On Monday, November 12, 2007 at 11:40 PM EST WWE RAW
November 12, 2007
Topeka, KS
Commentators: Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
World Heavyweight Champion Batista’s music hit and he came sauntering down to the ring. He said he was happy to be back on Raw and said he was invited by William Regal tonight to take on some Raw competition. He said he appreciated the invitation, but had to say that Regal made a big mistake. He said he was a little messed up right now. He was gearing up for Survivor Series and his hell in a cell match with the Undertaker.
He put over the match for a little while before the Undertaker’s music hit and he came out to the ring. He disrobed rather quickly and it looks like we’ll get a little angriness before William Regal came out to spoil the fun. He said tonight, they’d be partners and they’d get the finest tag team on Raw in Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. The tag champs came rumbling down to the ring looking for a fight.
Undertaker & Batista v. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Things didn’t start to well for the champs and Taker quickly began putting the hurt to Cade hitting old school about three moves into the match. Batista didn’t want to be out done and angrily tagged himself in and began pummeling Cade showing us what HE could do.
The fun didn’t last long though, as Cade caught the champ with a boot to the grill and tossed him into the ring post before tagging in Murdoch. The champs double teamed Batista, using the atomic leg drop combo for a two count. Batista quickly put a stop to the antics and hit a spine buster before Taker tagged himself in and choke slammed Cade but the cover was broken up by Murdoch. Taker looked to finish off Cade once Batista dispatched of Murdoch and killed him with a tombstone for the win.
Winners: Batista & The Undertaker via pin fall
Batista refused to be outdone and murdered Murdoch with a Batista bomb as the two stared each other down in the ring.
This show has been dubbed a Survivor Series kickoff show and we’ll get a face to face confrontation between HBK and WWE Champion Randy Orton a little bit later on.
****Commercial****
Beth Phoenix v. Maria
Maria came right at Beth and enjoyed a little success, getting a nice choke with her boot in the corner, but it didn’t last long. Beth clubbed her back until Maria looked for a huricanranna. Beth caught her though and hit a nice double under hook slam before hitting the fisherman’s suplex for the quick win.
Winner: Beth Phoenix via pin fall
Santino Marella’s music hit and he came down to check on his woman. He checked her out for a bit before grabbing a mic from ringside. He said Maria would be ok and went off on his tirade. He said he was a victim of a brutal attack from Steve Austin last week. Santino said there wasn’t anything funny about the incident. He wondered whatever happened to the first amendment. He said Austin owed him an apology. He demanded Austin come down to the ring and apologize.
Santino said if he couldn’t get the apology from Austin, he’d get it from his good friend JR. He went down to JR and made fun of his crooked smile and demanded the apology. He said his English wasn’t great, but he was from Italy. JR was from Oklahoma, and his was even worse. King took exception and Marella challenged Lawler to get in the ring with him. He told him not to be like Stone Cold.
Marella goaded him into the ring and said he’d give him the first pop. Lawler wound up and PUNCHED~! Him in the face. Lawler punches rule. Marella rolled out of the ring and told him he hated him and stomped off.
JR and King put over the Umaga-Triple H lumberjack match later tonight.
****Commercial****
Santino was in the back and said Lawler took advantage of him. He challenged Lawler to a match later tonight. He said he wouldn’t be nice to him like ‘that guy from Taxi’. Glorious. Lawler accepts.
A video putting over the HBK-Orton feud aired.
Matt Hardy’s music hit and he came down to the ring. Oh hey, it’s Rey Mysterio, too.
****Commercial****
Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy v. Finlay, MVP & Mr. Kennedy
Matt and Finlay kicked things off and locked horns as Matt backed the Irishman back into the corner. Finlay took exception and the two had a nasty little shocking match before locking it up again. Finlay grabbed a headlock but was quickly tossed to the ropes. Matt went for a hip toss but Finlay mauled him with a lariat and tagged in Kennedy.
