WWE RAW News (Page 18)

The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...

DX’s music hit and Triple H and Shawn Michaels came out to the ring. Triple H shushed the crowd momentarily. He said he was serious, he had a question that needed answering. He asked the fans “are you ready”? He said a picture was worth a thousand words and showed a picture of Mr. McMahon’s head stuffed in Big Show’s backside. They did the “suck it” routine before HBK took the mic and was interrupted by Coach.

He ordered both of them to compete right here, right now in a Texas Tornado match against six other opponents. Cade & Murdoch were one team, The Highlanders were another, and the last was Viscera and Charlie Haas.

Texas Tornado Tag Match: DX v. Cade & Murdoch v. The Highlanders v. Charlie Haas & Viscera
- Visc and Haas double-teamed Triple H, missing a coordinated splash attempt. Cade turned Rory inside out with a big stiff lariat. Eventually, DX and Viscera ended up alone in the ring. DX hit a nice double DDT before t-ing up Charlie Haas with a big spine buster and an HBK elbow. Michaels hit sweet chin music and as Haas bobbled back, Triple H hit the boot to the gut and the pedigree for the win.
Winners: DX via pin fall

Coach came out and told the folks to stop the music. He said he ran the show and he ran Monday night. Triple H asked if he could throw his ass off the ramp and then he and Michaels would run the show. DX chased Coach to the back as we went to commercial.

WWE Intercontinental Championship: Johnny Nitro v. Jeff Hardy
- Nitro started off with a kick to the gut and a hard uppercut to the face of Hardy. Nitro kicked Hardy off his feet before whipping him into the ropes and getting caught with a neck breaker. Hardy hit a leg drop to the groin before following up with a hurricanranna out of the corner.

The action went back and forth when Nitro scooted out to the ring apron, but Hardy caught him and tossed him back in the ring. He springboarded off the top rope and got a unique roll up that got a two count. Hardy connected next with a whisper in the wind which got him an even closer two count.

Nitro split to the outside and as Melina tended to him, Hardy came off the top rope and planted Nitro into the mat. Hardy quickly pressed his advantage, looking to hit his red cross off the guardrail, but Nitro avoided it.

They both ended up on the top rope. Nitro attempted a flip power bomb, but Hardy threw him off. The challenger immediately took advantage hitting the Swanton bomb on Nitro and gaining the pinfall for the victory and the Intercontinental Championship.
Winner and NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion: Jeff Hardy

Coach was on the phone with Vince McMahon. He said there wasn’t any way he could possibly run WWE RAW like him and that he couldn’t even get out of his locker room. Coach said something then hung up before peaking outside to see if the coast was clear. He crept around the back cautiously before stopping and staring with eyes wide open at Triple H who was there with his arms crossed. He turned the other way and saw HBK staring at him smiling. They played some cheesy okay coral music before sprinting into the women’s locker room. DX decided to go in and asked where Coach went. Triple H tried to talk to the WWE Divas, but Shawn tracked him down and made him come along.

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If the company thought last week's WWE RAW rating of 3.7 was poor, it's easy to imagine their reaction to these numbers.

The show Monday night drew a disappointing 3.4 score this week, as ESPN's Monday Night Football (the first game in New Orleans in over a year) scored a huge 11.8, the largest number in the ESPN history.

WWE officials are hoping next week's John Cena/Edge Steel Cage match provides a ratings boost.

In better news, though, ECW on SCI-FI scored a 1.9 rating for the first time since September 11. Maybe people actually do wish to see regular brand stars, such as Sandman, in the spotlight instead of constant cross-overs from WWE stars.

The following report is courtesy of wrestleview.com ...

- Lita defeated Candice Michelle with Edge as a special guest referee in Round 1 of the WWE Women's Title Tournament. Lita introduced Edge as the special guest referee. Edge checked both Candice and Lita for any foreign objects. When the bell rang, Edge hit Candice with a Spear and Lita covered her. Just as Edge counted the "3," John Cena hit the ring and took out Edge.

- Back live, John Cena gets on the mic and says Edge tried to knock the power out because he didn't want to fight him. Edge tells Cena to shut up and that he will probably take credit for the power coming back on now. Cena said the fans want to see him kick his ass. Edge mocks the fans when they answer back and he said they wouldn't be taking place tonight because he would invoke his re-match close on his own terms. Cena then started making slut jokes about Lita. Lita said she is a human being and those jokes hurt.

She calls Cena a joke and how everyone in the locker room thinks he is a bad wrestler. Lita says Edge is a better wrestler than Cena and adds that even she is better. Edge then challenged Cena to face Lita tonight with one arm tied behind his back. Cena accepted and Edge calmed down Lita who didn't like the idea.

- Clips of WWE in Mexico were shown.

- Kane defeated Johnny Nitro via DQ in a WWE Intercontinental Championship Match; Nitro retains. The match finished when Umaga hit the ring with Kane having Nitro setup for a Tombstone Piledriver. Umaga hit Kane over the back with a steel chair and then hit his head with a huge charge in the corner.

