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WWE Raw TV taping report
December 29, 2007
Greensboro, N.C.
Report by Bruce Mitchell, Torch columnist

Attendance was around 11,000 in the Greensboro Coliseum. Even with the huge number of sellable seats the Titantron takes away, two thirds of the upper deck was covered and unavailable for sale. You have to wonder how much money WWE lost by not finding a way to promote this locally as Ric Flair's last show in the Greensboro Coliseum and the old Mid Atlantic area.

I counted seven different Triple H shirts available for sale at the concession stand, two for John Cena, one for Shawn Michaels, two for Jeff Hardy, (plus a JH teddy bear), and none for Flair.

DARK MATCHES

(1) Brian Kendrick beat some blonde guy the fan next to me said was called "the Natural." A very muscular brunette guy seconded him. What I saw wasn't very good.

(2) Snitsky beat Super Crazy in about five minutes. This was too long. Snitsky's big boot at the end got a reaction, though.

HEAT TAPINGS

(1) D.H. (The Fall Guy) Smith beat David Owen with a belly to back suplex. Smith is showing more wrestling, including some MMA inspired stuff. He's still got a long way to go. Many of the fans around me knew who his father was.

(2) Drew McIntyre beat Charlie Haas. David Taylor wasn't with McIntire. Haas must have really pissed someone off, because he's now saddled with a truly awful gimmick. First he comes out and says because he was an All-American he put the "W" for "Wrestling" in "WWE". Then he gets beaten around so he goes outside and puts on a red lucha style mask and strikes corny poses ala Owen Hart as the Blue Blazer. He does one comedy spot where he climbs to the top rope, does another corny muscle pose, then leaps like he's making a cross-body block, only he lands on both feet, then jumps on his opponent, just in case you forgot for a moment that this shit is fake. He ends up losing and getting unmasked for his trouble.

(3) Hardcore Holly beat Trevor Murdoch with the Alabama Slamma. Neither one's partner came to ringside, since Lance Cade was injured in Atlanta last night. This was a good match and Holly was over with the crowd. (2 ½ *)

Jim Ross, after not being mentioned at all on the Christmas Eve show, and Jerry Lawler are the Raw announcers.

Raw starts with a tremendous Ric Flair video before the open.

Randy Orton is in the ring, bragging about the dominant year he had in 2007 and promising to keep the WWE title all through 2008. He's interrupted by Royal Rumble opponent Jeff Hardy, who gets a tremendous reaction. He's home too. He tells Orton what he doesn't have is "momentum", and then shows the clip of him pinning Orton two weeks ago. "That proves I can beat you!"

Orton: Ask Chris Jericho, HBK, and John Cena what I've done lately.

Good comeback.

They stare down, then Orton goes for an RKO, but Hardy reverses into a Twist of Phate and leaves Orton laid out in the ring. Good, solid stuff.

Another good Flair video airs,

Shawn Michaels in the back asks Hardy for the first title match if he wins. Hardy agrees, like that'll ever happen.

(4) Shawn Michaels faces Mr. Kennedy. This is a 3 ¼ star match that ends with Kennedy ducking a Superkick and hitting a face implant for his first clean win over HBK.

Todd Grisham interviews a subdued Triple H. "Losing is not an option. At least Flair will know he lost to the best."

Mr. McMahon interrupts and starts taunting Triple H, telling him if he loses he will not participate in the Royal Rumble. I'm glad to hear that, since it raises the stakes and lets everyone know for sure Triple H won't roll over for his "best friend."

Jillian Hall. Naked Oily Guy. Ron Simmons. Damn!

Mr. McMahon tells Raw GM William Regal that tonight he proves himself by wrestling Hornswoggle. Finlay got left in Iraq or something. Regal grins.

Highlights of the Royal Rumble Hacksaw Jim Duggan won air, leading to:

(5) Hacksaw Jim Duggan faces Umaga in Royal Rumble qualifying match. I enjoyed watching Umaga squash the lazy-for-twenty-years Duggan.

