IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 25, 2005
Location: NEC Arena, Birmingham, England
Attendance: 10,500
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler

We’re over in England this week for the go home show for Backlash. I’m not sure what to expect this week, but you can probably bet on a slow form HHH promo where he talks about how incredible the Pedigree is. Other than that, we need to get ready for the pay per view, which isn’t the strongest card so far. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Coach is here after JR got beaten up last week.

Here’s Batista to open things up for a change. He’s here to honor a great man who gives his body to the business. That would be Jim Ross, who managed to do last week what it took Batista two years to do: beat HHH. Batista even puts on JR’s hat for a visual which works more than it should. Why didn’t JR tell us that he had wrestling skills? JR beat a ten time World Champion last week and that means a JR chant.

Cue HHH so Batista gives JR his hat back because things are getting serious. HHH talks about how serious this is, so Batista says he’ll defend the title against JR at Backlash instead. Since HHH can’t get a joke, Batista shows us the clip of JR getting the pin last week and raises his hand. HHH’s jacket comes off and the fight is almost on but HHH bails instead. The JR stuff was amusing and Batista needling HHH is always funny.

JR takes over for Coach on commentary.

We recap Viscera helping Trish last week and earning some, ahem, favors, in return.

Viscera and Trish Stratus are out to dinner together, though Viscera has to apologize for being late because he was buying condoms (and it’s about a ten pack). More on this later, thank goodness.

Chris Jericho vs. Sylvain Grenier

Grenier starts fast with a flapjack so Jericho chops away, only to get suplexed right back down for two. The chinlock goes on a minute in, because Grenier can’t go more than a minute without a chinlock. Jericho fights up with some forearms and the bulldog, followed by the enziguri. Conway gets in the distraction though, only to have Jericho slap on the Walls for the fast win. Just a step above a squash but at least they didn’t do anything ridiculous.

Post match the double teaming is on but Shelton Benjamin runs in for the save. Jericho isn’t exactly grateful so Shelton gives him a t-bone. Kind of a mixed message there no? Shelton: “WHO’S YOUR B**** NOW???”

Back at the restaurant, Trish thanks Viscera for what happened last week so orders bangers and mash in a Cockney accent. Viscera tells her that he is a banger who likes to mash, so Trish calls him the horniest guy on the planet. Viscera orders an entire page of the menu.

Christian and Tyson Tomko are in the back when Ric Flair comes in and tells Christian to take care of Batista tonight. Don’t worry though because Christian has this and he doesn’t need HHH’s help. The fans seem rather pleased by this one. A fight nearly breaks out but Tomko gets rid of Flair.

We look at Backlash tickets going on sale.

Here are Christian and Tomko for a chat. After saying Canadians are smarter than Brits, Christian talks about how he won’t have any problems doing what HHH can’t do: beating Batista with a real finisher. Then he’s heading to Smackdown to beating the Ali G ripoff John Cena, because that’s how he rolls. Cue Kane to beat up Tomko as Christian runs off.

Lita can’t wait for Trish to finally get what she deserves.

Christian is hiding from Kane and asks Flair for some help. HHH comes out but rather angrily tells Christian that they can talk business.

And now, the Masterlock Challenge, because it worked so well last week. The money is offered (pounds instead of dollars), the plant is pulled from the audience, and Masters wins. This takes several minutes.

In the back, Coach asks how long it is going to take Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan to self destruct. Shawn doesn’t buy it because they have big egos after they’ve done it all. Coach is tossed out and Shawn introduces Hogan, who introduces Gene Okerlund for the formal interview. Shawn talks about looking around the locker room last week and needing someone to fight with him. That’s why he asked about Hogan two weeks ago right?

Hogan talks about the Hall of Fame and the fans wanting one more match. After hanging out with Big Ben and eating some tea and crumpets, he had to give the fans what they wanted and deal with Muhammad and Daivari. So what are you gonna do? Shawn not being able to tear the shirt is funny at least. Just a quick hype interview for the big tag match.

Here are a bunch of Divas with Christy Hemme saying they’re here to party. They call out the ladies of the Daily Star, with Lawler rather approving of their status as Page Three girls. I can get that as they’re rather fetching, but would anyone like to have a match anytime soon? We’re over an hour into the show and we’ve had one match which didn’t even last three minutes.

They’re all here to promote William Regal’s new book (which is incredible) so here he is in person, with Tajiri as a bonus. Regal is at his hammy best here, soaking in the home country cheers and encouraging them a bit. Dancing ensues but here are Hassan and Daivari to cut them off. As Regal’s eyes bug out, Hassan accuses England of being a follower of all things America. Challenge, accepted.

Muhammad Hassan/Khosrow Daivari vs. William Regal/Tajiri

Non-title. Joined in progress with Regal beating up both of them so the villains take a quick breather on the floor. Tajiri comes in for a standing moonsault onto Daivari but it’s quickly off to Hassan to take over on Regal. The slow beatdown ensues as we see a pro Waylon Mercy sign in the crowd. Daivari gets two off a neckbreaker but it’s a collision with Hassan for a double knockdown. Regal kicks Daivari away and the hot tag brings in Tajiri for the rapid fire kicks. The Downward Spiral plants Tajiri though and Hassan knocks Regal down on the floor. Daivari’s guillotine legdrop finishes Tajiri.

Rating: D. And that pretty much ends anything Regal and Tajiri could do with the titles. The best thing that can be said here is that Regal, the hometown boy who has a book coming out and is a champion, didn’t take the fall in this non-title match which could have had any other team putting Hassan and Daivari over. I know the tag division doesn’t mean anything, but I’d love to hear how this was the best solution they had.

Post match the beatdown stays on with no Hogan to make the save, because that interview earlier was backstage in another country.

Back at the restaurant, Trish asks Viscera what his name means. It means inner organs, but his outer organ works just fine. Trish is scared off so she offers to knock Christy Hemme out so Viscera can do whatever to her. As we move past that as fast as possible, Viscera asks her to dance and destroys a tray of dishes by mistake. Viscera: “Uh, check please?”

Edge vs. Val Venis

Edge jumps him before the bell and kicks Venis in the face as we get one of those awesome British chants that I can’t understand. We’re already on the chinlock as the fans switch to a HARDY chant. Val fights up with a hot shot and clothesline as the fans just go away for the comeback. A half nelson slam looks to set up the Money Shot but Edge gets the knees up. The spear finishes Venis.

Rating: D. Just a quick match here and it wasn’t very good. It’s almost strange to see Edge win a regular match like this as Venis could have been anyone here. This doesn’t really do much to set up Edge vs. Benoit on Sunday but it was nice to throw a little curve in there for a change.

Post match Edge puts on a leglock and ignores the chants for Matt. Edge switches to a Crossface for some salt rubbing until Benoit comes in for the save and brawl.

HHH, Christian and Flair come in to see Coach, who is now guest referee. Flair will be guest timekeeper and HHH is going to be Christian’s problem solver as the old trope is brought up again. HHH won’t let Coach call Eric Bischoff to confirm everything.

Viscera and Trish have drinks, with Viscera having some mouthwash (which he swallows). Hang on though as Trish slaps him, saying he gets nothing if he doesn’t destroy Kane first. That’s cool with Viscera, but he wants a little down payment. Trish flashes him and his eyes bug out.

The Diva Search is coming because we’re that lucky.

Christian vs. Batista

Non-title with Coach as referee, Flair as timekeeper and HHH at ringside. Batista isn’t wasting time this week and starts throwing Christian around with ease, including a trip out to the floor. Back in and Batista sends him into the corner for some kicks to the ribs, followed by a heck of a whip into the corner. Batista hits a powerslam but hang on as Coach has to tie his shoe. HHH gets in a low blow and a thumb to the eye as we take a break.

Back with Christian choking on the ropes and getting two off a splash. The chinlock doesn’t last long as JR rips into Coach for general purposes. Christian’s springboard dropkick gets two more but Batista fights up, only to get choked by Flair. Christian sends him throat first into the rope and a neckbreaker gets two.

The comeback is on in a hurry with clotheslines and the powerslam but a Flair distraction cuts him off. Christian gets caught in an electric chair but Coach hurts his shoulder. Batista beats everyone up and tosses HHH, setting up the Batista Bomb on Christian. Coach is out so Batista grabs the hand to slap the mat for three, which counts here.

Rating: D+. It wasn’t quite Austin vs. Love but it did the job well enough. Christian isn’t quite ready to break through the glass ceiling but they would be a little nuts to not send him to Smackdown to go after Cena’s title. The seeds have been planted and it wasn’t going too far to see him in this match.

Post match Batista beats up HHH and Flair but walks into a Pedigree. HHH posts and shouts a lot to end the show.

Overall Rating: D. This was a rather different kind of show and it didn’t work out that well. The wrestling was barely there for the first half and then it became clear that Sunday is just a two match show. The tag match is going to be more about nostalgia and a one time moment while the main event is a rematch from a not great original match. That doesn’t sound like the best show, which is probably why it’s such a forgotten event. Pretty bad show here, but it could have been a lot worse.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 18, 2005
Location: Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York
Attendance: 17,258
Commentators: Jonathan Coachman, Jerry Lawler

We’re less than two weeks away from Backlash and that means things are going to start picking up around here, including what should be a big deal with the show taking place in the Garden. Maybe Batista can get some significant time this week, assuming HHH is willing to let the World Champion in on his time. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Jim Ross is in Eric Bischoff’s office where the boss won’t let him out of his match with HHH. As a bit of a reprieve though, the match will be No DQ and Batista can be in JR’s corner. So yes, the World Champion is now playing second fiddle to an announcer facing HHH in the main event. I’m sure you can guess how the match is going to go, but is this really the best usage of the monster champion?

Opening sequence.

There’s no special MSG setup. I miss that thing.

Edge vs. Chris Benoit

Good thing these two are awesome together because they fight a lot. Benoit still has a banged up arm so Edge jumps him on the way in and pounds away. You don’t forearm Benoit in the back though as he’s right back with the rolling German suplexes to rock Edge. The Swan Dive misses though and it’s off to a chinlock with a knee in Benoit’s back. Thankfully Edge sees the big bandage on the arm and switches to an armbar instead.

That’s reversed into the Crossface but Edge is in the ropes soon enough. They head outside instead and Benoit clotheslines him over the barricade so they can fight into the crowd. It heads into the back with Benoit getting the better of it as the match is thrown out somewhere in there.

Rating: C. This was too short to matter or go anywhere (other than to the back that is) but it was more about setting up some big gimmick match down the line. Edge getting a nice win to really make him feel like a bigger deal is going to help him, as Money in the Bank doesn’t have quite the impact yet.

Referees and Sgt. Slaughter break things up.

