Monday Night Raw Review

Knoxville, Tennessee is the setting for this week’s edition of Monday Night RAW and the focus is on who will be the #1 Contender for the WWE Title. The show begins with Alberto Del Rio, The Miz & Rey Mysterio all staking claim to that top ranked position, until the lately antagonistic R Truth interrupts their bickering with his own reasons (such as laying John Morrison up in a hospital) as to why it should actually be him that receives a shot at Cena’s Championship instead. The ruckus culminates with the Anonymous RAW General Manager chiming in and stating that he believes 3 out of the 4 men in the ring deserves an opportunity to challenge for the title in a Triple Threat match, and names The Miz, Del Rio & Mysterio as the lucky trio; leaving R Truth seething at yet another blatant attempt to “keep him down”. Truth immediately lashes out at the contenders, saying that he’s better than all of them, especially Rey. Mysterio responds by proclaiming he agrees with the General Manager’s decision that Truth doesn’t belong in the Triple Threat match, and then adds insult to injury by stealing R Truth’s catch phrases in the process. This sends Truth storming backstage and allows The Miz time to toss one more verbal low blow to his opponents, which ultimately led to a physical skirmish between the three, with Del Rio’s ring announcer Ricardo Rodriguez and The Miz’s “VP of Corporate Communications” Alex Riley also getting involved in the fray before going to a commercial.

Upon the show’s return, WWE Divas Champion Brie Bella and her sister Nikki are scheduled to face Eve Torres and Kelly Kelly in a tag team match. Eve Torres barely makes her presence felt as Kelly Kelly gets the win by reversing an inside cradle by Nikki Bella into one of her own for the three count. Before the victors have a chance to celebrate, the one woman wrecking crew known as Kharma trudges down to the ring with a menacing look in her eyes. The Bella Twins managed to run for cover as Kelly Kelly once again cowered in the corner and Eve stood in trepidation. Kelly finally managed to slither out of the ring as Eve almost simultaneously attempted to attack the behemoth from behind while Kharma’s gaze was fixed on the terrified escapee. Unfortunately Eve’s ambush was met with a stiff clothesline that sent her crumbling to the canvas. Kharma left the ring in an attempt to get her hands on the fleeing Kelly Kelly, but when she realized she wouldn’t be able to apprehend her; she returned to the ring to put the finishing touches on Eve, in the form of a devastating Kharma Buster.

Winners: Eve & Kelly Kelly

Kane & Big Show are shown heading to the ring for Kane’s 1 on 1 matchup with Nexus member Mason Ryan. CM Punk accompanies Ryan to the ring as a very physical bout ensues. After a series of impact moves and near falls from both competitors, CM Punk involves his self in the match by kicking the leg of Kane, which consequently draws the Big Show over to attack Punk; leaving him unconscious from the power of the giant’s fist. The other members of Nexus (McGillicutty & Otunga) storm the ring but are quickly decimated by the Championship holding duo of Kane & Big Show, as they leave their mark with a double choke slam on Mason Ryan before calling it a night.

Winner: No Contest

Vickie Guerrero appears next as she introduces her “business partner” Dolph Ziggler for his match against Santino Marella. In a nearly one-sided match, Ziggler makes quick work of Santino. Dolph hit Santino with his patented Zig-Zag while continuing to show a new found intense demeanor in the ring.

Winner: Dolph Ziggler

Following the match was a couple of backstage segments. WWE correspondent Scott Stanford caught up with R Truth as he was leaving the arena and Truth says that on his own time, he’ll “take care” of the 3 contenders that were chosen instead of him. Truth believes he isn’t taken seriously and once again reiterates that people would rather see him sing and dance. Elsewhere, The Miz is berating Alex Riley for costing him the WWE Championship a week ago in his re-match against John Cena. Riley is sincerely apologetic but The Miz isn’t trying to hear it, and continues to verbally lambaste his associate. Riley then tells The Miz that he promises to make it up to him and heads to the ring where he would call out John Cena for a match.

John Cena accepts Alex Riley’s challenge in what was to be a back and forth match. Cena came out of the gate hot, overpowering Riley and out maneuvering his opponent. Riley capitalized off of Cena missing with a charge into the corner and took Cena to the mat while focusing on his arm. Cena re-established his dominance by overcoming Riley’s offense and persevering through the pain. Once back in a vertical position, Cena hit Riley with his trademark move set which climaxed with an Attitude Adjustment. The Miz came down to ringside and in an attempt to send a message to his past and present adversary; Cena picked Riley up and delivered a second bone rattling Attitude Adjustment and topped it off with the STFU as The Miz just looked on while Riley writhed in pain.

