WWE Raw – 2005 Results

1/3/05; Long Island, NY; Nassau Coliseum
1/3/05:
Batista pinned Chris Benoit at 7:06 with the sit-down powerbomb after repeatedly ramming Benoit’s head into an exposed turnbuckle while Benoit was up in a fireman’s carry
Edge pinned Chris Jericho at 10:24 by blocking a victory roll and grabbing onto the ring ropes for leverage
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Sylvian Grenier (w/ Rob Conway) at 3:18 in a non-title match with the Exploder suplex; prior to the bout, Maven came out to do guest commentary
Trish Stratus pinned Victoria at 3:06 with the kick to the head
Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) pinned WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Eugene (w/ William Regal) at 3:44
Randy Orton pinned Triple H with the RKO at 16:43

1/10/05; Ft. Lauderdale, FL; Office Depot Center
1/10/05 – featured an opening segment in which Randy Orton interrupted Evolution’s victory celebration in the ring, then showed footage from the previous night in which Triple H clearly could have broken Orton’s cover of Batista during the Elimination Chamber but chose not to; moments later, Eric Bischoff came out and announced that since both Randy Orton and Batista were worthy of a title shot, they would battle in a #1 contender’s match in the main event; included a segment in which Simon Dean made reference to a 300lber backstage who wears a mask needing to take his weight loss supplement, referring to Rosey; moments later, Kane came out and attacked Dean before Gene Snitsky came out of nowhere and laid Kane out with several shots with a steel chair, leaving Kane bleeding from the mouth; featured the first vignette promoting the debut of ‘The Masterpiece’ Chris Masters:
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Maven with a reverse spin kick and the Exploder suplex in a non-title match at 1:49
Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) pinned the Hurricane (w/ Rosey) at 1:58 with the Flatliner after avoiding the Shining Wizard
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Edge defeated Rhyno via submission with the standing figure-4 at 3:36 after hitting the spear; after the bout, Edge called out Shawn Michaels, blaming him for not winning the Elimination Chamber the night before; Michaels came out moments later and told Edge to worry about the future instead of crying over the past; Edge then seemed to take the advice to heart before attacking Michaels; the two traded blows in and around ringside, even battling outside the arena later in the broadcast
Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho defeated Christian & Tyson Tomko at 8:58 when Christian submitted to Benoit’s Crippler Crossface at the same time Tomko submitted to Jericho’s Walls of Jericho
Christy Hemme pinned Maria in a lingerie pillow fight at 1:08 with a schoolboy roll up and roll over after Lilian Garcia hit Maria with a pillow; Candice Michelle was the guest referee for the bout (Viva Las Divas)
Randy Orton pinned Batista at 14:35 with a roll up after Orton sent his distracted opponent into Triple H, who was holding up a steel chair on the ring apron, moments after Batista said he didn’t need the chair to win the match; Triple H and Ric Flair sat ringside for the bout; due to pre-match stipulations, Orton became the #1 contender to Triple H’s world title

1/17/05; Toronto, Ontario; Air Canada Centre
1/17/05 – featured Muhammad Hassan as a guest of the Highlight Reel in which he attacked Chris Jericho and trapped him in the Camel Clutch until Chris Benoit made the save; included Raw GM Eric Bischoff granting Shawn Michaels a spot in the Royal Rumble match, without having a qualifying match, based on his previous accomplishments; featured the announcement that HBK vs. Edge would take place at the Royal Rumble; included a pro-Canada, anti-US promo from Trish Stratus in which she bad mouthed the injured Lita until Kane came out and, after setting Trish up for a chokeslam and letting go, eventually chokeslammed the Women’s champion:
Maven, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin, Rosey, & the Hurricane at 3:28 when Conway pinned Rosey after the Aur Reviour
Shawn Michaels pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) with the superkick at 6:22; after the bout, Michaels hit the superkick on Tomko before being speared by Edge – who was at ringside for much of the bout – and was then trapped in Edge’s standing figure-4
Batista pinned Viscera with a spinebuster at 2:24
Chris Jericho pinned Chris Benoit at 12:42 by reversing an attempt at the Sharpshooter into an inside cradle
Kane fought Gene Snitsky to a no contest in a no holds barred match at 6:16 after both men fell off the stage and crashed through several tables on the floor after Kane hit a chokeslam from the stage to the floor (The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)

1/24/05; Oklahoma City, OK; Ford Center
1/24/05 – included a clip of Hulk Hogan as a guest of the Tonight Show in 1985 in tribute to the passing of Johnny Carson, who died the previous day; featured Stacy Keibler and Danny Hodge introducing Jim Ross to the ring as the Governor of OK declared 1/24/05 as Jim Ross Day; moments later, Triple H and Ric Flair interrupted Ross’ speech, with Flair eventually hitting a low blow on JR and both Flair and Triple H beating down Hodge after he hit the world champion in the face; Triple H then turned to Stacy when he first attempted to get a kiss but then set her up for the Pedigree; Randy Orton made the save, with Triple H pushing Stacy into Orton as he and Flair calmly left ringside; included footage of the WWE press conference in Los Angeles in which it was announced Steve Austin had agreed to a 3-film deal with WWE Films, as well as footage from Vince McMahon and Austin appearing on The Best Damn Sports Show; featured a vignette promoting the debut of Chris Masters; included the announcements that Ric Flair and Jonathan Coachman would be participants in the Royal Rumble:
Shawn Michaels, Chris Benoit, & Chris Jericho defeated Edge, Christian, & Tyson Tomko at 13:25 when Benoit pinned Tomko with a roll up after Tomko failed a boot to Benoit’s face and sustained Michaels’ superkick
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Viscera defeated Tajiri in an over-the-top rope match at the 25-second mark
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Batista defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier in a handicap match at 2:07 by pinning both men after hitting a spinebuster on Conway on top of Grenier; after the bout, Batista took the Quebec flag and appeared to stick it in Grenier’s ass
Royal Rumble Qualifying Match: Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) pinned Val Venis with the Flatliner at 4:39 after Venis failed the Money Shot; during the bout, Davari shouted encouragement to Hassan on the microphone, stolen from Lilian Garcia before the match; after the bout, Hassan trapped Venis in the Camel Clutch as Daivari verbally berated Venis on the microphone
Kane defeated Maven and Gene Snitsky in an impromptu match at 2:00 by pinning Maven with a chokeslam; the match came about due to Maven being granted a second shot to get into the Royal Rumble match by Raw GM Eric Bischoff, all he would have to do is beat someone who was already scheduled for the match; after Kane – bruised and bandaged due to his match the previous week – came out to answer Maven’s open challenge, Maven immediately clarified his challenge by saying he wanted anyone besides Kane; Snitsky – also bruised and bandaged then came out; had Maven pinned either man, he would have taken their spot in the Royal Rumble
Randy Orton pinned Ric Flair (w/ Triple H) with the RKO at 16:34 after fighting off an interfering Triple H, moments after Triple H pulled out the second referee and went to work injuring Orton’s knee; early in the bout, Batista – who was in Flair’s corner alongside Triple H – was sent backstage by the referee after the referee thought it was Batista who tripped Orton as Orton ran the ropes when in fact it was Triple H; when Batista looked to Triple H to help his case, Triple H pretended not to notice

1/31/05; San Jose, CA; HP Pavilion
1/31/05 – featured an opening segment in which Triple H introduced Batista and said he would be proud to face him at WrestleMania, only for an interview clip to appear on the Titantron in which John Bradshaw Layfield insulted Batista and said he would easily beat him if Batista wanted a title shot at Mania; the interview was taped after the Rumble took place the night before; included Edge coming out to the ring and confronting Christy Hemme as she shot WrestleMana XXI t-shirts into the crowd, claiming that she was trying to embarass him since he didn’t win the Royal Rumble and thus would not get the title shot at Mania; as he prepared to embarass Christy, Shawn Michaels came out and challenged Edge to a rematch; Edge rejected the offer but demanded that Michaels shake his hand since Michaels said he would if Edge were victorious in their match at the Rumble; Michaels shook Edge’s hand and hit the superkick on him immediately after, knocking him out; featured Smackdown! GM Teddy Long approaching Raw GM Eric Bischoff backstage in which Teddy made it clear he wanted Batista on Smackdown! but he was not responsible for JBL’s comments being aired earlier in the broadcast; included a vignette promoting the debut of Chris Masters; featured a backstage segment in which Chris Benoit and Chris Jericho blamed each other for not winning the tag team titles; included Raw GM Eric Bischoff announcing three matches for the following week’s edition in Japan – Benoit vs. Jericho, Triple H vs. Edge, and Regal & Tajiri vs. Conway & Grenier:
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Simon Dean with the Exploder suplex at 1:22; after the bout, Dean claimed that the only reason Shelton won was because he was on the Simon System; moments later, Benjamin returned to the ring, hit the splash in the corner, and hit the suplex once more
Maven pinned the Hurricane at 2:44 by driving both knees into Hurricane’s back after Hurricane failed a flying neckbreaker
Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho fought WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier to a double disqualification at 6:07 when the referee could no longer control the match
Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) defeated Sgt. Slaughter via submission with the Camel Clutch after hitting the Flatliner at 2:18; prior to the bout, Slaughter answered Hassan’s open challenge for any American to face him
Randy Orton & Shawn Michaels defeated World Heavyweight Champion Triple H & Ric Flair at 16:07 when Orton, dazed after hitting his head while dropping Flair with the RKO, pinned Triple H after Michaels hit the superkick and Edge interfered, accidentally hitting the spear on the champion while Michaels avoided the move; Batista was in Evolution’s corner early on but was sent backstage at the 5-minute mark after smashing a steel chair against the steel ring post as Michaels and Orton were in control of the match; as he walked backstage, he smirked, implying his ejection from ringside may have been his plan all along
Kane pinned Gene Snitsky in a steel cage match at 6:45 with a chokeslam onto the steel cage door, which was broken off by Snitsky moments earlier; mid-way through the bout, Trish Stratus came ringside, wearing a neckbrace, and tried to prevent Kane from exiting through the door; Kane brought her into the ring and was about to chokeslam her before Snitsky made the save and helped her back out of the cage

Taped 2/4/05; Saitama, Japan; Super Arena
2/7/05 – Akebono, former sumo champion, was in attendance for the event; featured Eric Bischoff coming out to begin the show and previewing the scheduled card, accompanied by a translator; included Simon Dean interrupting an All American Diva contest hosted by Jerry Lawler, featuring Christy Hemme, Maria, and Victoria, with Chrity eventually hitting a low blow after Simon insulted the weight of the divas as well as Lawler, calling him the Burger King:
Chris Benoit defeated Chris Jericho in a submission match at 12:15 with a variation of the Crippler Crossface; after the bout, the two men shook hands out of respect
Batista pinned Maven at the 32-second mark with a spinebuster and the sit-down powerbomb; immediately following the bout, footage from the previous week’s Smackdown! aired on the Titantron, featuring the Big Show commenting about possibly facing Batista at WrestleMania
William Regal & Tajiri defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier to win the titles at 4:12 when Tajiri pinned Grenier with the kick to the head after avoiding a blow with the Quebec flag and spraying green mist into Grenier’s face; after the bout, Tajiri cut a short promo in the ring before he and Regal went into the crowd to celebrate
Shawn Michaels pinned Ric Flair at 8:32 with the superkick
Randy Orton pinned Tyson Tomko with a roll up at 5:08; early in the bout, Christian dragged Stacy Keibler to the ring as a form of distraction; after the match, Christian attacked Orton from behind and repeatedly slapped him before dropping him with the Unprettier
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H pinned Edge at 15:53 with the Pedigree after Batista interfered and hit a spinebuster on the challenger as Edge attempted the spear; late in the bout, Ric Flair came ringside and entered the ring with a steel chair but was speared to the mat by the challenger; moments later, both men attempted to go for the chair but Batista came ringside and took it from them both; with Batista with his back turned, the champion quickly knocked Edge off the ring apron onto Batista on the floor; after the bout, Batista raised Triple H’s arm in victory and the show came to a close with the champion realizing Batista was looking at the world title as it was hoisted in the air (The Greatest Superstars of the 21st Century)

2/14/05; Cincinatti, OH; US Bank Arena
2/14/05 – included Candice Michelle as a guest of the Highlight Reel to open the broadcast in which her GoDaddy.com commercial, first aired during the SuperBowl, was replayed; after making fun of the uproar over the commercial, the two were interrupted by Muhammad Hassan and Daivari; after implying Hassan and Daivari were sweethearts, Jericho challenged Hassan to a match which was accepted; featured the announcement that Roddy Piper would be inducted into the 2005 WWE Hall of Fame; included WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus cutting an in-ring promo on the other Raw divas trying to steal her spotlight, then demanding that Christy Hemme come out; after Christy came to the ring, Trish said she was the true slut of Raw because Christy was set to be the cover girl for the following month’s issue of Playboy; following Christy responding by telling Trish she was a slut for sleeping with half hte locker room, Trish slapped Christy to the mat and left ringside; featured Jonathan Coachman conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels regarding his confrontation with Kurt Angle at the Royal Rumble in which Michaels made mention of Angle’s upcoming match at No Way Out; included a vignette promoting the debut of Chris Masters the following week; featured the announcement that the following week Batista would officially make his decision as to what world title he would vie for at WrestleMania:
Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) pinned Chris Jericho at around the 6-minute mark with the Flatliner after Jericho knocked Daivari off the ring apron with a springboard dropkick (the bout began during the commercial break)
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated Gene Snitsky via disqualification at 4:33 when Snitsky grabbed a steel chair from ringside and hit the champion over the head with it after Benjamin sent him to the floor
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier at 4:16 when Regal pinned Conway with a running knee to the head
Randy Orton pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) with the RKO at 15:37; late in the contest, Tomko ran in the ring and kicked Orton in the face before leaving through the crowd
Kane pinned Simon Dean with the chokeslam at 2:31
Edge defeated Batista (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Triple H) via disqualification at 5:47 when Triple H came in the ring and shoved the referee to the mat as JBL’s limo appeared in the parking lot backstage, seconds after Batista hit the sit-down powerbomb; after the match, Triple H, Batista, and Ric Flair went backstage to confront JBL; Batista ultimately decided to go outside by himself, where he was almost run over by the limo before Triple H pushed him to safety; as the show came to a close, Batista said he would be at Smackdown! that Thursday night and would appear by himself, not with his fellow Evolution members

2/21/05; State College, PA; Bryce Jordan Center
2/21/05:
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus defeated Victoria and Molly Holly by pinning Molly at 3:48 after Victoria hit the Widow’s Peak
Chris Jericho defeated Simon Dean via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 3:39
Kane pinned Tyson Tomko at 3:29 with the chokeslam
Shawn Michaels & Randy Orton defeated Edge & Christian at 18:09 when Michaels pinned Christian with the superkick
Chris Masters defeated Steven Richards via submission with the full nelson at 1:57; Richards sustained a broken orbital bone late in the bout as a result of Master’s Polish Hammer (Masters’ TV debut)
Gene Snitsky defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin via disqualification at 3:07 when Benjamin hit the challenger in the head with a steel chair, as Benjamin was on the floor and Snitsky was in the ring