Post break the Divas are looking at their swimsuit magazine (as large groups of good looking women do) when Edge and Benoit brawl through a door to break it up. Bischoff comes in to make a Last Man Standing match for next week.

Here’s Trish Stratus for a chat. She wants to talk about what happened with Kane and Lita last week so she would like Lita out here to clear the air. Cue Lita on a crutch and she gets the loudest booing in her career to date. Trish wants to make peace between the two of them but hang on as we pause for the YOU SCREWED MATT chants. After threatening to leave if the fans don’t calm down, Trish talks about how she loves Lita despite what has happened between them. Fans: “WE WANT MATT!”

Lita doesn’t buy it and doesn’t accept her apology. Much like Trish, payback is going to be a b****. The fans don’t react to that so here’s Kane as Lita hits Trish with her crutch. Kane chases Trish up the ramp but Viscera of all people comes out for the save. Crowd: “LET’S GO MABEL!” The Samoan drop and splash crush Kane and Viscera carries Trish off while licking his lips. Oh…..this isn’t going to go well in any form for anyone involved.

Post break Trish thanks Viscera, who puts her up against the wall and makes some, ahem, suggestions about how she can thank him. Viscera: “Glad to be of service, but I’ll be more glad when you service me.” There is talk of mixing business with pleasure but Trish would like to take it slowly. Viscera kisses her anyway and Trish looks rather shaken. Coach: “YOU GO BOY!”

Heart Throbs vs. William Regal/Tajiri

Non-title and oh the Heart Throbs. These two were one of the most over, popular teams that OVW (then known as the Heartbreakers) had ever seen as they were something close to male strippers and had a dancing manager named Mo Green. They came out to It’s Raining Men and the whole thing was so goofy and over the top that they became the hottest thing in OVW. It wasn’t going to work in a big arena or on Raw, but it’s hard not to be a little disappointed after what they did in OVW.

Anyway, they (Romeo and Antonio) dance out and Regal and Tajiri’s stunned looks are great. Romeo dances at Regal to start so it’s off to Tajiri. That means a Crane Kick pose so Tajiri grabs a wristlock to take Romeo down. Antonio comes in but gets taken into the corner for the tag off to Regal, who gets taken into the corner as well. Antonio pounds away at Regal’s back, which has a grand total of no effect. Tajiri comes back in and hammers away until Regal snaps Romeo’s throat across the top. A spinning sunset flip gives Tajiri the easy pin.

Rating: D. So as great as the gimmick is, there isn’t much that they can do once the bell rings. That’s kind of an important part and the lack of skill was on full display here. They’re perfectly watchable but it’s nothing beyond that and it was showing badly. I’ll take this result over the champs losing though so this could have been worse.

Post match the Heart Throbs beat the champs down. I wouldn’t be overly intimidated.

Batista isn’t here and JR is panicking.

HHH has dealt with Batista by talking to the limo company.

Muhammad Hassan doesn’t trust police who look at him strangely. He and Daivari aren’t worried about Hulk Hogan either because Hogan is just another selfish American.

Muhammad Hassan vs. Shawn Michaels

Shawn wastes no time in rushing the ring to start hammering away as the fans are WAY into Michaels here (not surprising). They slug it out and the fans switch over to a HOGAN chant. A running knee lift staggers Hassan but Daivari’s distraction lets Hassan get in his own shot.

Shawn’s back is driven into the apron to slow him down and we take a break. Back with Hassan hitting something like a reverse Eye of the Hurricane for two and commencing to choke. The chinlock goes on for all of a few seconds before Shawn makes the comeback with the usual. The top rope elbow connects but Daivari has to be slammed off the top and the DQ is on.

Rating: D+. Another not great in-ring performance from Hassan but he’s far better than he was a few months back. Having him against the bigger names helps a lot, though there is only so much that can be done when he doesn’t have the best matches. If they can figure out a way to mix up his promos a bit he could be a big deal, but for now it’s just a slow improvement.

Post match the beatdown is on until Hulk Hogan comes in for the save to blow the roof off the place. Posing ensues with Shawn wearing Hassan’s head cover. This goes on for a good while, but the reaction makes it worth it.

It’s time for the Masterlock Challenge with Chris Masters putting up $1000 cash to anyone in the crowd who can break his full nelson. The fan, named Roman, comes in and says he’s tough because he’s from New York. This goes exactly as you would expect it to.

Shelton Benjamin vs. Simon Dean

Non-title. Dean’s pre-match promo is broken up by Shelton’s entrance, which is probably best for everyone. Before the match, we get a clip from last week with Chris Jericho saying Fozzy’s new single is called Shelton Is A Little B****. Cue Jericho to say that he gets a title shot at Backlash, but he has something a little better. Jericho brings out Fozzy’s guitarist and actually performs Shelton Is A Little B****.

As the song goes on, Simon jumps Shelton from behind and goes up top, with the referee ringing the bell just before a top rope clothesline. What kind of a nitwit thinks that’s a fair start to a match? The chinlock goes on for a bit, followed by some stomping for good measure. Shelton fights up and hits a northern lights suplex for two to start the comeback. The Stinger Splash and exploder finish Dean in a hurry.

Rating: D. Oh come on, what could they have done to follow up on that song? Jericho stole the show here, as usual, and Shelton getting beaten up by Dean wasn’t the most thrilling idea in the first place. Shelton vs. Jericho should be good and I can go with the story, though I’d prefer more of that song.

Smackdown Rebound.

Vince wants to announce the return of a big idea but Christian cuts him off, saying that we know about the return of the Diva Search. That earns him the threat of unemployment, followed by the announcement of the return of the Draft in about a month. Christian likes the idea and thinks he should be sent to Smackdown to challenge John Cena. Vince thinks Christian belongs in the main event too, so next week he can face Batista.

Backlash rundown. That card has come together out of nowhere.

HHH promises to hit Batista with the Pedigree and get the title back at Backlash. Tonight, JR gets to find out what the Pedigree means. We get a video on the Pedigree and I have to wonder how long HHH has had this waiting.

Jim Ross vs. HHH

No DQ and no Batista as this is going to go badly. They stare at each other a bit with HHH offering a handshake, with Lawler knowing where this is going. A right hand to the stomach finally gives us something and it’s the slow beating, until JR manages to get in a shot to the face. HHH knocks him down again and yells at the referee as JR is busted open. Lawler says this isn’t fair as HHH has been World Champion more times than you can count. I think I can count to ten man.

JR loses his Oklahoma jersey and the slow beating continues as the crowd is just gone. Lawler has finally had enough (he must have gotten sick of the counting) and goes to the ring, which draws Ric Flair in as well. That earns Lawler a Pedigree of his own but here’s Batista’s limo (with Batista driving) to make something happen. Batista comes in for the save and counters the Pedigree, setting up a chair to HHH’s head. JR is pulled on top for the pin.

Rating: F. Well that was bad. What was the point of this supposed to be? Making it clear that HHH is an evil villain without making him have an actual match? I guess JR pinning him is supposed to be humiliating but it’s not like Batista beating HHH Up, especially with a chair, is that big of a deal. This should have been about two minutes long instead of eleven and, again, Batista gets a limited reaction because he doesn’t show up until the end of the show and the fans are dead from the bad match. What a great way to push the new champ.

The mild celebration ends the show.

Overall Rating: D-. What an awful show with the Heart Throbs being one of the highlights. The only decent match was Edge vs. Benoit, which was there to set up another match in the future. I don’t know if they were messed up because they were heading to Europe soon or what but this was a disaster on almost all grounds. Backlash is looking ok enough, but they need a much better TV show next week if they want it to have a chance. Horrible show here and one of the worst in a good while.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 11, 2005
Location: Mark of the Quad Cities, Moline, Illinois
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Things should be getting back to normal around here as we are now into the regular shows instead of last week’s Wrestlemania fallout. Somehow that means more HHH this week, as last week he announced his rematch clause. Odds are that comes at Backlash at the end of the month, because we need to build to a HHH match you see. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Trish Stratus/Molly Holly vs. Victoria/Christy Hemme

Dang we’re starting with a match? Molly and Victoria fight over arm control to start with Victoria grabbing some armdrags. The dancing moonsault gets two and it’s off to Christy for the kicks to the leg. The splits legdrop gets two more but Trish gets in a cheap shot from the apron to take over. Trish comes in for a chop to the “chest area” as JR puts it, followed by a choke in the corner.

It’s back to Molly for a basement dropkick and we hit the half crab. That’s broken up and Victoria gets to come in for some elbows to the face. Trish breaks up the Widow’s Peak though, meaning it’s back to Molly for some hair takedowns. Another shot hits Trish and Molly’s handspring elbow does as well, allowing Christy to grab a rollup for the pin.

Rating: D. They’re trying with Christy and while it’s not working, they are in fact trying. I know the women’s division isn’t much at the moment but you can’t just throw someone out there with the bare minimum of training and expect it to work. She looks like she’s working as hard as she can so the fault isn’t with her, as she has no business being in this spot.

Not the worst match here, though it was Molly’s last regular match in the company. She hasn’t said why she left but it’s sad to see her go. While she wasn’t the most exciting member of the roster, she was always good for a solid performance and her backstage reputation is one of the best you’ll ever see. The division could use her here (or now) but she has more than earned the right to walk away.

Post match Trish gets knocked to the floor so here’s Kane to chase her off in revenge for what Trish did to Lita last week. Points for continuity at least.

We look at Randy Orton’s shoulder surgery in Birmingham, Alabama. It’s some graphic footage as we see the surgery taking place. They do a nice job of mentioning that Undertaker and Batista hurt the shoulder, which is always better than saying “oh he’s hurt and needs surgery”. He’ll be out about four months.

We go to the women’s locker room where Stacy Keibler is glad for what happened. Candice Michelle wants Batista to take her out and pin her. Maria agrees but they all freak out when Kane chases Trish inside. But they’re cool with the camera in there broadcasting live. They were watching the video on the monitor, so what was airing on the monitor when it was filming them and they were still looking at the monitor? These things keep me up nights.

Coach talks to Muhammad Hassan, who thinks Shawn Michaels should go home and watch some unfunny American sitcom instead of getting a beating. Keeping his promos short is better. The delivery is good but he repeats the same stuff so many times that it gets old.

Here’s HHH for a chat because it’s HHH and this is Raw. He hypes up Batista’s first interview as World Champion but he better enjoy it because it’s borrowed time. The rematch is signed for Backlash and while Batista was awesome at Wrestlemania, HHH will find a weakness before Backlash. HHH is ready this time now because Batista’s eyes have betrayed him.

