WWE RAW Report – 5/23/16

– Tonight’s WWE RAW opens up with a look back at Extreme Rules. We’re live from Baltimore as the pyro goes off and Michael Cole welcomes us. He’s joined by JBL and Byron Saxton.

– We go right to the ring and out comes Seth Rollins to a big pop.

Rollins hits the ring and takes it all in before speaking. A “welcome back” chant starts up. Rollins says he’s been waiting 200 days to get back in his ring once again. Rollins says he’s back and he’s waited for months to take back the title he never lost. Rollins says he fired the first shot at Extreme Rules and shows us on the big screen. A “thank you Rollins” chant starts. Rollins asks if they missed him and they pop again. A “yes!” chant starts now. Rollins brings up how fans booed him every time he stepped in the ring after breaking up The Shield, how they called him the weakest WWE World Heavyweight Champion of all time. Rollins says fans were begging for someone to take the title from him, they called him a coward who hid behind The Authority. Then something profound happened, Rollins’ knee buckled under the weight of carrying the company on his back for so long. Rollins says he started getting get well tweets and comments, flowers in the hospital, so much fan mail he didn’t know what to do with it. Rollins says he didn’t open a single letter, he put the crap in a garbage can and lit it on fire. Some fans boo, some cheer. Rollins says he doesn’t need the fans and never did.

He says there’s only room for one person on his bandwagon – Seth Rollins. Rollins goes on and says it doesn’t matter if fans boo or cheer him because he’s back for one thing – the title he never lost. Rollins says he didn’t come back for the fans… the music interrupts and out comes WWE World Heavyweight Champion Roman Reigns. Rollins takes off his jacket.

Reigns makes his way down and enters the ring but Rollins leaves. Rollins rants around ringside about this being his time and his show. Reigns mouths back at him. The music hits and out comes Shane McMahon. Shane enters the ring with Reigns and invites Rollins back in. Rollins hesitates but comes back in. Shane says he thinks they all can have an adult conversation. A “you still got it” chant breaks out. Shane understands Rollins is back fro the title and says Reigns can understand that too. Shane announces Reigns vs. Rollins for the title at Money In the Bank next month.

– The announcers announce MITB Qualifying Matches for tonight – Sheamus vs. Sami Zayn, Cesaro vs. The Miz, AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens, Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler, Chris Jericho vs. Apollo Crews. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and Renee Young is with Sheamus. Sheamus is tired of hearing about the New Era. He knocks Sami Zayn’s name and says what he’s going to do to Sami won’t be suitable for all ages.

WWE Money In the Bank Qualifying Match: Sami Zayn vs. Sheamus

We go to the ring and out comes Sami Zayn. Sheamus is out next.

They lock up and Sheamus takes it to the corner and backs off. They lock up again and Sheamus takes Sami down with a headlock. Fans start the “ole!” chants and they lock up again. More back and forth. Sheamus drops Sami with a shoulder. Sami with a heel kick. Sami with a chop in the corner. Sami with more shots in another corner. Sheamus fights back and drops him with a knee. Sheamus tosses Sami over the top but he lands on the apron. Sami ends up sending Sheamus to the floor for a breather after a hurricanrana. Sami follows with a forearm. Sami nails a moonsault from the barrier. Sami rolls Sheamus back in but Sheamus nails a running knee, knocking Sami off the apron. We go to commercial.

– Back from the break and Apollo Crews is with Renee. Crews points to the punishment Chris Jericho took at Extreme Rules with the thumbtacks. He says this is the biggest match of his career… Sheamus attacks from behind. Sheamus destroys Crews and yells about the New Era. Sheamus leaves Crews laying and walks off.

– We go to the ring and out come WWE Tag Team Champions The New Day.

