cawthon777 Posted January 22, 2006 Report Posted January 22, 2006 I've got tickets for Raw tomorrow in Charlotte and Smackdown! in Greenville so I'll be passing along those notes when I can. Asheville Civic Center January 22, 2006 (matinee) The arena was about 60% full. The ringside and lower riser sections were full; lots of open areas up top. I saw most of the talent arrive to the building. The only one that came out to sign was - surprisingly - the Coach. 1) Chavo Guerrero Jr. pinned Rob Conway with the Frog Splash at 6:56 after reversing an attempt at the Ego Trip into a DDT - Lots of Eddie chants; the crowd was very receptive to both men. 2) Viscera pinned Trevor Murdoch with the Embalmer at 4:55 - The crowd popped big for Viscera; Murdoch cut a promo before the match to the effect of the crowd was jealous of him because he made something of himself despite looking like them. The rear end humping thing Viscera does was very over with the crowd. 3) Lita & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 10:09 when Lita pinned Trish with a roll up as Trish argued with Mickie for spearing Victoria just as Trish prepared to hit her with the Chick Kick; after the bout, Trish left Mickie alone in the ring; Maria was the guest ring announcer and Val Venis was the guest referee; Maria put over the local team by saying she was going to be watching the Carolina Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks later in the evening - Lots of heat; Mickie played the face in peril for most of the contest but pulled out some good offense; after the bout Trish actually left to some boos because of her treatment of Mickie for costing the team the match - Jonathan Coachman, who assured everyone the Panthers would be losing, introduced Ricky Steamboat, who came out to a very strong reaction. Coachman insulted Steamboat almost immediately, saying Steamboat wasn’t a real legend and was comparable to Iron Mike Sharpe, Doink the Clown, and even Val Venis. Within moments Ricky removed his glasses, watch, and jacket. He then laid Coach out with several chops, played to the fans, and left without having said one word in the ‘interview’. At this point, Carlito’s music played. As the spotlight shone on the entrance, Arn Anderson came out instead and went to what I can only assume is the production table to tell them they messed up and Carlito wasn’t on until later in the show. Arn received a big applause and on his way back he paused … looked at the crowd … to which they popped … he took a bow, and went backstage. 4) Brent Albright defeated Aaron Stevens (w/ Beth & Shelly) via submission with an armbar at 7:28 after avoiding a clothesline, moments after ramming Beth and Shelly’s heads together - I felt so bad for these guys (and girls) because they seriously put on the best match to that point in time and the crowd crapped all over it. All involved put on a strong showing but the chants of “boring” started before they even had a chance to do anything. Most of the crowd used this as a food / bathroom break but, thankfully, by the end of the contest at least some in the audience were receptive to their hard work. 5) WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kane pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool with the tombstone at 7:33 after causing Carlito to choke on his own apple; surprisingly, Kane actually came out with the title belt - Carlito had quite a bit of offense in this, much more than I expected. Intermission 6) WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated Shelton Benjamin via submission with the figure-4 at 15:12 after avoiding a reverse crossbody off the ropes - Flair was treated like a God. Benjamin attempted to cut a promo before the match about his momma and how he was on the “Momma Said Knock You Out” tour but the crowd would have none of it and kept chanting “We Want Flair.” Good match, lots of heat, but Benjamin didn’t bust out any strong offense such as his spin kicks or the Exploder suplex. 7) Shawn Michaels & WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Big Show defeated Triple H & Chris Masters at 14:39 when Show pinned Masters with the chokeslam as Masters had Michaels caught in the full nelson - All involved worked this one well. At one point Michaels attempted a sunset flip on HHH and ended up pulling his tights down. They stayed down for a good 2-3 minutes as Trips was beaten down by both members of the opposition. Another spot had Triple H jump face-first into a boot from Michaels … stand there for a good 15 seconds as though he was going to take the face-first drop … then shake it off, walk toward Masters to make the tag, and drop hard face-first to the mat. Important to note is Show wore the cast on his right hand to sell the sledgehammer injury. 8) John Cena defeated WWE World Champion Edge (w/ Lita) via disqualification at 13:42 when Edge hit a low blow on the challenger as Cena prepared to hit the FU on an interfering Lita; after the bout, Cena avoided being hit with a chair and dropped Edge with the FU - Cena’s applause was deafening. Within 5 minutes, they were fighting in the crowd, with Edge dumping the challenger between the ringside section and the lower risers. A dazed Cena barely made it back in the ring to break the referee’s 10-count. Cena could do no wrong here and Lita received many harsh words from the fans for interfering.
