By Chris Newth, PWTorch contributor

WWE Monday Night Raw
November 17, 2008
Upcoming PPV: Survivor Series (last episode before PPV)

RAW STORYLINES AND FEUDS

Welcome to the sixty-fourth 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. JOHN CENA (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Jericho met with Stephanie backstage to explain that she has one more week before Raw falls apart with the return of John Cena. He suggested that Cena inherently divides people and that Stephanie should be worried, especially if he loses the WWE Title on Sunday's PPV.

-Jericho cut a promo to walk us down memory lane as he reminded fans with video footage of his various wins since becoming the Undisputed Champion in 2001. He touted his win in the Scramble Match, the Ladder Match against Michaels, and the Cage Match against Batista. He then said that he would save Raw by defeating John Cena at Survivor Series.

Analysis:

Jericho's meeting with Stephanie—his stern warning about Cena's return and the implications that might come with it—felt like a planted seed, but it might just be a red herring. Perhaps the intended purpose was to make the audience think that Stephanie might actually do something in order to help Chris Jericho win at Sunday's PPV, but Stephanie is clearly acting as an unbiased authority at the moment.

Ah, as I write this, an idea is forming. It doesn't make logical sense for Stephanie to do anything considering her current character, and it also doesn't make sense to have Jericho bring this up at all if WWE wasn't planning to do something with it. So, what if something were to happen at the PPV to allow Jericho to retain the title, making everyone think that Stephanie was to blame, yet the truth is that she had nothing to do with it. The person behind it all could be someone that Stephanie might feud with—namely, her brother Shane? Just a guess. That might be how I would write it.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 7

Previous Feuds
Chris Jericho: Randy Orton, JBL, Jeff Hardy, Money in the Bank, Shawn Michaels
John Cena: Edge, Umaga, Bobby Lashley, Orton & Triple H, JBL, Triple H, JBL, Batista

RANDY ORTON vs. BATISTA (2 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Batista defeated Manu after hitting the Batista Bomb. Randy Orton watched from the stage. After the match, Batista told Orton that he's been waiting three years to fight Orton.

-Orton defeated CM Punk in Raw's main event Lumberjack Match after catching Punk with the RKO for the win. After the match, Batista speared Orton before he could punt Punk's head again. Things quickly fell apart as all the lumberjacks stormed the ring and brawled to close the show.

Analysis:

The issues between Batista and Randy Orton feel fresh enough to make good ingredients for a strong feud, yet dated enough to add a sense of importance to them. It's as if WWE has let their problems slowly simmer over the course of a few years, and now they can use Batista's complaints about Orton by simply having him say the buzzword: Evolution. That single word brings many fans back a few years, remembering the problems in that stable at the end of its life. The ironic part, of course, is that it was Randy Orton that turned babyface when Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair heelishly turned on him. In any case, this Batista-Orton feud is probably just getting started. It would be hard to believe that WWE would cut it off at Survivor Series unless they have plans to shift Orton's attention to Cody Rhodes first (as explained below).

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

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

RANDY ORTON vs. CODY RHODES (w/ Manu) (7 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Orton caught up to Cody Rhodes in the locker room to ask him why he backed out of a fight with Batista. Rhodes pointed out that Orton didn't approach the ring, which is when Orton cut him off to say that as the captain of the Survivor Series Match, he didn't need to explain himself. Rhodes told Orton that he should keep talking because that's what he does best.

Analysis:

I list this as a separate feud because I think Orton will eventually be answering to both Batista and Cody Rhodes. And thus far, WWE hasn't done anything to suggest that Orton is in a single battle against these two. In fact, Orton currently juggles both problems, making his character all the stronger. Perhaps there exists good reason for WWE to use this situation in order to have Batista, Orton, and Rhodes work together in a single rivalry. If all of this is going to lead to a babyface turn for Cody Rhodes (which is just a possibility at this point), maybe Batista should take part in helping Rhodes make that decision.

The scene between Orton and Rhodes in the locker room was effective because it highlighted Orton's cowardice. Rhodes made a logical point—that Orton criticized him, yet never approached the ring himself while Batista was inside—and Orton quickly slapped the argument down by reminding Cody of his position as captain. Overall, this is a nice feud that could take many turns and go in many different directions. It should probably get clearer after Survivor Series. As it stands right now, this rivalry is more intriguing than the one Orton has with Batista.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 9 [same 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

SHANE McMAHON vs. STEPHANIE McMAHON (3 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Stephanie McMahon kicked off the show with a forum for all the Raw superstars to ask questions. She told Orton that he would have to face CM Punk; she told JBL that her father, Mr. McMahon, was "out of the picture;" and she told Shawn Michaels that he'd have to be patient and wait for Survivor Series to get his hands on JBL.

