Monday Night Raw
The second last Raw before Wrestlemania starts off with the weekly Raw video package, first highlighting RVD’s return to Raw two weeks ago before his opening promo last week where he thanked the fans and insulted the UKonnection. The package then shows Shane O Mac coming out right before Rob and his partner Jeff Hardy are about to leave, saying that he knows what the fans want, which is an RVD return match, as Shane goes on to confirm the main event, a Six Man Tag Team match between RVD, Jeff and Mr. Kennedy against Finlay, DH Smith and Paul Burchill of the UKonnection. We are then shown Kane qualifying for the Brand Supremacy match (which was announced by Teddy Long and Shane McMahon shortly beforehand), before going to the tag team match where the Two Man Dynasty cheated to victory as MVP used dirty tactics on Paul London to win the match, before showing the DX attack which followed, causing Orton to be hit with a Pedigree, Edge to be hit with various sledgehammer shots to the head, and MVP to be taken out with a Flying Elbow Drop from the Heart Break Kid through the announce table. The match graphic with DX vs. Rated RKO for Wrestlemania 25 is shown, as glimpses of Rated RKO’s promo on SD is shown, where Orton confirmed a HHH vs. Orton match for tonight (Raw). Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk was then shown, where Punk looked to have the victory as he was going for a Go To Sleep, only for Kennedy’s music to play, distracting Punk, enabling Jericho to hit the Codebreaker and then pick up the victory, inserting himself into his third Money in the Bank Ladder match.
We then cut to the main event, where Jeff was the face in peril before mounting a comeback, as Jeff then tagged in his Wrestlemania tag team partner Rob Van Dam. It shows RVD and Kennedy cleaning house, as Jeff then recovers and also gets in the ring, as Finlay, Smith and Paul have all been laid out. We are then shown Mr. Kennedy, Jeff Hardy and RVD on the top rope, as a Kenton Bomb, Swanton Bomb and a Five Star Frog Splash followed, resulting in a triple pin and the win in favour of RVD, Hardy and the hometown hero. The aftermath is shown following this with RVD and Hardy letting Kennedy in his home town of Green Bay, Wisconsin, only for Punk to come out and ruin the festivities. Punk’s attempted attack on his Wrestlemania 25 is then shown; where Punk attempted to hit a Roundhouse Kick only for Kennedy to duck, quickly pull the WWE Champion in and hit a third Mic Check on the champion in a matter of weeks. The video package then closes with the same vision of how Raw finished last week, CM Punk laid out as Mr. Kennedy had the WWE Title in his possession, which could possibly happen at Mania XXV.
We then go live into the arena as the pyrotechnics go off as Jim Ross and Jerry the King Lawler welcome us to the show. As always, JR and the King run down the card for tonight, where the final Money in the Bank Ladder match competitor will be confirmed in a match of epic proportions. King then says that Shane McMahon has made a huge Money in the Bank qualifying match between all four members of the UKonnection, where the winner will go on to compete in the Money in the Bank Ladder match, and the two that are not pinned will go on to defend the World Tag Team Championships at Wrestlemania XXV against Hardy and RVD, while the win that is pinned will miss out on Wrestlemania altogether! Ross then says that speaking of the Money in the Bank Ladder match, two of Raw’s competitors will go at it, as Rey Mysterio will go one on one with his friend and the man that qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder match only last week, the Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho (in a non title match). King then says that also tonight, a huge Interbrand match that was confirmed on Smackdown, where Randy Orton will go one on one with Smackdown Triple H, one half of D Generation X.
‘Trailer Park Trash’ hits over the speakers to very loud heat, as
Jamie Noble makes his way down to the ring with the Cruiserweight Championship, as JR says that this match is for the Cruiserweight Championship. JR talks about Noble’s injury after a Cruiserweight Championship match against Paul London where he landed awkwardly on his knee on the outside one night after Unforgiven, as footage is shown where Noble attempted a Diving Crossbody but caught the ropes, as he landed on the outside as his knee then buckled underneath him. King talk about Noble’s completely new demeanour as he was friends with London before the match but seems to have turned his back on him by blaming him, turning his back on the fans also in the process. Noble gets into the ring and begins pacing, hopefully to add another Cruiserweight Title reign to his list of accomplishments.
‘Rocker’ blasts over to the speakers to a great pop, as none other than
the Cruiserweight Champion Paul London comes charging down the ramp, ready for his match against the man that attacked him last week. Footage is then shown of Noble’s shock return and attack last week, where London was first smashed in the head with a nearby trash can by Noble, followed by Noble nailing London with his old WCW finisher, the Belly to Belly Sitout Piledriver, before Jamie got Paul’s Cruiserweight Title and walked off with it. Noble darkly smirks at the footage as London slides into the ring, and then stares down his new nemesis. Noble hands London’s Cruiserweight Title to the referee without taking his eyes off of Noble, as the referee lifts the Cruiserweight Title up for everyone to see, as this Cruiserweight Title match has begun!
|Match 1|
|Cruiserweight Championship|
|Paul London vs. Jamie Noble|
RAW starts off with a highly competitive and fast paced match, as London and Noble use quick cruiserweight moves to start off the contest and the first match of the night. The cruiserweight moves then stop soon after at the five minute mark as Noble uses his aggressive nature, as when London goes for a Wheelbarrow into a Victory Roll (sort of like Rey Mysterio’s bulldog), only for Noble to fling London over Noble’s head and onto London’s head, causing the Cruiserweight his neck smacks the mat aggressively. Noble then took the advantage from this point onwards, as he worked over the upper back of London, hitting him with
four consecutive Dragon Suplexes, only for the resilient champion to kick out at two at the seven minute mark.
