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WWE RAW
June 15, 2009
Live from Charlotte, NC
Aired on USA Network

-WWE Open.

-The camera went right to Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler at the announce table. They talked about Mr. McMahon expecting to name a new General Manager tonight. Lawler said he has heard that McMahon may be here for another reason.

-Highlights aired of Legacy’s attack on Batista last week, as well as Triple H already getting his revenge on Orton.

-RAW Open.

-Fireworks and the usual panning of the crowd, catching an awesome sign in the crowd (“The Real Viper is in my Pants”), opened the show.

-Cole and King plugged the Fatal Four-Way for the WWE title, then Josh Mathews and Matt Striker talked about the ECW Championship Match. Todd Grisham and Jim Ross, also at ringside, discussed the World Championship match set for tonight.

1- CHRIS JERICHO vs. REY MYSTERIO- INTERCONTINENTAL CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Jericho got the mic first, of course, and talked about Raw going in the toilet since he left. It’s funny because it’s true. He said Raw will never recover from the tailspin. He said the fans will someday realize what he and his talents meant to the show. Someday, he said, Mysterio may realize what Jericho speaks about he and his mask, is the truth. Jericho said only he can be Mysterio’s savior and thus set him free.

As soon as the bell rang, Rey pounced on Jericho. He clotheslined Jericho over the top and to the outside. Rey went to the top and legdropped Jericho as Chris tried to come back into the ring. Jericho was too close to the ropes for the pin. There was a clock counting down the time until the WWE Championship match. Good to know this match won’t last 32:00, since the WWE Title match is scheduled to start then. Rey went to attack Jericho on the outside, but ended up bouncing his head off the announce table. They went to break not quite 2:00 in.

[Commercial Break]

Back live, Rey elbowed his way out of a standing chin-lock. Crowd seemed hot, and Rey hit an enziguiri, with Jericho in position for the 619. But he caught Rey and hit that spinning back-breaker on Rey (where he puts Rey on his shoulders) for a two-count. Seated dropkick by Rey. Headscissor take-over by Rey, then a springboard seated senton for two. Breaking news scrolled across the bottom of the screen, hyping Mr. McMahon’s announcement later tonight. Jericho tried a face-buster, but Rey shoved him into the buckle where he dropkicked the IC Champ. Fast pace throughout this entire match. Rey went after Jericho on the outside with a suicide dive. Jericho turned the tide, but Jericho got sunset-flipped off the top by Rey and folded up in a pin for two. Walls of Jericho was powered out, into a 619, but Jericho tripped Rey up in the 619 position. It looked like he had ideas about going for the move, but Rey hit a springboard moonsault for two. Hurricanrana into the 619 position again, and this time it hit. Rey was caught on the West Coast Pop and Jericho went after his mask. Rey took time to grab his face and straighten the mask, which Jericho took advantage of and hit the Codebreaker for the win.

WINNER: Jericho, at 9:39. Non-stop action throughout this one, the kind we rarely see in a TV match these days.

-Fatal Four-Way was plugged again.

-Mr. McMahon was getting some finishing touches on his wardrobe as he was sitting backstage, ready to announce the new GM (or something else, according to Lawler), next.

[Commercial Break]

-Josh Mathews was backstage with Randy Orton. He asked Orton about Triple H returning last week, and Orton interrupted him and accused him of showing him up. He said he put Triple H, Batista and Ric Flair all on the shelf. Orton said Trips made his return with his sledgehammer, because deep down, he knows he can’t beat Orton on his own. Orton said he’d make people forget about what Hunter did last week when he wins the title in a few minutes.

John Cena interrupted and dismissed Mathews. Cena pretended to be the interviewer and said the WWE Universe always talks about Orton, but they usually wonder why someone with so much talent continues to be so disrespectful. Cena made a joke about trying out for an announcer spot, then got serious and reminded Orton that he and Randy weren’t going to be the only two in the match. He suggested that perhaps the oil Orton was putting on his skin was starting to rot his brain. Orton just walked away. Not a big fan of these cheesy Cena promos.

-Cole and Lawler talked about Vickie Guerrero quitting last week. Then we saw footage of the segment.

