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The following report originally published 10 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
KELLER’S WWE RAW REPORT
AUGUST 17, 2015
MINNEAPOLIS, MINN. AT TARGET CENTER
TOP OF THE FIRST HOUR SEGMENT
-Michael Cole introduced the show alongside JBL and Byron Saxton at ringside as The Authority – Triple H and Stephanie McMahon (not necessarily in that order) – making their way to the ring to Hunter’s music. They smooched very lightly twice, but Stephanie did it as obnoxiously as she could muster.
Stephanie said they have a lot of big news and it feels like Christmas morning, just waiting to open your presents. She said they are just six days away from the biggest Summerslam in history. She said the Barclays Center has been sold out for weeks, but you can watch it all only on the WWE Network. That got zero reaction. Hunter interjected it’s an award-winning network. Hunter said everyone can watch it for just $9.99 and the crowd joined in. Hunter said Summerslam is so big and epic, they had to make it four hours. He said it’ll be an unbelievable night and careers will be defined, scores will be settled, and history will be made.
The Summerslam theme song began as the video wall began showing images of Brock Lesnar vs. Undertaker. He called Brock “Minnesota’s own.” A fan sign was shown that said, “Land of 10,000 Suplexes.” Steph said Taker and Lesnar are both under the same roof tonight. Hunter also said John Cena has confirmed that he will be ready to wrestle Seth Rollins next Sunday – champion vs. champion, with the winner taking all. Steph said they’ll have a contract signing tonight, “face to mangled face.”
Hunter plugged Roman Reigns & Dean Ambrose vs. Bray Wyatt & Luke Harper. Steph plugged the Divas Three Team Elimination Tag Match. She said tonight they’ll find out who the boss really is when Nikki Bella faces Sasha Banks. Hunter said Summerslam will be epic at four hours and with nine matches. He said you can only see it live on WWE Network which isn’t true because it’s still available on many cable systems at the higher price.
Steph then broke news that Jon Stewart would be hosting Summerslam. That didn’t get much of a pop – a mix of some boos and polite applause. Hunter said the Road to Summerslam begins right here and right now. Randy Orton made his way to the ring. Cole said he’d be in a Summerslam match and they’d have that announcement soon, but first he was going to be in a huge tag team match.
(WK Reax: Having two smarmy-acting leaders of a brand trying to sell you in a patronizing style on a WWE Network subscription in an overly long infomercial style segment feels like a bad idea to me. I get that they were framing it as “breaking news” regarding Summerslam and Raw, but I still just cannot endorse the corporate faces of the brand they want their fans to be loyal to being heels.)
END OF FIRST HOUR INTO SECOND HOUR TRANSITION SEGMENT
(3) ROMAN REIGNS (w/Dean Ambrose) beat LUKE HARPER (w/Bray Wyatt) at 15:01. They aired a clip before the match of Bray breaking up a pin attempt by Reigns on Harper on Smackdown last week, leading to Ambrose intervening for the save, so this was a rematch. Ambrose joins in on commentary before the match calling this match “a prelude to war.” Dean rolled a chair to Bray just as the match was about to start. He told him he was watching him and if he made one move, he’d intercept him. Dean couldn’t figure out where Harper fits into the Wyatt Family, yet Harper barks if Wyatt tells him to bark. He said they are likes cats and dogs, an endless eternal war. Dean said he has Reigns’s back. He said “it probably won’t end at Summerslam,” but they’ll do their damnedest. Not sure that was the best thing to say because you always want to sell “the next big show” as the show that will be the end of a feud once and for all. They cut to a mid-match break. Dean said there are three things they’re good at – fighting, drinking, and making women fall in love with them. Harper hit Reigns with a nasty looking boot to the face that led to a near fall. Cole did a nice job selling it verbally and Reigns took a great bump upon impact. They replayed it in slo-mo. JBL compared it to the boots that Bruiser Brody threw in Minneapolis/St. Paul during his AWA days. Dean wondered if he threw a boot that good. Reigns’s comeback was met with a tepid crowd response ten minutes in. A “Roman Reigns” chant did break out near the end of the match as he sold another extended beatdown from Harper. Reigns surprised Harper with the Superman punch and a spear for the win. Just an okay match. Methodical and felt like more time than they had material to fill in a compelling way.
(WK Reax: I didn’t think Dean Ambrose was good on commentary here. I mean, he had his moments, but I bet a lot of people backstage on headsets cringed when he said Sunday’s tag match won’t settle anything, and I don’t think Reigns’s characted is known as a specialist as alcobhol consumpiton nor is Ambrose known as a womanizer. It just felt like a strange list of things he said they share in common. This was not good for the argument against scripting guys on live TV.)
