Post by Wrestling Chick on Oct 3, 2005 23:10:06 GMT -5
So, you know this review is gonna be long…like *really* long. LOL I thought about this show the whole day, and couldn’t *wait* to get outta class at 6:15. I came home, cooked some dinner, watched “RAW Exposed: The Top 10” (which I recorded from Sunday night), and then logged on to WWE.com to catch whatever WWE Unlimited was. So, here we go with WWE Homecoming, LIVE ON USA NETWORK, BABY! “There’s no place like home!”
Mick Foley on Piper’s Pit
Mick comes out and introduces the 2005 Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. Piper enters the ring, and asks the one question people are dyin’ to know, “When is Mick Foley comin’ back to the WWE?” Mick says he’d need a pretty good reason to come back. And Piper gets all 12,000 people in the arena to chant Foley’s name. Randy Orton’s music hits, and he comes out with his dad. Randy gets in the ring, and talks trash about Piper causin’ his dad so much pain. He pushes Piper three times, before Piper finally strikes back. Foley and Bob, Jr. pull the two apart, only for Foley to get decked, and Randy hitting Piper with the RKO, followed by another RKO to Mick Foley. Gotta love how the "Legend Killer" gets it done...but he's gon' get his on Sunday against the Deadman.
WWE Unlimited
Todd Grisham gets interviews with legends sitting ringside. No predictions about the upcoming Iron Man Match. He interviews Dusty Rhodes and Jim Duggan and Jimmy Hart.
Eric Bischoff/Teddy Long scene
Bischoff confronts Long about Orton bein’ on RAW, and wants to know who else from Smackdown is gonna try and steal RAW’s thunder on the homecoming that night. Eric says he’s gonna deliver a RAW moment at Smackdown’s expense.
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, 30-Minute Iron Man Match
Holy sh*t…the first eight and a half minutes of this match were extremely fast-paced. Shawn started off with the lead, takin’ Kurt down several times, and gettin’ a lot of near falls in a short amount of time. He even backdropped Kurt over the top rope, and Kurt literally turned in a circle and landed right on his stomach/shoulder. He got to his feet, and Shawn tried a baseball slide. Kurt pulled him out instead, and executed an Olympic slam onto the floor. They get back into the ring, and Kurt maintains his offense, even hitting another Olympic slam off the top rope, allowing him to pick up the first fall. A lot of the Unlimited thing was slow, rest moves, I guess they’re called. He kept Shawn in an armbar or sleeper hold for the whole commercial break. Shawn got a little offense, but when they came back from break, Kurt was the one waitin’ inside the ring. At 15:03, Shawn Michaels got his own pin fall over Angle, to even up the score. Kurt had had the Ankle Lock in tight, but Shawn twisted around, rolled Kurt up, and got the win. But Kurt continued to pound on him. He actually kept Shawn in a body scissors for a good length of time, but I never once thought, “Okay, that’s boring, do something else.” I think that proves that both Shawn *and* Kurt are great storytellers. Shawn tried to get some build-up, but Kurt, and I quote Jim Ross, was “like a pit bull”. He got the Angle Lock on again, and Kurt picks up the third fall, getting the lead. Only just over 11 minutes left now. During the commercial break, it sounded like Kurt was continuing to wear down Michaels. My video didn’t work, but when it came back on live TV, I turned out to be right. Kurt had Shawn down, and had his ankle all twisted up. Shawn finally got to his feet, and got Kurt with a series of right hands, and stiff chops. Kurt gets off step, Shawn gets him down to the mat, and hits the elbow drop from the top rope. And at 4:46, Shawn ties it up with a Sweet Chin Music! He didn’t get much time to tune up, but when he hit it, it was right on key. (Thanks, Coach, for that quote!) OMG…Kurt got the Ankle Lock in at 1:46, Shawn got out of it with 22 seconds left, Kurt got it back in at like 10 seconds, and Shawn kicked him off into the referee. He hit the Super Kick, but just as the referee started counting, the clock ran out! So Shawn suggests SUDDEN DEATH! But Kurt walks away like a lil’ punk, and Shawn gets props from some o’ the legends sittin’ at ringside, like Nikolai Volkoff, and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, and Jim Duggan, and Koko B. Ware (who had a plastic parrot, in commemoration of whatever his other parrot’s name was LOL), and Moolah and Mae Young. That match was definitely pretty excellent, and I see these two in a Triple Threat Match at Survivor Series with John Cena for the WWE Championship.
