8/16 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: WWE SummerSlam fallout involving John Cena and The Nexus, actor Justin Long and other "Going the Distance" cast members host the show


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WWE TV Reports


8/16 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: WWE SummerSlam fallout involving John Cena and The Nexus, actor Justin Long and other "Going the Distance" cast members host the show
Aug 16, 2010 - 08:00 PM


By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Los Angeles, Calif.


[Q1] The show probably opened with a video, but I was a minute late.. The usual pyro display went off on the stage as Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler introduced the show from ringside...

The Nexus walked to the ring for a promo. "They say that what doesn't kill us will only make us stronger," Wade Barrett said. He said Team WWE "narrowly escaped" with a victory at SummerSlam. He boasted that they defeated six of the best that WWE has to offer. "Rumors of our demise have been greatly exaggerated because we are still here and we are still united," he said.

Barrett said everyone talked about what would happen if they won at SummerSlam, but no one asked what would happen if they tasted defeat. He said the consequences would be great. He said there will be more pain and destruction for anyone who gets in their way. "Last night, that was just a temporary aberration."

John Cena's entrance music interrupted Barrett's promo. Cena walked onto the stage wearing his new purple and gold t-shirt. Cena was all smiles. Cena said he's impressed. He said Barrett it talking a big game and he has to because he's the leader of Nexus. Cena called out Barrett for tapping out, which led to some "You tapped out" chants.

Cena said Barrett is responsible for Nexus losing at the pay-per-view. He said Barrett's previous comments were lies. He said The Nexus are the real expendables. He said Barrett is crying in his fish and chips and asking himself why he got rid of Daniel Bryan. Cena said that Bryan eliminated half of Nexus on his own.

Cena said one thing was made clear at SummerSlam and that's that Nexus can be beat. He said we've been looking at Nexus as a group, but now it's time to look at them as individuals. Cena said David Otunga is a below average male escort who clings to someone's arm on the red carpet.

Cena mocked Tarver for being a bank robber who works as a male stripper. He said Heath Slater looks like the chick from Wendy's. A graphic showed Slater's face on the Wendy's logo. The fans chanted "Wendy's." Cena cracked, "This must be Monday Night Raw, we just go a Wendy's chant."

Regarding Darren Young, Cena said his own mother apparently wasn't lying when she told him she had an affair with Buckwheat. Cena said Justin Gabriel has an alternative way of thinking. He said it looked like that one went over Skip Sheffield's head. He pretended to read Sheffield's mind and said, "Meow, meow, meow," repeatedly.

Cena said Staples Center will now forever be known as the place where Nexus was history. The crowd cheered. Young tried to interrupt, but Cena once again called him a byproduct of his mother's celebrity crush. Cena pointed out that Young tapped out too and was even eliminated in less than a minute. He said Young should be called the weakest link.

The Nexus members started to talk amongst themselves when the email chime went off. Michael Cole stood up at the podium and announced that while Nexus claims they are stronger than ever, they will be put to the test. SummerSlam continues tonight via Nexus members facing Team WWE in a series of individual matches. Interference by Nexus members will be met with appropriate punishment.

Barrett said that's not punishment. He said it's an opportunity for redemption and a chance to examine Nexus. The fans chanted "you tapped out" again. Barrett said it's a chance to determine whether there are weak links in Nexus. He said if any of the wrestlers lose, they will be exiled.

David Otunga took the mic and said the stipulation also applies to Barrett. He said if Barrett loses his match, any one of them will be happy to take over. The email chime sounded again. Cole announced that most of the Nexus members would be able to pick their opponents, but Barrett must face his NXT mentor Chris Jericho.

Powell's POV: A good opening that set the stage with an intriguing hook for the remainder of the show. Happy go lucky Cena usually annoys me, but it was appropriate here because he got the big win last night. His Buckwheat line was fun, but I could have done without the alternative taunt. Overall, though, the segment grabbed my attention for the remainder of the night. By the way, Rich Twilling had to take the night off, but he will return with his Raw thoughts in audio form on Tuesday.

