Monday Night RAW July 6, 2009
by Bigelow34
HP Pavilion
San Jose, CA
Announcers: Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler
- We fade into our opening animation before heading into the HP Pavilion where we are on tape and in high definition. King and Cole welcome us to Raw and remind us that John Cena and Triple H will tussle for a title shot at NOC later tonight. In the ring, Lillian Garcia brings out tonight’s guest host…”The Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase! Ted comes out with a big smirk on his face and the Million Dollar Championship slung over his shoulder. Cody Rhodes and Ted, Jr. walk out behind him and all three men head down to the ring. It is so awesome to hear DiBiase’s theme again. Ted gets a nice reception from the fans as he grabs the mic. As Trump and McMahon proved to each other two weeks ago…everybody has a price. When he heard guests hosts would be permitted to run Raw for a night, his people made a call and he wrote a check and here we are. This chance gives Ted a natural forum to remind the fans of the greatness that stands before us. In the ring stand two of the most naturally gifted and talented superstars we will ever see in our life: Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, his son. He has been informed that there are to be no title defenses on Raw prior to NOC, but that doesn’t mean he can’t have any fun. At NOC, Edge and Chris Jericho will defend their titles against Legacy! Ted guarantees the kids will win the titles. He asks Cody how he feels about Mark Henry beating Randy Orton last week. He believes Henry needs to be punished and made to suffer. So, Ted says Mark will be taught a lesson when he faces…Cody Rhodes! Cody doesn’t seem to be digging that so Junior asks what is up. Senior says he wants to make an impact…so, he is also telling his son some news as well. He knows Ted told Randy Orton off at the Bash but later made amends. But he saw a look of acknowledgment in Ted’s eyes that night…and that is that Orton is holding Ted down because he is more a talented and gifted athlete than Orton. Randy is just using him. So, tonight Ted will take on Randy in a non title match. This match will make a statement, open eyes and change careers. Ted doesn’t want the match, but Senior says the match is on and that Junior will win. Ted does the classic laugh and heads off as Legacy regroups in the ring. And before they can leave, Edge and Chris Jericho make their way out. They stare down Legacy as we fade to break.
1) Edge & Chris Jericho vs. Primo & Carlito Colon in a non title match
When we return, Edge and Jericho are still hanging in the ring as the Colons make their way out for non title action. Carlito and Edge kick things off as Carlito goes to work on the arm. Edge reverses things but Carlito comes back with a kneelift for a one count. He runs Edge into the corner but eats a big boot on a charge. Edge gets a near fall before tagging in Jericho. Chris lands a back elbow and follows with a back suplex. He stomps on Carlito and then tags Edge back in. Edge clubs Carlito on the back but Carlito fires back with some right hands. Edge takes him down with a drop toehold and gets a near fall. Edge slugs Carlito down into the corner and then distracts Mike Chioda as Jericho chokes Carlito out in the corner. Edge tags Chris back in. He mares Carlito over and hooks on a modified Tazmission. Carlito fights free and lands a springboard back elbow. Both men make tags and Primo takes control with a spinning back elbow. He follows with a dropkick and then knocks Jericho to the floor. He takes Edge over with a headscissors and nails a springboard cross body for two. Primo hammers away and tries another springboard, but Edge trips him up and hot shots him on the top rope. He ties him in the ropes and backs off. Carlito tries to untie Primo as Edge charges and Edge knocks Carlito off the apron as Primo falls out of the way. Primo gets a near fall on Edge but Jericho comes in and drops him with the Codebreaker as Carlito is yelling at the referee. Edge nails Primo with the spear off the rebound and picks up the win.
Edge & Jericho d. Colons when Edge pins Primo with a spear; Grade: 1.5
- Edge and Jericho leave as Carlito snaps and throws his brother shoulder first into the steel post. He tosses him to the floor and hammers away on him, screaming “I Told You So!” He chucks Primo over the announce table and angrily walks off to a chorus of boos. Backstage, Rhodes and DiBiase are chatting. Ted says he has to do it as Randy comes in. Ted says his Dad is stubborn and won’t budge. Randy says that Ted losing to him on TV doesn’t accomplish anything. Ted doesn’t like that attitude and thinks he can win. Randy doesn’t want to do this and he wants Ted to go tell his Dad thanks but no thanks. Randy says if it were his father…well, Ted cuts him off and says it isn’t his father. And, by the way, Ted is better than old Cowboy Bob! Ted says he will finish this and beat Randy tonight. He walks off as we go to break.
