Monday Night Raw – June 2, 2014: Teams Are Made To Be Split

Monday Night Raw
Date: June 2, 2014
Location: Bankers Life Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Commentators: Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield, Michael Cole

Payback was last night and while a lot of stuff didn’t change, a lot of awesome stuff happened last night. Cena defeated Bray Wyatt last night in a match where I believe the feud was blown off. On top of that, we saw Shield destroy Evolution in a perfect sweep. The match wasn’t as entertaining as I was hoping it to be, but the whole thing worked very well. Tonight we start the road to Money in the Bank. Let’s get to it.

The opening video recaps the six man tag last night.

Here’s Evolution to open things up. HHH says it’s always darkest just before the dawn but the funny things is everyone thinks Shield won. However, HHH never loses. It’s not over until the Shield no longer exists. Orton and Batista don’t seem as enthusiastic about this idea. HHH says Shield is over tonight but Batista takes the mic. He doesn’t want another match with Shield because it’s time for his one on one title shot that HHH promised.

HHH gets another mic and says he’s the boss. Batista doesn’t care about the plan because he wants the title shot he earned by winning the Royal Rumble. The boss says Daniel Bryan is injured and can’t compete so there can’t be a title match. “Even if I did, you’d probably choke anyway.” HHH apologizes before going on another rant about Shield. Once they’re gone, Batista gets what he wants. Until then though, no one gets anything. Batista understands and quits. For the first time since he returned, the fans cheer for Batista. HHH shouts a lot but Batista just walks out.

During the break Batista confirmed that he did, in fact, quit.

Rob Van Dam/Sheamus vs. Cesaro/Bad News Barrett

Cesaro throws Van Dam around to start but it’s quickly off to Sheamus for the top rope shoulder. A quick gutwrench suplex puts Sheamus down but he comes out of the corner with a clothesline. The ten forearms to the chest are blocked and it’s off to Barrett to take over. Sheamus takes him into the corner and makes the tag off to Van Dam who kicks Bad News down for two. Van Dam comes out of the corner but jumps into a HARD shot to the throat as we take a break.

Back with Barrett holding Van Dam in an armbar before kicking him in the face for two. Cesaro comes in again and cranks on a chinlock while Heyman complains about how Sheamus beat his man last night. Cesaro hits the delayed gutwrench suplex while glaring at Sheamus before making the tag back to Barrett. A middle rope elbow gets two for the Intercontinental Champion and we hit another chinlock.

Back to Cesaro who Rob outside and into the barricade before taking it back inside for two. We hit a third chinlock but Cesaro lets it go and knocks Sheamus off the apron. The break lets Van Dam kick Cesaro down, allowing for the hot tag to Sheamus for a BIG reaction. The Irishman cleans house with powerslams all around before loading up the Brogue Kick. He picks Cesaro but Heyman makes the save, allowing Barrett to hit Winds of Change for a very close two on Sheamus. Cesaro and Heyman bail and a quick Brogue Kick into a Five Star get the pin on Barrett at 13:14.

Rating: C. Not a bad match here though it had one chinlock too many. This potentially sets up Barrett vs. Cesaro which isn’t a match I would have seen coming but could be interesting. What’s also interesting was the reaction for Sheamus. I haven’t heard him get a pop like that in months and it worked very well. Good reaction to an ok match.

Here’s Damien Sandow, dressed as Indiana Pacer Lance Stephenson and carrying a basketball. The fans aren’t pleased but it gets even worse when he mentions that the Paces’ season is over. Therefore, he would like to state the LeBron James is the best player ever and that the Pacers are a losing team from a losing city. Also as an act of charity for fans supporting such losers, he’ll give a display of his skills. There’s a basketball hoop set up in the corner and this is already dying.

