By James Caldwell, PWTorch columnist

WWE Raw Live Report
May 26, 2008
Denver, Colo.

The show started with the annual Memorial Day video tribute. Tonight's Raw is dedicated to the U.S. armed forces.

After Jim Ross introduced the show, they cut to Vince McMahon on the Titantron. Cheap pop referencing where they are. McMahon said maybe he's tripping because of the altitude or William Regal being fired, but he has a big announcement to make. He said the fans deserve more than just great athleticism and wrestling, so he's going to show even more dedication to the audience. McMahon said by the end of the show, he's going to do something that's never been done before in the history...of television.

In-ring: Todd Grisham was in center ring for the show-opening face-off between WWE champion Triple H and Randy Orton. Grisham welcomed out Hunter first to a strong reaction. Hunter posed for the crowd while the camera picked up a giant "Terraryzing" sign referencing Hunter's very old WCW gimmick. Hunter paused to look at the sign before Grisham welcomed out Randy Orton for the face off. Orton slowly walked out while keeping his eyes locked on Hunter all the way to the ring.

With both men in the ring, Grisham posed questions from a podium facing the center table where Orton and Hunter faced off against each other. Orton said everybody always downplays his accomplishments, and everything he's done seems to be followed by an asterisk. He said this Sunday, the laughing at him stops. Hunter said the fans aren't laughing at Orton because they don't respect him, but because he's an ass. He said he's not laughing because he knows how good Orton is. Build up the ego. Hunter said he knows how good Orton is more than Orton does. He said every time Orton faces a challenge, he finds a way to tip-toe around it. Hunter said every time Orton says how great he is, it's as if Orton is trying to convince him. He said Orton is just a scared little boy in a man's world. Hunter told Orton that if he wants to be the best in the business, he needs to get in the ring with the best in the world and thrive on competition.

Orton cut him off and said when Hunter sees a threat, he either brings him close and makes him a friend, or eliminates him. He said Hunter doesn't like Shawn Michaels, but he keeps him around as a friend because he knows Michaels could beat him. Orton said he became a threat to Hunter in Evolution, so Hunter took him out. Hunter said the only thing him and Flair did in Evolution was make Orton realize his potential, but once Orton got in the ocean, he had to deal with the sharks. Hunter said when it comes to the WWE Title, it's every man for himself.

[Q2]

Hunter continued that he wasn't just going to hand over the keys to Orton and walk away. He said the biggest, baddest lion stays around until another bigger, badder lion comes around and eats him. Orton said that day is this Sunday. He said it's pathetic Hunter wants the people to believe he's the best thing going today when Orton disproves him at the PPV. "I am going to beat the hell out of you!" Orton declared while walking across the table to get in Hunter's face. He said he will beat Hunter until he's the last man standing. Orton slammed the mic down on the table, then turned to walk away.

Hunter cut him short and said that's not the last word. He said the last word is going to happen on Sunday. Hunter said either the Age of Orton continues or the last seven months were all for nothing. He said he's going to beat Orton within an inch of his life at the PPV and walk to the back. Hunter said the Age of Orton won't just be dead, but it will be like it never even existed. Hunter dropped the mic and stepped through the ropes to the apron to give Orton one final look. He then asked Grisham to give him the WWE Title before walking back over to Orton. Hunter raised the belt high in the air giving Hunter a good look at the prize. He then dropped off the apron to the floor and walked away from ringside.

JC: Opening segment with Vince and Hunter-Orton clocked in at just under 20 minutes, but that was a very good promo exchange. A little storyline mixed with reality, and exactly what they needed to sell yet another match between these two wrestlers only two weeks after their previous PPV match.

[Commercial Break]

Announcers: Ross plugged an I Quit match between Beth Phoenix and Melina at the PPV on Sunday. Beth Phoenix then joined Ross and Lawler ringside for commentary. Jillian Hall was in the ring to sign Vince's "No Chance in Hell" entrance music to describe Melina's chances against Beth on Sunday. Melina's music finally interrupted the botchery and Melina walked out to face Jillian.