There is one thing that Batista fears and it will make HHH an eleven time World Champion. That would be the Pedigree and all of this will be set right at Backlash. Cue Hurricane to interrupt, talking about how the last time he saw HHH, he was wearing a crimson mask. HHH calls him a green tomato, so Hurricane calls him out for beating up both he and Rosey a few weeks back. Tonight, it’s payback! As well as CLOBBERING TIME. The double team is on in a hurry with a splash in the corner and a double clothesline to the floor. HHH grabs a mic and says get a ref out here.

HHH vs. Rosey/Hurricane

The referee won’t let HHH use a chair so he gets knocked down again. We take a very early break and come back with HHH punching Hurricane down for two and grabbing a front facelock. The spinebuster plants Hurricane but he gets a boot up in the corner so HHH can stagger a lot. The diving tag brings in Rosey for the spinning legdrop and the running splash in the corner crushes HHH again. It’s back to Hurricane for a guillotine legdrop but he goes up again and gets crotched this time. Rosey gets tied up in the ropes like a goof and the Pedigree finishes Hurricane.

Rating: D. This was exactly what you had to expect here and there is nothing wrong with that. Hurricane and Rosey aren’t doing anything at the moment so having HHH beat them up doesn’t hurt anything. Rosey getting stuck in the rope was as perfect of a way for him to lose as you could get as he’s a big goof who can’t do anything right most of the time.

Post match HHH says that’s a warning for Batista, who is getting Pedigreed tonight. Rosey gets a Pedigree on the floor for a bonus.

Video on the Australia tour.

Batista and Chris Benoit have a moment backstage.

Chris Masters highlight package, because he’s done enough to have a highlight package.

Chris Masters vs. Seth Skyfire

Skyfire was a good hand from OVW around this time. Masters works on the arm to start before kneeing away in the corner. A heck of a toss sends Skyfire flying and he gets Polish Hammered out of the air. The Master Lock finishes Skyfire in a hurry as what sound like BORING chants start up.

Post match Masters offers to put up $1000 to anyone who thinks they can break the Master Lock. So he’s the modern Sgt. Slaughter?

We look at Muhammad Hassan attacking Shawn Michaels last week.

Shawn Michaels vs. Muhammad Hassan

Or not as Hassan does the old “beat this guy before you get me” deal, meaning it’s Daivari time instead.

Shawn Michaels vs. Daivari

The chase lets Daivari stomp away until Shawn starts chopping away so Hassan runs down. That’s enough for Daivari to snap his throat across the top and the beatdown is actually on, including a guillotine legdrop for two. The chinlock goes on for all of a few seconds before Shawn fights up and hits the forearm. Hassan breaks up the top rope elbow so Shawn goes after him, allowing Daivari to try and bring in the bell. That’s enough of a distraction for Hassan to hit Shawn low and give Daivari a fast pin.

Post break, Bischoff tells Shawn he can face Hassan and Daivari at Backlash but he has to get a partner.

It’s time for the Highlight Reel, with Chris Jericho being proud of how Money in the Bank (“My idea.”) went. However, something has been bothering him and that was the way he lost the Intercontinental Title to Shelton Benjamin. Therefore, let’s get his guest out there: Shelton Benjamin.

Shelton doesn’t think much of Jericho’s problems because he had a shot last week and lost. Jericho laughs off Shelton’s six months as champion because he’s held the title seven times (for a total of about six months between those seven reigns). Shelton makes it serious by saying he can take his fist and make more hits than the last Fozzy album so the fight is on. Neither came off great here, though the Fozzy line was good.

Smackdown rebound.

Kane finds Lita, who is VERY pleased with what he did to Trish. Kissing ensues, as we completely forget their previous history.

Here’s Shawn for a follow up chat. We get a patriotic speech about how his family has volunteered to go fight before and now he needs a partner who feels as passionately about this as he does. Shawn literally gets down on his knees and begs Hulk Hogan for one more match to a rather positive response.

Christian vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit has a bad arm and Christian has Tyson Tomko with him as usual. Hold on though as Edge comes out for commentary with JR being a bit surprised. Edge: “It takes him a while. The cowboy hat cuts off circulation.” Christian jumps Benoit to start and gets chopped down but an early hammerlock has Benoit in trouble. An enziguri sends Christian back into the corner as Benoit continues to improve when injured.

A trip to the floor goes badly for Benoit so Christian can choke away back inside. Benoit is right back again and takes it to the floor, only to have Christian go right back to the arm. The armbar goes on as Edge rants about how unfairly he has been treated. JR: “Wah wah. If your aunt was more amply endowed, she would be your uncle.” Benoit knocks him hard off the apron and into the barricade as we take a break.

Back with Benoit fighting out of an armbar but charging into a boot to the arm. Christian goes for the turnbuckle pad and the distraction means the small package only gets two. Tomko sneaks in a shot to the arm and JR rants about Edge not complaining about the cheating. JR losing his mind over stuff is almost always entertaining so I’ll take that.

The hammerlock goes on as Lawler complains about JR playing favorites. That’s a new development? Benoit pops off a German suplex but can’t follow up, meaning the armbar goes on. This lets Edge and Lawler tee off on JR for complaining about Christian and predicting all the ways JR will cheer for Benoit’s comeback. Back up and a hard collision gives us a double knockdown as Edge wants to know why Shawn Michaels gets praised for losing at Wrestlemania while no one is talking about his big win.

Benoit snaps off a suplex as Edge goes off about Benoit getting all of Edge’s chances last year. The Sharpshooter goes on but Christian is in the ropes pretty quickly. That’s fine with Benoit who rolls the German suplexes, only to miss the Swan Dive thanks to a Tomko distraction. An Unprettier attempt is countered into the Crossface so Edge takes a chair down to the ring. Benoit is already dealing with Tomko but is fine enough to dropkick the chair into Edge as well. That’s enough of a distraction for the Unprettier to give Christian the win.

Rating: B. This was a very good match that was elevated by the commentary. Edge and Lawler were scoring on JR every chance they had here and JR just had nothing to say to either of them because they were absolutely right. Edge is on a roll right now and that briefcase is making things more interesting than usual. Christian needed a win like this too and the match getting twenty minutes was almost hard to believe.

JR brings out Batista for his first interview as champion. Batista is ready to fight so HHH can come out here and try to Pedigree him. He isn’t worried about HHH, Edge and others gunning for him because it comes with being champion. He’s the predator and the World Heavyweight Champion so he’s on top of the food chain. If anyone wants to try and take his title, he’ll chew them up, spit them out, and enjoy doing it.

The fear HHH sees is in his own eyes because he is underestimating Batista again, and that will be his downfall. Batista doesn’t plan on being a ten time World Champion because he’ll be champion as long as he wants. Cue HHH from behind and the fight is on. A Pedigree attempt is backdropped over the top, so HHH grabs the mic and announces that he’ll face JR next week in Madison Square Garden. I would ask why but the response is just going to make my head hurt.

Overall Rating: D+. This was a complete one match show with nothing outside of the battling Canadians being worth much. Everything else was either bad or just uninteresting, with Chris Masters looking like the latest flop in a long line of them. Hogan/Michaels teaming together could be interesting, but that’s going to be a huge blow to Hassan. Just not a very interesting show, as Wrestlemania is already seeming like a distant memory.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: April 4, 2005
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 16,653
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the show after Wrestlemania and that means that means it’s time for the season premiere. Batista won the Raw World Title last night and hopefully changed things for a long time to come around here. We’ve seen the HHH show for so many years now and last year’s summer break with Chris Benoit on top didn’t really change anything. Maybe Batista can do a little better so let’s get to it.

Here are last night’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a nice long Wrestlemania recap video, cut together with the Gladiator trailer. That’s how the show should start.

And here’s HHH because the guy who lost the title is more important than the person who won the thing. HHH takes his sweet time talking and doesn’t like the BATISTA chants. He finally admits that he lost the title last night but rest assured that this is NOT the beginning of the Batista Era because Batista was great for one night. HHH is great every night so the title will come back to him. He’ll get his rematch, presumably at Backlash, and take the title back. At least it was short.

Intercontinental Title: Chris Jericho vs. Christian vs. Shelton Benjamin

Benjamin is defending and they’re all banged up. Christian tries to talk some trash to start and gets punched in the face for his efforts. Shelton isn’t sure who to go after so he knocks Christian down as well, only to get in an argument with Jericho over who gets to beat Christian up in the corner. Those are fighting actions to Jericho, who sends Christian outside and punches Shelton in the face.

Shelton’s crossbody gets two so Jericho bulldogs him down. Christian breaks up the Lionsault though and takes Jericho’s place, setting up a neckbreaker for two on Shelton. Jericho gets knocked off the apron and we hit the chinlock. With that going nowhere, Christian goes up top but the other two are right there for a Tower of Doom to put them all down.

Jericho enziguris Christian and grabs the sleeper drop on Shelton for two before rolling them both up at the same time for two more. Shelton is back up with a Stinger Splash for two on Christian with Jericho making a save. The exploder hits Jericho but Tomko pulls Shelton outside for a kick to the face to give Christian two. The Walls have Christian in trouble (Lawler: “DON’T TAP CAP!”) but Shelton springboards in with the bulldog to pin Jericho and retain.

Rating: B. I might have to raise the rating a bit just for DON’T TAP CAP. This was rather energetic with all three working hard and hitting their big stuff with a rather creative finish. You can’t just have people do their finishers all the time so throwing in a surprise like this is a welcome change. Shelton has been champion for a long time now and he’s gone from a surprise winner to an established guy as the title has done a lot for him, as it’s supposed to do.

Edge signs his Money in the Bank contract so Eric Bischoff is ready for the title match tonight. That’s not happening because Edge is saving it for later. This annoys Bischoff, who gives Edge a match with Chris Benoit instead.

Here’s Randy Orton for a chat. Orton says it wasn’t supposed to happen like it did because he came THIS close to making history. He even countered the chokeslam into the RKO but that wasn’t enough. That’s why he tried the Tombstone but he felt something snap in his shoulder and then he was looking up at the lights.

Then he was in the back, looking up at the monitor and seeing Batista as the new World Heavyweight Champion. That was different because he respects Undertaker but knows he’s better than Batista. This year alone, Orton has pinned Batista twice so tonight, he’ll do it a third time. Bischoff comes out to say it’s on, though non-title because HHH and Edge are already lurking around the next shot.

Women’s Title: Christy Hemme vs. Trish Stratus

Trish isn’t defending because she kicks Christy in the head before the bell. She knocks Lita down as well and attacks the bad knee again, all with the big grin on her face.

We see the full Eugene/Muhammad Hassan/Hulk Hogan segment from last night.

Gladiator trailer.

