WWE RAW Results: July 11, 2016

Detailed Results

With Intercontinental Champion The Miz and his wife Maryse guests on commentary, RAW kicks off with a ring full of Superstars as Apollo Crews, Dolph Ziggler, Baron Corbin, Darren Young, Jimmy Uso, Jey Uso, Bubba Ray Dudley, D-Von Dudley, Konnor, Viktor, Aiden English, Simon Gotch, Goldust, R-Truth, Bo Dallas, Curtis Axel, Jack Swagger, & Alberto Del Rio are all set for a battle royal to determine the #1 Contender for The Miz’s Intercontinental Championship with a shot at the gold at Battleground! The first competitor to get eliminated from the battle royal was Aiden English as Goldust sends one-half of The Vaudevillains over-the-top rope to the outside. R-Truth would score the next elimination, pulling down the top rope to eliminate Konnor, followed a little later by D-Von Dudley eliminating Curtis Axel. Baron Corbin then scores his first elimination, eliminating R-Truth from the battle royal, followed shortly by “The Lone Wolf” eliminating Viktor as well. After trying to eliminate each other, The Usos would get back on the same page, blasting D-Von Dudley with a double super kick, sending D-Von to the floor to eliminate one-half of The Dudley Boyz. Dolph Ziggler then eliminates Simon Gotch followed by Bubba Ray Dudley eliminating Jey Uso.

Alberto Del Rio then eliminates Goldust before Apollo Crews sends Bo Dallas out of the ring. Baron Corbin then racks up more eliminations as the winner of the Andre The Giant Memorial Battle Royal eliminates both Jimmy Uso and Jack Swagger, bringing the battle royal to just six participants! Darren Young then manages to eliminate Bubba Ray Dudley shortly before all five remaining participants take each other out in the ring. Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio then combat each other with Del Rio going between the top and middle rope. Dolph then blasts Del Rio with a super kick, knocking Del Rio to the floor, but since Del Rio did not go over the top rope, he was not eliminated. Shortly after this, Del Rio would find himself battling Baron Corbin as “The Lone Wolf” sends Del Rio into Apollo Crews, who lifts Del Rio up and over the top rope to the outside, eliminating Del Rio from the match.

Familiar adversaries Dolph Ziggler and Baron Corbin then set their sights on each other with Corbin getting the better of the situation, eliminating Ziggler from the match. Apollo Crews and Baron Corbin then fight to send the other over the top rope but both men end up eliminating each other, meaning that, as the only Superstar left in the ring, Darren Young wins the battle royal and will challenge The Miz for the Intercontinental Title at Battleground! Upon hearing the announcement that he won the match, Darren Young got over the shock of winning the battle royal before his mentor Bob Backlund enters the ring, elated that his protégé is the new #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Championship!

Backstage, Zack Ryder would do what Rusev dared him to on last week’s SmackDown as Ryder gets in the face of the United States Champion, challenging Rusev to put the title on the line against him tonight. Before Rusev can respond, Zack Ryder is blindsided by Sheamus before “The Celtic Warrior” informs Ryder that Ryder already has a match against him tonight. Sheamus then exits before Rusev and Lana follow, stepping over Zack Ryder on the way.

In a rematch from SmackDown, Zack Ryder would go one-on-one with “The Celtic Warrior” Sheamus. Still feeling the effects of the backstage attack from Sheamus, Ryder would struggle in the match before getting knocked off the top rope and blasted with the Brogue Kick as Sheamus pins Ryder for the win. After the match, United States Champion Rusev would march out to the ring with his sights set on Zack Ryder. Ryder would try to fight back against Rusev, but the United States Champion would blast Ryder with a kick to the head before locking in the Accolade on Ryder, screaming that he accepts Ryder’s challenge! Rusev then releases the hold, leaving Ryder broken in the ring as Rusev holds his United States Title belt high.

Following a confrontation on the RAW Pre-Show, RAW would see tag team action as The Lucha Dragons would face Breezango. In the end, it was Tyler Breeze catching Kalisto with a modified version of his Super Model Kick, pinning the high flyer to pick up the win for Breezango.

