7/11 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: Final hype for John Cena vs. C.M. Punk and the Money in the Bank pay-per-view, Punk opens the show on the mic

By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Boston, Mass.

[Q1] The show opening signature video cut off early... C.M. Punk's music played and he made his way to the ring while Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler checked in on commentary. Punk carried a megaphone to the ring with him just in case he's cut off again. He stood on the ropes and soaked up the live crowd's reaction before entering the ring.

Punk put the megaphone down and took a seat next to it in the middle of the ring. He asked if he has everyone's attention now. He tapped the mic a couple of times and said he feels some recapping is in order. He said he didn't watch the show last week because he wasn't on it. He recapped being suspended and that his contract is expiring on July 17.

Punk also recalled referring to Triple H as a doofus. He said he gets in trouble because he has the balls to say things no one else will say. He said WWE is full of ass kissers inside and outside of the ring. He picked up megaphone and spoke into it while saying that he brought it as a backup just in case they cut his microphone. A loud "C.M. Punk" chant broke out as Punk played the siren on the megaphone. Punk looked to the entrance area and said through the megaphone, "Just in case."

Punk said Vince McMahon wants to sign him to a very long term and very lucrative contract with World Wrestling Entertainment. He said the mic in his hand is like a pipe bomb and it represents power. Punk referred to himself as the hottest property in the industry today. He said Vince finally saw it that way.

"I did something he and his endless empty suits could not do," Punk said. "I made WWE socially relevant." Punk said he's not talking about the fans in the building because they don't really count. "I'm talking about the real world," Punk said. He said WWE only gets that type of attention when he speaks his mind or someone dies.

Punk said WWE is all over Youtube because of him. He said ESPN is falling all over themselves to get him on their shows. He said Jimmy Kimmel's people are begging for his story. "I find it funny that I have one foot out the door and Vince McMahon finally wants to give me everything I want," Punk said. He added that if Vince had treated him this way years ago, he wouldn't have this much pent up frustration and ammunition.

Punk predicted that Vince McMahon will have him sit down in his office for a quiet meeting regarding a new contract. Punk said he wants to have the first ever live contract negotiation in the ring. "Maybe I'll sign, maybe I won't," Punk said. He said Vince McMahon might have to join the "C.M. Punk - Kiss My Ass Club."

John Cena's music played and he headed to the ring. "Sir, your music is too loud," Punk said through the megaphone. Punk mockingly thanked Cena for getting him a job back he never wanted in the first place. Punk said that when he beats Cena for the title, he's going to change the way the belt looks. "That thing has been far too ugly for far too long," Punk said.

Punk recalled the last time Cena was fired. He said Cena doesn't have to worry about Vince firing him because the last time he was fired it lasted about seven days. "Are you done," Cena asked. Punk said probably not. Cena congratulated Punk for growing a set of balls in five years. Cena said he's no pushover.

Cena said he was knocked out when Punk sat on the stage and proclaimed himself the best wrestler in the company. Punk corrected him and said he's the best wrestler in the world. Cena said he's the best because he has the WWE Championship and he earned it.

Cena congratulated Punk for thinking he was the best wrestler in the world. He said Triple H, John Layfield, Edge, Batista, Randy Orton, Kurt Angle, Shawn Michaels, and Eddie Guerrero thought Cena couldn't hang with them. "Every single one was disappointed," Cena said. He concluded by saying that he's coming to Chicago to whip Punk's ass.

[Q2] The anonymous general manager chime sounded and Cole went to the podium. Cole said Vince McMahon was en route to the building for the negotiation. The GM told Cena not to go anywhere because he would be in a "very special match" next. Punk left the ring and wished Cena luck through the megaphone... [C]

Powell's POV: A strong opening segment with all sorts of buzz words like wrestler, championship belt, and the mention of former WWE talent to get the online fans buzzing. Punk was very good, and Cena was also very good with his response. Cena's not catering to the online fans. He wants his fans to pay money to see him kick Punk's ass, so he delivered the message he needed to. The megaphone was a great touch.

Back from the break, Cena asked if he was going to be in a lingerie pillow fight. Justin Roberts announced that Cena would be in a handicap match...

1. John Cena beat David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty in a handicap match in 10:00. The tag champs took a powder at ringside and the show cut to commercial. [C] After the break, the tag champs got some offense in. Cena started to make a comeback, but they double teamed him and McGillicutty got a near fall.

