WWE RAW Results (1/19) - Vince McMahon Returns!

By Ryan ClarkJan. 19, 2009 8:30 pm EST

Event: WWE Monday Night RAW
Airdate: Monday, January 19th, 2008 (USA Network)
Location: The Allstate Arena in Chicago, Illinois
Results by 411Mania.com

-Live from the Allstate Arena in Rosemont, IL

-Hosted by Michael Cole & Jerry "The King" Lawler

-Traditional MLK Day opening is shown with clips of the "I have a dream" speech. This year Obama is added to the video package to a huge pop from the live crowd.

-A recap of Million Dollar Mania is shown, because God knows we were dying to relive that all over again. This leads to footage of the accident that took Mr. McMahon from us. Thankfully, he's back TONIGHT.

Six Man Over the Top Rope Challenge: Randy Orton vs. Kofi Kingston vs. Kane vs. Santino Marella vs. Cody Rhodes vs. Ted DiBiase
Orton gets a thunderous pop. Chicago loves their heels. New souped up version of the Priceless theme. It will take some getting used to, but I think I'll end up liking it. This is basically a mini battle royal. The Legacy teams up on Kane while Kofi and Santino pair up. The lights go out for a short time but come back up. The Legacy end up powering Kane to the mat and putting the boots to him. Santino interrupts and tries to form a coalition with The Legacy, but he gets unceremoniously dumped by DiBiase. They turn their attention to Kofi quickly tossing him. Kane puts down Orton and tosses Cody. He tries to dump Ted, but he lands on the apron. Orton goes for the RKO, but Kane blocks that. Kane tries to choke Orton over the top, but DiBiase comes up from behind and sacrifices himself clotheslining Kane over the top and taking himself with him. Orton goes over the top as well, but only one foot hits the floor allowing him to pick up the victory. Well that was short. After the match The Legacy celebrate as Kane watches from the aisle.
Winner: Randy Orton (Last Eliminating Kane *1/2)

-CM Punk is warming up for his match with Regal in the back

Kelly Kelly vs. Beth Phoenix
Kelly sucks up to the crowd by wearing the World's smallest Chicago Blackhawks jersey. Beth piefaces Kelly to the mat, but walks into a couple boots. Kelly clotheslines Beth on the second rope, but soon runs into a clothesline. Double arm chickenwing from Beth gets locked into the Glam Slam which finishes quickly. Total squash.
Winner: Beth Phoenix (Pinfall-Glam Slam 1/4*)

-Orton tells DiBiase he needs the same thing from him this Sunday saying if he wins they all win. Dibiase says he can count on it. Cody interrupts to say that Sim Snuka and Manu were in Stephanie's office earlier today and the rumor is she's gonna fire Orton tonight. Orton says we'll see about that.

-Santino congratulates Beth in the back, and tells her he has a special surprise present for her. Its a Rosa. See she can't come to shows as a fan anymore, so Santino gave her a special internship. She says she wants to be a WWE diva and wants to learn from the best. Santino says "pleeeeeeeeaaaaase can we keep her?" Beth tells him she'll think about and walks off. Santino tells Rosa that he knows how she can impress the Glamazon, and she can do it tonight.

-To Stephanie's office we go where she's on the phone apparently talking to the babysitter (or Trips) about the baby's medication. Orton stops by to tell her he thinks she did the right thing last week by firing Jericho. She stops him to comfort him by letting him know she won't fire him. She says he can stop sucking up and get out of her office. Orton says he was being nice, and lets her know he's not worried about her firing him. He says her dad is coming back tonight and if anyone should be worried about being fired its her. She tells him thats none of his business, but that sets him off even further. He asks if its none of his business no one respects her, because the only reason she has her job is because she's Vince's daughter, because everyone laughs behind her back, and because if her last name wasn't McMahon she'd be a complete no body. Wrong f–king thing to say pal. She responds with a slap and a stare down.

-Next week we get the World Television Premier of "12 Rounds" I'm assuming they meant trailer.

