Judgment Day 2007
Date: May 20, 2007
Location: Scottrade Center, St. Louis, Missouri
Attendance: 10,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Michael Cole, Taz, Joey Styles, Jerry Lawler, John Bradshaw Layfield

It’s another B show but this one is trending more towards B- territory. The main events will see John Cena defending against Great Khali and Edge defending against Batista. Neither of those exactly sound like must see main events, but I’ve certainly heard of worse cards. Maybe the rest can pick up the slack. Let’s get to it.

The opening video talks about not knowing what is on the other side while looking at the main events.

Ric Flair vs. Carlito

Carlito turned on Flair to split up their team and it’s time for revenge. JR says Flair deserves to be in all the Halls of Fame. I remember him getting inducted into the Paperboy Hall of Fame a few years back in a touching ceremony. Carlito goes right after him to start but gets chopped outside in a hurry. Back in and Carlito takes him down by the arm for some hammerlocking. The arm is sent into the apron and Carlito forearms away in the corner.

The fans are behind Flair but get quieted down when the arm is wrapped around the post. There’s a hammerlock slam but flair comes back up with the good arm for a single chop. That’s all Carlito is going to give up at the moment though as he dropkicks Flair into the corner and goes right back to the arm. Another comeback is cut off as JR sums up the match: Flair is getting one shot in for every two or three from Carlito. The armbar goes on again and an elbow to the face gives Carlito two.

Flair chops his way out of the corner but Carlito cuts him off again with a backdrop. We hit another armbar before Carlito stomps on the arm and grabs a keylock. Flair fights up again with more chops and right hands, plus an elbow to the jaw. There’s the chop block but Carlito cuts him off with a thumb to the eye. The Backstabber is blocked though and Flair stomps on the leg. More stomping sets up the Figure Four for the tap.

Rating: C. Can we please give up on Carlito already? It’s pretty clear that WWE isn’t going to give him a big push (which I can understand) and now he has one of the better matches in his WWE run but loses clean to Flair. I’m fine with Flair winning, but it’s getting a little tiring to watch Carlito get dead end push after dead end push.

Shawn Michaels looks back at being hurt by Great Khali and then kicked in the head by Randy Orton….and gets jumped by him again, leaving Shawn laying.

We recap Bobby Lashley vs. Vince McMahon/Shane McMahon/Umaga. The trio beat Lashley last month to give Vince the ECW World Title and an angry Lashley is out for revenge. And the title, but that might be implied. Vince has been an amazing heel as the champion and it’s about as perfect of a troll job as you could hope to see.

ECW World Title: Vince McMahon/Shane McMahon/Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley

Lashley is challenging and sends Umaga outside to start. The McMahons are tossed around, with Shane having to save Vince from destruction. That earns Shane an overhead belly to belly and there’s a spear to cut off the invading Umaga. The running powerslam pins Shane in less than a minute and a half.

Post match Umaga takes Lashley down again and Vince says Lashley didn’t pin Vince so that isn’t a title change. Better luck next time as the amazing trolling continues. Of note: Vince lost his stylish doorag in there and most of his hair has grown back.

Shawn Michaels is told he can’t wrestle tonight.

CM Punk vs. Elijah Burke

Punk, with bad ribs coming in, joined Burke’s New Breed but turned on them in about a week. Burke goes straight for the ribs but Punk puts on a headlock to cut him off. Some kicks stagger Burke and it’s a quick breather for a standoff. Burke goes after Punk’s ribs to slow him down, only to get kicked right back down. The chinlock goes on but Burke comes back with more shots to the ribs. Said ribs are fine enough for a t-bone suplex and Punk hits a running elbow in the corner.

A delayed vertical suplex drops Burke for two, though Tazz thinks that might have hurt Punk’s ribs even more. We hit the chinlock but Burke is right up with some shots to the face. Again Punk comes right back with a spinning middle rope crossbody but Burke tosses him over the top, with Punk landing on the steps for a nasty crash. That’s not enough to slow Punk down again though as he slides in with a sunset flip (minus the flip) for two more. The GTS is countered so Punk tosses him outside instead, setting up the suicide dive.

Back in and Punk goes up again, only to get pulled down for a hard crash onto the ribs. Burke starts ripping at the tape (maybe they’re the source of Punk’s powers) and puts on a waistlock. A belly to back suplex gets two on Punk and the fans chant for JBL. Burke is smart enough to grab a bodyscissors while the fans get it out of their system before cutting off a charging Punk.

They head up top, where Punk hits a top rope superplex, only to bang up his ribs again. Back up and Punk gets two off an enziguri, setting up the running knee in the corner. The GTS is countered into the Elijah Experience for two so Burke puts him on top, setting up the Elijah Express in the Tree of Woe. The delayed cover gets two and another Elijah Experience is countered into the GTS to give Punk the pin.

Rating: C+. The first half of this was weird as Punk didn’t seem like he was going to sell a bullet to the ribs, let alone anything Burke threw at him. Things got better later on and they settled into a nice match, with Punk vanquishing Burke after some work. This should free up Punk to move into the ECW Title picture, at least once the McMahons are out of the there. Good match, at least once Punk stopped being a superhero.

Edge brags about his recent accomplishments and promises to retain the title against Batista.

Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn isn’t here to start due to not being cleared….but here he is anyway, looking totally out of it (which would have meant something very different for Shawn back in the day). Shawn insists that the bell ring and Orton drops him with one shot. Shawn has to pull himself up on the apron and the hanging DDT drops him hard again.

Commentary already wants this stopped as Orton kicks Shawn in the head again. Orton loads up the RKO but lets Shawn drops out of near pity. Shawn has to go to the eyes to break up a super RKO and manages to shove Orton off the top. The top rope elbow connects and Shawn somehow picks himself up in the corner. Sweet Chin Music is loaded up….and Shawn collapses, which is enough for the referee to call the match.

Rating: C. I have no idea how to rate something like this as it was much more of an angle than a match. Shawn hit about one move, but that’s exactly the point of something like this. It was complete destruction and makes Orton look great, so well done on all fronts here, even if it was barely a match.

Post match Orton hits an RKO, causing Shawn’s wife to come out and cry. Shawn is taken out on a stretcher, which allowed him to go off for a few months for knee surgery.

Great Khali, holding the WWE Title, which isn’t his, says if John Cena wants some, he can come get some.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch

Cade and Murdoch are challenging after having been sneakily respectful to the Hardys as of late. Matt and Cade start things off with Cade grabbing a headlock takeover. That doesn’t last long as Matt is right back up for a standoff. JBL’s strategy for Cade and Murdoch: drink beer and knock people’s teeth out. Simple yet effective. The pace picks up and Matt gets taken into the corner for some arm cranking from both villains. A hard forearm to Cade’s face lets the tag bring in Jeff as things actually slow down for a change. JBL: “You never know what this tattooed up freak is going to do.”

A hiptoss drops Jeff again but Murdoch doesn’t follow up, which is still a bit strange to see. It’s back to Matt for a clothesline and it’s time to work on the arm. The middle rope elbow to the back of the neck gives Matt two but Cade comes in off a blind tag to run Matt over. A dropkick gives Cade two and it’s back to Murdoch as the villains start taking turns. Murdoch’s Vader Bomb hits raised knees though and it’s back to Jeff to start cleaning house.

The slingshot dropkick in the corner gets two on Murdoch and the Hardys clear the ring in a hurry. JBL: “What would you call that move that Jeff Hardy did?” Cole: “Good.” JBL: “That was too easy.” Cade and Murdoch tease walking out but come back in so Jeff can grab a headlock. That’s broken up and Murdoch sends Jeff outside….as the fans sing the Goodbye Song for some reason.

Cade takes Jeff back inside to drop some knees on the back and Murdoch puts on the chinlock. A kick to the face gives Murdoch two and the Code Red/Canadian Destroyer (or somewhere in the middle) gets two. Jeff jawbreaks his way to freedom and there’s the hot tag to Matt. The Side Effect gets two on Cade but he’s right back with a spinebuster to put Matt down for the same. Not that it matters as it’s a Twist of Fate into the Swanton to give Jeff the retaining pin.

Rating: B-. Rather nice old school formula tag match here with the Hardys winning to hopefully wrap this up. At the end of the day though, there is only so much that you can do when the division only has a handful of teams. The Hardys can work with anyone, but who else is there to work with at the moment? Cade and Murdoch are a good old school southern style tag team too and that is always going to work.

Batista is voted most likely to win a title tonight.

We recap Edge vs. Batista for the Smackdown World Title. Edge won the Money in the Bank briefcase on Raw and then cashed it in later in the week to win the title from Undertaker. Now it’s time for Batista to get his shot, as he and Undertaker had gone to a draw just before the cash-in.

Smackdown World Title: Edge vs. Batista

Edge is defending and you can see him panic just a bit when Batista’s music hits (he was always great at the facial expressions). We actually get the instructions from the referee for a bit of old school flavor. Edge hides in the ropes to start as commentary gets in an argument over how much of a champion Edge really is. More bailing to the ropes keeps Batista (with a taped up knee) from getting very far to start so he puts Edge on top instead.

With nothing else working, Batista finally hammers away in the corner and then throws Edge outside. Edge sends the bad knee into the steps to slow Batista down and a missed charge into the post makes things even worse. That gives Edge a new target and the Fujiwara armbar keeps Batista in trouble. It’s switched over into a hammerlock but Batista is back up with shoulders to the ribs in the corner.

Batista clotheslines Edge out of the air and it’s time to slug it out. A powerslam gives Batista two but Edge counters a second attempt into the Edge O Matic for two of his own. The spear cuts Edge in half for two more and Batista hits the spinebuster, only to hurt his own knee. The delay lets Edge pull Batista into a rollup with trunks to retain.

Rating: C-. This was a good example of a match that didn’t work because there wasn’t much of a story. They were fighting over the title, but their story was set up via a two minute promo on Smackdown. I know they didn’t have the time to do anything more, but it left this one really lacking. Edge retaining works just fine as he needs to be established as champion, though it was a pretty lame way to get there.

The WWE Divas are polled on John Cena vs. Great Khali. It’s split, though Maria votes for Batista. For some reason this is edited off of the Peacock version, and I would really hope it isn’t over Victoria and Melina picking Khali because he’s “really really big.”

US Title: MVP vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit is defending (with a bad knee after Smackdown) and it’s 2/3 falls. They fight over a lockup and head outside for a second, only to come back in for a standoff. MVP has to bail to the rope to escape the Crossface before grabbing a headlock takeover. With that not working, MVP takes him down by the knee but Benoit grabs the arm to escape. MVP goes right back to the knee but Benoit is right back with the rolling German suplexes.

The knee gives out though, leaving Benoit to switch to the Crossface instead. A rope gets MVP out of trouble and it’s time to stomp on the knee some more. MVP misses the running boot in the corner and has to escape the Sharpshooter. Instead, MVP goes up top and gets caught in an electric chair, only to have the knee give out. The Playmaker gives MVP the first fall and we get a one minute rest period.

MVP is right back on the leg to keep Benoit in trouble and he gets tied in the Tree of Woe. A kneebar keeps Benoit in trouble and we get what sounds like a “THIS IS BORING” chant. Benoit fights up but gets pulled straight into a stretch muffler. The rope gets Benoit out of trouble but MVP is right back on the knee. Another twist of the knee sets up a small package to give MVP the second fall and the title.

Rating: C+. This was almost a sequel from Benoit vs. Finlay on Smackdown and it wasn’t that much better. There is something off in Benoit as of late and that is going to get sad in a hurry. For now that, MVP winning is a great thing as he FINALLY gets something after weeks of losing almost everything. You can only do so much with him when he can’t win a thing so this was a much needed statement.

We recap John Cena vs. Great Khali for the Raw World Title. Khali took out Edge, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels before dropping Cena on the same night. Cena knows he’s going to get destroyed here but is never one to back down from a challenge.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Great Khali

Khali is challenging but comes in holding the title itself. There is something to be said about the shots of the fans, including one woman, going absolutely coconuts for Cena’s entrance. That is the kind of thing that a lot of wrestlers wish they could do but only a handful can actually make happen. They do the big staredown to start and Cena’s shots to the chest have no effect. Khali’s clothesline has quite the effect though and a right hand puts Cena down again. Cena gets knocked outside for a ram into the steps for two back inside and Khali drops a big leg for the same.

