WWE RAW News (Page 13)

Here is the preview for WWE Monday Night Raw from WWE.com:

Raw rolls into jolly old England this week as the WWE Superstars continue on their two week tour of Europe. With a new Intercontinental Champion and less than a week until Backlash, Raw’s London bash is sure to be a knockout.

WWE Champion John Cena will face his WrestleMania 23 opponent and former tag team partner, Shawn Michaels, in a WrestleMania Rematch. These two talented Superstars have not squared off in the ring since Detroit, and their unresolved issues will certainly make this a memorable match. Will Cena be able to escape without HBK’s shoe print on his face?

Santino Marella made history in Milan when he became the first WWE fan to claim the Intercontinental Championship. Mr. McMahon was furious with ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley for aiding Marella in his No Holds Barred Match against Umaga. How will The Chairman respond? What will become of this new Intercontinental Champion?

The Great Khali will be in action when Raw rolls into London as well. Last week, a video aired showing just how dominant the Punjabi giant has been in WWE; who will be the unlucky one to match up with Khali in London?

Also last week, Torrie Wilson won a Diva fashion show and was immediately attacked by Women’s Champion Melina, but Mickie James came to her friend’s aid and dropped the champion to spark a brawl. A match between Mickie and Melina was announced for Backlash later in the night; will the two Divas be at each other’s throats again on Raw just six days before they meet up at the pay-per-view in Atlanta?

Find out all this and more on Raw, Monday night at 9/8 CT on USA Network.

This past Monday night’s edition of WWE RAW on USA Network did a 3.7 cable rating, continuing WWE’s recent post-WrestleMania ratings slide.

Gee, could it be possible that viewers are sick of Vince McMahon on TV?!?

The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...

The show opened with the Coach coming to the ramp with mic in hand. He said that last week he announced a main-event for Backlash, but that it was overruled. Thus, Coach will have his Backlash main-event tonight, as Cena will face Rated-RKO tonight. He then introduced Vince McMahon, who was still wearing that classic hat, but had some noticeable hair growing in. Vince went to the ring and shrugged off the Italian chant he was receiving. He addressed the idea that Milan was the fashion capital of the world, and scoffed at that notion.

Vince then introduced the Intercontinental Champion, Umaga (w/Armando). The Samoan Bulldozer headed to the ring. Vince showed footage of what Umaga did to Bobby Lashley last week and the events that led up to it. VKM went on to prophesize that he, Shane, and Umaga would defeat Lashley for the ECW title at Backlash. Neither Shane nor Lashley could make it tonight, by the way, but Umaga is ready for action. Vince issued an open challenge for anyone in the back to face Umaga. There were no takers, so McMahon upped the ante and put the IC title on the line. There were still no takers. The crowd disapproved, so Vince opened the challenge to the fans in attendance. They panned the audience and eventually found a guy. The guy’s name was Santino Morella. The crowd chanted like they would for the Italian soccer/futbol team. Vince made sure that the man understood that he can’t sue Vince if he gets hurt. The crowd was reacting strongly to the guy.

Match 1: IC Champ Umaga vs. Santino Morella
- The crowd chanted for Santino as the match got underway. The guy had a tattoo of a lion on his back. Vince kept jacking his jaws, but finally shut up so that the match could get going. Santino and Umaga played cat and mouse in the early parts of the match. The Italian scored a near fall with a roll-up, as the crowd continued to react strongly. Vince changed the match to a No-DQ bout to ensure Umaga would win. Estrada explained the gimmick to Santino and slapped him. Santino struck back with a slap of his own, but Umaga took control as the match got underway again. Umaga scored with a leg drop. Estrada came back into the ring and slapped Santino again. Umaga followed with a running headbutt. The crowd chanted for “Bobby.” Umaga went to the second rope and connected with a Vader Bomb. He followed with a body slam and went to the top rope. Lashley came to the ring, though, and threw Umaga off the top. The ECW chant followed with a hard clothesline, but McMahon brought a chair into the ring. Vince tried to hit Lashley, but Bobby took it from him and blasted Umaga to “Ole” chants. Lashley followed with a Spear, placed Santino on top of Umaga, and insisted the ref make the count. Santino is the new IC champ at 4:28. Lashley and Santino celebrated to a half-confused/half-strong crowd reaction.

Back from a commercial break, Jerry Lawler interviewed Lashley and Santino. Lashley said he wasn’t supposed to be here tonight, but he came anyway. At Backlash, he’s supposed to lose the ECW title, but he’ll retain. Santino thanked Bobby and Italy for making him IC champion.

Backstage, Ric Flair asked Carlito if he were ready for action. Carlito questioned whether or not they should team, but Flair helped him get his head back in the game.

