By Jason Powell

Dot Net's Will Pruett is at the WWE Raw show and will be sending updates on the taping for the July 4 edition, which is being taped after the live Raw. Stick around after Raw tonight for updates from the building. You could be reading all of this on the ad-free version of the website by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Las Vegas, Nevada

[Q1] The show opened with clips from Vegas. Michael Cole asked if viewers were feeling lucky tonight. He said it was time to spin the wheel. Jerry Lawler checked in and we got a shot of Booker T backstage spinning the Raw Roulette Wheel.

Shawn Michaels's music played and he played to the crowd on the stage before heading to the ring. Shawn said he's tried to stay away, but he just couldn't do it. A loud "HBK" chant broke out. "How could I possibly leave all this?" Michaels asked. He said you can't just stop cold turkey after doing something for 20 years.

"Whoa, is he coming back?" Lawler asked. Michaels said he missed the fans. HBK showed off his Hall of Fame ring and said the fans made him that. HBK plugged his new Outdoor Channel for tomorrow night at 11:30 p.m. ET. He said he doesn't want to insult the fans by shamelessly plugging the show. He then jokingly pointed to his Twitter address on the big screen.

C.M. Punk's music interrupted Michaels. Punk walked to the ring with David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty. "You just couldn't stay away, huh?" Punk asked. He said HBK has such an addictive personality that he can't stay away from the spotlight. Punk said he is leaving on July 17.

Punk said he's going to go out a winner and leave Money in the Bank as the WWE Champion. HBK said John Cena might have a problem with that. Punk pointed out that he beat Cena on Raw two weeks ago.

Shawn said the reason the fans are cheering him is because they know he's better than Punk. A "one more match" chant broke out. Punk said it's true that Michaels was better than him. Punk said there's no one in the back who can hold a candle to him now. Punk asked if Michaels was challenging him.

Michaels said they are not alike. He said they have similarities in that they don't smoke, drink, or do drugs. "Anymore?" Punk said. "Fair enough," Michaels said. HBK said that Punk has his style and he has his own. HBK hit Sweet Chin Music on David Otunga. Punk told him he just made the biggest mistake of his life.

The Anonymous General Manager's email chime sounded. The GM via Michael Cole said Punk only has three matches left and they're going to make them count. The GM said Punk could compete in the first match of the night and set up Booker T to spin the wheel.

Booker spun the wheel and it stopped on "Question Mark." Booker said Punk has a mystery opponent. Booker pointed to Kane, who was standing next to the wheel. Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music on McGillicutty. "Good luck with all that," Michaels said before leaving the ring...

Powell's POV: It's amazing that they just happened to have Kane standing next to the wheel. Was he going to stand there all night just in case the question mark gimmick came up? Normally, I'd just roll my eyes, but keep in mind that this is the same company that felt the need to give us multiple updates on their flawed voting for the Power to the People voting last week.

[Q2] [C] An ad for Smackdown hyped Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry...

1. Kane beat C.M. Punk by countout in 4:20. Punk just walked out of the match for the countout loss. Cole reasoned that Punk had nothing to gain by staying in the ring since he already has his title match scheduled for MITB...

The announcers hyped Big Show vs. Alberto Del Rio, and John Cena vs. R-Truth in Roulette matches... [C]

Powell's POV: Kane was destroyed by Mark Henry in an angle, so would Punk beating him really damage the act? Shouldn't boosting Punk up heading into a pay-per-view title match be more important than protecting Kane? I guess the idea is that Punk got more heat by walking out. I'll take more heat from winning. Meanwhile, they're giving away two pay-per-view rematches tonight. My concern is that they're giving too much away, but let's see what they have in mind.

Sin Cara made his entrance. He had to put his hands on the top rope during the trampoline spot, but it looked fine. Evan Bourne made his entrance. Cole said the fans crashed the servers last week with their voting and explained that this is the match they actually voted for.