A shot to the knee staggers Khali though and Cena manages the Throwback, only to get kicked in the head. The nerve hold has Cena in more trouble but he powers up for some running shoulders. The big shoulder ties Khali up in the ropes and Cena is smart enough to unload as fast as he can. Khali gets an arm free to knock him away but the big chop is blocked. They fall outside again and Khali grabs the steps, only to have them dropkicked into his face. Back in and Cena scores with the top rope Fameasser (with the fans WAY into the fast comeback), setting up the STFU to retain the title.

Rating: C. It’s probably Khali’s best match ever, though that isn’t exactly a high bar to clear. What matters here is that Cena escapes over a monster and got a good(ish) match out of him, as Khali mainly stood there while Cena flew around. They were smart to keep this short, and dang the crowd being into this helped a lot. Not a great match, but given their situation, it was about as good as it was going to get.

Replays wrap us up, complete with a cut from Cena putting the STFU on to the hold actually being on because WWE likes to cut a lot.

Overall Rating: C+. There was enough good action on here to keep me interested, but it was definitely a step down after the last few big shows. Nothing on here felt like you needed to see it and that is not the best feeling. It was certainly a lower level pay per view and having One Night Stand coming up just two weeks later is not going to make things better. Decent show, but not really worth your time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 14, 2007
Location: Hampton Coliseum, Hampton, Virginia
Attendance: 7,200
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for Judgment Day and we are on the way towards John Cena vs. Great Khali for the Raw World Title. Other than that, we have a new Smackdown World Champion in Edge, who happens to be a Raw wrestler. That could cause some issues, which we will likely touch on this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is WWE Champion John Cena, who doesn’t have his belt. Cena seems rather sad without the title, because Great Khali took it from him last week and Cena couldn’t do anything about it. Now he could make excuses but that isn’t what he does. Cena has been up against giants before but it has never been like this. You can hit Khali in the mouth and he just looks at you with those eyes. There are people who have been telling him that this Sunday is a bad idea and it won’t be much of a match. That may be true, but that isn’t going to stop Cena from giving Khali one heck of a fight…tonight.

Cue Khali on screen, complete with translator Runjin Singh. Khali speaks, with Singh sending us to a video on Khali’s recent path of destruction. Apparently if Cena wants some, he can come get some. That’s fine with Cena, who goes to the back and gets wrecked in a hurry, including the chokebomb onto a golf cart.

Trevor Murdoch vs. Jeff Hardy

Lance Cade and Matt Hardy are here too. Jeff grabs a headlock takeover to star but gets rolled over into a headscissors to take care of that in a hurry. An exchange of armdrags goes to Hardy so Murdoch elbows him in the face. Hardy sends him outside though and scores with a slingshot dive, only to miss the slingshot dropkick back inside. The chinlock just wakes Jeff up though and the Whisper in the Wind gets two. The Swanton hits knees though and Murdoch gets two, complete with the stunned look on his face off the kickout. He’s so stunned that Hardy grabs a small package for the pin.

Rating: C. Hardy can have a good match with just about anyone and it helps when you have someone as talented as Murdoch. I’m rather sick of seeing this feud take place but at least they had what is probably going to be the best combination. It might not have been great match, but it was a completely nice one and that’s good enough.

Post match, Cade and Murdoch offer a handshake, with the Hardys accepting without any violence.

Video on Snitsky.

We look back at Bobby Lashley attacking Coach last week, with Vince McMahon looking on.

Coach is not happy about having to face Bobby Lashley tonight, but Shane McMahon says he shouldn’t worry. Shane, Umaga and Vince McMahon, in a lilac (or some light pink) suit and doorag, will be in his corner. That’s enough for Coach, who goes off to get ready.

Intercontinental Title: Santino Marella vs. Chris Masters

Marella is defending and is now billed from New Jersey. They start fast with Santino snapping off some hiptosses but Masters powers him into the corner. Some kicks to the leg stagger Masters but he runs Marella over without much trouble. The Masterlock is blocked but the spinebuster connects for two. Masters tries another Masterlock, only to get reversed into a sunset flip (with a nifty reversal that saw Marella spin around the back) to retain Santino’s title.

Post match Masters puts him out with the Masterlock to blow off some steam.

Wrestlers talk about the Condemned.

Candice Michelle vs. Victoria

Melina is on commentary and does the splits entrance on the announcers’ table. Lawler loses it and Candice’s entrance makes it even worse. Candice starts with the hair takedown (Melina: “Oh geez.”) but Victoria sends her face first into the mat. Some hair pulling keeps Candice down but she comes back up with the kicks to the chest. The GoDaddy dance sets up an elbow for two as Melina says all Candice can do is take her clothes off. Victoria’s spinning side slam is countered though and Candice scores with the spinwheel kick for the pin.

Candice wants the title, but Melina thinks she is showing off the fat rolls.

Here is new Smackdown World Champion Edge for a chat. After quite a bit of pyro, Edge talks about how he had the greatest week of any wrestler in history. We see Edge winning the Money in the Bank briefcase, plus the cash in later in the week on Undertaker. Edge was going to have one last great Raw match, but Great Khali has already left.

That leaves him with Batista on Sunday, but Edge has already done what Batista couldn’t do in three months: beat the Undertaker. Edge goes to leave but here is Shawn Michaels to cut him off. Shawn says if Edge wanted to leave with a lasting impression, he could just leave (that’s what he was trying to do man). Edge cuts to the chase and challenges Shawn for later, which seems to be set.

Bobby Lashley starts talking about his title match on Sunday but Shane McMahon cuts him off. Shane reminds Lashley that there can be no contact and does the I’m Not Touching You deal.

Bobby Lashley vs. Jonathan Coachman

Vince McMahon, Shane McMahon and Umaga are here too. An exchange of shots to the face goes to Lashley and a running clothesline puts Coach down as well. A torture rack goes on as JR thinks this is about the Hardcore Title. The spear finishes Coach in a hurry.

Post match the brawl is on with Lashley falling tot he numbers game in a hurry. The Umaga Attack misses though and Lashley hits a spear but Shane cuts him off again. Lashley chases Shane to the back but the villains leave in the limo. Vince sneaks up from behind and belts Lashley down to leave him laying. That sneaky champ.

Carlito vs. Val Venis

Venis starts fast with his running knees to the ribs but Carlito takes him down and hammers away. The fans want Flair but have to settle for Venis’ forearms not having much effect. A springboard dropkick puts Venis down but he makes another comeback with elbows to the face. Venis’ neckbreaker gets two, only to take too long setting up the Money Shot. Carlito hits the Backstabber for the pin.

Rating: C-. This was a way to give Carlito a win and set him up for the showdown with Ric Flair on Sunday. Not much of a match of course, but Venis was always a fine hand. Granted I had no idea he was still working here and somehow he had almost two years left, but he could still put in a passable match.

Post match Ric Flair runs in and Carlito bails through the crowd.

Shawn Michaels is getting ready for the main event when Randy Orton comes in. Orton wishes him well tonight but Shawn wonders if there is a point to this. Actually there is, as Orton thinks he can beat Shawn, so the match is made for Sunday.

Next week: Timbaland’s new video debuts, featuring a bunch of the Divas.

We look back at Great Khali taking out John Cena earlier tonight.

Judgment Day rundown.

Edge vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title and commentary suddenly remembers that Shawn has a concussion thanks to Great Khali last week. Shawn grabs a headlock takeover to start but Edge is out in a hurry with a shot to the head. A swinging neckbreaker gives Shawn a breather so Edge kicks him in the face to keep up the target. Edge gets tossed outside though, allowing Shawn to hit a Thesz press off the apron.

We take a break and come back with the referee checking on Shawn, whose head is looking a bit loopy. Another shot to the head sets up a cravate, followed by a big boot to drop Shawn again. More right hands and a neckbreaker get two and Edge grabs a chinlock with a knee in the back. Shawn fights up again and this time manages to crotch Edge on top. Edge hits a headbutt to stagger Shawn but misses a high crossbody. Somehow Shawn gets up top for the elbow and the superkick finishes Edge off.

Rating: B-. This was a weird one as the concussion wasn’t mentioned until the start of the match (not a bad thing as Shawn had gotten beaten up last week so it was covered) and then Shawn just won clean over the new champ. It’s like they had this match booked and then had to do the Money in the Bank deal without making any changes. Good match, but a rather strange way to go at times.

Post match here is Randy Orton to beat Shawn down. A low blow puts Shawn in trouble and we get what I believe is the first ever Punt to knock him cold to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. Much like the main event, this was a bit off all night, with Cena vs. Khali all set and Shawn vs. Orton being thrown together to give both of them something to do. It feels like they ran out of stuff to do before the pay per view and had to struggle to fill in the time here. Judgment Day feels like a B show and this didn’t exactly shake that feeling, as it was a bit of a lame way to take them home.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: May 7, 2007
Location: Bryce Jordan Center, Stage College, Pennsylvania
Attendance: 7,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

John Cena has a new big problem in the form of the Great Khali, who took out Shawn Michaels, Edge, Randy Orton and Cena himself last week. That is going to be quite the issue, and the fact that we are coming up on the Judgment Day pay per view should give you a hint about where this is going. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Coach is in the ring to introduce Vince McMahon. Vince: “WHAT UP G?” While Vince isn’t talking to God like Coach was doing when he said the same thing years ago, Vince brings talks about Great Khali’s dominance last week. We look at Khali’s path of destruction over Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton and Edge, before taking out John Cena face to face. Back in the arena, Vince says that was impressive, because you don’t see someone take out four great ones like that in one night.

Therefore, at Judgment Day, it’s Cena…..well hang on a second as Michaels interrupts. He’s the one who was supposed to face Cena last week and beat him once again, so Khali should have to earn his shot tonight. Vince thought Shawn had more guts than brains and tonight, we might see them all over the ring. Shawn can have his match against Great Khali, and we’ll make that a #1 contenders No DQ match.

With that out of the way, here is Bobby Lashley to interrupt. Lashley says Shawn got what he wanted and now he wants something too. Vince reminds him of the no touch rule and taunts Lashley a bit, but Lashley manages to hold back. We see a clip of Vince winning the title from Lashley at Backlash, albeit with help from Shane McMahon and Umaga. Vince: “You want to call me champ?”

Just to rub it in even more, Vince has a photo of a collector’s edition of WWE Magazine, featuring Undertaker, John Cena and Lashley as champions. It’s a collector’s edition because Lashley isn’t champion anymore, so here’s Vince’s face on Lashley’s body. Vince: “You never heard about the grapefruits did you Lashley?” Anyway, Lashley can have the rematch in another 3-1 handicap match at Judgment Day. Lashley wants to show Vince what he thinks of him, but can’t do it. That makes Vince laugh so he leaves….but Coach doesn’t. Violence and destruction ensues, capped off by a spear as Vince poses with the title.

Mickie James has to tie Candice Michelle’s top. King approves.

Mickie James/Candice Michelle vs. Melina/Victoria

Rematch from last week where Candice pinned Victoria in an upset. Victoria and Mickie start but she wants Candice instead. That works well for Victoria, who stomps her down but gets armdragged (after a minor slip). Melina comes in and draws Mickie in as well, allowing a quick cheap shot to take over. Candice manages to escape and gets over to Mickie for the tag (to zero reaction in a weird moment). House is cleaned and there’s a neckbreaker to Melina. Everything breaks down and Candice spinwheel kicks Melina for the surprise pin. They’re trying with Candice and she has gotten better in recent weeks.

We look back at Santino Marella winning the Intercontinental Title, albeit with an assist from Bobby Lashley.

WWE visited some terminal children.

Intercontinental Title: Santino Marella vs. Chris Masters

Marella is defending in his first scheduled match. Masters shoves him down with straight power to start but Marella slugs away with right hands and a dropkick. A hard clothesline drops Marella though and Masters hits a running stomp (that’s different) to keep him down. The neck crank goes on for all of two seconds but Marella is back up with kicks to the leg. A dropkick to the knee gets two and Marella hammers away in the corner. Masters shoves him off but gets sent shoulder first into the post, setting up a rollup to retain the title.

