AngryMarks.com :: Pro Wrestling & Mixed Martial Arts News, Podcasts and Entertainment

Date: 10/15	7:00 PM
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Tonight's Raw may shape the entire WWE Title picture from now until the Royal Rumble, as CM Punk makes his decision regarding his Hell in a Cell opponent. If he picks John Cena, the feud of the decade ends inside the steel structure, but if he picks Ryback, we'll finally find out just how far up the ladder the undefeated semi-newcomer is able to climb at this point. Either way, with the potential to become even more important down the road is the fact that whoever he doesn't face, he won't be able to say he faced when Hell in a Cell is over, and might be considered the de facto challenger in waiting should Punk emerge victorious. Meanwhile, the finals of the tag team tournament are set to take place tonight, as the Rhodes Scholars take on the luchadore tandem of Rey Mysterio and Sin Cara.

Raw opens with the Big Show making his way to the ring. "Two weeks ago, I was in this very ring for a debate. A debate that was actually a clever joke put together by Booker T and Sheamus in an attempt to make me look foolish. I'm not the one that looked like a fool, you all looked like fools when you told me to look out for the Brogue Kick, well look what happens when Sheamus tries to Brogue Kick a giant. (footage airs of Sheamus trying and failing to Brogue Kick the Big Show last week) I love the look on his face. That is the look of someone that was in way over his head. Then on Smackdown, we had another scientific challenge: which is stronger, the Brogue Kick or the KO Punch. I didn't want to do it. I didn't want to embarrass Sheamus. But then look what happened. (Footage airs of the Brogue Kick vs. KO Punch challenge) Do I have your attention now? In two weeks at Hell in a Cell, I'm not going to be punching a machine, I'm going to be punching the World Heavyweight Champion, KOing Sheamus and becoming the World's Largest World Heavyweight Champion, so that I don't have to hear any more vile comments about my last title reign lasting 45 seconds. You all love to remind me, you all love to Tweet me. 45 seconds, fella. None of you are Irish, don't tweet me 'Fella'! I want to correct that mistake right here tonight. I figure with-- 45 seconds? That's what you're chanting to me? I want to make it right right now! Bring me Daniel Bryan! One match, one punch, I erase it! Bring me Daniel Bryan, right now!"

Backstage, everyone is watching backstage, including the tag team champions. Bryan maintains that he's not going out there and can't believe Big Show's still hung up on it. AJ walks by and makes the match. Bryan asks Kane if he's planning on saving him, Kane only laughs.

Match One: Big Show vs. Daniel Bryan

Show charges, chops, punch to the gut, chop in the corner, headbutt, Bryan with kicks, Show grabs him by the throat and tosses him out of the ring. Show follows him, commercial.

Back on, Show has Bryan down in the middle of the ring, Bryan springs up with punches, off the ropes, Show with a bear hug. Bryan eventually elbows his way out, both men to their corners, Show with a shoulder block, Bryan catches him with a dropkick to the knee, kicks to the chest, kick to the back of the head for two, Dropkick in the corner, then another, heads up top, gets caught with a chokeslam for three.

Winner: Big Show

Kane's pyro disrupts Show's victory celebration. Kane begins laughing at Bryan from the ramp before Show starts calling for a knockout punch on Bryan. Kane hits the ring and gets in between both men, before Show leaves.

Raw then comes back on the air with Paul Heyman already in the ring, holding the WWE Championship and standing in front of an easel with a blanket over it. He introduces Punk, who comes out sporting his new shirt for the second week in a row.