2/28/05; Providence, RI; Dunkin Donuts Center
2/28/05 – included the announcement that Hulk Hogan would be inducted into the 2005 WWE Hall of Fame; featured the announcement that Steve Austin would be the guest of Roddy Piper’s Piper’s Pit as part of WrestleMania XXI; included footage of the Rock at the ‘Be Cool’ premiere; featured Jim Ross conducting an in-ring interview with Batista in which, after a lengthy promo, he was interrupted by Triple H and Ric Flair, with both men entering the ring and surrounding Batista; moments later, Batista sent Flair to the mat and dared Triple H to try him; to further goad Triple H, Batista hit a spinebuster and the sit-down powerbomb on Flair while the champion stood on the ring apron, wanting to make the save but hesitant to face Batista; included a WrestleMania XXI ‘A Few Good Men’ promo featuring John Cena, John Bradshaw Layfield, and Jonathan Coachman; featured Christy Hemme unveiling her cover of Playboy, in which she was interrupted by WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus who came out and began to spray paint the cover until Christy slapped her; moments later, Trish knocked Christy out with the Chick Kick and spray painted ‘Slut’ on her back; included Randy Orton speaking with Superstar Billy Graham backstage in which Superstar offered him advice going into WrestleMania and told him to go where no wrestler has gone before; after Superstar left, Orton looked at the magazine in his hand and laid it on the table; it was later revealed that the magazine in question was Smackdown! and the man on the cover was the Undertaker:
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H fought the Hurricane to a no contest in a non-title match when the champion attacked Hurricane, knocked him to the floor, attacked him around ringside, and hit the Pedigree on the ramp before the bell rang; prior to and after the contest, Triple H cut a promo on facing Batista at WrestleMania XXI
Chris Benoit defeated Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) via disqualification at 6:22 when Hassan hit a low blow as Benoit set him up for a German suplex; the finish was to have been Hassan pinning Benoit after blocking the diving headbutt with the time keeper’s bell but Hassan failed to hold up the bell, thus the new finish had to be booked on the fly
WWE IC champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Gene Snitsky at 2:53 with a splash in the corner and the Exploder suplex; pre-match stipulations stated that if the champion got himself disqualified, he would lose the belt
Chris Masters defeated an unknown via submission with the full nelson at 1:16; prior to the bout, exclusive footage was shown of the facial injury Masters gave Steven Richards the previous week
Chris Jericho defeated Maven via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 3:27; after the bout, Jericho cut a promo stating that he wanted to be part of WrestleMania XXI and wanted to make history and would do so, along with 5 other WWE wrestlers and a steel ladder
Shawn Michaels pinned Edge in a streetfight at 18:08 with the superkick as Edge attempted the spear; immediately after the bout, Michaels was attacked by Kurt Angle – who came through the crowd – with Angle hitting an overhead belly to belly suplex, pounding on Michaels, and finishing with the Olympic Slam; moments later, Angle grabbed a microphone and formally accepted Michaels’ challenge for WrestleMania before security came ringside and Angle left through the crowd (Edge: A Decade of Decadence)

3/7/05; Raleigh, NC; RBC Center
3/7/05 – included an opening segment in which Shawn Michaels cut a promo on facing Kurt Angle at WrestleMania and showed footage of him attacking Angle the previous week on Smackdown; late in the segment, he was interrupted by Angle on the Titantron, who said his issue with Michaels dated back to 1996 and that Angle would do everything Shawn did in his career over the span of the next 4 weeks; featured footage from earlier in the day of Christy Hemme signing copies of her Playboy in Raleigh; included a video recap of Christy Hemme’s Playboy photo shoot; featured a backstage segment with Chris Benoit, Chris Jericho, Edge, Shelton Benjamin, and Christian in which Eric Bischoff stated Jericho came to him the previous week with the idea of a putting on a 6-man ladder match at WrestleMania with the winner earning a world title shot for whenever he wants over the course of a year; Bischoff then made matches for later in the night involving all 6 men, with Christian facing the unknown 6th man; included Bischoff announcing that Batista would be able to pick Triple H’s opponent the following week, with Triple H being able to pick Batista’s opponent the week after that; later in the show it was announced Triple H would face Chris Benoit at the request of Batista; featured an in-ring promo by Randy Orton in which he spoke about his father being inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame on April 2 and then laid out a challenge to the Undertaker for WrestleMania 21; moments later, Bischoff came out to the ring and praised Orton for attempting to end Taker’s WrestleMania undefeated streak, hoping it would result in Bischoff getting more stock options, with Orton referring to Bischoff as a ‘legend’ for making WCW beat the WWE in the ratings for over a year, then hitting the RKO on Bischoff; included the Undertaker ‘Dirty Harry’ WrestleMania ad; featured Muhammad Hassan & Daivari confronting Bischoff backstage about not being involved in the WrestleMania ladder match; included an in-ring segment with Christy Hemme and WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus in which Christy challenged Trish to a title match for WrestleMania; moments later, Christy said that someone had been training her to wrestle, with Lita then coming out and distracting Trish long enough for Christy to hit the Twist of Fate (Lita’s surprise return after a 6-week absence):
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H pinned Rosey in a non-title match with the Pedigree at 2:45; following the bout, Triple H pulled a sledgehammer out from underneath the ring and hit Rosey in the abs, causing him to be taken backstage on a stretcher
Kane (mystery opponent) pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) with a chokeslam at 3:15, despite interference from Tomko; immediately following the match, Tomko rammed Kane in the face with the ladder which was at ringside
Edge pinned Chris Jericho at 16:04 with a DDT after using the ladder positioned at ringside to land a low blow
Chris Benoit defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin via submission with the Crippler Crossface at 4:33 in a non-title match
Batista pinned Ric Flair (w/ World Heavyweight Champion Triple H) with the sit-down powerbomb at 6:41 after throwing an interfering Triple H to the floor; prior to the entrances, Eric Bischoff threatened to disallow Triple H from being at ringside unless he gave up possession of his sledgehammer; after the bout, Triple H pulled a second sledgehammer out from under the ring, which was quickly stolen away by Batista who then broke it in half over his knee

3/14/05; Atlanta, GA; Gwinnett Center
3/14/05 – included an opening segment in which Chris Jericho, sitting on top of a ladder in the ring, invited Randy Orton to be his guest on the Highlight Reel to discuss his match at WrestleMania against the Undertaker; moments later, Jericho introduced Jake ‘the Snake’ Roberts as a surprise to Orton; Jake attempted to tell Orton he was biting off more than he could chew but Orton shot back by saying he would beat Taker at Mania and make a bigger impact than Jake made his entire career; Roberts then hit the short clothesline and attempted the DDT but Orton reversed it into the RKO; featured WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus attacking Maria backstage during an interview segment when Trish was questioned about sustaining Christy Hemme’s Twist of Fate the previous week; included a ‘When Harry Met Sally’ WrestleMania ad featuring Kurt Angle, Christy Hemme, and Linda McMahon; featured a promo by Muhammad Hassan on the stage regarding his not having an opponent for WrestleMania; at the conclusion of the promo, Charlie Haas’ music was accidentally played before it cut to Hassan’s theme:
Kane defeated Christian & Tyson Tomko in a handicap match at 3:18 by pinning Tomko with a clothesline off the top and the chokeslam; after the bout, Christian grabbed a ladder out from under the ring but was scared away by Kane, with Kane hitting Tomko with the ladder moments later
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Edge in a non-title match at 9:35 with the Exploder suplex after Chris Jericho prevented Edge from using a ladder as a weapon by forcing the ladder to bounce off the ropes and hit Edge in the face; prior to the bout, Edge attacked Benjamin from behind on the ramp and assaulted him both on the stage and around ringside for several minutes before the match officially began
Shawn Michaels & Marty Jannetty defeated Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier at 6:04 when Jannetty pinned Grenier with the Rocker Dropper immediately after Michaels hit the superkick on Conway (Jannetty’s return after an absence of over 8 years; the Rockers’ first match as a team in over 13 years) (Shawn Michaels: Heartbreak & Triumph)
World Heavyweight Champion Triple H pinned Chris Benoit in a non-title match at 16:53 with a low blow and the Pedigree as referee Earl Hebner was busy ejecting Ric Flair from ringside; the match was made by Batista under Eric Bischoff’s ‘Pick Your Poison’ stipulation
Batista defeated Gene Snitsky via disqualification at 4:46 when Ric Flair interfered and clipped Batista in the knee as he attempted the sit-down powerbomb; prior to the bout, Flair and Triple H came ringside to watch the match; after the bout, Batista overpowered Flair and Snitsky but was eventually surrounded by all three men armed with steel chairs; moments later, Kane ran in the ring, attacked Snitsky, and hit the chokeslam; Batista followed with the sit-down powerbomb as Triple H watched on; as the show came to a close, Triple H announced that Batista’s opponent for the following week would be Kane

3/21/05; Birmingham, AL; Jefferson Civic Center
3/21/05 – included a video montage of Kurt Angle’s amateur and pro career as well as his rivalry with Shawn Michaels; featured the announcement that Sylvester Stallone would be inducting Hulk Hogan into the WWE Hall of Fame; included an in-ring sit-down promo by World Heavyweight Champion Triple H regarding the breakup of Evolution and the bad decisions made by Randy Orton and Batista; during the segment, Triple H announced that Batista’s match with Kane later in the night would now be a lumberjack match, with Triple H hand-picking the lumberjacks; featured an in-ring promo by Randy Orton, with Stacy Keibler, in which Orton displayed his new ‘Legend Killer’ t-shirt in which the Undertaker’s name had been added to the list; during the segment, a video montage was shown of Orton’s career in the WWE; to finish the promo, Orton kissed Stacy and then dropped her with the RKO as a message for the Undertaker; Stacy was quickly attended to by officials and fitted with a neckbrace; included a backstage altercation between Shawn Michaels, Muhammad Hassan & Daivari in which Michaels challenged Hassan for the following week; featured the ‘Taxi Driver’ WrestleMania ad:
Shawn Michaels pinned Rob Conway (w/ Sylvain Grenier) with the superkick at 9:34
Christy Hemme (w/ Lita), WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated Molly Holly, Simon Dean, & Maven at 4:24 when Hemme pinned Holly with the reverse Twist of Fate after Molly failed the Molly Go Round; during the bout, WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus came ringside in an attempt to distract Hemme
Edge & Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin & Chris Jericho at 11:52 when Edge pinned Benjamin with the spear after Christian hit Benjamin in the head with the IC title belt; after the bout, Chris Benoit came out to make the save but was eventually assaulted by Tomko wielding a ladder
Chris Benoit defeated Tyson Tomko via submission with the Crippler Crossface at 2:07; Benoit had his ribs taped for the match as a result of the beating he took earlier in the night from Tomko and a ladder
Batista pinned Kane at 8:47 with a spinebuster and the sit-down powerbomb in a No DQ lumberjack match; lumberjacks for the bout included Chris Masters, Rob Conway, Sylvian Grenier, Viscera, Gene Snitsky, Simon Dean, Edge, Tyson Tomko, Christian, Maven, Jonathan Coachman, Muhammad Hassan, & Daivari; prior to the contest, it was announced Triple H and Batista would have a face off the following week; Triple H did guest commentary for the bout, with Ric Flair standing beside him

3/28/05; Ft. Worth, TX; Convention Center
3/28/05 – featured an opening segment of the Highlight Reel in which Chris Jericho had Chris Benoit and WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin on as guests to discuss the upcoming 6-way ladder match at WrestleMania XXI; moments later, Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) and Edge came out separately to claim they would win, eventually leading to a six man brawl and a match; included an in-ring promo by Randy Orton regarding his upcoming match with the Undertaker in which he was eventually interrupted by an Undertaker vignette on the big screen chronicling his history at WrestleMania; moments thereafter, flames shot out of the ring posts, scaring Orton out of the ring; featured a closing face-to-face confrontation between Triple H and Batista, overseen by Eric Bischoff, in which the two men cut a promo on the other and their match at WrestleMania, eventually leading Triple H to slap Batista with Batista responding by dropping Triple H to the mat; as the show came to a close, the two men were held apart by security:
Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, & WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated Edge, Christian, & Tyson Tomko in an impromptu match at around the 14:30 mark when Tomko submitted to Jericho’s Walls of Jericho; after the bout, Christian attacked Jericho with a ladder before Kane came ringside, kicked it into Christian’s face, and laid out many of the remaining participants before setting up the ladder and climbing to the top in a symbolic gesture (the bout began during the commercial break)
Christy Hemme (w/ Lita) defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus in an arm wrestling match; moments later, Trish demanded a rematch since she claimed she was not ready; a rematch took place and Christy once again dominated; after the contest, Trish shoved ring announcer Lilian Garcia to the mat and did the same to Lita before leaving ringside
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated Maven & Simon Dean and Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier at 3:52 when Tajiri pinned Maven with the kick to the head
Shawn Michaels defeated Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) via disqualification at 12:05 when Kurt Angle interfered as Michaels prepared to hit the superkick; after the bout, Michaels fought off both Hassan and Angle, eventually hitting the superkick on Hassan; moments later, Angle and Michaels had a stare down before Angle was escorted out of the arena

4/4/05; Los Angeles, CA; Staples Center
4/4/05 – included an opening in-ring segment in which Triple H cut a promo on Batista, saying the world title would eventually be his again; featured Randy Orton cutting a promo on his match against the Undertaker at WrestleMania, with Orton blaming a bad shoulder for his loss before challenging Batista to a world title shot; Eric Bischoff then came out and made the match official for later in the night; included a video recap of the Hassan / Eugene / Hulk Hogan segment from the previous night’s WrestleMania; featured Shawn Michaels cutting an in-ring promo on his match the previous night against Kurt Angle in which Michaels asked the fans if they might want to see a rematch before Michaels was eventually interrupted and attacked by Muhammad Hassan & Daivari, with Michaels eventually being put in Hassan’s Camel Clutch; included an in-ring promo by Simon Dean & Maven in which they insulted the LA crowd before Steve Austin came out, forced Dean to drink a beer, and attacked both men after Maven inadvertently caused Dean to spill his Simon System drink on Austin’s shirt:
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated Chris Jericho and Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) by pinning Jericho with a bulldog off the top at 7:30 as Jericho had the Walls of Jericho applied on Christian
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus fought Christy Hemme (w/ Lita) to a no contest when the champion knocked Hemme out before the match with the Chick Kick; as the referee tended to Christy, Trish attacked the injured knee of Lita, putting her in a leg submission for several moments before leaving ringside
Chris Benoit pinned Edge with a roll up at 15:45 after Edge hit the corner while attempting the spear; after the bout, Edge threw Benoit into the steel ring steps before twice slamming a steel chair across Benoit’s already injured left arm
World Heavyweight Champion Batista pinned Randy Orton with the spinebuster and sit-down powerbomb at 5:10; after the bout, Triple H came out on the stage and he and Batista had a staredown as the show came to a close

4/11/05; Moline, IL; Mark of the Quad
4/11/05 – included a feature on Randy Orton’s shoulder injury in which footage of his surgery was shown; during the segment, it was announced that Orton would be out 3-4 months:
Christy Hemme & Victoria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Molly Holly at 4:39 when Christy pinned Molly with a roll up after Molly accidentally hit a springboard elbow on Trish, knocking her off the ring apron; after the bout, Kane came ringside and scared Trish backstage as payback for her attack on Lita the previous week (Molly’s last match in the WWE)
Triple H defeated the Hurricane & Rosey in a handicap match by pinning Hurricane with the Pedigree
Chris Masters defeated Seth Skyfire via submission with the full nelson
Daivari (w/ Muhammad Hassan) pinned Shawn Michaels after Hassan interfered
Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) pinned Chris Benoit with the Unprettier after Benoit became distracted by Edge at ringside

