RAW Recap 8/9/10: United "WWE" Stand

Just six days from the biggest party of the summer, the hot topic was that of Chris Jericho and Edge leaving Team WWE, forcing Cena and his brigade to find replacements before their encounter with the Nexus. In the meantime, the former Tag Team Champions were put into a main event match against Cena and Bret Hart.

Early in the evening, during a confrontation between Hart and the dropouts, The Hart Dynasty was ruled out as possible recruits after the Nexus attacked them backstage.

After the dust settled, we got the first in-ring action of the night as the United States' Champion, The Miz, took on Evan Bourne in an exciting opener. Mr. Money in the Bank picked up the win, and once again declared that he is guaranteed to be WWE Champion.

The second match of the night saw the official return of Melina to the squared circle as she faced current Divas Champion Alicia Fox. Despite the best efforts of the former wedding planner, Melina capitalized with the Last Call, and, as a reward, the anonymous GM granted her a Divas Title shot at Summerslam.

In the back, Morrison and R-Truth seem to have made up after the Team WWE brawl that saw six men go at each others' throats a couple of weeks back. Mark Henry approached them, interested in filling a vacated spot, wanting his upcoming match to be an "audition" for the team. However, before he could step in the ring with Million Dollar Champion Ted DiBiase, the Nexus once again attacked, leaving the spots still open.

One of the biggest moments of the night featured WWE Champion Sheamus calling out his Summerslam opponent, Randy Orton. Talk last week centered on how Sheamus "was scared" to step into the ring with the Viper and how Sheamus' title wins have all been to outside forces.

Sheamus gives his Apollo Creed "no rematch" speech, while Orton tries to provoke the Celtic Warrior by telling him to prove that he isn't afraid. The GM pops in, much to the dismay of the crowd, but it turns around when the GM agrees with both of them: First, after Sunday, there will be no rematch between the two, but if Sheamus isn't afraid, do something about it.

After a tease, Orton attacks Sheamus, dodges the Brogue Kick, and sets up for the punt, but stops short. Two seconds later, you can visibly see the fear on the face of the Irishman.

The third match featured a six man NXT tag match with Michael McGillicutty, Husky Harris, and Alex Riley against Kaval, Percy Watson, and Lucky Cannon. Pretty good stuff between the teams. I can definitely see some real potential from these guys, but since the first season went to RAW, I would love to see this group become stars on Friday nights. Husky picks up the win after a senton to Kaval.

Next up we had John Morrison and R-Truth taking on the odd duo of Regal and Ryder (I still don't know why these two are together). Great tag team showcase match. I would love to see Truth and Wisdom get the tag team titles down the line. Morrison gets the win after Starship Pain connects on Ryder.

Up next, a Summerslam Swimsuit triple-threat tag match with the Bellas taking on Maryse and Jillian, and Eve and Gail Kim. Not a whole lot of action here, but still interesting, especially with Vladimarella as the special guest referees. Bellas win after Nikki pins Jillian following a crossbody splash.

And once again, Nexus attacks a superstar. But this time, it costs Team WWE even further when they attack The Great Khali, taking him out of the Summerslam match. Now it's a seven on four. Whoo hoo.

Main event time! Cena and Hart faced Y2J and the Rated-R Superstar in a tag lumberjack match with Nexus at ringside. After a fast-paced match, it ended in a no contest when Nexus started to get involved.

As Jericho and Edge left the ring the Nexus (minus Justin Gabriel, who had been beaten on during the match), stood opposite from Cena and Hart. The crowd popped as Morrison and Truth slid in and stood beside their teammates. Jericho and Edge looked on and began to leave, but then sprinted to the ring, making it six on six, and began removing Nexus from the ring, finally truly united for the common purpose of beating the former NXT rookies.

So, as we go into Summerslam this Sunday, many questions come to mind:

1) Who will replace Khali in the 7-on-7 match?

2) Can Team WWE remain united in their showdown with Nexus?

3) Will The Miz cash in Money in the Bank at Summerslam?

4) Can Randy Orton reclaim the WWE Championship?

5) Will Melina cap off her comeback by knocking Alicia off her high horse?

All this and many more will be answered this Sunday at Summerslam!!!!!