The Raw Review - 22nd February 2010
22/02/2010
Hello and welcome the Raw Review.
Use the quick links below to jump to a specific match or segment.
If you’re following the event with us live keep refreshing as updates will come through sporadically depending on match and segment length.
We’d still love to know what you think about the layout changes, or anything else for that matter so please feel free to get in touch via the Contact Us page, or any of the usual email addresses.
On with the show!
Quick Links
Opening Segment: Your NEW World Heavyweight Champion
Segment 2: Your FORMER WWE Champion
Segment 4: What Next for Legacy
Match 2: Legacy Vs. Kingston, Bourne & Tatsu
Match 3: Christian Vs. Carlito
Match 4: ShowMiz Vs. The Worlds Strongest Tag Team
Segment 7: McMahon Distances Himself
Main Event Match: Batista Vs. John Cena
The Raw Review
Opening Segment
Your NEW World Heavyweight Champion
The brand split has officially gone completely to crap.
Raw’s title is held by a Smackdown Superstar and kicking off Raw tonight we have Smackdown’s World Heavyweight Champion; Chris Jericho.
Jericho beams and re-adjusts the gold on his shoulder as he proudly announces that he’s going to WrestleMania.
He goes on to explain that although he said he’d never return to Raw again, he’s changed his mind because after beating 5 of Smackdown’s top Superstars last night he’s the World Heavyweight Champion and he’s going to WrestleMania.
Before he could give an accurate description of why he was back on Raw (Re: To Gloat) Edge’s music hit.
As Jericho looked to the top of the ramp The Rated R Superstar slid into the ring via the crowd and hit the World Heavyweight Champion with a Spear.
As the champ rolled to the outside Edge informed him that he’s going to WrestleMania to face the Royal Rumble Winner!
What? Are we meant to be surprised? Who didn’t see this coming?
Segment 2
Your FORMER WWE Champion
No, it’s not Sheamus, it’s WWE Golden Boy; John Cena.
He makes his way to the ring immediately after the segment before, seemingly with a purpose.
Once he gets into the ring he says you can add him to the list of people Vince McMahon has screwed, right up there with Bret Hart.
He explains what happened last night (for any of you that don’t know, check out our Live Results) then demands his re-match right now.
Vince McMahon emerges and says he’s all about business and that’s what last night was about.
He says he made a business deal with Batista so he didn’t have to soil his hands on Bret, and as repayment he did him a favour last night by giving him a title match any time, any place he wanted.
Vince plays a similar card to the ‘Bret Screwed Bret’ line, saying Cena cost himself the gold when he told Batista ‘If you want some, come get some’.
Cena says he’ll take the title back tonight, but Vince reveals that The Animal won’t be defending the title until WrestleMania and furthermore John isn’t the only person who is rightfully owed a re-match.
McMahon books a match between Cena and Batista, with the stipulation being if he wins he goes to Mania to fight for the gold, but if he loses Sheamus takes that honour and Cena spends the big event backstage or in a sky box somewhere.
Cena accepts the deal before hearing who his opponent will be, then looks slightly worried when Vince makes the big reveal.
Vote for your Favourite Superstar Now!
Match 1
Divas Championship Match
Maryse
Vs.
Gail Kim
Here we go with the first match of the night, and it’s the one that wasn’t deemed worthy of being on the Pay Per View event last night.
Which is actually a shame, because this bout was infinitely better than the dross we paid £/$/€ (insert currency here) to see.
Maryse picked up the win in one of the most impressive Divas matches I can remember seeing in a long time.
It was fast paced, full of well executed moves and didn’t go on too long.
Maryse picked up the victory with the French Kiss and a rather unorthodox pinfall, to claim the vacant title.
I sincerely hope this isn’t the last we’ve seen from these two, and if you’re a regular reader you’ll know that’s high praise indeed considering we usually hate anything and everything ‘diva’.
Maryse wins by Pinfall and becomes the NEW Divas Champion.
Segment 3
Guest Farce Time
It’s time to meet tonight’s guest hosts.
If you’re from anywhere outside the U.S, Canada and possibly Mexico you’re not likely to have a clue who tonight’s hosts are.
I’ve heard of Jewel because I’m pretty sure one of her tracks has been used for a Pay Per View or a WWE Promo video or something quite a few years back, but as for her husband Ty Murray, your guess was as good as mine.
Apparently he’s the best Bull Rider in the world, or something like that.
Hmm, I’ve got an incredible knack for eating M&M’s, I’ll put in a call to Vince, see if I can’t grab myself a guest spot.
