May 10th

On this day in history in ....

1946 - Buddy Rogers defeats Lou Thesz in Houston, Texas to win the NWA Texas Heavyweight Title for the fourth time, ending Thesz' reign only one week after he had won the belt from Rogers.

1963 - The WWWF ran New Haven, CT, headlined by Bruno Sammartino defeating the Shadow.

1963 - The WWWF ran Washington D.C. at the Coliseum with the following results:
-Arnold Skaaland defeated Gordo Chihuahua.
-The Great Scott defeated Willie Bath.
-Pat Barrett defeated Boris Malenko.
-Brute Bernard & Skull Murphy defeated Pedro Morales & Miguel Perez.
-Argentine Apollo & Dory Dixon defeated the Fabulous Kangaroos.
-Bruno Sammartino & Johnny Barend defeated the Magnificent Maurice & the Shadow.
-Bobo Brazil defeated WWWF World Champion Buddy Rogers via disqualification.

1965 - The WWWF ran Washington, D.C at the Coliseum, headlined by WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Haystacks Calhoun defeated Jerry Graham & the Golden Terror.

1967 - The WWWF ran Toms River, NJ headlined by WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Spiros Arion defeating Luke Graham & Baron Mikel Scicluna.

1968 - Steve Regal, professionally known as William Regal in WWE, was born in Codsall Wood, Staffordshire, England

1968 - The Big O (Johnny Valentine under a mask) defeats Mr. Wrestling in Atlanta, Georgia to win the NWA Georgia Heavyweight Title.

1968 - The Sicialians, Lou Albano & Tony Altimore defeated WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino & Battman Tony Marino in the main event of a WWWF event in Johnstown, PA.

1969 - The WWWF ran two live events with the following results:

Jersey City, NJ:
-John L Sullivan defeated Duke Savage.
-Prof. Toru Tanaka & Bulldog Brower defeated Carlos Colon & Pete Sanchez.
-The Fabulous Moolah & Toni Rose defeated Betty Boucher & Vivian Vachon.
-Sky Low Low & Little Brutus defeated Cowboy Bradley & Joey Russell.
-Haystacks Calhoun & Victor Rivera defeated Guillotine Gordon & Luke Graham.

McKeesport, PA:
-Frank Holtz defeated Ron Romano.
-Jim Dorsey defeated Terry Yorkston.
-Andy Martin defeated Bill Terry.
-Dominic DeNucci defeated Baron Mikel Scicluna.
-WWWF World Champion Bruno Sammartino fought Killer Kowalski to a no contest

1974 - The WWWF ran Harrisburg, PA at the Zembo Mosque featuring the following results:
-Johnny Rodz pinned Les Morgan at 14:44.
-Jose Gonzales pinned Frank Valois at 9:14.
-Larry Zbyszko pinned Luis Torres at 17:29.
-Andre the Giant & Chief Jay Strongbow defeated Mr. Fuji (substituting for Otto Von Heller who sustained a broken leg earlier in the week) & Nikolai Volkoff in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match, 2-0; fall #1 - Andre & Strongbow won via disqualification after Fuji threw salt; fall #2 - Andre pinned Fuji with a flying body press at 6:41.

1976 - The WWWF ran Uniondale, NY at the Nassau Coliseum with the following results:
-Mark Tendler defeated Tony Altimore at 10:05.
-Skandor Akbar defeated Johnny Rivera at 9:35.
-Jose Gonzalez fought Rocky Tomayo to a 20-minute draw.
-Superstar Billy Graham defeated Gorilla Monsoon at 12:20.
-Ernie Ladd & Ivan Koloff defeated Pat Barrett & Haystacks Calhoun at 13:14.
-Susan Green & Vivian St. John defeated Kitty Adams & Paula Kaye.

1977 - WWWF champion Superstar Graham defeated Tony Garea in the main event of a Portland, Maine event at the Exposition Building. Tony Altimore was the special guest referee.

1980 - Rick Steamboat & Jay Youngblood defeat Ray Stevens & Greg Valentine for the NWA World Tag Team Title in Greensboro, North Carolina, starting their second title reign.

1980 - The WWF ran events in two major markets, Boston and Philadelphia, one the same night, featuring the following results:

Boston, MA at the Boston Garden:
-Pete Doherty defeated Fred Marzino.
-Moose Duggan defeated Steve King.
-Johnny Rodz defeated Angelo Gomez.
-Baron Mikel Scicluna defeated Frankie Williams.
-Tor Kamata defeated Rene Goulet.
-WWF Tag Team Champions the Wild Samoans defeated Pat Patterson & Gorilla Monsoon.
-Bruno Sammartino defeated Larry Zbyszko via count-out when Zbyszko refused to return to the ring.

Philadelphia, PA at The Spectrum, drawing 8,475 fans for an event broadcast on the PRISM Network:
-Davey O'Hannon defeated Manuel Soto at 13:22.
-Dominic DeNucci defeated Jose Estrada at 10:21.
-Rick McGraw pinned Mark Pole with a side Russian leg sweep at 4:32 in McGraw's Spectrum debut.
-Bobby Duncum defeated Tony Atlas via count-out at 12:41.
-El Olympico pinned Joe Mascaro with a small package at 7:18; for whatever reason, Mascaro was introduced as Frank Savage and was referred to as such by the commentary team.
-WWF World Champion Bob Backlund (with Arnold Skaaland) defeated Hulk Hogan via count-out at 17:48; after the bout, the champion was interviewed by Dick Graham & Kal Rudman at ringside.
-Larry Sharpe pinned Mike Masters with a piledriver at 8:16.
-WWF Intercontinental champion Ken Patera defeated Ivan Putski via count-out at 10:51.

1981 - Verne Gagne announced he was retiring as AWA World Heavyweight Champion. Verne vacated the title (it was his 9th or 10th reign, depending on what records you use), and it would later be awarded to number-one contender Nick Bockwinkel, who Gagne had defeated for the belt on July 18, 1980.

1981 - WWF champion Bob Backlund defeated George Steele in the main event of a Manchester, NH event at the JFK Coliseum.

1983 - Eddie Gilbert sustained major injuries, including a broken neck, in a car accident traveling from a WWF television taping in Allentown, PA.

1983 - Roddy Piper fought NWA World Champion Ric Flair to a draw in a Best 2 out of 3 falls match; fall #3: the 60-minute time-limit expired in Portland, Oregon.

1983 - Bugsy McGraw defeated NWA U.S. Champion Greg Valentine via count-out in Columbia, SC.

1984 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran Norfolk, VA with the following results:
-Keith Larson defeated Gary Royal.
-Jesse Barr defeated Kurt Von Hess.
-Mark Fleming defeated Jeff Sword.
-Mark Youngblood defeated Mid Atlantic TV Champion Tully Blanchard.
-NWA U.S. Champion Dick Slater defeated Jimmy Valiant.
-Rufus R. Jones defeated Ernie Ladd.
-Dusty Rhodes defeated Adrian Street.