- We are back and Cole and King recap the big Trump 15 superstar trade from two weeks ago, listing all the stars that have moved to Raw.
2) Maryse & Alicia Fox vs. Gail Kim & Mickie James
And with that, it is time for Diva tag action…ooh wee! Maryse and Alicia head out to the ring as we go back to last week when Mickie James earned the NOC title shot at Maryse. Maryse’s annoyed look of awesomeness is fantastic. Mickie and Gail come out next as Gail makes her return to Raw for the first time since the November 1, 2004 episode. Mickie and Maryse lock up to start with Mickie forcing Maryse into the ropes. Maryse grabs the arm and spikes Mickie down by her hair. She struts over and tags in Alicia, but Mickie rolls her right up for two. Mickie hammers away at Alicia and snaps her down with a neckbreaker. She knocks Maryse off the apron with a forearm and dropkicks Alicia for a near fall. Mickie tags in Gail, who drills Alicia with a back elbow. She takes Alicia over with a huracarrana and follows with a nice spear in the corner. She knocks Alicia to the floor and then hits Alicia with a cross body for two when she comes back in. Alicia is able to regain control and chokes out Gail in the ropes. Alicia distracts Jack Doane which allows Maryse to kick Gain in the head. Alicia tags out and Maryse plants Gail with a nice backbreaker for two. Gail fights off Maryse but Maryse recovers and knocks Mickie from the apron to prevent the tag. Gail hits a version of the Codebreaker using her foot and gets the upset win.
Mickie & Gail d. Maryse & Alicia when Gail pins Maryse with a falling kick to the face; Grade: .5
- The women all stare each other down as we head backstage. Ted is getting a manicure as Cody heads in to talk. Cody wanted to thank Ted and kiss up a bit. Cody has a handful of money but Ted says it isn’t enough to get what he wants. Ted knows Cody wants to make a deal to get out of his match. Cody thinks it would be wise to just focus on the tag team title match at NOC. Ted tells Cody he is part of Legacy and Cody goes into a funny spiel about what Legacy represents. Ted tells Cody he is the son of a WWE Legend…the son of a son of a plumber! Cody starts singing “Common Man” but Ted cuts him off and says he despises Dusty Rhodes. He would never want anything to do with a common man. He calls him a fat, bloated gyrating fool and doesn’t like that Dusty is in the HOF and he isn’t. So, Cody needs to march out of the office and fight mark Henry or Ted will put him in polka dots like his old man. Cody scurries off as Ted chuckles and we head to break. And that was an awesome promo.
- The AutoZone Slam of the Week takes us back to last Monday when Mark Henry put a world of stank on Randy Orton. We then head back to the arena for our next match.
3) Mark Henry vs. Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes hesitantly heads out to the ring as his bribery scheme failed. I would have begged out of this to as Mark Henry is looking to split some wigs and clip some wings. Henry stomps to the ring and Cody backs off as the match starts. They lock up and Henry just pulls Cody into his body to knock him down. He shoots Cody into the corner but eats a boot on a charge. Cody heads up top but Henry catches him on a cross body attempt. He drops Cody down with World’s Strongest Slam and Cody rolls to safety on the floor. Cody stumbles up and runs away as Charles Robinson counts him out. Henry d. Rhodes by countout; Grade: 0
- Henry laughs in the ring as he gets his hand raised. We cut backstage to see John Cena prepping before we head to break.
4) Randy Orton vs. Ted DiBiase
We are back from break and the WWE Champion is heading out to the ring for our next bout. DiBiase is out next and Cole runs down the history between these two men, dating back to late last year. Both men are locked on each other as the bell rings. Randy grabs a side headlock and grinds Ted to the mat. Ted forces his way out of it and both men reset. They lock up and Orton shoves Ted’s face off the break. Ted slugs him down and takes him over with an armdrag. He follows with a dropkick and Randy bails to the floor. Ted hits a baseball slide dropkick and is all fired up as Randy regroups and we head to break. When we return, Orton has Ted clamped in a chinlock as the crowd tries to rally DiBiase. Ted fights to his feet and elbows free but Orton boots him in the ribs. Randy works his way around Ted with the Garvin Stomp. Orton goes for a big kneedrop but Ted rolls out of the way and gets a roll up for two. They both pop up after a second roll up and Orton crushes him with a right hand. Ted rolls to the apron and pulls himself up but Orton drills him with another stiff kick to the chest. Randy says he didn’t want to do this as he drags Ted out across the ropes and hits the hanging DDT. Ted kicks out to Randy’s surprise. He covers again and Ted kicks out again. Randy clubs on Ted with right hands and then drops a stiff knee for two. Randy locks in another chinlock but Ted fights to his feet and takes Orton over with a back suplex. Both men are up and Ted nails a back elbow. He comes off the middle rope with a back elbow for two. He peppers Orton with some right hands but Orton stops him and drops him with the inverted backbreaker. He slithers back and lines up Ted as he pulls himself up. Ted blocks the RKO and gets a backslide for two. Orton meets him with a kick but Ted takes him over with a powerslam for a near fall. Ted goes for Dream Street but Orton counters it and drops the RKO for the quick win. Ted looked good out there and the seeds are clearly there for him to be a big time player down the road.
