WWE Monday Night RAW LIVE Results for 6/24/13: Brock Lesnar, CM Punk, John Cena, Mark Henry

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After a very newsworthy RAW last week, the WWE faces an important follow up show this week. Will Mark Henry drop more great one liners? Will Brock Lesnar attack whoever looks at Paul Heyman the wrong way backstage? Follow along to find out!

Rubber Match? Nah

After a video recap of last week, Daniel Bryan came out to start RAW. Bryan said he’s been accused of having a complex and little man syndrome. People ask if he was an extra in The Hobbit. Bryan said people who call him the weak link are morons. He said standing toe-to-toe with the best is not good enough. He won’t be satisfied until he pins Randy Orton in the ring. Bryan said that will happen tonight. Randy Orton came out and told Bryan to shut up and fight.

Both men started brawling before the ref broke them up and officially started the match. The brawling continued. Orton tossed Bryan to the outside and clotheslined him on the outside, then threw him over the announce table. Bryan caught Orton then clotheslined him into the barricade, with Bryan accidentally taking out the ref. The ref rang the bell as Bryan and Orton continued brawling. More refs came down to break up the fight.

Segment Analysis: They did a good job of building up the intensity of the feud here. I’m surprised they didn’t go through with the match here. I guess they might want to save it for Money in the Bank. But good level of brawling between both men. Survey Says: 3/5

Back from break, Daniel Bryan complained to Vickie Guerrero and Brad Maddox. He said he wants a match with Randy Orton, or a match with Brad Maddox. Vickie agreed to a match with Orton. Vince McMahon came in. He said some people think Bryan shouldn’t be a WWE star due to his size, and he is an embarrassment. Vickie asked what Vince thought. He said he would let her figure that out.

Team Lobster Peeps?

Team Rhodes Scholars vs Sheamus and Christian. Cody started with a shoulder tackle on Christian. Christian came back with a couple of his own. Christian went for his jump over the rope uppercut, but Sandow distracted him, allowing Cody to throw Christian into steps. Cody worked over the shoulder of Christian then tagged in Sandow. Sandow hit the Elbow of Disdain. Cody went for an Alabama Slam but Christian got out and the double clothesline spot happened. Christian tagged in Sheamus and Cody tagged Sandow. Sheamus went to work on Sandow, hitting his rope punches. Cody tagged himself in and Sandow didn’t know. A mis-communication between both men lead to Cody being distracted, allowing Sheamus to hit the Brogue Kick for the win.

Match Analysis: A short match broken into two different parts: Christian being worked over and Sheamus getting the hot tag for the win. No clear direction yet for Christian, while there may have been a sign at the end of the match of a possible split yet again for the Rhodes Scholars. Basic tag match here. Survey Says: 2.5/5

Backstage, Vickie went up to Punk and told him he had a match. Punk asked if Heyman or Brock were there. Punk continued texting and ignored Vickie. Punk told her to let him know if they get there.

No Wardrobe Malfunctions This Week :(

Kaitlyn wrestled Aksana. Kaitlyn’s music played and A.J. came out in a fake muscle suit dressed like her. Kaitlyn ended up escaping a pin then spearing Aksana for the win. A.J. said Kaitlyn lost her dignity and actually thought someone liked her. Big E came out. A.J. pretended to be Kaitlyn and said she always dreamed of meeting a man with arms and legs as big as hers. And since she will never get the Divas Title back, she will just have to be the butt end of A.J.’s jokes. Layla had to hold Kaitlyn back.

Segment Analysis: Once again, the WWE continues to build a credible feud in the Divas Division. A.J. played a great heel there. She might just revive this division after all. Survey Says: 3/5

A recap aired of the Mark Henry/John Cena segment from last week aired.

So Who Is A Heel and Who Is A Face???

Chris Jericho vs Alberto del Rio. Del Rio hit a shoulder tackle, but Jericho came right back with a dropkick. Jericho hit a handful of chops then a suplex. Del Rio grabbed Jericho and threw him into the corner, then hit a kick to gut. Jericho caught a charging Del Rio with a boot, then hit a dropkick off the top for two. Jericho tossed Del Rio to the outside, but missed a springboard clothesline attempt and went flying to the outside. Del Rio tossed Jericho into the barricade into a commercial. Back from break Jericho started his comeback with a running knee and enziguri kick for two. Jericho went to the top but Del Rio caught him with a kick to the head. Jericho beat the ten count into the ring.