1984 - Jim Crockett Promotions also ran Sumter, SC:
-Johnny Weaver defeated Doug Vines.
-Vinnie Valentino defeated Bobby Bass via disqualification.
-Brian Adidas defeated Bobby Bass.
-Pez Whatley defeated Bob Orton Jr.
-NWA World Tag Team Champions Ivan Koloff & Don Kernodle defeated Angelo Mosca Sr. & Jr.

1985 - WWF ran Buffalo, NY with the following results:
-Akira Maeda fought Terry Daniels to a draw.
-Greg Valentine defeated Salvatore Bellomo.
-Jimmy Snuka defeated Mr. Fuji.
-Roddy Piper, David Schultz, & Paul Orndorff defeated Rocky Johnson, Tony Atlas, & SD Jones.-The Iron Sheik defeated Sgt. Slaughter via disqualification.

1985 - The very first WWF Saturday Night's Main Event was taped at the Nassau Coliseum in Uniondale, New York. The matches would be shown the next night on NBC in the spot usually occupied by Saturday Night Live, earning an 8.8 rating.
Here are the matches that aired on the show:
- Barry Windham, Mike Rotundo & Ricky Steamboat defeated The Iron Sheik, Nikolai Volkoff & George "The Animal" Steele when Windham pinned Steele. After the match, Sheik and Volkoff turned on Steele, leading to a face turn for the "Animal" who was befriended by Captain Lou Albano.
- WWF World Heavyweight Champion Hulk Hogan defeated Cowboy Bob Orton via DQ when Roddy Piper interfered.
- WWF Women's Champion Wendi Richter defeated The Fabulous Moolah with a small package.
- Junkyard Dog defeated Pete Dougherty with a powerslam.
- Also on the show was an edition of Piper's Pit where Roddy Piper blamed Paul Orndorff for the Wrestlemania I loss, leading to Piper and Orton beating down Orndorff and Mr. T making the save. They also filmed a "Mother's Day Party" backstage, hosted by Cyndi Lauper in one of her last WWF appearances.

The following matches were not shown on the special:
- Moondog Spot defeated Steve Lombardi.
- Jose Luis Rivera defeated Charlie Fulton.
- Big John Studd defeated Tony Garea.
- Les Thornton defeated Rick McGraw.
- Salvatore Bellono defeated Johnny Rodz.

1986 - Jim Crockett Promotions ran The Charlotte Coliseum, headlined by NWA World Tag Team Champions Bobby Eaton & Dennis Condrey defeated Dusty Rhodes & NWA U.S. Champion Magnum TA via disqualification.

1986 - The WWF drew 14,197 fans to the Spectrum in Philadelphia, PA, headlined by Hulk Hogan and Paul Orndorff defeating King Kong Bundy and Don Muraco. Underneath, WWF Intercontinental champion Randy Savage was disqualified in his title defense against Tito Santana after Savage punched the referee. It was announced that Savage would be banned from Philadelphia until he agreed to give Santana a No DQ match. Other results from the show features:
-Jim Brunzell pinned Tiger Chung Lee.
-King Tonga fought Hercules to a double count-out.
-Greg Valentine pinned WWF Tag Team Champion Davey Boy Smith.
-WWF Tag Team Champion the Dynamite Kid pinned Brutus Beefcake.

1987 - WWF ran Kansas City, MO at The Kemper Arena, drawing 2,400 fans with the following results:
-Ron Bass defeated Brad Reingans.
-Outback Jack defeated Frenchy Martin.
-Demolition defeated the Islanders.
-Sam Houston defeated Sika.
-Jim Duggan defeated the Iron Sheik.
-WWF Tag Team Champions The Hart Foundation defeated The British Bulldogs when Jim Neidhart pinned Davey Boy Smith.
-WWF Intercontinental champion Ricky Steamboat defeated Randy Savage in a steel cage match.

1989 - The NWA taped TV at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA, headlined by The Midnight Express defeating Butch Reed and The Raider in a Quarter-Final Match in a tournament for the vacant NWA World Tag Team championship.

1990 - NWA ran Hobbs, New Mexico, drawing 987 at the High School:
-Brad Anderson fought Manuel Villalobos to a draw.
-Tommy Rich pinned Dutch Mantel.
-Mark Callous pinned the Cajun Predator with the heart punch.
-Norman The Lunatic pinned Cactus Jack.
-The Rock N' Roll Express defeated Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin

1990 - NWA ran Rochester, NY at The Dome Arena, drawing 500 fans with the following:
-NWA U.S. Tag Team Champion Brian Pillman (subbing for Abdullah the Butcher) pinned the Cuban Assassin
-Bobby Eaton & Stan Lane defeated Johnny Ace & Jonnie Stewart
-Mike Rotunda defeated Bam Bam Bigelow via disqualification when Sir Oliver Humperdink tripped Rotunda as he ran the ropes
-NWA World Tag Team Champions Rick & Scott Steiner defeated Doom
-NWA U.S. Tag Team Champions Brian Pillman & Tom Zenk defeated the Samoan Savage & Samu when Zenk pinned Samu.

1990 - WWF ran Green Bay, Wisconsin with the following results:
-Akeem defeated Jimmy Snuka.
-Brutus Beefcake defeated the Genius.
-Dino Bravo pinned the Red Rooster.
-The Bushwhackers fought Greg Valentine & the Honky Tonk Man to a double disqualification.
-WWF World Champion the Ultimate Warrior defeated Mr. Perfect.
-Brutus Beefcake won a 12-man battle royal.

1991 - WCW ran Cincinnati, OH with the following results:
-Bobby Eaton defeated Terrance Taylor.
-Dustin Rhodes defeated the Angel of Death.
-Brad Armstrong & Ron Cumberledge defeated Rip Morgan & Jack Victory.
-Big Josh & Sam Houston defeated Mike Graham (substituted for Jimmy Garvin) & Michael Hayes.
-WCW World Tag Team Champion Rick Steiner defeated Dan Spivey.
-WCW World Tag Team Champion Scott Steiner defeated WCW World Champion Ric Flair via disqualification.

1992 - WWF champion Randy Savage defeated Ric Flair in the main event of a WWF event in Sioux City, Iowa.