There’s a big sheet cake on a table in the ring and it says Happy Birthday. Kofi Kingston says the cake is here because RAW has been going strong for 1,200 episodes. Xavier Woods says RAW is more than 23 years old. They wish RAW a Happy Birthday. Big E says we all know a cake is never a safe place for a WWE ring. Big E goes to the floor and they pass the cake to him. They tease the cake going into the face of a little boy at ringside, then JBL, then Byron Saxton. Curtis Axel, Heath Slater and Bo Dallas suddenly attack Kofi and Woods from behind. The Social Outcasts take out The New Day as fans boo. They run a victory lap around the table in the ring after kicking The New Day out to the floor. We go to commercial.

The New Day vs. The Social Outcasts

Back from the break and the six-man match is underway. Slater is in control until Kofi turns it around. They start the Unicorn Stampede on Slater in the corner.

The New Day keep control of Slater until Axel and Bo pull him to safety. They run a Bo Train around the ring but Slater falls on his face. Woods launches himself over the top and takes them down. Kofi and Big E with the double team for the easy win.

Winners: The New Day

– After the match, they go to ringside and Big E grabs a big handful of cake. Woods tells him to put it down. Big E picks Slater up and runs him into the cake as Woods and Kofi hold it. The music hits and The New Day dances over a caked up Slater.

– Still to come, Cesaro vs. The Miz. Back to commercial.

WWE Money In the Bank Qualifying Match: Cesaro vs. The Miz

We go to the ring and out comes WWE Intercontinental Champion The Miz with Maryse. Maryse introduces her husband and fans boo. Miz reminds us again how he’s still the IC Champion. He calls himself a future Money In the Bank holder, saying he did it before and he will do it again. Miz says he’s been on a roll since his wife came back to WWE. Miz talks about the Fatal 4 Way at Extreme Rules and brags about winning. He calls it a true underdog story. They end up going to kiss but the music interrupts. Cesaro is out next to a pop.

Cesaro starts the match with an Uppercut Train and one big uppercut for a 2 count. Cesaro runs the ropes several times and nails a big dropkick when Miz gets up. Another 2 count. Cesaro jumps off the apron and takes Miz out after Maryse pulls him out for a breather. Maryse yells at Cesaro and he tells her to talk to his hand. They come back in but Miz takes control. Cesaro blocks a suplex and hits one of his own, holding it. Miz tries to fight out but Cesaro suplexes him to the mat for another 2 count. Cesaro ends up sending Miz to the floor with a corkscrew uppercut. Back to commercial.

Back from the break and Miz is in control. Cesaro fights back but Miz hits the backbreaker neckbreaker combo. Miz prepares for a Skull Crushing Finale but Cesaro blocks it and rolls him up for 2. Miz goes back to work on the shoulder and hits a DDT for a close 2 count. Miz mounts Cesaro with strikes as Maryse looks on. Miz slingshots Cesaro under the bottom rope and goes back to the shoulder. Cesaro comes back in and nails an uppercut. He blocks a punch and hits more uppercuts. Cesaro beats Miz into the corner but Miz blocks the shoulder and a clothesline in the corner. Miz goes to the top but Cesaro dropkicks him to the floor.

Cesaro nails a big running uppercut into the barrier. He brings it back in the ring and goes up top for a crossbody. Miz kicks out at 2. Miz blocks a Cesaro Swing but Cesaro hits a stomp for a 2 count. Miz kicks the shoulder but gets dropped for a Swing. Cesaro can barely swing him around due to the shoulder. Cesaro blocks another Skull Crushing Finale. Miz drops the bad arm over the top rope and goes to the top. He comes off but gets hit with an uppercut on the way down. Cesaro with a Neutralizer and a spot in MITB.

Winner: Cesaro

– After the match, Cesaro celebrates as we see the briefcase hanging above the ring.

– Cole leads us to a look back at Seth Rollins and Roman Reigns in tonight’s opening segment. They hype the Money In the Bank title match.

– Renee is backstage with Rollins. He talks about winning his title back when Stephanie McMahon appears. Rollins says he’s been looking for her all day and goes to hug her but she backs up. Stephanie says things have changed around here, including their business relationship. She welcomes him back and offers a hand shake before walking off, leaving Rollins confused.

