Today is Independence Day, which means that Monday Night Raw will have some of its lowest vieweship of the year today. With the United States Championship appropriately being defended, will this episode of Raw be more of a Smackdown episode, or will WWE create an episode that fans should come back to watch?
Opening Segment
Before Raw starts, we see a food fight from earlier today. The roster was having an Independence Day barbecue, and after Breezango started throwing food at The Miz and Aiden English. Everybody joins in, and it eventually ends with Heath Slater getting chokeslammed through a table by both Kane and Big Show.
As expected, the show then kicks off with the national anthem, sung by ring announcer Lillian Garcia.
Rusev (c) (w/Lana) vs. Titus O’Neil – United States Championship
Titus O’Neil, who finally earned this match by defeating Rusev in a non-title match, gets his second opportunity in just a couple of weeks to win the United States Championship. The last time O’Neil challenged Rusev for the title was at the Money in the Bank Pay-Per-View, and Rusev soundly retained the gold. Rusev would then go on to mock O’Neil’s family, and “The Real Deal” has been on a rampage ever since. With today being Independence Day, either the United States Championship goes to an American Superstar, or Rusev gets more well-deserved heel heat.
Rusev uses the referee’s positioning to his advantage, and hits O’Neil with a nasty kick to the head. He then locks in the Accolade to make O’Neil submit, and to retain the United States Championship. Winner, and STILL United States Champion: Rusev
Enzo Amore & Big Cass vs. The Social Outcasts
The Social Outcasts come down to the ring dressed as Revolutionary War minutemen, and they are interrupted by Enzo Amore and Big Cass before they even get a chance to say anything. Because of the food fight, Heath Slater is the Social Outcast who is at ringside.
After sending Curtis Axel out of the ring, The Realest Guys hit Boom Shakalaka on Bo Dallas to put the minutemen Social Outcasts away. Winners: Enzo Amore & Big Cass
In-ring Segment
The WWE Women’s Champion, Charlotte, is in the ring with her “protege,” Dana Brooke. Charlotte starts Charlotte jealous of her, and the champion is interrupted by The Boss. Banks dominates Charlotte on the mic, then ends the segment with hitting Charlotte with the Bank Statement. In five minutes, Banks just showed everybody why she is The Boss.
The Miz (w/Maryse) vs. Dean Ambrose
Michael Cole called this Champion vs. Champion match a rare occurrence, proving that he doesn’t watch Smackdown.
Ambrose hits Dirty Deeds to put away the Intercontinental Champion, ending the repeat of last Thursday’s match. Winner: Dean Ambrose
Immediately after the match, Seth Rollins starts making his way to the ring. Ambrose looks like he is going to attack Rollins, but he instead joins the Spanish commentary team.
Seth Rollins vs. Dolph Ziggler
Before the match starts, WWE announces that Brock Lesnar’s SummerSlam opponent will be announced this Thursday on Smackdown.
Dolph Ziggler requested this match for the sole purpose that it may never happen after the draft.
The Show-off gave his best effort, but he could not put away the two-time WWE World Heavyweight Champion. Ziggler attempts the Zig Zag, which is countered by Rollins. Rollins takes advantage to hit the pedigree and pick up the victory. Winner: Seth Rollins
After the match, Rollins gets on the announce table and says how he will be the next WWE World Heavyweight Champion, and that Roman Reigns, or anyone else, will tarnish his legacy. Ambrose had enough of Rollins’s promo, so they start brawling. The ringside fight ends with Dirty Deeds to Seth Rollins on the Spanish announce table.
Video Package
The Wyatt Family are in some creepy location, and Bray Wyatt goes on about how the Power of Positivity is a joke. Wyatt sends an open invitation for the New Day to join his world.
Weekly Smackdown General Manager Lobby
On this week’s version of “Who wants to be the General Manager now?,” our contestant is former General Manager of Raw and Smackdown, Vickie Guerrero. She cuts a shriek-filled promo that ends with security escorting her out.
The Vaudevillains vs. Golden Truth
Earlier today at the barbecue, R-Truth and his bizarre partner were singing karaoke to celebrate Independence Day. The Vaudevillains wanted to show the real way to celebrate the United States’s 240th birthday, so Aiden English sung the Declaration of Independence.
Golden Truth makes quick work of The Vaudevillains, picking up a very short victory. Winners: Golden Truth
In-ring Segment
John Cena makes his weekly trip to the ring to address the Club for yet another time. Since Cena is in the fighting spirit, he calls out the entirety of the Club. Styles says that the Club wants to take over WWE, but in order to do so, they have to take out the 15-time champion. The Club starts to beat up John Cena, and they are interrupted by Enzo Amore and Big Cass. The Champ and The Realest Guys in the Room send the Club out of the ring and retreating to the back.
Becky Lynch vs. Summer Rae
The last time Becky Lynch and Summer Rae were scheduled to have a match, Lynch blew off the match to attack Natalya at ringside. The attack stemmed from when Natalya turned on Lynch after they lost a tag team match at Money in the Bank. Because of the animosity between two of the best female Superstars, they will face each other at Battleground.
Summer Rae continues her disappointing in-ring career when she taps out to the Disarm-her. Winner (via submission): Becky Lynch
In-ring Segment
The New Day accepts Bray Wyatt’s invitation to the Wyatt Family compound. Big E and Kofi Kingston make jokes about the situation, but Xavier Woods says that if the New Day doesn’t get their act together, they will not survive.
WWE announces that John Cena and The Realest Guys in the Room will take on The Club at Battleground.
Cesaro, Kalisto, Sin Cara, Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho, Kevin Owens, Sami Zayn, & Sheamus vs. Big Show, Kane, Apollo Crews, Zack Ryder, Mark Henry, Jack Swagger, & The Dudley Boyz – Elimination Tag Match
Since it’s Independence Day, it only makes sense (I guess) to have Team USA facing Team World.
The Dudley Boyz start by hitting Sin Cara with 3-D to eliminate Sin Cara, then Kalisto blindsides Bubba Ray Dudley to even things up. Eliminated: Sin Cara & Bubba Ray Dudley
Cesaro locks in the Sharpshooter on D-Von Dudley to gain the advantage over Team USA. Eliminated: D-Von Dudley
Jericho counters the Swagger Bomb and hits the Codebreaker to eliminate the Real American. Eliminated: Jack Swagger
Mark Henry hits Kalisto with the World’s Strongest Slam to eliminate him, then Henry gets eliminated by a Pop-up Powerbomb. Eliminated: Kalisto & Mark Henry
Kevin Owens eliminated hinself by hitting Sami Zayn and Kane with a steel chair. Kane hits Owens with a steel chair, eliminating himself. Apollo Crews takes advantage to eliminate Zayn, and Sheamus hits a Brogue Kick on Crews to eliminate him and end a crazy sequence. Eliminated: Kevin Owens, Kane, Sami Zayn, & Apollo Crews
After Cesaro hits his own team with uppercuts, Ryder counters the Neutralizer to roll up Cesaro. Eliminated: Cesaro
Big Show hits a WMD on Jericho and a chokeslam on Del Rio to make this a 2-1 match. Eliminated: Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio
To end the match and pick up the victory for Team USA, Zack Ryder hits Sheamus with the Rough Ryder. Winners: Team USA
