TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
CALDWELL'S TAKE
CALDWELL: Summary of 5/18 WWE Raw - Ric Flair returns to Raw, Cena & Batista vs. Legacy, Raw Context, HIGH/LOW Points May 18, 2009 - 10:25:32 PM
-- High Point: John Cena & Batista vs. Legacy main event. WWE delivered an action-packed, star-filled main event that the crowd bought into and helped create a hot atmosphere. Just felt like an old-school, star-power-filled main event with an exciting round of action to conclude the show. Good start to the PPV build-up for Extreme Rules.
-- Low Point: Wasting away tag division. Carlito & Primo were finally in a tag match this week, but it was against The Brian Kendrick ... and Goldust. So much for The Partner. No knock on Goldust, but WWE hasn't treated him or booked him like a serious act in years. WWE also hasn't figured out how to develop a legit tag program yet, which means they're wasting away Primo's talent and Carlito's developing leadership in the ring. (Imagine that...Carlito almost a veteran on the roster now.)
-- Context: WWE was coming off the Judgment Day PPV where Randy Orton retained the WWE Title over Batista by nefarious means. With only three episodes of Raw TV to build to the next PPV, Extreme Rules on June 7, WWE jumped right into building up two main event Raw matches for the next PPV. Also, Ric Flair returned to Raw TV to add star power to the show and play off his "I didn't want to retire" storyline fm WrestleMania 24.
-- WWE announced two matches for the Extreme Rules PPV on June 7. WWE champion Randy Orton will defend the WWE Title against Batista in a steel cage match. Also, Big Show will face John Cena in a submissions match.
-- Ric Flair will be on next week's show to confront Randy Orton for a fight.
-- MATCH RESULTS: (1) Kelly Kelly won a divas battle royal to become #1 contender to the Divas Title. ... (2) Santino Marella beat Chavo Guerrero. ... (3) Unified tag champions Primo & Carlito Colon beat The Brian Kendrick & Goldust. ... (4) U.S. champion MVP beat Matt Hardy to retain the United States Title. ... (5) Vickie Guerrero beat Santina Marella to capture the Miss WrestleMania crown. ... (6) John Cena & Batista beat WWE champion Randy Orton & Ted DiBiase, Jr. & Cody Rhodes.
Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?
