Monday Night RAW – 7/5/10

After last week’s attack on Ricky Steamboat and the WWE Legends, how will Monday Night RAW’s anonymous General Manager react when it comes to handing down a punishment to The Nexus?  Will they be fired or forced to compete?  Find out right here:

The Nexus is in the ring awaiting their fate from the anonymous General Manager.  Wade Barrett has a microphone and explains to the crowd why they’re there, and that there’s a bigger picture as to why they’ve attacked Vince McMahon.

• Skip Sheffield takes the mic and says that their attack on Ricky Steamboat and the WWE Legends was for the fun of it.
• An email comes in to Michael Cole from the GM.  The GM decrees that none of the Nexus can compete for any titles until further notice, and the no-contact ban has been lifted.
• John Cena walks to the ramp almost instantaneously as this is read.  “You’ve done a lot, but there’s one thing you haven’t done yet… Been in a fair fight, 7 on 7.  Out walks Evan Bourne, R-Truth, Randy Orton, John Morrison & The Hart Dynasty. They all walk to the ring.
• However, they get jumped by a bunch of heels, Sheamus, The Usos, Edge, Chris Jericho, The Miz & Ted DiBiase.  Baby faces end up standing tall in the ring though.  The Nexus uses this opportunity to run and hide.
• Cena is pissed at the heels because they almost had Nexus.  Sheamus says that he speaks for everyone along side of him when he says that they’re not joining the fight against Nexus.  Orton calls for a fight between them all, 7 on 7.
• Another email comes into Michael Cole from the GM.  GM says not to fight, and that all Money in the Bank competitors will be in action tonight.  He also calls for Cena and Barrett to meet in the ring for a truce.  He wants Cena to “be the bigger man here, and if not your actions will be met with appropriate consequences, and that’s the bottom line because the GM said so…”

John Morrison vs. Ted DiBiase with Maryse
WINNER: DiBiase via pin fall after hitting Dream Street

• Mid match, Maryse snatched JoMo’s fur coat off the time keeper’s table and got on the apron distracting Morrison momentarily.  Ted took the chance to poke John in the eyes and hit his finisher.

Backstage: Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella walking towards the ring.  Santino is happy that they’re going to tag up finally saying, “Russia and Italy together again, just like World War II except no nazis!”

• Kozlov turns and threatens that if they lose, he’s going to punch Santino in the face.

Kozlov & Santino in the ring.  William Regal to the ramp with mic.  He’s looking for revenge against his two opponents, and he’s found himself a monster of a tag team partner…

Vladimir Kozlov & Santino Marella vs. William Regal & The Great Khali with Ranjin Singh
WINNERS: Kozlov/Santino via pin fall after Kozlov hit Regal with a Eurinagi

• Post match, Khali’s pissed that he didn’t get into the match at all, that he has Santino and Kozlov pick up Regal, so that he can hit him with the Khali Chop to Regal’s head.

Video Package: The Nexus attacks the WWE Legends last week on RAW.

Backstage: Josh Matthews is with Arn Anderson and has him update us on Ricky Steamboat’s condition.  Arn says that it’s really bad.

• Interrupted by Sheamus who teases Arn about being a pathetic old man.
• Arn warns him about the hostile take over that is going on around him, and that if Sheamus doesn’t put his ego aside and take action that the company will crumble.
• Sheamus dogs the Four Horsemen and disregards Arn’s comments.  Arn warns him again, but Sheamus doesn’t want his or anyone’s help.

R-Truth comes to the ring in usual fashion.  His opponent, The Miz, comes out to Truth’s theme music and raps his own lyrics to the song.  Once he gets to the ring, he hits Truth with the microphone and then beats down on his arm and shoulder relentlessly.

• Match never officially starts, and Truth is helped out by medical.

Edge comes down to the ring for his Cutting Edge segment.  He talks for a moment about the Nexus situation and says that he doesn’t need seven enemies, but would love to provide leadership for seven allies if it’s going to help him win Money in the Bank.

