Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Attendance: 11,619
February 5, 2004
Fans loaded the Five Seasons Center for the first show after the Royal Rumble. WrestleMania is drawing near and the atmosphere reflects it. Tonight on Uprising, there was 4 terrific matches including one that had Steven Richards in an official tryout. 3 TWF scouts sat ringside for the match, furiously taking notes. But the 2 mFw superstars on hand caught their attention as well.
Chuck Palumbo vs. Justin Sane For nearly 9 minutes, these two guys traded high impact moves and the crowd loved it. In a match that literally could've gone wither way, Sane ducked a superkick and put Palumbo away with the "Asylum Driver" to get a 3 count. mFw match: "Mr. Mature" Oliver Worth vs. Soul Reaper Two guys who officials are very high on went at it here and the result was a little surprising. Soul Reaper physically dominated Worth until former TWF superstar and current mFw competitor Hardcore Holly came out and exchanged words with him. As this was going on, Worth rolled up the Reaper from behind and got a quick 3 count to pull the upset. Tryout Match: Steven Richards vs. Goldust w/ Jackie Gayda Richards received an official tryout and made the most of it. Goldust was a good opponent for him and they had a great match. After avoiding the Stevie Kick, Goldust dropped him with a scrapbuster slam to get a near fall. But Richards, who has always been very resilient, hung tough. He got back into the match and hooked Goldust up for the "Stevie T" but Goldust blocked it and countered with a northern lights suplex to get a 3 count. Afterwards, Goldust unzipped his outfit and began to seductively crawl across Richards but Richards snapped and went wild on him, dropping him with the Stevie Kick. Jackie Gayda jumped on Richards back from behind but Stevie backed into the corner and left her sitting on the turnbuckle. He then turned and grabbed her before planting a big kiss right on her before leaving the ring. Danny Basham w/ Victoria vs. Val Venis Venis looked to bounce back from a loss at the Royal Rumble but ran into a tough match against one of the Basham's. Val hit a spinebuster but as Victoria distracted the non-TWF referee, Doug Basham came out and switched spots with his brother. Val pulled him up but a fresh Doug poked him in the eye and whipped him to the ropes. But Val kicked him in the chest when he put his head down too early and dropped him with a spinebuster as well. Danny was under the ring and didn't know that his brother was about to be put away as Val locked in a reverse figure four leg lock, getting the other Basham, Doug, to tap out. VAL LEFT THE RING TO A GOOD CHEER AS A DISTRAUGHT VICTORIA LOOKED ON. THE SHOT THEN FADED OUT AS TECHNICIANS GOT THE STAGE READY FOR RAW.
"ACROSS THE NATION" PLAYS AND THE MONTAGE OF RAW IS SHOWN BEFORE THE SHOT OPENS INSIDE THE BLARING ARENA FULL OF JACKED UP TWF FANS. Jim Ross: "We are live from the Five Seasons Center in Cedar Rapids, Iowa off the heels of one of the most memorable Royal Rumbles in TWF history and King, even though a RAW superstar didn't win the Rumble, the process to determine who will go to WrestleMania starts tonight"! A PROMO GRAPHIC POPS UP WITH THE RAW LOGO ON IT AND THE WORDS "#1 CONTENDER TOURNAMENT FIRST ROUND". ON ONE SIDE IS STRIFE AND ON THE OTHER, SPAWN. Jerry Lawler: "That's right J.R., Hulk Hogan and Stephanie McMahon have set up a single elimination tournament to decide a number one contender and tonight, Strife and Spawn are gonna get it on"! AN IDENTICAL GRAPHIC IS SHOWN NEXT WITH SHAWN MICHAELS ON ONE SIDE AND CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI NEXT TO THE GENIUS ON THE OTHER. J.R.: "That one has slobberknocker written all over it but in our other first round match, the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels will meet the young Harvard graduate Christopher Nowinski"! "WHEREVER I MAY ROAM" BY METALLICA HITS AND JOE COREY COMES OUT ALONG WITH ALEXIS LAREE TO A MIXED RESPONSE. Lawler: "I can't wait for that one but what better way to start the show then with..... The Show"?! J.R.: "Joe Corey is not scheduled for action tonight so one can only wonder what he's coming out here for". Lawler: "Well the relationship between he and Austin Pyromania is getting a little confusing J.R., maybe he's here to shed some light". J.R.: "Just a little"? Joe Corey: "Many of you are probably thinking that I came out here to talk about the Royal Rumble match that took place last night. Well, as much of a travesty as that was, I will take care of Matt Taylor at a later time. The reason I came out here was to address a man that shocked me at the Royal Rumble. A man who’s actions not only surprised me, but all of the boys in the back, and all of you fans. That is the man who I am calling to this ring right now, Austin Pyromania". Lawler: "Here we go". J.R.: "Maybe we are gonna get some light shed King.
"Don’t Play With Fire” by Tupac plays and Austin Pyromania comes to the ring, without Stacy Kiebler.