Noble then continued with his control of the match as he then lifted up London at the ten minute mark before getting him in position for a Powerbomb, but this turned to be a huge mistake as London flipped backwards, resulting in him giving Noble a
Hurricanrana right into the turnbuckles. Noble then stumbles out of the corner, right into London who hits him with a quick Dropkick, making Noble stumble back into the corner. London then took a breather before charging at Noble, as he then hit him with a Flying Crossbody in the corner, before bouncing off the middle rope as Noble stumbled into the middle of the ring as London then connected with a
Moonsault Press.
From this point onwards the match became much like it started off, as both men shared the advantage, but when London went for a
Top Rope 450 Splash, Noble stuck his knees up. An obviously and visibly hurt London got up as he was scooped up from Noble and was then put into position for the
Belly to Belly Sitout Piledriver, as the crowd gave heat but there was a certain buzz in the air as there could be a new champion here tonight. Noble then went to execute the deadly move at the 16 minute mark of what had been a great match, only for Paul to roll through and get Noble in a Victory Roll for a quick two count. A frustrated Noble got up, as Paul ran at Noble once again but was hit with a boot to the stomach, as Noble then turned London around and then got him in a reverse front face lock, getting the CW Champion in a
Dragon Sleeper!
After one minute in the devastating submission hold London looked to be out of it, but when the referee was going to check if he was knocked out, London suddenly found some life, as he then went to a nearby turnbuckle, kicked off of the second rope and flipped over Noble’s head. Noble then turned around but was hit with a
Step Up Enziguiri from London. Noble managed to stay on his feet, as London then hit the man that was in possession of the Cruiserweight Title with a Flapjack onto the ropes, before getting him in a School Boy Roll Up for another quick two count. London then continued with his fight back as he went to hit Jamie with another Crossbody, only for the Pit Bull to hold onto London.
Jamie then hoisted London onto his shoulders, as London tried everything in his power to get out of the predicament but Jamie Noble was unrelenting, as he then dropped London down with a
Fireman’s Carry Gutbuster! Noble then sported a sick grin on his face as he climbed over for the cover, but Noble did not become the Cruiserweight Champion as much to the surprise of Jamie, London kicked out at two! Noble ran his hands through his hair, wondering what to do. London then got up as Noble charged, but was met with a devastating Superkick from London, but that was not enough to put Noble away! Both men stayed on the mat for a matter of time so they could recover as the crowd cheered for this very exciting opening contest.
The match past the 20 minute mark just like last week’s opening match, as London then went for and connected with a Back Suplex, as he then ascended to the top rope once again. Noble began to stir as London waited for Jamie to get up, but it turned out that Jamie was playing possum as he leapt up and smacked the ropes, causing London to crotch himself on the top rope. For the second time in the match Noble seized the leg of London and then pulled, causing London to go flying off of the top rope and smacked his neck HARD on the mat. Noble then repeatedly stomped and punched away at London in the corner before choking him as the referee tried to pull Jamie off to no avail, as he had no choice but to call for the bell!
|Winner by DQ and still the Cruiserweight Champion: Paul London|
Noble stops choking London in the corner once he hears Lillian Garcia announce London as the winner, as he goes to the referee. The referee says that he told Jamie to go off and disobeyed the five count, resulting in him disqualifying Noble and giving London the win. Jamie looks as though he will attack the referee but decides not to, as he then lifts up London away from the corner, before getting him on his shoulders, looking for the second
Belly to Belly Sitout Piledriver in as many weeks. London looks to have suffered the same fate as last week, only for at the last minute, London rolled through and hit Noble with a
Head Scissors, escaping the deadly move (just like earlier in the match) and making Noble go to the outside. London then grabs his Cruiserweight Title after Noble stole it last week and raises it to a pop from the crowd, as we head to the commercial break.
|Commercial Break|
When we return from the break, we are backstage where a defeated and extremely frustrated Jamie Noble is storming backstage, screaming out for Shane. Noble then barges in to the office of McMahon, who is on the phone, before saying ‘See ya Teddy’ and hangs up. Noble then asks if he saw what happened before, and how he got screwed out of the Cruiserweight Championship, and that he deserves another chance. First off, Shane says that Noble disobeyed the referee’s orders but yes, Noble did not get pinned so he should get another chance at the Cruiserweight Title, at Wrestlemania. The crowd boos as Noble thanks McMahon before going to leave, but Shane O Mac stops him, saying that he was just on the phone with Long, who said that the Cruiserweight Title is an INTERBRAND title, so at Wrestlemania, it won’t be Jamie Noble vs. Paul London, it will be
Jamie Noble vs. Paul London vs. a Smackdown Superstar in a Triple Threat match for the Cruiserweight Title! Noble does not know what to say as he got his Cruiserweight Title match but will have to go through two men to regain at, as Shane said that he also just made a match for Saturday Night’s Main Event, where Noble will go one on one with whoever the Smackdown Superstar is, with the Cruiserweight Champion as the Special Referee!
