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By Chris Newth, Torch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
February 11, 2008
Upcoming PPV: No Way Out (last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the twenty-sixth 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 (3 weeks)

They began this week's main event hype with a video package highlighting the recent past between these two competitors. In October of 2007, Orton took out Cena with an injury (an injury that was technically suffered during Cena's match with Mr. Kennedy) when he landed an RKO on the announce table. Four months later, Cena made his triumphant return at the Royal Rumble, where he entered at number 30 and threw Triple H over the top rope for the victory.

Later in the show, Mark Henry was set to face John Cena in a singles match. Orton made an appearance on commentary, and he began the segment by saying, "JR, Mark Henry's just going to make my job that much easier come this Sunday at No Way Out when I beat John Cena and retain my WWE Championship." The match ended when Cena hit a shoulder block from the second rope before applying his STFU for the easy win. Mark Henry immediately tapped. After the match, Cena jumped to ringside to tell Orton that he is 100% (presumably health-wise). He told Orton that his plan didn't work. He said that he was more focused than ever because somebody else was the hunted this time. Strong passion from Cena here.

The way this feud has been booked so far, it really leaves the No Way Out finish up in the air. There are various reasons why either man should win. For Randy Orton, the reasoning is simple. He's been the champion this long, and John Cena just arrived a few weeks ago. If Orton loses to Cena this week, he'll look relatively weak; he'll be a placeholder champion. However, John Cena needs a win too. He just returned, and if he can't defeat Randy Orton, where does he go from here?

The storyline revolves around the idea that John Cena returned from an injury, an injury for which he blames Randy Orton. Orton, on the other hand, has been sitting comfortably as champion since Cena left, and he wants to beat Cena to prove that he's as good as he says he is. Another element of the story is Cena's health status. A few weeks ago, Cena gave Orton the opportunity to defend the belt early while he wasn't 100%. Now it seems clear that he is perfectly ready to challenge The Legend Killer, and Orton's advantage has shrunk precipitously.

Overall, it's been a moderately compelling stretch of TV, but it just seems too short to amount to much when considering a conclusion at No Way Out. WWE tried to downplay this brevity by incorporating the past between Orton and Cena. Their last feud was very lengthy, but now that months have gone by without Cena present on the show, it seems like their problems are very surface-based. For whatever reason, all the tension and drama that has been built into this rivalry over months of feuding and months of rehab isn't showing here. Cena's passionate, but more time might be required in order to foster the intensity this feud deserves. Unfortunately, time isn't something WWE has when it comes to this storyline; by Monday, a new challenger (and perhaps champion) will be heading to WrestleMania.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [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 (3 weeks)

JBL started things off with a one-on-one matchup against his ongoing rival, Chris Jericho. They replayed footage from the Royal Rumble depicting a bloody Jericho choking JBL with a cable cord in retaliation for what had occurred on television a few weeks prior. Surprisingly, the match ended when Jericho pinned JBL cleanly after delivering his Code Breaker finisher. But there was no time to celebrate. Umaga quickly ambushed Jericho. He then unexpectedly gave Layfield a Samoan Spike to dispel the notion of teamwork in the Elimination Chamber.

With Triple H unable to appear on the show, the only two participants left in the Chamber Match on Sunday were Jeff Hardy and Shawn Michaels, and they went head-to-head in Raw's main event. The lengthy match ended in a protracted series of moves. HBK's Sweet Chin Music was effectively blocked and countered by a Twist of Fate. Hardy followed it up with an immediate Swanton Bomb for the undeniable three count. Ross did a perfect job with his exhilarating tone to make this Hardy win a huge deal as he hyped the Elimination Chamber Match at No Way Out.

One of the benefits to the Elimination Chamber hype is that they can break it down into multiple matches in order to promote the same event at the PPV. In this case, they took two main-event level matchups (JBL-Jericho and Hardy-Michaels) and used them as opportunities to sell their upcoming pay-per-view. Each bout was strong, and the finishes were both surprising and exciting.

