8-12-13 Raw results and thoughts

Coverage and thoughts on the August 12, 2013 episode of Raw The show starts with Daniel Bryan coming to the ring. Wade Barrett is already in the ring. Then Justin Roberts introduces the guest referee, the Raw GM Brad Maddox. Daniel Bryan vs. Wade Barrett. Barrett gets the pin when Brad makes a fast count. Afterwards Daniel stares down Brad. Then he goes after him but Brad escapes. Then Daniel leads the fans in a no chant. The match was solid but I knew there would be a screwy finish with Brad being the referee. Cody Rhodes is on commentary. Damien Sandow has his new MITB case. He also has a set of handcuffs & he cuffs the case to the ring post. Randy Orton vs. Damien Sandow. Orton gets the pin. Cody pulled on Sandow’s MITB case. That distracted Sandow & then Orton hit the RKO for the win. This was a good match. Backstage we see RVD balancing his legs on 2 chairs & stretching. Then they mention that RVD will be in a 20 man battle royal tonight. The winner of that will face Dean Ambrose for the U.S. Title at the SummerSlam kickoff. I’m thinking RVD will win this battle royal since they showed him warming up. Backstage we see The Shield. Dean Ambrose asks how could you be lazy & unproductive but still be brought back. Seth Rollins say the old guard/the icons that are living off their reputations have gotta go. Rollins says it’s time for a new generation to rise & they’re it. They’re hungrier & better. Roman Reigns says that the challenge has been made but will anybody accept it? They’ve delivered justice & no 1 can compete on their level. He challenges any team to take the tag titles off of him & Rollins at SummerSlam. Ambrose mentions that no one in tonight’s battle royal can beat him. Punk has a catchphrase but Ambrose is the best in the world. Cena has a trophy but Ambrose is the real WWE Champion. If Andre the Giant’s ghost was in the battle royal he still wouldn’t lose the U.S. Title at SummerSlam. This was a decent backstage promo. They reshow the Brock Lesnar promo/video package from Smackdown. Backstage Josh Mathews interviews Punk. He asks Punk why take a match with Heyman this close to SummerSlam. Punk says there isn’t a man alive who would be scared of Heyman in a 1 on fight. Then Punk mentions that Brock told Heyman to say something stupid & Heyman challenged Punk to a fight that Heyman knows he can’t win. Heyman’s not stupid. He does everything cold & calculating. This is a chess game for Punk & he mentions that Heyman’s got his pawns in place. Then he says that when you come for the king you best not miss. Punk has a good feeling that he will see Brock tonight. Brock likes to say the beast is the best but at the end the best is the best. Good promo from Punk. In the Goldman box Big E says that Dolph needed him but he never needed Dolph. At SummerSlam it won’t be show off. It will be show over. Great Khali & Natalya vs. Big E Langston & Divas Champion AJ Lee. Khali & Natalya win when Natalya makes AJ tap. This wasn’t much. Then Big E knocks Khali to the mat. Then he goes after Hornswoggle, but Hornswoggle gets out of the ring. Then Khali chops Big E to the mat. They mention that Shawn Michaels, Booker T & Natalya will host the 1 hour SummerSlam kick off. Vince McMahon comes to the ring. He says there’s some controversy over the Daniel-Barrett match. They reshow the finish to that match. Vince says we are due for an explanation & he tells Brad to come to the ring. Out comes Brad. Vince asks Brad why he made himself referee. Brad says Daniel’s matches tend to get out of hand. He thought the fans would appreciate an authority figure with the guts to make the right decision no matter how unpopular it would be. Vince says Brad made a fast count. Brad says that this was the first time he’s had a referee shirt on in awhile, he might have been rusty, but he did the best he could. Vince says everybody make mistakes. Brad wants a second chance. Vince asks at what. Brad wants to referee the Cena-Daniel match at SummerSlam (NO)! Vince asks the fans what they think & they of course boo. Vince says if Brad was referee would he be impartial no matter what personal issues he has with either guy. Brad says absolutely. Vince asks if Brad would no longer rag on Daniel. Brad says he wouldn’t rag on Daniel. Brad says he’s confident. He will be impartial. Vince says that at SummerSlam Brad will step forward…Then Triple H’s music plays & out he comes. Vince says Triple H hasn’t been the same since he cut his hair. The fans chant Triple H & Vince tells them not to feed his ego. HHH says he