Match 2: Carlito (w/Torrie Wilson) and Ric Flair vs. Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin
- Carlito and SB started it off, with Carlito taking down Shelton with a shoulder tackle and a quick series of hip tosses. Charlie tried to get involved, but got a hip toss, too. Shelton went for the Stinger Splash, but CCC moved and scored with a dropkick. Charlie got one two, and both members of the TWGTT found themselves on the outside. Flair and Charlie tagged in for their teams. Ric scored with a series of knife-edge chops and a back elbow smash. He followed with a chop block, but Shelton got involved and helped Haas take control. Shelton tagged in and connected with a back drop before applying a chinlock and tagging Haas. Charlie kicked Flair in the back, as the crowd chanted something in a Italian. Haas scored with a knee drop. Shelton tagged back in and maintained control. Haas got the tag, but Flair fought back out of the heel corner. Carlito got the tag and beat the hell out of Shelton. CCC followed with a quick flurry of offense capped off by the springboard back elbow. Flair and Haas got involved, but it was only Flair who got reprimanded. Haas proceeded to strike CCC in the back, allowing Shelton to hit the T-Bone suplex for the win. TWGTT defeated Flair/Carlito at 4:15. After the match, Carlito was pissed off and pushed Flair away when the Naitch tried to console him.

Backstage, Maria interviewed John Cena. Cena got booed pretty loudly. He smiled about it and asked if Maria had a question. She wanted to know his thoughts on his handicap match. Cena said that there were a lot of players around here, but only one champ. HBK stepped into the picture and said that, before Mania, he had Cena’s back. Michaels no longer has Cena’s back…but rather he’d leave Cena on his back next week in their Mania rematch….

Match 3: Eugene vs. Johnny Nitro
- Nitro scored first strike points before the bell even sounded. The former IC champ beat the hell out of the now bald Eugene. Eugene tried to make a match out of it, but Nitro finished him off with Ravishing Rick Rude’s old finisher, the Rude Awakening (pretty much a neckbreaker in reverse Stunner-style). Nitro destroyed Eugene at 1:20.

In the WWE Diva Fashion Contest, an Italian announcer brought out Torrie, Maria, Mickie, Candice, Victoria, and Melina. The crowd chanted “Ole” as she did her usual entrance. In Italian, the announcer talked about something. In other words, the fans would decide the winner. The winner was Torrie Wilson and the crowd responded strongly to this contest. Melina pitched a fit, but Mickie took care of her pretty quickly.

Match 4: World Tag Champ Jeff Hardy (w/ Matt Hardy) vs. Lance Cade (w/ Trevor Murdoch)
- Cade backed Jeff into the corner to start the match. A clean break followed. The crowd chanted for Hardy. Cade caught him with a boot to the gut and a clubbing blow across the back. He followed with a body slam and taunted the crowd. Hardy came back with a Whisper in the Wind and rolling somersault leg drop. He went to the top rope for the Swanton, but Cade rolled out of the ring. Cade eventually tossed Hardy out of the ring after some confusion. Murdoch tried to get involved on the outside, but Matt and the ref prevented the interference. Jeff countered a back drop and went for a roll-up, but Cade caught him with a big boot. Cade continued to build momentum with a series of stomps in the corner. Lance went for an elbow drop, but Hardy moved and later connected with a reverse mule kick. Cade came right back with a hard back elbow smash. The crowd continued to support Hardy.

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The following is from WWE.com:

Melee in Milan: April 16, 2007

This week, WWE RAW will broadcast from Italy for the first time ever when the Superstars invade Milan’s Datchforum.

By order of Executive Assistant Jonathan Coachman, WWE Champion John Cena will face Rated-RKO in a Handicap Match.

Jonathan Coachman is a vindictive decision maker, as this is the same main event he had made for Backlash before being overruled by Honorary General Manager Michael Pena.

In addition, a WWE Diva Fashion Show has been scheduled in the fashion capital of the world - Milan, Italy.

Last week, The McMahons got a little redemption for WrestleMania when they joined with Umaga to decimate ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, leaving him bloodied in the ring. With The McMahons & the Intercontinental Champion set to face Lashley in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match for the gold at Backlash, will the Chairman and his cohorts throw an overseas obstacle in Lashley’s way?

Also, Mickie James seems to have Melina in her sights. After attacking the Women’s Champion during a special paparazzi photo op two weeks ago, Mickie teamed with Candice Michelle last week to defeat Melina & Victoria in tag team action. Does Mickie have designs on becoming Women’s Champion for a third time, and if so, will she come after Melina again in Milan?

Find out all this and more on RAW, Monday night at 9/8 CT on USA Network.

The following was issued by World Wrestling Entertainment:

WWE RAW Dominates Cable Telecasts During First Quarter '07

April 13, 2007
For the first quarter of 2007, individual episodes of WWE Monday Night Raw accounted for six of the top ten highest rated cable telecasts among households, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Among adults 18-49, individual episodes of WWE Raw accounted for eight of the top ten highest rated cable programs with RAW achieving the second, third and fourth highest individual ratings in that demographic finishing only behind the NBA All-Star game.

The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...

The show opened with Shane McMahon coming to the ring, as JR and King hyped that he’d promised to make an impact tonight on RAW. The crowd was all over Shane. McMahon said that his last name usually strikes fear into people’s hearts, but since Wrestlemania, the people have been singing a different tune. Shane said that there were five generations of McMahons, and that tonight he intended to put some respect back into the McMahon family name. He called out Bobby Lashley. The crowd responded with a “Bobby” chant. ECW Champion Lashley made his way out to the ring in a suit. The crowd responded with another “Bobby” chant. Shane said that he was going to take Bobby’s dignity tonight by taking his ECW Championship tonight.

