This Week In WWE: April 19, 2009- April 25, 2009

Welcome to the fifty-first edition of This Week In WWE. Feel free to contact me on TWO or Wrestling 101 anytime with comments, questions, and anything in between. Also, check out my blog on Wrestling101.com.

The 830th edition of Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the London O2 Arena in London, England. Confirmed for the last RAW before Backlash was a WrestleMania Rematch as WWE Champion Triple H took on Randy Orton in a No Disqualification Match just six days before Backlash.

The night kicked off with one of SmackDown’s newest Superstars- Chris Jericho. Jericho said that, for the past year, he has felt like a "castaway"; like he was alone on an island surrounded by "liars", but that he no longer felt that way now that he has been drafted to SmackDown. Jericho stated that the RAW fans never appreciated or respected him and that his appearance on RAW will be his final one. Jericho declared that RAW will suffer without Jericho. Jericho then states that he is "done with RAW". 2009 WWE Hall of Famer Ricky "The Dragon" Steamboat comes out and says that the fans do respect and appreciate him. Steamboat then thanks Jericho for giving him the passion to compete one more time. Steamboat added that it never would have happened had it not been for Chris Jericho. Jericho responds by telling Steamboat that Steamboat is "finished" and that no one cares about him anymore. Jericho then accuses Steamboat and the WWE fans of being in "denial". Jericho then challenges the Hall of Famer to a one-on-one match at Backlash! Before Steamboat could make his decision, World Heavyweight Champion John Cena comes out and before saying a word, Jericho tells Cena to stop. Jericho tells "The Champ" that Cena is out there to protect Steamboat and pander to the fans. Jericho then stated that he does not have to listen to Cena anymore now that he is a SmackDown Superstar. Jericho then proclaims that his last act on RAW will be walking away from Cena. Jericho does just that, but Cena tells Jericho that walking away will not be Jericho’s last act on RAW. Cena then reveals that RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero put them against each other in a match! Steamboat then stops Jericho and accepts Jericho’s challenge for Backlash!

One of RAW’s newest Superstars- Chavo Guerrero is in the ring and states that he will prove to his aunt Vickie that he is capable of much more than pushing her around in a wheelchair; that he can push around the entire RAW Roster. Chavo’s confidence dropped as he found out his opponent was "The Animal" Batista. Fired up for Backlash, Batista domineered Chavo Guerrero. After the match, Chavo claimed that he was not ready for Batista. "The Animal" makes his way back to the ring and lays Chavo out with another Batista Bomb!

In their final appearances before heading to SmackDown, CM Punk and Kane squared off on RAW. CM Punk was able to out quick "The Big Red Machine" and pick up the win, much to the astonishment of Kane.

Santino Marella also makes an appearance and revealed that the Khali Kiss Cam featuring his twin sister- Santina Marella will take place on SmackDown this Friday night! Santino then invited his sister to come to the ring so that they can discuss the situation. Santina appears, but "via satellite". The first ever "Miss WrestleMania" reveals that she has a blister and it will not be healed until this weekend so she can not participate in the Khali Kiss Cam with The Great Khali. Santino then decides to read a poem to his twin sister. Before he could finish, Beth Phoenix & Rosa Mendes made their way to the ring. Phoenix revealed that she talked to Vickie Guerrero and that she will set aside time for the Khali Kiss Cam to take place at Backlash!

Besides trying to talk some sense into Santino, Beth Phoenix was also in action as she challenged the newly-drafted Women’s Champion Melina for the title. In the end, Melina was able to pin "The Glamazon" to keep her title. How will Melina fair against a whole new roster of Divas looking to take the Women’s Championship?

Then it was time for a non-title match between World Heavyweight Champion John Cena and Chris Jericho. Little was resolved in Jericho’s final RAW appearance as the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Edge, interfered in the match by pushing both competitors off of the top turnbuckle. "The Ultimate Opporunist" then assaulted John Cena in the ring and laid out "The Champ" with a Spear. Edge then sent a strong message to the champion by delivering a diabolical con-chair-to to Cena. In what could be a preview to their Last Man Standing Match for the title this Sunday at Backlash, Edge stood over an unconscious Cena and counted to ten before proclaiming himself the winner and new World Heavyweight Champion. Could this be the scene come Backlash? What kind of condition will Cena be in for the match following the con-chair-to?

