TONIGHT: We hear from the surprise winner of last night’s Rumble, John Cena, and which champion he’ll face at WrestleMania. And WWE.com has announced two matches: Randy Orton & JBL vs. Jeff Hardy & Chris Jericho; and Triple H and a mystery partner will take on Umaga & Snitsky.
-WWE Open.
-Clips of the Royal Rumble aired.
-Live at the arena, John Cena’s music hit to a mixed reaction. JR welcomed us to Phliadelphia for Raw. Cena looked emotional, soaking in the crowd. He started off very quietly, saying he’d answer everyone’s question about his comeback. He said the initial diagnosis said he’d be out 12 months and would miss WrestleMania. Cena said he risked his career and health to maybe get an opportunity to go to it this year. He said there’s a man backstage that has a title he wants and he also wants Randy Orton to put the title on the line against him tonight. There seems to be random blips in the audio. Orton came out and said he has fended off numerous challengers already. Cena said Orton took him out of commission. He showed off his scar and said Orton is smart and could take advantage of that tonight, or he could let Cena heal for three more months. Orton said he wouldn’t defend against Cena. Orton said he’d give him a shot at No Way Out. Cena agreed. Cena said he wants some and tonight, he’ll get some. Terrific promo from both men, with great energy from Cena.
[Break]
(1) Ashley & Mickie James vs. Jillian Hall & Beth Phoenix Beth was announced by Lillian as the “WWE Women’s Diva Champion.” Monkey flip by Jillian was countered into a handspring by Mickie. Beth taunted Mickie, so James went on a flurry of offense until Beth rammed her shoulder-first into the ringpost. Hurricanrana by Mickie on Jillian. Crucifix roll-up on Beth for one. Mickie set Beth up for a DDT, but Jillian came in and then got sent to the outside by Mickie. That allowed Beth to hit the Fisherman suplex for the win.
Winners: Phoenix & Hall at 2:52. Not too bad.
-Backstage, Vince McMahon told William Regal to let Cena & Orton fight it out at NWO. Regal referenced a match he and Vince had discussed beforehand and said the winner of that match should face the winner of Orton/Cena at WrestleMania.
[Break]
-Regal came out and said whomever is WWE champ after NOW will face the winner of the Elimination Chamber. Regal stumbled over his words and used the excuse that he was excited about announcing this one. We got a video package on the chamber. He said the winner will get a match with the champ at WM. The combatants include Umaga, HBK, Chris Jericho, JBL, Jeff Hardy and Triple H. Well, this undermines the Rumble stipulations, and I was really looking forward to the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Title coming from the Chamber at No Way Out, which was rumored.
-JR sent it to former XFL broadcaster, Mike Adamle, who was introduced as such. He previewed the two matches announced for tonight: Triple H and a partner vs. Umaga & Snitsky and Jericho/Cena vs. JBL/Orton. He was much better here, but still didn’t seem totally comfortable.
[Break]
(2) Carlito vs. Cody Rhodes Both of their partners came to the ring with them. Arm-drag by Cody, who then went to work on the arm. The two exchanged chops, but Carlito missed a charge and Cody abused the arm a little more. Carlito got back-dropped over the top but landed on the apron. Cody punched him off. Back in, Santino distracted Cody just long enough for Carlito to hit the back-stabber for three.
Winner: Carlito at 3:06. Still not sure where this feud is heading.
-Backstage, Triple H and Shawn Michaels stood, pondering. Trips said last night, things didn’t work out for either of them. He said they’d get another chance at No Way Out though. He then asked Michaels to be his partner tonight, and they both changed into DX gear.
[Break]
-A video package showed behind-the-scenes footage of Candace Michelle shooting her new godaddy.com Super Bowl commercial.
