The Raw Report (02/26/07): HBK and Cena vs. Rated-RKO
Submitted by Chad Matthews on Monday, February 26, 2007 at 9:13 PM EST





The Raw Report (02/26/07)

A recap of Vince choosing Umaga as his representative at Wrestlemania was shown…


HBK and John Cena came to the ring for the tag title match, but Orton and Edge showed up on the Titantron and said there must be some kind of misunderstanding…because they weren’t ready to compete, yet. Orton told HBK that he was the best actor the world has ever seen after his performance the other week when he told Cena that he had his back. Randy said that Michaels got snubbed at the Oscar’s last night. Orton then introduced a video package highlighting HBK and his former tag team partners (Jannetty, Diesel, DX, NWO, and Hulk Hogan). After the conclusion of the video, Edge called HBK a liar. He said that Cena better watch out, because HBK was more likely to stab him in the back, then watch it. Rated-RKO said they’d see the tag champs later tonight. Cena, after having seen the video, looked as if his confidence in HBK had been shaken. Michaels assured him that he could be trusted. (CMV1 note- good segment to build some heat on HBK. One of the gripes about the Mania build-up, in some circles, has been the lack of tension b/t HBK and Cena. Personally, I think it’s been building up nice and slow, but this ought to help get the ball rolling for the detractors)


Mick Foley talked about his new book in a pre-taped promo…


Match 1: Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin
-(CMV1 note- this was for a spot in the Money in the Bank Ladder match. During Jeff’s entrance, JR and King introduced highlights of Hardy’s Wrestlemania ladder match highlights. They did the same during Shelton’s entrance). They gave it a big-match feel with pre-match, championship fight style intros. Shelton outwrestled Hardy in the early going, catching Jeff with a few quick near falls. The crowd got behind Hardy, but Shelton continued to build momentum. Hardy came back with a jawbreaker and a double leg drop to the groin. Shelton quickly regained control and applied a wear down hold. Hardy got to his feet and used a reverse mulekick to get his offense going. The action spilled to the outside, where Hardy ran the guardrail, flew off, and caught Shelton with a flying clothesline. Back in the ring, Hardy scored with the Whisper in the Wind and went back to the top rope for the Swanton Bomb. However, Shelton sprang to his feet and leaped to the top rope in one bound. He caught Jeff and threw him back to the mat with a sky high belly-to-belly suplex. We then got a dreaded mid-match commercial break, but I guess that was to be expected. Back from the break, Shelton had Jeff wrapped in a body scissors-rear chinlock combo. Hardy got back to his feet and fought out of the chinlock, but Shelton quickly took him back to the mat with a back body drop. Shelton then propped Hardy on his shoulder, stalled, and threw him over for a modified back body drop. Benjamin went back to the chinlock, but Hardy got back to his feet and caught him with a split-legged jawbreaker. Jeff followed with a series of clotheslines and a diving forearm smash. He threw him over the top rope, but Shelton landed on the apron and tried to surprise him with a springboard. However, Shelton slipped and they went for an improvised finish. Shelton kicked out of the cover and the match went on. Hardy scored with the Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb soon after to get the win. Hardy defeated Shelton to earn a spot in the MITB ladder match at 9:57. (CMV1 rating- **) (CMV1 note- good match until the botched move. After the match, they announced that there’d be EIGHT men in the MITB ladder match this year. I heard that rumor earlier today and I’m honestly not sold on that being a good thing. The undercard for this PPV is rumored to be very weak, and adding two more guys into the MITB takes even more away from the rest of the undercard. In my opinion, Mania needs one more guaranteed good match…HBK-Cena and MITB are two…now it needs one more. With all the talent MITB, where’s that 3rd one going to come from?)


After the above match, Vince McMahon appeared on the Titantron and talked about how Jeff wasn’t smiling last week when Umaga took the IC title from him. Vince quickly turned his attention to Trump and who Donald would pick for his representative tonight. He showed all the possible haircuts that the Donald might get after Umaga squashes his representative at Mania.


