September 14, 2009, WWE Raw Results
The Big News: Trish Stratus and Batista returned to action in the first genuinely excellent edition of Raw in ages.
Show Analysis:
Batista came out to start the show. He thanked all the fans and said it has been a rough year for him. He said that he came to say goodbye. He was then interrupted by Randy Orton. Orton said he is not happy about losing the title, but that Batista retiring cheered him up. Orton told Batista to save the speech because no one cares. He added that Batista was retiring because of him. He told Batista to hang his head and cry.
Batista laughed and said that he was laughing for two reasons. First was that Orton is predictable and second was that he knew something Orton didn’t know. Batista took off his arm brace and clotheslined Orton out of the ring. Batista said he wasn’t there to announce his retirement but rather to announce that he is going to Smackdown. No explanation was given for this. I guess they want him as an opponent for CM Punk, but Batista chasing a heel champion is really overdone. Batista further announced Trish Stratus gave him one last no holds barred match with Orton later on Raw. This was a cool little angle.
Trish Stratus came out. She’s now a brunette and she still looks great. She didn’t get as big of a reaction as I would have expected. She announced Randy Orton vs. John Cena Hell in a Cell at the next pay-per-view.
Jack Swagger and the Miz beat Kofi Kingston and Primo Colon. The heels worked over Primo. A Swagger Vader bomb attempt collided with Primo’s knees, and that gave Primo the chance to tag Kofi. Kofi came in with an ax handle off the top and a dropkick on Swagger. As he was punching Swagger in the corner, Miz made off with Kofi’s U.S. title. That distracted Kofi and Swagger hit the gut wrench power bomb on Kofi for the pin.
Alicia Fox beat Gail Kim to become the top contender for Mickie James’ title. Mickie did commentary on the match. Alicia used a leg scissors. Gail came back with clotheslines and a crossbody off the top for two. However, she missed a dropkick off the top and Alicia hit the ax kick for the pin. This was better than expected.
Backstage, Beth Phoenix wanted to know why Trish didn’t put her in the women’s contender match. Jericho then said that Trish was in love with him but he told her to hit the bricks. Trish laughed at this interpretation and made fun of Jericho’s relationship with Big Show. Beth responded that at least Jericho has the guts to compete and didn’t run away to a yoga store. Trish said she would get a tag partner and wrestle Beth and Jericho.
Shawn Michaels beat Ted DiBiase via DQ. Before the match DiBiase and Cody Rhodes bragged about making DX tap. They said that they’re no longer the sons of their fathers but rather the other way around. I really liked this not only because of its role in helping to elevate Legacy but also because it tried to emphasize an in ring result as being a particularly important development and accomplishment.
DiBiase worked over Michaels early. Michaels came back with a figure four but DiBiase broke it by going to the eyes. Michaels then sold his eyes throughout the rest of the match as DiBiase attacked him. Michaels finally came back with the elbow off the top and went for sweet chin music but Cody grabbed Michaels’ leg for the DQ. Another brawl broke out all over the place. This was a hot segment and Michaels did a really good job selling.
Evan Bourne and Hornswoggle beat Chavo Guerrero and Carlito. The heels went after Bourne. Bourne eventually made his own comeback. He had Chavo beaten down and tagged Hornswoggle. Chavo grabbed Hornswoggle but Hornswoggle spit apple in Chavo’s face and hit the frog splash for the pin. Afterwards, Chavo said that he gave up and Hornswoggle wins, so that would appear to be the end of that feud. Thank God.
John Cena did a promo backstage. He said that he wanted to give up many times at Breaking Point but that he kept his word and didn’t give up. He said that at Hell in a Cell Orton will see a more savage side of Cena. This was a much more consistently serious promo and as a result it was extremely effective.
MVP, Mark Henry and Trish Stratus beat Chris Jericho, Big Show and Beth Phoenix. It started as a tag match with MVP and Trish against Jericho and Beth. Beth and Trish started but Show quickly ran in and Henry came out too. Trish thus made a six person tag. The heels worked over MVP, who hit an overhead belly to belly on Jericho and went for the yakuza kick. Jericho tagged Beth and MVP tagged Trish in response.
Trish and MVP did balling together on Beth. MVP hit a pescado on Jericho. Trish was coming off the ropes for a dive but Henry tripped her. Henry then took out Show. Back in the ring Trish hit the Stratusphere and Stratusfaction on Beth for the pin. This was a fun match. They announced Cedric the Entertainer as the guest host next week. I’m not optimistic about that one.
