By Jason Powell

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WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Greenville, S.C.

[Q1] The show opened with a recap of Big Show's destruction of various wrestlers and Raw and Smackdown last week. They included footage of John Cena telling John Laurinaitis that he's a "loser" while doing a lousy Jim Carrey impersonation...

Powell's POV: For some reason they used music that would fit better on shows such as "Sleeper Cell" or "Homeland" on Showtime. Strange.

Justin Roberts introduced Michael Cole, who entered the ring to boos. Cole said John Cena is responsible for Big Show's carnage and has a lot to answer to. Cole introduced Cena, who stopped to talk into the camera for a moment. Cena got plenty of cheers from the Greenville crowd.

Cole took Cena to task over Big Show's claims from last week. Cena labeled John Laurinaitis a power-hungry bully. Cena said he used to call Big Show a friend. Cena said he may not have defended Big Show that night, but he was going to get Laurinaitis fired so that there would be a new general manager and Big Show would get his job back.

Cole said it wasn't written in stone that a new general manager would rehire Big Show. He said Cena is so wrapped up in his own ego that he forgot about that. Cole said Show did what he had to do to feed his family. He said he took the sure thing by signing with Laurinaitis.

Cena said Show is a man who wants a wallet the size of his waist line. He got fired up as he said Show turned his back on him and the fans. Cole questioned whether Cena is jealous of him because he won his match at WrestleMania and wasn't a punching bag for Brock Lesnar at Extreme Rules.

Cole said he's been an advocate of Cena throughout his run in WWE and has supported him from day one. He said he doesn't believe Cena is interested anymore and is overrated. Cole said he hopes Show puts everyone out of their collective misery by taking care of Cena at No Way Out. Cole reminded Cena that he can't strike an announcer because it's strictly prohibited.

John Laurinaitis's music played and he drove his scooter onto the stage. Big Johnny introduced himself to boos. Laurinaitis said he was going to let Cena pick his opponent just as Show got to. He said Big Show isn't at the show because he has selected days off and this was one of them. Big Johnny informed Cena that he retired following his win at Over The Limit.

Cena pondered the possibilities. He said he's going to face an opponent he has been watching for years. He said the opponent's scouting report reads that he is overrated, uninteresting, and Jim Ross says he's being shoved down our throats every week. Cena named Michael Cole as his opponent. Cole said Cena can't do that and asked Laurinaitis to back him up. Laurinaitis said without a mic that he's sorry and drove away... [C]

Jerry Lawler checked in on commentary and hyped C.M. Punk vs. Kane with the stipulation that there must be a winner. A shot aired of Sheamus walking backstage. Lawler said Dolph Ziggler was challenging Sheamus in a rematch from Smackdown because he claims Jack Swagger cost him the match...

Powell's POV: It's not a conventional matchup, but I think it will keep viewers watching or at least jumping back to Raw for the main event. I'd love to think that WWE's reaction to the ratings is to have Vince McMahon fire John Laurinaitis and then have Cena put Cole on the shelf so that it creates the need for Jim Ross to return next week. Hey, I can dream. Overall, a solid first segment in terms of Cena's rebuttal. I wish he would show some intimidation regarding Big Show. After all, the guy did wipe out several wrestlers last week and it might sell some pay-per-views if Cena showed some indication that it's not just business as usual.

[Q2] A graphic touted the DVD sales success of WrestleMania 28... Backstage, Cole caught up to Laurinaitis and begged him to call off his match against John Cena. Big Johnny said there's a rumor going around that everyone's jobs are being evaluated. He claimed he's all about People Power. Cole said the people don't want to see Cena beat him up. Laurinaitis said they do...

Highlights aired from Smackdown of Sheamus kicking David Otunga...

1. Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (w/Vickie Guerrero) in a non-title match. Cole was back on commentary for the match. Sheamus jumped out on the offensive, but Dolph came back just before the break thanks to a distraction from Vickie. After the break, Sheamus regained control briefly, but Ziggler dropped him with a jumping DDT for a two count.

