WWE Raw 2006

[PokerGod11]

Backstory

You my not know me. Hell, unless you grew up with me or know my family, you would have no reason to. I have never done anything newsworthy or became a household name. But from this point on, you will know my story. After spending most of my life a wrestling fan, I finally went to wrestling school after I graduated high school. I wasen't going to be the next Chris Benoit but I did alright, that was until one night I tore my MCL during a match in front of maybe 50 people. I rehabbed but decided that my career would never amount to much as a wrestler. I was a quitter. Still yearning to be apart of the show, I took some time and learned how to be a referee. At 6'3"-210 I was a bit bigger than most refs, but I wasen't out of place. Somehow, I guess I found my calling as I worked my way from ham & egger shows up to big time wrestling tours, now finally, with the loss of the Hebners, Tim White, and recent retirement of Nick Patrick, the WWE has signed my services. My first show was a house-show in Kalamazoo. I reffed a "HUGE" bout between Funaki and Nunzio.

Now, the month is February. I was given word that I was to become a RAW referee from now on where hopefully I can continue to ref more curtain-jerk classics. But this is where you come in. You will follow me on this journey as I give you the Raw side of events, backstage shenannigans and anything newsworthy going on. Come along will ya?

WWE cuts!

The WWE has released the following members of it's roster.

-Brad Bradley

-Da Bear

-Danny Inferno

-Michelle McCool

-Kenny Omega

-The Damaja

Up to Now Happenings

-Randy Orton won the Royal Rumble. Raw GM Dusty Rhodes announced that Raw will have some sort of way to decide its' #1 Contender to face still champion John Cena at Wrestlemania.

-All champions remain the same through January except Ric Flair losing the IC title to Edge at a House-Show but regainning it the following week on Raw. No reason was given to why it was done other to help boost house-show gates by proving "anything can happen"

-Edge is back to 100% health.

-It was reported that Raw GM Dusty Rhodes had some sort of undisclosed health scare the last week of January. Word is he will be replaced as GM and may become a consultant for the SD staff.

Champions

-WWE Champion: John Cena

-WWE IC Champ: Ric Flair

-WWE Tag Team: Kane/Big Show

-WWE Women's : Trish Stratus

That's it. My first show should be up soon. Thanks for reading.

[The Future]

Very Interesting indeed I have never seen a diary done like this in the eyes of a referee, remember to use colour,bold,italics and such to make the show look neat and I have a question are you going to write matches from the "referees view"?

[PokerGod11]

My First Raw!

Ok, here I am. Tonight will be my first RAW live from Houston, Texas. I got to the arena around 2:30. I was one of maybe 25 people there. Mostly set guys, agents and 2 wrestlers. Triple H and Big Show were out on where will be the ramp later tonight. They are discussing their NO DQ Pinfall anywhere match later tonight which is our main event. I check the chalk board and find out I will be referee'ing tonight. My matches? Jim Rocket v. Trevor Murdoch for Heat and Candice Michelle taking on Mickie James. Those will surely set the night on fire. At this time, I decide I will go and get some lunch nearby and come back a little later. I see fellow ref Chad Patton on my way out. He agrees to come along (Lucky basterd gets to ref HHH-Show in the main event) as I convince him to pay. See you at showtime...

Jim Rocket v. Trevor Murdoch (Heat Match)

-I get the pleasure of referee'ing as I told you earlier. This is an alright match with me not doing much but warning Murdoch of choke-holds and counting his pinfall attempts, as Rocket has no offence whatsoever. I finally put this one to bed at 3:33 on my timeclock. I raise Mr.Murdoch's hand as half my night is over.

RAW!!!

New General Manager Tonight!?!?

The show opens up with Raw GM Dusty Rhodes music hitting. "Rusty" Dusty as I call him comes out looking somber. He gets on the mic and informs the crowd of his recent health scare. He looks teary-eyed as he informs them that under doctor's orders, he will no longer be allowed to be Raw's GM. Vince McMahon's music hits and the boss makes his way to ringside. Vince wishes Dusty the best and announces tonight on Raw's biggest TV show "The Cutting Edge" he will hire a NEW GM. Crowd his hyped by the announcement.

Gregory Helms v. Val Venis

Good match between two guys who deserve more tv time in my opinion. Pretty basic back and forth match with Helms putting Val away with a shinning wizard.

Interview with Cena

Backstage John Cena is standing with interviewer Maria. The crowd is way into Cena as he talks some trash about Angle and Davari. Cena goes on to say how last week he told the world he could beat Angle and Davari with ANYBODY in the back. Well he found a capable partner and will bring them out. Cena walks off camera and comes back with TRISH STRATUS. Cena says tonight, it will be man versus man (Angle/Himself) and woman against woman (Davari/Trish) in this mixed tag match.

Candice Michelle v. Mickie James

-Talk about a disaster. I got word that I was suppose to allow this match around 6 minutes and tell them to wrap it up. Well, I wish I could have wrapped it up earlier. Candice, dispite a good 3-4 month tv feud, looked lost in the ring and had to lean on Mickie the whole match for direction. I could hear the chorus of boo's from iside the ring but did my best to remain professional. Finally, I saw the signal from our timekeeper, and boy was I relieved. 13 seconds and a 3 count later and it was over. Mickie wins by a Chick Kick.

Rosey v. Kane

This was a nice brawl to set the tone again. Kane looked strong and was about to finish Rosey off when suddenly JAMAL jumps the barricade and nails Kane with a chair. Jamal beats down Kane as Rosey comes to. He looks at Jamal, rips off his superhero mask, and hugs his former partner. Kane wins via DQ.

CUTTING EDGE w/guest Vince McMahon

Edge and Lita arrive to the ring first. They hype up Vince's GM announcement and throw ridiculous canidates out such as Doink and the late Road Warrior Hawk. Finally Vince comes out and throws Edge and Lita off the set. After a few minutes of build-up, Vince brings out our new Raw GM...MICK FOLEY! Foley is dressed in a torn dress shirt and jogging pants. He shakes Vince's hand and does a small spiel on the new direction of Raw. Good segment.

More Changes...

Mick is walking backstage when he is stopped by Maria. She welcomes "Nick" as she calls him back to Raw. Mick thanks her and says he has something to make her day. He has an exclusive scoop. Maria begins to talk about ice-cream for some reason but Mick cuts her off and announces the reinstatment of the hardcore division. Next week a Hardcore Battle Royal will take place to crown our champion.

John Cena/Trish Stratus v. Kurt Angle/Davari

A surprisingly really good bout. Cena and Angle see the most action, with Davari and Trish tagging in and out around the same time. The finish shows Davari handcuff Cena to the ropes after tagging out nearly exhausted. Trish looks scared as Angle awaits, after a minute of run and chase, Angle takes our Women's champ down and locks her in the ankle-lock. She immediatly taps but Angle refuses to let go taunting Cena. Finally, he let's go and celebrates with Davari.

Carlito v. Shelton Benjamin

Nothing we haven't seen before from these two. Benjamin looks crisp in the beginning but follows his evergrowing pattern of falling apart and choking at the end. Benjamin is blindsided by an enziguri and is pinned by Carlito. This extends Benjamin's losing streak to 13 straight matches.

The Big Show v. Triple H (Falls Count Anywhere)

This was good stuff all the way through. Big Show looked great and HHH played his part well making him look as strong as could be. The match went a little long but finally a bloodied Triple H pinned an even bloodier Big Show after a small framed person in a ski masked lowblowed Show as he was going to chokeslam HHH onto a car hood. HHH threw Show's head into the car window and pinned him to score the win.

Post-Show

After the show ended, I headed to my nearby hotel. On my way out I saw hundreds of people waiting near the parking lot for autograph's as the wrestlers left. I had fun and was looking forward to the next night, hopefully a night with a better match to ref than what I had tonight.

That's it, thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed. I appreciate the comment from "The Future" and hopefully this answered your question. Thanks again!

[PokerGod11]

Raw-Feb 13,2006

Once again, I am backstage at our next Raw event. I am still a little upset over the poor matches I have been in, but everyone has to work their way up I guess. Tonight, I will not be on Heat, but I will have 2 sets of action still. I will be 1 of 3 refs in the Hardcore Battle Royal to detirmine a new Hardcore champ, and I will be reffing a tag match between the reunited 3 Minute Warning and two developement guys. Looks like fun. I saw Trevor Murdoch earlier today, he thanked me for doing a good job reffing his match last week. Ah yes, nobody can count a 1,2,3 better. Nice guy though. Anyway, I'm going to get my nice striped shirt on, so see you in the ring.

Hardcore Battle Royal

The show opens up with 10 wrestlers, me, and 2 referees at ringside. Our announcer, Lillian Garcia informs everyone that this will be for the Hardcore championship. Entrants include:Val Venis,Chris Masters,Viscera,Lance Cade,Snitsky,Eugene,Antonio,Romeo, and Chavo Guerrero. Weapons are allowed in the match and the rest is a basic battle royal rules. I don't do too much at ringside besides help escourt an angry Chris Masters up the ramp. The finish see's Snitski knock Chavo out of the ring with a massive closeline. Snitski is out Hardcore Champion.

Shelton Benjamin v. Ric Flair

A good match between these two, but it looked a bit phoned in. If this were on PPV, I am sure we would have seen better. Flair wins with Shelton tapping in the Figure Four. It has now been over 2 months since Shelton has won a match.

Naitch saves the Day

Backstage we see Ashley Massaro getting a coffee when Trevor Murdoch, holding a spit cup comes into the picture. Murdoch hits on Ashley who remains uninterested and grabs a hold of her, suddenly, Ric Flair interupts and tells Murdoch to beat it, because only Slick Ric knows how to treat the ladies. Murdoch shoves Flair who in return punches Murdoch. Murdoch stumbles back, smiles, and walks away laughing.

3 Minute Warning v. Nick Nemeth/Jake Douglas

My last action of the night. I guess I am the go-to guy for officiating squash matches. 3 Minute Warning finishes this one off in just about 3 minutes. A big splash from Jamal seals Douglas' fate and 3 min.warning picks up the W.