We cut away from the office of the Raw General Manager, as Jim Ross and the King talk about SNME which is in 12 days, with only two matches being confirmed so far, which was the match that Shane just confirmed in the Special Referee Cruiserweight Match between Jamie Noble and the Smackdown qualifier with the CW Champion as the referee, and the Champions vs. Challengers tag team match with the World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and the WWE Champion CM Punk teaming up to face the man that is undefeated at Wrestlemania and Cena’s arch nemesis the Undertaker and the winner of the 2009 Royal Rumble and CM Punk’s opponent for WrestleMania, Mr. Kennedy. JR says to watch out on WWE.COM, as starting from next Tuesday, one match will be confirmed every day until Saturday.
This leads us to the newly renamed Smackdown Lowdown, where we first see JBL squashing Trevor Murdoch before the Big Show comes out to make the save, only to be destroyed by JBL, with the aid of a microphone and a steel chair. It then shows the challenge of the Street Fight for Wrestlemania 25, which was later accepted by the Big Show. The undefeated newcomer Evan Bourne’s victory was shown, showing various Cycloramas from different angles. We are then shown Matt Hardy vs. Kofi Kingston, where the former United States Champion in Hardy won to qualify for the Money in the Bank Ladder match as Ken Doane and Bryan Danielson tried to attack Hardy, only for Gregory Helms to come out and clean house, ending in Danielson being hit with a Nightmare on Helms Street and a Twist of Fate from Matt. We then have highlights of the Fatal 4 Way match, as Jindrak in the end cost the WWE Tag Team Champion Psicosis the victory when he was about to pin Charlie Haas, as Mark hit him with a Mark of Excellence for the win. Highlights of the main event are then shown, with Cena smashing the Undertaker in the back with the World Title, as Taker then stumbled into Miller, who nailed his devastating Flapjack into Uppercut, which got Nash the first win of his career. Cena then got into the ring and smirked at Nash, only to be hit with the move that was named the Imprisonment. We then go to a commercial break as the Smackdown Lowdown ends with Nash standing tall over Smackdown’s main event.
|Commercial Break|
We return from the break as
‘Rule Brittania’ hits to a huge amount of heat, as the first member of the UKonnection in
Finlay makes his way down to the ring, ready for this match against his three UKonnection partners. Finlay surprisingly had his shillelagh with him even though he most likely would not use it against his partners, but nonetheless, he brought it into the ring and put it in its usual position. Finlay then got into the centre of the ring and simply stood there looking at the entrance ramp, awaiting his UKonnection counterparts and also opponents for tonight.
‘Rule Brittania’ hits once again as
DH Smith then makes his way down to the ring with his cousin
Natalya Neidhart by his side, ready for his second match against his UKonnection teammates in four months. Even after the Elimination Chamber qualifying match back in December, the Second Generation Superstar can’t help but look and feel uneasy since he is facing the men that he has teamed with for the past 10 months. Smith gets into the ring and stares at Finlay, before taking the corner furthest away from the tough Irishman.
For the third time in a row,
‘Rule Brittania’ blasts over the loud speakers to the largest heat of all three so far, as the leader of the UKonnection in
William Regal makes his way down to the ring with his black trunks on. Regal slides into the ring and frantically switches glances with the two members in the ring in Smith and Finlay, as Natalya is shown looking, as you could cut the tension with a knife. Regal backs into another free corner, as all three of them await the final competitor.
For perhaps the second last time in the night,
‘Rule Brittania’ hits once again, as accompanied by his sister Katie Lea Burchill,
Paul Burchill makes his way to the ring. Regal, Finlay and DH Smith all look at Burchill, knowing that last December when these four had their Fatal Four Way Elimination Chamber qualifying match, Burchill came out the victor and was very close to winning the WWE Championship in that match. Not unlike his counterparts, Paul walks into the ring uncertainly, as he takes the last free corner and the match up gets underway.
|Match 2|
|Fatal Four Way Money in the Bank Qualifying Match|
|The two who aren’t pinned go on to face RVD and Jeff Hardy at Mania XXV|
|UKonnection Collide|
|Paul Burchill vs. Finlay vs. William Regal vs. DH Smith|
The match starts off with nervous nods from all four competitors before Smith locks up with Finlay as Burchill does likewise with Regal, but since all the men know the other’s style so well, it proves to be a stalemate. This action is repeated by with all four men, before Smith charges out of nowhere with a Lariat to Finlay, as Regal then ducks an attempted Clothesline from Burchill and then locked in a Full Nelson. Smith went to work on Finlay as Burchill managed to spin out of the hold and then hit Regal with a Russian Leg Sweep, as Smith and Paul then teamed up, as they hit Finlay with a Double Suplex. Burchill and Smith went at it, as Burchill quickly reversed a
Running Powerslam into a Reverse DDT at the five minute mark, as Burchill then took the advantage.
Burchill worked over Regal for the majority, before the tough Irishman got up and clubbed Burchill in the back as he went for a Suplex, dropping Regal in the process. Finlay then continually used right hands to Burchill, as he ran back and attempted a Clothesline, but this proved his downfall as Burchill reversed that into a Snap Powerslam. Burchill maintained his advantage for the next couple of minutes before he went for a
Curb Stomp to Finlay, only for Smith to come from behind Burchill and get him in a Roll Up for two. Burchill then got up and charged at Smith, but was hit with a kick to the gut and a Snap DDT. Smith then looked to have the advantage, only for a recovered Regal to come up from behind Smith and hit a
Release Half Nelson Suplex.
