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The following report originally published 20 years ago this week here at PWTorch.com…
WWE RAW REPORT
NOVEMBER 15, 2004
LIVE FROM INDIANAPOLIS, IND.
-Jerry Lawler and Jim Ross introduced the show as La Resistance stood in the ring waving their flags. Ross and Lawler said they had no idea what the line-up of matches would be or even who the first G.M. would be from Randy Orton’s team.
-As Sylvain began singing the Canadian National Anthem, Maven’s music began. He stepped onto the stage and said he was the Raw General Manager for the night. He said he was in control, and he was booking Christian and Edge as a team for the first time in years against Chris Benoit and Shelton Benjamin, plus Coach vs. J.R., Christy Hemme vs. Stacy Keibler in a lingerie match, La Resistance would be defending the World Tag Team Titles against two teams, and he would be getting a World Title shot against Triple H.
1 — LA RESISTANCE vs. WILLIAM REGAL & EUGENE vs. RHYNO & TAJIRI
A few minutes into the match they cut to a commercial break. Good pacing early with some fun spots with Tajiri and Rhyno.
[Commercial Break]
Rhyno was eliminated as Conway held his leg from ringside after he missed a Gore. In the end, the use of the flag pole by La Resistance backfired and Regal was about to make the cover. Then he stopped, turned to Eugene, and tagged him in. Eugene hit the People’s Elbow and scored the pin. Eugene celebrated with four boys doing the old Junkyard Dog routine with the leg dance and then ran in circles pretending to be an airplane.
WINNERS: Regal & Eugene at 13:50 to capture the World Tag Team Titles.
STAR RATING: **1/4
[Commercial Break]
-Clips aired of various show openings dating back to the NWA World Wide Wrestling syndicated show, the ’80s WWF opening, the ’90s WWF Attitude opening, and ECW featuring Taz on the screen. It led into a plug for WWE 24/7 On Demand service.
-Maria, wearing a white tank top, interviewed Regal about the tag title win. She asked where Eugene was. Eugene then showed up and poured chocolate milk all over both of them. It turned into a wet t-shirt contest, with Maria rubbing her own right breast with milk to be sure some nipple showed through. Regal began stammering and made a comment about Eugene going blind and how he didn’t mind if he lost one eye.
-Maven was shown walking backstage. He flirted with a woman named Candice, establishing he’s a “ladies man,” and then entered his G.M. office, strutting proud with power. He noticed Hunter was there. He asked, “Can I help you?” Hunter approached him, telling him he had a big match tonight, but he had a counter-offer. He suggested that rather than take the “longshot” against Hunter, especially coming 24 hours after the beating he took from Snitsky at the PPV, he could instead opt out and take a spot in Evolution. Maven said he wanted the title shot and he already had friends. Hunter asked him to reconsider because he could provide him with everything he ever dreamed of – cars, money, women, fame. Maven began to fantasize about life as a member of Evolution. Hunter told Maven he is giving him the opportunity because he’s liked what he’s seen in him. He told him his so-called friends weren’t there to help him last night when Snitsky attacked him. He said those same friends may advise him against accepting a spot in Evolution, but if he were to win the World Title tonight, those same friends would be trying to take that title away from him. He told him he could consider the offer and let him know later. Very good segment. There are two directions to go with it that can work, and one that does nobody any good other than Hunter. The first two are Maven turned down Evolution, shows that he has integrity and is an individual, and gives Hunter the fight of his life in the TV main event. The second is Maven joins Evolution, gets an attitude, fills Orton’s heel slot, and builds heel credibility over the next year. The third option, which destroys Maven and helps Hunter, is for Maven to accept, but then Hunter and the rest of Evolution turning on Maven. That leaves Maven castrated since he would have been (a) manipulated, (b) tricked, (c) beaten down, and (d) proven to have no integrity. In other words, great damage will have been done and fans would have no reason to sympathize with Maven since he was willing to turn on the fans and join Evolution.
[Commercial Break]
2 — MOLLY HOLLY vs. LITA
WINNER: Lita with a submission tapout.