WWE Intercontinental Championship/No Disqualification: CM Punk vs. William Regal (c) (w. Layla)
Punk sucks up to the crowd with the City of Chicago flag. Not like he needed to suck up, because he gets a monster pop. The announce that Punk is in the Rumble match. Regal comes out to insane heat just by virtue of being the guy facing Punk tonight. Regal grabs a headlock, but gets fired into the ropes by Punk. Dropkick by Punk gets a two count. He follows that up with a series of kicks which also gets two. Regal bails to the floor, but Punk is out after him. Regal goes for a suplex on the floor but Punk blocks with a knee, and posts Regal. Kick to the back of head for Regal before being fired back inside. Punk goes for the cover which gets two. Snap suplex from Punk gets another two count. Kick to the back of the neck from Punk and another two count. Armbar from Punk is locked in, and Regal gets to the rope to break the hold. Punk is refusing to break the hold as we head to commercial. Punk has a submission locked in around the ropes as we return from break, but Layla breaks it up. Regal goes out after her, but that distraction allows Regal to drop Punk to the apron. Regal takes control by kicking Punk in the head with Punk's head against the post. Regal covers inside for two. Full Nelson by Regal is reversed into an armdrag, but he charges into a drop toehold from Regal. Regal goes back to the Full Nelson. Punk quickly powers out and nails Regal with several forearms and kicks. Regal blocks a spin kick and delivers a shot to the midsection. Regal charges into a spin kick though from Punk which gets two. Punk hits the high knee in the corner, which sets up the bulldog. Regal counters that into a full nelson slam dropping Punk on his head. A couple kicks to the head for Regal sets up the cover, but only two. Regal knees away at Punk in the corner. He sets Punk on the top rope and continues with a barrage of strikes and a headbutt. Regal goes up, but Punk fights him off and kicks him back to the mat. Punk tries a crossbody from the top but misses. Regal tries the running knee, but Punk ducks that and goes for the GTS. Regal tries to knee his way out of it, but to no avail. GTS connects giving Punk the win and the title. Great match that totally pays off the s–t finishes from the past two weeks. Afterwards Punk soaks in the hometown cheers. Nice little moment and nice to see the 'E actually give a hometown guy a big win for once. Lawler gets in a great line "Finally Chicago has something to cheer about." Touch? Jerry.
Winner: NEW WWE Intercontinental Champion-CM Punk (Pinfall-GTS ***1/4)

-Recap of last week's epic main event between John Cena and Shawn Michaels. If you haven't seen this match yet, do whatever it takes to find it.

-Jerry Lawler is in the ring to host the contract signing between JBL and John Cena. Pretty good pop for Cena considering the town they're in. Probably 80-20 I'd imagine. Certainly a stark contrast from Wrestlemania 22. Jerry asks who wants to go first. Cena immediately signs his name to the contract. JBL follows by signing his. JBL says its official so that means the reign of JBL as World Champion is now a matter of time. Cena tells him bluntly that he's a scumbag. He tells JBL to get over himself and that he doesn't even want to talk to him. He wants to talk to Shawn, but JBL won't allow that. JBL says any issue he has with Shawn is just an excuse before the fact. JBL drives home the point that HBK will be in his corner at the Royal Rumble and really drives home the point that it will be his only function (which likely guarantee's HBK finds his way into the Rumble). Cena says he's knows JBL is paying Shawn a lot of money. He says he's not going to waste all that case to have Shawn just stand in his corner. Cena pleads with Shawn to listen to him. Cena says he doesn't understand anymore. Cena says last week he didn't compete against a broken man, he had a match with the main event, showstopper. He says last week he proved Shawn still has it. Cena says everyone loves him because he still does what he does better than anyone else. He continues to plead with Shawn that he proved last week he can still go in the ring and he doesn't need JBL. He calls Shawn JBL's puppet. JBL interrupts to say Shawn is not a puppet but he's an employee. He says he knows Shawn still has it, and that's why he hired him. JBL continues that his employees work for him because they want to and because he pays well. He hired Shawn to assist him in winning the World Title and returning to Texas at Wrestlemania in the main event. Shawn will receive what Shawn wants and that is a large paycheck. JBL finishes by saying its not rocket science, its not personal, its a business dec... HBK cuts him off at that point with a shut up. Shawn says the idea that he has to take money from a disgusting individual like JBL makes him sick. He says he despises what he's become, but he'll do it and he'll continue to do it. He turns to Cena to tell him he doesn't know what he's going through. He tells Cena that he's squandered everything he has and everything his wife has. He tells Cena that everyone thinks they know his situation, but they don't know him. Shawn says he'll do what he has to do, and if that means he has to take money from JBL he'll do. He doesn't care if it ruins his legacy, or puts an asterisk on career, or costs Cena the World Title. Cena tells him he doesn't believe him. He says that Shawn has the ability to be better than everyone else. He tells Shawn he has another choice. At the Royal Rumble he will have to make a choice, and will he really be the guy who helps JBL become the World Champion. He says after what he saw last week he knows he's still got it. When the chips are down he's not going to help JBL. Shawn says he's sorry he feels that way. Shawn teases an attack, but its JBL who blindsides him. Shawn goes for Sweet Chin Music which Cena ducks, but runs into a big boot from JBL. Lastly Cena is hit with the clothesline from hell. Incredible segment, that somehow makes me interested in the 357th installment of JBL-Cena. Everyone played their role well here and if you notice Shawn never touches Cena. Only JBL. That's interesting and may come into play. Either way, great promo from all involved.

