Raw Recap 07.16.07

WWE Raw recap 07.16.07 from Corpus Christi, TX:

The King announced tonight Raw would see the "Face off" between John Cena and Bobby Lashley.

Raw kicked off with the Titantron showing the "King of Kings" Triple H entrance music video as fans went wild. Just then, King Booker appeared at the top of the apron with Queen Sharmelle. Booker said the music video seems to imply Triple H is King of Kings and there's only one King in the WWE and on Raw, and it's not Triple H. Booker said Triple H is hereby stripped of any association with the word "king" because King Booker is the only king in the WWE. Booker then walked over to Jerry Lawler at the announcer's table. Booker said for years he has respected Jerry's work, but as a sign of respect he is asking him to remove "king" from his name. Lawler told Booker he's been a King for 30 years. Booker told Lawler to make things easy on himself so they can go about with things. Lawler said he would oblige Booker's request, as the fans booed. Booker then asked Lawler to kiss his ring as a sign of his submission, but Lawler said no. Booker said it was an order and stuck his hand out. Lawler again said no on the microphone. Booker then attacked Lawler near the announce table knocking Lawler onto Jim Ross and into the crowd barrier. Lawler fought back and knocked Booker down. The refs held the 2 men apart as they went at each other angrily. Booker finally retreated up the ramp with Sharmelle.

Footage shown of Ric Flair giving his prediction that Cena will defeat Lashley in their match at Great American Bash. Flair said Cena's experience and the fact they matchup well, he gives Cena the edge to win.

Promo video shown for the Bash with Kane lurking around every corner awaiting Edge.

Lawler and Ross discussed Booker's cheapshot and Lawler said whenever anyone does that to him, he does what he does best, fight back. Ross then showed footage of Umaga winning the Intercontinental title off Santino Marella.

Jeff Hardy vs. Shelton Benjamin vs. Santino Marella vs. William Regal (Fourway Elimination Match)

Lillian Garcia announced that the winner of this fourway match will earn an Intercontinental title shot at Umaga at the Great American Bash.
Benjamin and Hardy spilled out of the ring first, as Santino and Regal battled in ring. Eventually Regal and Marella went out of the ring as Hardy and Shelton got back in and fought. Ross said there would be 3 eliminations in the match until 1 man was the victor. All four men were in the ring, but Regal got knocked out. Santino went to do a move on Shelton, but Regal was able to get back in and delivered a solid kick to Marella's head. Regal scored the pin on the fallen Marella to eliminate him 1st. Raw went to break with Jeff Hardy in the ring to battle with Shelton and Regal.

Back from break, Hardy was suplexed from the apron over the ropes by Regal and Benjamin together. Regal and Benjamin went for a double pin on Hardy, then the two argued over it. Regal then attacked Benjamin when he turned his back on him. Regal slammed Shelton down then started to attack Hardy more. Benjamin and Regal collided in the corner of the ring as Hardy got back to his feet. Hardy knocked Benjamin out of the ring and then tried to dropkick Regal in the corner but missed. Jeff was able to land the "Twist of Fate" on Regal off the ropes and then pin him for the elimination.

The match came down to Benjamin vs Hardy, with Shelton jumping off the corner rope and hitting Hardy with a shoulder. Shelton had a very near pinfall. Jeff got the Whisper in the wind off the ropes on Shelton, then tossed Shelton out of the ring. Jeff jumped over the ropes onto both Shelton and Haas. Jeff threw Shelton back in and tried to moonsault off the ropes. Shelton rolled away. Shelton tried to pin Shelton but Jeff managed to reverse the pin near the ropes for a rollup pin and the victory.

Winner: Jeff Hardy wins via pinfall over Shelton Benjamin to earn an Intercontinental title shot vs Umaga at the Bash.

Edge shown giving his prediction on the Cena vs Lashley match. Edge said he can't stand Cena but he'll still give him respect where he deserves it. Edge said in the end "the other champ retains".

Todd Grisham backstage interviewing Randy Orton about how tonight he will be facing Dusty Rhodes' son Cody. Orton said he has taken out legends like RVD and Shawn Michaels, so Cody needs to think about what will happen to both him and his father next. Orton told Cody to bring his legendary dad to the ring tonight to see what will happen first hand.

Maria seen comforting Santino Marella in the locker room. Marella said he feels like he doesn't belong in the WWE anymore and wants to quit. Marella said he wants to spend more time with Maria. Marella then asked Maria to spend the night with him and he will cook her breakfast tomorrow. The two hugged as the camera cut out.

