WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Richmond, Va.

[Q1] The opening video was shown... Michael Cole, Jerry Lawler, and Matt Striker checked in from ringside and noted that change is in the air. They said the Unified Tag Title match was up before the draft...

The Miz and Big Show came to the ring. Miz cut a promo ripping the Hart Dynasty. He said that he thought dynasty meant that they actually won championships. He questioned whether Stu Hart ever trained them how to beat a giant or "a technical master of the ring like I am." Funny.

The Miz said Bret Hart is the biggest loser of the entire Hart family. He said he wanted Hart to come out and declare to the world that ShoMiz is the greatest tag team in the history of WWE. Miz tried to deliver his catchphrase, but he was interrupted by Bret Hart's music.

Bret walked onto the stage as Striker questioned why he wears shades indoors. Bret stood on the stage and declared that ShoMiz is the greatest tag team of all-time. "I also declare that The Mountie was the greatest Intercontinental Champion of all-time," Hart said. He added that David Arquette was the greatest World Champion of all-time.

Hart said he can say whatever he wants, but talk is cheap. "It's all about the results," Hart said. "Tonight, you're going to have no other choice but to declare the Hart Dynasty the new Unified Tag Team Champions of the World."

1. The Hart Dynasty (w/Natalya, Bret Hart) defeated Big Show and The Miz to win the Unified Tag Titles in 11:45. Miz and Tyson Kidd started it off. Kidd took the advantage and then tagged in Smith, who performed his father's trademark suplex. Miz headed to ringside, only to be shoulder blocked by David Hart Smith as the show went to break. [C]

Powell's POV: Good start to the show. I didn't expect Bret to give a heartfelt endorsement of ShoMiz, so I'm fine with his comments. The lines about The Mountie and Arquette were funny, although I'm surprised they actually acknowledge Arquette's win on WWE television.

[Q2] After the break, Show worked over Kidd with some power moves. He picked him up with both hands by the neck and then heat butted him at 7:00. Miz tagged in and mocked Bret's signature pose. He worked over Kidd, who eventually made a well received hot tag to Smith.

At 10:50, Miz caught Smith with a kick and went for a pin while using the ropes for leverage. Bret walked over and pushed Miz's feet off the ropes. Show walked over only to have Kidd tumble onto him off the ring apron. A short time later, The Hart Dynasty hit their finisher on Miz. Kidd followed up with the Sharpshooter. Miz tapped out. Bret celebrated with Natalya and the new tag champs...

Powell's POV: That was really fun. They finally gave the Harts some real time to shine and they made the most of it. Tyson Kidd really shined and this was a cool way to open the show. Most importantly, the live crowd was really hot for the Hart Dynasty capturing the tag titles. Does this mean Miz and Show are going separate ways via the draft? By the way, Lawler and Striker are already bickering. Striker is trying to heel it up by ripping the Harts, and Lawler fired back by pointing out that Striker should be happy since they are Smackdown wrestlers.

A graphic aired of Sheamus standing over the fallen Triple H at Extreme Rules. Cole said they'd have details after the break... [C] Highlights aired of the John Cena vs. Batista match from the Extreme Rules pay-per-view...

At ringside, the announcers narrated footage of Big Show knocking out The Miz with a big punch to the side of the head...

Powell's POV: I guess we could get a Miz vs. Show feud, but I think it's more likely that one of them is switching brands.

Highlights aired of Sheamus vs. Triple H from the pay-per-view...

[Q3] At ringside, the announcers said Triple H suffered "a lot of nerve damage," but it wasn't clear how long he'd be sidelined. Striker said we'd hear from Sheamus later in the show...

Backstage, Josh Matthews interviewed Jack Swagger about beating Randy Orton to retain the World Hvt. Championship. Swagger said what he did screamed World Champion. He boasted about his degree in finance and said the country would flourish if he were calling the shots. Edge showed up and said he's next in line for a title shot because he beat Chris Jericho...

Michelle McCool and Layla walked onto the stage with Vickie Guerrero and did a lame pose. The announcers said there would be a Raw vs. Smackdown Divas tag match with a Divas draft pick on the line. Cole said the draft would start after the break... [C]

2. Michelle McCool and Layla (w/Vickie Guerrero) defeated Eve Torres and Maryse in 4:25 to win a draft pick for Smackdown. Eve tried to tag in Maryse, who kicked her in the gut. They headed to ringside and fought briefly. The heels worked over Eve for a couple minutes. She considered tagging her partner, but thought better of it.

