WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Lafayette, La.

[Q1] A video recapped Batista beating Randy Orton to win the WWE Championship at Sunday's Extreme Rules pay-per-view... Lillian Garcia introduced Batista, who came to the ring wearing street clothes and carrying the WWE Championship. The crowd popped big for him.

Michael Cole and Jerry Lawler introduced the show as Batista made his way to the ring. Lawler pointed out the faces of the fans and said they couldn't be happier to see Batista with the WWE Title. Cole said Batista was celebrating "perhaps the most emotional win of his career."

Batista took the mic and addressed the fans with a big smile on his face. "Yeah!" Batista yelled. The crowd responded by chanting his name. He looked into the camera and made a funny smile. He said he beat the hell out of Randy Orton at Extreme Rules and became the WWE Champion for the fifth time.

Batista said he knew there was a certain 16-time World Champion watching. "I did this for you, Ric, I love you," Batista said. "I did this for you, I did this for me, and I did this for all of you watching at home. I did this for everyone who is sick and tired of Randy Orton. So as much as I'm enjoying this moment and this title over my shoulder, I have to say this is only the beginning. Randy Orton has hurt a lot of people and I'm going to hurt him back."

Randy Orton's music played and he walked onto the stage and glared at Batista. He slowly made his way to the ring with a look and pose that said either, "I'm pissed off" or "I have to take a shit." Honestly, it was hard to tell.

As Orton got to ringside, Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes hit the ring from behind Batista. He fought them all off and had Orton up for the Batista Bomb, but Rhodes hit him from behind with a chair. The heels worked over Batista with punches in the corner. They sprawled him out on the mat and held out his left arm. DiBiase kicked it a few times and then held down Batista while Orton stomped the arm repeatedly.

Randy picked up the chair and wrapped Orton's arm inside it. Randy stod up and then stomped the chair repeatedly, while Batista cried out in pain. Orton struck the viper pose and glared at Batista. "I'm going to get you," Batista said while still be restrained. "This is never going to be over. You'll never get rid of me." Orton grabbed the arm and wrenched it back. Orton pushed the arm toward Batista's back. Batista sold it like he'd been shot.

Orton picked up the WWE Title belt and held it above his own head. Randy put the belt over his shoulder and headed backstage with Ted and Cody while two trainers entered the ring and tended to Batista, who was doing a great job of selling the injury. At the top of the stage, Randy looked at the title belt as the show cut to break... [C]

Powell's POV: Hot opening. Batista went from giddy about winning the title to selling his ass off. Good intensity from Randy and his minions. I hate to sound like a broken record, but the announcing left a lot to be desired. Cole and Lawler didn't sound intense or serious enough to sell it properly. That said, strong angle. Are we getting a tournament for the WWE Title? There's a three-hour Raw next week and there's been speculation they would have a King of the Ring tournament, so perhaps they'll just switch it to a tournament for the belt.

[Q2] Backstage, the trainers helped Batista get to a stretcher. They held his left arm out and he continued to wince in pain. Referee Charles Robinson stood by as the trainers and EMTs placed Batista on a stretcher and into the ambulance. The ambulance left the building with Batista inside...

The announcers recapped the angle. Lawler put over the way Batista held his own until Cody hit him with the chair... At ringside, the announcers used their somber voices while discussing the angle. Cole said they'd pass along medical updates once they received word on Batista's condition...

Kofi Kingston made his ring entrance and the announcers recapped his U.S. Title win from the week before. William Regal came out and the fans don't need a Jamaican as the U.S. Champion. He said he could be their savior...

1. Kofi Kingston pinned William Regal in a non-title match in 2:00. The announcers were quick to point out that it was a non-title match. Kofi hit the Trouble in Paradise kick and scored the clean pin...

Powell's POV: The live crowd is hot tonight. They gave Batista a huge pop, and Kofi also got a really nice ovation.

Backstage, Cody told Randy that Batista couldn't come back after what they did to him. Josh Matthews entered the room as Randy was staring at the WWE Title. Orton said he has a rematch clause in his contract that he intends to use tonight. He said Batista comes back and faces him like a man or he would win by forfeit. He told Josh he could verify that with Vickie Guerrero. He vowed to be WWE Champion by the end of the night...

