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By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
April 28, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Judgment Day (third-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the thirty-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 TRIPLE H vs. RANDY ORTON (5 weeks)

After footage aired recapping the events in Backlash's main event, Triple H walked to the ring brandishing his new WWE Championship. He began by saying that the Age of Orton is officially over. After a couple of minutes talking about how "The Game is back," Orton's music rudely interrupted him. Orton said, "You do not get a victory speech." The former WWE Champion talked about how he was better than Triple H and how the Age of Orton is not over. He threatened to evoke his rematch clause at Judgment Day. When Triple H had enough of Orton's bloviating, he floored him with a microphone. Orton rolled out of the ring, and in his anger, he made a change of plans: instead of evoking his title match at the next PPV, he wanted the rematch on Raw.

In the main event, Orton faced Triple H for the WWE Title. The match went pretty long, but toward the end, Triple H caught Orton in a Crossface. Suddenly, they cut to William Regal in the control room. He told them that the fans don't deserve to see the conclusion of the WWE Title match and that they should cut the live video. When nobody seemed to be listening, he got angry and began yelling. Everything then went black, but the audio of Ross and Lawler remained for a minute or so as the match continued. The results of the Orton-Triple H match were never broadcasted.

The opening segment of the show was particularly strong this week as it refocused the feud from an Orton-Cena-JBL-Triple H problem to simply an Orton-Triple H issue. There is a nice mix of stories here. Triple H is now the confident champion who is looking to reign supreme, while Orton is trying to claw his way back to the top as the confident, yet slightly desperate former champion. A singles match between these two with the title on the line has a lot of potential. As for the conclusion of the show, I'm one of those people who subscribe to the idea that a trick like that can be effective, interesting, and entertaining so long as it remains rare and is continued with strong follow-up next Monday. Let's see how this one progresses; it's really too early to judge how well this one is building.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7

Previous Feuds
Randy Orton: Dusty & Cody Rhodes, John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Cena & Triple H
Triple H: King Booker, Umaga, Jeff Hardy, Orton & JBL

JOHN CENA vs. JBL (5 weeks)

JBL had a short squash match against Robbie McAllister. The match ended when JBL hit Robbie with a hard Clothesline from Hell for the victory. After the match, Layfield walked to the announcers' desk and put on a headset. He told Ross and Lawler that he was going to take his torch back, and he wanted revenge against the man who took him out of the WWE Title match at Backlash: John Cena. He also said he was going to challenge the winner of the WWE Championship match later in the show.

Well, this segment clearly implied that John Cena would be in for a battle against JBL in the coming weeks. Cena, of course, was absent this week, but Layfield threw down the challenge. It will be interesting to see how WWE frames this because JBL also noted that he was going to challenge the WWE Champion again. Will this somehow work its way into the main event feud again, or will Cena and JBL fight for contention to the WWE Championship? The storyline here is somewhat built-in; it stems from the title match at Backlash where JBL lost due to Cena's STFU. Both of these guys could put on a great feud if given the time. It also has a great upside to Layfield, who can once again garner the perception of a main-eventer after months in Raw's midcard (with the exception of the few weeks leading into Backlash). There's no question that anyone who faces John Cena one-on-one is going to benefit from it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
JBL: Chris Jericho, Finlay, Triple H & Orton
John Cena: Edge, Umaga, Bobby Lashley, Orton & Triple H

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. CHRIS JERICHO (5 weeks)

Chris Jericho held a special edition of the Highlight Reel where he was awarding a prize to the best actor in WWE. The nominees included Mr. Fuji as a doctor, Michael Cole in the disturbing scene with John Heidenreich, and Shawn Michaels in his Backlash match against Batista for faking a knee injury. Jericho read a card that named HBK the winner of the prestigious prize, so he called out Michaels to accept the award. Michaels hobbled to the ring. Jericho told him to give up the act since he's won the Backlash match. HBK said he was hurt. Jericho insisted that Michaels give up the act and tell Batista and all the fans what he had done; Michaels stood in silence as the crowd began an "HBK" chant. Jericho then said that Michaels didn't have to say anything because he is the Daniel Day-Lewis of WWE. Y2J then told them to hit HBK's music as he walked to the back. Michaels looked really angry.

This feud has a lot of potential. Jericho came off like a real jerk this week, and his whole involvement has been built nicely. When he first butted into things between HBK and Batista, he looked far too intrusive. Did he really have a place psychoanalyzing Michaels and Batista? They didn't think so, which is why they both hit their finishing moves on him. Now he's making light of Michaels's possible injury. The great part is that there is some truth to it; Michaels did find the ability to use the leg without much difficulty for the Super Kick on Batista at Backlash. Fans chanted HBK, so people seem to be behind him whether he's faking or not. The only uncertainty at this point is whether Batista will somehow be involved in this one. So far, however, a feud between Michaels and Jericho is a strong concept.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker, Umaga
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Money in the Bank

MR. KENNEDY vs. WILLIAM REGAL (1 week)

William Regal sat in a throne in center ring for the official coronation ceremony for the King of the Ring winner. He dispelled the rumor that he would be leaving his position as GM of Raw now that he's the King of all the WWE, claiming that he's earned both titles and intends to keep them. Regal went on to say, "As General Manager and King, I have now become the most powerful entity in the entire WWE." He went on to talk about how our xenophobia will force us to dislike him, but everyone, including all the superstars of WWE, will have to respect him.

Suddenly, Mr. Kennedy's music hit, and he made his return to argue with Regal. Kennedy talked about how he wasn't even invited to participate in the tournament, and if he had, he would have won it. He went on to say that he "would love nothing more than to challenge [Regal] one-on-one to find out who the real King is." After screaming his signature catchphrase, Mr. Kennedy quickly found that Regal had heard enough. Regal swiftly punched Kennedy in the face, leveling him. Both men then attacked one another in a brawl, which required WWE officials to run to the ring to help separate them.

