Raw Fusion: The Best There Is, The Best There Was, The Best There Ever Will Referee

by Firefly on 24th May 2011

The 23rd May 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw starts with an image in memory of “Macho Man” Randy Savage, followed by Jerry “The King” Lawler making his way to the ring.

 

Lawler talks about how the nightmare is finally over and Michael Cole has been beaten, which prompts a “Jerry” chant from the crowd. He says that he knew that Cole would have some sort of plan that would mean he would try to weasel out of kissing his feet, but he had an ace up his sleeve – he clarifies that to be that he had a Hart up his sleeve, introducing Bret “The Hitman” Hart who makes his way to the ring.

 

Hart talks about how he’s always happy to be on Raw and how he and Lawler had their differences over the years, but he always respected what a competitor he is, so he says it was his pleasure to make sure that Cole suffered the agony of defeat, if you know what he means (de-feet), as he was shown no respect by Cole either.

 

R-Truth makes his way to the ring and talks about how the crowd don’t have any sense and then about how he has had no WWE Championship title shots. He wonders if the reason the “little Jimmy’s” didn’t help him get anywhere was because he didn’t give them anything, and asks Hart if he can help him try something.

 

He takes Hart’s glasses and chooses a kid at ringside who he then places them on, before he suggests that it now means that he should be next in line for a WWE Championship match. Truth says that he used to think that wins and losses didn’t matter as long as he gave people what they wanted, but it didn’t get him anything.

 

R-Truth says that after beating John Morrison and Rey Mysterio, it makes him a believer that actions speak louder than words, and that the action part of his mind is telling him that he needs to beat up a Hall Of Famer and that maybe he’d get the match he deserves.

 

Hart tells him to take his best shot, but says that one thing he needs to know first is that the reason he got championship matches is because he is the best there is, was, and ever will be, and the reason Truth isn’t getting any championship matches is because he’s a freaking lunatic.

 

Truth says that he’s not going to stand there and get disrespected, so starts to leave as John Cena’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. Cena asks R-Truth to hold on and come back into the ring, which he does, before he tells him that he thinks that it’s time that they had a talk.

 

After greeting Hart, he says that he hasn’t been able to pinpoint on the time-line when Truth went crazy and he asks what’s up, and he says that they used to be cool. Truth says that Cena doesn’t know a thing about cool, or about him.

 

He says that the whole conspiracy he’s been talking about is all about Cena, as the people make sure that it’s all about John Cena – Cena refutes this and says that he makes sure it’s all about the people. Truth asks if that’s the case, then why is everyone saying that they need to get the new Cena t-shirt, wristband, and movie.

 

R-Truth says that he never liked Cena, that Cena and Hart are both the same, and calls them propaganda tools designed to make the fans feel good. He says that he doesn’t care about the people or about how they feel, it’s all about him, and he won’t feel right until he gets his WWE Championship match.

 

Cena says that he’s still a bit broken up from the night before (click here for our Over The Limit report), but he thinks it’s time that somebody knocks some sense into Truth. Before he can do so however, Josh Mathews receives an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager.

 

The GM says that Truth has been impressive, but he needs to see more before he can grant him a WWE Championship match, so he will be paying close attention to the Main Event later on when John Cena and Rey Mysterio take on R-Truth and CM Punk in a tag team match with Bret “The Hitman” Hart as Special Guest Referee.

 

Backstage, The Big Show and Kane are talking when they are approached and talked at in Spanish by Ricardo Rodriguez as Show is leaning on Alberto Del Rio’s car, but Show pushes him away which also knocks Rodriguez over, before attempting to continue the conversation. Del Rio interjects and seems to berate them in Spanish, but Show and Kane simply walk away.

 

Back in the arena, Kane and The Big Show are pitted against David Otunga and Michael McGillicutty of The New Nexus (accompanied by Mason Ryan and CM Punk) in a tag team match for the WWE Tag Team Championships which sees Otunga and McGillicutty take advantage of Punk’s interference behind the referee’s back to hit Show with a double-DDT for the 3-count to become the new Champions.

 

Backstage again, an irate Show and Kane are interviewed by Scott Stanford about what happened, when they are approached by Del Rio, who says something and slaps Show, before running away apparently pursued by him, and a car-crash sound then being heard.

 

Kane runs around the corner to find Show’s leg trapped under Del Rio’s car, which is then backed away freeing it, but the damage is done and after yelling for help, it finally arrives to see to Show’s leg. Though he seems to be in a lot of pain, he eventually starts to stand up with the help of Kane and something to lean on as he tries to claim that he’s fine.