Anyway, the premise of this segment focused on the Divas chatting with the hosts about the upcoming ‘Divas Bull Riding Contest’ (bet you can’t wait, can you?) when Jillian Hall and Alicia Fox entered.
Jillian sang one of Jewel’s songs at her, and Jewel corrected her singing, upsetting the tone-deaf trickster.
Jillian told Jewel if she didn’t watch herself she’d send her back to living in her car, prompting a huge slap from the singer, who said she’d taken the advise of Sharon Osbourne.
It’s also interesting to note that Jewel is on crutches, due to injuring her ankle on the mechanical bull the Divas will be riding later.
Fingers crossed for more tweaks eh?
Segment 4
What Next for Legacy
Elsewhere backstage Randy Orton and Cody Rhodes are hanging around in the locker room.
Cody says he hates to tell him so, but he told Ted wanted to beat Orton and head to WrestleMania himself.
He says he had every intention of getting the pipe to Orton, and didn’t expect Ted to use it against his leader.
Orton tells Cody to chill and that if anyone is to blame for what happened last night it’s…him.
Wait, what?
Orton says it’s his own fault for teaching them too well, and in the past if he hasn’t got his own way he’s bullied them and that needs to stop.
So, he’s arranged a 6-Man Match tonight to get them all back on the same page.
He tells Cody to let Ted know he’s sorry and exits.
Ted enters and asks how it went.
Cody says it went almost too well, and after being asked if they are ’sticking to the plan’ replied ‘absolutely’.
Hmm, something twisted is afoot here, and I personally can’t wait to find out what!
Match 2
6-Man Tag Team Match
Legacy
Vs.
Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne & Yoshi Tatsu
Tatsu’s on Raw!
Yet another ECW ‘free agent’ has found a home. I can’t help but think he would have done better on the slightly faster paced Smackdown, but we shall see.
Apparently both Triple H and Sheamus have been ruled out of action tonight with injuries, so it’s a miracle that Orton, Kingston and DiBiase are even able to compete in this match, according to King and Cole.
The good guys dominated the early part of the match against both younger members of Legacy, before Orton finally made his presence felt and attacked Kingston behind the referee’s back. Once tagged in he dismantled the Ghanaian Sensation before Rhodes tagged himself into the ring.
Orton took offence to this and hit him with a rope assisted DDT as he climbed through the ropes, then began to leave.
As he walked away DiBiase stopped him and began screaming for an explination.
Orton looked at him for a few seconds, drilled him with the RKO then headed up the ramp while Kingston, Bourne and Tatsu had their fun with Rhodes.
It looks like Orton had a plan of his own.
Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne & Yoshi Tatsu win by Pinfall.
Segment 5
Why Shawn, Why?
After a ridiculously long, if not well put together video covering HBK’s gradual self-destruction he makes his way to the ring.
Gone are the glowing green wrist bands and novelty DX goods, replaced with a more traditional cowboy-esque getup.
He says he won’t take up much time tonight because his explanation for what he did last night isn’t all that complicated; he did what he had to do.
He says he realises what he did isn’t too popular with the fans but he doesn’t much care because it’s what he needed to do, and he’s hoping for a reaction tonight from The Undertaker.
Sure enough the gong sounds, the lights go out and fire begins to erupt from the top of the ramp.
Undertaker wisely waits for the flames to die down tonight before appearing (if you don’t know what that means, check out the Weekly Informer when it’s published on Thursday for a full explanation) and sombrely makes his way to the ring.
After bringing the lights back up and entering the ring The Deadman (who has patches of yellow all over his face, probably connected to the incident at Elimination Chamber) he tells HBK that he has his attention.
HBK talks about how he had the perfect match last year at WrestleMania, and but for one mistake would have got the win he craved.
However, because he didn’t get that win, he had to face Taker again this year and if the only way to do it was to cost him the World Heavyweight Championship, then so be it.
HBK says he knows Taker wants his revenge, so why not get it at WrestleMania.
The Deadman accepts, but on one condition… Shawn has to put something on the line as well; his career.
Shawn says if he can’t beat him at WrestleMania he has no career anyway, and accepts the stipulation.
That would probably have had a lot more impetus had we not seen a slew of loser leaves Raw, loser never gets another shot at the title etc stipulations overturned a few weeks later when it suits in the past couple of years.
Still, it should be a good match.
Match 3
Money in the Bank Qualification Match
Christian
Vs.
