Feb 28 Raw house show reports

[Guest wildpegasus]

From the Torch website:

 

 

WWE Raw brand house show report

February 28, 2004

Birmingham, Alabama at Boutwell Auditorium

Report by Eromitlab, PWTorch.com reader

 

The show started promptly at 7:30pm with Howard Finkle running down the usual announcements... no commercial photography, don't throw things, no laser pens.

 

(1) Lance Storm defeated Rene Dupree via submission. La Resistance came out first and got a lot of heat just for coming out with the French flag. Rob Conway stayed at ringside and interfered a few times. Really good New Style match. Storm made Dupree tap out with the half-crab. Storm still did his silly cabbage-patch dance after the win. Dupree sold his left knee after the match.

 

The Dudley Boyz came out for the next match and got a great reception, but then Theodore Long's music hit. Theodore announced that he was the GM for the night and that he was also scouting WWE superstars... like the Dudleys' opponents tonight, Cade & Jindrak. Theodore sat next to Finkle at ringside and watched the next match.

 

(2) Garrison Cade & Mark Jindrak defeated The Dudley Boyz when Jindrak pinned D-Von. No heat for Cade & Jindrak when they came out. Cade got heat by avoiding locking up with Bubba, then with complaining. This match was okay, but it dragged on... and on... and on. Cade and Bubba started, and Bubba stayed in the ring for at least fifteen minutes straight being worked over by Cade & Jindrak before Bubba made the hot tag to D-Von. Finish came when Bubba put Jindrak down with a bodyslam and D-Von went up top for the Whassup headbutt. Theodore got on the apron to distract the ref. Cade shoved D-Von off the top and Jindrak pinned him while Bubba went after Theodore and Cade.

 

(3) Matt Hardy pinned Horshu. Matt worked the match as a face. Horshu looked okay and had a great physique, dwarfing Matt, but still has a little way to go with ringwork. Matt won with the Twist of Fate.

 

(4) Val Venis pinned Nick Dinsmore. Long New Style match. This is another one that seemed to go on forever. Dinsmore did a lot of work on Val's left knee and looked decent in the ring. Val won with the Money Shot.

 

(5) Chris Jericho defeated Christian via submission. Christian cut a promo pre-match about the Peeps being mad with him because of what he did to Trish on Monday night. Tim White came out to ref the match, which surprised me to see. Jericho came out and wasted no time attacking Christian. The match went mostly in Jericho's favor until Jericho tried a Lionsault. Christian moved, and Jericho landed on his feet and tweaked the bad knee on the landing. Towards the end of the match, White couldn't use his right arm. Mike Chioda came out to finish the match and an agent helped White to the back. Christian had Jericho in the Walls for a while, but Jericho held on and made the ropes. Jericho came back and turned Christian over in the Walls. Christian tapped quickly, and I mean quickly... maybe five seconds after being turned over.

 

After Finkle worked in a plug for the inflatable sledgehammer and smoking skull championship belt at the merchandise stand, some T-shirts were shot into the crowd and there was a ten-minute intermission... just short of 9pm.

 

Finkle came out after the intermission and introduced the GM for the night, Theodore Long. Long called out Chris Benoit and talked about how he beat everyone on Smackdown but how Raw is going to be a different experience, and also to psych him out about his World title matches with Triple H. Benoit put Theodore in the Crossface and promised to win the title tonight right here in Birmingham.

 

(6) Kane pinned Hurricane. Hurricane got in a little (and I do mean, a little) more offense and the match went a little longer then their TV match a few weeks ago. Kane set Hurricane for a chokeslam when Undertaker's bell tolled twice. This distraction allowed Hurricane the chance to re-charge. Hurricane went for a chokeslam, but Kane easily stopped it and hit his own for the win. Undertaker's bell tolled again as Kane left the ring.

 

(7) Booker T & Rob Van Dam defeated Randy Orton & Batista when Van Dam pinned Orton. Pretty solid match with good action. There were a few attempts to get Foley chants started. After one Foley chant, Orton spat over the railing towards the crowd right where I was sitting. There was about fifteen feet between the railing and the first row of floor seating in the area, so Orton's loogie landed on the floor about three feet in front of the first row of floor seats, two seats away from where I was sitting. I can only assume Orton did that for crowd heat... in that respect, it worked, but only a bit. The match was won when Booker hit the ax kick on Orton, and RVD followed with the five-star on Orton for the pin. After the match, Van Dam took the mic and told Booker that he had to give these people in Birmingham a Spin-a-roonie. Booker obliged.

