Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, August 17th, 2015 (USA Network)
Location: The Target Center in Minneapolis, MN
Results by Matt Boone
“Yes, sir, we promised you a great main event…”
WWE RAW Opener:
The WWE SummerSlam “go-home” edition of RAW in Minneapolis, Minnesota opens up with Lilian Garcia immediately introducing The Authority — Triple H and Stephanie McMahon.
“King of Kings” hits and out comes the power couple. Stephanie starts off by saying it’s exciting to be here because they have a lot of big things going on.
Both HHH and Steph talk about how SummerSlam and Takeover are sold out and how fans can watch it for only $9.99 on the WWE Network.
Triple H then goes on to introduce some of the matches scheduled for SummerSlam, starting with The Undertaker vs. Brock Lesnar. They say Taker and Lesnar are here tonight.
They introduce the title vs. title match between Seth Rollins and John Cena at SummerSlam. HHH talks about Cena breaking his nose and wanting revenge.
As music plays, the two go on to run down all of the matches at SummerSlam, giving brief histories behind the feuds as they do so. They then announce Jon Stewart will be hosting SummerSlam.
Randy Orton & Cesaro vs. Sheamus & Kevin Owens
HHH says the road to SummerSlam starts right here, right now. With that said, Randy Orton’s theme music hits and out he comes for our first match of the evening.
Lilian Garcia gets back on the mic and introduces “The Viper” as he walks to the ring for a big tag-team match to kick off tonight’s edition of RAW. On that note, we head to a commercial break.
When we return from our first break of the evening, Orton is still making his entrance. Out next is his partner for tonight’s RAW opening contest, Cesaro. The crowd gave Cesaro a huge pop when his music first out.
Out next are Orton and Cesaro’s opponents tonight. First, former NXT Champion Kevin Owens makes his way to the ring. Out next is his partner for this tag-team bout, “Mr. Money In The Bank,” Sheamus.
The action favors the babyfaces early on. Sheamus tags in so Orton asks Cesaro to tag him in. He obliges. Orton takes control. Cesaro blasts Owens with a big uppercut off the apron as we head to a mid-match commercial.
When we return from commercial, the action continues until finally, Owens blocks an Orton RKO, leading to Orton turning around and RKO’ing Sheamus instead. Cesaro yanks Owens out of the ring, Orton covers Sheamus and gets the 1-2-3.
Winners: Randy Orton & Cesaro
The Undertaker Addresses Brock Lesnar
The announcers talk about The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar and confirm that both will be here tonight. We see highlights of some of their history. We head to a commercial break.
We’re back and the first thing we hear are the druids. We see The Undertaker is somewhere talking. He says that when The Reaper comes calling for you, you’re over. He says The Reaper has called Lesnar’s name for SummerSlam.
Undertaker closes by saying after SummerSlam, Brock Lesnar will never …rest in peace. We head back to commercial break.
Backstage: Seth Rollins, Triple H & Stephanie McMahon
We return from the break and the announcers hype up SummerSlam and the WWE Network. We see footage of John Cena’s nose being broken a few weeks ago during a RAW match with his SummerSlam opponent, WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
With that said, we shoot backstage to see Rollins talking with Triple H and Stephanie about tonight’s contract signing for this Sunday’s title vs. title match. He asks if he can have a statue in the lobby of WWE headquarters like Andre The Giant.
Roman Reigns vs. Luke Harper
We finally head back to the ring for our next match of the evening. Roman Reigns’ music hits and he makes his way to the crowd, as we hear Dean Ambrose on commentary for this contest. We head to a commercial break on that note.
When we return from the break, we see Bray Wyatt coming out with Luke Harper. Harper will be going one-on-one with Reigns tonight. Ambrose takes a chair and sits next to Wyatt.
Reigns and Harper lock up as the bell sounds. They break. Reigns blasts Harper. And again. He fires away with big uppercuts early on. Reigns dumps Harper on the floor and hits the cool Drive By Kick on the apron from the floor. On that note, we head to a mid-match commercial break.
We return to see the action continuing in the ring. Harper starts firing up with big moves, however Reigns catches him with a Superman punch and follows up with a spear for the win.
After the match, Ambrose walks past Wyatt and mocks him. He then celebrates with Reigns. We head back to commercial.
Tamina Snuka vs. Becky Lynch
We’re back now and it’s time for the Diva Revolution to continue, as Tamina Snuka is in the ring and out next comes Becky Lynch with Charlotte and Paige. Sasha Banks and Naomi are in Tamina’s corner.
Tamina and Becky get going as the bell rings. The lock up and Tamina shoves Becky across the ring. Becky grabs Tamina but gets tossed to the mat again. Tamina with a forearm and a headbutt. Becky slides out of a move and unloads with forearms. Becky ducks clotheslines and hits a crossbody but Tamina catches her with a big slam for a 2 count. We see Team Bella backstage watching the match. Tamina slams Becky and covers for 2. Tamina keeps Becky grounded now.