The bell rang to start the match, but the referee stood between the wrestlers because the timekeeper forgot that the match needed a stipulation. Booker and Eve talked backstage, and Eve spun the wheel while dressed in her Mickie James country gear. It landed on "no countout"...

[Q3] 2. Sin Cara beat Evan Bourne in a no count out match in 4:55. They used the Sin Cara mood lighting. Cole said Sin Cara "was" so popular in Mexico that they had a comic book based on his life. He quickly corrected himself to say Sin Cara "still is" that popular. Sin Cara dominated the offense and hit a suicide dive at ringside.

Bourne finally got some offense in, but it didn't last long. He came back down the stretch and went for Air Bourne, but Sin Cara moved. Cole actually called Bourne "an aviation nut." Bourne landed on his feet, but took Sin Cara's finisher for the 1-2-3...

Powell's POV: An aviation nut? An entertaining television match, but they didn't get enough time to make it feel special. Fun while it lasted, and the live crowd was into the action.

Backstage, Booker T told Kofi Kingston that the anonymous general manager gave him the power to spin the wheel to determine the type of match he'll have with Dolph Ziggler. Vickie Guerrero entered the picture and spun the wheel instead. It landed on "Player's Choice." Kofi said he was taking the stipulation he voted for last week - Vickie banned from ringside...

Powell's POV: So WWE has now righted the wrongs of of the Power to the People voting. Don't you feel better? How convenient that the wheel gave them a chance to right the flawed voting from last week. WWE doesn't want you to think their voting his rigged, but apparently they have no problem telling the world that their roulette wheel is fraudulent.

A shot aired of the Vegas Strip, making this viewer ready to head out on vacation again.

The announcers hyped the Money in the Bank pay-per-view. They announced that the Raw version of the MITB match will feature Kofi Kingston, Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, Alberto Del Rio, R-Truth, Jack Swagger, Alex Riley, and The Miz...

Powell's POV: That's a really nice lineup for the Raw side of MITB. I wish they would have had some qualifying matches. I'd rather see them do that than give away potential pay-per-view matches on Raw.

[Q4] 3. Kofi Kingston beat Dolph Ziggler in a non-title match in 6:40. Vickie tried to come out, but she was ordered to the back by the referees. Cole said a win would put Kofi right back in contention for another title match. The match went to ringside, and Dolph rammed Kofi's head into the ring post. [C]

Powell's POV: Call me crazy, but beating Dolph in a best of three falls match last week should have been enough to put Kofi back in contention for a title match.

Dolph caught Kofi with a kick down the stretch and tried to throw him to ringside, but Kofi put his arms up and bounced off the ropes. Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise kick and got the pin...

Powell's POV: Nothing special. This was a letdown compared to their other recent matches. By the way, I'm pretty sure they actually went to break with Kofi lying on the ground and the referee's count at six.

The announcers hyped the Cena vs. R-Truth match with the stipulation determined by the roulette wheel...

Backstage, Booker T spoke about the matches with Maryse standing by. Alberto Del Rio showed up and complained about facing Big Show again. Booker said he doesn't make the matches. Del Rio had Maryse spin the wheel for him. They flirted while the wheel was spinning. Del Rio's horniness was killed when he noticed the wheel stopped on cage match. Booker did the "tell me you did not just spin that" routine...

Lawler hyped Del Rio vs. Big Show in a cage match for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: I must admit that I'm disappointed that "20-minute time limit" and "one fall to a finish" are not on the wheel after last week's voting option abominations.

Highlights aired of Big Show beating the hell out of Mark Henry on Smackdown from two weeks ago, and Henry attacking Show at the Capitol Punishment pay-per-view...

Powell's POV: Call me crazy, but I think Mark Henry might show up on Raw shortly.

[Q5] 4. Alberto Del Rio beat Big Show in a steel cage match in 5:15. Cole acknowledged that Ricardo Rodriguez was still recovering from the attack by Big Show. Del Rio tried to escape the cage when the bell rang, but Show stopped him. Del Rio worked over Show's injured knee early.

