WWE Raw results: No rest for Daniel Bryan as Wrestlemania fallout sees The Shield take on The Authority
Bryan looked set to lose his newly won WWE World Heavyweight Championship to Triple H after a day only for The Shield to come to his rescue
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Your support makes all the difference.After an unbelievable night in New Orleans at Wrestlemania, Monday Night Raw kicked off by celebrating the new WWE World Heavyweight Champion, Daniel Bryan.
Bryan emerged victorious after a brutal night at Wrestlemania 30, which saw him overcome Triple H first, before taking on Batista and Randy Orton to capture the belt. Not so much a B+ player now.
A promo video celebrated the rise of the new champion, before he appeared to kick off Raw to rejoice in his massive achievement. Chants of ‘Daniel Bryan’ and ‘Yes!’ dominated the arena before the superstar could even speak.
He paid tribute to the power of the WWE Universe, but was eventually and inevitably interrupted by The Authority. Triple H came out in a particularly aggressive mood, announcing that Bryan would defend his belts on Raw, against him. The Authority then appeared backstage with Batista and Orton discussing the title situation, before the Wyatt Family reared their heads.
He’s got the whole world in his hands
Bray Wyatt lost to John Cena at Wrestlemania and was given the chance to get some redemption, as he competed in a 6-man tag match with Luke Harper and Erick Rowan, against the team of Cena, Big E Langston and Sheamus. It begun in a ruthless fashion, with the match ascending into a mass brawl before it had even officially begun.
The audience made it clear they were behind the Wyatt Family, cheering their every move while booing anything their opponents did (apart from when Langston showed his brute strength with a huge trio of backbreakers on Rowan).
It was a great match, and an exciting way to kick off the show, eventually being won by Bray Wyatt delivering a Sister Abigail to Big E. The WWE Universe is definitely following the buzzards.
This match was followed up with a mixed tag match that saw the team of Santino and Emma against Summer Rae and Fandango. It didn’t last particularly long, with Emma securing the Emma-lock to grab the win.
Swiftly moving on, Raw was then treated to the appearance of Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, a night after the Beast Incarnate shocked everyone watching, ending The Undertaker’s streak.
Heyman, brilliant at getting a reaction and delivering epic speeches, aggravated the audience by outlining how amazing Lesnar’s achievement was, while at the same time stating that they ‘told them so’. He then revealed how brutal of an assault Lesnar delivered to the Undertaker, discussing the factual information that he was treated for severe concussion as a result of that battle.
He continued to champion ‘his clients’ success as “the one in 21-1” before leaving the ring, clearing the way for next match of the evening that saw the Usos bizarrely defend their tag-team titles against a mismatch team of Randy Orton and Batista.
Orton and Batista dominated, surprisingly as a team, but due to both teams being counted out, the Usos retained their belts. This led to the pair launching an assault against the Usos before standing in-ring, arms raised.
After this bout, Damien Sandow was in action and his opponent would be Rob Van Dam, who came back to Raw after a few months absence. The high-flying superstar made sure he impressed upon his return, and the crowd chanted ‘you still got it’ before he seized victory with a Five-Star Frog Splash. This was followed another return, with Bad News Barrett finally returning to action to face Rey Mysterio.
The English superstar has been delivering ‘Bad News’ for the past few months via a grand podium, but let his fighting do the talking instead on Raw, beating Mysterio with a huge Bull-Hammer elbow.
The matches continued to flow, and Alexander Rusev would finally make his debut after weeks of promos and appearances, taking on Zack Ryder. Needless to say, it didn’t take long before the Bulgarian Nightmare grabbed the victory, making Ryder tap-out with ‘the Accolade’.
Raw continued to roll on with the returns, and after nearly 20 years, 2014 Hall of Famer, The Ultimate Warrior made his return to the WWE. He made sure he reminded the WWE Universe of his larger-than-life wrestling persona, snarling and wearing an Ultimate Warrior mask before leaving.
AJ Lee was the next to make an appearance on Raw, and after retaining her belt at Wrestlemania in the Vickie Guerrero Invitational. She spoke of how she is the ‘Best Diva in the World’ before being interrupted by NXT Divas champion Paige. AJ Lee challenged her to a match, putting her belt on the line in the process. This proved to be a huge mistake, as the 21-year old from Norwich ended AJ Lee’s massive 294-day reign as Divas champion to capture the belt.
Hulk Hogan then appeared, and even managed to remember his lines as he presented Cesaro with the Andre the Giant Battle Royal Memorial trophy. Cesaro came out with manager Zeb Colter, but announced that he was no longer a ‘Zeb Colter guy’, instead revealing that he would now be represented by Paul Heyman.
Jack Swagger then appeared, pushing Cesaro out of the ring and destroying the trophy in the process. The Real Americans are certainly no more, and the two squared off, with Cesaro beating Swagger via count-out.
The Yes! Title movement
Raw would finish with a huge main event, after Triple H announced earlier in the evening that new WWE World Heavyweight Champion Daniel Bryan would have to defend his belts against him.
Stephanie McMahon was seen backstage before the match, as she tried to convince Kane and The Shield to settle their differences in order to ensure that Bryan did not retain his belts, a move that would see her husband become a 14-time champion.
Before the match could start, Orton and Batista appeared, launching an attack against the champion. Bryan was hit with an RKO and a Batista bomb, before Kane appeared to join the assault, delivering a chokeslam to the helpless Bryan.
Triple H then appeared, and it seemed he would grab the titles in ease with the champion lying defenceless in the middle of the ring. But the appearance of The Shield caused in-ring chaos, and saw Roman Reigns deliver a spear to the COO, before Rollins and Ambrose attacked Orton and Batista.
Bryan rose and hit Triple H with a running knee to conclude the night’s action by retaining his sought after crown.
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