Powell's POV: Barring a swerve, it looks like Randy will be the WWE Champion by the end of the show. I hope they have an actual match because the rematch clause stipulation is silly even with a heel general manager. After all, it's not like Vickie hasn't bickered with Orton in recent weeks. Maybe she or another authority figure will surprise Randy.

The announcers hyped John Cena vs. The Miz for later in the show... [C]

[Q3] 2. Maryse pinned Kelly Kelly to retain the WWE Divas Title in 2:55. Before the match, Mickie James came out and joined the announcers on commentary. Maryse caught Kelly on the ropes and pulled her legs out from under her. She DDT'd Kelly and got the pin. Mickie clapped while Maryse blew a kiss in her direction. Maryse also taunted Kelly and slapped her across the face a couple times. Mickie entered the ring and Maryse backed off...

Powell's POV: Mickie, you know, wasn't very, you know, good on, you know, commentary. She's still a blast to watch in the ring, but commentary is not her thing.

The announcers said they were still trying to confirm what Orton claimed earlier in the show. A graphic teased Batista vs. Orton for later in the show... A commercial hyped next week's three-hour Raw as a "three-for-all." The show will feature WWE, World, and ECW title matches... [C]

Powell's POV: Nice tease for next week's show. The three-for-all thing doesn't have much of a ring to it, but I like the fact that three titles will be defended. I suppose they're desperate to get across the three-hour part of the show since they usually do a lousy rating for the extra hour.

At ringside, Lawler faked a cough and said he was suffering from flu-like symptoms. Cole said Lawler was in the pen with hogs the night before. Lawler said he was, but never touched her (Vickie). They aired low-lights from the match...

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Vickie about Orton's rematch clause claim. She said Orton is entitled to a championship rematch and it would happen later in the show. She said that if she knows Batista, he will come back and defend his title.

She said the referee would ring the bell to start the match. If Batista doesn't show, then the ref will count to 10 and award the match and the belt to Randy. Josh said it sounded unfair, but she cut him off and said she had a huge announcement that would change the face of Raw forever...

In another part of the backstage area, Miz flirted with Maryse, who blew him off. He told her to watch his match with John Cena "because I'm The Miz and I'm awesome"...

Santino Marella came to the ring. Festus, Goldust, and Hornswoggle came out next. Cole said they would make one of the oddest combinations in WWE history...

Powell's POV: Well, this has the potential to suck. I am curious to find out what Vickie's announcement is all about. By the way, if I worked at Taco Bell and some nerdy kid rapped his order, I'd reach through the window and kill him with my bare hands. Of course, I have anger issues, so maybe that would be overreacting just a tad.

[Q4] [C] 3. Santino, Goldust, and Festus (w/Hornswoggle) beat The Brian Kendrick, Jamie Noble, and Chavo Guerrero in 3:45. Festus wore a boa to the ring and did his usual bell routine to start the match. The announcers were still laughing over Goldust saying shitake mushroom at the pay-per-view. Sigh.

At 3:20, Kendrick threw Hornswoggle inside the ring. He got away from Noble and dove onto Kendrick at ringside. Meanwhile, Santino rolled up Noble and scored the pin to win the match for his team...

A shot aired of the odd defying John Cena, who was walking intently as he prepared to defy the odds for an odd defying 800th night in a row... The announcers hyped the possible Batista vs. Orton match for later in the show... [C]

Powell's POV: I know I'm not supposed to use my brain while watching Raw, but if Vickie and Randy really want to take the belt away from Batista, why don't they just send the referee to the ring now when they know Batista isn't in the building? I'm guessing the count gets to nine and Hunter comes out and kicks Orton's ass.

An ad aired for ECW that told viewers to tune in to find out who won the ECW Title match even though they've already shown a shot of Dreamer holding up the belt...

The Miz made his entrance for his match with Cena. He took the mic and said: "Can you feel it? Take a breath in because this is the night you've all been waiting for. Tonight, I go one-on-one with John Cena.

[Q5] Miz said people have accused him of having a bogus record against Cena, but he said it's not his fault that he's called out Cena and he never does anything about it. Miz badmouthed the "Cena apologists" for coming up with excuses for why Cena doesn't come out to face him. "Ladies and gentlemen, it may not be Tim Allen, but it's about to be Tool Time." Wow, that's dated. Cena got the mega-pop when he came out...