-Mr. McMahon joined Cole and Lawler and Cole immediately asked who was the GM of Raw. McMahon made a joke about expecting more applause then said after much deliberation, he said he wasn’t going to announce the new General Manager of Raw, he’d let someone else do it. He said when opportunity knocks, you’ve got to seize the moment. He said when someone gives you an offer you can’t refuse, don’t refuse it. “We Want Flair” chant from the crowd. McMahon said his announcement is that he’s selling Monday Night Raw. He’d make the announcement as “to who,” right after the WWE Title situation is cleared up. McMahon talked about how unlikely it would’ve been that he sold Raw to this person if you’d asked him weeks ago. Intrigue!

[Commercial Break]

-They showed McMahon announcing that he was selling Monday Night Raw moments ago. I’m guessing it’s E. Stan Kroenke!

-Cole and Lawler quietly discussed McMahon selling the brand.

2- CHRISTIAN vs. TOMMY DREAMER- ECW CHAMPIONSHIP MATCH

Striker took another shot at Barack Obama on commentary, guessing he was buying Raw since he owns everything else. Christian’s spinning heel kick got him a one-count. Dreamer with a neck-breaker on Christian with Christian hung over the middle rope. Elbow off the second rope by Christian for two. Striker mentioned that no World Title had changed hands in this city (Charlotte) in a decade. Christian flew onto Dreamer on the outside of the ring. Just over 10:00 to go until the WWE Championship match according to the clock in the corner of the screen. Dreamer walked into a n elbow in the corner, then shoved Christian off on a Tornado DDT. Reverse DDT by Tommy for two. Clothesline out of the corner by Dreamer. To the top, sunset flip by Christian, and the two traded reversals. Killswitch was blocked and Dreamer ended up getting Christian in a small package for the win.

WINNER: Dreamer, at 3:25. Crowd didn’t care about this one.

-Still to come, C.M. Punk defends the World Title in a Triple-Threat match against Edge and Jeff Hardy.

-Up next, a Fatal Four-Way for the WWE Title and it’s next.

[Commercial Break]

-The Bella Twins and Kelly Kelly were in makeup talking about the sale of Monday Night Raw. They speculated on Oprah, Paris Hilton or Obama buying Raw. Maybe he sold it to the Crocketts. NWA Raw?

-Another video package aired on Batista being put out of action last week.

-They showed stills of Batista’s operation from St. Vincent’s Hospital.

3- RANDY ORTON vs. BIG SHOW vs. JOHN CENA vs. TRIPLE H- FATAL FOUR-WAY FOR THE WWE CHAMPIONSHIP

My thinking is the new Owner/GM must have some impact on at least one of these four wrestlers, which is why they’re waiting until after this match to reveal it, so we can get the reaction shots of the guys. Which brings me back to Flair. Orton and Triple H took the fight to the floor right off the bat, while Big Show cornered Cena in the ring. Triple H sent Orton over the guardrail. Right on cue, as Cena was thrown out of the ring, The Game made his way in to face off with Show. They circled each other as the show went to break.

[Commercial Break]

All four were in the ring back from break, with the men being paired up in their separate feuds. Then Hunter went after Big Show, including giving him a face-buster on the knee. Cena and Hunter gave Show clothesline after clothesline and Cena finally took him out of the picture with a flying shoulderblock. Cena and Triple H faced off as the two looked to the crowd for some kind of reaction. Faint “Triple H” chants. Hunter got caught with a flying shoulderblock, then Cena set him up for the fist-drop. Trips got up and caught Cena, planting him with a spinebuster. He set up for the Pedigree, but Cena reversed it into an Attitude Adjustment, but Show came in and clotheslined both men down. Triple H got worked over by Orton at ringside again, and Show had his way with Cena. Show tried a double chokeslam on Cena and Hunter, but it didn’t work. Orton set up for a punt on Show, but Show caught it and slapped Orton in the chest in the corner. Show and Cena were finally alone in the ring. Show hit the Vader Bomb for only the second time in memory on Cena, but Orton broke up the pin. Hunter snuck into the ring, but Show speared him for two. Show went to the middle rope again, but Triple H rolled out of the way. Orton came into the ring, but Show blocked an RKO attempt. Triple H tried to Pedigree Show and did so. Before he could make the pin, Cena Attitude Adjusted Hunter, then tried to cover Show, but only got two. That makes little sense. He got Show up and hit the Attitude Adjustment, but Orton broke up the pin. Then he RKO’d Show and made the pin for his fifth title reign.

