This Week In WWE: June 21, 2009- June 27, 2009

Welcome to the sixtieth 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. I have added a new section at the end of the article highlighting a different WWE Superstar or Diva every week. Please contact me if you have a request for a Superstar you would like to see highlighted in an upcoming edition.

Think you know the answer? Contact me via TWO or Wrestling101 with the answer. The first one to get the answer to me will get his or her name posted in next week’s "This Week In WWE"! Good luck!

The historic commercial-free edition of Monday Night RAW opened with the new owner of the show, Donald Trump! Trump welcomed all the fans to the new Monday Night RAW, presented completely commercial-free by Trump himself. The proud new owner of RAW stated that he may own Monday Night RAW, but RAW belongs to the fans. Trump then said that he is a "giver" and Mr. McMahon is a "taker". Trump stated that he was giving back to the WWE fans in attendance by giving all of them full refunds for whatever they paid for the tickets to the historic RAW! This gesture would cost Mr. Trump a total of $245,000! "The Donald" then makes his exit. What else can we expect from Donald Trump now that RAW is owned by the media mogul? What will Mr. McMahon have to say in his "farewell address"?

John Cena then made an appearance. After thanking "The Donald" for everything he has done for the RAW fans, Cena revealed that Trump has put him in a match against Big Show on RAW! Cena then turned his attention to a thorn in the side of the former champion, The Miz. Cena called Miz out to the ring and Miz came out, but did not go any farther than the staging area. Miz told Cena that Cena has refused to face Miz for several weeks now. Miz then called Cena a "coward". The proud Cena then pointed out that Miz is the one all the way on the stage, while he is in the ring. Miz then makes his way down to the ring and gets in the ring and then gets in the face of Cena! Cena tells the self-proclaimed "awesome" Miz that he is going to give The Miz what he wants; the chance to be the "face of RAW". Cena then revealed that the two of them will square off this Sunday at The Bash! Cena tells Miz that he does not get "rattled", no matter what. Cena then says that Miz is "bringing a knife to a gun fight" come Sunday. Cena vowed that, after The Bash, The Miz will realize that he "doesn’t belong" and that Miz is not a "Real World has been", but a "WWE never was". Cena then delivers the message to The Miz that Miz better "pray" to leave The Bash in one piece. In true Miz fashion, The Miz cheap shots Cena, but to little effect. Miz then makes his very hasty exit from the ring. What will happen this Sunday when The Miz is forced to face John Cena in a one-on-one contest? Will John Cena finally shut the mouth of Miz or will The Miz shock the world and defeat John Cena?

The Superstars of Friday Night SmackDown were in the opening contest as the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, teamed with "The Masked Marvel" Rey Mysterio and "The Punjabi Nightmare" The Great Khali in a winning effort over "The Rated-R Superstar" Edge, the Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho, & "The Name Dropper" Dolph Ziggler. After the match was over, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk entered the ring and raised the hand of Jeff Hardy, but "The Charismatic Enigma" wanted no part of it and quickly retracted his arm from the champion. What will happen when these two combustible Superstars do battle over the World Heavyweight Title this Sunday at The Bash?

A huge main event for SmackDown was announced during RAW as it will be "Rage in the Cage" as the team of "The Rated-R Superstar" Edge and Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho face the team of #1 Contenders, Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio inside a Steel Cage! Four men, two teams, and one cage; who will leave SmackDown as the winning team? What kind of toll will it take on four of SmackDown’s top talent? What effect will it have on The Bash just two days after the match?

Backstage, the former owner of Monday Night RAW, Mr. McMahon, is in search of his office and comes across the office of the new owner, Donald Trump. The WWE Chairman knocks on the door of Trump’s office, but there is no answer. McMahon is then confronted by "Miss WrestleMania" Santina Marella, who proposed that Mr. McMahon & Donald Trump share a office and call it "McDonald’s". Mr. McMahon ignored the light-hearted "Diva" and returned to pounding on the door of Trump’s office. "The Donald" finally anwered the door and asked Mr. McMahon what he wanted. The Chairman was directed by Trump to his "office", which turned out to be a bathroom stall with Mr. McMahon’s name on it! After McMahon left, Trump got his first experience of Santina Marella and very possibly his last experience as "The Donald" did what he did to "Miss California" and fired "Miss WrestleMania"! Santina’s "twin brother" Santino appeared and did not seem concerned of his siste’s forced departure, saying that Santina "had a good run".