At that point, Umaga (w/Armando) came to the ring. Shane ran out to cut them off. He told them he appreciated their offer, but to get out of there. Shane went face-to-face w/Umaga and showed no fear. He slapped Estrada. AAE and Umaga went to the back. Shane returned to the ring and told Lashley he’d give him the beating of his life. Lashley wanted to make things interesting, so he told Shane that if he beat him, he should get to shave Shane bald. McMahon thought about it for a minute, and then accepted Bobby’s challenger. So, tonight, it’ll be Shane vs. Lashley in a title vs. hair match.

Match 1: Mickie James and Candice Michelle vs. Women’s Champion Melina and Victoria
- Melina asked for Mickie James, so her and James started off the in-ring action tonight with a quick brawl. Mickie scored with a low dropkick and tagged Candice, who dropped Melina with a top rope double axe-handle. Candice splashed her in the corner and choked her across the top rope with a hangmen’s neck vice. Victoria interfered and helped Melina escape. King made an annoying comment about shaving his back for Candice Michelle. The heels dominated and traded tags to keep James grounded. Melina used a modified surfboard stretch to take full control. Victoria tagged back in, but missed a slingshot leg drop. Mickie got the tag and eventually dropped Victoria with a hurricanrana. James soon found herself in a double-team predicament, but Candice made the save with a spinning wheel kick on Melina. Mickie finished off Victoria with her spike DDT. Mickie and Candice defeated Victoria and Melina at 4:36.

Backstage, Mick Foley introduced Michael Pena, the honorary GM of RAW (thru Make-a-Wish Foundation). Foley introduced Pena to Maria, the Highlanders, and the millions of fans. He got the kid to get a cheap pop…

Match 2: Ric Flair and Carlito (w/Torrie) vs. Cade and Murdoch
- The match began during a commercial break. Back from the break, Cade caught Flair with a diving clothesline. Murdoch tagged in and gave Flair several mounted punches. A few quick tags ensued, with Cade and Murdoch maintaining control. Murdoch suplexed Flair and then applied a neck vice. Flair fought back out of the heel corner and eventually reached Carlito. CCC cleaned house, taking Cade down with a dropkick and Murdoch to the mat with a running knee lift and clothesline. Carlito went for a springboard back elbow, but Cade pushed Murdoch out of the way. The finish came when Cade and Murdoch drilled Carlito with Total Elimination.

Further backstage, Todd Grisham interviewed HBK. Michaels said he wasn’t the sharpest tack, but even he knew that nice guys don’t finish last. He said that he had to beat Randy Orton to keep his title hopes alive and that tonight’s match was about who wanted it more. Randy Orton stepped into the picture and told HBK that he wanted it more and that HBK’s days as the top contender were long gone. HBK congratulated him on being the ten thousandth guy to tell him that his days were done. He said Orton would need a set of dentures after he kicks his teeth down his throat.

Match 3: #1 Contender’s Match - Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels
- A lock-up to start, with HBK grabbing a headlock. Orton powered into a overhead wrist-lock, but HBK countered into a hammerlock. Randy countered into one of his own, but HBK countered into an overhead wristlock. Michaels used his foot to bring Orton to his knee. Orton used a hair pull to break the hold and buy himself time to re-apply his hammerlock. The crowd was very into HBK. Michaels countered into a hammerlock of his own. Orton took HBK down with a shoulder tackle and an arm drag, but Michaels came back with a boot to the face and a headlock take down. HBK ended up getting busted open over his right eye. Orton got to his feet, broke the hold, and caught HBK with a knee lift. Randy stomped his mid-section and pounded on HBK’s chest with his forearm. A bodyslam followed for the Legend Killer. Michaels then dodged a knee drop and gave Orton a chop block. He proceeded to focus on Orton’s left leg. He stomped it, raked it across the apron, and rammed his knee into it. The crowd chanted “Orton sucks.”

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The opened with WWE Champion John Cena making his way to the ring to a mixed reaction. Cena grabbed a mic and, speaking over a wild crowd that prevented him from talking for a long period, pronounced that the “Champ is here.” HBK came out at that point, flashed the DX sign, and made his way to the ring to join his Wrestlemania 23 main-event opponent. Michaels, sporting a bandage on his forehead, grabbed a mic and said that, indeed, the champ was here. He said it was like living a bad dream for him to be out here with Cena. He said that this was usually the time, the day after Mania, where he comes out and talks about how awesome a match he had at Mania. HBK said that their match wasn’t about egos, mind games, or who got cheered/booed…it was about winning and losing.

Cena won, HBK lost…and Shawn Michaels doesn’t like it. He said he was sick and tired of having to come out, look guys in eye, shake their hand, and lie to himself by calling the other guy the better man. That, according to Michaels, ends tonight. He said that Cena may have won last night, but he is not the better man. Cena said that if HBK wanted to get angry, then that’s fine…but if he wants to challenge his manhood, then his answer to that challenge is “any time, any place.” HBK said he wasn’t currently busy. At that point, Coach made his presence felt on the entrance ramp. He said that HBK vs. Cena II would not take place tonight. Rather, they would be defending the World Tag titles. Coach called the other brands and arranged for them to face 9 other teams in a 20-man, over-the-top rope battle royal, w/the tag titles on the line.