In the most shocking development in Raw history, Mark Henry walked to ringside to a lot of boos. He walked around the cage and eventually tried to get inside once Show took over the offense in the ring. Henry ripped the cage door off its hinges. He grabbed the door and brought it inside the cage with him.

Henry kicked Big Show. Del Rio slid through the door and escaped the cage to win the match. Henry picked up the cage door and rammed it into Big Show, who fell to the ground along with a big section of the cage. A big "holy shit" chant broke out. "You think I'm playing?" Henry asked repeatedly as Show sold on ground.

"What you gonna do, fire me?" Henry asked a bunch of referees and John Laurinaitis as they gathered around him. Henry acknowledged the "you suck" chants by saying he may suck, but he's "over here" and the fans are "over there"... [C]

Powell's POV: Good intensity from Henry, and a cool cage bump from Big Show. Henry is at his best when he jaws back at fans. He's done a really good job with that over the last two weeks. Henry is technically a Smackdown wrestler feuding with a Raw wrestler. Plus, I'm not sure that Del Rio is really gaining anything from these fluky wins over Big Show.

Highlights aired of the big cage spot with Big Show and Mark Henry... Ring introductions for the Divas match took place. Booker spun the wheel while saying he hoped it landed on "pillow fight." However, it landed on submission match instead...

Powell's POV: How great would it be if Cena vs. Truth was the pillow fight instead?

[Q6] 5. Kelly Kelly beat Nikki Bella (w/Brie Bella) in a non-title submission match in 1:15. Kelly fought out of an arm bar and then locked in a Boston crab for the win. Brie attacked Kelly afterward. Eve ran out and cleared the Bellas from the ring...

Powell's POV: Congrats to Kelly for learning how to apply the Boston Crab during pre-show practice today. Okay, I have no idea of knowing whether that's true, but I think there's a 50/50 chance it is.

The "Did You Know" graphic touted that WWE gives free tickets to military personnel as long as they agree to look happy while John Cena mugs for the cameras while standing in front of them...

Powell's POV: Fine, I made up the part that came after WWE giving military members free tickets.

A video on Andy Leavine was shown. They showed him training, crying, and talking about how hard he's working. Ricky Steamboat and Dusty Rhodes were both featured in the video...

Backstage, Booker T gave the wheel a spin for Rey Mysterio. It landed on "tornado match." Booker said it would be Rey and Riley vs. The Miz and Jack Swagger with all four men in the ring at the same time. After Mysterio walked away, Booker T noticed Dallas Page waiting in the wings.

Page got a big pop as he entered the picture and pimped the WCW DVD. Drew McIntyre showed up and told both vets to leave in ten minutes or they would be leaving on a stretcher. HBK hit Sweet Chin Music on McIntyre. HBK said he's never seen any of the WCW Nitro footage. "I was working that night," Michaels said...

Powell's POV: If the Nitro DVD isn't cool enough for HBK, then it's not cool enough for me. Not really, but I wonder how many Raw viewers are thinking that way. Nice pop for Dallas Page.

The announcers hyped the tornado match for after the break... [C]

[Q7] Ring introductions for the tornado match took place...

6. Rey Mysterio and Alex Riley beat The Miz and Jack Swagger in a tornado match in 11:20. Swagger hit a Vader Bomb on Mysterio for a near fall. Later, Riley performed a top rope hip toss on Miz for a near fall of his own. [C]

Powell's POV: Just when I thought I was in the clear from the WrestleMania 27 theme song, USA busts it out for their Necessary Roughness hype. Unfortunately, it looks like the Texas State University Fightin' Armadillos will not be featured in the television show.

[Q8] Late in the match, Mysterio hit Swagger with the 619. Riley caught Swagger with a kick to the gut and a jumping DDT. Mysterio followed up with a top rope splash and got the pin for his team. Mysterio sold a left knee injury after the match...

