Posted on 6/10/125 by Bob Magee
Show Recap —
Becky Lynch, Nikki Bella, Gunther, and Jey Uso (and son)
were shown arriving.
There were highlights from Worlds Collide and Money in the
Bank. As usual, these packages are meant to recap what
happened—and tell you how big the events were. Among the
clips they made sure to include was a shot of Travis Barker
and Kourtney Kardashian in the crowd at MITB.
John Cena and CM Punk segment
Cena entered. He was introduced as the greatest of all time
and the last real champion. Cena wore purple and orange to
match the Phoenix Suns. (He still has Rise Above Hate and
Never Give Up on his merch.) The show was ten minutes old by
the time he spoke.
Cena said “truth” was a lie. The fans wasted their energy on
a sideshow comedian whose greatest achievement was
pretending to be him. (The crowd chanted, “We want Truth.”)
Cena asked if they thought those chants actually
accomplished anything. The fans were all keyboard warriors
and armchair activists who did not have the power to change
anything. R-Truth was a gimmick they would not care about in
a year.
Cena had limited time on his farewell tour. Nineteen dates
remain. They were halfway done, and the fans shouldn’t waste
their voice sending him the class clown. They should spend
their energy sending him real competition. He’s already
beaten their best by beating Truth, Cody Rhodes and Randy
Orton.
CM Punk interrupted. Punk had a lot to get off his chest. He
called it ironic that Cena, the boy scout, wanted to ruin
wrestling and ruin the establishment that made him, while
the punk-rock kid from Chicago was seemingly defending the
establishment. Punk wanted to make it clear: he wasn’t
defending the establishment.
Punk wasn’t defending TKO or the billionaires—he was
defending the people. Maybe Cena was mad that the
establishment picked him while the people didn’t. The people
picked Punk in 2011 to be the voice of the voiceless.
Punk said Cena was wrong, claiming he hadn’t faced the best.
Rhodes was the best they got, but Cena only won because he
took cheap shots. Punk wasn’t about to kiss the ass of his
“final boss,” because the people were Punk’s boss.
It was Punk’s job to give the people what they wanted, and
if they wanted the truth, they would get Ron Killings.
It was time for Punk to teach Cena that he was only a spoke
on the wheel, too. Punk recalled Cena saying he was sorry
after pinning Punk at Elimination Chamber, after Seth
Rollins stomped him. Cena knew what he did was wrong. He
knew what he was doing was wrong. (The fans chanted, “You
sold out.”)
Punk said Cena would spend the rest of his dates apologizing
to the people for his actions. The title corrupted him. Punk
knew it because it did the same to him in 2012. Punk had a
list of goals when he returned, but winning the title wasn’t
one of them because he was afraid of what he’d become if he
did.
Everybody should want to be the champion, and only a few can
accomplish it. Punk could now see he had to become a monster
to defeat the monster. To people like Cena and Rollins, the
belt meant power and control, but Punk thought it belonged
to the people.
Punk said Cena had 18 dates left after today, and he would
leave it up to Cena to pick the date that Punk takes the
belt from him. Punk challenged him to do it tonight.
Cena said no, of course. Cena said Punk could follow him to
Saudi Arabia so they could do it at Night of Champions. Punk
said, “You’re on,” off-mic.
Seth Rollins entered (with his crew) to show off his MITB
briefcase, and the segment ended.
(Punk claiming that it wasn’t his goal to win the
championship until now feels like a total lie. It’s also
kind of funny that he’s the one who now wants to save the
title from someone else.)
********
Wade Barrett is on commentary tonight instead of Pat McAfee,
who has the night off.
There was a graphic for the Queen of the Ring and King of
the Ring tournaments. Cody Rhodes is among those on the
men’s side, and Asuka is among those on the women’s side.
There’s also a mystery person on the men’s side. The
tournament finals will occur at Night of Champions. The
winners earn a title match against their respective brand’s
champion at SummerSlam.
