On Monday, August 29, 2005 at 11:56 PM EST WWE Raw
August 29, 2005
Tampa, Fla.
Commentators: Jim Ross, Jerry “The King” Lawler, and Jonathan Coachman
Reported By: Hunter Golden of WrestleView.com
A video aired recapping last week’s Raw happenings, highlighting The WWE Championship match between John Cena and Chris Jericho as well as Kurt Angle attacking Cena after the match.
The opening video played and the pyro hit as JR welcomed us to tonight’s show.
Carlito’s music hit the arena and he came down to the ring.
Carlito’s Cabana
Carlito said now since Chris Jericho had been fired, there would be no more Highlight Reel which he said was cool. He introduced his guest, Shawn Michaels.
Carlito said it was an honor to interview HBK. He said last week he had 16-time world champion, Ric Flair on, but this week he had the icon, the showstopper, HBK. Carlito admitted that he admired him and Michaels said he knew there was a lot to admire about him. Carlito cut him off and said that the things HBK did paved the way for guys like Carlito.
He said he thought it was ironic, though, that HBK was a guest on HIS Cabana. He said HBK was in awe of him because he was the Intercontinental Champion. He said he looked up to HBK and now HBK looked up to Carlito.
HBK told him to take it easy and asked him to not feed his ego much more. He said he came out to congratulate him on being the IC champion but that he had a few questions. He asked him how long ago he won the championship. He asked him if people were talking about any of his matches. HBK asked him when the last time Carlito defended his title. He said he had defended it tons of times.
Carlito said that Shawn coming on his show and insulting him wasn’t cool. HBK told him that if he even thought of taking a bite of the apple, he’s kick it down his throat. Carlito told him to take it easy. He said he should save his aggression because he wasn’t the only guest on the cabana tonight. He introduced the man he’d be facing in the Master Lock challenge, Chris Masters.
Masters grabbed the mic and said that HBK talked really tough, but we’d see how tough he was when he passed out to the master lock. HBK said that after 20 years, you’d think he’d be smart enough to not put himself in these situations.
HBK jumped the two but Carlito ended up DDT-ing him. Masters prepared to clamp Michaels in the Master Lock but Ric Flair ran down to the ring and made the save, with the two celebrating in the ring afterwards.
Coach put over the Master Lock challenge later on tonight. King announced that we’d have a street fight between Matt Hardy and Edge as well.
****Commercial****
Carlito and Masters were in the back irate over the incident on the Cabana to Eric Bischoff. Bischoff said he was going to post pone the Master lock challenge for a week and that we would have a tag team match later tonight featuring the team of Chris Masters & Carlito against Ric Flair & Shawn Michaels.
Big Show v. Steve Madison & Buck Quartermain
Madison grabbed Show by the leg as Quartermain jumped off the rope and him. Show caught him and tossed him aside, landing two big shots on Madison and one of Quartermain. He tossed Quartermain aside and landed another big chop on Madison. Show hit a huge hip lock on him before chopping Madison to the mat. Big Show hit a big axe handle to the back of Madison before banging the two workers heads’ together and they fell out of the ring.
Upon trying to get back into the ring, the two double teamed Big Show and squeaked into the ring. Both men alternated coming at Show and attempted a suplex but it backfired, and Show hit a double suplex. He took the strap down and clotheslined the two before hip tossing Quartermain and back body dropping Madison. He signaled for the choke slam and hit a double choke slam and a double pin on the two for the victory.
Winner: The Big Show via pin fall
Snitsky jumped in after the match and attacked Show. He went and got the ring bell from outside the ring and nailed the Big Show with two shots and posed over the fallen giant and then jaw-jacked to the crowd before leaving the ring.
Coach again put over the street fight between Edge and Matt Hardy later tonight.
****Commercial****
Torrie Wilson’s Music hit and she came down to the ring with Candice Michelle.
Torrie said she surprised all of us by debuting on Raw, especially the person they initiated, Ashley last week. Candice said they wanted to apologize to Ashley in person so they could show her how sorry they really were.
Ashley’s music hit and she came down to the ring.
Candice said they were really sorry about last week. They apologized from the bottom of their heart. Ashley said after last week, she was a little skeptical, but if they were serious, she’d accept. Candice and Torrie said that they could help her become a wrestler. They said they figured they could help her achieve her dream of becoming a wrestler by having a match tonight. Candice said she’d learn a lot including how to shut her mouth and know her place which was looking pretty. Ashley asked who she’d be facing and Candice said it’d be Victoria.