4/18/05; New York City, NY; Madison Square Garden
4/18/05 – featured Jonathan Coachman doing guest commentary alongside Jerry Lawler; included an in-ring confrontation between Trish Stratus and Lita, where the crowd loudly and repeatedly chanted “You screwed Matt” towards Lita, before Kane eventually came out to stalk Trish; moments later, Viscera came out to make the save, assaulting Kane inside the ring as the crowd chanted “Let’s go, Mabel”; featured Chris Masters challenging a fan out of the crowd by the name of Roman to escape his Masterlock full nelson, and if he succeeded he would win $1,000; Roman failed; included an in-ring promo from Christian, with Tyson Tomko, in which Christian was interrupted by Vince McMahon who then announced that in approximately a month a new draft would take place to shake up the rosters of Raw and Smackdown!; Christian later made mention of going to Smackdown! and facing John Cena saying, “I would kick Marky Mark’s ass and take his WWE title because that’s how I roll”; moments later, McMahon stated Christian would face Batista for the world title the next week on Raw (Vince’s surprise return to TV following his injury sustained at the Royal Rumble):
Chris Benoit fought Edge to a no contest when the two men fought their way backstage at around the 4:50 mark; following the commercial break, the two fought their way into the Divas’ locker room before Eric Bischoff had them separated and ordered a Last Man Standing match to take place at Backlash
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri defeated the Heart Throbs in a non-title match when Tajiri pinned Romeo at 4:41 with a modified sunset flip after Regal dropped Romeo throat-first across the top rope; after the bout, the champions were attacked from behind, with Tajiri eventually sustaining a double STO (the Heartthrobs’ surprise Raw debut)
Shawn Michaels defeated Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) via disqualification at 10:06 when Daivari, who was thrown into the ring moments earlier by Michaels, began stomping Michaels after Hassan hit the Flatliner; moments later, Hulk Hogan came out to make the save, with Hogan and Michaels eventually throwing both Hassan & Daivari from the ring before posing to “Real American” (Hogan’s surprise return to MSG after an absence of 2 years)
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Simon Dean with the Exploder suplex in a non-title match at 3:17; prior to the bout, Chris Jericho came out and told Benjamin that he would get a title shot at Backlash, with Jericho then bringing out Rich Ward from Fozzy to help him perform Fozzy’s latest single, “Shelton’s a Little Bitch”; Jericho remained on the stage for the duration of the match
Jim Ross pinned Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) in a No DQ match at 11:33 after Batista interfered, beat down Flair, hit Triple H with a steel chair, and hit the Batista Bomb before placing JR on top of Triple H; earlier in the bout, Jerry Lawler came to the ring to check on JR but was also beaten down; Batista was to have been in JR’s corner for the duration of the match but showed up late after Triple H paid off his limo driver to get lost

4/25/05; Birmingham, England; NEC Arena
4/25/05 – included an opening segment in which World Heavyweight Champion Batista came out and introduced Jim Ross, congratulating him on his victory over Triple H the previous week, with Triple H eventually coming out; to further goad Triple H, Batista said, that due to JR’s victory, he should be the #1 contender instead and then repeatedly showed footage of JR pinning Triple H; the two men teased a face-to-face confrontation but Triple H eventually went backstage; featured Trish Stratus & Viscera on a date at the Brasshouse, with Viscera continuously hitting on Trish until she slapped him and said that he would only get something out of her if he did away with Kane at Backlash, then flashed him to give him a sneak preview as to what he would get; included an in-ring promo by Christian, with Tyson Tomko, in which Christian referred to John Cena as an Ali G rip-off before Kane came out and attacked Tomko while Christian left through the crowd; featured Chris Masters challenging a fan out of the crowd by the name of Andy Baker to escape his Masterlock full nelson, and if he succeeded he would win $1,000; Baker failed; included Gene Okerlund conducting a backstage interview with Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan regarding their tag team match at Backlash:
Chris Jericho defeated Sylvian Grenier (w/ Rob Conway) via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 3:01 after knocking Conway off the apron with a springboard dropkick; after the bout, Shelton Benjamin made the save for Jericho against Conway & Grenier; moments later, after Jericho told Benjamin off, Benjamin hit the Exploder suplex
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions William Regal & Tajiri in a non-title match at around the 6-minute mark when Daivairi pinned Tajiri with a legdrop off the top after Hassan hit the Downward Spiral; the bout began during the commercial break; the match came about after Hassan & Daivari interrupted an in-ring party by the WWE Divas and the Daily Star girls regarding William Regal’s upcoming autobiography; after the contest, Regal was double teamed and eventually locked in Hassan’s Camel Clutch
Edge pinned Val Venis with the spear after avoiding a clothesline at 3:14; after the bout, Edge hit a DDT on Venis, applied the Sharpshooter, and the Crippler Crossface before Chris Benoit made the save
World Heavyweight Champion Batsita pinned Christian (w/ Triple H) in a non-title match at 12:31 with the sit-down powerbomb and then slapping guest referee Jonathan Coachman’s hand to the mat three times after Coachman had been knocked out; Ric Flair was the gust time keeper; after the bout, Batista assaulted Flair but eventually sustained the Pedigree from Triple H as the show came to a close

5/2/05; Boston, MA; FleetCenter
5/2/05 – included the announcement by Eric Bischoff that the new #1 contender to the world title would be determined by a 8-man single elimination ‘Gold Rush Tournament’, which would begin later in the evening; featured an in-ring promo from Muhammad Hassan in which he complained about not being included in the Gold Rush Tournament, losing the tag match at Backlash, then blamed Daivari for the loss and ended up slapping and kicking him before the two men left ringside together; included a backstage interview with WWF IC Champion Shelton Benjamin in which Chris Jericho interrupted, with the two men showing their respect for one another after their match the night before; featured a tribute to the passing of Chris Candido; included a Happy Birthday wish from the WWE to the Rock; featured Chris Masters challenging a fan out of the crowd by the name of James DeFalco to escape his Masterlock full nelson, and if he succeeded he would win $4,000, a Boston Red Sox Kurt Schilling jersey, and a football autographed by Tom Brady; DeFalco failed:
Gold Rush Quarter Finals: Kane (w/ Lita) pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) at 4:43 with the chokeslam after Christian collided with Tomko on the ring apron; after the bout, Christian went backstage while Tomko attempted to attack Kane but eventually sustained the chokeslam for his troubles
Viscera pinned Simon Dean with a splash at 1:32 after throwing Dean to the mat as he came off the top; prior to the bout, Viscera cut an in-ring promo on attacking Trish Stratus the previous night, then began hitting on Lilian Garcia until Simon Dean interrupted; after the bout, Viscera again hit on Lilian at ringside
Gold Rush Quarter Finals: Shawn Michaels pinned WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match at 14:44 after hitting the superkick as Benjamin attempted a springboard clothesline into the ring (The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary, Wrestling’s Highest Flyers)
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey defeated Rob Conway & Sylvian Grenier at 3:39 when Hurricane pinned Grenier following the Samoan Drop / neckbreaker double team
Gold Rush Quarter Finals: Edge pinned Chris Jericho with the spear at 8:11, moments after hitting Jericho with the briefcase and following with a missile dropkick
Gold Rush Quarter Finals: Chris Benoit defeated Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) via submission with the Sharpshooter at 13:28 as Batista taunted Triple H from the floor; moments earlier, Benoit was double teamed in the ring by Triple H and Flair until Batsita made the save and laid out both men, eventually hitting the spinebuster on Triple H

5/9/05; Wilkes-Barre, PA; Wachovia Arena
5/9/05 – included Triple H cutting an in-ring promo to open the show in which he said Batista was afraid to grant him a title rematch; moments later, Batista came out, said he faced Triple H twice, he beat Triple H twice, and since Triple H was defeated in the first round of Gold Rush Tournament, perhaps he just wasn’t good enough for a title shot; Triple H then left the arena as a way to prove that Batista could not succeed without him around; featured Mark Lloyd conducting an in-ring interview with Stacy Keibler regarding her being on the cover of ‘Stuff’ magazine; moments later, Simon Dean & Maven interrupted and insulted Stacy until the Hurricane & Rosey made the save; included Jonathan Coachman telling Eric Bischoff about the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view, with Bischoff saying he will squash ECW just like he did when he was in WCW; featured the Raw premiere of John Cena’s “Bad Bad Man” music video:
Chris Jericho defeated Daivari (w/ Muhammad Hassan) via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 2:32 after blocking an attempted hurricanrana off the top; prior to the bout, Daivari placed an open challenge to any wrestler as a way to put him back in the good graces of Hassan; after the bout, Hassan attacked Jericho from behind, hit the Flatliner, and applied the Camel Clutch until Shelton Benjamin made the save and cleared the ring of both Hassan and Daivari
Viscera pinned Sylvian Grenier with the Embalmer at 1:34; Rob Conway escorted Grenier to the ring before the match but left once the bout began; after the bout, Viscera stole a plate of nachos from a ringside fan, grabbed a microphone from ringside, and again hit on Lilian Garcia
Gold Rush Semi Finals: Kane (w/ Lita) pinned Chris Benoit with a blow from behind and the chokeslam at 9:20; moments prior to the finish, Benoit sustained a clothesline from behind on the floor as he attempted to help an injured Lita to her feet
Ric Flair pinned Tyson Tomko (sub. for Christian) (w/ Christian) with a low blow, roll up, and grabbing the tights for leverage at 1:21; prior to the bout, Christian cut a promo on the stage saying that Flair would have to go through Tomko first to get a shot at him; during the closing moments of the bout, Christian was ejected from ringside but was there long enough to see the match end
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Rob Conway in a non-title match with a springboard bulldog into the ring at 2:57; after the bout, Muhammad Hassan and Daivari attacked Benjamin on the stage, with Hassan eventually locking Benjamin in the Camel Clutch
Gold Rush Semi Finals: Edge pinned Shawn Michaels at around the 12-minute mark after hitting Michaels in the face with the briefcase as Michaels attempted a sunset flip into the ring (the bout began during the commercial break)

5/16/05; Omaha, NE; Qwest Center
5/16/05 – included Chris Masters offering anyone in attendance $6,000 and a free one-way ticket to anywhere in the US if they were able to break his full nelson; an unnamed fan in the crowd wearing a Batista t-shirt took him up on the challenge but failed; after the attempt, Steven Richards came out and made the save and brawled with Masters in and out of the ring, eventually grabbing a steel chair while Masters escaped ringside; featured a surprise in-ring promo from Randy Orton in which Orton blamed both the Undertaker and Batista for his shoulder injury and went on to state that because he was on the injured list, he was inelligable to be drafted; moments later, Vince McMahon came out and insulted Orton’s appearance, stated that he was elligable for the draft, and went on to elaborate on the draft, saying it would begin on 6/6 in St. Louis and would last for a month; Vince then gave Orton a congratulatory slap to Orton’s bad arm before leaving the ring:
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin & Chris Jericho at 6:02 when Hassan pinned Jericho with the Flatliner after Jericho hit a springboard dropkick on Daivari, knocking him off the ring apron; after the bout, a despondant Jericho walked off while Benjamin was still in the ring; later in the show, Benjamin tried to make sure Jericho was okay but, after mentioning his XM radio show, his weekly appearances on VH1, and his Fozzy sell out concerts, Jericho stated that with so much going on in his life, he wasn’t that concerned over losing a wrestling match
Ric Flair pinned Christian (w/ Tyson Tomko) 3:25 with a roll over and holding the ropes for leverage, moments after Christian was caught grabbing the ropes during his cover; after the bout, Flair was double teamed by Christian and Tomko until Batsita made the save and hit the sit-down powerbomb on both men
Chris Benoit fought Tajiri to a no contest in an ECW Rules match at around the 3:30 mark when Jonathan Coachman and Eric Bischoff interrupted the bout, with Bischoff ordering the match to stop since he never sanctioned it, then going on to state that the mere mentioning of ECW would be banned from Raw and that if any fans brought ECW signs to TV they would be confiscated; Bischoff then stated that no Raw wrestlers would be allowed to work the ECW One Night Stand event and that he would personally lead a group of Raw volunteers to crash the pay-per-view
Christy Hemme pinned Candice Michelle at 1:12 in a lingerie pillow fight with a roll up out of the corner; after the bout, Viscera came out, with the two women leaving ringside, and hit on Lilian Garcia, eventually bringing her in the ring and having her sit on the bed; moments later, Viscera gave Lilian a key to his hotel room and invited her to stop by later on
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey (w/ Stacy Keibler) defeated Maven & Simon Dean at 3:26 when Rosey pinned Maven following the neckbreaker / side slam double team
Gold Rush Tournament Finals: Edge pinned Kane (w/ Lita) at 14:22 by hitting him in the face with the briefcase as Kane came off the top, moments after Lita slid the briefcase into the ring for Edge to use; after the bout, Edge and Lita embraced and kissed on the stage as Kane looked on from inside the ring; due to pre-match stipulations, Edge earned a world title shot for the following week (Edge: A Decade of Decadence)

5/23/05; Green Bay, WI; Resch Center
5/23/05:
Muhammad Hassan & Daivari defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin in a handicap match
Chris Masters defeated Steven Richards
Chris Jericho defeated Sylvan Grenier
Chris Benoit defeated Tajiri
World Heavyweight Champion Batista pinned Edge (w/ Lita)

5/30/05; Calgary, Alberta; Saddledome
5/30/05:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey defeated the Heart Throbs
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated Sylvan Grenier & Rob Conway
Edge defeated Chris Benoit in a table match
Muhammad Hassan defeated World Heavyweight Champion Batista via disqualification

6/6/05; St. Louis, MO; Savvis Center
6/6/05 – included an opening segment in which Eric Bischoff announced backstage that a major player from Smackdown! had been picked as the #1 Raw draft pick; moments later, Chris Jericho introduced the superstar during the Highlight Reel, with WWE World Champion John Cena coming out; moments later, Christian & Tyson Tomko came out to interrupt; after Cena and Christian had words, Cena fought off both men, eventually hitting the FU on Tomko after throwing Christian to the floor (Cena’s Raw debut); featured a backstage segment with William Regal, Tajiri, and Chris Benoit in which Regal said he would be part of the anti-ECW group and made Tajiri choose to either be with him or against him; Tajiri chose to stick with ECW; included the in-ring contract signing between Triple H and World Heavyweight Champion Batista for the Hell in a Cell match at Vengeance; during the segment, Eric Bischoff said that even if either man was drafted to Smackdown! before the pay-per-view, the match would still take place; prior to the signing, Triple H showed a video montage of his Hell in a Cell victories on the big screen; Ace Steel and Jimmy Jacobs played the role of two police officers during the segment; featured Eric Bischoff meeting with John Cena backstage in which he said Cena & Jericho would face Christian & Tomko the following week; Bischoff then asked Cena to be a part of the anti-ECW movement but Cena turned down the offer; included Edge coming out on the stage and cutting a promo on Kane, while Kane was in the ring, saying that they would face each other at Vengeance; moments later, Lita came out and said that maybe after Edge beats Kane in Vegas, Lita and Edge might go find an all night chapel; featured a closing segment in which Eric Bischoff, Edge, Christian, and Tyson Tomko came out, with Bischoff calling Paul Heyman out; after Heyman & the Dudleyz came out of the crowd, Maven, Rob Conway, Jonathan Coachman, Sylvian Grenier, Simon Dean, and Gene Snitsky came out to corner them; to counter the WWE wrestlers, Heyman had Tommy Dremer, the Sandman, Rhyno, Balls Mahony, and Axl Rotten come from the crowd, with a giant brawl taking place and the ECW group dominating:
WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin defeated Muhammad Hassan & Daivari in a handicap match at 9:46 by pinning Daivari with the Exploder suplex after throwing Hassan to the floor; the IC title was on the line in the bout; Hassan originally won the match and title at 1:53 with the Flatliner but referee Jack Doan had the contest continue after realizing Benjamin’s foot was on the bottom rope during the cover; after the commercial break, Hassan confronted Bischoff backstage, with Bischoff saying that next week a one-man committee would be on Raw next week to address Hassan’s issues; Hassan assumed it was Vince McMahon but Bischoff told him it would be Stone Cold Steve Austin
Chris Masters defeated Val Venis via submission with the full nelson at 4:05 after shoving Venis backwards off the middle turnbuckle
Victoria & the Heart Throbs defeated Christy Hemme, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey (w/ Stacy Keibler) via disqualification at 3:03 when Christy refused to stop choking Victoria; after the bout, Christy tackled her through the ropes and to the floor and began choking Victoria again until she was pulled off by Hurricane & Rosey
Kane pinned Simon Dean (this bout took place during the commercial break and was not mentioned on TV)
Chris Benoit pinned Gene Snitsky with the diving headbutt at around the 6-minute mark after the Dudley Boyz came out of the crowd and put Snitsky through a table with the 3D; after the commercial break, the Dudleyz and Paul Heyman were arrested backstage until Jonathan Coachman was convinced to release them so they could meet Bischoff’s challenge later in the night (the pinfall took place during the commercial break) (the Dudleyz’ surprise return after being off TV for 9 months)