Kennedy connected with some right hands before tagging in MVP who didn’t seem too excited about fighting his tag team partner. He tagged Kennedy in again and Kennedy went back o n the offence. Matt fought back briefly but Kennedy did his spastic thing again and began punching and booting Matt up against the ropes. Matt ducked under a clothesline attempt and took the upper hand with some arm drags.
Matt got distracted by MVP briefly, allowing Kennedy to take the advantage and dump him to the outside.
****Commercial****
We came back to Kennedy still pressing his advantage, hitting some boots to the back before laying in with a rear chin lock. Kennedy went for his Green Bay plunge, but Matt hit a take down and was able to wiggle to the corner and tag in Rey Rey.
Mysterio got Finlay and began tossing him around the ring with all sorts of flying nonsense, but Finlay kicked him in the face and that was that. Finlay tagged in MVP who quickly began laying the boots to the Willow look alike.
MVP is wearing a ‘C’ on his scuba gear. Glorious. MVP went for a cover and only got a two count before placing Mysterio in an abdominal stretch on the mat. Rey fought out with some knees to MVP’s face before the US Champion cut him off and tagged in Finlay.
Finlay hit a nasty looking back breaker before goading Jeff Hardy into the ring. Jeff briefly knocked him out of the ring but Finlay was able to recover, keep Rey in the ring and tag Kennedy.
Kennedy continued the back work Finlay started with a back breaker of his own before stretching Rey out on his thigh. Rey frantically fought back and wiggled out of the hold with some punches, but Kennedy caught him wiggling between his legs and dragged him to the friendly corner and tagged in MVP.
MVP laid in some shots before placing the former champion in a bear hug. MVP made the mistake of sending Mysterio into the ropes though, and Rey countered a back breaker into a DDT. Rey got the tag to Jeff Hardy who came in and cleaned house, taking down Mvp and knocking the other heels off the apron. Hardy connected with whisper in the wind, but Kennedy broke up the two count.
All hell broke loose and MVP and Kennedy found themselves in position for the619 which sent MVP careening on to his back. Jeff came soaring off the ropes with a swanton bomb and that’s all she wrote.
Winners: Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy & Matt Hardy via pin fall
Another Save_us promo aired.
****Commercial****
Time for kissy-face between Orton and HBK.
The two bantered back and forth, reminding each other about the stipulations in their match. Orton tried to debate and justify his chicken-ness, but HBK cut him off and said the reason the super kick was banned because he knew #6 was coming at Survivor Series and he knew the title would be going to HBK.
Orton said this wasn’t about the title to HBK. He said it was about revenge. He said Michaels was a hot head and he knew he couldn’t restrain himself. Michaels said he didn’t think he was a one hit wonder with an axe to grind, but maybe Orton was right. Maybe his run at the top was a fluke. He said maybe it was all about luck. He said it was a novel idea for him to walk into Survivor Series and win the title with a wrestling move or a submission hold.
Michaels said that Orton needed to ask himself how it would feel to be the only guy to lose to Michaels and lose the title by NOT getting hit with the super kick. Michaels said he didn’t need the move. He just needed the memory of what he did to him six months ago.
Orton said he could expect his family to have the same feelings they had six months ago after Survivor Series. Michaels blew his stack Orton chop blocked him and went for the punt, but Vince backed him off and told him he could do it this Sunday. Orton nodded at Vince and then RKO’d HBK to the mat before posing above him with the title.
****Commercial****
Melina, Layla & Jillian v. Mickie James, Michelle McCool & Kelly Kelly
Jillian was all over Kelly in the early going and the two yanked unscratched at each other until Kelly pushed her off and managed a tag. Mickie James hit a hurricanranna and cleaned out the heels before Jillian nailed her with a back elbow. Mickie was only momentarily deterred though and got a cross body block for a two count.
