Let’s take a look at the card –
1. World Heavyweight Champion Randy Orton vs. Mark Henry
2. CM Punk vs. Triple H (No Disqualification Match)
3. WWE Champion Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena
4. Intercontinental Champion Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase
5. Fatal 4-Way U.S. Championship Match
6. WWE Tag Team Champions Kofi Kingston & Evan Bourne vs. The Miz & R-Truth
7. Divas Champion Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix
Michael Cole, Booker T, and Jerry Lawler are on commentary tonight.
MATCH #1: WWE Tag Team Championship Match – Awesome Truth vs. Air Boom
Miz and R-Truth have been one of the best things on Raw in the last month or so. (8:07)Kofi and Miz start the match and the champions take early advantage. The high-flying champs knock Miz and Truth to the floor and wipe them out with dives. Back in the ring the challengers take control and isolate on Bourne. Bourne counters the Skull Crushing Finale and makes the hot tag. Kofi hits Miz with the S.O.S. for a two-count. Miz comes back with a DDT for two. Bourne makes an illegal tag and cleans house, but Miz avoids the Air Bourne and hits another DDT but Kofi breaks up the cover. R-Truth makes a tag but the referee doesn’t see it and when he argues with Truth about it, Miz hits the Skull Crushing Finale and has Bourne covered but the ref isn’t there to count! I love how this plays into the conspiracy theory. Miz shoves the referee and gets disqualified at about ten minutes. Most times I don’t like DQ finishes but I think that one is clever and helps the storyline, so I’m all for it. Hot opener.
WINNERS – Air Boom, via disqualification, retain titles (***¼)
Matt Striker catches up with Miz and R-Truth, and they’re yelling about the conspiracy, which they have a legitimate gripe about, which is what makes it a good angle.
MATCH #2: Intercontinental Championship Match – Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase
DiBiase takes early control, but Rhodes quickly cuts him off and goes to work on his former Tag Team Championship partner. I like Rhodes’s old-school offense, including the abdominal stretch. DiBiase makes a few comebacks but the crowd doesn’t care about him until he pulls the mask off but when he tries to hit Rhodes with it, Rhodes ducks and gets a schoolboy rollup for the pin at about 10 minutes.
WINNER – Cody Rhodes, retains title (** ½)
An unannounced Christian comes out for a promo. He puts over the various accomplishments of his 17-year career. He pleads for one more match with the World Heavyweight Champion, immediately after tonight’s title match. Sheamus comes out to disagree, but he does say he will help Christian get one more match if he agrees to give Sheamus the first title shot. Of course Sheamus then delivers the Brogue Kick to end the segment.
MATCH #3: Fatal Four-Way for the United States Championship – John Morrison vs. Alex Riley vs. Jack Swagger vs. Dolph Ziggler
The action is fast and furious from the get-go, with everyone flying around the ring at a rapid pace. Everyone gets a chance to go for their big moves pretty quickly. Swagger hits Morrison with the gutwrench powerbomb but Ziggler pushes him out of the way and steals the pin in about 8 minutes.
WINNER – Dolph Ziggler, retains title (**¾)
Josh Mathews gets a word with Mark Henry, who wants Mathews to interview him after he wins the title since he was one of the doubters.
Elsewhere, Striker gets a word with Vickie Guerrero, who brags about her success tonight, and she proposes becoming COO if Triple H loses tonight. She then kisses Striker, who appears to have enjoyed it.
MATCH #4: World Heavyweight Title Match – Mark Henry vs. Randy Orton
Henry uses his power advantage right away, throwing the champion around and keeping him on the ground. He dominates throughout the match, cutting off several Orton comeback attempts. Finally Orton comes back and takes Henry off his feet with a dropkick. Henry comes right back and hits the World’s Strongest Slam but Orton kicks out at two. Next Henry tries the Vader Bomb but Orton kicks him in the face and sets him up for the RKO but Henry rolls to the apron, so Orton hits him with the rope-assisted DDT! Unfortunately for Orton, Henry is too close to the ropes so he gets a two-count. Orton tries going for the RKO but Henry shoves him off and hits the World’s Strongest Slam to win the World Heavyweight Championship around 14 minutes in. Henry DOMINATED that match.
