Raw Revelations: Orton breaks in Freddie Prinze Jr.

Last night on Raw, guest host Freddie Prinze Jr. received his official induction ceremony to the WWE Universe. The self-professed wrestling fan for years got to do his dream job of calling the shots on Raw for a night, while getting some indirect "24" promo's in as well. Unfortunately for Prinze, Randy Orton decided to spoil the fun as he came to the ring for one of his usual bullying jobs trying to remove himself as Cena's tag team partner. Prinze stood up to the Viper though, but it only resulted in Orton grabbing him and nearly snapping him in half across his back. Prinze was helped out of the ring by medical staff for his back and neck injuries, which didn't seem to require a brace or stretcher. Prinze was back later in the show to make sure Orton got his. Prinze made the main event tag match where Orton teamed with Cena, a Lumberjack match. He hand picked the jacks including guys like MVP, Kofi Kingston and Mark Henry. Prinze did a good job riling up the crowd and acting, and again you'll notice how WWE sort of toned down this guest host's interaction quite a bit from past shows (Piven, Seth Green). If anything, Prinze did a good job selling the fact he'll be on a show like "24" where Kiefer Sutherland recovers from just about anything.

I thought the Mickie James-Gail Kim Divas Championship match had one of the strangest finishes I've seen. Just the look on Mickie's face seemed to be one of either concern, frustration or bewilderment. The two traded momentum and all sorts of fast paced action, and in the final moments, Gail Kim blocked Mickie's finisher. Mickie still took Gail down to the mat in a hold. As Gail staggered up to her feet, she avoided a kick by Mickie James, so Mickie simply walked up to her and hit her in the face with a forearm to win it. It was extremely odd and makes you wonder if Gail got hurt and somehow let Mickie know. Nonetheless, Mickie and Gail raised each others arms at the end of the fight.

It's great that The Miz is getting a push for the United States Championship. He called out Kofi Kingston last night, letting him know what he's after. Shortly after that he was able to defeat high flyer Evan Bourne for a big "comeback" to Raw win. I think Miz will capture the US Title, probably after some trickery or underhanded tactics to win against Kofi. Speaking of Kofi, great match between he and Carlito last night. Also, good idea to put Rosa Mendes in Carlito's corner. Last night, Cole and Lawler were saying the list of US Champions is only a dozen or so guys, and maybe Carlito will add his name. Correct me if I'm wrong, but Carlito was a US champ already. I'm pretty sure Carlito won the US title back on Smackdown, by defeating John Cena. It happened right after Carlito's debut on the show and in WWE.

While I'm not a fan of the DX reunion, last night's scenario was set up well. Got a good chuckle out of HHH "canning" Jillian Hall's screeching by just putting a trash can full of trash on top of her. In the ring, DX did a lot of waiting around due to the crowd excitement before they started speaking. From there, they started up the DX lines in the ring, but it was cut short as Legacy attacked. A great way to set up Summerslam, making it look like Legacy has the upperhand, when we all know exactly who's winning that match.

While the Hornswoggle-Chavo thing's getting older each week, the Macaulay Culkin appearance and Home Alone stunt was a surprise.

In the main event, Orton and Cena sort of co-existed, despite Orton refusing to tag in, and then attacking Cena after the match. They defeated Show and Jericho in a non-title matchup, with face Lumberjacks surrounding the ring. Cena managed to win the match with an Attitude Adjustment on Jericho, but after the bell Orton snuck in to RKO him. Nice touch before Summerslam, but I kept thinking Freddie Prinze, Jr. might sneak out from backstage and bring Orton back to the ring for Cena. Wishful thinking, and they don't want Orton looking weak compared with a TV actor before a major PPV.

Next week we'll see Floyd "Money" Mayweather return to the scene when he guest hosts Raw in Vegas, following Summerslam. He's got a history with Big Show, so we just may see those two tangle again.

