9/6 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: The build to Night of Champions continues on the Labor Day edition of Raw


prowrestling.net
MEMBERSHIP INFO | LOG-IN | CONTACT US | SUBMIT NEWS | ABOUT US
Insider News • Live TV & PPV Coverage • Hitlists • Results • Blogs

HOME | WWE NEWS | TNA NEWS | MMA NEWS | ALL NEWS | TV & PPV | ARENA REPORTS | VIEWPOINTS | PRODUCT REVIEWS | AWARDS



Dot Net App
GOT AN IPHONE, IPAD, IPOD TOUCH, SAMSUNG GALAXY TAB, OR ANDROID PHONE?

THEN BE SURE TO DOWNLOAD OUR NEW FREE APP
(or SEARCH "pro wrestling" in App Store or Android Marketplace)

Dot Net Podcast
CLICK HERE TO SUBSCRIBE TO DOT NET FREE PODCAST IN ITUNES OR CLICK HERE FOR LISTING OF LATEST SHOWS

WWE TV Reports


9/6 Powell's WWE Raw Live Coverage: The build to Night of Champions continues on the Labor Day edition of Raw
Sep 6, 2010 - 10:00 PM


By Jason Powell

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Taped in Washington, D.C.


[Q1] Michael Cole welcomed viewers to the Labor Day Raw and noted that Nexus were already in the ring. Wade Barrett said it was fitting that Raw as taking place in D.C. because it's been the site of so many speeches. He recalled saying Nexus would do something big on the 900th episode. He said that's exactly what they did by attacking Undertaker.

Footage was shown from last week's Raw of Nexus attacking Taker. David Otunga said that footage should put to rest any concerns regarding Nexus. He said they are the new phenomenon in WWE. He said they lost a member due to injury, yet still had the best night of their lives.

Michael Tarver took his turn on the mic and questioned whether anyone has done what they did to Taker. He said if anyone had, they'd probably sit back and savor it the rest of their lives. He said Nexus doesn't operate that way. He recalled winning the five-on-five elimination match against Team WWE. Tarver claimed Edge and Chris Jericho are so afraid of Nexus that they left.

Heath Slater took the mic and boasted about pinning Sheamus during the elimination match. Justin Gabriel took the mic from Slater and said he did something even more impressive. He questioned whether anyone else could say they've delivered their finishing move to Taker and John Cena on the same night. "I can," Gabriel boasted.

Footage was shown of Gabriel hitting the 450 splash on Cena. Barrett took the mic back and said he's going to win the six-pack challenge and bring the WWE Championship back to The Nexus. He was boasting about how historic it would be and how it would fulfill everything he's said when he was interrupted.

Randy Orton's entrance music played and he walked onto the stage. Orton said he's going to make it his business at Night of Champions to hit Barrett with an RKO. Barrett said that if Orton wants to be a tough guy, he should come to the ring and try to give him an RKO.

Orton started to walk down the ramp when he was interrupted by the email chime. Michael Cole wants your attention because he received an email from the general manager. The general manager said that last Monday was a historic night for Nexus, but now we're going to find out how they do individually.

Cole announced for the general manager that John Cena will face Justin Gabriel. Cole also said Orton won't have to wait for Night of Champions to see whether he can hit an RKO on Barrett. Cole announced Barrett vs. Orton for later in the show. Cole said that to insure both matches are fair, the other members of Nexus are banned from ringside. Orton flashed a big smile on the stage to end the segment... [C]

Powell's POV: Good opening segment that give Nexus a chance to gloat and Orton a chance to stand up to them. I like the way he was heading to the ring to face them despite being outnumbered only to be interrupted by the general manager. By the way, Rich Twilling is off tonight enjoying the holiday. He'll be back tomorrow night for WWE NXT live coverage.

[Q2] Highlights aired of Jericho and Edge leaving Team WWE hanging last week... Chris Jericho came to the ring dressed in his ring gear. The email chime sounded and Cole stood up to read the message from the general manager. Cole said Jericho and Edge essentially slapped him in the face.

Cole said that if Jericho and Edge don't win their matches on Raw tonight, they will be removed from the six-pack challenge at the pay-per-view. Jericho went to ringside and complained to Cole. John Morrison's entrance music played and he made his entrance to face Jericho...

Powell's POV: Is this a way to get Jericho out of the six-pack challenge and the stipulation that he'll leave WWE forever if he loses? Is Morrison in the match if he wins? Hmm.

1. John Morrison defeated Chris Jericho to remove Jericho from the six-pack challenge at Night of Champions. Jericho threw Morrison to ringside early in the match and then turned his attention to Cole. "Who is it?" Jericho demanded to know. Cole said he has no idea. The show went to break as Jericho was going after Morrison on the floor. [C]

After the break, Jericho continued to harp on Cole while battling Morrison. He locked in the Walls of Jericho, but Morrison reached the ropes to break the hold. They battled on the ropes and Morrison ended up knocking Jericho to the mat. Morrison hit Starship Pain and got the clean pin on Jericho. "Are you kidding me?" Lawler asked on commentary.

