Monday Night Raw
Last Stop before the Bash!
Rivalries Rekindled

Raw kicks off this week with Lambeg playing, meaning that Finlay and Hornswoggle are making their ways to the ring, which are interestingly their first appearances on Raw since the Draft. Finlay and Hornswoggle get a nice reception from the crowd, before Horny heads under the ring, as Finlay waits in the ring for his opponents. I’m Comin’! then hits to strong heat, as MVP makes his Raw debut. JR and the King confirm that these two are making their debuts as official Raw superstars, as the match gets underway.

Match 1
Finlay w/ Hornswoggle vs. Montel Vontavious Porter

The match was a good affair, with the veteran Finlay having charge of the young (Power Ranger) Superstar in the early going. Finlay nailed MVP with a perfect Vertical Suplex, but an attempted running seated senton was where MVP got the advantage, as he managed to roll out of the way. MVP then kept on the offensive for the majority of the match, nailing Finlay with a German Suplex and an overhead Belly to Belly Suplex, both signature moves of MVP’s. MVP then whipped Finlay into the corner, as the crowd groaned as they knew that he would be going for the Playa’s Boot. MVP charged, but all of a sudden, Hornswoggle came out from under the ring and sprayed Porter with a water gun! The crowd laugh but it soon turns to boos, as MVP goes outside and attacks Hornswoggle! The crowd give huge heat, as he nails little Horny with a Playa’s Boot, knocking the little man out! MVP seems happy with himself, but Finlay saw what happened, and is petrified! Finlay then assaults MVP on the outside, getting revenge. Finlay looks very worried, but he gets on with the match, and one Celtic Cross later, the match was over!

Winner: Finlay

Finlay doesn’t even bother celebrating, as he rushes to the outside where poor Hornswoggle is out cold after being on the receiving end of the Playa’s Boot. We are shown various replays from different angles, and when we return live, Finlay is right by his son’s side, screaming out for him. EMT’s rush down, as JR and the King speak in the tone when JBL destroyed Horny this year, as JR calls MVP a sick bastard. We go to a commercial with the EMT’s escorting Hornswoggle, Finlay crying and still screaming for his son.

*Commercial*

We return from the break with another replay of what happened to Hornswoggle. We are shown Horny being taken out of the arena in the ambulance, as Finlay stays behind, with tears in his eyes. We cut back to JR and the King, who once again talk about how much of a sick man MVP is, destroying Hornswoggle just for playing a little prank. The King then tells us that Todd Grisham is in the back, and has MVP for an interview!

We see Todd Grisham come onto screen and introduces him before moving on to MVP, getting very big heat from the crowd. Grisham asks Montel why he did this to Hornswoggle, and Porter said that he was actually doing this from the good, and to prevent Horny from getting hurt, as the crowd boo. Grisham says that he actually was the one that hurt Hornswoggle, but before MVP could respond, FINLAY came bursting out of nowhere and began ambushing Porter with the shillelagh!

Finlay continues the assault on Porter, smashing the shillelagh repeatedly into MVP’s skull. Grisham flees the scene to let the two go at it supposedly, before Finlay lifts up Porter and nails him with his second Celtic Cross of the night, followed by smashing his head against the steel support poles and then the television set behind them! Before Finlay can do anything else, security rushes in to hold Finlay back, as he tells MVP that he will pay!

*Commercial*

For the first time in Raw’s so far 15 minute telecast, it was not about the new Finlay and MVP saga, but rather we are in Chris Jericho’s and Elijah Burke’s locker room, who get big heat from the crowd once they appear on screen. Jericho is still expressing his disgust about the match for GAB now being a Fatal Four Way match, and how he was screwed out of a one on one match with Mysterio. All of a sudden, Raw General Manager Shane McMahon walks in to a great pop, as Shane O Mac says that it was Jericho’s own fault that it is now a 4 way match at GAB, because he decided to bring Burke into it. Jericho then says that he earned his one on one opportunity with Mysterio, as Shane surprisingly agrees. McMahon then goes on to say that tonight, what could have been would take place tonight, as Jericho would face IC Champion Mysterio in a non title match!