Raw Recap 08.17.09

Raw Recap from St. Louis, MO:

After the pyro concluded and the arena went wild, Michael Cole reminded fans we are six nights away from Summerslam. Jerry Lawler reminded everyone of tonight's big tag match involving Cena and Orton teaming up against Jericho and Big Show. Also, D-Generation X appears live tonight with HHH and HBK returning to Raw.

Lillian Garcia introduced tonight's special guest host, Freddie Prinze Jr. Prinze jogged down the ramp slapping hands with fans on the way. Prinze told the crowd just like them he's a lifelong WWE fan because he owns home videos and action figures. Prinze said tonight's not about him though, it's about the fans and what the want. He then said he's going to start Summerslam right there tonight, because both the Divas Championship and US Titles will be on the line. As Prinze was saying DX would be there tonight, all of a sudden he was interrupted by some ominous music, and someone dressed as the masked fisherman villain from "I Know What You Did Last Summer".

The villain in disguise started to speak eerily into the mic, then revealed himself to be Santino Marella. Santino started trying to showcase his acting skills and audition for a role in a new movie or TV show. Santino did his terrorist role audition for "24" as well as auditioning for a romantic comedy part. Prinze finally told Santino to go backstage and practice for the next 2 hours, so Santino gathered up all his costume accessories and took off for backstage. Prinze was about to announce something for the main event, when all of a sudden Randy Orton came out to interrupt.

Orton stared at Prinze as he walked down the ramp to the ring. Orton said he doesn't like teaming up with Cena tonight, and he doesn't feel like competing at all tonight. Prinze reminded Orton that he was in his hometown of St. Louis, and asked if he really didn't want to work? Orton said he isn't there to please the people. Orton said he won't ask Freddie again, then demanded he take him out of the main event. Prinze got in his face saying he respects him, but asked if he looks like Seth Green or Jeremy Piven. Prinze told Orton he won't bully him, and he will still compete in the match tonight. Prinze shook his head as he tried to leave, but Orton grabbed him and put him in a hold, then did a backbreaker. Prinze layed on the mat holding his neck, as Orton left the ring with his WWE title and went up the ramp. WWE medical staff and officials attended to Prinze who stayed down on the mat.

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Raw returned with a recap of what just went down in the ring between Freddie Prinze Jr. and Orton. Freddie Prinze Jr. was shown being helped backstage by medical staff. Lawler and Cole said they heard Prinze was taken to a nearby medical facility for observation.

Carlito vs. Kofi Kingston
United States Title Match

Carlito came to the ring accompanied by WWE Diva Rosa Mendes. Highlights were shown from WWE Superstars where Kofi teamed with Mickie James to go against Carlito and Rosa. Carlito hit a Backstabber on Kofi to win it.

Early on, both men grappled with Kofi able to knock Carlito down for a pinfall. Carlito was able to hit a move coming off the ropes to shove Kofi down into the bottom rope. Kofi hung over the side and Carlito dumped him out as Raw went to commercial. Raw returned with Carlito putting a chinlock on Kofi on the mat. Kofi fought to his feet with punches to Carlito. He slid under Carlito's legs but staggered up and was booted down hard. Carlito had a near fall afterwards.

Cole mentioned how just a few men have held the US Title, and Lawler said Carlito might add his name to the list soon. Carlito went for a suplex, with Kofi able to flip onto his feet and hit a side Russian Legsweep. Kofi hit an impressive DDT style move into a pinfall. Back up, Kofi chopped Carlito down and then hit the double legdrop. Carlito kicked out at 2 with Rosa cheering him on. Kofi did a reverse cross body from off the corner. Carlito went for a move grabbing Kofi, but Kofi blocked and gave an uppercut. Kofi was able to gain momentum getting up on the corner to fly onto Carlito. Carlito rolled through with the crossbody for a near pinfall on Kofi. From there, the two continued the battle with Carlito hitting an impressive spinning neckbreaker. Kofi just barely kicked out. Carlito waited for Kofi to get to his feet so he could go for the Backstabber. Kofi was able to escape it, turn around and shove Carlito to the ropes. As Carlito came back at him, Kofi hit Trouble in Paradise kick to finally win.