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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TOP OF THE THIRD HOUR SEGMENT
Hunter and Steph stood in the ring. Stephanie said it’s time to make the title vs. title match official. JBL said Seth belongs on the Mount Rushmore of Sports Entertainment if he beats Cena on Sunday. Seth came out and cut a localized promo, in essence, taking a dig at the Minnesota Twins and then talking about Minnesota’s Bob Dylan. He said Dylan once sang a line, “The times, they are a’changing.” He said that’s very fitting headed into Sunday because for the past decade, Cena has sat atop the mountain of WWE and every single person who has tried to knock him off the mountain, Cena has made sure they never stood a chance. He said he has news for him, because Cena is the villain and he has held the entire WWE Universe hostage for the last decade. He said Cena is a disease and with one knee to the bridge of his nose, he shattered his face into a million pieces, tumbling down that mountain. He said he began the process that will free every single person in the arena. He said he will crush his legacy like he crushed his stupid face. He said Cena isn’t man enough to answer his challenge face to face. He said he answered his challenge at Tough Enough, thousands of miles away from him. He said he deferred answering the question of whether he’d be at Summerslam by having “that cripple Daniel Bryan” answer it for him (with the “Yes!” chant). Cena heard enough and walked out and was serenaded with “John Cena sucks!” chants.
Cena said half the building is saying he sucks and the other half are chanting for him, but in contrast nobody gives enough of a damn about Seth to chant anything. He told Seth he is a sorry excuse of a man who has turned into a “cheap imitation of John Cena.” Cena told Seth that he is the chosen one by The Authority, and Triple H hopes that granting him use of the Pedigree extends his legacy forever. Cena shouted, “The Real Champ is here!” Cena said he sat at home next week because doctors and The Authority made him stay home. He wondered how he can pay back Seth and his knee. “Maybe I break it. Maybe I break your arm. Maybe I break your nose.” He said those are just injuries, but people come back from injuries. So then it hit him as clean as Seth’s knee hit his nose. He said on Sunday what he does to him will haunt him the rest of his life. He said he is a 15-time World Hvt. Champion. He said the all-time highest total of reigns is held by Ric Flair. He turned to Hunter and noted that he passed his legacy on to him. He said he will become 16-time champion, and that means Seth will be relegated to a footnote regarding whom he beat to become 16-time champion. He said the big difference here is that unlike Seth and Hunter, Hunter was never Flair’s bitch. He signed the contract and walked away. Seth stood in place seething as Hunter and Steph observed Seth’s reaction carefully.
(WK Reax: Good segment. I liked the slimy Seth promo before Cena came out, although I’m not typically a fan of making a nationally televised promo too localized for the crowd in the arena, especially since the New York Yankees were playing the Twins at the same time so in theory he turned himself babyface against Yankee fans. Cena put it all in historical perspective and seemed driven to really prove something. The tie-in with Flair-Hunter to Hunter-Seth was a nice touch, especially with his closing line.)
CLOSING SEGMENT
Paul Heyman walked out and talked about Lesnar beating the biggest box office attraction in movies today to become WWE Champion, beating the most celebrated heavyweight in ultimate fighting history (Randy Couture), and the NCAA Division I wrestling championship which he won for the University of Minnesota. That got some cheers. He introduced Brock Lesnar, “the beast, the conquerer.” Out came Brock to an explosion of cheers. They actually dropped confetti for Lesnar. I watched Lesnar win his second UFC fight from media row at that same building and Lesnar seemed less nervous this time. They plugged that Lesnar would be on ESPN SportsCenter tomorrow morning after 9 a.m. ET. The crowd loudly chanted “Suplex City.”
Heyman sang: “Glory, Glory Brock Les-nar! Glory, Glory Brock Les-nar! Glory, Glory, Brock Les-nar! Brock Les-nar marches on!” Undertaker heard enough and his bell interrupted the end of the chorus. Taker didn’t come out. The crowd chanted “Suplex City” again. Lesnar ate it up. “That’s the best you got? Jedi mind tricks?” he asked. He said on Sunday at Summerslam he can get God and the Devil to team up with him, and he will swear on everything that is holy and evil, Lesnar will take all three of them to Suplex City. Heyman said ever since the referee’s hand hit the mat the third time at WrestleMania 30, Taker has been dreaming of a rematch.