skullman80 Posted January 22, 2006 Report Posted January 22, 2006 3) Lita & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 10:09 when Lita pinned Trish with a roll up as Trish argued with Mickie for spearing Victoria just as Trish prepared to hit her with the Chick Kick; after the bout, Trish left Mickie alone in the ring; Maria was the guest ring announcer and Val Venis was the guest referee; Maria put over the local team by saying she was going to be watching the Carolina Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks later in the evening - Lots of heat; Mickie played the face in peril for most of the contest but pulled out some good offense; after the bout Trish actually left to some boos because of her treatment of Mickie for costing the team the match Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here.
Hawk 34 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 3) Lita & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 10:09 when Lita pinned Trish with a roll up as Trish argued with Mickie for spearing Victoria just as Trish prepared to hit her with the Chick Kick; after the bout, Trish left Mickie alone in the ring; Maria was the guest ring announcer and Val Venis was the guest referee; Maria put over the local team by saying she was going to be watching the Carolina Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks later in the evening - Lots of heat; Mickie played the face in peril for most of the contest but pulled out some good offense; after the bout Trish actually left to some boos because of her treatment of Mickie for costing the team the match Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here. I guess Coach assumed all of Carolina (north and south) has an interest in the Carolina Panthers whom are playing in the NFC title game right now.
skullman80 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 3) Lita & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 10:09 when Lita pinned Trish with a roll up as Trish argued with Mickie for spearing Victoria just as Trish prepared to hit her with the Chick Kick; after the bout, Trish left Mickie alone in the ring; Maria was the guest ring announcer and Val Venis was the guest referee; Maria put over the local team by saying she was going to be watching the Carolina Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks later in the evening - Lots of heat; Mickie played the face in peril for most of the contest but pulled out some good offense; after the bout Trish actually left to some boos because of her treatment of Mickie for costing the team the match Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here. I guess Coach assumed all of Carolina (north and south) has an interest in the Carolina Panthers whom are playing in the NFC title game right now. Maybe SC does care about the Panthers, I just figured they wouldn't since they aren't from the same state.
Hawk 34 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 3) Lita & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 10:09 when Lita pinned Trish with a roll up as Trish argued with Mickie for spearing Victoria just as Trish prepared to hit her with the Chick Kick; after the bout, Trish left Mickie alone in the ring; Maria was the guest ring announcer and Val Venis was the guest referee; Maria put over the local team by saying she was going to be watching the Carolina Panthers beat the Seattle Seahawks later in the evening - Lots of heat; Mickie played the face in peril for most of the contest but pulled out some good offense; after the bout Trish actually left to some boos because of her treatment of Mickie for costing the team the match Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here. I guess Coach assumed all of Carolina (north and south) has an interest in the Carolina Panthers whom are playing in the NFC title game right now. Maybe SC does care about the Panthers, I just figured they wouldn't since they aren't from the same state. Thats like saying people in Rhode Island don't care about the Patriots because they play in Foxboro. Carolina panthers represent the carolinas. Otherwise it would be the Charlotte Panthers.
haws bah gawd Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Another spot had Triple H jump face-first into a boot from Michaels … stand there for a good 15 seconds as though he was going to take the face-first drop … then shake it off, walk toward Masters to make the tag, and drop hard face-first to the mat. Sounds like a pretty good show. HHH has been doing that spot at house shows for a while now.
cawthon777 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Posted January 23, 2006 Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here. Asheville is NC.
skullman80 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Why would the crowd in SC care about the Panthers when they are based out of North Carolina, unless I am missing something here. Asheville is NC. I've learned my geography lesson for the day
AboveAverage484 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 You from around Asheville, Cawthon? I go to school in Asheville, had no idea a hosue show was runnin here.