********
Chad Gable cut a promo during the commercial break. He was
pissed that neither he or El Grande Americano were in KOTR.
AJ Styles vs. Chad Gable (w/The Creed Brothers)
The opening match kicked off 31 minutes into the show, and
they went to commercial 90 seconds into it. Styles overcame
interference by the Creeds and multiple Gable ankle locks to
hit a Styles Clash for the pinfall win.
Match result: AJ Styles defeated Chad Gable (7:57)
********
Backstage, Roxanne Perez suggested to Liv Morgan that they
work together to ensure one of them wins. Morgan was not on
board.
Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Rhea Ripley
vs. Kairi Sane vs. Roxanne Perez vs. Liv Morgan
Morgan reluctantly worked together with Perez. However, as
they set up for a double superplex on Sane, Ripley got
underneath and hit them with a double powerbomb. Sane
followed with a flying forearm on Ripley for two.
Morgan and Perez worked together again to regain control.
Morgan hit Sane with a backstabber, a move she does all the
time, and Cole said it was an homage to Carlito. Ripley
fired up and laid out everyone. Morgan tried to catch her
off guard with an Oblivion, but Ripley caught her and hit a
Rip-tide.
Ripley had it won, but Raquel Rodriguez appeared out of
nowhere to pull Ripley out of the ring and break up the
cover. As Ripley and Rodriguez “brawled,” Sane wiped them
out with a dive.
Sane followed with an Insane Elbow on Morgan and seemingly
had it won, but Perez caught Sane in a jackknife cover for
the pinfall win. Roxanne Perez advances in the tournament.
There are a lot of big names in this tournament, and like
with Ripley here, I think we can expect to see a lot of
finishes like this one to save prevent them from advancing.
Match result: Roxanne Perez defeated Kairi Sane, Liv Morgan,
and Rhea Ripley to advance in the Queen of the Ring
tournament (12:52)
********
Lynch walked through the back ahead of a break and passed by
Austin Theory and Grayson Waller as they argued.
There were more highlights from Worlds Collide, and a video
package for tonight’s title main event.
********
There was a Nikki Bella video package.
Nikki met with Natalya and Maxine Dupri backstage before
speaking with Iyo Sky. Nikki put over Sky and how she
carried herself as the champion. Sky thanked Nikki and said,
“You paved the way for us.” (Another blatant lie.)
********
Becky Lynch segment, Bayley returns
Lynch entered with her new IC title belt. She wondered where
her “You deserve it” chants were. She didn’t need to hear it
because she knew she deserved it. She should be out there
celebrating, especially since there are so few opportunities
for her to celebrate something new. She’s already won
everything and is a best-selling author. Now, she is the
Women’s Intercontinental Champion.
This should be an opportunity to celebrate because this
title was about opportunities. But the biggest opportunity
this title ever got was Lynch winning it. She welcomed the
belt to the big time and said it was now the biggest prize
in the business.
She should have been celebrating with her hot husband and
beautiful child, but she wasn’t because the disingenuous
bird lady Lyra Valkyria ruined everything. Valkyria raised
her hand so aggressively that Lynch thought she dislocated
her shoulder. Lynch claimed Valkyria tried to kill her when
she attacked her after putting the belt around her waist.
Lynch called out Valkyria to do it properly this time.
Valkyria entered and walked out like an angry cartoon
character. Bayley suddenly attacked Lynch from behind, and
Valkyria was surprised to see her.
Lynch bailed but bumped into Valkyria. Valkyria shoved Lynch
back into the ring, but she escaped before Bayley could hit
her finisher.
********
Ron Killings / R-Truth segment
Killings entered in the same outfit he wore at MITB. He
entered through the crowd and stood on the announce table.
Killings said: “Don’t let nobody tell you that you don’t
matter. Don’t let nobody tell you that your voice doesn’t
matter. They heard, they listened, they felt, and they
understood. I am back—because of y’all.”
