By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
June 16, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Night of Champions (second-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-third edition of Raw Storylines and Feuds.

For those wondering about the Intrigue Level system that I employ, you can refer to the numbers as follows:

10 (excellent), 9 (great), 8-6 (very good, good, pretty good), 5 (decent; has its good and bad qualities), 4-3 (needs work, poor), 2 (bad), 1 (terrible)


The following list of storylines may seem a bit short because of all the non-feud segments that filled Raw this week. For example, the Summertime Beach Bikini Blowout (which neither continued an ongoing feud or sparked a new one), the Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito match, the heavy hint that Chris Jericho will soon be feuding with Triple H, and the numerous McMahon's Million Dollar Mania segments left only three established feuds advanced this week. The most likely reason for all of this is the upcoming WWE Draft. WWE is planning to shift the roster landscapes, and in doing so, they can't possibly continue all of their current rivalries with full force because some of these people may not be here come next week. They also concluded Santino-Piper and Cade-Murdoch officially, while Phoenix-Melina could be on the cutting block.

WWE Champion TRIPLE H vs. JOHN CENA (3 weeks)

Raw kicked off this week with a promo by John Cena in center ring. He talked about how nostalgic moments in WWE make the company great. After listing a few of them, he predicted that another memorable moment would occur at Night of Champions when he wins the WWE Title Match and holds up the title to say, "The Champ is…." Suddenly, Triple H's promo music hit, and The Game walked to the ring to talk to Cena. "Last week, you cost me a match against Jeff Hardy," Triple H said. He warned Cena about getting involved in his matches, claiming that he only doles out one warning.

Cena fought back, saying that he beat him the last time they fought for the WWE Title. Triple H said things have changed since then, but a fiery Cena shot back that nothing has changed because both of them are still the main attraction in WWE. "Until you beat me, you're nothing," Cena said angrily. Triple H then starting making fun of Cena's younger fan base, which prompted Cena to push Triple H. Before they could start fighting, McMahon came out to announce that he's in a generous mood. He booked John Cena against Umaga in a Street Fight, a match that began immediately. The opening bout ended when Cena caught Umaga as he was charging with steel steps. Without much hesitation, Cena was able to hoist The Samoan Bulldozer onto his shoulders and deliver the FU for the 1-2-3.

In Raw's main event, Triple H went head-to-head with Chris Jericho. The match ended when both men found themselves on the outside. Without notice, Lance Cade showed up and starting attacking Triple H, forcing the referee to call for the disqualification. The two heels teamed up against The Game, but then John Cena arrived and cleared the ring. Triple H took out Cena before the heels returned to flatten the babyfaces. Jericho hit his Code Breaker on Triple H, and the show ended with Lance Cade and Y2J standing tall as Triple H and Cena lay beaten on the mat.

It was a compelling main-event storyline for Raw this week, although seemingly rushed. WWE wasted no time catapulting Chris Jericho to the top of the roster as the current top heel for the brand, ostensibly taking over that position in Randy Orton's stead. A potential Jericho-Triple H storyline revolving around Jericho's attacks on Triple H's close friends (Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels) is fresh and dynamic. But for now, WWE is going to juggle Y2J's issues with The Game alongside the Cena-Hunter rivalry, the marketed feud that culminates in two weeks at Night of Champions. Although Raw basically stuck to less than a handful of storylines this week, they certainly gave plenty of time to their top stars: Triple H, John Cena, and Chris Jericho. It will be interesting to see how Jericho's role will influence the Cena-Triple H rivalry.

As for Lance Cade, he could use a few squash matches or big tag team wins in the coming weeks to help his character garner some quick credibility (if there is such a thing) after being launched into the main event slot this week.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL
John Cena: Edge, Umaga, Bobby Lashley, Orton & Triple H, JBL

CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (12 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Ross and Lawler noted that Shawn Michaels was out this week after being thrown into a television monitor last week on Raw; he currently suffers from potential eye complications. Later in the show, Jericho came out to the ring to cut a promo about what happened last week. He talked about how people have come up to him over the last few days to ask him about why he attacked Michaels. After replaying the footage for the second time on the show, Y2J said that he's tired of being booed for telling the truth. He then blamed Michaels's injury on the fans. "It's obvious that you connect with a backstabbing hypocrite like Shawn Michaels," Jericho said. He went on to call them morally bankrupt. "You ostracized me; you turned on me," he said. He then demanded that HBK come out and face him.

Jericho started hurling insults at Michaels, but then Ric Flair's music hit, and the Nature Boy walked out with a look of sheer anger on his face. After a commercial break, Flair got in Jericho's face for a close stare-down. He slapped Jericho's mic away before challenging Y2J to a fight in the parking lot. Jericho followed Flair to the back, and The Nature Boy walked out an exit door. When Jericho tried to follow, he was stopped by Triple H, who had been waiting outside. The Game said that he's been looking for a reason to make Jericho his business. When Jericho asked Triple H if he was here to fight everyone's battles, HHH corrected him by saying, "No, you got it all wrong; I just wanna fight you." They exchanged glances for a few seconds before Jericho walked off.