Here’s Shawn Michaels, limping down the ramp, for a chat. He has only had two loves in his life and those are his family and wrestling. Last night he gave it everything he had but couldn’t get it done. With that being said though, he has a question: would anyone like to see a rematch? The fans seem interested and that’s what Shawn was hoping to hear. He doesn’t know when, where or how it would happen but he’ll do whatever he can to give the fans what they want.

Cue Muhammad Hassan and Daivari to interrupt though and this isn’t likely to go well. Daivari rants a lot as Shawn sits on the top rope and doesn’t quite understand. Hassan switches to English and talks about Hogan returning last night before Shawn came up short in failing to steal the show. Instead Shawn tapped out and left as a disgrace in losing.

That’s enough to get Shawn’s jacket off so Hassan goes into his usual spiel. He accuses the fans of loving losers so Shawn punches him in the face so the fight is on. Daivari distraction lets Hassan get in a chop block though and the beatdown is on, including the camel clutch (instead of something on the leg). Shawn sells the heck out of the beating.

Edge vs. Chris Benoit

Benoit’s arm is badly damaged after last night. Feeling out process to start with Benoit having to keep the bad arm away. The snap suplex and a back elbow put Edge down but he gets in a shot to the bad arm. That’s enough to send Benoit outside for a breather, though he’s fine enough to send Edge into the barricade.

Back in and Benoit makes the mistake of using the bad arm and has to go outside again. Edge manages to snap the arm across the top rope and it’s time for some pulling on said arm. The armbar goes on and Benoit can’t even slam his way out of it. Benoit finally flips his way out and drops Edge but makes the mistake of trying the Swan Dive.

The crash is enough for Edge to get two and he baseball slides Benoit to the floor where he lands on the arm as we take a break. Back with Benoit’s arm in another (albeit different) armbar with the bandage having been pulled off. Edge gives up on that and goes up top, where Benoit chops away with the good arm.

Benoit’s top rope superplex brings him back down in a good looking crash. The Sharpshooter goes on but Edge makes the rope, so Benoit tries the Crossface. Benoit’s arm is WAY too hurt for that to work though and Edge takes him down with a flying armbar. The spear hits corner though and Benoit grabs a rollup for the pin.

Rating: B. They had a good story going here and you know the action is going to be more than enough to carry these two to something great. That’s exactly what happened here with Benoit fighting through the adversity and surviving until the end. Edge losing isn’t going to hurt him that much either as he has the briefcase for a long time and can absorb a loss here or there.

Post match Edge jumps Benoit and sends him into the steps before crushing the bad arm with a chair. JR is VERY furious about this, while Lawler says it’s like the toaster you get when you open a new bank account. All I got was a bank book and a debit card.

Here are Simon Dean and Maven for a chat. They’re not impressed by the Los Angeles fans because all they want to do is eat nachos and drink beer. That’s not healthy and Simon defies anyone to tell him otherwise. Cue the glass shatter and here’s Steve Austin to an eruption. Austin isn’t impressed with all of these products and doesn’t like someone putting down beer drinkers. After insulting their hair, Austin offers Simon a beer, which Simon will drink…if it’s low calorie.

They make a deal: Simon will drink a beer if Austin will drink a Simon Shake. Simon gets the beer but asks if Austin has a glass. After taking a few sips, it’s time to do some pushups to work off the calories. Austin makes him do a lot more before trying the shake, which he says tastes like garbage. Maven says it’s a man’s drink and throws it on Austin. Fans: “YOU F***** UP!” They’re right, as the beatdown is on and beer is consumed. Fine use of Austin on a show like this.

Kane comes up to Orton in the back and laughs at him for not being able to beat Undertaker.

Randy Orton vs. Batista

Non-title. Orton’s headlock works as well as you would expect so he takes Batista into the corner for some right hands. They head outside with Batista being sent into the steps as this isn’t exactly a great showcase of the new World Champion. Back in and Orton grabs a chinlock for a good while before Batista manages to fight up. The corner shoulders have Orton in trouble and his bad shoulder is sent hard into the post. Batista posts it again for good measure and it’s the spinebuster/Batista Bomb to finish Orton. That would be his last match until August.

Rating: D. What was that? Orton gets to beat him up for four minutes and then loses to the double finisher? We wait for an hour and forty five minutes to finally see the new champ and he gets beaten up for most of the match? Orton is on his way to the injured list for a good while and this is the spot they put these two in? I’m not sure I get this one.

HHH comes out to glare at Batista and signal that he wants the title to end the show.

Overall Rating: B-. This is before the post-Wrestlemania Raw became a bigger deal and that left us with a pretty energized show. What we got was a show was some good wrestling but little in the way of storylines. Other than HHH vs. Batista continuing, there wasn’t a lot going on here. That’s ok for a show like this though and what we got was certainly entertaining. Good show, and we can start everything that matters next week.

Here’s the original review if you’re interested:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2012/03/19/monday-night-raw-april-4-2005-needs-more-batista/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 28, 2005
Location: Fort Worth Convention Center, Fort Worth, Texas
Attendance: 7,300
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

It’s the go home show for Wrestlemania and odds are that means a lot of final pushes towards the show. You might see less action than usual as well as WWE won’t be wanting to risk any unnecessary injuries before the biggest night of the year. Batista and HHH are going face to face tonight so we’ll see where they go with their last chance. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Chris Jericho is in the ring for the Highlight Reel and of course there is a ladder in the middle with the briefcase above it. Jericho talks about making history by becoming the first Undisputed Champion and he’ll do it again by winning the first Money in the Bank ladder match. He knows what it feels like to be World Champion and he wants to feel it again. That brings him to his guests: Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin.

Jericho says the three of them are kind of friends but he’ll do whatever it takes to win the briefcase. That’s fine with Benoit, but what isn’t fine is Jericho saying he wants to win more than anyone. Shelton interrupts to say that he’s never been World Champion but he’s the only one with gold right now. Cue Christian and Tyson Tomko to say that they’re all lame and that Christian is winning on Sunday. Christian asks what will happen when he gets his first World Title shot. Shelton: “Probably get your a** beat by Batista or HHH.” That was funny.

Christian takes credit for winning two ladder matches at Wrestlemania so here’s Edge to interrupt. He had something to do with those wins but on Sunday, he’ll be winning his third on his own. Edge doesn’t want to hear about Intercontinental Titles or broken necks because he’s done all of that. He’ll do whatever it takes to win the title so Benoit lunges to start the brawl.

Chris Jericho/Shelton Benjamin/Chris Benoit vs. Tyson Tomko/Christian/Edge

Joined in progress with Christian coming in to hammer on Jericho in the corner. Jericho grabs a suplex and brings Shelton in for two off a very fast running shoulder. Benjamin fights out of the corner without much effort but Tomko catches him with a Boss Man Slam. The villains start taking over on Shelton as Lawler explains the details of the MITB contract. That sounds like old hat now, but explaining that someone could cash in on an injured champion at a moment’s notice was a new concept back then.

Shelton powers over to the corner but the referee doesn’t see it and the trouble continues. The chinlock goes on for a bit until Shelton fights up for a double clothesline. The diving tag brings Benoit in for a quick suplex into the Sharpshooter with Christian having to save Edge. Therefore, Benoit German suplexes Christian over and over but Edge crotches Benoit on top. A superplex brings the bloody Benoit (busted open off a headbutt to Tomko) down and we come back from a break with Benoit covered in blood.

He’s also fighting out of a chinlock and getting elbowed in the face for two with Benjamin making the save. Benoit is fine enough to headbutt Christian off the top and hit the Swan Dive, setting up the real hot tag to Jericho. Everything breaks down and Edge spears Tomko by mistake, only to have Shelton Dragon Whip Benoit by mistake. The exploder plants Christian but Tomko hits a heck of a big boot on Shelton. Jericho doesn’t mind and puts Tomko in the Walls for the win.

Rating: C+. This was your standard “get (almost) everyone in the big match in this match for a preview” and the talent in there made it worked. Tomko was a good enough Kane substitute as he was only in there for the power stuff. The good thing about having this much talent is you can throw them into any combination and get a nice match, which is what they had here.

Post match Christian brings in the ladder but here’s Kane to take everyone out.

When Harry Met Sally Wrestlemania trailer.

Eric Bischoff comes in to see Batista and makes him promise a lack of physicality when he and HHH face off tonight. Bischoff can’t afford an injury, so Batista says HHH shouldn’t get injured. Batista promises to not start anything tonight, but he’ll finish anything HHH starts. That’s enough for Eric, but he comes back to ask about Batista’s used car salesman last week. Bischoff brings up Batista’s movie trailer and thinks he could be a Hollywood star (the man knows talent). Batista appreciates that and thinks Bischoff reminds him of someone in Pulp Fiction. That would be the Gimp.

Trish, Christy (in a dress, with Lita), arm wrestling, Christy wins after delays, Christy wins a rematch, Trish nails Lita in the leg. Every one you’ve ever seen of these things.

Classic Steve Austin Moment: the beer truck.

Here’s Randy Orton for a chat. We see a clip of him attacking Stacy Keibler last week, earning Orton a mixed reaction. Perhaps from fans who are glad Stacy is gone? Last week, Stacy hesitated when Orton asked if he could beat Undertaker at Wrestlemania. Orton isn’t waiting because you’re either with him or against him and he wants no distractions. Undertaker is undefeated at Wrestlemania because everyone is beaten before they get into the ring. His future involves a Hall of Fame plaque, which says he beat Undertaker at Wrestlemania. The Undertaker is a legend but Orton is a legend killer.

The lights go out and we see a video counting down the Undertaker’s victims at Wrestlemania over the years. These Wrestlemania videos are always well done and they played a big part in making the Streak feel so important. Back in the arena, the posts catch on fire and Orton is scared to death on the floor. These segments have been good, but I’m not quite buying Orton as a threat after how far he’s fallen in the last few months.

Post break Kane comes up to Orton and sees through his confidence. Kane was lucky to escape two Wrestlemania matches against Undertaker. Orton says he knows what he’s getting into but Kane says Orton needs to prove that he isn’t scared of Undertaker. He has six days to prove it. So there’s a Smackdown segment.

Tag Team Titles: Simon Dean/Maven vs. La Resistance vs. William Regal/Tajiri

Regal and Tajiri are defending and it’s one fall to a finish. Dean and Maven hit a double hiptoss on Tajiri to start so Regal comes in for a double elbow to Maven. La Resistance make their own save so Dean can hit a swinging neckbreaker on Regal. The chinlock doesn’t last long so Grenier gets in a cheap shot from the apron but Regal is right back with a snap bell to back suplex. The hot (though you wouldn’t know it by listening) tag brings in Tajiri for a bunch of kicks, including a big one to pin Maven and retain the titles.