Killings reiterated that he was back because of them and was
back for them. But he was back for himself, too. “Not only
did you bring Truth back, you got me.”
They all loved R-Truth, but Truth could be too funny and
forgiving. But he wasn’t. He felt different. He felt alive.
He wasn’t a lie. He wasn’t a sideshow act. He wasn’t a
gimmick.
He pulled out a pair of scissors (as the announcers backed
away) and cut his hair completely off. The crowd chanted,
“Holy shit.”
“The truth has set me free. I am Ron Killings. I am the
truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth. Now put
some respect on my name.”
The fans cheered as Killings walked away through the crowd.
********
The male members of Judgment Day met backstage. Finn Bálor
thought it was strange that Dom was the only member in KOTR.
Dom figured Bálor had a shot at MITB, but that didn’t work
out, so he thought Bálor would be ok with him being in KOTR.
JD McDonagh said Dom could win KOTR, while they could win
back the tag titles. Bálor was all smiles and acted like he
was happy with this.
Perez entered, and they congratulated her on the win. Morgan
entered and was not in a good mood. Perez tried to claim she
helped Morgan in the match by breaking up Sane’s pin. Morgan
bluntly congratulated her and left.
Bálor told Dom he should speak to Morgan. Dom clearly didn’t
want any part of this and scampered off for his match. Bálor
was amused.
********
King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Sami Zayn vs.
Bron Breakker vs. Penta vs. Intercontinental Champion
Dominik Mysterio
It’s been a full 30 minutes since the previous match ended.
After all the talking and backstage segments, they went to
commercial one minute into this match.
Zayn wiped out Breakker with a dive, Penta wiped out Zayn
with a dive, Dom wiped out Penta with a dive, and Breakker
nailed Dom with a leaping clothesline off the apron and over
the announce table. This led to a second commercial break,
just 9 minutes into the match.
Zayn hit Penta with a sunset flip powerbomb during the break
for two. After the break, Penta powerbombed Dom, and
Breakker hit Zayn with a Frankensteiner. (Cole continues to
attribute the name of that move to McAfee.) Penta hit
Breakker with a DDT, and Dom tried to steal the pin, but
Breakker kicked out.
Dom blocked Zayn’s Blue Thunder Bomb and went for three
amigos, but Zayn blocked the final suplex and hit Blue
Thunder for a nearfall. Penta hit Zayn with a Penta Driver,
but Dom caught Penta in a schoolboy. The referee didn’t
count the fall because Penta’s shoulders weren’t down (which
you couldn’t really see), which sorta ruined the spot. Penta
followed with a Canadian Destroyer on Dom for a nearfall.
Breakker sprinted around the ring and cut down Penta with a
spear. LA Knight suddenly appeared and hit Breakker with
BFT. (Remember what I said earlier?)
Back in the ring, Zayn gave Dom an exploder and Helluva Kick
for the pinfall win. Sami Zayn advances.
This was fun. The crowd was hot and went nuts for the
closing sequence and Zayn’s win. It felt like he needed a
win like this, even if this is just the first round of a
tournament. The crowd was into all four guys and really into
Breakker’s offence.
Match result: Sami Zayn defeated Dominik Mysterio, Bron
Breakker, and Penta to advance in the King of the Ring
tournament (17:05)
********
Cathy Kelley interviewed Styles. He was pissed about losing
last week and didn’t appreciate being disrespected by Paul
Heyman. He didn’t like how Judgment Day or Dom conducted
business, either. He left to deal with them.
Kelley approached New Day for an interview as they spoke to
Waller. New Day cut their usual heel promo and didn’t have
much to say.
********
Zayn bumped into Karrion Kross during a break. Kross was
happy that Zayn won on his own while taking his message to
heart. Zayn had no idea what he was talking about. Kross
said he used Knight’s interference to get ahead. He did what
it took to win. The real Sami Zayn was a manipulator.
