We’re still traumatized by the awful injury to Vince McMahon last week. Hopefully, we can keep it together as we sum up last night’s WWE RAW…

- Shane McMahon appears from WWE Headquarters. He talks about his father experiencing an accident last week. Shane said in respect of his father’s privacy, they will not reveal his condition or anything else at this time. Shane asks WWE employees to pull together during this time of uncertainty.

- Jim Ross is on his way out to the ring. JR gets a big reaction from his hometown crowd. He gets into the ring and salutes the thousands of fans in attendance tonight. He said he is excited about a new journey he is embarking on as the new play-by-play voice for Friday Night Smackdown. He thanks Jerry Lawler and says he is a special guy. JR calls his time on WWE Raw an amazing run. He thanks everyone for being here tonight and encourages everyone to eat some more BBQ when Edge’s music hits.

Edge appears with the world title over his shoulder and Curt Hawkins and Zack Ryder close behind him. Edge has a big smile on his face as his pyro goes off. Edge said when he heard JR was having a farewell speech tonight, he just had to make an appearance. He said JR’s arrogance never ceases to amaze him. Edge said instead of JR yelling “Stone Cold! Stone Cold! Stone Cold!” it will now have to be “Edge Wins! Edge Wins! Edge Wins!”

He asks Hawkins and Ryder to escort JR out of the building. JR walks out and leaves the ring. Edge says his farewell speech is officially over as JR leaves the ring with Hawkins and Ryder right behind him.

Edge remains in the middle of the ring as the fans boo him again. He said now that he took care of that he did have a reason to be here tonight. Edge wants to point out to all the Raw viewers that this “flagship show” doesn’t have a General Manager… unlike his show that has the greatest GM in history, his fiancee, the love of his life, Vickie Guerrero. He said she is resting comfortably and thanks the fans for asking. Edge said this show is also missing The Undertaker. He adds the entire WWE Universe is missing him since he banished him from the entire WWE and adds your welcome.

Edge said there is one other thing this show is missing, oh yeah, a World Champion. He said he wanted to come here tonight to let John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio or Batista know they will never have a shot at his World Heavyweight Championship. Edge says unless there is another Draft, fans will never see him on Monday night’s ever again. He drops the mic and as he gets to the top of the ramp, Batista’s music hits and Edge stops. Edge turns around and Batista walks out. Batista stares Edge down. Batista goes after Edge and chases him around the ring. Batista catches Edge and gets in a few rights. Batista picks up Edge and drives him into the ring barricade and the ring. Batista then sends Edge into the steel ring steps. Batista gets Edge up for a Batista Bomb and connects. Michael Cole said this was not about the World Title tonight but rather about retribution. Batista stands over a lifeless Edge, stares him down and then leaves the ring.

As Batista walks up the ramp, CM Punk’s music hits and he runs down with his briefcase in hand along with a referee. The referee orders Lilian Garcia to say that the following match is for the World Heavyweight Championship. The bell rings and here we go.

World Heavyweight Championship Match: Edge (c) vs. CM Punk
CM Punk picks up Edge and connects with the GTS! Punk hooks the leg and gets the pinfall! We have a new World Heavyweight Champion!
Winner: CM Punk

Non-Title Match: WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall
Jillian slams Mickie’s face down on the mat and then goes to work on Mickie’s shoulder that was roughed up by Katie Lea Burchill last night. Jillian with a big slam takedown on Mickie, but misses a flipping body splash. Mickie comes back kicking Jillian and with another big takedown. Jillian attempts her flipping splash in the corner, but Mickie gets her knees up and catches Jillian with her big kick (or what they called the Mick Kick). Mickie covers Jillian and gets the pinfall.
Winner: Mickie James

- Rey Mysterio comes out and gets a big reaction from the crowd. Mysterio takes the mic and congratulates CM Punk on beating Edge and bringing back the World Heavyweight Championship back to Raw. He said that was kind of weird. Mysterio said up until last week, his entire WWE career, his entire life was on Smackdown. Mysterio said he was shocked when he got drafted to Raw.

Santino Marella’s music hits. Santino grabs the mic and said just like Shane McMahon said earlier, we have to pull everyone together and officially welcomes Rey Mysterio to Raw. He laughs and says personally, he doesn’t see what the big deal is because anyone who hides behind a mask is either ugly, stupid or is The Batman!

He says there is a reason Mysterio has never been on Raw. Santino says Raw is where true superstars like himself rise and shine. Mysterio hits Santino with the mic and lights him up with some right hands. Mysterio drop toe holds Santino on the second rope and connects with the 619. Mysterio celebrates and heads up the ramp.

