WWE Raw show
July 26, 2008
Wheeling, W.Va. at WesBanco Arena
Report by Bill Chappo, PWTorch.com readers

They drew about 65-70 percent capacity.

(1) D-Lo Brown defeated Lance Cade with the frogsplash.

(2) Matt Striker gets beat someone whose name I didn't get.

(3) Mickey James & Kelly Kelly beat Beth Phoenix & Katie Lea. Santino comes out after the match and cut a funny promo. Wheeling has it's Italian Days festival this weekend, and Santino said while it was nice to honor him with "Santino Days Festival," no one asked his permission so he asked security to arrest the festival organizers. He then turned to Beth Phoenix and said that he thought about their encounter on Raw all week. He kept talking until Beth shut him up with a big smooch. Santino the bragged about a new hold he has developed called the Maserati Clutch, and that you will see this move when facing "a wrestler who is retiring." Out comes Hacksaw Duggan, who pins Santino in five seconds. Guess we have to wait to see this brilliant move performed for another day. Beth then flung Santino over her shoulder and carried him back to the locker room.

(4) Kane beat Jamie Noble. First Noble comes out and hits on Generic Diva, who amazing accepts his offer to "head for the local watering hole for a good time." Kane's music hits, Noble defeated 1-2-3.

Time for intermission.

(5) Kofi Kingston defeated Paul Burchill to retain the IC Title. Kofi hit his usual leapfrog spots and the standing jump to the top rope, getting the pin with the Death Kick To The Grill. Kofi is over big with the kids, and throws a great dropkick, ala Jim Brunzell.

(6) John Cena & Cryme Tyme defeated Chris Jericho & Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. Y2J cut a long promo before the match, saying how good he felt putting HBK on the shelf and so on. If you came to boo Cena, you were alone as Wheeling LOVES John Cena. Cena gets in some early offense, then the match settled down to Crime Tyme getting the beatdown. J.T. would tag Gaspar for a flurry of offense, then getting the beatdown himself. Cena worked hard on the apron getting the fans into it, and putting over the fact he needed to be tagged in. Hot tag, crowd goes nuts, boom boom boom Y2J gets FU'd for the pin. There was much rejoicing.

(7) C.M. Punk beat JBL and Batista to retain the World Hvt. Title. JBL is out first and cuts a funny, heat-getting promo, bitching about waking up in New York, then having to come to this "Third World Toilet, Wheeling West Virginia!" He says it is a shame that he will win his belt back in such a hole, and that when he is champ, the WWE will never come back to West Virginia again. Batista comes out next to a big pop, then the Champ. Batista got a bigger reaction than Punk. The usual three-way formula followed, with one guy taking a powder outside with the other two in the ring. The finale came when JBL brought a chair in the ring, Batista cut him off but got tossed to the outside, Punk grabs the chair and KO's JBL for the duke.

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