1992 - WCW ran The Omni in Atlanta, GA drawing 1,100 with the following results:
-Michael Hayes & Jimmy Garvin defeated Tracy Smothers & Richard Morton.
-Van Hammer pinned JT Southern at the 35-second mark.
-WCW U.S. Tag Team Champion Greg Valentine fought WCW Light Heavyweight Champion Brian Pillman to a 10-minute time-limit draw in a non-title match.
-WCW U.S. Champion Rick Rude pinned Ricky Steamboat at the 20-minute mark in a No DQ match after hitting Steamboat with the timekeeper's bell, after interference from Paul E. Dangerously and Madusa.
-Ron Simmons & the Junkyard Dog fought Cactus Jack & Abdullah the Butcher to a double disqualification
-Johnny B. Badd pinned Scotty Flamingo.
-Nikita Koloff (with WCW World Champion Sting, who he substituted for) pinned Big Van Vader.
-WCW World TV Champion Barry Windham, Dustin Rhodes, & the Great Muta defeated Steve Austin, Arn Anderson, & Bobby Eaton when Muta pinned Eaton with the moonsault.

1992 - WWF ran West Palm Beach, Florida at The Auditorium with the following results:
-The Genius pinned Jim Brunzell.
-Jim Duggan defeated Repo Man via disqualification.
-The Nasty Boys defeated Owen Hart & Jim Powers when Brian Knobbs pinned Powers.
-The Ultimate Warrior defeated Papa Shango.
-Rick Martel defeated El Matador.
-WWF Intercontinental Champion Bret Hart defeated Shawn Michaels.
-The Legion of Doom defeated the Beverly Brothers when Road Warrior Animal pinned Blake.

1995 - WCW taped WCW Saturday Night at Center Stage in Atlanta, GA with the following results:
-Alex Wright defeated Big Bubba via disqualification.
-The Renegade defeated an unknown.
-Vader defeated Mark Thorne.
-The Nasty Boys defeated Sonny Trout & Rick Thames.
-WCW U.S. Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Sting defeated Paul Orndorff via submission with the Scorpion Deathlock.
-Diamond Dallas Page defeated Eddie Jackie.
-Sgt. Craig Pittman defeated Rob Thompson.
-WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson pinned Tim Horner at 2:54 with the DDT as Horner ducked a punch; after the bout, Gene Okerlund interviewed Anderson about his win at Slamboree and the upcoming Slim Jim Challenge which would determine his challenger at Bash at the Beach.
-WCW U.S. Championship Tournament Quarter-Finals: Ric Flair (with WCW World TV Champion Arn Anderson) defeated Alex Wright via disqualification at 9:53 when Randy Savage ran in the ring, threw Wright to the floor, and assaulted Flair; moments later, Doug Dillinger and several preliminary wrestlers pulled Savage off Flair, who was helped backstage by Anderson; moments later, Savage told Wright he would have his moments in the sun but Flair would have to pay for what he did to his father, with Wright saying he understood and he had no problem with Savage; Savage then cut a promo on facing Flair the following week in the semi-finals.

1996 - Extreme Championship Wrestling ran Reading, PA at Bodyslammer's Gym, drawing 375:
-Buh Buh Ray & D-Von Dudley defeated JT Smith & Little Guido.
-Sabu defeated Damien 666.
-Taz defeated Axl Rotten.
-ECW World Champion Raven defeated Hack Myers.
-ECW TV Champion 2 Cold Scorpio pinned New Jack.
-Chris Jericho pinned Mikey Whipwreck.
-Rob Van Dam pinned Shane Douglas.
-Brian Lee pinned Tommy Dreamer.

1996 - WWF held the Quarter Final round of their Kuwaiti Cup tournament in Kuwaiti City, featuring The Undertaker defeating Davey Boy Smith, Owen Hart pinning Bret Hart and Ahmed Johnson defeating Steve Austin.

1996 - WWF ran Hamilton, Ontario at Copps Coliseum, drawing 11,515 fans with the following results:
-Justin Bradshaw pinned Barry Horowitz.
-Bob Holly pinned Sexton Hardcastle (Edge).
-The Smoking Gunns defeated Samu & the Tahitian Warrior.
-Marc Mero pinned the Brooklyn Brawler.
-Jerry Lawler pinned Razor Ramon after using an illegal object; Mr. Perfect was the guest referee.
-WWF Tag Team Champions Skip & Zip defeated Henry & Phinneas Godwinn.
-Mankind defeated Jake Roberts with the Mandible Claw.
-The Ultimate Warrior pinned Vader.

1997 - ECW ran at the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the first event held in ECW's home base following the Barely Legal Pay-per-view. Here are the results of the event, nicknamed "Chapter 2":
- Shane Douglas & Bam Bam Bigelow defeated The Pitbulls when Douglas pushed back into a pinning position as Pitbull I was applying a full nelson. During the match, Rick Rude came out and carried Francine to the back.
- Axl Rotten defeated Chris Chetti.
- The FBI (Little Guido & Tracy Smothers) defeated Spike Dudley & Balls Mahoney (subbing for an injured Mikey Whipwreck).
- ECW World Tag Team Champions The Eliminators defeated PG-13 with Total Elimination.
- Tommy Dreamer defeated Louie Spicolli with a DDT. After the match, Spicolli attacked Dreamer and gave Beulah a Death Valley Driver.
- Big Dick & D-Von Dudley defeated The Gangstas. Bubba Ray Dudley, his foot in a cast, helped the Dudleys win.
- Taz & Chris Candido defeated Sabu & Rob Van Dam when Candido pinned Van Dam with a German suplex after Sabu accidentally hit him with a chair.
- ECW World Champion Terry Funk defeated Raven, The Sandman, and Stevie Richards in a Four Way Dance.

1997 - WWF ran Scranton, PA at the CYC, drawing 2,961 fans with the following results:
-Farooq pinned Aldo Montoya.
-Rockabilly defeated Jesse Jammes.
-Flash Funk defeated Leif Cassidy.
-Mankind defeated Phinneas Godwinn.
-Blackjack Windham & Blackjack Bradshaw defeated Doug Furnas & Phil LaFon.
-Rocky Maivia defeated Savio Vega.
-Hunter Hearst Helmsley defeated Goldust.
-WWF World Champion the Undertaker, Steve Austin, & Ahmed Johnson defeated WWF Intercontinental Champion Owen Hart, Brian Pillman, & WWF European Champion Davey Boy Smith.

1998 - WWF ran South Bend, Indiana at the Joyce Center, drawing 8,141 fans:
-Skull & 8-Ball defeated Savio Vega & Jesus Castillo.
-Bradshaw defeated Barry Windham.
-Terry Funk defeated Marc Mero.
-The Undertaker defeated Kane via disqualification.
-Jeff Jarrett defeated Chainz.
-WWF Intercontinental Champion the Rock & Owen Hart defeated Steve Blackman & Farooq.
-Vader defeated Jacques Rougeau.
-WWF Tag Team Champions the Road Dogg & Billy Gunn defeated the Legion of Doom.
-WWF World Champion Steve Austin defeated WWF European Champion Triple H.

