By James Caldwell, Torch assistant editor

WWE Raw Live Report
April 27, 2009
Bridgeport, Conn.

The show started with a dark arena, then Lilian Garcia announced Raw GM Vickie Guerrero. Lights up and Vickie was center ring serenaded by a ton of boos. Vickie congratulated her husband on his World Title victory last night, then she brought out the new WWE champion Randy Orton. Orton came out with Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes while Jerry Lawler talked about the entire McMahon family feeling sick watching this. Orton took his sweet time showing off the title belt for everyone to get a good look. Michael Cole said Orton is making sure the entire world knows he's WWE champion.

Orton finally finished his great heel parade of his championship, then he slowly accepted the mic from Vickie. Orton surveyed the arena with his piercing eyes, then he slowly looked toward the hard camera and began... "The McMahon Family is mourning. All of them. Their last hope, their protector, their champion... has fallen." Orton said that after five long years, he beat Triple H. Not only beat him, but he kicked Hunter as hard as he could in the skull just like he said he was going to do.

Orton said all the fans are exactly the same. Everyone in their 20s and younger hope for big things, but the odds are that we will amount to nothing. I remember this promo. Wasn't this the promo from the night after Summerslam 2004 when he won his first WWE Title and asked people to stand up if they're 20 years old and above? Anyways, "I am a success!" Orton screamed. Orton said he made an example of the entire McMahon Family.

Cue up the "Punt the McMahons" video package going back to the IED days of Orton punting Vince McMahon and Shane McMahon, DDT'ing Stephanie, and Punting Hunter last night. Back live, Orton finished watching the video package before posing in the corner one more time with the WWE Title belt. Vickie then said she's so excited to have Orton on her show. (Boos) She's happy to announce that Orton will have his first title match in three weeks at Judgment Day. His opponent will be the winner of Big Show vs. Batista in a #1 contender match tonight. Vickie giddily congratulated Orton one more time before giving Orton the mic again.

Orton said we need to know something. He said he is all that there is left on this show. "No need to like me, but no choice but to respect me," he said. Orton told the wrestlers in the locker room to respect him too. He said Vickie might be the GM, but everyone in the locker room must answer to him. Orton said if he doesn't get respect, they will end up just like Triple H. He said he doesn't care if someone's been here a day or ten years. Cue up MVP's theme music for the interruption...

U.S. champion MVP came out on stage straight ballin' while Orton didn't look too pleased. MVP introduced himself, stealing Dolph's gimmick apparently. MVP said what Orton has done is extremely impressive, but he's U.S. champion and he doesn't answer to anyone. Ouch. MVP waited for Orton to respond, but he handed the mic to Ted DiBiase. DiBiase welcomed him to Raw and said he doesn't seem to be too bright. Unless he wants his first night on Raw to be the worst ever, he better turn around and leave. MVP said he's not listening to Orton's lackey. He said he doesn't have a couple of A&F models to do his bidding, so he's telling Orton straight up this isn't the Randy Orton show.

[Q2]

MVP said no one came here to be talked down to, so dig this...Orton is the WWE champion, but that's not going to last forever. If Batista or Big Show don't beat Orton at Judgment Day, he'll handle that himself. Cody took the mic and begged Orton to make an example out of MVP. Cody said they'll beat MVP down, then Orton will land The Punt. It's that simple. Orton thought things over, then he talked to Vickie about some booking decisions to be made. Vickie took the input, then booked a second main event tonight. First time ever...U.S. champion MVP vs. WWE champion Randy Orton. That sure took a while. Orton was good, MVP was good, awkward pauses were not. (3) Place Your Bets: 18:10.

[Commercial Break]

Announcers: Cole and Lawler hyped the WWE Draft taking full effect tonight. They recapped all of the new talent coming to the show, starting with Triple H, Hornswoggle, and The Brian Kendrick.

In-ring: On cue, TBK came to the ring sporting a little different look. Kendrick took the mic and told Lilian he's only going to say this once. It's not Brian Kendrick, but The Brian Kendrick. Kofi Kingston came out as the opposition.

1 -- THE BRIAN KENDRICK vs. KOFI KINGSTON

Cole said TBK told him early today that Raw should be glad to have him on the show. Lawler agreed. Bell sounded and a fast-paced exchange occurred. TBK tried to run scared, but he fooled Kofi into a drop toehold. TBK then went up top for a missile dropkick for a nearfall. Kendrick measured Kofi, then applied a combo camel clutch and chicken wing on the mat. Kofi broke free, then landed a thrust chop and standing kick. Kofi powered up, then landed a boom-boom leg drop for a two count. TBK wanted Sliced Bread, but Kofi slipped out and hit a cross-body splash for a two count. Kingston then nailed the Buzzsaw Kick for the pin and the win.