WINNER: Orton, at 11:15. Lots of action in this one, with the usual grand finale of finishers at the end. No real complaints about this one.

-Mr. McMahon was walking backstage, on his way to the ring to announce the new owner of Raw.

[Commercial Break]

-They replayed the finish of the previous match.

-Mr. McMahon came out. McMahon said he has a heavy heart tonight and has done a lot of soul-searching over the past few weeks. At this stage in his career, he feels he’s made the right decision to sell Raw. McMahon said Raw will be independently owned by someone who he has a history with. He said he’s been compensated very well for this. Joining them via satellite, the new owner of Raw.....Donald Trump.

Trump came on the big screen and told McMahon that he finally put his big ego aside and made a good business decision. Fans didn’t like it. Trump said McMahon didn’t show appreciation for the Raw audience and he said he’s going to do things no one has seen on Raw. Trump said McMahon has made a lot of money off the people and it’s time to give back. Vince said he’s given back quite a bit and asked for the fans to give back to him. Trump said fans deserve appreciation for their loyalty. Trump said he’s doing something that McMahon has never done. Trump said next week’s Raw would be presented live and commercial free. McMahon asked him if he was serious. Trump said he was and Vince said Donald has lost his marbles, because it’s all about the money. Trump said he’d be at Raw next week to personally oversee things. Trump noted that McMahon looked much better bald and talked about what fun he had shaving Vince’s head. Vince ordered them to cut Trump off.

McMahon asked to deliver his farewell address after all these years. He then said he’s quite emotional, and said he’d ask Trump to allow him to do his farewell address next week. He switched gears and said he’s still in charge tonight and we’ll find out Orton’s opponent at The Bash tonight with a 10-man battle royal. McMahon then said he’d do something Trump doesn’t believe in....take the show to commercial. Cole and Lawler said they couldn’t believe next week would be commercial-free. I don’t know how they expected fans to react to this, since Vince is pretty much a face now, and the crowd generally doesn’t accept non-wrestlers getting time on the show, let alone someone as clueless about things as Trump (who exhibited this during the WM build-up a few weeks ago). But it’s certainly an interesting way to take things and hopefully Raw will become less predictable with this angle.

-Coming up tonight, C.M. Punk defends his World Title in a Fatal Four-Way.

[Commercial Break]

-Moments ago, Vince McMahon announced Donald Trump as the new owner of Monday Night Raw. Cole and Lawler talked about the ramifications of the move.

4- MICKIE JAMES vs. ROSA MENDES

Rosa was going it alone as Beth walked her out to the stage, then went to the back. Before the match started, Maryse walked out. I think we’ve got some mind games, because this is what Mickie did last week. She didn’t join the commentary team though. Forearms to the face by Mickie and she took Rosa down. Mickie went to the top and Mendes fled to ringside. She choked Mickie on the top rope. Neck-breaker by Mendes for two. She wiped Mickie’s face into the mat then punched away at her with some not-so-good right hands. She once again did some choking (and gyrating) of Mickie. The announcers spent most of the match talking about Trump. Flying clothesline by the Mickster, then a seated dropkick. Mendes tried another neck-breaker, but was pushed away and Mickie hit her jumping DDT for the pin.

WINNER: Mickie, at 2:50. This was not pretty, thanks in large part to Rosa.

Maryse began walking to the back, until Mickie challenged her to get into the ring. Maryse got on the apron, but got back down before Mickie could get her hands on her.

-Still to come, a 10-man Battle Royal, with the winner facing Orton at The Bash. MVP, Regal, DiBiase, Rhodes, Miz, Hardy, Big Show, Triple H, Cena and Kingston were the ones shown as being participants.

