Raw

Hampton, Virginia
July 25, 2011

results thanks to wrestleview.com

The WWE Championship is shown on a podium at ringside. Raw is opening with the championship match! Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler welcome us to the show. The entire locker room is seen watching this match on a monitor backstage.

WWE Championship Match
Rey Mysterio vs. The Miz

Justin Roberts does the introductions once they get in the ring. Michael Cole says they guarantee there will be a new champion tonight.

They lock up and The Miz backs Mysterio into the corner. Miz gives a clean break. They circle the ring and Miz gets a waist lock quickly applied. Miz gets a side headlock on but Mysterio whips him off. Miz quickly takes him down with a shoulder block for a two count. Mysterio comes back with some kicks and punches. Mysterio gets a side headlock but Miz whips him off. Miz lowers his head and eats a kick, allowing Mysterio to hit him with a head-scissor takeover. Mysterio tries to slide through his legs but Miz catches him and sends him to the corner. Miz runs into some boots but catches Mysterio coming off the second rope with a hurricanrana. Miz gives him an alley-oop into the corner.

The referee checks on Mysterio in the corner. Mysterio gets up and Miz hits him with his patented clothesline for a near fall. Miz stomps away at him for a bit before digging his knee into the back a few times. Miz applies a chin lock but Mysterio quickly fights up and elbows out. Mysterio goes into the ropes and Miz catches him with a knee to the midsection for a near fall. Miz kicks him in the ribs and chokes him on the ropes. Mysterio hits some back elbows but Miz cuts off the comeback with a kick. Miz slides him out of the ring but Mysterio quickly gets to his feet. Miz then drops him with a baseball slide. Miz goes outside and drives him into the apron. Miz sets him up on the apron and goes for a running kick but Mysterio avoids it. Mysterio then catches him with a head-scissor into the steel steps!

-Commercial Break-

We come back from the break to see Mysterio fight up from a chin lock and elbow out. Miz quickly hits him with a backbreaker/neckbreaker combo for a near fall. Miz punches away and gets another near fall. Miz goes back to the chin lock and Mysterio soon fights up. Mysterio elbows out but Miz cuts him off with a knee. Miz goes for a back suplex but Mysterio flips through. Mysterio then sends Miz shoulder first into the ring post.

Mysterio goes to the top rope and hits a seated senton. Mysterio goes into the ropes and hits a springboard cross-body for a near fall. Miz quickly kicks him and goes for a sunset flip but Mysterio rolls through. Miz ducks the kick to the head, kicks him, and hits a nasty DDT for a near fall. Miz absolutely cannot believe it. Mysterio ducks a running kick to the face but can’t avoid a big boot, giving Miz a near fall. Miz takes a moment to compose himself before going to pick up Mysterio. Mysterio kicks him in the head and gets a wheelbarrow roll-up for a near fall! Miz quickly knees him in the midsection and goes for a powerbomb but Mysterio gets out. Mysterio dropkicks him into position and goes for the 619 but Miz avoids it! Miz then hits a slingshot powerbomb for a near fall!

Miz can’t believe it and starts screaming at Mysterio to give up. Miz starts sizing him up, waiting for Mysterio to get up in the corner. Miz goes for the Skull Crushing Finale but Mysterio holds the ropes. Miz then powers him to the top rope and gets him in the tree of woe. Miz kicks away at him as he precariously hangs upside down. Miz backs up and goes for a running knee but Mysterio sits up. Miz’s knee injury from Money in the Bank flares up. Mysterio hits a top rope hurricanrana, putting Miz in position. Mysterio hits him with the 619 and a top rope splash for the win!!

Winner & NEW WWE Champion: Rey Mysterio
Match Rating: ** 1/2

Rey Mysterio celebrates big time with the championship. This is his first reign as WWE Champion. Miz attacks Mysterio from behind as he celebrates. Miz is hobbling around the ring as he leaves.

Alberto Del Rio’s music hits and it looks like he’s cashing in Money in the Bank! All of a sudden Mysterio takes him out with a plancha! Del Rio runs away screaming that he’s changed his mind. Mysterio raises the championship up in the air and celebrates as Del Rio looks on from the ramp.