With the promise of having some exclusive footage regarding the Roman Reigns scandal, Seth Rollins would make an appearance on RAW to present the first ever edition of The Rollins Report just under two weeks before he is a part of the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship along with Roman Reigns and champion Dean Ambrose at Battleground. Rollins first proclaims himself to be the “newest, hottest investigative reporter” before saying that he has obtained “exclusive footage” of a one-on-one interview between himself and Roman Reigns where he asks Roman the questions that no one else will ask. Rollins then presents the first ever edition of The Rollins Report, which comes in the form of a pre-taped interview where it quickly becomes clear that Rollins had edited together some footage from past Roman Reigns interviews with Seth Rollins editing in his questions. Rollins then makes it look as if Roman Reigns has no regrets about his suspension before making it seem like Roman agrees that he should not be a part of the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship at Battleground. Rollins then asks for Roman’s thoughts on Dean Ambrose being the WWE Champion with the doctored footage of Roman saying that it makes him want to “puke” before Rollins thanks Roman for his time and the “very illuminating interview”.

Back in the ring on RAW, Seth Rollins says that Roman Reigns doesn’t even think he deserves to be in the title match and again declaring that Roman Reigns should be removed from the title match at Battleground. WWE Champion Dean Ambrose then interrupts, making his way to the ring to confront Seth Rollins as Dean Ambrose says that it’s good to see Seth Rollins finally having some fun. Rollins responds by saying that Ambrose’s reign as WWE Champion is a “joke”, saying that Ambrose hit him from behind and stole the title before calling the champion a “coward”. Rollins continues, saying that Dean Ambrose cannot beat him one-on-one, citing their title matches from last year before saying that he knows that Ambrose is going to try and use the rules of the Triple Threat Match to steal a victory and walk out with the title. Rollins then says that the Triple Threat Match for the WWE Championship will be what it’s all about and that is who is the better former member of The Shield.

Rollins then tells the champion that he was better than Dean Ambrose before The Shield, during The Shield, and, at Battleground, he will better than Ambrose again. Rollins then declares that he is going to stomp on Ambrose’s “dreams” and take back the title that was stolen from him. Ambrose responds by saying that he’s the top guy in the industry before proclaiming that he’s the “backbone” of WWE and it’s been that way for a long time and, now, everyone knows it. The champion then says that Rollins knows better than anyone the “mile of crap” he’s been through to get to the top of WWE before saying that, if Rollins knows how hard he’s fought to get the WWE Title, then Rollins knows what Ambrose will do to keep the title. Ambrose continues, saying that the WWE Title belt will have to be pried from his “cold, dead hands” and that the title will never be taken from him. Ambrose then declares that, if Seth Rollins wants a one-on-one rematch for the WWE Title, he will put the title on the line against Rollins “anytime and anyplace”! Seth Rollins responds by saying that Detroit is as good as place as any before Rollins decides to take Ambrose up on his offer for a one-on-one WWE Title match next week!

Less than two weeks before he goes one-on-one with Kevin Owens at Battleground, Sami Zayn was set to be a guest on commentary for Kevin Owens’ match against Cesaro. However, Owens would not come out to the ring and it was soon revealed that Owens was arguing with referees backstage, claiming that having Sami Zayn at ringside presents an “unsafe working environment”, refusing to compete until Zayn is removed from ringside. Stephanie McMahon then intervenes, informing the referees to go out to ringside and escort Sami Zayn to the back. Shortly after this, the three referees come out to ringside to retrieve Sami Zayn with Sami refusing to leave, stating that Shane McMahon gave him permission to be out there. However, the referees would convince Sami Zayn to leave the ringside area, but Kevin Owens would come out as Sami Zayn is escorted to the back with the two rivals exchanging blows on the entrance ramp before referees are able to break it up and Owens makes a beeline to the ring.

With Sami Zayn no longer at ringside per Kevin Owens’ demands, Kevin Owens would go one-on-one with “The Swiss Superman” Cesaro on RAW. At the end of a hard-fought match, it was Kevin Owens picking Cesaro up off of the top rope and hitting an impressive swinging neckbreaker, pinning Cesaro for the win. After the match, Sami Zayn would attack Kevin Owens on the outside, bouncing Owens face-first off of the announce table before sending Owens into the ring with the referee keeping Sami from entering the ring. However, Owens would then turn right around into a waiting Cesaro, who sends Owens for the ride with the Cesaro Swing before a dizzy Owens rolls to the outside.

