Raw Fusion: Marriage In The Bank

by Firefly on 15th July 2012

The 9th July 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw starts with a video recapping the events of last week involving Daniel Bryan, CM Punk, and AJ, followed by AJ’s music hitting and her making her way to the ring to kick off the show.

AJ talks about being the Special Guest Referee in the WWE Championship match at the Money In The Bank Pay-Per-View on Sunday, and how she realises that her actions can greatly affect the outcome of the match.

She says that the thought of that is overwhelming and emotional, but with that in mind, she asks the crowd to help her welcome the WWE Champion, CM Punk, whose music hits after a few moments and he makes his way to the ring.

CM Punk tells AJ that he is there and thus asks what this is all about, to which she replies that last week on SmackDown! (click here for our SmackDown! report), Punk showed his true feelings when he called her mentally unstable and said that she needed professional help.

AJ denies that she needs professional help, as she is in full control of all of her mental faculties at all times, but as for Punk’s sentiment about her, nobody has ever cared about her, let alone showed compassion and concern like Punk did – and when she kissed him, she knew it.

She says that she knew what she had to do, as she says that Punk’s eyes sent love straight into her heart and that he fills her up with passion and desire, and he turns her on. AJ says that she now knows what she has to do, as she takes a couple of steps back, goes down on bended knee – and asks CM Punk to marry her.

Daniel Bryan rushes to the ring yelling “No!” repeatedly, and he tells AJ to listen to him, as she is about to make the biggest mistake of her life and he can’t let her do this. Bryan says that Punk doesn’t love AJ, but is just playing her because she is the referee for their match on Sunday.

He says that he knows that he has hurt AJ in the past, but that he never stopped having feelings for her. As for Punk, Bryan says that he only cares about one person – that person being CM Punk.

CM Punk says that Daniel Bryan doesn’t know the first thing about him, let alone how he really feels about AJ, so Bryan should shut his mouth. Bryan’s response is to ask if that is so, then Punk should say “I do”.

Bryan says that Punk sees AJ as a Special Guest Referee, but he himself sees her as a Special Person. He says that they both had the same idea, as when he woke up in the morning, he had no intention of stopping a proposal – but intended to make one.

Daniel Bryan then sinks to a bended knee and asks AJ to marry him. Punk calls the proposal a load of crap, and asks for proof of it being planned, such as a ring, which proves that Bryan is a fraud and a liar.

Punk asks AJ to go to the back with him so that they can have a discussion about all of this, to which Bryan yells not to talk like that to his future Fiancée and that it is between him and AJ. The argument is interrupted by the lights flashing and a sound playing, with Michael Cole informing us that he believes that he has just received an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager.

Cole quotes the Anonymous Raw General Manager as saying that they are back and running this episode, as well as them thinking that AJ and Punk make a great couple, which is why they are putting them in a Mixed Tag Team match later on, as AJ and CM Punk face the team of Eve Torres and Daniel Bryan.

Daniel Bryan isn’t happy about this as he thinks that it should be him and AJ as a team, but the GM says that maybe AJ will see Bryan in a different light if he beats Punk… or maybe not, but either way, they wish luck to all involved in the match.

AJ says that this is all confusing, and that she knows that her proposal to Punk caught him by surprise, just like Bryan’s proposal to her caught her by surprise, but she thinks that they all need time to think, but she is really happy about the match later on, as she believes that everything happens for a reason, and she has a feeling that she is going to walk out of the arena with her future husband – which makes Punk drop his microphone in surprise.

Next, Sheamus takes on Jack Swagger in a match which sees Sheamus get the victory, when he hits Swagger with a Brogue Kick for the 3-count. Afterwards as Sheamus celebrates, a car horn is heard and Alberto Del Rio appears on the titantron, where he congratulates Sheamus but says that neither Swagger or anybody else is like Del Rio.

Del Rio says that just like he did something to Sheamus on SmackDown! last week that nobody had done to Sheamus before, he is going to do what nobody else could at Money In The Bank – defeat Sheamus to become the new World Heavyweight Champion. As Del Rio drives away on the titantron, Sheamus hits Swagger with another Brogue Kick.

After an interaction involving Santino Marella and Zack Ryder, in which Marella starts on a search for the Anonymous Raw General Manager who is apparently present in the building, and the announcers informing us that The Rock will be at the 1000th episode of Monday Night Raw, Christian and Tyson Kidd are pitted against Tensai and Dolph Ziggler (accompanied by Vickie Guerrero and Sakamoto) in a Tag Team match.

The match sees Tensai get the victory for his team, when Tensai hits Christian with a running back-splash for the 3-count. Afterwards, Tensai attacks Tyson Kidd and hits him with a powerbomb to the ring apron and following it up with another running back-splash.

After an argument between Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler at the Announcers’ table which results in Cole knocking a drink over Lawler, an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager arrives, but when Cole goes to read it, he says that he refuses to read it.

Lawler takes his place and it becomes obvious as to why Cole didn’t want to read it, as the GM makes a WrestleMania Rematch by making Cole face Lawler. Cole yells that the GM should change it, and after a while another email does arrive, but it is to let the WWE Universe decide if the match should take place, to which the crowd are all in approval, so they should vote on WWE.com.