Michael Cole says that the Chief Operating Officer of WWE, Triple H, is here to give a State of the WWE Address tonight.

-Commercial Break-

The WWE superstars are clapping for Mysterio backstage and Zack Ryder pours some champagne over his head. John Cena shows up and congratulates him. Josh Mathews asks him how he’s feeling. Mysterio says it’s a long way to the top and he’s made sacrifices. Everyone has to make sacrifices if you want to get what you want in life. Mysterio gives a shout out to his family and says he’s bringing the gold home. They pour more champagne over his head.

They play a video recapping Triple H relieving Vince McMahon of his duties of day-to-day operations of WWE. Triple H was names his successor. Triple H will give as State of the WWE Address later on tonight.

-Commercial Break-

Dolph Ziggler w/ Vickie Guerrero vs. Evan “Air” Bourne

Dolph Ziggler has a new version of his song “Perfection”. It’s not all that much different.

They circle the ring and lock up. Ziggler quickly gets a side headlock applied. Bourne whips him off and gets shoulder blocked down. Ziggler goes into the ropes, they do some leap frogs, and Bourne takes him out with a dropkick. Ziggler gets out of the ring to regroup. Bourne follows him out and kicks him. Bourne puts him in the ring and starts kicking. Ziggler blocks one and hits a leg drop bulldog for a near fall. Ziggler punches away and stomps him in the corner. Ziggler waits for him to get up and dropkicks him down for a near fall. Ziggler applies a chin lock. Ziggler has it cinched in but Bourne soon fights up. Bourne elbows out but Ziggler knees him. Ziggler goes for a suplex but Bourne knees him in the head mid-air. Ziggler goes to splash him in the corner but Bourne moves.

Bourne kicks away at him and hits a nice dropkick. Bourne hits a second dropkick and a clothesline. Bourne goes for a splash but Ziggler knees him. Ziggler goes to the top rope and Bourne surprises him with a hurricanrana off the top for a near fall! Bourne goes to the top rope and goes for Air Bourne but Ziggler moves! Bourne lands on his feet and hits the Zig-Zag! Ziggler then picks him up, applies a sleeper hold, and the referee calls for the bell.

Winner by Referee Stoppage: Dolph Ziggler
Match Rating: *

Ziggler grabs a microphone and screams, “Follow that!” Follow a sleeper hold finish? I hope they can!

We’ll see Kofi Kingston take on Alberto Del Rio later on tonight.

-Commercial Break-

The Bella Twins and Eve Torres are arguing with Keith Stone walks up to find out what’s going on. Keith pulls Nikki over, the camera pans away, and when it returns he has drawn a huge tattoo on her arm. He’s smooth.

JOBBER ALERT: Melina and Maryse are in the ring with no TV entrance.

Melina & Maryse vs. Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly

Eve starts out against Maryse. Eve quickly takes her out with a TKO. Eve does a hip gyration and hits a standing moonsault. It looked like Maryse was supposed to move. Melina distracts the referee and Maryse kicks Eve in the head for a near fall. Maryse hits her with a stink face. Melina is tagged in and she smashes Eve’s face off the mat. Eve punches back and knees her in the midsection. Eve hits a bicycle kick and tags in Kelly.

Kelly hits a Thesz Press and bounces her head off the mat. Kelly slaps her on the butt… and Melina sells it. Kelly then knocks Maryse off the apron by slapping her butt. Jesus Christ. Kelly does Maryse’s taunt and hits Melina with an ugly bulldog. Maryse breaks up the pin. Eve takes her out of the ring and Melina dropkicks Kelly. Kelly avoids the running knees and hits the K2 for the win. Mercifully this is over.

Winners by Pinfall: Eve Torres & Kelly Kelly
Match Rating: N/A

Triple H is seen talking with R-Truth backstage. R-Truth looks like he’s talking about a conspiracy and Triple H looks skeptical. His State of the WWE Address is next!

-Commercial Break-

Cee Lo Green will be performing live at Summerslam.

