WWE RAW
Uncasville, Connecticut
July 21, 2008
Results thanks to wwe.com
UNCASVILLE, Conn. - One night after The Great American Bash, Monday Night Raw
was still embroiled in the disorder that has defined the show since Mr. McMahon
was sidelined by injury. As rumors swirled about that Shane and Stephanie
McMahon were currently in the process of searching for a new Raw General
Manager, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defended his title against Batista
in a match that saw involvement from Kane, JBL and John Cena. The anarchy
escalated to the point that Cena and Batista, two Superstars who normally
respect one another, found themselves trading blows at the end of Monday’s Raw.
Big Red Monster Mash
Before the World Heavyweight Title Match could even begin, Kane emerged and
attacked Batista, leading CM Punk to enter the fray and attack the Big Red
Monster. After Kane was escorted out of the arena, the match began, but was
quickly ended due to interference from JBL, who was bitter that Batista was
receiving his second World Title Match in as many nights. As The Animal battered
the self-made millionaire, JBL’s Great American Bash opponent, John Cena, rushed
to the ring. Though the Chain Gang Commander only intended to get further
payback on Layfield, he accidentally leveled Batista, leading to a brawl between
the two athletes. In spite of the presence of four legitimate contenders during
the night’s main event, CM Punk held onto his championship gold for another
night.
Six-Man Rematch
JBL and Cena’s rivalry carried over into an official match as well: A rematch
from last week’s Raw between the team of John Cena & Cryme Tyme and JBL & World
Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. Though ailing from his NYC Parking
Lot Brawl with Layfield at The Bash the night before, Cena fearlessly pursued
his pay-per-view opponent. But when the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” escaped
from ringside, the Chain Gang Commander turned his rage against the World Tag
Team Champions by performing a double FU on the two and pinning Ted DiBiase for
the win.
It was an especially rough night for Cody Rhodes, as earlier in the program he
suffered a slap from Jerry “The King” Lawler in retaliation for the disrespect
the World Tag Team Champions showed toward Hacksaw Jim Duggan.
True Lies
Though Chris Jericho decimated Shawn Michaels in their match at The Great
American Bash, it was Y2J’s protégé, Lance Cade, who experienced a win on Raw
when he faced Paul London. After the match, Jericho entered the ring to show the
WWE Universe footage from the night before when he further injured Michaels’
right eye.
Jericho claimed that HBK was suffering a cracked rib and detached retina with
the damage so severe, he was unable to see out of the eye at all, effectively
ending Michaels’ career. Perhaps most detestable, Y2J stated that he always
speaks the truth as opposed to The Showstopper, who he characterized as the
“most corrupt, immoral and destructive individual in WWE history.”
Tainted Love
As the WWE crowd came to terms with the exit of Shawn Michaels, they were
comforted by the return of D-Lo Brown, who defeated Santino Marella. Watching
the match at ringside was Beth Phoenix, who had defeated Marella in a rare
intergender battle the week before. After Brown exited the ring victorious, The
Glamazon entered for a confrontation with the Italian Superstar. The two
struggled, then stopped suddenly and began kissing passionately only to pull
away a moment later, confused and seemingly a little frightened.
While it’s still unclear whether Beth and Santino have won one another’s
affections, there was no confusion about the winner of The Glamazon’s match with
Kelly Kelly. Beth showed that she is a formidable competitor no matter the
gender of her opponent, utilizing her characteristic strength and ferocity to
pin the other Diva as easily as she defeated Santino the week before.
Burchill Brutality
Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James
have some serious competition for their titles in the form of the brother and
sister team of Paul and Katie Lea Burchill. On Raw, the four faced off in an
Intergender Tag Match. Though Kofi had defeated Burchill the week before with
the help of Mickie James, this week saw the Burchills triumphant over the two
champions as Paul pinned the Jamaican Superstar.
Matches
Lance Cade def. Paul London
Beth Phoenix def. Kelly Kelly
John Cena & Cryme Tyme def. JBL & World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase
Paul & Katie Lea Burchill def. Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston & WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James
D-Lo Brown def. Santino Marella
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk vs. Batista
(no-contest)