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Post by kc on Oct 16, 2020 23:26:02 GMT -5
you don't know how happy i am that this diary has returned! haha. as always, great stuff from the both of you great writers. i think i commented earlier on in this thread (before mania?) that '03 will always hold a special place in my heart as i was huge into wwe at the time. i like your take on things with brock lesnar on raw along with goldberg feuding with vincent k mcmahon on smackdown. king of the ring is shaping up to be an awesome ppv and the booking of the kotr bracket is plain awesome. hard to predict a final, but i see randy orton winning it all and elevating his career (i look forward to what you do (if) you break him off from evolution) perhaps a benoit/orton final? i'm also digging the hbk/triple h/nash riff in the kliq, nice to see triple h/nash added last minute to the pay per view. before i wrap this comment up, just want to applaud you for keeping the sean o'hare stuff going on smackdown. love it! anyway, keep up the great work guys!
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Post by ✖ AJ on Oct 17, 2020 7:30:52 GMT -5
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Post by ✖ AJ on Oct 18, 2020 12:42:54 GMT -5
The Smackdown opening video airs, the TD Waterhouse Centre being the host of this week's show as the cameras come inside from Orlando, Florida where the stage is brightened by pyros. The voice of Michael Cole, alongside Tazz, welcomes everyone to the show as while we are just two nights away from the King of the Ring pay-per-view, we have one last quarterfinals match to complete as former partners turned bitter rivals Chris Benoit and Edge will collide on top of much more here tonight!
The theme music of WWE Champion Kurt Angle hits to boos from the audience as he makes his way through the curtains alongside his proteges and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle. The trio come down to the ring together as Kurt wields a microphone, saying that this Sunday is going to be what is called a 'total blowout'. He explains that in so many different ways, he is better than his opponent, The Undertaker. "See, I've got the skills, I've got the abilities, I've got the accolades and, quite frankly, in a fraction of the time, I've done more in my career than The Undertaker has." Angle goes further to say that the time has past for Taker, that this isn't his yard anymore. "This is Kurt Angle's playground, folks. And if you try and climb on my monkey bars... I'm gonna kick your ass! Oh, it's true! It's damn true!" Before Angle has the chance to continue on, The Undertaker's music interrupts things and the number one contender for the WWE Championship arrives, standing atop the stage and staring down to the ring as Angle holds Haas and Benjamin back, the WWE Champion questioning what Taker could possibly have to say.
"You talk a big game, Kurt," Replies 'The Dead Man' with a shrug. "And as good as you are, you know damn well that you're not gonna be running circles around me like you say you are." He reminds Angle that at WrestleMania, he passed out to his Dead Man's Hand. He also reminds Angle that at Backlash, he didn't beat him to become WWE Champion again in that six man tag team match. "Fact of the matter is, Kurt, you haven't gotten the job done against me before and this Sunday, you won't be able to do it again." Angle rolls his eyes and tells Taker that he has no idea what he is talking about. "Funny thing is, Undertaker, you keep making yourself out to be a big deal when everyone knows you aren't. You've got no friends! You're not the locker room leader you used to be! Nobody is on your side! Hell, you keep up with this tough guy act but I see you standing up there... and us standing in here. You want to lead by example, yet you won't come down here and back your own words up? It's pathetic." With the crowd cheering Taker on, he slowly pulls out his gloves from his back pocket, proceeding to put them on. Pounding his fist in to his palm and stretching out his neck a bit, Taker then begins to make his way down the ramp and to the ring! Angle, Benjamin and Haas seem surprised by this but are quick to pounce on Taker three-on-one as soon as he slides under the bottom rope. Fighting back to his feet, however, Taker pushes Angle away and tees off on Benjamin and Haas with lefts and rights, putting Benjamin down with a boot to the face before lifting Haas for a Chokeslam only to have Angle chop block his leg from behind! The three-on-one once again commences, the crowd booing as Angle gives directions to the other two. The Orlando crowd then rises to their feet as The Dudley Boyz come running down from the back - Bubba Ray, D-Von and Spike all hitting the ring and taking shots at Angle, Haas and Benjamin! After forcing them to scatter from the ring, Bubba calls for a microphone. "You know something, Kurt? Undertaker does have some people back there that do respect him - including us! So how about before he takes the WWE Championship from you and we take the Tag Team Championship from your boys at King of the Ring, the three of you hop in to the ring with us right here tonight?!" Taker stands back up at their side and nods in agreement to the suggestion, Angle accepting on behalf of his team as he continues to back away with Haas and Benjamin.
Seen in the back walking together are Matt Hardy, Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore. As Matt and Shannon are talking non-stop, Jeff just appears silent and listening as coming up next, Matt will be in one-on-one action with Sean O'Haire. A vignette airs following the break, hyping up the newest addition to the Cruiserweight division coming soon to Smackdown as arriving from Japan is the sensational Ultimo Dragon!1) Sean O'Haire def. Matt Hardy (w/Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore) via pinfall (5:02) Matt is cocky upon the start of the match and it leads to O'Haire smacking him in the face for it and taking control with his power. After tossing Matt to the outside, Sean follows and a big boot is avoided as Matt throws Jeff in the way! Matt turns the tide off of it and after a side effect for a near fall, Matt is arguing with the referee when Jeff slides in to the ring and tries to get involved only for the official to stop 'The Charismatic Enigma'. As Matt tries to instruct his brother out of the ring, he ends up being pulled in from behind and dropped with the Widowmaker by O'Haire - leading to the pinfall!A twisted grin on his face, O'Haire stands back up and looks down at Matt's body, then to Jeff as he stares at him from the corner. "Do what's best for you!" O'Haire says to him before leaving the ring, Moore sliding under the ropes and at Matt's side, making sure he is alright while Jeff watches on against the turnbuckles, not having much of a reaction to his brother being defeated and laid out.Meanwhile in the parking lot, a limousine is seen arriving. After it stops, the driver steps out and comes to the back where he opens the door - Mr. McMahon stepping out and adjusting his suit. Following after him is then The Big Show, McMahon saying to Show that there is, as he likes to say, no chance in hell that Goldberg gets to them before King of the Ring on Sunday. Surrounding the two of them is a security team of eight, McMahon and Show each with a smile as they then head off with that crew. After the break, Tajiri and Funaki are seen in the hallway playing a game with some dice when walking by them is The F.B.I., Nunzio stopping the rest of the group and laughing. "Hey, this is our hallway," He says to Tajiri and Funaki. "So, if you two is gonna be gambling around here... we want our cut!" Tajiri and Funaki share a laugh, the latter telling Nunzio to earn the money and face them tonight! After some hesitation and some murmuring from the rest of The F.B.I., Nunzio adjusts his leather jacket and tells them to relax - they're on! 2) Torrie Wilson def. Jackie Gayda via pinfall (2:20) The two Divas have a back and forth filled with slaps and takedowns, a catfight turning over when Jackie throws a knee in to the face. After missing a top rope crossbody, however, Wilson delivers a kick to the stomach and nails a Facebuster in the center of the ring for the three count.
Wilson gets to her feet and celebrates the win with a big smile across her face to the crowd, having once again gotten the better of Jackie as she continues to prove to be the top Diva on Smackdown.
In the back stands Josh Mathews as he introduces Chris Benoit to be his guest, bringing up how later on tonight he will be going up against his former tag team partner Edge with a spot in the King of the Ring semi-finals this Sunday, Mathews bringing up how Edge defeated Benoit to become United States Champion at Judgment Day. "I suppose that makes you think Edge is the better man, huh, Josh?" Benoit asks in response. "Well, it doesn't. See, this tournament was made for someone like me. I'm the type of guy that is going to rip anybody that stands in my way to shreds. I'm the type of guy who can handle walking in to King of the Ring this Sunday and winning not one, but two matches. But before I can do that, I have to go out there and I have to destroy Edge... to cripple him en route to becoming King of the Ring and getting what is rightfully mine come Summerslam: A match for the WWE Championship." He glares at Mathews and then walks away, plenty confident ahead of his match.
Walking down the halls is the duo of Mr. McMahon and The Big Show, the security team that came in with them in front and behind as they will address Goldberg and their match this Sunday - next!
Mr. McMahon and The Big Show make their way down as anticipated following the commercial break, the two entering the ring with the security team standing at the bottom of the ramp. "You people are probably all thinking the same thing, aren't you?" McMahon asks the crowd. "You think that we have this security team out here to protect myself and The Big Show. Well, that's not the case! We don't need any protection and we've proven it as we've put Goldberg through that announce table not once, but twice now!" McMahon says that this security team is here to protect Goldberg from himself, because Goldberg at this point and time is a loose cannon that isn't going to use his brain. "Because like a raging, stupid bull he is seeing red right now because once again, Vincent Kennedy McMahon has the upper hand!" While the Orlando audience boos, McMahon continues on by saying that this Sunday at King of the Ring, it will be more of the same and Goldberg is going to face his biggest embarrassment yet when he is pinned one, two, three in the middle of this ring by him. "And to make matters worse," Big Show adds on. "He's got to be in here with me... an unstoppable monster! A giant! Goldberg couldn't beat me if I tried! Nobody can even pick me up! This Sunday, Goldberg is facing the most powerful man in the office and the most powerful man in this ring... and he will be left broken, beaten and forgotten about."
The theme music of Goldberg then hits and brings the crowd to their feet. The unbeaten force eventually steps out to the stage with his hands on his hips, staring down at the ring. McMahon feigns being worried and then begins to laugh, asking Goldberg what he is even doing out here. "We warned you that these security guards were out here for your own good, Goldberg. You're lucky we were kind enough to do that rather than have you just come down here and try and fight us. I'd recommend, with whatever is inside that head of yours, to think long and hard about what you're going to do right now... and make the right decision by turning back around and walking through those curtains." Goldberg looks around to the buzzing TD Waterhouse Centre and then begins to stomp down the ramp! The security team all takes a step forward with their hands out, Goldberg laughing in their face and beginning to throw rights and lefts! A few kicks are thrown in as well with Goldberg clearing out six of the eight security guards with ease! He then pushes the other two away, sliding in to the ring as McMahon and Show quickly step through the ropes and back up toward the barricade. Goldberg leans across the ropes and motions for them to come back in, then being grabbed by behind by the two guards he had pushed. Shoving one of them back, he then runs right through him with a Spear! "Goldberg is unleashed!" Cole yells. Goldberg pops right back to his feet and the last guard standing begins to back away once he realizes he is on his own, Goldberg showing no mercy as he throws a boot to the stomach. Hooking a hold of the head, Goldberg gives a slit throat motion toward Show and McMahon before lifting the guard off the mat and planting him with the Jackhammer! With the crowd cheering loud, Goldberg stands tall in the center of the ring while Show and McMahon back down, the Chairman warning that it will be the end of Goldberg come this Sunday!
Josh Mathews is once again backstage, this time with the United States Champion Edge. Mathews re-iterates the confidence that Chris Benoit has ahead of their King of the Ring Quarterfinals match, to which Edge replies he isn't surprised, but Benoit isn't the only one confident. "We all know how good Chris is. But we also know that at Judgment Day, I was the one that walked out as United States Champion." Edge says that Benoit has been getting in his own head since Backlash and it not only cost him in their United States Championship match, but it will continue to cost him going forward. "Chris is obsessed with becoming WWE Champion, but Chris has had his chances. So tonight, I'm going to put a stop to him like I did before and I will go on in the King of the Ring where I intend on winning a second time." Edge adjusts his title belt over his shoulder and heads off as that match is coming up next.
In the locker room area following the time away is La Resistance when in to the room comes Los Guerreros, prompting Dupree and Grenier to quickly be up in arms - Chavo and Eddie easing the situation as fast as they can by explaining they come in peace. "As a matter of fact, we got you a gift basket to officially welcome you to Smackdown!" Eddie says happily, Chavo handing it over and saying they've got to run, but they're sure they'll be seeing more of them here on Smackdown! He hands the basket over to Dupree before he and his Uncle leave the room, La Resistance then proceeding to go through the basket with small French flags sticking out of it. "A small baguette?" Dupree asks while pulling out the piece of bread. "What is that supposed to mean?! I prefer large baguette!" They keep digging and pull out a couple of mini Eiffel towers, followed by a VHS tape. "What is this?" Grenier questions. "Roograts in Paris?! What is this nonsense?!" They then pull out a bottle of wine, with Grenier taking a sip of it and immediately spitting it out - saying that it's not wine, it's vinegar! "They must've stolen the wine!" Dupree shouts in anger. They then look to the bottom of the basket and find a small box, observing it before opening the lid - a frog leaping out on to the face of Dupree! The two begin to freak out, eventually getting the frog away from them as Los Guerreros have given them one difficult welcome to Smackdown!
3) Non-Title King of the Ring Quarterfinals Match: Chris Benoit def. United States Champion Edge via pinfall (16:37) Hard hitting, back and forth action between the two former team mates, the action goes between the mat and on the outside with neither superstar able to gain a particular edge over the other until Edge misses on a suicide dive and crashes in to the barricade, leading to a commercial break. During that break, Edge misses on a Spear on the outside and is thrown in to the ring post, giving control to 'The Rabid Wolverine'. Unable to put things away despite multiple holds and, Benoit grows frustrated. A few stomps later, Benoit heads to the top rope and aims for a headbutt off of it but it is avoided just in time! Edge turns things his way off of it, eventually catching Benoit by the legs and locking on an Edgecator, which puts Benoit at the brink of tapping out but he ends up reaching the ropes instead. Now frustrated himself, Edge comes at Benoit aggressively in an attempt to put an end to things himself. That aggression, however, allows Benoit to come back with a series of German suplexes that then leads to a struggle and in to the Crippler Crossface! Edge struggles in the hold and comes to the verge of submission, but he pushes back and hooks Benoit's legs for a two count as Benoit just barely manages to kick out! Benoit then dives in with an Oklahoma roll, hand on the ropes as he gets the sudden three count!
Benoit slips through the ropes immediately as Edge sits up while the bell sounds, the referee confirming the count of three as he slips out and raises Benoit's arm as the winner. "Chris Benoit just robbed Edge and is on his way to the King of the Ring Semi-Finals because of it!" Says an outraged Cole. After the replay of the finish is shown on the titantron, Edge is clearly none too pleased, leaning across the ropes and staring a grinning, victorious Benoit down.
As Benoit walks through the curtains, he is followed as he is immediately approached by Rey Mysterio, the Cruiserweight Champion and his opponent for the Semi-Finals on Sunday. Mysterio tells Benoit he supposes he'll be seeing him Sunday, so he'll be the bigger man and wish Benoit luck right now. "The bigger man? You've never been the bigger man, Rey Rey." Benoit replies with a laugh, vowing to beat him just like he has beaten everyone else. Mysterio rubs his chin and smiles back. "Just like how you won the WWE Championship this year, right? Or, how about the United States Championship? Oh, right... I forgot... I saw what you did out there to get by against Edge, Chris. I'll be ready for it come Sunday at King of the Ring." He then turns around and walks off, Benoit left muttering under his breath.
Elsewhere in the back, Goldberg is seen stomping through the back when Josh Mathews hurries up to him, looking to get a word with Goldberg backing Mathews up in to a wall when he turns. "There is no more running for Vince McMahon come Sunday at King of the Ring... because once Big Show goes down at the hands of my Jackhammer, it'll be simple: Vince McMahon... will be next!" He gives a snarl and continues on his way.
After the break, Mr. McMahon and The Big Show are seen about to enter their limousine when Stephanie McMahon comes in and stops them before they leave. "You're coming in and out of here so quick, I didn't get a chance to wish you luck this Sunday." She says with a smile. "I mean, we've got the genetic jackhammer versus the jackhammer! But, let's be honest, Dad, you wouldn't have half the confidence you have now if it weren't for The Big Show being in your corner." Vince quickly snaps back at his daughter to watch her tongue, because he has a right mind to cut her off and fire her on the spot! "But first, I'm going to expose Goldberg for the fraud he is at King of the Ring... I'm going to expose him as a nobody and send him packing! Then, I might just send you out the door as well." He and Show then get in to the limousine and it drives away, leaving Stephanie in her place watching as they go.
4) Funaki and Tajiri def. Bill DeMott and Chris Kanyon (w/The F.B.I.) via pinfall (4:17) After starting off hot, Funaki is cut off by a DeMott clothesline and the two members of The F.B.I. take control of things on their side of the ring. After giving some trash talk in the direction of Tajiri, DeMott goes to the second rope and misses on an elbow drop. A tag to Tajiri is then made off of that, whom comes in on fire, a handspring elbow to both men knocking them down. Nunzio then sends Dawn Marie on to the apron to try and distract Tajiri, calling him over with a smile. He turns to see DeMott charging, however, avoiding it as Dawn gets knocked off the apron and on to Nunzio! DeMott then comes right back to a Buzzsaw Kick to the back of the head, leading to Tajiri hooking the far leg for the pinfall.
Funaki comes in to the ring to celebrate along with Tajiri, as the rest of The F.B.I. sans Nunzio come to the aid of Dawn and make sure she is alright. "What about me?! I scuffed my boots!" Nunzio yells at them, shaking his head as he then turns to Tajiri and Funaki to tell them this isn't over!
Seen in the back is WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle, Josh Mathews in between them as he asks Kurt specifically about Undertaker saying he can't beat him. "I can't beat The Undertaker?! I beat him to become WWE Champion!" Haas clears his throat and says to be fair, Undertaker wasn't the one beaten at Backlash. Angle, however, ignores that fact and says that he can beat Taker again and again. "And he'll learn that tonight! And he'll learn it at King of the Ring! As for The Dudley Boyz? They're sticking their noses in the wrong business and they'll be beaten too."
Meanwhile seen leaving the locker room area is The Undertaker, stretching his arms out as he then has The Dudley Boyz show up at his side. The three of them knock fists together as they are ready for the main event coming up next.
5) Six Man Tag Team Match: The Undertaker and The Dudley Boyz def. WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle via pinfall (7:34) Angle has some words for Undertaker, making it clear he isn't afraid. However, the legal man to kick things off is Bubba. After some shoots of the legs are responded with Bubba standing his ground, Angle decides to tag out to Benjamin. The cockiness of Shelton leads to The Dudley Boyz running wild, a double flapjack and a Dudley Device almost putting Benjamin away. Haas ends up getting tagged in out of desperation, but he also gets beat down by the brothers. Teasing the 'wazzup?', Haas manages to fight his way free and make a diving tag to Angle, whom comes in ready to go against D-Von but he smiles and tags in Taker. Angle uses Benjamin as a distraction to jump on Taker from behind, but after Taker comes back with a big boot and Old School, he makes the tag to Bubba. After teeing off with punches, however, he is tripped up by Haas and it leads to Team Angle taking control. After a missed whip splash in the corner, Bubba dives and tags Taker back in again, 'The Dead Man' entering and going off on Haas and Benjamin. Angle ends up making a blind tag before a big brawl between the two teams breaks out. As things spill to the outside for The Dudley Boyz and Team Angle, Taker ends up being swept out from behind and placed in the Ankle Lock! With Angle wrenching away at it, he seems to grow a bit too confident and it leads to Taker rolling through and sending the WWE Champion face first in to the turnbuckles. Taker then rises back to his feet and hits Angle with the Last Ride! The cover is then made with the leg hooked for the one, two, three!
The crowd cheers as Taker stands back up, looking down at Angle's body with a smirk. The Dudley Boyz slide back in to the ring at Taker's sides, Benjamin and Haas pulling Angle under the bottom rope. "The Undertaker just pinned Kurt Angle," Says Tazz. "Maybe 'The Dead Man' will become WWE Champion again at King of the Ring, Cole!" As Angle is held on his feet up the ramp, Taker steps up to the ropes motioning for the WWE Championship around his waist as the show concludes.
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Post by ✖ AJ on Oct 20, 2020 6:00:39 GMT -5
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Post by DTP. on Oct 25, 2020 16:32:46 GMT -5
1) Los Guerreros def. Chad Collyer and Billy Fives via pinfall (3:35) A match dominated by Chavo and Eddie, they toy with Collyer and Fives a bit before eventually putting them away with a brainbuster from Chavo and a Frog Splash from Eddie on Fives, resulting in the fairly easy pinfall victory for Los Guerreros. The two celebrate with the fans afterward before leaving in their low rider.
2) Orlando Jordan def. Crash via pinfall (4:48) Newcomer Jordan, looking to prove last week's Velocity win wasn't a fluke, gets a test with Crash, whom is caught off guard by Jordan's early offense. A rake of the eyes and a DDT leads to a two count, frustrating Crash. After a missed corner clothesline, Jordan nails a swinging neckbreaker that puts Crash down for the three count! The second week in a row with a victory, Jordan continues to show maybe he has a place going forward on Velocity and perhaps the Smackdown roster.
3) Spike Dudley def. Jimmy Yang via pinfall (4:01) A competitive Cruiserweight bout, Yang seeks to get back on track after some recent struggles. However, despite landing on his feet on a missed moonsault attempt following back and forth action, he ends up taking a boot to the stomach and the Dudley Dog, giving Spike the win. After the bell, Spike shows his good sportsmanship as he shakes Yang's hand before celebrating. 4) John Cena def. Brian Kendrick via pinfall (5:09) After bashing Kendrick in a pre-match rap, Cena ends up being smacked in the face. Kendrick gets some early momentum shut down when Cena sweeps his legs out on the top rope. Kendrick continues to put up a fight though as he kicks out of multiple pin attempts by Cena. After a top rope crossbody eats nothing but canvas, Cena picks Kendrick up and plants him with his F-U for the one, two, three. While the crowd boos Cena as the winner, he doesn't seem in the least bit phased by it as he even trash talks the fans on his way up the ramp.
Standing in their shared office for tonight's King of the Ring event are the General Managers of Raw and Smackdown, respectively, Eric Bischoff and Stephanie McMahon as they are discussing the tournament taking place, both confident that their brand will walk out the winner. "But Stephanie, who is going to go on first tonight? I mean, I am more than happy to let Raw kick things off!" McMahon laughs and tells Bischoff she's not stupid, she knows he just wants to give his Raw guys a little more rest before the final. While Bischoff tries to play it off cluelessly, McMahon says that she has a perfect solution. "We have a former King of the Ring winner here with us tonight that is willing to flip a coin to decide who will go first." In to the room, donning cape and crown, is Harley Race! The legend has a smile as he shakes hands with McMahon, whom laughs as she even takes a bow toward him. Bischoff doesn't share the same excitement for Race's arrival. Harley then tells Stephanie that it is the 'ladie's call' for the toss, but before he can go Bischoff cuts him off and says that isn't fair! "Fine, Eric! Go ahead and call it yourself!" She says, claiming it doesn't matter anyway. Race looks to Bischoff and asks if he's ready, flipping the coin with the Raw General Manager shouting 'heads' but quickly changing it to 'tails'. The coin then lands, with it being heads. Bischoff acts excited, but Race stops him. "No, you changed your mind! Congratulations, Stephanie. Smackdown will go on first." McMahon shrugs her shoulders to Bischoff and tells him better luck next time, Eric outraged as Stephanie and Harley leave the room.
Seen working out with arm bands in an office is Mr. McMahon, a smile on his face as he looks over to The Big Show standing in the corner and says that they're going to destroy Goldberg tonight!
Meanwhile in the parking lot, The Undertaker is seen coming in on his motorcycle. He proceeds to park and get off of it, being approached by Josh Mathews almost immediately. Excusing himself, Mathews brings up how Taker pinned Kurt Angle this past Thursday on Smackdown and questions if he expects the same tonight. "Maybe," Replies 'The Dead Man' with Mathews being surprised by the response. "Or, maybe, I'll do what I did at WrestleMania and choke him out. Either way, Josh, I plan on beating Kurt Angle's ass and taking back the WWE Championship tonight." He then adjusts his sunglasses and continues on his way.
Elsewhere in the back, Scott Steiner and William Regal are seen having a conversation when they are approached by Gregory Helms. Steiner and Regal instantly become defensive and ready to confront Helms, but the 'Ace Reporter' puts his hands up and says he is just here to deliver something. He hands out a piece of paper to Steiner and rushes off. Steiner then looks to the paper and hands it over to Regal quickly. "What? You can't read it?" Regal asks, 'Big Poppa Pump' saying he doesn't want to! Regal takes a deep breath with his eyes widened, then reading the paper and telling Steiner this is a challenge to him to face The Hurricane on Heat tonight. "Huh?!" Steiner replies. "He wants to face me?! He wants to face 'Big Poppa Pump'?! He wants to face 'The Big Bad Booty Daddy'?! Is he crazy!" Regal shrugs his shoulders and asks if he's going to do it. Steiner hesitates at first and then says of course!
Standing by in another part of the back is Jonathan Coachman as he introduces his guest at this time to be one of the Semi-Finalists in the King of the Ring tournament, Booker T. "That's right, Coach! That's right, Coach! A Semi-Finalist..." He shakes his head and says that he doesn't plan on stopping there though, as he intends on becoming a Finalist and then the King of the Ring. "But I'm the Intercontinental Champion, Coach. And that means the world to me. Just because I plan on getting my shot at the World Heavyweight Championship and winning that don't mean I'm gonna stop doing my duties to defend this here Intercontinental Championship... I'll defend both belts! I'll take on all comers! But first things first, tonight I'm coming for Randy Orton's punk ass and I'm moving on! This is my home town! This is Houston, Texas, baby! And it's gonna be 'King' Booker T pretty soon... now can you dig that, sucka?!" He lets out a laugh, pats his championship belt and heads off with a smile.
At ringside, Michael Cole and Tazz talk about some of the things to come on the Smackdown side tonight before sending things up to Jim Ross and Jerry 'The King' Lawler, whom talk about some of the things for Raw until they are suddenly interrupted by John Cena coming out to the stage and calling for the cameras to get on him. "You're wasting your camera on four fools that know nothing, I'm John Cena, man, you've got the King of the Ring but I'm holding pocket aces and I ain't bluffing!" He says that the spot on the Smackdown side belongs to him, not Rey Mysterio - claiming that he was screwed out of that position and that he should be winning this whole thing. "But that's the past now, the future is in my sights, I'm going to get to the top and see my name in lights. I'll be the real king no matter who wears the crown, everyone that stands in my way will be going down. So write it down, get used to John Cena going down in history, but don't blink too fast because you already can't see me." He tosses the microphone to the side, waves his hand in front of his face and then returns to the back.
Seen getting prepared for his night ahead is Rey Mysterio, talking to himself as he says he is ready for not one, but two matches. He is then approached by Los Guerreros, Eddie and Chavo fired up for Mysterio as they hype him up, saying to not get too ahead of himself. Up to the three then comes Chris Benoit, hands on his hips as he asks what this is all about. "Eddie, what the hell, man?!" He asks. "We've been friends for a long time and you're out here rooting against me?!" Eddie tries to explain that he has been friends with both of them. Benoit cuts him off from saying anything more, however, as he tells Eddie he should know better than anyone just what 'The Rabid Wolverine' is capable of. "Don't be planning any fiestas because your night is going to be a short one, Rey." Benoit looks around at the three and then walks away.
1) The Hurricane def. Scott Steiner (w/William Regal) via pinfall (4:12) A match up controlled by Steiner's power and Regal's constant involvement, 'Big Poppa Pump' becomes perhaps a little too obsessed with trying to take Hurricane's mask off. After catching the 'super hero' off the top rope on a crossbody attempt, a fallaway slam hit by Steiner doesn't lead to a pin attempt but rather another shot at taking the mask off. Hurricane, in the midst of it, manages to pull Steiner down to the mat and in to a small package for the sudden one, two, three!
Hurricane pops back to his feet and laughs at Steiner as he gets to his knees. Evading a reach by Steiner, Hurricane then leapfrogs over Regal trying to dive at his legs! Hurricane quickly slips through the ropes and backs up the ramp with his hands over his head, Steiner and Regal furious as they have once again been outdone by The Hurricane and have yet to reveal if Gregory Helms is indeed one in the same!
After an advertisement for WWE Shopzone and a few video packages for the upcoming King of the Ring pay-per-view, we come back at ringside where Cole and Tazz talk about their excitement for the start of the show in just a few minutes. They run down the Smackdown side of the card before sending things up to Ross and Lawler, whom give their last run down of the Raw side of things. "And we'll be seeing you later on, Michael and Tazz," J.R. says. "When we have a Raw superstar taking on a Smackdown superstar in the finals of the King of the Ring!" J.R. then lets everyone know to contact their local pay-per-view provider if they haven't already as we are ready to get the King of the Ring event started!
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Post by ✖ AJ on Nov 9, 2020 13:16:13 GMT -5
A promo video begins, focusing on a throne in a dark room. The faces of the final four men in the King of the Ring tournament are shown to the side of Randy Orton, Booker T, Rey Mysterio and Chris Benoit. "Tonight, these four men look to not only become king," A voice over says. "But to earn an opportunity at the crown." Images of the WWE and World Heavyweight Championship belts are shown, the faces of those four then replaced by the four competing for those titles tonight with Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels as well as Kurt Angle and The Undertaker. "A career altering event, a shot at greatness for an opportunity of a lifetime. Tonight, we will have winners. Tonight, we will determine losers. Tonight, we will crown a King of the Ring..."
The cameras then come inside of the Compaq Center in Houston, Texas where the stage is lit up by pyrotechnics as the voice of Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the show from commentary alongside Jerry 'The King' Lawler as they represent Monday Night Raw! "Tonight, personal battles will come to a head, championships will be defended and a king - no offense Jerry - will be crowned!" J.R. says before sending things to ringside to Michael Cole and Tazz, Cole saying that they hope that the one crowned tonight will be one of the two men from Smackdown as we are ready to get things started tonight with the blue brand's Semi-Final match up!
The referee calls for the bell, Mysterio and Benoit circling around the ring and after a brief lock up and exchange, Mysterio then kicking on the jets as he sprints and flies off the ropes to avoid Benoit taking him down. Springboarding off the ropes, however, Benoit catches him and throws a knee in to the ribs. 'The Rabid Wolverine' begins to work the mid-section off of that, stretching Mysterio out and switching between different holds. Mysterio begins to come back once to his feet, fighting Benoit off in to the corner but getting his arm pulled and slammed shoulder first in to the turnbuckles in response. Benoit pushes Mysterio a few more times and then hooks the waist - pulling for a German suplex only to have Mysterio grab on to the ropes and stay grounded. Pushing Benoit back, Mysterio then leaps in to the air and headscissors Benoit through the ropes and to the outside. Getting back to his feet, Mysterio then flies off the ropes and returns with a baseball slide attempt only for Benoit to catch him in his arms, swinging Mysterio up and running him shoulder first in to the ring post! Falling back against the barricade, Benoit smiles as he charges to Mysterio getting up against the ring apron - throwing a boot in to the shoulder. He then tosses Mysterio back in to the ring and continues to pull away at the arm and throw boots and knees in to the ribs. Benoit then applies a cross armbreaker, Mysterio struggling as he tries to get out of it and then to the ropes. Failing to do either one, Benoit perhaps shows some mercy as he eventually ends up letting go. Maybe growing a bit too confident, Benoit stands back up and stands over Mysterio, smiling about what he has done. "As good as Rey Mysterio is, Chris Benoit has completely dominated him in this match." Cole says. Benoit then drags Mysterio to his feet and after a boot to the stomach, he goes for a powerbomb only for Rey to reverse it in to a tornado DDT! After some time with both men down, they get up on opposite sides. Benoit tries to charge Mysterio but is leaped over, a series of kicks to the lower legs getting to Benoit. A leg is caught, however, with Benoit attempting to apply the sharpshooter only to be pushed back in to the corner. Mysterio hops back up and runs, being vaulted up high in the air and on to the apron. Mysterio then leaps up and hits a kick to the back of the head, stunning Benoit a bit. Mysterio then pulls himself to the top rope and dives off with a seated senton - hooking the leg but only getting a two count out of it!
Mysterio stands up via the ropes and comes back to Benoit, having his waist hooked from the front but fighting his way out. Benoit then takes him from behind but Mysterio slips to the mat and slides under the legs, then leaping up and catching Benoit around the neck with a guillotine choke. Benoit tries to move around but being quickly choked out, as he begins to fade, evident by dropping to a knee. Mysterio continues to pull back on the hold but Benoit quickly stands back up out of nowhere and flips Mysterio up and over him with a back body drop but Mysterio manages to grab the legs as he falls, sunset flipping Benoit in to a pin but Benoit just barely kicks out in time! Benoit rolls backwards to his knees right out of it, taking Mysterio by the legs and stepping right in to the sharpshooter! Mysterio doesn't allow the move to get very far, however, as he digs his elbows in to the mat almost immediately and ends up finding his way to the ropes. Benoit takes full advantage, however, of the referee's count as he lets it get to four before letting go. Benoit then looks to the referee and takes him by the shirt, telling him to just end it. "Benoit just wants to put Mysterio out of his misery, Cole!" Tazz says while Cole argues Mysterio isn't going to let that happen, he's not a quitter. Mysterio, indeed, refuses to let the official call it as he pulls himself up via the ropes. Benoit then steps forward and ends up getting tripped up in to the middle rope. Mysterio, seeing the prime opportunity, pulls himself back up and after holding his mid-section, shakes his arm out a bit. He then runs across to the other side of the ring and returns for the 619 only for Benoit to move out of the way just in time! He then catches Mysterio with a huge tilt-a-whirl backbreaker! Instead of going for the cover, Benoit instead drags Mysterio up again by the waist, hitting a big German suplex. A second one is then nailed after that, Benoit aiming for his signature third only for Mysterio to instead pull back on it and yank Benoit in with a victory roll, the shoulders down for the three count! Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio def. Chris Benoit via pinfall to advance to the King of the Ring Finals (12:56)
While the audience cheers, both men are stunned by the result. Mysterio staggers to his feet and has his arm raised as the winner by the referee. Not allowing any time to celebrate though, Benoit ends up throwing a forearm in to the back of Mysterio's head - knocking him through the ropes and to the floor! The referee tries to stop Benoit, but he doesn't seem to care. Continuing to follow after Benoit on the outside, the official ends up being shoved to the floor. Mysterio ends up being grabbed and placed in to the Crippler Crossface! "What a sore loser!" Cole shouts. "Benoit lost fair and square and now he's going to make sure Rey Mysterio doesn't stand a chance in the King of the Ring Finals!" Benoit keeps pulling back on the hold until Edge comes running down the ramp! The United States Champion dives at Benoit as he stands and throws punches to the head. Benoit ends up pushing his rival away and hurries up the ramp! Edge then kneels at the side of Mysterio to make sure he is okay while an upset Benoit continues to make his way toward the back to boos from the fans.
