WWE RAW Results (7/22)
Tonight’s episode of WWE RAW takes place from the Frank Erwin Center in Austin, Texas.
The show opens with a recap of Paul Heyman turning on CM Punk at Money in the Bank and last week’s RAW, when Brock Lesnar returned and destroyed Punk. Also, a recap of John Cena picking Daniel Bryan and his SummerSlam opponent.
RAW opens with the light off. Justin Roberts introduces the new RAW GM in the ring, Brad Maddox. There is a set up in the ring with 2 chairs. He puts over his decision to let John Cena pick his SummerSlam opponent and says tonight, we’re going to the see the official contract signing. Maddox introduces WWE Champion John Cena.
Maddox asks Cena why he chose Daniel Bryan. Cena says it’s because of him (for letting him pick) and the WWE Universe (for picking). Maddox questions Cena’s pick of Daniel Bryan, who he says looks like a troll and not a WWE Champion. Cena starts responding him but gets cut off by Daniel Bryan’s music. Bryan comes out and the crowd chants YES! at him during his entrance and when he gets into the ring.
The crowd chants “Daniel Bryan!” as he starts to think. Maddox asks Bryan why he thinks John Cena picked him as his opponent. John Cena says Maddox should be man enough to ask him himself. Cena says Daniel Bryan’s size is not a factor in their match. Cena names Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero that proved ability and passion make a WWE Champion – not just size or strength. A loud “Eddie!” chant breaks out.
The contract has been signed. Next stop… #SummerSlam! #Raw pic.twitter.com/SBMF6yRV4k
— Brooklyn Brawler (@brawlerreal) July 23, 2013
Cena admits the WWE Universe loves him – but he chose him because he earned it and he deserved it. Being a WWE Champion is about facing the best possible competition at all times – and sometimes, that comes from an unlikely source. Cena says he picked him – and he expects Daniel Bryan to give him a fight. Maddox announces the match, but Daniel Bryan cuts him off.
My professional wrestling training technique.. http://t.co/qgdxCGxID4
— MATT HARDY (@MATTHARDYBRAND) July 23, 2013
Bryan tells him he deserves the WWE title match at SummerSlam. Maddox says he can show everybody how great he is by wrestling in a few matches tonight.
https://twitter.com/wweuniverse/status/359466319915122690
Up next: Alberto Del Rio vs. Sheamus.
Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio:
Sheamus is out first and has a NASTY bruise on his left leg. World Heavyweight champion Alberto Del Rio is out next. “Brad Maddox” is trending on Twitter. Del Rio works on Sheamus’ bruised thigh early with a vicious kick. Back and forth action. 1 count for Sheamus. Del Rio kicks Sheamus in the face, gets in some stiff offense and looks for cheers from the crowd. Del Rio in control.
You know this is an exciting match when Michael Cole starts reading the list of countries you can watch RAW in #RAWTonight
— WWE Creative Humor (a sub of TKO Creative Humor) (@WWECreative_ish) July 23, 2013
Del Rio winds up on the outside after he tried giving Sheamus a cross armbar while standing on the apron (over the top rope), but Sheamus fought back and decked him in the face, sending him to the floor.
https://twitter.com/lancestorm/status/359469031142596608
Back from the commercial, it’s back and forth, with Sheamus eventually getting the best of Del Rio. Backstabber by Del Rio and he gets a 2 count. Del Rio wins up on the apron and Sheamus gives him 10 punches to the chest. Irish Curse by Sheamus but he only gets a 2 count. Sheamus tries going to the top, but Del Rio hits him with a running enziguri. 2 count for Del Rio. Sheamus gets Del Rio on his back and does his running tumble slam. Sheamus looks like he’s warming up for the Brogue Kick but misses. Del Rio gives Sheamus a mule kick to his injured leg and attempts the cross arm breaker. Sheamus goes for White Noise but his bad leg buckles and Del Rio rolls him up for a 3 count.
