Wrestling History Today - 23rd May, 2022 Owen Hart passes away
May 23rd
On this day in history in ....
1906 - Frank Gotch defeats Tom Jenkins to regain the American Heavyweight Championship in a three fall match that lasts 57 minutes.
1960 - Pat Rose is born.
1961 - Wilbur Snyder & Leo Nomellini defeat Hard Boiled Haggerty & Gene Kinisky in Minneapolis, Minnesota for the AWA World Tag Team Championship.
1963 - WWWF ran Washington DC, headlined by WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating the Shadow.
1964 - WWWF ran Philadelphia, PA headlined by WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeating Hans Mortier
1966 - WWWF ran White Plains, NY at the Westchester County Civic Center with the following results:
-Arnold Skaaland defeated Ronnie Etchison.
-Vittorio Apollo defeated Smasher Sloan.
-Chief Big Heart defeated Angelo Savoldi.
-WWWF U.S. Tag Team Champions Johnny Valentine & Antonio Pugliese defeated the Beast & Bill Miller.
-WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Curtis Iaukea via countout.
1967 - WWWF ran Scranton, PA, headlined by Arnold Skaaland pinning Tank Morgan and WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino defeated Prof. Toru Tanaka.
1969 - WWWF ran Springfield, MA with the following results:
-Arnold Skaaland defeated Angelo Savoldi.
-Duke Savage defeated Carlos Colon.
-Baron Mikel Scicluna fought John L. Sullivan.
-Women’s Champion the Fabulous Moolah & Toni Rose defeated Bette Boucher & Vivian Vachon.
-Haystacks Calhoun defeated Luke Graham via disqualification.
-Prof. Toru Tanaka defeated Victor Rivera.
1976 - WWWF ran Steubenville, OH at the St. John Arena, drawing 2,000 fans featuring:
-Baron Mikel Scicluna fought Jose Gonzalez to a draw.
-Susan Green & Vivian St. John defeated Kitty Adams & Paula Kaye in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match.
-Haystacks Calhoun defeated Crusher Blackwell via disqualification.
-Ivan Putski defeated Superstar Billy Graham in an arm wrestling contest.
-Ivan Putski defeated Superstar Billy Graham via countout.
1977 - WWWF ran Uniondale, Long Island, NY, headlined by WWWF World Champion Superstar Billy Graham defeating Billy White Wolf.
1978 - WWWF ran Portland, ME, featuring:
-Spiros Arion defeated Larry Zbyszko.
-Haystacks Calhoun defeated Butcher Vachon.
-Superstar Billy Graham defeated Peter Maivia.
-Tank Patton defeated Johnny Rodz.
-The Golden Terror defeated Jim Ray.
-Strong Kobayashi defeated Johnny Tzansis.
1978 - WWWF ran Fairfield, CT with the following results:
-Jose Estrada defeated Steve King.
-Gypsy Rodriguez defeated Moose Monroe.
-Stan Stasiak defeated Mark Tendler.
-The Yukon Lumberjacks defeated WWWF Tag Team Champions Dominic DeNucci & Dino Bravo
-Luke Graham defeated SD Jones.
1980 - New Japan Pro Wrestling ran Hasama, Japan, featuring:
-Kuniaki Kobayashi defeated George Takano via submission with a Mexican abdominal stretch
-Kengo Kimura pinned Makoto Arakawa.
-Ryuma Go pinned Haruka Eigen.
-Kantaro Hoshino pinned Osaumu Kido.
-Williem Ruska & Riki Choshu defeated Bad News Allen & Tito Santana when Choshu pinned Santana.
-Strong Kobayashi pinned Chavo Guerrero.
-Andre the Giant defeated Seiji Sakaguchi via countout.
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund & Tatsumi Fujinami fought Dusty Rhodes & Stan Hansen to a no contest.
-Antonio Inoki defeated Hulk Hogan via disqualification.
1980 - WWF ran Albany, NY featuring:
-Jose Estrada defeated Mike Masters.
-Bobby Duncum defeated Dominic Denucci.
-Jim Duggan defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna via disqualification.
-Larry Zbyszko defeated Pat Patterson via disqualification
-Tor Kamata defeated Johnny Rodz.
-Rick McGraw defeated Fred Marzino.
1980 - WWF ran Harrisburg, PA at the Zembo Mosque, featuring:
-Frankie Williams defeated Moose Monroe (sub. for Davey O'Hannon).
-Larry Sharpe defeated Steve King.
-Frank Savage fought El Olympico to a draw.
-WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Gorilla Monsoon & Rene Goulet.
-Ivan Putski defeated WWF IC Champion Ken Patera.
1981 - WWF ran a matinee event in Landover, MD at the Capital Centre featuring the following results:
-Angelo Mosca won a 16-man, $10,000 battle royal; other participants included: the Moondogs, Pedro Morales, Dominic DeNucci, the Hangman, Rick McGraw, Bulldog Brower, SD Jones, Larry Sharpe, Yosiaki Yatsu, Johnny Rodz, Frank Savage, Baron Mikel Scicluna, Tony Garea, and Rick Martel; Sgt. Slaughter was scheduled for the bout but did not appear.
-The Carolina Kid & Kid Chocolate vs. Sky Low Low & Farmer Jerome (Best 2 out of 3 falls, no result known)
-Rick Martel defeated Chris Canyon.
-The Moondogs defeated Dominic DeNucci & Rick McGraw.
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund defeated Killer Khan in a no holds barred match; Gorilla Monsoon was the guest referee for the bout.
1983 - WWF televised a card on both the USA and MSG Networks from Madison Square Garden in NYC, featuring the following results:
-Don Kernodle pinned Baron Mikel Scicluna with a sunset flip at 10:57
-Jose Luis Rivera defeated Pete Doherty at 10:39
-Ivan Koloff (with Freddie Blassie) pinned Jules Strongbow at 11:23 with a knee off the top to the back
-Salvatore Bellomo defeated Swede Hanson at 10:28
-Chief Jay Strongbow fought Iron Mike Sharpe to a double disqualification at 6:48
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund (with Arnold Skaaland) defeated Sgt. Slaughter (w/ the Grand Wizard) via disqualification at 16:53 when Slaughter hit the champion with his riding crop, handed to him by the Grand Wizard, as he was caught in the Crossface Chicken Wing; after the bout, Slaughter shoved referee Dick Kroll to the floor before Backlund sent Slaughter to the floor after a backdrop.
-Dusty Rhodes pinned Samoan #3 (Samu, with Capt. Lou Albano) with a crossbody at 9:10.
-Susan Starr defeated Leilani Kai at 6:04
-Jimmy Snuka (with Buddy Rogers) pinned Samoan #1 (Afa, with Capt. Lou Albano) at 3:02 with the splash off the top; after the bout, Samoan #1 was taken backstage on a stretcher
-Women's Champion the Fabulous Moolah defeated Princess Victoria at 5:27
-Rocky Johnson fought WWF Intercontinental champion Don Muraco to curfew draw as Muraco was trapped in a sleeper; the crowd believed Johnson had won the title due to the nature of the finish; the USA Network broadcast ended with the champion in the sleeper and the bell ringing
1984 - WWE ran Queens, NY with the following results:
-Akira Maeda defeated Isreal Matia.