Rating: C-. This was about all you could have expected here and that’s all well and good. What matters here is they went out and did their thing with both guys keeping things simple. You can only do so much with a guy like Marella and Masters isn’t quite the best choice to get a lot out of him. Efficient would be the right word here, and that’s fine enough.

Here is Mr. Kennedy for a chat on the stage. Kennedy talks about how his Wrestlemania countdown continues, as we are only 328 days until Wrestlemania XXIV. That’s when we will have a new champion and his name is Mr. Kennedy (wait for it) Kennedy.

Randy Orton promises to beat John Cena tonight and get his career back on track.

Umaga vs. Highlanders

There is no Armando Alejandro Estrada with Umaga after Bobby Lashley wrecked him on ECW. The dominance doesn’t take long, including the running hip attack to Robbie in the corner. The Samoan Spike crushes both of them to set up the double top rope splash and the easy pin.

The Condemned is still a thing. It isn’t a thing making much money, but it is a thing.

Edge comes up to Mr. Kennedy in the back and doesn’t like him around here. Since Edge is the first person to cash in Money in the Bank, Kennedy shouldn’t be afraid to defend it against him tonight. The match is on, with Kennedy hitting the catchphrase anyway.

Great Khali vs. Shawn Michaels

No DQ and the winner gets the title shot against John Cena at Judgment Day. Shawn charges at him to start and manages to get Khali tied up in the ropes. That doesn’t last long as Khali gets in a shot of his own to knock Shawn away, setting up a slam. Khali misses a legdrop though and Shawn grabs a chair to blast him in the face. There’s the top rope elbow to keep Khali rocked but Sweet Chin Music is countered with a chop to the head.

Elbows and a clothesline keep Shawn in trouble but he goes for the eyes to escape. Shawn chokes him over the ropes and outside ala Chris Benoit against Big Show at the 2004 Royal Rumble, setting up a baseball slide. Shawn’s DDT through the announcers’ table is shrugged away and it’s the double chokeslam through the table instead. That’s enough for the referee, who calls it off to send Khali to Judgment Day.

Rating: C. Well what else were they supposed to do? There aren’t a ton of options for someone of Shawn’s size against Khali and they did about as well as could be expected. It certainly wasn’t a great match or even a very good one, but they did as well as could have been expected. Throw in the pretty clear ending and this was pretty decent.

Shawn is taken out by the medics.

John Cena isn’t worried about Great Khali because he’ll fight anyone of any size, even if they are 7’5 and over 400lbs and talk like Charlie Brown’s teacher.

Cryme Tyme (hey they’re still here) are having a Mother’s Day sale, including steak (cut to Viscera missing a steak), prescription pills (cut to Eugene missing his pills) and a Hummer (cut to Ron Simmons missing his Hummer and hitting the catchphrase). Cue a guy (clearly Big Dick Johnson) in a Spider-Man costume to say he thinks they’re up to something. Shad pulls out a baseball bat, calls himself Batman, and beats up Spider-Man. Were the writers really bored or something this week?

Hardys vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Non-title with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch on commentary. Matt elbows Benjamin in the head to start and then cuts off a charge with another elbow. Haas offers a distraction though and pulls Matt arm down onto the top. Benjamin takes Matt down by the arm and Haas’ northern lights onto the arm makes it worse.

The arm crank goes on as Cade and Murdoch take turns stealing JR’s catchphrases. Matt finally gets up with a reverse DDT and the hot tag brings in Jeff. House is cleaned in a hurry with Jeff dropping Benjamin onto Haas, who gets caught with the legdrop between the legs. The Whisper in the Wind gets two on Haas with Benjamin making the save. That means a Twist of Fate to Benjamin and the Swanton finishes Haas.

Rating: C+. These guys had a nice tag match and that’s not the biggest surprise. You have two rather good teams and they got in a lot of stuff in a short amount of times. Haas and Benjamin might not be the top team around anymore but they can still work well with anyone, and it helps when you’re in there with one of the best teams ever.

Post match, Cade and Murdoch show respect, with the Hardys skeptically accepting the handshake.

We look at Carlito turning on Ric Flair last week.

Video on Snitsky, who seems to have jumped from ECW. I’m sure they’ll survive.

Here are Carlito and Torrie Wilson for a chat. Carlito talks about how Ric Flair embarrassed him in front of Torrie, which Carlito let go because of who was saying it. Flair said they needed to team together so he could grow, but how much more growing does he need to do? Carlito should be WWE Champion by now but Flair was holding him back. He calls out Flair….who commentary says isn’t here tonight. With that not working, Carlito says it’s time to get rid of the garbage in his life and that starts with yelling at Torrie in Spanish. Torrie leaves and Carlito keeps ranting in Spanish until he throws the mic down.

Money in the Bank: Edge vs. Mr. Kennedy

Kennedy is defending but Edge jumps him from behind before the bell. Edge sends Kennedy into the barricade and the post, setting up a monitor shot to the face. They get inside with Kennedy saying ring the bell, meaning Edge can spear him down for the pin and the briefcase at 6 seconds.

Post match Edge beats Kennedy down again to leave him laying. Kennedy was put on the shelf with a shoulder injury, which turned out not to be that bad, as he was back in the ring less than two months later. Either way, this was it for his time near the title in WWE and I’ve always wondered what would have happened if he had gotten the chance. Maybe not much, but it could have been very interesting.

We look at Great Khali decimating Shawn Michaels again.

Randy Orton vs. John Cena

Non-title. Cena rolls him up for a fast two and snaps off a suplex for the same. Orton sends him shoulder first into the post and drops a knee for two of his own. We’re already in the chinlock but Cena fights up and initiates the finishing sequence…but Great Khali is at ringside. Khali picks up the title to distract Cena, making him drop the AA. Instead, Cena pulls Orton into the STF but he goes after Khali instead, charging right into a belt shot from Khali to end the show. So much for a finish.

Rating: C. This was barely a match and that’s fine enough, though they could have done just about the same thing without having a match in the first place. Khali is a different kind of opponent for Cena and they’re making him feel like a major threat. That’s not the hardest thing to do but it is working so far. As for Orton, it still feels like he is being punished for screwing up on the European trip, which is pretty much deserved.

Overall Rating: C. There was a lot here and a good bit of it wasn’t all that great. That being said, this show was more about moving things forward, as you can see a lot of the pay per view card from here, plus the change of the briefcase. I’m curious about where some of these things are going, even if it is for a B pay per view. Not a great show, but an important one and that’s fine.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 30, 2007
Location: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We are officially done with Backlash and that means it is time to start getting ready for Judgment Day. The show is in less than three weeks so it it probably going to feature a lot of rematches/fallout from the rematch/fallout show. That might not be the best thing in the world but WWE has been on a roll as of late. Let’s get to it.

Here is Backlash if you need a recap.

John Cena, with his title, runs into Vince McMahon, the new ECW World Champion. Vince: “What up Holmes? Peace out! The champ is here!” Cena thinks that unless ECW stands for Extremely Crazy White Guy, all he is seeing is an old guy in a durag. Shawn Michaels comes in to say Cena got lucky last night and wants one more shot. Cena is down but Vince says not so fast, because he makes the matches around here. Let’s do it one more time, but Shawn has to win a match to get a shot at Cena. Then the winner can come for the big one. Vince: “Peace out my brothers!” Cena: “Yeah he’s lost it.” He’ll see Shawn later.

Opening sequence.

Edge vs. Randy Orton

Edge slaps him in the face to start and the chase is on around the ring. Back in and Orton pokes him in the eye (denying it of course) and the circle stomp is on. A knee drop gets two and it’s time to hammer on Edge’s head. Orton chokes on the middle rope and then snaps the neck across the rope to make it worse.

We take a break and come back with Orton being sent shoulder first into the post to give Edge a breather. A spear drives Orton off the apron and into the announcers’ table for the big crash. With commentary taking a bit to come back, Edge only gets two inside. Edge’s jumping knee gets two and the chinlock goes on. That’s broken up so Edge drops him with a spinwheel kick, only to get crotched on top. Edge shoves him down but dives into a dropkick to leave them both down for a bit.

The slugout goes to Edge thanks to a thumb to the eye but Orton grabs a backbreaker for two. The powerslam gets the same so Edge snaps off the Edge-O-Matic for his own near fall. A double crossbody puts both of them down but it’s Edge up first for an attempt to take the turnbuckle pad off. The referee catches him though, allowing Orton to score with a hard clothesline. Edge counters some right hands in the corner to drop him face first onto the buckle, meaning we’ve got some blood. The Impaler gets two and, after countering an RKO, Edge spears him down for the pin.

Rating: B. These two beat each other up very well and that’s the kind of thing that is always a nice idea. It felt like a big time match and odds are this is what we were going to see last week. If they had been able to do that match before a shorter but still great Cena vs. Michaels match, it could have been an all time classic Raw. Instead, it’s a pair of awesome matches on back to back weeks.

We look at the end of Michaels vs. Cena from last week.

We look back at Bobby Lashley helping Santino Marella take the Intercontinental Title from Umaga.

Santino Marella is here for his first interview as champion, so we see him winning the title again. Santino talks about how he can’t believe this is happening. His family is very happy but his first title defense is next week.

Last night at Backlash, Rob Van Dam talked about how happy Vince McMahon must be now that he has crushed ECW. It was counterculture and all about making wrestling fun again, but now Vince is ECW World Champion. This Vince As ECW Champion thing could have been AMAZING if ECW meant anything at this point.

Vince won’t let Shane McMahon hold the ECW World Title belt because he’s too annoyed at Van Dam. Tonight, Shane needs to make sure Van Dam is destroyed once and for all. Vince also thanks Shane for his help last night, prompting Shane to say he loves Vince and hug him. Vince freaks a bit but says Shane can hold the title. As Vince leaves, Shane can’t help but start the ECW chants.

Edge is angry that Shawn Michaels is getting ANOTHER title shot when Edge didn’t lose last night. He is going to insert himself back in the title picture whether anyone likes it or not. Get it? Got it? Good.

Jeff Hardy vs. Johnny Nitro

Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch are on commentary and there are no seconds for a bit of a weird change. Hardy wastes no time with a Russian legsweep into the split legged cradle. Nitro is right back with some right hands as Cade and Murdoch are being especially respectful of Hardy. Hardy fights out of a chinlock and avoids a charge in the corner. The Whisper in the Wind drops Nitro again and a sitout gordbuster gives Hardy two. Nitro gets in a shot to the face and heads up, only to get backdropped down. The Swanton finishes for Hardy.

Rating: C. These two could have a passable match in their sleep and they had another completely acceptable one here. I’m not sure why the Hardys vs. Cade/Murdoch seems to be continuing, but it isn’t like there is anything else to do in the tag division. There are a few teams here and there, but are any of them worthy of a title program? Maybe Cryme Tyme? Anyway, were you expecting Hardy vs. Nitro to be bad?

Post match, Cade and Murdoch try to show Jeff some respect but he leaves out of caution.

We see some stills of last night’s pretty great main event.

Video on Vince McMahon winning the ECW World Title last night.

Rob Van Dam vs. Umaga

Shane McMahon handles Umaga’s introduction. We’re joined in progress with Van Dam kicking away but getting shoved off the top for the big crash into the barricade. Back in and Umaga slowly hammers away before cutting off a comeback attempt with the Samoan drop. For some reason Van Dam tries to slam Umaga, which goes as well as you would expect. The sleeper on Umaga’s back works slightly better until Van Dam gets rammed into the corner and tossed outside.

Umaga follows him outside and now the sleeper goes on again. This time Umaga rams Van Dam HARD into the steps for another break for a near countout. Back in and Umaga hits the running headbutt but misses the running hip attack in the corner. A basement dropkick and basement spinwheel kick have Shane panicking and Rolling Thunder gets two. Umaga’s running splash hits the post and there’s the Five Star but Umaga grabs the throat on the landing. Some choking sets up the Samoan Spike to put Van Dam away.

Rating: C+. It was short but hard hitting as Van Dam was a unique challenger to Umaga. That’s what you want out of something like this, though Umaga beating the top ECW star so soon might have been a little rushed. Still though, Umaga gets back on the right path in a pretty good match so it was a good use of TV time.

