SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
The following report was originally published 20 years ago this week on PWTorch.com…
WWE Raw brand house show report
February 28, 2004
Birmingham, Alabama at Boutwell Auditorium
Report by Eromitlab, PWTorch.com reader
The show started promptly at 7:30pm with Howard Finkle running down the usual announcements… no commercial photography, don’t throw things, no laser pens.
(1) Lance Storm defeated Rene Dupree via submission. La Resistance came out first and got a lot of heat just for coming out with the French flag. Rob Conway stayed at ringside and interfered a few times. Really good New Style match. Storm made Dupree tap out with the half-crab. Storm still did his silly cabbage-patch dance after the win. Dupree sold his left knee after the match.
The Dudley Boyz came out for the next match and got a great reception, but then Theodore Long’s music hit. Theodore announced that he was the GM for the night and that he was also scouting WWE superstars… like the Dudleys’ opponents tonight, Cade & Jindrak. Theodore sat next to Finkle at ringside and watched the next match.
(2) Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak defeated The Dudley Boyz when Jindrak pinned D-Von. No heat for Cade & Jindrak when they came out. Cade got heat by avoiding locking up with Bubba, then with complaining. This match was okay, but it dragged on… and on… and on. Cade and Bubba started, and Bubba stayed in the ring for at least fifteen minutes straight being worked over by Cade & Jindrak before Bubba made the hot tag to D-Von. Finish came when Bubba put Jindrak down with a bodyslam and D-Von went up top for the Whassup headbutt. Theodore got on the apron to distract the ref. Cade shoved D-Von off the top and Jindrak pinned him while Bubba went after Theodore and Cade.
(3) Matt Hardy pinned Horshu. Matt worked the match as a face. Horshu looked okay and had a great physique, dwarfing Matt, but still has a little way to go with ringwork. Matt won with the Twist of Fate.
(4) Val Venis pinned Nick Dinsmore. Long New Style match. This is another one that seemed to go on forever. Dinsmore did a lot of work on Val’s left knee and looked decent in the ring. Val won with the Money Shot.
(5) Chris Jericho defeated Christian via submission. Christian cut a promo pre-match about the Peeps being mad with him because of what he did to Trish on Monday night. Tim White came out to ref the match, which surprised me to see. Jericho came out and wasted no time attacking Christian. The match went mostly in Jericho’s favor until Jericho tried a Lionsault. Christian moved, and Jericho landed on his feet and tweaked the bad knee on the landing. Towards the end of the match, White couldn’t use his right arm. Mike Chioda came out to finish the match and an agent helped White to the back. Christian had Jericho in the Walls for a while, but Jericho held on and made the ropes. Jericho came back and turned Christian over in the Walls. Christian tapped quickly, and I mean quickly… maybe five seconds after being turned over.
After Finkle worked in a plug for the inflatable sledgehammer and smoking skull championship belt at the merchandise stand, some T-shirts were shot into the crowd and there was a ten-minute intermission… just short of 9pm.
Finkle came out after the intermission and introduced the GM for the night, Theodore Long. Long called out Chris Benoit and talked about how he beat everyone on Smackdown but how Raw is going to be a different experience, and also to psych him out about his World title matches with Triple H. Benoit put Theodore in the Crossface and promised to win the title tonight right here in Birmingham.
(6) Kane pinned Hurricane. Hurricane got in a little (and I do mean, a little) more offense and the match went a little longer then their TV match a few weeks ago. Kane set Hurricane for a chokeslam when Undertaker’s bell tolled twice. This distraction allowed Hurricane the chance to re-charge. Hurricane went for a chokeslam, but Kane easily stopped it and hit his own for the win. Undertaker’s bell tolled again as Kane left the ring.
(7) Booker T & Rob Van Dam defeated Randy Orton & Batista when Van Dam pinned Orton. Pretty solid match with good action. There were a few attempts to get Foley chants started. After one Foley chant, Orton spat over the railing towards the crowd right where I was sitting. There was about fifteen feet between the railing and the first row of floor seating in the area, so Orton’s loogie landed on the floor about three feet in front of the first row of floor seats, two seats away from where I was sitting. I can only assume Orton did that for crowd heat… in that respect, it worked, but only a bit. The match was won when Booker hit the ax kick on Orton, and RVD followed with the five-star on Orton for the pin. After the match, Van Dam took the mic and told Booker that he had to give these people in Birmingham a Spin-a-roonie. Booker obliged.
(8) Sable & Torrie Wilson defeated Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie when Torrie pinned Miss Jackie. Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women’s title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds. Molly was pantsed, revealing granny panties and scurried to the back… it all seemed familiar somehow. Better match than I was expecting… it went just a step above four hot women rolling around catfighting. Torrie’s ring work looks like it’s come up a notch. Torrie won with a DDT on Miss Jackie.
Prior to starting the main event, Finkle came into the ring and complemented the Birmingham crowd.
(9) Triple H pinned Chris Benoit. Triple H cut a pre-match promo promising to leave this hell hole Birmingham still the World Heavyweight Champion, just like at WrestleMania XX. They had a good twenty-five minute match, worked New Style with plenty of submission holds. Benoit teased the Sharpshooter a few times before getting it. Benoit hit three German suplexes, cut the throat and hit the headbutt, but Hunter kicked out at two. Orton came down to the ring to interfere on Triple H’s behalf, but Benoit took care of him. Batista came out later to distract Benoit again at the finish, after Benoit avoided a Pedigree attempt. Triple H hit the Pedigree and got the win.
Overall, it was a good effort and a good three-hour show that seemed to entertain despite the stars that weren’t on the show… Austin, Bischoff, Michaels, Trish, Lita and Victoria weren’t on the show, and of course Flair and Goldberg weren’t on the show for obvious reasons. Good boisterous crowd… I’d say between 2000 and 2500. The action was good throughout, but in my opinion, the New Style really made the early matches drag on.
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