[Q3] A dejected Jericho remained on the mat after the match. He eventually stood up and then took a seat on the ring steps briefly before he started to walk away. A "Y2J" chant broke out. The announcers questioned whether this would be a turning point in Jericho's career...

The announcers hyped Cena vs. Gabriel... [C]

Powell's POV: So Jericho is out of the six-pack challenge. Morrison's knee hit Jericho hard when he performed the Starship Pain. Jericho had a drop of blood on his arm afterward that appeared to come from his mouth. I'm not sure if it was from Morrison's knee or if he suffered the cut during another part of the match. My guess is that this was WWE's way of getting Jericho out of that stipulation, so this is potentially good news for everyone hoping he'd re-sign with the company, but nothing is official yet.

2. Melina pinned Alicia Fox to retain the Divas Championship in 2:15. The announcers hyped Alicia's NOC match. Alicia came out and said she plans to compete at NOC as the champion and not as a lumberjill. The crowd was silent during and after Fox's promo. Seriously, crickets. Melina hit the finisher where she does the splits finisher and got the clean pin...

Backstage, The Miz stood in front of something that was covered by a black vail. He told Josh Matthews it was perfect and that the entire world would find out about the road to awesome. Matthews tried to sneak a peak, but Miz slapped his hand. Cole questioned why Miz was even bothering to hang with "that guy"... [C]

Powell's POV: I just did a search for The Road To Awesome on Mapquest. No luck.

[Q4] Backstage, Edge complained to Zack Ryder about being forced to put his six-pack challenge spot on the line. He said he did it because his mother was disrespected and he loves her. Ryder said he loves Edge's mom too. Ryder said he wants to be Edge's opponent tonight.

Edge said he always thought Ryder was a tool, but he loved the great idea. "You're an easy win because you suck," Edge said. Hilarious. Edge called out to the Anonymous GM and searched inside his bag for him. Edge said he knows the GM is listening, and he said he wants to honor Ryder's challenge by facing him later in the show.

Edge said that if Ryder's music doesn't play, he will smash the general manager's computer into a million pieces. "Did you call me a tool?" Ryder asked Edge. "Yeah," Edge responded. Ryder said Edge hurt his feelings...

Powell's POV: Fun stuff. Ryder is so underutilized. Here's hoping there's more television time in the works for him. Edge's delivery was great here.

Backstage, Mayrse handed Ted DiBiase a note that she found. It read, "I want you so bad." DiBiase said he didn't write it. He questioned what makes her think it's for her. He said maybe it's for him. They argued over who the note was for. She spoke in French and he said he doesn't understand French...

Justin Gabriel made his entrance for his match against Cena. They replayed footage of Gabriel hitting Cena with the 450 splash last week... [C]

An ad hyped the season premiere of WWE Raw for next Monday night. The show will be a Raw Roulette edition of the show. Cole said it's the first time in three years they've gone with the roulette concept...

Powell's POV: And by season premiere, they mean they're going head-to-head with the NFL doubleheader that will air that night on ESPN. It's a wise move to book a special episode of the show with NFL season starting. I just don't know if the roulette concept will draw, and the idea of a "season premiere" of the show sounds corny. Does that make tonight the season finale?

3. John Cena defeated Justin Gabriel in 6:10. They hyped an "exclusive preview" of Cena's movie "Legendary" coming up after the match.

[Q5] Late in the match, Gabriel went to the ropes, but Cena cut him off with some punches. Cena climbed onto the second rope and performed the Attitude Adjustment before getting the pin. Cole put over Gabriel's performance by saying Cena was in a fight tonight...

Powell's POV: They gave Gabriel plenty of offense during the match, which is encouraging to see. You had to know it wouldn't take long for Cena to avenge the loss he suffered last week. I'm not saying I agree with their decision have him avenge it this quickly, but I think we all saw it coming.

The announcers hyped "Legendary." Lawler said there are only a limited number of theaters that have "the privilege" of showing the movie. He directed viewers to the WWE website for a list of the theaters that will be showing the flick... The extended preview clip aired... [C]

Powell's POV: I guess "privilege" is the nice way of saying that it hasn't been picked up for a full release. It is encouraging to hear how much praise actress Patricia Clarkson is giving on the film. She doesn't strike me as the type who would overhype something she didn't believe in.

An ad aired for NXT season three, which debuts Tuesday night on Syfy...

The Miz was standing in the ring after the break. Cole was giddy on commentary. Miz said his name and then said he has no right to be there. He said he's a reality television star and recalled people saying he shouldn't be in pro wrestling. He said people told him he should go back to MTV. Photos were shown of Miz from his reality television days.

