Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with the normal intro video. We go right to the arena and out comes Vince McMahon to a mixed reaction from the Green Bay crowd. Vince has John Laurinaitis with him and they make their way to the ring.
The crowd chants for CM Punk as we see the WWE roster backstage watching on a TV. Vince says you will never hear him say that man’s name again. He says that man is the biggest ingrate in WWE history. Vince says that man walked out on all of the fans, the locker room and anyone who has ever been in the ring. Vince says that man is an egotistical, selfish turd. Vince says nobody is bigger than WWE – Hulk Hogan, The Rock, Bret Hart, Steve Austin, nobody. Vince puts over WWE as a company and says it cannot be stopped. Vince says we will crown a new WWE Champion tonight.
An eight-man tournament is announced. Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio, R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger, Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio and Alex Riley vs. The Miz is announced by Vince. Vince points out that John Cena is not in the tournament. The crowd boo’s Cena’s name. Vince says he will boo Cena too because he let him down. Vince warned Cena before the match that there would be severe consequences if he lost to Punk. Vince says after consulting with Laurinaitis, there will be severe consequences tonight. Vince says tonight will be a night we always remember. No Chance starts back up as Vince and Laurinaitis, who is sporting a shiner, leave the ring.
- Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler talk about Cena and tonight’s WWE Title tournament that will crown a new champion.
WWE Title Tournament Match: The Miz vs. Alex Riley
We go to the ring for tonight’s opener as The Miz makes his way out, limping to the ring. We go to commercial.
Back from the break and out comes Alex Riley. The bell rings and here we go. Riley goes for Miz’s injured leg early on but can’t get it. Miz rolls Riley up for a quick pin attempt. Riley rams Miz back in the corner but it’s broken up. Riley finally takes Miz’s leg out and goes to work on it. Riley pulls Miz’s leg and slams it into the ringpost twice. Riley comes back in and applies a half Boston crab.
Riley kicks Miz in the head and drops him for a close 2 count. Riley charges in the corner but Miz moves and he hits the ringpost. Miz with a 2 count. Miz mounts Riley now and hits him with a series of right hands. The referee pulls Miz off. Miz applies a headlock but Riley fights out and slams Miz back on his head. Riley takes Miz down with forearms and hits a spinebuster for 2. They go back and forth on holds. Riley runs into a big boot in the corner. Miz goes to the second rope but lands wrong and Riley catches him in a Sharpshooter. Miz makes it to the ropes and breaks the hold.
More back and forth action and it doesn’t look like they’re on the same page timing wise. Riley gets tangled up with the referee and Miz hits Skull Crushing Finale for the win and to advance in the tournament.
Winner: The Miz
– We see R-Truth walking and talking to himself backstage as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get a promo video for John Morrison.
WWE Title Tournament Match: R-Truth vs. Jack Swagger
We go to the ring and out comes R-Truth, followed by his opponent Jack Swagger.
The bell rings and they lock up. They break apart and lock up again. Swagger with a side headlock. Truth dazes Swagger with a big right hand and rolls him up for a 2 count. They lock up again and go to the corner. Swagger with shoulder thrusts. Swagger slams Truth and covers him for 2. Swagger uses the ropes on Truth and side slams him for another 2 count. Swagger continues the offense and beats Truth back down.
Swagger whips Truth hard into the corner and he goes down again. Swagger goes for the big second rope splash out of the corner and nails it for yet another pin attempt. Truth fights out of a hold but Swagger scoops him on his shoulders. Truth counters, ducks a clothesline and hits a heel kick on Swagger for a 2 count. Truth with a big right hand. Truth misses a scissors kick. Swagger trips him and goes for the ankle lock. Truth rolls out of it and covers Swagger for the win and to advance in the tournament.
Winner: R-Truth
– We get hype for Kofi Kingston vs. Alberto Del Rio, which is up next. Back to commercial.
WWE Title Tournament Match: Alberto Del Rio vs. Kofi Kingston
Back from the break and RAW Money in the Bank winner Alberto Del Rio comes driving into the arena for the next tournament match. Del Rio enters the ring with his briefcase and says his name is, his name is… Mr. Money in the Bank Alberto Del Rio. Del Rio talks about winning last night and then trying to cash in on CM Punk. Del Rio says Punk ran away like a chicken. Del Rio says all of this happened because John Cena couldn’t do his job. Del Rio says he hopes Cena gets fired because WWE needs a new leader – a better one and a stronger one, he says. Del Rio reminds us that it’s his destiny to become WWE Champion. Del Rio’s music hits again and out comes Ricardo Rodriguez, returning from injury. Ricardo speaks in Spanish about Del Rio and does his normal introduction. Back to commercial.
Kofi with right hands and a big uppercut on Del Rio for another pin attempt. Del Rio jumps at Kofi but flies out to the floor. Kofi dives through the ropes, landing on Del Rio and the floor outside of the ring. Kofi brings it back in the ring but Del Rio kicks him in the head for another pin attempt. Del Rio stomps on Kofi’s head now and covers for yet another pin attempt. Del Rio with a headlock now. Del Rio with more offense and another pin attempt. Del Rio drops a big elbow and gets yet another 2 count. Del Rio goes back to the headlock now.
