WWE RAW Opener:
Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up from Oklahoma City with Dean Ambrose heading to the ring. We see ladders set up inside the ring with the Money In the Bank briefcase hanging high. Cesaro, Alberto Del Rio, Kevin Owens, Chris Jericho and Sami Zayn are waiting at the tops of the ladders with mics. Michael Cole is joined by JBL and Byron Saxton.
Kevin tells Lillian everyone knows who they are since they are big stars except Sami. Jericho says he is the most famous one in the arena. He said he was famous before he knew it and then Kevin ends Jericho’s catchphrase. Kevin says he will have the Money in the Bank contract and you will go down as the guys who watched him win it. You will be on the posters and Blu Rays in the background because you are in his shadow.
Dean wants to get to the fighting.
Kevin says he is not done. Winning the Money in the Bank contract will give him a chance at the WWE Title any time he wants and anywhere he wants. He will get that briefcase and cash it in and become the WWE Champion. Kevin says he will take on all comers besides you guys. The Nation of Domination, or anyone else on the WWE Network.
Sami says that Kevin thinks he will get the championship, but this is just an opportunity. He says he will not make it a joke if he wins. He will face anyone in the locker room. Dean says we know Kevin won’t fight anyone while Sami will fight anyone in the back. He will fight a polar bear or Mole People. He wants to fight everyone. Alberto speaks in Spanish and Kevin is impressed. He says that you won’t win a title in the WWE. You are a dog covered with fleas. You are just a paper boy.
Cesaro comments on Alberto’s Spanish skills. Jericho tells Cesaro to shut up and he says he created this match. Cesaro asks Jericho why hasn’t he won a Money in the Bank Match. Jericho says he won one, but then he is quizzed about winning the match. Jericho says being in this match with him, one of the greatest in this generation, puts you on a different level.
Everyone climbs down their ladders while Jericho tells everyone to drink in the Gift of Jericho. Ambrose climbs and punches Jericho off the ladder. Zayn sends Owens into the ringside barrier. Cesaro send Jericho into the announce table. Del Rio and Ambrose battle at ringside.
Teddy Long’s music plays and he Dances his way onto the stage. Teddy says he got the word that Smackdown is going live on Tuesdays so he is back to take the longest running episodi show in television history to a brand new era.
Jericho wants to know what Teddy is babbling about. He says that Teddy doesn’t work here. Teddy says not yet, but if he was in charge and this was live, he would make a disqualfiication match, a Fatal Four Way Match, Six Pack Challenge Match.
Stephanie McMahon comes out and wants to know what he is doing out here. Teddy calls Stephanie his baby girl and Stephanie says she is not his baby girl. Stephanie says she likes Teddy’s initiative, but there are no decisions made about who is running the live Smackdown and they are not going to be making any decisions tonight. Teddy wants Shane to come out tonight. Stephanie says that Shane is not here tonight because he is on vacation. Stephanie tells Teddy to get to stepping.
Stephanie says if you want to be in action so badly, you will all be in singles matches. Sami Zayn will face Alberto Del Rio. Dean Ambrose will face Kevin Owens. Cesaro will face Chris Jericho. We go to commercial.
Cesaro vs. Chris Jericho
The match is joined in progress and Jericho with a punch but Cesaro wtih a punch. Jericho with a shoulder tackle. They lock up and Jericho with a wrist lock. Cesaro kips up and hits a shoudler tackle. Cesaro with a tilt-a-whirl back breaker as he catches Jericho on a leap frog attempt. Jericho with a chop.
Cesaro goes to the apron and Jericho with a forearm to counter the boot and then Cesaro with a European uppercut to counter the springboard drop kick. Cesaro wtih a European uppercut off the apron and then he sends Jericho into the ringside barrier and connects with a running European uppercut. Cesaro goes up top and tries for the cross body but Jericho with a drop kick to counter. Jericho gets a near fall. We go to commercial.
