Raw is War
East Rutherford, New
Jersey
July 31, 2006
HBK gets smoked
By Zack Zeigler
July 31, 2006
As RAW began, Mr. McMahon was all smiles as he announced that he and his son
Shane would take on D-Generation X at SummerSlam; and while the smile nearly
faded when DX displayed a doctored photograph of the Chairman’s new baby
granddaughter, the way Shawn Michaels was left beaten and bruised in the ring
for the second straight week kept the smirk clearly visible.
It’s been quite the satisfying seven days for Mr. McMahon. It began with the
birth of his granddaughter, and was padded by two beatings on Michaels. On RAW,
Umaga — with the help of his manager Armando Alejandro Estrada, the Chairman and
Shane McMahon — decimated HBK. Then, Mr. McMahon and Shane took liberties on
Michaels including some Sweet "Shane" Music to a steel chair pinned against
HBK’s head. After the destruction was finished, the Chairman got down in a
seemingly unconsciousness Michaels’ face and screamed, “You tell Triple H that
next week on RAW, he takes on Umaga.”
He had to deliver a message through HBK because Triple H was not in the building
at the time. A box of Cuban cigars somehow ended up in Triple H’s gym bag. The
authorities were tipped off about the illegal contraband, and after Federal
Agents approached The Game, he was given a choice: leave voluntarily, or leave
in hand cuffs.
As Triple H voluntarily left the locker room, Shane popped a Cuban cigar that he
got from Armando Alejandro Estrada earlier in the evening into his mouth. With
The Game out of the building, father and son shared a devious smirk. Although
there is no proof, all signs point to the Chairman having something to do with
the Cubans winding up in Triple H’s possession, but as of now, that is only an
assumption.
What is The Game feeling right now, knowing that not only was he duped, but he
also has to face someone as dangerous as Umaga a few weeks before his match at
SummerSlam?
One has to believe the wheels were in motion to use the divide and conquer
approach after realizing the strength DX possesses as a unit. When they’re
isolated, they’re vulnerable, as the past two weeks have demonstrated. After
weeks of failures and humiliation, Mr. McMahon’s plan to destroy DX finally
seems to be working. But will the trend continue next week on RAW? With Triple H
in the ring next week against Umaga, the Chairman hopes so. The Game is one of
the fiercest competitors in WWE, but will he be able to be the one to hand Umaga
his first loss?
What can DX do to regain control of the situation? Or, does the Chairman’s new
strategy hold the key to destroying the legacy of DX? With SummerSlam a short
three weeks away, DX needs to develop a new tactic for combating the McMahons.
Speaking of legacy…the youngest WWE Champion in history, Randy Orton, took his
disrespect for Hulk Hogan a step further over the line. Apparently not learning
the lesson last week that provoking Hogan is a bad idea, Orton not only parodied
the WWE Hall of Famer in a spoof of his reality show, Hogan Knows Best, but in
"Orton Knows Best", he targeted his wife Linda, son Nick and daughter Brooke as
well. After roughing up the imposter Nick, insulting the pretend Linda, Orton
grabbed the Brooke look-alike and planted a kiss on her lips. The display would
definitely infuriate the Hulkster, but is it smart for Orton to add fuel to
Hogan’s flame? He’s seen how emotional and upset he got at RAW last week after
Orton made remarks about Brooke, and with their match at SummerSlam rapidly
approaching, the Legend Killer may be flirting with disaster.
While Hogan and his family were the focal point of Orton’s rudeness, Jerry “The
King” Lawler was also a target. The Legend Killer walked by the announce table
and dropped a cheap shot to “The King’s” face, knocking off his announcers
chair. Lawler responded by challenging Orton to a match next week on RAW from
Memphis, Tenn. —“The King’s” hometown. Lawler promised to beat some respect into
Orton next week, but will the Legend Killer claim another victim instead?
Respect may be a word that John Cena taught former teacher Matt Striker on RAW.
A few weeks ago, Striker interviewed Cena and insulted him for being Edge’s
subordinate. Or, in math terms, Edge was greater than Cena. While the Cena-Edge
equation will have to wait until SummerSlam to be solved, Striker proved that in
the ring, Cena is definitely greater than he is.
The Dr. of Thuganomics had some extra inspiration to blow through Striker in
their match. WWE Champion Edge and his girlfriend, Lita, headed to their Rated R
announce table for commentary. While Cena didn’t waste much time toying with
Striker in the ring, he did flash Edge a few confident looks that spoke louder
than words. The match was quick, and Edge didn’t have much time to say much, but
he was out long enough to tell fans that there’s no way he’d submit to the STFU
like Striker had in the match.