He called out Taker for resorting to a low-blow when he did have the guts to show up and face Lesnar in person. He said the person Taker locked eyes with Lesnar, Taker knew he would never go from conquered and conquerer. He said Taker has not ever – not once – beaten Lesnar. He said he never will, either. He said Taker now has the knowledge that Taker fears Lesnar. He said Taker is fighting The Beast who put the “1” in what is now “22-1.” He said his client on Sunday offers no respect for his accomplishments or many title reigns or his twenty-five years of dominance. “Brock Lesnar offers you no resurrection, Brock Lesnar offers you no retribution, this Sunday night Brock Lesnar offers you the realization you are not…” at which point Taker’s bell sounded again. JBL asked if it was another ruse.
Instead, the lights went out, then came on, and in the ring stood Taker with Lesnar, but no Heyman. Taker dropped Lesnar with another low blow. Taker looked down at Lesnar with disdain and then immediately chokeslammed Lesnar as soon as Lesnar staggered to his feet again. “No Jedi mind games there,” said Cole. Taker lifted Lesnar and gave him a Tombstone, which Cole actually undersold as he set it up. For good reason, as Lesnar’s head was six inches or so away from the mat. Safety first, I get it, but if you can’t make it look good, retire the move and apply Hell’s Gate instead. Taker kneeled and the crowd, which sort of wanted to cheer perhaps his last live Minneapolis appearance, booed him against their hometown hero. Taker left the scene as Heyman crawled into the ring to check on Lesnar.
(WK Reax: Compelling segment. As usual, more work and talent was on display in Heyman’s five minutes of speaking and singing than perhaps any other five minute segment on the entire show, although that’s not a dig at the other strong performances. Lesnar’s reactions to Heyman are great. The change in Taker is intriguing.)
OTHER MATCHES
(1) RANDY ORTON & CESARO beat KEVIN OWENS & SHEAMUS at 13:01 when Orton pinned Sheamus after an RKO. Definitely good action to open Raw, with Owens in particular doing cowardly heelish things to avoid getting cheered by the brand of fans who appreciate his workrate and overall cool indy cred. Crowds still pop for the RKO, I’d say more than a couple years ago before the “RKO out of nowhere” videos went viral. The commentators did spend some time hyping Owens’s match at NXT Takeover on Saturday night on WWE Network.
(2) BECKY LYNCH (w/Paige, Charlotte) beat TAMINA (w/Sasha Banks, Naomi) via submission at 4:01. Becky countered out of a spinning Samoan drop and right into her Disarm-her submission finisher forcing a tapout by Tamina.
(4) RUSEV (w/Summer Rae) beat MARK HENRY at 2:50 with the Accolade. Lana joined the commentators. They asked what she was doing at ringside after what happened last week. She said you have to have courage in order to be great. Henry brought the United States flag to the ring with him and waved it around before the match. Henry got in early offense, including throwing Rusev into the ringside barrier. He landed two powerslams for two pin attempts mid-match. Lana said she is flattered that Summer wants to be like her. Rusev came back and won clean after a side kick to the face and then an Accolade. It took all his leverage and strength to get Henry lifted and locked into the move.
(5) RYBACK beat THE MIZ at 2:22 clean with the Shellshock. Before the match, Show joined in on commentary. Miz took exception to Show starring in an upcoming movie. He said all Show is good for on a movie set is blocking everyone’s light and shutting down catering. He said when movie agents and producers watch him beat Ryback and Show at Summerslam, they’re going to see a reject from Planet of the Apes and the World’s Largest Extra cancel each other out. He said when they see him, they will see a star who wins the Intercontinental Championship. Miz asked everyone to shut up while he takes off his sunglasses. Show said Miz is trying to get into their heads because he’s not a physical threat. Ryback powered Miz into the corner of the ring at the bell and was “fired up and intense,” to quote Show. Show said Miz belongs in the ring with them given his history, but he will beat both of them as long as they don’t work together. He said they are egomaniacs who can’t work together. Cole said Show has a selective memory. JBL warned Cole that Show is “sitting right here!” Cole noted that last week Ryback took him off his feet. Show said that was last week and didn’t matter. He sucked up to JBL, thus JBL predicted Show would win on Sunday. After his win, Ryback said he was still hungry so get in the ring and “feed me more!” The crowd chanted along with him. Show said he talks a big game, but he doesn’t really want a piece of him. Show took off his headset and walked past Ryback to the back.