Winner: John Cena

Michael Cole gets into the ring following the match and says he has a Special Announcement to make. This announcement would end up being his retirement from in ring competition. Cole would go on to say that when he’s inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame, that he wants to go in as a dual Wrestler/Announcer, which draws a response from Jerry “The King” Lawler. Lawler challenges Cole to yet another match and states that if Cole were to win, that he would not only induct him into the Hall of Fame; but he would give Cole the Hall of Fame ring that he received four years ago as an inductee as well. After briefly deliberating, Michael declined the King’s offer and returned to his “cubicle”. Cole continued to speak of his retirement, declaring that he came to make this decision on Mother’s Day after watching his victory over Lawler at Wrestlemania with his mother. He subsequently asked Lawler what he did on Mother’s Day, sarcastically joking about the recent death of Lawler’s mother, which sent Lawler on a rampage. While Jerry was trying to attack Cole from inside of his “mine”, Jack Swagger crept behind the King and tossed him into the ring post leaving him motionless.

Jack Swagger was about to face Kofi Kingston for the WWE United States Championship to the sound of Cole’s verbal adulation. Within a minute of the match Swagger was already attempting to go for the Ankle Lock, but plans of an early night were thwarted by Kingston’s will to win. Swagger outwrestled Kofi in the earlier stages of the match, keeping Kofi grounded and on the mat. Once Kofi was able to free him self of the vice-like grip of Swagger, he sped up the pace of the match and caught Jack off guard with highflying aerial maneuvers. Kofi got a near fall after landing a high cross body off of the top rope, but his momentum was halted in the midst of a failed attempt at another high risk move. Kingston set up Swagger for a tornado DDT off of the second rope, but Swagger avoided all harm by throwing Kofi off of him at the last minute, causing Kofi to land on his damaged and worked ankle. Kofi was at Swagger’s mercy, but the re-emergence of an assaulted Jerry Lawler made Swagger lose his focus and gave Kofi the opportunity he needed to land his finisher, the Trouble in Paradise. Kofi pinned Swagger for the 1-2-3 and retained his United States Championship. Lawler proceeded to the ring, grabbed the incoherent Swagger and launched him into the crowd leaving Michael Cole without protection from Lawler’s wrath. Jerry was able to reach through one of the cubbyholes of Cole’s Sequin Mine and grab the tie from around his neck, causing Cole’s face to repeatedly be slammed into his own securing confine. A flustered Swagger finally comes to Cole’s aid and in anger tells Lawler that Cole accepts his pre-requested match, while Cole questions Swagger’s decree all the way up the ramp.

