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**Legend** · 07-04-2008, 07:16 AM

Raw Feedback

Pretty good opening to the show with Edge again. Seems like this feud with Van Dam is running the same kind of way Mac's RVD/HBK one has gone, my RVD/HHH one did, and pretty much how KOP did his entire Van Dam WWE title reign: using RVD's lack of success as a means to continue the storyline. Works very well in actual fact; Van Dam's plots are always quite quality. Nice that Rob actually got some time on the stick, though, as one would expect, he paled in comparison to Edge. Not a fan of Hunter interrupting like this and stealing the spotlight. Not only was he a tad bland, but I think with Special Referee's {even one who will obviously be feuding with Edge soon}, they shouldn't overshadow the active wrestlers. Maybe Trips should should just be a wise ass backstage. He's good at that.

Victoria > Candice ... by a loooooong way. Pretty generic promo from her in the aftermath, though I have to say a Women's title feud getting mic time is a pleasant treat. Intense and silent Trish is a different angle though. Triple Threat is a must at Backlash now {damn you

}, though I was expecting Mickie to get involved today.

Decent pre-match promo from Carlito, though when it comes to 'Lito it's hard not to make his segments fun. Different angle than me with these two guys, making them partners rather than making Masters a bodyguard type. Good win for them over Team Jobber too, but I wasn't really keen on Shelton's aftermath promo. Never really been a fan of these kind of segments where the guy comes out and makes a lame ass challenge. I thought these two might be added to the SS/Show & Kane match, but this kind of match could be a fast paced, excellent bout if given at least 10 minutes.

Loving the intense run that Cena's on right now, giving Mac's characterisation a run for his money. The point that Cena made about not being pinned makes sense, since with a this kind of completely bad ass character he won't take too many pin fall unless it's on a PPV. Still, this match isn't getting a clean finish at Backlash as far as I'm concerned. DQ all the way.

5 minutes for Big Show to beat Rob Conway? Okay. I guess I forgot about La Resistance after their random return last week. Spirit Squad > Big Show/Kane, so no marks for the cheerleaders getting completely owned by the monsters. Hopefully this means a title change at Backlash. The SS are underrated awesomeness.

This is what I think Triple H should be doing more of in the weekly shows; just getting in the face of Edge and RVD backstage, not taking up time in big in-ring segments. I would imagine the tension between Hunter and Edge is going to be emphasized a lot in the coming weeks, as it's a given they will be feuding after Backlash.

Ah ha, there's Mickie. Didn't think she'd be left off the show completely. "the absolute best women’s wrestler in the company". Mac will love you for that, but Vickie's better to be honest.

Wow, Angle/Haas in a 13 minute match on free TV? I salute you, sir. That's what I call wrestling. That's what I call a clinic. Glad to see it was NOTHING LIKE a squash match, with Haas lasting so long. He seems to be on the rise in this thread, and in a number of other threads. For a Haas mark like myself ... these are happy days. Flair/Angle picked up big style here with some of the comments, especially the one about Angle being Coach's bitch. Straight to the point eh, Slick Ric? Angle playing the cowardly heel at the end? Nah, smarter heel I think. Still, I reckon Naitch is getting his biggest win in a long, LONG tim come Backlash.

Striker and Eugene are jobbers in this thread and don't really deserve to team with the likes of Helms and Chavo, but I can overlook that. Surprised to Helms pick up the win, as I have him down to retain at Backlash, and I thought Chavo would be on a roll 'till then.

Spirit Squad and Coach together = ratings. I know it and now you know it. Hopefully Coach helps the SS screw Show/Kane out of the titles at Backlash.

6 matches tonight? Hmmm, you've had a few promos too, but whatever. Van Dam CANNOT afford to lose a single match heading into Backlash I think if he wants to still look strong after he loses to Edge. Snitsky's a good start, but he should keep pinning some other top names too. He's pinned Angle and Edge, so maybe Show, Kane, HBK, Cena, or someone along those lines to increase his momentum ten fold.

