Monday Night Raw
Raw starts off with the normal video package highlighting the events that have shaken Raw up, this video first starting off with the MVP vs. Paul London match, where the Cruiserweight Champion won by disqualification after Randy Orton interference, which led to a two on one assault on London with the aid of a steel chair, before Shawn Michaels came out for the late save for his protégé, only to be assaulted by Orton and MVP as well, it ending with Michaels copping a Playa’s Boot to the head with the aid of a steel chair. It then shows what happened on Smackdown where the Rated RKO Dynasty was in the ring, only to be interrupted by HHH, who ran down the Rated RKO Dynasty before hitting him with a chair to the face, as Edge and MVP move in for the kill, only to be hit with a Sweet Chin Music each by none other than the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels. It then shows HHH taking off his shirt to reveal a D- Generation- X one, as Michaels does the same. It then has highlights of Mr. Kennedy’s interview via satellite from his home, where he assured the fans that he would be here this week in his hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, and he promised to destroy Punk with his own hands, just like Punk did to him. The video then shows Raw’s main event Champion vs. Champion match between Chris Jericho and CM Punk, where after a very exciting affair where many finishers were used but unable to put the opponent away, Punk came out the victor after a Straight Edge to Jericho.
It then cuts to Jeff Hardy announcing his partner for Wrestlemania, only to be interrupted by the UKonnection, who after running down Hardy, gave him the second 4 on 1 assault in two weeks. It then has ‘One of a Kind’ playing over the speakers to a massive pop from the crowd, as Hardy’s partner is revealed to be none other than Rob Van Dam, who runs down to the ring with a steel chair in hand. The events that took place between Hardy and RVD against the UKonnection was put into major detail, starting off with the chair shot right to the skull of Finlay, before Regal, Smith and Burchill going after Rob. It then shows Hardy getting a steel chair from the outside and bringing it into the ring, before pulling Regal away from his Wrestlemania tag team partner and then nailing the leader of the UKonnection with a Twist of Fate. It cuts to Hardy and RVD throwing their steel chairs to the two remaining standing UKonnection members in Smith and Burchill who caught the chairs, only to be hit with consecutive Van Daminators. It then has both Jeff and Rob on the top rope, doing their signature taunts on the top rope, before the two leapt off, Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb on both Paul Burchill and Finlay, as at the same time Rob Van Dam hit a Five Star Frog Splash on DH Smith and William Regal. The video package then ends with the new tag team of RVD and Hardy raising each other’s arms, having the advantage over the team’s Wrestlemania opponents.
We then cut to Jim Ross and Jerry ‘the King’ Lawler, who talk about the shocking return of none other than Rob Van Dam last week, and how they will hear from RVD and Hardy right here tonight. King then talks about what they saw on WWE.COM, where it was announced that after last week’s main event between IC Champion Chris Jericho and CM Punk which Punk won, Jericho went straight to General Manager Shane McMahon, who granted Jericho a rematch, where if Y2J won, he would be inserted into the Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania for the second year in a row! A graphic came up on the titantron, which got a great reception from the crowd, happy to witness Jericho up against Punk once again. Another graphic then comes up with the already announced Shawn Michaels and Paul London up against the Two Man Dynasty, which King says he wouldn’t be surprised if we saw interference from Edge and/or Triple H. We then cut away from the match graphics as the camera pans around the arena in Mr. Kennedy’s hometown of Green Bay, Wisconsin, before...
‘ONE OF A KIND’
The infamous music blasts out through the speakers to an EXTRAORDINARY pop, as Jeff Hardy comes out from backstage, before he points to the back, as none other than Hardy’s Wrestlemania 25 partner Rob Van Dam emerges from the back. Hardy and RVD slap hands as they make their way down the ramp together, but not before Hardy’s signature pyro explodes from behind them. Hardy and RVD get into the ring as Jeff lets Rob take the spotlight, RVD soaking in a wonderful ovation from the crowd, who are obviously extremely happy to have Rob back on Monday Night Raw. A huge ‘RVD’ chant starts up, just like last week, as Rob and Jeff smile.
Mr. Monday Night gets a microphone from Lillian Garcia, but when he goes to speak, he is drowned out by an astonishing ‘Welcome Back’, as Rob quickly says that that is why he came back to the WWE. A big cheer breaks out for the ‘Whole Fuckin’ Show’, as Rob thanks the fans and especially Jeff Hardy, who convinced Rob to come to the WWE and shut the UKonnection up once and for all. The crowd pops at RVD joining Hardy in his attempt to bring down the UKonnection, as RVD continues on with his speech on the UKonnection, running down the World Tag Team Champions whenever possible.
Rob then says that come Wrestlemania, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy will have the World Tag Team Championships, and there isn’t anything the UKonnection can do about it (well really, they can). This statement gets a huge pop from the capacity crowd, as Rob then says that at Wrestlemania, whoever the competitors are for the UKonnection, they will lose to Jeff Hardy and R (points to himself) V (points to himself again) D (and again). The crowd pops as ‘One of a Kind’ hits over the speakers as RVD and Hardy go to leave, only for ‘Here Comes the Money’ to play over the speakers to a nice pop, as General Manager Shane McMahon comes out.
Shane O Mac does his signature little dance on the top of the entrance ramp as he tells RVD and Hardy to wait there, as he said that he has made an addition to the Jericho vs. Punk II tonight, as in the main event, there would be a Six Man Tag Team match. McMahon then goes on to say that in the main event would be three members of the UKonnection in DH Smith, Paul Burchill and Finlay (huge heat) up against Jeff Hardy (big pop), Green Bay’s own Mr. Kennedy (MASSIVE pop) and none other than the man returning to Monday Night Raw action right here tonight, ROB VAN DAM!!
