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Monday Night RAW August 24, 2009
by Bigelow34

Thomas & Mack Center
Las Vegas, NV Announcers:
Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler

- We kick off this week’s show with a quick recap of last night’s Cena/Orton Summerslam encounter. And right away we can confirm that the “fan interference” during the match was a work because they show it in the video package. We then cut live to Randy Orton backstage. He talks about the controversy in their match and comments on the unknown fan that interfered unbeknownst to him. Orton confirms that it wasn’t just any fan and asks Ted to explain. Ted tells us that the fan was his brother Brett. Brett bought a ticket and sat ringside and they didn’t know that Brett would interfere. Brett is there looking apologetic and Orton says this will never happen again. Brett apologizes and Cody says Randy would have won regardless. Orton says he will stay champion. We head inside the arena and Cole and King tells us that Floyd Mayweather will be the guest host here tonight. Lillian now brings out the Chairman and birthday boy, Mr. McMahon! Vince powerwalks to the ring and talks about Floyd Mayweather a bit and then moves on to last night’s title match. He says the referee’s decision is final but he wants to clear up the controversy. So, Cena gets a rematch with Orton at Breaking Point and the main events will all be submission matches. Cena and Orton will compete in an I Quit match and the loser will say those words. Any interference will lead to Orton being stripped of his title. Before Vince can leave, we are joined by DX. It looks like we may get some birthday antics from Shawn and Hunter. Vince tries to leave, but Hunter stops him and says he doesn’t like good guy, honest Vince McMahon because it is creepy. It’s like Michael Vick at a PETA convention. Shawn agrees. Hunter thinks there is a reason he is in a good mood. Vince tries to leave again but they keep him there. Shawn says he thinks somebody has a birthday and Hunter pontificates on the possibilities, listing various celebrities. They narrow it down to someone who is old, crazy and incoherent and settle on Vincent Kennedy McMahon…celebrating his 84th birthday! That leads to a nice “84” chant from the crowd. Hunter corrects himself by saying it’s his 74th birthday and then changes it to 70 before Vince tells us he is 64. Vince begs them to leave but Hunter says he may not have many left, especially in Vegas. Shawn says he and Vince have had a lot of differences and then says Vince was a pioneer. Hunter says he literally was a pioneer with the wagon trains. Shawn calls Vince is a genius and credits him as being the reason we watch WWE. Shawn hopes he can be given the opportunity to show Vince a tribute video even if Vince doesn’t want to celebrate. And it is a nice little photo montage of Vince’s life set to Kenny Roger’s “Through the Years”. Of course, it quickly transitions into the infamous “Stand Back” video and then a lowlight video montage. Vince says he won’t forget about this, but Hunter says at his age, he will forget about it. Hunter then calls out for a giant cake that some stagehands wheel down to the ring. DX leads the crowd in singing Happy Birthday, but it peters out because Hunter isn’t feeling it. Hunter says this is Vegas and anybody can have a cake, but things are done differently in Vegas. Shawn says it isn’t a birthday without showgirls and out comes a bevy of beauties down the ramp. The ladies all give Vince a kiss on the cheek and he is finally smiling a bit. Vince wants to know how long this is going to go on but Hinter then brings out some Cirque Du Soliel actors for Vince’s entertainment. Vince calls the performers’ masks gay and says this is what every man wants on his birthday as the guy bops around on trampoline stilts. Shawn brings out an Elvis impersonator next and I can’t believe they didn’t break out the Honky Tonk Man here. Elvis puts some shades on Vince and makes him shake his hips. He then leads the crowd in Happy Birthday. Hunter tells Vince to look at his cake and hints at something special inside. Some funky music fires up and out pops Big Dick Johnson, natch. Vince knocks Dick off the apron and ends that nonsense. Hunter and Shawn kick everyone out to have one final private moment. Shawn denies any knowledge of anything happened here. Hunter says he and Shawn pooled some money to get one last present. They have him stand center ring, but before anything else happens, Rhodes and DiBiase jump DX. Shawn grabs a chair and chases them off. Hunter says that Floyd isn’t here yet, so he is making a match for tonight…Legacy vs. DX and Vince McMahon! Vince says it will be No DQ! Vince leads the Suck It chant and it is on. We get a Mayweather video and then head to break.

