By Chris Newth

WWE Monday Night Raw
December 3, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (second-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the seventeenth 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)

This week's Raw had a focus on hyping events that lie ahead. Armageddon, of course, was heavily promoted as the next big WWE pay-per-view event. And also on the horizon is the big 15th Anniversary episode of Monday Night Raw. With so much being discussed, it was easy to overlook the show that was. Everyone's attitudes seemed to be directed toward a future date rather than the present one, with some minor exceptions.

Now on to the feuds! And don't miss the winning storyline idea for this month, written by Terrie Neilson. It pertains to the Kennedy-Michaels rivalry.

WWE Champion RANDY ORTON vs. CHRIS JERICHO (3 weeks)

The show opened with a promo by Chris Jericho explaining how he manipulated Randy Orton into granting him a title match at Armageddon. A mobile exclusive (which remained exclusive until they aired it on Raw, of course) proved that the WWE Champion gave Jericho a title match. Orton soon came out, and they had a verbal exchange which was about to turn physical. But Raw GM William Regal then appeared to save some business. He allowed both the champion and the challenger to pick each others' opponents for the night.

Randy Orton predictably (and not necessarily in a bad way) chose Umaga to face Jericho. With Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels, and Chris Jericho, Raw needs another top heel. Jericho, on the other hand, picked Shawn Michaels as Orton's opponent.

The Umaga-Jericho match didn’t exactly provide viewers with a concrete idea of how Y2J can work in 2007 after a few years' hiatus, but it did give us a glimpse. Hopefully Jericho's match against Orton at Armageddon will be given plenty of time, at which point WWE will be more likely to feature him in lengthier matches on free TV.

Randy Orton then took on Shawn Michaels in the main event. Mr. Kennedy made a likely appearance, and HBK couldn't resist attacking him. They brawled ringside until the referee counted Michaels out; Orton won. Jericho then came out to attack the WWE Champion, but Orton escaped.

Overall, this feud is missing something. The crowd—for whatever reason—isn't getting behind Jericho like WWE probably expected. Both the reaction from the live audience and the ratings prove that. And similarly problematic is Randy Orton's slow but steady downfall as a prominent, forceful heel. His character reached its peak during the John Cena rivalry, but once that ended, it seems to have disappeared. People don't appear to be taking Orton seriously as a heel.

Where did that fire go? It might be useful to set up a major event to get Orton's character back on track, forming him into a strong heel once again with some renewed qualities. His cockiness and arrogance haven't been as fierce as they once were, and he certainly doesn't seem as dangerous as he was a few months ago. WWE has the ability and the resources to help Orton with this, and it wouldn't even require too much effort. The biggest problem at the moment seems to be the idea that neither Orton nor Y2J pose too much of a threat toward one another. They want to protect Jericho in his first few weeks back (which is understandable), but that is occurring at the expense of Orton's perceived evilness since he can't do much that would make Jericho look weak at the moment.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Chris Jericho: n/a
Randy Orton: Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Shawn Michaels

THE JEOPARDOUS ULTIMATUM FOR RIC FLAIR (2 weeks)

I don’t want to spend too much time dissecting the meaning or effect in having no solid continuation of this story after it was so heavily featured on last week's show. Of course it has a negative affect on both the storyline itself as well as the show. Here's hoping WWE can continue it this week on either Raw or Smackdown.

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

Previous Feuds
Ric Flair: n/a

FINLAY vs. MR. McMAHON (3 weeks)

Although it seems less and less as if Finlay is the one against Mr. McMahon, his name is consistently mentioned by The Chairman, and after Armageddon, it's likely that the story will become a lot more direct between the two (assuming they stay on this current path).

This week, Mr. McMahon booked Hornswoggle in a Handicap Match against Jonathan Coachman and Carlito, who unfortunately is the odd-man-out in WWE as a guy who just can't find himself a worthwhile rivalry. Hornswoggle, however, had the brains to pick up his father's cell phone and make a quick call.

As the match was about to begin, Hornswoggle talked to Lilian briefly. She then announced that the Leprechaun has hired some help; he hired the APA (Ron Simmons and JBL). Although it was interesting to see JBL back in that role, it was also quite awkward. Wasn't it a little convenient for him to be backstage at Raw to begin with? The APA made quick work of Carlito and Coach, allowing Hornswoggle to get the win when he did his top rope splash on a prone Coachman.

