The July 2, 2012 Edition of RAW is a Professional wrestling television show of the WWE's RAW brand, which took place on July 2, 2012 at the Laredo Energy Arena in Laredo, Texas.
Summary
Raw SuperShow descended into physicality right off the bat on Monday night, when WWE Champion CM Punk, No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan and the various competitors of the WWE Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match found themselves in the ring together.
John Cena was the first to enter the fray, beginning the show with his customary address of the WWE Universe and discussing his preparation for the momentous contract that could put him in direct contention for WWE's supreme prize once again. As the Cenation leader extolled the possibility of claiming the briefcase, No. 1 contender Daniel Bryan, WWE Champion CM Punk, and Chris Jericho made their way to the ring to trade verbal barbs (and, in Jericho's case, offer catchphrase advice) and make a case for their own supremacy.
But no sooner had Kane made his way to the ring than Big Show's music hit and the tension finally came to a head. After Bryan attacked Cena, the situation devolved into chaos as Jericho battered Kane into the corner before The World's Largest Athlete thundered down to the ring and quickly laid waste to his competition. The giant's punishing attacks left champion, challenger and Money in the Bank contenders alike lying in a heap as he made his way back to the locker room area, his statement made loud and clear.
Eight of WWE’s most thrilling competitors mixed it up in an Eight-Man Tag Team Match when Intercontinental Champion Christian, U.S. Champion Santino Marella and Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & R-Truth took on an all-star opposition of The Prime Time Players, Cody Rhodes and David Otunga.
The action was fast and furious from the get-go, as Kofi and Truth collided with their No. 1 contenders early on. Truth’s erratic offense and Kofi’s high-flying attacks quickly sent The Players outside the ropes and led to a tense square-off between the eight competitors. The Prime Time Players proved their mettle in the match, with Titus mounting in some strong offense against Kingston while the team’s manager, A.W., stood with a headset at ringside.
It was U.S. Champion Santino who proved to be something of a difference-maker after he and Otunga were tagged in. His flurry of attacks against the Harvard Law graduate provoked A.W. and The Prime Time Players to vacate the match and retreat to the locker room area. Rhodes was the next to leave ringside, and with a quick assist from Brodus Clay, the arrogant Otunga was left to the mercy of The Cobra as Santino notched the win.
The icing on the cake was yet to come, though, as Christian planted Otunga with the Killswitch and Clay executed his flattening splash to send a dazed Otunga back to the locker room.
After months of dismay stymied his quest for the World Heavyweight Title, Alberto Del Rio finally got his wish on Raw SuperShow when he was named No. 1 contender by the WWE Board of Directors. Interim Raw General Manager Teddy Long, however, claimed that Del Rio “hadn’t earned anything,” and decreed that The Essence of Excellence would have to prove his mettle against a mystery opponent.
The “Teddy Long Surprise” turned out to be Sin Cara, but the international icon never even had a chance to get going. The Mexican Aristocrat floored Sin Cara with a swift kick to the head before the masked man could finish his entrance. He then forcibly tossed the lucha legend and continued his beatdown near the announcer’s table. Del Rio mercilessly locked Sin Cara in the Cross Armbreaker before finally releasing him in an attack Michael Cole referred to as a “message.”
Brock Lesnar’s legal representative, Paul Heyman, made a satellite address to the WWE Universe concerning The Game’s SummerSlam challenge against the former UFC champion, but would not be revealing it that night. The “momentous” decision, Heyman said, would be revealed by Lesnar himself in three weeks on Raw’s 1,000th episode.
Heyman, picking up where he left off two weeks earlier, continued his brazen mockery of The King of Kings. The ECW founder declared that Triple H only challenged Lesnar to give Lesnar the opportunity to end his career and give him a convenient excuse to retire from in-ring activity and take up a corporate position full-time. Heyman deviously claimed the match would be “a mercy killing” before signing off, laughing quietly to himself.
After experiencing some friction on SmackDown last week, Dolph Ziggler and Vickie Guerrero’s partnership fell into further friction after they unsuccessfully challenged World Heavyweight Champion Sheamus and AJ in a Mixed Tag Match.
It was the “Queen Diva” Guerrero herself who instigated the action, shoving AJ (clad in CM Punk-inspired wrist tape) before the action could begin. The Showoff put in a strong effort against his No Way Out opponent Sheamus, mounting a calculated offense and attempting to weaken The Great White’s arm with an intricate series of technical holds. But the thunderous attacks of The Celtic Warrior left Ziggler battered in the ring, forcing him to tag in Vickie before he fell victim to the Brogue Kick.
It was AJ who scored the win for her team, felling Vickie with a Shining Wizard to the Queen Diva’s head and notching the 1-2-3, before snatching the microphone out of Justin Roberts’ hands and screaming “YES!” as she skipped away. However, her joy was cut short when she ran into CM Punk backstage and found The Second City Saint had entirely missed her match due to a personal phone call.