6/13/05; Binghamton, NY; Broome County Arena
6/13/05:
Muhammad Hassan defeated WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin via disqualification
WWE World Champion John Cena & Chris Jericho defeated Christian & Tyson Tomko
Viscera defeated Maven
Kane defeated Sylvian Grenier
Kane defeated Edge via disqualification
World Heavyweight Champion Batista defeated Triple H

6/20/05; Phoenix, AZ; America West Arena
6/20/05 – included an opening segment in which WWE World Champion John Cena cut an in-ring promo on Chris Jericho and Christian, then challenged them to come out; moments later, Muhammad Hassan and Daivari came to the ring instead, with Cena eventually challenging Hassan to a match; Eric Bischoff then came out to make the match official; featured the wedding of Edge & Lita in which Gene Snitsky came out to read a poem, entitled “It’s Not My Fault”; during the ceremony, when the reverend asked if anyone objected to the wedding, Matt Hardy’s entrance video played on the big screen but it was soon revealed that it was simply a hoax done by Edge & Lita themselves; moments later, Kane came up from under the ring, with Edge soon carrying Lita to safety while Kane hit the tombstone on the reverend; included a backstage interview with Christy Hemme in which Victoria smashed a glass object over her head, causing Christy to bleed from the back of the head; featured a video package on the 8 finalists in the 2005 Diva Search:
Carlito Caribbean Cool (mystery opponent) pinned WWE IC Champion Shelton Benjamin to win the title at 9:07 by reversing a waist lock into a roll up and grabbing the bottom rope for leverage; prior to the bout, Eric Bischoff announced that the challenger would be the latest draft pick and newest member of the Raw roster (Carlito’s surprise Raw debut)
Viscera pinned Simon Dean at 1:29 with the Embalmer; after the bout, ring announcer Lilian Garcia said Viscera might get lucky and hit the jackpot in Las Vegas on Sunday
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Muhammad Hassan (w/ Daivari) with the Five Knuckle Shuffle and the FU at 2:17 after knocking Daivari off the ring apron; after the bout, both Chris Jericho and Christian attacked Cena on the rampway (Hassan’s first TV pinfall loss)
Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) & Kurt Angle defeated World Heavyweight Champion Batista & Shawn Michaels at around the 9:30 mark when Triple H pinned Batista with the Pedigree after Batista hit the spinebuster on an interfering Flair, moments after Angle and Michaels battled into the crowd; the match was originally Batista vs. Angle but after Angle was disqualified at 2:20 for outside interference, with Michaels then coming out to help make the save, Bischoff came out to make the tag match (the tag match began during the commercial break)

6/27/05; Anaheim, CA; Arrowhead Pond
6/27/05:
The Big Show defeated Gene Snitsky
Kurt Angle defeated Ric Flair
WWE World Champion John Cena, Shawn Michaels, & Hulk Hogan (mystery partner) defeated Chris Jericho, Christian, & Tyson Tomko at around the 6:30 mark when Hogan pinned Tomko with a boot to the face and the legdrop; after the bout, all three victors posed in the ring for several minutes before Cena left ringside to give the spotlight to Hogan and Michaels (John Cena: My Life)

7/4/05; Sacramento, CA; Arco Arena
7/4/05 – included an opening segment in which Hulk Hogan was a guest of Carlito’s Cabana and a clip from the upcoming “Hogan Knows Best” series was shown; after Hogan knocked Carlito down after he made comments about Hogan’s daughter Brooke, Kurt Angle came out and said he would make Brooke tap out; Hogan began fighting Angle until he was double teamed; moments later, Shawn Michaels came out and helped make the save; featured Maria conducting a backstage interview with Chavo Guerrero Jr. in which he denounced his Hispanic heritage and said he had changed his name to Kerwin White (Chavo’s Raw return); included a segment in which WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey and Stacy Keibler taught a lesson on sparkler safety, resulting in Rosey’s hand being set on fire; featured WWE World Champion John Cena as a guest of the Highlight Reel in which Jericho showed recent footage of his band Fozzy performing at the Download Festival in England; eventually a brawl took place between the two men; after being sent to the floor, Jericho was escorted from ringside by officials; included Jonathan Coachman & Christy Hemme hosting the Sgt. Slaughter Bikini Bootcamp for the 2005 Raw Diva Search Contest, won by Elisabeth; Leyla’s bikini top became undone during her participation
Kane & the Big Show defeated Edge (w/ Lita) & Gene Snitsky at 10:05 when Kane pinned Snitsky with the chokeslam
Viscera defeated the Heart Throbs via disqualification in a handicap match at 2:00 after sustaining a low blow into the ring post; prior to the bout, the Heart Throbs hit on Lilian Garcia and, after the match, gave her one of their feather boas
Rene Dupree pinned Val Venis with a double leg pick up and putting both feet on the ropes for leverage at 1:54 (Dupree’s Raw return)
Hulk Hogan & Shawn Michaels defeated Kurt Angle & WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool at 12:32 when Hogan pinned Carlito with the legdrop; after the bout, as Hogan & Michaels celebrated in the ring, Michaels hit the superkick on his partner and left the ring

7/11/05; East Rutherford, NJ; Continental Airlines Arena
7/11/05 – featured an in-ring segment of Carlito’s Cabana in which WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool introduced his guest as Shawn Michaels, with Chris Jericho coming out instead; Jericho then claimed his Highlight Reel was taking over and that Michaels would be his guest; after the two argued, Roddy Piper came out and said Michaels would be a guest of his Piper’s Pit later in the show; included an in-ring promo by WWE World Champion John Cena in which he called out Chris Jericho, only for Eric Bischoff to come out instead to clarify only he could make title matches; Jericho eventually came out and Bischoff said Jericho would challenge Cena at Summer Slam; after Jericho left, Cena dropped Bischoff with a FU; featured a closing in-ring segment of Piper’s Pit in which Michaels said the reason he hit the superkick on Hulk Hogan was so he could face him in the ring; as Piper continued to question his motives, Michaels hit the superkick on him as well:
Chris Masters defeated Tajiri at 3:09 when the referee stopped the match as Tajiri was in the full nelson
Shelton Benjamin defeated WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool via count-out at 10:37 when the champion walked out of the match
Kurt Angle defeated Matt Striker via submission at 2:59 with the ankle lock in a Kurt Angle Invitational Challenge; stipulations stated Striker would have to only avoid defeat for 3 minutes to win Angle’s gold medals; prior to the bout, Striker claimed his name was Matt Martel but Angle said he was the school teacher from Philadelphia that had recently been in the news who took sick days in order to persue his wrestling career
Kane defeated Edge (w/ Lita) via disqualification at 1:56 when Gene Snitsky ran out and attacked Kane; the two then brawled through the crowd as Matt Hardy jumped in the ring and attacked Edge, with officials then running out to keep the two apart; Hardy then grabbed the mic and called “Adam” a “bastard,” Lita a “whore,” and said the WWE could kiss his ass; security then handcuffed Hardy and escorted him backstage

7/18/05; Philadelphia, PA; Wachovia Center
7/18/05 – included an opening announcement from Eric Bischoff in which he said WWE World Champion John Cena vs. Gene Snitsky would take place later in the show as a lumberjack match, citing it was Cena’s punishment for the previous week’s FU; the lumberjacks would be picked by Bischoff himself; featured an in-ring segment in which WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Rosey attempted the Masterlock Challenge from Chris Masters but failed; included an in-ring promo by Hulk Hogan in which he said Shawn Michaels succeeded in getting his attention before then calling out Michaels; moments later, Michaels challenged Hogan to a match at Summer Slam, which Hogan accepted; Hogan’s son Nick Bollea was in attendance for the show:
Shelton Benjamin defeated WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool via disqualification at 5:15 when Carlito landed a low blow; stipulations stated that if Carlito caused himself to be counted-out, he would lose the title
Kurt Angle Invitational: Kurt Angle defeated Matt Striker via submission with the ankle lock at 2:35; stipulations said the challenger would only need to avoid defeat for 3 minutes to win Angle’s gold medals; prior to the bout, Striker, as he did the week before, said his name was Matt Martel from Philadelphia; Angle then corrected him again, saying Striker was a liar and he wouldn’t face a liar; after Angle told the referee to send him backstage, Angle attacked Striker from behind and started the match
Edge (w/ Lita) defeated Kane in a steel cage match at 10:29 by escaping over the top after hitting Kane in the face with the Money in the Bank briefcase as the two fought at the top of the cage; prior to the bout, Matt Hardy jumped the rail and attacked Edge until he was forced to the ground by police and ejected from ringside (The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Gene Snitsky in a lumberjack match at 11:40 with the FU; lumberjacks for the match included: Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool, Chris Masters, Tyson Tomko, Rob Conway, Rene Dupree, Kerwin White, the Heartthrobs, and several others; late in the bout, the Big Show, Shelton Benjamin, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey, Tajiri, and Viscera came out and fought with the lumberjacks; moments later, Jericho attempted to hit Cena with a steel chair but missed and was knocked to the floor just before the finish

7/25/05; Cleveland, OH; Gund Arena
7/25/05 – featured a video tribute to the passing of Lord Alfred Hayes; included a battle of the bands between WWE World Champion John Cena and Chris Jericho’s band Fozzy, in which Cena performed ‘Bad Bad Man’ before Jericho refused to perform, claiming the audience would be biased against him; featured an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he accused Hulk Hogan of living off his reputation and finished by asking ‘Whatcha gonna do when the Heartbreak Kid won’t lay down for you?’:
Eugene (w/ Christy Hemme) defeated Kurt Angle in a Kurt Angle Invitational Challenge; stipulations stated Eugene would win by avoiding defeat for 3 minutes; stipulations stated Eugene would win Angle’s gold medals if he won (Eugene’s surprise return after a 6-month absence)
Viscera & Cloacas defeated Antonio & Pocket Rocket in a mixed tag team match at 3:38 when Viscera pinned Thomas following a splash from Cloacas
Chris Masters & Gene Snitsky defeated Shelton Benjamin in a handicap match at 3:45 when the referee stopped the match as Masters had Benjamin in the full nelson; after the match, the Big Show made the save
Edge (w/ Lita) defeated Kane in a stretcher match at around the 12-minute mark after Edge hit Kane in the face with the Money in the Bank briefcase as Kane, sitting on the stretcher, had a choke applied on Lita; after the bout, Kane assaulted Edge and threw him face-first into the stage; moments later, Kane grabbed Lita and dropped her with a tombstone onto the entrance stage; moments later, he hijacked the ambulance and drove Lita out of the arena (The Twisted, Disturbed Life of Kane)
WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool pinned WWE World Champion John Cena at 8:05 after special referee Chris Jericho kicked Cena in the stomach as Cena attempted the FU on Carlito, then hit a bulldog and the Lionsault before putting Carlito on top of Cena; neither title was on the line

8/1/05; Cleveland, OH; Gund Arena
8/1/05 – featured an opening in-ring promo by Chris Jericho in which he said he would leave Summer Slam as WWE World Champion; WWE World Champion John Cena eventually ran out and attacked Jericho before Eric Bsichoff sent security out to break up the fight; Bischoff then announced Jericho as the guest referee for the Cena vs. Carlito match later in the show; included an in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he thanked himself for making Raw the longest-running entertainment show on TV with 636 episodes to date; he then announced he had re-signed Matt Hardy and brought Hardy out to the ring after announcing Hardy would face Edge at Summer Slam; featured a pre-taped fake ‘Larry King Live!’ sketch in which Shawn Michaels played the role of Hulk Hogan:
The Big Show & Shelton Benjamin defeated Chris Masters & Gene Snitsky at 11:10 when Show pinned Snitsky with the chokeslam
Eugene (w/ Christy Hemme) defeated Tatanka via disqualification at 2:33 in a Eugene Invitational Challenge when Kurt Angle attacked Eugene as he had Tatanka in the ankle lock; Angle’s gold medals were at stake in the match and Tatanka only had to avoid defeat for 3 minutes to win them; Angle initially accepted the challenge but Tatanka, deemed the hometown hero, came out just as Eugene and Angle were about to fight; after the bout, Eugene and Tatanka cleared the ring of Angle (Tatanka’s surprise return after a 9-year absence)
Rob Conway pinned Val Venis with the Ego Trip at 5:29
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned WWE IC Champion Carlito at 8:57 with the FU; Chris Jericho was the guest referee for the bout but a second referee counted the pinfall after Cena knocked Jericho to the floor; Jericho assaulted Cena throughout the match and, after the bout, continued to attack him; Eric Bischoff was ringside for the duration of the match; only Cena’s title was at stake in the bout

8/8/05; Pittsburgh, PA; Mellon Arena
8/8/05 – featured an in-ring segment of the Highlight Reel with Eric Bischoff as the guest; during the segment, Bischoff called out referee Chad Patton, who made the pinfall on Carlito the previous week in his match against WWE World Champion John Cena, despite the fact Chris Jericho was the official for the match; Bischoff then slapped Patton twice and demanded an apology from him, with Patton saying he was sorry; Bischoff then announced that Jericho would face Patton after the commercial break; included the premiere of Cena’s “Right Now” music video; featured an in-ring confrontation between Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels, hosted by Jerry Lawler, in which Michaels eventually dropped Lawler with the superkick after Lawlor asked “Whatcha gonna do when Hulkamania runs wild on you?”; Michaels then attacked Hogan but Hogan eventually knocked him to the floor:
Eugene Invitational: Eugene (w/ Christy Hemme) defeated Kurt Angle via disqualification at 2:38 in a Eugene Invitational Challenge when Angle accidentally hit the refreee; Eugene wore a Hulk Hogan T-shirt to the ring before the match began; after the bout, Angle dropped Eugene with the Olympic Slam before Hogan made the save; stipulations stated Angle would win back his Olympic medals if he could avoid defeat for 3 minutes
Chris Masters defeated Shelton Benjamin via submission with the full nelson at 4:06
Rob Conway pinned Viscera at 2:34 after Viscera’s knee went out as he attempted a slam
Victoria & the Heart Throbs defeated Stacy Keibler, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey at 2:40 when Antonio pinned Rosey
Chris Jericho defeated Chad Patton via submission with the Walls of Jericho at 3:01; Eric Bischoff was the guest referee for the match; during the contest, Carlito came ringside and attacked Patton when he fell outside the ring; after the match, Bischoff punched Patton, still locked in the Walls of Jericho, until WWE World Champion John Cena made the save; moments later, Cena dropped Carlito with the FU
Matt Hardy pinned Gene Snitsky at 3:36; after the match, Edge attacked Hardy until referees and security pulled him away

