WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Phoenix, Ariz.

[Q1] The show opened with a recap video of Shawn Michaels vs. Undertaker from WrestleMania 26... The opening video played... Michael Cole introduced the show along with Jerry Lawler. Lawler noted that Shawn Michaels lost his Streak vs. Career match. Cole said Michaels would say farewell on Raw...

Powell's POV: Just a quick note that the WWE Superstars spoilers taped tonight, and the reason Ezekiel Jackson was not in the WrestleMania 26 battle royal are on the main page.

Batista's music played and he came out wearing street clothes. He slowly walked to the ring and the lights were dimmed when he got there. He started to talk and the fans stopped him with "You tapped out" chants. He said he knows the people expect him to come out and throw a fit or complain about what happened at WrestleMania. "But I'm not going to give you the satisfaction," Batista said.

Batista called his loss to Cena a fluke. The "You tapped out" chants grew louder. Batista got upset and said he's entitled to a rematch. He said he doesn't care what happened at WrestleMania, Cena can't beat him.

John Cena's music played and he headed to the ring with his WWE Championship belt in hand. Once in the ring, Cena mentioned the energy in the building. He recalled hearing that he couldn't beat Batista, but stressed that he did just that. A "Cena sucks" chant broke out, but Cena ignored it and stuck with his promo, so the chant died quickly.

Cena recalled Batista saying he was the face of the company. "If that's true, then last night the face of the company looked like this," Cena said before making a funny, anguished face. "Because you tapped out." Cena said Batista could still become the face of the company by having a rematch on tonight's show.

Cena said this is usually the point where the other guy says he's not interested. Cena dared Batista to be different. Batista taunted the crowd by asking if they'd like to see the rematch. "Not tonight," Batista said. Batista punched Cena, who fired right back. They traded punches briefly and Batista split.

As Cena was looking down at Batista, Jack Swagger entered the ring from behind and smacked Cena with the Money in the Bank briefcase. He hit him a couple more times, headed to ringside, and grabbed the mic. Swagger said he was cashing in on the spot and wanted a referee to come out.

Swagger got back in the ring and Cena took him down and went for the STF. Swagger slipped away and fled to ringside. As the referee arrived to start the match, Swagger waved it off and decided he didn't want his shot tonight...

The announcers introduced the first of what they said would be many video clips from the career of Shawn Michaels. The first clip was footage of early Rockers matches in WWE...

Powell's POV: Damn good way to open the show. Batista was good here, but not great. Cena was solid and the crowd was really jacked when he teased the rematch, only to have Batista bring them down by passing. They crowd really got jacked about Swagger cashing in. That was a fun tease. I wouldn't be surprised if we see more teases like that from Swagger in the weeks ahead. Either way, I don't think he'll cash in successfully.

[Q2] [C] Highlights aired of the Triple Threat match from WrestleMania 26... Back live, "The Million Dollar Man" Ted DiBiase's music played. He came out and was accompanied by Nick Bockwinkel, IRS, Arn Anderson, and Pat Patterson. Roddy Piper's music played. He came out with Sgt. Slaughter, Tony Garea, and Ricky Steamboat.

On commentary, Jerry Lawler said there's one more legend that deserves to be out there. Lawler stood up and joined the legends, who had surrounded the ring. Justin Roberts introduced guest hosts Clark Duke and Rob Corddry. They walked on the stage and were greeted with boos and seemed to get a kick out of it.

Duke announced that the main event of the show will be Batista and Jack Swagger vs. John Cena and a partner of his choosing. Corddry announced that there will be a "special hot tub match." He said he and Duke would face the WWE Divas. Corddry said the fans are all invited. They quickly changed their tune and asked why they would invite the fans. They said it will be a private match instead. Duke said the reason the legends were at ringside is because they were holding a special lumberjack match...