- We are back and checking out an aerial view of the Vegas strip. We then head back inside for our opening contest.

1) Santino Marella vs. Miz
Santino is already in the ring as Miz makes his way out. Miz hammers away at Santino off the bell but Santino fires back and tosses Miz around while talking some smack. Miz turns the tables and gets a near fall. He works Santino over a bit as the crowd rallies Santino. The crowd is rocking here tonight. Miz fends off Santino and drops him with the Skull Crushing Finale for the easy win. Nice showcase match for Miz as the rebuilding continues.
Miz d. Marella with the Face Crushing Finale; Grade: .5

- Miz has the mic and says he is one step closer to becoming US Champion because he is awesome. Kelly, Gail and Mickie are walking backstage as we head to break.

2) Kelly, Gail Kim & Mickie James vs. Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox & Rosa Mendes
Rosa, Beth and Alicia are in the ring as we come back from break. All six ladies are decked out in boxing gear for this Mayweather Melee. Cole tells us Mayweather is en route and expected any minute. Gail and Beth start things off but Gail quickly tags to Kelly. She gets a near fall, but Beth blocks a headscissors and crushes her with a backbreaker. Rosa comes in but Kelly fights her off and tags in Mickie. Mickie in those shorts should be illegal. Alicia is also tagged in but Mickie slugs away with some nice right hands. She snaps Alicia down with a neckbreaker and she looks to be all business tonight. Gail takes out Beth with a missile dropkick and Kelly sends Rosa to the floor as well. Alicia whips Mickie into the post shoulder first and then drops Mickie with a scissor kick for a shocking upset win.
Alicia, Beth & Rosa d. Kelly, Gail & Mickie when Alicia pins Mickie with a scissors kick; Grade: 1

- Alicia celebrates and we head to break.

- We are back and DX is chilling backstage. Hunter is checking out the WCW DVD as Shawn rambles on with concern for their match tonight. There is a random loud noise in the background that DX has to yell over, which is pretty funny. They try to plug their merch but they are all thrown off by the loud noises. Hunter has an idea and it should get Vince all fired up. We cut over to Vince and Jillian shows up, dressed like Marilyn Monroe and singing Happy Birthday. Vince throws her out and the plan may have worked. Back in the arena, Big Show and Chris Jericho head out to the ring. Cole says that Show has been looking forward to confronting Mayweather all week. We get some clips from their WM24 showdown as they settle in. Show has the mic and says Mayweather is doing the right thing in avoiding him. He hasn’t forgotten about Wrestlemania and they have some unfinished business. Show isn’t leaving the ring until Floyd shows up. We cut backstage where Mayweather and his entourage are walking. We get quick cuts back and forth as we head to break.

- When we return, the champs are still waiting in the ring. Lillian finally brings out Mayweather, who emerges with his posse. All his boys are rocking shirts promoting his match with Marquez on 9/19. The crowd does not seem too thrilled to see Floyd here tonight. He has the mic and reminds Show what he did to him last year and he tells him that he will do it again tonight. Unfortunately, he has a PPV bout that is more important. Jericho gets in Floyd’s grill. I love how Jericho uses all this bravado, knowing that Show is backing him up. It is a cool dynamic. Jericho tells Floyd he is a good self-promoter and showboat but he isn’t a good boxer. He calls Floyd “little man” and says Marquez will knock him out. Show says he and Jericho will take what is left of Floyd and wipe him out afterwards. We are now joined by MVP. He doesn’t like Jericho and Show dissing Mayweather because he has made MVP a lot of money over the years. He rips on Show and Jericho’s lack of intelligence but the crowd isn’t backing him because they seemingly hate Floyd. MVP says Show could have thwarted Floyd’s crew if he had any friends. Jericho says that Show is his friend but MVP tells him to shut up and stop running his mouth. The crowd is behind him now and MVP is feeding off it. Nice job by him to turn the fans around. MVP correctly points out that if Jericho & Show lost the belts, he would have to go back to Smackdown and stay off Raw. MVP asks Floyd to grant him a match if he can find a partner. If they win the match, they would get a title match at Breaking Point. Floyd is digging it and asks MVP if he has someone in mind. And MVP does indeed…and he brings out Mark Henry. Now that is a team! We get a big staredown as we head to break.