Rating: D. So that didn’t do much. These four were thrown on the show because they had nothing to do at Wrestlemania (save for maybe being in the battle royal), which doesn’t seem to matter despite Regal and Tajiri being champions. I know they’ve been around forever, but would dropping them be the worst thing? Just for now? Other than house show matches, do they really serve an important purpose?

Bischoff tries to convince HHH to stay calm tonight but HHH says Bischoff is forcing him into the ring tonight. HHH will stay calm but if Batista blinks at him in the wrong way, it’s on. These segments feel like filler but what else are they going to do on this show? Promote something else for Wrestlemania?

Smackdown Rebound.

Muhammad Hassan vs. Shawn Michaels

Hassan and Daivari do their usual stuff before the match and it’s a bit more over than usual in Texas. Hassan goes with a knee to the ribs to take Shawn down early and hammers away with right hands. Back up and Shawn is smart enough to stomp on Daivari’s interfering fingers as we take a break.

We come back with Shawn’s back in trouble as Hassan’s offense continues to not be impressive in any way. A back elbow gives Hassan two and the chinlock goes on. There’s a hard whip into the corner to hurt the back even more as they’re managing to kill a Texas crowd in a Shawn Michaels match.

More whips into the corner have Shawn’s back in more trouble and the USA chant proves Hassan’s point all over again. The camel clutch (loose, to be countered version) is broken up with a grab of the ropes and the fans….don’t seem to care. Shawn’s comeback is on with the atomic drop into the forearm into the nipup into the top rope elbow. Sweet Chin Music is loaded up for a very long time but Kurt Angle runs in for the DQ.

Rating: D. This was a great example of what happens when you’re just not that good. Hassan tries but his whole appeal is his gimmick, which isn’t that good either. It’s such a one note promo and idea and while it can work in small doses, we’ve heard the same promo about prejudice time after time. Then he gets in the ring and is so boring that there is no reason to care about anything he does. Even Shawn couldn’t lift him up so who else can make it work?

Post match Angle hits Muhammad by mistake and Shawn fights him off, sending Angle into the crowd as security comes out.

Bischoff tells security to be ready for the Batista vs. HHH brawl.

Wrestlemania Taxi Driver trailer.

Bischoff is in the ring to moderate the big showdown so here are HHH, Flair and Batista. HHH gets to go first and takes his time (shocking) to call Batista ungrateful. After everything HHH has done for him, this is how Batista repays him? No one knew who he was before he met HHH and now Batista is a star.

This goes on and on (shocking) until Batista gets to talk about how he’s going to win on Sunday. He does make sure to throw in some compliments to Flair, because we must praise Flair. Batista promises to take HHH out on Sunday so there goes the table. HHH slaps him in the face (so much for Bischoff’s warning) and security has to be dispatched, leaving Batista standing tall to end the show. That was about as uneventful as you could get, with Batista doing everything he has done before and HHH saying everything he has said before. It changed nothing for Sunday, but the match has been set for so long now that it doesn’t matter.

Overall Rating: D. I wasn’t into this one as they basically shut down everything for some of the same builds toward Sunday, which we’ve covered extensively in the last few weeks. The six man was good but that’s not enough to carry things. This was what happened when the big show is already set and has been for months now. I’m no more interested in watching Wrestlemania than I was before and I felt like I needed to get through this show more than enjoying it and that’s not good with six days to go.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s Complete 2004 Monday Night Raw Reviews (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/08/26/new-book-and-e-book-kbs-complete-2004-monday-night-raw-reviews/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 21, 2005
Location: Jefferson Civic Center, Birmingham, Alabama
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

Wrestlemania is less than two weeks away and that means we’re in the final stretches of the build. That can be both good and bad as some of the stories can be interesting but at the same time, some of them are running on fumes and not that great. Tonight it’s another Pick Your Poison match with Batista facing Kane. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

Opening sequence.

Shawn Michaels vs. Rob Conway

Sylvain Grenier is here with Conway while Shawn is on his own. An early Grenier distraction doesn’t do much as Shawn sends Conway outside and beats up both French guys. That means a big flip dive to the floor for a bonus as I’m not exactly buying Shawn as being in much danger here.

A cheap shot with the flag pole gives Conway two and we take a break. Back with Shawn fighting out of a chinlock and skinning the cat to avoid a nasty landing on the floor. They slug it out as Conway is getting in far more offense than you would expect here. Shawn makes the real comeback with the usual and drops the top rope elbow. A very hot crowd is pleased as Sweet Chin Music finishes Conway.

Rating: C. That was better than I would have expected with Shawn working hard in a match that doesn’t mean anything for him. That’s how you get a crowd more interested in Wrestlemania as if Shawn can do this against someone like Conway, what could he do against Angle? Rather nice surprise here.

Video on Kurt Angle, who has won everywhere he goes and will do so again at Wrestlemania. The ankle lock gets a lot of extra attention here.

Christy Hemme is ready to fight and has been working on her kicks. She offers to demonstrate to William Regal and Tajiri, who immediately cover their crotches.

Basic Instinct Wrestlemania trailer. That’s a bit of a flashback over the last few weeks.

Molly Holly/Simon Dean/Maven vs. Christy Hemme/William Regal/Tajiri

Oh this is going to hurt. Trish Stratus comes out (with her hair pulled back for a change, making her look like a shorter Michelle McCool) to watch as a bonus. Regal takes Dean down by the arm to start and runs him over with a shoulder for no count. Tajiri comes in and gets dropped by a cheap shot from Maven.

It’s Tajiri getting beaten up as JR tries to keep Lawler from talking about Playboy. Dean goes after Regal but gets kicked in the face by Tajiri, meaning it’s off to the women. A Trish distraction doesn’t do much good as Christy kicks away at Holly but Dean breaks up a sunset flip. Regal knees Dean to the floor and the Molly Go Round misses. The reverse Twist of Fate finishes Molly.

Rating: D+. Well it could have been worse. The whole point of this match was to showcase Christy and have her look good in her outfit while managing to do the one move that she needs to do for the title match. The Tag Team Champions were just kind of there, but that has been the case for years now with those titles.

Classic Steve Austin moment: Vince and the bedpan. Vince’s heart monitor freaking out in time with the beatdown was a great touch.

Here’s an angry HHH for a chat, but first he sets a chair in the ring. He can’t believe how underappreciated he is for everything he does for this business. Do you know what it took to make Batista and Randy Orton into stars? The two of them ruined their own careers with their bad decisions and look where they are now.

Orton is currently volunteering to put his head on the chopping block for the Undertaker at Wrestlemania. He groveled for nothing when he was in Evolution too, but at least he was a star, just like Batista. See, Batista could have made the right decision and gone over to Smackdown, where he could have beaten JBL and John Cena. Now Batista is coming to Wrestlemania and he’s going to lose there too.

Batista went to Wrestlemania once and then won the Royal Rumble so he knows how to win now? The problem for Batista is that he’s coming up against a wrestling god and now the big loss is coming. Last week, Chris Benoit was added to the list of people that Benoit has beaten when Batista picked his poison.

Tonight HHH gets to do the same, as Batista faces Kane in a lumberjack match. HHH gets to pick the lumberjacks of course and anything goes. He’s going to make a decision that needs to be made the animal will be put down. We get some references to the Terry Schiavo case to finally end this after nearly fifteen minutes of HHH’s slow talking about how awesome he is.

Chris Jericho/Shelton Benjamin vs. Edge/Christian

Remember the previous tag match that looked bad? This one doesn’t. Tyson Tomko is here with the Canadian team. Jericho’s headlock on Christian doesn’t get him very far to start so a shoulder gives him two instead. Christian gets knocked outside though and it’s a meeting with Edge and Tomko, allowing Shelton to bust out the big flip dive for the showoff moment.

Edge comes in so Shelton hammers away in the corner until Christian gets in a cheap shot from the floor. Christian’s neckbreaker gets two and we hit the chinlock. Shelton gets up and hits a kick to the head, allowing the tag to Jericho (which looked to have been a bit short). The Lionsault hits Christian but Jericho has to dropkick Tomko off the apron, allowing Christian to hit the reverse DDT.

Back from a break with Shelton coming in off the second hot tag and powerslamming Edge for two. Everything breaks down and the Canadians load up Poetry in Motion, only to have Shelton use Edge as a launchpad to clothesline Christian. Jericho drops both Edge and Christian but dives into Tomko’s boot. The Stinger Splash hits Christian but he’s right back with a belt to the head, setting up Edge’s spear for the pin.

Rating: B-. This Edge and Christian reunion has been a lot of fun so far as they have the natural chemistry but it doesn’t feel like a rehash of the same stuff they’ve done before. They’re different people now and it’s the two of them as singles stars instead of a regular team. You can throw any combination of the awesome upper midcard scene at them and get a good match, just like this one.

Post match Edge and Christian lay out Shelton but Chris Benoit runs in for the save. Tomko brings in the ladder to drop Benoit.

Ric Flair gives the lumberjacks a pep talk, saying that Batista ruined their careers by not going to Smackdown. Tonight can be their own Wrestlemania and they need a new member of Evolution.

A nervous Eric Bischoff comes in to see Batista, telling him that he had nothing to do with the lumberjack match. He’s worried that Batista won’t be happy around here after winning the title at Wrestlemania but Batista says he isn’t worried about it. Batista asks if Bischoff has ever considered running for office. It turns out Bischoff has considered running for mayor of his hometown in Arizona, which is what Batista is talking about. Batista leaves but comes back, saying maybe Bischoff should just be a used car salesman. This didn’t work very well.

Randy Orton has a box for Undertaker and wants Stacy Keibler with him when he goes to the ring.

Smackdown Rebound.

Here are Orton and Keibler for a chat. Orton is ready to add another moment to his legacy at Wrestlemania when he ends the Streak. We see what is in the box: a shirt listing off all of the legends that Orton has killed. He isn’t afraid of Undertaker (take a shot) and will do whatever it takes to win. We get a video on Orton killing various legends before Orton talks about wanting to kill Undertaker’s legend.

That brings him to Stacy, and something he has wanted to do for a long time. They kiss, and it’s an RKO to lay her out. I’m hoping that the big moment was supposed to be their first public kiss because I find it hard to believe that nothing has happened between those two otherwise. I know this probably sounded good on paper, but Orton and Stacy belonged together as much as Stacy did on a wrestling show.

Classic Hulk Hogan Moment: the Mega Powers Explode. Sylvester Stallone will be inducting Hogan for your celebrity appearance.

Tyson Tomko vs. Chris Benoit

Fallout from earlier and Benoit has taped up ribs from the ladder shots. Tomko hits a running knee to knock Benoit to the floor at the bell but Benoit is fine enough to roll some German suplexes. One heck of a Swan Dive (which Benoit might have left short) hits (maybe) Tomko but the banged up ribs means it’s only two. Tomko boots him in the head as Lawler shouts to WORK ON THE RIBS. Another big boot misses and it’s the Crossface to finish Tomko. Always listen to Lawler.

