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KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT
SEPTEMBER 14, 2009
LIVE FROM TORONTO, ONT.
AIRED ON USA NETWORK

WHAT HAPPENED

[Q1]

-They aired clips of Randy Orton injuring Batista month ago.

-Batista walked out and said before he speaks, he wants to thank the fans. He said he's had two bad injuries, and he didn't want his return to be this way, but "I'm here to say goodbye." He said there have been a lot of rumors of him retiring. He then gave that signature nervous laugh tic that he does on his interviews. Randy Orton's music interrupted. Jerry Lawler asked, "Is there nothing this guy won't stoop to?" Lawler said Batista should just be given his moment.

Orton said, "I am not very happy..." Then he paused for dramatic effect, and added, "about losing the WWE Title last night." He then added that he's cheered up about Batista retiring. Orton said Batista is going out with a whimper, and he should save his good bye speech because nobody cares. He asked him how long it took him to decide to retire. He said he's retiring because he's scared of what Orton will do to him again. Batista began to laugh. Orton got upset and asked him what was so funny.

Batista said there are two things very funny to him right now. "One, you are very predictable," he said. "And two, I know something you don't know." He took off his arm brace and clotheslined him, slammed him, and clotheslined him over the top rope to the floor. Cole declared excitedly, "The Animal back with a vengeance!" Batista said he's not there to announce his retirement, he's there to announce he's going to Smackdown, thus the "good bye." He said he talked to their guest host, who guaranteed him one more match on Raw tonight - a no holds barred match against him.

-Cole and Lawler announced Shawn Michaels vs. Ted DiBiase was also scheduled. [c]

[Q2]

-Lilian Garcia introduced Raw's "Diva of the Decade" and tonight's guest host, Toronto's own Trish Stratus.

-Trish walked out with dark hair, but otherwise looking similar. The crowd pop didn't seem overwhelming, perhaps because they expected a blond. Lawler said he loved the new look and new hair. She said, "Hello Toronto," and the crowd cheered. She said Bob Barker did a good job last week, which got a mixed reaction. She said she especially liked how he almost made Chris Jericho cry. She said Toronto's not just her home, so is Raw, her home for seven years. She said she knows what fans want. She said Orton is owed a rematch, so her idea was at the next PPV to book Orton vs. Cena at the Hell in a Cell PPV in a Hell in a Cell. Genius! Sheer genius!

1 -- THE MIZ & JACK SWAGGER vs. PRIMO & KOFI KINGSTON

Miz and Primo worked the opening minute. Kofi and Swagger battled next. Miz grabbed the U.S. Title from ringside and that distracted Kofi, leading to Swagger hitting his finisher for the win. Swagger celebrated in the ring as Miz returned to the back with the U.S. Title belt. Lawler said Miz can't keep that title.

WINNER: Miz & Swagger in 4:00. [c]

[Q3]

-You don't see many new camera angles from WWE, but they had a camera set up at the very back of the arena opposite the stage and they showed the massive crowd on one side of the arena as they panned and zoomed toward the ring. It was a nice change of the usual static viewpoints they always take that makes every arena look the same.

2 -- GAIL KIM vs. ALICIA KIM

Mickie James joined Cole and Lawler at ringside. Good pace to the match, although they showed Mickie as much as the action in the ring. Kim missed a top rope dropkick and landed hard on her back. Alicia then hit a scissors kick and scored a three count. Alicia and Mickie had a staredown after the match.

WINNER: Fox in 3:00 to earn a shot against Mickie. [c]

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-Cole and Lawler were shown at ringside hyping the Batista-Orton main event. They threw to Orton injuring Batista last year.

[Q4]

-Beth Phoenix confronted Trish Stratus over not putting her in the Diva's Title match. Jericho walked in and told Phoenix not to let Trish talk about herself or she'll talk forever. Jericho said years ago Trish was madly in love with him and she never got over his sending her away. Trish said if that's what he has to tell himself to get through his sad, lonely nights. Trish then made a Triple H-style gay joke, implying that Big Show is Jericho's new soul mate. She said she pictures them cuddling and holding hands. That didn't get much of a crowd reaction. After Phoenix claimed she retired to get away from her, Trish said she didn't even know her, but then she booked herself and a partner in a tag match against Phoenix and Jericho. Jericho closed with saying he'd take on Bob Barker anytime, anywhere. That's funny.