Sandow does some tricks until Big Show interrupts. Sandow: “HOW DARE YOU DISRUPT MY DISPLAY OF MAD SKILLS!” He challenges Big Show to a game and throws him the ball but Big Show throws it back and knocks Sandow out. He dunks the ball as wel, breaking the hoop. If there’s any point to this, feel free to point it out to me.

Kofi Kingston vs. Bo Dallas

This is a rematch from last night when Kane attacked before it could go anywhere. Before the match Bo says the Pacers lost because all of the Heat Bolieved. A shoulder puts Kofi down and he runs outside to shout that he’s WINNING. Kingston comes back with a dropkick to put Bo on the floor before offering a handshake.

Dallas shakes but tries a cheap shot, only to get kicked in the face. Bo puts him down and drops some running knees before putting on a cravate. The fans chant boring and JBL says it’s for Dallas. Kofi comes back with a dropkick and the spinning cross body but gets caught by a hot shot the Bodog for the pin at 4:07.

Rating: D+. As is usually the case, the match was nothing of note but Bo is all about the character rather than the in ring work. The matches aren’t terrible to be fair, but they’re supposed to be Bo running around and cheering for himself. Once he gets a follower or a story he’ll be much more interesting.

Kofi isn’t interested in the post match hug.

We recap the opening segment.

Renee Young tries to get a word with HHH but gets Stephanie instead. She’s on her way to the ring to talk about the World Title.

Here’s a ticked off Stephanie to rant about how Bryan was a coward and let his wife fight for him last night. Brie should have been fired weeks ago but Stephanie gave them chance after chance, only to get slapped in the face. That’s ok though because she’s a tough McMahon. Bryan will have to wake up every morning and see his wife’s dreams broken.

Enough about Bryan though, because this is about the World Heavyweight Championship. At Money in the Bank, Bryan will be defending against Kane in a stretcher match. If he’s unable to compete though, the Money in the Bank ladder match will be for the vacant title. This brings out John Cena to a ROAR.

Cena says he’s sore but he loves the sound of the fans chanting CENA SUCKS. Stephanie may have a hard job but some of the fans’ opinions are kind of questionable. The fans do their dueling chants and Cena says that’s what’s best for business. He’s here to talk about the WWE Championship situation as a former champion. He knows what it’s like to win, lose and have to give away a championship. John talks about no one being bigger than the title, including a spoiled egomaniac like Stephanie, drawing a big cheer. Stephanie: “Oh sure you all like that.”

Cena says Stephanie has to face facts: Daniel Bryan is really good. The WWE Universe can cheer for anyone (Unless they’re Bray Wyatt I guess) and Daniel Bryan has earned that title. Maybe he doesn’t want to give up the belt because he knows the Authority will never give him another shot. Stephanie goes on a rant about how Bryan is a B+ and how he hasn’t defended the title in thirty days so she has to do what she has to do.

Cena talks about the surgeries he and HHH have had to put them out of actions. Even Stephanie has had….surgeries. Stephanie: “They put me IN action but that’s another story.” Cena: “We’ll put that one in a chest somewhere and think about it later.” Cena talks about Stephanie abusing her power and gives her a zero job performance evaluation. She doesn’t care what people think and makes Cena vs. Kane right now.

Kane vs. John Cena

This is joined in progress after a break with Kane in control. He rams Cena spine first into the buckle and drops him with an uppercut before stomping away. Side slam gets two on John but Cena fights back with right hands and the shoulders. The ProtoBomb sets up the Shuffle but Kane punches his way out of the AA. Kane hammers away in the corner for the five count and DQ at 3:09 shown.

Rating: D. These two just do not have good chemistry together and there’s no way around it. Kane is one of the few people that Cena doesn’t have good matches with and I had a feeling that was going to be the case when the bell rang. Nothing to see here and thankfully it was only a few minutes long.

Post match Cena escapes a tombstone attempt on the steps and throws said steps at Kane’s head. Cena leaves and Kane throws various metal objects before leaving.

Opening segment recap again.