Victoria v. Ashley
Ashley jumped Victoria on her way to the ring and drop kicked her through the ring ropes. She landed a few punches before Victoria picked her up and slammed her into the side of the ring. The two ended up in the ring. Victoria dodged a flailing punch and kicked Ashley in the midsection and hoisted her up into the widow’s peak and hit it. She covered Ashley for the pin fall victory.
Winner: Victoria via pin fall
JR put over the tag team match featuring the team of Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels against Carlito and Chris Masters.
****Commercial****
Todd Grisham found Edge in the back who was hanging out with Alter Bride, the band that plays his theme music. He said that Matt Hardy wouldn’t die because he left one last breath left in him. He said when he was done he could go to his ho-dunk independent wrestling shows and writing whiney messages on his website. He said he’d end Matt Hardy tonight.
Matt Hardy was getting ready when Lita walked in. She said she spent a lot of time warming Edge up. She asked Matt what it was like to know he’d never experience ‘this’ again, taking off her blouse. She called him pathetic and said he could go to hell. Hardy looked down then back up again. He smiled at Lita and looked at her. He said he was going to hell and that he was taking Edge with him.
****Commercial****
A WWE official came running into HBK’s locker room and said that Ric Flair was down. HBK ran down the hall and saw that Flair was lying in a pool of his own blood up against the wall. Shawn was very shaken.
Street Fight
Edge v. Matt Hardy
The two locked up and Edge knocked him into the corner where the two exchanged blows. Hardy fought out swinging away and knocked Edge from the ring. He chased Edge outside of the ring and tossed him over the barricade. The two fought through the crowd trading punches. The two ended up coming back down to the ringside area and Hardy hit a double ace handle off the barricade. Hardy then went shopping under the ring and nailed Edge with a trash can lid to the head.
Hardy then dragged a ladder from underneath the ring and placed it in the ring. Edge came running at Hardy and baseball slide- drop kicked the ladder into Hardy. Edge lay in the ring while Hardy was on the outside grimacing in pain as we went to commercial.
****Commercial****
We came back to Hardy pounding away on Edge on the mat. Edge fought back with some punches eventually and knocked Hardy to the mat. Edge came off the ropes but Hardy met him with a trash can lid to the head. He picked up Edge and whipped him into the ladder and followed up with a shoulder block.
Hardy set up the ladder and climbed to the top Edge had regrouped and made his way to the top of the ladder and the two exchanged blows. Hardy knocked Edge off and connected with a huge leg drop off the top of the ladder. He went for the cover but only got a two count.
Hardy went back to the outside and grabbed a steel chair. He went to hit Edge with it but got caught with two Singapore cane shots, one to the gut and one to the head. Edge connected again, this time across the back with the cane. Edge grabbed the chair and rammed Hardy’s head into it. Edge left Hardy on the chair and got a second and went for the one-man concerto, but Hardy caught him.
The two fought their way to their feet and Hardy charged at Edge but was flap jacked into the ladder. Edge got the trash can lid from the outside and nailed Hardy with it while he was up against the ropes close to five or six times. Edge nailed him again and the referee tended to Hardy, checking to see if he needed to stop the match.
Edge went back at Hardy landing multiple right hands to Hardy’s head. The referee checked on Hardy yet again but again backed off. Edge connected with a huge boot to the head and went to stop the match but Hardy stopped him. Edge connected with another boot before dragging hardy to the corner and put his head between the steps and booted it hard.
Edge gathered Hardy and went to DDT him on the steps but Hardy fought back and connected with a DDT of his own. Hardy gathered Edge and rammed his head off the steps. Hardy shoved the ringside official aside and grabbed his chair. Hardy went to nail Edge but Lita hit him with the steel brief case. Hardy followed Lita but got hit from behind by Edge. The two fought around the ringside area until Hardy gained the advantage and tossed Edge back into the ring.
Back in the ring, Hardy grabbed the ladder and rammed it into Edge’s body. He laid the ladder on the mat and placed Edge on top of it before scaling the ropes and attempting a moon sault but missed it and crashed down onto the ladder.
