By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Aired on tape delay from San Antonio, Tex.

[Q1] The show opened with a video recap of last week's angle involving The Nexus and John Cena, which set up the seven-on-seven match for SummerSlam.... John Cena came to the ring for a promo. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler checked in on commentary as Cena made his way to the ring.

Cena noted that everyone from Vince McMahon to WWE Hall of Famers to Raw wrestlers have been attacked by Nexus. He said only they understand the reasons for their attacks, but last week the Raw wrestlers said enough was enough. Cena vowed that his team would beat Nexus at SummerSlam and prove they are not invincible.

Cena said the more power that Nexus gains, the bigger the threat is that they will take over Raw. Chris Jericho's music eventually interrupted Cena. Jericho came out wearing a suit and received "Y2J" chants from the live crowd. Jericho said he was standing backstage waiting for Cena to claim that the Raw team was his team.

Jericho said he didn't get involved in the feud to pander. He said he got involved with it because his protege Wade Barrett is leading Nexus. Jericho tried to lay claim to the Raw team that will compete at SummerSlam. Cena said he doesn't care whose team it is, he simply wants to beat Nexus.

Jericho told Cena not to patronize him "or denigrate me with your sarcasm." Jericho went off on Cena verbally until Cena slapped the mic out of his hand. Cena eventually put over Jericho as being essential to the team. Jericho smirked and then walked over and picked up his mic.

"First of all, don't ever knock this microphone out of my hand again," Jericho said. Funny. Jericho said Nexus isn't the only threat to the company. He said the other threat is named John Cena. Jericho warned Cena that once Nexus has been abolished at SummerSlam, he intends to turn his attention toward getting rid of the other threat known as Cena.

Jericho said he would either get help from the team or take out Cena by himself. "I'm standing right here," Cena said. "Take your best shot."

[Q2] The email chime sounded. Cena threw down the mic. Michael Cole stood up and read the email from the general manager, which said the SummerSlam seven-on-seven match will be an elimination match. Cole also announced Nexus vs. seven Raw wrestlers in another elimination match tonight.

The general manager booked Cena and Jericho in a tag match against opponents of his choosing. "And if you're not down with that, I've got two words for you..." Cole concluded. The fans did not complete the "Suck it" chant... [C]

Powell's POV: Good opening segment with Jericho establishing that he's still a heel and that there's still tension between him and Cena. Both men played it well. There was a decent reaction for the "two words" tease, but it's not like the building erupted with the expectation of seeing DX. By the way, the show is airing on tape delay tonight, and we have reports coming in, so you can check out the report and then shock your friends by "picking" the winner of every match. Hell, you can even pretend like you have a big scoop that they don't know about.

Highlights aired of R-Truth interrupting Miz's attempt to cash in his MITB contract...

1. Randy Orton pinned Jay Uso (w/Jimmy Uso, Tamina) in 2:35. Shemaus came out first and took a seat at ringside for the match. Orton glared at him early in the match. Orton dominated the match. Jimmy Uso stood up on the apron at one point, but Orton knocked him down with a punch and followed up with a DDT off the middle rope.

Orton struck the Viper's Pose, hit the RKO, and scored the clean pin. After the match, Jimmy attacked Orton from behind while he was glaring at Sheamus. Orton got the better of the exchange and avoided a kick attempt by Sheamus, who nailed Uso with the kick accidentally. Orton hit the RKO on Sheamus.

Miz's entrance music played and he ran to the ring with this MITB briefcase. Justin Roberts announced that Miz was cashing in his MITB contract. Orton reentered the ring and hit the RKO on The Miz. The bell never rang to start Miz's match, so he still has the MITB contract...

Powell's POV: Another good segment. I hope they don't make it a regular occurrence for the tag wrestlers to lose singles matches, but there's no shame in losing to Orton. I love the latest tease for Miz cashing in. WWE would be wise to spread those out, though, rather than tease it every week or the fans won't take it seriously. By the way, I'm not crazy about the elimination aspect of the SummerSlam match. That's a lot of eliminations in one match.

[Q3] Backstage, Edge grumbled to Ted DiBiase and Maryse about Great Khali being part of the Raw team at SummerSlam. Maryse said she couldn't understand Khali when he talks. Funny. DiBiase said he'll beat John Morrison tonight and prove that neither he nor Khali belong on the team.