- Backstage, Shawn Micheals was reading the new WWE Magazine when Triple H walked up. He mentioned the article about Triple H and how he managed to talk about Hulk Hogan, Ultimate Warrior, the Madison Square Garden incident and more. Triple H reminded him he talked about his different choices of facial hair as well. Michaels complained there was no advertisements for DX gear in the magazine. Both did the cheesy plug for WWEShop.com where you can buy all your DX gear.

Maria walked up and asked them about the Gauntlet later tonight. Triple H said they had two words for Coach and the crowd finished it. Maria said she didn't catch that. Triple H whispered into her ear. She said she still didn't get it. Triple H tried to offer a "visual aid" by starting to pull down his trunks when Michaels pulled him back and they left. Eugene walked up and said hi to Maria. Maria said DX just told her to "suck it." Eugene rolled his eyes into the back of his head and fell over.

- Backstage, The Coach approached Shelton Benjamin who was with Torrie Wilson and her dogs. Coach asked Benjamin why he tried to embarss him last week by saying he was overlooked in WWE because he was a black man. Coach said Benjamin never captializes on his opportunites. Benjamin reminds him that he is a former three-time Intercontinental Champion. Coach said Benjamin shouldn't accuse McMahon of discrimination since Martin Luther King Jr. was his hero. They continue to argue when Jeff Hardy walks up trying to be black (and it wasn't funny).

Coach booked the two in a match later tonight. Edge and Lita then walked into Coach's office. They brought up Cena accepting a match with Lita tonight with one arm tied behind his back. Coach made it a No Holds Barred Match, but said Edge couldn't lay a finger on Cena and if he did, he would lose his re-match for the title.

- John Cena teaming with Batista & Bobby Lashley against King Booker, William Regal & Finlay on Friday Night Smackdown this week is plugged.

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It's almost as though the WWE fears the UFC.

First, we announced that the 10/10 ECW show will showcase Extreme Strip Poker ... or nude WWE Divas sitting in a ring. The idea is to combat the major Ken Shamrock vs. Tito Ortiz fight that night on Spike TV.

Now, it's being rumored that the USA network will air a three-hour special called "WWE: The Raw Family Reunion" on Monday, October 9th, 2006 from 8 PM to 11 PM. Similarly, this is meant to counter a special on Spike about the next night's big match-up.

Could the WWE be feeling pressure? Now that Kurt Angle is in TNA, the stakes may really be raised soon. Here's to hoping that's the case.

Monday's edition of WWE RAW posted a 3.7 cable rating. This is a slight increase on last week's 3.6 score, but not what the company was hoping for after a pay-per-view.

Monday Night Football, of course, does provide serious competition now. But Vince McMahon and the WWE brass won't be satisfied until the rating is above 4.0 consistently.

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

The show opened with Lillian Garcia introducing the new WWE Champion, John Cena.

Cena came out to the usual mixed reaction, w/ the Montreal crowd heavily booing the new champ. JR and King gave Edge credit for his performance last night, but also hyped Cena’s resilience in winning a match he’d never previously taken part in. Cena grabbed a mic and looked around at the anti-Cena crowd that was booing him. He laughed off the haters, but finally managed to say that he was in the midst of chaos (referring to the crowd). He said that normally he’d say that tonight would be huge, but tonight he really wasn’t himself. The crowd didn’t let up, continuing to heavily boo him. Cena continued, saying that the bottom line was that he was hit in the head a lot last night. He said everything was starting to become clear, though, and he now could finally say that, low and behold, the champ is here. Cena said that no matter what the crowd thought, his win last night was big.

Cena said that after all that has happened in the last nine months during his feud with Edge, the story was finally over. The crowd was chanting “Boring” at that point, but they erupted when Edge (w/ Lita) came walking down to the ring. Edge walked with a noticeable limp and a bandaged elbow. Upon entering the ring w/ a mic, he asked Cena if he believed all the crap he was talking. He said Cena’s win last night was a fluke just like the rest of his career, and when he used his rematch clause, he’d win his third WWE title. Cena told him to listen, telling him that last night he saw fire and hunger that he’d not previously seen from him…and he respects Edge for that. The crowd chanted “Cena Sucks,” as Cena said that if Edge wanted to talk the way he was talking right now, he had one of two options. A) He could have a live sex celebration and screw himself. B) He could challenge him for the WWE title right now. Edge said that he didn’t have a desire to win the title back in Montreal…which he said was not apart of Canada. He said that last night he took more physical punishment than most people took in their entire lives. An FU thru two ladders? Most people would’ve given up, but he didn’t.

