WWE RAW Report
Aired LIVE! from Rockford, IL
May 24, 2004
Reported by: The Worm, rajah.com RAW reporter
RAW opens by recapping the results of the 20 Man Battle Royal from last week, in which Kane becomes the #1 contender to the World Heavyweight Championship. That is, with the help of HBK, who interfered and eliminated Triple H from the bout. "How does it feel, Triple H? How does it feel?" - Jim Ross
Backstage Action:
We see Triple H taping up and seething over his loss last week. He tells Bischoff to reinstate HBK and Bischoff says that he is getting what he wants because he's already reinstated HBK and he knows that he'll be here tonight. Bischoff makes a match at Bad Blood between Triple H and HBK. Triple H says that HBK probably won't make it to Bad Blood because once he steps inside the arena, Triple H is going to beat him down dead and he's going to finish him off here tonight. Triple H then turns to his cohorts and chastises them for not helping him out. He says he better see some unity, starting with the match between Edge and Ric Flair.
There was no RAW introduction, so jerking the curtain tonight will be Edge and Ric Flair.
Match #1 (Singles) - Edge vs. Ric Flair (w/ Randy Orton):
Edge is out first, followed by Ric Flair who comes out to his old theme music. Ric's not alone either, as Randy Orton follows him out to accompany him at ringside.
Ric struts his stuff before locking up and Edge latches on a headlock. Flair quickly reverses and they lock up again. Flair twists Edge's arm into a hammerlock and Edge goes behind Flair. Edge runs Flair into the turnbuckle and they lock up again. Flair hits a knife edge chop to knock Edge down and then he picks him up and puts him in the corner. Edge counters and hits some punches. He whips him to the opposite corner and hits a back drop. Flair is then clotheslined over the ropes to the outside. Edge body slams Flair on the outside and then throws him back in.
Flair pleads for mercy and Edge kicks Flair in the chest. Orton tries to get involved, allowing Flair to hit a thumb to the eye. Flair takes Edge down with a knife edge chop and then slams his head into the turnbuckle. Flair punches away at Edge and then hits a chop to knock Edge down into the turnbuckle.
Flair kicks Edge in the back followed by a snapmare takeover. Flair hits a rolling knee drop and then stomps away at his head. Flair continues to chop away at Edge and this time the two exchange blows. Edge gains the offense and hits a flying forearm on Flair followed by a couple of clotheslines. Edge whips Flair into the corner and hits a back drop. Edge whips Flair again into the turnbuckle and Flair spills over it. Flair goes up top and jumps off, but Edge catches him. Edge goes for the pin, and the ref gets a two count (a weird one at that...don't ask). Orton tries to get involved and Flair rolls up Edge, but Edge kicks out at two.
Shelton Benjamin runs out to take out Orton, allowing Edge to get the victory over Flair with the spear. I hope Edge starts to use the Edgecution, as well as the Edgecator when his cast is removed.
Winner: Edge
Backstage Action:
Batista tells a worker to take a hike as he and Triple H wait outside for HBK's arrival and it's time to take a commercial break.
As we return to the Metro Centre in Rockford, IL, Jim Ross takes us backstage to hear an announcement from Vince McMahon.
Vince McMahon's Announcement:
He talks about the WWE RAW Diva Search and once they find that lucky woman, she'll be crowned a WWE RAW Diva as well as winning a quarter of a million dollars. The crowd will decide who the lucky ladies are and the crowd will also get to vote off divas. Go to http://www.wwe.com for more details.
Backstage Action:
The Grish is backstage as he recaps the recent events between Lita and the Big Red Machine, Kane. We see Kane choking out Matt Hardy with a cable as well as with a steel chair. Lita comes out and begs for Kane's mercy and even answers yes to his question. Todd Grisham is going to find out what the question is. Matt Hardy interrupts to find out where Lita is and then she shows up and Matt says that he is worried about her and how they were thinking of each other. Lita tells Matt that she loves him and then they kiss. Lita would rather show how much she loves him. Lita leaves to go grab her bags and heads inside her locker room. Just then, Kane sneaks up behind Lita and she asks what he is doing in her locker room. Lita asks Kane "I thought you said it was all over?" Kane says it's all over and Lita regains her composure as she leaves the room and then we go to yet another commercial break.
