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TNA
The Royal Treatment: RAW (12.27.04)
Posted by Peter Kostka on Dec 28, 2004, 15:50
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Hope everyone enjoyed their holiday. Time for not only the last RAW of 2004, but the last RAW for me this month.
- Live in Biloxi, Mississippi.
- No opening, as Eric Bischoff immediately makes his way onto the stage. He explains how the Elimination Chamber works; pointing out that the fourth and final man to be freed from his pen usually has the biggest advantage. That leads him to tonight, which will be �Beat the Clock� night. All six men involved in the EC match will have singles matches against surprise opponents, and the man that defeats his opponent fastest will get that final release. Christy comes out as the guest timekeeper (yeah, because you want the BEST for a night like this), and Bisch states that should one of them LOSE their match, their opponent will take their place in the Chamber. Eric will also announce the special referee for that match later tonight. Right now, it�s time for our first match.
Y2J+4.999 vs. Christian (w/Tyson Tomko)
An on-screen clock helpfully keeps time. Jericho goes for the pin right off, and gets a few two counts. Jericho tries the Walls, but Christian makes the ropes. He tries a sunset flip, and they launch into a bunch of counters until Jericho tries the Walls again, but Christian rolls him up for 2. Jericho gets a backdrop for 2, but Christian takes control and hits the chinlock (actually not a bad strategy for this match, if Christian wants to hurt Jericho by wasting time). Jericho rallies, but Christian yanks him down by the hair and goes back to it. Jericho rallies again, but Christian cuts him off and tosses him onto the apron, leading to Jericho backdropping him onto the floor and following up with a springboard bodypress onto him and Tomko as we take a break at the 5:30 mark.
We come back with 8:30 on the clock and Jericho rallying, but dropped into the ropes and choked, but he hits a drop sleeper for 2. Christian gets an eyepoke and slingshots him into the corner, but Jericho catches himself and hits a crossbody for 2. He goes for the Lionsault, but Christian moves and Tomko clubs him into a Christian rollup for a close 2. Jericho takes care of Tomko with a dropkick and Christian tries to catch him with an Unprettier, but Jericho counters into the Walls and Christian taps at 10:47.
Rating: 5/10
Thoughts: Good match which kind of slowed in the middle, but the intensity was good and the stipulations actually added to the match, with Jericho trying to end things as fast as he can while Christian tried to slow things down while trying to knock Jericho out of the match.
- Evolution meets, and HHH is concerned about tonight, but Batista isn�t; he�s confident, as HHH should be, which he is, on second thought. HHH even puts a hundred bucks on the fact that he can beat his guy faster than Batista. Ric WHOO Flair reminds them of the EC plan: HHH is winning.
- Maria talks with Randy Orton, who is excited to be back in the title hunt. He is also not concerned. He heads out to the ring as we take a break.
Randy Orton vs. Maven
The clock on-screen starts at 10:47 and runs down now. Maven gets a go-behind to start, but Orton leapfrogs him and nails a dropkick before going up, but Maven cuts him off, leading to a slugfest with Orton on the apron, where Maven pokes him in the eye and dropkicks him to the floor and sends him into the steps. Back in, Maven gets a few two counts, showing up Orton in the dropkick department, and hits the chinlock. Orton tries a rally, but Maven stops it and keeps the chinlock in. Another rally leads to Orton being tossed. Maven follows out, but Orton legsweeps him on the floor before pulling him into the ropes and hitting a DDT. Back in, Orton tries a crossbody, but Maven rolls through for 2. Orton tries the RKO, and Maven tries to counter with a backslide, but Orton hits it for the pin, setting the new best time at 6:14.
Rating: 3/10
Thoughts: Not bad, as Maven is at least improving character wise, but his in-ring work still needs improvement. Kind of a big discrepancy between Orton�s and Jericho�s times (4 and a half minutes), which probably means there won�t be anything over 5 minutes the rest of the night.
Lita vs. Molly (non-title)
Molly works her over to start; getting a hairtoss, but Lita monkey flips her out of the corner and unleashes some horrible looking punches before getting an ovary stomp for 2. Lita whips, but runs into an elbow, but she hits the DDT anyway to finish. Gene Snitsky chases her through the crowd and Lita locks herself in a locker room. Bischoff finds Snitsky, and makes a match with him and Kane at New Year�s Revolution.