3 Minute Warning Interview

After the match, we see Rosey/Jamal celebrating backstage. Todd Grisham tries to get a word but suddenly ERIC BISCHOFF interupts. He says he may have been fired as GM, but he discovered 3 Minute Warning long ago, and now he will guide them, and himself back to greatness. Tells Kane/Big Show that they are no longer the only big boys around and that 3 Minute Warning will soon be champs.

HHH on Phone

We see Triple H from far away talking on a cell phone. King/Styles speculate on if that is the mystery person who attacked Big Show last week and helped HHH win. Nothing else happened and we move on...

Cena/Angle confrontation

Backstage, Kurt Angle is shooting a promo picture when John Cena comes up and gets in his face. Cena tells Kurt he was a real big man beating up on Trish last week. Tells Kurt that he is sick and tired of everything between the two of them and it has to end. Cena tells Kurt if it's a title match he wants, it's a title match he'll get. Next week on Raw we will see the two collide. Angle laughs and tells Cena he just made the biggest mistake of his life to which Cena responds, "we'll see about it"

Trish Stratus v. Victoria (Women's Title)

This was a really good match. Trish and Victoria looked as good as they did feuding in 2003. Mickie was at ringside and would be the difference maker. After being blinded by a poke to the eye, she accidentally elbowed Trish in the face which Victoria capitalized on and hit the Widow's Peak. Victoria becomes our NEW Women's champion as Mickie tends to Trish with a worried look on her face.

NEXT WEEK...

We are told next week, Big Show will appear on the Cutting Edge with Edge and Lita.

Triple H v. Kane

After beating Kane's partner Big Show last week, Kane takes his crack at Triple H. The two put on a solid affair with Kane showing his power and strength and HHH proving he can control the tempo with anyone. In the finish we see Kane set HHH up for a chokeslam but suddenly the lights go out. Kane looks distracted at what is going on and looks toward the entrance ramp where the mystery person is standing with a ski-mask on. Kane turns around and HHH plants him with Pedigree for the win. After the match, the mystery person comes down to the ring and celebrates with HHH. Out of nowhere Big Show's music hits. HHH looks worried as the show goes off the air...

Finale

Well after another good night, I got showered up and headed to my hotel room. Just another day in the life of a rookie referee in the WWE.

[PokerGod11]

Raw-Feb. 20th 2006

I arrived to the arena late today and was worried that I may be in trouble. I tried to be as inconspicuous as possible, but my new "friend" Trevor Murdoch met me with a very loud "hello" which pretty much informed everyone of my tardiness. Trevor told me I'd be officiating another one of his matches tonight, this time his opponent was Viscera. "Great!" I exclaimed, as I headed to find out if I was on the card anywhere else tonight. Heat? Nope. Well Trevor was right, I was with him again and...I was officiating a tag match between Trish/Mickie and Victoria/Candice. I turned around and road agent Micheal Hayes told me that something was going down in that tag match and to see him before I went on. I was entrigued and glad that I would be "in" on something. Nice!

With that, I got dressed and called the wife at home. I won't ruin the secret, so I will keep those details to myself. Enjoy the show.

Trevor Murdoch v. Viscera

-This was the first match of the night. As much as I had a lukewarm feeling for Murdoch, he was the only wrestler so far to reach out towards me and I felt comfortable with him inside the ring. Viscera did a poor job selling for Murdoch but eventually did as told and jobbed the match at around 6 minutes. I raised Trevor's arm and headed to the back.

GM Foley makes announcement for 'Mania

GM Mick Foley came out next. He played to the crowd well and seems to be a perfect fit as a GM for the people. He announced that next week he would combine two decent Eric Bischoff ideas, and form one GREAT Mick Foley idea. Next week, we would have a "Gold Rush" style tournement to determine either John Cena or Kurt Angle's opponent for Wrestlemania. The catch was, each match in the opening round would be a stipulation match, with the stip being done on a "Raw Roulette wheel" Confusing I know, but it will be interesting. Foley claims to be taking notes and will confirm his 8 hopefulls on WWE.com tonight following Raw.

Snitski © v. Matt Striker (Hardcore Title)

Snitski called out anyone from the back to test him. Resident teacher Matt Striker took the job. The crowd was out of it due to the heel/heel dinamic, but it appears the Hardcore division will not follow that format heavily. Snitski wins with a powerbomb through a table to retain the title.

A ReUnion or a Solution?

Backstage we see Kurt Angle enter Shelton Benjamin's locker room. Is he there to help his former apprentice regain his direction? Speculation continues.

Trish Stratus/Mickie James v. Victoria ©/Candice Michelle

-Knowing what will go down I entered this bout a bit worried how it would come off on tv. Regular tag match between these two until late in the bout. Mickie begins to clean house, suddenly she turns around and WHAM! she is nailed with a Chick Kick by her idol, Trish Stratus. Trish laughs a bit to herself and exits the ring, Victoria makes the cover and I look around and act confused, then I make the pinfall. The crowd was shocked with this turn and I ate up the buzz.

Trish explains Why?

Backstage, Trish tells Todd Grisham she was tired of Mickie's wannabe act and that she only used her infatuation with her as a tool to make her life as champ easier. Now that Mickie cost her the title however, she outlasted her usefulness. "Poor kid" Trish exclaimed before leaving the interview area laughing.

Chris Masters v. Chavo Guerrero Jr.

A good match, nothing much to note. Masters wins via MasterLock.

Scheming continues

Triple H is on his phone again. Not much is heard but what is made out clearly is Hunter expects things to be like "Old Times" and makes it clear tonight, the plan goes into full motion.

Cena/Angle Video Package

John Cena © v. Kurt Angle w/Davari (WWE Title)

-This was a hell of a match. Probably the best they ever had together as they pulled out all the stops. This was billed as being the last match between the two and it had that feel for sure. After several near-falls, Davari's ejection, and a close double count-out, John Cena finally put the match away with 2 FU's to retain the title. Man, I wish I could have officiated that one!

The Cutting Edge w/Big Show

Edge comes out for the last segment of the night alone. He tells the crowd Lita has fallen ill since arriving in the city, but the show will go on. Big Show is introduced and Edge begins to run him down. Show gets in Edge's face when HHH appears on the ramp. HHH and Show exchange words when suddenly the masked attacked enters the ring. Show see's this and grabs him by the throat, HHH runs down and nails Big Show with a chop block before he can unmask the attacker. HHH grabs a chair from Edge and nails Show with it repeatidly. HHH then stands over Show with the mystery person. He pulls the mask off and reveals STEPHANIE MCMAHON undeneath the hood. The two kiss and HHH grabs the mic. He tells us that the McMahon-Helmsley Era is back and things around the WWE are about to change. Show ends!

Finale

I left Raw tonight finally satisified. I thought a lot of the storyline progressions helped the show and Angle/Cena was sure entertaining to watch. I don't know what his problem is, but Murdoch was convinced he had a great match tonight thanks to me. Hey, I'll take praise anyway I can get it. See ya next time!

[PokerGod11]

BREAKING NEWS!!!!

It has been announced Tuesday morning that on Sunday, Feb. 26th (This Sunday), the Raw brand will feature an event entitled "Road To Wrestlemania" which will be the 1st of 3 specials on the USA network in the year 2006. Others include the 2006 Hall of Fame induction ceremony and a special yet to be named.

This special will run 2 1/2 hours in length and will be LIVE! The contents will be a tournement named by Raw GM Mick Foley to name WWE Champion John Cena's opponent for Wrestlemania 22. The first round of the tournement will be stipulation matches to test the competitors will. After this first round, the remaining competitors will compete in the semi and Final rounds all in the same night until we have a #1 Contender. Raw presents "Road to Wrestlemania" will start at 8:30 ET, Don't miss it!

Tournement Bracket

Block 1:

-Big Show v. Chris Masters

-Carlito v. Kane

Block 2:

-Ric Flair v. Triple H

-Kurt Angle v. Shawn Micheals

[PokerGod11]

WWE Road to Wrestlemania

I arrived at the event entitled "Road to Wrestlemania" unlike Raw or House-Shows, this was basically a 1 night tournement featuring 6 of the best wrestlers on our roster. I was very excited to see what match or matches I would be officiating. Since Trevor Murdoch wasen't on the card, I was glad that I would be officiating a match other than his. I checked the chalkboard backstage and I found I would be officiating 1 match on the card. This would be my biggest test to date since with this caliber of preformer, there is no room for error. My name was placed on the side of the opening round match between Triple H and Ric Flair. 2 men who I have the greatest of respect for. Next to my name was the initials "BF" I turned around and found Dean Malenko, one of our Road Agents and asked him what that meant. He laughed to himself and explained to me that was the stipulation for the match. It was a blindfold match. He then reached in his pocket and pulled out a black piece of cloth. He handed it to me and told me that I was to be blindfolded throughout the match. Confused I asked "Aren't the wrestlers suppose to be blindfolded? Like Martel/Roberts was. He laughed again and told me he was just ribbing me, and that indeed both HHH and Flair would be blindfolded. I killed the next half hour and about an hour to showtime, Triple H came up to me. I was a little surprised when he put his hand on my shoulder and asked to speak with me while I was talking with Chad Patton.

Basically, he just told me not to get nervous out there, as it is my first big match situation. He told me that I didn't need to do much since most of the time, he and Ric would be trying to "find" eachother and that I just needed to get in the way a couple of times to tease the action. I thanked him for the advise and he went on his way. With that, I was ready for showtime!

Show Opening/Video

Before the show, one of John Cena's rap videos played on the TitanTron and then Lilian Garcia informed the crowd that we were about to go on, and to make as much noise as possible. The crowd did and it was on!

Kane v. Carlito (Lumberjack Match)

The lumberjacks were mainly our lowercard guys such as Snitski,Tomko,HeartThrobs,Nemeth,Chavo,ect. A funny moment happened when Kane got knocked out of the ring by Carlito and the Lumberjack's went over to Kane, who shot them an angry look and they all backed off. The match came to an end when Kane nailed Carlito with a chokeslam as he was coming off the top rope.

