• Wrestling News & Wrestling Rumors – WWE & TNA

[Editor's Note: Thanks to Thomas Wood for joining the recap team and sending in this piece. If anyone is watching ECW tonight, be sure to reap the show and email it to typesthetak@gmail.com].

If you haven’t checked out the Forums do so, I’m Woodshack so have a look about and you should see me around there.

Welcome to Monday Night Raw from Oakland, California. It kicked off with 16 time World Champion, WWE Hall of Famer, the styling and profiling Ric Flair. Who starts of by reliving the past by saying what happened last year and improving his character as a face and within 2 minutes Jericho interrupts with no music and gets a very good heel reaction from the crowd with chants of ‘you suck’. Y2J shows us footage of him hugging Flair on the Raw after Wrestlemania and said it was out of respect and then takes it back by saying “If I had known what you’d become, I would have slapped you right in the face.” Flair responds that he is losing Jericho’s respect by the minute and is a man of his word. Personally I think Jericho has a point about Flair and what he does out of the WWE and him looking for a replacement spotlight other than being a wrestler. Also I agree with Jericho that he’ll probably come back to the ring in some shape or form whether it be as a wrestler or as a manager his son Reid Flair. After some more heated words which had some more deeper meaning that what they look like, Flair has had enough and gives Jericho a forearm to the face and flattens him. Flair gets a great reception from it. Damn Flair gets sweaty real easy, very creepy.

Then a recap of last week’s episode between Shane & Orton, which is really well done and it looks like that this storyline could work, but it doesn’t look like that it will happen past No Way Out. I’m just waiting for a swerve, but that looks like it will come after No Way Out.

First match Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall Vs Women’s Champion Melina & Kelly Kelly, before the match J.R reveals a Women’s title match between Beth Phoenix & Melina, that looks like a great match! Kelly Kelly looks like she is really developing as a wrestler, as well as Jillian. With the momentum as per usual swinging from side to side, the match was finished after 2-3 minutes, the match really showed Melina bringing out some impressive and high impact moves like a kick to Beth’s face. With Glamerella & Jillian Hall winning after Rosa Mendez tripping up Melina as she goes for what looks like a springboard, Beth hits her awesome and impressive finisher, picking up Melina and slamming her face to the match.

A Wrestlemania promo, this one being from Wrestlemania 3, focusing on Hulk Hogan Vs Andre The Giant, the famous footage where Hulk picks up and slams Andre. It also showed other matches then such as Ricky ‘The Dragon’ Steamboat winning the Intercontinental Title, Alice Cooper getting involved in a match, Rowdy Piper and the large attendance record… 93,173 people!! WOW great promo!!

Next was JBL and HBK talking in a locker room, promoting the ‘All Or Nothing’ match, as well as JBL revealing a “tune up” match between HBK and Mark Henry. Next we saw Legacy some out to the ramp, he reminds us, aside from his feud with the McMahon family, is that as he won the Royal Rumble and he could either become the WWE Champion or the World Heavyweight Champion. Note he doesn’t say ECW Champion which can only say that ECW isn’t good enough to main event Wrestlemania. He then goes on about Steph being scared to death after seeing another McMahon being taken out, and also saying that the Undertaker couldn’t stop him at the Royal Rumble, so he can’t stop him tonight.

Next match saw “Priceless” Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase in action against Cryme Time, last week Cryme Time won after Priceless got disqualified. Shad Gasbar starts against Cody Rhodes, and Shad starts to throw Cody around the ring in a real impressive way, but as per usual momentum goes both ways, but it mainly goes towards Priceless, to make Priceless seem real good. I feel they are over rated and Cryme Time really took Priceless to town and if the matches weren’t pre-determined then I really think Cryme Time could have won easily. The match is won by Priceless after Cody hits his swinging neckbreaker named Brutal Route Crossroads, and the match was over within 4-5 minutes. After a short promo of Cena and a bunch of other celebrities like Tiger Woods, and Derek Jeter (apparently part of the New York Yankees baseball team) promoting the Gillette Fusion shaver named Gamer, which hasn’t hit the UK yet.