Winner: Kofi Kingston

The time has come for the Triple Threat #1 Contender match in which Rey Mysterio, Alberto Del Rio & The Miz will all be vying for a chance to meet John Cena for his WWE Championship at WWE’s next Pay Per View, Over the Limit. Del Rio and Rey hit the ring first and Miz was the final entrant into the ring, unaccompanied by Alex Riley. The action was fast and furious as both The Miz and Del Rio went right after Mysterio from the opening bell. Rey fended them off momentarily with his speed and quickness, almost setting up both men for a 619 early in the contest. The tide would soon turn as the handicap would prove to be too much for Mysterio, but once he was thrown from the ring The Miz and Del Rio would put their brief partnership aside to ensure one of them would become the #1 Contender. The Miz and Alberto Del Rio exchanged momentum shifts throughout the next few moments of the match until Mysterio regained his wits and the match once again became a true Triple Threat. The action spilled to the outside when The Miz pulled down the rope on an unsuspecting Del Rio who crashed to the floor. The Miz then set up Mysterio for his Awesome Clothesline in the corner but Mysterio dodged his attempt at the last moment, leaving Miz’s body halfway through the middle rope and prone to Del Rio’s attack as he pulled him to the floor. Mysterio then followed up with a somersault plancha onto Alberto Del Rio outside of the ring. Mysterio was the first to stir as he threw Del Rio back into the ring and got a near fall after hitting him with a springboard cross body. The Miz’s recovery distracted Rey and while he once again eliminated Miz from the action, he left himself open to an attack from Del Rio. Alberto caught Rey with an arm breaker which was the opportunity needed for him to lock in his painful cross armbar submission. Rey’s fate might have been sealed if not for The Miz once again implementing himself into the battle, causing Del Rio to relinquish the hold. The Miz planted Del Rio with a DDT that sent him back outside of the ring, leading to Miz sizing Rey up for the devastating Skull Crushing Finale. As The Miz went to clasp Rey’s arms, Rey wriggled free of the hold and countered; sending The Miz to the outside of the ring again as well. Conspicuous by his absence, Alex Riley made his way to ringside with a noticeable limp from the events that had transpired in his match earlier in the show. Riley’s first plan of action was to revive his employer, but after seeing Mysterio nearly pull off the win over Del Rio; he decided to go with a more deliberate approach and interfere in the match personally. Riley’s move backfired but allowed The Miz time to regroup. Rey had successfully fended off the advances of Riley and was on his way to victory, having 619’d and splashed Del Rio from the top rope; but Riley wasn’t finished as he was able to pull Del Rio’s lifeless body out of the ring just before the ref could count to three. This caused Mysterio’s focus to be shifted back towards Riley and allowed The Miz to sneak behind and roll up Mysterio for the win. Riley and Miz made a bee line up the ramp interacting favorably with one another and pleased with the chain of events. John Cena came out to congratulate The Miz face to face on becoming the #1 Contender once again for the title at Over the Limit. Cena then revealed that he had chosen a stipulation for the upcoming match, and that it would be an “I Quit” match where the opponent would have to say those two words to obtain a victory. While The Miz and Alex Riley were digesting the news, back in the ring; R Truth had just attacked Rey Mysterio from behind! RAW went off the air with Truth mouthing the words, “That’s What’s Up!”

Winner: The Miz

** Cameron’s Thoughts **

I thought this past Monday’s show was pretty solid. There were good matches and a lot of action that never allowed you a chance to predict what could happen next. You could definitely tell there was some foreshadowing in the beginning of the show with the interaction between Rey & Truth, leading to the attack by Truth at the end of the show. I can honestly say I like the way the WWE is pushing R Truth without actually having him in the main event. His contribution to the matches does just enough to keep him a strong heel and reliable foe. Alberto Del Rio is fitting in nicely as well and has made a very smooth transition from his former home of Smackdown. The relationship between The Miz & Alex Riley is an interesting one, as you know that at some point The Miz’s treatment of Riley will come to a head. I personally like the two together. They remind me of a modern day Rowdy Roddy Piper and Cowboy Bob Orton and hopefully the WWE will continue to use Riley on both Smackdown and RAW. Kharma is a bright spot for me on any show and I look forward to seeing whom she’s going to squash on a weekly basis now. My question is, who is going to be the Diva to eventually give her a run for her money? I can’t wait until she interacts with Natalya, Gail Kim and Beth Phoenix. Tag Team wrestling is a lost art and the WWE just recycles “tandems” when they fall short of putting together any formidable teams. The Big Show & Kane are just a novelty team and I can’t wait until they put over a legitimate tag team and drop the belts. Dolph Ziggler is supposed to have a new attitude but it isn’t translating well to me. I haven’t seen anything change about him except his hair and the fact he isn’t doing any mic work. Other than that, Dolph is still Dolph. You can’t put spots on a zebra and call it a leopard. Kofi Kingston put on a nice match with Jack Swagger, but I’m not sure if this is helping him advance in the ranks of his peers. Swagger is a former World Heavyweight Champion, but I don’t believe he’s viewed as anything more than a mid-carder in the eyes of the company; therefore Kofi beating him doesn’t truly elevate his status. I’m more interested in who Kofi will eventually drop the US Championship to, than who he defeats. I can’t say I’m a fan of the Jerry Lawler/Michael Cole storyline. I enjoyed it leading up to Wrestlemania, but since then it’s just gotten stale. They haven’t introduced anything new into the program; it’s the same thing every week. The broadcast starts with the two of them calling the action and ultimately their civility dissolves by a certain point of the show resulting in something physical taking place. Another thing that I find a little disturbing about their turbulent relationship is the way Jerry Lawler’s recently deceased mother gets brought into their promos. I think it’s a rather tasteless move to exploit the loss of a life on a show that’s supposed to provide enjoyment for all those watching. I say lets put this boring, redundant and insensitive storyline out of its misery and move on already. That’s just my thoughts!

By: Cameron McBride-Gee
ProWrestling-fans.com Wrestling Writer