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June 25th
On this day in history in ....
1934 - Jim Londos defeats Jim Browning in New York City to unify the New York recognized World Heavyweight Title with the NWA (National Wrestling Association) World Heavyweight Wrestling Title.
1976 - Antonio Inoki and Muhammad Ali fought to a 15 round draw in Tokyo, Japan. The rules of the match stated that Inoki could not use any suplexes, throws or submission moves. Due to a misunderstanding about the finish of the bout, the entire match ended up consisting of Inoki lying on his back (so Ali could not knock him out) and kicking at Ali's legs, while Ali would back away from the kicks as neither man trusted the other. The fight, which was seen in the U.S. on closed circuit television, has been criticized as being one of the most boring matches of all time. However, to this day, a large part of Inoki's legend in Japan is based on the fact that he "went the distance" with Ali.
1995 - The King of the Ring Pay-per-view was held in Philadelphia,
Pennsylvania at the Spectrum. Here are the results:
- In a match shown on the Free-For-All, Savio Vega defeated Irwin R. Schyster to
earn a spot in the King Of The Ring tournament (Razor Ramon, due to injury, had
to vacate his spot).
- In a quarterfinal King Of The Ring match, Savio Vega defeated Yokozuna via
countout.
- In a quarterfinal King Of The Ring match, The Roadie defeated Bob Holly.
- In a quarterfinal King Of The Ring match, Shawn Michaels vs. Kama went to a
draw.
- In a quarterfinal King Of The Ring match, Mabel defeated The Undertaker.
- In a semifinal King Of The Ring match, Savio Vega defeated The Roadie
- Bret Hart defeated Jerry Lawler via submission in a Kiss My Foot match.
- Mabel defeated Savio Vega to win the King Of The Ring Tournament.
- Diesel & Bam Bam Bigelow defeated Tatanka & Sid Vicious.
2000 - The King of the Ring Pay-per-view was held in Boston, Massachusetts at the Fleet Center. Here is Buck Woodward's original report on the event.
The show opened up live on PPV with Rikishi taking on Chris Benoit in quarterfinal one of the KOTR tourney. They went at it as soon as Benoit hit the ring. Rikishi was on top early, but Benoit hit a big German suplex. JR said that the tourney matches were decided earlier today in random drawing and that they had 15 minute time limits. He said only winners advanced. I don't know if that means the brackets are out the window or not. Benoit was in control after the suplex. He locked on the crossface three minutes in. Rikishi didn't give up and Benoit nailed Rikishi with a chair, repeatedly, to be DQ'd. Rikishi wins. Benoit tore Rikishi up after the match, laying him out and hitting the headbutt from the top.
The showed the angle with Linda McMahon from Heat. In the back, the Faction begged Vince to not do something stupid. Vince said he wouldn't, and that he was Joe Cool. Vince left and HHH, Steph and Shane said he wasn't cool and thought he would do something dumb.
Backstage, Chris Benoit played bad ass and didn't really care that he got himself DQ'd.
Then it was time for Eddie Guerrero, with a new short hair cut and Chyna, vs. Val Venis, with Trish. Val was working over Eddie for a second, but Eddie came back. JR mentioned that Bret Hart won the first KOTR in Dayton, OH in 1993. Eddie hit a superplex two minutes in. He then worked over Val. Val came back and dumped Eddie face-first and then placed him back-first over his knee. Eddie came back with a rana and a back suplex. Eddie missed a senton from the top and Val hit a spinebuster. Val went for the Money Shot but Eddie got his knees up. Val came back and got a two with a side Russian legsweep. Val got a two when his feet were on the ropes. Val went to the top but Eddie crotched him. Eddie hit a rana from the top. Trish got on the apron but Chyna pulled her off. Val grabbed Chyna but before he could duke her, she nailed him with a shot. Eddie rolled up Val but got only a two. Val then hit a Fisherman's suplex in eight minutes to get the win. Good match.
Pat Patterson was shown in the back making fun of the evening gowns that were there for him to wear. He said he had to look better than Brisco. The wardrobe lady told him that she wasn't a miracle worker.
In the back, Rikishi was asked if he would be able to go forward against Val Venis. He said he would.