We then go back to JR and the King who talk about that additional match as well as two huge matches announced by Shane before the show, which was the Great American Bash Reversal. This meant that tonight, Shawn Michaels and Randy Orton would rekindle their feud with a one on one match, and Jeff Hardy and the Undertaker would battle it out in a huge main event. There are corresponding graphics that come up on the screen, with the crowd giving a great pop for the Orton/HBK match, before they went completely apeshit for the Hardy and Undertaker match. We are about to go to a commercial break, before JR tells us that up next, London, Kendrick and Tommy Dreamer would team up to go against William Regal, Paul Burchill and Chavo Guerrero!!

*Commercial*

We return from the break with Rocker playing to a pretty big pop, the exciting tag team of London and Kendrick run and slide in to the ring in their normal fashion. Extreme then hits to an equally big pop, as the former ECW Original Tommy Dreamer makes his way to the ring, as he embraces his partners, who are the number 1 contenders for the World Tag Team Championships this Sunday for the Bash. Rule Britannia then hits to very large heat, as the foreign UKonnection stable is lead to the ring by William Regal and Paul Burchill, who would be representing their team tonight. Chavo Ardiente then hits to smaller heat but still reasonable, as Chavo Guerrero makes his way to the ring, bad mouthing the fans before eventually greeting his teammates.

Six Man Tag Team Match
William Regal, Paul Burchill and Chavo Guerrero w/UKonnection vs. London, Kendrick and Tommy Dreamer

This was also another great match, which was basically just to further the feuds between Chavo/Dreamer and Londrick/UKonnection. London and Guerrero agreed to start off for their respective teams, but eventually, London tagged in Dreamer and the fun began. The two went for a fair bit of time, with Chavo getting the advantage when Dreamer went to bounce off of the ropes, but Regal stuck his knee up and Dreamer went down. The heels dominated for a fair bit of team (which is typical in these types of matches), but an opening came when Burchill went for a Twisted Sister, Tommy reversed into his own neckbreaker. Kendrick then made his way to the ring, as Burchill tagged in Regal. After a couple of minutes with the two in action, hell broke loose, with London and Burchill going to the outside and once again, Dreamer and Chavo destroyed each other once again. This left Kendrick and Regal, but when Brian went for a Springboard High Angled Crossbody, Regal nailed him with a sick knee to the head! Regal then locked in the Regal Stretch, and it was all over before London or Dreamer could intervene.

Winners: William Regal, Paul Burchill and Chavo Guerrero

After the match, DH Smith helped Paul Burchill on the outside, but he made a mistake, as when he went to give London a lariat, Paul ducked and Smith nailed Burchill! Smith is shocked, but he is soon knocked out by a Dropsault from London, but London tops the Dropsault off with a Moonsault to Burchill while he was still in the air! Regal is ambushing Kendrick, and Dreamer and Chavo have brawled out of sight. London then hooped up onto the apron, and when Regal turned around, London leapt up, and nailed Regal with a Springboard Hurricanrana, as the crowd pop huge! Kendrick then goes to his hands and knees, and London jumps off and nails a Shooting Star Press! The crowd give Londrick a great ovation, as the two make their way to the back, looking like the favourites ahead of the Great American Bash.

*Commercial*

We return from the break where the camera is in London and Kendrick’s dressing room, who are all smiles even after they lost the six man tag team match, since they once again beat down the UKonnection after the match. Shane McMahon then walks into their room to a very big ovation from the crowd, and Shane O Mac congratulates for getting the better of the UKonnection. Shane goes onto say that for twice in two weeks, he has changed a GAB match, which hopefully the crowd thinks, is for the better. McMahon then says that he has added a stipulation to the Bash match, as the Tag Team Championship match is now a LADDER MATCH! The crowd gives an astonishing pop, as Londrick smirk at each other. The two thank the GM, as we go back to ringside.

JR and the King talk about the added stipulation to the Tag Team Championship match, as they say that this match could steal the show. Before they can say anything else, however, Sexy Boy hits to a huge ovation, as the ‘Heartbreak Kid’ Shawn Michaels steps out, doing his standard entrance, ready for his match. Voices by Rev Theory then hits to huge heat, as one member of Sunday’s main event Randy Orton heads to the ring to face off against his former nemesis. JR and the King discuss the history between the two, such as when Randy nearly ended Shawn’s career.

