Raw Results : Quick Hits
Raw Results : Full Details
Raw results: Orton shatters Goldust's dreams, but Bryan gets the last laugh
Edge returned to host “The Cutting Edge”
TORONTO – On this daaaayyy, I see cleeeaaarrly…
Ahem. There are homecomings, and then there are homecomings, and so it was that WWE and the nation of Canada bid a fond “welcome back” to The Rated-R Suuuuuperstar himself, Edge, for a special edition of “The Cutting Edge” in Toronto. Edge had been asked by WWE COO Triple H to interview WWE Champion Randy Orton, but being an Ultimate Opportunist, the 11-time World Champion instead bumped his intended guest for someone he felt was "good for business": Daniel Bryan.
Photos: Edge returns with Bryan in tow | The Game displays his power
Edge’s interview with Bryan hadn’t gotten far before The Viper and Triple H decided to drop in on the festivities. When Edge questioned The Game’s ability to evaluate talent, Triple H calmly replied that Bryan would have the chance to prove his misgivings wrong by battling U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose, with Big Show in his corner. And, just to drive the point home for the ever-defiant Edge, The King of Kings displayed his might by having The Shield drag out a beaten-down Christian as a warning to all those – retired or otherwise – who might cross him.
Kofi Kingston def. Intercontinental Champion Curtis Axel via Disqualification
Kofi Kingston grounded Curtis Axel on SmackDown with an upset victory, and with Paul Heyman’s Intercontinental Champion heading into a do-or-die situation at Night of Champions, the disheveled and unshaven mad scientist needed a strong showing from his prodigy. What he got instead was another potential preview of the disaster that may await him on Sunday.
Photos: Axel loses it | Watch Heyman come undone
Though Axel had been hanging tough with The Dreadlocked Dynamo, the champion ultimately got a little carried away when he forced Kofi into the turnbuckle and started whooping him relentlessy, earning Axel a disqualification loss. This sent Heyman into a panic, and he quickly expressed the importance of Axel avoiding elimination of any kind on Sunday to keep CM Punk from fulfilling his infamous promise. But no sooner had the champ absorbed his lecture than Kofi regained his strength, bashing Axel with a Trouble in Paradise when Heyman’s disciple attempted to cheap-shot him some more. In other words, not the most perfect night for Heyman and his champion.
Bray Wyatt def. Dolph Ziggler
The Eater of Worlds feasted on blonde ambition in Toronto when Bray Wyatt defeated Dolph Ziggler in what was just the “Man of 1,000 Truths’” second match on Raw. Wasting no time after making his already-iconic entrance, the eerie holy man displayed athletic prowess to match The Showoff’s own when he decimated the former World Champion with a lightning-quick burst of offense to start the match.
Watch: Bray Wyatt returns to Raw
Hurling his full frame into Dolph like a human cannonball, Bray dominated early on until Ziggler found his second wind, roaring back to the advantage and nearly sealing the bout with the Famouser. Luke Harper and Erick Rowan didn’t let Dolph get too far, though, climbing the apron and setting him up for a body-crushing corner splash by “The Pastor of Pain.” With Dolph out on his feet, Bray hauled his opponent to the center of the ring and dispatched Dolph to his personal hell with Sister Abigail.
Paul Heyman underwent a live medical evaluation
Paul Heyman might not be a fan of socialized healthcare, but thanks to the accompaniment of his personal physician Dr. Kirshenbaum, the suddenly (and conveniently) injured mad scientist had all the support he needed to withdraw from competition at Night of Champions … or so he thought. Not about to let Heyman off so easily, Raw GM Brad Maddox soon emerged with WWE doctor Michael Sampson in tow to give Heyman the live medical evaluation of the gimpy leg that would potentially clear Heyman from competition on Sunday.
Photos: Heyman's last-ditch effort | "DOWN GOES KIRSHENBAUM!"
Somewhat unsurprisingly, Sampson proclaimed Heyman a healthy man, and this was all the provocation that CM Punk needed to arrive, Kendo stick in hand, and commit some medical malpractice of his own by decimating Kirshenbaum while Heyman watched. Or while Heyman would have watched, anyway, had he not sprinted away on his inexplicably healed leg. It’s a miracle!
Natalya, Brie Bella & Naomi def. Layla, Alicia Fox & Aksana
Interesting things tend to happen when AJ Lee sits at the commentary table, and this week was no exception. And while no “pipe bombs” were dropped, the Black Widow did get a glimpse of the fate that might await her when the “Total Divas” cast showed their mettle against a trio of opponents in Layla, Aksana & Alicia Fox. Despite her repeated proclamations of superiority, AJ was left in stunned silence when Natalya entered the action and made quick mincemeat of Alicia Fox, tapping out the former Divas Champion with the Sharpshooter. Will AJ suffer the same humiliation on Sunday?