En route to their Unified Tag Team Championship match this Sunday, Legacy member Cody Rhodes picked up a big win over one half of the Unified Tag Team Champions, Primo. Rhodes rolled through a pin attempt by Primo and hooked the tights to pick up a controversial win and gain some major momentum heading into the title match this Sunday? Legacy seems to have the advantage over The Colons, which second-generation team will walk out of Sacramento as the Unified Tag Team Champions?

Then it was time for the much-anticipated Last Man Standing Match for the WWE Championship between champion, Randy Orton, and challenger, Triple H. The match was another brutal contest in the personal rivalry between these two. The match saw Randy Orton plant Triple H on the announce table with a RKO. It also seen Triple H backdrop Orton on the same table. The fight went to every bit of the arena. Near the staging area, Triple H grabbed a ladder and looked to blast the WWE Champion with it. However, Orton dodged the shot and an unlucky crew member took the shot and was busted open as a result! The action then spilled onto the staging area where Randy Orton wrapped the previously weakened knee of Triple H in the ladder and slammed the ladder down multiple times into the knee of "The Game". Orton then stood the ladder up and readied himself to deliver a career-threatening RKO from the ladder to the steel stage. Luckily for Triple H, "The Game" countered the move and ended up delivering a vicious Pedigree on the steel stage. It seemed like Triple H had overcome the wrath of Orton again, but the substantial damage to the knee of Triple H prevented "The Game" from beating the ten-count of the referee. With Orton unable to recover from the Pedigree on the steel and Triple H unable to stand, the match ended in a Draw, which kept the WWE Title around the waist of Randy Orton. After the match, WWE officials helped Triple H to his feet. "The Game" was still fighting as he was able to deliver one final kick to "The Viper" before being helped to the back. Officials also assisted the champion to the back. With both competitors taking so much out of each other, is this the end of the very personal feud between these two?

Donald Trump also made another appearance on RAW. The new owner of RAW proclaims that he does not like General Managers, therefore he will not be naming a General Manager for his RAW. Trump then announced that, instead of a GM, he would provide a "celebrity host" for Monday Night RAW every week! "The Donald" then promised that there would be more "freebies" for the fans and viewers of RAW! Mr. McMahon interrupts Trump and tells "The Donald" that he’s "had enough". Mr. McMahon then throws some rumors out in the open that Trump wants to offer free attendance to every RAW and that Trump wants to have every single edition of Monday Night RAW be commercial-free! Trump responded by saying that the rumors are true! Trump then tells McMahon that he bought RAW and he can do whatever he wants with it. Trump then reveals that he has several billionaire friends that would love to buy RAW off of him for twice the price, but that he does not want to sell his newest acquisition. Mr. McMahon then accuses "The Donald" of trying to bankrupt him with these actions. Mr. McMahon then asks Trump to sell RAW to him! Trump shoots down the offer of Mr. McMahon. McMahon then raises the price and offers to give Trump the money back that he paid for RAW, plus 25%. After Trump refused, the Chairman tried to offer what Trump paid, plus 50%, then McMahon tried 75%, but Trump kept refusing the offers. Finally, Mr. McMahon took the desperation move and offered Trump double what Trump paid for RAW! In a bombshell moment, Donald Trump accepts the proposed deal! By accepting to sell RAW back to Mr. McMahon for twice the price he paid, that puts Mr. McMahon back in the driver’s seat as the owner of Monday Night RAW! It seems as though Trump has "played" the Chairman to the point where Trump actually got back double his money on the RAW deal, but the big story is that Mr. McMahon is the head honcho of RAW once again! Now that Trump is no longer the owner of RAW, all Trump’s promises for change on Monday Nights are down the drain. Mr. McMahon had RAW back, but he was not done with Donald Trump. McMahon told Trump that he never wants to see Trump’s face again and if he does, he will knock Trump out! The Chairman then took great pride in telling Donald Trump, "you’re fired!" Trump responded by slapping the WWE Chairman! Trump’s security quickly seperated the two. What’s next for Mr. McMahon now that he has his crown jewel back in his possession?