[Commercial Break]

-Goldust and Hornswoggle were in the ring, shooting t-shirts to the crowd. That makes anyone an automatic babyface. The Miz came out and I feel like the guys in the ring are going to be easy targets for the Miz. Miz had a message for the new owner: He should be the new face of Raw. He said he told the WWE Universe last week that he’d back up everything he said about Cena, and he did. Then he said he’d earn a championship match at the Bash. But he’s not going to stop at the WWE Championship. He said he wanted to be on the covers of magazine, the endorsements, the movies and everybody will eat it up and beg for more. Miz turned his attention to Goldust and Hornswoggle, demanding they get out of the ring.

Goldust took the mic and said Miz’s mind games with Cena have disappointed him. He didn’t see creativity or imagination in how Miz is doing things. Goldust said he once gave Ahmed Johnson mouth-to-mouth to get into his head. And all Miz does is talk. He suggested a name change from The Miz to The Wiz. Goldust says when Miz starts talking, that’s what everyone gets up to take. Miz called them a circus act and Goldust called Miz a loser, translating what Hornswoggle said I guess. “You suck” chants for, I’m guessing, The Miz. Miz talked about this being Goldust’s fourth or fifth go-round in WWE. Goldust in 1995 may have been cool and funny but Goldust in 2009 is irrelevant. He said he’d beat Goldust right now, but no one would care. He wanted to show Trump that he’s not afraid to take risks, so he kicked Goldust and DDT’d him. Then he went after the little man. He took the t-shirt gun and aimed for Hornswoggle. He feigned like he wasn’t going to do it, then ended up shooting one at Hornswoggle. Crowd gasped, then booed Miz. It would be nice if this made Goldust a more focused character but otherwise, an awesome segment. Miz continued to impress.

-Another plug for the Triple-Threat WWE Championship match, and it’s next.

[Commercial Break]

-C.M. Punk was backstage with Josh Mathews and asked him about cashing the MITB in on a vulnerable Jeff Hardy. Punk said almost a year to the day, he cashed in his contract on Edge on this show. He said no one had a problem with it last year, and he even won a Slammy for it. He said that if Edge had won on Sunday and he beat him for the title, everyone would be singing his praises. He acknowledged the “vocal minority” who doesn’t see things his way. Matt Hardy interrupted and complimented Punk on beating his brother, then said Punk shouldn’t feel regret about what he did. Hardy said if he was in Punk’s situation, he’d have done the exact same thing. Punk said it would be difficult because Matt has never won the MITB and never won a World Title. Punk told him not to come around acting like they’re friends, because they’re not.

-JR and Grisham discussed the Triple-Threat rules and then talked about Edge’s comments last week about Vickie, calling them crude....then he had to send it to a video of Edge breaking up with Vickie.

-Edge and Jeff Hardy made their entrances for what Grisham called “a three-man match.” The World Title will be on the line next.

[Commercial Break]

5- EDGE vs. JEFF HARDY vs. C.M. PUNK- TRIPLE-THREAT MATCH FOR THE WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP

Mostly boos for Punk. He had “Misawa” written on his tape. The champ hit a suicide dive on Edge on the outside less than a minute into the match. JR questioned the judiciousness of the move so early in the match. Then Hardy jumped over the top and onto both men. Hardy tried to pin Pun in the ring, to no avail. Punk elbowdropped Hardy and after a failed pin attempt, settled into a chin-lock. Edge came back in and took out both men. He threw Hardy out of the ring and went to work on Punk. Edge went up to suplex Punk off the top rope until Hardy reappeared. He tossed Edge to the mat and attempted to suplex Punk. Edge came back and put Hardy on his shoulders. Punk tried a clothesline (Doomsday Device), but Hardy rolled up Edge as Punk missed, and Jeff got a two count. All three men were down as they went to break.

[Commercial Break]

Punk was taking it to Edge, including hitting a spinning heel kick that showed quite a bit of light. Hardy was climbing up the stairs slowly in an attempt to get back into the match. Punk bulldogged Edge down and clotheslined Hardy at the same time. Another scroll at the bottom of the screen, noting Trump is the new owner of Raw and that the show will be presented commercial-free next week. Edge locked in the Sharpshooter, and Hardy applied a sleeper to Edge. Edge broke the hold and Hardy tried for a pin. Punk was able to slap him in the back of the head to break it up. Punk tried a sunset flip on Edge and Hardy helped him by clotheslining Edge over. Hardy hit a seated dropkick on both men simultaneously (one leg for each man). Jaw-breaker on Punk was blocked by a knee to Hardy’s chest.