All hell broke loose before Mickie and Layla were left in the ring. Mickie kissed her and then hit a NASTY kick to the dome for the three count.
Winners: Mickie James, Michelle McCool & Kelly Kelly via pin fall
Lawler-Santino is next.
****Commercial****
Snitsky says pain is pleasure.
Jerry “The King” Lawler v. Santino Marella
The two locked horns and both ended up on the ropes before Santino began punching him in the chest. Lawler didn’t take it for long though and back body dropped him before killing him with PUNCHES~!
King got a little cocky and Marella fought back with some punches of his own. Marella hit a snap mare and slapped on a rear chin lock as the crowd rallied him to his feet. Marella hit some shoulder thrusts in the corner before snap maring Lawler again. Santino missed a double knees and then began unloading with more PUNCHES~! Before kicking the pip squeaky Italian’s legs out from under him.
Santino got hipped to the buckles but got his feet up and came roaring out with a right hand to floor the King. Marella went to load King up for something big but Lawler rolled him up for the surprise three count.
Winner: Jerry Lawler via pin fall
****Commercial****
Another Save_Us.222 promo aired. Looking like Jericho’s back next Monday.
It’s time for a Hornswoggle training session. Good lord it’s empty arena and incredibly glorious. Coach is the Great Khali. My face has exploded with joy. Coach wasn’t as happy to be Khali as I was for him to be Khali though. He tossed the whig aside before Regal made him put it back on. Big Dick Johnson is Singh and he did a little promo. Regal reminded Coach he was a tackling dummy.
Hornswoggle kicked him in the shins and bit his finger. Coach was totally pissed to be doing this before Hornswaggle tore Coach’s pants down and hit a frog splash for the ‘win’.
Todd Grisham is with Triple H in the back. Grisham asked him about his match against Umaga tonight. Triple H said the Survivor Series was exactly what the name implied. He said when it was all left said and done, if there was one man standing, it’d be him. He said Umaga would be lucky to make it that far. He said he can bring his guys and he’d bring his, but it wouldn’t matter. He said if he got the opportunity, he’d finish him off for good.
****Commercial****
Lumberjack Match
Triple H v. Umaga
The lumberjacks are both men’s teammates. Umaga as a captain, making motivational speeches… Tony Robins step aside.
The two went right at it and there are lots of punches and other unnecessarily violent non sense before Triple H hit the outside and punched Matt Striker just for fun. Back in the ring Triple H hit another punch for a half of a one count before the two begin punching like crazy men again.
Umaga’s the guy who gets tossed to the floor this time and his team helps em all out. Triple H came bounding off the apron, doing his Rey Mysterio impression and clattered into all the heels. He tossed Umaga into the steel ring post went back into the ring. Triple H tried to end it early and was summarily back body dropped to the floor where the heels put a beat down on him until the baby faces came over for the save.
****Commercial****
We came back to the two exchanging more punches in the middle of the ring. The Game caught Umaga with a back elbow and a boot in the corner, but Umaga caught him coming out of the corner and tossed him like a sack of smelly potatoes to the mat. Seriously impressive strength stuff.
Umaga pressed the advantage, hitting a sit out on Triple H’s ribs, working the same body part that had gained him advantage after advantage throughout their feud. Umaga distracted the referee while Finlay slammed Triple H’s face off the apron for fun. Umaga hit another right hand and a big splash for a two count, but the Game kicked out.
Umaga went to sit out on the ribs again, but Triple H got his knees up. He went for a body slam, but Umaga shifted the weight and crashed down on Triple H for a two count. Umaga slapped on the nerve grip of doom while Triple H’s team rallied him to his feet.
Triple H fought to his feet, but quickly got cut off by the Samoan Bulldozer with shots to the back of Triple H’s ribs. Nice use of a body part as a reference point. By the way, JR and King are doing a killer job of putting this match over as well as the Survivor Series match on Sunday.