-Cole threw to highlights of the DX vs. Legacy match at Breaking Point. [c]

-Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase walked to the ring. Cody said it's the dawning of a new era. He said they made DX tapout, something that The Rock, Steve Austin, Undertaker, and the McMahons never did. He said even Rated RKO never made DX tapout, as good as Orton & Edge were. DiBiase said what they did last night was truly historic, something no one else could do. He said although they may have shocked the world, what they accomplished did not surprise them one bit. Cody said they're no longer known as the offspring of Dusty Rhodes and Ted DiBiase, but rather their fathers will be known as the fathers of The Legacy. They cut to Triple H and Michaels backstage watching on the monitor. They looked a little like the Buffalo Bills on the sidelines at that very moment on ESPN. [c]

[Q5]

3 -- SHAWN MICHAELS (w/Triple H) vs. TED DIBIASE (w/Cody Rhodes)

Lawler and Cole continued to talk of how impressive it was that Legacy were the first team to make DX tap. "Are we indeed seeing the changing of the guard?" asked Cole. Lawler said perhaps, which is why Shawn has to win this match. Great hype for the match in the ring, giving it a real sense of consequence. Competitive match with Cody providing a distraction to help DiBiase stay on offense at one point. Michaels missed a top rope elbow. Michaels sold vision issues in his left eye. Cody yanked Michaels off his feet as he signaled for Sweet Chin Music. The ref called for the DQ.

WINNER: Michaels via DQ at 9:00.

STAR RATING: **1/4

A brawl broke out with all four. Michaels dove at DiBiase, and the intent was that they'd tumble into the crowd, but it didn't ahppen. They had to force it seconds later. They brawled into the crowd as Rhodes and Hunter battled at ringside. Hunter threw Cody into a cameraman. When the screen went black, they cut to a break. [c]

-They aired highlights of the brawl from before the break, doing a nice job getting across the intensity and excitement of this feud.

[Q6]

4 -- CHAVO GUERRERO & CARLITO COLON vs. EVAN BOURNE & HORNSWOGGLE

Cole said the odds are in favor of Chavo and Carlito. Hornswoggle stole Carlito's apple and tagged in Bourne in the opening seconds. Cole said to viewers if they hadn't seen Bourne before, "you're in for a treat." At 3:00, when Bourne had Chavo down, he tagged in Hornswoggle to hit the Tadpole Splash. Hornswoggle took a bite out of an apple. Cole said, "It's an odd time to get hungry." Chavo got up and grabbed Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle spit a mouthful of apple in his face, knocked him to the mat, and splashed him for the win. Lawler said Chavo needs to find another feud, anyone other than Hornswoggle. Afterward, Chavo told Hornswoggle: "You win. I give up. You happy now?" Cole said, "Chavo admitting defeat... to a leprechaun."

WINNER: Bourne & Hornswoggle in 4:00.

-Cole threw to the Extreme Rulez PPV three months ago where Batista last battled Orton. [c]

[Q7]

-Josh Matthews interviewed John Cena backstage. He asked him how he was able to withstand all of Orton's torture and come out of it victorious. Cena said there are people who do as they say and others who just talk about it. Cena said Orton talked for so long about how the title was his life and he'd do anything and everything to keep it, yet in the first sign of jeopardy last night, he "literally gave it away." He said two weeks ago he made a very simple promise to the WWE Universe: "I will not quit." He said it was a very simple promise, and at Breaking Point he didn't. "I gave you my word and kept it," he said. "I promised and I delivered." He said it was difficult, but he did it. He said now thanks to the guest G.M. there is a rematch set up at Hell in a Cell. Cena predicted Orton will claim he never gave up or his loss was a fluke. He said Orton will make a lot of promises and say the belt around his waist is nothing more than a three week rental. He said at Hell in a Cell, he promised Orton will see a different side of him, a more intense, a more brutal, a more savage side of him. He promised that Orton will be the luckiest man alive on Earth if he makes it out of the cell in one piece. Cena keep his streak alive of very good promos. No bad jokes. No desperate attempts to try to be something he's not (The Rock). He's found his stride with this style of promo and it's all he has to keep doing. It works.

