» On Tuesday, January 18, 2005 at 12:27 AM EST Stone Cold Canada
Jan. 17, 2005
Results Courtesy of WWE.com
MATCH RESULTS
- La Resistance & Maven def. Shelton Benjamin, The Hurricane & Rosey
- Shawn Michaels def. Christian
- Batista def. Viscera
- Chris Jericho def. Chris Benoit
- Kane vs. Gene Snitsky ended in a No Contest
Two Royal Rumble matches were made. Chris Jericho got the best of Chris Benoit. The new World Tag Team Champions earned a victory. All that made it a big-time RAW from Toronto. But in a headline-making shocker, it was announced that Stone Cold will meet Mr. McMahon at a press conference in Hollywood, Calif. What will the Rattlesnake have to say? And what will that mean for the rest of WWE?
RAW had huge Royal Rumble ramifications. Fulfilling the No. 1 Contender’s clause, Randy Orton will get a chance to win back the World Heavyweight Championship from Triple H on Jan. 30, in Fresno, Calif. Also, Edge will get his hands on the man he holds responsible for all his recent woes: Shawn Michaels.
And more RAW Superstars qualified for the Royal Rumble Match, with Y2J, Christian and Shawn Michaels officially joining the list of competitors hoping to outlast 29 other inter-brand Superstars and earn a World Championship shot at WrestleMania.
In RAW action, Kane first chokeslammed Trish Stratus to Hell before chokeslamming Gene Snitsky off the RAW stage in a “No Holds Barred” Match. The crushing fall sent both men through tables and other ringside debris, and neither were moving as RAW went off the air.
Earlier, Y2J won a hard-fought decision over Chris Benoit. The two men went into the match with a huge amount of mutual respect, and they perhaps left with even more.
Jericho took control first, hitting a double-arm superplex. Benoit was able to turn the tide, sending Jericho sternum-first into a turnbuckle, then segueing into three German suplexes. After a missed diving headbutt worsened Benoit’s bleeding nose, the two exchanged submission attempts. But the combatants simply knew each other too well. Jericho finally earned the win with a bit of good ingenuity — hooking an inside cradle when Benoit went for Sharpshooter. Benoit was angry at first, but he then offered his hand. They shook, ending a great match made in the spirit of competition.
Not to be outdone, Batista showed why he’s Evolution’s animal, blasting the behemoth Viscera with an earth-shaking spinebuster and picking up a resounding victory. RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff took notice, offering Batista a Royal Rumble Match qualifier next week … if he wants it.
Shawn Michaels was offered a place in the Royal Rumble on the spot by Bischoff, who respected the fact that HBK was a two-time Rumble winner. But Bischoff also put Michaels in what could have been considered a four-on-one match.
As is always the case north of the border, Michaels had to battle the jeers of the capacity Canadian crowd. He was also up against meddling Tyson Tomko and interfering Edge … along with his scheduled opponent Christian. Michaels is still at the center of controversy in Canada, but he made a clear impact by hitting Christian with Sweet Chin Music to pick up the victory.
The “Bizarro World” crowd in Toronto erupted, however, when Edge dropped Michaels with a spear. The crowd was even louder when Edge locked in a modified Sharpshooter, leaving HBK writhing in pain leading into their match at the Royal Rumble.
New World Tag Team Champions La Resistance (alongside Maven) won a six-man tag match against The Hurricane, Rosey & Shelton Benjamin when Robert Conway and Sylvain Grenier managed to hoist the 360-pound Rosey and hit the Au Revoir. Suddenly, the champs from Quebec are again on a huge roll.
La Resistance had the titles because of a lopsided contest that took place over the weekend. With Eugene having surgery, William Regal had to defend the titles by himself at a WWE live event in Winnipeg. Regal put up a valiant effort, but he couldn’t overcome the odds against his two capable opponents.
Also, Muhammad Hassan and Jericho had words before brawling on Y2J’s Highlight Reel.
Before the confrontation, Jericho made sure everyone knew that Fozzy’s new album, “All That Remains,” is out worldwide today! Pick up a copy and check out Y2J in WWE.com’s January Spotlight.