Shawn Micheals v. Kurt Angle (Strap Match)

This was interesting as it was a regular match, except both men where tied together with a leather strap. Some vicious shots left both HBK and Angle with red welts on their backs from the strap shots. Angle tried to choke HBK with the strap, which almost took him down. The finish saw HBK miss a superkick, Angle then pulled HBK into him almost tearing his arm off and nailed him with an Angle Slam for the win. Angle will move on to face the winner of HHH/Flair.

Steph makes a plea.

The camera cuts backstage where we see GM Mick Foley watching the event. Suddenly, Stephanie McMahon walks into his office. She tells Mick that things are a lot similiar now as they were in the McMahon-Helmsley era, but now Mick is the one who holds all the cards. She asks if Mick recalls her and Hunter hiring Mick back after he lost the "Pink Slip on a Pole" to The Rock. She wants Mick to do the smart thing and give Triple H a bye this round instead of facing Flair, who she tells him hasen't done anything to deserve this oppertunity. She wouldn't want to tell her father that Mick wasen't a cooperative GM would she? Mick tells her to tell her daddy anything she wants and his decision is...Final! Steph leaves looking mad as Mick smiles gleefully.

Chris Masters v. The Big Show (Submission Match)

Styles,Coach, and King all put over how the submission stipulation favored Masters, but wondered if Show could indeed break the MasterLock if he was put in it. The match went around 10 minutes with a couple of half-hearted submission attempts like Show just standing on Masters. Masters tried to get the Master-Lock on but Show never let him lock his hands officially locking the move in. Show then went on a tear late in the match, dominating Masters. Finally, Show straddled Masters and locked him in a camel clutch to which Masters tapped out in. King then put over the unique situation of Big Show now having to face his tag partner Kane!

Ric Flair v. Triple H (Blindfold Match)

-I had never been in a match the crowd was so hot for. Triple H's entrance was electric and Flair got a huge pop himself. Before the match started Stephanie came out to join Triple H at ringside to his old "My Time" theme. I made sure both men had their blindfolds on tight and called for the bell. Like he told me earlier tonight, most of the match saw HHH and Flair stumbling around the ring looking for eachother. HHH grabbed me at one point as I was standing in between the two and went to punch, but I ducked out of the way. The two locked up and exchanged chops and moves to keep the match interesting, but noone had the clear advantage. Finally, the time came to wrap it up. Stephanie slapped the mat 3 times and jumped up onto the apron. I turned my back to the action and tried to talk her down. I heard the crowd erupt and knew what was taking place, HHH took off his blindfold, went up to Flair and nailed him with the Pedigree, he put his mask back on, and Steph climbed down. I turned around saw HHH on top of Flair. I dropped down and scored the pinfall to a loudly jeering crowd. After the match, HHH and Steph celebrated as I walked to the back.

Big Show v. Kane (Semi-Finals)

The crowd was really into this one as the two partners were set to lock horns. Both men showed repect to eachother but went right into things. After a couple of minutes of brawling, the match seemed to be in Kane's favor, then it went to Show's favor. Suddenly, JAMAL & ROSEY of 3 Minute Warning came out. They hit the ring and attacked both Show and Kane. The ref called for the bell and Lilian Garcia announced that he had ruled the match a DOUBLE DQ! Eric Bischoff came out and smiled as the two teams brawled. Finally, Show and Kane closelined Jamal out of the ring and Rosey followed suit.

The Ruling...

After the ring cleared, Mick Foley made his way out onto the ramp. Foley got on the mic and announced that due to the referee ruling the Kane/Show match a Double DQ, Stephanie McMahon would get her wish. Triple H AND Kurt Angle would get a Semi-Final bye, making their match the FINALS match in the tournement. Have a nice day!

Diva's Swimsuit 2006 Issue plug. Hits newstands March 18th.

Triple H v. Kurt Angle (Wrestlemania Title Shot)

Behind HBK/Angle this was the match of the night. Only to prove that Kurt Angle is indeed a wrestling icon. This was an intense bout with several near falls and HHH even having to back out of the ring and regain himself. During the match, Steph was sent to the back after trying to trip up Angle. With only HHH and Angle left the tide shifted into Angle's favor. Angle locked HHH in the Ankle Lock, but HHH was able to get to the ropes. With both men being hated by the majority of the crowd,it was very mixed with Angle having the slight advantage due to his amazing matches. The finish saw HHH drop down when the ref wasen't looking and nail Angle with a low blow and then hit him with the Pedigree. Triple H made the cover and 3 seconds later, he was the winner. After the match, John Cena came out with the title high in the air. He and HHH engaged in a staredown as the announcers plugged our Wrestlemania main event.

Finale

I had a blast tonight and was looking forward to a night without travel since we will be here again tommorrow for Raw! HHH and Cena should be a great Wrestlemania main event but I'll be damned if I wasen't impressed with Kurt Angle tonight. The man is a machine. See ya for Raw tommorrow and I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.

[PokerGod11]

Raw-Feb. 26th 2006

I left my hotel in the morning and went down into the city. I walked around the mall a little and caught something to eat. I was wearing a "WWE Staff" shirt and was stopped by 2 sets of people. One guy told me he was a big fan and asked me what I did. I told him I officiated and that if he watched Raw closely tonight, he would see me. He asked who was going to win at Wrestlemania, which I told him I wasen't that involved with the company but I would expect a good match. The other person was another guy. He was pretty much interested in becoming a wrestler to which I told him to look for a good school. After that, I headed to the arena and as always, checked the almighty chalkboard. Tonight I would be officiating the Hardcore title match between Snitski and Val Venis. Not that bad I guess. Relieved I saw Trevor Murdoch was on the card and I was not the ref. I didn't see him for the rest of the day. I spoke with a couple of people backstage and saw that Nick "Eugene" Dinsmore was hanging around. I wasen't sure if he was just catching up with some friends or if he was returning, but he looked good. With that, I was ready for Raw!

Wrestlemania Contract Signing

The show opened up with Mick Foley standing in the ring. He congratulated Triple H on winning the Gold Rush Roulette tournement and announced that at Wrestlemania it would be Triple H challenging WWE Champion John Cena for the WWE Championship. The crowd was hyped up and with that, both men made their entrances. HHH told Cena that at 'Mania, his little run with Triple H's property would come to an end and that just like he told him before, when he was ready, he would take it, now...He's ready. Cena got on the mic and told Triple H that he knows how good he is, but Cena never backs down and never quits. Just like last year, he will walk out as WWE Champion. The two went back and forth before both signing the contract. The staredown took place as Foley seperated the two. Our Wrestlemania main event has been signed!

Big Show v. Jamal

Surprisingly, a pretty good match, the crowd was into it as this was Jamal's first televised singles match. Jamal gave Show a good run for his money, but the former WWE Champ proved to be too tough and put Jamal away with a chokeslam.

Next Week, The Return!

A video plays highlighting Edge's career. Afterwards, we are told Edge will return to action next week.

Snitski © v. Val Venis (Hardcore Title)

I made my way out during the Edge video and was already in the ring when both men made their entrances. These hardcore matches make my job so much easier. Snitski is doing a good job appearing to be a dominant champion as he put Venis away with a big boot to the face while Venis was running with a cookie sheet. Snitski is 3-0 as champion. I raised Snitski's hand and made my way to the back. My night is done.

Trish/Ashley confrontation

Backstage Ashley is shown cleaning out her locker. Trish comes in and sits down next to Ashley. Trish says tries to get Ashley's attention but Ashley continues to ignore her. Trish then grabs Ashley by the hair and jerks her head back. Ashley asks Trish how she could do that to someone who looked up to her so much? Trish tells Ashley to shut up and then tells her that she can either move on and stay by her side, or feel sorry for Mickie and stop her training under Trish. Trish then let's Ashley go and leaves the room leaving Ashley looking upset.

Kane v. Kurt Angle

This was a great match, Angle has yet to have a bad match since I have been here. Kane looked strong in the match and had a decent fan following, although Angle has had a large cheering section from many of the fans in attendance, probably due to his impressive skill in the ring. The finish saw Rosey and Jamal hit the ring and attack Kane, this forced Big Show to hit the ring as Bischoff called 3 Minute Warning back before Show could even the odds.

Trevor Murdoch v. Shawn Micheals

Basic filler match. Not too much to add although I should note Micheals was insanely over. Micheals won the match with Sweet Chin Music.

After the match...

After the match, Micheals was celebrating his victory when Shelton Benjamin's music hits. Benjamin came out onto the ramp. He blamed Micheals for his losing streak and told him that the only way to get back on track is to defeat the cause of the problem, HBK. Benjamin challenges Micheals to a match next week. Micheals, who is a bit out of breath is handed a mic. He tells Benjamin that if they are gonna do it, they better do it right. HBK tells Benjamin that if he wants his match, it will be at the biggest stage of them all...Wrestlemania! Benjamin agrees as Styles puts over how great HBK preforms at Wrestlemania. After the segment ends, we see Kurt Angle watching a moniter backstage with a big smile on his face.

Open Challenge

Up next, Carlito has some mic time. He runs down the Raw roster and mentions that 2006 will be a cool year. He then makes an open challenge to anyone in the back. After some silence, Eugene's music hits and Eugene hits the ring to a loud pop. The match begins with Eugene taking an early offence. After a couple of minutes, Carlito blinds Eugene by spitting apple in his eye and then hits him with a Rock Bottom. Carlito makes the pin and then stands over Eugene smiling as he beat him with his own move. Things are looking up for Carlito.

Triple H/Chris Masters v. John Cena/Ric Flair

As expected, this was a great match to close the show. Masters got a lot of the ring action as HHH and Cena weren't in the ring much at the same time, obviously to keep the action between the two fresh for 'Mania in a couple of weeks. The finish of the match saw Cena take HHH to the outside and brawl up the ring. This allowed the legal man, Ric Flair to gain the offence and then lock Masters in the Figure Four Leg Lock. Masters fought hard to get out, but in the end tapped out to the Nature Boy. Cena and HHH disappeared behind the curtain continuing to brawl as Flair celebrated in the ring. John Cena and Ric Flair are victorious. With that, the show came to a close.

Finale

I was all packed to go when I saw Tyson Tomko leaving the arena in a very upset manner. I was curious to what set him off but decided I would find out soon enough and after the show I left the arena. I headed to my hotel to get my stuff andI will be on the road tonight as we start a 2 day trip to North Carolina. See you next week.