Vince McMahon/Eric Bischoff scene
Eric suggests a No-DQ match for him and Cena tonight, and Vince is like, “Hmm…no.” LOL Eric argues that the only reason he was hired is to be embarrassed, and that Vince wants to eventually put out a “Self-Destruction of Eric Bischoff” DVD. He calls Vince “sick”, and Vince says back, “No one in this world knows just how sick, just how twisted, just how perverted I can be!” I <3 Vince McMahon! ;D
Steve Austin segment
I’m mad Lillian had a note card to read off Vince McMahon’s introduction, talkin’ about how he single-handedly created a billion-dollar company, and created guys like the Rock, and Austin, and Hogan, and that “he is strong, he is handsome, he is…well-endowed?!” LMAO! Vince enters walking only that way that he can walk! Anyway, Vince talks about all these times he beat the hell outta Stone Cold, and even shows footage from February 1999. Austin comes out, and shows his own footage: the hospital scene when he hit McMahon in the head with the bedpan, the shot when McMahon pissed his pants on TV, and one other scene. After talkin’ for a few more minutes, Austin stuns him. Shane comes out (HUGE shock, since the Boy Wonder hasn’t been on TV in a couple years!), only to get stunned as soon as he gets in the ring. Stephanie makes her way out, and talks trash to Austin, and even slaps the Rattlesnake! She gets a stunner for her troubles as well. Linda then comes back, and demands an apology from Steve. Shockingly, Steve complies, and then flirts with Mrs. McMahon. He asks for a kiss from the CEO of WWE, but then gets close to her, like he wants a kiss on the lips. But, they end up drinking a couple o’ beers together. Well, things aren’t so peachy, ‘cuz Linda catches a stunner as well. Wow…the only time in history the entire McMahon family has been stunned in succession! LMAO!
Edge vs. Matt Hardy, “Money in the Bank” Loser Leaves RAW Ladder Match
This is quite possibly the longest name for a stipulation match in history. Of course, this match started off pretty violently. The ladders came into use quickly, both men just tryin’ to beat the ever-lovin’ crap outta each other. Throughout the commercial, Matt maintains the lead by slamming Edge’s head into the steel steps, followed by a double-leg takeover into a ladder. Matt rolls into the ring, sets up a ladder, and starts to climb, only to be knocked down by a ladder Edge had in his hands. Edge somehow gets onto Matt’s shoulder, and Matt drops him outside the ring, only he falls with the blonde man. Edge sets up a table, and they come back from commercial with Edge tryin’ to suplex Matt through the table. They fought back and forth, and Matt almost won a few times. But thank God for Lita! She hit him with a kendo stick, and pulled the ladder from under him when he had his hand on the briefcase. Edge got in the ring, swung Matt back then forth, dropping him down over the top rope! He then tied up the “Sensei of Mattitude”, and Lita held on the little dude while her man (and my boo!) climbed up and grabbed what was rightfully his! BYE-BYE MATT HARDY! That match alone made this whole feud worth watching, ‘cuz Edge came out the ultimate winner! Expect to see Matt on Smackdown in a couple weeks. Over the commercial break, Jim Ross expresses sadness over Matt’s loss, and the RAW announce team goes over what will happen to Matt Hardy, and what Edge will do with his contract. When they come back from commercial, LOL, Matt is shown being escorted from the building! *points and laughs ecstatically*
Trish Stratus/Ashley scene
Trish and Ashley are shown gettin’ ready for their match, and Trish said that she had to come back, and put Torrie, Candice, and Victoria (AKA Dumb, Dumber, and Xena) in their places, because as Women’s champion, *she* was the best Diva on the show. Ashley questions whether they can win, and Trish reassures her that they’ve got this. Just in case things don’t go as planned, though, Trish literally looks in Ashley’s shirt to make sure she’s covered. LOL And then Mae Young comes in, showin’ off her own bra! Ugh! *shudders* They kick Mae out of the locker room, where Ted Dibiase, Jimmy Snuka, and Jim Duggan are standing. Mae tries to come on to them, and Ted says, “I’ll pay ya $2,000 to put your shirt back on!” LMAO! Moolah comes up and gets Mae off the scene, only to be followed by Jimmy Snuka wavin’ the two grand around! Wow…that’s kinda gross, actually…
Ric Flair Interview
Why the flyin’ monkey butts is Maria dressed in a Homecoming Queen dress?! Anyway, Ric comes into the scene, and talks about the return of the ‘Game’. Ric gives props to Trips for motivating him four years ago. He came into the WWE a broken man, because his career and his spirit were not where they should’ve been. Now he stands there as the Intercontinental champion. He then says that Masters and Carlito should consider themselves lucky, and remember this night for the rest o’ their lives, because they’re gonna be in the ring with the Nature Boy and the “greatest wrestler alive today” (his words, I swear) Triple H! Ric then struts off the scene as only he can. Gotta love it, man, gotta love it!
Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Ric Flair & Triple H
That’s right, baby! The ‘Game’ made his return tonight at WWE Homecoming! I did not faint, but I cheered my freakin’ head off!!!! I’ve realized something about Hunter. When he’s around, man, do the fans hate his freakin’ guts! But when he leaves, say for about two or three months, you kinda get antsy, and you want the ‘Cerebral Assassin’ back in the WWE ring. RAW just isn’t the same without him. Now, whether that’s because there’s no longer a solid heel to boo, or because you just miss the presence he brings to the ring, eh, it’s a personal choice. Mine happens to be the latter, because I recognize the passion that he has for what he does. *steps off Triple H soapbox*
Anyway, this match pretty much just showed off each guy evenly. Carlito and the ‘Masterpiece’ did their thing for a while. Ricky Flair got his offense in. And then…the ‘Game’ came into the fray. He brought in the sledgehammer, but was stopped from hitting Chris Masters by Carlito. Trips sets up Carlito for the Pedigree, and Masters comes up from behind with the sledgehammer, but is chop-blocked by the Nature Boy. Triple H hits his finisher, and gets the one-two-three. Afterwards Triple H embraces his mentor, and raises Ric’s hand. And then…I mean, you knew it was comin’. Triple H NAILS Ric Flair in the face with the sledgehammer, and carnage ensues. Triple H screams constantly, “What’s the matter with you?! Huh, did you think I wouldn’t find out?! What’s the matter with you?!” Wow…I think Paul Levesque really can’t stand to play a babyface. LMAO! Triple H beats the hell outta Flair for a good five or seven minutes, sayin’ that he wasn’t just gonna let ‘it’ go. I really love the ‘Game’…he’s such a natural heel. I mean, he’s a master at what he does! LOL People try to stop him, but nobody can…I mean, it’s Triple H! Even when they come back from break, Trips is still beatin' on poor Ricky Flair! Jeeeze, why??? He was so angry! LOL I <3 the 'Game', I really do! He ends up throwin' Ric Flair into a limo, slamming the door shut, and slamming his sledgehammer through the window before the vehicle speeds off.
WWE Unlimited/Legends Segment
Pat Patterson, Ted Dibiase, “Superstar” Billy Graham, Tony Garea, Mae Young & the Fabulous Moolah, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Chief Jay Strongbow, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Double A” Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Steve Skinnard (sp?), Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Harley Race, Kerry Von Erich, and Koko B. Ware are all introduced! Back on television, Rob Conway comes out to cut a promo. He makes fun of their age, of course, sayin’ they need to change their Depends. He’s bein’ completely disrespectful, and is put in his place by Dusty Rhodes. “The table you’re eatin’ off of right now was built by these legends right here. Without that table, you wouldn’t have any food!” screamed Rhodes. Man, those legends beat the sh*t outta pour Conway. Looks like it wasn’t the “Con-Way” tonight! Back on WWE Unlimited, Eugene had come out to chill with all his heroes. Awww, that’s so great! He’s so adorable!
Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, & Victoria vs. Trish Stratus & Ashley, 3-on-2 Handicapped Bra & Panties Match
Okay, this match didn’t last too long. Ashley got stripped of her shirt, but then her and Trish took over. They stripped the other three ladies real quickly, and blah. It’s all over in like five minutes.
Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, & Batista vs. JBL, Christian, & Eddie Guerrero
So, the Smackdown Superstars are gettin’ ready to do their thing, and Eric Bischoff comes out and says that, as far as all six guys are concerned, “It’s lights out!” The lights that focus on the ring go out, and Eric laughs at his coup. They then cut to commercial break. On Unlimited, JBL rants and raves about how great he is, and how crappy it is that Eric Bischoff won’t let him wrestle.
