By Lee Stevens, Torch specialist

Thank you for joining me as we put WWE Raw "Under The Microscope." Instead of a complete recap, this is simply a closer look at Monday's broadcast.

At least he didn't make a big deal out of it

It couldn't have come as a shock to loyal WWE fans that Vince McMahon would make his conflict with the Denver Nuggets a focal point of Monday night's Raw. In that respect, he didn't disappoint. Evidence of McMahon's disagreement with Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke littered the broadcast from start to finish.

The opening sketch was noteworthy for several reasons. One, I always thought you had to actually look like a person to get work as a look-alike. Two, it provided many items suitable for The Microscope.

Look familiar?

In case you didn't recognize them, Stan Kroenke is the owner of Kroenke Sports Enterprises, including the Denver Nuggets and the Colorado Avalanche. He is also the majority owner of the English Premiere League football club, Arsenel FC. In the front row were replicas of NBA Commissioner David Stern, actor Jack Nicholson, and Lakers owner Jerry Buss. Nicholson is known not only for his trademark sunglasses, but also for having courtside seats at The Staples Center, where the Lakers play their home games and the home of Monday night's episode of Raw.

"X" marks the spot

Although McMahon did devote the better part of two hours of nationwide airtime to settle a personal issue, he did show a rare moment of self-parody as he told "Kroenke" that he was going to star a new basketball league called the XBA and it would be a failure because he was going to get the Nuggets management to run it. This was an obvious reference to McMahon's attempt to challenge the NFL in 2001. The XFL lasted only one season, but did give us different camera angles, which are now used by the NFL and in-game interviews, which are more prevalent in various sports.

The XFL also jump-started the career of QB Tommy Maddox, who signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers after the league folded and he would lead the Steelers to the playoffs the following year. With McMahon's sudden hatred of all things Denver, Maddox was originally drafted by the Denver Broncos. The league also gave us the broadcasting talents of Mike Adamle and the wrestling talents of Ricky Ortiz, in case you want to start writing a thank you note.

Sir, B. Brian Blair is on the phone. He sounds angry.

McMahon went on reveal Kroenke's full name as E. Stanley Kroenke and added that he "never trusted anyone with an initial for a first name."

Top 5 people Vince McMahon apparently does not trust
(5) F. Lee Bailey--criminal defense lawyer, who famously worked with Sam Sheppard, "The Boston Strangler," and O.J. Simpson
(4) M. Night Shyamalan--director of "The Sixth Sense" and Signs, famous for surprise twists
(3) T. Boone Pickens--philanthropist and businessman, avid proponent of alternative fuels
(2) G. Gordon Liddy--mastermind of the Watergate Hotel break-in, popular radio talk-show host
(1) C. Thomas Howell--actor, known for "The Outsiders" and "Red Dawn." Probably shouldn't be trusted because he pretended to be African American just to stay in college in "Soul Man."

It's another five letter word rhyming with cleanest and meanest

Although McMahon had a bit of middle-school fun with what sounds like Kroenke's real first name, the name doesn't always have negativity attached to it. Enos Slaughter was a 10-time all-star right fielder and was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He hit .300 for his career and his jersey was retired by the St. Louis Cardinals. Enos Cabell played 15 seasons in the majors and is best known for his time with the Houston Astros. (Caldwell's Note: Heck ya.)

Enos Straite was the Deputy Sherrif of Hazzard County and although he failed to convict Bo and Luke Duke, he was promoted to a stint in Los Angeles. His time in California was short-lived and he returned to Hazzard County and his unofficial title of "dipstick" under Rosco P. Coltrane and Boss Hogg.

Because of you, we were able to get tickets and see WWE live. Thanks! I mean Booooooo!

Signs in the crowd included "Nuggets fear WWE,," "Kroenke fears McMahon," and my personal favorite "I am not a Nugget." It is timely in the dispute and also pays a tribute, of sorts, to Owen Hart.

The quote "I am not a nugget" is often attributed to Hart, but actually it was offered up by Jason Sensation, who was portraying Hart in a D-X spoof of The Nation of Domination. This was prompted by Shawn Michaels insisting that Hart was, and I'm trying to put this delicately, a surprising remnant of a flushing failure. Crowds would taunt Hart by chanting "Nugget" from that point on until Hart disappeared under a mask and The Blue Blazer made his debut.

Check your roster

Your starting roster for the five-on-five, "McMahon had his feelings hurt" challenge, featured all ten wrestlers wearing jerseys signifying Lakers or Nuggets players. Listed below are the wrestler, his position, his number and the corresponding NBA player, if applicable.

Nuggets
(1) The Miz--Point Guard #1 (J.R. Smith)
(2) Cody Rhodes--Shooting Guard #6 (Jason Hart)
(3) Ted DiBiase--Small Forward #4 (Kenyon Martin)
(4) The Big Show--Center #99 (No Nuggets player has worn #99, but it wouldn't be the highest number of a jersey retired by the team. Head Coach Doug Moe had the number 432 retired in his owner to represent his number of wins. Also, the Lakers had a #99, as George Mikan wore that number when he was their center.)
(5) Randy Orton--Power Forward #15 (Carmelo Anthony)

Lakers
(1) MVP--Point Guard #24 (Kobe Bryant, who is also not a fan of Colorado, as he faced charges of sexual assault in Edwards, Colorado. The charges were later dropped.)
(2) Jerry Lawler--Shooting Guard #48 (No Lakers player, in Los Angeles or Minneapolis, has worn #48. Lawler was born in '49, so that doesn't work, if you have any idea why Lawler would pick this number, leave a comment below!)
(3) Mr. Kennedy--Small Forward #4 (Luke Walton)
(4) John Cena--Power Forward #54 (Most recently, Kwame Brown, but also Horace Grant and Jack Haley)
(5) Batista--Center #7 (Lamar Odom)

As for Festus, he was paying tribute to Clippers guard Baron Davis.

Wrestling? Oh yeah, wrestling

Goldust seems to be enjoying his return to the spotlight as he teamed with Hornswoggle for an interpretation of a famous scene from "A Few Good Men." He explained his stuttering problem by reminding us "I got electrocuted a few years ago." In case you don't remember, Goldust developed his stutter and some symptoms of Tourette's syndrome after getting a shock from an electrical box after an attack from Randy Orton and Batista. Technically, he wasn't electrocuted, because he survived, but he's also wearing make-up, a blond wig and a gold body-hugging outfit, so I'm not going to quarrel with the man.

Hustle J.R.

"I adjusted my set. I went outside and turned my antenna."

Yes, I know he was just making a point, but the deadline for planning for the conversion from analog to digital is June 12.

Pole on a pole match?

Thanks to Santino Marella, we will be enjoying a "Hog Pen" match at Extreme Rules. We will likely enjoy it about as much as the "Arkansas Hog Pen" match at In Your House 5, featuring Henry O. Godwin vs. Hunter Hearst Helmsley. Marella did give us options, including the "Pasta Primavera On A Pole" match, so you can add that to the list which includes paddles, nightsticks, pink slips, Pepper, Viagra, pinata, briefcase, and a turkey.

Just go north and look for it

Thanks to Lilian Garcia, who helped me defend any potential mistakes in this week's column by way of her misguided introduction of the Diva's Champion. "From Montreal, Ontario, Canada, Maryse."

Two out of three is still decent. Montreal was still in Quebec as of this morning. (Caldwell's Note: Howard Finkel also ripped Lilian for this blunder. Check Universe, WWE.)

Lee Stevens examines Raw and Smackdown with "Under The Microscope." You can leave comments below or e-mail him at GLStevens.Torch@gmail.com

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