Scroby Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 - Cena’s applause was deafening. See now, Kurt Angle was right. Cena chasing the title is money.
Matt Young Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 So hooray, Lita's wrestling again. Say what you will, but the women's division needs her.
CanadianChick Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Speaking of Lita, how rusty was she? Because she hasn't wrestled in what, a year?
randomguy Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 "Brent Albright defeated Aaron Stevens (w/ Beth & Shelly) via submission with an armbar at 7:28 after avoiding a clothesline, moments after ramming Beth and Shelly’s heads together" Who? I've never heard of any of these guys. OVW people?
Hunter's Torn Quad Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 OVW guys, and Brent Albright is ready to be brought up from an in-ring talent standpoint.
Hawk 34 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 OVW guys, and Brent Albright is ready to be brought up from an in-ring talent standpoint. Quite frankly, if they dont do Benoit/Albright or Albright/Regal I will be disapointed.
Spaceman Spiff Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Speaking of Lita, how rusty was she? Because she hasn't wrestled in what, a year? Does it really matter? She's terrible either way. It's better for Lita if she DOESN'T wrestle. She gets big heat in the valet role. By putting her in the ring, fans will see how bad she is, which might kill her heat.
cawthon777 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Posted January 23, 2006 You from around Asheville, Cawthon? I go to school in Asheville, had no idea a hosue show was runnin here. I moved to Shelby back in October. It was about an hour - hour and a half drive. Never visited Asheville previously but it seemed pretty cool. Might have to come back the next time I have a free weekend.
cawthon777 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Posted January 23, 2006 Speaking of Lita, how rusty was she? Because she hasn't wrestled in what, a year? Actually she and Victoria worked well together. Lots of double teaming behind the referee's back mixed in with Lita distracting Val as Mickie tagged Trish, with Val then sending Trish out since he didn't see the tag. I think it helped that Lita didn't attempt any high spots.
BX Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I remember seeing Nitro in the Asheville Civic Center in '96, the week after Scott Hall showed up out of nowhere. It's an awfully small space. It's pretty embarrassing that the WWE couldn't sell it out.
Guest Dam(o)nYankees Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 OVW guys, and Brent Albright is ready to be brought up from an in-ring talent standpoint. Ah, yes, but physically he looks like the bastard son of Shane Helms and Daivari. Which means he doesn't have "the look". Which means he's fucked.
alfdogg Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Speaking of Lita, how rusty was she? I bet Edge could tell us!
AboveAverage484 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I remember SuperBrawl III was in Asheville. I guess it was in the Civic Center, I couldn't imagine it being anywhere else.
Guest Coffey Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 I don't know what's worse, "boring" chants or "what" chants.
cawthon777 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Posted January 23, 2006 I remember seeing Nitro in the Asheville Civic Center in '96, the week after Scott Hall showed up out of nowhere. It's an awfully small space. It's pretty embarrassing that the WWE couldn't sell it out. I don't know if I would go that far. But it is bad, that's for sure. July 04 I went to a Smackdown show in Roanoke that had worse attendance than this. And the main event? Newly crowned WWE World Champion JBL defending against John Cena.
Lord of The Curry Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Kudos to whomever is booking Brent Albright's finisher.
pochorenella Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Nice report, cawthon. Sounds like a good house show. 4) Brent Albright defeated Aaron Stevens (w/ Beth & Shelly) via submission with an armbar at 7:28 after avoiding a clothesline, moments after ramming Beth and Shelly’s heads together I've been very impressed with Brent Albright's work from OVW, so hopefully I'll catch them on a Heat/Velocity or dark match for the Orlando Supershow the monday after the Royal Rumble.
cawthon777 Posted January 23, 2006 Author Report Posted January 23, 2006 Stevens (the current OVW TV Champion) seems to be getting more dark match spots for the tapings so I guess they're looking to bring him and the girls in ASAP. Not sure what the plans are for Albright. Interesting to note is the two actually had a TV title match at the Jan. 20 WWE house show in Louisville. It was taped for OVW TV.
Hawk 34 Posted January 23, 2006 Report Posted January 23, 2006 Albright needs to be brought in as younger version of Chris Benoit. Just a pure ass kicking technical workhorse.
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