Del Rio charges with a dropkick in the corner but Kofi moves and he lands on his head. Kofi makes a comeback now and dropkicks Del Rio, then takes him down with a big forearm. Del Rio catches Kofi with a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker for a 2 count. Del Rio goes for the armbar but Kofi rolls him up for the pin and the win, advancing in the tournament.
Winner: Kofi Kingston
– It will now be Kofi vs. The Miz and R-Truth vs. the winner of Rey Mysterio and Dolph Ziggler. We see Mysterio heading to the ring as we go back to commercial.
– Back from the break and we get replays of Kofi vs. Del Rio. Josh Matthews is backstage with Kofi for an interview. He talks about coming up short at Money in the Bank but says tonight is a new opportunity. Kofi says we just saw him take the first step at becoming the new WWE Champion. One down, two to go he says and walks off.
WWE Title Tournament Match: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler
We go to the ring and out comes Rey Mysterio to a nice reaction from the crowd. Out next comes the WWE United States Champion Dolph Ziggler with Vickie Guerrero.
The bell rings and Ziggler beats Rey down and goes to work. Ziggler runs into a boot in the corner and Rey takes him down. Rey ducks a clothesline but gets kicked. Ziggler launches Rey out of the ring but he lands on his feet. Ziggler comes out and blocks Rey, then drops him face first on the floor. Ziggler brings it back in the ring for a 2 count. Ziggler with an elbow and another 2 count. Ziggler goes to work on Rey’s leg now with an odd hold.
They trade pin attempts. Dolph takes back control and drops Rey again for a 2 count. More pin attempts by Ziggler as Vickie yells at ringside. Dolph misses an elbow drop and a splash in the corner. Rey kicks him in the head and covers for 2. Rey with a senton from the top but Ziggler stops him running the ropes. Ziggler kicks Rey’s leg out and hits a form of a cutter for 2. They go back and forth. Dolph goes for the sleeper hold but Rey throws him into the turnbuckles. Rey kicks Dolph and goes for a hurricanrana but Dolph catches him. Rey counters the block and goes for 619. Dolph ducks 619 and slams Rey for 2.
Ziggler stomps away now. Rey counters a move and finally hits 619. Rey goes up top and hits the big splash for the pin and the win, advancing in the tournament.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
– We see Vince McMahon and John Laurinaitis talking backstage before another commercial.
Kelly Kelly, Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim & Natalya vs. Melina, Maryse, Tamina, Rosa Mendes & The Bella Twins
Back from the break and out comes WWE Divas Champion Kelly Kelly with her partners Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Eve, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim and Natalya. Out next is Melina, Maryse, Alicia Fox, Tamina, Rosa Mendes, Brie Bella and Nikki Bella.
Beth and Rosa start the match off going at it. Beth slingshot suplexes Rosa for a 2 count. The Bellas break the pin which brings in Natalya and Gail to take them out. All the Divas start brawling at ringside, not even 3 minutes into the match. Beth and Rosa are in the ring still. Beth hits the Glam Slam for the quick win.
Winners: Kelly Kelly, Kaitlyn, AJ Lee, Eve Torres, Beth Phoenix, Gail Kim & Natalya
– Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz is up next as we go to commercial.
WWE Title Tournament Match: Kofi Kingston vs. The Miz
Back from the break and out comes Kofi Kingston for the next tournament match. Out next comes The Miz. The bell rings and they go at it. Kofi goes right for Miz’s leg but Miz fights him off. Kofi rolls Miz up early for a 2 count and applies a headlock. Miz fights out but Kofi hits a crossbody for another pin attempt. Kofi dropkicks Miz and covers again.
Miz makes a comeback and grounds Kofi with a headlock. Kofi goes back to Miz’s knee. Kofi goes for a dropkick but flies out of the ring. Kofi comes right back and takes out Miz’s leg. Kofi leaps into the ring with an elbow drop and another 2 count. Kofi dropkicks Miz’s leg again and kicks him in the back for yet another pin attempt. Kofi misses a splash in the corner but manages to kick Miz in the head. Kofi with a big crossbody from the top but Miz rolls through and gets a 2 count. Kofi takes out the knee again and goes back to work. Miz fights back and goes for Skull Crushing Finale but Kofi counters and rolls him up for 2. Miz dumps Kofi’s face into the turnbuckle and this time nails the Skull Crushing Finale for the win, advancing in the tournament.
Winner: The Miz
– Scott Stanford is backstage with R-Truth. Truth says he deserves to be WWE Champion more than anyone in the tournament. The conspiracy kept him from the Money in the Bank briefcase but it won’t stop him from beating little Rey Rey tonight. Truth says the title is going to get got tonight, and that’s the truth. Back to commercial.
– We get a promo video for WWE Tough Enough winner Andy Levine, showing the rough neighborhood that he grew up in.
