WWE Hall of Famer “Stone Cold” Steve Austin in Nashville, Tennessee this week for tonight’s CMT Music Awards show. Last night, Austin was hanging out at the Legends Corner bar with none other than TNA star James Storm. Here’s a picture of Austin and Storm sharing a few cold ones:
– Mexico’s SuperLuchas website recently stated that Randy Orton tested positive for the anabolic steroid Dianobol. A new report by F4Wonline.com states that they have been unable to confirm what Orton failed for and stated that it would be surprising if it was true, because Dianobol stays in your system for up to 6 weeks and is easily tested for.
– WWE has a new article up ranking the top 10 King of the Ring winners. Here’s the top 10:
10. King Mabel
9. Kurt Angle
8. Edge
7. Brock Lesnar
6. Harley Race
5. Bret Hart
4. Triple H
3. Booker T
2. Randy Savage
1. Steve Austin
– WWE and Triple H plan to continue the drastic overhaul of Florida Championship Wrestling in the coming months. Many talents were said to be shocked that Tom Prichard was recently fired as head trainer and replaced with Bill DeMott.
Former WWE superstar John Bradshaw Layfield plans to climb the highest peak on each of the seven continents – and TMZ.com has revealed that WWE will be sponsoring the expedition.
JBL’s 7 Summits adventure will take between 2-3 years and will cost upwards of $250,000. He planned to foot the bill himself, but WWE stepped up in a big way. He tells TMZ:
“The WWE is sponsoring my whole 7 summits trip and will help get the word out across their social media platforms … all to raise money for the kids program.”
JBL says 100% of the proceeds will go to the Family Center charity, a group that group helps needy chlidren in Bermuda, where he lives. JBL says he hopes his adventure will show the kids that anything is possible.
When asked by a fan on Twitter whether his new partnership with WWE means he’ll be returning to the company, he replied:
“I think it’s safe to say after announcement today on tmz that it’s highly likely”
WWE main eventer Daniel Bryan (YES!) was recently interviewed by CT.com and spoke about a number of topics, including physical pain he deals with from wrestling, getting burnt out from WWE’s brutal travel schedule, CM Punk’s recent Vince McMahon impression and much more. Here are some highlights:
Dealing With Physical Pain from Wrestling:
“Well, for right now, I’m not in any pain whatsoever. It’s just times when you have a nagging injury and you don’t have any time off, that’s when that nagging injury can become something like, ‘Oh, it’s hard to sleep because this is bothering me.'”
How He Deals With The Demanding WWE Schedule:
“I don’t really feel like it’s that grueling. The most grueling part to me is waking up at 6 a.m. to take a flight because it’s hard for me to get back to sleep. As long as I’m not flying, it’s not grueling for me at all. I enjoy being on the road. I’m a gentleman of the road!”
His “Road Wife” & A Funny Ryback Story:
“Right now, my road wife is the Ryback [Laughs] and Cody Rhodes. We don’t have any particular good road stories because I feel like we’re kind of boring. We just kind of drive to the next town. But what me and Cody really like to do is make up stories about the Ryback and then spread them amongst the locker room. For example, yesterday, we were working out in a gym. He was doing kettle bell snatches with only 35 pounds. You look at him, and you’d think, ‘Oh! This guy is way stronger,’ but he was lifting this kettle bell and he couldn’t control it, and it hit him in the eye and now he’s got a black eye. That story spread throughout the locker room all day yesterday.”
CM Punk’s Recent Promo About Vince McMahon & How He’d Never Picture Punk & Bryan Wrestling Main Event:
“Oh, I think one year ago he would have said that. One year ago, he would have been like, ‘Daniel Bryan’s going to be in a WWE Championship match at a pay-per-view? [Incredulously] No! Against CM Punk? No!’ [Laughs] I’m absolutely certain that’s correct. The 10-year time frame is a little longer than it should have been. He could have said a year ago and been accurate.”
