By Jason Powell

Dot Net Members will be listening to Jason Powell's exclusive audio review of WWE Raw later tonight. Join us on the ad-free version of the website by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Hampton, Va.

[Q1] A shot aired of the WWE Championship belt sitting on a podium at ringside. Justin Roberts announced that the first match was for the WWE Championship. Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler checked in from ringside and hyped that the finals of the tournament was kicking off the show. Cole said the building was sold out, and hyped that it would be a historic evening...

1. Rey Mysterio beat The Miz to win the WWE Championship in 13:15. Roberts handled the in-ring introductions for the championship match. Cole said that no matter what was happening in America, nothing was more important than the WWE Championship. The announcers noted that Miz said he'd be trending on Twitter worldwide if he won the belt. The show cut to break a little over five minutes into match. [C]

Powell's POV: The WWE Championship is more important than the President, and trending on Twitter is even more important than the WWE Championship. At least that's what I took from the commentary so far. The live crowd was flat during the tournament last week, but this crowd is into title match so far. In retrospect, holding off a week to crown the new champion appears to be a wise decision.

[Q2] The Miz scored a good near fall at 10:00. Cole was cheerleading Miz on commentary. Miz got another near fall. Mysterio missed a 619. Miz hit him with a slingshot powerbomb (bounced him off the ropes first) for another good near fall. Miz showed frustration before setting up for his finisher.

Mysterio avoided the finisher, but Miz tied him up in the tree of woe. Mysterio ended up coming back with a 619 and followed up with a top rope splash for the clean pin. A shot aired of the WWE locker room watching the match on a backstage monitor. The faces cheered for Rey winning, R-Truth was talking to himself.

After the match, Miz took a shot at Mysterio from behind and left him lying. Alberto Del Rio's music played and he headed to ringside. He put his MITB briefcase on the announcers' table and talked to them. When he turned around, Mysterio dove onto him at ringside. Del Rio grabbed the briefcase and headed backstage.

Powell's POV: A very good match to open the show. They really had to deliver a good match to make people care and they succeeded. I'm still not a fan of multiple champions although I do admit that it could set up a good unification match. Del Rio has teased cashing in twice. If Punk returns as the anti-authority figure babyface, then it wouldn't shock me to see Del Rio win the belt soon.

At ringside, the announcers spoke about the title change and hyped that Triple H was in the building and would deliver the "State of the WWE Address" later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: There haven't been any cosmetic changes to Raw to coincide with Hunter taking over. I'm all for them shaking things up to help establish that this is more than a simple general manager change. Those changes don't have to occur tonight, but I do hope they play this up as a significant move.

After the break, the announcers recapped the previous match. Cole said Miz dominated the match despite losing...

Backstage, a group of wrestlers held a champagne celebration for Mysterio. John Cena showed up with a serious look on his face. He eventually smiled, shook Mysterio's hand, and congratulated him. Josh Mathews interviewed Rey, who spoke about becoming WWE Champion for the first time. He mentioned his wife and children's name, and said, "Daddy is coming home, and this time he's bringing the gold"...

Powell's POV: They really are doing a good job with the title change tonight. They must have realized how flat the tournament felt last week and how many fans will see Mysterio's belt as an impostor belt.

[Q3] The announcers set up a recap video of Triple H informing Vince McMahon that the board had relieved him of his duties... Lawler used the somber voice as a shot of the tearful McMahon was shown to close the video. He said we're all anxiously awaiting Triple H's address... [C]

Highlights aired of Dolph Ziggler beating Kofi Kingston to win the U.S. Title at Capitol Punishment...

2. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) defeated Evan Bourne in a non-title match in 3:25. Cole gave the usual line about how a win for Bourne could put him in line for a title shot. Bourne got in some flashy offense late. He hit a top rope huracanrana for a near fall. He tried to follow up with his finisher, but Dolph moved and eventually got the win with the sleeper. Dolph yelled at the crowd afterward and the announcers chuckled... [C]

Powell's POV: Another good television match. I don't want to jinx us, but we haven't had much comedy nonsense on Raw lately. As much as I'd like to see Bourne get a win and feud with Ziggler, Dolph really needs some wins to be established as a strong U.S. Champion. I liked the intensity he showed afterward, but I didn't care for the way the announcers laughed it off. Raw is off to a good start.

[Q4] Backstage, Eve and The Bellas were bickering when Cody Deaner, er, Keith Stone showed up with a 30-pack of Keystone Light. He drew a full sleeve on one of the Bella Twins with a marker. The other Bella questioned how she would get it off. Eve told Sotone that he is so smooth. A graphic noted that Keystone gave WWE permission and asked people to drink responsibly...

Powell's POV: Z-list Celebrity Whore Eve?

3. Kelly Kelly and Eve beat Maryse and Melina in 2:45. The crowd liked Kelly and cheered her offense, which included slapping Maryse on the ass in the corner. In the end, Kelly pinned Melina...

