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Last night's Raw was an action-packed evening of wrestling, as much of the card for One Night Stand took shape only twenty-four hours removed from the Judgment Day PPV. In addition, Vince McMahon signed William Regal to square off with Mr. Kennedy in a Loser Gets Fired Match and Chris Jericho battled Batista for the right to face Shawn Michaels at ONS.
Following a double-countout decision between Jeff Hardy and Umaga, General Manager William Regal came to the ring and announced that the two would square off once again in a Falls-Count-Anywhere Match at the One Night Stand Pay-Per-View on June 1st. Regal then booked a tag bout for later in the show featuring John Bradshaw Layfield and Randy Orton taking on Triple H and John Cena, with the added stipulations that JBL and Orton would be allowed to choose the conditions of their Judgment Day rematches against Cena and Hunter at the PPV should they emerge victorious; however, if the heels lost, The Game and Cena would compete for the WWE Title with Regal selecting the provisions. The GM was then interrupted by Mr. Kennedy, who once again challenged his boss to a match. Regal not only refused to wrestle the Green Bay loudmouth, but also stated that he would fire the next person who cut him off. Vince McMahon’s music hit and the WWE Chairman made his way to the ring. Vince informed a nervous Regal that he was having a negative impact on television ratings, prompting McMahon to announce a Kennedy-Regal match later in the evening with the loser being fired.
JBL and Randy Orton would go on to defeat John Cena and Triple H. After the villains laid out Cena and Hunter, Bradshaw took the microphone and told The Doctor of Thugonomics that their showdown at the PPV would be a First Blood Match, while Orton chose Last Man Standing rules for his title bout against Triple H.
Mr. Kennedy pinned William Regal following a Mic Check. Regal declared the bout no-DQ with the match still in progress and attempted to use brass knuckles, but the GM’s hesitation cost him, as Kennedy quickly caught Regal with his finisher and covered the “King” of WWE for the victory. Afterward, Regal found Theodore Long in his now-former office. Vince McMahon also spoke with Ted DiBiase earlier in the night, indicating two possible replacements for the vacant General Manager position.
Chris Jericho battled Batista to determine who would oppose Shawn Michaels at One Night Stand. Both men sold knee injuries during the contest. This was a good match with a great finish, as Batista caught Jericho when he attempted a Codebreaker and drove Y2J to the mat with a Batista Bomb for the win.
Santino Marella hosted his own version of Piper’s Pit. The former Intercontinental Champion came to the ring adorned in a kilt and stuffed 1980s Hot Rod T-shirt. Marella expressed his displeasure at being embarrassed by Piper and Cousin Sal on Jimmy Kimmel Live before calling Sal to the mock Pit set. Santino presented the talk show personality with a cake reading “I’m Sorry” and demanded an apology. The real Roddy Piper snuck up behind Marella and distracted him long enough for Sal to shove the pastry platter into Santino’s face. Afterward, an enraged Marella challenged Sal to a match.
This was a terrific show overall and built well toward the PPV (which is a good thing for WWE considering that One Night Stand is less than two weeks away). The Regal suspension is unfortunate, but hopefully he can recover from this incident and remain a top performer upon his return.
Match Results: Jeff Hardy wrestled Umaga to a double-countout … Beth Phoenix over Maria via submission … Batista over Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho via pinfall in a non-title match to determine Shawn Michaels’ opponent at Judgment Day … Mr. Kennedy over William Regal via pinfall in a No-disqualification Loser Gets Fired Match … JBL and Randy Orton over WWE Champion Triple H and John Cena via JBL’s pinfall on Cena.
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