Match 1: 10-Team Battle Royal- World Tag Champions HBK and John Cena vs. King Booker and Finlay (w/ Sharmell) vs. RVD and Sabu vs. Kenny and Chris Masters vs. Cryme Tyme vs. Highlanders vs. Burke and Striker vs. Deuce and Domino vs. Eugene and Hacksaw Jim Duggan
- The match began during a commercial break. Back to live action, Kenny Dykstra and Chris Masters were eliminated when Kenny got thrown over the top rope and to the floor. Masters was upset that he wasn’t able to participate anymore. Cryme Tyme were eliminated soon after by Deuce and Domino. Eugene and Hacksaw, meanwhile, waged war with Finlay and King Book. The Highlanders were scattered about the ring, as well. Elijah Burke connected with a nice dropkick that sent Eugene out of the ring. Burke went on to help save Booker from near elimination by HBK. Book and Finlay proceeded to double team Robbie.

Deuce took out Rory with a nice leg scissor. Matt Striker and his partner, Burke, tried to eliminate HBK, but Michaels escaped the predicament and regained control of the New Breed members. Unfortunately, Deuce and Domino singled Michaels out and took him down with a leg lariat. Cena came to his partner’s aid and eliminated them. Finlay tossed Matt Striker, while Booker tossed RVD. So, it came down to HBK/Cena and Finlay/Booker. The SD roster members dominated, as the crowd chanted for Cena. The champ tried to fight back, but the double team proved to be too much for him. Cena nearly got eliminated by Finlay, but hung on for dear life. Finlay Booker then held Cena so that Finlay could give him a clothesline, but the Irishman missed and hit Booker. The finish came when Cena tossed Finlay over the top rope. Finlay landed on the apron, but HBK gave him the super kick to knock him off. HBK and Cena retained at an estimated 6:18.

Coach returned and announced a second tag team battle royal w/ 9 new teams…

Match 2: 10-team Battle Royal- World Tag Champs Cena and HBK vs. The Hardys vs. WWE Tag Team Champions London and Kendrick vs. Val Venis and Viscera vs. Chavo Guerrero and Gregory Helms vs. Tommy Dreamer and Sandman vs. Kevin Thorne and Marcus Cor Von vs. Johnny Nitro and Miz vs. William Regal and Dave Taylor vs. Murdoch and Cade
- Everybody seemed to gang up on Viscera to start the match. Venis and Viscera were eliminated when Venis got tossed. Johnny Nitro was teaming with the Miz in an interpromotional duo. Kevin Thorne attacked HBK. Regal and Taylor were eliminated when Dreamer tossed Regal. Cena nearly got ousted by Chavo and Helms, but managed to stay in the ring. Dreamer got eliminated by Murdoch and Cade. We then got a dreaded mid-match commercial break, but I guess that was to be expected. Back from the break, Jeff Hardy and John Cena were fighting off separate elimination attempts. Nitro and Miz nearly had Cena tossed over the top, but HBK hit Nitro with Sweet Chin Music and sent him tumbling to elimination.

Michaels then eliminated Cena, meaning that the tag titles were up for grabs. Cena couldn’t believe it. Michaels walked away with a cocky smile on his face and motioned that there was only one gold. Meanwhile, London hit a double boot on Helms. Kendrick proceeded to eliminate Chavo, but in doing so eliminated himself. The Hardys and Cade/Murdoch were the final two teams. Jeff and Matt took control and tried for some tandem offense. However, Cade and Murdoch gained momentum and hit an inverted atomic drop and big boot combo. They proceeded to try and eliminate Jeff, but Matt made the save. Matt cleaned house and hit the Side Effect on Murdoch. He then connected with the Twist of Fate on Cade. From opposite sides of the ring, the Hardys each scored with leg drops off the second rope. Murdoch nearly got eliminated, but hung on for dear life. Cade nearly got eliminated, too, but also held on. The finish came when Matt eliminated Cade, then set up Jeff for Poetry in Motion to finish off Murdoch. The Hardys became World Tag Champs at 12:18.

Backstage, Todd Grisham interviewed HBK about his earlier actions. HBK said he wanted a shot at the WWE title and wanted Cena really clear on that matter. Randy Orton showed up and said that Cena knows he can beat HBK, but he can’t beat Orton. HBK said that neither Cena nor Orton were better than him. Orton said we’d have to wait and see…

Backstage, Vince McMahon, from behind the camera, shouted at Coach to take him out to the ring. They came across Maria and Candice Michelle on their way to the ring. The girls tried to tell him that he looked fine, but when he came across Eugene, he got laughed at. Ron Simmons showed up and gave us his weekly, “Damn!” Viscera and Venis had a nice laugh, too…

The bald headed Vince McMahon came to the ring with a hat on. He asked if the crowd thought he was going to come out and eat a piece of humble pie…if they thought it was humorous that he was a bald billionaire…if they enjoy the humiliation of others. Vince said that last night was a travesty, thanks to Stone Cold Steve Austin. He said that had it not been for Austin, Trump would be the one with no hair. The crowd responded with a “You Suck” chant. Vince said that he was wiping the slate clean and changing the record books so that his loss in the Battle of the Billionaires didn’t exist.