WINNER: Kingston at 2:38. Very quick, but good TV match. You could tell this was only going a few minutes, which sucks because they could have stretched out a solid ten minutes of TV, but it was good while it lasted as an ECW-lite/X Division-style match. (**)

Announcers: Cole and Lawler talked on camera about how compelling and complete the PPV was last night. They talked about Cena vs. Edge and how Cena chased Edge all across the arena before Big Show showed up on stage to chokeslam Cena through the Spotlight. They did the still photos to leave something to the imagination. Edge is your new WWE champion. Lawler said they don't know Cena's condition. Cole said it's doubtful he'll be on the show tonight.

Backstage: Big Show was chilling on the couch, then Vickie Guerrero barged in. They hugged and Vickie thanked Show for what he did last night. He went for a kiss, but Vickie pulled away. "Is that how it is?" Show asked. "Are we just professional?" Show said it's going to be awfully lonely on Monday Nights now. Vickie smiled, then collected herself and said it's going to be strictly professional from here on out. Show calmly said he understands. He walked off.

[Q3]

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Cue up the Billy & Chuck/Rico theme music for Santina Marella to dance to the ring. Apparently they booked an eight-diva tag match for tonight. Kelly Kelly was the first real diva out as Santin(o)a's partner, followed by Brie Bella, and Mickie James. An accumulation of heel divas then showed up on stage as the opposition.

2 -- SANTINA MARELLA & KELLY KELLY & MICKIE JAMES & BRIE BELLA vs. Divas champion MARYSE & BETH PHOENIX & JILLIAN HALL & ROSA MENDES

We found out what Hornswoggle's role will be on the Raw brand, as Eve went looking for Brie and she found both Bellas under the ring hanging out with Hornswoggle. He chased everyone around, then he encountered Santino(a) and his little friend. Hornswoggle ran scared up the ramp past the heel divas. Not even sure why WWE flew in half of the divas for this skit to extend the Glamarella program that just keeps dragging on for repeat comedy relief.

WINNERS: It didn't even matter at 2:20. (n/a)

Superstars this week: Ted & Cody collide with the Unified tag champions. It will be Ted vs. Carlito one-on-one this week.

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

Announcers: Cole and Lawler hyped the Draft again. They plugged Mr. Kennedy returning to Raw. No word on when. Bella Twins are coming to Raw, as we just saw. Also, Matt Hardy. No mention of his hand injury.

In-ring: Matt Hardy came out on stage sporting a cast on his right hand. He limped a little on the way to the ring. No big ring jacket that became part of his heel look. He's scheduled for a singles match, apparently. They did the still photos of Matt being tied down to a table before telling Jeff Hardy that he quits. Jeff smashed him through the table anyways. Once in the ring, Matt took the mic and said last night, Jeff Hardy proved to him that he's nothing more than an insensitive, heartless, barbarian. "As a result of that, I suffered a broken hand..." Audience laughed and Matt shot everyone a look. Great moment. Matt said he's not a quitter and he's never quit his entire life. But, after Jeff broke his hand, he had no other option. Matt said he has no option tonight because he's being forced to wrestle. His lip quivered as he told the audience that he is wrestling under protest. Cue up Goldust's theme music. Huh? Absolutely zero reaction in the arena. Goldust did his full entrance, then the bell sounded.

3 -- GOLDUST vs. MATT HARDY

Goldust chased Matt around the ring for a while as Matt ducked and dodged like a good heel. Matt went to the floor, then he snuck in behind Goldust back in the ring and smashed him in the head with his cast. Matt made the pin for the win.

WINNER: Matt Hardy at 1:07. Well, this could be interesting using the mid-'90s Lex Luger "elbow plate from the motorcycle accident" gimmick to keep Matt on TV while he heals. (n/a)

Backstage: Randy Orton was walking down the hallway with everyone getting a good look at his WWE Title belt. Orton vs. MVP is next.

[Commercial Break]

In-ring: Randy Orton's music played for about the fourth time on the show. Out came Orton alone for the semi-main event tonight. He took his time, then MVP came out to challenge Orton to a champions vs. champions match.