-Pete Sanchez defeated Tony Colon.
-Ron Shaw defeated Steve Lombardi.
-Roddy Piper defeated Tony Garea.
-Ivan Putski defeated Paul Orndorff via countout.
-David Schultz defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Tito Santana via disqualification.
1985 - WWF ran San Diego, CA featuring the following results:
-Ricky Steamboat defeated Barry O.
-Mr. Wrestling II defeated Moondog Spot.
-Salvatore Bellomo defeated Mr. X.
-Ivan Putski & Tito Santana defeated WWF Intercontinental champion Greg Valentine & Brutus Beefcake.
-Matt Borne defeated George Wells.
-Jimmy Snuka defeated Don Muraco via disqualification.
-WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter defeated the Fabulous Moolah.
-The Junkyard Dog defeated Ken Patera.
1986 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran the Scope in Norfolk, Virginia, with the following results:
-Hector Guerrero defeated Mark Fleming.
-Denny Brown fought Steve Regal to a draw.
-Black Bart defeated Sam Houston.
-Nelson Royal defeated Thunderfoot.
-Ron Garvin defeated Leo Burke (substituting for an injured NWA National Heavyweight Champion Tully Blanchard) following Tommy Young's standing 10-count. After the match, Blanchard, who was at ringside jumped Garvin, revealing that his arm in a sling was a fake injury, and repeatedly punched Garvin in the face with a taped fist, bloodying his head. Moments later, Blanchard dropped Garvin with a piledriver on a steel chair.
-NWA U.S. Champion Magnum TA and others then coming out to make the save
-NWA U.S. Champion Magnum TA & the Road Warriors defeated Baron Von Raschke, Ivan & Nikita Koloff
-Ricky Morton fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a no contest
1987 - WWF ran Hartford, CT at the Civic Center, drawing 11,000 fans with the following results:
-Sam Houston defeated Frenchy Martin.
-Ron Bass defeated Outback Jack.
-Jim Duggan defeated the Iron Sheik.
-WWF Women's Tag Team Champions Leilani Kai & Judy Martin defeated Velvet McIntyre & Candice Pardue.
-Jacques & Raymond Rougeau defeated Greg Valentine & Dino Bravo.
-Hercules defeated Billy Jack Haynes in a chain match.
-WWF World Champion Hulk Hogan pinned Randy Savage.
1986 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Columbia, SC, headlined by NWA World Tag Team Champion Dennis Condrey defeating Todd Champion and The Rock N' Roll Express' Robert Gibson defeating NWA World Tag Team Champion Bobby Eaton in a bout where Jim Cornette was held in a cage for the duration of the match.
1992 - Steve Austin defeats Barry Windham for the WCW Television Title in Atlanta, Georgia.
1993 - The first ever WCW Slamboree takes place in Atlanta, Georgia at the Omni, featuring three "Legends" matches. Here are the results:
- 2 Cold Scorpio & Marcus Bagwell defeated Bobby Eaton & Chris Benoit when Scorpio hit a corkscrew legdrop on Benoit.
- Sid Vicious, in his return to WCW, defeated Van Hammer in less than a minute with a powerbomb.
- Dick Murdoch, Don Muraco & Jimmy Snuka vs. Wahoo McDaniel, Blackjack Mulligan & Jim Brunzell ended in a no-contest as both team brawled.
- Thunderbolt Patterson & Brad Armstrong (subbing for Bob Armstrong) defeated Ivan Koloff & Baron Von Raschke.
- In a special edition of "Flair For The Gold", Ric Flair introduced the new Four Horsemen: Flair, Ole Anderson, Arn Anderson, and .... Paul Roma. Tully Blanchard had been used in the advertising for the event, with the idea that it would be a reunion of the original unit, but instead, we got Paul Roma. Blanchard has stated in interviews that WCW had been in contact with him about appearing, but never sent him a contract.
- Dory Funk, Jr. (with Gene Kiniski in his corner) vs. Nick Bockwinkel (with Verne Gagne in his corner) went to a 15-minute draw.
- Rick Rude & Paul Orndorff defeated Dustin Rhodes & Kensuke Sasaki.
- Sting defeated The Prisoner (Nailz).
- Lou Thesz, Mr. Wrestling II, Verne Gagne and Eddie Graham (posthumously) were inducted into the WCW Hall Of Fame.
- WCW World Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Steve Austin defeated Dos Hombres in cage match. The masked Hombres were supposedly Ricky Steamboat & Shane Douglas, but it was actually Steamboat & Tom Zenk. Douglas was out with a shoulder injury, and the announcers pretended that Zenk was Douglas. During the match, Steamboat unmasked, but Zenk never did. Austin pinned Zenk with a Stun Gun for the win.
- NWA World Champion Barry Windham defeated Arn Anderson after hitting him with the title belt for the pin.
- Davey Boy Smith defeated WCW World Champion Big Van Vader via disqualification after use of a chair.
1994 - Ray Candy of the Zambuie Express dies of a heart attack in Georgia. He was 43.
1996 - Mitsuharu Misawa & Jun Akiyama defeat Toshiaki Kawada & Akira Taue for the All Japan Tag Titles in Sapporo, Japan, ending Kawada and Taue's third reign.
1997 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Indiana, PA with the following results from the Ice & Expo Center:
Axl Rotten defeated Jimmy Cicero
Raven defeated Chris Chetti
Taz defeated Danny Morrison (Danny Doring)
Louie Spicolli defeated Balls Mahoney
Spike Dudley defeated Buh Buh Ray Dudley
ECW World Tag Team Champions Perry Saturn & John Kronus defeated the Pitbulls
ECW World TV Champion Shane Douglas defeated Stevie Richards
Tommy Dreamer & the Sandman defeated D-Von & Big Dick Dudley when D-Von was pinned
1998 - ECW ran The Golden Dome in Monaca, PA with the following results:
Lance Storm defeated Mike Lozansky
Axl Rotten & Balls Mahoney defeated The FBI, Tracy Smothers & Little Guido
Ulf Hermann defeated John Kronus
Taz defeated Chris Chetti
Chris Candido defeated Al Snow
ECW World TV Champion Rob Van Dam defeated Jerry Lynn
Sabu defeated Mikey Whipwreck
Buh Buh Ray & D-Von & Big Dick Dudley defeated Tommy Dreamer & The Sandman & Spike Dudley
1999 - Owen Hart dies of cardiac arrest after falling from the ceiling in the Kemper Arena in Kansas City, Missouri during the WWF Over The Edge Pay-per-view. The fall was not seen on television, as a pre-taped interview was being shown at the time. Owen was to have made a "Blue Blazer" entrance on a cable when his harness malfunctioned, causing the fall. Hart was rushed to a hospital, where he was declared dead. Owen was 34 years old.
