Raw Revelations: Cedric the Sports Entertainer

With the arrival of the first celebrity guest host who is a true comedian, Cedric the Entertainer didn't disappoint on this past Monday Night's Raw. The famous "Original King of Comedy" opened with a rather unusual gimmick-filled entrance as he arrived to the parking garage area in a limo, with style and substance. Out stepped Cedric, followed by the beautiful Bella Twins, and then several of Ced's friends. Next more and more people kept exiting the limo in clown car circus style, such as a football team and coach, farmer with goat, rabbi who circumcised a baby, and elderly lady.

Apparently, the joke was somewhat mocking the unusual events that take place on a typical Monday Night Raw show which can see all sorts of mayhem from elderly women saying "suck it!" to goats and jackasses appearing. Amazingly, Cedric kept things relatively PG and did well with his improv-style comedy. Even Santino added some fun into the routine at one point, as he came on stage talking of his idolization of Cedric and wanting to get into comedy. Of course Santino's joke bombed, but Cedric brought the crowd to life with his Kanye West interruption joke.

This all lead to a match later involving Cedric versus Chavo Guerrero, which also ended in true gimmick fashion, as a disguised superhero-esque Cedric wearing a luchador mask switched out under the ring with a much larger, more built man, and then Hornswoggle. Cedric ultimately scored the winning pin making him officially 1-0 in the WWE record books. Nonetheless, Ced interjected humor and fun into the episode of Raw, that will make it tough for Al Sharpton to follow for next week.

Interesting scenario going on with the United States title, with both Miz and Jack Swagger stealing the title on separate nights. Not sure why Swagger would leave a match though as the distraction may have helped him defeat Kofi for the title. The three men get to face off at Hell in a Cell in a Triple Threat match, and it's seeming like Kofi might drop the title at the next PPV.

A bit of diva action as Mickie James looked to take on Beth Phoenix. It was a real quick match between two of the better divas in WWE, thanks to Alicia Fox's outside interference. This allowed Beth to eventually hoist Mickie up and slam her face first to the mat. Afterwords, Alicia came in the ring to do her scissor kick to the back of Mickie's head, and then mocked her on the mat. We need some more of those diva swimsuit matches like Seth Green instituted during his hosting gig on Raw.

There was also a sad moment on Raw as fans learned that longtime ring announcer Lillian Garcia is leaving WWE. She's been with the company around 10 years and has always done a tremendous job. If you've seen Raw live then you know Lilian is even better in person too. She'll be greatly missed. After the show ended Lilian was given a proper farewell and has a picture of herself with the Raw divas and a cake. You can tell it was an emotional night for the beautiful and talented Garcia. Wishing her luck for all further endeavors (and that she comes back to WWE before ever considering TNA).

Good news in the WWE Title picture is that the Hell in a Cell match between Cena and Orton will be Orton's last shot at the title for now. It's part of the contract signing, which really makes you wonder who will be next? Will Mark Henry return to a heel role? Maybe WWE sets up a Fatal Fourway involving Michaels, HHH, MVP? It's really tough to say who will be pushed into that title spot next, because with Batista leaving and DX seemingly united, there's not much contenders around. Which could mean a nice push for someone else who normally isn't there. It could also mean Legacy is going to make good on their promise to get rid of DX, causing Michaels and HHH to go back to singles action.

As mentioned previously, next week's guest host is Reverend Al Sharpton, and we can only hope he doesn't do too much political preaching on the show. WWE knows this will get some attention from the media. It will be interesting to see what Sharpton's selling or promoting too. He's been known as a controversial political activist, so possibly we'll get some decent matches out of that. One match already known for next week features Cena in a Gauntlet 3-on-1 match as he faces Jericho, Big Show and Orton in preparation for Hell in a Cell.

Raw Recap 09.21.09

Raw Recap from Little Rock, AR:

A black limo pulled up into the back parking garage of the arena. Out stepped the Bella Twins, and then guest host Cedric the Entertainer along with his crew including Smooth, and Cool Jimmy Johnson. From there, more people kept emerging from the limo just like a circus clown car. Several football players with their coach, a rabbi, an elderly woman, and a farmer with a goat also came out of the limo, before Cedric walked off with The Bella Twins.

