Just one week after winning the Gold Rush Tournament, the new official No. 1 Contender, Edge, will get his opporunity at the World Heavyweight Championship.
Last week, Edge earned more money in the bank by beating Kane in the finals of the Gold Rush Tournament, but it took a shocking betrayal from Kane’s wife Lita to get the win. Now, Batista will have to try to focus on a competitor hell-bent on winning the World Heavyweight Championship, while keeping an eye on Edge’s cunning companion Lita. Batista must also look out for Edge’s prized briefcase, which has now been used to knock off  literally  the likes of Shawn Michaels and the Big Red Monster.
Tonight’s encounter will be the first time Edge and Batista will be opponents since the Elimination Chamber Match at New Year’s Revolution, where they each had four other combatants to face simultaneously in the frenzied environment. This week on RAW will be a very different scene; Batista and Edge will be able to prepare solely for each other and craft a strategy designed to leave Green Bay, Wisc., victorious.
For the past few weeks, RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff has said that he was the one who killed ECW. Tonight on RAW, Bischoff intends on killing it yet again  this time with an ECW funeral. Tune in tonight to see exactly what Bischoff has planned.
In a RAW rematch, Chris Jericho & Shelton Benjamin get another crack at Muhammad Hassan & Daivari. After what transpired last time, can Y2J get the result he’s looking for?
It was in Chris Masters’ RAW debut that he broke Steven Richards’ nose and the orbital bone around his eye, putting him out of action for several months. While it was an impressive victory for the newcomer known as “The Masterpiece,” it was a loss and beating Richards would not forget. Tonight on RAW, Steven gets his chance at revenge in a long-awaited rematch.
And sexy RAW Diva Maria will interview the 485-pound Viscera. What does Big Vis have to say after his advances toward Lilian during the Lingerie Pillow Fight last week?
All this and much more on Monday Night RAW at 9/8 CT only on Spike TV.
Video package of the finals from last week.
LIVE from Green Bay, WI
Hosts are Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross
A bunch of security lines up on the entrance to start us off, as Edge & Lita come out. Lita gets the mic and says that what she did last week, women do all the time. She goes on to list all the things which Kane has done to her, and really, Kane DID deserve it. Fans chant “slut”, and Lita says they’re just jealous. She used Kane to do whatever she wanted, and in the meanwhile, fell in love with a real man. Edge gets the mic and says that he feels good. Edge tells the fans to bank on him winning the World Championship, and ends the promo with a kiss. Edge and Lita actually have good chemistry, which is why I’m kinda into this, unlike the Angle/Booker stuff over on SD!.
Backstage, Kane is seen watching the tube.
Commercial break.
Backstage, Bischoff is going over the plans for the ECW funeral tonight. Shelton comes in, and mentions that Jericho isn’t here, so Eric just makes it a handicap match.
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari(2-1) vs. Shelton Benjamin(4-1)
Shelton gets a headlock, and Daivari gets a blind tag. Daivari gets sent out, and handles Hassan. Armdrag to Daivari, and Shelton stays on it. Daivari tries a counter, but Shelton gets out and gets a back suplex. Hassan trips Benjamin up however, and makes him eat rail. Back in, Hassan gets an forearm for 2. Daivari comes back in, but Shelton counters a vertical suplex into a modified slingshot one. He cleans house, but Daivari brings in the chair. The ref takes care of it, allowing Hassan to get the Modified STO! Daivari picks up 3.
Commercial break.
Backstage, Y2J finally arrives at the arena, and isn’t aware that his match had already happened. Todd asks what Jericho is going to do, and he says that Eric can put him in a match with anybody he wants tonight.
Meanwhile, Edge and Christian meet up, and Edge proposes a deal where if “somebody” helps him beat Batista, he wouldn’t need his “Money in the Bank” anymore. Christian seems to like the idea.
Commercial break.
Chris Masters(6-0) vs. Steven Richards
Masters beats on him to begin, but Richards comes back with a kick. Steven goes ballistic, but Masters destroys his knee cap. The Master Lock finishes it.
Backstage, Eric tells Todd to inform Jericho that he has a match coming up. Also, he would like Todd to interview Kane.
Commercial break.
Chris Jericho(2-3) vs. Sylvain Grenier(1-1)
Grenier goes downstairs early, but Y2J comes back with an elbow. Grenier gets a quick inside cradle for 2. Y2J counters a backdrop looking move to a modified school boy for 2. Jericho gets a top rope axe handle, and goes for the Lionsault, but Grenier gets his legs up. Modified back suplex gets 2 for Grenier. Jericho gets a spingboard dropkick, and hooks on the Wall of Jericho to a big pop to make Sylvain tap.