The crowd gives an earth shattering pop at the return to action of Rob Van Dam here tonight as well as arguably a dream team of Jeff Hardy, Rob Van Dam and the Number 1 Contender for the WWE Champion, Mr. Kennedy. RVD and Hardy smiles as ‘One of a Kind’ blasts out over the speakers once again, as we cut to JR and the King, who talk about what a huge night it is tonight, only 34 days away from Wrestlemania 25, with three huge matches announced, HBK and London against the Two Man Dynasty, Jericho vs. Punk for the second week in a row in an MITB qualifying match for Jericho, and as just announced, a huge Six Man Tag Team match between Kennedy, Hardy and RVD against the UKonnection. JR says not to go anywhere as after the break, we would see Raw’s two current MITB representatives go at it, as Kendrick goes one on one with Rey Mysterio.
|Commercial Break|
‘Man With a Plan’ plays over the speakers to huge heat, as none other than the man who qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder match last week and the man that assaulted Rey Mysterio in The Brian Kendrick makes his way down to the ring, doing his cocky dance. Kendrick gets into the ring and raises his arms in the air narcissistic way, as we then cut to a video package, highlighting Kendrick’s win over Carlito in the MITB Qualifying match after the Left Turn at Albuquerque, before assaulting Rey later on in the show after he had defeated long time rival Chavo Guerrero.
‘Booyaka’ hits to a great pop, as the first man that qualified for this year’s Money in the Bank Ladder match in Rey Mysterio makes his way down to the ring, seeking vengeance after the assault on him by Kendrick after his victory last week. Rey slaps hands with the fans but doesn’t take his eyes off of Kendrick, who just smirks in the ring as Mysterio goes down the ramp. Mysterio gets into the ring and prays on the top rope to Eddie Guerrero, only for him to cheap shotted from behind by Kendrick!! The crowd give big heat as Kendrick attacks Rey from behind for the second week in a row, as the referee rings the bell to signify the start of this contest.
|Match 1|
|MITB Competitors Collide|
|The Brian Kendrick vs. Rey Mysterio|
The match begins with various high paced, Cruiserweight moves, before it ended when Mysterio went for an Arm Drag, only for Kendrick to roll through and nail Rey with a middle rope Springboard Dropkick, square to the chest of Rey. Kendrick then worked over Rey in the early going but still managed to make it a high paced affair, nailing the Master of the 619 with various aerial attacks. However, this type of offence backfired, as when he went for a Flying Body Press, Rey hit him with a leaping Dropkick of his own! Rey then went for a quick cover, but only got a two count.
Rey then lifted Kendrick up and went to whip him against the ropes, but Kendrick over powered Rey and went to whip him. Rey, however, sensed this move coming, and since he was very close to the ropes, he spun around whilst he was being whipped and nailed a Drop Toe Hold into the middle rope, meaning it was the perfect position for the 619! Rey smirked and went to go for his signature move, but Kendrick moved out of the way before damage could be done. A dizzy Rey got back into the ring, right into a Snap Hurricanrana by Kendrick. TBK then had a cocky smile on his face as he did his signature little dance, followed by a standing Senton to Rey!
Kendrick then slowed the match down much to the dismay of the crowd, as King highlights that this was the same tactic that he used in his Cruiserweight Championship match with Paul London two weeks ago. Kendrick applied a ‘Surfboard’ submission to Rey, stretching the previously worked on back to perfection. Rey used the crowd’s reaction to strive himself on, as he rolled over and got to the ropes! The crowd popped as Kendrick looked very pissed, as he got up and stomped on the injured back of Mysterio, before picking him up and going for a Scoop Slam.
Mysterio, however, manages to reverse the Scoop Slam, as he rolls through Kendrick’s legs and then gets TBK in a Victory Roll for a quick two count. Rey then got a standing position as did Kendrick, who charged at Rey, only to be hit with a Step Up Enziguiri, followed by Rey running at TBK and nailing a Tilt a Whirl Head Scissors Takedown! The crowd popped for Mysterio, who then went onto the apron, most likely looking for a springboard attack on Kendrick. Once Kendrick got to his feet, Rey leapt, and nailed a Springboard Tornado DDT! The crowd went berserk, as Rey fed off the momentum of the crowd once again to keep control of the match.
Rey then worked over Kendrick for the next couple of minutes, taking the very exciting match past the 15 minute mark. Rey nailed Kendrick with a Flapjack onto the top rope, snapping Kendrick’s neck against the wire. Rey then nailed TBK with several forearm shots, before whipping him across the ropes, looking for a Back Body Drop. Kendrick saw the move coming, however, as he dragged a crouched Rey in and quickly nailed a Swinging Neckbreaker! The crowd gave big heat, as Kendrick seemed to once again take control of the match.
Kendrick then had control once again, working over the previously worked on back of Mysterio, taking away his high flying ability. Kendrick then lifted Rey and whipped him across the ropes, only for Rey to springboard off the middle rope. An aware Kendrick charged at Rey, pushing him over the top and to the floor, causing Rey to land awkwardly. Kendrick smirked, as he went onto the apron, where Mysterio looked to be beginning to recover. Kendrick then waited for Rey to get up, who used the help of the barricade, as Kendrick then went back first to Mysterio.