1999 - Debra defeated Sable for the WWF Women's Title in a very unusual manner during a Raw broadcast from Orlando, Florida. Nicole Bass subbed for Sable in an evening gown match in Orlando, Florida, and easily ripped off Debra's gown to get the victory. However, then-WWF Commissioner Shawn Michaels came to the ring and said that, in his opinion, the winner of the evening gown match should be the woman who loses her clothing first, so he gave the win, and the title, to Debra. The main event of the broadcast saw WWF champion Steve Austin, the Rock, & Vince McMahon defeated The Undertaker, Triple H & Shane McMahon at 4:38 when Austin pinned Shane with the Stone Cold Stunner. Moments earlier, Austin hit the Stunner on Shane and a dazed Vince made the cover, only for Austin to pull him off and hit a second Stunner on Shane before making the cover himself; Shawn Michaels was the guest referee for the bout.

2001 - Vince McMahon officially announces the end of the XFL. Although Vince had been telling potential advertisers that he was speaking with the WB about airing XFL, and that UPN was in the running to carry games, it was obvious he had been posturing. Variety reported that a WB spokesman said, "The WB is not interested in getting the rights to the XFL and neither are any of our affiliates." McMahon, even with his posturing, admitted that if they didn't get a weekly timeslot for the league to replace NBC (which had pulled out at the conclusion of the first season), they would have to shut it down, and it came to pass. Here's the press release marking the biggest financial failure ever for Vince McMahon:

Thursday May 10, 6:12 pm Eastern Time
Press Release

World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. WWF Entertainment and NBC to Discontinue XFL

STAMFORD, Conn.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--May 10, 2001--World Wrestling Federation Entertainment, Inc. (NYSE:WWF) in conjunction with its joint venture partner, NBC, today announced that it will discontinue its professional football league, the XFL.

The decision was made after determining that the additional investment required to further develop the XFL was not commensurate with the potential return and the risk inherent in pursuing the venture.

``While we believe that it is an extraordinary accomplishment to have created a new professional football league in what amounts to less than a year's time, we feel that it is in the best interests of our shareholders and our partners to discontinue the XFL,'' said Vince McMahon, WWFE Chairman. ``I would personally like to thank the employees of the XFL and WWFE, the XFL fans, our partner NBC and especially Dick Ebersol and his team for their perseverance, support and enthusiasm that did not waiver throughout the season. We are all proud of the creative innovations that we introduced in the production of the game as well as in the rule changes that were implemented to increase the excitement and enjoyment of the game and provide a fan-friendly brand of football.''

Dick Ebersol, Chairman, NBC Sports and Olympics, commented, ``Launching a new football league in such a short period of time was a daunting and exciting challenge, but we gave it our best shot in what clearly is a difficult and challenging sports marketplace. I especially want to salute our partners at the WWF, the fans, players and coaches who created a fun and entertaining XFL in-stadium experience.''

WWFE will report the operations and related costs of discontinuance of the XFL as discontinued operations in its fourth quarter results for the period ended April 30, 2001. The company anticipates that its share of the after-tax cash losses will be approximately $35 million.

2002 - Keiji Mutoh met with The Rock to discuss wrestling each other as The Rock is in Japan to promote "The Scorpion King" feature film. As the story goes, Mutoh was attempting to open the lines of communication between All Japan Pro Wrestling and WWE. Nothing ever came of the meeting. The two did a staredown at The WWE's Yokohama, Japan event a few months prior when Mutoh was doing commentary for one of the TV stations that televised highlights of the Japanese stop of the tour.

2002 - Combat Zone Wrestling held their "Decade of Defiance', celebrating ten years of wrestling in the now-defunct ECW Arena. Mike Johnson filed the following live report:

Combat Zone Wrestling returned to the ECW Arena in Philadelphia, PA on Saturday 5/10 for "Decade of Defiance" which was a celebration of 10 years of wrestling at the venue.

The show opened with CZW owner John Zandig coming out to welcome fans to the show, saying that he had invited Tod Gordon and Paul Heyman to appear at the show. Zandig noted that Gordon didn't want to show "so he didn't care" and that Heyman didn't return his calls "so he doesn't give a f*ck about this place anymore." Zandig said that he called Tommy Dreamer to make an appearance but Dreamer was unable to due to WWE commitments but was honored he was asked. It should be noted the promotion didn't invite anyone to attend the show until the last week prior.

Zandig then introduced a video which he said would only be played at the show to commemorate the history of the building, which was clips of ECW and CZW matches set to different songs including the ECW theme, U2's "The Streets Have No Name" and White Zombie's "Thunderkiss 65." Whoever edited this thing together deserves one hell of a raise. Really an awesome video and as good as anything WWE puts out. Zandig then held a 10 bell count in memory of those who performed in the building but had passed away.

*In a Tag Team elimination bout, Z-Barr & Dereck Frazier defeated the teams of Jude & Niles Young, Jon Dahmer & Cory Kastle and The Ring Crew Express (Marcos and Dunn of ROH) and Hurricane Kid. Hurricane was accompanied by Rick Feinberg, who did a Sandman parody. Z-Barr looked real good here and has a ton of charisma. If he continues to work as hard as he did here, he'll be a top heel in the area in a year or two.

*GQ pinned Nick Berk after hitting him with a foreign object. At one point, he threw salt in Berk's face right in full view of the referee. Huh?

*Deranged defeated The Grimm Reefer and Smoked Out in a Three-Way Dance. Smoked is a trainee from the old LIWF Doghouse in NYC, which is where Reefer originated as well. Reefer pinned Smoked with a neckbreaker to eliminate him. Deranged pinned Reefer. OK, especially once Smoked was eliminated.

*Adam Flash and Ian Knoxx defeated Rockin' Rebel and Greg Matthews (Tough Enough 1). Rebel was whipping Flash with a belt when John Zandig took it and whipped him with it. Flash rolled him up for the pin. Rebel challenged Zandig to a strap match on 6/14. That was a match that was scheduled for their Best of the Best 3 event last month at one point.

*Homicide forced Trent Acid to tap out with an STF variation. They worked a 15 minute draw and Homicide asked for 5 more minutes. Acid agreed. Acid shook Homicide's hand afterwards but attacked him. He and B-Boy worked over Homicide. Mafia (Danny Maff in ROH) hit the ring and ran them off. Fans chanted for Mafia loudly, so they knew who he was. Both sides vowed it wasn't over. This was far and beyond the best match of the night and the most heated. Acid came out dressed mocking Homicide before the bout and declaring that he, not Homicide was the best Junior Heavyweight champion, as they have both held the Big Japan Junior championship. Considering that Acid was doing moonsaults off the bleachers to entertain other fans as a teenager during ECW shows years ago, it's pretty nice to see him have one of the best matches of his career on the venue's anniversary.