[Q2] [C] 1. Wade Barrett defeated Chris Jericho in 5:25. After some back and forth action, Jericho bulldogged Barrett and then went for his followup move, but Barrett countered and went for his finisher. Jericho slipped out and applied the Walls of Jericho, but Barrett reached the ropes.

A short time later, went for the Codebreaker, but Barrett caught him and hit his finisher for the clean pin. A shot aired of the rest of Nexus watching the match on a backstage monitor. Cole noted that Barrett remains the leader of Nexus...

Powell's POV: An entertaining match with some good counters. The fans are having fun rooting for Jericho while they can.

A graphic showed the remaining Team WWE and Nexus members. Cole stressed that any member of Nexus who loses will be exiled... [C]

Powell's POV: Bret Hart was shown in the graphic, which is logical because he was part of Team Raw. Once again, we're left to wonder how they can work around his limitations.

[Q3] Justin Roberts introduced guest hosts Justin Long, Charlie Day, and that other dude. They joked about the Lakers and the Heat, then introduced The Hart Dynasty. The email chime sounded. Cole stood up and announced that the Unified Tag Titles are now known as the WWE Tag Team Championship. Cole introduced Bret Hart to present the new tag title belts.

Bret Hart walked out with the new tag title belts on his shoulders. The belts have a strange bronze tint to them. The Nexus interrupted on the big screen. Barrett announced that Hart will face Justin Gabriel tonight. Gabriel said Bret has experienced a lot of things, and his next experience will be the 450 splash... [C]

Powell's POV: Note to Dot Net Members. Chris Shore is hanging out in the Dot Net Members Forum right now discussing tonight's show in the Raw thread. As always, non-members can sign up for as little as $5.50 per month via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

Cole and Lawler narrated as Vince McMahon's star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame was shown. Cole said maybe he'll have his own someday. Lawler assumed Cole was kidding...

Powell's POV: Cole could have a star whenever he wants it. If memory serves, a number of the celebrities actually pay money to have their star on the Walk of Fame.

2. Michael Tarver defeated Daniel Bryan in 2:10. Cole was all over Bryan again this week. Lawler pointed out that Bryan wrestled in front of 50,000 fans in Japan. "Big deal," Cole responded. He asked whether Bryan has ever main evented WrestleMania or even Raw. Cole also ripped him for not eating meat or owning a television.

Meanwhile, Bryan dominating the match inside the ring and hit a missile dropkick when The Miz and Alex Riley ran to ringside. With Bryan distracted, Tarver rolled him up for the pin. Afterward, Bryan dove onto the heels at ringside. However, he lost the numbers game. Miz ran Bryan into the guardrail and then hit the Skull Crushing Finale on the Money in the Bank briefcase...

A graphic teased Bret Hart vs. Justin Gabriel for after the break...

Powell's POV: They kept the match short and sweet because Tarver is very green. Bryan didn't get a huge reaction when he came out. In fact, it was fairly quiet. Cole's pro-Miz and anti-Bryan commentary cracks me up, but it was distracting. Maybe that was intentional with Tarver in the ring.

[Q4] [C] The announcers narrated highlights of the post-match angle involving Miz and Daniel Bryan...

Backstage, stalker Josh Matthews jumped out of nowhere and asked Miz to explain his actions. Miz said the WWE Universe heckled him from the moment he became Bryan's NXT pro. Miz also took offense to Bryan being bumped from Team WWE by Bryan.

Miz said that if people are looking for the next breakout star, they should look no further than Alex Riley. Riley said he is the next NXT winner and he owes it all to his trainer The Miz...

Inside the Nexus locker room, Young told the others that he wants John Cena. He said Cena took him out last month, and now he wants to return the favor. Otunga said he respects him for stepping up while knowing the consequences...

