By Rich Twilling

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Indianapolis, Ind.

[Q1] The opening video aired and fireworks lit up the stage. Michael Cole and Jerry "The King" Lawler welcomed us to the show. Justin Roberts introduced the new WWE Champion, Randy Orton. Orton came out in his gear with the belt over his left shoulder.

As Orton posed in the corner, Sheamus' music hit and he came out to the stage with a microphone in hand. Sheamus has another new shirt. He just got that green one. This one is black with a sprayed painted cross on the front.

Sheamus said the belt was stolen from him for the second time. He came down to the ring and said Orton has never beaten him one on one for the WWE Championship. He called Orton pathetic. Orton said Sheamus was pathetic because he won the belt with help from The Nexus.

Additionally, he got himself disqualified at SummerSlam and has never beaten Orton. He told Sheamus to invoke his rematch clause quickly or he will only receive a punt to the skull. Sheamus said he would kick Orton's head off. Orton dared him to try.

The GM emailed. Cole read the email. The GM booked Randy Orton vs. Sheamus for the WWE Championship at Hell in a Cell on pay-per-view...

Twill's Two Cents: I'm glad they booked this right away since the PPV is only two weeks away. This might not be the most attractive matchup, but it is the best option.

Sheamus demanded Orton give him his belt back since he did not beat him one on one. He said if Orton can beat him at Hell in a Cell, he would hand it back to Orton. Orton said he was the WWE Champion and is the only man to hold the championship.

Orton then changed his mind and decided to give Sheamus the belt. He threw the microphone away. He tossed the belt to Sheamus and as Sheamus caught it, Orton hit a RKO. He started to leave, but he came back into the ring and attempted the punt. Sheamus slid out just in time...

Twill's Two Cents: Strong segment with both guys making valid claims regarding the title and their one on one history. They booked this without any frills or BS, which is exactly what they needed to do. Orton has enough momentum going to make this an attractive match at the PPV.

Wade Barrett vs. John Cena was hyped for later in the night... [C]

[Q2] The Hart Dynasty joined the announce booth. Cole asked if they cried themselves to sleep listening to Celine Dion last night. Kidd took exception to the comment and said Cole was a better comedian than an announcer.

Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre came out to the ring to Drew's music. Why? Cody has great music. Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov made their entrance. Cole continued to berate the Harts and the Harts continued to be subpar on commentary...

1. Cody Rhodes and Drew McIntyre defeated Santino Marella and Vladimir Kozlov in a non-title match in 4:11. Smith did a McIntyre impression. He then said he always follows the rules. Cole said that is why both of them were so boring. Santino kicked out of a nearfall and Kozlov celebrated like they won the Super Bowl.

Drew and Cody made frequent tags and worked over Santino. Kozlov tagged in and actually showed some life. Chaos broke loose and Kozlov paid attention to the non-legal man in Cody instead of McIntyre. Drew hit the Future Shock for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Well, at least they are making an attempt to establish the new champions by having them win a match. That's a start. Smith and Kidd should never be on commentary again.

Cole and King hyped the DVD release of Legendary...

Twill's Two Cents: Wait, is it six months from now? Nope. The movie bombed so badly they busted ass to get it on DVD.

John Morrison was shown warming up backstage and they said he was facing Chris Jericho tonight... [C]

Twill's Two Cents: So, Jericho is not gone? I wish they would either stick to the stipulation or drop it completely.

Did you know? WWE has been working with the Make-A-Wish Foundation for 25 years...

Edge was shown backstage. Zack Ryder approached him and said he wants to hang out with Edge again. He wants to hit the clubs. He did some douchey club mannerisms. Edge said they were not friends. He said he was screwed because the GM would not give him a title shot.

Daniel Bryan asked the two of them to keep it down so he could read. Bryan went SNL Jimmy Fallon on us and had trouble keeping the smile off of his face. Ryder mocked Bryan. Edge challenged Bryan and Bryan accepted. Ryder did the "Loser" L on his forehead, but Edge said he had it backward...

Twill's Two Cents: Ryder is hilarious. He really plays his part well. I also like Bryan's low key, level headed presence. It's seems very normal, but nobody else does it, so it stands out.

[Q3] 2. John Morrison defeated Chris Jericho in 10:17. Morrison hit several impressive and high risk maneuvers early on. The last one before the break left both men laid out on the floor... [C]

Back from commercial, Morrison had control of Jericho in the corner, but Jericho turned the tides. Cole said Jericho denied ever saying he would leave WWE if he did not win the belt at Night of Champions...

Twill's Two Cents: Wow, they really half assed that one, or felt they had to mention it but didn't want to call too much attention to it.

Jericho slowed down the pace and looked impressive on offense. He called Morrison a "stupid man." Those are some fighting words. Oh wait, they are fighting. Point moot. Morrison went for the Flash kick, but Jericho caught him and locked in the Walls.