Hardy went for a Swanton on Punk, but Edge knocked him off. He then went for a spear, but Punk turned it into a powerslam for two. A reversal of finishers took place between the three, and Punk avoided a spear and Edge ended up nailing Jeff with it. Edge went for the pin on Hardy, but Punk broke it up. Fans chanted for Hardy as Punk missed a running knee in the corner. Edge pushed him over and to the outside where Punk bashed his knee into the steel steps on the way down in a pretty good looking move. A trainer came out to look at his left knee at ringside. Whisper in the Wind on Edge but Punk broke it up. He rarely gets the pin on that anyway. Hardy attacked the knee of Punk in anger, then went back into the ring. Edge small packaged Hardy for two. Twist of Fate on Edge, then he went to the top. Swanton hit but again, Punk pulled him off Edge from the outside. Then he pushed Hardy back-first into the steps and made the pin on Edge.

WINNER: Punk, at 15:40. Really good match with some innovative spots. This certainly adds another layer to the Punk-Hardy feud as well.

As Punk was celebrating on one leg, Teddy Long came out. Long congratulated him and said Punk’s next title defense would be at The Bash, one-on-one with Jeff Hardy.

-Cole and Lawler once again talked about the historic happenings from tonight, with Donald Trump buying Raw and Randy Orton winning the WWE Title. They showed highlights of that match.

-Later tonight, a 10-man Battle Royal will take place with the winner facing Orton at The Bash.

[Commercial Break]

-Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase joined the commentary table for the next match.

6- THE HART DYNASTY vs. PRIMO & CARLITO

For those who only follow Raw, Tyson Kidd and David Hart Smith comprise The Hart Dynasty. DiBiase tried to rip on Cole for them making the announcers look “more better” than they already are. Cole muttered “more better...” under his breath, which cut DiBiase off mid-sentence. That shut the youngster up. After a pause (no doubt Vince was directing them on how to recover from having Cole make DiBiase look afool), DiBiase denied saying it.

Primo and Carlito will defend their titles at The Bash against DiBiase and Rhodes. Primo landed on his head on a hurricanrana attempt on Smith, with both of them flopping to the mat. Kidd took Primo, allowing Smith to take over. Carlito tagged in and hammered away on Smith. David caught a boot to the face and hit a springboard back elbow for two. DiBiase and Rhodes mentioned that they could win the battle royal later tonight, but they’re more concerned about making sure others don’t win. It would be a nice swerve to have DiBiase somehow fall ass-backward into a win. Carlito hit a Backstabber on Smith and the ref counted to two when Team Priceless ran in for the DQ.

WINNERS: Primo & Carlito, at 2:21. Disappointingly short. Neither Rhodes nor DiBiase shined on commentary. Sounds like Priceless has new music too.

-Triple H was walking backstage, heading to the ring for the Battle Royal, which is next.

[Commercial Break]

-Highlights of the WWE European Tour aired.

-Earlier tonight, Vince McMahon sold Raw to Donald Trump.

-They plugged next week’s appearance by Trump, as well as the commercial-free show.

-Santino Marella was sitting in Vince’s office next to Vince on the couch. Santino wanted Vince to assure him that he (and his sister) still had a job. McMahon said knowing Donald, he might be attracted to Santino’s sister. Vince said Trump will have final say and McMahon won’t have any influence. Then Vince’s “No Chance” ring-tone went off and it was Trump. Santino yelled a hello to him. McMahon wasn’t happy for what he perceived were some uncalled for comments Trump made earlier. Apparently, Trump wants to make an announcement after the battle royal tonight. McMahon said maybe he should tell him, so he can announce it. “You want Impact...” Vince said, acknowledging something Trump said. He’s buying TNA’s show next? Vince said he hates rich people with big egos. Santino said Vince must hate himself then. Santino then accidentally insulted Vince’s age and monetary status and quickly fled the room. “Pervert...” Vince said to himself after Santino lef.

