WWE Monday Night Raw 4/13/09
From Atlanta, Georgia
The show opened with a recap of last week's angle involving Legacy, the McMahons, Triple H, and Batista.
The opening montage aired.
Fireworks exploded on the stage and then Michael Cole introduced the show along with Jerry Lawler.
Cole said he can speak from experience when he says that the draft can change your life. Jim Ross and Todd Grisham checked in from the Smackdown announcing desk. Grisham did the bulk of the talking and then turned it over to Josh Matthews and Matt Striker.
One of the announcers hyped a 15-man tri-branded battle royal. The winning brand scores two picks. Plus, John Cena vs. Jack Swagger with two more draft picks at stake.
Batista walked to the ring in his wrestling gear. After soaking up the massive reaction he received from the live crowd, he said he couldn't even tell them how good it feels to be back. "I missed you guys way more than you missed me," Batista said. "It took me almost four months to get back in this ring and the one thing that drove me was retribution for this..."
Highlights aired of Randy Orton punt kicking Batista's head. The live crowd didn't react to the video. Batista said he's replayed the kick over and over in his head for the last four months. "It's all that I could think about," he said. "And the worst part was waiting." He said he counted the hours, minutes, and seconds to get his hands on Randy Orton.
"I'm tired of waiting," Batista said. "I'm back. No more waiting. So, Randy Orton, stop being a punk and get out here and face me like a man. And if you don't I will tear apart every inch of this arena and find you." A shot aired of the stage, but Orton's music never played. Batista started to head backstage to find him, but he was interrupted.
Shane McMahon's music played and he came to the ring. Shane brought up his family's recent history with Orton. "If anybody is getting retribution tonight, it's me," Shane said. Batista and Shane spoke briefly about which one of them would get their hands on Orton first.
Triple H's music played and he walked to the ring with the WWE Title belt in hand. Hunter told Shane that everything that went down with the McMahon family was because of Hunter and the title. He told Batista that with all due respect, Orton tried to take out his wife. "He tried to take out the mother of my kids while I watched," Hunter said. "This is all because of me. I started it and I am damn well going to finish it." Hunter said he's not asking Batista, he's telling him, "Randy Orton is mine."
Vickie Guerrero interrupted the in-ring talk with her classic, "Excuse me," line. Chavo Guerrero wheeled her onto the ring. She said the three wrestlers in the ring will get their chance to get their hands on Orton at Backlash. She said that the title could once again change hands if one of the babyfaces in the six-man tag are counted out or disqualified.
Vickie said Orton was in the building, but she was giving him "a well-deserved night off." She said there will be a three-on-two handicap match with Batista, Hunter, and Shane vs. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a handicap match. If the babyfaces win, the person who scores the pinfall gets a singles match against Orton next week.
The announcers hyped that the WWE Draft would begin after the break via an Evan Bourne vs. Rey Mysteiro match.
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Lawler said there were 16,431 fans in attendance.
1. Rey Mysterio pinned Evan Bourne in 3:30. The brand the winning wrestler represents gets the first pick. The Raw and ECW broadcast teams called the match together. Good back and forth action. Mysterio hit the 619 and top rope splash combo for the clean win. Lawler said he could have watched them wrestle for two or three hours.
U.S. Champion MVP was randomly drafted to the Raw brand. MVP walked onto the stage and saluted the crowd as his entrance music played.
A backstage shot aired of Kane. Lawler said Kane would be in action after the break.
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A shot aired of Chief Jay Strongbow sitting in the crowd.
2. Kane beat The Brian Kendrick (w/Ezekiel Jackson) in 0:45. The announcers hyped the E:60 show that will focus on Vince McMahon for tomorrow night on ESPN. Ross stressed that Zeke can be a difference maker. Moments later, Kane attacked him and left him lying on the floor. Kane finished off Kendrick with a chokeslam.
The second wrestler drafted was Big Show to Raw. Show stepped onto the stage and waved to the crowd. Kane nodded at him from the ring. Show smiled and pumped his fist.
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Backstage, Vickie told Chavo how excited she is to be the new Raw G.M. She said it's a new start for her. Randy Orton entered the room and told Chavo to take a walk. Vickie told him to stay. Orton said he hopes that if Hunter wins his match tonight, the belt will be on the line next week. Vickie said that wouldn't be the case. Her compromise was that the winner of the match would have to face Legacy in a three-on-one handicap match next week.
