WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Austin, Tex.

[Q1] The show opened with Edge putting the boots to Evan Bourne. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler checked in on commentary as Edge continued to attack Bourne. Edge punched and slapped Bourne and said, "This is my ring." Lawler said it started with Edge sucker punching Bourne.

Evan came back with a knee press and a series of kicks to Edge's legs, chest, and head. The last kick to the head took Edge off his feet. Bourne went for Air Bourne, but Edge rolled out of the way. Edge got back to his feet and speared Bourne.

Edge took the mic and said that what happened to Bourne, is exactly what's going to happen to Sheamus, John Cena, and Randy Orton at the Fatal Four Way pay-per-view. Edge talked smack about all three opponents and said he will become a 10-time champion at the pay-per-view.

Randy Orton's music played and he headed to the ring to confront Edge, who condescendingly asked if Orton was going to coil up and drop him. "We both know that's not going to happen because you're not 100 percent," Edge said, while also taking credit for causing the injury at the last pay-per-view.

Edge got cocky and threatened Orton, who responded by giving him an RKO in the middle of the ring. The crowd popped. Orton hopped onto the second rope and struck his arms in the air pose and then looked down at Edge. Cole hyped that the two men would be in the same ring in the tag match main event with Cena and Orton vs. Edge and Sheamus... [C]

Powell's POV: Hot start to the show. For a minute there, I actually thought they were going to let Bourne hit his finisher and get the better of the brawl. Great intensity by Edge, and it was cool to see Orton hit his finisher and send the message that he's not as hurt as everyone thinks he is. Of course, we'll get a better idea of just how much Orton can actually do in the main event. Meanwhile, we can throw out any speculation about Edge being hurt at the Memphis house show, as he didn't look limited whatsoever in the opening segment.

Backstage, Ashton Kutcher was checking out his laptop and complaining about Zack Ryder talking smack to him. Eve entered the room and hugged Kutcher, who told her that Ryder was talking smack about him on Twitter.

Kutcher plugged his movie "Killers." He said he plays an assassin and learned about putting a hit on someone. He said he's putting a hit on Ryder. He said it could be a referee, and announcer, another wrestler or anybody who collects on the Ryder hit.

The Miz entered the picture and suggested that he co-star in "Killers 2." Kutcher laughed. He said he talked with general manager Bret Hart about setting up a match for Miz. Kutcher said the match would be against Daniel Bryan. Miz wasn't impressed and said he's beat him to a pulp. Kutcher said Bryan would make Miz tap out...

[Q2] 1. R-Truth pinned Chris Jericho in 9:20. Justin Roberts introduced R-Truth as the new U.S. Champion before the match for a nice pop. Cole said it's a non-title match that could put Jericho in position for a title match in the future. Truth dumped Jericho to ringside in the opening minute and dove onto him as the show went to break. [C]

Good action after the break. Late in the match, Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho. R-Truth countered it into a roll up and got the pin. As Truth celebrated at ringside, Jericho looked like he was going to cry in the ring...

Powell's POV: A credibility earning victory for Truth. He's not the guy I'd go with in this role, but he won the title last week and beat a top heel this week. WWE creative is definitely doing right by the guy.

The announcers hyped the main event... A commercial reminded viewers that the WWE NXT live season finale takes place on Tuesday...

Powell's POV: It's cool to see they are going live for the NXT finale. They usually only go live with NXT (or ECW in the past) when they are on the West Coast. They're in Dallas tomorrow, so it looks like they are going out of their way to make the NXT finale live.

[Q3] [C] The announcers set up a video recap of Batista quitting WWE on last week's show...

Backstage, Zack Ryder and Alicia Fox were in Bret Hart's office. Ryder questioned whether Hart was working for Kutcher. Hart said he had bigger things to worry about. After Ryder and Fox left, The Hart Dynasty entered the room. Hart said the three wrestlers who attacked the Harts were "The Usos."

