Emanating from the Rexall Place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada

Your commentators are Jim Ross, Jerry “the King” Lawler, Michael Cole, and Tazz

Opening Match: Shelton Benjamin vs. Ric Flair

Flair briefly works Shelton over in the corner, but Shelton recovers and whips Flair. Shelton charges after him, but Flair moves out of the way. However, Shelton avoids crashing into the corner by leaping and landing on the top rope. Nice! Shelton dropkicks Flair and then clotheslines him onto the floor. Outside, Shelton delivers a back body drop to Flair. Back inside, Flair begs for mercy and then thumbs Shelton, which draws a mild pop from the crowd. Flair goes up top, but gets slammed down. Shelton whips Flair to the ropes and goes for a dropkick, but Flair manages to grab the ropes and put on the breaks. Flair immediately tries the figure four, but Shelton cradles him for 2. Shelton does a 5-punch count before the referee stops him. As Shelton argues with him, Flair kicks him from behind in the knee. Now Flair begins to work over that leg. Soon, Flair is able to put Shelton in the figure four. Shelton manages to turn it over and the crowd boos. Flair remains on the offensive and chops down Shelton. That gets 2. Flair decides to get a chair, but the referee won’t let him bring it in. Flair tries to use the distraction to get in a cheap shot, but Shelton is back up. A slugfest is won by Shelton until Flair kicks him in the knee. Flair grabs Shelton by the leg, but Shelton hits him with an enziguri. Now they repeat the slugfest spot again for some reason and this time it ends with Shelton whipping Flair to the corner, which causes him to fall to the floor. Shelton now suplexes Flair back inside. Again, Flair begs off Shelton, only to then lay him out with a chop. Flair goes back up top, but then decides against it. Flair appears to put on brass knuckles, but Shelton splashes him in the corner and the knuckles fall off. Shelton follows it up with a top rope clothesline and that’s enough to score the pinfall.

Bottom Line: This started off as a fun little opener, but really fell apart in the closing minutes. Someone was missing their cues and they couldn’t seem to put together a coherent sequence. I’m not sure who was at fault, but I bet I know who got blamed. Aside from that, it probably didn’t help to have Shelton go against Flair here. Flair will always get his cheers, especially from wacky fans, like the Canucks. If you want to build Shelton’s momentum and keep the Evolution storyline, have him face Batista, who will most likely still get booed. Despite all that, it’s still nice to see them attempt to push Shelton here. **

- Todd Grisham asks Randy Orton if Flair’s loss is a bad omen for him. Orton dismisses Shelton’s winning streak and says he’s the largest reigning Intercontinental champion in the last 7 years. If only he was smart enough to have a Honk-a-Meter to confirm that statistic. He then turns his focus to Mick Foley, who he calls an old dog that he will put down tonight. How many times are they going to use that Old Yeller reference?

Tajiri vs. Jonathan Coachman

Tajiri was another man traded to RAW and on his first day, some of the other RAW wrestlers convinced him to mist the next guy who walked in, which happened to be Coach. Upset, Coach cost Tajiri a match that following week, which prompted this unfortunate match. Coach shocks everyone by beginning the match with an armdrag on Tajiri. Soon Tajiri takes it to Coach with some kicks. Coach bails to the outside, so Tajiri follows. Tajiri goes for another kick, but Coach ducks and Tajiri hits the post. Coach grabs Tajiri’s leg and repeatedly rams it into the post. Back inside, Coach continues to work on Tajiri’s leg. Tajiri gets a sunset flip for 2, but then Coach goes back on the attack. Coach grapevines Tajiri’s leg and then grabs the rope for leverage. Always a winning heel tactic. Tajiri gets free by kicking Coach with his free leg. Coach goes up top, but Tajiri crotches him. Tajiri puts him in a tree of woe and then dropkicks him in the back of the head. Tajiri begins his comeback with a handspring elbow and a dropkick. Tajiri kicks down Coach in the corner. As he approaches again, Coach rolls Tajiri up and puts his feet on the ropes, but Tajiri kicks out at 2. Coach thinks he’s won, but the referee says no. Coach charges at Tajiri, but Tajiri puts him in the Tarantula. As Tajiri prepares for the kill, Garrison Cade runs out and nails Tajiri. Coach rolls up Tajiri and gets the 3 count.

Postmatch: Cade and Coach leave celebrating together.