The show continued, with Jim Ross informing the home viewer later in the program that Owen had died, but the fans in the building were not told of his passing. The decision to continue running the show and not announcing Hart's death to the live crowd have been hotly debated since 1999. The Undertaker defeated Steve Austin in the main event to win the WWF Title in the main event. The show would be the only WWF PPV, to date, that was never released on home video after it was held.
A lawsuit would later be filed by the Hart family, and WWE would settle with them for $18 million. WWE would later successfully pursue a lawsuit against the harness company for part of the settlement. Martha Hart, who wrote a book on her husband's death, and the Owen Hart Foundation would go on to sue WWE for using Owen's matches, name and likeness in their books, magazines and DVD without the estate's permission, as well as for non-payment of royalties. That case was settled in 2013.
2002 - WWE issued the following press release:
WWE Global Warning Tour Melbourne Presented by Xbox Sells Out; More Than 47,000 Tickets Sold in First 48 Hours of On-Sale
STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 23, 2002--World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWF) today announced that its upcoming WWE(TM) Global Warning Tour Melbourne presented by Xbox sold out within the first 48 hours of going on sale.
Fans purchased more than 47,000 tickets for the WWE(TM) event scheduled for Melbourne's Colonial Stadium on Saturday, August 10, 2002. Additional tickets may become available pending stadium configuration.
"Australia is a strong market for us," said Roger Marment, Executive Vice President of International Business Development at WWE, Inc. "The holding of a mega-event marks a major push into the market that encompasses all elements of our business. We are very pleased to have Xbox as a sponsor of the event and will be making further announcements shortly regarding new home video and DVD distribution arrangements, licensing partnerships and sponsorship commitments."
The Ticketmaster7 Internet site, ticketmaster7.com, the national Call Centre, and Outlet network were swamped with loyal WWE(TM) fans from all over the world eager to get their hands on the hottest ticket in town. The demand was so huge that Telstra recorded over 150,000 callers attempting to secure tickets via the phone in the first hour.
Ticketmaster7's Managing Director, Maria O'Connor was impressed by the magnitude of WWE(TM) fans desperate to secure tickets and said, "in my 20 years in the ticketing industry I have not witnessed such a large number of avid fans so desperate to secure tickets. With all points of distribution experiencing heavy demand, ticketmaster7.com continued to be the preferred point of sale, demonstrating that the Internet creates equity and access for thousands of patrons purchasing tickets simultaneously."
World Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an integrated media and entertainment company headquartered in Stamford, Conn., with offices in New York City, Chicago, Toronto and London. Additional information on the company can be found at wwe.com and wwecorpbiz.com. Information on television ratings and community activities can be found at wweparents.com
2003 - WWE Raw ran Bossier City, LA. Kevin Culpepper filed the following live report:
Before the show, thanks to a local TV Sports Director friend, my step-son and I were invited to a “Meet and Greet”. About 25 of us were led to a room where we waited about 15 minutes, chatting wrestling of course, when the door opened and Bubba Ray, D-Von, and Spike Dudley appeared. They signed autographs, posed for pics, answered questions and such. All three were great guys and very good-humored. When I asked Bubba about his back, he winked and said it was better than Randy Orton’s foot! I asked Spike if he missed teaching and he said Hell No! These guys are very good ambassadors for WWE and were great with the children in attendance.
On to the matches: Your host for this evening - THE FINK!!
1ST Match Rodney Mack (with Teddy Long) and Chris Nowinsky defeated Cowboy Lance Cade and some guys whose name I missed.
Pre-match mike work from Peanut Head about the White boy Challenge. When 2 guys came out – Nowinsky appeared and offered his services as Mack’s tag-team partner. Hilarity on the mike as Harvard educated Nowinsky attempted to be “ghetto”. At one point he said of Mack and Teddy “You are in the hizzle fo shizzle, my nizzle.” Finish came when Mack locked Cade in the Cobra Clutch.
2nd Match Mark Jindrak over Gold Dust.
Gold Dust was insanely over with the crowd. Good back and forth match. Goldy worked in all his usual spots. Finish came when Jindrak caught Goldy in a cradle and utilized the old foot on the ropes trick. Goldy did a victory lap and slapped hands with the fans to a huge Goldy chant. Why did they job him to Jindrak? I dunno, but Triple H should notice that Goldy was just as over after the loss.
3rd Match Jazz(with Peanut Head) over Trish, Molly and Victoria (with Stevie) in an elimination Match.
Jazz eliminated Molly with a boot to the face, Trish eliminated Victoria with the Stratusfaction, Jazz made Trish submit to the STF. Best spot of the match, Victoria and Jazz went to the top in opposite corners and were crotched by Teddy and Stevie, allowing Trish to execute the 2nd rope handspring Rana on both. After the match, Stevie and Victoria beat down Trish till Maven made the save.
4th Match Jericho hosted Stacy Kiebler for the Highlight Reel
Jericho had the crowd hating him in about 45 seconds, this guy is such a great heel! After thoroughly insulting all things Louisiana , He called out Stacy, who got a huge pop. After Stacy told the crowd that Jericho had the “smallest wee-wee in the WWE, Jericho went for the beat-down. Test ran in for the save, then tried to get Stacy to leave with him. She refused and left alone. Good continuity!
5th Match the Dudleys over 3 Minute Warning and Rico in a table match.
Great match with all the regular Dudley spots. Duds were over huge! In a nice bit of continuity, Rico apologized for walking out on Rosey and Jamal last Monday and offered them a chance to get back in his good graces with a win tonight. Finish came as Rosey and Jamal turned on Rico and walked out, leaving him to eat a 3-D thru the table. After the match, the Duds celebrated by bringing a small kid into the ring and posing with him before giving him a chunk of the table. They worked the crowd for a long time as their music played, slapping hands and posing for pics. The crowd ate it up.
6th Match Christian over Val Venis in an IC Title Match.
These guys are true professionals, because the crowd was totally indifferent to both at first. Through a combination of comedy spots, working the crowd, solid technical wrestling, and help from Earl Hebner, they won the crowd over in about 5 minutes. After that the crowd was hot and popped for the near falls. Finish came as Val went for the Money Shot and met nothing but knees. Christian applied the Un-Prettier for the pinfall. Great work from both guys.
7th Match Dr Death Steve Williams over Lance Storm.
Doc is a local boy well remembered from the old Bill Watts days. Good, solid old-school wrestling match that the crowd loved. Storm bumped like a madman. Doc won with the Oklahoma Stampede.
8th Match RVD and Kane over La Resistance in a tag title match.
RVD and Kane got huge pops. Good match considering how green the Frenchmen are. High spots included a rocket launcher by the Champs, and Kane hip-tossing RVD over the top rope into an unsuspecting French duo.
Main Event: Triple H over Big Poppa Pump in a World Title Match.
Triple H was out first for some un-intended comedy. He grabbed the mike from the Fink and as he started to speak, Steiner’s music hit. It stopped after about 4 seconds and Triple H lectured the sound guy “Numb Nuts” about what a microphone in his hand meant. HHH went on to complain that he had come to Bossier city to confront Ric Flair for what happened on Monday, and to find out whose side Flair was on. He said Flair didn’t even have the balls to show up. Boring match. 2 Steiner suplexes, and 10 minutes of punching and kicking. You could have heard a pin drop – crowd was indifferent to both guys. At the 10 minute mark, Hebner was bumped. The Nature Boy ran out to a huge pop! He grabbed a chair as both men were down, and prepared to blast HHH with it, but at the last minute – you guessed it – he hit Steiner. Kick, Wham, Pedigree, Yawn.