(3) DX vs. Umaga & Snitsky Something tells me WWE really wanted to get that DX entrance in HD. Trips did his schtick, including saying Michael Buffer ripped them off last night. Triple H made fun of Snitsky’s teeth and breath before locking up. That prompted a “brush your teeth” chant from the crowd. In a town known for the rowdiest crowds and vilest chants, it must be pleasing for Vince to have them eating out of his hands and hearing that squeaky clean chant. Flying forearm from Michaels on Snitsky. Umaga kicked HBK off the top turnbuckle. Bear-hug back in the ring from Snitsky. Lawler said HBK suffered a broken nose in the Rumble last night. Umaga tagged in and worked in a bear-hug of his own on our way to break.
[Break]
HBK was in a Snitsky bear-hug but fought his way out. Umaga tagged in and missed the butt splash. Michaels hit a spinning DDT and both men were down. Tags were made and Trips hit a high knee on Gene. Umaga came in, missed a splash and was clotheslined. After dealing with Snitsky, Trips got Samoan dropped by Umaga. Umaga was superkicked out of the ring by Michaels, who then hit a plancha on him. Trips pedigreed Snitsky for the pin.
Winners: DX at 12:14.
-Orton was backstage in his locker room when JBL approached him. He said it would be the first time they tagged together. He said at WrestleMania, it would also be the first time they fought one-on-one…..that is, IF Orton got past Cena. Orton said he hoped JBL would win the elimination chamber because he KNEW he could beat him. They put together their differences and agreed to get along tonight.
[Break]
-Another Rumble video package aired.
-Todd Grisham was backstage with Jeff Hardy. Jeff said he was at a crossroads. He said last night wasn’t the end, but rather, the beginning. Incredibly short.
-Vince, with an angry look on his face, was backstage with his bastard son. Vince said Hornswoggle let him down last night. He said Horny came back a loser and was ashamed of him. He then told Hornswoggle to get out of his sight.
[Break]
(4) Mr. Kennedy vs. Brian Kendrick Kendrick slapped Kennedy before the bell rang. Once it started, KK stomped a mud hole in Kendrick. At ringside, Kendrick was whipped arm-first into the side of the apron. Kendrick’s short comeback ended with a missed top-rope dropkick. Kennedy followed that up with the Mic Check for the victory.
Winner: Kennedy at 2:00
Kennedy got his mic after the match and said he asked Regal not to be included in the Elimination Chamber. Instead, he wanted to do something with more historical value…namely, retire Ric Flair. Kennedy said he was going to put Flair down like a sick animal. Flair came out and responded by saying good luck, and WOOO!
[Break]
(5) Melina vs. Maria Melina took down Maria, but Maria turned it into a hammerlock. Splash in the corner by Maria, followed by a bronco-buster. Melina smashed Maria’s face into the buckle and you could hear Santino at ringside yelling, “not the face!” Neck-breaker by Melina, but a head-scissor by Maria took her down. Gut-buster by Maria for two. Melina tried to roll-up Maria and even pulled her pants down, but Maria sat down and hooked the legs for the win.
Winner: Maria at 2:29. My, how quickly Melina has fallen.
Santino was not happy about the wardrobe malfunction, even saying JR had erected a monument in his trousers. He said it was small, but it didn’t make it any less un-forgiving. He said we’d never see Maria in Playboy.
-The Grish was backstage with Y2J. Jericho said we saw a new side of him last night, and he liked it. He even hinted at a JBL/Jericho match for WrestleMania.
[Break]
-Mike Adamle talked about Cena “cashing in” his WM title match at No Way Out. I didn’t know you could do that. He also previewed the Elimination Chamber.
(6) Jeff Hardy & Chris Jericho vs. JBL & Randy Orton Jericho& Orton started things off. Back and forth action, including a jaw-breaker by Jericho using his knees. JBL came in but was tossed to the outside by Y2J. Hardy hit the Swanton on Orton, but was pulled off a pin attempt by JBL.
[Break]
Modified Thesz press on Orton by Hardy. JBL tagged in and missed an elbow. Jeff hit him with a back heel kick. Jericho broke up a pin try. Orton was back in and he used an arm-bar. Frequent tags by the heels. Hardy took down Orton and both men were flat on the mat. Two tags were made and Jericho pummeled JBL. Springboard dropkick took care of Orton, who tried to interfere. Lionsault hit but Orton broke up the pin. That brought Hardy in. Orton pushed Hardy off the top and while the ref was outside checking on him, JBL was in the Walls of Jericho. Orton came in and RKO’d Jericho out of it in a move they royally screwed up once upon a time. JBL got on top and scored the pinfall.