Winner: Alberto Del Rio:
Later tonight, The Miz hosts Miz TV with his guests, the cast of Total Divas.
Footage is shown from last week of Brock Lesnar destroying CM Punk. We’ll get an update on Punk later tonight.
Backstage, Renee Young asks Booker T about the recent shakeup with the General Manager situations on RAW and SmackDown. Teddy Long is there as well, and tells Renee Young that he took a ton of abuse while filling in for Booker T. Booker says Teddy knows he just had surgery. Teddy is pissed off that Vickie threw him out of the arena last week. Booker T says he’ll kick him out right now. Long says maybe Mr. McMahon made the right decision and storms off.
Later tonight, Daniel Bryan vs. unknown opponents in multiple matches.
Christian vs. Titus O’Neil:
Titus is absolutely dominating Christian with his power, making easy work of the former World Heavyweight champion. Christian fights back and gets some offense in, eventually hitting the kill switch and getting the win. Big comeback there by Christian, who was getting completely squashed during the first half of the match.
Winner: Christian
A recap is shown from SmackDown, with Ryback destroying Chris Jericho. Backstage, Josh Matthews interviews Ryback. Ryback calls him a twerp and says he’s just like the rest of the WWE Universe. Ryback hates average – and people like Josh Matthews deserve to be intimidated by him. The crowd boos from ringside as Ryback scares Matthews off.
Mark Henry comes out and says he’s proud to be from Texas. He grew up down the street and he’s proud of the effort he put into his match against John Cena. But he’s not proud about what happened last week when he was assaulted by the Shield. Any man that takes a whooping like the one he took is willing to give one out. He’s right here if the Shield wants a piece of him. The Shield’s music hits and they come to the ring through the crowd. The Shield attacks Henry, who is outnumbered. They brawl until The Uso’s music hits. The brothers come to ringside and even the odds for Henry. The babyfaces eliminate the heels from the ring and it looks like we’ve got a 6-man tag match for SummerSlam.
Backstage, Daniel Bryan is shown getting ready for his matches later. John Cena gives him a pep talk, saying that he hopes he makes it to SummerSlam in one piece. Daniel Bryan says tonight is an opportunity to show everybody he deserves the WWE title shot. Tonight, he’s going to fight and he’s going to win. If Cena comes down to help him tonight, he’s going to show the world that he doesn’t think Bryan get get the job done on his own.
Darren Young vs. Dolph Ziggler:
Ziggler gets the clean after about with win a Zig Zag. Solid back and forth match. Afterwards, Big E Langston hits the ring and tries attacking Dolph Ziggler, who avoids him and throws him out of the ring. Langston and AJ Lee stand in the ring as Ziggler taunts them from the ramp.
Winner: Dolph Ziggler
Michael Cole gives us very detailed instructions of how to download the WWE app.
Another recap of Brock Lesnar destroying CM Punk last week.
Up next: The Miz hosts Miz TV with the Total Divas cast.
Back from commercial, The Miz is in the ring with the cast of Total Divas. Miz says Total Divas premieres this Sunday on E and a preview video airs, showing the Bella Twins meeting Eva Marie and JoJo Offerman. Miz invites Jerry Lawler to the ring. Lawler says he knows the Bella Twins, but then introduces himself to Eva Marie. She says she’s there to make a name for herself, doesn’t like the way Jerry Lawler is looking at her and slaps him in the face. Lawler exits the ring and the segment ends.
Backstage, Triple H confronts Brad Maddox. Triple says Maddox doesn’t think Daniel Bryan is big or strong enough or championship material. Triple H says it sounds like the “old man” is putting words in mouth. He thinks Daniel Bryan could be the future of WWE – and it doesn’t matter what Brad Maddox tries throwing at Daniel Bryan right now. Triple H walks away and Stephanie McMahon enters. She tells Maddox that she has a big idea from Vince that she’s going to reveal to him soon.
