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The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
JUNE 2, 2014
INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
LIVE ON USA NETWORK
[HOUR ONE]
-Michael Cole, JBL, and Jerry Lawler introduced the show as Evolution came to the ring. Freeze-frames aired of The Shield beating Evolution.
-Triple H, sporting a bruised eye, began: “They say it’s always darkest just before the dawn. Funny thing is they think they’ve won. You think they’ve won and this is over. The Shield thinks this is over. You don’t get it. None of you get it. I don’t lose. I never lose. I win. Always.” He said it’s not over until The Shield exists no longer. He said that happens tonight.
Batista yanked the mic away from Triple H. A “C.M. Punk” chant broke out. Batista looked at Triple H and said he doesn’t want any more matches with The Shield. Instead, he said he wanted the one-on-one match for the WWE World Title that Triple H promised him. Triple H said there’s a reason he’s the leader here. He worked hard to keep his composure. He said it’s because he has the ability to see the bigger picture and a plan. Batista said he doesn’t care about a plan or The Shield. He said he did what he said he was going to do – he won the Rumble and he earned a one-on-one title match. He said he wants it tonight. Triple H said Daniel Bryan is injured so even if he wanted to, he couldn’t. “Even if I did, you’d probably choke in it anyway,” Triple H said. Triple H said things are a little stressful and he apologized.
He asked if that’s how he wants to be remembered – the guy who couldn’t beat The Shield. He said he has never started a fight he cannot finish and he won’t start today. He said this ends when The Shield is no more. He said when that happens Batista will get everything he was promised, but until then nobody gets anything. Batista said, “I understand and I quit.” He dropped the mic and waved bye-bye to the crowd like a princess in a parade or a contestant in a beauty pageant. Triple H threw a fit, but Batista walked right to the back. Orton observed it all and just shrugged.
(WK Reax: Great performance from Triple H. He had an effective mix of being discombobulated by the clean sweep loss last night while also being a heelish control freak. Batista, in his little bit of body language and talking, was really strong. That setting has always played to Batista’s strengths as a performer.)
-They went to the announcers at ringside who reacted to the apparent end of Evolution. Cole wondered what The Shield’s take is on all of this. They also showed a clip of Brie Bella slapping Stephanie and said they’d see what the fallout from that was. [c]
-A clip aired of Batista quitting Evolution. Tom Phillips caught up to Batista backstage as he was leaving. Batista said he’s tired of empty promises and he’s had enough crap so he’s done.
(1) SHEAMUS & ROB VAN DAM vs. CESARO (w/Paul Heyman) & BAD NEWS BARRETT
Heyman joined the commentators for the match. He asked for the conversation to shift from Batista to Cesaro, his man. [c] Lawler talked about how popular the Blue-tista chant was and how it trended on Twitter. Deep into the match Barrett and Sheamus each hot-tagged. When Sheamus rallied against Cesaro, Heyman left commentary to warn Cesaro about a Brogue Kick coming. Barrett surprised Sheamus with a Winds of Change for a near fall. Heyman then led Cesaro out of the ring and to the back, leaving Barrett alone in the ring to fend for himself. Sheamus then gave Barrett a Brogue Kick, then RVD tagged in and hit the Five-Star Frogsplash for the win.
WINNERS: Sheamus & RVD at 13:11. [C]
-Top WWE Network Shows began with Payback, Payback Kickoff, NXT Takeover, Legends’ House, NXT Takeover Fallout, NXT Takeover Pre-show, WWE Main Event, Raw Backstage Pass, WrestleMania 30, and WWE Extreme Rules.
-Damien Sandow came out imitating Lance Stephenson of the Indiana Pacers. He rubbed it in that the Pacers season has come to an end. They showed Chris Copeland of the Pacers in the crowd. He continued to talk as if he was Lance and said that LeBron James is the greatest player in history. The crowd booed. He said the Pacers are a losing team from a losing city. The crowd booed. He said he is just saying the facts, and as an act of charity, he would display his skills with a basketball. He then spun the basketball around his back, through his legs, and on his finger. The Big Show interrupted, shaking his head at the ridiculousness of Sandow’s display in the ring.