Hulk Hogan segment
Hogan comes out, huge pop, whatever. I’m so over this dude, after his really, really, really, really crappy performance at Summerslam. He was carried by Shawn Michaels, and then won the match. Are you kidding me?! Whatever. He comes out, gives props to Shawn for the match they had, and then throws out the idea of him versus Austin. Possible…hell, I’d pay money to see it!
Eric Bischoff vs. John Cena, WWE Championship
Man, WWE pushed their time limit. This match didn’t start ‘til around 11:05 p.m., but USA gave them a little bit more time for the title match. Man, I’m pushin’ the limits on my tape, too. LOL I only got about five or six minutes on it, so I hope this match doesn’t go past that. Wow, this match did only last a couple minutes. Bischoff kept Cena down with several karate kicks, and Angle slid into the ring with a chair to help. Well, he swung the chair, John ducked, the chair bounced off the ropes back into Angle’s head. LMAO! I *love* it when that happens! Anyway, Cena gets Bischoff up on his shoulders, lands the F-U, and wins the match. Cena and Angle get ready to go at it, but Teddy Long comes out! He claims that Eric tried to go “gansta” on him by cuttin’ short the Smackdown match, and makin’ them look like fools, so he’s gonna get Eric back. All the Smackdown Superstars (the guys in the six-man tag match, Randy Orton, and Ken Kennedy) all come running out, and attack Angle, Cena, *and* Bischoff. But, then, the RAW locker spills out, and the show ends with the two rosters brawling.
Overall Grade: A+
It's RAW Homecoming! I knew it was gonna live up to the hype! AHHHH, THE GAME IS BACK, BABY! AND EDGE WON THAT LADDER MATCH, BOO! All is well again in the world of sports-entertainment! :-D Seriously, though...I'm glad RAW is back home where they belong. USA has always been synonymous with wrestling, and I can deal with the Westminster Dog Show pre-empting RAW once a year, and the U.S. Open...it doesn't matter, none of it. I hope RAW can continue this trend, and keep up its momentum. This Flair-Triple H feud, Angle-Michaels-possibly Cena feud, Edge movin' on to do bigger and better things, Trish back wrestling on a regular basis...it all spells out a bright future for the WWE.
Mick Foley on Piper’s Pit
Mick comes out and introduces the 2005 Hall of Famer Roddy Piper. Piper enters the ring, and asks the one question people are dyin’ to know, “When is Mick Foley comin’ back to the WWE?” Mick says he’d need a pretty good reason to come back. And Piper gets all 12,000 people in the arena to chant Foley’s name. Randy Orton’s music hits, and he comes out with his dad. Randy gets in the ring, and talks trash about Piper causin’ his dad so much pain. He pushes Piper three times, before Piper finally strikes back. Foley and Bob, Jr. pull the two apart, only for Foley to get decked, and Randy hitting Piper with the RKO, followed by another RKO to Mick Foley. Gotta love how the "Legend Killer" gets it done...but he's gon' get his on Sunday against the Deadman.
WWE Unlimited
Todd Grisham gets interviews with legends sitting ringside. No predictions about the upcoming Iron Man Match. He interviews Dusty Rhodes and Jim Duggan and Jimmy Hart.
Eric Bischoff/Teddy Long scene
Bischoff confronts Long about Orton bein’ on RAW, and wants to know who else from Smackdown is gonna try and steal RAW’s thunder on the homecoming that night. Eric says he’s gonna deliver a RAW moment at Smackdown’s expense.