His Goals In WWE:
“Well, for me, it’s all about enjoying my life. I don’t have a specific goal set like that necessarily. I just want to, at the end of my life, look back on it and be like, ‘Yeah, I enjoyed that,’ because as far as we know, we only get one life, and I want it to be good. I don’t want to waste it. I wrestle because I love to wrestle, so for me, [my goal is] to keep enjoying it. You see a lot of people lose their passion for it, and I don’t ever want that to happen.”
As advertised, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson appeared at Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Columbia, South Carolina. Both men appeared in segments that were off-camera and will not be shown on television.
*SPOILERS* WWE SmackDown Tapings Results For Friday
One of the matches on the show saw Sin Cara wrestle Drew McIntyre. After the match, Drew McIntyre grabbed a microphone and cut a promo demanding a WWE official come out and explain why he is not main eventing SmackDown. That WWE official turned out to be Triple H, who came out, nailed him with a Pedigree and left.
The dark main event after the SmackDown tapings saw Sheamus retain the World Heavyweight Title against Kane in a Steel Cage match. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson served as the special guest enforcer for the match. After Kane shoved Anderson during the match, Double A hit Kane with a low blow and Sheamus nearly took Kane’s head off with the Brogue Kick for the win. Anderson and Sheamus celebrated after the match.
Here are some live notes from Tuesday’s WWE tapings from Columbia, South Carolina:
– The dark match prior to the tapings saw Seth Rollins defeat Dean Ambrose.
– Hunico vs. Yoshi Tatsu was taped for this week’s WWE Superstars.
– The following matches were taped for this week’s WWE NXT:
* Tyler Reks vs. Jimmy Uso
* JTG vs. Percy Watson
* Natalya vs. Tamina Snuka
* Johnny Curtis & Heath Slater vs. Tyson Kidd & Justin Gabriel
Hit the NEXT button below for NXT Spoilers
WWE taped this week’s SmackDown on Tuesday night from Columbia, South Carolina. Here are the Smackdown spoilers, sent in by reader Jason Meisen:
– Teddy Long was in charge as John Laurinaitis was not here. He announced Brodus Clay was now full-time on Smackdown. Does it even matter anymore?
– Sin Cara defeated Drew McIntyre. There was a dark segment where McIntyre complained he wasn’t in main events. Triple H came out and pedigreed him after. Cara didn’t look as good as he did on Raw.
– Antonio Cesario beat Jey Uso.
– Cody Rhodes trashed the Peep Show set.
– WWE Intercontinental champ Christian defeated Dolph Ziggler.
– Brodus Clay defeated Derrick Bateman.
– Alberto Del Rio defeated The Great Khali.
– Ryback defeated two wrestlers.
– World champion Sheamus defeated Kane after AJ distracted Kane.
FCW Heavyweight Championship Match: Seth Rollins (c) vs. Richie Steamboat
– WWE video game publisher THQ closed down their San Diego offices this week, the studio behind last year’s WWE All-Stars game. This comes the same week that THQ sold the UFC game license to EA Sports, another ominous sign for the struggling company.
– FCW’s Mark Harris appeared on Monday’s RAW as the referee for the Kofi Kingston & R-Truth vs. Tyler Reks & Curt Hawkins tag title match.
– In the latest episode of Superstar Toyz, Hunico shows off his mask collection:
* Major Panic In WWE Over Low Ratings: Details On What VINCE Will Do Next Week
(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)
– Chris Jericho’s metal band Fozzy will be playing at the Grammercy Theater in New York City on August 30th. Tickets go on sale this Friday morning at LiveNation.com.
– Shawn Michaels made a surprise appearance at WWE developmental today. Jim Ross tweeted on Tuesday evening:
“Great of @ShawnMichaels to stop by FCW today and speak to all the talents. A Super surprise from HBK. Memorable message to all.
– WWE Champion CM Punk responded to a fan on Twitter who complained about Monday’s RAW drawing a 2.92 rating:
“You a wrestling fan or a ratings fan? I’ll take cross over seg telling a good story over covering a non-wrestler with condiments any day.”
– Monday’s RAW Supershow did a 2.92 rating with 4.28 million viewers. This is up from last week’s show on Memorial Day, which did an alarming 2.7 with 3.92 million viewers.