Cena came back and applied the STF on McGillicutty. Just as McGillicutty was about to tap, Otunga returned and broke up the pinfall. Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on McGillicutty. Cena threw Otunga out of the ring and then pinned McGillicutty to win the match...

[Q3] The announcers hyped the Vince and Punk contract negotiation... [C]

Powell's POV: The WWE Tag Team Champions were just defeated in a handicap match by John Cena. I guess we shouldn't be surprised, but it's a sad reminder of the current state of the WWE tag team division.

The announcers hyped that Edge will appear on "Haven" after WWE Smackdown on Syfy on Friday night... The announcers hyped the Big Show vs. Mark Henry and set up a video that focussed on the match... The announcers continued to hype the match at ringside...

Backstage, Dolph Ziggler used Vickie Guerrero so that he could practice making his pitch to Vince McMahon to get rid of Punk and Cena, and focus on the United States Championship. Drew McIntyre showed up and mocked Vince. All three started mocking Vince until he entered the picture.

Vince referred to Dolph and McIntyre as two of his fastest rising stars. Vince said they deserve the spotlight and so he was booking them in a handicap match against a big opponent - Big Show. They agreed. Vince barked at them at the end to indicate that he overheard what they were joking about.

Scott Stanford arrived on the scene after the trio fled. Stanford asked Vince for a comment about his contract negotiation with C.M. Punk. Vince said Stanford could tell the entire world that he said to go to hell... [C]

Powell's POV: You could see Vince coming a mile away. There are times when I don't mind the predictability, but this was not one of them. Another handicap match? Another champion on the losing end of a handicap match? I guess only time will tell about the second question.

[Q4] Highlights aired of Kelly Kelly beating Brie Bella to win the WWE Divas Championship...

2. Kelly Kelly beat Melina in a non-title match in 1:45. The Bellas sat in on commentary with Cole and Lawler. After Kelly got the clean win, the Bellas entered the ring with microphones. They mocked Kelly by saying she should eat because one mean isn't enough. They also mocked her skin.

Kelly finally attacked on of the Bellas, but the other one pulled her off. The Bellas double teamed Kelly. Eve ran out to make the save, but she was also taken down by the Bella Twins. Cole said The Bellas were telling it like it is...

The announcers hyped the contract negotiation segment... A shot aired of The Miz walking backstage. Cole said he was coming up next... [C]

Powell's POV: Four women in the only Divas story line that matters on Raw and none of them are named Melina. The mighty have fallen. Were they setting up a tag team match or the Divas Championship match for Sunday? I'm confused. By the way, Dot Net reader Victor D'Angelo Jr. reports that Cena's father and brother are in the crowd. He also took a moment to wish his wife a happy anniversary.

An ad for Smackdown focussed on (wait for it) Randy Orton. Shocking, huh?... Highlights aired of The Miz roughing up Alex Riley after their match...

The Miz came to the ring for a promo. Ladders were sat up in and around the ring and the Money in the Bank briefcase was hanging from the ceiling. Cole said Twitter was down for 20 minutes during the Punk segment.

[Q5] The Miz sat on top of the ladder under the briefcase and boasted about knowing what it takes to win the match. He tried to deliver his catchphrase, but was interrupted. Jack Swagger came out and boasted that he has also won MITB and went on to become the World Hvt. Champion. Evan Bourne came out and said he's tired of Miz and Swagger talking about what they've done in the past.

Kofi Kingston came out and put over the danger of the match by saying Edge had to retire because of matches like MITB. R-Truth was out next. He said he has arachnophobia and a fear of heights. He said there better not be spiders on the ladders. Lawler giggled on commentary. Truth tried to deliver his catchphrase, but Alex Riley's music interrupted him.

Riley ran to the ring and The Miz darted to ringside. Alberto Del Rio's music played and he drove a sports car into the arena. He stood in the car and said he shouldn't even be in the match because he won the No. 1 contenders match. The anonymous general manager's email chime sounded. Cole said that Miz, Swagger, and Truth would face Riley, Bourne, and Kingston... [C]

Powell's POV: Everyone got a little mic time, but I can't say that they made me want to see the MITB match more than I did before the segment started. Truth was funny. He goes back and forth between edgy and humorous from week to week.

Highlights aired of Big Show's appearance on Burn Notice...