Winner: Kofi Kingston wins via pinfall over Carlito to retain the United States Championship.

Cole and Lawler hyped up tonight's reunion and return of DX. They mentioned they have cameras set up in the arena parking garage for when DX arrives to the building.

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As Raw returned Cole and Lawler discussed how exciting it would be to see the reunion of DX tonight. Cole introduced DX's Greatest Hits which included footage of Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Chyna, Rick Rude and X-Pac. Scenes shown included DX messing with Vince McMahon, impersonating the Nation, and delivering their famous X crotch chops.

Tonight's WWE.com poll question: Can Orton and Cena defeat Jericho and Big Show on tonight's Raw?

Evan Bourne vs. The Miz

Highlights were shown from last week when Calgary Kid defeated Eugene in the Contract on a Pole match. Miz was able to get his spot back on Monday Night Raw with the win. Miz grabbed a mic to speak to the crowd, saing he had a new attitude, new look but same mouth. Miz said he's going to embark on a new quest to become the United States Champion. Miz delivered a warning for Kofi Kingston that he's coming for his title.

Miz with the early advantage as he sucker kicked Bourne and started kicking him in the corner. Bourne was able to gain speed off the ropes to take Miz down, and in the corner did an impressive dropkick right into Miz' chest. Miz recovered and came back with a serious clothesline to level Bourne. Miz failed at the pin then began kicking Bourne in his back, followed with a kick to the face.

With Bourne down, Miz sat on him and pulled his arms back to wear him down. Miz finally stood up and released it, then put a different submission on him. Bourne screamed in pain but didn't give up. Bourne got to his feet and worked his way to the ropes, but Miz shoved him head first to the corner. Miz was backed away by the ref and then ran right back with a hard clothesline on Bourne. Miz went to the ropes for a move, but Bourne delivered a spin kick to the face. Bourne with a dive over the rope to land with both knees on Miz. Bourne collected Miz and shoved him back in the ring. As he got to the apron, Miz tried to grab him but Bourne did another spin kick. Bourne did a series of impressive moves in the ring including a standing moonsault.

At one point, Bourne was going for Air Bourne, but Miz got to the corner to shake him off. Bourne fought him off and got on Miz' shoulders. Miz dropped Bourne off in front of him, then hit his new finisher "The Skull Crushing Finale" when he did a legsweep style move to slam Bourne face first into the mat.

Winner: The Miz wins via pinfall over Evan Bourne.

A camera was shown out in the garage with a forklift driving and a staff member walking through. Lawler pleaded with DX to get to the arena already.

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As Raw returned, Cole reminded fans how tonight will be historic with Cena teaming up with Orton in the main event. Lawler said he heard DX is just minutes away from their arrival. Cole introduced the footage of how the DX reunion came to be, with HHH announcing his intentions to make one phone call. The next week on Raw, fans saw Triple H's trip to Texas to find Shawn Michaels working as a chef. He eventually convinced HBK to come back to DX for Summerslam so they can face Legacy.

A white limo was shown arriving in the garage with DX painted on its sides. Triple H stepped out first and started to walk, then went back to the car to get HBK. He grabbed Michaels and pulled him out, then the two started walking on their way to the arena. Just then, they heard a woman screaming at them, and saw Jillian Hall with Alicia Fox. Jillian started singing the DX theme in annoying fashion. The duo stared at her and finally HHH shut her up by putting a trash can on her. They started to walk forward again for a bit. Just then, Santino Marella jumped down behind them pretending to be a terrorist. He pointed his fake gun at them telling them to freeze, practicing his lines for "24". Michaels looked back then delivered a Superkick to take him down. HHH said he didn't think Santino meant to harm them, and HBK said he knew.