Del Rio hit a quick suplex then applied a chinlock. Del Rio stomped Jericho into the ground. Del Rio threw Jericho into the corner and both men went to the top. Jericho knocked Del Rio off and hit a crossbody off the top for two. Del Rio charged at Jericho in the corner but Jericho moved. He went for a Codebreaker but Del Rio stopped him. Jericho went for the Walls but Del Rio countered it. Del Rio hit a kick to the head for two. Jericho escaped a cross armbreaker and hit the running bulldog. Del Rio blocked the Lionsault with knees to the gut, and then applied the cross armbreaker. Jericho got to the ropes and broke the hold, then applied the Walls of Jericho. Ricardo came in and hit Jericho with the bucket, causing a DQ.

After the match Ziggler attacked Del Rio and hit the ZigZag, then Jericho hit the Codebreaker on Ricardo. Ziggler and Jericho stared each other down. Jericho tried leaving but Dolph it the ZigZag.

Segment Analysis: That was a very good match. Before hand they announced Dolph vs Del Rio at MITB. This whole segment makes me think it will be a Triple Threat match at MITB. Jericho gets pinned, and Dolph gets his one-on-one match at SummerSlam. I get the theory behind Dolph attacking Jericho, but it doesn’t help establish his face turn any better. But a solid wrestling match and good work from all involved. Survey Says: 3.5/5

Triple H told Vickie and Brad Maddox the Daniel Bryan-Randy Orton match should take place, and the fans should vote on the stipulation.

The Rock is on the cover of WWE 2K14. It was a long drawn out segment with Vickie, Brad Maddox and Jerry Lawler in the ring.

Ryback defeated The Great Khali. Just a match to remind us Ryback is still around.

Blah Blah Blah

John Cena came out, smiling more than ever! Cena said holding the WWE Title puts you in an elite group. Cena said shortcuts don’t get you any respect. He said last week we saw how low a man would sink in order to get the WWE Title. Cena said Mark Henry cheated the WWE Universe, and it was a disgrace to see Henry tarnish other speech’s similar. But Cena understands why Henry did it. He’s been here for 17 years and he has never held the WWE Title. But to get that Title, he has to go through him. Cena said Henry has to earn the Title, and at Money in the Bank Cena will knock Henry’s teeth down his throat. Cena said it is still “Whoop Ass Season,” and in three weeks he learns that his time is now.

Segment Analysis: That pretty much seemed like the same rah-rah speech Cena gave last week. Nothing new here. Survey Says: 2/5

Triple Threat #1 Contender’s Match for the Tag Titles: Tons of Funk vs 3MB vs The Usos. Brodus it a dive onto 3MB on the outside, and the next thing you know The Usos pinned Tensai for the win. Afterwards The Shield stared them down from the crowd.

Hug It Out Bro!

Paul Heyman came out. He said he’s been bugged by the same question for seven days. He said he’s ignored CM Punk’s calls and texts because the only way to talk is face-to-face. CM Punk came out. Punk said despite all of Heyman’s shortcomings he still was a Paul Heyman guy. When he was hired in 2005 he was sent down to Louisville to be a part of the WWE’s developmental system. Punk said Heyman was told to never consider bringing CM Punk to TV and that he wasn’t meant to succeed like he did. But Heyman never listened and refused to fire CM Punk. And when ECW was resurrected Paul Heyman’s first draft pick was Punk.

Punk said there were two things he wanted to say. The first was that he was coming for Brock Lesnar. Punk said Lesnar isn’t better than him. He’s the Best in the World. Punk said he is going to bring Lesnar down. Punk then asked if Lesnar attacked him on his own or because of what happened after Payback. Punk said he didn’t care what the answer was and all he wanted was the truth from Heyman. Heyman swore on his children that he didn’t know Brock Lesnar would be there last week. Heyman said Lesnar fulfilled his contractual obligations at Extreme Rules and he didn’t know he would be there. Heyman said the second Punk said Lesnar needed Heyman is when he started problems with Brock. Heyman said there is personal animosity between Punk and Lesnar and that’s why they never formed a tag team. Heyman said that one day, he will walk down the aisle with CM Punk at the main event of Wrestlemania because he loves him and he is his best friend. Heyman said it is the complete opposite of 2005 and now people want Punk to get rid of Heyman, and now it is Punk’s move. Punk said he’s sorry he doubted him and they hugged.

