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KELLER'S WWE RAW REPORT 5 YRS. AGO (11-10-03): Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton, Christian vs. RVD, Batista vs. Goldberg, Booker T vs. Chris Jericho
Nov 10, 2008 - 2:36:04 PM
WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 10, 2003
LIVE FROM BOSTON, MASS.
-After clips aired of last week's show, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler introduced and previewed the show, including announcing Shawn Michaels vs. Randy Orton.
-Lita came to the ring to cut a promo for her match at the PPV. She said people tell her that returning after everything she's been through in the last year is a big accomplishment, but nothing will compare to the feeling she has when she beats Molly Holly to become the next Women's Champion. Hunter interrupted, joined by Batista and Randy Orton. Ross said Ric Flair wasn't present due to personal reasons (his mother died this weekend). Hunter carried himself like a main eventer as he yanked the mic out of Lita's hand. She stood up to Hunter and asked, "Can I help you?" Hunter yanked the mic out of her hand and held up a dollar. He said unless he planned to get naked and dance for the dollar, take a hike. Lita bailed out and sold it like she was scared of Hunter. Not crazy about that. She should have stood up to him a little more rather than running scared immediately. It seems, though, that everyone sells to Hunter as if he has some sort of influence behind the scenes or something and can make or break their careers.
Steve Austin then came out and told Hunter to get out of the ring and out of the arena. Orton said he was a legend killer and after Survivor Series, he'd add ending Austin's career as GM to his rep. Austin said we'd see what Shawn Michaels has to say about him being a legend killer later. Austin asked Hunter if he dressed to wrestle in tag match, singles match, or a cage match. Hunter said no. Austin then told him again to get his ass out of there. Hunter said: "Let's say I don't, Austin. What are you going to do about it?" Batista got in Austin's face and said, "Like I said last week, Austin's a coward." Austin said, "Thank god I only got to take this crap for six more days because after Survivor Series I'm going to deal with each of your sorry asses." He said since they're doing no good for him tonight, he wanted security to escort them from the building. Security then walked to the ring as Austin's rolled out of the ring to his music. Hunter said on the house mic that he was going to leave, not because Austin told him to, but because he wanted to. Even though her promo was cut short, giving Lita a chance to lead off the program with an in-ring promo did give the Women's Title match a feeling of prestige.
-Ross and Lawler talked about the Goldberg vs. Batista TV main event.
-Austin bumped into Eric Bischoff, Christian, Chris Jericho, Mark Henry, and Teddy Long backstage. They were mockingly applauding him. Bischoff bragged that he was about to end his career. Booker, Michaels, RVD, and the Dudleys walked up behind Austin and told Bischoff they are going to "bump rush their asses." A shouting match ensued.
[Commercial Break]
1 -- ROB VAN DAM vs. CHRISTIAN
RVD hit a spinning flying legdrop on Christian over the ring barrier at ringside. Christian came back in the ring and got some near falls on RVD. RVD then fought back with a split-legged moonsault and a minute later a moonsault for a near fall. Christian came back with a low blow and yanked Lillian Garcia out of her chair and grabbed the chair and his belt. He tried tried to use the chair as a weapon, but RVD tripped him up. Christian shifted into position to be a victim of Rolling Thunder. Then RVD hit the Five-Star Frogsplash on Christian for the win.
WINNER: RVD at 6:10.
STAR RATING: *3/4 -- Short, but really good for a six minute opening TV match.
-Shane McMahon walked up to a reservation desk at a restaurant. He said he didn't have a reservation, but would like a table for two.
[Commercial Break, including John Cena's new Stinger energy drink commercial]
-Coach came out wearing a Yankees jersey, especially heelish for the fans in the arena. I'm usually not for heels getting regional heat on national TV, but a Yankee jersey is a strong heel tactic across the country. Coach told Lillian Garcia that Bischoff has replaced her with him as ring announcer for the rest of the night. He told her to "get steppin'." Lawler covered the "cheap regional heat" factor by saying the only reason he's wearing the Yankee jersey is because he's in Boston, but he's not a real Yankee fan. They seemed aware of how counter-productive it is to have a heel play up to the favorite sports team of the largest market in the country.
