MONDAY NIGHT RAW - LIVE! from Seattle, Washington - 8/1/16***~SECOND COMING~***Monday Night RAW! kicks off with
Seth Rollins, who is still feeling the burn and humilation of defeat at Battleground. The majority of the fans still reject him, but a few silence themselves in anticipation for their favorite superstar. Seth addresses the situation with the
World Heavyweight Championship and his climb towards the title, and while it was a given for him to be in this tournament, his oppenents are nothing but jokes. He taunts the giants of the tournament like the
Big Show and Mark Henry, and denounces
Roman Reigns, much to the crowds delight. As he continues on the list of tournament entrants, an explosion of pyro hits the stage.
***~BREAK THE WALLS DOWN~***Chris Jericho! The former Undisputed Champion, and Rollins' oppenent tonight, struts down to the ring with a microphone in hand, and the fans embrace him much more then Rollins. Jericho pulls his classic trademarks, going into a full blown verbal assault on Rollins' return. Rollins retorts, mentioning Randy Orton's surprise attack on Jericho, but Jericho is quick to admit he'd rather take an RKO then let down the entire RAW brand. Rollins feels the sting of that comment, and the two trade barbs back and fourth, only for Jericho to get the final word in.
CHRIS JERICHO: "Take your tools and map out your schematics, architect, because tonight, the Walls of Jericho will overshadow you and your ambitions for the world championship."RAW's opening between it's main event stars starts us off hot as some tag team action is up next.
RATING: 89%*****
The Social Outcasts defeat the Lucha Dragons in 4:32 via pinfall (RATING: 71%)
-VS- 
While Kalisto and Sin Cara's quick offense caught Bo Dallas off guard in the early going, a well placed cheap shot and a Perfect Plex by Curtis Axel put Sin Cara away, leaving the social media abolitionist in an ecstatic mood.
*****
Backstage
The
United States Champion Rusev stands silent next to his manager
Lana, who hypes up the dominant reign of Rusev. She claims she's tried her best to find out who Rusev's oppenent for tonight is, and that while she has failed, it doesn't matter, because Rusev will
destroy them in just a matter of moments. The champion snorts out a breath of rage filled air before walking off with the title around his waist.
RATING: 80%Elsewhere Backstage
An annoyed
Stephanie McMahon is backstage going over a folder of paperwork regarding this week's show. To add to her misfortune,
Mick Foley leers his head over Stephanie's shoulder to get a peak at the papers, but a quick clap by Stephanie and he's faced eye to eye with her. Foley adds that since the WWE Championship is over on Smackdown, that RAW has the opportunity to start fresh. Stephanie hates that her brother's show has the biggest prize in the game, and that not only is it Mick's fault, but also
Roman Reigns and Seth Rollins' fault. Foley retorts, defending the two former Shield brothers and their efforts, and that they won in the end thanks to unfinished business between Reigns and Rollins, and that the two of them will provide RAW with all the fire power they need. Stephanie becomes quiet and walks away in frustration, as Foley is left to gawk at the screen.
RATING: 82%Ringside***~ROAR OF THE LION~***The massive United States Champion Rusev enters the ring with an intense look and a lack of care for the crowd as Lana follows behind. Rusev undoes the championship belt from his waist and tosses it to the referee in a carefree fashion, stretching himself out and getting ready for some action.
Mike Rome: "The following contest is scheduled for ONE FALL... and it is an open challenge match for the United States Championship! Introducing first in the ring, weighing in at 304 pound, from Bulgaria... RRRRRUUUUUSEEEEEEV!"The WWE Universe in chrous boo the champion, but that quickly changes as his challenger is set to arrive.
Mike Rome: "And his oppenent... please welcome back......
......
............
****
***********~BREAK ORBIT~***NEVILLE! The man gravity forgot hasn't been seen in months! He rushes out of the curtain with lightning quick speed and bolts down the ramp with a new bit of stubble and an attitude to win! He slips into the ring,
BUT RUSEV LOOKS FOR THE CLOTHESLINE! NEVILLE DUCKS THE LINE! CALF KICK FROM THE CHALLENGER!United States Championship Match
Rusev (C) vs. Neville
-VS-
The action starts hot and fast with Neville lighting Rusev up with kicks and arm drags, ending his offensive chain with a dropkick that sends the champ out of the ring.
Big suicide dive to Rusev! Rusev gets rolled in the ring and Neville is looking for a big move off the top rope, but the Bulgarian Brute is resourceful enough to hit the top rope to knock Neville groin first on the top turnbuckle. The big man's on the middle rope now looking for a fallaway slam, but Neville reverses it into a sunset powerbomb! The match would slow down a bit, with Neville putting on a new, more aggressive attitude. His wrestling is more of a focus in this one, his kicks are more on point, and his desire for gold is mighty. The two went back and fourth with hard hitting action, until a hurricanrana attempt by Neville is caught! Powerbomb by Rusev! Neville is hurt, but ultimately, there's nothing he can do but tap as Rusev lockes in
The Accolade! The returning cruiserweight is forced to tap, and Rusev lets go of the hold with an irritated look. RAW rolls on with a fading shot of the US Champion looking down at Neville, who's return to RAW is off to a rough start.