Then it was time for Crash Holly vs. Bull Buchanan. Crash went after Bull, but Bull threw him around. Bull laid out Crash with clotheslines and backbreakers. Ross said that there were 17,651 fans there. He also said that the semifinal matches of the tourney would be 30 minutes. And, the King's coronation would be on Raw tomorrow. Lawler talked about, for the second time, how he pasted Bret Hart during the coronation in 1993. Bull beat up Crash for the first few minutes. Crash got an "oops" two count in there. Bull then went for the scissors kick in four minutes, missed, and Crash pinned him.
In the back, Vince confronted Linda. She was incredulous to him. Vince brought up all of the horrible things that Linda has done to him. Vince then asked why she was here. She asked if he would be a man, or do another 12 on 3 like he did on Smackdown last week. Vince got pissy and said that he, Shane and HHH could do it on their own tonight. He said because of the stip she brought in (title on the line) he didn't have to use all of the other people because the faces would screw themselves because they want the title.
Then it was time for the fourth match of the tourney, winner meets Crash: Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho. Kurt came out and crapped on all of the Boston sports franchises. He said unlike them, he would bring home the big one. And then, he mocked the Boston accent. CJ came out next, to a great pop. He cut a promo and got a great pop. CJ shot on Angle, culminating by calling him a "royal pain in the ass". Angle did a beat down on CJ early and the fans chanted "Y2J". They went back and forth early. CJ hit a Lionsault for a two. CJ did a dropkick while Angle was on the apron and they fought on the floor and into the crowd. Angle got the better of CJ, with Chris taking the first "steps bump" of the night/. Angle had red marks on his chest from CJ chops. CJ came back with a double arm throw for a two. KA came back with a catapult and a suplex. Angle nailed him with a nasty clothesline for a two five minutes in. CJ came back briefly with chops, but missed a run in the corner. Angle went to the second rope and CJ dropkicked him in the gut. CJ then hit a rana from the top. CJ hit a big reverse elbow and a spinning heel kick for a two. CJ was going for a bulldog when Angle hit him with a clothesline and got a two. Angle went for a suplex but CJ turned it into the Walls of Jericho. Steph Mac ran to ringside so CJ let the move go. Angle nailed CJ from behind and CJ went into the ref. Steph went to nail CJ with the title belt but CJ ducked and she hit Angle. CJ then kissed Steph, and Angle came in from behind and hit the Olympic Slam for the pin in about 10 minutes. It's true.
In the back, Shane told his dad that the lost his cool and now they can't have interference. Vince says they were fine. Shane said he is worried about what HHH thinks.
They went to WWF NY where Mick Foley, with his crew cut, talked to JR. Ivory was tending bar. Foley put over being at WWF NY. Foley said that Kurt Angle was his "personal favorite". It put over the restaurant well.
Next up was the four team elimination match for the WWF Tag belts, with Edge and Christian vs. T and A (with Trish) vs. The Hardy Boyz (with Lita) vs. Too Cool, the champs. The last team in the bout are the champs. Edge and Christian did their usual promo, talking about the Boston sports teams. Then, they did Bill Buckner's 1986 error against the Mets. Ouch! I won't go move by move, since there are four teams. There are two guys in at a time. You can tag the other guys. While Test and Matt were working, Trish tried to interfere and Lita took her out with a clothesline. T and A tried to take out Lita but it failed. Matt pinned Test after a Swanton Bomb by Jeff for the first elimination. Then it was Jeff Hardy vs. Scotty 2 Hotty. Then it was Matt vs. Christian. Jeff got a two on Christian when Lita nailed him with a flying headscissors. The fans popped for her. Matt got a two with a Twist of Fate but Edge pulled him out. Christian then hit Matt with the Impaler to pin Matt after they blocked the Twist of Fate. Too Cool vs. Edge and Christian is left. Too Cool worked over Edge early. Christian came in and was worked over as well. They did spots where Edge and Christian took each other out and the champs got two counts. Edge and Christian came back and put BC down. They were about to do the work when Scotty came back and took them out. He wormed Edge. Christian tried to nail the champs with the belt, but it didn't work. BC hit the Hip Hop Drop on Edge. While the ref was putting Scotty out, Christian nailed BC in the head and Edge made the cover.
Michael Cole interviewed Crash in the back and acted like Crash was lucky to get this far, which ticked Crash off.