Triple H’s music hits and the new Chief Operating Officer of the WWE makes his way to the ring. They announce he’ll be on Smackdown this week to talk to the roster there. The crowd is absolutely unglued. Triple H says he’d like to get something off his chest that’s of a personal and profession standpoint. He’d like to acknowledge why we’re all here. He’d like to acknowledge why WWE is the global phenomenon and success it is. He’d like to acknowledge why there are tens of thousands of people in the arena and millions watching around the world. It’s due to one man’s vision and pure genius. For that he’d like to say, from the bottom of his heart, “Thank you, Vince.” The crowd chants that.

Triple H says he’s not here to talk about the past. He’s here to talk about the future. Tonight we crowned a brand new WWE Champion. Triple H congratulates Rey Mysterio, but here’s the thing: since he’s in charge he can do things a little differently. Tonight, we’re going to have a second WWE Championship match on Raw! Triple H has spoken to both men and they’ve agreed that the match needs to take place tonight. Rey Mysterio will have a match against the man who was cheated out of his rematch. Tonight, it will be WWE Champion Rey Mysterio versus John Cena!

Triple H says this is fun. There’s another thing that’s bothering him. He’s been hearing one man’s name a lot and the crowd is chanting for “CM Punk”. Triple H says there’s one man who should be on Raw so he’s taken the opportunity to get him resigned. Triple H introduces him… and it’s JIM ROSS!

Michael Cole has his head down as JR gets into the ring. The crowd loves this, including me. Jerry Lawler gives him a standing ovation. JR comes to the table and hugs Lawler. JR offers his hand to Cole but Cole won’t shake it.

Cole throws down his headset, grabs a microphone, and stands on the table. Cole says no disrespect to Triple H but if he’s talking about the future of WWE then JR is the walking dead. Cole says ever since WrestleMania, he’s done everything the company has asked him. He’s eaten crow, done embarrassing things, and put Lawler’s foot in his mouth. One thing he refuses to do is work with this fat hayseed, one-faced Oklahoma redneck. Cole asks if JR needs the money since his restaurants went belly up. Cole says JR kissed Mr. McMahon’s ass his whole career and now he’s here to kiss Triple H’s ass. The only thing bigger than JR’s gut is his ego. Cole says he will not sit in the chair and work with JR. He cannot stand him.

Triple H asks if he’s done. Triple H says he had a feeling that Cole would be upset about this so his first inclination was to fire him and bring JR back. Triple H says he looked at Cole’s contract and saw that his severance package is crazy so he can’t fire him. Triple H says if he wants to leave then he’d be in breach of contract and he’d surrender all future earnings. Triple H says he sprung this on Cole quickly so he’ll give him the rest of the night off from commentary. If Cole shows up Friday then everything will be fine. If not he’ll wish him well in his future endeavors. Cole says he’ll just do his job since he’s not quitting.

Triple H says he gave him the night off from commentary so he can’t sit down for the night. If he does then he’ll be late for his match. Cole says he’s retired and doesn’t have any gear since it’s in the Hall of Fame. Cole says he’s undefeated at WrestleMania. Triple H says he has some gear for Cole in the trainer’s room and says he’s up next.

R-Truth’s music hits as Cole goes to the back. R-Truth says it’s out with the old and in with the new. The man who’s been a part of the conspiracy since day one is now THE man in WWE. R-Truth congratulates him and tells the crowd not to “what” him. R-Truth says “congratulations” to two imaginary people. Unlike Michael Cole, he likes what he sees. He sees a new day, regime, etcetera, and etcetera. R-Truth gets in the ring and says what he really wants to know is what Triple H is going to do for him. R-Truth says Little Jimmy cost him his match at Capitol Punishment. Spiders and heights cost him his match at Money in the Bank. R-Truth wants to know what Triple H is going to do to rectify the conspiracy against him.

Triple H asks if he’s talking to him or his imaginary friends. R-Truth doesn’t know what he’s talking about and talks to them, saying Triple H thinks they’re joking. Triple H talks to an imaginary friend and messes with R-Truth. Triple H says R-Truth needs some medication. Triple H says his friend doesn’t like how R-Truth’s friend is eyeballing him. R-Truth says Triple H is crazy and he’s talking to people that don’t exist! R-Truth says he might be the game but he’s not playing. R-Truth gets out of the ring and leaves to the back.