We are back as we look through the ladders before we go to the action in the ring. Cesaro with an Irish whip and European uppercuts aplenty. Cesaro with three Irish whips and European uppercuts. Jericho with a kick but Cesaro sends Jericho over the top rope and Jericho lands on the apron. Jericho comes off the turnbuckles into a European uppercut and Cesaro gets a near fall. Cesaro signals for the giant swing but Jericho counters into a rollup and a near fall. Jericho counters a springboard corkscrew European uppercut with a Codebreaker but Cesaro goes to the floor. Jericho goes to the floor to bring Cesaro back in and he can only get a near fall.
Jericho sends Cesaro into the turnbuckles and then he climbs the turnbuckles but Cesaro wtih a European uppercut and he hits the gorilla superplex for a near fall. Cesaro runs into a boot and Jericho with a missile drop kick for a near fall. Cesaro with a European uppercut but Jericho with a knee. Cesaro with a clothesline and he tries for the Gotch Style Neutralizer but Jericho with a back body drop and Jericho with the Walls of Jericho. Cesaro counters into the giant swing. Cesaro with a Sharpshooter and Jericho taps out.
Winner: Cesaro
– We take a look back at AJ Styles welcoming John Cena back and then attacking Cena with Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. Back to commercial.
– We are back and we take a look at tweets about Muhammad Ali.
– Michael talks about the big fight feel for Roman Reigns versus Seth Rollins. First, we will take a look at it from Seth Rollins’ perspective.
Seth says that he wanted to be the best of all time. We see the debut of The Shield in 2012. Survivor Series 2012 was something he will never forget. They were going to take over the industry and it was special. Seth says he wanted to be THE best of all time, not one of the best. There is room at the top for only one guy. We see Seth turning on The Shield in June 2014. Seth says he wanted to be the guy on the top of the mountain. Seth says he does not dislike Roman, he is just at the wrong place at the wrong time. We see Seth cashing in at Wrestlemania 31. Seth says that was questionable that he stole Roman’s moment. What if that moment was always his. He dreamt of leaving Wrestlemania as champion without caring about Roman.
Seth says he was at the top of his game and this is a harsh business. We see the graphic from when Seth injured his knee. He says that everything was taken from him. It is a childhood dream that he has had for 25 years. We see video of him as a child wrestling. Seth says he did not want to part with the championship. It was taken away from him. We see comments from Seth’s surgeon about the severity of the injury. We hear Seth after surgery and he says it is all going to change.
We see Seth watching Wrestlemania from a sky box and he does not look happy that he is watching instead of wrestling. Seth says the moment he knew he had to give up the title, he has been thinking about getting it back. Seth says he hated that he could not be a part. It was what fueled his fire to comeback. We see footage of his training and rehab. The thing with Roman is that he is a placeholder, not a real champion. He sees himself as the top dog, but he will have to deal with being second best. Roman is sitting on his throne, keeping it warm for him.
We see Seth and his return at Extreme rules. We also hear Seth’s promo from his return to Raw.
Seth says it is not his fault that Roman is a casualty on his Road to Success. Seth says he has been waiting for this moment for two years. He wants to prove that he is better than Roman Reigns and at Money at the Bank, he is going to do it.
Rusev vs. Jack Swagger
Lana is in the ring to do a grand introduction for WWE United States Champion Rusev. Rusev hits the ring and raises the title as we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Titus O’Neil is out for commentary. Jack Swagger is out next to a big hometown pop.
Back and forth to start. Rusev turns it around and works Swagger over in the corner. Rusev with a big kick and then a running kick to the head. Rusev plays to the crowd and gets booed. Swagger dodges a move in the corner and clotheslines Rusev. Swagger runs into an elbow but catches Rusev with a big slam for a 2 count. Swagger goes for the Patriot Lock but Rusev kicks free and rolls to the floor.
Swagger goes to the floor and they both charge at each other and both go down with clotheslines. Both men try to get back into the ring but they hold the other off the apron and then Rusev pushes Swagger onto Titus at ringside and Rusev returns to the ring and gets the win.
Winner: Rusev (by count out)
After the match, Rusev attacks Swagger who comes back into the ring. Swagger goes after Rusev’s knee and Titus with a boot to Rusev. We go to commercial.
In the Arena:
Back from the break and out comes John Cena to a mixed reaction.