Also making his final appearance on RAW before heading to SmackDown was Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio, who took on new RAW Superstar Big Show in a non-title match. The quickness of Mysterio was no match for the anger and strength of Big Show, who floored Rey with the hard right hand, leaving the Intercontinental Champion knocked out.

Before their No Disqualification Match, Randy Orton guaranteed victory against Triple H.

Then it was time for the main event- a No Disqualification WrestleMania Rematch between WWE Champion Triple H and Randy Orton. The two battled back-and-forth, using all sorts of weapons and heinous maneuvers to try and score the win in the intensely personal battle. When their leader looked to be in trouble, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase came in and attacked Triple H. Shane McMahon then rushed the ring to help even the odds, but was dispatched by Legacy. Finally, Batista came out and started dominating Legacy. That was, until, Cody Rhodes raked the eyes of "The Animal". With his vision impaired, Batista laid Shane McMahon out with an errant spear. As Batista & Shane McMahon brawled with Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase on the outside, Randy Orton took advantage with a lightning-quick RKO on Triple H to pick up the win over the WWE Champion just six days before the 6-Man Tag Match for the WWE Title! Can the team of Triple H, Batista, & Shane McMahon keep it together long enough to keep the WWE Title around the waist of Triple H or will Legacy take advantage of a dysfunctional partnership and claim the WWE Title for Randy Orton?

The 150th episode of ECW on Sci-Fi came to you, live, from the London O2 Arena in London, England. Confirmed for ECW’s night in the UK was a Contract Signing for the ECW Championship Match between champion Jack Swagger and challenger Christian at Backlash.

The night kicked off with Finlay & Hornswoggle. Finlay stated that tonight was Hornswoggle’s last night on ECW before heading to RAW. Finlay asked his son what he wanted to do on his final ECW and Hornswoggle proclaimed that he wanted to wrestle. Finlay then says that Hornswoggle would like to say thank you and goodbye to the ECW fans. However, Tyson Kidd & Natalya interrupted Hornswoggle’s ECW farewell. Kidd tells Hornswoggle "good riddance" and Natalya proclaims that her uncle Bret Hart was wrong in saying he is "the best there ever will be" as that title belongs to Tyson Kidd. Natalya then says that neither one of them would have a problem defeating Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle then bit "The Anvilette", which led to Natalya challenging Hornswoggle to a match.

With an assist from his father, Hornswoggle was able to roll-up Natalya to pick up the win in his final ECW appearance.

Backstage, Tyson Kidd & Natalya barge into the office of Interim ECW General Manager Tiffany. Natalya demands that Hornswoggle be fired tonight. Not taking any guff from the brash duo, Tiffany sets them straight by making a match for this week’s WWE Superstars as the two of them will team up to take on the team of Finlay & Hornswoggle! Can father and son prevail again or will Tyson Kidd & Natalya make an example out of Finlay & Hornswoggle?

Evan Bourne was also in action, picking up a win over England’s own Paul Burchill.

Also, "The Moscow Mauler" Vladimir Kozlov was in action, defeating London’s own Frankie Sloan in dominant fashion.

Then it was time for the Contract Signing for the ECW Championship Match at Backlash between ECW Champion Jack Swagger & #1 Contender Christian. Interim General Manager Tiffany introduces both champion and challenger to the ring. Both men come into the ring and sit down. Christian signs the contract first without saying a word. Swagger then asks Christian if he has nothing to say. After not getting a response, Swagger signed the contract as well to make the match official. The brash champion then tells Christian that Christian has no chance of winning the ECW Title this Sunday because he is "stronger, faster, and smarter" than Christian. Swagger then adds that Christian can not beat him and that is why he is not saying anything. Christian decides to speak up, telling Swagger that that is not the reason why he is quiet. "Captain Charisma" states that the jokes and the mockery mean nothing. Christian says that Swagger can concentrate on being "stronger, faster, and smarter", but he will be concentrating on beating Swagger for the ECW Title at Backlash. Obviously amused by the idea, Swagger got a big grin on his face before throwing the belt into the face of Christian. Swagger then attacked the #1 Contender and put an exclamation point on the attack by putting Christian through the table with his signature powerbomb. Will we see this same kind of dominance this Sunday or will "Captain Charisma" shut the mouth of "The All-American American" and take the ECW Title?

The second edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the London O2 Arena in London, England. Confirmed for Superstars was the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at Backlash- Edge taking on Kofi Kingston. Also, "Mr. Money-in-the-Bank" CM Punk & Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio would team up to try and topple the monstrous team of Kane & Big Show. The father and son team of Finlay & Hornswoggle would be in action, taking on Tyson Kidd & Natalya in a Mixed Tag Match.

