A SURPRISING RETURN, LESNAR QUITS, CENA PROMISES TO KICK SOME ASS, GOOD TAG, PUNK VS. THE ODDS AND MORE: COMPLETE RAW REPORT

By Mike Johnson on 2012-05-07 23:05:00

Following the angle where Brock Lesnar “broke” Triple H’s arm and John Laurinaitis attacked John Cena, we’ll see how WWE handles the next chapter in the road to Over the Limit 2012. Here we go!

Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio vs. Randy Orton & World champion Sheamus

Oh, please give this time. This could be a kickass bout.

Del Rio and Orton locked up. Orton shoulderblocked him down for a one count. Orton whipped Del Rio into the corner but Alberto went up and over. Orton still nailed him for another near fall. Del Rio kicked up and contolled Orton, then tagged out to Jericho. Jericho worked him over but Orton made a comeback.

Orton worked over Jericho’s arm and tagged in Sheamus. Sheamus hammered away with shots to different parts of the body. He shoulderblocked Jericho down. Jericho chopped him and whipped him into the corner. Jericho tried to kick him off but was sent up and over to the apron. Sheamus peppered his chest with hard shots. He went to nail Jericho, who ducked, but got Del Rio instead. Jericho attacked him from behind and sent Sheamus into the ringpost.

Sheamus went to the floor, where Del Rio sent him into the post as well. Sheamus was struggling to recover as they went to commercial.

When we returned to the ring, Jericho held Sheamus down, working over his shoulder to force a submission. Sheamus fought back and nailed a series of back elbows in the corner. He escaped Jericho but was hurt and unable to make the immediate tag. He finally made a hot tag. Orton cleaned house on Del Rio with a powerslam. He set up for the hanging DDT and nailed it.

Ricardo got up on the apron and distracted Orton, allowing Del Rio to nail a kick to the head for a two count. Jericho tagged in and continued working over Orton, scoring several two counts. Jericho cinched in a side chinlock on Orton, who struggled to find a way out. Orton fought his way out but was cut off. Jericho mocked him and Sheamus.

Alberto tagged in and continued working on Orton’s arm with a keylock. He drove Orton’s shoulder down into the mat to weaken it for the rolling cross armbreaker. He went for it but Orton slipped out and nailed the backbreaker. Sheamus tagged in and nailed Del Rio, then hit a running high knee on Jericho. He went for the the High Cross but Jericho slipped out. He nailed the Irish Curse but Del Rio nailed a dropkick to break it up. Orton nailed Del Rio with an RKO.

Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick on Jericho, who moved and Orton was nailed. A shocked Sheamus was hit with the Codebreaker and pin.

Your winners, Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio!

Jericho made a big deal out of pinning the World champion. Sheamus helped up a woozy Orton, who told him he was OK, then nailed the champion with the RKO. The announcers noted that while Sheamus hit him by accident, Orton didn’t feel that way. Lawler said that its easy to forget that just because they team up, that doesn’t make them friends.

Good tag match. From an athletic and entertainment standpoint, this was far and away the best thing on the broadcast at this point, plus it opened the doors to a number of new rivalries.

Backstage, John Laurinaitis told Eve Torres that he felt Big Show’s apology was insincere. She agreed and went to go speak to him. Jericho showed up and demanded the next World title shot since he defeated Sheamus. Alberto didn’t like that and got in Jericho’s face. Orton showed up and Jericho told him to get lost. He slugged Jericho. They double teamed him. Sheamus returned and all four brawled. In the end, Orton and Sheamus were left standing. Orton demanded to know what the hell happened. Sheamus told him he told Orton it was an accident. Orton said there were no accidents in the ring and challenged him for the belt. They were pulled apart. Sheamus was left with Ace who told Sheamus he was going to defend in a Four Way at the PPV.

http://pwinsider.com/article/68240/brodus-clay-vs-miz-live-ongoing-raw-report.html

411’s WWE RAW Report 05.07.12

Posted by Tony Acero on 05.07.2012

Match 4: Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho vs. Sheamus and Randy Orton
Del Rio and Orton to start. Lockup and Orton gets a side headlock. Orton hits the ropes and hits a shoulderblock then gets kicked by Del Rio. Del Rio with a whip, reversed by Orton. Del Rio tries for an hip toss, but Orton reverses with a clothesline and a pin for 1…2..NO! Del Rio gets a pin to Jericho, and Jericho fires away with some rights until the reg breaks it. Orton hits some kicks out of the corner then gets whipped into the opposite corner, and comes back with a clothesline. Orton scrapes the face with his shin. Orton works the arm then tags in Sheamus, who comes in with some hard blows to the back of Jericho, dropping him to the mat. He lays in on him with some knees then tosses him to the ropes and hits a back elbow. Jericho is able to get the upperhand in the corner with a chop but it’s shortlived as Sheamus sends him to the corner. Jericho tries for a hurricanrana but Sheamus just kicks him in the chest then tosses him on the apron and lays in on his chest. He pulls him back in and hits a clothesline, but Jericho ducks and Sheamus hits Del RIo instead. Jericho sends Sheamus to the corner once, then again, sending Sheamus’s shoulder to the corner post. Sheamus tumbles to the outside and Del Rio attacks the shoulder as we go to break.