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The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...

The show opened with Coach in the ring, alerting us to the fact that the Lashley-McMahon match is No-DQ. Also, if anyone interferes in the match, they will be fined and suspended. At that point, Stone Cold Steve Austin made his way to the ring. After his usual 4-post posing session, Austin grabbed a mic and told us a story about his past week in Texas. He said that he got a truck full of presents from Donald Trump. Coach interrupted and said that those actions were typical Trump. Austin interrupted right back and said that he told the delivery man who brought all the presents to take them back to NYC. The delivery guy told Austin that the presents were from Stamford, CT. Thus, it would seem as if McMahon sent Austin gifts and addressed them from Trump.

Austin wanted to know if Vince thought he was stupid. He wanted to know if everyone thought he should go ahead and shave McMahon’s head bald. Coach said that it was him, not McMahon, who sent the gifts. Austin made it clear that no one would play games with him…not here and not at Wrestlemania 23. He said that if either superstar didn’t listen to him on Sunday, then he’d whoop their ass. Coach said he got the picture, so often decided to leave. However, Coach tried kissing Austin’s ass, saying that bald was beautiful and he didn’t know why Trump and McMahon were so worked up over the thought of losing their hair. Austin gave Coach the Stunner and celebrated with a beer bash.

Backstage, Austin got in his big truck and tried to leave. However, a limo blocked his way. After some horn honking, Vince popped up out of the sunroof of the limo and asked who the hell…Before he could get the whole sentence out, he realized it was Austin and apologized on behalf of his driver. Austin flipped him the bird. McMahon got out of the limo and proceeded to drag and beat the crap out of his limo driver. He fired him…

Match 1: Playboy Cover Girls (Ashley, Torrie, and Candice) vs. Women’s Champ Melina, Victoria, and Jillian
- (It was noted prior to the match that the women’s title match this Sunday would be a Lumberjill match, featuring all the other WWE Divas surrounding the ring). Candice scored with an early spinning wheel kick, but Melina and the heels took over soon after when Victoria placed Candice in the tree of woe. Jillian showed some athleticism in attempting a handstand into a leg drop, but Candice moved out of the way. Ashley got the lukewarm tag and used a tilt-a-whirl head scissor to take down Jillian. She followed with a hurricanrana on Victoria. The finish came when Ashley used a Victory Roll to pin Jillian. The Playboy Cover Girls picked up the win.

Match 2: CM Punk vs. Kenny Dykstra
- Kenny took control right off the bat, as the crowd chanted for Punk. Punk came back quickly with a Jericho-esque double underhook into a backbreaker. Kenny regained momentum when he knocked Punk off the top rope and sent him crashing hard to the mat. The crowd got strongly behind Punk, but Kenny kept on him with a jumping back elbow smash. Though Kenny continued to dominate, the crowd again chanted for CM Punk. Punk eventually kneed his way out of a suplex and scored with a jumping back kick to finally gain some momentum. The Straight Edge Extremist followed with a springboard clothesline and a bulldog. The finish came when Punk defeated Kenny nailing Go To Sleep.

Immediately after the preceding match, Edge did a backstage interview on the Titantron to hype his Cutting Edge segment...which is next!

Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy, CM Punk, Finlay, King Booker, Kennedy, and Randy Orton were guests on the Cutting Edge. The camera continually cut back and forth b/t Edge and Orton. The Rated-R Superstar welcomed us all to the Cutting Edge and reminded everyone that the Money in the Bank match returns to this Sunday. He also reminded everyone of his ladder match victories and his undefeated Wrestlemania record. One by one, he started to make his way around the ring interviewing his opponents. Matt Hardy was up first. Hardy reminded Edge that he had a lot of ladder match victories, as well. Edge said he was surprised that Hardy was even booked on the card.

Booker was next, and he declared that his title reign was very successful. Finlay interrupted and said he was tired of the verbal diarrhea. Orton grabbed the mic and talked about how Edge had been ducking out of matches for the last month. Kennedy backed him up, but then noted that he’d be the one winning. He tried to do his usual schtick, but Edge grabbed the mic back and said that it was real nice that he could repeat his name. Edge turned his attention to Jeff Hardy, who the Rated-R Superstar mocked and taunted. Jeff Hardy said that he would steal the show at Mania just as he does in every ladder match he’s involved in. Punk was last, and the crowd chanted his name. He said that Edge was addicted to running his mouth. Edge pushed Punk into the crowd of ladder match participants, causing a huge brawl in the ring. The host hightailed it and watched the melee from the ramp. Punk and the Hardys, meanwhile, cleaned house of all the heels and then ran after Edge.

