The pyros go off and it's time for a special, three hour Monday Night Raw as the
2009 WWE Draft gets underway! But before we can get down to the draft proper, the music of
William Regal hits and the cocky Englishman struts out to the ring with the stunning
Layla at his side. He's grinning from ear to ear. What's on his mind.
Regal gets on the microphone and informs us that
Vickie Guerrero's run as Raw General Manager has come to an end. The crowd goes nuts. Regal is out here to introduce our new General Manager:
William Regal.
The fans hate this. Some remember his reign as General Manager in 2008 and his antics back then.
Regal then goes on to explain how the draft will work.
Tonight there will be three inter brand triple threat matches, with the winning representative winning a random draft pick for his or her brand.
He then announces that in all matches, titles will be on the line, grinning wickedly as he does so.
RATING: 85%
As Regal leaves the ring, the music of
CM Punk hits and the
Intercontinental Champion makes his way out to a huge ovation. He will be Raw's representative.
Next out is
United States Champion, Mr. Kennedy who will represent Smackdown. We could see the titles united tonight!
Last out is ECW's
Evan Bourne, and the popular young gun looks pumped up for a big match on Raw.
But before we can start,
Regal makes his first unpopular decision of the night.
"As much as I would love to see the United States Title come to Raw, I'm not going to give away a title unification in front of you ingrates. Only
CM Punk's Intercontinental Title will be on the line tonight".
Match: CM Punk (c) vs. Mr. Kennedy (c) vs. Evan Bourne
There's a great chemistry on display in this match, and the three babyfaces ensure that the fans are pumped from the get go - in spite of Regal's proclamation. All three guys get in plenty of offence and there's a number of near falls in a fast paced, lengthy match to set the tone for the show.
Kennedy hits a
Mic Check on Bourne late in the piece for a near fall, only to have Punk hit a top rope splash to break it up. He tosses Kennedy over the top ropes and hoists a dazed Bourne to his shoulders.
Go 2 Sleep! Punk covers and Kennedy can't make it in to make the save! Punk retains his Interncontinental Title and wins Raw a random draft pick!
WINNER: CM Punk by pinfall (Go 2 Sleep) after 14:11
RATING: 79/77/81
The big screen begins to flash random faces from the Smackdown and ECW rosters, and it finally settles on
Paul and Katie Lea Burchill. The brother and sister pair from England are headed back to Monday nights!
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COMMERCIAL
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We return from the break as
John Cena makes his way out to the ring to his usual mixed reaction. He's got the gold over his shoulder and the mic in hand.
He once again calls out
Randy Orton, telling him that the fans want to see the two men go at it to unify the gold. There's a lengthy silence following the challenge, and then the crowd boos as
Simply Priceless make their way out to the head of the ramp.
They say that Randy isn't here tonight - he's meeting with the heads of ECW and Smackdown and gaining assurances that he'll be taken care of if he is drafted to their show.
"Well, that's disappointing," Cena replies, "But the
Champ is here and he's ready for a fight. So maybe one of you wants to help me out?"
DiBiase and
Rhodes argue over it and Cena suggests they play
rock, paper, scissors to decide who faces him. They do, and
Cody Rhodes loses. Looks like we'll see Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena later tonight!
RATING: 92%
John Cena gained 2 points of overness
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COMMERCIAL
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Match: GoldHAAS vs. Cryme Tyme
The new pairing of Goldust and a similarly attired Charlie Haas debuted last week on Raw, and tonight they pair up in ring for the first time against Cryme Tyme. The unusual team shows plenty of chemistry early on - Goldust's mind games working well with Haas' no nonsense style. Predictably, the new pairing get the win after
Shattered Dreams to JTG is followed up with the brutal
Haas of Pain by Haas.
WINNERS: GoldHAAS by submission (Haas of Pain) in 8:41
RATING: 75/74/77
A video package shows the events from Smackdown and ECW while the two teams vacate the ring.
When we come back,
Shawn Michaels makes his way out to the ring to a tremendous ovation. He might not have ended Undertaker's streak at Wrestlemania - but the fans still adore him. After last week's retirement speech and apology to the Harts was interrupted - it looks like he's determined to say his part.
