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By Chris Newth, PWTorch.com Specialist Contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
November 5, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (second-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirteenth 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)

I want to take the time to thank the readers who sent in their storyline ideas for the contest. The Raw storyline that was chosen as the winner is posted in the Hardy-Kennedy feud section. Enjoy reading David Emery's idea; there's a specific moment in there that would make a potent visual. And remember, this feature will be available two weeks after every WWE pay-per-view right here in the Storylines and Feuds sections of PWTorch.com. We're still accepting ECW ideas until Saturday night (Nov. 10) and Smackdown ideas until Monday night (Nov. 12).

And now to WWE Monday Night Raw.

This week's Raw presented itself in a fashion that was sure to evoke opinions that were more to the extreme; viewers were likely to either really like it or really dislike - or dare I say, hate - it. The current incarnation of DX tends to have that affect on some people.

Whether you enjoyed seeing the "one night" reunion of Shawn Michaels and Triple H as D-Generation X or not, one thing is undeniable: this week's Raw had a "big time" feel to it. With the DX vs. Umaga and Orton match, Stone Cold Steve Austin's return to confront the haughty Santino Marella, and Interpromotional matchups with appearances by ECW's Kelly Kelly and Smackdown's Rey Mysterio and Finlay, the show really felt more relevant than usual.

Of course, this bigger-than-average show may have a drawback. After all, it can't be done each week. Next Monday, it's back to normal for WWE when they try to pack one more episode's worth of Survivor Series promotion in before the PPV weekend. The problem essentially becomes this - after this week's big show, will people perceive a normal episode as something much less?

DX opened the show with a parade of the gimmicked "freaks." Hornswoggle (who's technically a Smackdown superstar, but mainly featured on Raw), Boogeyman (from ECW), and The Great Khali (currently from Smackdown, but he's been on every brand) all joined together apparently asking to be a part of the DX faction. Michaels and Triple H, knowing that it's their last night in green, obliged. Was the segment really strong? No, but the hot crowd was heavily into it, which really helped.

Including the return of DX and Steve Austin on the same night to create an aura of importance to a show that may have been lacking in recent weeks is a double-edged sword. On the one hand, there was no question that it was a singular event; WWE explicitly made certain that viewers knew it was a special night, a "one time only" deal. With that in mind, many people were apt to recognize the reality and just let themselves enjoy the show without worrying about where the DX thing will lead. On the other hand, providing a show chock full of popular acts that went out years ago to a strong reaction only makes the current product look that much weaker. People who may have been excited after seeing this show may ultimately be discouraged by what they see next week.

This DX discussion leads straight into…

WWE Champion RANDY ORTON vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (5 weeks)

This week, DX reunited to face the heel team consisting of Umaga and WWE Champion Randy Orton. The match ended when Michaels delivered Sweet Chin Music on an unsuspecting Orton. As a match, it was more than solid with strong action by both sides, particularly (and predictably so) by Michaels and Triple H.

The one aspect of this feud that I'd like to comment on is this: Randy Orton's character is in trouble here.

This week, we get no appearance, confrontation with DX, promo, or backstage scene until the main event matchup begins. The WWE Champion, the man who sits atop the entire Raw brand, was symbolically pushed aside to make room for the uber-face DX and Steve Austin segments. It might seem innocuous enough to keep him off most the show on a night that featured so many heavy babyfaces, but Randy Orton's reputation took a hit on this week's episode.

What ever happened to that vile human being that took out John Cena and captured the WWE Title? Just a month ago, he was the company's most fierce heel, whose overly-arrogant attitude and heinous actions led to vociferous boos from the audience. Now he's treated as an afterthought, a simple unlikable guy who happens to be holding the WWE Championship at the moment.

Not only did Raw not feature its top champion until the very end of the show, which ended when he did the job after yet another Michaels's Superkick, but he didn't even appear threatening during his match. Umaga outshined him as the guy on the heel team that could actually get things done. People, seeing how great Michaels, Triple H, and Umaga were, may come to question the strength and ability of the Legend Killer in comparison to his peers. It's a shame because WWE did such an incredible job building him up in the last few months against John Cena.

The problem is that WWE is booking the Michaels-Orton feud in such a way that they are putting too much emphasis on title match results. That is to say that they falsely believe that it's okay to have Raw consistently end with Orton lying on the mat after absorbing the always-deadly Sweet Chin Music because, after all, Orton will leave the PPVs with the title around his waist.

