By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Nashville, Tenn.

[Q1] The show opened with a shot of the seven members of The Nexus standing in the ring. Yes, Wade Barrett is back already. Michael Cole said the Nexus members were waiting for the anonymous general manager to rule on their fate.

Barrett, who was standing the middle, said he told the anonymous general manager that they can't reveal what they did to Mr. McMahon, but it needed to happen. "It's all part of a bigger picture, a much bigger picture," Barrett said. He added that Vince McMahon thought he controlled them, but that is not the case.

Barrett said Mr. McMahon has no idea what their agenda really is. He turned things over to Skip Sheffield, who said they attacked Ricky Steamboat and the other legends for fun. "We found a loophole in the G.M.'s ruling and we exploited it," Sheffield said. He accused the people of loving every second of it.

Sheffield said more people are interested in Steamboat's DVD now than they were before the Nexus attacked him. He said Steamboat should be thanking them. Suddenly, the email chimed twice and the lights flickered both times.

Michael Cole stood at the anonymous general manager podium. Cole read the punishment that was sent by the new GM. They are not allowed to challenge for titles until further notice. The GM also lifted the ban on the Raw and NXT wrestlers having physical contact.

John Cena's music played and he walked onto the stage. Cena said the seven Nexus wrestlers have done a lot since they've arrived in WWE, but they've yet to have a fair fight. He called for a seven-on-seven fight. Randy Orton, R-Truth, Evan Bourne, The Hart Dynasty, and John Morrison walked and followed Cena to the ring.

Before Cena's clan could get to the ring, they were jumped from behind by Sheamus, Edge, Chris Jericho, the Uso Brothers, The Miz, and Ted DiBiase. Cena's crew cleared the Raw heels from the ring. Cena got pissed and said they had the Nexus wrestlers, who had fled by this point.

Sheamus said he doesn't know what the Nexus agenda is, but he said he and the other heels support the agenda if it means taking out Cena and Bret Hart. Sheamus recalled Cena asked him to join him in the fight. He said he and the other wrestlers on the stage with him decline.

Orton took the mic and said he and Sheamus are not friends and probably never will be "unless we have to." Orton asked if he remembered when the Nexus attacked them at the pay-per-view. Orton suggested the seven Raw heels and seven Raw babyfaces face each other on the spot.

The email sounded and the lights flickered again. Cole stood up and said the new general manager wouldn't let them face off. He said Money in the Bank ladder match participants will face off in a series of matches. He also said Cena and Barrett will meet in the ring to shake hands and call a truce.

Cena looked at the camera and said that instead of shaking hands, he could make a fist and knock Barrett's teeth out. The GM said through Cole that he needs Cena to be the bigger man and trusts that he'll do the right thing. Cole said Cena failing to do so would lead to appropriate consequences. The GM concluded with, "And that's the bottom line because the GM said so"... [C]

Powell's POV: Strong opening segment with a nice tease for Steve Austin that I don't expect them to deliver on. I guess it's possible, but I see it as a nice red herring for the identity of the general manager.

[Q2] 1. Ted DiBaise defeated John Morrison in 3:25. DiBiase was accompanied to the ring by Maryse, who sat in on commentary for the match. Maryse took a phone call during the match and defended herself against Cole's criticism that she's a gold digger. Maryse stood up and put Morrison's coat on.

Morrison was distracted by Maryse and took a thumb to the eye. Moments later, DiBiase hit Dream Street on Morrison and scored the pin. Cole quickly stated that Maryse is quickly paying dividends for DiBiase. Lawler referred to them as a new power couple...

Powell's POV: It's nice to see DiBiase get a win. Every time I get excited about Ted getting a win, he loses the next week. That said, it looks like they are serous about the DiBiase and Maryse pairing. I know I can't be the only person who felt Morrison looked like a tool for being more concerned about his fur coat than the match.

Backstage, Santino Marella followed Vladimir Kozlov and said Italy and the Russians were back together again. He said it was like World War 2. "Except this time, no Nazis," Santino said. Kozlov said that if they lose their match, he would pound his fist into Santino's face...

Cole introduced a brief video that questioned whether Cena and Barrett would call a truce... [C] A video recapped Santino and Kozlov becoming a team last week... Santino and Kozlov came to the ring. William Regal came out and said he used his power of persuasion to get a monster...

[Q3] 2. Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov over William Regal and The Great Khali (w/Ranjin Singh) in 1:40. Santino was all comedy and went for the Cobra thing before Regal cut him off. Kozlov tagged in and scored a quick pin on Regal.

