WWE Raw: John Cena chooses to face Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam
John Cena will face Daniel Bryan at SummerSlam after selecting him as his opponent on Raw.
Last Updated: 17/07/13 10:02am
The WWE Champion was informed by the red brand's new General Manager, Brad Maddox, that he would be able to select his opponent for August's SummerSlam pay-per-view at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.
And after much deliberation the West Newbury native picked Daniel Bryan, the man who came extremely close to winning Money in the Bank All-Stars on Sunday before being scuppered by Curtis Axel.
Randy Orton did manage to pluck the Money in the Bank briefcase in Philadelphia, though, and continued his winning momentum on Raw by defeating Fandango, hitting the dance enthusiast with a spine-tingling superplex before securing the victory with an RKO.
The Viper profited from not only Axel's attack on Bryan on Sunday evening but also from Paul Heyman betraying CM Punk, and the former ECW head honcho clarified his shocking actions when Raw hit Brooklyn, New York.
Read our Money in the Bank report
Heyman revealed that he ditched Punk because he was not up to the level of his long-time client, Brock Lesnar, and when the Second City Saint vowed to punish his former friend, that very long-time client emerged - and sent Punk crashing through the announce desk.
Damien Sandow, meanwhile, seized the World Heavyweight Championship contract at Money in the Bank after sucker-punching his tag-team partner Cody Rhodes - and that decision came back to haunt him on Monday night.
Irate
The Duke of Decency was pinned by Christian, who sported a chipped tooth after his exploits in the Money in the Bank All-Stars encounter, and was then handed a post-match beat-down and chased into the crowd by an irate Rhodes.
Dolph Ziggler also felt the wrath of an ex-partner, following his decision to break-up with AJ Lee in the wake of her costing him the chance to snare the World Heavyweight Title from Alberto Del Rio in Philadelphia.
Lee cracked Del Rio over the head with her Divas Championship on that occasion to hand Ziggler a disqualification defeat and she foiled the Show-Off again on Raw, distracting him with the ring bell to ensure he lost a non-title rematch with the Essence of Excellence.
Ziggler's jilted lover then mercilessly slapped him at the culmination of the contest, before instructing her muscle, Big E Langston, to level her former boyfriend with the Big Ending, and then kissing the stricken grappler goodbye.
Elsewhere, Rob Van Dam bested Chris Jericho in his first appearance on Raw in six years; The Usos conquered the tandem of Jack Swagger and Antonio Cesaro; and one half on the Funkadactyls, Naomi, vanquished Brie Bella.
Plus, Mark Henry was on the receiving end of a triple powerbomb from the Shield after addressing his loss to Cena at Money in the Bank, and The Wyatt Family, who took out Kane on their Monday night debut last week, floored R-Truth.
For more rough-and-tumble, tune into WWE Smackdown, 10pm, Friday, Sky Sports 3 HD.
