WWE Raw Storyline Tracker
By Robin Scannell, PWTorch Specialist

Episodes - June 18, June 25, July 2

(1) John Laurinaitis’s Farewell

The June 18 Raw opened with audio of Vince McMahon firing John Laurinaitis at Over the Limit. Mick Foley came to the ring and said that until a new general manager is found, former general managers will run the Raw and Smackdown each week.

Foley announced Daniel Bryan and Kane against Sheamus and C.M. Punk, and that Laurinaitis would have a farewell address. Laurinaitis came to the ring, selling his injuries from the night before. Laurinaitis tried to quiet the crowd, and asked Foley to try, too. Foley then said that Laurinaitis told him that Long Island sucks.

Laurinaitis then told the crowd to shut up and said that he would give his farewell address later, instead. Laurinaitis said he booked John Cena vs. Big Show, David Otunga, and himself for tonight's show before he was fired.

Later, backstage, Laurinaitis and Otunga were joking about Foley, when Big Show entered and asked what was funny. Laurinaitis spoke about their match with Cena, but Show said that he doesn’t find anything funny, anything at all.

In his farewell address, Laurinaitis said that the fans are the losers, not him or Big Show, as the fans no longer have People Power. He introduced his tag partners, David Otunga and Big Show

Big Show said that since he’s going onto to bigger and better things, he doesn’t see any reason to compete in the match. Show then left the ring and walked backstage, leaving Laurinaitis and Otunga on their own. John Cena defeated Laurinaitis in the handicap match, after Otunga walked out on Laurinaitis.

***

(2) WWE Title Picture / Raw Money in the Bank

On the June 18 Raw, C.M Punk and Sheamus faced Kane and Daniel Bryan in a tag match. During the match, A.J. came to the ring wearing Kane-inspired gear, and caught Kane’s attention. The match when Punk and Sheamus hit their finishers on Bryan, allowing Sheamus to score a three count.

The following week, Raw opened with A.J. talking to Bryan, Punk, and Kane. A.J. told Bryan that they grow as people and drift apart. She then said that Kane is not a man, but a monster, and that Punk is her soul mate. Then, she said that they should all go their separate ways. It was then shown that she was speaking to a mirror.

Vickie Guerrero announced that she was the interim general manager and that the first match would be a triple threat elimination match. In the non-title triple threat elimination match, C.M. Punk pinned Kane after he was distracted by A.J., and then Daniel Bryan pinned Punk to win the match.

Brodus Clay came out for his match with Big Show doing his usual routine. It was explained that Vickie Guerrero lifted the Raw ban that Brodus Clay had. Big Show defeated Brodus Clay in a short match. Big Show then hit the KO punch on Brodus Clay as he was being helped to the back by trainers.

Reax: There was no real mention of Funkasaurus being undefeated, which made his wins to-date feel empty.

Backstage, Kane told A.J. that he isn’t boyfriend material and that although he’s a monster, he finds her mentally unstable. He suggested they stay away from one another. Later, backstage, Cena came across some People Power merchandise in a box and picked up a shirt. Zack Ryder showed up and threw the shirt in the trash.

John Cena came to the ring for his announcement, and cut a Star Wars-themed promo talking about his win over Big Show and Vince firing Laurinaitis. Cena then was about to make his announcement when we was interrupted by Chris Jericho.

Jericho told Cena to make his announcement and then get out of his ring. Cena said that he is entering Money in the Bank to stop Big Show and “win the whole fudging thing.” Jericho said “fudging?” and asked if Cena was nine, and Cena replied that the show is PG and most of Raw’s viewers are around nine-years-old.

Jericho said that Cena was arrogant for thinking he could just walk into the match and win it, and that he was smug. Then, Jericho announced that he would enter the match.

Vickie Guerrero came out to the stage and announced two MITB matches - one for a WWE Title shot and one for a World Title shot. Only former WWE champions could be in the Raw MITB match, which were announced as Kane, Big Show, Chris Jericho, and John Cena, as decided by the Board of Directors. Cena praised her decision-making, so long as she’s taking orders from the Board of Directors. Vickie then said that Raw is her show, and booked Jericho against Cena in the main event.

In a poll, it was shown that 51 percent of fans want A.J. to be with Punk, compared to 27 percent for Kane, 8 percent for Bryan, and 14 percent for... all of them.

It was announced that Bryan would face Punk at MITB for the WWE Title, as Bryan defeated Punk and Kane in a match earlier that night.

Backstage, A.J. said things didn’t go how she wanted them to, and she said she’s dedicating her win in the battle royal to him. Punk suggested they have a serious conversation about them. A.J. said that she’s open to taking things to the next level.

Vickie interrupted the Divas getting ready for the battle royal, announcing herself as a participant in the match, and she revealed she was wearing a one-piece swimsuit. A.J. won the Divas Summertime Beach Battle Royal after it came down to her and Vickie. A.J. chanted “Yes!” over and over after the match.

In the main event, Cena defeated Jericho by disqualification when Big Show attacked Cena. Show then applied the Colossal Clutch to Cena.

