Burlington, VT, Memorial Auditorium, Raw brand house show.
By EBM, rajah.com reader
Two hours of waiting on the day the tickets went on sale got me two choice third row seats (directly on the aisle, go me!). I joined the line waiting to go into the building at 4 PM. The weather was cool and windy, no rain or snow (I had my umbrella just in case, but I ended up using it just to point, shade my eyes, and wave around excitedly).
Approx. 5:30 PM. 13 protestors (one with a little baby!) arrive, with pretty much the same exact signs they've had the last few times. This time, I joined in the heckling, which included a pair of funny signs made up on the spot by other people in line. That wasn't the best of it, though. A while later, Triple H and Victoria came out on a fire escape above the crowd and, pointing to the protestors all the while, staged a hilarious "fight" just for their benefit. Rosey poked his head out a short time later, which prompted more cheering.
6:30 PM. Doors open. After locating my seat, I went off to the merchandise stand, scanning the offerings before making my picks. I came away with a Chris Benoit "4-Real" t-shirt and a Randy Orton "Legend Killer Tour" t-shirt, which made me happy.
7:30 PM. After "Lonely Road of Faith" and "My Sacrifice" as the lights dimmed, a pair of spotlights came on (nearly blinding me) as "Welcome to the Jungle" hit. Howard Finkel came out to an excellent pop. Since most of the pre-show rules had been run through by a recording, Fink only had a few things to say before the show starts. (note: I might go fangirl at some parts, so please forgive me. Also, if the matches are out of order, forgive me, as my memory's fuzzy.)
Gene Snisky (that's how his last name is spelled. NO T!) vs. Val Venis
Snisky came out to generic stock music. The guy has the biggest chin since Sgt. Slaughter. Snisky cut pretty much the same promo he did on Raw. Val came out complete with towel, doing the traditional turnbuckle climb playing to the crowd (thank you Val...). Somewhat decent back and forth action, but it's made pretty apparent that Snisky's really not ready to be called up. Crowd was into it, as chants of "You Suck" and "We Want Kane" frequently were directed at Snisky (couldn't get a "Baby Killer" chant started, though). Snisky won with a pumphandle-type slam reminiscent of the one Bryan Clarke used as Wrath. (the guy next to me kept calling Snisky Leno, which was hilarious) Afterward, a woman nearby kept heckling Snisky, so he flicked his sweat at her, which was quite amusing (the woman was a loudmouth, and quite frankly deserved it). Val looked to be legitly injured after the match, as he had trouble getting out of the ring. (Note to WWE: Even though "it's not my fault" is gold as a catchphrase, please have Kane destroy Snisky and send him back to OVW, because he's just not ready for the big time.) Val handed off his towel to a little kid standing at the front of the aisle.
Winner: Gene Snisky
Simon Dean vs. Shelton Benjamin
More generic stock music. Dean, wearing a powder-blue tracksuit with "Simon" in white on the back and carrying a bag, came out and got on the mic, insulting the crowd, saying that he'd shut up if one of us would admit to having a weight problem. Midway through...Ain't no stoppin' me, no! Shelton Benjamin gets a decent pop as he enters the ring. Dean, with a huge smile on his face, says that Benjamin came out to admit a weight problem (prompting Benjamin to touch his side, turn to the ref, and say "Weight problem?"). The match was nicely paced, showing why Dean deserves to be on the main roster (although not with that gimmick...Nova, dude, you've got lovehandles. Personal trainers aren't supposed to have lovehandles!). Shelton got the win after a corner splash and a move or two I can't remember. Afterward, he spotted the bag, and tore it apart, revealing a bottle of pills, one of those stretchy things with the handles that you try to stretch, and...a black bra (now what would THAT be used for...hmm...maybe he swiped it from Stevie?). After putting the bra on Dean and putting the empty bag on his head, Shelton took his leave. Dean, looking to be in tears, gathered his stuff back into his bag (with an assist from the referee), and left. (Note to WWE: Shelton needs tights that are slightly less snug around a certain area...)
Winner: Shelton Benjamin
Mohammad Hassan vs. Maven
OVW prospects Mark Magnus and Shawn Daivari, AKA Mohammad Hassan and his manager (Daivari's using some weird Arabian name I didn't catch) came out to...the old Sultan music. Talk about recycling. Daivari got the mic, proceeding to introduce himself and his protege (amid HEAVY USA chants), and ask for a moment of silence so Hassan could pray to Allah (complete with rug). No moment of silence for them! Maven came out to a decent pop (sporting some new red tights, with matching wrist tape...very nice!). The match was pretty good (Magnus has a fair shot of making it, I'd say...Daivari has more of a "look" to him, though). Maven got the win after a nice succession of moves (including a dropkick). (several folks were ejected during the match for dumping soda on one of the wrestlers)
Winner: Maven
Fink heads back in, carrying a piece of paper. He proceeds (without ANY enthusiasm) to introduce Coach. Coach runs his mouth, getting plenty of heat. He mentions Diva Search winner Christy Hemme (which causes me to groan and remark, "Don't tell me she's here!"), which prompts Molly Holly to show up. Holly remarks that what she did to Christy on Raw will be nothing compared to what she does to Victoria, which, of course, causes Victoria to make an appearance. Coach calls for a referee to come out. Ask and ye shall receive, in the form of senior ref Earl Hebner. Coach gets in Hebner's face, calling him a joke. Hebner takes the mic and, in a very amusing moment, bosses Coach out of the ring. The match itself went back and forth a few times, mostly punches and elbows. Molly gets the nod, reversing Victoria's shaky standing backflip into a rollup with a handful of tights.
