Raw Results 5/7/2007
Submitted by Donny Anderson on Monday, May 7, 2007 at 11:39 PM EST





Raw Results 5/7/2007

Last week, The Great Khali left John Cena unconscious in the middle of the ring. How will the Champ respond? We’ll find out tonight as the USA Network presents WWE Monday Night Raw, live from Penn State University!



Raw opens with Jonathan Coachman in the ring. He announces the ECW champion, Vince McMahon. Vince’s music hits, and he makes his way to the ring, doo-rag and all. He takes the mic from Coach, and says he’s not just the ECW champion, but also the Chairman of the Board. Vince says that he’s never seen anything like last week; how one individual dominated four top superstars. During his promo a “What?!” chant breaks out. A video promo is shown, recapping the events of last week, when Khali decimated HBK, Edge, Orton, and Cena. Vince says that it’s impressive that one man took out all those top superstars in one night. Vince is in the process of announcing Khali vs. Cena for Judgment Day, but is interrupted by Shawn Michaels. HBK says he was supposed to face John Cena, and he would have won had Khali not jumped him. Vince asks Shawn if he would like to name him # 1 contender. Shawn says Vince has never made him anything. He says Vince has never done anything for him, and he wants to earn whatever he wants. HBK says he wants to face off with The Great Khali tonight. Vince says we will see HBK vs. The Great Khali in a No DQ match tonight, with the winner to face Cena at Judgment Day. As HBK leaves, Vince says that now everyone is talking about him, the new ECW champion. Lashley’s music hits as he makes his way down to the ring, and grabs a mic. He tells Vince that, after giving Shawn what he wanted, why not give Lashley what he wants? Vince reminds Lashley that he can’t lay a hand on Shane, Umaga, or Vince. A video promo is shown on the Titantron, showing Lashley losing at Backlash. Vince keeps trying to provoke Lashley. Vince says that Lashley has never heard of McMahon’s “grapefruits” and says he’ll take on Lashley at Judgment Day, and the he’ll be Lashley’s Judge, Jury, and Executioner. Vince then says that he’ll have Shane and Umaga as his partners against Lashley. Lashley says that he wants to show Vince what he’ll do to him, but he can’t lay a hand on Vince. Vince leaves the ring rather abruptly. As Coach goes to follow, Lashley grabs him, and beats down the Coach, effectively sending a message to Vince.

Mickie James is walking in the back, and goes into Candice’s dressing room. Mickie asks if Candice is ready. It looks like the Divas match is early tonight.

Mickie James’ music hits, and her and Candice Michelle come out. Melina’s music hits and she comes out with Victoria.

Mickie James and Candice Michelle vs. Melina and Victoria

We start off with Mickie against Victoria. Victoria says she wants Candice, so Mickie tags her in. Victoria goes on the offensive, but is neutralized by Candice. Victoria tags in Melina, so Candice tags in Mickie. James goes on the attack with a Lou Thesz press, gets the upper hand, and tags in Candice. Melina turns the tables with a rake to the eyes. Melina gets a one count, but Candice kicks out, and manages to get the tag. Mickie attacks, but Melina takes control, whipping Mickie into the ropes. As Mickie bounces off the ropes, Candice makes the blind tag, and blindsides Melina with a spinning heel kick for the win.

Your winners: Mickie James and Candice Michelle
(Very quick match, but Candice getting the pinfall over Melina sets up a feud after the current Mickie/Melina feud concludes. Victoria’s “Red Rooster” look has got to go though. Match Rating: C)

Before the commercial, JR and King announce that Santino Marella’s first title defense is up next!

As we return from break, Chris Masters is standing in the ring, getting ready for his match, when the music hits, and out comes Santino Marella!

Santino Marella vs. Chris Masters, for the WWE Intercontinental Championship

Masters starts out by overpowering and frustrating Marella, using his size to an advantage. Marella fires back with speed, nailing Masters with fists and a flying reverse elbow. Marella with a two count, but Masters kicks out and blocks a clothesline to retake control. Masters punishes Marella with an elbow on the apron, hops back in the ring, and gets a two count. Masters then removes his kneepad to go for a knee drop, but Marella moves, gets up, and begins kicking Masters, finishing with an enziguiri. Masters tries to follow with a clothesline, but Marella moves, and sends Masters into the turnbuckle. He capitalizes with 5 fists to the face. He dismounts, and Masters tries to put Marella into the turnbuckle, but Marella moves again, this time rolling up Masters for the three-count!

