http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v8...ss/6874770.jpg
As WWE Superstars return from the rich, royal tradition of the United Kingdom to American shores, the stars of Raw, SmackDown and ECW will compete for their own unique crowning glory.
For the first time in two years, a new King of the Ring will be decided in a one-night tournament that commences in the very first hour of a special three-hour episode of Raw, live from the BI-LO Center in Greenville, S.C.
Eight competitors will have to defeat multiple opponents in a single night to be coronated with the treasured crown and robe that WWE Legends and Hall of Famers such as Harley Race, “Million Dollar Man” Ted DiBiase, Bret “Hitman” Hart, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin and Edge have worn during their illustrious careers.
It’s not known which Superstars will make up the tournament field, but be assured that the four men involved in the Fatal Four Way Match for the WWE Championship at Backlash – John Cena, John “Bradshaw” Layfield, Triple H and WWE Champion Randy Orton – will want to make their mark and gain momentum just days before their title tilt. A King of the Ring Tournament victory would do just that.
Also watching the tournament live at BI-LO Center will be Senators Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, who have been invited to settle their Democrat differences in Greenville. What will happen as these two titans of the political world face off in the WWE ring? Will their confrontation finally end their stalemate on the road to their party’s presidential nomination?
With Shawn Michaels and Batista at odds over HBK’s retirement of WWE Hall of Famer Ric Flair at WrestleMania XXIV, look for sparks to fly if the two cross paths in the tournament or if they match up with their special guest referee at Backlash, Chris Jericho.
Also, the Divas cheered as Mickie James ended The Glamazon’s dominance, stunning fans worldwide to claim her fourth Women’s Championship. How will Beth Phoenix react to the loss? And will other Divas look to challenge the new champion, making her new reign a short one?
Find out as a king is crowned on Monday Night Raw, airing live at a special start time of 8/7 CT, only on USA Network.
Please feel free to discuss RAW here. No need to wait for updates!
http://img518.imageshack.us/img518/4932/uowmp8.jpg
RAW Results - 21st Apr, 2008
Location - BI-LO Center, Greenville, South Carolina
Announcers - Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler
The April 21st, 2008 edition of Monday Night Raw brings back the King of the Ring in a three hour event hailing from Greenville, South Carolina. We also get messages from the candidates!
According to the open of the show, the match between Hillary and Obama is still on. Oh my.
The first two participants of the King of the Ring tournament are...
KOTR First Round Match: Chris Jericho vs. MVP
MVP kicks Jericho and aggressively takes Y2J to the mat. Jericho fires back and kicks MVP in the head. MVP punches back. Jericho kicks out of the corner and suplexes MVP onto the top rope. He then hits a baseball slide when MVP goes to the floor. MVP knees Jericho in the head when Y2J tries to get back in the ring. MVP brings him back in with a reverse DDT for two. MVP works the back and elbows Jericho in the head. Jericho gets up and knocks MVP down a couple times. MVP counters with a release belly to belly for two. Jericho ducks some punches and hits a Northern Lights Suplex for two. MVP gets two with a back slide, then hits a big boot for another near fall. MVP gets Jericho in the Fireman's Carry position and drops him to the mat. He charges off the ropes, but Y2J hits a lariat for two.
MVP with a thrust to the throat and a facebuster. He misses a splash in the corner and Jericho hits a bulldog. Jericho misses the Lionsault. MVP goes for the Playmaker, but Y2J turns it into the Walls of Jericho. MVP, heading into his big match with Hardy at Backlash, taps to the guy who doesn't have a match Sunday.
Winner: Chris Jericho!
After the match
Jericho goes to the throne and sits in it.
Backstage
CM Punk is in the back getting ready for a match. Commercial.
KOTR First Round Match: CM Punk vs. Matt Hardy
Punk throws a couple kicks that don't connect. The two lock up. Hardy with a wristlock. Punk punches him in the face. Hardy throws a forearm. Punk elbows out of the Side Effect then gets a one count with a swinging neckbreaker. Punk knocks Hardy to the mat for two. Chinlock on the mat by Punk. Side headlock takedown to Hardy. Punk with some knees in the corner. He sits Hardy on the top rope, but Hardy fights him off. Hardy with a double axe handle from the second rope. Hardy whips Punk into the corner and goes for a bulldog, but Punk counters and hits a running knee in the corner followed by his bulldog for two.