-They went to Cole and Lawler at ringside who announced breaking news that Legacy vs. DX was signed for Hell in a Cell. Shocking news! Who would have predicted that?

-Trish revealed that her mystery partner is MVP. [c]

5a - BETH PHOENIX & CHRIS JERICHO vs. TRISH STRATUS & MVP

Lawler noted that it's been a while since Trish has competed, but she stays in tremendous shape. Phoenix got early advantage. Trish came back with some signature chops in the corner. It did seem that her timing was a bit off on the chops. She also didn't pull off the Matrix, falling to the mat. When Jericho shoved Trish, MVP entered the ring. He charged at Jericho and both tumbled to the floor. MVP threw Jericho into the ringside barrier. Big Show attacked MVP from behind. Mark Henry made the save.

WINNERS: Trish & MVP via DQ in 3:00.

-Trish said she wasn't going to let the match end that way. She booked a six-man tag with everyone involved.

[Q8] [c]

5b -- TRISH STRATUS & MVP & MARK HENRY vs. BETH PHOENIX & CHRIS JERICHO & THE BIG SHOW

Cole pushed the main event up next, which apparently isn't going to last very long, by saying that it's Batista's "last match ever on Raw" because he's going to Smackdown for new competition. At 4:00 Trish tagged back in against Phoenix. MVP helped Trish by dropping a signature elbow on her with Trish mirroring him. MVP then dove onto Jericho at ringside. Show tripped Trish from ringside. Henry dove at Show and knocked him down at ringside. Phoenix rolled Trish over and scored a near fall. The crowd popped for the kickout. Trish gave Phoenix her Stratusfaction finisher, which she executed well. That was good for the win.

WINNERS: Trish & MVP & Henry in 6:00.

STAR RATING: *1/4

-Cole threw to a clip of Orton injuring Batista, then they showed Batista heading toward the entrance tunnel. [c]

-Cole and Lawler announced that Cedric the Entertainer will be the guest G.M. next week.

-RIng intros took place for the main event leading to the end of the second hour.

[Q9]

6 -- BATISTA vs. RANDY ORTON

Orton immediately went for a chair at ringside as soon as the bell rang. Batista met him at ringside and kicked the chair away. Back in the ring, Orton almost got off his signature DDT. Batista blocked it. Orton went for a mallet under the ring. Batista blocked his swing and clotheslined him. At 3:00 they brawled to the floor where Batista threw Orton into the announce table. Lawler needed replacement headsets. Orton tried to bail out by returning to the back, but Cena cut him off and threw Orton back into the ring. Batista hit a spear and then signaled for his Batista Bomb. He executed it and scored a three count. Cole said, "Look out Smackdown locker room." I suspect Punk vs. Batista will be coming up soon. Cole closed with: "In 24 hours, Randy Orton has gone from the glory of champion to the depths of despair. The Viper has been shamed for his sins by Batista."

WINNER: Batista in 5:00.

STAR RATING: *1/2

QUOTEBOOK

Michael Cole to Lawler: "Could you sit any closer to Mickie?"

Jerry Lawler in response: "If I sat any closer I'd be on the other side."

Beth Phoenix to Trish Stratus: "Jericho didn't run off and retire when new competition came to Raw to run a yoga studio in this second rate company."

Chris Jericho to Trish Stratus: "I'll take on Bob Barker anytime, anywhere."

Cody Rhodes: "Are you ready? I said are you ready? Are you ready to welcome the dawning of a new era?"

Cody Rhodes: "As of this moment, Ted and myself are no longer known as the offspring of Dusty Rhodes or Million Dollar Man, because they're now known as the fathers of The Legacy."

Jerry Lawler on Hornswoggle: "He should be well-rested. I saw him in the locker room earlier resting. You ever seen someone use a tea-bag as a pillow?"

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