• Goes to introduce his guest, Evan Bourne, but out walks Chris Jericho.  They jaw back and forth about the Nexus situation, and Jericho thinks that he’s the direct influence on Nexus because he was Wade Barrett’s pro on NXT.
• Eventually a fight breaks out when Edge gives Jericho flack for nearly losing his career the other day in a match to Evan Bourne.  Bourne comes out and gets in the fray.
• An email from the GM comes in and it reads, “If you want to see some action, give me a hell yeah..?!?  Match made for right now, tag team action.

Evan Bourne & Randy Orton vs. Edge & Chris Jericho
WINNER: Bourne/Orton via pin fall after Bourne hit Jericho with Air Bourne

• Mid match, Edge got pissed at Jericho and decided to hit him with a Spear, then walk out.
• Post match, Orton hit his teammate Bourne, with an RKO.

Backstage: Orton confronted by David Otunga, Heath Slater & Michael Tarver of the Nexus.  They apologize for interrupting his match at Fatal 4 Way, and would like to offer a chance for him to align with them if Orton wins Money in the Bank.  They tell him that “the champion will be in a vulnerable state by night’s end…”

Backstage: Josh Matthews is with The Usos & Tamina.  They punk him out when he cannot tell which one is Jey and which one is Jimmy.  They talk about how excited they are for their Unified Tag Team Title match against the Hart Dynasty at Money in the Bank.  They leave.

• Alicia Fox walks in to the interview area and gets pissed at Josh because she hasn’t been interviewed since she’s won the Diva’s Title.  She claims it wasn’t a fluke win, and that she’ll prove it tonight.

Video Package: Twix SummerSlam Rewind Moment – SummerSlam 1992 – Bret Hart vs. British Bulldog for the IC Title.

Diva’s Title Match
Alicia Fox (Champion) vs. Eve Torres
WINNER: Alicia via pin fall after hitting the Scissors Kick

• Mid match, Alicia claimed to have an ankle injury and was playing possum.

Wade Barrett is in the ring and he calls out John Cena for the mandated truce by the GM.

• Cena comes out.  Barrett says that Cena isn’t part of their future plans, and that he wants to move on.
• Cena wants to be certain that if they shake hands that everything stops.  Cena extends a hand and Barrett goes to shake it, but Cena pulls his hand back saying, “Why stop when we’re having so much fun… You can take your plans and stick them up your Nexus!”  Cena then vows to take each and every member of Nexus out.
• Barrett then threatens him again, and lists off the people they’ve taken out.  He extends his hand again.
• Cena shakes his hand, but doesn’t release it.  Tries to hit Barrett with the Attitude Adjustment, and the Nexus guys run in and attack Cena.
• John Morrison & Evan Bourne run down and get beat up.  Then Mark Henry and the entire roster of baby faces run down to beat them up.  Nexus bails out, but they leave one man behind, Darren Young.
• An email comes in from the GM saying, “I wanted peace.  If things don’t stop now, there will be consequences.  Cena ignores the warning and locks Young in the STF.
• Another email comes in saying, “Cena because of your actions, you’ll be part of a 7 on 1 handicap match.”
• Cena hears this and attacks Young some more.  He throws the steel steps at him and then throws Young over the announce table and dumps it on top of him.  Cena if fired up and absolutely seeing red!

QUICK THOUGHTS:

There was quite a bit of talking in this one to get more of the story line across when it comes down to where people stand on the whole Nexus angle.  The baby faces want to fight it out to defend their turf.  The heels don’t give a damn.  The Nexus says bring it on.  I’m just wondering when the Nexus guys will actually be in a normal match?  Next week’s 7 on 1 against Cena really isn’t what I was hoping for.  I would like to see Cena square off against Barrett 1 on 1.  That would be good, and I think it’ll happen eventually.

Every now and then, WWE Creative comes up with some gems and not so shockingly, it seems like they always end up coming out of Santino’s mouth.  The comment he made about he and Kozlov teaming up being like WWII just no Nazis had me laughing.

The matches that actually appeared on the show were pretty average to me.  The women’s match wasn’t even a match.  It was about 10 seconds of contact and a fake injury that led to a cheap shot victory.  I would love to see WWE actually take the wrestling seriously again, but I doubt that’s going to happen any time soon.