The two rolled to the outside and Edge landed a stiff right hand to the head before Edge got a trash can and nailed Hardy in the back with it. Edge began to pummel Hardy on the floor again then picked him up and wheeled him around the ringside area and pummeled him up the ramp.
On the stage, Hardy reversed a move and rammed Edge into the Raw screen. He grabbed Lita and went to power bomb her off the stage but Edge nailed him. He went to body slam Hardy off the stage but Hardy fought out. He shoved Hardy off to the other end of the stage and went for a spear but Hardy avoided it. Edge teetered on the corner of the stage. Hardy then clamped Edge in the twist of fate and leapt off the stage, crashing into the power chords on the side of the stage.
The referee came to the scene and the EMT’s came out, neck braces at the ready. By this time, Eric Bischoff was out there, with everyone tending to the two. Matt Hardy was in a neck brace as we went to commercial
Winner: No Contest
****Commercial****
We came back to the EMT’s working on both Hardy and Edge. JR put over how dangerous the incident was by putting over Edge’s neck injury two years ago. Edge was nearly in tears while the paramedics worked on him.
Hardy was in the back on a stretcher and was being taken to the hospital. They then showed a clip of Edge being taken out as well.
****Commercial****
WWE Champion John Cena’s music hit the arena and he made his way down to the ring.
Cena grabbed the mic and he began to speak. He said he was fired up tonight. He said that his haircut was too cheap and that gas was too expensive. He said last week he got attacked by a red, white, and blue Tasmanian devil. He said that was bad news. He said that the good news was that he saved a bunch of money on his car insurance.
He said the great news was that after last week the champ is still here. He said that Kurt Angle was the #1 contender for his WWE Championship. He said that he never backed down from a feud in his life and said that if he wanted some, he could come get some, calling out Angle.
Angle’s music hit the arena and he made his way out to the stage with a mic. Angle said he must have damaged Cena’s brain more than he thought last week and couldn’t believe he was calling HIM out. He said he didn’t want ‘none of this’. He asked to have footage of last week. Angle just smiled at Cena.
He said if he thought Angle was coming down to that ring, he was dumber than he looked. Angle said he wouldn’t jeopardize his shot at the title at Unforgiven. He said he wasn’t Chris Jericho, that he was a man who was in the National Wrestling Hall of Fame and a Gold Medal winner. He said he had more wrestling ability in his finger than Cena had in his whole body. He said Cena had been only wrestling five years and that he had been wrestling his whole life. He put over his wins over Eugene and Shawn Michaels. He also put over his win against Shelton Benjamin.
Angle said the reason he was on a roll was because he was more vicious and relentless than ever before.
Cena told him to wait and Angle told him to shut his mouth. He said at Unforgiven he’d end Cena’s charade by making him tap out. Angle called him a low life, street thug punk.
Cena asked him if he won a gold medal. He said he didn’t know that. He said he didn’t think he had much of a chance. He said maybe he was over his head, but he’d still call Angle’s ass out. He took off his shirt and placed the belt on the mat. Angle asked him if he wanted a piece of him and began to come to the ring. Angle stopped at the bottom of the ramp motioned at Cena and then walked back up the ramp.
The crowd got on Angle and he snapped and came down to the ring. He went to climb in the ring but only got to the apron before climbing back down. Cena said he forgot that he liked to hit guys from behind. He shamed the crowd and said they weren’t judging him. He said he was just going to do this (stick his butt out) and said he could do whatever he wanted and that no one was watching them. Angle ran down to the ring and took down Cena.
Angle quickly got him in the ankle lock but Cena kicked out of it and sent Angle reeling to the floor. The two talked trash as the referees separated the two and sent Angle back up the ramp as the segment ended.
****Commercial****
Tyson Tomko v. Rosey
The two locked up in the middle of the ring and exchanged some blows before Tomko hit a clothesline coming off the ropes. Tomko relentlessly pounded away at Rosey on the mat but got caught coming into the corner with an elbow. Rosey scaled the ropes but got nailed with a Tomko boot to the face on the way down and was knocked out. The referee checked on Rosey who was out and stopped the match.
Winner: Tyson Tomko via KO
After the match Hurricane jumped into the ring but got nailed with a boot as well.
It was announced that due to the attack earlier tonight, Shawn Michaels would face Carlito and Chris Masters in a handicapped match, which is up next!
