– Tonight’s WWE RAW kicks off with the usual opening video. And we’re live inside the Staples Center from Los Angeles, California as the pyro explodes. Michael Cole welcomes us to RAW, just 24 hours after SummerSlam.
– We go to the ring and out comes The Nexus. Wade Barrett, Skip Sheffield, Michael Tarver, Darren Young, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel and Heath Slater all make their way out to the ring.
Barrett says what doesn’t kill us, will only make us stronger. Lots of heat from the crowd here. Barrett says Team WWE barely got a victory last night. Wade says they beat 6 of the best that RAW had to offer. Barrett says rumors of Nexus’ demise are exaggerated because they’re still here and still ready to dominate WWE. Barrett says everyone was so afraid of Nexus winning at SummerSlam that they didn’t think what would happen if Nexus lost. Wade says they lost and now RAW will have to face severe consequences. Wade says there will be more suffering, more destruction, more pain and more misery for anyone who gets in their way.
Barrett goes on but is interrupted by the music of John Cena. Cena comes out wearing his new colors to a nice pop. Cena says he’s impressed because Wade talks such a big game. Cena says Wade is as tough as Snookie from Jersey Shore. Cena reminds Wade that he tapped out last night. A “you tapped out” chant starts. Cena says Wade caused Nexus to lose. Cena throws out a Stallone/Austin reference with The Expendables. Cena brings up Daniel Bryan and says he eliminated half of the Nexus team by himself. Cena says one thing was made clear last night – Nexus is human and can be beat. Cena says tonight, we’re going to look at Nexus as individuals. Cena says Otunga is nothing more than a below-average male escort who clings to a woman’s arm on the red carpet. Cena calls Tarver a MMA bank robber who works at night as a male stripper. Cena compares Slater to the chick from Wendy’s and shows a graphic of Heath’s face on Wendy’s body. A “Wendy’s” chant breaks out.
Cena talks about Darren Young now and says this one hits close to the chest. Cena says he thought his mother was lying when she said she had an affair with Buckwheat of Little Rascals fame. Black Cena reference here. Cena says Gabriel has an “alternative” way of thinking, sounds like a gay reference. Cena mocks Skip Sheffield and insinuates that he’s dumb. Cena says Nexus is human and the fear they instilled on RAW is gone. Cena says SummerSlam will forever be known as the place that Nexus was history. Darren Young tells Cena he doesn’t know what he’s talking about. Cena reminds Young that he tapped out also, in under a minute. Cena says Young’s name should be The Weakest Link. Wade tries to calm Nexus as the e-mail sound goes off.
Cole gets boo’d as he makes the announcement from the General Manager. We’re going to continue SummerSlam tonight as each member of Nexus will compete against members of Team WWE in a series of matches. Interference by members of Nexus will be met with consequences, Cole reads. Barrett says that’s not a form of punishment, that’s an opportunity for redemption. A larger “you tapped out” chant breaks out. Wade says this is a chance to examine The Nexus and see if there are weak links. Barrett says if there are any weak links, they will be weeded out. Barrett says if anyone in Nexus doesn’t win tonight, they will be exiled from the group. By the end of tonight, he says, Nexus will be stronger than ever. Otunga says that’s fine by them but this applies to Wade also. Otunga says if Wade loses tonight, any of them will be happy to take over. The e-mail alert goes off again. Cole says the General Manager is letting Nexus choose their WWE opponents, except for Wade Barrett. It will be Barrett vs. Chris Jericho, up next. The RAW music plays as Barrett talks with Nexus and we go to commercial.
Wade Barrett vs. Chris Jericho
Back from commercial and Wade Barrett is waiting in the ring. Out comes his NXT Pro, Chris Jericho. Jericho has his elbow bandaged up. The bell rings and a “Y2J” chant breaks out. Jericho takes it to the corner and knocks Barrett down with an elbow. Jericho keeps in control with kicks and a suplex. We see the rest of Nexus watching backstage. Barrett fights back with knees to the gut but gets dropkicked by Jericho.
Jericho sends him to the floor and goes outside. Jericho works over Wade on the floor and brings it back in the ring. Jericho goes to the top but Barrett knocks him off and to the outside. Barrett comes out and rams Jericho back into the ring apron. Barrett with stomps now. Barrett brings it back in the ring and applies a headlock. Barrett power whips Jericho into the corner and he goes down.
