WWE Raw

July 6, 2009

The Million Dollar Man certainly knows how to get his money's worth. Having bought his way onto Raw as special guest host, he put the entire roster on notice, including his own son. The moneyed mover-and-shaker also arranged two matches for Night of Champions: Unified WWE Tag Team Champion Edge & Chris Jericho will defend against The Legacy's Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes; WWE Champion Randy Orton will defend his title in a Triple Threat Match against Triple H and John Cena.

Triple H vs. John Cena ended in a double disqualification after Rhodes & DiBiase interfered; Million Dollar Man calls a WWE Triple Threat Title Match for Night of Champions with Orton vs. Triple H vs. John Cena
Saying something does not make it so. If only that were true, WWE Champion Randy Orton would have been one happy man after the Night of Champions Tournament final. The match pitted Triple H against John Cena - in only their third-ever bout against each other - to determine which Superstar would face Orton for the title in three weeks. The momentum between these two warriors ebbed and flowed throughout the match until, battle-weary, they were attacked by Orton's Legacy henchmen, Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. With both The Game and Cena each having won a match in their two previous encounters, their third-ever match would end in a double disqualification.

That's when The Viper smugly attempted to tell the WWE Universe that, since there was no winner, he would have to face neither man at Night of Champions. His self-satisfaction was cut off at the knees, however, when The Million Dollar Man, interrupted him with a different interpretation of events. Raw's special guest host informed Orton that, the way he saw things, neither man lost. Therefore, each would be allowed to compete for the WWE Championship at Night of Champions in a Triple Threat Match.

Evan Bourne def. United States Champion Kofi Kingston; Big Show attacked both
United States Champion Kofi Kingston and Evan Bourne put on quite an air show when the two took to the ring. Bourne, a new Raw recruit, appeared determined to avenge his premiere match as a Raw Superstar in which he lost to WWE Champion Randy Orton. Despite the Jamaican Superstar's always exciting effort, Bourne proved too difficult to ground as he prevailed in the match. As the Raw rookie offered Kingston a hand up, however, Big Show stormed the ring. The World's Largest Athlete attacked the United States Champion without provocation, which attracted the ire of Bourne, who tried to help his fellow high-flyer. While Bourne and Kingston worked well against the behemoth, Show eventually left the two to nurse some painful scrapes and bruises.

Jack Swagger confronts MVP in the VIP Lounge
Montel Vontavious Porter doesn't take insults very well - or at all, for that matter. After extending an invitation to his VIP Lounge to Jack Swagger, The Franchise Playa asked why one of Raw's newest recruits would intentionally lose a match to Randy Orton just as "The All American-American" did last week. Swagger went on to bring up his host's incarceration as a young man. MVP used the occasion to insist that he wasn't ashamed of his troubled past and, in fact, has since tried to use his experience to keep other young men out of prison. The fact that Swagger tried to insult MVP, however, was cause enough for The Franchise Playa to challenge him. For his part, Swagger cravenly exited the ring, saying that he doesn't fight people beneath him. Oh, no he didn't!

Randy Orton def. Ted DiBiase
When his father arranged for him to face the leader of The Legacy, WWE Champion Randy Orton, Ted DiBiase was shocked and outraged. How could his own flesh and blood do such a thing? But then, after Orton suggested that DiBiase could never beat him, a fire was suddenly lit under Orton's henchman. That blaze fueled DiBiase as he tackled the challenge of Orton head-on. DiBiase's resilience seemed to surprise the WWE Champion, who failed to pin the young upstart in several attempts. Despite a valiant effort, however, DiBiase fell to The Viper, who hit a devastating RKO to ensure the victory.

Mark Henry def. Cody Rhodes by count-out
It was clear from the moment the Million Dollar Man arranged the match that Cody Rhodes wanted nothing to do with Mark Henry. Rhodes even tried to bribe Million Dollar Man - to no avail - into calling off the bout. Once the match got underway, however, it was easy to see why. The World's Strongest Man, and new Raw acquisition, dominated the second generation Superstar, pummeling him to the point where Rhodes, after a particularly hard hit, left the ring and refused to return, resulting in a loss by intentional count-out.

Mickie James & Gail Kim def. Divas Champion Maryse & Alicia Fox
Mickie James keeps circling Divas Champion Maryse and eyeing her title like a kid eyes an ice cream cone - she can practically taste it. Before she has an opportunity to net the WWE Butterfly at Night of Champions, though, she's using the next few weeks to get a better bead on her arrogant opponent's ring style. This week, she was joined by new Raw recruit Gail Kim, while Maryse shared a corner with Alicia Fox. When the glitter finally settled on these smart, sexy, powerful ladies, however, it was actually Kim who had pinned the Divas Champion, leaving Maryse's feathers more than a little ruffled.

Unified Tag Team Champions Edge & Chris Jericho def. Carlito & Primo; Carlito attacked brother Primo after the match
The frustration was unmistakable. For the third time in a row, Carlito, along with his younger brother, Primo, failed to defeat Unified Tag Team Champions Edge & Chris Jericho. After the match, with Primo on his knees recovering from an Edge spear, the elder Colon could not longer contain his aggravation. He grabbed Primo and threw him against the ring post, then slammed him atop the announcer's table before storming off.

Special guest host Million Dollar Man arranged match between Unified Tag Team Champions Edge & Chris Jericho and Ted DiBiase & Cody Rhodes at Night of Champions; he also arranged two other matches: Rhodes vs. Mark Henry and his son Ted vs. WWE Champion Randy Orton

The Million Dollar Man stood in the center of the ring flanked by his son, Ted DiBiase, and Cody Rhodes. The WWE Legend announced to the crowd packed into the HP Pavilion that The Legacy would battle the Unified Tag Team Champions Edge & Chris Jericho for their titles at Night of Champions.

Then he dropped a couple of bombshells. He not only arranged for Cody to face off against Mark Henry later in the night, he also pitted his own son in a match against the leader of The Legacy, WWE Champion Randy Orton. Despite protests from the young Superstars, the ring veteran refused to budge.

Triple H vs. John Cena ended in a double disqualification
Evan Bourne def. U.S. Champion Kofi Kingston (non-title)
Randy Orton def. Ted DiBiase
Mark Henry def. Cody Rhodes (count-out)
Mickie James & Gail Kim def. Divas Champion Maryse & Alicia Fox
Unified Tag Team Champions Edge & Chris Jericho def. Carlito & Primo

WWE Champion : Randy Orton

United States Champion : Kofi Kingston

Divas Champion : Maryse