Now, “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay (accompanied by Cameron and Naomi) goes against Drew McIntyre in a match which sees Clay get the victory, when he hits McIntyre with the jumping body splash for the 3-count.

After an interaction involving Chris Jericho and Santino Marella, as well as one involving Chris Jericho and The Big Show, and a video recapping the events of the 11th February 2002 episode of Monday Night Raw involving Stephanie McMahon and Triple H, to promote the upcoming 1000th episode, John Cena’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring.

John Cena says that he is excited that on Sunday the world will witness Money In The Bank, and quotes Winston Churchill that if you’re going to go through hell, you should keep going, which he says is what Money In The Bank is all about.

He says that himself and his opponents in the match aren’t focused on pinfalls or submissions, but instead they have a common goal that is hanging high above the ring. Cena says that Money In The Bank is a must-see event, because every time that it has happened, the winner has always cashed it in to become the champion (though the fact that Mr. Kennedy was a winner and lost the briefcase to Edge, who subsequently cashed it in, is ignored).

Cena says that on Sunday he stands by his word that he will do two things, the first being that The Big Show will be stopped by his hand, and the second being that he will do whatever he has to, to whoever he has to, to be the next Money In The Bank winner.

After a video recapping the match between Kane and The Big Show last week on Raw, John Cena and Kane take on Chris Jericho and The Big Show in a Tag Team match which sees Kane and Cena apparently get the victory as a result of a disqualification, when Show interrupts Cena’s pin attempt by pulling him out of the ring and then throwing him into the barricade.

Show then proceeds to hit Kane with a clothesline, before rolling him into the ring and then grabbing ladders from underneath the ring which he also slides into the ring too. The Big Show enters the ring and grabs one of the ladders, then using it on both Jericho and Kane, before he throws it down and punishes Jericho with another ladder until Cena appears with a ladder and ends up knocking Show out of the ring.

After a video recapping the earlier events involving AJ, CM Punk, and Daniel Bryan, an interaction involving CM Punk and Eve Torres, and an interaction involving The Great Khali and Santino Marella, Sin Cara is pitted against Heath Slater in a World Heavyweight Championship Money In The Bank qualifying match.

The match sees Cara get the victory and qualify, when he hits Slater with a tilt-a-whirl headscissors into a single arm takedown for the 3-count. Afterwards, Slater says that this is not fair and that he is a future champion and he will prove it, as he asks to be sent any former champion in the back and he will beat them, and that he doesn’t care if it’s John Cena, Kane, Chris Jericho, anybody.

A former WWE Champion does indeed make their way to the ring – Bob Backlund. After a “you’ve still got it chant” before he has even wrestled at all, he is tricked into a handshake by Slater, which he takes advantage of by knocking Backlund down.

Backlund gets back up however, and avoids Slater’s next shot by putting him in the Crossface Chicken-Wing.

After the results of the vote reveal that the match between Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler will take place as 75% voted “Yes”, Booker T and Josh Mathews do the commentary as the aforementioned match takes place.

The match sees Lawler get the victory, when he puts Cole in an airplane spin, and pins the dizzy Cole for the 3-count. Afterwards, Josh Mathews receives an email from the Anonymous Raw General Manager which states that due to the “blatant interference” by Booker T (who really only threw Cole back into the ring), the referee’s decision is reversed, making Cole the winner.

Afterwards, Santino Marella’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring, where he says that he has searched every inch of the arena and come to the conclusion that if the Anonymous Raw General Manager is there, there is only one location that they could be – underneath the ring. The Anonymous Raw General Manager sends Josh Mathews an email that says that they are not, and that there is nobody under there sending emails and Marella should leave now.

Marella believes this to be a clue, so exits the ring but starts to get dragged underneath it until Jerry “The King” Lawler is able to help drag him out, but he is not the only one dragged out, as Hornswoggle comes along for the ride with a laptop.

Hornswoggle is revealed to be the one behind the whole thing, and when confronted by Marella and Lawler, he kicks Lawler and bites Marella on the ass, followed by kicking a laughing Michael Cole too for good measure, and then leaving.

After hyping that the upcoming episode of SmackDown! will be hosted by Zack Ryder, Eve Torres and Daniel Bryan go against CM Punk and AJ in a Mixed Tag Team match which sees AJ get the victory for her team, when Bryan refuses to tag in and AJ takes advantage by rolling Eve up for the 3-count.

Afterwards, Daniel Bryan tells AJ that he just proved that she means more to him than any match, and he suggests that they leave together right now to get married. CM Punk says that he is not going to blatantly use AJ and lie to her to keep his championship.

He says that Bryan on the other hand said he wants to marry her, because he thinks that she can help him become the WWE Champion. Punk says that he doesn’t care if this costs him the match or his title at Money In The Bank, but he tells AJ that he isn’t going to marry her, and that if it hurts her then he’s sorry, but at least he cares about her enough to tell her the truth.

AJ walks up to Punk and slaps him, which Bryan seems happy about and asks AJ to “come home”, but when she approaches Bryan who claims to care about her, she slaps him too.

AJ and the crowd chant “Yes!” while she leaves, 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.

Related Posts

Comments are closed.