Carlito
Before this match we heard a little from both Christian and Carlito’s nXt rookies.
They both look like they have potential, but could do with a little more microphone work.
King explained that everyone on nXt will be fighting to earn a contract on Raw, as if they had just turned up off the streets like the X Factor or something.
The truth is I’m pretty sure all these guys are already contracted to the WWE, and nXt is basically a glorified way for them to decide who’s next to get brought up onto the televised shows.
Christian has also made the move to Raw by the way.
In my opinion the demise of ECW has been handled so badly it’s untrue. A draft would have been awesome, but failing that a big reveal or two from the G.M’s would have been great.
Everyone who’s turned up so far (with the exception of Ezekiel Jackson who had a promo video) had kind of been ‘oh by the way, xxx is now on Raw/Smackdown’.
Anyway, as for the match, Christian picked up his first win as a top-brand Superstar in over 4 years, pinning Carlito after a KillSwitch, or Unprettier if we’re being retro.
Christian wins by Pinfall and qualifies for the Money in the Bank match at WrestleMania XXVI.
Segment 6
Diva Rodeo
The Guest Hosts emerge and King describes them as a Celebrity Supercouple.
Hmm, I think I’d disagree with that one. They’re hardly The Beckhams, or Tom and Katie, or Billy and Chuck.
I think this Guest Host thing has just about run it’s course now. They are getting less and less involved in the actual running of Raw and more and more just wheeled out for novelty segments.
This one was a prime example.
The Divas all had to ride a mechanical bull, hopefully holding on for the full EIGHT seconds!
Eve and then Kelly Kelly went first, both managing it without breaking a sweat.
Next up were guest host hangers-on; The Bellas, who rode it together and also beat the clock.
Thankfully ShowMiz emerged and broke up the party, saying that Raw is about the Tag Team Champs not Divas riding a bull.
Show then says that it isn’t that hard anyway, prompting Ty Murray to challenge him to do as well as the Divas did.
Show rode the bull for about three or four seconds while it bucked far more ferociously than it had for the ladies.
The Miz declared that it wasn’t fair and took some abuse from Murray, while Show slowly got madder and madder.
The Bull began bucking towards Show, apparently ‘taunting him’, until he eventually swung at it and sent it spinning with a big right hand.
Miz said that this was yet another ‘Guest Host activity’ ending in disappointment, just like the Colts at the Superbowl.
As they went to leave Jewel and Murray sent them towards the ring, informing them they would have to defend their titles against The Worlds Strongest Tag Team right now.
Match 4
Unified Tag Team Championship Match
ShowMiz
Vs.
The Worlds Strongest Tag Team
This match was about as dull and pointless as you can get.
ShowMiz worked well together as per usual but M.V.P and Henry never looked like posing a threat to their tag team gold.
Henry hit the Worlds Strongest Slam on The Miz, but unfortunately for him Show was the legal man and dropped him with a Knockout Punch seconds later for the win.
The Miz’s rookie Daniel Brian watched this match from the back, while the commentary team discussed his international wrestling credentials.
I don’t get it, if you want to allude to his past, why would you change his name from Bryan Danielson to Daniel Brian?
ShowMiz retain the Unified Tag Team Championships by Pinfall.
Segment 7
McMahon Distances Himself
After clips of Bret’s accident last week Mr. McMahon delivers a speech backstage.
He claims that he was honestly considering facing him at WrestleMania, but now that isn’t possible because of his broken leg.
He categorically states that he had nothing to do with the injury, then says he’d like to welcome Bret back to Raw next week to say a proper goodbye.
Seemingly showing sincerity, Vince says he’ll do everything needed to make sure Bret can get to the ring next week and say his final farewells.
Main Event Match
Singles Match
Batista
Vs.
John Cena
With literally no time left on the show (we’re into the 15 minute ‘cushion’ added to the end of Raw) the opening bell finally rings for this match.
So, as you’d expect this match didn’t last long.
Rather than walking out of the ring, as has been the norm for The Animal of late, he decided to duck between the ropes and prevent Cena from attacking him.
Then, when the referee distanced them, Batista delivered a nasty Low Blow to gift Cena the win.
As Cena writhed around in pain and Justin Roberts announced him as the victor, a wry grin crept across Batista’s face and he began to slowly clap.
The Animal then continued to destroy his newly announced WrestleMania opponent both inside and outside the ring, ending with series of brutal chair shots that left Cena down and out.
John Cena wins by Disqualification and becomes #1 Contender for the WWE Championship.