This week on ECW, Lashley and Holly in a steel cage match…


Ashley is in Playboy…


Backstage, Women’s Champ Melina talked about how all the attention should be on her, not Ashley. She talked about how even Mick Foley has gotten more attention than her and she fired him last summer. After Melina whined about having to face Mickie next week in a Falls Count Anywhere match, Nitro told her to shut up, citing how he wasn’t going to be on the Mania card after losing to Punk last week. He stormed off and headed to the ring for his match…He was scheduled to face Super Crazy. Nitro attacked Crazy before the bell sounded, though. He pounded away on him on the outside, tossing him into the ring apron, guardrail, and the steel steps. He then gave him a split-legged facebuster on the floor. As Nitro walked away, the crowd chanted “You Suck.” (CMV1 note- nice segment from Nitro. He showed some intensity with his backstage promo and with a nice beat down of Super Crazy on the outside. Perhaps Nitro and Foley could wrestle at Mania…that’d give Nitro a nice rub).


Match 2: Women’s Champion Melina vs. Maria
-(CMV1 note- Nitro did not accompany Melina for this non-title match). Melina used a hair pull to take Maria to the mat. Maria tried to get her offense going, but she missed a dropkick, allowing Melina to regain early momentum. Melina choked her with her boot in the corner. She then applied a Boston Crab while Maria was tied up in the ropes. Melina used another hair pull throw before locking on a Camel Clutch. Maria used a snapmare to counter out of the hold. She used a couple of hair pull throws of her own to gain some momentum and followed with a bulldog. Maria then splashed Melina in the corner and went for the Bronco Buster. However, Melina got her knees up and scored the roll up pin. Melina defeated Maria at 3:22. (CMV1 rating- ½ *). (CMV1 note-hard work from the ladies, which for the most part translated just fine into a decent match)


Up next…Trump’s representative will be revealed…


An “All Grown Up” Wrestlemania hype video aired, specifically highlighting HBK. He said that, when he was a kid, he dreamed of being in the spotlight. Not much has changed over the years, he continued, but now he’s all grown up…Wrestlemania, by the way, is in just 34 days!!!


Vince McMahon came to the ring. The barber shop set-up was positioned at the top of the ramp. Vince hyped the Battle of the Billionaires and reminded everyone of the stipulation. The crowd chanted “You Suck.” Essentially, Vince claimed that Donald can’t win this challenge. He said he’d give Donald a bald hair cut and a “billionaire bitch slap.” Vince then introduced a video of him and Umaga destroying Rey Mysterio during his 619 homecoming last week on Smackdown. Intercontinental Champion Umaga and Armando Alejandro Estrada came to the ring at the conclusion of the recap video. The Samoan Bulldozer sported a fresh, new tattoo across his stomach that read: “Samoa.” Vince ran down all of Trump’s accomplishments and his “anything you can do, I can do better” attitude. The crowd again chanted “You Suck.” Vince took shots at Donald’s love life. Trump finally showed up on the Titantron, hyped Umaga as an animal that his representative would tame, and introduced his guy: ECW Champion Bobby Lashley. Lashley made his live entrance and headed to the ring. The crowd chanted for him. Vince said that he needed some security. King wondered who he was trying to protect. The security showed up and separated Lashley and Umaga, as the crowd again chanted for Lashley. Umaga attacked the ECW Champ, but Bobby fought right back. The security separated them again, but Umaga jumped over them. Lashley fought right back. They ended up on the outside and fought across the announce table. The crowd again chanted for Bobby. As the security tried to separate them, the two monsters continued to fight. It appeared as if they finally had the situation under control, but Lashley jumped off the steel steps into a pile of security and attacked Umaga again. We got a commercial break, as the two kept at it…(CMV1 note- Lashley is already experiencing the rub from being a part of this feud and he’s only been a part of it for 5-minutes. The crowd gave him a much better than expected reaction. This match may be the breakout match of Lashley’s career in terms of establishing him as a star)