Nice way to finish the show. Cena/HBK is probably bigger than the WWE title picture right now. Kind of reminded me of Michaels' feud with Jericho in '03 a little bit, with all of the references to Cena wanting to be HBK when he was a kid, but now he sees himself as the new measuring stick. Makes sense a guess with someone like The Champ {charismatic} to make him an egomaniac heel like Y2J. Shawny getting the upper hand AGAIN with some 'Chin Music makes me think that there's no way Cena's losing at 'Lash, but I can't see him going 2-0 against HBK either, as that would effectively end the feud. A No Contest seems highly likely really.

Another solid as hell show overall, Patman, and Backlash is shaping up nicely. A slightly weak undercard, but just take a look at the three main events. Wow

**PatMan** · 07-05-2008, 07:05 PM

Friday Night Smackdown! - April 21st, 2006 - St. Louis, Missouri

The show begins with ‘The Wrestling Gawd’ John Bradshaw Layfield, along with the entire Cabinet by his side, stood in the ring. JBL begins by insulting the people of Missouri, getting some cheap heat right off the bat. JBL says that Rey Mysterio was someone that everyone thought proved that JBL was past his prime … but last week he proved everyone wrong. He said that Rey got lucky at WM22 but last week his luck ran out. JBL said that Rey is out of the way … and now he is moving onto bigger and better things. He says that Teddy Long better not have any more excuses … and JBL demands a title shot. He says that Smackdown needs him as the World Heavyweight Champion … because Randy Orton and Batista aren’t getting the job done. JBL closes by saying that everyone loved him as WWE Champion last year … and now those days are coming back.

We cut to the announce table with Michael Cole and Tazz, who run down the card for tonight’s show. The card includes The Hooligans & The Mexicools vs. MNM & The Bashams, Juvi vs. Kid Kash vs. Scotty 2 Hotty vs. Nunzio for a shot at Jamie Noble’s CW Title next week, and Matt Hardy vs. William Regal vs. Paul Burchill in a Triple Threat match for the US Championship, and of course the big one; Randy Orton vs. Batista II for the World Heavyweight Championship.

{Commercial Break}

Our first match of the night is the #1 contender’s match for the Cruiserweight Championship, featuring Kid Kash, Nunzio, Juventud Guerra, and Scotty 2 Hotty in a Fatal Four Way. With CW Champ Jamie Noble on commentary, four of the most talented in the division put on a very exciting, yet somewhat short contest. Kash is clearly the most talented, but the finish comes after Juvi springboards off the ropes and takes down the Notorious K.I.D on the outside. This leaves Nunzio and Scotty in the ring, with Nunzio hitting the Sicilian Drop for the three count at 6:12.
Nunzio gets the title shot next week, as Noble holds the CW Title high above his head at the announce table, with Nunzio motioning that the gold will be around his waist.

Backstage, Melina preps Joey Mercury and Johnny Nitro for their match later tonight. Melina says that there is a reason that MNM is the best team on Smackdown, and they will prove it tonight, when they beat the overrated team of London & Kendrick, in the eight-man tag team contest.

In the interview area, Steve Romero stands by with the World Heavyweight Champion, ‘The Legend Killer’ Randy Orton. Orton says that this is the night everyone expects his World Title reign to come to an end. He says that everyone has been talking about him losing to Triple H two years ago, just a month into his reign. But he says that this is a different Randy Orton. He says that he beat Batista at WM22, after ‘The Animal’ spent a year beating challenger after challenger. Orton says that we are now living in the Randy Orton Era … and Batista is only the first of many challengers to fall.

