WWE Raw – 2008 Results

1/7/08; Uncasville, CT; Mohegan Sun Arena
1/7/08 – featured an opening backstage segment with Vince McMahon and William Regal in which McMahon unveiled the Raw Roulette wheel and Regal said he cost Triple H a spot in the Royal Rumble as a way to redeem himself for not hitting Hornswoggle; after McMahon said he was pleased with that, McMahon spun the wheel to determine in what match Regal would face Triple H later in the show, with the wheel landing on ‘first blood match;’ Regal then left the office and was attacked in the hallway by Triple H until he was pulled off by referees and officials; included a backstage segment with Maria and McMahon in which Maria spun the wheel to determine what match the divas would have later in the show – with the wheel first landing on ‘submission’ until McMahon had her close her eyes so he could turn it to ‘lingerie pillow fight;’ featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy regarding the attack Matt Hardy sustained the previous week from WWE World Champion Randy Orton and his upcoming match with Orton at the Royal Rumble, with Jeff saying he would injure Orton; included a backstage segment with McMahon and Hornswoggle in which McMahon said Hornswoggle would have a chance to qualify for the Rumble match; the segment was cut short due to audio problems; after a commercial break, the segment reaired in full, with McMahon saying the qualifying match would be a tag team bout where Hornswoggle could pick his partner; featured an ad promoting the start of WWE HD on Raw in 2 weeks; included a backstage segment in which Super Crazy turned down Hornswoggle asking him to be his partner later in the show; featured a backstage segment in which Santino Marella turned down Hornswoggle; included the announcement that WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin qualified for the Royal Rumble at a recent live event; featured an ad for ‘Raw’s Greatest Hits: The Music’ and ‘The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary’ DVD; included the announcement Batista would be part of the 30-man Royal Rumble:
Raw Roulette: Shawn Michaels & Ken Kennedy defeated Charlie Haas & Trevor Murdoch (mystery opponents) in a strange bedfellows match at around the 6-minute mark when Kennedy pinned Haas after Michaels hit the superkick on Haas and Kennedy dropped his partner with the Mic Check before making the cover himself; after Michaels and Kennedy were introduced, Vince McMahon spun the wheel to determine their match with the wheel naming them as tag team partners against another makeshift team; during the bout, Haas briefly wore a red luchadore mask before Michaels eventually took it off (the bout began during the commercial break)
Raw Roulette: WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly (dressed as Carlito Caribbean Cool) (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes) pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool (dressed as Hardcore Holly) (w/ Santino Marella) in a Trading Places match with the Alabama Slam at 3:23; during the bout, it was announced Holly had qualified for the Royal Rumble over the weekend
Raw Roulette: Ashley defeated Maria, Mickie James, Melina, and Jillian Hall in a lingerie pillow fight at 3:03 by pinning Jillian with an elbow drop from the middle turnbuckle onto the bed in the ring, as Mickie and Maria held Jillian down (Ashley’s surprise return after a 6-month absence)
Raw Roulette: Triple H defeated William Regal in a first blood match at 5:24 following several punches to the forehead; after the match, Triple H dropped Regal with the Pedigree
Raw Roulette: Chris Jericho fought John Bradshaw Layfield & Snitsky to a no contest in a handicap match at around the 3-minute mark when JBL tied a mic cable around Jericho’s neck and dragged him near the entrance stage; JBL eventually tied the cable to a scaffold until referees and officials ordered him backstage
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Hornswoggle & Mick Foley (surprise partner) defeated Rory & Robbie McAllister at 3:45 when Hornswoggle pinned Robbie with the frog splash after Foley hit the double arm DDT; prior to the bout, Hornswoggle appeared with an unknown by the name of BK Jordan until Foley appeared and sent Jordan backstage
Raw Roulette: WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy pinned Umaga in a non-title steel cage match at 14:31 after a Whisper in the Wind off the top of the cage, despite interference from WWE World Champion Randy Orton, who appeared ringside before the match; Hardy and Orton locked eyes as the show came to a close, with Hardy perched on the top of the cage looking down (Twist of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers)

1/14/08; Mobile, AL; Civic Center
1/14/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy regarding his match against WWE World Champion Randy Orton at the Royal Rumble and said he would take Orton out later in the show; Orton then appeared and accepted Hardy’s challenge for later in the show but only if Hardy’s IC title was on the line; Hardy then accepted; included a backstage segment with Vince McMahon and William Regal in which they discussed Regal’s match against Ric Flair later in the night and McMahon said if the United States were to have an enema, they would put it right in Mobile; as McMahon then discussed HD, Snitsky appeared and said he wanted to make an impact; McMahon then stated he would face Triple H later in the show and gave the enema bag to Regal; featured an ad for WWE HD which would begin the following week on Raw; included an ad for the following night’s ECW in which it was announced World Heavyweight Champion Edge would host The Cutting Edge with guest ECW World Champion CM Punk; featured footage from the final moments of the 2007 Royal Rumble between Shawn Michaels and the Undertaker; included footage of the title vs. title Hulk Hogan / Ultimate Warrior match from WrestleMania VI and Triple H / Kane from No Mercy 02 to hype Hardy / Orton later in the night; featured a backstage segment with McMahon and Hornswoggle in which McMahon said there would be a mini Royal Rumble match held later to give Hornswoggle some experience in the match, with Ken Kennedy, Mankind, and Batista also involved; included the announcement Punk would face Chavo Guerrero Jr. the following night on ECW; featured an ad for the Armageddon 07 DVD, available the following day; included an in-ring promo by John Bradshaw Layfield, with an entrance that included balloons falling from the rafters, regarding his attack on Chris Jericho the previous week and then sent a message to Jericho’s children:
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Melina, & Jillian Hall defeated Ashley, Maria, & Mickie James at 3:31 when Phoenix pinned Mickie with the cradle suplex after dropping her throat-first across the top rope
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Shawn Michaels defeated Trevor Murdoch via submission with a modified figure-4 at 2:56 after setting Murdoch up for the superkick but then not using it; prior to the bout, Michaels cut an in-ring promo, upset over having won the Royal Rumble twice and being the runner up in 2007 and still having to qualify; he then said he was going to challenge Ken Kennedy anyway and proposed they have a match then and there to determine which would go on to the Rumble but Murdoch appeared instead; after the match, Ken Kennedy appeared on the big screen and said he had nothing left to prove to Michaels but would accept his challenge for the following week; Murdoch then attempted to sneak up on Michaels from behind but Michaels dropped him with the superkick
Snitsky defeated Triple H via disqualification at 10:07 when Triple H twice hit Snitsky with a steel chair on the floor after Snitsky attempted to hit him with the steel ring steps; after the bout, Triple H hit Snitsky with a sledgehammer and dropped him with the Pedigree; as Triple H made his way up the entrance ramp, Vince McMahon appeared on the big screen and told Triple H to calmn down, with Triple H then destroying the screen beside the entrance; after the commercial break, McMahon confronted Triple H backstage and said – because he couldn’t trust Triple H’s behavior – he was back in the Royal Rumble match but only if he could win his match the next week
Hornswoggle won a 6-man Royal Rumble match at around the 7-minute mark; order of entry: Hornswoggle (0:00); Mini Ken Kennedy (0:00); Mini Mankind (1:05); Mini Batista (2:34); Mini Kane (3:53); the Great Khali (w/ Runjin Singh) (6:35); order of elimination: Mini Mankind by Hornswoggle (1:47); Mini Kennedy by Hornswoggle via press slam onto Mankind on the floor (1:56); Mini Batista by Hornswoggle (4:31); Mini Kane by Hornswoggle after the Celtic Cross (5:48); Khali left ringside and Hornswoggle was declared the winner after Finlay appeared and repeatedly hit him with a shallalaugh, knocking him to the floor, before Hornswoggle knocked Singh to the floor; after the commercial break, Finlay confronted McMahon backstage over how Khali was a participant in the match against Hornswoggle; McMahon then said if Finlay needed to blow off some steam, he could face Khali on Smackdown!
Ric Flair pinned William Regal with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage at around the 4-minute mark, moments after Regal attempted to do the same but was caught by the referee; pre-match stipulations stated if Flair lost the match then his career would be over (the bout began during the commercial break)
WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton via disqualification at the 8-second mark when Orton immediately dropped Hardy with a low blow; only the IC title was on the line; after the match, Orton grabbed a mic and said the show wasn’t over, then tossed Hardy out of the ring onto the ramp; Orton then attempted to drop Hardy with the RKO onto the concrete floor but Hardy fought him off and brawled with Hardy up to the entrance stage; as Orton went to charge Hardy, Hardy backdropped Orton off the stage and – as referees tended to Orton – climbed nearby scaffolding and hit a Swanton off the top onto Orton; medics and officials then swarmed the area and both men were taken backstage in neckbraces and on stretchers; the show ended with Hardy raising his arm in response to the crowd’s applause as he was taken backstage (Royal Rumble 08, Jeff Hardy: My Life My Rules)

1/21/08; Hampton, VA; Coliseum
1/21/08 – the first episode to air in HD; featured an opening video package on Martin Luther King Jr.; included the debut of a stage, following the destruction of part of the video screen stage the previous week; featured a backstage segment with WWE World Champion Randy Orton and Vince McMahon regarding McMahon’s order for Orton and WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy to shake hands later in the show, with Orton protesting until McMahon convinced him it would give Orton an edge; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Triple H regarding his Royal Rumble qualifying match later in the show in which Triple H guaranteed he would qualify; featured a backstage segment with Brian Kendrick and WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes regarding Kendrick’s Rumble qualifying match later in the show; moments later, WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly appeared and talked about his match later in the show against Carlito Caribbean Cool and his upcoming participation in the Rumble; included a video package on Orton, highlighting his childhood, WWE debut, World Heavyweight Title win in 2004, and highlights of his career since to the tune of Disciple’s “Game On;” featured an in-ring promo by Chris Jericho regarding John Bradshaw Layfield’s promo the previous week in which he mentioned Jericho’s children, the attack Jericho sustained two weeks earlier, and his upcoming match with JBL at the Rumble; included a backstage segment with McMahon and Hardy regarding Hardy’s Swanton onto Orton the previous week and Hardy having to shake Orton’s hand later in the show; featured an ad promoting extra tickets going on sale for WrestleMania 24; included a backstage segment with Mickie James, Ashley, and Maria regarding Mickie being frustrated over not being able to beat WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix; after Ashley said she wanted to talk to Maria about something after going to a party at the Playboy Mansion, Santino Marella appeared and said he did not need a magazine subscription; featured footage of McMahon appearing on ‘Celebrity Appearance’ later that week on NBC; included a video package on Hardy’s career and feud with Orton to the tune of Lostprophets’ “Rooftops;” featured a closing in-ring segment with McMahon, Hardy, and Orton; during the segment, Orton said Hardy wouldn’t have the title after the Rumble but would have his respect; Hardy then said he wasn’t concerned with earning Orton’s respect, then went around ringside shaking the hands of Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Lilian Garcia, and went into the crowd doing the same with the fans; after Hardy got back into the ring, Orton extended him his hand to shake but Hardy instead dropped him with the Twist of Fate:
Shawn Michaels pinned Ken Kennedy at 14:20 with the superkick after Kennedy avoided Michaels’ leg submission hold; prior to the bout, it was announced Kennedy had been given a spot in the Royal Rumble match by William Regal
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix pinned Mickie James in a non-title match at 3:42 with the cradle suplex after dropping Mickie across the top rope
Finlay & Hornswoggle defeated Robbie & Rory McAllister at 1:26 when Hornswoggle pinned Rory with the frog splash after Finlay hit the Celtic Cross
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Umaga (mystery opponent) pinned Brian Kendrick at 2:20 with the thumb strike to the throat; prior to the bout, William Regal appeared on the big screen and told Kendrick he would have to face someone who had already qualified for the Rumble
Carlito Caribbean Cool (w/ Santino Marella & Maria) pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes) at 3:12 with the Back Stabber after Marella distracted Holly as he attempted the Alabama Slam
Royal Rumble Qualifyiing Match: Triple H won a 3-man over-the-top-rope gauntlet match at 5:48; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Triple H winning the 2002 Royal Rumble; following Triple H’s entrance, William Regal appeared and said he would face three men; Triple H eliminated Snitsky with a clothesline (1:16); Triple H eliminated Mark Henry by pulling down the top rope duing a charge (4:21); Triple H eliminated Regal, after Regal appeared to wave off the mystery third opponent, following a spinebuster

1/28/08; Philadelphia, PA; Wachovia Center
1/28/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena regarding his injury, winning the Royal Rumble, and going to WrestleMania; moments later, Cena issued a challenge to WWE World Champion Randy Orton for a title shot later in the night; Orton then appeared and turned down the offer, with Cena then arguing Orton has the advantage because waiting another two months will just give Cena more time to heal from his surgury; Orton again said no, citing he only defends when the fans pay to see it, but said Cena could face him at No Way Out; Cena then issued a warning to Orton for later that night; included an ad promoting more WrestleMania 24 seats being available; featured a backstage segment with Vince McMahon and William Regal in which McMahon agreed to Orton vs. Cena at No Way Out but questioning who would face the champion at WrestleMania, with Regal mentioning “that match” could determine the next challenger; included an ad for ‘The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin,’ available Feb. 12; featured a promo by Regal on the stage in which he announced an Elimination Chamber match would be held at No Way Out to determine who would face the winner of Orton vs. Cena at WrestleMania; the participants would be: Umaga, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho, John Bradshaw Layfield, WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy, and Triple H; included Mike Adamle hyping Snitsky & Umaga vs. Triple H & an unknown partner and Orton & JBL vs. Hardy & Jericho for later in the night; featured a backstage segment with Triple H and Michaels in which they discussed their participation in the Elimination Chamber before Triple H asked Michaels to be his tag team partner later in the show; the two then showcased new DX clothing before leaving the dressing room; included footage of Candice Michelle filming her fourth straight GoDaddy.com SuperBowl commercial; featured a backstage segment with Orton and JBL regarding their tag team match, with JBL saying he expected to face Orton for the title at WrestleMania and Orton saying he hoped JBL won the Elimination Chamber because he knew he could beat him; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Hardy regarding his loss at the Rumble and his participation in the Elimination Chamber; featured a backstage segment with McMahon and Hornswoggle in which McMahon berated Hornswoggle for coming back from the Rumble a loser and said he was ashamed of him; included Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Jericho regarding his match with JBL at the Rumble, during which Jericho implied his feud with JBL would continue at WrestleMania; featured Adamle hyping the Cena vs. Orton and Elimination Chamber match scheduled for No Way Out:
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall defeated Mickie James & Ashley at 2:51 when Phoenix pinned Mickie with the cradle suplex; Ashley was never legally involved in the match
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly) pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool (w/ Santino Marella & Maria) with the Backstabber at 3:06 after Rhodes became distracted by Holly chasing Marella around ringside
Triple H & Shawn Michaels defeated Umaga & Snitsky at 12:14 when Triple H pinned Snitsky with the Pedigree; during the pre-match “Suck it” promo, Triple H made mention of Michael Buffer stealing their gimmick at the Royal Rumble
Ken Kennedy pinned Brian Kendrick with the Mic Check at 1:59; after the bout, Kennedy cut an in-ring promo saying he had asked William Regal for him not to be part of the Elimination Chamber because he wanted to end the career of Ric Flair at No Way Out; moments later, Flair appeared and wished Kennedy good luck
Maria (w/ Santino Marella) pinned Melina at 2:28 by blocking a roll up out of the corner; after the bout, Santino covered Maria’s butt – her thong was exposed during the finish – and insulted the crowd for taking pleasure in seeing Maria’s skin; Santino then said Maria would never be in Playboy
WWE World Champion Randy Orton & John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Chris Jericho & WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy at 10:58 when JBL pinned Jericho after Orton dropped Jericho with the RKO behind the referee’s back as JBL was caught in the Walls of Jericho; after the bout, John Cena appeared, with JBL acting as though he would back Orton up but then leaving the ring; moments later, Cena dropped Orton with the FU to close the broadcast

2/4/08; Austin, TX; Frank Irwin Center
2/4/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by WWE World Champion Randy Orton in which he asked John Cena to appear and sign a contract for their bout at No Way Out so that Cena didn’t back out at the last minute to spend more time healing; moments later, Cena appeared and signed the contract, with Orton then saying that – if for some reason Mark Henry injured Cena’s pec later in the show during their scheduled arm wrestling contest – their match was still on; Henry then appeared at ringside, distracting Cena long enough for Orton to drop him with the RKO; included an ad for ‘The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin;’ featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Orton and Henry regarding the attack on Cena earlier in the show; included a backstage segment with William Regal and Hornswoggle in which Regal talked about Hornswoggle having to join the Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club later in the show; featured the announcement Triple H was not at the show due to a family emergency; included an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he referenced his almost winning the 2007 Royal Rumble and almost beating Cena for the title at WrestleMania and said he was done coming in 2nd place and put his opponents in the Elimination Chamber on notice; Chris Jericho then appeared and argued he was going to win the match until WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy interrupted and argued he would win; John Bradshaw Layfield then appeared and said he had bought off Umaga as a way to guarantee JBL would win the match and once again main event WrestleMania; Umaga then appeared, followed closely thereafter by Snitsky who argued he should be in the match; moments later, all six men began brawling, with William Regal then appearing and announcing Umaga, JBL, & Snitsky would face Michaels, Hardy, & Jericho later in the show; featured Mike Adamle hyping the Raw Elimination Chamber match for No Way Out; included Vince McMahon preparing for Hornswoggle to join the Mr. McMahon Kiss My Ass Club; featured an in-ring promo by McMahon in which he told the parents in the crowd the only way their kids would do as they say is if they literally kissed their ass, then called for Hornswoggle to appear to do the same; after demanding Hornswoggle to kiss his ass, Finlay eventually appeared, with McMahon telling him he could kiss his ass when Hornswoggle was finished; Hornswoggle evenually bit McMahon’s ass before leaving with Finlay; McMahon then announced he would face Hornswoggle the following week one-on-one in a No DQ match and Finlay would be fired if he interfered; included a WrestleMania 24 hype package to the tune of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Snow (Hey Oh);’ featured footage of Candice Michelle, Torrie Wilson, Maria, Michelle McCool, and Layla appearing on ‘Project Runway’ later in the week on BRAVO; included a vignette promoting the return of Candice:
Mickie James & Kelly Kelly defeated WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Victoria at 2:43 when Mickie pinned Victoria with a Tornado DDT
Ken Kennedy defeated Super Crazy via submission with an inverted figure-4 at 2:30; after the bout, Kennedy showed footage on the big screen of the previous week’s Smackdown! in which WWE US Champion MVP attacked Ric Flair after their match; Kennedy then offered Flair a chance to appear the next week and forfeit his match against Kennedy at No Way Out or face having to retire and limp the rest of his life
Carlito Caribbean Cool & Santino Marella (w/ Maria) defeated Brian Kendrick & Paul London at 1:18 when Carlito pinned Kendrick with the Backstabber; neither London or Marella were legally involved in the bout
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch in a non-title match at 2:16 when Rhodes pinned Murdoch with a DDT; after the bout, Carlito Caribbean Cool, Santino Marella, & Maria appeared with Carlito and Santino announcing they had been named the new #1 contenders and would take the belts from Holly & Rhodes
Shawn Michaels, WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy, & Chris Jericho defeated John Bradshaw Layfield, Umaga, & Snitsky at 15:12 when Hardy pinned Snitsky with the Twist of Fate and Swanton
John Cena fought Mark Henry to a no contest in an arm wrestling contest when – as Cena was about to win – WWE World Champion Randy Orton interfered; moments later, Cena easily sent Orton out of the ring and dropped Henry with the FU to close the broadcast

2/4/08; Austin, TX; Frank Irwin Center
2/11/08 – featured Mike Adamle in the crowd hyping the John Cena vs. WWE World Champion Randy Orton match at No Way Out, followed by a video package recapping the feud beginning with Cena’s injury in the fall; included a backstage segment with Vince McMahon and William Regal discussing firing Finlay later in the show, with McMahon saying he wouldn’t fire Finlay but would make Finlay watch as he fought Hornswoggle in a steel cage the following week; featured an anti-steroid commercial featuring Cena; included an ad for ‘The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin;’ featured a WrestleMania 24 hype package to the tune of the Red Hot Chili Peppers’ ‘Snow (Hey Oh);’ included an in-ring confrontation between Ken Kennedy and Ric Flair in which Kennedy asked if Flair was going to agree to his offer to forfeit their match at No Way Out, with Flair refusing and saying he would beat Kennedy; moments later, Kennedy kicked Flair in his bad leg and did the Flair strut before leaving the ring; featured a look at the taping of Cena taping a Nascar commercial with Denny Hamlin, Carl Edwards, and several other drivers; included a Triple H vignette promoting his participation in the Elimination Chamber; featured a vignette promoting the return of Candice Michelle:
Hornswoggle pinned Vince McMahon in a No DQ match at 5:39 with the frog splash after Finlay hit McMahon with his shillalagh; Finlay appeared mid-way through the bout to make the save for Hornswoggle until McMahon threatened to fire him, with Finlay then appearing as though he would leave the ring; when McMahon turned to Hornswoggle and called Finlay a coward, Finlay hit him with the weapon; after the commercial break, William Regal spoke with McMahon – as his head was being iced down – backstage in which McMahon said they would fire Finlay later in the show
Chris Jericho pinned John Bradshaw Layfield with the Code Breaker at 13:53 after avoiding the Clothesline from Hell and sending JBL shoulder-first into the corner; after the bout, Umaga appeared, attacked Jericho, and dropped him with the thumb strike to the throat before doing the same to JBL
Paul Birchill (w/ Katie Lea) pinned Brian Kendrick with a reverse corkscrew neckbreaker at 2:55; prior to the bout, Birchill & Katie cut an in-ring promo on their brother-sister relationship (Katie’s debut; Birchill’s return after a nearly 2-year absence)
John Cena defeated Mark Henry via submission with the STFU at 2:51; after the bout, Cena confronted WWE World Champion Randy Orton, who provided guest commentary for the match, at ringside and said he was 100% healthy for their match at No Way Out
Melina (w/ Jillian Hall) pinned Maria (w/ Santino Marella) with a roll up at 2:45 when, after Maria hit the bulldog on Melina, Jillian grabbed Santino – who provided guest commentary for the bout – and kissed him, distracting Maria; after the bout, Santino apologized in the ring and said the loss was a curse because Maria had been thinking about doing Playboy; Santino then said Maria had one week to decide between himself and Playboy; Santino then kissed her and left the ring
WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy pinned Shawn Michaels in a non-title match with the Twist of Fate and Swanton at 19:51 (Jeff Hardy: My Life My Rules)

2/18/08; Anaheim, CA; Honda Center
2/18/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Triple H regarding his Elimination Chamber win at No Way Out and his WWE World Title shot at WrestleMania 24; moments later, WWE World Champion Randy Orton appeared and said Triple H had always been jealous of him, even back in 2004 when Orton won his first world title; John Cena then appeared and said Orton’s title run would come with an asterisk as he was the first champion to lose his way into a WrestleMania main event and then challenged Orton to a title rematch later in the show, with the winner facing Triple H at Mania; William Regal then appeared and said it would be Cena vs. Orton later in the show in a non-title match, with Cena earning a spot in the WrestleMania main event alongside Triple H and Orton if he were to win; Regal then ordered Triple H to be the guest referee for the match; included a WWE Mobile poll as to whether the fans think Maria should pose for Playboy; featured Mike Adamle introducing Shawn Michaels, who announced Ric Flair as the first person for the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame, leading into a profile video on Flair’s career; included footage from previous Slammy Award ceremonies to promote a special on WWE.com the following Saturday night running down the top 10 moments in Slammy history; featured a ‘Baywatch’ WrestleMania 24 ad with Kelly Kelly and Mae Young; included a backstage segment with Triple H and Orton in which Orton tried to talk Triple H into costing Cena the match later in the show, bringing up Triple H’s loss at WrestleMania 22 against Cena, until Triple H said he would call the match in his own favor; featured an in-ring promo by Show in which he apologized to Floyd Mayweather for his actions at the pay-per-view and asked for Mayweather to come out; moments later, Mayweather appeared with his entourage, said he was a longtime fan of the WWE, and said he didn’t mean for the altercation to happen but had to stand up when called out; Show again said he was sorry and offered his hand for Mayweather to shake, which he did before leaving the ring; Show then said he could take Mayweather out in two minutes and repeatedly insulted him before challenging him to a one-on-one match; Mayweather then ran back inside the ring, alongside his entourage, and accepted the challenge; Mayweather then pulled back for a punch, causing Show to flinch, before again leaving the ring; included a WrestleMania 24 hype ad to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;”; featured a video package on the history of the WrestleMania Money in the Bank matches; included an ad for ‘The Legacy of Stone Cold Steve Austin;’ featured the announcement Flair would appear on ECW the following night; featured footage from the commercial break of Finlay carrying Hornswoggle backstage; included the announcement that 94% of fans who participated in the Maria Playboy poll thought she should pose:
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy pinned Snitsky with the Twist of Fate and Swanton at 10:28; prior to the bout, the band EndeverafteR, who performed Hardy’s new theme music, were shown at ringside (Hardy’s debut with a new theme)
Paul Birchill (w/ Katie Lee) pinned Super Crazy at 1:57 with a modified surfboard into a stomp to the back of the head; prior to the bout, Birchill & Lee cut an insert promo
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Ken Kennedy pinned Val Venis with the Mic Check at 2:29 (Kennedy’s debut with a new theme)
Hornswoggle (w/ Finlay) fought Vince McMahon to a no contest in a steel cage match when – before the match began – John Bradshaw Layfield slammed the cage door on Finlay, attacked him in the ring, and handcuffed him to the ring ropes as McMahon whipped Hornswoggle with his leather belt; moments later, after McMahon left the cage, JBL made Finlay watch as he threw Hornswoggle face-first into the cage, kicked him in the head, and then hit a fallaway slam which drove Hornswoggle again into the cage; McMahon then called for JBL to leave the cage and sent for help before telling Hornswoggle through the cage that he was sorry
Maria (w/ Santino Marella) pinned WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix in a non-title match at 1:58 with a roll up after the champion became distracted by Candice Michelle at ringside; prior to the bout, Marella said Maria would be posing for Playboy and then announced she would also be facing Phoenix, which Maria was not informed of; following the champion’s entrance, Marella said he found fine print in Maria’s Playboy contract that stated she could only pose if she beat Phoenix (Candice’s surprise return after a 4-month absence)
John Cena pinned WWE World Champion Randy Orton in a non-title match at 14:05 with the FU after having a confrontation with guest referee Triple H; due to pre-match stipulations, Cena earned a spot in the WWE World Title match at WrestleMania with Orton and Triple H; after the bout, Triple H dropped Cena with the Pedigree before doing the same to Orton; Triple H then posed with the title belt as the show came to a close