Regal then locked Smith in the
Regal Stretch, as the eyes of Smith rolled to the back of his head almost instantly. The referee was about to call for the bell, only for Finlay to dive on top of Regal and break up the submission manoeuvre! The two veterans then fought it out, as Finlay went for a
Celtic Cross, but Regal held onto the second rope, therefore denying Finlay his opportunity to hit his secondary finisher. Finlay quickly hit Regal with a boot to the face, as he went to the corner and lifted up his shillelagh. Finlay then went to blast Regal in the face, but Regal ducked and then hit the
High Knee on Finlay out of nowhere! Regal then climbed over the former Intercontinental Champion for the cover, but Smith and Burchill broke the count up at two!
Regal was furious as Smith and Burchill then lifted Regal up and whipped him across the ropes and then went for a Double Clothesline upon his arrival, but Regal managed to duck, and then hit a Clothesline to the both of them. They both got up as did Finlay, as Burchill went to Finlay but was hit by a Back Body Drop, as he got up with the aid of the ropes as he then rested on them. Regal then saw this as an opportune time, as he got Smith and threw him into Burchill, making them go flying out of the ring and to the mats below! Finlay and Regal then continued their battle as Regal ducked another attempt of a Clothesline by Finlay as he went for another
Half Nelson Release Suplex, but Finlay managed to spin out and get Regal in the first stage of a Suplex, before completing the devastating
Emerald Fusion! Finlay then climbs over for the cover with Burchill and Smith still out, as Finlay then gets the three count.
|Winner and heading to the Money in the Bank Ladder Match: Finlay|
|Paul Burchill and DH Smith were not pinned, so they will go onto face RVD and Hardy at Mania XXV to defend the UKonnection’s Tag Team Championships|
FINLAY IS GOING TO WRESTLEMANIA TO COMPETE IN MOENY IN THE BANK! Finlay gets up and gets his hand raised from the referee, as both Smith and Burchill gradually begin to get up. Natalya and Katie Lea looked worried on the outside sensing that something would happen like their match last December, as Smith and Burchill recover on the outside before they get into the ring as they see Finlay celebrating. The two who were not pinned simply shrug as they have still booked themselves a spot at Wrestlemania, as Regal begins to stir after the Emerald Fusion. Smith, Burchill and Finlay simply stare as their team leader in Regal gets up with a disappointed look on his face. Regal is still disappointed but still has his hands raised by Finlay, as the UKonnection raise their arms high as
‘Rule Brittania’ once again hit the speakers, as we then head to a commercial break.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break
Chris Jericho is backstage with his Intercontinental Title on his shoulder, warming up for his Triple Threat match with the other RAW Money in the Bank competitors later tonight. When walking, he bumps into the UKonnection, Regal holding his head after losing to his UKonnection counterpart. Jericho smirks at the beaten Regal and sarcastically asked the man that he feuded with most of 2008 how he was feeling, only to be hit with a slap by Regal, who then pounced on Jericho and hit him with hard right hands! The UKonnection simply stayed on the background as Regal rained down with right hands, only for Shane McMahon to soon arrive on the scene and force Regal off. Jericho got up but the UKonnection protected Regal, as an angry Shane then said that he knows that Regal is pissed that he is not on the Wrestle Mania card, but with these events, an idea has struck in his head. Shane O Mac then goes onto say that even though Regal will not compete at WrestleMania, he may have the chance to be the Intercontinental Champion
as next Saturday, he will go one on one with Chris Jericho for the Intercontinental Championship. Regal smirks as Y2J seems happy about this, as the UKonnection walk off with Shane and Jericho staring daggers through them, as we cut away.
The announce team discuss these recent developments and the updated Saturday Night’s Main Event card, which now has the Champions vs. Challengers, Jamie Noble against the Smackdown Cruiserweight Championship qualifier with the CW Champion Paul London as Guest Referee and as just announced, an Intercontinental Championship match between Chris Jericho and William Regal, with undoubtedly Finlay in their corner. However, the rundown of SNME is cut short as
'Smooth' hits over the speakers.
The crowd give much larger heat than expected, accompanied by as always
Elijah Burke, the awesomeness that is the
Alpha Male~! Monty Brown makes his way down to the ring, ready for this one on one contest against the Big Red Machine. Brown gets into the ring soon followed by the Silver Tongued Pugilist, as Monty gets in the ring and starts pacing up and down, ready to face Kane. Burke is as always screaming advice to Brown, who looks as intense as ever to prove himself to the Raw General Manager.
‘Slow Chemical’ then blasts over the speakers to a huge pop, as the monster that is
Kane makes his way down to the ring, just one week after being victorious in the Triple Threat match, thus going on to represent Raw in the Brand Supremacy match at Wrestlemania XXV. Kane gets into the ring and he takes the centre of the ring, as Burk hops to the outside of the ring before Kane lifts his arms and slams them down, causing ‘fire’ to come out of the ring posts. Kane smiles sadistically at the fire, although the beast in Brown looks unintimidated by this, as the third match up of the night begins.
|Match 3|
|Singles Match|
|Kane vs. Monty Brown w/ Elijah Burke|
The match starts off with Brown firing away at Kane with everything he has gotten, taking the Big Red Machine by surprise as he is backed into the corner. Brown follows and connects with five straight shoulders to the gut, as he backs away and then hits a Running Spear in the corner. Kane comes out of the corner winded as Brown goes for another right hand punch, only for Kane to duck under it and nail an Uppercut right to the throat. Brown then stumbled back as he was whipped against the ropes by Kane who then went looking for a Back Body Drop, only for Brown to hit Kane with a
Swinging Neckbreaker. Brown maintained this advantaged until the seven minute mark as he beat Kane at his own power game, but it soon backfired as Kane hit Brown with a Big Boot as he bounced off the ropes.
