The 885th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Mellon Arena in Pittsburgh, PA. On the WWE’s final night in the Mellon Arena, rapper, reality star, and television personality Flavor Flav would take the helms of RAW as the Guest Host. After Sheamus cut his announcement short last week, WWE Champion John Cena would make an appearance on RAW to reveal the stipulation for his title defense against “The Animal” Batista at WWE Over The Limit!
Match Results
- #1 Contender’s Match for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles: Chris Jericho def. David Hart Smith by pin following the Codebreaker to earn a Unified WWE Tag Team Title opportunity for himself and The Miz at WWE Over The Limit.
- R-Truth def. William Regal by DQ after Primo & Carlito interfere.
- Evan Bourne (with Gail Kim) def. Zack Ryder (with Alicia Fox) by pin with Air Bourne.
- Tyson Kidd def. The Miz by roll-up to force The Miz to defend the United States Title against a member of the Hart family on next week’s RAW.
- 8-on-4 NXT Rookies Vs. RAW Superstars Handicap Match: Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, & Wade Barrett def. John Morrison, Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, & Santino Marella by Daniel Bryan rolling up Santino Marella.
- 2-on-1 Handicap Match: Randy Orton (with R-Truth) def. Edge & Ted DiBiase by pinning Ted DiBiase following the RKO.
Detailed Results
One week after laying out Edge, as well as Guest Host Wayne Brady, with the RKO and thirteen days before he faces Edge at WWE Over The Limit, RAW kicks off with “The Viper” Randy Orton, who says that he did not accept Edge’s offer to reunite last week because Edge viewed him as a “threat” and that Edge wanted to keep him “under control”! However, Orton is interrupted by a surprise guest as Grammy award singer Meatloaf comes out to pitch a new theme song for Randy Orton! After allowing the legendary singer to freestyle a few of his new songs, Orton got fed up with Meatloaf’s promotion of his new album and laid Meatloaf out with the RKO! This brings out Orton’s Over The Limit opponent as “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge comes out! Edge reveals that he is not a fan of the Guest Host idea and said that he complained to WWE Headquarters and they informed him that, from here on out, the celebrity Guest Hosts of RAW will have “no authority” on RAW! Edge then makes the blockbuster announcement that RAW will go back to having a “permanent” General Manager before introducing the new RAW GM, who will be none other than Edge’s ex-wife, Vickie Guerrero! The new GM comes out and stands side-by-side with her ex-husband and vows that Orton will be “reprimanded” before announcing that Randy Orton will compete against Edge and a partner of his choosing in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match on RAW! Who will Edge select as his partner? Now that RAW has a permanent General Manager in Vickie Guerrero and the Guest Hosts have no authority, how will the landscape of RAW be changed?
After joining up with United States Champion The Miz last week to assault Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty, Chris Jericho was in action on RAW as he would go one-on-one with one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, David Hart Smith with the stipulation that, if Jericho wins, then Jeri-Miz would challenge The Hart Dynasty for the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles at WWE Over The Limit! After delivering a thumb to the eyed of David Hart Smith, Jericho was able to hit the Codebreaker en route to defeating David Hart Smith and earning a Unified WWE Tag Team Title opportunity for himself and The Miz at WWE Over The Limit! Can The Miz & Chris Jericho take one step further in their quest for revenge on Big Show by winning the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles in thirteen days at WWE Over The Limit?
With the WWE’s resident rapper, R-Truth, escorting him to the ring, the Guest Host of RAW makes an appearance as rapper, reality star, television personality, and host of the series, “Nite Tales: The Series”, Flavor Flav makes an appearance to hype the crowd and support R-Truth as he goes one-on-one with William Regal! However, the match quickly comes to a halt as the recently reunited Primo & Carlito hit the ring and assault R-Truth before Carlito lays Truth out with the Back Stabber! As everyone is left questioning the motives of the Colons, the answer becomes all too clear when Primo & Carlito join Ted DiBiase on the stage where “The Fortunate Son” hands payments to Primo & Carlito for their handiwork! Has Ted DiBiase found two “Virgils” in Primo & Carlito?
With Alicia Fox & Gail Kim his guests at ringside, “The Long Island Loudmouth” Zack Ryder appeared on RAW and proclaimed that the last moment that the Mellon Arena will see before they “blow it up” will be his first win on RAW! To accomplish this, Ryder would have to go through the high-flying Evan Bourne! Bourne was set to deliver Air Bourne to Ryder, but Alicia Fox got up from her seat to distract Bourne, but Gail Kim pulled Fox from the apron! Despite Alicia Fox’s efforts, Bourne was able to hit Air Bourne en route to picking up the win and, after the match, Bourne left with Gail Kim!