Powell's POV: If Kelly and Eve keep racking up these tag wins, they could put themselves in line for a shot at the TNA Knockouts Tag Titles. Oh, wait...

A shot aired of Triple H listening to a ranting R-Truth backstage. The announcers hyped that Triple H would be announcing "a blockbuster return." Cole said he hopes it's the guy who walked out of Chicago with the WWE Title... [C]

Powell's POV: The blockbuster return should have been hyped heavily before now, assuming the return lives up to the hype. Please let it be Braden Walker!!! By the way, they're still doing the bit where the announcers won't say C.M. Punk's name. Ugh.

An ad for Smackdown focussed on Mark Henry and his path of destruction... The announcers hyped Cee Lo Green as performing live at SummerSlam...

Triple H's music played and he received a strong reaction from the live crowd. Hunter walked out wearing a suit and smiled as he stood at the top of the stage for a moment before heading to the ring. Hunter's usual music played, but he did not perform his usual entrance routine with the water bottle, etc.

Hunter said that he wanted to take a moment to acknowledge why WWE is a global phenomenon and why there are millions of people watching around the world. "Quite frankly, it's due to one man's vision," Hunter said. "It is due to one man's pure genius, and for that I would like to say from the bottom of my heart, thank you, Vince." The live crowd joined in with the chant.

[Q5] Hunter said he wasn't there to talk about the past. "I'm here to talk about the future," Hunter said. There were plenty of boos mixed in with the cheers. Hunter said that he can do things differently now that he's in charge. He said they would have a second WWE Championship match on Raw. Hunter said both men agreed that it needs to take place tonight.

Triple H announced that Rey Mysterio will defend the WWE Championship against John Cena. Hunter reasoned that Cena was cheated out of "his deserved rematch." The announcers acted shocked. "Oh my god," one of them said. Is Joey Styles producing tonight?

Hunter said there's one man's name he hears from the WWE Universe worldwide. A loud C.M. Punk chant broke out. Hunter said he took it upon himself to reach out to the man this week to re-sign him. Triple H asked the fans to help welcome him back to Raw.

Jim Ross's music played and he walked onto the stage to a bigger ovation than even Hunter received. Cole wasn't happy, but Lawler was thrilled. Ross headed to the announcers table and hugged Lawler. Ross offered Cole a handshake, but Cole blew him off.

Cole climbed onto the top of the announcers' table with a mic in his hand. Cole said he's done everything the company has asked him since WrestleMania, but he refuses to work with Ross. He labeled Ross a "one-faced Oklahoma redneck." Cole asked if Ross needs the money because his restaurants went bell up. He asked if Ross ate all the profits.

After Cole finished his tirade, Hunter said that he figured Cole was going to be upset, so his first thought was to fire him. He said it would cost him more to fire Cole than to keep him. He explained that Cole's severance package was ridiculous and he said the person who signed him to that deal is crazy.

Triple H said Cole could leave the show, but he would forfeit his future earnings. Hunter gave Cole the rest of the night off. He said he could show up on Smackdown or be wished the best in his future endeavors. Cole said he wasn't quitting, and he said he was going to sit down and do his job.

Hunter said Cole had been given the night off. He said that he could sit down, but then he'd be late for his match. Cole threw a hissy about being undefeated at WrestleMania. Hunter said he brought gear for Cole's match. He told him to go backstage and put it on because his match was coming up next. "That is unless you want to quit," Hunter said.

R-Truth's catchphrase played and he walked onto the stage wearing street clothes. Truth said Hunter has been in on the conspiracy since day one. He spoke to people who weren't there again. Once he was in the ring, he blamed Little Jimmy for costing him a title match, and spiders and heights for costing him the MITB briefcase. He asked what Hunter was going to do to address the conspiracy against him.

Hunter asked whether Truth was talking to him or the other guys (the imaginary people R-Truth talks to). Hunter went into comedy mode by talking to people who weren't there and said Truth probably just needs medication. "Man, you crazy," R-Truth said. "You're talking to people that don't exist." Hunter said it's like he's insane. Truth said Hunter might be The Game, "But I'm not playing."

Truth left the ring. "All of you, stop," Hunter said. Triple H said there was a guy who wants a piece of R-Truth. John Morrison's music played and he walked onto the stage shirtless and wearing a pair of jeans. Morrison attacked Truth, followed him to ringside, and continued the attack. Truth got a shot in on Morrison in the ring, but Morrison came right back. Morrison hit Starship Pain on R-Truth...

Ross and Lawler hyped Cole vs. an opponent of Triple H's choosing, and the Mysterio vs. Cena match for later in the show...

Powell's POV: Hunter said something about signing Morrison, so either he got confused or they're acting like Morrison's contract expired while he was injured. Overall, a good segment. Ross and Morrison returning made the Hunter takeover seem more significant. I'm not a fan of campy comedy, but I wouldn't put the Hunter and Truth exchange in the campy category. I got a laugh out of it. I could do without Mysterio vs. Cena tonight, as that's a match they should have hyped a week out. Let the speculation over Del Rio cashing in continue. Hunter did a good job, and Ross returning to the broadcast team is great, although I wish Cole was limited to Friday night duty.