Winner: Molly Holly
Fink shills No Mercy, Monday's Raw from MSG, and the new Benoit shirt ("4-Real", which is a very nice design. As mentioned, I'd bought one earlier) and calls out a guy from Plattsburgh to help him throw them out to the crowd. The only one to go into my section sailed over my head. Oh well.
3-way elimination for the tag team titles, La Resistance vs. Hurricane/Rosey vs. Eugene/William Regal
La Resistance came out, waving their flags. Conway demands we stand for the Canadian national anthem. Amid booing, Grenier proceeds to murder our eardrums (Sylvain, PLEASE stick to your day job!). They're interrupted (thankfully) by Hurricane and Rosey's entrance. (I was wearing my "I Got Hurripowers" t-shirt!) Everyone was expecting Rhyno and Tajiri to be the next team involved, so a massive pop ensued when Eugene's music hit. Eugene grabs one of the flags, proceeding to ride it around the ring. Hurricane and Grenier start out, as Eugene sticks the end of the tag rope up his nose. Rosey got heat for beating on Eugene. The two of them ran the ropes, and Eugene slipped out and sat down next to Fink, which was amusing. Eugene pinned either Hurricane or Rosey after something (which I'm not sure of). After a Rock Bottom on one of La Resistance, Eugene got Regal to deliver a hilarious People's Elbow. After using the flag on Regal, La Resistance picked up the win. Eugene airplaned around the ring, then came out to slap hands. (I ran up to the guard rail in the aisle, and managed to touch fingers with him...not a full hand-slap, but hey, you take what you can get)
Winners: La Resistance
Intermission! I waded through the crowd and got to the concession stand in record time to get drinks.
Rhyno/Tajiri vs. Stevie Richards/Chuck Palumbo
Richards is back to wearing his bright pink tights again! The same little kid who got the towel came back up with a Rhyno sign, one of two which Rhyno took with him to stand on the turnbuckle with. Amusingly, it took him a few minutes to get the signs right side up. The match was decent, with plenty of Tajiri's wickedly stiff kicks. Rhyno gets the win after a picture-perfect gore on Richards. Afterward, he slips out to help up Tajiri, who had fallen outside the ring. (Note to WWE: PLEASE stop making Palumbo look like the second incarnation of the Brooklyn Brawler!) Palumbo had to restrain Richards as the two left ringside, because a guy a few rows back tried to pick a fight with him. Richards looked legitly pissed.
Winners: Rhyno/Tajiri
Intercontinental title match, Chris Jericho vs. Christian w/Tyson Tomko
Jericho's using an older version of his music, for some reason, but it's damn good to see him with some gold again. Massive "Y2J" chants, with a few "CLB" sprinkled in. "Christian, in case you didn't realize, you've got about 5000 Jerichoholics calling you a CLB!" Vast overestimation by Jericho, as the Memorial Auditorium only seats 2500 (but was full nearly to capacity). After Christian got knocked out of the ring, Tomko came over to comfort him, resulting in the two outright HUGGING. Jericho put in his two cents: "Tomko, CLB does NOT stand for Cute Little Boyfriend!" Towards the tailend of the match, Tomko was ejected. Christian tapped out to the Walls. After a "You Tapped Out" chant, Christian threw a fit. (again, crowded the aisle guard rail, and this time got a full hand-slap from Jericho...didn't think I would, because that annoying kid was back again with another sign)
Winner: Chris Jericho
Main Event time! Evolution (Triple H and Batista) vs. Chris Benoit/Randy Orton
As much as I dislike Trips, the water spitting stunt he does freaking rocks when seen live. Batista, IMHO, is a god among men. He was doing stretches before the match began, and managed a near-full split (reducing me to a pile of quivering goo in the process). Benoit got a great pop, but it was quickly outclassed as Mercy Road's "Take What's Mine" hit and the roof blew off. Orton gets in Trips' face, snatching the belt and giving it a long kiss (I hope he knew where that belt has been...). During the match, Trips kept dodging Orton, countering 3 RKO attempts by dropping and rolling out of the ring (lame!). Benoit does an awesome job of encouraging crowd chants, shilling several "RKO" and "Randy" chants. Orton eventually gets the win after an RKO on Batista. Very good job by all 4 of them. Evolution takes to its heels as Orton scales the turnbuckles, pointing at Trips. The true highlight of my night came around afterward. I'd pushed for a good spot on the guard rail as Orton and Benoit were working their way around the rail slapping hands. Orton came around from one direction, so I had my hand out. Seconds later, Benoit came around from the other, so I switched arms. Both of them slapped a hand, sending me into euphoric fangirl mode. :) Fink thanks us all for coming. End, 10:30 PM.
Winners: Chris Benoit/Randy Orton
All in all, a definite step up from last November's dismal failure. Good matches, plenty of big names, and great fan interaction. No Kane, HBK, Flair, or Bischoff.
Biggest pops
1. Randy Orton
2. Eugene
3. Chris Benoit
4. Chris Jericho
5. Rhyno
Biggest heat
1. Trips
2. Christian
3. Gene Snisky
4. The Coach
5. La Resistance (especially after Grenier attempted murder on our ears)