Thus, he said he’d take his title back whenever he wanted, but not tonight. Cena said it took Edge 30-seconds to turn on Edge and favor Cena kicking his ass. The Champ said that he was just as beat up as Edge and asked the former champ what he wanted. Edge said he wanted payback for the worst night of his life, in which he lost his match in his hometown, w/ his mom in attendance…plus the WWE title. Cena told him to call the wambulance. Edge told him to shut up, at which point Cade and Murdoch showed up and leveled the champion. The three heels then took turns stomping away at the champ…Well, that is until DX showed up! Edge took off, as DX took out Murdoch and Cade. The Coach then made his way out to the top of the ramp and made a six-man tag between Cena/DX and Edge, Murdoch, and Cade. Triple H gave Cena a bunch of nasty looks.

Backstage, Coach addressed the McMahons and told them that a lot of stars wanted to tell them how sorry they were that they lost last night. Shelton Benjamin was up first, and he told Mr. McMahon that if he’d been his partner last night instead of Show, they wouldn’t have lost last night. He asked why McMahon didn’t choose him? Shelton concluded that it was because he was black.

Match 1: Umaga (w/ Armando Alejandro Estrada) vs. Kane
- The two traded shoulder tackles to start the match, but neither would fall. Thus, they began trading punches…that is, until, Umaga caught Kane w/ a belly-to-belly suplex. AAE, meanwhile, fetched a chair. The ref bumped soon after when AAE tried to hand the chair to Umaga. Kane splashed both Umaga and the ref in the corner. The Big Red Machine followed by giving the Samoan Bulldozer a DDT. With the ref down, Umaga eventually blasted Kane right in the face with the chair. He made the cover, but during the time it took to get a new ref, Kane recovered and was able to kick out.

Back from the break, Kane was hammering away at Umaga, but the undefeated monster came back with a Samoan Drop. He then connected on a modified Flatliner. Kane backed up into the corner, allowing Umaga to charge for a running hip smash. Unfortunately for Umaga, Kane got up and hit a reverse elbow. Kane followed with two clotheslines, but Umaga wouldn’t fall. It took a running shoulder tackle to get Umaga to fall, but Umaga quickly came back and threw Kane over the top rope. Kane landed on the apron and hung Umaga’s neck across the top rope. With Umaga reeling, Kane grabbed the chair and came back into the ring. Umaga blocked his attempt to use it, though. Kane stayed on the offensive with a big boot and flying clothesline from the top rope. Instead of going of the chokeslam to finish it, though, Kane drilled Umaga three times in the head with that steel chair. Umaga defeated Kane via DQ at 8:10.

Maria waved hello to Vince and told him that she’d been watching his DVD and was waiting to get to the good part. She got him confused w/ former Bears QB Jim McMahon. The Spirit Squad interrupted her and apologized for his loss last night. Johnny dedicated his upcoming match with Ric Flair to Vince.

Match 2: Ric Flair vs. Johnny (w/ the Spirit Squad)
- Johnny grabbed a headlock to start and took Flair down w/ a shoulder tackle out of an Irish whip. Flair came back with chops and a back elbow smash. He followed with a jumping knee drop, which sent Johnny to the outside to recover. Flair followed, but ended up getting poked in the eye and back dropped on the floor. Back in the ring, Johnny hammered away at Flair w/ straight right handed shots. Flair came right back with several knife edge chops, but Johnny quickly regained momentum with a chop block. Johnny then locked in the Figure Four, but Flair made it to the ropes. Flair ended up on the apron, but Johnny suplexed him over the top rope back into the ring.

The Squad member then went to the top rope and came off looking for a flying spinning wheel kick. Flair moved, though, and gave Johnny a chop block soon after. He worked over the knee, but Johnny rolled him up for a near fall. The finish came when Flair reversed the roll-up at the last second and small packaged Johnny for the win. Flair defeated Johnny at 3:08.

Backstage, Lita said she was sorry about Vince, but wanted back the Women’s title. Micke James interrupted and made fun of Lita for thinking she should be handed back the belt. James said it was great that Trish went out on top and insulted Lita. Lita slapped Mickie in retaliation and walked off.

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John Cena to Smackdown? The thoughts of various WWE Superstars on the possible move may not matter anymore.

With Unforgiven taking place on Sunday, word is coming in that Cena is still advertised for WWE RAW events on dates long after the pay-per-view has ended.

The two main examples are a show in Chicago on October 23 that and an upcoming Survivor Series tour of the UK this November.

Such advertisements are typically printed well in advance, so it's plausible that may still be changed - or it's plausible that Cena will grab the title belt before Edge in the duo's TLC match at the event. Tune in and find out!

RAW this week drew a 3.4 first hour rating and a 3.7 second hour rating, with a 3.9 overrun and a 3.6 overall average.

The numbers grew consistently until the McMahons' interview ended and the three-way tag match aired.

On Tuesday night, meanwhole, ECW drew a 2.1 rating, up from last week's 1.9 rating, but below the overall average for the show.

The ratings grew throughout the show, beginning at a 1.8 and closing with an overrun rating of 2.4 when DX took on The Big Show.