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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
September 3, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Unforgiven (2 weeks away as of airdate)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the fourth 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)

WWE Champion JOHN CENA vs. RANDY ORTON (7 weeks)

WWE's handling of the Cena-Orton feud this week is laudable for multiple reasons.

It began with William Regal explaining that he had given Randy Orton the night off considering the events that had transpired last week. Good. During a strong, heated feud there is bound to be moments that pique the rivalry at key points. Last week's episode epitomizes this type of fluctuation. An irate and bitter Orton took advantage of a situation by physically assaulting Cena's own father while the WWE Champion was incapacitated. That's a strong development in the rivalry. After an episode like that, it's smart to have a "break week" to let the events from last week's Raw sink in. Seeing Cena viciously attack Orton to avenge his father's injuries needs to wait until Unforgiven. So the logical step is to take Orton out of the picture for a week.

Next, since Orton was not present in the arena, we were shown a promo via a satellite feed. "And just to think, Cena could have prevented all of this from happening if last week he would have accepted a rematch with me for the WWE Title. Well, I wonder John Cena, do you want that rematch now? I have a feeling you do," stated Orton manipulatively. What a great summary and follow-up from last week. Orton shifts all the blame for his actions onto Cena's lap while convincing everyone that a rematch is now warranted. In a sick way, Orton has a point. Regal thought so too and granted the rematch at Unforgiven to a good crowd reaction. Everyone was happy…that is, except John Cena.

Before I elaborate on Cena's actions, let me preface by examining William Regal's character. Yes, he did cheat to win the battle royal to be named the new General Manager of Raw, but for the most part, he is relatively unbiased. WWE cleverly played on this trait by throwing a clue at the audience to help them see Regal as something other than simply a heel GM. Early in the show, they had a backstage scene that showed Regal say to a random employee, "That's the way to start the show. A new Intercontinental Champion, Jeff Hardy. Wonderful…." What's even more wonderful? That WWE took the time to plant that little seed in order to displace Regal's past heel persona with a more favorable, unbiased one as GM (which would set up an enhanced level of thought-provoking reaction during the Cena attack later in the show).

Of course, he later made a logical—and seemingly impartial—decision by booking Cena-Orton in a WWE Title rematch at Unforgiven. But Cena then entered the picture. He was visibly emotional, which was a great performance on The Champ's part. Coming out to no music, a stern Cena approached the ring before unleashing all of his anger and frustration on Raw's regal General Manager. For his character, this is okay. He is currently overly-emotional, thinking more with his heart than with his brain. Sometimes good people can, under pressure, get carried away and do things that they might regret.

This whole storyline is extremely riveting. It was clear that Cena was angered by Regal's announcement, presumably because he didn't want to give Orton what he wanted—another title shot. He can see that Orton purposely orchestrated all of this. Randy was able to attack Cena's father and be granted a title rematch. In closing, Orton said, "John, I hope your father never forgives you for what you let happen last week."

Orton is the most vile man on WWE television at the moment. Forget Mr. McMahon or top heels on other brands. Randy Orton has positioned himself as the most heinous villain that WWE has to offer. And the layers in this feud are also growing, which further exemplifies great storytelling.

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

Previous Feuds
John Cena: Bobby Lashley
Randy Orton: Dusty Rhodes & Cody Rhodes

JEFF HARDY vs. Intercontinental Champion UMAGA (8 weeks w/ 4 week hiatus)

This seems to be the final week in the Hardy-Umaga rivalry for at least the next month. There isn't too much to say here. Hardy's win over Umaga was believable and well-executed. The clean win certainly helped Jeff Hardy's credibility.

As for Umaga, he later was destroyed in a match against Triple H. The good news is that the Samoan Bulldozer looked extremely difficult to beat. Triple H may have taken him out, but he needed to use multiple chair shots and two sledgehammer swings to accomplish that feat.

This feud was solid for the most part, but it was certainly missing a few key elements. There just was never a chance to get the thing revived successfully.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [up 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Jeff Hardy: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch
Umaga: Santino Marella

MR. McMAHON vs. McMAHON JUNIOR MYSTERY (5 weeks)

Raw was permeated with the McMahons this week. Personally, I think that their presence is required if the storyline involves revealing another son for Mr. McMahon. It's the obvious thing to do.

While Mr. McMahon entered the ring flanked by two personal lawyers, his family approached him with nothing but their love. They wanted him to acknowledge that he is "sick" and convince him to change his ways. His reaction to their plea fit his character.

First, he denied doing anything wrong. Second, he lied to his family, going as far as to say that he only slept with one woman outside of his marriage, and it just happened to be the one that filed the paternity suit against him. And when Mr. Kennedy came out to stop what appeared to be an empty promise to change, Mr. McMahon sided with him immediately.