Vince McMahon comes out to pose, still as the best heel in the company.

Torrie Wilson and Carlito come up to Ric Flair in the back and Flair isn’t happy with Carlito for yelling at him in Spanish last week. Carlito apologizes, which is all Flair needed, but he has also gotten them a match tonight with the World’s Greatest Tag Team. If it goes badly, they can go their separate ways. Flair gives him a pep talk, but says this is his last chance. Flair leaves and Torrie asks if this is a good idea. Carlito: “RELAX!”

Shawn Michaels vs. John Cena

Non-title….and non-match as there is no Shawn. We cut to the back where Shawn is out cold.

Post break, Coach accuses John Cena of taking Shawn out, earning himself a grab by the shirt and a lift off the floor. Vince McMahon comes in to ask what is going on. Coach is going to find out what happened, but Vince wants Shawn wrestling TONIGHT. For some reason, Val Venis is there in street clothes checking on Shawn as well.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Torrie Wilson is here with Flair and Carlito. Flair starts with Haas and WOO’s a bit before hiptossing Haas over. Benjamin comes in to choke Carlito on the ropes but a dropkick gives Carlito two. For some reason Carlito goes into the wrong corner and it’s Haas coming back in to stomp away. A backbreaker gives Haas two and we hit the reverse chinlock. Benjamin’s backbreaker gets two and we hit a chinlock with Benjamin’s knee in the back. Carlito fights up and gets over to Flair for the tag as everything breaks down….and Carlito knocks Flair out with a left hand. The brawl is on and we have a no contest.

Rating: C-. Another watchable match which was only there for the angle at the end. Flair isn’t doing anything important at the moment so a quick pay per view match with Carlito is a good way to go for him. The match itself was what you would expect, but Flair vs. Carlito is going to work out.

Flair and Carlito fight up the ramp, but Carlito rakes the eyes and escapes.

Now Edge has been attacked and Coach isn’t sure what to do. He wants Randy Orton though.

We recap the attacks on Michaels and Edge.

Here’s Mr. Kennedy who says he didn’t do that. You won’t find a glove that fits his hand, because he has this briefcase. Kennedy could have cashed in his briefcase at Backlash but he chose not to. How many fans would like to see him cash in his briefcase right here in Nashville, Tennessee? The fans approve of the idea but that isn’t going to happen.

Kennedy thinks it was wrong for Edge to wait until after John Cena had gone through an Elimination Chamber to cash in. He’s going to be more fair and announce when he’s cashing in. That would be in 335 days at Wrestlemania XXIV, when the new champion will be MR. KENNEDY!!! Kennedy.

Randy Orton has been attacked as well.

Coach comes in to recap the attacks to Vince McMahon, who says he knows who did it. Whoever did it did it because of John Cena, so Coach needs to send Cena to the ring to meet the man who did this.

Mickie James/Candice Michelle vs. Melina/Victoria

Candice chokes Victoria to no avail so it’s off to Melina to miss a dropkick. Mickie comes in for some hair pulling and catfighting, which is not exactly Mickie’s style. It’s back to Victoria, who knocks Mickie outside and drives her into the apron. Melina grabs the cross arm choke but Mickie fights back up with a neckbreaker. That’s enough for the hot tag to bring in Candice and everything breaks down. Mickie saves Candice from a double suplex and a rollup finishes Victoria.

Rating: D+. Candice was getting in a little offense here and there and that’s probably a sign of the next push. It’s easy to see why WWE would want to push her, though she still has a long way to go in the ring. Putting her in there with women like Mickie and Victoria will help a lot though so at least they have the right idea.

The ECW Originals don’t like Vince McMahon as ECW World Champion. Tommy Dreamer cries, because he’s Tommy Dreamer.

We recap tonight’s attacks.

Here is John Cena to say whoever is behind this could have saved themselves a lot of time and come at him face to face. He’s ready to fight…..and here’s the Great Khali, which makes Cena swallow hard. Cena charges out to start the fight on the floor and gets knocked around. They head inside with Cena’s flying shoulder having no effect, earning himself a clothesline. A big boot puts Cena down again but he fights up and manages to get him in the FU. That’s broken up with elbows to the face though and the double chokeslam plants Cena to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. The wrestling started good and then went downhill as the show went on, but I liked the one night mystery to set up Cena’s next challenger. It’s the definition of a spring/early summer title program and there is nothing wrong with that. Khali running through all four members of the fatal four way in one night is a great symbolic move and now we get to move on to what could be an interesting (not necessarily in a good way) title match. Overall, another good night, which is nice to see.

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Backlash 2007
Date: April 29, 2007
Location: Phillips Arena, Atlanta, Georgia
Attendance: 14,500
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Taz, John Bradshaw Layfield, Joey Styles

It’s the Wrestlemania followup show and the company is still on something of a hot streak. We have a big double main event as Batista challenges Undertaker for the Smackdown World Title in a Last Man Standing match and John Cena defends against Edge, Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton. That’s enough star power, plus Vince McMahon going for a title of his own. Let’s get to it.

The opening video looks at how this is the Wrestlemania sequel, with a focus on the three top matches. Rather simple and to the point, but it works well.

Raw Tag Team Titles: Hardys vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch

The Hardys are defending. Matt and Cade get things going with the latter driving him into the corner. That’s broken up so Cade goes with a running shoulder but Matt slugs his way out of trouble. A headlock takeover puts Cade down but it’s off to Murdoch, who walks into a slam. Jeff comes in with a slingshot dropkick and the elbow/flipping splash combination keeps Murdoch in trouble.

The Whisper in the Wind is more of a flipping Blockbuster but it lets the Hardys clear the ring. Jeff’s big Poetry In Motion to the floor has Cade and Murdoch down again and the champs are in control. Back in and Matt drops a middle rope elbow for two on Murdoch, who sends him into the corner for a breather. It’s back to Jeff, who gets pulled out to the floor for the crash to put him in trouble. The sitout spinebuster plants Jeff for two and Murdoch grabs the chinlock.

Back up and a neckbreaker and clothesline give Murdoch two each, followed by a big boot for the same. Cade comes back in for a chinlock of his own and it’s already back to Murdoch for a belly to back suplex. Jeff’s dropkick isn’t enough for the hot tag but kicking Murdoch out of the corner is, as Matt gets to come back in. Everything breaks down and Jeff is sent hard into the corner, leaving Cade to come off the top and hit Matt in the back. Murdoch’s Code Red gets two but Matt is back up with the Twist of Fate. With Matt cutting off Cade, Jeff Swantons Murdoch so Matt can get the retaining pin.

Rating: C+. It was a little long at over fifteen minutes but the Hardys winning a hard fought tag match is almost always a good idea. Cade and Murdoch are a good old fashioned roughneck brawling team and this was a fine way to use them. It felt like a pay per view title match, though trimming off a minute or two might have helped.

Vince and Shane McMahon are confident that they can beat Bobby Lashley, especially with Umaga around. How does this sound: ECW World Champion Vince McMahon?

Women’s Title: Melina vs. Mickie James

Mickie is challenging and wastes no time armdragging her down into an armbar. The grappling on the mat gives us a quick standoff until Mickie headscissors her back down. That’s broken up as Melina is sent into the corner, where she seems to be favoring her eye. Tis but a ruse though as she charges at Mickie, who hammers away to keep the champ in trouble. Mickie takes too long going up top though and gets shoved off into a heap on the floor.

Back in and Melina grabs a full nelson with her legs and even puts her hand on the rope for leverage (It’s interesting that just putting your hand there wouldn’t do much. The thing is though that fans understand it’s cheating so it can go a long way with almost no effort. Learn that kind of thing.). A choke in the corner has Mickie in more trouble and a middle rope Thesz press drops her again.

The chinlock doesn’t last long as Mickie drops down into the splits….and pulls Melina down into them with her. They slug it out from there until Mickie kicks her away. Some clotheslines and a hair toss have Melina in more trouble, with a high crossbody getting two. That’s enough for Melina, who goes to the eyes and drops her with a reverse DDT to retain.

Rating: C. They were working hard here but there is only so much that you can do when they are in the lowest level match on the card and the ending comes out of nowhere. Melina needs to be built up with wins like this so they did things as well as they could have. Not a terrible match, but it could have been on any given Raw.

Edge is ready to win the WWE Championship. Maria pulls out a fan question, asking how he won his first World Title. That would be Money in the Bank, so here is Mr. Kennedy with the briefcase to hint at a cash-in at the end of the night. Eh, not with that kind of telegraphing.

The Condemned hype comes to pay per view.

US Title: Chris Benoit vs. MVP

MVP is challenging and drives him into the corner a few times to start. A leg dive doesn’t work for MVP and it’s time for the exchange of front facelocks. Benoit tries the Crossface but MVP is right over to the rope, as he should be. Back up and a headlock takeover slows Benoit down a bit until he reverses into a headscissors and then bridges up into a backslide for two. Benoit takes him down and gets the Sharpshooter, sending MVP back to the ropes.

Back up again and MVP hits a running boot to the back of the head to take over. The cravate goes on to stay on Benoit’s neck and MVP tosses him with a suplex for two more. MVP grabs a chinlock and the LET’S GO POWER RANGER chant gets on his nerves a bit. Benoit fights up and rolls the German suplexes but MVP is smart enough to grab the foot to prevent the Swan Dive.

A hot shot gives MVP a series of two counts but Benoit is right back with the Crossface, sending MVP back to the ropes. MVP is back with something like an armbar while cranking on the neck at the same time. The big boot misses though and Benoit rolls more German suplexes. The Swan Dive is loaded up but hits raised knees, allowing MVP to grab a half crab. That’s broken up so MVP tries a suplex, which is quickly reversed into a small package so Benoit can retain.

Rating: B-. The ending surprised me and that’s a good thing, at least in theory. At the end of the day, I’m not sure how smart it is to have Benoit retain the title as MVP needs to win something rather soon. Getting pinned by Benoit is hardly some terrible result, but how many times can MVP lose before it stops mattering anymore?

John Cena is asked about how title defense tonight but here is Randy Orton to interrupt. Orton talks about how similar they are, including being handsome. An alliance is tossed out, but Cena would rather talk about the handsome part. It turns into a series of gay jokes, though it isn’t Cena’s thing. Orton says tonight is ending with Cena on his back and Orton on top, drawing in Ron Simmons for the catchphrase.

We recap the McMahons and Umaga vs. Bobby Lashley for Lashley’s ECW World Title. Lashley beat Umaga at Wrestlemania to force Vince McMahon to get his head shaved, so now it is time for revenge. Vince has put Lashley in a handicap match and Lashley….well he got as fired up as he could at least.

ECW World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga/Vince McMahon/Shane McMahon

Lashley is defending but unfortunately Vince has traded the snazzy hat for a bandanna. Shane starts for the team and gets taken down for an early pummeling. There’s the spinebuster and Shane is on the floor in a hurry. Back in and Shane hands it off to Umaga, which is just fine with Lashley. Umaga takes him down but Lashley avoids a charge in the corner and hits some running clotheslines.

A clothesline puts Umaga on the floor and Shane goes with him, leaving Vince alone with Lashley. Umaga comes back in to save the boss and Shane low bridges Lashley to the floor. There’s a legdrop to keep Lashley in trouble and a hard whip into the corner makes it worse. Shane starts working on the arm and cranks away, with Lashley just kind of laying there cringing. The hold stays on for a good while, including a bodyscissors to make it worse. Lashley powerbombs his way to freedom but Umaga is right back with in with the save.

Umaga grabs the bearhug and then a Samoan drop gets two. It’s back to Shane for a camel clutch but Lashley fights up with some suplexes. A torture rack into a backbreaker gets two with Vince finally making the save. Umaga and Shane have to save Vince from the running powerslam and it’s a belt shot to the head. Vince comes in to count two but Lashley is done. Umaga adds the top rope splash and now Vince can get the pin to become ECW World Champion.

Rating: C. The match itself wasn’t great, but this was ALL about the title change, as Vince winning the ECW World Title is the ultimate slap in the face of ECW. In other words, it’s absolutely perfect and makes Umaga look like a star as well as he was the one who put Lashley down. It’s a great way to make ECW fans mad and hope that someone takes it back, even if it’s Lashley. Not much of a match, but a nice piece of business.

