This Week In WWE: May 10, 2009- May 16, 2009

Welcome to the fifty-fourth 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 833rd edition of Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH. Confirmed for the final RAW before Judgment Day was a special appearance by Legacy, who would open the show to discuss their attack on Shane McMahon last week.

Legacy opened the show to discuss their attack on Shane McMahon last week. WWE Champion Randy Orton proclaimed that he ended "The McMahon Era" on last week’s RAW when he crushed the ankle of Shane McMahon. The arrogant champion then stated that the entire WWE revolves around him. Orton then reveals that RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero has made a "no physicality" rule to ensure that neither Randy Orton or Batista get a hold of each other before Judgment Day. With that bit of news backing him up, Orton called out Batista for a "little chat". Batista did not waste a second coming to the ring. Orton tells "The Animal" that he will never win the WWE Title. The WWE Champion then offers his #1 Contender the opportunity to be a part of Legacy! "The Viper" said that Triple H held the two of them back in Evolution, but Triple H is out of the picture. Orton then implored Batista to come to the "winning side" and be the "enforcer" of Legacy. Batista shoots down the offer and tells the champion that he "loathes" him and that he will never be Orton’s back-up. Batista then proclaims that he is there to "hurt" Randy Orton. A furious Orton tells Batista that he has made a huge mistake and that, if it was not for the "no physicality" rule, he would drop Batista right then and there! "The Animal" responds by telling Orton that there is no way that Vickie Guerrero would call off the main event of Judgment Day, therefore, there is no punishment for breaking the "no physicality" rule. As champion and challenger prepare to fight, RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero interrupts and proclaims that she is waiving the rule and that she wants Orton & Batista to tear each other apart. Vickie states that the main event of Judgment Day will happen regardless of the condition of either competitor. Vickie then announces that Batista will face both Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. If Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase win, then all three members of Legacy will face Batista in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match in the main event of RAW! However, if Batista wins, then he gets Randy Orton in a one-on-one match in the main event! Vickie then reveals that the match will take place right now!

The opening match of the night saw the #1 Contender for the WWE Title, Batista, take on two-thirds of Legacy- Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase in a 2-on-1 Handicap Match. In the middle of the match, Cody Rhodes goes to the outside of the ring and throws a steel chair in the ring. Batista picks up the chair and tries to level Rhodes with it, but misses. The referee turns around and sees Batista holding the chair and calls for the disqualification, which means that all three members of Legacy will take on Batista in a 3-on-1 Handicap Match in the main event! Will Batista suffer the same fate that Shane McMahon suffered last week?

In Divas action, the team of Mickie James & Kelly Kelly defeated the team of Divas Champion Maryse & Jillian when Mickie pinned Maryse for the second week in a row! Now that Mickie James has pinned the Divas Champion two weeks running, when will Mickie get her shot at the Divas Championship?

Backstage, WWE Champion Randy Orton is preparing to give his thoughts on the Handicap Match, but Ted DiBiase interrupts and tells Orton that Cody Rhodes is "gone". Orton & DiBiase then leave, looking for Cody Rhodes or their suspect- Batista.

Also backstage, Chavo Guerrero is talking with her aunt- RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Chavo suggests to Vickie that she make a "special exhibition match" between John Cena & The Miz to see if Cena is capable of facing Big Show at Judgment Day! The match would only end when Vickie Guerrero says it is over.

In a rematch from last week, The Brian Kendrick rolled up one-half of the Unified WWE Tag Team Champions- Carlito. After the match, The Brian Kendrick promised to find a tag team partner and then win the Unified WWE Tag Team Titles. Who will Kendrick choose as his tag team partner? Will it be someone who can help Kendrick take the tag titles from Primo & Carlito?

It was announced during RAW that, at Judgment Day, Rey Mysterio will defend the Intercontinental Title against Chris Jericho!

Backstage, Randy Orton & Ted DiBiase split up to try and find Cody Rhodes. Orton manages to find Rhodes, but when the two of them come back to meet up with DiBiase, they find him laid out on the floor! Orton immediately utters the name, "Batista".