J.R.: "Pyromania interjected himself in that King of Cable title match at the Rumble, helping John Cena overcome Nails. Is that what Corey was surprised about"? Corey: "Austin, I am glad that you decided to come out here, but where is Stacy, if I may ask"?
Austin Pyromania: "Don’t you worry about Stacy. She’s resting for my match later tonight".
Joe Corey: "It’s okay man. I didn’t mean to anger you. Like I said, there was a reason I called you out here. A few weeks ago, I came out here and proclaimed you as the man who was most deserving of a shot at the King of Cable. Some people, including yourself, seemed very surprised when I named you most deserving, not myself. I did that because you have been the person who has impressed me the most since I came here. You took the fight to Nails, and even though he may have knocked you down, you kept getting back up. And believe me, when I found out that Nails was getting the title shot at the Royal Rumble, I was pissed off too. I can’t imagine how it must have felt to see your enemy get your title shot".
Austin Pyromania: "This is nothing new to anyone, Joe. I was pretty pissed about it, and I took care of that problem at the Rumble".
Joe Corey: "Exactly! You came out here and you injected yourself into the match. You let your emotions get the best of you. If you are focused on the King of Cable title, then focus on that. If you are focused on Nails, focus on that. But you can’t have both. You have a weakness, and now everyone knows it and can exploit it".
Austin Pyromania: "I am focused on that title, but I also didn’t want Nails to be carrying it around. I was not going to let Anarchy Inc. screw John Cena out of that title".
Joe Corey: "If you were truly focused on the title, that would not matter to you. The title is what is important, not the other people going for it. It could be John Cena, Nails, or anyone else on Raw, but you can’t care. All you need to care about is that title. It is almost to the point that I wish I didn’t put my name on the line when I proclaimed you the best".
Austin Pyromania: "You know, that is something I have wondered about for a while now. Why did you put your neck out for me to get a title shot"?
Joe Corey: "Is it that hard to believe? I have a lot of respect for you Austin, and I want to see you become a big name here. But now, you have cast a black shadow on all that you stand for. And there is only one way for you to make it go away".
Austin Pyromania: "And how is that"?
Joe Corey: "The only way to make these people believe that you are the real number one contender to the King of Cable is to make me believe it again too. That is why I am challenging you to a match at Code Red. No gimmicks, just a straight up match to see who the better man is".
Austin Pyromania: "So, let me get this straight. You come out here and tell me that I need to set my focus back on the King of Cable, yet you want me to focus on a match with you at Code Red"?
Joe Corey: "You know, you may be right about that. (Corey thinks hard for a minute) I got it, there is a way to make you prove your worth to me in the ring, while also staying focused on the title. At Code Red, it will be Austin Pyromania taking on “The Show” Joe Corey, with the winner facing the King of Cable at WrestleMania. Are you in"?
Austin Pyromania: "Hey, if it means I get my title shot, (*he presses up against Corey's face) I am all in"!
Joe Corey: "Well then, may the best man win".
“The Show” offers his hand to Pyromania, and he accepts it. “Wherever I May Roam” plays as Corey and Alexis Laree leave the ring. Pyromania watches him intently as Corey walks up the ramp, smiling back at him. Lawler: "I'm more confused than ever now"! J.R.: "Nonetheless, Pyromania has accepted the challenge but what has to wonder if he just walked right into Corey's hands"! BACKSTAGE AREA..... IN THE BACKSTAGE AREA, A-TRAIN IS TALKING WITH JUSTIN SANE AND ZEROEX WHEN STEPHANIE McMAHON COMES UP. Stephanie: (clears her throat, getting the 3 men to turn around) "A-Train, can I speak to you in private? A-TRAIN COMES OVER AND THE OTHER 2 JUST STAND THERE UNTIL STEPHANIE GIVES THEM A LOOK TO LEAVE. Just what the hell were you thinking selling your number to Ted Dibiase at the Royal Rumble"? A-Train: "I.....I..... Stephanie: "Don't try and talk your way out of it.... it was all caught on tape! Not only did you sell your own chance to win the Rumble, but the chances of a RAW superstar in the main event at WrestleMania! So, I hope it was worth it because now you're gonna have a lot of time to spend all that money"! A-Train: "Steph, I..... Stephanie: "Suspended.... indefinitely! I don't wanna see you here again on RAW