WWE RAW
April 20, 2009
London, UK
Commentators: Michael Cole & Jerry ?The King? Lawler
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
Chris Jericho’s music hit and he came out to the ring. He said for the last year, he felt like an outcast, a good man on a disgraceful island, but thanks to getting drafted to Smackdown last week, he was finally going to be able to leave Raw. He said the fans never appreciated him and while all of them wallow in their deceit, things will not improve on Raw and in six months they’ll all beg for him to come back.
Ricky Steamboat’s music hit and he came down the ramp. Steamboat got on the mic and told Jericho he was wrong. He said this audience wasn’t unappreciative. He said at Wrestlemania week, he found out first hand. He said it was the greatest moment in his wrestling career. But if it was appreciation he was asking for, and they wouldn’t give it, he would. He thanked Chris Jericho.
Steamboat thanked him for bringing back the fire and passion to perform one last time, to feel proud of what he accomplished. Steamboat said if it wasn’t for Jericho, it’d never have happened. He went to walk off before Jericho stopped him. He said Steamboat was still basking in the spotlight one more time, being the ego maniac that he was. He said just because Steamboat got a cute reaction didn’t mean he and the fans weren’t delusional. He said the time had come to put him out of his misery. Jericho said he wanted a one on one match with him at Backlash.
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena’s music hit and he came out to the ring. Jericho said he could stuff it that he was finished with all of these fools on Raw, especially Cena. He said his big finish on Raw would be a walk out on him. He walked off. Steamboat cut him off and said he accepted his challenge. Cena interrupted that, and said that Vickie Guererro let him know that Edge wouldn’t be competing tonight, so his last act on Raw, would be a match with him. Tonight.
****Commercial****
Chavo Guererro is in the ring and said he’s on Raw now. He thanked his aunt, our new GM and he would prove he could not only push her wheel chair around, but he could push around anyone on the Raw roster.
Batista v. Chavo Guererro
Batista hit a kick to the gut and hit a Batista bomb on Chavo for the win.
Winner: Batista via pin fall
Chavo apologized to Vickie and said he wasn’t ready. He said it’d never happen again. Batista came in a second time and despite pleas from Chavo, he ate another Batista bomb and that’s gotta hurt.
****Commercial****
Shane McMahon stopped Batista in the back. Shane wanted to make sure everyone was on the same page for Sunday. Shane said he didn’t appreciate him drilling him in the corner and Batista didn’t appreciate him drilling him out of the ring. Shane said they hoped they were on the same page. Batista said he did as well and walked off.
Kane v. CM Punk
The two squared off and Punk laid in some stiff kicks to Kane’s side before getting back dropped to the apron. Punk landed on his feet and spring boarded into the ring but ate a big boot on the way down for a two count. Kane body slammed Punk and followed with a low drop kick for a two count.
Kane slapped on a headlock that Punk fought out of only to get hit with a side slam. Kane looked for a choke slam, but Punk hit a round house kick to the head before connecting with a big knee in the corner. Kane fought off the bulldog but ate a big boot to the face and the springboard clothesline for a one count.
Punk looked for GTS but Kane fought out and nailed him with a running boot to the grill. Kane again looked for the choke slam only for Punk to counter out and hit a small package for a three count.
Winner: CM Punk via pin fall
****Commercial****
Santino Marella came out and wanted to apologize to his sister in person. He said he’s not the same person and needed to prove it. He called her out only for her to show up on the Titan Tron. She’s got a sore on her lip and can’t come and kiss Khali. She said she was looking forward to grabbing his big muscular shoulders…. and then the tape sped up. Santino stopped it and said how upset he was for Santina. He wanted to read her a poem to make her feel better.
Beth Phoenix’s music hit and she came out to the ring. Beth said she was upset to hear about her blister. Beth said she’d set aside some time at Backlash so Santina would get to kiss Khali after all. Sntino wasn’t happy as the tape of Santina kept going. Santino said she better pray she wins back the women’s title tonight, because she’d never be Miss Wrestlemania.