[Q5 -- second hour]

4 -- WWE champion RANDY ORTON vs. U.S. champion MVP -- non-title match

Cole recapped MVP's history in WWE dating back to his entrance on Smackdown two years ago as the highest-paid athlete on the brand. Cole gave us a word that Triple H will be "out of action for some time." Lawler said Batista was out four months following Orton's Punt on him. He said Hunter could be out for some time depending on how hard and where the Punt landed. Match went a little mat-based early on, with each man exchanging leverage. MVP landed knees to the gut, then he landed a knee drop to the stomach for a two count. MVP doesn't have "hops" like Kofi, though, so he's better off sticking to the ground attack.

Orton came back with knees to the gut in the corner before surveying the arena for a heel reaction. MVP avoided a corner splash, then he pulled out a hard arm drag to ground Orton again. MVP followed with a Chono boot to the head that flipped Orton to the outside. MVP was in control going to break as Orton was motionless on the floor.

[Commercial Break]

Back from break, Orton was in control with a headlock on the mat. Orton then landed his fallaway backbreaker for a two count before going back to the chinlock. He's making that look real believable now with that sinister look on his face. MVP then escaped with a fallaway slam and both men recovered on the mat. They went into a standing exchange of right hands. Boos for Orton. Yeahs for MVP. Crowd joined in nicely before Orton smashed MVP off the ropes with an elbow, but MVP landed an overhead throw. Orton found himself facing the lights before MVP warmed up the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. Starting to give MVP the Cena/Rock treatment on the trademark mid-match move.

MVP missed with a Chono boot in the corner, though, and Orton dumped MVP over the top rope to the floor. Suddenly, Shane McMahon stormed the ring with Kendo Stick in hand to blast the crap out of Orton. Shane then went up top and nailed a big elbow drop on Orton. Cody and Ted then stormed ringside with chairs in hand, but Shane took off from the ring and ran up the arena steps to the top of the arena. Shane wound up in the Skybox posing from the top of the arena toward Orton, Cody, and Ted, who glared up at him.

WINNER: No Contest, but technically Orton via DQ at 11:17. Really good showing from both men. MVP could stand to lose just a few pounds to become a bit more agile and sleeker in the ring, but he put in a very strong first-night-on-Raw performance against Orton, who is just on top of his game and in control of his character right now. Non-finish was fine, as this match should happen down the road in a title situation. (**3/4)

Smackdown promo: Five stars competing for a World Title opportunity in MSG. Scramble match with Rey Mysterio vs. Great Khali vs. Jeff Hardy vs. John Morrison vs. Chris Jericho. One man becomes #1 contender to Edge's World Title.

[Commercial Break]

Video recap: Cole and Lawler narrated still shots of Big Show helping Edge become World Hvt. champion over John Cena at last night's Backlash PPV. Cole reiterated that Cena will be nowhere near Raw tonight. Transition into Draft Chat, as they recapped Big Show coming to Raw during the Draft, Divas champion Maryse, Chavo Guerrero, and The Miz. Cole said Miz is calling himself a future World champ.

In-ring: On cue, The Miz came out. Not sure what his character is now. Perhaps an explanation. Miz took the mic and said he is the single-most valuable draft pick in WWE. Mixed reaction. Miz said he's a TV icon and formerly the face of MTV. He recapped his World tag title run the past year. Miz said he gets more Internet hits than everyone in the arena. He has girls numbers from The Hills and other MTV shows. Miz said he's come here to make an Impact. And he wants to start at the top with John Cena. Females screamed. Miz demanded a ref, then Ref Robinson strolled out. Miz said he knows Cena was in a Last Man Standing match last night, but he knows Cena doesn't back down from a challenge. Miz egged on Cena, then Cena's music hit.

Females screamed, but no sign of Cena. Miz paced around the ring waiting for Cena, but no sign of him. "What is it, Cena? Are you scared of me?" He continued to egg on Cena to show up and face him. Miz mocked "You Can't See Me" and added he can't see him. Crowd chanted, "Cena, Cena, Cena." He said he'll wait because, that's right, he can't see him because Cena's movies aren't in theaters long enough. Oh snap. "You going to step up, now?" Miz asked.

Miz said he's tired of seeing the same wrestlers in main events week after week, year after year. Miz said he's grabbing the brass ring tonight. He declared himself the winner by forfeit. Miz 1, John Cena 0. He asked Lilian Garcia to stand up - stand up! - and make it official. Lawler: "Now, that's preposterous." Lilian didn't know what to do, so Miz walked over to her and berated her. Miz took the mic and declared himself the winner via forfeit...with a little Mr. Kennedy added in for effect. Miz's music hit and he wiped away a fake tear toward an upset fan or two ringside. "Miz on Raw!" he declared. (3) PYB talk time: 8:30. Not a bad monologue after the initial quietness. Miz vs. Cena sounds pretty fresh and Miz had a very strong second-half of the promo to establish the feud. Well done.