1 -- MELINA vs. JILLIAN HALL

Jillian tackled Melina in center ring and went to work on her early on. Melina came back with a dropkick while Beth said she's going to make Melina scream I quit at the PPV. Melina countered a pin attempt into the Muta Lock on Jillian, who fought the hold for a few seconds before tapping out.

WINNER: Melina in 2:00. Just what you would expect. Beth vs. Melina has potential, but this wasn't a proper showcase for that match. (1/2*)

Backstage: Vince and Chris Jericho were standing in Regal's office watching something off camera. Jericho then pitched his idea to Vince of a Jericho vs. Michaels re-match from Judgment Day tonight on Raw. Vince thought it over, then asked Jericho if he's getting frustrated with Michaels. Jericho confirmed, so Vince booked the match for tonight. Jericho then provided a few suggestions for re-mixing Vince's music, which led to an awkward moment or two. Cryme Tyme then walked in and Vince shot a glance to the various pictures and paintings on the wall from Regal's tenure. C.T. caught on and announced there would be an auction, auction, yeah yeah. They left with the goodies, leading to another awkward moment between Jericho and Vince.

[Q3]

[Commercial Break]

ECW plug: Tomorrow night, Big Show continues to destroy people.

Commercial Break: They showed clips of Cryme Tyme auctioning off the Regal memorabilia to the crowd. Suddenly, Ron Simmons walked out on stage and shouted Damn.

In-ring: There's a Kendrick & London sighting, as they came to the ring to challenge for the World Tag Titles. Apparently there has been a feud on Heat brewing that we were not privy to any knowledge of.

2 -- World tag team champions HARDCORE HOLLY & CODY RHODES vs. BRIAN KENDRICK & PAUL LONDON -- World Tag Title match

Tag champions dominated early on, working on Kendrick exclusively. London took a hot tag at 2:00 and cleaned house until snapping off a huracanrana on Holly. The action broke down, then London tried to skin the cat back into the ring, but Holly caught him on his shoulders. Crowd knew what was up, as Holly delivered the Alabama Slam on London for the pin and the win.

Post-match: Immediately after the match ended, Ted DiBiase walked out on stage. He put Holly and Rhodes on notice that he made a deal with Vince to bring in a new challenger. DiBiase then welcomed out his son, Ted DiBiase, as the newest member of the Raw roster. DiBiase, Jr. walked out on stage looking like Randy Orton. That's the obvious conclusion, especially because he just looks like a heel. DiBiase, Jr. then cut a promo on the tag champs about winning gold in his very first match. He put them on notice, then said he is simply priceless. DiBiase did his classic laugh in the background while pointing out that's his boy.

WINNERS: Holly & Rhodes in 4:00 to retain the World Tag Titles. Match was nothing memorable. Fine opening promo from DiBiase, Jr. Basic and to the point. (1/2*)

[Commercial Break]

[Q4]

Announcers: Ross and Lawler plugged Jimmy Kimmel's cousin, Sal, wrestling Santino on next week's Smackdown. ... They cut to a training video from Hollywood, Calif. of Roddy Piper giving Sal some training before facing Santino. Piper reared back and slapped the crap out of Sal, who decided he wanted to leave. Jimmy Kimmel then walked into the training room to survey the training. Piper gave him a clubbing forearm to the back, then Kimmel called for some holds to be performed on Sal. More punishment for Sal while Kimmel reminded Sal of this being a dream come true to get his ass kicked by Piper. Sal tried to leave after taking his beating, but Kimmel gave him a pep talk about the whole family depending on Sal. Piper then slapped on the sleeper, which left Sal in a state of unconsciousness. Kimmel surveyed the scene and drew a moustache and goatee on Sal before him and Piper left.