Now, it's time for Rikishi vs. Val Venis, with Trish. Rikishi had a nasty bruise on his arm when he came out. The big guy dominated early, beating Val up around ringside. Rik wasn't selling his earlier beating at all. Back in the ring, Val was on top. Val went for the Money Shot three minutes in but Rik caught him and he hit the belly-to-belly for the pin. After the match, Trish jumped in Rik's back. He dumped her but before he could so anymore damage, Venis attacked him with a low blow and beat up Rik's "injured shoulder" with the ring steps. Val then chaired Rik's arm with a chair. Battered and bruised, Rikishi is in the final of the KOTR.
Coach interviewed Brisco. Brisco said we would see he is all man, then his gown was delivered.
Now it's time for the other semi, Kurt Angle vs. Elroy. Crash was on the offense early, but Angle came back with a suplex and then went to town. Crash then came back and it went back and forth until Kurt hit a suplex for the pin in four minutes.
They showed clips from last night at MSG. Donald Trump was there and cut promos with the King.
In the back, UT and Kane did promos. They are here to win the belt.
Time for Patterson vs. Brisco in a Hardcore Evening gown match. Brisco came out first. In addition to the gown, he was wearing make up, a wig and heels. I don't know what to say. Patterson came out with a wig and makeup, and sunglasses. Pat had a bra on too. Brisco did too I guess. Patterson got the mic, and kissed Finkel. Pat said that Brisco looked like an old drag queen. Pat said when Brisco was defending his title, Pat was always at his side and he was his friend. Pat said that if he wants the belt, he will lay down and let Brisco pin him. Brisco said OK. They hugged and Pat kneed him and pulled his skirt up. Pat shoved a banana in Brisco's mouth (no, not that banana!). Patterson rammed a pad in Brisco's face and was about to do a stinky face (with women's undies on). Brisco blocked it. Fans chanted boring. That was being kind. They were booing too. A few minutes in, Crash ran in and stripped both men to bra and panties. He nailed Pat with a trashcan and won the Hardcore Title.
The Duds did an interview in the back where they said they would take out Tori. Buh Buh has her name written on a table. Time for the handicap dumpsters/table match with X Pac, Road Dog and Tori taking on the Dudley Boyz. To win, The Duds have to put all three members of DX through a table while DX has to lock both Duds in a dumpster. Duds were over coming out. The Duds worked Dogg over early. Dogg tagged out and they got some heat on X Pac. Pac came back with a big kick. Tori came in and laid kicks into D. Dogg then came in. Buh Bug came in and cleaned house. Buh Buh told X Pac to suck it, and got a pop. D hit a head butt to both DX men's genitals. And then he did it Tori too. Dogg and Pac tried to leave Tori to fight, so the Duds went and got them in the aisle. DX then whipped the Duds into the dumpster. The fans chanted, "We want tables". They threw the Duds in the Dumpster and shut the lid, but the ref was tending to Tori. The Duds snuck out of the dumpster and crawled under the ring to the other side while DX got the ref. They weren't there when the ref checked, and the Duds pasted them with chairshots to the head. The Duds set up Double Tables on the floor after throwing the ring steps in the ring. Buh Buh stood on the steps in the ring and threw Dogg through double tables! Pac came in and took out both Duds. Pac set a table up and laid D-Von on it. He went to the top. Buh Buh crotched him. D then suplexed him through it. Buh Buh eyed up Tori. She tried to run and finally jumped in the dumpster. You can probably see where this one is going. They opened the dumpster and DX hit them in the head with chairs. They fell in and they got the pin. The fans hated the finish, and I agree with them. After the match, they came out of the dumpster with Tori. Pac came in and got 3D, as did Dogg. Finally, Buh Buh did the Bubba bomb through the table. Buh Buh did the look afterwards.
Kurt Angle and Rikishi did interviews before the KOTR final. Rik has his arm taped. Rik went after Angle early and went for the stink, but angle stopped him and took over. Angle took him to the floor and whipped Rik into the steps. he took him back in and worked over the big guy. Rik sold the right arm. Rik came back with a clothesline and the Samoan drop. He followed with a running neckbreaker for a one count. Then he gave Kurt a stinky face. Kurt then did an Olympic slam out of nowhere for a two. Kurt did a sunset flip but Rik sat on him for a two. Fans were chanting for Angle. Rik went to the top but Kurt crotched him. Kurt went for a belly to belly from the second rope and hit it for the pin in five minutes.