Out in the dark arena, the DX theme music started up with the fans going wild. DX got into the ring with the fans still going wild. After several minutes of dancing around, crotch chops and pyro smoke, the crowd started to chant for D-X. HHH delivered the "Are you ready?" lines to the crowd, and got on the corner to ask if the fans were ready. Just then, Legacy was in the ring to attack out of nowhere. Rhodes and Dibiase took down both men, tossing HHH to the outside, then shoving Michaels into the corner.

Triple H got back in the ring and started trying to fight both guys on his own, but he was quickly put back down to the mat. Rhodes pulled one of Michaels' boots off and Dibiase held HHH so Rhodes could clock him in the head. Rhodes turned and smashed the boot on Michaels as he tried to grab Rhodes' leg. A second shot was delivered by the boot to HHH's head. Dibiase took a mic and got down in HHH's face saying he had the answer to his question "yes, we are ready". Michaels and HHH started to crawl on the mat, and Legacy rushed over to kick the meach down before leaving the ring.

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A commercial was shown for the TV premiere of Wrestlemania 25, on NBC, Saturday August 29th at 9PM EST.

Cole and Lawler covered the highlights of DX's return celebration which was interrupted by Dibiase and Rhodes of Legacy.

Gail Kim vs. Mickie James
Divas Championship Match

Early in the match, Gail and Mickie both tried to dropkick each other at the same time. Mickie and Gail slapped hands, then Mickie tried for a kick with Gail ducking it. Gail went to the side apron then tried for a Sunset Flip pinfall. Mickie went for a suplex, with Gail blocking it. The two divas ended up in a series of rolling pins with neither getting a pin. Both divas got up to double clothesline one another.

At one point, Gail and Mickie fought in the corner, with Mickie kicking Gail away, then using a headscissors to flip her across the ring. Gail came back to do one of her own, then did a flying attack on Mickie in the corner. Gail with a missile dropkick off the corner, but failed at the pinfall. Mickie got up hear the ropes and fought back then tried for her finisher, with Gail blocking. Mickie put it into a submission but Gail grabbed the nearby bottom rope. Mickie had another DDT attempt with Gail blocking yet again as the two divas fell to the mat. Gail staggered back up as Mickie also got to her feet. Mickie went with a spin kick but Gail avoided it. Mickie then caught her with a forearm to the jaw to knock Gail flat to the mat. Lawler and Cole claimed it was a "knockout punch" and that Gail Kim was out for the count in a strange closing segment of the match.

After the win, Mickie had a strange look on her face and went over to help up Gail Kim and stand with her arm raised.

Winner: Mickie James wins via pinfall over Gail Kim to retain the Divas Championship.

Again, Lawler and Cole covered Randy Orton's heinous attack on Freddie Prinze Jr. earlier. Cole said he understands that Freddie Prinze Jr has returned to the arena with possible back and neck problems, but he is back on the show.

Josh Matthews interviewed John Cena backstage. Matthews asked Cena his thoughts on having to team up with Orton tonight. Cena said you've got to hand it to Orton for using all his resources to be WWE Champion. Cena said Orton also has a lot of problems and it seems everyone else is the source of his problems. Cena said everyone has problems, but everyone deals with the problems. Cena then gave examples of how Orton is always whining about having to wrestle. Cena said he plans to go out there and wrestle tonight. Cena said together they need to deal with the problem of their opponents. Cena said on Sunday at Summerslam he'll solve his problem of not having any gold around his waist. Jericho and Show showed up backstage to get in Cena's face. Jericho said Cena's got bigger problems to worry about tonight. Show looked at Cena and told him he might not make it to Summerslam.

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Highlights were shown from last week's Chris Masters vs. MVP match with Jack Swagger coming down to distract MVP after his win. Masters got back up and put the Masterlock on to subdue MVP, so Swagger could hit a Gutwrench Powerbomb on him.