World Heavyweight Champion Alberto Del Rio def. R-Truth
What’s up? A victory for Alberto Del Rio, for starters. Six days away from a title defense against Rob Van Dam, the World Heavyweight Champion made an example of R-Truth on Raw. Things were looking tough for the champion at first when The Rapping Superstar took flight and left Del Rio splayed on the outside of the ring. Truth’s advantage was short-lived, though, after The Essence of Excellence knocked the former U.S. Champion loopy with an enziguri, following up with a second, jaw-rattling kick to Truth’s face and a Cross Armbreaker that left him tapping for mercy on the mat.
Santino Marella def. Antonio Cesaro
It truly was a night of many returns in Toronto when Santino Marella joined Edge and Goldust in the parade of homecomings and knocked off an old foe in the process.
Photos: Santino's glorious return | Behold the giant swing
The Canadian faithful were more than happy to see The Italian Stallion gallop back into action, but their happiness was short-lived when his opponent, Antonio Cesaro, mercilessly manhandled the Superstar he once dethroned for the United States Championship. Things looked particularly bad for Santino when Cesaro administered a 30-second giant swing that had even Cesaro’s detractors standing and cheering, which he followed up by removing The Cobra from Santino’s arm. The mighty Real American got a little too cocky, though, and Santino took advantage of Cesaro’s preening to take him down with an old-school hip toss that he stuck for a surprise three-count. Victory is his!
Damien Sandow def. The Miz
With a string of recent losses, the “Uncrowned World Heavyweight Champion” has been a man without a throne to sit on of late, but Damien Sandow got himself a much-needed win on Monday Night Raw to give his famous talk some backup … even if he needed a bit of help to do it. The Enlightened One’s victim was none other than The Miz, whose hot start hit a brick wall early on when Sandow countered his opening burst with an Elbow of Disdain that shifted the momentum of their match back his way.
Photos: Sandow knocks off Miz | Fandango cuts in
Miz quickly reclaimed the advantage, booting Sandow in the face and going to work on the contract holder’s leg to prepare him for the Figure Four Leglock. Alas, Miz’s famous hold would go unapplied when the ostentatious entrance of Fandango threw him off his game. With the dancing devil occupying Miz’s attention, all it took was a fast roll-up and a fistful of tights for Sandow to snag an ill-gotten win.
WWE Champion Randy Orton def. Goldust
The WWE Universe will never forget the name Goldust, but their memory of him in Toronto will, sadly, be one of defeat after the former Intercontinental Champion failed to beat Randy Orton and get his brother Cody Rhodes’ job back. With that said, The Apex Predator hardly walked away with the win in Toronto. In fact, the early indication was that Orton might be staring at the lights when all was said and done.
Photos of the classic confrontation | Orton completes Rhodes trifecta
The Bizarre One came out so strong in the instant-classic confrontation that Orton – no stranger to battling the Rhodes family – had to take multiple breathers, slithering out of the ring each time Goldust seemed to have the match in hand. Orton’s strategy wasn’t enough to throw Goldust off, though a backdrop onto the barricade and a series of brutal stomps did finally swing the match back in The Viper’s favor. Goldust took a page out of his brother’s book by reversing the RKO into Cross Rhodes, yet Orton’s kickout at two left The Bizarre One reeling with frustration. It was the sudden RKO moments later, however, that truly shattered Goldust’s dreams and body in equal measure.
Watch: Stephanie salts the wound
Rob Van Dam def. Ryback via Disqualification
Rob Van Dam may be going into Night of Champions with a win, but it was hardly a dominant one when Ryback willingly took a disqualification loss for the sake of embarrassing Mr. Monday Night. The No. 1 contender was all over Ryback for the majority of the match, letting loose with his famous feet and leaving the Human Wrecking Ball stumbling about the ring.
Photos: "The Big Guy" lays RVD low | Mr. Monday Night suffers
Things went sour when the battle spilled to the outside and RVD attempted to take flight, only to collide face-first with the barricade when Ryback dodged the attack. Having had enough of Van Dam, Ryback brought the match to an end by ramming the ECW Original crotch-first into the ring post, following up with Shell Shocked. Say hello to “The Big Guy.”
Daniel Bryan def. U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose
It’s main event time for Daniel Bryan, and with Big Show’s presence neutralized by Stephanie McMahon’s latest ruling – touch The Shield and he’s fired – the submission master flew solo and battled U.S. Champion Dean Ambrose with surgical precision. Ambrose, no stranger to technical wrestling himself, gave it right back in equal measure, though the presence of Seth Rollins & Roman Reigns certainly gave him a leg up over the No. 1 contender. Still, Bryan proved such a stiff challenge that Rollins & Reigns had to run interference, though Bryan quickly defused the WWE Tag Team Champions' efforts and scored the win with a small package.
Photos: Bryan unleashes his fury | Watch what happened after the match
Never one to let Bryan go uninterrupted, Randy Orton quickly made his entrance and, with The Shield blocking Big Show, struck Bryan down with an RKO. Before the giant could leave, Triple H reappeared and ordered Show to, once again, knock out Bryan. But Show’s hesitance while Orton berated him gave the No. 1 contender time to recover and blast The Viper with a running knee to the face, leaving Orton down and Bryan triumphant for the first time in a month. What’s that expression about shoes and feet?