Shane runs around holding the title in a hilarious visual. Vince is awarded the title and orders that the ring announcer name him the new champion again.

Post commercial, Vince McMahon runs into the ECW Originals and mocks all of them, saying things are looking up for Sabu and stealing Sandman’s kendo stick. Vince and Shane: “EC DUB! EC DUB! EC DUB!”

We recap Batista vs. Undertaker in a Last Man Standing match for Undertaker’s Smackdown World Title. Undertaker took it from him at Wrestlemania and now it’s time for the much more violent rematch. Neither trusts each other, but there does seem to be some respect between then.

Smackdown World Title: Batista vs. Undertaker

Undertaker is defending and it’s Last Man Standing. Batista has a heavily taped up thigh and Undertaker sends him into the corner to start hammer away. It’s too early for a chokeslam so Undertaker scores with the jumping clothesline instead. Old School connects early but Batista is back with the running powerslam. They fight outside with Undertaker kicking him up against the apron and then going after the big target on the leg.

The apron legdrop gives Undertaker a five but Batista whips him knees first into the steps. Back in and Undertaker catches him on top for a superplex (that’s a rare one for Undertaker) for the big double knockdown. They slug it out until Batista hits a running clothesline and slams him down for a legdrop. Undertaker kicks him right back to the floor and loads up the announcers’ table, which can’t possibly go well. Instead, Undertaker hits him with the steps for seven and NOW it’s time for the bloody Batista to be put on the announcers’ table.

A heck of a jumping legdrop off the barricade crushes Batista for a nine. Back in and the spear gives Batista seven and the spinebuster puts Undertaker right back down. Two more spinebusters give Batista a nine but Undertaker comes right back with a chokeslam. That’s enough for a nine so Undertaker hammers away in the corner (that’s not smart), only to get pulled into the Batista Bomb for a very close nine.

A frustrated Batista grabs a chair and blasts him in the head but the Batista Bomb is countered with a backdrop onto the chair. The Tombstone is good for nine so Undertaker kicks him outside again. They fight up to the stage and the Tombstone is countered again, so Batista spears him off the stage. That sets off the sparks and part of the set falls down, which is enough for the double ten count and a draw.

Rating: B. They beat each other up for a long time and the legdrop spot looked good, but going to a draw in a Last Man Standing match is rarely going to get anything but an eye roll. The ending did look good and felt big, but it makes this match feel like it didn’t matter. You don’t want that kind of a feeling, though the third match should be good as well.

Both guys take their time getting up but leave on their own.

The Condemned is still a thing.

There was a fan poll on who will win the main event:

John Cena – 50%
Shawn Michaels – 34%
Randy Orton – 10%
Edge – 6%

We recap the four way for the Raw World Title. John Cena retained against Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania but Shawn wanted one more shot. That was cool with Cena, but Edge and Randy Orton wanted in as well. The match was made, and then Shawn beat Cena clean in a nearly hour long classic this week on Raw.

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Edge vs. Randy Orton vs. Shawn Michaels

Cena is defending and this is one fall to a finish. They stare each other down at the bell and it seems that we are in for a mini tag match. We don’t get any contact until a minute in, when Edge and Orton are knocked to the floor. Shawn turns to chop Cena, who grabs a release fisherman’s suplex for two. Back in and Orton dropkicks Edge outside and all four wind up on the floor. Edge whips Orton into the steps but Shawn is back up to plant Edge with a slam. Shawn isn’t done as he moonsaults off the top onto all three of them.

Back in and Cena hits a double top rope Fameasser onto Edge and Michaels for the triple knockdown. Orton comes back in and sends Shawn and Edge outside, leaving Cena to get caught with the backbreaker for two. Cena gets sent into the post but Shawn is back in to slug away on Orton. Edge comes back in with a spinwheel kick on Shawn, meaning it’s time for a mini Rated-RKO reunion. A Cena comeback attempt gets shoved off the apron and onto the announcers’ table and there’s a double backdrop to Shawn.

That sets up a double half crab (which somehow equals Boston instead of one) until Cena comes in for the real save. The Shuffle hits Edge but Shawn is up to send Cena and Orton face first into the post. Shawn loads up a piledriver through the announcers’ table but Edge makes the save with a chair. Another chair shot drops Orton, leaving Cena to pull Edge into the STFU. The rope is grabbed so Cena puts Orton in the same hold. Shawn makes the save and cleans house, including sending Orton and Edge outside.

The top rope elbow hits Cena and there’s one to Edge. Shawn loads up another to Orton but Cena breaks it up and we get the big Tower of Doom to leave everyone laying. Back up and Cena and Edge trade finisher attempts until Cena throws Edge and Shawn up onto his shoulders at the same time. Shawn slips off and tries the superkick but Orton hits an RKO out of nowhere. Cena breaks that up before one but walks into the Edgecution. Orton and Cena trade finisher attempts until Edge spears Orton down. The FU hits Edge but Cena walks into the superkick to leave everyone down….and Cena lands on Orton for the pin to retain.

Rating: B+. The match took some time to get going, but ultimately it was the last few minutes that took this to another level. The last four or five minutes were absolute fire with one big spot after another. I love the ending too as Shawn knocks Cena silly and would have had him beat but Cena got lucky with the landing. You can go a few directions from that, and I’m sure we’ll see some fallout at the next pay per view.

Shawn is livid and yells at Cena, who looks confused.

Overall Rating: A-. You had a six match card and the two longest were very good while getting by far the most time. Throw in Benoit vs. MVP in a good match and the worst thing being Mickie vs. Melina in a watchable match and this was a heck of a show. I liked this more than I would have bet on as WWE continues having their very strong stretch over the last few months.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 23, 2007
Location: Earl’s Court, London, England
Attendance: 12,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s a special show as we are in London and it’s time for a Wrestlemania rematch. The main event of this week’s show will see WWE Champion John Cena facing Shawn Michaels in a non-title match. That’s not a bad way to spend Cena’s thirtieth birthday and they can probably do some good stuff. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Here is Shane McMahon, seemingly ready for a match, to get things going. Shane says that Bobby Lashley won’t be here tonight because he has been busy costing Vince McMahon his hair and Umaga the Intercontinental Title. We see a clip of Santino Marella debuting last week and winning the title with an assist from Lashley.

Since it’s St. George’s Day, Shane is going to let a fan have a chance to slay the ultimate dragon: Shane himself. Shane says we can even make it no holds barred and it can be someone from the crowd. After turning down the Chelsea coach, Shane says he has a better idea: a man he saw beat up six people last night in a pub.

Shane McMahon vs. Robbie Brookside

The fans don’t seem to know who Brookside is, though he had been around for over twenty years at this point. Shane grabs a headlock to start and takes him down for some knees to the back. Some kicks to the ribs keep Brookside in trouble and Shane hammers away in the corner. The trashcan is loaded up and Coast To Coast knocks Brookside silly. Hold on though as Shane just remembered that this is a handicap match.

Shane McMahon/Umaga vs. Robbie Brookside

Umaga gets in his own shots and hits the running hip attack in the corner. The top rope splash connects, but Shane remembers that he has one more partner.

Shane McMahon/Umaga/Vince McMahon vs. Robbie Brookside

Vince comes in and gets the pin. I credit the hat for his victory.

Rating: C-. What else is there to say to this? It was an angle instead of a match and not a great one at that, but at least they made the villains look like villains. Shane had Brookside beat on his own and kept bringing in more and more people, which made them look like monsters. That’s a good idea for something like this and it was a good way to build them up for Lashley on Sunday.

Video on John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels from Wrestlemania.

Matt Hardy vs. Trevor Murdoch

Time for part two of WWE’s favorite way to book a tag team feud. They fight over a lockup to start with Murdoch powering him into the corner. Hardy fights out but Murdoch pulls him off the middle rope for a crash. A neckbreaker drops Matt again but he avoids a middle rope elbow. The comeback is on, including the bulldog out of the corner and the Side Effect for two. Matt misses a charge into the corner though and Murdoch hits something like a Canadian Destroyer for the pin.

Rating: C. WWE has long since loved this idea as the Texas boys are now 2-0 in singles matches against the Hardys. As luck would have it, now they are going to be getting a Tag Team Titles hot on Sunday and now there might be some doubt about who is winning. That’s about all they have in the division at the moment, so go with it.

Weekly Condemned plug.

Melina vs. Maria

Non-title. Melina drives her into the corner to choke a lot, then bends Maria’s neck across the rope. Maria’s headscissors doesn’t do her much good as a swinging hair faceplant finishes in a hurry for Melina.

Ric Flair is ready to go the ring with Carlito, who is doing this on his own. Flair doesn’t seem thrilled.

Carlito vs. Great Khali

Carlito goes after him to start and manages to stagger Khali but gets knocked out of the air. The double chokeslam finishes Carlito in a hurry.

Post match Ric Flair comes out to check on Carlito, who wants nothing from him.

Mick Foley joins us for a cheap pop and talks about guest GM Michael Pena making the four way main event for Backlash. Edge pops in to say he is glad the match was made and he is going to watch John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels before taking out Randy Orton tonight.

Shawn Michaels runs into John Cena in the back. Cena talks about all of Shawn’s nicknames, but Cena’s only nickname is the champ. This was serious Cena and that is a good thing.

John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels

Non-title and we even get an old school weapons check. Shawn takes him down by the arm to start but gets reversed into a headscissors for the early break. Back up and Shawn goes after the arm again so Cena tries an STF to send Shawn bailing again. Another STF attempt has Cena running into the corner so they go technical for a change. Cena doesn’t care for that and powers him down to the mat, sending Shawn to the ropes again. They trade shots to the face and we take an early break.

Back with Cena grabbing a headlock takeover to grind Shawn down for a change. It works so well that Cena does it again and Shawn can’t get out of it in his first few attempts. Shawn fights up again and tries a hiptoss, only to get blasts with a clothesline to set up the chinlock again. The next escape attempt actually works and Shawn hammers away to take over for the first time. Cena gets a boot up in the corner though and a heck of a clothesline gets two.

A Sweet Chin Music attempt is countered into an AA attempt but Shawn bails out to the floor as we take another break. Back with Shawn elbowing away in the corner until Cena catches him with a World’s Strongest Slam. The release fisherman’s suplex gets two and the Throwback is good for the same. Shawn comes back with a quick swinging neckbreaker and they’re both down for a breather. Back up and the flying forearm drops Cena so Shawn can nip up.

The top rope elbow connects but Cena is ready for Sweet Chin Music. The big flying shoulder misses and Cena falls to the floor….where he is fine enough to pull Shawn’s dive out of the air. A posting is countered into a ram into the steps to leave Cena down as we take another break. Back again with Cena down on the floor, seemingly with a bad shoulder, so Shawn takes him back inside to crank on the arm. Cena fights up and initiates the finishing sequence, including the Shuffle. The FU gets two and that brings the fans back into things as we take a fourth break.

We come back again with Cena throwing him hard to the floor to bang up Shawn’s back even more. A posting gives Cena two back inside and the kickout has him a little stunned. Cena scores with a suplex (with Shawn still holding his back for a nice touch) for two and it’s off to the rather wise bearhug.

Shawn fights out so Cena dumps him over the top for the crash to the floor, setting up the top rope legdrop for two back inside. The super FU is countered into a powerbomb but Shawn can’t follow up. Another STF attempt earns another block and Shawn knocks him off the apron, into the announcers’ table. A piledriver onto the steps, ala Wrestlemania, is blocked and we take another break.

We come back again with Cena unloading on Shawn on the announcers’ table and NOW the STF can go on inside. The long form crawl gets Shawn to the rope for the break but he has to slip out of the FU….and hit Sweet Chin Music for a very delayed two. Shawn is whipped hard into the corner so Cena tries the FU again, only to have Shawn get out and hit the superkick, this time falling on top for the pin (after about 55 minutes, a Raw record for a one fall match).

Rating: A-. What else is there to say about this? It’s one of the best TV matches of all time as it is both very long and also high quality throughout. You almost never get to see that and they made it work very well here. It’s an excellent match and felt like a Wrestlemania worthy main event. You could go back and forth on which was better, but this is going to be very hard to top for a long time to come.