Michaels again talks about the many highlights of his career, and again talks about the one, unfathomable lowlight. He talks about how he's contacted the Hart Family and how Bret has so far refused to take his calls.
This again brings out
Chris Jericho, the cocky Canadian and 2008 Superstar of the Year laughing with exagerration.
"Boo hoo!" he taunts HBK, "Bret Hart won't take my calls!"
"Did you ever stop to think that maybe Bret has better things to do than wait for you to call? Did you ever think that maybe he has a wife and a family that he spends time with? You remember those, don't you, Shawn? A wife and kids? They're those people you see once every few months because you're busy making money and stealing headlines. You come out here and you act like the
Montreal Screwjob ended Bret Hart's career and ruined his life. But maybe he's at peace with that, Shawn? Maybe you just want to say 'sorry' for your own, selfish purposes".
HBK staunchly takes this abuse, and Jericho continues.
"You want to apologise to somebody? How about you apologise to the man you stabbed in the make to launch your career? Why don't you apologise to
Marty Jannety?"
He's in the ring! Shawn Michaels' former
Rockers partner is in! He tackles HBK as Jericho rushes down to the ring. It's a
two on one situation as Jericho and Jannety beat on Michaels.
But then that familiar music hits again.
Bret Hart's music! The fans go crazy, but it's not Bret making his way out to the ring. It's somebody else! He's got a build more in line with HBK's and he hits the ring at speed, taking down Jannety with a dropkick. Michael Cole guesses that this must be
Teddy Hart!
Without his man advantage, Jericho bails - leaving
Shawn Michaels standing next to Teddy Hart. For a moment there's tension, then
Hart offers his hand and HBK accepts! A level of peace his been formed between Shawn Michaels and the nephew of Bret Hart!
RATING: 80%
Teddy Hart gained 1 point of overness. Shawn Michaels lost 2 points of overness.
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COMMERCIAL
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We're back from commercial for our second inter-brand challenge. First out is
Kofi Kingston, but we're informed that this will be a tag match - so he's soon joined by
Rey Mysterio. That's a popular pairing!
Next out are
Marcus Cor Van and
Elijah Burke, representing ECW. Finally, the popular pairing of
Carlito and Primo is out to represent Smackdown.
Match: Rey Mysterio & Kofi Kingson vs. Primo & Carlito vs. The New Breed
Like the previous inter-brand match, there's a fantastic chemistry on display here. All three teams have experience and it shows as they come up with some innovative, fast paced offence. It's mostly the Smackdown and Raw teams turning it on with their high risk style - but Cor Van and Burke's more straight-forward brawling sees them make a number of near falls early in the piece.
All three teams get in plenty of offence, with Mysterio hitting the
619 on Primo for a near-fall that gets broken up by a desperate dive from Burke. Not long after that, Burke is tagged in and delivers the
Elijah Experience to Primo. Rey's attempted springboard intercept is
POUNCED! And that's it! 1-2-3. ECW win a random draft!
WINNERS: The New Breed by pinfall (Elijah Experience) after 11:44
RATING: 76/73/80
The big screen again flashes random stars - this time from Raw and Smackdown. And Smackdown gain
JTG! Looks like Cryme Tyme's lost to GoldHAAS was their last match together!
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COMMERCIAL
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We're back from the break and
William Regal is already in the ring. It seems he's Raw's representative in the final inter-brand challenge. He seems to be smiling as if he knows something that we don't.
And second out is....
Christian! Regal's plan was obvious now! He's put himself in a position to win Christian's ECW Title and gain Raw a second automatic draft pick.
Third out is.... the music of
Kung Fu Naki hits, but the Japanese star doesn't appear. A moment later, his music is replaced and it's
Edge! The Rated R Superstar is here!
Match: Christian (c) vs. William Regal vs. Edge
The real story in this match is the clash between the former multiple time tag champions as they face off for the first time in several years. Regal's presence is almost an afterthought - as
Edge makes a beeline towards his brother. He's clearly determined to get some gold!
It's another fantastic three way match, with Regal playing an effective spoiler to prevent the two from ever really getting to grips. Whenever one has the upper hand - the Raw General Manager cuts him off with a brutal chop or elbow. He even goes close to capturing the belt when he's able to roll up Christian to break up an Unprettier attempt.