After having his announcement cut short by Sheamus on last week’s RAW, WWE Champion John Cena appeared on RAW to announce the stipulation for his title defense against “The Animal” Batista at WWE Over The Limit! The WWE Champion starts by actually thanking Sheamus for giving him an “entire week” to think about the stipulation for WWE Over The Limit! Cena states that his victory over Batista in a Last Man Standing Match at WWE Extreme Rules was “intellectual” and vowed that he will prove those who see his duct tape-aided win at WWE Extreme Rules as the act of a “coward”! John Cena then states that, at WWE Over The Limit, there will be “no easy way out” and it will be “brutal” and will be the “last time” he will face Batista with the WWE Title on the line as he will “forfeit” his rematch clause! Cena then announces that there is only “one match” that the two of them can have before announcing that the WWE Title match at WWE Over The Limit will be an “I Quit” Match! Following this blockbuster announcement, “The Champ” calls Sheamus out to personally “thank” him for inspiring him to come up with the “I Quit” Match stipulation! Sheamus comes out and states that he would leave Cena in “no condition” to compete in an “I Quit” Match if he were to come down there! The bold John Cena then tells Sheamus that he will take his “chances” and Sheamus responds by saying that Cena just cost himself his WWE Title! As Sheamus approaches the ring, Cena is met by Batista who comes through the crowd and delivers a Spear to Cena before ramming the WWE Champion spine-first into the steel ring post on the outside! Batista then rolls Cena back into the ring where Sheamus delivers a vicious pump kick to “The Champ”! Batista was set to deal more punishment to Cena, but Mark Henry comes to the aid of John Cena as “The World’s Strongest Man” saves Cena and sends Batista out of the ring! How will Batista & Sheamus respond to Mark Henry’s involvement? With just thirteen days to go before he defends the WWE Title against Batista in an “I Quit” Match at WWE Over The Limit, what kind of shape will John Cena be in for the brutal match?
After his new tag team partner, Chris Jericho, defeated David Hart Smith earlier in the night to earn him and Jericho a shot at the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles at WWE Over The Limit, United States Champion The Miz went one-on-one with the other half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions, Tyson Kidd, in a non-title match with the stipulation that, if Kidd defeats Miz, then The Miz must defend the United States Title against a member of the Hart family on next week’s RAW in Toronto, Ontario, Canada! After Tyson Kidd surprises The Miz with a quick roll-up to win the match, The Miz surprises everyone by announcing that he gets to select which member of the Hart family he defends the United States Title against next week and he is selecting none other than WWE Hall of Famer Bret “Hitman” Hart! Bret’s last match was against WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon at WrestleMania, how will Bret do against a conditioned Superstar like The Miz? Can Bret upset The Miz and actually win the United States Title in his and the Hart family’s home country of Canada?
One night before one of them will have their dream of becoming a WWE Superstar come to an end via the first NXT elimination, the eight NXT Rookies would compete on RAW in a special 8-on-4 NXT Rookies Vs. RAW Superstars Handicap Match as Rookies Daniel Bryan, David Otunga, Justin Gabriel, Heath Slater, Michael Tarver, Skip Sheffield, Darren Young, & Wade Barrett would face RAW Superstars John Morrison, Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, & Santino Marella! In the end, it was NXT Rookie Daniel Bryan rolling up Santino Marella to pick up his first win since his WWE debut and pick up the upset win for the eight NXT Rookies! While RAW saw the highest of highs for the eight NXT Rookies, NXT will see the lowest of lows for one Rookie as one of the eight Rookies will be eliminated from the competition! Which NXT Rookie will be sent home in the first NXT elimination?
After Mark Henry came to the aid of John Cena earlier in the night, “The World’s Strongest Man” would face Cena’s assailant and the challenger for the WWE Title in an “I Quit” Match at WWE Over The Limit, “The Animal” Batista! Before Mark Henry can even fully enter the ring, Batista attacks “The World’s Strongest Man” and wears Mark Henry with multiple vicious shots with a steel chair before “The Animal” locks a modified headlock onto Henry and forces Henry to tap out and eventually pass out in an aggressive and clear-cut message to WWE Champion John Cena! What is the status of Mark Henry and how will John Cena respond to this “message” by Batista?
Then it was time for the main event as “The Viper” Randy Orton would be forced in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match by new RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero as Orton would face his WWE Over The Limit opponent, Edge, and a partner of Edge’s choosing! With General Manager Vickie Guerrero at ringside, Randy Orton would compete in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match against Edge and the former protégé of Randy Orton, “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase! After escaping the RKO of Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase slid out of the ring, but R-Truth came out and DiBiase fled back into the ring where he was met with the RKO en route to Orton pinning DiBiase and picking up the win! After the match, Randy Orton sets his sights on the new RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero, but as Orton gets closer to Vickie, the new GM got more and more afraid before shouting that she “resigns” as RAW General Manager! Edge then tries to get the jump on Orton, but “The Viper” strikes with the RKO on the arena floor! Now that Vickie has resigned as GM, who will take control of RAW? What will happen next between Edge & Randy Orton en route to their match at WWE Over The Limit?