After coming up short in his quest to win the United States Championship, Titus O’Neil would be looking to get back on track as Titus went one-on-one with Heath Slater, with Bo Dallas & Curtis Axel in his corner, on RAW. In the end, it was Titus O’Neil hitting the Clash of the Titus, pinning Heath Slater to pick up the win.

After The Wyatt Family dared them to confront them in their compound, WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day would not back down as, in footage captured over the weekend, The New Day would walk out into an open field where a broken down pickup truck sat. Several headlights then come on in the distance before a car speeds forward, crashing into the abandoned pickup truck. The Wyatt Family then steps out of the car and the fight between the two trios gets underway, but as Big E & Kofi Kingston combat Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman, Xavier Woods does his best to hide from Bray Wyatt. However, “The Eater of Worlds” tracks Xavier down, knocking Woods unconscious before carrying Woods away. Meanwhile, the fight between the other members of The New Day and The Wyatt Family continues with Kofi Kingston narrowly avoiding a charging Braun Strowman, who ends up launching himself into the windshield of the abandoned pickup truck. Big E then charges at Erick Rowan with a barrel, taking Rowan out.

This is when Bray Wyatt returns to the scene, dropping a motionless Xavier Woods on the ground before The Wyatt Family takes over the fight, laying waste to The New Day. However, just as Braun Strowman is about to squash Kofi Kingston on the hood of The Wyatt Family’s car, Xavier Woods springs back into action with a trash can lid, using it to try and fight off Bray Wyatt before Bray gets the better of Xavier, tossing Woods into the back of the car and smashing the car up with a pickaxe. Bray then discovers Xavier was no longer in the vehicle before Xavier fights back against Bray, leaving Bray on his knees on the ground as The New Day regroups. However, Bray Wyatt just laughs at The New Day as Erick Rowan & Braun Strowman stand behind their leader before several people wearing sheep masks stand holding lanterns on the Wyatt Family compound. Upon seeing this, The New Day slowly backs away from the compound, barely managing to survive their trip onto The Wyatt Family’s turf.

Before they team up with John Cena to face The Club in a 6-Man Tag match at Battleground, Enzo & Cass would face The Club’s Luke Gallows & Karl Anderson, with AJ Styles in their corner. During the match, Enzo & Cass would hit the Bada Boom Shakalaka on Karl Anderson before Big Cass spots AJ Styles on the apron. Big Cass then charges at Styles, but AJ pulls down the top rope and Big Cass is sent to the floor. AJ then tosses Big Cass over the barricade, resulting in the match ending by disqualification. With Enzo isolated in the ring, The Club would surround Enzo. However, despite AJ Styles claiming otherwise earlier in the night, John Cena was not in L.A. as Cena rushes out to save Enzo Amore from a beatdown at the hands of The Club as, together, Cena and Enzo & Cass get the better of The Club, sending The Club packing as Cena and Enzo & Cass stand tall in the ring, clearly ready for their 6-Man Tag match against The Club at Battleground.

As she continues on her path to getting a shot at the Women’s Championship, Sasha Banks would have to go through the champion’s protégé as “The Boss” would go one-on-one with Dana Brooke, with Women’s Champion Charlotte in her corner. At the end of a hard-fought match, it was Sasha Banks locking in the Bank Statement on Dana Brooke, making Dana tap out to pick up an impressive win. After the match, Women’s Champion Charlotte says that anyone can get lucky once, saying that Sasha can face Dana Brooke again on SmackDown and, if Sasha can win, then “maybe” they can see if Sasha is worthy of a shot at the Women’s Title.

With the world waiting for WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon to announce who will be running SmackDown once SmackDown goes live starting next Tuesday, Shane McMahon and Stephanie McMahon would both make their way to the ring, anxious to hear their father’s decision. Wasting little time, the Chairman would then make his way to the ring as Mr. McMahon would join his two children in the ring. Vince says that he never thought he would see the two of them work together and, while they have done a “fair job”, he’s “disappointed” in both of them. Vince then calls his daughter out on being “passive aggressive” as of late, accusing Stephanie of acting “sweet”. The Chairman then turns his attention to Shane, saying that Shane shouldn’t even be here since he lost his match against The Undertaker at WrestleMania and the only reason he’s still in WWE is because of fans and because of the death-defying leap he took off of the Hell in a Cell structure at WrestleMania. Vince continues, saying that he expected one of them to stab the other in the back and that is what he wants, saying that he wants “competition”. The Chairman then says that Shane and Stephanie need to “convince” him that they are worthy of running SmackDown Live.