Your winner: Santino Marella
(Marella’s theme song is awful, but he did a proficient job in the ring. I wouldn’t say he was great, and he certainly isn’t anything that wows people, but for his first true match, he did well. Masters played the monster heel well, and both men worked together well. Marella needs a finisher, but for now the writing staff seems to be going with the lucky roll-up to get him over. Match Rating: B)

After a commercial break, Mr. Kennedy’s music hits and out comes Mr. Money in the Bank. He refers to last week, reiterating that the countdown continues, and that there are only 328 days until Wrestlemania 24. This means 328 days until there is a new champion, and his name will be “Misterrrrrrr Kennnnedy….. wait for it….wait for it…. KENNEDY.” (The countdown is on, and personally, I couldn’t be more excited. This build-up is absolutely superb.)

JR sends us to the back, as Maria is standing with Randy Orton. Maria asks Orton about his match with Cena tonight. Orton says that after tonight, people won’t remember the HBK/Cena fight from two weeks ago, because tonight, it won’t take Orton an hour to beat Cena. He says tonight his title hopes, and his life, get back on track.

(Oddly enough, during the commercial break, Comcast cable shows a TNA Sacrifice commercial. This can't make Vince happy, even though there's nothing he can really do about it.)

When we come back, the Highlanders are standing in the ring. The

Handicap Match: Umaga vs. The Highlanders

King says that Vince has made this match to send Lashley a message. Umaga opens by dominating both Highlanders with fists, putting Robbie in the corner, and then delivering the Samoan Spike to Rory. He then picks up Robbie and spikes him. This is total dominance by Umaga. He puts Robbie on top of Rory, (in a rather precarious position) and then climbs to the top rope to big splash both men before earning the pinfall.

Your Winner: Umaga
(I don’t have much to say here. Umaga is still a machine built for destruction, and the Highlanders are still glorified jobbers. Estrada is still out, but Umaga is showing that he can tell a story without a mouthpiece, which is a positive. Overall, this match had the feeling of “filler.” Match Rating: C)

Khali is seen walking in the back, as JR announces that the no-DQ match between Khali and HBK is next!

We come back from commercial, and Edge runs into Mr. Kennedy. Edge tells Mr. Kennedy that he’s sick of Kennedy coming on Raw. Edge says that Kennedy won’t win the title, and says that Kennedy is afraid of putting his MITB title shot on the line. Kennedy at first says no, but after Edge chides him for being afraid, Kennedy says that he will put it on the line against Edge, he will win the title at Wrestlemania, and then yells his name into Edge’s face, and tells him to “get to steppin’.”

Back in the arena, HBK’s music hits, and here we go with what should be one intriguing encounter.

Shawn Michaels vs. Great Khali, No DQ, #1 Contender for the title shot against John Cena at Judgment Day.

Michaels wastes no time, jumping on top of Khali, throwing fists, and trapping Khali between the ropes. Khali stands up, frees himself, and gives HBK the big boot. Khali follows with a body slam, and goes for a leg drop, when HBK rolls out of the way. Michaels grabs a chair and smashes Khali. Khali sits up, but Michaels hits a clothesline. HBK to the top rope, and he delivers the elbow drop. The crowd pops as Michaels starts tuning up the band. Khali gets to his feet, catches the Sweet Chin Music mid-kick, and drops HBK with a chop to the head. Khali puts HBK into the corner and begins choking him, and delivering massive elbows to the Shawn’s head. HBK stumbles to the other corner, as Khali gives a chop, and throws Michaels into the opposite turnbuckle, for the popular skin-the-cat routine. Khali gets Michaels on the apron, but HBK starts powering back, getting Khali in a front face lock, as Khali falls over the rope and outside. They battle on the outside, but Khali throws Shawn back into the ring. Shawn fires back with a baseball slide kick into Khali, and then jumps back out of the ring. HBK gets a chair, stands on top of it, and attempts to DDT Khali into the announcers table. Khali throws Michaels off of him, grabs him by the neck, and double chokeslams him through the announcers table. The referee signals for the bell and calls for medical personnel to come help out Shawn, as Khali is announced as the winner, and new number 1 contender!