WWE Money In the Bank Qualifying Match: Chris Jericho vs. Apollo Crews

We go to the ring and out comes Chris Jericho with his back bandaged up due to the thumbtacks at Extreme Rules. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and out comes Apollo Crews. We get a look back at when Sheamus attacked him earlier. Jericho throws his shirt at Crews to start the match and beats him down. Jericho keeps up the attack and talks trash. He slaps Crews a few times and hits him with knees. Jericho unloads and calls Crews a stupid idiot. Crews hits a big dropkick and an arm drag. Crews keeps control and gets a 2 count as we see Sheamus watching backstage. Crews takes Jericho to the corner now. Crews starts punching the bandages as Jericho screams in pain. Crews slams Jericho on his back.

Jericho turns it around with a cheap shot as we get dueling chants. Jericho with a snap suplex and a low dropkick for a 2 count. Crews fights back but Jericho dropkicks him for another pin attempt. Jericho keeps Crews grounded and talks trash. Crews fights to his feet and breaks the hold. Jericho with more chops. Crews turns it back around with clotheslines. Crews with a stiff kick and a splash in the corner. Crews with a big back elbow. Jericho backdrops Crews to the apron. Jericho ends up going for the springboard kick but lands on the floor as Crews ducks it. Crews comes off the apron onto Jericho and brings it back in. Crews goes to the top but has to roll through. He catches Jericho with a powerslam for a 2 count. Crews with an enziguri. Jericho blocks the sitout powerbomb and goes for the Walls of Jericho.

Jericho gets the Walls locked but it’s broken and Crews drops Jericho for a close 2 count. Jericho blocks a dropkick. Crews gets a leg up for a Lionsault it looks like. Crews kicks out at 2. More back and forth. Jericho goes for the Walls again but Crews rolls him up for 2. Jericho with a Codebreaker for the win and the MITB spot.

Winner: Chris Jericho

– After the match, Jericho makes his exit and stops to look back at the briefcase above the ring.

– Renee is backstage for comments from Sheamus but he just laughs at Crews and walks off.

– Still to come, AJ vs. KO. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get the latest Darren Young and Bob Backlund segment from SmackDown.

– JoJo is backstage with Baron Corbin and a clip of his low blow to Dolph Ziggler at Extreme Rules. Corbin could care less what people think of how he won a No DQ match. He did that to Ziggler because he can. Ziggler walks up and knocks Corbin, including his wrestling ability. Corbin says he didn’t grow up watching WWE, he grew up handing out beatings to punks like Ziggler. Corbin fumbles his words and tells Corbin to pull up a chair if he wants to see what a real wrestling match looks like tonight. Ziggler says he has a qualifier against Dean Ambrose and will do something Corbin can never do… steal the show.

– We go to the stage and out comes Big Cass to a big pop. He stops and motions for Enzo Amore to come out. Enzo runs wild on the stage as fans pop. Enzo apparently drops his mic off the stage and goes to get it, then rejoins Cass on the stage. Enzo does their introduction and gets a pop as they head to the ring. Enzo talks about getting a concussion and cuts a promo like only he can. If he had a dime for every time he got knocked down and didn’t get back up… he’d have 0 dimes. Enzo calls out The Dudley Boyz and says they have been out of line. Cass joins in and Enzo gets hype. Cass says he’s going to prove again that there’s only one word to describe them… SAWFT. The pyro goes off as D-Von Dudley and Bubba Ray Dudley make their way out. We go to commercial.

Big Cass vs. Bubba Ray Dudley

Back from the break and they go at it into the corner. Bubba with a big chop. He looks at Cass and gets shoved across the ring. They lock up again and go back to a corner. Cass ducks a cheap shot and launches Bubba into the opposite corner, and again. Bubba goes down. D-Von floors Enzo at ringside. Bubba takes advantage of the distraction and nails Cass.