Winners: Orton & JBL at 10:59.
As the winners had their hands raised, Cena came out. JBL left Orton in the ring, just like he wanted earlier, though he didn’t seem to happy here. That led to Cena hitting the FU.
Randy Orton: out of the Wrestlemania main event for the fifth straight year. Damnits I thought we would get away from Cena/HHH again. I was so bonered out for an Orton/Cena epic encounter.
At least they fixed the Liontamer RKO. That was three years in the making. Randy has come a long way.
If Raw gets the Rumble and the Elimination Chamber, how will Smackdown's #1 contender be determined? A BEAT THE CLOCK CHALLENGE?
Let me start this post with discussing the two ways of being unpredictable:
Good Unpredictability: Cena showing up at Number 30 at the Royal Rumble to win it; I'm not a huge Cena fan, but I thought it was brilliant.
Bad Unpredictability: Throwing away what could've been an epic showdown between Cena and Orton in favor for a suddenly very possible Cena/HHH II showdown. Can I say . . . Yawn.
Really. This was just so crappy. Last night was awesome, and I was looking forward to Cena/Orton big time. And take into consideration that I'm not a huge fan of either guy. Then out of the rug - No Way Out will host Cena/Orton instead and there's a good chance HHH will fricking win the damn Elimination Chamber. What the hell. Good job WWE - you guys went from brilliant to idiots in one day. I really hope I'm wrong. I really do.
-Nice interview between Cena/Orton to open up the show. I wouldn't call the feud with these two epic, but I think they definitely have some good chemsitry together.
-The divas tag team match was really good to watch, though I'm still wondering where they are going with this storyline with Mickey James getting emotional and stuff. Oh, forgot about the best part of the match, where Ashley stood in the corner and did ABSOLUTELY NOTHING. Nice contributing, Ash.
-The Elimination Chamber announcement was interesting. I see already people are pissed that they're throwing Cena/ Orton on No Way Out instead on Wrestlemania. But the chamber matches have always been exciting to watch and it gives an element of unperdictablity as to who will be in the 'Mania main event, so I'm kepping a open mind about it.
-Mike Adamle announcing the matches ringside was weird, but I think he will be a good asset for the interview segments. He's already better then Todd Grisham, that's for sure.
-Carlito/Rhodes was OK, but Cody just bores me big time. I'm just waiting for the inevitable when Carlito and Santino takes the tag titles from Cody and Holly.
-I don't get it. Two questions: how is a D-X reunion 'special' if they're reuniting every month? And why do they have to shill their shirts down our throats every time they have a interview?
-Good: Seeing Candace Michelle back at work. Bad: Seeing her back at GoDaddy.com instead of the WWE ring.
-DX/Umaga & Snitsky was good, but nothing special. I get the feeling the Snitsky/HHH angle isn't over, even though I don't see why they even bother taking it this far, considering how one-sided the feud is.
-Vince & Hornswaggle: nothing to see here, move along.
-Man, who did Brian Kendrick pissed off to get crushed like this in the last 2 weeks? First Umaga, now Kennedy. At least Kennedy/Flair could be worth watching.
-Melina/Maria was nothing special until the ending. The highlight of the night was Maria's mooning and Santino's subsequent outrage.
-The main event was a bit blah. Orton hitting the RKO on Jericho with the Walls applied was cool to watch, but otherwise, I was a bit bored by the match. I was hoping for more out of it with Hardy, but I'm guessing now that Trips and Steph have seen the huge reactions he's getting now, they're doing all they can to bury him back down the card.
Overall, a good but not exactly memorable Raw to see.
- If I was Ashley, I would've blown the match off around the 400th time she tried to tag in, only to have Mickey James ignore her. NOT THAT THE ANNOUNCERS CAUGHT THIS.