*CZW Iron Man champion Nick Mondo pinned Johnny Kashmere. Kashmere did some funny mic work before the match noting that fans had been throwing change at him. When the rainfall of coins began, he opened up an umbrella saying they had to get up early to get one over on him. Mondo won the bout when he hit his finisher the Mondo Driver on Kashmere's manager Dewey Donovan off the top through a table that Kashmere was laid out across. Mondo vowed to go into the "Tournament of Death" (see notes) as champion. Good match.

*CZW Junior Heavyweight champion Ruckus pinned Chris Cash. Ruckus is a heavy African American worker who is built like a tank and flys like a hang glider. At one point they brawled to the upper stage. Cash was going to hit Ruckus with a move off the upper stage through a table but GQ interfered and ended up taking the ride down. When they brawled back to the ring, GQ interfered again and knocked Cash off the ropes and put a chair in front of his face while he was prone in the corner. Ruckus hit a variation on Rob Van Dam's Van Terminator, only he flipped forward into the kick rather than a jump from one corner to the other. Awesome spot. Ruckus hit a handspring into a 450 splash for the win. Ruckus took his game up a big notch.

*B-Boy pinned Tony Mamaluke with a shining wizard. Flat match and probably a little too long. Mamaluke came out showing off an ECW sweater. Mamaluke received an "ECW" chant when he left the ring.

*Ric Blade defeated Sonjay Dutt in a Ladder Match to become the top contender to the CZW Junior Heavyweight championship. They used three ladders in the bout, where the object was to capture the contract for a championship bout.

*CZW champion The Messiah pinned Nate Hatred in a Fans Bring The Weapons Match. Some of the weapons including thumbtacks, a shopping cart, a street sign, plastic bats with tacks, and more. After Messiah took a bump into tacks, Hatred poured rubbing alcohol over his back and ran a mop soaked in it over him. Hatred's partner Nick Gage hit the ring and laid him out with a chair. He then laid out Messiah with it. Messiah fell on Hatred and the referee counted three. Gage hit Hatred with the facewash as Messiah's running mates the Backseat Boyz and B-Boy pulled him out of the ring. Lots of sick moments with a flat finish. Gage came out with a brace on his leg. Not sure when or how he injured himself. All three brawled, setting up Messiah vs. Gage vs. Hatred for 6/14.

Notes: Crowd was about 350 fans....Before the show, they were playing video packages on Eddie Gilbert, Sabu, and Terry Funk using ECW footage....There is no plan to sell anything involving the ECW footage shown at the show. It was done as something special just for those in attendance....They sold a T-shirt with a replica of the building's sign on the front with CZW's logo in yellow over the white ECW one and "Ultraviolent" replacing the word "Extreme" also on the shirt....The promotion announced three dates for Dover, Delaware at Racks on 6/28, 7/26, and 8/23. the July date will be their second annual "Tournament of Death." The promotion returns to Philadelphia on 6/14....For more on CZW, visit www.CZWWrestling.com.

2003 - WWE Raw ran Newark, Delaware at the Bob Carpenter Center. Danny C filed the following live report:
Raw Brand from Newark, Delaware, Bob Carpenter Center
May 10th

Hurricane and Maven defeated Chief Morley (yes still called Chief even after getting fired) and Lance Storm.

Christian defeated Tommy Dreamer.

Jazz defeated Trish Stratus and Victoria in a triple threat match.

The Dudleys (Bubba, D-Von and Spike) defeated 3 Minute Warning and Rico in a 6-man tag table match with the 3-D. Nice moment came when Bubba went into the crowd and hugged a handicapped child in a wheel chair.

Intermission

Kane defeated Rodney Mack with the Playa Teddy Long. At first Chris Nowinski came out and said that he though Long and Mack were the "shiznat", he then proceeded to say he would take care of this "white boy". Kane destroyed the Harvard Grad and then turned his attention to Mack.

The French guys defeated Scott Steiner and Test. Did the "Stacey gets knocked off the ring into Steiner's awaiting arms" bit, led to Test getting double teamed and pinned. Steiner cleared house afterwards, and actually remembered he was in Newark when he got on the mic for his "freak speech".

Chris Jericho had his "highlight reel" which had 2 folding chairs as his set. Hurricane was his guest, who proceeded to have a 5 second match with a chokeslam and pin on Jericho. Jericho called him back to the ring asking for 5 more minutes. When Hurricane ran back to the ring, Jericho quickly added "tomorrow" and left.

In a the main event, which should have been in the middle so I could use the bathroom during it, was HHH vs. Kevin Nash for the World title. We should have known we were in trouble when the first thing they did was redo the whole "aisle brawl" before the match started, you could hear a pin drop. Nash was on his back the whole match. End came when Nash hit an exposed turnbuckle and HHH pinned him. Nash got up and powerbombed HHH to end the show. Worst match of the night.

Arena was about 3/4 full and the crowd was live for all the matches except the World title match. They just sucked the life out of the crowd. Also I know heels like HHH are supposed to stop the "babyface", but he just about buried Nash. In the first place, Nash got a very little response coming out, now you would think that HHH would do everything possible to get the crowd going for what is to be a main event match at the pay-per-view. But no, whenever Nash was down and the crowd started clapping, HHH stopped Nash, killing the crowd and making most people head for the doors.

Biggest Pop was easily for Hurricane.

Most Heat was for Jericho.

HHH + Nash= "lets beat the traffic".

2003
- WWE Smackdown ran Belfast, Ireland at The Odyssey Arena with the following results:


-WWE Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy defeated Rey Mysterio Jr. and Jamie Noble by pinning Noble with the Twist of Fate after Shannon Moore interfered.
-Chris Benoit defeated John Cena via submission with the Crippler Crossface after avoiding the FU.
-Sean O’Haire pinned Brian Kendrick with the Widowmaker.
-Torrie Wilson pinned Nidia with a DDT; Sable was the guest ring announcer for the bout.
-WWE World Champion Brock Lesnar pinned the Big Show with the F5 after avoiding the chokeslam.
-WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas defeated Eddie & Chavo Guerrero Jr. when Eddie was pinned following a superkick from Benjamin.
-Albert pinned Rhyno with a bicycle kick after a failed attempt at the Gore.
-Rikishi & Tajiri defeated Johnny Stamboli & Chuck Palumbo when Rikishi pinned Stamboli with the Bonzai Drop; after the bout, Mysterio, Torrie, the Guerreros, and Benoit fought off the FBI and danced with Tajiri and Rikishi to close the show.