From here, Regal controls things against the ECW Champion throw a mixture of sheer brutality and a subtle thumb to the eye to halt a fight-back. But he can't quite put the champion away, and
Christian kicks him in the gut and sets up for the Unprettier!
SPEAR!
Edge Speared Christian, sending him back into Regal and knocking both men out! He covers his brother.
1
2
3!
Edge has stolen the win, the ECW Title, and earned Smackdown a draft pick!
WINNER: Edge by pinfall (Spear) after 15:45
RATING: 83/85/81
The random images again begin to flash but Edge doesn't care as he makes a quick exit. Those at home and in the crowd see that Smackdown has gained
Teddy Long. Looks like ECW will be without a General Manager!
We cut backstage to where
Chris Jericho is with an interviewer. He informs us that he feels betrayed. He stood up for the Hart Family and got his face spat in by a punk. He's going to be facing Teddy Hart right after the break!
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COMMERCIAL
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Match: Teddy Hart vs. Chris Jericho
There's some chemistry here as Teddy Hart, wearing the trademark pink and black, gets his first match as a WWE star. He's got
HBK in his corner for this one. It's a promising start for the newcomer, but he's never able to get control of the match against the wily veteran, Jericho.
But HBK's presence at ringside proves to be a factor, as Jericho puts out Hart with a
Lionsault and wastes time mocking Michaels. Hart is up and hits a picture perfect missile dropkick to send Jericho into the ropes. He catches the rebounding Jericho with a
German Suplex! Hart's going up to!
Hart Attack! It's the Shooting Star Elbow Drop, not the Shooting Star Press. Cover!
1
2
KICKOUT!
Jericho manages to kick out! Hart can't believe it. He tries valiantly to battle back, but his pluckiness isn't enough to combat Jericho's experience or anger. The
Codebreaker finishes it.
WINNER: Chris Jericho by pinfall (Codebreaker) after 6:15
RATING: 76/74/79
Jericho doesn't stick around to deal with HBK or Hart, leaving the pair in the ring as he heads backstage.
Before we cut to commercial, some unfamiliar music plays:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EhWjQ9SNyhk
(Sorry for the live copy, it's all I could find)
A trio of somewhat familiar faces feature in the clip that plays along with it.
Austin Aries, Chris Hero, and former Smackdown star,
Brent Albright discuss being the
Renaissance of professional wrestling. They're coming to Raw to lead the revolution.
RATING: 73%
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COMMERCIAL
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We're back from the break and Michael Cole and The King are still wondering who the first official draft pick will be as
Cody Rhodes makes his way to the ring with
Ted DiBiase at his side.
John Cena is next out, and we're informed that this match will be for his World Heavyweight Title.
Match: John Cena (c) vs. Cody Rhodes for the World Heavyweight Title
This one is never really expected to be anything other than a Cena win, but DiBiase's involvement from ring side and some dirty play from Rhodes make this into an actual main event. What's more, these two actually have chemistry! From a quality standpoint, it's actually the best match of the night - even if the ending is a predictable
F-U/STFU combination for the submission win.
WINNER AND STILL CHAMPION: John Cena by submission (STFU) in 10:16
RATING: 79/76/82
Cena's post match celebrations are ruined, however, as
Vladimir Kozlov vaults the security barrier and hits the ring. BATTERING RAM TO THE CHAMPION!
The big Russian isn't done, though. Kozlov picks up the stunned champion and introduces us to his new finisher,
Fall of Russia - a sheer release powerbomb that absolutely crushes the champion! Vladimir Kozlov is the newest member of the Raw roster and he's made an explosive debut!
RATING: 77%
Quick Results
CM Punk (c) def. Mr. Kennedy and Evan Bourne
GoldHAAS def. Cryme Tyme
The New Breed def. Kofi Kingston & Rey Mysterio and Carlito & Primo
Edge def. Christian (c) and William Regal
Chris Jericho def. Teddy Hart
John Cena def. Cody Rhodes
OVERALL: 79%
BEST: Cena calls out Orton
WORST: The Renaissance is hyped
MOTN: John Cena vs. Cody Rhodes
RATING: 6.04
ATTENDANCE: 9,008
