslie Neilson; Gabriel, Harris, and Otunga then cornered Cena before Vladimir Kozlov, Darren Young, Yoshi Tatsu, Mark Henry, Ezekiel Jackson, Bryan, and David Hart Smith made the save; moments later, Cena assaulted Gabriel, dropped him with a FU onto the hood of a car, and told Barrett he wasn’t done with him; featured a video package recapping the career of Lawler; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read in the past 25 years, WWE has helped grant 5,000 wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation and continues to grant 200 wishes a year; featured a backstage segment with Ted Dibiase Jr. and Maryse in which Dibiase held up one of the new electronic title belts, with Maryse insulting him and his submission losses to Bryan; eventually, Dibiase yelled at her and stormed off; included a backstage segment in which Otunga told Harris he had a plan on what to do with Cena; featured Josh Matthews conducting a backstage interview with Sheamus and Morrison regarding their King of the Ring finals, with Sheamus noting Morrison was already hurt and Morrison saying it didn’t matter that Sheamus was stronger or fresher; included an ad promoting ‘The John Cena Experience’:
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: Alberto Del Rio defeated WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan in a non-title match at 9:41 via submission with the armbreaker, moments after Bryan injured his shoulder doing a dive onto Del Rio on the floor; Ricardo Rodriguez, his eye blackened after being punched by Big Show the previous week on Smackdown, served as Del Rio’s ring announcer
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: John Morrison pinned Cody Rhodes at 3:37 with the Flying Chuck and running knee to the head after avoiding the Beautiful Disaster; Morrison bled from the mouth during the match
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: Ezekiel Jackson fought Drew McIntyre to a double count-out at 2:42 when both men began brawling on the floor and McIntyre prevented Jackson from getting back in the ring; after the bout, Jackson brought McIntyre to the ring and continued to assault him
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: Sheamus pinned Kofi Kingston at 4:06 with the kick to the face as Kingston came off the top
Yoshi Tatsu & Mark Henry defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater in a non-title match at 1:30 when Henry pinned Slater by catching him coming off the top and hitting the powerslam; during the bout, John Cena made his way through the crowd after buying front row tickets; after the bout, Cena jumped the barricade, dropped Slater with an FU through the commentary table, and fled through the crowd as Husky Harris and David Otunga ran out to tend to Slater
King of the Ring Semi-Finals: John Morrison pinned Alberto Del Rio at 3:25 with the Flying Chuck after Del Rio became distracted by Rey Mysterio Jr. blowing the horn of the car Del Rio drove out before the match; Ricardo Rodriguez served as Del Rio’s ring announcer for the bout
WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart, Gail Kim, & Melina defeated Maryse, Tamina, & Alicia Fox at 3:34 when Natalya forced Alicia to submit to the Sharpshooter; late in the bout, Santino Marella came out singing Tiffany’s “I Think We’re Alone Now,” causing Tamina to leave the ring, grab Santino, and go backstage with him
King of the Ring Finals: Sheamus pinned John Morrison at 12:05 with the kick to the face and crucifix powerbomb; Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih was introduced before the bout as the guest ring announcer, and came out to Usher’s “Oh My Gosh;” during her entrance, it was noted Fakih was a WWE fan and attended WrestleMania 23; after the bout, Fakih presented Sheamus with his robe, throne, and crown; moments later, Sheamus took the mic and briefly addressed the fans (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray, The Best of King of the Ring)
WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley) defeated Jerry Lawler in a TLC match at 11:52 after ramming the title belt into Lawler’s face as both men fought atop the ladder; Lawler put Riley through a table mid-way through the match; during the final moments of the bout, Michael Cole left the commentary table to try to revive Miz on the floor before then stopping Lawler from climbing the ladder; moments later, Lawler repeatedly punched Cole in the face (Ladder Match 2: Crash & Burn Blu-ray)
12/6/10; Louisville, KY; KFC Yum! Center