[PokerGod11]

Raw Member Released & More!

-The WWE has released current Raw superstar Tyson Tomko. The reason being given is they have nothing creatively for him. On the official website, the WWE wishes him the best in his future endeavors. No word on if TNA is interested.

-The WWE has also ended the developement contracts of the following individuals...

-Antonio Banks

-Drew Hankinson

-Rory McAllister

-Robby McAllister

-Ryan Reeves

That's all the news for today.

source:wrestlearena.com

[PokerGod11]

Raw-March 5, 2006

I arrived in the building about 3:30 in the afternoon. With the doors opening at 7:05, I knew I had enough time to get dressed, get filled in, and get ready for Raw! I saw Edge and Lita enter the building around the same time I did. They both said hello. Edge looked a bit concerned, tonight, he would have his first match back since his injury, which took about 3 months to heal. Edge and Lita are not together in real life, but they remain good friends and almost always enter together.

I checked the chalk board and tonight, I would be referee'ing a Fatal Four Way Women's match and THE MAIN EVENT!! My first main event would be tonight. Kurt Angle & Shelton Benjamin will be facing Tag Champions Big Show & Kane. This would be exciting. Little did I know, Trevor Murdoch would be the first to congratulate me. I asked him what his deal was, and he told me that he was having fun with me before, but really did enjoy my work. Cool guy. I won't bore you with the rest of the nothingness that happened but man, tonight I would be in the main event.

Raw Opens/Angle Challenge

Kurt Angle came out at the top of Raw. He complained about his match with Kane being interupted last week and demanded Kane back in the ring. Kurt brought out Shelton Benjamin. Kurt announced to the crowd that due to Shelton's lack of focus, Kurt will be taking him under his wing once again as his protege. Kurt said that journey started tonight and challenged Kane and Big Show to a World Tag Title match. No one came out but it was infered that the match would happen tonight.

Snitski © v. Chavo Guerrero (Hardcore Title)

During the commentary for this bout, it was announced that GM Mick Foley has made the Hardcore title a belt that would be defended every week, and thus, the champion would have to be that much more tough. A really good match I though, with Snitski once again retaining after Chavo got powerbombed through a table. Commentary puts Snitski over as an unstoppable champion.

Victoria © v. Mickie James v. Trish Stratus v. Ashley Massaro (Non-Title)

I was set to ref this bout as all four women came to the ring. Ashley kept looking over at Trish, who gave her an ultimatum last week but did not talk nor fight her. Ashley looked good in the match and eliminated Mickie James first with a rolling DDT, which pleased Trish as her rival was gone. Next, Trish defeated Victoria with a Stratusfaction. I stood in the ring as Ashley and Trish took a stand-off. The crowd was pretty hot when suddenly Trish pointed to the ground. Ashley looked around and then laid down. Trish smiled and covered Ashley. I sold the situation as best I could, looking around confused, and then made the pin. Afterwards, Trish helped Ashley up and the two walked to the back together.

The Champ and The Naitch!

Backstage we see Ric Flair warming up when WWE Champion John Cena walks up. Flair looks him over and Cena extends his hand. He thanks Flair for being his partner last week and congratulated him on making the winning fall. Flair nodded and playfully told Cena to watch out, because he wants the gold. Cena smiled and patted Flair on the shoulder.

Edge v. Eugene

Eugene came out to a decent pop, mainly from children in attendance. Edge hit the ring next. Not much of a match with Edge putting Eugene away in a convincing manner with the spear.

Post Match Interview

After the match, Edge celebrated with Lita when he was stopped by Todd Grisham. Todd brought to Edge's attention that as Wrestlemania 22 approached, Edge still had his "Money in the Bank" and that it could expire. Edge told Grisham that next week, he would make an announcement regarding the "Money in the Bank"

Ric Flair v. Chris Masters

An average match. Flair hit his signature spots and sold like a champ for Masters who dominated a lot of the bout. The finish saw Flair lock Masters in the Figure Four and held on the the ropes for leverage. The ref didn't see this and Flair forced Masters to tap out for a second week in a row.

HBK backstage

Backstage we see Shawn Micheals. He is on his knees praying, but is in street clothes so it doesn't look like he will be wrestling tonight. Just an excuse to get him on tv I suppose.

Foley gives 3MW the boot!

Backstage we cut to the parking garage, here we see Mick Foley aguing with Eric Bischoff and 3MW. Foley announces that with Show/Kane defending their titles next, they are banned from the arena.

Kurt Angle/Shelton Benjamin v. Kane/Big Show © (World Tag Titles)

My first main event gave me feel nervous before I went out. I shook all four workers hands backstage and they all told me to do my best and they would handle the rest. I was told that we had 10 minutes for the match and 5 minutes to run over. I felt ready. Both teams came to the ring and I called for the bell. The crowd was pretty well into the match with them heavily favoring the champs. About 9 min. in, I told Shelton and Kane to take it home. After booting Angle out of the ring, Kane nailed Shelton with a chokeslam. Kane made the pin as Show watched Angle outside the ring. I counted the 1,2,3 as the crowd counted with me. Angle grabbed Shelton and pulled him out of the ring and to the back. Show and Kane celebrated with the titles when 3MW ran through the crowd and hit the ring. They brawled with Kane/Show for a bit with the champs finally getting the advantage and forcing 3MW to retreat. The crowd gave Show/Kane another loud pop as I raised their hands (as best I could) and the show went off the air.

Finale

Man, it felt great to close out the show. Kane/Show are really getting over as a team and are very intimidating. Their feud with 3MW is picking up some steam, which I expect to head into 'Mania. With a great night behind me, I took a shower and got ready for the week ahead.

OOC:

Sorry for the lack of update last week. Getting all my courses in order for college and just spending time with the GF. Future updates should be a bit more frequent. Thanks!

[PokerGod11]

Raw-March 12, 2006

What a day I had today! Earlier, I had some rental car troubles before arriving to the arena at 7:00 for a 7:05 start time. I must have pissed somebody off since I immediatly went to the chalkboard and found out that I was not on the live card, not on the Heat card, but only officiating a dark match between Rob Conway and George Slade (Deuce Shade), I quickly got ready and prepared for the match.

Rob Conway v. George Slade (Dark Match)

Not much to it. Nice back and forth action. Deuce was introduced as being a hometown boy, which he isn't, and got a nice reaction. Finish saw Conway roll Deuce up to score the pin.

Raw Opening/MITB Announcement

Edge opens the show up accompanied by Lita. Edge gets on the mic and gets the crowd fired up a bit. He then announces that since Wrestlemania is quickly approaching, he will do the smart thing and put himself in the main event. Not by going through 29 guys in a Rumble, or winning some tournement, but because he is Mr.Money in the Bank. As he finished, Ric Flair's music hit over the PA system and the crowd went wild. Naitch stood on the ramp dressed in a nice black suit and got on the mic. Flair called Edge down and told him that he had to PROVE he was Wrestlemania Main Event worthy. Edge asked how he could do that and Naitch made an ultimatum. Flair told Edge that if Edge beat him tonight, he would not only give Edge his respect, but Flair would RETIRE as an active competitor. If Flair won however, he would get the remaining weeks left on the MITB. Edge furiously agreed and told the fans to get a good look, because tonight, they would see the last of the "Nature Boy" and taunted Flair with a loud "Whoooo"

3 Minute Warning v. Viscera/Val Venis

A decent match with Double V out there to make 3MW look good to which they did a fairly decent job. Vis looked a bit sloppy at times, as did 3MW. The match saw Rosey put Val away with a big splash from the top rope. As Bischoff and 3MW walked up the ramp following the match, fire shot up from the stage which shocked the 3.

HBK confronts Shelton once more

We cut backstage where we see Shelton Benjamin sitting down reading a copy of Kurt Angle's old biography. HBK comes into the picture and slaps the book out of Benji's hands. Benji gets up and gets in HBK's face before Micheals speaks. Micheals tells Shelton that instead of reading about another man's career, he should be worried about his own. HBK warns Shelton that Angle is only got his back, because Angle thinks it will benifit Angle. Shelton disagrees and tells HBK he is jealous of Kurt. HBK begins to walk away but before he leaves, tells Benjamin that 'Mania is only 2 weeks away, and the countdown is on.

Lance Cade v. Shelton Benjamin

A good match, but not great by any means. Cade looks lost as a tweener without and seemingly has no direction. The finish saw Benjamin get on an incredible roll and nail Cade with the T-Bone to score his first win in what seems like forever. The streak has been snapped as Benjamin celebrates. Angle comes out onto the ramp and applauds.

The Face to Face

Backstage we see 3 Minute Warning walking with Bischoff when suddenly they stop in their tracks. The camera spans to show Kane and Big Show standing in their path. Both teams get face to face in a staredown. Kane and Big Show begin to smile sadistically and then walk past. As they do, Show leans in and tells 3MW that they'll see them at Mania.

Sneak Attack

We cut to the parking garage where we see John Cena in a Larry Bird throwback jersey. He suddenly stops and sprints towards what appears to be his black H2, only the Hummer has it's windows smashed and doors dented. We cut to the front and see a sledgehammer stuck in the windshield. Cena looks pissed when suddenly he is attacked from behind. Triple H is the attacker and he begins a vicious assault on Cena. He throws Cena into the card and overall beats him down. Finally, HHH slumps a bloodied Cena up against the car and laughs, telling him that this is just the beginning and that NOW, he is ready to take the title.

Trevor Murdoch v. Chavo Guerrero

A nice filler match. The crowd was way into Chavo and "Eddie" chants filled the arena. The finish saw Chavo take Murdoch down and hit the Frog Splash to score the pinfall. Chavo wins!

Snitski v. Nick Nemeth (Hardcore title)

This is Nemeth's second appearence, and it was no better. Snitski brutallized Nemeth with whatever he could get his hands on and put him away with a pump-handle slam in the middle of the ring. Snitski once again retains.