After the match, Khali, who was never tagged in, had Kozlov and Marella pick up Regal. Khali chopped him. Khali and Ranjin danced with Santino while Kozlov stood there and shook his head...

The announcers hyped The Cutting Edge with special guests Chris Jericho and Evan Bourne... [C]

Powell's POV: Cole said during the match that Ranjin was trying to make Khali be more aggressive via his comments last week. It looked like they are either delaying the turn or it's been called off, as Ranjin was his usual dancing and annoying self. Then again, a heel Ranjin might explain why Khali teamed with Regal.

At ringside, Jerry Lawler recalled The Nexus saying they took out Ricky Steamboat and the legends for fun. He said that makes them a bunch of punks. A highlight package recapped The Nexus attack on the legends...

Powell's POV: Nice mic work by Lawler. In a strange way, the fact that they are showing the footage of The Nexus attacking Steamboat is probably a good sign. After all, would WWE really show this footage if they didn't know whether Steamboat was on the road to recovery?

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Arn Anderson, who acted like he was fighting back tears after watching the video. Anderson said Steamboat is "bad." He said Steamboat is 57 years-old. Sheamus approached him from behind. Anderson told Matthews he might want to leave.

Sheamus said Anderson used to be The Enforcer, but now he's just a pathetic old man. Anderson said he used to be a lot of things, but he was never blind or stupid. "Don't you understand what's happening to your company?" Anderson asked. "Don't you know what hostile takeover means? Don't you know that even though you're the champion, you're not safe?"

Anderson told Sheamus and his group should put their egos aside or the company will go up in smoke. Sheamus said he doesn't have any weaknesses. Sheamus said Nexus is smarter than the Four Horsemen ever were because they know not to interfere in his business. "Keep thinking that," Anderson responded. He once again advised him to get on the same page with the other WWE wrestlers...

Powell's POV: I love the way they're using Lawler and Anderson to put over the threat of The Nexus. It was awkward to hear Anderson talk about Steamboat being in bad shape given the seriousness of his legitimate medical situation.

The announcers hyped The Miz vs. R-Truth for after the break...

[Q4] [C] A WWE history video recapped the Lex Express campaign and Luger slamming Yokozuna on July 4, 1993...

The Miz vs. R-Truth never got started. Truth's entrance was joined in progress. Miz went for take two with his version of the song while Truth smiled at the corniness. Miz concluded with, "I beat you last time, I was playing possum, because I'm The Miz, and I'm..." Miz hit Truth with the mic.

Miz took Truth to ringside and continued the attack while targeting his arm. Miz wrenched Truth's arm. Eventually, the trainers had to come out and tend to R-Truth at ringside. Miz took the mic and asked whether it hurt. "Good, that's exactly what I wanted it to do," Miz said. He said that will happen to everyone who steps in the ring with him. "I'm going to make it hurt," Miz said... [C]

Powell's POV: Miz was channelling Jericho with his calm demeanor and slow delivery on the mic. No complaints. If you're going to emulate someone's promo style, I'd say Jericho is a pretty good choice.

An NXT commercial questioned who is next to go home... Cole and Lawler narrated highlights of The Miz attacking R-Truth...

Powell's POV: By the way, was the injury angle done to write R-Truth off television due to a legit injury or just to take away one of Cena's sidekicks in the battle against The Nexus and/or the Raw heels?

Edge's entrance music played and he came to the ring for The Cutting Edge segment.

[Q5] Edge called for a moment of silence for R-Truth. "He only knew one song, but he did it oh so well," Edge said. Hilarious. Edge recalled the Nexus wrestlers attacking him and Orton. He questioned whether he should let it slide. He said he could use seven allies who could help him win Money in the Bank.

Edge said the person who wins MITB always goes on to become champion. "Trust me, I know all about it because I've done on to do that twice," he said. Jericho introduced Evan Bourne as his first guest, but Chris Jericho's music played instead and he headed to the ring in his wrestling gear.

Once in the ring, Jericho said he doesn't take a backseat to Bourne or Edge. Jericho said Edge was pandering to Nexus in hopes that they wouldn't attack him again. Jericho pointed out that he was Wade Barrett's mentor on NXT, and said he'd like to think he's the cause of all the Nexus chaos because of the advice he gave Barrett.