Rey Mysterio vs. Mike Knox
Todd Grisham interrupts Mike Knox's walk to the ring to ask what he has against Rey Mysterio. Knox casually says he doesn't have anything against him. Grisham follows up by asking why he keeps attacking him. Knox casually says he doesn't really have a reason. That was strangely awesome. Rey attacks quickly with a barrage of kicks. Knox tries a charge but Rey pulls down the top rope sending Knox to the floor. Back inside and Knox is again met with kicks, and a dropkick to the legs. Rey charges off the ropes but runs into a clothesline. Knox takes control stomping Rey down in the corner. Big boot from Knox gets two. Knox locks in a bearhug, which Rey powers out of with several forearms. Rey gets sent into the corner, and a charge from Knox is dodged. Rey shoulders Knox a few times from the floor and comes in with the hurracanrana sending Knox into the ropes for the 619. Knox catches Mysterio on the 619 attempt though, and turns it into a slingshot clothesline into the top rope. Knox pounds away at Rey in the corner refusing to break on the ropes and that draws a very lame DQ. Knox hits the roll of the dice on Rey for good measure.
Winner: Rey Mysterio (Disqualification-Refused Rope Break *)

-Chris Jericho is in Stephanie's office. Stephanie tells him he fired him last week, and orders him to get out of his office. Jericho says he called Vince's office last week and was granted the opportunity to plead his case to Vince tonight when he arrives. He warns Stephanie he won't hold anything back.

-Smackdown rebound is shown as we get a recap of the explosive ending. Poor pun, I know.

-Miz and Morrison announce they want to commemorate the Royal Rumble by defeating the winner of the first Rumble Hacksaw Jim Duggan. They say he can choose which one he wants to face. Cryme Tyme come out to say Duggan is on special assignment, but they would like to counter their argument. They say in these historic times with today being MLK day and tomorrow being the inauguration of "their boy" Barack Obama. Miz counters quickly by saying "I'm Republican." Shad says "Thats too bad for you." Hilarious exchange. Cryme Tyme want a title shot, but Miz and Morrison ask what they have done to deserve a title shot. Morrison says they're worse than the Cubs. CHEAP HEAT~! Morrison says they're not give them a title shot. JTG calls them silly white boys, they don't want a title shot to be given. They'll take a non-title shot and earn it. If they lose they'll leave them alone. Morrison agrees saying when it comes to beating those two "YES WE CAN!"

The Miz & John Morrison vs. Cryme Tyme
Morrison and Shad start with Morrison gain control with a snap mare and knee to the head of Shad. He sends JTG to the floor with a cheap shot and returns to run into a clothesline. Miz gets sent to the floor before Morrison runs into a backdrop. Morrison goes for a rollup but Shad elbows out of that. Miz clotheslines Shad on the top rope. Morrison goes to JTG, but JTG does something...whatever it was it was horribly botched. Morrison turns into the STO from Shad which picks up the quick victory for Cryme Tyme. After the match we find out Cryme Tyme are both in the Rumble.
Winners: Cryme Tyme (Shad pins Morrison-STO 1/2*)

-We get a video package of the history of the Rumble, complete with statistics. Same video package from last year with updated stats from last year. Funny that they tell us that #1 has produced the same number of winners as #30, but we only see one of the guys who drew 1. Wonder who the other one was?

-Mickie James and Cody Rhodes are talking things over in the back. He asks Mickie why he should take career advice from her. Mickie informs him that she's a four time Women's Champion. Goldust interrupts to give Cody some advice. I thought this might lead somewhere, but instead its just an excuse to shill the Starrcade DVD (which is great by the way). Goldust says he can learn more from watching the DVD in one night than he ever will from Randy Orton. Cody buries Goldust by saying he joined up with Randy so he doesn't become like him. He's going to be better than Dad, and he doesn't need a history lesson. Cody tells Goldust when they make the Cody Rhodes DVD he'll be sure to send him and The Dream a copy.

-A black limo is shown pulling up to the arena.