Overall, this feud is fine for the light comedy role for which it's intended. It's a shame Carlito is stuck in that rut, though. Hornswoggle was able to outsmart Mr. McMahon again this week by following his father's advice to be resourceful. If he keeps plowing through these challenges without fail, how can we ever doubt him? It's become more a matter of viewers trying to figure out how he's going to do it than it is a matter of if he can do it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5 [same as on Smackdown]

Previous Feuds
Hornswoggle: Jamie Noble, random authority figures
William Regal: n/a
Jonathan Coachman: n/a

Intercontinental Champion JEFF HARDY & TRIPLE H vs. UMAGA & SNITSKY (3 weeks)

In what has to be considered the "backstage segment of the night," William Regal talked to Triple H about why he set up a match pitting Jeff Hardy against The Game at Armageddon. Regal explained that Triple H has spent his life destroying those that he hates the most, and that it would be interesting to see if he can apply that same aggression against a man he doesn't despise.

Regal also made a major announcement—that the winner of the Hardy-Triple H match at next Sunday's PPV would become the Number One Contender for the WWE Championship. Hmm, whether Triple H remains a babyface or turns at some point will be indicative of the type of result we'll see in the WWE Title match that night.

Also on the show, Jeff Hardy had to defend his Intercontinental Championship against the sadistic Snitsky. Jeff got a clean victory with the Swanton Bomb to retain the title. It's an interesting choice for WWE. On the one hand, Jeff Hardy is at that point where he's about to finally ascend to main event status; on the other hand, WWE has fiercely attempted to build Snitsky in the last few years with numerous squash matches and promo time.

After the match, Snitsky began a post-match attack on Hardy to get his heat back, and Triple H made the save wielding his famed sledgehammer. Snitsky bolted, leaving just Hardy and The Game in the ring. They blatantly hinted that Triple H may turn on Jeff, but he lent Hardy a hand instead. The two then talked to one another, but their exact words were inaudible.

Overall, this feud has definitely heated up. Triple H is great in his role, and Jeff Hardy is progressing nicely. That pay-per-view match is going to be extremely important to Jeff's entire WWE career, and I'm sure most fans sense that. The story is also really strong. A heel turn for Triple H almost seems too easy at this point; let's keep the complexity rolling with the face-face combination.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8.5 [up 1.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga
Umaga: Jeff Hardy, Triple H
Snitsky: n/a

CODY RHODES vs. HARDCORE HOLLY (11 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Well, WWE is nearing another PPV again, so Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly fall through the cracks. Nothing happened this week to continue their storyline, and neither man appeared on the show at all.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 4.5 [down 1 from last week]

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

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES (2 weeks)

This week, Mickie James teamed with Maria to face the heelish combo of Melina and the WWE Women's Champion, Beth Phoenix. The result of the typically short match saw Phoenix get the win for her team after executing her finishing stalling suplex on the Number One Contender.

This is what I was afraid of. They are building Beth Phoenix as an unstoppable force, but what effect will that have on the division itself? WWE is walking on dangerous ground here because if viewers can't perceive anyone as capable of beating The Glamazon, it could be detrimental to the division as a whole. Mickie James is certainly the most effective babyface diva on the roster, and she probably shouldn't have taken the fall in this match. Why not have Maria do it?

I understand the underlying logic. They want to keep Phoenix strong since she's a different type of diva, a variant on what generally typifies the women in WWE. Furthermore, they want to provide a huge challenge for their top female babyfaces, and this is the perfect way to do just that. It's interesting to see how WWE and TNA differ on this story, as both companies are using the same basic strategy. Beth Phoenix in WWE is like Awesome Kong in TNA, and both Mickie James and Gail Kim, respectively, are the struggling top babyfaces attempting to defeat the larger, stronger heel.

Of course, there are always ways to reverse things. If WWE felt that they wanted to have each of the divas on a more equal playing field, they could just tweak Phoenix's character. For example, they could put her in a storyline where she somehow loses to multiple babyfaces in what seem like fluke losses, and she is psychologically thrown as a result. For now, however, this isn't doing much for the other women on Raw; everyone who isn't Beth Phoenix looks pretty weak in comparison. On the bright side, it is a different story than what we're used to.

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

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle
Mickie James: Melina

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. MR. KENNEDY (3 weeks)

This week, Mr. Kennedy set up a blast-from-the-past segment to mock Shawn Michaels's life. He brought out imitators of Marty Jennetty (Michaels's old tag team partner), Razor Ramon, Diesel, and even one of HBK. After Kennedy asked his imposter crew to sum up what they thought about Shawn Michaels (all negative replies, of course), he went on to call Shawn Michaels a loser again. This prompted the real HBK to enter the arena. Three swift Superkicks felled the imitators, and Michaels scared the last one by just staring at him, which was reminiscent of the cliché from most of the Batman movies. Kennedy and Michaels then stared each other down.

