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WWE stressed that its shows wouldn’t become tamer, as a result of the change. They’d just focus more on its over-the-top characters and storylines, rather than attention-grabbing stunts that may have been considered too outrageous in the past.

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While Matt Hardy may have lost the United States Championship to Shelton Benjamin at The Great American Bash this past Sunday, the Extreme Superstar isn’t exactly backing down from the competition. On ECW on Sci Fi, Hardy was victorious in a Fatal Four Way Match against Finlay, The Miz and John Morrison, hitting Morrison with a Twist of Fate to secure a chance to face Mark Henry for the ECW Championship at SummerSlam.

Earlier on ECW, in honor of successfully defending his gold at The Great American Bash, Henry was presented a brand-new title on behalf of General Manager Theodore Long. The World’s Strongest Champion accepted the gold alongside WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, who proclaimed it a new ECW. Atlas declared that all who get with the program will be rewarded, including Colin Delaney, who turned against his former mentor, Tommy Dreamer, on Sunday to help Henry retain the ECW Championship.

“I looked in the ring and on one side I saw a legend, a Hall of Famer, Tony Atlas with the World’s Strongest Champion, Mark Henry. And on the other side I saw Tommy Dreamer: A washed-up loser,” Delaney boldly announced, saying he’ll carry Henry’s bags any day.

But before Delaney could leave with his new alliance, Long told the youngster that Dreamer isn’t only a part of his past, but a part of his future, because he’d be facing his former friend in the ECW ring immediately. A frightened Delaney – who was abandoned in the ring by Henry and Atlas – was defeated by Dreamer. Is this the last Delaney will see of the ECW Original – who some say is responsible for helping the youngster earn a WWE contract? How will Delaney’s betrayal affect his life as an ECW Superstar?

Also on ECW on Sci Fi, Evan Bourne continued his winning streak, defeating James Curtis as Chavo Guerrero and Bam Neely watched ringside. Fresh off a victory over Guerrero last week, the young, high-flying Bourne is quickly making a name for himself on the ECW scene. As part of Long’s New Superstar Initiative, Bourne is determined to impact the Land of the Extreme. After defeating Curtis, Guerrero and Neely rushed the ECW ring, attempting to attack Bourne, but the quick Superstar escaped to have the last laugh. Will anyone be able to stop Bourne?

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One night after The Great American Bash, Monday Night Raw was still embroiled in the disorder that has defined the show since Mr. McMahon was sidelined by injury. As rumors swirled about that Shane and Stephanie McMahon were currently in the process of searching for a new Raw General Manager, World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk defended his title against Batista in a match that saw involvement from Kane, JBL and John Cena. The anarchy escalated to the point that Cena and Batista, two Superstars who normally respect one another, found themselves trading blows at the end of Monday’s Raw.

Before the World Heavyweight Title Match could even begin, Kane emerged and attacked Batista, leading CM Punk to enter the fray and attack the Big Red Monster. After Kane was escorted out of the arena, the match began, but was quickly ended due to interference from JBL, who was bitter that Batista was receiving his second World Title Match in as many nights. As The Animal battered the self-made millionaire, JBL’s Great American Bash opponent, John Cena, rushed to the ring. Though the Chain Gang Commander only intended to get further payback on Layfield, he accidentally leveled Batista, leading to a brawl between the two athletes. In spite of the presence of four legitimate contenders during the night’s main event, CM Punk held onto his championship gold for another night.

JBL and Cena’s rivalry carried over into an official match as well: A rematch from last week’s Raw between the team of John Cena & Cryme Tyme and JBL & World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase. Though ailing from his NYC Parking Lot Brawl with Layfield at The Bash the night before, Cena fearlessly pursued his pay-per-view opponent. But when the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” escaped from ringside, the Chain Gang Commander turned his rage against the World Tag Team Champions by performing a double FU on the two and pinning Ted DiBiase for the win.

It was an especially rough night for Cody Rhodes, as earlier in the program he suffered a slap from Jerry “The King” Lawler in retaliation for the disrespect the World Tag Team Champions showed toward Hacksaw Jim Duggan.