Shawn says something to Cena and holds up the title to end the show. Edge vs. Orton didn’t happen, which I’m assuming has something to do with Orton being sent home from the tour. Good chance that’s why this match had to go so long.

Overall Rating: B. A show with a match like that is going to carry you about as far as you need to go and make up for almost anything else taking place. That was the case here, as the rest of the show was mostly skippable, only to have an all time classic bail it out. About half of the show is spent on one outstanding match and that is more than enough to carry this whole thing. Great match, which makes for a pretty awesome show.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 16, 2007
Location: Datchforum, Milan, Italy
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We have a special one here as the show is in Italy for the first time ever. That should make for a cool atmosphere if nothing else and that is almost always a good idea. For once though, Raw is on a roll as we move towards Backlash. If this show can continue that streak, they’ll be able to say…..however you praise something in Italian. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Coach to get things going. Coach isn’t happy with last week’s announcement of the Backlash main event, so therefore we’ll do his original idea tonight: John Cena vs. Rated-RKO in a handicap match. With that out of the way, Coach introduces Vince McMahon (again with the snappy hat). After saying he doesn’t understand any of the fans’ chants, Vince talks about how he has received a better reception from every other city in Europe. Milan is supposed to be the fashion capital of the world but look at these people and tell him that is true.

Vince insults the smell of garlic in the city and brings out Umaga, with Armando Alejandro Estrada. We see a clip of Umaga and company destroying Bobby Lashley last week, followed by Vince announcing that Lashley is not here as he did not clear customs to enter the country. With that out of the way, Vince says he wants to see Umaga in action tonight, so someone can come out here and face him. With no one coming, Vince offers to make it an Intercontinental Title match.

Still no takers, so Vince asks for someone to come out of the crowd. A fan agrees and says si, he does understand English. The soccer chants are on and Vince explains the idea of a hold harmless clause. The fan is down with that and says his name is Santino Marella. Let’s do it.

Intercontinental Title: Santino Marella vs. Umaga

Marella is challenging and hammers away, including some kicks at the leg. Umaga misses a charge into the post and Santino is on a roll….but Vince remembers that this is no holds barred. Estrada offers a distraction and Umaga runs Santino over, allowing Estrada to get in some slaps of his own. Umaga hits a Vader Bomb but here is Lashley to slam Umaga off the top. The brawl is on so Vince grabs a chair, which Lashley takes away and blasts Umaga again. A spear cuts Umaga down and Lashley puts Santino on top for the pin and the title.

Rating: D. The match was nothing of course and there is nothing wrong with that. This was all about letting Lashley get one up on the villains and it worked out well enough. WWE gets a bit of fresh blood on their roster as well and Santino winning is certainly a surprise upset. Good angle, but nothing as a match.

The big celebration is on (which is weird with no music) as we take a break. Back with Jerry Lawler in the ring with Lashley and Marella. Lashley says he’ll keep his ECW World Title at Backlash, but tonight is about Santino. Some Italian cheap pops ensue as Santino isn’t a big talker to start.

Ric Flair talks to Carlito about the beautiful Italian women. Carlito is sorry for walking out on him last week but Flair says it’s ok. They’ll win tonight and get back in contention, though Carlito doesn’t seem convinced after Flair leaves.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Torrie Wilson is here with Flair/Carlito. Benjamin and Carlito start things off with Carlito hitting a hiptoss into a slam. Haas and Benjamin are cleared out in a hurry so Haas comes in to shoulder Flair in the corner. That doesn’t seem to bother Flair, who goes after Haas’ leg but Benjamin cuts him off.

The villains take over on Flair with Haas kicking and punching away. Flair gets taken into the corner for some alternating stomping but Flair suplexes his way to freedom. The hot tag brings in Carlito to slug away as everything breaks down. The referee gets rid of Flair, allowing Haas to trip Carlito into Benjamin’s exploder for the pin.

Rating: C-. The problems continue for Flair and Carlito, who don’t seem to be long for the tag team ranks. You don’t often come back from the communication issues world and that looks like where they are now. I’m not sure what is next for either of them after they’re done with each other, but it isn’t like this is some epic story in the first place.

Post match, Carlito is incredibly frustrated and storms off, leaving Torrie with Flair (that seems like a really bad idea).

We look at Michael Pena setting up the four way at Backlash for the WWE Championship.

John Cena, who is REALLY not popular here, gives Maria a special look before talking about how there is one champ around here. Cue Shawn Michaels to say he was here to bail Cena out on the way to Wrestlemania. Now though, he doesn’t care what happens to Cena and next week, he’s leaving Cena on his back.

There is an Italian announce team at ringside and one of them looks like Tazz.

The Condemned has a villain.

Melina is getting ready for the Divas Fashion Show and Johnny Nitro is rather pleased. Cue Eugene to stare at her, which doesn’t please Nitro as much.

Great Khali is coming to Raw.

Johnny Nitro vs. Eugene

Nitro stomps away to start, both on the mat and in the corner. Some shots to the head set up a flipping neckbreaker to put Eugene away in just over a minute.

We look at Milan’s fashion industry.

It’s time for a Diva Fashion Show, featuring a guy named Paolo Marilla (he’s in a tuxedo and seems to be a big shot in fashion) as the host. First up is Candice Michelle with an angel’s wings dress. Victoria takes off her shoes and almost marches down the ramp. Mickie is in more regular clothes with I guess the higher fashion idea. Maria and Torrie Wilson are in rather limited clothing and Melina is in a dress we saw a few minutes ago. Torrie wins so Melina jumps her until Mickie makes the save. This was another reason to have the Divas in the ring together.

Jeff Hardy vs. Lance Cade

Matt Hardy and Trevor Murdoch are here too. Feeling out process to start with the referee having to yell at Cade for being too aggressive. Cade slams Hardy but misses a clothesline, allowing Jeff to hit Whisper in the Wind for two. Back up and Cade hits some knees to the ribs, with Murdoch adding a cheap shot for a bonus.

Jeff is back up with a dropkick through the ropes to take Murdoch down but Cade kicks him in the face. Matt chases Murdoch off after another cheap shot and a headbutt gives Cade two. An elbow to the face into a snapmare gets the same but Hardy is back up with the sitout jawbreaker. The yet to be named Sling Blade sets up the Swanton, which hits knees thanks to a Murdoch distraction. A clothesline gives Cade the upset pin.

Rating: C. It’s almost weird to see Cade getting a feature match but he was showcased fairly well here. It puts a bit of heat on the title match at Backlash, or at least as much can be put on a Tag Team Title match these days. Cade looked like a star here though and that’s a bright sign for his future.

The Condemned has stunts!

Here is Chris Masters to talk about various works of art here in Italy. There have been some amazing works, but none of the masters have ever created a masterpiece like him.

Chris Masters vs. Super Crazy

They fight over a lockup to start with Masters powering him around. Back up and Masters sends him outside, setting up a big running flip dive. Back in and Masters avoids a moonsault (or “look at this move”) according to Lawler so the stomping can ensue. Masters whips him hard into the corner for two but has to counter a crucifix into something like a Samoan drop for two more.

The chinlock puts Crazy in more trouble and it works so well that Masters puts it on again. Crazy fights up and starts kicking at Masters’ legs for the break, setting up a standing flipping legdrop for two. Masters doesn’t seem to mind and catches him with a wheelbarrow suplex for the pin.

Rating: C. I liked this more than I thought I would and a lot of that is due to Masters mixing things up a bit. Yeah he did the same offense until the ending but then it wasn’t the Masterlock for the first time pretty much ever. That has been one of the biggest problems with Masters for a very long time now so it is nice to see him throw in a curve ball. Crazy’s usual charisma made it even better so well done on a totally watchable match.

Rated-RKO blame each other for various things but tonight they are going to get on the same page to take out John Cena.

John Cena vs. Rated-RKO

Non-title. Edge starts for the team and gets caught in an early release fisherman’s suplex for two. Cena grabs a rollup for the same as he’s in desperation mode early on. A front facelock doesn’t get Cena very far as the fans are all over him. Orton comes in and gets taken down for two (with JR saying a pin would have been cool). Some forearms to the chest have Cena in trouble and he scores with a big boot (Has he ever used that before?) as Edge comes in to send us to a break.

Back with Edge knocking Cena off the apron and into the announcers’ table as the beating continues. Orton powers him back inside to hammer away and it’s back to Edge for a big boot of his own. Now it’s Orton getting to forearm away even more but Edge has to Edge-O-Matic his way out of an FU attempt. Cena knocks Edge off the top and hits the top rope Fameasser but Orton is right back in to cut him off.

Cue Shawn Michaels as Cena fights back, including the Shuffle to Edge. Orton dropkicks Cena to break up the FU on Edge and the referee gets bumped. Back up and Edge spears Orton by mistake. Shawn comes in and tries a superkick to Cena but takes Edge out instead. The FU to Shawn allows Cena to pin Edge and escape.

Rating: C-. Kind of a dull match here but the ending sequence got better. Part of the problem was that this was mainly spent on Edge and Orton slowly beating Cena down, which isn’t the most thrilling match. At least they gave us something interesting in the ending, but it was definitely a slower paced main event.

Overall Rating: C. You’re only going to get so much out of these international shows, with the opening segment being the only thing worth seeing. The rest of the show was completely watchable, but it’s not like the majority of it is all that great. Backlash is starting to take shape and we have Cena vs. Michaels set for next week, so call this a step towards the future without doing much on its own.

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 9, 2007
Location: Harbor Yard Arena, Bridgeport, Connecticut
Attendance: 6,000
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re officially done with the Wrestlemania victory lap week and that means it is time to start getting ready for Backlash. That could mean more than a few things, but it certainly feels like Wrestlemania fallout is in full swing. Vince McMahon vs. Bobby Lashley and John Cena vs. Shawn Michaels are both continuing and that is likely to be your focus this week. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Here is Shane McMahon to get things going. Shane talks about the power of the McMahon name and usually it is greeted with respect. Lately though, it has been greeted with laughter due to what happened to Vince McMahon at Wrestlemania. Tonight is about the McMahon Family dynasty though and it is time to restore honor to the name. Shane calls out Bobby Lashley and his request is granted in a hurry.

Since the McMahons have lost their dignity, Lashley needs to lose what matters to him the most. Therefore tonight, Lashley is defending his title against Shane himself. Cue Umaga and Armando Alejandro Estrada, but Shane says he’d doing this on his own, even getting in Umaga’s face and slapping Estrada. Lashley is down with the title match, but wants Shane’s hair on the line too. That’s cool with Shane, who is showing some moxxy here.

Mickie James/Candice Michelle vs. Melina/Victoria

Candice starts with Melina but she wants Mickie instead. That’s fine with Mickie, who gets punched in the face almost immediately. Mickie takes her into the corner and brings in Candice to start working on the arm. Candice chokes her on the ropes but Victoria gets in a cheap shot to take over without much trouble.

Victoria ties her in the Tree of Woe and egads the crowd is quiet here. Something like an upside down Bronco Buster gives Melina two and it’s time to stretch both of Candice’s arms at once. Victoria misses the slingshot legdrop though and Mickie comes in for a neckbreaker. Everything breaks down and the MickieDT finishes Victoria.

Rating: C. Totally watchable match here as they kept it short and didn’t have Candice on offense that much. Mickie and Victoria can do whatever they need to in the ring and Melina is getting better. Candice is still a work in progress but she has improved and that is a good sign for her future.

We look at Vince McMahon getting his head shaved at Wrestlemania.

Mick Foley is with Michael Pena, a kid who is tonight’s General Manager (thanks to Make-A-Wish). The Highlanders comes in and introduce themselves, with Foley suggesting Pena put them in a wild match. Instead, Pena meets Maria, which goes a bit better. Pena looks at the camera and gets the cheap pop for praising Bridgeport. The more I see of these Make-A-Wish moments, the more I see why the wrestlers rave about them. They’re just cool, especially with the smiles on the kids’ faces.