2/25/08; Phoenix, AZ; US Airways Center
2/25/08 – featured an opening in-ring segment with William Regal, Triple H, John Cena, and WWE World Champion Randy Orton in which Regal had the three pose for group photos to promote the upcoming WrestleMania match and then gave all three mics so they could give their comments on the match; after Cena and Triple H made mention of their WrestleMania 22 match, Orton made mention that he had fended off the challenge of both men, with Cena and Triple H then teaming up on Orton and throwing him over the top before brawling with one another; moments later, Orton slid back inside the ring, dropped both men with the RKO, and held the title belt in the air; included a WrestleMania 24 hype video to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;” featured a backstage segment with Orton and Ken Kennedy in which Kennedy said he would win the Money in the Bank ladder match at WrestleMania and would cash it in later that night, even if that means going through Orton for the belt; included footage from earlier in the day of the WrestleMania press conference at the Staples Center in Los Angeles, with appearances from Cena, Orton, Triple H, Maria, Candice Michelle, Shane McMahon, Floyd Mayweather Jr., and the Big Show, during which Show and Mayweather came face to face; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Regal in which Regal announced Kennedy & Orton would face Triple H & Cena later in the night; moments later, Chris Jericho appeared – with he and Regal making mention of their feud in 2001 and the infamous tea incident – before Regal gave into Jericho’s demands for a Money in the Bank qualifying match and said he would face WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy in the next segment; included an ad for extra WrestleMania tickets being available; featured an in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he admitted to making a mistake regarding the injury Hornswoggle sustained the previous week and called for John Bradshaw Layfield to come out and apologize as well; JBL eventually said he was sorry for not injuring Hornswoggle earlier and claimed Hornswoggle was not really McMahon’s son but instead was Finlay’s; JBL said while Hornswoggle didn’t know, Finlay did and he provide proof and would make Finlay admit the rumor is true; included a backstage segment with Cena and Triple H in which they discussed their match later in the show; featured the announcement Santino Marella & Layla would face Kofi Kingston & Kelly Kelly the following night on ECW; included comments taped earlier in the day from Shaquille O’Neal in which he favored Mayweather over Show in their WrestleMania bout; featured Mike Adamle introducing a video package on Peter Maivia and Rocky Johnson, announcing them as the next inductees for the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame and that the Rock would induct his father and grandfather during the ceremony; included the announcement that Maria & Candice Michelle would face WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Melina at WrestleMania; featured a video package on Maria’s Playboy photo shoot and the announcement the magazine cover would be unveiled the following week; included the announcement Show would face a professional boxer the following week:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes defeated Carlito Caribbean Cool & Santino Marella (w/ Maria) at 3:49 when Holly pinned Santino with the Alabama Slam after Santino became distracted by Maria talking with Jerry Lawler at the commentary table; after the match, Santino yelled at Lawler at ringside
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Chris Jericho pinned WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy with a roll over at 12:32
Umaga pinned DH Smith with the thumb strike to the throat at 1:40; after the bout, William Regal, Paul Birchill, and Katie Lee were shown backstage with Regal reading a letter from Vickie Guerrero in which she challenged Regal to a Raw vs. Smackdown! match at WrestleMania, with Regal then choosing Umaga as his representative; Katie then argued Birchill should be the rep, with Regal saying he needed to see more out of Birchill first
Shawn Michaels defeated Lance Cade (w/ Trevor Murdoch) via disqualification at 3:33 when Murdoch attacked Michaels as Cade was trapped in Michaels’ leg submission; after the match, Michaels fought off both men, hitting the superkick on each; moments later, Ric Flair appeared, praised Michaels and then said he wanted to wrestle him at WrestleMania; Michaels then said he couldn’t live with being the man that retired Flair; Flair responded by saying Michaels’ compliments meant nothing if he didn’t get the chance to earn them by facing Michaels on the biggest stage, with Michaels then agreeing to the match, the two men shaking hands, and Michaels holding the ropes open for Flair
Triple H & John Cena defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton & Ken Kennedy at 10:54 when Kennedy submitted to Cena’s STFU after Cena avoided the Mic Check; after the bout, Triple H and Cena had a confrontation in the ring, with Kennedy eventually jumping Cena from behind and hitting the Mic Check while Triple H watched

3/3/08; Indianapolis, IN; Conseco Fieldhouse
3/3/08 – featured an opening backstage segment with William Regal, Triple H, WWE World Champion Randy Orton, and John Cena in which Regal said for the next three weeks each of the men would be in charge of the show and it would start with Cena; Orton then attempted to make a pact to let the two men not in charge have the night off; included an ad for ‘Triple H: The King of Kings,’ available March 25; featured a backstage segment with Regal and Cena in which Cena said Triple H would face Orton later in the show and he himself would face Ken Kennedy; Cena then kicked Regal out of his own office, since Cena was in charge for the night; included the announcement the following week’s 3-hour Raw would feature WrestleMania rematches between Raw, Smackdown!, and ECW stars and an appearance from Floyd Mayweather; featured WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy as a guest of The Highlight Reel in which he and Chris Jericho discussed their match the previous week and their upcoming participation in the Money in the Bank ladder match, with Jericho then saying Hardy was a target and anything goes between now and WrestleMania; after Hardy agreed, he shook Jericho’s hand and then dropped him with the Twist of Fate (the return of The Highlight Reel after more than 2 years); included a WrestleMania ad with Carlito Caribbean Cool and Maria in Florida, with Carlito trying to steal Maria from Santino Marella until he was attacked by a seagull; featured a WrestleMania 24 hype video to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;” included Jerry Lawler hosting an in-ring segment in which Maria, with Candice Michelle, unveiled her Playboy cover; during the segment, it was announced Snoop Dogg would officiate the Maria & Candice vs. WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Melina lumberjill match at WrestleMania; when Maria pulled the curtain off the giant cover, it was shown that Santino had put his face over her face, her chest, and between her legs; Santino then came out and said he had made up his mind and was taking Maria backstage with him; Maria then said it was her decision, with Lawler ultimately knocking Santino to the floor and throwing his vandalized cover poster on top of him; Candice then took the mic and introduced a giant poster of the cover which dropped from above the ring; featured footage from the previous day of Carl Edwards winning the UAW-Dodge 400 in Las Vegas and an appearance with John Cena; included the announcement the weigh-in for the Mayweather / Show match would take place the following week; featured Jim Ross & Lawler speaking with Mayweather in Vegas about his upcoming bout with Show, with Mayweather eventually saying he was the King – not Lawler – and that the WWE would need to change its name to MME – ‘Money Mayweather Entertainment;’ included Mike Adamele introducing a video package on Mae Young, with the announcement she would be inducted as part of the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame; featured an in-ring segment with Finlay and Vince McMahon in which Finlay admitted to being Hornswoggle’s father, with McMahon then announcing John Bradshaw Layfield would not be in the arena for his scheduled confrontation with Finlay and introducing JBL on the big screen; JBL was then shown in the hospital at Hornswoggle’s bedside, with JBL agreeing to Finlay’s challenge and said it would happen at WrestleMania; JBL then slapped Hornswoggle across the face and turned off the lights, with Hornswoggle then screaming:
The Big Show pinned Brandon Hill (w/ two cornermen) with the chokeslam in a MMA exhibition match at 1:50; Floyd Mayweather was shown watching the fight from Las Vegas; after the match, Show cut an in-ring promo on Mayweather, speaking to him on the big screen, and said Mayweather would need the $20 million he was being paid for the fight because he would need to retire; as Mayweather responded and said he would break Show’s jaw, Show lifted Hill and press slammed him to the floor as a message
Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch at 3:31 when Cade submitted to Flair’s figure-4 as Michaels had Murdoch in his own leglock; after the bout, Michaels told Flair he didn’t want to face Flair at WrestleMania because he was too conflicted over being the man that ended Flair’s career; Michaels then said if Flair continued to push him for the match Michaels would win, with Michaels then walking off and leaving Flair alone in the ring
Umaga pinned Super Crazy with the thumb strike to the throat at the 42-second mark; William Regal provided guest commentary for the match; prior to the match, it was announced Batista would face Umaga at WrestleMania in a battle between Raw and Smackdown! stars
John Cena defeated Ken Kennedy via submission with the STFU at 9:21 following a legdrop off the top
Money in the Bank Qualifying Match: Carlito Caribbean Cool pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes with the Backstabber at 3:39
Triple H fought WWE World Champion Randy Orton to a no contest in a non-title match at 7:25 when John Cena, who provided guest commentary for the match, attacked Triple H as he attempted the Pedigree and dropped him with the FU; moments earlier, Orton attempted to walk out of the match only to be stopped by Cena, with Triple H then knocking Orton into Cena on the floor; after the bout, Orton dropped Cena with the RKO and held the title belt in the air as the show came to a close

3/10/08; Milwaukee, WI; Bradley Center
3/10/08 – 3 hour episode ‘WrestleMania Rewind;’ featured an opening in-ring promo by Ric Flair in which he asked for Shawn Michaels to come out, with Flair then telling Michaels he saw sympathy in Michaels’ eyes the previous week and said if he couldn’t hang with the top guys then he didn’t want to be part of the show; Flair then said – on a good day – he could beat Michaels and said he wanted Michaels at his absolute best for their match at WrestleMania; Michaels said they would steal the show, agreed, and shook Flair’s hand; Michaels then made mention of Flair’s upcoming handicap match on Smackdown! and said he would be in Flair’s corner; WWE World Champion Randy Orton then interrupted, said he was in charge for the night, Triple H would face Kane later in the show, and Michaels would wrestle John Cena; included highlights from the Undertaker / Mark Henry casket match at WrestleMania 22 to tease the casket match later in the show; featured a WrestleMania ad with Carlito Caribbean Cool and Maria in Florida, with Carlito trying to steal Maria from Santino Marella until he was attacked by a seagull; included footage of Floyd Mayweather and his entourage backstage; featured a video package with comments from Freddie Roach, Thomas Hearns, and Michael Buffer regarding the upcoming Big Show / Mayweather fight at WrestleMania; included a pre-taped promo by Triple H regarding his upcoming WrestleMania match against Cena and Orton, during which he mentioned he was supposed to face Cena last year for the title; featured a video package from the US Airways Arena in Phoenix of WWE talent meeting with children from the Make A Wish Foundation, followed by the announcement there would be a multi-year partnership between the two organizations and that 50 children – along with Raven Symone – would have their wishes granted and be in attendance at WrestleMania; Cena was recognized for his efforts during the segment, where it was noted he had helped grant 100 wishes through the group; included Mike Adamle introducing a video package on Jack & Jerry Brisco, the latest persons announced for the WWE 2008 Hall of Fame; featured a WrestleMania 24 hype video to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;” included a video package of the Big Show with clips spanning his entire WWE career; featured footage from the WrestleMania XV match between Triple H and Kane to hype their match later in the show; included a backstage segment with Orton and Kane in which Orton reminded Kane of the many losses Triple H has given him, with Kane then putting Orton in a choke and saying he already remembered; featured a pre-taped promo by Cena regarding his return from injury, Royal Rumble win, and WrestleMania bout against Triple H and Orton; included a video package on Mayweather’s career and lifestyle; featured an in-ring weigh-in for the Show / Floyd Mayweather match – hosted by Shane McMahon – with Mayweather weighing in at 159lbs and Show at 441lbs; prior to the introductions, Shane introduced Show as a former WWE, WCW, and World Heavyweight Champion (a title he never won) but did not mention him as a former WCW titleholder; after the weigh-in, Show introduced his “posse” of WWE talent from Raw, Smackdown!, and ECW to balance Mayweather’s group; among those featured were Carlito Caribbean Cool, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes, Chuck Palumbo, Lance Cade, Kofi Kingston, Big Daddy V, Matt Striker, Charlie Haas, Shelton Benjamin, Tommy Dreamer, Trevor Murdoch, Snitsky, Super Crazy, Paul Birchill, and Brian Kendrick; Show then cut a promo on how the WWE talent didn’t like Mayweather for how much he was getting paid and suggested Mayweather throw some of that money to the crowd so they don’t hate him as much; Show then implied he would end Mayweather’s career, should he choose to; Mayweather then took a mic, smelled a handful of cash, and – as the crowd chanted “What?” – said he didn’t respect Show as a person and threw cash at Show, who then handed it to his entourage at ringside; Mayweather then said he would break Show’s jaw, with Show then press slamming the boxer onto several wrestlers at ringside, errupting into a brief brawl between the WWE talent and Mayweather’s group during which Shane was shoved to the ground; included a pre-taped promo by Orton regarding his upcoming match with Cena and Triple H; featured an in-ring promo by William Regal, discussing the WrestleMania bout between Batista and Umaga and introducing a video package on Umaga; after bringing Umaga out, Regal cut a promo on Batista until Batista appeared, with Batista and Umaga brawling until Batista cleared the ring, with Umaga then being held back by Regal and referees; included highlights from the previous WrestleMania’s Cena vs. Michaels match to build their rematch later in the show; featured the announcement Vince McMahon would be honored with a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame the coming Friday at 11:30 a.m.; included the announcement Mayweather suffered an elbow injury during the scuffle following the weigh-in:
WrestleMania Rewind: The Undertaker defeated Mark Henry in a casket match at 4:42 after applying the leglock choke – causing Henry to bleed from the mouth – and then stomping him into the casket
WrestleMania Rewind: Ken Kennedy defeated Finlay via disqualification at the 12-second mark when Finlay repeatedly assaulted Kennedy in and out of the ring with his shillalagh after John Bradshaw Layfield appeared on the big screen before the bout and cut a promo saying he would beat Finlay in their WrestleMania Belfast Brawl and put him in a hospital bed right next to his son Hornswoggle; after the match, Finlay continued to beat on Kennedy down the aisle with the weapon until referees intervened
Chris Jericho pinned WWE IC Champion Jeff Hardy to win the title with the Code Breaker at 11:03 after avoiding the Swanton (History of the Intercontinental Championship, Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho)
WrestleMania Rewind: Barry Windham & Mike Rotunda fought Nikolai Volkoff & the Iron Sheik to a no contest when Jillian Hall interrupted after both teams’ entrance and attempted to sing Windham & Rotunda’s former theme song – Bruce Springsteen’s “Born in the USA” – until Rotunda hoisted her into an airplane spin
WrestleMania Rewind: Triple H pinned Kane with a kick to the midsection as Kane came off the top and the Pedigree at 5:36; during the bout, WWE World Champion Randy Orton appeared at the entrance stage; after the bout, Orton and Triple H locked eyes
Melina (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) pinned Maria (w/ Candice Michelle) with a modified reverse DDT at 2:00 after Santino Marella appeared on the apron and tore up a copy of Maria’s Playboy; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Melina and Ashley’s bout at WrestleMania 23, with Melina then cutting an in-ring promo saying Ashley was too injured to compete as scheduled and she would face Maria instead; a giant version of Maria’s Playboy cover was hung from the entrance stage for the match; after the match, Phoenix attacked Candice from behind, with Santino, Melina, and Phoenix all leaving together
WrestleMania Rewind: World Heavyweight Champion Edge (w/ Zach Ryder & Curt Hawkins) pinned CM Punk in a non-title match at 4:02 with the spear after Punk knocked one of Edge’s men off the apron and went to do the same to the second
WrestleMania Rewind: Shawn Michaels fought John Cena to a no contest at 15:55 when WWE World Champion Randy Orton interfered and threw Michaels into the ringpost as the two men battled on the floor; prior to the bout, it was announced Cena, WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho, Vince McMahon, the Big Show, and Floyd Mayweather would appear the coming Thursday on Larry King Live; after the bout, Orton attempted to drop Cena with an RKO onto a steel chair in the ring, with Cena then dropping Orton across the chair instead; moments later, Triple H appeared backstage and announced – since he was in charge for the following week’s show – Cena & Orton would face the entire Raw roster the next week

3/17/08; Lafayette, LA; Cajundome
3/17/08 – featured an opening segment of The Highlight Reel with the Big Show as the guest in which Show and WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho discussed Show’s press slamming Floyd Mayweather to the floor during the previous week’s show; moments later, Show said Jericho couldn’t last 2 minutes with him and said that was proof Mayweather would have no chance against him at WrestleMania; Show then said Jericho was the WWE’s equivalent to Mayweather – loud, arrogant, and disrespectful – and challenged Jericho to a title match later in the show; Jericho then said Show was funny eight years ago when he co-hosted ‘Saturday Night Live’ but had bombed ever since, then accepted the match; included pre-taped comments from Vince McMahon regarding his getting a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame and appearing on Larry King later in the week and then said he would top that by ending Ric Flair’s career later in the show by beating Flair in a streetfight; featured an ad for ‘Triple H: The King of Kings;’ included pre-taped comments from Snoop Dogg regarding his participation at WrestleMania, with Santino Marella then appearing and trying to get Snoop to read his cue cards saying he didn’t approve of Maria posing for Playboy; featured the announcement Triple H, Floyd Mayweather, Jericho, Vince, Show, and John Cena would appear together Wednesday on the Larry King Show; included a backstage segment with William Regal and Triple H in which Triple H said if either Cena or WWE World Champion Randy Orton walked out of their tag team match later in the show then they would be out of the WrestleMania main event, and if Orton walked out then he would be stripped of the title and Cena and Triple H would fight for the vacant title at Mania; when Regal asked why Triple H didn’t just strip Orton of the title since he was in charge for the night, Triple H said there was no satisfaction in that and that he wanted to win it in the ring; featured a video package highlighting Triple H’s leg injury in 2007 which forced him out of WrestleMania 23 as well as his win at No Way Out’s Elimination Chamber; included footage from the previous Friday’s ceremony in which McMahon was awarded a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame, during which McMahon thanked the fans and then cut a heel promo; featured a backstage segment with Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels in which Flair said he would beat Michaels at WrestleMania and he didn’t want his help later in the show against McMahon and then walked off; included a WrestleMania 24 hype video to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;” featured a video package highlighting Cena’s injury during the fall and his win at the Royal Rumble; included Jerry Lawler conducting a ringside interview with Jared, the spokesman for Subway, in which Jared spoke about the 10-year anniversary of his weight loss and the Subway commercial he did the previous year with Cena and then gave Lawler a Subway sandwich; featured a video package on Mayweather focusing on his rought upbringing, amateur boxing career, getting a bronze medal at the 1996 Olympics, and his pro career; during the bout, Mayweather was seen with a replica of the Million $ Belt and said he wanted the WWE World Title; included comments from Roy Jones Jr., Evander Holyfield, and Michael Buffer regarding the Mayweather vs. Show match at WrestleMania; featured an ad for the WWE Hall of Fame TV special; included the announcement that the next inductee into the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame would be announced the following night on ECW; featured pre-taped comments from Kim Kardashian regarding her participation at WrestleMania, with Big Dick Johnson then appearing and Kim saying he wasn’t invited but all the fans were; included a video montage highlighting Orton’s world title reign and dominance over Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Michaels, and Jericho; featured a backstage segment with Cena and Orton regarding their tag team match later in the show, in which Orton suggested they lose on purpose so as not to get hurt before WrestleMania and that Cena should be the one to do it, with Cena then telling him off; moments later, Triple H appeared and said they had no chance; included the announcement that CM Punk, Jesse & Festus would face Shelton Benjamin, WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin the following night on ECW:
CM Punk pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool with the Go To Sleep at 5:23 after catching Carlito as he attempted a springboard into the ring
Umaga defeated Paul London & Brian Kendrick in a handicap match at 2:18 by pinning London with the thumb strike to the throat after throwing London in the air; prior to the bout, William Regal introduced Umaga on the entrance stage; footage of Umaga attacking Batista on the previous week’s Smackdown! was shown before the match; late in the bout, Kendrick slid to the floor and left ringside during the finish
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Colin Delaney with a short-arm Clothesline from Hell at 1:17; prior to the bout, Finlay’s promo from the previous week’s Smackdown! was shown; moments later, JBL cut an in-ring promo saying he wanted to confront Finlay but Hornswoggle was having complications and Finlay couldn’t make the show; JBL then said he went out and found the second toughest Irishman in the company to face him on St. Patrick’s Day; after the bout, JBL cut another in-ring promo on he and Finlay’s ancestors and finished by saying, “Irish need not apply”
Ric Flair pinned Vince McMahon in a streetfight at 8:29 with a splash off the top through a table set up in the ring; prior to the bout, McMahon’s confrontation with Flair in November was shown in which McMahon made the career-ending stipulation; Shawn Michaels appeared ringside at the 6-minute mark and pulled the referee out of the ring as McMahon covered Flair, with the referee then ejecting Michaels from ringside; pre-match stipulations stated Flair would have to retire if he lost the bout
Maria & Candice Michelle defeated Jillian Hall & Victoria at 3:00 when Candice pinned Jillian with the Candy Wrapper; a giant poster of Maria’s Playboy cover was hung over the entranceway for the duration of the match; prior to the bout, Santino Marella appeared ringside to do guest commentary; after the match, Santino attacked Jerry Lawler, stole his Subway sandwich, and left ringside with Jillian & Victoria
The Big Show defeated WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho via disqualification at 3:05 when Jericho hit Show with the title belt; prior to the bout, it was announced Show would appear the coming Friday on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brien;’ after the match, Show knocked Jericho out with a right hand punch and followed with the chokeslam
WWE World Champion Randy Orton & John Cena fought Umaga, Val Venis, Snitsky, Santino Marella, Lance Cade, Trevor Murdoch, Brian Kendrick, Carlito Caribbean Cool, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes, DH Smith, Paul Birchill, Robbie McAllister, Charlie Haas, John Bradshaw Layfield, Jim Duggan, & Super Crazy to a no contest in a 17-on-2 handicap elimination match at around the 12-minute mark; pre-match stipulations stated if either Orton or Cena walked out of the match they would be out of the main event at WrestleMania, with Orton also being stripped of the title; Cena pinned Marella with a roll up at the 52-second mark; Murdoch submitted to Cena’s STFU at 1:27; Cena pinned Cade at 1:43 after Orton dropped Cade with the RKO; Orton pinned Crazy with the RKO (during the commercial break); Cena pinned Robbie with a legdrop off the top at 7:23; Cena pinned Smith with the FU at 7:54; Orton pinned Birchill with the RKO at 8:04; Orton pinned Venis with the RKO at 8:13; Orton pinned Rhodes at 8:29 with the RKO after Cena threw Rhodes into the air; the bell rang at 8:36 when nearly all the opposing team ganged up on Cena & Orton in the ring; moments later, after Cena cleared the ring of all save Umaga and JBL – with Umaga then chasing JBL backstage after a miscommunication – Triple H came out as a surprise participant and dropped both Cena and Orton with Pedigrees before posing with the title belt as the show went off the air

3/24/08; Columbia, SC; Colonial Center
3/24/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena regarding his upcoming WrestleMania match against Triple H and WWE World Champion Randy Orton until he was interrupted by the Big Show, who said Mania would go down in history for one reason – that being the end of Floyd Mayweather’s boxing career; after Show said him knocking out Mayweather would replace Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant as the most replayed Mania moment, John Bradshaw Layfield appeared and cut a promo on how he had already made history by revealing Hornswoggle’s father and then hospitalizing him; JBL went on to say he would make more history at Mania because his was the match with no rules; after JBL confronted Cena, Cena admitted to not having been paying attention but rather remembering how he beat JBL at WrestleMania 21; Orton then appeared and said everyone would remember him retaining his title at Mania; Umaga then came out and cut a promo in Samoan on facing Batista at Mania; Cena then translated by saying Orton was a weird man who listened to boy bands and loved sperm whales and watching ‘My Two Dads’ reruns; moments later, Triple H appeared and said the reason everyone was in the company was to win the WWE Title, with all the wrestlers then arguing until William Regal interrupted and ordered an 8-man No DQ match for later in the show pitting Orton, Umaga, JBL, & Show vs. Triple H, Cena, Shawn Michaels, & Ric Flair; included an ad for the WWE Hall of Fame TV special; featured an ad for ‘WWE The Music Vol. 8,” in stores the following day; included a WrestleMania 24 hype video to the tune of Rev Theory’s “Light It Up;”; featured a pre-taped promo by Ken Kennedy in which he said Flair would retire, Taker would lose, and he would win the Money in the Bank match; included a Ric Flair music video to the tune of Fuel’s “Leave the Memories Behind,” spanning his entire career; several of Flair’s children were then shown sitting ringside; featured footage of Show at home preparing for his fight with Mayweather, along with comments from his trainer, Artie Artwell; included an in-ring promo by Flair in which he said he had lost respect for Michaels for having interfered in his match the week before, then had Michaels come out; Michaels then praised Flair before Flair cut him off and pulled out his NWA World Title won in 1981 and said he needed Michaels to bring out the best in him; after Michaels said he would bring his best, Flair shook his hand; Michaels then compared Flair to Old Yeller and said he would put him out of his misery at Mania; moments later, Flair unbuttoned his shirt and repeatedly slapped Michaels and dared him to take him out behind the woodshed and put him down, with Michaels repeating his statement and leaving ringside; included footage of Mayweather in training, mocking the size of Show’s pants, playing with a Big Show action figure; featured footage of Show appearing the previous week on ‘Late Night with Conan O’Brian;’ included a backstage segment with Cena speaking with Val Venis and WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes in which Triple H interrupted and told Cena he may have lost to Cena at WrestleMania 22 but he was still the better man; featured a vignette promoting John Legend performing at WrestleMania; included the announcement that the final name to be inducted into the 2008 WWE Hall of Fame would be given the following night on ECW; featured the announcement that Ashley would replace Candice Michelle’s spot as Maria’s tag team partner at WrestleMania; included a video montage to hype the Triple H vs. Cena vs. Orton match at WrestleMania; featured an ad for ‘Triple H: The King of Kings’:
WWE US Champion MVP & Carlito Caribbean Cool defated WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho & CM Punk at 9:59 when MVP pinned Punk after Jericho accidentally hit an enzuiguri on his partner when MVP ducked the move; prior to the bout, footage of Jericho shoving MVP off the top of a ladder during the previous Friday’s Smackdown! was shown; it was also announced before the match that a WrestleMania press conference would be held Wednesday at noon at the Hard Rock Cafe in Times Square
The Great Khali pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly at 1:51 with the tree slam; prior to the bout, it was announced Holly would be part of the 24-man battle royal at WrestleMania
Santino Marella, Melina, & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix defeated Jerry Lawler, Maria, & Ashley in an impromptu match at 6:41 when Santino pinned Maria after Melina and Phoenix both clipped Maria behind the referee’s back; the match was originally between Maria and Melina but was changed when Ashley appeared to counter Phoenix being at ringside, with Marella then appearing ringside, prompting Lawler to leave the announce table and get into a fight with Marella, with Lawler, Maria, & Ashley quickly knocking the other three to the floor; moments later, William Regal appeared and ordered a six-person tag team match to take place immediately; prior to the bout, it was announced Candice Michelle would not be competing at WrestleMania after re-breaking her clavicle and undergoing surgery earlier in the day; a giant poster of Maria’s Playboy cover was hoisted above the entrance stage for the match John Cena, Triple H, Shawn Michaels, & Ric Flair defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton, Umaga, John Bradshaw Layfield, & the Big Show in a No DQ match at 11:39 when Orton submitted to Flair’s figure-4 after Flair hit a low blow on Michaels, knocking him to the floor, moments after Michaels punched Flair; prior to the bout, it was announced Show and Floyd Mayweather would appear Wednesday on ‘The Today Show;’ JBL left the match at the 2-minute mark after Finlay appeared ringside, with the two men then battling backstage; Umaga left the match at the 7-minute mark after Batista came ringside, with the two also battling backstage; Show left the match at the 10-minute mark after tossing Orton into the ring and hitting the chokeslam on him after Orton began giving him orders from the apron; Triple H and Cena left the match at the 11-minute mark when they began fighting with one another

