By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
November 10, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (second-to-last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-third 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 CHRIS JERICHO vs. SHAWN MICHAELS (32 weeks w/ 5 weeks hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-After another video package on John Cena played, Chris Jericho mocked Cena's return, hyped his match with Shawn Michaels, and predicted a win at Survivor Series.

-Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels in an intense Last Man Standing Match to close the show. After Michaels hit Sweet Chin Music on Jericho, JBL clobbered an unsuspecting HBK in the head with a steel chair. Jericho then managed to pull himself up before the ref's ten count to win.

Analysis:

Assuming Stephanie was right, this week marks the end of an incredibly lengthy Raw rivalry. The feud itself stretched eight months in total, and it maintained its impressive intrigue throughout most of it. The culmination of it all was a nice bout on TV in a Last Man Standing Match. Of course, we now know where each of them are headed: Michaels has a new score to settle with JBL, while Jericho looks to defend his title against a returning John Cena at Survivor Series.

WWE got what they wanted out of this storyline, and it looked to be simply fading away anyway. If you asked me last week, I would have told you that it had ended subtly and silently already. But Stephanie created a theme to the show as a whole, suggesting that WWE was revving up into a new era, and thus long-running feuds had to be put to bed. Overall, this feud ended on a really nice note despite JBL's interference; it was much better than whimpering out into nothingness. On a side note, it will be interesting to see how many existing feuds wind up on next week's Raw Storylines and Feuds list. How many rivalries won't experience complete closure?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 10 [same since 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

RANDY ORTON vs. BATISTA (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Batista walked to the ring to invoke his rematch clause, but a satellite feed of Stephanie McMahon rained on his proverbial parade by announcing that the rematch could not be granted until after Survivor Series.

-Stephanie also noted that long-lasting Raw rivalries would be ending so that a new era can begin.

-Randy Orton then crashed the scene to tell Batista that he would have to wait in line for a title opportunity once John Cena has his chance. Batista challenged Orton to a match, and it was accepted.

-Batista tried to sneak in a Batista Bomb on Orton, but Orton managed to slither out of the ring.

-Cody Rhodes eventually wrestled in Orton's stead, and he lost to Batista decisively.

Analysis:

I describe this situation more in-depth later in the Randy Orton vs. Cody Rhodes section, but I will note that a Batista-Orton feud, although potentially powerful, may be extracting too much focus from the situation between Orton and Rhodes. The intensity and intrigue existent between Orton and Rhodes has been built so deliberately over the past few months that it seems foolish to dump that for an Orton-Batista program. And if Batista played a continual role in an Orton-Rhodes feud, it could dilute what's there. Would it be harmful to hold the Batista-Orton rivalry off for a little while until the Orton-Rhodes dispute is settled?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7

Previous Feuds
Randy Orton: John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Cena & Triple H, Triple H
Batista: Great Khali, Undertaker, MVP, Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Edge, CM Punk, John Cena

SHANE McMAHON vs. STEPHANIE McMAHON (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Stephanie made an executive decision to finalize a few long-running Raw rivalries, but Shane never appeared.

Analysis:

Nothing to really discuss here. I'd assume the lack of involvement by the McMahons hinged on the fact that Raw took place overseas this week.

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

Previous Feuds
Shane McMahon: n/a
Stephanie McMahon: n/a

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. JBL (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In Raw's main event, JBL floored Michaels with a sneaky chair shot, allowing Chris Jericho to defeat his longtime rival in their Last Man Standing Match.

Analysis:

Here is Raw's new budding feud, and Shawn Michaels should be able to propel JBL back into one of Raw's top heel spots if this storyline is handled with care. The premise of the rivalry—JBL's anger at HBK for screwing him out of a potentially lucrative position as WWE Champion—remains strong, but they should return to that aspect of the story once in a while to help keep it grounded. Michaels has more reason than ever to be infuriated at Layfield after this week's events, so the playing field is now even. It's technically been rolling for three weeks, but now that the proverbial slate has been wiped clean for Shawn Michaels, expect this feud to kick into the next gear beginning Monday night.

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

Previous Feuds
Shawn Michaels: Randy Orton, Mr. Kennedy, Ric Flair, Batista & Jericho
JBL: Chris Jericho, Finlay, Triple H & Orton, John Cena, CM Punk

REY MYSTERIO vs. KANE (14 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-In a backstage promo, Kane eagerly anticipated his upcoming No Disqualification Match with Rey Mysterio; he promised to continue the torment.

-Mysterio managed to beat The Big Red Machine after using the ring and concrete floor to gradually take the monster out.

Analysis:

During the show, this feud as well as the Jericho-Michaels feud were described as the final confrontations between the respective rivals, so it will be interesting to see if their issues proceed to next week and beyond. Kane's backstage promo was shot in such a way that it looked choppy. That's a good camera trick to use in order to provide subliminal character clues. The result of such a look can make Kane appear jarring or unstable as a person. It was almost physically uncomfortable to watch. Hmm, now I'm wondering if all of that jumpiness was just poor quality by my cable service. Anyone else notice that?