After an outside shot of the Compaq Center and the local area, the cameras head to backstage where Mr. McMahon and The Big Show are walking together. Approaching them is Smackdown General Manager and Mr. McMahon's daughter, Stephanie McMahon, as she asks the two of them if they are ready. "I mean, I can believe you are, Show. But dad, you have to be at least a little bit scared of Goldberg getting his hands on you." Vince laughs and says that he has nothing to worry about. "As a matter of fact, Stephanie, if anybody should be worried it should be you... as for my match tonight, we have the jackhammer versus the genetic jackhammer! And Stephanie, you and your brother Shane ought to know that the genetic jackhammer is the most powerful in the universe. It made both of you! And tonight, it will end Goldberg!" Clenching his fist in front of him, the Chairman then heads off with Show trailing right behind. Orton steps up to Booker as the match begins, a big smile on his face as he has some words for the Intercontinental Champion. "This is my tournament!" He says proudly, claiming he was born for this and not Booker. After looking around the arena, Booker responds with a huge punch to the jaw! Orton gets back in to the corner and hugs the ropes, forcing the referee to get in between and break things up. After Booker is backed off, Orton tries to come at him and wrestle him to the mat but Booker fends the Evolution member off and begins to come at him with big kicks. After a big leaping one to the face, Orton rolls under the bottom rope and tries to shake things off, looking to re-think his strategy while Booker urges him back in to the ring. "So far total domination from the veteran and former five time WCW World Champion." J.R. says to describe the contest thus far. Sliding back in to the ring, Orton charges and pushes Booker in to the corner and pummels him with punches. Being shoved away though, Booker ducks under a clothesline and nails a superkick that sends Orton over the ropes and back to the floor. After getting on to his feet again, an angered Orton punches the announce table, slaps the barricade and kicks the steel steps over. Eventually getting back on to the apron, Orton has a bit of an argument with the official about getting back in. Booker steps forward but takes a thumb to the eye. Orton then steps back in to the ring and throws a big clothesline to the back of the head. After a cover for a two count, Orton applies a headlock. Fighting back to his feet with some crowd motivations, Booker throws a series of elbows to the stomach and eventually breaks free. Leapfrogging over Orton, he goes for a side kick, Orton ducking underneath it and Booker landing over the ropes. A big dropkick from Orton sends the Intercontinental Champion to the outside, the crowd booing as Orton stands up with his arms held out and a confident smile on his face. Orton then goes to the outside, lifts Booker up and drapes him across the barricade. Throwing some punches, Booker responds to them while seated on the railing but Orton ends up throwing a boot up in to the stomach, then hooking a hold of the head and dropping Booker to the hard floor with a draping DDT! Seeing the opportunity he has, Orton then quickly slides back in to the ring and yells at the referee to count quickly! As the official gets to nine, however, Booker just barely manages to pull himself back in. In disbelief, Orton quickly runs over and mounts Booker, pulling him by the hair and throwing punch after punch. Dragging Booker back up afterward, he has some choice words before bouncing off the ropes only to return to a spinebuster! Booker then slides back to his feet and after a few big knock downs of Orton, he goes for the Book End but is elbowed away. Orton then whiffs on a clothesline and is knocked down with another big kick to the head. Fired up and looking out to his hometown crowd, Booker then begins to wave his hand in front of his face, dropping down and performing a spinaroonie! He then waits behind Orton as he staggers up, a kick to the stomach being delivered. Booker then bounces off the ropes and returns for the Scissors Kick but Orton slips out of the way and catches Booker with a sudden RKO! Scrambling for the cover, Orton then hooks both legs and gets the pinfall!Randy Orton def. Intercontinental Champion Booker T via pinfall to advance to the King of the Ring Finals (7:49)The Houston crowd boos as their hometown favorite has been defeated, the young and brash Orton rising to his feet and having his arm raised as the winner, a grin on his face he steps forward to mouth off to the audience. "This is my tournament! Mine!" He shouts, holding his arms out wide as he watches Booker on the outside looking upset with himself.Standing backstage with a smile on his face and title belt over his shoulder is Kurt Angle, the current WWE Champion. Josh Mathews stands next to him as he brings up Angle seeming rather confident despite The Undertaker seemingly having his number over the course of this year. "Think what you want to think in regards to this year, Josh. You're wrong, but that's not why I'm confident! Do you realize my history at this event?" He brings up how at King of the Ring 2000, he won the entire tournament. The following year, he competed three times - including making it to the finals again - and beat the holy hell out of Shane McMahon. "And last year, I beat Hulk frickin' Hogan. So, King of the Ring and myself have a very good history, Josh. And I see that continuing tonight when I make the almighty Undertaker tap out and remain your WWE Champion!" He pats the gold a few times and smiles off in the distance. With little brother Spike in their corner, Bubba Ray and D-Von have a huddle up as they try to decide who is going to start. After a game of rock, paper, scissors, it appears that Bubba is going to start things off with Benjamin. "The Dudley Boyz have been here time and time again, Cole," Tazz says. "But I don't think they should take Team Angle too lightly!" A lock up to start things off, Bubba ends up knocking Benjamin down with a shoulder. Popping back to his feet, Shelton takes a big right hand and a clothesline, Bubba then with an atomic drop. A tag to D-Von, Benjamin tries to fight them off but ends up being put down with a double flapjack. Quickly, he then rolls to the corner and hugs Haas' legs - a tag being made by the champions. Haas comes in and ducks under a shot, flying off the ropes and sending D-Von down a couple of times but on a third attempt, he eats an elbow to the face. D-Von then works him back in to the corner, chopping the chest and throwing a couple of punches before tagging Bubba in. The frequent tags keep The Dudley Boyz in control, a DDT from D-Von leading to a two count. Haas ends up back to his feet and whipped in to the corner but he avoids a clothesline, diving and tagging Benjamin back in, catching D-Von with a neckbreaker as he stumbles out from the corner. A cover for a two count and Benjamin quickly turns to a chinlock. D-Von gets to a seated position and then forces his way up to his feet, elbowing out of the hold and catching a boot from Benjamin only to be nailed by a whip kick! Another cover, Bubba screaming from the apron for D-Von to kick out - which he does just in time. Benjamin continues the ground game and eventually locks in a front facelock, D-Von struggling to get back to his feet again. Eventually, however, he does so and once again fights free of Benjamin's grasp. A couple of big punches and a clothesline starts to get D-Von back in to it, another clothesline followed by a back body drop. He then goes to bounce off the ropes but Haas yanks them down and causes D-Von to fall to the outside. Haas drops to the floor and begins to put the boots to D-Von as Bubba tries to come in to the ring only to be stopped by the referee. Benjamin takes advantage as he rolls under the ropes and stomps at D-Von along with Haas. Spike then comes around the corner and intervenes, only to start being pushed around by Team Angle. Bubba sees this and brings himself over, getting in the face of Benjamin and arguing with him. The referee slides under the ropes and steps in between the two, Haas taking advantage as he picks D-Von up and throws him in to the steel steps! Tossing him back in to the ring afterward, Bubba gives a stern warning toward Team Angle.
Benjamin gets back in to the ring as things settle, making the tag to Haas, whom comes in and begins to pick away at D-Von on the mat. Knees to the body and multiple holds, Haas ends up going in to an abdominal stretch and with the referee checking on D-Von, Haas reaches behind and takes Benjamin's hand. Bubba tries to get in to the ring again and it allows the advantage to continue taking place, Benjamin breaking off long enough only to re-apply the extra pressure the first chance he and Haas get. Spike gets on to the apron and finally points out what is going on, so the referee steps over and kicks Benjamin's hand off - giving him a warning for his antics. D-Von gets the opening and proceeds to hit Haas with a hip toss. Crawling on all fours, D-Von then dives for his corner despite Haas grabbing his foot and manages to make the tag to Bubba! Coming in, he plows through Haas with a couple of clotheslines and then throws a series of bunches, grabs the crotch and throws an elbow. Benjamin comes in to the ring as the Bubba Bomb is attempted, taking Haas' legs and pulling him to the mat and avoiding damage. D-Von then re-enters and charges at Benjamin, clotheslining himself and Shelton over the top rope and to the floor below. Haas is then nailed with the Bubba Bomb after that, a cover unable to be made as he ends up rolling to the outside. The referee then steps in front of Bubba as he tries to go out after Charlie, leading to Bubba having a lengthy conversation with the official as his little brother Spike ends up going to the top rope and hitting a crossbody on to the Tag Team Champions! Bubba then rolls out behind the referee's back, going right over to Haas and chucking him back in to the ring. Following to the corner, punches and kicks are laid in to. After a big hip toss, he points over to D-Von after calling for the 3-D. As he makes the tag, Benjamin tosses one of the tag title belts in to the ring while getting on to the apron. The referee moves over to Shelton, Bubba getting Charlie up and whipping him off the ropes - a tag being made by Benjamin that The Dudley Boyz don't see as they nail the 3-D on Haas! D-Von makes the cover but the official is quick to point out that Haas isn't legal. Bubba begins to question it, Benjamin taking advantage once again as he scoops up his title belt and plows in to the skull of D-Von! Bubba then pushes past the referee and charges only to be dumped to the outside. Benjamin makes the cover and hooks the legs, Bubba trying to dive back in to break it up only for Haas to grab his legs and stop it as the three count is made! Team Angle def. The Dudley Boyz via pinfall to retain the WWE Tag Team Championship (11:09)Benjamin rolls out of the ring and quickly drags Haas with him, the two backing away from the ring as Bubba is absolutely furious! He charges to the ropes to try and go after them but Spike steps in the way, holding his brother back and assuring him that they'll get their revenge! Meanwhile, Team Angle stands atop the stage with the WWE Tag Team Championship belts held proudly over their heads.
Cutting backstage to the locker room area, Evolution - sans Randy Orton - are seen together with Ric Flair saying that the future of Evolution is looking bright, that Orton is growing up before their very eyes. He says that Batista's time will come soon enough. Triple H agrees, but says that they need to focus on the present at this moment. "Kevin Nash made his bed and now he has to lay in it... I offered a man that I considered my friend an opportunity on a silver frickin' platter and he spit in my face!" Flair and Batista are confident in HHH, saying he's got this. "Kevin bit the hand that feeds him... now that hand is going to put him back on the shelf..." Hunter then heads off as his match with Nash is just moments away.
Trash talking between the two former best friends leads to H throwing a slap to the face, the bell sounding as a series of punches follow, Nash responding with a big knee to the stomach. A whip off of the ropes and a big boot, Nash then aims for a sidewalk slam but H is able to pull himself free and roll to the outside, looking to regroup early. Taking his time on the outside, 'The Game' has choice words for Nash as he takes his time getting back in to the ring. Once back through the ropes, HHH backs in to the corner as Nash follows, but it is a bait as there is a kick to the knee. HHH pushes Nash in to the corner and throws punches to the face but ends up being shoved backwards and on to the mat, HHH right to his feet but stepping right in to a boot to the stomach and a Jack Knife Powerbomb attempt only for HHH to drop back down, bounce off the ropes and dive in to the knee with a chop block. HHH continues to target the leg off of that, dropping a knee of his own and an elbow in to it, pulling hard and slamming it in to the mat repeatedly. HHH then brings Nash in to the corner and wraps the leg up in to the ropes, throwing a few heavy lifts in to it. Another shove away, however, and Nash pulls himself free - a big boot again being nailed! Nash then charges forward and clotheslines HHH over the ropes and to the floor below. Holding himself up via the ropes, 'Big Daddy Cool' shakes the leg to try and get himself back together. Reaching over the ropes as HHH stands, Nash has his legs swept out from underneath. Hunter then takes the leg and wraps it around the ring post! Nash yells out in pain but it doesn't stop there as his leg is lifted and slammed down in to the apron. Nash rolls back to the middle of the ring and, with a twisted grin, HHH steps back in to the ring. An elbow on the extended leg, HHH then wrenches away at it some. Nash tries to sit up and grab at HHH but each attempt is avoided. Going for the Figure Four now, HHH ends up being pushed off in to the corner chest first. Nash stands back up and comes over to the corner, HHH leaping to the second rope but being grabbed and dropped back to the center of the ring with a powerslam for a two count! Nash stands back up, still a little bit of a limp but fired up. HHH pulls himself back up and walks right in to a sidewalk slam, Nash pumping his fist in the air as he stands up again. Positioning for the Jack Knife Powerbomb only for Ric Flair to come running down from the back! Pulling his jacket off, 'The Nature Boy' heads to the top rope as Nash tosses HHH aside. Walking over to Flair, Nash takes a hold of him and launches him off to the mat below. A big boot follows to Flair with a Jack Knife positioning afterward, only to have HHH chop block the bad knee from behind! With Flair rolling to the outside, HHH then successfully applies the Figure Four! Nash is in clear pain but he refuses to tap out, trying to fight his way out of the hold. With Flair giving motivation on the outside as he watches his move being applied, Nash's height seems to help out as he eventually brings himself to the ropes and grabs on to the bottom one! The referee gets to a four count before HHH lets go, 'The Game' looking angry as he rises up. Nash grabs on to the ropes and looks to pull up again, but his leg buckles and he falls to a knee. HHH proceeds to step forward and throw a boot to the gut, planting Nash with a Pedigree afterward! Rolling Nash on to his back, HHH hooks the legs and gets the pinfall. Triple H def. Kevin Nash via pinfall (8:43)
HHH staggers back to his feet and flexes his arms out as the winner. As Flair gets on to the apron and prepares to come in and celebrate, however, HHH stops him and points down. Flair gives a nod and drops back down, reaching under the apron and retrieving a sledgehammer! Getting in to the ring with it, Flair hands it over to HHH. Nash gets to a knee as HHH prepares to use it - catching the hammer and pulling himself back up! Ripping the hammer away, he throws it aside and pummels HHH with a punch. Flair then takes one as well as Nash continues to tee of on both men until Batista ends up running in to the ring and catching him with a spinebuster! "The numbers game of Evolution," J.R. says. "It is too much for Nash - especially on one leg!" HHH pats Batista on the back and then picks his sledgehammer back up, only to be stopped by Batista. "I want to do it..." He says, HHH looking surprised and confused. "I want to do it!" Batista yells, leading to HHH nodding and handing the hammer over. As Nash struggles on to all fours and looks up, Batista then charges forward and slams the hammer right in to the side of the head! Tossing the hammer down beside Nash's body, the referee slides over Nash to check on him. HHH and Flair grin from ear to ear as they applaud and pat Batista on the back, then raising their arms up along with him over the motionless body of Nash.
A promo video airs for the next WWE pay-per-view, taking place on July 27th from the Pepsi Arena in Denver, Colorado: Vengeance!
Cutting backstage after the advertisement, The F.B.I. are seen at a table with all kinds of superstars around them as they are placing bets on the finals of the King of the Ring tournament. Everyone grows rather quiet and moves out of the way, however, as The APA approach! Now with short blonde hair, Bradshaw says that he and Farooq have been away a while, but some things don't change around here. "This backstage?" Farooq adds. "This is our turf! We run the gambling and we run the drinking." Bradshaw asks if they mentioned the gambling, prompting Nunzio to ask who the hell they think they are. "This is ran by The Full Blooded Italians now! You lost your spot, this is our business now!" Bradshaw and Farooq take offense to calling it 'their business', leading to an argument between them with everyone around taking sides. As the voices continue to be raised, Los Guerreros come out of the closing in crowd, a zipped bag in their hand as they open it up to reveal all kinds of money inside as they've stolen the purse! Smiles on their faces, they hurry away as the arguing continues behind them!
Transitioning to a video package, the debut of Goldberg the Smackdown after WrestleMania is highlighted. Clips from his dominance in WCW are shown, with moments of Mr. McMahon's speech of buying WCW placed in between. Cutting to recent footage, Mr. McMahon would express his concern to his daughter and Smackdown General Manager Stephanie McMahon that Goldberg should not be the number one contender for the WWE Championship already - which would also lead to an accidental Spear from Goldberg to McMahon while aiming for Kurt Angle. At Judgment Day, while looking to have a shot at becoming WWE Champion against Angle, McMahon would bring in a recently suspended Big Show to cause a disqualification and put Goldberg through the announce table. In the weeks following, McMahon would explain that he tried to bring Goldberg in after his purchase of WCW, but he was one of the stubborn ones - but now he has come in with promises that will not be fulfilled by his own daughter if he has anything to say about it. Revenge on his mind, Goldberg would declare McMahon as 'next', but with Show on his side, McMahon has protection. The video package concludes with clips of Show and McMahon standing over Goldberg multiple times, while Goldberg would continue to vow to destroy the Chairman.
Just as the referee goes to call for the bell to start the match, McMahon stops him and demands a microphone from ringside. "This is a handicap match! However, there will be no tagging in and out between The Big Show and myself!" McMahon goes to hand the microphone back but stops himself, raising a finger. "There is one more thing... there will be no disqualifications and no count outs! This is a blood feud, Bill!" Goldberg looks unphased as McMahon turns to hand the microphone back off, Goldberg then shocking the entire arena as he runs through Show with a Spear! "Oh my God! A Spear to The Big Show!" Cole shouts. McMahon's eyes widen as he turns around to realize what just happened. He then pulls himself to the outside and quickly runs to the barricade - hopping over it! Right on his tail, however, is Goldberg as he hops right over the railing and chases the Chairman halfway through the audience! Taking McMahon by the hair, Vince begs for mercy. "You're not getting out of this that easy!" Goldberg shouts as he proceeds to take McMahon by the belt as well, beginning to make a march toward the ring again. Launching McMahon over the barricade, Goldberg follows him up against the announce table and takes him by the throat. Before any damage can be done, however, Show comes from behind and clubs Goldberg in the back. Throwing heavy fists, Goldberg looks to respond but gets a knee to the gut and tossed back in to the ring. Show follows and pushes Goldberg in to the corner, putting a boot in to the throat and following it up with a hip toss. Vince then steps in with Goldberg on all fours and throws a couple of kicks and slaps to the head. "I'm next, huh?! I'm next?! Do you know who I am?!" Goldberg suddenly rises back up and pushes McMahon in to the corner, being yanked back by Show and dropped with a clothesline to the back of the head. Standing on the back, Show holds down on the ropes as he applies pressure to Goldberg while McMahon gets on the mat in his rival's face. Show then drags Goldberg up and lifts him up and in to a bear hug. McMahon gives his encouragement to Show as he whips back and forth, but Goldberg ends up fighting his way free with some smacks and elbows. A couple of big clotheslines once on the mat stuns Show, but McMahon comes up from behind and delivers a low blow! Show shakes the cobwebs and nails a big boot, allowing Vince to mount on top of Goldberg with punches. The two then stand Goldberg up in the corner, McMahon holding him by the face and having some words before calling Show in. As Show charges across the ring for a corner splash, however, Goldberg pulls McMahon in to his place and the Chairman is squashed by his partner! Show sees what he has done and places his hands over his head, turning to a series of punches and kicks from Goldberg followed by one big clothesline that knocks him down! The crowd cheers as Goldberg gives a stomp on the mat, hooking a hold of Show's head and using all of his strength and might to hoist the giant off of the mat and hit the Jackhammer! "Are you kidding me?!" Cole shouts in disbelief. "A Jackhammer to The Big Show! A Jackhammer to The Big Show!" Goldberg hops back on to his feet and looks around at the standing arena, suddenly being hit in the back with a steel chair from McMahon! Goldberg, however, isn't phased by it. He slowly turns around and sees McMahon, whom drops the chair and puts his hands up. The Chairman then turns and tries to dive out through the ropes but is caught by his belt, Goldberg dragging him back in while grabbing the hair. While McMahon pleads, Goldberg rocks him with a big punch to the forehead! The boss falls down and is on all fours as blood quickly begins to drip! Dazed and busted open, he then begins to crawl back for the chair he had used moments ago. Goldberg, however, walks right over and steps on it just as McMahon gets his hands on the leg. After trying unsuccessfully to pull the chair out from underneath, Vince struggles on to his knees and begs for mercy. Goldberg slowly picks the chair up off of the mat and looks down at it, then to Vince and then out to the crowd. After seeming to take a second to think about it, Goldberg raises the chair up high before swinging it down right in to the skull of McMahon! "What a sick shot to the Chairman!" Tazz says. With the Houston crowd buzzing, Goldberg marches around the ring and looks to the outside to see Show still down and out. Tossing the chair under the ropes, Goldberg then sets himself up in the corner. Slowly, with his legs nearly buckling, a crimson-masked McMahon gets to his feet across the ring and turns to see Goldberg - putting his hands up as one last plea. Goldberg, however, isn't having it as he charges full force with a Spear! Taking the moment in briefly, he then covers and hooks the leg for the one, two, three! Goldberg def. The Big Show and Mr. McMahon via pinfall (8:06)
The bell sounds as Goldberg gets on to his feet, his arm raised by the referee as the winner. As he marches around the ring in celebration, Cole and Tazz go to multiple replays of the monstrous Jackhammer hit on The Big Show and then the finish with the Spear on Mr. McMahon. Back live afterward, Goldberg watches on with a smile as Show carries a motionless McMahon on his shoulder up the ramp and to the back.
After an advertisement for WWE Shopzone, Harley Race is seen talking to some backstage officials. Earlier on during Sunday Night Heat, the WWE Legend and former King of the Ring having flipped a coin to determine whether Raw or Smackdown would be on first earlier tonight. He is then approached by Randy Orton, one of two men in the upcoming finals. "The great Harley Race..." Orton says with a grin, Race pointing out he knows Orton's father Bob real well. "I'm sure you do, I'm sure you do. But, this isn't about my father, this is about me and the fact that I am about to go out there and become King of the Ring." Race wishes him the best of luck, but Orton clarifies that luck is for losers like Race. "Some of us were born for this." He then gives Race a stare, a slight smirk and heads off.
With the WWE Championship match coming up next, a video package airs going back to WrestleMania where The Undertaker would make Kurt Angle pass out in his Dead Man's Hand submission to become WWE Champion. A month later at Backlash, however, Angle would re-gain his title in controversial fashion via a six man tag team match. The video continues to Angle boasting about becoming WWE Champion once again, claiming to have beaten Undertaker. 'The Dead Man' would re-claim his spot as number one contender, vowing to take back the title, demolishing through both Kurt and Team Angle over the weeks, even pinning Angle this past Thursday on Smackdown. The promo comes to an end showing Angle hugging his WWE Championship belt close to his chest with Undertaker motioning for it back around his waist.
The bell sounds and after feeling things out, Angle charges for a take down of the legs but is stuffed by Taker. Frustrated right off the bat, the WWE Champion stands up and charges again only to be caught and chucked up in to the corner. Taker then tees off with fists to the mid-section followed by a big one to the face, Angle stunned briefly before roaring back with a forearm to the face. An attempt at a shoot of the legs again, Taker dropping to his knees to block it. A series of elbows to the back leads to Angle pulling back and going out to the apron, looking to take his time. While having a conversation with the referee though, Taker grabs Angle by the neck and hurls him back in over the ropes. He then mounts over Angle and comes with the ground and pound, suddenly then transitioning to an attempt at Dead Man's Hand! Angle, however, is quick to get his feet to the ropes and force a break of the dangerous hold that he passed out to back at WrestleMania. At a count of four, the referee dives in to intervene as Taker is forced to let go. Angle slumps out to the floor afterward but Taker is right on his tail, a few punches coming with the referee following out after to try and get the action back in to the ring. Taker then comes toward Angle against the barricade but is suddenly caught by the waist and hoisted over the barrier with a belly-to-belly suplex in to the open space in the crowd! The referee continues to try and get things back to the ring but Angle ignores him, instead going after Taker. 'The Dead Man' staggers back up and the two begin to trade some blows as they keep moving back through the crowd where Angle ends up throwing Taker's face off of a table. Pushing the body on to it, Angle then climbs up and picks the leg where he applies an Ankle Lock! Kurt shakes his head as he refuses to let go but the referee pulls on him. Angle then abides, looking around the building before looking to the official and pointing back to the ring. The two then rush through the crowd, over the barricade and back in to the ring where Angle urges the referee to begin a count out. "Kurt Angle looking for the easy way out," Cole says. "Of course! Of course he is!" Taker begins to try and make his way back down through the crowd, falling down a couple of times as he nurses the ankle. He manages to get over the barricade at a count of seven, then just barely back in to the ring at nine! Angle shakes his head as he steps forward and hits Taker with a shin breaker for a two count. Continuing to stay on the attack, a couple of German suplexes are hit but it leads to another near fall instead of the finish. Angle is furious from the kick outs and steps to the outside, grabbing his WWE Championship belt from the timekeeper's area. Rolling back in to the ring, Angle then charges to Taker as he stands up but misses on a shot to the head with the belt as Taker ends up catching him by the throat instead! Taker then hoists Angle off of the mat - the belt flying off to the side - as the Chokeslam is nailed! The cover is then made, Taker hooking the leg but Angle kicking out barely at two!
Taker rolls over to the ropes and pulls himself back up, seeing Angle get up in the opposing corner. Running across the ring, Taker throws an elbow right in to the face. Angle drops to a knee and Taker grabs a hold of the arm, twisting it as he then goes back-to to the corner, sitting himself on to the top rope and standing to the top for what appears to be Old School but Angle sweeps out the leg and forces Taker to be seated on the top rope. Angle backs up to the middle of the ring and gets himself together, then running and leaping to the second rope where he brings one foot to the top rope while wrapping around Taker and using all of his strength to hit a belly-to-belly from off the top! After a brief moment of being down, Angle crawls over and makes the cover but it only results in another two count. Frustrated by it, Angle slaps the mat as he stands back up. Pulling his straps down, he grabs a hold of the leg and aims for the Ankle Lock again but not long after applying it, Taker rolls on to this back and pushes Angle away with the other foot. Angle stumbles in to the corner and then runs right in to a Taker big boot! Scooping Angle off of the mat on to his shoulder after, Taker nails snake eyes, flying off of the ropes and returns with a leaping clothesline for a near fall. Taker then stands back up and raises his hand in the air, signaling for another Chokeslam. Angle staggers back up and is lifted high in the air but Angle has a hold of the wrist, swinging his legs out and bringing Taker down in to his own version of the Dead Man's Hand! "Kurt is using The Undertaker's own submission hold!" Cole says, while Tazz points out that Angle is a master of technical wrestling for a reason. After Taker struggles for a bit, he ends up pulling Angle up, prompting the WWE Champion to let go of his hold and roll back to his feet. Ducking a punch from Taker, Angle hooks the waist from behind and nails a German suplex! Bringing Taker back up, a second suplex is delivered. On an attempt of the third, however, Taker throws some elbows and manages to force his way out. A second to try and catch his breath proves to be costly, however, as Taker is kicked in the shin and then lifted up off of the mat and nailed with the Angle Slam! Kurt decides against going for the cover, however, as he instead pulls himself up via the ropes and surveys the situation and the position Taker is in. Angle then steps up to the corner and grabs on to the ropes, seeming a bit hesitant before making his way to the top! Standing up straight, he then leaps off for a moonsault but Taker rolls out of the way and Angle eats nothing but the mat! Both men are down briefly but Taker manages to get back up first, pulling Angle in between his legs and delivering the Last Ride Powerbomb! Falling down to his knees afterward, Taker lays in to the cover and just as the referee's hand is about to hit the mat for a third time, Angle flops his foot on to the bottom rope! Taker can't believe it as he rolls off and toward the center of the ring, hands over his face as he takes the time he can. Once back to his feet, Taker comes back over to Angle and looks to pull him up only to be swept back down to the mat and be placed in the Ankle Lock once again! Taker is in great pain as he struggles to get to the ropes, Angle pulling him right back to the middle once he gets his fingertips even close. Raising his hand up, Taker then suddenly flips his hips and turns on to his side, then to his back where he pulls Angle in via his leg and switches things in to Dead Man's Hand! Angle's legs go flying up in the air as soon as the hold is applied as he is in a ton of trouble! "Could we see WrestleMania all over again?!" Cole questions. Angle's struggling soon turns to him looking as if he is fading, but he swings his legs out behind him and begins to scrape the WWE Championship belt from the corner toward him. Waving his hand out, he ends up grabbing the belt - raising it up and swinging it down in to the face of Taker! The hold is released off of it and the referee is forced to call for the bell! The Undertaker def. Kurt Angle via disqualification; Angle retains the WWE Championship (14:50)
Both men are downed after the bell rings as Tony Chimel announces Taker the winner via disqualification but Angle still the champion, prompting boos from the Compaq Center. Angle proceeds to pull himself under the ropes with his title belt in his hand, crawling away from the ring and sitting at the bottom of the stage. He raises the gold above his head while seated, having escaped still champion. Undertaker, meanwhile, stands up from the corner he was seated in, the referee looking to stop him from going after Angle and, enraged, Taker hits the official with a Chokeslam! Angle watches with his eyes widened as Taker leans across the ropes - pointing at Angle and telling him he can't keep running from the inevitable!
Cutting to the back, Jonathan Coachman is standing by as he introduces the World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar to be his guest at this time. Coachman mentions that Lesnar has had an absolutely dominant past year, starting right here at the King of the Ring tournament that he won twelve months ago and tonight, he now faces Shawn Michaels with his title on the line. "That's right, Coach. I've beaten everyone and anyone. I don't care where they've been, what they've done. I don't care how many times Shawn Michaels has been there, done that. I don't care if he's 'The Showstopper', I was 'The Next Big Thing'! So it doesn't matter who you are, whether you're Shawn Michaels or you're..." He trails off as Rob Van Dam comes in to the scene, saying his name while RVD does his signature thumbs to his name being said by Lesnar and the crowd inside of the arena. "It's funny that we're meeting like this - at King of the Ring again." Lesnar says it is funny, considering that he himself has a match to get to and RVD, meanwhile, has nothing. "I just want answers, Brock," Rob replies. "As to why the hell you did what you did this past Monday on Raw to my partner Kane? What was that about?!" Lesnar laughs in response, RVD asking if he thinks that's funny too. "Hey, I was just taking care of business." Brock replies, giving RVD a stare before walking away.
A big smile from ear to ear, Orton looks at a taped up ribs Mysterio, whom is still banged up from his match and post-match assault earlier with Chris Benoit. The two then come to the center where they lock up with one another, Mysterio pulling free rather quick and throwing a few chippy kicks to the lower legs. Orton laughs it off and comes toward Mysterio but is hit with a low dropkick, a leapfrog followed by another and then a headscissors take down. Continuing to come at Orton, a spingboard moonsault is hit to a standing Orton with the legs being hooked upon landing on the mat but only resulting in a two count. Stumbling back up against the ropes, Orton turns to see Mysterio coming at him but he reaches down in to the legs and flapjacks Mysterio across the ropes. After a two count on a cover, Orton then pulls Mysterio right up and applies an abdominal stretch. The crowd boos as the more Orton pulls on the hold, he throws an opportunity to flex and smile to the disapproving fans. Mysterio tries to get himself free but Orton keeps a hold, mocking the height differential. Mysterio finally manages to escape as he drops to the mat and slides under Orton's legs, getting back up and flying off the ropes, returning for a hurricanrana only to be stopped in mid-swing by Orton, whom instead pulls Mysterio up from near the mat and plants him with a powerbomb! A cover is made off of that but Mysterio kicks out just in time. Orton gets back up and stays on the attack before ripping Mysterio up and pushing him in to the corner, sitting the Cruiserweight Champion on to the top rope and climbing up with some punches to the head. Mysterio fights back with punches of his own to the mid-section and then ends up shoving Orton down to the mat below. After taking a second to gather himself, Mysterio then stands on the top rope but before he has a chance to dive off - Orton runs up and crotches him across the turnbuckles! Mysterio is in obvious pain, Orton not giving him any chance to recover as he hooks a hold of the neck and delivers a draping DDT! Rolling Mysterio over quickly, Orton hooks both legs but yet again Mysterio is able to kick out! Orton sits up in disbelief, looking to the referee to confirm the count as he slaps the mat in frustration.
