Chris Newth, Torch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
February 4, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (second-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-fifth 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 RANDY ORTON vs. JOHN CENA (2 weeks)

The show kicked off with Randy Orton in center ring for a contract signing that would cement No Way Out's main event as a Cena-Orton WWE Championship match. "John Cena's word means nothing to me," Orton stated. That was a clever way to justify the need for a contract signing. Cena showed up with a no-nonsense attitude to quickly sign the contract. Once that was done, Mark Henry charged the ring, which caused enough of a distraction to allow The Legend Killer to blindside Cena with an RKO.

In the last segment of the show, John Cena had to meet The World's Strongest Man in an arm wrestling contest, a dangerous situation for a man who's recovering from a torn pectoral muscle. Henry milked the segment with various complaints before the contest got underway. Once they started, Henry almost had Cena's hand completely down (to set up for the big comeback), but John Cena managed to almost beat his opponent.

Suddenly, before the contest could finish, Randy Orton attacked Cena from behind. Cena then propped Orton up for the FU, but The Legend Killer slithered out of the ring before any damage could be done. Henry then found himself on the wrong end of the FU as Cena lifted him atop his shoulders and slammed him down to the mat. Orton stood stunned on the entrance ramp as Cena stretched his arms to close the show.

The use of Mark Henry on Raw can be a bit disconcerting for those who had hoped WWE would better adhere to its own brand separation (assuming that notion even exists anymore). On the other hand, it's a brilliant strategy to help John Cena regain some footing since returning from injury. The World's Strongest Man has been used as a gigantic jobber for months to people like The Undertaker on Smackdown, so utilizing his size and power as fodder for Cena's resurgence on Raw should be considered an example of intelligent resourcefulness on WWE's part. There isn't anyone on Raw that's as powerful and prominent, yet still capable of taking clean losses without much harm done than Mr. Henry.

The storyline between Orton and John Cena, if broken down into two parts, is ingenious on one side and meager on the other. When thinking about how WWE is treating John Cena, their effort can only be considered brilliant. Here's a main-eventer who has returned after months of rehab to convincingly take over the main event once again. They are using his less-than-100% condition to advance a story where Orton conceivably has the advantage. This week, they put Cena's health to the test when he had to endure a massive strain on his arm and chest in order to compete against Mark Henry in an arm wrestling contest. Next week Cena is set to take on Henry one-on-one. That match has the potential to launch Cena's momentum heading into No Way Out without smearing Orton's credibility.

However, while using Mark Henry as a surrogate is a strong strategy, the weakness of the storyline lies with Randy Orton. Of course WWE is making the right decision to have Cena bury someone else in order to garner momentum in these next few weeks, but that doesn't necessarily do anything positive for the WWE Champion. In fact, all this excitement over Cena's return has pushed Randy Orton to the background once again.

For whatever reason, the WWE Champion isn't standing out as a forceful competitor that must be taken down; instead, he's easily seen as a guy who's holding the title until some top babyface can run with it again. WWE hasn't found the proper niche for him yet. It makes one wonder what we would see if they allowed Orton himself to produce ideas for his character. WWE is on the right track with its handling of John Cena's return, but something new has to happen on the heel side of the equation to spark a better storyline.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [up 0.5 since last week]

Previous Feuds
John Cena: Edge, Umaga, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton
Randy Orton: Dusty Rhodes, Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho

THE PATH TO THE ELIMINATION CHAMBER (2 weeks)

Shawn Michaels danced to the ring to cut a promo about how everyone in the Raw Chamber Match is on notice. It was the same promo that Batista and Undertaker gave a few weeks ago regarding the Royal Rumble Match. Chris Jericho soon interrupted, followed by Jeff Hardy. JBL and Umaga continued the parade of wrestlers. Jim Ross noted that Triple H couldn't make it due to a family emergency, so Snitsky entered last to complain that he was the only one there who hasn't had a shot. Things quickly broke down, prompting William Regal to come out and book a six-person main event tag team contest.

The match itself ended when Jeff Hardy hit a Twist of Fate, followed by a Swanton Bomb on Snitsky for the victory. Ross concluded the segment by praising Hardy and hyping the Raw Elimination Match at the next PPV. "Can you imagine what Jeff Hardy will do to his body inside the Elimination Chamber?" Ross questioned.

This is a storyline of convenience. The Elimination Chamber is a match that is intended to garner PPV buys, and this year WWE is incorporating two of them in a single night. What is noticeably apparent is the star-quality included in each match. Each combatant in the Raw Chamber has either been a world champion or has had world title matches in the past. However, on the Smackdown side, half of the competitors—Big Daddy V, Finlay, and MVP—are not universally considered world title contenders. This discrepancy certainly highlights the unbalanced rosters.