until I say you can come back..... got it"?! A-Train: "Got it"! A-TRAIN STOMRS OFF AND KICKS THE DOOR TO THE PARKING LOT OPEN AS RAW GOES TO COMMERCIAL. COMMERCIAL BREAK....... A COMMERCIAL FOR THE NEW HYUNDAI SENATA FOLLOWED BY A COMMERCIAL FOR COMCAST HIGH SPEED INTERNET. RETURN FROM BREAK.... BACKSTAGE..... AS RAW RETURNS, SAM WILDE IS SHOWN IN THE BACKSTAGE AREA READING THE BIBLE WHEN THE BASHAM BROTHERS COME UP, JUST LAUGHING. WILDE CLOSES THE BOOK AND STANDS UP, PREPARED TO DEFEND HIMSELF. Doug Basham: "Hey, chill out church boy, we ain't gonna hit ya". Danny Basham: "Yeah, just laugh at ya". THE BASHAM's AGAIN START CRACKING UP. Sam Wilde: "What did you hear"? Doug Basham: "Oh, nothing, just that you're..... you're..... Danny Basham: "What my bro is trying to say is, we know what your deal is man. We know all about you... you..... JUST THEN, VAL VENIS COMES UP. Val Venis: "Is there a problem here"? Danny Basham: "No, we were just leaving. But we warn ya, watch out for this guy". THE BASHAM's WALK OFF AND VAL JUST LOOKS AT WILDE, WHO SEEMS A LITTLE SHAKEN. Venis: "Don't worry about those chumps man, there's no shame in being as religious as you are". THE SCENE CUTS TO RINGSIDE WHERE LA RESISTANCE IS IN THE RING ALONG WITH WILLIMA REGAL. REGAL HAS A MICROPHONE. J.R.: "What the heck was that about"? William Regal: "We ask for quiet. THE FANS BOO Now even though Rene and Sylvan were cheated out of the tag team titles by Los Guerrero's, they still reserve the right to come before you and sing the French national anthem. Carry on boys". J.R.: "Did you bring ear plugs King"? RENE DUPREE AND SYLVAN GRENIER START TO SING THE ANTHEM BUT ABOUT 15 SECONDS INTO IT, THE MUSIC OF SHELTON BENJAMIN AND MARK JINDRAK HITS AND THEY COME OUT TO A BIG POP. LA RESISTANCE AND REGAL ARE FURIOUS. Lawler: "What the heck? They weren't finished"! J.R.: "Well they are now and no one here is gonna complain! As Regal referred to just moments ago, Los Guerrero's became the new RAW tag team champions at the Royal Rumble, although I would disagree with the notion that they cheated to do it". Lawler: "I gotta give the devil his due J.R., Eddie Guerrero wrestled a great match". J.R.: "One would say he single handedly won the tag team titles as Chavo seemed to have his mind in another place but getting back to La Resistance, they now have to climb back up the ladder starting with a singles match here. Jindrak and Benjamin have yet to be defeated in tag team action but tonight, it will be Jindrak versus Grenier, one on one". Mark Jindrak w/ Shelton Benjamin vs. Sylvan Grenier w/ Rene Dupree and William Regal After a lockup, Jindrak whipped Grenier to the mat and went into a reverse wrist lock. Grenier stood up and reversed into a hammerlock before running Jindrak to the ropes but Jindrak went low and Grenier's momentum carried him through the ropes to the floor. Grenier regrouped with Dupree and Regal and Dupree ran around to the side of the ring, drawing Benjamin over along with referee Mike Chioda. As this was going on, Grenier got back into the ring and Regal got on the apron. After a thumb to the eye, Grenier pushed Jindrak into the grasp of Regal and charged in. But Jindrak escaped and Grenier knocked Regal to the floor. After a backdrop suplex from Jindrak, Chioda demanded that Regal go to the back to the roar of the crowd. Meanwhile, Jindrak went to the top rope but Dupree got up and pushed him to the mat. Benjamin came over and nailed Dupree with a spinning back kick. In the ring, Grenier made the cover but Jindrak kicked out at 2. Grenier then went for an irish whip but Jindrak reversed it and nailed him with a perfect dropkick. He then ran up to the top rope and waited for Grenier to get up and when he did, he came off with his reverse flying clothesline and covered him, hooking both legs to get the 1.......2.....3. Match Time: 5:49 J.R.: "What an athletic move by Jindrak and he has gotten a big win here"! Lawler: "Well I don't think the ref had any right sending Regal to the back.... that threw everything off for La Resistance"! J.R.: "A losing streak has started for the Frenchmen and the team of Jindrak and Benjamin continues to roll"! BACKSTAGE..... CHAVO IS SHOWN IN A DRESSING ROOM, WATCHING THE ACTION ON A MONITOR WHEN EDDIE COMES UP AND KNOCKS ON THE OPEN DOOR. CHAVO JUST TURNS AND LOOKS AT HIM AS HE ENTERS. Eddie Guerrero: "Hola Chavito! Look homes, we need to talk". Chavo Guerrero: "About what"? Eddie: "We are the tag team champs man..... we should be out partying"! Chavo: "Yeah, I guess". Eddie: "Do you have something to tell me Chavo? If you do, don't be afraid, I'm your blood homes". Chavo: "Yeah, I do. Look Eddie, winning