- We are back live and John Cena is out to a big reaction. He said no, I did not win the WWE Title last night. Cena said he was defeated by Triple H, but it is a loss he takes with pride. He said last night’s match proved one thing: we are the best two in this business and that match will go down in history. Cena said just like tonight, you have all been part of history and that you will look back and say you were there when CM Punk cashed in the “Money in the Bank” briefcase and became the new World Heavyweight Champion.

Continue reading this article …

Following last night’s WWE Draft, we can’t help but wonder if Smackdown has taken the reigns from Raw as the company’s top brand.

Consider the new Smackdown roster, highlighted by: Triple H, Edge, MVP, The Big Show, Jeff Hardy, Mr. Kennedy, Umaga, and even top announcer Jim Ross.

Now, compare that with Raw’s best: John Cena, Batista, Chris Jericho, Randy Orton, JBL, CM Punk, Shawn Michaels, and Rey Mysterio.

Which WWE brand do you prefer?

Forgive this brief WWE RAW report, as we’re just too shaken up by the condition of Vince McMahon to go into much detail…

There will be a series of matches that determine which brand makes a pick in this year’s WWE Draft. Up first:

Triple H vs. Mark Henry
Winner: Triple H
Raw Draft Pick: Rey Mysterio

In the back, Triple H welcomes Rey to WWE Raw. John Cena is there. Cena doesn’t appreciate The Game kicking his ass last week when Cena made the save. The Game doesn’t want or need his help. He says they’ve tip-toed around this and now it’s personal. He never got over Wrestlemania 22 because he knows he is better than Cena.

Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes vs. Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely
Winners: Holly and Rhodes
Raw Draft Pick: CM Punk

Shawn Michaels out to contront Chris Jericho! He’s got that angry look on his face and heads for the ring. Spear… brawl! HBK tackles Y2J and they go to the floor. Jericho sends Michaels face-first into the announce table and Shawn is hurt again. EMTs are down to tend to Michaels as Jerichio smiles.

John Morrison and The Miz vs. The Hardys
Winners: Miz and Morrison
ECW Draft Pick: Matt Hardy

Mickie James and Melina vs. Natalya and Victoria
Winner: No-one. Double DQ
SmackDown Draft Pick: Jim Ross
Raw Draft Pick: Michael Cole

Edge vs. John Cena
Winner: John Cena
Raw Draft Pick: Batista

Continue reading this article …

There’s a bit of panic in the halls of WWE Titan Towers today. After a week of heavy publicity promoting the WWE Million Dollar Mania, the ratings are in for Monday Night RAW:

Last week’s dismal 2.9 only saw an increase to 3.1 with all of the publicity.

The reason for the recent decline in ratinsg is obvious: true fans don’t care about some transparent, lame giveaway. They want fresh story lines, new feuds. Think about the rivalries that have dominated WWE angles for months and months:

Randy Orton-Triple H, John Cena-JBL, Chris Jericho-Shawn Michaels, Undertaker-Edge.

Do any of these excite you anymore?

Triple H starts off raw saying that the Age of Orton is broken. Randy Orton is gone - who is next? At that, John Cena comes out and asks HHH one question: “Are you ready?”

Jeff Hardy’s music plays and the high-flyer says that he’s in line for the title. He believes that the fans want to see, for the first time ever, Jeff Hardy vs. John Cena. Vince McMahon comes on the Titontron and announces it will be Cena vs. Hardy, with the winner taking on HHH at the Night of Champions.

Mr. Kennedy vs. Umaga
Kennedy attacks Umaga’s injured stomach. Kennedy lying against the announcer’s table when Umaga jumps off the ring, Kennedy moves making Umaga hit the table with his injured abdomen. Umaga gets counted out.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy

Paul Burchill then comes out and gives Kennedy a swinging neck breaker.

Vince McMahon comes out and talks about Million Dollar Mania. He loads $1 million into a clear plastic box and explains that you have to register at WWE.com in order to win the million. He says that he is doing it in order to bring in new people, as WWE relates to the Americana in all of us. He also needs to boost ratings, of course.

