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WWE Monday Night Raw comes waltzing back into our lives tonight (July 4, 2016) from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, Ohio, featuring all the latest build to the upcoming Battleground pay-per-view (PPV) scheduled for later this month in Washington D.C.
Advertised for tonight: Dean Ambrose vs. The Miz, Rusev defends the US title against Titus O'Neil, a 16-man elimination tag team match pitting Team U.S.A. vs. Team World, and more!
Come right back here at 8 p.m. ET when the Raw live blog kicks off once the show starts on USA. It will be below this line here. (REMINDER: NO GIFS OR PICS ARE ALLOWED IN THE COMMENTS SECTION. OFFENDERS WILL BE BANNED.)
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WWE RAW RESULTS AND LIVE BLOG FOR JULY 4
Chris here. Let us celebrate America's birthday with one of the most American things possible: 'rasslin!
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WWE Signature and we go to some Independence Day celebration backstage. Golden Truth is rapping on a stage when they are interrupted by The Vaudevillains, who throw Golden Truth offstage and Aiden English starts singing. This goes until food is thrown at English. The Miz tries to restore order until chocolate is squirted on him. A massive food fight starts as Kevin Owens sits under a table eating his food.
The festivities briefly stop when Heath Slater is chokeslammed through a table by Big Show and Kane. More food is thrown before everyone leaves.
Food fights. 2016. 'Merica.
After everyone leaves, Owens comes out of his shelter and grabs a hot dog before getting pie in the fact. He rages.
"This would never happen on Canada Day.
6. Minutes.
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Lillian Garcia performs The Star Spangled Banner.
Right after the National Anthem concludes, Rusev comes out for...
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Rusev vs Titus O'Neil (United States Championship)
Today is also Rusev Day.
This one happened like last week. Titus nearly gets the win with Clash of the Titus, but Rusev still kicks out. After two big kicks, Rusev locks in The Accolade and Titus fails his family and America by tapping out.
Rusev def Titus O'Neil
After the bell, Rusev briefly locks in a second Accolade before chanting "USA" and telling the crowd to enjoy their hamburgers and little weenies.
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Social Outcasts vs Enzo and Cass
I should note that the Outcasts are dressed as Revolutionary War minutemen. Also, due to his chokeslam earlier, Slater is wrapped in bandages after his visit to the hospital tent.
Bo Dallas tries to say stuff but is interrupted by Enzo and Cass, who are here for some Star Spangled Banter. Enzo goes to the next level and lists ALL of the presidents in order before saying that they would ALL be insulted by the Social Minutemen.
Like a Minuteman battle, this was a quick one that did not work out in their favor. Enzo and Cass win with Air Enzo.
Enzo and Cass def Social Outcasts
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Charlotte and Dana Brooke are in the ring.
Charlotte starts screaming about how jealousy is the strongest human emotion and how everyone around her has been jealous because she is the very best at everything that she does.
The proof? The WWE Women's Championship.
She yells that there is no one more jealous than Sasha Banks.
She continues screaming about her accomplishment and greatness before hollering that Sasha is all hype.
Sasha Banks comes out now.
Sasha rips Charlotte, saying that she will never be Sasha. Charlotte responds by yelling that she doesn't want to be Sasha.
Sasha responds that Charlotte has not beaten her this year. She tells Dana Brooke off.
Charlotte screams more stuff before loudly asking why Sasha thinks that she's the Boss or something.
Sasha rips Charlotte by explaining the difference between THE BO$$ and everyone else...she spat some fire here. At the end, Dana interrupted again and ate a BO$$HAMMER (I need a better name). Charlotte ate one as well, but came back with a boot to Sasha's face. Sasha wasn't fazed for long as she locked in a Bank Statement on Charlotte, forcing Dana to try pulling Charlotte out of the ring, eventually succeeding..
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Dean Ambrose vs The Miz
Before the match, Miz briefly whines about his suit getting ruined before dedicating this match to Maryse.
If you saw their SmackDown match last week, this one wasn't as good. Miz went for the leg again and it was pretty much a rehash of last week. Ambrose wins with Dirty Deeds.
Dean Ambrose def The Miz
As Ambrose leaves, Seth Rollins comes out for his match. Ambrose and Rollins have a brief staredown before they walk by each other surprisingly incident-free...
....or maybe not. Ambrose rushes the ring to brawl Rollins, but instead walks by Rollins and joins the commentary table to JBL's chagrin.
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Seth Rollins vs Dolph Ziggler
Before the match starts, the announcement is made that Brock Lesnar will learn his SummerSlam opponent on this week's SmackDown.
As usual, this was a pretty good match between these two that turned into a reversal-fest toward the end. Rollins, however, got the crucial reversal which led to the Pedigree to win.
Seth Rollins def Dolph Ziggler
Afterward, Rollins gets on the Spanish announce table and says that there are no doubts as to who the best is. and he will not have Roman Reigns tarnish his legacy. He again proposes that Roman be taken out of the triple threat (to big cheers), leading to a one-on-one between Rollins and Ambrose.
As Rollins goes on, Ambrose gets on the Spanish table and stares Rollins down as the latter promises that he's gonna beat Ambrose and Reigns at Battleground to take back HIS WWE Championship.
Ambrose tosses Rollins the WWE Title before attacking, eventually hitting Rollins with Dirty Deeds on the Spanish table.
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Pretaped promo from The Wyatt Family against The New Day....sort-of has the old style of the early Wyatt promos.
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EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!!!!!
Vicki Guerrero comes on out and puts her hat in the running for SmackDown general manager and denounces all of the other supposed candidates (Teddy Long, Kane, John Laurinaitis).
She also proposes a #VickiRunsSmackDownLive before being gently ushered away by security....no straitjacket in sight.
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Backstage, General Big Show rallies his fellow troops on Team USA. I feel oddly inspired.
Also backstage, security keeps escorting Vicki Guerrero out when they encounter Dolph Ziggler. Vicki begs for mercy, but Ziggler claims that he's never seen her before. Vicki continues screaming.
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The Vaudevillains vs Golden Truth
Breezango is ringside for this. Also, they have a bouncing Goldust-head doing a karaoke thing with the lyrics because why the hell not?
Squash. Golden Truth wins with a back-suplex/powerbomb double team thing.
Golden Truth def The Vaudevillains
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More Life Lessons from Bob Backlund. This time it's about maintaining a problem-free life. Backlund asks Darren Young if he has a submission hold, and he does not. Therefore, Backlund blesses Darren with the crossface chicken-wing.
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John Cena comes out to the ring.
Cena starts off by calling the crowd out for being quiet this evening. He does his best to pump them up.
After the crowd halfway wakes up, Cena starts talking about AJ Styles and his hiding behind The Club. Because of The Club, Cena has to keep his head on a constant swivel.
Cena then does his "you want some, come get some" schtick as he calls out The Club, who comes out.
AJ is disappointed due to Cena's whining about a "personal setback" instead of celebrating July 4th.
AJ then talks about last week in Tokyo. It was supposed to be a homecoming for The Club, but they saw John Cena posters everywhere instead...for shame.
Cena learned why The Club ran Tokyo last week, and The Club is on track to run WWE. AJ then brings up Cena's burying ways before mentioning that his insurance policy, The Club, enjoys beating up Cena as much as AJ does.
And we learned something last week: no one will come out to back John Cena.
"Why? Because it's you."
AJ then says that most WWE Superstars relate to The Club, not John Cena. He also says that most Superstars want to beat Cena up.
Only different? The Club actually has the cajones to pull it off.
As long as Cena keeps showing up, The Club will keep beating him up week after week after week after....OH LOOK, IT'S LABOR DAY....THEY'RE STILL GONNA BEAT UP JOHN CENA!!!
But wait, it's July 4th....what are they gonna do?
THEY'RE GONNA BEAT UP JOHN CENA!!!!!!!!
The Club surrounds the ring before joyously destroying John Cena until Enzo and Cass make the save. All three men clear The Club out of the ring.
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Becky Lynch vs Summer Rae
This happened and had an unintentional brainbuster. Becky wins with the Disarmer.
Becky Lynch def Summer Rae
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Backstage, Chris Jericho tries to rally Team World, but it doesn't go well. Kevin Owens takes control and wants to beat the hell out of people after the food fight.
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The New Day comes out, and the lethargic Columbus crowd wakes up.
They talk about The Wyatts before Big E makes an incest joke because WWE. They then promise a big bowl of Booty-O's.
The Wyatts interrupt from their garden shed. Bray Wyatt talks about positivity and fear before inviting New Day to the Wyatt's world.
After the promo, Kofi says that New Day is going to take a field trip to the Wyatt Compound and spread positivity all around that place.
Xavier Woods interrupts and is worried about this trip to the compound. Until now, everything has been fun and games. Now? The New Day has a real threat, and they may not be able to survive. Xavier walks out as the crowd freaks out.
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John Cena and Enzo & Cass vs The Club is announced for SummerSlam.
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Team USA vs The World
Well, as expected, this was a mess. The Real Americans had a short exchange, Sami Zayn and Kevin Owens fought before Owens and Kane were DQ'd for using chairs, and other stuff happened. As for the end....you can probably guess who won.
Team USA def The World.