Kendrick then springboarded off of the middle rope, and nailed Mysterio with exactly the same move Paul London nailed on him a couple of weeks ago, a Springboard Moonsault Body Press to the outside! The crowd erupted into a massive mixed reaction as the move was incredible but Kendrick was the one executing the move, as the two went over the security wall and into the crowd! The referee then started a ten count as we see a shot of an unconscious Kendrick and Rey. Once the referee got to the count of 5, Kendrick began to stir, as did Mysterio. Kendrick managed to elevate himself over the barrier, and with the fans help, Mysterio did as well! A recovered Kendrick looked to get into the ring at 9, but Mysterio had also recovered, and pulled Kendrick away from the ring at the count of 10, counting out both men!
|Winner: Draw via Double Count out|
The bell rings to signify a draw because of both men not being able to get in the ring before the ten count, as both Mysterio and Kendrick look at each other (Kendrick with fire in his eyes as Mysterio cost him victory at the last possible second), as Kendrick charges at Mysterio! The crowd gives heat, but Mysterio was aware this time of Kendrick trying to attack him, as Rey then gave Kendrick a Drop Toe Hold right onto the ring apron! The crowd gave a pop as Rey went to the other side of the ring, as Rey then ran at Kendrick, before nailing him with a 619 around the ring post! The crowd gave a huge pop as the Master of the 619 then got into the ring, before posing on the top rope and this time praying to Eddie Guerrero with no risk of interference from The Brian Kendrick.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break, we are backstage and are focussed on a door which reads ‘Shane McMahon, Raw GM’, and a knock is then heard on the door, but we only see a hand. Shane then opens the door and greets the man with a friendly handshake, as the camera pans out to reveal none other than Smackdown General Manager Theodore Long! The crowd gives another nice pop for the other brand’s General Manager, as Teddy enters the office, Shane allowing the cameraman to come inside, as Shane and Long talk about their conversation earlier, which obviously no one knows about except the two. Long then says that he accepted the deal, and hopefully he has in mind for who would compete in the match.
Shane O Mac then said that the Superstar that would compete in the match would be in a Triple Threat match, as the winner would then go on to the match at Wrestlemania. The crowd pops as seemingly another match has been signed for Wrestlemania as McMahon confirms these rumours, as McMahon says that for the second time in two years, there would be a Brand Supremacy match at Wrestlemania. The crowd gives a big pop at the announcement of the new match announced for Wrestlemania, as Shane goes on to say that in another match tonight would be a Triple Threat Match, where the winner would go on to face Smackdown’s representative at Wrestlemania 25.
The crowd pop at this announcement of another match set for tonight and one half of a Wrestlemania match also set, as McMahon goes on to announce the competitors for the Triple Threat match. McMahon says that after the break, we would see the Triple Threat match, which would see Monty Brown going up against the man that came so close to qualifying to the Money in the Bank Ladder match last week in Carlito, and also, the last man in the Triple Threat match, making his first appearance since the Royal Rumble, the ‘Big Red Machine’ Kane!
The crowd pops at hearing that they will be witnessing the return of the ‘Big Red Machine’ Kane and the announcement of what is sure to be an exciting Triple Threat match, as we cut away from the office of Shane McMahon and then to JR and the King. JR talks about how Wrestlemania is shaping up to be a hell of an event with still 6 weeks to go before the ‘Granddaddy of ‘Em All’, as King says huge matches are announced on both the Raw, Smackdown and Interbrand side of things, with Raw’s huge Punk vs. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy and RVD vs. the UKonnection, Undertaker vs. John Cena, the Fatal Four Way Tag Team match between the Mexicools, the World’s Greatest Tag Team, Cade and Jindrak and Jesse and Festus, the Brand Supremacy match as just confirmed, and as always, the fifth Money in the Bank Ladder match. JR says not to go anywhere, as after the break, the Triple Threat match to determine who would represent Raw at Wrestlemania 25 in the Brand Supremacy match would take place!
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break, ‘Smooth’ hits over the speakers to fairly large heat, as the Alpha Male Monty Brown makes his way down to the ring, as always accompanied by ‘the Silver Tongued Pugilist’ Elijah Burke. Brown gets into the ring menacingly and doesn’t bother posing on the top rope, as he realises that this may be his last match to book himself a spot at his second Wrestlemania after losing to Rey Mysterio in the first Money in the Bank Qualifying match. JR puts over Brown as the man that put John Morrison out of action, and he has been on a mean streak as of late.
‘Cool’ then hits over the loud speakers to a nice pop, and as always, accompanied by his Puerto Rican Nightmares counterparts in Primo Colon and Eric Perez, Carlito makes his way out to the ring, also knowing that this may be his last chance at gaining a spot at another Wrestlemania. Carlito gets into the ring and eyes Brown after the Puerto Rican Nightmares had a short feud with Brown, Burke and Santino Marella last year, as Primo and Perez take a spot on the outside and eye Burke, who looks a little worried as he is on the outside on his own while his ‘Insurance Policy’ Brown will be busy competing in the ring.
‘Slow Chemical’ plays over the loud speakers to a great pop, as the masked Big Red Machine Kane makes his way down to the ring, ready for his first appearance since the Royal Rumble match where he made 5 eliminations. Kane gets into the ring, as Brown and Carlito don’t back down from the challenge of the Big Red Machine, who raises his arms in there, as the crowd joins along. Kane then slams his arms down to make fire burst out of the ring posts, as a sinister smirk then comes over the face of Kane, ready for this match up after competing in the 8 second ECW Title match last year.
|Match 2|
|Triple Threat Match|
|Winner goes on to represent Raw at Wrestlemania|
|Monty Brown vs. Kane vs. Carlito|
The match starts off with Brown looking at both Carlito and Kane, before going to attack the much smaller and weaker Carlito, before Kane joins in, rips Monty off of Carlito and nails him with a swift Uppercut. Brown collapsed to the mat as Kane then went after Carlito, whipping him across the ropes, going for a Big Boot, only for Carlito to duck under it and get Kane in a Schoolboy Rollup, only getting a quick two count. Carlito then nailed Kane with various right hands to no effect, as Kane then this time nailed a Big Boot, treating Carlito’s punches as though they were nothing! Kane turned around, right into a Lariat from Monty Brown.
