The 868th edition of WWE Monday Night RAW came to you, live, from the Target Center in Minneapolis, MN. Legendary and controversial boxer “Iron” Mike Tyson would serve as Guest Host of the show.
Match Results
- Divas Tournament: First Round: Alicia Fox def. Kelly Kelly by pin with a powerbomb to advance.
- Legacy def. Evan Bourne & Mark Henry by Cody Rhodes pinning Evan Bourne following Cross Rhodes.
It was announced prior to the match that Cody Rhodes, Ted DiBiase, Evan Bourne, & Mark Henry will be participants in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match.
- "The All-American American American" Over-The-Top Rope Challenge: Santino Marella def. Jack Swagger
Before the match, Jack Swagger announced that he would be a participant in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match.
- #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match for the WWE Title: Randy Orton (with Legacy) def. John Cena & Kofi Kingston by pinning Kofi Kingston following the RKO.
The end of the match came after Cody Rhodes attacked John Cena and, with Rhodes distracting the referee, Ted DiBiase attacked Kofi Kingston. This led to Randy Orton hitting the RKO on Kofi to pick up the win. As a result, Orton will challenge Sheamus for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble.
- Divas Tournament: First Round: Eve Torres def. Katie Lea Burchill (in her in-ring RAW debut) by roll-up to advance.
On next week’s RAW, the Semi-Finals in the Divas Tournament will take place as Maryse faces Eve Torres and Gail Kim faces Alicia Fox.
- Non-Title: D-Generation X (with Mike Tyson & Hornswoggle) def. Mike Tyson & Chris Jericho by Shawn Michaels pinning Chris Jericho following a knockout punch by Mike Tyson,
Mike Tyson turned on Chris Jericho in the match and, after revealing he had a DX shirt on, knocked Jericho out.
Match Quality
- #1 Contender’s Triple Threat Match
- Legacy Vs. Evan Bourne & Mark Henry
- D-Generation X Vs. Mike Tyson & Chris Jericho
- Eve Torres Vs. Katie Lea Burchill
- Santino Marella Vs. Jack Swagger
- Alicia Fox Vs. Kelly Kelly
Detailed Results
The show kicks off with the Guest Host of RAW, “Iron” Mike Tyson, who says that it is great to be back on Monday Night RAW for the first time since 1998 when he had a historic confrontation with Stone Cold Steve Austin, which “Iron Mike” followed up with at WrestleMania XIV by knocking out Shawn Michaels! Tyson says he looks forward to his night running RAW, but Tyson is quickly interrupted by the WWE Champion, Sheamus! “The Celtic Warrior” calls the boxing icon a “washed up former champion” and says that he is the WWE Champion and that makes him “The Baddest Man On The Planet”! Sheamus & Tyson go nose-to-nose, but the potential fight is interrupted by Randy Orton! Orton says he is not interested in creating a “Sports Center moment”, but he is interested in the WWE Title before “suggesting” that Tyson name him as the challenger for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble! The former WWE Champion, John Cena, then comes out and states that he is there for the WWE Championship! Cena pleads his case to “Iron Mike” that he should be the one to challenge Sheamus for the WWE Title! Kofi Kingston then interrupts and states that he is yet to have a WWE Title match, while Cena & Orton have had several. Kofi then proclaims that he “will not take ‘no’ for an answer”! Sheamus suggests that he get the night off at the Royal Rumble and tells his potential opposition to enter the Royal Rumble Match and “earn” the opportunity! “Iron Mike” steps in and declares that John Cena, Randy Orton, & Kofi Kingston will face off in a Triple Threat Match with the winner facing Sheamus for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble! Who will emerge from the Triple Threat Match and challenge Sheamus for the WWE Title at the Royal Rumble? Will John Cena get another shot at Sheamus and the title or will Kofi Kingston get his first opportunity at the WWE Championship or will Randy Orton reemerge in the WWE Title picture?
The tournament to crown a new Divas Champion continued as Kelly Kelly went one-on-one with Alicia Fox in a First Round Match. Alicia Fox was able to catch Kelly Kelly with a powerbomb to pick up the win and join Maryse & Gail Kim in advancing in the Divas Tournament. Who will be the fourth Diva to advance in the final First Round match?
Legacy made an appearance on the show and Cody Rhodes stated that, last year, Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble Match and this year will be different. Ted DiBiase steps in and says he will be the one winning the Royal Rumble Match! Following this declaration, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase went face-to-face. The impending implosion of Legacy was interrupted by Legacy’s opponents and fellow entrants in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match, Evan Bourne & Mark Henry! Despite any hints of dissension, Legacy was able to pick up the win over Evan Bourne & Mark Henry. Will Legacy remain unified when it is every man for himself in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match?