Be sure to check out Cheating Death, Stealing Life: The Eddie Guerrero Story this Wednesday at 9 PM Eastern. I should also mention that Fabulous Moolah & Mae Young will be on Jay Leno tonight at 11:35 PM Eastern.
Backstage Action:
We see Batista and Triple H continuing to wait for HBK and then they see a car pull up, who they think belongs to HBK. They pull out the driver and beat the crap out of him, but they end up realizing that they beat up Steven Richards. Stevie Night Heat will probably be involved in a match against Triple H or Batista next week, I just know it.
Match #2 (Tag) - La Resistance vs. The Hurricane & Rosey:
Rosey and Conway kick things off. Conway points to Grenier and Rosey shoves Conway. Conway comes back with a knee to the gut and punches. He tries to whip Rosey, but Rosey is just too big. Rosey whips Conway out of the ring. and then as he comes back in, he rams Conway's head into the turnbuckle. The Hurricane is tagged in and takes down Conway and then goes for the cover, but Conway kicks out. Hurricane takes out Grenier and then continues to work on Conway. As Hurricane bounces off the ropes, Grenier pulls down the middle rope and the Hurricane flies to the outside.
Conway works on the Hurricane some more before tagging in Grenier. Grenier works on Hurricane's legs and then tags Conway back in. Conway puts Hurricane's foot on the rope and then stomps on it. He then drags him to the middle of the ring and twists Hurricane's left leg. Hurricane fights out of it with an enziguiri and both men are down. Both guys tag in their partners and Rosey cleans house. Rosey body slams Conway and then bounces off the ropes to hit a spinning leg drop. La Resistance double team Rosey. Rosey rolls through a double clothesline attempt and clotheslines the team. Hurricane is tagged in as he flies off the top with a flying cross body on Grenier. Grenier kicks out and as Hurricane sets him up for the Shining Wizard, Conway clocks the Hurricane in the head as Grenier rolls him up for the pin.
Winner: La Resistance
Backstage Action:
Triple H is pacing back and forth as he continues to wait for HBK. Suddenly, HBK comes out nowhere and beats the hell out of Triple H. Refs and road agents come out to break it up as we go to a commercial break.
JR recaps what happened before the commercial break and now it is time for the Highlight Reel.
Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel (Special Guest: Randy Orton)
The crowd is cheering for Y2J tonight as Y2J chants break out and welcome to RAW is Jericho! This is the world's greatest highlight reel. Things have been feeling a little different lately and that's because Christian is not here. CLB now stands for crushed lower back. Christian is now chilling out downtown in Chinatown, courtesy of Y2J. Tonight's guest is the WWE Intercontinental Champion, Randy Orton.
Orton makes his way down to the ring and then takes the stick. "You Suck" chants sound throughout the arena and it's must of been a wild and crazy night so far for Evolution. Jericho brings up the fact that Randy Orton is currently the longest reigning IC champ in the past seven years. Jericho then brings up Orton's latest accomplishments, which includes taking out Mick Foley, HBK, and Harley Race.
Jericho's question for Orton is has he reconsidered Shelton Benjamin's challenge? Orton says he hasn't and now the question is why are you scared of Shelton Benjamin? Orton denies that he's ducking his challenge and the reason he doesn't want to defend it is because he hasn't proven himself worthy. Tension is building up between Y2J and Orton as Y2J interrupts while Orton is talking. Orton states that Shelton and Y2J have one thing in common: they both have a big mouth. Y2J scoffs at Orton's remark and then mocks him.
"What's next? You gonna call me a poo-poo head?" - Chris Jericho
Orton says that he better watch it...he is Randy Orton, he is the IC champ, he is a part of Evolution, and he is a "legend". Orton says that he wouldn't mind putting Y2J on his list of legends that he's killed as he clocks him with a punch.