{Commercial Break}

Our second match of the night is the Triple Threat match for the United States Championship, pitting Matt Hardy against both members of the Bluebloods, William Regal and Paul Burchill. While Regal and Burchill are able to work together in the early going, with Matt Hardy not being able to withstand constant punishment, both men seem to have their own agenda, which leads to an argument, and a recovery by Hardy. The finish comes with Regal in control of Hardy, but Burchill slides back into the ring, and tries to nail a lariat on Matt, but Hardy ducks and causes Burchill to go over the top rope. Regal goes right back on the attack and looks for a clothesline, but Hardy ducks … SIDE EFFECT!!! Hardy waits while Regal gets back up … TWIST OF FATE!!! With Burchill still down on the outside, Hardy makes the cover and gets the three count to retain his title at 8:24.
Hardy overcomes the odds, keeping his young reign as US Champ alive. Burchill gets back to his feet on the outside, glaring at the champion, while Regal is still out cold in the center of the ring.

In the back, Finlay is seen watching a monitor, shillelagh in hand, obviously not impressed with the US Champion.

Raw Rebound
~ Edge and RVD have a heated promo to start the show, and almost come to blows, before Triple H comes out and says that he will beat the winner of the Backlash match.
~ Kurt Angle beats Charlie Haas, but after the match, Ric Flair comes down and goes off on Angle, leading to some physicality, which Naitch gets the best of.
~ Gregory Helms & Matt Striker beat Chavo Guerrero & Eugene after a Shining Wizard to Eugene.
~ To close the show, Shawn Michaels and John Cena face off, with Cena calling himself the new standard in the WWE. The two share a handshake, before Cena tries an F-U, but HBK gets the last laugh, putting Cena down with Sweet Chin Music.

{Commercial Break}

Back in the arena, KEN KENNEDY comes down to the ring. Kennedy is getting a very mixed reaction, with some people starting to like the brash, talented, charismatic, young superstar. () Kennedy talks about his match with Batista last week, stating that he did better than anyone ever thought he could do, and he proved that he belongs in the main event. KK says that he is still the best young superstar in the WWE, and he deserves a rightful chance. He says that he will prove that he deserves a title shot, because that is something that he should have gotten a long time ago.
This leads to the crowd erupting … as REY MYSTERIO makes his way to the ring. Rey says that he is sick and tired of hearing Kennedy talk week in and week out. He says that Kennedy needs to stop talking about all the opportunities that he deserves and actually work on earning his title shots. Kennedy fires back and says that Rey knows nothing about the main event … and tells him to go back to the CW Division. The two come nose to nose, with KK actually being the one to blink first, telling Rey that he doesn’t have time to waste on guys he can easily beat, and KK leaves the ring to a ton of boos. Rey doesn’t break his stare at the young loudmouth, as Kennedy back up the ramp, not wanting to get into anything here tonight.

In the back, the Mexicools and the Hooligans meet up, giving each other high-fives, ready for the eight-man tag team match, which is next.

{Commercial Break}

The third match of the night is the eight-man tag team match, pitting the WWE Tag Team Champions, MNM, and the Basham Brothers against the Mexicools and the Hooligans. The main story of the match is the recent history between MNM and the Hooligans, as both London and Kendrick have singles victories over Mercury and Nitro in the last two weeks. MNM keep their distance from the hungry challengers, allowing the Bashams to take most of the beating. The finish comes with Brian Kendrick and Doug Basham in the ring. Kendrick is in control, dropping Doug with a bulldog and then a standing moosault. While making the cover, Kendrick is kicked by Mercury, leading to the Mexicools coming into the ring and taking MNM, along with Danny, out of the equation. With Doug still down, Kendrick tags out to London, who hits the 450 Splash in the center of the ring. With Kendrick blocking anyone from coming into the ring, London gets the three count at 7:10.

Backstage, Josh Matthews is standing by with ‘The Animal’ Batista. Batista talks about his three weeks without the World Heavyweight Championship, saying that losing the belt after holding it for a year brought him down to earth. He says that Orton may have won the match at WM22, but make mistake about it, Batista doesn’t lose to the same guy twice in a row, and the Randy Orton Era is coming to an end tonight.

