After a quick view of the LA Skyline we are introduced to a package that shows Lesnar’s assault on Shawn Michael’s on the previous weeks RAW. This is just Lesnar F5-ing Michaels and is done to hype the Main Event some more since it doesn’t have a Title in it. Lesnar then “breaks” the arm of Michaels with a Kimora Lock. When Triple H slides in for the save Lesnar quickly exits the ring and the arena. After the package we are joined by Lesnar and Paul Heyman for a quick interview. The interviewer, Matt Striker, introduces the two but of course Paul has to do his “Advocate” bit. Paul goes on to attack Triple H and says “Brock Lesnar will finish Triple H and break the spirit of the WWE.” Seems like Heyman was predicting todays product, and the way Lesnar is handled. Lesnar takes to the mic next saying “Triple H this is a fight you cannot win.” Heyman finishes with “If you aint down with that we’ve got two words for ya, tap out.” Good stuff here and I wish The Beast was used in a similar fashion today.

The crowd pops with “Yes” chants when Daniel Bryan enters, but this angers the disgruntled version of Bryan, who responds with “No” chants to the fans. The fire bursts and the building goes black when the masked version of Kane enters promptly. Kane is wearing an Executioner’s mask out here and he gets some serious flames from the turnbuckles when he raises his hands high in the air. He removes the larger mask but still has the more traditional one under it. I was always a more of a fan of the masked version of The Big Red Machine. The bell sounds and every time Kane tries to collar and elbow, Bryan kicks him in the shin and continues to dance around the ring. Kane eventually catches Bryan’s foot and slams him to the canvas. Bryan is quick to his feet and continues the shin kicks. Kane absorbs them and knocks Daniel Bryan into the corner with a thrust to the throat.  Kane then whips Daniel to the corner, but he is able to springboard out of it and moonsaults over the head of Kane. Cool stuff. Bryan hits the ropes but is scooped up by Kane and is slammed to the mat. It’s Kane’s turn to hit the ropes, and he lands a dropkick to the face of the seated Bryan. Kane hooks the leg and Daniel Bryan is quick to give us the first kick-out of the bout.

After some right hands, Kane stomps a mudhole into Bryan, who is seated in the corner, as the crowd start the “Daniel Bryan” chants. Bryan is able to reverse an Irish whip but is soon laid out by a big boot from Kane. The Big Red Machine again hooks the leg, but Bryan is able to get the shoulder up. The momentum looks to shift when Bryan is able to return off the ropes and dropkick the shin of Kane. This leaves the big man hobbled and Bryan continues the shin kicks as the two circle the ring, with the crowd chanting “Yes” as each one is delivered. Once Kane is kicked into the corner, he grabs Daniel with both hands and tosses him right out of the ring. Bryan flies over the top rope and crashes violently to the floor. When Kane leaves the ring to fetch Bryan, Bryan hops to his feet and slides back into it. Kane tries to enter but is met with a quick baseball slide. This staggers Kane and Bryan hits the ropes and heads to the outside for a suicide dive. Both men are slow to their feet, and Kane is the first to re-enter the ring even though he is dazed. Bryan takes to the top turnbuckle and takes Kane off his feet with an explosive missile dropkick. Bryan tries for a pin but Kane easily escapes. The crowd starts to chant “Yes” once again as Bryan is delivering his signature kicks to the chest of the kneeling Kane. Bryan screams “No” at the crowd and then tries to deliver a final kick, this one to the side of Kane’s head. Bryan spins in a circle from the force and is taken of his feet by a colossal clothesline from Kane. After a pair of turnbuckle clotheslines and a sidewalk slam, Kane goes for another. This time Bryan barely escapes but does so by getting the shoulder up.

It is Kane’s turn to take to the skies as he leaps from the top turnbuckle hitting Bryan with a diving lariat. The crowd shows Kane some admiration as he waits patiently for Bryan to rise. When Kane slaps the chokeslam on Bryan, he is able to escape and hit the apron. When Kane tries to grab him, he instead gets his throat hot-shotted into the top rope. Bryan slides into the ring to try and take advantage of the dazed Kane. This backfires and Kane strikes first with a throat chop. Bryan then slaps Kane in the mask and this enrages the big man, who pounds Bryan into the corner for the slap. He switches to stomps and starts to choke Bryan with his boot until the ref forces separation. Kane and the ref argue over this and it opens a window for Bryan to drop toe hold Kane into the bottom turnbuckle. Bryan attempts what is called at this time a No Lock. Kane is able to wiggle free but this leaves Kane seated and wide open for a kick to the side of the head. The crowd is chanting yes and this angers the No-Man that is Daniel Bryan. He leaps from the top rope, after screaming “No” of course, and attempts a diving headbutt. Somehow Kane catches Bryan by the throat while laying prone on the mat and stands to deliver a chokeslam. This leaves both men on the mat, but Kane is first to his feet. Kane runs the knife blade finger across his own throat as he waits for Daniel Bryan to rise. Kane tries for a Tombstone Piledriver when Bryan stands up, but Bryan wiggles free. Bryan then uses a small package and rolls Kane up for the 1,2,3. Bryan quickly rolls from the ring and runs out of the arena. Kane is shocked by the three count and takes off after him. For a squash match this was entertaining and these two had decent in-ring chemistry for being polar opposites. Not must watch stuff here but it isn’t a waste of time either. Something worth noting here is that the WWE wanted the disgruntled Daniel Bryan to face-off with Charlie Sheen here. That’s right the “Winning”, Tiger blood drinking Sheen was almost a part of the WWE’s greatest summer event. Sheen appeared on RAW 1000 and had a small encounter with Bryan. The WWE hoped to continue it to SummerSlam 2012, but apparently Sheen had no interest in doing so. Match Time-8:02  

