On Monday night, WWE Raw celebrated the 20th anniversary of John Cena’s debut. It’s a staple of all pre-match publicity, with the bulk of the first two hours revolving around Cena, eventually coming to the ring to promote his connection to WWE fans.
The show also includes continuing to build Saturday’s Money in the Bank premium live event. This version includes the addition of a man and a woman to the bank ladder race.
CBS Sports is with you all night to recap and review all the action at Sames Auto Arena in Laredo, Texas.
WWE celebrates John Cena’s 20th anniversary
A video package highlighting John Cena’s career is played throughout the show. Halfway through the show, Cena talks to Ezekiel backstage, telling Ezekiel to never forget who he is, when Theory interrupts him. The theory ran to Senna, pointing out that he himself had more success at 24 than Senna, who is now just an old man in shorts. When Theory tries to set up a selfie, Cena walks away, leaving Theory in a fit of rage.
Later in the show, Vince McMahon introduced Cena, who walked to the ring as the WWE locker room stood on the entry ramp and applauded. Cena cut a rather lengthy promo about how WWE fans made him a better person, and he did everything just for him, “It’s about us.” Theory didn’t appear on the show, The whole process ended with Cena celebrating with the fans.
The whole Cena thing doesn’t pay off much, just the teasing of the final Theory game and the classic Cena babyface promo. The show was heavily populated with video packets in the first two hours. McMahon’s involvement was completely unnecessary, but he’s been working on show after show since news of an internal investigation into allegations of misconduct led to his temporary resignation as WWE CEO and Chairman. And do so. Still, Cena knows how to work in a crowd and always gets a big reaction when he shows up. Grade: B
What else happened to WWE Raw?
- Riddle wins a battle royale to secure a place in the banking ladder race. Battle Royale kicked off the show and came to Riddle and Miz who had pretended to be injured earlier. Riddle knocked out Miz with an RKO on the apron.
- Montezford def. Jey Uso by pinfall After hitting the frog splash.
- AJ style definition. Miz pass count. Styles interrupted the Miz interview as the Miz knocked him out of Fight Royale earlier in the night, leading to a fight. Once Styles appeared to have mastered the game, the Miz opted to leave the ring and take the entry ramp, taking on the count defeat.
- Bianca Belair and Carmela face to face. Bel Air was giving an interview when he called Carmela into the ring. Carmella answered the phone and said she was going to win Belair’s Raw Women’s Championship at Money in the Bank. Carmela then tries to hit Bel Air with a cheap shot, but Bel Air waits and lets Carmela crash out of the ring.
- Liv Morgan definition. Alexa Bliss via pinfall rolled up. The race follows interviews with the women, who said they were not friends but “friendly,” and both vowed to win the bank ladder race on Saturday.
- Bobby Leslie def.Alpha College in a handicap When he locked Chad Gable in the damage lock. Theory was the special enforcer, but Lashley was still able to take the win and beat Theory after the game.
- An interview with Cody Rhodes aired. Rhodes says it’s bittersweet knowing he’ll only be watching ‘Money in the Bank’ and not competing, but he wants Seth Rollins to win so he can be the first to congratulate him people.
- Becky Lynch won a last-chance knockout to secure the last spot on the bank. Lynch won the bout over Nicky Ash, Charlie, Tamina, Shanna Bassler and Dudrop, eventually eliminating Dudrop.