Sandow challenged Show to try to shoot in a basket they set up in the corner. Sandow threw the basketball to Show and then taunted him and dared him to try to dunk over him. Show threw the ball at Sandow’s gut. Sandow sold it like it took his wind. Show gave him his KO punch. Show then slammed the basketball and broke the basket. [c]
(2) KOFI KINGSTON vs. BO DALLAS
They returned from the break for the tail end of Kofi’s ring entrance. Cole recapped what happened with Kane last night. Bo made his ring entrance and said there is only one reason the Miami Heat beat their beloved Pacers, and that’s because all of the players – especially LeBron – Bo-lieved. Kofi’s facial expression in reaction to Bo was spot-on. Bo won with the running Bo Dog. It wasn’t the smoothest version of that.
WINNER: Bo at 4:04.
-They went to the announcers who again recapped the Batista quitting angle earlier.
-Backstage Renee Young knocked on Stephanie McMahon’s locker room door. Stephanie came out and said she’s about to head to the ring to make an announcement regarding the status of the WWE World Title. [c]
[HOUR TWO]
-Stephanie McMahon walked out and said Daniel Bryan showed his true colors – a selfish little man who chose himself over what is best for business over his wife and all of the fans because he wouldn’t do what was right and surrender the WWE World Title. He said they all deserve a fighting champion, and deep down he should know that, but instead he stood impotently by as Brie fell on the sword. She said Brie should have been fired on the spot for putting her hands on her, but instead she showed restraint and leadership. She said she got a slap in the face for showing patience. The crowd popped. She said she is tough because she’s a McMahon.
She wondered if Bryan could look at himself in the mirror every morning knowing his wife’s dream was shattered because of his selfishness. She was rushing through her lines faster than usual. It was a little bit like an early Dixie Carter interview. Stephanie said if Bryan can compete at Money in the Bank in four weeks, he will be defending the title against Kane in a stretcher match. She said if he cannot compete, for the first time ever, the Money in the Bank ladder match will be for the vacated WWE World Hvt. Championship. She said she cannot understand why the fans continue to cheer and chant “Yes!” for him. John Cena’s music interrupted.
There were so many boos for Cena, Steph smiled and said, “I think these people love you about as much as they like me.” Cena laughed. Steph praised him for his incredible Last Man Standing match last night against Bray. Cena said after the fight Bray put up last night, they haven’t seen the last of him. He encouraged the crowd to boo him a bit. A little “C.M. Punk!” broke out. Cena said he has the pleasure of hearing this WWE Universe. He said some members of the WWE Universe make some bad choices. A Cena battle-chant broke out. Steph shrugged. Cena smiled and nodded. He said this is what the WWE Universe deserve – to have a good time. He said the situation with the WWE World Title has gotten out of hand. He said he is an employee (uh, independent contractor, technically) and a fan, but he is speaking tonight as a champion. He said he is a 14 time champion who knows what it takes to win a championship and knows what it feels like to lose a championship. He said he had an injury once that forced him to have to give away the title. Steph said he did what was right. Cena said the WWE Universe deserves to see a fighting champion. Steph agreed and said that’s what she’s been saying.
Cena called Steph a spoiled, jealous egomaniac named Stephanie McMahon. Steph made fun of the fans for all agreeing on that one. Cena said Bryan is “good, really good.” The crowd chanted “Yes! Yes!” He said the WWE Universe can be as loud as they want for whomever they want, but at the end of the day it’s about proving yourself in the ring. Hurray. He said every time Bryan steps inside the ring, he proves he is championship material. He said Bryan beat him fair and square at SummerSlam and then they took it from him. He said every time he was close to the title, they took it from him. He said he relinquished the title, he knew when he came back he would have an opportunity to win it back. He said Bryan won’t give back the title because he’s afraid he won’t be given another chance. Steph said you can’t live in fear. Steph said Bryan is good, but not great, and it’s proven that he’s a B+ player. She said it’s been 30 days since he defended the title, so she has to do the right thing for her company. Cena said Triple H has had surgeries that have taken him out of action and he has had four surgeries that have taken him out of action. He looked at Steph’s chest and she has had surgeries. She said, “Yeah, that have put me in action.” The crowd ate that up.
Cena said her dislike of Bryan has made an embarrassment out of the legacy of the WWE Title and herself. Cena gave her a zero in a job evaluation. Steph said she creates opportunity, and Cena gets one tonight. She wants to see how tough he is against Kane tonight, despite having fought a tough Last Man Standing match last night. She gave him no warning, because the match starts now. “Payback’s a bitch, John, but then so am I,” she said. Kane’s pyro blasted and out he walked. [c]
(3) KANE vs. JOHN CENA
This was joined in progress. The beginning aired on the WWE app on the second screen experience. Cena went for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and AA, but he didn’t have the strength to execute it. Kane then delivered one knee drive after another in the corner. The ref DQ’d him for not stopping.