Eve ran the ropes and Maryse slapped the back of her head to tag herself into the match. They bickered with one another. Maryse turned around and walked into a big kick from McCool, who scored the pin...

-Kelly Kelly was drafted to WWE Smackdown. Kelly walked onto the stage and waved wile the Smackdown heels jawed at her...

Powell's POV: Um, great. The company doesn't give a damn about the Divas, so it's hard to care when they switch brands. Does anyone else find it odd that McCool and Layla are a team even though there's not a tag team division?

A shot aired of C.M. Punk walking backstage with his minions... [C]

[Q4] 3. C.M. Punk (w/Luke Gallows, Serena) defeated Evan Bourne in 3:35 to win a draft pick for the Smackdown brand. The announcers played up the mystery of the person who emerged from underneath the ring and helped Punk at the pay-per-view.

Bourne took control and was about to dive onto Punk and Gallows when Serena stood in his way. Bourne avoided her by springboarding onto them. Bourne was about to go for his finisher when Serena distracted the ref. The hooded man showed up and knocked Bourne down. Punk hit the GTS for the win...

-Big Show was drafted to Smackdown.

Powell's POV: They telegraphed that one by having Show drop the tag titles and punch his partner.

A shot aired of a smiling Sheamus walking backstage... [C]

The announcers recapped the two draft picks... Backstage, Teddy Long congratulated Big Show on being drafted to Smackdown. Show looked angry. Teddy offered a congratulatory handshake, but Show didn't accept. Teddy asked if there was anything he could do to help him out. Show put his arm around Long and said, "Sure, Teddy, no problem." Show smiled and left. Teddy danced and celebrated getting himself "a player"...

[Q5] Sheamus came to the ring and claimed Triple H will never wrestle again. He said Hunter probably wanted to leave WWE on his own terms, but he made the mistake of underestimating him. Sheamus said he ended Hunter's career with a series of kicks to the head. Sheamus said he's moving on and he wants the WWE Championship.

Randy Orton's music interrupted Sheamus and he headed to the ring. Orton said that when he took out Hunter, he did it face to face and didn't need a pipe. Orton said Sheamus shouldn't feel as though he deserves as title shot. "And you do?" Sheamus asked. "You had your title shot last night and you lost."

Sheamus told Orton to leave the ring or he'd put him on the sideline just like he did to Triple H. Orton said he had a better idea and questioned whether he should take off Sheamus's head with an RKO. Sheamus said he doesn't deal with losers. He said he's going to challenge John Cena for the WWE Championship and there's nothing Orton can do about it.

Cena's music played and he walked onto the stage and said he couldn't think of a better time to introduce the guest host. He danced around like a jackass. No one came out. Cena acted like he had a cell phone call. "This is why I wrestle in jean shorts," he said. Cena acted like the person on the other line told him that the guest host went to "the other draft."

Cena said that challengers have to earn their shot, so he said it would be Sheamus vs. Orton in a No. 1 contenders match later in the show. Cena headed backstage. Sheamus and Orton went for their finishers and missed. Sheamus backed up the ramp and Orton glared at him from the ring to close the segment...

A shot aired of Kane, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, and Shad Gaspard walking together backstage while dressed in Smackdown t-shirts. Lawler said there would be a match with three picks on the line coming up... [C]

[Q6] 4. Ted DiBiase and Santino Marella won 10-Man Battle Royal to score three draft picks for Raw. The participants were Kane, R-Truth, Rey Mysterio, Drew McIntyre, and Shad Gaspard representing Smackdown, and Santino Marella, MVP, Ted DiBiase, Mark Henry, and Yoshi Tatsu representing the Raw side. Santino acted like he was captain, so Kane slapped him to start the match.

McIntyre was eliminated by Yoshi, who was then dumped by Shad in the opening minute. The other eight wrestlers punched and kicked for a couple minutes and the show cut to break. [C]

After the break, Rey eliminated MVP. Shad and R-Truth were eliminated by a group. Kane dumped Henry over the top. Kane ran toward DiBiase, who pulled the top rope down, so Kane eliminated himself. Mysterio and DiBiase fought while Santino sold in the corner.

After some good elimination teases, DiBiase eliminated Mysterio. Santino recovered and tried to celebrate, but Ted hit him with Dream Street.