[Q5] John Cena vs. The Miz never got started. Just before they were about to ring the bell, Big Show's music played and he walked out and stood on the ring apron. Miz ran at Cena, who kicked him down. Show entered the ring. Cena hoisted Show onto his shoulders for the Attitude Adjustment, but couldn't pull it off. Show chokeslammed Cena. Show locked Cena in the Camel Clutch.

Suddenly, Miz attacked Big Show with repeated chairshots. Miz looked at Cena and said, "I told you, Cena, you have nothing on me." Miz slammed the chair over Cena. Show stood up and Miz fled the ring... [C]

Powell's POV: Cena made some silly facial expressions while selling the clutch. Otherwise, I liked this. The live crowd was really excited to see Cena get his hands on Miz, but WWE kept everyone waiting a while longer. Unfortunately, we haven't seen the last of the Cena vs. Show feud.

After the break, the announcers recapped the show and set up footage of the opening segment with Batista and Orton... MVP came out and said that if there's a WWE Title match on Raw next week, he deserves to be "all up in that mix"...

[Q6] 4. MVP beat Matt Hardy in 3:50. Lawler said Matt told him after his match at the pay-per-view that he injured his hand again. Funny. At 2:15, Hardy got frustrated and swung the cast at MVP, but he ducked and then roughed up Matt with some punches. MVP did the ballin' elbow drop for a two count. MVP missed a kick in the corner, and Matt scored a near fall of his own. MVP went after Matt's injured hand and then hit the Playmaker for the clean pin...

Powell's POV: Fine while it lasted. No buildup, though, so the live crowd wasn't as enthusiastic as they have been for other matches.

A shot aired of Vickie walking backstage... [C] Cole hyped the three-hour Raw for next week. He and Lawler narrated still shot photos of the ladder match and C.M. Punk cashing in to win the World Hvt. Championship...

Vickie walked to the ring with a scowl on her face and then delivered the "Excuse Me" line a couple of times. She said she knew the fans were upset because she granted Randy Orton's rematch. She said the last thing on her mind was making the fans happy. She tried to cry as she talked about wrestling in the hog pen match. She said she's never been so humiliated in her life.

Vickie said she could hear all the fans laughing at her. She said she knew they were taking pictures, and calling her "piggy." She said she's sick of the fans. "Where is your decency?" she asked. "And where is your respect?" She intimated that she was giving Orton his rematch to spite the fans.

[Q7] Vickie announced that she was resigning as the general manager of Raw. "I quit!" she yelled. The fans, who had been booing like crazy, erupted in cheers. Edge's entrance music played and he limped to the ring to sell his ladder match injuries. He said he said some disrespectful things to her in the heat of the moment last night that he didn't mean.

Edge said he came to the show to apologize. She said she was surprised and acted like she wanted to reconcile. He stopped her and said it all changed when she quit. He said he was using her for her power and now she's useless to him. Vickie protested. He said that when they went out in public, people thought she was his mother.

"Vickie, do you honestly think these people thought I could be in love with a she-beast," Edge said. Vickie cried and Edge said he had to run to the bathroom to dry heave whenever he kissed her. He said he was happy they never consummated the marriage and added, "I want a divorce." Vickie dropped on her knees and screamed as Edge left the ring and backed up the ramp. The fans sang the "Sha-Na-Na Goodbye" song... [C]

Powell's POV: Wow, that was uncomfortable. Vickie got her heat back with the early part of the promo, dropped the bombshell about quitting, and then Edge tore her to pieces. I give her a lot of credit for being a good sport. Here's hoping this isn't the end for Vickie, because she has more heat than anyone when they don't have her laughing like a witch and snorting. Then again, for all the cheap jokes they make at her expense, maybe it wouldn't be such a bad thing if she wanted to go home.

Did You Know that three times as many people tuned in for Raw than watched the ESPN baseball game last week?...

The announcers recapped The Miz hitting Big Show and John Cena with chairshots... Backstage, Matthews interviewed Cena, who said he's been worse, but he just can't remember when. He said you find out who you are when your back is against the wall. He said he thought he was finished with Big Show when he beat him in the match Show said he could never possibly win.