In any case, I do wonder why the lighting in that scene was so bright for him. And the match itself, which ended after a few spots that took advantage of the no DQ stipulations, felt like a decent end to their 14-week storyline. Rey Mysterio came out on top with a clear victory against the man who has been tormenting him for the past several months. But where does this put each of them, assuming the end was definitively set this week?

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

Previous Feuds
Rey Mysterio: Chavo Guerrero, Finlay, MVP, Edge
Kane: Shelton Benjamin, Chuck Palumbo, Chavo Guerrero, Miz & Morrison, Mark Henry

RANDY ORTON vs. CODY RHODES (w/ Manu) (6 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Rhodes and Manu met with Orton in the locker room to inform him that Ted DiBiase suffered a severe concussion thanks to Orton's punt kick last week. When Orton said that they weren't in his league, Cody slapped him across the face.

-As the Orton-Batista match was set to take place, Cody Rhodes interrupted, claiming that he's better than both Randy Orton and Batista. He then announced that he would be facing Batista instead to prove it. Orton didn't seem to mind.

-The match ended when Batista pinned Rhodes after hitting the Batista Bomb for the victory.

-After the match, The Animal slowly approached Orton, who was standing on the stage. Orton just as slowly retreated to the back to avoid further confrontation.

Analysis:

The stage has been nicely set for a feud between Orton and Cody Rhodes, although WWE may have other plans in mind. There's also room for an Orton-DiBiase revenge storyline in the future when DiBiase's character recovers. But all of this might just be continued backstory as Orton really prepares to face Batista in an upcoming feud. It doesn't seem logical that WWE would deliberately downplay or ignore the tensions and issues that they've spent so much time building in the last few months between Cody Rhodes and Randy Orton, but perhaps they're facing another problem: Batista once again has nothing to do.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [up 1 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Randy Orton: John Cena, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, Jeff Hardy, Cena & Triple H, Triple H
Ted DiBiase, Jr.: Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes, Cryme Tyme
Cody Rhodes: Santino Marella & Carlito, Ted DiBiase, Jr., Cryme Tyme

KELLY KELLY vs. JILLIAN HALL (5 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

No sign of Kelly or Jillian this week on Raw. Beth Phoenix's storyline with Santino Marella and her defending the Women's Title against Mickie James must have substituted for this feud.

Analysis:

Nothing to analyze. This one is likely over, but that's probably a good thing considering how it wasn't going anywhere.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 2 [down 2 since last week]

Previous Feuds
Kelly Kelly: Mike Knox, Miz, Layla, Victoria
Jillian Hall: n/a

Intercontinental Champion SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Beth Phoenix) vs. WILLIAM REGAL (w/ Layla) (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Santino Marella bragged about holding the Intercontinental Championship for 13 weeks. William Regal, accompanied by Layla, interrupted Santino's speech.

-Regal swiftly defeated Marella after crashing his knee into Santino's skull to become the new IC Champ.

-After the match, Michael Cole interviewed Regal, who proudly said that he would represent England while holding the title.

-Beth met up with Santino to console him in the hallway, but he informed her of some bad news: He angered Shane enough for him to book her in a Women's Title match against Mickie James.

-Santino flanked Beth Phoenix to the ring for her match against Mickie James despite the palpable anger that exuded from Beth to Santino. The match ended when Mickie became distracted by Santino. Beth capitalized by shoving her into the ring post before making the cover for the 1-2-3.

Analysis:

The post-match interview of William Regal was curious because it wasn't clear whether Regal was experiencing a babyface turn or not. Clearly he was pandering to his hometown crowd with pro-England rhetoric, but will that translate into cheers over in the U.S. when he returns with the Intercontinental Title? Santino's run with the title was bound to end at some point; it didn't seem like the current storyline was too compelling anyway. The real question now concerns how effective Regal will be with the title. As for Beth, will her anger for Santino extend into next week despite the fact that he sort of helped her win her Women's Title match?

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

Previous Feuds
Santino Marella: Austin, Maria, Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, Roddy Piper, Kofi Kingston
William Regal: Mr. Kennedy, Jamie Noble


CONCLUDED FEUDS

(1) Chris Jericho vs. Shawn Michaels
(2) Rey Mysterio vs. Kane
(3) Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. Miz & Morrison


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Randy Orton vs. Batista
(2) Charlie Haas vs. ?
(3) Mike Knox vs. D-Lo Brown


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 "Val Venis" so that I know it's not junk mail.

We suggest these recent related articles...

10/5 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Natalya vs. Paige, Owens vs. Cara, Stephanie McMahon, Sasha Banks, Xavier Woods

COLLECTIBLES COLUMN: The History of Foam Hands in Pro Wrestling

9/28 WWE Raw Hits & Misses: Kane's Split Personality, Divas Revolution, Heyman & Big Show, Reigns vs. Wyatt