Edge said he might be forced to take matters into his own hands otherwise. Edge walked away. A shot aired of Ranjin Singh doing god knows what with some dude behind some crates. Okay, so I think they were just talking. Anyway, Singh overheard Edge and ended his conversation, presumably so he could snitch to Khali... [C]

Powell's POV: WWE must have been getting all the same complaints about Khali being in the SummerSlam match that I was (and then some, of course). We'll see if they keep the team intact or make a switch. I don't think we can rule out the possibility of Nexus taking out one or more of the current team members.

After the break, Miz and Sheamus were jawing in the ring. The email chime sounded. Cole announced for the anonymous general manager that Miz and Sheamus will team to face Cena and Jericho later in the show...

A SummerSlam 1998 flashback featured Ultimate Warrior defeating Honky Tonk Man to capture the Intercontinental Title...

Backstage, Edge was on the telephone when Great Khali and Ranjin entered the room. Ranjin said he overheard what Edge told DiBiase and Maryse. Khali challenged Edge to a match. Edge said that if he wins, Khali is off the Raw team at SummerSlam... [C]

Powell's POV: Go, Edge, go! Honestly, I can live with Khali being part of the team simply because they can hide his weaknesses in a seven-on-seven match. That said, I sure as hell wouldn't complain if he were pulled from the team.

2. Edge fought Great Khali to a non-finish when Nexus came out. Khali's spot on the Raw team was on the line in this match per Edge's stipulation. The bell rang and Khali jumped out to the early advantage with a big slap to Khali's chest. Edge came back briefly.

[Q4] The Nexus came out minus entrance music. The screen went into glitch mode as Edge left the ring and apparently headed for the hills. Nexus surrounded the ring and eventually entered the form a circle around Khali. However, the backed away and allowed Khali to leave the ring without getting physical...

Powell's POV: Maybe the story will be that Nexus knows Khali sucks and wants him in the match. Yeah, I doubt it too, but that beats the hell out of the possibility that Ranjin Singh is the anonymous general manager. I don't think that's the case either. Fine, it was just a weird moment. The live crowd did rally behind Khali by chanting his name when it looked like there would be a confrontation between him and Nexus.

A shot aired of Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Yoshi Tatsu, The Hart Dynasty, Goldust, and Jerry Lawler. Cole said those seven men would face Nexus in the elimination match after the break... [C]

3. The Nexus defeated Evan Bourne, Mark Henry, Yoshi Tatsu, The Hart Dynasty, Goldust, and Jerry Lawler in an elimination match. Cole flew solo on commentary with Lawler working the match. The first elimination came when Tarver pinned Yoshi at 0:50.

Later, Lawler tagged in and threw three punches and a dropkick at Justin Gabriel. He followed up with the second rope fist-drop for a near fall. Gabriel went to ringside and Nexus huddled to regroup as the show went to break at 2:10. [C]

Highlights aired of Heath Slater pinning Jerry Lawler to eliminate him from the match. Slater also eliminated David Hart Smith.

[Q5] David Otunga eliminated Goldust to make it a seven-on-three match. Mark Henry entered the match and got a lot of offense in on various Nexus members before Skip Sheffield pinned him. A short time later, Darren Young pinned Tyson Kidd, leaving only Evan Bourne for the Raw team.

Wade Barrett checked in and went after Bourne. Evan avoided him and caught him with a high knee. Bourne took shots at several Nexus wrestlers as they were standing on the ring apron, but Young got a shot in from behind. Barrett hit his finisher on Bourne and scored the clean pin. Cole noted that it was a clean sweep for Nexus.

After the match, Nexus roughed up Evan Bourne in their usual style. Justin Gabriel finished him off with the 450 Splash. Barrett took the mic and boasted about the domination. He noted that the Raw team they will face is filled with egos and agendas.

Sheffield took his turn on the mic and said none of the Raw wrestlers are willing to sacrifice themselves for the betterment of the group like the Nexus wrestlers are. Tarver took the mic and said SummerSlam won't be any different than what happened tonight. He said he hopes that Cena is the final entrance remaining for his team so they can take their time taking him out...