For the third consecutive week, RAW lost viewership in the second hour. Hour 1 did a 2.94 (4.32 million viewers) and Hour 2 did a 2.91 (4.25 million viewers).
– Ric Flair was not backstage at Monday’s RAW from Greenville, South Carolina. He was spotted in Greenville on Sunday night.
– WWE is working on a Rock vs. John Cena DVD to be released this fall, according to WWEDVDNews.com. Tentatively titled The Rock vs. John Cena – Once In A Lifetime, the DVD will spotlight their year-long feud that culminated at WrestleMania 28 and will include the one-hour documentary that aired on television in the week leading up to their match.
— During an interview with TheState.com to promote tonight’s WWE SmackDown taping from Columbia, South Carolina, WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson the show will feature some “major announcements.” He said, “I’m glad Columbia is the site for whatever they have planned. We will give the fans the best possible show possible.”
– With Randy Orton now having two Wellness Policy strikes against him, there has been a lot of discussion about his future in WWE.
WWE has typically been reluctant to get behind wrestlers that are one drug test failure away from a mandatory firing, but former WWE writer Seth Mates points out on Twitter that the company actually put the WWE Championship on Jeff Hardy when he had two strikes against him. CM Punk quoted the tweet and responded:
“@SethMates: Interesting web buzz re: Orton’s future. remember when @JEFFHARDYBRAND had 2 strikes & they put wwe title on him?”
I recall.
— SmackDown stars Daniel Bryan and the Big Show will be joining the RAW brand for its European tour that kicks off on Wednesday in Seville, Spain and runs until Saturday in Barcelona, Spain.
Daniel Bryan is replacing Chris Jericho in WWE title matches against CM Punk and Show will team with John Laurinaitis in handicap matches against John Cena.
Cena tweeted on Tuesday afternoon that he’s “off to spain” today.
— The social media activity score for Monday’s RAW was down a sharp 18% from last week’s Memorial Day episode. According to Trendrr.tv, RAW had had a score of 119,420, its third-lowest of the year. The show ranked #6 on cable for the night was down 28% from its 2012 average.
(Sources: Trendrr.tv, PWTorch.com)
The Miami Herald has published Part 3 of its recent interview with WWE Hall of Famer Shawn Michaels. Here are some highlights of what Michaels told reporter Jim Varsallone about:
His Faith: “I’ve shared my faith. I’ve had a lot of people ask me stuff. There are still a ton of detractors. There’s still a bunch of people who think I’m full of b.s. That can slow people down… I get people today saying like, ‘He’s no Christian. He’s working it.’ Well, I don’t even know if you can work that. Can you? … When I stand on my day of judgment, the Lord ain’t gonna ask Jim how Shawn was. He’s gonna ask me. That’s something between me and Him, not me and a bunch of people I shared a locker room with. He’s not concerned with what they think of me. He’s concerned about what He thinks of me. So that’s what I focus on.”
Concussions In Wrestling: “This is one of the 101 things that makes me probably not popular with everybody and their agenda. I’m 100 percent behind finding out the cause with technology and doing everything we can to minimize those things and take care of the athletes. I’m not down with that’s the excuse why everybody does what that they do. I’ve had my bell rung a bunch, and I still have no desire to hurt anybody. I’m down with finding out everything we can, doing everything we can to protect athletes. I think it does need to at least be understood that they’re still finding out.”
— Following Michael Cole’s humiliation on RAW at the hands of John Cena, WWE Hall of Famer tweeted the following message to Cole:
“After sleeping on it, sort of feel bad for @michaelcole. Humiliation is no fun, trust me. He’s got tuf gig.”
— Dolph Ziggler announced on Twitter today that the WWE Shop website will soon begin selling pink “stunner shades” sunglasses soon. You can see a preview picture of Ziggler ‘showing off’ the shades here.
— Here’s the latest RAW Backstage Fallout video featuring WWE tag team champions R-Truth & Kofi Kingston:
– Following the recent suspensions of Rey Mysterio and Randy Orton, WWE officials are discussing making a major change to company’s Wellness Policy – revealing what caused the talent to fail.
The belief is that wrestlers will be discouraged to use drugs if they know their drug use will be made public knowledge.
