By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
July 21, 2008
Upcoming PPV: SummerSlam (fourth-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the forty-eighth 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)


World Hvt. Champion CM PUNK vs. BATISTA (3 weeks)

Summary:

Raw kicked off with a promo by Batista where he addressed last Sunday's World Heavyweight Title Match and the interference by Kane. He said that since Shane and Stephanie McMahon were not there, he was putting himself in charge and booking one match: a title rematch against CM Punk. As he continued, JBL cut him off. Layfield said that Batista lost his PPV match, and since he had won his Parking Lot Brawl, the next World Title Match belongs to him. Suddenly, Punk walked to the ring to add his thoughts on the situation. Punk said that Kane ruined his chance to prove that he's not a fluke champion—to prove that Batista is beatable—so he accepted the rematch.

Later in the back, Jericho and Lance Cade were making their way through a door when they unexpectedly ran into the Big Red Machine. Kane simply walked by them silently as the announcers questioned whether Batista was looking for Kane or whether Kane was looking for Batista. Later, Batista ran into Jamie Noble, who was in the middle of flirting with Layla again this week. Noble angered Batista with a comment about dumbbell flies, so the Animal lifted Noble by the neck against a crate and told him to let him know if he sees Kane around.

Even later in the show, Todd Grisham interviewed CM Punk about putting the title on the line again on Raw. Punk said that he would rather lose the title respectfully than hold onto it with technicalities. Then JBL entered from the right of the frame to interrupt the interview. Layfield told Punk that he wanted to wish him luck in his upcoming title match because he would forever be known as an asterisk, a transitional champion. Punk then rebutted with a comment about how his first successful title defense against JBL will forever be in the history books.

Before the main event got underway, Kane showed up (right after Batista's entrance). Both men began to brawl. Kane seemed to get the best of Batista, but then Punk jumped into the fray and knocked Kane out of the ring. After Kane chased a cameraman to the back, the referee asked Batista if he was able to compete. Batista started to argue with Punk, and the match officially began. The match ended when JBL ran to ringside to interfere; Batista left the ring to attack Layfield, prompting the ref to call for the DQ. Cena eventually ran down to the ring for another attack on his rival, JBL, but he accidentally punched Batista. Then, as Santino might put it, a whole new can of soda was opened when Batista and Cena began a brawl that required various officials to stop.

Analysis:

WWE seems to have used this episode of Raw as a transitional one to take certain wrestlers and realign them for a new build to a new pay-per-view: SummerSlam. In many ways, the outcome can be very rewarding. This Punk-Batista feud never really picked up off the ground. Although it's only been a few weeks, it never even hinted at a second phase. The idea of a new Cena-Batista rivalry, however, seems fresh and exciting. Plus, are audiences really going to cheer Punk over Batista at this moment in time (assuming the Animal remains a babyface)? WWE can now get practically every fan on Punk's side by starting a more appropriate Punk-JBL feud.

CM Punk is doing a great job as World Champion; he's especially standing out with his mic work, particularly backstage when interacting with other wrestlers. The confidence and desire to prove himself to others makes his character a really strong and unique babyface. People like Cena and Batista have already made their marks in WWE as multiple-time champions. Now that this newcomer (to the main event level) has achieved the top spot on the show, it's logical that WWE would orchestrate a storyline that addresses the current situation—namely, that some fans are still skeptical of Punk as World Champion and that heels on the roster would undoubtedly question his ability to hang onto the title. And it will take more than top names like Cena and Batista endorsing him as a credible champion. The good news is that he's likely to get the big win he needs since they are continually mentioning that necessity on TV.

As for Batista, he's someone who for whatever reason seems as though he's not fully connected or involved with anything. The last thing he seemed truly connected to was his long-running rivalry with the Undertaker on Smackdown. His short WrestleMania storyline with Umaga, his extended string of feud-less weeks on Smackdown, and his recent work with CM Punk all came off as disconnected. There may exist some challenge in incorporating his character into a storyline that doesn't directly involve a World Title (and in his feud with Punk, it actually did).

