The 16^th July 2012 episode of Monday Night Raw starts with CM Punk making his way to the ring and talking about how he loves Las Vegas. He says that there are a lot of great memories for him there, as it was a year ago that he sat on the stage and dropped a pipe-bomb, and he says that he said that he was the best and has proven that he is the best in the world.

Punk says that he has beaten everybody who has stepped in front of him, including Daniel Bryan ad Money In The Bank (click here for our Money In The Bank report), despite there being a very confused Special Guest Referee who couldn’t decide if she was with him or against him.

He talks about Raw celebrating 1000 episodes next week, and about how he automatically thinks of the first episode, as at that time, a guy who looks, talks, and speaks like him would not have been on that episode, let alone standing in the ring in the midst of his eighth month as the WWE Champion.

Punk is interrupted from saying more by The Big Show’s music hitting and him making his way to the ring, where Show calls Punk’s story “touching”, but he says that they both know that he was inches away from winning the Money In The Bank contract.

He says that the briefcase was in his grasp, but as usual John Cena was in the right place at the right time, when the handle broke on the briefcase. Show says that if he had the contract, he would cash it in right here, right now.

CM Punk agrees that The Big Show almost won, but he says that “almost” only counts in “Horseshoes & Hand Grenades”, and he says that Show did what he always does – leave destruction in his wake, and then lose.

He says that Show has everything it takes to be champion, but he lost, and that is why a guy like Punk has the respect of all of the fans and the WWE Championship, and Show has a big fat contract and the respect of nobody.

Show doesn’t believe that the fans respect Punk, as he says that they don’t even respect themselves. He says that if Punk left the WWE tomorrow, he would give the fans a week before they moved onto the next new thing.

He says that Punk isn’t special, but is instead just another cog in the machine. Punk’s retort is that he is the WWE Champion and Show isn’t, but he says that Show is a bitter, underachieving, albeit well-paid shell of a man who happens to be a giant.

The Big Show says that is CM Punk’s opinion, but as John Cena is “Mr. Money In The Bank”, after he knocks Punk out in their match later on, Punk could lose his WWE Championship to John Cena.

After the announcers encourage fans to vote on WWE.com as to which championship — Intercontinental, United States, or Divas — should be defended on the 1000^th episode of Raw next week, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth take on Darren Young and Titus O’Neil (accompanied by AW) for the WWE Tag Team Championship.

R-Truth gets the victory to retain the titles for his team, when Kingston hits O’Neil with Trouble In Paradise and Truth follows it up with the jumping reverse STO on O’Neil for the 3-count.

After an interaction backstage involving AJ and Daniel Bryan, which is interrupted by Eve Torres and sees Eve announce that she and a partner of her choice will be facing AJ and Bryan in a Mixed Tag Team match later on, and a video hyping Tout, “Long Island Iced Z” Zack Ryder is pitted against Alberto Del Rio in a match which sees Del Rio get the victory, when he applies the cross-armbreaker to Ryder, forcing him to tap out.

Afterwards, Ryder applies it again but is interrupted by Rey Mysterio’s music hitting and him making his return, ending in Mysterio hitting Del Rio with a 619, forcing Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez to retreat up the ramp.

After a video recapping the events over the past few weeks involving Superstars from the past and Heath Slater, Heath Slater goes against another Superstar from the past, Rikishi, in a match which sees Rikishi get the victory when he hits Slater with a Banzai Drop from the second rope for the 3-count.

Afterwards, Rikishi dances in the ring with his sons, Jimmy and Jey Uso,

After a video recapping the Mixed Tag Team match from last week, Eve Torres and The Miz take on AJ and Daniel Bryan in a Mixed Tag Team match which sees AJ get the victory for her team, when Daniel Bryan rolls over the small package that Eve has AJ in behind the back of the referee, allowing AJ to get the 3-count when the referee’s attention has returned.

Afterwards, Daniel Bryan says that AJ used to say something that he was too scared and stupid not to say back, but he says that he realises that his career, state of mind, and entire life won’t be right until he tells this to her now – he loves her.

He says that last week he asked AJ a question as he wanted to become the WWE Champion, but this week he doesn’t want anything except “this”, as he then sinks to a knee and proposes to AJ once again, but this time with a ring in his hand.