Powell's POV: The Raw wrestlers looked so weak that I'm not sure this did much for Nexus. The match told the story that WWE wanted to, as Cole said they are united compared to the Raw crew that they will face at SummerSlam. The live crowd was really flat after the match and didn't seem to care about the attack on Bourne. Are the fans becoming numb to the way Nexus uses the same moves in every beatdown? After all, they did come back to life during the Barrett promo by chanting for Cena.

A shot aired of The Miz sitting backstage looking frustrated. Sheamus entered the room and said Miz is dreaming if he thinks he'll cash in his MITB contract successfully. Sheamus challenged him to name a time and place. Miz said they could do it after the tag match.

Miz said he could watch Cena and Jericho hit their finishers and then cash in. Sheamus told Miz that if he keeps pushing him, he'll regret it. Sheamus punched the briefcase out of Miz's hand and then stormed out of the room...

Powell's POV: That was one of the highlights of the show for me. Very good intensity from both men.

[Q6] [C] 4. Alicia Fox (w/Jillian Hall) pinned Brie Bella (w/Nikki Bella) in 1:00. Lawler rejoined Cole on commentary. Jillian got in some cheap offense on Brie. Fox hit her finisher and got the win. The announcers praised Fox for being smart enough to have Hall watch her back.

After the match, Jillian took the mic and congratulated Fox. She said the twins finally got what they deserved. Jillian said her gift to Fox was that she was going to sing. She started to sing "We Are the Champions." Fox kicked her and hit her finisher...

The announcers hyped Cena and Jericho vs. Sheamus and Miz for after the break... [C]

R-Truth's entrance was joined in progress. He joined the announcers on commentary for the following match...

5. Ted DiBiase (w/Maryse) defeated John Morrison in 2:25. Truth said he was there to support Morrison. Late in the match, Morrison was setting up for his finisher when Maryse distracted him by standing on the apron. Truth got up.

[Q7] DiBiase tried to win the match by using the ropes for leverage, but R-Truth pushed his feet off the ropes. Moments later, DiBiase tripped Morrison, who fell into Truth and knocked him down. DiBiase got the pin. Afterward, Morrison and R-Truth bickered in the ring. Truth tried to calm Morrison down, but Morrison pulled away...

A shot aired of a frustrated John Cena watching footage of Morrison and R-Truth continuing to discuss the situation on the entrance ramp... A commercial aired for the WrestleMania 26 special that will air on NBC on Aug. 7... [C]

Powell's POV: Obviously, the story of the night is that the Raw team is not on the same page, while Nexus is united. The post-match bickering between Truth and Morrison was merely the continuation of that saga.

A video recapped the John Cena and Nexus saga from last week (yes, again)...

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Randy Orton, who said he doesn't care whether Sheamus or Miz enters SummerSlam as WWE Champion. He said whomever it is has an RKO in their future...

The Miz came out for the main event... [C]

[Q8] Sheamus made his entrance and jawed with Miz. Chris Jericho came out first, and finally Cena made his entrance...

6. Sheamus and The Miz defeated John Cena and Chris Jericho in 13:20. The fans chanted "Y2J" again during the match. Jericho cleared Sheamus to ringside. Miz went to the floor and yelled at Sheamus as the show went to break. [C]

[Overrun] Late in the match, Jericho made a hot tag to Cena, who got his signature offense in on Sheamus. After he hit the Five Knuckle Shuffle, Jericho entered the ring and hit the Codebreaker on Cena. The Miz tagged in and pinned Cena to win the match for his team.

After the match, Jericho entered the ring and put Cena in the Walls of Jericho. Cena fought out of the hold and put Jericho in the STF. Jericho tapped out immediately. Khali entered the ring and pulled Cena off Jericho. Khali told Cena "no fighting." Edge came out and speared Khali.

R-Truth and John Morrison came out, but they ended up arguing. The various Raw wrestlers shoved each other. Khali chopped Morrison. Cena yelled for all of them to stop. They continued to bicker as the show went off the air... [C]

Powell's POV: This show was all about showing that Team Raw is not united heading into their SummerSlam showdown with Nexus, who got their clean sweep win over the stars of WWE Superstars. The story was effective, yet very predictable by the time the final match rolled around. I'll have much more to say about this show on Tuesday in audio and in the WWE Raw Hitlist. Stick around tonight for our live coverage of the taping for next week's Raw, which is taking place right now in San Antonio.

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