Monday Night RAW April 14, 2008
by Sassy
William Regal is backstage and is approached by John Bradshaw Layfield. JBL tells Regal that he is spineless by giving Triple H and John Cena a place in the championship match at Backlash. JBL is complaining about being in England. Regal says he has been too accommodating of late and he won’t let that happen again. Regal says that tonight JBL will be in a match against Triple H.
Monday Night Raw broadcast from London, England on the USA Network.
Ringside announcers: Jim Ross & Jerry “The King” Lawler
Ring announcer: Lillian Garcia
Interviews: Todd Grishman and Mike Adamle
Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels enters the arena and heads to the ring. He grabs a mic and says that the last thing he wanted to do was to come out in the ring and address the problems between HBK and Batista. He gives the audience a rundown of the feud between HBK and Batista. When he mentions Flair’s name, thunderous WOOOOOS! come from the live audience. When he mentions Batista’s name, there are some loud BOOS!
The audience hears Nature Boy Ric Flair’s entrance theme and the audience turns to watch the entrance ramp. Flair does not appear but Y2J Chris Jericho does appear – to some really loud BOOS from the live audience. Jericho comes to the ring with a mic and tells Michaels that they will never hear Flair’s music again because of HBK. Jericho calls Michaels a phony and says that is what Batista thinks. Jericho accuses Michaels of loving only himself and says that Michaels enjoyed retiring Flair just like Michaels thrived on screwing Brett Hart, the same way Michaels enjoyed super kicking his old partner, Marty Jannetty, and throwing Jannetty through a plate glass window. Jerico accuses Michaels of giving Vince McMahon the stipulations for Flair’s retirement and Michaels responds with a kick to Jericho’s jaw. The audience liked it.
Jim Ross informs the audience that next week The King of the Ring returns next week on Monday Night Raw in a three hour program.
Match to Determine #1 Contender for the WWE World Tag Team Championship
Santino Marella, weighing 247 lbs.
&
Carlito from the Caribbean, weighing 220 lbs.
Vs.
Paul London
&
Brian Kendrick
Marella faces off with London as the bell rings. London & Kendrick are a very good tag team although they are smaller than quite a few of the wrestlers on the Raw roster. I haven’t been able to decide whether Marella has any talent or not but Carlito can do a very good job in the ring when given a chance. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes are backstage watching the match on a monitor. I don’t see any smooth moves by Marella and Carlito has been making his mark as a heel in the WWE ring. London & Kendrick are fast and efficient and for a minute I thought London had the win. Kendrick goes flying over the top rope and lands hard on the mat outside the ring, London delivers a kick that sends Marella out to the floor, Carlito nails London with the backstabber, goes for the cover and gets the three count.
Time: 4 minutes
Winners:
Carlito with a backstabber
&
Santino Marella
#1 Contenders for the WWE World Tag Team Championship
It wasn’t a long match but it was certainly fast paced thanks to the flying London & Kendrick. After the match, Marella hands Carlito a mic. Carlito goes off in Spanish and no one, including me knows what he says. Marella takes the mic and then he rattles off in, I guess, Italian. I didn’t get that either. Marella addresses Holly & Rhodes and tells them they are up against two International Superstars and they will lose their titles. Marella then says that they are wieners. Carlito corrects Marella and says they are WINNERS.
WWE Women’s Championship Match
Mickie James from Richmond, VA
Challenger
Vs.
The Glamazon Beth Phoenix from Buffalo, NY
Champion
This should be interesting. James is a high-flying wrestler while Phoenix tends to be more of a brutal opponent in the ring.
Phoenix begins the match by throwing James around but James comes back with a few smacks of her own. Phoenix slams James back first into the turnbuckle and goes for the cover. She gets a two count. Phoenix slingshots James off the top rope and again goes for a cover but doesn’t get the three count. Phoenix has James in the chicken wing but she manages to get out of the hold. James slams Phoenix head first into the top turnbuckle twice. James continues to work on Phoenix. The referee has to nearly pull Phoenix off of James in the corner as she delivers kicks to the midsection. James comes off the top rope and slams Phoenix to the canvas, goes for the cover but only gets a two count. Phoenix goes for another submission move, James counters with a roll up and gets the three count. And we have a new Women’s Champion!