2 -- LA RESISTANCE (Rob Conway & Rene Dupree) vs. ROSIE & HURRICANE
They showed a clip from the singles match on Heat the night before involving Rosie and Conway. Hurricane dove onto La Resistance at ringside before the match officially began. After some four-way action, Conway managed to get Rosie over the top rope. Hurricane then went after Conway, but when he went to the top rope, Dupree knocked him off balance. Conway then finished him off with a neckbreaker.
WINNERS; La Resistance at 4:33.
STAR RATING: *
-Terri told Lita backstage that she can't be any help for her tonight in their match against Molly & Gail Kim. Lita said she'll take care of the wrestling part of it and they'll be fine. Terri said she's scared. Bischoff told Terri to change into something "less appropriate to wrestle in and stretch or do whatever you do" He then told Lita it must've been so humiliating to be kicked out of the ring and had a dollar bill flashed in her face and being told to dance for it. That was ripe for a shoot response from Lita given Bischoff's history with dollar bills in strip clubs. He told Lita that Austin is the one who brought her back to Raw, and once Austin is gone starting next Monday, she better get with the program and implied she better get used to doing sexual favors for him.
[Commercial Break]
-Chris Jericho gave Henry, Steiner, and Christian a pep talk about their Survivor Series match. Orton walked in. Jericho sarcastically thanked him for finally showing up. Orton said if they get in any trouble at the PPV, he'll be there for him. Jericho mocked his self-confidence. Teddy Long called him "one cocky cracker."
-Val Venis brought two hot women into the men's locker room. He told them to be quiet. He then called for Lance Storm to walk out of the shower with his eyes closed because he had a surprise for him. Apparently that's not an unusual sounding request. Storm walked out of the shower drying off his hair with the towel and the women squeaked with excitement as they looked toward his crotch area. Storm then opened his eyes and asked Val what he was doing. Val said he had big plans for all of them later. One of the women said, "That's not all that's big!" Okay, Storm went from being the target of "boring" chants to being declared "well hung" on national TV. Sounds like more than a fair trade in the end, huh?
-Shane McMahon told his waiter that he has a guest due to arrive.
[Commercial Break]
3 -- LITA & TERRI vs. MOLLY HOLLY & GAIL KIM
Coach continued to do a great job as the smarmy ring announcer. He introduced Molly as the "greatest women's champion of all time." When the bell rang, Gail attacked Terri. Ross stressed that Terri isn't a trained wrestler and wasn't prepared to wrestle (ignoring that Terri had a short career as a regular competitor in women's matches). Somehow Terri ended up being the legal wrestler to the start the match for her team. Lawler made a big deal out of seeing her underwear. Ross said he assumed Shane's guest at a restaurant was going to be Kane based on Shane having an invitation delivered to Kane last week. Terri "showed spunk" (using Lawler's words) by slapping Molly and hot-tagged Lita. Lita hit a series of offense against Molly. Molly pinned Lita with help from a Gail Kim kick and grabbing the ropes. After the match, the heels tried to rip off Terri's denim suit-dress, nearly stripping her to her bra and panties.
WINNER: Lita at 2:39.
STAR RATING: 3/4*
-A clip aired from Unforgiven two months ago of Orton beating Michaels with use of brass knuckles. Ross said Michaels hasn't forgotten and the rematch is next. They showed Michaels smiling backstage as he got ready for the match.