{Commercial Break}

In the fourth match of the night, Orlando Jordan takes on Vito. OJ seems to be in a different gear after his loss to Rey Mysterio two weeks ago, appearing much more focused against the large Italian. Jordan uses his quick jabs and other strikes to keep the advantage throughout, and the finish comes with Vito reeling, and Jordan hits him with the Black Ice (sitting shoulder jawbreaker) to get the pin fall at 5:08.

At the announce table, Michael Cole and Tazz hype up the card for next week’s show. The card includes: Jamie Noble vs. Nunzio for the CW Title, MNM vs. The Hooligans for the WWE Tag Team Titles, and just announced, Rey Mysterio vs. Ken Kennedy.

A video package plays, hyping the long history between Randy Orton and Batista. We see clips from their days together in Evolution, before we fast forward to WM22, where Orton beat ‘The Animal’ and became World Champion. We see the back and forth since that match, with tonight being the culmination of their feud.

A split-screen is shown, with Orton on the left and Batista on the right, as Cole and Tazz hype up the match, which is next!!

{Commercial Break}

After the lengthy introductions, and all of the speculation, the highly anticipated main event rematch between Randy Orton and Batista for the World Heavyweight Championship, finally gets underway. The two best on Smackdown put on a lengthy contest, as the match seems to be treated as a PPV match, with no commercial breaks interfering with the action. Batista is clearly the aggressor, as Orton is the one on the ropes early, but that changes, and Orton has the advantage, before the two appear even heading into the final stretch. The finish comes with the two trading right hands, before Orton tries to whip Batista into the ropes, but ‘The Animal’ doesn’t budge, and instead whips Orton into the corner. Batista hits a turnbuckle clothesline and then a few shoulder thrusts before Orton staggers out of the corner. Batista looks to be in control before … SHARMELL comes to the ring and distracts the referee!! The crowd begins to boo as BOOKER T slides into the ring and catches Batista with a low blow!! Booker slides back out and Orton goes for an RKO … but Batista throws him to the mat!! Orton gets back up and charges … BUT RUNS RIGHT INTO A SPINEBUSTER!! Batista looks to have the match won for the second time, but Sharmell gets back onto the apron, while Booker distracts Batista. The two yell back and forth before Batista turns his attention back to Orton … RKO!! The referee has his attention back to the ring, just in time for Orton to get the three count at 16:21.
Orton immediately rolls off of Batista and heads out of the ring, grabbing the World Title and heading up the ramp, knowing he got lucky tonight. Batista struggles to get back to his feet in the ring, as Cole and Tazz say that Batista had the match won, had it not been for Booker T and Sharmell. Batista gets back to his feet, getting a good pop from the fans, and looks to leave the ring …

…

…

… BUT BOOKER BLASTS HIM FROM BEHIND WITH A STEEL CHAIR!!!

The crowd is booing Booker like crazy but the five-time WCW Champion doesn’t seem to care. He continues to lay into ‘The Animal’ with chair shots, before lifting him back to his feet … AND ADDING THE EXCLAMATION POINT … WITH A SCISSORS KICK ONTO THE CHAIR!! Batista is busted wide open, as Booker T and Sharmell stand over their fallen victim, with the crowd continuing to give massive heat, as the show fades out.

END OF SHOW

***

Official Card for Judgment Day:

Date: May 28th, 2006
Location: US Airways Arena; Phoenix, Arizona
Event Music: This Fire Burns; Killswitch Engage

***NO MATCHES ANNOUNCED***

***

sbuch · 07-05-2008, 07:11 PM

show looks good patman; review by tonight imo

Edit; review.

I love the fact that you’ve brought back the Cabinet; since they were so great back in the day. I definitely see JBL ruling as World Champion soon enough, it is just a matter of when. Seemed like a decent promo to kick off the show and I am glad he is done with Rey Rey. Layfield can work the mic and wrestler, as I am sure you know, and he will do wonders as WHC. Continue the push of Layfield and the cabinet plz.