Heath Slater’s running rivalry with the legends of WWE continued when The One-Man Band clashed with the inimitable Doink the Clown. In a stark reversal of Slater’s recent fortunes, however, the embattled Superstar was left standing when the final bell was rung.
His troubles, however, were just beginning.
No sooner did Slater dispatch The Clown with a hard-hitting offensive flurry than did Diamond Dallas Page make his way to the ring to offer his congratulations. DDP at first seemed to have no ill will toward The One-Man Band, offering Slater his hand in congratulations and throwing up his signature diamond hand signal alongside Slater … before he turned around and flattened The-One Man Band with the Diamond Cutter.
All bets were off when longtime rivals Kane and Big Show clashed in a No Disqualification Match that was made following Big Show’s attack on the WWE Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match competitors earlier in the night.
The two behemoths’ thunderous attacks literally shook the ring as The Devil’s Favorite Demon and The World’s Largest Athlete traded crippling chops early on, until Show battered Kane with a running shoulder that sent The Big Red Monster tumbling to the outside. A brief brawl came threateningly close to the announce table, but the giant was able to roll Kane back, carrying a steel chair into the ring for good measure.
That chair proved to be Kane’s undoing, as Big Show steamrolled The Big Red Monster after he attempted to use the steel against the giant, spearing the chair straight into Kane’s chest. A thunderous chokeslam onto the prone chair was all it took to put The Devil’s Favorite Demon down for the count.
Tyson Kidd pulled off his second upset in as many weeks when the underdog fan favorite defeated the mighty Tensai in a one-on-one match on Raw SuperShow.
Tensai and Kidd, both of whom just won their way into the World Heavyweight Championship Contract Money in the Bank Ladder Match, looked as though they were set to have a ferocious contest, but the match never got far enough. Kidd used the big man’s momentum against him in the opening minutes of the match and rolled Tensai up to secure a quick win over the expatriate Superstar.
As Kidd made his way back to the locker room, however, Tensai made a statement of his own, taking out his frustrations on his servant, Sakamoto, who was helpless against the towering Superstar’s attacks. Tensai followed up by ambushing Kidd in the locker room as he was delivering a post-match interview, slamming Kidd against the lockers and leaving him prone in the backstage area.
Raw SuperShow ended in as explosive a fashion as it began when WWE Champion CM Punk & John Cena clashed with Daniel Bryan & Chris Jericho, but it was AJ who brought the show to its ominous close.
Punk and Bryan were the first to mix it up in the ring, dazzling the WWE Universe once again with their technical expertise. But The Second City Saint proved more than willing to concede the offense to Cena, who just a year ago was Punk’s fiercest rival in WWE, allowing the Cenation leader to deliver a few of his signature maneuvers to force Bryan out of the match. Jericho put in some dynamic offense of his own, notching a two count against Cena and attempting to put him away with a sleeper hold while he struggled to tag in Punk. The contest ultimately came down, once again, to Punk and Bryan. Despite a furious back-and-forth that saw Punk ensnare Bryan in the Anaconda Vise and plant the “Yes!” man with a top-rope suplex, it was AJ who had the final word in this main event.
While Punk and Bryan battled it out in the ring, The Geek Goddess prowled around, eventually producing a table and erecting it for a purpose known only to her. Eventually, she climbed up to the top of the turnbuckle, seemingly contemplating leaping until Bryan attempted to dissuade her from the arena floor. Punk did the same, climbing up alongside AJ and trying to calm her down before disaster struck: The Geek Goddess planted a kiss on The Second City Saint’s lips before shoving him off the turnbuckle and into Bryan, and as both competitors crashed through the pine, AJ screamed "YES!" to end the show.
Results
- Numbers in parentheses indicate the length of the match.
- (c) refers to the champion(s) heading into the match.
- Dark Match: Dean Ambrose defeated Michael McGillicutty
- Christian, Santino Marella, Kofi Kingston & R-Truth defeated Primetime Players (Titus O'Neil and Darren Young), David Otunga and Cody Rhodes (8:27)
- Alberto Del Rio vs. Sin Cara No Contest
- Sheamus & AJ defeated Dolph Ziggler & Vickie Guerrero (3:26)
- Heath Slater defeated Doink the Clown (1:24)
- The Big Show defeated Kane in a No Disqualification Match (3:47)
- Tyson Kidd defeated Lord Tensai (w/ Sakamoto) (0:19)
- CM Punk & John Cena vs. Chris Jericho & Daniel Bryan ended in a no contest
- Dark Match: John Cena defeated Tensai & The Big Show in a Two on One Hadicap Match
Other on-screen talent
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Image Gallery
8 Man tag Match
Alberto Del Rio v Sin Cara
Sheamus & AJ v Ziggler & Guerrero
Heath Slater v Doink the Clown
The Big Show v Kane
Tyson Kidd v Lord Tensai
CM Punk & John Cena v Jericho & Bryan