Backstage, Jack Swagger interrupted John Cena. Swagger vowed to win his match and score two draft picks for his brand. Cena offered his hand and claimed they'd never met. Cena clowned around about the "All American American" nickname and suggested he call himself the "All American Jackass." Cena said Swagger is "a punk kid with a couple of wins under his belt who likes to run his mouth." Cena said he was going to give Swagger a lesson in respect.
A shot aired of Mickie James, Melina, and Kelly Kelly walking backstage.
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3. Maryse, Michaelle McCool, and Natalya defeated Melina, Mickie James, and Kelly Kelly in 1:10. The Smackdown women bickered about who would start the match. The Raw wrestlers jumped them to start the match. In the end, Mickie jumped off the top rope and caught a kick to the face from McCool, who quickly pinned her.
The third pick in the draft is WWE Women's Champion Melina to Smackdown. Melina held up her title belt and jawed with the Smackdown Divas.
A backstage shot aired of John Cena. Lawler hyped that Cena's match with Jack Swagger for two draft picks was coming up after the break.
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Highlights aired from Friday's Smackdown of the verbal exchange between John Cena and Edge.
The announcers recapped the draft results.
Ring introductions for the Cena vs. Swagger match took place.
4. John Cena defeated Jack Swagger via submission in a non-title match in 11:25. Two draft picks on the line for the winning wrestler's brand. Swagger hit a couple of clotheslines and scored a near fall. A loud "Let's go Swagger" chant broke out briefly. He locked Cena in the Full Nelson at 3:20, but Cena eventually powered out of the hold.
Cena was greeted with more cheers than boos when he kicked in his signature offense. He went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Swagger grabbed the ropes. Swagger came right back with a big boot to Cena's face. Swagger was in control of the match when the show cut to commercial.
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Swagger remained in control of the offense after the break. A couple minutes later, he went for a move off the second rope only to be caught in Attitude Adjustment position. Cena hit the move and locked in the STF for the submission win.
The fourth pick in the draft is Matt Hardy to Raw. Hardy walked onto the stage briefly, but had to retreat quickly so they could announce the next pick.
The fifth pick in the draft is Triple H to Raw. Hunter walked onto the stage with a smirk on his face. He acknowledged Cena in the ring and said, "You and me." The announcers gushed over the way WWE was winning the lottery. Suddenly, Edge hit the ring and attacked Cena from behind. Cena came back and went for the Attitude Adjustment, but Edge slipped away and headed to the top of the stage.
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The announcers recapped some of the recent draft picks.
Backstage, Orton asked Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase what their strategy was for the tag match. They mentioned that the three babyfaces are egomaniacs and would do something to get themselves disqualified tonight and at the pay-per-view. Orton said he likes it.
Santino Marella headed to the ring.
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Highlights aired of Santina Marella's antics from last week.
5. The Great Khali (w/Runjin Singh) squashed Santino Marella in 1:00. Before the match, Beth Phoenix and Rosa Mendes walked onto the stage. Beth said Vickie Guerrero determined that "Santina" would have to appear on the Khali Kiss-Cam next week. The match was a total squash.
The sixth pick in the draft was C.M. Punk (from Raw to Smackdown). Punk walked out and held the Money in the Bank briefcase in the air. He tried to get the live crowd to cheer, but they didn't seem too responsive, perhaps because they're at a Raw branded show.
A shot aired of John Morrison and The Miz walking backstage together.
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6. Kofi Kingston defeated The Miz (w/John Morrison) by DQ in 9:10. At 6:50, Kofi went for a high cross body, but Miz rolled through for a good near fall. Kofi came back with a double legdrop for a near fall of his own. In the end, the referee watched Morrison punch Kingston and disqualified The Miz.
The seventh pick in the draft was The Miz to Raw. Morrison and The Miz weren't pleased about being split up. They shook hands and hugged. Suddenly, The Miz attacked his partner and left him lying with the Reality Check.
The announcers hyped the 15-man Tri-Branded Battle Royal for after the break.
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7. Edge won the 15-man Tri-Branded Battle Royal in 5:40. Two draft picks on the line. The competitors for the Raw team are Big Show, MVP, Cryme Tyme, and Mike Knox. The competitors for the ECW team are Finlay, Tyson Kid, Paul Burchill, Mark Henry, and Ricky Ortiz. The Smackdown wrestlers are Carlito, Primo, R-Truth, Chavo Guerrero, and Edge.
