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The following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com.
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
JANUARY 3, 2005
LIVE FROM UNIONDALE, N.Y.
REPORT BY WADE KELLER, EDITOR
-A video package aired of last week’s Raw main event between Triple H and Shelton Shelton Benjamin and the Shawn Michaels special referee announcement.
-Eric Bischoff then introduced Raw, stating that everyone in the EC would be facing off in one-on-one matches during the show – Edge vs. Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit vs. Batista, and Triple H vs. Randy Orton. There’s half the main events of a pretty strong WrestleMania line-up.
-Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduced the show and wished everyone a happy new year.
1 — BATISTA vs. CHRIS BENOIT
Lawler said Batista is a hungry animal because he’s never held the World Hvt. Title before. Batista got in some early offense with knees in the corner. Benoit fired back with chops. Batista removed a top turnbuckle pad. Benoit gave Batista three German suplexes from behind, then went to the top rope for an early top rope headbutt attempt. Batista rolled out of the ring. Benoit went after him. Batista rammed Benoit into the ringside security rail. Back in the ring Batista hit a sidewalk slam for a two count. Benoit came back and hit a top rope headbutt for a two count. When Benoit went back to the top rope, Batista came back with a monster fisherman’s suplex followed by a casual cover and a two count. Batista then applied a half Boston crab with a knee shoved down onto the side of Benoit’s face. Now that’s a compelling alternative to the boring chinlocks and headlocks that wrestlers fighting for better crowd responses in recent months have been unwisely using. Benoit came back and applied the Crippler Crossface. Batista struggled but eventually powered out by lifting Benoit into the air. Great visual. He then dropped Benoit face-first several times over the exposed turnbuckle, then hotshotted him throat-first over the top rope, then slammed him to the mat. He then dropped an MF-bomb which was bleeped, and then hit the Batista Bomb for a decisive pin.
WINNER: Batista at 7:03.
STAR RATING: **1/2 — That match accomplished what it intended to very effectively and efficiently. Benoit got in a lot of solid offense, but right now the wind is at Batista’s back and Benoit’s year was 2004 as far as WWE management is concerned, so they’re effectively trying to use Benoit’s credibility to add momentum to Batista. I think this may have worked. The only downside was that I don’t think Ross and Lawler made a big enough deal out of Benoit losing the way he did. Also, I would have had no problem with them going five more minutes.
-Ross and Lawler plugged their debate with Muhammad Hassan and Khosrow Daivari later.
[Commercial Break]
-Batista, Triple H, and Ric Flair celebrated Batista’s win backstage. Batista then got serious and asked Hunter for the 100 bucks he owes him. Hunter looked surprised. Batista explained that he won his bet last week regarding who would win in less time. Hunter told Flair to give Batista his money. Batista said Hunter lost the bet, so he should pay him. Hunter, losing patience, reached for a hundred dollar bill. When he presented it to Batista, Batista told Hunter to lighten up because he was just kidding. Hunter didn’t see the humor in it. Batista, not backing down from Hunter’s fuming emotions, laughed and walked off. Batista is playing his character really well and clearly has the best chance to be the breakout star of 2005 for WWE.
-Clips aired of Gene Snitsky destroying Kane at Taboo Tuesday.
-Gene Snitsky was interviewed by ace interviewer Maria, who was wearing the super-sad-mopey-face she learned in acting class (or from watching Chris Harris backstage whenever he’s asked to lose a match). Snitsky said he is surprised Kane would return after what he did to him at Taboo Tuesday. Snitsky whispered that he had a surprise for Maria, and then whispered something to her and smelled her. She winced and fled. Snitsky said she must not like surprises. He said he’d have a surprise for Kane later in the night, something he wouldn’t like that he brought on himself. He closed with: “It’s not my fault.”
-Edge complained to Bischoff about his appointing Shawn Michaels special referee for the Elimination Chamber. Bischoff said he was upset at Edge for setting Michaels back six weeks in his recovery, which meant he had to pull him from shows, and that cost him revenue, so he wanted to make it up by naming Michaels special ref. Bischoff told Edge to take out his frustration on Jericho since his match was next.