Shawn Micheals v. Triple H

Anytime these two step into the ring together, it's Money in the Bank (excuse the pun) and this time was no different. The chemistry is incredible and after several nearfalls, they had the crowd in the palm of their hand. After about 18 minutes, it looked as though HHH was knocking on the door of victory. Suddenly, a still bloody John Cena ran out and attacked HHH to a loud pop from the crowd. The ref called for the bell as Cena and HHH exchanged blows, Cena then went for an FU to The Game, but HHH wiggled out and slid out of the ring. Cena looked intense as he stared HHH down. HHH wins by Dq, but looks like he has other worries on his mind.

Ric Flair highlight video

A video highlighting a lot of great Ric Flair moments plays. The crowd seems into it and applauds afterwards. The announcers put over that if he is not successful tonight, we will have seen Flair's last match in the WWE.

Edge v. Ric Flair (MITB v. Career)

Edge and Flair both entered to loud but very different reactions. The crowd was totally behind Flair as he and Edge locked up. Flair did a great job keeping up with Edge and the tide shifted from fast paced to a slow pace and back again. Flair tried every dirty trick he could think of to put this one away, but none seemed to work. Finally, Flair went old school. Edge went for a spear while Naitch was in the corner, but Flair moved at the last second and Edge went shoulder first. Bouncing back out, Flair dropped down and rolled Edge up, holding the tights, to score the winning pinfall. The crowd went wild as Flair celebrated and was awarded the MITB briefcase. Edge sat in the ring disgusted as Flair strutted around the ramp and celebrated with both his IC title and the briefcase. The show ended with Flair on his knees hugging the MITB.

Finale

Overall, a great night of wrestling but a bad night for me. I missed being LIVE and on tv. After main eventing last week this was an incredible let down tonight. Guess I'll have to bounce back next week as we are closer and closer to Mania. A couple of matches have already been announced and the RAW side of the card is shaping up well. You can stay posted on the Wrestlemania card at wwe.com.

[PokerGod11]

Raw-March 19, 2006

I arrived at the building much earlier this day. I made sure I was seen by Vince and the booking crew and overall just made it my job to be seen. This is the last week before Wrestlemania. The last Raw before the Super Bowl of Wrestling. With Raw/Smackdown coming together, getting to officiate a match will be a luck of the draw. We got a lot of ref's in-house that night and if last week was any indication, I'll probably be watching the show from back here. Ever since last week I had been thinking to myself that maybe I screwed up the week before. I watched tape of the two matches and saw nothing. Who knows right?

Well when I went to check the chalkboard, right after it was displayed, my questions were answered. Tonight I would be referee'ing Kurt Angle against Chavo Guerrero. Wait, that didn't answer any of my questions. Ah hell, they pay me for this right? Before the show went on the air, I heard a commotion taking place. Nick "Eugene" Dinsmore was storming out of one of the rooms and seemed very upset. He hasen't done much since coming back and from what I hear, he is upset about his character direction and depush. Oh well, none of my business. See ya out there.

Naitch Opens the Show

The show opens with Ric Flair's theme hitting over the PA. The crowd was way into Flair as he struts down the aisle in an expensive looking suit and carrying the MITB briefcase. Flair got on the mic and soaked up the adulation. He talked about how he has been blessed with such a long and rewarding career and how he wouldn't trade any of it in, that is except for 1 thing. Just 1 more World title reign. With that said, Flair announces that at Wrestlemania 22, he will walk that aisle 1 more time, as he is using the MITB to make it John Cena versus Triple H versus Ric Flair for the WWE Championship. Flair struted around the ring and spouted off a couple of "Whooo's" before leaving the ring, leaving Styles,King, and Coach pondering if FLair can hang with Cena and Trips.

Snitski © v. Eugene (Hardcore Title)

Snitski has really been on fire lately and has been getting himself over, slowly but surely as the king of this division. Eugene came out to little fanfare, but still he got a reaction. Snitski puts this one away with shot to the head with a cookie sheet. Snitski remains champion.

After the Match...

After the match, Snitski got on the mic and proclaimed himself to be the greatest hardcore champion of all-time. The crowd boo'ed when suddenly RVD's music hit and a video package highlighting RVD played. Snitski looked shocked, but after the video ended, told the crowd that if RVD had the balls to return at Wrestlemania, Snitski would show him what hardcore was all about.

Trish Stratus v. Victoria © (Women's Title)

Mickie James was at ringside as a color commentator, as she will face Trish regardless of the outcome at Wrestlemania. Ashley was at ringside with Trish and held the ropes for her coming in. Victoria came out alone to a decent ovation. Styles put over what a big night tonight was with this being the second of 3 title matches tonight. Trish and Victoria went back and forth for a couple of minutes when finally Ashley grabbed Victoria's foot, distracting of her and Trish nailed her with a "Chick Kick" to score the win. After the match, Mickie looked upset but added that she would be ending Trish's 7th reign next week.

Kane v. Rosey

This was a good power match, better than their last encounter when Jamal returned. Not much to report but Kane won with a chokeslam cleanly @ 6:48. The crowd kept looking towards the ramp for interference from either man's partner but nothing happened. Good clean bout. After the match, Bischoff seemed a bit worried about his team's chances at Mania.

The Mania Main Event Showdown

Backstage we see Ric Flair in the trainers room getting ready for his match for the IC title. John Cena comes in and sits next to Flair. Cena congratulated Flair on his MITB win and told Flair what an honor it will be for him to main event Wrestlemania squaring off against not only the 10 time World Champion Triple H, but the legendary 16 time World Champion Ric Flair. Flair thanked Cena when suddenly Triple H entered the room. He looked over both men and then got in Flair's face. HHH told Flair he thought he crushed his championship dreams over the fall, but at Mania, he will do what Edge couldn't, he will retire Ric Flair. He asked Flair if he really thought he could walk out of Wrestlemania as champion to which Flair remained quiet. Cena then got in HHH's face, but HHH told Cena he'd see him in the ring tonight, and left looking very cocky.

Chavo Guerrero v. Kurt Angle

I got out to the ring and tested the ropes while I waited. After coming back from the commercial, both men made their way to the ring. Chavo as last week, was way over and recieved a ton of "Eddie" chants. Angle and Chavo locked horns and I must say, both of these men are very gifted. Kurt and Chavo put on a very very good match with Angle making Chavo look better than I had ever seen him. After about 14 minutes of solid wrestling, Angle locked Chavo in the Ankle-Lock and grapevined it, forcing Chavo to tap out. I raised Kurt's hand and soaked in the live energy from the crowd. After that, I made my way to the back as Chavo hobbled behind me.

Angle has Mania opponent.

Backstage we see Kurt Angle pulling down his straps and walking to his locker room. He is then cut off by Raw GM Mick Foley. Angle asked what the hell he wanted and Foley began. Foley asked Kurt if he had noticed he was not on the Wrestlemania card? Kurt said that he had. Foley responded by telling him that he was left off for a reason, that being, he and Smackdown GM Theodore Long had agreed to an interpromotional match at Mania. Smackdown had named The Undertaker weeks ago, and Foley was here to tell Angle that he will represent Raw against him. Angle seemed a bit less than thrilled, that was until Foley reminded Angle of Undertaker's undefeated Wrestlemania streak. Kurt's eyes lit up and he told Foley he had a deal. Foley left smiling.

Ric Flair © v. Chris Masters (IC Title)

This match wasen't very good, but it wasen't terrible I guess. Masters and Flair exchanged a lot of chops and rest holds during this match which made it very slow paced. Flair got on a hot streak and looked like he would retain, that was until Lita made her way out to the ring. Lita got on the apron and began to flirt with referee Mike Chioda (why not me damnit!) which allowed Edge to jump the barricade and spear Flair out of his boots. Edge then put Masterpiece on top of Flair and dove out of the ring and into the crowd. Lita then pointed to the action and Chioda turned around and scored the pinfall. Chris Masters is our NEW Intercontinental champion. On WWEUnlimited, Edge told the cameraman that since Flair took something of his, this was payback.

John Cena/Big Show/Shawn Micheals v. HHH/Jamal/Shelton Benjamin

The main event of the evening. All 6 men were placed on opposing teams due to their feuds with a member of the other team. Good booking Vince! The crowd was WAAAAY into Cena/Show/HBK and was hot for every tag. When Cena and HHH finally collided it sounded like the roof was going to blow off. The finish of the match saw HBK nail Benjamin with a suicide dive, taking them out of the match, Jamal managed to get Show tied up in the ropes and a dazed John Cena turned around and walked into a Pedigree. HHH looked down at Cena and then instructed Jamal to climb up top. Jamal did so and nailed Cena with a big 300lbs. splash. HHH made the cover and 3 seconds later, we had a winning team. After the match, Flair ran out followed by Rosey followed by Kane and a huge brawl took place as the show went off the air.

Finale

Man, I can't wait for Wrestlemania. A bunch of the other ref's and I will have our own autograph section at Axxess the night before and I will catch the Hall of Fame induction as well. I can't wait for this incredible weekend and maybe if I am lucky, I will be a part of Wrestlemania history by officiating a match. One can only hope. Until then, catch you next time.

[PokerGod11]

WWE Wrestlemania 22

RAW Brand

-John Cena © v. Triple H v. Ric Flair (WWE Championship)

-Big Show/Kane © v. 3 Minute Warning (World Tag Titles)

-Shelton Benjamin v. Shawn Micheals

-Trish Stratus © v. Mickie James S/R:Ashley Massaro (Women's Title)

-Snitski © v. RVD??? (Hardcore Title)

Smackdown Brand

-Batista © v. Randy Orton (World Title)

-MNM v. Dicks v. Blue Bloods 2K6 v. LOD 2K5 v. Lashley/??? (WWE Tag Titles)

-JBL v. The Boogeyman (Jillian Hall on the Line)

-Matt Hardy v. Rey Mysterio (Ladder Match)

Inter-brand

Undertaker (SD) v. Kurt Angle (Raw)

Hall Of Fame 2006 Class

-Dusty Rhodes

-Eddie Guerrero

-Bret Hart

-Ted DiBiasi

[iceman dave]

Really enjoyiong this slightly different diary. Great to see the matches from an "inside" point of view.

Was wondering, how would the wrestlers and office (ie: Vince) act if you stuffed something up.