Kurt Angle vs. Shawn Michaels, 30-Minute Iron Man Match
Holy sh*t…the first eight and a half minutes of this match were extremely fast-paced. Shawn started off with the lead, takin’ Kurt down several times, and gettin’ a lot of near falls in a short amount of time. He even backdropped Kurt over the top rope, and Kurt literally turned in a circle and landed right on his stomach/shoulder. He got to his feet, and Shawn tried a baseball slide. Kurt pulled him out instead, and executed an Olympic slam onto the floor. They get back into the ring, and Kurt maintains his offense, even hitting another Olympic slam off the top rope, allowing him to pick up the first fall. A lot of the Unlimited thing was slow, rest moves, I guess they’re called. He kept Shawn in an armbar or sleeper hold for the whole commercial break. Shawn got a little offense, but when they came back from break, Kurt was the one waitin’ inside the ring. At 15:03, Shawn Michaels got his own pin fall over Angle, to even up the score. Kurt had had the Ankle Lock in tight, but Shawn twisted around, rolled Kurt up, and got the win. But Kurt continued to pound on him. He actually kept Shawn in a body scissors for a good length of time, but I never once thought, “Okay, that’s boring, do something else.” I think that proves that both Shawn *and* Kurt are great storytellers. Shawn tried to get some build-up, but Kurt, and I quote Jim Ross, was “like a pit bull”. He got the Angle Lock on again, and Kurt picks up the third fall, getting the lead. Only just over 11 minutes left now. During the commercial break, it sounded like Kurt was continuing to wear down Michaels. My video didn’t work, but when it came back on live TV, I turned out to be right. Kurt had Shawn down, and had his ankle all twisted up. Shawn finally got to his feet, and got Kurt with a series of right hands, and stiff chops. Kurt gets off step, Shawn gets him down to the mat, and hits the elbow drop from the top rope. And at 4:46, Shawn ties it up with a Sweet Chin Music! He didn’t get much time to tune up, but when he hit it, it was right on key. (Thanks, Coach, for that quote!) OMG…Kurt got the Ankle Lock in at 1:46, Shawn got out of it with 22 seconds left, Kurt got it back in at like 10 seconds, and Shawn kicked him off into the referee. He hit the Super Kick, but just as the referee started counting, the clock ran out! So Shawn suggests SUDDEN DEATH! But Kurt walks away like a lil’ punk, and Shawn gets props from some o’ the legends sittin’ at ringside, like Nikolai Volkoff, and “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, and Jim Duggan, and Koko B. Ware (who had a plastic parrot, in commemoration of whatever his other parrot’s name was LOL), and Moolah and Mae Young. That match was definitely pretty excellent, and I see these two in a Triple Threat Match at Survivor Series with John Cena for the WWE Championship.
Vince McMahon/Eric Bischoff scene
Eric suggests a No-DQ match for him and Cena tonight, and Vince is like, “Hmm…no.” LOL Eric argues that the only reason he was hired is to be embarrassed, and that Vince wants to eventually put out a “Self-Destruction of Eric Bischoff” DVD. He calls Vince “sick”, and Vince says back, “No one in this world knows just how sick, just how twisted, just how perverted I can be!” I <3 Vince McMahon! ;D
Steve Austin segment
I’m mad Lillian had a note card to read off Vince McMahon’s introduction, talkin’ about how he single-handedly created a billion-dollar company, and created guys like the Rock, and Austin, and Hogan, and that “he is strong, he is handsome, he is…well-endowed?!” LMAO! Vince enters walking only that way that he can walk! Anyway, Vince talks about all these times he beat the hell outta Stone Cold, and even shows footage from February 1999. Austin comes out, and shows his own footage: the hospital scene when he hit McMahon in the head with the bedpan, the shot when McMahon pissed his pants on TV, and one other scene. After talkin’ for a few more minutes, Austin stuns him. Shane comes out (HUGE shock, since the Boy Wonder hasn’t been on TV in a couple years!), only to get stunned as soon as he gets in the ring. Stephanie makes her way out, and talks trash to Austin, and even slaps the Rattlesnake! She gets a stunner for her troubles as well. Linda then comes back, and demands an apology from Steve. Shockingly, Steve complies, and then flirts with Mrs. McMahon. He asks for a kiss from the CEO of WWE, but then gets close to her, like he wants a kiss on the lips. But, they end up drinking a couple o’ beers together. Well, things aren’t so peachy, ‘cuz Linda catches a stunner as well. Wow…the only time in history the entire McMahon family has been stunned in succession! LMAO!
