[The Spin]

Monday Night Raw - Monday 11th June

The usual pyro blasts around the arena for the start of the WWE Draft 2007 special edition of Raw. JR and King are joined by both of the other commentary teams at ringside and the first of 8 draft matches starts the show.

Umaga vs Batista
Batista hits a stump piledriver on Umaga. Tornado punch from Batista. Batista turns Umaga inside-out with a clothesline. Cover! 1....2....kick out at the last second! Batista looks shocked. Rude Awakening on Umaga by Batista. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Umaga pulls a mule kick out of nowhere. Flying shoulder tackle by Umaga sends Batista to the mat. Umaga hits a bulldog off the ropes. Batista powers out of a headlock. Batista DDTs Umaga. Batista moves in for the kill. Here it comes - Batista Bomb. 1....2...3, it's finished. Batista goes into the crowd, where he celebrates his victory

Batista finishes celebrating his victory and we are informed that Smackdown have won the first draft pick. The Titantron displays a graphic of both the Raw and ECW rosters with lights moving around the various faces before switching to moving between individual superstars. The music and movement stops and sppearing on the screen is...



Lance Cade is the first draft pick! Cade and Murdoch are separated. The pair walk out onto the ramp where the crowd cheer the pair's seperation. They certainly arn't happy about the start of draft night, whil Batista seems somewhat amused by their unhappiness.

The action switches backstage where The Rock is in the GM office at Raw. Teddy Long of Smackdown walks in.

Teddy: Can I have...

The Rock puts his hand out.

Rock: Finally, The Rock has come back to Cleveland!

Teddy: Now can I...

Rock: Be quiet, the people are chanting The Rock's name!

Crowd: Rocky, Rocky!

Teddy: Can I have a word playa, I have some concerns about the battle royal tonight. Y'see playa, there are 10 places and so one brand is going to have one more man than anyone else...

Rock: So you thought you'd come in here and ask The Rock for that extra place? That what you thought?

Teddy: I...

Rock: It doesn't matter what you thought! Because the fact of the matter is that you are on The Rocks show in front of the millions (And Millions!) of The Rock's fans. And so Raw is going to have the extra jabroni in the ring so know your role and shut your mouth.

The Rock walks out of the office leaving Long a little bemused as we fade to a break
Chez's Notes: Teddy Long gained 3 points of overness for being one-on-one with the great one! (in an argument at least...)

::Fade to commercial::

Randy Orton vs The Sandman
Randy Orton hits some punches. Orton slams The Sandman down. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Randy Orton misses a clothesline. Fallaway slam by The Sandman. Pin : 1....2..no. The match continues. Full nelson slam! Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Randy Orton avoids an avalanche, The Sandman hits the turnbuckles hard. Powerslam from Randy Orton. Cover! 1....2....kick out at the last second! Orton looks shocked. The Sandman blocks a right hand and fires back. Randy Orton misses a clothesline...and takes out the referee by mistake. The Sandman turns Orton inside-out with a clothesline. Hooks the leg, but there's no referee to make the count. Orton walks into a spike slam. Pin : 1....2....kick out! A split-second away from a three. Randy Orton hits a right hand out of nowhere. The Sandman grabs Randy Orton from behind and shoves him into the ropes, then scores with a roll-up...but Orton rolls through with the move! He is using the tights for leverage! 1....2...3! The referee didn't see it! Randy Orton climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory

Orton laps up the crowd's booing until the draft announcement interupts him. The screen flashes as the graphic shows for the draft and then stops saying...



Batista goes to Raw! What a huge move! The Animal walks out to rapturous applause from the crowd and gives his thumbs up, thumbs down sign to Orton, a reminder of his past. Orton isn't pleased at all by that.

While the superstars go back, the commentary teams talk about progress. Smackdown are unhappy at losing Batista, but they did get Cade. Raw are happier for getting the better end of that deal. ECW haven't been involved yet. This sets up the next match

Chris Benoit vs Matt Striker
Benoit tastes a high angle back suplex. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Matt Striker with a running dropkick into the corner. Pin : 1....2..no. The match continues. Striker walks into a trip. Vertical suplex by Chris Benoit. Suplex into a front slam from Benoit. Pin : 1....2....no! Shoulder up at the last second. Striker powers out of a headlock. Suplex into a front slam from Striker. Cover! 1....2...kick out. Benoit pushes out of a Matt Striker hold. Front legsweep slam by Chris Benoit. Chris Benoit floors Matt Striker. Here it comes...Crippler Crossface! Matt Striker taps! Chris Benoit climbs each turnbuckle in turn, working the crowd as he celebrates his victory

Again, the graphics show for the draft selection as the crowd wait to see who will find themselves on Smackdown until the screen stops on...