-John Morrison was drafted to Raw. He walked onto the stage and played to the live crowd.

-R-Truth was drafted to Raw. Truth joined Morrison on the stage and danced.

-Edge was drafted to Raw. Edge walked onto the stage with a scowl on his face and received a big pop. The announcers put this over as a huge pick. Edge shook hands with Morrison and Truth. A shot aired of DiBiase staring at the wrestlers on the stage...

Powell's POV: No major surprises, yet still newsworthy. I assumed Edge or Chris Jericho would move since last night appeared to be the blowoff of their program. Morrison had been hanging in limbo without a real feud, so he seemed like a logical candidate. It was nice to hear the live crowd pop big for the Edge pick, as he hasn't been getting the monster pops since his babyface turn.

[Q7] [C] Highlights aired of Heath Slater pinning Chris Jericho on NXT...

Chris Jericho came to the ring in his ring gear and complained about losing to Edge and Heath Slater last week. He said he'll never lose to an "unaccomplished nobody" again. He said Slater owes him an apology for costing him his match against Edge at the pay-per-view. Jericho demanded that Slater come out.

Heath Slater came out to the NXT theme song. Slater said he was sorry Jericho couldn't beat him or Edge. He said Jericho won't be Christian either. Jericho and Slater bickered as Christian came to the ring for the match...

Powell's POV: It's good to see another NXT wrestler get exposure on the Raw brand. If WWE wants to boost the ratings, they have to let the viewers of their flagship show get to know these guys. It looks like they're doing a losing streak gimmick with Jericho. I guess we'll find out shortly whether that's the case.

5. Chris Jericho defeated Christian (w/Heath Slater) in 10:00 to earn a draft pick for Smackdown. They fought to ringside and the show cut to break about 35 seconds into the match. [C] The back and forth action continued after the break.

[Q8] Jericho locked in the Walls of Jericho, but Christian reached the ropes. He took a shot at Jericho and then went up top only to jump into the Codebreaker. Jericho got the pin. Afterward, Slater entered the ring to check on Christian. Jericho kicked him and then hit the Codebreaker on him...

-Kofi Kingston was drafted to WWE Smackdown. Kofi ran to the ring and took out Jericho with Trouble in Paradise before playing to the crowd.

Powell's POV: So much for Jericho going on a losing streak. No surprise with Kofi, who was among the wrestlers who filmed a commercial for Syfy over the weekend. By the way, Dot Net reader Will Anderson asked me to mention his name tonight and I'm in a good mood. No, that approach won't ever work again!

John Morrison vs. Jack Swagger for a draft pick is up after the break... [C]

Highlights aired of the tag title change from earlier in the show, and of Big Show knocking out The Miz...

6. Jack Swagger pinned John Morrison in a non-title match in 14:30 to earn a draft pick for Smackdown. Cole put over Swagger as the most educated superstar. Striker said he'd let him have that one. Ugh. Swagger controlled the opening minute or two of the match.

[Q9] At the top of the hour, the announcers recapped the draft picks as the match continued. Morrison hit a corkscrew dive onto Swagger at ringside. It had been pretty slow until then. Swagger regained control and they went back to another break. [C]

Powell's POV: One of the little things that WWE does well is recapping the show or pointing out the major happenings at the top of hours. The idea is that people who are flipping channels (from TNA or elsewhere) are brought up to speed and may stick around to watch. That's one of the little things that TNA doesn't always do that would benefit them.

Swagger was in control after the break. Morrison hit a leg lariat and followed up a short time later with a standing moonsault for a good near fall. Morrison sold sore ribs due to Swagger's offense. Late in the match, Swagger caught Morrison going for his finisher and blocked him from doing so. Swagger hit his own finisher for the clean pin...

-Christian was drafted to Smackdown.

Powell's POV: Swagger has now avenged two of his non-title losses. Something tells me he won't be avenging the third one by pinning Undertaker clean anytime soon. As for Christian going to Smackdown, screw you, Vince McMahon. Why in the hell do they refuse to put Edge and Christian on the same brand? I don't care if they team or feud, but I know I'm not the only person who is ready for some E&C. Weak.

[Q10] [C] Cole announced that Wayne Brady will be the host of next week's WWE Raw... At ringside, the announcers recapped the various draft picks...

Backstage, Ted DiBiase and Carlito were talking. DiBiase said that if Carlito takes his offer, he won't sit on the sidelines anymore. Carlito said he'd rather sit on the sidelines than take Ted's offer. Carlito walked away.