At ringside, the announcers talk about the Wyatt Family and we get a look back at their past 2 weeks on RAW.
Fandango vs. Cody Rhodes
Damien Sandow is ringside on commentator. Footage is shown from SmackDown where Rhodes attacked Sandow. Back and forth action between Rhodes and Fandango, with Damien Sandow running down Cody on commentary. During the match, Sandow gets on the apron while holding his briefcase. Cody does a disaster kick, kicking the briefcase into Fandango’s face. He covers him and gets the pinfall.
Winner: Cody Rhodes:
Up Next: CM Punk addresses Brock Lesnar attacking him last week on RAW.
CM Punk comes down to the ring. Brock Lesnar is a beast and kicked his ass last week. But no matter how tough Lesnar is and how hurt he was after last week’s attack, he got up. His whole body is banged up – but he’s still standing. Brock Lesnar can beat him down – but Brock Lesnar can’t keep him all. Punk runs down Lesnar’s many accomplishments – and says being UFC Champion may have been the most impressive of them all. Throughout it all – Lesnar’s biggest strength hasn’t been his physical prowess or his fighting skil. His #1 strength will always be – fear. Punk tells WWE.com and WWE Magazine that they’ve got their next big breaking story. He’s not afraid of Brock Lesnar. Now let’s talk about Paul Heyman. Paul Heyman made the wrong decision at Money in the Bank – and he’s going to make Paul Heyman regret that every day for the rest of his life. Punk says he owns that ring and a loud CM PUNK! chant breaks out. CM Punk says that at SummerSlam, he wants “The Best vs. The Beast.”
Heyman appears on the big screen and says he loves the sound of The Best vs. The Beast. Heyman runs down the state of Texas. Heyman asks CM Punk if he refuses to stay down because he’s a coward or because he’s a fool. Punk says he’ll answer that question for him and his client at SummerSlam. Punk doesn’t believe that Heyman is really appearing “Live Via Satellite.” Heyman repeats that it was THEM who were WWE Champion for 434 days, not just CM Punk. Paul Heyman says Punk’s challenge to Brock Lesnar for a match at Summerslam. He tells Punk to stop calling the match “The Best vs. The Beast” because The Beast is The Best. Punk’s music hits and the segment ends.
Rob Van Dam is shown warming up backstage and he’ll be in action next.
Wade Barrett vs. Rob Van Dam:
Wade Barrett starts off aggressively but RVD gets the upper hand. Barrett regains control outside the ring and gets a 2 count back in the ring. Barrett works over RVD in the corner and gloats for the crowd. RVD chant breaks out. During the match, RVD hit Barrett in the mouth and busted him open, drawing blood. RVD gets barrett down on the matt, hits the 5 Star Frog Splash off the top rope for the win.
Winner: Rob Van Dam
Daniel Bryan is shown backstage walking to the ring.
Daniel Bryan vs. Jack Swagger
Swagger is Bryan’s first opponent for the night and comes down to the ring with Zeb Colter & Antonio Cesaro. Zeb Colter has a microphone and runs down Daniel Bryan. The bell rings and Swagger goes right after Bryan. Bryan fights back and gets “Yes!” chants from the crowd. Swagger tries overpowering him but Bryan hits a sunset flip and gets a 2 count. Swagger using size to his advantage. A very loud “OU SUCKS” (Oklahoma University, Swagger’s school) chants breaks out. Daniel Bryan gets the upper hand but gets nailed in the face with an elbow when going for a dive outside of the ring. OU SUCKS! breaks out again Swagger says We The People! but gets caught in a Yes Lock. Swagger taps out and the place goes nuts.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Back from commercial break, Daniel Bryan vs. Antonio Cesaro is already underway. We see a clip from the WWE app of what happened during the break – Antonio Cesaro threw Daniel Bryan up into the air and delivered a brutal European uppercut. Cesaro throws Daniel Bryan into the corner post and then locks in a tight chin lock from behind. Bryan fights back and actually gets the upper hand. Bryan in total control, hitting several of his signature offensive moves. Bryan goes off the top rope, but Jack Swagger pushes him off and Cesaro nails him with another European uppercut. He get a 2 count and argues with the ref.