[Commercial Break]
4 -- SHAWN MICHAELS vs. RANDY ORTON
I understand using Michaels's "Boy Toy" intro song that he's used for years, but I'd vote for a change. I think his music sounds dated by it's nature is a turnoff to a lot of their key 12-34 male demographic because it sounds inappropriate for newer fans who don't understand its history dating back to Michaels as a cocky heel sex symbol. If he had new music, it would also tell fans that Michaels isn't just a legend making an occasional comeback, but he's starting a new chapter in his career. Ross sang Michaels's praises early in the match as one of the most passionate wrestlers he's ever see. Ross, with the ironic comment of the week, responded to Lawler touting Orton's physique: "Yeah, this is wrestling, not bodybuilding." I doubt Vince McMahon fed him that line through his headset. Good back and forth action in the match. The ref went down at 5:30. Orton bought a chair into the ring and set it up. Michaels came back and sideslammed Orton onto it. The chair collapsed underneath him. Michaels then did an especially geeky pre-superkick dance, then stomped the mat, and then nailed Orton with the Sweet Chin Music.
WINNER: Michaels at 6:45.
STAR RATING: **1/2 -- Very good for a relatively short TV match. Orton kept up well and held his own with the ring general Michaels. The finish isn't a shocker since at this point Michaels actually needs an in-ring credibility boost as much as Orton. As unproven as Orton is, Michaels is equally seen as past his prime and from a previous generation. The win should give him a boost.
-Shane McMahon ate alone at the restaurant. He then looked up and saw that Kane showed up. Shane said he wasn't sure he'd show up. Kane said he always keeps his promises. Nobody else in the restaurant seemed all that concerned, so they must not be Raw viewers. Good cliffhanger.
[Commercial Break]
-Shane told Kane that he is void of any sympathy for him anymore, so he should think of what that means come Survivor Series. He said has no human emotion left. Kane asked coldly how his mother was doing. He said he remembers the noise her skull made upon impact. He said the reason he electrocuted Shane's testicles is so he could never start a family and so when he is bed with his wife, they'll know there's no point. He asked if he was successful. Shane didn't response. Kane said he is a monster whose only happiness is derived from making others suffer. He told Shane that for all of his guts and bravado, he cannot stop pure evil. Shane said he's not evil, he's pathetic. "You say you're a monster?" Shane said. "I say you're a self-pitying son of a bitch." He said he could live in this world if he wanted, but he chooses not to because he's afraid. Kane began twitching, as if Shane's words were hitting home. Shane referred to Undertaker, saying "his brother" knows it's true. Shane stood up and got in Kane's ear and told him Sunday at Survivor Series he's going to put him out of his misery. Kane sat there and took it, but looked like he was boiling inside. I liked that segment a lot. Very different than the norm. It didn't break into a typical brawl in a "real life" setting outside of the arena. Both got across some key points in their feud, drawing in past big events. More effective than just replaying them in a video package. I think everyone who saw this would agree that they paid more attention to the words being spoken than almost all other promos because they were talking softly, not screaming. Both Kane and Shane did well in their roles.
[Commercial Break]
5 -- SCOTT STEINER (w/Stacy Keibler) & MARK HENRY vs. THE DUDLEYS
They showed Lance Cade and Mark Jindrak watching the match backstage, although they strangely were standing about six inches apart facing each other with their heads turned sharply toward the monitor next to them. Not exactly the most natural pose to strike for a backstage shot. Henry beat up the Dudleys for the first few minutes. The Dudleys made a brief comeback. Steiner then took over offense on D-Von. D-Von came back at 5:30 with the top rope headbutt. D-Von then hot-tagged Bubba. Four-way action broke out at 6:30. D-Von clotheslined Steiner over the top rope. Henry missed a corner splash. Bubba clotheslined him to the mat for the first time of the match. The Dudleys then set up Henry the 3D, but Steiner interfered with a chairshot for the bell.
WINNERS: The Dudleys at 7:14 via DQ
STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Basic but solid formula tag match.
-Bischoff taunted Austin backstage about how ironic it is that Steve Austin, who some say put WCW out of business (uh, most people credit Bischoff with that, but...) would be looking across the ring at Eric Bischoff on Sunday after losing, the man who just put an end to his life in wrestling.