Kane then lifted Monty up, only to drop him back down again with a Body Slam, as Brown’s back hits the mat hard. Kane waited for Brown to get up and he soon did with his back facing Kane, and when Kane turned him around, he was hit with a thumb to the eye and then a Double Leg Slam which he calls the
Alpha Slam! Brown then climbs over the huge torso of Kane and hooks the leg, only for a two count. Brown is visibly frustrated as he then lifts Kane up and kicks him in the gut, as he then whips him across the ropes and looks for the
Pounce. Kane was bounced off of the ropes as Monty bounced off, but Kane managed to pull himself up at the ropes, meaning the move backfired for Brown. Brown quickly went to Kane but was hit with another Uppercut to the throat, before being hit with a
Sidewalk Slam!
Kane goes to the apron and then goes onto the second rope followed by his ascent to the top rope, as he waits for the Alpha Male to get up. Brown stumbles up groggily as Kane then leaps off, hitting Brown with a signature Flying Clothesline! Kane then raises his right arm and waves it around, signalling that he is ready to hit a Chokeslam. Brown then gets up and Kane’s hand is wrapped around the large throat of Brown, whose eyes rise as he will be victim to the
Chokeslam. Burke on the outside also senses danger, as he slides into the ring with a steel chair! The crowd gives huge heat as Kane has no idea,
as Burke slams the chair with all of his might into the back of Kane, as the referee signals for the disqualification win for Kane!
|Winner by a Disqualification: Kane|
Burke still has the chair in his hands, as he looks shocked as Kane no sells the chair shot, as the Big Red Machine then throws Brown away and goes straight to Burke. Burke goes for another chair shot to the head, but Kane managed to catch the chair and throw it away, leaving only Burke and Kane. Elijah tries to get away from Kane only to cop an Uppercut to the throat. Kane then bounced off the ropes and went to hit Burke with a Clothesline, only for Brown to bounce off the ropes and make Kane feel the
Pounce! Brown then smirked down at Kane as Burke smirked as well, as Raw’s representative seems to be down and out. Burke and Brown laughed at Kane, only for the Masked Monster to sit up! Burke and Brown look shocked, as they run away to the back as Kane sits there, extremely pissed off at these events.
|Commercial Break|
We return from the commercial break with a video package, this one highlighting Saturday Night’s Main Event once again. It is the same package which was shown on Smackdown with the previous matches, but further enhancements were made, such as having little things like Undertaker hitting a Last Ride, CM Punk hitting a Go to Sleep, Mr. Kennedy hitting a Mic Check, Cena locking in an STFU, RVD hitting a Five Star Frog Splash and JBL hitting a Clothesline from Hell. Match graphics of the matches announced are shown, them being Jericho vs. Regal for the WWE Intercontinental Championship, Jamie Noble vs. the Smackdown Superstar that qualifies for the CW Title match with Paul London as Guest Referee, and the Champions vs. Challengers match. It then reminds us to tune in on NBC on Saturday night and to also check out on WWE.COM for the match announcements. The video package then ends with the screen split into four, where we see Punk raising his title, Cena showing his World Title to the world, Mr. Kennedy doing his opening match announcement and the Undertaker riding his bike, as we go back live to the arena.
The camera pans out to show the sold out arena, before
‘One of a Kind’ hits, as the duo of
Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy make their way down to the ring. RVD and Hardy slap hands with the fans before taking microphones from Lillian, ready to cut a promo for the second time in two weeks. RVD gets a cheap pop by greeting the fans in Ohio, before Jeff speaks on his own microphone and talks about the UKonnection and how in 20 days at WrestleMania XXV, he and RVD will face DH Smith and Paul Burchill for the World Tag Team Championships. The crowd popped for this match since it is RVD’s WrestleMania return match, as Hardy goes onto say that for next Saturday at Saturday Night’s Main Event, neither of them have a match.
The crowd gives heat towards this statement as two of their favourites are not booked for WrestleMania XXV, as Hardy and RVD both smirk at this reaction. Rob then takes a microphone and then talks about the Royal Rumble of this year where Jeff lost in the WWE Championship TLC match because of Paul Burchill interfering, as the crowd erupts once again into an enormous amount of heat. RVD then said that Jeff has not had his shot at Burchill but Paul complained to Shane so now Jeff will not get his shot at Burchill. The crowd gives even more heat at this, but RVD said that there was nothing about RVD not getting revenge for his partner.
The crowd pops as Hardy and RVD smirk, as the crowd think that they know where Rob Van Dam is going with this. Rob then smiles as Jeff does likewise, as Rob then says that he proposes a match with Shane for next Saturday, where the World Tag Team Champion Paul Burchill will go one on one with man making his return to singles action, Mr. ‘Saturday’ Night, Rob Van Dam. RVD then does his hand gesture as he hands the microphone to Jeff who then hands them to Lillian, as RVD mouths ‘Think about it Shane’, as we head to another commercial break and once it has finished, Chris Jericho will go up against The Brian Kendrick and Rey Mysterio in a non title Triple Threat match.
|Commercial Break|
‘Booyaka 619’ hits over the speakers to a very loud pop as
the Master of the 619 in Rey Mysterio makes his way down to the ring, ready for this Triple Threat match against two of the other Money in the Bank competitors. Rey passes his top mask to a fan with a Rey Mysterio mask in the first row before giving him some ‘inspiring’ words to the young Mysterio fan. Rey then slides into the ring and heads to the top rope and does his sign of the cross before pointing to all of the fans, as he soon hops down and waits for his two opponents to enter the ring.