2003 - Southern States Wrestling held a Mark Curtis Memorial event. Tim Whitehead filed the following live report:

The Mark Curtis Memorial Weekend of Champions returned to East Tennessee on May 9 & 10. Southern States Wrestling promotes this event annually to honor the late Brian Hildebrand, known better to many wrestling fans as Mark Curtis. Though born in Pittsburgh, Brian moved to East Tennessee in 1992 to be a referee and right-hand man for Jim Cornette's Smoky Mountain Wrestling. After SMW folded in late 1995, Brian became a referee for WCW. He also wrestled on occasion on local indies throughout the East Tennessee region, having been trained years earlier by Dominic DeNucci in a class that included Mick Foley & Shane Douglas.

Brian passed away in 1999 from stomach cancer, and wrestling lost one of the nicest and most respected men in the history of the business. SSW promoter Beau James promoted the first Mark Curtis Memorial weekend in 2000. This year's event was the fourth, with a wrestling show in Greeneville on Friday and the major show on Saturday in Kingsport at the Civic Auditorium.

The Saturday show featured catering for fans with Golden Circle tickets and a chance to meet the wrestlers. There were actually two wrestling shows, a short one in the afternoon and the main show in the evening.

Here are results of the afternoon show:

Justin Sensation defeated Shawn Spencer with a bodypress off the top.

Wayne Adams beat Alabama Al (Crimson Tide gimmick in UT country) with a slam.

Super Destroyer (accompanied by Beau James) defeated Alex Craven with a chokeslam.

Bryan Wayne beat Ricky Rocket with a shot from his sign. Wayne is the former Big Bubba from the southern indie circuit doing a "Mr. Happy" gimmick using a stop sign with a smiley face on it.

Thorn beat Justin Sensation using the ropes.

Brian Overbay defeated Mike Cooper by DQ when Super Destroyer did a run-in. Bryan Wayne made the save.

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During the intermission between shows, there was dining and a chance to get autographs. Referees for the two shows were Rob Knight, Mike DiMuzio, Eric Foster, and Mr. Monk.

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The main show started with a ten bell salute to all the wrestling personalities we lost over the past year. Representatives of the American Cancer Society were introduced, and Brian's widow Pam (now Pam Clark as she has remarried and has an infant son) was presented with a bouquet of roses. As befits such an occasion, the National Anthem was sung.

Bart Batten defeated Thorn by DQ. Bart had a submission hold on Thorn when Flex Armstrong ran in, prompting the DQ ruling. Bart's brother Brad Batten made the save. Flex & Thorn ended up challenging the Battens to a match for later on the show.

Todd Morton defeated Steve Flynn. Flynn was managed by 1Wrestling's old friend Allan Barrie, better known as The Duke. Good stuff as they really laid in some blows and took big bumps. Duke stomped Morton when he took a bump out. The finish saw Flynn collide with Duke, leading to Morton rolling Flynn up for the pin. Flynn and Duke teased a break-up afterward.

Jimmy Valiant defeated The Assassin. Valiant was managed by Jerry Lawler's former tag partner Jim White. Assassin was managed by Big Daddy. Valiant is always hugely popular around here. He got cheered doing the "babyface uses heel tactics" routine, poking Assassin in the eye, etc.. Assassin threatened to walk out until told he wouldn't get paid. Big Daddy slipped Assassin a chain and they did some comedy where he kept hiding it from referee Mike DiMuzio. Eventually, White got the chain. As Assassin demanded its return, Valiant rolled him up from behind for the pin.

Brian Overbay & Bryan Wayne & Ray Idol defeated Super Destroyer & Gator McAllister & Mike Cooper in a weapons match. Lots of weapons used, including garbage cans, frying pans, chairs, the smiley stop sign, and a guitar. Super D ended up being the one to take the guitar shot. After a wild brawl, Overbay pinned McAllister after Wayne hit him with a loaded purse.

The Hall of Fame inductions were held. Former inductees present were Ken Bowles, Jim White, Melvin Johnson (famous area referee), Jimmy Valiant, and Don Wright. The new members for 2003 were Sensational Sherri Martel, the Fuller family (Buddy, Ron, and Robert), and the Golden family (Jimmy & Bill). Robert Fuller accepted the plaques for his father & brother. Jimmy Golden accepted the plaque for his dad. After the ceremony, Bowles announced that he was stepping down as SSW commissioner and named ring announcer Joe Wheeler as the new commish.

The Battens defeated Flex Armstrong & Thorn to retain the SSW Tag Titles. Flex & Thorn were accompanied by Big Daddy & Tim Baldwin. Baldwin is an area wrestler currently out with a legit injury. He looks amazingly like Christian, and some guys in the crowd lit into him singing Christian's music (Christiaaaan....Christiaaaan....). The Battens won doing the old switcheroo gimmick where one of them had been beaten down by the heels, but with no one looking, the other switched places with him and surprised Flex with an inside cradle.

Scott Sterling & Brandi Alexander defeated Jeff Tankersley & Sensational Sherri Martel in a mixed match. Sherri stalled forever, refusing to lock up with Brandi. The ladies were the focus of the match. They chopped the heck out of one another. Sherri was a heel here even though she had been a total face earlier signing autographs and accepting her Hall of Fame induction. Brandi pinned Sherri after punching her out with a glove.

Beau James & K.C. Thunder defeated Robert Fuller & Jimmy Golden in a No Holds Barred match. Thunder wore a Tennessee Stud robe to taunt Fuller. Beau wore a crown, which he gave to manager The Duke. Beau, sporting an ugly cut from the night before in Greeneville, got on the mic and did a big time heel tirade against Fuller & Golden. Fuller & Golden dominated early. Beau & Thunder tied Golden up in their corner and bloodied him up. One of the ring supports broke and it looked for a moment like the ring would collapse, but it didn't. Beau's cut got re-opened and he juiced. Fuller put a sleeper hold on Duke. But Beau soaked a rag in ether (or maybe chloroform) and used it to put Fuller out for the pin. There was a pull-apart brawl with some other wrestlers running in afterward.

Robbie Cassidy was scheduled to defend the SSW Title against Jesse Taylor, but Taylor wasn't there, and with the ring in bad shape, they did a deal where Jeff Tankersley came out and challenged Cassidy. They did a brief match in the shaky ring before Sherri ran in and gave Cassidy a low blow for the DQ. Tankersley destroyed Cassidy and left him laying, stealing the belt afterward.

Many thanks to Southern States Wrestling for their hospitality during this event. A great time was had by all. And those of us who knew Brian Hildebrand truly appreciate these annual shows.

2004 - During an edition of Raw from San Jose, California, Eugene made his in-ring WWE TV debut, defeating Rob Conway with a rollup. The story of the match was that William Regal tripped Eugene during the match, following orders from Eric Bischoff that his nephew was to lose so he would stop bothering them about wrestling. However, Eugene won anyway, and thanked Regal for his help during the match. Tim Whitehead filed the following TV report:

The 5/10 edition of RAW KNOWS THE WAY TO SAN JOSE aired live from San Jose (where else?). RAW continued its winning streak with another hot show featuring good wrestling and good angles, with strong crowd responses.

