WWE Raw on the USA Network
Live from Indianapolis, Ind.

[Q1] The show opened with Chris Jericho introducing himself to viewers backstage. He explained that he can appear on either show since he's one-half of the tag champs. Jericho said he is captaining the WWE Smackdown team for the big seven-on-seven tag match that will take place at WWE Bragging Rights.

Nancy O'Dell interrupted Jericho and received no reaction from the live crowd. Jericho acted like he didn't know her. She said she's the guest host and wanted to start the show with DX.

Triple H came to the ring by himself. He had a production guy run circles around him just as Shawn Michaels would do. Funny. Hunter said they'd have to do things differently tonight. He started the standard introduction and said it was for Shawn Michaels, who wasn't on the show. The fans booed. He said he felt like they do.

Hunter said he's captaining the Raw team and wanted to set up the match, but Shawn informed him that he wouldn't be there. He pulled out a phone and said he was calling Shawn to badger him on live television. The phone rang and then a voice mail greeting with Shawn sining his theme song with different words noting that he wasn't home played. Funny.

Shawn answered the phone and pretended to be embarrassed by the greeting. Hunter said he and the 15,000 members of the DX Army were wondering where the hell he was. Shawn said he was home with his sick daughter. He said he got all the vomit out of his hair and had just read her a story.

Hunter pulled out the new DX book and asked if he read her a story from the book. "Heavens no, I wouldn't read her a story from that piece of trash... Of course I did," Shawn responded. Hunter said he reads the book to his kids all the time. He said it was filled with good pictures. He held up the book and showed the shot of DX ramming Vince McMahon's head into Big Show's ass. PG?

Hunter let Shawn go and said it was time to get down to business for Bragging Rights. However, the JeriShow entrance music played. Jericho and Big Show came to the ring. Hunter said he wanted to take their picture with his phone, but Show swatted it away.

Jericho reminded everyone that he's the captain for Smackdown. He praised Smackdown and said it's better because he's on it. Hunter said he agreed that it was a good show. "It's a really good show with a spineless general manager who does whatever Vince says," Hunter said. He took a shot at Jericho and said Smackdown also features great wrestling...like the type of Great Khali.

Hunter said Smackdown isn't in the same league as WWE Raw. Jericho announced that Show would be on his team at Bragging Rights. Hunter questioned if Show does everything Jericho says. "He's the boss, I get it," Hunter said. Show said that's not how it goes. Hunter said Jericho is the pitcher and Show is the catcher.

[Q2] Show said he and Jericho are equals. Show then slipped in that he actually carries the team. Jericho took offense and reminded Show that he actually got punched out by Floyd Mayweather. Show said he changed his mind and no longer wants to be on Team Smackdown. "I want to be on Raw," Show said.

Hunter said that was awesome. "Unfortunately, we don't have any spaces open," Hunter said. Triple H said he could talk to the guest host to see if Show could earn a spot on the Raw team. Show wanted in. Hunter said Show just had to beat Jericho in a match starting now... [C]

Powell's POV: Cute opening segment. I liked the hook at the end to keep viewers watching through the commercial break. Decent hype for Bragging Rights. It looks like they're establishing Raw as the babyface team so far with DX on that side, but I suppose that could change. Of course, the big problem is that it doesn't help the Friday night show to have the cool guy mocking it. By the way, the WWE Superstars spoilers are available on the main page.

1. Big Show defeated Chris Jericho via countout in 4:30. They built the intensity nicely by not locking up right away. Show was the babyface of the two, as the fans enjoyed watching him slap around his partner. He knocked Jericho to ringside, only to show sympathy for him. Jericho played possum and tried to dash inside the ring late in the ref's count, but Show caught him, pulled him back to ringside, and then climbed inside the ring to win via countout.

Powell's POV: Not much to the match. Show was good in this role. He's good in the comedic giant role as we've seen from his SNL and movie appearances. Unfortunately, he's never drawn money that way in wrestling.

Backstage, special guest correspondent Maria Menounos interviewed Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase. They said they both felt like they should be part of Team Raw at Bragging Rights. "Unfortunately, that's not going to be possible," she responded. She told them they had to compete in a Triple Threat match. The winner of the match will earn a spot on Team Raw. She said the third man in the Triple Threat is John Cena...

Powell's POV: Cute gimmick, but do they expect fans to believe Cena is going to wrestle in a tag team match and then enter a one-hour iron man match? Either Cena is going for the WWE record for most minutes wrestled on one show or we should turn our brain offs and ignore the obvious.

[Q3] [C] A shot aired of Indiana Pacers players sitting in the crowd...

Powell's POV: I'm not a big NBA fan, so I'm not totally familiar with the players, but I'm sure they would have drawn more interest as guest hosts than the Access Hollywood girls. That said, WWE has been wise to keep the guest hosts backstage and in scenes with top performers because the live crowd won't give a damn about them.