After the pyro went off, Lawler and Cole hyped up their guest host, Cedric the Entertainer, right before D-Generation X's entrance started up. Triple H mentioned the upcoming Hell in a Cell, and then Michaels reminded fans he competed in and won the first ever Hell in a Cell match. Triple H reminded fans he has competed in the most Hell in a Cell matches, five. They mentioned that Legacy has never ever competed in this type of match before. HHH said Legacy will get the beatings of their lives in 2 weeks at the PPV when this whole feud comes to an end.

Triple H vs. Cody Rhodes

Dibiase provided an early distraction from the apron allowing Rhodes to start hammering away on HHH in the corner. HHH soon recovered to fight back, but Rhodes was able to boot him down from the corner. Rhodes charged at HHH in the corner, with HHH moving away and sending Rhodes shoulder first to the post, three times in a row. Triple H locked a Crossface on Cody, with Rhodes able to inch over to put his foot on the ropes to escape it. Rhodes rolled to the outside near Michaels, so Dibiase ran over to defend his partner. HHH landed a slide dropkick into Rhodes' back to send both men down before commercial.

After commercial, Rhodes had control using a submission hold to wear down HHH. The ref became distracted by Rhodes, allowing Dibiase to throw a punch at HHH from outside the ring. Rhodes kept throwing offense at HHH including a moonsault off the ropes. Rhodes taunted Michaels, allowing HHH time to recover. Back on his feet, HHH started to attack. Rhodes ran at HHH near the ropes, and HHH tossed him over the ropes. Rhodes got up and slapped Michaels in the face, so HBK started to chase him. As Michaels came around the side, Dibiase tried to ambush him but Michaels ducked the clothesline and came back to punch him. However, Legacy was able to doubleteam Michaels on the outside and KO'd him.

Rhodes got back in the ring, but HHH gained control. HHH set the Pedigree up, but Dibiase rushed in and smashed a steel chair on HHH's back and skull. Rhodes hit the Cross Rhodes on HHH, then Dibiase hit Dream Street. They set up a chair on HHHH's throat and prepared a move, but Michaels was back up. He grabbed the sledgehammer from under the ring and rushed in chasing off Legacy.

Winner: Triple H wins due to disqualification over Cody Rhodes when Ted Dibiase interfered.

Cole said later tonight Kofi Kingston defends the United States Championship against Jack Swagger. Also, John Cena and Randy Orton sign their contract for their WWE Title Hell in a Cell Match. Next, Cedric the Entertainer will be live.

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Lillian Garcia introduced tonight's guest host Cedric the Entertainer. Ced came out with The Bella Twins dancing. Cedric told the fans he's a real WWE fan so that's why he'll make a great host tonight. He launched into some stand up comedy including a funny bit about second and third generation superstars, showing images on the titantron of Big Show as the illegitimate son of Andre the Giant & King Kong Bundy, Mark Henry as the son of the Kool Aid Man, and The Miz as the son of a Jackass. Cedric prepared to start things off, but Santino Marella's music hit.

Santino came out saying he's a big fan of "Frederick the Entertainer", then held a copy of the new All-Star Comedy Jam DVD that Cedric's in. Santino said he wants to be a standup comic, so Cedric said he'd intro him to the crowd right now to do some jokes. Santino tried one joke and bombed, so Cedric interrupted and said "let me just say Beyonce had the best video of all time!" Cedric tried to get the show started yet again, but this time Chavo Guerrero interrupted.

Cedric said Chavo is hilarious because he lets a leprechaun beat him up weekly. Chavo said Hornswoggle's not the problem, its the [unk celebrity guest hosts who arrange the matches. Cedric reminded Chavo that last week Bob Barker karate chopped him. Chavo then challenged Cedric to a match tonight. Cedric tried to back out of it and recommended people go to "foolbattle.com" to vote on his movie debate. Santino stopped in and accepted on behalf of Cedric for the match.

Michael Cole and Lawler revisited footage of the tag match last week where The Miz stole Kofi's United States title belt from ringside. Josh Matthews interviewed The Miz backstage who still had the US Title. Miz said he only took what's going to be his eventually. Miz said the US Champion should be from the US. Miz started insulting Kofi, but just then Kingston rushed in and smashed Miz down from behind. With Miz down, Kofi grabbed his championship belt, said what's up to Matthews and left the scene.