You could miss a call to finish the match, or botch a 2-3 count (giving a reaction to the crowds chants of

"You F'd up). Maybe Kane could hit you by mistake, and then you could give a backstage point of view of his reaction to your pain or the punishment he receives.

It would just create a different element instead of always doing a good job.

Keep up the good work.

[PokerGod11]

WWE Wrestlemania 22!!!

This was what I had been waiting for my entire life. I had only been to 1 Wrestlemania in my life, that was Wrestlemania 14 a couple of mile from where I grew up at the then Fleet Center. Steve Austin beat Shawn Micheals w/Mike Tyson as special ref. What a night then, but how could that compare with actually being backstage like I am tonight. I got to the arena really early, surprised to see how many people were already there. This was my first time see'ing Smackdown superstars and officials with our Raw crew and backstage was FULL.

The Smackdown crew was pretty cool. Dave Batista and Booker T came over to the ref area and shook hands with their crew and introduced themselves to our Raw guys. Really cool move I thought.

I checked the chalk-board for Raw and saw that I WAS on the card. Infact, I would be opening the show with Snitski taking on RVD. I was told RVD would make an entrance halfway through Snitski's promo to build anticipation and that RVD would be taking the belt home.

Backstage, I also saw Saliva, who would be playing Batista's theme LIVE and Kelly Clarkson who would sing the national anthem. Nice to see Vince continue to get some celebrities involved to make this seem that much more special. Not to mention a section of Chicago Bears and both a couple of White Sox players in attendance. With that, I feel the butterflies dancing around, so I will see you out there.

Wrestlemania (Raw version)

The show opened with the WWE video package and then we cut straight to the ring where Kelly Clarkson sang the national anthem. She did a nice job and after that, we were off and running. A couple of pyro's and an intro to both announcing teams and we were off.

HHH meets with Naitch

Backstage we see Triple H getting a last minute physical when suddenly Ric Flair steps into the room. HHH looks surprised and Flair gets right in his face. Flair tells Triple H that after what he said last week, he started questioning himself. After looking deep down inside, he knows. The Nature Boy is back and better than ever according to Flair. He's walking that aisle with everything to gain and nothing to lose and is prepared to do whatever it takes to be 17 time Heavyweight Champion. HHH looks at Flair speechless as Flair leaves the room.

Snitski © v. RVD (Hardcore Title)

Being the first match of the evening, the crowd was electric as I came down to the ring. It was tough for me not to smile as I was living a part of my dream at that very moment. As instructed, Snitski came out and gave a rather dull promo about RVD not being man enough to show up. Once RVD's music hit, the crowd went absolutely banana's! RVD hit the ring and I called for the bell. Both men exchanged blows with RVD getting the upperhand. Very little weapon use took place as RVD used his speed to keep the attack on Snitski. About 6 minutes in, RVD hit Snitski with a Van-Daminator. I got in position knowing this was it, RVD went up top and nailed the Frog Splash. I got down to make the count when suddenly...RVD looked down at Snitski and then climbed out of the ring. I got up and had no idea what was going on. I soon realized that I was LIVE on the biggest PPV of the year and had no idea what to do. Snitski continued to sell the Frog Splash so I thought on my feet and counted RVD out. 10 seconds later, I called for the bell and placed the Hardcore title on Snitski, who was selling that Frog Splash like to took every ounce of breath he had. Snitski keeps the belt and I hurried backstage to find out what was going on.

Off-Air

Once I got backstage, I went to the guerilla position where Vince McMahon and JR were sitting. I quickly asked Vince what just happened. Vince smiled and told me that there was a quick change of plans and the message to me must have been lost. He told me that they were taking the RVD character in a different direction and that I did a fantastic job. He said he was impressed and was going to keep an eye on me. I guess thats good news, although I am pretty sure I need a new pair of pants after having my heart in my throat infront of the biggest crowd in my life. WOW!

Backstage

Backstage we see Kurt Angle warming up. He will represent Raw as he takes on Smackdown's Undertaker who remains undefeated at Wrestlemania.

Kurt Angle v. Undertaker (Raw v. SD!)

This was an incredible match. Kurt Angle fought as though he HAD to win this match and Undertaker's streak being on the line kept the crowd into every pin attempt. After about 16 minutes of high impact action, shucked Kurt Angle into the turnbuckle and then caught a dazed Angle and put him up for the Tombstone. Taker folded Kurt's arms and rolled his eyes into the back of his head. The 3 count followed and Undertaker's undefeated streak remains intact.

Shawn Micheals v. Shelton Benjamin

This was probably one of the least hyped matches on the card but man did they exceed expectations. This was the match of the night with so much athleticism and story into the match. Shelton and HBK had too many nearfalls to count and both men looked like they were taken to the limit. At 26 minutes into the bout, Shelton Benjamin ducked a SuperKick by HBK and nailed him with oneof his own. Benjamin collapsed on top of HBK and the ref made the pin. Shelton Benjamin had beated HBK. After the match, Benjamin looked at HBK struggling to get up and then slid out of the ring with a confident smile on his face. I must have heard JR say it a million times, but the fact is true. Nobody preforms better in big match situations than HBK.

The champs speak

Backstage Todd Grisham is standing inbetween Kane and The Big Show. A lot is made of the size of both teams and how the ring has been reinforced. Big Show and Kane seem very confident and explain that they will be champions for as long as they want to be. Tonight, 3 Minute Warning and Eric Bischoff face destruction.

Trish Stratus © v. Mickie James (Special Ref: Ashley)

Ashley comes out in a skimpy ref's shirt accompaning Trish to the ring. Trish makes Ashley hold the ropes for her and poses with the belt. Mickie comes out next and seems all business tonight. Ashley favors Trish a good portion of the match, but after not making the count to Trish's liking, Trish gets in Ashley's face and begins to berate her infront of the world. Trish then turns around and Mickie kicks her in the stomach and hits a rolling neckbreaker (her new finisher;Reno's "Roll the Dice" in WCW) Ashley slowly score the pinfall. After the match Mickie jumps up and down celebrating and begins hugging Ashley. Trish gets up and see's this and becomes irate as Ashley tries to shove Mickie off and explain. Mickie James is the new Women's champion, ending Trish's 7th reign in just 6 days.

Big Show/Kane © v. 3 Minute Warning (Tag Titles)

This is a hoss fans dream-match. This was power moves across the board with 3 Minute Warning making Kane and Show look vulnerable for the first time as a team. Bischoff was sent to the back after trying to interfere and 3MW started to go downhill. Show gave Rosey a big boot to the face knocking him out of the ring and Show and Kane gave Jamal a double chokeslam in the center of the ring. Kane made cover and Show/Kane retain the titles. After the match, Show and Kane celebrated in the ring when Rosey slid into the ring and chop-blocked Show. Kane tried to help his partner and suddenly we had a 4 way brawl as Jamal joined in on the action. Looks like this feud isn't over afterall.

John Cena © v. Triple H v. Ric Flair (WWE Championship)

Although this wasen't the best Triple Threat Wrestlemania main event, nor was it even the best match of the night as far as action went, there was an incredible amount of interest. The first man to score a pinfall would be our champion. This was the longest match of the night and not surprisingly all 3 men were bleeding by the 30 minute mark. Luckily the was a 5 hour PPV. Triple H looked poised to win his 11th title when he set Cena up for the Pedigree. Somehow, someway, Ric Flair gave HHH a lowblow and then rolled him up. The pin was so quick it took a second for the crowd to react, 1...2...3!!! We had a new champion. The bell rang and the crowd was deafening. A bloodied Ric Flair was handed the title and confetti began to fall from the rafters. HHH and Cena both rose to their feet and looked at Flair when got ready to fight. Cena and HHH then both exited the ring and Flair celebrated as the picture perfect ending to Wrestlemania took centerstage. On this night, Ric Flair did the unthinkable. He became the 17 time Heavyweight CHAMPION!!!!!

(Show Ends)

Finale

The entire Raw/Smackdown locker room emptied out as the show went off the air. Flair continued to celebrate and as I looked on from the top of the ramp and applauded with everyone else, I had the time of my life. This was a Wrestlemania moment that could not be matched. That night, I couldn't fall asleep. I saw my reaction to the RVD incident on the replay in my hotel room and I felt a little embarrassed, but it came off looking legit and I think that's what they were going for, even though it scared the hell out of me, it was cool.

[cjt4ever]

I'm really enjoying this diary. I love the ref perspective. Hopefully though something not so good happens and you stuff up bad.

Anyways, good diary so far. Better than a lot of the other bland going on.

[PokerGod11]

WWE Raw-March 27, 2006

I arrived to the building and was exhausted, as was almost everyone I saw. After Wrestlemania last night, we all had a 2 hour drive to the arena tonight. Not to mention after all the excitement, I had a hard time getting to sleep. Waking up this morning was a chore, but I got here. Coming in, I saw my good buddy Trevor Murdoch and he looked a bit nervous. I asked him what was on his mind and he told me that he had heard that after tonights show, Vince would be making a couple of roster cuts. I assured him he had nothing to worry about but I doubt I calmed him. Wait I minute, maybe the cuts weren't just to wrestlers? Could I be on my way out? Was the angle at Mania last night not an angle, but a way of making me look like damaged goods? I better do a good job tonight then.

I finally got to the world famous chalk board and found out I would be officiating 2 bouts tonight. The first would be Victoria against Mickie James in a non-title bout, and the second was Shawn Micheals taking on Rob Conway. That was probably going to be a squash but 2 matches seems good enough for me. Gee, I wonder who will be released.

Flair celebrates his 17th reign.

The show opens with Ric Flair's music over the PA system. The crowd rises to their feet and cheers loudly as Naitch comes out with the WWE championship around his waist. Flair struts around the ring and seems a bit emotional as he takes the mic and soaks up the cheers.

Flair told the crowd how much he appreciated them and how last year, he would have never thought that this would be possible. He was on top again for what could be the last time, but damnit, he was the Nature Boy again. Suddenly, Raw GM Mick Foley's music hit and Foley came out with a suitcase in hand. The smarks in the crowd were probably looking for a confrontation due to their remarks about eachother, but no such luck for them. Foley made it short, congratulation Flair. Foley told Flair that last night he got his message and it was here. Flair smiled as Foley opened up the suitcase and handed Flair the "Undisputed" version of the WWE title. Flair said he had nothing against Cena's version, but it was too new school for the old lion.