Morrison impressively reached his way to the bottom rope by walking on his hands with Jericho on his back. He hit a running knee to the face and followed with Starship Pain for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: Lacked crispness in a few spots, but still a very entertaining match and an unique clash of styles. I like that Jericho slowed down and wrestled, while Morrison hit his unorthodox moves. This new training regime we are seeing is really defining Morrison's character in and out of the ring, and that is a good thing.

Jericho slowly rolled to the floor and had that same dejected look on his face...

A shot of John Cena's locker room door was shown. I'm guessing the door did not see Legendary either... [C]

[Q4] Josh Mathews asked John Cena if he was disappointed about not winning the WWE Championship last night. That was a douchebag, ridiculous question. Cena came back with a douchebag answer and said he was happy that Orton became the champion.

Cena said he was still in the process of taking out the members of Nexus one by one. Tonight, he was planning to take out the leader, Wade Barrett, and the rest of the group would not know what to do...

The Miz came out to the stage and said he did not tap out. "Daniel Bryan did not beat me." Miz said he was injured and the doctors begged him not to compete. He said he competed anyway. He called a fan in the front row a fatso. He was right. The guy was very large.

Miz said he can beat Daniel Bryan and would regain his United States Championship. "I'm The Miz... And I did not tap out!" ... [C]

Twill's Two Cents: I did not like that at all. I was hoping they would not go with the typical and cowardly heel response to losing the belt. I would have rather Miz admit that he lost, and then kick the absolute shit out of Bryan sometime tonight. Or, I would have liked to see him move on from the U.S. Title.

Cole kissed Miz's ass at the announce table and called him "Captain Courageous" for wrestling last night with an injury. Miz was cool with Cole. Match made in heaven. Miz signed a WWE magazine for Cole...

Daniel Bryan came out to Star Trek type music. I think. Can someone email me and tell me if I'm right about that? I know I've heard that music before but I cannot name it. Miz said Bryan was a joke and a disgrace as the U.S. Champion...

3. Daniel Bryan defeated Edge by disqualification in a non-title match in 4:00. Edge was very physical with Bryan early on and he whipped Bryan's head violently into the fan barricade.

[Q5] Miz said he signed Alex Riley to a "personal services contract." So, Riley will be paid to Miz's bitch. Bryan hit a nice jawbreaker and followed with a running high knee for a two count. Edge tried a spear but Bryan applied the LeBell Lock.

Riley came down and distracted Bryan. Bryan took the bait. With the referee distracted as well, Miz closelined Bryan across the top rope. Edge then hit the spear for the win...

The GM chimed in and reversed the decision, giving Bryan the win by disqualification. Edge grabbed the mic and said he was sick of the "Beep beep, beep beep, beep beep." Reminded me of Ben Stiller in The Heartbreak Kid. Edge took off to the back.

Miz and Riley beat down Bryan in the ring. They double teamed him and Miz slapped him in the face a few times. Bryan still looked like he was fighting back the urge to smile. He hit the Skull Crushing Finale and Bryan was left face down in the middle of the ring...

Twill's Two Cents: The Edge vs. the GM stuff seems to have a little bit of life, although I'm not completely on board with that yet. I loved the attack on Bryan. This is what I mentioned earlier, and it would have been better without Miz's promo. I also love that Miz himself hired Riley, so it solidifies him as above Riley, and gives him a reason to keep Riley around.

John Cena vs. Wade Barrett was hyped... [C]

Just got a message from Dot Net reader B.J. Bryan's music is "Ride of the Valkyries" by Richard Wagner. Thanks B.J. ...

[Q6] Michelle McCool and Layla came out to the ring. Both of them were carrying Divas Championship belts. It was explained that they were co-champions...

Twill's Two Cents: Great. They both have Divas Championship belts now? I thought the point of all this was to have one champion and why did they go with the butterfly belt?

4. Layla (with Michelle McCool) defeated Melina to retain the WWE Women's Championship in 2:01. Yes, this is for the title. Michelle joined the announce booth and actually, gasp!, showed some charisma. Layla hit her flipping Stunner from the ropes for the win...

Twill's Two Cents: The women's division is two deep. That accomplished nothing but getting Melina out of the title picture. Nice going WWE.

Did you know? WWE.com highlights of the three main WWE shows are viewed millions of times...

The Nexus met backstage...

Chris Jericho had an announcement to make backstage. His announcement was his own three disc DVD set. He said it was the greatest story ever told. He then said he had the IP address of Cole's computer and would find out who the GM is.

He said he would blackmail and extort the GM. He will demand a title shot with winner of Orton vs. Sheamus. Orton approached Jericho and said if Jericho can beat him next week, he will get his title shot whenever he wants it. Jericho said Orton should not make the mistake of underestimating him...

