FIT Challenge Slag People
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MAY 3, 2004 - MONDAY NIGHT RAW
May of 2004 kicks off with... yet another dud show from the fine people at RAW. Dammit. In just under two weeks, WWE returns to pay-per-view with Judgment Day, and after the blockbuster announcement by Vince McMahon, we know that we are just two weeks away from the start of King of the Ring!
One of the favorites in that tournament has to be the red-hot Rhyno, and tonight he takes on La Resistance's Rene Dupree. Rhyno dominates almost from the opening bell, picking up the dominant win with the GOOOOOOORE!
The WWE fans are in for a treat next as Terri Runnels makes her return to RAW. The blonde bombshell is looking especially... sort of funny-looking, actually. Never really thought she was that hot. Anyway, she's there to announce her newest clients, a tag team that's looking to put aside their recent individual struggles in a quest to become WWE Tag Team Champions. Ladies and gentlemen, The Playboys - Val Venis and Lance Cade!
The Playboys get their first action next in a six-man match, teaming with the equally down-on-his-luck Booker T to take on Natural Born Thrillers Chuck Palumbo, Johnny Stamboli, and Mark Jindrak. The babyfaces get off to a hot start, isolating Johnny The Bull with quick tags and lots of high-impact offense. Once Chuck Palumbo comes in, though, momentum quickly shifts to the NBT side of the ring. Palumbo pummels Cade, then he and Jindrak double-team him a bit. We get a double-hot-tag spot with Stamboli and Booker hitting the ring at the same time, and Stamboli picks up the win for NBT with his Mamaluke DDT.
Last week, Chris Benoit picked up a win over Rhyno, only to get blindsided by Edge after the match. We now know that they will face off once more at Judgment Day. Benoit has a tune-up match tonight against the massive A-Train. Train uses his power early, but Benoit, with the use of evasive maneuvers, takes control and throws Train around the ring with myriad suplexes. Benoit hits Train with an incredible Emerald Fusion, and Train never stood a chance as he taps out to the Crippler Crossface. After the match, Edge once again hits the ring and lays Benoit out with the Edgecutioner! These two aren't waiting until Judgment Day!
Sean O'Haire is backstage, and he's there to issue a challenge. He thought he had put Rob Van Dam behind him. He issued one final statement last week on RAW, but then RVD had to go and stick his nose in O'Haire's business again after the main event. This is going to end, and it's not going to end with tonight's tag-team main event. O'Haire wants RVD at Judgment Day, and he's willing to put the United States Title on the line again to do it!
The Women's Division is on display next in eight-Diva tag-team action. Trish Stratus leads her team of Lita, Victoria, and her best friend Mickie James against Gail Kim, Jazz, Molly Holly, and the returning Shaniqua! Ugh. This dud show is pissing me off. Anyway, Mickie picks up the win with a tornado DDT on Shaniqua.
Edge clearly has Chris Benoit on his mind tonight, but he has to focus his energies next as he takes on The Ministry's undefeated rookie monster Damien! Edge looks to be on the verge of handing Damien his first loss, but during a bit of confusion, Chris Benoit nails Edge with a chair, allowing Damien to snatch him up and hit a Chokeslam for the win! After the match, Benoit ties Edge up in the ropes. The referee tries to hold him back, but it's too late, as Benoit pulls off his version of the Chairshot Heard 'Round The World, leaving an unconscious Edge slumped in the ropes. Benoit has completely snapped, and finally the officials and agents manage to get him out of the ring.
Last week, the World's Greatest Tag Team got into it once again with their rivals, the WWE Tag Team Champions Big Show and Undertaker. Tonight, they take on Undertaker and his half-brother Kane. If they can beat the re-united Brothers Of Destruction, they earn a title match against Show and Taker at Judgment Day! This match turns out to be not much more than a set-up. WGTT control most of the match, but they leave themselves open for Big Show to hit Shelton Benjamin with a chair, costing the Brothers the match. They clearly just wanted to soften up their rivals before Judgment Day!
Eric Bischoff appears on the TitanTron and makes the match official. It's Undertaker and Show defending the WWE Tag Team Titles against the team they defeated at Backlash, the World's Greatest Tag Team!
Time now for our main event, as the World Champion Kurt Angle teams with Rob Van Dam against Angle's new rival Chris Jericho and the United States Champion Sean O'Haire! Good match that the crowd is into, even though Angle isn't really into it, and it's a dud show. Even still, it gets a decent rating. In the end, Jericho rolls up Angle with a handful of tights for the cheap win. He's pinned the World Champion! After the match, Angle and RVD take their rivals down.
Angle grabs the microphone and issues a challenge to Jericho. Jericho's right. He's not supposed to be the #1 contender, but if he's going to keep being a pain in Angle's ass, Angle's going to return the favor by being a pain in Jericho's... freakin' ankle! Oh, it's true! It's damn true!
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