Christian and Ted DiBiase made separate entrances for the lumberjack match. Ted Sr. clapped as his son headed to ringside.... [C]

1. Christian pinned Ted DiBiase in a lumberjack match in 3:20. After some back and forth action, Christian threw Ted to ringside. Ted hit the clothesline where he follows his opponent into the ropes and then hits the move. Cool.

[Q3] The legends ended up getting into it because Ted Sr. and IRS were protective of Ted Jr. They were joined by Bockwinkel and Patterson, while the other legends played the babyfaces. Meanwhile, Christian hit the Killswitch for the win. Afterward, Ted Sr. entered the ring to console his son, who pushed him away...

The HBK video clip featured the legendary footage of HBK putting Marty Jannetty through the window on the set of the Barber Shop (Brutus Beefcake's talk show)... A shot aired of Triple H walking backstage and Lawler said he's coming up next... [C]

Powell's POV: It was cool to see the legends. We'll see if they followup with the DiBiases or if that was the gist of it. Hunter's promo should be good since he has the Sheamus match to put over, as well as comments on HBK.

After the break, the announcers put over the Kevin Rudolph song and the company website. They introduced a video that recapped various WrestleMania weekend events and some of the talk show appearances the wrestlers made. This is the same video that was shown during WrestleMania...

Backstage, Duke and Corddry were wearing robes. They said something about John Cusack. Santino walked in the room with a boom box over his head and told them not to worry about Cusack. He made a quick exit. The hosts headed over to a hot tup and sat down with Tiffany, the celebrity whore Bella Twins, and Rosa Mendes. They pulled out champagne glasses. Duke said there are no losers in this hot tub match...

Triple H's music hit and he received a massive pop. He walked onto the stage wearing street clothes and soaked up the cheers as the fans chanted his name. "It's kind of a surreal night," Hunter said. "End of an era, you know what I mean? I never thought it would end this way for Shawn. I knew he could beat him. I didn't think it would happen this way and it's the end of an era."

Hunter said it feel like it was just yesterday that he entered the company and saw Shawn with his overalls, no shirt, his jeans tucked into his boots, and his bad mullet haircut. "But we sure took on the world, didn't we, bud?" Hunter said. "A lot of times all we had was each other, but we fought everybody." Hunter said they've fought side-by-side and face-to-face, but they've always fought for each other and with each other.

"There's always this," he said while holding up the Kliq hand sign. He said when that was gone it was just him and Shawn. He said he wanted to come out before everything else started "and all that happens." Hunter said there's something he's always wanted to say to Shawn and he's never said it, yet he wanted to say it now in front of the whole world.

[Q4] Suddenly, Sheamus ran out and nailed Hunter from behind with a steel pipe. They cut to a great shot of a really concerned blonde female fan. Two medics and a referee came out to check on Hunter after Sheamus fled... [C]

Powell's POV: Great stuff. Hunter pulled on the heartstrings and seemed very sincere, only to have Sheamus attack him just as he was about to get to the peak of the promo. Good heat for Sheamus. I'm happy to see they're keeping the feud between Hunter and Sheamus alive. I just hope Hunter will put Sheamus over at some point to give him the rub he needs. Excellent show thus far despite the lack of in-ring action.

The announcers recapped Sheamus's attack. Lawler said it was "gutless and cowardly"...

2. Kelly Kelly, Mickie James, Gail Kim, Eve, and Beth Phoenix defeated Vickie Guerrero, Michelle McCool, Layla, Maryse, and Alicia Fox in a 10-Diva tag in 0:20. This was billed as a WrestleMania rematch. Great, they picked the one match that no one wanted to see again. Maryse mugged for the crowd to start the match. Eve rolled her up and pinned her. That was it.

Afterward, Vickie was left alone with the babyfaces. They grabbed her jacket, but she got away. The other heels attacked the babyfaces from behind, but the babyfaces quickly cleared them from the ring...

Powell's POV: That was absolutely pointless. At least we know poor Kelly Kelly isn't lying in the ring in the University of Phoenix Stadium selling McCool's version of the Styles Clash still. For those who didn't see the show, she sold it like she was shot and laid there for what felt like an eternity.