[Q6] [C] 4. Zack Ryder beat Michael Cole in 0:25. Triple H's other Motorhead song played. Cole came out in Triple H gear and mocked his water bottle entrance. There was a "Let's Go Ryder" chant. Ryder performed his Rough Ryder finisher and scored the pin...

Powell's POV: There was a Ryder chant, but it's not like he got a massive pop when he walked out. The fans rooting for Ryder sounded like the same male demographic that boos John Cena. I'm happy to see Ryder on TV, but I was hoping he'd work as a heel. Meanwhile, Cole's Triple H routine was fun even if the Cole act jumped the shark at WrestleMania 27.

Highlights aired of Kofi Kingston beating Alberto Del Rio in a tournament match from last week's show...

5. Alberto Del Rio (w/Ricardo Rodriguez) beat Kofi Kingston in 7:15. Ricardo introduced Del Rio, who drove another classic car out and brought his briefcase to the ring with him. There was an awkward spot with Kofi attempting to counter a move and roll up Del Rio. Moments later, Del Rio fled to ringside early and the show went to break.

[Q7] [C] There was a good near fall late, as Kingston had Del Rio pinned, but Alberto grabbed the rope at the last moment. Del Rio, who had worked on Kofi's arm, applied the cross armbreaker and got the submission win...

The announcers hyped Cena vs. Mysterio for the main event... [C]

Powell's POV: The funniest part of the match was Kofi still doing his "boom" clap routine while selling the arm injury. It helped establish that the arm was injured, but it made him look like a dope for doing the clap. I guess they felt the need to give Del Rio the win back after Kofi beat him last week in the tournament.

An ad for Smackdown hyped that Triple H will appear on Friday's television show...

Powell's POV: Great move. Anyone who pisses and moans about Triple H appearing on multiple shows is delusional. He's in the Vince McMahon role. He's more than just a Raw general manager, so he should appear on both shows. By the way, whatever happened to the anonymous Raw general manager? Actually, please forget that I even asked.

The announcers spoke at ringside...

Backstage, The Miz complained to Josh Mathews about John Cena getting another title match. He said it was Cena's fault that he lost the WWE Championship to "he who shall not be mentioned." Miz said things have gone from bad to worse now that Triple H has taken over. He complained about the WWE Champion being a man with no face. Miz snuck in a plug for his appearance on The George Lopez show for Wednesday night...

[Q8] Rey Mysterio made his entrance for the main event... [C] The announcers hyped a Divas battle royal for next week to determine which Diva will challenge Kelly Kelly for the title at SummerSlam... John Cena made his entrance...

Powell's POV: My guess is that Eve will get the battle royal win next week, which would explain why she's been teaming with Kelly so frequently.

6. John Cena defeated Rey Mysterio to win the WWE Championship in 12:55. Cena scored a good near fall at 6:30. Cena followed up with a shoulder block. He tried to go for a second, but Mysterio dropkicked him. Mysterio got a flurry of his own offense and got a good near fall. Ross put it over as a great matchup and hyped the WWE Championship.

[Overrun] Mysterio remained on the offensive until he went for a top rope splash only to have Cena raise his knees. Rey went for a huracanrana in the corner, but Cena caught him and went for a powerbomb. Rey flipped over and took the move on his face. After some great back and forth action, Cena hit the Attitude Adjustment and scored the clean pin.

After the match, Cena helped Mysterio to his feet and raised his hand. Rey fell back down to sell the match while Cena celebrated with the championship.

Living Colour's classic "The Cult of Personality" played in the arena to interrupt the celebration. Cena looked around. Suddenly, C.M. Punk walked onto the stage wearing his WWE Championship. There was a lot of cheering in the crowd. Punk walked to both sides of the stage and played to the crowd a bit.

Punk walked to the ring and had a face-to-face with Cena. John Cena raised his belt in the air and received a mix of cheers and boos. Punk raised his title belt higher than Cena's belt and received a louder ovation. Punk jawed at Cena a bit, and Cena walked away as the show closed...

Powell's POV: Awesome musical selection for Punk. Absolutely perfect theme for Punk. All signs point to Punk vs. Cena in a unification match at SummerSlam. That said, I wonder if it will come to that. After all, Cena wasn't exactly beaming with pride when Punk held up his title belt. One way or another, it looks like we're going to get the big rematch at SummerSlam.

Overall, I enjoyed the hell out of this show. Mysterio had a really good night in the ring with two strong bookend matches. The Jim Ross return was great, and C.M. Punk's return was fantastic. The campy comedy has been mostly weeded out and WWE seems to be in a WrestleMania-like mode heading into SummerSlam. I'll have a lot more to say about the show in Dot Net Members' Audio tonight.

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