Edge questioned why Nexus would listen to "a guy who barely beat Evan Bourne two weeks ago?" Jericho pointed out that the same guy beat Edge at WrestleMania. Edge claimed his mind was elsewhere. Edge said he owns the MITB match, and added that he might cash it in that night against the champion when he's vulnerable following a cage match.

Jericho accused Edge of idolizing him ever since he came to WWE. He said he had long hair, championships, and his own talk show. He said Edge had to have the same things. Jericho said he's the most valuable performer in the company and he can't be replaced. Jericho vowed to win MITB, become champion, and make sure that Edge never gets another shot.

Edge took a shot at Jericho and beat him down in the corner. Jericho came back and applied the Walls of Jericho, but Evan Bourne ran out and attacked him. Edge and Jericho went after Bourne, who used his quickness to elude them before heading to ringside.

The email chimed and the lights flickered. Cole stood up and said the GM was telling the fans that if they want to see some action, they should give him a hell yeah. The GM booked Edge and Jericho vs. Bourne and Randy Orton. Orton's music played and he headed to the ring. The heels headed to ringside... [C]

Powell's POV: A really strong verbal segment between two great heel talkers. I'm actually more excited about seeing them have an encounter during the MITB match than I was about their actual babyface Edge vs. heel Jericho feud. The Austin teases are getting a decent reaction from the crowd, but it's pretty obvious that there are plenty of skeptics in attendance.

3. Randy Orton and Evan Bourne defeated Chris Jericho and Edge in 15:40. Bourne made an early tag to Orton, who got the better of the heels before tagging out again.

[Q6] Bourne dove onto Jericho at ringside while Cole snuck in a nice plug for the MITB match by pondering what it will be like to see Bourne fly around the ring with all those ladders. Jericho clotheslined Bourne and the show headed to break. [C]

Powell's POV: Wow, they went to a commercial during a match without someone lying at ringside. Cole noted that Jericho and Edge were working well together despite the friction during the Cutting Edge segment.

The heels worked over Orton until Jericho missed a Lionsault at 13:50. Jericho tagged in Edge, while Orton tagged in Bourne. Evan performed some of his signature moves on Edge, but ended up leaping off the ropes into a big boot. Edge crawled to the corner where Jericho was suddenly mouthy.

Jericho tagged himself in and took a move from Bourne. Edge recovered and speared Jericho. Edge headed backstage. Bourne went up top and hit the Shooting Star Press for the clean pin to win the match for his team. After the match, Bourne celebrated with Orton, who finally nailed him with an RKO...

Powell's POV: Good match. It was nice to see a long match on what had been a talk-heavy show. I would have complained about Orton taking a backseat in the match, but he certainly shined at the end with the RKO on his partner. Good hype for the MITB match, as they're clearly establishing that it will be every man for himself in the Raw version of the match.

[Q7] A video recapped The Nexus roughing up John Cena, and then Cole previewed Cena and Barrett in the handshake segment for later in the show... [C]

A shot aired of Randy Orton walking backstage where he spotted David Otunga, Heath Slater, and Michael Tarver. Otunga tried to explain why they interrupted the Fatal Four Way match. Orton said that was his chance to win the WWE Championship. Tarver said they were trying to make a statement that night, and are trying to apologize tonight.

Otunga insinuated that they could either help Orton win MITB or make sure he never cashes in successfully if he wants to engage in a "holy war" with them. He told him to think about that the next time Cena tries to recruit him. "Okay," Orton said. "I heard what you had to say. Now get out of my face"...

The announcers stated that R-Truth will not be able to compete in the Raw version of the MITB match, so there's now an opening. They ran through the rest of the advertised matches...

Powell's POV: Interesting development with R-Truth. Is he legitimately injured, out for 30 days, or being written out for some other reason.

Backstage, Josh Matthews announced that the anonymous general manager has announced that The Hart Dynasty will defend the Unified Tag Titles against The Uso brothers at MITB.

Matthews called for The Uso Brothers to come onto the interview set with Tamina. Jimmy beat his brother $1,000 that Josh didn't know which one of them was Jimmy and which was Jay. Jimmy won the bet.

After the Uso Brothers left, Alicia Fox tapped Josh on the shoulder and pointed out that she hasn't been interviewed since she won the Divas Championship. She said it wasn't a fluke that she went home with the title at the Fatal Four Way pay-per-view. She said she'd prove it in her match against Eve... [C]

Powell's POV: The Harts vs. The Usos won't sell many pay-per-views, but it's a solid addition to the show. I'm looking forward to seeing how the teams perform together on the bigger stage.

[Q8] A Summer Slam recall segment featured footage of Davey Boy Smith beating Bret Hart in their classic match at Wembley Stadium...

Alicia Fox came to the ring and the announcers narrated footage of her winning the Divas Championship at the Fatal Four Way pay-per-view. As Eve came out, Cole noted that she had invoked her rematch clause for this match...

4. Alicia Fox pinned Eve Torres to retain the WWE Divas Championship in 1:25. Alicia feigned an ankle injury early on, but then attacked Eve when she ran at her. Fox hit her finisher on Eve and got the pin...

Another video showed The Nexus beating up John Cena, and teased the Cena and Barrett confrontation for after the break... [C]

Cole said he was informed by the anonymous general manager that Randy Orton will face Edge on next week's Raw...

Wade Barrett came to the ring and recalled the anonymous general manager requesting that he and John Cena shake hands and call a truce. He said he wouldn't sugarcoat what Nexus has done to Cena, but he said everything they've done has a purpose. He said it's just unfortunate that Cena was caught in the middle of it. He invited Cena to come out and shake his hand.

John Cena's music played. He walked onto the stage and looked around the stage set to make sure he wasn't about to be jumped. Barrett said they've caused Cena a lot of harm and coast him his WWE Championship. However, he said Cena is not in The Nexus's future plans.

Barrett said The Nexus seven will be around for a long time. He said they could make Cena's life very easy or very hard. "The choice is yours," Barrett concluded. Cena questioned whether everything would stop if they just shook hands. Cena said he knows the general manager wants the truce, but he wants to make sure Barrett wants it.

[Overrun] Cena said he wanted Barrett's word that if he shook his hand it would all stop. Cena stuck out his hand and Barrett went to shake it, only to have Cena pull it back. "Why stop when we're having so much fun," Cena said in an over the top way with a big smile on his face.

Cena said Barrett could take his short term, long term, and all other plans and shove them up his Nexus. Cena said he's going to take down every member of Nexus. "Whether I have help, whether I do it myself, I get to every single one of you," Cena said. "That is the future and you've got my word on it."

As Cena was leaving the ring, Barrett stopped him by saying that everything they've done to Cena so far could be worse if they wanted to. "Shake my hand, or I promise you, you are going to face some very, very severe consequences," Barrett said before sticking his hand out.

Cena approached him and shook his hand. When Barrett tried to walk away, Cena pulled him in and went for the Attitude Adjustment. The rest of Nexus hit the ring and attacked Cena. Evan Bourne ran out and was quickly outnumbered. John Morrison followed and was quickly outnumbered.

Mark Henry's music played and he was followed to the ring by the heroes of WWE Superstars, er, Santino, Goldust, Kozlov, Khali, Yoshi Tatsu, and the Hart Dynasty. The Raw babyfaces all cleared Nexus from the ring. Young was left behind with Cena.

The lights flickered as the email chimes sounded. Cole stood up and read the latest email from the anonymous general manager, who said he wanted peace. He added that if it didn't stop now, there would be consequences. Cena applied the STF on Darren Young in the middle of the ring.

The chime sounded again. Cole announced that because of Cena's actions, the general manager has ruled that Cena will face all seven members of Nexus in a handicap match next week. Cena wasn't happy and he took it out on Young by roughing him up in the ring.

Cena paced around the ring and then stopped Young from escaping. Cena threw Young through the ropes and into the ringpost. Young tumbled to the floor while Cena seethed in the ring. Cena headed to ringside and took the ring steps apart. He picked up the top piece and threw it at the standing Young, who then fell to the ground.

Cena picked up Young again and threw him over the announcers table. Cole and Lawler got out of the way. Cena dumped the announcers table on top of Young and then headed back to the ring to pose for the fans to close the show. Cena held up his fingers and said, "Six-on-one" to signify that he'd put Young out of action...

Powell's POV: It looked like some of the wires from the announcers' table inadvertently ended up around Young's neck, so let the jokes begin about Cena being fired next. Cena's happy-go-lucky blowoff to Barrett had me worried initially, but he showed great intensity and emotion at the end.

After all the talk of how Cena defies the odds, it's nice too see him involved in a storyline where he is outnumbered. Overall, a quality show that furthered the entertaining Nexus storyline. It was great to see Wade Barrett back despite a lot of online rumors that his visa issues would sideline him much longer. He's the key player of the group. I'll back back on Tuesday with an all access review of Raw, while Dot Net Members can look forward to Rich Twilling's member exclusive audio review later tonight.

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