Then it was time for the "special exhibition match" pitting John Cena against The Miz. Before the "match" took place, Big Show made his way out to ringside. With no referee and the only way to stop the "match" is when Vickie says so, Cena & Miz squared off. As Cena looked ready to lay Miz out, Vickie interrupts and says that he has seen enough. Vickie then rules that Cena "does not stand a chance" against Big Show this Sunday. With Cena distracted by Vickie, The Miz takes advantage and plants Cena with a DDT, much to the delight of Big Show. Is Vickie Guerrero right? Does John Cena stand a chance against Big Show this Sunday with the condition that Cena is in?

Backstage, Randy Orton is with Cody Rhodes. The WWE Champion instructs Cody Rhodes to find and "take out" Batista.

"Miss WrestleMania" Santina Marella was in action, picking up a win over "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix with a roll-up.

In the backstage area, Cody Rhodes is armed with a steel pipe and looking for Batista. However, Batista found Rhodes as "The Animal" assaulted Cody Rhodes. Batista then locked himself in to continue the assault on Cody Rhodes. Batista had taken out Rhodes & DiBiase, meaning he would get Randy Orton in a one-on-one match!

United States Champion MVP makes an appearance to present the RAW debut of The VIP Lounge! "The Ballin’ Superstar" calls William Regal out. Regal comes to the ring and joins MVP in The VIP Lounge. Regal then reveals the reason for his interference last week by saying that all the new RAW Superstars that have come to Monday nights via the WWE Draft have jumped above him in the pecking order of RAW. MVP then calls Regal "straight up boring". The two prepare to fight until Matt Hardy interrupts. Matt states that he has been forced to compete over the last couple of weeks and that his formal complaints have been ignored. Matt then tells Regal that he needs to wait because he deserves the first title opportunity as soon as he is healed. Looking for revenge from last week, Kofi Kingston attacks Matt Hardy! Chavo Guerrero comes out and announces, on behalf of his aunt- Vickie, that a tag match will take place right now- United States Champion MVP & Kofi Kingston taking on the team of William Regal & Matt Hardy! During the course of the match, Kofi Kingston delivers a swift kick to the broken hand of Matt Hardy. Matt then makes his exit, leaving William Regal to fend for himself in the match. It wasn’t long before MVP hit the Playmaker and pinned Regal.

Then it was time for the main event- a one-on-one non-title match between WWE Champion Randy Orton and #1 Contender Batista. Before the match, Randy Orton tried to back out of the match with Batista, but Batista made his way to the ring and the match began.

Clearly, Batista had no intentions of winning the match as he grabbed a steel chair and viciously attacked Randy Orton, which caused a disqualification win for Orton. Batista then shifted his focus to the ankle of Randy Orton! With revenge on his mind, "The Animal" continued to wail away on the champion’s ankle with a steel chair. Batista then prepared to smash the ankle of Orton with the steel steps when Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase saved their leader from sure destruction. With the three-on-one advantage, Orton went to hit the RKO on Batista, but "The Animal" blocked the attempt and laid out both Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase as Randy Orton made his escape. This Sunday at Judgment Day, there will be no escaping "The Animal" for Randy Orton. What kind of condition will Orton be in on Sunday? Vickie Guerrero has stated that the match will take place regardless of either man’s condition. Has Batista already won the WWE Title by attacking the ankle of Orton six days before the title match or will Orton defeat Batista and keep his title? What role will Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase play in the championship match?

The 153rd edition of ECW on Sci-Fi came to you from the Nutter Center at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Confirmed for the final ECW before Judgment Day was the return of "The Peep Show" with special guest- Jack Swagger.

Before ECW got underway, the Interim General Manager of ECW, Tiffany, was backstage with ECW Champion Christian and his #1 Contender- Jack Swagger. Tiffany told both of them that she is enforcing a "no physicality" rule for "The Peep Show" tonight. The Interim GM stated that there would be "consequences" if the rule is broken.

The opening match of the night saw "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry defeat the "ECW Original" Tommy Dreamer. In just a couple of weeks, Tommy Dreamer’s ECW Contract expires and Dreamer has vowed to either win the ECW Title by the time his contract expires or retire from ECW. With the clock ticking, can Tommy Dreamer accomplish his dream of having one more reign as ECW Champion or has ECW seen the last of Tommy Dreamer?

