If you’d like to know what happened on tonight’s WWE Raw but don’t want to read star ratings and wordy paragraphs to decipher it, With Leather is here for you. Here’s what happened on the August 19, 2013, episode of WWE Raw:
– The show began with John Cena announcing he’d be taking 4-6 weeks off for triceps surgery, then bringing out Daniel Bryan. Before Bryan could speak, Stephanie McMahon interrupted him, telling him that what Triple H did at SummerSlam was “good for business.” They argued until Bryan knocked a microphone out of Stephanie’s hand and she had security escort him from the building.
1. Cody Rhodes defeated Damien Sandow. Rhodes countered a charge into the corner into a roll-up for a pin. Cody was being touted as the number one contender to the World Heavyweight Championship after beating Mr. Money In The Bank twice in a row.
2. The Funkadactyls defeated Divas Champion AJ Lee and Layla. The Funkadactyls won when Naomi pinned Layla with a roll-up.
3. The Shield defeated Dolph Ziggler. This was a 3-on-1 handicap match to punish Ziggler for anti-Triple H comments made earlier in the day. Ziggler fought valiantly, but was pinned when Roman Reigns countered a leaping corner splash into a spear. After the match, The Shield triple powerbombed Ziggler.
4. Alberto Del Rio defeated Sin Cara. Sin Cara hurt himself IMMEDIATELY on a dive to the outside, injuring his wrist (or possibly a finger) and causing the referee to stop the match. Afterwards, Ricardo Rodriguez interrupted Del Rio’s victory speech to announce that he represents a new wrestler: Rob Van Dam. Van Dam cleared the ring and sent Del Rio packing.
5. The Prime Time Players defeated The Real Americans. Darren Young pinned Antonio Cesaro after a fireman’s carry into a gutbuster.
6. The Shield defeated Big Show. Same story as the Ziggler match. Show had the match under control, but the Shield triple powerbombed him and won the match.
– Earlier in the show, Paul Heyman came to the ring and said that he forgave CM Punk and wanted to manage him again. Punk responded later on in the night with a furious refusal and challenged Heyman to a fight. Curtis Axel fought on behalf of Heyman. Punk and Axel fought in an impromptu hardcore match, ending with Punk giving Axel the GTS onto the ringside steps and staring down Heyman.
7. Bray Wyatt defeated R-Truth. Wyatt squashed Truth, pinning him after Sister Abigail.
– Primo and Epico are being repackaged as matadors. So, get ready for that.
8. The Usos defeated 3MB.
9. The Miz defeated Wade Barrett. Miz had Barrett locked in a figure-four, but Fandango interfered, leg-dropping Miz from the top rope to draw a disqualification.
– The show ended with Randy Orton’s championship coronation. Triple H invited Daniel Bryan out to the ring to address the situation, but had The Shield jump him before he could get into the ring. Before they could triple powerbomb him, Triple H called them off and once again invited Bryan into the ring. When Bryan was almost in, Orton RKO’d him. Vince, Stephanie, Triple H and Orton posed over Daniel Bryan’s body.