Jericho retaliates with a running enziguiri and a scuffle ensues. Batista runs out and they double team Y2J. Shelton then comes out to make the save and he cleans house. Bischoff comes out and says that it's enough. He refuses to lose control of his show and he makes a tag match between Batista & Orton vs. Y2J & Shelton Benjamin. The match is starting right now as we go to a commercial break.
Match #3 (Tag) - Batista & Randy Orton vs. Chris Jericho & Shelton Benjamin:
We return to a match in progress and Y2J is in control of Randy Orton.They lock up and Jericho goes behind Orton and uses some amateur wrestling techniques. Jericho locks in a bow & arrow lock and Orton flops off into a pin cover. Jericho quickly kicks out and now they are exchanging blows. Orton whips Jericho into the turnbuckle and Jericho flies out with a clothesline. Jericho goes for the pin, but Orton kicks out. Shelton Benjamin is tagged in and they have a little stare-down.
Batista is tagged in and he tells Shelton to bring it on (Batista is such a dumbass sometimes). They size each other up before they grapple and Shelton has Batista in a headlock as Batista tries to fight out of it. Shelton releases the hold and then they lock up again. Shelton latches on another headlock and wrenches his arm around a bit.
More arm wrenches by Shelton and then Batista hits a scoop slam. Batista tries for an elbow drop, but no one's home. Shelton works Batista over with punches. Batista manages to regain control and he tags in Orton. Orton pounds away at Shelton with uppercuts and stomps to the back. Orton tags Batista back in as "Randy Sucks" chants break out. Batista punches Shelton and then steps on his head. Orton is tagged back in and he whips Shelton. Orton tries for a hip toss, but Shelton blocks it and turns it into a neckbreaker.
Both men are down and Shelton tags in Y2J. He immediately goes after Batista and then hits a flying forearm on Orton. Orton whips Jericho, but Jericho manages to roll up Orton..or so we think. Y2J tries for the Walls of Jericho, but Orton isn't giving. Y2J clocks Batista and then goes for the Lionsault, but misses as he lands on his feet. Jericho tries to latch on the Walls of Jericho again, but Batista runs in to break it up. Y2J steps out of the way and throws Batista out. Y2J flies out of the ring to land on Batista and Orton as we go to a commercial break.
Back on Raw, Batista is stomping away at Y2J in the corner. At the announce booth, we see Trish joining the team for this match. Orton is tagged in and he wraps Y2J's arm around the top rope. During the commercial, Y2J tries to get Batista to tap out to the Walls, but Trish's music hits and Orton throws Y2J into the turnbuckle.
Batista is back in the ring and JR tries to inquire about the CLB's status, but Trish tells him that it's none of his business (what a bitch..JR tries to express concern, and she bites his head off). Batista has Y2J in an arm submission and then Y2J works it over into a hammerlock to relieve the pressure. Batista goes for a pin, but Shelton breaks it up.
Orton is tagged back in as he continues to work on Jericho's arm, but Y2J counters with some punches. Orton takes Y2J back down and he now has Y2J in a short arm scissors. More "Randy Sucks" chants break out and Jericho is trying to punch his way out of the hold. Jericho works his way up, but Orton still has a hold of the arm. Y2J chops away at Orton and he bounces off the ropes, but Batista gets in a cheap shot. Orton hits an arm takedown and then tags in Batista. Shelton tries to get involved, but Orton flips him off.
Batista is hit with a drop-kick and then quickly tags in Orton. Y2J connects with the Flashback (someone clarify this for me so I don't get his moves mixed up). Both men are down and Jericho manages to tag in Shelton. Shelton cleans house and Shelton manages to connect with the Dragon Whip (JR calls it a spinning heel kick). A lot of fast-paced action going on. Two near-falls and Shelton is still in control, but Batista hits a spinebuster and goes for a pin, but Jericho comes in and drop-kicks him in the head.
Orton is tagged in and Shelton runs Orton into the ropes for a rolling clutch pin, but Orton kicks out. I'm having a hard time keeping up with this one, but Jericho & Shelton win when Y2J tosses Orton into Shelton Benjamin after he attempts the RKO and Shelton Benjamin connects with a modified powerslam to pick up the pinfall victory.