Melnia’s music hit and she came out to the ring.
****Commercial****
Women’s Championship
Beth Phoenix v. Melina
Beth slammed Melina for a body slam. Beth laid in some stiff elbows to Melina’s head before stretching her out on the mat. Melina came bounding off the ropes only to get stuck in a torture rack, stretching the champion almost in a complete circle. The two struggled through a backslide spot only for Beth to slam her into the corner and hit her in the back of the head with her own foot.
Melina tried to fight back and hit a kick out of the corner before connecting with some big right hands. Melina hit a springboard back elbow and a drop down leg drop for a two count. Beth sprung to her feet and hit a lariat for a one count. Melina perched herself on the top rope and after a struggle, came off and hit a big face buster. Rosa attempted to interject herself, but it backfired, as Beth clattered into her. Melina hit the implant bomb for the three count.
Winner and STILL Women’s Champion: Melina via pin fall
Triple H was getting ready in the back. Shane wanted to wish him good luck and to be safe later tonight. Shane said he couldn’t stop thinking about Sunday though. He said they needed to be careful about Sunday and not screw up. Shane said if anyone blew their stack, which they all had the propensity to do, Orton could win the WWE Championship and that couldn’t happen. Triple H told him not to worry. He’d get it all out of his system tonight.
****Commercial****
John Cena v. Chris Jericho
Jericho attacked Cena at the bell and pummeled him with punches and laid him out back in the middle of the ring. He brought Cena to his feet and hit him with a right hand before slapping him in the head. Cena fought back with punches only to eat a clothesline.
Jericho hit a snap mare and a drop kick to the back of the head for a two count. Jericho whipped Cena only to eat a kick to the gut. The two traded blows to the boo-yeah chants form the fans. Cena caught his shoulder blocks and inverted power bomb. Cena loaded up a five knuckle shuffle but Jericho countered.
The two fought out to the ring apron only for Jericho to fight out of an FU attempt and drive Cena’s head off the ring steps.
****Commercial****
Back in the ring, Jericho caught a two count. Jericho mocked the crowd a bit before ramming Cena’s head into the buckles and unloading on him with punches and stomps in the corner. Jericho whipped Cena before eating a back elbow. Cena pursued him out of the corner while Jericho tried to roll him up into the walls of Jericho. Cena kicked him off and charged again, but Jericho hip tossed him hard for another two count.
Jericho hammered away on Cena’s back before getting tossed into the corner. Cena looked for an FU, but Jericho was attacked to the ropes. Cena powered his way up the ropes with Jericho on his back only for Jericho to drop down an hit an electric chair drop for the two count. Jericho went for a lion sault, but missed by a mile, leaving both men laid out on the mat.
Jericho turned around and rushed Cena only to almost get caught in the STFU, but Jericho rolled him up. Cena kicked out and literally lifted him off the mat and got him in position for the FU. Cena threw him in the air, but Jericho flipped out of it and nailed a code breaker. Jericho slowly got to the cover for the two count.
Jericho began to get frustrated and he charged Cena only for Cena to finally hit an FU. Cena made the cover only for Jericho to kick out. Cena went to the top rope for the double leg drop but Jericho caught him in mid air and turned Cena over into the Walls of Jericho. Cena reached for the ropes but was dragged back to the middle of the ring. Cena somehow managed to roll through his legs and slapped on the STF. Jericho struggled for the ropes, and when Cena went to drag him back to the middle of the ring, Jericho hit an enzeguri that got him a two count.
The fight moved to the top rope where the two slugged it out until Edge showed up and shoved Cena off the top rope.
Winner: John Cena via DQ
He began laying in right hands before laying in a huge spear. He gathered two chairs from ringside and delivered a con-chair-to and left Cena in a heap.