****Commercial****
Shawn Michaels v. Chris Masters & Carlito
Carlito started the match off and the two locked up in the middle of the ring. Carlito tried to push Michaels back but didn’t manage to, falling into his own corner. The two locked up again and HBK clamped on an arm-bar. Carlito broke free but was frustrated.
Carlito came at HBK but got caught in a hammerlock which evolved into a headlock. Carlito sent HBK into the ropes and Masters almost tripped him up but Michales avoided it and landed some rights to Carlito’s face. Masters tagged in and tried to bully HBK into the corner, but HBK fought out and scurried away.
The two locked up again and this time Masters powered HBK into the corner and stomped away at him while in the corner. Masters tagged in Carlito who gathered HBK in the corner and hit some chops and a big knee. Carlito choked HBK in the corner before whipping him off the ropes and hitting a back elbow. He went for the cover and only got a two count. He tagged Masters back in who pummeled HBK in the corner.
Masters distracted the ref while Carlito choked HBK in the corner. Carlito tagged back in and kicked Michales in the gut. HBK reversed a kick in the corner and landed some chops and went for the follow up rush to the corner but smashed into the ring post. Carlito went for a cover and got a 2 count.
Carlito pummeled HBK on the mat before clamping on a sleeper hold. The crowd cheered Michales who then hit a back suplex on Carlito. HBK landed some hard chops on the younger Carlito and hit a swinging neck breaker. Michaels went into his usual sequence hitting the inverted atomic drop and then clotheslined Carlito over the ropes and then back body dropped Masters immediately thereafter.
****Commercial****
We came back to HBK chopping Carlito up against the ropes. Carlito countered with a flying forearm off the ropes. The two laid on the mat before Michaels nipped up and went for his elbow off the ropes. He connected with it and began to tune up the band. Masters tripped up Michaels and threw him to the outside.
Carlito rolled out of the ring to the floor to pursue HBK. He stomped him up against the security wall. Masters tossed HBK in the ring and Carlito got a 2 count on the cover. Frustrated, Carlito choked HBK on the ropes before sending him into the opposite turnbuckles. He went for the roll up pin but again, only got a two count. Masters tagged in and whipped Michaels hard into the corner and pummeled him on the mat before only getting a two count on the cover attempt.
Masters hit some knees on the mat before connecting with three back breakers. Masters then stretched HBK across his knee. Michaels fought out of it and the two exchanged blows before Masters smashed Michaels into the turnbuckles and hit a huge military press. Masters went for the Master Lock but Michaels avoided it and hit a DDT.
The two lay on the mat and Flair ran down to the ring in his street clothes. He tagged in and chopped the heck out of both Masters and Carlito before chop blocking Masters in the leg. He went for the figure four, but Carlito low blowed him. HBK made the save tossing Carlito out of the ring followed by a spring board splash.
Back in the ring Chris Masters clamped on the Master Lock on an unsuspecting Ric Flair. Flair fought for a while before eventually passing out.
Winners: Carlito and Chris MastersRAW THOUGHTSThe Good-- The WWE did a great job of advancing their story lines tonight. The Edge-Hardy match was excellent. A well-done brawl is an understatement. This was the exact opposite of what we got at Summerslam. However, the way things ended, the feud is likely not over.
The Angle-Cena feud progressed fairly well I thought, even though the lines were relatively weak. The delivery was good and that’s what counts.
The Flair beat down was done very well I thought. This could almost definitely be the segway to a feud with Triple H, which I think we’ll get for Survivor Series or Taboo Tuesday. The main event match was lackluster at best.
Ashley gets some love as well. Great to see her willing to take the widow’s peak.
The Bad-- I’m most definitely not feeling a Big Show-Snitsky feud but I DO recognize it’s purpose, which is to get Show a little more over with a slow build to a likely title shot against whomever takes the belt off of John Cena. Irregardless though, this isn’t a match that’s going to get people to drop $35 on a pay per view.
The Ugly-- Tyson Tomko’s getting a push? Did I hear they may team him with Rene Dupree? Does anyone remotely care?
Overall- B Tonight wasn’t a bad show at all. In all honesty, the booking decisions have been excellent. There does remain, however, a ton of work that is left to be done on the execution of those angles. I DO like what I’ve seen since Summerslam though, with the WWE attempting to progress angles through, *gasp* WRESTLING matches. The Edge-Hardy match was excellent tonight and I felt breathed a little more air into this feud, which in recent weeks, has really needed it. The booking right now is at a B+/A- level while the follow through is around a C-/C. Decent stuff for the most part tonight.
