Raw Fusion: Impartiality
The 25th October 2010 episode of Monday Night Raw starts with all members of The Nexus making their way to the ring, with John Cena and David Otunga carrying their WWE Tag Team titles.
Wade Barrett tries to get the crowd to settle down before introducing the most dominant group in the WWE, The Nexus. He introduces each member individually, before saying that at Bragging Rights, they did the unthinkable when their actions resulted in the burial of The Undertaker, then showing some photos of it.
He says that people will be asking themselves why they did that, but that it is none of their business, but suffice to say that they had their reasons. Barrett says that later on, he himself defeated Randy Orton, but asks John Cena to explain what happened.
Cena says that he was about to get beaten down by Orton, so he interfered and got Orton disqualified so that he won the match. Barrett disputes this and says that what happened was that he was well on his way to defeating Orton for the championship when Cena inexplicably decided to enter the ring and lay his hands on him and had the audacity to hand Orton the title.
Cena reminds him that he’d said that if he didn’t win the match, he’d be fired, and he won the match. Barrett says that everything must be fine then, as Orton is still the WWE Champion, he won the match, and Cena still hasn’t got himself fired – yet.
The lights flash, the sound plays, and Michael Cole informs us that he has received an email from the Raw General Manager. He says that as Barrett technically won the match, he is entitled to a future rematch, but to maintain order there must be a Special Guest Referee.
He says that this referee will be chosen by the winner of the Raw main event, which is Randy Orton versus any member of The Nexus, to which after a Cena chant, Barrett says he knows exactly who is going to be fighting Orton – John Cena.
David Otunga says that there is some unfinished business as he and John Cena won the Tag Team titles, but he was completely ignored and hit with an Attitude Adjustment, so Barrett should make him pay for it.
Barrett says that he is right about one thing, that he and Cena can not co-exist as the WWE Tag Team Champions, so there’s going to be a title match right now pitting the two against Heath Slater and Justin Gabriel, sending for a referee.
Shortly after the bell rings to start the match, Barrett says that The Nexus does not fight amongst itself, which means that somebody has to do the right thing for the greater good of The Nexus and lie down in the middle of the ring – and that person is David Otunga.
Otunga is reluctant, saying that he’s done what Barrett has asked from the start, but eventually he acquiesces to the order and lies down, pinned by Heath Slater to crown new Tag Team champions.
After a WWE Rewind video recapping the events of last week between Dolph Ziggler and Daniel Bryan, Vickie Guerrero makes her way onto the stage accompanied by her Rookie Kaitlyn. Vickie says that there was a blemish on SmackDown!’s perfect night at Bragging Rights as Ziggler was cheated by shoddy officiating due to favouritism for Raw being shown by the referees.
She says that isn’t going to happen this time as Ziggler is going to embarrass Daniel Bryan, then she introduces Ziggler. Daniel Bryan goes against Ziggler in a Champion vs Champion rematch, with CM Punk joining Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler on commentary at ringside.
The match ends with Bryan getting the victory after Ziggler taps out to the LeBell Lock, despite Vickie moving Ziggler’s foot so that it was under the bottom rope. Afterwards, she and Ziggler scream at the referee as Punk slowly applauds Bryan.
Ziggler re-enters the ring and appears like he is going to attack Bryan, but is held back by the referee and bails out when Bryan turns back around.
Going backstage, after Toby Keith presents the Bella Twins with a CD each, they present him with a Electrovision WWE Championship belt. Santino makes himself known and says that he has prepared a song, singing it until Keith stops him and says that it does at least rhyme.
Sheamus interrupts and calls Santino an embarrassment to himself and says that at Bragging Rights he embarrassed his team, but he’s going to give him a chance to prove that he’s not worthless by challenging him to a match on Raw, which he accepts.
Elsewhere backstage, Cena confronts Barrett and says that they never do that. Barrett says that he must think that he’s clever, trying to find loopholes in his obligations to him and The Nexus, but to remember that the only reason he is still employed is because he allows it.
He says that if he tells him to make a cup of coffee, he should go and make it, if he tells him to sit and be silent, he does so, and if he is told to lie down and give up a WWE Champion, he should do it at the click of a finger.
Cena says that he has tried for weeks to hold on to what he loves, but says that he can’t do this any more as he’s his errand boy, something that is not him, and that fired or quitting, it’s the same thing, but it beats working for him. Barrett says that he may have a solution, and that if he beats Orton tonight, he’ll make him an offer that he can’t refuse, an offer that will benefit them both.
After a Slam Of The Week video recapping LayCool’s antics on last week’s SmackDown! (click here for our SmackDown! report), LayCool are pitted against Melina and Gail Kim in a Tag Team match. The match ends with a kick to Melina’s head by Michelle for the 3-count after Melina doesn’t realise that Layla has tagged out.
Next, The Miz makes his way to the ring accompanied by Alex Riley and grabs a microphone. He says that he has accomplished more in his career than everyone in the arena can dream of achieving in their entire lives, but that no matter no superior he is to everyone in the arena and locker room, he is not a miracle worker.
