Monday Night Raw TV Report for April 20th, 2015 – “Extreme Notifications”

Introduction Segment: Video Promo, Welcoming, and Arena Promo

Recap from last week’s events featuring Randy Orton and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins, and Kane are shown. We go straight to the arena this time, with the steel cage being lowered to the ring. Michael Cole greets us from Albany, and Randy’s music plays. “The Viper” saunters out and gazes around, particularly feeling the 4-walled structure.

“You know for someone who prides themselves on being the ‘smartest guy in the room,’ you Seth Rollins are ‘one dumb bastard.’” Orton threatens the WWE World Heavyweight Champion that he “deserves” to be punished and that he will “break your jaw.” He continues to go on about the desecration he will give “The Architect” this Sunday at Extreme Rules.

Rollins now walks out with J & J Security and mocks Randy’s rant. “I play this game of ‘human chess’ better than anybody. And that is why I’m on track to become the greatest WWE Champion of all time. Inside of that ring, I can outmaneuver anybody. Outside of that ring, I can out-think anybody.” Rollins does recognize that Orton is “one of the greatest WWE Superstars of all-time, a sure-fire Hall Of Famer,” but he is still greater.

“The Viper” warns that because the RKO is banned on Sunday, he will use it to full-extent tonight instead! They stare each other down to end the debate.

Later tonight, Triple H returns to make a “monumental” announcement regarding the comeback of Tough Enough! Dean Ambrose makes his entrance and will square off against Luke Harper next!

Commercials.

Match #1: Single – “The Lunatic Fringe” Dean Ambrose VS. Luke Harper

Prior to the bout, Harper warns Ambrose that he will be “afraid” of him after this. Both slug it out hard and quick with punches and kicks, then Luke takes control with a superkick! Ambrose sends Luke to the outside then follows up with a suicide dive into the announce table. They now brawl through the crowd and up to the stage. Harper rockets Dean into the screens, then attempts to powerbomb him. Dean drops out but is tossed off the stage. He rolls through and hops back up, but Luke has run to the back.

Winner: No Contest via No Finish?

Segment #2: Backstage Promo

WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins and J & J Security are on the lookout for Orton. The Primetime Players sneak up from behind and scare the daylights out of them. Triple H now walks up and he and Seth discuss Kane and Orton. “The Game” they’ll talk with Kane when he gets to the building, then subtly says “no” to extra security for Rollins. “It’s just one guy.”

The Lucha Dragons run down the ramp and will face The New Day for the Tag-Team Championship #1 Contender’s Spot next!

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Match #2: Tag-Team for the #1 Contender’s Spot to the Tag-Team Championship – The Lucha Dragons (Kalisto and Sin Cara) VS. The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston) (with New Day partner Xavier Woods)

Big E. and Kalisto begin, measuring each other out. Kalisto twirls around off the ropes, but Big E. uses his power to catch him. Kalisto reverses with a headscissors, then tags in Cara. He comes in and flies around with Kingston. He slides through, but Xavier distracts him, giving Kofi the chance to baseball-slide him. Big E. back in domination, switching with Kofi constantly to dominate Sin.

Commercials.

Kofi’s in again and dropkicks Cara, then mount-punches him repeatedly. Big E. is tagged and gears up to run in the corner, but Cara elbows Kofi and double-foots Big E. he makes the hot-high-five to Kalisto, who flies all over Big and Kofi. Both Cara and Kalisto flip off the turnbuckles with a double-moonsault! Cara goes to re-enter the ring, but Woods is clutching his legs from underneath, allowing Kofi to roll in and beat the 10-count!

Winners via Count-Out and #1 Contenders to the Tag-Team Championship: The New Day (Big E. and Kofi Kingston (with New Day partner Xavier Woods)

Post-match, Randy Orton suddenly comes in and RKO’s both Xavier and Kofi as they were celebrating. Big E. escapes then entices Orton, but backs away after.

Recap of U.S. Champ John Cena’s rivalry with Rusev and Lana is shown as well as Cena’s match with Bad News Barrett from last week’s Raw. John will continue his Open Challenges for the United States Title tonight!

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Segment #3: Video Promo

The Big Show and Roman Reigns’ confrontation from Raw in England is aired.