 

 

Sable (artist Joseph Borzotta, PWTorch)

(8) Sable & Torrie Wilson defeated Stacy Keibler & Miss Jackie when Torrie pinned Miss Jackie. Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds. Molly was pantsed, revealing granny panties and scurried to the back... it all seemed familiar somehow. Better match than I was expecting... it went just a step above four hot women rolling around catfighting. Torrie's ring work looks like it's come up a notch. Torrie won with a DDT on Miss Jackie.

 

Prior to starting the main event, Finkle came into the ring and complemented the Birmingham crowd.

 

(9) Triple H pinned Chris Benoit. Triple H cut a pre-match promo promising to leave this hell hole Birmingham still the World Heavyweight Champion, just like at WrestleMania XX. They had a good twenty-five minute match, worked New Style with plenty of submission holds. Benoit teased the Sharpshooter a few times before getting it. Benoit hit three German suplexes, cut the throat and hit the headbutt, but Hunter kicked out at two. Orton came down to the ring to interfere on Triple H's behalf, but Benoit took care of him. Batista came out later to distract Benoit again at the finish, after Benoit avoided a Pedigree attempt. Triple H hit the Pedigree and got the win.

 

Overall, it was a good effort and a good three-hour show that seemed to entertain despite the stars that weren't on the show... Austin, Bischoff, Michaels, Trish, Lita and Victoria weren't on the show, and of course Flair and Goldberg weren't on the show for obvious reasons. Good boisterous crowd... I'd say between 2000 and 2500. The action was good throughout, but in my opinion, the New Style really made the early matches drag on.

 

 

 

From the Lords of Pain website:

 

 

 

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WWE Raw House Show Results: Birmingham, Alabama 2/28/04

Submitted by Matthew Tremley on Sunday, February 29, 2004 at 11:12 AM EST

 

 

 

UNADramaDragon sent in the following report:

 

I just got in from the Raw House Show in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a good show, and there were some interesting things to report.

 

- Match 1: Lance Storm v.s. Rene Dupree

 

- Crowd was hot for Storm, although they started a USA chant which seemed to confuse both of the superstars. Despite interference from Rob Conway, Storm picked up the victory with the Maple Leaf. He celebrated by dancing for the crowd afterwards.

 

- Match 2: Jindrak and Cade v.s. The Dudleys

 

- Before the match, Teddy Long came out and announced that he was the GM of Raw tonight, and that he was going to be keeping an eye on the competitors to see if there was anyone he'd like to associate himself with.

 

- By far, this was the worst match on the card. The Dudleys looked sluggish, and Jindrak and Cade looked worse than many indy workers I've seen. Fortunately, Bubba wore pants instead of those goofy shorts he's been wearing on tv lately. Jindrak and Cade picked up the pin on D-Von after Bubba was distracted by Teddy Long.

 

Match 3: Matt Hardy V.1 v.s. Horshu

 

- Horshu is a hoss. He looks a lot like Matt Morgan, and a little like Goldberg. Hardy played the face in the match, and Horshu roughed him up for the better part of the match. Hardy managed to get in most of his big spots before taking the match home with the Twist of Fate.

 

Match 4: Val Venis v.s. Nick Dinsmore

 

- Dinsmore has a crazed look. His hair is wild, and he has a funky goatee. The two had a decent match. Val picked up the win.

 

Match 5: Christian v.s. Chris Jericho

 

- NOTE: WWE Referee Tim White was the assigned official for this match. White came out, and the crowd definitely recognized that he had been absent from tv. About two minutes into the match White began favoring his right shoulder, and Mike Chioda came to ringside. White didn't seem to want to be relieved, but after attempting a few times to make counts with his left arm he was relieved by Chioda. I'm not sure if this was White's first appearance in a WWE ring since his injury, but it definitely appeared to be something of a homecoming.

 

- Christian and Jericho had a decent match, precipitated by Christian bragging about the way he manhandled Trish Stratus on Monday's Raw. Jericho picked up the win with the Walls of Jericho.