In a match where Natalya was banned from ringside, "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay took on "The Calgary Flame" Tyson Kidd. While Finlay would win the match by disqualification, that was not the big story as the cause of the disqualification was David Hart Smith, who made his ECW debut by absolutely decimating the Irishman with the help of Tyson Kidd. Afterwards, Kidd & Smith laid out Finlay with "The Hart Attack"; the legendary finisher of The Hart Foundation. Afterwards, Natalya joined Kidd & Smith in the ring. Have we witnessed the next generation version of The Hart Foundation?

"The Moscow Militant" Vladimir Kozlov, picking up a decisive win over Chad Collyer.

ECW Champion Christian made his way to the ring to host "The Peep Show". Christian introduced his #1 Contender this Sunday at Judgment Day- Jack Swagger. Swagger made his way to the ring. "Captain Charisma" welcomes his guest to "The Peep Show" and Swagger responds by calling the show "stupid". Christian responds by calling Swagger a "loser". Swagger then accuses Christian of cheating to win the title at Backlash. Christian then reminded Jack Swagger that he was going to try the same thing and that he simply "outsmarted" Swagger. "The All-American American" then vows victory at Judgment Day, saying he "owns" Christian in the ring. Swagger continues by saying that, in six months, Christian will be back at home with no cameras, no "peeps", and no ECW Championship. Christian then states that, as the host, he has the right to end "The Peep Show" whenever he wanted to and "Captain Charisma" did just that, which left nothing but air and opportunity since the "no physicality" rule only applied within "The Peep Show". Christian then cracked Swagger in the head with the microphone, which prompted Swagger to take his leave. Can Christian shut Jack Swagger up or will Jack Swagger ruin the return of Christian by regaining the championship?

The 5th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Nationwide Arena in Columbus, OH and from the Nutter Center at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Confirmed for the RAW portion of Superstars was an Exhibition Match between "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show against the 4’0" Hornswoggle! Also, SmackDown would be represented as Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio took on "The Gold Standard" Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match. From ECW, the ECW Champion Christian would face off with "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry in a non-title bout.

The opening match of the night would see a non-title match between Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio and Shelton Benjamin. "The Friday Night Delight" John Morrison was the guest commentator for the match. In a hard-fought battle, Rey Mysterio was able to defeat "The Gold Standard". After the match, Shelton Benjamin got in the face of John Morrison. Benjamin tried to cheap shot "The A-Lister", but Morrison dodged the right hand and delivered one of his own to Benjamin, flooring Shelton. What will be next in this escalating rivalry between two of SmackDown’s most exciting competitors?

ECW Champion Christian was also in non-title action, defeating "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry. "Captain Charisma" seems to have all the momentum heading into his title defense this Sunday at Judgment Day, will Christian retain the ECW Title or will "The All-American American" Jack Swagger take back the title?

Then it was time for the main event of the evening as "The World’s Largest Athlete" Big Show took on Hornswoggle in an Exhibition Match that was ordered to take place by RAW General Manager Vickie Guerrero. Big Show toyed around with "The Little Irishman" for the duration of the contest. However, when Big Show propped Hornswoggle up on the top turnbuckle and was prepared to deliver the vicious Knockout Punch to the little guy, one Superstar had seen enough as "The Bizarre One" Goldust made his way to the ring to protect Hornswoggle. Hornswoggle managed to escape, but Goldust was not as lucky as Big Show chokeslammed Goldust before locking him in a modified camel clutch. Proud of his handiwork, Big Show exited the ring. Hornswoggle then went in to check on Goldust. This Sunday at Judgment Day, it is safe to say that Big Show will have a much more formidable opponent as he takes on John Cena. Who will come out on top when these two square off in Chicago?

The 508th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Nutter Center at Wright State University in Dayton, OH. Confirmed for the last SmackDown before Judgment Day was a tag team match pitting Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin against John Morrison and a partner of his choosing. Also, Women’s Champion Melina would team up with Gail Kim to take on Michelle McCool & Alicia Fox.