‘Man with a Plan’ hits to strong boos as the second man that qualified for the Money in the Bank Ladder match on the RAW side of thing makes his way down to the ring.
The Brian Kendrick does his cocky and silly dance all the way down to the ring as he smirks at the fans in the first couple of rows, including the boy that got the Rey Mysterio mask. Kendrick then climbs on the apron before grabbing the ropes and leaping over the top and into the ring, as Mysterio does not take his eyes off of Kendrick, the man that he drew with last week. Kendrick simply smirks at his fellow Cruiserweight, as they await his arrival.
A countdown begins as the crowd rise to their feet, 5...4...3...2...1...0! EXPLOSION!
‘BREAK THE WALLS DOWN!’ The infamous tune hits over the speakers to what is so far the biggest pop of the night, as the Intercontinental Champion and the man that defeated CM Punk last week in
Chris Jericho makes his way down to the ring. Jericho makes his way down to the ring all smiles, even after his previous encounter backstage with the UKonnection leader William Regal. Jericho meets his friend Mysterio with a nod as they share glances at Kendrick, but TBK senses danger as he rolls out of the ring, leaving Jericho and Rey to start off.
|Match 4|
|Money in the Bank Competitors Collide|
|Triple Threat Match|
|The Brian Kendrick vs. Chris Jericho vs. Rey Mysterio|
Rey and Jericho look at each other as Kendrick looks a little worried, as he quickly hops out of the ring and leaves Jericho and Rey to do the work. In what was a nice display of athletic ability, the two put on quite a show, Rey hitting a quick Hurricanrana into the ropes, getting Y2J in perfect position for a quick 619 at the third minute of the match. Jericho however got up as Mysterio was charging at him as he threw Rey up, he springboarded up off the ropes and then hit a massive
Flying Crossbody to Kendrick on the outside! The crowd gave a huge pop at the agility and speed of Mysterio, as a triumphant Rey turned around, right into a huge Suicide Dive by the Intercontinental Champion! The crowd gave a huge pop for the awesomeness that is Jericho, who then lifted Kendrick up and threw him into the ring.
Jericho then worked over Kendrick for the next couple of minutes, as Rey then got into the ring, causing Rey and Jericho to double team Kendrick. They hit TBK with a
Double Suplex before their partnership disintegrated, as Rey went for a quick Sunset Flip Cover, but Jericho held onto the top rope, not allowing Rey to get Jericho in the cover. Rey and Jericho then traded fists, before out of nowhere, Kendrick charged at both of them and hit a dropkick, knocking them both down. Kendrick then went to the apron, most likely looking for a springboard move, but whilst he was busy taunting the fans, Jericho got up and hit Kendrick in the gut, causing him to be crouched between the ropes. Mysterio then got up as Jericho and Rey looked to have continued their partnership, as Jericho held Kendrick in the same position as Rey went onto the apron to the right of Kendrick.
The crowd rose in anticipation as they sensed that something big would happen, as Rey then springboarded off the top rope and
DROPPED THE DIME ONTO A ROPE HUNG KENDRICK! The crowd erupted for Mysterio as Jericho quickly capitalized, as he hit Rey with a
One Handed Bulldog and then a Lionsault, but that was only enough to get a two count! The crowd gave a mixed reaction as they obviously wanted Y2J to win, as the IC Champion held his arms out wide, supposedly looking for a
Codebreaker to whoever got up first. Mysterio got up as Jericho went to Mysterio, but was given a Drop Toe Hold into the ropes, as he then connected with the
619! Kendrick also stirred after being out for two minutes, as Rey went for the
Picking the Dime to Jericho, but Kendrick out of nowhere hit Rey with a heel kick at the 15 minute mark!
The crowd gave huge heat for Kendrick, who then lifted Mysterio up into a three quarter face lock, looking for the
Sliced Bread, only for Y2J to get up and give him a forearm to the back as he was running, charging him into the turnbuckle. Rey was then hit a Body Slam from Jericho, as Y2J then once again threw Kendrick into the turnbuckle before getting him in a Full Nelson, looking for the
Breakdown perhaps! Jericho then looked to hit the move, only for Kendrick to springboard off the second rope and fall backwards, landing on Jericho whilst still on the Full Nelson and getting Y2J in a pin. At the count of 1, however, Jericho released the Full Nelson and managed to get TBK off. Kendrick then charged at Jericho, but was hit with a Step Up Enziguiri. Jericho then looked for the
Codebreaker once again only for the crowd to give ferocious heat,
as Finlay was seen charging down the entrance ramp and attacked all three participants, resulting in a No Contest!
|NO CONTEST|
Finlay continues his assault but this time only on the two fan favourites but mainly focuses on Jericho (hoping to soften him up for Regal), but Rey eventually got up as Finlay was stomping on Jericho, and nailed him with right punches to the face. Rey then hit a
Springboard Crossbody and seemed to have been the last man standing, but like what happened exactly last week on Smackdown, none other than
the United States Champion Ken Doane and the ‘American Dragon’ Bryan Danielson come charging down the ramp. They hop into the ring and catch Rey by surprise, as Kendrick joins in on the fun, helping the other two heels lay Rey out. The crowd give heat as a ‘Hardy’ chant arises, and almost in response,
Matt Hardy and Gregory Helms come charging down the ramp!
