RAW Results February 9th:
The fireworks went off in the arena for the start of WWE RAW, live from Portland, Oregon and by my account, this is the first WWE televised event from the state of Oregon!
Tonight, Booker T and Rob Van Dam challenge Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Title in a Triple Threat Match. Plus, Chris Benoit battles Ric Flair in a one on one match and following that, Chris Benoit has a date with the Game as we witness the contract signing between Chris Benoit and Triple H for their Wrestlemania main event for the World Heavyweight Title!
Bill Goldberg's music hit in the arena and he made his way out to the ring to a tremendous ovation from the crowd in Portland and he's set for a one on one match. Lilian Garcia started to announce Goldberg's opponent but Vince McMahon's music hit in the arena and he made his way out to the ring as the Chairman of the WWE! Vince McMahon got in the ring and said "Well I'll be damned!" Imagine this, Vince McMahon in the same ring as Bill Goldberg. Vince is sure Goldberg is wondering why Mr. McMahon is out here. He's wondering just who is going to be his next opponent. Just who's going to walk down that ramp and be next. You see, Vince is here to inform Goldberg that there is no more "next" tonight. You see, as of this moment, Vince McMahon is officially canceling his match!
Here's an explanation. You see... Stone Cold Steve Austin's music hit in the arena and he made his way out to the ring on his ATV and rode around the ring and then parked it at ringside and got in the ring with Vince McMahon and Bill Goldberg!
Vince McMahon got angered and Stone Cold said he'd like to ask Vince one single question. What in the hell is he doing on this show? Because he's come out here and he's already broken two of Stone Cold's laws. First of all, he's in Stone Cold's ring and he doesn't belong there. Second of all, he's pissing Austin off. Austin gave Vince a quick minute to explain himself and remove his little yellow carcass from his ring. Proceed...
Vince said he has an explanation and that's clearly this. Last week, he's watching RAW and he sees Stone Cold conveniently take a ringside ticket that his buddy gave him to No Way Out and he gave it to Bill Goldberg and then he said "Now Bill, don't do anything I wouldn't do." Austin asked what's wrong with that and Vince said there isn't a damn thing Austin wouldn't do and not a damn thing Goldberg wouldn't do either. Before they go through with this, they need to listen to the voice of reason and the voice of consequences. That's not Vince's voice because quite frankly tonight, Vince has invited someone. The fans chanted "Asshole, asshole!" and Austin said once again, that's 10,000 people calling him an asshole. Vince said last week, Austin talked about equal time, therefore Vince has invited someone here tonight to give Austin the consequences and the reason and he may soil RAW forever and that man is the Smackdown! General Manager, Paul Heyman!
Paul Heyman came out to the ring and he said that Vince has a star studded lineup here and obviously, he saved the best for last. As for Austin using a legal loophole to coax Chris Benoit to jump from Smackdown! to RAW, Austin ought to be a shamed of himself. But he's not here to address Austin, he's here to address Goldberg. Paul said he wanted to let Goldberg know to his face that he's not going to allow Goldberg to come to No Way Out, the very first Smackdown! pay per view of the Paul Heyman administration and ruin his main event.
You see, Goldberg has a front row ticket and he can't stop him from using it. In fact, he encourages him to use that ticket because Smackdown! is the superior brand and No Way Out will be a great show. But that's all Goldberg is going to do, sit in the front row like a nice boy and watch the main event. While Goldberg may be the big fish in the small pond known as RAW, Brock Lesnar is a shark that will eat Goldberg alive. So with the power invested in him by Vince McMahon and with Brock Lesnar telling him to pass this message, it goes like this; Goldberg will sit in his seat and watch Brock Lesnar defend his title against Eddie Guerrero and he will not interfere in that match because if he does, Brock Lesnar will deal with Goldberg and by the time Brock Lesnar is done with Goldberg, nobody will ever look at Goldberg and say "Who's next?" They'll look at him and say "Who's Goldberg?" Paul asked Goldberg if he understands him? Goldberg snarled and snatched the mic from Vince and said "understand this." He's said it before and he'll say it again, Brock Lesnar is NEXT!
Paul Heyman then started complaining, saying that he can't talk to him that way because he's Paul Heyman. It's about time there's a real General Manager around here. As Heyman went on and on, Goldberg backed off and speared the General Manager of Smackdown! right down to the mat. Stone Cold Steve Austin then called for some beers and he grabbed a couple and kicked Paul Heyman out of the ring and drank them. Goldberg went to spear Vince McMahon but Vince moved out of the way and got out of the ring and Goldberg plowed through Stone Cold Steve Austin to send him crashing down to the mat!
Stone Cold was shown in the backstage area and he was in pain. Goldberg showed up and told Austin that was a mistake. He's not apologizing or sucking up. He's telling him man to man it was a mistake. So he wants to know from Austin if he should expect a stunner when his back is turned or what? Because he thought they were cool. Austin said he'll tell him like it is. If he does decide to give him a Stone Cold stunner, it's not going to be a mistake. Austin left and Goldberg said he can live with that.