Segment Analysis: There was a lot of insider stuff in that promo and some fans probably weren’t too into that. The crowd seemed dead for a lot of it because of that. It was well delivered between both men and obviously is meant as a way to extend the program to SummerSlam. For now, the re-alliance between Punk and Heyman works as a way to extend the story. The promo was a lot of background info, but Punk’s threat to Lesnar was well sold by Punk. As I’ve always said: You believe CM Punk means everything he says when he delivers a promo. Survey Says: 3.5/5

Darren Young took on CM Punk. Young dominated early and hit a nice belly-to-belly throw. Punk missed a splash in the corner. Punk fought out of a headlock and hit the running high knee. Punk hit a springboard clothesline. Punk went for the GTS but Young countered and hit his finisher. Punk kicked out at two. Punk hit Young with a kick to the head and then applied the Anaconda Vice. Young tapped out. The PTPs attacked after the match, but Curtis Axel made the save. Heyman tried to calm Punk after.

Stephanie McMahon announced the WWE Championship MITB Ladder Match Participants: CM Punk, Daniel Bryan, Sheamus, Randy Orton, Christian, Kane, and Rob Van Dam. That’s a stacked match.

Backstage Ryback said he wanted Vickie to cancel the WWE Title Match and add him to the match. Jericho said he wanted in the MITB Match. Vickie made Jericho vs Ryback at MITB.

Heyman and Punk argued backstage. Heyman said next week the PTPs take on Curtis Axel and CM Punk. Punk said he will win next week, take out Brock Lesnar, win MITB and become WWE Champ, which is his only goal.

This Ain’t No Men’s Warehouse!

Mark Henry came out and said he fooled everyone. He said he saw people holding signs and crying. And because of his spectacular performance, he’s been nominated for an Academy Award. Henry said people were upset with him because he used his friends, family and WWE superstars. But he isn’t apologizing. Mark Henry said everyone is a bunch of puppets and they do what he tells them. Henry said he was coming home, coming home WWE Champion.

Segment Analysis: Short but solid promo from Henry. He’s a very underrated promo guy. Survey Says: 3/5

Did That Really Happen?

The crowd showed a street fight. Orton dominated early and backdropped Bryan on the stage during commercial. Bryan tried fighting back in the ring with kicks but Orton caught him with a knee then dropped him on the ropes. Orton set a table up in the corner. Bryan did his flip over Orton then hit a clothesline and more kicks. Bryan charged at Orton but Orton caught him with an uppercut. Orton tried suplexing Bryan over the ropes and onto a table but Bryan blocked it. Bryan tried kicking Orton off but he held on. Bryan then did a baseball slide under Orton and power bombed him through the table.

Bryan grabbed a kendo stick and went to work with it on Orton. Suddenly, Orton caught Bryan and suplexed him through the table set up in the corner. There was a reset and both men exchanged punches. Orton eventually caught Bryan with a dropkick. Bryan knocked Orton off the top and went for his missile dropkick but Orton powerbombed him instead for two. Bryan then caught Orton and applied the No Lock. Orton grabbed the kendo stick and used it on Bryan, breaking the hold. Orton then hit the middle rope DDT. Bryan fought out of the RKO and went for a back slide, getting a two count. Bryan used the kendo stick to get the upperhand then applied the No Lock. Orton went for the Kendo Stick again but Bryan used it as part of the hold. Orton tapped out.

After the match Orton shook Bryan’s hand, then walked off. Bryan celebrated to end the show.

Match Analysis: Very good match to end the show. A lot of that stuff looked brutal and it looked like both men were beating the shit out of each other. With Bryan winning here, it looks like they are now going to build him up heading into the summer. I would consider him the early favorite for MITB. Both men put on a great showing. And it was nice to see them get the main event on RAW. Survey Says: 4/5

OVERALL

While this RAW didn’t have the buzz that last week’s show did, I thought it was a solid show. This week’s show focused more on wrestling. The main event was great, and the Del Rio/Jericho match was also very good. Heyman and Punk’s promo was a little too insider, but ti did the job of establishing the backstory between both men and planting the seeds for later on in the feud. I liked the touch of not having Mark Henry and John Cena interact this week. It works here, it doesn’t work on the RAW before Wrestlemania. From the looks of it, we may only get one MITB Ladder Match this year. The RAW one is STACKED, and it has almost all of the relevant faces on the roster. And with Jericho/Ryback getting a singles match, the pickings are slim for Smackdown. The Shield was on for barely a minute, which felt weird considering they’ve been focal points for a long time. And once again, the Divas segment was very good. A.J. is great. I’m giving the show a 7.

Until Next Time,

Justin C

Follow Me On Twitter @JCWonka