Match #3: Single – “Axelmania” Curtis Axel VS. Fandango

Despite some impressive dancing, Axel fails against Fandango, as the original swing-dancer polishes Curtis off with the top-rope legdrop.

Winner via Pinfall: Fandango

Up next, the WWE COO will be out Tough Enough.

Commercials.

Segment #4: Arena Promo

Triple H walks out and takes the microphone. He calls current WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins the man who will be the future of the WWE for 10 years down the road. However, he also wants to find “the next Seth Rollins.” He announces that Tough Enough returns on June 23rd on the U.S.A. Network. He puts over all the aspects that come with being on Tough Enough, which could end with the Tough Enough winner one day standing tall with the WWE World Heavyweight Championship at WrestleMania. HHH tells everyone to send in their videos to www.wwetoughenough.com starting right now.

A man who can truly be “tough enough” interrupts. Kane has a chat with Triple H, being tired of all the antics and confrontations with Seth Rollins. He informs the C.O.O. that he is “giving my two weeks notice.” Triple H is hesitant, then the WWE World Heavyweight Champion marches out with Jamie Noble and Joey Mercury. He and Kane get in each others faces, particularly with Kane telling Rollins that he was given everything by The Authority, and it didn’t matter that it was him or Dean Ambrose, or even El Torito – it was all a plan by The Authority and they would’ve pulled it off anyway.

HHH stops this and tells Rollins that Kane actually did “what’s best for business” last week;” he then makes Kane “Guardian Of The Gate,” for the Steel Cage match at Extreme Rules. Rollins is skeptical, but HHH stands by his word.

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Segment #5: Backstage Promo

Kane and Rollins are still bickering when Triple H walks up and reminds Kane that he is “corporate” now. He walks away, but Triple H dresses down Rollins. He books him against Dolph Ziggler for tonight, to prove “he is the man.” Rollins says he will back up who he really is, “I am the man.”

Match #4: Single – Naomi VS. Brie Bella (with Divas Champion Nikki)

(Note: Nikki is on commentary.) They lockup and shove off. Naomi rams Brie’s head into the top turnbuckle a few times, then pie-faces her to the mat. Brie moves, but is caught and hit-off out of the corner. Naomi gives Brie a side-headlock takedown, but Brie battles out of it. Naomi slaps her hard, but Brie elbows back twice. Naomi knees Brie against the ropes, sending the twin tumbling to the floor.

Commercials.

Naomi is still in control, wearing Brie down with submissions. She pounds away on the back of Brie until the referee pulls her off. She kicks Brie in the corner then snapmares her to the canvas. Brie kicks up but both double-clothesline each other. Brie is up and dropkicks Naomi off the second turnbuckle, but is quickly run into that same one. Naomi dives off with a crossbody, but Brie ducks and covers for a near-fall. Naomi slaps her hard and nails the Rear-View to finish off Brie.

Winner via Pinfall: Naomi

Segment #6: Backstage Promo

In catering, Heath Slater is having a discussion with Erik Rowan about being the new United States Champion after answering John Cena’s challenge. Rowan gets up and walks away, to Slater’s dismay. Heath quickly finds out it was because Randy Orton is there, and is then driven through the table with an RKO!

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Segment #7: Arena Promo

Roman Reigns makes his way through the fans, to a decent pop. He doesn’t want to yak, he just wants to wrestle. He doesn’t get The Big Show though; instead Bo Dallas walks out. He compares Roman to NFL Quarterback Tim Tebow, where he was hailed as great but turned out to be a bust after many chances. However, Dallas still “Bo-Lieves” in Roman and tells Reigns that’s all he has to do. Reigns responds not-so-kindly, with a Superman Punch and Spear! He proclaims that he will be the Last Man Standing over Show at Extreme Rules. “You can ‘Bo-Lieve’ that!”

Dolph Ziggler is shown getting read to take on WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.

Commercials.

Match #5: Single – “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus VS. “Long Island Iced-Z” Zack Ryder

Sheamus orders the referee to ring the bell, then immediately Brogue Kicks Ryder. He mocks the easiness of this, so he continues to chastise Zack with hard hits, then chucks him to the outside. He Brogue Kicks him again while ripping on the fans. He lines up for another Kick in the ring, but Dolph Ziggler rushes in and drives him down with a Zig-Zag. Technically, as this match was still going on, Ryder was DQ’d because of Dolph’s interference.