Rating: DUD
Thoughts: Well, I guess Snitsky�s pretty much finished in Puerto Rico, as he has done jack this month, proving that they can also screw up a push that they fall ass-backwards into. As far as the match: why can�t we get Victoria involved here? I caught her match with Trish on Heat a few weeks ago, and they really busted their asses putting on a good show. Hopefully Trish gets the title back at the PPV, and that leads to something with Victoria for Wrestlemania (though we�ll probably get a four-way with the four remaining women instead).
Rosey vs. Simon Dean
Dean dives into the trough of cheap heat by calling the crowd fat and Rosey kicks his ass for a bit, countering a sunset flip with a sit splash, but Simon avoids an avalanche and takes his knee out, working it over for a bit. He tries a figure-four, but Rosey kicks him into the post and catches him off a dive and slams him, but misses a pump splash. Dean puts on a weight belt and tries a slam, but Rosey just falls on him. He grabs the belt, but the ref takes it from him, allowing Dean to get a rollup for the pin.
Rating: 1/10
Thoughts: Zzzzzz�.huh? Oh, sorry bout that. This regression back to the 80�s must have made me sleepy. Dean would actually probably be better suited on Smackdown, where he can probably get involved with the Big Show or something.
Edge vs. Eugene
Time to beat: 6:14. Edge tries quickly to get the pin and pounds away, but Eugene takes control and sends Edge to the floor, but Edge drops his throat on the top rope and gets 2 back in. Edge hits the chinlock at three minutes (?), but Eugene gets Edge on his shoulders and hits an electric chair drop for 2. They criss cross, and Eugene slides out and wastes time hugging Christy and greeting the fans as Edge just stands in the ring like an idiot. He finally goes after him with a minute left and Eugene hides under the ring, but he�s done in by his own plan by revealing himself, and Edge goes to work on him frantically back in the ring as the clock ticks down. He puts his head down and Eugene tries a Rock Bottom, but Edge counters and tries a DDT, and Eugene counters that with a Stunner try, but Edge pushes him off and hits the spear, but Eugene falls out of the ring as time runs out. Edge sends him into the steps and pounds him back in, but Eugene hits a Stunner for 2 and �tards up, but catches his knee in the corner, which Edge rams into the post a few times before bringing back his Sharpshooter-like hold for the submission.
Rating: 4/10
Thoughts: Edge has only himself to blame for letting Eugene waste so much time here. I guess its part of the character they are building, but Edge�s strategy was just horrible for this match. He showed some good fire getting more pissed off with Eugene as the match went on, though.
- Bischoff speaks by phone with the special ref, and he�s going to actually be there tonight. Da Coach comes in, bringing Eric some Coach sunglasses as a gift, and wants the scoop on who the ref is, but Bischoff�s lips are sealed. No one in the EC match will be happy about who it is, though.
Chris Benoit vs. Viscera
Viscera powers him to start, and Benoit goes for the arm but gets shoved down. Viscera high kicks to avoid a chop block, but Benoit just takes out his other leg and dropkicks him in the face. Benoit chops and charges, but Viscera nails him with a flying�er�rolling spinkick and lays on him. He continues to power Benoit around, hitting a samoan drop for 2. Vis whips, but Benoit flips over him and tries the Crossface, but Viscera hits a sidewalk slam for 2. He gets an avalanche, but Benoit ducks a clothesline and hits a German (damn!) before locking on a Crossface with a minute left, and Viscera taps with 31 seconds left, setting the new time at 5:43.
Rating: 2/10
Thoughts: This was almost all Benoit, as he bumped like a pinball for Viscera, getting the crowd right behind him, and used his noggin to get the best of his opponent. You could hear the referee basically coach Viscera through the whole match (�No, don�t pin him.�)
- Stacy walks, as apparently we�re going to hear her New Year�s resolution.