Then, on the July 2 Raw, the show opened with John Cena heading to the ring to talk about the idea that anything can happen at Money in the Bank, which Jericho mentioned last week. Cena said that Big Show interfering in his and Jericho’s match was an example of that.

Cena said he has to be prepared for anything in the match. Cena said Big Show will lose and he will win, and then he will cash in the contract to become the next WWE champion. Daniel Bryan then came out chanting “Yes!” and Cena said that Bryan agreed with him.

Bryan then said that he will become the new WWE champion, as he will beat Punk. Cena will only become relevant to Bryan if he wins MITB, as he will be the first to cash in and lose. Cena said he can think of one person who disagrees. Punk then came out and also disagreed, and asked fans and Lawler if they disagreed with Bryan, too. Bryan spoke about people stealing his catchphrase.

Then, Punk mentioned that A.J. would be the special guest referee for their match. Punk then foreshadowed a possible match between he and Cena. Chris Jericho then came out and said that people always steal his catchphrases, and then gave examples of a couple of his old catachphrases. Jericho said that since he invented the Money in the Bank match, he would win the match, daring someone to tell him otherwise.

Kane came to the ring and declared otherwise. Then, Big Show came to the ring. While that was happening, Bryan attacked Cena and the wrestlers began to brawl. At the end of the segment, Show stood tall.

Backstage, Bryan approached A.J. with a rose and apologized to her. A.J. sarcastically said that it obviously has nothing to do with the match she’s refereeing. A.J. said Bryan never cared about her. A.J. said she would win her match and then run into the arms of who the WWE Universe sees as her soul mate, referring to C.M. Punk. A.J. then bit into the petals of the rose and handed the rose stem to Bryan.

Sheamus and A.J. defeated Dolph Ziggler and “Queen Diva” Vickie Guerrero in a mixed tag match. After the match, A.J. took the mic and chanted “Yes!” over and over while leaving the ring area. Then, backstage, A.J. tried to get Punk’s attention while he was on the phone. Punk hung up, and told A.J. he was talking to his sister. A.J. wanted to know what Punk thought of her match, but Punk didn’t see it as he was on the phone. A.J., upset, then asked if Punk wasn’t paying attention to her, and then walked off.

Big Show defeated Kane in a no disqualification match when he speared Kane, who was holding a chair, and then chokeslammed Kane onto the chair.

Backstage, Teddy Long gave the returning Eve a name-badge. Then, A.J. walked up, and Eve insulted her, telling her to leave the mind games for adults. Then, A.J. said that Eve will do anything to get attention. A.J. asked who Eve would brown-nose next. A.J. then said that she’ll show her how to get attention.

Backstage, Jericho and Bryan insulted each other’s jackets and then repeated their catchphrases back and forth. Also, backstage, Punk told Cena that since being the WWE champion, he’s grown as a leader and a man, and so Cena should listen to him and follow his lead. Cena smirked and agreed.

The tag match of C.M. Punk and John Cena vs. Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho ended in a No Contest. A.J. came to the ring during the match when Punk and Bryan were both tagged in. Neither paid attention to her, even when she stood on the ring apron. A.J. then found and set up a table from beneath the ring. Then, A.J. climbed the turnbuckle, and Bryan left the ring and pleaded with her not to jump. Punk then did the same, from the ring apron. A.J. kissed Punk and then pushed him, causing him to fall into Bryan and then through the table. A.J. chanted “Yes!” as Raw came to an end.

***

(3) Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar & Paul Heyman

On the June 18 Raw, Paul Heyman came out to Brock Lesnar’s music and said that unlike everyone who caters to all of Triple H’s whims, he is not one of those people. Heyman said no to Triple H’s proposition for a match with Brock Lesnar in exchange for dropping the lawsuits. Then, Triple H’s music played and he came out to the ring.

Hunter said that Heyman is a habitual liar and that the thing is that Brock Lesnar will fight him at Summerslam. Hunter said that Brock wants this because he wants to be the star. Hunter pointed to a Summerslam poster design with Brock on it. Heyman said that Brock hasn’t got an ego, but Triple H said “it’s all about ego for Brock,” and that he’ll accept the match so that he won’t go down in history as a guy that was afraid of him.

Heyman then said that Triple H almost had him going, but then told him to stop pretending to be a wrestler, and go back to his ivory tower where everyone caters to his whims. Heyman said that in his and Lesnar’s world, Hunter is not the king of anything. Heyman talked about pushing Vince, and now Hunter’s, buttons. Heyman dared Hunter to hit him, and then made a comment about Stephanie. After Triple H grabbed Heyman and then let him go, Heyman said he outthinks Hunter and knows everything he’s going to do. Triple H then punched Heyman, asking if he saw that coming. Hunter ended by saying he’ll see Lesnar at Summerslam, unless Lesnar is afraid of the same thing happening to him.

Then, on the July 2 Raw, Paul Heyman, via satellite, said that Lesnar would announce his decision on the July 23 Raw recognizing 1,000 episodes. Heyman said that Triple H wants to match because he will need money for his lawsuit with him. Heyman then said that Hunter wants to face Lesnar as he’s looking for a way out, and that Lesnar will end his career.