The Faction did an interview in the back. They are ready.
They showed the USA Today Weekend cover with the Rock and Mike Piazza.
The main event was next, with The Faction (Vince, Shane & HHH) vs. Kane, Undertaker & The Rock, with the WWE Title going to the winner of the fall. The heels came out first. Then, the faces did their own entrances. Kane and the UT got good reactions. The Rock? You know this one already. The crowd was live but the WWF didn't mic them well. The story of the babyfaces would be they all wanted to win the title. In the back, Kurt Angle was drinking milk. Shane started with Kane. Shane was begging off a lot but doing moves as well. Rock tagged himself in. HHH faced off with Rock but wanted to leave. Rock demanded that he stay. Shane nailed Rock from behind. Rock whipped Shane over the top to the floor. Shane came back in and UT chokeslammed Shane. Rock broke the count at two. HHH came in. UT worked over HHH. UT did a DDT (which some people said they aren't allowed to do anymore) on HHH but Kane broke the count. Rock came in and cleaned house briefly, but then was mugged on the floor by the faction until UT and Kane made the save. Rock cleared the announce table but HHH attacked him before he could do anything there. Those two went back in the ring. Rock should have tagged out but didn't because he knew he might not get tagged back in, and thus couldn't win the title. So, the heels worked Rock over for the next few minutes. Eventually, everyone got into it and Rock went for the People's Elbow on HHH but Kane ran in and chokeslammed Rock. HHH played up to Kane for doing it, not realizing that he was doing it to win the title. Then, Kane did a tombstone (which some people said they aren't allowed to do anymore) on HHH. UT broke it up. UT then did a chokeslam from the top turnbuckle through the air into JR's announce table in an awesome spot. Vince then went to do the People's Elbow on Rock but Rock got up and hit the Rock Bottom on Vince to win the match and the WWF title. There wasn't the pop I thought we would see for Rock's win. He got more of one after they announced he won the belt.
2001 - The "WCW Invasion" storyline went into full swing during Raw at Madison Square Garden. Here is Tim Whitehead's original report on the show.
The 6/25 edition of RAW is WCW aired live from Madison Square Garden in New York. It was the expected beginning of the WCW invasion in full. The focus was on skits rather than wrestling. I thought the show was entertaining and took some steps in the right direction but I still don't see this WCW angle being handled quite right. It's gonna be even tougher now with Chris Benoit on the sidelines, joining Rock and HHH.
Vince McMahon came out right at the start. He mentioned the rumor that, had either Chris Benoit or Chris Jericho won the WWF Title at King of the Ring, they would have defected to WCW right there on RAW. He said that thankfully that will not happen since Steve Austin beat both Benoit & Jericho, even after the blatant cowardly interference of Booker T. He wondered aloud what the "T" stands for, suggesting maybe "terrible", "trash", or "troglodyte". He said it could also mean "temporarily employed", noting that that term could apply to every WCW wrestler since he plans to run that company out of business. He called Madison Square Garden "hallowed ground" and said the WWF helped build that arena into what it is today and that no WCW wrestler has any business coming there. To show how important the WWF is to the Garden, Vince aired a video from a decade or so ago where his late father Vince McMahon Sr. was inducted into the MSG Hall of Fame, with comments from Freddie Blassie and the late Gorilla Monsoon, along with footage of Andre the Giant. Vince promised the fans to bring them more memorable moments tonight.
Rhyno beat Test to regain the Hardcore Title in 4:31. Footage aired of Rhyno losing the belt a couple of weeks ago to Test due to Stacie Kiebler's distraction. Paul Heyman predicted that the WCW invasion has now been stopped. So much for his psychic abilities. They started with garbage can shots and then fought through the crowd to the back. Test came off a platform and put Rhyno through a table. Looked like it hurt. Test put Rhyno in a cart and rammed him into a wall. He hit Rhyno with a ladder. But Rhyno suddenly squashed Test against a wall with the gore and got the pin. However....
.....Mike Awesome defeated Rhyno to capture the Hardcore Title. No sooner did Rhyno win than Awesome arrived and broke a board over his head. He then slammed Rhyno on the ladder (that looked really sicko) and pinned him under the 24/7 rule. Jim Ross & Heyman freaked out over a WCW guy taking a WWF belt.