****Commercial****
Big Show v. Rey Mysterio
Show threw Rey into the corner like nothing before picking him up by the head and dropping him to the outside. That was only topped by him bringing Rey back into the ring with one hand. Rey tried the mosquito stuff, hit a hurricanranna into the corner, hit a 619 to Show’s back. Show crumpled to the ropes in position for another 619 but Show caught him, held him under his arm and punched him in the face. Rey’s f-ing OUT.
Winner: Big Show via pin fall
Doctors attended to Rey Mysterio after the match.
****Commercial****
Cody Rhodes and Ted Dibiase are talking about Sunday. They said they were on the same page. Ted said it just wasn’t the same if their leader was…….. Orton cut him off and asked him ‘what exactly’ he meant by that. Randy Orton said everyone was jealous of him and he was head and shoulders above everyone else. He said Triple H needed the sledge hammer to beat him at Wrestlemania, but wouldn’t be able to fall back on it. He said tonight he’d beat Triple H. He guaranteed it.
****Commercial****
No Disqualification
Triple H v. Randy Orton
The two started it off fast, exchanging a flurry of punches before Triple H hit a big Irish whip. After pounding Orton the ground for a little while, Orton grabbed his trunks and flung Triple H to the outside. Triple H tossed Orton into the barricade, before ripping up the announce table.
The two scuffled on the announce table before Orton smashed Triple H’s head off the surface and went shopping for weapons. Orton retrieved a garbage can and went to deck the Game with it but Orton fought back. Triple H grabbed the can and Orton countered.
The two fought back and forth into the ring until Orton hit an inverted back breaker for a two count. Triple H reversed a whip before he hit a high knee to Orton’s face and clotheslined him to the outside. Orton sneaked a garbage can and waited for Triple H to peer through the ropes and nailed him with the can. Triple H is out on the mat as we head to commercial.
****Commercial****
Orton decked Triple H with a garbage can before tossing him back into the ring and gathering the steel steps. He threw them into the ring and slithered under the ropes. Orton smashed Triple H off the steps and then ejected them from the ring to go for a cover that got a two count. Orton set up steel steps on the outside of the ring and went for his suspended DDT, but Triple H countered and took Orton’s legs out from under him.
Triple H came roaring back once in the ring and reigned right hands down on the head of Orton. Orton managed to reverse an Irish whip before Triple H hit his face buster for a two count. The two tussled in the corner before Orton charged out and ate a spine buster into a garbage can for a two count.
Triple H grabbed a chair and began nailing Orton with it before Orton countered with a punch to the gut and a DDT to the chair. Triple H fought back though and ended up chop blocking Orton’s leg, before hitting it with the chair while wrapped around the ring post. Triple H went to work on the leg, dropping elbows before slapping on a figure four. Triple H wouldn’t break a figure four and then started wrapping it up in the ropes and dropping knees on it.
Triple H put Orton’s foot in a chair before Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase ran in. Shane followed suit and held his own momentarily before being yanked over the top rope. Batista ran down and after accidentally bumping back into Shane, Triple H began arguing with Batista. He was sent sailing into Batista by Cody , sending the Animal to the outside. Triple H wheels around only to eat an RKO and that’s all she wrote.
Winner: Randy Orton via pin fall
After the match the Legacy stood triumphant on the ramps while the baby faces tried to figure out what happened.
Show Thoughts— I always like the trip across the pond to England. It seems that every year we get something good out of the Raw episodes over there from the birth of Santino, to the Cena/HBK Broadway and this show certainly set out to be ambitious, putting the usually strong combo of John Cena & Chris Jericho to help lead up to the Wrestlemania rematch between Triple H & Randy Orton.