WINNER: Cena via DQ in 4:00 or so.
-Afterward Kane threw Cena into the ringside steps. He went for a tombstone on the steps, but Cena escaped. Cena threw the base of the steps at Kane, knocking him down. Cena returned to the back and Kane threw a fit at ringside.
-The announcers reacted at ringside, then a recap aired of the Batista angle earlier once again.
-Renee asked Orton backstage for his comments on Batista. Orton said things got a little heated, so Batista took his ball and went home. He said he and Triple H are on the same page and he will have a chance tonight to prove he is still the Face of WWE against Roman Reigns. [c]
(4) LOS MATADORES (Diego & Fernando w/El Torito) vs. 3MB (Heath Slater & Drew McIntyre w/Jinder Mahal)
Before the match Slater said Hornswoggle was back with a head full of fast growing hair. He came out with a big wig of curly hair. Cole said the wig makes Hornswoggle look like Epstein from “Welcome Back Kotter.”
WINNERS: Los Matadores at 1:40.
(5) ALICIA FOX & AKSANA vs. NIKII BELLA
The announcers said Steph was punishing Nikki for the actions of Brie.
WINNERS: Fox & Aksana at 1:29.
-Rowan cut a backstage promo vowing retribution against The Usos. He said they shall not spare the flock; they will suffer for their misdeeds and they will burn. [c]
(6) ADAM ROSE vs. JACK SWAGGER (w/Zeb Colter)
They picked up Colter in mid-ring mid-sentence talking about those “gluten-free millennials and leftover hippies from Woodstock” following Adam Rose around needing to be put in prison. He said none of them have jobs, but instead just have a good time in a bus all day long. He said Swagger will do something their immigration people can’t do – they’re going to run him out of town. He said, “We the People!” The crowd still says it along with him. Then Rose’s ring entrance began with a wild mix of people dressed up oddly. Rose took a beating early, but made a comeback. There was another “C.M. Punk!” chant. Rose won with his finisher.
WINNER: Rose at 2:58.
-Byron Saxton interviewed the Usos backstage. They talked about having a blast at Payback. They said they had Cena’s back last night and tonight they’ll take care of business against Rowan & Harper. They were full of vigor and energy. It was the most personality they’ve ever expressed on Raw, but it’s a sign of what they’ve been developing in backstage promos during the “second screen experience” for Raw on the app for a long time. [c]
(7) THE USOS vs. LUKE HARPER & ERICK ROWAN
As the match started, the announcers wondered where Bray Wyatt is. Jimmy Uso, with taped ribs, started things off against Rowan, who quickly targeted the injury.
[Hour Three] The Wyatts continued the work heading to the top of the hour. Very slow pace, then Uso tried to bodyslam his way out of a mathold, but Rowan fell on top of him for a two count. Harper then tagged in and continued the assault. WWE is really missing the cut-away to Bray sitting ringside rocking in his chair to keep things interesting here. The Usos then energized things with a sustained attack that knocked the Wyatts to the floor. Usos in control and the crowd engaged heading to break. [c]
Late in the match, Jey climbed to the top turnbuckle and tried a Superfly Splash, but Harper got his knees up. Harper posed and raised his arms in the air, then measured Uso for a discus clothesline, but Uso smashed him with a kick to the face for a close two count. Harper sold being knocked out selling the effects as both teams regrouped. Bodies started flying all over the ring, then Rowan delivered a uranage to Uso. It was good for the pin and the win.
WINNERS: Rowan & Harper in 17:00.
(8) DOLPH ZIGGLER vs. ALBERTO DEL RIO – Money in the Bank qualifier
A “Let’s Go Ziggler” chant broke out early then faded shortly thereafter. Ziggler went after Del Rio quickly and aggressively. He did the rapid-fire series of elbow drops, “The Heart Stopper.” Del Rio took over a minute in and didn’t really look back. He blocked a Ziggler last ditch effort at a Zig Zag and then finished him with the cross arm breaker for the tapout.
WINNER: Del Rio at 5:34.
-The announcers discussed the Cody Rhodes-Goldust angle last night.