– WWE will tape this week’s SmackDown from the Colonial Life Arena in Columbia, South Carolina. Triple H is scheduled to make an appearance at the event.
Advertised locally is a Steel Cage match for the World Heavyweight championship, with Sheamus vs. Kane vs. Alberto Del. WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson will serve as the special enforcer.
– Abraham Washington’s “All World Talent Agency” storyline may be dropped soon.
(Partial Source: PWInsider.com)
– Steve Austin will be appearing at the CMT Music Awards tonight in Nashville, Tennessee. Austin will be promoting his new Redneck Island reality show on the network.
– WWE is now billing Sin Cara “the most popular superstar in the history of Mexico.” This statement can be disputed from many angles – and could also be seen as a shot at suspended WWE superstar Rey Mysterio.
– The Rock announced on Twitter that yesterday was the final day filming his “Pain & Gain” bodybuilder movie with Mark Wahlberg:
“On set. Last day of PAIN & GAIN. Insane true story – murder, mounds of coke & bodybuilder fanny packs. Been a helluva ride..”
Check out this gallery of The Rock on the set of Pain & Gain:
[nggallery id=19]
TNA executive Eric Bischoff recently spoke with Wrestling101. Here are some highlights of what he said about:
Scott Steiner’s recent Twitter rants:
“Scott is a 50-year-old man and is at a stage of his life where in his mind he is a much bigger star than in reality and he is having a hard time adjusting to that. It is sad to see, especially with people at one time you thought were friends become so bitter because their identities are so diluted in this wrestling character that they think it is their life.”
Read All of Scott Steiner’s Crazy Twitter Rants Here
The Current WWE Product:
“I look at the WWE now and am so very impressed with what Vince McMahon and his family, staff and company have done.”
Working with Vince McMahon:
“I respect the hell out of Vince McMahon in a lot of ways and my only regret is that I didn’t have a chance to work more closely with him when I was in the WWE because I could have learned from him in a lot of ways.”
– Jim Ross tweeted the following about the conclusion of Monday’s RAW, where John Cena terrorized Michael Cole, stripped him down to his underwear and covered him in JR’s BBQ sauce:
“@michaelcole was a trooper last night wearing JR’S BBQ sauces & taking @JohnCena AA. apology accepted. Let’s move on.”
Just a month ago, Brock Lesnar was bringing “legitimacy” back to WWE. Now, John Cena is main eventing RAW by stripping Michael Cole down to his boxers and covering him in BBQ sauce. Who’s ready for 3-hour RAWs every week?
– There was a fire at the Greenville Marriott hotel where the WWE superstars were staying at on Monday night. The entire hotel had to be evacuated around 3am due to a fire in housekeeping.
– Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins tweeted the following on Monday night after their match against Kofi Kingston and R-Truth on RAW:
Reks: “Hey, #Change takes time people. Non-title match tonight so we didn’t want to pull out all our tricks. More Reks & @TheCurtHawkins to come.”
Hawkins: “Well… I had a match on Raw. That’s a start. Not satisfied though.”
Randy Orton’s future with WWE is uncertain following their announcement Wednesday that he was being suspended for 60 days for his second violation of the Talent Wellness Program. SuperLuchas.net reports the SmackDown wrestler met with Chairman Vince McMahon, Executive Vice President of Talent and Live Events Paul Levesque and Executive Vice President of Television Production Kevin Dunn at the organization’s headquarters in Stamford, Connecticut on Friday to discuss his future with the organization.
A WWE source described the meeting’s atmosphere as “hostile;” it was determined that a further decision concerning Orton awaits. The report adds there are “several” officials lobbying for his termination as a cost-cutting measure. They feel his lucrative ten-year contract—signed in January 2010—can no longer be justified if he is brought back in a mid-level role. His second suspension hinders WWE from continuing to feature Orton in headline role since a third drug-testing policy infraction would result in automatic termination.
McMahon is especially infuriated with Orton, who felt he had matured in recent years. The nine-time world champion’s suspension reportedly stems from a positive drug test for the anabolic steroid Dianabol, which is banned by the United States Congress under its Controlled Substances Act. He also reportedly tested positive for marijuana, which is subject to a $2,500 fine.