MVP vs. Jack Swagger

Early on, Swagger taunted MVP, but MVP smiled then turned and punched him in the face. The fight went to the outside with MVP slamming Swagger into the announcers table. Back in the ring, Swagger recovered to kick MVP into the corner where he repeatedly kept attacking. The ref warned Swagger to back off, but Swagger refused to and kept going at MVP. The referee finally called for the bell giving MVP the win due to DQ. Swagger was still up, and got in the ref's face about the call. MVP got back up and tackled Swagger down pounding on him. The two rolled around the ring a bit, with Swagger rolling to the outside to escape MVP's fury.

Winner: MVP wins due to disqualification when Swagger refused to heed the ref's instructions.

Freddie Prinze Jr. was shown backstage walking gingerly and favoring his right arm a bit. A WWE staff member urged him to stay backstage, but Prinze said he was going out there.

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When Raw returned, Cole and Lawler discussed how WWE was featured in People Magazine, where they showed a few large pictures of guest host Jeremy Piven leaping off the corner onto John Cena.

Hornswoggle vs. Chavo Guerrero
Falls Count Anywhere Match

As the bell rang, Hornswoggle kept his green jacket on, then looked at Chavo and quickly scurried out of the ring. Hornswoggle ran under the ring with Chavo chasing him. For several moments the camera showed an empty ring with both men underneath. Chavo emerged on the opposite side of the ring with a few items including a toilet seat. Hornswoggle came out on the other side, laughed at Chavo then started to run up the ramp. Chavo went after him backstage and asked Primo Colon where Hornswoggle went. Primo pointed down a hall and Chavo went looking for him. Chavo found a bunch of locked doors, then heard noise from behind one. As he opened the door, a paint bucket can swung out and hit him in the head. Chavo fell to the ground KO'd. Hornswoggle came out from the other door kicked Chavo to see he wasn't moving, then took the winning pinfall.

Chavo got back up holding his head to see Mark Henry standing in the other doorway. He pointed at Mark Henry saying "it was you!" Henry laughed and left the scene. Just then, Macaulay Culkin from the movie "Home Alone" came out the door. Chavo pointed at him, and Culkin said "it's not funny".

Winner: Hornswoggle wins via pinfall over Chavo Guerrero.

Cole and Lawler were in the ring to hype up Sunday's Summerslam matches including the TLC match between Jeff Hardy and CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title, John Cena vs. Orton for the WWE Title, and Cryme Tyme vs. Jericho and Big Show for the Unified Tag Team titles.

Big Show and Jericho were shown walking backstage on their way to the ring.

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As Raw returned, Cole said celebrity guest hosts on Raw have been taking the world by storm. Next week, the guest host will be boxer Floyd Mayweather Jr. in Las Vegas, Nevada. They showed footage of Mayweather boxing, counting money, and competing at Wrestlemania 24.

The answer to the WWE.com Poll question was 76% said yes Cena and Orton can defeat Jericho and Big Show tonight on Raw.

John Cena & Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho & Big Show

After all four men arrived to the ring, Freddie Prinze Jr. made his way back out to the ramp. Prinze screamed on the mic to Orton that he took a page out of his book tonight and made this a Lumberjack match. He said he handpicked the Lumberjacks and they don't like Orton very much. The Lumberjacks arrived to the ring including Mark Henry, Jamie Noble, MVP, Primo, Kofi Kingston, and Evan Bourne.

Raw returned with the match in progress as Show was applying a bear hug submission hold to squeeze Cena in the ring. During the break, Cena sent Jericho to the outside so the Lumberjacks could attack him. Cena tried to gain some momentum against Show with a shoulder block from the ropes, but Show shoved him down hard. Orton extended his hand as if he wanted to help Cena by tagging. Cena crawled over to try to tag and Orton took his hand away, turning his back as the Lumberjacks glared at him. Meanwhile, Cena managed to escape Big Show in the corner and then ran over to slap Orton for a forced tag. Orton gave him a look and Cena threw him into the ring yelling at him they are partners. Show caught Orton with a Spear, and Orton rolled outside. On the outside MVP went at Orton, but Henry told him to step aside. Henry picked up Orton overhead and tossed him back in through the ropes for Show to attack.