Becky runs into a big kick from Tamina that floors her. Becky ends up coming back with a big slam. She rolls Tamina into her Dis-Arm-Her for the win.
Winner: Becky Lynch
Mark Henry vs. Rusev
We return from the commercial and head back to the ring for our next match. Lana is on commentary. Rusev comes out. Mark Henry comes out. The bell sounds and here we go.
Henry and Rusev go at it like two big bulls early on, and their battles ends up on the floor. Henry unloads and brings Rusev back in the ring for a World’s Strongest Slam for a 2 count. Henry keeps control and hits another slam for another early pin attempt. Rusev goes to the floor and Henry follows. Rusev slams Henry into the ring post. And again.
Rusev shouts at Lana while he’s out on the floor. The match goes back inside the ring. He nails Henry with a big kick to the face and stomps on him. He locks him in The Accolade. Rusev wins.
After the match, the big flag drops from the ceiling as Rusev’s music plays. Rusev and Summer Rae leave but Lana gets in the ring and yells for Summer to come back.
Rusev and Summer stop half way up the ramp and head back to the ring. Summer heads in the ring and Lana slaps her pretty hard. They get into a cat fight and then Dolph Ziggler comes out and he and Rusev get into a slugfest. Rusev and Summer Rae retreat. We head back to a commercial break.
Backstage: Dolph Ziggler & Lana
We return from the break and JoJo is with Ziggler and Lana backstage. Ziggler says he wants a singles match against Rusev at SummerSlam. He says it feels good to be back.
Ryback vs. The Miz
After a promo video focusing on Sunday’s match between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Ryback’s music hits. The WWE Intercontinental Champion makes his way out to the ring as he will be in action on RAW …next.
Winner: Rusev
Backstage: Dolph Ziggler & Lana
We return from the break and JoJo is with Ziggler and Lana backstage. Ziggler says he wants a singles match against Rusev at SummerSlam. He says it feels good to be back.
Ryback vs. The Miz
After a promo video focusing on Sunday’s match between The Undertaker and Brock Lesnar at SummerSlam, Ryback’s music hits. The WWE Intercontinental Champion makes his way out to the ring as he will be in action on RAW …next.
We’re back from the break and we see Big Show on commentary for this one. The Miz makes his way down to the ring. The bell sounds and here we go.
Ryback bum-rushes Miz into a corner and pummels away. Ryback is dominating Miz with ease. He nails a Meethook clothesline. Ryback catches Miz coming off the second rope and turns it into a Shell Shock for the 1-2-3.
After the match, Ryback gets on the mic and says he’s still hungry. He tells Big Show and tells him to get his big ass in the ring. Big Show just walks off. We head back to commercial break.
Winner: Ryback
SummerSlam Contract Signing — Seth Rollins & John Cena
We’re back on RAW and we see Triple H and Stephanie McMahon in the ring. It’s time for the contract signing for the WWE World Heavyweight Championship and WWE United States title vs. title match at SummerSlam. The Authority introduces WWE World Heavyweight Champion Seth Rollins.
Rollins makes his way to the ring. He gets on the mic and thanks everyone. Everyone boos. He kisses up to The Authority a bit and then talks about this Sunday’s big title vs. title match. He brags more about breaking Cena’s nose.
Finally, Cena’s theme music hits to cut him off. Cena says he’s not in the mood to sit. The fans are doing split-chants, pro and against Cena. Cena talks about how he’s going to make the WWE title mean something again when he wins it. Cena says he will become a 16-time champion on Sunday. He says when Rollins loses, Triple H loses, because his mentor is the current record holder at 16-times world champion, Ric Flair.
Cena flat out says he’s going to make Seth Rollins his bitch this Sunday at SummerSlam. He signs the contract, walks off and his music hits. We head back to commercial break.
The Prime Time Players & The Lucha Dragons vs. The New Day & Los Matadores
For the ten-billionth time we get an eight-man tag-team match involving The Prime Time Players, The Lucha Dragons, The New Day and Los Matadores. In this one, PTP and Lucha Dragons are on one side and New Day and Los Matadores are on the other.
A lot of back-and-forth action takes place with all eight of the guys hitting spots at times. When the smoke clears and the dust finally settles, however, it is Kalisto who springboards in onto one of the Matadores, scoring the pinfall victory for his team. We head back to commercial break after the match.
Winners: The Prime Time Players & The Lucha Dragons
Backstage: King Barrett & Stardust
We return from the break to see a video looking at the Stardust and King Barrett vs. Stephen Amell and Neville feud.
From there, we see King Barrett and Stardust backstage. The two cut promos on their match for this Sunday’s SummerSlam pay-per-view.
Nikki Bella vs. Sasha Banks
We head back to the ring as the Diva Revolution continues with the WWE Divas Champion Nikki Bella defending her title. Bella’s music hits and out she comes with her Team Bella members Brie Bella and Alicia Fox. We head to a commercial break.
When we return from the break, Sasha Banks makes her way down to the ring with her Team B.A.D. members Naomi and Tamina Snuka.