Over all, a great show with 3:30 of wrestling and a 15 minute intermission
Biggest Pops :
Dudleys Gold Dust Kane/RVD FlairBiggest Heat: Jericho Storm La Resistance
2003 - Prime Time Wrestling ran Brick, NJ. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:
Prime Time Wrestling drew a small but enthusiastic crowd of 100 parents and children to Brick, New Jersey on 5/23 at The Old Guard Armory.
The show was completely designed for a family audience. In 2003's world of professional wrestling where shows are rated on moonsaults, light tubes, and highspots, this was a nice breath of fresh air as it was an old school independent outing where no one got hurt, everyone had fun, and the crowd went home happy.
Full results:
*Jay & Trey Owens and Eric Justice defeated PTW Tag Team Champions The Holy Rollers and Church.
*The Patriot (Tom Brandi) pinned Joey Matthews. Matthews has really come into his own, both here and 3PW as a singles heel. This was a match made by the kids in the crowd going nuts chanting "USA" and Matthews playing off of it. The interaction with the crowd would prove to be a theme throughout the evening by the workers. Brandi left the show later that night still under his hood. You have to love that.
*Slayer pinned Greg Spitz. Spitz has worked for PWF in Pennsylvania. Slayer was managed by Father Ozzy, who has dropped weight and is such a dead ringer for Ozzy Osbourne, I think Sharon would do a doubletake. Seriously, if this guy isn't making money as a lookalike, he's missing the boat.
*In a mixed tag team match, Rob Eckos and Serena (managed by "Sports Agent" Ryan Maher) defeated Alexis Laree and Stryker. Stryker showed awesome babyface fire here. It was weird to see Laree playing total babyface while in her NWA TNA Raven-style gear. Serena hooked Laree's skirt and held Maher's hand to score the pin on Laree. Fairly entertaining.
*Steve Zapf won a Battle Royal. This was your typical indy battle royal full of green workers. They said this was for trainees, so I guess Simply Luscious is still training as she was one of the last ones eliminated.
*PTW Cruiserweight champion MIke Kruel forced Josh Daniels to tap out in what was the best match of the night in terms of in-ring action. Daniels is building a string of solid matches while Kruel continues to improve with a very mat-based and submission style. Expect to hear more out of both of these guys in the indy ranks over the next year.
*Chad and Lunchbox (aka Dino) defeated The Backseat Boyz. I think Chad and Lunchbox are doing a Jay and Silent Bob gimmick. They work for Maryland Championship Wrestling. Storyline here was that a heel manager with a disability (while I never caught his name, he does walk with a limp) was upset that the crowd had ragged on him and brought the Backseats out for his defense. The Backseats were classic here ripping on the children saying that they should look to the manager as their inspiration because he's in the ring with a disability and calling them brats. I don't think we're in CZW anymore, Toto. The Backseats did tons of heel antics here. It was entertaining for what it was.
*Julio Dinero pinned The Bruiser to win the PTW championship. Dinero was on here, getting tons of heat from the crowd to the point they didn't lock up for 15 minutes as he was playing off of "Julio sucks" chants, jumping in the crowd and running around, even trying to walk out the wrong door. Dinero had "sports agent" Maher and Miss Kara in his corner. Bruiser looks so much like Johnny Grunge it's not funny. They did a spot where Dinero, out of frustration chopped ref Mike Kehner, who chopped the heck out of him in retaliation and did the Fargo Strut. Funny! Dinero clobbered Bruiser with the title belt for the pin. Bruiser got a gash on his back from a bump during the match on his lower back.
Notes: This was truly an old school independent show, the likes of which I haven't seen in a long time. This was a night for the heroes to defeat the villians, with everyone hopefully selling some merchandise along the way at intermission....They opened with a slight delay as there was a horrible accident (and we passed it so I know how horrible it was) on the Garden State Parkway that had cars at a standstill for quite awhile....The promotion is running Friday 6/27 at Sportsfest in Staten Island with The Barbarian announced and returns to Brick on 7/11. For ticket information, call 866-846-9928....The show was filmed by www.TCTapes.net....They had a full lighting and sound system that was great, down to blinking lights on the guard rails for the entrances.
2003 - NAWA ran Rome, GA. Larry Goodman filed the following live report:
NAWA returned to Dillard's Music Park in Rome, Ga last night for Memorial Day Madness, featuring an awesome NWA Wildside all-star match that saw A.J. Styles & David Young defeat Jason Cross & Iceberg. The crowd of 200 could be described as selectively heated, as they went nuts for two of the company's featured storylines, while reacting indifferently to some of the other stuff. This was the promotion's follow up big show to an April card, headlined by Jerry Lawler, that drew 400.
This was a spiffed up Dillard's Music Park. The ceiling has been raised above the ring to remove the limitations on using moves off the top rove and such. New ring lights were added. The Dillards started having wrestling in this converted drive-in movie theater in 1985. NAWA brought wrestling back to Dillard's earlier this year after a 6 year hiatus.
The show was a half hour late in starting. Mike Jackson opened it with a prayer.
1) The Palm Beach Boys (Scott & John) (with "Playboy" Phil Heffner & Billy Love) beat The Working Man & Seth Cruise in 10:07. The Palm Beach Boys were fine here, but Cruise and Working Man got zero reaction. Working Man is as green as grass, and it's not a good thing when the ref (Spanky Emerson) looks more physically imposing than a wrestler. Johnny hit a spinebuster on Working Man and Scott gave the kid a properly stiff beating. PBB switched without tagging. Johhny did a DDT. Working Man did a swinging something or other and made an ice cold tag. Coming out of the four way, Johnny ripped Working Man off the top rope as Scott hit a spinebuster. Love distracted the ref and PBB whipped Working Man into Playboy Phil's briefcase shot for the pin.
2) Jimmy Rave beat Tank in 10:39. My favorite Tank singles match. It would have gotten over great in ROH. Unfortunately, this crowd didn't get into it. Rave's selling was super and they worked it in such a way that the size difference didn't cause a credibility problem. Lots of nice matwork and amateur stuff in the opening minutes. Tank really shines with that style. They started kicking the crap out of each other. Tank did a kidney bursting kick to Rave's back. Tank did an STO across his knee and rammed Rave's back into the buckles. Same move and Rave was down in the corner. Crowd popped for Tank's running boot scrape. Tank hit a Yakuza kick. Tank dropped Rave on his head with a pair of back suplexes. Tank hit what looked like a cross arms german suplex. Rave got a foot on the ropes at two. Rave hit the tilt-a-whirl into the crossface out of nowhere. Tank got a reversal and Rave reversed it again. Rave hit a running knee for a near fall. Tank came back with a devastating chokebreaker and leveled Rave with a People's Lariat. Tank had Rave in a leglock submission when the bell rang at 8:45. It was called a time limit draw. Fans wanted 5 more minutes. Referee Marshall Law agreed. Twice, Rave dropkicked Tank's knee and hitting Shining Wizards for two counts. Rave did a springboard off of the ref's back into a third Shining Wizard to score the pinfall. Tank faked a handshake and gave Rave the F Bomb in the postmatch.
