Monday Night Raw – September 5, 2005: Masterlock Theater
IMG Credit: WWE
Monday Night Raw
Date: September 5, 2005
Location: Gaylord Entertainment Center, Nashville, Tennessee
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Jonathan Coachman
We’re less than two weeks away from Unforgiven and that means things should be starting to pick up. I’m not sure what that is going to mean around here but it could cover a lot of ground. Kurt Angle vs. John Cena is starting to look like a solid main event and hopefully it lives up to the hype. Let’s get to it.
Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.
Opening sequence.
Kurt Angle vs. Eugene
Angle suplexes him down to start and stomps away in a hurry, which fits him rather well at the moment. The announcers talk about how Eugene might not know what he’s gotten himself into, which was never mentioned when they did this match several times before in the last month or so. Angle gets two more off another suplex and we hit the reverse chinlock. Some forearms to the face get two but Eugene fires up and tries a Jim Duggan three point stance, only to have his knee sent into the post. The ankle lock gives Angle the win.
Rating: D. There was nothing to the match which was just a squash but the important thing is they weren’t even hinting at the idea of Eugene being a threat to Angle. It was one thing in the three minute time limit matches where Eugene just had to survive but this should have been Angle massacring him, which is what we got.
Post match Angle keeps the hold and puts on the grapevine, drawing out John Cena for the save. Cena wins the brawl but Tyson Tomko runs in to boot Cena in the face. Angle throws in a You Can’t See Me because he’s awesome.
Post break Angle and Eric Bischoff are very happy. Tomko comes in and Bischoff gives him a match with Cena tonight.
Heart Throbs vs. Viscera/Val Venis
Romeo punches Val into the corner to start so Venis comes back with the usual clotheslines. A Russian legsweep gets two but the full nelson isn’t happening. Instead Venis hits a reverse suplex and brings in Viscera, who misses a splash. Viscera runs Thomas over but Romeo blocks Val from coming in with the Money Shot. That means it’s time for Val to get taken down so the Throbs can work on his knee as we get into the meat of things. Val kicks Romeo into Thomas though and the hot tag brings in Viscera for the house cleaning. The double running splash is blocked but a Samoan drop is enough to finish Romeo.
Rating: D+. This was an odd little match as neither team is likely to go anywhere but I guess you have to fill in the two hours somehow. It’s not a good match or anything but the fans are digging Viscera and Venis works as well as anyone else is going to as his partner. There are worse things to use for the show and if they can get a small reaction out of Viscera, it’s better than a short time of people sitting on their hands.
We get some Masterlock Challenge highlights. It’s a full nelson. How many highlights can you have?
Linda McMahon asks for donations to help with Hurricane Katrina. Nothing wrong with that.
It’s time for Carlito’s Cabana with special guest Ashley Massaro. Carlito: “Well hello A**ley!” He says she should use her big check to get a makeover but Ashley calls him out for complaining about hair. Carlito doesn’t like people coming on his show and insulting him, even if it’s Ric Flair. That was a big mistake, so Carlito jumped Flair last week and he’ll make it worse at Unforgiven.
Back to Ashley, we see Victoria destroying her last week. Ashley is ready for Torrie Wilson tonight but Carlito loads up the apple. Cue Flair, who is way too smiley for someone with bandages on his head. Flair goes with the testicular claw (several of them actually) and the beatdown is on. Carlito bails before Flair can throw a barrel of apples at him. Flair wants to know where Carlito is going, because he’s going to school at Unforgiven. That’s cool, and you know what else is? WOO!
More Masterlock Challenge highlights. He’s still putting people in full nelsons.
Lance Cade and Trevor Murdoch debut tonight. Cade has to keep Murdoch from dropping his pants.
Video on last week’s Matt Hardy vs. Edge street fight.
Bischoff gives Matt a cage match with Edge at Unforgiven, but he also has to face Snitsky next.
Matt Hardy vs. Snitsky
Edge and Lita come out to have a seat on the commentary table for a chat. Snitsky jumps the distracted Matt to start and hammers away but Matt gets in a Side Effect. Matt goes after Edge and Lita though and Snitsky blasts him. A spinning sitout Rock Bottom gives Snitsky the fast pin.
Post match Snitsky loads up the bell again but Big Show comes out….rather slowly, allowing Snitsky to hit Matt with the bell and run in time.
Tyson Tomko vs. John Cena
Non-title. Cena is all fired up to start and slugs away in the corner, setting up some running clotheslines. A suplex gives Cena two but Tomko is right back with a spinebuster and a powerslam for the same. The reverse chinlock with a knee in the back goes on so Cena powers out (as he is known to do), earning himself a heck of a clothesline. The big boot is cut off though and Cena starts the comeback. Cena finishes with the usual in a hurry.