"So last week was a perfect microcosm of what my life has become. Somebody talks out of turn and calls into question my integrity, and I proved them wrong. I don't care if it's Mick Foley, JR, John Cena, I don't care if it's The Rock. But least of all, I don't care if it's any one of you. If you disrespect me, verbally or physically, I will put you down. And last week it was Mr. McMahon who disrespected me. And you might praise his 'intestinal fortitude', his guts, but I just thought the whole thing was sad. He thinks the whole show revolves around him, y'know? But he came out here and he disrespected me. So I slapped him in the face. Now think about that: I slapped Vince McMahon in the face, the owner of this company. And then he finds his magical grapefruits and challenged me to a match. And he put up a good fight, he's all heart, but I victimized him so badly that I feel confident in saying that you will never see Mr. McMahon compete in this ring again, and you should thank me. He's such a big tough guy, like I'm sure all of you think you are, that it takes not one but two people to save him. Then he backs me in a corner and tells me that I have to choose my opponent for Hell in a Cell, and that's fine. But let me give you just another example of what everyone behind and in front of the camera thinks of me, what all of you think of me, let me show you the Hell in a Cell poster. Am I the devil? Comparatively speaking, next to all of you, I'm an angel. But this is how I'm treated, and we all know devils don't really exist, but let's live in your make believe world for five minutes and pretend they do. There's the devil I know and the devil I don't, in my Hell in a Cell opponents. There's the devil I don't know, Ryback, a dominant monster who has physically inserted himself into a conversation he has no business being a part of. And then there's the devil I know, and I know very well. He's a man who I've broken physically and mentally, he's your hero John Cena. So who do I choose to face me at Hell in a Cell? Which Superstar's going to help me cement my legacy inside the cell? Is it going to be the one-armed man who has ten WWE Titles to his name or is it going to be, to borrow a phrase from Paul Heyman, the next big thing in WWE? Well, a picture's worth a thousand words, so I'm going to show you who I'm going to face at Hell in a Cell. A litte decorum while I unveil my opponent, please. Actually, you know what? Since you're all being so disrespectful while I'm unveiling my opponent, maybe I need to think about it a little bit more. Yeha, I think as the champion it's my perogative. All I've got is time. I'm going to go back to the drawing board, I'm going to think about it a little bit more. You all just need a bit more patience, that's all."

Vince McMahon's music hits and the chairman hits the ramp with a mic. "You know, I was hoping that last week you'd learn a little something about respect, but I hope you'll respect what I'm about to say: Last week I told you that if you didn't make up your mind, I was going to make it up for you. Guess what pal: You just blew it. You no longer get to make your decision, I'm going to make that decision for you. So in that very ring tonight, there's going to be a contract signing, and that's where I'm going to introduce your opponent for Hell in a Cell, be it John Cena or Ryback. Your fate is now in my hands. Respect that."

Punk looks on in horror as a commercial hits.

Match Two: Alberto Del Rio vs. Brodus Clay

Lock-up, Del Rio with punches in the corner, Clay with punches of his own, both men off the ropes, Clay tackles Del Rio out of the ring, Ricardo with a distraction, Del Rio takes him down, covers for one, armbar, Clay powers his way out, Del Rio with kicks, another armbar, Clay punches his way out, headbutt, Clay charges, Del Rio ducks, running kick to the back of the head, monkey flip, cross arm breaker for the tapout.

Winner: Alberto Del Rio

Oh shit, Brodus Clay just descended to jobber status. I guess that was easier than coming up with an actual storyline for him.

Backstage, Punk complains to Heyman about losing his choice. Heyman says he told him so, but Punk says that last week he beat Vince McMahon, and this week he'll do it again. He tells Heyman to go tell Vince McMahon that he wants him in the ring again that night.

Match Three: Team CoBro vs. Primetime Players

This match begins already in progress with Young having Santino in a chinlock, O'Neill in, punches, Ryder in, punches of his own, O'Neill with a whip, Ryder with a kick, throw to the other corner, Broski Boot, two-count broken up by Young. Santino interjects, gets dropped by Young's finisher, RoughRyder to Young, O'Neill hits the Spinebuster for three.

Winners: Primetime Players

The Primetime Players celebrate all the way to the back before The Band/The Encore storm the ring dressed in leather jackets and ripped jeans doing their best G&R impression. They toss Santino out of the ring, stomp the hell out of Ryder and introduce themselves as the Three Man Band before dancing in the ring.

