![Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio - Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Title No. 1 Contender Match: Raw, March 24, 2014 Sheamus vs. Dolph Ziggler vs. Christian vs. Alberto Del Rio - Fatal 4-Way Intercontinental Title No. 1 Contender Match: Raw, March 24, 2014](/f/styles/wwe_16_9_xl/public/2018/12/20140324_Thumb_RAW_4way--376e669e2bd7761be23d40bd477f92fe.jpg 1125w)
Intercontinental Champion Big E watches as Sheamus, Dolph Ziggler, Christian, and Alberto Del Rio each try to earn a shot at the gold.
BROOKLYN, NY – Anyone expecting something resembling remorse from Stephanie McMahon was sorely disappointed when one of WWE’s principal owners – one week removed from assisting Triple H in a brutal beating of Daniel Bryan – not only continued on her tear against the “Yes!” Movement but defended the “intellect and character” of the McMahon family in their handling of the situation.
Watch: Batista crosses the line | Photos of Stephanie's retaliation
Randy Orton, as it turned out, was in complete agreement … to a point. While he supported The Authority’s handling of Bryan, The Viper did promise Stephanie that if – key word: if – Triple H defeats Bryan at WrestleMania, Stephanie should convince The Game to abandon the WWE World Heavyweight Title Match and spare himself a beating from The Viper. Batista soon joined the shouting match and got the last word in a big way — not only did he insult Stephanie, he put Orton on his back with a spear that nearly cut The Viper in half.
Christiaannnn, Christiaaaannnn, at last, you are … No 1. contender to the Intercontinental Championship? That’s right. Captain Charisma shook off his recent doldrums against Sheamus by not only defeating the Irishman, but also Dolph Ziggler and Alberto Del Rio in a Fatal 4-Way Match to stake his claim for Big E’s Intercontinental Title.
Watch: Captain Charisma seizes his chance | Photos of the wild match
“Defeated” might be a less than apt word than “survived,” however: The match delved into an all-out brawl so fast that it was impossible to tell who held the advantage, much to the surprise of E, who was sitting at ringside. It got to the point where only a bit of veteran smarts could decide the match and that’s exactly what Christian delivered, surprising Dolph after a double-Zig Zag to Del Rio and Sheamus with a match-ending Killswitch. Though he got the win, Christian wasn’t about to give due respect to his opponent, refusing E’s offer of a post-match handshake.
Sin Cara wouldn’t be much of an International Icon if he didn’t have some famous buddies. As it turns out, the luchador’s friend circle includes Scooby-Doo himself, and with the pooch at his side, Sin Cara soared to a decisive victory over the meddling Damien Sandow on Raw. The Intellectual Savior of the Masses wasn’t all that happy about having to compete with Scooby looking on, and that frustration cost him immediately when Sin Cara clocked Sandow with an enziguri and sent him home with a top-rope senton. How do you say Zoinks! in Spanish?
As the WWE Universe may remember, Ryback & Curtis Axel cost The Shield an opportunity for the WWE Tag Team Championships. And thanks to The Hounds of Justice themselves, the former Paul Heyman Guys have now paid very, very dearly for that slight. Ambrose, Rollins & Reigns made themselves known during Rybaxel’s match with Los Matadores on Raw, distracting Axel and allowing the toreadors to defeat him with a roll-up only moments into the contest. The aftermath was the real statement, though, as The Shield swarmed Ryback and sent “The Big Guy” plummeting to the mat with their signature Triple Powerbomb.
The WWE Universe is no stranger to Michael Cole’s weekly sit-downs with Triple H, though it’s safe to say none of those interviews got quite as intense with “The Voice of WWE’s’” one-on-one with the COO in Brooklyn. Interviewing The Game live for the first time, Cole treaded as carefully as he could in trying to extract answers surrounding Triple H’s beating of Daniel Bryan the previous week. It turns out, all he did was poke the proverbial bear.
Photos: Cole's audience with The King of Kings
After a few minutes of measured responses, The King of Kings – still fuming that Bryan forced him into accepting his WrestleMania challenge with Occupy Raw – sprang from his chair and turned his fury against the WWE Universe. The Game vowed to start a “Reality Era” wherein he ends Bryan’s Cinderella story and the “Yes!” Movement itself en route to reclaiming his rightful place as the WWE World Heavyweight Champion.
Fandango’s woes against The Brothers Rhodes continued in Brooklyn when, one week after losing to Goldust, Cody Rhodes left the devious dancer flat on his back. Granted, he had a little help in the process: Fandango had been wearing Cody down when Goldust engaged in an odd dance-off with Summer Rae at ringside, until she twisted her ankle and fell to the ground. The sight of his fallen partner drove Fandango into a tizzy and the self-proclaimed “prince of wrestling” pounced, springing into the air with a Disaster Kick to Fandango’s face.