While Kane was down, Brown laid the boots into the Big Red Machine, before going back to Carlito, who had just gotten up from the vicious boot of Kane’s. Brown then went for an early Pounce to Carlito, but Carlito had none of it, holding onto the ropes before he could return into the deadly shot of Brown’s. Monty then charged at Carlito, only to be back dropped over the top rope, right to the mat below! A pissed off Elijah Burke quickly seized the foot of Carlito, dragging him to the outside also. The Puerto Rican Nightmares then went after Burke, as Carlito and Brown then began to get to their feet, as Kane got onto the top rope in the ring, before leaping off and nailing both of his opponents with a Flying Clothesline to the outside!
The competitors got back into the ring, Kane once again taking advantage over the two, only to be hit with a thumb to the eye by Brown as he went for a Chokeslam. Brown had enough strength to flip Kane over his body by nailing him with a Butterfly Suplex, only for the Carlito to sneak up behind Brown following this move and nail him with a Outward Rolling Cutter, only to get a two count as a result of Kane breaking up the pin. The Cool Caribbean charged at Kane, only to be caught and then dropped with a Sidewalk Slam as the match reached the ten minute mark.
Kane then lifted Carlito up and signalled for the Chokeslam, but a recovered Brown got up and nailed Kane with forearms to the back, followed by a Chop Block, sending Kane down to his knees. Brown then nailed a kneeled Kane with a boot to the face, knocking him down, as Brown then looked to manipulate the smaller Carlito, but was spit in the face with an apple by Lito! The crowd laughed and then gave a pop, as Carlito hit Brown with a Lifting Reverse STO! The crowd gave another pop, but before Carlito could capitalize, he was turned around by Kane (who is obviously now back on his feet), scooped up, and then nailed with a Tombstone Piledriver! The crowd gave a very big pop, as Kane then climbed over for the cover and got the three count. Kane is now Raw’s representative in the Battle of the Brands!
|Winner and representing Raw at Wrestlemania: Kane|
The crowd gives out a huge pop at Kane booking himself a spot at Wrestlemania once again, as Carlito is helped out of the ring from Primo and Perez after the Tombstone. Brown gets up pissed that he once again lost his shot at being involved at Wrestlemania in some capacity, as he goes to attack Kane from behind his back. Brown meets Kane with various forearms to the back as Kane attempts to make the fire burst out from the ring posts, before he bounces him off the ropes, going for the Pounce. Brown charges at Kane, looking for his signature move, only for Kane to meet him with a Big Boot! The crowd pops as Kane signals for the Chokeslam (just like in the match with Carlito), only for Burke to attack him from behind! Kane no sells Burke’s attack, however, as he lays Burke out with a Big Boot as well! The crowd pops as Kane lifts both Brown and Burke up, before getting them by the throat, and hitting them with a Double Chokeslam!! The crowd gives a great pop for Raw’s Wrestlemania representative, who then makes the fire burst out from the ring posts and then makes his way to the back.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break, we go to another recap of last week where Hardy came out to announce his Wrestlemania partner, which everyone knows by now is Rob Van Dam. They show the same video which they showed at the start of the show with RVD and Hardy cleaning house, and then it cuts to a video package, showing clips of Rob Van Dam in his earlier ECW and WWE days. It shows Rob hitting various moves like his signature Van Terminator, Van Daminator, Flying Side Kick off the top rope and of course his finisher, the Five Star Frog Splash. It then shows Jeff Hardy highlights, hitting moves such as a Mule Kick, Whisper in the Wind, the Twist of Fate and a Swanton Bomb to various opponents. It shows the brief time in which the two teamed up and also when they feuded, showing both Ladder matches from Summerslam 2001 and another one from an edition of Monday Night Raw, before showing the two teaming up in the TLC Match on the first ever Raw Roulette, before they show previous chemistry with the two. It then shows the two standing tall one again, before having a split screen, Hardy doing the ‘Gunz’ taunt whilst RVD does his signature ‘R.V.D’ taunt. The video package then fades to black, as JR hype the reunited team of Hardy and RVD.
We then cut away from the Jeff Hardy and RVD saga once again, only to go to another video package, this one about the ongoing DX/Rated RKO Dynasty, which has heated up since the Royal Rumble. The package starts off with Triple H and Batista in their Last Man Standing match at Survivor Series, where a returning Edge interfered and nailed HHH with a Spear through the table, knocking him out for the ten count and giving Batista the win. It shows the two Superstars differences, culminating in a match at No Way Out which ends in a Double DQ as both men introduced weapons, Edge introducing a chair and Triple H introducing his trusty sledgehammer. It shows Teddy Long making the announcement of the No DQ match on the night of the Royal Rumble where the winner would advance to the Rumble match, where HHH won the No DQ match, only to be cost the Rumble by an interfering Edge. It also shows HBK eliminating both Randy Orton and MVP, before the Two Man Dynasty enter the ring and ‘illegally’ eliminate Shawn. A recap of what has happened on both Raw and Smackdown is shown, Edge interfering in HBK and Orton’s match on Raw, giving HBK the DQ victory but destroying him in the process, creating the Rated RKO Dynasty. It then shows the assault on HHH the following Smackdown, causing MVP vs. HHH not to take place, and then the Battle Royal later that night where the TMD eliminated HHH, and then Shawn Michaels eliminating Edge. The attack by the TMD onto Michaels and London is then shown, before the events that occurred on Smackdown are displayed, where there was the reunion of DX, where they laid out the Rated RKO Dynasty.