STAR RATING: 1/4* — Short and soggy.
[Commercial Break]
Coach stood in the ring ready to battle Ross. He called him into the ring. Ross walked to the ring to his Oklahoma song, then took off his cowboy hat. Just as they were about to fight, Maven appeared on the big screen. He said Coach was confused and it was “my bad.” He said there is no “J,” but there is an “R,” an RKO. When Orton ran to the ring, Coach bailed out into the crowd. Orton found him and threw him back into the ring.
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3 — COACH vs. RANDY ORTON
Ross quickly returned to the announcer’s table with Lawler. He said he liked this option a lot better.
WINNER: Orton at 1:00.
STAR RATING: n/a
-Todd Grisham interviewed Edge and Christian backstage. Edge was snide toward Christian, saying he has become a megastar since they last teamed and he considered a step back to be teaming with Christian. He said he should be fighting for the World Title. Christian, with the line of the night, told Edge that he should be careful and rest his vocal chord or he might damage it and miss six years of in-ring action. They took some more digs at each other.
[Commercial Break]
-Orton approached Maven with a big smile. He told him he must be excited about getting a World Title shot. Maven looked down. Orton told him to look at him. He asked him if he was considering joining Evolution. Maven said he was. Orton said it’s not worthy the glitz and glamour. Maven said when he was with Evolution, he held the IC Title for eight months. Orton took offense, asking if Maven thought that was only because he was with Evolution at the time. Maven said he doesn’t trust him. Orton asked why. Maven explained that as long as Hunter is World Champion, he can’t get a shot at the World Title, but if Maven wins the belt, then Orton is “back in the game.” Orton realized Maven had a point.
4 — EDGE & CHRISTIAN (w/Tyson Tomko) vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN & CHRIS BENOIT
Ross said Shelton Benjamin has been “literally on fire.” (Grammar Clarification Break: The definition of “literally” is “being exactly as stated.” Ross was “literally set on fire” by Kane. Shelton is “figuratively” on fire, since “figuratively” means “use of a word denoting one kind of object or idea in place of another to suggest a likeness between them.” Back to the Report…) Lawler made fun of the University of Minnesota’s mascot, a Golden Gopher. He said it’s the worst mascot he’s ever heard of. Four minutes into it, Benoit and Benjamin slidekicked Edge and Christian to ringside, then they cut to a break.
[Commercial Break]
They showed Tomko interfering during the break with a clothesline at ringside against Benjamin. Edge worked over Benjamin, then tagged in Christian who applied a standing armbar. When Christian and Edge tried a double-team move, it backfired. Benjamin then dropped Edge with a spin wheel kick and hot-tagged Benoit. Benoit back suplexed Christian, then threw Edge back into the ring and punched away at his head. Lawler asked Ross to refer to Christian just once as Captain Charisma. Ross obliged. Literally. Benoit then gave Christian his three German suplex series. When Tomko jumped on the ring apron, Edge went for a spear and hit Tomko by mistake. Benoit then gave Edge three German suplexes and signalled for the top rope headbutt with the throat slice gesture. Christian attacked Benoit as he went to the corner. Benjamin then splashed Christian from behind and gave him the T-Bone. Benoit then hit the top rope headbutt and applied the Crippler Crosssface for the tapout win.
WINNERS: Benoit & Benjamin at 12:08.
STAR RATING: **1/2 — I’d watch Benoit & Benjamin as a team on a regular basis. They could certainly elevate the prestige and drawing power of the tag titles were they to be a regular team.
-Edge seemed to be losing his sanity after the match, holding his head and shooting really mean looks Christian’s way. He then snapped and jumped Christian at ringside and threw him into the ringpost. He yelled that Christian was part of the reason he wasn’t World Champion. When a fan laughed at ringside, Edge told her to shut up.
-Ric Flair brought two hot women to Maven’s office who rubbed his chest and gave him a sample of what being a member of Evolution could be like.