8/15/05; Montreal, Quebec; Bell Centre
8/15/05 – featured an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he called out Bret Hart, with Hart’s music playing twice, but he did not appear:
The Big Show defeated the Heart Throbs in a handicap match at 3:31 following a double chokeslam
Eugene fought Rene Dupree to a no contest in a Eugene Invitational at the 13-second mark when Kurt Angle interfered
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Chris Jericho & WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool (w/ Eric Bischoff) in a handicap match at 14:43 when Cena pinned Carlito with the FU
Edge (w/ Lita) defeated Val Venis via submission with the standing figure-4 at 5:21
Rob Conway defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Hurricane
Hulk Hogan defeated Kurt Angle via disqualification at 6:08 when Shawn Michaels interfered

8/22/05; Hampton, VA; Coliseum
8/22/05 – featured an opening video package recapping the Raw matches that took place at Summer Slam, finishing with Shawn Michaels and Hulk Hogan shaking hands; included an in-ring promo by Shawn Michaels in which he sarcastically said Hogan was cat-like in the ring and was simply superior to Michaels; Michaels then stated that Hogan was on a plane back to Florida and would only return when the WWE fans gave him what he wanted, using a hand gesture to imply that it was money; moments later, Michaels was interrupted by Chris Masters, who came out and implied Michaels was past his prime and needed to step aside; after several minutes, the two began fighting in the ring with Michaels knocking Masters to the floor; included a vignette by Kerwin White in which he said he was the official spokesman of middle class America and then made comments about Shelton Benjamin and finished by saying, “If it’s not white, it’s not right”; featured Gene Snitsky fondling Maria’s feet backstage until the Big Show interrupted him; included Ric Flair as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Flair attacked Carlito and cleared him from the ring after Carlito spat an apple in Flair’s face (Flair’s return after a 2-month absence); featured a vignette promoting the debut of Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch; included an in-ring promo by Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle in which they announced that they had been traded to Raw and then brought out the 2005 Raw Diva Search Winner Ashley; moments later, Torrie & Candice attacked Ashley and left the ring (Torrie’s return to Raw after a 3-year absence; Candice’s Raw debut); featured the announcement that Shawn Michaels would compete in the Masterlock Challenge the following week:
Kurt Angle defeated Shelton Benjamin at 12:55 via submission with the ankle lock into the heel hook after avoiding the Exploder suplex; after the bout, Angle brought a chair into the ring and stood on it while the referee presented him with his gold medals
Rob Conway pinned Matt Hardy at 3:49 with an elbow drop off the top after punching Hardy off the middle rope; immediately after the bout began, Edge & Lita came out and joined the commentary team; after the match, Edge and Hardy brawled in the ring before Edge trapped Hardy’s head between the ring steps and the ring then kicked it, causing the stitches on Hardy’s head to open up
The Big Show defeated Gene Snitsky via count-out at 3:43 when Snitksy walked out of the match after sustaining a clothesline to the floor
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Chris Jericho with the FU at 15:49 after catapulting the challenger into Eric Bischoff on the ring apron, with Jericho hitting his head against the world title belt; due to pre-match stipulations, Jericho was fired by Bischoff immediately following the match, with Jericho being taken away by security; had Cena lost, he would have been fired; Bischoff was at ringside for the duration of the match; after Jericho was ejected from ringside, Kurt Angle attacked Cena from behind and assaulted him inside the ring and hit the Olympic Slam; moments later, Bischoff grabbed the mic and announced Angle was the #1 contender to Cena’s title (Jericho’s last appearance for more than 2 years) (Breaking the Code: Behind the Walls of Chris Jericho)

8/29/05; Tampa, FL; St. Pete Times Forum
8/29/05 – featured Shawn Michaels as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Chris Masters interrupted, with Michaels eventually attacking Masters and Carlito until eventually being beaten down; moments later, Ric Flair came out to make the save:
The Big Show defeated Steve Madison & Buck Quartermaine in a handicap match at 2:47 following a double chokeslam
Victoria pinned Ashley at the 33-second mark with the Widow’s Peak
Edge (w/ Lita) fought Matt Hardy to a no contest in a streetfight at the 19-minute mark when both men were deemed unable to continue (Edge: A Decade of Decadence)
Tyson Tomko defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Rosey (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Hurricane) via KO at the 1-minute mark following a boot to the face
Chris Masters & WWE IC Champion Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated Shawn Michaels & Ric Flair when Flair submitted to the full nelson at 20:17

9/5/05; Nashville, TN; Gaylord Entertainment Center
9/5/05 – featured a series of video montages focusing on Chris Masters’ success in the Masterlock Challenge; included a pre-taped vignette by Linda McMahon on behalf of Amiericares to benefit those affected by Hurricane Katrina; featured Ashley as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Carlito insulted her before addressing Ric Flair, admitting he was the one who bloodied Flair backstage the previous week, and would face Flair at Unforgiven; moments later, Carlito mentioned that Ashley would be facing Torrie Wilson later in the show but, when he prepared to spit an apple in her face, Flair came out, attacked the IC Champion, and eventually cleared him from the ring; Flair then cut an in-ring promo on facing Carlito at Unforgiven for the IC title; featured a vignette of Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch at Tootsie’s Bar & Grill; included a backstage segment in which Eric Bischoff granted Matt Hardy a steel cage match against Edge for Unforgiven, then ordered he face Gene Snitsky later in the show despite the fact Hardy was still recovering from injuries sustained the previous week; featured footage of Mick Foley at Barnes & Noble in New York City the previous Tuesday to promote his new novel Scooter; included the announcement that the Big Show would face Gene Snitsky and Shawn Michaels would wrestle Chris Masters at Unforgiven; featured Shawn Michaels in the Masterlock Challenge in which Masters hit Michaels over the head with a steel chair, busting him open, after Michaels twice hit a low blow to attempt to escape the hold; moments later, several officials, including Dean Malenko, came in to check on a bloody Michaels as the show came to a close:
Kurt Angle defeated Eugene via submission with the ankle lock at 3:52; after the bout, Angle continued to attack Eugene and applied the heel hook until John Cena made the save, clearing Angle from the ring; immediately thereafter, Tyson Tomko came out and kicked Cena in the face, allowing Angle to reenter the ring and taunt the dazed world champion
Viscera & Val Venis defeated the Heart Throbs at 5:03 when Viscera scored the pin following a Samoan Drop
Gene Snitsky pinned Matt Hardy with a modified sidewalk slam at 2:38; prior to the bout, Edge, wearing a neckbrace, & Lita came out to do guest commentary; after the bout, Snitsky brought the timekeeper’s bell into the ring and attempted to use it on Hardy until the Big Show came out; Snitsky quickly hit Hardy with the weapon and then escaped into the crowd
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Tyson Tomko in a non-title match with the Five Knuckle Shuffle and FU at 4:09; after the bout, Kurt Angle attacked the champion from behind on the ramp, throwing him into the stage, and then dropping Cena with the Olympic Slam
Torrie Wilson (w/ Victoria & Candice Michelle) pinned Ashley at 2:38 with an X-Factor after Victoria dropped Ashley face-first across the apron while Candice distracted the referee
Rob Conway pinned Shelton Benjamin with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage at 5:12 after Kerwin White, who drove ringside in his golf cart during the opening moments of the contest, tripped Benjamin with his golf club
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Hurricane & Rosey in a non-title match at 6:50 when Murdoch pinned Hurricane with a bulldog off the top (the TV debut of Cade & Murdoch as a team)

9/12/05; Little Rock, AR; Alltel Arena
9/12/05 – featured Todd Grisham conducting an interview on the stage with Shawn Michaels regarding his match with Chris Masters at Unforgiven, with Ric Flair eventually coming out to cut a promo on facing Masters later in the night as well as wrestling Carlito at the pay-per-view; included a pre-taped promo by Kurt Angle regarding his title shot against John Cena at Unforgiven; featured Torrie Wilson, Victoria, & Candice inviting Ashley out to the ring; moments later, Ashley brought out Trish Stratus and the two cleared the ring of their opposition (Trish’s surprise return following Backlash); included Edge & Lita cutting a promo on the stage regarding the steel cage match with Matt Hardy at Unforgiven; featured the announcement that WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Ashley would face Torrie Wilson & Victoria at Unforgiven:
Edge (w/ Lita) & Gene Snitsky defeated Matt Hardy & the Big Show at 11:11 when Edge pinned Hardy with the spear after Lita hit a low blow as Hardy prepared to hit the Twist of Fate on Edge; the bout was originally Show vs. Edge but Snitsky interfered at 2:37 to cause the disqualification; moments later, Matt Hardy helped make the save with Eric Bischoff then coming out to make the bout continue as a tag team match; after the contest, Lita hit the Twist of Fate on Hardy
Shelton Benjamin defeated Kerwin White via disqualification at 4:44 after White began assaulting his opponent with his golf club
Ric Flair defeated Chris Masters via disqualification at 15:37 when Carlito Caribbean Cool interfered and assaulted Flair with the IC title belt as Masters was caught in the figure-4; after the bout, Shawn Michaels came out to make the save and cleared Carlito from the ring but was eventually caught in the Masterlock
Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Eugene & Tajiri at 6:18 when Cade pinned Tajiri with a flying elbow drop following a sit-down spinebuster from Murdoch
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Kurt Angle & Tyson Tomko at 12:38 by pinning Tomko with the FU after Tomko accidentally kicked Angle out of the ring; after the bout, Angle assaulted Cena, targeting his ankle, as Eric Bischoff – who was at ringside for the duration of the match – badmouthed the champion

9/19/05; Wichita Falls, TX; Kay Yeager Coliseum
9/19/05 – included an opening segment in which Eric Bischoff came out with the WWE World Title and introduced Kurt Angle before stating that he had stripped John Cena of the championship as a result of Cena attacking him the night before at Unforgiven and that Angle was the new title holder; moments later, Vince McMahon came out, rejected Bischoff’s ruling, stated Cena was still the champion, and said that Mick Foley, Triple H, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin would all be on hand for the Oct. 3 return of Raw to the USA Network; Vince then stated that the episode would also include John Cena vs. Eric Bischoff; featured Bischoff announcing a Loser Leaves Raw ladder match with Matt Hardy vs. Edge on Oct. 3, with Edge’s world title shot on the line; included vignettes promoting the returns of Triple H, Mick Foley, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin for the Oct. 3 Raw; featured Maria interviewing Ric Flair backstage regarding his IC title win and successful title defense, with Carlito eventually interrupting and confronting Flair; the two brawled briefly before Chris Masters appeared and trapped Flair in the Masterlock; moments later, Carlito spat apple in Flair’s face:
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus (w/ Ashley) pinned Torrie Wilson (w/ Candice Michelle & Victoria) in a non-title match with a roll up at 1:51 as Torrie argued with Victoria after Victoria’s interference resulted in only a 2-count; after the bout, Victoria, Candice, & Torrie triple teamed their opponents
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Trevor Murdoch (w/ WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Lance Cade) pinned the Hurricane (w/ Rosey) with a DDT at 4:11 after dropping Hurricane shoulder-first across the top turnbuckle
Tyson Tomko defeated Eddie Craven via referee’s decision at the 59-second mark when Craven was knocked out following a boot to the face
WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated Carlito Caribbean Cool via submission with the figure-4 at 20:31 after grabbing onto the ropes for leverage
WWE World Champion John Cena, the Big Show, Matt Hardy, & Shawn Michaels defeated Kurt Angle, Chris Masters, Edge, & Gene Snitsky at around the 22-minute mark when all four babyfaces pinned Edge after Edge sustained Cena’s Five Knuckle Shuffle and Show’s chokeslam (the bout began during the commercial break) (Unforgiven 05)

9/26/05; Waco, TX; Heart O’ Texas Colisem
9/26/05 – included an opening in-ring segment with Vince McMahon in which he announced that this was the final Raw episode to air on Spike! TV; after Vince thanked Spike! for their 5-year partnership, the network censored his comments about Raw moving back to the USA Network; moments later, Kurt Angle came out and said he should be the one to face John Cena the next week for the world title, not Bischoff, and that Angle should have an automatic title shot against the winner of the contest; Shawn Michaels then came out and said he was also deserving of a title match; McMahon then announced that Angle and Michaels would face each other the following week in a 30-minute Ironman match; featured WWE IC Champion Ric Flair cutting a promo on the stage, saying that he had backup to face Carlito & Chris Masters, went backstage, returned with a sledgehammer, and hyped Triple H’s return the following week; included an extended Triple H vignette to the tune of Drowning Pool’s “The Game”; included an in-ring promo by Edge & Lita, wearing a neckbrace, with a ladder set up in the ring, regarding the ladder match between Edge and Matt Hardy for the following week; during the promo, Lita made mention that the first episode of Raw on Spike! TV featured a ladder match between the Hardy Boyz and Edge & Christian; moments later, after Edge climbed the ladder, Matt Hardy came out of the crowd and threatened to shove Edge off the top, first deciding not to before finally doing so and sending Edge to the floor; featured a backstage confrontation between Eric Bischoff and Teddy Long in which Long suggested that the Raw Homecoming should feature a Smackdown! match as well; moments later, Vince McMahon appeared and allowed Long to pick any match he wanted for the 3-hour special; Long then said he would announce the match later in the week on Smackdown!; included the announcement that Mick Foley would be a guest on Piper’s Pit the following week:
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus (w/ Ashley) defeated Victoria (w/ Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle) via disqualification at 4:38 when Torrie & Candice interfered after the champion hit the bulldog; after the bout, Ashley stripped Candice down to her bra & panties, with Candice quickly grabbing the microphone and issuing a challenge for Trish & Ashley to face Victoria, Torrie, & herself the following week in a handicap bra & panties match
The Big Show pinned Gene Snitsky in a No DQ match at 3:11 following a chokeslam and hitting Snitsky in the head with a kitchen sink; immediately following the bout, Jonathan Coachman made note of Spike! censoring Vince McMahon’s comments from earlier and was censored himself when he mentioned the USA Network; Coachman then told fans to go to WWE.com to read about what was being censored
Kerwin White (w/ Nick Nemeth) pinned Shelton Benjamin at 2:34 when White fell on top of Benjamin as Benjamin attempted a suplex into the ring; on replay, it was unclear as to if Nemeth had anything to do with the move failing; after the bout, Nemeth made the save for White by breaking a golf club over Benjamin’s back
Val Venis & Viscera defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch via disqualification in a non-title match at 3:35 when Cade prevented referee Jack Doan from making the 3-count on Murdoch after Murdoch sustained a splash from Viscera and the Money Shot from Venis
Rob Conway pinned Eugene at 4:19 with the Ego Trip after ripping the head off of Eugene’s Shawn Michaels teddy bear
Carlito Caribbean Cool & Chris Masters defeated WWE World Champion John Cena & Shawn Michaels in a tables match at 14:58 when Kurt Angle, who came ringside moments earlier with Eric Bischoff, shoved Michaels off the top and through a table set up on the floor; during Carlito’s entrance, all three members of the commentary team were finally allowed to mention the move to the USA Network; after the contest, Cena attempted to hit the FU on Angle but sustained a low blow from Bischoff and the Olympic Slam through a table in the ring by Angle; as the show came to a close, Bischoff posed with Cena’s title belt while Angle badmouthed Michaels outside the ring

