The opening segment starts with as recap from last weeks Raw which I didn't watch. It was admittidly very strange to see Cole and King in the ring while Punk was on commentary when it's usually vice versa, but at least it looked like fun. CM punk and Jerry Lawler are on commentary and the show starts with Punk congratulating the King to a round of applause when Cole interrupts with "Can I have your attention please?" Isn't it a bit early even for a GM-mail? Yup it is, and therefore Cole for once talks his own shit.
I have to say it: Cole get's more heat than most midcard wrestlers do! For once the WWE actually gets someone over and it has to be an announcer of all people. Sigh. Worst (or best, depending how you see it) about it: Cole is actually good in that segment!
Aynway, Cole obviously doesn't regret "how he feels about the Miz" and is not going to apologize. I'm really hurt now. But it doesn't stop there as Cole compares Miz to his son and CM Punk makes a sound in his throat that resembles absolutely how I feel about this piece of information. Cole says he was caught up in the emotion of the moment last week (for like five times or so) and in the end admits it was a mistake, though he obviously still doesn't want to say he's sorry. Lawler sees this as his cue to join his colleague in the ring and "finish what he started". Go for it, Lawler!
As you probably expected, Cole screams at the King to "wait,wait,wait." while Punk simply mumbles that he won't stop him - this guy is so hilarious on commentary, really. The King indeed stops while Michael Cole seems to have some kind of sudden inspiration. He says what happened last week was as much Lawler's fault as it was his - I don't have to mention that the audience doesn't like it. Going there comes my second "Gag!" moment of the night, when Cole says to Lawler that they are "Broadcast jourmalists". They are supposed to report the news, not make them and that is what King did last week. Cole thinks he stole Miz's moment and therefore it's he who owns and oppology but Jerry obviously disagrees.
That said the King makes his way to the ring to do what every wrestling fan wanted to do at least once this year: give Cole a good, well deserved beating. But they get interrupted by the latop before anything happens. Since Cole his in the ring and King halfway there, Punk makes his way to announce the bad news. You see him walking up to the podium and know that that's gonna be
a lot of fun hilarious - and it is.
Of course the GM has to riun the fun that is about to ensure between Cole and Lawler. He does not allow the beating and wants them to shake hands. I don't have to mention that the king isn't happy about this aoutcome of things, but steps into the ring none the less and eventually, relucantly, shakes Cole's hand ...and won't let go. He says that he knows that no physicality between them is allowed, but somebody else wants to have a word with him. Cue for the voices.
Cole is like "holy shit, please no." but he should have thought about that before, because the Viper is on his way to the ring and the King still doesn't let go of his hand. You're in deep shit, cole. To sum it up, Randy tells him that he is not angry with him or Miz, but he wants his championship back. Tonight.
Of course the word championship brings Miz to the scene, Riley on his tail. Miz tells the world that the GM told (when? how? why? ...okay, just forget I asked) that because of his match last week he won't have to defend his title until the TLC PPV. Orton uses this an opportunity to remind the Miz that it took seven guys to beat him up before their match for Mike to win... and no, he doesn't need to look a Riley, because he doesn't even count as one.
They instead set up a match between A. Riley and Orton for tonight. But Miz doesn't have to be so confident, because injured knee or not, there is still one thing Randy Orton can do... he RKOs Michal Cole, who stumbled at him from behind. Huge pop. Go Randy!
After the break we have Josh Matthews join the announcement crew behind the desk. Rumors have it that Vince wants a three man team at least for Raw, so it's no real surprise here. The three of them decide that they're all buddies and we go on the macth between Ted DiBiase and Maryse & Daniel Bryan and a Bella twin. Yes, you heard right, the Bella is about to be in an actual wrestling match plus she and her sister apparently got a storyline fighting about Daniel Bryan. Urgh.
Err... yeah, the match was a match. There was about one good minute at the beginning with Danielson and DiBiase ... then the Divas came in. Chaos ensures after that, the Bellas do a little "twin magic" (original CM Punk) and Team Amercian Dragon wins. That's everything there is to say about it.
The announcers promise an interview with Wade Barrett from his hotel next but Wade isn't there and so they have to put up with David Otunga. He answers two questions and basically doesn't say anything before room service knocks on the door. The food is late and cold and growling at the poor hotel clerk that he won't pay any of this, Otunga kicks him out. There's another knock ... and it's our ever-grinning friend John Cnea. He has a field day with another Nexus member (I think it's Harries) who comes to Otungas aid while said man runs for his life. Cena's not amused.
Next match is the former Hart Dynasty against each other. The pink and black is gone in favor of white on both DHS and Tyson Kidd, who brings his new bodyguard with him to the match. Hart looks small against this man, and he's 6'6'' so I think you can imagine what a monster the guy is. Anyway, the match is over rather fast, probably five minutes or less, and Kidd wins. I heard that they had a longer match on Superstars last week that was really great, so look for that if you want some Hart Dynasty action.