WINNER – Mark Henry, NEW World Heavyweight Champion (**½)
Mathews gets an interview with new champion in the ring, and Henry takes the mic on his own and cuts an angry, defiant promo about how no one believed in him and now is his time.
Backstage, Johnny Ace wishes Del Rio good luck in his match tonight, and wishes CM Punk the same. Why was Punk just hanging out right there?
MATCH #5: Divas Championship Match – Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix
The champion is accompanied by Eve, and Beth is accompanied by Natalya. This is fairly similar to the last match, with Beth dominating with size and strength advantage. She also has the hometown advantage tonight since they’re in Buffalo. Eve and Natalya get into it on the floor, and Beth comes to her friend’s aid. Beth continues to dominate and even executes a superplex! She goes for the Glam Slam but Kelly rolls through and gets a sunset flip for the pin in about 5 minutes.
WINNER – Kelly Kelly, retains title (**)
MATCH #6: WWE Championship Match – Alberto Del Rio vs. John Cena
Del Rio comes out without a luxury car and he wonders what Ricardo Rodriguez did with his keys. Of course Cena has commandeered the car and drives it out to the arena. Cena gives himself his own special ring introduction. The crowd is divided, as usual. Del Rio tries to keep Cena grounded, but when Cena makes the comeback, Rodriguez grabs his leg right in view of the referee and gets sent to the back by referee Charles Robinson! Even without Rodriguez at ringside, Del Rio is able to keep Cena on the mat and wear him down. Of course Cena gets his second wind and unleashes some of the Five Moves of Doom. Cena hits the Five Knuckle Shuffle and goes for the AA but Del Rio slips out and hits a Backstabber for a near-fall. Del Rio tries the Cross Armbreaker but Cena counters that and hits a dropkick of all things for a two-count. Minutes later Cena gets Del Rio in position for the Cena Slice for a two-count. Cena tries the AA again but Del Rio counters with a German Suplex for two. Del Rio goes up and hits a senton but Cena kicks out again. He tries locking on the Cross Armbreaker but Cena battles him and picks him up for a one-arm powerbomb! Cena then hits the AA but Rodriguez is back at ringside to distract him, only momentarily though as he goes right back over to Del Rio and locks on the STF. Del Rio taps the title away at about 19 minutes.
WINNER – John Cena, NEW WWE Champion (***)
MATCH #7: No Disqualification Match – CM Punk vs. Triple H
Punk has a new shirt with a picture of a CM Punk Ice Cream Bar on it, which is tremendous. (10:21)He wastes no time attacking the COO of the WWE, kicking him off the apron and then dumping him into the crowd. HHH comes back and throws Punk over the announce table. I notice the Anonymous Raw General Manager has a station set up, but I can’t remember the last time they used that gimmick. They spend very little time in the ring, preferring to brawl all the way around ringside and through the crowd. Both men use a steel chair to abuse each other at various points. Punk lays HHH out on the Spanish Announce Table and comes off with a flying elbow to break the table! When they get back in the ring, Miz and R-Truth run out and beat down both men! The pull Punk on top of the Game and demand referee Scott Armstrong count, but HHH kicks out at two! Referee Armstrong gets in Miz’s face so they beat him unmerciful! That brings out Johnny Ace, and in the meantime Punk and HHH have recovered and they dispatch of both Miz and Truth. HHH hits Punk with the Pedigree and goes for the cover but there’s no referee! A new one runs down and Ace makes him check on the first referee rather than make the count. While HHH yells at the referees, Punk recovers and hits the Go 2 Sleep, but when he covers R-Truth breaks the count! Truth eats a Go 2 Sleep for his trouble. Punk goes up top and jumps right into a Pedigree but it only gets two! That’s pretty incredible. Ace is texting someone on his phone. Kevin Nash makes his way through the crowd and lays out both men with forearm shots. He goes for the Jackknife on HHH but Punk actually breaks it up. Instead Nash hits Punk with the Jackknife. Nash goes to the floor and starts clearing the announce table. In the meantime HHH found his sledgehammer and he knocks Nash out with it! Now both HHH and Punk are back in the ring one-on-one. HHH hits Punk with the Pedigree one more time to get the win around 24 minutes in.
WINNER – Triple H (****)