Winner via Disqualification: “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus

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Match #6: Single for the United States Championship – John Cena (Champion) VS. ??? (Challenger)

Prior to this contest, Cena talks about Extreme Rules, the Russian Chain Match, and what Rusev is all about. He also cautions his upcoming opponent that he is focused on getting to Extreme Rules; so basically, look out!

The person that answers that challenge – the Director Of Operations, Kane! He kicks Cena right as the bell run and slugs away in the corner. He catches a running Cena with a sidewalk slam for a two-count. On the outside, Kane hurls John into the corner barricade then gets back in the ring. Cena makes it in at seven, then gets kicked repeatedly.

Kane continues to deliver carnage to Cena until he misses a run in the corner. Cena backdrops Kane and signals for the 5-Knuckle Shuffle Fistdrop, but Kane clutches Cena and Choke slams him! He covers, but Cena gets his shoulder up right after 2! Kane now signals for the Tombstone, but Cena slides out and plants Kane with the Attitude Adjustment for the 1 – 2 – 3!

Winner via Pinfall and STILL United States Champion: John Cena

Commercials.

Segment #8: Backstage Promo

Rene Young is with The Miz, who berates Damien Mizdow for copying him. He puts over his movie, The Marine 4, but is cut-off because Byron Saxton has an interview with U.S. Champion Cena.

Segment #9: Backstage Promo

Byron congratulates Cena on the win, and Cena was truly impressed with Kane. Suddenly, Rusev hammers Cena with the Russian Chain, then wraps it around the United States Champion’s face while clamping on the accolade submission. A referee struggles, but finally pulls Rusev off of Cena.

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Match #7: Single – Damien Mizdow (with Summer Rae) VS. The Miz
(Note: The winner keeps the rights to “The Miz” name and persona)

Mizdow tries an immediate roll-up on Miz, but only gets two! Miz headlocks Damien now and tries the back/neckbreaker combo, but Mizdow reverses into a backslide. They chase around the ring and Miz almost gets this with an inside cradle, then stomps away and pushes his boot into Damien’s face. He runs and nails another boot-to-the-face, then sets up for a running clothesline. Damien counters with the back/neckbreaker combo, then kips up. He drives Miz face-first with a DDT and attempts a Skull-Krushing Finale. Miz reverses into a victory-roll but Damien kicks out!

Mizdow fends off a Skull-Krushing Finale, but is hung on the ropes, and Summer scratches his eyes, turning on him! This allows Miz to capitalize with the Skull-Krushing Finale! He covers and gets to keep himself to himself!

Winner via Pinfall: The Miz

Post-match, The Miz celebrates with Summer until Randy Orton shows up and RKO’s him!

Commercials.

Segment #10: Video Promo

“What is it that motivates men and the things they do? Is it money? Is it power? Is it respect? For most men, it would be a combination of all three of these things, but for you, you’re different, just like me. But unlike me, it is the fear that motivates you. You can lift all the weights in the world, but there’s nothing you can do to lift off the weights of your own personal failures. That weight will drag you down; that weight will suffocate you; that weight will blind you until the only thing you’re able to see is my face looking down on you. I can’t wait for that moment man, that moment when you realize that all your hard work is for nothing. It all fades away, and so will you, friend. Behold, ‘the new face of fear,” prophesizes Bray Wyatt.

Match #8: Single – Adam Rose VS. “The Big Guy” Ryback (with The Rosebuds)

Rose gets some decent offense in, but Ryback overcomes quickly and completes this contest with a Meathook Clothesline and Shellshock Marching Samoan Drop!

Winner via Pinfall: “The Big Guy” Ryback

Post-match, Ryback decimates The Hot Dog and Banana from Adam’s Rosebuds with a double-Shellshock!

Segment #11: Locker Room/Office Promo

Rene Young asks Kane about the jokes make to him by J & J and WWE World Heavyweight Champion Rollins. He doesn’t find them funny and barges into The Authority’s office. Rollins says it was a “private joke,” but Noble hides behind “The Game.” Rollins actually apologizes for his remarks and puts over Kane. He and J & J walk through the hallway, as Randy appears from behind, smiling.

Ads.