Santino Marella and Carlito vs. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes (Special timekeeper: Roddy Piper!)
Piper distracts Morella and Hardcore gets him in the Alabama Slam. Carlito kicks Hardcore with Santino, who rolls up Holly.
Winner: Santino Marella and Carlito

JBL vs. Chris Jericho (Intercontinental Title Match)
Action taken outside of the ring as JBL grabs the chair and punches the ref. The ref calls for the bell. Y2J kicks JBL and he lands on the chair by the throat. Jericho grabs the chair but doesn’t use it. JBL is bleeding from the mouth has Jericho walks away with the title.
Winner: Y2J by DQ

Beth Phoenix and Katie Lea vs. Melina and Mickie James
Mickie James goes for a DDT, but Katie throws her off. Beth Phoenix hits Mickie from behind and goes in for the pin.
Winners: Beth Phoenix and Katie Lea

Lance Cade vs. Trevor Murdoch
Cade with a sitting powerbomb.
Winner: Lance Cade

John Cena goes back to check on Mickie James and says that he wants to apologize for the gossip that is going around. He gives Mickie something and says that she forgot it last night – it’s her panties! She goes off to get checked out by the doctor while Cena downs an energy drink.

Jeff Hardy vs. John Cena
Jeff Hardy jumps off the top rope for an across the body rollover. Cena picks up Hardy and puts him in the FU for the 1-2-3.
Winner: John Cena

Here is the preview for WWE Monday Night Raw, courtesy of WWE.com:

While the Superstars who participated in One Night Stand last night are licking their wounds from the most Extreme pay-per-view in WWE history, everyone else is eagerly awaiting more details on Mr. McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania.

The WWE Chairman has promised to give more details on the giveaway on Monday Night Raw, including how you can win $1 million from Mr. McMahon himself. The Chairman has also scheduled a press conference for Tuesday afternoon, discussing the giveaway.

One person who is already a winner is Triple H, who successfully defended his WWE Championship against Randy Orton, but at great cost to their bodies. With both Superstars severely battered from their Last Man Standing Match, will the Legend Killer even be capable of rising again to compete against The Game?

Also at One Night Stand, John Cena defeated JBL in a First Blood Match, causing the Longhorn Loudmouth to bleed from the mouth after a brutal match. Will the self-made millionaire let his rivalry with Cena fall by the wayside after this defeat? While JBL had a bloody mouth to tend, Shawn Michaels was injured much more seriously, as he was literally unable to walk away from his Stretcher Match with Batista.

HBK has been injured before, necessitating extended recovery time spent away from WWE. What, if anything, will we see from The Showstopper on Raw, and how will he react to having his show stopped by The Animal?

Santino Marella has an upcoming match with Jimmy Kimmel Live!’s Cousin Sal on SmackDown. But as explained exclusively on WWE Mobile on AT&T, the Braggadocios Italian Superstar has something special in store for Sal’s training partner, WWE Hall of Famer “Rowdy” Roddy Piper on Raw this week. What could Marella be planning for the living legend?

This past week’s Memorial Day edition of WWE RAW drew just a 2.9 cable rating. Oddly enough, it would be hard for the company to blame the holiday for the low number.

In three out of the last five years, the WWE RAW rating actually roseon Memorial Day from the previous week’s show. It’s a good thing a roster shake up is coming in the form of a draft; the show need some sort of boost.

Last night’s WWE RAW was dedicated to U.S. troops. Here’s what took place on it:

Melina vs. Jillian Hall
Melina puts Jillian in submission hold and she taps out.
Winner: Melina

Chris Jericho asks Vince McMahaonin the back for a fan appreciation match: a rematch of Jericho vs HBK. McMahon agrees. Cryme Tyme interrupts and steals paintings in the room, preparing to use them for a Cryme Tyme auction.

Londrick vs. Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly
Hardcore Holly gets London in Alabama Slamma Spin.
Winner: Rhodes and Holly

Out comes Ted DiBiase. After a long talk with McMahon, he announces his son, Ted DiBiase Jr. Ted Jr. just wanted to let Rhodes and Holly know that he’ll be after the tag team title. Might this be the beginning of the rumored young stable?

Mickie James is talking to Vince about WWE Divas helping at schools. JBL storms in and says it sounds as though the Divas are an escort service. JBL tells Mickie that he’s going to take out her boyfriend tonigh, John Cena. Mickie says that he’s not her boyfriend.

Jeff Hardy and John Cena vs. JBL and Umaga
After John Cena goes for the five-knuckle shuffle on JBL, Umaga hits Cena from behind. Hardy blind-tags Cena. Umaga takes Cena out of the ring. Jeff Hardy goes for the Swan Ton Bomb but JBL moves and hits the Clothesline from Hell on Hardy for the 1-2-3.
Winners: JBL and Umaga

Mr. Kennedy vs. Carlito
Kennedy hits the mic check on Carlito.
Winner: Mr. Kennedy

Katie Lea distracts Mr. Kennedy by running her mouth, while Paul Birchell hits him from behind as revenge for what Kennedy did to Regal last week; McMahon tells Trevor Murdock that after the last match, he wants every WWE wrestler and ref down to the ring.