A video promo for HBK vs. John Cena at Wrestlemania was shown…


Chris Masters was in the ring for a Masterlock Challenge. The Great Khali was his challenger. Masters looked scared at first, but shook off the fear and got his intensity going. Chris couldn’t lock on the hold. Kane showed up, chokeslammed Masters, and went after Khali. The Big Red Machine gave Khali a big boot that sent him into the ropes. Kane then clotheslined him over the top rope and smashed Masters in the head with a chair. Khali and Kane stared each other down to close the segment. (CMV1 note- well, as ugly as that match is likely be, that wasn’t a bad little segment. Nonetheless, I don’t get why the WWE appears likely to, for a second straight year, put their worst wrestler on the biggest card of the year when they never dare do that on crappy brand-only events. They’ve still got 5 weeks to change their minds)


Backstage, Vince got a phone call from a member of the Board of Directors. Apparently, the Board member wants to give the Umaga-Lashley match a special guest referee. Vince wasn’t happy at first, but he warmed up to the idea…


Edge, Lashley, Cena, and Orton will be on Deal or No Deal this Sunday…


Jerry “The King” Lawler will be inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame next month…


The same highlight package of HBK and his various tag partners that was shown earlier in the night was shown…


Match 3: Carlito (w/ Torrie) vs. Kenny Dykstra
-The match got started during a commercial break. During the break, Kenny had insulted Carlito for being Ric Flair’s flunky. As we returned to live action, Carlito was making his comeback with a springboard moonsault. Kenny ducked it, but Carlito landed on his feet, knocked Kenny to the mat, and scored with a springboard rolling Senton. CCC then drove his shoulder into Kenny’s mid-section, but Kenny poked him in the eye and regained control. The crowd chanted “Kenny Sucks,” as Carlito used a series of knife edge chops to get back into the match. After a one-man flapjack, Carlito earned a near fall. However, when he tried to follow with a springboard cross body, Kenny moved out of the way. Kenny went to work on Carlito’s mid-section. Carlito tried to fight back, but Kenny buried his shoulder into CCC’s gut. Dykstra hit a gordbuster for a near fall and locked on a sitting abdominal stretch. Carlito battled back to his feet and escaped the hold, but Kenny caught him with a running knee lift to keep momentum swinging in his favor. Dykstra continued to work over the mid-section, applying a standing abdominal stretch. Carlito escaped, as Torrie urged on the crowd. However, Kenny kicked him in the gut and re-applied the stretch. CCC escaped again. Kenny tried to throw him over the top rope, but Carlito countered and tossed Dykstra over the top rope. Dykstra landed on the apron and tried for a sunset flip, but Carlito held onto the ropes and caused Kenny to crash to the mat. Carlito scored with a series of clotheslines, a Million Dollar knee lift, and a springboard back elbow for a near fall. CCC proceeded to wail away on the youngster and attempt a hurricanrana. However, Kenny countered into a sit-out powerbomb pinning combo for a near fall. Kenny tried to follow with a splash in the corner, but Carlito moved. Dykstra ended up crotching himself on the second turnbuckle. Carlito hit the Back Cracker for the win. After the match, Flair came to the ramp and clapped for him. Carlito defeated Dykstra at 7:20. (CMV1 rating- ** ½) (CMV1 note- very strong match for these two young stars. In a short amount of time, they accomplished a lot. Kenny showed some nice ring-psychology and Carlito looked more motivated than he’s been in months. Carlito’s spots were well-timed and dead-on).