Though Chris Jericho decimated Shawn Michaels in their match at The Great American Bash, it was Y2J’s protégé, Lance Cade, who experienced a win on Raw when he faced Paul London. After the match, Jericho entered the ring to show the WWE Universe footage from the night before when he further injured Michaels’ right eye.

Jericho claimed that HBK was suffering a cracked rib and detached retina with the damage so severe, he was unable to see out of the eye at all, effectively ending Michaels’ career. Perhaps most detestable, Y2J stated that he always speaks the truth as opposed to The Showstopper, who he characterized as the “most corrupt, immoral and destructive individual in WWE history.”

As the WWE crowd came to terms with the exit of Shawn Michaels, they were comforted by the return of D-Lo Brown, who defeated Santino Marella. Watching the match at ringside was Beth Phoenix, who had defeated Marella in a rare intergender battle the week before. After Brown exited the ring victorious, The Glamazon entered for a confrontation with the Italian Superstar. The two struggled, then stopped suddenly and began kissing passionately only to pull away a moment later, confused and seemingly a little frightened.

While it’s still unclear whether Beth and Santino have won one another’s affections, there was no confusion about the winner of The Glamazon’s match with Kelly Kelly. Beth showed that she is a formidable competitor no matter the gender of her opponent, utilizing her characteristic strength and ferocity to pin the other Diva as easily as she defeated Santino the week before.

Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston and WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James have some serious competition for their titles in the form of the brother and sister team of Paul and Katie Lea Burchill. On Raw, the four faced off in an Intergender Tag Match. Though Kofi had defeated Burchill the week before with the help of Mickie James, this week saw the Burchills triumphant over the two champions as Paul pinned the Jamaican Superstar.

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HHH beat Edge to retain the WWE Championship

JBL beat Cena in a Parking Lot Brawl

CM Punk vs Batista ended in a Double DQ when Kane interfered

Michelle McCool beat Natalya Neidhart to become the Diva Champion

Mark Henry beat Tommy Dreamer to retain the ECW Title

Chris Jericho beat Shawn Michaels

Shelton Benjamin beat Matt Hardy to become the new United States Champion

Zack Ryder & Curt Hawkins beat Finlay & Hornswoggle, Miz & Morrison and Jesse & Festus to become the new WWE Tag Team Champions

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On what should have been the happiest night of their lives, Edge & SmackDown General Manager Vickie Guerrero’s wedding reception was interrupted by WWE Champion, and Edge’s Great American Bash opponent, Triple H. The Game offered his gifts to the newlyweds, and then shocked the world when he revealed a video of the Rated-R Superstar and wedding planner Alicia Fox locking lips.

Earlier in the night, the seemingly happy couple was in harmony as they celebrated their nuptials, even taking time out of the reception for in-ring action. Edge donned a guest referee shirt as he helped Curt Hawkins & Zack Ryder defeat Finlay & Hornswoggle in a tag team encounter, spearing the Irishman to seal the win for his friends.

Moments later, after their first dance was interrupted by Big Show cutting in, the powerful pair placed The World’s Largest Athlete in a 4-on-1 Handicap Match. Up against The Great Khali, MVP, Vladimir Kozlov & Shelton Benjamin, Big Show proved why he is still one of the toughest competitors in the world, fighting off the teamed assault before the match was ruled a no contest. After the match, however, Khali, MVP, Shelton & the undefeated Moscow Mauler attacked Big Show, leaving him down in the center of the ring.

Not to be outdone, Vickie Guerrero entered the ring for her bouquet toss, followed by Divas eager to catch the flowers. Before the GM could carry the tradition out, Michelle McCool attacked her Great American Bash opponent, Natalya, in response to Natalya’s attack last week. An annoyed Guerrero ordered McCool out of the arena, and after Cherry caught the bouquet, Vickie put the soft-spoken Diva up against Natalya.