Sliding out of the ring, Orton grabs Mysterio's arm and leg from the outside and then pulls the body against the ring post - putting a foot in to the apron as the referee begins a count to force a break, getting to four before Orton lets go. Backing away and pacing a bit, Orton runs his hand across his face and then comes running back toward Mysterio - hooking a hold of the neck and positioning for another DDT but this time to the floor! Mysterio throws a few punches to the back and side, however, and manages to push Orton away. Pulling himself back up on to the apron, Mysterio then throws a kick to Orton's face before backing up a little, then running for a seated senton only for Orton to stay on his feet and catch Mysterio, dropping Rey down to the floor hard while still holding the legs. Orton then looks over his shoulder and swings Mysterio in to the ring post! "Good God almighty!" J.R. exclaims. "I can't believe that!" Mysterio is laid out and Orton smiles about it, rolling back in to the ring and throwing his hands up to the booing Houston fans. Continuing to gloat as the referee begins his count, Orton stands on the second rope while proclaiming this is his tournament - only for Mysterio to crawl back under the bottom rope just as the official is about to get to a ten count! As the audience cheers Mysterio's continued fight, Orton steps down from the turnbuckles shaking his head. Storming to Mysterio, Orton puts the boots to the mid-section and then drags him back up in order to nail an inverted backbreaker. Another cover and yet again Mysterio kicks out. Still frustrated, Orton drags Mysterio up and throws an uppercut, backing him in to the ropes in the process. Mysterio then starts to come back with sudden, quick kicks. Having his leg grabbed and then the other one, Orton tries to lift Mysterio but the ropes are held on to, Rey instead reversing things in to a hurricanrana between the ropes. Mysterio then bounces off for the 619 but Orton manages to catch both of the legs, a smile on his face as he drags Rey out. Again, however, Mysterio is able to slip free of Orton's grasp and trip him between the ropes a second time - getting back up and this time executing on the 619! Mysterio lays on the apron, still in pain, as Orton crawls on all fours in a daze. Mysterio eventually pulls himself up via the ropes and lines up with Orton, taking a breath before leaping to the top rope for a springboard only to be hit with a dropkick as soon as his feet touch the ropes - flying backwards and in to the barricade! Orton looks out to see what he has done, eyes widened as he then follows out after Mysterio and hurls him back in to the ring. Following, he stands over Rey's body and motions him to stand up. Groggy and staggering to his feet, Mysterio uses Orton to stay standing. A smile on his face, Orton then aims for the RKO but Mysterio manages to stop the momentum and instead reverse things in to a sunset flip for a very close two count! Both men stand back up and Orton throws a hard boot to the mid-section. He then whips Mysterio off of the ropes, catching him as he returns with an attempted slide between the legs. Hooking the stomach, Orton begins to lift Mysterio up in to a powerbomb position by the Cruiserweight Champion pulls Orton down in a hurricanrana in to a pin - both legs being hooked for the sudden three count! Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio def. Randy Orton via pinfall to win the 2003 King of the Ring (11:19)
Mysterio rolls out of the ring with his eyes wide in shock, the crowd roaring as he has won the King of the Ring tournament! "Rey Mysterio has done it," Cole says from the Smackdown side. "Rey Mysterio has gone from being Cruiserweight Champion to a shot at the WWE Championship at Summerslam!" Orton, meanwhile, yells at the referee inside of the ring as he can't believe what has happened! The official assures Orton it was a three count and follows Mysterio to the outside in order to raise his hand up as the winner. Once at the top of the stage and next to the throne on display, Josh Mathews steps out at Mysterio's side to congratulate him on the tournament victory, mentioning the WWE Championship opportunity he has earned to go along with it. "Yeah, Josh," Mysterio replies while still nursing his bandaged mid-section. "It has been a tough, tough road to this moment..." He continues to try and catch his breath through the interview, saying that the name 'Rey' in Spanish means 'King', so even if he's been the underdog this whole time, it's almost like it was meant to be. "And at Summerslam, Josh, I'm going to be the underdog again against whoever is WWE Champion... but I plan on shocking the world one more time, baby!" He throws his hands up to the cheering crowd while in front of the throne.
The cameras then show Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff in the back shaking his head and looking frustrated at his television. "Damn it!" He shouts. "Damn Smackdown! Damn them!" The door then opens from behind as walking up to Bischoff is Shawn Michaels, shrugging his shoulders and patting Bischoff on the back. "Don't worry about it, Eric. Even if young Randy Orton had won the King of the Ring tournament, he'd have been going on to Summerslam against 'The Heart Break Kid'... and, rest assured, been defeated. Because tonight, Brock Lesnar is going to get another taste of Sweet Chin Music and, once again, Shawn Michaels will be your... World Heavyweight Champion." Flashing a smile to an unimpressed Bischoff, Michaels gives him another pat on the back and leaves the room.
With the main event of Michaels and Brock Lesnar coming up next, we head to a video package highlighting Lesnar re-capturing the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H inside of Hell in a Cell at Judgment Day. The following night, Michaels would confront Lesnar and express how impressed he was with him, as well as Lesnar not being one to back down from a challenge before laying down the challenge himself. After being told 'bring it on, old man', Michaels would strike first with Sweet Chin Music. The following week, Michaels would do the same in a blindside. With the two forced to partner together come Insurrextion, things would remain tense, albeit with Michaels perhaps saving Lesnar in their eight man tag team match against Evolution. This past week on Raw, however, Lesnar would show a more animalistic side as he would viciously assault Kane after defeating him. In a confrontation with Michaels later in the night, he'd give warning to pray that the same doesn't happen to him come Sunday. The video package concludes with shots of Michaels standing over Lesnar, with the World Heavyweight Champion's recent anger by being pushed being shown in between those images.
The referee calls for the bell, both men stepping to the center of the ring as Michaels has a lot of words for Lesnar. The two end up locking up with each other with Michaels looking to slap on a wristlock only for Lesnar to easily escape and overpower Michaels, flipping him across the canvas and in to the corner. Michaels is a little cautious as he stands back up, Lesnar with a little bit of a laugh. Michaels looks for a different approach, charging forward and pummeling Lesnar with punches and chops. Brock in turn responds by pulling Michaels up off of the mat and slamming him in to the corner, a series of shoulders to the gut. As Lesnar pulls back far, Michaels manages to get a knee up in to the face. More right hands to the face, Michaels gets Lesnar wobbling and then hoists himself on to the second rope, diving off for a double axe handle only to be caught by the waist and then launched across the ring with a belly-to-belly suplex! Following after Michaels, punches and boots continue. Shawn stays on the move, however, and throws a series of chops to the chest. Brock then suddenly throws a knee to the gut, holding Michaels by the hair to keep him on a knee, hoisting HBK off of the mat and on to his shoulders, whipping Michaels around a bit. Shawn manages to fight his way free though, continuing to strike at Lesnar before looking for a whip, Lesnar too strong and blocking it. Overpowering, Lesnar then throws Michaels off of the ropes - 'The Heart Break Kid' coming back with a flying clothesline that only manages to stun Lesnar. Coming off of the ropes again, Michaels ducks a Lesnar clothesline and bounces off the ropes to hit another flying one that wobbles the champion against the ropes. Michaels then charges and hits a crossbody that takes the both of them over the ropes and to the floor below! Both men are downed off of it, Michaels staggering up and holding his back, Lesnar to his feet and quickly grabbing a hold of Shawn and delivering a suplex on the hard surface! Forcing Michaels back up by his hair, Lesnar tosses his challenger in to the ring and follows, applying a bearhug as soon as HBK stands up. Pulling back and forth and tightening his grip, Michaels seems to be struggling quite a lot in it. "Think about how strong Lesnar is," J.R. says. "Think about how he made the great Hulk Hogan pass out in this very hold a year ago!" Finally, Michaels hits a series of punches to the face and eventually forces Lesnar to let go. Holding his back, Michaels takes a few steps away. Lesnar tries to come at him with a tackle but Michaels continues staying in it chops and right hands, hitting the ropes again after a flurry but Lesnar side-steps him and launches him over the top rope - Michaels able to hold on and land on the apron as Lesnar turns his back. Michaels then makes his way to the top rope and as soon as the World Heavyweight Champion turns around, leaps off with a crossbody! The legs are hooked off of it but Lesnar manages to kick out at two.
Michaels is relentless as he continues with his strategy to keep coming at Lesnar, eventually rattling him in to the ropes and getting the champ's arms tied up in them. With the opportunity, Michaels has a smile on his face as he takes his time between jabs and chops. Finally, Lesnar ends up throwing a boot in to the stomach and works his arms free, Michaels aiming for Sweet Chin Music suddenly but having his leg caught - Lesnar then plowing through him with a clothesline. Working Michaels back in to the corner with the shoulder thrusts, Lesnar fends off a fight back by lifting Michaels up and charging to the center of the ring with a powerslam. After a cover for a two count, Lesnar pulls Michaels to his feet again. Hooking the waist again, Lesnar stops himself and looks over his shoulder - instead backing up toward the ropes before launching Shawn up and over with a belly-to-belly to the floor! "Is Shawn okay?!" Lawler asks. As Michaels is left laid out on the floor, Lesnar takes some time before following after. Throwing Shawn over his shoulder, Brock begins to move toward the announce table but Michaels slips down behind and catch Lesnar by the neck, slamming his face off the table repeatedly. A dropkick follows with Lesnar landing on to the desk, Michaels then mounting over and throwing punch after punch. Heading back to the ring, Michaels rolls in to break up the referee's count and then comes back out to the apron. Going up to the second turnbuckle, he looks back to see Lesnar rising off the table and dives off with a spinning crossbody! Throwing his hands wildly as he gets back up, Shawn pulls Brock to his feet and back in to the ring. Sliding back in and up in the corner, Michaels raises his hand up to the crowd, holding the ropes after as he begins to stomp his foot and tune up the band! Lesnar wobbles to his feet and turns, Michaels skipping over for Sweet Chin Music only to have Brock duck underneath it and lift Shawn up on to his shoulders in position for the F-5! Michaels flails wildly and manages to pull himself down, rolling Lesnar up but breaking it off himself in order to apply a Figure Four! The crowd lets out some 'Woo!'s as it is locked on, Lesnar visibly frustrated as he is in the hold. Laying down, both shoulders are on the mat and the referee starts a count - forcing Lesnar to sit up and break it up at two. A second time almost gets Lesnar, but this time Brock stays up via his arms. Leaning in more, he manages to grab Michaels by the hair and pull him up enough to lay in with forearms to the face, eventually forcing Shawn to let go. Rolling away, Michaels uses the ropes to pull himself right back up, walking right to Lesnar only to be suddenly picked up off of the mat and dropped with a spinebuster! Lesnar shakes his leg after the move, holding himself up in the corner as he looks to shake the pain off. Stepping back to Michaels after that, he pulls him up and hooks the waist - delivering a big powerbomb in to the center of the ring! Dropping down, Lesnar then hooks the far leg but only gets a count of two.
Lesnar pulls himself back up slowly, taking Michaels by the hair as he looks for another powerbomb. This time, however, Michaels manages to land on his feet in front and deliver Sweet Chin Music! Lesnar falls to the mat and Michaels crawls over to make the cover - Brock kicking out just in time! Michaels and the Houston fans are in disbelief, Shawn with his hands over his face as he shakes his head. Coming back to his feet, Michaels musters enough strength to pull Lesnar up in the corner, looking for a whip across the ring. Brock stays in his spot, however, then stepping out and whipping the number one contender to the other turnbuckles - Michaels flipping upside down in the corner in signature fashion, falling back down and stumbling backwards in to a hook of the waist and a bridging German suplex from Lesnar! Both shoulders are down but Michaels kicks out in time. Falling face down on the mat afterward, Lesnar stands back up and shakes his head. Dragging Michaels' lifeless body to his knees, he then gets Shawn to his feet only to end up being pushed back and nailed with Sweet Chin Music! Lesnar falls back in to the ropes upon contact, stumbling forward and hit with yet another Sweet Chin Music! Lesnar falls backwards off of it and falls right through the ropes and to the floor. Michaels drops to his knees with his hand reached out, knowing he had his chance! "Whether it was by luck or by design," J.R. comments. "Brock Lesnar falling out of the ring may have just kept the World Heavyweight Championship in his possession for the time being!" Michaels holds on to the ropes and runs his hands through his hair, standing back up and looking out to Lesnar. Struggling to stand up again, Brock uses the ring apron and bottom rope to get up, Michaels then launching himself over and on to Lesnar to put him down again. Right back to his feet, Michaels then clears the Spanish announce table, tossing the monitors aside. He then pulls Brock up again and lays him across the table, looking back to the ring afterward. Heading up on to the apron, he then climbs to the top rope and looks out to the encouraging and excited crowd. Michaels then leaps off and nails an elbow drop on to Lesnar and through the table! "Good God almighty!" Yells Ross. "An elbow drop right through the heart of Lesnar and the Spanish announce table!" The referee heads out toward the carnage, checking on both men multiple times as they are completely laid out. After giving both men a good amount of time and making sure they can continue, the official returns to the ring and starts his count. At four, Michaels begins to stir and uses the barricade nearby to aid himself to his feet. He looks back to the referee as the counting continues, taking Lesnar by the neck and trying to drag him up. Struggling to get back in to the ring with the dead weight, Michaels gets Lesnar back under the ropes at eight and just barely gets himself back in at nine. A draping of the arm over Lesnar's chest for a cover, Michaels thinks he has it won but it's only another count of two. Both men then begin to work their way back up to their feet at the same time, throwing shots back and forth with the crowd giving almost equal reactions for each shot. Michaels then ducks underneath one and goes for a crucifix pin but again it only results in two. HBK stands right back up and after taking a series of knee lifts from Lesnar, responds with a slap across the face! An angered Lesnar then goes for a clothesline but Michaels ducks it, bouncing off the ropes and returning with a flying one, a second coming right after with Michaels kipping up to his feet all fired up! Even through being exhausted, Michaels gets in to the corner and tunes up the band once again, aiming for a fourth Sweet Chin Music. As he looks as if he is going to connect, Lesnar catches him in mid-lift and on to the shoulders ready for the F-5 - spinning Michaels but having his head caught and dropped with a DDT! Rolling over slowly, Michaels hooks the inside leg for a near fall once again! "What's it going to take?!" Lawler asks. Moving off of Lesnar's body, Michaels then starts to crawl toward the corner, using the ropes to pull himself up to a knee and then back on to his feet, laying against the padding to stay up. Looking over his shoulder briefly, Michaels then begins to ascend up the ropes. Once to the top, he makes sure he is steady - Lesnar staggering up behind. Michaels then goes for a moonsault but Lesnar catches him on a shoulder! The World Heavyweight Champion then forces Michaels over both shoulders, steps to the middle of the ring and nails the F-5! The cover is then made and both legs are hooked for the one, two, three! Brock Lesnar def. Shawn Michaels via pinfall to retain the World Heavyweight Championship (19:03)
With the Compaq Center cheering for the incredibly competitive match, Lesnar gets to a knee while the referee retrieves the World Heavyweight Championship belt - presenting it over to Brock as he stands up and holds the gold high above his head. "What a match," J.R. says. "Either one of these men could have walked out the winner and would've damn sure deserved it!" As Lesnar stands against the ropes, he looks over to Michaels' downed body. Belt at his side while leaned over a bit, Lesnar shows the effects of the match as well. Stepping through the ropes, Lesnar raises the World Heavyweight Championship up one more time as J.R. signs things off for the King of the Ring pay-per-view!
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Post by DTP. on Nov 30, 2020 12:59:58 GMT -5
A shot of Eric Bischoff's portrait on a wall is seen, being taken down after a few moments by the hands of Dusty Rhodes. The WWE Board of Directors member is cheered in the background as he shakes his head with a smile. "What an ugly face," He says to himself while looking at Bischoff's picture. "Good thing I'm back and in charge while he's gettin' his tan on in the Bahamas, baby!" A crew member next to Rhodes then puts up a portrait of Dusty in place of Eric's, a classic picture of Rhodes wearing his signature polka dots! The Monday Night Raw intro video then follows, the cameras entering the American Airlines Center from Dallas, Texas afterward as the voice of Jim Ross welcomes everyone to the show from commentary alongside Jerry 'The King' Lawler as he confirms that Rhodes is back and in charge with Eric Bischoff on a vacation - and has already made his first decree as tonight we will have a big time battle between two big men as Kevin Nash is going to go one-on-one with Batista!
The theme music of Rob Van Dam hits, everyone seeming a bit surprised as one half of the World Tag Team Champions makes his way out and down to the ring. Requesting a microphone from ringside, he shrugs his shoulders and acknowledges how he probably isn't who everybody expected to come out to start things off tonight. "But I've got plenty of reason and it has to do with our World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar!" RVD nods his head and says that last week, his tag team partner Kane got laid out by Brock, so last night at King of the Ring he confronted Lesnar and could see the lack of care in his eyes and in the tone of his voice. "So Brock, I got some more things I want to say to you right here, right now, tonight!" RVD then holds his arms out and waits, the crowd cheering the call out.
After a few moments, Brock Lesnar makes his way out from the back, the World Heavyweight Champion with a glare down to the ring as he doesn't appear impressed by RVD. Once in the ring, he throws the title belt over his shoulder and asks what Van Dam wants. "You're a big dude, Brock. You're a big dude with a big ego. You think you can just walk around, do what you want, when you want and lay waste to anybody in your way?" He then imitates Brock's walk and throws his arms out, Lesnar chuckling in response, then telling RVD he doesn't want to pick a fight with him. "You saw what I did to your big red buddy last week, you saw what I did to Shawn Michaels last night - hell, 'The Heart Break Kid' is so broken he's not even here tonight..." RVD says he does want to pick a fight with Brock, actually. "People seem to think I'm all smiles, all cool and whatever. But they seem to forget there's a reason why I'm called 'The Whole Dam Show'! You know, there was this thing you might have heard about called ECW? I would do whatever it took there to beat a man within inches of consciousness to win!" He tells Lesnar that he was a champion for two years back in ECW and he wants to get back to that. He suggests that maybe tonight it's time to remind people who RVD really is because he wants a shot at Lesnar's World Heavyweight Championship tonight! Lesnar's eyebrows raise as he chuckles again to himself. "Wow, Rob, you sure got me convinced! Real inspiring! But if there is one thing I do well around here, it's crush people's hopes and dreams whenever they step in to a ring with me... you want a piece of me? You want a shot at my belt later on? You got it." RVD nods in approval while the audience cheers, only to ask Lesnar who said anything about later, what about right now? Lesnar laughs as the fans and commentary approve, but Brock instead backs up to the ropes, steps to the outside and backs away. "See you later." Lesnar says while making his way toward the back, as despite not getting in on the action right now - we appear to have a World Heavyweight Championship match set for tonight!
Transitoning to the back, Terri Runnels is standing as Chris Jericho walks by and she stops him to bring up tonight's Highlight Reel where Jericho promised a Hollywood star and his biggest guest yet. "I'm glad to see you were paying attention last week," He says with a snicker. "Yes, my guest has been out in Hollywood and my guest is the biggest one I've had yet on Chris Jericho's Highlight Reel... and tonight in front of the millions and millions... he will be here." Jericho flashes a wide smile and continues on his way.
Seen in his office for the night is Dusty Rhodes when in to the room walks Triple H, his arms out as he asks Rhodes what is going on. "Where is Eric and who the hell put you in charge, old man?" Rhodes folds his hands in front of him with a grin in response, telling HHH that he was put in charge by his fellow Board of Directors while Bischoff is off on a weeks vacation. H scoffs, asking Rhodes what made him put Kevin Nash in a match with Batista tonight, saying that Nash should be gone! "As a matter of fact, Triple H, 'Big Daddy Cool' himself came to me personally and requested a match with your 'Animal' Batista, so I gave it to 'em!" HHH shakes his head and points his finger in Rhodes' face, saying he should enjoy his time in the sun, because people will be hearing about this nonsense. 1) Scott Steiner (w/William Regal) def. The Hurricane via submission (3:14)A rematch from last night on Sunday Night Heat, Steiner is very aggressive with Hurricane and uses his size and strength to his advantage. Attempting to unmask Hurricane a few times, it allows the super hero to stay in the match. After a top rope crossbody almost gives Hurricane the upset, Regal ends up tripping Hurricane up as he bounces off of the ropes, allowing Steiner to drop an elbow across the back and then apply the Steiner Recliner. After a brief struggle in the hold, Hurricane realizes there is no way out and he ends up tapping out.Steiner keeps the hold on after the bell, finally letting up once Regal steps in to the ring to try and reason with him a bit. Steiner ends up letting go as Regal gestures to remove the mask, Steiner nodding as he prepares to finally complete the mission he has been looking to for weeks now. As soon as he sits Hurricane up and reaches for the mask, however, a familiar line is heard throughout the building: "Hello ladies..." brings the Dallas audience up as out from the back comes Val Venis! "That's not Chief Morley, folks, that's Val Venis!" Says Ross. Once in the ring, Venis removes his towel from his waist and throws it in Steiner's face, ducking his former partner-in-crime Regal charging at him and dumping him over the top rope! Steiner removes the towel and runs forward, eating a series of right hands. Hurricane then pulls himself up and, along with Venis, hits a double clothesline on Steiner to send him over the top rope and right down next to Regal! With encouragement from the audience, Venis goes to the other side of the ring and calls for a microphone. "News started spreading... that a certain someone was well endowed... well, 'The Big Valbowski' has come back and he will come again!" Letting out a chuckle, Venis raises his arm along with Hurricane as Steiner and Regal are left outraged on the outside!
Seen in the back is Women's Champion Trish Stratus when she is approached by the young woman that helped her last week, introducing herself as Gail Kim. "I'm the newest Diva here on Raw," She says, Stratus welcoming her and giving a thank you for the assistance last week. "And as a fellow young woman from Canada, Trish, I just wanted to let you know that you've been an inspiration to me the last few years." Stratus says she is flattered, with Kim saying she has to get going because she has her first match next against Jacqueline. Stratus stops her, however. "Would you, um, like me to come out to ringside with you?" Kim's eyes light up as she says she would love that, Stratus smiling and telling her "let's go"!
Walking in the back after the break is Brock Lesnar, the World Heavyweight Champion stopped by Jonathan Coachman as he asks Lesnar if he is sure about defending his title against Rob Van Dam tonight just twenty four hours after his battle with Shawn Michaels. "You think I'm afraid of a fight or something, Coach?" He asks. "You realize who I am, right? You realize that nobody can stop me? RVD will regret making this challenge tonight. Trust me." Lesnar adjusts his title over his shoulder with a laugh before walking off.
2) Gail Kim (w/Women's Champion Trish Stratus) def. Jacqueline (w/Jazz and Theodore Long) via pinfall (4:03) In her very first match, Kim is at first knocked down a couple of times by Jacqueline and mocked for it. Kim responds with a flurry of offense, showing some innovation for the women via a couple of facebusters with her knees and a couple of high flying and lifting maneuvers that nearly puts Jacqueline away quite a few times. As Jazz gets on the apron to try and provide a distraction, Stratus comes over and pulls her down - leading to an argument between the two that Long gets involved in. The altercation allows Jacqueline to hit Kim from behind, beginning to overpower the newcomer. A powerbomb attempt, however, is reversed with a hurricanrana in to a pin that gets Kim the one, two, three! The crowd cheers the win for the newest Raw Diva as she gets up looking stunned by her debut victory. Stepping to the outside, she has her arm raised by Stratus, the two smiling toward the ring as Jazz and Long both look angrily down at Jacqueline.
Meanwhile in the back, Batista is seen getting prepared for his match still to come later when he is approached by Triple H. "You know what tonight means... last night, you wounded Kevin Nash. Tonight, it's time to turn it up a notch and put the big man down once and for all! You will dismantle Kevin Nash and you will put him back on the shelf, Dave! Because you're Batista! You're 'The Animal'! You will do this!" Batista lets out a yell and tells Hunter he's got this and then storms off, that match still to come later on. With the ring set up for The Highlight Reel after the break, Chris Jericho's music hits and, looking very smug, 'Y2J' struts his way down to the ring. A microphone twirled in his hand, Jericho says that last week he promised everyone a very, very special guest. "Someone that every single person has missed! Someone that has millions and millions of fans, that has charisma, looks and talent like no other! Someone that has been out in Hollywood recently honing their craft and getting better and better. "I think you all know who it is..." He says as his smile grows bigger, the crowd buzzing and yelling out. "Do you feel it?! Do you feel the electricity?! Do you smell it?!" Jericho holds his hands out and waves them to keep the fans going, pointing toward the stage as he calls for his guest to come on out! After a few moments, the thrill of the crowd is sucked out of them as Christian - donning a short haircut - makes his way out from the back. Playing up to the booing fans, Christian adjusts his sunglasses once in the ring and then shakes hands and embraces Jericho before looking out to the American Airlines Center.
"Finally, Christian has come back to Dallas!" He says in the tone of The Rock, garnering more boos for it. "Clearly, Chris Jericho had everyone thinking that 'The Great One' was back!" Lawler says. "He had me fooled, J.R.! But boy am I glad to see Christian!" Jericho compliments the new haircut and new style altogether, to which Christian says he did a lot of discovering out in Hollywood. "Gone are the days of the long hair and the goofy glasses and stupid kazoos! I've got the hottest new fashion trends all piled up in to one magnificent ball that only one man could pull off: 'The Fashionista of Charisma' himself, me, Christian!" Holding his arms out wide and proud, Jericho applauds. "Did you come up with that nickname yourself? That's really good! You know, we're just two sexy beasts, baby! Ratings right now have to be through the roof! Ladies salivating, men envying, the children... the children with two incredible role models!" The two friends then raise their arms together, taking a bow to jeers. Their little celebration together is interrupted, however, by the arrival from the back of The APA! Having appeared last night during King of the Ring, Bradshaw and Farooq make their way down on the ramp, Bradshaw saying it is good to be back and even better to be back in business! Jericho tries to step forward and question their arrival on to his set, but Christian stops him. "As 'The Fashionista of Chairsma' and 'The New Peep's Champ', I've got this Chris." He takes a step forward and looks toward The APA. "Blue jeans? Cut off sleeves? A rip off haircut?! You got some catching up to do, Bradshaw!" Farooq then speaks up and asks what about him? Christian takes a look to him and after being a bit hesitant, he points at Farooq's head and says that his receding hairline, first off. "What about black?" Farooq replies. "Got a problem with that, cracker?!" Bradshaw quickly questions Christian afterward, asking if he is racist. "Huh?! We've got ourselves a racist creepy little bastard!" Christian waves his hands and says he is not racist - he has no problem with anybody based on race! "I just have a problem with the way you people dress! Not you people as in... you... people..." Farooq's eyes widen as Christian scratches his head, Jericho pulling him back and taking over the conversation to say that this is getting way out of hand. "I think you two assclowns are just out here trying to start trouble! You know what, this is my show and you two are not my guests... so why don't you just turn around and get on out of here?" Bradshaw and Farooq look to one another, the prior then saying that they didn't come out here to get political and they damn sure didn't come out here to be a part of the talk show. "What we came out here for is to do what we do better than anybody around here and fight!" The two then run down and hit the ring together, catching punches from both men and pummeling them in response! The APA keeps the upper hand and after Farooq ejects Jericho through the ropes, Bradshaw aims for the Clothesline From Hell on Christian but the self-dubbed 'Fashionista of Charisma' hugs the ropes and rolls to the outside, scrambling away from the ring with Jericho! The APA, meanwhile, begin to tear apart the set of The Highlight Reel as they toss the chairs aside and even pull down The Jeri-tron 5000! Jericho looks horrified as Bradshaw and Farooq shrug their shoulders over it, raising their fists to the sky while the crowd cheers them on.
Seen walking in the back and toward the ring is Kevin Nash, Terri Runnels intercepting his march and excusing herself, asking Nash about why he requested this match with Batista tonight. "Last night, Evolution tried to take me out... tried to finish me. Well, I'm still walking today. Batista tried to take the kill shot with Hunter's sledgehammer, but he didn't get the job done. So tonight, the kid is going to learn and Triple H is going to watch." Nash then keeps on going as that match with Batista is coming up next!
Seen in his office for the night once again is Dusty Rhodes when he is approached by Randy Orton, a scowl on his face as Rhodes asks what he can help Orton with. "Last night I was robbed in the finals of the King of the Ring tournament," Orton replies. "But I beat Booker T... I beat the Intercontinental Champion... the way I see it, I should be handed that championship! But I'll take beating him again here tonight." Rhodes looks Orton up and down with a smile, saying he is so much like his father. Orton nods and claims he already knows that. "It wasn't a compliment, boy," Rhodes adds on. "Disrespectful, underhanded and wasting your own potential!" Rhodes says he saw how Orton treated the legendary Harley Race last night and he saw how he acted during his match with Rey Mysterio, so he's for one glad that Orton didn't win that tournament. "Your time may come one day, Randy, but you ain't ready because you aren't mature. The way I see it, you shouldn't get a shot at the Intercontinental Championship. Instead, you're going to have a match tonight with my boy Goldust!" Orton, seething over the harsh words of 'The American Dream', tells Rhodes that he has no idea what the hell he is doing. Muttering under his breath, Orton then storms out of the room while Rhodes wishes him luck in his match.
3) Batista (w/Ric Flair) def. Kevin Nash via pinfall (3:35) Getting chest-to-chest with one another, Batista and Nash have a lengthy exchanging of words before teeing off back and forth at one another, Nash actually getting the upper hand as he ends up catching Batista off guard with a big boot, forcing him to retreat to the outside. Flair actively gets involved, eventually leading to Nash deciding to take care for the problem himself by booting Flair off the apron and in to the barricade. That alone is enough for Nash then turn in to a boot to the stomach and a huge sit-out powerbomb! Batista then makes the cover and gets the three count.
The bell rings as Batista stands back up, yelling over Nash as Flair staggers back up on the outside. Looking up to the stage, Triple H proceeds to walk out with a sledgehammer in his hands. "Oh, you've got to be kidding me!" J.R. says in disgust. As HHH enters the ring, he demands Flair and Batista hold Nash up. As they get him to a knee, however, Nash pulls Batista in to HHH! He then grabs a hold of Flair and launches him over the ropes. A clothesline to Batista is followed by a big boot to HHH! However, suddenly, from behind Randy Orton arrives and plants Nash with his signature RKO! HHH gets back to his feet along with Flair and Batista, patting Orton on the back before starting to give some direction. As he steps out of the ring, the other three take Nash and drag him out on the other side. "What do you think Evolution is up to now, J.R.?" Asks Lawler. As Nash struggles to fight out of the grips of the three, HHH retrieves his sledgehammer from the floor. As he moves toward the rest, Nash continues to try to pull free of Batista, Flair and Orton's grasp - having his arm moved on to the steel steps as his eyes look up at HHH. "You made me do this, Kev! Remember that!" Warns 'The Game' before raising the hammer up slowly over his head, then swinging it down full force in to the forearm of Nash! Evolution releases the seven footer as he yells out in pain while falling to the floor, rolling around back and forth while clutching his wrist! While the Dallas crowd boos, Evolution backs up the ramp looking proud of what they have done as officials and trainers come running to the aid of Nash.
After the break, footage from during the break is shown of Kevin Nash being aided to the back following the assault from Evolution. The cameras then pick up live to show Nash being led in to the trainer's room, audibly saying "they broke my arm" to the medics as the door is shut behind them.
Seen in another part of the back is Rob Van Dam doing some stretching as he is preparing for his World Heavyweight Championship match later on. Jonathan Coachman approaches and excuses himself, mentioning to RVD that Lesnar doesn't seem concerned at all about facing him tonight. "That's whatever, man," RVD says with a shrug. "Brock Lesnar might not be taking me seriously, but I'm taking this very seriously. Becoming World Heavyweight Champion would mean everything to me. And, hey, I'm not just doing it for me - I'm doing it for my fellow World Tag Team Champion, 'The Big Red Freak', Kane. At the end of the night, I want to hear the name announced as new World Heavyweight Champion: Rob. Van. Dam." The crowd says his name along with his signature thumbs, 'The Whole Dam Show' going back to his stretching as Coachman leaves him to it.
Meanwhile elsewhere, Stevie Richards is seen standing around when he is approached by Test, whom tells Richards to get a grip on his girlfriend. "Ever since Stacy lost to Victoria on Heat last week, she hasn't stopped crying about it!" Richards says Victoria hasn't shut up about winning and it's driving him nuts! "She's so annoying!" They both say at the same time, sharing a laugh when Stacy Keibler arrives on to the scene, hugging Test's arm as she asks what he's doing talking to Richards. "Oh, uh, nothing, Stace..." Test replies when Victoria comes up to Richards' side and questions the same of why he is talking to them. "I was just leaving." Richards replies, turning Victoria around. As Stacy goes to pull Test in the opposite direction, Richards gives a wink as the two have seemed to have found a common bond: Being annoyed by their woman!
At the announce table following the commercial break, Ross and Lawler talk about how we are just twenty four hours removed from the King of the Ring pay-per-view where we concluded the sixteen man tournament to determine who would get a World Heavyweight or WWE Championship match at Summerslam. Going back to some footage from last night, it highlights Rey Mysterio beating Chris Benoit on Smackdown and Randy Orton defeating Booker T on Raw, leading to a final between Mysterio and Orton where the prior, the current Cruiserweight Champion, would pull off a sudden and stunning victory as he will now move on to Summerslam this August for a WWE Championship opportunity!