The latest HBK clip featured footage of Shawn vs. Razor Ramon in a ladder match at WrestleMania X...

A shot aired of Bret Hart walking backstage... [C]

Powell's POV: I take it back. I'd rather see a rematch between the Divas than another Vince McMahon vs. Bret Hart match like we got last night.

The next HBK clip was from the Iron Man match with Bret Hart...

Bret Hart's music played and he headed to the ring. He was wearing a black leather jacket, jeans, a hat, and a t-shirt that had an image of him and Owen Hart together.

[Q5] Bret started by saying he wanted to congratulate Shawn MIchaels on a storybook career. He wished him the very best in the future. Bret said he finally found the closure he was looking for even though it took longer than expected. He said not only did he beat Vince, but the entire Hart family beat Vince.

Bret said he could feel his mom, his dad, his brother Owen, and the British Bulldog (Davey Boy Smith) sending waves of high fives that are heaven sent. The crowd chanted Owen's name. Bret opened his jacket to show the t-shirt, which received a great pop. Very cool moment.

Bret said it wasn't too long ago that he was leaving WWE with a bad taste in his mouth, but now he only has the taste of joy and satisfaction. Bret thanked the fans and said the last three months have been a great ride.

Before Bret could leave the ring, Big Show and The Miz's music interrupted him and they came to the ring together. "Really, Bret, really?"Miz started. He said Bret came back and beat Vince in a glorified 25-1 handicap match and mocked him for being proud of it. Miz complained about all the times he's had to hear about Bret screwed Bret or Vince screwed Bret.

Miz said that if anyone deserves to talk about himself, it's him. Miz said he won his first WrestleMania match and is now 17 wins away from tying the Undertaker. Hilarious. Miz declared himself as awesome, but said Bret is overrated. Miz said Bret's father is overrated too. "You're the most overrated there is, was, and ever will be."

"So why don't you get out of my ring before my first gives you closure," Miz said. Bret said that if Miz wants him to leave, he'd have to make him. Big Show stepped in front of Miz and got in Bret's face. The Hart Dynasty music played and they came to the ring and stood by Bret. Miz and Show left the ring together.

"Where are you two clowns going?" Hart asked ShowMiz. He challenged them to take on the Hart Dynasty so that they could embarrass them like he embarrassed Vince yesterday. Miz wanted the match, but Show didn't. "You're not thinking with your head," Show said. However, Miz convinced Show to head back toward the ring. The show cut to break as they were on their way down the ramp... [C]

Powell's POV: Nice. Finally, the Hart Dynasty gets some rub from Bret. Long overdue. Another cool moment.

3. David Hart Smith and Tyson Kidd (w/Bret Hart, Natalya) beat Big Show and The Miz by countout in a non-title match. The match was joined in progress. Cole stressed that the titles are not on the line.

[Q6] Show wore down Kidd and then Miz tagged himself into the match. Kidd broke free and tagged in Smith. Moments later, the Harts hit the springboard Hart Attack clothesline. Bret high-fived Natalya. Kidd put Miz in the Sharpshooter, but Miz pulled his partner out of the ring and they were intentionally counted out. Nearly five minutes of the match was shown on television...

Powell's POV: It was a cool moment to see the Hart Dynasty with Bret Hart, but the fact that they didn't even get the win over ShowMiz in a non-title match leaves me less than confident that WWE is really behind the Dynasty.

The HBK clip focussed on DX... Cole hyped that Cena and a partner of his choosing would face Swagger and Batista after the break... [C] Highlights aired of the MITB match...

The hosts "hot tub match" continued. Corddry asked the Divas to gyrate a little. Rosa and Tiffany got offended and left, but the celebrity whores stuck around. Craig Robinson, who's also in the movie and is on "The Office," appeared on the screen behind the hot tub. He said someone mysteriously switched his airline tickets.