[Commercial Break]
5 — CHRISTY HEMME vs. STACY KEIBLER
The ring was set up with a bed and pillows. They stripped to their lingere, drawing a huge pop from the crowd, then began throwing pillows at each other from across the bed. Feathers began to fly. Their moms must be so proud. Christy’s panties were basically see-through in the back, which the cameraman and director obviously noticed. Stacy ended up spanking Christy on the bed. Christiy fought back and pinned Stacy’s shoulders to the mat in a provocative position. Christy then helped Stacy to her feet with a big smile on her face. They danced together. Ross asked if Lawler wanted to see a rematch. Lawler nearly burst with excitement.
WINNER: Christy Hemme at 1:30.
STAR RATING: Are you kidding?
-Hunter was shown watching on a monitor backstage, smiling as he admired the women. If it was live, how could Hunter see the women on the screen when the screen had switched to a picture of him. Oh, I get it. He was actually admiring the image of himself. Figures. Batista walked in and talked to Hunter about the Maven offer. Hunter said the entire locker room knows that with Maven on top, the World Title is easy pickings. Hunter told Batista that nothing good can come of his thinking and he told him to lighten up. Batista wasn’t convinced that Hunter had their best interests in mind. Hunter seemed to be revealing that he wasn’t so much impressed with Maven as he was concerned that the entire locker room would see Maven as easy prey to unseat as champion should he win. This is also one of those head-scratching moments on Raw where a heel reveals his real motivations right in front of a camera, in a scene that airs in front of the entire arena of fans, who then have to watch Maven walk out later completely oblivious to what was said in front of thousands in the arena and millions across the country on TV.
[Commercial Break]
-Ross and Lawler talked about poll results that showed WWE fans online thought by a 64-36 margin that Maven wouldn’t decide to join Evolution.
-In the ring, Simon Dean stood with a fan in front of a table full of his product. Simon told everyone not to deny the truth about being overweight. “The truth is, you people need the Simon System,” he said. He said looking around at the crowd, America’s Heartland is in great danger of suffering a heart attack. Simon told the man, Eric, standing next to him that he is morbidly obese. He offered the man a protein bar. When the fan didn’t like the taste of it, Simon said it was the first time Eric ever rejected food. Hurricane’s music interrupted and out walked Rosey. Simon told Rosey that he isn’t overweight, he’s “just big.” Then he said, “Who am I kidding? Rosey, you’re fat, gross, and disgusting. Just like the rest of these people.” He said if he was as fat as him, he’d hide behind a mask, too. He then offered him a protein bar. Rosey unwrapped and then shoved it in Dean’s face, then whipped him into the corner and tried to splash him. Instead, Dean pulled the fan in Rosey’s path and he go to splatted instead. Dean then threw protein powder in Rosey’s face, then fled to the back.
-Smackdown Rebound aired.
[Commercial Break]
-Benoit and Jericho confronted Maven about his decision. Maven said he hadn’t made up his mind. He asked them where they were the night before. Jericho told him not to give in to mind games. He told Maven he owes it to everyone to walk out as World Champion. Jericho told Maven, “Make the right decision. Make the right decision.” Jericho left. Maven asked Benoit what he thought. Benoit yelled at Maven for getting a title shot after just three-and-a-half years when it took him 18 years to become World Heavyweight Champion. He said he and his family made sacrifices. He said: “It’s not about the money, the women, the cars, it’s about the passion of becoming World Heavyweight Champion. Now you think about it.” I don’t know how wrestlers get used to talking and being talked to when they’re just two inches away from the other person.
-Lawler said the right decision is joining Evolution.
[Commercial Break]
-A WrestleMania Recall moment aired of 1996 when Shawn Michaels beat Bret Hart. Muhammed Hussad said America used to be known as a melting pot, but everything has changed since 9-11. He said Arab-Americans were once guaranteed equality, but due to “people like you,” Akbar has been forced to close the doors to his store. “I see all your prejudices,” he said. He said if need be, he and Daivari will “beat the prejudice” out of the fans. “If necessary, I will lead a revolt against our very own country,” he concluded. Daivari jumped in with some comments. WWE should not be entering this territory. There’s no way, when troops are dying every day in the Middle East and terrorism is still an issue in our lives every day, that WWE can portray this in any way that isn’t completely offensive to Americans and their worldwide audience. It’s just really bad judgement. The line about leading a revolt against the country is over the line considering the terrorists responsible for the attacks on 9-11 were living in this country, blending in, before their attacks.