Orton has talked to HHH and says they’re on the same page. Tonight he’s facing Roman Reigns.

3MB vs. Los Matadores

It’s Slater/McIntyre here but before the match, Slater says Hornswoggle isn’t quite shaved. He comes out with an afro, complete with pick. Heath runs over Diego to start and Horny gets on the apron to play air guitar. Torito rips the wig off and Hornswoggle runs off in terror. A rollup pins Slater at 1:27.

Nikki Bella vs. Alicia Fox/Aksana

This is punishment from Stephanie for Nikki saying she missed her sister on the WWE App. Fox is quickly sent to the floor but kicks Nikki in the back to put her down. Alicia comes in and gets rolled up, only to have Fox nail the ax kick for the pin at 1:11.

Fox beats Nikki up post match and shouts a few hashtags. Aksana gets in a few shots of her own but we’ve got Wyatts.

The rocking chair is empty with Rowan in the sheep mask behind it. Harper grabs his his shoulder and says they have to take up his cause. They have to torture the same pair of brothers over and over until the brothers are put down like the craven beasts they are. Rowan says follow the buzzards.

Jack Swagger vs. Adam Rose

Rematch from Smackdown where Rose got the win. Rose slaps him to start and elbows Swagger down, only to have Jack kick him in the face. Off to a quick double chicken wing before Swagger charges into a boot in the corner. Rose comes back with right hands and a running neckbreaker. A Bronco sets up a running Party Foul (looked better than the usual version) gets the pin at 2:57.

The Usos say they’re banged up but ready to fight tonight. Jimmy shouts like a crazed pitbull.

Wyatt Family vs. Usos

Non-title and Bray is nowhere in sight. Jimmy has taped up ribs and gets thrown around like a ragdoll by Harper. It’s quickly off to Jey for some shots to the face until Harper runs him over again. Off to Rowan for the chinlock for a good while followed by Jey falling under Rowan’s weight. The Family makes a tag so Harper can hammer away instead. The beating doesn’t last long before it’s back to Rowan for a running corner splash. Jey escapes a belly to back and tags in Jimmy to speed things up. Some forearms to the back and a kick to the face get two. Everything breaks down and the monsters are sent to the floor as we take a break.

Back with the monsters in control and Harper working over Jimmy’s bad ribs on the floor. They head back inside for Rowan to slow things down even more and drop some elbows to the ribs. Jimmy gets tied to the Tree of Woe for more kicks to the ribs but he does a big situp, sending a charging Rowan in the post. The Whisper in the Wind is enough to allow the tag to Jey who meets Harper. Jey hits a spinning kick to the head and the running Umaga attack in the corner but gets caught by a big boot for two.

A Samoan drop from Jey puts Harper back down but he dives on Rowan instead of hitting the Superfly Splash. Luke hits a suicide dive but Jimmy hits a plancha of his own, only to bang up the ribs a bit more. Back in and the Superfly Splash hits Harper’s knees but the discus lariat is blocked by a superkick for two. Rowan makes a blind tag but Jimmy rolls him up for two. Erick hits Jey with something like Matt Hardy’s Side Effect for the pin at 17:03.

Rating: B. Good stuff here and I can live with the champion losing a bit more here due to the injuries coming in. Harper and Rowan seem destined to take the belts and I don’t think there’s much of an argument against them being champions. The Usos have had a nice run and are a WAY bigger deal than they were when this reign started so it’s done its job.

Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Dolph Ziggler vs. Alberto Del Rio

The fans are WAY into Dolph here and he quickly takes Alberto down for the ten elbow drops. Alberto nails the Codebreaker to the arm and the running arm kick in the corner gets two. A belly to back suplex gets the same on Dolph before we hit the armbar. Ziggler fights back with right hands and the Fameasser for two. The top rope X Factor gets another near fall but the cross armbreaker out of nowhere sends Del Rio to Money in the Bank at 5:31.

