By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
September 29, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Mercy (last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fifty-seventh 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)


World Heavyweight Champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (26 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Todd Grisham interviewed Shawn Michaels about Raw's main event. About the question of whom HBK will choose, Michaels said, "I just want to find a tag team partner that actually likes me."

-Lance Cade made a rare solo appearance to cut a promo about how Jericho has been a better teacher and mentor in the past few months than Michaels has been in the past ten years.

-Jericho described in detail how he would dismantle HBK at No Mercy using a ladder. Then Michaels revealed whom he chose as a tag team partner for the main event: Triple H.

-The match saw DX defeat Jericho and Lance Cade via disqualification when Jericho and Cade collectively attacked Shawn Michaels. After the match, Jericho bolted as Triple H entered the ring toting a sledgehammer. HBK then landed a splash on Cade from the ladder.

Analysis:

All in all, this feud was promoted just fine this week. The special appearance by Triple H made sense if the General Manager technically allowed Michaels to choose anyone he wanted for the main event. Lance Cade got some promo time right before the big eight-person tag team match, which shows that WWE can grant various people short segments of promo time that can ultimately be very valuable. If they allowed five or six wrestlers to have that opportunity in the next month, it would be a great move in developing their characters. Cade's promo was short and to-the-point, but it was still effective and it gave Cade something to do individually, i.e. away from Chris Jericho, who does have a tendency to eclipse Cade's clearly secondary character. Again, this week helped the feud by keeping it on television, but it honestly didn't need any help at this point. The Jericho-Michaels feud is so developed and has such a strong foundation that it was really just a matter of filling in one last week before the big PPV matchup.

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

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

REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE (8 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Cody Rhodes led Ted DiBiase and Manu into an ominous and darkened area backstage to find Kane. They wanted to reach out for unity in their tag team match. Kane just warned them to stay out of his way.

-In a big eight-person tag team matchup, CM Punk, Rey Mysterio, Evan Bourne, and Kofi Kingston faced Kane, Ted DiBiase, Cody Rhodes, and Manu. The match saw Kane drive Kofi to the mat after hitting his chokeslam for the victory.

-It was later announced by Mike Adamle that because Kane won his match, his request for a No Mercy stipulation was granted. Now if Mysterio loses his match against The Big Red Machine at this Sunday's PPV, he will have to unmask himself in the middle of the ring.

Analysis:

Kane's refusal to be coaxed into an alliance with Rhodes, DiBiase, and Manu was a smart move. His character works much better as a loner heel who hates everyone almost equally but who has a particular problem with a current rival—in this case, Rey Mysterio. I'm not sure why Rhodes, DiBiase, and Manu would reach out to someone like Kane, however. Their characters' smugness makes that move a little unusual. Even if Kane somehow wanted to be a part of their team, I can't see them accepting him with open arms. So that was a little odd and seemingly out of character, even if just for one night to get an edge in their tag match. The match itself ended with the momentum clearly in Kane's corner as he heads into No Mercy. The new stipulation for the Kane-Mysterio match was pretty much expected. It was either that or an attempt by Kane to tear off the mask himself (or both). This is a good feud, but the extra involvement of multiple other wrestlers could be detracting from the focus in the final week to push this thing before Sunday.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, MVP, Edge
Kane: Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero, Miz & Morrison, Mark Henry

JOHN MORRISON & THE MIZ vs. CRYME TYME (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-JTG faced The Miz in singles competition. The match ended when Miz hit the Reality Check after a slight distraction by Morrison for the victory.

Analysis:

Another week where the heels found a way to sneak out of Raw with the victory. There wasn't much to this feud this week. It would be unfortunate for this storyline to lose its momentum after a very promising start last week with clips of both teams' internet shows spliced together in an attack-counterattack format. This week's singles match felt like WWE was going back to simply booking strategy after introducing something new and exciting last week.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [down 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Morrison & The Miz: Yang & Moore, Dreamer & Delaney, CM Punk, Finlay & Hornswoggle
Cryme Tyme: Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes

BATISTA vs. JBL & SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Beth Phoenix) (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Santino Marella showed a "Brain Barometer" that measured Santino's brain cell count to be 10 trillion compared to Batista's 12. Then Batista quickly beat Marella in a match after hitting the Batista Bomb.