Winner & Still Champion: Rusev (RATING: 74%)Backstage
Renee Young brings to us an interview with the exciting
Finn Balor. The former NXT Champion looks cool and collected as he speaks on his match against Mark Henry next week for the World Heavyweight Championship tournament. Balor laments he's here because of his debut win over Roman Reigns, but that he knows Reigns is gunning for him on the way to the title. Finn says he's no man's map towards gold, and that when the two of them meet one on one, everyone will see Balor on top again.
RATING: 70%World Heavyweight Championship Tournament MatchSami Zayn vs. Cesaro
-VS-
One of the most iconic matches in NXT history collided tonight. Both men went into this one considered underrated, but the match they put on was pay-per-view quality. Cesaro looked dominant for the first half, but an early attempt at a giant swing helped Sami turn things around with a roll up attempt into a quick DDT. During the match, both men were up top for a superplex, but Cesaro's quick thinking allowed him to uppercut Sami off the top rope, and follow it up with a big diving european uppercut! Close, but no cigar. Final moments of the match now as Sami Zayn has Cesaro against the turnbuckle. Sami looks for the
Helluva Kick! But Cesaro ducks it and back body drops Sami feet first on the apron! The underdog from the underground tries to stop Cesaro from standing next to him on the apron, but another uppercut leads Cesaro to the closing moments. He lifts Sami up for a suplex,
and connects back first onto the floor! Neither man can answer the referee's ten count... meaning this is a draw! Cesaro is outraged as he was just a second too late to roll back into the ring! Sami is still feeling the effects, and looks aggravated. The two men glare at one another, leaving a somber still as we go to the commercial break.
Winner: DRAW (RATING: 67%)Backstage
The main event is slowly approaching, and backstage,
Chris Jericho is seen adjusting his wrist tape. A shadow approaches his feet, and when he looks up, he sees both
Sami Zayn & Cesaro locking eyes with him. Jericho jokes about their draw, but Cesaro has none of it, suprisingly pushing past Sami and staring daggers through Jericho's heart. Sami isn't letting him get away with that kind of disrespect, and pushes Cesaro. The two lock eyes again and look like their about to start swinging, but Jericho scoffs, stands up, and tells the two of them to watch a real world champion show them how it's done. He exits towards the stage. Cesaro is frustrated and kicks over the chair Jericho had been sitting on, leaving Sami to watch him walk away with a irritated, but worried, look.
World Heavyweight Championship Tournament MatchSeth Rollins vs. Chris Jericho-VS-
As the bell rings, Rollins' looks like he's on a mission, the two lock up and the struggle for control is clear as the fired up Seattle crowd are behind Jericho. Rollins' pushes Jericho into the turnbuckle and pie faces him, but a slap to Rollins' knocks him back into a serious mood as Jericho chain wrestles him to the ground. A nice chin lock keeps the former Shield member down, but a quick headbutt helps Rollins' gain control of the match. He goes on the offensive with a few forearms before putting Jericho into a headlock, leading to a classic drop and leapfrog over Rollins. Rollins' comes back and looks for a kick to the gut, but it's caught!
BIG CHOP TO ROLLINS! WOO! Jericho fires off three more before hitting a clothesline that takes Rollins' out of the ring.
JERICHO: "C'MON BAY-BAY!"The spotlight is a familar feel for Jericho, but he takes too much time and eats a kick to the gut, followed by the
Falcon Arrow! This match is nearing it's end minutes later as we see a beaten down Rollins trying to suplex Jericho off of the top rope, but the first ever Undisputed Champion slips out of it! He has Rollins' in a powerbomb position! Rollins tries rolling backwards for a hurricanrana,
but Jericho turns him into the Walls of Jericho! Wait! Rollins' rolls out of it! Jericho flops to the side as Rollins' is up!
CODEBREAKER... IT'S CAUGHT BY ROLLINS! BUCKLE BOMB AND A CURB STOMP LEADS ROLLINS TO ADVANCE IN THE WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP TOURNAMENT!Winner: Seth Rollins (RATING: 75%)A dazed and confused Jericho rolls out of the ring in shame as Rollins' obnoxious laugh echoes throughout the arena. The crowd isn't pleased one bit as a wave of boos wash over Rollins. He doesn't care and gladly takes the time to remind the WWE Universe at home just who they've been missing out on. With that, RAW comes to a close for this week.
SHOW RATING: 78%