In a 6-Diva Tag Match, the team of Mickie James & The Bella Twins defeated the team of Divas Champion Maryse, "The Glamazon" Beth Phoenix, & Rosa Mendes. When will Maryse & Mickie do battle over the Divas Title?

It was announced on RAW that, this Thursday on WWE Superstars, Kofi Kingston will defend the United States Title in a Triple Threat Match against two former champions, MVP and Matt Hardy! Will "The Jamaican Sensation" hang on to the United States Title against these unfavorable odds?

Backstage, the vengeful new owner of RAW, Mr. McMahon, approaches still WWE Champion Randy Orton. Showing that he has not forgotten what Orton has done to his family, McMahon ordered Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase to leave the arena. In his first act as the new owner of RAW, Mr. McMahon informed Randy Orton that Orton will defend the title, regardless of his physical condition, against Triple H at The Bash. Mr. McMahon then added a monumental stipulation to the match as it will be a 3 Stages of Hell Match, the first 3 Stages of Hell Match in six and a half years! Mr. McMahon informed the WWE Champion that the first fall will be contested as a normal match, but the second fall would be a Falls Count Anywhere Match and the third fall, if neccesary, would be a Stretcher Match! Orton narrowly escaped with the WWE Title in a grueling Last Man Standing Match with "The Game", what kind of shape will these two combatants be in for their 3 Stages of Hell Match this Sunday? Who will survive the hellacious match and emerge as the WWE Champion?

Then it was time for the main event of the evening as familiar rivals, John Cena & Big Show did battle once again. During the match, it looked like the end was near for Big Show as Cena managed to lock in his STF on "The World’s Largest Athlete"! However, Cena was distracted when The Miz got up on the apron. Cena quickly took care of The Miz by knocking him off of the apron. Cena then turned his attention back to Big Show. Cena hoisted the gargantuan Big Show up for an Attitude Adjustment, but The Miz shoved Big Show, which caused Cena to lose his balance and fall to the mat with "The World’s Largest Athlete" falling on the back of the head of Cena! Big Show then pinned Cena to pick up the win! Miz then came back into the ring and stood over the lifeless body of Cena. What will happen this Sunday when the talk is over and these two face off? Miz seems to keep digging his hole deeper when it comes to Cena, will Cena shut The Miz up this Sunday or will The Miz get his first legitimate victory over the former World Champion?

Backstage, WWE Champion Randy Orton is making his way to his car to exit the arena when Triple H blindsides Orton and places Orton halfway in the trunk of his car. "The Game" then slams the trunk lid into the back of Orton! Triple H then gets in the face of Orton and tells the champion that, this Sunday, he is taking Orton "to hell". Triple H seems to have the advantage over Randy Orton heading into their 3 Stages of Hell Match at The Bash, will Triple H claim his fourteenth World Title in Sacramento or will Randy Orton prove why he is "The Viper" and leave The Bash with a successful title defense?

The 159th edition of ECW on Sci-Fi came to you from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Confirmed for the final ECW before The Bash was a tag team match featuring four of the five Championship Scramble Match opponents this Sunday as ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer teamed with "Captain Charisma" Christian to take on the team of "The All-American American" Jack Swagger & "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry.

The opening match of the night saw the aeronautic and agile Evan Bourne take on Tyson Kidd. Early in the match, Tyson Kidd’s cohorts, Natalya & David Hart Smith, tried to insert themselves into the match by getting on the apron. The plan of the trio was thrown out the window as the referee ejected The Hart Dynasty from ringside! With his backup gone, Tyson Kidd was defeated by Evan Bourne.

Before his match with Zack Ryder, "The Fighting Irishman" Finlay had a few words to say regarding his explosive return to ECW last week. Finlay explained that, after he injured his eye several weeks ago, no one bothered to reach out to him; not even Tommy Dreamer or Christian, who just sent Finlay a text to say "sorry". Finlay stated that "apologies don’t pay the bills" and that his attacks were about getting "an eye for an eye". Zack Ryder interrupts Finlay and proclaimed that he is "the man of ECW". Ryder may think that he is "the man", but Finlay proved why he is "the veteran" when he used a distraction caused by Zack Ryder to roll Ryder up and hook the tights of "The Loud-Mouthed Long Islander" to pick up a big win heading into the Championship Scramble Match this Sunday. Will Finlay be the next ECW Champion come The Bash?