Justin Gabriel made his entrance. Cole said his match against Bret Hart was coming up next... [C]

Powell's POV: Wait, didn't they tell us that match was coming up after the last round of commercials?

Gabriel was still standing in the ring after the break. The email chime sounded. Cole stood up and apologized to Gabriel on behalf of the anonymous general manager. The GM said he doesn't like Bret Hart and he's never liked Bret Hart. He said Bret will never compete on Raw again. The GM said he made a last minute substitution. Randy Orton's music played and he walked out with a big smirk on his face while Gabriel shook his head in frustration...

Powell's POV: If you're going to swerve people, maybe you don't pimp the match as the hook coming out of two commercial breaks. Of course, the majority of the live crowd didn't seem to mind that Orton was wrestling instead of Bret, but it still looks bad for WWE to tease that match as much as they did and not deliver.

[Q5] 3. Justin Gabriel defeated Randy Orton by DQ in 2:50. Orton toyed with Gabriel for first minute by smiling at him. Gabriel went for a kick, but Orton caught his leg. Orton's face went from smile to serious and then he went on the offensive. Orton was dominating the match when Sheamus came out.

Orton rolled outside the ring and fought with Sheamus. They brawled into the crowd and Orton was counted out. Orton got the better of Sheamus and then glared at Gabriel while he was named the winner. Orton returned to the ring and hit the RKO on Gabriel.

Orton went back to ringside and grabbed a chair. Orton slammed to chair over Sheamus's back repeatedly and then let out a primal scream for a big pop from the crowd. "I have never, never seen Randy Orton in this state of mind," Cole said. The live crowd chanted "Randy" while referees tried to talk Orton into heading backstage.

Orton was walking away when his facial expression changed. Orton ran back over to Sheamus, who was just standing up, and hit the RKO on the floor in front of the announcers' table... [C]

Powell's POV: The match finish was pretty weak if you're expecting Nexus to get their heat back tonight, but Orton was great here. He laid in those chairshots to the back and the crowd ate up everything he did. A strong segment for Orton that should whet the appetites of the masses for an Orton vs. Sheamus rematch at Night of Champions, although nothing has been announced yet.

The announcers narrated highlights of Orton beating the hell out of Sheamus...

4. David Otunga and Skip Sheffield defeated John Morrison and R-Truth in 3:00. Truth performed his usual rap. Cole said he gets it already and knows what's up. Funny. Looks like Cole is heeling it up even when Daniel Bryan isn't involved. Lawler asked Cole if his milk was warm or something. The rest of Nexus was shown watching on a backstage monitor.

[Q6] Cole touted the WWE overseas tour and their first trip to China. Good energy early from Morrison and Truth. Sheffield made a blind tag and and then roughed up both babyfaces. Sheffield hit his running clothesline on Morrison and scored the clean pin. Cole noted that Heath Slater is getting ready for a match against Edge...

Powell's POV: Okay, so Sheffield got a clean pin. He and Barrett have been made to look strong so far, while the other three who worked matches were made to look bush league. Poor John Morrison. One step forward, two steps back creatively.

A shot aired of Melina, Eve, and Gail Kim walking backstage. The announcers said a Divas match was up next...

A video recapped Melina winning the Divas Championship at SummerSlam and being attacked by LayCool afterward. Cole noted that LayCool is still in Los Angeles for fashion magazine photo shoot...

Powell's POV: Did Undertaker buy a fashion magazine while he was laid up?

5. Alicia Fox, Maryse, and Jillian Hall defeated Melina, Gail Kim, and Eve Torres in 2:50 Before the match, actor Jon Lovitz was shown in the crowd. Late in the match, Melina and Fox fought to ringside. Gail and Maryse did the same. Eve was setting up for a move on the ropes, but Jillian pulled her down and pinned her.

Jillian celebrated in an over the top manner afterward. Cole said he doesn't think she's won since Boogieman bit the mole off her face. Maryse and Alicia bickered as they left the ring...