Zayn said he won because he was good enough, just like he
was good enough to win the world championship. Zayn warned
him to stop bothering him, because he was also good enough
to handle him.
********
There was an Asuka return video package.
Next week on Raw:
Queen of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Asuka vs.
Stephanie Vaquer vs. Raquel Rodriguez vs. Ivy Nile
King of the Ring first round fatal four-way: Sheamus vs.
Rusev vs. Bronson Reed vs. a mystery opponent
********
Nikki Bella segment
Nikki was happy to be back and thanked her fans. She was
here to talk about something special next month. She
announced an all-woman PLE: WWE Evolution.
She main-evented the first one, and seeing how far the
division has come was incredible. She put over Ripley, Sky,
Bianca Belair, Stephanie Vaquer, and Giulia. She completely
butchered Vaquer’s name.
Liv Morgan stormed out. She said if Nikki was talking about
the best women in the division, she should talk about her.
Morgan was the most talented woman in the division, proving
it again and again. Nikki was jealous of her because she had
everything Nikki didn’t. Morgan had respect, a championship,
and a man.
Nikki wondered if Dom belonged to Morgan or Perez. Nikki
wanted Morgan to congratulate Perez on taking her title shot
and her man. Nikki left the ring.
Morgan said at least she was a champion, while Nikki was
merely a reality show diva.
Nikki went under the rope to return to the ring, but Morgan
laid her out with an Oblivion.
(Nikki didn’t come across well here, and a lot of fans
seemed to like Morgan better.)
********
Cena vs. Punk was made official for the title at Night of
Champions.
********
Jey entered along with his son, and he got his usual big
reaction.
Jey Uso (c) vs. Gunther for the World Heavyweight
Championship
They went to break 75 seconds into this world championship
match that’s been scheduled for a month.
Jey went for the sleeper a couple of times in the first two
minutes. Gunther escaped it, but Jey remained in control
through the break. Jey hit a flying crossbody after the
break for two. Jey came up nursing his midsection, selling
the damage taken over the past week or so.
Gunther booted Jey in the midsection repeatedly and ripped
off his shirt to expose that his ribs were taped up. Gunther
ripped up the tape while continuing to target Jey’s
midsection. Jey fought back momentarily until Gunther hit
him with a German suplex outside the ring. This led to a
second break, 9 minutes into the match.
After the break, Jey countered a vertical suplex with one of
his own. The fans Yeeted as Jey fought back with strikes.
Jey went for a running hip attack, but Gunther ducked.
Gunther applied a sleeper while in the ropes, but Jey
slipped out and hit a suicide dive.
Jey couldn’t follow up, so Gunther gave him a back drop onto
the barricade. Gunther tried a splash, but Jey got his knees
up and followed with a spear. Jey hit an Uso splash for a
nearfall.
Jey went for a spear, but Gunther clobbered him with a
clothesline. Jey reversed a powerbomb into a hurricanrana
for two. Gunther hit a powerbomb for two, and a spear for
two.
Jey failed again to apply the sleeper, but countered a
Gunther sleeper and hit a spear. Jey missed an Uso splash
and sold his ribs before Gunther caught him in a sleeper.
Jey fought toward the ropes, but Gunther repeatedly pulled
him to the middle of the ring. It seemed like Jey was on the
verge of going out, but Gunther let go and hammered away
with elbows. Jey slipped out and applied the sleeper, but
this time Gunther reversed into a sleeper again—right in the
middle of the ring.
Jey couldn’t fight any longer, and he went out. Some fans
began screaming at the visual of Jey going out. The referee
called for the bell. Gunther wins. Jey Uso’s world title
reign is over.
— Jey’s son checked on him at ringside. Gunther posed with
the belt as fireworks went off.
Match result: Gunther defeated Jey Uso to win the World
Heavyweight Championship (22:06)