After this, Dolph Ziggler comes out walking to the ring. "So let me get this straight: Ryback is a WWE Title Candidate. Do you know what I've gone through to win this briefcase? I had to break my back night in and night out and do what I do best: Steal the show. And then I had to beat seven other men in one of the most brutal ladder matches in history and then, and only then did I get the right to challenge for the World Heavyweight Championship. Ryback is a flash in the pan, a fly by night. Most people won't even remember his name, but you know who will still be here? Dolph Ziggler. Now if anyone, anyone deserves a WWE Title match, it's me. In fact, I want to take on Punk at Hell in a Cell, win the WWE Championship, cash in this briefcase and win the World Heavyweight Championship in the same night!"

David Otunga comes out next. "Dolph, you do make a good point about Ryback. I mean it doesn't take a Harvard Law Degree to realize that Ryback doesn't deserve a championship match. But you don't either. It's about time we give a championship match to the biggest Superstar in the company, someone who's as tough mentally as they are physically. I'm not talking about some bleach-blonde pretty boy who hangs around backstage with his mother. I'm talking about me."

AJ is out. "You all have the right to your opinion, of course. But instead of expressing your opinion verbally, I'm going to give you the right to express it physically, against the man himself."

Match Four: Dolph Ziggler and David Otunga vs. Ryback

I hope they don't throw Ziggler under the bus this soon before he may win the world championship by having him lose a handicap match clean.

Dolph opens with a dropkick, Ryback answers with a clothesline, Otunga in, Ryback pulls Otunga in the hard way, backpack stunner, Ziggler starts sneaking in the ring, Ryback catches him in the act, Ziggler bails from the match itself and heads backstage. Crisis averted in that sense. Ryback hits Shellshocked on Otunga for three.

Winner: Ryback

Backstage, Heyman confronts Vince McMahon on the phone. Heyman starts to suck up to the chairman before proposing the rematch from the perspective of the rule of competition under the stipulation that if Punk wins he gets to pick his own opponent. McMahon agrees to the match only under one condition: He faces Heyman, not Punk.

Matt Striker then approaches AJ and says that he doesn't want to go to the board of directors about being attacked by Kane and Daniel Bryan, he'd be perfectly happy with an apology. He then lets the word "crazy" slip out in regards to the entire situation, prompting AJ to put Striker in a match against Kane. Wait, why was Striker approaching AJ for an apology over something that happened on Smackdown?

Match Five: US Champion Antonio Cesaro vs. Justin Gabriel (non-title)

Cesaro with elbows, Gabriel with a few kicks, Cesaro with a clothesline, punches in the corner, press slam into the corner, knee to the gut, double foot stomp, punches to the gut, stomps, punch to the gut, gut breaker, bear hug, Gabriel escapes, Cesaro throws him to the ground, locks the hold back in, Gabriel elbows his way out, trading punches, Gabriel with a kick, blocked, Cesaro throws Gabriel to the corner, Gabriel floats over, reverse DDT, Gabriel hits the 450, gets most of it but Cesaro manages to tilt his shoulder just slightly into the gut of Justin Gabriel, Cesaro gets a foot on the ropes at two, Gabriel leaps from the springboard position, Cesaro catches him with the European Uppercut, Neutralizer for three.

Winner: Antonio Cesaro

Match Six: Matt Striker vs. Kane

Matt Striker inexplicably has on his old wrestling tights, guess you just take them with you everywhere. Striker grabs a mic. "We don't need to do this. I'm not a competitor any more, I'm just a broadcaster now. I'd be fine with just an apology. Think about your therapy. Think about all the progress you've made. What would Dr. Shelby say? The WWE Universe wants to see legitimate competition, they don't want to see mindless carnage."

Striker puts down the microphone and Kane advances slowly toward him before extending a hug. Both men hug it out before Kane turns it into a bear hug before hitting a chokeslam for an easy three.

