The 896th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the AT&T Center in San Antonio, TX. One week after John Cena revealed his dream team of himself, Edge, Chris Jericho, John Morrison, R-Truth, The Great Khali, and WWE Hall of Famer Bret “The Hitman” Hart capable of taking down The Nexus at SummerSlam, RAW would see how the seven members of The Nexus would respond to Cena’s formidable army as SummerSlam rapidly approaches!
>>Match Results<<
- Randy Orton def. Jey Uso (with Jimmy Uso) by pin following the RKO.
- If The Great Khali Loses, He Is Off Cena’s Team: Edge & The Great Khali fight to a No Contest when The Nexus comes out.
- 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Match: The Nexus (Wade Barrett, David Otunga, Heath Slater, Justin Gabriel, Darren Young, Skip Sheffield, & Michael Tarver) def. Team RAW (Mark Henry, The Hart Dynasty, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, Goldust, & Jerry "The King" Lawler).
- Non-Title: Alicia Fox (with Jillian) def. Brie Bella (with Nikki Bella) by pin following the Fox Kick.
- Ted DiBiase (with Maryse) def. John Morrison (with R-Truth) by pin after John Morrison and R-Truth bump heads.
- Sheamus & The Miz def. John Cena & Chris Jericho by The Miz pinning John Cena following the Codebreaker by Chris Jericho.
>>Detailed Results<<
One week after surprising The Nexus, and the world, by introducing his dream team of Superstars capable of taking down The Nexus at SummerSlam, the show kicks off with the Superstar responsible for the team, John Cena! Cena recalls the destruction left by The Nexus over the last seven weeks of their existence before proclaiming that he assembled a group of Superstars who had “enough” and vows to “beat” and ultimately “end” The Nexus at SummerSlam! Cena then states that, at SummerSlam, he and his team will show that The Nexus is “not invincible”! Cena continues that, every week, The Nexus gains “power” and by doing so, they gain “influence” and, if they don’t stop The Nexus, the group will take over RAW! Cena then states that every member of his team was selected for a “reason”! However, Cena is then interrupted by one his SummerSlam teammates, Chris Jericho, who comes to the ring and states that he was waiting backstage for Cena to refer to it as his team before stating that he did not get involved to be a part of “Cena’s team” and he did not get involved to “pander” to the fans, he got involved because of his “personal problems” with The Nexus and Wade Barrett! Jericho continues that Barrett was indirectly influenced by him to form The Nexus and, being that he knows The Nexus better than Cena, he is more qualified to lead the team! Cena responds by saying that Jericho can lead the team, because all he wants to do is beat The Nexus! Jericho then shouts at Cena that the team will do what he “wants” to do before Cena slaps the microphone out of Jericho’s hand! Cena then tells Jericho that it is not about either one of them, it is about the “business” and they must “co-exist” before telling Jericho that he is “essential” to the team! Jericho then retrieves his microphone and tells Cena that he knows how “essential” he is to the team and the only chance that the team has to beat The Nexus at SummerSlam is his presence on the team! Jericho then states that The Nexus is not the only “threat” to the WWE that Cena is as well, because Cena is just like The Nexus and the “only difference” is that Cena does it with the support of the fans! Jericho then calls Cena a “puppet” for the fans before vowing that, once The Nexus is taken care of, he will get “rid” of John Cena and he is going to do it with his team or on his own! Cena then challenges Jericho to take his “best shot” before the anonymous General Manager of RAW chimes in and announces that the 7-on-7 Tag Match between Cena’s Army and The Nexus at SummerSlam is now going to be an Elimination Match! The anonymous GM’s email also announces that The Nexus will face seven RAW Superstars in a 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Match on RAW and that John Cena and Chris Jericho will be forced to work on the same team! The email then reads that “if you’re not down with that, I’ve got two words for you”! Can John Cena & Chris Jericho co-exist as a team? Who will The Nexus face in their 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Match on RAW?