Carlito to Smackdown! Carlito back to his debut brand and moves for the second successive draft. He walks out cockily and waves the crowd goodbye, until someone in the front row insults him and recieves a face full of apple!

::Fade to Commercial::

After the commercial we launch straight into:

Ric Flair vs Montel Vontavious Porter
Ric Flair fires off some right and left hands. MVP gets caught with a short powerbomb from Flair. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. MVP backdrops Ric Flair out of a piledriver attempt. Running knee lift from Montel Vontavious Porter. Pin : 1....2..no. The match continues. Suplex into a front slam from MVP. Cover! 1....2...kick out. Flair ducks a wild right hand. Ric Flair scores with a face jam. Pin : 1....2....no! They cut that one close. MVP counters a backdrop attempt with a kick to the face. Montel Vontavious Porter charges, Flair moves, the referee gets knocked out! Montel Vontavious Porter scores with a released tiger suplex on Flair. Cover, but there's no one to count for Montel Vontavious Porter. Vicious back suplex! Pin : 1....2....no! They cut that one close. Ric Flair fights out of a grapple. Ric Flair has Montel Vontavious Porter down on the canvas. Montel Vontavious Porter gets locked in the Figure Four Leglock! Submission victory! Ric Flair remains in the ring, celebrating the victory.

Flair picking up another draft for Raw, whereas ECW still have had none. The graphic stops displaying...



Mark Henry is going to Raw! He will join his rival Batista on a new brand! He comes out to introduce himself to his new home by shouting at fans.

The 3 members of The New Breed are backstage with a mic in hand:

Burke: Hey, tonight we have to be on this bum show. Its one night only we promise, we wouldn't want to be here any longer. But while we are here, we want to make an impression. So tonight we are going to rob Raw and Smackdown of its top guys for some fresh blood for the New Breed. There is nobody in this dump who could stop us from doing that. So when we go into the Battle Royal, we will go and take ECW and put it right one top!
Chez's Notes: Elijah Burke gained one point of overness for being leader of a tough group

We go back to the ring for the next intruiging match.

Eugene vs CM Punk
Double arm suplex by Eugene, Punk hits hard. Short range spear from Eugene. Pin : 1....2..no. The match continues. Punk blocks a kick from Eugene. CM Punk snap suplexes Eugene. Stun Gun from CM Punk! Second rope splash by Punk. Cover! 1....2....kick out at the last second! Punk looks shocked. CM Punk with a running dropkick into the corner. Punk only gets knees on a splash. Short range spear from Eugene. Short range spear from Eugene. Punk reverses a waistlock. Eugene gets knocked to the ground by Punk. Here it comes...Anaconda Vice! Eugene taps! CM Punk is still in the ring celebrating. Eugene pushes the referee away. Eugene spins Punk around. Eugene hits the Super German Suplex!

Before any drafting can happen, Eugene takes a mic.

Eugene: Last week when I attacked Duggan, that idiot, I proved to you all that I had fooled you big time. Retarded? Yeah right. Welcome to Raw, the newest great superstar who was already here. I am Nick Dinsmore and I will beat anybody who faces me.

Chez's Notes: Dinsmore's new gimmick is drawing some serious heat from the crowd. Perfect.

Well now the drafting can begin and ECW's first draft pick is revealed as...



King Booker is off to the land of extreme! Royalty arrives on the ramp to stare down CM Punk. Booker looks very unhappy at being drafted, he certainly doesn't seem to fit into the extreme picture

::Fade to Commercial::

In the ring already are the men for the next, and last, singles draft match.

Mark Henry vs Tommy Dreamer
Mark Henry strikes Tommy Dreamer. Mark Henry strikes Tommy Dreamer. Dreamer receives some unexciting punishment. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Mark Henry with a badly-executed spinning neckbreaker on Dreamer. Cover! 1....2...kick out. Dreamer backdrops Mark Henry out of a piledriver attempt. Tommy Dreamer fires off some right and left hands. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Powerslam from Tommy Dreamer. Henry counters an avalanche with a raised foot to the face. Tornado punch from Mark Henry. Mark Henry moves in for the kill. World's Strongest Slam! 1....2....3. Mark Henry slides to the outside and grabs a chair, then climbs back into the ring. Dreamer turns around...and gets planted with a huge chair shot to the head! He is left down and out on the canvas.

