WWE Raw Results: 1/26/04 By: Rob Morris on 01/27/04
Report by: John Keane
We open with footage from last night’s Rumble.
Pyros go, J.R. and the King welcome us in and quickly recap last night’s PPV.
Living Legend Chris Jericho makes his way to the ring. He gets on the mic and states he’s not really too bummed about Benoit winning the Rumble, as he’s on Smackdown-therefore, there’s an open spot for a challenger for Hunter’s title. Chris decides to call in the favor Raw GM Eric Bischoff’s owed him since Survivor Series-he wants a title shot, right here tonight!
Eric hits the ring and, surprisingly, grants Y2J’s wish. HOWEVER-Eric points out he may want to use his favor for another purpose. He announces later on, Kane will go one on one with Trish Stratus-unless Chris uses his wish to call it off. Jericho’s look of shock is interpreted as confirmation he wants to cancel Stratus vs. Kane. No problem, it’s off the card. HOWEVER (again!), Eric is plenty pissed that, in the last 2 years, the Rumble has been won by a Smackdown wrestler. Therefore, as punishment, Chris and Rob Van Dam (the last 2 Raw roster members eliminated from the Rumble) will be taking part in a handicap match. They’ll be facing Ric Flair, Batista and Randy Orton-right after we break.
Back for RVD & Y2J vs. Flair, Orton & Batista. Good no-nonsense match, midway through Chris took a powerbomb from Batista on the outside. We go to break with Jericho down at ringside and Rob surrounded by the Evolution faction.
Back, Jericho is still down as the Evo crew take turns beating the hell out of RVD. Chris struggles back to his corner, Rob mounts a small comeback and finally makes the tag. Match got chaotic at the end, Chris put Batista in the Walls of Jericho-but before he could tap Randy came in behind the ref’s back and hit Y2J with the RKO. As Orton bailed, Batista covered and got the 1-2-3. Win goes to Orton, Flair & Batista. Break.
Back, Orton bitches to Bischoff about Foley costing him a win in last night’s Rumble. Randy’s heard Mick may be in attendance tonight-he wants permission to beat the hell out of Mick as soon as he sees him. No sweat. Stone Cold enters and tells Randy that Mick will indeed be here, as his invited guest. And if he wants a piece of him, he can go for it-but only after Foley gets the chance to get on the mic to talk about the insulting commercials (paid for by ‘the friends and supporters of Randy Orton’) that have recently aired. OK.
Cut to Chris Jericho in his locker room. Trish enters and thanks him for getting the match with Kane called off. They discuss their relationship and awkwardly agree to remain ‘friends’. Christian enters and brusquely asks Trish to take a powder. She complies, Christian asks Jericho what the hell was he thinking when he passed on the title shot. After bickering for a bit about the Rumble, Christian tells Jericho to get his head together-because he’s persuaded Bischoff into booking them in a match to determine the #1 contenders for the tag straps (on next weeks show). Chris stays silent as Christian tells him to get his head out of his ass. Break
Digital Play of the Night: From last night’s Heat, Victoria beats Molly with the Widow’s Peak.
Next up: Lita & Victoria, with Steven Richards, vs. Women’s Champion Molly Holly & Jazz, with Theodore Long. OK match, Victoria gets the win for her team, pinning Molly with an inside cradle.
In the back, HHH (bandaged and in street clothes) walks the halls. Break.
When we return, Hunter (solo) limps his way to the ring. He gets on the mic to put over his match with HBK last night. But, of course, he’s still the champ. ‘Sexy Boy’ hits, and Shawn, bandaged and bruised, joins HHH. Hunter asks what he has to do to finally be done with him. HBK states ‘it hasn’t even started’. Next out is Stone Cold on his ATV. He states Shawn deserves a rematch-but he’s not here to make matches. Hunter and Shawn both appear confused as Austin goes on to talk about a seemingly irrelevant topic, last night’s Royal Rumble. He reminds us the winner gets a Wrestlemania title shot. HOWEVER (lots of those tonight!), it appears a loophole has been unearthed, and that the Rumble winner gets his choice as to which top title he can go after. Rattler invites the winner of last night’s Rumble, Smackdown’s Chris Benoit, to the ring. J.R. and the King appear to be in shock as the Crippler makes his way down. Benoit appears to have made his choice-he wants to face HHH for the World Championship at WM20. Chris back up the ramp as Hunter and Shawn’s faces clearly scream ‘What the F***?’ Break.
Back, Kane makes his way to the ring. Rumble footage airs-Kane was dominated until distracted by the playing of The Undertaker’s music. Booker T seized the opportunity and tossed him over the top. As Kane his way up the ramp Spike Dudley tried to pass him to enter the Rumble-but ended up being pulverized before making it halfway to the ring.
Next up: Kane vs. Bubba Ray Dudley. Big brawl, Bubba Ray dominates until Kane lands a hard punch to his bandaged eye. Kane hauls in a set of ring steps, ref’s warning goes unheeded, Bubba Ray eats steel, ref calls for the DQ. Beatdown of Bubba Ray commences, D-Von tries to make the save but quickly takes a Tombstone Piledriver. As Kane prepares to summon the Fires of Hell, the lights go out, and a genuinely creepy video rolls on the Titantron. Footage rolls from Survivor Series-we see Kane helping Vince McMahon ‘bury ‘Taker alive’. Video ends with a shot of a macabre throne. Terrified, Kane hightails it through the crowd.