While the show seemed to more or less take a pedestrian, touring tone, full with Batista squashes and waves and a quickie CM Punk-Kane match, the second hour picked up considerably with Jericho and Cena. They’ve put together some fun spots together over the years and mesh quite nicely. Jericho’s offense has gotten far more surly which suits Cena’s usual Lawler-esqe comebacks while Cena’s chain wrestling and counters are night and day to what they were even a year ago, which means he’s more apt to be able to go toe to toe with Jericho. What’s sort of come about as a bi product of those developments in each wrestler’s arsenal, is this match where Jericho beats Cena down, but rather than cutting Cena off, he has a way of AVOIDING or countering Cena’s big stuff, which stifles him from even getting the train out of the station. Especially since December, they’ve worked this hybrid and its a super-fun match every time out of the gate and they’re able to build on it bit by bit. Tonight, too was a really good showing for these two. The DQ finish protected Jericho, and sent him to Smackdown with real momentum. I think with Edge’s heat wanning of late, Jericho may take over the spot of top heel if Edge can’t prove he’s capable of maintaining (see not ‘getting’) heat on his own, without a dead guy’s widow or best friend’s ex girlfriend whom he helped her cheat on said best friend’ to use as a crutch.
On the other hand, we had the main event, which again, wasn’t so hot. I HATE people who do the whole ‘I’m sick of this feud’ or ‘God this is boring’ and I don’t want to give that impression that I’m in that camp with this feud. But I DO, however, feel totally burnt out by it. I feel like they really killed this at Wrestlemania with a confusing match and maybe in a way, made it worse tonight, in a match that I felt frustrated FOR Randy & Hunter. They tried working that heated southern style brawl, but didn’t stick with it long enough to get the crowd into it. They worked some big weapons spots that got the obligatory ‘oh’s’, but nothing CLOSE to approaching sustained heat. Then, Triple H decided to turn on a dime and play the fed up Ric Flair to Randy Orton’s Terry Taylor leg and it just really didn’t feel like it fit. Nothing felt like it fit. It seemed like they were just flat out trying too hard, which sometimes is the case in a lot of Triple H big matches, something that pops up mostly when he’s working in the baby face role.
This is the eleventh big time match they’ve had with each other and I’d say of those eleven big matches, only two were much to write home about and those were of course the No Mercy ’07 match and the match from Raw in December of 2004. In almost every other situation, this match has flat out failed, and sometimes you can’t force chemistry. These two just don’t have it, as badly as the WWE and both wrestlers maybe would like them to.
The rest of the show was decent enough. I throughly enjoyed the Big Show squashing of Rey Mysterio, which might be the best squash I’ve seen in years. And that’s covering a lot of territory, Big Daddy V squashes included.
This show seems very much in limbo right now though, and we could really use some mojo heading out of Backlash. Hopefully they can mix some things up, and we’ll get something to buzz about heading into those hot summer nights.
Overall Grade: B
Quick Results
Batista def. Chavo Guererro
CM Punk def. Kane
Melina def. Beth Phoenix to RETAIN the Women’s Championship
John Cena def. Chris Jericho
Big Show def. Rey Mysterio
Randy Orton def. Triple H
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
Biggest Pops
1. Triple H
2. Rey Mysterio
3. CM Punk
4. John Cena
Most Heat
1. Chris Jericho
2. Randy Orton
3. Big Show
4. Edge
Match of the Night: John Cena v. Chris Jericho ***
Points
4 Points= World Title defense/win
3 Points= Singles PPV Win
2 Points= Tag PPV Win
2 Points= TV Singles Win
1 Point= TV Tag Win
0 Points= Loss
World Heavyweight Champion: John Cena 9-5-1, 21 points. (Last Week: World Heavyweight Champion)— Another strong match with Jericho this week. He seems to be sort of stuck in limbo here with Edge, so it’ll be interesting to see where they go with him in the coming months after he’s done at Backlash. I for one, would love to see a Show-Cena pay per view program.
WWE Champion: Triple H 1-1-0, 1 Point (Last Week: WWE Champion)— This is the second huge program they’ve put on between Triple H and Randy Orton and this is the second huge program that’s really fizzled in a hurry.
United States Champion: MVP 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: US Champion)— Not in action this week.