Jericho fights back with right hands now. Barrett responds with an elbow to the head and Jericho goes down. Barrett chokes Jericho on the ropes now and puts a knee to Jericho’s back. Barrett with another knee to the gut. Barrett runs into Jericho’s boot now and hits a missile dropkick for a 2 count. They trade right hands now. Jericho drops Wade with shoulderblocks. Jericho with a running bulldog. Jericho goes for the Walls of Jericho but Wade counters and rolls out. Barrett goes for his finisher but Jericho slides out of it and goes for the Walls again. Jericho locks it but Wade reaches the ropes and breaks the hold.
Barrett drops Jericho but only gets a 2 count. Jericho counters a move and lays Wade out with an enziguri. Jericho goes for the Codebreaker but Wade catches him. Wade slams Jericho with his finisher for the pinfall and the win.
Winner: Wade Barrett
– After the match, we see the rest of Nexus backstage nodding their head in approval. Barrett heads to the back and has a brief staredown with Jericho. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Justin Roberts introduces Justin Long, Charlie Day and Jason Sudeikis from the new movie Going The Distance. They get in the ring and try to get the crowd hype. Finally they get a pop. They bring up the LA Lakers and get a bigger pop. They introduce the WWE Unified Tag Team Champions and out comes The Hart Dynasty with Natalya.
The guest hosts leave the ring when The Harts come in. They pose for the fans before the e-mail alert goes off again. Cole says that from now on, the Unified Tag Team Titles will now be known as the WWE Tag Team Titles. Bret Hart comes out to present the Harts with the new tag title belts. Bret comes out with two new belts on his shoulder and they definitely look different. Wade Barrett and Nexus appear on the big screen and have chosen Justin Gabriel as Bret’s opponent tonight. Gabriel says Bret may have experienced a lot of things in his career, but tonight he will experience the 450 Splash. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break, Cole and Lawler talk about Daniel Bryan’s return at SummerSlam.
Michael Tarver vs. Daniel Bryan
We go to the ring and out comes Michael Tarver, representing Nexus. Cole says that Tarver has picked Daniel Bryan as his opponent. Out comes Bryan to the ring. The bell rings and they lock up. Tarver takes it to the corner. Chants for Bryan from the crowd. They trade shots now. Tarver backs Bryan into the corner with body shots. Bryan fights back with kicks. More punches from Tarver. Another kick from Bryan. Bryan comes with a big kick to the face and a 2 count.
More back and forth action. Bryan comes back and hits a bunch of kicks in the corner. Bryan ducks a move and dropkicks Tarver into the corner. Bryan goes to the top rope and hits a big missile dropkick. The Miz and Alex Riley run down to distract Bryan. Tarver takes advantage and rolls Bryan up for the win.
Winner: Michael Tarver
– After the match, Bryan dives through the ropes and lands on Mix and Riley. Tarver comes over and the three of them beat Bryan down. Bryan’s back is rammed into the fan barrier. Miz mounts Bryan with a series of right hands. Miz puts his briefcase on the ground and drops Bryan into it with the Skull Crushing Finale. Miz and Riley leave with Bryan laid out on the floor.
– Back from the break and Josh Matthews asks The Miz about his attack on Daniel Bryan. Miz says everyone has heckled him since Bryan was his Rookie on NXT. Miz says everyone on Team WWE begged him to join them at SummerSlam but they put him on the backburner for Bryan. Miz says everyone thinks Bryan is so special, but how special is he now? Miz says Riley is the real next breakout star in WWE. Riley says Bryan never appreciated Miz. Riley says he’s nothing like Bryan, he’s the next winner of NXT and he owes it all to Miz. Riley and Miz walk off.
– We go backstage to The Nexus in their locker room. Darren Young says he’s decided who he wants to face tonight. He wants John Cena. Young says Cena brutally attacked him last month and tonight, he’s going to take Cena out. Otunga says Young knows the consequences and he’s still stepping up. Otunga says he respects that.
Justin Gabriel vs. Randy Orton
We go to the ring and out comes Justin Gabriel for his match with Bret Hart. Gabriel enters the ring and we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Gabriel waits in the ring. The e-mail alert goes off and Cole makes the announcement. The GM says he’s sorry because Bret Hart won’t be competing tonight. The GM says he doesn’t like Bret Hart and never has liked Bret. The GM never wants to see Bret perform on RAW again. His substitution will be… Randy Orton! Orton’s music hits and he comes out to a big pop, with a smirk on his face.