We get to see a little beatdown of David Hart Smith by the new bodyguard and then switch into the locker room of Nexus. Heath and Gabriel (?) are nearly pissing their pants because Cena could ambush them ...well, anywhere he wants to. Husky is still out from what Cena did to him a few minutes ago (aha, so that was really him) and McGillicutty isn't off any better. Wade Barrett tries to calm them down the moment Otunga storms in to ask if they saw what happened at the hotel (of course they did). While the Tag Champions walk out for the match the other two remain behind and talk about how Barrett wants to call out Cena after the match.
So of course the Fatal 4-Way match for the Tag
Belts Titles is next. First we see Santino and Kozlov coming down the ramp, followed by the Usos - they still exist? Haven't seen them since... I don't even know how long - and Yoshi Tatsu and Mark Henry. The last team entering are of course the champs who are booded quite a bit by the crowd.
The match is, as expected, not that great, but the commentators make it more than up. When the Uso's try to decide who to tag in, CM Punk argues with Josh Matthews why you can't have the Uso's and the Bella's together in a mixed Tag Team match until Lawler reminds them that there is still a match going on in the ring. Hilarious stuff.
Against my prediction, the Uso's get a lot of action while the team of Tatsu and Henry is eliminated first. They do some pretty good combo attacks until Kozlov tags in for Slater and clears the ring. It's down to two teams now and the numbers aren't good for Team Nexus at first. But they manage to turn the thing around rather fast and beat down on both Kozlov, Santino and again Kozlov. When Santino is tagged in a second time however, Justin Gabriel is on the receiving end of the blows. Then suddely the whole arena screams and it is - you knew it - John Cena, who distracts Gabriel just enough for Santino to hit the Cobra. That's the finish and we have two new Tga Team Champs, ladies and gentleman.
After Kozlov, Santino and Tamina (don't ask) celebrated their victory it's time for the coronation of the new King of the Ring: Sheamus. Of course he has to brag about how he is the King now and how he ended the career of Triple H, the King of the Kings. He goes to tell another tale about an Irish king who was respected and feared but fell in the end and talks about how this will never happen to him.
John Morrison came in to interrupt him shortly after this, but that's about all I know about that part of the show ... that's the problem with watching on Youtube: if you're too late the vids are blocked. Sorry dear readers, but I'm only human and in this case I was too slow.
I reinsert when the Miz and Alex Riley come down to the match between Riley and Randy Orton, who is already in the ring. They start the match and as expected Riley is working on Ortons knee form the moment the bell rings. The whole thing isn't exactly a match because Miz runs into the ring after not even three minutes and gives a Scrull Crashing Finale to the Viper. Orton is down, the bell rings and the official match is over.
That however never stopped the Miz before and - oh wonder - it doesn't stop him this time around. He wants to show Orton exactly what match they'll have at TLC and pulls out a table from under the ring. After he sets it up in the ring, Miz goes for another SCF through the table but the Viper counters and the Champ only just manages to avoids crashing into the table and bails the arena with Riley still laid out cold.
Now Randy Orton turns his head and sees that there are only three things in the ring: him, a table and Alex Riley. So everyone guess what will happen next ... yep, it is Riley through the table while Miz looks on and is clearly not pleased with the situation.
They clear the ring somewhere along the break and when we're back Wade Barrett makes his way down the ramp to Nexus' music. He tells the audience that he thought of Cena as a man of his word, but he obviously isn't, because the stipulation for their match was free or fired and Cena is still showing up on Raw. Cena can beat the rest fo Nexus up as much as he wants, but Barrett is the only one who can get him his contract back. So the Nexus leader calls out John Cena who actually complies and makes his way through the crowd into the ring.
On cue Nexus (or what remains of them after Cena's first round of beating) comes out and Barrett threatens Cena that if he makes so much as wrong move, they will come down and beat him - if you'd be allowed to use logic on a WWE product I would ask why Cena should be scared by five men coming for him when they needed eight to subdue him the first time, but since logic is forbidden around here... anyway, Barrett makes clear that he will never
rehire Cena and that his plan of beating Nexus won't work - his problem is just that Cena is very content with beeing fired ... and making the lifes of Nexus a living hell.
Cena basically tells Barrett that he is in a lose-lose situation: If he rehires him, he will compet for the WWE Championship again and if he doesn't Cena'll just buy a ticket every week and ruin the lifes of the Nexus members. Plus, if Cena
is rehired, he may stop his attacks on the rest of Nexus, but not those on Barrett himself.
At this point, Barrett looses it and orders his
guard dogs the rest of Nexus to come down the ramp and destroy Cena. Problem is ... they don't. Worse, they one after another, turn around and leave the arena until the Nexus leader and his worst nightmare are alone in the ring. Long story short: We end with John Cena celebrating after he beat Wade Barrett and then chased him out of the arena.
Sign(s) of the day
What do this two signs together want to tell me? Whatever it is, it's hilarious.
PS: I know this acrticle was too long and I apologize. The next will be shorter - or I'll just go back to collection of random thoughts.