- Sure enough, here she is in the ring. Her resolution is that she will bend over backwards and forwards to make 2005 even better than 2004. Mohammed Hassan interrupts, wearing his ring gear (and an Arab headdress), and cuts a promo saying more of the same, getting even more whiny than before and getting more �What?� chants from the crowd. His resolution is to beat some sense into America. Khosrow Daivari goes to the announce table and badmouths JR and King Lawler, which gets Lawler�s dander up. Big man Hassan shoves over JR and gets into a staredown with Lawler as we take a break.
Thoughts: First he cowers from Foley, then he shoves JR around and gets into it with an announcer. Are they TRYING to torpedo this gimmick two weeks in? Yeah, Hassan�s gimmick is that of an Arab-American sick of the persecution his people since 9/11, but it�s coming off like every other goddamn �Evil Foreigner� gimmick they have subjected us to forever. It seems like WWE is trying to get Hassan over by annoying them into submission and making them say �ALL RIGHT, I�ll pay the damn $45 to watch him get beat up already!�
Batista vs. Rhyno
Batista grabs a headlock to start and gets a knockdown, taunting Rhyno afterwards. He answers with a slap and Gores him off a ducked clothesline, but that only gets the big man angry, which is reflected by Batista nailing him with a spinebuster on another Gore attempt. He hits a �Tistabomb, but decides that there is plenty of time left, so he drills him with another to get the pin and set the best time at 3:02. JR and Lawler point out that HHH (the last man left) ain�t going to be pleased about that.
Rating: 2/10
Thoughts: Not much of a match, but the slow burn to Batista�s face turn continues, which will probably turn out much better than Orton�s has to this point. Also good that the announcers jumped on the point that Batista really put HHH in a spot by setting so short a time for him to break.
- Highlights from Christmas in Iraq II.
- Bischoff talks with Candace about her Christmas, and Coach barges in, saying that the special ref has arrived. Hassan comes in, complaining about JR and Lawler spreading anti-Arab propaganda. He wants a match with them next week. Bischoff refuses, scheduling a debate instead. For once, I�m glad I�m going back to Smackdown, because there�s no way I�m sitting through that whole thing without doing some sort of bodily harm to myself.
- HHH calls Batista on screwing him for his match, but Batista did what he had to do; Rhyno simply pissed him off. HHH keeps on the point, so Batista says that now HE�S starting to piss him off, which gets a huge pop from the crowd. Flair tries to diffuse the situation.
- Orton, Edge, Y2J, and Benoit are all at ringside for this match.
HHH (w/Ric WHOO Flair and Batista) vs. Shelton Benjamin
Batista joins the four and can�t hide a smirk at Benjamin�s entrance. HHH pounces to start, sending Benjamin out and into the steps. He gets 2 back in and hits a spinebuster for another 2. He gets a sleeper, but Benjamin makes the ropes. HHH tries a Pedigree, but Benjamin counters with a backdrop and gets caught in another sleeper with under a minute left. HHH stares at the clock and tries desperately to put Benjamin out as the countdown begins. The ref quickly checks the arm and it falls the third time, but Benjamin had gotten his foot on the rope beforehand, so the ref waves it off as time runs out, putting Batista in the final spot. HHH argues, allowing Benjamin to catch him with a Stinger splash and a rollup for 2. HHH blocks a superkick, so Benjamin hits a whip kick instead for another 2. Benjamin hops on top off a whip, but jumps into a Pedigree attempt, which Benjamin counters again for 2. Batista goes up, and Flair heads over to interfere, but the ref cuts him off as HHH avoids Benjamin, but falls to an Exploder, so Flair keeps the ref tied up to prevent a count. Benjamin gets rid of Flair, but turns into a Pedigree for the pin. Bischoff comes out and announces the special ref: Shawn Michaels. The six men look at him in dismay as we fade to black.
Rating: 3/10
Thoughts: Good for the time it had, with HHH selling the desperation he had to beat Batista�s time. They could have played up Benjamin�s wins over HHH, but he got the job back, so it is all forgotten.
Final Thoughts: Very strong RAW as the �Beat the Clock� stips really added to the matches and was a novel way to put some spice into the EC matchup. It remains to be seen if the �fourth released� spot is akin to being #30 in the Rumble, but this definitely puts a bit more interest in the PPV.
That�s it for me in 2004, see you next Friday-ish for the first Smackdown of 2005.
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