WWE Monday Raw
October 8, 2007
Recap by Sassy
Comments by Sassy in italics.
This is the first Raw after No Mercy. It is my
understanding from reading reviews of the No Mercy pay per view that it was a
waste of money and their time. I was not impressed with the Randy Orton –
Triple H show. In fact, several sites reported that the glory of the title belt
was compromised with the back and forth win/lose script and even hinted that
it’s been done before.
Monday Night Raw is being broadcast from Grand Rapids, MI.
Ringside announcers: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
Ring announcers: Lillian
Garcia and Justin Roberts
We open with Mr. McMahon coming to the ring. McMahon says
that he is a man of his word and he proved it last night at No Mercy.
He guaranteed that there would be a new WWE champion and that we did and
that we had three WWE championship matches at No Mercy.
Hey Vince – they were all the same opponents! We see a recap of the
Orton/Triple H title feud, oh, yeah, there was that one match with Umaga. Did
Orton need a break? McMahon also
says that history will be made right here tonight. McMahon wants everyone on the
roster in the arena tonight. They are going to shake the hand of the new WWE
champion. The next time the title will be defended will be Cyber Sunday. Then we
hear Triple H’s music and he enters the arena. I do like Triple H’s music.
Triple H tells McMahon the fans don’t care about Cyber Sunday, they care about
tonight and just like Orton did last night, Triple H is invoking his rematch
clause. Triple H wants his rematch
tonight. McMahon doesn’t think he should make the match, but tonight it will
be Triple H against Randy Orton. McMahon leaves the ring and then says that it
will be Triple H versus Randy Orton and Orton’s tag team partner, Umaga –
it’s a handicap match.
Lawler tells us that John Cena will talk to the audience
tonight.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break.
Six Diva Tag Team Match
Beth Phoenix, from Buffalo NY
Current WWE Women’s Champion
&
Melina & Jillian Hall
Vs.
Mickie James, Maria & Candice Michelle
Audience Favorite: I’m not sure.
My favorite: Beth Phoenix and Mickie James – they can
wrestle
Winners: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, and Maria
after Candice pins Jillian for a three count.
All of the girls are looking better in the ring, but they
aren’t up to the talent of Beth and Mickie just yet. Maria looks like she has
been spending a lot of time working on her wrestling maneuvers. She may
outshine Candice if she keeps going. Melina tops Jillian in the wrestling
category but both girls are going to have to work harder to keep up with Beth
and Mickie in the ring.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break.
We are backstage with William Regal and Jonathan Coachman.
Coach is back after beating beat up by John Cena and Coach has to use a cane.
McMahon shows up to make sure that Regal is taking care of McMahon’s son,
Hornswoggle. Regal tells McMahon
that Hornswoggle is taking a nap. Regal tells Coach that since Coach is
Regal’s assistant, it is Coach’s job to watch Hornswoggle. Coach looks for Hornswoggle and he is gone.
Regal sends Coach out to look for Hornswoggle.
We see a Cyber Sunday promo.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break.
We see a Friday Night Smackdown promo.
Santino Marella, weighing 227 lbs., residing in Patterson,
NJ
Vs.
Val Venis, weighing 244 lbs., from Las Vegas, NV
Audience favorite: I’m not sure
My favorite: Val Venis – He should be the champ. I voted
for him.
Winner: Snitsky who wasn’t even supposed to be in
the match.
Marella leaves the ring to introduce Lillian Garcia and tells
everyone that he understands Lillian’s band is performing and in Spanish.
Marella tells Venis he can’t fight him tonight, he has a previous engagement
but that Regal has found a replacement for Marella and the replacement is
Snitsky.
It’s irritating that Snitsky comes back after what we hear
is a drug related suspension to pound on Val Venis. Venis is much better than this and could have been working a
real match instead of spending his time in the ring being pummeled by Snitsky.
We have a recap of Evander Holyfield’s match with Matt
Hardy and then knocking out MVP because Holyfield has a boxing match coming up.
We then see Holyfield in training and in boxing. Holyfield has a pay per view
coming up. Isn’t this a wrestling show?
We see a recap of the injury to John Cena during his match
with Mr. Kennedy and then being attacked by Randy Orton.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break.
We see a Save Us 222 promo.
John Cena from Tampa, FL, via satellite. Cena says he
doesn’t know when he will be back on Raw, it can be anywhere from seven to
twelve months. Cena discusses Orton’s win and Triple H’s beatings. Cena says
that Orton will come face to face with all of his targets and every superstar
will want to get a match for the championship.
And as Lawler says “Speak of the Devil”, Orton enters the
arena. Another first - Lawler and I agree on something.
Handicap Match Championship match
Randy Orton, weighing 245 lbs, from St. Louis, MO
&
Umaga, weighing 350 lbs., from the Isle of Samoa
Vs.
Triple H, weighing 255 lbs., from Greenwich, CT
Commercial break before Umanga and Triple H are introduced.
Back from commercial break.
Audience Favorite: Triple H
My favorite: Out of these three? Triple H
Winner: You can't win a match when it isn't a match - Orton
due to disqualification after Umaga hits Triple H with a chair.