couldn’t hear Vince because 15,000 people were chanting his name. HHH knows that he & Vince haven’t agreed on a lot of things lately, but since there’s a lot more on the line than the WWE Title at SummerSlam, HHH does think there needs to be a referee who will be impartial. A referee who will not be intimated by anyone or anything. HHH doesn’t think Vince is referring to Brad. It seems like Vince is referring to HHH. Then HHH gives Brad the Pedigree. This was terrible! I’m way beyond tired of this McMahon family saga. They show a video package recapping the Kane- Wyatt family story. Kane vs. Titus O’Neil. Kane gets the pin. This was a squash. Then out go the lights & the Wyatt family comes out. Bray sits in the rocking chair. Then the lights come back on, Rowan & Harper are in the ring but Kane is on the stage. Then he sets his pyro off. Kane stares at Bray from the stage & Bray laughs. This was good. I liked that they managed to do this & not have anyone talk. Backstage Josh Mathews interviews the Bellas. Josh says things are heating up on Total Divas & Raw. Then they reshow the crappy bit with Natalya & the Bellas from last week. Josh asks if tensions are rising. They say they’re in control of the divas division. Then Natalya comes in & challenges Brie to a singles match for SummerSlam. Then in comes Eva Marie. Natalya says something to her & apparently Eva Marie is a heel. Then Natalya says that she is bringing friends of her own. In come Naomi & Cameron. Then after some more meaningless bickering Brie slaps Natalya. Who cares this Divas stuff is beyond terrible! Kofi Kingston vs. World Champion Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio wins by submission. This was a solid match. Backstage we see Mark Henry stretching & warming up for the battle royal. I thought RVD was gonna be the definite winner but since they showed Henry warming up backstage too maybe he will win the battle royal & face Ambrose in a singles match. Time for a Christian video package. He says every time he looks in the mirror he asks what if this is it. Then they show some clips from his matches over the years. Backstage Renee Young says we just saw a quick look at Christian’s memorable career but he’s probably focused on Sunday. Christian says that seeing that video reminded him of all the hard work that he has done over the years. Then he says that this Sunday he will beat Del Rio, become a 3 time world champion & prove all he needed is 1 more match. Then Del Rio comes in & talks mostly in Spanish, pretty much saying that after SummerSlam there won’t be anymore matches. Zeb Coulter, Antonio Cesaro & Jack Swagger come to the ring. Zeb says the Golden State of California is not so golden these days. It looks more like a piece of rusty scrap iron. What they’ve all done is allow illegal immigrants to come across the boarder. Zeb says a big earthquake should hit California & it should float into the ocean, this way there will be 2.5 million fewer problems or some idiotic crap like that. Who cares? I’m way past tired of this gimmick. The Usos vs. The Real Americans. The Usos win when Jay pins Swagger. This was a decent match. Time for Miz TV. Miz welcomes everyone. Tonight he will be joined by the 2 guys who will face each other at SummerSlam for the WWE Title. Then Miz brings out Daniel Bryan. Then Miz brings out Cena. Miz thanks them both for being there. The big news is that HHH will be the referee for their match. Daniel think it’s great someone stood up to Vince & now he & Cena can have the match that everyone deserves to see. Cena says this is the most exciting Miz TV ever. HHH knows what it’s like to defend the WWE Title at SummerSlam. Cena can’t think of a better guy to call it right down the middle. Miz says last week a friendly rivalry got personal. Miz asks Cena what his issue with Daniel is. Cena says the issue is the WWE Title. Daniel wants to be champion & Cena is champion. Cena respects Daniel’s in ring ability & says Daniel will give him a hell of a fight. Miz says that’s code for saying Daniel will lose. Miz says Cena picked Daniel for the easy win. Daniel says if Miz doesn’t shut his mouth he will punch him in the face. Daniel doesn’t get why Cena thinks all he can do is put up a hell of a fight. Last week Cena came out & did what he does best. Make explosive remarks & got the fans on their feet. Whether they cheered or booed him is a different subject. Cena saw the red light was on & he grabbed the spot light. Daniel says that Cena is in it for the fame & not the wrestling. Daniel says that his shirt is a parody