12/6/10 – featured Jerry Lawler & CM Punk on commentary to open the program, with Michael Cole then coming out with a mic and saying he didn’t mean to do what he did the previous week in the TLC main event but said he was the only person who from day 1 supported Mike Mizanin and admitted that what he did was a mistake; after Lawler took the mic and said he would have to finish the job he started the previous week in Cole, Cole replied by saying they – as a commentary team – are supposed to report the news and not be part of it and Lawler putting himself in the title match made him the headline; Cole then said Lawler was the one who owed him the apology, with the Raw GM then sending an e-mail; Punk read it, playing to the crowd, and it stated there would be a cease and disist of physicality between Cole and Lawler under the threat of termination and that Lawler would have to go in the ring and shake Cole’s hand; Lawler did as he was told; after shaking Cole’s hand, Lawler said there was someone backstage that wanted to speak with him; Randy Orton then appeared, confronting Cole, saying he and the Miz had a lot in common but he had proven he could back up his words with actions; Orton said he would take back the WWF World Title that night, prompting Miz, with Alex Riley, to come out to the entrance stage and said the Raw GM said Miz didn’t have to defend the title until the TLC pay-per-view when he faces Orton; Orton replied by making fun of both men, with Riley challenging Orton to a match and Orton accepting; Miz then said he would be choosing the stipulation for the upcoming title match; Orton then said, injured knee or not, there was still one thing he could do very well – with Lawler pushing Cole into a RKO from Orton; included an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ and ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; featured an ad promoting the following week’s 2010 Slammy Awards; included a shot of David Otunga, subbing for Wade Barrett, via satellite from a nearby hotel during which he said Barrett was on his way to the arena to be in the corner of WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater; Otunga then cut a promo on John Cena before room service arrived; Otunga took a bite of the burger before saying it was cold and having the employee leave without him paying; moments later, there was another knock at the door, with Cena appearing, attacking Otunga, and attacking Husky Harris as well; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE programming airs in 145 countries and 30 languages each week; included a backstage segment with Barrett, Gabriel, and Slater in which they discussed Gabriel’s injury sustained by Cena the previous week; moments later, Otunga came out saying Barrett’s plan didn’t work; after Slater & Gabriel went out to the ring, Barrett said he would call out Cena later in the show, with Otunga saying there could be mutiny if Barrett didn’t fix the problem; featured an ad promoting ‘The John Cena Experience;’ included an ad promoting the NBC Tribute to the Troops on Dec. 18; featured an ad promoting NXT Season 4 which begins the following night; included an in-ring promo by Sheamus, sitting in his throne, in which he said his King of the Ring victory brought credibility back to the WWE and would not be known as Ronald McDonald or Conan O’Brien but as the greatest high king in WWE history; John Morrison then interrupted, saying Sheamus needed goblins, elves, or knomes for his kingdom; Sheamus replied by saying Morrison was jealous of him because he was a 2-time former WWE World Champion and Morrison never will be and that Sheamus was the better man; Sheamus eventually told Morrison to bow before him, then slapped him before Morrison cleared Sheamus from the ring, hit him with his staff, and threw him into his own throne; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE Classics on Demand features programming from more than a dozen wrestling organizations, including WWE, NWA, ECW, AWA, WCCW, and WCW; included a backstage segment with Miz and Riley in which Miz reminded Riley that he was representing him in his match against Orton and telling him he needed to beat Orton; featured the announcement Edge & Rey Mysterio Jr. would face World Heavyweight Champion Kane & Alberto Del Rio on Friday Night Smackdown; included a closing in-ring segment in which Barrett in which he said Cena could continue to attack the other members of Nexus but those men couldn’t get him rehired, while Barrett could; Barrett then invited Cena to the ring, with Cena coming through the crowd, and Barrett telling him Cena’s plan wouldn’t work and he would never rehire him; with Slater, Gabriel, Otunga, & Harris watching on from the stage, Cena talked about how much time he had on his hands to plot against Nexus and said he was content on staying fired, buying tickets for every Raw, and making Nexus miserable; Cena then said an incentive for rehiring Cena would be the WWE World Title, but Barrett didn’t have it and if he had any respect he would rehire Cena on the spot and they would settle it then and there in the ring; Cena said Barrett’s life would be a nightmare, with Barrett calling out Nexus to help him but they all slowly returned backstage; moments later, Cena attacked Barrett on the floor before attempting to hit an FU from the steps through the commentary table only for Barrett to run backstage; Cena then celebrated; Barrett then confronted Nexus and Otunga backstage, with Otunga telling Barrett to hire Cena back the next week or Nexus was leaving him:
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan & Brie Bella defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. & Maryse at 2:08 when an interfering Nikki Bella, who came ringside mid-way through the match, pinned Maryse with an inside cradle after switching places with Brie behind the referee’s back; prior to the bout, Josh Matthews joined Jerry Lawler & CM Punk on commentary; after Dibiase & Maryse’s entrance, Nikki found Bryan & Brie backstage, with Nikki seemingly upset Bryan was with Brie instead of herself; after the match, Maryse left Dibiase alone in the ring
Tyson Kidd (w/ ?) pinned David Hart Smith at 2:12 with a roll over and grabbing the tights for leverage; after the bout, Smith attacked Kidd in the aisle, only for Kidd’s cornerman to assault Smith and lay him out in the ring
Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov defeated WWE Tag Team Champions Justin Gabriel & Heath Slater, Jimmy & Jey Uso (w/ Tamina), and Mark Henry & Yoshi Tatsu in an elimination match to win the titles at 11:56; Slater pinned Tatsu with the modified Zig Zag at 3:02; Kozlov pinned an Uso at 4:38 with the Iron Curtain; after the fall, Tamina remained ringside to be in the corner of Santino & Kozlov; Santino pinned Gabriel with the Cobra after Gabriel became distracted by John Cena, who came from under the ring and climbed on the apron; after the bout, Cena escaped into the crowd as Santino, Kozlov, & Tamina celebrated the win (The Best of Raw 2010 DVD, The Best of Raw 2010 Blu-ray)
WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart defeated Melina in a non-title match via submission with the Sharpshooter at 2:24; Michelle McCool & Layla provided guest commentary for the bout; after the match, McCool & Layla double teamed Natalya in the ring
Randy Orton defeated Alex Riley (w/ WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin) via disqualification at 2:48 when Miz interfered and dropped Orton with the Skull Crushing Finale; after the bout, Miz took the mic and said he would show Orton what kind of stipulation match they would have at TLC, with Miz going out to the floor and sliding a table into the ring; Miz then went to put Orton through the table but Orton fought him off, with Miz sliding out to the floor; moments later, as Miz watched from the floor, Orton dropped Riley with a powerbomb through the table
12/13/10; New Orleans, LA; Arena
12/13/10 – 3-hour episode – 2010 Slammy Awards – included an opening segment in which Justin Roberts introduced David Arquette as a former WCW World Champion, with Arquette cutting a heel promo before introducing nominees for Shocker of the Year – Mike Mizanin cashing in the Money in the Bank briefcase, Nexus assaulting John Cena, Paul Bearer turning on the Undertaker, and Randy Orton punting Chris Jericho in the head – with Nexus winning and Wade Barrett coming to the podium to accept, saying the Nexus would have been nothing without him, and that he’s the only person with the power to rehire John Cena; Barrett said the other members gave him an ultimatum to rehire Cena and he would make his decision later in the show; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Barrett would face Big Show in the opening contest, with Show then coming out and taking away Barrett’s Slammy; featured Kelly Kelly & Tyson Kidd, with Kidd’s bodyguard, announcing the Despicable Me nominees; before the nominees, Kidd introduced his bodyguard as Jackson Andrews; the nominees were Drew McIntyre taking advantage of Teddy Long, Kane burying Taker, Vince McMahon kicking Bret Hart in the groin, and CM Punk interrupting Rey Mysterio Jr.’s daughter’s birthday, with Punk winning and leaving the commentary table to accept; Punk then said he did what he did to Mysterio because he wronged him, then saying there was someone backstage that wronged him and he had revenge planned; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE provides Raw, NXT, Smackdown, and pay-per-views to the American Forces Network, which is broadcast to military bases in 175 countries and U.S. Navy ships at sea; featured WWE Tag Team Champions Santino Marella & Vladimir Kozlov announcing nominees for Guest Star Shining Moment – Mike Tyson punching out Jericho, Pee Wee Herman insulting the Miz, Wayne Brady taking a RKO from Orton, and William Shatner singing the WWE entrance themes – with Pee Wee winning and appearing on the big screen to thank Miz and Show for his appearance; included a backstage segment with Barrett and the rest of Nexus in which David Otunga asked Barrett what his decision would be and Barrett saying he knew exactly what he was going to do after hearing Otunga’s comments; featured an ad promoting Saturday’s Tribute to the Troops on NBC; featured Jerry Lawler & Vickie Guerrero introducing the nominees for Holy *&^%$# Move of the Year – John Morrison leaping onto Sheamus from the stage, Kofi Kingston leaping