4/7/08; Albany, NY; Times Union Center
4/7/08 – featured an opening in-ring announcement by William Regal that WWE World Champion Randy Orton would defend against John Bradshaw Layfield at Backlash; after introducing both men, Regal was interrupted by Triple H, who claimed it was a lousy main event, that Orton didn’t really beat anyone at WrestleMania because he didn’t do anything to Cena to get the win, and that JBL didn’t deserve the match because all he had done since returning was slap a midget; Regal then announced that Triple H could face Orton & JBL in a handicap match later in the show, with the stipulation being that if he won he would be included in the Backlash main event; included the announcement that fans could text whether or not they agreed that Shawn Michaels did the right thing by retiring Ric Flair at WrestleMania; featured highlights of the Flair / Michaels match at WrestleMania and Flair’s farewell address the previous week on Raw; included an ad for WrestleMania 25 being held in Houston, TX; featured a backstage segment with Orton and JBL in which Orton said they would beat Triple H as long as JBL stayed out of his way; included an ad for ‘Triple H: King of Kings;’ featured a backstage segment in which Cryme Tyme in which they attempted to sell WrestleMania-related items: a shaker of soul from Rocky Johnson, an autographed copy of Maria’s Playboy, and a pair of Kim Kardashian’s panties until JTG realized they were really Mae Young’s; included a video recap of the confrontations between the Big Show and the Great Khali over the past week; featured a backstage segment with JBL and Triple H regarding their upcoming match with Cena; included Batista and Michaels as guests of the Highlight Reel, during which it was announced 65% of the fans who texted thought Michaels did the right thing at WrestleMania; Jericho then reviewed Michaels’ failed moonsault to the floor at WrestleMania which reportedly broke ribs that sidelined Michaels for a few weeks; he then argued that perhaps Michaels wasn’t as sorry as he pretended at the end of the match, with Batsita blaming Michaels’ ego for his actions; after Jericho questioned whether Batista wouldn’t have done the same in the same situation, Batista said he wouldn’t; Michaels then said Batista should have talked Flair out of the match when he had the chance and the reason Flair picked him instead of Batista was Flair knew Batista didn’t have the nerve; Batista said he trusted Michaels to do the right thing and would never trust him again, with Michaels then challenging Batista to do something if he didn’t like what he did and Batista saying he already had; Batista then left the ring to boos; featured a backstage segment with Regal and Orton in which Regal announced he had spoken with Vickie Guerrero and Michaels would face Batista at Backlash; Orton then said Regal needed to treat him with more respect, with Regal saying he would face Orton the following week when Raw is in London:
Umaga pinned Val Venis with the thumb strike to the throat at 3:10; prior to the bout, an on-screen graphic advertised the upcoming Antonio Tarver vs. Clinton Woods IBF Light Heavyweight Championship boxing fight the coming Saturday and it was mentioned Tarver was in attendance at WrestleMania
Mickie James & Ashley defeated Melina & Jillian Hall at 2:13 when Mickie pinned Melina with the jumping DDT
Brian Kendrick & Paul London defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch at 3:15 when Kendrick pinned Murdoch with an inside cradle, moments after Kendrick sustained a sit-down spinebuster from Cade behind the referee’s back; after the match, Cade and Murdoch argued over the loss
Triple H defeated WWE World Champion Randy Orton & John Bradshaw Layfield in a handicap match at 7:53 by pinning Orton with the Pedigree after reversing an attempt at the RKO; pre-match stipulations stated Triple H would earn a spot in the Backlash main event against Orton and JBL if he won; after the bout, William Regal – who sat ringside for the match – announced it would be JBL vs. Triple H vs. Orton at Backlash until John Cena appeared and argued that since he had beaten the other three men in the past then he too should be in the Backlash main event; Regal then ordered that Cena face JBL & Triple H later in the show and if he won then he could be in the match
Carlito Caribbean Cool & Santino Marella defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes in a non-title match at 4:51 when Santino pinned Rhodes with a diving headbutt after knocking Rhodes off the top
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix pinned Maria in a non-title match with a Hot Shot and the cradle suplex at 2:49
John Cena defeated Triple H & John Bradshaw Layfield in a handicap match at 8:04 by pinning JBL after WWE World Champion Randy Orton – who was at ringside for the duration of the match – dropped JBL with the RKO behind the referee’s back after JBL knocked Orton down on the floor; pre-match stipulations stated Cena would earn a spot in the Backlash main event against Triple H, JBL, and Orton if he won; late in the contest, Triple H and JBL brawled in the ring and to the floor after Triple H refused to tag in

4/14/08; London, England; 02 Arena
4/14/08 – featured an opening backstage segment with William Regal and John Bradshaw Layfield in which JBL called Regal a spineless puppet and blamed Regal for changing the Backlash main event to include Triple H and John Cena; JBL then asked for a chartered plane back to the United States, with Regal then putting JBL against Triple H for later in the show; included an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels regarding his upcoming match with Batista at Backlash; moments later, Ric Flair’s theme music hit, with WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho eventually appearing, blaming Michaels for the fact that music would never be heard again, and then said Batista thinks Michaels is a phoney; Jericho then said, somewhere deep inside, Michaels enjoyed ending Flair’s career just like he enjoyed screwing Bret Hart and turning on Marty Jannetty; after Jericho questioned whether Michaels himself came up with the win-or-retire stipulation for Flair, Michaels dropped Jericho with the superkick; featured the announcement that the following week’s episode would feature a one-night King of the Ring tournament; included the announcement that the new WWE Kids magazine would debut the following day; featured an ad promoting the 3-hour episode the following week, during which Sen. Barak Obama and Sen. Hillary Clinton were invited to compete to settle their differences; included Mike Adamle conducting a backstage interview with Regal regarding his match later in the show against WWE World Champion Randy Orton; moments later, Jericho appeared and said he now wanted to be part of the Michaels vs. Batista match at Backlash with Regal naming him the guest referee; when Jericho objected and said he wanted to wrestle, Regal said Jericho would defend later in the show against Umaga; featured footage of Mick Foley appearing in the new Willem Dafoe film ‘Anamorph;’ included the announcement that talent from Raw, Smackdown!, and ECW would take part in the following week’s KOTR tournament; featured a backstage promo by Umaga in Samoan; included the announcement Batista would face World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker Friday on Smackdown!; featured an ad for ‘Triple H: King of Kings;’ included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Triple H regarding his match later in the show against JBL:
Carlito Caribbean Cool & Santino Marella defeated Brian Kendrick & Paul London at 4:03 when Carlito pinned London with the Backstabber after London knocked Santino to the floor with the Dropsault; pre-match stipulations stated the winning team would be named the #1 contenders for the Raw Tag Team titles; during and after the bout, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes were shown watching from backstage; after the contest, Carlito cut an in-ring promo in Spanish on Holly & Rhodes with Santino then cutting one in English
Mickie James pinned WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix to win the title at 5:13 by reversing a double elevated chicken wing into a victory roll; after the commercial break, Ashley and Maria celebrated with Mickie at the entrance stage; moments later, Todd Grisham conducted an interview with Mickie in which she said words couldn’t describe how she felt and then kissed Grisham
JTG (w/ Shad) pinned Trevor Murdoch (w/ Lance Cade) at 1:23 when the momentum of a crossbody off the top by Murdoch put JTG on the top for the win; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Cade giving Murdoch a pep talk backstage; after the match, Murdoch apologized to Cade for letting him down, with Cade eventually patting him on the back and leaving the ring
WWE World Champion Randy Orton pinned William Regal in a non-title match with the RKO at 5:48; prior to the match, Orton cut an in-ring promo on his win at WrestleMania and said his reputation would only grow with his win over three men at Backlash and by beating Regal in his own backyard
WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho pinned Umaga with a roll up and putting his feet on the ropes for leverage at 14:55 after Umaga missed a charge in the corner and struck his head on the ringpost
Paul Birchill (w/ Katie Lea) pinned Jim Duggan at 1:08 by stomping Duggan’s face into the mat
Triple H defeated John Bradshaw Layfield via disqualification at around the 8-minute mark when WWE World Champion Randy Orton attacked Triple H as he and JBL brawled in the aisle; after the bout, Triple H fought off Orton and attempted the Pedigree only to be double teamed by Orton and JBL and sustain Orton’s RKO; moments later, Orton attempted to kick Triple H in the head only for JBL to drop Orton with the Clothesline from Hell and do the same to Triple H before posing with the title belt as the show came to a close (the bout began during the commercial break)

4/21/08; Greenville, SC; BiLo Center
4/21/08 – 3-hour episode – featured a clip of create-a-wrestler Barack Obama, as Batista, and Hillary Clinton, as Mickie James, wrestling on the Smackdown! vs. Raw 2008 video game; included the announcement that the match between WWE World Champion Randy Orton, John Cena, Triple H, and John Bradshaw Layfield at Backlash would be an elimination match; featured a pre-taped promo by JBL regarding the Backlash main event, during which he mentioned he made the front page of the day’s New York Times’ business section; included footage of the recent European tour stops in Belfast, Nottingham, Austria, Linz, Lisbon, La Caruna, Granada, and Manchester; featured an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he asked for Batista to come out; after Batista did, Michaels asked whether his real problem was that he wanted to face Ric Flair at WrestleMania in Michaels’ place; Batista then said he was done talking about it and his answer wouldn’t absolve Michaels from any responsibility for retiring Flair; Michaels responded by wishing Batista luck in their match at Backlash because he was going to need it, with Batista then shrugging Michaels aside as he left the ring; included pre-taped comments from Senator Hillary Clinton, speaking to the WWE fans, in which she referred to herself as “Hill Rod” and said she might have to deliver the People’s Elbow if elected president and that Orton didn’t have to worry about her, for now; featured a pre-taped promo by Triple H regarding the Backlash elimination match; included the announcement that ECW World Champion Kane would appear as a guest of The Cutting Edge the following night on ECW; featured pre-taped comments from Senator Barack Obama in which he said the reign of Orton might be coming to an end and said – to the special interests groups in Washington DC – “Do you smell what Barack is cooking?”; included pre-taped comments from Senator John McCain in which he said “If you want to be the man, you have to beat the man” and said he would introduce Osama bin Laden to the Undertaker and finished with “And that’s the bottom line because John McCain said so;” featured pre-taped comments from Cena regarding the Backlash elimination match; included footage of from the WrestleMania Reading Challenge, in which 30,000 teens participated, with 10 students recognized during WrestleMania weekend, with comments from CM Punk and appearances from WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin and Matt Striker; featured an in-ring segment in which Maria, Cherry, Michelle McCool, Ashley, and Kelly Kelly introduced WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James as the new title holder, with Mickie then appearing and celebrating with the other divas; moments later, Mickie cut a promo on her title win until she was interrupted by Beth Phoenix, alongside Melina, Jillian Hall, Victoria, Natalya Neidhart, and Layla; Beth then told Mickie her time as champion would be limited, with Michelle slapping Beth and all the women brawling until the babyfaces sent the heels to the floor; included a vignette promoting the return of Ken Kennedy the following week; featured an ad for “Twist of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story” DVD, available April 29:
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho defeated WWE US Champion MVP in a non-title match at 5:13 via submission with the Walls of Jericho after reversing an attempt at the Playmaker; after the bout, Jericho sat in the King of the Ring throne positioned on the entrance stage
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: CM Punk pinned Matt Hardy at 3:51 by blocking a sunset flip reversal of the Go To Sleep; after the match, Punk sat in the throne at the entranceway
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle) defeated the Great Khali via disqualification at 2:01 when Khali repeatedly rammed Finlay’s leg into the ringpost; prior to the bout, footage was shown from the previous Friday’s Smackdown! of Khali dropping the Big Show with the tree slam; after the match, the Big Show appeared and scared Khali to the floor; after the commercial break, as Finlay was helped out of the ring by Hornswoggle and referees, William Regal was introduced as the next participant and would face Hornswoggle, despite Finlay’s objections
King of the Ring Quarter-Finals: William Regal defeated Hornswoggle via submission with the Regal Stretch at the 18-second mark; after the match, Finlay returned to the ring to check on his son, with Regal then kicking Finlay in his injured leg; moments later, both Finlay and Hornswoggle were attended to by officials
Carlito Caribbean Cool (w/ Santino Marella) pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes) with the Back Stabber at 5:02 when Holly failed an attempt at the Alabama Slam due to a back injury; after the match, Marella cut an in-ring promo, saying he and Carlito would soon beat Holly & Rhodes for the belts; Rhodes then stole the mic away, cut his own promo, then he and Holly knocked Carlito & Marella to the floor
King of the Ring Semi-Finals: CM Punk pinned WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho in a non-title match with the Go To Sleep at 6:23 after kicking Jericho in the head as Jericho was on the top rope
King of the Ring Semi-Finals: William Regal defeated Finlay via KO with the Regal Stretch at 3:38 after a running knee to the head; Finlay’s leg was heavily taped due to the injury he sustained earlier in the night from the Great Khali
“Barack Obama” fought “Hillary Clinton” (w/ “Bill Clinton”) to a no contest at 2:12 when Umaga appeared, dropped “Barack” with the thumb strike to the throat, scared “Bill” backstage, and dropped “Hillary” with a Samoan Drop; prior to the match, “Hillary” cut an in-ring promo as Hulk Hogan while “Barack” did the same as the Rock; “Hillary” used “Real American” as her theme music while “Barack” used the Rock’s
King of the Ring Finals: William Regal defeated CM Punk via submission with the Regal Stretch at 4:06 following a knee to the head; after the bout, Regal sat in the throne on the stage (The Best of King of the Ring)
WWE World Champion Randy Orton, Edge, Chavo Guerrero Jr., & John Bradshaw Layfield defeated World Heavyweight Champion the Undertaker, Triple H, John Cena, & ECW World Champion Kane when Edge pinned Kane with the spear at 10:05 immediately after Kane dropped Guerrero with the chokeslam as Chavo came off the top; prior to the bout, Orton cut an in-ring promo on the upcoming Backlash elimination match in which he ran down his successful title defenses on pay-per-view; after the match, Cena dropped Edge with the FU, with JBL dropping Triple H with the Clothesline from Hell and Orton hitting Cena with the RKO; Taker then hit a double chokeslam on JBL and Orton to close the broadcast

4/28/08; East Rutherford, NJ; IZOD Center
4/28/08 – featured an opening video package highlighting the results of the WWE World Title match at Backlash; included an in-ring promo by the new WWE World Champion Triple H regarding his return from injury in August and ending the ‘Age of Orton’ until he was interrupted by Randy Orton; after Orton complained the odds were against him at Backlash, he said he would get his rematch at Judgment Day; moments later, when Orton refused to leave the ring, Triple H hit him with the mic and knocked him to the floor, with Orton then demanding the title shot later in the show instead of at the pay-per-view; featured the announcement ECW World Champion Kane would face Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Bam Neeley in a handicap match the following night on ECW; included a look at the national coverage the previous week’s appearances of Sen. John McCain, Sen. Barack Obama, and Sen. Hillary Clinton received; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Orton regarding his match with Triple H later in the show; included the in-ring coronation of William Regal as ‘King’ in which he said he was the most powerful man in the company; moments later, Ken Kennedy appered and complained that he wasn’t even invited to participate and if he had been, he would have won; Regal then told him to apologize, then repeatedly punched Kennedy until he was out of the ring, with the two men brawling in the ring until the fight was broken up by referees; featured an ad for “Twist of Fate: The Matt & Jeff Hardy Story” DVD, available the following day; included a segment of The Highlight Reel in which WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho presented the award for ‘Best Actor in Sports Entertainment’ – with the nominees as Don Muraco & Mr. Fuji for ‘Fuji General,’ Michael Cole in ‘Deliverance Part 2′ (a segment with Heidenreich on Smackdown! from Sept. 16, 2004), and Shawn Michaels faking a knee injury the night before at Backlash; after announcing Michaels as the winner, Jericho introduced him as the night’s guest; Michaels confessed he was really hurt but Jericho continued to brag about Michaels’ acting ability and called for Michaels’ music to play before Jericho left the ring; featured a backstage segment in which Santino Marella bumped into Roddy Piper, with Santino mentioning Piper was in the Goonies’ music video and then asking Piper to dance like the fat kid in the movie, with Piper then slapping him:
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James, Maria, Ashley, Michelle McCool, Cherry, & Kelly Kelly defeated Beth Phoenix, Melina, Jillian Hall, Victoria, Natalya Neidhart, & Layla at 3:14 when Mickie pinned Jillian with a waistlock into a roll over
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Robbie McAllister (w/ Rory McAllister) with the Clothesline from Hell at 1:05; after the match, Rory backed off when JBL approached him; moments later, JBL put on a headset at the commentary table, challenged the winner of the Triple H vs. Randy Orton match later in the show, and blamed John Cena for him not being WWE World Champion
Paul London & Brian Kendrick defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch at 1:59 when Kendrick pinned Murdoch with a roll up after avoiding a clothesline; after the match, Cade yelled at Murdoch before Murdoch grabbed the mic, stood on the commentary table, and sang a verse from Garth Brooks’ “Friends in Low Places,” with Cade then leaving ringside
Paul Birchill & Katie Lea defeated Super Crazy in a handicap match at 2:00 when Katie scored the pin after Paul hit the Curb Stop; prior to the match, Katie announced William Regal had granted their request to make the bout a handicap match
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly) pinned Santino Marella (w/ Carlito Caribbean Cool) with the DDT at 3:16; prior to the match, Marella cut an in-ring promo saying he didn’t like New Jersey and didn’t like ‘The Soppranos’ because of their fake Italian accents; after the bout, Rhodes cut an in-ring promo on Santino until Carlito came in behind him, dropped Rhodes with the Back Stabber, and then slid out of the ring before Holly was able to make the save
WWE World Champion Triple H fought Randy Orton to a no contest at around the 22-minute mark when, as Triple H had Orton in the Crippler Crossface, William Regal was shown in the director’s truck complaining about how the fans didn’t deserve to see the ending of the match because of how they disrespected him earlier in the show; moments later, Regal assaulted the director until he gave in to Regal’s demands to take the show off the air; in footage shot exclusively for WWE Home Video, Regal appeared two minutes after the show went off the air and told the fans he would not be disrespected and stopped the bout after the champion hit a spinebuster on Orton; moments later, Triple H attacked Orton on the ramp, took him back to the ring, and dropped him with the Pedigree

5/5/08; Toronto, Ontario; Air Canada Centre
5/5/08 – featured an opening promo by Vince McMahon, on the stage, in which he praised William Regal’s actions the previous week by ending the broadcasat prematurely; moments later, Lilian Garcia introduced Regal, who further emphasized his power by having the lights turned on and off and said he would not tolerate being disrespected any longer; Ken Kennedy then appeared and challenged Regal to a match later in the night; as a lesson to Kennedy, Regal announced Kennedy would be in the main event against ECW World Champion Kane, WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Bam Neely, & CM Punk in a handicap match; moments later, WWE World Champion Triple H appeared and said Regal’s actions the previous week were a mistake; Regal then said Triple H was far too busy to go to war with Regal since, not only was he going to face Randy Orton in a steel cage match at Judgment Day but he would also team with Kennedy to face the ECW roster later in the show; included a backstage segment with Regal and WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho in which Jericho further argued Shawn Michaels wasn’t hurt, with Regal then saying Jericho would team with Michaels later in the show against Morrison & Mizanin; featured a backstage segment with Trevor Murdoch, singing Tammy Wynette’s “Stand By Your Man,” with Trish Stratus then appearing at a loss for words and Ron Simmons then appearing and saying “Damn;” included the announcement Simmons had been inducted into the College Football Hall of Fame, with clips from his football days; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Orton about the previous week’s match with Triple H and facing CM Punk later in the show; included a backstage segment with Jericho and Michaels about their tag team match later in the show and Michaels’ apparent injury; featured Roddy Piper as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Carlito Caribbean Cool confronted Piper for slapping Santino Marella the previous week; moments later, Santino appeared and said while it took Piper 8 years to win the IC belt, he did it his first night; Piper then told Marella he needed a designated driver; WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes appeared and said that while WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Hardcore Holly wasn’t in the arena, he brought with him two other guys that wanted to meet Piper, with Cryme Tyme then appearing and scaring Carlito & Santino to the floor; included an ad for the WrestleMania 24 DVD / Blu Ray available May 20; featured the announcement John Cena would face John Bradshaw Layfield at Judgment Day; included Regal speaking backstage with the ECW roster in which he told them to put their differences aside and beat Triple H & Kennedy for the name of ECW:
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James pinned Beth Phoenix in a No DQ lumberjack match at 9:08 with an inside cradle after Melina accidentally hit the challenger with her boot when Mickie moved out of the way; lumberjacks for the match included Victoria, Melina, Ashley, Maria, Michelle McCool, Cherry, Kelly Kelly, Jillian Hall, Layla, and Natalya
Paul Birchill & Katie Lea defeated John Cutler in a handicap match at 3:31 when Katie scored the pin following Birchill’s Curb Stomp; prior to the match, William Regal appeared, said he was cutting Jim Ross’ mic, and introduced Mike Adamle as someone who – like himself – had been disrespected to take Ross’ spot for the contest
Shawn Michaels & WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho defeated WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin in a non-title match at 4:12 when Jericho pinned Morrision with the Lionsault after Morrison sustained Michaels’ superkick; Michaels was never legally in the match; immediately after the fall, Michaels limped backstage, leaving Jericho alone in the ring
Randy Orton fought CM Punk to a no contest at the 4-minute mark when William Regal appeared and, because of the fans’ disrespect towards him, turned off the lights and ended the match; after the commercial break, Todd Grisham conducted a backstage interview with Orton in which he said he was going to Regal’s office to confront him
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned DH Smith at 1:00 with the Clothesline from Hell; prior to the match, JBL cut a promo in his limo as it was being driven to ringside, commenting on facing John Cena at Judgment Day; moments later, JBL cut a promo on Smith and the Hart family, citing they nor God could help him right now; after the contest, JBL continued to attack Smith until he was pulled away by referees
ECW World Champion Kane, CM Punk, WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin, Kofi Kingston, Mike Knox, Stevie Richards, Tommy Dreamer, Shelton Benjamin, Elijah Burke, Matt Striker, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Bam Neely defeated WWE World Champion Triple H & Ken Kennedy in a handicap match at 5:45 when Guerrero pinned Kennedy with the frog splash after Kane and Neely began fighting on the floor; after the bout, several ECW wrestlers began fighting amongst themselves, with Triple H laying out the rest with a steel chair; moments later, the lights went out in the arena; when they came back on, Randy Orton was in the ring and dropped Triple H with the RKO

5/12/08; Detroit, MI; Joe Louis Arena
5/12/08 – featured an opening segment with William Regal in the ring with Lilian Garcia, with Garcia then singing “God Save the Queen;” moments later, Regal said he would eject fans from the arena because of the disrespect they had shown both him and his country, with Regal calling for two fans at ringside to be kicked out; WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James then appeared, arguing it was her brother and his girlfriend and they had done nothing wrong, with Regal saying he didn’t care; when Mickie refused to leave the ring, Regal threatened to strip her of her title; John Cena then appeared, helped Mickie out of the ring, and said Regal was going about his position the wrong way; Cena then read e-mails from fans wanting Regal fired, with one e-mail saying Regal in charge was “WCW Thunder bad;” Regal then agreed that he wouldn’t turn off the lights in any matches and then made a match for the main event pitting Cena against Randy Orton, and whomever interferes in the match will be automatically suspended; as Regal attempted to leave ringside, Cena argued over the performance of “God Save the Queen” and said if Regal didn’t stop making mistakes then the fans would rip him apart; Cena then had Lilian sing Aretha Franklin’s “Respect,” since they were in Detroit; included a text poll in which fans were asked to voice their opinion as to whether Shawn Michaels really had an injured knee; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Santino Marella in which Marella complained over Roddy Piper’s interference in his match earlier in the night, with Marella claiming he would find Piper and make him pay; included a backstage segment in which Mickie asked Cena if he wanted to go out for drinks with her, her brother, and his girlfriend after the show, with Cena saying yes; featured an ad for the WrestleMania 24 DVD and Blu-ray; featured the results of the text poll, which saw 72% of the fans polled agree that Michaels’ injury was legit; included an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho in which he said, following the previous week’s tag team match with Michaels, he believed Michaels’ injury was legit and he apologized for all his accusations; Jericho then said he would understand if Michaels wanted to call off their scheduled match at Judgment Day and would even go to Regal himself to ask for it to be cancelled; Michaels then came out, selling the injury, and admitted he wasn’t hurt and Jericho was right; Jericho then argued he knew Michaels wasn’t hurt and continued to claim Michaels was merely trying to trick him until Michaels hit the superkick and again repeated that he wasn’t hurt; featured a backstage segment with Jillian Hall and Melina, with Beth Phoenix then appearing and arguing with Melina over her costing her the Women’s Title the previous week; Melina then attacked Beth, with Beth then assaulting Melina on the ground until she was pulled away by referees and Mike Rotundo; included Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Randy Orton regarding his WWE World Title shot against Triple H at Judgment Day; featured the announcement CM Punk would face WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin and ECW World Champion Kane would face Smackdown! Tag Team Champion John Morrison the following night on ECW:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes defeated Carlito & Santino Marella at 3:01 when Rhodes pinned Santino with the DDT after Marella became distracted by Roddy Piper, who sat ringside for the match after being invited to come out by Marella; after the bout, Piper celebrated with the champions
Ken Kennedy pinned Snitsky with the Mic Check at 3:26
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James & Maria defeated Beth Phoenix & Melina at 2:26 when Mickie pinned Melina with a neckbreaker after Phoenix walked out on her partner
Jeff Hardy pinned Umaga with the Whisper in the Wind at 1:25 after Umaga missed a back splash in the corner; prior to the bout, Hardy attempted to cut an in-ring promo on how excited he was to be back and to explain his absence when his mic went out suddenly; moments later, William Regal appeared and said Hardy should have to be punished for his sins and then brought out Umaga as Hardy’s opponent (Hardy’s surprise return from a 60-day suspension)
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Cryme Tyme at 2:28 when Murdoch pinned GTG by blocking a sunset flip attempt; after the bout, Cade congratulated Murdoch for the win and asked him to sing, with Murdoch then singing Kenny Rogers’ “The Gambler” before Cade knocked Murdoch down with a punch; as Murdoch struggled to his feet, Cade punched him again and left ringside
Randy Orton pinned John Cena at 9:29 after guest referee John Bradshaw Layfield kicked Cena in the face as Cena had Orton up for the FU, with JBL then making a fast count; JBL was named the guest referee moments earlier after William Regal appeared with JBL on the stage; after the bout, Cena was double teamed until WWE World Champion Triple H made the save, with Cena and JBL then brawling into the crowd and leaving Triple H and Orton in the ring; moments later, a steel cage was lowered from the rafters, with Triple H eventually throwing Orton into the cage and Orton falling out of the ring; Triple H then scaled the cage and looked down on Orton on the floor as the show came to a close (the debut of new theme music for Orton)

6/2/08; Bakersfield, CA; Rabobank Arena
6/2/08 – included the announcement that Randy Orton broke his clavicle during the previous night’s last man standing match against WWE World Champion Triple H; featured an in-ring promo by Triple H regarding his win over Orton, Orton’s injury, and not knowing who his next challenger would be; John Cena then appeared and challenged Triple H to a title match, with Triple H accepting; moments later, Jeff Hardy came out, said they weren’t the only two from Raw to win their matches at the pay-per-view, and that he was also in the running for the belt; after Triple H said he didn’t care who the challenger was, Hardy proposed a match with Cena to determine the top contender, with Cena agreeing; moments later, Vince McMahon appeared and said what the fans wanted were details on how they could win $1 million cash and then passed off Hardy’s idea as his own; included an ad promoting the WWE Draft June 23; featured McMahon, accompanied by armed and plain clothed security, putting the $1 million into a clear case on the stage and then said the only way to win the money would be to register at WWE.com; he then said his intention behind giving the money away was to attract more people to WWE – both those that used to watch and those that never have before; McMahon referred to those that wouldn’t be caught dead watching WWE as elitists and snobs and said the WWE fans represented a cross-section of America; included a backstage segment in which WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly and Cody Rhodes argued over Rhodes knowing Roddy Piper would be the guest timekeeper for their match and it ended up costing them their match; after Holly stormed off, Ted Dibiase Jr. appeared and said he was three weeks away from picking a partner to take Holly & Rhodes’ titles; featured Jim Ross, from the broadcast booth, conducting a backstage interview with WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho about his encouraging Shawn Michaels the night before at One Night Stand, during which Jericho said he would be defending the title more frequently and dedicated his match later in the show against John Bradshaw Layfield to Michaels; included a segment on the stage of Cryme Tyme trying to get close to McMahon’s $1 million; featured an ad for “The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment;” included a video package highlighting the Undertaker vs. Edge TLC match at One Night Stand; featured a backstage segment with WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James and Cena in which Cena apologized for the comments Mickie had received about hanging out with him as of late, during which Cena handed her a pair of her panties she left behind the night before:
Ken Kennedy defeated Umaga via count-out at 2:06 after Umaga missed a splash from the apron to the commentary table, hurting his injured ribs in the process; prior to the bout, Kennedy challenged Paul Burchill to face him, following Burchill’s attack on Kennedy the week before; moments later, Burchill and Katie Lea appeared, with Burchill saying he had to prepare for Katie’s in-ring debut later in the show but had picked a suitable opponent for Kennedy to face in his place, then brought out Umaga; Umaga’s ribs were heavily taped for the match; after the bout, Burchill jumped Kennedy from behind
Carlito & Santino Marella defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes in a non-title match at 2:18 when Carlito pinned Holly with a roll over after Carlito kicked Holly – behind the referee’s back as Holly attempted the Alabama Slam – as the referee was distracted by guest timekeeper Roddy Piper on the floor; after the commercial break, Carlito and Santino spoke backstage, with Todd Grisham then interviewing Santino about his win and upcoming match on Smackdown! against Cousin Sal
WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho defeated John Bradshaw Layfield via disqualification at 5:19 when JBL shoved the referee on the floor after grabbing a steel chair; after the bout, Jericho stole the chair away and almost hit JBL with it but, much like the week before with Shawn Michaels, opted not to and walked off
Beth Phoenix & Katie Lea defeated WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James & Melina at 3:40 when Katie pinned Mickie after Phoenix shoved Mickie face-first to the mat behind the referee’s back; after the bout, Paul Burchill came out and congratulated Katie’s win from the floor until he was attacked from behind by Ken Kennedy, with Kennedy jumping Burchill in the ring until Burchill kicked him away and slid out of the ring
Lance Cade pinned Trevor Murdoch with a sit-down spinebuster at 2:20 (Murdoch’s debut with new entrance music)
John Cena pinned Jeff Hardy at 13:44 with the FU after catching Hardy coming off the top with a crossbody, rolling through, and then lifting Hardy up off the mat; pre-match stipulations stated the winner would be the #1 contender to the WWE World Title; after the bout, WWE World Champion Triple H appeared on the entrance stage, with he and Cena coming face to face after Cena made his way up the ramp and Triple H holding the title belt up in the air as the show came to a close (Jeff Hardy: My Life My Rules)