Punk springboards into a Side Effect for a near fall. Hardy gets ready for the Twist of Fate, but Punk counters into a Go 2 Sleep. Hardy tries to turn that into a Sunset Flip, but Punk sits down and hooks the legs for the win.
Winner: CM Punk!
Punk will face Jericho in the semi-finals. Commercial.
They show a clip of a CAW Smackdown vs. Raw Barack Obama doing a Batista style entrance. Hillary comes out like Mickie James. They are good as far as CAWs go. The highlights of a CAW match include Hillary chokeslamming Obama.
JR announces that the WWE Championship match is now an Elimination Match. They are still billing it as a Fatal Four way even though it should be called a Battle Royal.
Backstage
JBL cuts a promo in the back about making it in NYC. He also made the cover of the New York Times business section for his sex potion. I heard it did wonders for Buck Woodward.
KOTR First Round Match: The Great Khali vs. Finlay
Finlay quickly kicks Khali's leg, then hits some shots to the chest. Khali manhandles him, then scoop slams Finlay. Finlay dodges a leg drop and dropkicks Khali in the head. He punches his opponent, but Khali pushes him into the corner. Khali kicks Finlay as he comes off the ropes. Hornswoggle gets in the ring with the shillelagh but Khali takes it away from him. Finlay makes sure he gets out of the ring. Khali chops Finlay in the head, then slams his leg against the ring post. The referee tells him to stop, but Khali doesn't, so he gets disqualified.
Winner: Finlay!
After the match
Khali keeps up the attack on the leg. Big Show comes out and walks towards Khali. Big Show gets in the ring. Khali does not do the same and they just stare at each other. Commercial.
Back from the break, Finlay is being helped to the back as the final competitors are announced.
KOTR First Round Match: William Regal vs. Hornswoggle
Regal forces Horny to get in the ring. Regal wastes no time in pushing Horny to the mat and applying the Regal Stretch for the win.
Winner: William Regal!
After the match
Finlay gets back in the ring, but Regal kicks his semi final opponent in the leg.
The semi final matches are Punk vs. Jericho and Finlay vs. Regal.
Backstage
Shawn Michaels is shown walking in the back. Commercial.
Clips of WWE's tour of Europe is shown. The outdoor arena in Spain seems really cool.
Shawn Michaels comes to the ring. HBK has a question for Batista, and he wants to ask it face to face. That brings out Big Dave. This is the first time in awhile that I've seen Batista come out in an interview without a nice outfit. The jeans and t-shirt look suits him better. HBK mentions how Jericho asked a question on Smackdown that Batista didn't answer. Michaels wants to know if Batista really wanted to be the man to face Ric Flair at WrestleMania. Batista wants to know if it would make HBK feel better if he said yes? He says he won't do that since it isn't about Flair anymore. It's about Batista and Michaels. Dave respects Michaels place, but he doesn't respect how he got there. Since he is sick of talking about it, there is only one more thing he has to say...at Backlash he will finish this.
Michaels appreciates Dave's honesty. He confesses he is everything Batista says he is. The Heart Break Kid, the Showstopper, Mr. WrestleMania, the Man. HBK acknowledges the blood on his hands. He calls the casualties 'collateral damage'. He tells Batista that the man he thinks he is morally superior to, the guy who takes any advantage to win, is the guy who he is facing at Backlash, so good luck, cause Batista will need it. Shawn offers his hand. Batista takes it, then pulls HBK in for a closer face to face. Batista smiles and drops his mic. He walks by Michaels and makes a point to brush up against him with his shoulder. Batista walks out of the ring.
(The real) Hillary Clinton cuts a promo. She calls herself Hill Rod. She says the last man standing may be a woman. Hill Rod talks about all the difficulties are next president will be facing. She's been knocked down, but has always gotten back up. She says she may have to deliver the People's Elbow. Promising to stay in politics, she tells Randy Orton he is safe...for now. She's ready to Royal Rumble...or something.
Carlito w/ Santino Marella vs. Hardcore Holly w/ Cody Rhodes
Holly with a shoulderblock. Carlito with a hip toss. Holly kicks him off, then slams Carlito. Knee drop by Holly for two. He tosses Carlito into the corner and pounds away. Carlito blocks a charge, but runs into an inverted atomic drop. Clothesline by Holly for two. Knee to the gut by Carlito. He kicks Holly on the mat, then punches him. Back suplex by Carlito for one. Holly fires back with some rights. Carlito dropkicks Holly for two. He hits a forearm to the kidney area, then knees him there in the ropes. Carlito charges Holly into the corner and gets a one count with a body slam. Carlito keeps working the back. Holly starts to get up, but Carlito gets him into the corner again. Holly dodges a chare. He and Carlito trade punches. Holly with a running forearm and a clothesline. He hits his picture perfect dropkick. Carlito stands up and leans on the ropes. Holly hits the Nutcracker. He goes for the Alabama Slam, but his back is too injured and Carlito nails him with the Backstabber for the win
Winner: Carlito!