The bell sounds and here we go. Bella and Banks take turns in the offensive lead early on. Finally, we settle in with Banks getting the better of her. Bella starts fighting back as we see Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch watching on from a monitor backstage.
As Banks dominates the action again she starts mocking Bella as we head to a mid-match commercial break.
We’re back from the commercial break and we see Banks still in control of Bella. Highlights are shown of how Banks took control of the match just before we went to the break.
Finally, Bella starts making her comeback. She hits a big clothesline. She hits an Alabama Slammer for a near fall. The fans start chanting “We Want Lesnar,” completely disrespecting the end of this match. It hasn’t been the most exciting match in the world, but it hasn’t been bad either. Bella counters a Banks move and blasts her.
Both girls are down as Michael Cole points out we’re in a critical point of the match. The fans break out into a JBL chant now. Bella gets Banks up for the Rack Attack, however Naomi gets on the apron and distracts the ref. Bella ends up getting countered into a Bank Statement from Banks. The ref turns around and Bella taps out.
Winner: Sasha Banks
Backstage: Renee Young With Team PCB
Backstage, Renee Young asks Paige, Charlotte and Becky Lynch what they just thought of the match just now between Banks and Nikki. They say Team PCB is going to win at SummerSlam, and they’re going to do it with a flare.
Brock Lesnar Closes The Show
Finally, we head back into the arena where Michael Cole sets up another Brock Lesnar/Undertaker video package. This one starts with a lengthy look at Lesnar breaking Taker’s streak at WrestleMania.
After the video package, the announcers told us we have heard from The Undertaker earlier tonight, but when we return, Brock Lesnar will have his turn. On that note, we head to a commercial break.
When we return from the break, Paul Heyman takes to the mic in the ring. He proudly introduces Brock Lesnar to the ring, listing a bunch of his accomplishments prior to doing so. Because we’re in Minnesota, Heyman brags about Lesnar winning the NCAA Division 1 championship from the University of Minnesota. The fans are exploding for Lesnar.
Heyman finally does his thing where he says Brock’s name all bad ass. Finally, Lesnar’s music hits and the Minnesota fans nearly blow the roof off as Lesnar makes his way out to the ring.
WWE promotes Brock Lesnar being on ESPN SportsCenter tomorrow morning. He will also be on the Mike & Mike radio show tomorrow morning.
As the music dies down the fans keep going completely ballistic. This is CM Punk in Chicago type stuff. The fans erupt into “Suplex City” chants. Heyman gets down and bows and raises his hands up and down. The fans all do it too. Everyone is bowing and praising Lesnar.
Heyman starts singing a song about how Lesnar is going to conquer Undertaker this Sunday. Lesnar smiles and the fans erupt again as Heyman sings “Glory, glory Brrrrrrock Lesnnnaarrrrr!” in perfect tune to the song. He sings that chorus over and over again and the fans do it with him. “Brock Lesnar marches onnnnn!!!” *Gong* *Gong* The lights go out.
The lights come back on and the gongs stop. Nothing happens. Heyman and Lesnar look around curious but smiling like “I knew it, he ain’t gonna show.” The fans chant “Suplex City” again. Heyman, all cocky, says, “So let me get this straight. Jedi mind tricks? Well lookie here Obie One, this Sunday at SummerSlam, you can get god and the devil to team up with you, and I swear to you on everything that is holy and evil, my client, Brock Lesnar, will take all three of you to Suplex City!”
Heyman continues to brag and threaten Undertaker. He says after this Sunday night at SummerSlam, just like right now, Undertaker will have never beaten Brock Lesnar. He says The Undertaker fears Brock Lesnar.
He says Undertaker is in great shape. He says against any other man, Undertaker would have a Tombstone with their name on it, but he’s not fighting a man this Sunday, he’s fighting a beast. He brags about being the 1 in the now 22-1. He says on Sunday, Lesnar offers Taker no respect. His voice gets shakey and he goes crazy talking about what Lesnar is going to do.
The gong hits again. The lights go out again. The lights come back on and Undertaker is in the ring. He immediately low blows Lesnar and drops him. The fans boo. Taker waits for Lesnar to turn around. He grabs him for a chokeslam. He chokeslams him down. The fans boo again.
Taker stalks Lesnar again, waiting for him to get up. He grabs Lesnar for a Tombstone. He nails it. Taker gets up and stands over a beaten down Lesnar. He looks over at Heyman and scowls. The gong hits again. Taker kneels down next to a beaten down Lesnar and does his deadman pose. The lights go out and the fire erupts at the top of the stage. The gong keeps going as his music plays. The purple-blue lights slowly come up. Great Undertaker scene to end RAW. The announcers put over what an amazing match Taker-Lesnar is going to be this Sunday at WWE SummerSlam as The Undertaker slowly makes his way to the back. We see Lesnar slowly coming to in the ring as Heyman is with him now. We see Taker stopping at the top of the ramp. He turns and does a scary Taker head-turn-look to the ring. RAW goes off the air with Taker turning his head back around and raising his hand to the sky.