After that destruction from Henry, Smackdown will recieve another pick and this time it is...



Trevor Murdoch is picked! Cade and Murdoch are reunited within the space of one show! The team come onto the ramp to rejoice at their luck, and now they will be looking towards tag gold on Smackdown!

Bobby Lashley is walking backstage, when he meets latest ECW draftee, King Booker!

Booker: Hey, peasant! We just want to tell you something. When royalty arrives on Smackdown, your ECW World Championship will be taken away from you and fitted around a waist of a higher class. The waist of King Bookah! So go and enjoy it while you can, but it won't be yours for much longer!

::Fade to Commercial::

The highly anticipated champions match is up next!

Edge vs John Cena vs Bobby Lashley
Stiff chop lights up Lashley. Edge receives some punishment. Lashley backdrops John Cena out of a piledriver attempt. Massive backbreaker, Cena got planted. Hard slam by Lashley. Hooks the leg : 1....2....shoulder up. Massive lariat. Pin : 1....2....no! They cut that one close. Lashley counters an arm wringer with an elbow to the side of the head. Cena walks into a spike slam. Lashley walks into a side choke slam. Elijah Burke comes running down the aisle and into the ring! Bobby Lashley turns around. Elijah Burke spins Lashley around. Elijah Burke hits the Heel Kick! Burke leaves the ring, the damage done! Pin : 1....2....3! Edge defeats Lashley. But then Chris Benoit takes to the ring to see off Edge! And then Randy Orton arrives to attack Cena! It is chaos until The Rock arrives!

Rock: Hey all you jabronies better listen to The Rock. Now on The Rock's show we don't have random fights, if you want a fight you bring it in a match. Secondly, there is no way, and The Rock means no way, that you are getting a draft pick for an attack by someone else, so nobody gets a draft pick here. If ya smeeell, what The Rock is cooking!

Nobody gets the draft pick then in that match! A package is shown of all the picks so far before all the men are annoucned for the...

10 Man Battle Royal
Stiff high kick on Marella by Brian Kendrick. Flying knee to the face from Brian Kendrick. Marella walks into a high dropkick from Brian Kendrick. Santino Marella gets backdropped to the outside by Kendrick! (Elimination # 1) Kendrick hits a dropkick on Jimmy Wang Yang. Kendrick goes for the elimination, but Jimmy Wang Yang holds on to the ropes! Paul London with a running dropkick into the corner. London goes for the elimination, but Marcus Cor Von holds on to the ropes! Hard back suplex on Yang. J.Hardy clotheslines Jimmy Wang Yang to the outside! (Elimination # 2) Stiff high kick on Shelton by Paul London. Shelton Benjamin gets thrown over the top rope by London! (Elimination # 3) Second rope flying axe handle, Burke goes down. Elijah Burke gets bundled out by M.Hardy! (Elimination # 4) Stiff high kick on London by Matt Hardy. M.Hardy eliminates Paul London with a clothesline over the top rope! (Elimination # 5) Big clothesline on Hardcore. Marcus throws Hardcore Holly over the top rope! (Elimination # 6) Stiff chop lights up M.Hardy. Marcus eliminates Matt Hardy with a clothesline over the top rope! (Elimination # 7) Marcus takes a flying neckbreaker from Brian Kendrick. Kendrick tries to get Marcus Cor Von over the top rope, but can't. Flying elbow from Brian Kendrick. Dropkick connects, Marcus goes down. Kendrick gets slammed. Flapjack from Marcus. Jeff Hardy hits a rolling kick on Kendrick. J.Hardy clotheslines Brian Kendrick to the outside! (Elimination # 8) Jeff Hardy can barely stand. Here it comes - Pounce. Jeff Hardy is eliminated by Marcus!

Cor Von wins for ECW! ECW gets the final 2 draft picks! The screen randomises and shows 2 images in succession:




The Samoan Bulldozer and The Nature Boy come out to greet their new ECW counterparts on the ramp as this huge draft brings this earth shifting draft special of Raw to an end



We got a 6.04 rating for Raw, which is down from last week's 7.00 rating