After the break we come back to Raw with them showing NFL team Oakland Raiders. The next match we have yet ANOTHER tag team match, the 6 man tag team match between all the elimination chamber participants, Kane, Mike Knox (I reckon he has a great entrance theme, but needs a new one to fit his character on Raw), Chris Jericho Vs Rey Mysterio, Kofi Kingston and John Cena. We start if with Kofi and Kane, Kofi really takes it to Kane, and dodges some moves from Kane really impressively. With the WWE going for the whole WWE Kids initiative they have renamed Cena’s FU to the Attitude Adjustment. The heels really dominate the match after the match has settled, Jericho starts to really shine after he reverses Cena’s Attitude Adjustment into a DDT, as well as turning one of Cena’s flying shoulder blocks in mid-air into Cena going chest and face first to the mat. The heels really concentrate on Cena and after Cena hits his Attitude Adjustment he tags into Mysterio who dominates Jericho, and Kofi and Rey start to work together after Kofi gets tagged in. Kofi flies from the 2nd turnbuckle and looks like he is going to ensiguri Jericho but he reverses it in mid air into a Codebreaker, Jericho Knox and Kane win. REALLY IMPRISSIVE MOVE! The match concentrates on Jericho who was on fire! He could beat everyone in the elimination chamber and could be new World Heavyweight Champion!

We see Steph on the phone to someone, they don’t say who, but it looks like a McMahon, she seems to look scared about Orton. Before the break we see HBK backstage, heading to the entrance.

Next match is HBK Vs Mark Henry being accompanied by Tony Atlas, who is probably the only actual remote like manager in the whole of the WWE. JBL then enters to his theme but in no limousine as a guest commentator. We start with momentum changing and the match was abruptly ended as HBK throws in a chair, HBK picks it up and goes to use it but Mark Henry blocks it, HBK then hits Henry with a Sweet Chin Music through the chair. HBK gets disqualified! WHAT THE HELL!!! Another crap ending to what could have been a great match. After the match JBL goes on about his match this Sunday at No Way Out, and reminds him and us about the stipulation, and compares what will happen to HBK if he loses to Mickey Mouse & Disney. He then suggests HBK should bring his wife to ringside to watch him lose, and then says that his office will be great for her, trying to anger HBK.

Intercontinental Rematch next between CM Punk Vs Regal, with Layla at ringside. While CM punk enters the ring we see C.C. Sabathia who recently signed $160 Million contract with the Yankees to keep him there. CM Punk dominates early but Regal gets an early knee to the temple, after a while CM Punk goes for the Go To Sleep, but after frantic elbowing to the head, Regal gets off Punk’s shoulder, after that Regal dominates and gets CM Punk in a weird submission move, where it looks like Punk is kind of strangling himself. Regal after dodging a sunset flip, by headbutting Punk, Regal goes for a knee to the temple, but Punk dodges, and Punk hits the Go To Sleep. The match was done in about 4 – 5 minutes, a really shame as it looked like it could be a great match!

Another Wrestlemania promo this time concentrating on Wrestlemania 13 in Chicago, which concentrates on the Rock Vs some dude who’s name I can’t remember, and Stone Cold tapping out to Bret ‘The Hitman’ Hart and the start of the attitude era. It then goes one about Undertaker’s match as well. Michael Cole and JR actually go on about England for once and the BAFTA’s =] as well as Mickey Rourke winning the BAFTA for best actor, the WWE are still going on about Mickey Rourke and the Oscars. Look for Mickey Rourke to be in a Wrestlemania match against Jericho to be announced after the Oscars.

Next match is the main event of Randy Orton (by himself) Vs The Undertaker (a rare Monday Night Raw appearance). In the early goings on the match we see ‘Taker go to town on Orton with ‘Taker doing a one armed stunner on Orton, with Taker going from the apron, to the mats. When we come back after a break we see Orton on top briefly and when ‘Taker goes on top Orton catches ‘Taker with a quick Powerslam (I think that is what the move is called). Undertaker remains on top of The Undertaker until he reverses Orton’s headlock. Right hand punches were exchanged with ‘Taker getting on top, after ‘Snake Eyes’ and a big boot, ‘Taker looks for a chokeslame, but that gets reversed Orton goes for a RKO but ‘Taker avoids it. The Undertaker goes for a tombstone, but Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase ambush The Undertaker. After ‘Taker getting a beating from Legacy, Shane comes to the aid of The Undertaker who hits Orton on the back of the head by surprise as Orton went to go for a RKO. The Undertaker nails Cody Rhodes with a Chokeslam, while Shane goes to town with Ted DiBiase, Orton flees, and The Undertaker gets Ted DiBiase with a Chokeslam. We then see vintage Shane McMahon as he goes Coast to Coast on Ted DiBiase. F.Y.I Coast to Coast is where Shane puts a Metal Rubbish Bin in between the opponents head (which is resting on the bottom turnbuckle) and the 1st and 2nd rope, who then jumps from the opposite side of the ring and drop-kicks the rubbish bin. Great ending to a typical WWE way of ending high profile match which isn’t main event.

See You All At NO WAY OUT, it’s shaping up to be a great pay per view!!

Woodshack Out…