Great American Bash Reversal Match #1
Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton

The match picked up from where the two left off at the end of last year. The two had great chemistry, obviously because of their many previous encounters, including when Shawn Michaels was feuding with Evolution. Onto the match, Randy was being dominated in the early going, as Michaels worked over Orton with various chops and suplexes. HBK was in control for the first 5 minutes, until Randy caught him out of nowhere with a Powerslam. Randy then worked over Michaels, but when Randy went for a Superplex, HBK pushed him off, and nailed him with a flying Crossbody, knocking both men down. The bout then went for a fair bit of time, both men getting an equal amount of offense in, and each man nailed their signature moves. A RKO attempt from Orton was pushed away from Michaels, and then HBK nailed Orton with an Atomic Drop. Then, one scoop slam later, HBK was on the top rope, and hit his former enemy with a Flying Elbow Drop! Shawn then started tuning up the band, ready for the Sweet Chin Music, but all of a sudden, the LIGHTS WENT OUT! When they came back on, Taker was interestingly nowhere, and HBK was looking for him. He decided that he wasn’t coming, but when he turned around, he walked straight into a devastating RKO! 1...2...3!

Winner: Randy Orton

The Undertaker has cost his Great American Bash opponent the win! Randy then poses to the crowd, and screams out that he would be the next WWE Champion. Orton heads to the back, full of glee because of this huge win over a veteran and one of Raw’s main eventers. The crowd give the 3rd Generation Superstar huge heat, although Orton doesn’t seem to care. Michaels gets up and is furious at the Undertaker, and he would most certainly be looking for revenge later tonight.

*Commercial*

We return from the break with the Smackdown Lowdown, where we are shown the Contract Signing for the Fatal 5 Way for GAB between JBL, his Hired Help the Big Show, John Cena, Triple H and Batista. It shows Bradshaw stabbing Theodore with the pen, before the all out brawl erupts. Cena and Triple H are the last men standing, but the two continue brawling as Smackdown went off the air.

As soon as the Smackdown Lowdown finishes, it is time for JR and the King to do the plugging of the PPV, which is this Sunday. The announcers heavily hype the WWE Championship match, and also Smackdown’s World Title match between Edge and the WHC Mr. Kennedy (the card is at the end of the show).

Booyaka then hits to a wondrous ovation, as the high flying Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio comes out from the curtain, without John Morrison. JR tells us that this match has been made a No Interference match by Shane O Mac and that if anyone interferes, they would be removed from the IC Title Match. Break the Walls Down then hits to big heat, as Y2J Chris Jericho makes his way to the ring, as he seems to get more momentum from the reaction.

Non Title Contest
Chris Jericho vs. Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio
This match showcased what could have been at the Great American Bash, and also to hype the Fatal 4 Way match which these two are in. The match was a great match, and it was even better since there was no interference. Rey nailed Jericho with a Wheelbarrow Bulldog followed by a Slingshot Crossbody from the apron, but Jericho got his foot on the rope to break up the three count. Jericho also nearly got the win, as he moved when Rey attempted a Moonsault, and he quickly followed with a one handed Bulldog. Jericho then placed one foot on top of Mysterio and then yelled Come on Baby while flexing his muscles inward, but the lacklustre cover proved costly. Jericho then nailed Mysterio with all of his signature moves, including a Springboard Dropkick while Rey was on the apron, knocking him out of the ring. JR and the King hype this match as What would have been, referring to that the GAB match is now a Fatal 4 Way. Jericho worked over Rey for the next couple of minutes, but the end came when he went for a Walls of Jericho. Jericho seized Rey’s legs, but Rey didn’t allow him to turn him over into the devastating move. Rey had enough power in his legs to push him off, causing Jericho to bounce off of the ropes. Rey then sprung up, and gave Rey a Hurricanrana, causing Jericho to go in between the second and third ropes! 619! Jericho was on his back, and Rey nailed the Drop the Dime!

Winner: Rey Mysterio

Rey gets huge momentum before his title defence at the Great American Bash. JR and the King say that if the match at the Bash hadn’t changed, Rey would be walking out of Sunday as the Intercontinental Champion. Rey climbs up to the top rope and celebrates, but to Rey’s confusion, their reaction soon turns to heat, as Elijah Burke comes charging down, and goes to assault Rey. John Morrison is right there before Burke could hit an Elijah Express, as the heels retreat up the ramp, with Rey and John urging them to get back in the ring.