Hopefully WWE can generate some really serious animosity and intrigue with the ostensibly upcoming Cena-Batista rivalry. That feud has a great deal of potential, and maybe it will allow Batista to fill in what seems to be missing—that intangible quality of needing to do something whether there's gold involved or not. And he and Cena will have to reignite their problems next week because a single punch, although effective here, cannot sustain hatred long-term. There has to be something underneath, something that clearly existed all along or that has been simmering for some time; it must be explained or revisited next week.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7.5 [same as last week]

Previous Feuds
CM Punk: Elijah Burke, John Morrison, Chavo Guerrero, Morrison & Miz
Batista: Edge, The Great Khali, Undertaker, MVP, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge

JOHN CENA vs. JBL (17 weeks w/ 4 weeks hiatus)

Summary:

At Raw's halfway point, John Cena teamed with Cryme Tyme to face the team of JBL, Ted DiBiase, Jr., and Cody Rhodes. The match saw Cena deliver a double FU on both of the World Tag Team Champions. Cena then covered DiBiase and picked up the big victory. After the match, Cena hugged his dad at ringside and celebrated his win with Cryme Tyme as they made their way to the stage.

Analysis:

The conclusion to Raw may be indicative of a feud reshuffling with Cena apparently angering Batista. This probably means that the awaited Punk-JBL storyline can now click into a new gear. If that's the case, WWE didn't quite do much to finish Cena-JBL with a bang. Cena lost to JBL at the Great American Bash, and this week he won his tag team match by pinning one of JBL's partners. Since WWE hinted that Raw would just continue the ongoing feud between these two long-term rivals, it felt odd that the conclusion to the show featured an opponent switch (Punk now gets to fight JBL while Cena and Batista face off). In any event, the Cena-JBL storyline has extended for months with pretty consistent success; it probably deserves a better ending.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7 [same as last week]

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

CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (17 weeks w/ 2 weeks hiatus)

Summary:

Shawn Michaels's music hit, but it quickly changed to Lance Cade's as Cade made his way to the ring to comment on HBK. He talked about how Michaels used to be his mentor, but that's not the case anymore. Cade then invited Michaels to meet him face-to-face either before, during, or after his matchup. Michaels didn't show, but Paul London did. Cade and London fought in singles competition, and the bout ended when Cade landed a sit-down powerbomb for the win. After the match, he called out Michaels again. When HBK didn't show, Chris Jericho strutted to the ring.

After a commercial break, Jericho told the crowd that Shawn Michaels would not be coming out anytime soon because of what happened at the Great American Bash. Y2J played clips from the Bash showing everyone the way he beat a bloodied Michaels to the point where the ref had to award Jericho the win. "Everything that happened last night is all of your fault," Jericho told the fans. He said that because the fans inspire Michaels, he does things that he shouldn't do (and that's why he's paying the price).

Jericho pounded home the idea that viewers made the choice to side with a liar and an egomaniac. He also mentioned that Michaels will regret his decision to fight Jericho now that he has cracked ribs, internal bleeding, and a detached retina. "And I have no remorse whatsoever," Y2J said. He went on to say that Michaels helped him open his eyes and realize that he doesn’t have to please people who have no morals and no integrity. At the end of the promo, Jericho considered himself saved since he ridded the WWE of Shawn Michaels.

Analysis:

Lance Cade's little introduction and the match that followed was pretty forgettable, especially when we found out later that Shawn Michaels wasn't in attendance. It basically meant, in a retrospective sense, that Cade knew that HBK wasn't going to show and therefore simply used the opportunity to call him out just to sound tough. Paul London could have a lot of potential if WWE decides to incorporate him further in this storyline (perhaps with a sub-feud between him and Cade). If London and Cade got more narrative development, they could be a force in WWE.