6/9/08; Oakland, CA; ORACLE Arena
6/9/08 – featured the announcement that “WWE Universe” was the password for McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania; included Vince McMahon calling someone to offer them $200,000 and getting the ringtone to the tune of Rick Astley’s “Never Gonna Give You Up;” after hanging up and trying again, McMahon gave the money to Daniel Premise from Twenty Nine Palms, CA; several members of the Oakland Raiders were shown in attendance; featured McMahon calling Justin Black and awarding him $75,000; included an ad for the WrestleMania 24 DVD and Blu-ray; featured a backstage segment with John Cena and WWE World Champion Triple H regarding their upcoming match at Night of Champions; included Charlie Haas assisting McMahon as he tried several times to make a call, with the line ultimately being busy; Haas then dialed Donna Rose and awarded her $50,000, with McMahon offering Donna $100 for every diva Haas kissed; Maria then appeared, with Haas kissing her and McMahon offering to up the prize if he kissed another diva, with Mae Young then appearing; as Mae kissed Haas, Ron Simmons appeared and said “Damn;” featured a backstage promo by John Bradshaw Layfield in which he said none of the fans deserved McMahon’s money but Cena deserved the beating he was about to receive; included an ad promoting the WWE Draft June 23; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE broadcasts in 23 languages to more than 130 nations; featured the announcement ECW World Champion Kane would team with someone to face WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin the following night on ECW; included McMahon asking Lilian Garcia to stand up, gave her measurements, added them up to get 98, and then called Stephanie Green and gave her $98,000; featured Shawn Michaels as a guest of the Highlight Reel in which WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho pointed out that Michaels is adored no matter what he does while he himself is booed for no apparent reason; moments later, Jericho clotheslined Michaels, with the two men rolling around and brawling until Jericho landed a low blow and threw Michaels head-first into the flat screen TV on his set; Jericho then left ringside as Michaels was tended to in the ring; included a video package highlighting WWE’s efforts with the Make A Wish Foundation, with footage of 50 Wish children in attendance at WrestleMania 24 and footage of the children with Rey Mysterio Jr., John Cena, Steve Austin, Michelle McCool, Linda McMahon, and others; featured Jillian Hall and Trevor Murdoch in an in-ring sing off before McMahon called Sarah Fuhrmann and awarded her $2; moments later, McMahon called Joshua Smith in Long Beach, MS and gave him $200,000, with Joshua cussing in excitement; the on-air audio was cut off when he said it; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw is the most-watched regularly scheduled program on US cable TV; featured a closing segment in which McMahon thanked the fans and the USA Network, announced he would give another $1 million the following week, and then called Steve Rosenzweig and awarding him $250,000:
Ken Kennedy pinned Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) at 3:13 with the Mic Check; after the bout, Katie slapped Kennedy inside the ring, with Burchill then attacking Kennedy from behind and dropping him with the Twisted Sister
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James pinned Beth Phoenix in a non-title match at 2:30 with a Thesz Press off the top; after the bout, Phoenix attacked Mickie until Melina appeared, attacked Beth, and dropped her with a facebuster from the top
John Cena pinned John Bradshaw Layfield at 10:08 with an inside cradle; WWE World Champion Triple H provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Triple H stood on the broadcast table and held the title belt in the air at Cena, with Cena then getting on the table as well to come face to face with the champion; Triple H then stepped off the table but tripped Cena, causing him to fall
Umaga & Snitsky defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes in a non-title match at 3:04 when Umaga pinned Rhodes with the thumb strike to the throat; after the bout, Ted Dibiase Jr. appeared on the stage and said ever since he issued a challenge to the champions they’ve been losing; he then said he and his mystery partner would have the titles at Night of Champions
Cryme Tyme defeated Carlito & Santino Marella at 3:22 when Shad pinned Santino with a modified side Russian legsweep; prior to the bout, footage was shown from the previous week’s Smackdown! of Cousin Sal beating Marella; after the contest, Vince McMahon invited Cryme Tyme to the stage, said he would give $250,000 after the main event, and had them help him call Will Frank and award him $51,998
Jeff Hardy defeated WWE World Champion Triple H via count-out in a non-title match at 8:24 when John Cena, who provided guest commentary for the match, pulled the champion off the apron, moments after Triple H hiptossed Hardy onto Cena at ringside; after the contest, Triple H and Cena confronted each other at ringside, with Hardy eventually hitting a plancha onto both men

6/16/08; Salt Lake City, UT; E-Center
6/16/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena in which he compared his upcoming match with WWE World Champion Triple H at Night of Champions to Hulk Hogan slamming Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III and Shawn Michaels winning the WWE World Title at WrestleMania XII; moments later, Triple H appeared and warned Cena over his costing Triple H a match against Jeff Hardy the previous week and said things have changed since Cena beat him at WrestleMania 22; Cena then responded by saying until Triple H beats him, despite having the title, he is nothing; after Triple H continued to make fun of Cena, Cena shoved the champion with the two men almost coming to blows until Vince McMahon interrupted to make sure the two men saved their fight for the pay-per-view; McMahon then announced the password as “Watch Raw & Win” as security guards appeared with McMahon’s $1,000,000; McMahon then said Cena would face Umaga in the opening match and it would be a streetfight; Triple H then wished Cena good luck and said he hoped Cena doesn’t get hurt; included McMahon calling Denzel Parker from Virginia Beach, VA and awarding him $125,000, but only after getting Parker to bark like a dog; featured an ad promoting the next week’s 3-hour WWE draft episode; included McMahon calling Michael Layva in Monroe, NC and awarding him $100,000; featured an ad for “The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment;” included Jim Duggan, dressed in a tux and with his 2×4 wearing a tux, helping McMahon call a man to award him $50,000; the call went to voice mail, with McMahon letting the man know he blew it by not picking up; moments later, Duggan dialed a second number – with a DX ringtone – and Jesse Jordan in Bethel, OH won the money instead; Jordan then did a Duggan impression to end the call; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read there were over 300 live events in 2007, including 75 international shows; included McMahon calling Kyle Mathisen in Hoyt Lakes, MN and awarding him $175,000; featured an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho regarding his attack on Shawn Michaels the previous week, during which Jericho blamed the crowd for his actions; after challenging Michaels to come out, and he didn’t, Jericho called Michaels a coward until Ric Flair appeared; after the commercial break, Flair challenged Jericho to fight him in the parking lot, with Jericho following him backstage; after Jericho went to open the exit door, he was met by Triple H; moments later, Triple H said he wanted to fight Jericho, with Jericho then walking away (Flair’s first appearance in 3 months); after the commercial break, Flair met with Triple H backstage until McMahon appeared and had Flair kicked out of the building by security since he was retired; McMahon then ordered Triple H to face Jericho later in the show; included McMahon calling Becky Carmon in Advance, NC and awarding her $16 instead of the expected larger figure; featured McMahon calling Alana Ayres in Westmont, IL and awarding her $174,984; included an ad for the WrestleMania 24 DVD and Blu-ray; featured McMahon calling Peter Maurer in Bloomville, NY and awarding him $75,000; included the announcement Finlay & Hornswoggle would face WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin at Night of Champions; featured a backstage segment with Triple H and Cena in which Cena wished Triple H good luck in his main event match and said he doesn’t get hurt; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE has published 40 books since 1999, 22 of which have been on the New York Times’ Best Seller list and three reached the #1 spot; featured McMahon calling Frank Turbeville in Haddon Township, NJ and awarding him $300,000:
John Cena pinned Umaga in a streetfight at 10:28 with the FU as Umaga attempted to hit him with the steel ringsteps
Maria defeated Eve, Jillian Hall, Lena, Layla, Melina, and Maryse in a bikini contest; Charlie Haas was the guest MC for the contest
Jeff Hardy pinned Carlito with the Twist of Fate and Swanton at 5:49 after avoiding the Back Stabber
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes defeated Cryme Tyme in a non-title match at the 12-second mark when Holly pinned JTG with a roll up after Cryme Tyme became distracted by Ted Dibiase Jr. at ringside
Paul Burchill & Katie Lea defeated Ken Kennedy & WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James at 4:06 when Katie pinned Mickie with a modified backbreaker after avoiding a move off the top
WWE World Champion Triple H defeated WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho via disqualification in a non-title match at 9:44 when Lance Cade attacked Triple H on the floor as the champion and Jericho fought outside the ring; after the bout, John Cena attempted to make the save until he and Triple H began fighting each other, with Jericho and Cade laying them out as the show came to a close

6/23/08; San Antonio, TX; AT&T Center
6/23/08 – 3-hour WWE Draft – featured Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw, Michael Cole & Mick Foley on commentary for Smackdown!, and Mike Adamle & Tazz on commentary for ECW; included the announcement that “Night of Champions” would be the password for McMahon’s Million Dollar Mania; featured Vince McMahon announcing he would award 5 people $100,000 each and then another person $500,000; moments later, he had Kelly Kelly come out and help him call Crystal Vega in Bronx, NY – with McMahon initially saying she lost because he misheard her – but then awarded her $100,000, with Kelly then dancing; included a backstage segment with Rey Mysterio Jr. and WWE World Champion Triple H in which Triple H welcomed Mysterio to Raw, with John Cena then appearing and arguing over their altercation the previous week; Triple H then argued he hadn’t gotten over WrestleMania 22 and knew Cena wasn’t as good as him, with Cena then using Ric Flair’s “To be the man, you have to beat the man;” Triple H responded by saying Cena was nothing until he took the title from him; featured McMahon introducing Randy Orton, his arm in a sling, who cut a promo on the stage saying it would be in Cena and Triple H’s best interests if he was drafted because he would be back to take the title, no matter who holds it; Orton then walked off and told McMahon he wasn’t in the mood to help him give away money; McMahon then announced the main event would be Cena vs. World Heavyweight Champion Edge; moments later, McMahon called Samira in Hamtramck, MI, awarding him $100,000; McMahon then asked who Samira thought would win the match between Cena and Triple H, with Samira saying Triple H; included an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Chris Jericho in which he blamed the fans for thinking Shawn Michaels was a decent human being while at the same time treating Jericho so poorly; Jericho then showed a video package of Michaels throwing Marty Jannetty through a plate glass window on 1/11/92, turning on Diesel during the 1994 Survivor Series, superkicking Hulk Hogan on 7/4/05 and Cena on 3/26/07, and faking his knee injury against Batista at Backlash as proof Michaels was a liar; Jericho then said he refused to let the fans continue to cheer for him and then introduced Lance Cade, who appeared on the big screen; Jericho then spoke to Cade about training at Michaels’ wrestling academy, with Cade saying he wasn’t going to give Michaels the chance to turn on him; Jericho then mentioned he didn’t have an opponent for Night of Champions, with Michaels then appearing, with the area around his right eye bandaged; the two brawled out to the floor where Jericho caused Michaels to fall face-first into the Smackdown! commentary table, hurting his eye again; moments later, medics tended to Michaels on the floor; featured an ad for the WrestleMania 24 DVD and Blu-ray; included Ric Flair appearing to help McMahon call Donna in Selden, NY and award her $100,000, with Flair then giving a “Whoooo;” featured footage of WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James taking part in the “Dreams Take Flight” program at Disney World; included the Great Khali helping McMahon call a man who said they had the wrong number; moments later, McMahon tried again and called Justin in Somerset, NJ and awarded him $100,000; featured an ad for “The Rock: The Most Electrifying Man in Sports Entertainment;” … included a closing segment in which McMahon called Michael and awarding him $500,000; moments later, a piece of the stage fell, followed by McMahon falling off the stage and part of the scaffolding falling on top of him; moments later, Triple H, Cena, Edge, and others helped hold it up while McMahon was tended to underneath; moments later, after he was fitted with a neckbrace, McMahon came to and asked for Paul (Triple H):
WWE World Champion Triple H (Raw) pinned Mark Henry (Smackdown!) with the Pedigree in a non-title match at 5:21 after avoiding a splash; Jim Ross & Mick Foley provided commentary for the match; during the bout, it was announced Henry had challenged the winner of the ECW World Champion Kane vs. Big Show match at Night of Champions; as a result of the win, Raw drafted Rey Mysterio Jr.; after the contest, Mysterio came out to the ring and shook Triple H’s hand (Mysterio’s first appearance in 4 months)
Finlay & Hornswoggle (Smackdown!) defeated Santino Marella & Carlito (Raw) at 2:19 when Hornswoggle pinned Marella with the frog splash after Finlay dropped Marella with the Celtic Cross behind the referee’s back; Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler provided commentary for the match; as a result of the win, Smackdown! drafted Jeff Hardy; after the contest, Hardy appeared on the stage; moments later, Randy Orton, his arm in a sling, was shown watching backstage
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (Raw) defeated Chavo Guerrero Jr. & Bam Neely (ECW) in a non-title match at 2:06 when Holly pinned Guerrero with the Alabama Slam; Mike Adamle, Lawler, & Ted Dibiase Jr. provided commentary for the match; Dibiase had his father’s new autobiography at the broadcast table with him; as a result of the win, Raw drafted CM Punk; after the contest, Punk appeared on the stage
WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin (ECW) defeated Jeff Hardy & WWE US Champion Matt Hardy (Smackdown!) in a non-title match at 8:15 when Morrison pinned Matt with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage; prior to the bout, Vickie Guerrero appeared on the stage with Curt Hawkins & Zach Ryder and said she initially was going to have the ECW team face Hawkins & Ryder but recent developments forced her to change her mind; the three then went backstage, with the Hardys then appearing; as a result of the win, ECW drafted Matt Hardy
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James & Melina (Raw) fought Natalya Neidhart & Victoria (Smackdown!) to a double disqualification at 2:58 when all four began brawling on the floor; prior to the bout, it was announced Mickie would defend against Katie Lea at Night of Champions; Melina sustained a legit knee injury mid-way through the bout after she fell off the top to the floor, injuring her ankle; as a result of the decision, both brands received drafts – Michael Cole to Raw and Jim Ross to Smackdown!; after the commercial break, footage was shown of Melina being helped to the back (Melina’s last appearance for 5 months)
John Cena (Raw) defeated World Heavyweight Champion Edge (Smackdown!) via count-out in a non-title match at 7:44 after Cena knocked the champion into the ringpost and Edge refused to return to the ring; after the bout, Batista attacked Edge in the aisle, chased Edge back into the ring, and then knocked him to the floor; as a result of the win, Raw drafted Batista
MVP (Smackdown!) pinned Tommy Dreamer (w/ Colin Delaney) (ECW) with the running boot to the face at 2:39; as a result of the win, Smackdown! drafted Umaga; after the bout, Umaga appeared and laid out both Dreamer and Delaney
John Bradshaw Layfield (Raw) pinned Kofi Kingston (ECW) with the Clothesline from Hell at 5:03; as a result of the win, Raw drafted ECW World Champion Kane; after the bout, Kane appeared on the stage
World Heavyweight Champion Edge (Smackdown!) won a battle royal by last eliminating John Cena (Raw) at around 17:41; as a result of the win, Smackdown! drafted Ken Kennedy and WWE World Champion Triple H; other participants included: ECW World Champion Kane (Raw), CM Punk (Raw), Kane (Raw), Batista (Raw), WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin (ECW), WWE US Champion Matt Hardy (ECW), Shelton Benjamin (ECW), Chavo Guerrero Jr. (ECW), the Big Show (Smackdown!), the Great Khali (Smackdown!), Jeff Hardy (Smackdown!), and MVP (Smackdown!); order of elimination: Khali by Batista, Cena, Kane, Punk, Benjamin, Hardy, Benjamin, Morrison, Guerrero, & Mizanin (2:20); Benjamin by Punk (3:44); Morrison & Mizanin by Batista (6:10); Show by Punk via a choke throw (during the commercial break); Guerrero by Jeff via a spin kick as Guerrero held Jeff’s other leg (11:09); MVP by Matt after MVP missed a running kick in the corner to Jeff (11:51); Matt by Jeff via a spin kick which knocked Matt off the apron (12:30); Jeff by Triple H via an elbow to the head, knocking Jeff off the apron (14:34); Batista by Show after being knocked off the apron (15:25); Kane by Show (16:01); Show by Triple H & Cena (17:28); Triple H by Cena after Edge knocked Cena into Triple H from behind (17:35); Cena by Edge (elimination times are approximate since the bout began during the commercial break)

7/7/08; New Orleans, LA; Arena
7/7/08 – featured an opening pre-taped promo by Stephanie McMahon in which she spoke of Shane McMahon’s message the previous week and encouraged the WWE staff to work together; included an in-ring promo by Vickie Guerrero in which she demanded World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk surrender the title to her and apologize; after Punk appeared, he argued he didn’t do anything to Edge that Edge hadn’t done to others and then suggested Vickie find someone else on Smackdown! to marry, like the Great Khali; after Vickie stood up from her wheelchair to slap Punk, John Bradshaw Layfield appeared, said he would have beaten Punk the previous week if it wasn’t for outside interference, and then challenged Punk to a title shot later in the show; Punk said JBL had his shot and lost, with JBL blaming the loss on John Cena; Cena then appeared and suggested he and JBL fight to determine Punk’s challenger at the Great American Bash; moments later, Batista appeared, with Cena then adding Batista to the #1 contenders match, despite JBL’s protest; Kane then came out and said he wanted in too, with Punk setting up a four-way match later in the broadcast; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw is watched by more people on cable than baseball, basketball, and hockey; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Punk regarding the #1 contender match later in the show, during which a crew member dropped some equipment before Snitsky appeared and said Punk didn’t deserve to have the title in his first match on Raw; featured a backstage segment with Cena and WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James talking about the previous night, with Kelly Kelly then appearing and getting Mickie ready for their upcoming tag team match; included an ad for “Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Difinitive Collection;” featured a segment where John Cena came out of JBL’s limo, as JBL tried to get inside it after it was driven into the arena; Cena, armed with a crowbar, then said state laws wouldn’t permit JBL to drive his limo, with Cryme Tyme then appearing with baseball bats as Cena listed off the items on the limo that would have to be removed for it to be street legal; Shad & JTG then busted several windows, the windshield, and a side mirror before Cena spraypainted “JBL is poopy” on the hood; included an in-ring segment in which Shawn Michaels accepted Chris Jericho’s challenge for a match at the Great American Bash, with Jericho and Lance Cade then appearing; Jericho then cut a promo in which he said Michaels was being a martyr to the fans, for wrestling while injured, with Michaels replying that he could retire and be remembered forever while Jericho, despite his own accomplishments, wasn’t at peace and would never be what Michaels is; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE is consistantly in the Top 10 of Yahoo searches; included a shot of Batista preparing for the main event backstage, during which someone jumped in his shot and did a Batista pose before he was chased away by security:
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Santino Marella at 2:55 with the 619 and splash off the top
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James & Kelly Kelly defeated Jillian Hall & Layla at 3:29 when Kelly pinned Jillian with a victory roll after avoiding a handspring elbow
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk pinned Snitsky in a non-title match at 2:51 with the Go To Sleep; prior to the bout, Punk posed with the title belt on John Bradshaw Layfield’s vandalized limo; Snitsky broke his nose during the match
WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston pinned Charlie Haas in a non-title match with the spin kick to the face at 3:19; after the bout, Paul Burchill attacked Kingston from behind, dropped him with the Twisted Sister, and the Curb Stomp
Batista defeated John Bradshaw Layfield, John Cena, and Kane at 12:40 by pinning Kane with the spear after avoiding a clothesline off the top; pre-match stipulations stated the winner would face Punk for the World Heavyweight Title at the Great American Bash; after Batista left ringside, an upset Kane kicked the ring steps, spoke jibberish to the commentary team, kicked a stage hand in the face, scared off Lilian Garcia, and then pulled Michael Cole into the ring; moments later, Kane attempted the chokeslam on Cole until Jerry Lawler clipped Kane in the leg, with Kane then assaulting Lawler before leaving ringside

7/14/08; Raleigh, NC; RBC Center
7/14/08 – featured an opening message from Shane & Stephanie McMahon in which they again urged the WWE talent to stick together and said that if things didn’t change then actions would be taken; immediately after, Shawn Michaels was shown brawling with Chris Jericho in the aisle, with Lance Cade then appearing before officials broke up the fight; after the three went backstage, Kane appeared with a bag, confronted Jerry Lawler at the broadcast table, and said he was sorry for the previous week’s attack on Lawler; Kane then left ringside, with cameras then picking up Michaels again brawling with Jericho backstage; included a backstage segment with Santino Marella and Matt Striker, with Kane then appearing and demanding Santino tell him where World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk was; after Kane left, Santino ate a handful of TUMS; featured the announcement that Jeff & WWE US Champion Matt Hardy would face WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin the following night on ECW; included a backstage segment with Kane and Punk in which Kane said he needed Punk in the ring, but not for the title, with Punk agreeing; featured a text poll over whether WWE World Champion Triple H, Punk, or ECW World Champion Mark Henry were in jeopardy of losing the title at the Great American Bash; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with John Cena regarding John Bradshaw Layfield’s challenge to face him in a New York City Parking Lot Brawl at the Bash, with Cena accepting and then challenging JBL to face Cena & Cryme Tyme later in the show in a six-man tag team match; featured WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. interrupting a Kelly Kelly match after Kelly made her entrance, with Rhodes & Dibiase telling her to leave because they had something to say; Rhodes then said he and Dibiase weren’t bad people, they were realistic people and they weren’t their fathers, they were better; after Dibiase said they were the future, Jim Duggan interrupted and said he had known Rhodes & Dibiase since they were kids and he, like their fathers, appreciated those that paved the way for them; Duggan then praised them for their ability but said they had a lot of growing up to do; Rhodes then said Duggan was a 54-year-old washed up guy trying to relive his glory days when they weren’t so glorious to begin with; Dibiase then pointed out Duggan was carrying around the same 2×4 he had 25 years ago and said he was pathetic; they then said Duggan needed to grow up and left the ring; moments later, JBL appeared on the big screen, praised Dibiase & Rhodes for their behavior, and offered them a spot as his tag team partners for the night’s main event, with them accepting; included an ad for “Nature Boy Ric Flair: The Difinitive Collection;” featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com gets more monthly hits than NFL.com, UFC.com, Maxim.com, FHM.com, and NASCAR.com combined; included a backstage segment with Jamie Noble and Layla in which Noble said they could be Raw’s power couple, with Layla turning him down and asking him to prove himself; Noble then said he would take the next guy to walk past and take him down in the ring; Snitsky then appeared and yelled at Noble to shut up, with Noble backing down until he challenged Snitsky to a match, despite Layla’s objections; the three then went out to the ring for a fight between Noble and Snitsky; it was noted during the fight that Snitsky broke his nose the previous week against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk; Snitsky eventually won the fight following the pumphandle slam and left the ring; featured the results of the text poll in which Punk won with 55% to Triple H’s 20% and Henry’s 25%:
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James pinned Katie Lea (w/ Paul Burchill) with a Thesz Press off the top at 3:22; after the bout, Burchill held Mickie from behind as Katie landed several blows, with WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston then coming out and clearing the ring; moments later, Kingston challenged Burchill to an immediate title match
WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James) pinned Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) in an impromptu match with the spin kick to the face at around the 8-minute mark after Mickie knocked Katie off the apron when she attempted to interfere (the bout began during the commercial break)
Beth Phoenix (surprise opponent) pinned Santino Marella with a roll up at 1:28; prior to the bout, Santino made an open challenge for anyone backstage to face him
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defeated Kane via count-out in a non-title match at 6:23 after hitting a bulldog from the apron to the floor; after the bout, Kane threw a steel chair into the ring and then attacked Punk before trapping his head in the chair; as Kane attempted to come off the top onto Punk, Batista ran out, hit a spear on Kane, and knocked him out of the ring with the chair; Batista then helped Punk to his feet, with Punk extending his hand to Batista but Batista responding that he wasn’t his friend and he would take Punk’s belt; after Batista patted Punk on the cheek, Punk shoved him, with Batista then dropping Punk to the mat
Chris Jericho (w/ Lance Cade) defeated Paul London via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 2:59; after the bout, Jericho took the mic and told London he should learn from his loss and follow Jericho’s road that leads to greatness or follow Shawn Michaels’ road that leads to deciet and lies; moments later, Michaels appeared on the entrance stage and said neither he or Jericho would change each other’s mind and the worst is yet to come at the Great American Bash
John Cena & Cryme Tyme defeated John Bradshaw Layfield, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. via disqualification at 14:44 when JBL kicked Cena as Cena had Rhodes in the STFU; after the bout, JBL goaded Cena into chasing him backstage and outside the arena; moments later, JBL jumped Cena, knocking him out with a pipe, and then sat him against a nearby car; JBL then jumped inside his car and drove it into the car Cena was leaned against; moments later, JBL got out of his car and looked at the damage, appearing remorseful, as the show ended

