Raw Fusion: Deserting The Ranks
The 2nd August 2010 episode of Monday Night Raw starts before the titles roll with a video recapping the events involving John Cena’s team and The Nexus last week.
After the titles roll, Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to Raw, hyping the match between Randy Orton and The Miz to take place later on, as well as the hyping the premiere of the movie trailer for “Legendary” starring John Cena.
Edge makes his way to the ring and gets a microphone, he tells us that he tried last week, but things became clear to him that he needs to go with his gut and listen to only one person – himself. Saying that after the Royal Rumble he listened to the WWE Universe and we let him down, he tells us that it is just like his SummerSlam team which is falling apart before his eyes.
He says that he doesn’t respect Cena, he doesn’t trust Jericho, he has no faith in Khali, he barely knows Truth or Morrison, and though he agrees that The Nexus has to be taken down, he has to do things his own way, and that’s why he’s challenging Wade Barrett to a match one-on-one, with him not wanting anyone to come down and stick their nose into it.
Interrupting Edge, R-Truth comes to the ring and grabs a microphone of his own, and when asked what he’s doing there by Edge, who reiterates what he just said, Truth says that he was going to ask the same question, asking if Edge thinks that challenging Barrett will squash anything, saying that it’s much bigger than that.
Edge agrees and says that he understands that, but that’s why he doesn’t want to rely on anyone – Truth interrupts and says it’s fine if he doesn’t want to listen to Cena, but Edge will listen to Truth. He says that Edge has been in many matches, but asks how many times he has had to fight for everything; their lifestyle, friends, families, and the WWE Universe.
Truth says that Edge needs to stop thinking about himself and pull his head out his rear end – and that’s the Truth. Edge says that’s clever, but that’s R-Truth’s version of the truth, but Edge’s version is taking out The Nexus by defeating Barrett, which he says is like killing a snake by chopping it’s head off, asking if Truth is going to leave the ring or whether Edge will need to Spear him out of it.
The email sound plays, the lights flash, and Michael Cole informs us that he has received an email from the General Manager. Quoting the GM, he says that he will honour Edge’s request and that Truth should leave the ring as Edge will be taking on Wade Barrett next.
When Barrett comes out for the match, he comes out alone, but the match ends with no visible decision when later on he signals for the other members of The Nexus to come out – they do so running, causing Edge to quickly bail out and exit through the crowd before they can catch him.
Backstage, Edge asks where Cena was, saying that he needed him out there but had no help whatsoever. Cena rebuffs this by saying that he did exactly what Edge asked, and stayed backstage, but Edge still isn’t happy and quits the SummerSlam team.
Turning around to a smirking Jericho, Cena asks if it’s “quitting season” and asks if Jericho is quitting too. Jericho tells Cena that it’s Cena who needs to quit, because he’s just as much of a problem as The Nexus, and that if the SummerSlam team has any chance, then Cena will quit right now – if he doesn’t want to, he’ll make him do it, challenging him to a match with the loser leaving the team for good.
Cena says that it’s a crazy idea, that they shouldn’t be doing this and The Nexus is laughing at them – especially with Edge quitting a moment ago. When pushed for an answer to the challenge however, he accepts.
After a SummerSlam Recall from 1991 featuring highlights of the match between Bret “The Hitman” Hart and “Mr Perfect” Curt Hennig, we see Morrison trying to convince Khali (with Singh translating) that if they don’t work together, their team doesn’t stand a chance, wishing him luck with his match against DiBiase.
After Morrison walks off, Tarver and Otunga approach Khali and tell him that they didn’t attack him last week as they don’t attack people that they respect, that there’s a rumour that if he doesn’t defeat DiBiase, then he’ll be off the team, and that doesn’t sound like respect, telling him to keep in mind that the door is always open if he’s interested in joining The Nexus.
Back to the ring, we have a Six-Woman Tag Team match pitting Eve Torres, Gail Kim, and Natalya, against Jillian, Tamina, and Divas Champion Alicia Fox. The match ends with Fox hitting the Scissors kick on Natalya for the win, after a distraction by Tamina.
Afterwards, Fox grabs a microphone and says that we are all witnesses to the greatest reign in Diva Championship history, and addressing the Divas now outside the ring, says that whether it’s a singles match, tag team match, battle royal, or fatal four way, she has beaten all of them and that there is no Diva on the roster comparable to her.
Melina’s music hits, interrupting Fox from saying anything more, and once in the ring evades a clothesline attempt from Fox (after Fox is thrown back into the ring by Jillian when she tries to escape), hitting a Snapmare-Facebuster followed by the Sunset Split, before celebrating.
Next up, Sheamus goes against Goldust, a video recap playing of their match in ECW last year, as Goldust makes his way to the ring for this match. The match ends with Sheamus hitting the High-Cross and then pinning him, after dominated Goldust.
Afterwards, Sheamus comments about the difference a year makes, and saying that he’s a two-time WWE Champion, having done it on his own merits, not from grabbing a briefcase like The Miz, or by being born as a third generation Superstar like Randy Orton, and saying that like he did to Triple H, he’s going to end Orton’s career at SummerSlam – and he doesn’t need or want any respect or credit from the WWE Universe as he already has what he needs, that being the WWE Championship.
Now, Chris Jericho takes on John Cena, with the match ending in Cena’s favour as Jericho quickly taps out before he’s even got the STF locked in. Grabbing a microphone, Cena says that we just saw a match between two of the greatest in the WWE, and though he doesn’t want Jericho to leave, he’s not going to beg him, the choice is Jericho’s – Jericho makes the choice to leave.
Backstage, Edge says to Jericho that he doesn’t blame Jericho, that Cena needs them, but they don’t need him. After both agreeing to put the pasts between them aside, we go to ringside where Cole tells us that the General Manager has made a Tag Team match for next week, pitting Jericho and Edge against John Cena and Bret Hart, with all members of The Nexus standing at ringside as Lumberjacks.
Josh Mathews interviews Randy Orton, asking him about Sheamus’ earlier comments, with Orton replying that Sheamus is forgetting that he’s not the only man who’s taken out Triple H; Orton made him take six weeks out after a punt to the head.
Inviting Sheamus to sit at ringside for his match against The Miz, he says that he will see what he is capable of doing, with the good news being that The Miz will be in no shape to cash in Money In The Bank, but the bad news being the same happening to Sheamus at SummerSlam.
Next, after the premiere of the movie trailer, Khali makes his way to the ring for his match against Ted DiBiase (who is accompanied by Maryse), a video recapping the events between himself and The Nexus last week as he does so. The match ends with Barrett and Sheffield distracting DiBiase, giving Khali the opening to put the Vice Grip on DiBiase to get the win.
After the Bella Twins help Mark Wahlberg and Will Ferrell to hype their movie “The Other Guys” by appearing to fawn all over an uninterested Ferrell (just like his character in the movie apparently), The Miz makes his way to the ring for his match against Orton, grabbing a microphone to say something before it gets underway.
The Miz says that last week Orton made a mistake, not just a lapse in judgment, but a life-altering and perhaps skull-crushing decision in his career as he doesn’t have a shred of positivity in his future, with him paying for what he did tonight, and Orton’s best case scenario at SummerSlam being that he beats Sheamus for the WWE Championship, followed by The Miz cashing in Money In The Bank – because he’s The Miz, and he’s Awesome.
Orton wins with an RKO as The Miz misses when attempting to attack Orton and bounces off the ropes, and though Sheamus quickly runs to the ring to take advantage of Orton’s back being turned, Orton turns around and gets into the coiled RKO position, giving a menacing stare to Sheamus who has stopped in his tracks, as Raw goes off the air.
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