off the ladder through the commentary table at Money in the Bank, Cena hitting a FU on Batista through the stage at Judgment Day, and Orton hitting the RKO on a flying Evan Bourne – with Cena winning; moments later, Barrett came out, took the Slammy, walked to the ring, and said if Cena wanted the award, he could come and get it; Barrett then said he would make his decision regarding Cena before ultimately telling Cena to come out and face him; Cena then made his way through the crowd to the ring, with the rest of Nexus coming out and surrounding the ring; Barrett then said Cena was rehired on two conditions – that he face Barrett at TLC in a chairs match and that he face Otunga later in the show; moments later, Barrett went out to the floor, with the remainder of Nexus attacking Cena and Barrett twice hitting Cena over the back with a steel chair; included an ad promoting the WWE Week on USA the following week with Raw, a live Smackdown, and a replay of Tribute to the Troops; featured Arquette introducing nominees for Reaction of the Year – a kid reacting to Cena joining Nexus, a woman crying when Shawn Michaels’ career ended, a guy smiling, and the angry girl after Miz winning the WWE World Title – with the girl, Kaley, coming out to accept; Kaley then came out and thanked her dad before the Miz, with Alex Riley, interrupted, took the Slammy for safe keeping, and gave her the same look she gave him when he won the title; Miz then walked to the ring with Riley and Arquette, noting his numerous accomplishments over the year and said he would beat Orton at TLC in their tables match; Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read both Miz and Orton would have matches in the show and Miz’s would be against a former world champion, with Rey Mysterio Jr. then coming out for the bout; included Edge coming out to introduce ‘Oh Snap’ Meltdown nominees before saying he needed a co-presenter, with Christian then coming out with his arm in a sling; nominees included Show destroying Jack Swagger’s awards, Alberto Del Rio injuring Mysterio, Edge destroying the GM laptop, and Batista quitting – with Edge winning and then ranting on the Raw GM; Edge & Christian then made fun of the Raw GM before Edge called Cole a tool; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has granted more than 5,000 wishes through the Make-A-Wish Foundation in the past 25 years and continues to grant 200 wishes a year; included JTG & William Regal introducing the ‘Knucklehead of the Year’ nominees – Show unmasking Punk, Mae Young beating up Michelle McCool & Layla, Beth Phoenix eliminating the Great Khali from the Royal Rumble, and Kozlov beating Santino in a dancing contest – with McCool & Layla winning after JTG said “LayCool beating Mae Young” was the winner; McCool & Layla then came out to accept before saying they would win the diva battle royal to win their second Slammy of the night; featured an ad promoting ‘WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All Time;’ included a backstage segment with Miz and Riley in which they discussed Riley’s upcoming match with Arquette, with Arquette then walking in enthusiastic and pumped for the match; after Arquette walked away, Riley said he was dilusional; featured a clip of a Smackdown vs Raw 2011 contest submission from winner Amin Okar from Burbank, CA; included Show presenting the nominees for Moment of the Year – Cena being fired at Survivor Series, Sheamus attacking Triple H as Trip discussed Michaels’ retirement, Edge dropping Jericho with a spear through the barricade at WrestleMania, Michaels vs. Taker at WrestleMania – with Michaels winning; Michaels then appeared on the big screen to thank the fans for their support throughout his career; featured Cena promoting his Make-A-Wish efforts and a program with Delta Airlines that let fans contribute to his wishes; included Cole presenting nominees for Line of the Year – with a video package then airing before Cole announced himself as the winner and thanking his supporters until he was wrapped up by the Raw theme music; featured Teddy Long introducing nominees for Superstar of the Year – Cena, Edge, Miz, Kane, Mysterio, and Orton – with Cena winning; Cena then came out to accept the award, recapped his year, and discussed his chairs match at TLC against Barrett before going to the ring for the main event:
The Big Show defeated Wade Barrett via count-out at 3:42 when Barrett took the Slammy that Show stole from him before the bout and left ringside
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan (w/ Brie & Nikki Bella) & Kofi Kingston defeated WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) & Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ Maryse) at around the 5-minute mark when Kingston pinned Ziggler with the spin kick to the face (the bout began during the commercial break)
Cody Rhodes pinned Mark Henry at 2:50 with a kneedrop off the middle turnbuckle to Henry’s back
WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin (w/ Alex Riley & David Arquette) pinned Rey Mysterio Jr. in a non-title match at 7:03 with an inside cradle after Alberto Del Rio, who appeared in the aisle mid-way through the bout, tripped Mysterio as Riley distracted the referee; after the match, Mysterio chased Del Rio backstage; moments later, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM which read Randy Orton would face Riley & Arquette later in the show in a handicap match
John Morrison fought Sheamus to a double disqualification at the 33-second mark when both men shoved the referee to get to their opponent; after the bout, there was a chant of “Let them fight” from the crowd as they were held apart by referees; Michael Cole then received an e-mail from the Raw GM which stated they would face each other at TLC in a ladder match, with the winner becoming the #1 contender for the WWE World Title; after the announcement, Sheamus knocked down Morrison and yelled at Cole on the floor; Sheamus then took one of the ladders which stood ringside, rammed it into Morrison’s gut, and threw Morrison from the ring onto the ladder stretched across the apron and commentary table
Michelle McCool won a 14-diva battle royal by last eliminating WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart at 3:28; other participants included: Layla, Maryse, Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, Brie & Nikki Bella, Alicia Fox, Tamina, Beth Phoenix, Melina, Kaitlyn, and Rosa Mendes; order of elimination: Kaitlyn by Tamina (0:16); Mendes by Tamina (0:21); Tamina by the Bellas (0:41); a Bella by Fox (0:54); a Bella by McCool & Layla after knocking her off the apron (1:09); Maryse by Natalya (1:24); Kelly by McCool & Layla when Layla kicked Kelly as she had a headscissors on McCool over the top rope (1:52); Melina by Phoenix after Phoenix hit a Glam Slam onto the top rope (2:21); Layla by Phoenix after kicking her to the floor (2:57); Phoenix by McCool as Layla grabbed at Phoenix from the floor (3:15); Kim & Fox by Natalya (3:21); Natalya by McCool; stipulations stated the winner would win the Slammy for 2010 Diva of the Year; after the bout, Michael Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated Natalya & Phoenix would face McCool & Layla in a tables match at TLC
Edge pinned Jack Swagger with the spear at 4:45; prior to the bout, it was announced Swagger, Kofi Kingston, and WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler would compete in a ladder match at TLC
Randy Orton defeated Alex Riley & David Arquette (w/ WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin) in a handicap match at 3:21 by pinning Riley with the RKO; prior to the bout, it was noted Miz would appear on The Jimmy Fallon Show Wednesday; immediately after the match, Miz hit Orton with his Money in the Bank briefcase before he and Arquette set up a table in the ring; Orton eventually fought them off and attempted to put Miz through a table only for Arquette to hit him from behind; Miz then watched from the floor as Orton dropped Arquette with a powerbomb through the table; Arquette was then fitted with a neckbrace and placed on a stretcher
John Cena defeated David Otunga via submission with the STFU at 1:44; 12 Stones, who perform the Nexus theme song, were shown on camera before the bout; following the entrance of Nexus, Barrett cut a promo in the aisle before Otunga came out to the ring; after Otunga entered the ring, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Husky Harris, & Michael McGillicutty all went backstage, appearing to abandon Otunga, leaving only Barrett at the entrance stage; after the match, Cena repeatedly hit Otunga over the back with a steel chair as Barrett watched
12/20/10; Austin, TX; Frank Erwin Center
12/20/10 – featured an opening in-ring promo by WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin in which he bragged about his win the previous night over Randy Orton; moments later, Alex Riley – as the Ghost of Christmas Past – came out dressed like Marley’s Ghost and reviewed footage of how Miz beat Jerry Lawler in a TLC match; after Miz replied, Michael Cole came out as the Ghost of Christmas Present and said Miz should be ashamed of how he beat Orton at TLC; Miz then said the only thing that mattered was that he is still champion; moments later, a still image of Miz Girl appeared on the big screen – as the Ghost of Christmas Future – and said Miz should change his ways or John Morrison would beat him; Miz then said he was the future of WWE; Morrison then came out, mentioned his win the previous night over Sheamus in a ladder match, and said he’s beaten Miz in the past, present and would soon beat him in the future for the WWE World Title; Miz went to reply only to end up fighting Riley; moments later, Sheamus ran out and fought with Morrison, eventually knocking him down, and Lawler decked Riley when he approached the commentary table; Cole then recieved an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated Morrison, Orton, & Lawler