Shelton walks out, but Y2J gets right to the point. If you didn’t know it, it’s that Chris is really busy and he can be late because he’s Y2J.
Commercial break.
We’re back in time for the ECW funeral. Bischoff pulls out the ol’ “We’re here tonight to…”, and gives us a brief history of ECW. He takes credit for killing ECW, and promises to gather a group of superstars to kill it once again June 12th. Vince McMahon’s music hits to a big pop, and he walks out like only he can. Eric thinks Vince is here to also celebrate the death of ECW, but in fact it’s the contrary. McMahon brings up the fact that he helped ECW financially, and names some few ECW superstars who made it in WWE. McMahon points the finger at Bischoff for driving ECW into bankruptcy. Vince wants One Night Stand to go well, and personally makes the match that Eric cancelled last week for tonight. Vince says that ECW isn’t dead, but WCW is. And like Eric killed ECW, Vince takes credit for killing WCW. Vince even introduces the man that helped build ECW himself – Paul Heyman. Heyman says that this is the 1st time the 3 have ever been in the ring at the same time. Paul gets in Eric’s face and really explains what ECW was about. Fans let out a big “ECW” chant, and Heyman invites Bischoff to the ppv. Vince reassures that Eric is still the manager of RAW, and if he wants to, he can show up at One Night Stand and have a big ol’ fight. Heyman welcomes it.
Commercial break.
Chris Benoit(2-3) vs. Tajiri
Tajir jumps him with a kindo stick, but Benoit fights back. Tajiri gets an early mist, and throws a bunch of garbage in the ring. Back in, Tajiri catches the kendo stick, and Benoit chops himd own. Chris sets up a trash can in the corner, but Tajiri reverses a whip into it! Benoit ducks some trash can lids and gets the germans, but Tajiri tries to fight back, only
to get hooked in the Crippler Crossface. He tries to fight out with the kendo stick, but Benoit just uses it in a modified version of the move, making Tajiri tap.
Commercial break.
Backstage, Ric walks in on Batista and thanks him for last week. The two shake hands, and Flair wishes Dave good luck.
Meanwhile, Todd is seen sitting near Kane. He asks him how he is coping, to which Kane gives us an explanation of his relationship with pain.
Commercial break.
Maria is in the ring, and she welcomes Viscera out. Maria apparently has a theory – Viscera likes Lillian. Viscera isn’t happy about being stood up last week, but decides to play the music and dim the lights. Maria gets him a half eaten hot dog, and Vis wants to dance. He does a striptease down to his boxers, but Coach interrupts to stop sexual harassment. Instead he just causes an ass-whupping. Lillian holds Vis’ hand up, allowing him to pull her in and lock lips.
Commercial break.
Edge(5-1) vs. Batista(c)(3-0) – World Heavyweight Championship match
Big pop for Dave. Edge gets some shots in, but Batista takes him down with a shoulderblock. Edge gets killed with a whip into the corner, and Edge meets railing. Christian and Tomko walk out as we cut to a:
Commercial break.
We’re back with Batista getting the punches on Edge in the corner, but Christian stopping it with a cheap shot. Edge throws him into the ringpost, and beats on him on the outside. Crowd gets behind Batista, but Edge rakes his eyes and gets a boot for 2. He applies a body scissors on Dave, getting a near fall for 2. Spinning heel kick gets 2. Batista fights out of a sleeper hold, but Edge stops him with a dropkick. Batista catches him on the top rope however, and gets a superplex. They slug it out, but Batista ducks a clothesline to knock out the ref. Dave goes for the Batista Bomb, but Tomko and Christian stop it from happening. Ric runs out to help, but he gets Speared as a result. Batista comes back with spinebusters for everybody, but Edge sneaks in a Spear for…2. Edge goes for the suitcase shot, but Batista hits him with a spinebuster. Batista Bomb and it’s over.
Afterwards, Dave and Ric celebrate, and HHH’s music hit. Wow, gone a week. Ric goes low(!), and HHH gets in a sledgehammer shot! HHH continues to beat him down with the steps and sledgehammer, and even slaps him for good measure. HHH gets on the mic, and says the words “Hell in a Cell”, which I guess means one is coming up. Pedigree and we’re out of here.
End.
Biggest Cheers
1)Batista
2)ECW
3)Y2J
Biggest Jeers
1)Bischoff/Edge
2)Hassan & Daivari
3)HHH
~Rave