As far as storylines are concerned, it looks like they are pulling the plug on JBL-Jericho after a very weak beginning. Jericho's clean victory this week likely signifies WWE's conclusion to their feud. Beyond that, storylines don't hold particular importance here; the Elimination Chamber is about six men who are willing to step into a torturous structure in order to vie for a WWE Title Match. You don't need much more of a selling point than that.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 8 [up 1.5 since last week]

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 (12 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

Mr. Kennedy entered the ring with mic in hand. He reminded fans that he gave Ric Flair one week to consider forfeiting the PPV match and retiring on the spot. Flair soon arrived to announce that he would never forfeit his match and that he was confident that he would beat Kennedy at No Way Out. Kennedy maintained a mocking tone throughout the segment, while Flair appeared cool and collected. After Flair finished his speech, Kennedy hit a low dropkick on Flair's bad knee, sending The Nature Boy to the mat in agony.

WWE did a nice job this week when it came to handling the Ric Flair angle. Three things in particular helped make the segment successful: the commentary, the promo exchange, and the dropkick to Flair's knee. In terms of commentary, it was nice to hear Jerry Lawler point out the importance of every Flair match. He even mentioned the pressure that Flair was under each time he wrestled. In the past couple of months, Flair's potential retirement has been downplayed by announcers, so this change was welcoming. Also great was the verbal exchange between Kennedy and Flair. The strength of promos here is something that should have been expected. Both guys have proven to be great on the mic.

And finally, the dropkick at the end (and subsequent mock pity expressed by Kennedy) was a strong way to continue from here. When Flair refused to forfeit, Kennedy took a cheap shot. WWE didn't neglect to incorporate the leg injury Flair suffered at the hands of MVP on Smackdown, which was a smart move. Flair has always had challenges when fighting opponents during this retirement stipulation, but the added leg disadvantage makes his pending match with Mr. Kennedy all the more interesting.

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

Previous Feuds
Ric Flair: n/a

HORNSWOGGLE vs. MR. McMAHON (23 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Raw opened with the No Disqualification Match between Mr. McMahon and Hornswoggle. The end saw Finlay interfere with a shillelagh shot to McMahon's noggin, allowing Hornswoggle to pin The Chairman after his signature splash from the top rope.

Mr. McMahon was shown backstage being attended to by medics. He told William Regal to prepare dismissal papers because he intended to fire Finlay. Later in the back, Regal offered to beat Finlay to a pulp and drag him to Mr. McMahon so that he could sign the termination papers, but McMahon had a change of heart. He said that firing Finlay would be too good to him; instead, McMahon booked a match for next week: Hornswoggle vs. Mr. McMahon in a Steel Cage.

This is the most protracted feud in WWE at the moment, and they are finally attempting a physical confrontation between McMahon and his son. After months of build, Hornswoggle was able to beat his father with some help from his buddy Finlay. The timing for this is probably impeccable. WWE is going to use Hornswoggle in the most strategic way possible so that they can help propel a stronger feud heading into WrestleMania. It looks like Hornswoggle will be used now to spark some type of aggressive altercation between McMahon and Finlay in the coming weeks.

The story here is pretty straightforward. McMahon is having problems with his son that probably stem from the disappointment he felt when Hornswoggle was first announced as his child. Finlay, who's been with Hornswoggle from the beginning, is caught in the middle. For weeks, The Fighting Irishman has been battling to protect his friend from the likes of Khali on Smackdown and Mr. McMahon on Raw. This coming Monday, he won't be able to continue his role as the great protector as Hornswoggle will be stuck inside a steel cage. It's an interesting dynamic that works because WWE has put so much time into it, and next week will mark the beginning of a new stage in the feud.

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

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

WWE Women's Champion BETH PHOENIX vs. MICKIE JAMES (12 weeks w/ 3 weeks hiatus)

This show curiously didn't include Phoenix or Mickie James in any match or in any backstage vignette. The feud was just beginning to pick up, and this off-week certainly didn't do anything for them.