John says there is the saying you don’t know what you’ve got until it’s gone. They had anticipation and excitement with John Cena and AJ Styles in the ring together for the first time. That is a moment that happens once in a generation. What we usually have is a rowdy Raw crowd, ready to make noise. Then you have people chanting ‘Let’s Go Cena… Cena Sucks’. He says half of you got his back, and half don’t want him back.
What you had for two minutes, you had a crowd chanting ‘Let’s Go Cena . . . AJ Styles’ Cena says he has been a part of a lot of moments but he has only experienced that with the Rock. Rock and AJ have different career paths. People would say ‘What If’ and finally we were about to get that, but now he needs an answer to another question. Why AJ Why? With all of the excitement and the build for a Wrestlemania dream match, why did you take the easy way out.
AJ Styles comes out but he is not alone. He has Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows with him at his side.
John says you did not need to get the Bullet Club involved.
AJ says he had a plan. He was going to get in the ring, shake your hand, and punch you right between the eyes. It worked to perfection. You insult me John, not with what you do. You are great on the mic and on your morning shows, late night shows, and movies . . . not the ones you star in, but your cameos are good. He says that John insults him every time the bell rings. AJ says it burns you up inside that on your best day, you can’t beat me (and AJ does the hand gesture). AJ says that John doesn’t want to be in the ring with him because he would run circles around him, when his children ask him why he doesn’t wrestle John Cena.
John says that AJ took fifteen years to say the same thing everyone else does. John says he sees a man who worked two decades to make it to the grandest stage of them all. Then he made his debut at The Royal Rumble and did nothing. He got his chance for the World Title and he failed and failed again. Then you second guessed yourself. You were told that you were God’s gift to Sports Entertainment but you have been a bust.
You say you belong here, but that is not phenomenal, that is desperate. You couldn’t get past Roman Reigns and now you want to face John Cena. You don’t know what you are getting into.
AJ says he has been all over the world. Desperate is for someone who does not go anywhere else. He says they would welcome him back. He will sell out wherever he goes. He says he has nothing else to prove, but unfortunately, he has nothing to lose, so he is the most dangerous.
John wants to know why it is John Cena versus The Club, not John Cena versus AJ Styles.
AJ says that when you lose to John Cena, it is time to get the shovel because you bury that guy. These men are his insurance policy to make sure his head stays above the ground. You don’t know what you are dealing with.
Styles, Gallows, and Anderson make their way to the ring. Anderson and Gallows get on the apron and then so does Styles. They go into the ring and The New Day make their way to the ring to make the save. The Club quickly retreats and both teams have words. Cena’s music hits as he raises hands with The New Day.
– Still to come, The Club vs. The New Day in six-man action. Back to commercial.
Enzo Amore and Big Cass vs. The Vaudevillains
Back from the break and Simon Gotch waits in the ring with Aiden English as we see a replay of the Enzo Amore concussion. The music hits and out comes Enzo and Big Cass to a big pop. They both pay tribute to Muhammad Ali and go on to cut promos on The Vaudevillains. Cass says they are the next WWE Tag Team Champions.
Gotch and Enzo start thigns off and Gotch with a punch and kicks. Aiden tags in and he kicks Enzo. Gotch tags in and Gotch with a kick and Aiden with a kick as Gotch gets a near fall. Gotch with a quarter nelson and chin lock. Enzo with an arm drag and he tags in Colin. Colin with a forearm and clothesline followed by a Fallaway Slam and splash in the corner. Colin with a splash and elbow drop for a near fall. English kicks Enzo and he tries to send Enzo face first into the ropes again but Enzo avoids the ropes as he goes to the floor.
Colin sees Aiden and he is not happy with the attempt to injure Enzo. Colin with punches and the referee has to pull Colin off but he continues to kick and punch Aiden.
The referee calls for the bell.
Winners: The Vaudevillains (by disqualification)
After the match, Colin with a boot to Simon. Enzo comes back into the ring and Colin with the uranage Side Effect.
Backstage:
Sami Zayn is getting ready for his match and Tom Phillips stops by to ask him about his match with Alberto Del Rio and whether Sami considers himself to be the underdog. Sami says that Alberto is the only one in the match who cashed in the briefcase. Sami says he is the underdog but he knows he can beat Alberto.