One week after narrowly escaping losing his WWE Title to “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” The Miz, WWE Champion Sheamus was at ringside to watch the #1 Contender for his WWE Title at SummerSlam, “The Viper” Randy Orton, as Orton went one-on-one with one-half of The Usos, Jey Uso! In the end, it was Randy Orton fending off Jimmy Uso before hitting the RKO On Jey Uso en route to picking up the win! After the match, Orton had his sights set on Sheamus at ringside when Jimmy Uso blasted Orton from behind, but Orton was able to fight back, but with Orton’s back turned, Sheamus comes in and tries to hit the pump kick on Orton, but Orton dodges it and Sheamus lays out Jimmy Uso by mistake before Orton lays out the WWE Champion with the RKO! With Sheamus vulnerable, “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” The Miz comes out with a referee in tow and announces that he is cashing in his Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity, but before the match can officially begin, Randy Orton re-enters the ring and lays The Miz out with the RKO and running The Miz’s opportunity to win the WWE Title! With SummerSlam just a few weeks away, Randy Orton seems unstoppable, but can Randy Orton defeat Sheamus and win the WWE Title at “The Biggest Event of the Summer”?
Backstage, Edge is talking with Ted DiBiase and Maryse, telling DiBiase that he wishes DiBiase was on the team instead of The Great Khali! DiBiase responds by saying that, after he defeats John Morrison, then Cena will see that he belongs on the team instead of Khali or Morrison! Edge then vows that, if Cena does not replace Khali on the team, then he will “force the hand” of Cena and take out The Great Khali himself! However, as Edge walks away, it is revealed that Khali’s brother and translator, Ranjin Singh, overheard the conversation! Will Edge really attempt to take out The Great Khali?
Back in the ring, WWE Champion Sheamus and United States Champion The Miz are shouting at each other over what just happened with Randy Orton, but the anonymous RAW GM chimes in and announces that the team that John Cena & Chris Jericho will face will be a “team of champions” as Sheamus & The Miz will face Cena & Jericho! Can either of these teams co-exist long enough to beat their opponents?
Backstage, The Great Khali & Ranjin Singh confront Edge regarding Edge’s comments about Khali earlier and Edge tries to back his way out his comments, but The Great Khali challenges Edge to a match and Edge relunctantly agrees, but adds that, if Khali loses, then he is off of Cena’s team! Can Edge defeat the gargantuan Great Khali to force Khali off of Cena’s team?
Then it was time for “The Rated-R Superstar” Edge to go one-on-one with The Great Khali with the stipulation that, if Khali loses, then he is off Cena’s SummerSlam team! However, the match is interrupted by The Nexus making their way to the ring, which prompts Edge, as well as Ranjin Singh, to hightail it through the crowd! The Nexus then enters the ring and surrounds The Great Khali, preparing to attack Khali, but The Nexus shockingly stands aside and lets Khali leave unscathed! After leaving so much destruction on anyone and anything over the last several weeks, what kept The Nexus from attacking The Great Khali?
Just a few weeks before they face Cena’s Army in a 7-on-7 Elimination Tag Match at SummerSlam, The Nexus would face Team RAW; a team consisting of “The World’s Strongest Man” Mark Henry, Evan Bourne, Yoshi Tatsu, “The Bizarre Lonestar” Goldust, Unified WWE Tag Team Champions The Hart Dynasty, & WWE Hall of Famer Jerry “The King” Lawler! The Nexus took a quick advantage as Michael Tarver hit a modified powerslam en route to eliminating Yoshi Tatsu, putting The Nexus up seven members to Team RAW’s six! Jerry “The King” Lawler was the next to go as Heath Slater was able to hit a modified STO on the Hall of Famer to eliminate Lawler and leave The Nexus completely intact, while Team RAW gets put down to five members! The Nexus would continue to roll as Heath Slater would hit the same STO maneuver on David Hart Smith en route to eliminating one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions as The Nexus keeps all seven of their members against the four remaining members of Team RAW! David Otunga was the next one to score an elimination as Otunga would plant Goldust with his modified spinebuster en route to eliminating Goldust, leaving Team RAW to a three-on-seven