By Chris Newth

WWE Monday Night Raw
December 10, 2007
Upcoming PPV: Armageddon (last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the eighteenth 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)

It was a celebratory week in WWE as the company reached its 15th year on weekly television for Monday Night Raw. The anniversary show was chock full of memorable moments from the past, moments that riveted, shocked, and entertained viewers for years. In this particular episode, nothing in particular stood out as history-making, except perhaps the intriguing way WWE was able to incorporate so much of their history—and so many of their stars—into one single show. Appearances by members of Evolution, RVD, Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Trish Stratus, Lita, Eric Bischoff, and all the older stars that participated in the Battle Royal really gave the episode its nostalgic edge while maintaining some degree of originality in that so many people with so much history clashed on the same night.

Raw got a lot of reader reaction on PWTorch.com, and people have been talking about the show all week. For the purposes of this column, however, it is important to focus on the ongoing feuds, the ones that are destined to continue into this week. With that in mind, I will sift through last week's show and only analyze what is relevant to each of WWE's Raw feuds.

WWE Champion RANDY ORTON vs. CHRIS JERICHO (4 weeks)

This week, so much was going on that it all seemed to overshadow Raw's main event feud. Orton was kept busy with the reunion party for Evolution and the subsequent match that transpired because of it, while Jericho had problems of his own against the man by whom he was formerly employed.

Let's start with Randy Orton. His first appearance on the show took place during the Evolution segment. Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair had already entered the ring to begin their celebration. Orton was up next, and his music hit. The feeling that was pervasive at this moment was pretty intense. Viewers (like the announcers) were wondering what would happen when the WWE Champion showed up. After all, he is currently a heel, while the three other members are babyfaces.

Orton walked onto the stage and announced that he wasn't about to participate in any Evolution reunion. He provided evidence for why that group left a bitter taste in his mouth. Clips aired depicting Orton being turned on after winning the World Heavyweight Championship when Triple H gave him the "thumbs down." Orton continued by saying that he'd prefer to be remembered as a part of the Rated-RKO team. Suddenly, Edge came out. A match was soon imminent, and Umaga appeared to even the odds.

Orton's promo was really strong in that it gave logical reason for why he is not joining the reunion party (and that he went as far as setting up a match against his former teammates). Even more interesting was the dynamic at play. Remember, Evolution was a heel faction during its run. Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista, and Randy Orton were all heel members of the team. It's interesting to see a heel Orton now separating himself from that group while all the other members are currently babyfaces.

Showing how Evolution turned on Orton (which led to a short babyface turn for The Legend Killer) was ironic considering the circumstances existent today. I mean, as a heel, shouldn't Orton be the only one that really wants to celebrate his heel transgressions from years past? Yet, it is the three babyface wrestlers that are the ones giving three cheers to their heelish past. Interesting.

Chris Jericho, in the meantime, was dealing with problems of his own. He decided to crash Eric Bischoff's segment when Bischoff began to overstay his welcome. The segment ended when Jericho finally decked Bischoff only to find that Orton ran to the ring to take advantage of the opportunity. Jericho avoided the attack and quickly applied the Walls of Jericho. It worked; Orton began to rapidly tap out in pain.

Overall, it would have been nice to see more development in the Orton-Jericho feud heading into Sunday's pay-per-view. WWE was so busy, however, that it was understandable. At least both of them got part of a segment together after each having their own issues dealt with. As a booker, it would have been challenging to structure this 15th Anniversary show. You want to end it on a certain note, yet you want to also adequately hype your main event for a PPV that's quickly approaching.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [up 0.5 since last week]

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

THE JEOPARDOUS ULTIMATUM FOR RIC FLAIR (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Ric Flair, as mentioned previously, did participate in the Evolution reunion that resulted in a tag team match against Umaga, Orton, and Edge. However, very little was noted about Ric Flair's current dilemma—that he must continue to win matches in order to remain an active wrestler on the roster.

The only tidbit of information that was given this week regarding the storyline is when Lawler stated that Ric Flair only had to remain undefeated in singles matchups. Apparently, he's allowed to lose in tag team contests as per McMahon's stipulations (something that was left out the week this all was planned).

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [down 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Ric Flair: n/a

FINLAY vs. MR. McMAHON (4 weeks)

The show opened this week with the McMahon Family Portrait segment. Mr. McMahon strutted to the ring flanked by Shane and Stephanie. When he requested a photographer to enter the ring, Hornswoggle made his inevitable appearance. He ran down to have his picture taken. At this point, Mr. McMahon actually acknowledged his leprechaun spawn, saying that he kind of loved him as a member of the family too. I guess those tough love challenges have been winning over the boss's heart.