of Cena because Daniel thinks Cena is a parody of wrestling. Daniel doesn’t wanna be a parody. He wants to be WWE Champion. Not for the fame & glory but so that when he gets in the ring everyone will know there’s no one better than Daniel Bryan. Cena takes his shirt off. Then Cena says Daniel almost had him. Cena says he’s not a parody. Cena’s out here for the same reason as Daniel. He thought Daniel would be smart enough to realize that. All the fans chanting yes or no are doing that because they believe in Daniel. When Daniel hears that it gives him emotion & Daniel wants to put his body on the line & says that he believes in the fans as much as they believe in him. Cena says they do what they do for the fans. Cena says the shirts represent loyalty. Cena’s had his share of critics but he’s got his fans & he is loyal to them. Daniel has the Gaul to call Cena a parody because of how Cena looks or acts. Cena says Daniel’s not the first & won’t be the last. Cena’s showed up everyday for 2 years & busted his ass for the fans. He mentions a Make A Wish kid that he met. He says that the kid & his dad that him for the hope & inspiration. Daniel’s red hot now but will always have critics. Daniel should proud of what he’s accomplished. Cena is proud of what he himself has accomplished. He’s wrestled around the world in 12 years. Sometimes the fans cheer & sometimes they boo but he’s been in the there with the best this business has to offer. He tells Daniel to think he will walk into LA a shell of a man because that’s what Daniel’s peers thought about him, but Cena beat them all. Michaels, HHH, Punk, Batista, Orton, Rock. Daniel says he’s talking about those guys like they’re better than he is. Cena says he can’t put Daniel in that class because he doesn’t belong in it. He says if Daniel is good enough to hold the WWE Title someday only then will he earn Cena’s respect. Daniel says Cena doesn’t respect him. He says Cena’s not treating this match like his match with Rock. He asks Cena how he could understand the desire Daniel has to hold the WWE Title. Daniel says for Cena this is just another SummerSlam but this is the biggest match of Daniel’s life. Daniel says there’s a custom that he learned in Japan. They take their hand & slap their opponent in the face. Daniel wishes he could do that to Cena right now but he can’t because Cena’s not a wrestler & doesn’t deserve it. Cena then slaps Daniel. Then he dares Daniel to slap him. Then out comes HHH. Before he can say or do anything out comes Randy Orton. Orton stands on the stage & holds up his MITB case as Cena, Daniel & HHH stand in the ring. This was a really good segment. I thought both Cena & Daniel were good with their promos. The whole idea of having the “Sports entertainer vs. the Wrestler” theme is actually pretty decent. My only hope is that with HHH as the referee that doesn’t mean there will be God knows how many run ins & decision reversals. Before the R-Truth-Fandango match Truth comes to the ring & does his bit. Then Fandango & Summer Rae dance. Then Truth does & Fandango attacks him. The bell never rang & Truth kicks Fandango around. Then Fandango rolls to the floor. He lies there, Summer gives him the mic & he says his name. Then Fandango’s music plays. This was entirely pointless! Backstage we see Curtis Axel & Paul Heyman. Axel asks Heyman if he is nervous. Heyman’s having second thoughts about facing Punk. Time for the 20 man battle royal to see who will challenge Dean Ambrose for the U.S. Title at the SummerSlam kickoff. RVD wins. In the battle royal are – RVD, Tons of Funk, 3MB, Ryback, The Usos, Great Khali, The Primetime Players, Justin Gabriel, Fandango, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, Antonio Cesaro, Wade Barrett, Kofi Kingston & Mark Henry. * Ryback eliminates Gabriel * Ryback eliminates Darren Young * Ryback eliminates Sweet T * 3MB eliminate Jimmy Uso * R-Truth eliminates Fandango * Fandango gets back in the ring & eliminates R-Truth (That shouldn’t count) & then RVD throws Fandango over the top rope * During the break Brodus was eliminated, Khali eliminated 3MB & Ryback eliminated Khali. * Cesaro & Swagger eliminates Jay Uso * RVD eliminates Titus * Swagger eliminates Kofi * Henry eliminates Cesaro & Swagger * Henry eliminates Barrett * Henry eliminates Ryback * RVD eliminates Henry WINNER – Rob Van Dam Then Henry gets back in the ring. He & RVD fist pump. Then out comes The Shield. RVD & Henry are in the ring & The Shield surrounds them. Then Big Show’s music hits & he makes his return. He gets in the ring & stands along