[Commercial Break]
2 — EDGE vs. CHRIS JERICHO
Ross talked about the Elimination Chamber structure. Jericho applied an early bow and arrow. The action spilled to ringside where they nailed each other with simultaneous clotheslines at 2:00. They cut to an early break.
[Commercial Break]
Upon returning, Edge had Jericho in an elbowlock on the mat, then grabbed his free hand and yanked back on it. Again, a great improvement on those headlocks and chinlocks of mid-2004 after the “new style” speeches began. A minute later Edge applied a keylock. Jericho came back with an enzuigiri, then did a silly Wahoo McDaniel war dance routine, which made him look stupid because it gave Edge enough time to nail him in the face with a boot as soon as he turned around. Fans don’t like to cheer for an undisciplined rallyboys, and that’s what Jericho looked like there. Jericho came back with a Walls of Jericho attempt. Edge avoided it. Jericho flew off the top rope with a bodyblock at 10:00. Edge ducked. Jericho leapfrogged an Edge spear attempt and then went for a victory roll. Edge, though, leveraged himself on top and grabbed the middle rope to score the pin.
WINNER: Edge at 11:00.
STAR RATING: **3/4 — Good match.
-Lawler and Ross plugged the online poll which asked viewers to vote for who would win the TV main event between Hunter and Orton.
-They went backstage to Coach interviewing Randy Orton. This was a very important promo for Orton, given the momentum that Batista has and how average his promos have been lately. He came through. He kept it short and serious, drawing more from “Cowboy” Bob on his most serious day rather than a derivative of a playful Rock. It was effective to talk to Coach until the last few seconds where he addressed Hunter through the camera lens.
[Commercial Break]
ARTICLE CONTINUED BELOW…
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3 — SYLVAIN GRENIER (w/Robert Conway) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN
Maven joined Ross and Lawler at ringside. Benjamin stood on the ring apron and looked toward Maven at the start of the match. That gave Grenier a chance to knock him hard to the floor and take early offense. Maven said: “Hey, happy birthday, J.R. How old are you? I’m in my 20s, by the way.” He then bragged about watching a video with 30 of his closest friends on his 70 inch TV showing him beating Shelton Benjamin. Maven said he has called out Shelton and Shelton won’t answer his challenge. He said as the IC Champ, he has to accept his challenge at the PPV because he has never beat him. Benjamin took control with a jump spin wheel kick for a two count. Grenier lifted a shoulder. Well, he was supposed to, but it more looked like the ref just stopped counting, as if Grenier forgot that wasn’t the finish. Benjamin then hit his T-Bone for the win. Maven stood up and yelled at Shelton that he’d see him in six days at New Year’s Resolution.
WINNER: Benjamin at 3:12.
STAR RATING: 1/2* — Grenier seemed to be somewhere else. That non-kickout for the set-up two count was inexcusable. The corny interaction between Grenier and Conway is out of 1975, not 2005.
-A video aired on the Elimination Chamber structure, or the Satan Structure, as Ross called it. Close-ups aired of Hunter and Michaels bleeding inside of it.
-Hassan and Daivari were shown backstage preparing for their debate. Lawler said he wasn’t in much of a talking mood.
[Commercial Break]
Ross and Lawler stood in front of one podium while Hassan and Daivari stood in front of another. Hassan talked about how Americans have always been racist toward Arabs, but just used a “national tragedy” to stop them from hiding it. He said America at its core is a racist nation because it was founded on slavery. The crowd chanted “USA, USA.” He said they don’t have an excuse to openly express their racism without consequence. He said if they had gone to Times Square for New Year’s Eve, they would have been searched or worse.