Ric Flair and Carlito come out for a match, but first, Carlito reminds Flair of the time that he said Carlito had no heart or passion. That made Carlito angry, but you don’t get a wake up call from the 16 time World Champion very often. Carlito talks about how important it is to see someone who paved the way and we get a clip from the Ric Flair and the Four Horsemen DVD (Flair: “MY SHOES COST MORE THAN YOUR HOUSE!”). Back in the arena, Flair is touched and Carlito says that once they win tonight, they get a Tag Team Title shot at Backlash. That’s cool.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch

Torrie Wilson is here with Flair and Carlito and the winners get the Backlash Tag Team Title shot. We’re joined in progress with Flair chopping away at Cade, who cuts him off with a jumping clothesline. Murdoch comes in and hammers away on Flair, including a slap to the back (that’s a different one).

A belly to back suplex gets two on Flair with Carlito making the save. The neck crank goes on but Flair fights up and starts chopping away. The hot tag brings in Carlito to clean house, including the knee lift into a clothesline for two on Murdoch. Everything breaks down and Carlito misses his springboard back elbow. With Flair on the floor, a High/Low gives Murdoch the pin on Carlito.

Rating: C-. Pretty basic match here with Flair getting to come in and do his chopping, though another loss doesn’t exactly make Carlito look great. The tag division isn’t all that deep in the first place, though Cade/Murdoch vs. the Hardys should be good. I don’t know if Flair and Carlito have much of a future, but at least it gave Flair something to do.

Post match Flair goes to console Carlito, who walks out on him. It’s not like this was going to be some long term story or anything so they aren’t quite cutting it off too soon.

Video on the Condemned. Egads I’m getting See No Evil flashbacks with all of this hype.

Coach tries to talk Shane McMahon out of the title match and is basically told to mind his own business.

Shawn Michaels is tired of how things have been around here so he is going to start telling it like it is. Tonight he is facing Randy Orton in a #1 contenders match and it is going to be about who wants it more. Randy Orton comes in and says Shawn’s days as the top contender are over. Shawn says Orton wins because he is the 1000th man to say Shawn can’t win around here. Orton’s prize: some new teeth after Shawn kicks his out of his mouth.

Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton

Shawn finally comes out to his own theme instead of the DX song. Shawn’s headlock is countered so he grabs a hammerlock instead. Orton gets smart by grabbing the arm to escape, earning herself a headlock takeover. Somehow Shawn’s eyes has been busted open and Orton slams him down but misses a knee drop, allowing Shawn to start in on said knee. We hit the leg crank as they’re still in second gear at most. Orton kicks Shawn away and into the post to take over but here is Edge to watch as we take a break.

Back with Orton hitting a backdrop and elbowing Shawn out to the apron. The leg keeps giving Orton problems but he’s fine enough to hit the hanging DDT for some near falls. Orton grabs the chinlock but Shawn doesn’t waste time before coming back up to escape and hit the swinging neckbreaker. The flying forearm hits the referee but Shawn doesn’t seem to mind and hits the top rope elbow anyway.

Edge offers the distraction though and Orton gets in a Cactus Clothesline. Orton doesn’t like Edge being out there so he throws Shawn back inside and takes a swing, earning himself a spear. Edge throws Orton and the referee back inside, where Shawn hits a quick Sweet Chin Music. Another referee comes in to count the pin…but all four shoulders are down, as pointed out by the original referee. Therefore, Edge’s music plays as the referees aren’t sure who wins.

Rating: B-. This was a messy match with a lot going on with Edge and the two referees. I can go with doing something else to set up a bigger main event down the line though, as the four way at Backlash seems likely. Good enough for a first step though, which shouldn’t be surprising given who was in there.

Randy Orton storms into Shane McMahon’s office to rant about what happened. Shane tells him to go talk to Coach, because Shane has to worry about his hair.

Val Venis and Super Crazy sign autographs for Michael Pena when Cryme Tyme come in. They think they need a raise, but Foley says Pena can’t perform miracles. Johnny Nitro comes in and walks away without saying anything but here is Coach to get in Pena’s face. Coach says he makes the big decisions around here but Edge comes in to say he needs to talk to Coach about what just happened. With the two of them gone, Mick Foley and Pena suggest that they have something planned.

Hardys vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Non-title. Haas hammerlocks Matt to start but gets kicked into the corner for the tag to Jeff. The flip dive/fist drop combination keeps Haas in trouble and Jeff gets up, only to have Benjamin jump up and springboard kick him in the head (because Shelton can just do that). Benjamin comes in to grab the chinlock, which doesn’t even last as long as usual. Jeff fights up and makes the hot tag off to Matt as everything breaks down. Poetry in Motion into the Twist of Fate into the Swanton finishes Benjamin.

Rating: C. That certainly was a Hardys match and I’m not sure what else to say about it. They played the hits and they all worked, but it wasn’t like this was anything that they haven’t done a hundred times before. It was certainly good, but it felt like a way to say “hey, the Hardys are still here”.

Here is Edge for the Cutting Edge. Before we get anywhere, Edge wants to talk about what happened with Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton, because they both LOST. Edge has been talking to Coach and they both think that he should be the new #1 contender. Cue Orton to chase Edge off and say HE has talked to Coach too and HE should get the title shot. Now it’s Shawn coming out to say it’s his title shot because he is the better man.

We need the champ out here so it’s John Cena joining everyone. Cena says they all want title shots, but the last time Edge got a shot, it was in his match in his hometown and that didn’t work out for him. Cena is fine with beating him again though, which Edge likes. Orton has been complaining about never having a shot but whose fault is that? If Orton wants to dance, Cena isn’t hard to find. That leaves Shawn, who wants to recreate Wrestlemania, so Cena is with him.

Cue Coach to make a ruling: Cena will defend against Edge and Orton at Backlash in a handicap match….but here is Mick Foley to say hang on. See, Coach just isn’t in charge tonight, so here is Michael Pena to make the four way match at Backlash instead. That’s pretty cool and it’s rather sweet to see.

ECW World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Shane McMahon

Lashley is defending and it’s title vs. hair. Shane jumps him before the bell and sends Lashley into the post to drop him on the floor. A running shoulder drives Lashley into the steps and there’s the bell so Shane can get two. Shane hammers away in the corner but gets tossed with an overhead belly to belly. There’s a t-bone suplex for a bonus….and then Shane punches the referee for the DQ.

Post match here is Umaga, flanked by Armando Alejandro Estrada and Vince McMahon, for the brawl. The big beatdown is on in a hurry, including the running hip attack in the corner and a chair shot to Lashley’s head. Lashley is busted open and Vince reveals the bald head. Vince rants at Lashley and says it’s 3-1 at Backlash for the ECW World Title. More beating ensues, including the Samoan Spike to end the show. So Shane gets his head shaved for losing by DQ right?

Overall Rating: C+. This show was about setting up Backlash and they nailed the two big matches in one night. That’s all they needed to do here and they even threw in the Michael Pena stuff to make it that much nicer. Raw has been on a role lately and they’re even maintaining it after Wrestlemania. I don’t expect it to last, but dang it has been fun for a little while.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Monday Night Raw
Date: April 2, 2007
Location: Nutter Center, Dayton, Ohio
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Wrestlemania has come and gone and that means it is time for one of the other biggest shows of the year. Granted that is in theory at least as the tradition has only kind of been set so far. John Cena beat Shawn Michaels to retain the Raw World Title, but (possibly) more importantly, Vince McMahon is now bald. I sense fallout so let’s get to it.

Here is Wrestlemania if you need a recap.

We don’t even open with a recap as here is John Cena to get things going. The fans really don’t sound happy to see him, but he holds the title up because the champ is here. Before he can say anything else, here is Shawn Michaels to interrupt. Shawn says this is like reliving a bad dream because he’s right here again. Last night wasn’t about sportsmanship or mind games and politics (Shawn: “BROTHER!”) but about winning and losing.

Shawn lost, but he doesn’t like it. He doesn’t like having to stick out his hand and tell someone that they are the better man. That isn’t happening this time anyway because Cena ISN’T the better man. Cena: “Anytime, anyplace.” Shawn isn’t busy right now so Dayton, Ohio sounds like a good place for him. Hold on though as here is Coach to say the Tag Team Titles need to be defended, so let’s have a ten team battle royal for those titles.

Tag Team Titles: Battle Royal

John Cena/Shawn Michaels, King Booker/Finlay, Kenny Dykstra/Chris Masters, Rob Van Dam/Sabu, Cryme Tyme, Deuce & Domino, Elijah Burke/Matt Striker, Eugene/Jim Duggan, Highlanders, Chavo Guerrero/Gregory Helms

Cena and Michaels are defending and only one member has to be eliminated. We’re joined in progress with Dykstra being tossed to clear the ring out a bit and the general brawling is on. Deuce gets rid of JTG and Burke dropkicks Eugene out as we’re already down to six. Er, five as Guerrero and Helms are missing too, though I don’t know if they were even in there when we came back from the break.

Anyway the Highlanders are tossed as well and Deuce & Domino go after Shawn, earning themselves an elimination from Cena. Striker is out as well and there goes Van Dam after him, leaving us with Finlay/Booker vs. Cena/Michaels. Finlay clotheslines Booker by mistake so Cena sends Finlay to the apron, where Shawn can superkick him out to retain.

Rating: D+. To paraphrase Statler and Waldorf, it was boring, it wasn’t very good, it was….short. That’s how you need to run something like this, as while Cena and Michaels can drop the titles, they probably aren’t dropping them to most of these teams. You have a bunch of jobbers, a few teams who have vanished in recent weeks and a few teams who might have teamed together on Heat at most. Where exactly was the drama here?

Hold on though as here is Coach again to say we need to do this again, with NINE MORE TEAMS!

Tag Team Titles: Battle Royal

John Cena/Shawn Michaels, Hardys, Paul London/Brian Kendrick, William Regal/Dave Taylor, Kevin Thorn/Marcus Cor Von, Gregory Helms/Chavo Guerrero, Sandman/Tommy Dreamer, Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch, Val Venis/Viscera, Johnny Nitro/The Miz,

Cena and Michaels are defending and either Guerrero/Helms are working a double or Lawler got confused when he mentioned them being in the first battle royal and there were only nine teams. Anyway, it’s a big brawl to start and the mob can’t get rid of Viscera. Growing brains at the same time though, they toss Venis in a hurry and we’re down to nine. Regal and Taylor are gone and Dreamer/Sandman join them as we take a break.

Back with JR’s voice going in a hurry and the champs getting rid of Miz and Nitro (in their first time teaming together for some trivia)….and then Shawn dumps Cena. Well that’s a curve ball. It’s smart, but it’s a curve ball. Kendrick and Chavo eliminate each other (with no mention of London and Kendrick possibly becoming double champions) so we’re down to the Hardys vs. Cade/Murdoch.

Jeff goes stupid (shocking I know) by hammering away with right hands in the corner on Murdoch but manages to get back down. An atomic drop/big boot combination knocks Jeff silly but Matt cuts off the toss attempt. The Hardys hit stereo middle rope legdrops, setting up Poetry In Motion to get rid of Murdoch for the win and the titles.

Rating: C-. The Hardys winning is completely fine as they are the veteran teams who can get the titles back and then drop them to someone in a bigger match. There is some value in one more run with the Hardys as champions so this is about as safe of a way to go for the titles as you can have. Cena and Michaels didn’t need the titles to continue their story so letting them go and be built back up again is the right move.

Timbaland (music producer) is here and does not want to be on camera.

Shawn Michaels did that because he wants the WWE Title and nothing more. Randy Orton comes in to say Cena can’t beat Shawn, but not him. We’ll see about that.

Wrestlemania highlight package set to Ladies And Gentlemen. That really is a heck of a show.

We go to the back to see Vince McMahon….or at least from his eyes (as in his eyes are serving as the camera) as he walks down the hallway. He takes off his hat to show Maria and Candice Michelle his hat. They, uh, like it, though Eugene and Cryme Tyme laugh. Ron Simmons can barely get his catchphrase out, so Vince is going to the ring so he can yell at the people. Vince: “I HATE TRUMP!”

Here is Vince, in a snappy hat, and he tells Lilian Garcia to stay in the ring. Vince talks about what a travesty of justice took place last night at the hands of Steve Austin. Had it not been for him, Donald Trump would be bald. Therefore, by his authority, Wrestlemania DID NOT HAPPEN for him, so Lilian gets to announce Vince as the winner of the Battle of the Billionaires.