Although strange, complex, and dragged out, these erratic actions from Mr. McMahon—and the segment as a whole—were important to this storyline's success. It's refreshing to see things unfold in a less-straightforward fashion. How boring would it be if things happened like this: McMahon angry, child revealed, McMahon likes/dislikes the person, and an obvious series of events soon takes place? Now new questions can emerge. How will Triple H play a role in all of this? What is Mr. McMahon's mindset during the fallout? Will Linda, Stephanie, and Shane take sides, and if so, how?

At this point, his family's role in this storyline cannot be known for sure. Similarly, the importance of Triple H's appearances in Mr. McMahon's segments also can't be determined yet. Overall, however, this certainly was a better week compared to last Monday's Raw. More information about McMahon's situation with his family was given, and the clue to his child's identity has been divulged as well. I'm not going to speculate as to whom it may be, but at least it has sparked some kind of curiosity rolling into next week's Raw.

It's disappointing that WWE took this strong storyline and fumbled it last week. If that hadn't been done, this week's episode would have been so much more effective.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [up 1.5 from last week]

CODY RHODES vs. DAIVARI (6 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

WWE needs to commit to something here. Cody Rhodes was forced to beat Daivari by Jonathan Coachman six weeks ago. Then Daivari disappeared as Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Hass seemed to have begun some kind of feud with Cody. Now, The Self-Proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team is gone again, and Cody is left with Daivari. It's a little disconcerting.

At this point, the rivalry can only be perceived as a retrogression of sorts. Why is Cody fighting a guy that he clearly has little trouble defeating? There is no storyline here. If Daivari managed to steal a victory or if he was built within a storyline as a man who Cody would have reason to want to beat, then this program might have some fire. At the moment, however, it's just a series of matches where Cody gets a chance to accumulate some victories.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3

Previous Feuds
Cody Rhodes: Randy Orton
Daivari: no notable feud since coming from Smackdown

PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK vs. World Tag Team Champions LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH (1 week)

This feud is too early to judge on any kind of basis. London and Kendrick were trenchantly swept into Cryme Tyme's prior position in the tag team hierarchy on Raw. The good news? Well, in previous weeks, London and Kendrick have been protected and featured in small, but somewhat relevant, matches. The bad news? When WWE lets talent go, there is usually no explanation for what has happened, which results in seemingly haphazard circumstances like a number one contender's match that doesn't feature a team that has been feuding with the champions for weeks now.

As I mentioned earlier, it's too early to make any decisions regarding this rivalry; however, there is an overly-dissonant element that must be addressed: why is WWE trying to rehash the somewhat interesting (but already debunked) "good sportsmen" gimmick for Cade and Murdoch?

In a relatively successful angle for the old Cade/Murdoch-Hardys storyline, WWE gave the characters a new edge by having them be suspiciously nice, fair, and courteous. Viewers were led to question their sincerity but were given some reason not to. It evolved into an interesting dynamic where we knew that they probably couldn't be trusted, but the Hardys couldn't act on that suspicion because they were only met with handshakes and respect.

The problem came when that "good sportsmen" gimmick was clearly debunked during an episode of Raw when Cade and Murdoch blatantly cheated to win the World Tag Team Titles. And they didn't stop with cheating to win the match; they later viciously attacked Team Extreme with the title belts. Wasn't that angle emphatically killed and buried on purpose when that happened? Should we just ignore that occurrence and pretend like it never happened? And most importantly, should we honestly expect that London and Kendrick are going to fall for the same trick?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4

Previous Feuds
London and Kendrick: no notable feuds since being drafted from Smackdown
Cade & Murdoch: The Hardys

Women's Champion CANDICE MICHELLE vs. BETH PHOENIX (2 weeks)

Another week, another squash for the Uber-Diva. Beth's match, her post-match promo, and her subsequent attack on the vulnerable and helpless Maria were all effective in setting her up as a female force to be reckoned with. Hearing her speak was vital, although a little late. An additional plus to this feud is its crossover with the Santino-Simmons rivalry. Maria has now twice been used to get Beth over, but this time it was due to Santino's request for a rematch.

This feud has been slow and relatively nonexistent. Beth Phoenix won the Diva Battle Royal at Summerslam, earning her a shot at the Women's Championship. However, WWE has been trying to cram a squash push into the three weeks between Summerslam and Unforgiven, and it isn't quite working. The fact that distance has been placed between Beth and Candice—that no physical altercation has yet occurred—is a flawed plan.