Hart said he signed the trio to Raw, but he didn't know they were going to attack the Hart Dynasty. He said he can't do them any favors as general manager. He said they should be asking themselves what they are going to do about the Usos attacking them...

Powell's POV: We got the basics on Jimmy and Jules Uso, but nothing more in terms of their family history. I like the way they had Hart establish that he's calling it down the middle and won't be doing his relatives any favors.

Santino Marella and Eve made their ring entrance and the show cut to break... [C]

Vladimir Kozlov, William Regal, and Maryse came to the ring for a mixed tag match. Santino told a joke about Eve agreeing to make love to him. He corrected himself and said she was going to tag with him. This was his latest attempt to get Vladimir Kozlov to become his tag team partner...

2. Santino Marella and Eve Torres beat William Regal and Maryse (w/Vladimir Kozlov) in 2:30. There was a loud "Santino" chant to start the match.

[Q4] Regal got the better of Santino and was going for the Regal Stretch, but Eve broke it up. As the women were brawling, Kozlov entered the ring and hit his slam on Regal. Kozlov and Maryse left while Santino pinned Regal...

Powell's POV: It looks like we'll be getting a Santino and Kozlov tag team after all. I guess we shouldn't be too surprised given the past talk of WWE giving Santino his own talk show with Kozlov playing the part of his neighbor.

A shot aired of Bret Hart walking backstage... [C] A video dedicated this episode of Raw to the men and women who lost their lives while serving in the U.S. military...

Ring announcer Justin Roberts introduced Bret Hart. Cole hyped that there were 13,124 fans in attendance at the show. Hart said he got together with Smackdown general manager Teddy Long and they decided to do something special next week. He said they are going to have all the superstars from Raw and Smackdown on the three-hour Raw special next week.

Hart said he and Long want to know what the fans want to see next week. He said the wrestlers are also welcome to bring him their ideas. He vowed that next week's Raw will be a night to remember "and a whole lot of fun."

Ted DiBiase's entrance music interrupted Hart. DiBiase came to the ring with Virgil, who held the ropes open for him. Ted said his suggestion is Hart giving him complete control of the show next week. "And I am willing and able to pay you and Teddy Long whatever it takes," DiBiase said.

Hart smirked and asked, "Is that right?" DiBiase said Hart shouldn't look at him like he can't be bought. Ted recalled his father saying that everyone has a price. He said it's true and even Hart could be bought. Bret told DiBiase to take it up with Teddy Long.

DiBiase said he knows Hart came back and is now general manager because he needs money. "I can make all your problems disappear," DiBiase said. "All you have to do is name your price." Hart smirked.

Ashton Kutcher appeared on the big screen. He said that instead of giving power to DiBiase, he wants to hold a viewers choice special where the fans determine the matches. Hart said it's a good idea and announced that next week's show will be viewer's choice night.

[Q5] Vince McMahon's music played and he walked onto the ring in a suit. McMahon did the BMF walk to the ring. Cole noted that it was the first they'd seen him since he was embarrassed by Hart at WrestleMania 26. DiBiase and Virgil took a powder, leaving Vince and Bret in the ring together.

Vince said it looks like Bret has aged 10 years since their match. Vince recalled the chairshots he took at WrestleMania and questioned how many Hart hit him with. Hart said he hit him with 18 shots. Vince asked if he got all his frustrations out. "Most of it," Hart responded.

Vince said Bret jumped at the chance to be the Raw general manager. Vince said he could be setting up Bret for something big down the line. He said he might just be keeping his friends close and enemies closer. Vince said it's also possible that the fans thought Bret was the right man for the job, so he gave them what they wanted.

Mr. McMahon told Bret that he will have to make some unpopular choices as general manager. He said he needs to treat the fans as children. Vince eventually wished Bret luck and asked if he believed it. "No," Bret responded. Vince replied: "Yes, you do. You want to believe it."