To further prove his point about having authority, Bobby Lashley is defending the ECW World Title against Umaga tonight. As for Vince, you won’t be seeing him bald tonight (Vince: “You like the hat?”) because he has had his hat surgically attached to his head until his hair grows back. It’s going to be fast too, because his surgeon says Vince has more testosterone than an all male prison. He is happy to disappoint everyone and there is no chance in h*** that you will see his bald head.

Cue Lashley to rib the hat off (Lawler: “HIS HEAD’S POINTY!”) so Vince covers up with a towel. That’s covered up as well, so Vince hides under Lilian’s skirt. Lashley rips that off and Vince runs away. This was the good old fashioned humiliation segment and Vince excels at them like no other.

Ric Flair/Carlito vs. World’s Greatest Tag Team

Torrie Wilson is here with Flair and Carlito as JR’s voice is almost completely gone. Benjamin clotheslines Carlito to start but walks into a knee lift. A kick to the face drops Carlito and Haas drives him into the corner. More pounding sets up a Benjamin suplex for two but Carlito is back up with a springboard elbow to the face. The hot tag brings in Flair to start chopping away but Benjamin grabs a backdrop. Carlito breaks up the Broken Arrow though and it’s the chop block into the Figure Four to make Haas tap in a hurry.

Rating: C-. Totally basic tag match to get Flair and Carlito out there for a fast appearance. I know the team is just a short story to give Flair something to do but there is something nice about seeing him celebrating any kind of a win. Flair has won more titles than he knows what to do with, but he seemed happy to have won a nothing tag match on Raw. That’s kind of the point, and it is so often forgotten.

Video on the Hall of Fame induction ceremony.

Timbaland is here as a fan and wants to hear a WOO. Some of the Divas are going to be in his next video and he is making his picks soon. He seemed rather down to earth here and like he was having a good time.

Here’s Melina for a Special Photo Op. She thinks she should be in Timbaland’s video and he seems to approve. Last night she proved that Ashley was nothing more than a pretty face, and being Women’s Champion means more than posing in Playboy. Therefore, to commemorate her win last night, she is going to have a special photo op for the paparazzi. Cue Mickie James to lay Melina out, including with the jumping DDT.

Mick Foley talks about how much WWE does with Make-A-Wish. Next week, we are going to see a special wish granted. That’s always cool.

Great Khali vs. Super Crazy

Crazy goes right at him and hits a missile dropkick. That’s about it though as the double chokeslam finishes him in less than a minute.

Vince McMahon is mad about Bobby Lashley and adds Armando Alejandro Estrada to the Lashley vs. Umaga match. Estrada better not fail him.

We look at Shawn Michaels turning on John Cena, followed by the Hardys winning the Tag Team Titles.

The Hardys are happy to win their sixth Tag Team Titles.

JR’s voice is DONE as he introduces the video from the premiere of the Condemned.

Here is Edge on the stage, saying a lesser man would not be standing here tonight. It took everything he had to get himself out of bed this morning. Edge talks about how he knows he can beat John Cena, Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels. They can call themselves whatever they want, but he calls himself the best. Everyone else can get ready to call him champion.

ECW World Title: Bobby Lashley vs. Umaga/Armando Alejandro Estrada

Lashley is defending but gets jumped before the bell and sent face first into the steps. Umaga charges into an elbow in the corner and Lashley drives Estrada into the corner with a shoulder. That’s broken up from behind though and Umaga sits on Lashley’s chest for two. Umaga chokes away on the rope and cuts off a comeback with the Samoan drop. A kick to the face gives Umaga two more but Lashley is able to chase Estrada outside.

Another slugout goes to Umaga and Estrada gets a quick two. A splash gives Umaga two more and he punches a charging Lashley down. Some choking puts Lashley down in the corner but Umaga has to cut him off again. The running hip attack connects in the corner and Umaga loads up the Spike. The shouting takes a bit too long though and Lashley knocks it away, setting up a spear to Umaga. Estrada makes the save but Umaga splashes him by mistake. Another spear sends Umaga outside and the running powerslam retains Lashley’s title.

Rating: D. House show style main event here with Lashley not doing much besides punching and the spears. I like that they didn’t do the same match two nights in a row and the Estrada factor let Umaga save some face. Not a good match or anything close to it, but what more could you want in a match like this one? If nothing else, it was interesting to hear Lawler call a match on his own as JR’s voice was completely gone.

Overall Rating: C. The wrestling wasn’t the point here and a lot of the show felt like they were taking the night off. The big story was Shawn vs. Cena continuing and getting rid of the Tag Team Titles. It was a fast moving show, but you’re only getting so much when they’re more or less basking in the Wrestlemania glow. Not a great show, but an easy one to watch after the pressure over the previous weeks.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

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Main Event
Date: August 19, 2021
Location: AT&T Center, San Antonio, Texas
Commentators: Kevin Patrick, Byron Saxton

It’s the go home show for Summerslam and that means we should be in for a completely run of the mill edition of Main Event. Hopefully the show winds up surprising me, as you never know what you might be seeing around here. I mean, save for the build to Summerslam of course. Let’s get to it.

Here is last week’s show if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Cedric Alexander vs. Jaxson Ryker

Alexander charges at him to start and is knocked down in a hurry. Back up and Alexander kicks at the leg, only to get slammed down. A running headbutt connects, only to have Alexander come back with more shots to the leg, including in the corner. Alexander grabs a kneebar to keep Ryker down and there’s a leg twist to make it worse. Back up again and Ryker runs him over one more time, this time for two. A quick brainbuster gives Alexander two more but the springboard clothesline misses, allowing Ryker to grab the swinging Boss Man Slam for the pin at 4:58.

Rating: C-. Just a quick match here with Ryker winning. I’m still not seeing much in him but at least he isn’t taking up a bunch of time on Raw these days. Then again that is the case because he doesn’t have Elias to beat up anymore so what story does he have? Ryker isn’t exactly interesting and never has been, but there is only so much that can be done in a situation like this.

From Smackdown.

Here is John Cena to get things going. After we get a quick look at how Cena vs. Roman Reigns was set up, Cena says that since school is back in session, it is time to give Roman his report card. Reigns gets a D, because he is a D-head, a D-bag and a D-isappointment. At Summerslam Reigns is getting an F, but for now though, it is time to have a pop quiz. The fans are asked if they think Reigns will beat him up at Summerslam and they don’t quite buy it. Cena admits that he will take a beating at Summerslam but he’s also beating Reigns.

Cue Reigns and Paul Heyman for a chat after a break. Back with Reigns saying “let’s get to it” but Cena says he is going to wait for a week from tomorrow on the grandest stage of them all. Cena says he is back because Reigns is full of himself and Cena is the only one who can shut him up. Reigns has been a failure for a decade now despite how hard WWE has pushed him. No one has a chance with him not though and that’s why WWE asked him to come back.

Cena polls the fans about which team they’re on but Reigns says he was hoping for something fresh. Give him something to cut him already. Cena says Reigns is going to give him a bunch of spears and big punches while the slimy guy holds up the title in the corner. Reigns is going to beat him up but all Cena has to do is pin him. The reality is that Cena is here to help him, which Reigns finds funny.

Reigns doesn’t bury his opponent and then beat them because he does things differently. He knows Cena is on the Mt. Rushmore of WWE and balances Hollywood on top of that. Cena is good enough to verbally joust with anyone and main event Summerslam with the Tribal Chief. He’s good enough to win the WWE Title but not enough to win the Universal Title. Reigns: “Twenty plus years of missionary might have been good enough for you, but it wasn’t good enough for Nikki Bella.” You can hear the fans (and Cena) gasp on that one and Reigns promises to win at Summerslam.

Cena laughs back at him and says Reigns has been protected by the Shield but he even ran Dean Ambrose out of WWE. He has five Wrestlemania main events in ten years and everything behind him but he still needs to be embarrassed. Cena knows what he has to do at Summerslam because he already beat Suplex City.

All he has to do is hang in there and get the 1-2-3 and Reigns is done. If Cena pulls it off once, Reigns becomes the answer to a trivia question. At Summerslam, the champ is gone, 1-2-3. They cranked it up here and I want to see the match more than I did before, but the Nikki Bella line was the only bombshell and it doesn’t mean as much with Cena married to someone else. Adding in the idea that Reigns has something to prove was a good idea though, as that part hasn’t really been touched on enough.

From Smackdown.

It’s time for the Bianca Belair/Sasha Banks contract signing with Sonya Deville running things. Belair talks about how great Banks is but Banks calls her out for the hair whip at Wrestlemania. The fight is almost on but Sonya says this isn’t happening. Banks wants some witnesses so here are Carmella and Zelina Vega. Both women sign and Belair starts the fight in a hurry. Belair does ok for a bit but the numbers game gets the better of her, allowing Banks to get in a cheap shot. The Bank Statement, using Belair’s hair, on the table lets Banks hold up the title to end the show.

Video on RKBro getting back together.

We look at the official RKBro reunion.

Angel Garza vs. Ricochet

This could be interesting. They go with the grappling to start and Garza bails to the rope, where Ricochet gives him a ruffle of the head. Garza doesn’t like that and it’s time for some running and flipping but STOP! It’s time for Garza to TAKE OFF HIS PANTS! Ricochet misses a springboard though and it’s a superkick to drop him hard.

We take a break and come back with Ricochet grabbing a double arm crank to trigger the comeback. Ricochet snaps off a headscissors but Garza is right back with the seated abdominal stretch. That’s broken up as well and Ricochet nails a discus lariat. A quick German suplex gives Ricochet two but Garza dropkicks his knees out in the corner. Not that it matters as Ricochet is back with the Recoil for the pin at 9:03.

Rating: C+. Like this wasn’t going to be good. These two are some of the more talented unsung heroes in WWE and it’s nice to see them getting a chance to see what they can do. What we had here was an entertaining little back and forth match, which is all you can ask for on a show like this one.

From Smackdown.

Intercontinental Title: King Nakamura vs. Apollo Crews

Crews is defending and has Commander Azeez with him, as canceled out by Rick Boogs. Nakamura takes him down to start but an Azeez distraction lets Crews elbow him in the face. That just earns him the running knee to the ribs in the corner, which draws Azeez up. Boogs guitars him down so both of them are ejected as we take a break.

Back with Crews catching him on top for a superplex and following with a powerbomb for two. The frog splash misses but Crews catches him with a jumping enziguri for two more, with the referee catching the feet on the ropes. Back up and Nakamura grabs a suplex, followed by Kinshasa to give Nakamura the pin and the title at 10:11.

Rating: C. Nice back and forth match here and it’s a good idea to give Nakamura the title. He has been doing well with the Boogs stuff and the crown makes it a bonus. They could probably shift away from the crown now that he has the title, which would free things up for a new King of the Ring. Crews was fine as champion in the short term, but this is the better choice of the two options.

Nakamura, Boogs and McAfee celebrate.

Elias is still dead.

From Raw.

Here is Goldberg for the face to face with Bobby Lashley, but first of all, he gets to talk, because GOLDBERG is so known for his verbal dominance. Goldberg brings up MVP and Lashley talking about fatherhood, which brings Goldberg to his son Gage. It’s true that Gage can see videos of Goldberg wrestling, but Goldberg wants him to see it in person (Haven’t we heard him say that like FIVE TIMES NOW?).

Lashley and MVP come out with MVP saying Goldberg has been talking a lot lately. Lashley gets in the ring and says this is his house and the house always wins. Goldberg calls that BS and spears him before posing with his son (who seems to have his high school football team with him) to end the show. This was as bad as everything else has been in this feud, because it is the same story they have told with Goldberg and his son before and it isn’t exactly interesting to hear Goldberg talk (or wrestle, but that’s a different problem).

Overall Rating: C-. Yeah this was about what I was expecting. The Summerslam build has worked out fairly well in some parts but that wasn’t the focus we got here. Instead, it was mainly a bunch of looking at the weaker parts and that isn’t exactly a great show. Summerslam is likely to be fine, but they didn’t exactly make it work out here.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and head over to my Amazon author page with 30 different cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

AND

Remember to check out Wrestlingrumors.net for all of your wrestling headline needs.