would face Miz, Riley, & Sheamus later in the show; Orton then ran out and knocked down Miz at the entrance stage; included a backstage segment with Brie & Nikki Bella in which they argued over who WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan liked more, with Bryan then walking in and the three getting ready for his upcoming match; featured an ad promoting ‘Legendary’ and ‘Knucklehead’ on DVD; included an ad promoting the following night’s live Smackdown on USA; featured a “Did you know?” graphic that stated since Smackdown moved to SyFy in October, it’s been the #1 show on the network every week; included a Make-A-Wish ad featuring John Cena in which he asked fans to donate their Delta frequent flyer miles to help him grant more wishes; featured a backstage segment with Orton and Morrison in which they discussed Orton challenging Morrison in the event he won the title; included a backstage segment in which Tamina walked on the back of WWE Tag Team Champion Santino Marella to help his back, with Maryse then walking in, arguing about their match later in the night, and the two women fighting on Marella’s back until they were held apart by security; featured a backstage segment with Mark Henry and Gail Kim in which they talked about Nexus not being at the show, with WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero then walking past; included an in-ring promo by Cena in which he talked about Nexus not being on the show for the first time in six months and repeatedly showed footage of burying Wade Barrett under two dozen chairs at TLC; Cena then referred to Nexus as “turd burglars” before saying he was now looking to win the Royal Rumble and go to WrestleMania; Ziggler & Vickie then came out, with Vickie repeatedly trying to talk only to be overpowered by the fans’ boos; after Cena stepped in to tell the fans to let Vickie speak, she noted Ziggler also won at TLC; Cena then showed a clip of Lawler making fun of Vickie’s weight during the Slammys, with Vickie threatening Lawler and saying if Lawler didn’t apologize Ziggler would beat him up; Lawler then stood up and said Vickie’s bathtub had stretch marks, with Cena and Lawler trading off on making fat jokes; Vickie eventually slapped Cena in the face, with Cole then receiving an e-mail from the Raw GM stating Cena would face Ziggler immediately; featured an ad promoting ‘WWE’s Top 50 Superstars of All Time;’ included an ad promoting the Wednesday 2-hour edition of ‘Tribute to the Troops;’ featured a backstage segment with Lawler and Sheamus in which they argued over who the real king was and the upcoming main event; included a backstage segment with Vickie and Ziggler in which Ziggler challenged Cena to a rematch the next night on Smackdown, with Vickie making it a handicap match so Cena could face both Ziggler & Vickie; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Smackdown vs Raw has sold more copies than Medal of Honor, NBA Live, Harry Potter, Resident Evil, and Guitar Hero:
Melina defeated Eve and Alicia Fox at 2:56 by pinning Eve with a victory roll after avoiding an attempted Doomsday Device; WWE Divas Champion Natalya Neidhart provided guest commentary for the bout; stipulations stated the winner would be the #1 contender to the Divas title; after the bout, Natalya climbed in the ring and offered her hand to Melina, with Melina then slapping her across the face and walking off
WWE US Champion Daniel Bryan (w/ Brie & Nikki Bella) defeated William Regal in a non-title match via submission with the LeBell Lock at 4:31; after the match, Regal clapped for Bryan’s performance before the Bellas individually kissed the champion
WWE Tag Team Champion Santino Marella & Tamina defeated Ted Dibiase Jr. & Maryse at 2:53 when Tamina pinned Maryse with a kick to the face and the splash off the top; after the bout, Tamina carried Marella up the ramp
John Cena pinned WWE IC Champion Dolph Ziggler (w/ Vickie Guerrero) in a non-title match with the FU at 13:26 after Ziggler tried to hit Cena with the title belt behind the referee’s back; after the bout, CM Punk left the commentary table, twice hit Cena with a steel chair, and stormed off; after the commercial break, footage was shown of Josh Matthews conducting an outside interview with Punk in which he said Cena only knew aggression and he gave him some of his own medicine
John Morrison, Randy Orton, & Jerry Lawler defeated WWE World Champion Mike Mizanin, Alex Riley, & Sheamus at 14:20 when Lawler pinned Miz after Orton dropped Miz with the RKO as Miz attempted the Skull Crushing Finale on Lawler; following Miz’s entrance, footage was shown of him appearing the previous week on ‘Light Night with Jimmy Fallon;’ Michael Cole & Josh Matthews provided commentary for the bout; immediately after the match, Cole received an e-mail from the Raw GM that stated Miz would face Orton the next night on Smackdown; Miz then attacked Lawler, briefly fought with Orton, and then ran up the ramp to the entrance stage as the show ended