4) Randy Orton def. Goldust via pinfall (3:15) A back and forth start to the match, Orton nails a dropkick and gets very cocky. After Goldust slips out of a neckbreaker, however, he tees off on Orton with punches and an atomic drop. Following a big snap powerslam though, he proceeds to set up the youngster in the corner in position for Shattered Dreams. As Goldust is about to deliver the kick, however, on the titantron Dusty Rhodes is seen laid out and being attended to! Goldust's eyes widen as he takes in what is going on, but before he can even make a move and decision on what to do, he is nailed with the RKO! Orton then hooks the legs for the three.
The crowd boos as Orton gets to his feet in celebration of the win. "But what happened to Dusty Rhodes?!" Lawler asks. On the titantron, Booker T has come to the aid of Rhodes along with backstage officials as back in the arena, Orton seems to have a smile on his face as he watches the screen. "Did that damn Orton have something to do with this?!" J.R. angrily asks. Meanwhile, Goldust crawls to the ropes as he looks up to the sight of his father being unconscious.
After the time away, Dusty Rhodes is seen being stretchered to an ambulance with Goldust and Booker T at his side. As 'The American Dream' is about to be loaded in, Batista and Ric Flair are seen off to the side. "That's a shame." Batista comments with a chuckle, Flair patting 'The Animal' on the back as he laughs as well. Goldust tries to snap toward the two men but Booker holds his friend back, saying now isn't the time! An enraged Goldust is then led in to the ambulance to sit next to his father, the sirens turning on after the doos are shut before the vehicle leaves the parking lot.
In another part of the backstage area, The APA are seen walking when they open up a door - no walls around it - walking in and taking a seat at a circular wooden table. "It's good to be back." Bradshaw says, Farooq saying he'll drink to that! The two then clank a couple of beer bottles together as Bradshaw says not only are they back, they're back in business! They then chug down the beers and slam them down on the table.
Seen walking in different parts of the back are Brock Lesnar and Rob Van Dam, as the main event match for the World Heavyweight Championship is coming up next!
5) World Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) def. World Tag Team Champion Rob Van Dam via pinfall (10:29) RVD rushes Lesnar right out of the gate, surprising with kicks and despite Lesnar's power, a roundhouse kick to the back of the head lands Lesnar down for a two count. Brock ends up bailing to the outside and RVD stays on the attack as he flip dives over the top and takes the champion down! RVD stays hot and ends up getting Lesnar in to the turnbuckles, hitting a series of shoulder thrusts to the mid-section. After backflipping out of the corner, however, he ends up nearly having his head taken off with a clothesline that turns him inside out! After a commercial break, Van Dam is in a bear hug and struggling to stay alive. As he begins to fade out though, he snaps out of it and begins to fight his way free. After elbows to the head force a release, RVD hits a few forearm to the face and bounces off the ropes, returning to a scoop on to the shoulders and in position for the F-5, but Van Dam manages to reverse in to a DDT! A quick cover but Lesnar kicks out just in time. Staying on the attack, RVD nails the Rolling Thunder. He decides against going for another pin and instead goes to the top rope, letting Lesnar get up before leaping off for a side kick only to have it avoided and for the ref to be hit by the boot! Rob stands back up and Lesnar attempts a powerbomb but Van Dam escapes, throwing a boot out that gets caught by leads to a roundhouse! Seeing the official down, RVD then rolls to the outside and retrieves a steel chair from ringside. Ducking under a clothesline once back in the ring, he tosses the chair in to Lesnar's hands and nails the Van Daminator! The cover is made but the referee is still down! Then, to the surprise of the entire arena, Paul Heyman comes stomping down from the back! "What in the hell is he doing here?!" J.R. asks. "What in the hell is Paul Heyman doing here?!" Heyman slides in to the ring and begins to shake the official, yelling for him to get up and count. He then looks to RVD and puts two thumbs up. "Top rope, Rob! Top rope! Five star! Five star!" Van Dam nods as he pulls himself up via the ropes. "Hey! Paul Heyman and RVD go way back to their days in ECW!" Lawler points out. RVD then gets on the top rope - leaping off but being smacked right in the skull with the steel chair by Heyman! Immediately, the Dallas crowd reacts with boos as Heyman falls back in to the corner, a twisted grin forming across his face as Lesnar gets to a knee, looking to Heyman and having a smile slowly form as well! Brock then takes Van Dam by the hair and brings his lifeless body up, proceeding to lift RVD up on to his shoulders and nail the F-5! The cover is then made with both legs hooked, the referee slowly moving over to count the one, two, three.
Lesnar emerges back to his feet, still the World Heavyweight Champion. Instead of celebrating with the belt, he looks right over to Heyman - whom takes a step forward and holds the steel chair out. "Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman are back in cahoots," J.R. says. "And I thought Brock was damn near unstoppable before... and now what?! Now what?!" Lesnar slowly takes the chair out of Heyman's hands, looking it up and down before swinging it down in to the chest of Van Dam! RVD rolls over in pain from the impact of the shot, Brock not letting up from there as he throws shot after shot to the back! After seven big shots, he tosses the chair to the side and towers over RVD. Grabbing a hold of the hair, he pulls the body of Van Dam up again and nails another F-5 - this time on to the chair! The boos continue to come down as Heyman retrieves the World Heavyweight Championship belt, handing it over to Lesnar with a grin ear to ear. The two then raise their arms up together over RVD's body as this deadly partnership has been reunited while J.R signs things off with a worried tone in his voice.
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Post by ✖ AJ on Dec 11, 2020 14:48:55 GMT -5
After the opening Smackdown video, the cameras enter The SBC Center from San Antonio, Texas as the voice of Michael Cole welcomes everyone to the show alongside Tazz. Five nights removed from the King of the Ring tournament, we will be hearing from General Manager Stephanie McMahon any minute! Also tonight, we will see Sean O'Haire taking on Jeff Hardy. Plus, the winner of the King of the Ring tournament Rey Mysterio will be in the building to address his huge win and future WWE Championship opportunity at Summerslam!
Arriving to kick off this week's show is General Manager Stephanie McMahon, a smile on her face as she comes down and in to the ring with a microphone in hand - nodding to the cheering crowd as she welcomes them all to Smackdown! "This past Sunday, Raw and Smackdown presented the King of the Ring pay-per-view. At that event, we had all kinds of action, including crowning the King of the Ring with Smackdown's own Cruiserweight Champion, the ultimate underdog Rey Mysterio!" While the SBC Center crowd applauds that reminder, McMahon says that we will hear from Mysterio later on, before mentioning that we also had a WWE Championship match end in some controversy when Kurt Angle got himself disqualified in his match with The Undertaker, to which she assures there will be consequences and action taken soon enough. "And how could I go without mentioning the handicap match that my own father was a part of? He teamed with The Big Show to try and take down Goldberg and, unfortunately for them, Goldberg not only walked out the winner, but made a statement in the process. So, who will be next for Goldberg? Maybe we'll find out right here tonight in San Antonio!"
The delight of the fans turns in to groans as Mr. McMahon's music hits, the Chairman of WWE being pushed out through the curtains in a wheelchair by The Big Show, crutches in his lap. Being slowly brought down to the ring, he gets up via the crutches and is assisted in to the ring by Show. Staring his daughter down, Vince scowls. "I bet you're real, real happy about this, aren't you?" He questions with a frustrated sound in his voice. "You're real happy to see your own father get Speared by Goldberg, huh?! To be hit in the head with a steel chair?! You're real happy to see your old man struggle to be on his own two feet! I'm fifty-seven years old and here you stand happy as can be that I am hurt by your big signing!" Stephanie puts a hand up and tells her father that with all due respect, he is the one that got caught up in issues with Goldberg. "All I did was sign the biggest free agent out there to try and lift up my show." Vince begins to laugh to himself as he looks back to Show, then toward Stephanie again. "Your show?" He replies. "You may be in charge of this show on a week-to-week basis, Stephanie, but it isn't your show. It isn't even these people's show! It's my show! I own it!" He pulls himself a little closer to his daughter and says that she may have the power to sign superstars and make matches, but he has the power to decide who has that power. He suggests that maybe she would be better off being his assistant, but she'd probably try and overthrow him. He then throws out the idea of her becoming a Diva, but nobody wants to see her in a swimsuit! He then adds on that she could be relegated to being a housewife, staying home and breeding better McMahon offspring. "Y'know, maybe that's not such a bad idea... as my own flesh and blood, you have disappointed me for the last time. And, as my own flesh and blood, it does pain me to do this but you have left me no choice... Stephanie McMahon... you're fired!" Stephanie's eyes widen in disbelief as her father glares. Trying to reason with him, the Chairman will hear none of it! "I can't believe this!" Cole says in shock. "Stephanie has done a great job as the General Manager of Smackdown! And the way Mr. McMahon would talk to his own daughter... I'm disgusted, Tazz!" Vince urges her to leave the ring and she does so hesitantly, nearly having tears in her eyes as she does so. As she makes her way down the ring steps, Vince looks out to the crowd and says that there will be someone new in charge by next week. "But as for tonight... it's Vincent Kennedy McMahon." He leans across the ropes while his music plays, the boos coming from the Texas fans as Show proceeds to assist McMahon back out of the ring.
Meanwhile in the back, WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle are seen talking and laughing when their leader and WWE Champion Kurt Angle, asking them if they're laughing about what just happened to Stephanie McMahon. "No, Kurt," Shelton replies. "We're laughing because we took care of the issue with The Undertaker for tonight." Haas says they stopped by the hotel that Taker is staying at and cut the fuel line on his motorcycle. "The only way he's making it here tonight is if he's walking or hitchhiking, Kurt." Angle smiles and nods in approval, saying he likes the initiative they're taking. "You learned from the best, didn't you?" He asks with Benjamin and Haas agreeing, Angle adding on that maybe while Taker is back taking care of his 'toy', they can take care of some other business around here. A vignette airs following the break, hyping up the newest addition to the Cruiserweight division: Ultimo Dragon! The Japanese sensation will be arriving to Smackdown - next week from Madison Square Garden!
Seen being pushed in his wheelchair by The Big Show in the back is Mr. McMahon when Josh Mathews approaches, asking the Chairman if he has any remorse for the words he said to his own daughter just moments ago as he fired her. "Hell no!" He responds angrily. "As a matter of fact, I should have done this sooner! Hell, she shouldn't have even been named in charged in the first place a year ago!" McMahon shakes his head and says that while he has vowed to find a new General Manager by next week, it is his show tonight and he's going to make the first decision by banning Goldberg from the arena! While the crowd boos in the background, Jackie Gayda steps up and excuses herself in front of Mathews, asking McMahon if he is feeling okay after Sunday. "You really don't fear Goldberg, do you?" She asks while running her hand across his leg, to which the Chaiman smiles and says he doesn't fear anybody or anything! "Would you like someone to keep you company tonight?" Jackie then asks with a smile, McMahon telling her to hop aboard! She then sits in his lap, McMahon asking Show to bring them back to his office!1) Nunzio (w/The F.B.I.) def. Tajiri (w/Funaki) via pinfall (4:52) A quite competitive Cruiserweight contest, Tajiri outwrestles Nunzio but the assistance of Bill DeMott, Chris Kanyon, Chuck Palumbo and Dawn Marie of The F.B.I. allows Nunzio to stay in it. After a Tarantula from Tajiri is broken off by the referee's count, Nunzio takes extra time to distract the official and it allows Marie to grab Tajiri by the leg and stop him from going up the turnbuckles. DeMott ends up adding on to that by getting on the apron and clotheslining Tajiri down! Funaki comes over but is stopped by Palumbo and Kanyon while in the ring, Tajiri gets up to the Arrivederci and the pinfall.The crowd boos as The F.B.I. toss Funaki in to the ring, Nunzio barking orders as he is on his feet while DeMott, Kanyon and Palumbo come in and put the boots to Funaki. Down from the back then rushes Jimmy Yang, a young Cruiserweight that has been in action on Velocity in the past month or so. After dropping Nunzio with a spinning kick, he comes right at the rest of The F.B.I. with Tajiri and Funaki aiding in the event. "Jimmy Yang helping his fellow Japenese brethren!" Cole says. After clearing out The F.B.I. completely from the ring, Dawn Marie gets on the apron and begins to yell at them. Tajiri steps forward with his eyes widened, a smile across his face as he begins to look Dawn up and down. She seems to be crossed between flattered and offended, but doesn't get a chance to respond as Tajiri ends up spraying her with mist across the chest! Dawn begins to shriek in anger, dropping down to the floor and pushing through The F.B.I., whom are outraged! After having some words for Tajiri, Funaki and Yang, they proceed to follow after Dawn to the back.Cutting backstage, WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle are walking together when all three of The Dudley Boyz approach them. "And what the hell do you want?" Kurt asks. Spike takes a step forward and says that they want a match tonight with the three of them. Angle, Benjamin and Haas chuckle in response, Bubba pulling his little brother back and speaking up. "Last week, D-Von and myself beat you with The Undertaker... and after King of the Ring this past Sunday... we still got a problem. That is, unless you're afraid of the challenge?" Angle scoffs, saying they aren't concerned - they'll be more than glad to take them down tonight! Angle, Haas and Benjamin then walk off, Bubba and D-Von holding Spike in place as he looks fired up for the opportunity! After the break, Stephanie McMahon is seen walking down the halls in the back with her head hung low. With numerous superstars standing against the wall, they begin to applaud her. Lifting her head up slowly, she looks to the applause with a tear in her eye, thanking all of them before she continues on her way. In the office of Mr. McMahon, he has Jackie Gayda sitting on his lap, bragging toward the television set as he says that nobody is like him. "Nobody has the ability in this world other than Vincent Kennedy McMahon himself to separate family and business by firing their own daughter!" Jackie giggles as she runs her finger across the Chairman's face, the two drawing their faces closer together when the door opens. Young talent Orlando Jordan ends up walking in, excusing himself as he tries to give an introduction, McMahon instead yelling over him. "Who the hell are you?! What are you doing barging in my office?!" Jordan apologizes and states his name, McMahon interrupting him again as he points to his shirt. "Is that... is that a Goldberg shirt?" Jordan looks down at it and says that it is, actually, he has always been a big fan of Goldberg and seeing him in the WWE, on the same roster as him, is insane! He explains that he just came in looking to introduce himself officially and maybe get an opportunity to prove himself here on Smackdown. McMahon gently pushes Jackie off his lap and pulls himself up via his crutches, smiling a little as he takes a full look at Jordan. "Orlando Jordan, huh? Goldberg fan?" He asks while pulling at the shirt some. "You want to be like Goldberg, Orlando? How about I give you an opportunity to be just like Goldberg right here tonight?" Jordan claps his hands together and says that would be awesome, the Chairman's smile turning to a scowl as he informs Jordan that he will get a match on Smackdown tonight... against The Big Show! The excitement Jordan had seems to begin to slowly fade as McMahon says he might want to go get himself prepared for that. "Y-yes... yes, sir. Th-thank you." Jordan nervously replies before he leave the room, McMahon then taking a seat back down next to Jackie, whom returns to his lap asking "where were we?"
Seen together once again are The Dudley Boyz as they are excited about their match tonight, Bubba Ray and D-Von telling Spike that he knows his role - stay out of the way and chip in where he can. "Whoa, whoa, whoa..." Spike says. "I want to be a part of this! I am not to be taken lightly just because they laugh in my face!" Bubba chuckles and says that they love Spike, but he's incredibly light soaking wet! Spike grows angrier as he points to his brothers, saying he'll show everybody tonight! He then storms off. Bubba and D-Von grin to one another and slap hands, perhaps having been trying to get Spike as fired up as he is.
The cameras then pick up to show Rey Mysterio walking the halls. Five days removed from winning this year's King of the Ring tournament and a WWE Championship match at Summerslam, the Cruiserweight Champion will be speaking on his big victory - next!
Josh Mathews is standing by in the back after the time away with Sean O'Haire, mentioning his match with Jeff Hardy tonight as he asks why O'Haire has been so involved in the business of The Hardy brothers in recent weeks. "All I did was try to help," O'Haire offers as a reply. "I simply stated the facts that Jeff should be living his life the way he wants to! Go out partying, have a drink, have a smoke! He isn't built for the cult-like lifestyles of his brother, Matt. But hey, I'm not telling you anything we all don't already know..." He then heads off, the match with Jeff still to come later on tonight.
Standing in the ring is Tazz, a microphone in hand as he asks everyone how they're doing. "Well, this ain't about me, so let's cut right to the chase! We got a new King of the Ring and he's a member of Smackdown! So, without further ado, here is Rey Mysterio!" The San Antonio crowd pops for the arrival of the Cruiserweight Champion and 2003 King of the Ring! He plays up the audience a bit before coming down and in to the ring, shaking hands with Tazz as he congratulates Rey on his big tournament win this past Sunday, asking how it feels. "Tazz, man, it's like a dream come true," Mysterio says happily. "As the Cruiserweight Champion, nobody expected me to win the King of the Ring. Being the physically smallest guy in the field, everybody else in that tournament counted me out. But you know who didn't count me out? My family, my friends and every single one of these people!" He points out to the crowd, garnering the cheers as he explains that he has a lot of fight and that got him through his first round match with A-Train. "And I'm less talk, more action and that got me through John Cena. Then I've got more heart and that helped me get past Chris Benoit - even after he jumped me after our match... and, I've got the experience, the will and the desire and that is why I beat Raw's Randy Orton and became King of the Ring and why in just a couple of months I'll be heading to Summerslam and getting my first crack at the WWE Championship!"
The audiences cheers are then brought to a halt as John Cena's music ends up interrupting. "Yo, yo, yo," He says while waving his hand and calling for his music to be cut. "Whether it's Tim Duncan or Rey Mysterio, John Cena's your real king! I've beat Rey before and I'd drop Timmy D on the court like I would in the ring! The Spurs are your champions and lil Rey Rey won a tourny, but it's a total scam - I'm gonna have to call my attorney!" He says that Mysterio should've never made it past him in the second round, calling it a façade and claiming Mysterio should just forfeit over his WWE Championship match anyway because he doesn't stand a chance against whoever he faces. "But I know you're not like that, Rey, you won't go down without a fight and you keep it clean. It's too bad that you're facing me and got your back turned to 'The Rabid Wolverine'..." Mysterio then turns around to Chris Benoit standing behind him - running through Mysterio with a clothesline! The boos come down loud as Cena hits the ring as well, putting the boots to Mysterio alongside Benoit. Running down from the back quickly is United States Champion Edge, hitting Cena with a Spear! He then trades blows with Benoit, getting the upper hand and looking for a Spear on him only for Benoit to grab the ropes and pull himself underneath the bottom one. Edge steps right to the ropes and motions for the two to come back - Cena and Benoit talking back and forth with one another as Mysterio gets up at Edge's side, thanking him for the assist.
2) Non-Title Match: United States Champion Edge (w/Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio) def. John Cena (w/Chris Benoit) via disqualification (8:20) A match made during the break, Cena has Edge grounded as the contest is already underway. Edge ends up fighting back and after a series of clotheslines and elbows, goes for the Edgecution only for Benoit to grab his leg to stop it. The referee takes notice and warns Benoit for it, Cena raking the eyes in the opening. After a couple of big knock downs for near falls, Cena has some trash talk for Mysterio on the outside before lifting Edge on to his shoulders, the F-U being reversed in to a DDT! Edge then gets up in the corner, waving his hand up and down - Cena then staggering back up to a Spear! Both legs are hooked but just as the referee is about to count the three, Benoit dives in and breaks up the pin - causing the DQ!
Benoit continues to pummel Edge with strikes to the face until Mysterio comes flying off the top rope at him with a dropkick! Mysterio keeps coming right at Benoit until he is shoved back, Rey then ducking under a clothesline as Edge catches Benoit with the Spear! Cena then stumbles back to his feet and is tripped between the top and middle rope, Mysterio then planting him with the 619! Edge then tosses Cena to the outside alongside Benoit. The referee then retrieves the United States and Cruiserweight Championship belts and presents them to the two men, Edge and Mysterio raising them and their arms together as Benoit and Cena are left laid out at the bottom of the ramp side by side.
In the back once again is Mr. McMahon with Jackie Gayda, McMahon saying he has a great idea for next week! "How about a tag team match? A tag team match of Rey Mysterio and Edge versus Chris Benoit and John Cena! How about that?" Jackie says she loves it, McMahon then raising his eyebrows as in to the room walks Torrie Wilson, whom mentions he wanted to see her. "Ah, yes, Torrie! See, I just made a tag team match for next week's Smackdown at Madison Square Garden but right here and right now I was thinking we could have a... triple threat." Wilson is confused by the suggestion, McMahon further explaining that he is aware of Wilson and Gayda's recent differences, but he thinks they could come together right now in a 'minage a tois'! Wilson covers his mouth immediately while Jackie puts her hand out in invitation. Wilson takes a breath and says no to the offer, Jamie Noble and Nidia then walking in to the room with the prior saying they couldn't help but overhear as they walked by. "If Torrie's not interested... how about a fatal four way?!" Nidia asks with a gleeful laugh, McMahon now the one to reject as he says that he and Jackie will just stay by themselves. Wilson takes the opportunity to escape from the room, Noble giving a frustrated 'damn!' as he drags Nidia out by the wrist.
A video airs showing La Resistance is shown, highlighting them in multiple places: A French diner, a museum and the Eiffel Tower. Up next, Sylvain Grenier and Rene Dupree make their in-ring debut!
Arriving following the break is La Resistance, the French duo making their way down to the ring with a microphone each. "Bonjour, vous les Américains stupides!" Grenier says gleefully, Dupree explaining that he called everyone here stupid Americans, because he knows they are too stupid to understand French. "And tonight, we face two Américains stupides right here in our grand debut!" Dupree says as he and Grenier take a couple steps toward the local Michael Shane and Paul London, berating them if they like to spend their days stuffing their faces with fast food or laying on the couch. "I'd say you should all visit a real country like France," Dupree adds. "But we don't want any of you filthy pigs in our beautiful homeland!" London and Shane then jump forward, throwing shots at La Resistance as they've heard enough!
3) La Resistance def. Michael Shane and Paul London via pinfall (3:56) Shane and London surprise Grenier and Dupree as they stay in control off the pre-match jump. After a hang up on the ropes of Shane by Grenier, however, it allows Dupree to nail a spinebuster. Smackdown's newest tag team then begins to tag in and out frequently, working over Shane until he makes a sudden tag to London - whom comes in flying all around the ring. As he goes to the top rope, however, he ends up being pushed down by Grenier. A tag by Dupree and after the two take Shane out, they catch London with a double spinebuster that puts him down for the three count.
As La Resistance get to their feet and are announced the winners, they demand the official raise their arms up. As they continue to celebrate the win, Los Guerreros end up coming sneaking down to ringside - taking the French flag the group had placed at ringside, throwing it over their shoulders and taking it up the ramp and to the back! La Resistance then exit the ring and go to retrieve the flag, only to notice it being gone. As they are confused as to what happened to it, Eddie and Chavo peak out from the curtains atop the stage to wave to them! Grenier and Dupree then furiously chase up the ramp after the two!
Meanwhile in the back, Jeff Hardy is seen getting prepared for his match when he is approached by his brother Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore. "Jeff, I learned a lot from my match with Sean O'Haire last week. So if you just learn from it and don't let Sean get in your head..." Jeff puts his hands up and tells his brother that's enough, he is going to do what he needs to do to get the win tonight. "And there is nobody and I mean nobody that is going to tell me what to do, bro." He then heads off as the match with O'Haire is coming up next.
4) Sean O'Haire def. Jeff Hardy (w/Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore) via pinfall (6:24) The bell rings and after an initial lock up, O'Haire throws some aggressive knees and boots. A few hard slams leads to a series of near falls but after Jeff slides off the shoulders on another lift, he begins to mount a comeback. A Whisper in the Wind almost pulls off the win for Jeff but O'Haire kicks out of the cover. After some further back and forth, O'Haire whiffs on a leaping spin kick and is instead met with a boot to the stomach and the Twist of Fate! Jeff then staggers his way to the corner, Matt getting on the apron as his brother begins to make his way to the top rope. Giving some instruction, Jeff tries to get his brother to lay off. Before Jeff is able to leap off for the Swanton Bomb, O'Haire gets back up and pulls him off on to his shoulders, stepping to the center of the ring and nailing the Widowmaker! The leg is then hooked and O'Haire gets the pinfall.
O'Haire rolls out of the ring with a twisted grin as Matt looks on from the apron with his hands over his head. Shannon follows his leader in to the ring as they stand over Jeff getting on all fours, Matt being very apologetic but Jeff seeming hesitant to accept it. O'Haire, meanwhile, watches on happily from atop the stage.
Mr. McMahon is once again seen in the back, this time leaving his office with the assistance of Jackie Gayda, the Chairman appearing very pleased as The Big Show walks by. "Ah, there he is," McMahon says to the seven foot, five hundred pounder. "I want you to take that Orlando Jordan kid... and rip him to pieces! I want you to treat him like he's Goldberg and just.. just... annihilate him!" Show pounds his fist in to his palm and says he'll do so gladly. He then keeps on walking, his match moments away.
5) The Big Show def. Orlando Jordan via pinfall (1:44) The referee calls for the bell and Jordan, at first hesitant, ends up coming forward with a series of punches as Cole notes on commentary the amateur boxing background for most of Jordan's life. Orlando then throws a couple of clotheslines before coming off the ropes and in to a clothesline. Show then rips off the Goldberg shirt of Jordan, proceeding to toss him from corner to corner, shoulders being thrown to the mid section and chops to the chest. After Jordan gets a low dropkick in, he tries to come off the ropes again but ends up coming right back in to a huge big boot! Show covers but decides he hasn't had enough, pulling Jordan's shoulder up at two. Laughing about it, he then lifts Jordan up again to hit a big Chokeslam before getting the pinfall.
Show stands back up and rips his arm away from the referee, instead stepping to the ropes and demanding a microphone. "How about that, Goldberg?" He asks toward the camera. "How about that? Why don't you come down here and get some yourself, huh? Oh... oh... wait a minute... you're banned from the arena tonight, aren't you?" He laughs to himself and says that it is for Goldberg's own good because what just happened to Jordan is nothing compared to what would happen to Goldberg if he were here. "But next week... from Madison Square Garden, Goldberg... I want you versus me in the middle of this ring." Show then tosses the microphone aside, stepping on Jordan's chest as he walks to the other side of the ring on his way out as a huge challenge has been made!
In the back is La Resistance, pacing back and forth angrily as they don't know where Los Guerreros went with their French flag. "You know what, Sylvain," Dupree says. "Perhaps the Américains stupides aren't the worst. Maybe it's latinos from Texas!" The crowd boos back inside of the arena, Grenier saying that is a good point - or they're just equally as bad!
Elsewhere making their way down the halls for the upcoming main event are the WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle, talking about how The Dudley Boyz don't stand a chance against them tonight, Kurt even mocking the idea of Spike getting in to the ring with an Olympic Gold Medalist like himself. Cutting to another part of the back, Bubba Ray Dudley and D-Von Dudley are seen walking together but don't have Spike with them, Bubba assuring his brother that Spike will be there and he'll be more than ready. The main event six man tag team match is coming up next!
At ringside following the break, Cole and Tazz talk about the night we have had already but next week is going to be bigger as both Raw and Smackdown are returning to Madison Square Garden and for Smackdown, they've got a lot planned! Made official just now, Goldberg and The Big Show will face one-on-one! Plus, in tag team action we will see Chris Benoit and John Cena team up against the United States Champion Edge and the Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio! Also, Ultimo Dragon will make his debut and, as promised by Mr. McMahon after his firing of his daughter Stephanie, there will be a new General Manager of Smackdown named next week!
6) Six Man Tag Team Match: The Dudley Boyz def. WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle via pinfall (9:12) Spike charges past his brothers upon entering in order to start the match, coming out guns blazing on Haas and Benjamin. "Clearly Spike wants to prove his worth, Cole!" Tazz says. Angle ends up tagging himself in and is surprised as Spike takes him down with a few dropkicks and armdrags, applying an armlock even with Angle rushing to the ropes to force a break. Once back on his feet, he catches Spike with an elbow to the face in the corner and goes from there with a couple of big takedowns followed by a German suplex and a belly-to-belly, then demanding a tag from one of the brothers. D-Von ends up bringing himself in, him and Kurt having a lengthy back and forth that D-Von ends up getting the upper hand of, leading to Benjamin making a blind tag and catching D-Von from behind with a bulldog that turns the tides. Frequent tags in and out from Haas and Benjamin as they keep D-Von down between covers and holds. After some motivation from the crowd, D-Von ends up fighting to his feet and breaking out of Haas' grip, pummeling him with punches before nailing a back body drop and tagging Bubba in! Entering and firing away at Haas, Bubba also catches Benjamin trying to get involved as well as Angle. However, after a Bubba Bomb on Haas, he doesn't get to cover as Angle ends up coming in and nailing the Angle Slam! Kurt then gets back to his corner, calling for a tag. Haas crawls over slowly and makes the tag in, Angle then entering just as Bubba sits up in his own corner with Spike tagging himself in. Angle laughs over it and pulls his straps down, motioning for Spike to bring it. After looking out to the audience, Spike charges and is quickly scooped up and slammed in to the turnbuckles where Angle unleashes on him. On the outside, meanwhile, Haas and Benjamin pull Bubba Ray and D-Von aside and beat them up against the barricade before sending both of them over. After an Angle Slam to Spike inside of the ring, Kurt is all fired up until the theme music of The Undertaker hits throughout the arena! "Wait a minute... Team Angle said they cut The Undertaker's fuel line!" Cole says. "Is he really here?!" Soon enough, 'The Dead Man' rolls out from the back on his motorcycle, eyes toward the ring as he begins to drive down the ramp toward it - Benjamin and Haas having to dive out of the way! Taker then takes his time going around the ring as Angle watches on in disbelief. Taker keeps his eyes on Angle as he goes around, revving his engine as he goes past the Tag Team Champions. Angle then looks to Benjamin and Haas and orders they go after Taker! They then chase him up the ramp and toward the back, Angle shaking his head as he returns his attention to Spike - picking the leg for the Ankle Lock only for Spike to pull him down with an inside cradle for the one, two, three!
The SBC Center erupts with cheers and perhaps some shock as Spike pops back to his feet with his hands over his head in disbelief! Angle, meanwhile, rolls back in to the corner with his eyes widened, questioning the count of the official as he confirms it as three! Bubba Ray and D-Von come rolling back in to the ring and embrace an excited Spike. "Spike Dudley just pinned the WWE Champion!" Cole exclaims. After multiple replays of the finish to confirm it was indeed a count of three, the cameras come back to show Spike on the shoulders of his brothers outside of the ring as a despondent Angle sits in the corner. A shocking outcome to tonight's main event as Smackdown goes off the air!
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Post by DTP. on Dec 16, 2020 14:09:42 GMT -5
1) Brian Kendrick def. Jamie Noble (w/Nidia) via pinfall (5:10) Via distractions from Nidia, Noble manages to overcome multiple hot streaks from Kendrick. A superplex from Noble wows the crowd briefly but leads to just a two count, leading to him being much more aggressive with Kendrick. After a double underhook powerbomb is escaped from, Kendrick ducks a shot from Noble and he almost hits Nidia on the apron. Kendrick then catches Noble with a kick to the stomach and Sliced Bread #2 for the one, two, three! Kendrick is quite surprised with the victory, as he has had mostly bad luck since coming to the Smackdown brand earlier this year. As he celebrates the win over the former Cruiserweight Champion with the crowd, Noble's frustration shows despite Nidia's attempts to calm him.
2) Chuck Palumbo (w/The F.B.I.) def. Rikishi via pinfall (4:28) Overcoming interference from The F.B.I. on the outside, Rikishi ends up dropping Palumbo to the outside with a big side kick. He then forces Nunzio in to the ring and corners him for a potential Stinkface, but DeMott gets on the apron and takes a clothesline for his troubles. The opening then allows Palumbo to nail Rikishi with a back of the head superkick, putting the big man down for the pinfall. The F.B.I. all gather in the ring afterward to celebrate, Nunzio having some choice words for Rikishi before laying his jacket over the face of the man that tried to humiliate him. 3) Los Guerreros def. Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore (w/Jeff Hardy) via pinfall (7:20) In a competitive main event, Matt and Shannon hold their own with Eddie and Chavo, the contest going back and forth until a chop block of the legs to Chavo by Shannon. A hot tag to Eddie ends up being made and he comes in like a house on fire, nailing Shannon with two suplexes before taking Matt down with one. After a low blow behind the back of the official as Shannon feigns an injury, Matt tries to get Jeff to come in to the ring and get involved. The hesitancy of Jeff, however, leads to Chavo nailing Matt with a spinning DDT! Eddie then has the time to recover, Chavo tossing Shannon to the outside on top of Jeff as Eddie leaps off the top rope with a Frog Splash on Matt for the three count. Los Guerreros embrace once to their feet, enjoying the victory atop the turnbuckles as Matt, Jeff and Shannon all begin to argue on the outside about not being on the same page.