Backstage: Vince was with Mickie James, who pitched an idea for schools across America to send a video in on why they love WWE. Winning school gets a diva for a day. JBL then interrupted and said it sounds like an escort service. He told Vince that with five hours of prime time entertainment, they're giving away enough content as it is. JBL suggested some ringside memorabilia, specifically the ringside mat at One Night Stand. Ya know, give away the pieces with John Cena's blood on it. JBL chided Mickie on being Cena's gf, which upset Mickie. JBL suggested maybe they've been trading bodily fluids. JBL walked off, then Mickie told Vince he can't just say stuff like that. Vince acted oblivious and said he thinks JBL was suggesting saliva. Mickie was frustrated getting nowhere with these men.

[Commercial Break]

Video message: Several U.S. troops overseas delivered special messages to family and the WWE audience.

In-ring: Jeff Hardy's music hit and Hardy came to the ring for the top-of-the-second-hour main event tag match. Ross played up Hardy vs. Umaga in Falls Count Anywhere at the PPV. Considering they're in San Diego, I'd pay money to see someone get pinned at Sea World. They played a clip of Umaga taking out Hardy last week. John Cena then came out as Hardy's partner to a huge pop from the kids and women. Cena's arms appear to be on the verge of exploding like Popeye. Umaga came out first for the heels, followed by JBL without the white limo.

[Q5 -- second hour]

3 -- JEFF HARDY & JOHN CENA vs. UMAGA & JBL

Cena was ready to square off against JBL ahead of their first-blood match, but JBL slipped out of the ring and wanted Umaga to start off against Cena. After some trash-talking, Cena teased an FU, but Umaga collapsed onto Cena's back. Umaga followed with a Black Hole Slam for a two count as they cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

They returned with Cena crawling over to his corner for a hot tag to Hardy, who kicked Umaga in the gut and attempted a move from the apron, but Umaga shoved him to the floor into the guardrail. JBL took Hardy back into the ring and started an attack on Hardy. JBL then sent Hardy off to the ropes, but Hardy came right off the top with the Whisper in the Wind. Hardy then made a hot tag to Cena, who cleaned house on JBL. He measured JBL for the Five Knuckle Shuffle and delivered. Umaga then attacked Cena from behind, which knocked Cena into Hardy for a blind tag. Hardy had JBL lined up for the Swanton Bomb, but JBL moved out of the way to take the air out of the building. JBL then waited for Hardy to get up and he delivered the Clothesline from Hell. JBL made the pin before Cena could break it up to earn the win.

WINNERS: JBL & Umaga in 10:00. Well-executed TV match. Crowd was red-hot for the babyfaces, which transferred over to big heat for the heels spoiling the happy ending. Nice set-up for the One Night Stand one-on-one matches. (**)

Backstage: Vince brought in Shawn Michaels to talk about the big announcement. Michaels, in his current low-key character, said he doesn't want to doubt Vince, but he questions whether Vince will do something decent. Vince said he wants to give back to the fans and Michaels will be giving the devil his due by the end of the night. Michaels quietly says he knows about that, then he walked away.

[Q6]

[Commercial Break]

Ringside: They showed various Denver Broncos players fighting amongst themselves. ... Mexico video package: They showed clips from the Mexico tour this past week, including HBK and Hunter sporting luchaDX masks in one of their matches. That's officially the greatest thing DX has done since Michaels's "Bill Clinton" apology years ago.

In-ring: Mr. Kennedy came out to the ring for a match. They showed clips of William Regal being fired last week when he lost to Kennedy. Kennedy took the ceiling mic and introduced the man who single-handedly got that royal piece of garbage, William Regal, dismissed. After Kennedy announced himself twice, Carlito walked out for a match.

4 -- MR. KENNEDY vs. CARLITO

Kennedy won in three minutes with the mic check. After the match, Katie Lea walked out and said Kennedy must be awfully proud of himself for what he did to Regal last week. Suddenly, Paul Burchill stormed the ring and attacked Kennedy from behind. He then said Regal was a great man, and now Kennedy faces serious repercussions. Burchill wasn't done with Kennedy, as he gave him a modified Curb Stomp into the mat. On Memorial Day, fans weren't pleased with the British Invasion on Kennedy.