They opened with footage of last week's Chris Benoit World Title defense against Shawn Michaels. Triple H caused The Heartbreak Kid to lose.

Jim Ross & Jerry Lawler announced that it would be an action-packed night, with numerous hot matches scheduled.

HHH defeated Shelton Benjamin by DQ in 2:30. Footage aired before the match of Benjamin's pinfall win over HHH six weeks ago, with JR putting over Benjamin's successes against both HHH and Ric Flair. Benjamin immediately hit an arm drag and tried for some quick early pins. HHH hit a big boot to the face but Benjamin came back with a powerslam for a near fall. Benjamin scored again with a DDT. HHH lariated Benjamin out to the floor after he missed a charge into the corner. It was at this point that HBK charged in and attacked HHH. Presumably this led to Benjamin being DQ'ed, or possibly a no-contest. No ruling was announced. HBK was crazed with anger over HHH costing him the title last week, and was all over HHH pounding and stomping him. Several refs held HBK back long enough for HHH to flee through the crowd. HBK grabbed a mic and dared HHH to come back and fight. Eric Bischoff showed up. He said he had expected all hell to break loose tonight and had earlier promised Vince McMahon that he would punish the first guy to lose control. That guy was HBK, and Bischoff declared him suspended and ordered a crew of security guys to expel him from the arena. HHH returned, applauding Bischoff's decision. HBK immediately attacked HHH again, prompting the security crew to surround HBK as the show went into a commercial break.

After the break, it was announced that HBK had been ejected from the arena. They've overdone the suspension angles in WWE, but this one was well-executed and the crowd was into it.

A video package aired hyping the upcoming Randy Orton vs. Edge match for the IC Title.

In the Evolution locker room, Flair cut a Horseman-style promo. He said HBK got what he deserved. He also put over Orton and Batista, predicting wins for them in their matches. Batista pledged to beat up Tajiri so badly that he'd have to be carted out of the ring. Bischoff walked in, and was greeted with praise for his decisive action against HBK. Bischoff promised HHH that he would have a world title "opportunity" next week. HHH and his cohorts were delighted. JR was furious, declaring that HHH was being rewarded for screwing HBK last week. No one appeared to notice that Bischoff only offered HHH an "opportunity" next week, not an actual title shot. More on that later.

Batista defeated Tajiri in 5:04. Tajiri surprised Batista with kicks. After causing Batista to bump out to the floor, Tajiri rammed him into the security barrier. Batista shook the blow off and rammed Tajiri into both the barrier and the ring apron. Batista dominated Tajiri in the ring, hitting a suplex and a slam. Tajiri threw some hard kicks and hit the handspring elbow, though Batista nearly no-sold the latter. Tajiri scored a near fall with a DDT. Batista blocked a kick and pinned Tajiri after a spinebuster. Some style clash here, but it was an okay match. Afterward, Batista delivered another spinebuster to Tajiri, followed by a sit-down powerbomb. He then choked Tajiri, with green stuff flowing out of Tajiri's mouth. Lawler said Tajiri had planned to mist Batista, but Batista choked the liquid out of him. It took several refs to pull Batista off Tajiri, who was left laying.

Stacy Keibler came out. She looked awesome. She said it's now bikini season and hyped the new South of the Border DVD featuring Stacy and other bikini-clad WWE Divas. Some clips from that DVD aired. Out came Molly Holly (straight, kind of blonde wig this week) and Gail Kim. Gail complained that she made the women's champ tap out last week, yet they gave mic time to Stacy instead of her. She had a point, but I could have solved the problem by giving them both mic time and bikini time. Problem solved. Gail & Molly accused Stacy of saying that she's the hottest Diva. Stacy denied saying that. Gail & Molly jumped Stacy and put the boots to her. Victoria ran in for the save. Jazz then charged in and attacked Victoria. Finally, Nidia showed up and went after Jazz. This catfight resulted in the three heel Divas retreating. This led to a Gail & Molly & Jazz vs. Victoria & Nidia & Stacy match being announced for later on the show.

Todd Grisham interviewed Chris Jericho. He vowed to defeat Christian in their scheduled cage match. He said Christian & Trish Stratus claim to like it rough, and he'd make sure they got it rough. On another subject, Jericho was upset that Bischoff promised HHH a world title "opportunity" next week, claiming that before the show Bischoff had promised him such an "opportunity". Hmmmm!

Hour two began with Orton defeating Edge in 17:52 to retain the IC Title. Lawler hyped Orton's good looks again, calling him an Adonis. He also went off on Edge's cast. JR had a good comeback, noting that Orton's father wore a cast for something like five years. Edge dominated early, hitting a series of forearms and working on Orton's back. Edge scored several near falls. Edge was methodical, working Orton's back over. He hit a lariat and sent Orton crashing out to the floor. He threw Orton into the stairs. As Spike TV went into a commercial break, Flair came out to ringside. Flair interfered during the break, but by the time the live action returned, Edge was once again on top, hitting Orton with a crossbody for a near fall. Orton managed to tie Edge up with a hold similar to the Cobra Clutch. Edge kicked his way free. Orton scored two with a neckbreaker. Edge rolled through on a high crossbody for a great near fall. Edge hit a backdrop and a suplex for a two. Orton ended up on the apron, and Edge knocked him off onto the barrier. Orton returned to the ring, where Edge missile kicked him. Orton tried for a dropkick, which Edge, in an awesome move, countered into a powerbomb for a near pin. The finish saw Orton almost collide with Flair, who was on the apron. Edge went for the spear, hitting Flair when Orton sidestepped. Orton then cradled Edge and used the tights to score the pin. Real good match, and the part after the break was great. The big Orton push continues, though they also gave Edge a push here as he controlled almost all the match.

Footage aired of Eugene's successful training session last week with William Regal. Eugene was then shown doing warm-up exercises as Regal supervised him. Bischoff walked in and Eugene hugged him. Regal told Bischoff he did his best to prepare Eugene for his match against Rob Conway, and that hopefully Eugene could pull off a win. Bischoff pulled Regal aside and told him he wants Eugene to lose. He said he only brought Eugene in because he promised his sister (Eugene's mother) that he'd give him an "opportunity", but he now wants him out of his hair. There's that word "opportunity" again. He said if Eugene loses, he'll be so distraught that he'll quit and go home. He slyly told Regal that if he could engineer a loss for Eugene, then he (Regal) would be given a spot on the active roster as a wrestler. Regal smirked and promised the best man would win. On his way out, two-faced Bischoff wished Eugene good luck.