Umaga pummeled away on Triple H in the corner before backing off and letting Kennedy choke Triple H in the corner. He went for the running ass to the face, but the Game avoided the move and dodged a second attempt and knocked Umaga into the ring post. Triple H fought back and hit a big DDT for a two count. A ring post shot (or two) and a DDT and Umaga kicks out.
Triple H hit the face buster before Triple H went for the pedigree but Umaga countered it into the Samoan drop. Umaga went for the spike but ate a spine buster for his efforts. Both tried the home run and ate it from the other guy. Before you know it, Finlay is in the ring and all hell breaks loose.
Winner: Triple H via DQ
All hell broke loose and everyone is killing each other as we go off the air.RAW THOUGHTSShow Thoughts-- Tonight was a pretty solid offering, all things considered. I liked the fact that WWE ditched the usual crap, and went for the hard sell on the Survivor Series pay per view. They popped every match that needed it on the card and we came away with a lot of fun stuff to get us to possibly buy the big show next week. Dubbing this a “Survivor Series Kickoff” gave the show on Sunday a big time show feel to it, which is something I think this show has lacked in recent years, at least in terms of build.
The opening segment with Batista and Taker was what it was. No harm, no foul here. This is the selling point for smarks and marks alike, so the fact that it kicks off Raw is a smart thing. Sure, Cade & Murdoch are sacrificial lambs, but when it’s Batista and Taker, it doesn’t sting so bad.
Beth Phoenix is awesome and believe it or not, I’m oddly looking forward to the 10-diva tag. It’s got a gimmicky-ness to it that the old 10 team tag match had. Sure, I don’t think it’s going to produce what the 87 and 88 matches did in terms of quality, but it’s going to give these girls a nice 15 minutes to show us what they can do. Believe it or not, this division has taken some dramatic steps forward this year, and this’ll be a nice little showcase match for them.
The six man tag ruled. Nothing wildly good or anything, but it was worked well. Again, Jeff isn’t the punching bag. Rey is. Jeff’s the energy and Matt’s the emotion. Well done. Finlay is flat out awesome and I love MVP’s shtick every time out. Kennedy was ‘there’. Overall though, a really, really fun six man tag.
The Orton-HBK build was ok, and the video package brought the story together really well, but I’m not into the stip for this match. I think taking that one move out of the match really kills the heat and the ‘payoff’ on the feud. HBK missing with sweet chin music and getting nailed with ONE RKO would really put the cap on all of this. Sure, HBK hit’s the move five times, but it should only take one RKO to put Michaels down. In fact, the RKO should’ve gotten more respect through this feud as equally ‘show stopping’. I’m sure the match will be ok and I’m even more sure we’ll get another match at Armageddon for the belt, but this stipulation is just kind of awkward considering the direction they’re going.
Santino Marella’s stuff is always gold. The Lawler match and segment was another thing of beauty as well. Totally Memphis-style mini-build for the match with the heel goading Lawler into the ring and then getting caught. Jerry Lawler should be the model or gold standard for pro wrestlers in the modern era. I mean that. Talk about a guy who had great longevity without murdering himself and just gets psychology probably better than anyone around. Another fun offering from him tonight despite the crowd not getting into it.
The lumberjack match was what it was. They stuck with the stip ok, but it was really the most appropriate match to have to build a big tag match. These two have great chemistry together, but it’s the little things they do, rather than the big things that made the Cena-Umaga combo so great, that make the matches.
Overall, a pretty enjoyable night that went for the hard sell for the pay per view a lot like the Clash of Champions shows did for the NWA pay per views in ‘89 and ‘90. We got fun, but not spectacular matches to hold our attention and put a nice cherry on top to entice us to drop the dough on the big show.