[Q3] Dolph hit a Fameasser off the second rope for another near fall at 8:05. Sheamus came back with White Noise at 8:40. The crowd popped as Sheamus looked to them while setting up the Brogue Kick, which he nailed for the clean pin...

Sheamus defeated Dolph Ziggler in 9:05 in a non-title match.

Sheamus headed up the ramp where he was attacked by Alberto Del Rio and Ricardo Rodrguez. Del Rio kicked Sheamus off the low part of the stage and locked him in the Cross Arm Breaker while sitting on the stage. Del Rio scored good heat from the crowd after he released the hold... [C]

Powell's POV: An entertaining match. I'm not sure how this benefits Ziggler. Sure, he hung with Sheamus in a competitive match, but we've seen him have entertaining back and forth matches with a lot of wrestlers over the years. The guy needs wins. It didn't seem like this was supposed to be a moment for him anyways given that the announcers didn't give him the special treatment and post match was all about Sheamus and Del Rio to hype their pay-per-view match. Del Rio looked more vicious than usual and it was an effective attack.

Backstage, John Laurinaitis sent a crew member to fetch him a coffee. David Otunga showed up and informed Laurinaitis that a WWE website story states that Vince McMahon will return next week to give him a job evaluation....

At ringside, Cole and Lawler spoke about Vince McMahon returning next week and hyped Cena vs. Cole for later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: No, I'm not sure why this falls under Vince McMahon's jurisdiction either. After all, he was removed from power by Triple H. Perhaps they will explain it next week.

2. Sin Cara vs. Hunico (w/Camacho). They broke out the mood lighting for Sin Cara. Lawler talked about how fun it was to watch "these guys." Sin Cara performed a series of crowd pleasing moves and scored the clean pin...

Sin Cara defeated Hunico in 2:30.

[Q4] The announcers hyped the Raw debut of Ryback. A video showcased some of Ryback's destruction of jobbers on Smackdown... [C]

Powell's POV: That has to be another fake Sin Cara. The guy didn't have any major botches on live television. Yes, I'm kidding. Sin Cara looked good and the crowd was responsive to his unconventional offensive moves. Meanwhile, it was a good idea to include that footage of Ryback destroying people. It had to catch the eye of viewers who haven't seen enough of him to be bored by the squash matches on Smackdown.

A video touted the upcoming 1,000th edition of Raw. John Cena said his favorite moment was when he was drafted to Raw on June 6, 2005. Footage aired of the segment with Cena talking about how he knew it was something special and a night he'll never forget...

3. Ryback vs. Arthur Rosenberg and Stan Stansky. Before the match, the jobbers cut a brief promo in stereo. Ugh. Ryback finished the match with a double Samoan Drop type move...

Ryback defeated Arthur Rosenberg and Stan Stansky in 1:45.

The announcers hyped C.M. Punk vs. Kane for after the break... [C]

Powell's POV: The usual Ryback squash with some faint "Goldberg" taunts and more cheers for his power moves. I'm just happy they've stopped showing people backstage laugh at the jobbers.

An ad for Smackdown questioned what Alberto Del Rio has in store for Sheamus... C.M. Punk made his entrance, meaning it's clobberin' time.

[Q5] The announcers hyped the Triple Threat match for No Way Out. Cole begged John Laurinaitis by telephone to let him out of his match with John Cena. Cole said Laurinaitis hung up on him.

Daniel Bryan made his entrance and grabbed a mic. Bryan stood on the announcers' desk and said it was time for question and answer time. He asked if A.J. has gone completely delusional since he dumped her. He asked if Kane will destroy C.M. Punk. He asked if he will become the WWE Champion at No Way Out. He answered Yes! to all of his questions. Kane's entrance interrupted his repeated "Yes!" routine after the last one...

4. C.M. Punk vs. Kane in a non-title, must be a winner match. Cole reminded viewers that Punk won't have to be involved in the finish at No Way Out to lose his title. Bryan remained at ringside to watch the match. Cole said it's been 14 years since Kane won the WWE Championship. He said he last won the title in 1998. Kane grabbed Punk with both hands by the neck and tossed him to ringside at 4:30. [C]

Powell's POV: One of the jobbers who lost to Ryback was Kirby Mack, who has worked for ROH in the past. He continues to works regularly on the indy scene.