disadvantage! Though Mark Henry put up a good fight, Skip Sheffield was able to catch “The World’s Strongest Man” with a clothesline en route to eliminating Henry, leaving Tyson Kidd & Evan Bourne to face all seven members of The Nexus! Tyson Kidd was quickly dealt with by The Nexus as Skip Sheffield catches Kidd with a clothesline before tagging Darren Young in, who plants the Unified WWE Tag Team Champion with a modified full nelson slam en route to eliminating Tyson Kidd! With Evan Bourne left to face The Nexus, Wade Barrett made quick work of the high-flyer by hitting the Barrett Wasteland en route to eliminating Bourne and winning the match without losing a member! After the match, The Nexus assaults Evan Bourne and leaves Bourne laid out! Wade Barrett then states that the “cracks” are starting to form in Cena’s team and the “cracks” are forming due to their “individual egos”! Barrett then vows that the “cracks” will destroy the “foundation” of Cena’s team at SummerSlam! Skip Sheffield then states that Cena has a “team of individuals” while they have a “single focus” and no member of Cena’a team would “sacrifice” themselves like they would do and have done and Skip then proclaims that The Nexus is “unbreakable”! Michael Tarver then states that they will eliminate all of the opposing team at SummerSlam until there is just one Superstar left and that he hopes that individual is John Cena! Tarver continues that they will treat Cena like a “piece of meat” and they will “sink their teeth in” and rip Cena apart until every one of them has had their “fill”! Tarver then proclaims that they will then put Cena out of his “misery” and then it will be “over in more ways than one”! Can The Nexus be as dominant against Cena’s team at SummerSlam as they were against Team RAW?
The Divas Champion was in action on RAW as Alicia Fox would go one-on-one with Brie Bella in a non-title match. During the match, Brie Bella was going to pull the switch with her twin sister, Nikki, but Jillian came out and prevented the switch, which led to Alicia Fox hitting the Fox Kick en route to picking up the win! After the match, Jillian presents her “gift” to the Divas Champion as Jillian starts to sing to Alicia Fox, but Fox attacks Jillian and leaves “The Sour Songstress” laid out with the Fox Kick!
With R-Truth a guest on commentary at ringside, R-Truth’s friend and Cena’s Army teammate, “The Monday Night Delight” John Morrison would go one-on-one with “The Fortunate Son” Ted DiBiase! During the match, John Morrison was set to deliver Starship Pain to Ted DiBiase, but Maryse got on the apron, which distracted Morrison long enough for DiBiase to roll Morrison up, but when DiBiase put his feet on the ropes to try and gain the leverage to win the match, but R-Truth knocks DiBiase’s feet off the ropes! DiBiase would then shove the face of R-Truth, which would prompt R-Truth to get on the apron of the ring where Morrison would accidentally collide heads with R-Truth, leading to DiBiase pinning Morrison for the win! After the match, John Morrison was furious with R-Truth and, as the two argued, John Cena looked on backstage very worried about the state of his SummerSlam team! Can Cena’s team pull together in time for SummerSlam?
Then it was time for the main event as two dysfunctional teams would face off as John Cena would team with his SummerSlam teammate, Chris Jericho, to face the “team of champions”, WWE Champion Sheamus and United States Champion & “Mr. Money-in-the-Bank” The Miz! In the end, it looked like John Cena was poised for victory, but Chris Jericho would enter the ring and hit the Codebreaker on Cena, while on the other side of the ring, The Miz tags himself in and pins Cena to pick up the win for himself and Sheamus! After the match, Chris Jericho came back into the ring and locked in the Walls of Jericho on Cena, but Cena was able to counter it and lock in his STF! The Great Khali would then enter the ring to separate Cena and Jericho, but Edge would come in and hit the Spear on Khali! R-Truth and John Morrison would then hit the ring to try and bring the team back on the same page as Edge and John Cena argues! This leads to all seven members of Cena’s Army arguing with Khali laying out both Edge and John Morrison before the team continues to argue! With Cena’s Army quickly falling apart, can John Cena bring the team together in time for SummerSlam or will The Nexus be able to take advantage of the severe dissention of Cena’s team?