Kendrick and Danielson see them coming but Doane doesn’t, as Doane continues stomping on Mysterio as Danielson and TBK go to the two other Smackdown Superstars. Hardy and Helms traded fists with the two and the faces seemed to get the advantage, only for the newest Money in the Bank participant in Finlay to
smash Helms in the back of the head with a shillelagh, as Hardy was then double teamed by Danielson and Kendrick, resulting in him being hit with a
Butterfly Suplex. Doane then turned Mysterio over, as he then ascended to the top rope and proceeded to hit the Triple Crown Champion with a
Sky High Sensation. Kendrick then went over to Jericho and lifted him up before getting him a three quarter face lock, and pointed to the ropes.
The crowd gave heat as they knew where the former Tag Team and Cruiserweight Champion was going with this, as he then did a back flip off the ropes with Jericho still in position and moved it into a Reverse DDT, completing the
Sliced Bread #2. Kendrick smirked down at Jericho but when Kendrick turned around, Finlay had the shillelagh and threatened to hit TBK, but Kendrick managed to duck under and get away from the attempt to floor Kendrick. The four men are in the ring and share glances with each other as the four heels stand tall, but show that it is every man for themselves come Wrestlemania, and also in the lead up to the Money in the Bank Ladder match.
|Commercial Break|
Immediately after we return from the break,
‘Voices’ plays over the speakers to the biggest heat of the night (so far), as accompanied by
Edge, Randy Orton makes his way down to the ring, ready for his match against his on screen mentor. The rain of pyro showers down behind Orton as he does his ‘Destiny’ pose as Orton makes his way into the ring, before getting to the middle rope and doing his infamous taunt once again. Edge also got into the ring even though he is not competing in this match, and as Orton is doing the Destiny pose, Edge does his signature ‘Corna’ hand gesture to heat from the crowd. Rated RKO and DX’s Wrestlemania 25 opponents get huge heat from the crowd, as they pose on the top rope for a good thirty seconds, before they await DX in the ring.
‘Break it Down’ then hits over the speakers once Rated RKO have settled in the ring to a huge pop from the crowd (not as big as Jericho’s simply because Y2J is awesome
), as
Triple H makes his way down to the ring. Not unlike Orton, Triple H is accompanied by his D Generation X counterpart in
Shawn Michaels. HHH has a big grin on his face as HBK flashes his glow sticks around, but soon throws them to the ground as they are met by Rated RKO, denying DX to do their pre match stuff. Edge pairs up with HBK and they brawl on the entrance way as the two actual competitors in HHH and Orton brawl and eventually get into the ring as the bell rings.
|Main Event|
|Match 5|
|Singles Match|
|Mentor vs. Protégé|
|Triple H w/ Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton w/ Edge|
The brawl continued as the bell was rung, as Triple H gave Orton a double leg takedown and hit him with ferocious right hands. Both men got up, as Orton charged at Triple H once again, only to be knocked straight back down again after a Triple H clothesline. HBK and Edge meanwhile brought their fight to ringside, as HBK slammed Edge’s head against the steel steps, knocking Edge out for the time being. HHH continued his advantage in the ring as he worked over the leg of Orton, hitting knee drops to the knee cap of the Third Generation Superstar, before locking in a deadly
Figure Four Leg Lock. Orton started to writhe in pain as Edge got up on the outside but decided not to go back to HBK, as Orton tried to get to the ropes, not wanting to submit at the six minute mark of this match against his mentor. Edge gradually leant forward on the ropes as he shouted words of advice to Orton, as Randy managed to get to the ropes which were pushed forward by Edge.
Triple H kept his advantage for not long after that, as Orton hit Trips with an Uppercut and then hit
unique Backbreaker manoeuvre. Orton then hit Triple H with repeated stomps to all places of HHH’s body, before mounting HHH and hitting him with repeated punches. Orton then kept control of the match for a majority of the time, as he lifted Triple H and hit one of his perfectly placed Standing Dropkicks. Orton then stood over Triple H and then hit Triple H with repeated forearms to the chest, before throwing him back down aggressively. Orton then went onto the ground and started punching the ground, looking for his signature
RKO. Orton then charged at HHH once he got up, but he was pushed off in mid air by Triple H, making him land hard on his back!
HHH then rested on the ropes as Randy made his recovery, and once Randy did get up, HHH hit Randy with a right hand, causing the fans to cheer as Randy retaliated with a right hand of his own, causing the crowd to give heat. This action was repeated various times, before Triple H took the advantage, only for Orton to give him a thumb to the eye, and then hit a
Snap DDT! Orton smirks and then lifts Triple H up, only for Triple H to hit him with punches to the gut, then lift him up into a Suplex position and hit a
Delayed Vertical Suplex! Both men were laid out before Triple H began to stir, and then with the aid of the ropes, the 12 time World Champion managed to get to his feet. Triple H looked to be struggling to stay on his feet, only to give Orton a DX crotch chop and wait for his recovery.