Batista beat Randy Orton. Batista hit some clotheslines. Orton grabbed a chair but Batista speared him. Batista threw Orton into the announce table and steps. Orton went for the RKO but Batista countered into a spine buster. Orton left the ring, but John Cena came out to stop him from leaving. Orton couldn’t decide where to go but eventually went after Cena. Cena gave him a clothesline and threw him back in the ring. Batista hit a spine buster and Batista bomb for the pin.
This was more of a squash than anything which doesn’t help Orton, but it was entertaining and gave Batista nice closure on Orton continually getting the better of him. I assume that Legacy not being there will become a plot point leading to Orton breaking with DiBiase following Hell in a Cell or Survivor Series.
Final Thoughts:
This is the sort of show I would love Raw to be every week. It was a wrestling show, build around serious feuds and the resolution of conflict. There was plenty of talk and entertainment, but it wasn’t presented in a goofy way that taught you not to take it seriously. They did a good job reintroducing Batista, they kept the DX-Legacy program hot and Trish Stratus did a good job as host. All in all, a very enjoyable two hour program.
Todd Martin
ToddMartin4L@aol.com
toddwmartin.blogspot.com
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Categories: TV and PPV Coverage
Back To: Wrestling News
This weeks edition of Raw wasn’t as bad as the previous weeks, thank God. This week we actually had GOOD to speak of, but of course, there’s also a little BAD, and a LOT UGLY.
First the Good:
Trish as a brunette! And Trish in action! And Trish winning with her Stratusfaction! Man, I miss Trish in the ring. Actually, I miss Trish period. It was cool to see her back, even if it was for one week.
Batista vs Orton in the main event, which is refreshing for a change.
Hopefully, no more Chavo vs Hornswoggle. The angels in heaven are rejoicing right now!
Micheals vs Dibiase. This was a good match. Solid performance by both.
Now on with the Bad:
Batista coming out with a faux retirement speech. Then Orton comes out to rub it in his face. Then, Batista revealing that he’s not going to retire, but is defecting to Smackdown (probably to do a program with Punk. That’s if is doesn’t get his annual injury)
Gail Kim vs Alicia Fox in a #1 contenders match. I swore I heard Lilian announce this match as triple threat. I ask the other person who was watching with me, and he confirmed that I heard right. the match was awful. Gail Kim failed to win a #1 contenders match against Alicia Fox? Alicia Fox?! WWE is now using her to job against the much inferior Alicia Fox now?? She left TNA to be a jobber for Alicia Fox????
Gail Kim + talking smack about TNA to kiss up to WWE + jobbing to Alicia Fox = ultimate fail. Well played, Gail Kim. Well played.
Now on to the ugly:
The announcement of the Hell in a Cell PPV. Trish “booked” Orton and Cena for the title. Question: How many times do I have to watch Orton and Cena wrestle for the main title at a PPV???? Why in holy creation didn’t they just allow Cena to defect to Smackdown and keep Batista on Raw? The return of Batista challenging for the strap at Hell in the Cell would’ve been more refreshing.
And another match at Hell in a Cell is DX vs Legacy, for the third time, in a Hell in a Cell match.
Somehow I can envision the other matches in my mind:
Morrison vs Ziggler for the IC strap
Miz vs Kingston for the US strap
Taker vs Punk vs Batista for the World strap in the cage
Or something along those lines. I hope not, but it’ll probably happen.
WWE please prove me wrong with those matches!
I have to agree that this was one of the better RAW’s in a while…some points:
– My, my, my…how far Chavo has fallen.
– Gail Kim losing to ALICIA FOX!!!! What is the deal with WWE
consistently punking out Gail Kim?
– Trish…still that hot and still that damn good.
– I like the Legacy…can’t help myself…those two are amazing
performers in the ring. I would love to see DiBiase take the
IC belt from Morrison (just the match alone would be
excellent) and Rhodes v. Kofi for the U.S. title.
– I like John Cena (mostly for the entertainment value v. the
wrestling) but can someone else PLEASE win the WWE title for
a change!! Cena/Orton/HHH reigns are killin’ me!!
’nuff said.
This is definitely one of the better episodes of RAW that I have seen in a long time. As for batista going to smackdown, YES !!!!!! FINALLY THE CREATIVE BOARD ON RAW DOES SOMETHING RIGHT ONCE IN THERE LIVES
Smack down was A show and after adding batista to it , it will be a block buster , nice work creative ,
and thank god finally i can write that RAW was entertaining .