side RVD & Henry. Then The Shield of course retreats. I like battle royals, so I enjoyed this. There were some good spots here. I knew it would come down to RVD & Henry at the end. I thought they’re face off was good too. I also liked The Shield coming out & then Big Show returning to stand aside Henry & RVD. Paul Heyman comes to the ring. He takes the mic & says CM Punk a few times. He says the fans are calling for their hero. Heyman doesn’t blame Punk for everything that’s happened. He blames all the fans. Punk used to live for Heyman’s respect, love, and acceptance. Now Punk lives for the fans’ acceptance. Heyman takes it personally that the fans took Punk from him. So tonight he takes their hero from them. All he’s heard for the past week from everyone is that he is setting a trap for Punk. Heyman says Guilty as Charged. Do the fans wanna know what the trap is? He didn’t think of it by himself, this is a conspiracy. He wants everyone to meet the co-conspirator, the beast Brock Lesnar. Out comes Brock. Heyman doesn’t need to sell the fans on the best vs. the beast. Actions speak louder than words. Before they say what their plan is Heyman has a Brock video package. They show clips of the Punk-Brock brawl from last Monday. Then Heyman says now it’s time to clue everyone in on what the trap is. Heyman says that there was no way that Punk would’ve fallen for this, but Punk’s need to be hero to the fans is gonna be Punk’s down fall. Heyman says the trap is that he is willing to fight Punk tonight. All Punk has to do is play the hero, get in the ring & face both Heyman & Brock in a handicap match. Heyman says that all heroes are stupid. People don’t wanna be heroes, they have no choice. Punk does. Punk doesn’t have to play hero. All he has to do is disappoint the fans, walk out the back door & live to fight another day. That day being this Sunday. Heyman asks Punk what it will be. Will Punk be the smart coward or the stupid hero? Punk’s music plays. Heyman & Brock look at the stage but Punk comes in from behind & hits Brock with a video camera. Then Punk does a suicide dive outside the ring onto Brock. Then Punk hits Brock with a chair. Heyman looks on in the ring terrified. Punk looks to Heyman & Heyman panics. Punk gets in the ring buy Heyman exits. Punk goes after him & Heyman backs up the stage. Then out comes Curtis Axel. Punk makes quick work of him & gives him the GTS on the stage. Punk then shouts that he is the best in the world. Punk looks at Brock while Brock is on the floor to end the show. This was really good. I liked Heyman’s promo & having Punk come in the ring the crowed was also a good spot. Punk hitting Brock with the camera & the chair, followed by Heyman getting all frantic was all really well done! I wasn’t surprised that Axel came out & that Punk gave him a GTS but I thought that was good. Punk shouting he is the best in the world as Lesnar was lying on the floor at ringside was also a nice touch. They did a great job building to their match for SummerSlam. I thought this was a solid show overall & they did a good job with the final build to SummerSlam. Daniel-Barrett was solid but with Brad as the referee I knew the finish wouldn’t be a clean 1. I liked the Orton-Sandow match too. Sandow cuffing the case to the post was kinda cool & I knew Cody was gonna get involved somehow. I also like the Cena-Bryan segment. Both guys were great on the mic here. The only part I didn’t get is why Miz was playing a heel when he’s a supposed to be a baby face. Besides that I thought this was good. I liked the battle royal too & I knew RVD would eliminate Mark Henry at the end. The Shield coming out & then having Big Show make his return here was good too. The Usos-Real Americans match was decent but I’m way past tired of the Zeb Coulter character. The R-Truth-Fandango bit was pointless, but they got to eliminate each other later in the battle royal. Kofi-Del Rio was solid too, the backstage bit with the Divas was terrible, the mixed tag wasn’t much & the Christian-Del Rio backstage bit was decent. Kane-Titus was a squash but I liked having the Wyatt family come out only for Kane to be on the stage when the lights came back on. The Brad Maddox-Vince-HHH segment was terrible & I’m not too thrilled with HHH being the referee for the Cena-Bryan title match. I’m really hoping they don’t go overboard with run ins & controversy. I hope to God they let Cena & Daniel have a good match. So for the most part I thought this was a solid show & they did a good job hyping the Cena-Bryan & Punk-Brock SummerSlam matches.