Analysis:

Nothing terribly revealing about this feud on Raw this week. WWE seems to be laying the groundwork slowly.

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

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

SHAWN MICHAELS vs. JBL (4 weeks)

Summary Quick Shots:

-During Raw's opening forum, Shawn Michaels apologized to everyone before he shattered his patience and leapt off the platform at JBL.

-In a tag team contest, Michaels teamed with Rey Mysterio to face Miz and Morrison. The match saw Miz and Morrison pick up the surprise win when Morrison cracked a Super Kick of his own on HBK. Miz found himself lying over Michaels to score the pinfall.

-Kane met with JBL in the locker room to warn him that he doesn't take orders well. He said that JBL shouldn't anger him.

-JBL teamed with Kane to face Cryme Tyme. The match saw JBL hit the Clothesline from Hell for the win as he capitalized on all the work Kane had done earlier in the match.

Analysis:

There is a lot going on with everyone involved here. It might be safe to assume that Cryme Tyme and the Miz/Morrison team will end their rivalry soon. It might also be safe to guess that John Morrison may be in line for a feud with Shawn Michaels, especially since there was a nice amount of coverage on ECW around Morrison's kick the night before. And it might also be safe to assume that something could spark a feud between Kane and JBL after Layfield basically stole the pinfall from Kane on Raw.

As for the Michaels-HBK feud, it seemed to gradually fade into the background this week. Beyond the opening scene where Michaels launched himself at JBL, the rest of the show made you forget that these two even have an ongoing rivalry. Survivor Series can change this, but the feud's healthy continuation from here really will depend on what WWE does next week on Raw.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6 [down 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

RAW DIVAS vs. SMACKDOWN DIVAS (1 week)

Summary Quick Shots:

-Kelly Kelly faced Victoria, who was visiting from Smackdown. As Victoria looked to be wrapping up the match with a win, Raw divas Mickie James, Candice Michelle, and Jillian charged the ring to take out the heel from the blue brand.

-Victoria tried to escape, but Beth Phoenix ran to ringside to attack her too. Beth hurled Victoria back into the ring and then delivered her finisher to make a statement.

Analysis:

This brand-based divas feud is preferable to a Kelly-Jillian one on Raw. Unfortunately, it will likely end as soon as Survivor Series is completed. The situation this week was unique because of the odd relationships and teamwork. The Raw divas looked a little suspicious of one another, particularly Beth and Mickie James, but they all seemed to be acting under a sense of camaraderie. When the camera caught Jillian's reaction to the situation, she sort of shrugged as if to nonverbally intimate that all of them needed to get along for the PPV. It is interesting to see people that normally fight each other put their problems aside temporarily to try to defeat a team from another brand.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): 6

Previous Feuds
Beth Phoenix: Mickie James, Maria, Mickie James, Melina, Mickie James, Candice Michelle
Mickie James: Melina, Beth Phoenix, Katie Lea Burchill, Beth Phoenix
Kelly Kelly: Mike Knox, Miz, Layla, Victoria, Jillian
Candice Michelle: Melina, Beth Phoenix
Jillian: Kelly Kelly
Michelle McCool: Victoria, Chuck Palumbo, Victoria, Natalya, Maryse
Maria: Beth Phoenix & Melina & Santino Marella
Victoria: Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly, Michelle McCool & Cherry
Maryse: Cherry, Michelle McCool
Natalya Neidhart: Michelle McCool, Cherry, Michelle McCool

Intercontinental Champion SANTINO MARELLA (w/ Beth Phoenix) vs. WILLIAM REGAL (w/ Layla) (4 weeks w/ 1 week hiatus)

Summary Quick Shots:

-When Santino Marella asked for another shot at the Intercontinental Championship, Stephanie McMahon denied him that opportunity claiming that he's had enough chances.

-Regal face ECW Champion Matt Hardy one-on-one. The match ended in a double count out when Hardy and Regal brawled at ringside beyond the ref's ten count.

Analysis:

Nothing to note here. It looks like this one is officially over, as per Stephanie's executive decision.

Intrigue Level (out of 10): n/a

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) Shawn Michaels vs. JBL?
(4) Kelly Kelly vs. Jillian Hall
(5) Raw Divas vs. Smackdown Divas?
(6) Santino Marella vs. William Regal


POTENTIAL FEUDS

(1) Stephanie McMahon vs. John Cena
(2) Evan Bourne vs. Mike Knox
(3) Kofi Kingston vs. Mike Knox
(4) Randy Orton vs. CM Punk
(5) William Regal vs. Matt Hardy


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.

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