As soon as the video ends, ‘Voices’ begins to play over the speakers to massive heat, as the Two Man Dynasty in Randy Orton and MVP make their way to the ring, unsurprisingly Edge by their side. The threesome makes their way down to the ring very cockily, seemingly getting rid of the aggressive demeanour that they have had as of late. Edge gets into the ring with the Two Man Dynasty, Orton and Edge taking a turnbuckle each as Randy does his Destiny pose while Edge does his signature ‘Corna’ hand taunt, as MVP is in the middle doing his Ballin’ taunt. With the three still doing their taunts, we head to a commercial break, ready for the tag team match between HBK and London up against the Two Man Dynasty.
|Commercial Break|
We return from the break with Edge on the outside as Orton and MVP are in the ring awaiting their opponents, before ‘Rocker’ hits to a pretty big ovation, as the WWE Cruiserweight Champion Paul London makes his way down the entrance ramp. London does not do his signature running entrance, as he sports a band aid on his forehead as a result of the assault on him last week. London stops right in front of the ring and waits, knowing that he will most likely get ambushed by the Rated RKO Dynasty if he steps foot into the ring. London takes off his belt and hands it to the referee, but continues to wait on the outside for Shawn Michaels’ arrival.
‘Sexy Boy’ then blasts over the speakers to a loud ovation, only for Shawn Michaels not to come out. The Rated RKO Dynasty as London has somewhat of a worried look on his face, only for ‘Break it Down’ to blast over the speakers, as none other than the Heart Break Kid Shawn Michaels makes his way down to the ring, Triple H by his side. London and DX enter the ring together as the TMD leave the ring, as DX do their usual stuff, before the Rated RKO Dynasty try to jump them from behind, only for HHH to clear Edge from the ring, and London and HBK are ready for the attack, causing the TMD to cower backwards.
|Match 3|
|Tag Team Match|
|Paul London and Shawn Michaels w/ HHH vs. the Two Man Dynasty w/ Edge|
It is decided amongst the teams that Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton would start the match off, and it did not take long for the match to become an all out brawl, Michaels and Orton trading punch for punch, as Michaels then takes the advantage and hits the Second Generation Superstar with some nice Knife Edge chops, causing Orton’s chest to go bright red. Michaels then trapped Orton in the corner and nailed him repeatedly with the knife edge chops, making the fans ‘WOO’ once a chop was hit in memory of Ric Flair. The referee pulled Michaels off of Orton, as HBK then gave Orton a crotch chop. The crowd gave a big pop for this as Shawn smirked, only to be hit with a kick to the gut by Orton, followed by a Snap DDT!
The Two Man Dynasty then worked over the Heart Break Kid much to the delight of the Rated RKO Dynasty and to the chagrin of DX and Paul London, who was yet to get any ring time. Orton and Porter used quick tags to wear Shawn down, isolating Shawn in the corner, far out of reach from the Cruiserweight Champ. Shawn began to then power out of the corner, chopping MVP away, and when Randy went to pull Michaels back at the eight minute mark, he was nailed with a Sweet Chin Music, causing him to be knocked off of the apron. MVP then went for a Clothesline to Shawn, only for HBK to roll underneath it, and use that momentum to roll through and tag in Paul London!
MVP charged at London who was still on the apron, only to be hit with a shoulder to the gut through the ropes. London then springboarded over the top rope and then got a crouched MVP in a Sunset Flip Cover for a two count. MVP and Paul both got up, as Porter was hit with a Dropsault. London then went up to the top rope, going for a Shooting Star Press, only for MVP to quickly get up and hit the top rope, making it buckle underneath Paul, which causes London to crotch himself on the top rope! The crowd gave big heat for the cheap antic, as Shawn got into the ring right behind a recovering MVP, looking for the SCM once again, only for Orton to pull HBK to the outside and began to attack him!
MVP smirked, knowing that it was now a clear path, as HHH wanted to get involved on the outside but he couldn’t, knowing that it would disqualify HBK and London. Porter pulled London off of the top rope and placed him in the corner, looking for the Playa’s Boot, but at the last second, London moved, as MVP shattered the turnbuckle. The referee immediately went over to pick up the scraps as he took his eyes off of the action momentarily, as London went for a springboard move, only to be low blowed in mid air by MVP! The crowd gave heat as the referee had no idea, and when the referee turned around, Porter hit London with the Playmaker for the win!
|Winners: the Two Man Dynasty|
MVP goes for an attack on London right after the match, as HHH dives in for the save with his sledgehammer, as Edge also joins in. Orton temporarily takes his eyes off of Shawn Michaels, as HHH nails Edge in the gut with the sledgehammer! The crowd pops as Orton gets into the ring and charges at HHH, only for Trips to throw the sledgehammer down for a moment and hit him with the Face breaker Knee Smash, as a groggy Orton stayed on his feet and stumbled around, right into a Sweet Chin Music by Michaels who had just gotten into the ring! The crowd gives a great pop for DX getting rid of Rated RKO, as Michaels pulls MVP aggressively off of his protégé, before throwing him towards Trips, who nails Porter with an Arn Anderson Spinebuster! London has now rolled out of the ring and surprisingly takes no part in this attack after what happened last week, instead going up the ramp and to the backstage area. Michaels rolls out of the ring towards the timekeepers and grabs a steel chair before sliding it in the ring. As Michaels was getting a chair from the outside, Edge got up, only to be blasted with the sledgehammer to the face by HHH! Edge crumples in a heap on the mat after the weapon shot by his rival of 3 and a half months, as HBK interestingly doesn’t use the chair, only sliding it in the ring seemingly for his DX partner to use, as he pulls MVP out of the ring with him.