Bubba works Cass over until he manages to turn it around as D-Von talks trash to Enzo. Cass hits a big splash that sends Bubba to the floor for a breather. Cass follows and assists Enzo with a launch as he charges D-Von. They bring it back in and Bubba goes to the top. Cass cuts him off and slams him to the mat. Cass with a big boot and the Empire Elbow for the win.

Winner: Big Cass

– After the match, Enzo joins Cass in the ring to celebrate.

– WWE Women’s Champion Charlotte is backstage walking with Ric Flair and Dana Brooke. Back to commercial.

Flair interrupts and wants to convey how proud he is of Charlotte for everything she’s done since getting the title at WrestleMania 32. He talks about how she was growing up and goes on to say without Charlotte, there is no Dana Brooke. Charlotte wants to thank one person, herself. Charlotte says she couldn’t be more proud of Dana because she made the right decision. Dana thanks Charlotte for giving her the privilege of standing in the ring with the dirtiest player in the game. Fans boo and Charlotte gets upset. She tells Flair what she remembers growing up is holidays and birthdays… fans give her the “what?!” treatment and she acknowledges it. She remembers her mom always saying “daddy’s with you” but he was never there, she had to watch him on TV. Charlotte yells at the fans for thinking they’re “important or something” as she goes on with her promo. She understands now why Flair was never there, because she’s Women’s Champion and she’s never been more powerful, more confident. She says Flair knew what it was like to be The Man and now she’s The Woman. She finally has the courage to say it to her dad… get out of my ring. Fans boo her. She asks if he’s hard of hearing and tells him to get out.

Flair just stands there and she knocks him, saying he’s standing there looking dumbfounded like he has since she debuted. She goes on ripping her dad and says her spotlight shines brighter than his ever did. She says it used to be that she was Ric Flair’s daughter but now he’s just Charlotte’s dad. She pokes at him for getting emotional. Flair begs her not to do this and she tells him to shut his mouth. She goes on mocking him for crying. She says he’s the second dirtiest player and she doesn’t have time for people who come in second place. She says she doesn’t need him anymore. She goes on, poking at Flair and the fans, and asks how he thinks she felt her whole life. She says Flair is immortal to the fans but to her, he’s just dead. Charlotte says she’s done with this sad story and tells her to get out of the ring. Charlotte tells him not to take another step towards her. She says he can watch her on TV like she did him for the past 30 years. She keeps telling him to get out of the ring and says she doesn’t want to embarrass him. Flair leaves the ring. Some fans chant for Sasha Banks. Charlotte sings goodbye to Flair but fans boo her. Flair stops on the ramp and looks back, crying. Flair goes to the back as Charlotte “woooo’s” and we go to commercial.

– Back from the break and the announcers play up the seriousness of the situation with Charlotte and Flair.

WWE Money In the Bank Qualifying Match: Dean Ambrose vs. Dolph Ziggler

Dean Ambrose makes his way out as we get stills from The Asylum match at Extreme Rules. Dolph Ziggler is out next and they lock up to start.

Back and forth until Ziggler hits a dropkick for a 2 count. Ziggler keeps control until Ambrose turns it around. More back and forth. They trade pin attempts and Ambrose sends Ziggler out to the floor. Ambrose runs the ring but puts on the brakes as Ziggler moves on the floor. We have a standoff as RAW goes back to back commercial.

Back from the break and Ziggler is no top. Ambrose fights him and runs back up for a super double underhook. Ziggler kicks out at 2. Ziggler ends up on the floor and Ambrose leaps out onto him. They bring it back in and Ambrose kicks out of a Fame-asser. Ambrose catches a superkick but they both collide and go down. Many more near falls and back and forth. Ambrose finally gets the win with Dirty Deeds to secure the MITB spot.

Winner: Dean Ambrose

– We see Ric Flair walking backstage. Arn Anderson greets him and says he;s sorry. Renee approaches Flair for comments but he doesn’t have anything to say. Flair walks off with his head down.