Winner: Kane

Kane grabs a mic. "Matt, I was wondering if I could get a word with you. That was a great effort in a highly competitive match, but in the end, tough loss. How are you feeling? (No response) Couldn't have said it better myself. I AM THE TAG TEAM CHAMPIONS!"

After this, The Miz sets up in the ring for Miz TV. "In case you've been living in a barn, which I'd imagine you have because we are in Nashville, last week on Main Event, Kofi Kingston had the audacity to challenge me for my title, so please join me in welcoming-- actually, don't welcome Kofi Kingston."

Kingston hits the ring dressed uncharacteristically in a suit.

Kofi: "Look at you standing here with that look on your face, I thought you'd like that."

"You like being relevant thanks to me? You're a bit nervous because you've never had to string together three sentences in your WWE Career but I'll carry you just like everybody else has."

"Now that's an interesting choice of words, carry. Because based on what I just saw, it looked like you were the one that actually needed to be carried last week."

"Oh you must be so proud of that, it can go in your file of memorable moments, but you've been here for five years, and what do people actually remember you for? Do they remember you saying 'boom, boom, boom'? Do they remember you for being in forgettable tag teams, playing second fiddle? Maybe they remember you for sharing a laugh with Larry King. And um, yeah, that's about it. Have you ever headlined Wrestlemania? Have you ever headlined anything? You should be thanking me for giving you the opportunity to be in a major match when you'll always be a b-player. You might make them smile, but I'm the one they'll never forget. Comments?"

"You're right. Maybe I do need to add some more memorable moments to my career, like this Wednesday when I beat you and become IC Champion, that'll be real memorable won't it? As a matter of fact, that'll be must-see. So now that you've got me all fired up, I just might step my game up tonight. In a match against you."

"You want to face me tonight? Do you all want to see me face Kofi Kingston tonight? Really? Really? I don't back down from a challenge. We'll have a match tonight, a title match on Wednesday, but you'll do what you always do: choke. You'll always be the novelty act. You're the one all the kids scream 'Yay, it's Kofi Kingston!' But nobody cares about you. All you are to them, all you'll ever be is a guy that says boom, boom, boom."

Kingston drops Miz with a double-leg takedown and the two of them brawl until Miz bails. Miz tries to climb back in the ring and Kingston clotheslines him out of it.

Match Seven: World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus vs. Wade Barrett (non-title)

Lock-up, Sheamus presses Barrett to the corner, reversed, break, lock-up again, Barrett with a rear waistlock, Sheamus trips him, armbar, Barrett with a punch, twists the arm, Sheamus rolls out, twists the arm himself, a few punches, drops the arm, Barrett with a clothesline, Sheamus catches Barrett with one of his own, goes for chops in the corner, Barrett escapes, shoves Sheamus to the ground, mounted punches, pump handle slam for two, chinlock, Sheamus punches his way out, Barrett with a whip, Sheamus with a boot, fireman's carry rolling senton, Barrett bails, Sheamus hits a shoulder tackle from the apron, Big Show's music hits and Show comes out with a chair, presumably to sit down before Raw goes to commercial.

Back on, Sheamus punches Barrett in the ropes, Barrett throws Sheamus out of the ring, Sheamus holds on the the ropes, Barrett follows, Sheamus with punches on the apron, whips Barrett into the steps, Barrett floats over, goes to kick the steps into Sheamus, Sheamus stops early, hits a knee in the ring, Barrett hits a superkick to the gut to send Sheamus back to the floor, Sheamus beats the count-out at 8, Barrett with stomps, knee lift, choke in the ropes, chop in the ropes, knees in the ropes, big boot leaves Sheamus lying on the apron. Barrett with a punch, throws Sheamus into the announce table, then back in the ring, cover for one, Sheamus rebounds with the Irish Curse, double-armed clothesline, shoulder tackle, body slam for two, chops in the ropes, suplex back into the ring for two, knee to the gut in the corner, Barrett with a whip, clothesline, heads up top, diving elbow drop, goes for Wasteland, Sheamus escapes, off the ropes, Barrett hits a Black Hole Slam for two, stands on Sheamus in the ropes, Sheamus with a kick to the thigh, charges, Barrett presses Sheamus to the corner, Sheamus with a punch, misses a battering ram, double leg takedown, Cloverleaf, Show starts to charge the ring, Sheamus releases the hold, Barrett shoves Sheamus into the ropes, Show pulls them down drawing the DQ.