The segment was then interrupted by Triple H, who eventually got each McMahon to exit the ring. A disheartened Hornswoggle was soon comforted by the presence of The Godfather's promiscuous lady friends. And so all was right with the world…until…

William Regal told Hornswoggle that he had a Survivor Series rematch booked; it would be Hornswoggle versus The Great Khali again. Oh, and since Finlay's plane ticket from Ireland had mysteriously been canceled, The Little Bastard would have no help from his pal. The match itself saw Hornswoggle in some trouble, but luckily Hulk Hogan made a return to make everything better again. Hogan took out Khali before celebrating with his new leprechaun friend.

Overall, this one will probably be given more direction come next week after Finlay and Hornswoggle overcome their first major challenge (The Great Khali) at Armageddon.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as on Smackdown]

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

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

Triple H and Jeff Hardy have technically had to live the last three weeks as individuals who respect one another while at the same time realizing that they must compete at the next PPV to vie for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble. The story itself has been quite intriguing.

This week, Triple H first showed up to help ruin Mr. McMahon's family portrait. He succeeded, but it really did nothing to advance the storyline involving Hardy.

The next TV segment featured a nice Ladder Match between Jeff Hardy and Carlito. It's a shame that Carlito wasn't built as a credible opponent for Jeff weeks in advance, but since this was a special show, it was something that can be overlooked. The match ended with a win for Hardy after pushing Carlito off the ladder. The match itself really helped Hardy's momentum heading into Sunday's Armageddon PPV, which was its main purpose, yet it also (as the announcers noted) left some doubt in Jeff's chances of winning his match against Triple H after such a brutal contest.

Triple H then had his Evolution reunion with Batista and Ric Flair, which soon transformed into a big six-person tag team match with Orton, Edge, and Umaga. The match ended with a win for the faces. In and of itself, this was meant to satisfy viewers tuning in for more of a look back at history. In terms of the Hardy-Triple H storyline, it was nice to see a recovering Jeff Hardy look on from the back in pain as his Armageddon opponent stood tall in his tag match. By the end of this week's Raw, it looked like the odds were securely stacked in The Game's favor.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [up 0.5 since 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 (12 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Out of practically nowhere, WWE held a World Tag Team Title Match pitting the reigning champions, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch, against the rivaling duo of Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes. The short match ended with a win for the babyface tandem when Hardcore Holly executed the Alabama Slam on Murdoch. The faces celebrated as Dusty Rhodes joined his son in the ring.

It was an interesting moment that provided a good example of why building storylines is so crucial. Did viewers expect a victory? Perhaps yes, perhaps no. But what is certain is that people weren't as into the match as they should have been because of no build-up. In fact, here's what I wrote last week about this feud:

"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."

This was a World Tag Team Title Match, and it should have been treated as a bigger deal. Instead, WWE just threw it out there and gave viewers the feel-good title switch. On the bright side, the interesting—and largely unexplained—relationship between Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes can now be further explored.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [up 0.5 since last week]

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

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES (3 weeks)

Raw's big women's division moment came when Trish Stratus and Lita interrupted Jillian Hall's Christmas singing. Unfortunately, neither Beth Phoenix nor Mickie James did anything to further their upcoming title match. In fact, Phoenix didn't even make an appearance.

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

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle
Mickie James: Melina

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. MR. KENNEDY (4 weeks)

This week, Shawn Michaels cut a short promo backstage mocking Mr. Kennedy. It was meant to set up the upcoming Kennedy-Jennetty matchup for later in the evening while linking last week's events to the present.

Later in the night, Kennedy did end up facing HBK's old tag team partner, Marty Jennetty, in a singles match. The match resulted in a victory for Kennedy when he hit his finisher on Jennetty for the clean pinfall. After the match, Shawn Michaels showed up to try to stop Kennedy from hurting his past teammate any further. And soon after, Triple H came out. The Game threw HBK a DX shirt, and they proceeded to celebrate in an impromptu mini-reunion for DX.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5 [same as last week]

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

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) vs. JERRY LAWLER (5 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Santino complained about the nostalgic atmosphere of the 15th Anniversary special. He said that he wanted the future of the company to be the focus, citing himself in that category. Suddenly, Rob Van Dam made his one-night return to face Marella in a shocking matchup. RVD was able to quickly fell Marella with a kick, followed by his one-of-a-kind 5-Star Frog Splash for the decisive three count.

The feud between Santino and Lawler may very well be over. It seems that whenever WWE decides to bring in a big name from the past, they appropriately allow Marella to be the one with whom they first interact. It's an interesting strategy, but Marella is always left lying flat in the end. On the bright side, his abilities on the mic almost immediately make up for those losses; he's so good at being humorously full of himself that people tend to almost forget about how often he loses. Would they ever expect him to win a big match? No, but at least they enjoy seeing a babyface beat him up.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [same as last week]

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


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Santino Marella vs. Jerry Lawler?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Carlito vs. Jeff Hardy?
(2) Jeff Hardy vs. Randy Orton?
(3) Triple H vs. Randy Orton?
(4) Hulk Hogan vs. The Great Khali?
(5) Mr. McMahon vs. Steve Austin?
(6) Triple H vs. Mr. McMahon?
(7) Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly vs. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch?


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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