Match #9: Single – “The Show Off” Dolph Ziggler VS. WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (with J & J Security) (Non-Title)

Both end up tumbling to the floor, then Dolph hits Seth around on the outside. Back in the ring, he hits a dropkick on Rollins for 1, then attempts another one a bit later, but is caught and launched into the turnbuckle.

Commercials.

Rollins has Ziggler in a grounding rear chinlock, then whips him hard into the corner. He drops a knee and covers for two! Rollins pounds and kicks away on Dolph, then clasps the chinlock back on. Ziggler breaks out of it with sit-down jawbreaker, and moves out of the way from a running Rollins. He drives him down with a jumping DDT after Rollins missed a swinging kick. Dolph covers, but Seth gets his shoulder up! Rollins tries the running powerbomb, but Dolph reverses into a sunset flip for a near-fall! He nails a Superkick and almost takes this one! Sheamus runs out and diverts Ziggler’s attention, allowing Rollins to take advantage with the turnbuckle powerbomb and Curb-Stomp for the victory!

Winner via Pinfall: WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins (with J & J Security)

Post-match, Seth Rollins starts a promo about beating Randy Orton, then Tripe H walks down and says the same thing. Rollins continues, saying that “I’m the man by dismantling Dolph Ziggler.” He vows to pin Orton in the ring, thereby not needing Kane after all to be the “Gatekeeper.”

Kane strolls down the ramp, but is blocked by Noble, Mercury, and Triple H. in the ring, Rollins motions for the Steel Cage to lower, which it starts to. Rollins and Kane are jawing, then Rollins turns around to find himself locked in with Orton!

Seth tries to escape, but Orton yanks him off the steel wall and into an RKO! Triple H looks aggravated while Kane is smiling, and Randy is holding up the WWE World Heavyweight Championship to close the show.

End Of Raw.

Reporter’s Rumblings – By Moe Tapp

This was a great Raw, especially for the “go-home” show prior to the Pay-Per-View/Network show on Sunday! It really flowed smoothly, both promo-wise and in-ring-wise. Onto the analysis, then my picks for Extreme Rules.

Excellence: Randy Orton’s words and actions. The brawl between Ambrose and Harper; there was no match for them at Extreme Rules that I know of, but there should be; perhaps a Tables or Falls-Count-Anywhere?

It was a nice match between Lucha Dragons and The New Day, and am also liking the turns for both New Day and Naomi. The finish for the tag bout was actually creative and the Divas bout was pretty good!

Once again, glad Reigns is finding his way back into the good-graces of the fans. Also, his promo was short, sweet, and what he is all about. Cena/Kane’s bout was also pretty good. Happy to see Fandango getting another push. He is quite entertaining and a decent wrestler, so he deserves it!

As always, Bray Wyatt’s promo was superb and eerie.

Liked the ending and how it setup Extreme Rules even more.

Bogus: The Tough Enough announcement – really wasn’t that “significant” and could’ve been done in a press release. They have really booked Aaron Neville badly; now he wasn’t even on Raw! From the get-go, he should’ve been working his way up the card and not facing top-guy, then bottom-guy, then top-guy again. Then, he could challenge for either the I.C. or U.S. a couple months down the road.

I was quite disappointed to see Summer betray Mizdow; I thought Damien was going to win this and then the two would be a good pair. I also thought that Sheamus/Ryder and Ryback/Rose were pointless/filler; would’ve preferred a full-on promo from “The Celtic Warrior” instead.

Rollins/Ziggler was a bit of a letdown and too short; also there were a couple of segments with The Authority that really didn’t need to be in the show either (backstage with Kane/Rollins and Kane walking off, then the jokes in the office.)

Overall, a wonderful Raw, with many more positives than negatives compared to last week. Onto my picks:

Cena over Rusev to end feud; Reigns is the Last Man Standing; if Bryan/Barrett happens, I will go with Bad News to regain the I.C. Title, as Bryan may need another break to heal up (unfortunately); if Harper/Ambrose is a match, I’ll go with Ambrose to also end the feud; The New Day wins the Tag-Team Titles and reinstate the “Freebird Rules;” Seth Rollins will retain his WWE World Heavyweight Championship, as it is way too soon to take the title off him.

Until next week, Be Excellent Wrestling-Online Readers and Wrestling Fans!