Quick Results
Big Show def. Buck Quartermain and Steve Madison
Victoria def. Ashley
Matt Hardy and Edge fought to a no contest
Tyson Tomko def. Rosey
Carlito and Chris Masters def. Ric Flair and Shawn Michaels
Who’s Hot, Who’s Not?
Biggest Pops
1. John Cena
2. Shawn Michaels
3. Big Show
4. Ric Flair
Most Heat
1. Kurt Angle
2. Edge
3. Chris Masters
4. Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle
Match of the Night: Edge v. Matt Hardy- Street Fight ***1/2
Power RankingsWWE Champion: John Cena (LAST WEEK: WWE Champion)-- Cena’s segment was solid enough and proved to be a decent start to his program with Kurt Angle. I think it was good to bring the intensity down a notch and establish who the two guys were and why they were where they’re at. Again, the lines were cookie cutter, but the establishment of Cena being the tough Champion who calls others out was well established.
Intercontinental Champion: Carlito (LAST WEEK: IC Champion)-- Carlito was good again on the mic tonight but failed to produce anything terribly exciting in the ring. I don’t know if he’s feuding with Flair, HBK or what. I think his angle for the month, whatever it so happens to be, needed to be better defined.
1.) Kurt Angle (LAST WEEK: 2)--Like Cena, Angle worked his end of their feud well tonight, continuing to put himself over as a vicious, relentless heel. They did a great job at teasing the action tonight. The match should be high in quality come Unforgiven time.
2.) Shawn Michaels (LAST WEEK: 1)--I really don’t have much to complain about other than the fact that I felt the Flair and Carlito thing distracted us a bit from his feud with Masters. I’d have loved to have seen more interaction between just the two of them, but weaving them together is efficient. A step back for Michaels this week, but not too far back.
3.) Edge(LAST WEEK: 3)-- If Angle and Michaels hadn’t been so damn hot lately, I’d be hard pressed to not put Edge higher on the list this week. His match with Hardy was everything the Summerslam match SHOULD have been and wasn’t. It’s breathed new life into a feud that badly needed CPR. It’s refreshing to see a feud progressed through wrestling matches. Good, solid work from him tonight, and some great bumping as well.
4.) Big Show (LAST WEEK:4)-- Show didn’t really do too much tonight, but win again. This is his seventh win in a row since coming to Raw, eleventh overall. Big Show is thus far undefeated on the show and the fact that they’re putting him in what looks to be a relatively low key feud with Snitsky means they don’t want Show to slip our minds. I’m smelling a WWE title change within the next two months. In the next three months, I’m thinking Show is the first guy to get a crack at the new champion.
5.) Chris Masters (LAST WEEK: 6)-- Masters moves up getting the fall in his tag team match tonight. Again, I thought the Flair-Carlito thing took away from his program with HBK, but what is done is done and we’ve still got two or three weeks worth of build. This is the program of Master’s life, and he needs to make the best of what he’s got.
6.) Chris Masters (LAST WEEK: 8)-- Masters is finally in the ring with a guy who can carry him. This is going to be a feud where Masters can get over well and learn a ton in the process. His time is coming. This is a make or break feud for him.
7.) Matt Hardy (LAST WEEK: 9)-- Hardy put on what was, in my opinion, his best match as a singles competitor in the WWE. He bumped and did all the things he does well and progressed a dying program with Edge using a wrestling angle. It’s worth giving a crap about again. Hardy gets a good bump this week.
8.) Rob Conway (LAST WEEK: 7)-- Most definitely a quiet week for Conway. His record keeps him in the top 8.
9.) Ric Flair (LAST WEEK: 10)-- I don’t know if Flair is headed into a program with Carlito or what. But tonight’s ‘attack’ is likely a gradual progression into an almost guaranteed feud with Triple H. Especially if he’s in cahoots with Shawn Michaels. Props to Flair for putting over Masters as well.
10.) Snitsky (LAST WEEK: NR)-- Although he’s most likely NOT going over, Snitsky gets more TV time this week, which is more than I can say for Shelton Benjamin.
Dropping Out: Chris Jericho (LAST WEEK: 5); Shelton Benjamin (LAST WEEK: 8)
Any Questions, comments, or feedback send email me at Raw@wrestleview.com.