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

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle
Mickie James: Melina

MARIA vs. MELINA? (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Melina entered the arena flanked by her friend Jillian Hall, while Santino Marella accompanied his girlfriend, the lovely Maria. Melina and Maria went one-on-one as Santino spoke negatively about his girlfriend's potential appearance in an upcoming edition of Playboy. Just when it looked like Maria was going to pull off another victory over Melina, Jillian got on the mic at ringside and starting screaming (singing?). When she obtained everyone's attention, she mauled Santino with a long kiss. A disconcerted Maria was distracted, which gave Melina the opportunity to roll her up for the sneaky victory. After the match, Santino told Maria that she had one week to choose: Santino or Playboy. He gave her some food for thought with a passionate kiss before exiting.

This might be a stretch, but I decided to list it as a feud nevertheless. Two weeks ago, Maria fought Melina in singles competition, and this week she faced the same opponent. It's likely a mini-feud intended to promote Maria's upcoming issue of Playboy, but the Santino angle of the story gives the impression that the real importance lies in that particular relationship. Santino put forth an interesting ultimatum, and Maria has a tough decision to make. It's strange that WWE is deciding to break this couple apart, especially considering the storyline possibilities.

When these two began dating, I thought that it would be great for WWE to play off of Maria's stupidity gimmick by having her date this heel simply because he talked her into it. Over time, Maria could begin to see that Santino wasn't so good after all, that he was only a smooth talker. It could have been a parable about how Maria used her heart to eventually see Santino for who he truly is since she isn't particularly intelligent. What a great message that could have been.

To end this with Santino just giving her an ultimatum may make her look strong in that she's choosing something else over him, but it doesn't account for the months that she's been with him. Plus, WWE has been playing down the whole dumb diva gimmick in Maria's character lately, so her love for a heel Santino has been completely unexplained despite Ross and Lawler consistently questioning it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Maria: n/a
Melina: Mickie James, Candice Michelle

SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Maria) & CARLITO vs. World Tag Team Champions HARDCORE HOLLY & CODY RHODES (6 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Unfortunately, nothing was done on this episode of Raw to further the storyline between these two teams.

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

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

PAUL BURCHILL

This week, Burchill made his Raw debut with his sister, Katie Lea. Katie handled the introductions by saying, "All my life, all I've ever wanted, all that's ever made me happy is to watch my brother Paul inflict pain on others." When Paul got on the mic, he said, "Whatever Katie wants, Katie always gets." His opponent for the night was Brian Kendrick, and the match ended when Burchill viciously forced Kendrick's chest and head into the mat before landing a swinging neckbreaker.

Generally, I would put a starting act like this in the potential feud section until a credible opponent enters the picture for a solid rivalry, but the development in Burchill's character has already begun, and the gimmick is different and controversial. Let's remember that WWE pulled the plug on his last gimmick on Smackdown when he appeared each week as a pirate. Now he's back with a new manager, his sister. Even if you didn't know the plans for this story, it was heavily hinted in Paul's debut episode.

Katie started the promo by referring to her brother as "beautiful." During the match, Lawler said, "Katie seems to be quite enamored with her brother." The suggestions—the implied sexual connection between the two—was handled quite bluntly from the get-go. And since the sexuality pervaded the segment so heavily, Ross and Lawler were constantly throwing the word "sister" and "brother" into the mix to remind viewers that they were not just lovers.

Personally, controversial storylines can be intriguing, so I look forward to how WWE handles it. But breaking it down too much would be premature since a short segment on one show is too little to base any meaningful analysis. The only critique that I have so far is that it may have behooved WWE to take this one much more slowly. Why not establish them as siblings here and then gradually introduce sexual hints? At least they are saving the inevitable kiss for later.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Paul Burchill: n/a


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Santino vs. Maria
(2) Paul Burchill vs. ?


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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