Muhammad Hassan comes up to Shawn (who always looks weird in a suit) to tell him that Shawn knows nothing about adversity. Hassan should be on Wrestlemania because he has not been pinned on Raw. Daivari rants a lot but Shawn cuts them off, challenges Hassan for next week and dubs himself Mr. Wrestlemania.

Wrestlemania trailer: Taxi Driver, featuring a bunch of people doing the famous line and Batista doing his best Jim Ignatowski bit.

Kane vs. Batista

No DQ lumberjack match with HHH on commentary. Kane shoves him into the corner to start but gets powerslammed right back. A Muhammad Hassan distraction lets Chris Masters get in a cheap shot on Batista and it’s time for the slow power brawl. Batista has to kick La Resistance away, allowing Kane to get in a DDT to put him down again. Kane chokes on the ropes but stops to kick Snitsky, allowing Batista to slam him off the top. A big clothesline gives Batista two as the fans are looking at someone who appeared to fall down.

The chokeslam and Batista Bomb are both blocked so Batista shoulders him outside. Snitsky and Viscera go after Kane with the latter posting himself like a moron. The rest of the lumberjacks go after Batista but Edge, Christian and Tomko beat up Kane. Batista gets back up, fights them off, kicks out of the chokeslam and hits his two moves for the pin.

Rating: D+. This was every lumberjack match you can think of and that’s neither good nor bad. What was pretty bad was the match itself, as Kane isn’t the best when he’s up against another monster. He wrestles rather slowly and it makes for some pretty dull matches. Batista winning was never in doubt as he probably won’t be losing a match for several months, let alone this one.

HHH is livid to end the show.

Overall Rating: C. The only thing that matters on this show is Batista vs. HHH as the other matches have been hyped up on either both shows or Smackdown alone. What we got here was good enough, but they’re running out of ways to hype up Batista vs. HHH in a pretty clear ending. Wrestlemania as a whole looks good, though the World Title matches have a limited hype ceiling and we reached that a few weeks ago.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 14, 2005
Location: Gwinnett Center, Atlanta, Georgia
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We continue the march towards Wrestlemania with the first of two weeks in a series called Pick Your Poison. With this show and the next show, Batista and HHH will pick each other’s opponent, starting with HHH having to face Chris Benoit. That should be rather entertaining and we get to build up towards Money in the Bank as well. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with the Highlight Reel and Chris Jericho is sitting on top of a ladder. Jericho talks about how everyone wants to climb the ladder of success and become World Champion. He’s going to get that chance again at Wrestlemania when he wins the first Money in the Bank ladder match. Yeah it’s a difficult task but that is what Wrestlemania is about.

That brings him to his guest tonight: the man who challenged the Undertaker to Wrestlemania, Randy Orton. Jericho says this is a little harder than just RKOing the Fabulous Moolah because Undertaker is undefeated at Wrestlemania. Orton understands that a lot of people don’t believe he can beat Undertaker but he’s surprised a lot of people before. We hear some of Orton’s accomplishments and Undertaker will be surprised at Wrestlemania.

Jericho likes the idea of surprises and has a surprise of his own. His other guest is a man who has faced the Undertaker at Wrestlemania and he’s from right here in Georgia: Jake Roberts. Jake is looking rather….well I guess the word here would be horrible, so thankfully we look at some of his highlights over the years, including the Alice Cooper/Jimmy Hart deal from Wrestlemania III (where he lost), the blindfold match at Wrestlemania VII (where we all lost) and…..a match against Kamala from a Saturday Night’s Main Event?

Anyway, Jake talks about knowing Orton’s grandfather and father but he doesn’t know Orton that well. Now, in baseball, you hit a baseball, in basketball you hit a three point shot and in hockey, you play hockey. What matters in all of them though is timing. Jake knows Orton is a great wrestler because he was World Champion, but since he doesn’t have the belt anymore, he must have lost it.

Tonight, Jake is here to do a favor to Orton’s father. Jake needs to reintroduce Orton’s brain to his mouth because he’s talking out of elsewhere. In case you’re a bit confused, that didn’t make the most sense when Jake was saying it either but he’s a complicated guy. Jake says it’s all about respect so Orton talks about how facing the Undertaker is about leaving the ring with your soul.

Orton asks how Jake felt after being Undertaker’s victim at Wrestlemania VIII. When Orton beats Undertaker at Wrestlemania, he’ll make a bigger impact than Jake made in his entire career. Jake goes for the snake but has to give Orton the short arm clothesline. The DDT is reversed into the RKO though, with Jake taking it far better than I would have guessed. This worked well enough, Jake’s ramblings and disjointed promo aside.

Classic Hogan Moment: Hulkamania Is Here.

Kane vs. Christian/Tyson Tomko

Fallout from last week where Kane beat Christian but got hit in the face with a ladder shot from Tomko. Christian starts for the team and gets knocked down in a hurry. A whip into the corner finally slows Kane down and it’s Tomko coming in for some right hands to the face. Christian and Tomko take turns hammering Kane down but Kane pulls Christian face first into the post. The side slam plants Tomko and the top rope clothesline makes it even worse. The chokeslam finishes Tomko with Christian not being around for the last minute plus.

Rating: D. Nothing to see here as Kane almost squashed both of them in short order. Christian feels like he’s being tacked onto the ladder match and having him lose to Kane twice in a row isn’t the best way to fix things. Neither is likely to win the briefcase anyway, but did they need to have Christian look so worthless on the way there?

Post match Christian pulls out the ladder but Kane hits Tomko with it to make the statuses clear while busting Tomko open a bit.

Ric Flair sends Snitsky after Batista. I’m not sure if Batista is good enough for that one. It wouldn’t be Snitsky’s fault if he hurt Batista so badly that he was out of Wrestlemania. Snitsky says hurting Batista so badly would be ALL his fault. I don’t think they’re on the same page here.

Lita coaches Christy Hemme on defending against Trish’s kicks. William Regal and Tajiri come in for a demonstration, but Christy has to sign a Playboy to Tajiri. Regal: “He only reads the articles.” Christy tries her own kicks and Regal takes a low blow for the HILARIOUS payoff. Ok so it’s Regal so it is rather funny. Lita offers to get Regal some ice. Regal: “I NEED MORE THAN BLOODY ICE!” Lita tells Christy that wasn’t bad.

Marty Jannetty comes in to see Shawn Michaels, who thinks Marty needs a warmup before the match against Kurt Angle. That’s why tonight, for one night only, it’s a Rockers reunion.

Steve Austin highlight package for his Wrestlemania return.

Edge vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. Edge jumps Shelton from behind during the entrances and sends him into the steps. He does it again for a bonus and then hammers away inside with the referee having to drag Edge off. The referee is still cool with asking Shelton if he wants to have the match and Shelton says ring the bell. Edge sends him straight outside and we take a break twenty seconds in. Back with Shelton still in trouble as Edge isn’t quite as aggressive. To be fair you can’t be angry all the time. It’s just tiring.

Shelton is back with the top rope clothesline but can’t follow up. Shelton slugs away with a bunch of right hands against the ropes, which JR calls “Street Benjamin.” A backdrop and a running knee to the face set up the Stinger Splash but Edge moves. That’s fine with Shelton, who jumps right back off with a super sunset flip for two because he can do that. Edge’s powerslam gets two but the spear is blocked, setting up a Dragon Whip to bump the referee by mistake. Now the spear can connect but since there’s no referee, let’s go for a ladder. Cue Jericho to knock it into Edge’s face though and the exploder gives Shelton the pin.

Rating: B-. This took some time to get going but Shelton is starting to feel it out there with one big win after another. Edge can get all the more frustrated as he gets closer and closer to the big win, which almost has to be soon. Odds are we get Jericho vs. Edge out of this too so it’s a nice effort all around.

Rockers vs. La Resistance

Dig that old school music, though the lack of matching neon does hold things back a bit. Grenier and Marty exchange wristlocks to start with Jannetty grabbing a quickly broken armbar. A double hiptoss works a bit better for the French guys but Marty slides between Conway’s legs for the tag to Shawn and the tandem offense starts right back up. Stereo dives take La Resistance down again but Grenier low bridges Shawn to the floor to take over. A suplex gives Grenier two and we hit the chinlock.

Jannetty tries to come in, which just leaves Shawn to take a Hart Attack for two. Shawn punches Grenier down and throws the two of them into each other, allowing the tag off to Marty. A dropkick puts Grenier to the floor, with JR saying the mat isn’t covered with barbecue sauce. Shawn superkicks Conway as Marty hits the Rocker Dropper on Grenier for the pin.

Rating: C-. It was a nice little reunion here and that’s what makes something like this feel special. They didn’t overstay their welcome and they made it clear that this was a one off match. Not everything needs to be some big, epic return so having something that worked this easily and went pretty smoothly was a feel good moment. Now just get Marty through Smackdown before he self destructs.

Flair talks with HHH about the big Snitsky plan and seems to get HHH on board. When Batista gets beaten down, no one will remember HHH tapping out to Chris Benoit a year ago tonight!

Trish isn’t worried about Christy at Wrestlemania because she’s already ended Lita’s career. Maybe Trish should get a trainer as well. Like Hannibal Lecter for example, because she’s going to eat Christy alive (that’s a big pop). Maria thinks Christy looked impressive last week and gets beaten up.

Flair brags about Snitsky but wants him to be mean enough to hurt Batista. Cue Batista to say “Hey Ric.”, which sends Flair into a rant about how Batista can’t take anything away from HHH because HHH is the franchise. Batista smiles so Flair threatens to slap it off of his face. All Batista is coming for is the title. Flair was sounding like Mickey from Rocky here.

HHH vs. Chris Benoit

Non-title and Flair is here with HHH. The fans are right there with the YOU TAPPED OUT chants at HHH, who takes Benoit down in a bit of a surprise. Benoit wastes no time in trying for the Sharpshooter before pulling HHH away from the ropes in a crash. A headlock takes HHH down but it’s too early for the Crossface. HHH teases leaving but gets caught with a cheap shot to the face.

You don’t hit Benoit though as he’s right back with the chops and a suplex to put HHH outside again. Benoit gets knocked off the apron though and we take a break. Back with Benoit chopping his way out of the corner but walking into a spinebuster. Benoit knocks him backwards and goes up to, where he is promptly crotched right back down. The superplex drops Benoit for two but he’s right back with a catapult into the buckle, which JR says is not made of chocolate. First of all, being launched head first into chocolate can be painful. Second, get JR some dinner already as he’s talked about eating the ring twice.