1) Lance Storm def. Test (w/Stacy Keibler) via pinfall (4:33) Former allies in The Un-Americans, Test grows a bit cocky after controlling the match early. When Stacy starts to cheer him on, however, he seems to grow annoyed of it. "I've got this without your help, Stace!" He shouts before turning in to a superkick and a sunset flip pin cover for the three count! Storm rolls out of the ring in celebration of the win as Test gets his shoulder up after the match is over, immediately looking over to Keibler with anger in his eyes as if it were her fault!
2) The Basham Brothers (w/Rico) def. D'Lo Brown and Maven via pinfall (3:56) Despite being a team for most of the year now, Brown and Maven continue to struggle together and it continues here as despite Maven getting on a hot streak, a tag out to Brown leads to him missing a splash off the top rope and The Basham Brothers disposing of Maven with a double clothesline over the top rope, then putting D'Lo away with a legsweep/clothesline combination. Rico joins Doug and Danny in the ring and holds their arms up as the victors as D'Lo rolls to the outside, him and Maven not arguing yet neither satisfied with what just went down.
3) Christopher Nowinski def. Michael Shane via pinfall (2:02) On the microphone ahead of the match, Nowinski mocks the Dallas crowd for not being as good as San Antonio at basketball, mocking their loss to the champion Spurs in the Western Conference Finals. The match is mostly one sided apart from a close Shane roll up. After an eye gouge in the corner that the referee warns Nowinski about, the Honor Roll is nailed and the Harvard graduate gets the pinfall much to the chagrin of the Dallas audience.
4) Non-Title Match: Intercontinental Champion Booker T def. Stevie Richards (w/Victoria) via pinfall (5:21) Quite an opportunity for Richards, he comes out guns blazing against Booker but the Intercontinental Champion ends up taking full control of the match after a spinebuster. A few hard knock downs lead to Victoria attempting to get involved but Booker manages to overcome it, a kick to the gut to Richards followed by a bounce off the ropes sends Victoria crashing to the floor below - Booker then coming back with the Scissors Kick and the pinfall. As Richards and Victoria argue on the outside afterward, Booker celebrates with his home state crowd by performing a spinaroonie to close out the show.
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 2, 2021 9:21:28 GMT -5
A highlight video airs showing parts of last week's episode of Raw, with Dusty Rhodes being mysteriously taken out, Triple H and Evolution assaulting Kevin Nash and, in the main event, Paul Heyman returning to re-align with Brock Lesnar during his title defense with Rob Van Dam. The opening Monday Night Raw video then airs, the cameras coming inside of Madison Square Garden from New York, New York! Jim Ross welcomes everyone from commentary with Jerry 'The King' Lawler, the world's most famous arena hosting tonight's edition of Raw that has plenty to come! General Manager Eric Bischoff is back and he has set up an Intercontinental Championship match between Booker T and Randy Orton. Plus, Orton and the rest of Evolution will be here later tonight to have what they are calling 'the biggest party Madison Square Garden has ever seen'. But first, we are looking for answers on a dangerous re-formed alliance.
The theme music of Brock Lesnar hits, the World Heavyweight Champion stepping out to the stage and looking around the arena. He then looks over his shoulder as Paul Heyman then comes out next to him, a smile from ear-to-ear as he looks up to Lesnar. The two then make their way down and in to the ring, Heyman with a microphone in hand as he looks out to the crowd. "How funny is it that... the man that created Extreme Championship Wrestling... now opens the show in WWE's camp of Madison Square Garden? Hell, as a New York Jew - this is a dream come true! But this isn't about me, this is about the World Heavyweight Champion... this is about this man: Brock Lesnar!" Heyman brings up how he was the one that brought Lesnar to this ring for the very first time about fifteen months ago and while they had their differences and parted ways last fall, Lesnar has continued to ascend to the top of the business. "But despite that, there is a reason that Brock and I have been brought back together and that particular reason is that Brock lost just a little bit of that killer instinct that made him get to the top in the first place." Heyman says that he was watching Raw every week and he saw Lesnar continue to be an absolute freak of nature, a dominant force and, yes, the World Heavyweight Champion. "But something changed... something changed just enough in you, Brock. That's why I gave you a call... that's why I got in to your ear and that's why I pushed you to get back to being 'The Next Big Thing' even if you already have become 'The Big Thing' already!" Heyman says that Lesnar isn't here to be an entertainer, he is here to be the very best, be the World Champion and kick everyone's ass that stands in his way.
Heyman the hands the microphone off to Lesnar, whom steps forward with a snicker. "That's right. Kane? He's on the shelf. Rob Van Dam? Him too. Shawn Michaels? Yeah, he's nowhere to be found either, right?" He points to Heyman and says that when he talked to Paul about a week before his Hell in a Cell match with Triple H at Judgment Day, things started to click more in his head that it wasn't about representing Raw proudly, it wasn't about being a 'sports entertainer', it was about being him. "An unstoppable ass kicking machine. I'm going to do what I want and when I want and Paul Heyman and I are back together to make sure I get what I want and when I want..." The boos of the crowd then turns to cheers as Shawn Michaels' music interrupts. 'The Heart Break Kid' makes his way down to the ring carefully, eyes locked on Lesnar as he steps through the ropes slowly. "You know, Brock," Shawn says while moving in a little closer. "I had a hunch that something had changed with you. We went from having a bit of respectable competition and one-upmanship at first but as the weeks went on something seemed to click in your brain that I wasn't just a threat... I was a target." Michaels then looks around the building and says he has some fond, fond memories of this arena, going back to the times when he jumped off the top of a ladder on to Razor Ramon at WrestleMania X, as well as the time he and a few of his boys got in a little bit of trouble. "But a lot of memories, Brock. And, to be honest, I'd like to make another one here tonight by getting another crack at the World Heavyweight Championship." Heyman tries to talk but Michaels cuts him off, saying that's the thing though. "I don't want Paul Heyman answering for you, Brock. I want you to be your own man and use your own words." Michaels says he doesn't think Lesnar has any use for Heyman and he should be thinking on his own and he should be stepping up to the plate to this challenge and prove once again why he is the World Heavyweight Champion win or lose. "Because that's what you did, right?" Heyman replies with a cackle. "I mean, like that time you lost your smile?" Michaels looks away, scratching his chin as he tells Heyman that was in a different time. "Sure, sure. It was in a different time, Shawn, but you still are Shawn Michaels! You still call yourself 'The Showstopper', 'The Main Event' and hell, you call yourself 'The Heartbreak Kid' despite the fact that you're not a kid anymore but we can just pretend that when you decided you didn't want to defend the WWE Championship you just happened to 'lose your smile' and walked away right? Like a real champion?" Heyman continues on by saying that Lesnar can make up his own mind all he wants, because there is not a chance in hell that he's going to be the one to stop him - let alone anyone else. "Perhaps you could have used someone like me, Shawn. You know, a real person? Not a figment of your imagination in some hallucinated state of mind! Real classy! A real champion, ladies and gent-" Michaels cuts Heyman off with a sudden slap across the face! "Shawn Michaels has heard just about enough from that loud mouth!" J.R. says. Heyman holds his cheek and then looks over to Lesnar before giving a nod. Brock then grabs Shawn by the arm and takes him down with a huge clothesline! Michaels stumbles back up but Lesnar pushes him right in to the corner, shoulders and knees to the mid-section relentlessly. Michaels tries to throw a few punches back but ends up being scooped right up off of the mat and planted with the F-5! The boos come down on Lesnar and Heyman again as they stand side-by-side, Heyman with the World Heavyweight Championship held close to his chest. After looking down at Michaels' body for a bit, the two then leave the ring together, Lesnar grabbing his title belt and holding it above his head with a grin.
The cameras pick up backstage to show Randy Orton walking the halls and admiring some of the pictures on the wall when he stops himself to see a young blonde woman, taking her by the hand and kissing it. She blushes as he has some words for her, the young third-generation superstar looking to become the Intercontinental Champion as he takes on Booker T for the gold - next!
Standing in his office with a smile after the break is Eric Bischoff, the Raw General Manager looking off to his side as Scott Steiner is beside him. "You know, Scott, it has been about a year since I became the Raw General Manager and last week when I wasn't here made me realize how much this show needs Eric Bischoff!" He says that Dusty Rhodes should have never been in his shoes and while he doesn't know who took him out, he's glad! Steiner chuckles and tells Bischoff that now that he doesn't have to worry about Dusty, he can focus on The Hurricane! "Don't forget Val Venis," Eric responds. "Hard times for him. you know? He falls out of The Bischoff Administration and goes right back to the only thing he knows." Steiner nods in agreement and says he hates perverts almost as much as he does superheroes! "Me and William Regal, we're gonna take care of them both tonight!" He gives a nod to Bischoff and leaves the office, the Raw GM left with a smile. 1) Intercontinental Championship: Randy Orton (w/Ric Flair) def. Booker T(c) via pinfall (10:05)After knocking off Booker in the King of the Ring Semi-Finals last night, Orton is fairly confident in himself in this match. Using Flair to his advantage, Booker still manages to overcome the odds and stay in the contest. After a back body drop and a spinebuster, Booker delivers a Scissors Kick but Flair puts Orton's foot on the bottom rope and forces a break just in time. The match lasts through a break as Orton has a headlock applied to Booker, fighting off a comeback with a big dropkick for a two count. Despite the continued involvement from Flair, Booker ends up ducking a running shot from Orton and Flair instead takes the hit while on the apron and is knocked to the floor! Booker then nails a leaping side kick and gets the crowd fired up, performing a spinaroonie for Madison Square Garden! Fired up, he then sets Orton up for the Book End but takes an elbow to the back of the head. Freed of the champion's grasp, Orton throws a thumb to the eye! As Booker then turns around to try and recover, he is dropped with the RKO! Orton hooks the far leg and the referee counts the one, two, three!Orton sits up with a shocked look across his face as he has become the new Intercontinental Champion! "At just twenty-three years old," Jim Ross says. "Like it or not, Randy Orton has just won the Intercontinental Championship." As the official goes to present Orton with the belt, Flair gets in to the ring and cuts him off - instead taking the title for himself and placing it around the waist of Orton. 'The Nature Boy' then raises Randy's arm up proudly to the booing crowd!
Meanwhile backstage, Paul Heyman is seen when he is approached by Tommy Dreamer. "Paul, what the hell?" He asks, to which Heyman says it is a delight to see Dreamer as well. "I wish I could say the same... what do you think you're doing?" Dreamer explains that he thought they finally had a real champion on Raw to be proud of and that Lesnar was doing just fine on his own but now Heyman's back in his ear and ruining it, mentioning Lesnar taking out Rob Van Dam, Kane and Shawn Michaels. Brock Lesnar then approaches from behind, World Heavyweight Championship over his shoulder as he asks Dreamer if he has a problem. "You know, Tommy, if it weren't for me... nobody would even remember that you even worked here this year." Lesnar brings up him helping against Triple H on multiple occasions, saying that other than that - Dreamer has been a loser. "Maybe you want to punch me in the face for that, Tommy? Maybe you want to face me in that ring tonight? Maybe... you want a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship?" Dreamer lifts his head at that mention, Lesnar grinning as he tells Dreamer he takes that as a challenge accepted. Heyman and Lesnar then head off together as Dreamer nods to himself as he now has the opportunity of a lifetime tonight!
Following the break, The APA are seen in their 'office' backstage playing cards, smoking cigars and drinking beers when Chris Jericho and Christian approach them and are blatantly ignored. "Did you use the door?" Bradshaw asks. Jericho and Christian are confused so The APA point at the door in the open, Christian questioning if they are serious. The ignoring continues, so Jericho and Christian mutter under their breath as they walk around and enter through the door. "Did you knock?" Farooq questions. Jericho and Christian, still frustrated, close the door and knock before being told to come in. "We got a real problem with you two!" Jericho says, Christian piling on they didn't appreciate them spoiling his big return last week! Bradshaw and Farooq mock them with fake crying. "Why don't you two quit acting like a couple of babies and act like real men?" JBL asks with a cackle. "Sit down, play some cards, smoke a few cigars, drink a beer or two!" Jericho says that he and Christian are real men! Farooq then challenges them to prove it - taking a couple of beers and putting it in front of them. "We're Canadian, junior! We know all about beer!" Farooq then takes out two more each, Bradshaw piling on as well. "What is this, a beer drinking contest?!" Asks Christian, Bradshaw saying that's a hell of an idea! "You in or you out?" After looking to each other, Jericho and Christian nod to one another proceed to take a seat as it appears challenge accepted!
2) Women's Champion Trish Stratus and Gail Kim def. Jazz and Jacqueline (w/Theodore Long) via pinfall (4:03) A hot start from Kim is cut off by Jazz throwing a shot to the back of the head while Kim bounces off the ropes, leading to Jacqueline throwing a boot to the chest and hitting a big suplex. Jazz and Jacqueline take control from there, getting multiple near falls in the process. With some motivation via the crowd, Kim eventually fights free of Jazz's grasp in a chinlock and fights off to make a tag to Stratus! Trish comes in guns blazing, taking both Jazz and Jacqueline down with a couple of clotheslines and dropkicks, escaping a lift by Jacqueline and drilling her with the Chick Kick! On a Stratusfaction set up on Jazz, Trish ends up pushed off in to her own corner - Gail taking the opportunity in to making the tag. She then comes in and ducks under a clothesline from Jazz, leaping up after for a hurricanrana in to a pin for the three count! Kim hops to her feet as Stratus looks surprised from the corner. Gail then hugs Trish - the two then leaving the ring together as Jazz is left on her knees furious over the loss! Jacqueline and Long try to come in and talk to her but Jazz doesn't want any part of it. Meanwhile, Stratus and Kim raise their arms together atop the stage in celebration.
Meanwhile in the back, Test and Stevie Richards are seen watching a monitor together and gawking over how hot the divas are that we just saw! "Yeah, I'd give up Stacy for Trish..." Test says, Richards saying he thinks he would give up Victoria for Gail, Trish and, at this point, maybe even Jazz! Stacy Keibler then walks up next to Test and Victoria next to Stevie, the two ladies then locking eyes with each other and asking what is going on. "Nothing, nothing." Test responds. "We were just, uh, watching the show. Don't worry about it." He then takes Stacy by the arm and leads her off, Richards tilting his head as they walk away - Victoria's eyes widening as she asks what the hell he is doing! "Nothing! My neck is just a little sore..." Richards says while rubbing his neck. He then walks away with Victoria left twitching as he does! Walking backstage after the commercial is Eric Bischoff when he walks past Tommy Dreamer, asking him if he is ready for his big opportunity. "Imagine... Tommy Dreamer: World Heavyweight Champion! In Madison Square Garden no less!" Dreamer nods and says he was born ready and he can't wait to be able to rub that World Championship in Heyman's face after. "Hey, I don't like Paul Heyman either, Tommy. But... this isn't a match with Paul Heyman it's a match with Brock Lesnar! But, I mean, you are Tommy Dreamer... a hardcore icon, right? You can withstand the ass kicking of a lifetime!" Dreamer replies by telling Bischoff to cut the crap because he knows that he has no faith in him becoming World Heavyweight Champion. "But nobody has ever had faith in me before and that hasn't stopped me. The people deserve a champion with heart and passion! I thought Brock was that guy but he's not... so, it's my time to shine." Dreamer pounds his fist in to his palm and heads off, Bischoff laughing to himself as he goes.
Back in the 'office' of The APA, Bradshaw and Farooq are laughing as Chris Jericho and Christian refuse to keep drinking. "C'mon, we thought you were real Canadian men!" Farooq says while laughing and sipping his beer. After Bradshaw calls them a couple of lightweights, he goes to puff on his cigar when Jericho and Christian suddenly snap out of their state and dive over the table at Bradshaw! After pummeling him a bit, Farooq gets involved but ends up double teamed and pushed back in to the wall. Christian then takes one of the chairs from the table and breaks it over Farooq's back! He and Jericho then run away from the scene as Bradshaw rushes to Farooq's side - trying to shake him awake and see if he is alright!
Heading down the halls toward the ring meanwhile is Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman, the latter hyping up the World Heavyweight Champion. "Tommy is hardcore but he isn't Brock Lesnar hardcore!" Lesnar stops and tells Heyman he isn't sweating it - because just like Rob Van Dam, Kane and Shawn Michaels before him, Dreamer will be exposed for being nothing. "But at least he'll get a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, right?" The two then begin to share a laugh and continue onward as the World Heavyweight Championship match is coming up next!
3) World Heavyweight Championship: Brock Lesnar(c) (w/Paul Heyman) def. Tommy Dreamer via pinfall (3:27) The bell rings and Dreamer surprises Lesnar as he charges right at the World Heavyweight Champion, throwing wild punches. After Lesnar shoves Dreamer away, a drop toe hold is nailed and thus Dreamer stays on the attack. Bouncing off the ropes, however, Lesnar catches Dreamer and nails a belly-to-belly suplex! Lesnar laughs off the early start from Dreamer and continues the attack, a series of backbreakers and suplexes eventually leading to Dreamer in to the corner and hitting a series of shoulder thrusts. Backing up and charging, however, Dreamer ends up throwing an elbow to the face. Going to the second rope, he then nails a double axe handle! Lesnar falls to a knee and Heyman gets on the apron - trying to provide a distraction only for it to backfire and become in favor for Dreamer as he retrieves his kendo stick from the corner and whacks it across Lesnar's back! The World Heavyweight Champion, however, is unphased by it as he stands up with his eyes widened. Dreamer then goes for another shot but Lesnar catches it in his arm - throwing the kendo aside and catching Dreamer with a powerful clothesline! Lesnar then pulls Dreamer back up and nails the F-5 for the win.
The bell rings as Lesnar has retained his championship. After ripping away his title belt from the referee, however, he hands it right over to Heyman as he decides to pick up the kendo stick and swing it across the back of Dreamer! "Alright, Brock! That's enough!" J.R. says while Lawler argues Dreamer brought the kendo stick in himself. Lesnar continues with four more shots before seeming satisfied, but instead of walking away he proceeds to put the kendo stick against Dreamer's throat as he starts to choke him with it! The referee tries to intervene and calls for the bell repeatedly but Lesnar doesn't care one bit - not letting go of his grasp until Dreamer is passed out! The New York fans boo loudly as Lesnar then tosses the kendo stick out of the ring - raising his World Heavyweight Championship instead over Dreamer's lifeless body.
Backstage, Randy Orton is seen with the blonde woman he was talking to earlier in his arm with the Intercontinental Championship around his waist as he walks in to the Evolution locker room where Ric Flair and Batista greet him, congratulations again from 'The Nature Boy' as well as Batista. Orton then asks where Triple H is, to which Flair explains he is getting ready. "Nobody is in 'The Game's hair right now, so he has all the time in the world to prepare for the biggest party Madison Square Garden has ever seen and I've seen my fair share! Woo!" Orton and Batista both look happy about the hype as Flair says this will be a night they will never forget!
Once again seen in the back is General Manager Eric Bischoff when he is approached by Terri Runnels, asking Bischoff about what just happened with Brock Lesnar and Tommy Dreamer. "What did you expect?!" Bischoff says with a laugh - the joy in his eyes quickly leaving, however, as he is walked up to by Shane McMahon! "What the?" Lawler asks from commentary. "Shane McMahon?! What is he doing here?!" Shane and Eric have some words away from the microphone as Bischoff then turns to Terri and shoos her away - telling the camera man to do the same. The two then walk in to Bischoff's office together and shut the door behind them.
After the break, Ross and Lawler talk about how we just saw Shane McMahon show up and go in to Eric Bischoff's office and they can only speculate on what is going on there! The cameras then pick up backstage to show Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman walking together when Jonathan Coachman approaches, trying to get answers for why Lesnar has been so vicious as of late, questioning if Heyman is pulling the strings here. "Do I honestly need to explain this to you, Coach?" Heyman asks. "Why wouldn't he be? Brock Lesnar is the World Heavyweight Champion. Brock Lesnar always has a target on his back. But Brock Lesnar is also always willing to lay down the gauntlet and he's prepared to look that executioner in the eye and challenge him… and when it's all over with, it won't be Brock Lesnar's head laying... Brock Lesnar will take that axe and cut that executioner's head off before he even had the chance to consider it! Because that's truly who Brock Lesnar is... my Brock Lesnar... the World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar... and he's not about to take sh*t from anybody! As for your question as to if I'm pulling the strings? Do you really think anybody could possibly tell Brock Lesnar what to do?" Lesnar then brushes shoulders with Coachman as the two continue down the hall.
4) The Hurricane and Val Venis def. Scott Steiner and William Regal via pinfall (5:41) Maintaining control of the match over Regal to start things off, Venis and Hurricane get the crowd behind them and Hurricane mocks Steiner with a Poppa Pump elbow on Regal. As he goes to do some pushups, Steiner steps in and drops an elbow across the back to put a quick stop to that. He then goes back out to the apron and makes the tag, working over Hurricane on the mat but eventually focusing too much on the mask as Hurricane manages to roll out of Steiner's grasp and make a hot tag to Venis - whom comes in and runs wild on his opponents. After a back body drop sends Regal over the top rope, Steiner catches Venis with a belly-to-belly for a two count. Steiner then stands back up to see Hurricane flying off the top rope but he catches the superhero in his arms. Taking too long to taunt to the crowd, however, it allows Hurricane to slip down and nail the Eye of the Hurricane! Venis then goes to the to rope, Hurricane sending Regal off the apron as the Money Shot is then nailed by Venis on to Steiner for the three count!
The crowd cheers for Venis and Hurricane as they high five and pat each other on the back, having their arms raised as the winners of the match. Meanwhile, Steiner rolls out to the apron and begins to yell at Regal - blaming him for the loss despite being the one that was pinned!
In the back, Shane McMahon is seen leaving Eric Bischoff's office when Terri Runnels approaches, asking if she can talk to him now. McMahon tells her sure, which leads to Terri asking why he is here and what he is doing talking to Bischoff. "I'm doing some monitoring," He begins to explain. "Monitoring the state of Monday Night Raw and, honestly, monitoring Eric Bischoff in particular. I mean, what is going on lately? Shawn, RVD, Kane, Tommy Dreamer being assaulted by Brock Lesnar... and Dusty Rhodes last week? On top of other things? I can't go in to too much detail but... Eric is in the know and that is all that matters." He then says that he has a flight to catch back to Connecticut and walks away.
Footage is shown from during the break of Scott Steiner losing it in the back following his tag team match loss, pushing and kicking production crates around. William Regal would approach him to try and calm the situation, only to get yelled at for it. "Get out of my face! This is your fault! Get out of here!" With Regal gone, Steiner would then tip over a big crate with a frustrated yell - holding his neck afterward and muttering under his breath.
Back live in the arena, Chris Jericho and Christian make their way out from the back together with proud smiles on their faces. They make their way down and in to the ring, arms held out proudly. "Those APA boys sure are stupid assclowns, aren't they?" Jericho asks Christian. The self-dubbed 'Fashionista of Charisma' then explains how they outsmarted those 'lushes' and got some revenge for the rude interruption of his magnificent return last week. Before the two can go any further, Bradshaw makes his way out on his own. He approaches the ring, Jericho laughing and accepting a demanding challenge from Bradshaw for right here, right now!
5) Chris Jericho (w/Christian) def. Bradshaw via pinfall (2:52) All action as the bell rings, Bradshaw is aggressive but it is almost like a handicap match with the constant involvement from Christian. A big boot sends him off the apron and Bradshaw catches Jericho attempting a top rope crossbody - instead hitting a fallaway slam. On the cover, however, Christian yanks the foot of the official to stop him. Bradshaw then slides to the outside and chases after Christian around the ring, eventually following in to the ring with Jericho ducking a Clothesline From Hell as he then rolls Bradshaw up with both feet on the ropes above the head of the official for the pinfall.
Jericho pushes off and slips through the ropes - scampering up the ramp quickly with Christian! Bradshaw gets to his feet furious and marches around the ring yelling to the two. "Jericho and Christian may have pulled one over on The APA tonight," J.R. says. "But you don't want to make those two angry!"
The cameras then pick up backstage to show the locker room of Evolution, the door opening as all four men proceed to step out wearing some expensive looking suits. All smiles, they begin to walk together down the halls as they prepare to kick off what they're calling the biggest party in Madison Square Garden history - next!
After the break at the announce table, Ross and Lawler discuss what a night it has been in the world's most famous arena - but they will be back here on Smackdown this Thursday night as well next year on March 14th as Madison Square Garden and New York City will also be hosting WrestleMania XX!
The theme music of Evolution then hits as out through the curtains steps Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and new Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton. After posing atop the stage together, they make their way down to the ring where there is a black carpet over the mat and a small table with champagne and glasses on it. A microphone in hand, Triple H begins to address the crowd. "You're all probably wondering just why Evolution is out here. You see, a couple of months ago... we tried to have a similar celebration to this when I re-gained the World Heavyweight Championship and that party was crashed. But tonight is a different story because, you see, I have gotten rid of my problems. My mind is clear! I have a new focus in life and that is to elevate Evolution to be at the absolute top, the absolute pinnacle of this business and we are climbing to that goal every single damn day." He brings up how Batista has risen up to prove that he belongs in Evolution and knocked Kevin Nash off his high chair and now 'Big Daddy Cool' is on the shelf where he belongs. "As for 'The Nature Boy' Ric Flair, before Kev was taken out, proved he is still the greatest of all time and can still get it done as he carried that team to being the World Tag Team Champions!" He then points to Orton, saying that he was robbed in the King of the Ring tournament but regardless made it to the finals and came this close to a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship. "His day will come and he will one day be World Heavyweight Champion... but tonight, he had another great accomplishment when he beat Booker T to become the new Intercontinental Champion!" The group applauds Orton as HHH then moves on to say as for himself, like he said, he has a free and clear mind. "And while I am contractually not obligated to challenge Brock Lesnar for the World Heavyweight Championship, I promise that one day someone will take him down and whoever that someone is... I'll be waiting... as for tonight, we are about to show Madison Square Garden a party like it has never seen! Because that's what Evolution can do! Because we are so damn good! The past, present and the future of this company in the world's most famous arena..." Hunter then proceeds to pour a lass for each of the four of them, each holding it up high in a toast. "There is nobody from here on out that will be able to stop Evolution!"
As the four begin to drink from their glasses, the signature guitar riff of 'Real American' is heard to a huge ovation from the crowd as Hulk Hogan arrives from the back! "What the?!" J.R. questions in shock. "Hulk Hogan! Hulk Hogan is here! We haven't seen Hogan since the night after WrestleMania when he was left bloodied and beaten by Evolution!" The four in the ring are in shock, Flair removing his suit jacket and throwing it to the mat before stepping to the outside and charging Hogan only to have the signature red and yellow boa thrown in his face! Hogan then throws a big right hand and drops Flair to the floor. Batista comes charging out and after exchanging a few blows, gets a knee in to Hogan's stomach. HHH and Orton cheer 'The Animal' on from the inside but as Batista charge at Hogan he is avoided and runs right in to the ring post! Hogan then brings himself in to the ring - HHH stepping through the ropes as Orton charges and eats a right hand. Moving to the ropes, Hogan points over them at HHH backing down and tries to challenge him to come back in. While focused on 'The Game', Orton hits Hogan in the back with one of the champagne glasses! Hogan's eyes widen as he then turns around and points his finger in Orton's face! "Uh oh! Everyone knows what that means!" Says Lawler. The punches then start flying at Orton as he tries to grab and swing the champagne bottle only for Hogan to catch it and instead whack Orton over the head with it! Orton scrambles on the mat and stumbles back to his feet in a daze, walking straight in to the big boot! Hogan then claps his hands to the roaring New York crowd, pointing out to the rest of Evolution on the outside before bouncing off the ropes and nailing Orton with the leg drop! Dragging the third generation superstar back to his feet, Hogan then sends him flying over the top rope and out to the floor in front of HHH, Batista and Flair! "Hulkamania is back and running wild, ladies and gentlemen!" Exclaims an excited J.R. The audience continues to cheer loud as Hogan rips his shirt and flexes his muscles, cupping his ear to each side of the ring as Evolution furiously watches on from the outside as it appears Triple H's clear mind is not so clear after all! As Hogan continues to play up to the crowd, Raw comes to an end!
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Post by DTP. on Jan 10, 2021 15:15:09 GMT -5
The Smackdown opening video airs with the cameras then entering Madison Square Garden from New York City, New York. Michael Cole and Tazz welcome everyone to the show as for the second time this week the WWE are host to the world's most famous arena. Tonight, Smackdown features a huge main event as Goldberg goes one-on-one with The Big Show! Plus, Rey Mysterio and Edge team up against John Cena and Chris Benoit while we are set to find out who the new Smackdown General Manager is any moment now!
The theme music of Chairman Mr. McMahon hits, the Madison Square Garden crowd booing as he manages to make it out this week on just crutches after having to use a wheelchair last week. Once in the ring, he orders the audience to shut up! "What's the matter? You still upset about me firing my daughter Stephanie as Smackdown General Manager last week?!" The boos come down harder and McMahon laughs, clarifying there being a difference between personal and professional and the way he sees it, Stephanie wasn't getting the job done here on Smackdown and perhaps it is her age or lack of experience. "So, whether you like it or not doesn't mean a damn thing to me! What matters to me is finding a new Smackdown General Manager that comes with some experience and some wisdom and some great ideas and I promised you all I would find somebody within the week and I have done just that." McMahon says that this particular person he has chosen is not just an unlikely success story in the ring, but in life in general. Also, this person has held a position of power before, but has also been a World Champion! "This particular individual is also from right here in the state of New York... ladies and gentlemen I give to you the new General Manager of Smackdown: Mick Foley!" Unlike the response the Chairman received, Foley is more than welcome to his fellow New Yorkers as he steps out from the back giving a big thumbs up. He makes his way down and in to the ring and shakes hands with McMahon, then requesting a microphone of his own. "Well, before I get down to business I just have to say it is great to be here... right here... in Madison Square Garden: New York City!" After letting the cheap pop reaction die down, Foley says that he at first felt a little upset about taking the position of Stephanie McMahon for, in his opinion, she was doing a fine job. "But, Mr. McMahon, that was your decision to make - not mine! And despite my opinion on the matter, I am very happy to be here as the new Smackdown General Manager!" After McMahon says that all that he cares about is Foley succeeding and making Smackdown better than it was before. "And I hope to do just that! So, allow me to talk about my first order of business..."
Before Foley can delve in to that business, Kurt Angle's music interrupts. The WWE Champion then arrives along with Team Angle, the WWE Tag Team Champions. The trio make their way to the ring together and stand across from Foley, Angle with a smirk. "Not that I need to give you an introduction, but I'm going to give you one anyway, Mick. I'm Kurt Angle. WWE Champion. The very best! Oh, and this is Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin - the two-time WWE Tag Team Champions!" Angle adds to make things very easy for Foley around here, he should be very respectful to the best pure athletes there is on Smackdown. "I know exactly who you are," Foley replies. "Trust me, Kurt. I know exactly who you are and how good you are. I've seen enough of Team Angle to know how good they are. But what has always troubled me, Kurt, is that you walk around here acting like you are the best of the best and maybe you are! Maybe you are! But you constantly cut corners and fail to show it. You carry that WWE Championship around your waist, over your shoulder and as General Manager I am going to expect a hell of a lot out of you as my champion!" Angle looks to Haas and Benjamin before taking a step toward Foley, telling him that he isn't Foley's champion. "Nobody can beat me, Mick. You line them up and I knock them down because I am the best! Oh, it's true! It's damn true! And you talk about cutting corners? Give me a break. I outwrestle anybody that steps in here with me and I don't need to use a steel chair or toss myself off a frickin' cage to do it!" A stare down between Angle and Foley is then interrupted by the arrival of The Dudley Boyz! Bubba Ray, D-Von and Spike come marching their way to the ring - Bubba and D-Von having to hold Spike back as he seems to be going right for Angle! Foley quickly steps in between the two pairs of three and says that he isn't going to let things descend in to chaos within his first few minutes as General Manager. "What I am going to do though is make a match! Because if anybody happened to catch Smackdown last week... the so-called best of the best Kurt Angle was pinned by little Spike Dudley!" Angle is livid over the reminder - shouting that it was a total fluke! Foley points right at Angle and says that maybe it was. "But you want to talk a big game, Kurt? You want to prove that was a fluke? Well, you're going to get that chance because tonight we are going to have you putting that WWE Championship on the line... against Spike Dudley! Have a nice day!" The crowd cheers for the announcement, The Dudley Boyz hyped for Spike while Angle, Benjamin and Haas can't believe the news! In the background, meanwhile, Mr. McMahon looks on from the corner appearing very amused.