As for Chris Jericho's promo, it was another really strong week. Overall, I'd say this particular promo did the best job summing everything up. Jericho was clear and entertaining. He expressed his feelings about Michaels as a person, he ridiculed and blamed the fans, he touted his victory, he updated everyone on HBK's health, and he explained how he's been enlightened. He basically stated in words what people have to read into other characters. It's a really nice angle.

Jericho's ultimate goal was explicitly mentioned in the promo when he said, "And by possibly ending the career of the most corrupt, immoral, disruptive individual in WWE history, I now consider myself saved." What a great heel WWE has on their hands. Edge and Randy Orton have been WWE's strongest heels in the last year; Jericho now sticks out as being equally strong as well as successfully unique in his method of turning everyone's philosophies upside down in order to make himself look like the righteous one. He's like the Stephen Colbert of the wrestling world. Nicely done.

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

Previous Feuds
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Money in the Bank, Shawn Michaels
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair, Batista & Jericho

MR. McMAHON TARGETED (5 weeks)

Summary:

Toward the end of the show, Jerry Lawler said, "Rumor has it that Shane and Stephanie McMahon are looking for a new General Manager for Raw. You think they'll be on the same page or will they have different choices?" Beyond that, no update on or sign of Mr. McMahon and no appearance by Shane or Stephanie occurred this week despite JBL trying to drive a car into John Cena last week.

Analysis:

The big question is why they didn't decide to pull the trigger on this storyline. They've successfully established that things have been spiraling out of control in recent weeks, yet nobody stepped in to change anything on this week's episode. That's curious, especially since the show this week seemed to have mellowed in terms of outrageous behavior.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5 [down 1 since last week]

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

Women's Champion MICKIE JAMES vs. KATIE LEA (2 weeks)

Summary:

This week, Mickie James teamed with Kofi Kingston to fight the sibling tandem of Paul Burchill and Katie Lea. During the bout, Mickie and Katie began fighting at ringside. Paul Burchill grabbed Mickie, lifted her off of Katie, and hurled her to the floor. Kofi then went to kick his opponent, but hit the ring post instead. The match soon concluded with a win for the Burchills when Paul hit a neckbreaker on Kofi as he capitalized on the situation with Kingston's injured leg.

Analysis:

A decent continuation for this double-feud on Raw. After last week's events between these four wrestlers, it seemed pretty obvious that a mixed tag team match was in the works. Although there's not much to say about this particular rivalry just yet, it will be interesting to see how WWE decides to continue it. Will they branch out the storylines separately or will the ultimately package them as a relatively single unit?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Mickie James: Melina, Beth Phoenix
Katie Lea: n/a

Intercontinental Champion KOFI KINGSTON vs. PAUL BURCHILL (w/ Katie Lea) (3 weeks)

Summary:

As mentioned above, Paul and Katie Lea Burchill beat Kofi Kingston and Mickie James when Burchill capitalized on an injured Kofi and scored the win with a neckbreaker.

Analysis:

Hopefully WWE doesn't use the fact that Kofi and Mickie have championships as a reason to consider the feud "full." Many times, it's easy to ignore midcard rivalries that involve a title because some might consider the gold a strong enough element to carry the feud. In this case, you have two titles (the Women's and the Intercontinental) as well as four strong personalities. WWE should capitalize on this combination by incorporating more of a storyline: What are the personal issues involved here? How strong is the friendship between Kofi and Mickie? Other than just to have the titles, why do the Burchills want to win? More promos, interviews, or backstage vignettes would do wonders for this feud; it's chock full of potential.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5.5

Previous Feuds
Kofi Kinston: Shelton Benjamin
Paul Burchill: Mr. Kennedy

World Tag Team Champions TED DIBIASE, JR. & CODY RHODES vs. HACKSAW JIM DUGGAN (2 weeks)

Summary:

Jim Duggan stood in center ring to make an announcement. He was wearing regular clothes instead of his usual ring gear. Duggan said that he was considering retirement after his great 30-year run in wrestling. He said that DiBiase and Rhodes made some sense last week when they talked about how he shouldn't be in WWE anymore if he couldn't get anything done. Jerry Lawler then entered the ring from the announce desk to tell Jim that there's no age limit in WWE. Lawler said that as long as someone's passionate, they can wrestle as long as they want to. The crowd began chanting, "USA, USA," and Duggan admitted that he didn't really want to let it go just yet.