2. Jillian Hall defeated Mickie James in 1:15 to win the WWE Divas Championship. Jillian won the match with her feet on the ropes. "Did that just happen?" Cole asked.

Jillian started to sing the "Paparazzi" song by Lady Gaga. Nancy O'Dell came out and announced that she made a Divas trade with Smackdown. She said Jillian would have to defend the championship on the spot against the new acquisition, who knows a thing or two about the paparazzi...

3. Melina pinned Jillian Hall to win the WWE Divas Championship in 0:25. The match was all Melina, who hit her finisher and scored the quick pin...

Powell's POV: I'm guessing Mickie goes to Smackdown, but they didn't reveal the other end of the trade. For what it's worth, the story was that Melina was on Smackdown because she was dating John Morrison. Just a guess, but maybe they broke up.

Nancy O'Dell plugged her charity in a pre-taped commercial spot... [C]

[Q4] Snoop Dogg is next week's guest host...

Powell's POV: Jackpot! That should pop a nice rating. Snoop is always fun. No word yet on whether he'll need to pay the $2,500 fine.

Backstage, Hunter sat next to an HBK cardboard cutout and spoke to him on the phone. Hornswoggle entered the room dressed in Shawn's gear. Hunter told Horny it was gimmick infringement and that he should get that gear off before Shawn caught up on DVR and saw it. Horny superkicked the cutout and eluded Hunter. Horny did the crotch chop as Hunter was lying on the ground with his jaw dropped...

Cole announced that all the details regarding the Divas trade will be available on the WWE website after Raw...

Powell's POV: Nice move. We'll also post the details here on Dot Net.

Backstage, Santino auditioned for an Access Hollywood job briefly. Beth Phoenix stormed into the room and was pissed because she heard she was no longer on Raw. The hosts confirmed the news. Beth grabbed Maria (the host) by the throat. Santino entered the room and said Maria wouldn't mind competing against Beth in a match with other Divas. After Beth stormed off, Santino said he faked every orgasm he had when they were together...

Powell's POV: I'm not complaining because I dig a grittier product, but name one other PG show that mentions orgasms.

The announcers hyped the John Cena vs. Randy Orton match for the PPV... A video recapped the Cena vs. Orton feud... [C] A sweet WrestleMania video hyped that tickets for WM26 go on sale in 26 days...

Powell's POV: Pay attention, TNA, because that's how you make a big event feel special. Bound For Glory takes place on Sunday, and they have yet to create a big show feel for the pay-per-view. Anyway, back to Raw.

[Q5] 4. Cody Rhodes defeated Ted DiBiase and John Cena in a Triple Threat match in 13:25 to earn a spot on Team Raw at Bragging Rights. Mostly cheers for Cena tonight. Cole hyped the fact that next week could be the final Raw of Cena's career. Nice touch. Cole said Legacy won't be on the Raw team at Bragging Rights if Cena wins, but it doesn't sound like Cena is in if he wins.

Ted was sporting a black eye. The heels worked over Cena even though it was a Triple Threat match. Cena got a hope spot, but the heels were still in control as the show went to commercial. [C]

After the break, Cody broke up Ted's attempt to pin Cena. Later, they teamed up and went for a double suplex on Cena, but he countered by suplexing the two of them. Cena went on the offensive and worked over the heels. He applied the STF on Ted.

Randy Orton ran out and made a quick pass through the ring, which distracted Cena long enough for him to release the hold. Cody rolled up DiBiase and got the pin while Cena was distracted (he was actually staring right at them). Afterward, Randy stood between Cody and a pissed off Ted. Nancy O'Dell appeared on the big screen and booked Cody and Ted vs. Randy Orton and John Cena for later in the show...

Powell's POV: I realize they're trying to establish that this match is meaningful, but it seemed odd to have Cody and Ted fighting to get a spot in a tag match. You'd think their faction with Randy would be more important than brand loyalty. I hated the way they had to show us that Cena could have won the match. They spent time building up Cody and Ted only to remind us that they're not really main eventers in this match. That said, the tag match is intriguing.

[Q6] [C] Batista vs. Rey Mysterio was announced for Friday's Smackdown... A shot aired of a bunch of Indianapolis Colts players. For once, not a single player pretended to elbow one of his buddies in the head...

5. Jack Swagger pinned MVP in 2:35 to earn a spot on Team Raw at Bragging Rights. The announcers recapped Swagger's claim that he wouldn't lose a match on Raw the rest of the year. Cole reminded viewers that it was a SummerSlam rematch. Nice touch. Not much heat for the match. Swagger hit his finisher out of nowhere for the win.

Powell's POV: Team Raw is DX, Big Show, Cody, and Swagger with two open spots.

Backstage, Cody and Ted were jawing back and forth when Orton stormed into the room and told them to knock it off. He said he wouldn't team with Cena. He said the match would be a handicap match because he wouldn't accept Cena's tag. Ted and Cody accused the other of wanting to pin Randy in the main event. "If either of you are thinking either of those things, well, you better keep on thinking," Randy said before walking away...