(6) PRIME TIME PLAYERS & LUCHA DRAGONS beat NEW DAY (Big E & Kofi Kingston w/Xavier Woods) & LOS MATADORES at 2:10. Before the match, Xavier lost his composure and complained about the odds always being stacked against them. Kofi tried to talk him back to positivity. Big E started a “New Day Rocks!” chant.
(7) SASHA BANKS (w/Naomi, Tamina) beat NIKKI BELLA (w/Brie Bella, Alicia Fox) via submission with her Bank Statement at 10:36. Cole said Nikki has held the Divas Championship 267 days and is just 28 days shy of the all-time record held by A.J. Lee. “So a big month upcoming for Nikki Bella,” he said. They cut to Team PCB watching on a monitor backstage. Cole snuck in a plug for the NXT Takeover special at the sold out Barclays Center on Saturday night starting at 9 ET. When Banks took Nikki down with her double knee driver in the corner, she then showed off with some mid-ring push-ups. A Naomi distracted led to Nikki dropping Banks and then Banks shifting her into the Bank Statement for the tapout win.
(WK Reax: After the mid-match break, the fans got restless for Lesnar and chanted “We Want Lesnar.” Raw is long, but show some respect for Nikki and Banks, dammit!)
OTHER SEGMENTS
-Cole noted that ESPN SportsCenter will be broadcasting live from Barclays Center Sunday morning and Sunday evening hosted by Jonathan Coachman.
-Mid-way into the first hour, the announcers narrated a video recap of the Taker-Lesnar feud including their massive pull apart last month. Later in the hour, a vignette aired with Undertaker. He said, “When the Reaper calls your name, there is no remorse. When the Reaper calls your name, it’s just over.” He said Lesnar’s name has been called and at Summerslam he will “never rest in peace.”
-Seth Rollins told Stephanie and Hunter backstage that he’s excited to see Cena face-to-face later. He said after he beats Cena to become the first dual U.S. and World Hvt. Champion, he’d like a statue of himself in the WWE headquarters entrance. He said Andre the Giant, Bruno Sammartino, and Ultimate Warrior are on display there. “I believe I deserve a spot with those legends,” he said. Steph said if he can defeat Cena and hold both titles, he’d rightfully deserve a statue. Hunter said if he brings back both championships, consider it done.
-The announcers hyped USA Today’s report that Jon Stewart’s first major gig since leaving “The Daily Show” is hosting Summerslam.
-After Rusev beat Henry, a big Bulgarian flag dropped with Rusev’s image taking up nearly half of it. Nice touch. Then Lana called Summer back to the ring as she was leaving with Rusev. She did. Lana slapped her. Rusev entered the ring and approached Lana threateningly. Lana snickered for a few seconds and looked over Rusev’s shoulder. Dolph Ziggler then ran out and made his return. He stepped between Rusev and Lana. Lana kicked Summer. Then Ziggler kicked Rusev. They made out enthusiastically for nearly ten seconds. After the commercial, Jo-Jo interviewed Ziggler and Lana. He said he’s back and he wants one more match against Rusev. Cole wondered if The Authority would grant him that wish.
-A video package aired on Undertaker-Lesnar. Steve Austin, Seth Rollins, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Roman Reigns, Randy Orton, Dean Ambrose, The Miz, Cesaro, Big Show, John Cena, and others contributed commentary on The Streak and Taker-Lesnar. A soundbite aired with Paul Heyman saying he’s tired of hearing about the myth of the Undertaker and he wants to hear more about the myth that surrounds Lesnar. Rollins said the brawl proved this is not the same Undertaker who went into the WrestleMania match. Austin said Lesnar is motivated because Taker cost him a title match. Show said he’s afraid the Beast will destroy Undertaker. JBL picked Taker to win. Seth said Taker cannot match Lesnar anymore. Austin called it a must-win for Taker. Heyman predicted Lesnar will end Taker, just like he ended The Streak. Tremendous video package. That type of thing sells mega-matches.
-A pre-taped promo aired with Stardust and King Barrett hyping their Summerslam tag match. Barrett said Amell is an imposter in his kingdom. Stardust presented Barrett with metal shoulder pads.
-Cole announced a Smackdown eight-man tag match with Orton & Cesaro & Reigns & Ambrose vs. Harper & Bray & Owens & Sheamus. I remember when Owens got to talk on Raw.
-Renee Young interviewed Paige, Charlotte, and Becky Lynch backstage predicting victory on Sunday. Charlotte said they’d do it with a little flair.
-During the last commercial break, a commercial aired hyping NXT Takeover with specific hype for the women’s and men’s title match main events.
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