This rivalry has begun in a really heated fashion. It's a great way to reintroduce Mr. Kennedy (this time as a babyface). Regal is on a roll lately, so Kennedy arrived just in time. And Kennedy's argument—that he didn't even get invited to participate in the King of the Ring tournament—is a strong one. This could really turn into the most powerful upper-midcard feud on Raw. Perhaps a strong continuation would be for Regal to put his crown on the line (or his position as GM) against Kennedy so that both men end up with some form of mass power, despite the fact that we don’t really know what actual benefits one can reap from being King of WWE. In any event, that would eventually turn this into something huge, with both men battling using physical force as well as influential or occupational force. Undoubtedly, this particular feud has awesome potential, and using the GM and King positions as stipulations would add a lot of merit to a rivalry already harnessed by strong personalities.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6.5

Previous Feuds
Mr. Kennedy: Jeff Hardy, Shawn Michaels
William Regal: n/a

WWE Women's Champion MICKIE JAMES & MARIA & CHERRY & MICHELLE McCOOL & KELLY KELLY & ASHLEY vs. BETH PHOENIX & MELINA & VICTORIA & NATALYA & JILLIAN & LAYLA (2 weeks)

This week, WWE held a Backlash rematch featuring all twelve divas in the big tag team match at the PPV. However, this time the babyface team made a comeback when Mickie James rolled up Jillian with a bridge for the three count. After the match, the babyfaces celebrated at ringside as the heels sneered angrily at them from the ring.

Continuing a large group versus group feud between more than half of WWE's divas could be really entertaining so long as they break it up at the same time. If all twelve appeared on Raw and Smackdown every week, it could get old, but if they separated into announced factions, it could add something new to a division that doesn't quite have much direction at the moment. Victoria and Natalya already have an ongoing rivalry with Michelle McCool and Cherry on Smackdown, while Phoenix, the leader of the heel team, is clearly being pitting against Mickie James, who leads the babyfaces. So, there are a few divas—Maria, Kelly Kelly, Ashley, Melina, Jillian, and Layla—who are lacking a real place at the moment. Both teams now have a win, which may be indicative of a continuation here, but this whole breakdown doesn't really help in predicting what comes next.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Mickie James: Melina, Beth Phoenix
Maria: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Santino Marella
Cherry: Victoria & Natalya
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo, Victoria & Natalya
Kelly Kelly: Miz, Layla, Victoria
Ashley: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Santino Marella
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James
Melina: Candice Michelle
Victoria: Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool & Cherry
Natalya: Michelle McCool & Cherry
Jillian: n/a
Layla: Kelly Kelly

SANTINO MARELLA & CARLITO vs. World Tag Team Champions HARDCORE HOLLY & CODY RHODES (4 weeks)

Santino came to the ring accompanied by his tag team partner, Carlito. He briefly talked about Italian stereotypes and how he hated New Jersey before Cody Rhodes and Hardcore Holly walked to the ring for a singles match between Santino and Cody. The match ended when Cody Rhodes managed to hit a DDT on Santino for the decisive victory. Ross referred to Rhodes as a "very talented rookie." After the match, Cody Rhodes grabbed a mic. He began to address Santino, but Carlito snuck up behind him and delivered a Backstabber. Hardcore Holly jumped into the ring, so Carlito and Santino bolted.

This was another week where the heels managed to outsmart the babyfaces despite losing the actual match. The feud has elapsed for a month now, and it is just beginning to feel like things are starting to move. It's interesting that Cody's finisher is a normal DDT, but not necessary bad. As I've always said, these guys have the personality to put on a strong feud; it's just a matter of giving them some mic time. Last week, they allowed Cody to speak, which yielded some nice results. He and Santino can certainly carry this thing on the mic. However, there is some work to be done here, but I guess you have to look at it like a feud that isn't really being given as much attention as Raw's top storylines.

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

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga, Ron Simmons, Val Venis, Steve Austin, Maria
Carlito: Triple H, Money in the Bank
Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes: Santino Marella & Carlito

LANCE CADE vs. TREVOR MURDOCH (3 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

This week, Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch faced Paul London and Brian Kendrick in tag team competition. Cade hit Kendrick with a hard clothesline to the back of the head before tagging in Murdoch. However, within seconds, Kendrick was able to beat Murdoch with a schoolboy for the win. After the match, Cade looked at Murdoch angrily. Murdoch then went to ringside, grabbed a mic, jumped onto the announce table, and started singing a country song to Lance Cade, who looked on with confusion. After Murdoch's song about drowning his sorrows in beer and knowing people in low places, Lance Cade walked up the ramp, leaving his partner looking sad at ringside.

Well, this one gets stranger by the day. Despite Cade and Murdoch facing London and Kendrick each week, this storyline clearly lies between Cade and Murdoch and their shaky partnership. Murdoch appears like a sympathetic figure who tries, but ultimately fails to win his matches. And Cade doesn't look too terrible; he's getting frustrated with Murdoch's losses, but he hasn't quite blown up yet. The implosion of a tag team should be done gradually, and WWE is making the right move by drawing this out. What does Cade make of Murdoch's song? Well, you'll have to find out next week. That's how it should be. Eventually, this one will get heated, and both men can probably benefit from singles pushes.

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

Previous Feuds
Trevor Murdoch: n/a
Lance Cade: n/a


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) JBL vs. Robbie McAllister
(2) Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch vs. Paul London & Brian Kendrick
(3) Santino Marella vs. Roddy Piper
(4) 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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