Backstage, Maria interviewed John Cena. Cena hyped every match and appearance at Mania in a round-about way, but then turned his attention toward HBK. He said that the dust will settle, the smoke will clear, and the two most controversial, intense, charismatic individuals of all time would step into the ring and compete for the richest prize in the profession. People will talk of the match for years to come…and they’d talk about one man who could say that he was the best…and that one man would be able to raise his hand high and proclaim “The Champ is here!”

Match 3: Mr. McMahon vs. ECW Champion Bobby Lashley
- Vince got on the mic before the match and said that he was going to embarrass Lashley by pinning him 1-2-3. Murdoch and Cade attacked Lashley as the match got underway. Lashley handled them pretty easily, though. Chris Masters came after him next and tried to apply the Masterlock. Lashley countered and disposed of him. Johnny Nitro got involved, as well, but took the running powerslam. Umaga was presumably the last bullet in Vince’s proverbial gun. The two representatives in the Battle of the Billionaires went toe-to-toe until VKM gave Lashley a low blow. Umaga followed with a Samoan drop, allowing Vince to get the win. The Samoan Bulldozer was instructed to continue his assault, though. Thus, Umaga went to the top and splashed the ECW Champ. He then dragged him into the corner and gave him a pair of running rear splashes before capping off the assault with the Samoan Spike. Vince pinned Lashley.

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The show opened with Shawn Michales coming to the ring for his match against JBL. JBL made his classic long horned-limo entrance for the first time in about 10 months, but wasn’t wearing his wrestling gear. He said that he flew from NYC in his 8K suit b/c he was told he had a match. The crowd was all over him. JBL said that nobody tells him what to do and that if he comes out of retirement, it’ll be on his own terms. He said that a match b/t himself and HBK was a dream match, but it wasn’t going to happen. JBL went on to question HBK’s ego, citing how he had yet to turn on Cena. Thus, JBL said that Cena was going to kick HBK’s ass at Mania. He then hyped HBK’s ability to play mind games with the best of them, and said that the reason he hadn’t “taken the shot” on Cena yet is because he knew that he can’t beat the champ. He said that HBK hasn’t tried because he’s scared that the fans won’t cheer him anymore and/or that it’ll conflict with his newfound decency, religion, etc.

HBK took the mic and said that he came to Indiana to fight, but if JBL wanted to do a verbal joust, then that was fine. Michaels said that perhaps not playing mind games was the best mind game of all. He said that he can and will beat Cena at WrestleMania 23. HBK continued by saying that, like JBL, no one tells him what to do…and no one is going to tell him when to deliver Sweet Chin Music. He then blasted JBL with a superkick out of nowhere!

Backstage, Randy Orton verbally berated Edge for playing games with him and leaving him high and dry last week. Edge defended himself, but Orton dropped a bomb shell on him. Tonight, Edge has to defend his MITB spot in a battle royal. Edge was quite pissed off…

Chris Masters geared up for the Masterlock Challenge against Bobby Lashley. JR and King hyped that the hold had not been broken in the two years since Masters debuted. The ECW Champ made his way to the ring. A small “Bobby” chant broke out, as Masters struggled to apply his hold. Masters slapped him in the back of the head, so Lashley got up and slapped Chris in the face. Once the hold was applied, Masters brought Lashley to his knees. Lashley fought back to his feet, but became very sluggish. The ECW Champ eventually did break the hold, though…and that’s it for the Masterlock challenge…

Backstage, Vince McMahon, Coach, and a large group of security guards waited for Lashley. McMahon had Lashley escorted out of the building. Vince and Coach then said hello to Maria. Eugene walked up and accidentally spilled fluid on Vince. McMahon put him in a match against Umaga…Ron Simmons showed up for a “Damn!”

Match 1: Last Chance Battle Royal- Ric Flair vs. Viscera vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Kenny Dykstra vs. Charlie Haas vs. Super Crazy vs. Val Venis vs. Carlito vs. Edge
- (Winner gets the last spot in MITB). Edge stayed out of the way, as everyone else went after Viscera. Viscera tried to fight his way out of the predicament, but they dumped him out. Edge focused on Venis, Crazy and Carlito hooked it up, Haas and Nitro struggled, and Flair wandered around. The Rated-R Superstar then appeared to injure his knee. He rolled out of the ring and was checked out by officials. Nitro, meanwhile, nearly got eliminated. Flair helped out Carlito, who was struggling against Haas. Venis tried to eliminate Kenny. Crazy then tried an Eddie Guerrero-type head scissor-arm drag combination on TWGTT, but Haas and Benjamin caught him and tossed him over the top rope. We then got a dreaded mid-match commercial break, but that was to be expected. Back from the break, we found out that Venis and Haas had been eliminated by Nitro and Carlito, respectively. Meanwhile, Edge was still down on the outside. Shelton backdropped Flair and Nitro decked Kenny with a clothesline. Carlito ended up on the apron, but avoided elimination.