The bell rings and Orton comes face to face with Gabriel, almost. Gabriel shoves Orton. Orton locks up and takes it to the corner. Gabriel ducks a right hand and tags Orton in the head. Orton smiles at Gabriel. Orton locks up again and Gabriel applies a headlock. Gabriel counters Orton and hits him in the head again. Orton is taking his time here. Orton kicks Gabriel in the gut but misses a clothesline. Orton catches a kick from Gabriel and smiles in his face as he holds his leg. Orton clotheslines Gabriel twice and hits the powerslam.
Orton brings Gabriel in from the apron with the second rope DDT. Orton hits the mat and stalks Gabriel. Sheamus comes down to ringside. Orton comes out after him and they start fighting. Orton clotheslines Sheamus into the crowd and goes after him. Orton and Sheamus fight through the crowd as the referee counts to ten. Orton is counted out and Gabriel wins the match.
Winner by Count Out: Justin Gabriel
– After the winner is announced, Orton knocks Sheamus back over to ringside. Gabriel has his hand raised in the ring. Orton comes in the ring from behind and lays Gabriel out with an RKO. Orton grabs a chair and starts beating Sheamus in the back in front of the announcer’s table. Orton is pumped and hits Sheamus with the chair about 15 times. The crowd starts chanting for Orton. Orton goes to walk off but Sheamus crawls to his feet. Orton sees Sheamus get up and doesn’t like it. Orton runs back over and lays out Sheamus with an RKO. Orton’s music hits as we go to replays. Orton heads up the ramp and poses as we go to commercial.
Skip Sheffield and David Otunga vs. R-Truth and John Morrison
Back from commercial and the team of David Otunga and Skip Sheffield is in the ring waiting. John Morrison is out next for his team and then his partner R-Truth. Otunga and Morrison start things out. They lock up and Morrison works on the arm of Otunga. Morrison with a leg sweep. We see Nexus looking on in the back. Gabriel has an ice pack on his neck. Truth comes in, drops Otunga but only gets a 2 count.
Sheffield comes in and goes at it with Truth. Sheffield catches Truth on his shoulder and hits a huge powerslam. Sheffield drops Truth with a big uppercut. Sheffield tags in Otunga, who works over Truth in the corner. Truth drops Otunga on his face. More back and forth. Sheffield tags himself in but nobody sees it. Sheffield drops Morrison and gets ready for his big clothesline. Morrison gets up and Sheffield lays him out with the clothesline. Sheffield covers Morrison for the pin and the win.
Winners: Skip Sheffield and David Otunga
– Backstage we see Divas Champion Melina, Eve and Gail Kim headed to the ring for a six-Divas tag team match. Back to commercial.
Melina, Eve and Gail Kim vs. Maryse, Jillian and Alicia Fox
Back from commercial and we see stills from SummerSlam where LayCool attacked Melina. Out comes the team of Eve, Gail Kim and WWE Divas Champion Melina to the ring. Out next is Maryse, Alicia and Jillian. We see Jon Lovitz sitting behind the announcer’s and he’s in love with Maryse. Gail and Maryse start the match off. Back and forth until Gail hits a 2 count. Gail ties Maryse up in the corner and tags in Melina. Gail holds Maryse while Melina hits a big bronco buster in the corner. Maryse rams Melina back in the corner and distracts the ref. Maryse drops Melina with a kick and gets a 2 count.
Alicia comes in and hits a Northern Lights suplex on Melina for 2. Melina breaks out of a hold and drops Alicia. Eve and Jillian are tagged in. Eve with two dropkicks and a scoop slam. The Divas fight to the outside. Eve kicks Jillian in the head and goes to the top. Jillian slams Eve off the top rope and pins her for the win.
Winners: Maryse, Alicia Fox and Jillian Hall
– We go backstage with Edge and Josh Matthews. Edge says it’s no surprise that the team he led, Team WWE, got the victory at SummerSlam. Heath Slater walks up and Edge tells Matthews to beat it. Slater says they’re scheduled to wrestle tonight but maybe they can work something out. Slater says he patterns himself after Edge. Slater suggests that Edge take the night off and not show up. Edge says normally he might do that, but he doesn’t want the record books showing that he forfeited to some Wendy’s wanna-be. Slater drops Edge with a right hand and walks off. We go to commercial.