– Shane “Hurricane” Helms announced that he would be cancelling all of his upcoming bookings to be with his girlfriend, who was recently hospitalized due to complications with her pregnancy.
– Matt Hardy announced that he has relaunched his official website at MattHardyBrand.com.
– As previously reported, Dixie Carter will appear on Thursday’s Impact Wrestling to address her ongoing storyline with AJ Styles. She announced on Twitter that her segment will kick off the show:
“I will publicly address the situation from last week’s Impact, LIVE this Thursday right at the start of the show at 8:00 p.m”
Impact Wrestling Preview For Thursday (6-Man Main Event)
– The TNA website has a new article up hyping the company’s Hall of Fame, including the Hall’s official logo –
– Prior to Monday’s WWE television tapings, Richie Steamboat defeated JTG in a dark match. Steamboat looked good but the crowd was not into the match.
– The following matches were taped for this week’s WWE Superstars:
* Jinder Mahal vs. Alex Riley
* Jack Swagger vs. Zack Ryder
– After Monday’s RAW Supershow went off the air, John Cena called out The Big Show. Johnny Laurinaitis came out and announced a handicap match featuring Cena vs. him, David Otunga and the Big Show. Big Show never tagged in during the match. Cena pinned Otunga and nailed the AA on Laurinaitis to end the show.
According to sources in WWE, the creative team is currently discussing different on-air roles for Ric Flair. The most popular option has been using Flair as a manager for Dolph Ziggler. Mason Ryan has been acting as Ziggler’s body guard at recent live events and will begin accompanying Ziggler to the ring on television soon in the event that Flair’s negotiations fall through.
WWE plans to negotiate a legends contract and possibly a talent contract for the 16-time World champion. It’s worth noting that people in WWE are concerned with Flair’s advanced age as well as his tendency to break from the script and go into business for himself.
While it appears likely that Flair will be back in WWE in the coming months, nothing has been signed yet and TNA’s recent lawsuit against WWE could pose issues for Flair jumping ship.
(Partial Source: WrestleZone.com)
RAW opens with a look back at Big Show explaining his heel turn from last week.
– We’re live from the Bi Lo Center in Greenville, South Carolina. Justin Roberts introduces Michael Cole and here he comes to the ring. Cole brings out John Cena and says he has a lot of explaining to do. Cena’s music hits and out he comes.
Cole reminds Cena about the two knockout punches from Big Show in a 24 hour period. Cole talks about Show taking out Brodus Clay, Alex Riley, Santino Marella, Zack Ryder, Kofi Kingston and R-Truth in the last week. Cole says this could have been prevented if Cena had done the right thing – supported Big Show in the first place. Cena cuts in and rips John Laurinaitis, calling him power hungry. Cena says he may not have stood up for Show that night but he was going to take him out for good at the pay-per-view. Cole calls Cena self-centered and wrapped up in his own ego. Cole says it’s not all about Cena – Big Show did what he had to do to feed his family. Cole says Big Show decided it was time to teach everyone a lesson – Big Show is no longer a businessman, he’s a 7 foot giant that nobody can beat. Cena says Show is just a man who decided he wanted a wallet the size of his waist line. Cena says we have all had tough times and when you have tough times, you make a decision. Cole says maybe Cena is jealous of Big Show. Cole says he has supported Cena since day one but he’s seeing things different lately. Cole says Cena isn’t interested anymore and he’s overrated. Cole hopes Big Show puts Cena out of our misery at No Way Out in the steel cage. Cole reminds Cena he can’t strike an announcer because it’s prohibited. The music hits and out comes John Laurinaitis on his scooter.
Laurinaitis is going to let Cena pick an opponent for tonight but says Big Show isn’t here tonight because his new contract has selective dates. Laurinaitis says he has retired from singles competition after defeating Cena at Over the Limit. Laurinaitis says anyone else is game. Cena says tonight’s RAW is going to be extra special because his opponent is Michael Cole. Cena’s music hits but Cole starts to protest. Cole says Cena can’t do that. Cole pleads with Laurinaitis but Ace just rides away on his scooter. Cena gets his match and celebrates with the fans at ringside as Cole yells for Laurinaitis to come back.