 

INTERMISSION

 

- When we got back from intermission there was an encounter between Teddy Long and Chris Benoit which resulted in Long receiving the Crippler Crossface. One of my friends and I have decided that Chris Benoit is physically incapable of looking in an upward direction. His neck is just too damned big.

 

Match 6: Kane v.s. Hurricane

 

- Kane roughed up Hurricane for the better part of the match. Kane attempted a chokeslam, but he was interrupted by the Undertaker's gong, followed by the sound distortion that usually preceeds the return video package. Kane turns around and almost catches a Hurri-Chokeslam, but he counters into the Chokeslam from Hell. End of match.

 

Match 7: RVD and Booker T v.s. Randy Orton and Batista

 

- For the record, Batista is a monster, and Orton looks a little softer in person. This was one of the better matches on the card. RVD and Booker T had matching gear, and they seemed to function well as a tag team. Apparently, Flair was pulled from the card by the WWE due to his recent neck injury. Orton definitely played to the crowd. A girl in the front row licked his nipple. That was bizarre, to say the least. On numerous occasions he made fun of RVD's stretching and kicks, and Batista got in on it as well. He attempted the most ridiculous RVD-esque kick ever. It had to be seen to be appreciated.

 

- RVD and Booker T picked up the win after a great match thanks to the Axe Kick, followed shortly by the 5 Star Frog Splash.

 

Match 8: Torrie Wilson and Sable v.s. Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie

 

- Sable looks much younger in person than on television. As a matter of fact, the two Playboy cover girls were by far the more attractive of the two teams. Miss Jackie has a lot of wrinkles under her eyes, and apart from her legs there isn't much to Stacy Keibler. Molly Holly came out and questioned whether or not the Birmingham faithful wanted to see the four Divas go at it. The Divas took the side of the fans, and the match proceeded.

 

- Torrie scored the pin for the Smackdown team.

 

Match 9: Chris Benoit v.s. Triple H for the World Heavyweight TItle

 

- Triple H came into the ring and got some heat for himself. The Birmingham crowd popped big time for The Game, but he quickly manipulated the crowd into cheering for Benoit.

 

- Benoit and Triple H had a very strong match. For the record, if anyone says Benoit was carrying The Game they're lying, or they don't know much about wrestling. They had a very well-balanced match. They teased the Sharpshooter a number of times, and the crowd popped big when Benoit finally sunk in the move. The Rolling German Suplexes were over with the Birmingham crowd as well.

 

- Randy Orton ran in and was quickly dispatched by Benoit. Benoit then hooked in the Crippler Crossface on The Game, but he was distracted by the appearance of Batista. Benoit turned around after disposing of Batista and was caught by Triple H with a quick kick to the gut. Pedigree. 1.2.3. End of show.

 

OTHER NOTES

 

- Arn Anderson was present for much of the show. There's a stage in Boutwell Auditorium, and Anderson would dart in and out from behind the curtain to chat with the sound tech, and he watched a good portion of the matches.

 

- Jazz and Victoria were also sighted near the stage area.

 

- When Tim White re-injured his right shoulder the WWE trainers were quick to respond. They met him at the ring to help him to the back. Mike Chioda stayed crouched in the entrance way for the beginning of the match. It seemed as though the staff and officials of the WWE were keeping a close eye on Tim White in the ring, and at the first sign of trouble they were ready to relieve him.

 

- White definitely didn't want to leave the match. He tried to continue even though it was obvious he couldn't use his right arm, but he finally conceded and turned the match over to Chioda. Many fans gave White a standing ovation as he departed.

[Spaceman Spiff 0]

Should they really be jobbing Benoit to HHH in all these house shows? Once he wins the title, it might hurt him in the fans eyes after seeing him lose night after night all over the country.

[Guest Choken One]

Nah...The Heel Champion usually always goes over at House shows before the PPV...

 

Unless they did the shitty Non-Title stip...they can't really put Benoit over on a house show.

[Papacita 0]

Should they really be jobbing Benoit to HHH in all these house shows?  Once he wins the title, it might hurt him in the fans eyes after seeing him lose night after night all over the country.