7/21/08; Uncasville, CT; Mohegan Sun Arena
7/21/08 – featured an opening segment in which Batista was shown in the production area watching footage of the ending of his match against World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk the night before at the Great American Bash and the interference of Kane; after the clip ended, Batista left the production area; included an in-ring promo by Batista in which he put himself in charge and made a rematch between himself and Punk for later in the show and said Kane should find him before he found Kane; moments later, John Bradshaw Layfield interrupted on the big screen and said he, not Batista, was worthy of the next title match; Punk then appeared, told JBL he didn’t have to listen to him, and then challenged Batista to a rematch for later in the show; when JBL tried to interrupt, Batista called for his audio to be cut, which it was; Batista then accepted the match and left the ring; included comments from Jenny McCarthy regarding her upcoming appearance on Saturday Night’s Main Event to promote Generation Rescue; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw has run 750 episodes, more than “ER” and “The Simpsons” combined; included an in-ring promo by Jim Duggan in which he said he was contemplating retirement after the comments the previous week from WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr.; moments later, Jerry Lawler interrupted and said Duggan should continue for as long as he wants; moments later, Rhodes & Dibiase appeared, with the two making fun of Lawler and Duggan until Rhodes referenced Lawler slapping Andy Kaufman on “The David Letterman Show,” with Lawler then slapping Rhodes across the face; Dibiase then said they would continue the situation later, after their scheduled match; featured a backstage segment in which Jericho and Cade attempted to leave the building but were stopped by Kane at the door, who then walked past them; included footage from the previous Saturday of McCarthy holding a fundraiser for Generation Rescue, with appearances from Jim Carrey, Maria, Howie Mandel, Tim Allen, Britney Spears, and several others; featured a backstage segment with Jamie Noble and Layla in which Noble attempted to pick Layla up until Batista appeared and asked where Kane was; when Noble told him off, Batista pinned him against the wall by his throat; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Punk regarding his upcoming title defense against Batista, during which JBL appeared and said he intended on having a title shot at Summer Slam against whomever the champion was; featured the announcement that Matt Hardy, John Morrison, Mike Mizanin, and Finlay would compete in a four-way match the following night on ECW to determine the #1 contender to the ECW World Title at Summer Slam; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE gives free tickets to all military personnel:
Lance Cade pinned Paul London at 2:48 with the sit-down spinebuster after throwing London ribs-first into the ringpost; prior to the bout, Cade cut an in-ring promo on Shawn Michaels in which he said he wanted Michaels to come out so they could have words they should have had a long time ago; after the match, Cade introduced Chris Jericho as the man who possibly ended Michaels’ career; after the commercial break, Jericho showed footage of his attack on Michaels the night before and then blamed the fans for Michaels’ injury, which included a detached retna; Jericho then said he was proud of what he had done and that, through his actions, he had saved himself
Beth Phoenix pinned Kelly Kelly with a reverse powerbomb at 3:02
John Cena & Cryme Tyme defeated John Bradshaw Layfield, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. at 9:55 by pinning Dibiase with the FU after hoisting both Dibiase & Rhodes in a fireman’s carry and throwing Rhodes off; during the final moments of the match, JBL walked out and left through the crowd; after the contest, Cena hugged his dad at ringside
Paul Burchill & Katie Lea defeated WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston & WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James at 3:25 when Paul pinned Kingston with the Twisted Sister, moments after Kingston injured his ankle on the ringpost
D-Lo Brown pinned Santino Marella with the Lo Down at 1:33; prior to the bout, Marella issued an open challenge, noting he didn’t want to wrestle women; Beth Phoenix then appeared ringside after Brown made his entrance; after the contest, Beth punched Santino, with Santino then grabbing Beth around the waist; after the two traded wasit locks, they awkwardly kissed before Santino left the ring (D-Lo’s surprise TV return after a 5-year absence)
Batista defeated World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk via disqualification at 8:59 when John Bradshaw Layfield appeared ringside and brawled with the challenger after Batista hit the spear on Punk; prior to the bout, Kane attacked Batista until Punk appeared, with Kane then being sent backstage by officials; after the contest, John Cena came out to make the save against JBL but accidentally struck Batista, with the two facing off until they were held back by referees

7/28/08; Washington DC; Verizon Center
7/28/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by John Cena, who received a mixed reaction, in which he admitted he made a mistake the previous week in accidentally hitting Batista and then asked that Batista come out so they could settle their dispute face-to-face; Batista then appeared, said he saw the video footage, knew Cena didn’t mean to hit him, and said they were cool; Batista then said, after he takes the World Heavyweight Title from CM Punk at Summer Slam, he wanted Cena to get the first shot against him; Cena then reminded Batista that he already had two title shots and came up short, noting he himself has been in a slump as of late; Batista replied by saying he knew Punk couldn’t beat him and the same could be said for Cena; Cena then noted Batista was in front of a hometown crowd, said he versus Batista could headline WrestleMania, and then suggested they go ahead and have that match later in the show; as Batista went to accept the challenge, Shane McMahon interrupted, said he and Stephanie McMahon had chosen a new general manager of Raw and that person would be named later in the show; Shane then said the GM had already made matches for later in the night, saying World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk would face one of the most technically sound free agents today and that Cena & Batista would face John Bradshaw Layfield & Kane; included comments from Jeff Foxworthy regarding Generation Rescue and Jenny McCarthy being part of Saturday Night’s Main Event that weekend; featured a backstage segment with Shane and JBL in which Shane refused to speak on Vince McMahon’s condition with JBL then saying neither Batista or Cena deserve a world title shot but he did; Shane then said JBL needed to take that up with the new GM; Shane then received a phone call from the new GM and refused to let JBL speak to him; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw was the most wateched show on cable TV the previous week; featured an ad promoting “The Difinative Ric Flair Collection;” included an in-ring segment of “The Highlight Reel,” noted as the final edition of the talk segment, in which Chris Jericho, alongside Lance Cade, said for years he was known as a showman and entertainer rather than a world class performer and that he hosted his own show rather than going back after the world title; Jericho, with the shattered Jeritron 5000 behind him, then introduced a farewell video package for Y2J, recapping his rivalries with William Regal, Stephanie McMahon, and Randy Orton; Jericho then said he is embarassed by who he was as a performer but that ending the career of Shawn Michaels was one of the proudest moments of his career; Cade then took the mic and said he appreciated Jericho even though the crowd didn’t and that he would be forever grateful for Jericho having saved him; as some in the crowd chanted “boring,” Jericho told Michaels to stay home, move on with his life, and spend time with his family, prompting loud chants of “HBK” from the crowd; Jericho then said he deserved a world title match at Summer Slam, not JBL, Cena, or Batista; featured comments from Piers Morgan regarding Generation Rescue and McCarthy being part of Saturday Night’s Main Event; included a backstage segment with Shane and Todd Grisham in which Grisham tried to find out who the new GM was, with Shane only saying the new GM was already in the building; featured comments from McCarthy, Toby Keith, Ben Stiller, James Roday, Morgan, Leah Remini, Rose McGowan, Viginia Madsen, Shannon Elizabeth, Charlie Sheen, Howie Mandel, Tim Allen, Jm Carrey, and Foxworthy regarding Generation Rescue; included a backstage segment with Cena and Cryme Tyme in which Cryme Tyme offered to be Cena’s backup but he said he was fine; moments later, Batista appeared and said he knew the two didn’t trust each other; featured the announcement Michaels would appear live the following week; included the announcement Edge would face Jeff Hardy and that Cena, Batista, & Cryme Tyme would face JBL, Kane, & WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase during the following weekend’s Saturday Night’s Main Event on NBC:
Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix defeated D-Lo Brown & Kelly Kelly at 2:07 when Marella pinned Kelly with a roll up after knocking Brown off the apron; prior to the bout, backstage footage was shown of Marella and Phoenix talking, with Phoenix saying their relationship was strictly professional; after the contest, Marella hugged Phoenix, with Phoenix then yelling at him and the two then shaking hands instead; Santino then tried several times to kiss Phoenix but was too shy, with Phoenix then grabbing Marella by the hair and kissing him instead
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Jerry Lawler & Michael Cole (sub. for Jim Duggan) at 3:56 when Rhodes pinned Cole with a clothesline; prior to the match, Lilian Garcia was handed a note from a referee – sent from the new Raw GM – that Lawler would team with Cole instead of the previously announced Duggan; there was no commentary for the bout as a result of Lawler & Cole being in the ring; after the contest, Cole was tended to in the ring by the referee, Lawler, and a trainer; as a result of Cole’s injury, Mike Adamle joined Lawler on commentary for the remainder of the show
WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston pinned Jamie Noble (w/ Layla) with a spin kick to the head at 1:21; prior to the bout, Noble said the new Raw GM should take notice of him and that he was going to show off for Layla against Kingston
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk pinned William Regal in a non-title match at 5:22 with the Go To Sleep; John Bradshaw Layfield provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, JBL confronted Punk in the ring until Kane appeared, carrying a bag, and laid out JBL; moments later, Punk kicked Kane in the head and JBL then laid out Punk; Kane and JBL then stared at each other to end the segment (Regal’s surprise return after a 60-day suspension)
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James pinned Jillian Hall with the DDT at 2:37; prior to the bout, Jim Ross joined Mike Adamle and Jerry Lawler on commentary for the remainder of the show; following her entrance, Mickie hugged her dad, Stewart, who was sitting ringside; after the match, Mickie hugged her dad again before she was jumped from behind by Katie Lea; moments later, Paul Burchill joined Katie Lea on the ramp, with Katie saying she did it especially for the new Raw GM, noting Paul would soon be the IC champion and she would soon be the women’s champion
John Cena & Batista defeated John Bradshaw Layfield & Kane at 12:19 when Cena pinned Kane with the FU after tagging himself into the match; after the bout, Shane McMahon appeared at the entrance stage and announced that Adamle was the new Raw GM; Adamle, in the ring, then announced Cena would face Batista at Summer Slam

8/4/08; Knoxville, TN; Thompson-Boling Arena
8/4/08 – featured an opening promo by Mike Adamle on the entrance stage in which he compared himself to President Ronald Reagan and said he had made mistakes but would learn from his mistakes; Adamle then ran down his NFL career and said three championships would be on the line later in the show – WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes vs. John Cena & Batista; before Adamle could continue, John Bradshaw Layfield interrupted, congratulated Adamle on his new role, and said he wanted World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk at Summer Slam; Chris Jericho then appeared in a suit and said he deserved the title match with Punk due to his putting Shawn Michaels on the shelf; Adamle then made a match for later in the show pitting Jericho & JBL against Punk in a handicap match, with the stipulation being if one of them beat Punk then they would earn a title shot at Summer Slam and if Punk won neither man would get the title shot; included a “WWE Classics on Demand” feature on the Sept. 8, 1997 Raw, which featured WWF IC Champion Steve Austin confronting Commissioner Sgt. Slaughter and dropping him with the Stunner; featured a backstage segment in which Adamle spoke with Stephanie McMahon on the phone, with Santino Marella & Beth Phoenix then appearing and suggesting they both receive title shots at Summer Slam; after Adamle said there was only room for one more title match at the pay-per-view, he said they could face WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston & WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James in a tag team match with both titles on the line; included a video package on John Cena; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding his upcoming Summer Slam match with Cena and teaming with Cena later in the show; included Layla dancing in the ring, with WWE.com footage then being shown from earlier in the day of Jamie Noble hitting on Layla backstage in which Layla told him she doesn’t associate with losers; moments later, William Regal interrupted Layla’s performance; before Regal could get his point across, Noble appeared and brawled with Regal until referees broke up the fight; featured the announcement that John Morrison & Mike Mizanin would host The Dirt Sheet the following night on ECW with guests ECW World Champion Mark Henry and Matt Hardy; included a video package recapping the eye injury Shawn Michaels sustained at the hands of Jericho at the Great American Bash; featured an interview via satellite with Michaels from his San Antonio, TX home in which he said he would listen to what the doctors had to tell him, even if that meant he shouldn’t return to the ring, and would make a decision at Summer Slam as to what his future would be; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read more than 1,000,000 people watch the previous week’s Raw than watched any MLB game; featured an ad for the Summer Slam anthology box set, available the following day; included a video package on Batista; featured Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Cena regarding his facing Batista at Summer Slam and teaming with him later in the show; included a backstage segment with Adamle and Kelly Kelly in which Adamle said he would find out the next week what was inside Kane’s bag, with the two then sitting down to watch the night’s main event:
WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston pinned Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) with the spin kick to the face at 3:48; after the bout, Kingston ran Burchill backstage, with WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James then appearing to face Katie
WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James pinned Katie Lea at around the 6:30 mark with the DDT; after the bout, Beth Phoenix attacked Mickie from behind, assaulted her in and outside the ring, and dropped her with a reverse powerbomb; moments later, Santino Marella appeared on the entrance stage and applauded Phoenix; Phoenix then walked up the ramp, grabbed Marella by the butt, with Marella then doing the same to her moments later (the bout began during the commercial break)
John Bradshaw Layfield & Chris Jericho defeated World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in a non-title handicap match at 10:00 after Jericho dropped his partner throat-first across the top rope, with JBL falling backwards ontop of Punk for the cover after Punk had been caught in the Walls of Jericho for about 20 seconds; prior to the bout, the new issue of Fortune magazine was featured with JBL’s wife Meredith Whitney on the cover; after the ring entrances, Mike Adamle appeared on the big screen and noted that the match had a 10-minute time-limit and if there was no decision before the bell then Jericho, Punk, and JBL would face off in a triple threat match at Summer Slam; stipulations stated that if JBL or Jericho defeated Punk then they would earn a title shot at Summer Slam and if Punk won then neither man would earn a title shot
Kane pinned Matt Striker with the chokeslam at 1:32; prior to Kane’s entrance, Striker cut an in-ring promo in which he thanked Adamle for letting him compete on the Raw roster; after the contest, Kane grabbed a mic and said he had been in a bad place but was better now and that, while staring at his bag, said “He’s not alive, he’s dead.”
John Cena & Batista defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes to win the titles at 14:14 when Batista pinned Dibiase with the spear and sit-down powerbomb after Cena knocked Rhodes to the floor; after the bout, Cena and Batista took turns holding up their belt in the other’s face and to the crowd

8/11/08; Richmond, VA; Coliseum
8/11/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by WWE Raw Tag Team Champion John Cena in which he discussed his upcoming match with the other half of the tag team champions, Batista, at Summer Slam and having won the titles the previous week; Cena eventually asked for Batista to come out, with the two then discussing their rematch later in the show against Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. and facing off at Summer Slam; Cena then said he had been watching Batista the past six years and his progress as part of Evolution; after Cena asked who was better between the two, the wrestlers looked to the vocal crowd; after Cena argued he was better, Batista said he had been watching Cena the past six years, he respected Cena but that he wouldn’t be caught dead doing some of Cena’s trademark moves, and that he would prove at Summer Slam that he was the better of the two; the two then shook hands before Cena left the ring; included a WWE Mobile text poll asking who was the bigger star between Cena and Batista; featured a video package noting the WWE’s recent CINE television production awards for WrestleMania 24 and the Tribute to the Troops special; included a backstage segment with Mike Adamle and Todd Grisham in which Kane interrupted, with Adamle saying Kane would be facing Chris Jericho later in the show and Kane would have to hand over his burlap bag at the conclusion of the bout; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read three times as many viewers watched the previous Friday’s Smackdown! than the X-Games on ESPN; included a WWE Classics on Demand segment focusing on the Tito Santana & Ivan Putski vs. WWF Tag Team Champions Johnny & Jerry Valiant match from Oct. 22, 1979 at Madison Square Garden; featured a backstage promo by Rhodes & Dibiase regarding the Santana & Putski match and their own tag team title shot later in the night; included the announcement ECW World Champion Mark Henry & Matt Hardy would face John Morrison & Mike Mizanin the following night on ECW; featured the announcement Randy Orton was injured in a motorcycle accident; included an in-ring segment with World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and John Bradshaw Layfield in which they discussed their upcoming title match at Summer Slam, with Punk saying he would walk in and out of the pay-per-view with the title while JBL said Punk got the spotlight with a no name group and has gotten fluke wins since; JBL then proposed a drinking contest between the two, knowing Punk doesn’t drink; Punk then said he didn’t want to be like JBL but then proposed a toast, throwing the shot glass of whiskey into JBL’s face; featured the results of the text poll which said Cena won with 73% to Batista’s 27%:
Beth Phoenix (w/ Santino Marella) pinned Kelly Kelly with the Glam Slam at 2:11; prior to the bout, George Thorogood was shown in attendance; Marella provided guest commentary for the match; after the contest, Marella grabbed the mic and told Beth to hit the move again to send a message to WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James and WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston; Kingston and Mickie then ran out to clear the ring, with Marella then challenging Mickie to a match and noting they were in her hometown
Santino Marella (w/ Beth Phoenix) pinned WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James (w/ WWE IC Champion Kofi Kingston) in a non-title match at 2:44 with a roll up after Beth interfered as the referee was distracted by Santino arguing with Kingston, who was outside the ring; during the bout, Michael Cole noted that WWE.com cameras captured footage of Marella insulting Mickie’s parents who were ringside (the bout began during the commercial break)
Cryme Tyme defeated Robbie & Rory McAllister at 1:59 when Shad pinned Robbie with a modified side Russian legsweep (the McAllisters’ last appearance)
Chris Jericho (w/ Lance Cade) pinned Kane with the Code Breaker at 4:24 with the Code Breaker after Kane became distracted by Mike Adamle and several members of security at ringside; after the contest, Adamle said the person Kane had been talking about for weeks was Kane himself and that he could in fact lead a normal life but he would have to hand over the burlap bag; Kane then grabbed the mic and said there was a mask inside his bag and that the man that wore it has been scarred beyond human recognition – but it wasn’t Kane himself; Kane then pulled out Rey Mysterio Jr.’s mask and left the ring
William Regal pinned Jamie Noble with the running knee to the head at 1:19
Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Cena & Batista to win the titles at 8:05 when Dibiase pinned Cena with a roll up as Cena was arguing with Batista on the ring apron; after the bout, Cena and Batista faced off but then cleared the ring of Rhodes & Dibiase and threw them into the ring steps; moments later, the two went after each other in the ring until the ring filled with security guards and officials who attempted to break up the fight as the broadcast ended

8/18/08; Chicago, IL; AllState Arena
8/18/08 – featured an opening in-ring segment in which Chris Jericho, in a suit, cut a promo stating he wouldn’t apologize for what happened to Shawn Michaels’ wife at Summer Slam because it was Michaels’ own fault Rebecca was injured and he had it coming; included the announcement that the following week’s episode would air live on the Sci-Fi Channel; featured Mike Adamle conducting a backstage interview with Primo Colon, Carlito’s brother, until he ran down John Cena backstage to give him a heads up about his match later in the show; moments later, Cena approached Batista, said the better man won their match at Summer Slam, and extended his hand, with the two then shaking hands before Cena walked off; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read more people watched Raw the previous week than Monday Night Football; featured an ad for Smackdown! moving to MyNetworkTV Oct. 3; several players of the Chicago Cubs were shown in attendance; included a promo by Adamle on the stage in which he announced World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk would face Chris Jericho later in the show and that Shane & Stephanie McMahon said that at Unforgiven five men would compete in a 20-minute match in which the title would change hands with each pinfall and that the last man to score a pinfall before the time-limit would walk out with the title; Adamle then announced the participants as Kane, Punk, John Bradshaw Layfield, Batista, and John Cena; WWE Hall of Famer Harley Race was shown in attendance; featured a video package highlighting Jericho punching Rebecca at Summer Slam; included footage of Michael Cole conducting a backstage interview with Michaels, with Rebecca, immediately following Summer Slam in which Michaels initially walked off but returned to say he was going home to take care of his family and implied he would take revenge; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Punk regarding his match later in the show against Jericho in his hometown; included the announcement that Matt Hardy would challenge ECW World Champion Mark Henry the following night on ECW; featured a WWE Classics on Demand segment which featured the May 16, 2002 episode of Smackdown! in which WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus outshined Stacy Keibler in a bikini contest; included an in-ring promo by Kane in which he said he had been carrying Mysterio’s mask around for quite a while and questioned whether he was alive or dead; moments later, Batista appeared, with the two brawling until Kane gained the upper hand and then left the ring:
Batista pinned Paul Burchill with the sit-down powerbomb at 1:54
Mickie James & Kelly Kelly defeated Jillian Hall & Katie Lea at 4:55 when Mickie pinned Katie with the DDT; prior to the bout, Jillian sang Chicago’s “You’re the Inspiration”
John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Jamie Noble via referee’s decision at 2:51 when the referee stopped the match after JBL hit the Clothesline from Hell and two short-arm clotheslines; the referee made a one count when JBL made a cover but then immediately called for the bell because Noble couldn’t defend himself
John Cena defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. in a handicap match at 12:02 when Rhodes submitted to the STFU after Cena knocked Dibiase to the floor with a clothesline; prior to the bout, Cryme Tyme appeared at ringside, with Shad distracting the champions while JTG stole the title belts and ran backstage
D-Lo Brown defeated WWE IC Champion Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) via disqualification in a non-title match at 1:35 when Phoenix slapped D-Lo after she refused to leave the ring; after the contest, Kofi Kingston, who did guest commentary for the bout, had a confrontation with Marella on the floor until Phoenix helped Marella backstage
Chris Jericho (w/ Lance Cade) pinned World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk in a non-title match with the Code Breaker at 13:09 after knocking Punk into Cade on the ring apron; prior to the bout, it was announced Punk had more than 100 family and friends in attendance

8/25/08; Wilkes Barre, PA; Wachovia Center
8/25/08 – aired live on the Sci-Fi Channel, as a result of US Open tennis coverage, with a replay airing on the USA Network; featured an ad promoting Smackdown! moving to MyNetworkTV Oct. 3; included a promo by Mike Adamle in which he announced John Cena sustained a herniated disc in his neck during Summer Slam and would be out of action indefinitely but would name a suitable replacement for Cena’s spot in the Unforgiven Championship Scramble; featured a backstage promo by Kane in which he said what Batista did to Cena was nothing compared to what he has done to Rey Mysterio Jr.; included a backstage segment in which Adamle spoke with Primo Colon, in which he apologized for his behavior the previous week; Primo then said he was nothing like his brother Carlito and that Carlito was a jerk to everyone; moments later, Shawn Michaels appeared and asked where Chris Jericho was; when Adamle asked about the condition of Michaels wife, Michaels stared him down; featured a WWE Classics on Demand segment focusing on the 4/23/89 match between Bret Hart and Mr. Perfect at Maple Leaf Gardens; included a video package recapping Jericho hitting Michaels’ wife at Summer Slam and his subsequent comments about it on Raw; featured an in-ring promo by Michaels in which he said he tried to explain Jericho’s actions as being an accident until he heard him come out on Raw the previous week and blame Michaels and the fans for Rebecca Michaels’ injury; Michaels then said he wasn’t leaving the WWE, as planned, with Jericho then appearing, wearing a suit, on the big screen to respond; Michaels said the reason he wanted the match was because if he did what he wants to do outside of wrestling, he goes to jail; Michaels then said he would sign any document needed to make the match happen; Jericho eventually agreed to a non-sanctioned match at Unforgiven, but then warned Michaels to not let his wife or kids watch the match; Michaels said he couldn’t care less about pinning Jericho or “stealing the show” and said he only had one goal – “An eye for an eye;” included the announcement that ECW would hold Championship Scramble qualifying matches the following night for their match at Unforgiven; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista in which Batista wished Cena a speedy recovery and cut a promo on his upcoming match with Kane and his participation in the Championship Scramble; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw attracted more viewers than Monday Night Football for the second week in a row; featured footage of Josh Matthews and Candice Michelle in Denver, CO for the Democratic Naitonal Convention in Denver, CO, with the two encouraging fans to register to vote as part of the Smackdown Your Vote campaign; during the segment, footage was shown of the two and WWE US Champion Shelton Benjamin meeting notable people at the convention, including Katie Couric and Anderson Cooper; included Adamle announcing that Rey Mysterio Jr. would fill Cena’s spot at Unforgiven:
World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk pinned John Bradshaw Layfield in a non-title match at 13:17 with the Go To Sleep after the referee stole a steel chair away from JBL before JBL was able to use it
Kelly Kelly pinned WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix (w/ WWE IC Champion Santino Marella) in a non-title match at 2:32 with a roll up after Phoenix became distracted by Santino pulling her out of the way of Kelly’s handspring elbow in the corner; after the match, Marella attempted to apologize but was beaten down by Phoenix until Marella ran backstage
Primo Colon pinned Charlie Haas with a crossbody off the top at 2:31; Haas worked the match as Carlito’s character; prior to the contest, Haas cut a backstage promo as Carlito (Colon’s TV debut)
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Jerry Lawler & Jim Duggan in a non-title match at 3:48 when Dibiase pinned Duggan with a Million $ Dream into a side Russian legsweep; after the bout, the champions cut an in-ring promo on Cryme Tyme regarding the theft of their tag team title belts; moments later, Cryme Tyme appeared in one of the box seats with the belts and challenged Rhodes & Dibiase to a title shot at Unforgiven; moments later, Dibiase accepted the match
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella pinned Kofi Kingston at 3:28 after WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix appeared, tripped Kingston behind the referee’s back and caused the challenger to fall onto Marella’s knee and knock himself out; after the contest, Phoenix cornered Marella and eventually kissed him, with Marella then kissing her back
Batista defeated Kane via disqualification at 15:29 when Kane began repeatedly hitting Batista’s knee with a steel chair; after the bout, Batista fought off another attack with the chair, dropped him with the spear, and then assaulted Kane’s own knee with the chair before collapsing

8/31/08; St. Louis, MO; Stottrade Center
8/31/08 – Labor Day; featured an opening still image tribute to the passing of Killer Kowalski; included an in-ring promo by Randy Orton in which he said a brand was only as strong as its champions – then ran down WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, WWE IC Champion Santino Marella, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr.; moments later, Orton singled out World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk and said that when Orton won his first world title in 2004, Punk was wrestling in no-name towns for a no-name organization and wasn’t anyone until he won the WrestleMania ladder match and got a lucky world title win; Orton then said he would take Punk’s title once he was cleared to wrestle; Punk then came out, said he didn’t smoke, didn’t drink, and didn’t take joy rides on his motorcycle to get himself re-injured; Punk said he had a battle royal to win later in the show and a Championship Scramble match to win at Unforgiven, but afterwards they could continue their conversation; Orton then left ringside as John Bradshaw Layfield appeared and cut a promo stating he would come out of Unforgiven with the title; Kane then appeared and claimed Rey Mysterio Jr. would not be at Unforgiven because he was in hell; Batista then came out, acted like he was about to respond to Kane’s comments, and then dropped JBL, Kane, and Punk with spears before leaving the ring; featured an ad promoting Smackdown! moving to MyNetworkTV Oct. 3; included a backstage segment where Rhodes & Dibiase responded to Orton and his comments earlier in the show, with Orton slapping Rhodes across his face just as he did to Dusty Rhodes the previous year; Orton then said they were two of the most talented wrestlers in the locker room and they needed to grow a set and steal back their stolen tag team titles; featured Mike Adamle speaking backstage with Teddy Long and Tiffany regarding the Raw and ECW battle royals later in the show, featuring the Championship Scramble participants; moments later, Kane walked into the office and confronted Adamle about Mysterio being back; Adamle said he hoped the invitation to be in the Championship Scramble would be enough to get Mysterio back in action; included the announcement that all the ECW Championship Scramble participants would appear the following night on ECW in The Dirt Sheet; featured backstage footage of Chris Jericho and Lance Cade reviewing Jericho’s contract for his Unforgiven match against Shawn Michaels; included a video package recapping the feud between Jericho and Michaels dating back to Summer Slam; featured backstage footage of Michaels reviewing the contract; included a WWE Classics In Demand segment focusing on the 9/22/97 Raw at Madison Square Garden and Steve Austin dropping Vince McMahon with the Stunner; several members of the St. Louis Rams were shown in attendance; featured footage from earlier in the day at the Republican National Convention in Minneapolis, MN, with appearances by Ken Kennedy, Mickie James, and several of the notable people in attendance; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding his upcoming battle royal and the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw has been seen over 3 billion times in the United States alone, making it the most watched weekly series in cable TV history; included an ad for “The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect,” available the following Tuesday; featured a closing in-ring segment in which Jerry Lawler hosted the contract signing for the Michaels vs. Jericho unsanctioned match at Unforgiven; after both men signed the contract, Jericho and Michaels agreed to have the security, Lawler, and their attorneys leave ringside; Jericho then said he did what Michaels told him to do – he sat his wife and kids down and told them he would never be self-obsessed like Michaels and then told them not to watch what Jericho does to him at Unforgiven; he then said, like Michaels said to Ric Flair before WrestleMania, he would put Michaels out of his misery; Michaels said he took comfort in the fact Jericho’s family wouldn’t be watching the show and that he would never apologize for the man that he is and the life he has lived and he would have no regrets for what happens to Jericho; Michaels then said he hoped one day that God would forgive him for what he does to Jericho; moments later, the two stood up as though they were fought to fight, with Michaels jumping an interfering Lance Cade; Michaels then lunged for Jericho but fell awkwardly to the floor; the show then ended with Michaels atop of Cade’s body while staring at Jericho on the ramp; Michaels sustained a small tear to his left triceps as a result of the fall:
Kofi Kingston pinned Charlie Haas (as John Cena) with the spin kick to the face at 1:42
ECW World Champion Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) won a 5-man battle royal by last eliminating Matt Hardy at 3:26; other participants included: Finlay (w/ Hornswoggle), Chavo Guerrero Jr. (w/ Bam Neely), and Mike Mizanin; order of elimination: Mizanin & Guerrero by Henry (1:45); Finlay by Henry (3:01); Hardy by Henry after blocking the Twist of Fate
Jamie Noble pinned William Regal with an inside cradle at 1:47; after the bout, Noble left ringside with Layla, who he had come out to watch his match; Layla appeared impressed by the win
Candice Michelle, Mickie James, & Kelly Kelly defeated WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, & Katie Lea at 4:18 when Candice pinned Phoenix with a reversal into an inside cradle; prior to the bout, Phoenix cut an in-ring promo responding to Randy Orton’s comments earlier in the show and said she was the most powerful and most beautiful diva, with Michelle then appearing (Candice’s surprise in-ring return after a 10-month absence)
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella pinned D-Lo Brown in a non-title match at 1:17 after moving out of the way of Brown’s frog splash; prior to the bout, Marella responded to Orton’s comments about he and Phoenix earlier in the show; moments later, Marella then put up a graphic on the big screen comparing his 2-week title reign to that of the Honkytonk Man’s 64-week run and said he would soon exceed that record
Cryme Tyme fought John Morrison & Mike Mizanin to a no contest when both teams began brawling on the floor before the match began, with WWE Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. then attacking Cryme Tyme; moments later, JTG was thrown into the ringpost while Shad sustained a DDT onto one of the tag title belts; Rhodes & Dibiase then reclaimed possession of the championship belts; after the commercial break, the two showed off the title belts to Randy Orton while passing him backstage
Kane won a 4-man battle royal by last eliminationg World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk at 4:16; other participants included Batista and John Bradshaw Layfield; order of elimination: Batista by Punk via a clothesline (1:12); JBL by Punk (1:34); Punk by Kane after Kane caught him in a choke as Punk attempted a springboard, then threw Punk over the ropes; after the bout, Punk confronted Randy Orton, who sat ringside for the match, and threw Orton’s own bottle of water in his face; moments later, Rey Mysterio Jr. – who was scheduled as the fifth participant – came out and fought with Kane in and around the ring, eventually hitting a 619 around the ringpost and sending Kane over the ringside barrier with a hurricanrana