Your winner: The Great Khali
(This may be Khali’s best match to date. Granted, he didn’t have to do much, but for a big man, he moved well, and came across as menacing. HBK was able to hurt Khali without harming the unstoppable gimmick that has been built for Khali. In other words, this match was believable, and the outcome was justified, especially as they continue the Hoganization of John Cena. Another PPV, another giant to destroy. Will Cena do it? Believe it or not, I’m starting to wonder myself if he can. Match Rating: B+)

Todd Grisham is standing in the back with John Cena. Grisham asks Cena about his match at Judgment Day with Khali. Cena says it’s a stupid question. Cena asks Grisham how he would feel if someone who was 7’5” and talked like Charlie Brown’s teacher wanted to fight him? Cena says he doesn’t back down; not from Randy Orton tonight, and not from Khali at Judgment Day. He says it doesn’t matter if you’re strong, weak, yellow, black, or red, a giant, or a “little person,” he’ll take on anyone at any time.

Now Cryme Tyme is shown in the back standing next to a Hummer, announcing their “Mother’s Day Sale.” They say that for Mothers Day, why not hook your Mom up with a steak dinner? They then show Viscera about to eat, but when he lifts the lid, the steak is gone. They then offer Prescription pills for sale. Then, Eugene is shown in the back freaking out; his pills have been stolen. If your Mom isn’t crazy or hungry, maybe she wants a brand new Hummer. Ron Simmons is now walking in the parking lot, and can’t find his car, obviously a Hummer. We get a “Damn!” Cryme Tyme says that if you desire it, they can acquire it. Then a fat guy dressed as spider-man comes out. They call him Tubby McGuire. Spidey asks them who they are, and Gaspard says “Batman,” breaks out a baseball bat, and takes down the fat guy. They take his wallet and exit, as the show goes to commercial break…

After the commercial, the Hardys come out to a huge ovation, ready for action.

Once again, Cade and Murdoch are ringside with JR and King.

The Hardys vs. World’s Greatest Tag-Team

Matt and Benjamin start off, with Benjamin getting the upper hand early, but Hardy reverses quickly, and takes control. Hardy attempts to climb the ropes but Haas interferes, dragging Matt down by the arm over the top rope. Haas tags in, and hits a northern lights suplex. Haas then begins focusing on Matt’s left shoulder, as he tags in Benjamin, who continues to work on that shoulder. Matt starts to power out of an armlock, and then drives Shelton to the mat. Jeff gets the hot tag, and Benjamin tags in Haas. Jeff cleans house, hitting Haas with the whisper in the wind, but the pin is broken up by Benjamin. Benjamin then gets hit with the twist of fate. Jeff climbs up for the swanton, but Haas stops him. Matt grabs Haas from behind, hits a belly-to-back suplex, and Jeff hits the swanton for the win.

Cade and Murdoch jump in the ring, extending their hands to the Hardys. The Hardys accept the handshake, and nothing happens! Murdoch and Cade clap as they head to the back, and the Hardys seem confused.

Your Winners: The Hardy Boys
(This was almost a re-run of last weeks match between Jeff and Nitro, with the end result being a Hardy victory, but the accepted handshake this week was a nice touch. Cade and Murdoch are playing with the heads of the Hardys and the fans, and if anything will get a heel over, its mind games. Kudos to the booking staff, because this feud has me caring about Cade and Murdoch for the first time since they debuted. Match Rating: B)

After a commercial break, Carlito comes down to the ring. He says that Flair embarrassed him when the Nature Boy questioned Carlito’s heart and desire. He said that he didn’t learn anything or grow under Flair’s tutelage. He said Flair ruined his flawless record, and that without Flair, he would have won the MITB, and would have been WWE Champ by now. Carlito demands Flair to come out, but JR says that everyone knows Flair is in Las Vegas this week. Carlito says he’s getting rid of the garbage. Last week, he got rid of Flair, and this week, he’s getting rid of Torrie. He starts speaking Spanish, as Torrie smacks him and leaves in tears. Carlito is still yelling en espanol, as he throws down the mic and storms to the back amidst a river of boos from the crowd.