*Commercial*

We return from the break where we are in the UKonnection’s locker room, who are expressing their disgust in Shane’s decision to make the World Tag Team Championship match a Ladder Match, and Regal calls him racist, to laughs from the crowd. Regal then says that he is scared of heights, and that Smith and Burchill would have to go in the match. Smith and Burchill are fine with that, but Regal continues on his humorous panic attack, saying that they are going to lose the titles because of Shane, and keeps repeating himself in heavy breathes as the crowd laughs. Smith then tells him to calm down, because if Regal forgot, ladder matches are no disqualifications, as all 5 members give smirks and the crowd gives heat.

It is one again time for the announcers to hard sell the Great American Bash, now focussing on the huge Dream Street Fight match between Undertaker and Shawn Michaels, before a video package plays highlighting how it happened, starting at the Triple Threat match, where Shawn accidentally hit Taker with a SCM. It then shows the Undertaker heel turn when he ambushed HBK with a steel chair and then gave him a Chokeslam. They show what happened in last week’s main event when the two went off through the crowd brawling.

Gong then hits around the arena to big heat although there is still a couple of cheers going around, as The Undertaker makes his way to the ring, doing his very slow entrance. No More Words hen hits to the biggest ovation of the night, as the other half of GAB’s main event Jeff Hardy makes his way to the ring, doing his little dance and slapping hands with the fans. Undertaker does not take his eyes off of Jeff and the bout is underway.

Great American Bash Reversal Match #2
The Undertaker vs. Jeff Hardy
This match was MOTN, and it reminded the audience of their classic Ladder Match a couple of years ago for the WWE Championship. Jeff used his high flying ability to wear down Taker, but when he went for a crossbody over the top rope, Undertaker caught him, got him in a battering ram position, and smashed him head first into the ring post! Undertaker then took advantage, and for the first time in recent memory, the Undertaker was heavily booed for doing the Old School. Taker then attempted to hit Hardy with a patented Chokeslam, but Hardy held his ground and elbowed Taker in the head multiple times, releasing his grip. Hardy then went for a kick to the gut, but Taker held on, only to be met with a mule kick. 15 minutes into the match, Taker and Hardy were down after Jeff’s mule kick. Undertaker was down after taking the high impact move, and Jeff was down after enduring most of the punishment in the match. Undertaker crawled to the corner and was in a seated position, as Jeff got up and looked for his turnbuckle dropkick, but Taker moved AND JEFF CROTCHED HIMSELF ON THE RING POST!! The crowd yell in disgust and despair, as Taker gets him out of the corner, and nails the Last Ride! Taker then climbs over for the cover, but somehow, Jeff grabs the bottom rope!! Taker is furious, so he goes for the Gogoplata, but Jeff rolls over and gets Taker in a pinning predicament, much like Angle vs. Taker at No Way Out 2006! 1...2...NO! Now Taker kicks out! Fans chant This is Awesome! as Taker charges at Jeff going for a Big Boot, but Jeff ducks it, then kicks him in the gut and nails the Twist of Fate! The crowd erupt, and Hardy hooks the leg! 1...2..Taker sits up while in the pin! Taker now has Jeff in his arm, and he hoists him up on his shoulders, going for the Tombstone, but Hardy swings his legs around wildly, and the ref goes down! With no referee, the crowd erupt, as HBK is right behind Undertaker. Michaels pushes Hardy off, and then nails Taker with a SCM! The crowd go wild, as a new ref comes down, Michaels leaves the ring, and Jeff hooks the leg! 1...2...3!

Winner: Jeff Hardy!

Shawn Michaels has returned the favour by costing his Great American Bash opponent the Undertaker with the Sweet Chin Music! Michaels is smirking and heads up the ramp, as Jeff celebrates his victory. All of a sudden, the crowd give huge heat, as Randy Orton comes through the crowd, and is right behind Jeff! Randy taps Jeff on the shoulder, and being the stooge that Jeff is, he turns around, and BAM! RKO!! Randy has just knocked out his opponent in his 6 nights with his finishing manoeuvre! Randy smirks at the fallen Jeff, and stands over him, as the announcers once again hard sell the Great American Bash.