BL: Coach kept everything basic, but didn’t embarrass himself out there. In many ways, his abilities exceeded expectations. But come on, Coach is never going to be a legit wrestler, so why put him in a match and try to play it off like he is. Coach can be used for comedy matches, but this is a waste of our time. And as for poor Tajiri, if fighting Coach wasn’t bad enough, getting transitioned to a feud with Cade may actually be even worse. At least some people care about seeing Coach get beat up. * ½

Handicap Match: Chris Jericho vs. Christian and Trish Stratus

After Trish betrayed Jericho last month, Y2J wanted revenge against the CLB and his jezebel, which brought us to this match. Jericho punches down Christian and chases after Trish. Christian blocks him, but Jericho just knocks him down again. As Jericho punches Christian, the crowd begins a ‘slut’ chant aimed, presumably, at Trish. Jericho suplexes Christian and then makes the ‘C’mon baby’ cover for 2. Christian charges but Jericho sidesteps and shoves him to the floor. As Christian tries to get back in, Jericho hits him with a springboard dropkick. Jericho is temporarily distracted by Trish, but still manages to avoid Christian’s sneak attack. A top rope elbow by Jericho gets a nearfall. Christian whips Jericho to the ropes and he collides with Trish. It’s enough of a distraction to allow Christian to grab Jericho and drop him against the top rope. Christian then shoves Jericho off the apron and into the guardrail. Christian tags Trish and holds Jericho so she can repeatedly slap him. She then nails him with the Chick Kick. As Jericho starts to recover, Trish scurries over and tags Christian back in. Christian wears down Jericho with a chinlock. Jericho blocks a dropkick and attempts the Walls of Jericho. Christian shoves him off, but Jericho bounces off the turnbuckles and ends up inadvertently headbutting Christian below the waist. Jericho rolls up Christian for 2. Jericho starts to mount his comeback with a few more nearfalls. Christian whips Jericho to the corner where he hops onto the second rope. From the outside, Trish slaps him, which then allows Christian to hit him with a reverse DDT. That gets 2. Jericho tries again to put Christian in the Walls of Jericho, but Trish comes in and slaps him. Jericho grabs her and decides to give her a spanking. How kinky! Christian comes from behind and hits him with an Unprettier. Christian tags Trish and she covers, but Jericho kicks out at 2. Christian tags back in, covers himself, but again Jericho kicks out. Trish charges and Jericho blasts her with a clothesline. Then Jericho and Christian clothesline each other. Everyone is down. Jericho drops Christian across the second rope and then knees him in the back. Jericho hits his crappy bulldog, but when he goes for the Lionsault, Christian gets his knees up. Christian now puts Jericho in the Texas Cloverleap. Love that move! Jericho reverses it and goes for the Walls. When he sees Trish coming, he stops and puts her in the hold. Christian rolls Jericho up from behind, but he kicks out at 2. Christian attempts the Unprettier, but Jericho escapes and monkey flips Christian into Trish. Jericho then nails Chrisitan with a running enziguri and covers him for 3.

BL: This one hit all of the right notes. It firmly established Christian and Trish’s evil chemistry and provided Jericho with his needed retribution. While never really dull, it really picked up nicely in its final minutes. These two work well with each other and you could watch them feud for months, but they’re also both so talented that you wish them bigger and better feuds. *** ¾

- Eugene, Eric Bischoff’s mentally handicapped nephew, is walking backstage, engrossed is the latest Divas magazine. He’s so wrapped up in his reading material that he accidentally walks into the ladies’ dressing room. When Gail Kim sees him, she screams. Mimicking her, Eugene begins screaming as well. Bald-headed Molly Holly comes over to calm everyone, but when Eugene points out she’s not wearing her wig, she screams too. Finally, Eugene’s handler, William Regal comes in to take him away and end this commotion. However, he sticks around a little too long and the ladies chastise him too. Funny segment.

- Now it’s a video package chronicling Chris Benoit day in Edmonton. I bet they’re regretting this now. This is fast-forward material now unfortunately. Very uncomfortable stuff here. I never thought I’d say this, but let’s please move on to the women’s match.

WWE Women’s Championship Match: Victoria (champ) vs. Lita

The two start with a feeling out process, although I’m sure Lawler would prefer a feeling up process. While locked up, both ladies fall to the floor in a scary looking spot. Back inside, the ladies exchange several nearfalls. Victoria slams Lita and then hits a standing moonsault for 2. Victoria slows down the already lethargic pace with a chinlock. Now she puts Lita in a surfboard. Lita comes back with a hurricanrana and begins to mount some offense. Lita locks in a sleeper and then transitions it into a chinlock. Victoria grabs the ropes to break the hold. Victoria drops Lita across the second rope and then hits her with a swinging sidewalk slam. Victoria goes for a moonsault and Lita doesn’t properly move out of the way. Bad looking spot. A swinging neckbreaker by Lita gets 2. Lita blocks a backslide attempt, but then Victoria gets her in a small package for 3.