-Triple H walked to the ring first. Maven then came out. Hunter asked Maven to announce his decision. Hunter noted that he walked out in his wrestling gear, so if he wants a match, fine, he can lose the match and then go back to “jerking the curtain.” He told him his other option is to get everything he always wanted. “You can’t have both. You are either with us or against us,” Hunter said. “The choice is yours.” Maven said he’s fought long and hard about the decision, and he’s only down with one thing – becoming World Heavyweight Champion. Lawler said it’s a decision he’ll regret the rest of his life.
6 — TRIPLE H vs. MAVEN
Just after the bell rang, Hunter asked Batista and Ric Flair to step into the ring. Jericho and Benoit walked out to show they had Maven’s back. Just two minutes into the match, Batista punched Maven. The ref ordered Batista to the back. Flair entered the ring to shove the ref. The ref ordered him to the back. The ref ordered Flair to the back. Flair threw a hissy-fit. Maven went on offense with a series of punches, but Hunter regained control quickly with a flying knee. Benoit yanked Hunter off of Maven during a pin attempt. Hunter applied an abdominal stretch. Hunter lost his focus, yelling at Benoit at ringside. Then he yanked Maven to ringside. Benoit attacked Hunter, throwing him into the ringside stairs. Jericho threw Hunter back into the ring. At 5:45 Benoit tripped Hunter as he bounced off the ropes. Maven hit Hunter with a spin wheel kick and scored a two count. Maven missed a top rope bodyblock. When Hunter set up a Pedigree, Benoit distracted the ref as Jericho attacked Hunter and gave him the Lion Tamer. Ross declared it was over, which gave away that Hunter was kicking out. Sure enough, Maven draped his arm over Hunter’s chest, but Hunter kicked out just before three. They did a nice job creating a sense that maybe Maven would win, thanks to help from Jericho and Benoit. Hunter slipped on a Pedigree seconds later. During the count, Jericho put Maven’s leg on the bottom rope. The ref caught him and ordered Jericho to the back. As Jericho argued with the ref, Benoit gave Hunter a German suplex. Benoit followed up with a top rope headbutt. Ross did not say “it’s over” this time, which gave some hope that Maven might win. Maven draped his arm over Hunter, but Hunter kicked out at the last second. Edge then snuck into the ring after KO’ing Benoit. He went to spear Hunter and Maven, but they moved and he speared the ref. Jericho returned and he and Benoit attacked Edge inside the ring. Batista ran out and attacked Jericho. Ross screamed, “Things are breaking down here in Indianapolis,” harkening back to his days calling matches for Mid-South. Flair ran out, then Orton. Orton KO’d Hunter with the title belt. The crowd was standing. Maven crawled over toward Hunter. Ross screamed, “We have a new champion! Cover his ass. Count him!” The ref counted to two, but Flair yanked the ref out of the ring. Orton ran back to ringside and attacked Flair. Gene Snitsky blindsided Orton with a clothesline. Snitsky entered the ring and looked at both Maven and Hunter. Ross wondered who Snitsky would side with. Snitsky kicked Maven, then shot a look Hunter’s way before leaving the ring. Hunter gave Maven a Pedigree and scored the pin.
WINNER: Hunter at 12:18 to retain the World Hvt. Title.
STAR RATING: **3/4 — Great TV finish. Ross was spectacular in cheering on Maven (sans the “it’s over” cliche that always gives away that a kickout is coming, but that’s McMahon’s policy, not Ross’s). Ross seemed to really want to see Hunter lose about as badly was one could. The content of the match before the interference wasn’t really anything special, but it wasn’t designed to be since the intended story of the match was the drama of interference leading to near falls and questions over who would try to help Maven win and for what reasons. Well done.
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