With John Cena and Randy Orton sitting atop the card, this match provides a nice second main event in the coming weeks. It also intensifies the prestige of the WWE Title. What it will do for the Jericho-JBL feud is uncertain, but the amalgamation of this top talent in the same program is another reason to catch Raw on Monday nights.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy
Chris Jericho: JBL
Jeff Hardy: Umaga, Mr. Kennedy, Triple H, Randy Orton
JBL: Chris Jericho
Umaga: Jeff Hardy, Triple H
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy

THE JEOPARDOUS ULTIMATUM FOR RIC FLAIR (11 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

After Mr. Kennedy defeated Super Crazy in what was essentially as squash, he grabbed a microphone from the ceiling and replayed footage from Smackdown where MVP attempted to destroy Ric Flair's knee. Kennedy mocked Flair's injury and invited him to come to Raw next week to forfeit his No Way Out match. "Ric, you can rest assured that you will limp for the rest of your natural born life," Kennedy warned.

This particular feud in Ric Flair's journey to WrestleMania hasn't quite picked up just yet. Kennedy announced his intentions to end The Nature Boy's career last week, and this week's promo only emphasized the same idea. He has yet to even so much as interact with Flair lately, and this single-man hype for a PPV match doesn't do the feud's potential much justice. The angle with Flair's leg injury is a nice additional element that can differentiate his upcoming battle with Mr. Kennedy from his previous contests. Ideally, Flair will appear next week to confront Mr. Kennedy on Raw so that the audience can get a better idea of how this one will take shape come No Way Out.

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

Previous Feuds
Ric Flair: n/a

HORNSWOGGLE vs. MR. McMAHON (22 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

William Regal was talking to Hornswoggle backstage about how he should be proud to become a member of the Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club. Regal even reminded everyone that he was a member of that exclusive group. Later in the back, Mr. McMahon actually had an "ass buffer" working on his billionaire butt.

McMahon entered the ring and started criticizing the audience for not disciplining their children. He accused them of bad parenting because they did not (as far as he's concerned) teach their children tough love. "You can't reason with a child," McMahon said, "they're not adults." They should really reveal how old Hornswoggle is. He turned the cameras to the children in the crowd and said, "Every one of these kids is a spoiled brat." And once you thought that the Mr. McMahon character couldn't get any more ridiculous, he told the parents that they should make their kids kiss their ass. When Hornswoggle arrived, McMahon demanded that he pucker up. Suddenly, Finlay interrupted.

McMahon told both of them to kiss his ass, but Finlay told Hornswoggle to bite Mr. McMahon instead. He did just that, and they left the apoplectic Chairman in the ring. McMahon then announced that next week he would face his son in a No Disqualification Match, and if Finlay gets involved, he would be fired.

Well, this one is unwrapping more and more each week. McMahon finally is taking an active stance against his son. For weeks he's been wavering in a position where his feelings have been unclear. While he's expressed the need for tough love, he's also expressed some concern for Hornswoggle's wellbeing. Tension between he and Finlay has been on a rise in recent months, and now everything is falling apart completely. McMahon's announcement on an upcoming matchup with Hornswoggle suggests that the problems have reached a much more discernible level, which is good in a storyline perspective. WWE has let things boil over long enough here, and it was the right time to move.

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

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

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES (11 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

The odds had been heavily stacked against Mickie James this week as she was in tag team action with two of WWE's strongest divas. The match had Mickie teaming with ECW's Kelly Kelly to take on the team of Victoria and Beth Phoenix. The bout ended with Mickie James hitting a nice-looking tornado DDT using the ropes and turnbuckle for the three count on Victoria. Kelly and Mickie smiled in the ring as The Glamazon retreated up the ramp.

It was nice to see Mickie add a cool move to her repertoire this week. The teaming between Victoria and Beth Phoenix was curious because ECW feuds rarely make it to Raw (where there is no acknowledgment of a talent exchange). Joey Styles had mentioned that Victoria may be the only WWE diva who can match Phoenix in strength, so her inclusion in this particular match was a bit intriguing.

It was a smart idea for Mickie to get the win here. She needs to be seen as someone who is well-qualified to chase the title even though she can't seem to beat the champion. These matches are adequately portraying a story, but WWE should consider some more backstage vignettes or promo time for the people involved.

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 (5 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week featured two tag team matches. The first saw Santino Marella and Carlito steal a victory against Paul London and Brian Kendrick when Carlito was able to nail his Backstabber finisher. Later in the show, Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly defeated Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch when Cody hit his very regular-looking DDT on Murdoch for the three count. After the match, Santino and Carlito showed up to announce that they were officially the Number One Contenders for the World Tag Team Titles.

It was pretty surprising to see the tag team division featured on two separate segments of the show, but those matches were relatively short. Having Carlito and Santino announce their position as Number One Contenders was a smart move; too often we see tag team title matches just given without much notice. As for the people involved, you can't get a more eclectic group. It's an odd mixture of characters, but that's what's entertaining about it. And as of now, the storyline here concerns the title. Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes have been challenged, and a future title match is pending. Let's see how this one plays out now that the challengers have been officially established.

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


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mr. Kennedy vs. Super Crazy


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