Orton d. DiBiase with the RKO; Grade: 2
- Randy grabs his belt and heads off as King wonders if Randy has some newfound respect for Ted. Ted rolls over and glares at Orton as Orton just looks back him blankly. We cut backstage where Josh Matthews is chatting with Triple H. He says tonight’s match will be epic and all bets are off. He doesn’t care who he has to hurt or go through and that includes Cena. Hunter walks off and we go to commercial.
- We are back and checking out a vide package highlighting MVP’s tryst to the BET Awards with Sherri Shepherd. Back in the arena, MVP is in the ring with the VIP Lounge set. Big things are popping and little things be stopping because the Lounge is for people like all of us. He is all about the cash money. He talks about the big trade that Trump orchestrated as it delivered MVP’s next guest to Raw here tonight…Jack Swagger! Swagger struts out as only he can and grabs a mic. MVP would like to ask Swagger about his Raw debut. Swagger cuts him off but MVP wasn’t done, so he stops Swagger. MVP asks Swagger how it felt to debut on Raw and expose himself as a fraud by accepting a count out loss against Orton. Swagger says he is a two time All American and went to the University of Oklahoma and was a D-I athlete. Swagger says MVP spent time at Florida State…but not that the school. He says MVP is a fraud and a con that spent ten years behind bars. He says MVP has only been the MVP of a prison basketball league. The true MVP of Raw is Jack Swagger. MVP says he doesn’t hide his past and talks about it openly. He ran the streets as a juvenile and those bad decisions cost him dearly. He now uses his celebrity status to prevent kids in the neighborhood from going down his path. He paid his debt to society and served his time like a man. Swagger says he isn’t a man and he needs to stop making excuses. MVP says the D-I school didn’t teach Jack the difference between excuses and explanation. MVP says they are different because unlike Swagger, MVP has never been afraid of a fight. The crowd is digging MVP. Swagger laughs and starts to back off. He says he doesn’t fight people below him and he doesn’t fight criminals. MVP says it is obvious that Swagger doesn’t fight at all since he has been on Raw. If he ever wants to be a man and fight MVP, he can find him in the VIP Lounge. He is straight up Ballin! Swagger backs his way up the ramp as MVP smirks back at him. That was a good segment and both men have that star feel. Backstage, Ted, Sr. is pumping up his son, saying he will be World Champion some day. Junior says his Dad set him up to fail and that he wanted him to lose. It is still all about the Million Dollar Man and he only showed up here tonight to steal his spotlight. It is his time to shine now. Ted, Sr. says it is not that at all but Junior says it is and smacks him hard across the face. Junior thanks him and walks off as his Dad sadly shakes his head.
- The Just For Men Rewind takes us back to last week when Kofi Kingston and the Big Show wrestled to a double countout.
5) Kofi Kingston vs. Evan Bourne in a non title match
We are back and the United States Champion is heading to the ring for some non title action. Evan Bourne makes his way out to a nice pop. The bell sounds and we are under way with a lock up. Evan grabs the arm and turns into a hammerlock. Kofi shoves him off but Evan avoids a leapfrog and gets a roll up for one. They trade pin attempts and Kofi ends up in control with a half Boston crab. Bourne reaches the ropes to break the hold and Kofi backs off. Bourne takes Kofi over with a side headlock but Kofi breaks free. Kofi gets a side headlock takeover of his own. Kofi turns it into a pin attempt but Evan kicks out. Kofi hits a cross body off the middle rope for two and then follows with a dropkick. He hits a big splash in the corner but Evan catches him with a leaping kneelift on a second attempt. Bourne heads up top and drops a perfect Air Bourne for the win! Big win for Bourne there and the announcers put him over big time.