[Q6] 3. Kofi Kingston, Alex Riley, and Evan Bourne beat R-Truth, Jack Swagger, and The Miz in 10:35. There were still ladders around the ring when the match started. Kofi hit a high cross body on Truth and went for a cover, but The Miz broke it up. Kofi was dumped to ringside and the show went to break. [C] Late in the match, Swagger was going for a Vader Bomb when Riley reached up and kicked him with both feet. Riley followed up with a DDT and got the pin.

After the match, Miz hit the Skull Crushing Finale on Riley and then we got a series of rapid fire finishers from the various wrestlers. Bourne was about to go for his finisher on Truth when Del Rio knocked him off the top rope. Del Rio hit his MITB opponents with ladders and left them lying before pointing up at the briefcase...

Powell's POV: The post-commercial action was really good and set the stage for the match at the pay-per-view. Del Rio was the favorite before tonight and he looked like the favorite coming out of that segment.

A video recapped the Punk, Cena, and Vince angles from the last two weeks...

Dolph Ziggler, Drew McIntyre, and Vickie Guerrero came to the ring for the handicap match...

[Q7] [C] 4. Big Show fought Drew McIntyre and Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) to an apparent double countout. Highlights of the Show and Henry match were shown while Show was making his entrance. Dolph was going to start, but he tagged McIntyre in to avoid facing Show. McIntyre got pounded while Dolph hid behind the ring apron on the floor.

The bell rang while Show was beating up McIntyre on the stage. Show rammed McIntyre into the WWE logo that sits on the stage. Show set up to chokeslam McIntyre off the stage. Mark Henry ran out and rammed Show and McIntyre onto a padded area on the side of the stage and went down with them. Referees checked on Show and Henry, who sold the fall by lying next to one another...

Powell's POV: A cool spot at the end even though it looked heavily padded. I'm not saying they shouldn't have padded the area, but it's too bad it looked as gimmicked as it did. Fortunately, the U.S. Champion didn't lose a handicap match like the tag champs did. Granted, he hid behind the ring apron to avoid Show, but that's just a case of him playing a chickenshit heel.

The announcers recapped the Alberto Del Rio ladder attack...

[Q8] The announcers set up a MITB video...

Powell's POV: That's more like it. That's the type of video I've been waiting for WWE to deliver to tout the MITB matches.

The announcers ran through the pay-per-view lineup and started off by hyping the Raw and Smackdown MITB matches...

Powell's POV: Dot Net reader Matt Leachman pointed out that Drew McIntyre may have been injured, as the referee threw up the X symbol. Matt wrote that it appeared as though McIntyre missed his mark when he landed. We've seen refs throw up the X symbol to fool viewers, so it's hard to say.

Another WWE Smackdown ad aired and hyped Randy Orton vs. Kane as the main event of Friday's show... The announcers touted that Smackdown was the most watched regularly scheduled show on Syfy for the 40th consecutive week...

Vince McMahon's music played and he eventually headed to the ring and received a favorable reaction. He stopped and shook hands with John Cena's father at ringside. Vince encouraged the crowd to cheer for him. He said he will not be joining the C.M. Punk Kiss My Ass Club. He said he couldn't imagine doing anything like that.

Vince struggled to say Punk's last name and then called him out to the table that was set up in the middle of the ring. Vince questioned what the C.M. stands for. He said Punk should hurry because he has a plane to catch. Punk walked out and mocked the Vince McMahon walk while on the stage.

Vince took a seat in a chair was low to the ground. He called it a Sky Low Low chair. Funny to those who get the dated reference. Vince wanted to rush through the negotiations. Punk said he was surprised that Vince wasn't wearing John Cena armbands. He said he could tell that Vince wasn't really confident in Cena.

Vince said he included all of the provisions Punk asked for in the contract. He called him by his real first name Phil and assumed it was okay since Punk wants to open everything up. Punk presented Vince with a different contract that his lawyers prepared. Punk said he'd already signed the contract, but Vince should know of a few new stipulations. Vince told Punk not to push him.

Punk said provision No. 1 was that he gets to push Vince. Punk mockingly pushed Vince a few times. He said he could also kick him in the nuts. Punk said first class travel isn't good enough, he wants his own jet. Punk said he wants his face on everything from Titan Tron to the turnbuckles and everything else in WWE.

[Overrun] Punk said he wants Vince to bring back the WWE ice cream bars, which got a nice pop from the crowd. "Look at that, I just made you a million dollars in ice cream sales," Punk said with a smile. Punk said he wants WWE Studios to begin work on C.M. Punk The Movie. He said they could call it The Chaperone 2, but his would be funny, entertaining, and successful.