the tag team titles nullified a deal I had made with Shane McMahon to be traded to PrimeTime. He was gonna contact Stephanie and see what they could work out". EDDIE STARTS TO GET UPSET. Eddie: "What? What did you say man"?! Chavo: "Look Eddie, I've been wanting to go out and do something for myself for a long time, make a name for myself and stop being the Guerrero no one cares about". EDDIE STARTS TO CALM DOWN. Eddie: "Chavo, that's not true. Our whole family cares about you homes. We all do and we know how good you are. There's no way I could have won these titles without you and there's no way I'd be the person or the man I am without you. PrimeTime, forget about that. We are RAW, we are RAW tag team champions.... together! And all these people that come to see us...... they love us both man". Chavo: "You really mean that"? Eddie: "Of course I do Chavo. I need you man..... we all do". EDDIE GIVES HIS NEPHEW A HUG AS THE SHOT SHIFTS BACK INSIDE THE ARENA WHERE JON HEIDENREICH IS IN THE RING. J.R.: "So that's what it was all about". Lawler: "I don't know why Chavo would think he can make a name for himself on PrimeTime, we were voted the best show in 2003"! J.R.: "That we were and part of that is because of matches like the one coming up! "IN MY DARKEST HOUR" BY MEGADEATH HITS AND THE LIGHTS GO OUT AS A SPOTLIGHT PICKS UP THE IMAGE OF A FIGURE STANDING IN A TRENCHCOAT HOLDING A BASEBALL BAT..... THAT OF NEMESIS. This man entered the Royal Rumble at number thirty and hit everything that moved but King, I don't think he got all the revenge he was looking for". Lawler: "I don't think he got anywhere near the revenge he was looking for and I think he's gonna make a statement tonight! I wouldn't wanna be Jon Heidenreich right now"! J.R.: "Well I'll tell ya, Heidenreich's not gonna back down an inch! Nemesis might be looking up at this guy"! Nemesis vs. Jon Heidenreich As the bell sounded, Nemesis went right at Heidenreich with some hard right hands, rocking him into the corner. Heidenreich did his best to shake them off as Nemesis whipped him into the corner. But when he charged in, Heidenreich stuck a foot in his face and barreled him over with a clothesline. The rookie monster then bounced off the ropes looking for an elbow drop but Nemesis rolled out of the way. He then sat straight up and began putting the boots to Heidenreich. Jon came back with a punch to the ribs but Nemesis retaliated with a rake of the eyes before putting his right hand around his throat and choking him to one knee. Heidenreich knocked his arm away and fired back with right hands but again, Nemesis knocked him back with a kick to the gut. He then whipped him to the rope and hit a flying clothesline in which he did a complete flip in the air. Nemesis went into a cover but Heidenreich kicked out at 2. Nemesis pulled him up into a standing dragon sleeper, looking to choke him out. But Heidenreich showed his great strength by lifting him up onto his shoulder and putting him down with a running powerslam. Heidenreich again failed to follow up, instead trying to get the crowd involved. When he pulled Nemesis up, he caught a thrust to the throat and Nemesis knocked him into the ropes with a hard kick to the face. Off an irish whip, Nemesis knocked him to the mat with a hard elbow before he hit a running ddt that spiked Heidenreich's head into the mat. Nemesis went for the cover as it looked like Heidenreich was out but again, he only got a 2 count. Frustrated, Nemesis went and grabbed a stell chair and despite brand new TWF referee Jose Mendez' protests, he drove it into Heidenreich's rib cage, getting himself disqualified. Match Time: 8:17 J.R.: "The referee has called for the bell here and Nemesis has been disqualified". Lawler: "But he's not doen J.R., look out"! HEIDENREICH TRIED TO GET UP BUT CAUGHT ANOTHER CHAIR SHOT RIGHT OVER HIS HEAD. THE BELL CONTINUED TO SOUND AND NEMESIS FINALLY LEFT THE RING. J.R.: "Oh what a shot.... get him outta here"! JUST THEN, ANIMAL CAME OUT TO CHECK ON HEIDENREICH WHO WAS BUSTED OPEN. Lawler: "Animal is out here but his prodigee doesn't look so good". J.R.: "Oh now what, behind you Animal"! NEMESIS GOT BACK IN THE RING AND SMASHED ANIMAL OVER THE HEAD WITH THE CHAIR FROM BEHIND, KNOCKING HIM ONTO HEIDENREICH. THE FANS BOOED AS "IN MY DARKEST HOUR" HIT AND NEMESIS LEFT. Lawler: "Nemesis has ran roughshod over these two J.R."