Eric Bischoff was shown backstage and Vince McMahon stormed into his office and asked him if he saw what happened out there? Bischoff's man Goldberg is a lunatic and a ticking time bomb. He tried to spear Vince McMahon, the Chairman of the Board. Vince McMahon told Eric Bischoff to tell his man Bill Goldberg that Vince said he's officially suspended. Eric said he'll take care of it and Vince angrily said that if Goldberg shows up at No Way Out this Sunday, then it's going to be Bischoff's ass!
Mixed Tag Team Match - Trish Stratus and Chris Jericho vs. Molly Holly and Matt Hardy
The music of Trish Stratus hit in the arena and she made her way out to the ring for a mixed tag team match with Chris Jericho against Molly Holly and Matt Hardy!
Chris Jericho started the match off in the ring against Matt Hardy and the two locked it up in the center of the ring and Chris put Matt in a side headlock into a hammer lock and Matt countered it into a hammer lock of his own. Matt held his arm up and yelled "I'm V1uhhh" and that gave Chris Jericho the opportunity to nail Matt in the head with a reverse elbow.
Chris Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho on Matt Hardy but Matt got to the ropes to break it up and then he made the tag to Molly. Molly got in the ring and confronted Chris Jericho and Chris smacked her on the ass and then made the tag to Trish Stratus.
Chris Jericho knocked Matt Hardy down to the arena floor with a springboard drop kick and Molly went to the top rope but Chris bounced off the ropes to knock her down. Chris then got out of the ring and went at it with Matt as Trish came out and went to the top rope and pulled Molly down with a head scissors.
Matt Hardy tripped up Trish Stratus and Christian came out to the ring and took out Matt Hardy and then Trish Stratus rolled Molly Holly up with a victory roll to pick up the win!
Christian left the ring with a smirk on his face and Trish Stratus got out of the ring to attend to Chris Jericho as he was down on the outside of the ring, holding his knee.
Trish was shown backstage leaving the trainer's room and she ran into Christian. Trish asked him what was that? Christian said that's what he's here to talk to her about. He's been a real jerk and jealous but since Trish and Chris are friends, there's no reason the three of them can't have a healthy relationship. Christian asked Trish if Chris is OK and Trish said he's not, his knee is sprained and he could be out for a couple weeks. Christian said he's going to go in and check on him and before he went in, he told Trish that she looks real good tonight.
Mark Jindrak and Garrison Cade were shown backstage looking at the new Playboy Magazine featuring Torrie and Sable and Stacy and Jackie showed up.
Cade and Jindrak told them that they should have picked Jackie and Stacy. Stacy said that this is not the end for them, this is just the beginning and they are going to show the rest of the world that they're not so bad themselves. They're not taking this one lying down.
Mick Foley was shown walking through the backstage area and The Coach caught up with him. Coach asked Mick what he's doing here tonight? Hasn't he been embarrassed enough already by Randy Orton? Mick said that he has been embarrassed but tonight, it's going to be Mick's turn to embarrass Randy Orton either by embarrassing him, costing him his Intercontinental Championship or maybe both!
Ric Flair vs. Chris Benoit
Ric Flair's music hit in the arena and he made his way out to the ring as one half of the World Tag Team Champions and this is a one on one match with Ric Flair against the number one contender for the World Heavyweight Title and that's Chris Benoit! As the match started, Jim Ross noted that Mark Henry could miss four months of action due to the Crippler Crossface he was put in last week by Chris Benoit!
Chris Benoit tied it up with Ric Flair and Flair backed Benoit into the corner and the referee called for a break and he got just that. Benoit and Flair locked it up once again and Flair backed Benoit into the corner and gave him a shot to the mid section and then a hard knife edge chop across the chest and Benoit responded with a knife edge chop of his own to return the favor.
Chris Benoit went for the Crippler Crossface in the early going but Flair was able to get to the ropes to break it up. The fight between Flair and Benoit dumped to the outside of the ring and the two got into a chopping contest and Benoit busted Flair's chest open with a hard knife edge chop in front of the fans in the front row.
Ric Flair went to the tope rope but Chris Benoit cut him off and he gave Ric Flair a super plex from the top rope and then he quickly got up and went to the top rope and came off with the flying headbutt but Flair rolled out of the way and Benoit went crashing down to the mat.
Chris Benoit went for a sleeper hold on Ric Flair but Flair countered it into a sleeper hold of his own. Chris Benoit got out of the sleeper hold by dropping down to the mat, pulling Flair into the top turnbuckle.
Chris Benoit hooked Ric Flair in a series of German suplexes and Flair eventually reached for the referee and grabbed a hold of his shirt and while he had the referee distracted, Flair kicked Benoit in the groin to send him down to the mat.
With Benoit down on the mat, Ric Flair grabbed Benoit by the leg and put him in the figure four leg lock but Chris Benoit quickly got to the ropes to break the hold.