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Evan Bourne vs. The Miz

Bourne exploded with some early offense, until Miz dumped him onto the top rope, hurting his leg. From there, Miz with a running kick to Bourne's head and then a submission hold. Bourne got to his feet to kick back, but Miz kicked him back down. Miz missed on a clothesline with Bourne able to roll him up. Miz escaped to take Bourne down yet again for a near pinfall. Miz soon went back to his submission hold, holding Bourne's arms back while sitting on his back.

Miz pulled Bourne over on the apron then delivered a running knee into Bourne's head. Bourne kept fighting back, and Miz returned to the submission. Bourne got to his feet and was able to run with Miz into the corner. Miz again came back and hit his running clothesline hard on Bourne in the corner. Miz went up on the turnbuckle, with Bourne running over to take his footing out. With Miz seated on the corner, Bourne did a Hurricanrana to throw Miz down to the mat. Bourne climbed the corner and went for a Shooting Starpress, but Miz rolled out of the way. Bourne landed on his feet, stumbling a bit, so Miz grabbed him and hit the Skull Crushing Finale.

Winner: The Miz wins via pinfall over Evan Bourne.

Backstage in the locker room, Orton came up to Legacy. Orton said originally he wanted them to be with him for the contract signing but he can tell they're close to ending DX forever. Orton told Ted and Cody to take the night off because he can handle the contract signing on his own.

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The Official Hell in a Cell theme song is "Monster" by the band Skillet, available now on the album "Awake".

Jerry Lawler served as mediator for the WWE Title Hell in a Cell Contract signing. Lawler discussed their match then introduced the former champ Orton first. Footage was shown from last week's match between Orton and Batista. Orton tried to head up the ramp, but John Cena emerged from backstage to knock Orton down and then toss him into the ring for Batista. Cena was introduced next to the roar of the Arkansas crowd. Both men took a seat at the table. Lawler reminded them there's a "no physicality" rule in effect tonight. Lawler said Trish Stratus said that Orton could have his rematch at Hell in a Cell or he can give up his right to a rematch. Lawler handed Orton the contract and Orton signed off. Orton told Lawler to get out of the ring. As Cena started to read the contract over, Orton began to trash talk him on the mic.

Orton stood up and told Cena he's more dangerous than ever before, and Cena's never been in Hell in a Cell before. Orton said he has and knows what it takes to win. Orton promised Cena would never be the same after the match. Cena stood up, tossed his hat into the crowd, then said he really wasn't listening. Cena had footage rolled of Orton saying "I Quit, I Quit" over and over from Breaking Point. Cena said Orton's put him through more than any other superstar has, but Cena's still survived. Cena said he doesn't feel threatened by Orton saying he's never been in this type of match. Cena said if Orton doesn't win at Hell in a Cell he gets no more chances at the title. Cena said at Hell in a Cell when they lock the door, he'll destroy Randy Orton. Orton said he wants nothing more than to RKO Cena through the title, but legally he can't. Orton said Cena's arrogance has made him despised since coming into the WWE, so he found a few wrestlers who would gladly come make Cena's life hell tonight.

Jericho and Big Show arrived out from backstage and came to the ring. Show dumped the table out of the ring and Cena rushed at him to try to attack. Jericho and Show began to doubleteam, kicking Cena down. MVP and Mark Henry came rushing down to the ring to make a save. As they cleared the ring, Cedric the Entertainer appeared on the big screen. He said they made things easy on him, because tonight they'll all compete against each other.

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WWE Slam of the Week showed the outcome of last week's Alicia Fox versus Gail Kim match to become the #1 Contender for the Divas Championship. Alicia won it with a kick to the back of Gail's head.

Alicia Fox was introduced, sitting ringside to watch Mickie James in action.

Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix

Early in the match, Mickie knocked Beth to the outside, then climbed the corner. Mickie jumped out onto Beth to start attacking her right near Alicia Fox. Fox stood up and glared at Mickie who took a swing at her. Alicia ducked, and that allowed Beth to grab her and ram her into the ringpost before tossing Mickie back in the ring. Beth with her finisher quickly on Mickie to win the match.