Alberto enters and he says that winning the match and getting the briefcase will make your life. It will show everyone who laughed at you that they were wrong. That is wrong. Sami’s dream is his reality. You are a flea infested perro and a paper boy. We go to commercial.
– We are back with more tweets about Muhammad Ali.
Backstage:
Teddy Long is listening to his entrance music with Stephanie in the room and she wants to know if she is on an episode of Swerved. Teddy says if he was in charge of Raw, he would take advantage of Enzo and Cass and The Vaudevillains. They could take the tag team division to the top. Why not throw in Anderson and Gallows and make it a Fatal Four Way for the Tag Titles. Stephanie wants to know how Teddy got past security. Teddy pulls out the Dolla Dolla that makes you go Holla Holla. Stephanie tells Teddy to leave.
Stephanie makes a phone call and she tells Marketing that she has an idea for the tag titles at Money in the Bank. It will be a Fatal Four Way Match and Stephanie takes credit for it.
Sami Zayn vs. Alberto Del Rio
Del Rio with kicks and punches to Zayn but Zayn with a head scissors take down and Del Rio goes to the floor. Zayn goes to the floor but Del Rio sends Sami’s head into the apron. Del Rio Irish whips Zayn into the ringside barrier but Zayn lands on the ringside barrier and hits a moonsault as we go to commercial.
We are back and Del Rio gets a near fall. Del Rio with a reverse chin lock. Zayn with a punch but he misses a splash into the corner. Zayn with an elbow and boot from the turnbuckles. Zayn with a cross body for a near fall. Zayn tries for a suplex but Del Rio lands on his feet and he hits a lungblower for a near fall. Zayn blocks a kick and gets a near fall with a rollup. Del Rio wtih a super kick for a near fall. Del Rio with a kick and punches to Zayn. Zayn pops up and hits a clothesline.
Zayn runs into a boot in the corner and then Del Rio puts Zayn on the turnbuckles and sets for a German Superplex but Zayn with elbows. Del Rio with a step up enzuigiri to the back of the head and Zayn falls into the Tree of Woe. Del Rio does the spinning finger gesture and that allows Zayn to recover and take Del Rio to the mat. Del Rio hits Zayn and sends him into the ring post. Del Rio with a kick and then he goes up top for the double stomp. Del Rio gets the three count.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio
Backstage:
Dean Ambrose walks in the back and Kevin Owens is laughing and he asks what is funny. Kevin says that Dean is funny. Mole People and Polar Bears, you don’t have to worry about. It is Kevin who you should worry about. Kevin says he feels bad for Kevin, not just because he is going to dismember him with a ladder in two weeks, but Dean seems more off the deep end. Dean asks if he was off at TLC or the Royal Rumble, or Extreme Rules? Kevin says Dean needs help but Dean says that Kevin needs help. Back to commercial.
– We are back and it is time to look at the WWE World Title Match from Roman Reigns’ side.
We see footage of the Shield’s debut. He says it was an awesome debut and it meant a lot to share it with Seth Rollins. We see Roman and Seth winning the tag titles. He was known as the muscle while Seth considered himself to be the architect. Seth will claim he created anything. They had their roles and they enjoyed being a team. Their competitve nature made them friends, until he pulled the trigger.
Roman says he felt betrayed because they were that close. We see Roman as he stood alone. We go to Wrestlemania 31 and he says it meant a lot to even be in the main event of Wrestlemania. It was emotional and pushed him further than anything he had done in his life. Roman says Seth cashing in the contract and in that moment looking at Rollins taking in the moment as the WWE Champion with the fireworks, he had nothing. His wife, daughter, and father were there but he felt anger. Sometimes anger is the best motivator a man can have.
We go to Wrestlemania 32 when he got his moment to walk out of Wrestlemania as the WWE Champion. He says he won fair and square. He has defended it. Any time Seth Rollins has left him laying, Seth has attacked him from behind because Seth is afraid of Roman Reigns. He is better than Seth. He will not feel fulfilled as champion until he beats Seth. Roman says he has waited for this for a long time. It is a big fight feel. They will be in Vegas and there will be no more running. Seth will find out why he is THE GUY. He expects a better Seth Rollins. After Money in the Bank, he will be THE GUY. We go to commercial.
Kevin Owens vs. Dean Ambrose
Back from another break and the next match starts.