3) "Loverboy" Lee Thomas beat Rob Adonis in 8:50. Things got off to a rough start when the radio DJ from Q102/guest ring announcer, who apparently was not familiar with Greek mythology, butchered the pronunciation of Adonis. Let the radio DJ pass out t-shirts or something, but please leave the ring announcing to a professional like Jen Holbrook. Adonis has been working for RCW in Knoxville of late. He's a big dude (285), who showed a good repertoire of power moves. Something about Thomas seemed to suck the life right out of the match. His stuff wasn't that bad, but the crowd couldn't have cared less about him as the babyface. Thomas did a the worst superkick NAWA history to set up a shaky split legged moonsault for the pin. Adonis made a point to thank Thomas before spewing venom all over the crowd in a wickedly sadistic promo. Said there were 200 people in the building but only 50 teeth and 30 of them were his. Adonis said a fan's face reminded him of the time he shaved his dog's butt and taught it to walk backwards. "I realize what was long and hard on you and that was the 5th grade." And so on.
The Broadstreet Boys (Chris Kamikaze & Lance Timberlake) did a brief "concert," subjecting the crowd to a downright painful experience with a performance that was intentionally beyond horrible. Timberlake asked Kamikaze if he knew who won the Civil War. Kamikaze didn't. Timberlake said Mike Jackson would know because he was in it.
4) Mike Jackson beat Chris Kamikaze (with Lance Timberlake) in 13:54. Crowd was totally into this and they worked a surprisingly good match. Kamikaze was great in the role of the smart ass young punk. Kamikaze started bumping like crazy for Jackson. Jackson gave Timberlake and Kamikaze a meeting of the minds. Jackson did a nice floatover armdrag. Jackson used a dragon screw! Kamikaze did a sneaky clip on Jackson's leg and applied an Indian deathlock. Jackson did an old school top rope walk halfway around the ring into an armdrag. Kamikaze took a bump for a hilarious crotch ride on the top rope, as he tried to duplicate Jackson's move. Timberlake tripped Jackson to turn the tide. Kamikaze distracted the ref so Timberlake could get in some pathetic looking cheap shots. One solid, well-timed blow is way more effective than ten lousy ones. Nice offensive sequence by Kamikaze, consisting of an atomic drop into a corner chest bump into a russian legsweep on the rebound. Kamikaze hit a running shooting star press for a two count. Kamikaze missed with a 450. Jackson made the comeback with his strap pulled down. Ref bump. Kamikaze went for a sleeper. Lance slipped into the ring with a foreign object. Kamikaze hit Jackson with the gimmick for a great false finish. Jackson caught Kamikaze by the throat as he came off the top. Kamikaze went for a sunset flip but Jackson reversed it into a jackknife pin. NAWA Chief of Staff Max Steel, a big ol' boy, said that he would see to it that Jackson got 5 minutes with Timberlake per the stipulation of the match.
Intermission.
Jackson tried to get his five minutes with Timberlake. Jackson beat the crap out of Kamikaze at ringside and made his way into the ring. Timberlake was ready and waiting with a face full of powder. Timberlake and Kamikaze put the boots to Jackson. A big Bam Bam Bigelow looking dude named DeJaVu joined in. Timberlake did a top rope legdrop. DeJaVu splashed Jackson off the second rope. Delight and a guy I didn't know made the save. Timberlake said alcohol was bad for the liver and lead a Stone Cold toast with Tropicana orange juice instead. They need to add some lighting on the stage because most fans couldn't see what was going on.
5) Drew Delight beat Simon Sermon to retain the NAWA Junior Title in 9:10. Sermon got a hero's welcome from the heel section upon his return to NAWA after a brief absence. It works though, because Delight also had strong support, making this the hottest match of the night. Sermon addressed the radio DJ ring announcer as "you hair lipped freak." Sermon predicted that he would become a three time NAWA junior champion tonight. "Now get that bloody pile of trash out here." Sermon totally dominated the match. Sermon came through the heel section to attack Delight. Fans chanted "Simon" and "UK." Sermon posted Delight and slammed him on the concrete floor. Sermon used a rolling stunner inside the ring. Back outside for a sidewalk slam onto the second row. Sermon whipped Delight with his belt. Sermon hit a neckbreaker and ref Spanky Emerson made a quick two count. Delight made a comeback and tried for a rockbottom, but Sermon countered with a London Bridge submission. The heel fans responded with a rendition of "London Bridge is Falling Down." Sermon slapped Delight across the face with his glove. Sermon applied a modified STF. Delight hit a superkick and both men stayed down. Sermon clotheslined the ref and went to get his baton. Sermon missed and got clocked with his own weapon for the 1..2..3.
6) A.J. Styles & David Young beat Jason Cross & Iceberg in 13:05. This match ruled. What a treat. Four stellar workers on a night when they were all on. Crowd was with them all the way. Styles and Cross started it out with waistlock reversals. Cross raked the eyes and pulled hair. Styles did a leapfrog and spinkick that was really sweet. Young knocked Iceberg through the ropes with a discus forearm and hit a pescado. Styles followed with tope con hilo. Styles and Young did a drop toehold/senton combo on Cross. Young gave Cross a taste of his own medicine with a killer brainbuster for a near fall. Cross converted Young's wheelbarrow into a DDT and in came Iceberg with a huge legdrop on Young and a belly to belly suplex on Styles. Cross hit a slingshot hurancanrana for a near fall. Young scrambled through Cross's legs to make a tag. Styles cleaned house with clothesline and tried for the Clash, but Iceberg broke it up. Cross hit the brainbuster for a near fall. Iceberg paid tribute with an Abdullah the Butcher elbow drop. Iceberg caught Styles in midair and hit a fallaway slam. Cross did that amazing somersault double underhook face plant. Styles made a furious comeback building to a monster clothesline. Young hit a swinging facebuster on Cross and Iceberg broke up the pin. YOUNG HIT A RELEASE GERMAN SUPLEX ON ICEBERG. Freakin' amazing. Cross saved on the pin attempt, but Styles got him with the standing moonsault inverted DDT. Finish saw Young hit his spinebuster on Iceberg and Styles follow with a Clash off top on Cross that landing on top of the Iceberg. Young piled on for a double pin.
