WWE RAW
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
June 30, 2008
Results thanks to wwe.com
OKLAHOMA CITY – Monday’s Raw saw the largest crowd ever for a WWE live event in Oklahoma City, with 11,560 fans in attendance to witness Jim Ross’ farewell to Raw. Though the packed show began without the brand holding a World Championship, it was a different case by the time the night ended. In the course of the evening, CM Punk cashed in his Money in the Bank contract to compete against Edge and win the Rated-R Superstar’s World Heavyweight Championship, bringing the title back to Raw for the first time in years.
Y2Jaded
Another recent draftee who found himself wearing gold on Monday night was new
Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston. The Jamaican Superstar was forced to
defend his title against the man he won it from the night before, Chris Jericho.
Y2J came to the ring bitter at the Night of Champions turn-out, blaming his loss
on Shawn Michaels for interfering in the match, and challenging HBK to a contest
at The Great American Bash in just three weeks. The match ended with Jericho
being disqualified for pulling on Kingston’s tights during a pin, leaving the
Intercontinental Championship securely around the Jamaican Superstar’s waist.
Furious at his second loss to Kingston in two nights, Y2J assaulted the
Intercontinental Champion after their match, going for the eyes just as he has
against HBK in recent weeks.
A Private Matter
Though the night was packed with action and fallout from Night of Champions, it
began on a down note. As promised, Shane McMahon addressed the WWE Universe in
regards to the accident that fell Mr. McMahon at the end of last week’s Raw.
Shane opted to keep the WWE Chairman’s condition private, but did urge the Raw
Superstars and all WWE employees to pull together during this period of
uncertainty. Read the full story... (WATCH)
Shutting up Santino
Having just joined the Raw Roster as part of the 2008 Draft, Rey Mysterio
greeted the Raw audience and told them how excited he was to be on Monday
nights. Before he could say much else, however, Santino Marella came to the ring
and interrupted the Master of the 619. The Italian Superstar spoke down to the
Ultimate Underdog, insulting the former World Champion and not allowing him a
word in edgewise. Mysterio bided his time, and then gave the audience exactly
what they wanted: Attacking Marella and shutting him up with the 619.
Young Turks
At Night of Champions, Cody Rhodes shocked the world by betraying his partner
and mentor, Hardcore Holly, teaming with Ted DiBiase to defeat the veteran and
become the new World Tag Team Champions. On Monday night, the two competed in
their second match as a team against Darren Wade & Steve Anthony. After winning
the match with a particularly strong showing, Cody explained his betrayal the
night before, saying that he approached DiBiase about forming a partnership,
since he was tired of carrying Hardcore Holly in the ring. DiBiase added that
most other young people don’t have the spine that they do, declaring their new
partnership “simply priceless.”
A Sad Song for Jillian
Fresh off her Night of Champions victory over Katie Lea Burchill, WWE Women’s
Champion squared off against Jillian in a non-title match. The Women’s Champion
showed why she deserves to have gold around her waist, pinning Jillian for the
win after hitting the songstress with a Mick Kick.
Big Red Mistake
The night before, Kane had lost his ECW Championship to Mark Henry, so he
probably wasn’t the best person to show aggression toward on Monday night. Jamie
Noble, however, was hoping to impress Katie Lea Burchill by issuing a warning to
the biggest, baddest guy around, who happened to be the Big Red Machine. Kane
didn’t take kindly to Noble’s threats, and chased him to ring, where he
physically punished the recent Raw draftee.
Straightedge Champion
As mentioned earlier, CM Punk made good use of his Money in the Bank briefcase
on Monday night, winning the World Heavyweight Championship from Edge. Proving
that he was no “paper champion,” the Straightedge Superstar went on to
successfully defend his new title against JBL. To get all the details on CM
Punk’s triumphant win, and his first World Title defense,
Matches
CM Punk def. Edge to become the new World Heavyweight Champion
WWE Women's Champion Mickie James def. Jillian
World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase def. Darren Wade & Steve Anthony
Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston def. Chris Jericho (disqualification)
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk def. JBL
(World Heavyweight Championship Match)