After the break, Punk made his comeback with a high knee in the corner and a bulldog. He went for a cover, but Kane kicked out. Later, Punk knocked Kane off the second rope after repeated shots. Punk went to the top and hit a top rope elbow drop for a good near fall.

[Q6] Punk was knocked to ringside. As the ref pushed Kane away, Bryan jumped up and kicked Punk a few times and then returned to his seat. Punk ended up dropping Kane with a kick. A.J. ran to ringside and stood on the ring apron. Bryan jumped up and told her to get down. Punk dove onto Bryan and slammed his head into the barricade. Punk headed back to the ring where he took a chokeslam from Kane.

Kane pinned C.M. Punk in a non-title match in 13:40.

After the match, A.J. sat in the corner of the ring. Kane started to walk toward her. Rather than simply roll out of the ring, she stayed there. Daniel Bryan struck Kane, who quickly fought him off. A.J. still remained in the ring. She stood up and smiled at Kane, who then left the ring without harming her. A.J. walked over and tended to Punk... [C]

Powell's POV: Really good action down the stretch with some strong near falls that had Punk on the verge of winning. I love the tease of A.J. potentially ending up with Kane too. I hate the idea of it actually happening, but I like the tease for the possibility that she could end up with any of the three. God help us all if they try to claim that she's related to Undertaker and Kane.

An ad hyped the return of Mr. McMahon on next week's three-hour Raw. The narrator noted that McMahon will kick off the show... A graphic touted that the WWF Facebook page has more fans than the MLB Facebook page and all 30 teams combined...

Backstage, Josh Mathews asked A.J. about what happened with Kane. She seductively played with his tie and then got weird. She pulled him in close and asked: "Do you not like aggressive women? I do. You know what, you might just be my type." Mathews was flustered and walked away as soon as she let go of his tie...

Lawler set up footage of John Cena selecting Cole as his opponent. Cole pleaded with Laurinaitis via the television cameras to change his mind. Then he went into excitedly hyping the John Cena vs. Big Show match and set up a Big Show video package. Show said he's fat and fed up. They showed footage of him clowning around and he said he's not an entertainer, he's a giant...

Powell's POV: I get what they're trying to do by showing all of those corny Big Show segments and then having him drive home the point that he's not an entertainer. Believe me, though, we we don't need a visual reminder of all of the horrible shit he's done over the years. Show being serious and being cast as a true giant by destroying people is good enough.

R-Truth and Kofi Kingston made their entrance to a flat crowd reaction...

[Q7] [C] 5. R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins in a non-title match. The entrance of Reks and Hawkins was not shown and the match was joined in progress. Truth had his shoulder taped and Kingston had his ribs taped to sell Show's attack.

Truth sold for his team and Kingston took the hot tag. Lawler sold the rib injury for Kingston, who was too busy doing his normal offense to sell anything. Kingston hit a top rope move and went for the cover, but Reks broke it up. Kingston hit Trouble in Paradise on Hawkins and pinned him...

Kofi Kingston and R-Truth defeated Curt Hawkins and Tyler Reks in 3:50 (of TV time).

A shot aired of John Cena walking backstage. Lawler gave Cole a hard time about his match time approaching... [C]

Powell's POV: I guess Kingston forgot to sell the ribs he had taped. I was actually hoping Hawkins and Reks would go over since Kingston and Truth had the built in excuse, but I guess the idea was to give them a win to bounce back from last week. I would have sacrificed that for at least a week by trying to make something of Hawkins and Reks so that it actually meant a little something when the tag champs beat them. Then again, I think more about the tag division than most WWE officials do.

Triple H looked back on his return to Raw from quad surgery on January 7, 2002 in another 1,000th edition hype video segments...

[Q8] John Cena made his entrance and stopped on the stage to talk to the camera again. He mocked Cole this time. John Laurinaitis drove his scooter onto the stage. He said he's been thinking about it and it's clear that the fans want to see Cena vs. Cole. He said it's also clear that Big Johnny always over delivers.