He says that at Bragging Rights, he endured adversity and overcame hardship as he lasted longer than any Superstar on Raw, but they still failed against SmackDown!, and that if any of the other Raw Superstars had a fraction of the talent that he possesses on a daily basis, the Bragging Rights trophy would be right there on Monday Night Raw.
He says that his talent doesn’t just speak volumes, it screams “Awesome”, and that is why he is a leader, the captain, and why the poster child for the SmackDown! vs Raw 2011 video game is him, but he says that if THQ really wanted to make money, it should have had him on it three times.
The Miz says that Team Raw should also have had seven Miz’s, as that would have ensured a victory for Raw, and that if the crowd understand anything, to understand this, he blames his Team, SmackDown!, and Rey Mysterio as the reasons for the loss – also challenging Mysterio, next week if he wants.
He says that people watch Raw is because he is The Miz and he is the only person on the Raw roster that can honestly say that he is Awesome. Eve’s music hits and she makes her way to the ring and after entering the ring, The Miz says that he knows why she’s here and she doesn’t need to apologise from the Divas as it weren’t their fault for Raw losing at Bragging Rights.
What she should apologise for is her horrific taste in men, music, and hair extensions that don’t quite match, which he calls the truth. She says that she didn’t come out to apologise, and that the last thing he needs to worry about is her hair or taste in men, but what he does need to worry about is that the WWE Universe and everyone in the back knows that he is nothing but a fifteen minute flash in the pan, brainless, laughable, thick-headed, half-witted, uninspired frog-faced loser.
He asks the crowd if they think that he is a frog-faced loser and get a big “yes”, even after saying “really” a number of times, to which he then says that the Green Bay Packers aren’t going to the Super Bowl, so they are all losers as well.
As for Eve, The Miz says that he finds it amusing that the Raw Superstars sent her out to convey that message, but if she wants to call him anything – to which she interrupts and says that she knows what he is going to say, but that he is the furthest thing from awesome that the WWE has ever seen – and he’s ugly.
Alex Riley decides to interject and asks her to shut the front door already, commenting on how she has had her nails and everything done, but that the reason why the rest of the Raw team isn’t out there is because after what happened is that they are tip-toeing their way towards unemployment, and that The Miz could have beaten any one of those slackers all by himself, telling her to go back to the dressing room to figure out if anyone on that team wants to get a piece of the captain.
R-Truth’s music hitting informs us that it’s “Time to get Crunk”, and when in the ring, he says that calling them slackers is a bit harsh. As for whether anyone wants a piece of The Miz, he says that he would like a piece of Mr Kermit, but not to worry about what Eve says as it was the Truth, and we all know that the Truth hurts – something which he has no problem in showing him.
The lights flash and Cole reads out another email from the GM, simply saying “Ding, ding ding”. The match ends with a victory for The Miz after he counters Truth’s Scissors Kick attempt into the Skull-Crushing Finale.
Now, Justin Roberts introduces Guest Star and Guest Ring Announcer, Toby Keith. Keith hypes the town, and introduces Sheamus followed by new friend Santino Marella. The match ends with Santino pinning Sheamus for the 3-count after avoiding the Brogue Kick in the corner.
After we are asked to “Stand up for WWE”, we see The Nexus backstage where Otunga asks Barrett for a word alone. He says that he was humiliated by making him lie down, and that Barrett couldn’t get the job done, so to take the focus off him, he did that.
He says that isn’t a road Barrett will want to go down, and that he might feel resentful and decide to tell the world why they really attacked The Undertaker. Barrett calls that an interesting point, and tells Michael McGillicutty and Husky Harris to come in.
He says that he knows that he is familiar with the two, and despite last week he has decided to officially induct them into The Nexus, which he says achieves two things, the first being that it makes them stronger than ever, but the second allows them to end the career of whoever they choose.
Barrett says that though he understands his frustration, “you’re either Nexus, or you’re against us”, and he has to choose right now – Otunga says that he is Nexus.
Next up, John Cena (accompanied by Wade Barrett) is pitted against Randy Orton, with the match ending when Barrett pulls Cena out of the ring and hits him with a clothesline. This results in a disqualification for Orton and win for Cena, which just like at Bragging Rights, Orton is very unhappy about.
Orton attacks Barrett but is soon overpowered by the rest of The Nexus until Cena starts to attack them. Barrett orders Cena to stop and tells The Nexus to get out, congratulating Cena on winning the match so he can choose the referee at Survivor Series.
He tells Cena that he has already made that choice, and that it is him, which he says that he is sure that Orton doesn’t like the sound of that, but Cena will be a very impartial referee, so impartial that if he doesn’t win at Survivor Series, he will fire Cena on the spot.
To remove any lingering doubts about Cena’s impartiality at Survivor Series, he says that when he wins the WWE Championship, Cena will be relieved of any and all responsibilities that he has to The Nexus.
We see the reactions of both Cena and Orton, with the rest of The Nexus looking on from outside the ring as Raw goes off the air.