Punk said Vince could have his little fantasy of Cena vs. "Dwayne," but the match that he competes in at WrestleMania will be the main event. Punk said the last provision is that Vince has to apologize to him for suspending him last week. Punk said he wanted Vince to apologize to the people for being one of the hypocrites he's ever seen.

Punk brought up the anti-bullying campaign. He said Vince is one of the biggest bullies he's ever met in his life and he will apologize. Loud "C.M. Punk" chants started. Punk said he's had very talented friends work for the company and be fired. Vince said they deserve it. Punk brought up Colt Cabana and Luke Gallows, and said Vince will apologize to him for them. "They can't be here now and they can't stand up to you."

Punk, who was walking around the table and leering at Vince at various times, said he is the voice of the voiceless. "You will apologize and you will like it," Punk declared. Vince smirked. Vince tried to get Punk to calm down and sign the contract. "Should we be gentlemen or should we apologize," Punk said. "Sign the contract and apologize and spare your company any further embarrassment."

Vince said he just wanted to get it over with. He said he's eaten "a crap sandwich out there." Punk knocked the tables and chairs down. Vince acknowledged a crowd chant for ice cream by saying that he doesn't give a damn what they want. Punk said that's the problem. He said he's not a good guy and he doesn't wear a white hat. He said Boston wants an apology.

Vince quietly said, "I'm sorry." Punk said that if there was ever an appropriate time for a "what?" chant, this was it. "I apologize, you son of a bitch," Vince yelled. Punk smiled and celebrated. He stood on the second rope and said Vince McMahon just apologized to him.

Punk told Vince to pick up the contract and sign it. Vince struggled to get the pen out. A "Colt Cabana" chant broke out amongst a group of fans at ringside. Just as Vince was ready to sign the contract, John Cena's music played and he headed to the ring to join in on the fun.

Cena said Punk will be walking out on each and every one of the fans in his hometown of Chicago. He accused Vince of giving into a terrorist. Punk and Vince pointed at one another. Cena said he understands that Punk hates Vince because he hates him too. Cena got comical while talking about all the things he dreams of doing to Vince because he hates him. "But I show up for work every day," Cena said.

Cena brought up The Rock by recalling that he would never leave again, yet not being there. He said Punk just wants to take the WWE Championship and walk out. He said he admires that Punk marches to the beat of his own drum, but he's lost sight of things. Punk took offense. Punk recalled Cena saying great wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero looked at him and said he couldn't hang. He said he's that guy now.

Punk recalled being part of Cena's entrance at a past WrestleMania. He said he was looking at Cena and thinking that someday he would go down to him. Punk said this is where he would talk the fans into the building. Punk mentioned the Boston sports teams and said they probably portray themselves as underdogs. Punk said Cena is the one who has lost sight.

Punk said Cena is a dynasty. He said Cena is what he hates. "You are the New York Yankees," Punk said. Cena punched him. Punk ducked to ringside and grabbed the contract from Vince. Punk said Cena might as well be Jeter. "I'm the underdog," Punk said while walking to the back. Cena's music played. Punk demanded that they turn it off.

Punk sat down on the stage and said the fans at home have their DVRs on because they want to hear what he has to say. He said it hit him like a bolt of lightning when it comes to the reason he doesn't want to be in WWE. He said he's tired and he's tired of it. Punk said the fans could say goodbye to the WWE Title, John Cena, and C.M. Punk.

Punk stood up and tore up the contract. "I'll go be the best in the world somewhere else," Punk said. Punk mocked Cena with the "You can't see me" hand gesture. A stone faced Cena stared at Punk, who glared back at him to end the show...

Powell's POV: Wow, that was a lot to digest. This feels like a pivotal time for Cena. Can they really go back to happy go lucky Cena after all of this? I hope not because I'm ready for a new and improved Cena. Punk continued to shine on the mic. It was fun to watch the segment and to read Sean "X-Pac" Waltman's tweets, as he was talking about how big the things Punk was saying really are. They definitely have the interest of the online fans heading into Sunday, and I believe the angle has been compelling enough that the casual fans who may not grasp everything are going to go along for the ride. I'll have a lot more to say about the show in Dot Net Members' Audio later tonight. Thanks for watching along with me.