- I'm pretty convinced that I enjoyed the technical aspect of the Regal v. Crowd match than any other match tonight.
- Maria remains blissfully unaware that she's a heel. Nice to see that Santino delegated the apple holding position to her.
- JBL looked more zombie-esque in the ring tonight than Kane has ever done in about 12 years.
- If you imagine Jeff Hardy's stock as a chart, you can sort of see his movement is much like that of a swanton bomb. Falling rapidly to the canvas now.
- That was probably the best that I've heard Orton on the mic. I don't know if it was the energy Cena brought or what, but I didn't cringe this time.
- I'm not a big fan of just blowing off the Rumble at the next PPV. The road to WrestleMania seems a lot shorter now.
- JBL in the chamber seems like a weak choice, at least the man knows how to BLEED.
- Jeff Hardy needs to go to Smackdown as soon as possible. He's going to lose his momentum if he hasn't started to already. Maybe they are just giving him the RVD treatment ... but that would be bad for busines!
Originally posted by BigDaddyLocoJeff Hardy needs to go to Smackdown as soon as possible. He's going to lose his momentum if he hasn't started to already. Maybe they are just giving him the RVD treatment ... but that would be bad for busines!
You notice how they had Hardy coming to the ring hobbling a bit and still grimacing in pain from his Rumble match? It's bad enough that Hardy lost CLEAN to Orton, but they have to rub in that defeat even more by having Hardy seem still injured from the match while Orton enters the ring seemingly perfectly fine.
Chris Jericho: #5 babyface on RAW, unless you consider Flair above him, which would then make him #6. He needs to flee to SD or turn heel pronto. Usually, you get the promo of a DVD being released the night before it gets released. But, when Steve Austin is involved, you get it a few weeks in advance. Cena makes this impassioned speech about how coming back was all about Mania, then he decides not to wait for Mania to get his title match. Odd approach. If RAW gets the Rumble and Elimination Chamber to determine the opponent at Mania, and you guess SD gets Beat the Clock, what does that leave ECW? A highly competitve game of Duck, Duck, Goose?
Jeff Harvey - I hope you enjoyed your (brief) stay, have a safe trip down.
Chris Jericho - Save Us? Help us to help you. Up next for Jericho, the following opponents: Jerry Lawler, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Jim Ross, Todd Grisham, Michael Cole, Joey Styles, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavone...
Originally posted by R-DubJeff Harvey - I hope you enjoyed your (brief) stay, have a safe trip down.
Chris Jericho - Save Us? Help us to help you. Up next for Jericho, the following opponents: Jerry Lawler, Tazz, Jonathan Coachman, Jim Ross, Todd Grisham, Michael Cole, Joey Styles, Bobby Heenan, Jesse Ventura, Tony Schiavone...
(edited by R-Dub on 29.1.08 0955)
Yes, because all WWE announcers are former world champions.
To those who say people wouldn't look; they wouldn't be interested; they're too complacent, indifferent and insulated, I can only reply: There is, in one reporter's opinion, considerable evidence against that contention. But even if they are right, what have they got to lose? Because if they are right, and this instrument is good for nothing but to entertain, amuse and insulate, then the tube is flickering now and we will soon see that the whole struggle is lost. This instrument can teach, it can illuminate; yes, and it can even inspire. But it can do so only to the extent that humans are determined to use it to those ends. Otherwise it is merely wires, and lights, in a box.-Edward R. Murrow
Cena's return actually had me pumped, but last night was a huge buzzkill.
WWE has had several opportunities to capture magic in a bottle and blown them over the last 2 months. Jericho's return, blowing the better WM main event at NWO, and I think even the Flair stuff was getting kinda cool (but won't work unless he goes to SmackDown to challenge Edge). Now, I'm not excited for anything.
Former World champ or not, this feud with JBL would be unbearable if not for the promos. I just hope Jericho signed for big bucks last fall to make this somewhat less demoralizing for him.
Is it crazy to think that we still might get HHH-Orton at WM 24? Otherwise, HHH-Cena just seems thrown together at the last minute. At least HHH-Orton had plenty of build, even if it's far from my first choice.