9/8/08; Ft. Wayne, IN; Allen County War Memorial Coliseum
9/8/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho in which he took off his shirt to show the cuts and bruises caused by his match against Shawn Michaels at Unforgiven and then bragged about his title win in the Championship Scramble over Batista, Rey Mysterio Jr., Kane, and John Bradshaw Layfield; moments later, Mike Adamle appeared and said that Jericho would defend against CM Punk, out injured with a concussion, the following week in a steel cage; Jericho then went to leave ringside but Adamle stopped him and said Jericho would face Batista later in the show; included a backstage segment with Layla and Jamie Noble, during which Jillian Hall began singing “Layla” until Noble told her to go away, with Layla and Noble then talking about Noble’s upcoming match with William Regal; featured a “Did you know?” graphich which read Raw is the longest running weekly entertainment program, with more episodes than “Seinfeld,” “ER,” and “The Simpsons” combined; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 25 tickets going on sale Sept. 20; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Rey Mysterio Jr. regarding Kane’s attack on him in a parking lot, with Mysterio saying he was no one’s victim; included an ad promoting Smackdown! moving to MyNetworkTV Oct. 3; featured an in-ring promo by Randy Orton in which he said his attack on Punk at Unforgiven saved Punk a beating in the ring and then said Jericho should thank him for taking Punk out of the match; moments later, Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. came out and claimed Orton was taking credit for their attack; Orton then slapped Dibiase and left the ring; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE broadcasts in 23 languages to more than 130 nations; featured a WWE Classics on Demand segment focusing on the 11/24/83 Starrcade steel cage bout between Ric Flair and NWA World Champion Harley Race; included a backstage segment with Adamle and Kelly Kelly, with Jericho interrupting and trying to get out of his scheduled match with Batista:
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix pinned Mickie James at 3:27 after throwing the challenger to the mat as Mickie attempted to flip over Phoenix in the corner; after the bout, Candice Michelle, who sat ringside for the match, stared at Phoenix; stipulations stated the winner would defend against Candice at No Mercy
William Regal pinned Jamie Noble (w/ Layla) at 2:49 with a knee to the head after blocking a cannonball in the corner; after the bout, Regal cut an in-ring promo asking Noble if he actually expected to win; moments later, Regal went out to the floor and left ringside with a reluctant Layla; as Layla was about to walk backstage, she turned around to look at Noble
Charlie Haas (as John Bradshaw Layfield) defeated John Bradshaw Layfield via count-out at the 48-second mark when JBL walked out of the match; prior to the contest, Haas came out of JBL’s limo and cut a promo on his way to the ring putting over Mamajuana; moments later, JBL grabbed the mic and said he deserved better than to be mocked by Haas; after the commercial break, JBL walked backstage to find Batista and Kelly Kelly laughing at him; moments later, JBL argued that, since they were both main eventers, Batista should agree that what Haas did was disrespectful; Batista agreed that Haas and JBL had nothing in common because Haas won his match
Rey Mysterio Jr. & Evan Bourne defeated John Morrison & Mike Mizanin at 6:22 when Bourne pinned Morrison with the Shooting Star Press after Mysterio hit Morrison with the 619; prior to the bout, Mike Adamle, Teddy Long, & Tiffany were shown watching on backstage; after the contest, Kane appeared on the big screen and cut a promo on facing Mysterio the following week, then held up his old mask as a clue as to why he picked Mysterio to be his victim
Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Kofi Kingston & Cryme Tyme at 4:04 when Manu pinned Shad with a back suplex into a neckbreaker (Manu’s TV in-ring debut)
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) pinned Snitsky in a non-title match with a roll up at the 47-second mark; prior to the bout, Marella cut an in-ring promo again comparing his title reign to the length of the Honkytonk Man’s IC title run and noted he was already 19 days better than the Mountie
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho (w/ Lance Cade) fought Batista to a no contest in a non-title match at the 1:30 mark when Mike Adamle came out, stopped the contest, and said he made a bad desicion in making the match despite Jericho’s injury; Adamle then said Jericho would team with John Bradshaw Layfield to face Batista in a handicap match
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho (w/ Lance Cade) & John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Batista in a handicap match at around the 5:15 mark when Jericho scored the pin after Batista attacked Cade on the apron and JBL hit Batista with the Clothesline from Hell; after the bout, JBL and Cade double teamed Batista until Batista dropped JBL with the spear and then Cade with the sit-down powerbomb; moments later, Batista stared at Jericho, at the top of the ramp

9/15/08; Memphis, TN; FedEx Forum
9/15/08 – featured still photos from the aftermath of Hurricane Ike, with a narration by Shawn Michaels on how to donate to the American Red Cross; included a backstage segment with Mike Adamle and Kelly Kelly in which Dolph Siggler came by and introduced himself; moments later, World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho appeared and complained about Adamle working him too hard (Siggler’s debut); featured a backstage promo by Kane in which he initially wore his original mask before taking it off and cutting a promo on the fans; moments later, Evan Bourne appeared and said he couldn’t wait to see Rey Mysterio Jr. beat Kane later in the show; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE Magazine sells more copies at newsstands than Sports Illustrated and ESPN Magazine combined; featured an ad promoting Smackdown! moving to MyNetworkTV Oct. 3; included an ad promoting “The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect” DVD; featured a backstage segment with Jericho and John Bradshaw Layfield in which JBL attempted to make friends with Jericho until Jericho said he remembered when JBL prevented him from taking the title from Randy Orton the previous year; included a backstage segment with Adamle and Lance Cade in which Batista appeared, questioned whether Adamle was going to make him the #1 contender, and then pinned Cade against the wall; featured a backstage segment in which Siggler introduced himself to Jericho & Cade; included the announcement that WrestleMania 24 would air Thursday, Oct. 2 on MyNetworkTV and the following day’s Smackdown! would include a series of champion vs. champion matches, highlighted by WWE World Champion Triple H vs. World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho vs. ECW World Champion Matt Hardy; featured the announcement Finlay would face Mark Henry the following night on ECW; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE superstars had visited 200 military installations, bases, hospitals, aircraft carriers, and submarines in the past 5 years; featured a closing in-ring promo by Jericho, alongside Cade, in which he said neither Batista or JBL were worthy of facing him at No Mercy but he had suggested to Adamle that the two men wrestle at No Mercy to decide which would challenge him later in the show; Adamle then appeared and approved Jericho’s suggestion but the winner of Batista vs. JBL would get a title shot but not at No Mercy; Adamle then said Jericho would defend against someone else at the pay-per-view and then went backstage; moments later, Shawn Michaels appeared and said he would face Jericho in a match that some people said he put on the map; moments later, two stagehands brought out a ladder, with Michaels scaling it and confirming it would be a ladder match:
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated CM Punk in a steel cage match at 15:03 after Jericho fell out of the door after receiving a headbutt from the challenger; after the bout, Batista was shown watching on backstage
Candice Michelle pinned Jillian Hall at 4:00 with the Candy Wrapper after blocking a handspring elbow; prior to the bout, Jillian sang several Elvis Presley songs until Candice’s ring entrance; after the contest, Candice challenged WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, who sat ringisde for the match, into the ring only to knock her to the floor with a dropkick
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Tommy Dreamer with the Clothesline from Hell at 1:21 after avoiding a clothesline in the corner; after the contest, JBL grabbed a chair from ringside, acted like he was going to hit Dreamer with it, and instead grabbed a mic and sat in the chair; JBL then cut a promo saying he would not leave until Mike Adamle made him the #1 contender; following the commercial break, Randy Orton appeared and said that while CM Punk wasn’t much of a champion, JBL wouldn’t be much better; WWE IC Champion Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix then came out, with Marella cutting a promo saying Orton was always hurt just like his dad and then demanded he apologize for his comments to them; as Orton attempted to respond, JBL then apologize Orton apologize to himself and claimed it was his time; moments later, Batista appeared and claimed everyone else was in the ring was talking like they were politicians making promises they couldn’t keep; Batista then quoted Barack Obama by saying you could put lipstick on a pig but it was still a pig, directing the comment to Phoenix; Batista then said he would beat JBL to get his title shot, win the title, and then beat Orton once he got his doctor’s note to wrestle again; Adamle then appeared on the big screen and said he would announce the #1 contender following the Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. Kane match later in the show; Batista then attacked everyone in the ring, with Orton and JBL leaving, Phoenix twice slapping Batista, and Batista dropping her with a spinebuster onto Marella; moments later, Orton was shown passing by Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. backstage
Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated Kofi Kingston, Jerry Lawler, & Charlie Haas at 3:20 when Dibiase pinned Haas with the Million $ Dream into a side Russian legsweep after Haas hit the corner chest-first; Haas played the role of Jim Ross for the match and briefly joined Michael Cole on commentary; Lawler returned to commentary duties following the contest
Jamie Noble defeated Paul Burchill (w/ Katie Lea) via submission with an armbar at 1:12; after the contest, Layla appeared on the entrance stage and said she apologized for taking so long in realizing she wanted William Regal more than Noble; Regal then appeared and said Layla never wanted Noble, she wanted nobility
Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Kane via disqualification at 9:35 after Kane repeatedly stomped Mysterio in the corner; after the bout, Kane attempted to rip Mysterio’s mask off until Evan Bourne helped in making the save, with Bourne and Mysterio hitting a series of top rope moves before leaving the ring together

9/22/08; Cincinnati, OH; US Bank Arena
9/22/08 – 800th episode; featured an opening in-ring promo by World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, sitting at the top of a ladder with the title belt hanging overhead, in which he argued he had won more ladder matches than Michaels had ever participated in; moments later, Randy Orton interrupted and claimed the only reason Jericho had the title was because Orton sidelined CM Punk; he then said he went to Mike Adamle and Adamle ruled that no one could hurt Orton without facing suspension but Orton in turn couldn’t hurt anyone; Jericho eventually left ringside, with Orton throwing the ladder into the aisle; Punk then appeared, went nose to nose with Orton, and then slapped him twice across the face; Adamle then appeared then indefinately suspended Punk; following Adamle’s ruling, Shane McMahon came out and said he would usually not interfere with Adamle’s decisions but overruled Punk’s suspension; McMahon then said Orton’s no-hitting edict would be upheld but would begin at that instant, thus negating Punk violating the policy; McMahon then told Punk he would be facing WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes in the opening match; McMahon then stated Jericho & John Bradshaw Layfield would face Batista & Shawn Michaels; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw has aired more episodes than “Seinfeld,” “Cheers,” and “ER” combined and was the longest running weekly sports entertainment program; members of the Cincinnati Bengals were shown in attendance; featured a backstage segment with Shane and Adamle in which Kane appeared and demanded a match with Rey Mysterio Jr., with Adamle stating the match would happen at No Mercy; Kane then told Shane to say hi to Linda for him; included a backstage segment with Kelly Kelly, WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix and WWE IC Champion Santino Marella, wearing a protective face mask, in which Beth and Santino confronted her for making fun of them the previous week after they were beaten up by Batista; as Santino made fun of Batista, he appeared behind them; Beth then told Batista that Santino would beat him up if he tried to interfere in her match; as Batista turned to Santino, Santino’s music played, giving him a reason to leave; featured a backstage segment with Mysterio and Evan Bourne in which Mysterio wished Bourne good luck in his upcoming match with Kane; included a backstage segment with Jamie Noble and Shane, with Dolph Ziggler briefly interrupting to introduce himself; moments later, Orton appeared and said Shane made a bad call in not suspending Punk; featured an ad promoting MyNetworkTV’s premiere Oct. 3 and the airing of WrestleMania 24 the day before; included footage from the respective WWE.com programs of Cryme Tyme and John Morrison & Mike Mizanin in which the two teams made fun of each other; featured an ad promoting “The Life and Times of Mr. Perfect;” included a backstage segment with Jericho, Adamle, and Lance Cade in which Jericho hinted at having an idea for the scheduled main event; featured the announcement the Undertaker would face the Big Show at No Mercy; included footage of Charlie Haas at Dave and Busters earlier in the day in which he wore a wig to look like Mr. Perfect and then was shown playing the various games, but losing at each one; the last shot was of Haas spitting out his gum and accidentally slapping it into a woman’s salad and her eating it; featured the announcement that the Smackdown! divas would be part of ECW the following night:
CM Punk pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes with the Go To Sleep at 10:39; after the bout, Manu and WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Ted Dibiase Jr. attacked Punk until Kofi Kingston made the save and cleared the ring
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella pinned Deuce in a non-title match at 1:17 by reversing a lift into a sunset flip; prior to the bout, Marella noted the Honkytonk Man’s IC title reign of 64 weeks and compared that to his 5-week reign; Marella wore a protective face mask for the match as a result of the attack he sustained from Batista the previous week; after the match, Marella cut a promo on the entrance stage that WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix would beat Kelly Kelly later in the show; Phoenix then came out and embraced Santino
Kane pinned Evan Bourne with the chokeslam at 5:05; after the bout, Kane went to attack Bourne but Rey Mysterio Jr. made the save; moments later, Kane kicked Mysterio as he attempted a springboard, hit the chokeslam, and then called Mysterio a coward for wearing a mask
Kelly Kelly pinned WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix (w/ WWE IC Champion Santino Marella) in a non-title match at 3:01 with a roll up after Phoenix almost accidentally ran into Marella on the apron; during the bout, Candice Michelle was shown watching backstage; after the contest, Phoenix attacked Kelly, with Batista then coming out, hurting Marella’s injured face, and dropping him with the spear before then staring at Phoenix in the corner
John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated Cryme Tyme at 9:48 when Mizanin pinned Shad after Morrison hit an enzuiguri on the apron behind the referee’s back
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, Lance Cade, & John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Shawn Michaels & Batista in a handicap match at 9:03 when Cade pinned Michaels with the sit-down spinebuster; Cade’s participation wasn’t announced until his ring entrance

9/29/08; Minneapolis, MN; Target Center
9/29/08 – featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels regarding his facing World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho & Lance Cade later in the show and having a mystery partner; during the segment, Michaels alluded to Hulk Hogan, Steve Austin, Bret Hart, and said he would settle for someone who actually likes him to have as a partner; included an ad promoting MyNetworkTV airing WrestleMania 24 on Thursday and Smackdown! the coming Friday; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE superstars wrestled in Munich, Barcelona, Lisbon, Innsbruck, and Paris the previous week; included a backstage segment with Jamie Noble and Jillian Hall in which Noble insulted Jillian’s singing but then asked if she would be his partner; after Jillian turned him down, Dolph Ziggler appeared and introduced himself to the two; featured a backstage segment with Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. in which they approached Kane backstage to make sure they were all on the same page regarding their upcoming match, during which Rhodes mentioned Kane was a second generation superstar like them because his father was Paul Bearer; moments later, Kane told them to stay out of his way; included a promo at the entranceway by Lance Cade in which he bragged over his win the previous week over Shawn Michaels, said he had learned more from Jericho in 3 months than he had learned from Michaels in 10 years, and cut a promo on the tag team main event; featured an in-ring announcement by Mike Adamle in which he said, due to Kane’s victory earlier in the show, he would agree to Kane’s request to add a stipulation to his upcoming match at No Mercy against Rey Mysterio Jr. – if Kane beat Mysterio then Mysterio would have to unmask; moments later, Randy Orton appeared and said Adamle would need him on his good side once he’s healthy and takes the World Heavyweight Title; John Bradshaw Layfield then came out, vented over having lost money in the stock market, and then said Adamle should make it a stipulation that when he takes the title then Orton can never have a title shot; Batista’s music then hit, with Batista coming out of the crowd and dropping JBL with the spear; Batista then took the mic and said JBL’s week would be worse at No Mercy; included a backstage segment with WWE IC Champion Santino Marella and WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, with Marella claiming to have spoke to a “Frankie” when Beth caught him on the phone; Phoenix then said it would be a bad idea for him to go out to ringside with her because of her recent losses, with Marella saying it was a good thing she didn’t have a Fabulous Moolah Meter because Beth was trailing her by 22 years; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read more people watched the previous week’s Raw than watched TNT, Fox News, the Disney Channel, Nickelodeon, and TBS; included a WrestleMania history video package, to promote WrestleMania 24 airing on MyNetworkTV, set to Saliva’s “Ladies and Gentlemen”:
Batista pinned WWE IC Champion Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) in a non-title match with the sit-down powerbomb at the 48-second mark; prior to the bout, Marella had the Honky Meter appear on the big screen which compared the Honkytonk Man’s 64-week IC title run to his 6-week run, with Santino saying he only needed 58 more weeks to break the record; he then had a Brain Barometer meter appear on the big screen which listed the average human’s brain cell count at 6 trillion, Santino’s at 10 trillion, and Batista’s at 12; after the contest, John Bradshaw Layfield appeared from behind as Batista was distracted by Phoenix, with JBL dropping Batista with the Clothesline from Hell
Mike Mizanin (w/ John Morrison) pinned JTG (w/ Shad Gaspard) with the Reality Check at 3:46 after JTG became distracted by Morrison on the apron; prior to the bout, footage was shown of WWE.com’s latest Dirt Sheet in which Mizanin & Morrison pretended to be Cryme Tyme’s fathers
Jamie Noble & Mickie James (surprise partner) defeated Paul Burchill & Katie Lea at 3:45 when Burchill submitted to Noble’s arm bar; prior to the bout, William Regal & Layla appeared, with Regal sitting at a throne near the entrance way to watch the match
Kane, Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr. defeated CM Punk, Rey Mysterio Jr., Kofi Kingston, & Evan Bourne at 12:42 when Kane caught Kingston as he attempted a jump in the corner and hit the chokeslam
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Jillian Hall defeated Candice Michelle & Kelly Kelly at 4:26 when Phoenix pinned Kelly with the double elevated chicken wing into the facebuster
Charlie Haas (w/ Runjin Singh) pinned Deuce with a clothesline off the top at 1:29; Haas played the role of the Great Khali for the bout; prior to the match, Haas cut an in-ring promo as Khali, with Singh then translating; following the contest, the real Khali appeared, with Khali laughing at Haas’ act; moments later, when Haas extended his hand for Khali to shake, Khali gave Haas a chop to the head
WWE World Champion Triple H (mystery partner) & Shawn Michaels defeated World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho & Lance Cade via disqualification at 4:55 when referee Mike Chioda stopped the bout following illegal double teaming of Michaels; prior to the bout, Jericho cut an in-ring promo on his upcoming ladder match with Michaels at No Mercy as he and Cade used a ladder as a visual aid to what Jericho would do to Michaels’ body; after the match, Jericho pulled a ladder out from under the ring only for Triple H to drop Cade with a sledgehammer; after Jericho left the ring, Michaels dropped Cade with the superkick, Triple H dropped him with the Pedigree, and then Michaels scaled the ladder and hit an elbow drop off the top as Jericho watched

10/6/08; Seattle, WA; Key Arena
10/6/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho, in a suit, in which, with Mike Adamle in a meeting with Shane and Stephanie McMahon, he had been asked to run the show in Adamle’s absence; Jericho then spoke of his win the previous night over Shawn Michaels in a ladder match but then showed that Michaels had left him with a cracked tooth; Jericho then said he was done with Michaels but would have Michaels face Lance Cade in a No DQ match later in the show; moments later, Batista interrupted and asked Jericho how many days it would be before he got his title shot, following his win over John Bradshaw Layfield the previous night; after Jericho told Batista to leave, Batista dropped him with a spinebuster and left ringside; during the commercial break, Jericho announced Batista would face JBL in a #1 contenders match later in the show with Jericho as the referee; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Michaels regarding his match against Cade later in the show, during which he noted Jericho wasn’t defending the title later in the show because he was hurting just as bad as Michaels was following the ladder match; featured the announcement that CM Punk, Kofi Kingston, Evan Bourne, & Ricky Ortiz would face John Morrison, Mike Mizanin, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes the following night on ECW; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read that the previous week’s Raw was the most watched entertainment program on cable television; featured a backstage segment with Jericho and Randy Orton in which Jericho said Batista as the top contender didn’t help either man and he would put Orton to work later in the show; included a video package highlighting the Batista vs. John Cena match at Summer Slam, with comments from Batista and referee Mike Chioda regarding the match and Cena’s neck injury, as well as comments from Dr. Joseph Maroon regarding Cena’s neck surgery and recovery, during which it was estimated Cena would be out three to four months; featured a backstage segment with Mark Henry, Tony Atlas, and Kane walking to the ring, during which Dolph Ziggler attempted to introduce himself but they passed him by; included the announcement that WWE World Champion Triple H would face the Big Show Friday on Smackdown!; featured a WWE 24/7 Classics On Demand segment focusing on Kane assaulting Pete Rose at WrestleMania XIV; included an ad promoting the “Hell in a Cell” DVD; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Smackdown!’s debut was the most watched show ever on MyNetworkTV; included an in-ring segment in which Jerry Lawler announced that the fans could choose Roddy Piper, Goldust, or the Honkytonk Man to face WWE IC Champion Santino Marella at Cyber Sunday; featured an in-ring promo by the Great Khali, with Runjin Singh, in which Khali responded to his recent interview by Johnny Knoxville on jackassworld.com; footage from the interview was then shown, with Khali then challenging Knoxville to appear on Raw the following week; Khali then hosted a segment of the Kiss Cam to prove he has a sense of humor, finishing with Khali kissing Lilian Garcia; included comments from Batista, Shawn Michaels, Maria, Triple H, Jeff Hardy, Mike Mizanin, Candice Michelle, and Maroon in which they spoke about Cena showing up at Smackdown! hours after having neck surgery:
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix defeated Jamie Noble & Mickie James at 1:43 when Marella pinned Noble with a roll up after Noble became distracted by Phoenix grabbing his tights from the corner; prior to the bout, Marella cut an in-ring promo claiming he had been criticized for being too ethnic and had made an effort to become more American by finding a favorite NBA team; he then took off his shirt to reveal an Oklahoma City Thunder shirt underneath, referring to the new home of the former Seattle Seahawks; after the match, Noble knocked Santino into the crowd before brawling around ringside with William Regal, who sat ringside for the match with Layla
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Ted Dibiase Jr. (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Cody Rhodes & Manu) pinned Kofi Kingston (w/ CM Punk) at 2:45 with the Million $ Dream into a Russian legsweep after Kingston became distracted by Punk knocking Rhodes off the apron
Kane & Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) defeated ECW World Champion Matt Hardy & Rey Mysterio Jr. at 10:34 when Kane pinned Hardy with the chokeslam after Henry threw Mysterio from the floor onto the top rope, knocking Hardy off the top turnbuckle
Shawn Michaels pinned Lance Cade at 2:57 in a No DQ match after repeatedly hitting him in the head and body with a steel chair; after the bout, Michaels again assaulted Cade with the chair
Kelly Kelly pinned Jillian Hall at 3:43 with a victory roll; John Morrison, Mike Mizanin, and Cryme Tyme provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Cryme Tyme celebrated with Kelly
Batista pinned John Bradshaw Layfield with the spear and sit-down powerbomb at 7:34; World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho was the guest referee for the bout but referee Mike Chioda replaced Jericho late in the bout after Mike Adamle appeared, moments after Jericho was knocked to the floor; William Regal was the guest timekeeper for the bout, and interfered on behalf of JBL, and Randy Orton was the guest commentator; after the bout, Adamle announced that Jericho would defend against Batista at Cyber Sunday with either Orton, Shawn Michaels, or Steve Austin as the guest referee

10/13/08; Anaheim, CA; Honda Center
10/13/08 – featured an opening backstage segment with World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho and Mike Adamle in which Jericho argued over Adamle’s decision the previous week in making Jericho face Batista at Cyber Sunday with the fans being able to choose the guest referee; Adamle then stated Batista would choose Jericho’s opponent later in the show, with Jericho choosing Batista’s opponent; Jericho then stormed down the hallway, passing Candice Michelle, Mickie James, and Jamie Noble, with several of them shown texting their vote for the guest referee poll; moments later, Jericho cut an in-ring promo on Randy Orton, Shawn Michaels, and Steve Austin being the choices for the guest referee spot at Cyber Sunday and pleaded to Shane and Stephanie McMahon to abolish the stipulation; Michaels then appeared and said he would love to say he would call things down the middle if he was chosen as the referee, but couldn’t; Michaels then attacked Jericho, with Jericho then leaving ringside until he returned moments later to tell Michaels he would be Batista’s opponent later in the show; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding facing Michaels later in the show; featured Grisham conducting an interview with Knoxville and Chris Pontius regarding recent photos they posted on their website making fun of the Great Khali; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read ECW was the Sci-Fi Channel’s most watched program the previous Tuesday; featured a video package promoting the return of John Cena, with comments from Triple H, Edge, Batista, john Bradshaw Layfield, Jeff Hardy, Dan Cena, Jim Ross, Shawn Michaels, Mickie James, and Maria; included a promo by Randy Orton on the entrance stage in which he complained about everyone caring about Cena’s injury but not his own, then told the fans not to vote for him as the guest referee at Cyber Sunday; featured an ad for the “Hell in a Cell” DVD; included an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Santino Marella, with WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, regarding possibly facing Goldust, Roddy Piper, or the Honkytonk Man at Cyber Sunday, with Marella comparing his title run to that of Honky’s and saying all three were perverted; moments later, Marella called attention to Knoxville at ringside and brought him into the ring; after Knoxville accidentally called Phoenix a “dude,” Phoenix bodyslammed him before the two left ringside; Hornswoggle then came out and hit a frog splash on Knoxville; Pontius then tended to Knoxville until Big Dick Johnson appeared and began dancing, with Pontius then stripping down as well; the Boogeyman then appeared, clotheslined Pontius, and poured worms on him; moments later, Knoxville staggered to his feet and said the beating wasn’t so bad, with Khali and Runjin Singh then appearing and Khali dropping Knoxville with the tree slam; moments later, referees tended to Knoxville in the ring; featured a backstage segment with Cryme Tyme & Kelly Kelly; included an ad promoting WrestleMania 25 tickets going on sale Nov. 8; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was the most watched cable program for the third consecutive week; included the announcement the Undertaker would face the Big Show at Cyber Sunday, with the stipulations being named Friday on Smackdown!:
Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) & Kane defeated ECW World Champion Matt Hardy & Rey Mysterio Jr. at 5:16 when Kane pinned Mysterio by kicking him in the chest as Mysterio came off the top, moments after Hardy battled Henry all the way bakstage; prior to the bout, it was announced Rey Mysterio Jr. would face Kane at Cyber Sunday in either a falls count anywhere, no holds barred, or best 2 out of 3 falls match; Johnny Knoxville was shown sitting ringside before the contest; after the match, Kane continued to attack Mysterio until Mysterio eventually cleared him from the ring
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Charlie Haas with the Clothesline from Hell at 1:26 after avoiding a legdrop; prior to the match, Nancy O’Dell from “Acess Hollywood” was shown in the crowd; before Haas’ introduction, JBL cut an in-ring promo praising the Congressional bailout and said rich people must be taken care of at all costs; Haas played the role of Hulk Hogan for the match and came out to “Real American”
Batista fought Shawn Michaels to a no contest in a lumberjack match at around the 17-minute mark when the lumberjacks attacked the participants on the floor and inside the ring; the stipulation wasn’t announced until World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho appeared on the big screen after both men’s introduction; lumberjacks for the match included Snitsky, Paul Burchill, Deuce, Tony Atlas, Mark Henry, Bam Neely, Chavo Guerrero Jr., Manu, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted Dibiase Jr., Mike Knox, John Bradshaw Layfield, Randy Orton, and William Regal; during and after the bout, Jericho was shown watching on backstage; after the contest, Batista and Michaels eventually cleared the ring of the lumberjacks; moments later, the two shook hands (the bout began during the commercial break)
Cryme Tyme & Kelly Kelly defeated John Morrison, Mike Mizanin, & Jillian Hall at 3:20 when Shad pinned Morrison with a reverse Russian legsweep after JTG hit Morrison in the head with a Mighty Ducks goalie mask; prior to the bout, Morrison & Mizanin cut an in-ring rap, with Jillian singing in-between their verses
CM Punk (mystery opponent) pinned World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho in a non-title match at 6:11 after guest referee Batista dropped Jericho with the sit-down powerbomb, moments after Jericho yelled at Batista for ignoring his cover after hitting the Code Breaker on Punk; Batista being the guest referee wasn’t announced until after the participants’ entrance