X-Pac beat Jeff Hardy to capture the Light Heavyweight Title in 3:10. Pretty good match, except for one spot where Jeff took a bump off the top from a dropkick that barely grazed him. Jeff dropkicked X-Pac out of the air. X-Pac went for the bronco but got booted in the crotch. Jeff missed a swanton when X-Pac rolled clear, with X-Pac then winning by using the ropes for leverage behind the ref's back.
Austin & Debra arrived, and found Vince seething in anger over Mike Awesome. "He raped me and left with a WWF Title", said Vince. Didn't Austin once "violate" Vince in a hospital? Anyway, Austin wasn't very sympathetic, noting that Vince had been nowhere to be seen at King of the Ring, and that he had still retained the WWF Title over both Benoit & Jericho even with Booker T interfering. Vince acted apologetic and assured Austin that he cares about him. They ended up making up and hugging. Debra just looked disgusted. Austin's hand was bandaged from the injury he received at the PPV, and at the beginning of the show JR had acknowledged that Austin had been hospitalized briefly after that match (from hitting his head taking the desk bump during the Booker T run-in).
The first of several Madison Square Garden golden moment segments aired, this one showing footage of Bruno Sammartino in action. Heyman cited the dates of Bruno's WWF Title reigns.
Video aired from the PPV of Booker T's run-in against Austin.
Big Show encountered Trish Stratus backstage. He showed her his new T-shirt which said "Big Show" and had an arrow pointing down to his crotch area. Guess he watches Beevis & Butthead a lot. Trish didn't seem impressed. Show then said he would win the European Title from Matt Hardy and celebrate by visiting England, Sweden, China, and other European countries. That explains why the arrow on the shirt didn't point up to his head. He offered to take Trish with him and said she'd look cute dressed like a snow bunny. Trish liked the idea of visiting Europe but said they would need separate rooms, of course. Show said they could work something out. Show called himself a genius after she left. Bet no one else has ever called him a genius.
Vince and Austin were hanging out together like the good buddies they are when Kurt Angle walked in. Vince praised Angle for kicking Shane's ass in the PPV street fight. Angle enjoyed the praise but also noted that he suffered some injuries, citing a concussion and a broken tailbone. Austin laughed at him, saying his (Angle's) three matches at the PPV combined weren't as tough as his one match against Benoit & Jericho. He kept implying that Angle's a wimp, but Vince invited Angle to stay, to Austin's dismay. Angle took a seat slowly, acting like it hurt to sit down.
Another MSG golden moment featured video of Superstar Billy Graham. So this was the second such segment in a row to feature a guy who isn't fond of Vince.
Tazz beat Steven Richards in 0:13. Richards called New York a cesspool. New York native Tazz went in and put him out in seconds with the Tazzmission. The RTC angle appears on the verge of being thankfully censored.
Angle was enjoying the carrots, celery, and other healthy food items available in Vince's suite. Austin pulled Vince over to the side and wanted him to kick Angle out so they could hang out alone together like best buddies. But Vince said the King of the Ring ceremony was about to start and he wanted to keep an eye on Angle, fearing he might interrupt the ceremony in a jealous rage over losing the tournament final. Angle then told Austin the two of them are a lot alike since both are former KOTR champs and both have held the WWF Title. He said they're so alike they could be related. Austin just looked disgusted. This was hilarious.
Yoshihiro Tajiri carried the King of the Ring trophy to the ring under William Regal's command. He acted like the trophy weighed a ton. Regal said America lacks a lot of things, such as civility and politeness, and also lacks royalty, but he then introduced King Edge. Edge came out accompanied by Christian. Regal told Edge that, even though his win was tainted by Shane's interference, his reign as king will "reck" of awesomeness. Edge then posed, and was joined by Christian and Tajiri. Tajiri was hilarious. Christian then said he was honored to be there with Edge, but reminded everyone that he got cheated out of victory in his semi-final bout due to interference. He said he won two earlier round matches over Big Show and Kane, whose combined weight is over 1000 pounds. That was really a great line! Edge seemed a little perturbed by Christian's remarks but tried to be cheerful and said the era of awesomeness is now upon us. Billy Gunn then came out. He said that he won the KOTR tourney in 1999 (which is so totally like about as memorable as Barry Horowitz's win in Global wrestling circa 1991). Gunn then said he missed the 2000 tourney due to injury and then wasn't even invited to join the 2001 tourney. Someone in the crowd shouted "good!". Gunn also complained about the indignity of being sent to WWF New York with all the moron fans there, and called Edge a no-talent punk. JR called Gunn "Bitter Billy". Edge said Gunn must be imitating a vacuum cleaner since he sucks and blows at the same time and hoped that if he turns out like Gunn two years from now that someone will just shoot him in the head. Edge said it's not his fault Gunn has accomplished nothing for two years and called him "Billy Bitchcakes". He vowed not to "Billy Gunn" the KOTR Title. Gunn threatened to kick Edge's ass, which is about as good of a comeback you could expect from him on the mic as he was like so totally outclassed by Edge. Edge agreed to fight, so Commissioner Regal booked the match for later in the show.