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
Originally posted by kentishFormer World champ or not, this feud with JBL would be unbearable if not for the promos. I just hope Jericho signed for big bucks last fall to make this somewhat less demoralizing for him.
Is it crazy to think that we still might get HHH-Orton at WM 24? Otherwise, HHH-Cena just seems thrown together at the last minute. At least HHH-Orton had plenty of build, even if it's far from my first choice.
Nahh, not crazy. I'm actually thinking we'll get a HHH-Orton-Cena three-way.
Originally posted by kentishAt least HHH-Orton had plenty of build, even if it's far from my first choice.
Plenty? Have they even acknowledged each other on TV recently? Yeah, HHH has been trying like hell to get a title shot, but there has been little to no interaction between the two since No Mercy.
Originally posted by kentishAt least HHH-Orton had plenty of build, even if it's far from my first choice.
Plenty? Have they even acknowledged each other on TV recently? Yeah, HHH has been trying like hell to get a title shot, but there has been little to no interaction between the two since No Mercy.
Not that there's not a story to be told there.
Sounds like you answered your own question. HHH has been on a quest for the belt since No Mercy, which goes back to October. How much interaction did Austin have with HBK or Rock leading up to those WrestleManias before the Rumble? Or HBK and Bret before WM 12? But we all knew they were going in those directions for months. The story is not about Randy, it's about HHH. It's always about HHH. We just assumed it would be Randy for months, at least I did. What, you didn't think Jericho was going to win the belt did you? Or Jeff?
"I like your Christ, I do not like your Christians. Your Christians are so unlike your Christ."
I did find it funny that Cena wants his belt back and that he is mad that Orton injured him. Uhm I guess they want us to forget the whole kicking "Mr. Cena" in the head. Of course that was put in there mainly to explain the CENA SMASH against Regal to explain Regal's roids suspension but they made a huge deal out of it and now pretend it didn't happen.
Marge I am just trying to get into heaven not run for Jesus.
Originally posted by DahakI did find it funny that Cena wants his belt back and that he is mad that Orton injured him. Uhm I guess they want us to forget the whole kicking "Mr. Cena" in the head. Of course that was put in there mainly to explain the CENA SMASH against Regal to explain Regal's roids suspension but they made a huge deal out of it and now pretend it didn't happen.
I did think about that while he was talking, but I don't think it is that huge of a deal anymore at this point since his dad wasn't crippled from it or anything and he already vented his anger about it.
What I loved was how Regal and Vince did everything they could to keep HHH out of the Rumble where he would have a 1 out of 30 chance in winning, but they just toss him in the Elimination Chamber for the hell of it where his chances are 1 in 6. Where is the logic in that? And don't they hate Micahels almost as much?
Definitely not excited by HHH/Cena for Wrestlemania, but if they throw in Orton it might be a tad more interesting.
More dumb logic- Kennedy BEGS Regal not to be put in the Chamber so that he can challenge Flair at NWO? Uh, couldn't he just challenge Flair like next week on Raw and then still have a shot at going to Wrestlemania.
(edited by Eradicator on 29.1.08 2058) "The Universe is shaped exactly like the Earth- if you go straight long enough you end up where you were."
Originally posted by Eradicatorbr>More dumb logic- Kennedy BEGS Regal not to be put in the Chamber so that he can challenge Flair at NWO? Uh, couldn't he just challenge Flair like next week on Raw and then still have a shot at going to Wrestlemania.
(edited by Eradicator on 29.1.08 2058)
I guess the same logic as MVP and Orton use applies. Do it at a grand stage, which isn't [fill in name of current/next weeks town]
Thread ahead: 2008 Royal Rumble Next thread: St Louis Area W's.... Brutus Beefcake at Stratford Inn tonight Previous thread: IWS Praise the Violence Results (01/26/08)
Bret Hart will not be doing Wrestlemania, don't worry. (In fact, it's no longer really in WWE's best interest for him to make an appearance, since they really wouldn't have time to advertise that fact anyway)