10/3/05; Dallas, TX; Reunion Arena
10/3/05 – the special 3-hour edition marked the return of Raw to the USA Network after a 5-year absence; included an opening segment in which Mick Foley was a guest of Piper’s Pit only to be interrupted by Randy Orton & Bob Orton Jr., with Randy claiming that Piper would have been nothing if it wasn’t for his father; moments later, Bob punched Foley, with Randy then dropping both Piper and Foley with the RKO; during the commercial break, Dusty Rhodes, Mae Young, Jimmy Hart, Hillbilly Jim, Harley Race, Koko B. Ware, Superstar Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, Red Bastien, Jimmy Snuka, Jim Duggan, Steve Williams, and Nikolai Volkoff were shown at ringside in WWE.com exclusive footage; featured footage of WWE World Champion John Cena at the VH1 Hip Hop Awards, with comments from Snoop Dog, DJ Jazzy Jeff, and Ice-T; included Lilian Garcia introducing Kevin Von Erich, who sat ringside for the event; featured an in-ring segment with Vince McMahon in which he made reference to beating Steve Austin up at the 2/8/99 Raw, though he incorrectly said it was 1998, and was then interrupted by Austin who came to the ring and showed a clip of Austin attacking Vince at the hospital during the 10/5/98 Raw, the ‘BANG 3:16’ segment, and the beer truck incident; moments later, Vince attempted to leave but sustained the Stunner from Austin; Shane McMahon then came to the ring, apparently to help his father, and walked into a Stunner; Stephanie McMahon then came out, slapped Austin, and sustained the Stunner as well; Linda McMahon soon followed and ended up having a few beers with Austin before suffering the Stunner as well (Shane & Staphanie’s surprise return after a 2-year absence); included an in-ring segment with Ricky Steamboat, Arn Anderson, Mae Young, Steve Keirn, Dusty Rhodes, Jimmy Hart, Howard Finkel, Sgt. Slaughter, Superstar Billy Graham, Greg Valentine, the Fabulous Moolah, Steve Williams, Jim Duggan, Ted Dibiase, Harley Race, Nikolai Volkoff, Hillbilly Jim, Kevin Von Erich, Jimmy Snuka, Dean Malenko, Tony Garea, Koko B. Ware, Chief Jay Strongbow, and Pat Patterson which was interrupted by Rob Conway; moments later, after insulting the legends, Conway was knocked out of the ring after being attacked by several of the wrestlers, sustaining the Von Erich claw, and the Superfly splash; during the commercial break, Eugene came out and thanked all the legends; featured Gene Okerlund interviewing Hulk Hogan in the ring regarding his future plans, with Hogan mentioning that he wanted to face off against Steve Austin (Hulk Hogan: The Ultimate Anthology Wal-Mart exclusive 4th disc):
Shawn Michaels fought Kurt Angle to a draw in a 30-minute Ironman match, 2-2; fall #1: Angle pinned Michaels with the Olympic Slam off the top at 8:08; fall #2: Michaels pinned Angle by reversing an ankle lock attempt into a modified victory roll at 14:48; fall #3: Michaels submitted to the ankle lock into a heel hook at 18:46; fall #4: Michaels pinned Angle with the superkick at 25:14; fall #5: the time limit expired just as Michaels covered Angle following the superkick; after the bout, Michaels grabbed the mic and challenged Angle to continue in sudden death but Angle rejected the offer and left ringside (The Best of Raw 15th Anniversary)
Edge (w/ Lita) defeated Matt Hardy in a ladder match at 13:48 after swinging Hardy from the cable so that he landed across the top rope, then tying Hardy’s arms in the ropes and having Lita lock him in a crucifix to prevent him from escaping; due to pre-match stipulations, Hardy was forced to leave Raw; had Hardy won, he would have claimed Edge’s Money in the Bank world title shot and Edge would have been forced to leave the Raw brand (The Ladder Match, You Think You Know Me? The Story of Edge)
Triple H & WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated Carlito Caribbean Colon & Chris Masters at 9:56 when Triple H pinned Carlito with the Pedigree after Flair prevented Masters from using the sledgehammer on HHH; after the bout, Triple H and Flair celebrated until Hunter hit Flair in the face with the weapon, busting him open; moments later, Triple H slapped Flair, punched him in the face, hit him in the face with the sledgehammer a second time, and continued to assault him at ringside right in front of the legends sitting in the front row; during and after the commercial break, Hunter continued to attack Flair backstage and even punched Michael Hayes when he tried to intervene; moments later, Triple H threw Flair into a limo and smashed the window with his sledgehammer before it drove off (Triple H’s return to the ring following Vengeance)
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Ashley defeated Torrie Wilson, Victoria, & Candice Michelle in a handicap bra & panties match at 3:37 when both Trish & Ashley depantsed Torrie
World Heavyweight Champion Batista, WWE US Champion Chris Benoit, & Rey Mysterio Jr. fought John Bradshaw Layfield, Eddie Guerrero, & Christian to a no contest when Eric Bischoff came out on the stage immediately after the match started, said he was in charge since Vince McMahon had left the building, ordered that the lights be shut off so that the wrestlers couldn’t compete, and then ordered that the show go to commercial break; Michael Cole, Tazz, & Teddy Long did guest commentary for the bout; during the commercial break, Todd Grisham interviewed JBL backstage, who said he once beat Kevin Von Erich for the NWA World Title and then cut a promo on Bischoff, saying someone would pay later in the night
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Eric Bischoff (w/ Kurt Angle) in a No DQ match with the FU at 1:45 after fighting off an interfering Kurt Angle; earlier in the broadcast, Bischoff asked Vince McMahon to make the match No DQ but Vince rejected the offer; since McMahon had left the building, Bischoff made the stipulation himself; after the bout, Teddy Long interrupted Cena and Angle’s fight in the ring and sent in the 6 previous Smackdown! wrestlers, along with Ken Kennedy, to the ring; moments later, a number of Raw wrestlers came out as Batista attempted to hit the powerbomb on Bischoff; the show came to a close as all the Raw and Smackdown! stars brawled in the ring

10/10/05; Corpus Christi, TX; American Bank Center
10/10/05 – included an opening segment in which Stephanie McMahon came out, addressed the incident which took place the previous week between the McMahon family and Steve Austin, slapped a production employee when he told her to wrap it up for commercial, and slapped Lilian Garcia moments thereafter; before cutting to commercial, Stephanie stood on the commentary table and announced that, “The bitch is back”; featured a segment of Carlito’s Cabana in which Carlito mentioned who the rightful #1 contender should be, which brought out Kurt Angle who then spoke about how he dominated Shawn Michaels in the Ironman match from the previous week; moments later, Shawn Michaels came out to dispute the claim and the Big Show followed shortly thereafter to claim that he is deserving of a title shot as well; Edge & Lita then came out and stated Edge was the one deserving of a title shot; Carlito then chimed in and mentioned he should be #1 contender; WWE World Champion John Cena then appeared on the stage and cut a rap on all 5 potential challengers; included a backstage segment in which Triple H walked down the hallway and was met by disgruntled looks by most of the Raw roster over his attack on Ric Flair last week, most notably Shawn Michaels, the Big Show, and John Cena; featured an in-ring promo by Triple H regarding his assault on Flair, saying Flair was a shell of his former self when he came into the WWE 4 years ago and it was thanks to Triple H that Flair regained some of his prior glory; he then explained that he was forced to put Flair out of his misery so Flair’s legacy would no longer be tarnished; included a preview of ‘Doom’ starring the Rock; featured the announcement that Mick Foley would be a guest of Carlito’s Cabana the following week; included a vignette promoting the return of Kane scheduled for the following week; featured a closing segment in which Vince McMahon came out and said he didn’t blame Eric Bischoff or Steve Austin for the incident the previous week, he blamed the fans for enjoying it and ‘fired’ the fans as a result; moments later, McMahon asked that the commentary team come to the ring so he could address them personally; he then brought up the fact that neither Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, or Jonathan Coachman did anything to help Stephanie & Linda McMahon the previous week and demanded an apology from all three, eventually sending Coachman and Lawler out of the ring once they apologized but keeping JR in the ring so he could personally apologize to Stephanie; when Ross stated, “I said it once, I’m sorry your momma got Stunned”, Stephanie slapped him in the face; moments later, Linda McMahon came out instead of Shane, fired JR, and kicked him in the groin as the shown came to a close:
Rob Conway pinned Doink the Clown (Steve Lombardi) at 2:43 with the Ego Trip; after the bout, Conway cut a promo on the WWE legends, saying they were a joke and that he was a future WWE Hall of Famer; moments later, Conway continued his assault on Doink, prompting Eugene to come out and clear Conway from the ring; Conway soon attacked Eugene from behind and hit the Ego Trip
Chris Masters defeated Tajiri via submission with the full nelson at 2:23; prior to the match, Tajiri attacked Masters during his ring entrance
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus pinned Victoria at 3:40 by reversing a piledriver attempt into a backdrop and cover; pre-match sitpulations stated that both Candice Michelle & Torrie Wilson were banned from ringside; after the bout, Ashley attempted to make the save for Trish but was assaulted by Victoria; moments later, an unknown woman came out, attacked Victoria, knocked her to the floor following a belt shot to the face, and then handed the title back to Trish before leaving the ring; after the commercial break, the woman introduced herself to Trish and Ashley backstage, saying her name was Micki James and she was Trish’s #1 fan
Kurt Angle, Edge (w/ Lita), & Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated WWE World Champion John Cena, Shawn Michaels, & the Big Show at 19:29 when Angle pinned Cena with a roll up after reversing Cena’s attempt at the ankle lock; during the ring intros, Vince McMahon was shown arriving to the arena

10/17/05; Sacramento, CA; Arco Arena
10/17/05 – included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon came out onto the stage to talk about Jim Ross’ firing the previous week and said Linda McMahon would appear on the show later to further discuss the situation; McMahon then mentioned that there were rumors that Steve Austin would be coming to the arena later on but he was prepared to beat Austin up, if he had to; a video montage was then played in tribute of JR but all the clips were of him being beaten up or embarrassed; McMahon then had Jonathan Coachman, the new lead commentator of Raw, come out, who wore a JR-style cowboy hat; moments later, as Vince went backstage, he was confronted by Kurt Angle about who the #1 contender is; Angle and McMahon were soon interrupted by the Hurricane, complaining about Coachman taking JR’s job; McMahon told Angle to “sick ’em”, with Angle assaulting Hurricane from the backstage area, through the crowd, around ringside, and into the ring where he applied the ankle lock and heel hook; Angle eventually released the hold after several referees came into the ring; during the commercial break, Rosey came out to help the Hurricane but was shoved away before Hurricane took his mask off and went backstage alone; featured a vignette promoting the return of Kane later in the show; following the break, Jerry Lawler came out to join Coachman on commentary; included a backstage segment with Vince and Eric Bischoff in which Bischoff announced there would be a triple threat match for the WWE World Title at Taboo Tuesday involving Angle, John Cena, and a third man who would be determined at the pay-per-view; three men would qualify for the spot later in the night in the following matches – Edge vs. the Big Show, Shawn Michaels vs. Carlito, and an 18-man battle royal; featured footage from Chicago’s AllState Arena of tickets going on sale for WrestleMania 22; included Mick Foley as a guest of Carlito’s Cabana in which Foley questioned Linda McMahon’s firing of JR before Linda appeared on the Titantron from Stamford, CT, with Linda saying that if JR was thinking about a lawsuit he should know that the McMahon family would fight him and win; moments later, Foley and Carlito had words, with Foley saying Shawn Michaels would beat Carlito later in the show; featured an in-ring promo by WWE IC Champion Ric Flair regarding the attack he suffered at the hands of Triple H two weeks earlier; during the segment, Flair brought up his plane crash in 1975 before tearing open the bandage on his head, causing his entire face to bleed, as he said he’s taken the best Triple H has to offer and is still standing; after being called out, Triple H walked out but was quickly chased backstage after Flair pulled a baseball bat out from under the ring; included a backstage interview with Carlito in which he challenged Mick Foley to a match at Taboo Tuesday; featured Steve Austin driving a pickup truck into the arena immediately following the divas tag team match, with Austin demanding that Vince McMahon come out to address the Jim Ross situation; moments later, Stephanie McMahon came out instead, with Stephanie announcing that Austin would have a chance to have JR rehired to Raw if he could defeat Jonathan Coachman at Taboo Tuesday; to end the segment, Austin confronted Coachman at the commentary table, eventually pouring beer in his cowboy hat:
The Big Show pinned Edge (w/ Lita) with the chokeslam at 10:24 after Edge became distracted by JBL’s entrance music as he prepared to hit Show with his briefcase; due to pre-match stipulations, Show became one of the three potential wrestlers to be involved in the Taboo Tuesday main event; late in the bout, Coachman referred to Edge’s spear as the ‘Gore’ before being corrected; following the commercial break, Edge told Eric Bischoff to watch Smackdown! on Friday to see how he would get his payback
Shawn Michaels pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool at 16:42 after superkicking a steel chair into Carlito’s face; due to pre-match stipulations, Michaels became the second of three potential wrestlers to be involved in the Taboo Tuesday main event
Victoria, Torrie Wilson, & Candice Michelle defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus, Ashley, & Micki James at 1:48 when Victoria pinned James with an inside cradle; after the bout, James hit the Stratusfaction on Victoria, hoping to gain Trish’s approval
Kane won an 18-man battle royal by last eliminating Chris Masters; order of elimination: Carlito Caribbean Cool by Kane following a chokeslam at the 12-second mark; Viscera by Kane via a boot to the face; Edge was eliminated (occured during the commercial break); Tyson Tomko was eliminated (occured during the commercial break); Tajiri was eliminated (occured during the commercial break); Gene Snitsky by Kane via a clothesline (occured during the commercial break); Rosey by Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade; Eugene by Rob Conway; Conway by Eugene by pulling him over the top rope; Murdoch & Cade by Kane via a double clothesline; Kerwin White by Shelton Benjamin; Benjamin by Kane via a clothesline; Val Venis by Masters via a clothesline; Antonio & Romeo by Kane via a double throw; Masters by Kane via a backdrop; prior to the bout, Eric Bischoff announced that Ric Flair would face Triple H, Mick Foley would face Carlito, and a divas battle royal would all take place at Taboo Tuesday; John Cena came out to do commentary, with Bischoff then introducing Kane as the surprise participant in the battle royal; due to pre-match stipulations, Kane earned a spot as one of the three possible participants in the Taboo Tuesday main event; after the contest, Kane and Cena locked eyes before the show went off the air