Winner: Shelton Benjamin & Chris Jericho
What a great match that was..if it weren't for the fact that it's 10 PM, that match could be mistaken as a main event match because it was that damn good. I tried to keep up as best as I could, but I did miss a couple of spots, and I apologize for it.
As Jericho and Shelton make their way up the ramp, Trish confronts Jericho, which allows Tyson Tomko to ambush him from behind. Tomko then clears the announce table as he powerbombs Jericho through it. This elicits "Holy Shit" chants from the crowd. Tomko and Trish stand over Jericho as we go to commercial.
JR recaps what just transpired between Tomko and Jericho, resulting in Jericho getting powerbombed through the announce table. During the break, Jericho is placed on a stretcher and carted out of the arena. The announcers are left standing in the wreckage of their table since Tomko tossed the chairs. Kane's pyro hits and he makes his way down to the ring.
Kane Promo:
Chris Benoit, I envy you. I envy the fact that you have the World title. I'm envious because you live a life of normalcy. I'm envious because as the World Champion, you're living out your dreams. I live in nightmares, Chris, my world is shattered and burned. I live in darkness and shadows. That's all gonna change at Bad Blood. You see, Benoit, I want your World title. And what I want, I always get. *laughs*
Kane sets off the four post pyro and that's the end of this promo.
Backstage Action:
HBK is backstage with Bischoff asking him if he has his match with Triple H at Bad Blood. He has his match, with no strings attached. Suddenly, Triple H appears from behind and beats the hell out of HBK, squashing Bischoff in the process. Johnny Nitro and the refs are having a hard time breaking the both of them up as we go to another commercial.
Another JR recap and he comments how not even the GM is immune from what is going on between HBK and Triple H.
Match #4 (Singles, Non-Title) - Victoria vs. Molly Holly (w/ Gail Kim):
Victoria's got a new entrance going for her, complete with moves and music. Victoria does an awesome little dance at the top of the ramp, which leaves me with chills going down my spine.
Next out is my all-time favorite diva, Molly Holly, as she is accompanied to the ring by Gail Kim. I wish she would ditch the wig already.
They lock up and Molly easily takes control of Victoria. Victoria is whipped into the corner, and attempts to leap over Molly, but Molly catches her and tosses her out. On the outside, Molly tosses her into the security barrier and now both women are back in the ring. Molly hits an elbow drop followed by a snap suplex. Molly goes for a pin, and damn, Victoria kicks out. Molly pulls Victoria's cheeks back and she is distracted by the ref, which allows Victoria to roll her up. Luckily, Molly kicks out.
Molly continues to work on that jezebel Victoria with a modified chin-lock and the King reports that WWE.com is being overwhelmed with all the women that wanna be divas. Molly still has that hold on Victoria and Victoria is brazen enough to punch that beautiful Molly in the face.
Molly fires back with a spinning neckbreaker..and fast forward, Victoria tries for a backslide, but Molly kicks out. Victoria is still in control as she slams Molly. Gail tries to get involved, which allows Molly to regain control. But it isn't too long before I'll have to say ugh, what a disgrace to see Molly defeated by Victoria's Widow's Peak.
Winner: Victoria
Post-match, Gail Kim gets in the ring and tries to take on Victoria, but is met with another Widow's Peak for her efforts.
Post-Match Comments: I love seeing Molly in action. I'll admit that I didn't like her at first, but over time she has grown on me. She's very sexy and she doesn't need to get into a bikini to prove it. I only hope that Molly has another Women's title reign in the future. However, she does need to ditch the wig. I don't think Kurt Angle kept his wig on for as long as Molly has. She shouldn't let her looks and what other people say about her baldness get to her because she's better than all that. On another note, I don't care for Victoria's new music (it's not better than the t.A.t.U. theme, trust me), but I did love that little dance she did on the stage.