We are BACK, and Jericho is really working the shoulder of Sheamus. Sheamus stands and Jeriucho hits a knee and locks in a hammer lock. Sheamus backs him up in the corner and hits some back elbows then a clothesline. Tag to Orton, tag to Del Rio. Orton with a clothesline, then a powerslam! He sends Del Rio to the outside and hits the rope-assisted DDT. Orton is calling for the RKO. Jericho sneaks in and Orton hits a powerslam. Rodriguez distracts and Del Rio hits an enziguri and a pin for 1…2…NO! Del RIo with some rights to Orton. Tag to Jericho and Jericho hits some stomps. He distracts the ref, and Del Rio hangs his arm up on the rope. Orton with a right to Jericho, one to Del Rio, sending him to the ground. Dropkick from Orton to Jericho! Jericho fires back with a dropkick of his own and a pin for 1…2…NO! Jericho mocks Sheamus before going back to Orton. Back suplex from Jericho, calls himself the Best in the World, and drops a fist to the forehead of Orton. Cravat from behind, locking the right arm with his leg. Orton fights out, turns into the submission,, hits a couple of rights, but Jericho hits a knee and tries to suplex, only for Orton to roll him up for 1…2..NO! Jericho is up with an Enziguri! He talks some mess to Sheamus then grabs Orton and pulls him towards his corner. Tag to Del Rio who pins for a 2 count then wristlocks the left arm before dropping it on his knees! He’s looking for the arm breaker! He screams Destiny, goes for the arm bar, but Orton reverses and hits the backbreaker.

Del Rio is crawling towards Jericho, Orton tags in Sheamus. Tag to Jericho. Sheamus with a couple of axe handles, then he hits a high knee in the corner. Sheamus calls for the Celtic Cross. He sets Jericho up, but Jericho drops down and tries for the Walls. Sheamus twists and gets out. Irish Curse backbreaker and a pin for 1…2…NO! Del Rio is in to break it up. Orton is in, RKO to Del Rio! Sheamus goes for the Borgue Kick, but Jericho ducks and Sheamus hits Orton! Sheamus turns right into the Codebreaker and a pin for 1…2…NO!
Winners: Alberto Del Rio and Chris Jericho (***)
Nice finishing sequence, and a nice match all around. The commercial broke the stride a bit, but it was a good finish that seems to be leading to something.

After the match, Jericho grabs the World Heavyweight Champion and screams that this is his. Interesting…

Sheamus looks concerned and helps Orton up. Orton looks to try and get up himself, then hits an RKO from out of nowhere. Good ol Orton…

Ace in the back, and he thinks Show’s apology was insincere. Jericho is here telling Johnny that he pinned Sheamus and deserves a title shot. Here’s Del Rio who wants a title shot of his own. Finally, Orton comes in wanting the same. Orton atacks Del Rio then out of nowhere, Sheamus comes flying in and attacks Jericho. Sheamus and Orton send Del Rio and Jericho running then start jib jabbin with each other. Sheamus tells Orton “anytime ya want, fella!” Ace makes the inevitable match; a Fatal Four Way for the World Heavyweight Title at Over the Limit.

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/tv_reports/237234

411’s Instant Analysis 05.07.12: WWE Monday Night Raw

Posted by Chad Nevett on 05.07.2012

SEGMENT SIX: Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Alberto Del Rio & Chris Jericho
Match Result: Chris Jericho pinned Sheamus
Match Length: A little over 13 and a half minutes

There’s something so compelling about that part of a tag match where the face is beaten down and the heels keep preventing him from making the tag to his fresh partner. Chris Jericho livened this one up quite a bit with his posturing and taunting of Sheamus. It makes me want to see Jericho do more tag team wrestling again, perhaps with a partner more complementary than the Big Show. He and Del Rio functioned well as a team – they both shout out their catchphrases before doing moves, for example. I expected this match to end in a similar way to Orton’s teaming with the Big Show on Friday against Kane and Cody Rhodes, but Sheamus hitting Orton with the Brogue Kick accidentally and eating a Codebreaker was a nice twist. This was just an entertaining and engrossing match where everything worked well. The post-match RKO was obvious and, yet, satisfying.