10/24/05; Fresno, CA; Save Mart Center
10/24/05 – featured Jonathan Coachman & Jerry Lawler on commentary; included an in-ring promo by Coachman in which he called out Steve Austin prior to their scheduled match at Taboo Tuesday; Austin’s music then began to play and his pickup truck drove ringside but Stephanie McMahon came out of the truck and said Austin wasn’t in the building; Mick Foley then appeared and took issue with Stephanie’s comments towards Jim Ross, who just had colon surgery days earlier; Stephanie then introduced Carlito, Foley’s opponent at Taboo Tuesday, before hitting a low blow on Foley as he was watching Carlito walk down the ramp; Carlito then assaulted Foley in the ring before spitting in his face; included an in-ring promo by Edge, alongside Lita, & Chris Masters in which they analyzed their potential opponents at Taboo Tuesday; moments later, John Bradshaw Layfield, one of the potential opponents, appeared on the big screen and called Masters out to the parking lot; Masters then went out to the parking lot but JBL drove off in his limo, prompting Rey Mysterio Jr. to jump in the ring, dropkick Edge, and hit the 619 on Lita; featured an in-ring promo by Vince McMahon in which he showed alleged footage from Ross’s recent colonoscopy surgery on the big screen:
Shawn Michaels defeated Kane and the Big Show by pinning Show at 7:36 following the superkick
Triple H fought Viscera to a no contest when WWE IC Champion Ric Flair jumped Triple H from behind on the ramp before the match began; the two then brawled around ringside before referees broke up the fight
Mickie James (w/ Trish Stratus & Ashley) pinned Victoria (w/ Candice Michelle & Torrie Wilson) at 3:26 with a small package following a DDT
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch defeated Rosey in a non-title handicap match when Murdcoch scored the pin at 3:12 after a lariat / clip to the knee double team; Hurricane was scheduled to be Rosey’s partner but did not appear after the two had an altercation the previous week; during the bout, Hurricane appeared at the entrance stage in street clothes and it was noted he now wished to be known as Gregory Helms
Kurt Angle defeated WWE World Champion John Cena in a non-title match via submission with the ankle lock at 11:12; Mick Foley was the guest referee for the match but was attacked by Carlito at the 9-minute mark; Eric Bischoff then took over officiating duties and physically forced Cena to slap his hand to the mat while being caught in the submission hold

10/31/05; Anaheim, CA; Arrowhead Pond
10/31/05 – featured Jonathan Coachman dressed as Steve Austin, Todd Grisham dressed as Harry Caray, and Lilian Garcia dressed as the Queen of Hearts; included an opening segment in which Rey Mysterio Jr., accompanied by Teddy Long, came out to accept the Masterlock Challenge from Chris Masters, with Eric Bischoff; when a brawl began between the two, Bischoff ordered Raw superstars Edge, Lita, Kerwin White, Gene Snitsky, Nick Nemeth, Trevor Murdoch & Lance Cade to help Masters; moments later, Long called for back-up and Matt Hardy, John Bradshaw Layfield, Christian, and Hardcore Holly came out of the crowd to even the odds, eventually clearing the ring of the Raw wrestlers before Mysterio hit the 619 on Masters; Long then cut a promo saying the Smackdown! stars would win at Taboo Tuesday; featured a video package focusing on the history between Ric Flair and Triple H, followed by Flair cutting a promo on the stage saying he wanted his match at Taboo Tuesday to be in a cage; included an in-ring promo by Carlito Caribbean Cool in which he was interrupted by Dude Love, Cactus Jack, and Mankind appearing in seperete promos on the big screen; Jonathan Coachman then said he was calling Steve Austin out then and there; after the commercial break, Coachman introduced his cornerman for Taboo Tuesday, Goldust; Vince McMahon then came out on the stage and said Austin was involved in an accident over the weekend and would not be on Raw or at Taboo Tuesday, declaring Coachman the winner via forfeit; McMahon then said Coachman would still compete at Taboo Tuesday against a Smackdown! superstar, saying Coach would face Sho Funaki; Funaki then came out and was assaulted by Goldust under orders of Coachman, sustaining the Curtain Call and being kicked to the floor; Coachman said he wanted better competition and would face anyone from Smackdown, with World Heavyweight Champion Batista then coming out to answer the challenge; after fighting off Goldust, Batista was beaten down by Vader, who Lawler briefly referred to as ‘Big Van Vader’, before Coachman, Goldust, and Vader leaving ringside together (Goldust’s surprise return after a 2-year absence; Vader’s surprise return after a 7-year absence); featured a highlight package from the Raw tour of Australia; included Lawler & Coachman discussing that Raw was listed as #1 in cable ratings the previous week; featured the announcement that Tyson Tomko would be Rob Conway’s tag team partner for Taboo Tuesday against Eugene & a legend to be determined and that Ric Flair’s IC title would be on the line in his match with Triple H; included footage from the Taboo Tuesday press conference; featured a divas Halloween costume contest, with Ashley dressed as a dark angel, Maria dressed as an angel, Candice Michelle dressed as Catwoman, Mickie James dressed as Trish Stratus, Victoria dressed in a baseball outfit and a Chicago White Sox hat, and WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus dressed as Wonder Woman; Mickie James eventually interrupted the individual cheering, noting everyone should be voting for Trish, leading to a confrontation between her and Victoria, Candice being assaulted by Ashley, Maria, Trish, and Mickie, and Trish dropping Victoria with the Chick Kick:
Kurt Angle defeated Tajiri via submission with the ankle lock at 4:00 after avoiding the Tarantula; after the bout, Angle cut an in-ring promo on being 3-0 against Cena in recent weeks, prompting Cena to run out and clear Angle from the ring
Eugene defeated Rob Conway via disqualification at 3:10 when Conway hit his opponent with a chair to the head and a second one after the bout; following the contest, Jim Duggan, Kamala, and Jimmy Snuka came out to make the save, with Duggan hitting Conway with his 2×4, Kamala following with a splash, Snuka hitting the splash off the top, and Jerry Lawler – wearing a Burger King mask – hitting a flying fistdrop
Triple H pinned Viscera with the Pedigree at the 30-second mark after kicking the ropes into his groin and assaulting him before the bout began; after the bout, Triple H rammed the steel ring steps into Viscera’s face on the floor; moments later, Triple H cut an in-ring promo on facing Flair the following night on pay-per-view
The Big Show & Kane defeated the Heart Throbs in a Texas Tornado Match at 2:46 following simultaneous chokeslams
Shawn Michaels defeated WWE World Champion John Cena via disqualification in a non-title match when Kurt Angle interfered at 9:20 and began assaulting both men; after the bout, Cena attempted to hit the FU on Angle but walked into a superkick from Michaels, with Michaels posing with the spinner belt before laying it across Cena’s chest as the show went off the air

11/7/05; Ft. Wayne, IN; Allen County War Memorial
11/7/05 – featured the debut of Joey Styles as a new commentator, alongside Jerry Lawler & Jonathan Coachman; included an opening segment in which Eric Bischoff addressed the vast majority of the Raw roster, who stood around the ring on the apron; during Bischoff’s in-ring promo, he announced Ric Flair would face Triple H in a Last Man Standing Match and WWE World Champion John Cena would face Kurt Angle at the Survivor Series; he then listed three men for the Raw vs. Smackdown! Survivor Series match – WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Big Show & Kane and team leader Shawn Michaels; moments later, Carlito Caribbean Cool volunteered his services for the match but was interrupted by Shelton Benjamin, who said he was more deserving; Bischoff ordered a match between Carlito and Shelton for later in the show with the winner advancing to Survivor Series; Trevor Murdoch then took the microphone and made a challenge to the Big Show & Kane for a hardcore tag team title match for later in the evening, which was then made official; Gregory Helms then took the mic and challenged Rosey to a match for later in the evening; moments later, Mickie James got on the mic and said everyone should give WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus a round of applause for winning at Taboo Tuesday; Bischoff then announced that Michaels & Cena would face Angle & Chris Masters in the main event of the night; he then had Edge & Lita enter the ring, showed a clip of Edge from Taboo Tuesday in which he said he didn’t care about Raw, verbally abused them for their words, and punished them by sending them to Smackdown! so Edge could face Batista in a streetfight; moments later, Bischoff, the Raw roster, and the fans sang “Na Na Hey Hey” to Edge & Lita; the only Raw superstars not present for the segment were Triple H, Ric Flair, Kurt Angle, and John Cena; featured a segment in which Kurt Angle repeatedly came out, just to return backstage when the crowd began chanting at him; moments later, he told the fans they owed him since he devoted so much time to entertaining them that his wife left him and he wasn’t around to see his daughter make her first steps or say her first words; because of their constant “You Suck” chants, Angle said he wouldn’t compete in the main event; after the commercial break, Angle told Bischoff that the only way he would compete in the main event is if he could have a hand-picked referee and if the fans stopped chanting at him:
Carlito Caribbean Cool pinned Shelton Benjamin at around the 9-minute mark with a roll over and grabbing the ropes for leverage; due to pre-match stipulations, Carlito earned a spot in the Raw vs. Smackdown! Survivor Series match; during the contest, Styles, Lawler, & Coachman incorrectly said the upcoming pay-per-view was the 21st annual Survivor Series when in fact it would be the 19th event (the match began during the commercial break)
Victoria & Candice Michelle defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Mickie James at 3:41 when Victoria pinned James after hitting her with Candice’s wand
Gregory Helms pinned Rosey with the Shining Wizard at 2:32 after Rosey missed a moonsault
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Big Show & Kane defeated Lance Cade & Trevor Murdoch in a hardcore match at 5:30 when Kane pinned Cade following a double chokeslam through the announce table, with Show placing one foot on Kane during the cover for added leverage
WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated Rob Conway via submission with the figure-4 at 3:58; prior to the bout, Triple H came out and took a seat on the stage to watch the contest; during Flair’s intro, he had Lilian Garcia announce him as “the man that beat Triple H at Taboo Tuesday”; after the bout, Flair and Triple H battled into the crowd until they were pulled apart by officials
Kurt Angle & Chris Masters defeated WWE World Champion John Cena & Shawn Michaels via disqualification at around the 12-minute mark when guest referee Daivari saw Michaels with a steel chair, moments after Michaels stole it away from Masters; after the bout, Angle knocked Michaels to the floor while Daivari hit Cena in the back with the chair (the bout began during the commercial break) (Daivari’s surprise return following the Great American Bash)

Taped 11/13/05; Minneapolis, MN; Target Center
11/14/05 – featured an opening segment in which both the Raw and Smackdown! roster, along with commentators, road agents, and announcers, stood on the stage in tribute to Eddie Guerrero; Guerrero’s low rider stood to the left of the entrance for the duration of the night; Vince McMahon gave a few words to begin the broadcast, asked everyone to stand as the bell was tolled 10 times, showed a video package of Guerrero’s career, set to Johnny Cash’s “Hurt”, and finished by saying “Viva La Raza”; the crowd chanted “Eddie” and “Thank You, Eddie” throughout the segment; included individual pre-taped comments about Guerrero from WWE World Champion John Cena, Lilian Garcia, Shawn Michaels, Chavo Guerrero Jr., World Heavyweight Champion Batista, Rey Mysterio Jr. (at the end of which he took off his mask), Chris Benoit, Triple H, and Stephanie McMahon; featured clips from Guerrero’s WWE career, including him spraying the Big Show with a hose from a sewage truck, trying to sell Kurt Angle’s possessions to members of the audience, Los Guerreros’ “Lie, Cheat, & Steal” vignettes, celebrating with Chris Benoit at the end of WrestleMania XX, winning the WWE World Title from Brock Lesnar, and winning the WWF IC title from Chyna during a triple threat match involving Kurt Angle:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Big Show & Kane defeated WWE Smackdown! Tag Team Champions Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury (w/ Melina) in a non-title match at 3:44 when Show pinned Nitro following a double chokeslam; after the bout, Show did an Eddie Guerrero shimmey
Kurt Angle defeated Shelton Benjamin via submission with the ankle lock into a heel hook at 7:39; after the bout, Angle took off one of his Eddie Guerrero arm bands and held it up in the air
Rey Mysterio Jr. pinned Shawn Michaels with the 619 and a springboard legdrop at 14:15; both men wore Eddie Guerrero “I’m Your Papi” t-shirts to the ring; after the bout, Mysterio helped Michaels to his feet and the two men embraced out of respect (Rey Mysterio: Biggest Little Man)
Melina won an interpromotional divas battle royal by last eliminating WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus at 4:50; order of elimination: Mickie James by Jillian Hall at 1:11; Hall by Maria at 1:20; Ashley by Victoria & Candice at 2:23 after a failed catapult attempt; Christy Hemme by Candice at 3:20 following a punch that knocked Christy off the apron; Candice by Trish at 3:48 following a spinning head scissors; Victoria by Maria at 3:55 following a kick from behind; Maria by Trish & Melina at 4:27; Trish by Melina following a blow to the mid-section as Trish stood on the apron
Eugene pinned Simon Dean at 3:12 with the Rock Bottom after Dean, pulling on his power band, was catapulted face-first into the corner; after the bout, Eugene drove backstage on Dean’s ‘Dean Machine’
WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated William Regal via submission with the figure-4 in a non-title match at 3:45
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Randy Orton (w/ Bob Orton Jr.) via disqualification at 3:47 when Bob interfered as Cena attempted the FU; after the bout, Cena sent Bob to the floor, avoided the RKO, and hit the FU on Randy; moments later, Cena took off his “I’m Your Papi” t-shirt, laid it on the mat, and placed his title belt on top

11/21/05; Sheffield, England; Hallam FM Arena
11/21/05 – shown on tape delay; included an opening in-ring segment in which Eric Bischoff along with Team Raw, Shawn Michaels, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Kane & the Big Show, Chris Masters, and Carlito Caribbean Cool, in which he said there were rumors that Smackdown! stars would be in attendance but Todd Grisham, who was outside the arena, said he had not seen anything as of yet; during the segment, Show took exception to Bischoff speaking on his behalf; moments later, World Heavyweight Champion Batista, Teddy Long, Bobby Lashley, Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio Jr., and John Bradshaw Layfield arrived in JBL’s limo, with Batista challenging the Raw team to meet them in the parking lot; Michaels then accepted the challenge and led his team outside, despite Bischoff ordering them not to; moments later, the two teams confronted each other outside and brawled for several moments until Kane and Show dropped Batista onto a car windsheild off-camera; featured a clip of John Cena on MAD TV which would air the following Saturday; included a vignette promoting the return of the Undertaker at Survivor Series; featured the announcement that during WWE Unlimited, Teddy Long and Eric Bischoff agreed that JBL vs. HBK would be a lumberjack match:
WWE IC Champion Ric Flair pinned Trevor Murdoch with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage at 3:35; after the bout, Triple H appeared on the big screen and cut a promo on facing Flair at Survivor Series
Tajiri fought Rob Conway to a no contest when John Bradshaw Layfield interfered and hit the Clothesline from Hell on both participants before grabbing the mic and calling out Chris Masters; moments later, Eric Bischoff came out and said if JBL wanted a match then he could have a match with Shawn Michaels; JBL accepted and then left through the crowd (the bout began during the commercial break)
Kurt Angle pinned Shelton Benjamin at 7:46 when guest referee Daivari pushed Angle on top as Benjamin had him in a roll up after reversing the ankle lock; prior to the bout, Daivari came out as the surprise guest referee for the contest; after the bout, Angle cut an in-ring promo, saying that Daivari would be his full-time referee from now on, even during his title match against John Cena at Survivor Series; moments later, Cena appeared on the big screen and said he would find out for himself whether or not Angle sucks; Cena then walked into the divas locker room to find Candice Michelle and Maria; moments later, he found Gene Snitsky giving Tyson Tomko a shoulder massage and then was confronted by the Boogeyman, who sang ‘London Bridge is Falling Down’; Cena then decided to ask the fans and walked out into the arena and personally asked several fans what they thought of Angle, with each one saying Angle sucks; Cena then cleared the ring of both Angle and Daivari
Val Venis defeated Triple H via disqualification at the 36-second mark after Triple H hit Venis over the head with a steel chair while on the floor; after the bout, Triple H threw his opponent back in the ring and repeatedly hit Venis in the back with the chair; moments later, he hit the Pedigree on Venis
Candice Michelle (w/ Victoria) pinned Mickie James (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus) at 1:39 when Victoria interfered and kicked Mickie in the back of the head as she was distracted by two masked men who came ringside and abducted Trish, taking her out into the crowd; after the commercial break, it was revealed Melina had Johnny Nitro & Joey Mercury kidnap Trish; Melina then challenged Trish to a title match for Survivor Series as the women’s champion was tied in a chair; Melina then kicked Trish in the head, knocking the chair over, to end the segment; Jerry Lawler then left the broadcast table to find Trish
Shawn Michaels (w/ Chris Masters, Chris Masters, WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Big Show & Kane) fought John Bradshaw Layfield (w/ Randy Orton, Rey Mysterio Jr., & Bobby Lashley) to a no contest in a lumberjack match at around 17:30 when Randy Orton hit the RKO on Michaels after JBL sustained the superkick, with all the lumberjacks then brawling in the ring until only Kane and the Big Show remained; moments later, Batista, heavily bandaged, came out to the ring with a steel pipe and took out the tag team champions, eventually hitting a spinebuster on Show to close the broadcast