Vince said Bret was once banned from Raw and is now back as general manager. Vince said he hopes that Bret's run as general manager has a happy ending. Vince and Bret smiled at one another as Vince's music played. Vince turned to the crowd and said, "Let's hear it for Vince McMahon again." He took a lap around the ring and said, "Louder." The fans cheered. Vince eventually left the ring to end the segment...

Powell's POV: So much for Vince writing himself off television permanently. That lasted just over two months. We all knew that one wouldn't last long. Fun segment that teased more Vince and Bret drama going forward and helped explain why Bret is the general manager when his bitter rival owns the company. The hype for next week's show was strong.

in a backstage hallway, Ryder and Fox confronted Randy Orton, who was standing in front of a door, to see if he was the person hired to take Ryder out. Orton said that if he wanted to take out Ryder, they wouldn't be having the conversation. Ryder and Fox walked away. The door opened and slammed on Orton's bad shoulder. Edge walked through the door as Orton writhed in pain... [C]

Powell's POV: A quick angle to stack the deck against Cena and explain why Orton presumably won't do much in the main event.

After the break, Cole and Lawler recapped the Orton and Edge angle...

3. Daniel Bryan beat The Miz in 2:10. Cole said Miz was going to teach Bryan some respect. Yes, Bryan came out to the lame NXT theme song. The announcers aired highlights from last week's NXT before the bell rang to start the match. Bryan went right at Miz, who alluded a submission hold and went on the offensive.

[Q6] Cole spent the match complaining about Bryan being unable to take criticism and having "rabbit ears." Cole actually asked, "What's a vegan, anyway?" Meanwhile, Bryan caught Miz in a submission hold. Miz tried to roll out of it, but Bryan turned it into a pinning situation and got the clean pin.

After the match, the camera focussed on Cole, whose jaw dropped at Bryan winning. Miz quickly attacked Bryan. He brought Bryan to ringside and demanded that he apologize to Cole. Bryan fought out of it, slammed Miz's head on the announcers' table, and then threw Miz onto Cole, whose chair was knocked over in the process... [C]

Powell's POV: Fun stuff. The match wasn't given enough time to feel special, but the angle with Miz, Cole, and Bryan was well done.

After the break, Lawler told Cole to put his headsets back on and asked if he was okay. Cole said he isn't okay because he was assaulted again this week. Lawler said he supposes it was an ambush similar to the way The Usos attacked The Hart Dynasty last week. A video recapped the Uso brother and Sarona Snuka attacking the Harts...

Back live, the Uso brothers and Sarona Snuka were standing in the ring. One of the brothers said they have the world tripping and wondering who they are. Jay said he and his brother Jimmy and their girl Tamina. Jimmy said their heritage goes all the way back to the Wild Samoans.

Jimmy said they aren't typical Samoans and pointed out that they are fashionable. Tamina (a/k/a Sarona Snuka) took the mic and said they respect the Hart family, but they are after that same respect. She mentioned that her father is Jimmy Snuka. She said her father was in the corner of the original WrestleMania main event.

She said they were born and created for one purpose. All three of them simultaneously said, "Dominance." The Hart Dynasty music played and they hit the ring and attacked the Uso brothers and Tamina. The Harts got the better of the brawl and went for the Hart Attack clothesline, but Tamina broke it up.

Tamina clotheslined Natalya at ringside while the Uso brothers got the better of the Hart Dynasty in the ring. The Uso brothers and Tamina hit simultaneous top rope splashes on the Hart Dynasty for the second week in a row...

Powell's POV: Fun stuff. I like the Uso brothers promo. They aren't the most polished on the mic, but it was nice to see them establish their heritage (they didn't mention their father Rikishi) and that they're not the stereotypical Samoans. Tamina was dying out there until she mentioned her father's name and had the strong showing in the brawl.

The announcers recapped the segment and questioned whether John Cena would have to work a handicap match in the main event due to Orton's injury...

[Q7] [C] An ad aired for the Ashton Kutcher movie... Zack Ryder and Alicia Fox came to the ring. Cole said Ryder has 23,000 Twitter followers whom he refers to as the Zack Pack. Ryder took the mic and demanded to know who accepted the hit offer. Kutcher appeared on the big screen and said he would tell him.

