By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
January 28, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (third-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-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)

Raw's momentum has just begun to sway in an alternate direction after John Cena returned to the show this week. The biggest question now regards where the new top-tier of the brand will throw people like Jeff Hardy (and ultimately Randy Orton). Let's start with some non-feud segments.

William Regal announced that at No Way Out, six wrestlers will compete inside the Elimination Chamber. Those that are set to participate include Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, JBL, Jeff Hardy, and Triple H. The winner will advance to WrestleMania to challenge the winner of the Orton-Cena No Way Out WWE Title Match.

Also on the show, Triple H teamed with Shawn Michaels in their DX gimmick to face the monster team of Umaga and Snitsky. After Triple H asked the audience if anyone had a toothbrush for Snitsky, the crowd began screaming "brush your teeth." That was like one of those awkward Jerry Springer crowd chants. The match ended when The Game hit a spinebuster followed by a Pedigree to score the pinfall over Snitsky.

And in the second divas match of the night, Maria faced Melina to begin Maria's push as her edition of Playboy draws near. The match ended when Melina pulled Maria's pants down, exposing her panties. Suddenly, Maria plopped down onto Melina and earned a pinfall victory. After the match, Santino covered Maria with his jacket and told the crowd that they will never see "his" Maria in Playboy.

And now to the feuds!

WWE Champion RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA (1 week)

Raw kicked off with an immediate appearance by the 2008 Royal Rumble winner, John Cena. He told the crowd that he was there to answer a question: how is it possible? Cena looked really emotional here. "Yes, I risked my career. Yes, I risked my health. Why? For a chance, just for one damned chance to maybe…get an opportunity to once again go to WrestleMania," Cena proclaimed. He then called out Randy Orton in what appeared to be a request to hold his WrestleMania title match this week on Raw.

Orton made his entrance to the stage and touted his victories over Triple H, Chris Jericho, and Jeff Hardy. He said that he's beaten every challenger that's stepped up so far, but he wasn't going to hold a WWE Title Match tonight. John Cena told Orton that he was smart because he took Cena out with an injury (something for which Mr. Kennedy probably deserves more credit) and that he takes opportunities that better his standing. Cena then went on to say that Orton will take this opportunity to put the WWE Title on the line so that he could have a big advantage. If Orton gives Cena eight more weeks to heal, he wouldn't have any advantage, and if you consider the fact that Randy Orton has never beaten John Cena, it becomes clear that the most opportune decision would be to take Cena's offer.

The Legend Killer responded by saying that since Cena's left, he's become a very big deal on Raw, and he's not going to defend his title unless people pay to see it. So Orton set a compromise. He would grant Cena a shot at the WWE Title before WrestleMania, but it would be at WWE's next PPV: No Way Out. Cena agreed.

Later in the back, JBL met with Randy Orton to strategize for the main event. They seemed to be on the same page when it came to their plans for the tag team match against Y2J and Jeff Hardy, and both men looked forward to facing one another at WrestleMania for the title.

It was soon main event time, and both teams were charged. Everyone involved had been in very serious feuds as of late, and this match carried that same energy. The match ended when Orton gave Jericho an RKO while JBL was locked in Y2J's Walls of Jericho. JBL was then able to roll over to Jericho, make the cover, and score the win. Suddenly, Cena's music hit, and JBL bailed. Randy Orton tried to fight Cena, but he quickly found himself on the wrong end of an FU.

John Cena's return to Raw while Randy Orton is still champion has great storyline potential, but WWE seems reluctant to push the feud to WrestleMania. With both a champion and a challenger to be crowned at No Way Out, the Orton-Cena rivalry has already been rendered short-lived. The history between both of them stretches back months, and their last feud can be credited for putting The Legend Killer back at the top of the roster. From a business standpoint, the reasoning is logical: WWE has already presented intense matchups between Cena and Orton. It would therefore have less of an impact than other potential wrestler combinations, despite the rich personal history.

The storyline here is basic, yet effective. John Cena, whose character parallels his own life, is so career-driven that he's returned to the company earlier than expected. He's spent the last few months recovering from an injury, and now he's come back to once again hold the WWE Title. Randy Orton, on the other hand, is the ego-inflated champion who—because he's managed to narrowly defeat a few challengers since Cena's left—believes that he can beat Cena just as easily. So, the premise of this story appropriately revolves around the title. And with WrestleMania just around the corner, it's the smartest direction to take.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7

Previous Feuds
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H
Randy Orton: Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho

THE JEOPARDOUS ULTIMATUM FOR RIC FLAIR (10 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Mr. Kennedy, after concluding his feud with Shawn Michaels last week, fought Brian Kendrick this week in singles competition. The match didn't last too long, and Mr. Kennedy won after delivering his Mic Check maneuver. After the match, a microphone dropped from the ceiling so that Kennedy could cut a short promo. He told the crowd that he asked Regal not to include him in the Elimination Chamber Match. "I wanted something that would have a little more historic value. You know, something that nobody else has been able to do so far," Kennedy said. His goal is to kill Flair's career at No Way Out. Flair then stepped onto the stage and wished Kennedy luck.