[Commercial Break]
-Jericho continued to flirt with Trish backstage. Trish flirted back. Jericho then asked her if someday she wanted to go out for a bite. Trish asked if he was asking her on a date. He said yes. They agreed on tonight. They both got a little nervous and tongue tied a giggly.
-Ross and Lawler welcomed Michael Cole and Tazz, "live" from the WWE studios in Stamford, Conn., who plugged the Smackdown matches: Undertaker vs. Vince McMahon, Jamie Noble vs. Tajiri, and Team Angle vs. Team Lesnar. Afterward Lawler complained about Cole and Tazz getting more facetime on Raw than they get. Ross told him not to worry about it, they know the producer. Ross and Lawler then plugged the Raw matches as we heard way too much of the chorus for the Limp Bizkit Survivor Series theme. It's like the record had a scratch in it or, a more modern example, when the CD changer locks on a DVD menu and keeps playing the same ten or fifteen seconds over and over and over. You never want to hear that song again.
-Backstage Booker and Big John looked over the WWE Unscripted book. Big John said he's going to get one of those books for Little Johnny for Christmas. Big John gave Booker an envelope that was stuck under the door. Booker read the note and it said, "I still remember." Booker asked John if the (redundant) note was a joke. Big John shrugged. Booker said he didn't have time for such games. Maybe it has something to do with the Dusty Rhodes-Baby Doll-Larry Zbyszko mysterio envelope angle.
[Commercial Break]
6 -- CHRIS JERICHO vs. BOOKER T
In the end, Booker looked like he was leaping at Jericho in the corner with an attempted huracanrana. The fans began a half-second of mocking him for a missed move when his legs didn't wrap around Jericho as fans anticipated they should. Booker then took Coach down with a cool pinning maneuver. Jericho put Booker in a Walls of Jericho afterward. Everyone involved in the Survivor Series match then got involved in a big brawl. Nice way to tease the ten-man tag at the PPV. The babyfaces cleared the ring, which is meant to give Austin fans great hope that his team can win at the PPV. Coach declared Jericho the winner via DQ, but that wasn't the official referee decision. "Coach is going into business for himself," said Ross. The babyfaces surrounded Coach, who jumped into the ring. He then got the 3D from the Dudleys. Michaels put Coach's baseball cap over his face.
WINNER: Booker T at 3:55 with a "Jack Brisco Roll-up."
STAR RATING: *1/4 -- Just a fluke finish (although cool for a fluke) to a match that never really got going and was meant more as an angle for the PPV than a match.
-A video package aired on the Kane vs. Shane feud.
[Commercial Break]
-Ross and Lawler pushed the "WWE All Access" book being released next week. So much for the heavy push for Steve Austin's book. He only got a two week window before they moved on to pushing a new book in which they don't have to share the revenues with a wrestler.
7 -- GOLDBERG vs. BATISTA
Goldberg came to the ring, with his right ankle taped, and immediately went after Batista. He pressed Batista and threw him out of the ring. Batista immediately came back in the first minute and began working over Goldberg's right ankle. Ross said Goldberg should have never taken the match since it's only been three weeks since Batista shattered his ankle. Goldberg mustered enough strength to backdrop Batista at 1:45, then followed with a big Spear. He set up a Jackhammer, but Hunter charged to the ring to stop him. He clipped his leg, gave him a Pedigree, and then brought a chair and sledgehammer into the ring. Just as he was about to bash Goldberg's ankle with the sledgehammer, Goldberg gave him a kick between the legs. He followed up with a Spear, then struggled to get to his feet. He grabbed the sledgehammer. Batista entered the ring, so Goldberg hit him in the gut with the hammer. Hunter bailed out. As Hunter and Batista made their way back, Goldberg held up his belt and the sledgehammer in the ring. Ross gave a final hardsell for the main event at the PPV.
WINNER: Goldberg at 2:18 via DQ.
STAR RATING: 1/4* -- Predictable finish, so not disappointing in that respect. Send feedback on this article to pwtorch@gmail.com and we'll regularly publish reader feedback in the "Torch Feedback" category on the Main Listing.
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