– Still to come tonight, Kane vs. CM Punk for the WWE Title and there must be a winner this time. We see Sheamus walking to the ring for a rematch against Dolph Ziggler. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and Cole catches up with Laurinaitis backstage. Cole begs him not to let the match go through. Laurinaitis says there’s a rumor going around that everyone’s job is going to be evaluated soon. Laurinaitis says he’s all about People Power. Cole says the people don’t want to see Cena beat the hell out of them. The crowd pops. Laurinaitis tells Cole to go do his job and get ready for his match. Laurinaitis tells Cole not to call him Johnny any more.
Dolph Ziggler vs. Sheamus
Vickie Guerrero comes out to the stage to begin introducing Dolph Ziggler when Michael Cole comes storming past her on his way to commentary. Ziggler makes his way out followed by the World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus for this non-title match.
They lock up and go at it. Ziggler takes the fight to the corner but Sheamus turns it around. Ziggler takes out Sheamus’ leg but gets caught going for the leg drop. Ziggler tries for a roll up but Sheamus hits the senton for a 1 count. Ziggler pulls the ropes down and dumps Sheamus out to the floor. Sheamus pulls him out and drops his head on the floor. They block attempts at pushing each other into the ring post. Ziggler blocks a shot into the steel steps. Vickie argues with Sheamus as Dolph enters the ring. Sheamus turns around to a dropkick from Ziggler. Sheamus goes down on the floor as Ziggler poses in the corner and we go to commercial.
Back from the break and Ziggler hits a big knee to the gut and takes Sheamus down with a submission. Sheamus comes back with forearms and hits a big powerslam for 2. Ziggler makes a comeback and drops an elbow for a pin attempt of his own. More back and forth action. Dolph with a close 2 count coming out of the corner. Sheamus counters and hits White Noise out of nowhere. Sheamus goes to the corner and gets ready. Ziggler gets up and gets dropped by a Brogue Kick for the win.
Winner: Sheamus
– After the match, Sheamus is headed up the ramp when Alberto Del Rio attacks from behind. Del Rio beats Sheamus down. Sheamus starts to come back but Ricardo Rodriguez comes out to help. They stomp away on Sheamus. Del Rio applies the cross armbreaker with Sheamus hanging off the stage. We go to commercial.
– Back from the break and David Otunga catches up with Laurinaitis. He shows him on WWE.com it says Vince McMahon will be returning next week. Laurinaitis says that’s a good thing. Otunga adds Vince is returning to evaluate Laurinaitis and Ace doesn’t look thrilled. Cole says he gets it now. Ace booked him in a match to please Mr. McMahon. Cole is no longer upset with Laurinaitis. Still to come tonight, Cena vs. Cole.
Sin Cara vs. Hunico
We go to the ring and out comes Sin Cara making his RAW return. Out next comes Hunico riding on Camacho’s bike.
The lights di blue and they go at it. Cara with high flying moves as he sends Hunico to the floor. Cara with a hurricanrana on the floor before bringing it back in the ring. Cara comes in with a roll up but Hunico kicks him in the face and takes control. Hunico with a big knee to the back for a 2 count. Hunico keeps Cara on the mat now.
More back and forth action with Camacho trying to get involved. Cara takes Hunico with with a flying head scissors for the win.
Winner: Sin Cara
– Up next is Ryback coming to RAW. We go to commercial.
Stan Stansky and Arthur Rosenberg vs. Ryback
Back from the break and two indy geeks are in the ring. They do a rap about how they are going to beat Ryback. The bell rings and Ryback begins the squash. He splashes them both in the corner before hitting a big double clothesline. Ryback scoops them both on his shoulders at the same time and drops them for the win.
Winner: Ryback
– Up next is WWE Champion CM Punk vs. Kane where there must be a winner. Back to commercial.