Edge vs. Heath Slater
Back from the break and Heath Slater has entered the ring. Out next comes Edge and he’s pissed about the cheap shot from Slater. The bell rings and Edge attacks first, beating Slater down in the corner. Edge whips Slater hard into the opposite corner and hits a running kick. Edge continues the assault and poses over Slater. Edge goes to the top but Slater knocks him down to the apron. Slater hits a running dropkick and sends Edge to the floor. Slater comes out after him and rams Edge into the barrier before bringing it back in the ring for a 2 count.
Slater applies a submission now. Slater slams Edge down by his hair and stomps away. Slater with a big right hand now. Slater drops Edge with an elbow but it’s only good for a near fall. Edge fights back now with right hands. They go back and forth. Slater splashes in the corner but misses. Edge with clotheslines. Edge drops Slater for a 2 count of his own.
Edge kicks Slater in the face. Slater counters and slams Edge on his face from way up high. 2 count for Slater. Edge counters a whip and hits a smaller spear in the corner. Edge goes for a baseball slide to Slater on the floor but misses. Edge comes out on the floor and drops Slater with a big boot. Edge waits for Slater to get up and goes for a spear on the floor, all while the referee is counting. Slater side steps the spear and rolls into the ring. Edge is counted out.
Winner by Count Out: Heath Slater
– After the match, Edge looks a bit shocked and frustrated as Slater has his hand raised in the ring. Edge comes in the ring and lays Slater out with a spear. Edge’s music plays as he heads to the back. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and The Great Khali is backstage with tonight’s guest hosts, the actors from Going The Distance. Justin Long says something about the Khali Kiss Cam. Khali says something and Ranjin Singh translates. Something about Khali’s girlfriend being back in India. Singh shows a photo of her to Long and he seems disgusted. The other hosts walk up and start laughing at the girl in the photo, not realizing it’s Khali’s girlfriend. They think Khali doesn’t understand English but he does. Khali snatches his picture back and they run off. Khali looks at the picture and says, “yeah she’s butt ugly.” The Bella Twins walk in and Khali walks away with them.
– Cole leads us to a video package with highlights from SummerSlam week in Los Angeles.
– Backstage we see John Cena walking to the ring. We take another commercial break.
John Cena vs. Darren Young
Back to the show and Darren Young is in the ring for tonight’s main event. Out comes John Cena to a big pop. The rest of Nexus come out to the stage to watch the match. The bell rings and they size each other up. Cena and Young lock up but Young goes for a quick roll-up. They lock up again and Darren goes for a backslide pin for a 1 count. Cena takes Young down with a headlock. Young with a headlock now. They run the ropes and Cena takes Young down with a shoulder. Another headlock by Cena.
More back and forth. Young with a clothesline for a 2 count. Young drops Cena again and gets another 2 count. Young with a knee to Cena’s head and yet another 2 count. They run the ropes again but Young connects with a swinging neck breaker. Another 2 count. Young smacks Cena’s head and applies a chinlock.
Young keeps control of the match but can’t get the pinfall. Young with a bridge suplex for another near fall. Young sends Cena out to the floor and comes after him. We see Nexus watching from the stage. Young looks frustrated. Young runs and dropkicks the steps into Cena. Young enters the ring and the referee starts to count. Cena makes it in at 9. Cena comes back now and hits the running shoulder and big back drop. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Young blocks it and tries to roll Cena up. Cena counters and locks on the STF. Young taps out and Cena wins.
Winner: John Cena
– After the match, Nexus runs down to the ring and surrounds Cena from the apron. Cena hops down and starts to leave. Nexus lets him leave without doing anything. Nexus enters the ring where Darren Young is trying to get up. They surround him as he gets to his feet. Young says something to Wade Barrett but David Otunga attacks from behind. Nexus beats down Young. Skip Sheffield hits the big clothesline. Barrett picks up Young and slams him down with his finisher. They drag Young over and Justin Gabriel connects with the 450 Splash. Nexus’ music hits as we go to replays and they gather as one in the ring. It looks like they just lost a member in Darren Young. RAW goes off the air with the six members of The Nexus holding their hands high in the ring.