After the match
Santino calls Cody the boy friend of Holly. He says they will put the titles around their bellies. Rhodes wants to know if Santino ever shuts up. He wants to know how to say "If you say one more word, I'm going to smack you with this microphone in Italian". Santino takes exception, so Cody hits him with the mic. Holly and Rhodes clear the ring of their opponents.
Backstage
It's Triple H's turn for a promo in the back. He says one will emerge knowing he is best of the best. One will emerge as champion. Trips says that will be him. It's up to Orton, JBL, and Cena to "prove me wrong." Uh oh. That line will set some people off.
KOTR Semi Finals: Chris Jericho vs. CM Punk
The two lockup. Jericho quickly gets a side headlock takedown. He then knocks Punk down. The two come out even. Punk with some kicks to the leg. He charges Jericho to the corner. Y2J with a low dropkick. He suplexes Punk onto the top rope, but misses the springboard dropkick. Y2J counters Punk's springboard by kicking the ropes. Backbreaker by Jericho. Punk kicks Jericho to counter a back body drop, then takes down Jericho for two. Jericho with a rana for two. Jericho and Punk exchange near falls. Punk counters the Walls of Jericho into an inside cradle for two. Enziguri by Jericho for two.
Powerslam by Punk for two. Punk hits some knees. Jericho blocks a charge in the corner. Jericho counters out of Go 2 Sleep and hits a bulldog. Punk gets his knees up on the Lionsault, but Jericho is able to turn it into the Walls of Jericho. Punk is able to make it to the ropes. Jericho stomps Punk in the back. Punk stops Jericho from making it to the top rope and hits Go 2 Sleep for the win, advancing to the finals of King of the Ring.
Winner: CM Punk!
It's Barack Obama's turn. He says it is a historic moment, and he's not talking about Randy Orton's reign coming to an end. He's talking about the special interests and the nation's dividers time coming to an end. Do you smell what Barack is cooking? His promo was less clunky, as he didn't try to shoehorn as many wrestling cliches in.
KOTR Semi Final: William Regal vs. Finlay
Regal tries to go after the injured leg. Finlay kicks him off, but Regal looks to get it again. Finlay counters with a one legged monkey flip. Regal throws Finlay's injured leg into the ring steps. Back in the ring, Regal hangs up Finlay's leg on the ropes and knees it. Regal continues to work on the injured leg. Finlay punches back and throws Regal into the ringpost. Finlay rolls him up for two. Finlay with a sit down splash to Regal. Finlay with a forearm. Regal kicks the leg. Knee lift by Finlay. Finlay takes down Regal by the hair for two. Regal knees Finlay to the mat and applies the Regal Stretch. Finlay's arm is in a position so that Finlay can't tap out and the referee calls for the bell.
Winner: William Regal!
It's Regal vs. Punk in the finals.
McCain is on now. He says the Mac is back in South Carolina. Whatcu gonna do when John McCain and all the McCainiacs run wild on you. He offers to introduce Osama bin Laden to the Undertaker. He wants bigger individuals. Is he against the wellness policy? He asks if you can sell what the Mac is cookin'? It sounded A LOT better when Barack used the line. A lot. I'd say more, but there's a no politics policy in place.
Backstage
Cena, in the back, of course, says people are talking. We heard from tycoon JBL. Cena says if he keeps talking, he'll knock his teeth out. We heard from an 11 time champion who wants the opponents to prove him wrong. We've heard the one man dynasty say he's got a grip on the title. Cena's message is they have to go through him to get to the title, and he plans on making them earn it. He's locked, loaded, and ready to bring down the thunder. I really hope that's not his new catchphrase.
Hillary Clinton w/ Bill Clinton vs. Barack Obama
The lookalikes come out to Real American. Hillary cuts a promo, and I am seriously thisclose to just quitting the recap. Bill does some mannerisms like the Hulkster. She takes him aside and says it is her time. I think the crowd is chanting Monica. Barack comes out to The Rock's theme song, naturally. His impersonator has giant ears. What a wonderful way to treat the candidates who actually acknowledged the wrestling audience for a change. Ugh. Barack does all of the Rock's catchphrases and tells "Bill" it doesn't matter what he thinks.