He climbed to the top rope, where Shelton leaped in a single bound to meet him. Flair aided his buddy and tossed Shelton off the top to the outside. The final four were CCC, Flair, Nitro, and Edge after Flair tossed out Kenny. Carlito went on to eliminate Nitro, leaving just him and the Nature Boy. CCC nearly had Flair eliminated, but Naitch came back with a long series of chops. Carlito came back with a springboard back elbow and clotheslined him over the top. Flair landed on the apron, though, and used a thumb to the eye to regain control. However, Carlito used a head scissor to try and eliminate Flair. Unfortunately for Carlito…it didn’t work. Flair back dropped him over the top and won. Well, at least he thought he won until Edge showed up and tossed him over the top. Edge retained his spot in MITB at 11:07.

Match 2: Intercontinental Champion Umaga (w/ Armando) vs. Eugene
- Umaga knocked Eugene off the apron and slammed him into the steel steps. He splashed him with a modified Banzai drop and followed with a running rear splash. After the Samoan Spike, the match was over. Umaga defeated Eugene at 1:45. After the match, they strapped Eugene into the barber’s chair. Vince taunted Eugene as if he were Donald Trump. Umaga choked Eugene and Vince hacked off his hair.

Candice Michelle said that she was reading Melina’s blog and noticed that the Women’s Champ had been bashing Playboy cover girls. Melina came out and bashed Candice for her lack of talent at doing anything other than taking her clothes off. She said that none of the Playboy models have any in-ring talent. Candice insinuated that Melina was a whore and challenged her to a non-title bra-and-panties match…

Match 3: Bra and Panties match - Candice vs. Melina
-The match got underway during a commercial break. Back from the break, Melina was in full control. She put Candice’s head b/t her legs and rolled her over. Candice blocked her attempt at stripping her pants off, though. The former Playboy cover girl used her hangmen’s head scissor to aid her in taking off Melina’s skirt. Melina came back and took off Candice’s top. She used a head scissor to set-up an attempt to rip Candice’s shorts off. They ended up rolling around in 69 position. Melina got the win soon after following a bulldog. Melina defeated Candice at 5:25. After the match, Ashley came to the ring and ripped Melina’s top off.

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The following report is courtesy of lordsofpain.net ...

The show opened with WWE Champion John Cena coming to the ring sporting a new t-shirt. To a mixed reaction, the champ said he feels tension in the air. He said the past 6 weeks of his life, he’s had to ask himself if he trusts HBK…when is Michaels going to turn on him? On the door step of WrestleMania, Cena said he was sick of wondering and wasn’t down with waiting to find out if HBK was going to stab him in the back. Cena called Michaels out. HBK responded and made his way to the ring. Cena halted HBK before he had the chance to speak and questioned his statements about having his back. HBK said he wasn’t trying to win “Good Samaritan of the Year.” He said his only goal was to become WWE Champ. Despite that, he’s kept his word about keeping Cena’s back. So, he can wonder all he wants, but what HBK wants to know is when is Cena going to turn on HBK.

He said he knows Cena will do whatever it takes to remain champ and he digs that about him. However, as badly as Cena wants the title, HBK wants one more day in the sun just a little bit more. It appeared they might come to blows, but the Coach made his presence felt. The crowd didn’t like it. Nonetheless, Coach said there were a lot of tag teams that wanted a shot at their tag belts. So, HBK and Cena will face three teams in a gauntlet match…every one of which will be for the tag titles. In the event that they make it to the final match, it will be contested in a cage match.

Donald Trump arrived in the parking lot…

Match 1: Final Qualifier for the Money in the Bank Ladder Match - Ric Flair vs. Randy Orton vs. Carlito
- (This was an elimination match). Flair and Carlito went right after Orton. Randy fought his way out and tried to score a quick pin with his feet on the ropes, but to no avail. Orton backdropped and dropkicked Flair, but Carlito snuck up on him and rolled him up for a near fall. The Legend Killer dominated the early going before Flair and Carlito double-teamed him again and took control. They took turns hammering Orton in the corner. Then, they took turns trying to pin him. Orton raked Flair in the eyes and tried to get going again, but CCC caught him with a back elbow smash. Flair caught Orton with a chop block. Carlito followed with a springboard back elbow. They proceeded to get into an argument over who should beat Orton. CCC caught Flair with the Back Cracker. Orton tossed Carlito out of the ring and gave Flair the RKO. Orton defeated Flair at 4:06.

Carlito came back with a dropkick. We then got a dreaded mid-match commercial break, but I guess that was to be expected. Back from the break, Orton had Carlito locked in a Boston Crab. During the break, Orton planted CCC with a DDT while Carlito’s feet were on the second ropes. Carlito broke the hold, as we returned to live action. Orton continued to dominate, though, stomping away at Carlito’s leg and dropping his knee into CCC’s throat. Randy then whipped Carlito hard into the corner before applying a rear chinlock. Carlito battled back to his feet and caught Orton with a back suplex. As they reached their feet, Carlito blasted Orton with a series of right and left hands, but missed a dropkick. Orton then poised himself for the RKO. He went for the kill, but Carlito pushed him into the ropes and scored with a hurricanrana. CCC got fired up at that point and eventually scored with a running Million Dollar knee lift and a modified one-man flapjack (out of fireman carry position) for a near fall. He then went for a moonsault off the top rope, but landed on his feet as Orton ran under him. He scored with an enziguiri and followed with a springboard rolling Senton for a pair of near falls. CCC tried to keep the momentum going, but Orton crotched him on the top rope, followed with the RKO, and won the match. Orton qualified for MITB at 13:43.