HBK then drags MVP towards the announce table, as JR and the King get up and out of the way. Michaels strips off the top part of the table and pulls the monitors and such out, before lifting up MVP and ramming his head repeatedly into the table. Meanwhile, on the inside of the ring, HHH is taking care of an already beaten down Rated RKO, as he lifts Orton up and drags him towards the chair that Michaels slid into the ring for him, before kicking Orton in the gut. HHH then gets Orton in a Double Underhook, before nailing the Pedigree right onto the steel chair!! The crowd erupts, as Michaels then nails MVP with a Sweet Chin Music, causing Porter to lay atop the table. HBK then went on to the ring apron and then climbed onto the top rope, as JR screamed out for Shawn not to do it as the crowd rose in anticipation as Michaels gave MVP a DX crotch crop, BEFORE MICHAELS NAILED MVP WITH AN ELBOW DROP OFF THE TOP ROPE AND THREW THE ANNOUNCE TABLE, SHANE O MAC STYLE! The crowd blew the roof off with such an ovation, as inside the ring, HHH looked a little shocked, before Edge got up and went for a Spear, only to be greeted with a sledgehammer shot to the side of the head! The crowd erupted at D- Generation- X laying out the Rated RKO Dynasty (MVP more specifically), as Shawn recovers from the elbow drop, as HBK and HHH get in the ring and do the DX crotch chop, causing the DX pyro to come out of the ring posts. We go to a commercial break with DX standing tall.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return to the live telecast of Raw and the one and a third hour mark, we see another video package, this one a ‘Before the Break’ video package, where we see the events that culminated with DX and the Rated RKO Dynasty. It starts off with MVP cheating for victory and getting the win over the CW Champion in Paul London, and then shows the attack that follows, where MVP’s attempted attack on London post match turned out to be the Rated RKO’s downfall, as they were then decimated by DX, a steel chair, HHH’s trusty sledgehammer, and eventually, the announce table. It shows the Pedigree onto the chair on Orton, the various sledgehammer shots on Edge, and then in slow motion, the astonishing Elbow Drop off the top rope and through the announce table on MVP by Shawn Michaels. The video package ends with DX standing tall doing their signature crotch chops, before the package ends and we go to JR and the King, who talk about the events before the break, and how it has been confirmed during the break that two big things took place, one being that MVP suffered back injuries and will be out until after Wrestlemania, and the next being that another match has been signed for Wrestlemania, that match being a rivalry reborn, between Edge and Randy Orton of Rated RKO, and Triple H and Texas’ own, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels of D- Generation- X.
A match graphic appears on the titantron to announce the match to the fans, which gets a big response from the crowd. However, the match graphic soon fades away, as we go backstage, where none other than the returning JAMIE NOBLE is ambushing the Cruiserweight Champion Paul London. JR says that Noble has been out since the night after Unforgiven after his match with Paul London for the title, as Noble throws London into a wall near-by, before getting a metal trash can. London, who had just finished a gruelling tag team match with his mentor Shawn Michaels against the Two Man Dynasty, gets up, only to be smashed in the head with the trash can, causing a sickening thud and London to be unconscious upon impact. Noble then aggressively pulls London up, as he gets him into a Pump Handle Slam before then into a position of a Tombstone Piledriver, as London is then nailed by Noble with a Jumping Belly to Belly Piledriver (Noble’s old finisher from WCW)! The crowd is easily heard in the background as they give big heat towards Noble, as officials and road agents come and back Noble off once it is too late. They then tend to London, as Noble picks up the Cruiserweight Title which London dropped after being ambushed by Jamie, as Noble leaves, Cruiserweight Title still in hand.
JR starts once again talking about what a sick human being Jamie Noble is once we cut away from the backstage area, and asking who does Noble think he is, attacking the CW Champion and stealing the belt on his first night back. King said that it was an obvious statement by Noble that he was after the Cruiserweight Title which belongs to London, but he didn’t think that Noble, formally a fan favourite, would resort to this low to try and convince Shane McMahon to get a Cruiserweight Title shot. JR says that it is time to move on from this new Cruiserweight Title saga, as he says that up next will be Champion vs. Champion once again, as Chris Jericho goes one on one with CM Punk, where if Jericho wins, he gets a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
|Commercial Break|
We return from the break, where just like last week, the countdown starts to a huge pop, and once it hits zero, pyro explodes right near the titantron, before ‘Break the Walls Down’ hits to an ever bigger reaction. The Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho makes his way down to the ring, ready for the rematch from last week, which Jericho must have been looking forward to during the week, knowing that if he wins this match, he will book himself at Wrestlemania in his second consecutive Money in the Bank Ladder match, and his third MITB match overall. Jericho does his signature ring entrance by bouncing off the ropes on the apron, before getting into the ring and handing his WWE Intercontinental Championship to the referee, before awaiting his opponent in Punk.
The familiar tune of ‘This Fire Burns’ by Kill Switch Engage blasts over the speakers to MASSIVE heat, as the WWE Champion CM Punk comes out of the backstage area with a smirk on his face. The man that destroyed the hometown hero of Mr. Kennedy gets the loudest boos heard in a while, as Punk gets in the ring, unstraps his beloved and prestigious WWE Championship, as he then jumps onto the top rope. Punk raises the title for everyone in the arena to see, somehow getting even more boos from the crowd. Punk then does the same as Jericho and hands the belt to the referee who then signals for the bell, as it is IC Champion vs. WWE Champion for the second straight week!
|Match 4|
|The Rematch|
|Champion vs. Champion|
|MITB Qualifying Match for Jericho|
|IC Champ Chris Jericho vs. WWE Champ CM Punk|
The match starts off with a collar and elbow tie up, as Jericho quickly applies a standing Arm bar to Punk, which is reversed by Punk after he spun out of it and nailed a Clothesline. Punk then worked over the Intercontinental Champion, quickly lifting him up and nailing a Spinning Neckbreaker, dropping Jericho right onto his neck. Punk then begins to use rest holds to wear down Jericho, only for Y2J to manage to dodge them every time, such as when Punk went for a Standing Sleeper, Jericho spun out and nailed a Back Suplex. Jericho then took control from this point onwards, working over the back of Punk.
After a Delayed Vertical Suplex from Jericho, he went for the Walls of Jericho, but Punk used the strength in his legs to deny Jericho in turning him over onto his stomach and having the hold in its full effect. Jericho was one step ahead of Punk this time, however, as he flipped over Punk but continued seizing his legs, getting Punk in a Jacknife cover! The crowd counted along only for Y2J to get a two count as Punk managed to kick out. Jericho got up as Punk did at the same time, as Punk walked right into a signature Step Up Enziguiri from Jericho.