Barack charges, but Hillary takes him down and punches him. Hilary kicks Obama and hits a scoop slam. Leg Drop of Doom by Hillary for two. Knee to the gut by Obama. Barack Bottom by Obama. Bill trips Obama on the People's Elbow attempt. Before it can get any worse, Umaga comes out, and I've never been so happy to see him.
Umaga puts down Obama, then scares off Bill, leaving his wife alone. Umaga hits a Samoan Drop on Hillary. Hey Vince, next time you wonder why the candidates won't come on your show for a Smackdown Your Vote deal, remember this segment.
Maria leads all the good divas to the ring to celebrate Mickie James upset win over the Glamazon, Beth Phoenix. Ashley calls Mickie James to the ring. Mickie says she proved everyone wrong last week. This brings out Beth and the heel divas. This is like West Side Story, with more breasts! Stay cool, Beth!
Beth says the heels wanted to break up the pathetic party. Beth says the question isn't if, the question is WHEN Beth will win the title back. Michelle slaps Beth in the face. The sets off a brawl among the divas. The faces stand triumphant in the ring, as the heels stare at them in the entranceway.
Mr. Kennedy returns from shooting a Direct to DVD movie next week.
KOTR Finals: William Regal vs. CM Punk
They lock up and Regal shoves Punk to the corner, where he fires away. Punk gets out and charges Regal, then kicks him in the face. Charging knee in the corner, but his delay on the bulldog allows Regal to hit a back suplex for two. Regal applies pressure to the back of Punk. Punk fights back and trades shots with Regal. Regal applies a chickenwing like hold to Punk. Punk is wearing different trunks for the third straight match, by the way.
Punk lights up Regal with punches, back fists, and well placed kicks for two. Punk puts Regal on his shoulders for Go 2 Sleep, but Regal holds on to the ropes, and knees him in the head. He goes for the Regal Stretch and locks it in. Punk taps. I honestly don't know what to say.
Winner and the King of the Ring, William Regal!
After the match
Regal goes to the throne and takes his place as King. No promo, for some odd reason.
Randy Orton cuts a promo before the big tag main event. He says his actions do the talking, so he has nothing to say about this weekend's title match, except No Mercy, Armageddon, Survivor Series, Royal Rumble, No Way Out, and WrestleMania 24...all the PPVs where he had successful championship victories. He plans on remaining WWE Champion after Backlash.
Randy Orton, JBL, Chavo Guerrero, Edge vs. The Undertaker, Kane, John Cena, & Triple H
JR amazingly points out that there are 31 World Championships between all the competitors. Orton looks to start with Taker, but Edge attacks from behind, Taker blocks a charge, then nails a leaping lariat. Taker goes Old School on Edge. He then knocks his opponents off the apron. Commercial. I could go into a rant about intros not taking place during other commercial breaks, but I won't.
Back from the break, Guerrero is pinning Trips, but The H kicks out. Edge tags in and looks for a spear, but he runs into a spinebuster. Cena tags in and hits a Blue Thunder Driver on Edge. He goes for the 5 Knuckle Shuffle, but gets low bridged by Chavo. JBL rolls Cena in and Edge stomps him. Orton tags in and keeps Cena from making a tag. JBL tags in and hits a Side Russian Leg Sweep for two. JBL boots then lariats Cena for two. Edge tags in and keeps Cena down. Cena powers back to his feet, but runs into a big boot. Orton covers for two. Orton puts a head lock on Cena. This turns into a sleeper. Cena stands up and backs Orton into the corner. Orton and Cena clothesline each other.
Kane tags in and cleans house. He hits a back body drop on Chavo, then knocks some opponents down. Side slam to Chavo. Kane with a Flying Clothesline off the top for two when JBL and Orton interfere. Taker and Trips come in to take them out. Chavo plants Kane with a DVD. He climbs to the top, but Kane goozles him. Chavo gets him off, but jumps into a chokeslam. Before Kane can pin him, Edge hits a spear for the win.
Winners: Edge, Chavo Guerrero, JBL, and Randy Orton!
After the match
Cena gives Edge an FU after the match. He and Triple H start fighting. Triple H goes for a Pedigree, but JBL hits a Clothesline from Hell. Orton RKOs Cena. Orton and JBL stand off. Undertaker hits a double chokeslam and stands alone in the ring.