The next MSG moment was the legendary Sgt. Slaughter vs. Pat Patterson bootcamp match from about 20 years ago.
Hour two began with the Dudleys beating Undertaker & Kane to retain the WWF World Tag Titles in 4:49. The match itself wasn't much. JR kept dwelling on Dallas Page and how he had psychologically harmed Sara, who was at ringside. He kept mentioning the "private collection" of more intimate secret videos Page has of Sara. The match ended with Albert doing a run-in and plastering Kane with the Baldo Bomb, allowing D-Von to get the pin. Kane chased Albert afterward. This left UT & Sara conveniently alone, and as they left up the ramp, Page came out of nowhere and flattened UT with two chairshots. Sara tried to fight Page but he held her down and ripped out a chunk of her hair. It looked really fake because there's no way that much hair could be ripped out without taking half the scalp with it. Page fled with Sara's golden locks before UT revived. JR said Page is a "sick bastard" and is also as good as dead.
Regal told Tajiri that Benoit is injured (JR acknowledged this, noting he'll be out for several months with neck surgery for nerve problems). But since Jericho is still healthy, Regal thought he needs to be punished for teasing that he might jump to WCW. He asked Tajiri for advice on what type of match or opponent would punish Jericho the most. Tajiri recommended himself. Regal agreed to the match, and Tajiri did all the funny facials he does when celebrating.
Big Show beat Matt Hardy by DQ in a European Title match in 3:12. Show was wearing his new T-shirt, which also said "Big All Over" on the back. Show tossed Matt around, with Matt getting in a few shots on Show's arm. Trish kissed Matt in an effort to distract him. This angered Lita, who ripped Trish's top off. Show was about to chokeslam Matt when Lita kicked him in the testicles for the DQ. Maybe the arrow on the shirt was to show her where to kick in case she forgot. Anyway, Matt remained champion so Show's arrow won't be pointing to a title belt.
Perry Saturn & Terri were supposed to be the guests this week at WWF New York, but Shane appeared there instead. There was a big "Shane-O-Mac" chant. Shane claimed that Vince is using all his media clout to keep WCW from getting on TV. As if! Shane said WCW needs TV, so therefore he has no choice but to invade and take over WWF's TV. He said he'll drive Vince out of business just as Vince did to his own father. Shane then brought out Booker T as the man who will lead the invasion. Booker said it was too damn easy to take Austin down last night. That line would have been more effective if Austin hadn't gone on to win. He challenged Austin to fight.
Both Austin & Vince were furious over Shane & Booker. Austin said he doesn't deserve to be attacked and challenged like that. Vince said they're in his restaurant, and told Austin to go down there and kick their asses since it's only a couple of blocks away. Austin began sort of making excuses, but Debra encouraged him and he agreed to go, but wanted Vince to go with him. Vince recommended that Austin take Angle with him. Angle got one of those "who, me?" looks on his face. Austin said if Angle has so much in common with him, he should agree to go. Austin left with Angle reluctantly following.
Hardcore Holly & Al Snow were discussing the success of Tough Enough (which has gotten rave reviews). They encountered the Acolytes, who were rallying the lower card guys to defend the WWF. They said WCW wouldn't give any of them a chance or even return their calls over the years, but now that the promotion has folded and needs a way to re-start, the wrestlers there are trying to take over the WWF. They said Dallas Page and the other invaders can go to hell and encouraged everyone to stand up for the WWF. Among those there were Goodfather, Bull Buchanan, Dean Malenko, Raven, Steve Blackman, Crash Holly, Taka Michinoku, Sho Funaki, Haku, and Essa Rios.
