SPOTLIGHTED PODCAST ALERT (YOUR ARTICLE BEGINS A FEW INCHES DOWN)...
(Note: The following report on WWE Monday Night Raw was published 20 years ago in the PWTorch Newsletter.)
WWE MONDAY NIGHT RAW REPORT
AUGUST 14, 2000
PROVIDENCE, R.I.
REPORT BY JASON POWELL, PWTORCH ASSISTANT EDITOR
Hosts: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler…
[Q1: 4.8]…
The opening montage aired… The announcers introduced the show… A video aired recapping Smackdown… Kurt Angle came to the ring for a promo. He ripped Triple H and compared him to Tonya Harding. Angle safid he is only friends with Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley, but said it was sad that she is saddled with a loser like Triple H. Triple H charged the ring and received a solid pop. Before Triple H could get his hands on Angle, Shane McMahon ran out and stood between them. Shane complained that because Angle and Triple H were too busy bickering on Smackdown, Stephanie was given the Rock Bottom. He advised them to stop fighting each other and instead focus on taking the WWF Title from the Rock at the PPV. Mick Foley came to the ring and said he agrees with Shane. He said he thinks Angle and Triple H should team up. He announced Angle & Triple H vs. The Dudleys & Rock for later in the show. Shane complained that the sides were uneven. Foley predictably announced that Shane would team with Angle & Triple H and received a big pop. A solid opening…
[Q2: 4.9]…
Backstage, Chris Jericho attacked Chris Benoit until the referees separated them… [C] Backstage, Shane and Benoit talked… Backstage, Kaientai told the Acolytes they want want to make up with them after what happened on Heat. Due to Kaientai’s broken English, it sounded as if they said they want to “make out” with the Acolytes. After the Kaientai explained themselves, the two teams left to drink beer together…
(1) T&A (w/Trish Stratus) beat Steve Blackman & Eddie Guerrero (w/Chyna) at 2:35.
Before the match, Ross extended his best wishes to Dave Hebner. In the end, Albert hit Blackman with a kendo stick which enabled Test to score the pin. A seemingly pointless match… Outside the building, Angle waited in the rain as Steph’s limo arrived. Angle thanked her for helping him on Smackdown, and kissed her on the cheek. A shot aired of Triple H fuming as he watched on a monitor… [C]
[Q3: 5.5]…
Backstage, Triple H met Steph and chewed her out for what happened with Angle. Steph told him, “Maybe I should leave. Maybe I shouldn’t be here tonight.” Triple H replied, “Maybe you shouldn’t” and stormed away, leaving Steph near tears… Highlights aired of Goodfather powerbombing “Victoria” the ‘ho through a table on last week’s show…
(2) Bull Buchanan & Goodfather (w/Steven Richards) beat The Hardys & Lita at 4:59 in a three-on-two match when Richards interfered.
Before the match, Richards cut a promo and noted that there are “groups like the (RTC) who care about your children.” He promised that laws will be passed to clean up the WWF. Late in the match, Lita tagged herself into the match for the first time and hit Goodfather with a moonsault. Later, Richards superkicked Lita in the face and threw her back in the ring where Goodfather hit a shoulderbreaker for the win. Afterward, Edge & Christian ran out and tried to hit Lita with a double chairshot, but Matt shoved her out of the way. Edge & Christian beat up Matt and left him lying… At a bar, the Acolytes drank beer with Kaientai… Outside the building, Shane unsuccessfully tried to stop Steph from leaving in her limo… [C]
[Q4: 5.8]… Edge & Christian came to the ring for a promo. They set up a pair of chairs and announced that they were staging a sit-down strike to protest the way Mick Foley has treated them. Foley walked onto the stage. After some hilarious interplay between Foley and the tag champs, Foley announced Edge & Christian vs. The Dudleys vs. The Hardys in a TLC (tables, chairs, ladders) match for SummerSlam… Backstage, Triple H told Shane that he was holding Angle responsible for his own argument with Steph. Shane told him to stay cool and promised to resolve the situation after Benoit’s match against Undertaker… A shot aired of Taker riding his bike around the backstage area… [C] Backstage, Shane tried to calm down Edge & Christian and said he would talk to them after Benoit’s match…
[Q5: 6.2]…
(3) Undertaker beat Chris Benoit (w/Shane McMahon) by DQ at 2:54 when Shane interfered.