Triple H asks him (and his friends) to stop. Triple H says he forgot to tell him one thing. Triple H says he resigned another guy and when he resigned him he said he wanted a piece of R-Truth. John Morrison’s music hits and he comes out. Morrison punches R-Truth down and stalks him to the ring. Morrison jumps off the stairs and tackles him. Morrison punches away and puts him in the ring. R-Truth punches him to the corner but Morrison quickly comes back with more punches. Morrison hits (and nearly misses, as usual) Starship Pain.

Michael Cole will face a mystery opponent next. We’ll also see John Cena take on Rey Mysterio for his newly won WWE Championship tonight!

-Commercial Break-

Triple H’s music hits… but it’s Michael Cole in Triple H’s gear! This is hilarious! Cole does all of Triple H’s mannerisms, right down to the water bottle spot. His opponent? Zack Ryder!

Michael Cole vs. Zack Ryder

Michael Cole begs him off and Ryder quickly kicks him. Ryder bounces him in the corner and does a “Woo, woo, woo” fist pump. The crowd is chanting, “Let’s go Ryder” as he hits Michael Cole with the Rough Ryder for the win!

Winner by Pinfall: Zack Ryder
Match Rating: N/A

Rey Mysterio will defend his WWE Championship against John Cena tonight. We’ll see Alberto Del Rio face Kofi Kingston next. They’re doing this really cool thing where they show highlights of the superstars as they announce their names for upcoming matches. I like it.

-Commercial Break-

Ricardo Rodriguez is in the ring to announce Alberto Del Rio, who drives into the arena in a beautiful Rolls Royce.

Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston

Del Rio quickly kicks Kingston down. Del Rio hits a snapmare tries for a pinfall but doesn’t get it. Del Rio sends him to the ropes but Kingston gets a crucifix pin for a near fall. Kingston then clotheslines him over the top rope. Kingston charges for a plancha but Del Rio runs away. Kingston taunts him in the ring as we go to commercial.

-Commercial Break-

We come back from the break to see Del Rio applying an arm bar to Kingston (not his finisher arm bar). Del Rio kicked Kingston in the head during the commercial break. Kingston fights out of the arm bar but Del Rio quickly kicks him in the ribs. Del Rio kicks him down in the corner and the referee backs him up. Del Rio charges but Kingston moves, sending Del Rio shoulder first into the ring post.

Kingston hits a springboard cross-body for a near fall. Kingston slaps Del Rio down a few times and hits a dropkick. Kingston hits a leaping clothesline and gets the crowd amped up. Kingston hits the Boom Drop and signals for his finisher. Del Rio gets up and ducks Trouble in Paradise. Del Rio drops Kingston with an arm breaker for a near fall. Kingston gets up in the corner and hits a pendulum kick on Del Rio. Kingston goes for a victory roll but Del Rio sits on the shoulders. Kingston rolls through and nearly gets the win but Del Rio grabs the bottom rope. Kingston gets him up but Del Rio snaps his arm off the top rope. Del Rio applies the Cross Arm Bar for the submission victory.

Winner by Submission: Alberto Del Rio
Match Rating: *

Rey Mysterio versus John Cena for the WWE Championship is up next!

-Commercial Break-

Josh Mathews walks into The Miz’s locker room. The Miz tells him to shut his mouth. Miz says John Cena has a title match tonight (really?) but is he the only one who remembers that John Cena is the one who got us all into the mess by losing the title to he-who-must-not-be-named? Voldemort? If Mr. McMahon were here he would have fired John Cena for all the right reasons. Instead Triple H comes back, keeps him on, and reinstates that loser JR. The face of the company is a man who has no face right now. Miz says that he is the most must see WWE Champion in history. Triple H’s new WWE is a mistake – a HUGE mistake.

WWE Champion Rey Mysterio makes his way to the ring. He’ll defend his title against John Cena next!