Rating: C. The match was the usual between these two but man I was hoping to see Ziggler get in there. The guy is over and there’s nothing wrong with throwing him into a big multiman match. On the other hand we have Alberto Del Rio who keeps finding new ways to be uninteresting. I haven’t cared about him in a long time and that’s not getting any better.

Goldust/Sin Cara vs. Ryback/Curtis Axel

Cara is Cody’s handpicked partner for his brother. Goldust and Axel get things going with Curtis getting caught in a quick armbar. It’s quickly off to Ryback who takes over as the heels take turns on the golden one. Axel hits his middle rope elbow but Ryback’s middle rope splash hits knees. The hot tag brings in Sin Cara to clean house but he eventually misses a dive, allowing Axel to hit the neckbreaker into a cutter for the pin at 7:10.

Rating: D+. How in the world did this match go that long? It was nothing to see at all and it’s just part of a story with Cody and Goldust until we get to their feud. I’d assume we’ll see more partners for Goldust until Cody realizes that it’s really Goldust who is the problem. I’ve heard worse stories.

Here’s Lana to brag about Edward Snowden and how great he is for Russia. She brings out Rusev for a medal presentation for his great accomplishments. The Russian government agent of course speaks English as he gives Rusev the Golden Star. The Russian national anthem plays and no one interferes.

Bray Wyatt returns on Smackdown, after a full four days away.

We look at the opening segment for the fourth time tonight. It’s 10:59 and the main event introductions haven’t started yet so we’re looking at a quick match.

Bray Wyatt returns on Smackdown, after a full four days away.

We look at the opening segment for the fourth time tonight. It’s 10:59 and the main event introductions haven’t started yet so we’re looking at a quick match.

Roman Reigns vs. Randy Orton

Before the match, Ambrose says they’re all banged up but they feel great. They did what they said would do last night though and didn’t suffer a single casualty. Rollins says theyw on because they were facing three men who happened to be in the same corner. Reigns says the three of them are brothers. He waves his arms around and says this is Evolution, but the fist is the Shield. Reigns says get out here so the symbol of excellence can break Orton’s jaw. HHH comes out with Orton and carrying a sledgehammer, so Rollins heads out for some chairs.

HHH says what he does best is adapt. Last night was plan A, but tonight is plan B. He looks at the hammer as he says this and says there’s always a plan B. Shield is ready to fight but Rollins turns on them, blasting Reigns in the back with a chair. Ambrose is STUNNED but gets nailed as well. So much for the team.

Rollins literally breaks the chair over Ambrose’s back and hits the curb stomp to put Ambrose face first into the good chair. He hand sit to Orton for more shots to Reigns but Roman won’t stay down. That’s fine with Randy as he goes Steve Austin on him with about ten shots to the back and ribs. The Elevated DDT on the chair lets the new Evolution stand tall to end the show.

Overall Rating: C-. This show felt a step off all night. It’s like they didn’t know what they wanted to do and it showed badly. The main event stuff with Evolution was fine and it’s an easy way to write off Batista before he comes back after the summer. Other than that though I’m not sure what they’re setting up, as Cena vs. the Authority has mostly been done, but it didn’t feel like that’s where they’re going. Stephanie is great in this heel role and her cockiness in the promo was great.

Results
Rob Van Dam/Sheamus b. Cesaro/Bad News Barrett – Five Star Frog Splash to Barrett
Bo Dallas b. Kofi Kingston – Bodog
John Cena b. Kane via DQ when Kane wouldn’t stop attacking in the corner
Los Matadores b. 3MB – Rollup to Slater
Aksana/Alicia Fox b. Nikkia Bella – Ax kick
Adam Rose b. Jack Swagger – Party Foul
Wyatt Family b. Usos – Sitout spinebuster to Jey
Ryback/Curtis Axel b. Goldust/Sin Cara – Neckbreaker into a cutter to Cara

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