Overall Grade: B-
Quick Results
Batista & The Undertaker def. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Beth Phoenix def. Maria
Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy and Matt Hardy def. Finlay, MVP and Mr. Kennedy
Mickie James, Michelle McCool & Kelly def. Leyla, Melina & Jillian Hall
Jerry Lawler def. Santino Marella
Triple H def. Umaga
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
Biggest Pops
1. Shawn Michaels
2. Triple H
3. The Undertaker
4. Batista
Most Heat
1. Randy Orton
2. Umaga
3. Santino Marella
4. Finlay
Match of the Night: Triple H v. Umaga **1/4
Power Rankings5 Points= Title Win
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
WWE Champion: Randy Orton 17-25-2 41pts. (Last Week: WWE Champion) -- Orton finally gets a measure of revenge on HBK tonight. I thought once the video package aired, it brought everything together a lot better. I just wish they wouldn’t take the central theme out of the match at Survivor Series though.
Intercontinental Champion: Jeff Hardy 34-14, 64 points (Last Week: IC Champion)— 20 wins over .500. Only Cena even comes close to that. Likely to be the best record at the end of the year. Who’d have thought that at the beginning of the year?
1. Shawn Michaels 14-7-1, 26 points (Last Week: 2) —Gets RKO’d for his jaw jacking tonight, but hopes to resume that jaw jacking in a literal sense on Sunday.
2. Triple H 13-4, 32pts (Last Week: 2) -- Another solid in ring outing with Umaga and made the survivor series match kind of a big deal.
3. Umaga 21-18-1, 44 Points (Last Week: 3) — The fact that THIS guy is the captain of a team. Any kind of team. A tether ball team even…. It just makes the pay per view worth it. I’m waiting for the book ‘Help me, help you’ by Umaga.
4. Ken Kennedy 5-12-1, 10 pts (Last Week: 4)-- Kennedy was the only average thing about a great match. Thanks to everyone /* sucking though, he stays put.
5. Trevor Murdoch 9-17, 17pts. (Last Week: 5)-- Someone’s feeling squishy tonight.
6. Lance Cade 10-16, 16pts. (Last Week: 6)-- See Murdoch.
7. Hardcore Holly 4-0, 7 pts. (Last Week: 7) — Not in action.
8. Cody Rhodes 8-5 13pts. (Last Week: 9) -- Not in action.
9. Carlito 13-17-4, 23 pts. (Last Week: 7)-- Not in action.
10. Snitsky 6-1, 12pts. (Last Week: NR) -- Likes to hurt people. Please figure out what the *&%( to do with this guy or just release him please.
OTHERS :
John Cena (28-9-1, 72 points) (Last Week: INJURED)
Santino Marella 5-9, 13pts. (Last Week: NR)
Paul London 8-6, 10pts. (Last Week: 10)
Brian Kendrick, 7-6, 9 pts (Last Week: NR)
Super Crazy 5-7-1, 8 points (Last Week: NR)
JTG 5-6, 6pts. (Last Week: RELEASED)
King Booker 3-6, 6 pts. (Last Week: RELEASED)
William Regal 3-1, 5pts (Last Week: NR)
Bobby Lashley 3-4 5pts. (Last Week: INJURED)
Big Shad 4-6, 4pts. (Last Week: RELEASED)
The Sandman 2-5, 4pts. (Last Week: RELEASED)
Ron Simmons 2-0, 4pts. (Last Week: NR)
Harry Smith 2-0, 3 pts. (Last Week: NR)
Jim Duggan 2-4, 3pts. (Last Week: NR)
Rory 2-5, 3pts. (Last Week: NR)
Charlie Haas 2-13-1, 3pts. (Last Week: NR)
Robbie 1-7 1pt. (Last Week: NR)
Shelton Benjamin 3-19-1, 3pts. (Last Week: NR)
Mick Foley 0-1-1, 0 pts. (Last Week: NR)
Sgt. Slaughter 0-2. 0 pts. (Last Week: NR)
Val Venis 0-5 0pts. (Last Week: NR)
Daivari 0-5, 0pts. (Last Week: RELEASED)