The Smackdown Rebound recaps the six man tag match between JBL & the Dudleys vs. RVD & Mysterio and Eddie Guerrero. The results see Eddie Guerrero passing out during his match and JBL forcing the ref to count his pin to get the victory for his team.
Backstage Action:
Bischoff is seen venting his frustrations over the altercations between Triple H and HBK. They'll respond to mass force, so he tells Nitro to go out and assemble every last WWE employee because if the Triple H and HBK ship goes down, Bischoff is NOT going down with it.
Commercial Break
Backstage Action:
Bischoff is rallying the troops and he puts on a speech about how they all shouldn't let the Triple H and HBK fights tear down what they've built up. He says that if they see them fighting, to tear them apart. If they don't help, they're fired. The newest RAW members, Chuck Palumbo and A-Train were seen among that group. Chuck Palumbo shaved his head and A-Train hasn't changed much.
The announcers talk about the events that occurred between the Coach and Eugene in which the Coach breaks the harsh truth to Eugene. Eugene walks up the ramp, but we are very pleasantly surprised with an appearance by The Rock. If you wanna know what happened, read last week's RAW Report. :-)
Backstage Action:
Todd Grisham is backstage with Eugene & Regal. Eugene isn't paying much attention, but he does give the Grish a wet willy and repeats one of the Rock's catchphrases. The Rock isn't here tonight, so his partner will be William Regal. Nitro shows up and reminds Regal that he hasn't been reinstated by Bischoff. Regal demands that he go out with Eugene, but Nitro isn't hearing any of it. Nitro tells Eugene that if he doesn't find a partner, he'll be having his very first 2 on 1 handicap match. Regal shows a passionate side (I've never seen that side of Regal before) as he tells Eugene to be a man and to run off and get ready for his match.
Back on RAW, we're gearing up for what I'm guessing is the final match of the night.
Main Event (Tag) - The Coach & Garrison Cade vs. Eugene & ????:
Eugene hesitantly makes his way down to the ring and his surprise partner is none other than Chris Benoit! Eugene is ecstatic as Benoit's music hits and the contenders are scared shitless. Benoit holds his Tag title and World title up for the whole world to see and then Eugene parades around the ring with the titles. The Coach trips Eugene and Benoit goes after him. The ref holds him back, but Cade comes in and Benoit takes it to him.
Benoit tags in Eugene as Eugene chants break out. Eugene uses a headlock takedown and Cade gets up. Cade grabs Eugene's hair as he backs into his corner. Cade clocks the Coach as Eugene ducks. Both wrestlers are bouncing off the ropes. Eugene tells Cade to look up and he does so, and Eugene bonks him on the head.
Benoit is tagged in and he chops away at Cade and then whips him hard into the corner. He rams his head into the turnbuckle and hits more chops. Cade comes back with some offense of his own, but Benoit is a fighting champion, so he takes it to Cade a little bit longer before he is whipped in the enemy's corner. Cade tags in the Coach and the announcers comment that it'll be an ill-fated tag. Benoit chops away at the Coach and then rams his head into the turnbuckle.
Eugene spins Cade around like an airplane and then Cade goes to the outside, followed by Eugene. Benoit hits his rolling Germans on the Coach and Cade and Eugene are still fighting on the outside. Benoit motions for the flying headbutt, but Cade runs in. Benoit throws him out and then goes up to top to connect with the flying headbutt. More Eugene chants break out and Benoit tags Eugene in.
Benoit motions Eugene to do the flying headbutt, so he rips off his jacket before doing so. Eugene has a little trouble balancing himself on the top rope, but Benoit steadies him. Eugene comes off the top with the flying headbutt and the victory.
Winner: Eugene & Chris Benoit
I've said it before, and I'll say it again...Eugene is abso-fucking-lutely awesome. I hope the Raw team continues to use Eugene the way he's being used now, because there's nothing better than that. It'll be interesting to see Eugene perform when he's in contention for..let's say, the Intercontinental Championship.
Post-match, Eugene celebrates by running around the ring with Benoit's titles and then hands them back to him.