Just then, Edge's music hit and Flair looked towards the entranceway. Edge surprised him by hopping over the barricade and nailing Flair from behind. Edge began to work over Flair when John Cena ran from the back and made the save. Edge dove out of the ring and left through the crowd as Cena checked on Flair.

Victoria v. Mickie James (Non-Title)

I came out during the commercial break. Both women made their entrances, with the crowd behind Mickie. Once they were in the ring, I called for the bell. I was confident this would be a good match considering how good both athletes were in the ring. I had no idea what would happen and how embarrassed I would be. During the match, a spot called for Mickie to duck a Booker T like sidekick. She did but I was standing right behind her and Victoria accidentally nailed me in the side of the head. I went down.

Backstage

I awoke backstage in the trainers room. I found out that I had been knocked unconcious because she had hit my temple, and that another ref finished the match. (Mickie won by the way) I was told Vince had ordered for me to take the rest of the night off. Soon after, Victoria came to see me. She appologized and told me if I needed anything to let her know. I told her I was fine. At least I thought I was, but I'll tell you the rest after the show.

RVD explains it all

Next in the show, RVD came out to a loud pop. RVD got on the mic and explained that last night, he could have been Hardcore champion. Why did he walk away? Because he is too good for the hardcore title and it is about time the brass in the back recognize it. He called out the management and told them that they hear the pop, they hear the chants, (At that point the crowd started a loud RVD chant) but they still keep him out of the picture for the big prize. He reminded us that he was the whole damn show and it was about time he was given his due. He claimed that he wasen't going to sit and wait though, and called out the best wrestler he knew in the back. RVD called out Kurt Angle and told him that if he had any balls, he would meet him in the ring tonight. RVD will now let his actions force management to put him in the top spot and it starts tonight.

Trish outraged at Ashley

Backstage we saw Trish arguing with Ashley. She tells Ashley that she didn't do her job last night, and that as her trainer, she better make it up to her. She then questions whether she wants Mickie to train her instead, since she was celebrating with her last night, but Ashley tells Trish that she had no choice last night, but she wanted to be with Trish. Trish tells Ashley that she doesn't believe her and tells Ashley to beg Trish for forgiveness. Ashley seems hesitent as Trish yells at her to beg. Ashley finally falls to her knees in front of Trish and quietly begs Trish to forgive her and to continue to train her. Trish smiles and tells Ashley that she is forgiven and laughs wickedly. Styles and King are disguested at they way Trish is treating Ashley and questions how long she will take it.

Snitski © v. Heart Throbs (Hardcore Title)

A 2 on 1 was no sweat for Snitski. Snitski retains the title in a squash after powerbombing Antonio on top of Romeo and pinning them both. Snitski is still champion.

Foley announced tonights Main Event

Mick Foley is walking backstage when Todd Grisham stops him. Todd tells Mick that there is no main event planned for tonight as of now, and asks if Mick has one yet. Foley asks Todd if he saw the beginning of the show. He nods and Foley tells him that tonight it will be John Cena and Ric Flair taking on Edge and Triple H. Foley then does a Ric Flair strut and leaves off camera. Wonder how Flair will react to that backstage.

RVD v. Kurt Angle

As expected, this was a really good match. I could hear some of the smarks in the crowd orgasm as the match got started, or maybe it's still the ringing from being kicked, who knows. Anyway the match was very fast paced and the crowd was into both men, but mostly RVD. The finish of the match saw RVD give Angle a nasty enziguri and then followed it up with a 5 star frog splash for the win. One of the better matches of this year.

A reversal?

After the match, we see a very upset Kurt Angle return to his locker room. Inside is Shelton Benjamin. Benjamin tries to calm Angle down and tells him how great he is. Angle begins to get behind himself when Benjamin brings up casually how Shelton is now winning matches and his losing streak has rubbed off on Angle. Angle stares at Benjamin and then tells him to get out of his locker room. Angle then sweeps his arms like he is getting "cooties" off of him or something. Pretty funny.

Rob Conway v. Shawn Micheals

I was suppose to officiate this but the returning Tim White did instead. Not much of a match with Shawn Micheals KO'ing the young Conway with a Sweet Chin Music. Wish I had been out there, but I didn't miss much. White did a nice job, it is good to have him back.

John Cena/Ric Flair v. Triple H/Edge (Tag Match)

This was our main event. Flair got another great pop upon his entrance. Cena got a very loud reaction and it is amazing how big his female fan base is. Triple H and Edge (w/Lita) both made their entrances as well to good heel heat. The match itself was very good. A funny spot during the match was Lita attempting to trip Cena actually grabbed HHH's foot instead. HHH demanded Edge send Lita to the back and after some arguing agreed. The match continued for several more minutes. Finally the finish came where Edge speared Flair out of the ring. Cena knocked Edge out of the ring with a closeline, but he turned around and HHH planted him with a Pedigree for the pinfall victory. Edge and Flair continued to fight up the ramp as HHH got in Cena's face and talked trash. The show came to an end.

Finale

As promised, the rest of what happened after my "injury." I finally got up and walked around the backstage area during Foley's announcement. As I did, HHH came up to me and put his arm around me. He made a joke about me being knocked out by a woman. The rest of the locker room had a good laugh as I laughed along as well. Trips then told me that if I thought that was bad, I'd better not get his wife mad. The locker room laughed again. HHH then messed up my hair a bit and told me he was just kidding.

Later on, Shawn Micheals came up to me. He made a joke about Victoria stealing his move to knock me out. We both laughed. Vince came up to me as I was leaving and asked me if I was going to be alright. I assured him I would be and apologized for not being able to ref my second match involving HBK and Conway. Vince gave me a very serious look and told me I'd better not let it happen again. He then laughed and slapped me on the back. I think I made a good impression by being a good sport. Actually, this might have been a blessing in disguise, as I had some good interaction with the guys in the back. My head is still ringing though. Anyway, I'll see you next week.

WWE Releases Four!!

World Wrestling Entertainment has come to an agreement with the four following superstars on their release from their contracts. The list includes...

-Rene Dupree

-Mark Henry

-Antonio

-Romeo

We would like to wish these men the best in their future endeavors.

wwe.com

Mark Henry News

-It is being reported that Mark Henry asked for his release as he would like to apply his trade in Japan. Henry had a contract with WWE until 2008, but had asked for his release due to him sitting on the shelf and nothing creatively for his character. The WWE was said to have been happy to oblige, as Henry was costing them a good deal of money to collect dust. Both sides are happy and if Henry catches on in Japan, he may come back to work in the WWE in the near future.

wrestlearena.com

[iceman dave]

Great to see some development of your character as well as some of the storylines on Raw. It's good to see that you're not taking yourself too seriously in the locker room.

Maybe next week Vince wants you to ref Victoria again, and there could be some tension as a result, or maybe Victoria could screw up again by getting you a second time, and place her own job in jepordy.

[PokerGod11]

WWE Raw-April 4, 2006

I arrived to the building on time. I felt much better since last time I left my comments and was hoping for a good night to make up for last week. On the house show circut, I had been working mostly the same match, either Kurt Angle/Shelton Benjamin v. Shawn Micheals. Everything was going smoothly and all 3 men are the upmost professionals.

I went to the all important chalk board and looked it over. I felt confused and then looked again, suddenly I felt a hand on my back. I turned around and saw Victoria on the side of me. She looked at the board and said, "Don't worry, I'm not on the card either." She was right, neither she nor I was on the card. Infact, there was no women's matches scheduled for tonight. I asked her if she thought we were being punished for last week, she replied by shrugging her shoulders. This felt like a good time to find a seat and watch the show.

Edge makes a challenge

Raw opened up with Edge and Lita in the ring. Edge had a mic and began to speak. He called out Ric Flair and demanded that if Flair had any guts, he would give him a title shot. He told Flair he saw what could happen to him last week and bragged about him and HHH being victorious. He then called out Flair once more.

Suddenly RVD's music hit and RVD ran down the aisle and slid into the ring. Edge went to attack him and we had ourselves an impromptu match.

Edge v. RVD

Referee Chad Patton called for the bell and this match was on. Edge and RVD gelled together very well with both men having good size fanbases. Lita tried to get involved to help Edge, but RVD pushed her off the apron, allowing Edge to capitalize. As the match continued, RVD regained control and knocked Edge into the corner. RVD grabbed a chair from ringside and set Edge up for the Van Terminator. The crowd was on its feet but as RVD got set to deliver the move, Edge came to and Lita helped him out of the ring. Edge and Lita hurried up the ramp and were soon counted out as RVD looked a bit frustrated, but still won the match.

Snitski © v. Kane (Hardcore Title)

This was another good match with both men having chemistry from working together before. Kane looked like he would be the man to finally unseat Snitski as hardcore champion, but that was not to be. During the match, Eric Bischoff came out onto the ramp and distracted Kane. Kane turned back around and Snitski leveled him with a chair. Kane stood staggering and Snitski hit him with an impressive pump-handle slam to score the biggest win to date. After the match, Bischoff looked at his watch and suddenly 3 Minute Warning hit the ring.

The attack continues...

The announcers put over how Big Show was not in the building do to a family illness and how Kane was on his own. 3MW grabbed a table from underneath the ring and slid it inside. Jamal put Kane on top of the table. Rosey then climbed to the top rope and hit a top rope splash on Kane through the table. Eric Bischoff laughed and he and 3MW celebrated. As we went to a commercial, EMT's were coming down the aisle to check on Kane.

Chavo Guerrero v. Carlito

This was an okay match. Rumor backstage is Carlito's stock is falling and this may have been proof. After a so-so match, Chavo got the crowd behind him and hit Carlito with a Frog Splash in memory of Eddie. 3 seconds later and Chavo was our winner.

Space Mountain is back...