Ted called R-Truth into the picture and said he's been looking for a confidant to watch his back and carry his bags. R-Truth said he could shine Ted's Million Dollar Belt in a mocking manner. Truth said DiBiase is looking for a Virgil.

Ted said he's not like his father. Ted said they have a different relationship. He said he'd tell Truth what to do and he'd do it and be paid a lot for it. Truth said he needed time to think about it. Ted agreed to give it to him. Truth slapped him...

Powell's POV: Cute skit. What's the old Virgil up to?

The announcers hyped national military month and somehow used this to set up a video that made John Cena look like the most patriotic man alive. They showed clips of Cena hanging with the troops at the various tribute shows...

Powell's POV: As if WWE using the military to make Cena look good wasn't bad enough, they played another shitty Nickelback song as part of the video. Sad.

The announcers hyped the Sheamus vs. Randy Orton match for later in the show... [C]

Cole announced that the WWE Supplemental Draft will take place on Tuesday at 11 a.m. CT...

7. Hornswoggle defeated Dolph Ziggler via countout in 0:40 to earn a draft pick for Raw. Hornswoggle tried to run away early. Ziggler caught him and got him in the ring, but Hornswoggle threw his gear at Ziggler to keep him out of the ring until after the referee counted to 10. Afterward, Ziggler took a shot at Horny and put him out with the sleeper.

[Q11] Jerry Lawler entered the ring to check on Hornswoggle...

-Chris Jericho was drafted to Raw.

Jericho walked onto the stage in a suit as Cole pointed out that Edge was also on Raw. Cole recapped the draft picks and said that was the final draft pick of the night...

A shot aired of Randy Orton walking backstage... [C]

Powell's POV: Why would you have the final draft pick this early in the show? I guess they didn't think there were any big enough to close the show with. I really thought Randy Orton would move to Smackdown. It's worth noting that Smackdown's move to Syfy is five months away, so WWE could always execute trades or something to beef up the brand closer to the Oct. 1 move date. Of course, they could still surprise us with another move in the last 30 minutes of the show.

Highlight aired from Extreme Rules of the Cena vs. Batista match...

Batista came to the ring as the announcers said he wasn't scheduled to be there. Once in the ring, Batista took the mic and frantically complained that he should be the No. 1 contender. He said John Cena owes him a match. "No one beats me like that," Batista said.

Sheamus's music interrupted Batista, and he headed to the ring with a mic in hand. "I don't think so, Batista," Sheamus said. He said Batista needs to get it through his skull and admit that he lost. Randy Orton came out and said he'd beat Sheamus and then beat Batista. Wannabe guest host John Cena walked out and made it a Triple Threat match...

Powell's POV: Cena is in ultra-annoying overly cute mode tonight. Sheamus didn't get much of a reaction when he came out this time.

8. Batista defeated Randy Orton and Sheamus in a Triple Threat match in 16:50 to become No. 1 contender. Batista headed to ringside when the bell rang, but he came right back in and took shots at both wrestlers. Batista dumped Sheamus to ringside, only to take a pounding from Orton, who hit him with repeated kicks in the corner. Cole dropped a "vintage Orton" on us. Sigh.

[Q12] The wrestlers continued to trade offense. [C] Highlights aired from during the break of Sheamus shoving Batista head-first into the ring post. Another clip aired of Orton running Batista into the ring post.

Later, Orton DDT'd Batista off the ropes. He struck the Viper's pose, but Sheamus recovered and kneed Orton on the side of the head. Sheamus hit his finisher, but Batista broke it up. A short time later, Orton hit the RKO on Sheamus.

[Overrun] Edge came out and speared Orton. Batista, who was lying on the mat, recovered just enough to drape his arm over Orton to get the pin. Edge received some boos, watched the pin, and watched from the stage. The announcers said Edge inserted himself in the title picture. Cole said the landscape has changed on Monday Night Raw...

Powell's POV: The landscape has changed, but we're getting another Cena vs. Batista match. There were some big draft moves made, but I wish they would have had a dozen picks like they did last time. At the very least, they could have spread out the three picks the followed one match. It was a semi-newsworthy show, but no major shockers in the draft this time around. I'll have more to say about the show in Dot Net Members' audio later tonight. You can listen to all Dot Net Audio on the ad-free version of the website for only $5 per month via the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

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