Well, what can I say… This Raw had ups and downs. Actually, this Raw was quite interesting. Only because of Trish Stratus (love her =] ), of course.
So, points I liked on this Raw:
1. Trish Stratus! Do I need say more?!?! ( Emm, no, I actually I don’t. )
2. Trish Stratus winning! Yay! YES YES YES!! Yaikes!! YEAHOO!!! And the match wasn’t as boring as I thought it will be (and by boring I mean the way how it will progress). Big Show’s and later Mark Henry’s interruption made a twist on this match. Ohh and YAY! Trish WON! Yeahoo!!!!! XD
3. The Main Event was a little bit different than it used to be, which is a positive thing. But… considering the cost it does (Batista goes to SD! to RUIN it..)…
4. The feud of Hornswoggle (or Hornie, as Tiffany has said it…XD) has finally ended. Thank God.
What sucked:
1. Batista’s return. Who needs’em? Ohh, right, kids and Vince to sell stuuuuuuuuff. Yuck.
2. Batista’s trip to SD!. The way SD! NOW is almost perfect. The Main Event, tbe other stuff. Now THAT is almost en excelent show. Well, I just hope Batista won’t beat CM Punk for the Title. Hope Taker won’t too.
3. Cena vs Orton and DX vs Legacy. Anything to add? I thought so.
4. Gail Kim vs Alicia Fox. And that Alicia is a winnder. Ech… Maryse, come back! At least you look good…
Well, I kinda enjoyed this Raw. Much better than previous ones. MUCH.
why is every1 saying that raw was so great? because the guy that wrote the article said it was? what was so different between this raw and others from past memory? this shows matches wasn’t totally different from what we have already seen in the past. if u dont believe me then wait till u see the card for the next ppv, i bet it will be EXACTLY the same, AGAIN! the only thing that shook it up a little was trish coming back, thats it. and dont say batistas return was so great, cause he never was that great to begin with and i guarantee he will get injured again in a few months.
first off, Kenny, not EVERYONE is saying this weeks Raw was great. The consensus on this board is that Raw was better than the previous additions, which it was. But, it also had its moments where it utterly sucked.
And you’re right, Hell in the Cell aka the next failed gimmick PPV, will mostly be the same matches from last PPV. I don’t remember when I’ve seen the WWE recycle so many matches this consecutively, I’m sure Keelan could probably name a few, but I myself can not.
WWE needs to find a way to be relevant again. It’s really losing steam, creatively. Come to think of it, WWE is starting to resemble the Madden franchise.
Remember how competive the football game market was when EA was competing against 2K to be the best football game on the market? Remember when 2K was closing the gap on EA in terms of quality and sales?
Now, some argue that had EA never signed that exclusive deal with the NFL, 2K would be the hot commodity right now. Now, we’re stuck with Madden being the only football ship in the sea. Sure, there’s a couple of generic football games on the market, but they all pale in comparison with Madden, who has that exclusive deal. Madden has made progress within the past few installments, but there really hasn’t been a big leap in quality.
Same can be said about the WWE, since they monopolize the wrestling market with the acquisition of WCW and ECW, and the slow progression of TNA. WWE feels they can put out anything and the fans will by into it. That’s why its so important for TNA to get on the ball and give WWE a run for its money.
You know, Jonathan, that brings up a good point about Dixie Carter’s apparent dirction with TNA. MOst of the comments I have seen regale against Dixie for her “Hollywood-izing” the company. But, as you just stated, TNA needs to become competitive. I, too, would love to see TNA stay along the wrestling lines v. the strictly entertainment role. But, she is looking where the money is. I don’t think Dixie will necessarily turn TNA into a WWE clone, rather, she may tweak it just enough to grab some of the “entertainment” market share that WWE dominates. While this may not sit well with the loyalists out there you have to remember ECW. The fans were also loyal…rabid even…and the product was unique and exciting, but it never branched out enough and the money (or lack therof) became their dowfall. Let’s hope that Dixie can steal away enough of WWE’s demographic and then start re-pushing the wrestling angle to the wider audience. Hopefully, she will also get Jarrett back into the fold and listen to the guys that know the wrestling aspect. It is a tenuous balancing act at best and hopefully it will pay off for TNA and the fans in the long run.
cena cena cena cena the champ is here