Edge vs. Matt Hardy, “Money in the Bank” Loser Leaves RAW Ladder Match
This is quite possibly the longest name for a stipulation match in history. Of course, this match started off pretty violently. The ladders came into use quickly, both men just tryin’ to beat the ever-lovin’ crap outta each other. Throughout the commercial, Matt maintains the lead by slamming Edge’s head into the steel steps, followed by a double-leg takeover into a ladder. Matt rolls into the ring, sets up a ladder, and starts to climb, only to be knocked down by a ladder Edge had in his hands. Edge somehow gets onto Matt’s shoulder, and Matt drops him outside the ring, only he falls with the blonde man. Edge sets up a table, and they come back from commercial with Edge tryin’ to suplex Matt through the table. They fought back and forth, and Matt almost won a few times. But thank God for Lita! She hit him with a kendo stick, and pulled the ladder from under him when he had his hand on the briefcase. Edge got in the ring, swung Matt back then forth, dropping him down over the top rope! He then tied up the “Sensei of Mattitude”, and Lita held on the little dude while her man (and my boo!) climbed up and grabbed what was rightfully his! BYE-BYE MATT HARDY! That match alone made this whole feud worth watching, ‘cuz Edge came out the ultimate winner! Expect to see Matt on Smackdown in a couple weeks. Over the commercial break, Jim Ross expresses sadness over Matt’s loss, and the RAW announce team goes over what will happen to Matt Hardy, and what Edge will do with his contract. When they come back from commercial, LOL, Matt is shown being escorted from the building! *points and laughs ecstatically*
Trish Stratus/Ashley scene
Trish and Ashley are shown gettin’ ready for their match, and Trish said that she had to come back, and put Torrie, Candice, and Victoria (AKA Dumb, Dumber, and Xena) in their places, because as Women’s champion, *she* was the best Diva on the show. Ashley questions whether they can win, and Trish reassures her that they’ve got this. Just in case things don’t go as planned, though, Trish literally looks in Ashley’s shirt to make sure she’s covered. LOL And then Mae Young comes in, showin’ off her own bra! Ugh! *shudders* They kick Mae out of the locker room, where Ted Dibiase, Jimmy Snuka, and Jim Duggan are standing. Mae tries to come on to them, and Ted says, “I’ll pay ya $2,000 to put your shirt back on!” LMAO! Moolah comes up and gets Mae off the scene, only to be followed by Jimmy Snuka wavin’ the two grand around! Wow…that’s kinda gross, actually…
Ric Flair Interview
Why the flyin’ monkey butts is Maria dressed in a Homecoming Queen dress?! Anyway, Ric comes into the scene, and talks about the return of the ‘Game’. Ric gives props to Trips for motivating him four years ago. He came into the WWE a broken man, because his career and his spirit were not where they should’ve been. Now he stands there as the Intercontinental champion. He then says that Masters and Carlito should consider themselves lucky, and remember this night for the rest o’ their lives, because they’re gonna be in the ring with the Nature Boy and the “greatest wrestler alive today” (his words, I swear) Triple H! Ric then struts off the scene as only he can. Gotta love it, man, gotta love it!
Carlito & Chris Masters vs. Ric Flair & Triple H
That’s right, baby! The ‘Game’ made his return tonight at WWE Homecoming! I did not faint, but I cheered my freakin’ head off!!!! I’ve realized something about Hunter. When he’s around, man, do the fans hate his freakin’ guts! But when he leaves, say for about two or three months, you kinda get antsy, and you want the ‘Cerebral Assassin’ back in the WWE ring. RAW just isn’t the same without him. Now, whether that’s because there’s no longer a solid heel to boo, or because you just miss the presence he brings to the ring, eh, it’s a personal choice. Mine happens to be the latter, because I recognize the passion that he has for what he does. *steps off Triple H soapbox*
Anyway, this match pretty much just showed off each guy evenly. Carlito and the ‘Masterpiece’ did their thing for a while. Ricky Flair got his offense in. And then…the ‘Game’ came into the fray. He brought in the sledgehammer, but was stopped from hitting Chris Masters by Carlito. Trips sets up Carlito for the Pedigree, and Masters comes up from behind with the sledgehammer, but is chop-blocked by the Nature Boy. Triple H hits his finisher, and gets the one-two-three. Afterwards Triple H embraces his mentor, and raises Ric’s hand. And then…I mean, you knew it was comin’. Triple H NAILS Ric Flair in the face with the sledgehammer, and carnage ensues. Triple H screams constantly, “What’s the matter with you?! Huh, did