The don't-let-them-lay-a-finger-on-each-other plan is used to build tension and curiosity. Audiences are intended to think, "When those two finally meet, who will win?" Particularly problematic here is that Candice hasn't been established as a credible champion nearly enough for anybody to actually question Beth's chance at winning the title. Although she has visibly improved in the ring, Candice's perceived reputation isn't strong enough to make this match-up seem even.

The rivalry here hasn't been booked very well. It seems like those squash matches would have been more beneficial to Candice than they are to Beth.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 3.5

Previous Feuds
Candice Michelle: Melina
Beth Phoenix: n/a

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) vs. RON SIMMONS (5 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Well, this was another successful week for Santino Marella. He gets Maria involved in a daunting rematch with Beth only to smugly pontificate enough to get The Sandman's attention. Of course, this led to the caning that left a nervous Maria alone for her upcoming bout.

The absence of Ron Simmons in this segment certainly didn't advance that particular feud; however, the key feature on this episode of Raw was the relationship between Maria and Santino. His promo, by the way, was great as usual. It was both interesting and topical when he said, "And when my arm is better, I'm going to embarrass [Simmons] worse than that Senator who was looking for boyfriend love in the toilet." Uh, and why doesn't he get more TV time?

My only qualm with this segment has to do with Santino's motives. Okay, he volunteered Maria for a rematch with Beth Phoenix. Why? Did he do it because he can't stand the thought of his girlfriend losing a match? Did he do it because he wanted a chance to get back at Beth for hurting Maria last week? Is it for some other reason, or perhaps a combination of all of these? The uncertainty here doesn't help the audience pinpoint what could have been another useful element to the Santino character.

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

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga
Ron Simmons: n/a

FEUD CONCLUSIONS

(1) Cody Rhodes vs. Charlie Hass & Shelton Benjamin?
(2) Cryme Tyme vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) The McMahons vs. ??
(2) Triple H vs. Carlito?
(3) Triple H vs. Mr. McMahon?
(4) Santino Marella vs. The Sandman?
(5) William Regal vs. John Cena?

Thanks for reading, everyone. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com. I appreciate all the feedback I receive.

consuming role this week. In fact, the handling of the situation on Raw could be considered quite stellar. First, Mr. McMahon gets involved in the opening segment with Randy Orton and John Cena, where one can almost see as a symbolic, yet temporary, passing of the proverbial top-status torch. Next, in an attempt to keep the story rolling without causing overexcitement, WWE opted to announce the gender of the child: male. And lastly, only two other scenes involving McMahon aired, each of which nailed their intended purpose without overwhelming things. One included the continuation of underscoring the eclecticism of the potential child by throwing more names—Val Venis, Daivari, and Mr. Kennedy—into the mix. The other emphasized Mr. McMahon's choice for Cena's opponent by providing a reaction when seeing Snitsky in person.

So, was Mr. McMahon's story less interesting this week? Yes, but it was intended to be in order to put the focus on the wrestlers involved on the Summerslam card. It was a smart decision, and shouldn't be overlooked (or penalized on the scientific Intrigue-O-Meter).

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

KING BOOKER vs. TRIPLE H

Again only working with half of the equation, WWE has succeeded in buying one more week for its viewers. Let's face it; the company doesn't want to have its next biggest face back the week before a major pay-per-view. The return of Triple H—and Rey Mysterio for that matter—is an enormous selling point for Summerslam.

So this was basically stretch week for Raw. All they have to do is crank out one more week to further this feud without actually having The Game present, and they will achieve enhanced rivalry strength as well as another reason to purchase the PPV. The question now becomes: how do they kill two birds with one stone?

King Booker's segment can be broken into two parts. The first part involved his interaction with an imposter Triple H, while the second one focused on his continuing announcer-bullying. Did anything here further the storyline, provide additional information, strengthen character, or heighten excitement? No, no, yes, and not really (one yes is acceptable under the circumstances of a missing Triple H). What we have here is a segment where the heel takes advantage, yet again, of a situation with an absent hero.

Booker's interaction with an imposter Triple H seems valuable due to the effect it possesses. If Booker is going to portray a character who honestly believes that he's above others, on a level that warrants the title of "King," then it is imperative that some others see him that way also. There are degrees to this gimmick, and they are important to note. If no one sees him as deserving enough to be king (no matter how vague and inconsequential that title might be), then Booker's just a crazy person that thinks he's ruler of something. If everybody recognized his title as king, it would create a much different atmosphere and would be damaging to almost every other wrestler. However, if there were just a few people that acknowledged his kingliness, the audience would be able to see that there might be some, albeit strange, reason for his narcissism. These supporting characters need not be other active wrestlers on the roster; they can be no-names. It is analogous to the henchmen roles that two-dimensional characters play in the movies. The main villain may have a small group of people that elevate his/her presence, but they aren't important in and of themselves. Imposter Triple H adopted that particular function this week, and it's useful on a perceptual level.