CM Punk vs. Kane
Back from the break and out comes WWE Champion CM Punk. It appears this match is not for the WWE Title but there must be a winner. Punk makes his entrance and out next is Daniel Bryan to join the announcers. Bryan stands up on the announce table and takes a mic. Bryan says it’s time for a little Q&A time. Bryan asks if AJ has gone delusional since he dumped her. He asks if Kane will destroy Punk tonight. He asks if he will become the new WWE Champion at No Way Out and of course every answer is yes! The pyro goes off and out comes Kane now.
The match starts and Kane beats Punk down in the corner. Punk makes a comeback and clotheslines Kane to the floor. Punk dives through the ropes and takes him out as Bryan looks on from ringside. Punk climbs up to the top and leaps down on Kane and he floor. Punk kicks Kane before rolling him back in the ring. Punk goes back up top and hits a crossbody for 2. Punk with more kicks. Kane cuts him off with a knee to the gut and a low dropkick to the face. Kane takes control now and hits a big leg drop for another pin attempt.
Punk fights out of a body scissors. Punk with kicks and chops. Kane goes for a slam but Punk blocks it with more kicks and forearm shots. Punk gets stopped again and Kane throws him over the top rope to the floor as Bryan laughs. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Punk applies a sleeper hold on Kane. Kane powers out with a big side slam and covers for a 2 count. Kane catches Punk with another side slam. Kane goes up top but Punk runs up and hits a high knee to the jaw. Punk with another knee in the corner and then the bulldog for a 2 count. Punk springboards in with a clothesline for another 2 count. Punk goes for GTS but can’t get Kane up. Kane drops him with a big boot and covers for 2. Kane goes for a chokeslam but Punk counters with a neckbreaker for a close 2 count. Punk goes up top but Kane stops him and climbs up. Kane goes for a superplex but Punk fights him off and sends him to the mat. Punk hits the elbow drop for another close 2 count.
They go back to the floor to fight. Kane throws Punk hard into the barrier, right in front of Bryan. Kane distracts the referee in the ring as Punk tries to get in the ring. Bryan comes from behind and kicks Punk twice as the referee has his back turned. Kane brings Punk back in the ring and goes for a chokeslam but Punk blocks it with a big kick to the head. AJ Lee runs down and tries to tell the referee what happened. Bryan tells her to get down. Punk dives through the ropes and takes out Bryan. Punk slams Bryan’s head in the barrier and comes back in the ring to a big chokeslam from Kane for the win.
Winner: Kane
– After the match, Bryan tries to attack from behind but Kane kicks him out of the ring. AJ comes in and smiles at Kane. Kane doesn’t fall for it and leaves the ring as AJ tends to Punk. Bryan looks confused from ringside.
– Still to come tonight, Cole vs. Cena in the main event. Back to commercial.
– Josh Mathews catches up with AJ Lee and asks her about “the look” we just saw. AJ grabs Mathews by his collar and says he seems uncomfortable. She plays the crazy chick role and he walks off.
– Cole begs the fans to use social media and ask John Laurinaitis to cancel the match against Cena tonight.
– We get another promo video for Big Show.
R-Truth and Kofi Kingston vs. Tyler Reks and Curt Hawkins
WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston and R-Truth make their way out to the ring as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Curt Hawkins is going at it with Kofi Kingston, who has his ribs taped up. Kofi keeps control and gets a 2 count. Truth is also taped up from the attack last week. Truth tags in and they double team Hawkins. Kofi with a big kick to the face. Truth hits a leg drop for a 2 count. Hawkins tags to Tyler Reks. Truth unloads and takes Reks to the corner. Hawkins interferes and Reks slams Truth to the mat. Reks with a big backbreaker for 2.
Hawkins tags back in and they double team Truth. Another tag to Reks and more double teaming. Truth fights back but Reks scoops him on his shoulders. Truth slides out and dropkicks Reks. Kofi gets the tag and hits his usual moves on Hawkins. Kofi hits Boom Drop and knocks Reks off the apron. Kof hits the big crossbody but Reks come in and breaks the pin. Reks dumps Truth to the floor but Truth pulls him out. Hawkins and Kofi go at it now with Kofi hitting Trouble in Paradise for the win.
Winners: Kofi Kingston and R-Truth
– We see John Cena walking backstage as we return to commercials.