Show took the advantage with Jericho tagging in to further punish Orton with punches and kicks. Jericho brought Orton to his feet to continue punching away, then shoved him to the ropes and applied a Sleeper as Orton came back. Orton managed to counter the hold and slammed Jericho backwards to the mat. Orton started to crawl over for a tag with Cena getting all amped up to tag in. Just then Jericho, grabbed him and dragged Orton back as he tagged Show. Big Show came off the ropes with a huge move to take Orton down for a near pinfall. Show then applied a hold to wear down Orton's head and neck. Orton got to his feet and looked over for a tag, but Show stopped him then suplexed him. Jericho eventually got back in, and went off the ropes at Orton, but Orton caught him in a Powerslam. Jericho stopped Orton from a tag again then reapplied the sleeper chokehold. Orton fought out on his feet, but was elbowed down by Jericho.

Jericho missed on the Lionsault attempt, and again Orton began to crawl to Cena for a tag. Cena had his arm out begging for the tag as Orton crawled over. Cena made the tag and came in with momentum to take down Jericho for a Five Knuckle Shuffle. Show grabbed Cena since he was nearby, but Cena responded by yanking Show down across the top rope to cause him to fall off the apron. From there, Cena managed to get Jericho on his shoulders and hit the Attitude Adjustment to win it.

Cena raised his arm in victory after the bell, but the celebration was shortlived. Orton snuck into the ring and delivered the RKO to take Cena down, then escaped the ring as Lumberjacks came in after him. Jericho and Show got back in to try to doubleteam attack Cena. Lumberjacks tried to stop them but got tossed out of the ring one by one. Cena was back on his feet and managed to knock Jericho out of the ring, then came off the ropes to hit Show with a shoulder block sending him outside the ropes. Cena was fired up in the ring as Orton looked down to the ring shocked. Raw went off the air with Orton holding up the WWE Title on the ramp, and Cena still going wild in the ring for the fans.

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

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Variety Article reveals Raw Hosts

Variety magazine has a recent online article examining the Raw guest hosting gig, and how most celebrities are using it as part of their promotional arsenal for new projects. For example, Jeremy Piven promoted his movie "The Goods: Live Hard, Sell Hard", Seth Green promoted Robot Chicken and ZZ Top promoted their DVD's, albums, and a current concert tour.

Freddie Prinze Jr. hosts the 08/17/09 episode of WWE Raw and he also is joining the cast of Fox's hit action/drama series "24". Stephanie McMahon had the following to say, according to the Variety article:

"We wanted a different way to get our product out there and talked about," Stephanie McMahon, WWE's executive VP of creative development and operations, told Daily Variety. "Tying us in with celebrities in Hollywood raises our awareness and gets a variety of people talking about us, which is always a positive place to be. Hopefully it will translate to new viewers."

According to the article, the guest hosts will continue through 2009, and may even go on until Wrestlemania 26 in 2010. Among those confirmed as upcoming hosts: Bob Barker (Price is Right), Reverend Al Sharpton, Nancy O'Dell (Access Hollywood), boxer Floyd Mayweather, and NBA star Lebron James (also Shaquille O'Neal's Cleveland teammate). Sounds like at least two of the upcoming hosts could make things rough for The Big Show.

There's also several rumored guest hosts who are in talks with WWE: Fall Out Boy's Pete Wentz, Ashlee Simpson, the Osbournes, Danny DeVito, Regis Philbin and Kelly Ripa, Jimmy Fallon, Rachael Ray, MC Hammer, Woody Harrelson, Serena Williams and Ashton Kutcher.

