Raw is War
Baltimore, Maryland
November 29, 2004
WHO'S THE CHAMP?
Triple H entered this week’s edition of RAW as the World Heavyweight Champion
but who would be leaving Baltimore with the title?
Well, that’s yet to be determined.
Last week, General Manager-to-be Randy Orton proclaimed that there would be a
RAW-wide battle royal to determine the World Heavyweight Champion. Simply put,
the winner of the battle royal would become champion. This week’s RAW saw
Chairman Vince McMahon announce to the crowd that Orton’s decision was not a
fair one. Instead, McMahon ruled that the winner of the battle royal would earn
the right to face Triple H later in the evening.
With the stakes still sky-high, the RAW roster butted heads. Viscera was the
first victim of the battle royal as several Superstars targeted the behemoth. It
wasn’t long before Gene Snitsky made his presence felt as he recorded three
straight eliminations. Chris Jericho and Shelton Benjamin would also go on to
dump three Superstars, but it was Batista who put up the biggest numbers,
recording seven eliminations, including fellow Evolution member Ric Flair. The
final four came down to Jericho, Chris Benoit, Edge and Batista. Four was
quickly whittled down to two as Benoit and Edge found themselves fighting tooth
and nail on the apron outside the ropes. Losing their balance, both Superstars
fell to the floor with their feet simultaneously hitting the floor. Both
referees chose a different Superstar as the winner causing a controversy.
But the controversy only grew later in the evening. General Manager Randy Orton
ruled that both Edge and Benoit would face Triple H in a Triple Threat Match for
the World Heavyweight Championship. After all, with two opponents facing Triple
H, the odds of The Game retaining were less, and therefore, the odds of Orton
getting a shot at the title would be increased.
Early on in the match, Benoit was able to slap on the Crippler Crossface on The
Game, but Flair and Batista ran down to make the save. Orton then sent the
Evolution members to the back and barred them from ringside. Later in the match,
Benoit trapped Edge in the Sharpshooter while Triple H was on the outside. The
Game regained his bearings, knocked out Orton on the outside, and broke up the
hold. The referee also wound up getting knocked out of commission, allowing
Orton to nail The Game with a steel chair. Benoit seized the opportunity and
slapped on the Crossface on Edge. Edge managed to roll Benoit over, while the
Crossface was still locked in, causing Benoit’s shoulders to touch the mat. The
ref began to count and as he counted three, Edge began to tap out.
Just like in the battle royal, both referees could not agree on who the winner
was. Edge and Benoit both felt they deserved the title, but as RAW went off the
air, a clear winner was not decided.
Earlier in the evening Lita teamed up with Victoria to take on Women’s Champion
Trish Stratus and Molly Holly. After Molly broke up a rear naked choke that Lita
had on Trish. Lita threw Molly out of the ring and nailed Trish with a kick to
her broken nose and a DDT for the pinfall. Next week’s General Manager Chris
Jericho appeared later in the show and informed Stratus that she would be
putting the title on the line against her nemesis Lita in one week.
William Regal and Eugene also put their World Tag Team Championships on the line
against former champions La Resistance. In the end Eugene hit a Stunner to
record the victory. While Eugene was dancing in the ring, celebrating with some
of his fans, a bitter Maven ran down and attacked the co-champion. Eugene had
eliminated Maven from the battle royal earlier in the night, so Maven got his
revenge when he smashed Eugene face-first into the steel steps.
Also, Ric Flair and Jerry "The King" Lawler met in a Legend vs. Legend match.
And Orton hosted the first ever RAW Lingerie Fashion Show.
MATCH RESULTS
Edge and Chris Benoit win the battle royal (both hit the floor simultaneously)
Lita & Victoria def. Women's Champion Trish Stratus & Molly Holly
Ric Flair def. Jerry "The King"
Lawler
World Tag Team Champions William Regal & Eugene def. La Resistance