3) Chris Jericho & Big Show vs. MVP & Mark Henry in a non title match
When we come back from break, MVP is working over Jericho and picks up a near fall. Jericho tags in Show and he slams MVP down hard. Mayweather is watching from ringside as Show hammers on MVP. Henry glares at Show as he tosses MVP around. This MVP/Henry team has some promise. They should at least be running buddies if not a legit team going forward. Show locks in a full nelson and then tags out. Jericho keeps the assault on, working in some nice heel double teams along the way. Mayweather has a C-Note crammed under his watch, which is an interesting fashion statement. MVP fights off Jericho but can’t quite make the tag. He escapes but Jericho stops him again and goes to a reverse chinlock. The crowd wakes up a bit and starts chanting for MVP. Jericho tosses him to the floor as Floyd yells at Jericho from ringside. Jericho goes out and tosses MVP back inside. MVP fires back and they trade right hands. Jericho blocks MVP from a tag again and pushes him back to their corner. He tags in Show, who plants MVP with a right hand to the gut. Show starts to work over the knee as this match is exceeding expectations thus far. Show stands on MVP and tags in Jericho. They take each other out with a double clothesline and we take a quick break. When we come back, Jericho is still wearing down MVP with a chinlock. MVP fights free and gets a roll up for two. Jericho knocks him back down and this is a hell of a heat segment here. Show crunches MVP with a headbutt from the apron and Jericho starts taunting the crowd. MVP avoids a Lionsault and finally makes the tag to Henry to a big pop. Henry is all over Jericho, mauling him with a body block. Jericho avoids a splash, but Henry catches Jericho during a Codebreaker attempt! That was a neat spot. Jericho reverses the World’s Strongest Slam into a DDT and gets two. Henry tags MVP back in and he sends Jericho down and then drops the Ballin’ Elbow, which also gets a big pop. This crowd is rocking now, man. Jericho boots MVP and covers but Henry breaks it up. Henry knocks Show to the floor and that allows Floyd the opening to slip MVP a piece of jewelry from his neck. MVP cracks Jericho in the face wit it and covers for the win. The crowd is digging that one and so am I. That was a great tag match to set up the PPV.
MVP & Henry d. Show & Jericho when MVP pins Jericho after hitting him with a piece of jewelry; Grade: 3

- MVP, Henry and Floyd celebrate as Show carries the unconscious Jericho to the back on his shoulder. Backstage, Rhodes and the DiBiases are chatting a bit. Orton comes in and asks Brett to leave. Orton says this is a golden opportunity because he can shut down the old man on his birthday. He will kick Vince in the skull again and he will not come back from it this time. The Breaking Point match will be the last one Vince makes. Legacy is all smiles as we head to break.

- The Castrol GTX Sludge Slam brings back a week when Hornswoggle defeated Chavo Guerrero with the aid of Mark Henry and McCauley Culkin. Back in the arena, Lillian announces a special boxing exhibition match.