Big … HUGE win for Nunzio. As he is nothing more than a jobber nowadays and I have to say having him pick up this win is a shocker. I liked how you said Kash was the strongest as obviously he is always a contender for the title. I look forward to Nunzio being less than a jobber and more of a contender in coming time.

I liked the promo from Orton; good stuff. Very in character and I love him as the WHC at the moment. I do not see ‘Tista winning tonight, but who knows.

That triple threat match would be amazing IRL. Good booking with the Bluebirds becoming overwhelmed with the idea of becoming a singles champion and they lose their teamwork 0nly for Hardy to recover. Also nice touch having Regal take the cover as Burchill is the future imo.

Okay good Rey Mysterio is indeed done with JBL. Enter a new feud with Kennedy and this one seems interesting. I like both of these guys but I see Kennedy going over in the future, but not right away. A match for these two a Judgment Day seems apparent.

This tag match had some decent build up thus far and it seemed like an exciting match up. The Hooligans seems to be on a roll as of late and it seems as though it will be no time until they win the tag belts. London hitting the 450 splash = ratings.

Some strong words from Batista and my feeling at the moment is that you don’t want to make neither of these guys look weak by losing so there will be a controversial finish or something; count out, dq, something.

OJ is a great in ring talent and I hope he gets pushed accordingly.

You certainly have set the tone for this match up. Excellent main event; would’ve like to have seen some more detail about how either ‘Tista or Orton were in control but meh. Booker T sliding in was a shocker and I imagine this will derail Batista from Orton for the moment and Orton will move into a program with JBL.

Overall I felt this was a very well written recap. The detail wasn’t too much, but there was some need for more if it in certain areas. I like things you seem to have planned for SD with Orton/JBL … Booker/Batista … Kennedy/Mysterio in the upper card scene and the tag feud is a golden one. Keep this going, things are looking great. Good job Patman.

**NatureBoy™** · 07-06-2008, 01:48 AM

Raw

Dude, I gotta be honest. That entire opening segment was really, really good. I mean it. I would call it nearly flawless. Characterization was awesome, timing for everything was perfect, and the subject matter was superb. Perhaps it was easy subject matter to create gold with, but it yielded gold nonetheless. Really well done. Edge OWEND, and RVD was a noticeable step below. But the beauty of that is the realistic nature of it, as Edge is much better than RVD on the stick. But I could seriously envision the whole thing happening, and even HHH stealing the thunder was well done. Could have done without it, but still, it was well written. Bar none, this was your strongest segment to date in this thread.

Vickie >>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>Candice. Decent aftermath too, with a spontaneous fight between Trish and Victoria.

Gotta admit I did chuckle at the Carlito segment. Some pretty funny lines in there. Wonder how long Masters/Lito will last? Off to a good start with a win. WGTT vs. these two gents at Backlash works for me. Shelton – who sucks on the mic – was good here too. Believable dialogue.

Was S**t supposed to signify that Cena said Shit? Because how do you say s**t? Was it a bleep? If you had him say shit, like any and everyone I’ve ever reviewed, you lose points. Unrealistic, uneeded, and out of place especially on Raw. PPV just maybe. That aside, Cena was great here. Cena –HBK II should be epic.

WHAT!!?? Dude, I think this has been your best show to date. I mean it Pat! What a downer that was to read. I get irritated when people show such weakness – especially unwarranted. Keep that confidence up dude! You’re a good booker, and this was a damn good show coming into that statement.

The Spirit Squad vs. Show and Kane match is meh. Hopefully you’ll put the monsters over. When they lost the title the night after Mania 22 in Chicago, I was there. It sucked, as will Backlash if they win.

Down the middle by the Game makes the most sense. Why not?

Triple threat Women’s title match? Ooh, just thinking of skirt wearing 2006 Thickie Mickie is enough to excite a man’s senses.