After Benoit dominated the opening minutes, Taker came back and signalled for his finisher. Shane ran in and hit Taker with a chairshot for the DQ. Afterward, Benoit applied the Crossface to Taker until Kane ran out. Benoit and Shane ran to the back as Kane helped Taker to his feet. Out of nowhere, Kane chokeslammed Taker. Kane picked him up, and chokeslammed him again, causing the ring to cave in. It looked like the first chokeslam was supposed to break the ring since Kane chokeslammed him in the same spot twice. Kane drove Taker’s motorcycle to the back… [C] At the Democratic National Convention, Michael Cole hyped a major announcement from Linda McMahon for later in the show… Backstage, Undertaker refused medical attention… Backstage, Shane asked Angle to tone things down and get along with Triple H. Angle took offense and said it was obvious Shane doesn’t believe him… The Acolytes continued to party with Kaientai… A shot aired of several referees working to repair the ring as the announcers hyped that Tazz would appear after the break… [C]
[Q6: 6.5]…
(4) Tazz beat Crash Holly at 1:10 with the Tazzmission.
Before the match, Ross noted that Foley wouldn’t allow Lawler at ringside during Tazz’s match. Tazz came out and chewed out Ross at ringside until Crash attacked him to start the match. After Tazz squashed Crash (who has apparently taken Tazz’s place in the WWF dog house), he returned to ringside and shoved Ross. Lawler ran out and punched Tazz. Not as entertaining the second time around… Backstage, Just Joe told Angle that his presence had been requested in the parking lot in a half-hour. Joe said he wasn’t sure who wanted to meet with Angle… [C]
(5) X-Pac & Road Dogg beat Rikishi at 3:39 in a handicapped match.
During the match, X-Pac pretended to be hurt while Rikishi gave Road Dogg the Stinkface, but cameras caught X-Pac laughing. In the end, Dogg & X-Pac piled onto Rikishi for the pin. Afterward, Too Cool ran out for the save and then danced with Rikishi…
[Q7: 6.5]… At the convention, Cole interviewed Linda McMahon. Linda’s “major announcement” was that the WWF had registered 10,000 voters. What a blockbuster!!! She added that Rock and Chyna would be appearing at the convention on Wednesday… Backstage, Joe told Triple H that someone wanted to meet him in the parking lot in ten minutes, but said he couldn’t say who…
(6) Chris Jericho beat Val Venis (w/Trish) by DQ at 3:55 when Chris Benoit interfered.
A very predictable finish given the fact that this match received such little hype during the show. Afterward, Benoit beat up Jericho and left him lying. When Jericho was announced as the winner, Benoit ran back to the ring and beat him up some more… Outside the building, Angle and Triple H argued until a limo arrived and parked right between them…
[Q8: 6.5]… [C] Ross noted that Angle and Triple H were inside the limo meeting with a mystery person… At the bar, the Acolytes beat up Kaientai, who started to get out of hand… Al Snow hyped the crowd at WWF New York… Outside the building, Triple H and Angle climbed out of the limo. Moments later, Vince McMahon climbed out of the limo and chewed them out. He said Steph had called him crying and blamed them both. He wished them luck in the main event and told them to take care of Shane. A nice cameo… [C]
[Q9: 7.2]…
(7) Rock & The Dudleys fought Triple H & Kurt Angle & Shane McMahon to an apparent no-contest at 7:22.
Late in the match, the Dudleys set up a table at ringside and attempted to powerbomb Shane through it, but Edge & Christian ran out and attacked them with chairshots. Later, with the Dudleys still selling their injuries at ringside, the heels ganged up on Rock. Angle and Triple H both hit their finishers on Rock. Just when it looked like they would argue over who would pin Rock, their music began playing, despite the lack of a finish (the ref was still lying in the corner)…
COMMENTS
-Strong point: Rock worked harder than anyone on the show and is probably the last wrestler in the company that has to. Also, Vince’s cameo really popped the live crowd despite the fact that he never stepped foot inside the arena. It’s amazing how a few weeks away make Vince’s character seem fresh.
-Weak point: This week’s angle between Lawler and Tazz was almost identical to last week’s initial angle. Likewise, it seems like Jericho jumps someone backstage which leads to a meaningless brawl that sets up someone attacking him later in the show. This week it was Benoit. On the same note, it seems like Benoit beats up someone every week and leaves them lying in the ring.
-Overall score (7.5): This was a noteworthy show due to Vince’s cameo and Kane’s turn, but there were too many repeat angles and lame match finishes to consider it a knockout.
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