WWE RAW

St Wayne
September 8, 2008
Results thanks to wwe.com

Dangerous liaisons
By: Aubrey Sitterson
September 8, 2008

FORT WAYNE, Ind. – Just 24 hours after Chris Jericho won the World Heavyweight Title at Unforgiven, the new champion again took advantage of his surroundings to eke out a win over Batista in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match.

Cornered animal
Even though he was still suffering from his two matches at Unforgiven, new World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho appeared on Raw to announce that after defeating Batista, Rey Mysterio, Kane & JBL in the same night to become champion, he is better than his rival Shawn Michaels. Directly afterward, Raw General Manager Mike Adamle emerged to place Jericho in the night’s main event against Batista, in spite of the World Heavyweight Champion’s injuries.

Not surprisingly, Batista immediately took control of the match, manhandling the wounded champion. But before The Animal could seal the deal, Adamle stepped in to change the match stipulations. Stating that he may have acted in haste, and that he wants the main event to be competitive, Adamle added JBL to the match, teaming him with the champion and stacking the deck against The Animal. With a distraction provided by Lance Cade, and Clothesline from Hell by JBL, Jericho stole a pin on Batista for the win. As the World Heavyweight Champion retreated up the ramp, Cade and the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” double-teamed Batista. But The Animal’s primal fury was too much for them to overcome, and he fought out, dropping them both as Jericho looked on.

JBL used this, his second match of the night, as a way of taking out his frustrations from his first. Continuing his habit of imitating other Superstars, Charlie Haas came to the ring to face JBL, dressed up as the Longhorn Loudmouth himself. The self-made millionaire didn’t see the humor, however, and left the ring in disgust. Though JBL refused to be seen as a joke, “CHL” (a.k.a. Charlie Haas) reaped the benefits as he won by count-out.

The man behind the mask
Continuing the Raw-ECW talent exchange, two high-flying Superstars, Rey Mysterio & ECW’s Evan Bourne, took on the overly-confident team of The Miz & John Morrison. Though the former WWE Tag Team Champions have worked well together in the past, they had trouble with their chemistry as they appeared outside their regular brand, allowing Mysterio & Bourne to pick up the win.

After the match, Mysterio’s recent tormentor, Kane, appeared on the TitanTron. The Big Red Monster declared that despite Mysterio’s performance and his earlier claim that he is “nobody’s victim,” he will be facing off against Kane next week on Raw. Then, in a shocking turn, the Big Red Monster produced his old mask, laughing maniacally.

Birds of a feather
At Unforgiven, World Tag Team Champions Rhodes & DiBiase not only successfully defended their titles, but along with Manu and Randy Orton, they beat CM Punk so severely that he couldn’t compete in the night’s Championship Scramble. On Raw, the young second and third-generation Superstars interrupted the Legend Killer to announce to him that they deserved his respect, since all of them come from impressive lineage, and are blessed with so much natural ability. Orton’s response was to slap DiBiase, just as he had slapped Rhodes previously.

Orton’s slap must have lit a fire under the three promising young athletes, as they continued to show their potential by defeating Cryme Tyme for the second time in two nights, along with Kofi Kingston. Manu, the son of WWE Hall of Famer Afa, had a particularly impressive performance, making the pin in his WWE debut.

Merciless
Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix continued to prove her dominance over the Divas roster as she defended her title against the woman she won it from: Mickie James. Looking on at ringside was Candice Michelle, who has been seriously injured by The Glamazon twice, and will now go on to challenge Phoenix for the Women’s Title at No Mercy.

Beth was also seen later in the night, supporting her beau, Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella, as he defeated the grotesque Snitsky. The braggadocios Italian Superstar has now held the Intercontinental Title for three weeks, and he plans on fully closing the gap between his and the Honky Tonk Man’s legendary 64-week reign.

England prevails
For the third time in recent weeks, Jamie Noble attempted to impress and win the affections of the lovely Layla, paying Jillian to serenade the Diva and competing against William Regal. Unlike the week before, however, Noble was unable to defeat the British brawler. To add insult to injury, after the match finished, though she seemed uncertain, Layla left with the 2008 King of Ring, himself, ruining Noble’s plans to take the Diva to Olive Garden.

Matches

Women's Champion Beth Phoenix def. Mickie James to retain

William Regal def. Jamie Noble

"CHL" (Charlie Haas imitating JBL) def. JBL by count-out

Rey Mysterio & Evan Bourne def. The Miz & John Morrison

World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase and Manu def. Cryme Tyme & Kofi Kingston

Intercontinental Champion Santino Marella def. Snitsky

World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho & JBL def. Batista in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match