! J.R.: "He has left a trail of destruction in his wake but one has to wonder the source of this man's rage..... my god"! PRIOR TO COMMERCIAL..... WOMEN's DRESSING ROOM..... ALEX MIRAN AND JESSICA LOPEZ WERE IN THE MIDST OF A CONVERSATION WHEN GAIL KIM WALKED IN. Jessica Lopez: "Uh Alex, we have company". ALEX TURNED AROUND AND SEEMED SURPRISED TO SEE GAIL STANDING THERE. Gail Kim: "Hold on, I'm not here for a confrontation. I actually came by to say thank you". Alex Miran: "You did"? Gail: "Yes, I know that at one time I told you I wanted you to stay ouyt of my business, but who knows what Jazz would've done if you wouldn't have come out". Alex: "Hey, I just didn't wanna see a great Women's champion taken out of action". Gail: "Well I appreciate it and trust me, we haven't heard the last from Jazz. Anyway, I was wondering, maybe you'd like to go out after the show"? Alex: "Uh yeah, we can do that". GAIL WALKS AWAY AND ALEX LOOKS AT JESSICA WHO JUST SHRUGS HER SHOULDERS AS THE SHOT FADES OUT. COMMERCIAL BREAK.... A COMMERCIAL FOR DURACELL BATTERIES IS SHOWN FOLLOWED BY ONE TO PROMOOTE WRESTLEMANIA 5. WRESTLEMANIA REPLAY WRESTLEMANIA 1: SHOWS THE UNDERTAKER TOMBSTONING THE ROCK ON A STEEL CHAIR TO WIN THE FIRST BLOOD STEEL CAGE MATCH WHICH WAS THE MAIN EVENT AT THE FIRST WRESTLEMANIA. BACK TO LIVE ACTION.... BACKSTAGE AREA..... AS RAW RETURNS, STACY KIEBLER IS SHOWN IN THE BACK WHEN JOHN CENA COMES UP. John Cena: "Damn look at those legs"! Stacy Kiebler: "Oh hey John"! Cena: "Listen, I just wanted to come by and say I appreciate how you came down at the Rumble and checked on me". Stacy: "Well you looked hurt and I just had to make sure that.... Cena: "Oh yeah, I understand all that but listen..... AUSTIN PYROMANIA COMES UP. Austin Pyromania: "Stacy? I thought you were gonna meet me in my dressing room, my match is up". Stacy: "Oh I was on my way, I just ran into John, it's..... Pyromania: "Well my match is up, can we get out there"? Stacy: "Uh yeah, let's go". THEY WALK AWAY AS CENA JUST SHAKES HIS HEAD WITH A SMILE ON HIS FACE. THE SCENE SWITCHES TO THE OFFICE OF HULK HOGAN AND THE HULKSTER IS IN THE MIDDLE OF A TELECONFERENCE WITH SHANE McMAHON. Hulk Hogan: "I hear what you're saying dude but don't worry, I am not gonna hurt Travis Wakeman, I simply want to ask him a question face to face". Shane McMahon: (on speaker phone) "As long as I am gauranteed there won't be a physical altercation, I'll allow it". Hogan: "Okay Shane, do me a favor please. Tell Wakeman that he is invited to RAW next week as Hulk Hogan's personal guest". Shane: "I'll do that, I gotta go". SHANE HANGS UP AS HOGAN PICKS UP THE BRAND NEW TWF MAGAZINE: WRESTLEMANIA EDITION WHICH IS OPEN TO THE PAGE SHOWING A VICTORIOUS WAKEMAN AFTER DEFEATING VAL VENIS AT WRESTLEMANIA 1, RETAINING HIS TITLE. Hogan: "I'll see you next week, brother". THE SHOT GOES BACK TO RINGSIDE WHERE "LIKE A PIMP" BY DA BAND IS PLAYING AND TAYLOR MADE IS IN THE RING WEARING A CREAM COLORED SUIT. ALONG WITH HIM IS TERRI AND DESIRE, BOTH SCANTILY CLAD. "DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE" HITS AGAIN AND STACY KIEBLER LEADS AUSTIN PYROMANIA OUT TO A BIG POP. J.R.: "Travis Wakeman on RAW next week? What the heck does Hogan wanna ask him"? Lawler: "That's gonna be can't miss tv J.R. and speaking of can't miss tv, look at all the puppies we got out here now"! J.R.: "Austin Pyromania is set to go one on one with arch rival Taylor Made but it seems Pyromania is racking up a laundry list of problems without even knowing it! Did you see how Stacy looked at Cena"?! Lawler: "Well she looks at me like that too, it's just that no one ever sees it"! J.R.: (sarcastically) "Hmmm, I wonder why"? Austin Pyromania w/ Stacy Kiebler vs. Taylor Made w/ Terri and Desire On a night that had several terrific matches, this could've been the best. After Taylor slowly removed his suit, Pyromania got things started with an armdrag after a tie up. Taylor came back but ran right into a hip toss and Pyromania then delivered a spinning legdrop. After a snap suplex, Pyromania went to the middle turnbuckle but became distracted by Terri and Desire and Taylor nailed him with a dropkick. Stacy made her way around the ring but Terri and Desire dared her to come over. In the ring, Taylor dropped Pyromania with a devastating spinning piledriver but instead of going for the cover, he went to the apron and shot himself into the ring with a springboard clothesline when Pyro got to his feet. But Pyromania ducked and caught Taylor with a sharp crescent kick. After a snap mare, Pyromania hit the ropes and nailed him with a dropkick to the back. He then went to the middle turnbuckle again. He didn't let the women distract him this time but when he jumped off, Taylor caught him and delivered a hard spinebuster. After a reverse ddt, he went for the cover but Pyromania rolled his right shoulder out after a count of 2. Taylor stayed on him though and sent him to the ropes. But