 

Next, Evan Bourne goes against Jack Swagger in a match which sees Swagger get the victory when he hits Bourne with the gut-wrench powerbomb for the 3-count. Afterwards, Swagger does a number of victory laps, but apparently one too many as he runs into a flying kick from Bourne who has got back up.

 

Now, Michael Cole makes his way to the announce table to a “you suck toes” chant from the crowd, and he starts to ask for the attention of the crowd before he thinks better of it and admits that he doesn’t deserve their attention.

 

He says that it isn’t about him any more, and that it never should have been about him, so he cam out there to apologise to Lawler, Josh Mathews, Ring Announcer Justin Roberts, Timekeeper Mark Yeaton, everyone in the arena, and watching at home.

 

He apologises for his actions for the past couple of months and tells Lawler that he wants to come back home and do the job that he was hired to do, sit at the announce table and call matches. Cole says that there would be no more Cole Mines, or matches with Lawler, and he begs everyone to accept his apology.

 

Lawler tells him that it sounds good and thanks him for apologising and being professional, but he also thanks him for a picture which he says will be on his Christmas card, as he then shows a picture of Lawler shoving his foot into Cole’s mouth at Over The Limit.

 

He tells Cole that he also might need a supply of the breath mints that he then hands him, but it seems that his apology has now been accepted as he joins Mathews and Lawler at the announce table.

 

The Miz makes his way to the ring with Alex Riley and says that there is only one reason that he didn’t win the WWE Championship at Over The Limit, and turning to Riley, he says that the reason is Alex Riley.

 

He says that it’s not a one-time phenomenon, but habitual as at Extreme Rules he forgot who he worked for and didn’t show up for The Miz’s triple threat cage match, and the next night on Raw he won it back but then something else happened, as he plays a clip of Riley raising his hand and sending the WWE Championship title belt into the middle of the ring.

 

The Miz says that at Over The Limit the plan was working to perfection, but Riley screwed it up again and the referee started the match, then Riley got put through a table by Cena. The Miz says that Riley was so unhelpful that Cena wasn’t the one in a handicap match, The Miz was.

 

The Miz calls for the Anonymous Raw General Manager to make a match between him and Cena for the WWE Championship, and he says that he won’t leave the ring until the GM chimes in. The GM does, but says that the request is denied as The Miz lost his match at Over The Limit, and as far as he is concerned, The Miz is done with John Cena.

 

The Miz turns to Riley once more and says that it is all his fault and asks if he has any explanation for himself, to which Riley points out that he wasn’t the one who said “I Quit”. The Miz doesn’t react favourably to this and talks about how if it wasn’t for him, Riley wouldn’t be in the WWE or anything without him, and how despite being given chance after chance, he has been one big disappointment after disappointment.

 

The Miz says that he is sick of Riley’s stupidity and says that he is done with him and tells him that he is fired. He pushes him away and this causes Riley to snap as he attacks The Miz and sends him over the announce table and attacks him around the ring before leaving him lying in the ring.

 

Next up, The Bella Twins, Maryse, and Melina take on Kelly Kelly, Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix and Gail Kim in an Eight-Diva Tag Team match which sees Kharma’s music hit shortly after it starts and her make her way to the ring.

 

This causes all of the divas in the match to enter the ring and when Kharma enters it, they surround her and wait for her to do something. After looking around however, Kharma drops to her knees and starts to cry.

 

After a video recapping the tables match at Extreme Rules between Sheamus and Kofi Kingston for the United States Championship, Kofi Kingston is pitted against Drew McIntyre in a match which sees Kingston counter a shot from McIntyre into the S.O.S for the 3-count.

 

Afterwards as Kingston celebrates, Dolph Ziggler (now with blond hair again) and Vickie Guerrero are shown watching on a monitor backstage.

 

After a dream-sequence type video hyping WWE Capitol Punishment, and a video recapping what happened to The Big Show earlier on, Scott Stanford interviews Alberto Del Rio who says that Show got what was coming to him, but that it’s all Ricardo’s fault and that it had nothing to do with him.

 

After a video package commemorating “Macho Man” Randy Savage, Rey Mysterio and John Cena go against R-Truth and CM Punk in a match with Bret “The Hitman” Hart as the Special Guest Referee.

 

Mysterio gets the victory for his team when he hits Punk – who is locked into a Sharpshooter by Hart – with a springboard leg drop for the 3-count.

 

Afterwards, Mysterio, Cena, and Hart celebrate in the ring as Raw goes off the air.

About the Author: Firefly

Avatar of Ron Simmons saying "Damn!"
Discovering WCW Monday Nitro in the 1990s, he has been hooked on wrestling ever since, later going on to also discover WWF (now WWE), and even later numerous independent promotions, TNA and now the very captivating challenger known as AEW.

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