Jerry Lawler spoke, and actually sounded rationale and reasonable, admitting there are racists in America, just as there are in any country. He said it’s wrong, but it’s also wrong for them to label everyone as racist as a result. Lawler said the fans don’t hate them because they’re Arab, they hate them because they’re loudmouthed jerks. He said they went too far when they called the U.S. troops cowards. He said most Arabs are good people. Hassan said he is right that they are not like most Arabs because most Arabs hide their Arab culture to try to blend in. Hassan then turned to Ross and egged him on. Ross echoed some of Lawler’s sentiments, especially the criticism of their comments about the troops, and then said, “In America, you love it or by god you leave it.”
Hassan stepped up to Ross. The crowd chanted “USA, USA.” Hassan punched Ross in the stomach. Then Lawler moved in for the save. Daivari attacked him and held him as Hassan whipped him with his belt. With Lawler knocked to ringside, Daivari choked Ross who looked to be near death as he gasped for air. Lawler came up bleeding and crawled into the ring with his fist wrapped in a belt. He crawled after Hassan and Daivari, who just laughed at them as they took their time walking to the back. That was much better than I expected. They covered themselves across the board, stressing tolerance, admitting America is flawed, and separating Hassan and Daivari from most Arabs. The attack on Ross was well executed, and Lawler’s attempt to return after the beatdown was well done.
[Commercial Break]
-Coach took over commentary, saying Ross and Lawler were in back being tended to. He said the show must go on.
4 – TRISH STRATUS vs. VICTORIA
WINNER: Trish at 3:10.
STAR RATING: 1/4* — After the intense angle preceding it, there was little chance of it feeling like anything more than a transition time-filler.
-Trish got on the mic and said Victoria is an example of what she’s in for at New Year’s Resolution. She said she’d beat Lita and become the six-time Women’s Champion. Lita walked to the ring to her intro music and confronted Trish. Lita dropped the belt in mid-ring and slapped Trish. Trish fired back at Lita. They brawled briefly, but then Kane’s pyro shot off prematurely. Insert your own hoke. Snitsky then walked out. He distracted Lita, setting her up for a Trish roundkick to the face. They put her head in the chair in mid-ring. Before he could step on it, Kane made his triumphant and anticlimactic return to Raw to make the save. His pyro was spent so there was no blast before his music played. Coach played a total babyface announcer role, talking about how despicable Trish and Snitsky’s actions were. He really sounded like he was just repeating what Vince McMahon was telling him in his ear piece. His announcing was so flat, it really showed the difference between him and Ross. I think Coach would be the first to admit he’s not in Ross’s league. It was still strange hearing Coach play the 100 percent babyface role without any smartass comments considering the persona he’s had leading up to this night. Kane dispatched Snitsky and then entered the ring where he and Lita exchanged smiles.
[Commercial Break]
-Coach, looking like he had been dropped into a chair in front of a camera for the first time in his life, announced that Lawler and Ross were taken to the hospital, but before Lawler left he asked for and was granted a match against Hassan at New Year’s Revolution. Coach then plugged the entire PPV line-up.
-Christy was shown posing for a photo shoot. You knew someone had to interrupt. It was Eugene, who complimented her for having pretty red hair. She humored him and encouraged him to sing. William Regal walked up to Eugene and said they had to prepare for their tag title match. Christy offered to motivate him instead. They walked off together. Regal then put on Eugene’s headphones and began dancing and signing. The crowd erupted in laughter. Speaking of premature eruptions, Christy and Eugene already returned from the motivation session. Christy laughed at Regal. That was a little too precious. And once again, half the viewers are sitting there wondering why Regal thought he was alone when he began singing and dancing considering there was a camera four feet from his face showing him on national TV.
[Commercial Break – Including an ad for the Ultimate Fighting reality show with the Tough Enough format. “It’s the most fun you can have without going to jail,” says Randy Couture to a trainee/contestant. Great quote. This show, which will follow Raw starting in two weeks, has a chance to be the biggest break yet for the ultra-exciting UFC, giving them a built-in target audience following Raw. It will be facsinating to see how much of Raw’s audience it holds considering I can’t imagine a better program to hold Raw’s audience.]