Backstage, ECW correspondent Gregory Helms is interviewing "The World’s Strongest Man" Mark Henry about his main event tag match. In the middle of the interview, there is some commotion nearby. It turns out that a crew member got stuck under an anvil case! Several other crew members were unable to save their co-worker, but a green-clad caped crusader used some, seemingly, supernatural powers to lift the heavy anvil case off of the grateful crew member. Then, with the whoosh of a hurricane, the masked man was gone. Who was this mysterious savior?

Then it was time for the main event as the ECW Champion Tommy Dreamer teamed up with "Captain Charisma" Christian to take on "The All-American American" Jack Swagger & "The World’s Largest Athlete" Mark Henry. During the match, Christian was poised for victory after hitting the Killswitch on Jack Swagger. However, the ever useful Tony Atlas placed Swagger’s foot under the bottom rope to prevent Swagger from getting pinned. Seeing all this go down, Tommy Dreamer quickly "took care" of Tony Atlas and took him out of the picture. Amidst all of the commotion, Jack Swagger was able to plant Christian with his signature powerbomb to pick up the big win for himself and Mark Henry. After the match, Mark Henry laid Tommy Dreamer out with the World’s Strongest Slam. "The All-American American" Jack Swagger was then caught by surprise as Henry laid Swagger out with the same maneuver! When it was all said and done, Mark Henry was the last one standing, will "The World’s Strongest Man" take back the ECW Championship or will one of his four opponents take the gold home at The Bash?

The 11th edition of WWE Superstars came to you from the Resch Center in Green Bay, WI and from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Confirmed for Superstars was a Triple Threat Match for the United States Championship as Kofi Kingston defended the title against two former champions in MVP & Matt Hardy. Also, "The All-American American" Jack Swagger would take on Evan "Air" Bourne and Dolph Ziggler would take on Jimmy Wang Yang.

The opening match of the night was from ECW and it saw "The All-American American" Jack Swagger pick up a big win over Evan Bourne to pick up some much-needed momentum heading into the ECW Championship Scramble Match this Sunday at The Bash. Will Jack Swagger be the one to walk out of Sacramento the ECW Champion?

It was announced during WWE Superstars that, at The Bash, Dolph Ziggler will go one-on-one with The Great Khali! Before his match on Superstars against Jimmy Wang Yang, Ziggler vowed to outsmart and defeat Khali once again this Sunday. Dolph has defeated Khali twice in recent weeks, once by DQ and once by count-out. Will Dolph pick up a third win this Sunday or will The Great Khali finally take care of the thorn in his huge side that is Dolph Ziggler?

En route to his face-off with the giant Great Khali at The Bash, Dolph Ziggler picked up an impressive victory over Jimmy Wang Yang in SmackDown’s contribution to Superstars. Dolph will face a very different opponent this Sunday, can Dolph overcome the giant again or will Khali squash Dolph at The Bash?

Then it was time for RAW to shine in the main event as Kofi Kingston successfully defended his United States Title in a Triple Threat Match against two former champions, "The Ballin’ Superstar" MVP and "The Malicious Hardy" Matt Hardy. Ever since winning the United States Title from MVP on June 1 on RAW, Kofi has defended the gold in a Fatal 4-Way Match and now a Triple Threat Match. Can anyone stop Kofi’s reign as champion?

The 514th edition of WWE SmackDown came to you from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI. Confirmed for the final stop before The Bash was a Rage In The Cage main event as it would be the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title at The Bash, Jeff Hardy, teaming up with the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title at The Bash, Rey Mysterio, to face "The Rated-R Superstar" Edge and Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho in a Steel Cage Match. Also, World Heavyweight Champion, CM Punk, would be in action as he squared off with former rival John Morrison in a non-title bout. After buying RAW back from Donald Trump on Monday Night RAW, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon would open the show.

