WWE Raw
Tuscon, Arizona
July 30, 2007
thanks to: wwe.com
Mind games before
SummerSlam
By Bryan Robinson
July 30, 2007
TUSCON, Ariz. – Less than four weeks away from the biggest party of the summer,
SummerSlam, Superstars were already playing mind games with each other and
appeared hell-bent on sending messages throughout the locker room and all of
WWE. But Cody Rhodes may have sent the most definitive message with his first
victory Monday night on Raw: I belong in WWE and I will not back down from
anything, no matter what the odds are.
Cody breathed a sigh of relief and pumped his fist as he looked at the fallen
body of Daivari with his blackened eye. For two weeks, our fans – and especially
Acting Raw GM Jonathan Coachman – watched Cody valiantly try to defend the honor
of his father, the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes and his family against Randy
Orton, only to fall victim to the RKO. And Cody watched in horror as Orton
punted his father into oblivion – and the Dream was taken away from the ring on
a stretcher.
Coachman, noting that Cody was winless in his first two matches, gave the
newcomer a simple ultimatum: win or go home. Prove that you belong in WWE and
win an official spot on the Raw roster with a victory over Daivari.
The pressure on the youngest son of Dusty Rhodes was enormous. Besides having
his young career already at a critical point, his ailing father – who was at
home in Austin, Texas, recovering from a severe concussion – had to weigh on his
mind. In addition, Cody may have carried some lingering guilt that he was he was
responsible for his father’s injury.
However, the son of the son of a plumber showed the heart and resolve that was a
hallmark in his father’s career. He overcame his personal demons and self-doubt
and managed to defeat Daivari, and showed the Raw locker room that he had
arrived.
Also on Raw, Randy Orton, Coachman’s handpicked No. 1 contender to the WWE
Championship, used Hall of Famer Sgt. Slaughter and Carlito to send a loud and
clear message to WWE Champion John Cena: I’m coming for your championship and
your career at SummerSlam, but before then, I’m going to make your life a living
hell.
On the heels of his brutal attack on the American Dream, the third-generation
Superstar laid out Cena with an RKO from behind last week, drawing the line in
the proverbial sand for their SummerSlam showdown.
To further show Cena that he was serious, Orton this week struck down another
WWE legend, Sgt. Slaughter, the same way he has his other recent victims – with
a vicious skull-caving boot to the head.
But Orton wasn’t finished playing with Cena as he later cost him his non-title
match against Carlito. The second-generation Caribbean Superstar wanted to prove
that he deserved to be the No.1 contender by defeating Cena. Ironically, Orton
helped Carlito prove his point when he distracted Cena and left him vulnerable
to the Caribbean Superstar’s Backstabber.
Carlito left Cena with chewed-up apple and spit dripping off his face. It
appears that the infuriated Champ has a lot to think about, and must be wary of
Orton in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam. Read the full story ...
Another Superstar Cena may have to worry about is Mr. Kennedy, who also wanted
to be the No. 1 contender. Kennedy made perhaps his loudest statement yet in WWE
(and that’s saying something). The braggadocios Superstar, who vowed to WWE.com
over the weekend that he would somehow find a way to reclaim his top spot in
WWE, was granted a request to battle Bobby Lashley to show that he deserved to
be the No. 1 contender to the WWE Championship.
There was a fire in Kennedy’s booming voice and a gleam in his eyes that few of
our fans and Superstars had ever seen in the Green Bay, Wis., native. The former
Mr. Money in the Bank wanted to prove a point, and he sure did in his battle
with Lashley. Kennedy did the unthinkable – he injured the powerful former ECW
Champion, who nearly ended Cena’s nearly year-long championship reign at The
Great American Bash.
Two rivals – specifically royal rivals – who failed to find a real resolution in
their battle over the title “King” in WWE were King Booker and Jerry “The King”
Lawler. The time for squabbling ended Monday night on Raw as Booker and Lawler
attempted to once and for all settle the debate over who was true king of WWE in
the squared circle. But alas, though Lawler won by disqualification after Booker
refused to stop punching him in the corner, Monday’s battle between these regal
rulers settled nothing. Monday night’s encounter assured only one thing: Booker
and Lawler are far apart from a diplomatic solution to their royal war. Read the
full story ...
As kings in WWE, both Booker and Lawler love law and order in their kingdoms.
And so apparently, does Santino Marella – as long as it benefits him. Last week
on Raw, Marella had used questionable tactics to help his paramour, Maria, and
Women’s Champion Candice Michelle get the victory in a tag team match, but Maria
made him promise never to do that again.
This week, Marella was outraged when Melina, Jillian Hall & Beth Phoenix used
chicanery to defeat Maria, Candice & Mickie James. The fiery Italian berated the
referee and suggested that WWE had crooked referees, like the alleged ones in
the NBA. As Santino’s tirade continued, Intercontinental Champion Umaga – who
has never forgiven or forgotten Marella’s upset win for his championship months
ago – stomped his way to the ring. The ref, against Marella’s protests, rang the
bell for an impromptu match, which the Samoan Bulldozer won in devastating
fashion.
One team who looked impressive this week on Raw and may be looking to send a
message in the tag team division is Cryme Tyme. The duo from Harlem, N.Y.,
returned after weeks of absence with a win. As is typical Cryme Tyme style, Shad
and JTG brought a smile to our fans’ faces when they made some “money, money …
yeah, yeah!” after selling one of the boots of their hapless opponents to a
member of the Raw fan nation.
Matches
Melina, Jillian Hall & Beth Phoenix def. Women's Champion Candice Michelle,
Mickie James & Maria
Intercontinental Champion Umaga def. Santino Marella (non-title)
Cody Rhodes def. Daivari
Mr. Kennedy def. Bobby Lashley
Jerry "The King" Lawler def. King Booker (Disqualification)
Cryme Tyme def. John Mason & Brandon Dentson
Randy Orton def. Sgt. Slaughter
Carlito def. WWE Champion
John Cena (non-title)