Miz said he did whatever he had to do to get a job in WWE. He noted that he became the host of WWE Smackdown. He said the voices of the fans got louder. He said they weren't asking him to leave, they were telling him. Miz said the fans also said he was just a sidekick to John Morrison.

Miz said he became the United States Champion. He said the fans still said it was a fluke and he'd never make it to the next level. He pointed out that he won Money in the Bank and punched his ticket to becoming the WWE Champion. He said he is now the biggest star in the entire company.

[Q6] Miz turned his attention to the covering that he had backstage. He removed it to show that he is featured on the cover of WWE Magazine. Miz said he bought every issue of the magazine when he was a kid. He said he dreamt about getting the cover. Miz demanded that the fans stand up and admit they were wrong.

The fans booed as Miz ranted about being the new poster child of WWE. "You can't deny it," Miz said. "You can't hide from it. You all watching right now, here and on TV, have no choice but to admit the fact that you were wrong. Because I'm The Miz, and I have earned the right to say I'm awesome."

Daniel Bryan's music played and he walked onto the stage with a big smile on his face. Cole called Bryan a buzz kill. Cole said it was like going from WrestleMania (Miz) to a high school gym (Bryan). Funny. Bryan was still smiling when he entered the ring and said, "Hi, Mike Mizanin, my name is Daniel Bryan."

Bryan said he was actually there to congratulate Miz. He said they have a lot more in common than Miz thinks. He said no one thought he would make it either. Miz cut him off and said he didn't make it and has not accomplished anything. Bryan said it's true. He said he just came out to generic music that he can't even identify.

Bryan said he paid $10 for his haircut. He said he has to wear his ring gear backstage to prevent security from throwing him out. He said he's the anti-superstars. Bryan got serious and said that if he gets his chance to wrestle The Miz, he knows he can beat him. Miz said he agreed...that Bryan paid $10 for that haircut.

Miz questioned what Bryan has done to deserve the match. Bryan pointed to the big screen of a dummy copy of WWE Magazine that featured a shot of Bryan putting Miz in his submission hold. Bryan said he wants Miz to know that he can beat him, he can make him tap out, and he can become the next United States Champion.

Miz said he doesn't like Bryan and never has. Miz said he can beat Bryan so bad that he'll beg to go back to the minor leagues. Bryan cut him off and asked him whether he would give him the U.S. Title match. Miz said he would. Bryan smiled and said he appreciates it.

Miz thanked Bryan and then tried to sucker punch him. Bryan avoided it and locked in his submission hold, but Alex Riley hit the ring and attacked him. Bryan fought off Riley quickly, threw Miz from the ring, and then applied his submission hold on Riley. Miz teased climbing in the ring to break it up, but backed away instead.

Miz picked up his MITB briefcase, which opened somehow and thus revealed that there's nothing inside. Meanwhile, Bryan turned his attention to the magazine cover and kicked it down...

Powell's POV: Good segment. Miz was excellent on the mic. Bryan hasn't found his groove yet even as the anti-superstar, but I am really looking forward to their match at Night of Champions.

A "This Week in History" segment focussed on the first edition of WCW Nitro at Mall of America in Bloomington, Minnesota. The show took place on September 4, 1995...

Powell's POV: I was at that show 15 years ago. Man, time really flies. Hell, I probably had hair then!

Lawler hyped "the bare knuckles champion" Wade Barrett vs. Randy Orton for later in the show... A shot aired of Edge walking backstage. Cole questioned who his opponent would be and said we'd find out next...

Powell's POV: Cole dropped the bare knuckles champion tag earlier in the show when discussing Barrett. They billed him that way early in his NXT run, but they haven't made that a big part of his Raw character until tonight.

[Q7] [C] Edge made his entrance. Cole got a message from the Anonymous GM on his Blackberry. Cole announced to the television audience only that John Cena will face the winner of Randy Orton vs. Wade Barrett in the main event of next week's WWE Raw.

Powell's POV: There's the real hook for next week's show. That does more for me than the "season premiere" hype and the "Raw Roulette" theme.

Great Khali's music played and he came out with Ranjin Singh. Edge wasn't happy because he expected it to be Zack Ryder. He went to ringside and teased destroying the laptop. He realized it was a Mac and stopped. Okay, so actually he just decided against destroying it.

4. Edge defeated Great Khali via countout in 1:20. Edge rolled back inside the ring and the referee rang the bell to start the match. Edge rolled to ringside and mocked Khali by doing a Frankenstein dance. Edge walked over and grabbed Singh, but Khali stopped him. Khali went after Edge at ringside. Edge made it back inside the ring, but Khali was counted out.

