WWE Raw is War
London, England
April 23, 2007
thanks to: wwe.com
A sign of things to come?
By Noah Starr
April 23, 2007
LONDON- In front of a capacity crowd at Earls Court, WWE Champion John Cena and
Shawn Michaels clashed in an epic non-title battle that lasted almost an entire
rotation of the enormous hand on Big Ben.
Squaring off for the first time since their tremendous match at WrestleMania 23,
Cena and Michaels spent nearly an hour battling it out in the ring in one of the
most impressive contests ever seen on Raw. Although other matches were scheduled
for the night, including a contest pitting Edge against Randy Orton, the length
of the main event left no room for other battles.
Spanning five commercial breaks, the incredible WrestleMania Rematch took WWE
fans on a virtual rollercoaster of emotions. Multiple near falls, high-risk
maneuvers and action both in and out of the ring made for one heck of a match.
During the heart-stopping climax of the confrontation, Shawn Michaels muscled
his way out of Cena’s FU, delivered some perfectly placed Sweet Chin Music (his
second superkick of the match) and pinned the WWE Champion to pick up the win.
On Sunday, John Cena will lay his WWE Championship on the line when he meets HBK,
Edge and Randy Orton in a Fatal Four Way Match at Backlash; Will Michaels have
what it takes to conquer Cena again?
As Raw began, Shane McMahon took to the ring ready for action. Earlier in the
day, WWE.com reporters spotted Shane-O-Mac at Earls Court, but were unable to
discover the reasons for his attendance. The younger McMahon announced that in
honor of St. George’s Day (a holiday celebrated in the United Kingdom), one
person would have the opportunity to slay a dragon – Shane himself! Shane then
brought out his competition: a local wrestler from Liverpool, England named
Robbie Brookside. After punishing Brookside in a No-Disqualification Match
highlighted by Shane going Coast to Coast and wrapping a trash can around the
British grappler’s face, Shane brought out Umaga and announced the match as a
2-on-1 Handicap contest. After Brookside was left sprawled out from more
punishment at the hands of The Samoan Bulldozer, Shane announced the match would
become a 3-on-1 Handicap Match including WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon, who stepped
into the ring and pinned the unfortunate Brookside.
Mr. McMahon is obviously still angry at ECW World Champion Bobby Lashley, whose
win over Umaga at WrestleMania 23 led to the Chairman being shaved bald by
Donald Trump. In less than a week, Lashley will face both McMahons & Umaga at
Backlash with the ECW World Championship on the line. If Mr. McMahon can pin
Lashley at Backlash, he will become the new ECW World Champion!
In other Raw action, Trevor Murdoch defeated Matt Hardy, one-half of the World
Tag Team Champions. Last week on Raw, Murdoch’s partner Lance Cade defeated
Matt’s brother, Jeff. The Hardys will put their World Tag Team Championships on
the line against Cade & Murdoch at Backlash. Will they be able to conquer the
powerful Superstars from down south?
Also on Raw, the beautiful Maria fell to Women’s Champion Melina. Will Melina’s
win give her enough momentum to retain her gold against Mickie James at
Backlash?
More miscommunication plagued the partnership of Ric Flair and Carlito. After
Carlito suffered a loss at the enormous hands of The Great Khali, he vented his
frustrations at Flair in Spanish, prompting the “Nature Boy” to walk away
perplexed.
Matches
Shane McMahon, Umaga & Mr. McMahon def. Robbie Brookside (3-on-1
No-Disqualification Handicap Match)
Trevor Murdoch def. Matt Hardy
Women's Champion Melina def. Maria (non-title)
The Great Khali def. Carlito
Shawn Michaels def. WWE
Champion John Cena (non-title)