Twill's Two Cents: I figured Orton would say a loss for Jericho would send him away from Raw for good, but it didn't happen. I liked this though and it is a big match for next week's show.

R-Truth made his entrance with Eve and his new theme music. Eve's dancing, and the way she always has her mouth open, suggests, "I'm easy." ... [C]

[Q7] Apparently, Truth and Eve danced all through the break. I'm sure that was a treat for the live crowd...

Ted DiBiase and Maryse made their entrance. DiBiase has new music too. It pretty much sucks...

5. R-Truth and Eve Torres defeated Ted DiBiase and Maryse in a mixed tag team match in 2:35. DiBiase and Truth began the match. The women tagged in. Maryse overpowered Eve. Maryse missed a kick and Eve reversed leg tripped her. She then hit a front flip for a nearfall.

Truth took out DiBiase on the floor. The women remained in the ring and Eve hit her neckbreaker finisher for the win. By the way, if getting "crunk" means what I have understood it to mean, that is hardly PG. That's not even rated R.

Ted and Maryse argued on their way back up the ramp. Some porn music played and a message on the Titantron said, "I will have you." DiBiase was the target. Maryse asked him what it meant as DiBiase kept heading to the back...

Twill's Two Cents: There is an episode of Twilight Zone where a guy's computer falls in love with him. Clearly, this is the same thing and the Titantron has fallen for DiBiase. Interspecies erotica.

Cena and Barrett were walking backstage split screen style... [C]

Various Indianapolis Colts were seated at ringside. Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho was hyped as next week's main event...

John Cena came out to a huge pop. Don't hear that much anymore. There was a woman in the stands that had a sign that said, "Mrs. Cena." Tell you what, looking at her, the only way she is Mrs. Cena is if that is already her name...

Barrett came out and stood on the announce table. He said there was a change of plans. He referenced what Cena said earlier about taking out Nexus one by one. He challenged Cena to face Nexus in a gauntlet match.

If Cena wins, he will get a chance to face Barrett. If Cena wanted, he could opt to have his teeth kicked down his throat by Nexus. Or, he could take what is behind door number three. Wrong show. Sorry...

Twill's Two Cents: This has to end with The Nexus looking weak.

[Q8] 6. John Cena defeated The Nexus (with Wade Barrett) in a gauntlet match by disqualification in 13:46. Cena had Slater first. Slater hit a flapjack for a nearfall. He then went to the top rope and hit a high cross body. Cena rolled through though and hit the Attitude Adjustment for the pinfall...

Slater was pinned at the 2:22 mark.

David Otunga was next up for slaughter... [C]

Otunga hit a series of shoulder blocks on Cena in the corner. He hit a couple of vertical suplexes for a two count. He tried a third suplex, but Cena pinned him with a small package...

Otunga was pinned at the 6:54 mark.

Michael Tarver was up next. Remember, Tarver is a good boxer because his dad with Mike Tyson's sparring partner. Anyway, Tarver tapped out to the STF pretty quickly...

Tarver tapped out at the 7:57 mark.

Gabriel was the final Nexus member for Cena. Gabriel scored several nearfalls. Cena fought back and hit a standing dropkick. Two nights in a row and it looked pretty good too. Cena went to the top but Gabriel caught him. He hit a superplex for a two count.

Gabriel hit an impressive springboard moonsault from the middle of the top rope for yet another two count. The Nexus guys were still out there, sitting on the floor up against the barricade. Gabriel continued to score nearfall after nearfall.

[Overrun] Cena picked up the pace and hit the five knuckle shuffle as he eyeballed Barrett. He picked up Gabriel for the Attitude Adjustment, but Nexus hit the ring, causing the disqualification...

Barrett brought a chair into the ring, but Cena ended up with it. Nexus fled the scene and Cena picked up a mic. He said Barrett owed him and he wanted to finish it right now. Barrett said he had nothing to gain by laying Cena to waste once more.

Barrett wanted something to sweeten the deal. Cena said to name his stipulation and the match would happen. Barrett challenged Cena to a match at Hell in a Cell, and if Barrett wins, Cena joins The Nexus.

Cena looked upset and then he smiled. "You think I'm going to back down from a fight with you? You're on." He continued. "If I win, Nexus is done." He ran down each guy and said what they would do if he won. "David Otunga will go back to mooching off his wife... Don't worry David, nothing will change for you." Funny.

Barrett accepted the challenge...

Twill's Two Cents: The gauntlet match made The Nexus look very weak, even the finish. However, this is more about Barrett than anyone. Nexus should look strong as a group, but they aren't very good individually, so they shouldn't look good individually. I like the stipulation for the pay-per-view and since Nexus is not going anywhere, it looks like we will see Cena in a big "N" shirt.

I will be back later tonight with a Members' Exclusive Audio recap of tonight's show. Thank you for following along with me.

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