Dean with punches but Owens with an Irish whip and Ambrose with forearms. Owens goes to the floor and announce table and Owens is so frustrated he does not yell at the announcers. Owens sends Ambrose into the announce table and he returns to the ring. Owens goes back to the floor and he steals Byron’s headset and he does commentary but Ambrose with a clothesline off the announce table.
Ambrose throws Owens back into the ring and Ambrose with a belly-to-back suplex. Ambrose goes upt op and leaps over Owens. Ambrose with a kick and he sets for a double underhook DDT but Owens escapes and hits an enzuigiri followed by a back senton for a near fall. Owens kicks Ambrose and connects with a forearm to the back. Owens with a punch but Ambrose with a swinging neck breaker and both men are down.
Ambrose with chops and punches but Owens with a forearm and Ambrose bounces in the ropes but you don’t do that to Owens because Kevin with a super kick and a near fall. Owens gets another near fall. Ambrose punches Owens but Owens with a clothesline. Owens goes up top but Dean gets up and connects with a punch. Ambrose with a superplex and both men are down. Ambrose wtih a running forearm but Ambrose is sent into the turnbuckles on the bulldog attempt and Owens with a German suplex. Ambrose gets up before the cannonball and Ambrose with a clothesline and both men are down. Ambrose goes up top but Owens stops Ambrose and Ambrose falls to the mat. Owens with a cannonball for a near fall.
Owens tries for the pop up power bomb but Ambrose counters with a rana and then Dean goes for the suicide dive but Owens catches Ambrose and runs him into the apron. Owens with a splash off the apron onto Ambrose and he sends Ambrose back into the ring. Owens sets for the pop up power bomb but Ambrose holds on to the ropes and hits the double underhook DDT and Dean gets the three count.
Winner: Dean Ambrose
After the match, Ambrose gets a ladder from under the ring and he brings it into the ring and sets it up under the briefcase. Dean climbs the ladder but Kevin Owens comes out and he knocks Ambrose off the ladder. Kevin says that the briefcase is his.
– Still to come, our six-man main event. Also, Dana Brooke and WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte will be here. Back to commercial.
– We are back with Life Lessons with Coach Backlund. Bob asks Mr. Young for a training update. Darren says training has been great. He starts to talk about the running he has done, but Bob stops him and says as Darren’s life coach, he will not allow him to run. Darren says he is doing it to get his cardio in. Bob tells him to walk briskly. Darren asks if he should ever run. Bob says he should if he misses his bus. Bob says he stopped running in 1978. Bob says he has Darren’s car keys and he tells Darren it will take eight hours to walk to the next town. Bob tells Darren to dig deep and if Darren gets there too fast, he will know that Darren ran. Darren starts to walk.
In the Arena:
Charlotte makes her way to the ring with Dana Brooke and we see what happened when Charlotte kicked her father to the curb.
Charlotte says every great champion can admit when they are wrong. For the last two weeks she has seen the footage of her and her dad. She tells her dad that she is sorry, but everything she said needed to be said. You don’t know what it is like to be on top and have that pressure on you every day. When she told her dad that he was dead to her, she meant it professionally. She still wants to celebrate Christmas with him, work out with him and be his best friend. She does not want to share the spotlight with Ric Flair. Charlotte says she cannot be daddy’s little girl without daddy…
Natalya’s music plays and Becky Lynch joins Charlotte on her way to the ring. Natalya and Becky do not believe what Charlotte is saying. Charlotte says that this has nothing to do wtih Becky and then she tells Natalya she does not know why E did not come to her about a show with her father and uncle. It should be called Broken Harts. Natalya says that her family is not perfect.
Becky says that this is how Charlotte works. She says she does not like Dana, but if you have the sense that God gave a goose, this harpie will stab you in the back and throw you in the dumpster. Charlotte says that Dana is her protege. Natalya tells Dana that Charlotte is a master manipulator and she tells Dana that she has options. Becky says this screaming banshee turned on her flesh and blood.
Dana walks away from Charlotte but it was a ruse to let her attack Natalya. Becky goes after Dana but Charlotte attacks Becky. Charlotte with a dragon sleeper on Natalya while Dana hits Cradle Shock on Becky.