Winner by DQ: Sheamus

Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick to Barrett then clotheslines Show out of the ring before grabbing his title and posing.

Backstage, John Cena enters Vince McMahon's office. Vince asks him what the doctors have said. Cena says it doesn't matter because neither of them have ever listened to doctors, and he knows he belongs out there.

Match Eight: Divas Championship: Eve (c) vs. Layla

Son of a bitch, the Divas Championship is becoming the new Television Championship. Probably a good thing.

Both women grapple on the ground before getting into a shoving match. Eve with a side headlock, Layla to her feet, elbows out, Eve with a kick, armbar, Layla kicks her way out, locks in an armbar of her own, Eve tosses Layla to the floor, slams her head on the apron, tosses her back in the ring, cover for two, snapmare, kick to the face for two, another cover for two, chinlock, armbar, triangle choke, turns it around and slams Layla's head into the mat, rolls back over and resumes the hold, Layla makes it to the ropes, Eve with a choke in the ropes, Layla with an elbow, then another, a third, misses a kick, hits another, cover for two, clothesline, face buster, whip, reversed, Layla with a springboard crossbody, Eve shoves her off from a grapple, sets her up in the top rope, Layla with a kick, Eve with a kick to Layla sending her back to the mat, covers for three while Layla's foot is clearly in the ropes.

Winner and STILL Divas Champion: Eve

WWE then announces their partnership with the Nothing But Nets project, which is actually pretty fucking awesome. I would encourage everyone to learn as much about it as they can. www.nothingbutnets.net

Backstage, Kane and Daniel Bryan argue about whether or not Bryan's loss to Show was funny, before Bryan dares Kane to face Show next week.

Vince McMahon calls Ryback into his office and thanks him for saving him last week. He then talks about all the hype surrounding Ryback and asks him what he thinks about all of it. He simply responds, "Feed me Punk."

Match Nine: Rhodes Scholars vs. Primo and Epico

Rey Mysterio apparently has the flu (I'm getting my ass kicked by it pretty badly myself at the moment, so he has my sympathy) and the finals will happen next week.

Before the opponents are actually announced, they show a vignette of the Three Man Band taking over a country bar and getting kicked out for trying to take the stage.

The cousins both start brawling with their opponents, tossing Rhodes out of the ring and beginning to double-team Sandow. He escapes and complains that there was no bell. Rhodes and Primo start off officially, Primo with a whip, dropkick for one, shoudler tackles in the corner, Epico in, dropkick, Primo back in, suplex and senton combination for one, shoulder tackles in the corner, whip, reversed, Rhodes misses a shoulder block, Primo with a rollup for two, Sandow with a distraction, Rhodes with a kick to the gut assisted by the ropes for two, Sandow in, shoulder tackles in the corner, punches, snapmare, chinlock, Primo arm drags his way out, Rhodes in, stomp, another, knee to the gut, punch, Sandow in, stomp while Rhodes holds Primo back, Sandow with another stomp, elbow drop that I'm going to have to learn the proper spelling of at some point, chinlock, stomps, cover for one, Rhodes in, Sandow with a snapmare, Rhodes with a dropkick for two, knee lift, stomps, snapmare, punch, kick to the gut blocked, Primo with mixed strikes, Rhodes presses Primo to the corner, Sandow in, choke in the ropes, Primo with a boot to the gut, Sandow with a trip, Rhodes in, stomp to the thigh, chinlock, punch, clothesline for two, Primo tries to crawl to his own corner, Rhodes drags him to the opposite corner, tags in Sandow, Sandow holds him down, whip, backfires when Primo makes it to the corner, Epico in, dropkicks, hits a trifecta of back suplexes a la Kurt Angle's triple Germans or Eddie Guerrero's triple verticles, covers for two, Rhodes breaks it up, brawls with Primo to the corner, Primo goes for a crossbody, Sandow dodges, hits the Terminus for three.