7) Bull Buchanan beat Bulldog Raines (with "Playboy" Phil Heffner) in 13:20. Trying to follow a masterpiece is an absolutely brutal position to occupy on any show. This wasn't outright bad, so much as it was uninspired. Dead crowd. Buchanan looked to be in great shape. He appears to be fully maintaining his WWE conditioning. Buchanan and Raines go back together in this area to at least 1994, when Raines wrestled as Beau LeDeau and Buchanan was Sam McGraw. At 5:30, Buchanan hit a climbing body block. Heffner reached in to pull Buchanan's leg. Buchanan chased Playboy Phil around and through the ring, until Raines cut him off with a clothesline. Raines worked on Buchanan's leg. Buchanan did a nice strength move to pull himself up to the top rope for a flying double ax blow at the 10 minute mark. Bull continued the comeback with a big boot for a near fall. Buchanan missed with jumping high kick and Raines nailed him with a clothesline. Buchanan was able to hit a top rope legdrop for the pin. Postmatch saw Buchanan threatening to do bodily harm to Heffner. Raines clocked Buchanan with his chain and did a looong choke out spot while Heffner banged away on the knee with his briefcase. Some of the faces finally ran out for the save. Buchanan did a great job of selling the effects of the beatdown.
8) Nemesis beat Ray Gordy via DQ to retain the NAWA Heavyweight Title in 11:15. Good wrestling match that was somewhat lacking in heat. The crowd wants to cheer Gordy, who was in role of the villain but doesn't use a truly heelish style. Nemesis controlled the early part of the match by working Gordy's arm. Gordy countered a leapfrog with a powerbomb to take over. Gordy did a Muta style elbow drop and a fisherman suplex for near falls. Gordy used a painful looking crossface variation on a camel clutch. Gordy hit an enzuigiri to set up a senton bomb for another near fall. At 8:30, Nemesis hit a big neckbreaker and mounted a comeback. DeJaVu hit the ring with a chairshot on Nemesis for the DQ. Gordy also whacked Nemesis with a chair. Rave made the save for Nemesis.
NOTES: NAWA starts on Rome television (Comcast cable 44) on June 10 with an 8pm slot. Last night's show was a three camera shoot with D. D. Bussey and John Johnson providing the commentary. … Former NAWA champion Air Paris pulled out of his scheduled appearance as Iceberg's tag team partner and was replaced by Cross. He was said to be dealing with personal issues, but I was also told that Paris got into a dispute with the promotion when he was replaced as booker. … Buchanan did pretty fair business at the gimmick table during the intermission. … NAWA has shows scheduled for Douglasville, GA on 7/12 and Sweetwater, TN on 7/18.
2004 - WWE Raw ran Moline, IL. Adam Martin filed the following live report:
I just got back from the WWE RAW Brand House Show in Moline, Illinois. I would say the arena was around 60% full and was far from a sellout. Despite the somewhat small crowd, all those involved put on a great performance. Here are the results in order.
The Hurricane & Rosey defeated La Resistance
This was a very good match and for some reason the crowd really hated Rob Conway. He worked the crowd great and really got people into the match that was taking place. Lots of "USA" chants as usual. The match ended when The Hurricane & Rosey did a double team move for the pin.
Trish Stratus, Tyson Tomko, Stacy Keibler segment
Trish Stratus came out with Tomko and got on the mic, running down the crowd in Moline. Trish brought up that everyone cashed in their welfare checks just to see her tonight. She announced that Christian wasn't able to compete, so she could leave with Tomko right away. Stacy Keibler's music hit to a big pop. Keibler got on the mic and told Trish that Tomko would be in action tonight against Chris Jericho in a Steel Cage. Eugene then made his way down to the ring with William Regal. After Keibler left, Eugene got on the mic and called Trish a slut. Garrison Cade hit the ring and attacked Eugene quickly. This brought out Shelton Benjamin, leading to...
Shelton Benjamin defeated Garrison Cade
Pretty good match with Benjamin doing lots of quick spots. You would be surprised as to how many people still don't really know who Cade is despite his appearances on WWE TV. A guy in the card asked Cade if he got his hair done by Ric Flair. The match ended when Benjamin hit a modified belly to belly suplex for the pin.
Victoria defeated Molly Holly to retain WWE Women's Title
The crowd was somewhat into the match. Lots of heat for Molly and her wig. Victoria (who came out to new music) got a very good reaction during her entrance and throughout the match. It was good for what it was. The match ended when Victoria hit the Widow's Peak on Molly for the pin to retain the WWE Women's Title.
Randy Orton defeated Edge to retain WWE Intercontinental Title
This was probably one of the better matches of the night. Orton is just really good with a crowd and has a great presence. Edge got a decent pop as well. Both Orton and Edge played up to the crowd at many times. Orton would sell many of the offense from Edge great, stop, turn and pose at the crowd. It was very entertaining and kept everyone interested. The match ended when Edge went up to the top rope, but Batista ran out and knocked him off. Orton got the pin soon after to retain the WWE Intercontinental Title.
--INTERMISSION--
Chris Jericho defeated Tyson Tomko in a Steel Cage Match
They didn't use the old school blue cage like they did at the Philadelphia, PA show on Saturday. The normal cage with the chain link fence was used instead. Lots of back and forth action between Jericho and Tomko. Tomko was very impressive and puts on a great match. One spot saw Tomko throw Jericho into the cage and it looked like it was going to break all most, making some in the front row a bit nervous. The finish saw both men balancing on the top rope exchanging punches when Jericho knocked Tomko off, allowing him to climb over the top and get the win.
As they took the Steel Cage down, The Coach reminded everyone about the merchandise available. Eugene hit the ring with William Regal behind. The Coach told Eugene that they weren't going to do this all over again and told him to leave. Eugene took the t-shirt gun and started shooting t-shirts into the crowd. The Coach continued to warn Eugene and got a t-shirt where the sun doesn't shine as a result. A big "EUGENE" chant soon followed. This gimmick is really over.
Shawn Michaels defeated Batista
A very good match with Michaels incredibly over. Got the biggest pop of the night by far. The match consisted of lots of power moves by Batista and slowed down a bit when Batista continued to apply a bear hug. That seemed like the submission of the night. Lots of near falls and HBK doing his usual routine. The match ended when HBK connected with a stiff Sweet Chin Music for the pin.
Rhyno defeated Steven Richards
Many people around me were wondering why this match came after HBK vs. Batista. It didn't last long as half way through, Richards went up to the top rope and missed a cross-body. He "injured" himself as the match was stopped. Boy, did they play this one off good right down to the infamous "X" sign by the referee to WWE officials hitting the ring to check on Richards. As they helped him up, Richards connected with a boot to the face on Rhyno knocking him off the ring apron. Rhyno fought back and connected with a Gore to get the pin. I was surprised to see how insanely over Rhyno was with the crowd.
Test vs. Matt Hardy went to a No Contest
I guess Test isn't dead after all. There was a section on the floor that had a big "TEST" sign and he played up to them a lot. Very entertaining to watch. Hardy, along with Lita, got a good reaction as well. This was a very good match and both work great together. Lots of near falls between both that got the crowd into it even more. Just as Test hit the Pump Handle Slam, Kane's music hit. He came down and looked to take out Hardy when Lita came in. Kane approached Lita, but got distracted when Chris Benoit's music hit. This lead to...