Alicia Fox picked up the Divas Championship belt and got into the ring. Alicia watched Mickie get to her feet, then did her scissors kick to the back of Mickie's head. Alicia layed the belt down near Mickie James on the mat after posing.

Winner: Beth Phoenix wins via pinfall over Mickie James.

Cole reminded fans of the upcoming matches, the six man tag match and then Cedric versus Chavo.

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Jack Swagger vs. Kofi Kingston
United States Title Match

Early in the match, Swagger caught Kingston from a move and set him on the corner. Kingston kicked him and tried for a DDT from the ropes but Swagger threw him across the ring. Just then, Miz came running down and grabbed the US Title again. Miz started to walk up the ramp with the belt. Swagger saw him, rushed out of the ring and leveled Miz on the ramp. Swagger picked up the belt for himself and walked backstage with it. Kofi Kingston recovered in the ring to see Swagger up on the ramp with the title while Miz was down on the ramp.

Winner: Kofi Kingston wins due to countout of Jack Swagger to retain the United States Championship.

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Cedric the Entertainer vs. Chavo Guerrero

Lillian introduced special guest referee Santino Marella who came out wearing the striped shirt. Cedric was introduced and came out wearing a cape along with some throwback wrestling tights. Before the bell Cedric put on a Luchador style mask, then put his hat back on. Chavo pulled off Cedric's hat then stomped on it. Angrily, Cedric slid out of the ring then crawled under the ring. Chavo acted like he was wise to his tricks and went out to the opposite side of the ring to wait for him to come out. To Chavo's surprise though a much bigger opponent came out from under the ring wearing the same attire (mask, cape, gear) as Cedric. Chavo started to hug the guy acting like his friend then slapped him and tried to run. The new wrestler grabbed Chavo, pressed him overhead then tossed him back in the ring through the ropes. In the ring he dismantled Chavo with power moves including a hard clothesline. Soon the mystery wrestler slipped to the outside and crawled under the ring.

Next, Hornswoggle came out to the ring dressed in the same gear as Ced and the mystery wrestler. Hornswoggle hit a Tadpole Frogsplash off the corner on Chavo, then quickly scurried outside the ring. Chavo was down and out. Hornswoggle crawled under the ring and Cedric the Entertainer came back out, got in the ring and took the pin to go 1-0 in his WWE career.

Post-match, all three wrestlers, Cedric, Horney and mystery man danced for the crowd in the ring.

Winner: Cedric the Entertainer wins via pinfall over Chavo Guerrero.

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When Raw returned Cole and Lawler announced next week's host is Reverend Al Sharpton, political activist and former presidential candidate. They ran down the updated lineup of Hell in a Cell matches which included the new US Championship match of Kofi Kingston defending in a Triple Threat against Miz and Swagger.

Backstage, Cedric was talking up his win over Chavo to Kelly Kelly, then tried to run some game on her about them both being champions that need to be together. Chris Jericho was there to interrupt saying they needed to talk. Ced told him that's great but right now he's talking to Kelly. He kept going on, but then Big Show was behind him and said they need to talk.

The cameras cut back to the arena with Jerry Lawler standing up for a special announcement. Lawler told the fans tonight will be announcer/diva Lillian Garcia's last night with WWE. With tears in her eyes, Lillian made a speech to talk about how great an honor it has been to be part of WWE history. Lillian said she's going to miss WWE so much but her heart will remain in the WWE ring after her departure. More on this story: Lillian Garcia leaving WWE

Mark Henry, MVP & John Cena vs. Chris Jericho, Big Show & Randy Orton

The heels stood in the ring with Jericho and Show holding mics. Jericho informed Orton they went to talk to Cedric the Entertainer to raise the stacks for the match tonight. He said that if they lose, Orton has to compete in a Gauntlet match next week against Cena, MVP and Henry. Orton was livid, until Show told him to calm down because if they win, Cena must face Jericho, Show and Orton in a Gauntlet match next week. Orton seemed ok with the stipulation, and then Cena was introduced.