The night kicked off with a tag team match that saw Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin take on John Morrison and a partner of his choosing. Morrison found quite the capable partner as he chose "Mr. Money-in-the-Bank" CM Punk as his partner! The duo of Punk & Morrison were able to defeat the former WWE Tag Team Champions.

After SmackDown concluded, it was announced that John Morrison and Shelton Benjamin will go one-on-one this Sunday at Judgment Day. Which one of these two men will truly prove who is better?

Chris Jericho made an appearance on SmackDown. The #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title stated that he was not afraid of Judgment Day because he is an honest man. Jericho then claims that he has been "lied to" and "disrespected" since coming to SmackDown. Jericho then says that it is all a "conspiracy" set forth by SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long, the SmackDown Superstars, and the WWE fans. Jericho then vows that his "rapture" will begin this Sunday with a win over Rey Mysterio. Jericho then proclaims that he is the "best in the world" and that SmackDown is "his show". Jericho then stated that Rey cost him his shot at the World Heavyweight Title last week and now he will cost Rey the Intercontinental Title by winning it at Judgment Day. Jericho then promises that there will be no 619 at Judgment Day. Jericho then proclaims that he runs the show. Jericho then calls Rey out to the ring. However, Jericho got the World Heavyweight Champion Edge instead! "The Rated-R Superstar" tells Jericho that he is sick of hearing Jericho’s voice. Edge states that the locker room is out to get him because he is the World Heavyweight Champion. "The Ultimate Opportunist" also said that SmackDown has always been "his show". Edge then calls out his #1 Contender, Jeff Hardy. Jericho interrupts and tells Edge that he will have to wait. SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long then comes out and tells both of them that SmackDown does not belong to them, it belongs to the people. Long then announces that Edge will take on Chris Jericho in the main event!

The #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at Judgment Day, Jeff Hardy, was also in action, picking up a win over Ricky Ortiz. After the match, Jeff vowed to win the World Heavyweight Title this Sunday.

The Divas were also in action as Women’s Champion Melina teamed up with Gail Kim to defeat Michelle McCool & Alicia Fox. Who will be the first SmackDown Diva to challenge Melina for the Women’s Title?

Dolph Ziggler was in action, picking up a win over Jimmy Wang Yang. After the match, The Great Khali made his way to the ring seeking revenge for the assault last week. Khali tossed Dolph out of the ring and stalked Ziggler all the way up the ramp. Has Dolph Ziggler made a huge mistake in angering Khali?

Backstage, Eve Torres is with Cryme Tyme. At the recommendation of Cryme Tyme, Eve Torres attacks Layla in the backstage area. The two Divas brawled until Cryme Tyme stepped in and separated the two of them. This rivalry between these two SmackDown Divas is really getting intense, what is the next level between these two?

R-Truth also picked up a big win over Mike Knox.

Also backstage, Intercontinental Champion Rey Mysterio makes an appearance and states that Chris Jericho should not be worried about a "conspiracy" this Sunday, he should be worried about the 619.

Then it was time for the non-title main event as World Heavyweight Champion Edge squared off with Chris Jericho. In the middle of the match, Chris Jericho brought a steel chair in the ring, which got him disqualified. Jeff Hardy then ran out and Edge commandeered the chair and was ready to level Jeff with it, but Jeff ducked and laid out the champion with a Twist of Fate on the steel chair! Jeff then dove onto Chris Jericho on the outside. Meanwhile, with Edge down, CM Punk made his way to the ring to cash in his Money-in-the-Bank title opportunity, but is once again thwarted by Umaga. However, Punk managed to dodge the attack of "The Samoan Bulldozer" and level Umaga with the Money-in-the-Bank briefcase. With Edge & Jeff Hardy spilling to the outside and eventually fighting through the crowd and CM Punk and Umaga battling it out on the outside of the ring, Chris Jericho was able to make his escape, or so he thought. Rey Mysterio came out and laid out his #1 Contender with a vicious kick. With all mayhem unleashed on SmackDown, what will happen when all these rivalries culminate at Judgment Day?

 
Superstar of the Week: Christian