– Still to come, Owens vs. Styles. Back to commercial.

– Back from the break and we get a video from The Shining Stars. They talk about how good their debut was last week and invite everyone to come to Puerto Rico.

WWE Money In the Bank Qualifying Match: AJ Styles vs. Kevin Owens

We go to the ring and out comes AJ Styles.

AJ takes the mic as fans chant his name. He gives props to Roman Reigns for what he does in the ring. Fans boo but AJ says he’s one of the better men he’s been in the ring with. Styles says Reigns still isn’t phenomenal. Styles says if it weren’t for The Usos and the other guys, he would be WWE World Heavyweight Champion but he doesn’t live in the past. Styles has an opportunity tonight, to beat Kevin Owens on his own, and go on to Money In the Bank. The music hits and out comes Karl Anderson and Luke Gallows. Anderson says AJ made it sound like he didn’t want them out there fighting last night. Styles says he’s said from day one he wanted to do this on his own. He says this isn’t Japan, things have changed. They all have words and AJ says it’s time for them to separate professionally. AJ says they will do their own things but always be brothers. Gallows and Anderson take offense to that and say they’re not even friends anymore. AJ says if that’s the way it is, they don’t need to be in the ring together. He says as of now, this is his ring. Anderson and Gallows leave the ring while staring back at AJ. We go to commercial.

Back from the break and Kevin Owens is out. Brawling and back and forth early on. Owens takes control but gets sent through the ropes. AJ launches himself to the apron but Owens pulls his leg out and AJ smacks the apron with his face. Owens comes back in and runs the ropes but stops before diving, rolling out to the floor instead. Fans cheer as he drops AJ with a clothesline. Owens screams at the announcers about how he’s phenomenal. They brawl on the floor again and the steel steps come into play as we go to commercial.

Back from the break and they’re going at it in the ring. Owens backdrops AJ to the floor. They come back in with AJ in control for a 2 count. Owens turns it back around and gets another pin attempt after the corner cannonball. Owens yells at Cole to shut up. AJ misses a pele kick but hits a German. Owens runs into an enziguri. Styles drops Owens over his knee for another 2 count. Styles goes for the Styles Clash but Owens counters. Owens fights and drops AJ over his knee for a close 2 count. Owens is frustrated now. He goes to the top for a Frogsplash but AJ cuts him off and climbs up. AJ goes for a superplex but Owens fights back. Owens headbutts AJ to the mat and misses a moonsault as AJ moves out of the way.

AJ springboards in but Owens kicks out at 2. Owens is on the floor now. AJ with a knee to the face from the apron. Owens ends up catching AJ on the floor and powerbombing him on top of the steel steps. AJ makes it back in right before the 10 count. AJ counters a pop-up powerbomb and hits the pele. AJ with a 2 count. AJ springboards but Owens superkicks the ropes. Owens with a pop-up powerbomb for the win and the MITB spot.

Winner: Kevin Owens

– After the match, Owens celebrates as we go to replays. We see Shane McMahon and Mick Foley backstage preparing for their podcast. We come back to the arena as AJ recovers and RAW goes off the air.

Title Plans for John Cena, Major WWE Plans for Kevin Owens and Big Cass, Alberto Del Rio and Paige Drama on WWE TV?, Heat on WWE Tag Team, Vince McMahon Tired of Roman Reigns’ Push?, Major AJ Styles Concern, Velvet Sky to WWE?, Heat Between HHH and Top WWE Star, Shane McMahon – WWE Creative, Backstage Big Cass and Vince McMahon Story, Luke Gallows and Karl Anderson Heat, WWE Star Saves Career Backstage, Huge WWE Plans for Women In the Works, Bad News for New WWE Stars, Huge Update on The Undertaker’s WWE Status, Must See New Lana & AJ Lee & Maryse, Lots of New GIFs & Exclusives, More