WINNER: Kennedy in 3:00. Well, for the first time with the new gimmick, they generated heat on Burchill. Interesting to note that Kennedy appears to have shrunk while Burchill has expanded during his time off TV. (1/2*)

[Commercial Break]

[Q7]

Backstage: Trevor Murdoch put a country twist on Vince's theme music, which Vince didn't particularly like. Vince then gave Trevor notice to get everyone on the roster in the ring after the next match. Trevor said he would get everyone except for Cade. Vince was fine with that.

Announcers: Ross and Lawler plugged the One Night Stand PPV card, except for the epic Beth vs. Melina match. ... Clips aired on the Hunter vs. Orton feud.

Backstage: They showed Jericho walking to the ring ahead of his match against Michaels.

[Commercial Break]

Video messages: More videos from troops overseas aired. Mostly shout-outs to family, and one to Ric Flair.

5 -- IC champion CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS -- non-title match

Two world-class wrestlers having a stand-off in the opening minute after a series of takeovers. Jericho then smashed Michaels in the mush with a hard elbow that sent saliva flying out of Michaels's mouth. Jericho tried to capitalize with a catapult dive onto Michaels, but Michaels moved and Jericho ate the floor. Cut to break.

[Commercial Break]

[Q8]

They returned with Jericho on the offensive. He was over-aggressive in the corner, which drew an admonishment from the referee. Jericho tried to nail a bulldog out of the corner, but Michaels shoved him crotch-first into the corner turnbuckle. They went into a rapid-fire exchange of holds with Jericho missing the Lionsault at 8:00. Michaels then went up top for an elbow drop, but Jericho moved out of the way. Jericho tried the codebreaker, but Michaels blocked. You could see Michaels tuning up the band, but Jericho ducked and slapped on the Walls of Jericho. Michaels tried to get the bottom rope while Ross said maybe it would be best for him tap out with a stretcher match in six days. Great line. Michaels reached the bottom rope anyways to break the hold.

Jericho then punted Michaels in the gut, sending him to the floor. On the floor, Jericho slapped on the Walls of Jericho while the ref applied a ten count. Jericho maintained the hold all the way through to the ten count, leading to a double count-out.

Afterward, Jericho continued to punish Michaels' back with elbow smashes before slapping on the Walls of Jericho again. The ref finally pulled Jericho away, but Jericho picked up a chair. For several seconds, he threatened to smash Michaels, who put his hand up to block, but Jericho slowly put the chair down. He then extended a hand to help Michaels up, and Michaels reluctantly accepted the help to his feet. Jericho then threw the chair down in frustration before slowly walking up the entrance ramp. Michaels simply gathered himself on the announce table as they ended the segment.

WINNER: Double count-out in 10:00. This feud continues to be one of the most intriguing things WWE has put together this year. Another good match between Michaels and Jericho, with another very good storyline progression in their competitive program. Well-done, although it didn't necessarily sell Michaels vs. Batista at the PPV. (**1/2)

Backstage: They showed Vince McMahon walking toward the ring with a big smile on his face.

[Commercial Break]

ECW plug: Big Show does something.

[Q9 -- over-run]

They returned from break with the entire Raw roster on stage. Mickie James was standing next to Cena. Oooh. Vince McMahon then strutted to the ring looking confident. McMahon said he has an idea to show his appreciation to everyone in the arena and everyone watching at home. He announced the 2008 Draft in four weeks. McMahon said that's not all. He said it might take him a week to figure out the logistics, but there's one thing he's about: the money. McMahon said each and every week, he's going to give away cash-money on Raw. He said he'll give away $1,000 or $10,000 each week, or maybe even $100,000. McMahon said it's not a hoax, but straight from his bank account. He said each and every week, he will give away cash money in the sum of $1.0 million. And cue up Vince's music. Sign Guy looked very confused on the front row. Yes, oh, and buy the PPV on Sunday.

We welcome your 1-10 score and comments on this show for a "Raw Reax" feature in the Torch Feedback section of PWTorch.com. To contribute your thoughts on Raw, click here.

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