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WWE champ Sheamus came out on stage. Justin Roberts introduced him to the crowd and he grabbed a seat ringside to scout his opponent for Summerslam. Cue up Randy Orton coming out to the ring, apparently for a warm-up match. Orton stared Sheamus, then did his pose in the ring as they continued to stretch out the pre-match intro. Jey Uso came out with Jimmy Uso and Tamina to face Orton.
RANDY ORTON vs. JEY USO (w/Jimmy Uso and Tamina)
Cole noted the anonymous Raw GM booked the match to give Orton some warm-up work before Summerslam. Orton quickly dominated and continued to stare down Sheamus in-between moves on Jey. Orton glared down Sheamus too long after a forearm to the chest, allowing Jey to take control. The crowd rallied behind Orton, who made a trademark comeback and executed a spike DDT on Jey while staring down Sheamus. Orton then went down to the ground to tease the RKO and deliver it center ring. Orton with the cover for the win.
WINNER: Orton at 2:36. Effective squash to get over Orton as a threat for the WWE Title and on a “hot streak” going into Summerslam. (*)
Post-match: Jimmy ambushed Orton from behind while Orton was staring down Sheamus. Jimmy then picked up Orton, who fired off right hand blows. Sheamus tried a pump kick on Orton, but Orton kicked and Jimmy took the boot. Sheamus then turned around and ate an RKO center ring. Suddenly, The Miz’s music hit. Miz stormed the ring with the MITB briefcase in hand. He stared down at Sheamus, then ref Chioda presented the briefcase to Roberts. Orton was slowly walking around ringside as Sheamus was trying to get himself together in the ring. Orton then surprised Miz out of nowhere with an RKO. And cue up Orton’s theme music. Cole said the bell never rang, so the match never started and Miz still has the case. This is going to get old fast with the loose application of the “cash in” rules. Cole said the story here is Orton looking dominant heading into Summerslam, with Sheamus vulnerable. Cole gave a final plug for Orton looking strong as he posed in the ring with carnage everywhere.
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Opened: July 16th, 2004