Well, that's simply not true. If the scenario saw Orton get beaten up each week only to win cleanly during title matches on PPV, then WWE would be booking the face-heel dynamic backward. And since they are having Randy Orton cheat in order to keep the belt, the poundings he's taking on Raw every week don't do him any justice.

Here's what viewers see: Orton gets his ass kicked every week on TV, and then he cheats at pay-per-views so that he can hold onto the belt. The result of this system is terrible, and Orton's character is suffering immensely. If you thought Raw may have been too saturated with babyfaces, you were right. It was difficult - if not impossible - to detect any real challenges on that show. With Triple H, Shawn Michaels, Rey Mysterio, Jeff Hardy, and Steve Austin all stealing the show with wins (or in Austin's case, payback), the audience got a glimpse of how empty the Raw landscape is of strong heels.

Overall, this feud is not being written as forcefully or dramatically as it can be. Randy Orton and Shawn Michaels are two of the best guys on any WWE roster, and this feud isn't helping both of them; instead, Michaels is being pushed through the roof at the expense of Orton, which will ultimately hurt WWE. On Orton's side of things, it's like they stopped trying as soon as he became champion, a time when he needs the most protection. I can understand the importance of pushing Triple H and HBK as well, but Orton should be the thorn in their side, not the simple speed bump for them to step over.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [down 1 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton
Randy Orton: Dusty Rhodes & Cody Rhodes, John Cena

HORNSWOGGLE vs. RAW AUTHORITY FIGURE (9 weeks w/ 1-week hiatus)

This one has taken many alterations in recent weeks. Since Hornswoggle was announced as Mr. McMahon's son, The Little Bastard has had to deal with a variety of nefarious authority figures. His father seems to be punishing him simply because his look was considered a disappointment by The Chairman, who expected his seed to produce some kind of genetic freak, preferably one with whom he hadn't had issues in the past.

The responsibility of Hornswoggle was quickly given to Raw General Manager William Regal, who had to be sure not to lose The Greenest McMahon in WWE. And then Hornswoggle had to deal with - or, more aptly, run away from - Jonathan Coachman. He even participated in a couple of matches on both Raw and Smackdown against The Coach last week.

Now, Mr. McMahon feels the need to step up as a father, but the messages he's disseminating are confusing. Last week, he seemed to have gotten over his bitter resentment toward Hornswoggle; however, this week his "tough love" was extended to such a degree that the Survivor Series card now features Hornswoggle versus The Great Khali.

Overall, this feud is worn, but it's decent as a light, prominently non-wrestling storyline. As for suggestions, I want to wait until this Khali thing blows over. Again, this combination is great in a marketing sense. WWE is pitting their smallest superstar with their largest. The Survivor Series card looks very strong already with a Traditional Survivor Series Elimination Tag Match, Orton versus HBK with special stipulations, and a Hell in a Cell headlining match between Undertaker and Batista. A Khali-Hornswoggle bout might be an entertaining segment to cool the tension in between. If they make it a disaster scenario, however, where J.R. and Jerry Lawler scream about how it's unfair and disgusting as Khali pummels Hornswoggle to a bloody pulp, it might have a negative effect.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Hornswoggle: Jamie Noble
William Regal: n/a
Jonathan Coachman: n/a

TRIPLE H vs. UMAGA (11 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This feud was the other half of Raw's main event tag team contest between DX and the Umaga-Orton duo. Despite both of their participation, however, neither Triple H nor The Samoan Bulldozer were involved with the match's finish, which saw Shawn Michaels Superkick his way to victory.

This feud has been strong so far, but it hasn't found a way to surpass a certain high point. Something still seems missing. The most probable cause is the limitations inherent in Umaga's gimmick, limitations which prevent him from speaking. Plus, there really isn't too much of a storyline taking shape. Umaga did brutally attack Triple H once, taking him out of action for a full week, but since then, nothing has really happened beyond normal booking strategies.

Overall, this feud is held together by sheer in-ring talent alone. That isn't to say that it's a bad strategy. People care about Triple H, and Umaga has been successfully built as a credible heel from the first night he debuted. It doesn't look like WWE can keep this one going too much longer, so I predict a change of pace and new opponents for each man after the Survivor Series PPV.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Mr. McMahon: Bobby Lashley
Triple H: King Booker
Umaga: Jeff Hardy

CODY RHODES vs. HARDCORE HOLLY (7 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Hardcore Holly managed Cody Rhodes as he went one-on-one with one half of the World Tag Team Champions, Trevor Murdoch. The match resulted in another victory for amateur Cody Rhodes.

