Cryme Tyme def. Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch Paul London & Brian Kendrick def. World Tag Team Champions Hardcore Holly & Cody Rhodes (non-title) Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho def. CM Punk (non-title) WWE Champion Randy Orton def. Matt Hardy (non-title) Maria def. Santino Marella in an Anything Goes Match
ORLANDO, Fla. CM Punk is learning that being Mr. Money in the Bank has its privileges. But one of its biggest drawbacks is that other Superstars want to use you as a stepping stone and test of their mettle.
On Raw, the newest Money in the Bank winner went head-to-head with one of his opponents from the night before Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho. And Y2J was out to prove that Punks victory over him and five other Superstars was a fluke.
During the fast-paced match, Y2J countered Punks Go To Sleep, then pulled the Straightedge Superstar in close and hit the Codebreaker to score the pinfall.
Jericho got the redemption he wanted, but Punk had the satisfaction that he took the Intercontinental Champion to the limit proving when the time comes to cash in the Money in the Bank briefcase, hell be a threat to any champions gold.
Hands full for Orton With the WWE Championship shining on his shoulder, Randy Orton crowed about defeating both Triple H and John Cena at WrestleMania, declaring his reign as champion the Age of Orton. But John Bradshaw Layfield had other ideas, telling the third-generation Superstar he deserved a title match as a reward for proving that he was the toughest Superstar on Raw in his Belfast Brawl victory 24 hours earlier.
As Orton yelled at the departing self-made millionaire, Matt Hardy slipped into the ring and attacked the champion from behind. The man who Orton punted in the head months ago, lengthening his recovery from a ruptured appendix, wanted revenge on the Legend Killer. Hardy later demanded a match with Orton a request granted by General Manager William Regal.
Hardy had Orton on the ropes, hitting the Twist of Fate on the WWE Champion on the floor. But instead of leaving Orton outside the ring and winning by countout, Hardy rolled him back into the ring, where the cunning champion used his last ounce of strength to shock Hardy with an RKO and cover him for the pinfall victory.
As Orton caught his breath in the locker room, JBL approached the champion, picked up the WWE Title for a long look, and dropped it back in the champs lap another reminder that the millionaire was gunning for Raws top Superstar and his gold.
Settling the score Maria begged her former boyfriend, Santino Marella, to call off their Anything Goes Match on Raw. But her former beau refused, saying he thought Divas belonged in the kitchen, not in the ring. Bad idea, buddy!
A cadre of Divas Ashley, Victoria, Mickie James, Jillian, Michelle McCool, Kelly Kelly and Melina all attacked Santino during the match, aiding Maria. They slammed him to the mat and held him down, allowing Maria to crush Marellas grapefruits with a booming head butt. She rolled up the wounded Italian for an easy 1-2-3 as the Divas celebrated her victory.
Standing Tall Sporting a bruised jaw from Floyd Money Mayweathers loaded punch at WrestleMania, the Big Show said that he was ready to go back to his old championship ways, dominating the WWE as the Largest Athlete in the World.
But the Great Khali begged to differ. The Punjabi Giant interrupted Big Show, and got in the giants face. Khali yelled at Show in his Punjab dialect, but when the 441-pounder threatened to escalate the confrontation by raising his fists, Khali chose to save it for another day.
Back on the attack Even the best of friends have disagreements. Paul London and Brian Kendrick seem to have patched up their recent problems, just in time to topple the World Tag Team Champions, Cody Rhodes & Hardcore Holly, on Raw.
In the non-title match, Kendrick was able to roll up a distracted Rhodes and bridge over for the winning pinfall. The two quick-as-a-hiccup high flyers celebrated after the match, as they served notice to the tag-team ranks that the former World and WWE Tag Team Champions are mended, and on the rise.
Brooklyn, Brooklyn
While one tag team patched up their differences, another popular team of Superstars returned to Raw, challenging the former World Tag Team Champions.
JTG & Shad Cryme Tyme entered the Amway Arena to an electric welcome for their matchup with Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch, who saw their hats sold in an impromptu ringside auction the last time they met. The boys from Brooklyn capitalized on a Murdoch mistake, allowing JTG to roll him up for a surprising pinfall victory.
Honoring the Greatest Ever One night after Nature Boy Ric Flairs career came to an end at the Citrus Bowl, all of the WWE Superstars and notable friends and opponents from Flairs illustrious career honored the 2008 Hall of Fame inductee.
The night ended with Shawn Michaels embracing the "Nature Boy," as HBK finally came to terms with his historic win over his good friend, and the burden he carries as the man who ended Flairs career.
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