Time: 5 minutes Winner and New WWE Women’s Champion: Mickie James With a roll up pin
That was a surprise! Not that James won the match but that she won the title on Monday Night Raw. These two women in the ring working like they did and they are relegated to Monday Night Raw. Why was this match not a part of Wrestlemania XXIV? Because WWE treats the Women’s Champion with the same complacency they treat the women wrestlers – if you don’t have your photo on the cover of Playboy, you just don’t count.
As we return from commercial break, and what did I say? – Mickie James is at the top of the entrance ramp and is surrounded by, you got it, Maria and Ashley. When Todd Grisham asks Mickie how it feels to be the new Women’s Champion, Mickie kisses Todd and he ends up on the floor.
Mike Adamle is backstage with Raw General Manager William Regal who is warming up for his match tonight. Adamle asks Regal why he decided to take on the very best in the world. Regal says that he did it because he wanted to show everyone that he could beat the best.
Y2J Chris Jericho appears and wants Regal to make the match between Batista and Shawn Michaels a triple threat match with Jericho in the middle. Regal says that Jericho can be in the middle of that match. Jericho can be the special guest referee. Jericho says that he doesn’t want to referee, he wants to wrestle. Regal tells Jericho that tonight he can wrestle Umaga and he will be defending his WWE Intercontinental Championship.
JTG, from Cryme Tyme, weighing 230 lbs.
Accompanied to the ring by his tag team partner
Vs.
Trevor Murdoch, from TX weighing 250 lbs.
Accompanied to the ring by his tag team partner, Lance Cade
JTG is the smaller member of Cryme Tyme and Trevor does a good job of taking him down and keeping him down at the beginning of the match. Murdoch goes up to the top turnbuckle and delivers a cross body block but JTG rolls through and gets the pin and the win.
Time: 1 minute
Winner: JTG of Cryme Tyme with a cross body block
After the match, Cade enters the ring and stares down Murdoch. Cade slaps Murdoch on the shoulder and exits the ring, heading out of the arena.
Randy Orton is heading to the ring.
Randy Orton from St. Louis, MO, weighing 245 lbs.
WWE Champion.
Vs..
William Regal from Blackpool, England, weighing 240 lbs..
It’s nice to see that Orton gets the same reaction in England that he gets in the states. The British don’t like him either. I know it isn’t going to happen – BUT GET HIM REGAL!
The audience is chanting “Let’s go Regal” and we all know that Regal is one dirty fighter when he needs to be. Regal goes from fighting dirty to showing everyone he hasn’t forgotten his wrestling. Regal is full of counters for everything that Orton does. The fans love it. I think the audience spent most of their match getting to their feet. Orton goes out to the floor and gets against the guardrail. That may not be a safe place for him to be. The ref goes out to check on Orton and then both of them get back in the ring. Regal twice has Orton pinned but Orton gets a foot up on the bottom rope. As the ref backs Regal up, Orton is up off the canvas and catches Regal with an RKO.
Time: 6 minutes
Winner: Randy Orton with an RKO
The fans weren’t happy with this win and neither was I. Regal may not be in the ring often but when he is, he does do a good job.
WWE Intercontinental Championship Match
Umaga from the Isle of Samoa, weighing 350 lbs.
Vs.
Y2J Chris Jericho, weighing 226 lbs.
WWE Intercontinental Champion
It will be interesting to see how Jericho hangs onto his title. From the look of what is going on in the ring, Jericho needs to get himself disqualified and in a hurry. I don’t know how Jericho powered out of the last pin attempt but he did. Umaga picks Jericho up and throws him over the top rope and we go to
COMMERCIAL BREAK IN THE MIDDLE OF THE MATCH!