Jimmy Snuka's cage dive onto Don Muraco, which ultimately made a star out of Mick Foley, was the next MSG moment.
Edge beat Billy Gunn in 6:17. No heat except for a mysterious "Hulk Hogan" chant. Since Hogan may try to start up his own company to oppose Vince, there was no way in hell he was gonna be on one of the MSG moments. Christian accidentally nailed Edge at one point, but he later redeemed himself by giving Gunn a backbreaker. Edge then won with the DDT, which JR accidentally called the DDP. Christian carried Edge's trophy as the two left, holding onto it as if it were his.
Vince received a phone call from Austin, who was stuck in traffic. Vince told Austin to sit tight, and also said, "I know Angle's a dork, but he's a dangerous dork, and he's our dork for tonight."
The final MSG moment was the Andre vs. John Studd bodyslam challenge from the first WrestleMania.
Chris Jericho beat Yoshihiro Tajiri in 5:10. A real good match while it lasted. Jericho said that since Steve Assclown is still WWF champion, he'll take his anger out on Tajunior. Lots of chops. Tajiri hit those hard kicks of his that make you cringe. Tajiri hooked the octopus and got an "ECW" chant in response. Jericho slugged Regal. Regal responded by pulling the ref out when Jericho went for a pin. He put Jericho in a full nelson and Tajiri went to spray the mist (for the first time since arriving in the WWF) but Jericho ducked and Regal took the spray. Jericho nailed the shocked Tajiri and lionsaulted him for the pin. Tajiri kept begging the blind Regal for forgiveness afterward.
Vince got another call from Austin, who had made it to WWF New York. Vince said he'd go to the ring and when he gives the signal, they are to attack. Vince told Debra, "This is gonna be good!" as he left for the ring.
Vince arrived in the ring and said the hallowed ground of MSG had been tainted by WCW invaders, but that all's well that ends well, and the WCW guys are about to pay. This was the signal for Austin & Angle to leave their car and go inside the restaurant. The fickle fans who had cheered Shane & Booker earlier, now cheered Austin & Angle. One of the employees told Austin that Shane & Booker were gone. Austin grabbed a mic and said Booker was a coward for not being there and imitated how Booker says "ask" (i.e., "akst") and said the next time he sees Booker in person he'll kick his "sucka ass". Back at the Garden, Vince said it wasn't surprising that Shane & Booker fled, and that it proves that WWF is the dominant brand name in sports entertainment. To Vince's chagrin, Shane arrived at ringside. Booker then came through the crowd and entered the ring. Vince slugged him. Booker just shook it off and nailed Vince with his kicks, including the scissor kick, leaving Vince laying. Booker & Shane escaped as the rallied lower card guys all came out for the belated save.
2007 - The bodies of WWE star Chris Benoit, his wife Nancy (known for her run as "Woman" in professional wrestling) and their son Daniel, are discovered in the Benoit home in Atlanta, Georgia. WWE releases the following statement that afternoon:
"WWE is sad to report that Chris Benoit and his family have been found dead in their home. Police are currently investigating the circumstances surrounding the deaths. Tonight's Raw will be a tribute to Chris and his family."
While an investigation took place, WWE made the decision to drop the "Mr. McMahon Presumed Dead" angle, which was going to be the focus of a three-hour Raw. The live event was cancelled, and replaced with a tribute to Benoit including many of Benoit's best matches. Later that night, while the Raw tribute was still airing, Lt. Tommy Pope of the Fayette County Sheriff's Department in Georgia told ABC News that their deaths are being investigated as a "possible murder, suicide." The ABC website, quoting Pope, noted, "the instruments of death were located on the scene." Pope did not specify what those may have been, but said there was no signs of shootings or stabbings. Pope stated the department is "not actively searching for any suspects outside of the house."
It was later revealed by authorities that the deaths were the result of a double murder-suicide, with Chris Benoit strangling his wife and son to death over the course of the weekend, before taking his own life by hanging himself. WWE would pull Chris Benoit tributes, photos and mentions form their website, and Vince McMahon would issue a public apology the next day for the Raw tribute, noting that "the facts of this "horrific tragedy are now apparent" and stating that Benoit would never be mentioned on WWE programming again.
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