Gail & Molly & Jazz defeated Victoria & Nidia & Stacy in 2:42. Prior to this match, JR mentioned that Pepper Gomez passed away over the weekend. Gomez was a huge star in the San Francisco Bay area in the sixties and seventies and had a legendary feud with Ray Stevens, which included an angle where Stevens jumped off a ladder onto Gomez which fans in that area remembered for decades. Victoria and Jazz started out brawling. Jazz hooked the STF. Nidia made the save. Gail tagged in and tried the same submission finisher on Victoria as last week, but Stacy broke it up. Nidia went at it briefly with Molly. Gail then hooked a different submission hold on Victoria, sort of a hammerlock into a half crab, and Victoria tapped again! Gail seems headed for a push, and it's quite unique to see a heel getting clean submission wins like this, not to mention to uniqueness of submissions in the women's division.

Smackdown Rebound aired, focusing heavily on the heart attack angle involving Eddie Guerrero's mother. It played out better than most such angles.

Grisham interviewed Christian, asking him if he had any concerns about the cage match. Christian said Jericho should be the one who is concerned. He added that with a problem solver (Tyson Tomko) and an "innocent little flower" (Trish) in his corner, he had no reason to be concerned. He added to the Bischoff mystery, insisting that Bischoff earlier promised him a world title "opportunity" next week.

After the Christian interview ended, Trish spotted Lita getting a cup of coffee nearby. She approached her and seemed very sympathetic, noting that Lita's been through a scary ordeal the past few weeks. Lita was very nervous, worried about Kane possibly lurking around. Suddenly, Trish began screaming that Kane was there, acting as if he was right behind Lita. Lita went into a hyper-panic and began screaming hysterically, until she realized Trish had pulled a nasty prank on her. Trish began laughing like crazy about how scared Lita was. Lita was furious, and jumped Trish and began beating the hell out of her. Christian ran over and pulled Trish to safety as Matt Hardy ran out and protected Lita. Matt led the distraught Lita away as Christian yelled after him that he needs to keep her under control. Trish said, "The bitch can't take a joke". Hilarious angle!

Matt came out to the ring for what he thought was a match against Val Venis. Lita was with him, looking and acting like a nervous wreck. Venis never showed up. Instead, Kane appeared on the TitanTron, where he was finishing up a beatdown on Venis in the locker room. Kane called that a message to Lita. He then told Lita that she knows what he wants, and gave her one week to give him an answer, adding that it had better be the right one. Presumably Kane made some demand of Lita last week when he had her tied to a chair. Matt asked Lita what Kane was talking about, but Lita was too terrified to answer. This is a pretty good angle when it avoids the unbelievable stuff.

Regal asked Eugene if he was nervous about his "first match". He was. Regal promised to be there at ringside for Eugene, and Eugene hugged Regal and thanked him. Of course, Regal had the most awesome deceitful facial expressions here.

Eugene defeated Conway in 3:41. There were a ton of pro-Eugene signs in the crowd. A lot of people, myself included, thought the Eugene gimmick was awful at first but it's played out far better than I thought possible and he now has sort of a cult following. Eugene was a little confused at first, and climbed up to the top rope for no apparent reason before coming back down. Eugene hit an armdrag, which was the first move Regal showed him last week. Conway tried for some holds but Eugene kept countering him. Finally, Conway brawled and briefly put Eugene on the defensive. Eugene stopped selling and did a superstar babyface type comeback, though sort of in comedy form. In succession, Eugene hit an atomic drop, did an airplane spin, came off the top rope, and hit a legdrop. As Eugene rebounded off the ropes, Regal tried to trip him. This confused Eugene, and Regal lied his way out of it by assuring Eugene that he merely tripped over the ring apron. Eugene then hit a roll-up and bridge out of nowhere on Conway to score the win, which drew a major pop. The delighted Eugene celebrated and hugged Regal, who did more great hypocritical facial expressions, pretending to be happy for Eugene while actually appalled that he won.

An excellent Chris Benoit video aired, putting him over as champ.

Bischoff came out to make two announcements. He "generously" allowed Johnny Nitro to make one of them. That one was that there will be a Trish vs. Lita match next week on RAW. Bischoff made the biggest announcement himself, which was that there will be a 20 man battle royal next week, with the winner getting a world title shot at the Badd Blood PPV in June. That was the world title "opportunity" that Bischoff had been promising to everyone. A graphic appeared on the screen with photos of all 20 participants. Basically, it's the top 20 guys on RAW, with the exception of Benoit (obviously) and HBK, whom Bischoff declared suspended. HHH won't like this, and the inclusion of his Evolution allies in this match sets up some potential conflicts.

Jericho defeated Christian in the cage match in 11:41. Lilian Garcia announced that this match could be won by pinfall, submission, climbing out of the cage, or going through the cage door. Jericho caught Christian with a kick as he entered the cage. Christian blocked an early attempt at the walls hold. Jericho tried for a quick climb-over but Christian pulled him down. Jericho hit a suplex. Christian hit a backbreaker. Christian tried to climb out but got crotched. Jericho then climbed to the top, but couldn't climb down the outside because Tomko was out there swinging a chair. So Jericho hit a crossbody down onto Christian in the ring. Jericho tried to leave through the door, with Tomko kicking him to stop the escape. It wasn't a very strong kick, and even JR called it a glancing blow, but it caused Jericho to fall back into the cage. The referee forced Tomko to go back to the locker room after that. Jericho started slowly crawling out, which didn't look all that believable. Christian pulled him back just as he was about to get through the door. Jericho hurled Christian repeatedly into the cage and raked his face across the steel mesh. Christian juiced a huge gusher. Jericho scored two after a bulldog. Christian hit the unprettier but was slow making the cover and only got two. Both tried to climb over, ending with Jericho superplexing Christian. The Innocent Little Flower went in with a chair, but Jericho blocked the blow and put her in the walls. Christian, instead of rescuing Trish, tried to climb over. He should have just went out the door, but these things always happen this way in cage matches. Jericho dropped the hold on Trish and powerbombed Christian off the ropes. Jericho put the walls on Christian, who struggled and almost crawled out the door while tied up in the hold, before finally tapping out. A few quirks and anomalies, but overall a strong cage match with great crowd heat. Jericho celebrated his victory as the show left the air.

RHETORICAL QUESTIONS:

Were you amazed that Molly didn't lose her wig?

Couldn't they use a lot of wrestling footage in those "impaired judgment" Snickers commercials?

Is Gail planning on entering UFC or Pride?

Doesn't Bischoff's sister watch RAW? And won't she clue the clueless Eugene in on what is going on?

Wasn't it contradictory for JR to say cage matches are career shorteners, while in the same sentence saying that Lawler's been in a ton of them?

Why didn't Kane make his Lita demand on camera? I mean, every other secret plot is seen on camera, isn't it?