Pyromania countered a leap frog with a powerslam and hooked the leg to get 1.....2...., but Taylor kicked out. Pyromania went for an irish whip but Taylor countered and caught him with a wicked tilt-a-whirl piledriver. Pyromania was out and Taylor had the cover but referee Jim Korderas was distracted by Alexis Laree who had come out and tackled Terri. Desire pulled Alexis up by her hair but Alexis threw her arms up and slapped Desire, knocking her to the floor. On the other side of the ring, Joe Corey had come out and he grabbed a steel chair, cracking Taylor over the head! Taylor fell back right into "Pyrotechnics" and Pyromania covered him for the win. Match Time: 8:35 AS "DON'T PLAY WITH FIRE" PLAYED, STACY RAISED PYROMANIA's ARM BUT THEY SAW COREY AND ALEXIS OUTSIDE THE RING AND PUT 2 AND 2 TOGETHER. PYROMANIA DID NOT SEEM HAPPY. J.R.: "This just keeps gettin' weirder and weirder folks"! Lawler: "Joe Corey said he was gonna take care of Taylor later.... I guess this was later"! J.R.: "Is Joe Corey playing the ultimate mind game or does he really wanna have a friendly rivalry with Pyromania"?! BACKSTAGE..... Jonathan Coachman: "Right now, I am with the runner up in this year's Royal Rumble, Kurt Angle"! Kurt Angle: "Listen Coach, all those people out there now I got ripped off by Ted Dibiase! But that's another story. Right here, right now, I wanna make a challenge to myself to be in the RAW main event at WrestleMania and I'm gonna do it! All I have....... JUST THEN, SCOTT STEINER COMES UP. Scott Steiner: "All you have to do is what Kurt? First, you gotta get past me and the largest arms in the world in the tournament next week". Angle: "Am I supposed to be afraid Steiner? You might have those peaks, as you call 'em, but I have an Olympic gold medal"! STEINER JUST CHUCKLES AND WALKS AWAY. THE SHOT THEN GOES INTO THE ARENA WHERE BILLY GUNN IS IN THE RING WATCHING THE ACTION ON THE MONITOR. Billy Gunn: "Yeah, there he is! Hey Steiner, why don't you forget about Angle until next week and worry about this week?! That's right, I wanna see you get your ass to this ring so I can kick it, something I've been waiting to do since you stabbed me in the back"! J.R.: "Billy Gunn is calling out Steiner"! JUST THEN, "HOLLER IF YA HEAR ME" IS HEARD AND SCOTT STEINER's MUSIC HITS ALONG WITH THE USUAL SIRENS. Lawler: "And it looks like he's gonna get his wish"! J.R.: "Oh look out"! BEFORE STEINER COULD GET INTO THE RING, TRIPLE H CAME FROM OUT OF THE CROWD AND ATTACKED BILLY GUNN FROM BEHIND. STEINER THEN JOINED IN AND THE ASSAULT WAS ON. J.R.: "Triple H has come out and he's getting his licks in on Billy Gunn and I can only assume it's because Billy eliminated him from the Royal Rumble"! Lawler: "They are taking it to Billy J.R."! J.R.: "Wait a minute, here comes Kurt Angle"! KURT ANGLE CAME OUT TO A BIG CHEER AND ENTERED THE RING, TAKING OUT STEINER WITH A CLOTHESLINE AND THEN BACKDROPPING TRIPLE H TO THE FLOOR AS WELL. HE THEN TRIED TO HELP BILLY UP BUT THE DAMAGE HAD BEEN DONE. Lawler: "Kurt Angle may have saved Billy Gunn's career J.R."! J.R.: "Billy Gunn eliminated the game less than a minute after he entered the Rumble and next week, Steiner will face Kurt Angle next week in the number one contender's tournament"! PRIOR TO COMMERCIAL..... BACKSTAGE..... CIVIL RIGHTS IS SHOWN IN THE BACKSTAGE AREA. Brother Teddy Long: "In just a few minutes, Latino Heat is gonna find out what the Truth is all about! But brother Jones, the plan is in place for next week! The whole world is gonna hear your announcement"! CIVIL RIGHTS WALKS PAST THE CAMERAS VIEW. J.R.: "What announcement"? COMMERCIAL BREAK....... AN AD FOR THE 40th ANNIVERSARY EDITION OF SPORTS ILLUSTRATED SWIMSUIT EDITION SPECIAL IS SHOWN. RETURN FROM BREAK.... BACKSTAGE.... AS RAW RETURNS, THE CANADIAN NATIONAL ANTHEM IS PLAYING AND ROB STORM IS IN THE RING ALONG WITH JIMMY HART. J.R.: "Welcome backl to RAW folks and no this isn't Canada's TSN, this is still Spike TV but Rob Storm and Jimmy Hart took over the ring during the break"! Lawler: "Well it's apparent that they have an announcement so let's listen". Jimmy Hart: "Ya know, ever since the Royal Rumble, we have received an outpour of mail from Canadian fans demanding that my man here Rob Storm get plenty of tv time each and every week on RAW! Then we get here tonight and we find out that we don't even have a match! So we decided that this company has two choices, either give us the time our fans demand, or they can lose all of Canada and that means a huge decrease in ratings! So to whom it may...... JUST THEN, THE FANS GO WILD AS "BASIC THUGANOMICS" HITS AND JOHN CENA COMES OUT WEARING AN IOWA HAWKEYES