Y2J vs. HBK
Jericho puts the walls of Jericho to Shawn Michaels outside the ring. Michaels taps out just as the ref counts them both out.
Winner: Double DQ

The entire roster is in the ring, waiting for Vince. McMahon says that he wants to give appreciation for the fans watching WWE Raw every Monday night. He’ll be having a 2008 WWE draft starting June 23, and he’ll also be giving away the sum of one million dollars from his own personal banking account every week. Weird ending.

Here’s the preview for tonight’s RAW, courtesy of WWE.com…

Just 24 hours after Judgment Day, four blockbuster matches were announced for One Night Stand, the one night where the WWE goes extreme.

Half of those matches came from the biggest upset of Monday night, when Randy Orton and JBL defeated WWE Champion Triple H and John Cena in a tag team competition, earning the right to challenge the The Game and the Chain Gang Soldier to singles matches with extreme stipulations of the challengers’ choosing.

JBL assured that his match will be as vicious as the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” can make it, by demanding a First Blood Match. Orton, however, will compete against Triple H for the WWE Championship in the same type of match in which he won the title last October: a Last Man Standing Match.

Knowing the bad blood that still boils between these four competitors, what type of pre-battle tactics can we expect in the next two weeks leading up to One Night Stand?

Batista has a bone to pick with Shawn Michaels, and by defeating Chris Jericho on Raw last Monday, he earned the chance to take on The Showstopper at One Night Stand. The Animal is still angry about HBK faking a knee injury, but William Regal has assured that HBK and The Animal’s match will end with someone legitimately injured by making their contest a Stretcher Match.

Shawn Michaels is a man who will do anything to win — how will he use the next two weeks to prepare for the raw power of The Animal?

Jeff Hardy v. Umaga
Hardy went to the ropes but Umaga caught him by the hair. Hardy broke free and went for whisper in the wind and Umaga casually walked to the side, avoiding what beat him last week. Umaga went for the running bump butt, but Hardy backed off. Instead of pin balling everywhere, Hardy went right at Umaga and hit some right hands and a drop kick. Hardy eventually hit a mule kick and it sent the big man reeling to the ground. Hardy hit a plancha that resulted in both being laid out on the outside.

Both fought to their feet. Umaga whipped Hardy to the stairs, but missed the follow up. Hardy went to walk the rails but got caught and side walk slammed on the concrete. The official signaled for the bell and what we have here is a double count out.
Winner: Double Count Out

Regal comes out and says One Night Stand is right around the corner and it would consist of all extreme rules matches. Orton and JBL are on the titan tron. Regal said both men wanted rematches from Judgment Day. He said they’d get their chance tonight. If they won, both would get their rematches and they’d get to choose the stipulation. If Triple H and John Cena won the tag match, they would pick the stip.

Regal kept going on before Mr. Kennedy’s music hit and he came down to the ring. Kennedy challenged Regal to a match. Regal said Kennedy didn’t get it. He said he didn’t take challenges from common wrestlers. He said the next person who interrupted him would be fired.

Mr. McMahon’s music hit.

Kennedy mocked Regal until Vince told him to ‘shut up’. Vince said Regal was given 100% endorsement. He said ever since he gave him his endorsement, they have received, as a result of his abuse of power, more viewer complaints than at any other point in their history. Vince said he knew he didn’t care about the people, and he didn’t either, but he DID care about the money. He said for some reason, when he came on the air, the ratings would plummet. So in the interest of fairness, Vince said Regal wanted Kennedy gone. Vince said he did, too.

He said he didn’t like Kennedy but the viewers wanted Regal gone, not Kennedy. So tonight, we’d have a match, Regal v. Kennedy. The loser of the match would be gone.

Beth Phoenix v. Maria
Beth tossed Maria to the mat hard before bullying her into the corner. Beth military pressed Maria and just dropped her like a sack of potatoes. Beth laid Maria out with a backbreaker and stretched it out for some fun.

Maria countered with a quick bulldog for a two count and even tried a roll up but was quickly shoulder tackled to the mat. Maria went for some wheelbarrow move variant and got SMASHED face first to the mat. What an awesome squash.
Winner: Beth Phoenix

Batista v. Chris Jericho
Jericho planted a kick to the face of Batista before getting lifted with ease and planted on the mat for a two count. Batista kept up the pressure, choking Jericho out with his boot in the corner before tossing Jericho across the ring. Jericho whimpered on the ring apron looking like he hurt his knee. Batista doesn’t seem ready to fall for it.

Continue reading this article …