– We go to the announcers and they hype Wednesday’s WWE NXT “Takeover: The End” event. Still to come, The Club vs. The New Day in six-man action. Back to commercial.
– We are back and Epico and Primo have drinks and they talk about the health issues people suffer from because they are not in Puerto Rico.
– We see Tyler Breeze shaving Fandango’s back hair and Tyler talks about a procedure he had to remove all of his body hair. Fandango talks about how it makes you more aerodynamic.
Tyler Breeze vs. R-Truth
We go the ring and out comes Tyler Breeze with partner Fandango. We get a backstage video from earlier with Breeze shaving Fandango’s back. Goldust and R-Truth are out next.
Truth with a split to avoid a clothesline from Breeze. Truth with punches but Breeze with a knee and punch. Truth wtih a jumping leg lariat and he wants to know what’s up but Truth with a leaping split. Fandango distracts Truth and Goldust stops him. Goldust and Fandango get in the ring and the referee calls for the bell.
No Contest
They continue to fight and then Fandango and Breeze go to the floor.
Teddy Long comes out and he says that this is why he should be in charge of Smackdown when it goes live. He has the only resolution for this. It is now going to be a tag team match. Teddy Hollas but security comes out to send Teddy back to whence he came.
Teddy walks in the back and Stephanie tells Teddy that she let Teddy hang around for her enjoyment. Smackdown is going live but there won’t be any old fool who cannot do anything but dance. Her father wants someone who can revitalize the show to run Smackdown and it won’t be her brother Shane, it will be her.
Stephanie tells Teddy to leave her building and Teddy walks out. Back to commercial.
– We are back with more tweets about Muhammad Ali and a video package.
– Ambrose Asylum is back and his guests will be Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns.
The Club vs. The New Day
We go to the ring and out first comes Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson. AJ Styles is out next as The Club heads to the ring. Back to commercial.
All six brawl and Anderson is sent to the floor by Anderson. Anderson sends Big E into the steps. Gallows sends Kofi to the steps but Kofi avoids the steps. Gallows with an uppercut to Kofi. Woods with a flip dive onto Gallows. Woods with a forearm to Styles. Anderson pulls Woods off the apron and then Styles hits a Styles Clash on the floor. Back to commercial.
We are back and BIg E and Kofi make their way back to the ring but it is going to be a three on two match.
Kofi and Anderson start things off and Kofi with punches and he hits a splash into the corner. Kofi is run into the corner by Anderson and Kofi fights his way out of the corner. Kofi with a belly-to-back suplex and Big E tags in. Kofi with a kick to the chest and Big E wtih an overhead belly-to-belly suplex. Big E kicks Anderson and then he goes for the splash on the apron and he connects. Styles with a Pele Kick to Big E while the referee deals with Kofi and Anderson.
Anderson kicks Big E when he returns to the ring. Gallows tags in and he connects wtih forearms and punches and an uppercut. Anderson tags in and he hits an enzuigiri. Styles tags in and he hits a flying clothesline in the corner. Gallows tags in and hits a splash in the corner for a near fall. Gallows with a reverse chin lock. Gallows with elbow drops but he misses a leg drop. Anderson tags in and he misses a back senton.
Kofi tags in and hits a chop off the turnbuckles followed by a drop kick and flying clothesline. Kofi sets for the Boom Drop and he hits it. Kofi with a DDT to Gallows and then Kofi misses a double jump cross body when Styles moves. Styles goes for the Styles Clash but Kofi counters and hits SOS for a near fall. Big E wtih a belly-to-belly suplex to Anderson but Gallows wtih a kick to Big E. Kofi with a kick to send Gallows to the floor. Styles with a Phenomenal Forearm for the three count.
Winners: Karl Anderson, Luke Gallows, and AJ Styles
After the match, Anderson and Gallows send Big E into the ringside barrier.
John Cena makes his way to the ring and he goes after Anderson, Gallows, and Styles, but Styles gets away for a moment. Styles attacks Cena from behind. Styles with kicks to Cena but Kofi with a springboard drop kick to Styles. Big E with a Big Ending to Anderson and Cena with an Attitude Adjustment to Gallows. We go to credits.
