TAKE PWTORCH
WITH YOU! Get our iPhone App (FREE!): Click Here Or enter "PWTorch.com" on your Blackberry or other Smart Phone browser for mobile-version of PWTorch.
WWE News
WWE Raw HOLT report 10/5: What the live crowd saw in Wilkes-Barre that didn't air on USA Network Oct 6, 2009 - 12:27:24 AM
WWE Raw HOLT report
October 5, 2009
Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
Report by Jack Hale, PWTorch.com reader
I just attended the October 5 Raw in Wilkes-Barre. The Wachovia Arena was jammed packed. It holds roughly 9,000 and I would say that 98-99% of the seats were filled. The Roethlisberger appearance drew a ton of local media attention in the last week, and probably accounted for the big crowd... though WWE usually draws really well here.
DARK MATCH:
The dark match featured someone named Heath Slayer (might be wrong on the name) facing Jamie Noble. Slayer looked like a jobber, but he came out with a mic and gave a cocky promo on his way to the ring. They had a decent match that the crowd dug. Noble won when he rolled through a powerbomb attempt into sunset flip like rollup to win.
SUPERSTARS TAPING:
We got the Superstars opening/pyro and they showed that the Smackdown match on Superstars will have Cryme Tyme facing the Hart Dynasty on Tuesdays taping.
Ted DiBiase came out alone for the Raw/Superstars match. He got on the mic and showed a vid from after the PPV of Cody Rhodes being stretchered out of the Hell in the Cell. He talked about Cody's injuries and asked the crowd for a moment of silence, which he didn't get as he had massive heat. His opponent was Evan Bourne, who got a decent reaction. They had a long match with Bourne's offense getting cheers. Finish came when Bourne tried a jumping roundhouse one too many times, only for DiViase to sidestep it and take Bourne out with Dream Street.
RAW NOTES:
Big Ben was booed by some early but by the end of the night had won over most fans regardless of their team.
Randy Orton made two entrances. After Raw went to commercial, he checked the face Divas out as they left and he made his way to the back. A minute later he came out again, this time showing that he can walk to the ring at regular speed.
The Miz's title win marked the first time in the Wachovia Arena's ten year history that a title change happened here. (Bobby Lashley being stripped of the ECW Title at the 0'7 Draft doesn't count in my book). Now when announcers talk about titles changing in towns, we have a title change to talk about.
Josh Mathews came out midway to do the "Sign of the Night" or whatever its called.
AFTER RAW:
After Raw went off air, DX and the Steelers posed in the ring for a few minutes before going around ringside slapping hands. They ended up at the top of the ramp for a final pose before heading to the back. Big Show then emerged from the ring announcers area and made his way to the back jawing with some fans.
A good show that appealed to the majority of people who attended. Not a big number of smart fans, as most wrestlers got the reactions that they should be getting. My biggest gripe was that there wasn't any non Raw wrestler merch beyond some Mysterio stuff. There usually is something, guess my new Punk shirt will have to be ordered.
[Evan Bourne photo credit Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]
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.
INCREDIBLE BENEFITS! Over 50 full-length audio updates per month (iPod compatible)... New weekly award-winning Pro Wrestling Torch Newsletter (text and printable pdf versions) with latest exclusive insider news, new Torch Talks, great columns, Keller's cover story, much more... Hundreds of full-length back issues of PWTorch Newsletter from late-'80s to today... Ad-free access to PWTorch.com's Main Listing... VIP Forum with interaction with other subscribers and Torch staff... Torch Talk Library with text and audio of hundreds of interview installments from last 20 years... Great layout... Deepest archives on pro wrestling history anywhere... Keller's PWTorch Today PDF Bulletins with email alerts... VIP Email reports on major PPVs and TV shows... Staff Roundtable Reviews (text and audio) followiing major events... The best staff of writers and world class reporting since 1987... We'd love for you to join us and experience the most entertaining, authoritative, experienced staff of professional reporters and commentators in the business...
Compare the value of four or five months of PWTorch VIP content to the price of just one PPV. Can you cut 25 cents a day from your budget to make room for PWTorch VIP?
AND NEW FOR 2009! Monthly "Vintage Audio Torch Talks." We are releasing for the first time ever audio versions of our text Torch Talk updates, the historical first series of insider interviews ever. Wade Keller's newsmaking in-depth interviews with wrestling's biggest names are now being made available exclusively to VIP members. But you must be a member each month, as these are not archived, so they are replaced with a new one each month! This debuted in January 2009 with a 68 minute interview with the late "British Bulldog" Davey Boy Smith. Who's next? Hulk Hogan? Eric Bischoff? The Rock? Goldberg? Jeff Hardy?