Back in the ring, Jericho has Umaga in the corner but it doesn’t last for long. Jericho manages to pull down the top rope, sending Umaga out to the floor. Jericho delivers baseball slide that sends Umaga into the guardrail but then Jericho goes out after Umaga and Jericho receives a heavy clothesline. Umaga rolls Jericho back into the ring. Umaga goes for the cover but Jericho gets a shoulder up. Umaga attempts a squash, Jericho gets a foot up and crotches Umaga. Jericho takes two kicks to the face. Whether he wins or loses, you have to admit Jericho took a beating in this match. Umaga backs across the ring to deliver his famous squash against the ring post but Jericho rolls out of the way, goes up to the top and comes off to nail Umaga in the back of the head. Both men are down and the ref starts the count. He gets to five before both me are back to their feet. Umaga goes for a splash, Jericho rolls out of the way and delivers a low drop kick before trying for the walls of Jericho. He can’t lock it in and Jericho is against the ring post again. Umaga delivers a Samoan drop and goes for the cover but Jericho kicks out. Umaga has Jericho by the throat and goes for the Samoan Spike, Jericho ducks out of the way, Umaga charges, Jericho moves again and Umaga hits the top turnbuckle, Jericho goes for a roll up and uses the ropes to get the three count.
Time: 4 minutes before commercial break, 8 minutes after commercial break, 12 minutes total.
Winner: Y2J Chris Jericho with a roll up and a little help from the ropes
Retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship
We all knew that Jericho wasn’t going to be able to overpower Umaga and Umaga certainly won’t wrestle in any match he participates in.
Hacksaw Jim Duggan from NY, weighing 270 lbs.
Vs.
Paul Burchill from England, weighing 237 lbs.
Accompanied to the ring by Katie Lea
The bell rings and Burchill attacks Duggan while his back his turned. This appears to be that squash match that WWE has to have, but didn’t we have a one-minute match a little earlier this evening? Burchill slams Duggan’s face into the mat, goes for the cover and gets the three count.
Time: 1 minute
Winner: Paul Burchill
Grisham is backstage with Triple H. He asks Triple H how he is going to face JBL when he has never been in a match against him before. Triple H says he isn’t going to come out right before his match and tell anyone what his game plan is going to be. The was basically a plug for Triple H’s new DVD.
Then the audience hears about the next WWE pay per view, Backlash.
Main Event:
The Game Triple H from Greenwich, CT, weighing 255 lbs.
Vs.
John Bradshaw Layfield from New York City
Commercial break before the match begins (which is better than in the middle of the match!)
The match has already begun when we return from commercial break and both men are down on the canvas. I haven’t been impressed with anything JBL has done since he has been away from the ring although he does draw quite a bit of heat wherever he goes. Triple H still has the ability to get the fans on their feet. I am not sure why JBL’s weight is never announced when he is involved in a match these days. We spend a few seconds trying to intimidate each other with jaw action before locking up again. And then we go back to jaw action. Triple H tries for a pedigree but JBL sends Triple H up and over onto the canvas. As JR has pointed out, this is more of a brawl than a wrestling match. Nice face buster by Triple H and then he delivers a clothesline that sends JBL over the top rpe and out to the floor. Triple H goes out to the floor after JBL and they battle up the entrance ramp. Orton appears to attack Triple H and Orton takes Triple H back into the ring to beat on him. Triple H manages to deliver a spine buster but as he goes for a pedigree, JBL delivers a boot to Triple H’s head. Now we have Orton and JBL beating on Triple H in the middle of the ring. The ref rang the bell when Orton appeared but since both men were out of the ring at the time, I don’t know if anyone has won the match. JBL sets up Triple H for the famous Orton kick to the head and as Orton charges, JBL delivers the clothesline from hell to Orton and then JBL picks up the WWE Championship belt. As Triple H gets to his feet, JBL sends him back to the mat with a clothesline and again holds up the belt.
NOTE: When the beat down of Triple H was going on in the ring, the audience was chanting for “Cena” but Cena did not show up.
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