Powell's POV: This was easily the best match of the show so far. Good action with some near falls for both teams, and a hot finish. The live crowd was into this match from bell to bell.

Cole hyped the MacMillan Rivers Adventures show that feature Shawn Michaels. A brief video mixed in clips of HBK's wrestling career with his hunting exploits...

Backstage, Truth was talking to himself when Booker T showed up and asked if he minded spinning the wheel. "Are fatbacks greasy?" Truth asked. Truth spun the wheel and it stopped on "tables match." Truth said he can dig that. "Tonight, John Cena is going to get got." Truth went back to talking to someone who wasn't there...

Powell's POV: A tables match? That's one of the few that Cena loses since it doesn't require him to be pinned. WWE is also hyping a "greatest cage matches" DVD that goes on sale tomorrow. The creative team should be forced to watch the way every feud built to the featured matches. They'd probably be surprised to learn than no one spun a wheel and it wasn't a gimmick match that bookers just randomly pulled out of their asses.

R-Truth came out wearing what appeared to be a sleeveless straight jacket. John Cena made his entrance...

7. R-Truth beat John Cena in a tables match in 5:20. The usual mixed cheers for Cena. Truth continued to talk to himself or imaginary people at times during the match.

[Overrun] Truth dropped Cena and then went to ringside to grab a table, which he set up in the corner. Meanwhile, Cole actually ran through the results of each match that occurred earlier in the show. Cena made his comeback and set up a table in the middle of the ring.

C.M. Punk came out and pulled the table away as Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment on Truth. Cole emphasized that Cena would have won the match had it not been for Punk. Punk ended up in the ring and Cena tried to give him the Attitude Adjustment, but Truth ran over and speared Cena through the table for the win.

After the match, Punk went to the top of the stage and took a seat. He said he has a lot of things he wants to get off his chest before he leaves in three weeks. Punk said he doesn't hate or even dislike Cena. He said he actually likes Cena more than a lot of people in the back. "I hate this idea that you're the best," Punk said. "Because you're not. I'm the best."

Punk said the one thing Cena is better at is "kissing Vince McMahon's ass." Punk said Cena is almost as good at it as Hulk Hogan was. "I don't know if you're as good at it as Dwayne (The Rock) was," Punk said. Punk added that he was breaking the fourth wall. He said Paul Heyman saw something in him. Punk said he is a Heyman guy, just as Brock Lesnar was. He said the difference is that he's going to leave with the belt.

Punk said he grabbed so many of Vince McMahon's imaginary brass rings until he realized that they are just imaginary. Punk said he's proven to everyone that he's the best in the ring, on the mic, and even on commentary. He said that no matter how many times he proves it, he's not on collector cups, in movies, late night talk shows, or "crappy USA Network shows."

Punk said it makes him sick that "Dwayne" is in the WrestleMania main event next year. Punk said that the people cheering for him are as responsible for him as everyone else. He said they are the fans sipping out of those cups and hitting him up for autographs at the airports. Punk said he might take the belt and defend it on New Japan Pro Wrestling or take it to Ring of Honor.

Punk looked into the camera and said, "Hey, Colt Cabana, how you doing?" Punk said Vince McMahon is a millionaire who should be a billionaire. He said Vince surrounds himself with yes-men like John Laurinaitis. Punk said he'd like to think the company is going to be better once Vince is dead, but it's going to be run by his daughter and her doofus husband.

Punk was about to tell "a personal story" about Vince McMahon when the mic cut out. A short time later, the show went off the air abruptly...

Powell's POV: Wow! I enjoyed the hell out of that promo just as most insider fans will. Most importantly, I think Punk's comments were entertaining and controversial enough that the casual fans at home know they just saw something special. The internet may break after that promo. It was a nice change from the happy go lucky, predictable WWE formula we've been seeing for way too long. Stick around because they are taping next week's Raw show in Las Vegas tonight. Our own Will Pruett is in attendance and will be sending in updates from the building.

RECOMMEND THIS ARTICLE: