Dean Ambrose & The Hardy Boyz vs. The Miz, Cesaro & Sheamus
It is a truth universally acknowledged that nearly every episode of “Miz TV” ends with the host catching hands, but The A-Lister’s sit-down with Cesaro & Sheamus ended badly even by those standards when Dean Ambrose and The Hardy Boyz came a-callin’ and scrapped with their WWE Extreme Rules opponents in Raw’s opening moments.
Despite the beating dished out by the Intercontinental and Raw Tag Team Champions, the impromptu Six-Man matchup that ensued from the fracas provided a unique opportunity for Miz — who will challenge for Ambrose’s title on Sunday — and Cesaro & Sheamus — who’ll make a play for the Hardys’ — to gain some momentum heading into Sunday.
Alas, no dice: After being isolated from the Hardys for an significant portion of the match, The Lunatic Fringe summoned Jeff Hardy into the fray. The Charismatic Enigma quickly tagged in his brother Matt, who survived a wild brawl to hit Twist of Fate on The Miz, teeing up Jeff for the fateful Swanton Bomb.
Credit: WWE.com
Matt Hardy vs. Sheamus
Goldust may have abandoned his Tag Title pursuits for a return to eerie, directorial form, but reigning Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz have swept their No. 1 contenders in singles action. Matt Hardy piggybacked off of his brother Jeff’s win over Sheamus to hand The Alabaster Gladiator his second loss in the last two weeks, and this one came with a hefty price tag, too: It gave the Hardys the right to choose the stipulation for their title defense against Cesaro & Sheamus at Extreme Rules.
The Celtic Warrior had been rolling against Hardy, until a timely interference by Jeff gave Matt enough room to brawl his way back into the match. Jeff once again made his presence known, taking out Cesaro at ringside before The King of Swing could get involved and diverting Sheamus’ attention long enough for Matt to seal the win with the Twist of Fate. And what stipulation did they select for their troubles? A Steel Cage Match.
Credit: WWE.com
Jeff Hardy vs. Sheamus
The days of polite handshakes in the Raw Tag Team Title race are over.
With the battle lines drawn once again between The Hardy Boyz and the new-attitude Cesaro & Sheamus, the Raw Tag Team Champions and their challengers deployed half their respective ranks — Jeff and Sheamus, to be exact — for a singles competition that lacked any of the tentative sportsmanship of their last cycle of matches.
In fact, Hardy started like a house on fire against The Alabaster Gladiator, only to find his aggression turned against him when Sheamus tossed Jeff into the barricade minutes into the match.
The Charismatic Enigma eventually clawed his way back after kicking out of a knee to the face that miraculously didn’t knock out any more of his teeth. When The Celtic Warrior Brogue Kicked Matt Hardy off the apron (an unsuspecting Cesaro broke his fall), Jeff caught his opponent with the Twist of Fate and administered the Swanton Bomb. Hardys, one. Challengers, zero.
Credit: WWE.com
Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz Confronted Cesaro & Sheamus
Cesaro & Sheamus may have relieved Jeff Hardy of a tooth at WWE Payback, but they did not manage to wrest the Raw Tag Team Titles from The Hardy Boyz. They … didn’t take it well.
In fact, the post-match beatdown of the champions by “The Swiss Cyborg” and “The Alabaster Gladiator” was so brutal that they were greeted with a sea of contempt from the WWE Universe on Raw that Cesaro & Sheamus were more than happy to return.
Of course, Cesaro & Sheamus’ denigration of the WWE Universe’s supposed obsession with the past at the expense of the present and their promise to send the “novelty act” Hardyz packing did not go unanswered long. Matt & Jeff, hungry for a melee, faced their foes and made a beeline for the ring, but Cesaro & Sheamus scurried away, opting instead to fight another day.
Credit: WWE.com
Raw Tag Team Champions The Hardy Boyz vs. Sheamus & Cesaro
Raw Tag Team Champions Jeff & Matt Hardy electrified the capacity crowd at WWE Payback by overcoming the tough-as-nails combination of Sheamus & Cesaro. However, a brutal post-match assault by The Celtic Warrior and The Swiss Superman left the victorious titleholders completely obliterated.
Despite showing tremendous respect to The Hardy Boyz in recent weeks, the hard-hitting combination of Cesaro & Sheamus came to the WWE Payback pay-per-view determined to prove that “nostalgia act” was not enough for the seven-time tag team titleholders to maintain their place at the top of the mountain.
In the explosive matchup that followed, the No. 1 contenders would come at their high-flying opponents with everything they had, including The Swiss Superman’s Corkscrew Forearm/Cesaro Swing/Sharpshooter combination and an earth-shattering White Noise off the top rope by The Celtic Warrior.
Late in the match, however, Sheamus failed to see that Matt tagged in Jeff, setting up the younger Hardy to hit the Irish Superstar with a Swanton Bomb as he was trying to pin Matt, and Jeff subsequently secured the three-count.
After the match, Sheamus & Cesaro again showed respect to the Raw Tag Team Champions by shaking their hands in the center of the ring. However, that display of honor was completely erased moments later, when the defeated Superstars suddenly attacked The Hardys and laid waste to the victorious titleholders.
In the wake of Cesaro & Sheamus’ ruthless attack, how will The Hardy Boyz respond? Don’t miss a moment of Raw, airing Monday night at 8/7 C on USA Network
Credit: WWE.com