-DiBiase and Rhodes were still in the ring as entrances for the Battle Royal began. Montel Vontavious Porter was next out. Well, maybe. There we go. Did Lilian miss a cue to announce him? Matt Hardy followed, then William Regal, Kofi Kingston, The Miz and The Big Show. The match, along with John Cena and Triple H’s entrances, is next.

[Commercial Break]

-JR and Grish plugged C.M. Punk vs. Rey Mysterio and Hardy vs. Jericho (even though they showed Hardy vs. Edge, which confused JR) for Smackdown this Friday.

7- 10-MAN BATTLE ROYAL- WINNER FACES WWE CHAMPION AT THE BASH

Triple H came out to his King of Kings theme. Triple H threw out Rhodes, but he held on. Big Show went right after Miz and less than a minute into the match, Orton walked onto the stage to get a closer look. Team Priceless double-teamed Triple H and Cena pounded away on Miz. Regal and Kingston were paired off as well. Hardy got Miz to the apron and he tried to push him out with his foot, but couldn’t. Miz and Hardy then teamed up to try to eliminate Cena, but Big Show nailed Miz in the stomach to put a halt to that. Headbutt by Show on Regal. Show started to clean house, clotheslining and headbutting everyone. Hardy made Show made, then backed out of the ring under the bottom rope. Show pulled him back in, then threw him out at 3:38. Then Show threw out MVP at 3:52. Everyone realized it was time to get rid of the biggest dog in the yard, and they all teamed up to get rid of Show at 4:23. They took the last break at this point.

[Commercial Break]

Six men were left out of break. Looks like The Miz was sent packing during the break. Orton continued to look on, tensely, from the top of the ramp. Rhodes and DiBiase were taking out Cena when Kingston came over to give aid. Cena back-dropped Rhodes over the top, but he landed on the apron and came back in. Even Kingston and Triple H did battle, with Kingston running into a high knee. Hunter tried to fight off Legacy, but they got the better of him for the short term at least. Kingston hit a back suplex on Regal, who I’m surprised is still in there. Cena made the save for Trips. Kingston and Hunter tried to team up to eliminated DiBiase. I’m glad this isn’t an abandon-ship battle royal. These guys are high enough on the card where they shouldn’t be just tossed out with ease early in the match.

Cena and Triple H came face-to-face in the middle of the ring. They traded right hands back-and-forth. Triple H got Cena on his shoulder to eliminate him, but Rhodes and DiBiase got involved. Cena and The Game ended up hitting a double clothesline. Kingston jumped onto DiBiase in the corner. They double clotheslined Kingston out at 13:25. Regal followed suit after trying to take on both members of Legacy; he was dumped at 13:47. DiBiase and Rhodes focused their double-team powers on both The Game and Cena. Cena made a comeback though, flattening DiBiase and Rhodes with clotheslines and a Fisher-plex. High back-body drop for Rhodes. DiBiase was tossed out by Cena at 15:48 and Rhodes skinned the cat, but was clotheslined out by Trips at 16:04. Cena was pedigreed by Triple H, but Team Priceless came in and pounded them down to the mat. Then, The Miz snuck up from ringside, having never been eliminated. He eyed a double-clothesline to eliminate both men, but they ducked and he went sailing out at 17:34. Then Hunter eliminated Cena.

WINNER: Triple H, at 17:40. Battle Royals are generally no good, but this one I liked.

Trump came on the big screen and congratulated Triple H on his win. He said that in doing things differently, he’s not going to wait for The Bash to have that match- it’ll be next week on Raw, in a Last Man Standing Match for the title. Orton and Triple H stared at each other from afar to end the show.

Greg Parks has been covering Smackdown for PWTorch.com since January of 2007. You can also hear him every-other-week in the post-Raw audio show in the Torch VIP audio section and read his all-new blog in the VIP forum. Check out his column each week in the PDF-exclusive version of the Torch Newsletter. Comments, questions and feedback are welcome, and can be sent to g_man9784@yahoo.com.

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