-After the match, JBL blindsided Batista with a Clothesline from Hell.

-Later in the show, Batista surprised JBL with a spear in retribution.

Analysis:

Although the No Mercy PPV card shows Batista versus JBL for the number one contender's spot, the primary TV feud over the past few weeks has been between Batista and Santino Marella. Presumably, WWE wants to add some color to the storyline by incorporating Santino for multiple weeks. Of course he's no match for Batista in any viewer's mind, but he does bring something new to the equation, something that Batista's feuds always lack: namely, humor and lightness. That aspect of the rivalry actually could help Batista if he was allowed to get more involved with it, but it seems like he just stands safely on the outside looking in and smiling at the absurdity of Santino instead of really participating. In any case, his feud with JBL has really been downplayed recently despite the significance of their match at No Mercy—a match that will determine the new number one contender for the World Heavyweight Championship.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Batista: Great Khali, Undertaker, MVP, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, CM Punk, John Cena
Santino Marella: Steve Austin, Maria, Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, Roddy Piper, Kofi Kingston
JBL: Chris Jericho, Finlay, Triple H & Orton, John Cena, CM Punk

Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. CANDICE MICHELLE & KELLY KELLY (5 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Beth Phoenix teamed with Jillian Hall to face Candice Michelle and Kelly Kelly. The match ended when Beth caught Kelly, slamming her face-first to the mat. Phoenix then made the cover and scored the pinfall.

Analysis:

This is an odd feud on Raw because there is a lack of focus on Candice Michelle specifically. It's almost as if her presence isn't even there. It doesn't help this feud that Beth Phoenix is involved with so many other things. Last week, she fought in a singles match against Kelly Kelly (which was continued this week); plus, she's also dealing with relationship issues as Santino Marella seems to be cheating on her. She also takes part in the Raw segments that feature Santino and Batista. There are just so many other things going on with Beth Phoenix that her rivalry with Candice Michelle almost feels irrelevant at this point. And that's a shame because they could have done much more with these two. After all, Candice's injury hiatus and her eventual return were great fodder for a heated storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James, Melina
Candice Michelle: Melina, Beth Phoenix
Kelly Kelly: Mike Knox, Miz, Layla, Victoria

JAMIE NOBLE vs. WILLIAM REGAL (9 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Jamie Noble politely and frankly told Jillian that he respected her athletic ability but not necessarily her singing skills. He asked her if she would be his partner in a tag team match, but she rudely declined.

-Before Noble's match started against Paul and Katie Lea Burchill, William Regal and Layla walked onto the stage and sat on a throne. Mickie James then came out as Noble's partner.

-The match ended when Noble locked on his arm submission for the tapout victory. Regal and Layla glared at him from across the arena.

Analysis:

The story is simple, yet not adequately explained. Noble is getting a decent push here with a new finisher, which is nice. However, Layla's role in the feud is incredibly blurred. Her leaving Noble and siding with William Regal is still pretty inexplicable. What does she really get out of it? All she seems to do is stand idly to the side of Regal, raise her eyebrows, and shoot Noble evil looks. A few months ago she was in the back with nothing going on. The story is just bizarre because it doesn't make logical sense. WWE needs to explain things a little better, particularly on the heel side.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3 [same since last week]

Previous Feuds
Jamie Noble: Hornswoggle, Vickie Guerrero, Chuck Palumbo
William Regal: Mr. Kennedy


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Batista vs. Santino Marella?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Randy Orton vs. Shane McMahon
(2) Randy Orton vs. Mike Adamle
(3) Charlie Haas vs. Deuce
(4) Charlie Haas vs. The Great Khali


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 "Val Venis" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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