Also, it was announced that at SummerSlam the WWE Championship would be on the
line when John Cena takes on Edge. There was also a stipulation announced: if
Edge gets disqualified he will lose the WWE Championship. At SummerSlam, a count
out or DQ is the same as a pinfall or a submission. Cena has proven to Edge over
the past few weeks that he’s never going to give up scraping and clawing for
another chance at the WWE Championship. He’s taken beatings, interference and
has battled the odds. In three weeks, Cena will have the opportunity he’s
craved. The question isn’t will he be ready, but can Edge match Cena’s passion
to retain his WWE gold?
The passion still runs thick through Ric Flair. A boisterous “Nature Boy”
confronted Mick Foley in Foley’s first live appearance on RAW in six weeks.
After their confrontation came to blows, when Foley insulted Flair’s
relationship with his family, Jonathan Coachman came out with the news that Mr.
McMahon had ordered the match at SummerSlam. Mick didn’t buy it.
“I wrestle who I want, when I want,” said Foley, referencing a special clause in
his contract and reiterating that he has no plans to change his mind.
Who can blame Flair for wanting a piece of Foley, especially after insulting his
offspring? Foley shouldn’t expect the pressure on him to let up by Flair, but
with Mr. McMahon so focused on the demise of DX, will he have the time or the
contractual authority to force Foley to compete at SummerSlam?
Heading into RAW, Carlito had two things working for him. He had a claim to the
No. 1 contender spot for Johnny Nitro’s Intercontinental Championship, and he’s
been seen receiving and giving flirty eyes to WWE Magazine cover girl Trish
Stratus. While the latter situation is unresolved, the Intercontinental
Championship scenario got even cloudier at RAW.
After defeating Shelton Benjamin in their first match to see who the No. 1
contender would be, Benjamin complained he was cheated until he got Jonathan
Coachman to grant him another opportunity against Carlito. The reality was that
he got outfoxed, not cheated, but he got the rematch anyway. In their second
bout, he used a low blow to get the pinfall, which seemingly would have him
replace Carlito as the No. 1 contender.
To set the record straight, Benjamin, Carlito and Intercontinental Champion
Johnny Nitro competed in a Triple Threat Match with the Championship on the
line. This match was huge for Benjamin and Carlito, but in the end, Nitro was
able to retain his Championship. With his girlfriend Melina’s help, and with
Benjamin and Carlito without any help at ringside, it was more like a Handicap
Match.
First, Melina broke up a count that would have given Benjamin the victory, and
then she assisted Nitro with some interference that allowed him to get the roll
up on Carlito (with a handful of his tights). With all the confusion surrounding
the Intercontinental Championship’s No. 1 contender, will Benjamin and Carlito
have something to say about it next week on RAW?
Plus, the Divas were in action on RAW. Trish Stratus teamed with Candice to take
on Women’s Champion Mickie James and Victoria. FHM cover girl, Torrie Wilson,
was the special guest referee. After a back and forth brawl, Trish was able to
get the three-count on James after Candice dropkicked Victoria to stop her from
interfering.
While the Divas were in action, another Diva hopeful was eliminated from the
2006 $250,000 Diva Search. Rebecca was blindsided by the news that she was
eliminated, but later told WWE.com that she hopes to some day be back. Check out
the exclusive interview.
Before the elimination, each finalist had a chance to voice their opinion on
which finalist they thought should be eliminated next. Check out each finalist's
answer. Plus, don't forget to vote for your favorite finalist online or via text
messaging. More on voting
Also, Rory McAllister got revenge on Johnny of the Spirit Squad. Last week, the
Squad gave the Highlanders their first loss since coming to RAW. Although the
Squad may look and act flamboyant, they’re still the World Tag Team Champions,
and they got to where they are because they’re tough and athletic.
Unfortunately for him, Johnny’s four peers were ejected from ringside, leaving
him to take on the unorthodox grappler from Scotland all by his lonesome.
Without the Squad at ringside, Johnny still held his own in the match. Then,
after landing a spinning kick to Rory’s face, he opted to showboat instead of
going for the cover. His choice cost him the match. Rory quickly rolled him up
and got the pinfall, leaving Johnny baffled as to how he was outsmarted by
someone who would squat in a urinal.
Matches
John Cena def. Matt Striker
Rory McAllister def. Johnny
Trish Stratus & Candice Michelle def. Women's Champion Mickie James & Victoria
Umaga def. Shawn Michaels
WWE Intercontinental Champion Johnny Nitro def. Carlito & Shelton Benjamin (Triple Threat Match)