Bullying J.R. isn't necessarily entertaining, but its purpose is two-fold. It generates quick heat (since fans sympathize with Jim Ross, who argues for them on a weekly basis as the face play-by-play announcer), and it flows fluently with Booker's last attack on Jerry Lawler, J.R.'s broadcast partner.

It's interesting to witness WWE's execution of this rivalry sans Triple H since before the Great American Bash last month. They had one more week to stretch, and despite some slight repetition, they pulled it off nicely.

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

Previous Feuds
King Booker: no specific feuds since his return from injury
Triple H: n/a

CARLITO vs. UMAGA (+ MR. KENNEDY)

Alright, so both Carlito and Umaga have been entangled in the Cena-Orton feud for a few weeks now. This week, WWE threw Mr. Kennedy into the fray. Was this good or bad for the feud? Well, probably a little bit of both. On the one hand, Carlito and Umaga have consistently been fighting, and their combined popularity probably holds enough weight to have a successful pay-per-view quality match. On the other hand, Mr. Kennedy has been drifting as of late. Continued squash matches aren't going to earn him a respectable spot on the Summerslam card alone.

The double pin in the Carlito-Kennedy match is preferable over an overused double count out or an ambiguous faulty ending. You won't see that every other week. This feud has been short and narratively underfunded, so it certainly doesn't hurt to have Mr. Kennedy dropped in the middle. Hopefully, the Summerslam match itself will increase the intrigue.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6. [up 1 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Carlito: Sandman
Umaga: Jeff Hardy
Mr. Kennedy: no specific feuds since his return from injury

CRYME TYME vs. LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH

The tag team feud between the entrepreneurs and the southerners hasn't reached any new level of interest this week. It's still a bland rivalry based primarily on randomness featuring four people that have been underdeveloped in the character department fighting for titles that have been devalued with less prominence, less competition, and less entertainment.

If minimal effort is the goal, it has been achieved. Is there anything good to be said here? Well, the distraction by Cryme Tyme was at least unique. You don't often see someone steal and then auction off an opponent's apparel mid-match. Oh, and seeing Paul London and Brian Kendrick again was nice.

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

Previous Feuds
Cryme Tyme: n/a
Cade & Murdoch: The Hardys

WOMAN vs. WOMEN

It looks as though it will be every woman for herself at the Summerslam Battle Royal to name a new Number One Contender to Candice's Women's Championship. Is there really a story or rivalry here? No, but I do have an issue with the reactions of these women to the announcement of a battle royal. We all understand that everyone is for themselves, but if you put yourself in any of their shoes, some of their actions may not make sense. If Beth Phoenix knew that she'd be thrown into a match with 15 other Divas, wouldn't it behoove her to maintain some degree of alliance with Melina until the end of that match? While Beth's actions might be justified because she's a greedy heel, Mickie James's can't. She's supposed to be a face; nay, she's Raw's most popular female face. She shouldn't be throwing her values out the window by tossing Candice out of the ring like that. There are other ways to depict her desire for championship gold without compromising her face value. Plus, it's smart to keep unity with others pre-match.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a (no true feud yet)

SANTINO MARELLA vs. RON SIMMONS

Another week, another effective performance by the increasingly pretentious Santino Marella. What can I complain about here? He's pulling off this bitter heel role perfectly. The interactions with William Regal, Jillian Hall, and Ron Simmons are both entertaining as well as revealing. Maria too is playing her part well, expressing subtle displeasure at Santino's change.

WWE is effectively booking Santino. The objective is—and should be—to keep him growing as a vexed and haughty heel character in a situation that doesn't require an immediate in-ring solution. He is injured, after all. So who is a great foil for him currently? Why, Ron Simmons of course. Simmons is a non-wrestler that still wears wrist tape, but he's especially important because of his limited speaking gimmick. He provides a perfect foil to Santino's indignant, yet hilarious personality. I also like the idea of Jillian carrying that microphone around wherever she goes; I buy that.

So, these segments work. They provide some comedy. The continuity each week is good. They are pretty imaginative. They are strongly building distinct and robust characters. And most importantly, they are entertaining as a whole.

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

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga
Ron Simmons: n/a

POTENTIAL FEUDS
1) Cody Rhodes vs. Shelton Benjamin?
2) Snitsky vs. ??
3) Candice Michelle vs. ??

Thanks for reading, everyone. Expect more minor changes as I begin to acclimate to this format. If you have any suggestions or comments, feel free to email me at newthtorch@hotmail.com.

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