Cody Runnels and Hardcore Holy talk to Flair, when Mr. McMahon interrupts. This is yet another segment where McMahon cuts Flair's promo for him while Flair just looks at him like a ninny. What a crock.

JBL makes his Raw Debut. He stands in the middle of the ring raising his fists for minutes on end while the loudest fireworks I've ever heard in my life go off. Then he cuts his promo. It's tremendous and his delivery is even better.

Chris Jericho runs out and they have a big pull-apart brawl. After the commercial, JBL chews out the refs and agents. This is a great segment.

There's a delay while the smoke from the fireworks clears out.

(6) Beth Phoenix vs. Melina vs. Mickie James for the Women's Title is next. An early botched spot with Phoenix and James will probably be edited out. Phoenix pins an already knocked-out Melina with the fisherman's suplex.

(7) Mr. McMahon is out for William Regal vs. Hornswoggle. Live, you really can't see the blood on McMahon's hands. Regal wrestles in his stylin' black suit. The match starts with a couple of collar and elbow tie-ups, which I enjoyed. The segment starts to fizzle until Regal rears back to slug HS but won't do it because he's really cute. Mr. McMahon gets mad and yells at him to hit HS. "What's the matter? No guts?" Then he gives Regal his brass knuckles. "You better use them!" Regal lets HS go instead. HS runs away. Mr. McMahon slaps Regal. He berates him some more, Regal acts likes he's going to hit him then slowly just walks toward the back. "Don't come back until you're the man I think you are!"

A new Jeff Hardy video airs.

(8) Jeff Hardy faces Santino Morella. He's about to hit the Swanton Bomb when Randy Orton interrupts from the Titantron. "I'm going to kick your brother Matt where his appendix used to be!" He does. There's a moment of real shock in the crowd. Jeff Hardy runs to the back to cradle his brother in his arms. Orton is really villainous here.

Triple H and Ric Flair have a face-to-face promo. Parts of this actually sound like Ric Flair. "You ain't the man until you put me away!"

Still, I have to admit I was jealous. I wish Ric Flair would tell everybody on national television that I was his best friend and that I'm as great now as he was twenty years ago.

Triple H gets the last word. On the other hands, Flair's love notes accomplish something, because Triple H gives Ric Flair a tremendous match, taking spots from Flair that haven't been seen in a long time.

(9) Triple H vs. Ric Flair. Flair's wife Tiffany, his daughter Ashleigh, and his son Reid are at ringside. The highlight, among many, is a long Figure Four spot, with Triple H selling the hell out of it. Flair left the Greensboro Coliseum one last time with the best match of the night and one more great memory, until…

William Regal ran down and knocked Flair out cold with his brass knuckles so Flair won by DQ. Vince McMahon will never left this angle get all the way over. I doubt he'll ever honor anyone retiring completely the right way. Paging Hulk Hogan..

Flair revived. He and Triple H hugged. Flair cried. Triple H bowed to Flair. They left together arm and arm.

And then Lillian Garcia announced that it was "time for the main event!" Oddly, she didn't announce the participants. Fat Oily Naked Guy came out with champagne bottles in each arm, shaking them as he danced. He makes a beeline for Jim Ross (who hasn't signed a new, long-term contract to my knowledge) and sprays the champagne all over a clearly pissed Ross. Then he dances on the table over Ross, until Ross stands up and punches him in the groin, knocking him off the table to the floor. Lawler raises Ross hand in triumph.

Fat Oily Naked Guy lies there. Ross pours some of the leftover champagne on him. Garcia looks completely shocked in the ring after the punch, alternating between embarrassed giggles and covering her mouth in concern.

FONG finally gets up and dances off.

Jeff Hardy & Chris Jericho beat JBL and Randy Orton in the usual off-air match.


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