Triple H began bleeding from the forehead early in the match
from last night’s injury. And then we get to see a beat down by Umaga and
Orton much to the dismay of the audience. Over the top and really, McMahon,
is that all you have to show Monday Night Raw fans? Orton leaves the ring
and Umaga continues to beat on Triple H. Lawler keeps yelling for someone to get
in the ring and stop it – isn’t Lawler a wrestler? The brave ref did
get back in the ring after Umaga left the arena, and he brought another ref in
with him. The crowd goes wild when Triple H pushes away the refs and tries to
walk up the ramp by himself. He
doesn’t make it. Now we have four refs to get Triple H out of the arena.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break, we see two refs helping Triple H
out of the arena and we get a recap of Umaga and Orton beating up Triple H.
McMahon is waiting back stage and he tells Triple H that he will be out in the
ring to shake Orton’s hand and to congratulate Orton for winning the
championship.
This was not a match either. I don’t know how well Umaga
can wrestle. We never see him
wrestle. I am betting, considering his family background, he can wrestle fairly
well. Triple H can wrestle when he
gets around to it, but I’m not so sure that Orton can. Since it was not a real
match, I can’t report on anyone’s abilities with the exception of Triple H
being able to get beat on again after being beat on in several matches at No
Mercy.
Paul London and Brian Kendrick, combined weight of 369
lbs.
Vs.
The Highlanders, Rory and Robbie, combined weight of 34
stones
Audience favorite: London & Kendrick
My favorite: I’m not sure
Winner: The Highlanders who pin Brian Kendrick and use
the ropes to do it.
London and Kendrick are still doing a great job as high
fliers. The Highlanders are managing to turn into bad guys in short order and
doing a good job of it.
Diva contestants.
Coach is backstage looking for Hornswoggle. He asks a
backstage worker who says he hasn’t seen any leprechauns, then Cody Rhodes who
says he hasn’t seen Hornswoggle. Regal finds Coach and wants to know where
Hornswoggle is and Coach says he hasn’t found him yet.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break, we see a recap of the No Mercy
championship feud between Triple H, Orton and Umaga.
Lillian Garcia’s band plays. Marella comes out and tells
Garcia and her band to beat it because he has a song of his own. It’s another
hit against The Condemned.
Commercial break – again.
Back from commercial break.
We see a recap of the Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly feud.
Mr. Kennedy, weighing 235 lbs., from Green Bay, WI
Vs.
Jeff Hardy, weighing 225 lbs., from Cameron, NC
Current Intercontinental Champion
Audience favorite: Jeff Hardy
My favorite: Jeff Hardy
Winner: Jeff Hardy with a pin and a three count.
Kennedy got more boos than Orton. I’m impressed. Hardy
is much too quick for Kennedy. Commercial break during the match.
Jeff makes me wonder how he manages to do this same stuff week after week
and still be able to move. I like
Matt Hardy but I think Jeff has him beat in the high-risk category.
I am also certain that Kennedy can wrestle but since he spends most of
his time avoiding it, it is difficult to tell how well he can wrestle.
When did WWE start having a championship ceremony,
especially for a roster member who managed to evade punishment for being on the
Signature Pharmacy client list?
Backstage with McMahon and Regal. McMahon tells Regal he
wants everyone out in the ring. We get to see Hornswoggle working over Coach
with Coach’s cane. All of the WWE superstars are seen walking to the ring and
none of them look very happy.
Commercial break.
Back from commercial break, we are told WWE fans get to vote
for their favorite “Fat Head”. Before you all get carried away, the Fat
Head isn’t supposed to be an insult. You should vote for your favorite
wrestler, not the most despised.
McMahon tells everyone to come into the ring to shake hands
with the new champion. Orton saunters out to the ring and McMahon introduces
Orton as the new WWE champion. The
audience isn’t any more impressed than I am.
He gets many You Suck chants from the audience. Orton then begins to tell
everyone how great he is. Hmmm, has
he trashed any more hotel rooms, stolen any more cards from fans cameras? He
doesn’t mention it if he has. McMahon
wants to start the handshake line with Triple H but Triple H doesn’t’ seem
to be there. McMahon demands that Triple H come to the ring. McMahon says he
will go backstage himself, then says that Orton will go back and drag Triple H
out to the ring – to the boos of the audience.
Orton goes up the ramp to find Triple H, however, we hear Shawn Michaels
music and Shawn Michaels appears at the head of the ramp and as he walks down
the ramp, Orton retreats into the ring but Michaels follows him in and takes him
out with sweet chin music. McMahon doesn’t look happy.
So much for Michaels’ much rumored retirement. The
audience showered Michael with applause. Everyone
is glad to see he is back. Perhaps Michaels will be able to liven up Monday
Night Raw, then move over to ECW and help them out and finish up fixing Friday
Night Smackdown.
My take on WWE lately is that they spread the talent too
thin. Kendrick and London are great
tag team partners but they are never in a match with anyone of the same caliber.
I am irritated at the push these “superstars” get after being suspended for
using drugs and irritated that WWE expects us to go along with it.
I don’t believe Randy Orton deserved any kind of a push but WWE
obviously does.
I promised someone I would make sure this tidbit about
Orton was not forgotten. She
hasn’t forgotten about it and is in hopes the rest of the world won’t
either. Randy Orton has been treated with kid gloves since he showed up in WWE.
For all of WWE’s touting that they care about our troops fighting
overseas, they immediately moved Orton into a major role in WWE knowing full
well he bailed out of the Marine Corps. They know full well about his recent
actions and his name on the Signature Pharmacy client list.
I don’t understand why WWE believes Orton is “all that” and would
like to know why someone in the locker room hasn’t stood up and asked that
same question. There are many other talented WWE stars that deserve to be
standing where Orton stood last night.
WWE SMACKDOWN / OCTOBER 5
Wrestling Bodyslam . Com