***

(4) World Title Picture

On the June 18 Raw, backstage, Jack Swagger and Dolph Ziggler were arguing over who is better. Swagger compared their title reign lengths, his four months to Ziggler’s four minutes. Vickie then walked up and said that she was tired of their arguing, so she booked them in a match for her respect and affection. Dolph Ziggler defeated Jack Swagger in their match. After the match, Vickie and Dolph kissed.

Later, Alberto Del Rio, who was cleared to wrestle, defeated Santino Marella (with Ricardo Rodriguez) in a short, non-title match. After the match, Ricardo attacked Santino. The following week, backstage, Del Rio and Ricardo Rodriguez gave Vickie Guerrero flowers, and Del Rio said that he is the number one contender for the World Title. Dolph Ziggler then walked up and said that he is the number one contender, and told Del Rio to get in line. Vickie announced a contract on a pole match. Ziggler threw the vase of flowers against the wall.

The World Title contract on a pole match ended in a No Contest, as after the contract was dropped and neither men could take control of it, Sheamus came out and happily announced that Vickie had booked them in a triple threat match for the World Title.

Reax: If there’s any time that a babyface should sell that he is in jeopardy, it’s perhaps when you’re facing two people at the same time.

On the July 2 Raw, backstage, Del Rio wanted a one-on-one match with Sheamus. Teddy Long didn’t agree, but said that Board of Directors had named him the number one contender, giving him a title match at the pay-per-view. Long then booked Del Rio in a surprise match.

Reax: This is a little frustrating, as a reasonable person would agree that, despite being an awful person, Del Rio does deserve a title shot, as he lost his shot due to injury. I think that’s what Teddy should have focused on.

Alberto Del Rio (with Ricardo Rodrigeuz) attacked Sin Cara at ringside before their match, eventually applying his Cross Arm-breaker. The attack meant that they match didn’t take place.

***

(5) World Title Money in the Bank Match

On the July 2 Raw, Tyson Kidd defeated Tensai (with Sakamoto) almost instantly after a quick roll-up. After the match, Tensai attacked Sakamoto. Later, backstage, Tyson Kidd was being interviewed when Tensai assaulted him.

Reax: I like this a lot. Tyson Kidd gets a lucky win, and then gets beaten down by the heel. The next stage is hopefully Tyson becoming better and overcoming Tensai in a longer match, if they choose to go in that direction. After all, this could solely be to build up the Money in the Bank match.

***

(6) Tag Team Title Picture

On the June 16 Raw, Primo & Epico (with Rosa Mendes) defeated The Prime Time Players (with A.W.) after A.W. ensured his team was counted out from the match when there was a chance of them losing cleanly.

On the July 2 Raw, Kofi Kingston, R-Truth, Santino Marella, and Christian beat The Prime Time Players, Cody Rhodes, and David Otunga in an eight-man tag team match. The Prime Time Players walked out on the match on A.W.’s advice. Then, Rhodes also walked out on Otunga, as Otunga cost him his spot in Money in the Bank on the previous edition of Smackdown.

During the match, Brodus Clay came to ringside, preventing Otunga from escaping. After the match ended, Christian and Clay hit their finishers on Otunga.

***

(7) Heath Slater vs. Legends

On the June 18 Raw, Cyndi Lauper and Wendi Richter came to the ring. Heath Slater interrupted them and started to badly sing his new “single.” Roddy Piper then came out and talked about the Rock 'n' Wrestling Connection. Piper give Cyndi a gold record, and apologized for hitting Captain Lou Albano with a gold record.

Slater said that no one cares about that since it was 20 years ago, and began singing his single again. Piper hit a thumb in Slater’s eye, and then Cyndi hit Slater over the head with the gold record. Throughout, Cole was really negative, and apologized to the audience for the segment.

On the June 25 Raw, Heath Slater cut a promo, saying that he “rules the world,” leading to Psycho Sid being the legend of the week to come out and face Slater. Sid defeated Slater in a short match.

The following week, Heath Slater cut a promo about not being a clown. Doink then came to the ring. This time, Heath Slater beat Doink. However, after the match, Diamond Dallas Page came out and hit Slater with the Diamond Cutter.

***

(8) U.S. Title Picture

On the June 25 Raw, Santino Marella defeated Jack Swagger to retain the U.S. Title in a short match. Jack Swagger had earned the title shot from asking, and then begging, Vickie Guerrero in a WWE.com video.

***

Current Feuds Active this Week (# weeks)

Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio (14)
C.M. Punk vs. Daniel Bryan (10)
Triple H vs. Brock Lesnar / Paul Heyman (10)
John Cena vs. Big Show (7)
Christian vs. Cody Rhodes (7)
Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler (4)
Heath Slater vs. Legends (4)
Tyson Kidd vs. Tensai (1)

Email any comments to scannell.torch@gmail.com or follow me on Twitter @robinocracy for my thoughts on Raw.

[Torch art credit Travis Beaven (c) PWTorch.com]

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