For the second week in a row, Cherry submitted to Natalya’s Sharpshooter. Adding insult to a painful loss, Vickie then ordered an immediate match with Cherry. The GM pinned Cherry to earn a victory in her wedding dress.

Also, as a wedding special attraction, longtime rivals of Edge, The Hardys, were put into action against each other, as United States Champion Matt Hardy took on his brother, Jeff. Before they faced off, the duo threw the wedding cake at Chavo Guerrero, igniting the anger of “The Family.” In the ring, the high-flying brothers put on a show in their home state of North Carolina, until the irate “Family” attacked to gain revenge for the cake-tossing.

But all the action couldn’t make up for the storm created by the 12-time World Champion, Triple H. As Edge tried to explain his extra-curricular activities with Fox, Guerrero unleashed her heartache, shoving her new husband and screaming as SmackDown ended. With just two days until The Great American Bash, will Edge’s affair with Alicia Fox haunt him when he steps into the ring against Triple H with the gold on the line?

Also on SmackDown, Brian Kendrick defeated Jimmy Wang Yang in one-on-one action. Kendrick is sporting a new attitude and new look since being drafted, not to mention the large shadow of his bodyguard, Ezekiel. Will Kendrick’s new approach help him climb the SmackDown ranks?

WWE Tag Team Champions The Miz & John Morrison defeated Jesse & Festus on SmackDown, but with just two days before the Fatal Four Way for their gold, are Miz & Morrison’s golden days numbered? Will Jesse & Festus transform from contenders to champions? Or will Finlay & Hornswoggle finally find their pot of gold? Will Hawkins & Ryder’s allegiance to GM Guerrero help them in their pursuit of the titles?

Finally, Mr. Kennedy is looking to make a name for himself on SmackDown, but the outspoken Superstar has run into Umaga. On Friday night, Kennedy appeared to have the match between the two won, but the Samoan Bulldozer blocked the Mic Check, and delivered a Samoan Spike to earn the victory. This rivalry is heating up, but can Kennedy find a way to take down the always dangerous Umaga?

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– The main even of WrestleMania 18 in Toronto was supposed to be Triple H winning the title from Stone Cold Steve Austin. But coming off the Alliance storyline, Stone Cold insisted on being turned face again, effectively talking himself out of the main event of WrestleMania. It might have been a merchandise thing, I’m not sure, but the plan, as I understand it, would have seen Austin hold the title thru Mania (rather than lose it to Chris Jericho at Vengeance) and defend against HHH in a Battle of the Two-Man Power Trip. So instead, we get the HHH/Stephanie divorce storyline. Yuck.

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If at first you don’t succeed in bending an iron frying pan with your bare hands, just use it to smash your Great American Bash opponent over the head.

That’s exactly what Tommy Dreamer did to Mark Henry after the World’s Strongest Champion displayed his raw power by easily bending a frying pan while Tazz and Henry’s newest supporter, WWE Hall of Famer Tony Atlas, looked on.

The escalating tensions between the ECW Original and the ECW Champion will finally come to a head this Sunday in their title match at The Great American Bash.

With support from our fans in their home state of North Carolina, United States Champion Matt Hardy and his brother, Jeff Hardy, took on WWE Tag Team Champions John Morrison & The Miz. Boasting seven Tag Team Championships of their own, the reunited Hardys launched a well executed attack against their opponents.

As the match went on, the intensity level of both teams picked up with a few near pinfalls. But in the end, it was a Swanton Bomb from Jeff Hardy to John Morrison which set the stage for Matt Hardy to cover the Tuesday Night Delight.

Ever since his ECW debut last month, Evan Bourne has been turning the heads of our fans and Superstars alike. In perhaps his toughest challenge yet, the young upstart took on former ECW Champion Chavo Guerrero. Despite Guerrero’s ring savvy and experience, Bourne was able to stun the former champion with a Shooting Star Press from the top rope, giving him the victory.

In a dominating display of force, Mike Knox maintained control over Shannon Moore throughout their entire match. In the end, The Reject couldn’t summon enough to stop Knox’s onslaught and fell victim to a hard-hitting face plant for the loss.