Chris Benoit defeated Kane to retain World Heavyweight Title
At first, I was a little worried about the Main Event for Bad Blood in a few weeks. It was very slow to start off and even a few boring chants could be heard. Things really picked up later and both guys worked great. Benoit hit a stinging chop to the chest on Kane that had everyone cringing in their seats. It was very, very loud upon impact. Lots of near falls that kept it very exciting. At one point, Benoit kept trying to lock on the Crossface but Kane would counter out of it each time. Benoit hit two headbutt's on Kane to keep him down, but he would kick out each time. The finish saw Benoit, after many attempts, lock on the Crossface and make Kane tap out. After the match, Benoit told the crowd to give Kane a hand. Benoit told Kane he has just joined a very exclusive club tonight...the YOU TAPPED OUT club. After Kane left, Benoit challenged The Coach to get in the ring. Benoit eventually gave him a Crossface to end the show.
MATCH OF THE NIGHT: Chris Benoit vs. Kane.
BIGGEST POPS:
1. Shawn Michaels
2. Chris Benoit
3. Rhyno (No, that is not a typo)
4. Chris Jericho
5. Eugene
BIGGEST HEAT:
1. La Resistance (Conway really pissed people off)
2. Batista
3. Kane
4. Steven Richards (After the faked injury)
5. Garrison Cade
2004 - WWE broadcast Sunday Night Heat. John Keane filed the following TV report:
Heat Report for 5/23/2004.
Matches taped on 5/17 in San Diego, California.
Your Announcers are Jonathan Coachman and Al Snow.
Pyros go, Coach and al welcome us in, we get straight to business.
1st Match: Rhyno vs. Steven Richards. Referee is Chad Patton.
Mixed response for Rhyno, mild heat for Steven. Bell rings, circling into the lockup, Rhyno slaps on an arm wringer, Steven dashes to the ropes, ref calls for the break. Rhyno backs off cleanly, Steven's attempt at the punk-out shove is TOTALLY fruitless, trash talk and a slap to the face inflicts mild annoyance, crowd pops nicely as Rhyno connects with a knockdown forearm shot to the jaw. Steven gets hoisted up and whipped to the ropes, Rhyno scores with a clothesline as he rebounds. Steven backs into corner, Rhyno whips him to opposite, Steven bounces into a back body drop, he's down clutching his back. Rhyno calls for the Gore, charges, Steven sidesteps, decides to hell with this and bails to the outside. Rhyno follows, chase is on at ringside, Steven re-enters, Rhyno immediately follows, Steven goes off ropes STRAIGHT into a massive shoulder block, Rhyno covers for 2. Steven again bails, Rhyno has less luck pursuing this time, Steven sends him face first into the ring steps via drop toe hold. Steven rolls in, ref begins counting Rhyno out, he manages to roll back in as 9 is reached. Steven engages in the time honored pursuit of kicking the man when he's down, Rhyno gets hauled up, Steven scores with the neckbreaker, gets 2. Rhyno again gets hauled to his feet, he throws a punch to the gut, Steven responds with a pair of kneelifts, suplex follows, Rhyno down for 2. Steven slaps on the rear chinlock, rather decent 'LET"S GO RHYNO' chant begins, he gets to his feet, forearms to the kidney break the hold, Steve takes a belly to belly throw, both men are down. Double countout is begun, Rhyno and Steven slowly get to their feet as the ref counts 9. Steven tries for a blind running clothesline, Rhyno ducks under and goes behind, tries to cinch in a waistlock, Steven throws a flurry of back elbows to the face, goes off ropes STRAIGHT into a powerslam, Rhyno takes too long to cover, just gets 2. Both men up, Steven gets whipped into corner, Rhyno charges into a boot to the face. He staggers, Steven connects with a boot to the gut, sets for the dreaded Stevie-T, Rhyno blocks it, Steven settles for a knee to the face and a series of forearms to the back. Rhyno retreats to ropes, Steven charges into a back elbow, his turn to stagger. Steven ducks under a haymaker, Rhyno quickly regroups and scores with a spinebuster, Steven down. Rhyno backs into a corner, crowd begs for the Gore, Steven staggers up, Rhyno charges, crowd gets it's wish, Al steals Paul E.'s 'GORE! GORE! GORE!', 1-2-3.
Winner: Rhyno.
We're informed later on Coach's best pal Garrison Cade will be taking on The Hurricane. Break.
Coach and Al return to recap Raw. Last Monday Coach laid a huge load of verbal smack on the goofy-but-lovable Eugene Dinsmore. He described him as a laughingstock that only had a job with WWE due to his uncle, Raw GM Eric Bischoff. He then told him he had no friends and invited him to leave the company. Eugene seemed ready to take the tainted advice, he walked up the ramp-only to find out he had at least one friend, the Most Electrifying Man in Sports and Entertainment, The Rock. Eugene and the People's Champ returned to the ring, Great One then proceeded to make Coach his bitch in his usual inimitable style. Rocky suggested that Eugene administer a butt kicking, Garrison C. attempted to intercede but was quickly dispatched, Coach ended up taking a Rock Bottom and a People's Elbow-latter was delivered (quite effectively) by young Mr. Dinsmore.
Coach promises that the next time Rocky turns up at Raw, he-and, of course, Garrison-will kick his butt. Keep dreaming pal. Break.
Sting of the Night: From last Monday, Kane was set to use a folding chair to injure Matt Hardy-until Lita ran down to the ring. Matt was saved when she simply told Kane 'Yes'. What the question was remains a mystery.
Back to the ring
2nd Match: Rob Conway & Sylvan Grenier (La Resistance Mk 3) vs. Aaron Aguilera & Chad Wicks (AKA Josh & Tommy Bubbacanouche). Referee is Chris Kay.