Backstage Action:
Another Triple H/HBK fight breaks out, but this time a handful of WWE superstars run to break it up. Triple H wants to end it now, but HBK has disappeared from the locker room.
The WWE Slam of the Week recaps HBK interfering with last week's Battle Royal to eliminate Triple H and allowing Kane to become the #1 contender to the title.
Triple H's music hits and we'll get to hear from one of the luckiest guys on the face of this earth, Hunter Hearst Helmsley.
Triple H Promo:
That's it! It ends here right now! Shawn Michaels, I'm done with you so get your ass to this ring right now! HBK's music hits and he wastes no time getting into the ring. A fight ensues with the two exchanging blows. HBK is dominating Triple H so far, but Ric Flair comes in and is met with the Sweet Chin Music. Orton & Batista try to interfere, but HBK has no problem dealing with them. Edge & Benoit run down to get rid of Evolution. Nitro & the Hurricane come down to break the fight up, followed by Rob Conway. Each of them is taken out and then we see Bischoff motioning for the rest of the guys to come out and break it up.
Chaos has been unleashed in the Metro Centre as every WWE superstar attempts to break up the fight between Triple H & HBK. HBK hits a plancha on Triple H, A-Train, and a couple others. Bischoff motions for more superstars to come out and more hell breaks loose. Even the refs are getting involved. Bischoff has had enough as he gets into the ring and before he can make his announcement, Triple H breaks loose and tries to attack HBK. Bischoff finally announces a Hell in the Cell match between Triple H and HBK at Bad Blood and then HBK tries to go after Triple H to bring us to the:
END OF SHOW
I have a couple of things to talk about that I need to get off of my chest.
Post-Show Comments:
#1: I'm totally loving RAW lately. It's been very good and I'm glad they're using the RAW stars the way that they should be used. If Vince put this much effort into Smackdown, he'd be back on top (figuratively speaking) once again.
#2: It seems as if tension is building up between the members of Evolution. Are we witnessing a de-evolution of Evolution? Only time will tell when Bad Blood rolls around. I, for one, wanna see Randy Orton vs. Triple H. Another teacher vs. student type storyline. Orton is really coming into his own and he seems to work better as a conceited heel than a babyface (but then again, Orton was only a face for a short time before jumping to Raw).
#3: I've read that Eddie Guerrero has been beginning to crack under the pressure that comes with being WWE Champion. Many feel that he is the cause of the decline in house show attendance and that his deep cut at Judgment Day was a sign of him trying to hard. I think those people are wrong. It's not totally Eddie Guerrero's fault that people aren't going to house shows much these days. The crowd loves Eddie Guerrero, and if you want proof, just listen to the crowd every week as Eddie comes out to the ring.
There are many reasons to explain the decline in house show sales. One reason being the gas prices. In Michigan, gas prices are over $2 a gallon and in other places it has been known to go over $3. People don't want to go traveling if they have to spend a bunch of money just to fill up their vehicle.
Another reason is the writing. Since the draft, Smackdown's writing has declined. I mean, they have Bradshaw as the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. He hardly deserves that spot, and if they wanted to push him, they should have started by having him feud with John Cena over his US Title instead of feuding with Eddie Guerrero for the WWE title. Give that spot to someone who actually deserves it, like Rob Van Dam or Booker T. I'd pay to see another Rob Van Dam and Eddie Guerrero feud, as I really enjoyed their matches when they were feuding over the IC title a couple of years ago on RAW (I particularly remembered when a fan jumped the barrier and interfered with a ladder match they were having).
Another reason I can think of is that a house show isn't anything to get too excited about. Don't get me wrong, as I'm sure house shows have their fair share of decent matches, but it seems to me that there aren't enough of them. House shows are becoming too predictable, with all of the title holders retaining their titles and what not. Mix it up and let someone win a title at a house show, like when Christian won the IC title when Booker T hurt his back. If there was a good reason to, people would go to house shows more often.
You don't have to agree with what I say, so if you have something you want to add, feel free to fire off an email. Just keep it civil..meaning no yelling, cursing, etc.
Email me at: theworm@rajah.com