After the match, the email chime sounded. The anonymous GM won't acknowledge Edge's cheap win. He said he was restarting the match and now it will be a no DQ, over the top rope challenge match instead... [C]

5. Edge defeated Great Khali in a no DQ, over the top rope challenge in 2:20. Lawler questioned whether it would be called a six-pack challenge if there were only four men. No, they'd call that the worst drawing pay-per-view event of 2010. Anyway, Edge rolled to ringside. Khali climbed over the top rope.

The announcers debated whether Khali should have lost the match for going over the top rope. It didn't matter. A short time later, Khali tried to climb over the top rope again. This time, Edge reached up and pulled him down to win the match... [C]

Powell's POV: Wow, that was dreadful. When did Michael Cole become the voice of reason on Raw? By the way, I recall Andre the Giant leaving over the top rope to chase someone being an out for him not winning a battle royal.

[Q8] An ad for Smackdown. Undertaker vs. C.M. Punk is billed as the main event for Friday's television show...

At ringside, Cole and Lawler spoke briefly about Undertaker. They questioned whether he was ready to wrestle. They quickly turned their attention to running through the Night of Champions pay-per-view lineup...

Backstage, Chris Jericho was staring off into space when Josh Matthews approached him. Matthews recalled Jericho saying he'd walk away from WWE if he didn't win the WWE Championship at Night of Champions. Matthews asked him what his future plans are now that he doesn't have a chance to win the title.

Jericho didn't flinch. He just continued to stare off into space. Matthews thanked him for his time and left. When the camera pulled back, John Morrison was seated next to Jericho. "Bad day, huh?" Morrison asked. Morrison questioned whether Jericho still thinks he's the best in the world at what he does.

Morrison told him things will get better. Jericho looked at Morrison. He asked if Jericho understood what he was saying right now. Jericho went back to staring into space. Morrison joined him in staring in the same direction...

Powell's POV: Nice segment. I'm happy they didn't give away Jericho's fate tonight. That's one they should leave open for a while.

Sheamus came to the ring with the WWE Championship. Cole said Sheamus would be joining them at ringside during the main event... [C] John Cena came out and sat in on commentary. He sat next to Lawler, while heels Sheamus and Edge were seated next to Cole. Wow, times have changed...

6. Randy Orton defeated Wade Barrett in 6:00. Barrett landed an early big boot to Orton and took control of the match. Cole was all smiles for the heel mic work.

[Overrun] Orton came back with a few clotheslines and a slam. He tried to go for a DDT off the second rope, but Barrett avoided it and dumped him to ringside. Strange music played. Darren Young walked onto the stage with a mic in his hand. He questioned whether Barrett remembers him.

Young said Barrett thought he could just throw him out of Nexus and be done with him. Young said he's going to show Barrett why he's not the weakest link, but rather the missing link. Orton recovered and hit the RKO on Barrett for the win.

After the match, Young entered the ring and tried to buddy up to Orton, which resulted in an RKo. Sheamus and Edge went after Orton, but they both took RKO's for their trouble. Orton stood on the second rope and struck his pose.

John Cena entered the ring and took off his hat and t-shirt while engaged in a staredown with Orton. The announcers hyped their match for next week. The staredown continued as the show went off the air...

Powell's POV: A strong close to the show. However, they left me more excited about the Raw main event than they did about the pay-per-view main event. A five-pack challenge? That has to change, right? Overall, a good show that provided quality hype for the pay-per-view, and strong hype for next week's Raw, which will face strong competition from the NFL. Thanks for watching along with me tonight. Don't forget that Dot Net Members will be listening to an exclusive audio review of the show. You can join us by signing up for as little as $5.50 per month via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE:


READ OUR INSIDER NEWS BEFORE ANYONE ELSE! BECOME A MEMBER FOR JUST $7.50 A MONTH (or less with a year-long sub) - GET THE FIRST LOOK AT EXCLUSIVE INSIDER DOT NET NEWS, TONS OF EXCLUSIVE AUDIO CONTENT, MEMBER MESSAGE BOARD ACCESS, START YOUR OWN BLOG, AND VIEW THE SITE WITHOUT ANY ADVERTISING: SIGN ME UP (or MORE INFO)



RELATED ARTICLES FROM MGID AFFILIATE SITES...



MEMBERSHIP INFO
Become a Dot Net Member right now for $7.50 a month or $66 a year ($5.50 a month avg.). Get exclusive audio, first-look insider news, Forum access, member blogs, more...

CLICK FOR SIGN-UP INFO


The Current Must-Read List
ACCESS PREVIOUS MUST-READ ARTICLES

Vote In Our Latest Poll


Dot Net Free Podcasts
CLICK FOR FULL LISTING OF ALL PODCASTS

Latest from Our Affiliate Site

_pwtorch.com_
CLICK HERE FOR MORE PWTORCH HEADLINES

© 2008-2012 LAST ROW MEDIA LLC • ALL RIGHTS RESERVED -- PRIVACY POLICY