Flair's character has held a unique disposition as of late. Since WWE's handling of the Flair storyline almost seems dismissive, The Nature Boy has almost covered for them in the sense that he's appeared almost indifferent about it too. Of course, WWE is likely intending that to be the case, so they are doing a fine job here. The problem is that everybody questioned whether WWE could possibly carry this Ric Flair angle for more than four months leading into WrestleMania. It was inevitably going to lull toward the middle period. So to complement the lack of real enthusiasm about it, they are having Flair hold an almost skeptical, flippant attitude as well.

When MVP or Mr. Kennedy get serious about taking Flair out for good, Ric prances out and wishes them luck. He's either confident that he can win or he wants somebody to beat him soon. The former assumption probably has more merit. In any case, it's an almost ingenious way for WWE to handle the situation. By having Flair seem so laid back, it gives the audience a chance to relax as well. His promos basically give the impression that he's not worried and that viewers shouldn't be either.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Ric Flair: n/a

HORNSWOGGLE vs. MR. McMAHON (21 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

The bitter Chairman of WWE met with his son backstage to admonish him for losing the Royal Rumble. He told Hornswoggle that he didn't come back like a McMahon. "You came back a loser! A loser!" screamed McMahon angrily. And that was it for this week.

Well, these little scenes can certainly add up. Now they've introduced the idea that Hornswoggle let his father down. All of it seems to be heading in a particular direction, a direction that leads to Finlay. They should really consider revealing the deal that Finlay has with McMahon in the near future because people are going to either lose interest or become frustrated with it. It would probably be a safe bet to assume that Finlay will eventually feud with McMahon over the situation with Hornswoggle caught in the middle.

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

Previous Feuds
Mr. McMahon: Bobby Lashley, Triple H, Hornswoggle

CHRIS JERICHO vs. JBL (7 weeks)

Chris Jericho had a backstage interview with Todd Grisham about the new side of Y2J that appeared at the Royal Rumble last weekend. Jericho said, "A new Chris Jericho did emerge, and I like that Chris Jericho. I want to get to know that Chris Jericho, spend a little time with that Chris Jericho. And that Chris Jericho wants to spend a little more time with JBL." That promo was meant to hype the tag match for later in the show.

For whatever reason, this particular feud feels stale. The most likely reason is that it went from being about practically nothing to being extremely personal within such a short amount of time. The audience was never pulled into the story, so we're just observing everything at some distance. That's probably what's hurting the rivalry. Both Jericho and JBL are great talkers, and both guys have the star power to get people invested in their matches, but there's an underlying flaw to the storyline that's corroding the overall credibility. Does anyone really believe that JBL viciously choked Jericho with that cable wire and addressed Y2J's children on the air simply because Jericho was thrown into him by Randy Orton at Armageddon? It's a ridiculous line of reasoning that WWE is trying to have us accept.

Perhaps the real solution is to use their mic abilities to address a past that we don't yet know about. Maybe Jericho can brief us on what truly happened at Armageddon (before the event started). Jericho could explain a situation that led to some high tension that night. And when he bumped into JBL in his match, it was the last straw. If they did it right—in other words, if it were believable—then people may be more inclined to support the feud. There's something about JBL that's inherently annoying and anger-inducing, but even a character like that needs to act logically in order for us to buy into things. His kicking Jericho at Armageddon for bumping into him was certainly not logical, and the subsequent follow-up soon became incredibly weak.

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

Previous Feuds
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton
JBL: n/a

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES (10 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

This feud kicked off with a tag team divas match this week featuring Ashley and Mickie James versus Jillian and Beth Phoenix. The match saw The Glamazon get another victory over Mickie James after her fisherman's suplex. Ashley never even got to tag into the match. Disappointment again overwhelmed Mickie.

WWE has set up the storyline perfectly after last week's Mickie breakdown. Now it's just a matter of playing it up for a few weeks leading into No Way Out and possibly beyond. At one point, Mickie's going to have to do something, perhaps stipulating something to motivate herself. Until then, they'll just be coasting for awhile with this storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle
Mickie James: Melina

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) & CARLITO vs. World Tag Team Champions HARDCORE HOLLY & CODY RHODES (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, it was Carlito versus Cody Rhodes in singles competition. Carlito managed to get the pinfall victory after hitting his Back Stabber while Santino provided some distraction at ringside. Jim Ross summed up the story well by saying that in the last two weeks, Carlito has beaten both of the World Tag Team Champions.

At this point, it's difficult to predict what will likely happen. We have a team of champions that certainly have a past with one another; it's even clear that Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes respect each other. However, a new, eclectic heel tandem has entered the scene and is causing some major problems.

There are many elements on which you can base analysis here: The characters are entertaining and varying; the idea that the new World Tag Team Champions are faltering at the hands of Carlito and Santino is moderately compelling; the whole subplot with Santino, Maria, and Playboy is interesting; and the history between Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly—a history that is constantly questioned and referenced when tensions between the two arise—gives some nice backstory strength to the overall feud.

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

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga, Ron Simmons, Val Venis, Steve Austin
Carlito: Triple H
London & Kendrick: Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Shawn Michaels vs. Mr. Kennedy


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Snitsky & Umaga vs. Triple H & Shawn Michaels
(2) Mr. Kennedy vs. Brian Kendrick
(3) Maria vs. Melina


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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