The cameras pick up backstage to show Cruiserweight Champion and 2003 King of the Ring Rey Mysterio and United States Champion Edge walking backstage together. The former WWE Tag Team Champions re-unite to take on Chris Benoit and John Cena in tag team action - next! 1) United States Champion Edge and Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio def. Chris Benoit and John Cena via pinfall (11:35) The match begins with Mysterio red hot against Cena, leading to a tag out to Benoit and the same result. Cena is brought back in with Mysterio tagging to Edge, whom also comes in on fire. After a back body drop to Cena, however, Benoit throws a knee in to the spine while bouncing off the ropes and it turns things in favor of Cena and Benoit. They keep control throughout a break, Edge trying to fight his way to make a tag to Mysterio but continuously to no avail. After avoiding a Cena clothesline in the corner, Edge ducks one from Benoit on the apron and knocks him off with a dropkick. Avoiding another Cena shot - Edge then dives and tags in Mysterio! The King of the Ring then springboards off the top rope on to Cena and gets going hot, setting Cena for the 619 only for Benoit to cut him off with a clothesline. Edge then runs in but takes a German suplex, Mysterio back up and pushing Benoit back in to Cena before sending him to the outside with a pull down of the ropes. Cena then charges but is tripped in to position for the 619 again. This time, however, Benoit pulls Cena to the outside and it leads to Mysterio launching himself over the top rope with a somersault on to the opponents! Edge then comes to the aid where he and Benoit start to brawl with one another. Back in the ring, Cena attempts the F-U but Mysterio reverses it in to a hurricanrana! As Benoit tries to come back to aid Cena again, he is dropped with a Spear on the outside - leaving Mysterio plenty of room to hit the 619! Rey then drops the dime and hooks both legs for the one, two, three!
Mysterio pops to his feet to big cheers from the crowd, Edge following in and raising arms with his fellow former tag team champion partner. As they celebrate the win, Benoit watches on from in the ring while backing up the ramp, visibly unhappy with the result.
Footage from earlier in the day is shown of The F.B.I. sitting together on the streets of New York, Nunzio saying this is where they belong! "And y'know tonight, Funaki, Tajiri and Jimmy Yang are going up againstus on Smackdown... and we're gonna beat them so bad they'll never come back to Smackdown and stay back over in Chinatown!" Kanyon puts his hands up and says he thinks they're Japanese. "Ah, forget about it!" Palumbo chimes in. "Bottom line is, they messed with The Full Blooded Italians and now they're gonna have to sleep with the fishes!" DeMott pounds his fist in to his palm and gives an evil laugh as Dawn Marie smacks Nunzio upside the head for checking out some of the women walking by. A promo video then airs for Ultimo Dragon - the newest addition to Smackdown's Cruiserweight division! He makes his WWE debut following the commercial break! Standing backstage after the time away is Josh Mathews as he introduces his guest at this time to be Sean O'Haire. Mathews brings up that O'Haire requested this time and asks what about. "The roar of the crowd, Josh. Some people embrace it... others brush it off... to some it's almost like a drug. Like an adrenaline shot. I have a theory and I plan to test it tonight." He gives a wink and no further information and heads off, leaving everyone in question as to what he is talking about!
Back inside of the arena, Jamie Noble and Nidia stand in the ring together as Noble has a microphone in his hand. "Hey, who is this Ultimo Dragon anyway?!" He questions. "I ain't never heard of him until he got signed to Smackdown! And what makes him so 'ultimo'? Huh? I tell you what... whoever this guy is I consider it an honor that I will be the very first to face him in the WWE because I'm gonna take him to school, baby!" The theme music of Ultimo Dragon then hits as Smackdown's newest member arrives through fire on the stage as he looks more than ready to go!
2) Ultimo Dragon def. Jamie Noble (w/Nidia) via pinfall (3:19) Showcasing his combination of martial arts and lucha libre abilities, Dragon controls the match after early chain wrestling. Noble is caught by surprise by all of it, trying to charge Dragon but is leapfrogged and then lifted up over the ropes and knocked to the floor. Dragon then goes out to the apron and hits a springboard Asai Moonsault! After a near fall back in the ring, Noble begins to make a comeback after a jawbreaker. As he hooks the arms for a Tiger Bomb, however, Dragon slips free and pulls Noble down with a facebuster. Both men get back to their feet and after a couple of knees to the stomach, Dragon hooks the neck and nails his signature Asai DDT! The cover is then made for the pinfall victory.
Dragon gets back up and has his arm raised as the winner as he has overcome the pressure of his WWE debut in Madison Square Garden and impressed with a victory over a former Cruiserweight Champion! "I'm looking forward to seeing what Ultimo Dragon has to offer going forward!" Cole says.
Meanwhile in the back, all three of The Dudley Boyz are seen as Bubba Ray and D-Von are hyping up Spike, saying that he is going to shock the world and become WWE Champion! That match and big opportunity for Spike against Kurt Angle is coming up next!
Making their way out following the break is once again the combination of Kurt Angle and Team Angle, WWE Champion and WWE Tag Team Champions. Once in the ring, Kurt speaks up. "Y'know, I didn't know we worked for the Make A Wish Foundation... because that's what giving Spike Dudley a match with me is! A charity!" He explains through the boos that Spike is being gifted a match for the WWE Championship that he doesn't deserve! "But as soon as that bell rings," Haas says. "is dream is going to become a nightmare because he can't even lace up your boots, Kurt!" Benjamin is in agreement and says that if Bubba Ray and D-Von or even The Undertaker even think about getting involved, they'll be right here to put a stop to it! Angle nods in approval of his proteges, opening his arms for a group hug as he is ready to go!
3) WWE Championship: Kurt Angle(c) (w/WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle) def. Spike Dudley (w/The Dudley Boyz) via submission (4:18) The referee calls for the bell and Angle immediately laughs in Spike's face, suggesting he just lay down! Spike responds with a big forearm to the chin, teeing off on the WWE Champion. Spike flies off the ropes and continues to come at Angle, eventually knocking him to the outside with a dropkick! Furious, Angle then comes back at Spike with an aggressive clothesline and a series of suplexes. Growing more and more confident, an Angle Slam is gone for but Spike manages to slip off the shoulder and hit a big DDT for a two count! He then keeps coming at Angle and knocks him down multiple times, prompting Benjamin and Haas to try and get involved only to have Bubba Ray and D-Von fight them off! The two teams begin to brawl up the ramp while in the ring, the Dudley Dog is hit by Spike for a cover and another count of two! Spike questions the count of the referee, frustrated as he lets Angle get back up before setting up for another Dudley Dog. The WWE Champion, however, manages to pull Spike in and nail the Angle Slam! The straps then come down and the Ankle Lock is applied! Spike tries to fight out of the hold but Kurt drops to the mat and wrap the legs, leaving Spike with nowhere to go and no choice but to tap out.
The bell rings as Angle refuses to let go of the hold at first. Bubba Ray and D-Von then start to march down the ramp and Kurt releases, getting back up and demanding his WWE Championship belt. As Team Angle come back down and briefly distract Bubba Ray and D-Von, Kurt re-applies the Ankle Lock to Spike! The Dudley Boyz then turn to see their little brother yelling out in pain, so they hit the ring and charge Angle only for the WWE Champion to dive through the ropes and get away with his proteges just in time! The three raise their arms together atop the stage to boos from the crowd as Spike sits in the ring consoled by his brothers.
The cameras then pick up backstage to Mick Foley in his office watching the television when in walks Chairman Mr. McMahon, a big smile on his face while laughing as he tells Foley that was pretty funny. "It wasn't meant to be a joke," Foley replies. "But maybe it wasn't the most satisfying of a challenge for our fighting champion, right? So, since he is all about challenges... next week on Smackdown we will have Kurt Angle once again defend the WWE Championship... in a Steel Cage match... against The Undertaker!" The audience cheers in the background for the news as Foley grows a wide grin across his face as even McMahon seems impressed by the news!
Seen in the back after the break is Los Guerreros with the French Flag in Chavo's hand when they are stopped by La Resistance, whom quickly insist they haven't come to cause any trouble. "As a matter of fact, we want to show you our peace offering!" Dupree says as he and Grenier then lead Eddie and Chavo to a table with a cloth over it, Grenier removing it to reveal multiple Mexican dishes! Los Guerreros scoff as Grenier explains that they have the classics: Tacos, enchiladas, tamales, home made salsa among other things. "And it's all made the French way: With love!" Dupree adds with a chuckle, Chavo and Eddie seeming a bit hesitant as they start to eat some of the food. Eddie's eyes widen as he says that he has to be honest, it's not as bad as he thought it would be. "A little messy though, Chavito, can you help me out?" Eddie asks as Chavo points out some salsa running down Eddie's mouth, proceeding to wipe away at it with the French flag! "What are you doing?!" Grenier shouts. "You disrespect our flag?!" Eddie begins to apologize, saying they didn't mean to use that as a napkin. "We meant to use it as toilet paper later, holmes!" The Guerreros begin to laugh hysterically as La Resistance is fuming! Los Guerreros then say they'll return the flag - throwing it over Dupree and Grenier's heads before flipping the table of food on top of them! As La Resistance is left disgusted in the pile, Eddie and Chavo laugh together. "Au revoir!" Chavo mockingly says as they walk away from the mess.
The cameras come back to ringside where Cole and Tazz are laughing about what we just saw, moving forward to discuss the big news we received about next week's Smackdown where Kurt Angle will defend the WWE Championship once again - this time against The Undertaker inside of a Steel Cage! But still to come tonight, the main event between The Big Show and Goldberg!
Just as Cole and Tazz are about to delve more in to the main event, Sean O'Haire's voice is heard as he is standing in the aisle way of the crowd calling for everyone's attention. "This spot that I am standing here is just one of many famous moments that happened in Madison Square Garden." He brings up Jimmy Snuka diving off the cage on Don Muraco or even the Elimination Chamber match last fall but he wants to bring up the Royal Rumble in 2000: A moment that made everyone realize the daredevil young Jeff Hardy truly was. He points up to the titantron and shows the moment of Hardy hitting a Swanton Bomb from the same section he stands in at this moment. Back in the arena, O'Haire has a table set up and he slaps his hand on it, suggesting that Jeff could re-live that great moment in his life right here tonight and he is going to give him that opportunity! "Because why should Jeff live in the constraints of what his brother wants? Maybe he should do what you people want him to do... maybe he should live off the adrenaline! Well, here you go, Jeff!" O'Haire then proceeds to place himself on to the table, arms crossed over his chest waiting in anticipation. After a few moments, Jeff Hardy's music hits and he makes his way out to the stage. Seeming a bit hesitant, he is slow to come down to the ring and look toward O'Haire in the crowd. With some motivation from the audience, Jeff hops over and begins to make his way toward O'Haire, whom tells Jeff to listen to the fans go wild for him! "Give me your best shot, Jeff!" After looking out to the New Yorkers, Jeff begins to go up the stairs and arrives to the balcony. As he looks poised to leap off of it, though, his brother Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore come running through the crowd with Matt telling Jeff to stop this nonsense! "You don't have to do things like this anymore! This is not the way of Mattitude!" Matt pleads with his brother to step down and they return to the back. O'Haire says he knew Jeff didn't have the guts, leading to Jeff taking his eyes away from his brother and leaping off the balcony with a Swanton Bomb to O'Haire through the table! "Holy crap!" Tazz shouts. Matt rushes over to his brother along with Shannon, questioning what the hell he is doing! Meanwhile, despite holding his ribs in pain, O'Haire has a slight smile on his face as he appears to have gotten just what he wanted!
In the back stands Josh Mathews as he introduces The Big Show as his guest at this time - bringing up the one-on-one match with Goldberg still to come. "Goldberg is going to be decimated tonight," Show says. "He's going to be cut down to size and squashed by a giant like me! He knows he can't beat me... he knows exactly what I am capable of and taking me down isn't going to happen." Show is then approached by Mr. McMahon, the Chairman bringing up King of the Ring a couple of weeks ago. "Where were you then, huh?" He questions. "Because Goldberg beat my ass after he left you laying! I want The Big Show that put that son of a bitch through a table at Judgment Day! The one that was truly hungry to put Goldberg in his place and send him packing!" McMahon brings up how Show wanted a shot at the WWE Championship, but he hasn't earned that and Mick Foley sees that. "Maybe if you go out there and destroy Goldberg... things could change... but that's exactly what you need to do! I want him broken!" Show breathes heavily and nods, telling McMahon not to worry about a thing.
4) Six Man Tag Team Match: Funaki, Jimmy Yang and Tajiri def. The F.B.I. (w/Nunzio and Dawn Marie) via pinfall (5:01) The match begins with Palumbo, DeMott and Kanyon each taking turns on Funaki and laughing about it. After a roll through backslide for a near fall out of nowhere on Kanyon, Funaki hits a dropkick and makes a diving tag to Yang, the relative newcomer coming in and flying on all three members of The F.B.I. After a tag to Tajiri, he then even takes a shot at Nunzio by flying over the top rope on to him! Tajiri then begin to mix it up with DeMott, the big man with a couple of slams that almost get the victory. After a missed moonsault, however, Tajiri gets up and tags back out to Funaki, snapping a big kick to the back of DeMott's head. Tajiri and Yang then each knock Palumbo and Kanyon off the apron, leaving DeMott to stagger back up to a grip on his head in the corner by Funaki and be hit with the Rising Sun! The referee then makes the three count with Nunzio trying to reach in to the ring and stop it but not in time!
Funaki raises his hands up in celebration as he gets to his feet, heading to the outside with Tajiri and Yang as they hold their arms up together. Back in the ring, meanwhile, Nunzio berates the rest of The F.B.I. for the loss - saying that this is embarrassing!
In the trainer's room backstage, Spike Dudley is seen with ice on his ankle as his brothers Bubba Ray and D-Von Dudley walk in, sitting down next to him and patting him on the back and neck. "I know you're not happy not winning tonight, Spike... but you did the Dudley name proud tonight." Bubba says while pulling Spike in closer. He says that for the record, himself and D-Von aren't done with Team Angle and the WWE Tag Team Championship just yet. "Oh my brother, testify!" D-Von says proudly.
The locker room of Goldberg is then shown as he and The Big Show go to battle - next!
5) Goldberg vs The Big Show goes to a No Contest (5:35) The bell rings and after an initial stare down and some trash talk, the two men begin to slug it out with one another. Goldberg gets the early edge but after coming off the ropes while Show wobbles, he eats a big boot to the face. Show stays on the attack from there, even applying a bearhug that Goldberg manages to fight free of. After an attack on the legs, Goldberg dives in to them to flip Show up and over! An attempt at the Spear follows but Show avoids it and Goldberg hits the turnbuckles! A Chokeslam follows from Show and he thinks it's over but Goldberg kicks out at two. Furious, Show keeps on the attack as he brings Goldberg up in to the corner - a flurry of shots forcing the giant off. A couple of clotheslines wobble Show again with Goldberg then deciding to go for another Spear - this time hitting and taking Show to the mat! The crowd is electrified as Goldberg gets to his feet all fired up. Calling for the finish, he then locks hold of Show and prepares for the Jackhammer. After a struggle, Show is hoisted off of the mat but he ends up landing right down on top of Goldberg as it is too much.
Show then stands back up with a laugh, looking out and around the building as he then steps out to the apron. "What is Show doing...?" Cole ponders. Then, uncharacteristically, Show proceeds to pull himself up on to the top rope very slowly. As everyone questions what Show is thinking, Goldberg gets to his feet and ascends to the second rope to throw shots at Show. After a couple of headbutts are thrown in, Goldberg hooks a hold of Show's neck. "No way... no way..." Tazz begins to repeat. Goldberg then grabs on to the mid-section of Show's singlet and pulls him up in the air - the two men falling back and crashing to the mat where the entire ring buckles! The corners bend in and the ropes fall - knocking official Mike Chioda over! "Holy sh*t!" Tazz exclaims. The Madison Square Garden goes wild as both men are laid out and Chioda sits up in as much disbelief as anybody as to what just happened!
Both men are motionless as Chioda staggers over to check on both of them - then waving his hands up the ramp for help. As Cole and Tazz go over replays to the match as it has clearly been thrown out, officials and medics make their way down to check on Goldberg and Show. "I can't believe what we just witnessed, Tazz!" Cole says as he is still stunned. While both men are tended to, Goldberg begins to stir on his own, managing to even make it back up to a knee but not much more. He takes a look up to the Madison Square Garden fans, still loud as ever from the shocking moment as the show goes off the air!
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 12, 2021 10:44:55 GMT -5
1) Sean O'Haire def. Orlando Jordan via pinfall following the Widowmaker. (3:58) 2) La Resistance def. Kevin Knight and John Xavier via pinfall after a Double Spinebuster to Knight. (2:11) 3) Crash def. Billy Kidman via pinfall using a surprise backslide. (5:03) 4) Rikishi def. A-Train via pinfall after the Banzai Drop. (4:24)
1) Maven def. Stevie Richards (w/Victoria) via pinfall after a crossbody following an argument between Richards and Victoria. (5:54) 2) The Basham Brothers (w/Rico) def. Aaron Stevens and Roman Zachako after a legsweep/clothesline combination on Zachako. (4:04) 3) Christopher Nowinski def. Goldust via pinfall after the Honor Roll. (4:16)
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Post by DTP. on Jan 13, 2021 18:47:34 GMT -5
The Monday Night Raw video airs, the cameras entering the HSBC Center from Buffalo, New York afterward, Jim Ross and Jerry 'The King' Lawler welcoming everyone to the show as after last week where we saw the return of Hulk Hogan, we expect to hear from the legend himself very soon! Plus, Shawn Michaels is in the building as he will address Paul Heyman and World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar!
Hulk Hogan's music hits to a big ovation from the crowd, the legend himself arriving and fired up atop the stage. Coming down and in to the ring, Hogan keeps the crowd going as he cups his ear at each set of ropes. "Well, let me tell you something, brother!" He says to a loud pop from the fans. "It's been a long three months for 'The Hulkster', dude, but in those three months, there has been plenty of time to say my prayers and take my vitamins and get ready to come back to the WWE and Monday Night Raw!" Hogan says that the last time he was around, he had just geared up for a dream match at WrestleMania with Stone Cold Steve Austin and they headlined in Seattle for one hell of a battle where he came up just short. "The night after, Steve and myself shook hands and prepared to have a toast to each other but things went down in a way I didn't expect!" He reminds everyone that Eric Bischoff told Austin that he was no longer medically cleared to compete, a particular four individuals decided to come down to the ring and take advantage of him. "Those four individuals are known as Evolution, brother." He points up to the titantron as footage from that night is shown, with Hogan refusing to allow Austin to help him after Evoluton would arrive, being bloodied and left laying following a Pedigree from Triple H. Back live, Hogan nods at the footage and says that is why he came back last week to rain on the parade of Evolution. "Triple H thought his mind was clear and his problems were gone but, brother, they're just getting started because Hulkamania is back, jack!"
The cheers of the crowd turn to boos as Evolution's music hits, the foursome of Triple H, Ric Flair, Batista and new Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton stepping out to the stage and glaring down at Hogan in the ring. "Who do you think you are, Hogan?" Asks HHH to a quick response of: "I'm Hulk Hogan, brother!" Shaking his head, 'The Game' tells Hogan that last week was meant to be a special occasion for Evolution looking forward but his 'old ass' just had to spoil the party. "And for what, Hulk? Because you weren't in the spotlight anymore? Because Evolution passed you by and kicked your ass? We did you a favor! We gave you the chance to go out on your back so you could live to see another day on your feet but it seems like you want to be put down for good." Hogan smiles and asks HHH what they're waiting for then. "You listen here Hogan you son of a-" Flair steps forward all fired up with Orton stepping out in front of 'The Nature Boy' to calm down, Batista holding Flair back as Orton lowers his hands and then turns back to face Hogan himself. "Let me tell you something, old man. You know, I've been watching you my whole life! I've seen you at the highest of highs, in the main event against the best in the business. But you know what else I've seen? Someone who is highly and I mean highly overrated..." Hogan raises his eyebrows as Orton says that he has been here for less than a year and he has already surpassed Hogan in the ring and it won't be long before he does so in accolades and championships as well. "I mean, look at me, Hogan! I became the youngest in history to become Intercontinental Champion last week at barely twenty-three years old. You're what? Twice, if not more, my age? Still trying to cling on just a little longer?" Hogan chuckles and begins to wag his finger, telling Orton that he has also been watching Orton - all of his life, because 'Cowboy' Bob Orton, his father, and him go way back. "As a matter of fact, we go all the way back to the very first WrestleMania, brother. It was me and Mr. T taking on Paul Orndorff and Roddy Piper with your father in their corner. So, I've known your dad for a long time, dude, and I've known you since you were in diapers but clearly you never grew out of them because every time something doesn't go your way you start crying!" Hogan then suggests that if Orton thinks he is so much better, maybe he should come down here and prove it to the entire world. Growing visibly annoyed by Hogan, Orton begins to unbutton his suit jacket but HHH steps forward and pulls him back a little. "You want a match with Randy Orton, huh?" The Evolution leader questions. "You're on... but not right now. No, no. See, Evolution has some business to attend to beforehand so the brand new Intercontinental Champ will see you later, Hogan." Evolution then begins to back up some, Hulk taking a step forward and saying he is looking forward to the opportunity. "But let me ask you all one thing: Whatcha gonna do brother when this 'old man' and Hulkamania runs wild on you?!" Hogan then drops the microphone as his music hits, flexing and posing to the crowd as Evolution returns through the curtains.
After the break, the commentary team takes a look on what just went down moments ago - which has led us to our main event tonight as Hulk Hogan returns to the ring to face the new Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton! Meanwhile backstage, Terri is standing by as she introduces her guest at this time to be one half of the World Tag Team Champions, Rob Van Dam. She thanks him for his time and asks how him and Kane are doing as they have been out of action recently following interactions with the World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar. "Yeah, we... we got roughed up by Brock pretty good. Kane's leg is still in rough shape and I'm a bit banged up but I've been taking a lot of medication to try and sooth the pain." RVD is then stopped from continuing any further as he is approached by Chris Jericho and Christian, the prior with a snicker as he asks what kind of Tag Team Champions only have one guy even willing to show up to work. While RVD reminds them what he just said about Kane still being injured, Christian doesn't seem to find that to be a good excuse. "Maybe you should be handing the World Tag Team Championship over to the team that runs the scene around here: Christian and Chris Jericho." While Y2J tries to say their names the other way around, Van Dam shakes his head and tells them when Kane is back, they'll be more than happy to give them a match. RVD tries to walk away but Christian grabs him by the arm, saying they don't feel like waiting for a match. "I want one with you tonight." RVD tries to explain he's still not one hundred percent but in return gets mocked for it, Jericho asking what happened to the hardcore RVD that would go out night after night no matter what. "You getting a little soft, Rob?" Christian pesters. "Or maybe you can't handle it without your big dumb red friend in your corner?" Van Dam shrugs his shoulders and gives a 'whatever', pointing at Christian and saying he'll see him later then. RVD then walks off, Jericho and Christian looking very happy with the acceptance of the challenge.
Back inside of the arena, Women's Champion Trish Stratus makes her way out and heads over toward commentary as she will be joining in as we are about to find out a new number one contender for a match with Stratus next week! 1) #1 Contender's Match: Gail Kim def. Jazz (w/Theodore Long) and Jacqueline (w/Theodore Long) via pinfall (5:12)As soon as the bell sounds, Kim is put in a bad position as Jazz and Jacqueline team up on her. After Jazz attempts a pin, Jacqueline pulls her off to question what is going on. She then goes for a pin herself and Jazz yanks her off, leading to a bit of arguing. Kim takes advantage off of it and his a double dropkick off the second rope which leads to a near fall on Jazz. Staying on the attack, Kim is caught from behind by Jacqueline with a suplex and a cover that Jazz breaks up. Yanking Jacqueline up by her hair, Jazz begins to yell at her supposed ally. Some shoving back and forth begins as Long gets on the apron to try and keep the peace only for Jazz to end up grabbing Jacqueline's arms from behind and nail a Bitch Clamp! Kim then runs up and hits a hurricanrana on Jazz, planting her on top of Jacqueline and then under the ropes, leaving Jacqueline available for the hook of the legs and the three count.Kim looks shocked by the victory as she gets to her feet, having her arm raised as the winner. As Long holds Jazz back on the outside trying to get at Jacqueline. Kim heads to the corner and ascends the turnbuckles to celebrate, looking up toward the announce desk and pointing toward Stratus, whom stands up with a smile and holds the Women's Championship belt above her head.
In the back, Test is seen reading a magazine on a bench when Stacy Keibler approaches him shaking her head. "When are you going to stop slacking off?" She asks, prompting Test to stand up and ask what the hell she is talking about. "You have no motivation lately! All you do is sit around!" Test tells her to cool it, he can do whatever he wants! She shakes her head and storms off, leaving Test looking both disgusted and annoyed by what his girlfriend had to say.
Seen hanging out in the back after the break is Hulk Hogan and The Hurricane, no audio as it is from a distance but Hurricane can be seen trying to learn Hogan's flexing techniques.
The cameras then pan in to the office of Eric Bischoff where he and Scott Steiner are watching the television, Steiner pointing at it and saying he wants that freak unmasked once and for all. "I'd go over there and pull it off myself but I'm injured!" Bischoff questions if Steiner hurt himself versus The Hurricane and Val Venis last week, to which Steiner says no way in hell. "I hurt myself when I was in the back last week after William Regal lost that match! Y'know what, I hope Val Venis beats his ass tonight! And guess what, Eric? I'm gonna get The Hurricane unmasked in another way since I'm injured and all." Bischoff runs his hands across his face and tells Steiner to do whatever, he has his hands tied right now with Shane McMahon on his case and everything. Steiner tells Bischoff no problem, he just wants to introduce him to his lawyer. He then goes and opens the door, bringing Christopher Nowinski in. "Y'know, I hated this guy at first but it turns out he's really smart!" Nowinski is put off a little by the comment but thanks Steiner regardless, saying he hopes he can help legally to get The Hurricane to unmask and prove once and for all that he and this 'ace reporter' Gregory Helms are one in the same. Bischoff throws his hands up and says this is getting way out of control. "Do whatever. I don't care." He then walks past the two and leaves the room, Steiner telling Nowinski not to worry about Bischoff, he has other things to worry about.
2) Maven def. Stevie Richards (w/Victoria) via pinfall (2:49) A rematch from Sunday Night Heat last night, Richards cuts off a strong start from Maven and has some words for Victoria on the outside as he gloats about getting the upper hand. A series of chops are followed by a suplex attempt but Maven manages to slide down the back, catching Richards with a dropkick that sends him to the outside. Arguing with Victoria allows Maven to hit Richards with a baseball slide, tossing Richards back in to the ring and scurrying to the top rope where a crossbody in to a cover is made for the pinfall. Maven leaps up and pumps his fist in the air, having scored his second straight victory over Richards. As he continues his celebration on his way to the back, Richards is berated by Victoria from the outside for once again coming up short.
In the back, The APA are seen walking in the back when they pass by Al Snow, asking him if he has seen Chris Jericho and Christian. "I saw them earlier... but I know that Christian got a match with Rob Van Dam." Bradshaw looks confused as he says he thought RVD was injured, which Snow clarifies that he is definitely not one hundred percent. "Damn," Farooq replies. "Think we should do something about that?" Bradshaw nods and says maybe they should keep an eye out. They thank Snow and continue on their way. Seen preparing backstage after the break is Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton with Ric Flair standing next to him. "Hulk Hogan... you know, who is he to talk about my father?!" Flair stops Orton and tells him to look at him - because his father is great and one of he most underrated to ever step in to the ring. "But you're not your old man, Randy! You're even better!" He says that being the youngest Intercontinental Champion is a hell of an accomplishment, but beating someone like Hulk Hogan - that's like a Super Bowl ring. Triple H and Batista then walk up, HHH putting his arm around Orton and telling him to take a walk with him because he wants to talk things over about the importance of tonight. As they head off, Flair pats Batista on the arm and tells him they've got some things to discuss too.
3) Christian (w/Chris Jericho) def. World Tag Team Champion Rob Van Dam via pinfall (6:24) Being a bit confident out of the gate, Christian is surprised by a series of kicks from Van Dam. RVD keeps himself in it via those lethal legs but Christian ends up taking him by the waste and pushing him back first in to the corner. Seeing the clear pain in RVD, Christian continues the focus on the back and neck from there on. RVD tries to come back but an inverted DDT puts a stop to it for a near fall. Christian grows a bit frustrated and after some strikes and a big chinlock with a knee in the back, RVD fights through the pain to get to his feet and fight out of Christian's grasp. Back on the attack, he sends Christian down with a spinning wheel kick. RVD then staggers his way to the corner and pulls himself to the top rope, seeming prepared to go for the Five Star Frog Splash. Jericho gets on the apron, however, with RVD kicking him down via a boot to the face. Christian takes advantage of the opening and gets up to the second rope with a superplex! He then rolls in to the cover but RVD kicks out at two! Christian argues with the referee over it and drags RVD up, once again being met with shots to the face and a big kick to send him down. RVD holds his back but runs to the ropes seemingly for the Rolling Thunder but Jericho grabs his boot. RVD then turns and looks over at him, Christian seizing the opportunity once again as he grabs RVD from behind and nails the Unprettier! The cover is made and Jericho even pushes Van Dam's foot away from the bottom rope as the referee counts the one, two, three.
Jericho rolls in to the ring with a laugh while the Buffalo crowd boos, holding Christian's arm up as the winner. "Rob Van Dam is an injured man and it still took both of these no good S.O.B.'s to beat him!" J.R. says. As RVD starts to pull himself to a knee via the ropes, he ends up being kicked in the back by Jericho. Along with Christian, a two-on-one beat down begins. The theme music of The APA hits, however, as down the ramp runs Bradshaw and Farooq! They hit the ring and begin to tee off on Jericho and Christian, the prior able to dive out of the ring but Christian falling to a Clothesline From Hell via Bradshaw! Not done with him there, however, he points over to Farooq and pulls Christian up, tossing him right in to a big spinebuster! Christian then rolls out to Jericho's feet as The APA help RVD up to his feet, having an exchange of words with Jericho.
The cameras transition to the back to show Shawn Michaels walking down the halls and looking very determined. He will be addressing World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman - next!
The audience is brought to their feet following the break for the as expected arrival of 'The Heart Break Kid' Shawn Michaels. Once in the ring, he begins to speak. "Some people might call me crazy or even stupid for doing what I'm about to do after last week... but I don't want to waste time not saying this face to face so... Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman... I want you to come on down to this ring right now." After waiting a few moments, Brock Lesnar's music hits and and indeed out comes the World Heavyweight Champion alongside Paul Heyman. Heyman grins from ear to ear as he steps towards Michaels and prepares to speak, only to have Shawn cover the microphone and push it down. "You've got a real loud mouth and you love to yap. I promise you'll get your chance to talk but first I have something I want to say to you... and you..." Michaels looks directly at Lesnar and says that he knows that Brock wants to let Paul do all the talking and that's fine, but he wants him to say one thing and that is yes or no. "I know I pushed you possibly harder than you've ever been pushed at King of the Ring. You're good, Brock. You may even be the best going today. But you know I pushed you and I was pretty close to taking that World Heavyweight Championship from you... so I want a yes or no: Are you going to give me another shot at the World Heavyweight Championship?"
Heyman begins to laugh near the ropes as he asks Michaels if he is sure about that. "I know that you have been icing up and nursing injuries lately because of Brock Lesnar but you do realize what he has been doing lately, correct? You don't want a rematch with Brock Lesnar! You want a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship, sure, but you... you don't want a rematch with Brock Lesnar." Michaels turns to Heyman and says that he almost forgot about him somehow, because he wants to bring up all the things he had to say last week. "I won't run through it all but you got pretty personal with me, Heyman. I know that you wanted to get my blood boiling and I'll admit that you did. But this isn't about you and me. This is about me and Brock and that championship... you can be in his ear and tell him to do the damndest things but I want an answer from Brock himself..." Heyman shakes his head and goes to say more but Lesnar puts his and out and takes the microphone away, pulling it toward him slowly while looking Michaels up and down. "Paul, you're wrong," He say to Heyman's surprise. "Shawn does want a rematch with me. He just doesn't realize how bad of an idea that is." Michaels nods and tells Lesnar he is ready to go right now, but Brock slyly smiles back and says no he isn't. "You might not like how I do things, Shawn. You might not like what Paul has to say. But I have a little compassion in my heart... I won't face you tonight..." The fans begin to boo as Lesnar says he'll give Michaels a few weeks to reconsider, but if he really wants a rematch he can have one at Vengeance. Michaels looks around the building and nods, then locking eyes with Lesnar. "You're on... but I'm not going to back down." Lesnar smirks and nods back to Michaels before motioning Heyman away, the two leaving the ring as it seems - at least for now - that the rematch is on at Vengeance!
Backstage, Chris Jericho and Christian are seen complaining about The APA getting involved in their business again. "We're two sexy beasts going to become World Tag Team Champions soon enough and they're just jealous!" Jericho says. Christian nods in agreement through his pain but his eyes widen as down the hall storms The APA, charging after them! Jericho and Christian hightail it but Bradshaw and Farooq are right behind them!
After the break, Test is seen walking out of the locker room area shaking his head when he turns to see Stevie Richards being yelled at by Victoria. He walks over after Victoria storms away, Richards muttering under his breath as Test asks if he's all good. "I can't take it anymore! She's always yelling at me because I can't win a match but she has barely done squat since losing the Women's Championship!" Test says he completely understands, Stacy keeps calling him lazy yet he never sees her get in the ring! "She has no idea!" Both of them say at the same time, beginning to laugh a little bit. "Y'know," Test says as he rubs his chin. "Maybe it's time you and I put them in their place a little bit and re-enforce who wears the pants in these relationships." Richards says he agrees and the two shake hands.