Postmatch: Molly Holly and Gail Kim run out and attack both ladies. After doing a number on them, the heels leave Victoria and Lita lying in the ring.

BL: This was bru-tal. The whole match seemed to be going in slow motion, which is surprising coming from two veterans like this. They almost seemed hesitant to do anything to each other. On top of the bad action, the face/face dynamic didn’t work here. I’m not sure why they didn’t just have the heels come out during the match, so that neither competitor would have had to job. Just a bad match that died a quiet death out there. ½ *

No Holds Barred Match for the Intercontinental Championship: Randy Orton (champ) vs. Mick Foley

Upset with the result at Wrestlemania and Orton’s bragging, Foley backed him into a corner and got him to agree to this one-on-one match. Now we’re preparing to see the return of the old hardcore Mick Foley. Orton comes out with a trash can full of weapons while Foley enters with just ‘Barbie’. Foley swings the barbed wire bat at Orton, who tries to block it. Orton runs outside and eventually gives Foley a drop toe hold, causing him to crash into the steps and drop the bat. Orton and Foley now fight for control of the bat. Foley wins, but then Orton waffles him with a trash can. Foley boots Orton and then hits him with the can. Back inside, Foley chokes Orton. A legdrop by Foley gets 2. Now Foley knocks Orton back outside with a baseball slide. He follows that up with a swinging neckbreaker. Foley goes up top, but Orton runs away up the ramp. Foley follows him, but Orton catches him with a back suplex. That gets a nearfall. Orton takes Foley’s head and hurls it into the ramp. He gets another nearfall from that. Back in the ring, Orton grabs Barbie and tries to use it on Foley’s face, but Foley mule kicks him. Foley puts on Mr. Socko, but then opts for Barbie instead. He rams it into Orton’s head and he’s now busted open. Foley now attacks that open wound on Orton’s face. Foley lays Barbie across Orton’s crotch and then delivers a legdrop. Yee-owch! Foley goes under the ring and pulls out a gas can and a lighter. He douses Barbie, but before he lights it, Eric Bischoff comes out and says that if he lights that, he’ll lose the match and the fire marshal will shut down the entire show. Apparently, it’s ok for the Undertaker’s druids to have burning torches, but a flaming baseball bat is a real fire hazard. Foley opts not to light it and instead hits Orton with a cookie sheet instead. Going under the ring again, Foley pulls out a piece of plywood wrapped in barbed wire. Foley punches Orton near the board, but then Orton throws powder in his eyes. He then slams Foley onto the board. That gets 2. Orton props the board in the corner. Both men try to whip the other into it and eventually Orton succeeds. He then dropkicks Foley back into it for good measure. Orton goes over and dumps out a sack full of thumbtacks. Orton attempts to RKO Foley into the tacks, but Foley shoves him off and Orton lands in them. Double ouch. Impressive bump by Orton there. And it’s not often I use the word impressive and Orton’s name in the same sentence. Both men go outside and up the ramp. After briefly brawling backstage they come back and Foley throws Orton off the stage. EMTs come out to check on Orton. Referees try to hold back Foley, but he knocks them down and then jumps off the stage and drops an elbow on Orton. Foley covers and somehow Orton kicks out at 2. Foley takes Orton back to the ring and hits him with a double-arm DDT. That gets another long 2 count. As Foley goes to grab him, Orton uses Barbie on him. Foley recovers and gives Orton Mr. Socko. Orton lowblows Foley to break the hold. Foley applies it again and Orton hits him with an RKO. He covers, but Foley kicks out at 2. Orton manages to hit another RKO, this time with Foley’s head hitting Barbie. That shot is enough to keep Foley down for 3.

BL: I have mixed feelings about this match. It is a very exciting and entertaining hardcore brawl. Orton held his own in this environment, which I give him credit for. However, this match wasn’t nearly as good as the ones Foley had with HHH a few years prior. Yet, both the bookers and some fans naively believed this match merited Orton’s rise to main event status as well. Orton did not prove to me here, nor has he yet to prove to me that he is worthy of the achievements he has been given in his career. Basic storytelling says Foley should have gotten his revenge here. And because he didn’t, we now all suffer the consequences. Time has made me bitter toward the match, but during that moment it was seen as nothing but an entertaining brawl. ****

- As Ric Flair and Batista carry Orton to the back, HHH comes up and says Orton is a legend now. Todd Grisham then approaches HHH and asks him for his thought on his match tonight. HHH tells him not to bet against him. Can you really bet on an event that is scripted out ahead of time?