 

It probably wouldn't matter, since even most marks know that house show losses don't mean shit. Also, I'd imagine that the majority of the people attending these shows won't be travelling from city to city, so they'll only know about the one loss, and one match won't hurt Benoit's credibility any.

 

Edit: What the hell happened there?!?!?

[Guest Anglesault]

Should they really be jobbing Benoit to HHH in all these house shows? Once he wins the title, it might hurt him in the fans eyes after seeing him lose night after night all over the country.

Well, no, for two reasons.

 

First of all, most fans have no idea that these shows are happening, and Benoit's not winning the belt anyway.

[Slickster 0]

Good to see Tim White refereeing again, or at least trying to.

 

Perhaps he could make his return at WM? (with more painkillers, I'm assuming)

[CanadianChick 0]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

[cbacon 0]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

How sad and demoralizing

[Guest Anglesault]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

So, Fatty McPig Stuff McMahon needs to make fun of Molly's weight again?

 

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

Edited February 29, 2004 by Anglesault

[Guest Man Of 1,004 Modes]

Bring Back White! I blame HHH for it because I think it was his bump into White that injured him to begin with.

[Cherry Blossom Viscount 0]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

So, Fatty McPig Stuff McMahon needs to make fun of Molly's weight again?

 

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

How do you even know Steph is responsible for this? Oh yes, you don't.

[Guest Anglesault]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

So, Fatty McPig Stuff McMahon needs to make fun of Molly's weight again?

 

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

How do you even know Steph is responsible for this? Oh yes, you don't.

Yes, I took a huge leap in logic to assume that the head booker is responsible.

 

At the very least, Miss Piggy has the auhority to veto this and/or put an order out to refrain from doing it.

Edited March 1, 2004 by Anglesault

[CanadianChick 0]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

So, Fatty McPig Stuff McMahon needs to make fun of Molly's weight again?

 

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

How do you even know Steph is responsible for this? Oh yes, you don't.

I don't give a crap who it is; this shit needs to stop before it gets started again. It is disgraceful to even suggest that Molly is, in any way, fat.

[Guest Anglesault]

Prior to the match, Molly came out and complained about the performers not being serious competitors like her. Miss Jackie took the mic and told Molly her problem was tied to losing the women's title and not being able to lose that extra twenty pounds.

 

::Beats head against brick wall::

 

Oh please, not this again.

So, Fatty McPig Stuff McMahon needs to make fun of Molly's weight again?

 

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

How do you even know Steph is responsible for this? Oh yes, you don't.

I don't give a crap who it is; this shit needs to stop before it gets started again. It is disgraceful to even suggest that Molly is, in any way, fat.

Especially when you have a woman about 25 pounds heavier periodically on TV with no fat jokes.

[haVoc 0]

Bring Back White! I blame HHH for it because I think it was his bump into White that injured him to begin with.

Jericho through him into the cage. Older, non-wrestlers, shouldn't be taken bumps in the first place. Accidents happen, obviously.

[Guest Deviant]

I've got to agree on the anti-insults to Molly's weight argument. It's just stupid. She's not overweight at all. A girl in the audience who actually is fat is going to think that she's a fucking whale if Molly is the definition of 'fat'...

[Guest Your Olympic Hero]

Once he wins the title

Hahahaha

[EdwardKnoxII 0]

What a bitch. If Molly needs to lose 20 pounds, Sow McMahon needs to lose at least 45.

How do you even know Steph is responsible for this? Oh yes, you don't.

I don't give a crap who it is; this shit needs to stop before it gets started again. It is disgraceful to even suggest that Molly is, in any way, fat.

Especially when you have a woman about 25 pounds heavier periodically on TV with no fat jokes.

Months ago it was reported that someone in the front office told Nidia that she was getting fat and needed to lose weight and it was by Steph HERSELF that told her that. And say what you will about Nidia she isn't fat. Which is why alot of people think she was behind the Molly is a fatass thing.

[Guest DeathBecomesYou]

You want proof that Stephanie McMahon is the one behind the fatass angle? Have a look at this quote from an interview with Molly taken a little over a year ago, also consider that Molly started doing the fatass angle, just before Steph returned to TV about 20lbs overweight, and you get the idea of who was behind this, and who's probably behind the Molly head shaving too.