Stephanie is the first to plead her case to her father, taking credit for launching the WWE Network and the increase in revenue. Stephanie then decides that she’s going to “take off the gloves” before bringing up Mick Foley’s podcast interview with Shane where Shane said that he left WWE because Vince didn’t pat him on the back enough. Stephanie then says that Shane also stated that he knows more about WWE than Vince does and the “old guard” always has a hard time accepting the “new guard” before accusing Shane of being “maniacal” and calling Shane a “wolf in sheep’s clothing”! Then it was Shane’s turn to convince their father that he should run SmackDown, saying that he returned to WWE five months ago in Detroit and the fans welcomed him back with a huge ovation. Shane then says that the fans welcomed him back because he represented “change” and it’s change that he would bring to SmackDown Live, saying that he will completely change everything about SmackDown and break down all the “glass ceilings” that Vince and Stephanie have put up that were “choking the life” out of the business. Shane continues, saying that he is the only person on the face of the planet who tells Vince exactly what is on his mind in a very “respectful way” without kissing Vince’s ass!

Shane then says that “change” is desperately needed in WWE and, if Vince still has the “grapefruits”, then he should pick him to run SmackDown and allow him to change how things are done in WWE. Shane then polls the fans on who they want to see run SmackDown with the fans overwhelmingly supportive of Shane. Vince responds by saying that he doesn’t care what the fans think, saying that’s not the way to run a business. The Chairman then mulls the decision over before asking for a drumroll and making the official announcement that Shane McMahon will be running things on Tuesday nights as the Commissioner of SmackDown Live! This causes Shane to celebrate in the ring as Stephanie looks on in shock with the fans making their approval of the decision known.

However, Vince cuts the celebration short to inform Shane that, by taking on the job as SmackDown Commissioner, he will no longer have any control over RAW. This leads to the Chairman announcing that the Commissioner of WWE’s flagship show, RAW, will be Stephanie McMahon! Stephanie then has her own celebration in the ring as the fans roar their disapproval. Vince also cuts Stephanie’s celebration short to talk to both of them, saying that he wants the two of them to “compete” for real as he wants to see them compete for ratings, social media, and all aspects of the respective brands. Vince then says that he wants them to compete and they may one day get the “keys to the kingdom”, saying that he doesn’t care if they even “break the law” as long as they don’t get caught. Vince continues, asking which one of them is going to prove to him that they deserve to have the “keys to the kingdom”.

Vince then says that they both need someone to run the “day-to-day operations” of RAW and SmackDown, respectively, saying that they both need a General Manager because they can’t compete on this level without one. Vince then gives his two children the responsibility of naming their own General Manager on next week’s RAW, saying that if they don’t name one themselves, he will choose one for them! Vince then states that, in the end, he always gets what he wants before declaring with glee, “let the games begin”!

The Chairman then shakes the hands of the new SmackDown Commissioner and the new RAW Commissioner before leaving the ring. This leaves the competing siblings to go face-to-face in the ring as Stephanie tells Shane that, all her life, she’s had to work “twice as hard for half the recognition”, saying that Shane has made her feel like “nothing”. Stephanie then vows that she is going to “bury” Shane, she is going to “bury” SmackDown, and she is going to make Shane wish that he was “never even born”! Shane responds by saying that she says that with a lot of “conviction” and a lot of “venom” and, when he sees that, he knows that she is “hiding something”.

Shane then says that Stephanie is “scared” and, in the end, it’s going to be Stephanie who will be looking up at him just like she always has before Shane declares that it’s “game on”! Stephanie then says that there is only “one game” in this business and she’s married to him before slapping her brother across the face! The RAW Commissioner then exits the ring, leaving the SmackDown Commissioner alone in the ring as Stephanie blows a kiss to her brother before walking to the back as Shane thanks the fans in Detroit, greeting the fans at ringside and signing autographs as a monumental week awaits the McMahon children next week.

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