If you think about the move, it's smart business for both WWE and the hosts who get to plug whatever they want. ESPN covered Shaq's appearance, while Jeremy Piven talked his Raw hosting gig up on various shows like Jimmy Kimmel and Regis & Kelly. And at least a few times, it's made for entertaining television (Shaq, Seth Green). It's even boosted ratings since they've instituted the hosts and gained new sponsors such as KFC, Pepsi and 7-11, currently helping to promote Summerslam 2009. If you recall, this all started out when Trump announced the idea as part of his Raw restructuring plan. So maybe Donald Trump should be running WWE after all?

Read full article: "WWE added to Talk Show Circuit at Variety's online site.

Raw Preview 08.17.09

Tonight's episode of WWE Raw will feature another guest host celebrity. This time, it will be actor Freddie Prinze, Jr., who's a known WWE fan, and even keeps his own profile at the WWE Universe website. Freddie also was a part of the WWE Creative team for a short time, contributing to its story development, before parting ways with the company. He's been known to be in attendance at big WWE PPV's including Wrestlemania. Tonight he'll have his hands full as he steps into the role of Raw's host and temporary GM for a night. He'll have to deal with several situations including the various feuds going on as Raw's superstars prepare for Summerslam 2009. How will Freddie Prinze Jr handle the pressure as Raw's host?

In one volatile situation, the two men who will face off at Summerslam for the WWE Title will be forced to compete as tag team partners. John Cena and Randy Orton will be teaming up to face the Unified Tag Team champs, Chris Jericho and Big Show. Last week's Raw saw these four collide in separate matches in Canada. John Cena fought Chris Jericho in front of his hometown fans, with Randy Orton coming to the ring to interrupt. The DQ angered Jericho who was intent on getting his first win against Cena ever. Earlier in the night, Randy Orton did battle with Big Show, and chose to leave the ring after realizing he might be outmatched. Orton chose to wisely exit up the ramp so he wouldn't suffer further damage. During the main event, Cena prepared to hit the Attitude Adjustment on Jericho, with Orton rushing over to steal his thunder by hitting the RKO. Cena gave him a look, and before Raw ended the two men clotheslined Big Show out of the ring. It will be a first of its kind pairing, as Cena and Orton team up on Raw. How will the duo fare against the tag champs who are also preparing for Summerslam?

Last week's other big news was the confirmed reunion of D-Generation X. Several videos were shown from Triple H's trip to visit Shawn Michaels at his new job in Texas. HHH discovered that Michaels wasn't some corporate office bigwig, but instead had received a position in the big building's cafeteria, flipping burgers. Although HBK tried to tell Triple H that he wanted no part of wrestling since Wrestlemania 25, his good pal was able to convince him he needed his help to take out Legacy. Eventually, Michaels became fed up with his boss and delivered a superkick to him, before promptly quitting. Triple H and Michaels left the scene, as a fire erupted on the grill. From there, another fire will erupt as the newly reunited DX will face Legacy at Summerslam 2009. Will Michaels still have what it takes in the ring, or will Legacy gain the upperhand somehow to defeat this superteam? Will DX appear on Raw tonight?

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

Raw Revelations: Calgary Kid, DX & Slaughter

If Dr. Ken did his job of completely annoying anyone watching Monday Night Raw last week, then Sgt. Slaughter did his of annoying the Canadian fans attending Raw live last night. Many fans and analysts called last week's Raw unbearable and a complete travesty, so it makes sense that they toned down the guest host role quite a bit this week. Let's face it Slaughter is no Jericho on the mic these days, and that was seen by his fumbling of lines. Slaughter seemed to have little "control" in terms of talking to any wrestlers or setting up matches (until the end of the show). Amazingly, the fictional GI Joe character didn't even promote the new GI Joe movie or show clips of it, but then again he's not in the movie. He did however march out onto the ramp and call the fans "maggots", then completely made fun of their flag, anthem and hero, Bret Hart. Slaughter had Jillian Hall use her awful screeching voice to sing the Canadian national anthem, then as his grand finale, had Bret Hart's music play, making fans go absolutely bonkers. Joke was on them, when Hacksaw Jim Duggan came out waving an American Flag in their faces.

