Raw is War
Montreal, Quebec
August 15, 2005
HBK screwed Hogan
August 15, 2005
RAW emanated from the Bell Centre in Montreal, Canada – a place where Shawn
Michaels has a lot of history. At Survivor Series 1997, Shawn Michaels defeated,
or as everyone later learned, screwed, Canada’s own Bret “Hit Man” Hart out of
the WWE Championship in one of the most infamous moments in WWE history. HBK
came to the ring at the beginning of RAW and reminded the rabid fans of his
heinous actions just in case they had forgotten. Michaels said that he screwed
Bret before, he’d do it again, and he’s going to do the same thing to Hulk Hogan
at SummerSlam. Not only did HBK talk the talk, but later on in the show, he
walked the walk.
In the much-anticipated main event of the evening, Hulk Hogan faced off against
Kurt Angle. It looked as though Hogan was on his way to victory. After Angle
connected with an Angle Slam, the Hulkster miraculously kicked out and went on
the offensive, nailing the Olympic Champion with the big boot. Hogan signaled to
the crowd that the famous Leg Drop would be next, as he ran to the ropes. As
Hogan gained steam and headed for his target, Shawn Michaels flew in from out of
nowhere and took out the Hulkster. HBK then started warming up the band, as
Sweet Chin Music appeared imminent. Then, right before the Showstopper could
connect, he stopped short and applied the Sharpshooter as the Bell Centre
erupted in a deafening round of boos. HBK did just what he said he would do by
screwing Hulk Hogan. HBK struck again in Montreal. Will he be able to do it
again in six days at SummerSlam?
RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff had some devious plans of his own in Montreal.
Bischoff had already made a handicap match pitting Chris Jericho & Carlito
against WWE Champion John Cena in an effort to soften up the champ for
SummerSlam. Bischoff decided to try and turn Cena’s Chain Gang against him by
carrying the Canadian flag to the ring, but Cena’s fans didn’t let him down.
Jericho and Carlito utilized their numbers advantage throughout the entire
match, making crisp tags and keeping Cena from sustaining any significant
offense.
Carlito added insult to injury by spitting pieces of apple into the champ’s
face, as Bischoff followed it up with a swift slap to the face. After a couple
of near falls, Jericho went for the Walls of Jericho, but Cena used his
leg-strength and kicked Jericho into the ropes. Jericho, in turn, inadvertently
knocked Carlito off the apron. Cena went for the F-U on Jericho, but Carlito
made the save. The champ, however, was able to catch Carlito with the maneuver
for the 1-2-3. But Chris Jericho got the last laugh when he leveled Cena with a
sickening chair shot. Jericho taunted his SummerSlam opponent as Cena just
stared up at the lights with a far away look in his eyes. Will Jericho be able
to stand tall over Cena once again in six days?
While SummerSlam is just around the corner, the 2005 RAW Diva Search Contest was
coming to an end. The eight finalists were already narrowed down to Elisabeth,
Leyla and Ashley, but only one lucky winner would be walking away from Montreal
with $250,000 and a WWE contract. Early on in the evening, Jonathan Coachman
announced that Elisabeth had been eliminated, and then later on, the two
finalists met in the ring. After re-living some highlights of this year’s
competition, Coach left both Diva hopefuls in suspense as he announced the
winner would be revealed on the Titan Tron. Weeks of waiting was finally over as
Ashley’s picture appeared on the screen, sending RAW’s newest Diva into
exultation. Ashley fell to her knees in excitement and when presented with her
check, thanked the fans and exclaimed, “I’m going to SummerSlam!”
Eugene will also be going to SummerSlam as he will face Kurt Angle. Eugene faced
Rene Dupree in the third ever Eugene Invitational. But just seconds in, Angle
stormed the ring and took out both Dupree and Eugene. Angle left Eugene laying
in the ring and told him that at SummerSlam he’ll show him why he’s the most
vicious S.O.B. in WWE.
The Heart Throbs were also in action, but they were no match for the monstrous
Big Show. RAW’s resident giant defeated the tag team with a double chokeslam,
pinning both Antonio and Romeo. Edge tuned up for his match against Matt Hardy
with a win over Val Venis and Rob Conway defeated The Hurricane.
Matches
WWE Champion John Cena def. Chris Jericho & Intercontinental Champion Carlito
Hulk Hogan def. Kurt Angle (DQ)
Eugene def. Rene Dupree (DQ; Eugene Invitational)
Edge def. Val Venis
Big Show def. The Heart Throbs
Rob Conway def. The Hurricane