In terms of the Holly-Rhodes feud, nothing extra happened. Both Rhodes and Hardcore seemed to just…exist. No development, no advancement, no furthering story here. No tension growth, no revelations, no interest here. I could go on and make it a poem, but I'll spare everyone the misery. Speaking of misery, why can't WWE provide more information on these characters?

The beginning stages of this feud were so effective, and through the actions of the players we learned about how they might think, how their personalities were shaping. But if we get no promos, no backstage vignettes, and no furthering of the storyline during matches, we can't see any more character development taking place.

If they want to try to hammer a point by having similar actions take place each week, fine. But give something extra beyond the ring. If the excuse is that they want the Rhodes-Holly relationship to be purposely ambiguous, great. But that doesn't mean they can't help enhance each person's character in the mean time. Learning more about the people only makes us care that much more; it doesn't necessarily let us figure out their relationship, whatever that may be.

I may have to stop referring to this one as a feud; they might be a team for the next few months. If that's true, then continuing to list them as two people framed within a rivalry would be erroneous, at least for the moment. Overall, this feud showed a lot of promise early on. It still has power if organized correctly and orchestrated properly. The beauty is that because the beginning was so well-done, their options now are completely open. If the team thing doesn't seem to work out, shift to something else. Let's see if this one takes a more defined shape in the coming weeks.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [down 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Cody Rhodes: Randy Orton
Hardcore Holly: n/a

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. EVERY WOMAN IN WWE

Well, The Glamazon is at it again, attacking innocent, vulnerable women without rhyme or reason. This week, she actually fought in a sanctioned matchup against ECW's Kelly Kelly, former leader of a group formally known as Extreme Expose. The match played off of last week's Halloween Costume Battle Royal, which saw Kelly getting the brunt of Phoenix's current demonstration of power.

So Phoenix makes quick work of The Exhibitionist, racking up another squash victory for herself. As for the Kelly situation, we later find out on ECW that The Miz is actually behind the booking for this match. So, this bout was - despite being a super quick squash - beneficial to two different storylines. It helped continue to establish Beth as a forceful heel champion, and it served the Miz's problems with his contracted manager by playing into the idea that he's starting to make her life miserable. Kelly's doing a great job playing the vulnerable, and beautiful, babyface in trouble, the Damsel in Distress, if you will.

Overall, Phoenix's push is being done nicely. It's interesting to see how they're using various "feeder divas" (as I call them) to help build her tough, relentless image. Beth, by the way, is doing a great job cutting promos and working in the ring. I'm curious about who her next weak target will be.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle

PAUL LONDON & BRIAN KENDRICK vs. World Tag Team Champions LANCE CADE & TREVOR MURDOCH (10 weeks w/ 2-week hiatus)

The headline above isn't even likely a feud anymore; Raw's tag team division is all over the map, making it increasingly difficult to analyze. Which direction are they heading? I have no clue. For weeks London and Kendrick have been booked as the team that is currently feuding with Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch. However, every few weeks The Highlanders step in to stake their claim at getting a Tag Team Title opportunity. Now WWE has Cade and Murdoch facing the odd combination of Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly? What's going on?

The only sense that I can make out of this is that WWE has been purposely building separate cases for each Raw tag team so that they can hold a single match pitting all four together. Is that likely the case? Possibly, but the fact that the announcers haven't kept us up to speed on all the happenings in the tag team division suggests otherwise. Maybe if J.R. and Lawler knew what was actually happening, they might.

If the feud morphs into a Hardcore/Cody-Cade/Murdoch rivalry, it might be interesting to see how WWE plays with the Hardcore-Cody dynamic while simultaneously tweaking the Murdoch-Mickie James storyline. This one needs work and organization, whatever the case may be.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [down 0.5 from last week]

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

Intercontinental Champion JEFF HARDY vs. MR. KENNEDY (5 weeks)

In one of the highlights of Monday's show, Jeff Hardy tagged with Rey Mysterio against Mr. Kennedy and Finlay as two Smackdown superstars made special appearances. The interpromotional tag team contest concluded with a nice victory for the babyface tandem, who won when Hardy delivered his patented Swanton Bomb.