Mr. Kennedy vs. Edge for the MITB briefcase

As Kennedy is coming down to the ring, Edge attacks him from behind. Edge mugs him all the way down to the ring, choking him with his t-shirt, and ramming Kennedy into the ringpost. Edge smacks Kennedy in the head with a television monitor, and Kennedy is out cold. Edge pushes Kennedy into the ring, but the Referee backs up Edge to the corner, checking on Kennedy, as the match hasn’t even begun officially yet. The referee asks Kennedy if he wants to continue, and Kennedy tells the Ref to ring the bell. As soon as the bell rings, Edge spears Kennedy, and gets the win! Edge gets the briefcase and nails Kennedy twice in the head.

Your Winner, and New MITB Briefcase owner: Edge

(What?! Who knows where this is going. Will Kennedy get the briefcase back? What is next for both of these competitors? I’m thinking that Judgment Day will see Kennedy attempting to get his briefcase back. This match was too quick to rate responsibly, but it’s so shocking that I’m going to give it an A just on principle.)

Randy Orton vs. John Cena
Before the match starts, JR puts over Orton’s vocalized attempts to get his life back on track, and commends Orton for the effort to change. (Is art imitating life? Orton is looking thin, much smaller than he was even last week. This is odd. )

After a collar and elbow tie up, John Cena goes for a quick rollup but Orton kicks out. Cena busts out with a fisherman suplex, and gets a near fall. Cena gets Orton into the corner, but Orton moves as Cena charges, causing the Champ to go shoulder-first into the ring post. Orton hammers away on Cena, then locks on a sleeper-hold. The fans start chanting for Cena, who powers out of the hold. Two shoulder blocks, two clotheslines, and the spinning belly to back suplex by Cena, followed by the five knuckle shuffle.. Khali comes down to the ring as Cena has Orton up for the FU. Khali takes the belt and leaves with it, distracting Cena, who drops Orton. Khali heads up the ramp with the belt. Orton tries to capitalize on the distraction, but Cena locks in the STFU. Randy manages to get to the ropes, breaking the hold. Cena runs after Khali, but gets slammed in the head with the belt. Raw goes off the air with Cena out cold on the ramp and Orton in the ring. I assume that Orton wins via countout.

Your Winner: Randy Orton
(I’m not sure if Orton won or not, but that’s just my best guess. It could have easily been a no-contest, but considering the angle of Orton putting his life back together, I’d assume the win goes to Randy. This match was relatively ho-hum until the Khali interference, but it was able to move two storylines along effectively while building up the main event of Judgment Day. Match Rating: B)


Quick Results:

Mickie and Candice def. Victoria and Melina via pinfall
Santino Marella def. Chris Masters via pinfall
Umaga def. The Highlanders via pinfall
Khali def. Shawn Michaels after HBK was unable to continue
The Hardys def. World’s Greatest Tag-Team via pinfall
Edge def. Mr. Kennedy via pinfall to win the MITB Briefcase
Randy Orton def. John Cena via count-out

Overall, a decent show! The Edge win was a shocker, and Khali continues to dominate. There seemed to be a lot of wrestling on this show, which is never a bad thing. McMahon’s screen-time was limited to the beginning of the show; therefore more matches were able to take place. 7 matches in 2 hours seemed a little much though, therefore each match suffered in quality because of time constraints, especially the Hardys/ WGTT match, which could be great given enough time. Regardless, every match meant something (with the exception of the Umaga squash, but even that had a purpose), so the Raw writers are to be commended for being successful in moving so many storylines along in such a relatively short period of time.

Match of the Night: HBK vs. The Great Khali

Final Grade: B-

-------------------------------------

I would like to thank everyone who took time to email me this past week regarding my debut column last week. I appreciate each and every one of your comments, and I promise to respond to each of you personally as soon as I have a few free moments. Now that finals are over, life is returning to normal.

Congratulations to all of you students who are finishing your coursework for the year, especially those of you who are fortunate enough to be graduating! Like always, any questions and comments can be sent to donnyanderson@gmail.com.

Thanks, and I’ll see you next week!









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