10/20/08; Corpus Christi, TX; American Bank Center
10/20/08 – featured a clock counting down how much time until WrestleMania 25 tickets go on sale Nov. 8; included an in-ring segment with World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho in which, before saying anything, he went out to the floor and demanded Lilian Garcia introduce him as the champion; Jericho then said he had been disrespected by Mike Adamle as well as every wrestler backstage and then listed every recent victory he had attained; moments later, Batista came out and told Jericho that he would get respect if Jericho beats him at the pay-per-view; Adamle then came out and said Jericho and Batista would face the same opponents later in the show in a gauntlet match; after Adamle left, Jericho slapped Batista in the face and left the ring; featured a vignette promoting the return of John Cena, with comments from Carl Edwards, Snoop Dogg, John Salley, Maria Menounos, Kelly Carlson, Rob Thomas, Sara Jean Underwood, Gabrielle Reece, Ben Stiller, Robert Patrick, Renny Harlin, Marc Ecko, the Jonas Brothers, Bobby Lee, Tony Hawk, Kasey Kahne, and Jerry Ferrara, and appearances by Regis Philbin, Shaggy, and Conan O’Brian, among others; included a backstage segment with Jericho and Adamle in which Jericho complained he wasn’t getting respect while previous champions like Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart were; Adamle then said he was giving Jericho a chance to earn it with the match later in the show; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WrestleMania sponsorship beats the Kentucky Derby, the NBA Playoffs, the Indy 500, X-Games and The Masters; included an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Santino Marella, with WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, in which he came out dressed as the Honkytonk Man, Roddy Piper, and Goldust and insulted all three of his potential opponents at Cyber Sunday; Jim Duggan then came out and said he didn’t appreciate Santino making fun of his generation; Marella then compared his 10-week IC title run to the Honkytonk Man’s 64-week run; after Duggan called Phoenix Santino’s boyfriend, Santino took off his Honkytonk Man wig and Piper’s kilt to prepare to fight Duggan; he then threw the kilt in Duggan’s face before smashing the guitar over Duggan’s head; Marella busted his mouth open in the process; Marella then cut a promo on his title defense at the pay-per-view; featured an ad promoting Raw’s 800th episode in two weeks; included footage of the recent Raw tour in Puerto Rico; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 25 tickets going on sale Nov. 8; included the announcement Finlay, Mark Henry, and Evan Bourne would wrestle in a three-way the following night on ECW:
Candice Michelle & Kelly Kelly defeated Jillian Hall & Katie Lea at 3:33 when Kelly pinned Jillian with a Rocker Dropper; prior to the bout, it was announced all the divas would compete in a Halloween costume contest at Cyber Sunday, with the fans determining the winner through a WWE.com vote during the pay-per-view; it was also announced that Candice would be dressed as Marilyn Monroe, Kelly as a sailor, and Katie as a vampire
John Bradshaw Layfield pinned Charlie Haas with the Clothesline from Hell at 1:04; Haas played the role of Steve Austin for the match; prior to the bout, JBL cut an in-ring promo saying it was beneath him to face a “has-been impersonator;” after the contest, JBL grabbed the mic and said “And that’s the bottom line because JBL said so”
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Snitsky at 1:52 with the 619 and springboard splash; prior to the bout, Snitsky cut an insert promo
John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated CM Punk & Kofi Kingston at 12:22 when Mizanin pinned Punk with a roll up, immediately after Morrison made the blind tag and then sustained Punk’s Go To Sleep; prior to the bout, Morrison & Mizanin cut an in-ring promo stating they should be voted to be part of Cyber Sunday and then insulted the Fabulous Freebirds, the Legion of Doom, and DX, arguing they are a better team; they then mocked the DX intro by saying “Are you fifty?”; during the bout, it was announced Lilian Garcia would be Bat Girl, Victoria would be a banana, and Tiffany would be a nun in the costume contest at Cyber Sunday
Cryme Tyme fought WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes (w/ Manu) to a no contest when Dibiase, Rhodes, & Manu triple teamed the opponents before the match and laid them out Batista and World Heayvyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated William Regal (w/ Layla), Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas), and Kane in a gauntlet match; Batista pinned Regal with the sit-down powerbomb at the 31-second mark; Jericho pinned Regal with the Code Breaker at the 4-second mark; Henry defeated Jericho via disqualification at 1:55 after Jericho hit Henry in the head with the title belt; Batista pinned Henry with a spinebuster at the 15-second mark; Kane pinned Jericho with a boot to the face at around the 6-minute mark (the bout began during the commercial break); Batista pinned Kane with the spear at the 7-second mark

10/27/08; Tucson, AZ; Convention Center
10/27/08 – featured an opening still image tribute to the passing of SD Jones; included an in-ring promo by Chris Jericho in which he said he was ripped off the previous night at Cyber Sunday by Steve Austin and that Batista needed the help of Shawn Michaels, Austin, Mike Adamle, and the fans to take the title off Jericho; Jericho then said he would challenge Batista for the title the following week; Adamle then appeared and said the Jericho vs. Batista rematch would be in a steel cage; Jericho then stormed off, with Randy Orton then coming out and blaming Adamle for his sustaining a Stunner the night before; Orton then turned to the camera and told Shane and Stephanie McMahon to fire Adamle the next week or Orton would quit the company; Orton then called Adamle a failure as an interviewer, a failure as a commentator, a failure as a general manager and said if he took a flight to Chicago to meet Adamle’s family he would learn Adamle was a failure as a husband and father too; Adamle then slapped Orton, with Orton staring Adamle down before leaving the ring; featured footage of WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes, Manu, and Randy Orton attacking CM Punk and Kofi Kingston at Unforgiven; included a clock counting down until WrestleMania 25 tickets go on sale; featured a vignette promoting the Raw debut of Mike Knox; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com gets more monthly hits than NFL.com, UFC.com, Maxim.com, FHM.com, and NASCAR.com combined; featured Michael Cole conducting an in-ring interview with World Heavyweight Champion Batista regarding his title win and defending against Jericho the following week in a cage match; included an ad promoting the Undertaking taking part in a casket match the coming Friday on a Halloween edition of Smackdown!; featured a WWE 24/7 Classics on Demand segment focusing on the 8/9/80 event at Shea Stadium; included a backstage promo by John Bradshaw Layfield in which he said he and Jericho had a deal that if JBL helped Jericho retain the title then he would get the next title shot; JBL then said Michaels would pay for interfering with those plans; featured an ad promoting the following week’s 800th episode; included a video package promoting the Survivor Series return of John Cena focusing on Cena’s childhood and early years in wrestling, with comments from friends and members of Cena’s family; featured a promo on the entrance stage by John Morrison & Mike Mizanin in which they commented on their insults directed at DX the previous week, said they would face DX the following week, and would examine the rise and fall of WWE World Champion Triple H & Michaels the next night on ECW as part of “The Dirt Sheet”:
CM Punk & Kofi Kingston defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes (w/ Manu) to win the titles at 12:34 when Punk pinned Dibiase with the Go To Sleep after holding the ropes to avoid the Million $ Dream into the Russian legsweep (CM Punk: Best in the World, WWE Superstar Collection: Kofi Kingston)
WWE IC Champion Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) fought Charlie Haas to a no contest when the champion attacked Haas, who dressed the part of Phoenix for the match, and knocked him to the floor before the match began; moments later, guest commentators Goldust and Roddy Piper circled the ring, with guest commentator the Honkytonk Man then sneaking up behind Marella and breaking a guitar over his head; prior to the bout, Marella compared his 11-week title run to that of Honky’s 64-week title run
Mickie James, Candice Michelle, & Kelly Kelly defeated Jillian Hall, Layla, & Katie Lea at 3:09 when Kelly pinned Katie with the K2 (the first time the Rocker Dropper was referred as the K2)
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Evan Bourne at 11:14 by rolling through on a victory roll by Bourne, moments after Bourne avoided the 619; during his entrance, footage was shown of Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Mysterio regarding his win the previous night at Cyber Sunday; moments later, Bourne appeared and said he had every intention of winning, with the two shaking hands; after the contest, Kane appeared and attacked Mysterio but was eventually double teamed by Mysterio and Bourne; moments later, Mark Henry appeared ringside, with Kane then hitting the chokeslam on Mysterio before Henry dropped Bourne with the powerslam
World Heavyweight Champion Batista & Shawn Michaels defeated Chris Jericho & John Bradshaw Layfield at 12:55 when Batista pinned JBL with the sit-down powerbomb; Michaels didn’t appear until the final minute of the match because he was attacked backstage before the match by JBL

11/3/08; Tampa, FL; St. Pete Times Forum
3-hour episode celebrating 800 episodes, though it was the 806th episode – featured an opening in-ring promo by Randy Orton regarding his statement that if Shane and Stephanie McMahon don’t fire Mike Adamle then he would quit; Orton then took a seat in front of the commentary table where he remained for the first two matches; included a segment highlighting the debut episode of Raw; featured highlights of the Razor Ramon vs. 1-2-3 Kid match from May 17, 1993; included backstage footage of Shane and Stephanie McMahon arriving to the arena, with Stephanie telling Shane he could handle the situation himself; featured an ad promoting WrestleMania 25 tickets going on sale Saturday; included a segment focusing on Vince McMahon announcing his purchase of WCW on March 26, 2001, during which Shane interrupted from WCW Monday Nitro in Panama City, FL to announce he bought WCW out from under his father; featured an in-ring segment in which Shane came out to talk to Orton about Adamle, with Adamle then appearing and saying while every GM before him had an agenda, he aimed to remain neutral; Adamle said the job corrupts and he didn’t want that to happen to him; Adamle then resigned as GM and left ringside; Orton then demanded an apology from Adamle but Shane said Adamle deserves an apology; Shane said he had spoke with Orton’s doctors and they say Orton has been cleared to wrestle for weeks; Shane then said Survivor Series was weeks away but if Orton was ready to go, then he could wrestle later in the show against CM Punk; included highlights of pre-recorded comments from Sen. Barack Obama and Sen. John McCain which aired on the April 21, 2008 episode; featured a clock counting down until WrestleMania 25 tickets go on sale; included footage of Batista beating World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho to win the title at Cyber Sunday; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding his title win and defending it later in the night against Jericho in a steel cage match; included footage of DX trying to invade WCW Monday Nitro in Norfolk, VA; featured a Smackdown vs. Raw 2009 scenario of WWE World Champion Triple H & Shawn Michaels vs. John Morrison & Mike Mizanin; included a backstage segment with Shane and John Bradshaw Layfield in which JBL campaigned to be Raw’s new GM; Shane then said he had plans to have JBL face the Undertaker later in the show; featured footage of Mike Tyson appearing during the Jan. 19, 1998 Raw, which was later interrupted by Steve Austin; included footage from the Feb. 18, 2002 episode in which the Rock challenged Hulk Hogan to a match at WrestleMania; featured footage of the weigh-in for the Big Show vs. Floyd Mayweather WrestleMania match, from the March 10, 2008 Raw; included a backstage segment with Stephanie and Adamle in which Adamle said the reason he was leaving was because Stephanie was too controlling, with Stephanie saying that running Raw was her birth right; moments later, Shane came in and said he had a major announcement later in the show for Survivor Series (Adamle’s last appearance); featured footage from the July 1, 2002 ladder match between Jeff Hardy and the Undertaker; included a backstage segment with Jericho and Shane in which Jericho tried to figure out what the big surprise was, with Shane announcing John Cena would face the winner at Survivor Series; featured footage of Steve Austin giving a beer bath to the Rock and Vince McMahon during the April 19, 1999 Raw; included an in-ring segment in which Sho Funaki, Hornswoggle, and the Boogeyman danced, with Jesse & Festus, Goldust, Sgt. Slaughter, Dusty Rhodes, Lilian Garcia, Jim Duggan, Michael Cole, and Teddy Long then joining in; moments later, Ron Simmons appeared at the entrance way and said “Damn;” featured footage from the March 31, 2008 Raw in which Ric Flair’s career was celebrated; included footage from the June 20, 2008 Raw of Kane interrupting Edge & Lita’s wedding; several of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers were shown in attendance; featured a video package hyping Cena’s Survivor Series return, with comments from Edge, the Big Show, Batista, John Bradshaw Layfield, Triple H, Chris Jericho, Rey Mysterio Jr., Vince McMahon, and Cena’s friends regarding his WWE run and move from Smackdown! to Raw; included a backstage segment with Shane and Stephanie in which they said Vince would be very proud of them if he was there to see them at work; featured footage from the 2007 Tribute to the Troops:
ECW World Champion Matt Hardy & Jeff Hardy defeated The Brian Kendrick (w/ Ezikial Jackson) & MVP at 4:19 when Matt pinned MVP following the Swanton / Twist of Fate combo behind the referee’s back as the referee sent Kendrick out of the ring, not realizing MVP had tagged out moments earlier; prior to the bout, footage was shown of episode #764 in which Jeff came off the entrance way scaffolding onto Randy Orton
William Regal won an 8-man battle royal by last eliminating Ted Dibiase Jr. at 3:28; order of elimination: Snitsky by Manu, Dibiase & Cody Rhodes (1:41); Manu & Rhodes by Dibiase (1:43); Jamie Noble by William Regal via knocking him off the apron (2:03); following the elimination, Regal and Noble briefly fought on the floor; JTG by Dibiase via a backdrop (2:46); Shad Gaspard by Dibiase via a dropkick after Gaspard crotched himself on the top rope (3:23); Dibiase by Regal from behind after Dibiase thought he had won the match; stipulations stated the winner would receive a WWE IC Title match the following week; WWE IC Champion Santino Marella, with WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, provided commentary for the match
Vladimir Kozlov pinned Charlie Haas with the headbutt to the sternum at the 25-second mark; Haas played the role of Bret Hart for the match and cut an in-ring promo before the bout claiming the fans didn’t screw Kozlov at Cyber Sunday but that Kozlov screwed Kozlov
WWE World Champion Triple H & Shawn Michaels defeated John Morrison & Mike Mizanin at around the 8-minute mark when Triple H pinned Mizanin with the Pedigree after Michaels hit the superkick; prior to the bout, Michaels interrupted Triple H’s in-ring introduction and then showed footage of Morrison & Mizanin mocking them the previous week on ECW; Triple H then made fun of the fact they had two guys dress up as them; after the two noted Triple H’s big nose, Michaels’ losing his hair, and his chaps, Triple H put a high school photo of Mizanin on the big screen and a photo of Morrison; after Triple H and Michaels said they were ready, Triple H asked Mizanin, with a video clip from No Mercy 06 then airing in which Mizanin got a lap dance from Big Dick Johnson; Triple H then said Morrison & Mizanin had a dream to enjoy the same rights and priviledges as every other couple in the US (the bout began during the commercial break) (John Morrison: Rock Star)
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, Lena, Katie Lea, Layla, Victoria, Natayla Neidhart, & Maryse defeated Mickie James, Candice Michelle, Michelle, Eve, Brie Bella, Tiffany, Kelly Kelly, & Mae Young at 1:38 when Beth pinned Mae with a roll up; after the bout, WWE IC Champion Santino Marella came out to congratulate Beth; after the contest, Mae’s teammates tended to her in the ring until she got up to her feet
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk defeated Randy Orton via disqualification at 2:51 when Ted Dibiase Jr. ran in the ring and began punching Punk as Orton was setting Punk up for the RKO; prior to the bout, footage was shown of Orton kicking Punk in the head backstage at Unforgiven; after the bout, Cody Rhodes & Manu also appeared ringside, just as Orton kicked Dibiase in the head, knocking him out; Orton then left ringside as Rhodes, Manu, and referees tended to Dibiase; during the commercial break, Dibiase was taken backstage on a stretcher; after the break, Rhodes and Manu confronted Orton backstage, with Orton saying he was trying to kick some sense into Dibiase and then dared either of them to do something about it if they didn’t like it; when neither did anything, Orton said they were smart and then walked away
The Undertaker defeated John Bradshaw Layfield via count-out at 2:54 when JBL opted not to get back in the ring after being knocked to the floor; Jim Ross & Tazz provided commentary for the match; after the contest, Shawn Michaels came out and threw JBL back into the ring, with Taker then dropping JBL with the tombstone
Kane & Mark Henry (w/ Tony Atlas) defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. & WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston (sub. for an injured Evan Bourne) at 2:15 when Henry pinned Kingston with the powerslam after Kane kicked Mysterio in the face; prior to the bout, footage from ECW was shown in which Bourne sustained torn ligaments in his ankle; after the bout, Kane threw Mysterio to the floor, with the Great Khali & Runjin Singh then appearing and Khali making the save; moments later, Mysterio hit the 619 on Henry with Khali following with a chop to the head
Chris Jericho defeated World Heavyweight Champion Batista to win the title in a steel cage match at 15:32 by escaping over the top, moments after hitting the champion repeatedly in the head with a piece of the cage (The Greatest Cage Matches of All Time)

11/10/08; Manchester, England; Evening News Arena
11/10/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Batista in which he said he would envoke his rematch clause against World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho for later in the show; moments later, Stephanie McMahon appeared on the big screen from Stamford, CT and said Batista couldn’t have a title shot because Jericho would be defending against John Cena at Survivor Series and there would not be a title match before then; Stephanie then announced that Kane would face Rey Mysterio Jr. in a No DQ match and Shawn Michaels would face Jericho in a last man standing match later in the show; Stephanie then thanked Batista for his understanding; moments later, Randy Orton appeared and said Batista would have to get in line for a title shot because he was getting the title shot after Cena; the two then argued over who was better when they were in Evolution before Batista challenged Orton to a match later in the show, with Orton accepting; Batista then threw the mic to Orton, with Orton catching it and then narrowly escaping the sit-down powerbomb; included a backstage promo by Kane regarding his upcoming match with Mysterio; featured the announcement over 40,000 tickets had sold during the opening weekend of WrestleMania 25 tickets going on sale, followed by footage of fans in Houston the previous Saturday buying tickets; included a backstage segment with Santino Marella and WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix in which Santino said he went off on Shane McMahon for having to defend his title and, as a result, Phoenix would have to defend her title against Mickie James later in the show; Phoenix then destroyed Santino’s phone and walked off; featured a video package hyping Cena’s return at Survivor Series and recapping his debut on Raw, with comments from WWE World Champion Triple H, Batista, John Bradshaw Layfield, Shawn Michaels, Maria, Jim Ross, Carl Edwards, Cena’s father, brothers, and friends; included a promo at the entrance stage by Jericho regarding his upcoming title defense against Cena and facing Michaels later in the show; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read Raw airs in 28 languages to 145 nations worldwide; included a backstage segment with Orton, Cody Rhodes, and Manu in which Rhodes said Ted Dibiase Jr. sustained a concussion the previous week; moments later, Orton claimed Dibiase was the weak link of their group and that neither were in his league; Rhodes then slapped Orton, with Manu then stepping in Orton’s way; featured a video package recapping the Jericho vs. Michaels feud dating back to Summer Slam; included the announcement WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk would face Orton the following week:
William Regal (w/ Layla) pinned WWE IC Champion Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) at the 30-second mark with the running knee to the head; prior to the match, Santino debuted the Honk-A-Perfect Mountie Meter in which he compared his 13-week reign to the 123-week combined reigns of the Honkytonk Man, Mr. Perfect, and the Mountie; after the contest, Michael Cole conducted an in-ring interview with Regal regarding his title win in which he said he would wear the belt with the pride and dignitiy of an Englishman
Mike Knox pinned D-Lo Brown at the 51-second mark with the spinning facebuster
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Kane in a No DQ match at 12:12 by coming off the top moments after Kane hit his head on an unprotected turnbuckle
Batista pinned Cody Rhodes (w/ Manu) (sub. for Randy Orton) at 2:40 with the sit-down powerbomb; prior to the bout, Rhodes & Manu came out, with Rhodes saying Orton couldn’t beat him and Orton couldn’t beat Batista but he could beat Batista; after the contst, Batista dropped Manu with the spear and then starred at Orton until Orton went backstage
WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix (w/ Santino Marella) pinned Mickie James at 1:56 after ramming the challenger into the ringpost after Mickie kicked Santino from the apron; after the match, Santino hoisted Beth on his shoulders to celebrate
World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho defeated Shawn Michaels in a non-title last man standing match at 18:33 when John Bradshaw Layfield, wearing a neckbrace, hit Michaels with a steel chair on the floor moments after Michaels dropped Jericho with the superkick

11/17/08; Atlanta, GA; Philips Arena
11/17/08 – featured an opening segment in which all the Raw talent stood in the ring as Stephanie McMahon, at the entrance stage, hosted an open forum to field questions from the talent; Randy Orton first questioned why John Cena, insted of him, was getting the WWE World Title shot at Survivor Series; Stephanie then said Cena was a top contender before his injury and a multiple former champion; Cody Rhodes then questioned why Rhodes was the captain of his team at Survivor Series after Orton gave Ted Dibiase Jr. a concussion; Stephanie then said the Orton vs. WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk match later in the show would be a 30-man lumberjack match; Santino Marella, with WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, then noted Acon was in attendance and rapped a challenge for a rematch against WWE IC Champion William Regal; Stephanie then noted Santino had two rematches overseas and lost them both so he would not get another title shot; John Bradshaw Layfield then questioned where Vince McMahon was because he needed advice about Shawn Michaels, with Stephanie then saying Vince was out of the picture; Michaels then said he wanted payback for being hit with a chair the previous week, with Stephanie then telling Shawn to have patience; Michaels responded by leaping onto JBL, with Michaels knocking JBL to the floor and putting on his cowboy hat as the rest of the roster left the ring; included a “Did you know” graphic which read the previous week’s Raw was the most wanted program on cable TV for the fourth week in a row, beating out shows on MTV, TBS, TNT, VH1, and NBC; featured Stephanie introducing Chief Jay Strongbow to the crowd; included a backstage segment with Orton and Rhodes in which Orton said if Rhodes kept up his actions then he could ask Stephanie to be kicked off his Survivor Series team; Orton then said Rhodes should watch his match against Punk later in the show to see how it should be done; Rhodes then said talking was what Orton does best and then walked off; featured a highlight package on Evan Bourne which recapped his ankle injury sustained weeks earlier; moments later, Todd Grisham conducted an interview with Borne at the entrance stage in which Bourne, on crutches, said he was looking forward to returning to the ring; moments later, Mike Knox appeared, stared Bourne down, and then returned backstage; included a backstage segment with Michaels and Rey Mysterio Jr. in which Michaels said it was the first time he would walk down the hall and to the ring with Mysterio as his partner; moments later, the two bumped into Dolph Ziggler (Ziggler’s return from suspension); featured a video package hyping John Cena’s hometown return at the Survivor Series, set to Ryan Star’s “This Could Be The Year,” with comments from Cena’s family, friends, Carl Edwards, Rey Mysterio Jr., WWE World Champion Triple H, and Marc Ecko; moments later, Stephanie and World Heavyweight Champion Chris Jericho were shown watching the video, with Jericho saying Cena is a bad influence and that she and the roster secretly hopes he keeps the title; included Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Punk regarding his match later in the show against Orton; featured a backstage segment with JBL and Kane in which Kane said he didn’t take orders from anyone; included a “Did you know” graphic which read Smackdown! has been the most watched show in MyNetworkTV’s history the past 5 of 7 weeks; featured a backstage segment in which WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston spoke with Bourne, only for Knox to jump Kingston from behind, assault him, and then hit Bourne’s injured ankle with his own crutch; included an ad for “Viva La Raza: The Legacy of Eddie Guerrero;” featured footage and still photos from the recent Raw European tour; included an in-ring promo by Jericho in which he showed footage of himself beating the Rock and Steve Austin at Vengeance 2001, winning the Championship Scramble at Unforgiven, beating Punk in a steel cage match, beating Michaels in a ladder match at No Mercy, and regaining the title from Batista in a cage match two weeks before; Jericho then said Cena was being treated as a savior but Jericho had overcome every challenge and still walked out with the title; Jericho then said he was the centerpiece of Raw, not Cena, and that he would save Raw by ending Cena at Survivor Series; featured the announcement that ECW World Champion Matt Hardy, Finlay, & Kingston would face Regal, Mark Henry, & Rhodes the following night on ECW:
Kelly Kelly pinned Victoria with a reversal into a roll up at 1:27; prior to the bout, it was announced WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Mickie James, Kelly, Candice Michelle, & Jillian Hall (Raw) would face WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool, Maryse, Natalya Neidhart, Maria, & Victoria (Smackdown!) in an elimination match at Survivor Series; after the contest, Victoria attacked Kelly from behind and dropped her with the Widow’s Peak; moments later, Jillian, Candice, & Mickie ran out to make the save; as Victoria attempted to leave ringside, Phoenix threw her back in the ring where she was double teamed before Phoenix dropped her with the Glam Slam
Batista pinned Manu (w/ Cody Rhodes) at 4:09 with the spear and sit-down powerbomb; during Manu’s entrance, a highlight clip was shown of the Wild Samoans; early in the match, Randy Orton appeared at the entranceway to watch the bout; after the match, Rhodes acted like he was going to get in the ring with Batista but opted out and helped Manu past Orton, who gave a disapproving look; moments later, Batista grabbed the mic and said Orton had badmouthed he and Evolution for the past three years and would finally get to whip his ass at Survivor Series
John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio Jr. at 11:26 when Mizanin pinned Michaels after Morrison hit Michaels with a superkick behind the referee’s back immediately after Michaels hit Mizanin with the superkick (Allied Powers)
John Bradshaw Layfield & Kane defeated Cryme Tyme at 2:55 when JBL pinned JTG with the Clothesline from Hell following tagging himself in after Kane hit a clothesline off the top; prior to the bout, footage was shown from the commercial break in which Cryme Tyme met with Acon at ringside
ECW World Champion Matt Hardy fought WWE IC Champion William Regal to a double count-out in a non-title match at 1:11 when both men began fighting on the floor; prior to the bout, Regal cut an in-ring promo noting the American crowd was disrespectful; after the contest, the two men had to be held apart by referees
Randy Orton pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk in a lumberjack match at 9:23 with the RKO after WWE IC Champion William Regal, who served as a lumberjack for the bout, distracted Punk from the floor; other lumberjacks for the match included: Kane, John Morrison, Mike Mizanin, Finlay, Jamie Noble, Santino Marella, Paul Burchill, Manu, Batista, Deuce, Dolph Ziggler, Tony Atlas, Jack Swagger, Jim Duggan, Cryme Tyme, ECW World Champion Matt Hardy, Finlay, Rey Mysterio Jr., Ricky Ortiz, Cody Rhodes, D-Lo Bown, Mike Knox, Tommy Dreamer, Charlie Haas, Shawn Michaels, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Snitsky; after the bout, Batista dropped Orton with a spear as Orton attempted the kick to the head on Punk, with JBL, Michaels, Kane, Mysterio, and others then becoming involved; the show then ended as all the lumberjacks brawled in and out of the ring; WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston was scheduled to be a lumberjack but did not appear due to the backstage attack he sustained earlier in the show from Knox; that fact was not alluded to by the commentary team