Ric Flair went for the figure four once again but Chris Benoit grabbed Flair by the arm and countered the figure four into the Crippler Crossface to force Ric Flair to tap out and pick up the win!
The fans in attendance gave Chris Benoit a standing ovation as Chris Benoit celebrated his win and pumped himself up for Wrestlemania! Triple H was shown looking on from the backstage area and he called referee Chad Patton over to tell Eric Bischoff to get that ring ready because that contract signing on RAW is NEXT!
With Chris Benoit still in the ring, the red carpet was rolled out and the table and chairs were brought out to the ring. Eric Bischoff came out and he said as the General Manager of RAW, he is here to oversea the official contract signing for the World Title Match at Wrestlemania XX. Standing before you is the man that successfully defeated the legendary Ric Flair, Chris Benoit. And the man that needs no formal introduction, the Heavyweight Champion of the World, Triple H!
Eric Bischoff asked Triple H and Chris Benoit to please be seated. Triple H sat down and Benoit remained standing.
Eric Bischoff said that the contract is official and as the World Heavyweight Champion, Triple H has the option of signing first. Eric Bischoff gave Triple H the contract and he signed it. Eric then said that it is Chris Benoit's turn to sign. Triple H said to hold on a second. Chris Benoit looks calm, ready, confident and strong. But Triple H knows the reality. The reality is he's feeling a bit queasy inside. His stomach is in knots, his knees are weak. It's OK, it's nervousness. It's understandable and it means he accepts and understands why he's here today. It means he understands that tonight, he looks over the edge and makes the decision on whether or not he should jump off. The question is, if he jumps, will he land on his feet or will it all be over?
Triple H asked Chris to imagine something, what it's going to feel like that night at Madison Square Garden, Wrestlemania XX. The main event for the World Heavyweight Championship, the one Championship that means that you are the man. The Championship that means you are the best and you are the king. Benoit knows that because that's why he's here. He wants to beat the best to be the best. Imagine what it's going to be like that night and he stands in the middle of the ring and they raise his hand in victory and it all washes over him. Imagine the feeling as all that cheering washes over him and he feels that rush inside his body. It's justification. It means that all those years, all those grueling nights in the gym, all that time in the ring in Japan, in the U.S. and all over the world, it means that all of it in that one moment becomes worth it. Think about it, when you stand in the middle of that ring and you hold what might as well be Benoit's life over his head and 25,000 fans stand on their feet and they chant "Benoit, Benoit!" Snap out of it, because it's a real nice dream but this is reality and reality says that Chris Benoit will choke. Reality says that at the end of that night, Benoit is going to be sitting alone in a locker room, no one there with him, by himself. No one to pat him on the back, no fans chanting his name. He will sit in a chair alone staring down blankly into his bag, in the space that he had so nicely reserved for the World Heavyweight Championship belt so that he could bring it home. Only that spot will be empty, just like what's left of Benoit's career. Think about it, at WrestleMania, 18 years, a lifetime of blood, sweat and tears will all be for nothing! Absolutely NOTHING. Chris Benoit started to grab the contract and Triple H told him to hold on. Opportunities like this come once in a lifetime and you have to ask yourself, is it worth it to know that after it's all said and done that it's the end? This is the opportunity of a lifetime and this is what dreams are made of but this is not a dream, this is reality, this is reality and Triple H is reality! So go ahead and sign the paper, no pressure.
Chris Benoit got ready to sign the contract but the music of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels hit in the arena and he made his way out to the ring and grabbed a mic. Shawn told Chris that he knows this is a huge moment for him and the last thing he wanted to do was rain on his parade. Shawn more than anybody can appreciate what Benoit has been through. He went through 29 men at the Royal Rumble and he has earned a shot at the World Heavyweight Championship and he respects that. But the thing is, he just assumed that he'd take care of his business on Smackdown! and he probably should have because Benoit needs to understand something; the issue with Triple H and himself isn't over with, not by a long shot. This thing between them far eclipses any dream, contract or any piece of paper. This thing has been nearly ten years in the making and he is this close to finishing it and finish it he will and he's going to do it whether anybody likes it or not, on the biggest stage of them all, Wrestlemania XX, Madison Square Garden and he's going to do it for the World Heavyweight Championship.
Chris Benoit took the mic and he said that he has got absolutely nothing but the utmost respect for Shawn Michaels and he can talk for anyone sitting in this building.
Let's say that Chris Benoit will be the last to deny Shawn his right to finish his issue with Triple H, it's just not going to happen at Wrestlemania XX. You see, Benoit is going to sign this dotted line right beside Triple H's and at Wrestlemania XX, it is going to be Chris Benoit vs. Triple H for the World Title. It's going to be Benoit, not Shawn Michaels. Shawn Michaels responded with a super kick to knock Chris Benoit down to the mat as Triple H stood on the outside of the ring with a smile on his face.
Shawn didn't look too happy with his decision to super kick Benoit down to the mat and with Benoit down on the mat, Shawn took the pen and signed the contract himself and that made Triple H none too pleased.