Later, Mr. McMahon met with Flair and Triple H. He threw Flair out of the building, and then he booked Triple H in a matchup against Chris Jericho in the main event, a match that ended in a win for Triple H when Lance Cade caused a DQ.

This feud may either be over or perhaps simply stalled for a few weeks. It looks like WWE wants to piece together a singles feud between Triple H and Chris Jericho, which could be a great move considering their current positions on the roster. This was the week for Jericho to come out and explain why he turned heel, and he did a perfect job doing just that. Blaming the fans is always a great way to go, and there were some hints of truth to what he was saying. It's not illogical to think that a crazy person would be offended enough to hurl a fan-favorite into a TV set for getting booed when he acted ethically responsible. And since Jericho is now seemingly on the same side as Lance Cade against Triple H and possibly John Cena, could this mean that someone (perhaps Shawn Michaels) could be sent packing to Smackdown in next week's draft?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5

Previous Feuds
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Money in the Bank, Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair, Batista & Jericho

MR. KENNEDY vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/ Katie Lea) (4 weeks)

This week, Paul Burchill teamed with his sister, Katie Lea, to face the team of Mr. Kennedy and WWE Women's Champion Mickie James in a mixed tag match. The tag team matchup saw Kennedy spear Burchill through the ropes, allowing Mickie to attempt a move from the top rope. However, Katie dodged Mickie and then caught her with a neckbreaker for the win. Ross noted that Katie now has two wins over Mickie, while the WWE Women's Champion currently holds no victories over Katie.

The real focal point of this segment concerned the two women and their budding rivalry on Raw. Kennedy and Burchill, for whatever reason, aren't picking up much steam. They have reached a certain mark, but they aren't overcoming the narrative plateau. It feels like it's time to let them argue on the mic or in the back. People may have already forgotten that their issues were over former Raw GM and King William Regal's firing. If WWE wants to form their feud around some other issue to ignore that part, now is their chance to get it stated with words. If they just have these two continue to battle in short matches each week with nothing more done, there won't be much anticipation for fans to support Kennedy beyond the fact that Burchill is unlikeable. If promos are out of the question (which shouldn't be the case since Mr. Kennedy is involved, after all), then at least have some significant pre- or post-match angle to forward the storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Mr. Kennedy: Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, William Regal
Paul Burchill: n/a

BETH PHOENIX vs. MELINA (7 weeks)

Melina participated in the Summertime Beach Bikini Blowout. She ended up losing to Maria. It's always predictable when they choose one clear-cut babyface and then pit her against mostly heels or far less popular faces (like Eve Torres) for these contests. In any event, this segment was just to fill a spot on the show, let the audience drool over some divas, and start building some kind of more exciting character for Charlie Haas. Beth Phoenix never showed up, which could mean that this one has abruptly concluded. Then again, why would WWE put an end to a non-title women's feud that was so strong and useful for both participants?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [down 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James
Melina: Mickie James, Candice Michelle

World Tag Team Champions HARDCORE HOLLY & CODY RHODES vs. TED DIBIASE (4 weeks)

This week, Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes teamed up to face Cryme Tyme in tag team competition. As soon as the match started, Ted DiBiase, Jr. came out from the back and began walking toward the ring. Shad, who was standing on the apron, was completely distracted by DiBiase, allowing Hardcore Holly to roll JTG up with a schoolboy for the extremely quick victory. After the win, DiBiase headed to the back and the World Tag Team Champions celebrated with their titles as they walked to the back.

This storyline has been set up for about a month now, and WWE is just waiting for Night of Champions to really get it going. Until that PPV, they're really just trying to fill time on the show and remind viewers that this storyline is still in the works. Ted DiBiase, Jr. could be a really great new character, but we basically have to just wait a couple of weeks to find out if his promise to win the World Tag Team Titles in his debut match for WWE comes to fruition. It's interesting that they didn't incorporate the rift angle between Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly this week, something that has become an important element to the storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes: Santino Marella & Carlito
Ted DiBiase: n/a


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chris Jericho vs. JBL
(2) Santino Marella vs. Roddy Piper
(3) Lance Cade vs. Trevor Murdoch
(4) Beth Phoenix vs. Melina?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Chris Jericho & Lance Cade vs. Triple H & John Cena
(2) Jeff Hardy vs. Carlito
(3) Mickie James vs. Katie Lea


Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any questions, suggestions, or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I greatly appreciate all the feedback that I receive, and I will respond to every email. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "Charlie Haas" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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