Robinson wasn't happy and said he's still a guest host, so he was changing the terms of the match. He told the Bellas to leave and introduced their new opponent, Mark Henry, who showed up in a swimsuit and sat between the hosts. Then Hornswoggle emerged from under the water...

Powell's POV: As bad as these skits are, I saw the movie on Friday and got a big kick out of it. A fun raunchy comedy. By the way, Henry has one hell of a scar on one of his knees. Were you more disturbed at the shot of Gene Okerlund in a dress or Henry in a swimsuit?

The announcers recapped Sheamus attacking Triple H...

Jack Swagger came to the ring with the briefcase in hand and boasted about winning Money in the Bank. Once in the ring, he said he's the odds on favorite to walk away with the WWE Championship...

Powell's POV: Just a quick reminder for those of you recording the show for the Shawn tribute. I believe the Ric Flair tribute ran longer than usual, so you might want to add some time to your DVR setting so it doesn't cut off in the middle of the ceremony.

[Q7] [C] Batista made his entrance after the break. Cena came out next. He stood on the ring steps and said, "I need everyone's attention for just one minute, I have a major announcement." Cannonball! "It's about my partner for tonight. Batista, you will especially recognize him because he's an old friend of yours." Randy Orton's music played and the crowd popped...

4. John Cena and Randy Orton defeated Batista and Jack Swagger in 7:50. The announcers played it up as Cena playing mind games with Batista and acknowledged the history of Batista and Orton in Evolution. Cena started the match, but tagged in Orton quickly to a pop. The fans chanted "RKO" loudly. He struck the viper pose while Swagger was down, but Swagger bolted to ringside.

Powell's POV: I'm not a fan of the way this was handled by the announcers. Everyone was way too happy go lucky. No one bothered to ask whether Cena was making a mistake. Cole acknowledged their bad history, but said "who better to pick as your partner?" Lawler said keep your friends close and your enemies closer. Ugh. It sucked the element of danger out of Orton and the situation. Maybe it's by design, as Cena could have and RKO waiting for him at the end of the match. I guess we'll find out.

[Q8] After the break, the heels worked over Cena. Orton tagged and the crowd went nuts again. All four men ended up in the ring together. Orton hit the RKO on Batista and then Swagger. Orton pinned Swagger to win the match for his team. Huge pop for the RKOs. After the match, Cena and Orton looked leery of one another. The announcers said Cena was wise to be leery of The Viper...

Powell's POV: I was really hoping that there would be a third RKO there, but it actually played out pretty well. At least Cena looked suspicious afterward and they didn't have a big hug or anything weak like that. Orton is over huge. I really believe the key is changing as little as possible about his persona and not turning him into a pandering babyface like his tag partner.

The latest HBK highlight featured Undertaker defeating Shawn Michaels at WrestleMania 25... The announcers hyped that HBK would say goodbye to WWE after the break... [C]

An ad for NXT teased the rookies would get the results of the pro's poll, which will reveal where they stand...

Justin Roberts introduced Shawn Michaels, who walked out wearing street clothes. He clapped while he was on the stage and set the tone by slapping hands with the fans and having fun. A shot aired of Cole and Lawler standing behind the announcers' desk and applauding Michaels. Sadly, there were a lot of lazy ass fans that didn't join in with the standing ovation, but I'm sure they will before this is over.

A huge "HBK" chant broke out and most of the fans were on their feet once Shawn was standing in the ring with the mic in his hand. Before Shawn could speak, Undertaker's bell tolled and he made his entrance. There were some boos when the bell first tolled. Once Taker appeared and made his entrance, the boos were quickly silenced by the massive applause.

Taker walked onto the stage and stopped. He simply reached his hand up and tipped it to Shawn. Taker headed backstage as the fans cheered. Shawn looked emotional for the first time since he came out. After Taker's music played, the "HBK" chants returned.