They slug it out with Benoit getting smart by rolling the German suplexes. HHH gets back up and, you guessed it, more suplexes. The Swan Dive gets two so Benoit adds two more German suplexes but HHH grabs the rope for a breather. A hard whip into the corner drops Benoit but the Pedigree is countered into the Crossface.

The Flair distraction….does nothing as HHH doesn’t even tap behind the referee’s back. HHH rolls out and tries the Pedigree, which is reversed into the Sharpshooter. Flair tries to bring in the title and gets tossed, but it made Benoit release the hold. The low blow into the Pedigree gives HHH the pin.

Rating: B+. These two have some awesome chemistry together and it’s rare to see HHH beat him (though it wasn’t the first time as commentary kept talking about). Benoit is someone who could be reinserted into the World Title picture at any time and have a great match with anyone, making him as useful as almost anyone on the roster. This was one of the better TV matches in a long and they were both working very hard.

Randy Orton will be on Smackdown to sign the contract with Undertaker.

Wrestlemania rundown. That card is looking pretty awesome.

Here are Hassan and Daivari to make the same complaints they always make, this time because Hassan isn’t on Wrestlemania.

Christy stays with Maria while Lita goes off to run into Snitsky, who promises to finish what he started with her. Uh, what exactly did he start?

Batista vs. Gene Snitsky

Flair and HHH come out to watch and somehow Flair is the sweatier of the two. Snitsky tells Batista to try the shoulder but gets head faked and clotheslined. As usual, Batista is the smartest person on the show. A shout at Flair takes too long and Snitsky gets up a boot in the corner. Snitsky wraps the leg around the post and drops some elbows onto it for painful measure. The pumphandle powerslam gives Snitsky two so Batista kicks him outside. The comeback is on with some corner clotheslines and the spinebuster, which draws Flair in the DQ.

Rating: D. I said Batista is smart but he’s not a miracle worker. There is only so much that he can do against someone like Snitsky, whose one big move was used up in less than three minutes. This was another backfiring plan from Flair and HHH so Batista keeps looking strong, though the DQ would have been just about the same as a regular fall.

Post match Batista shrugs Flair off but the three villains all get in with chairs. Cue Kane to go after Snitsky so Batista can take out Flair as HHH leaves. HHH makes Batista vs. Kane for next week.

Overall Rating: B. This was a better show than they’ve done in a few months now with a good balance of wrestling and nostalgia, which you don’t get very often. Batista continues to look awesome and Wrestlemania could be a great card if everything lives up to its potential. Roberts and Jannetty were some rather nice surprises and fit in very well with the rest of the show. Very strong show as the build to Wrestlemania is clicking at the right time.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

Monday Night Raw
Date: March 7, 2005
Location: RBC Center, Raleigh, North Carolina
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler

We’re less than a month away from Wrestlemania and that means it’s the Batista Show, which is exactly what it should be right now. In addition to that though we have Shawn Michaels vs. Kurt Angle to keep setting up, plus Chris Jericho doing something with a ladder. I’m sure that won’t go anywhere. Let’s get to it.

Here are last week’s results if you need a recap.

We open with a recap of HHH being all upset and Batista not being worried.

Opening sequence.

Here’s Shawn to address Angle. Shawn talks about having a long and brutal match last week and then Angle attacked him. That’s why he showed up on Smackdown last week and gave Angle a beating of his own. We see a clip of Shawn coming to Smackdown and jumping Angle, which got Shawn thinking. Why is Angle having so much rage lately? It’s the kind of rage that comes from doubt, because Angle may be a Gold Medalist, but does that mean he can hang on the biggest stage of them all against Mr. Wrestlemania?

Angle pops up on screen and says it does go back to 1996. Yeah he won in the Olympics but then he kept being asked about turning pro. Shawn wrestled Bret Hart for over an hour and reporters talked to him about that instead of his gold medal. Angle wants Shawn to watch Smackdown as Angle is going to take four weeks to do what Shawn took sixteen years to do. Shawn doesn’t look sure to wrap things up. This was a very solid promo exchange as they gave a good story to a match that didn’t need one, which is always appreciated.

HHH vs. Rosey

Non-title as Rosey wants revenge for Hurricane from last week. A very early Pedigree attempt is blocked with Rosey hitting a running splash in the corner instead. Rosey misses a middle rope moonsault (which looked better than you might have expected) so HHH hammers away. HHH whips him into the steps and takes it back inside for the spinebuster. The Pedigree finishes things quick.

Post match HHH gets in a sledgehammer shot to further make his point, whatever that was supposed to be.

Jerry Lawler got Christy Hemme to sign his Playboy today.

Video on the Playboy shoot.

Ric Flair is worried about facing Batista tonight but HHH talks him into it. Promising to be out there with the sledgehammer makes Flair feel better too.

Chris Jericho, Edge, Shelton Benjamin, Christian and Chris Benoit are in Eric Bischoff’s office. Bischoff explains the concept of the big ladder match but Edge doesn’t want any part of it. The tease of getting a chance to be World Champion brings him back though, with Bischoff first dropping the term Money In The Bank. Tonight, the six participants will be facing off, with Christian getting to face the sixth participant next.

Kane vs. Christian

Christian tries to hammer away in the corner to start but gets shoved down with ease. Kane gets in his choking in the corner but a Tomko cheap shot gives Christian a break. Like any normal sized person against a monster, Christian tries the sleeper and has some more success than usual. Kane swings it around into a side slam and there’s a powerslam for a bonus. The big boot looks to set up the top rope clothesline but Kane has to kick Tomko down first. Not that it matters as Christian charges into the chokeslam for the pin a few seconds later.

Rating: D+. It was so nice to see a match like this that didn’t involve hearing 184 instances of commentary talking about building momentum. Instead they talked about the carnage coming in the ladder match and how big of a force Kane could be. It was a specific discussion instead of the generic terms that they use most of the time in the build to these things.

Post match Tomko hits a big boot on Kane before bailing with Christian.

Stacy Keibler helps Randy Orton get dressed so he can make his official challenge for Wrestlemania.

Lawler enjoys some Subway.

Chris Jericho vs. Edge

Edge has a banged up arm coming in after last week’s street fight. We start with the YOU SCREWED MATT chants as the feeling out process gets us going. Now it’s a YOU SCREWED LITA chant as Jericho starts in on a hammerlock. Some knees and a dropkick to the arm set up an attempted cross armbreaker as Edge is having some issues to start.

The running enziguri puts Edge down again and it’s the springboard dropkick to put him on the floor. A plancha to the floor takes Edge down and takes us to a break. Back with Jericho kicking at the ribs and going up top, only to have Edge catch him with a top rope superplex. The chinlock with a bodyscissors goes on but Jericho fights up, only to get kneed right back down.

A clothesline works a bit better for a comeback and Jericho gets two off a DDT. The running bulldog sets up the missed Lionsault and Edge gets two off a big boot. Jericho grabs the legs for the Walls attempt but Edge kicks him into the referee. Edge gets a boot up in the corner (the boot works well for him) but the missed spear sends Edge outside. Since there is a ladder out there with him, Edge brings it in, only to get taken down for a Lionsault to the back. There’s no referee though so Edge hits Jericho low with the ladder. The Edgecution gives Edge the pin.

Rating: C+. I was expecting a bit more given the time they had, but Edge cheating to win fits him very well at the moment. He’s obsessed with winning the title and will do anything he can to get a step closer to being champion. The match was good enough due to the talent involved, but these two can do better.

Bischoff has a new idea: Batista picks HHH’s opponent and the week after that, HHH picks Batista’s opponent. Coach declares this to be genius, with Bischoff dubbing the idea Pick Your Poison.

Hulk Hogan Hall of Fame video. We covered that last week.

Here’s Orton for his Wrestlemania challenge. When he was five years old, he sat in front of the TV and watched his dad wrestle, which was pretty cool. This year, his dad is going into the Hall of Fame and Orton is so proud of him. Wrestling is about making an impact and that is what he’s going to do right now by challenging the Undertaker for Wrestlemania. Undertaker is a legend and the Legend Killer is putting an end to the Streak.

This brings out Bischoff, who thinks he drove Orton to the challenge. He’s looking forward to Raw winning the interbranded matches at Wrestlemania because the stock options will be great. Orton asks Bischoff about running WCW and his success against Raw. Bischoff agrees and Orton thinks that makes him a legend. Bischoff: “That’s right Randy it…..does.” The RKO drops Bischoff. Orton vs. Undertaker sounds good on paper, but it would have had more of an impact had Orton not been destroyed over the last few months.

Wrestlemania rundown.

Chris Benoit vs. Shelton Benjamin

Non-title. They go straight to the chops to start with Benjamin getting sent outside for the big dive, which sends Benoit crashing into the ladder, bending it in the process (that’s a hard one to watch). Back in and the top rope clothesline gets two but Benoit is right back up with the rolling German suplexes. The Swan Dive misses though and Shelton rolls him up for one. The Dragon Whip misses and Benoit grabs the Crossface, eventually rolling into the middle to make Benjamin tap.

Rating: C. That was intense but rather short as they didn’t even get five minutes. These two could have an instant classic with more time but given that Edge vs. Jericho got the time earlier, it’s not like the time was given to something worthless. Shelton tapping isn’t the best idea, though it doesn’t mean much given the circumstances.

Wrestlemania trailer, this time with Undertaker as Dirty Harry. That doesn’t fit well during the Deadman phase. Neither is Undertaker shooting the guy with a shotgun.

We look at HHH hitting Rosey with the hammer again.

Bischoff is banged up when Muhammad Hassan and Daivari come in. Hassan should have been in Money in the Bank and claims discrimination. Bischoff based the participants on their past success at Wrestlemania and that doesn’t apply to Hassan. Revenge is promised.

Smackdown Rebound.

William Regal and Tajiri are impressed by Christy’s Playboy but Trish isn’t quite so keen.

Here’s Christy for a chat. Lawler: “I go from 0 to horny in about 3.5 seconds when I hear her music.” Even JR sidesteps that one and I think we’re all better off for that. She wants Trish out here right now so here’s the champ. Trish tells her to make this quick but thinks she knows what is going on: Christy wants her out here for the announcement that Playboy goes on sale this Friday. Maybe Christy can even autograph it “s***”, like Trish wrote on her last week.

Actually Christy wants a title shot at Wrestlemania. Trish laughs and then promises to end Christy’s career. Christy wants the match so Trish says it’s on. It turns out that Christy has been receiving training from Lita, who comes out to a reaction that almost makes you forget that it’s Christy Hemme getting a Wrestlemania title shot. Granted it’s not like there is anyone else to challenge though. Christy takes advantage of the Lita staredown and hits a reverse Twist of Fate, with the camera catching most of it.