Punk had managed to stay on his feet from the Enziguiri but was extremely dazed, but he was grounded soon after, as Jericho hit the Bulldog after running off of the ropes. Punk’s head smacked the mat with a fair amount of venom, causing it to ricochet off of the mat. Jericho then spread his arms out (his signature pose), most likely looking for the Codebreaker, and once Punk got up, he went for the kill, but just like last week, Punk held on, and then moved him into position, looking for a Urinagi. Jericho elbowed out and then went for a Tornado DDT, only to be pushed against the ropes by Punk, and nailed with a Roundhouse Kick right to the temple upon arrival!
Punk then took advantage from this point onwards, Jericho’s attempts to get back in the match thwarted every time. Punk hit a Welcome to Chicago backbreaker for a long two count, greatly angering the WWE Champion of the past 4 and a half months. The Straight Edge Superstar then lifted the Intercontinental Champion up, before nailing him with a right punch, then a left, before nailing a Spinning Back Fist, followed by another Roundhouse and then a Spin Kick to the gut, causing Jericho to crouch over, as Punk then delivered a vicious Snap DDT! The crowd give heat at the extraordinary combo from Punk, who smirks, knowing that he is very close to getting his second win in two weeks over the IC Champ.
Jericho was then lifted up by Punk, who put Jericho into a Standing Fireman’s Carry, looking for his signature Go to Sleep. Punk then showed all portions of the crowd when he had Jericho on his shoulders, but when he went to move in for the kill, ‘Turn Up the Trouble’ blasted out over the speakers to a MONSTROUS ovation, as the music of Mr. Kennedy blasted over the speakers. Punk dropped Jericho and approached the ropes, beginning to talk smack to Kennedy, who made no sign of coming out. Punk smirked as Kennedy made no arrival to the dismay of the fans, as Punk turned around... CODEBREAKER FROM JERICHO! The crowd erupted as Kennedy’s distraction proves very costly for Punk, as Jericho desperately climbed over for the cover! 1...2..3! Chris Jericho has won the return match against CM Punk!
|Winner and in the Money in the Bank Ladder match at Wrestlemania 25: Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho|
The crowd gives a huge pop, as JERICHO HAS QUALIFIED FOR HIS SECOND STRAIGHT MONEY IN THE BANK LADDER MATCH, THANKS TO MR. KENNEDY! Jericho has a massive grin on his face, knowing that he has a spot at Wrestlemania and moved one step closer to the WWE or World Heavyweight Championship, as he grabs his IC Championship from the referee and raises it high in the air to another big pop. Jericho then leaves the ring and heads up the ramp and goes to go to the backstage area, before Mr. Kennedy emerges from the back, as the crowd absolutely ERUPTS for the hometown hero. Jericho greets Kennedy with a nod as he knows that Kennedy played a major part in his victory, as Kennedy arrogantly smirks at Punk, chewing his gum, before taking one last look at the WWE Champion and goes to the locker room area once again, as he has to get ready for his huge Six Man Tag Team main event.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break, we are backstage once again, where we see a furious CM Punk storming around in the backstage area screaming for Kennedy, wanting revenge for what happened just before the break. Punk continues screaming out for his Wrestlemania 25 opponent, as we see Todd Grisham running up to Punk, and asks him how he feels about Mr. Kennedy costing him the return match against Chris Jericho just moments ago. Punk looks at Grisham with a real ‘WTF’ look, before NAILING GRISHAM WITH A SICK ROUNDHOUSE TO THE SIDE OF THE HEAD! The crowd gives plenty of heat for Punk, who then brings the camera right towards Punk, who says that this was just an example of what will happen to Kennedy tonight! Punk storms off with the WWE Championship dangling from his hand, as he goes out of sight as we go to the announce table, as JR once again expresses his disgust at Punk, saying that he nailed Grisham unnecessarily, and that he should be punished for his actions.
King talks about the injury of Smackdown Superstar Dave Batista 10 nights ago during the Battle Royal on Smackdown, as we go to yet another video package, as we see Batista being Chokeslammed off of the apron by the Undertaker, and in the process, injuring his pectoral muscle. We are then shown a recap of Batista going into surgery, as the doctor talk about the severity of the injury, as he then says that unfortunately, ‘the Animal’ will miss four to six months of action, thus causing Tista’ to miss out on Wrestlemania 25. Batista admitted that he was disappointed that he would miss Wrestlemania through injury just like in 2006, but the main focus at the moment is recovering and getting back to action, hopefully by Summerslam. The package then finishes, as JR says that after the break, the massive Six Man Tag Team Main Event, which also happens to be the in ring return of ‘Mr. Monday Night’ Rob Van Dam, who teams up with Jeff Hardy and Green Bay’s own Mr. Kennedy to take on Finlay, DH Smith and Paul Burchill of the UKonnection.
|Commercial Break|
We return from yet another commercial break, as ‘Rule Britannia’ hits to a very strong amount of heat, as the trio of Finlay, Paul Burchill and DH Smith come out dressed to compete, William Regal not far behind them with both World Tag Team Titles on his shoulders, and also Katie Lea and Natalya in the background. Finlay, Smith and Burchill get in the ring and await three of their fiercest rivals, Jeff Hardy in particular. King talks about their interview in the WWE Magazine, where they expressed their disgust on the return of Rob Van Dam and their simple disgust for Jeff Hardy.