Jerry Lawler entered the ring with a chair and took a seat. Kutcher appeared on the screen again and said it wasn't Jerry Lawler. The Great Khali's music played and he headed to the ring minus Ranjin Singh. Kutcher appeared again and said it wasn't Khali either.

Goldust came out. "Nah, it's not him," Kutcher said. Ryder said he couldn't take it anymore. He apologized for calling out Kutcher on Twitter. "You just have to tell me who it is, bro, tell me," he said. Kutcher said that just like in his movie, Ryder would never see it coming.

Alicia took the mic and said she's tired of the joke. She dropped the mic while handing it to Ryder. He bent over to pick it up, and she hit the Rocker Dropper on him. Kutcher clapped on the big screen and said, "Alicia Fox, ladies and gentlemen." He said that's why you don't mess with the "farmhand"...

Powell's POV: Weak segment with a lousy payoff that everyone saw coming the moment Alicia took the mic, if not sooner. Why are all of Kelso's segments pre-taped?

Backstage, Sheamus entered Edge's locker room and said he likes what he did to Orton. Edge acknowledged that they don't trust one another. He said that if they were smart, they could weaken Cena heading into the pay-per-view. Sheamus said that if Edge takes advantage at his expense, it will be the last mistake he ever makes...

Powell's POV: Cole questioned on commentary whether Cena will go it alone or pick a partner with Orton "down and out." We know Orton can hit the RKO, so maybe he just does a run-in late in the match. By the way, Dot Net reader Nathan Rice notes that Jerry Lawler mentioned the Uso brothers are the sons of Rikishi. The Usos didn't bring it up, but apparently Lawler did and I missed it.

[Q8] A "This Week in WWE History" feature focussed on Junkyard Dog... The announcers hyped that the cast of "The A-Team" will host the three-hour Raw next week...

Powell's POV: Quinton "Rampage" Jackson, who is one of the hosts of next week's show, was a huge JYD fan and still wears a chain around his neck before his fights just as JYD did.

The heels were introduced individually for the main event. John Cena made his entrance and had his serious and concerned face on. He stood on the stage and said he had some "unfortunate news." Cena said that due to the actions of Edge, Orton had injured his shoulder and was unable to compete.

Cena said he didn't have much time to pick a partner on short notice, but he was lucky because everyone in the back hates Edge and Sheamus. He said his partner is a human wrecking ball who defies the laws of gravity. He said his partner would love to kick Edge's teeth in after what he did to him earlier. Cena introduced Evan Bourne as his partner...

4. John Cena and Evan Bourne beat Edge and Sheamus in 9:40. Edge was dumped to ringside within the first couple minutes and the show cut to commercial. [C] The heels worked over Bourne, who did a nice job of teasing the crowd with near hot tags to Cena.

[Overrun] Bourne finally made the hot tag to Cena, who cleaned house on Sheamus. Eventually, Sheamus came back and then went for a big boot. Cena moved and Sheamus ran into the corner, where Bourne hit him with a kick. Cena hit the Attitutde Adjustment on Sheamus. Edge charged for the spear, but Cena avoided it. Cena tagged in Bourne, who hit Air Bourne and scored the pin on Sheamus...

An ad hyped the three-hour Raw and encouraged fans to check out the WWE website for details on the viewers' choice aspect of the show...

Powell's POV: A good, crowd pleasing match. The fans popped big for the hot tag, all of Cena's offense, and Bourne's finisher. It was nice to see Bourne get a big moment, but I have a bad feeling that he'll be the whipping for Sheamus and/or Edge next week. Overall, a strong show. It didn't do anything to fire me up for the pay-per-view, but it still a good stand alone show.

I'll have more to say about it in tonight's Dot Net Member exclusive audio, and on Tuesday in the WWE Raw Hitlist. You can access all Dot Net Audio and all the perks of membership via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

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