-Commercial Break-

We’ll have a #1 Contender’s Diva Battle Royal featuring Divas from both Raw and Smackdown. The winner will face Kelly Kelly at Summerslam for the title.

WWE Championship Match
Rey Mysterio (c) vs. John Cena

Charles Robinson, my favorite referee of all time, is the official for this big match. They circle the ring and Mysterio quickly kicks Cena in the leg. They circle again and Mysterio kicks him in the leg again. Cena laughs it off. Mysterio kicks Cena some more in the leg, goes into the ropes, and eats a clothesline for a one count. Cena wrenches the arm and Mysterio kicks. Mysterio rolls him up for a two count. Mysterio applies a side headlock but gets whipped off. Mysterio slides through the legs and goes back to the side headlock. Cena goes for a back suplex but Mysterio lands on his feet and goes back to the side headlock. Cena drops him with a back suplex for a one count.

Mysterio kicks Cena in the leg again and hits a springboard bulldog for a near fall. Cena avoids another kick to the leg and pushes Mysterio to the corner. Cena goes to splash him in the corner but Mysterio moves. Cena rolls out of the ring to recover. Mysterio then hits a springboard senton to the outside! Mysterio kicks him in the leg. Cena reverses a whip into the stairs but Mysterio climbs up the steps. Cena ducks a seated senton and clotheslines him down outside! Cena rolls him into the ring for a near fall.

Cena applies a grounded bear hug. Mysterio takes some time before fighting up. Mysterio elbows and hits a big DDT for a near fall. Cena ducks an enzuigiri and goes for the STF but Mysterio immediately gets to the ropes. Mysterio shoulders Cena in the midsection and snaps him off the top rope. Mysterio hits a springboard splash for a near fall. Mysterio goes into the ropes and goes for the 619 but Cena grabs him! Cena powerslams him and picks up a near fall! Cena runs into the boots but comes back with a shoulder block. Cena goes for a second one and Mysterio dropkicks him out of mid-air! Mysterio picks up a near fall.

Mysterio gets up and goes for a Lionsault but Cena moves. Mysterio lands on his feet and counters Cena’s back suplex/powerbomb combo with a snapmare. Cena then counters a wheelbarrow bulldog with that same back suplex/powerbomb combo. Cena hits the 5 Knuckle Shuffle and goes for the Attitude Adjustment but Mysterio elbows out! Mysterio goes for a springboard cross-body but Cena catches him. Mysterio counters with a head-scissor takeover and dropkicks him for a near fall!

They both get to their feet and Mysterio gives Cena a drop-toe-hold into the corner. Mysterio goes to the top rope and hits a seated senton for a near fall! Cena gets out of it and goes for the STF but Mysterio counters into an STF of his own! Cena is fighting the pain of his own hold and looks to be out of it! Cena eventually fights up and has Mysterio on his back. Cena goes to transition to the AA but Cena’s leg buckles! Mysterio hits the 619 and goes to the top rope! Mysterio goes for the splash but Cena gets his knees up!

Both men fight up to their feet again and Mysterio shoulders Cena in the corner. Mysterio goes to the top rope and Cena tosses him off in a powerbomb-type move. Mysterio nearly landed on his head. Cena hits a top rope leg drop for a near fall! Cena gets to his feet and waits for Mysterio to get up. Cena goes for the AA again but Mysterio elbows and dropkicks him. Mysterio goes for the 619 but Cena catches him and hits the AA for the win!!

Winner & NEW WWE Champion: John Cena
Match Rating: ***

John Cena helps Rey Mysterio up and they shake hands. Cena raises Mysterio arm and they hug. Cena picks up his newly won WWE Championship and celebrates.

All of a sudden “Cult of Personality” hits and Cena looks all around for who it is. CM PUNK COMES OUT TO THE STAGE WITH HIS WWE CHAMPIONSHIP! The crowd goes nuts! Punk soaks in the reaction from the crowd as Cena watches on in shock. Punk makes his way to the ring and gets in. Cena raises his WWE Championship in the air and Punk raises his to a huge reaction. They stare at each other as Raw ends.