Ring introductions for Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourn took place. They're facing off to earn a spot on Team Raw after the break... [C]

[Q7] 6. Kofi Kingston pinned Evan Bourne in 2:40 to earn a spot on Team Raw at Bragging Rights. The match was joined in progress. They showed highlights of Evan holding the ropes to avoid Kofi's Trouble in Paradise kick during the break. Later, Kofi hit the SOS for a near fall. Bourne came right back with a kick and a knee and teased going up top, which drew a big pop. Moments later, Kofi caught Evan leaping off the second rope with the Trouble in Paradise kick for the win...

Powell's POV: Cole also announced that the seventh and final team member will be determined in a match between Mark Henry and Chris Masters on Thursday's WWE Superstars show.

Backstage, Triple H still had Shawn on the phone. The guest hosts entered the room. Hunter pimped the DX book and then told Maria she's got it and will be fine during the match. She demonstrated kicks. Chavo Guerrero entered the ring and asked what Hunter and Hornswoggle were up to by having Horny dress up like DX and do the chop.

Chavo said he thinks they're conspiring against him. He also questioned why he's not on Team Raw. He claimed he's better than everyone on the Raw show and believes he should be the captain. Hunter called for a kick from Maria, who nailed Chavo in the balls. "And if you're not down with that, we got two words for ya," Shawn said over the phone. The live crowd responded accordingly...

An ad for Tuesday's ECW hyped William Regal and Zack Ryder vs. Christian and Yoshi Tatsu...

Did You know more people watched ECW last week than any show on A&E and ESPN? Hey, how did that whole Raw vs. Monday Night Football thing work out last week?...

7. Kelly Kelly, Gail Kim, and Maria Menounos (w/Nancy O'Dell) defeated Beth Phoenix, Alicia Fox, and Rose Mendes in 2:30. They gave Maria her own introduction. Crickets. They aired highlights of a "Serial Buddies" movie she's in. Crickets.

Maria tagged in early and tossed Alicia around the ring by her hair. Alicia tagged in Beth. Maria stood up and kicked and then slapped Beth before tagging out. Late in the match, Maria ducked a swing from Rosa and then clotheslined her over the top rope, which led Kelly getting the win for her team...

Powell's POV: Total waste of time having Maria in the match, but I'm sure this will get them featured prominently on Access Hollywood tomorrow.

[Q8] Cole hyped the Cena and Orton vs. Rhodes and DiBiase main event... [C] Ring announcer Justin Roberts introduced The Miz, who came out in street clothes with the U.S. Title draped over his shoulder. Miz announced that he will face the Intercontinental Champion John Morrison at Bragging Rights. He recalled being the greatest tag team of the 21st Century and said he was the true talent of the team...

Powell's POV: It looks like a non-title match since there was no mention of the titles being on the line. Poor Lawler had to say they'd be cheering for Miz because they didn't want any Smackdown wrestlers winning. I guess they have to try, but WWE officials have to know that the vast majority of fans don't feel true loyalty to the brands.

The announcers ran through the pay-per-view lineup... John Cena made his entrance for the main event... [C]

The announcers hyped Snoop Dogg as the guest host for next week's show... Orton said he spoke to Snoop Dogg earlier in the evening. He said next week would be Cena's last match on Raw, so he and Snoop agreed to put Cena "in one of the biggest matches of his career." He didn't elaborate... Cena made his entrance...

[Overrun] 8. Cody Rhodes and Ted DiBiase defeated John Cena and Randy Orton in 5:45. Cody and Ted took turns working over Cena early in the match. This got boring quickly. Cena took control of the match and hit the five knuckle shuffle on DiBiase. He set him up for the Attitude Adjustment, but Orton tagged himself in and attacked Cena. Suddenly, DiBiase rolled up Orton and scored the surprise pin. Orton flipped after the match, but Cena grabbed him and hit the Attitude Adjustment to close the show...

Cole announced that Cena will face Triple H in the main event of next week's show. Cena watched the announcement on the big screen and expressed concern in the ring as Cole said it could be Cena's final match on Raw...

Powell's POV: Interesting twists with Cody, Ted, and Orton tonight, and next week's show looks loaded with the big guest host and the Cena vs. Hunter main event. By the way, thanks to everyone who wrote to say that Santino said "organism" rather than orgasm. I guess my mind is in the gutter. Still, though, I wonder if there were any uncomfortable moments with kids asking their parents what a fake organism is? Thanks for watching along with me tonight...

Dot Net Members will be listening to my audio recap of tonight's show and are already reading exclusive TNA News items that have not been published anywhere else. You can gain instant access to all Dot Net Audio and get the first look at news for only $5 per month by visiting the Dot Net Members' Signup Page.

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