Backstage, Shawn Michaels confronts “Iron” Mike Tyson and says he wants to have the same “closure” with Tyson that he had with Bret Hart last week. HBK says that he “forgives” Tyson for knocking him out at WrestleMania XIV. Tyson responds by saying that he “enjoyed” knocking Michaels out and that he would “love” to do it again! Chris Jericho interrupts and says that he got Tyson’s private number and the two of them have struck up a friendship! Jericho then reveals that DX will be in a match and, if DX loses, Jericho will be allowed to appear on any brand he wants at any time he wants for however long he wants! Even more shocking than that announcement was Tyson announcing that DX will face Jericho and Jericho’s tag partner, Mike Tyson himself! Will this new friendship between Mike Tyson & Chris Jericho lead to Jericho being able to appear on any brand he wants?
“The All-American American” Jack Swagger appeared on RAW and announced that he is in the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match! Swagger proclaims that he will win the match and main event WrestleMania! Swagger then states that there is no man that can throw him over the top rope and challenges anyone to come to the ring and try it! Santino Marella answers the challenge and states that he was about to come about and lay down the same challenge, but he will instead take Swagger down! Marella was able to outmaneuver Swagger and win “The All-American American American Challenge”! After setting the dubious distinction of lasting just over one second in the Royal Rumble Match last year, can Marella bounce back? How will Jack Swagger fare in the 30-Man extravaganza?
Then it was time to determine who would challenge Sheamus for the WWE Championship at the Royal Rumble as John Cena, Kofi Kingston, & Randy Orton would battle in a Triple Threat Match with the winner getting the title opportunity. When it looked like Randy Orton was on the verge of losing the match, it was Cody Rhodes who interfered and attacked John Cena, followed by Ted DiBiase coming in and attacking Kofi Kingston! With a big assist by Legacy, Randy Orton was able to strike with the RKO on Kofi Kingston and pick up the win to earn a shot at the WWE Championship against Sheamus at the Royal Rumble! Who will emerge as the WWE Champion when the diabolical and cunning Randy Orton challenges the seemingly unstoppable Sheamus?
RAW also saw an intense confrontation between United States Champion The Miz and his #1 Contender, MVP! MVP tells the brash champion that the life he has led is a life Miz has only seen on TV and “dares” Miz to “open the cage” and release the “animal” within him before sending the United States Champion careening out of the ring with a vicious boot to Miz! When will MVP get his shot at the United States Title and can “The Ballin’ Superstar” earn his third reign as United States Champion?
In the final First Round Match in the Divas Tournament, Eve Torres went one-on-one with the newest RAW Diva, Katie Lea Burchill with the winner facing Maryse, who was on commentary for the match, on next week’s RAW! Eve was able to roll up Katie Lea to pick up the win to advance and face Maryse in the Semi-Finals next week on RAW! Maryse will take on Eve Torres and Gail Kim will face Alicia Fox in the Semi-Finals of the Divas Tournament next week. Who will be the new Divas Champion?
After the shocking kick to the mid-section of Bret Hart last week, WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon made an appearance on RAW to explain his actions. The Chairman states that Bret Hart is not at RAW because Bret is “afraid” and that, last week on RAW, he “screwed Bret”! McMahon then says that he does not play “nice” and he does not “forget”. McMahon then says that Bret was “humbled” by him last week and says there will be “closure” before vowing that Bret Hart will “never be seen in the WWE again”! Mr. McMahon has received his idea of “closure”, but will Bret Hart never be seen in the WWE again as the Chairman has decreed?
It was announced on RAW that, on next week’s show, actors Jon Heder & Don Johnson will serve as the Guest Co-Hosts of RAW! What will the stars of “When In Rome” have in store for RAW next week?
It was then time for the main event as Unified WWE Tag Team Champions D-Generation X would face off with Chris Jericho and his partner, none other than “Iron” Mike Tyson himself! Not only would DX face Chris Jericho & Mike Tyson, but if Tyson & Jericho won, Chris Jericho would get a free pass to be on any brand he wants at any time he wants! Before the main event, Shawn Michaels drops the bombshell that, on next week’s RAW, he wants an answer from The Undertaker about the challenge HBK laid out for a rematch at WrestleMania XXVI!
In a bit of 1998 revisited, it was Mike Tyson who dealt the final blow in the main event as “Iron Mike” revealed his allegiance to DX by, not only revealing a DX t-shirt, but by knocking Jericho out cold with a right hand! Shawn Michaels then pinned Chris Jericho to keep Jericho off of RAW and to bring the “closure” he was looking for with Mike Tyson. Shawn Michaels has demanded an answer from The Undertaker on next week’s RAW regarding a rematch of their epic WrestleMania match from last year. Will “The Deadman” accept the challenge of HBK?