Ross put over the importance of the match by saying how badly Smackdown needs the two draft picks. The match quickly came down to Show, MVP, Henry, Finlay, and Edge. Henry tossed MVP out of the ring. Edge dumped Finlay. This left one wrestler from each brand.
Edge celebrated eliminating Finlay only to turn around and see Henry and Show staring him down. He tried to talk Henry into helping him, but Henry shook his head no. Show ended up eliminating Henry. Show turned his attention to Edge as the announcers discussed their connection to Vickie Guerrero. Like an idiot, Show ran at Edge, who held down the rope and let Show tumble to ringside. The announcers noted that Edge won the tri-branded battle royal last year.
The eighth pick in the draft was Kane to Smackdown. Kane walked out and laughed while Edge showed concern in the ring.
The ninth pick in the draft was Chris Jericho to Smackdown. Jericho walked out in full gear as Ross put him over as one of the most controversial stars on Smackdown. Ross questioned how the egos of Jericho and Edge could coexist on Smackdown. Grisham said Edge and Jericho are longtime friends and might form an alliance.
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A shot aired of Chilli from TLC sitting in the crowd.
8. Christian defeated Shelton Benjamin in 3:50. Less than a minute into the match, Shelton caught Christian on the ropes and tossed him off in his trademarked big spot. The announcers spent time talking about how ECW has been shut out so far. In the end, Christian hit the Unprettier and scored the clean pin.
The 10th pick in the draft was Vladimir Kozlov to ECW. Kozlov walked onto the stage and had a staredown with Christian.
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Cole and Lawler ran through the Backlash pay-per-view lineup. They also explained the rules for the handicap match main event.
Backstage, Shane entered Hunter's locker room and told him that Orton is his. Hunter objected and said Orton is his. Batista overheard and asked what the plan was. Hunter coldly told him that if he already heard it, he doesn't have to say it again.
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9. Matt Hardy beat C.M. Punk by DQ in 4:25. Hardy mocked Punk rolling his wrists as he walked to the ring. Nice. Remember, Hardy represents Raw and Punk represents Smackdown due to both men being drafted earlier. There was a cool spot early with Hardy catching Punk holding onto the top rope and then dropping him on his face.
Punk came back and hit his high knee in the corner and bulldog for a near fall. Punk went for the GTS, but Hardy slipped out and hit the Side Effect. Suddenly, Jeff Hardy ran in and attacked Matt for the apparent DQ. He went up top to hit his finisher, but Matt ran away.
The 11th pick in the draft is WWE Divas Champion Maryse to Raw.
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Ross hyped next week's Raw will take place in London as Chris Jericho came to the ring.
10. Chris Jericho defeated Tommy Dreamer in 4:40. One of the announcers said this is the first time Dreamer and Jericho have wrestled one another. Dreamer did his usual tree of woe spot. He went for a DDT, but Jericho countered with a Walls of Jericho attempt, which Dreamer turned into a small cradle for a good near fall. In the end, Dreamer leapt off the rope into the Codebreaker, which enabled Jericho to score the pin.
The 12th pick in the draft is Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio to Smackdown.
The announcers recapped the draft results.
They also hyped the supplemental draft that will take place Wednesday at 11 a.m. CT.
Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase made their entrance for the main event.
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Grisham and Ross announced that Undertaker vs. Matt Hardy is the main event of Thursday's WWE Superstars show.
11. Triple H, Batista, and Shane McMahon defeated Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in a handicap match in 7:50. Hunter and Batista argued over who would start the match, so Shane flew past them and jumped Cody to get things rolling. Shane did his silly little dance to no reaction. Batista reached in and touched Shane's shoulder to tag himself into the match. Hunter tagged in for the first time and dominated DiBiase. Eventually, Ted threw a nice drop kick for a nearfall and then tagged out. Later, Shane took out Cody by clotheslining him to ringside. Batista hit the Batista Bomb on DiBiase and went for the cover, but Shane broke up the pin. Batista shoved Shane into the corner.
Hunter tagged Batista to gag himself into the match. Suddenly, Super Shane dove at Batista and speared him to the mat. Hunter hit the Pedigrree on DiBiase and scored the clean pin. Afterward, Randy Orton walked onto the stage and had a staredown with Hunter to close the show.