WWE Title Tournament Match: Rey Mysterio vs. R-Truth
We come back to Rey Mysterio making his entrance. The winner of this match will face The Miz in the finals. Out next comes R-Truth.
The bell rings and Truth knocks Rey down with right hands. Quick pin attempt by Truth. Truth beats on Rey with right hands in the corner and then whips him hard into the opposite corner. 2 count for Truth. Truth suplexes Mysterio and covers for another attempt. Rey tries to make a comeback but Truth clotheslines him and tries for another pin.
Truth continues with the offense and pin attempts. Truth with a body scissors now. Rey finally comes back and counters, arm dragging Truth through the ropes and out to the floor. Rey dives through the ropes and takes Truth out on the floor as we go back to commercial.
Back from the break and Truth has Rey on the mat, hitting him with forearm shots. During the break, Truth knocked Rey off the top but then got hit by a moonsault. Rey fights out of the hold now but Truth stops him. Rey rolls Truth up for 2. Truth comes back with a kick to the face and another pin attempt. Truth mounts Rey with right hands and goes for yet another pin attempt. Lots of pin attempts on tonight’s show. Rey ducks a clothesline but gets hit with the flying forearm. Truth with another 2. Truth uses the ropes to choke Rey now. Rey fights back with kicks and drops Truth for 619. Truth stops it and knocks Rey down with a big forearm for 2.
Truth drops Rey on his face now but can’t get the pin. Truth charges in the corner but Rey drop toe holds him into the turnbuckles. Rey with kicks now. Truth hits him with a knee and chops. Rey springboards and hits a crossbody for 2. Truth stops Rey again but misses a scissors kick. Rey counters a roll up and kicks Truth in the face for 2. Truth comes back with more offense and another near fall. Rey finally drops Truth for 619 and nails it. Rey goes up top and hits the big splash for the pin, the win and the spot in the finals.
Winner: Rey Mysterio
- Rey celebrates in the ring as we go back to break.
WWE Title Match: The Miz vs. Rey Mysterio
Back from the break and Vince McMahon interrupts introductions for the main event. Vince says they are running out of time tonight and what he has to do is more important. Vince is postponing the WWE Title match until next week. Vince talks about John Cena and thanks him for his contributions. Vince says this is all about business and he’s doing what’s best for business.
Vince says he makes decisions for the long term and says he doesn’t want to have to do this. The crowd chants for CM Punk. Vince says let’s get this over with. John Cena’s music hits to a mixed reaction, mostly boo’s. Out comes Cena to the ring.
Cena says he won’t go through the same stuff that Vince McMahon made Shawn Michaels go through. Cena talks about how it was always “HBK screwed Bret” and that he had to carry that with him through his career. Cena says he didn’t want to be the guy who screwed CM Punk. Cena tells Punk, if he’s watching, that they had a helluva match last night. Cena says Vince wanted the match thrown out last night and he doesn’t do business like that. Cena reminds Vince that he has 8 months to find another opponent for The Rock at WrestleMania 28. Cena says he gets to leave with his pride and dignity.
Cena says he truly loves WWE and believes that he belongs here. Cena says if Vince makes him walk tonight, he will walk right onto someone else’s TV show and keep doing this, brother, ala Hulk Hogan. Cena says that is no threat, it’s a promise. Cena says he won’t kiss Vince’s ass and goes to walk off. Vince stops him and says Cena won’t deny him what he’s about to do. Vince says he doesn’t want to do this but…. Triple H’s music hits and out he comes to a massive pop.
Triple H hits the ring in a suit and says some things in private to Vince. Vince gets a microphone and introduces Triple H as one of the all-time greats and his son-in-law. The crowd pops. Triple H says he got here as fast as he could and says there was a board of directors meeting this morning. Triple H says he received a call this morning to fly back to headquarters for the meeting. The Board asked Triple H to come talk to Vince because they’re concerned about the current situation.
Triple H asks Vince if they can talk about this in the back. He says the board is more concerned about Vince. He says it’s a given that Vince created WWE but the board is concerned about Vince’s decisions as of late. The board has filed an injunction against Vince with a vote of no confidence, Triple H reveals. Triple H says the McMahon family agrees with the injunction. On top of that, the board has appointed someone to takeover the day to day operations of WWE. That person is Triple H. The crowd pops at this news and Vince looks like yeah right.
Triple H says Vince isn’t going to fire John Cena and he’s not going to be doing anything else. Triple H says Vince taught him since day one that nobody is bigger than this business, nobody. Triple H says this is just business and can’t believe he’s saying this. Triple H is here to inform Vince that he is relieved of his duties. The crowd cheers.
Vince starts crying as the crowd sings goodbye to him. Triple H looks like he might get emotional also as he keeps his head down. Triple H says he’s trying to do what’s right for the business and tells Vince to look at him. Triple H says, I love you pop and I’m sorry. Triple H drop the mic and exits the ring while Vince cries his eyes out. The crowd finally claps for Vince as he just stands there in the ring. RAW goes off the air with “Thank you Vince” chants from the crowd as he is still crying.
Following are the statistical highlights of the first day's play of the first Test between India and England at Lord's, London.