Triple H then goes for the
Pedigree once Randy had gotten up, but with shades of Survivor Series 2004, Orton spun out and looked to hit an
RKO. Orton was pushed into the ropes by HHH, and when he returned to Triple H, he was hit with a patented
Double A Spinebuster! The crowd erupted as Triple H got pumped, only for Edge to get up on the apron. HHH approached Edge as HBK made his way over, as Edge hopped off and raised his arms innocently. Unbeknownst to Triple H, Orton had gotten up in this time, as HHH turned around,
RIGHT INTO AN RKO! Orton then climbed over for the pin but was too worn out to hook the legs and at two, HHH got his foot on the bottom rope! The referee did not see this, however, as Edge took the opportunity to knock Triple H’s foot off the rope as the referee counted the last count, giving Orton the ever important victory here tonight against his former teammate!
|Winner: Randy Orton|
The crowd erupt into a HUGE amount of heat, as Randy Orton has stolen a victory over Triple H tonight thanks to outside interference from Edge, which went unseen by the referee! Edge slides into the ring and raises Orton’s hand after his cheap victory, but they soon scurry out as Michaels gets into the ring, as Rated RKO go to the entrance way and smirk as Triple H recovers and stares down Edge and Orton. HBK does likewise as Rated RKO have big, triumphant grins on their faces, extremely happy with Orton’s win here tonight. HHH looks to be shaking with fury at his protégé getting the best of him, as Rated RKO now look to have the upper hand ahead of WrestleMania and ahead of Saturday Night’s Main Event.
|Commercial Break|
Once we return from the break the crowd goes silent in anticipation, before the infamous tune of
‘Turn Up the Trouble’ hits to a bigger pop than Jericho’s (meh, he is in the Mania main event
), as none other than the
2009 Royal Rumble winner in Mr. Kennedy makes his way down to the ring, ready for his promo. Kennedy gets into the ring arrogantly chewing his gum as always as he then melodramatically raises his arm up and ordering his
EPIC~! microphone to descend, which it does. Kennedy then does his normal introducing schtick before he talks about WrestleMania, where he will face CM Punk to once again become the top of the WWE and for the first time the top of Monday Night RAW.
Kennedy talks about how in only twenty days, he will get his reward for lasting one hour at the Royal Rumble by defeating Punk at WrestleMania and winning his first WWE Championship which Punk has held for five months. Kennedy states that he actually does congratulate Punk on proving that he is not a cheap champion as he has defeated many competitors in his tenure as WWE Champion, getting heat from the crowd as Kennedy seems to be supporting his WrestleMania opponent. Mr. Kennedy then quickly counters this, saying that there is one name that is not on that list, and that is Mr. Kennedy. The crowd pops for Mr. Kennedy once again, as Kennedy then talks about next Saturday for Saturday Night’s Main Event.
Kennedy then says that the Undertaker has been one of his all time favourites, and that it will be an honour teaming with him next Saturday to face Kennedy’s past and present nemesis’, John Cena and CM Punk. Kennedy said that he knows both of the champions so well, and that it will be a walk in the park at Saturday Night’s Main Event when he teams with the Undertaker. Ken then says that at WrestleMania he is CERTAIN that Undertaker will maintain his unbeaten streak and will become the World Heavyweight Champion, whilst on the same night, Mr. Kennedy will become the new WWE Champion... CHAMPION! Kennedy goes to leave the ring, only for (unsurprisingly)
‘This Fire Burns’ to hit over the speakers as the
WWE Champion CM Punk heads down to the ring.
Punk then slides into the ring, unstraps his WWE Title belt and drops it to the ground (disrespectfulness
), as he engages in an intense stare down with Kennedy. Punk does not say a word, before taking a quick step back and hitting Kennedy with a Roundhouse Kick right to the temple! The crowd gave heat as Kennedy was immediately unconscious upon impact but somehow managed to stay on his feet as he stumbled around, right into an
F-U from
John Cena?!?! WHERE THE HELL DID THE WORLD CHAMPION COME FROM!? Cena and Punk begin to lay the boots into Kennedy, obviously in an attempt to soften Ken up ahead of the Champions vs. Challengers match at SNME.
An ‘Undertaker’ chant starts up but there is no sign of ‘Big Evil’, as Punk then lifts Kennedy up and gets him in a Standing Fireman’s Carry of his own, looking for a
GTS, but he drops Kennedy as
‘Rollin’’ hits over the speakers to a MASSIVE pop! The Undertaker comes roaring down on his motorcycle meaning business, as he gets up off his bike but does not go in empty handed, as he rips the chain off of his bike and then slides into the ring. Undertaker is soon forced to drop his weapon as Punk and Cena jump the biker straight away, but Taker fights back, soon hitting CM Punk with a Clothesline and then nails his WrestleMania opponent in John Cena with a Big Boot. Taker quickly checks on Kennedy before turning back to Punk as he bends down, only for
Punk to get Undertaker’s nearby chain and whip it across his face!
The crowd gives a ton of heat as the Undertaker falls to the mat as soon as he is hit with the chain by Punk, as Taker falls right next to his SNME tag team partner. Cena then recovers as Punk goes straight to Kennedy, lifting the 2009 Royal Rumble winner up, before hitting him straight back down again as he hits him with a
Urinagi, before keeping him in position and then locking Kennedy in an
Anaconda Vice. Whilst this is happening, Cena has turned Undertaker on his stomach, as Cena then seizes the leg of Undertaker, before locking in the
STF-U! The crowd gives tons of heat as the top heels in the business have locked the top faces in their signature submission holds. RAW then goes off the air with Kennedy and Undertaker gasping for air, still locked in the submission holds.
and rep+