BASKETBALL JERSEY WITH HIS OWN NAME ON THE BACK. Lawler: "What is this"?! J.R.: "It's our King of Cable, that's who it is"! John Cena: "Yo, yo, yo, this is crazy. You want our viewers to believe that noise? The only thing that's obvious to me is that you two are a little more than friends! I mean, Jimmy Hart, you're out here runnin' your mouth like you're the President of the United States. But we all know you're just sayin' it all cause you and Storm are playmates! And I've been to Canada many times and I know, they don't wanna hear this. They're all down with the Doctor of Thuganomics! So instead of sitting out here making all our viewers sick, why don't the both of you come back and suck my........ "BASIC THUGANOMICS" HITS AGAIN AND STORM AND HART ARE INCENSED AS CENA GOES BACKSTAGE. J.R.: "Well they got their tv time"! Lawler: "Did you hear what he just said"?! J.R.: "Well Jimmy Hart and Rob Storm left the door open for that and the King of Cable made them pay for it"! BACKSTAGE..... DAMION WEST IS SHOWN BACKSTAGE SITTING ON A BENCH WITH HIS HEAD DOWN AS SHAWN MICHAELS COMES UP. Shawn Michaels: "Hey man". High Octane: "Hey Shawn". Michaels: "Listen, I know you're still down about losing, but you're entered in this tournament too. If you remain focused, you'll have another chance to get that gold. But I gotta go man, I got a match soon". MICHAELS LEAVES THE ROOM High Octane: (to himself) "A match in the tournament. You're in the tournament too Shawn". BACK AT RINGSIDE, SPAWN IS IN THE RING, AWAITING THE ARRIVAL OF STRIFE. J.R.: "We are finally ready to get the number one contender's tournament underway King. I just feel like we've had about a month's worth of action tonight on RAW". "GET OFF MY TRACKS" BY POD BLARES OVER THE LOUDSPEAKERS AND STRIFE COMES OUT TO A HUGE POP. Lawler: "And we have a lot more J.R."! J.R.: "The World champion Undertaker is at home in Houston tonight but you can bet he's tuning in along with wife Sara to watch RAW and especially, this tournament". Lawler: "Strife and Spawn have had some wars recently J.R. and this will be another! Hey, remember when Strife got left in Australia courtesy of that man Spawn"? J.R.: "I remember it well and I don't think Strife will ever forget it". Lawler: "Well he better not let it cloud his focus because Spawn will make him pay". #1 Contender Tournament: 1st Round Strife vs. Spawn Another great match but somewhat surprising at first as Spawn took it to Strife. He wore him down with some clubbing shots to the back before locking in a bear hug. Strife would not give up though and got seperation after an ear clap. He got back into it with a big boot as Spawn charged in. Strife then hit the ropes and dropped a big elbow on him but couldn't even get a 2 count. Off an irish whip, Strife scooped him up but Spawn turned the move over and dropped Strife with a tombstone. He made the cover but Strife was up at 2. He then sent him to the corner and charged in but Strife moved out of the way and when Spawn came reeling out of the corner, Strife muscled him up with his swinging chokeslam. As if that wasn't enough, Strife picked him up and delivered the "Wrong Destination" which got him the 3 count. Match Time: 8:40 J.R.: "The impact of a wrong destination has propelled Strife into the second round"! Lawler: "The Undertaker made the comment that if Strife won the Royal Rumble, there'd be a rematch from last year's WrestleMania but we could still see that J.R."! J.R.: "We sure as heck could! Who's gonna stop the Locomotive"?! STRIFE WAS SHOWN WALKING UP THE RAMP AS THE SHOT SHIFTED TO THE BACK. BACKSTAGE..... CAMERAS SHOW CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI AND THE GENIUS LOOKING OVER A SHAWN MICHAELS POSTER. The Genius: "Well, he's got longer hair and maybe a better outfit but...... NOWINSKI RIPS THE POSTER IN HALF. Christopher Nowinski: "But did he graduate from Harvard? Does he have an IQ as high as mine? Sometimes good lucks and flashy clothes don't get you everything and I'm gonna prove that to HBK tonight"! BACK AT RINGSIDE, CIVIL RIGHTS' MUSIC IS PLAYING AND RON KILLINGS IS IN THE RING WITH BROTHER LONG. J.R.: "Shawn Michaels and Christopher Nowinski are coming up next but first, what a match this is gonna be King". "VIVA LA RAZA" IS HEARD AND LOS GUERREROS' MUSIC HITS AND EDDIE GUERRERO COMES OUT TO A HUGE POP WITH HIS TAG TEAM TITLE BELT OVER HIS SHOULDER. Lawler: "Eddie Guerrero is riding the high of winning the tag team titles but he's gotta face The Truth tonight"! J.R.: "Eddie had a heart to heart with his nephew Chavo earlier tonight but it remains to be seen if it got to him or not. All that after Chavo revealed he was in secret