11/28/05; Cleveland, OH; Quicken Loans Arena
11/28/05 – included an opening segment in which Eric Bischoff demanded each of the WWE superstars come out to the ring after Raw lost the Survivor Series main event the night before; moments later, Vince McMahon came out instead, saying he told the wrestlers to stay backstage; McMahon then mentioned Bischoff didn’t meet any of his goals at Survivor Series and if he didn’t achieve a goal of his choice later in the night, McMahon would look for another Raw GM; when Bischoff told Vince he couldn’t find anyone to replace him, Shane McMahon came out and said he was born to do the job; featured footage from the recent tours of Germany, England, and Ireland; included an in-ring promo from Triple H regarding his win over Ric Flair at Survivor Series; when Triple H said there was no one alive that could look him in the eye, the Big Show came out; after Show challenged Triple H to fight him then and there, Triple H left the ring:
Shawn Michaels pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool with the superkick at 13:44
Kurt Angle fought Maria to a no contest after a matter of seconds when John Cena came out to make the save after Angle hit a belly to belly suplex and attempted the ankle lock; moments later, Chris Masters came out and helped in double teaming Cena; prior to the contest, Daivari attacked referee Chad Patton when Patton rejected Daivari’s claim to being the referee for the match; moments later, Angle told Maria he didn’t want to wrestle her and wanted to give her a hug, which led to the suplex; after the contest, Eric Bischoff announced a triple threat submission match between Angle, Masters, and Cena for later in the show; to end the segment, Angle hit the Olympic Slam on the already injured Cena
WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus, Ashley, & Mickie James defeated Victoria, Candice Michelle, & Torrie Wilson at 4:18 when Mickie pinned Victoria with the Stratusfaction; after the bout, Mickie went to the floor and celebrated the win with Trish’s title belt before eventually handing it to the champion (Torrie’s return after a one month absence)
Trevor Murdoch pinned Shelton Benjamin at 3:12 with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage after Benjamin hit his head on the middle turnbuckle
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions Kane & the Big Show defeated Tyson Tomko & Gene Snitsky at around the 4-minute mark when Show pinned Tomko with the chokeslam (the bout began during the commercial break)
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Kurt Angle and Chris Masters in a No DQ submission match when Masters tapped out to the champion’s STFU at 8:08 after Cena landed two chairshots to Masters’ leg; earlier in the night, Masters announced that Daivari would not be the guest referee for the bout, as he is for all of Angle’s matches, due to a ruling from Eric Bischoff; after the bout, Vince and Shane McMahon were shown backstage, with Vince telling Shane he would “take out the trash” the following week, referring to Bischoff

12/5/05; North Charleston, SC; Coliseum
12/5/05 – included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon came out to the ring in a trash truck, saying he promised to “Take out the trash”, and asked Eric Bischoff to come out to the ring; McMahon then told Bischoff he would be tried; Jonathan Coachman was brought out in Bischoff’s defense and Mick Foley was brought out as the prosecutor; McMahon said the argument would continue throughout the show, at the end of which it would be determined whether or not Bischoff would be fired as Raw GM; featured Bischoff’s trial within a courtroom, with Chris Masters as the bailiff; Foley used Stephanie McMahon, Tajiri, Mae Young (w/ the Fabulous Moolah) and Maria while Coachman used Masters, Daivari, and Simon Dean (where the Boogeyman appeared instead, saying Bischoff will soon be gone); included the announcement that Raw would be taping a Holiday with the Troops special to air in 2 weeks time; featured a segment of The Cutting Edge, with Edge and Lita, in which they made fun of the scheduled guest Ric Flair, who failed to appear, over Flair’s bad week in the press stemming from a bout of road rage; as the two attempted to talk about Flair’s marital life, Michael Hayes and Sgt. Slaughter came out to stop the segment; moments later, Hayes took a mic and verbally abused Edge, saying he had no respect for those that came before him and had never been a main eventer or a world champion; when Edge brought up Hayes’ Freebird partner, the deceased Terry Gordy, Hayes said the only reason Edge had the show was because he was “banging Matt Hardy’s ex-girlfriend”; Edge then laid out both Slaughter and Hayes before leaving the ring; included MSNBC’s Rita Cosby in attendance; featured an in-ring closing segment in which Vince McMahon had Mick Foley and Jonathan Coachman give their closing arguments as to why Eric Bischoff should stay or go as GM, during which Bischoff stepped in and said that his Elimination Chamber idea was very successful and proposed the gimmick match headline the next Raw pay-per-view event; moments later, WWE World Champion John Cena came out and polled the fans as to whether or not Bischoff should be fired; to close the show, McMahon agreed that the world title would be on the line at New Year’s Revolution in an Elimination Chamber match but Bischoff wouldn’t be there to see it; McMahon then fired Bischoff, with Cena then hitting the FU on the former GM; to close the show, McMahon stuffed Bischoff into the garbage truck and drove out of the arena:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champions the Big Show & Kane defeated Val Venis & Viscera, Tyson Tomko & Gene Snitsky, and the Heart Throbs at 2:27 when Show and Kane pinned Tomko, Romeo, and Venis following a triple chokeslam; prior to the bout, it was announced that World Heavyweight Champion Batista & Rey Mysterio Jr. would face Kane & Big Show at Armageddon
Victoria (w/ Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle) pinned Mickie James (w/ WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus) at 4:11 with a roll up and grabbing the tights for leverage after Trish countered Candice’s interference
Chavo Guerrero Jr. pinned Lance Cade with a frog splash at 3:40
Triple H pinned Tajiri with the Pedigree at 2:40
Kurt Angle (w/ Daivari) & Carlito Caribbean Cool defeated Shawn Michaels & Shelton Benjamin at 11:42 when Carlito pinned Benjamin after Benjamin tagged himself in, as Michaels prepared to hit the superkick, and missed a crossbody off the top; after the bout, Michaels tried to console his partner but Benjamin shoved him away and left the ring

12/12/05; Boston, MA; TD Banknorth Garden
12/12/05 – included an opening segment in which Vince McMahon said he would take applications for the new Raw GM later in the night and that a series of qualifying matches would take place to decide which five men would compete in the Elimination Chamber match at New Year’s Revolution against John Cena for the WWE World Title; featured footage of John Cena promoting his album in Milan, Italy; included a video montage from previous WWE Iraqi tours set to Scott Stapp’s “You Set Me Free”; featured both Christopher Nowinski and Dusty Rhodes applying for the GM position:
Kurt Angle pinned WWE IC Champion Ric Flair in a non-title match at 9:42 after hitting him with one of his gold medals as referee Jack Doane pulled a steel chair, which Angle brought into the ring, away from Flair; due to pre-match stipulations, Angle earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber main event of New Year’s Revolution; after the bout, Angle cut an in-ring promo saying he was proud that he did not volunteer to participate in the Raw ‘Holiday with the Troops’ special; moments later, Angle said he might go over to Afghanistan if the troops ever caught Osama bin Ladin; Daivari then appeared on the big screen backstage where he spat on a model of Larry Bird before John Cena appeared and slapped Daivari across the face; Cena then replied to Angle’s comments about the US troops; after the commercial break, Edge and Lita confronted Flair backstage
Carlito Caribbean Cool pinned Shelton Benjamin at 6:03 with an inside cradle as Benjamin attempted to spit a mouthful of apple into Carlito’s face after hitting the Exploder suplex; due to pre-match stipulations, Carlito earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber main event of New Year’s Revolution
Shawn Michaels defeated WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Big Show via disqualification at 5:31 when Triple H came ringside with a steel chair and hit Michaels with it on the floor to cost Show the match; due to pre-match stipulations, Michaels earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber main event of New Year’s Revolution
Chris Masters defeated Viscera via submission with the full nelson at 3:07; due to pre-match stipulations, Masters earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber main event of New Year’s Revolution
Mickie James pinned Victoria with an elevated DDT at 3:16; WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus did guest commentary for the bout; due to pre-match stipulations, Mickie earned a women’s title shot at New Year’s Revolution
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kane pinned Triple H at 10:23 after the Big Show interfered as the referee was knocked down and assisted Kane in hitting a double chokeslam on Triple H; due to pre-match stipulations, Kane earned a spot in the Elimination Chamber main event of New Year’s Revolution
WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Daivari (w/ Kurt Angle) in a non-title match at 3:39 via submission with the STFU; Cena was blindfolded with a black hood for the duration of the contest; after the bout, Cena fought off an attack by Angle, clearing him from the ring, before hitting the FU on Daivari to close the show

Taped 12/9/05; Bagram, Afghanistan; Air Base
“Holiday with the Troops” – 12/19/05; featured an opening in-ring segment where Vince McMahon praised the troops for their efforts and said they were being largely ignored by the media in the States; he then introduced Lilian Garcia who sang “The Star Spangled Banner”; included footage of the WWE superstars visiting Ramstein Air Force Base and Landstuhl Regional Medical Center on their way to Afghanistan; featured a video package on the high number of land mines positioned in the area; included footage of WWE World Champion John Cena and WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus holding a press conference for Afghan TV; featured footage of MSNBC’s Rita Cosby documenting the WWE’s tour, with comments from Rita, JBL, Triple H, and Vince McMahon; Cosby was later shown in attendance of the show; included video montages of the tour set to “You and Me” by Lifehouse and “Right Here Waiting” by Staind; featured a commercial for the following week’s Raw where Kurt Angle would make a major announcement; included a video package on some of the soldiers killed in the line of duty; featured a closing video package set to Scott Stapp’s “You Set Me Free”:
WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Big Show pinned Carlito Caribbean Cool with the chokeslam at 1:09
Mick Foley pinned John Bradshaw Layfield in a no holds barred match with the Mr. Socko Mandible Claw at 1:58 after a double arm DDT; the match came about after JBL, dressed as Santa Claus, was interviewed in the ring by Jonathan Coachman, with JBL saying he was going to cancel all the holidays; moments later, Foley, also dressed as Santa, came out and said he wanted a no holds barred match against the other Santa; during the contest, both of their costumes were removed
Gene Snitsky pinned Shelton Benjamin at 1:52 with a boot to the face after Benjamin hit his head on an exposed top turnbuckle
WWE World Champion John Cena pinned Chris Masters in a non-title match at 4:53 with the FU
WWE IC Champion Ric Flair defeated Jonathan Coachman via submission with the figure-4 at 2:01
Candice Michelle & Maria defeated WWE Women’s Champion Trish Stratus & Ashley when Candice pinned Ashley with a roll up and grabbing the clothes for leverage at 4:16
Shawn Michaels pinned Triple H in a bootcamp match at 13:35 with the superkick after a catapult sent Triple H face-first into the corner; prior to the bout, Jerry Lawler & Joey Styles mentioned that one of the soldiers on hand, Chris Polumbo, is the brother of former WWE wrestler Chuck Polumbo and was a recipient of the silver star

12/26/05; Bridgeport, CT; Harbor Yard Arena
Raw – featured an opening segment in which Vince McMahon announced that the search for a new Raw GM would continue later in the night and that all six participants in the Elimination Chamber would compete in “Beat the Clock” matches, with the wrestler with the quickest win earning the opportunity to enter the chamber last; McMahon then said he would review the Bret Hart DVD later in the broadcast; included The Cutting Edge with Edge & Lita in which a Ric Flair impersonator (Matt Striker) appeared on the big screen, with Edge saying Flair stole everything – from the chops to the nickname to the Wooo; moments later, the real Flair came out and cleared the ring of both Edge and Lita; later in the show, Vince said Flair would defend the IC title against Edge at New Year’s Revolution; featured a sit-down backstage promo by Kurt Angle in which he said he was proud to have not gone on the tour of Afghanistan, noting the U.S. troops shouldn’t be praised so much for simply doing their job and that no one forced them to join the military; Angle then said they all made him sick and then stormed off; included Torrie Wilson applying for the Raw GM position; featured Mickie James dressing up the women’s locker room for Trish Stratus as a Christmas present and kissing Trish underneath the mistletoe, with Trish then walking out of the locker room; included the contract signing between Triple H and WWE Raw Tag Team Champion the Big Show for their match at New Year’s Revolution, overseen by Jonathan Coachman, during which the two men shared words before Triple H stabbed Show in the face with the pen and smashed Show’s right hand with the sledgehammer before he signed the contract and left ringside; featured a video on Stacy Keibler training for “Dancing with the Stars 2”; included a backstage promo by Carlito Caribbean Cool in which he did a Christmas rhyme about winning the world title, then spat an apple at the camera; featured a closing segment in which Vince McMahon showed a brief clip from the Bret Hart DVD of Bret saying he wouldn’t change anything he did; moments later, Shawn Michaels came out, with the crowd chanting “We Want Bret”, said he would do it all over again and then told Vince to move on and not to let it be a constant topic of conversation; Vince then said that Bruno Sammartino, Pedro Morales, Superstar Billy Graham, and Hulk Hogan all “moved on” but McMahon remained constant, and then asked if Shawn wanted to join that list; McMahon said his New Year’s resolution was not to take crap from Michaels or anyone else and that, while he did screw Bret Hart, he could also screw Micheals:
Beat the Clock Match: Shawn Michaels pinned Gene Snitsky with the superkick at 5:56
Beat the Clock Match: Chris Masters fought Chavo Guerrero Jr. to a no contest at around 6:20 when, after Masters realized he would not beat Michaels’ time, he released the full nelson and cut an in-ring promo saying that the clock was off but he would still win the WWE World Title at “New Year’s Resolution”; moments later, Chavo cleared Masters from the ring
Beat the Clock Match: Daivari defeated Kurt Angle via count-out at 1:16 when Angle chased referee Mike Chioda into the crowd when Chioda refused to count Angle’s cover as Daivari laid down for his opponent, with Chioda sliding back into the ring to administer the 10-count
Beat the Clock Match: WWE World Champion John Cena defeated Shelton Benjamin in a non-title match at 7:16 via submission with the STFU after hitting the FU; after the bout, Cena fought off an interfering Daivari before he and Kurt Angle were pulled apart by officials; after the commercial break, Benjamin was shown talking to someone on the phone, with the other person on the line saying they would appear the following week; moments later, as Matt Striker spoke to Vince McMahon about applying for the Raw GM position, Vince said Cena would face Angle next week in a First Blood match
Beat the Clock Match: Carlito Caribbean Cool pinned Victoria (w/ Torrie Wilson & Candice Michelle) with the Roll of the Dice at 2:36; after the bout, Carlito spat an apple in Victoria’s face
Beat the Clock Match: WWE Raw Tag Team Champion Kane defeated the Heart Breakers in a handicap match at the 27-second mark by pinning both following a double chokeslam; because Kane earned the quickest win of all the Elimination Chamber participants, he won the right to enter the match last