you think I wouldn’t find out?! What’s the matter with you?!” Wow…I think Paul Levesque really can’t stand to play a babyface. LMAO! Triple H beats the hell outta Flair for a good five or seven minutes, sayin’ that he wasn’t just gonna let ‘it’ go. I really love the ‘Game’…he’s such a natural heel. I mean, he’s a master at what he does! LOL People try to stop him, but nobody can…I mean, it’s Triple H! Even when they come back from break, Trips is still beatin' on poor Ricky Flair! Jeeeze, why??? He was so angry! LOL I <3 the 'Game', I really do! He ends up throwin' Ric Flair into a limo, slamming the door shut, and slamming his sledgehammer through the window before the vehicle speeds off.WWE Unlimited/Legends Segment
Pat Patterson, Ted Dibiase, “Superstar” Billy Graham, Tony Garea, Mae Young & the Fabulous Moolah, Jimmy Hart, Jimmy “Superfly” Snuka, the “American Dream” Dusty Rhodes, Chief Jay Strongbow, Greg “The Hammer” Valentine, “Dr. Death” Steve Williams, “Hacksaw” Jim Duggan, “Double A” Arn Anderson, Dean Malenko, Steve Skinnard (sp?), Ricky “The Dragon” Steamboat, Harley Race, Kerry Von Erich, and Koko B. Ware are all introduced! Back on television, Rob Conway comes out to cut a promo. He makes fun of their age, of course, sayin’ they need to change their Depends. He’s bein’ completely disrespectful, and is put in his place by Dusty Rhodes. “The table you’re eatin’ off of right now was built by these legends right here. Without that table, you wouldn’t have any food!” screamed Rhodes. Man, those legends beat the sh*t outta pour Conway. Looks like it wasn’t the “Con-Way” tonight! Back on WWE Unlimited, Eugene had come out to chill with all his heroes. Awww, that’s so great! He’s so adorable!
Torrie Wilson, Candice Michelle, & Victoria vs. Trish Stratus & Ashley, 3-on-2 Handicapped Bra & Panties Match
Okay, this match didn’t last too long. Ashley got stripped of her shirt, but then her and Trish took over. They stripped the other three ladies real quickly, and blah. It’s all over in like five minutes.
Rey Mysterio, Chris Benoit, & Batista vs. JBL, Christian, & Eddie Guerrero
So, the Smackdown Superstars are gettin’ ready to do their thing, and Eric Bischoff comes out and says that, as far as all six guys are concerned, “It’s lights out!” The lights that focus on the ring go out, and Eric laughs at his coup. They then cut to commercial break. On Unlimited, JBL rants and raves about how great he is, and how crappy it is that Eric Bischoff won’t let him wrestle.
Hulk Hogan segment
Hogan comes out, huge pop, whatever. I’m so over this dude, after his really, really, really, really crappy performance at Summerslam. He was carried by Shawn Michaels, and then won the match. Are you kidding me?! Whatever. He comes out, gives props to Shawn for the match they had, and then throws out the idea of him versus Austin. Possible…hell, I’d pay money to see it!
Eric Bischoff vs. John Cena, WWE Championship
Man, WWE pushed their time limit. This match didn’t start ‘til around 11:05 p.m., but USA gave them a little bit more time for the title match. Man, I’m pushin’ the limits on my tape, too. LOL I only got about five or six minutes on it, so I hope this match doesn’t go past that. Wow, this match did only last a couple minutes. Bischoff kept Cena down with several karate kicks, and Angle slid into the ring with a chair to help. Well, he swung the chair, John ducked, the chair bounced off the ropes back into Angle’s head. LMAO! I *love* it when that happens! Anyway, Cena gets Bischoff up on his shoulders, lands the F-U, and wins the match. Cena and Angle get ready to go at it, but Teddy Long comes out! He claims that Eric tried to go “gansta” on him by cuttin’ short the Smackdown match, and makin’ them look like fools, so he’s gonna get Eric back. All the Smackdown Superstars (the guys in the six-man tag match, Randy Orton, and Ken Kennedy) all come running out, and attack Angle, Cena, *and* Bischoff. But, then, the RAW locker spills out, and the show ends with the two rosters brawling.
Overall Grade: A+
It's RAW Homecoming! I knew it was gonna live up to the hype! AHHHH, THE GAME IS BACK, BABY! AND EDGE WON THAT LADDER MATCH, BOO! All is well again in the world of sports-entertainment! :-D Seriously, though...I'm glad RAW is back home where they belong. USA has always been synonymous with wrestling, and I can deal with the Westminster Dog Show pre-empting RAW once a year, and the U.S. Open...it doesn't matter, none of it. I hope RAW can continue this trend, and keep up its momentum. This Flair-Triple H feud, Angle-Michaels-possibly Cena feud, Edge movin' on to do bigger and better things, Trish back wrestling on a regular basis...it all spells out a bright future for the WWE.