Laurinaitis said Cena would face Cole in a No DQ match provided Cena is victorious in a first match. Tensai and Sakamoto came out. Tensai shoved Sakamoto aside. Once Sakamoto regained his footing he followed Tensai to the ring. Cole celebrated...

6. John Cena vs. Tensai (w/Sakamoto). The "Let's Go Cena" and "Cena Sucks" chants started as Tensai worked over Cena to start the match. Cena came back and knocked Tensai to ringside. Cena followed and threw Tensai back inside the ring. Sakamoto caught Cena with a couple of quick shots to leaving him lying at ringside heading into the break. [C]

After the break, Cena cut off a Tensai offensive flurry with a brief comeback, but Tensai shut him right back down and remained on the offensive. At 7:50, Tensai rammed Cena into the ring steps at ringside. Cole, who had been rooting against Cena all match for obvious reasons, got cocky as he talked smack while Cena was on the ground. Cena made it back to the ring to break the ref's ten count just in time. Later, Cena came back with his usual round off offense and hit the Attitude Adjustment and scored the pin...

John Cena pinned Tensai in 9:35.

After the match, a dejected Cole tried to escape, but Cena caught him in the crowd and threw him inside the ring. Cole had a mic in hand and told Cena that they don't have to do it this way. He said they go way back and have been great friends. "What?!?" Lawler squealed. Cole said they could shake hands. Cena laughed while the crowd booed.

Cole took his coat off. "You think this is funny?" Cole asked Cena. "You all think this is funny!" Cole removed his tie and started to unbutton his shirt. He said if Cena thought he was embarrassed when Laurinaitis beat him, just imagine how embarrassed he's going to be when he loses to him. Cole got cocky while talking about how he's unbeaten at WrestleMania.

[Overrun] Cena said the fans are going to remember Cole as the guy who got his ass kicked. Cena stripped off Cole shirt and pants. He looked at Lawler and said, "This one's for you." Cena stomped Cole low. He shushed the fans and slapped Cole hard across the chest. Cena took the mic and said Lawler whipped him at WrestleMania and he knows it.

Cena told Cole to apologize to Lawler. Cole apologized to The King. Cena said Cole kicked Jim Ross off the table and owes him an apology. Cole said Ross is his mentor and he looks up to him. He said he's sorry repeatedly. Cena said he loves J.R.'s BBQ Sauce and told Cole to tell the fans what he thinks of it. Cole said it's slobberknocking good.

Lawler pulled out a few bottles of J.R.'s BBQ Sauce. Cena went to ringside and grabbed two bottles, which he poured onto Cole. "Stop it," Cole whined.

Powell's POV: Suddenly, a Be A Star video aired. Oh, wait...

Cena went to ringside and grabbed a fire extinguisher, which he sprayed at the BBQ covered Cole. Cena hoisted up Cole for the Attitude Adjustment, but Tensai hit the ring and hit him with his finisher. Cole scrambled to cover Cena, who kicked out at the last moment. Cole threw a fit while telling Cena to look at him.

Cole picked up the fire extinguisher and attempted to slam Cena with it. However, Cena scooped him up and hit the Attitude Adjustment and got the pin.

John Cena defeated Michael Cole in 5:35.

Powell's POV: It wasn't the go-home show, but I can honestly say that there was nothing about that segment that left me interested in the pay-per-view, Big Show, next week's three-hour Raw show, etc. Oh, and Cena is clearly the dumbest babyface since Sting at his Four Horsemen invite accepting worst. He was distraught because he lost to Big Johnny, yet he dicked around with Cole and nearly lost again when Tensai interfered.

The Cena vs. Tensai match was actually solid, but it's a total afterthought now that I'm left with images of a mostly naked Cole dipped in BBQ sauce. Punk vs. Kane was much better than expected. Perhaps viewers stuck around to see Cole get his (again), but that final segment didn't do anything or me. I'll have more to say in Dot Net Members' audio later tonight and in the WWE Raw Hitlist on Tuesday. Oh, did I forget to give away a membership tonight? I'll make up for it by giving away three during the three-hour Raw next week.

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