Friday Night SmackDown kicked off with a special appearance by the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment- Mr. McMahon. "The Boss" stated that it felt good to be on SmackDown again. McMahon said that there is only "one way" to fire someone and that way is how he "fired" Donald Trump on RAW. The Chairman then called SmackDown General Manager Theodore Long to the ring. Long enters the ring and Mr. McMahon asks Teddy what he has planned for SmackDown. The GM informs The Chairman that he has a tag team match in the main event that would see the team of #1 Contenders, Jeff Hardy & Rey Mysterio, take on the team of former World Champion, Edge, and Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho just forty-eight hours before The Bash. Mr. McMahon was not impressed and demanded to know what else Teddy Long had. Long added that the tag team match will take place inside a steel cage. When a Rage In The Cage match did not impress the WWE Chairman, Long announced that World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk will be the special referee in the match! As opposed to firing Theodore Long as the GM, Mr. McMahon opted to place Long on "probation". Throughout the night, Mr. McMahon would keep a close eye on how Teddy Long handles things on SmackDown. The Chairman has set his sights on the SmackDown brand, what does this mean for Theodore Long and the Superstars of SmackDown? What lengths will Teddy Long have to go through to avoid violating his "probation"?

Before squaring off with R-Truth, Shelton Benjamin had some words for the dynamic Superstar. Benjamin referred to R-Truth as an "underachiever", while he went to college and graduated at the head of the class. Benjamin reminds R-Truth that he is "The Gold Standard" before stating that he will beat R-Truth. Benjamin then stated that, after he wins, he wants R-Truth "out of the arena, out of the WWE, and out of his life".

It was the same story on a different day for Shelton Benjamin as R-Truth once again defeated "The Gold Standard" on SmackDown. Have we seen the last of this heated rivalry or will Benjamin not be satisfied until he gets R-Truth out of his life?

The Divas were in tag team action as the #1 Contender for the Women’s Title this Sunday at The Bash, Michelle McCool, teamed up with Alicia Fox to defeat the team of Women’s Champion Melina and former Women’s Champion Gail Kim. McCool has been on an absolute roll in recent weeks, will it lead to a new Women’s Champion being crowned at The Bash?

It was announced on SmackDown that the match between Dolph Ziggler and The Great Khali at The Bash is now a No Disqualification Match! When these two men step into the ring at the ARCO Arena, absolutely anything goes. Will The Great Khali get his revenge on Dolph Ziggler or will Dolph use any means necessary to chop down the giant Superstar?

Then it was time for the renewal of an old rivalry as World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk squared off in a non-title match against "The Guru of Greatness" John Morrison. In the end, Morrison was able to pick up a monumental win over the World Heavyweight Champion! After the match, a conflicted CM Punk laid Morrison out with the GTS and then appeared to be unsure of his actions. What kind of transformation are we witnessing in CM Punk?

Then it was time for the main event as it was Rage In The Cage when the #1 Contender for the World Heavyweight Title, Jeff Hardy, teamed with the #1 Contender for the Intercontinental Title, Rey Mysterio, to take on "The Rated-R Superstar" Edge & Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho in a Steel Cage Match. Not only that, but World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk would serve as special referee! Towards the end of the incredible contest, Edge went for a spear on Jeff Hardy, but inadvertently laid out the special referee, CM Punk. Jeff Hardy had the match won, but the accidental Spear by Edge kept the match going. The end of the match came when Jeff Hardy was temporarily distracted by the presence of CM Punk, this gave "The Ultimate Opportunist" Edge the chance to spear Jeff Hardy and pick up the win in the main event! Ever since losing the World Heavyweight Title at Extreme Rules, Edge has been on a roll. Will Edge be challenging whoever comes out of The Bash as the World Heavyweight Champion? Who will claim victory at The Bash when Jeff Hardy gets his fair shot at CM Punk for the World Heavyweight Title? Will "The Extreme Enigma" regain the title that was unceremoniously taken from him by CM Punk at Extreme Rules or will "The Straightedge Superstar" silence the Jeff Hardy faithful with a win on Sunday?

Backstage, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon gives Theodore Long the stern warning to do an exceptional job for SmackDown at The Bash. The Chairman told Long to perform like his "job depended on it." Will Mr. McMahon really fire Theodore Long as the General Manager of SmackDown? What will Teddy have to do to make sure his job is safe? Will we see Theodore Long fired by Mr. McMahon this Sunday?
 

Superstar of the Week: Mr. McMahon