4) Val Venis def. William Regal via pinfall (3:08) Former partners in crime, Regal seems disgusted by Venis as he cuts him down with some harsh words, leading to Venis taking him down with a clothesline. A running of the hands over the head and body in seductive fashion brings a pop from the crowd, Regal responding with a shot to the mid-section. After a couple of knock downs and a few tight holds, Venis ends up getting back up with some motivation from the crowd, plowing through Regal with a couple of clotheslines followed by a ducked punch and big fisherman suplex. Venis then makes his way to the top rope and nails the Money Shot for the pinfall victory.
Venis is cheered for the win as he continues his success upon his return as his former fellow Bischoff Administration member sits against the barricade looking lost on the outside.
Seen in the back is Randy Orton, being sent off by Triple H with an assuring thumbs up. The Intercontinental Champion starts to head down the halls when he is approached by Booker T. "You got me last week, man," Booker says with a shrug. "Twice, even. But I got a rematch clause, man... and your punk ass needs to be put in check! I'll be getting back my Intercontinent-" He is suddenly cut off, however, as Batista charges in from the side and slams him in to production equipment nearby! A few heavy shots to the body and Batista then spinebusters Booker on to a crate! 'The Animal' smiles and looks back over to Orton, the two giving a nod to one another as Orton continues on his way - the biggest match of his career coming up next with Hulk Hogan!
Footage from last week's edition of Smackdown is shown coming back to the show, highlighting Goldberg's superplex to The Big Show from the top rope breaking the ring. Back live, Ross and Lawler mention to tune in to Smackdown this Thursday night for the fallout to that incredible moment, plus a Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship between Kurt Angle and The Undertaker! But right now, Raw has it's own big time main event with the return to the ring of Hulk Hogan!
5) Non-Title Match: Hulk Hogan def. Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton via disqualification (6:58) The bell sounds and the two men approach one another, Orton with a cocky laugh as he slaps Hogan right across the face! Hulk looks down at the mat and then lifts his head back up, teeing off on the Intercontinental Champion, eventually knocking him down and forcing Orton to retreat to the outside. Hogan ends up following to the outside where the two trade strikes until Orton catches Hogan and throws him face first off the post. Back in the ring, Orton keeps attacking and ends up applying a sleeper hold that Hogan fights out of, only to be cut off with a dropkick as the confidence continues to grow for Orton. As he stands over Hogan, Triple H, Ric Flair and Batista walk out to the stage looking proud of their fellow Evolution member. Orton points up the ramp as he pulls Hogan back up slowly, throwing a slap across the face! Laughing it up, Hogan begins to shake his fists and get fired up! "He's Hulking up, J.R.!" King exclaims. Orton keeps throwing punches but it just gets Hogan going more, the legend catching a punch and throwing some of his own. Orton falls back off of the ropes and eats a big boot, leading to Hogan looking around the buzzing arena and point out to the them. He then cups his ear and moves toward the ropes, clapping his hands as he then goes to bounce off the ropes for the signature leg drop but HHH trips him up and yanks him to the outside! HHH then throws a big punch to the face as the bell sounds, but Hogan isn't phased by it!
Hogan points his finger right in HHH's face, 'The Game' with his hands up as he starts to back away. Flair then comes charging in but Hogan floors him with a punch to the face! Batista then comes in and lifts Hogan up off of the ground - ramming him back first in to the ring apron! HHH then dives in with punches, the two then working a struggling Hogan back under the ropes where Orton gets back up and puts the boots to him. Flair then comes in and takes the legs, kicking the back of them before letting out a 'Woo!' and applying the Figure Four Leglock. Orton and Batista keep putting their boots to the chest and head of Hogan, HHH then intervening and mounting over Hulk with a hand on his throat. "Who do you think you are, Hogan?! Huh?! This is my world now, you hear me?!" He then demands Batista and Orton drag Hogan up, throwing a few hard slap across the face before nailing the Pedigree! "Evolution once again with the numbers advantage... not even Hulk Hogan can sustain that..." J.R. mutters in disgust. HHH stands back up over Hogan's body and pats each member of Evolution on the chest and back, calling them to the center of the ring where they raise each other's arms up together over Hogan's body to the boos of the HSBC Center as Raw goes off the air.
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 15, 2021 8:50:03 GMT -5
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 20, 2021 7:41:21 GMT -5
Following footage of last week's close to the show between Goldberg and The Big Show breaking the ring, the opening Smackdown video airs. The cameras then enter the Blue Cross Arena from Rochester, New York, the stage hit by pyros as the crowd is ready to go! Michael Cole, alongside Tazz, gives the welcome to the show from ringside on commentary, saying the fireworks started early last week with what happened in our main event and we expect to hear from both Goldberg and The Big Show tonight! Plus, the WWE Championship will once again be on the line tonight when Kurt Angle and The Undertaker once again square off - this time in a Steel Cage Match!
The theme music of Los Guerreros starts things off tonight, Eddie and Chavo arriving in a shiny blue and white low rider. The dirty French flag from last week's food incident with La Resistance is hanging in the back seat, Los Guerreros heading in to the ring together with smiles on their faces. Once in the ring, Eddie speaks in to a microphone all fired up as he says that it is a fourth of July type celebration. "We may be latinos and we may lie, cheat and steal but America stole our hearts, ese! We love it here!" Chavo says with Eddie nodding in agreement, saying that they don't technically hate France, but they do hate a couple of guys from there! Before they can even really dig in to Sylvain Grenier and Rene Dupree, La Resistance makes their way out themselves to boos looking none too happy. "Last week you disrespected not just us but our flag!" Dupree shouts through the jeers of the audience. "And we are sick of your disrespect!" Grenier says that Los Guerreros claim to not hate France, but that's fine because they have no problem saying they hate Mexico and they especially hate America! "Hey, if you hate it so much, why don't you leave it, holmes?" Eddie replies. "Or maybe you two can come on down here instead and have a match with these American loving Mexicans, huh, ese?" Grenier and Dupree seem hesitant at first, Eddie suggesting that they'll get them a brand new French flag if they win out of good will! After a bit of conferencing and further badgering from Eddie and Chavo, Rene and Sylvain make their way down to the ring as it appears the match is on!
1) La Resistance def. Los Guerreros via count out (8:18) Underhanded tactics from La Resistance is responded by the classic 'cheaters' as Los Guerreros use some tactics of their own. The contest lasts through a break with Eddie and Chavo staying in control throughout, a double suplex almost getting the win only for Dupree to break up a cover. After La Resistance take back over, an abdominal stretch is applied on Chavo by Grenier with Dupree pulling his partner's free arm for extra pull behind the back of the official. Eddie starts to cause a ruckus on the apron in the process, drawing the attention of the referee. La Resistance makes a tag but with the official not seeing it, he has to break things up. Grenier and Dupree respond by double teaming Chavo, leading to Eddie getting fired up and coming in to the ring and teeing off on the French foes. On a three amigos attempt on Grenier, Dupree charges in and breaks it up. Things then spill to the outside with Chavo getting involved too, all four men battling it out. As the referee gets to a nine count, however, La Resistance push Los Guerreros backwards and roll back under the ropes to beat the count as Eddie and Chavo slide back in after ten is reached - resulting in a slim count out defeat!
The laughter and bragging of La Resistance is short lived as Los Guerreros come at them with a double dropkick. The fight goes to the outside once again where Eddie and Chavo beat La Resistance down, even feigning mercy when they beg for it. After Grenier is knocked over the barricade, Dupree is double suplexed on to the French flag laying across the back of the low rider! Grenier comes stumbling back but he ends up having his face slammed off the flag and car! With both men left laid out, Eddie and Chavo hop back in to the car where Eddie turns on the ignition, bouncing the car up and down some before backing out of the arena with La Resistance - albeit victorious with via count out - looking embarrassed, upset and defeated!
Arriving backstage is WWE Champion Kurt Angle and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle, all not looking pleased as Kurt expresses to Charlie and Shelton how this is absurd. "Mick Foley becomes General Manager and immediately gives Spike Dudley a WWE Championship match like some sort of charity case... and then decides to throw me in a frickin' steel cage with The Undertaker tonight?!" Haas puts his hands on his hips and says that is ridiculous, just like how he has to go out there and face D-Von Dudley tonight! "We should be done with The Dudley Boyz and we should be done with The Undertaker!" Benjamin adds. Angle nods and says maybe they should go have a chat with the new GM. Haas and Benjamin are in agreement as they all then head off together.
Seen sitting at a desk outside of an office that reads 'General Manager' is Mick Foley when he is approached by Cruiserweight Champion and King of the Ring Rey Mysterio, whom, confused, asks Foley why he isn't in the actual office. "Oh, that's Vince's office. Not mine. Plus, I like to have an open door... or, open hallway policy." Mysterio shakes his head with a laugh and asks Foley what he wanted to see him about. "Right, right! Rey, you have a WWE Championship match at Summerslam but before we get to that, you are still Cruiserweight Champion and I'd like to see you defend that title. So, next week, we're going to have ourselves a battle royal between all the cruiserweights! And the winner will go on to challenge for your Cruiserweight Championship." Mysterio says he is always up for a challenge, the conversation between the two is interrupted by Kurt Angle and Team Angle. "What the hell is wrong with you?" Angle asks Foley, the Smackdown GM's eyebrows raising as he says that there is a lot wrong with him, whether that be the missing ear, the occasional memory loss and not being able to drop below 280 while Mysterio's King of the Ring at maybe a buck seventy-five. "Memory loss? I think you've full on lost your mind!" Angle shouts back, Mysterio quipping in that perhaps Angle is afraid of losing the WWE Championship tonight. Angle then tells Mysterio that he almost didn't see him there, joking that just because he won the King of the Ring doesn't mean he won't get schooled at Summerslam by him. "I don't know why that concerns you, Kurt," Rey replies. "Because if I were a betting man, I'd say it's going to be The Undertaker that I face at Summerslam for the WWE Championship." Mysterio then walks away, Angle muttering under his breath and storming off along with Haas and Benjamin. "Have a nice day!" Foley yells out as they walk away.2) Ultimo Dragon def. Crash via pinfall (3:21) A match controlled by Dragon right out of the gate, Crash gets a little dirty by pulling the mask down over the eyes and hitting a series of suplexes and take downs. After a two count on a cover following a DDT, Crash drags Dragon back up but is met with a flurry of strikes and a couple of arm drags. After a kick in the corner, Dragon sends Crash to the outside with a dropkick and heads out to the apron where a springboard moonsault is nailed! He then brings Crash back in to the ring, ducks under a shot and nails the Asai DDT! The leg is then hooked upon landing for the one, two, three.
Dragon rises to his feet as his second week on Smackdown is just as successful as the first. He ascends the turnbuckles and celebrates along with the crowd as Cole questions on commentary if Dragon can continue the great start to his WWE career and pull off becoming number one contender to the Cruiserweight Championship next week!
In the back stands Josh Mathews as he welcomes the United States Champion Edge as his guest at this time, mentioning his match with Sean O'Haire coming up. "O'Haire is a tough competitor and a hell of a manipulator, but I'm the United States Champion for a reason, Josh. As a m-" He stops himself as up walks Chris Benoit, the two locking eyes with one another. "You're the United States Champion, Edge. But you shouldn't be and you know it! You know I should be United States Champion and if we were to get in the ring one more time that would be exactly the case." Edge scoffs and tells Benoit maybe they'll find out, but right now he has to focus on his match with O'Haire. Edge then walks off for the upcoming match, 'The Rabid Wolverine' saying to Mathews that he isn't to be taken lightly. Sitting in the locker room area after the break are The Dudley Boyz when in walks their little brother Spike Dudley, telling Bubba Ray and D-Von he is sorry. "Sorry for what?" Bubba asks. "If you're talking about last week still - we don't want to hear it! You did awesome!" Spike shrugs his shoulders as D-Von tells him not to be beating himself up, because tonight they'll get to watch Kurt Angle get his ass beat in a steel cage by The Undertaker! "Plus, you've got that match with Charlie Haas," Spike says. "And hell, after you're done beating him... maybe we can show Team Angle the wood." Bubba's eyes widen as he tells Spike to maybe watch how he phrases that but, yes, they will show Team Angle tonight. "Oh my brother, testify!" D-Von then says proudly.
3) Non-Title Match: Sean O'Haire def. United States Champion Edge via pinfall (7:40) A back and forth opening to the match with Edge gaining the upper hand after an early Edge-o-matic, O'Haire barely kicking out of a pin attempt but making a big comeback as he ends up taking Edge to the outside where he eventually avoids a Spear and the United States Champion lands in to the steel steps. The match goes through a break as O'Haire continues to work the shoulder afterward, Edge making a comeback attempt with some motivation from the Rochester crowd but O'Haire shuts it down quickly. After a leaping spin kick is avoided, Edge looks for Edgecution but the shoulder comes in to play once again. The leaping spin kick is nailed for a two count and O'Haire immediately keeps on the attack with a powerbomb. He then makes his way to the top rope and dives off with a senton only for Edge to roll out of the way! The Spear is then nailed afterward but Edge is in clear pain off of it! Nursing the shoulder, he decides against going across the ring for the pin and instead gets up in the corner. As the official is checking on O'Haire, Chris Benoit ends up running down and leaps on the apron - ducking a punch from Edge and hanging his bad arm on the top rope! Edge then staggers back to the center of the ring where a recovered O'Haire lifts him off of the mat and nails the Widowmaker! The cover is then made with both legs hooked for the pinfall!
The crowd boos as O'Haire gets up in celebration of the victory, a cocky smile on his face. He rips his arm away from the referee to enjoy the win himself. As soon as he exits the ring, Benoit ends up sliding in and putting the boots to Edge's shoulder. He doesn't stop there, however, as he then applies the Crippler Crossface! The bell continues to ring as the referee tries to break the hold but Benoit doesn't let up until he is satisfied with himself, standing over Edge's body afterward as he looks around at the disapproving audience without a care in the world what they think.
The cameras then pick up backstage to a corridor where The Undertaker is shadow boxing in preparation for his Steel Cage Match with Kurt Angle for the WWE Championship still to come later on.
After footage showing multiple angles of last week's conclusion to Smackdown with the ring breaking during the main event, we come back to see The Big Show watching a monitor as Josh Mathews is standing next to him, asking Show how he is feeling after last week. "How am I feeling?" Show asks back repeatedly. "It doesn't matter how I am feeling. What matters is that Goldberg got bailed out... because I would have beaten him if that ring didn't break..." Show says that he'll even that out eventually, but tonight he has vested interest in the WWE Championship match. "Because I plan on taking the WWE Championship from whoever the hell walks out with the gold tonight... hell, maybe I won't even wait..." He then storms off, leaving everyone questioning what that was supposed to mean!
4) D-Von Dudley (w/Bubba Ray and Spike Dudley) def. WWE Tag Team Champion Charlie Haas (w/WWE Tag Team Champion Shelton Benjamin) via pinfall (3:59) A hot start from Haas leads to a ton of confidence right off the bat, but D-Von responds in kind with heavy hitting strikes and a couple of hard slams for two counts. After a foot grab by Benjamin as D-Von comes off the ropes though, Haas takes control right back as he grounds D-Von repeatedly. Another interference attempt from Benjamin leads to Bubba and Spike coming over and getting involved, Haas then aiming for a low blow kick behind the back of the official only for D-Von to catch it, spin Haas around and catch him with a flapjack across the ropes - leading to the pinfall victory for D-Von!
Benjamin slides in to the ring as soon as the bell sounds and begins to put the boots to D-Von but Bubba Ray and Spike come charging in to make the save. After Benjamin is knocked down with a clothesline coming off of the ropes, Bubba calls for D-Von to get the tables! As he retrieves one, however, Haas ends up shoving D-Von in to the ring post. He then sets the table up on the outside, rolling in to aid Benjamin against Bubba Ray and Spike. As Bubba is taken out with a toss to the outside, Spike surprises Team Angle when he begins to fight them both off on his own! He then hooks both men by the neck and goes running to the corner for a double Dudley Dog only for Benjamin and Haas to keep a hold of him coming off the top rope and send Spike flying over the ropes and through the table Haas had set up! "Holy crap!" Tazz shouts. "Did you see how Spike landed?!" Spike is out cold as Team Angle can barely believe what they just did. Bubba and D-Von quickly run over to tend to their brother, the latter holding back the prior as he tries to go in to the ring - Team Angle quick to escape on the other side and retrieve their belts before scurrying away! Spike remains motionless as medics come down from the back to check on him as well.
Meanwhile in the back, Mick Foley is seen walking down the halls when he is cut off by Chris Benoit. "Not now, Chris, I've got to go check on Spike..." Foley tries to keep going but Benoit takes him by the arm and says that can wait - he wants to know when he is getting his rematch for the United States Championship. "Are you threatening me or something?" Foley questions as he pulls his arm away. "As a matter of fact, I was going to let you know that you were going to get one last shot at the United States title at Vengeance... I also ask that you don't put your hands on me again... now, if you'll excuse me, I have to go." Foley then keeps on going his way as Benoit nods in approval of having his rematch set.
Footage is shown after the time away from during the commercial break where Spike Dudley needed to be stretchered off after being put through a table in harsh fashion by Team Angle, being assisted to the back by the medical staff, his brothers D-Von and Bubba Ray and General Manager Mick Foley.
In the back, Matt Hardy, Shannon Moore and Jeff Hardy are seen with Matt berating Jeff for his actions last week - saying that is not how this lifestyle works. "You know, we have a battle royal to take part in next week and if you are truly buying in to Mattitude you'll follow my instructions to eliminate everyone else and then let me win! Shannon has no problem with that, right Shannon?!" Moore nods in agreement with Matt when Sean O'Haire walks up to the group, grinning from ear to ear as he asks if they saw his match earlier. "See, Jeff, I went out there and I beat a champion. Because I took advantage of my situation... don't be afraid to take advantage of any that come your way next week. But, hey, I'm not telling you anything you don't already know." He laughs to himself and continues onward, Matt shaking his head and pointing in Jeff's face to not listen to a word that man says ever again!
Back inside of the arena, John Cena's music hits and the young rapper makes his way out to a mixed response. Once in the ring, he calls for his music to be cut as he begins to rap about how he sick of being held down and how he is going to start rising to every occasion. "I'm an all-star player and I should be starring for the Yanks, Jeter ain't got nothing on me - dude stanks! Yo, I'm sick of this misuse! I'm like a caged animal ready to break loose! This place is like a wild jungle but my opportunities you won't see me bungle! So all the boys in the back without a set, go ahead and call your gyno... because John Cena ready for any man, beast or..." The theme music of Rhyno then interrupts, apropos to the rhyme Cena was making except maybe not exactly what he expected! Making his first appearance since Insurrextion, Rhyno slides in to the ring and nods his head to chants of 'Gore!'. However, before Rhyno can even make a move Cena steps through the ropes shaking his head. "Nah, nah. This ain't going down tonight!" Cena says as he moves down the ring steps to boos, backing away as Rhyno leans across the ropes trying to bait him back in. Cena turns his back and continues his way up the ramp as Rhyno is left shaking his head at Cena's big talk and no action.
Following more footage of last week's ring break in the main event, we come back to Josh Mathews yet again backstage - this time introducing his guest to be Goldberg. Mathews mentions that Show claims the ring breaking saved Goldberg from losing that match. "A perfect excuse, huh?" Goldberg replies. "Yet, who was the one making it back to a knee after that happened? It damn sure wasn't The Big Show..." Mathews then mentions Show saying he'll have an eye on the upcoming main event, to which Goldberg says that's funny, because so will he. "And if Big Show thinks he's going to be next in line for the WWE Championship... he's got another thing coming. Because the way I see it? Whoever is WWE Champion after tonight... is next!" The Rochester fans cheer from inside of the arena as Goldberg then walks away.
Back inside the Blue Cross Arena, the lights dim down as the steel cage above the ring begins to lower as the main event for the WWE Championship between Kurt Angle and The Undertaker is coming up after the break!
5) Steel Cage Match for the WWE Championship: Kurt Angle(c) (w/WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle) def. The Undertaker via escape (12:44) The bell sounds and after looking amped up and ready to go, Angle quickly tries to scale the cage but Taker yanks him right back down and tees off with strikes and boots. A bit of early dominance from 'The Dead Man', Angle survives a couple of pin attempts. After an early Chokeslam, Taker decides to try and start to climb out but Team Angle climb halfway up the cage to try and stop him. Taker responds by dropping back down with his hands on his hips and throwing a big boot in to the cage to send Team Angle flying! Kurt responds with a big German suplex that leaves both men down in to a break. After that break, both men trade swings of momentum and each stop the other from escaping on a couple of occasions. Taker tries for the Last Ride but Angle grabs on to the cage and pulls himself up! Taker is quick to grab the leg, however, pulling Angle down and catching him by the throat! Angle throws a kick to the lower leg though and proceeds to attempt the Ankle Lock! After a bit of a struggle, Taker rolls through and sends Angle face first in to the cage! A boot to the stomach follows with the Last Ride coming afterward! Still on the now bum ankle, Taker struggles to get back up to make a next move. As he gets to the ropes, The Big Show ends up marching down from the back! "What the hell is he doing out here?!" Cole questions. "How does he plan on even getting involved anyway? It's a Steel Cage match, Big Show!" Haas and Benjamin approach the giant to question his involvement but they end up being taken by the throat each and shoved back and head first in to the cage. Show then makes his way over to the door and after pulling at it a few times, throws a boot to the lock. After barking at the referee to get out of his way, Show then takes a hold of both sides of the door and begins to shake and pull it - eventually removing the door from it's hinges! "He just ripped that cage door off, Cole!" Tazz says in shock. Tossing the door down, Show then steps over the ropes and begins to corner Angle, only to have Taker step up and instead catch him by the throat and deliver a Chokeslam! The WWE Champion continues to plead with Show but as soon as he draws close in the corner, Angle slides through the legs and stumbles across the ring - diving through the ropes and out the doorway for the win!
The crowd boos as Angle staggers up against the barricade, at first a look of shock and then pure joy as his music hits and he is announced as still the WWE Champion! He is presented with his belt as Show watches on from the ring, replays of the finish then being ran through by Cole and Tazz. Back in the arena, Angle gloats with the gold up the ramp while Show watches on. The Rochester fans begin to buzz, however, as stepping through the curtains behind Angle is Goldberg! Angle has some trash talk for the audience as he doesn't realize it - then turning around right in to a Spear! The Blue Cross Arena erupts with cheers as Goldberg stands right back up over Angle's body - slowly reaching down and picking up the WWE Championship belt. He then raises it up slowly over his head while staring back down at Show inside of the ring. The giant has both hands and his face pressed against the cage from the inside as while his and Goldberg's issues remain unresolved, they also both have their sights set on the WWE Championship! Cole then signs things off from ringside as Smackdown comes to an end!
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 21, 2021 7:08:19 GMT -5
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Post by DTP. on Jan 22, 2021 15:38:41 GMT -5
1) Orlando Jordan def. A-Train via pinfall after reversing a Derailer in to a sunset flip. (3:36) 2) Nunzio (w/The F.B.I.) def. Brian Kendrick via pinfall following a right hand from Palumbo and an Arrivaderci. (4:10) 3) Rhyno def. Mike Bell via pinfall after a Gore. (1:39) 4) Matt Hardy (w/Jeff Hardy and Shannon Moore) def. Tajiri via pinfall with a Twist of Fate after a Tarantula used on Moore. (6:41)
1) The Hurricane def. Chad Wifnoski via pinfall with a top rope crossbody. (2:23) 2) Lance Storm def. Mike Phoenix via submission with a Canadian Maple Leaf. (1:45) 3) The Basham Brothers (w/Rico) def. Mike Noe and Mike Bell after a legsweep/clothesline combination on Bell. (2:50) 4) Goldust def. Test (w/Stacy Keibler) via pinfall with a backslide after an argument between Test and Keibler. (5:29)
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Post by ✖ AJ on Jan 27, 2021 12:23:42 GMT -5
Following the opening Monday Night Raw video, the cameras come inside of the Bell Centre from Montreal, Quebec, Canada. The crowd is electric as Jim Ross and Jerry 'The King' Lawler welcome everyone to the show from commentary, mentioning we will hear from 'The Heart Break Kid' Shawn Michaels in this arena he has a ton of history in as well as see Booker T going one-on-one with Batista, plus a Women's Championship match between two Canadian women when Trish Stratus defends against Gail Kim!
Arriving to kick things off to a mixed response from the notorious Montreal fans is Shawn Michaels, 'The Heart Break Kid' almost seeming to acknowledge and accept some of the boos from perhaps the one city that would. "Shawn Michaels has yet to sign the contract for his match with Brock Lesnar at Vengeance," J.R. says. "And now in a city he has a controversial history with, he'll have to make that decision." As Michaels kneels down in signature prayer halfway down the ramp, however, he ends up being struck from behind by Brock Lesnar! The World Heavyweight Champion stands over Michaels as Paul Heyman struts out behind Lesnar with the title belt held to his chest, a smile on his face as he orders Lesnar to teach Michaels a lesson! Lesnar charges with a hard kick to the stomach that then sends Michaels rolling down the ramp in pain, clutching his mid-section as Lesnar then runs, lifts him off the ground and slams him back first in to the ring post! "You don't want this, boy!" Lesnar warns as Michaels crawls toward the barricade, trying to bring himself up. Lesnar hooks the waist but Michaels throws a low blow kick behind him! Still holding his stomach, Michaels leans across the barricade as Heyman begins to look concerned while Lesnar crawls away on all fours.
Michaels pulls himself together enough to charge at Lesnar as he stands up, throwing fists against the ring apron but being shoved back in to the barricade. Brock charges but Shawn ducks a strike, throwing a flurry of chops to the chest and then some more punches. Michaels is shoved away again so he tries for Sweet Chin Music but Lesnar catches the leg - dropping an elbow down on the ankle. Michaels is hobbled a bit and Lesnar sees an opportunity, scooping Michaels up off of the ground and in position for the F-5 only to stop himself and instead turn to the ring post where he launches Michaels leg first in to it! "Oh, good lord, not again!" J.R. shouts in disbelief. "Brock Lesnar is obsessed with inflicting punishment and as if he himself is not enough, he continues to use that steel post!". Michaels yells out in pain as he holds his ankle, multiple referees, officials and medics running down to ringside with Heyman having to step in and stop Lesnar from going and doing more damage. After backing Lesnar off enough, Heyman moves back toward Michaels to give him one last message: "You do not want to sign this contract!" He then struts back up the ramp with Lesnar, the two going back through the curtains as the medics help Michaels to his feet, clearly struggling with his leg that was slammed off of the ring post.
Replays are shown from prior to the break with Lesnar assaulting Michaels, then transitioning to footage from during the break where Michaels needed assistance to go to the back. "Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman have warned Shawn Michaels not to sign the contract for that Vengeance match," Lawler says. "Well, he might not have a choice now, J.R.!" 1) Women's Championship: Trish Stratus(c) def. Gail Kim via pinfall (5:45)Two Canadian women in action in their home country, a back and forth exchange of chain wrestling leads to Stratus getting the upper hand and sending Kim down with a dropkick, giving a bit of sarcastic applause afterward. Kim responds with a surge of strikes and big knock downs, a hurricanrana almost putting Stratus away to Kim's surprise. After knocking Stratus to the outside, Kim goes to the top rope and hits a crossbody on the floor! Getting Stratus back in to the ring, Kim heads to the top again but misses on another crossbody, Trish nails a Chick Kick that stuns Gail and leads to Stratusfaction for the one, two, three.The Montreal fans cheer as Stratus rises to her feet and is presented with her Women's Championship. After celebrating on the second rope, Stratus drops down to see Kim standing up in the opposing corner. "Take nothing away from that young woman," J.R. comments. "She has a bright future ahead of her and her time will come!" Stratus then extends her hand, Kim slowly stepping forward and accepting the offer. The two then embrace briefly before raising each other's arms up out of respect for one another, but Kim continues to keep an eye on the Women's Championship held up above Stratus' head.
In the back, Scott Steiner is seen looking at a clipboard when Christopher Nowinski walks in and is met with a warm welcome from 'Big Poppa Pump', whom says he is glad to here Nowinski is going to represent him in his case against The Hurricane. "Don't worry, Scott, I'll be your council and deal with this myself proudly." Steiner removes his sunglasses and asks Nowinski if he really means that, getting an assuring 'of course' in response. "Perfect! So let's go and head out to the ring so you can face that little puke right now!" Nowinski tries to explain that he didn't bring his ring gear but Steiner continues to push him out of the room anyway.
Seen sitting in the back and getting prepared for his match tonight is Booker T when Jonathan Coachman walks in to get a word with him about that contest with Batista. "Last week I was jumped by Batista to do Randy Orton's dirty work - to do Evolution's dirty work!" He shakes his head and says that clearly there are a few hurdles he is going to have to go through to get back the Intercontinental Championship but he'll get through those because that has been his whole life. "Tonight though, Coach, Batista's punk ass is gonna have some hurdles of his own when he steps in to the ring with me. Now can you dig that, sucka?!" He pounds his fist in to his palm and leaves the room, that match still to come later on.
2) Christopher Nowinski (w/Scott Steiner) def. The Hurricane via pinfall (2:31) Still donning his suit, Nowinski is clearly not ready for the match but Steiner doesn't seem to understand that. Hurricane takes total advantage of the situation, knocking Nowinski down repeatedly and even stripping him down from his suit to his boxers. As Hurricane ends up going to the top rope, however, Steiner gets up the steel steps and hits Hurricane in the back with his clipboard! Hurricane falls to the mat and Nowinski picks him up, nails the Honor Roll and gets the pinfall! Steiner pumps his fist in the air and rolls in to the ring, stomping on Hurricane before sitting him up and grabbing at his mask. "I'm gonna unmask this son of a bitch!" He shouts only for Nowinski to quickly pull him back - Steiner infuriated but Nowinski advising him this won't help his case! At first not seeming okay with the idea, Steiner accepts it and starts to leave the ring but not before throwing another stomp on to Hurricane for good measure.
Backstage, Evolution is seen, Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton and Ric Flair in the background as Triple H is having a conversation with Batista, saying that tonight he has an important task. "You are Evolution's animal! You will destroy anyone in our path... and that means Booker T tonight. Hell, I want to do to Booker T what we did to Kevin Nash... if you catch my drift." Batista smiles and says he understands completely, getting a big pat on the arm for it. Seen talking to each other in the back following the break is World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman when Terri approaches them and excuses herself - asking about their assault on Shawn Michaels earlier. "We are trying to help Shawn Michaels, Terri," Heyman replies. "Shawn shouldn't step in to the ring with Brock Lesnar at Vengeance! He should not sign this contract!" Lesnar takes the contract from Heyman's hands and says that he already signed his name, but he hopes for Shawn' sake that he won't sign his.
With the ring set up for The Highlight Reel, Chris Jericho's music hits and he arrives from the back along with Christian. The duo make their way down and in to the ring, Jericho twirling a microphone in his hand as he welcomes everyone to 'the hottest talk show today', featuring Christian. "Tonight, my guest is one half... and, it seems like, the only half of the World Tag Team Champions... Rob Van Dam!" He points up the stage and RVD makes his way out, the crowd chanting his initials with his thumb pose, Van Dam then a bit hesitant to enter the ring afterward but doing so regardless. "Welcome to the show, champ!" Jericho says with a chuckle, Christian laughing as well and asking where his partner is. "Maybe you should forfeit the World Tag Team titles and hand them over to us!" RVD shakes his head and says he doesn't know exactly where Kane is right now, but he knows he is still hurt so he won't be here tonight. "It doesn't matter anyway, dudes. Kane may be my partner but I'm not afraid to take you on by myself right here and right now!" Jericho tells RVD to take it easy but then begins to re-consider, asking if RVD is going to put the World Tag Team Championship on the line.
Before Van Dam can answer and as Jericho and Christian close in, the theme music of The APA hits as stomping down the ramp is Bradshaw and Farooq. They hop in to the ring and stand at RVD's side, Jericho and Christian quick to back down. As The APA have some words with Van Dam, however, Jericho and Christian jump them from behind! Before things can break down too much though, The Highlight Reel duo escape from the ring and quickly back away from it. As they mock the trio halfway up the ramp, however, Eric Bischoff makes his way out to the stage and tells everyone to wait just a minute! "Look, I'm a fair man! I'm a fair General Manager! And Rob Van Dam, tonight you will be in action but you won't be defending the World Tag Team Championship - you'll be going one-on-one with Chris Jericho instead." He says that being the fair General Manager he is, it wouldn't be right for him to have RVD defend those titles on his own - especially without any notice. "But that brings me to next week... well you'll face Chris Jericho one-on-one tonight, the World Tag Team Championship will be up for grabs next week." He says that not only will Chris Jericho and Christian be challenging for the titles, so will The APA in a triple threat match! "And in that case, Rob, it won't matter if Kane is here or not!" Bischoff grins and suggests Jericho and RVD get ready for their match later on.
Seen on a split screen walking in the back is Booker T on one side and Batista with Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton on the other as Booker and Batista go one-on-one next!