Nice match between Angle and Haas. Glad to see Haas put up a good fight, but Angle winning was the right choice. As much as I love the angle between him and Flair, I really hope Flair retains against Angle. I mean if the MITB loser was just gonna lose it, it shouldn’t have been Flair who won it. Let him keep it plz? Nice aftermath, and god I love Flair when he sweats ridiculously in dress clothes.

Helms is rolling on his way to Backlash. God, what a goober Chavo looks like teaming with Eugene though.

Funny dealings there with Big Show and Kane/Coach/SS.

While RVD getting showcased and picking up a win on his way to a title match is certainly good, I didn’t like the fact that a lousy match between he and Snitsky took the final match slot of the night, despite being before a show closing promo. Should’ve happened at the midshow Main Event.

Seemed a decent segment to close the show. Rather sluggish though tbh. Would not have all these issue been covered before heading into their big match at Mania? Like Cena being his fan and all? This is the rematch, and should really only be focusing on what HBK was saying. “you beat me, now I’m gonna beat you.” The physicality to end was the right move, and HBK standing tall is fine. Cena will get some revenge before Backlash, but HBK wins the match April 30.

Overall I think this was a very solid show Patman. It started as your best imo. Then, after your comment and switch to recap form, it slipped. Good shizzle nonetheless.

Smackdown

Typical toot-toot from JBL. Looks as though he’ll be headed towards the title soon.

Cannot deny the criminal shame that such a stacked show is such a short recap.

Hmm, so after all the shenanigans of the last few weeks, Kash doesn’t even win? Weird. Perhaps your holding it off. Perhaps Kash will become a ticking time bomb? Nunzio owns no doubt, but this seemed anticlimactic in terms of what you had seemed to be building too.

Might as well steal the tagline from two years later and call it the ‘Age of Orton’. Hell, use it better than WWE did to. You know, they started using it six months into his reign, and weeks before it ended. Idiotic. Anyway, Orton wins tonight.

I’m a bit perplexed at this US title scene. Neither man had any right to jump in first off. Last week Regal looked like the stronger of the team, and this weeks its him beat down, with Burchill looking like the solid competitor. Hardy > both of them. Needing some new talent floating around on each brand pretty soon I think. Main Events are good, but both IC and US scenes need some beef.

AH-HA! Ask and shall receive! Finlay for US title/Jesus push plz?

Rey-Kennedy feud sounds very nice. Nice seeds planted here. I like how it wasn’t rushed, and it just sort of ‘started’.

L & K get another huge win against the champs, this time without actually pinning them. Eventually it will be for gold, and when its all on the line, MNM will rise up, and retain the gold.

Orlando Jordan always got a bad wrap. He’s alright. We’ll see where you can take him.

Gosh, I love great shows each week and all, but it seems as though that card for next week – bar the already announced impending CW Title match – was rushed. I mean I would have much rather had some more build for the other two feuds going into strong PPV matches. You can still have rematches/gimmick matches or whatever. But I think at least one should have had the ‘first match’ held off until JD. Nevertheless, the weekly match quality you are trying to give the fans on free TV is admirable.

LOVE split screens. Main event seemed a good one, but I can’t deny the randomness of Booker T attacking Batista. I mean I will not mind a feud between the two, but still, why did this happen. I’m sure an explanation will come, something along the lines of ‘needing to make an impact.’ But really, I was looking forward to more of a slow build on what you started with Booker last week, with the whole getting mad and going psycho deal. Perplexing finish to the show.

And where was Taker? Unless I missed something, there wasn’t even a mention. He went from being put over about being a contender for the title last week, to not even being here this week? Not even a mention, an update?

This was another solid show Pat. But to be fair, I think you were WAAYYY to hard on yourself for Raw. It was a very good show, and if anything, it was this particular Smackdown offering that fell a tad flat. I think last weeks show was certainly better. No harm nor foul though, as that is the real world, that's life. Keep pumping out the shows, and trucking forward, and you are bound to continue to impress.