Batista shown giving a prediction for the Cena Lashley matchup. Batista praised both men for their skills and said the winner will be the fans, and Bobby Lashley due to his power strength and athleticism.

Snitsky shown saying as much as he likes to win matches, he likes hurting people just as much. Snitsky said his opponent's pain is his pleasure.

Val Venis vs. Snitsky

Venis tried to attack early and then went to jump off the ropes. Snitsky caught Venis in the air then rammed him into the corner several times. Snitsky continued to use power despite Venis trying to make a comeback. Snitsky made quick work of Venis performing a powerslam move on him to score the pinfall victory. After the bell rang, Snitsky did a second slam move on Val Venis before exiting the ring.

Winner: Snitsky wins via pinfall over Val Venis.

Todd Grisham backstage with Cody Rhodes asking him about his first ever match on WWE Raw tonight with Randy Orton. Cody said he's proud of his father and his legend status. Cody said that nothing Orton can do will defeat his father's legacy. Cody said in his first night on Raw he plans to make a good impression. Dusty then appeared and gave his son a hug as the two left for the match.

Jerry Lawler in ring with a Texas Bullrope. Lawler talked to the crowd about the match for Great American Bash involving Randy Orton and Dusty Rhodes. Lawler said he's seen Dusty Rhodes in many bullrope matches and do some vicious things to his opponents. Lawler said there's nobody better in a Texas Bullrope match then Dusty Rhodes. Just then Orton came out to his music for the match vs Cody Rhodes.

Cody Rhodes vs. Randy Orton

Footage shown of Orton delivering hard boots to the heads of Shawn Michaels and RVD in previous matches to knock them out of commission. Cody came down to the ring with his father Dusty. Dusty shook his son's hand and left the ring as the match started. Cody had some quick moves early on but Orton was able to clothesline him down hard. Orton continued to taunt Dusty during the match, then tossed Cody outside the ring near Dusty. Despite attempts by Cody, Orton continued to control the match with dominating power moves inside the ring.

Cody gained momentum at one point and was able to punch Orton repeatedly then jumped off the ropes at him. Cody went for the upset pinfall victory, but Orton kicked out. Orton then did a backbreaker on Cody and waited for him to stand up. Orton delivered the RKO to a stunned Cody and picked up a pinfall victory. Dusty Rhodes then came into the ring and tended to his fallen son. Orton went to deliver a running kick to Dusty Rhodes when he was crouched down, but Rhodes saw him coming and stood up. Rhodes held clenched fists out challenging Orton, but Orton retreated from the ring.

Winner: Randy Orton wins via pinfall victory over Cody Rhodes.

Stone Cold Steve Austin shown giving his thoughts on the Lashley vs Cena match. Stone Cold discussed how he enjoys watching Lashley's style and thinks Cena has done amazing things with the F-U. Austin said Cena has proven himself to be a primetime player in big situations, and he has to go with the champ to win due to his experience.

Melina vs. Mickie James

Melina came down to the ring with Beth Phoenix who did a backflip off the ropes into the ring. After Mickie James came down to the ring for the match, Candice made a surprise entrance carrying her title belt. Mickie went for a quick pin with Melina distracted by Candice. Melina became angry and started to wrench Mickie's arm. Mickie able to land a hard dropkick on Melina off the ropes. Mickie climbed the ropes for a move, but Beth Phoenix taunted her. As Mickie jumped at Melina, Melina dropkicked her in the midsection. Melina tried to run at Mickie off the ropes, but Mickie started to punch back and knocked her down. Mickie landed a neckbreaker and tried for a pin but Melina kicked out. Mickie able to stun Melina at one point but as she went off the ropes Beth Phoenix grabbed her leg/foot. This allowed Melina to score her finishing move on Mickie and grab the pinfall victory. Candice got into the ring and checked out Mickie Jamies as Melina/Beth backed up the ramp.

Winner: Melina wins via pinfall over Mickie James.

Replay shown of Edge's Mardi Gras party on Smackdown, with Kane disguised as a King character near him. Kane then attacked Edge in the ring and caused Edge to retreat up the ramp. Lawler said Edge will have a major announcement on Smackdown this week.

Hacksaw Jim Duggan seen backstage as William Regal came up to him. Regal tried to take the 2x4 from Hacksaw and demanded that Hacksaw put his "massive piece of wood" in Regal's hand. As Hacksaw backed away with a weird look on his face, Ron Simmons appeared, looked at Regal and said "DAMN!"