Cena turned his attention to Miz. He said he's picking a fight with the toughest guy at the bar and trying to make a name for himself. He said there's a small piece of him that respects that, but he doesn't like the way Miz always has someone there to do the dirty work for him. Cena said they would come face to face "in the very near future" and he'd see just how awesome he is...

Powell's POV: Miz 8, Cena 0.

Ring introductions took place for the Primo and Carlito vs. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes match... [C]

Powell's POV: I may have zoned out Cole and Lawler, but I don't believe they've hyped this match at any point during the show. The stipulation is that the heels can earn a future title shot by beating the tag champs.

[Q8] 5. Ted DiBiase and Cody Rhodes beat Primo and Carlito in a non-title match in 7:25. The match was joined in progress because Vince McMahon thinks tag team wrestling sucks (or something like that). In the end, DiBiase hit his finisher on Primo and scored the pin... [C]

Powell's POV: The crowd was given no reason to care about the match and responded accordingly. I nearly fell asleep myself, but then they aired the Macho Man DVD commercial.

After the break, Randy Orton was in the ring congratulating Cody and Ted. He took the mic and said their win makes them the No. 1 contenders for the Unified Tag Team Championship. He said he hopes Batista won't use what happened earlier as an excuse to not show up. "For those who may have missed it earlier, here it is one more time," Orton said.

[Overrun] Highlights aired of the attack from earlier. Back live, Randy reiterated that he would become the new champion if Batista didn't beat the 10 count. Lillian Garcia introduced Orton, and then Batista. Lillian left the ring. The referee handed the WWE Title to a ringside attendant. Batista's music played, but he didn't come out. The music stopped.

Orton instructed the referee to begin the count. Rhodes and DiBiase were still in the ring with Orton as the referee counted. A shot aired of the backstage area and the ambulance was backing into the arena. The referee stopped counting. The crowd chanted Batista's name.

However, a shot aired of Triple H standing backstage with really wet hair. The camera pulled back and showed Hunter standing in front of the ambulance with a sledgehammer in hand. Orton flipped in the ring. Cody and Ted grabbed chairs. Hunter's music played and he came out to a big pop.

Orton sent Cody to meet Hunter on the stage. He brought the chair with, but Hunter plowed through him with a sledgehammer shot. DiBiase followed and received the same treatment. Hunter eventually made it to ringside and stopped. He held up the sledgehammer and then dropped it.

Hunter removed his shirt and entered the ring. Orton jumped him when he was coming through the ropes. Hunter quickly tossed Orton into the corner and hit him with a few shots. Orton fled the ring. Hunter followed and beat the hell out of Orton at ringside. He knocked Orton over the guardrail, but Randy fired back with a punch that staggered Triple H.

Hunter came right back and continued to beat the hell out of Orton at ringside. Hunter plucked one of the monitors off the announcers' table, but Orton kicked him low. Orton umped the barrier, but Hunter ran after him and fought him behind the main floor seating and right in front of the seats off the floor.

Triple H threw Orton back over the guardrail. Orton grabbed a chair and slid back inside the ring. Hunter stood on the apron and nodded. He entered the ring and Orton ran at him. Hunter caught Orton and hit him with the spinebuster. Hunter grabbed the chair and then nailed Orton over the head with it. Hunter hit Orton with repeated shots to the back and then worked over his left knee by jabbing the chair down on it.

Hunter put his foot over Orton's head and looked to the crowd for their approval. They gave it to him and he jammed the chair onto Orton's back. Hunter got down on the mat and was face-to-face with Orton. He said something to Randy and then the crowd started chanting "Pedigree." Hunter moved the chair into position and delivered the Pedigree onto the chair.

Hunter posed for the crowd while Orton was out cold in the middle of the ring. Cole said Orton came to Raw with a plan to steal the WWE Championship. "He almost did it," Cole said. Hunter continued to pose over Orton to close the show...


Powell's POV: The live crowd was red hot for Hunter, but now what? Hunter already beat the hell out of Orton and basically got his revenge. You'd think they would have saved something for down the road. The title is apparently held up or does it still belong to Batista? I guess we'll have to wait until next week to find out.

I'll have a lot more to say about this show and the Umaga situation in Dot Net Member Exclusive Audio later tonight. You can gain access to all Dot Net Audio by becoming a member for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

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