The Hurricane and Rosey vs. La Resistance

This match was made earlier tonight on HeAT, which indicates how desperate they were to fill the time tonight. Hurricane locks up with Conway and vies for an advantage. After Hurricane gives Conway a hurricanrana, Rosey comes in and takes out both heels. Hurricane goes up top, but gets distracted by Grenier. That allows Conway to come over and give Hurricane a swinging neckbreaker off the top rope. The Hurricane has now become your wannabe superhero-in-peril. As Grenier puts Hurricane in a bearhug, Eugene begins walking down to the ring. Hurricane makes a hot tag, but the crowd is preoccupied with Eugene. As Rosey takes it to La Resistance, Eugene starts playing with their flag. The faces toss La Resistance out of the ring and then Hurricane hits a flying bodypress onto them on the floor. Eugene gets in the ring and starts running the ropes. Everyone is sort of bewildered by what’s going on and it all eventually leads to Hurricane hitting Conway with the Eye of the Storm and getting the pinfall.

Postmatch: Regal comes out and takes Eugene to the back.

BL: I have no idea what they were going for there. Apparently they didn’t have any other match to fill the time besides this. But they also felt that this match wouldn’t be entertaining enough, so they had Eugene go out there to divert the fans’ attention. All of this added up to what the kids on the Internet call ‘EPIC FAIL’. Let’s hope everyone emptied their bladders during this because that’s about all that this was good for. ¾ *

Edge vs. Kane

It’s been a less than glorious return for Edge. A week after he returned from his neck surgery, he injured his hand and needed a cast. Then to make things worse, he gets stuck in a worthless feud with Kane that has no build. By the way prior to the match, Edge was told that he can’t use his cast as a weapon or else he’ll be suspended. As these two slug it out, the crowd once again reminds referee Earl Hebner that he indeed screwed Bret. Edge scores a 5-count punch, but Kane grabs him by the throat and slams him. Edge hits Kane with a clothesline from the second rope and then sets up for the spear. Kane, however, rolls out of the ring. Edge delivers a baseball slide and then rams Kane into the post. Kane recovers, grabs Edge’s injured hand and rams it into the steps. Back inside, Kane continues to work on Edge’s hand. Kane hits a sidewalk slam, but misses a follow up elbow. Edge delivers a spinning heel kick and then aims to use his cast, but the referee stops him. That pause allows Kane to recover and boot him. Kane goes up top and Edge follows him. Kane knocks down Edge, but misses a top rope clothesline. Edge connects with a DDT and goes for a spear, but Kane avoids it. The referee also had to jump out of the ring to avoid Edge. With Hebner on the outside, Edge kicks Kane low and then hits him with the cast. He follows that up with the spear and gets the 1-2-3.

BL: This match had an uphill battle with the crowd after the terrible tag match and it didn’t do itself any favors. You put Hebner in front of a Canadian crowd and of course they will revolt. Then you have Edge and Kane putting on a rather pedestrian affair, action-wise. Things looked pretty bleak for Edge here, but thankfully they would get better in a few months. *

Triple Threat Match for the World Heavyweight Championship: Chris Benoit (champ) vs. Triple H vs. Shawn Michaels

