WWE Raw house show
Newcastle, England at Metroradio Arena
Report by Dot Net reader Jack Murley

The arena was sold out, with approximately 7,500 to 8,000 in the building.

Tony Chimel made his way to the ring and, after plugging both WrestleMania XXV and the new WWE Smackdown vs Raw 2009 video game, he introduced the first matchup of the evening.

1. William Regal (w/Layla) defeated Santino Marella to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship. Marella came out first to a good reaction. He took the mic and ran down Newcastle (turning most but not all of the crowd against him) before promising to reclaim a title that he should never have been forced to defend. Regal came out to a great reception, and the two had a good match, with Regal getting the win with a running knee-lift. After the match, Regal thanked the crowd for giving him such a great response, and got a good laugh by responding to an insult to the crowd with a deadpan, "Thank you madam."

2. Beth Phoenix defeated Candice Michelle (w/ Mickie James as the special guest referee) to retain the WWE Women's Championship. Mickie James dropped the title belt at the start of the match and drew the ire of Beth Phoenix who demanded she be careful with it. A really enjoyable match, with Candice executing a really nice Northern Lights suplex for a nearfall. Phoenix got the win with an Implant Buster type-move. After the match, Beth demanded that Mickie raise her hand, leading to Candice and Michelle double-teaming the Glamazon and leaving together.

3. Charlie Haas (as 'Haas Hogan') defeated D-Lo Brown. This was what it was. Haas got a good reception and had mastered the Hogan mannerisms, but there were a number of "D-Lo" chants throughout the match. Haas got the win with the legdrop and invited a number of children from the ringside area to step into the squared circle and celebrate with him.

4. C.M. Punk and Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes and Manu to retain the World Tag Team Titles. Big pop for Kingston and a massive reaction for C.M. Punk that echoed around the Metroradio Arena. Kingston played the face in peril, with Manu and Rhodes both taking turns wearing down the Jamaican Sensation. Punk eventually got the hot-tag and finished of Cody with the GTS. Really good match, with Punk and Kingston really getting the crowd into it and Manu and Rhodes playing their role well. After the match, Punk and Kingston posed with the crowd as Chimel announced the interval.

INTERMISSION

5. Kane defeated Snitsky (with Kelly Kelly as the guest ring announcer). Chimel welcomed us back from the break and announced Kelly Kelly as the special guest ring announcer. A slow match without much in the way of a crowd reaction although, in fairness, most people were still making their way back from the concession stands. Kane wins with the chokeslam and the 1-2-3.

6. Shawn Michaels defeated John Bradshaw Layfield. JBL (slowly) made his way to the ring and took a hold of the microphone to a huge chorus of boos. He surveyed the crowd and took in the boos, before launching a tirade that included a couple of great lines about how worshipping the Queen made the English people weak, how everyone in the arena had come to see him and how it would take him just fifteen minutes to beat up every English person in the arena. He announced that his opponent would be Michaels to the biggest pop of the evening, before rounding off his promo with a rendition of Irving Berlin's "God Bless America." Just great stuff from JBL. After a long period of silence, Michaels's music hit to a huge roar as the Heartbreak Kid made his way to the ring. A really good match that went back-and-forth with Michaels getting the win after ducking an attempted Clothesline from Hell and nailing the Sweet Chin Music. On a personal note, seeing Shawn Michaels live in the ring was both an incredible honor and a completely unexpected moment that I will never forget.

7. Batista and Rey Mysterio defeated World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho and Randy Orton. Orton made his way to the ring to a mixed response, with the crowd split approximately 50/50 between cheers and boos. Jericho then made his entrance, sauntering down the aisle before entering the ring and berating the crowd as liars, cheats, and hypocrites. Mysterio entered the ring next followed by a (pyro-less) Batista. Nice opening exchanges between Batista and Jericho, including one funny moment where Jericho scurried for a tag and ended up in Orton's crotch, drawing a 'Brokeback Mountain' chant from the crowd. Really good match, with Batista's team getting the win after Batista reversed an attempted RKO, sending both Orton and Jericho to the middle ropes where they were hit by a 619 and allowing Batista to finish off Orton with the Batistabomb. After the match, Orton and Jericho gingerly made their way to the back while Mysterio and Batista took the time to pose and interact with the fans.

Notes: Overall, an amazing night. Some really good matches combined with a great atmosphere and the honor of seeing the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels in action!

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