Aaron & Chad already in the ring, real good heat for La Res. Bell rings, Sylvan and Aaron start, we go straight to the lockup, Sylvan quickly goes from an armbar to a side headlock, Aaron slips free, Sylvan gets shot to ropes, Aaron goes down to a forearm to the face as he rebounds. He quickly rises, we go to circling, Aaron ducks under the lockup and cinches in a side headlock, Sylvan breaks the hold with an elbow to the ribs, Aaron goes off ropes, Sylvan leapfrogs as he rebounds, Aaron goes off opposite ropes, Sylvan again evades the charge with a blind leapfrog, one more time off the ropes goes Aaron, Sylvan's hiptoss attempt gets blocked, Aaron scores with same, Sylvan to canvas. He rises quickly, charges, Aaron scoops him up and slams him down. Ref checks on Sylvan, Rob comes in untagged, Aaron goes down to a pair of forearms to the back of the neck. Rob bails quickly, Chad enters to protest, ref sees him out as Sylvan lays in the boots. Aaron gets dragged to La Res corner, Rob gets the tag, Sylvan exits as his partner gets in a few more kicks. Aaron gets hauled up and shot top ropes, Rob lays him out with a back elbow on the rebound. On the canvas Aaron clutches the back of his head, Rob seizes the moment to hit Chad with a cheap forearm to the face, he drops to ringside. Hot-tempered Chad immediately charges in, ref holds him back as Sylvan joins his partner, Aaron gets whipped to ropes, La Res connect with a pair of boots to the gut, they follow up by shoving Aaron back first to the canvas. Sylvan out, Rob gets in a quick forearm to the back as the ref finally chases Chad out of the ring. Aaron again gets hauled to La Res corner, Sylvan gets the tag, Rob holds Aaron's arm behind his back as his partner scores with a front kick to the gut, Aaron flops to the canvas. Rob out, Sylvan lays in a choke at the ropes, ref calls for the break, Sylvan gets in a knee to the back of the neck before complying. Rob gets in another cheap shot as his partner yells at the ref, Aaron attempts to roll toward his corner, Sylvan cuts him off and hauls him up, straight forearm to the face sends him right back down. Sylvan connects with a knee to the back of the neck, Aaron gets hauled to a seated position, Sylvan applies a rear chinlock, Aaron slowly gets to his feet and elbows out, he reaches for the tag, no luck, Sylvan takes him down with a back suplex. Tag to Rob, Sylvan grabs Aaron's leg as his partner enters for a pair of boots to the face. Sylvan out, Rob sets for a snap suplex, Aaron blocks and tries to power him toward his corner. Rob switches to a side headlock and kicks Chad's hand away, Aaron counters with a back suplex, both men are down, They crawl to respective corners, Sylvan and Chad get the tags. Sylvan misses with a running clothesline, Chad takes him down with a standing dropkick. Sylvan quickly rises only to eat another dropkick, he hauls himself up at ropes, Chad connects with a forearm to the face, sets for the whip, Sylvan reverses, Chad to ropes, Sylvan goes down to a flying clothesline as he rebounds. Rob charges in untagged, Chad quickly lays him out with a reverse Atomic Drop/ clothesline combination. Rob rolls out, Sylvan scores with a kick to the gut and a sharp forearm to the face, Chad backs to ropes, Sylvan sets for the whip, Chad puts on the brakes, Sylvan goes down to a Northern Lights suplex (very nice & crisp), Chad bridges into a pinning predicament, Rob charges in, save is made via dropping of the double-axehandle. Match starts breaking down, Aaron enters untagged, Rob goes down to a high boot to the face. He pulls himself up at ropes, Aaron charges, Rob ducks under at the last second, Aaron gets dumped over the top to the outside. Chad immediately looks for revenge, Rob takes the boot to the gut, Chad sets for another suplex, not tonight, Sylvan's boot to the knee thwarts the attempt. Rob sets for a snap suplex-as Chad's body is brought parallel to the canvas Sylvan grabs his legs. Powerslam with a torque of the legs added for emphasis leaves Chad down and near out, Sylvan covers, 1-2-3.
Winners: Sylvan Grenier & Rob Conway.
Flags of Quebec are waved as we go to break.
Coach and Al return for more Raw recap. Last Monday's Main Event was a Battle Royal-winner would be granted a spot at next month's Bad Blood PPV, challenging Chris Benoit for the World Championship. Closing moments saw HHH and Kane (who was down due to a low blow) the last men remaining. Hunter had his title hopes dashed when the currently suspended Shawn Michaels ran in and clotheslined him over the top. As of now, Kane is the #1 contender.
Coach and Al reckon HHH may not be in the best of moods tomorrow night. Break.
Slam of the Week: From last Monday, Chris B. & Edge defeat Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton & Batista to retain their World Tag Team Championships.
Main Event
3rd Match: The Hurricane vs. Garrison Cade. Referee is Jack Doan.
Crowd loves the Superhero and DESPISE Coach's boy. Bell rings, stalling to start, on to the lockup, Garrison goes behind, Hurricane gets shoved toward a corner, he puts on the brakes before hitting turnbuckles. Back to circling, Hurricane ducks under the lockup, rollup takes Garrison down for a very quick 2. Both men up, Hurricane cinches in the side headlock, Garrison wriggles free, Hurricane gets shot to ropes, Garrison connects with a very tentative-looking shoulder as he rebounds. Trash talk ensues, Hurricane strikes a pose then fires off the Thumb to the Eye of Utter Righteousness. Garrison staggers toward corner, Hurricane grabs his arm and repeatedly wrenches the shoulder, armdrag takes Garrison down, Hurricane adds emphasis by dropping the leg on the outstretched arm. Hurricane goes back to the armbar, Garrison quickly gets to his feet, Hurricane gets tossed through the ropes to land on his feet at ringside. Garrison milks the hideously mistreated arm for all it's worth, Hurricane calmly re-enters behind his back, Garrison turns to face, Hurricane lashes out with a lightning-quick pair of armdrag takedowns. Garrison gets hauled up at ropes, Hurricane sets for the whip, Garrison reverses, Hurricane somersaults under a running clothesline as he rebounds, Garrison to ropes, Hurricane charges, Garrison backdrops him to the outside. Garrison takes a quick breather before following, Hurricane is unceremoniously rolled in, Garrison's right behind him, Hurricane takes a back suplex that leaves him flailing on the canvas. Garrison goes for the mildly arrogant cover, Hurricane kicks out at 2. Both men up, Garrison applies an abdominal stretch, Hurricane connects with a trio of elbows to the knee, hold is broken, Garrison takes another armdrag. Both men up, Hurricane fires off forearms to the face, Garrison responds with a kneelift, Hurricane doubled over, Garrison sets for the whip, Hurricane to corner, Garrison charges into an uppercut, he drops to the canvas. Hurricane ascends 2nd turnbuckle, Garrison staggers up, flying neckbreaker sends him right back down. Both men up slowly, Hurricane fires off a flurry of punches, Garrison again breaks out the high knee, both men retreat to opposite sides of the ring. Hurricane connects with a pair of leaping clotheslines, Garrison rises and backs to the ropes, Hurricane sets for a whip, Garrison reverses, Hurricane to ropes, Garrison sets for the backdrop, Hurricane counters with a nice looking flying DDT, Garrison down for 2. Hurricane goes up top, Garrison springs up, shaking of the ropes sends Hurricane plummeting to the canvas. He rises on rubber legs, Garrison goes off ropes, running clothesline kills Hurricane deader'n a Saturday night in Passaic N.J. Garrison hauls the lifeless body to the center of the ring, goes up top, flies, Unique Elbowdrop (credit to Alex. O.) gets the academic 1-2-3.
Winner: Garrison Cade.
Coach praises his pal, he and Al quickly plug Raw, end of show.
Short form match results (all victories by pinfall):
1. Rhyno defeated Steven Richards.
2. Sylvan Grenier & Rob Conway defeated Chad Wicks & Aaron Aguilera.
3. Garrison Cade defeated The Hurricane.
Not a bad show. Damn sight better than that mess Thursday night has been delivering. Isn't it sad when the only show WWE has on broadcast TV is it's weakest? Right now I'd go with Raw as #1 (obvious), Velocity and Heat battling it out for #2 and Smackdown at a rather distant 4. Enough about that other brand, thanks for reading, please send any feedback to john.f.keane@worldnet.att.net.
2005 - PWInsider.com broke word that former Major League Wrestling owner and booker Court Bauer had joined the WWE Creative Team.
2005 - Ringside Collectibles released a limited edition DVD shoot interview with former WWF champion The Ultimate Warrior. Signed and numbered, the DVD goes on to become one of the rarest DVDs ever released.
