Official RAW Thread (2/19/2007): Friend or Foes?/Money In The Bank 3.

[St. Jimmy]

One night after No Way Out, wild twists and turns abound on the Road to WrestleMania as Raw returns to Bakersfield, Calif., and its regular Monday night time slot.

Will HBK still have Cena's back when the Champ battles Orton?

John Cena and Shawn Michaels were true to their word at No Way Out—Cena battled alongside HBK as hard as he will against him when they meet at WrestleMania 23, while The Showstopper had the WWE Champ’s back during their unbelievable victory against World Champion Batista and Undertaker Sunday night. So what’s next for the World Tag Team Champions? Will they remain allies going into Bakersfield tonight, or will their mutual respect for one another begin to crumble under the weight of championship gold? We won't have to wait long to find out, as Cena will be in action tonight when he takes on Randy Orton.

“Bank” qualifiers apply

With WrestleMania 23 looming, it’s time to get a championship contract in place—specifically, inside a briefcase latched over the ring within Detroit’s Ford Field. The first round of “Money in the Bank” Qualifying Matches begins in Bakersfield tonight, with Edge squaring off against ECW’s Rob Van Dam. Since the Rated-R Superstar and the ECW Original were the respective “Bank” winners of the past two WrestleManias, this encounter ensures that one will not earn a bid into the match at the granddaddy of them all. Who will be the first to cash out?

Girls’ Fight Out

As announced last week, Melina meets Mickie James for the Women’s Championship tonight on Raw. The primal-screaming Diva’s first attempt two weeks ago proved unsuccessful, but she may have earned an A-list advantage after scoring a pinfall over the Women’s Champion in last week’s Mixed Tag Team Match. Will Melina’s success carry over from the red carpet to the ring, or can Mickie keep the gold around her waist?

Be sure to watch Raw live this Monday night when it seriously turns up the California heat at 9/8 CT on USA Network.