Intercontinental Champion: Rey Mysterio 11-6, 22 Points DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN (Last Week: 4) — Rey Mysterio getting picked up and placed back in the ring by his skull might have been one of the coolest things I’ve seen on WWE television in some time. Smackdown will be a sensational fit for him.
1. Randy Orton 5-3-1, 11 pts. (Last Week: 1)— The bad news is that this Triple H feud hasn’t helped him any. The good news is that he’s over enough to the point where its not like he’s taken a significant step back. If he comes away with the strap at Backlash, all SHOULD be right here, but at this point, I almost wonder whether that might not be in the cards.
2. Shawn Michaels 6-3, 10 pts. (Last Week: 2) — Not in Action.
3. CM Punk 9-6, 17 Points DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN (Last Week: 4)— Nice little send off from Raw that he cleanly beat Kane. While to most its a pretty throw away match, it is symbolic in a way. Kane has ALWAYS been billed as the proverbial gate keeper to the main event. A decisive, clean victory over him usually means you’ve got bigger things up the line, even if its not in a huge program. I think of any of the younger guys on the roster, Punk is the guy whose most likely to have a huge, huge, huge year.
4. Chris Jericho 5-6 10 pts. DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN (Last Week: 3)— This was a nice way for him to go out, without having to job to Cena, and putting on a really good TV match in the process. Since the Steamboat deal was one of the few positives to come out of the Wrestlemania weekend, I’m not surprised the WWE’s milking it. I’ll enjoy seeing it.
5. Batista 2-0, 3 Points (Last Week: 7)— He seems to be Triple H’s escape clause (er, i’m more likely HOPING)here. As a guy who really could use some freshening up, it’ll be interesting to see where he’s at post-Backlash.
6. Kane 6-7, 9 Points DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN (Last Week: 5) — He’ll go from being a gate keeper here to probably a HEIGHTENED gate keeper on Smackdown. I think over there, he’ll be protected more than he was on Raw. I don’t expect him to move much further up the card, as that’s never been his thing anyways, but I think he’ll be in a better position is there will be a considerably less of a gap between him and the main event guys than there was on Monday Night Raw.
7. Kofi Kingston 5-3, 8 points (Last Week: 6) — Not in Action.
8. Cody Rhodes 4-2, 4 points (Last Week: 8) — A lot of people have been working themselves up over these guys not getting enough mic time and wouldn’t ya know, this week they got some. I think they’ll continue to sort of flush this whole thing out over the course of the year. Both Cody and Ted have massive, massive upsides.
9.Ted Dibiase, Jr. 3-1-1, 3 Points (Last Week: 9)— See Cody.
10. Matt Hardy 1-0-0, 2 Points (Last Week: 10) – – Not in Action.
OTHERS:
Big Show 1-0-0, 2 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
The Miz 0-1-0, 0 Points (Last Week: ECW)
Chavo Guererro 0-1-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
Mr. Kennedy 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
Hornswaggle 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
Primo Colon 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
Carlito Colon 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
Festus 0-0-0, 0 Points (Last Week: SMACKDOWN)
William Regal, 3-5, 4 points (Last Week: NR )
Santino Marella 1-2, 2 points (Last Week:NR)
Sim Snuka 1-0, 1 Point (Last Week: NR)
Jamie Noble 0-2, 0 Points (Last Week: NR)
Jerry Lawler 0-0, 0 points (Last Week: NR)
Jim Duggan 0-0, 0 points (Last Week: NR)
Mike Knox 3-3 4 points (Last Week: DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN)
JTG 2-4, 2 points (Last Week: DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN)
Big Shaad 2-3 2 points (Last Week: DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN)
Charlie Haas 0-0, 0 points (Last Week: DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN)
Dolph Ziggler 0-3, 0 Points (Last Week: DRAFTED TO SMACKDOWN)
JBL 1-6, 4 points (Last Week: 7) RETIRED