In the back, Bischoff talks to Smackdown GM Paul Heyman on his speakerphone. Eric states that if Benoit wants to throw in his lot with the superior Raw brand, it’s fine by him. Enraged, Paul accuses Eric and Stone Cold of actually being in cahoots, threatens a lawsuit and hangs up. Coach enters and asks wassup. Eric informs him of his dealings with Heyman. Coach starts chuckling as he remembers the catfight Eric and Paul engaged in at last night’s PPV. MAJORLY pissed, Bischoff sentences Coach to a no-DQ match. His opponent: Bill Goldberg. Hoo boy.
Next up: Rob Conway, with René Dupree, vs. Rico, with Miss Jackie. Pretty good fast-paced match, end saw Rob being distracted when Jackie flashed him. Spinkick by Rico quickly got the 1-2-3. Post-match Stacy Keibler struts to the ring to congratulate the flashy duo.
Wrestlemania Recall: J.R. in a toga at WM9.
Back, we see Mick Foley entering the arena.
Cut to J.R. and the King discussing a. the Benoit situation, and b. Goldberg’s unfair elimination from the Rumble.
Coach hits the ring and begs Eric to call off his match with Goldberg. No response from Bischoff, but Theodore Long and Mark Henry, more sympathetic, make their way down. Theo accuses Eric of racism and haterizin’, then states Mark will be happy to ‘have Coach’s back’ when he faces Goldberg. Coach smiles and gratefully accepts the offer. Break.
WWE Rewind: From last Monday, the Dudleyz treat Coach to a 3D through a table.
Back, Coach and Mark hype themselves up as Goldberg makes his entrance. ‘Match’ immediately turns into Goldberg vs. Henry, Coach wisely decides to hang out in a corner with Theo. Slow going here, Mark locks on a bearhug for about 4 days or so, Goldberg makes the comeback and tosses him out of the ring. Coach in, Spear, Jackhammer, arrogant cover, 1-2-3. Post-match Bill sends a quick, concise message to Brock Lesnar-“YOU’RE NEXT!” Break.
Here we go-CARS CRASH, and former WWF Champion/Hardcore LEGEND Mick Foley hits the ring to a huge pop. He flashes back to the events of December 15th, when he walked away from WWE to avoid wresting Randy Orton. In explaining his exit, he states that his main advantage during his days as an active competitor was his ability to channel hatred. He compares himself to Pete Rose in that regard. However (yet again), he doesn’t want to follow Pete’s example and become a sad, bitter retiree. He states after his departure from the biz, he was finally able to abandon hatred. Mick admits he made a mistake back in December-not in leaving WWE, but in even agreeing to face Orton. He states on his way down the ramp he doubted his ability to ‘get the job done’. But-the recent commercials describing him as a coward have taken things a bit far. He claims Randy owes him a favor, then asks him to come to the ring without his Evolution cronies. Offer is accepted, Orton joins Mick and asks what he wants. Mick asks him to again spit in his face, just like he did back in December. Randy nervously tries to refuse, Mick heatedly gets in his face, throws a pair of slaps and DEMANDS he spit on him. Randy complies, very small amount of spittle flies onto Mick’s face. Mick turns the other cheek and insists on a greater effort. Good-sized loogie hits Mick’s face. Foley states that the spittle and the insulting commercials are actually no big deal-but the one that described him as ‘Randy Orton’s bitch’ touched a nerve. Mick feels people are starting to believe that he’s really a coward. He reminds Randy of the old adage, ‘If you tell a lie that’s big enough, and you tell that lie long enough, people WILL believe it’. He describes the idea of Orton as a ‘Hardcore Legend’ is, quote, ‘one big pile of crap’. Mick grows increasingly psychotic, claims that Randy has not only spit on his face, but on his name and his legacy. Mick appears close to snapping, he punches himself in the temple as he states he CANNOT CANNOT CANNOT accept that! He’s worked too hard and too long to have his reputation tarnished by a ‘little bastard’! He’s seen his ear tossed in the trash in Germany, he’s been torn apart by barbed wire in Japan, and he’s been bludgeoned in Nigeria. And now, he’s returned to that place in his heart where darkness dwells. He welcomes the hatred back like a long lost friend. Blood pours from Micks eye as he proclaims there’s a time and a place for hatred-the place, Hershey, Pennsylvania. The time-now.
Mick hits Randy with the mic and forearms him into a corner. Running knee to the face! BANG BANG! Ric Flair tries to make the save but eats a clothesline. Batista in next, Mick goes down to a running forearm. Flair and Batista lay in the boots, Mick rolls out of the ring and grabs a steel chair. Batista checks on Randy, Nature Boy takes a chair to the gut from the outside, Mick re-enters, Batista gets dropped by a chair shot to the back. He and Randy roll out, Ric leads them up the ramp as Mick glares and bashes himself in the head with the chair. End of show.
Short form match results (all victories by pinfall unless otherwise noted):
1. Batista, Ric Flair & Randy Orton defeated Rob Van Dam & Chris Jericho.