Bischoff won’t let HHH go to ringside for the main event, at least not with the sledgehammer. HHH and Flair complain but Bischoff shows some backbone and makes HHH drop the hammer.

Next week: HHH vs. Chris Benoit.

Ric Flair vs. Batista

HHH is here with Flair. The fans aren’t entirely behind Batista as this is certainly Flair Country. Batista shoves him down with ease to start so Flair goes at him again and gets shoved down a second time. A backdrop sends Flair flying and Batista hammers away in the corner.

HHH offers a distraction and Flair gets in the classic chop block. Flair chokes away with the boot before going back to the knee. The greatest hits only work for so long though as Batista gets up and glares at Flair. The big slam off the top checks off another box and there’s the spinebuster. HHH tries to run in and gets tossed out, setting up the Batista Bomb for the pin.

Rating: C. This was a paint by numbers match and that’s the right call. Flair (or anyone for that matter) isn’t going to be seen as a threat to Batista at the moment but beating him fits the story. Batista gets another win and gets to look dominant as well as smart. That’s a good use of seven minutes, even if the match was never in doubt.

Post match HHH comes back in with a spar sledgehammer but Batista takes it away. The hammer is broken over Batista’s knee, sending HHH into a panic to end the show.

Overall Rating: C+. There was a lot more to this show than the wrestling and that worked fairly well. They set up a few matches for Wrestlemania, one of which will actually be good, and kept going with more between HHH vs. Batista. The Pick Your Poison deal lets them have two weeks of storyline stuff, which is better than cramming it into one week. Stuff was done on this show, though it does make it clear how much more Raw has to offer than Smackdown for Wrestlemania.

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Summerslam 2009
Date: August 23, 2009
Location: Staples Center, Los Angeles, California
Attendance: 17,129
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker, Josh Matthews

The opening video is set up like a movie theater, but DX takes it over by making shadow puppets on the screen. Shawn wins by putting up Abraham Lincoln. They finally break the projector but Shawn says he can fix it. He turns it into a DX highlight video but breaks the camera one more time.

Intercontinental Title: Rey Mysterio vs. Dolph Ziggler

Rey is defending after a long but awesome feud with Jericho. Ziggler pounds him down into the corner before getting two off a powerslam. Dolph throws him over his shoulders to the top but Rey bounces off with a moonsault press for two. Out to the floor and a cameraman is taken out via I think a hurricanrana. Back in and Ziggler catches (kind of) a rana off the top in a buckle bomb for two to take over.

Rating: B+. Excellent opener here with Ziggler being able to go move for move with one of the best high fliers of all time. It was clear that Dolph was going to be a big deal and this was a great example of why. Rey was on fire at this point but he would be derailed by a Wellness violation a few weeks later, forcing him to drop the title to John Morrison.

Jack Swagger vs. MVP

MVP jumps over Swagger in the corner and hits a quick clothesline for two to start. Swagger rolls to the floor to avoid the Ballin Elbow, only to be caught by a suicide dive. Back in and Swagger gets in some shots to the ribs to take over followed by a forearm to the back. MVP counters another shot with an elbow to the face, only to get caught in an abdominal stretch.

Luke Perry is here.

Video on celebrities guest hosting Raw. Did we really have to relive this stupid idea?

Tag Titles: Chris Jericho/Big Show vs. Cryme Tyme

Kane vs. Great Khali

Slash, Robert Patrick and Maria Menunos are here.

Legacy vs. D-Generation X

DX comes in on a tank, trailing behind a bunch of soldiers on an Army jeep. Ok points for an AWESOME entrance. HHH starts with DiBiase as Ted fires off right hands in the corner. They have even less effect than you would expect so HHH suplexes him down and drops a knee for two. Off to Cody who walks into the high knee to the face from the Game and slaps Shawn as a result. Shawn gets the tag to a big pop but gets slapped again after running the ropes a bit.

ECW Title: Christian vs. William Regal

Christian is defending. Remember Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry going 32 seconds last week? This is a quarter of that as Christian grabs the Killswitch as Regal is taking his robe off for the pin to retain.

Video on the Summerslam festivities in Los Angeles.

We recap Orton vs. Cena. Orton has dominated the year and Cena is the latest guy to try to take the title. Not much here but do these two really need a backstory?

Raw World Title: John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Orton is defending. Cena takes him down with a front facelock but Orton counters into a hammerlock. Randy takes him into the corner and kicks at the ribs a bit, cuing a Cena comeback with rights and lefts. Orton comes back with an elbow to the face and his VERY slow stomping. This is the main criticism of Orton around this time: he wrestled in slow motion and it makes for very dull matches. The big knee drop to the chest gets two.

Cena gets in another shot and pops up top for the Fameasser, good for two. Orton grabs the ropes to block the FU and a double clothesline puts them both down. They slug it out with Cena taking over and speeding things up, but Orton shoves the referee for the LAME DQ. To be fair though it was the first fast paced thing he did all match.

Smackdown World Title: Jeff Hardy vs. CM Punk

Back up and Hardy loads up Poetry in Motion but Punk drops him onto the open chair to take over. A series of ladder shots to the back have Hardy in big trouble. Punk sends him to the floor and hits a suicide dive but misses a chair shot. Hardy sends him into the post and gets in a chair shot to the elbow to take over. This is a slower paced match so far which is usually the best way to go about TLC matches. Now Poetry In Motion hits against the barricade and Punk is in trouble.

Hardy loads up a table next to the ring and this Punk in the head with part of the announce table and a monitor. A chair shot puts Punk down again as Hardy is in full control. Jeff sets up the big ladder and hits an INSANE Swanton Bomb through Punk through the announce table. That looked NUTS but the crash was great. Both guys are checked on as the stretcher is brought out. Hardy is taken out but Punk is crawling towards the ladder. Jeff gets off the stretcher and goes after Punk, only to be kicked off the ladder in another big crash, giving Punk the title.

Ratings Comparison

Dolph Ziggler vs. Rey Mysterio

Original: A-

Redo: B+

Jack Swagger vs. MVP

Original: C

Redo: D

Chris Jericho/Big Show vs. Cryme Tyme

Original: D+

Redo: C-

Kane vs. Great Khali

Original: D+

Redo: D-

D-Generation X vs. Legacy

Original: A

Redo: B+

William Regal vs. Christian

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

John Cena vs. Randy Orton

Original: B-

Redo: D

CM Punk vs. Jeff Hardy

Original: A

Redo: A-

Overall Rating

Original: A-

Redo: B

The Cena vs. Orton match carries or sinks this show depending on how you look at it.

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/12/history-of-summerslam-count-up-2009-punk-in-another-main-event-3/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6

IMG Credit: WWE

Summerslam 2008
Date: August 17, 2008
Location: Conseco Fieldhouse, Indianapolis, Indiana
Attendance: 15,997
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Tazz, Todd Grisham, Matt Striker

We run down the card because you might have ordered the show blind or something?

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

MVP makes the ropes and the referee has to keep pulling Jeff out of the corner. Jeff eventually gets free and charges right into a snap belly to belly for two. MVP kicks him in the back and puts on something like a crucifix hold before rolling over into a camel clutch. Off to something like a side leg bar but MVP eventually lets it go. Jeff goes tot he apron but MVP knocks him out of the air to break up a springboard, getting two.

ECW Title: Mark Henry vs. Matt Hardy

Jeff Hardy comes out to make the save and the Hardys suplex Henry.

Raw World Title: CM Punk vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Punk was basically a glorified midcarder at this point but his time would come. JBL shoves Punk into the corner to start and a hard shoulder puts the champion down. Punk comes back with a flying forearm to send him to the outside and a suicide dive fires the fans up even more. Back in and a high cross body gets a one count for Punk but another shoulder block puts him down. Punk tries to go up, only to be taken down by a middle rope fall away slam for two.

Smackdown World Title: HHH vs. Great Khali

Rating: C+. This match, while slow, was a great example of psychology in a wrestling match. HHH knew that there was only one move he could use to hurt Khali and give him a chance for the win so it was the only thing he tried for most of the match. This was HHH working around someone and it worked quite well as HHH is a very talented wrestler, which unfortunately is often forgotten.

John Cena vs. Batista

Back up immediately and Cena throws Batista to the floor in something resembling an FU before collapsing down. Back in again and Cena fires off the shoulder blocks and the ProtoBomb to set up the Shuffle. The FU is countered again and Batista kicks him in the face to put both guys down. Batista drives shoulders into the corner and catches him in the spinebuster to put Cena down. Cena backdrops out of the Batista Bomb and hits a DDT on the leg to set up the STFU. Batista FINALLY crawls over and gets a rope to shock Cena.

The Cell is lowered.

Edge vs. Undertaker

Taker counters the spear into a chokeslam for a close two and Taker is getting frustrated. The Last Ride is countered by a low blow and an Impaler gets two. Back up and Taker loads up the Last Ride again but wants it through the tables on the floor. Edge slips over the top and hits the spear for a very close two. Now the Last Ride connects but Edge gets out at two.

Rating: A. THIS is how you blow off a feud. Edge was completely destroyed at the end here with Undertaker hitting every big move he had and Edge not kicking out of them at all. These two had some great action all year long and the Cell is the best way to blow the whole thing off. Having it as a TLC match inside the Cell was fine and it made for a great main event.

Taker leaves but Edge very slowly gets up. The big man goes back inside and sets up the ladder before lifting Edge onto it. Taker throws in another ladder and climbs up next to Edge so he can throw the Canadian down through the mat. He raises his arms up and lights the hole on fire to end the show in a corny moment.

Ratings Comparison

MVP vs. Jeff Hardy

Original: B

Redo: B-

Kofi Kingston/Mickie James vs. Glamarella

Original: D

Redo: D+

Matt Hardy vs. Mark Henry

Original: N/A

Redo: N/A

CM Punk vs. John Bradshaw Layfield

Original: B-

Redo: C+

Great Khali vs. HHH

Original: B+

Redo: C+

Batista vs. John Cena

Original: A

Redo: A-

Edge vs. Undertaker

Original: A-

Redo: A

Overall Rating

Original: A-

Redo: A-

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2011/08/11/history-of-summerslam-count-up-2008-punk-as-champion-thatll-never-happen-again/

Remember to follow me on Twitter @kbreviews and pick up the paperback edition of KB’s History Of In Your House (also available as an e-book) from Amazon. Check out the information here:

http://kbwrestlingreviews.com/2019/05/31/new-paperback-kbs-history-of-in-your-house/

And check out my Amazon author page with cheap wrestling books at:

http://www.amazon.com/Thomas-Hall/e/B00E6282W6