I've come to notice that whenever Jeff Hardy is feuding with someone, WWE often throws other feuds toward him to mask his weaknesses on the mic. If Kennedy and Hardy were on their own, they'd be getting more promo time. But Jeff Hardy is often thrown into tag matches with various other ongoing feuds. Recently, he was in a Mixed Tag Team match tagging with Candice Michelle. Last week, it was Hardy & D.H. Smith against Kennedy & Carlito. And this week, Hardy and Mysterio collectively beat their respective rivals.

It was nice to see that music video highlighting a lot of Jeff Hardy's wrestling past. Very good choice of venue to help fuel popularity. Overall, his feud with Mr. Kennedy was interesting when it started since the two had a nice in-ring flow, but now it's beginning to get stale with this watered-down, multi-feud recycling method.

***The following is the winning storyline idea for the Raw brand by David Emery***

Currently these two probably get the biggest pops and the most heat out of anybody on the roster. But the feud currently has no real heat behind it. I think to ignite the feud Kennedy has to up the intensity. His character does not back down from anybody and does not really cheat that much so he gets all his heat from his promos. I feel he should lose a couple more times to Hardy and Hardy should brag about it constantly which leads to a last chance match which Kennedy loses. He then snaps after this loss. He should beat the crap out of Hardy with a chair and then call for the microphone to come down from the ceiling. Kennedy then ties Hardy's feet to the microphone ala Jimmy Jacobs on the Briscoe in ROH.

The busted open Jeff Hardy dripping onto Kennedy as he calmly and coldly says in another microphone, "The man who just ended the career of Jeff Hardy: Mr. Kennedy...Kennedy." Then due to the injuries being so bad Kennedy gets awarded the title at Survivor Series by McMahon who says he is the "son he never had," which would down the line lead to a Shane-Kennedy feud.

I think that Matt Hardy would have to get involved then and challenge Kennedy for the title there which annoys MVP as they have a tag match against Jesse and Festus later that night. Also by this point Hardy is the U.S. Champion so MVP can say that Matt is greedy for gold and that he doesn't care about his brother and just wants another belt, which leads to MVP distracting Hardy so that Kennedy gets a cheap roll up pin. MVP does not touch him and it can be argued that Hardy is wrong to accuse MVP of screwing him out of the IC title. Then Hardy walks out on MVP in the Tag Team Championship match which causes them to lose. End at Survivor Series.

***

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [down 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Shelton Benjamin
Mr. Kennedy: no notable feuds since returning from injury and suspension

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) vs. STEVE AUSTIN (6 weeks)

Alright, the ultimate confrontation was really entertaining, as expected. Austin did a nice job making an argument that it's one thing to have an opinion that might be negative, but it's another thing when you bash the film every week for the last 6 weeks. And Santino was superb in his role as well; he was perfectly relaxed and entertaining while not purposely trying not to outshine The Texas Rattlesnake.

Also effective were the use of backstage moments to ground the feud in anticipation for the actual segment. There were two of these, both showing Marella in the back taking the Austin situation lightly. It's a much better technique than featuring the Steve Austin segment cold.

My only complaint about this segment, if I even have one, is the use of the beer truck again. I know that "everything's already been done," but the beer truck and subsequent dousing of Santino and Maria has been seen before. When it comes to big events that are historically memorable, it's better to not repeat them exactly, no matter how good they were. Sure the fans were happy to see it, but it would have been more interesting to see something at that same level that was more original.

Overall, this week's Raw was worth the 6-week build with Santino mocking (and indirectly promoting) Stone Cold's movie. I'm sure if given the opportunity, the chemistry could grow dramatically between these two. However, this may have been a one-time appearance by Austin. In any event, Santino was sure to pick up some great heat from his interaction with The Rattlesnake, so the feud, as short as it may have been, should be considered a success.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [up 1 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga
Val Venis: n/a

FEUD CONCLUSIONS

(1) Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Snitsky vs. Carlito?
(2) Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes?
(3) Beth Phoenix vs. Kelly Kelly?
(4) Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas vs. Hacksaw Jim Duggan & Super Crazy?

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. Please insert a word in the subject line that deals with a wrestling topic or write something such as "WWE," "feud," or "Charlie Haas" so that I know it's not junk mail.

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