Bourne d. Kingston with Air Bourne; Grade: 1.5
- Bourne and Kofi shake hands but their party is interrupted by the Big Show, who slowly heads down to the ring. Show kicks Kofi down and then just swats Bourne to the mat. Bourne dropkicks Show from behind but Show just hoists him up and throws him across the ring. Kofi fights up but Show clubs him down. He crushes Bourne with a spear and then pounds Kofi’s ribs with big right hands. Show locks Kofi in the camel clutch until he feels like stopping. Show relents and walks off as we go to break.
- When we return, we check out a video package of John Cena’s 12 Round autograph signing. We then head backstage where Josh is with Cena. Cena agrees that all bets are off because tonight raw has transformed itself into Wrestlemania. That is the opinion of the WWE Universe. Two of the greatest will do battle for a ticket to a Championship match. Cena says Hunter will not walk through him and move on to Orton. Two of the biggest forces will lock horns tonight and at the end of the night, one person will have the chance to hold the gold. He respects Triple H but it has been way too long since he has said “the Champ is here!” Cena heads off and we head to the ring.
6) Triple H vs. John Cena to earn a WWE Championship match at Night of Champions
And it is time to play the game as Triple H makes his way out for our main event. As the Game hits the ring, we hit a break. When we return, John Cena makes his way out to his usual thunderous split reaction. The bell sounds and the crowd is buzzing as they square off face to face. They back off and the charge into a lock up. Cena takes Hunter down but he quickly slips free and they reset. They jaw a bit before locking up again. Cena takes Hunter down but he slips free and both men bounce back up. They trade big right hands with Cena gaining control. He takes Hunter down with a shoulderblock but Hunter comes back with a high knee. Cena reverses a whip and sends Hunter flying over the top turnbuckle and to the floor. Cena heads out and goes for the AA, but Hunter slips off and shoves Cena to the post. Both men are down as we take a break. When we return, Hunter whips Cena hard into the corner. Cena reverses a whip and takes Hunter down with a hip toss. He follows with a suplex and gets two. Cena charges but eats a back elbow. Triple H plants him with a backbreaker and follows with a second one. He covers and gets a near fall. Hunter takes him over with a suplex and drops a stiff elbow to the back. He pulls Cena up and drills him with a forearm to the lower back. Hunter measures him and drills him with some right hands to the head. He drops a knee and gets a near fall. Cena starts to fire back but Hunter stops him with a kneelift to the gut. Cena ducks a clothesline and lands a pair of shoulderblocks. He takes Hunter over with a back suplex and drops the Five Knuckle Shuffle. He lines Hunter up and goes for the AA but Hunter slides down and slugs away. He catches Cena with the facebreaker and runs Cena into the corner. Hunter eats a boot on a charge but recovers and takes Cena down with the spinebuster. He goes for the Pedigree but Cena backdrops Hunter over. Both men get up and Hunter catches Cena in a sleeperhold. Cena starts to fade but fights back up and breaks the hold. Cena pushes Hunter off and gets a sleeper of his own. Hunter starts to fade but he fights his way back up as well and takes Cena over with a back suplex. Both men slowly get to their feet and Cena meets Hunter with a big right hand. Hunter fires back and they trade more big shots. Hunter starts to win the battle but Cena stops him with a boot to the gut and a blockbuster. Cena heads up top but Hunter avoids the legdrop and he crashes and burns. Hunter goes for the Pedigree but Cena rolls through with a jackknife cover for two. Cena goes for the AA but Hunter slips free and gets a roll up for two. Cena takes Hunter down and hooks in the STF but Hunter reaches the ropes. Hunter reaches up and gets a small package for a near fall. He loads up the Pedigree but Cena counters and slingshots Hunter into the corner. He goes for the AA again but Hunter hooks the ropes so Cena lets him go. He hits the ropes and both men take each other out with a double clothesline. Both men are slow to get up again and they go back to trading right hands but Legacy hits the ring to draw the DQ. The final few minutes saved this thing before the weak finish.
Triple H and John Cena wrestle to a no contest when Legacy interferes; Grade: 2.5
- DiBiase and Rhodes hit a quick strike before quickly bailing. Randy Orton appears on the ramp and says the match is officially a double DQ, meaning there is no winner and neither moves on to NOC. Before he can finish speaking, Ted, Sr. joins us. Ted says that while neither man won, neither man lost either. And tonight, his opinion carries more weight than Randy’s. So, at NOC, it will be a triple threat match with Orton taking on Cena and Hunter. Orton is not happy and all three men stare at each other as we fade out. Remember, everybody has a price! Hahahaha!
Final Grade: C+
MVP: The DiBiase Family
Runner Up: Evan Bourne
Non MVP: Primo & Carlito Colon
Runner Up: Kofi Kingston
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