Nostalgic segments are usually alright in small doses. Of course, a lot of WWE's audience is far too young to understand the relationships, but this week's progression worked nicely. It's interesting to see how they are promoting Shawn's DVD without actually promoting his DVD. And as for the storyline itself, it has some holes that should be filled, but the potential here is always great.

Michaels still has it, and Kennedy has proven himself to be a strong worker. The extended in-ring confrontation between these two—especially considering their wrestling styles and Michaels's ability to bring out the best in people—will surely be entertaining. And the angle with Kennedy bringing HBK's past back is unique, but WWE should tell us why he's so preoccupied with it (beyond the idea that he watched the DVD and feels like talking about it).

***The following is the winning storyline idea by Terrie Neilson***

The tête-à-tête as seen on Raw the night after Survivor Series (11/19/07) was a keeper. Kennedy brings up Shawn's losing track record as before (keeping "lost my smile" but ditching his record for turning on partners--irrelevant for this feud). He adds that Shawn's only 1-5-2 on PPV this year while Kennedy's done better, 3-3, making Shawn a bigger loser than he. The brawl happens as before, as does the post-brawl interview with Kennedy.

The following week (11/26/07) Shawn still gives Ric Flair his pep talk regarding the whole "next loss and you retire" angle. Ric responds in kind, in his classic Nature Boy way, that win-loss records don't always make the man, it's the pride of his passion for the business and the drive to be better even in loss. That said, he tells Shawn that he knows that Shawn can kick Kennedy's ass, just like he's going to beat Randy tonight. Kennedy on the other hand, after his squash of Brian Kendrick, is interviewed about this conversation between Flair and Michaels and continues to tout his beating of world champions, and the fact that he even beat one of Shawn Michaels's students. Shawn can't get it done in the ring, nor can he as a trainer.

Week 3 (12/3/07) keeps the "Pick Your Poison" Jericho-Orton match set as Kennedy distracts Shawn and causes the countout. Tossing out the fakes segment, Kennedy calls out Shawn to the ring to discuss their issues. Kennedy tries to bring up Shawn as a loser again, but Shawn cuts him off asking what has he won lately. Shawn has had gold--the World tag titles—but Kennedy's had none this year. Kennedy tries to bring up his turning on Cena to drop them, but not so fast, he keeps Kennedy on point, and asks about his titles this year. Kennedy's frustrated and tries to bring up Kendrick's squashing to the mix, and Shawn points out that his students (Kendrick and London) held the WWE tag titles for most of one year and had the World tag gold earlier this year.

Not to poo-poo too much, Shawn does give him props for winning the MITB match. This is where Kennedy exposes his bitterness—having lost it due to injury. On one thing, these two agree: they both lost big opportunities this year to outside circumstances. Kennedy declares that he won't let Shawn stand in his way to getting what he lost back and that he is the future of the business while Shawn is the past. Shawn reminds him that he has no intention of stepping aside just yet, and to bring his best with him at Armageddon. Booking proceeds to make a match of Shawn Michaels/Brian Kendrick vs. Kennedy/mystery partner for the go-home week.

Week 4 (12/10/07) The partner is revealed to be Lance Cade, one of Shawn's other students. Lance points out that Shawn was a good trainer, and reminds folks he currently holds the tag title gold, but agrees with Kennedy that Shawn is a thing of the past and that he and Kennedy will add another loss to Shawn's record. Murdoch is with Cade and Kennedy and causes the DQ, attacking Kendrick, then one last brawl ensues keeping Michaels-Kennedy hot toward Armageddon and gives a shot in the arm to the tag division as London (assuming he's not injured as he's been MIA) comes in to even the odds.

Armageddon (12/16/07) is a tough call. By sheer record alone, Shawn needs the win worse than Kennedy. The one win was at No Way Out, and Cena actually scored the pin. Unless WWE is going to put Shawn back into play with Randy Orton, a win would be better for him, and give Kennedy more reason to seethe as Michaels is now an elusive world champion he hasn't beaten at least once, giving them something to carry beyond Armageddon.

***

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

Previous Feuds
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton
Mr. Kennedy: Jeff Hardy

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) vs. JERRY LAWLER (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

No Santino this week? That's a shame. They should be finding a way to fit him into even a minute's worth of promo time. The feud he has with Lawler isn't exactly exciting, but entertaining appearances by Marella have become a staple on Raw.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 0.5 from last week]

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga, Ron Simmons, Val Venis, Steve Austin
Jerry Lawler: n/a

CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Cody Rhodes vs. Hardcore Holly?

POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Carlito vs. Hornswoggle?
(2) Triple H vs. Jeff Hardy?
(3) Mr. McMahon vs. all his past enemies?


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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