**DDMac** · 07-08-2008, 11:04 PM

Raw Review
It’s almost hard for me to describe how badly owned Van Dam was owned in that opening segment. First, Edge verbally bitchslaps him, Van Dam comes out, says it’s a “new” him, and when Edge verbally bitchslaps him again, RVD has absolutely no comeback for it. No way to explain how he’s new, and no way to counter any of Edge’s points. At the moment, RVD is the exact definition of a filler feud for Edge, and that’s exactly how this opening segment treated him. Hopefully, he’s got something better to say in the next couple of weeks. If not, it’d be better if he didn’t speak at all. Triple H was short but sweet. He overshadows the current title match, but Van Dam isn’t a serious challenger anyway, and there are plenty of other things to sell on the card, so I’m fine with it.

Victoria OWNS Candice, and rightfully goes over. The aftermath with Trish and Vicky was short but effective. Mickie plz.

I really like Carlito and Masters as a tag team, and I don’t have the slightest idea why. No shock to see them go over the ragtag jobbers, but it is a bit of a shock to Shelton with a mic. Nice, short exchange between Carly and Benjamin, setting up another solid match for the PPV.

Solid promo from Cena, nothing special or out of the ordinary, just a way to recap last week’s event and promote the upcoming angle tonight. Should be interesting.

Bad? Recap?

Took too long for the big man to put Conway away. Four minutes tops. Lmao @ the aftermath. Entertaining stuff, showing the utter dominance of Kane and Show, while continuing this angle between Kenny & the rest of the SS. Good stuff.

The Edge-HHH segment seemed pretty pointless, and did nothing that the opening segment didn’t already do. Should’ve had Edge try to bribe H, threaten H, or something of the sort.

Mickie OWNS. That is all.

Usually, I would mind Angle taking so long to put Haas away, but with Haas and Benjamin attempting to build credibility as tag team threats, I didn’t mind (it also doesn’t hurt that Angle can almost always regain his standing with the mic). NAITCH~! I could’ve swore that the match was already made for MITB, but perhaps I’m mistaken. Promo and brawl between Flair and Angle just adds to their match up, and it’s the one I’m probably looking the most forward to.

Helms picking up the win over Eugene is an alright move, though Chavo probably needed a victory more in this situation. Methinks he’ll get the win next week heading into Backlash.

. Coach OWNS too.

Snitsky sucks. don’t be afraid to squash him, no matter how improbable that may be due to his size. Van Dam got a little bit of heat back after being thoroughly embarrassed in the opener, so good job there…

The final segment between Cena and Michaels seemed far too similar to the one they had immediately following WrestleMania. I know there isn’t much to go on, which is why I think you should’ve another in-ring segment until there was more material. Still, the segment was solid enough, and Michaels laying out Cena for the second week sets the stage for Cena getting some ‘revenge’ next week.

Good show as usual, Pat.

**PatMan** · 07-09-2008, 10:44 PM

Thanks for all the reviews boys ... you know they will be returned.

***

Monday Night Raw Preview - April 24th, 2006 - London, England

With only six days remaining until the Backlash pay-per-view, Monday Night Raw heads to London, England, with the superstars ready to give the fans in Wembly Arena a night to remember.

The most anticipated match heading into the pay-per-view in Lexington is the one between Edge and Rob Van Dam for the WWE Championship. This week, in the main event, the two will do battle in the ring for the second time in three weeks, as part of a huge six-man tag team main event. ‘The Rated R Superstar’ Edge, will team with ‘The Doctor’ John Cena, and ‘The Wrestling Machine’ Kurt Angle, to take on their Backlash rivals, ‘The Whole Dam Show’ Rob Van Dam, ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels, and ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair. With all three rivalries heating up, who will gain the advantage before the three big one-on-one encounters at Backlash?