Backstage we see Lita alone getting some coffee, when WWE champion Ric Flair comes up whispers something in her ear. Lita turns around and slaps Flair in the face. Flair begins to smile and reminds Lita that Space Mountain is back open for business. Lita looks disgusted and runs away leaving Flair laughing. Before the segment ends, Flair gives the crowd a "Whoooo" for good measure.

The title is missing?

We cut inside Trish Stratus' locker room. Trish is wearing jeans, one of her t-shirts, and a "train conductors" hat (I don't know what their called) and is watching the show on a moniter. Suddenly Mickie James bursts in. She tells Trish that her Women's title is missing and she knows Trish stole it. Trish looks surprised and tells Mickie that she has no idea what she is talking about. Suddenly, Ashley nails Mickie in the back of the head with Mickie's Women's title. Trish laughs and then steps on Mickie's back while walking out of the room laughing. Ashley drops the title on Mickie and walks out behind Trish.

Triple H v. Eugene

Nice filler match. Eugene's reaction is getting smaller and smaller. Triple H basically took him to school, allowing him to get a little offence in, but HHH puts him away with a Pedigree at around 8 minutes.

Shelton Benjamin v. Lance Cade

I expected this to be a match just like our last one, but surprisingly Lance had a good amount of offence. Lance has given up on the cowboy get-up and was wearing blue pants with a yellow design (similar to Chris Jericho or Jerry Lynn pants) but the finish is where it got interesting. Benjamin went for a Stinger Splash, but Cade moved out of the way, Shelton hit the turnbuckle and fell backwards as Cade rolled him up and scored the pinfall. Lance Cade deated Shelton Benjamin and Benji looked upset. Cade was walking up the rampway when Shawn Micheals appeared. He hugged Cade and waved at Shelton as he began to look irate.

They're Coming...

WWE announcer Todd Grisham is walking backstage when he bumps into WWE legend Jimmy Snuka. Grisham greets Snuka and begins to talk to him about his great career when Eric Bischoff and 3MW walk up. Bischoff looks at Snuka and tells him he how broken down he looks and how Jamal and Rosey are 10 times better than Snuka ever was. Snuka seems very insulted and goes at Bischoff, but both Rosey and Jamal step in front of Bischoff. Snuka stops in his tracks and then begins to back off. He tells Jamal and Rosey that "they'll get what's coming to them," and "he has just the medicine brother" whatever that means. Jamal and Rosey seem unconcerned and the scene ends. The announcers wonder what Snuka is talking about?

John Cena v. Chris Masters (Non-Title)

A pretty decent main event. This was Masters' first match since becomign Intercontinental champion. Cena helped Masters look very strong in this match and sold well for everything. Masters made several attempts to lock Cena in the Masterlock, but couldn't get it done. Finally, the match came to a close when Cena made a miraculous comeback, after being worked over for several minutes and hit the FU. The ref made the pinfall and Cena was our winner. After the match, Cena was celebrating his win on the outside of the ring when a fan holding a Triple H shirt was scene. Cena walked back to where the lady was and took the shirt from her. Cena then looked around and smiled. He then wiped the sweat from underneath his arms and brow and then blew his nose on the shirt and threw it on the ground as the crowd cheered wildly.

Finale

Cena's music continued to echo through the arena as the show closed. I got up and began to walk out of the room when road agent Arn Anderson told me "the boss" would like to speak with me before I left. "The Boss" meant Vince and now I was certain I would be terminated. I walked into Vince's office and was ready for the worst. Instead Vince sat me down. Vince explained that he wanted to work some kind of an angle out using me. He told me it would be short but would get me some good on-air exposure. I asked him what the angle would be, but before Vince could answer, Micheal Hayes came in and told Vince that he needed to speak with him right away. Vince apologized and told me he would finish the conversation next time he saw me. With that, Vince left and I got up and went to get my things.

[PokerGod11]

Raw-April 11, 2006

Last time I left you, Vince had called me in to discuss an angle involving me. He had to run and left me still wondering what he was talking about. Well I sat down with him at one of our house-shows this week. He was making an appearence on the show and I saw him backstage. Vince explained to me that the details of the angle were still being talked about, but it would last a few shows. I had heard a rumor about a "suicide" angle Vince wanted to do, but he assured me that was not what he had in mind. Vince told me to see him Monday and we would talk again.

Well, here I am. It's Monday evening. I arrived at the building and immediatly asked to speak with Vince. I was informed that Vince was not in the building yet, but he would be informed I wished to speak with him. As I hung around, I overheard Carlito talking with Chris Masters backstage. The two had become pretty close from my understanding. Anyway, Carlito had told Masters that he was told his time on Raw was coming to an end, and that he would be sent to Smackdown, probably a part of the "Raw/Smackdown shake-up" traditionally this time of year. Looks like I won't be see'ing him around much longer.

Finally, around 6:30, Vince came up to me. He told me that the show was full tonight, but we would start the angle next week. In order to sell it home, I would be off the show again tonight. I was a bit disappointed, but glad that I had been noticed. Vince gave me the details of what we were going for (I won't ruin it, just keep reading) and I was happy. He told me to find a good seat and enjoy the show. That I will and I hope you do to.

Triple H speaks

Triple H opened the show tonight to loud heat from the crowd. HHH got on the mic and told us his focus tonight was John Cena. HHH blamed Cena as the reason neither Cena nor himself are champions, but Ric Flair is. HHH told Cena that he had gotten to friendly with Flair and couldn't get the job done. HHH said that next time, he won't have Cena in the way, and he will end Flair once and for all. HHH then told Cena he is first on his list and threatened to end his reign at the top before it goes on any further. HHH continued to talk junk before closing up his promo and heading to the back.

Eugene v. Matt Striker

Not a very good match. Eugene continued being mildly over while Striker didn't get much of a reaction at all. Eugene hit his normal spots and got the crowd into it as best he could. Eugene nailed Striker with a Rock Bottom for the win.

Snitski © v. Trevor Murdoch (Hardcore)

Good to see my buddy Trevor on the card. This was a really good brawling affair with the crowd really getting behind Snitski's grip on the hardcore division. The finish saw Murdoch miss with a chair shot with the chair bouncing off the ropes and hitting him in the head. Snitski then nailed a dazed Murdoch with the Pump-Handle Slam and scored the pinfall to retain the hardcore title.

#1 Cont. For Backlash announced...Sort of.

Once we came back from the commercial break, Mick Foley's music hit and our GM made his way out onto the ramp. Mick had a mic in hand and was very over with the crowd. Mick told everyone it was great to be in Milwalkee and soaked in the cheap pop. Foley got down to business and informed us that it is time to name a #1 contender for the WWE title. He claimed there were many worthy contenders and named HHH, Trevor Murdoch, Nick Nemeth, and some guy I had never heard of. With that said, Foley announced that tonight, in Milwalkee we would see HHH take on John Cena and Edge in a #1 Contenders match, with the winner going on to face Ric Flair at Backlash for the WWE title.

Tag Debut!!

Backstage we see Jimmy Snuka talking with Nick Nemeth when Eric Bischoff and 3 Minute Warning walk up to him. Nemeth leaves and Bischoff asks Snuka if they were going to get what was coming to them tonight. Rosey then lightly pushes Snuka. Snuka tells Rosey he doesn't want to do that brother. Rosey laughs and pushes Snuka again. Suddenly two Samoan men come behind Snuka and stand beside him. Snuka introduces the two men as his son, Jimmy Snuka Jr. (aka Deuce Shade) and his nephew Sonny Siaki. Bischoff laughs and then looks both men over and tell 3 Minute Warning that they have a match to worry about. Snuka smiles and we get a shot of the 3.

3 Minute Warning v. Big Show (Handicap)

With Kane not in the building due to injury from last week, Big Show was forced to go at it alone. 3 Minute Warning worked Big Show over for a good portion of the match, tagging in and out to stay fresh. Big Show fought hard and got on a hot streak, but that was put to an end by Bischoff interfering. 3MW gained control again once the referee goes down when suddenly a huge BOOM! is heard and fire shoots up from the stage. Kane hits the ring and cleans house. Big Show then nails Jamal with a chokeslam and Kane does the same to Rosey. Bischoff runs away and Show pins both men as Kane picks the ref up. Big Show is our winner. After the match, Kane and Big Show celebrate.

A warning!?

Backstage Ric Flair is talking with some young ladies when Edge comes up from behind. Edge swings Flair around and gets right in his face. Edge is very fired up and tells Flair that tonight, we will become the #1 contender, and at Backlash, he is going to take what is his, the WWE title. Flair smiles and tells Edge he'd love to face him and to stop talking about it, and go do it. Edge says he will and leaves off camera with Lita.

Walking to the Ring

Backstage we see Lance Cade and Shawn Micheals walking down the hallway. Cade and Shelton Benjamin face off next.

Shelton Benjamin w/Angle v. Lance Cade w/HBK (Rematch)

After Cade upset Benjamin last week, this is the rematch. This match was a little better than last weeks, with both men having their mentors by their side. Angle and HBK threaten eachother from the outside. Inside the ring, Benjamin looks quite impressive as the tide swings back and forth. The finish comes when Angle distracts Cade and Benjamin nails him with a T-Bone suplex for the win. HBK chases Angle to the back while Benjamin gains the pinfall.

John Cena v. Edge v. Triple H (#1 Cont. WWE Title)

This was a really good match. It could have been a lot better had they been given more time, but this one only went 12 minutes. This was triangle rules so the first person to score a pinfall would be the #1 contender. Triple H and Edge double-teamed Cena on several occasions but also fought with eachother frequently. The finish of the match saw Cena nail HHH with an FU, but then Cena turned around and Edge nailed him with a spear. Edge covered Cena and Edge will now have his shot. Edge celebrated with Lita on the ramp. After the match, both HHH and Cena came to and watched Edge celebrate. The two then got into a shoving contest about whose fault it was and then a brawl started between the two as the show came to a close.

Finale

As a spectator again tonight, I can say it was a pretty good show. Looking forward to Edge and Flair at Backlash. The debut of Siaki and Snuka Jr. was pretty good. Nice to see a new tag team around. I guess the 3MW-Show/Kane will come to a close shortly so a program between them and 3MW will start. Looking forward to next week and I hope this angle works out well. Until then, see you next week.