"I don't know what I'm going to say here tonight," Shawn said. The fans interrupted him with "Please don't go" chants. He said that he started "doing this stuff" when he was 19. He said that at age 23, he started coming into the homes of the fans every week. He said he's now 44 and not coming into the homes of the fans every week is going to be tough to get used to.

A loud "Thank you, Shawn" chant broke out. Shawn said he appreciated the thanks, but he has to thank the fans. He said people may not understand it, but the ring and the fans were the only things he had in his life. He said they were the only thing that ever felt good about him. "Night in and night out, you guys were the only ones in the world that ever made me like me," Shawn said.

Shawn stopped to wipe some tears from his eyes as the fans applauded. He said he had so many people he needed to thank and was afraid he was going to forget somebody. He said there's one guy, Hunter, who he had to thank for being his friend "when absolutely nobody else in the world wanted to touch me."

[Overrun] Shawn said he wasn't an easy person to be around years ago and a lot of people didn't like him. He said Hunter never once left his side. Shawn thanked Hunter for "the real friendship that I have been able to share with you for the last 16 years." Shawn said this would really sound strange, but there's a lot of people in the trucks and all the people holding the cameras that he needed to thank.

Shawn also thanked Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, "and the greatest announcer in the world Jim Ross." Shawn said all those people made him look much better than he was. He also thanked a kid named Adam who puts all the videos together. "Adam, thank you for making me look like a superstar," Shawn said.

The fans interrupted Shawn with a massive chant of "One more match." Shawn said he knows how a lot of people feel about career-ending matches. He said he doesn't want to go back on his word to the fans or the Undertaker. He said he's done his best to be an open book for 20-plus years. "I don't hide a lot," he said. "It's just easier for me to be who I am.

"I want to honor my word to you and I want to honor my word to the Undertaker, and I appreciate the cheers for one more match, but I'm going to do everything in my power to make sure that doesn't happen."

Shawn said he had to thank Bret Hart. "I can't tell you back in the nineties how much I drove that guy crazy." He said everything Bret ever said about him, "he had every right to say it." Shawn thanked Bret for forgiving him, understanding, accepting, and believing that he knew he had changed and would honor his friendship if he ever gave him another opportunity.

HBK turned his attention to Vincent Kennedy McMahon. Shawn said he doesn't know whether he'll get in trouble for mentioning his name or not. "It's my farewell speech and I'll say what I want," Michaels cracked. Shawn said he doesn't think he could work for anyone else after working for "that crazy son of a gun."

Shawn said the only guy he drove more crazy that Bret Hart is Vince McMahon. He thanked Vince for putting up with him and keeping him on course. He said he wouldn't be here today if Vince didn't keep him on course.

"Last but not least, there's every one of you," Michaels said. The crowd erupted with "Thank you, Shawn" chants. Shawn said he's spent more of his adult life with the fans than he has with his own family. "I don't say that with regret," he said. "I think you all for the honor and the privilege for letting me come out here and show off in front of you every night." Another "HBK" chant broke out.

"And, of course, my lord and savior Jesus Christ, I thank you my king for saving me," Michaels said. He mentioned the names of his wife and kids and said, "Daddy is coming home."

"This is how we started and this is how we're going to end," Shawn said. "The Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels has left the building." The fans cheered wildly. Shawn left the ring and slapped hands with the fans near the entrance ramp. Once he made it to the top of the stage, he turned back to the fans and clapped.

Triple H came out and gave Shawn a big hug. Hunter held up a pair of DX glow sticks for a pop. Hunter put the glow sticks down on the stage symbolically and headed backstage. Shawn tipped his cap to the fans one more time and then headed backstage to conclude the show.

Powell's POV: Wow. A truly memorable moment. It wasn't the tearjerker that Flair's retirement ceremony was, but it was every bit as special for this viewer. A very classy speech that I thoroughly. Obviously, I'll be talking a lot about Shawn's retirement in tonight's member exclusive audio. Thanks for reading, and thanks again for the memories, HBK.

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