Mick Foley said even though he lost to Cena at Vengeance, he still thinks there has to be a time when Cena will lose. Foley said he can't see Cena holding the title that much longer, so he thinks Lashley will be the guy to take the title finally.

Carlito vs.The Sandman

Sandman made his way down through the crowd, smashing a beer can on his forehead and drawing blood. Sandman then walked on the crowd barrier, tiptoeing. Security had to get one man out of the way who stood in front of Sandman. Carlito kicked away at Sandman down on the mat early on then beat him up in the corner. Despite Carlito keeping Sandman down on the mat with a hold, Sandman got back to his feet and knocked Carlito onto his back. Just then William Regal appeared and got into the ring, attacking Sandman. As Regal and Carlito began ganging up on Sandman in the ring, Hacksaw Jim Duggan appeared and ran down to the ring with his 2x4. Hacksaw got into the ring swinging his 2x4 and cleared the ring of Carlito and Regal. Sandman and Duggan both stood up with their weapons of choice and watched Regal and Carlito run around the ring then back away up the ramp.

Winner: Sandman wins via disqualification over Carlito.

JBL gave his thoughts on the Cena vs Lashley match for the Bash. JBL noted that both men defeated him for a major WWE title victory, with Cena winning the WWE title and Lashley winning the US title off him. JBL said he has to give Cena the edge here due to his championship experience in the bigtime matches.

Replay shown of Super Crazy picking up the win a few weeks ago over Mr. Kennedy in the Beat the Clock tournament. Replay also shown of Kennedy beating up Super Crazy last week backstage. Kennedy came down to the ring and did his usual schtick with the mic announcing himself as Mr. Kennedy......Kennedy.

Super Crazy vs. Mr. Kennedy

Super Crazy went on the offensive early, but Kennedy managed to gain control in the corner, beating Crazy down repeatedly. Kennedy ran at Super Crazy and hit him with a solid kick to the face. Kennedy continued trying to beat up Crazy after a failed pin attempt. Kennedy went for a splash off the ropes but Crazy put his knees up and Kennedy hurt his midsection. Super Crazy started to do aerial moves off the ropes onto Kennedy. Kennedy got up and managed to push Super Crazy when he climbed the ropes. Kennedy climbed up the ropes with Super Crazy and reverse suplexed him off face first. Mr. Kennedy then scored a pinfall victory. Kennedy grabbed the microphone from overhead again and announced himself as the winner.

Winner: Mr Kennedy wins via pinfall over Super Crazy.

Promo shown for Triple H saying he would return stronger and better than before, with the King of Kings song playing.

Face Off Between John Cena & Bobby Lashley

Coach seen at a podium up near the top of the ramp, with 2 more podiums set up inside the ring. Coach introduced Bobby Lashley who came down the ramp to the ring. Coach then introduced the champion, John Cena who came down to the ring to cheers from the crowd. Cena got in the ring and stared at Lashley then showed off his championship belt for the crowd. Coach then informed the 2 wrestlers he would ask them a series of questions and they would need to direct their answers to their opponent. Coach presented the footage to Cena of Lashley spearing him in the ring 2 weeks ago. Coach then asked Cena if he believes his title reign will end this Sunday. Cena jokingly pretended he was choked up and thought he was going to lose this title this Sunday. Cena told Coach that was the worst question in history. Cena then addressed Lashley as an uncrowned champ who might be bigger stronger and faster. Cena said he's never backed down from a challenge and at the Bash Lashley will get his best.

Coach asked Lashley a question but Lashley said he's not going to stand up there and answer a bunch of questions. Lashley said to let Cena hype the match up and when Cena's done, Lashley will be right there ready to fight. Coach told the two men to stop and follow the rules of the face off as he had given. Lashley then said he was going to do something to Coach he should have done a while ago. Lashley started up the ramp at Coach, but Coach yelled if he put one hand on him he'd lose his title match opportunity. Cena got on the mic and told Lashley his agression will be his downfall this Sunday and he will leave the ring without the title just like now. Lashley prepared to go back down to the ring, but a bunch of refs and WWE staff came out and convinced him to head back to the locker room. Cena continued to talk about Lashley and how alot of people are hyping his abilities. Cena said at the Bash he will put everything said to the test. Just then Lashley came back down the ramp with a bunch of refs following. Cena got out of the ring and went face to face with Lashley at the bottom of the ramp. Cena managed to get a punch in on Lashley as the refs got in between them and Raw ended.