11/24/08; Providence, RI; Dunkin Donuts Center
11/24/08 – featured an opening segment in which Shane McMahon pulled into the arena and said hello to Cryme Tyme, Dolph Ziggler, and Kelly Kelly on his way out to the entrance stage; moments later, Shane said both Batista and Chris Jericho had rematch clauses in their contract and would wrestle later in the show to determine which would challenge World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at Armageddon; moments later, Stephanie McMahon appeared and added Randy Orton to the main event contest; Stephanie then announced that John Morrison & Mike Mizanin would face Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio Jr. later in the show; moments later, Stephanie reminded Shane that Raw was her show, with Shane asking if she wanted to run Raw or sleep with another wrestler and find a new husband; Stephanie then slapped Shane across the face, with Shane saying Stephanie would run Raw into the ground; included a promo at the entrance stage by Ken Kennedy regarding his new movie “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia;” moments later, Kennedy showed footage of fans the previous night at Survivor Series in which they gave their thoughts on which WWE superstar reminded them of President-elect Barack Obama; after the segment, Kennedy said he was surprised no one named him; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Batista regarding his main event later in the show and of Cena being the new world champion; included an ad for the 2008 Slammy Awards 3-hour episode of Raw, which would take place in 2 weeks; featured a backstage segment in which Orton walked past Cody Rhodes & Manu backstage after losing the #1 contender match; included Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Mysterio regarding his match the following week against Mizanin in the WWE IC Championship #1 Contender tournament; moments later, Mike Knox appeared and stared down Mysterio before leaving; featured a backstage segment in which Shawn Michaels & Triple H advertised their DX merchandise as Christmas presents and used Kelly Kelly as a model; included a backstage segment in which Jericho spoke with Stephanie and said he was heading to the ring to welcome Cena back; featured a closing backstage segment in which Jericho said he would end 2008 as the champion and would regain the title from Cena as he regained it from Batista; moments later, Cena appeared surrounded by fans elsewhere in the arena, noted that Jericho thought he was better than everyone else, and then walked through the crowd and into the ring; Cena then told Jericho that he has no idea how many championships he’s won or lost because his goal was to give 100% to the fans each time he’s in the ring; after Jericho listed the names of the men he’s defeated, Cena took his shirt off as if to challenge Jericho then and there; Jericho then left the ring as Cena insulted him for claiming the fans weren’t good enough; Jericho reentered the ring and said he would take the title back at Armageddon, with Cena then assaulting Jericho before throwing him to the floor; Cena further assaulted Jericho around the ring and knocked him over the barricade after hitting him with the ring steps; moments later, Cena locked Jericho in a full nelson inside the ring before then applying the STFU and forcing Jericho to pass out; Kane was then shown watching on backstage as Cena stood over Jericho and held the title belt in the air:
Shawn Michaels & Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated John Morrison & Mike Mizanin at 8:33 when Mysterio pinned Mizanin with a sunset flip off the top into a powerbomb; early in the bout, John Bradshaw Layfield was shown getting into his limo backstage and telling his driver to take him ringside; moments later, JBL was driven ringside and then got out of the limo to watch the match; after the contest, Morrison threw Mysterio to the floor and assaulted Michaels in the ring before holding him up for JBL to continue the assault; JBL then kicked Morrison to the mat and left ringside; following the commercial break, Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with JBL in which JBL said he offered Michaels a deal earlier in the day and his actions were as a sign of good faith
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Quarter-Finals: WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston defeated Kane via disqualification at 2:38 when Kane refused to stop wrapping Kingston’s body around the ringpost; Pat Patterson provided guest commentary for the match; before the ring entrances, footage was shown of Patterson from “The History of the Intercontinental Championship” DVD; after the contest, Kane struck Kingston in the head with the ring steps; moments later, Stephanie McMahon came out and offered Kane a match with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena for the following week if he agreed to stop assaulting Kingston
Chris Jericho defeated Batista and Randy Orton at 11:25 by pinning Orton after Batista hit the spear on Orton and Jericho dropkicked Batista from making the cover; stipulations stated the winner would face WWE World Champion John Cena at Armageddon
Goldust (mystery opponent) pinned Santino Marella (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix) with the Final Cut at 1:59; prior to the match, Marella cut an in-ring promo saying he should have been featured in “The History of the Intercontintal Championship” DVD and should have been entered into the IC title shot tournament
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Quarter-Finals: WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk pinned Snitsky at 5:15 with the Go To Sleep after avoiding a pumphandle slam; WWE IC Champion William Regal, with Layla, provided guest commentary for the match; after the bout, Regal applauded Punk’s win as Punk stared at him from inside the ring
Mickie James, Candice Michelle, & Melina (surprise partner) defeated WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix, Jillian Hall, & Katie Lea at 3:24 when Melina pinned Katie with a modified reverse DDT; prior to the bout, Phoenix cut an in-ring promo on her being the sole survivor the night before at her match at Survivor Series until Jillian interrupted and said she would win awards in two weeks at the Slammys, with Jillian then singing as the show went to commercial; before Melina’s entrance, Melina’s name accidentally appeared on screen during Candice’s entrance (Melina’s surprise return after a 5-month absence)

12/1/08; Washington DC; Verizon Center
12/1/08:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions CM Punk & Kofi Kingston defeated Cody Rhodes & Manu in a non-title match
Melina defeated Jillian Hall
Batista defeated Dolph Ziggler
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Quarter-Finals: John Morrison defeated Finlay
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Quarter-Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Mike Mizanin
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena defeated Kane in a non-title match

12/8/08; Philadelphia, PA; Wachovia Center
12/8/08 – Slammy Awards – 3-hour episode – included Michael Cole & Jerry Lawler on commentary for Raw and Jim Ross & Tazz on commentary for Smackdown!; featured an opening segment in which Maria & Festus presented the “Tag Team of the Year” award to John Morrison & Mike Mizanin; other nominees included WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Carlito & Primo Colon, Ted Dibiase Jr. & Cody Rhodes, and Cryme Tyme; moments later, Morrison & Mizanin came out, with Mizanin making fun of Festus before they then thanked Mr. T, Chuck Norris, Admiral Akbar for their support; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with World Heavyweight Champion John Cena regarding the attack he sustained the previous week from Chris Jericho and facing Jericho at Armageddon; featured Candice Michelle & Cryme Tyme presenting the “Best Finishing Manuever” award to Evan Bourne for his Shooting Star Press; other nominees included: the Undertaker’s Hell’s Gate, Randy Orton’s RKO, and Big Show’s Knockout Punch; after Candice announced Bourne couldn’t make it due to his injury, Mike Knox appeared and took the trophy; included a promo on the stage by Orton in which he complained about not being nominated for “Superstar of the Year” and then suggested that instead of Triple H facing Batista later in the show, Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Manu should face Triple H & Batista in a handicap match instead; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read ECW was the Sci-Fi Channel’s most watched show the previous week for the 10th week in a row; included an ad for “The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane;” featured ECW World Champion Matt Hardy & Tiffany awarding the “Extreme Moment of the Year” award to Jeff Hardy for the Swanton off the stage onto Orton; other nominees included: Chris Jericho putting Shawn Michaels through the Jeritron, John Cena vs. John Bradshaw Layfield in a parking lot brawl, and the Undertaker falling through tables during his TLC match with Edge; included the announcement that Finlay & Hornswoggle would face Mark Henry & Tony Atlas the following night on ECW; featured Kane & Kelly Kelly presenting with the “Couple of the Year” award to WWE World Champion Edge & Vickie Guerrero; other nominees included: Finlay & Hornswoggle, WWE IC Champion William Regal & Layla, and Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix; moments later, Vickie accepted; Santino & Beth then appeared with Santino calling Vickie the cougar of the year and then challenged any other couple to a match later in the night; included an ad for the Saturday, Dec. 20 NBC “Tribute to the Troops;” featured Joey Styles & Alicia Fox presenting WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk with the “Oh My God Moment of the Year” for his World Heavyweight Title win over Edge; other nominees included: the Undertaker sending Edge to Hell, Floyd Mayweather breaking the Big Show’s nose, and John Cena winning the Royal Rumble; moments later, Punk came out to accept and said he would add the WWE IC Title to his list of accomplishments and gave a list of people he wanted to thank, including Scotty Goldman and Rocky Balboa; Punk then brought Styles back out to the stage to repeat “Oh my god!”; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE offers all US military personnel free tickets to live events in the US; featured Ken Kennedy & Eve presenting Shawn Michaels & Ric Flair with the “Match of the Year” award for their match at WrestleMania; other nominees included: the Money in the Bank ladder match; the Royal Rumble, and the Undertaker vs. Edge in Hell in a Cell; moments later, Michaels came out to accept with John Bradshaw Layfield interrupting moments later and taking the trophy, claiming his match with John Cena at the Great American Bash was the match of the year; Michaels made no attempt to stop him; included an ad for the DVD release of “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia;” featured Ron Simmons & Mickie James presenting the “Damn Moment of the Year” to the Great Khali for his Kiss Cam segment; other nominees included: Punk attacking Chavo Guerrero Jr. while dressed as a mariachi performer, Jim Ross as a sailor for Halloween, and Santino failing an entrance into the ring while doing the splits; moments later, Khali and Runjin Singh appeared to accept; Khali then attempted to kiss Mickie until Jillian Hall interrupted while singing “My Heart Will Go On;” Howard Finkel, Sgt. Slaughter, Jim Duggan, and Sho Funaki then appeared as Khali picked Mickie up and kissed her, with Simmons then saying “Damn!”; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE had produced 11 DVDs that had hit #1 on the sports chart in 2008, more than the NFL, UFC, NBA, NHL, and the Olympics combined; featured Stephanie McMahon presenting Chris Jericho with the “Superstar of the Year” award; other nominees included: Jeff Hardy, Batista, Edge, Triple H, and World Heavyweight Champion John Cena; moments later, Jericho appeared and cut an in-ring promo claiming he was glad none of the fans had any say about who won the award because they were sheep; after Jericho ran down his accomplishments over the course of the year, Cena appeared and chased Jericho into the crowd, leading into the main event match; during the show, it was also mentioned that other Slammy winners included Charlie Haas as Beth Phoenix (Best Impersonation), beating out Haas’ as Hulk Hogan, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Mr. Perfect, Matt Striker & Todd Grisham (Best Announce Team), beating out Jerry Lawler & Michael Cole and Jim Ross & Tazz, R Truth (Best Musical Performance), beating out Santino Marella’s rap against Akon, Edge singing Bryan Adams’ “Heaven” to Vickie, and Morrison & Mizanin rapping, and Vladimir Kozlov (Breatkout Star of the Year), beating out WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston, Bourne, and Ted Dibiase Jr.:
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Semi-Finals: WWE Raw Tag Team Champion CM Punk pinned John Morrison with the Go To Sleep at 8:19; during the bout, WWE IC Champion William Regal & Layla were shown watching backstage
Charlie Haas pinned MVP at 3:13 with a roll up after avoiding a boot in the corner; prior to the bout, MVP noted Jimmy Rollins of the Philadelphia Phillies in the crowd and said his losing streak was nothing compared to that of Philadelphia’s; Haas played the role of MVP for the match
Chris Jericho pinned Jeff Hardy at around the 7-minute mark after reversing the Twist of Fate into the Code Breaker (the bout began during the commercial break)
Finlay & Hornswoggle defeated Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix at 1:17 when Hornswoggle pinned Santino with the frog splash after a reversal into a DDT; after the bout, as Santino & Beth were still in the ring, Teddy Long & Melina appeared to present Beth with the “Diva of the Year” award; other nominees included: Mickie James, Kelly Kelly, and WWE Divas Champion Michelle McCool; upon the announcement Beth had won, she accidentally dropped Santino to the mat and ran up the stage to accept the trophy; moments later, Beth and Melina had a staredown with the two fighting until Beth was knocked into Santino, with Santino sustaining a low blow
WWE IC Championship #1 Contender Tournament Semi-Finals: Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kofi Kingston at 3:12 with an Oklahoma side roll after avoiding a reverse crossbody from the middle turnbuckle; after the bout, it was announced Mysterio would face Punk in the finals at Armageddon; moments later, Kingston raised Mysterio’s arm in victory
Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Manu defeated Triple H & Batista in a handicap match at 10:16 when Orton pinned Batista with the RKO after Rhodes attacked Batista from behind as he attempted the sit-down powerbomb on Orton
Dolph Ziggler defeated R Truth via count-out at 3:59 after landing a knee to the side of the head as Truth attempted to get back into the ring after the two fought on the floor
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena defeated WWE World Champion Edge via disqualification in a non-title match when Cena began brawling with Chris Jericho at around the 8-minute mark outside the ring; after the bout, once Cena and Jericho battled into the crowd, both Triple H and Jeff Hardy came out to fight with Edge, with all three staring at each other from the stage to the ring as the show came to a close

12/15/08; Pittsburgh, PA; Mellon Arena
12/15/08 – featured an ad promoting the following Saturday’s “Tribute to the Troops” on NBC; included a backstage promo with Triple H & Shawn Michaels in which they advertised their DX holiday merchandise, including their sweatshirt and stuffed bears; featured a backstage segment with Kane and Kelly Kelly in which Kane questioned her comments the previous week and said she felt something for him; included Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Randy Orton in which Orton said he challenged Batista but Batista was a coward; moments later, Batista appeared, with Orton slapping him and then leading Batista out to ringside; as Batista followed Orton out, Cody Rhodes & Manu jumped Batista from behind until World Heavyweight Champion John Cena made the save; following the commercial break, Cena and Batista spoke backstage, with Grisham then appearing and saying Stephanie McMahon had ordered a match for later in the show pitting Cena & Batista against Orton, Manu, & Rhodes; featured a backstage segment with Kane and Kelly in which Kelly admitted she liked someone else but refused to say who; included a backstage segment with Kane and Kelly in which it was implied Kelly told him the person’s name during the commercial break, with Kane walking off after Kelly asked Kane not to hurt the unnamed man; featured a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE superstars had visited more than 200 military installations, forward operating bases, aircraft carriers, submarines, and military hospitals in the past five years; several of the Pittsburgh Steelers were shown in attendance; included a segment in which John Bradshaw Layfield reviewed footage of Michaels’ comments made the previous night at Armageddon, admitting he now worked for JBL after falling on hard times; featured a backstage segment with Kelly, Candice Michelle, and Mickie James in which Candice and Mickie made sure Kelly was OK, during which Kelly implied she lied to Kane about having a relationship with WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin; included a look at the filming of “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia;” featured the announcement that WWE World Champion Jeff Hardy would appear on Friday Night Smackdown!; included a backstage segment with Jim Duggan and Cryme Tyme in which they told him it was time and then walked off with him; featured a backstage segment with Stephanie and Jericho in which they argued over Jericho’s match earlier in the show against Duggan, during which Stephanie said all former world champions would compete the following week in singles matches, with the winners advancing to another match and that winner earning a World Heavyweight Title shot; included a backstage segment with Orton, Manu, & Rhodes in which Orton said if the other two couldn’t get the job done then the group was over:
Melina & Kelly Kelly defeated WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix (w/ Santino Marella) & Jillian Hall at 1:39 when Kelly pinned Jillian with a roll up; prior to the bout, a ringside fan asked to have her photo taken with Beth, with Beth then making Santino take the photo; after the contest, Kane appeared, backed Kelly into the corner, and offered his hand to help her up but she slid under the ring; Kane then followed her backstage; after the commercial break, footage was shown of Kelly walking past Jamie Noble backstage, with Kane then shoving Noble out of the way, catching up to Kelly, and telling her they needed to talk
Rey Mysterio Jr. defeated Sim Snuka to a no contest at 3:32 when Cody Rhodes and Manu, who sat ringside for the match, began fighting with Mysterio on the floor; prior to the bout, Deuce, as he was introduced by Lilian Garcia, took the mic and said he was the son of Jimmy Snuka and wanted to be introduced by his real name; after the bout, Knox attacked Mysterio from behind on the floor and dropped him with the Hard Knox outside the ring (Deuce’s debut as Sim Snuka)
Chris Jericho fought Jim Duggan to a no contest when Jericho came out dressed in a suit and said he refused to wrestle, saying it was a slap in the face he would have to compete against Duggan after carrying Raw on his shoulders single-handedly for the past year; Jericho then said he refused to wrestle until he had a title match or an opponent worthy of his caliber and then walked off
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin defeated CM Punk & Kofi Kingston at 11:25 when Morrison pinned Kingston with the Moonlight Drive after Kingston knocked Mizanin to the floor; prior to the bout, still photos were shown of Morrison & Mizanin winning the titles from Punk & Kingston two days earlier in Hamilton, Ontario; the champions came to the ring in possession of their 2008 Slammy for Tag Team of the Year; WWE IC Champion William Regal & Layla watched the match from the entrance stage; after the contest, Kane came out to the ring, dropped Mizanin with a chokeslam and the tombstone
Dolph Ziggler pinned Charlie Haas at 3:45 with the jumping reverse bulldog after Haas hit the corner; Haas worked the match dressed as Santa Claus and handed out presents to ringside fans before the bout; after the contest, Ziggler ripped up Haas’ suit
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena & Batista defeated Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, & Manu via disqualification in a handicap match at 18:09 when Orton shoved referee Mike Chioda out of the way so he could kick Batista in the head; during the bout, it was noted the following week’s show would feature Shawn Michaels vs. Kane, Rey Mysterio Jr. vs. John Bradshaw Layfield, Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk, and Orton vs. Batista, with the winners advancing to a match the week after to determine Cena’s next challenger; after the contest, Cena and a trainer tended to Batista in the ring as Legacy celebrated at ringside (Batista’s last appearance for 4 months)

12/22/08; Toronto, Ontario; Air Canada Center
12/22/08 – featured an opening backstage promo by Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix in which Santino said all the fans had been naughty and then said he had a secret for all the kids regarding Santa Claus; after Beth attempted to stop him, Santino continued until World Heavyweight Champion John Cena appeared and said Santino had never liked Santa; Santino then told Cena to find a partner to face Santino & Phoenix; the camera then panned to Goldust, with Santino then saying Cena’s partner would have to have ovaries; Cena accpeted the offer and walked off, with Santino then saying he would tell his Santa Claus secret after his team wins; included backstage footage of Cena speaking with Kelly Kelly, with the two shaking hands; featured the announcement that the following night’s ECW would be a Best of 2008 episode; included a backstage segment in which Sim Snuka spoke with Randy Orton and said he would be an asset to the group, with Cody Rhodes and Manu walking by and Orton implying Legacy might need a new member after looking Manu’s way; featured a backstage pre-taped segment in which Shawn Michaels & Triple H advertised several of the items for sale through WWEShop.com, including “The History of the WWE Intercontinental Championship” and the Summer Slam Anthology, with the two eventually coming to blows after Triple H made fun of Michaels going bald; included a backstage segment in which CM Punk spoke with Shawn Michaels, with Triple H then showing up and questioning why Michaels didn’t come to him; Michaels then said he got himself into the situation and would get himself out, even if that means working for John Bradshaw Layfield; featured a look at the explosives used in “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia;” included a backstage segment in which Dolph Ziggler introduced himself to Kelly Kelly; moments later, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin appeared, with Mizanin confonting Mizanin over the chokeslam Kane gave him the previous week; Morrison then said someone trashed Kelly’s hotel room; featured a backstage segment in which Kelly was shown running out of the arena with her bags and telling Todd Grisham she talked to Cena and he understands; included a video package highlighting the previous week’s “Tribute to the Troops,” set to Needtobreathe’s “Shine On”:
Race to the Rumble Qualifying Match: Shawn Michaels pinned Kane (w/ Kelly Kelly) at 5:32 with the superkick after avoiding the chokeslam and sending Kane into the corner; prior to the bout, Kane grabbed the mic and said he was politely asked by Stephanie McMahon to apologize to Kelly for the events of the previous week, with Kane then sarcastically apologizing to her; Kane then said Kelly should apologize to him for lying to him and leading him on; Kane said she wasn’t in love with WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Mike Mizanin and that she should have told him the truth; during the bout, several fans chanted “You screwed Bret” at Michaels; after the bout, John Bradshaw Layfield was shown watching backstage
Kofi Kingston pinned Manu (w/ Cody Rhodes) at 3:21 by reversing an attempted Samoan Drop into a crucifix; prior to the bout, Kingston cut an insert promo in which he wished his family and the fans a happy holidays
Melina & Mickie James defeated Jillian Hall & Layla at 3:57 when Melina pinned Jillian with a modified powerbomb / sunset flip; prior to the bout, Jillian sang “Let it Snow” in a British accent, since Layla was her partner; WWE IC Champion William Regal provided guest commentary for the bout; after the contest, a visibly emotional Melina tended to Mickie but the commentary team didn’t speak of it
Race to the Rumble Qualifying Match: John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. via disqualification at 12:28 when Shawn Michaels appeared ringside, pulled JBL out of the ring as Mysterio attempted the 619, and slapped JBL across the face to get Mysterio disqualified; prior to the bout, it was announced Mike Knox had been given the night off by Stephanie McMahon due to his recent actions against Mysterio
Race to the Rumble Qualifying Match: Randy Orton defeated Batista via forfeit when Batista did not appear due to injury; after the bout, Orton took the mic and said he had many memorable moments in his career but nothing was as satisfying than kicking Batista in the head the previous week; Orton then mentioned he won his first world title in the same arena only to be attacked by Batista the following day and had the same dream every night for four years to kick Batista in the head to get revenge; he then said the next time Batista saw him, Orton would be the world champion
Race to the Rumble Qualifying Match: Chris Jericho pinned CM Punk at 14:45 with the Code Breaker as Punk attempted a springboard clothesline; Jericho was heavily cheered in the match and Punk booed; several in the crowd sang “O Canada” during the contest
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena & Trish Stratus (mystery partner) (sub. for Kelly Kelly) defeated Santino Marella & WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix at 4:27 when Cena pinned Santino with the FU after Stratus hit the Chick Kick on Phoenix; prior to the bout, the crowd chanted “Santino” before he cut an in-ring promo and pointed out Rosa Mendez in the crowd, who he claimed was the world’s #1 Santino fan; Santino then said Canada was second place to the US in almost everything; Santino then said he wasn’t going to wait to give his secret regarding Santa Claus but Cena’s theme music cut him off as he was going to continue; after Cena came out, he said Santino’s secret was that Santa was in the building and then pointed him out in the front row; Cena then said Santa got him a new tag team partner, with Stratus then appearing; Cena was booed in the match but Stratus heavily cheered

12/29/08; Manchester, NH; Verizon Wireless Arena
12/29/08 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Rey Mysterio Jr. regarding his match the previous week against John Bradshaw Layfield and how Shawn Michaels cost Mysterio the match; moments later, Mysterio asked Michaels to come out to the ring and then challenged him to a match later in the show, with the winner then advancing into the night’s main event; after Michaels accepted, JBL came out and rejected the offer on behalf of Michaels; JBL then told Michaels to leave the ring; as Mysterio pleaded with Michaels to change his mind and stop listening to JBL, Mike Knox came out of the crowd and assaulted Mysterio; World Heavyweight Champion John Cena eventually came out to make the save; included a backstage segment with Randy Orton, Cody Rhodes, Manu, and Sim Snuka in which Orton said Legacy would be bigger than DX, the Horsemen, or Evolution but he wouldn’t tolerate losers; Orton then said if any of his men lost their respective matches later in the show then they were out of the group; featured a backstage segment with Cena and Stephanie McMahon in which Cena protested having to do commentary for the main event instead of actually wrestling, and then did a Harry Carry impression of how he would call the night’s main event; Cena then said Stephanie should make a match with him, Mysterio, Knox, and whomever else she wanted to make the show stronger; included the announcement ECW World Champion Matt Hardy would face Mark Henry the following night on ECW; featured a promo by Goldust in which he recited his own “Night Before Christmas” about what gifts he got various WWE superstars, including Steve Austin, Santino Marella, Cody Rhodes, Umaga, Triple H, Edge, and others; included footage from Birmingham, AL of Batista undergoing surgery for a torn hamstring; featured Todd Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Chris Jericho regarding his participation in the night’s main event, during which Jericho made note that WWE Magazine named him the Jerk of the Year; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE.com beats CBS.com, ABC.com, FOX.com, and NBC.com in monthly page views; featured Grisham conducting a backstage interview with Michaels regarding his participation in the night’s main event while being an employee of JBL; included a “Did you know?” graphic which read WWE was #2 in Yahoo! searches for 2008, beating out Barack Obama, American Idol, Miley Cyrus, Lindsay Lohan, and Angelina Jolie; featured a backstage segment with Kelly Kelly and Orton in which Kelly said she was protecting him from Kane and he still wouldn’t return her calls, with Orton calling Kelly a distraction and admitted he was just using her; included a look at “Behind Enemy Lines: Columbia”:
Cody Rhodes defeated CM Punk via count-out at 4:09 when, after assaulting Rhodes on the floor, Punk became distracted by WWE IC Champion William Regal & Layla, who came out before the match, outside the ring; prior to the bout, it was announced Punk would challenge Regal the following week; after the contest, Punk got the better of Rhodes in the ring until Regal laid Punk out with a knee to the head
Melina won a women’s battle royal by last eliminating Mickie James at 2:49; other participants included: Kelly Kelly, Katie Lea, Jillian Hall, and Candice Michelle; order of elimination: Candice by Katie Lea (0:24); Kelly by Jillian (0:56); Katie & Jillian by Mickie (1:15); stipulations stated the winner would earn a WWE Women’s Title shot at the Royal Rumble; WWE Women’s Champion Beth Phoenix & Santino Marella provided guest commentary for the contest; after the match, Beth attacked Melina until Melina gained the upper hand on the floor, with Rosa Mendez then jumping the barrier and going after Melina until she was pulled away by security and ejected
Sim Snuka pinned Charlie Haas at 4:09 with a jump kick to the face after raising his knees to block a splash off the top; Haas played the role of Jimmy Snuka for the bout
World Heavyweight Champion John Cena, Rey Mysterio Jr., Kofi Kingston, & Cryme Tyme defeated Kane, Mike Knox, Dolph Ziggler, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions John Morrison & Mike Mizanin at 11:24 when Mysterio pinned Knox with a splash off the top after Knox sustained Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle and FU
ECW World Champion Matt Hardy defeated Manu in a non-title match at 7:50 with the Twist of Fate
John Bradshaw Layfield defeated Shawn Michaels, Randy Orton, and Chris Jericho in an elimination match at 24:41 by last eliminating Michaels; Michaels pinned Jericho with the superkick at 9:00 as Jericho attempted the Walls of Jericho on JBL; Michaels pinned Orton with the superkick at 20:10; JBL pinned Michaels with the Clothesline from Hell after Michaels repeatedly told him to hit him with the move; stipulations stated the winner would face World Heavyweight Champion John Cena at the Royal Rumble