If there is one thing The Miz cannot stand, it is a lack of attention being paid to him. Perhaps there were better ploys to grab the spotlight, however, than what The Awesome One cooked up on Raw. His plan, such as it was, involved interrupting not only WrestleMania host Hulk Hogan, but “Sabotage” stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and Joe Manganiello as well. Needless to say, this ended badly for the former WWE Champion. Thanks to a three-pronged attack from the three strongmen, Miz found himself bid a hearty “hasta la vista, baby.” For his sake, let’s hope he fares better in the Andre the Giant Memorial Battle Royal.
How do you spell KO? T-I-T-U-S.
Titus O’Neil may be a Big Deal, but he wasn’t able to rally from his St. Paddy’s Day disappointment with a one-on-one match against Big Show on Raw. The former tag team standout tried to bully the giant around and went so far as to put Show on his back with a shoulder block, though his advantage was short-lived. Big Show turned it around immediately with a spear to his opponent’s gut and finally the big right hand to Titus’ jaw. The end.
Twice was the charm for John Cena when he repeated his win over Luke Harper of The Wyatt Family on Raw … though it’s safe to say that Bray Wyatt and his acolytes got the final laugh against the Cenation leader when all was said and done. Wyatt’s lieutenant was methodical in his early dissection of the 14-time World Champion, who has been more or less haunted by Bray’s taunts leading up to WrestleMania.
Photos: Wyatts put disgraced Cena on display
Wyatt’s presence at ringside left Cena a walking head case, and Harper took advantage. The monstrous Harper maintained his lead, keeping Cena at bay until a tremendous clothesline put the big man on his back. Before Cena could execute the Attitude Adjustment, though, the lights cut out and The Wyatts stormed the ring, stringing Cena up in the ropes and shoving a sheep mask – Cena’s “true face” – over his head. The disqualification win was almost beside the point: Cena walked out the victor, but it’s hard to say he won.
Well, it’s official: Even a one-eyed Naomi is a handful for the Divas Champion. Stepping into the ring against AJ and still sporting her instantly iconic eyepatch, the Funkadactyl proved she hadn’t lost a single step, throwing a pair of dropkicks against the irreverent champion. Naomi’s offense was so that AJ up and left the match altogether, handing her foe the count-out win.
Watch: Vickie divides AJ & Tamina?
And that’s when Vickie Guerrero arrived to make things interesting: Still smarting over the champion’s comments towards her on SmackDown, the blue brand General Manager announced a Vickie Guerrero Divas Championship Invitational for WrestleMania, where AJ will defend her title against Every. Single. Diva. Including Tamina.
Even a Real American isn’t immune from the long arm of justice, as Jack Swagger & Cesaro found out when they battled Dean Ambrose & Seth Rollins on Raw. Believing Zeb’s boys were equally responsible for their thrashing on SmackDown, The Shield took the fight to their opponents before the bell even rang and coasted to an early advantage when the match began.
Photos: The Shield makes The Real Americans believers
Cesaro helped the Americans right the ship by sending Ambrose for a 20-rotation Cesaro Swing, but a series of slaps to the face spurred the “lunatic fringe” into action. Ambrose laid out Cesaro, tagged in Rollins and “the aerialist” took off, breaking free of Swagger’s Patriot Lock to seal the match with his "Peace of Mind" stomp to the head.
Watch: Rollins blasts off
Moments later, The Shield finished their tour of vengeance with a Triple Powerbomb through the commentary table to Cesaro, but it seems all their conflict against The Devil’s Favorite Director of Operations will soon come to a head: Per Kane’s orders, at WrestleMania, The Hounds of Justice will face Kane & The New Age Outlaws.
Perhaps Brock Lesnar is going about this all wrong. In the weeks leading up to WrestleMania, The Anomaly and his advocate, Paul Heyman, have been approaching and addressing The Undertaker as if Lesnar is walking into a fight like any other. What happened on Raw may change that.
Photos: Lesnar defies The Undertaker
Lesnar made the rather bold maneuver to cut Heyman off mid-oration and demand The Phenom present himself for a fight. What he got was a horde of druids carrying a casket down to ringside, though when The Beast Incarnate peered inside, the casket was empty. Not for long, though: After Lesnar and Heyman took to the mic to denounce The Demon of Death valley, the casket opened and The Deadman rose, laying fists upon fists into The Anomaly’s torso and sending him tumbling over the coffin. At WrestleMania, Lesnar might not be so lucky: He might end up in it.