‘One of a Kind’ then blasts out through the speakers to another phenomenal reaction once again, as the tandem of Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy make their way out from the backstage area, but just like Paul London earlier in the night, they stop halfway, waiting for their partner in Mr. Kennedy to come out. The UKonnection wait for Hardy and Rob to get in the ring, but they do not budge, instead staring rather intently at the trio in the ring, Hardy looking straight into the eyes of the man that cost him the WWE Title at the Rumble, as Burchill stares menacingly right back.
‘Turn Up the Trouble’ blasts out to an INCREDIBLE ovation, as the hometown hero in ‘the Green Bay Loudmouth’ Mr. Kennedy makes his way out of the backstage area for the second time in ten minutes. Kennedy waits at the top of the entrance ramp, as a microphone descends, as he does his signature self- announcement, as he then greets his two tag team partners of Jeff and Rob on the entrance ramp. The three then nod to each other as the storm into the ring, as the UKonnection surprisingly don’t back down, getting ready for a fight.
|Main Event|
|Six Man Tag Team Match|
|Mr. Kennedy, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy vs. the World Tag Team Champions the UKonnection (Finlay, DH Smith, Paul Burchill)|
A ‘Kennedy’ chant arises throughout the arena as Smith and Finlay go onto the apron, signalling that Burchill will be the one to start the match for the UKonnection. Hardy and RVD look at the crowd after the incredible ovation, before nodding and taking their places on the apron, meaning that Kennedy and Burchill would start the match. Burchill went for a sneak attack on the Green Bay native, only for Kennedy to see Burchill out the corner of his eye and nail him with right hands, backing Burchill into the corner. Kennedy is visibly excited to be back in the ring, as he nails Burchill with even more punches in the corner, causing Burchill to be in a seated position in the corner. Kennedy then went backwards before connecting with a Facewash in the corner, knocking Burchill’s lights out in the words of JR.
An ‘RVD’ chant surprisingly went out through the crowd, as Kennedy looked out to the crowd and smirked, obviously knowing that they wanted to see Van Dam back in action. Kennedy then dragged Burchill towards the corner, and pointed to RVD, getting a big pop from the fans in the process. RVD was then tagged in and quickly hopped into the ring with Kennedy, as they both lifted Burchill up and whipped him across the ropes, and nailed him with a Double Hip Toss. The crowd popped as Kennedy made his way to the apron, as RVD worked over Burchill.
Using quick tags, the team of Hardy, RVD and Kennedy worked over Burchill, but their plan failed at the 6 minute mark, as when Jeff went for a quick Swanton Bomb to his nemesis, Burchill got up and tossed him off the top rope. Burchill then tagged in the tough Irishman Finlay, who laid the boots into Hardy. The UKonnection used the same tactic that Kennedy, Hardy and RVD used in using quick tags to wear down the opponent, as they used dirty tactics behind the referee’s back also, such as when DH Smith was distracting the referee when he was the legal man as Burchill choked Jeff with the tag rope. Much to the delight of Regal, Natalya and Katie Lea, the UKonnection maintained the advantage, as Kennedy and RVD were shown willing Jeff on, desperately wanting to get back into the ring.
At the 12 minute mark, Finlay was the legal man as was Hardy, as Jeff managed to roll over Finlay’s back after an attempted Celtic Cross, before hitting Finlay with a Mule Kick. The crowd erupted into one of the biggest ovations of the night as a ‘Hardy’ chant began, as Finlay got to Burchill, but Hardy also tagged in RVD! The crowd got to their feet as RVD stormed in, fighting off both Burchill and an interfering DH Smith. Kennedy then came in and took care of Smith, nailing the Steamroller, whilst RVD hit a Leaping Side Kick to the head of Burchill. Finlay recovered and tried to get into the ring, but Hardy also got in, turned Finlay around, and hit the Twist of Fate. In the meantime, Kennedy nailed Smith with a Mic Check, as RVD hit a downed Burchill with a Rolling Thunder!
The crowd erupted as Kennedy, RVD and Hardy took their first real advantage since the start of the match, as all three of them looked at each other, and then there opponents. Each man then ascended a top turnbuckle each (like RVD and Hardy last week), and after a few moments posing to the fans, Kennedy leapt off as he nailed Smith with a Kenton Bomb, whilst RVD hit Burchill with a Five Star Frog Splash and Hardy hit Finlay with a Swanton Bomb at the same time! The crowd erupted into what was easily the largest reaction of the night, as all three climbed over for the cover in a triple pin! 1...2...3! The dream team of Kennedy, RVD and Hardy are winners tonight over the UKonnection!
|Winners: Mr. Kennedy, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy|
The three men then get up and link hands to a huge pop from the fans, as arguably Raw’s three biggest faces are victorious over the UKonnection. Each man takes a turnbuckle a poses to a very lively crowd, before Jeff and RVD hop down, nod to Kennedy before leaving the ring, letting Kennedy soak in his hometown ovation. Once Hardy and RVD reach the backstage area, Kennedy gets his microphone and goes to announce the winners of the match, only for ‘This Fire Burns’ to blast out for the second time in the night to phenomenal heat, as the WWE Champion CM Punk emerges from the back, fuming after what happened in his match with Chris Jericho. Kennedy turns serious (or as serious as he can be) and throws his microphone up, ready for a fight.
Punk gets into the ring as Kennedy approaches him, as the two then begin to talk smack to each other. The crowd get on their feet for this epic confrontation, as Punk goes to slap Kennedy, only for Ken to duck and nail the champion with right hands punches, straight to the head. Punk then managed to duck under a punch, as he then went for a Roundhouse kick to the temple just like he did to Grisham earlier, only for Kennedy to once again dodge it. This caused Punk to spin around as he put so much power on the kick, as Kennedy quickly got Punk, pulled him in, and nailed a lightning quick Mic Check. The crowd absolutely erupts, as Mr. Kennedy then gets his microphone and says, just like a couple of weeks ago, ‘the new WWE Champion come Wrestlemania, Mr. Kennedy... KENNEDY!’