4) Hornswoggle vs. Chavo Guerrero in a boxing exhibition match
Hornswoggle and Chavo are in the ring, in boxing gear, and are receiving the instructions from the ref. Before the bell sounds, the ref tells Chavo that he has different gloves and he goes and gets a giant goofy pair. He makes Chavo put them on, per Mayweather. Chavo grumbles and puts them on as the bell sounds. Chavo swings and misses over Horny as the little guy peppers him with punches. Horny catches him with a big right hand, knocking him to the mat. Chavo takes off the gloves, picks up Horny and slams him to draw a DQ.
Hornswoggle d. Guerrero by disqualification; Grade: 0

- Chavo heads up top but Evan Bourne comes running out and stops him from leaping. Bourne fights Chavo off and then drops the SSP on him. Evan and Hornswoggle stare out at Chavo as he bails and we head to break.

- CM Punk will battle Jeff Hardy in a cage this week on Smackdown. That should be a hell of a match. Back live, we are checking out the Bellagio fountains before heading back inside the arena. Cole and King then send us to a Summerslam fan festivities video package. Backstage, Floyd is sparring with Vince, getting him ready for the match. Carlito comes in and chastises Floyd, asking for a rematch with Kofi Kingston. Now DX comes in and congratulates Floyd on doing a good job as guest host. Vince says he is keeping busy and Hunter says that is good, because it gives him more time “to get busy with your daughter”. That brings some silence and Vince knocks out Carlito to get out his aggression. Hunter laughs it off and Vince goes back to sparing as Shawn says “that was cool!” That was a funny little segment.

- We are back and it is main event time as the DX music fires up and the crowd starts to buzz.

5) Shawn Michaels, Triple H & Vince McMahon vs. Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes
Shawn and Hunter head out first and it looks like we may have a lengthy little main event tonight. Of course, I always think that way and then all the entrances end up taking out a big chunk of the time. Vince is out next and looks to be cycling off as he reaches the age of 64. Legacy is out next and they saunter down to the ring. As they reach ringside, Michaels comes flying out on top of them courtesy a Triple H backdrop. The bell sounds and Vince hammers on Cody before tagging in Shawn. He quick tags Hunter as they work Cody over. Shawn and Hunter toss Cody outside and he lands on Orton and DiBiase who were down on the floor. Legacy regroups as we take our final break. When we return, DiBiase has Triple H clamped in a chinlock. Hunter slips loose and plants him with a DDT. Hunter tags in Shawn and he slugs Ted down and follows with some chops. He knocks Orton and Rhodes to the floor and the heads up top. He drops the big elbow but Cody comes charging in and takes him out a bulldog. Ted tags in Orton, who viciously stomps away on Michaels. Orton drops a stiff knee to the neck and then tags in Cody. Michaels fights out of a chinlock but Cody keeps him grounded and tags Ted in. He beats on Shawn for a minute and then tags in Orton, who follows suit. Orton drops another knee and gets two. Orton clamps on a chinlock as I realize that we haven’t seen John Cena yet tonight. Could he play a role in the finish here? Seems likely, I would think. Michaels fights to his feet and takes Orton up and over with a back suplex. He crawls over but Orton tags in Rhodes, who blocks the tag. That doesn’t last long as Shawn fights him off and tags in Hunter. He hits the usual and then knocks DiBiase to the floor. Vince begs for the tag and Hunter obliges after dropping Cody with a Pedigree. Vince comes in to a huge pop and covers Cody but Orton breaks it up. Orton lines up the punt but Shawn makes the save with a cross body. Orton bails and heads up the ramp but John Cena’s music hits and he comes stalking out. He attacks Orton and tosses him back into the ring. Orton stumbles around, eats SCM from Shawn and an AA from Cena. Vince struts around and picks up the pin. That ended up being a fun little match.
McMahon, Triple H & Michaels d. Orton, DiBiase & Rhodes when McMahon pins Orton after a John Cena AA; Grade: 2.5

- Cena stands tall over Orton and we get a replay before fading out. Well, decent show this week. There was nothing great, but there was nothing bad either. It was just two hours of typical Raw. The grade gets a bump thanks to the hot crowd and the anchor tag match. See you all next week from Motown!

Final Grade: C+

MVP: MVP & Mark Henry
Runner Up: Vince McMahon
Non MVP: Chavo Guerrero
Runner Up: Santino Marella

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