More back and forth action and they get a loud “This Is Awesome!” chant from the crowd. Cesaro attempts a superplex but Bryan breaks free and Cesaro gets crotched on the top rope. Bryan pulls him down for a tree of woe and delivers several kicks to his chest while the crowd chants “Yes!” Bryan runs to the opposite side of the ring and runs back to deliver a flying dropkick. Bryan sets up a superplex but it Cesaro counters in mid air and lands on top of him. 2 count for Cesaro. Absolutely brutal exchange where Cesaro delivers 5 European uppercuts to Bryan and then turns him inside out with a snap clothesline. Cesaro attempts the Neutralizer but Bryan fights free and gives him a back body drop. 2 more European uppercuts, but Bryan fights back. Leg whip by Bryan and several elbow strikes to the face. These guys are beating the crap out of each other. Cesaro is on the outside of the ring and Bryan dives through the middle ropes on to both Real Americans. Back in the ring, Cesaro regains control and throws Bryan into the air to deliver another European uppercut but Bryan rolls him into a small package for the win. The crowd goes nuts for Bryan.
Winner: Daniel Bryan
Backstage, Brad Maddox and The Miz are shown backstage watching the action. Maddox says Bryan has done well so far, but let’s see how he does against his next challenger.
Daniel Bryan continues to celebrate in the ring until Ryback’s music hits.
Ryback vs. Daniel Bryan
The bell rings and Daniel Bryan attacks Ryback quickly. It doesn’t take long for Ryback to get control and start screaming in Bryan’s face. Back and forth action as the crowd chants “You Can’t Wrestle!” at Ryback. Bryan locks in a half crab but Ryback eventually makes it to the ropes to break the hold. Ryback hits a running elbow to the face to knock Bryan down. Ryback slams Bryan’s head in to the canvas several times and then delivers a running splash. Ryback charges into Bryan but Bryan gets his knees up to knock him down. Ryback hits several running dropkicks into the corner on Ryback, but gets caught with a clothesline on the 3rd attempt. Big clothesline and Bryan is leveled. Ryback goes outside of the ring and takes a table out from under the ring.
Daniel Bryan dives through the ropes and hits Ryback, who falls into the announcers table. Bryan is really holding his own against Ryback, his third opponent of the night. Ryback throws Daniel Bryan into the ring steps. Bryan unloads on Ryback with kicks and chops him down to the ground. 2 count for Bryan and he is absolutely dismantling Ryback. Bryan goes to the top rope and delivers a missile dropkick. Bryan locks in a Yes Lock but Ryback makes it to the ropes. Ryback is on the outside of the ring and Daniel Bryan tries diving into him but Ryback catches him and slams him to the mat. Ryback takes Daniel Bryan and gives him a powerbomb through the table at ringside to get disqualified.
Winner by DQ: Daniel Bryan
Ryback is going to continue attacking the laid out Daniel Bryan when John Cena runs down for the save and chases him off. John Cena calls out Ryback and says he wants him in a tables match. Ryback accepts but they don’t say when the match will be. Michael Cole and JBL speculate that it will take place next week on RAW.
At ringside, doctors tend to Daniel Bryan. Backstage, Brad Maddox is watching TV when Vince McMahon walks in. Maddox says he’s making the match of John Cena vs. Ryback in a tables match next week on RAW. Vince asks, “What about Daniel Bryan?” He says Bryan’s opponent has to be bigger than he is, somebody vicious. Maybe a friend. Bryan suggests, Daniel Bryan vs Kane. Vince tells him, “You’re damn right” and we’ve got another match set for next week.
Daniel Bryan celebrates in the ring as the crowd chants “Yes!” and we go off the air.