Raw returned with Henry and MVP in the ring, no intros. Early in the match, Orton made a blind tag on Jericho's back and came in after Cena. Cena grabbed Orton and hoisted him up for the Attitude Adjustment, but Orton quickly slid off his back and out of the ring. Cena gave chase, with Big Show cutting him off. With Cena staring at Show, Jericho came from behind to smash Cena into the barricade. Orton took control on Cena after Jericho's interference. Orton dismantled Cena bit by bit then tagged in Big Show to continue things. Jericho was in again to kick away on Cena and manhandle him some more. When Orton came in again, Cena grabbed him for the belly-to-belly suplex leaving both men down. Orton and Cena jumped over to make tags with MVP and Jericho getting in.

MVP with the fastpaced offense including a facebuster and then a Ballin' Elbow on Jericho. Jericho kicked out at two. The ref became distracted by Orton, as MVP tried for his finisher on Jericho. Show grabbed MVP from nearby and delivered a massive headbutt to drop him. Show tagged in to start abusing MVP, giving Orton something to work with as he came in. MVP tried to build up some momentum, with Orton tripping him down before he could tag. Jericho came in to start cockily taunting MVP then put a knee to his back on the ropes. Jericho turned and tried to run from the ropes to jump on MVP, with Porter moving causing Jericho to go crotch-first onto the middle rope.

MVP started to battle back more against Randy Orton kicking him as Orton put his head down for a move. MVP turned to try to tag, but Orton shoved him through the ropes. Henry managed to slap MVP as he was going through the ropes for a tag, then grabbed Orton and delivered a headbutt. Henry came into the ring on fire, knocking Show off the apron and tossing Jericho into the ring with him and Orton. Henry knocked Orton down again. Show got into the ring with Cena rushing in to grab him, put him on his shoulders and dump him over the ropes out of the ring. Meanwhile, the ref was distracted as Henry had Orton up for a World's Strongest Slam. Jericho rushed over and chop blocked Henry's leg to cause him to lose his footing and drop Orton. Next, Jericho rushed over to knock Cena off the apron. Orton saw Henry hunched over trying to recover, so he hit the RKO on him for the win.

Winners: Randy Orton, Chris Jericho and Big Show win via pinfall over John Cena, MVP and Mark Henry.

The heels celebrated on the ramp as Cena looked dejected in the ring knowing that next week he has to face a gauntlet match of Orton, Jericho and Show.

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Raw Preview 09.21.09

Tonight's 09/21/09 episode of Monday Night Raw will feature celebrity guest host Cedric the Entertainer. The actor/comedian has starred in various roles including Big Momma's House, The Original Kings of Comedy, Barbershop 2: Back in Business and most recently Cadillac Records. Cedric has also provided a voice for the animated Madagascar films as well. Tonight he'll take over the hosting work for WWE Raw and as Michael Cole has nicknamed him, he'll be "Cedric the Sports Entertainer". What will the actor/comedian have in store for the superstars of WWE Raw tonight?

Last week saw several matches announced for the WWE Hell in a Cell Pay-Per-View involving Raw wrestlers. In particular, Randy Orton will get a shot to regain his title from John Cena in a Hell in a Cell match. Cena had the last laugh last week as he grabbed Orton on the ramp and ran him back to the ring for The Animal Batista to finish off. This came just one night after Cena withstood the torture and punishment doled out by former champion Orton. Additionally, Orton's Legacy squad picked up a huge win over DX, and on Raw, Ted Dibiase took on Shawn Michaels. The match ended in DQ and an all-out brawl broke out, taking the tag teams all over the arena until Raw lost camera coverage. Legacy has announced they want to end DX once and for all, but will they be able to do it in the coming weeks or at Hell in a Cell?

And finally, last week saw a tag team matchup involving The Miz and Jack Swagger against Kofi Kingston and Primo Colon. The Miz helped to provide distraction outside the ring when he walked over and just took Kofi Kingston's United States Championship belt. Kingston who was on the corner, was grabbed by the legal opponent, Jack Swagger, thrown into the turnbuckle and them hit with the Gutwrench Powerbomb, giving Swagger and Miz the victory. Kingston was shaken up and clearly upset as he watched The Miz walk up the ramp carrying the US Title on his shoulder. Will Miz be forced to return the title to Kofi on tonight's Raw, or will Kofi simply find a way to take it back?

Catch all of the action of Monday Night Raw tonight at 9PM EST on USA!