Bryan slips the ring onto AJ’s finger, and then lifts the microphone to hear her answer – Yes. Bryan and AJ kiss for a few moments, before they both celebrate in the ring with chants of “Yes!” while the crowd chant “No!”.

After a video recapping the events involving a bridge, The Rock, and “Stone Cold” Steve Austin on the 12^th April 1999 episode of Monday Night Raw, to hype the upcoming 1000^th episode, the announcers tell us that Daniel Bryan has announced on Twitter that his wedding to AJ will happen next week on the 1000^th episode of Raw.

Next up, Jack Swagger is pitted against Ryback in a match which never officially gets started, as Swagger attempts to attack Ryback as soon as he enters the ring, but Ryback is the one who comes out on top when he hits Swagger with a triple powerbomb and kicks him out of the ring.

After a video recapping John Cena’s saying on Tout that he has a “huge announcement” that he will make on this episode of Raw, Vickie Guerrero introduces the World Heavyweight Championship Money In The Bank winner, Dolph Ziggler, and they then make their way to the ring.

Dolph Ziggler talks about how every single Money In The Bank contract has been cashed in successfully, which he says means that we are looking at the next World Heavyweight Champion. He says that it is only a matter of time before he cashes in against Sheamus, and when he does, he is going to become the greatest champion in WWE history.

He says that he will be better than Bret Hart, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, and The Rock, and he says that he is “The Show Off” and it is undisputed, but he is interrupted from saying anything more by Chris Jericho’s music hitting and him making his way to the ring.

Before Jericho can say anything, Ziggler says that for once it isn’t about him, and that it instead Ziggler’s moment. He says that he won his Money In The Bank match, but Jericho didn’t win his and never has won Money In The Bank, and while he thinks about it, when was the last time Jericho won anything?

Jericho stays silent, so Ziggler suggests that he can’t remember either, and he goes on to say that all he has heard since Jericho came back is how great he is, how he is going to save us, how it is the end of the world as we know it, and how he is the best in the world at what he does.

Dolph Ziggler says that what Chris Jericho does is lose, and that nobody has been given more opportunities than Jericho, and that he is all hype and has everybody fooled. He says that he thinks that Jericho is losing his touch – Jericho’s response is to hit Ziggler with a Codebreaker and leave.

After hyping DX, Brock Lesnar, and The Rock on next week’s 1000^th episode of Raw, and revealing that the results of the earlier vote mean that Christian will defend his Intercontinental Championship next week, “Funkasaurus” Brodus Clay (accompanied by Cameron and Naomi) goes against JTG.

The match sees Clay get the victory, when he hits JTG with a jumping body splash for the 3-count.

Now, CM Punk takes on The Big Show in a match which sees Punk get the victory as a result of a disqualification, when the referee calls for the bell after Show pushes him down. Afterwards, Show continues to attack Punk, but when he is getting ready to hit the Weapon of Mass Destruction, John Cena’s music hits and he makes his way to the ring with his briefcase.

Show exits the ring, assuming that Cena is about to cash it in on Punk, but John Cena asks for a microphone and is handed one. He talks about how he sent out a Tout earlier on saying that he had an announcement to make concerning the briefcase in his hand.

The Big Show interrupts him and says that everyone knows what the announcement will be, that he is going to cash in his Money In The Bank briefcase right now, asking how long it has been since Cena was the WWE Champion, pointing out that Punk is holding the championship that Cena designed, and also pointing out that a referee has now made their way to the ring.

Show says that Cena would be a fool not to cash it in right now, and that the fans don’t respect Cena or even themselves. He says that Punk looks weak and that Cena will never have an easier victory than right now.

Cena says no, and turns his attention to CM Punk. He tells Punk that he has one week to prepare for the biggest match of his life, as next week on the 1000^th episode of Monday Night Raw, they will find out who the “Best In The World” really is, as he will cash his contract in against him, with both men being fresh.

He says that makes everyone wonder what his announcement was regarding the briefcase, and his answer is to hit The Big Show with it and knock him off the apron.

John Cena and CM Punk stand face-to-face with the briefcase and WWE Championship respectively, as Raw goes off the air.