Raw Fusion: Tough Enough
The 6th June 2011 episode of Monday Night Raw starts with Vince McMahon saying that he’s going to choose the Tough Enough Champion, until Stone Cold Steve Austin says that it’s his show, so he’ll be the one to pick instead, and he picks “Big” Andy Levine.
Afterwards they both congratulate the new WWE Superstar and welcome him to the WWE with a slap from McMahon and a Stunner from Austin, after which Austin and McMahon seem to be ready to celebrate until R-Truth interrupts.
Truth makes his way to the ring dressed up and singing something about “Little Jimmy” and conspiracies, and he explains that he is dressed like that because he was told by the Anonymous Raw General Manager to apologise if he wants to keep his WWE Championship match against John Cena at Capitol Punishment.
After McMahon rolls the footage of what the GM wants Truth to apologise for, Truth thanks him for reminding him and he apologises to “Big Jimmy”, “Little Jimmy”, and to the soda, and keeps apologising until Austin says that he should apologise for dressing like a jackass.
Truth explains that he did his homework and knows where he is at, giving false hope before insulting the area and its people and saying that the only good idea they had was secession, something that he has decided to do from the WWE Universe – though he’ll keep the title match, there will be no action figures, t-shirts, video games involving him or anything.
He says that he has been a victim of a company-wide conspiracy, asking McMahon if that is the case, but McMahon suggests that he visit his office during his office hours of 9am to midnight, something which he says that Austin knows all about.
Going back to the question of conspiracy, Truth starts to spell it before just saying the rest of the word until The Miz’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring. The Miz says that unlike Truth, he deals in reality, and that the reality is that if it wasn’t for his inept former protégé Alex Riley he would still be the WWE Champion.
He says that despite the attacks over the last two weeks by Riley upon him, it doesn’t change the fact that he is the most must-see WWE Champion in WWE history, and he deserves one last WWE Championship match.
Alex Riley’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring before telling The Miz that the only thing that he deserves is a third week of beatdowns. The interruptions keep coming however as John Cena’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring as Michael Cole informs us via commentary that the Championship match between him and Truth at Capitol Punishment will indeed go ahead thanks to Truth’s earlier apology.
Cena recaps the situation in the ring – McMahon being out of patience, The Miz being out of excuses, Riley being out of patience, Austin being almost out of beer, and Truth being out of his mind – before he focuses on The Miz and informs him that he said that he quit, and though he’s not the General Manager, The Miz will not get a Championship match so he should just get over himself.
Focusing on Riley, he says that he doesn’t like or trust him, but he commends him as he showed that he had a set when he manned up and attacked The Miz. Coming to Truth, he sarcastically claims that somebody dressed like he is has no mental problems, but says that he already got his title match after apologising so he should just take them off.
Michael Cole receives an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager, but Vince McMahon tells him to shut up and says that he has it instead, as he makes a decision of his own and makes a tag match for later on with a team consisting of John Cena and Alex Riley taking on a team consisting of The Miz and R-Truth, with Stone Cole Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee.
Next up, Santino Marella (accompanied by Vladimir Kozlov) takes on Michael McGillicutty (accompanied by David Otunga) in a match which sees Marella hit the Cobra for the 3-count and the victory.
Now, Beth Phoenix and Kelly Kelly are pitted against The Bella Twins in a Divas Tag Team match which ends with Beth getting the victory for her team when she hits one of the Bella Twins with the Glam Slam for the 3-count.
Going backstage, Booker T is teaching his fellow Tough Enough trainer Trish Stratus how to do the Spinaroonie, when Jack Swagger barges in and suggests that Booker may not have what it takes any more, so challenges him to a match – Booker can’t believe he just said that, and accepts.
Back in the arena, CM Punk makes his way out onto the stage with Mason Ryan before he sits down (causing Jerry “The King” Lawler to quip that he gets tired quickly) and talks about how he defeated Rey Mysterio last week and claiming that brings the score of the number of times he has beaten him to over six hundred.
He says that he granted Mysterio a rematch and he will beat him once more, to prove that the power of his New Nexus is unyielding and the faith is undying, inviting the crowd to join him in dismantling Mysterio.
Rey Mysterio goes against CM Punk in a match which sees Mysterio hit a diving splash from the top rope for the 3-count and the victory. Afterwards, a video is shown hyping WWE Capitol Punishment, and the match between John Cena and R-Truth.
After a video hyping the special 3-hour “WWE All Star Night” edition of Raw to take place next week, Alberto Del Rio makes his way to the ring introducing himself as usual before talking about how there is a word to describe what he has been hearing, and he says that the word is “slander”.
He says that people are accusing him of being a “hit and run coward”, but he says it was an accident before rolling footage from two weeks ago that he says proves it. Del Rio says that this is why he wants The Big Show to come out, so he can apologise to him.
He invites Show to come out and after a delay in which he seems to think Show may be scared and him pointing out that he is nowhere near his car, The Big Show’s music hits and Ricardo Rodriguez makes his way to the ring dressed as Show and walking on crutches.
Del Rio says that he I glad that he showed up and asks him some questions to which Rodriguez just makes noises and raises his arm into the air in answer each time, before Del Rio turns serious and says that Show got what he deserved and that bad things happen to bad people, giving the advice that Show should go home, lick his wounds, and never disrespect him again.
Addressing The Big Show by looking towards the camera, Del Rio tells him not to make him his enemy, as if he does then he will get hurt, which is not a threat but a promise, as he reiterates that bad things happen to bad people, after which Rodriguez keeps yelling Del Rio’s name.
Next, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero join commentary and a video is shown recapping Ziggler’s match with Kofi Kingston last week, before Kingston takes on Zack Ryder in a match which sees Kingston hit Ryder with Trouble In Paradise for the 3-count.
Now, after a video recapping Jack Swagger’s match with Evan Bourne last week, Swagger is pitted against Booker T in a match which sees Booker get the win as a result of a count-out after Swagger decides that it’s not worth re-entering the ring.
Afterwards, Bourne runs down and attacks Swagger to goad him into chasing him into the ring, which he does and into a kick from Booker who then follows it up with the scissors-kick, leaving him in position for Bourne to hit the Shooting Star Press. Bourne and Booker then celebrate with a double spinaroonie.
Next up, John Cena and Alex Riley go against The Miz and R-Truth in a match that involves Stone Cold Steve Austin as the Special Guest Referee and which sees Riley hit The Miz with the briefcase to the head, which is then followed up by a Stone Cold Stunner to The Miz by Austin and an Attitude Adjustment to The Miz by John Cena for the 3-count and the victory for his team.
Afterwards, Cena and Austin celebrate in the ring until Michael Cole receives an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager. He says that as the referee blatantly overstepped his authority by physically interfering in the match, Riley and Cena have been disqualified, so the winners are The Miz and R-Truth.
He continues to say he is appointing Austin as the Special Guest General Manager for the 3-hour “WWE All Stars Night” edition of Raw next week, after which Austin drags Cole into the ring and hits him with a Stone Cold Stunner.
It isn’t over however as Cena follows it up with an Attitude Adjustment to Cole, after which Austin informs Cole that he will see him next week and both Cena and Austin continue where they left off before they were so rudely interrupted, by celebrate in the ring with beer as Raw goes off the air.