Walking backstage with a proud smile on his face is Eric Bischoff when he runs in to Shane McMahon standing outside his office. "Does that satisfy you, Shane? Huh? A World Tag Team Championship match next week!" McMahon folds his hands in front of him and shrugs his shoulders, saying it is always great to see a championship match but he finds it a little unfair when you factor in the Kane situation. "I mean, it's not like he's just not showing up... I mean, he's injured, Eric." Bischoff says he knows but he can't just let the belts sit idly by with just one half of the team able to come to work. McMahon says he understands it's a tough situation, kind of like the one with Shawn Michaels. "What is your plan for the World Heavyweight Championship at Vengeance if Shawn Michaels can't or won't compete against Brock Lesnar?" Bischoff squints his eyes at McMahon and tells him not to worry about it. He then excuses himself and heads in to his office, Shane left outside and shaking his head.
3) Booker T def. Batista (w/Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton) via disqualification (5:12) Fired up as soon as the bell rings, Booker comes out firing away. Orton tries to get involved early but eats a punch to the face for getting on the apron. Batista takes advantage off of it as he picks Booker up and slams him in to the corner, shoulder thrust after shoulder thrust to the mid-section. Tossing him around the ring a bunch, Batista begins to mouth off to Booker after a spinebuster for a near fall, then setting him up for a powerbomb. Booker slips free, however, and nails a big side kick to the face. The flurry starts to come and after a Book End, Booker looks to his hand as the Montreal crowd begins to buzz at the prospect of the Spinaroonie. As soon as he executes it, however, Orton comes in to the ring and nails him with the RKO for the disqualification!
Batista staggers back up and Orton rushes him over, the two putting the boots to Booker to boos from the crowd. Triple H and Ric Flair then begin to strut their way down from the back with big smiles on their faces, Hunter rolling up his sleeves as he steps through the ropes ready to rain down punches on Booker. The theme music of Hulk Hogan hits, however, and the legend himself comes out from the back with a bandaged up forehead from last week's assault. "Evolution may have thought Hulk Hogan they took care of Hogan last week but hell no!" Shouts J.R. Hogan hits the ring and begins to tee off on every member of Evolution while Hunter abandons the ring, Booker getting back up to help Hogan as well. After a double clothesline to Batista to send him up and over the ropes, Orton is left on his own to fall to a Scissors Kick from Booker followed by a leg drop from Hogan! The audience is loud as Hogan and Booker pace in the ring, HHH livid from atop the ramp as Flair and Batista stumble next to him as the more they think they have things settled - they clearly do not!
Backstage, the trainer's office is seen with Jonathan Coachman standing out by it as we will look to get an update on Shawn Michaels following the break.
At the announce desk following the break, J.R. and Lawler discuss what we saw earlier tonight with Brock Lesnar and Shawn Michaels, going back to footage from the start of the show where Lesnar would attack Michaels from behind before hitting an F-5 in to the ring post as his malicious actions of trying to injure superstars continued. J.R. then sends things to the back to Jonathan Coachman as we look for an update on the condition of Michaels. "I just spoke to the trainers and even Shawn Michaels himself and, J.R., King, it doesn't look too good for 'The Heart Break Kid'... now, the trainer says he thinks it isn't as bad as it could have been but Michaels is in clear pain and, well, I don't know if he'll sign that contract tonight or if he'll make it to Vengeance." Back at the announce desk, Lawler says that Lesnar and Heyman tried to warn Michaels, but J.R. is disgusted and says that this is an outrage and something needs to be done about this around here! "And you know who I hold responsible most of all, King? Eric Bischoff. He's the damn General Manager of Raw and he needs to have some order around here! I'm glad Shane McMahon is here because maybe he and the Board of Directors will fire that slimy son of a bitch if things don't change around here!" Lawler is surprised by Ross' fieriness and encourages him to take it easy!
4) Maven def. Test (w/Stacy Keibler) via pinfall (3:19) A big boot right off the bat as Maven charges at him, Test laughs about it and even has some gloating words toward his girlfriend. He then places a boot on Maven's chest trying to get the cocky pin but it only gets a two count. Test gets a bit mad over it and drags Maven up, being punched back and then knocked off the mat a few times. After grouping on the outside, Test comes back in to the ring to more offense from Maven but after a knee in the corner, he positions Maven for the Pump Handle Slam. Continuing to mouth off to Keibler backfires for Test though as Maven slides off the shoulder and nails a dropkick in to the ropes followed by a roll up for the three count!
As Maven rolls to the outside pumping his fists as his recent string of success continues, Test sits up in the ring and glares at Keibler on the outside. "This is your fault!" He yells to her confusion.
In the back, Evolution sans Triple H is seen fuming in the back, Flair throwing his jacket around in a fury. "Hulk Hogan! Booker T! Both of them are messing with what we've got going and I'm not taking it anymore! I've had it!" Batista and Orton are both visibly upset but try to calm Flair down when HHH walks in to the room. "Next week... we'll take care of this." He looks to Orton and Batista and says that he just got back from Eric Bischoff's office and had a talk with both him and Shane McMahon: Next week it will be them versus Hogan and Booker in a tag team match. "We'll take care of them then... I don't want to see either one of those two in our business again after next week." Flair pats HHH on the arm and says that the young guns will get the job done.
Walking through the halls is Rob Van Dam when up to either side of him approaches The APA. After looking to both men as if there is going to be an issue, RVD shakes hands with both Farooq and Bradshaw as they seem to be accompanying him to the ring for his match with Chris Jericho - next!
5) World Tag Team Champion Rob Van Dam (w/The APA) def. Chris Jericho (w/Christian) via pinfall (6:50) A contest that stays competitive as Christian is extremely hesitant to get involved with The APA watching RVD's back. A lengthy back and forth exchange between the two leads to the upper hand going in RVD's favor, a Rolling Thunder ending up being nailed when Christian gets on the apron. The APA charge over and pull him down - face first in to the apron. RVD then goes to the top rope for the Five Star Frog Splash but is cut off by Jericho hitting an enzuigiri. After a lionsaut for a near fall, Y2J is furious and begins to yell at the official and then The APA. As Bradshaw and Farooq get on to the apron themselves, however, Jericho backs off and goes to apply the Walls of Jericho - RVD instead reversing it in to a small package for the three count!
Jericho is livid as soon as the bell rings and refuses to let RVD celebrate as he mounts right on top and throws a ton of punches to the face. The APA hit the ring and drag him off though, pinning Jericho in to the corner and unloading. Christian comes to make the save but he ends up being beat down as well. Farooq and Bradshaw then whip both Christian and Jericho in to each other before kicking them both under the ropes. "I guess The APA did Rob Van Dam a favor tonight," Lawler says. "But next week they won't be on the same side for the World Tag Team Championship!" That apparent alliance, however, comes to a sudden end when Bradshaw turns around and drops RVD with a Clothesline From Hell! A smile on his face as he stands back up, he shrugs his shoulders and high fives Farooq. They then turn to Jericho and Christian watching atop the ramp, neither too happy with the outcome of things.
Seen walking in the back looking very upset is Test when he is walked up to by Stevie Richards, his hands held out as he says he saw what happened out there. "And we know who is at fault for that!" Running up behind Test is Stacy Keibler, trying to get his attention but being told to shut up! "Me and Stevie have been talking, Stace, and we've come to the conclusion that me losing is all your fault! Just like Stevie losing is all Victoria's fault! Right, Stevie?" Richards remains silent as Victoria is standing behind him with her arms crossed and eye twitching, asking what Test just said. "My fault?! My fault?!" She screams before pushing Richards in the chest and storming off with a shriek, Keibler shaking her head in disgust at the two men as she also walks away from them. "Now that they know," Test says. "Maybe they'll learn to stay out of the way!"
The cameras then pick up backstage to World Heavyweight Champion Brock Lesnar walking down the halls with Paul Heyman, paperwork in hand as they will address Shawn Michaels and their current situation - next!
As anticipated, Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman make their way out after the break. The two come down and in to the ring together, Heyman raising the contract paperwork for the World Heavyweight Championship match at Vengeance. "We'll get to this in just a minute," Heyman says as he tucks it in to his arm. "Because we have to go back... not just to earlier tonight where Brock Lesnar beat Shawn Michaels down to send a message not to go through with this match at Vengeance... not just to King of the Ring where Brock Lesnar beat Shawn Michaels once already... but we have to go back to six years ago in this very building." Heyman brings up how it was a November night here in Montreal at Survivor Series, Michaels going one-on-one with Bret Hart and, of course, it was the night of the infamous 'Montreal Screwjob' where Hart was cost the WWE Championship. "And some may question why I even bring this up but there is plenty of reason to bring this up. First of all, if Brock Lesnar was in the ring with Bret Hart back at Survivor Series 1997 there would have been no reason for a screwjob because Brock Lesnar would destroy Bret Hart with ease!" The boos come down for that comment as Heyman and Lesnar smirk, Heyman continuing on by saying that he also brings this up because it is somewhat similar to today because what he has always heard around these parts is that 'Bret screwed Bret'. "Well, now here we stand with this contract for a match at Vengeance with Brock Lesnar for the World Heavyweight Championship! And we have warned Shawn Michaels time and time again now that he shouldn't do this for his own good because if Shawn Michaels signs this contract it will be Shawn screwing Shawn!"
Heyman doesn't stop there as he says that signing this contract is like signing his own death warrant. "See, Shawn Michaels likes to talk about how he is a changed man! Shawn speaks of all his personal demons he was dealing with - including when he was here in Montreal! He speaks of how he overcame those demons and that he is devout Christian! As a New York Jew I might not be able to relate too much to that but that is besides the point because Shawn, you can pray to God all you want but if you put pen to paper... you have to face the ultimate judge, jury and executioner... Brock Lesnar!" Smiling from ear to ear, Heyman then hands the microphone off to Lesnar, whom takes a couple of steps forward and says he is going to offer some advice to Michaels: "Stay in the back, pray that I didn't hurt you too bad and just move on." The two then begin to head to the ropes and look ready to leave when Shawn Michaels' music hits. Dragging his leg as he comes through the curtains, Michaels has a fire in his eye as he hobbles his way quickly down and in to the ring - getting up and right in Lesnar's face! "Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!" Heyman yells while putting his hand in between the two as he gets Michaels to back up just enough. "You really think this is a good idea? Huh? We're going to give you one more chance, Shawn... one more chance to think about this... to turn around and leave this ring... so you can continue to live a peaceful and happy life. You want another four year layoff? Or even worse? Leave this ring now and keep your back in tact so you can stand up straight. Leave this ring now and keep your leg together because who ever heard of getting down on one knee to pray? Hell, you'll be hooked back on the pills and no time if you sign this contract and step in to the ring with Brock Lesnar again at Vengeance!" Michaels then looks up from the mat and nails Lesnar with Sweet Chin Music! The crowd pops for the sudden kick as Michaels then grabs Heyman by the ponytail as he tries to get away, spinning Heyman around and pushing him back in to the corner. Michaels then rips the paperwork out of Heyman's hands and pins them in to his chest - taking a pen from Heyman's suit pocket and signing the contract on Heyman's chest - slamming the pen in for good measure afterward! Michaels' music then hits as he takes a step over Lesnar's body on his way out of the ring! Heyman kneels beside Lesnar as he shouts toward Michaels that he just made a big mistake! Michaels shows no care, however, turning back from atop the stage to see Lesnar looking furious while sitting up as Raw goes off the air!
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Post by DTP. on Feb 5, 2021 17:24:04 GMT -5
The Smackdown opening video airs before the cameras enter the Air Canada Centre, Michael Cole and Tazz welcoming all to the show from ringside as they were in the great white north! Tonight, we will determine the number one contender to the Cruiserweight Championship with a battle royal! Plus, Mick Foley is calling for Chris Benoit and Edge to come down to the ring for a face-to-face!
The theme music of Kurt Angle hits as the WWE Champion makes his way out from the back along with his proteges and WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle. The three come in to the ring together and all have smiles on their faces, Angle with a microphone in hand as he pats the WWE Championship belt around his waist. "Look who is still your WWE Champion!" He says with a laugh to boos from the Toronto fans. "I know, I know! You Canadians aren't used to having a real champion like me! But you know what, not only am I an American hero, I'm a worldwide hero and I could be your hero, too!" The boos keep coming down and a frown forms across the face of the Olympic gold medalist, telling the fans to shove it! Benjamin and Haas try to calm him down, Angle assuring them it is fine. "Bottom line is people, I've been thrown hurdle after hurdle as WWE Champion... and I've overcome all of it! Whether it was little Spike Dudley or The Undertaker in a steel cage last week, I've done it all and I will continue to do it all because I'm that good! Oh, it's true! It's damn true!" Before Angle has an opportunity to say anything more, however, he is interrupted by the arrival of The Big Show. The giant makes his way down to the ring while Angle, Haas and Benjamin are surprised by his arrival - Kurt even calling Show out as he questions what the hell he wants. "I want you to thank me." Show replies, Angle baffled by the comment. "Thank me for helping you retain the WWE Championship last week... thank me by giving me the next show at that championship... or save yourself some pain by handing it over right now."
Before any response from Angle can be made, The Undertaker's music hits and 'The American Bad Ass' arrives on his motorcycle, driving down to the ring and circling it once before getting off and stepping in to the squared circle - eyeing Angle up and down before getting up close to Show. "Maybe you forgot what an ass kicking from me is like and you wanted another?" He asks Show. "Because costing me the WWE Championship means we have a problem... and it also means my business with you, Kurt, ain't finished... so if I have to whoop the both of ya to get back my WWE Championship then so be it but rest assured that belongs to me." Now interrupting everyone is Goldberg's music to a huge ovation from the fans, everyone in the ring looking up the ramp as Goldberg steps out from the back and heads halfway down the ramp - pointing to the ring and then motioning for the belt around his waist. "You too?!" Angle asks. "I don't think so! I'm not facing any of you!" As soon as he says that, now arriving is General Manager Mick Foley, waving his hand atop the stage and telling Kurt that maybe he hasn't gotten a grasp on things since he became General Manager a couple of weeks ago, but it isn't Angle that makes the decisions around here - it's him. "But you are right about one thing, Kurt, you're not going to be facing any of these men for the WWE Championship... you're going to be facing all of them!" Angle's eyes widen as he questions what the hell Foley is talking about, to which Mick explains that Angle prides himself on being such a great champion, therefore at Vengeance he will defend the WWE Championship against The Big Show, The Undertaker and Goldberg in a fatal four way match! The audience is pumped for the announcement as the three challengers all seem satisfied with the news, Foley then saying that isn't all though because while Vengeance is a little over two weeks away, they still have tonight to get to. "So, what we're going to have is four singles match featuring all four of you men that are going to be in that match at Vengeance. As for your opponents? You'll find out in due time. Meanwhile, have a nice day!" He gives a thumbs up and returns to the back, Angle, Haas and Benjamin absolutely furious over Foley's huge announcements!
The cameras then pick up backstage to show Cruiserweight Champion and 2003 King of the Ring winner Rey Mysterio walking in the back, as he and everyone else will find out who will become the number one contender for his title - next!
After the break, a replay of Mick Foley's blockbuster announcement for Vengeance is shown. Back inside of the arena, Rey Mysterio makes his way out and to ringside as he joins in on commentary, Cole mentioning that he is going to have to face one of those four men at Summerslam! "Hey, I'm up for any challenge, Michael. Like right now where one of these guys is going to get the next crack at my Cruiserweight Championship."
1) Battle Royal to Determine the #1 Contender for the Cruiserweight Championship: Jeff Hardy last eliminates Shannon Moore (7:25) In a match also featuring Billy Kidman, Brian Kendrick, Funaki, Jamie Noble, Jimmy Yang, Matt Hardy, Nunzio, Tajiri and Ultimo Dragon, The F.B.I. aids Nunzio in a string of eliminations before things come down to Matt and Jeff Hardy, Ultimo Dragon, Nunzio and Moore - whom lays in the corner after an Asai DDT from Dragon. After Dragon surprises Matt with an elimination via a hurricanrana over the ropes, Nunzio looks to eliminate Dragon. As Ultimo seems to be turning things around on Nunzio, however, Palumbo runs over and clips out the legs of Dragon - allowing Nunzio to throw a kick right to the face and eliminate the newcomer! As Nunzio makes his way to the second rope to celebrate, flexing and mouthing off to the crowd and Dragon - Jeff runs up from behind and pushes him off and to the floor below! Dragon gets up on the outside and tries to come after Nunzio but the referees hold him back on the outside while The F.B.I. are quick to cover for Nunzio and help get him away from the ring and out of the situation. Back inside of the ring, Jeff - whom had his focus on the commotion on the outside - is suddenly scooped up from behind by Moore and nearly dumped to the outside! Jeff hangs on, however, and ends up lifting Moore up in the air from the apron - Shannon barely hanging on as he lands next to Jeff teetering on the edge. The two begin to trade strikes back and forth when Matt comes over below them - yelling at his brother for not helping him! The distraction allows Moore to jump up and throw a kick to Jeff's face but Jeff falls back against the ring post instead of falling to the floor. Moore then runs forward but Jeff ducks a strike and dumps him up and over the post and down to the floor for the last elimination!
Jeff falls back between the ropes and stumbles to the middle of the ring with both fists raised in the air in celebration. While Matt checks on Shannon on the outside briefly before berating him instead, Mysterio removes his headset from ringside and heads in to the ring - locking eyes with Jeff. After raising the Cruiserweight Championship belt above his head, Mysterio offers a handshake and Jeff accepts as while they will end up facing off at Vengeance, they clearly have some respect and admiration for one another.
In the back, Kurt Angle and Team Angle are furious as they go through the halls before finding Mick Foley grabbing paperwork at his desk in the hallway outside of the office, the WWE Champion scoffing at how unprofessional Foley is. "Look, Mick, you need to get your head on straight and change your mind on all of this!" Foley refuses, telling Angle that things are set in stone - he is defending his WWE Championship in a fatal four way match at Vengeance and he will be competing in a match tonight. Foley explains that he is very busy tonight as he has a whole thing with Edge and Chris Benoit, so he really needs to get going. Angle is disgruntled, demanding Foley at least tell him who is opponent is for tonight. "No," Foley replies. "But you better hurry up and get ready because you're up first as your match is next!" As Foley walks away, Angle shouts to him that this is a miscarriage of justice!
In the back after the break is Josh Mathews as he introduces John Cena as his guest at this time - quick to ask about Cena avoiding Rhyno last week. "You think I was avoiding Rhyno? Like I'm afraid of that smelly beast? You the one that should be worried, Josh, get yourself checked for yeast!" Cena throws a disgusting look across his face. "Fact is, I'm John Cena and I'm the baddest dude on Thursday nights - I'm out there wearing jean shorts not spandex or tights!" Before Cena can keep going with his rap, Rhyno steps up to him while rubbing his hands together and tells Cena to prove how bad he is by stepping in to the ring with him tonight. Cena scoffs in response, telling Rhyno he isn't dumb. "When I want some, I'll come get some. I do things on my terms, when I'm ready to go... I don't follow nobody else's lead - I run this show! I'll face you next week, chump, that's when it's gonna be... as for tonight? You can't see me." Cena waves his hand in front of his face and heads off, Rhyno shaking his head as he tells Mathews that next week will be the last time Cena has enough air in his lungs to be able to rap. "Because his ribs will be broken from a Gore... Gore... Gore!"
Inside of the arena, Kurt Angle and Team Angle once again make their way out, the WWE Champion and WWE Tag Team Champions obviously not in as cheerful as a mood as they were when they first arrived tonight. "This is a frickin' joke!" Kurt shouts. "I may be a fighting champion... and a damn good one at that... but this is getting out of control! Mick Foley is out of control! You kn-" The theme music of The Dudley Boyz then interrupts, all three men in the ring looking totally frustrated as the two men make their way down to the ring, Bubba Ray stepping in as it appears he is going to be Angle's opponent!2) Non-Title Match: WWE Champion Kurt Angle (w/WWE Tag Team Champions Team Angle) def. Bubba Ray Dudley (w/D-Von Dudley) via submission (4:31) After taking things a bit light to start, Bubba tees off on Angle and then overpowers him, a few big slams leading to two counts. A missed corner clothesline leads to a big German suplex, however, as Angle takes back control of things. After working the leg some, Angles goes for the Ankle Lock but gets pushed back in to the corner. Bubba then gets back up and catches Angle with a series of punches and a big elbow to the head. Team Angle looks to get involved but D-Von comes over and pulls them both down - leading to a double team on D-Von. Distracted by this, Bubba ends up being scooped up from behind and planted with the Angle Slam! The Ankle Lock is then applied afterward with Bubba putting up a fight, failing to reach the ropes while D-Von still gets beat down on the outside. With no choices left, Bubba ends up tapping out to the hold.
Angle continues to wrench at the hold beyond the bell, letting up when he decides it's time to. He then leaves the ring with his WWE Championship belt, Team Angle with their tag team gold as they back away from what they've done, both Bubba Ray and D-Von left laid out at their hands.
Backstage, The Undertaker is seen shadow boxing while watching a monitor when he is approached from behind by A-Train. "Get your focus on me, Taker," Train says. "You got me tonight and once I'm done with you - they'll be putting me in your spot at Vengeance!" Taker grins and tells Train we'll see about that. Train then walks back in the other direction as Taker goes back to his preparation. Seen in slightly darkened hallway in the back is Sean O'Haire, hands folded in front of him as he says that tonight, he drew the straw to face Goldberg. "For most? They'd be begging not to take part in a match with someone like Goldberg... someone that very few times in his career has ever been beaten. Myself? I embrace this opportunity." He says that he won't fall victim to Goldberg like The Rock, won't break like The Big Show and won't be defeated like Mr. McMahon himself. "People say there is no one like Goldberg - but there is certainly nobody like Sean O'Haire. But, hey, I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know." He smirks to the camera, as unlike others he is confident heading in to a match with Goldberg.
3) The Big Show def. Rikishi via pinfall (1:34) As soon as the bell rings, the two men start slugging it out. After a toss in to the corner and a chop to the chest, Show backs off to the other side of the ring before charging back and looking to throw his hip but Rikishi avoids it - a superkick coming afterward that drops Show in to a seated position! Eyes widened and the crowd behind him, Rikishi seizes his opportunity to perform a stink face on Show! The giant is furious as he gets back to his feet, Rikishi unable to lift Show off of the mat and instead getting shoved and met with a big boot. A hard toss against the turnbuckles and a furious choke, Show then delivers the Chokeslam in the middle of the ring for the three count.
The crowd boos as Show stands back up and over Rikishi, wiping away at his face. He then pushes the official away and drags Rikishi back up in order to plant him with another Chokeslam! He then leaves the ring, having gotten a little extra revenge on top of the win.
Walking in the back is Mick Foley as the General Manager will be conducting a meeting between Edge and Chris Benoit - next!
After the break, Cruiserweight Champion Rey Mysterio and Jeff Hardy are seen talking with Mysterio saying he is looking forward to finally mixing it up with Jeff, but he still plans on winning. "Same here." Jeff replies with a smile, Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore then walking up on the two as Matt questions what Jeff is doing talking to the enemy. "The enemy?" Mysterio asks, Matt putting his hand up and telling Mysterio that he knows what he is talking about. "The ways and lifestyle of Mattitude says that you will not talk to or befriend thy enemy. Let's go, Jeff. Now." He and Moore then walk away, Jeff hesitant as he slowly goes on behind them, Mysterio left shaking his head in disapproval.
Back inside of the arena, Mick Foley's music hits and the Smackdown General Manager arrives. Coming down and in to the ring, he says it is good to see everyone again. "Good to see all of you here, right here, in Toronto, Ontario, Canada!" He gives a thumbs up for the cheap pop and says that he thought it would be fitting to try and figure some things out between two of Canada's own that have been in the midst of a rivalry over the past few months, perhaps ironically over the United States Championship. "The point is, these are two of the finest that Smackdown has to offer. Both still have plenty of untapped potential and I love great competition but this is more than competition for these men... it is personal. So I want to bring them out here and try and figure things out a bit." He gestures up to the stage and first brings out the United States Champion and Toronto's own Edge. Receiving a warm welcome from his hometown crowd, Edge is fired up as he comes down and in to the ring, shaking hands with and even hugging Foley. The General Manager then introduces Chris Benoit, whom gets a much less welcoming response from the fans.
As Benoit enters the ring, he quickly cuts Foley off and tells him to save it. "The only reason that there is a problem between myself and Edge... is because of his ego." The boos come down as Edge is baffled, asking Benoit if he is serious. "You're saying that I have an ego? Chris, we were on top as the WWE Tag Team Champions until you got in the way at Backlash. We still could've worked things out after Judgment Day in the tournament final but you couldn't accept defeat. You say that I have an ego but you need to look in the mirror, pal." Benoit tells Foley that this whole thing is pointless, because Edge will never admit to his flaws. "He won't admit that this is all his fault... now, at Vengeance, he will pay more than he ever has when I take what belongs to me... when I take the United States Championship while crippling him." Edge takes a step forward and recommends they don't wait until Vengeance! Foley quickly steps in between the two and says that this doesn't have to go down this way - he knows they aren't going to reconcile but he wants this to be civil. Benoit then pushes Foley out of the way and gets in Edge's face - leading to a punch being thrown by the champion! Benoit responds with one of his own and the two start to go back and forth, Edge breaking out of a suplex attempt and knocking Benoit down with a boot. Foley tries to get some order, Edge not listening as he leans in to the corner - charging after Benoit for a Spear only to be side-stepped and for Foley to take the Spear instead! Benoit slips out of the ring immediately with a smile, Edge looking very concerned with what he has done! As Benoit backs up the ramp, however, Foley slowly sits up with his signature finger guns up and a grin as he assures Edge that he is fine.
Seen in the back is Los Guerreros, Chavo saying they're going to make good on the end of their bargain with La Resistance - even if they don't deserve it. He then asks Eddie if he got the flag, to which Eddie says of course he did. "Can't wait to show them what I got at the market, ese! Hopefully we can finally bury the hatchet, huh?" Chavo smiles in approval and they continue on their way.
4) The Undertaker def. A-Train via pinfall (4:03) A fairly competitive match in the early goings, Train targets the mid-section of Taker and even gets a couple of two counts off some powerful slams as Tazz points out on commentary that Taker might not be 100% after last week's cage match. 'The Dead Man' ends up coming back, however, and eventually ends up nailing Old School. Failing to get Train up for a Last Ride, Taker still manages to hit a big boot followed by a Chokeslam. Not finished there though, Taker ends up mustering all his strength to get Train off of the mat and plant him with a Tombstone Piledriver for the pinfall.
Taker gets to a knee as the bell sounds, standing back up and having his arm raised as the victor. He motions for the WWE Championship around his waist. The cameras then pick up in the back to show Kurt Angle watching a monitor and drinking water when he is slapped on the back by The Big Show and the water is spewed out everywhere. "My bad, Kurt," Show says with a hearty laugh. "But you're worried about the wrong guy... you can beat The Undertaker... you can outrun Goldberg... but you can't get past me... your days are numbered, champ." He gives Angle another big pat on the back and walks away, the WWE Champion left clutching his title belt close to his chest.
Once again seen in a dark hallway is Sean O'Haire, continuing on from before as he wants to talk more about Goldberg and how he perceives himself. "Holier than thou, you could say. But Goldberg is just like you and me: Mortal. Human. Flawed." O'Haire vows to expose the flaws and weaknesses and prove that Goldberg is no different. "But, hey, I'm not telling you anything that you don't already know." He smiles to the camera once again, the confidence growing more and more with that match still to come later on.
Walking through the back after the break while removing his gloves is The Undertaker when he has Goldberg step out in front of him. While the crowd buzzes inside the arena for this face off, Goldberg tells Taker 'nice match' and that when he finally came to the WWE he was one of the guys he had his eyes on. "Looking forward to tangling it up with you." Goldberg then sticks his hand out, Taker looking down to it and then asking if Goldberg shouldn't have his eyes on his match tonight instead. 'The Dead Man' then keeps on walking, Goldberg at first laughing but then looking none too pleased with the snubbing of Taker.
Inside of the arena, La Resistance make their way down to the ring waving the French flag, Dupree with a microphone in hand as he mentions that a little known fact about himself and Grenier is that they are not just French - they are French Canadian! "But that doesn't mean we like you people," Sylvain adds to boos. "Just like we don't like the scumbag Americans, the lying, cheating, stealing Mexicans like Los Guerreros... and we surely don't like the two of you!" He points to their opponents for tonight, Bobby Rude and Tyson Dux, asking where they are from. Rude says they're from right here in Canada and they're looking to make a name for themselves! Grenier then asks Dux for his name but before he can answer, the Frenchmen attack as the referee signals for the bell.
5) La Resistance def. Bobby Rude and Tyson Dux via pinfall (2:21) Cocky as can be after completely dominating the match, Grenier has his back turned when Dux hits him with a dropkick and Rude comes in with a big spinebuster. Dupree enters to a clothesline but after a missed whip by Rude of Dux in to the corner, Rud is taken and tossed to the outside, leaving Dux to be double teamed and planted with the Au Revoir for the win.
The celebration for La Resistance is very short lived, however, as Los Guerreros' music hits, Eddie and Chavo arriving from the back with a basket in hand. Coming in to the ring, they have their hands up as Chavo assures that they come in true peace. "Yeah, we came to bring you your flag," Eddie says. "Last week as promised because even if it was by count out... you beat us and we live up to our word!" He then opens the basket and reaches in, pulling out a couple of crushed up baguettes and molded cheese, Eddie apologizing as he says those weren't supposed to make it in there. He then finally pulls out the flag and says that he got this from the best market. Grenier and Dupree open the flag up and are quick to notice that it isn't the French flag - it's the Dutch flag! "Is this some sort of joke?!" Dupree asks in disgust, Eddie swearing that 'Miguel' said that was the French flag. "Are you sure it's not?" Chavo asks, enraging La Resistance even more as they say they think they know their own country's flag. "I don't think we're ever going to settle this with peace, Chavito..." Eddie says, the Uncle and Nephew shrugging their shoulders before Chavo runs in to Grenier with the basket to the face! Eddie then catches Dupree with a series of punches and chops, a couple of suplexes nailed before a third one to Grenier. Chavo then hits a big dropkick on both men, La Resitance rolling to the outside and backing down in anger! The crowd, meanwhile, cheers on as Los Guerreros then reach in to the basket again to pull out a Canadian flag! "We may be Mexican, but we bring the Latino heat wherever we go, ese!" Eddie says proudly to cheers, him and Chavo playing up to the Toronto fans some more as La Resistance back up the ramp furious!
Standing in the back yet again is Sean O'Haire, mentioning that we are just minutes away from his match with Goldberg. "And I've warned all night about Goldberg being mortal, having flaws and there being no one like myself... all that is true, just as it is true that I am one step ahead of Goldberg. Because he may think that I am 'next'... yet, I'm going to be the first... to defeat him in the WWE." He once again assures he isn't telling anyone anything they don't already know and heads off with the main event coming up!
In the trainer's room after the break is Mick Foley being checked on when United States Champion Edge comes in, repeatedly apologizing for what happened and Foley quick to tell him it's alright. "I'll be fine... but next week, you're going to get a chance to get back at Benoit..." Edge says he's glad because now he really doesn't want to wait until Vengeance. Foley stops Edge right there, however, telling him that he isn't going to be facing Benoit - but he will be hand picking his opponent. Edge seems accepting of the idea, Foley telling him he has all week to think about who that will be!
6) Goldberg def. Sean O'Haire via pinfall (3:12) The bell rings and after stepping right up to Goldberg, O'Haire throws a strike and then dives to the outside. Stalling things a bit, O'Haire is hesitant to get back in to the ring and after avoiding Goldberg some more, he hits a few hard kicks and punches before once again going to the outside. This time, Goldberg ends up following after O'Haire and they circle around the ring a few times, Sean sliding back in to the ring and getting some stomps in on Goldberg. Continuing to be very confident in himself, O'Haire hits a series of punches against the ropes before getting shoved away - leapfrogging over Goldberg and meeting him with a leaping spin kick! Goldberg stumbles back and on to a knee, O'Haire throwing his hands up to the booing crowd before turning right in to a Spear! Goldberg stands right back up over O'Haire's body and shakes his head, going in to the corner again and measuring up - letting O'Haire stand back up before dropping him with a second Spear! Goldberg then proceeds to drag O'Haire up one last time in order to nail the Jackhammer for the one, two, three!
The Toronto fans cheer for Goldberg as he stands back up over O'Haire's body, arm raised as the winner. "Can anyone stop Goldberg?!" Cole asks. "Even three of Smackdown's best at Vengeance?!" The cameras then pick up in the back to show Kurt Angle shaking his head at the monitor he is watching. The theme music of The Big Show then interrupts inside of the arena, the giant making his way out from the back and marching right toward the ring! Goldberg awaits his arrival, Show stepping right over the ropes ready for a fight but being brought down with a Spear! Goldberg stands right back up over Show and has some words for his recent rival, Show rolling right back under the ropes clutching his mid-section. Once again, Angle is seen in the back, eyes widened as he looks very concerned. "Tell you what, Cole, Goldberg may be unbeaten..." Tazz says. "But The Big Show is still a giant... The Undertaker is still 'The Dead Man'... and Kurt Angle is still the WWE Champion! It's anyone's ballgame at Vengeance!" Goldberg, meanwhile, stands tall in the center of the ring as the show comes to an end.
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Post by ✖ AJ on Feb 6, 2021 6:38:02 GMT -5
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