Winners: Rhodes Scholars

Match Ten: IC Champion The Miz vs. Kofi Kingston (non-title)

Both men grapple back and forth for a few seconds before Kingston trips Miz and mounts him for punches, Miz hits the floor, Kingston with a clothesline, Miz back in the ring, Kofi with a clothesline, off the ropes, Kingston with a flying clothesline, kick to the gut, foot choke in the corner, Miz drops Kofi across the top rope, clothesline, stomps, Kofi with kicks to the gut, whip, reversed, Miz with a hanging clothesline, Miz goes up top, double axe handle for two, chinlock, Kingston escapes, punches, whip, reversed, Kingston with a rollup for two, Miz hits a backbreaker neckbreaker combo for two, chinlock, Kingston punches his way out, back suplex, double palm thrusth, then another, then a third, leaping clothesline, Miz rolls out of the way of a boom drop, Kofi with a punch in the ropes, Miz blocks a suplex, SCF blocked, Kofi with Trouble In Paradise for three.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

Vince McMahon hits the ring with a contract in hand. "Allow me to introduce you to the man who will be defending his WWE Championship, CM Punk."

The WWE Champion hits the ring looking apprehensive.

McMahon: "And now let me introduce you to the man who has an insatiable appetite for aggression, Ryback!"

Ryback hits the ring.

McMahon: "Ladies and gentlemen, John Cena!"

Cena hits the ring.

McMahon: "You know, Punk, I've been thinking about this all night, I've been thinking about it all week because I knew you weren't going to have the grapefruits to do it all week. I've been looking at Ryback and I've been looking at Cena--"

Punk: "I'm going to cut you off right there, I'm sick of hearing you talk, you egomaniac. I beat you so bad I obviously knocked a few screws loose. You've gone off the deep end. I half-crippled you and now you want to compensate by taking away my rightful decision, well, I'll tell you what: (Punk signs) I'll sign here and you're going to do whatever you're going to do anyway and I'll do to one of these men what I did to you. I'll break them."

Vince: "You brought all this on yourself, you realize this. If you'd just accepted John Cena's challenge weeks ago we wouldn't be here."

Punk: "Talk, talk, talk, I'm not surprised you've got John Cena's back, I know you're two peas in a pod, right? Both of you egomaniacs, inferiority complex, insecure jealous little men."

Cena: "Enough! Ladies and gentlemen, as of today CM Punk has been the WWE Champion for 330 days, a respectable achievement, and as a former champion I respect the achievement. But from one man to another, you need to shut the hell up!"

McMahon: "I think we should all shut the hell up and let's get one with this. I've decided--"

Cena: "Hold on, I'm not quite done yet. I would like nothing more than to go to Hell in a Cell to compete against you for the WWE Championship. And then I look at Ryback and I wonder if he even cares about the WWE Championship because it looks like he just cares about kicking someone's ass. And right now you need to have your ass kicked. So Vince McMahon's needed to make a lot of tough decisions, this is one of the easier ones. For the next two weeks, you will get no sleep. Because whether you're prancing around the WWE demanding respect or sitting at home looking yourself in the mirror facing the music, your brain will be filled with three simple words: Feed me more! Feed me more! Feed me more! (The entire crowd begins chanting alongside Cena)"

Ryback accepts Cena's blessing and signs his name on the dotted line.

McMahon: "It's official, CM Punk will defend his title inside Hell in a Cell against Ryback!"

Ryback and Punk stare each other down before Punk starts to yell, punctuating every word with a poke in the chest. Ryback grabs Punk's hand and throws his head into the table, before hitting Shellshocked. He poses once for the crowd as Raw goes off the air.