The opening match of the night saw the team of "The Big Red Machine" Kane & "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show defeat "Mr. Money-in-the-Bank" CM Punk & Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio following a thunderous chokeslam by Kane to CM Punk. As announced on WWE.com earlier in the week, CM Punk and Kane will meet one-on-one this Sunday at Backlash. Will Kane avenge his loss on RAW or will CM Punk continue his roll by defeating "The Big Red Machine" again?

In Mixed Tag action, Finlay & Hornswoggle made their final appearance together and picked up a win over Tyson Kidd & Natalya. What is next for Hornswoggle now that he has been drafted to RAW? How will the departure of his son affect Finlay on ECW?

The main event of the evening saw the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title- Edge defeat Kofi Kingston. After his con-chair-to to John Cena on RAW and with this win over Kofi Kingston, is it just a matter of time until Edge regains the World Heavyweight Title at Backlash? Will the damage delivered by Edge keep John Cena from hanging on to the gold or will Cena be able to overcome the injuries and be the Last Man Standing at Backlash?

The 505th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the London O2 Arena in London, England. Confirmed for the final stop before Backlash was a tag team match pitting Batista & Shane McMahon against Legacy’s Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. Also, "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show would take on "The Phenom" The Undertaker.

The show kicked off with the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title- Edge. "The Rated-R Superstar" said that John Cena has an "unbreakable resolve" and that whatever he throws at Cena, Cena just keeps getting up and coming back for more. Edge proclaimed that the con-chair-to he delivered to Cena on RAW changed that. Edge said that Cena’s resolve almost made Edge respect him, but that he hates Cena too much to allow that. "The Ultimate Opportunist" stated that, if he does not win this Sunday at Backlash, he will have "nothing"; his wife Vickie can not help him and that he has no friends. Edge said that Cena was right when he called him a "desperate man". Edge then proclaimed that it has to end at Backlash. Edge then vows to be the Last Man Standing at Backlash and regain the World Heavyweight Title from John Cena. Edge has seemingly had the upper hand in this feud ever since he lost the title to John Cena at WrestleMania. Can "The Ultimate Opportunist" put Cena down for a ten count and reclaim his championship or will "The Champ" walk out of Providence the World Heavyweight Champion?

The opening match of the night provided a preview to Backlash as Matt Hardy teamed up with Kane to take on their respective Backlash opposition- Jeff Hardy & CM Punk. In the end, Matt was able to roll up his brother and pick up yet another win over his younger brother. The Hardys will face off this Sunday at Backlash in an "I Quit" Match. Which brother will say "I Quit" and put an end to this family rivalry? Will a career be ended at Backlash?

Two giants faced off on SmackDown as "The Phenom" The Undertaker took on "RAW’s Largest Athlete In The World" Big Show. Though the two big men are known for their deadly rights, it was the massive right hand of Big Show that leveled The Undertaker, twice. Big Show’s two rights were so devastating that the referee had no choice but to stop the match when Undertaker could not continue! After the match, a wobbly Undertaker was able to get to his feet and challenge Big Show to fight him! Big Show tried to hit Undertaker with a third right hand, but Undertaker ducked and was able to deliver some fast blows to Big Show, sending "The World’s Largest Athlete" out of the ring. Knowing that he is heading to RAW and will not have to deal with Undertaker any further, Big Show backed up the ramp, smiling.

The Divas Championship was also on the line as recent draftee to RAW and reigning Divas Champion Maryse was able to pin the first defeat on Gail Kim since her return to the WWE. Will Maryse be able to hang on to her Divas Title on RAW?

In a non-title match, another draftee to RAW- United States Champion MVP defeated fellow RAW Superstar Chavo Guerrero. Will "The Franchise Playa" be able to hang on to his gold when he faces Dolph Ziggler for the United States Title next week in Madison Square Garden?

The main event of the evening saw four-sixths of the WWE Championship 6-Man Tag at Backlash face off as "The Animal" Batista & Shane McMahon defeated Legacy’s Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. Batista & Shane have had problems co-existing as a team as of late. Can these two keep their thirst for revenge on Randy Orton in check long enough to help Triple H retain the WWE Title or will the well-oiled machine that is Legacy take advantage of a crumbling team and win the WWE Title for Randy Orton?

Superstar of the Week: Edge