negotiations to be traded over to PrimeTime". Lawler: "Well Eddie's gotta block that all out so he can focus on Killings". Ron "The Truth" Killings w/ Brother Long vs. Eddie Guerrero As was the theme of the night, this was another great matchup. After an impressive exchange, Eddie missed a dropkick and Killings dropped him with a clothesline after doing the splits. After a gutwrench suplex, Killings made the cover but only got a 2 count. Killings pulled him up and shot him to the corner but when he charged in, Eddie moved and he posted his shoulder. Eddie then schoolboyed him for a long 2 count. He then went to the top rope and came off with a sunset flip but Killings sat down on Eddie and grabbed Long's arms as referee Brian Hebner counted the 1......2....., but he stoppd his count when he saw the cheating. Killings got up in his face but Guererro dropkicked him in the back. He then went for an irish whip but Killings reversed it right into a nice powerslam. He hooked the leg but again, Eddie was up before 3. Killings shot him to the ropes and went for a hurracanrana but Eddie caught him on his shoulders and let him down, locking in the "Lasso from El Paso". Killings looked ready to tap out but Nathan Jones ran out and got into the ring, kicking Eddie in the back of the head as Hebner called for the bell, DQ'ing Killings. Civil Rights was ready to do a number on Latino Heat until Chavo Guerrero came running out with a steel chair in hand. Match Time: 10:13 J.R.: "Here comes Chavo"! JONES AND KILLINGS GOT OUT OF THE RING RIGHT AWAY AND LONG LED THEM UP THE RAMP AS "VIVA LA RAZA" WAS HEARD AND LOS GUERREROS' MUSIC PLAYED. CHAVO THEN HELPED HIS UNCLE UP. Lawler: "Well it looks like Eddie got through to him"! J.R.: "Civil Rights was ready to dismantle Eddie but Chavo has shown his true colors and they are RAW through and through"! EDDIE WAS RELIEVED TO SEE CHAVO AND GAVE HIM ANOTHER HUG AS THE SHOT FADED OUT. COMMERCIAL BREAK..... A COMMERCIAL FOR VERIZON WIRELESS IS SHOWN FOLLOWED BY ONE FOR LABATT's BLUE. RETURN FROM BREAK.... RINGSIDE...... AS RAW RETURNS, THE HARVARD FIGHT SONG IS HEARD AND CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI COMES OUT WITH THE CAP AND GOWN CLAD GENIUS. J.R.: "We're back on TWF RAW and it's time for our second match in the number one contender's tournament and King, here comes the confident Harvard grad Chris Nowinski". Lawler: "And J.R., he's confident that he's gonna knock Shawn Michaels out of this tournament just because he is a Harvard grad"! "SEXY BOY" HITS AND SHAWN MICHAELS COMES OUT TO THE LOUDEST OVATION OF THE NIGHT. J.R.: "Shawn Michaels has faced some of the toughest men around so I highly doubt a Harvard graduate is gonna intimidate him but Nowinski should provide a stiff test"! Lawler: "Well High Octane didn't seem all that excited that his buddy Shawn Michaels is in this tournament.... maybe he's rooting for Nowinski here"! J.R.: "Well that's a whole other story and High Octane is gonna get his chance next week against Nails as we were just told but right here, the winner advances to the second round"! #1 Contender Tournament: 1st Round Shawn Michaels vs. Christopher Nowinski w/ The Genius As the bell sounded, the 2 men locked up and Michaels went into a go behind. Nowinski knocked him off with a back elbow but Michaels caught him with a drop toe hold as he charged him. Michaels then locked in a side headlock. Nowinski was able to get to a vertical base and back Michaels into the ropes. He whipped him in but Michaels bounced off with a shoulder that knocked Nowinski to the mat. Michaels then whipped him in and went for a dropkick but Nowinski used the top rope to stop his momentum and Michaels fell hard to the mat. Nowinski then used a bridge rollup to get a 2 count. After a suplex, Nowinski whipped him to the ropes but Michaels ducked a clothesline and caught him with a dropkick. He then went to the top rope and came off with a cross body block to get a near fall. The Genius got on the apron and Michaels rocked him with a right hand but when he turned around, Nowinski kicked him in the gut and hit the "Honor Roll" to get the 1.......2....., but Michaels got his foot on the bottom rope to stop the count. Nowinski protested the call but Michaels nipped up and when Nowinski turned around he was blanked out by the "Sweet Chin Music" and Michaels hooked the leg to get the 1.....2.......3. Match Time: 6:16 "SEXY BOY" HIT AND THE CROWD CELEBRATED WITH MICHAELS. J.R.: "Nowinski took his eye off the ball and Michaels has advanced"! Lawler: "And does that make High Octane happy or not"?! J.R.: "Oh what a night! What a night on RAW! Good night folks"! OFF AIR.....