Rating: D+. There’s nothing wrong with setting up the monster of the week and having Cena fight through some adversity and overcome the odds. It’s something that has worked forever and it made him break a small sweat before he gets ready for the real challenge in Angle. The match wasn’t much, but it wasn’t supposed to be and that’s ok.
Post match Angle runs in and beats the heck out of Cena, including throwing him face first into the set. The Angle Slam on the stage leaves Cena laying. Angle holding up the title and Cena reaching for it is a great visual.
Post break, Todd Grisham asks Angle if attacking Cena three weeks in a row is a pattern. Angle ignores that stupid question and goes into an intense rant about how intense and real he is. Fair enough.
Torrie Wilson vs. Ashley Massaro
Victoria and Candice Michelle are here with Torrie. Victoria trips Ashley at the bell and the beating is on in a hurry. Ashley fights up and completely messes up a sunset flip so Torrie stands on her hair. A spear works a bit better and it turns into a catfight but even more cheating lets Victoria low bridge Ashley to the floor. She even drops Ashley face first onto the apron so Torrie can win with an X Factor. It took three women, including Victoria, to beat Ashley? Get new careers.
We get a THIRD Masterlock highlight package.
Another plea for Katrina funds. Now that’s a repeat that makes sense.
Shelton Benjamin vs. Rob Conway
The bell rings and here’s Kerwin White in the golf cart and dancing a bit to that snazzy theme song. Lawler compares the name change to Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali as Conway jumps Benjamin to start. The beating is on until Shelton hits a Samoan drop for two. They’re outside in a hurry with Conway sending him into the apron and then planting him on the floor for two back inside.
A neckbreaker gets the same and we hit the chinlock. Shelton fights up and makes the short form comeback with clotheslines, including the big one from the top for another near fall. An O’Connor roll gets the same but Shelton trips Shelton with the golf club, allowing Conway to get a rollup with trunks for the pin.
Rating: C. This wasn’t great but again, at least they’re trying to push someone new. Ok so it’s Conway and White, but Conway is slowly getting a little better and White….well Conway is slowly getting better. That being said, and I know I ask this a lot, WHAT HAPPENED TO SHELTON? It’s like they threw him overboard with a rock attached to him and I haven’t seen anything like it in forever. I can’t even remember the last time he won a singles match and six months ago, he was looking like a sure thing. That’s another level of dropping someone.
Mick Foley has a new book called Scooter. I liked that well enough.
Hurricane/Rosey vs. Lance Cade/Trevor Murdoch
Non-title and it’s Cade/Murdoch’s debut. Rosey slams Murdoch a few times to start and gets two off a running headbutt. Cade comes in for a double flapjack, elbow and clothesline, followed by a double suplex for two. The double teaming continues with Murdoch shouting a lot and handing it back to Cade in a hurry. Rosey finally powers out and brings in Hurricane to clean house. A headscissors puts Murdoch down and a crossbody gets two. Rosey and Cade fight to the floor, leaving Murdoch to hit a jawbreaker. The top rope bulldog finishes Hurricane.
Rating: D+. So Rosey and Hurricane are the biggest losers to ever hold the titles right? They’re making the Bodydonnas look intimidating at this point. Just put them on Cade and Murdoch already because maybe they can do something with them. Or at least not be complete disasters. It isn’t even Hurricane and Rosey’s fault either. If they are rarely on TV and regularly lose when they’re around, what’s the point in the titles?
Masterlock highlights part four. Austin and Rock didn’t do that much at Wrestlemania.
Unforgiven rundown.
Masters brags about the Masterlock.
It’s time for the Masterlock Challenge with Shawn Michaels. Shawn sits in the chair and waits for Masters to grab a towel. The hold goes on and Shawn starts flailing, even sending Masters into the corner a few times. That doesn’t work so Shawn climbs the corner and bounces back onto Masters but still can’t break it. More rams into the corner fail but Shawn eventually breaks the grip, only to have Masters hit him down. A chair to the head busts Michaels open and one more Masterlock ends it.
Overall Rating: D. Wow that was a rough string of matches but it didn’t feel like a terrible show at the end. I’m trying to dislike the Masterlock deal (though it got WAY too much attention with the ridiculous amount of highlights) but it’s a gimmick that has been done before and works well enough. It’s what Masters is known for and if he can evolve a bit more, he’ll be fine given his looks. Not a very good show, but they set up Unforgiven well enough, even if it’s the definition of a B pay per view.
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