After a quick video of Kane destroying the back and hunting for Bryan, we head back to the arena for the next match that is for the Intercontinental Championship. The Challenger, Rey Mysterio burst through the entrance stage, and he is dressed similar to Batman. Mysterio gets some nice pop as he makes his way into the ring and hits the corners. The Champion, The Miz enters and has to move the blow-up “AWESOME” letters out of his way to make it into the arena. The Champion has my favorite rendition of the IC Strap, the white one. This has always been my favorite looking Title and I was glad to see it return here. The collar and elbow kicks us off and Miz comes out ahead with a side headlock. They hit the ropes and Miz maintains momentum by taking Mysterio down with a shoulder block. Miz allows Rey to regain his footing, and they collar and elbow once again. Rey gets the advantage this time with a waistlock. Mysterio pulls the arms of Miz and flips him to the mat. Mysterio then drops both legs and tries for a pin that Miz easily kicks out of. The crowd really turns the heat on when The Miz exits the ring and appears to be done with the match. Miz has a change of heart and slides back into the ring. He then challenges Mysterio to a test of strength but before they can tie-up Miz kicks Rey in the midsection. After a whip from Miz, Rey is able to duck a clothesline and use a tilt-a-whirl hurricanrana to toss Miz into the corner. Mysterio charges but is met with a back elbow from the Champion. Rey attempts to hit the ropes, but is met with a midsection kick. The Miz then tosses Mysterio, who slides head first out of the ring. Mysterio is quick to his feet and challenges Miz to join him on the outside. As soon as Miz exits, Mysterio slides back into the ring. When Miz hops to the apron to re-enter the ring he is met with a missile drop kick from Mysterio that knocks him off the apron.

Mysterio joins The Miz on the outside, but this quickly backfires with Mysterio being dropped face-first onto the security wall. Miz returns Mysterio to the ring and drives his knee into Mysterio’s back while torquing on his chin. Mysterio manages to stand this up but after a knee to the midsection Miz maintains the momentum. Miz tries for an atomic drop but Mysterio is able to wiggle free, thus falling onto the chest of The Miz and making a cover. Mysterio gets a two before The Miz is able to kick-out. Mysterio hits the ropes for what looks to be a hurricanrana but Miz tosses him onto his shoulders for a reverse torture rack. Miz then drops to his knees, jarring Mysterio’s back some more, and tries for a cover. Mysterio kicks out promptly and this is when a look of frustration appears on the face of the Champion. It takes the official to separate the two when Miz starts to unload a series of punches onto the prone Mysterio. When the ref does this it leaves Mysterio seated and Miz hits the ropes to clobber Mysterio with a big boot. The Miz again hooks the leg and Mysterio again kicks out. A headlock is applied by The Miz next and this is when the crowd start to clap in an attempt to Rally Mysterio. It works and Mysterio makes it to his feet. The blows to the midsection of Miz allows him to escape and dropkick the knees of The Miz. Mysterio hits the ropes but from a kneeling position The Miz is able to land a clothesline.

After another pin is kicked out from Rey, The Miz stands proudly in the center of the ring and raises his hands high, all while getting some serious heat from the fans in attendance. Mysterio is in the corner and this allows Miz to hit him with a seated clothesline. This sends Mysterio crashing to the canvas as The Miz taunts the crowd and takes his time climbing to the top turnbuckle. The delay works in Mysterio’s favor and he is ably to dropkick Miz causing him to fall onto the apron. While he rolls back into the ring, Mysterio is taking to the skies. As soon as Miz stands, Mysterio nails the seated senton. Mysterio then hits the ropes and tries for a hurricanrana. The Miz is able to catch him, and after he bounces Mysterio’s back off the ropes, he delivers a seated powerbomb. The Miz keeps both legs hooked for the pin, but Mysterio still kicks out. The crowd is giving heat once again as The Miz is first to rise and takes a moment to taunt the fans once again. He tries for another boot to the face of the seated Mysterio. Mysterio is able to avoid this and when Miz spins through it, Rey is able to hook the tights for a roll-up pin. It is quickly kicked out of and when Mysterio hops back to his feet, The Miz is seated. Mysterio kicks him in the side of the head and tries for another pin. This on is closer but The Miz is still able to get the shoulder up. The tornado DDT is next from Mysterio but yet again Miz still gets the shoulder up when the cover is made. Mysterio is slow to do it but he takes to the top turnbuckle once again.  His slow approach allows The Miz to meet him there with a right hand. The Miz tries for a superplex, but it is countered and after some rib punches, Mysterio is able to knock Miz off with a headbutt. Mysterio leaps from the turnbuckle and uses a hurricanrana to leave The Miz in the 619 area. The finish goes off unhitched and Mysterio heads right back to the top rope after it. He leaps for the diving headbutt, but The Miz is able to roll from harms way. The Miz tries for a Skull Crushing Finale but Mysterio is able to roll The Miz up for the closest two count of the match so far. Both men are staggered and slow returning to their feet. The Skull Crushing Finale is quickly implored again and this time it is successful. The Miz hooks the leg, the ref counts a three and The Miz retains his Intercontinental Title. Good match here. The two had good back and forth with the match not really slowing at any point. This match between old and new is worth the watch. More so than The Miz’s recently released movie at the time, The Marine III. Match Time- 9:09

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