Backstage, the brawl in John Laurinaitis’s office led to altering the World Heavyweight Championship match to a Fatal Fourway involving all four of the men from the tag match. A logical extension of the match and a potentially great match. Also, how awesome is it that Daniel Bryan and Chris Jericho basically traded places post-Extreme Rules?

Rating: 8.5 out of 10

http://www.411mania.com/wrestling/columns/237240

WWE Raw Deal May 7: Good Guys Learn Don’t Cross the Boss

By John Canton (Featured Columnist) on May 8, 2012

Tag match is next at the top of hour two: Orton & Sheamus vs. Jericho & Del Rio.

(Commercial)

They plugged Santino’s Foreign Exchange show on WWE’s YouTube channel. It’s usually pretty funny from what I’ve seen.

In the ring, Ricardo Rodriguez gave a big introduction for Alberto Del Rio, who came out in a 2012 Ferrari worth $377,000 according to Cole. They mentioned that it would be Sheamus vs. Del Rio for the World Title at Over the Limit. I don’t think anybody believes Del Rio will win, nor should they.

Del Rio got moved to SmackDown. No legitimate reason was given for it, but I think it was a numbers thing in that SmackDown needed more top of the line heels. I would have preferred Ziggler in the spot personally. Chris Jericho made his entrance. Big pop for Randy Orton. The World Champ, Sheamus came out last to a good ovation as well.

Sheamus & Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho & Alberto Del Rio w/Ricardo Rodriguez

There are no current feuds for Orton and Jericho so perhaps that could get started here. The faces had control early. Sheamus destroyed Jericho with ten punches while he was between the ropes. That’s a good spot that generates a good reaction. Jericho avoided a powerslam by shoving Sheamus into the ring post. Del Rio kicked Sheamus in the injured left arm while he was out on the floor. The left shoulder of Sheamus is still bandaged to sell his recent beatings at the hands of Daniel Bryan. I love when injuries are sold for longer than a week. Three minutes into the match we head to break for the vintage floor-to-commercial spot.

(Commercial)

Back to the action, Jericho was in control of Sheamus for about 30 seconds. Sheamus ended up getting the hot tag to Orton while Jericho tagged out to Del Rio. Orton hit a powerslam on Jericho while Rodriguez distracted the ref to allow Del Rio to hit an enziguiri to Orton for a count of two. The heels worked over Orton for a bit. Orton hit a dropkick on Jericho. Cole said you don’t see Orton throw many of them. What? He has one of the best dropkicks and does them all the time.

Jericho slowed Orton down to prevent the tag. He gave him a reverse chinlock: “ASK HIM!” Orton rolled him up for two. Jericho gave Orton an enziguiri. Del Rio tagged in and dropped Orton’s left arm onto his own knees. He yelled out “destiny” as he tried to put on the Cross Armbreaker. I guess he still says “destiny” then? Okay. Hot tag to Sheamus while Del Rio brought in Jericho. Sheamus hit a high knee to Jericho. Then he powered out of the Walls of Jericho and hit the Irish Curse backbreaker. Del Rio ran in, so Orton gave him a RKO. Sheamus went for the Brogue Kick but Jericho moved out of the way. The Brogue Kick hit Orton in the face. Sheamus was stunned. Jericho ended up hitting the Codebreaker on Sheamus. He pinned Sheamus for the win after 13 minutes.

Winners: Chris Jericho and Alberto Del Rio

After the match, Jericho grabbed the World Title. He said he should be the champion. The heels celebrated as they left. Sheamus tried to help Orton up. Orton didn’t want it. He then hit Sheamus with a RKO, which left the World Champion out on the mat.

Analysis: ***1/2 This was your typical very good middle of the show tag match that allowed all four guys to get a chance to shine. They’re all big names who have established signature moves that the crowd popped for. It’s a formulaic tag match that always works. No complaints here. We need more of these on a regular basis. The booking decision is interesting because now it seems as though we could get a Fatal Fourway at Over the Limit rather than the already announced Sheamus/Del Rio match.

Later tonight, an update on Triple H’s condition and the future of Brock Lesnar.

Also, later is CM Punk vs. Lord Tensai.

(Commercial)

Backstage, John Laurinaitis was with Eve. She said she’d go talk to Big Show.

All of a sudden, Laurinaitis was joined by Jericho, Del Rio and Orton. All of them wanted a title shot against Sheamus. They started brawling. Suddenly, Sheamus showed up and all four guys were brawling. The faces took care of the heels. Sheamus got in Orton’s face because they each hit the other guy with their finisher. Sheamus: “You bring it fella!” Laurinaitis announced the World Title match will now be a Fatal Fourway between Sheamus, Alberto Del Rio, Chris Jericho & Randy Orton. My guess was right. Cool. It will be better this way.

http://bleacherreport.com/articles/1176702-wwe-raw-deal-for-may-7-good-guys-learn-dont-cross-the-boss