Chris Masters was in the ring for the Masterlock Challenge. No one stepped up to the challenge, so Masters said it’d have to be Lillian Garcia. Before all that could get started, Super Crazy came to the rescue. He scored with a series of kicks and went for a wheelbarrow bulldog. However, Masters caught him in the Masterlock in mid-move. Crazy was unable to break the hold.Mr. McMahon showed up in the parking lot. He told Trump’s driver to tell Donald that “mine was bigger than his.”

Mick Foley hyped his book in a pre-taped vignette…

Backstage, Orton approached Edge and told him that they were no longer opponents. Edge said that while that was really impressive, he’s been in 12 ladder matches and won more of them than everyone else in MITB combined. He’s also undefeated at Wrestlemania. Orton said the only reason for that was because he’d never faced him at Mania. He also said he was better looking…

On the Titantron, The Rock gave his thoughts on Wrestlemania’s Battle of the Billionaires. He said that “Finally, The Rock has come back to Monday Night RAW.” He said McMahon would get his head shaved at Mania. Rock said that Umaga, in Samoan, means shriveled up monkey penis…look it up. How does Vince plan on beating Lashley and Trump with a shriveled up monkey penis?

Match 2: World Tag Team Champions HBK and John Cena in a Gauntlet Match
- The first team they faced was TWGTT, Haas and Benjamin. The champs took control from the get-go, w/ Cena taking down Shelton with a jumping hip toss. After a mix-up, Cena scored with a fisherman suplex. Haas tried to get involved, but Cena blasted him in the face. The distraction allowed Shelton to kick Cena in the leg, though. Haas tagged in and worked over Cena’s lower back. He then backed Cena into the corner for a series of shoulder thrusts. Cena came back with a running one-handed facebuster and tagged HBK. Michaels scored with the diving forearm on Haas, an inverted atomic drop on both, and a DDT on Haas. He then clotheslined Shelton over the top rope. Cena tagged himself in and made Haas tap out to the STFU at 2:55.

The next team was Cade and Murdoch. Cade and Murdoch wasted little time in singling out HBK and dropping him with an inverted atomic drop-big boot combo. Lance worked over his former mentor (in wrestling school). Murdoch tagged in and sloppily slammed HBK to the mat. Cade tagged back in and scored with a diving clothesline. He then applied a bearhug. The crowd chanted for HBK. Michaels used their enthusiasm to fight out of the hold and score with an enziguiri (eventually). Murdoch got the tag, but so did Cena. The champ cleaned house and took Murdoch down with the Prototype spinning back drop, setting up the Five Knuckle Shuffle. Cena went for the FU, but HBK blasted Murdoch with Sweet Chin Music while he was on Cena’s shoulders. Cena pinned Murdoch at 6:26, but didn’t look happy that Michaels stole his thunder. As the cage lowered, we got a dreaded mid-match commercial break, but that was understandable.

Back from the break, we found that it was MNM facing the champs. The match was joined in progress, which is annoying. Nitro had Cena locked in a rear choke. Cena powered out and tagged HBK (yes, tagged…this wasn’t your typical tornado-style tag team cage match). HBK was unable to gain much momentum, as Mercury tossed him into the side of the cage. Nitro came back in and choked Michaels before scoring with a modified swinging neckbreaker. Mercury came back in and connected on a combination stomach breaker w/ Nitro. Nitro tagged right back in and went for a corkscrew moonsault off the second rope. However, he missed and tagged Mercury. MNM tried to keep Michaels grounded, but HBK resiliently escaped and tagged Cena. Cena, again getting a mixed reaction, cleaned house and tossed Mercury into the steel like a lawn dart. He then hip tossed Nitro into the cage. Michaels tossed a bloody Joey Mercury into the steel once again. Cena took another turn and rammed Mercury’s face into the steel for a third time. He went for the FU soon after, but ended up getting into it with HBK instead. Michaels superkicked Mercury into an FU from Cena. 1…2…3! HBK and Cena retained at 15:05. After the match, the other tag teams attacked the champs. It was 6-on-2, but the opponents at Mania overcame the odds. Cena grabbed a chair and nailed Haas, but it appeared as if he might hit Michaels. The champ stormed off and a pissed off HBK followed close behind.

Match 3: Jeff Hardy vs. Edge
- Edge came to the ring in street clothes. He grabbed a mic and came into the ring. Edge said that he’d love nothing more than to beat the hell out of him, but being as they are in Washington, home of the Redskins, he isn’t about to perform in front of a bunch of people racist toward Native Americans. He then introduced the Great Khali. Khali stepped into the ring and gave Jeff one of his unstoppable chops. He followed with a big boot and a two-handed chokeslam. Kane showed up, though, and brought the hook on a chain that was featured in his movie. Edge hightailed it and Khali followed suit. Kane tossed the hook onto the announce table and pulled it over on it’s side. Jeff and Khali wrestled to a no-contest.

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