Backstage, McMahon said he was going to ECW to make Lashley’s life a living hell…


Match 4: World Tag Team Champions John Cena and HBK vs. Rated-RKO
-(CMV1 note- the tag belts were on the line). HBK and Edge started it off. The crowd chanted for Cena. HBK grabbed a headlock and switched to a hammerlock. Edge elbowed his way out, as the crowd chanted for HBK. Michaels scored with a knife chop, blocked a leapfrog attempt, and scored another knife edge chop. HBK applied an arm lock, but Edge bodyslammed him and tagged Orton. Randy went for a jumping knee drop, but HBK moved and tagged Cena. The champ scored a lot of quick offense, including a Fisherman’s suplex for a near fall. Orton came back and blasted Cena in the back of the head with a dropkick. Edge got the tag and continued to build momentum for Rated-RKO. The crowd chanted for Cena. Orton gave Cena a cheap shot. Edge kicked Cena in the gut and said, “It’s good” (implying he’d just kicked a field goal). Orton tagged in and scored with a European uppercut and a barrage of hard right hands. The crowd again chanted for Cena. Orton and Cena traded blows in the middle of the ring, but Orton got the better end of the stick. Edge tagged back in and continued the assault. The crowd again chanted for Cena. Orton tagged back in and missed a splash in the corner. Cena scored with a running one-handed facebuster and inched toward his corner. HBK got the tag and dominated Orton. He went to the top rope for a flying elbow drop and drilled it. He gave Edge an inverted atomic drop when he tried to interfere. Cena grabbed Edge and threw him over the top rope. HBK went for the superkick on Orton, but Randy ducked and nearly hit Cena. The champ caught HBK’s foot and stared him down. As the two Wrestlemania opponents questioned each other, we got a dreaded mid-match commercial break. Back from the break, HBK and Edge were duking it out. During the break, Rated-RKO ambushed the tag champs while they were arguing. Back to live action, Edge took control and placed HBK in a surfboard stretch. HBK battled out of the hold and back to his feet, but Edge dropped him with what was formerly known as the Edge O’Matic. Orton tagged in and stomped away at Michaels. He scored with a jumping knee drop to the spine and locked on a choke hold. HBK eventually got back to his feet and escaped the hold, but Orton scored with his patented backbreaker for a near fall. Edge tagged back in and locked on a sleeper hold. HBK battled back again and back suplexed Edge onto (crotching him on) the top rope. Michaels inched toward his corner. Edge did the same. Orton got the tag, but so did Cena. The champ cleaned house with a diving shoulder tackle and Prototype spinning back drop on Orton. He connected with the Five Knuckle Shuffle and went for the FU, but Edge grabbed Orton and prevented the finisher. The ref bumped and all hell broke loose. HBK ended up on the outside with Orton, leaving Edge alone to spear Cena. However, Cena hoisted him for the FU in counter. HBK came back in the ring and blasted Edge with the title belt, then handed the belt to Orton. As Edge turned around and saw Orton holding the belt, he got pissed off (thinking Randy hit him) and left the ringside area. The finish came when HBK and Cena made quick work of Orton. Thus, Cena and Michaels retained the tag titles at 16:05. (CMV1 rating- ** ¾) (CMV1 note- good main-event with some nice build-up to two top angles. Cena-HBK teased their match and Orton-Edge rekindled some of their previous tension)




All in all…Another strong effort from the Raw brand with some nice hype for Wrestlemania. The Vince-Donald-Umaga-Lashley feud got some much needed intensity added to it with that Umaga-Lashley brawl, and the introduction of a special ref (which has been spoiled all over the net) should make things even more interesting on that front. HBK and Cena continue to impressively and slowly build their tension. Hardy being in what is now an 8-man MITB ladder match should make that bout an absolute must-see. MITB should rival HBK-Cena for match-of-the-night at Mania. All the matches tonight featured good action, and I was especially impressed with Carlito and Kenny’s efforts. Should be interesting to see what happens as we get closer and closer to Mania. As for a grade, I’ll give tonight’s show a solid 6.5/10 and call it a night…





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