[Commercial Break]

[Q7]

Postcard from Europe: They showed "postcard" photos from WWE's recent European tour. Concluded with a photo of Triple H doing the water-spit.

In-ring: Primo and Carlito came out for a tag match against Chavo Guerrero and Jamie Noble, who were already in the ring to take a loss. Noble sporting a little buzz cut with a two on the sides.

5 -- Unified tag champions PRIMO & CARLITO COLON vs. JAMIE NOBLE & CHAVO GUERRERO -- non-title match

Primo took control early on and busted out some acrobatics to celebrate. Noble then cheated to take advantage on the tag champs. Chavo tagged in and wanted a top rope move, but Primo nailed him in the gut with a mid-air dropkick. Carlito then took the hot tag as Noble took a tag. Carlito cleaned house and did his double springboard splash on Noble for a two count. Primo then flew the ropes with a dive onto Chavo. Noble tried to grab Carlito for a neckbreaker, but Carlito spun out to a backstabber for the pin and the win.

WINNERS: Colons at 4:23. Okay match. Not much chemistry, as WWE seems to believe they can just throw random mid-carders together and call them a tag team. Crowd wasn't much into the action here. Just a warm-up match for the Colons to introduce them on the Raw brand before entering an actual program. (*)

Backstage: They showed Batista walking down the hallway for the main event. Josh Mathews interrupted his walk, then he asked Batista if he feels responsible for Triple H losing the WWE Title last night. Batista contemplated stuffing Josh's head in a trunk or answering the question. He paused, huffed, then looked to the camera and said he feels Hunter's pain and he's going to avenge Hunter's loss by beating Big Show, then taking away what means the most to Orton - the WWE Title.

[Commercial Break]

On-stage: GM Vickie Guerrero came back on stage. She has an announcement to make. But, before the announcement, she reminded us of "recent ... current events." What? That's not even possible. Cue up a video package on Randy Orton tormenting the McMahon Family. Yes, because we need another reminder of it.

[Q8]

Back to Vickie, who said that as a result of what's happened tonight, Randy Orton will face Shane McMahon in next week's TV main event. Lawler groaned on commentary. He corrected with a "groan of excitement" for what's to come next week. Big Show then came out for the TV main event.

[Commercial Break]

Tomorrow night on ECW: Christian is the new ECW champion. He'll address the Peeps for the first time as new ECW champion.

In-ring: Big Show was shadow-boxing the cameraman out of the break, then he talked trash to the ringside fans. No sign of Batista. Show said let's hurry it up, then Batista's music hit and he came out on stage to a monster reaction. Batista and Show squared off, then the bell sounded.

6 -- BIG SHOW vs. BATISTA -- #1 Contender's match to WWE Title

Show teased a chokeslam, Batista teased a Batistabomb, they stood off in opposite corners, and WWE cut to a break. That was quick. Final break of the show, presumably.

[Commercial Break]

They returned from break with Show landing body shots to Batista's gut. Batista tried to come back with shoulder thrusts, but Show clubbed him across the back to kill Batista's offense. Show then took Batista to the corner and wrapped him around the ringpost.

[Q9 -- over-run]

Big man battled dragged as Show just kept working the back. Batista then tried to fire back with clotheslines, but Show wouldn't move. Batista showed some agility to avoid a clothesline from Show, then he nailed a spinebuster. Batista then fired up on the ropes, but Show dropped him with a big spinebuster that knocked him to the floor. Batista and Show picked up the battle on the floor, then John Cena suddenly stumbled out on stage as ref Marty tried to hold him up. Cena sold a concussion as Show yelled at him from the entranceramp. Cena didn't move from the top of the stage. Meanwhile, Batista snuck back into the ring. Show heard "nine" from the ref, then he tried to run back into the ring, but ref reached "ten" for a count-out on Show.

WINNER: Batista via count-out at 10:33 to become #1 Contender. Slow, plodding match with a few highspots before the good finish using Cena while still selling the injury. (*1/4)

Post-match: Batista speared Show mid-ring and hit his head on Show's gut on the way down. Batista then left the ring and made eye contact with Cena, who still seemed to be on another planet. Show came to his feet and stared at Cena, who didn't blink. They literally had a stare down as Show's sweat poured down on the ring ropes and he grunted and shook like Triple H. Cena just stared back as Show yelled in frustration to close the show. Looks like Batista vs. Orton and Cena vs. Show at Judgment Day.

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