Backstage, Josh Matthews was interviewing Edge when Heath Slater walked into the picture. Edge told Matthews to hit the bricks. Slater said he's modeled himself after Edge. He politely suggested that Edge just not show up for the match. Edge called him Wendy-haired and started to walk away. Slater took a cheap shot, and the camera showed Edge making a mean face...

[Q7] [C] A shot aired of actor Joe Mangnielo from "True Blood" sitting in the crowd...

6. Heath Slater defeated Edge by countout in 4:30. Slater actually dominated a good stretch of the match, but he couldn't put Jericho away. Solid action. They fought to ringside and Edge caught Slater with a boot to the head.

Edge set up for a spear on the floor, but Slater rolled back inside the ring to avoid the spear, and Edge was counted out. The live crowd booed the finish. After the match, Edge speared Slater inside the ring...

The announcers hyped John Cena vs. Darren Young... An ad aired for the double elimination edition of WWE NXT... [C]

Powell's POV: The live crowd is tired of the cheap finishes and I don't blame them. Our count is now up to two Nexus wrestlers who truly got some heat back, three who looked bush league, and now one in Slater who was made to look solid in the ring before winning in bush league fashion.

Backstage, Justin Long waited a second and then got his cue. He said he learned that Khali has a girlfriend now, so that's why he doesn't do the Kiss Cam. Ranjin Singh is back (boo!) and he handed a photo of the girlfriend to Long, who said she's very interesting looking. Charlie and the other guy showed up and expressed shock over the photo.

After Khali scared off Charlie and the other dude, Khali told Long that the woman is "quite ugly." He called for girls to join him. The celebrity whore Bella Twins showed up and hung all over Khali...

[Q8] The announcers set up a video that recapped WWE's week in Los Angeles leading up to SummerSlam...

Backstage, John Cena walked by some guy who was wearing his new t-shirt. Cena nudged the guy and gave him a nod. The guy looked up and then looked right back down and went back to sending text images of his wiener or whatever it was he was doing. No, it was not Brett Favre, although he was wearing purple and gold... [C]

Powell's POV: I guess we know why WWE never bothered to tease any matches for tonight's show. Something tells me that announcing Cena vs. Young as the main event would not have been good for the ratings.

7. John Cena defeated Darren Young in 8:00. The other Nexus members walked out and stood on the stage. Cole reminded viewers that they will face consequences if they interfere per the general manager's announcement earlier. They had some pretty dull action in the opening minutes, but the Cena cheering kids in the crowd didn't seem to mind.

[Overrun] Cena recapped the previous Raw vs. Nexus matches for viewers tuning in at the top of the hour. Cena was down at ringside and was motionless when the ref's count reached nine, but he jumped up and slid back inside the ring before the 10-count. In the end, Cena applied the STF and got the win via tap out.

Afterward, the rest of the Nexus wrestlers surrounded the ring, but they left one side open. Cena slowly crawled out the open side and backed away from the ring. Nexus entered the ring and surrounded Young, who apologized to Barrett. Otunga struck Young from behind and the rest of the group threw punches at him.

Sheffield hit his running clothesline on CenaWheat (sounds better than BuckCena). Barrett hit his finisher on CenaWheat. They moved CenaWheat into the corner and Justin Gabriel hit his 450 splash on his former ally. The heel on heel violence had slightly more heat than a bad WWE Superstars match. The remaining Nexus members raised their hands and mugged for the crowd to close the show...

Powell's POV: It appears Nexus is down to six men. Who cares? I get the idea that more people see Raw than a pay-per-view, but it's not like WWE made Nexus look dominant in any way tonight. Sure, Barrett beat Jericho, and Sheffield scored a clean pin on Morrison. I wouldn't say either man looked entirely dominant, nor did the other members of Nexus gain anything tonight with their flukey wins. If anything, I felt like Nexus looked weak and this was a lousy show. I'll have more to say about it in Dot Net Member exclusive audio later tonight.

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