John Cena vs. Michael Cole
Back fro the break and out comes John Cena for the main event. Michael Cole is still sitting in his suit at ringside doing commentary. John Laurinaitis comes out and makes the match a No DQ match, if Cena is victorious against this man… Tensai’s music hits and out he comes with Sakamoto.
John Cena vs. Tensai
Tensai comes out and pushes Sakomoto to the side. He charges to the ring where Cena waits.
They lock up and Tensai knocks Cena to the mat before taking him to the corner and beating him down with forearm shots. Tensai stomps away and taunts Cena to get up. Tensai drops Cena again with a big headbutt. Cena fights back and they trade shots. Cena clotheslines Tensai out to the floor and tries to bring him back in but goes down on the floor. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and Tensai is still in control. Tensai hits a big splash in the corner. Cena catches Tensai with boots in the corner and a bulldog. Tensai stops Cena again and leg drops his arm. Tensai with a big shoulder for a 2 count. Tensai tosses Cena back out to the floor and slams his head into the announcers table. Cole takes advantage and slaps Cena in the face. Tensai throws Cena into the steel steps as Cole yells on commentary. Cena rushes in the ring to stop the 10 count but Tensai catches him with a big suplex for a 2 count. Tensai misses the back splash and Cena makes a comeback.
Cena hits the usual followed by the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the Attitude Adjustment for the win.
Winner: John Cena
– Cena hits the turnbuckles to pose for the fans as Cole looks on worried from the announcers table. Cena is ready for Cole to get in the ring now for their No DQ match.
No DQ Match: John Cena vs. Michael Cole
The bell rings as Cole gets up. He hesitates before taking off over the fan barrier and through the crowd. Cena chases him down and brings him back to the ring.
Cole keeps trying to run off but Cena catches him and brings it in the ring. Cole grabs a mic and pleads with Cena. He says they go way back and are good friends. Cole says they can shake hands like friends do. Cole takes off his jacket and his tie. He’s upset now. Cole asks Cena how embarrassing it’s going to be when Cole beats him live on RAW. Cole continues taunting Cena and gets in his face. Cena rips Cole’s shirt open and gives him a big chop to the chest. Cena rips Cole’s pants off and then his shirt. Cena stomps Cole between the legs before taking him to the corner for another big chop.
Cena makes Cole apologize to Jerry Lawler for earlier comments. Cena then makes Cole apologize to Jim Ross for what’s happened in the past. Cole says he’s sorry over and over. Cena makes Cole plug JR’s BBQ sauce next. Lawler just happens to have a few bottles at ringside. Cena hits Cole with the mic and goes out for the bottles of BBQ. Cena gives Cole a JR’s BBQ bath and goes under the ring for a fire extinguisher. Cena cools Cole down with the extinguisher as the crowd cheers. Cole gets to his feet and Cena goes for the Attitude Adjustment. Before he can hit it, Tensai hits the ring and lays Cena out. Cole takes advantage and covers Cena but he kicks out at 2.
Cole slaps at Cena and yells at him. Cole grabs the fire extinguisher and charges at Cena with it but Cena catches him with the Attitude Adjustment for the win.
Winner: John Cena
– After the match, Cena celebrates and sprays the extinguisher some more. Cole is trying to recover on the outside as we go to replays. Cena finds Cole on the floor and sprays him some more with the extinguisher as RAW goes off the air.
– The opening segment of tonight’s WWE RAW Supershow from Greenville, South Carolina will be Michael Cole interviewing John Cena.
RIC FLAIR Spotted In Greenville, South Carolina Last Night
– As previously reported, Triple H and WWE Hall of Famer Arn Anderson will be attending Tuesday’s WWE SmackDown tapings from Columbia, South Carolina.
Anderson is now being advertised as the special enforcer for the Sheamus vs. Alberto Del Rio vs. Kane World Heavyweight title triple threat cage match that will likely be the dark main event. There has been no mention of Triple H appearing on this week’s SmackDown television broadcast, so it remains to be seen what his role will be at the show.
– WWE has cancelled April 4th live event that was scheduled to take place from Pensacola, Florida. [Thanks to Devin Cutting]