Raw Result: Seth Rollins Calls Out Lesnar, Lesnar Destroys J&J’s Cadillac
Video: Destruction of the Gift

Seth Calls Out the Beast
Despite the best efforts of Brock Lesnar, Seth Rollins managed to escape the Second City without a scratch to his name. J&J Security? Not so lucky. Despite encouragement from Triple H, Joey Mercury and Jamie Noble were the proverbial lambs that The Beast Incarnate feasted upon when Lesnar stormed a trash-talking Rollins in the ring. Given that J&J both sported ax handles as equalizers, Lesnar tore J&J’s beloved Cadillac apart with axes of his own to lure J&J out of the ring. He followed with a beating on the over-matched enforcers that put his decimation of Kofi Kingston to shame.

Not only did The Anomaly shatter Jamie Noble’s arm in the Kimura Lock, but he also inducted Mercury into Suplex City by belly-to-bellying the former Tag Team Champion through the windshield of the Caddy. Rollins, meanwhile, got out of dodge while the getting was good, fleeing Lesnar through the crowd and taking the stairs two at a time to the safety of the concourse. The horror. The horror.

Thank you very much to Jessica (@jessicaaaam)for giving us these candid photos from WWE’s Live event in Boston that happened this past weekend!

Raw Result: Seth Rollins & Kane def. Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns
Video: The Authority Gets Gifts
Video: Match Highlight Reel

The Price is Rollins?
The lesson, as always, is that it pays to be in good with the WWE World Heavyweight Champion. After The Authority put aside weeks — months? — of squabbling to reunite and drop Brock Lesnar in Raw’s closing moments last week, Kane and J&J Security received their due reward for coming to Seth Rollins’ aid. First, The Architect bestowed a trio of brand-new Apple Watches on his squad, with a special shout-out to Jamie Noble for suffering three broken ribs in the course of his duty. Kane — already scheduled to team with Rollins against Dean Ambrose & Roman Reigns in the main event — got an all-expenses paid trip to Maui, which left Noble & Joey Mercury empty-handed by comparison. They needn’t have worried, for Rollins had a coup de grace in his back pocket: A brand new car!

The Authority Wins Again
As the mind games escalate between Roman Reigns and Bray Wyatt, The Eater of Worlds had yet to make his physical presence felt (though he did send a dispatch) up until The Big Dog’s main-event tag team contest alongside Dean Ambrose against Seth Rollins & Kane. That streak of peace ended for Reigns in epic fashion, however, when Wyatt made his move in Raw’s final moments.
The New Face of Fear picked his moment perfectly in the No Disqualification contest, materializing out of the dark and laying waste to the former WWE Tag Team Champion. That left The Lunatic Fringe to suffer a Pedigree and pinfall and, when Reigns came to the aid of his fallen friend, The Authority pounced with a group beatdown of The Big Dog. Then, and only then, did Wyatt finish the job, administering Sister Abigail to what was left of Reigns as Raw crashed to black.

Raw Result: The Authority Aids Seth in Beating Down Lesnar
Video: The Authority Destroys The Beast
Video: Raw Fallout Video

Seth Aids Kane to Victory
The Devil’s Favorite olive branch? How else could you describe Seth Rollins’ inexplicable interference in his estranged enforcer Kane’s match against The Architect’s own personal thorn-in-the-side, Dean Ambrose — one week after Rollins had cast him aside as a 7-foot pile of dead weight squeezed into a suit?
The Architect’s appearance was especially fortuitous for the former WWE World Heavyweight Champion, as Ambrose had Kane all but dead to rights in their match after grinding his way to a near-insurmountable advantage. After Ambrose hacked Kane to the ground with his rebound lariat and hooked Kane’s arms for Dirty Deeds, Rollins’ music distracted The Lunatic Fringe and gave Kane his second wind. With Rollins’ help, Kane sealed the win by way of a Chokeslam off the top turnbuckle. Not bad for a peace offering. Bad news for Rollins, though: It wasn’t enough.

Slaying The Beast
So it’s come to this: Seth Rollins, the man who did it all on his own, was forced to grovel his way back into The Authority’s good graces. It was all in an attempt to regain his precious support system before he goes to the mat with Brock Lesnar at Battleground. Kane and J&J Security seemed relatively amenable to Rollins’ proposition, but when Lesnar crashed the party, only The Devil’s Favorite Demon stayed to defend Rollins from The Beast with a sneak attack.
Despite Lesnar initially getting the better of Rollins, Kane managed to land a Chokeslam, at which point Rollins and Joey Mercury quickly closed ranks and, against all odds, the corporate power got the job done. The Authority targeted Lesnar’s leg, set him up for the Pedigree and, as Raw faded to black, Lesnar had been taken down, Paul Heyman was silent, the champion was standing tall and his comrades were once again at his side. Here comes the pain?

Raw Result: Seth will face Brock Lesnar at Battleground
Video: Brock Is Revealed
Video: Seth has Words with J&J

Seth comes out to kick off Raw and speak proudly of how he’s just a guy from Iowa who has come very far. He pulls out a list of people to thank, saying the list is very important. Well his list happened to only contain one name “Seth Rollins”. After thanking himself, declaring Raw his show and saying he doesn’t need the authority, he was interrupted by a brawl with Dean Ambrose. After the brawl Seth retreats with his title and Dean Ambrose begins a short Monday night sit in.

Throughout the night Seth is seen in backstage segments. First he appears in the office of the authority bosses who tell him they will be choosing his next opponent. Seth asks if he has any input but the authority two say Seth can trust them to make the decision. Next Seth appears trying to bribe J&J Security to come back on board with him, IF they have any info they may benefit him. Both men refuse to tell him anything despite his mockery of Jamie’s accent. Lastly, Seth is found bragging to Kane about how he kept the title, even though Kane was his biggest detractor. Kane gets angry when Seth talks about his family and says if he ever does it again he will “eviscerate” Rollins.

And as the night comes to a close…
He’s baaaaack. After a whole night of The Authority teasing a mystery opponent for Seth Rollins’ next title defense — and Rollins himself baiting his tenuous allies into accepting the position — Triple H and Co. made a hard left in Raw’s final moments. He summoned Brock Lesnar from exile, naming The Beast Incarnate as The Architect’s No. 1 contender for WWE Battleground. Despite Rollins’ eagerness to live up to whatever “pressure” came his way, The Authority’s decision to un-shutter Suplex City (as a potential punishment for Rollins’ recent attitude?) left The Architect literally shaking in his boots. That is, at least until he beat a terrified retreat. Is the decision best for Rollins’ personal health? Probably not. But for once, The Authority and the WWE Universe are on the same page in saying it is definitely best for business.