 

Molly isn’t your average WWE diva. She has the looks, but her wholesome image has, ironically, landed her in the role of a heel in the ring. Fans also aren’t likely to see her in any storylines that some might consider demeaning.

 

“I believe they (WWE officials) respect all the wrestlers’ values,” says the former WWE world champion, a devout Christian. “Although they have not yet asked me to do anything that I feel uncomfortable with, I’m sure that if they did I could discuss it with them and we could work around it. They want everyone to be comfortable with the show.”

 

And if they pressed the issue?

 

“If there was something that I really felt uncomfortable with, then I would say no. If it meant losing my job, then I’d move on to something else.”

 

“Stephanie McMahon asked me if they could do an interview with Trish where she said I had a big behind, and if I would mind. It was no problem with me. It was like pointing at someone wearing glasses and joking that they had poor vision. So what? It doesn’t matter to me. God gave me two legs to walk on and I’m healthy, so why should I be offended if someone criticized my physical appearance when God created me this way. It would almost be a slap in the face to God to say that I’m not happy with the blessings he has given me.”

 

“Nobody asks the girls to get implants,” she adds. “Each girl decides how they want their hair, what they want to wear, how they want to look.”

 

There's further proof that Molly is awesome, in a company where just about all the females have surgery done (how much plastic surgery do you reckon Torrie has had?), it's cool to see that she's totally comfortable with and proud of her appearance.

 

For anyone who wants to read the whole interview (it's with Maven as well) here's the link: http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewful...5890003470B0337

[Guest]

Well that posts needs edited.

[Art Sandusky 0]

Neither Molly or Stephanie are fat.

[Guest Banders Kennany]

Anglesault is the hugest jerk here in the folder to everyone he hates, so Steph is some overeater of a piggy girl to him.

 

I am also very surprised to hear that the Playboy Bunny matches apparently were not so bad that the crowd left to pee...even if they got naked!

[Art Sandusky 0]

It isn't just AS, it's the majority of the folder and internet reviewers who think it also.

 

EDIT: If I hear one more completely invalid Chyna/Stephanie similarity attempt, I'll scream.

[Lord of The Curry 0]

You want proof that Stephanie McMahon is the one behind the fatass angle? Have a look at this quote from an interview with Molly taken a little over a year ago, also consider that Molly started doing the fatass angle, just before Steph returned to TV about 20lbs overweight, and you get the idea of who was behind this, and who's probably behind the Molly head shaving too.

 

Molly isn’t your average WWE diva. She has the looks, but her wholesome image has, ironically, landed her in the role of a heel in the ring. Fans also aren’t likely to see her in any storylines that some might consider demeaning.

 

“I believe they (WWE officials) respect all the wrestlers’ values,” says the former WWE world champion, a devout Christian. “Although they have not yet asked me to do anything that I feel uncomfortable with, I’m sure that if they did I could discuss it with them and we could work around it. They want everyone to be comfortable with the show.”

 

And if they pressed the issue?

 

“If there was something that I really felt uncomfortable with, then I would say no. If it meant losing my job, then I’d move on to something else.”

 

“Stephanie McMahon asked me if they could do an interview with Trish where she said I had a big behind, and if I would mind. It was no problem with me. It was like pointing at someone wearing glasses and joking that they had poor vision. So what? It doesn’t matter to me. God gave me two legs to walk on and I’m healthy, so why should I be offended if someone criticized my physical appearance when God created me this way. It would almost be a slap in the face to God to say that I’m not happy with the blessings he has given me.”

 

“Nobody asks the girls to get implants,” she adds. “Each girl decides how they want their hair, what they want to wear, how they want to look.”

 

There's further proof that Molly is awesome, in a company where just about all the females have surgery done (how much plastic surgery do you reckon Torrie has had?), it's cool to see that she's totally comfortable with and proud of her appearance.

 

For anyone who wants to read the whole interview (it's with Maven as well) here's the link: http://www.mikemooneyham.com/pages/viewful...5890003470B0337

Nobody tells the girls to get implants?

 

I call shennanigans on that remark. It's unspoken and obvious. You see who gets pushes and what they look like and you adapt your look accordingly. Big-tittied blondes will always get the push over natural (but no less pretty) gals like Molly.