One highlight of last night's show may have been The Miz making his surprise return to the ring and WWE Raw. Last week a stipulation in his match against Cena was should he lose he was banned from Summerslam, Staples Center and Raw, forever. Cena won. This week, Miz came down dressed up as a wrestler called "the Calgary Kid", someone who even Michael Cole couldn't find out about on Google. (Funny enough later that night "Calgary Kid" was a top Google search) That's because there never was a Calgary Kid beyond a children's TV show. Anyhow, the masked marauder dressed in red was able to beat Eugene (another surprise) in a "contract on a pole match". The winner would be put back on Raw, and when Calgary Kid won it, he joyously ripped off his mask to reveal The Miz. That definitely was a great spot that they need more of on Raw. Kinda reminded me of the old Blue Blazer gimmick, the Patriot, and even the Conquistadors from WWF days. Great stuff.

I also enjoyed the Big Show versus Orton match despite its cheap ending with Orton getting the countout on purpose. What can you expect from Orton, but seeing Show dominate, and then Orton with some clever comeback moves was great. Was hoping for some sort of interference allowing Orton to hit an RKO, but instead Orton decided to retreat from the match prior to Summerslam. Big Show got his revenge later in the show with a Chokeslam.

Raw also produced Gail Kim in a pinfall win in a Fatal Fourway match involving Kelly Kelly, Beth Phoenix and Alicia Fox. I was surprised by this one due to her recent losses on Raw, and fully expected Beth Phoenix or even Kelly Kelly to win this one. However, Gail Kim is from Canada originally, and the fans seemed pleased by her victory. The action in that match was top notch for a divas match too, with a lot of great moves and pinfall attempts. The divas even started doing the jump onto other divas in a pile outside the ring move that wrestlers do. Anyways, Gail will get a future shot at Mickie James and the Divas title.

Sorry to fans of the DX reunion, but that may be something WWE needs to move on from. While I have nothing against HHH or HBK, the DX humor can grow old fast. Let's hope Legacy eliminates them eventually, because we've had a bit too much DX. Michaels may even do better on Smackdown. DX is just overplayed, unless they want to bring back some other members like X-Pac and Chyna Doll to make it more interesting. Also found it odd that Shawn Michaels superkicked a little girl (off camera), when WWE wants to achieve a more PG rating. Couldn't he have just dumped ketchup on her or thrown salad at her? Not only that, but remember back to when Shawn Michaels defeated JBL...He was given all the money JBL owed him, yet now HBK is flipping burgers? Strange but true....

The main event match pitted Chris Jericho against John Cena. The crowd was really behind Jericho in the earlier part of the night, and Jericho vowed he would finally defeat Cena in front of his homestate fans. Later during a backstage segment with Big Show, Jericho showed his true colors and talked about disliking Canada. Unfortunately for Jericho, the fans saw it, but they didn't seem to turn on him too bad. There was a typical mixed Cena crowd. In the one on one match, Randy Orton came down to interfere causing a DQ. Jericho was upset, and he and Orton got into it. When Y2J was shoved outside the ring, Big Show arrived to dismantle Orton. This melee brought the Sarge back out to actually announce and schedule a match, but for next week. Next week we'll see John Cena join forces with Orton to battle Show and Jericho which will be one of those typical "we don't like each other but can we co-exist" type tag situations.

Next week Raw will have guest host actor Freddie Prinze Jr, who's been in all sorts of movies including Scooby Doo, I Know What you Did Last Summer and She's All That. He also was a former creative staff member with WWE in 2008 as noted by his Wikipedia and by JR's blog August 2008. As of February 2009, Prinze was no longer involved. But Prinze is a known wrestling fan who was shown attending Wrestlemina 24, and made a cameo during The Dirt Sheet once. In addition, he's got an official profile at WWE Universe where he records his thoughts. His most recent blog entry there was called "If Wrestlers Ruled the world" and on August 17th, he'll rule their world, for a night.