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At the top of Monday Night’s Raw, Shane and Stephanie McMahon addressed the WWE Universe and the unpredictability and confusion that Raw has been embroiled in the past two weeks. Though they promised to take action if things don’t change, that didn’t prevent another hectic Monday Night Raw, as Kane continued his erratic behavior and the show crashed to a close with JBL appearing to crash a car into John Cena, who was propped up against another automobile.

Earlier in the night, John Cena & Cryme Tyme had challenged JBL and two partners of his choosing to a Six-Man Tag Team Match. The self-made millionaire went for the best, recruiting the “simply priceless” World Tag Team Champions Cody Rhodes & Ted DiBiase, after they interrupted Kelly Kelly’s pending match and intentionally humiliated “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan.

Even though he handpicked his partners, JBL ended up disqualifying his team in the course of the match. Cena pursued his Great American Bash opponent into the parking lot, where the self-proclaimed “wrestling god” was waiting to club the Chain Gang Commander with a tire iron. After knocking Cena unconscious, Layfield propped him up and attempted to smash a car into the prone Superstar. Luckily, John Cena managed to escape at the last minute and was only grazed, meaning that Cena vs. JBL will still take place on Sunday night.

The McMahons’ warning also went unheeded by Kane, who continued to puzzle the WWE Universe, coming down to the ring with a mysterious bag and apologizing to Jerry “The King” Lawler and Michael Cole. Later in the night, the Big Red Monster asked World Heavyweight Champion CM Punk to face him one-on-one. But when the two met in a non-title match, Kane was counted out, and subsequently lost control, attacking the Straightedge Champion with a steel chair. Before much damage could be done to Punk, Batista rushed to the ring and attacked Kane to make sure that his Great American Bash opponent was in good shape to face him on Sunday. Batista then sent a clear message to his rival by refusing to shake Punk’s hand. The Straightedge Superstar took exception to The Animal’s competitive side and shoved his challenger, prompting Batista to plant him with a spinebuster.

Two other Great American Bash opponents also had brutal interactions outside sanctioned matches on Monday: Shawn Michaels and Chris Jericho. Before Raw could even properly begin, the two men’s rivalry devolved into outright physical conflict which was quickly joined by Lance Cade, aiding Jericho in his attack on Michaels. Later in the evening, after Y2J defeated Paul London in singles competition, the Ayatollah of Rock ‘n’ Rolla had some choice words to share about HBK. The Showstopper came out to the ring in person however, and faced Jericho down one last time before their match on Sunday night, warning him that “the worst is truly yet to come.”

In a non-title match, WWE Women’s Champion Mickie James defeated Katie Lea Burchill, but soon afterward was subjected to the combined forces of Katie Lea and her brother Paul. As Paul grabbed onto Mickie, Intercontinental Champion Kofi Kingston rushed to the ring. The week before, Kofi had been subjected to Paul’s post-match brutality, and this week, the Jamaican Superstar suggested an Intercontinental Title Match to settle their rivalry. Though he’s still relatively new to Monday nights, Kofi persevered and pinned Burchill in this impromptu match.

Mickie and Katie Lea weren’t the only Divas to compete on Raw, as Beth Phoenix answered the open challenge of Santino Marella. The Glamazon is known for her strength and physicality, and brought every ounce of it to her contest with the Italian Superstar, pinning him in this rare intergender match.

Though Layla didn’t compete, she was the cause of another of the night’s unplanned altercations. Jamie Noble, who has been struggling to impress Raw Divas in recent weeks, set his charms to work on the 2006 Diva Search winner, promising to cut the next person he saw down to size. Unfortunately for Noble, the next person to come around the corner was Snitsky. Despite the obvious size difference, Noble stood up to the monstrous Snitsky, insulting him and leading him down to the ring. Unfortunately, Noble’s confidence and heart wasn’t enough to compete against his giant, nasty opponent, and Snitsky decimated his opponent.

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