Suddenly, DiBiase and Rhodes entered the ring to confront the legends. DiBiase talked about how Lawler shouldn't be giving Duggan career advice; he made a comment about how Lawler dates women younger than them. Rhodes then brought up the fact that he wasn't even alive when Lawler slapped Andy Kaufman on Letterman's show. Jerry Lawler, wanting to make a statement and anger the champs, used the opportunity to "show" them how the slap went by hitting Rhodes right in the face. Cody immediately erupted in anger, but DiBiase held him back. DiBiase then told Lawler and Duggan that they'd settle their issues another day since they had a big six-man tag team matchup coming up.

Analysis:

It's still uncertain whether WWE plans to place Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes across the ring from Jim Duggan (and Jerry Lawler) or Cryme Tyme. The heels seem to be angering all of them. As for Duggan's promo, it was good in that it made it seem like Ted and Cody actually had the power of influence to change Duggan's mind; however, it was bad in that it only took Jerry Lawler thirty seconds to shift Duggan's opinion right back to its original point. Ted and Cody make a good team, but it would be nice to see more of what they are like when they're backstage. As for their loss in the six-man tag match, it doesn't hurt them. A loss against John Cena after a match of decent length can't really hurt midcarders, even the ones holding titles. Often, just appearing in main event matches helps them.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 5

Previous Feuds
Ted DiBiase, Jr.: Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes
Cody Rhodes: Santino Marella & Carlito, Ted DiBiase, Jr.
Jim Duggan: n/a

SANTINO MARELLA vs. BETH PHOENIX (2 weeks)

Summary:

Santino entered the ring to issue another open challenge to anyone on Raw. He prefaced the promo by saying that he never expected to have to face someone with "fallopian tubes" last week, and that he wanted to face a man this time. Well, D-Lo Brown's music sounded, and he made his way to the ring after a 5-year hiatus from WWE. Right before the Brown-Marella matchup got underway, Beth Phoenix walked down the ramp to observe the action up close. The match ended quite quickly when D-Lo Brown hit the Lo-Down splash from the top rope to score the pinfall.

After the match, Phoenix entered the ring and started to attack Santino; however, Santino eventually clinched her in a body lock. When he let go, she put him in the same hold before letting go. Then he applied it to her again before the scene turned a little awkward. They stood there, unsure of what to do with one another. After a short pause, Santino grabbed her head passionately; she returned the grab before they shared a short kiss. More awkwardness followed as Santino left. Both of them looked pretty confused, yet a little excited about what had just happened.

Analysis:

Interesting shift in the storyline between these two. Santino works great with a variety of people, so this potential relationship could be really entertaining. It will be interesting to see what direction WWE goes with it, especially if they do wind up together. Of course, it's really too early to tell. Their first kiss was well orchestrated, though, with a strong sense that they secretly wanted one another to do exactly what they did.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Umaga, Ron Simmons, Val Venis, Steve Austin, Maria, Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, Roddy Piper
Beth Phoenix: Candice Michelle, Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James, Melina


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) CM Punk vs. Batista?
(2) John Cena vs. JBL?


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Mr. McMahon vs. ?
(2) Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes vs. Cryme Tyme
(3) Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix
(4) Kane vs. Batista
(5) Santino Marella vs. D-Lo Brown
(6) John Cena vs. Batista


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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