These three tore down the house at Wrestlemania, so why not let them do it again. Benoit decks HHH and we’re underway. Benoit and Shawn team up to backdrop HHH and knock him out of the ring. Now Benoit and Shawn exchange a series of vicious chops. Shawn hits Benoit with a neckbreaker and then goes back to work on HHH. HHH hits Shawn with a high knee and then dumps Benoit to the floor. HHH attempts a Pedigree on Shawn, but he escapes. Neither HHH nor Shawn will let Benoit back inside. Finally, Benoit gets back in and gives both men German suplexes. Benoit chops both men down. Benoit whips Shawn and he flies out of the ring. HHH comes off the top rope and Benoit catches him in the Crossface. Benoit releases the hold to go knock Shawn off the apron. Outside, Benoit rams Shawn into the guardrail. He then goes up top, but HHH hits him and climbs up as well. HHH repeatedly headbutts Benoit and then sets him up for suplex. Before he can deliver it, Shawn nails HHH, which causes Benoit to fall to the floor. Shawn then hits HHH with an electric chair. That gets 2. The crowd begins a ‘Shawn screwed Bret’ chant. HHH drops Shawn with a facebuster and then Benoit lands a flying headbutt on him. Benoit covers, but HHH breaks it up. Shawn attempts a flying forearm, but Benoit ducks and Shawn ends up hitting the referee. Benoit knocks Shawn to the floor. Then HHH comes from behind and goes for the Pedigree. Benoit escapes and tries to put on the Sharpshooter, but HHH shoves him off. Benoit recovers and this time gets the Sharpshooter on him. When Benoit sees Shawn, he releases the hold and puts him in the Crossface. Benoit realizes there is no referee and tries to wake up the one that’s down. When Benoit comes back inside, Shawn puts him in the Sharpshooter. Suddenly, Earl Hebner runs down. Oh boy. Before Benoit can tap, Shawn releases the hold and goes after HHH. Shawn puts Benoit in a small package and gets 2. Big ‘You Screwed Bret’ chant going on now. It starts to get to Shawn and distracts him long enough to allow Benoit to put him in the Crossface. HHH comes over and breaks it up. HHH and Benoit get into a slugfest and HHH ends it with a DDT. That gets 2. Benoit whips HHH out of the ring, but then gets clotheslined by Shawn. Shawn and Benoit duke it out until Shawn dumps Benoit to the floor. Shawn goes up top and leaps for HHH and Benoit, but misses and crashes into the Spanish announce table. HHH takes Benoit and rams him into the steps. HHH grabs Benoit and rams his shoulder into the post twice. Now HHH puts Benoit in the camel clutch. HHH punches away on Benoit in the corner until Benoit is able to drop him across the turnbuckle. HHH hits a facebuster on Benoit, but Benoit comes back and gives him the Hat Trick. Benoit attempts the diving headbutt, but misses. HHH grabs Benoit and delivers the Pedigree. HHH crawls over and covers, but Shawn finally returns and breaks it up at 2. Now HHH and Shawn slug it out. Shawn nails HHH with the flying forearm and kips up. Shawn slams HHH and then hits him with the flying elbow. The band starts to tune up and the crowd boos. Shawn was initially going for HHH, but at the last second, opts to hit Benoit with Sweet Chin Music instead. As a thank you, HHH gives Shawn a lowblow. That gets 2. HHH goes for a Pedigree, but Shawn backdrops HHH out of the ring. On the outside, HHH goes under the ring and gets his sledgehammer. He brings it in and nails Shawn in the back with it. He goes for a second shot, but Benoit pulls him out of the ring. Outside, HHH rams Benoit’s head into the steps. Now HHH attempts to Pedigree Benoit on the steps, but Benoit escapes and monkey flips HHH into the post. Shawn goes for Sweet Chin Music again, but Benoit blocks it and puts Shawn into the Sharpshooter. Shawn struggles and reaches for the ropes, but Benoit pulls him back. HHH is trying to get back in and stop it, but Shawn can’t take the pain anymore and taps out, which produces a huge ovation from the crowd.

BL: These guys again delivered the goods, but didn’t quite match the quality of their Wrestlemania match. I feel it loses small points for catering to the Canadian crowd too much. Having Shawn tap to the Sharpshooter was a fitting end, but the rest with Earl Hebner is something that we shouldn’t have to keep bringing up. I also felt that this one was a little bit more low impact in comparison to the first, if that makes sense. And finally, nothing will ever match the joy of Benoit winning the title for the first time. Of course, the joy from either of these matches evaporated after what Benoit did in 2007. This is particularly rough to watch at times when you see frequent shots of Benoit’s family in the crowd. Despite all the negativity I’m focusing on, let’s not lose sight that this was another top notch main event. **** ½

Final Thoughts: Time has not been kind to this one. Back in ’04, if you rated it, you could probably dismiss a lot of the terrible undercard matches and still give this a thumbs up, based on the solid hardcore and world title matches. However, neither of those matches leaves a good taste in my mouth today. One marks the rise of Randy Orton and the other features the celebration of a man who would become a murderer. That doesn’t leave a lot to enjoy about this show. If you can look past all that, there’s some decent action here. But for most, you’re probably better off avoiding this show.

Next up, Lou Dobbs’ favorite wrestler becomes a main eventer.

Until then, thanks for stopping by the OOld Tyme Rasslin Revue.