-Coach cited the WWE.com poll, stating that 79 percent felt “Randy Orton would get some measure of revenge on Triple H later tonight.” Actually, 79 percent voted that Orton would win the match. “Some measure of revenge” is hardly a synonym for “victory.”
-A clip aired of Tomko beating Regal last night on Heat. What is this “Heat” they speak of?
5 — CHRISTIAN (w/Tyson Tomko) vs. EUGENE (w/William Regal)
Near the end, when Tomko was going to interfere, Regal intervened. Tomko knocked Regal down. Christian then sat down on a Eugene sunset flip attempt. Tomko held Christian’s arm for leverage as the ref counted to three. Coach must be under the weather because he’s never sounded more listless when announcing.
WINNER: Christian at 3:59.
STAR RATING: 1/2*
-Backstage, Flair assured Hunter that he and Batista would have his back. Hunter said he wouldn’t need help since he was merely facing Randy Orton. Batista said he wouldn’t interfere, unless it reached a point where Orton was kicking his ass. Triple H got upset again, and Batista laughed at him and again told to lighten up.
[Commercial Break]
-Coach welcomed Ross back out. Thank god! It would have been a shame for Hunter vs. Orton to take place with Coach as the only announcer. Ross struggled to speak at first, and said he couldn’t wait until Lawler got revenge on Sunday, but said he wanted to call this match.
6 — TRIPLE H vs. RANDY ORTON
Coach continued to play a straight-man, sympathizing with Ross over what happened. Orton and Hunter had a staredown to begin the match. Ross talked about how serious and focused Orton seemed. Ross’s voice basically recovered to normal for the practical purpose of calling the match. Ross and Coach talked about what a great Raw they had to kick off 2005, the idea being they want to try to take advantage of regular Monday Night Football viewers giving Raw a chance to be their Monday night destination for the next seven months. They paced themselves early, as if they were going 40 minutes (which they clearly weren’t given the TV time remaining). At 2:30, when Orton went for an early RKO, Hunter bailed to ringside to chat with Flair. They cut to a break.
[Commercial Break]
Hunter threw Orton to the floor at 7:00 where Flair stomped on Orton’s gut. Back in the ring Hunter methodically battered Orton with kicks to the ribs. Orton began his comeback finally at 11:30. He hit a powerslam for a two count at 12:00. He followed up with an inverted backbreaker for another near fall. He then hit a crossbody block for a two count. When he went for an RKO, Hunter blocked it and went for a sleeper. Orton avoided it, then applied his own sleeper. Hunter yanked the ref head-first into Orton as the ref bent over to check on them. Flair snuck over to Hunter with the ring bell and slid into the ring. As Orton stood up, Hunter came at him with the bell. Orton kicked Hunter in the gut and picked up the bell. He knocked an interfering Flair out of the ring and then KO’d Hunter with it. Coach turned heel again suddenly by calling for a DQ and saying, “Ring the bell!”
Batista then attacked Orton with a vicious clothesline. Chris Benoit and Shawn Michaels ran to ringside to stop Batista. Edge entered the ring and was going to spear Orton if he stood up, but first Jericho charged into the ring to stop him. Jericho then dove onto Batista, Edge, and Benoit at ringside. Michaels, in his ref shirt, counted both Hunter and Orton down on the mat. Hunter looked up and noticed for the first time that Michaels was inside the ring. He trash-talked Michaels. Orton got up and surprised Hunter with an RKO attempt, but Hunter brushed off the cocky-looking one-handed attempt at the stunner. Hunter set up a Pedigree. Orton countered with a bridge for a two count. Orton then hit the RKO for the clean win. Coach said Orton had to cheat to win. Ross said he didn’t see any cheating. Orton trash-talked Hunter on the mat, then the show ended with the ref raising his hand in center ring. Obvious, all of this was done to make Jericho seem like the favorite going into Sunday.
WINNER: Orton at 15:45.
STAR RATING: *** — Good match and a smart final build up for the EC, but a bit too slowly paced early on to be much of an adrenaline rush until the final two minutes.
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