Jillian Hall vs. Melina
Jillian is singing something so horribly I don't even know what it is. If this doesn't have Rosa Mendez run in written all over it I don't know what does. Melina misses a charge into the corner allowing Jillian to take control. Glamerella come out with Rosa right away to get a closer look. What was supposed to be a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker is horribly botched into a sidewalk slam. Jillian hits a few shoulderblocks in the corner, but Melina reverses into a sunset flip for the victory. God awful match.
Winner: Melina (Pinfall-Sunset Flip -**)

-After the match Rosa charges the ring attacking Melina which puts her down long enough for Beth to clean up what's left. Beth finishes off Melina with a Glam Slam and informs her she doesn't need anyone's help. Beth acts as if she didn't appreciate the assistance from Rosa by blowing off both her and Santino on her way back to the locker room.

-Dolph is talking to Candice in the back about being in the Royal Rumble, when he's interrupted by Vince McMahon. The meeting the world has been waiting for. Vince introduces himself to Dolph, and for the first time Ziggler is speechless. Phenomenal.

Back in the arena, Vince McMahon's music hits and out he comes to a huge pop. Vince does his stroll down the ramp to the ring as Lilian Garcia welcomes him back on the mic. Vince definitely is in the building tonight.

Vince says everyone must be happy to see him back and he's glad to be back. He says tonight is all about business. He says a former World Champion has a grievance to air out tonight and introduces Chris Jericho. Vince tells Jericho his suit is nice. Jericho says the same and thanks Vince for hearing him out. Jericho says while Vince was gone, he carried RAW on his back and Stephanie goes and fires him. Jericho says now that Vince is back, he knows he will make things right and asks Vince to re-hire him and put him in the Royal Rumble. Jericho sucks up to Vince.

Vince says he watched last week and saw what Stephanie did. He asks if she's made any progress as RAW General Manager and Jericho says she is worse than ever. Vince says let's bring out Stephanie, and introduces her. Stephanie comes out and Vince holds her hand as she enters the ring. He says he doesn't want to go over her head, but he's thinking about reinstating Jericho. But he's not. Jericho looks shocked. Vince says he won't and he won't fire his daughter either. He says Stephanie and he will run RAW together. Vince suggests Stephanie give Jericho a second chance, but says it is up to her.

Stephanie says if Jericho really wants his job back, then he has to apologize. Jericho shakes his head no. She says fine and calls for security. Jericho stops her and says he's sorry. Stephanie asks him to speak up a little bit. Jericho says it again, with his head down. Steph says he's going to have to do better than that. Jericho says he is sorry he spoke out of turn against her, says he was frustrated with himself and should not have taken it out on her and hopes she can find it in her heart to forgive him. Stephanie says that's good, but not good enough.

Stephanie says Jericho has been calling fans hypocrites for months and it's time for him to be one. She says to get his job back, he must apologize to the fans. They start chanting "on your knees" and Stephanie points this out. She points to the mat. Jericho smirks and slowly gets down on his knees. He says he has to explain something to everyone. He says he has a gift and when you have a gift like his that makes you perform better than anyone on the planet, it may make him look like he's arrogant. Jericho says he knows he has said a lot of mean things about the fans and he apologizes.

Stephanie tells him to get off his knees because this is embarrassing. She says she will see him at the Royal Rumble. Steph tells him to walk to the back and finish letting the people tell him what they really think of him. Everyone starts taunting Jericho and giving him hell. Vince says he just loves to see Jericho like that, it warms his something. Jericho rolls his eyes as he walks to the back. Vince tells Steph she's still daddy's little girl and hugs her. Out comes Randy Orton.

Orton enters the ring and asks Vince to excuse him. He says there's another apology in order and talks about Stephanie slapping him earlier for no reason at all. Orton says Vince should tell Stephanie to apologize to him. Vince asks why would he do that? Orton says he is worth more than she is, will win the Rumble this Sunday and go on to headline WrestleMania which will make Vince millions of dollars. Orton says Vince might not want to admit this, but ever since Steph has popped out a couple of grandkids, she's become worthless. Steph goes towards Orton but Vince stops her and asks her to leave the ring.

Vince comes back and asks Orton who the hell he thinks he is. Vince says this is his ring, his universe and Orton is privileged to be in it. Vince brings up Orton's dad, Cowboy Bob Orton. Vince says he was a "mediocre rassler" until Vince came along. Vince says he made Orton's dad a Superstar and if he did not do that, Orton wouldn't be standing here right now. Vince says Orton might be a gym teacher in St. Louis. Vince tells Orton to apologize to him now.

Orton doesn't apologize and Vince says "Randy Orton – You're" and Randy SLAPS him before he can say FIRED. He then kicks Vince right in the head as Johnny Ace, Stephanie, and others rush to the ring. Stephanie cries for her father to talk as RAW ends. Orton and the Legacy go to the back with shocked looks on their faces.

WWE RAW Results (1/19) - Vince McMahon Returns!

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