-Backstage Cody in a suit was chatting with Goldust, who was dressed to head to the ring to wrestle. Lawler said Cody has hand-picked a partner to replace him with Goldust. [c]
(9) GOLDUST & SIN CARA vs. CURTIS AXEL & RYBACK
No reaction for the revelation that Cody picked Sin Cara to replace him as Goldust’s partner. They showed Cody watching on a monitor backstage. A brief “Goldberg” chant broke out. Cole said Ryback took credit for breaking up the Rhodes Brothers, Tons of Funk, The New Age Outlaws, The Prime Time Players, and The Rockers. That brought on a Ding Dongs, Hunchbacks, and Jim Herd reference. When Sin Cara got pinned, JBL said Goldust must blame Cody for giving him a lousy partner, in contrast to JBL enthusiastically endorsing the decision at the start of the match and touting Sin Cara.
WINNERS: Ryback & Axel at 4:49. [c]
-Lana walked out and said America likes to think they’re always the ones saving the day and doing the right thing. A “USA!” chant broke out. She told them to stop. It got louder, of course. “Shut up!” she demanded. She said America denies their true heroes like Edward Snowden. She said he wasn’t able to practice the First Amendment of Freedom of Speech in America, but he is in Russia. She said in Russia they honor their heroes and cherish them. She said that is why Russia is the superpower of the world and led by the greatest leaders, Vladimir Putin. She said they will now honor a hero tonight who will lead the impoverished nation that is USA to riches and prominence once again – Rusev.
Rusev came out waving the Bulgarian flag. Cole said he now resides in Moscow. Cole said he’s celebrating his win over Big E. Rusev entered the ring to receive an award. He stood on a podium as Lana said he would now be recognized. She demanded the crowd show respect and stop the “USA” chants now. She said they were about to witness the Hero Federation Award Ceremony. Dmitri, a man in a suit, awarded Rusev a golden star medal. He gave a brief speech in a Russian accent, then awarded Rusev the medal. JBL said Putin himself created this award. Rusev wore it proudly. Lawler comments that the medal wasn’t gaudy – just a simple star. Rusev gave a brief acceptance speech. The Russian National Anthem began to play. Confetti dropped. They eventually cut away. I cannot imagine that segment was good for ratings, but it certainly moved Rusev up another notch in terms of the investment WWE has put in him, so they have significant plans for him this summer obviously. [c]
-The announcers threw to footage of the Batista angle earlier.
[Overrun] -The Shield made their ring entrance. Lawler said they cannot be 100 percent after that big fight against Evolution last night. Dean Ambrose smiled and asked, “How do we look?” He said they feel great. He said they’re bruised and beaten up for sure, but they survived their biggest challenge to date. He said they dominated. Seth Rollins said, “Adapt or perish, that was the whole deal, right?” He said they adapted while Evolution perished. He said earlier tonight the whole world was witness to their implosion. He said the reason they perished is because even though they are three of the greatest Superstars in the history of the industry, they were not “one” like the Shield. He said they were three strangers who just happened to be standing on one side of the ring.
Reigns said they weren’t brothers because the Shield are brothers. Reign spoke like Tonto on “Lone Ranger” in broken short staccato cadence. He called out Orton for a fight. “Bring your ass out here and let me break you jaw with the symbol of excellence.” He held up his fist. Evolution’s music played as Triple H led Orton to the ring with a sledgehammer in hand. Rollins grabbed a couple chairs to equalize the situation. JBL called them “toys” again. Ugh.
Hunter said he adapts. He said last night was Plan A, but tonight is Plan B. Reigns looked a little confused or apprehensive at what was about to happen. He looked over at Ambrose and Rollins. Ambrose and Reigns stepped forward, but then Rollins nailed Reigns with a chair. Ambrose looked on in complete disbelief. Rollins jabbed him with a chair, then across the back. The crowd was stunned. Rollins smashed Ambrose a few more times as Lawler asked what was going on. JBL said The Shield was on top of the world, so why would they do this. Rollins destroyed the chair. The crowd booed. Orton and Triple H looked on. “You sold out!” chanted the crowd. As Ambrose was about to get up, Rollins charged and stomped his head into a chair.
Orton entered the ring and took his turn bashing Reigns with a chair repeatedly. They zoomed in on the welts and bruises on Reigns’s back. Hunter put his arms around Rollins and Orton as Evolution’s music played.
RECOMMENDED NEXT: 10 YRS AGO – WWE Live Event Results: John Cena vs. Bray Wyatt headlines, plus R-Truth, Usos, Sami Zayn, Ziggler, Drew in 3MB
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