While the six-man tag team match will be the most anticipated, another match is sure to be explosive, as Carlito takes on Shelton Benjamin. The two men will face off in a tag team match at Backlash, with Carlito teaming with Masters to go against Benjamin and Haas, but on Raw, both partners will be barred from ringside. Who can gain the upper hand for their respective teams heading into Backlash?

After costing Trish Stratus the Women’s Championship two weeks ago, Victoria had to deal with the consequences last week, when Trish attacked her after her match with Candice Michelle. This week, the two will face off in the ring, and with both divas now in the Women’s Championship match against Mickie James at Backlash, whoever gets the win has to be considered the favorite heading into the match in Lexington. Will Trish be able to prove that she can beat the women that cost her the title she so covets? Or will Victoria send a message to the rest of the division, that she is not going to be taken lightly anymore?

The recent history between the Intercontinental Champion, Gregory Helms, and the number one contender, Chavo Guerrero, has been a focal point of Raw the past few weeks. After proving everyone wrong time after time, Chavo now has his chance to hold championship gold, as he faces Helms this Sunday. But Gregory has always been one to be confident, and he has said numerous times that Chavo is not at his level. What will happen to continue this situation this Monday night?

Also, ‘The Game’ Triple H, the World Tag Team Champions The Big Show and Kane, and many more are going to be in attendance for this huge edition of Monday Night Raw.

All this and more at 9/8CT on USA.

**PatMan** · 07-10-2008, 04:04 PM

Monday Night Raw - April 24th, 2006 - London, England
The show starts with a video package highlighting the events of last week. We see the heated promo between Edge and Rob Van Dam to start the show, with Triple H coming out and telling both men that he will be the WWE Champion, no matter who wins the match at Backlash. We then see the close of the show, with Shawn Michaels and John Cena facing off, with HBK getting in some Sweet Chin Music on Cena for the second straight week.

After the Raw opening video, we get the usual pyro, with the fans going crazy inside the Wembly Center. After panning around the arena pretty quickly, we cut to the announce table, with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler taking over.

Jim Ross: Welcome everyone to Monday Night Raw! We are inside the Wembly Center here in London, just six days away from Backlash! I’m Jim Ross, joined as always by Jerry ‘The King’ Lawler.

Jerry Lawler: Well Backlash is going to be a historic pay-per-view J.R, but we have a huge show planned for tonight.

Jim Ross: You’re right about that King. Tonight features a blockbuster main event, as six of the men competing at Backlash are all going to be in the ring at the same time. In a six-man tag team match, the WWE Champion ‘The Rated R Superstar’ Edge teams with ‘The Doctor’ John Cena, and ‘The Wrestling Machine’ Kurt Angle.

Jerry Lawler: And their opponents are the three men that they will go one-on-one with at Backlash, ‘Mr. Monday Night’ Rob Van Dam, ‘The Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels, and ‘The Nature Boy’ Ric Flair.

Jim Ross: Even though Backlash is the night that everyone is getting ready for, the winners of tonight’s main event have to be considered the favorites heading to Lexington.

Jerry Lawler: You’re right about that one J.R. Tonight is going to be the final stop before Backlash, and everyone needs to be ready.

Match One - Carlito vs. Shelton Benjamin

With neither man having his tag team partner (Chris Masters and Charlie Haas) at ringside, the match is free of all the usual distractions and both men go at it with great heart and determination, trying to get the upper hand heading into Sunday. With a ton of near falls the entire way, the finish comes with Carlito looking for the BackCracker, but Shelton counters out of it, goes for a kick to the gut, but Carly grabs the leg, with Shelton hitting the Dragon Whip! ‘Lito hits the mat hard and Shelton heads to the top rope, looking for a flying clothesline, as Carlito gets back to a vertical base, catching Shelton with a kick to the gut. Shelton stumbles around and ‘Lito looks for the Apple Core … but Shelton slips out and hits the T-BONE SUPLEX out of nowhere! Shelton drops down and hooks Carlito’s leg for the three count.

Winner: Shelton Benjamin by pin fall at 8:00.</