WWE Raw House Show Results: Birmingham, Alabama 2/28/04
Submitted by Matthew Tremley on Sunday, February 29, 2004 at 11:12 AM EST


• UNADramaDragon sent in the following report:
  
  I just got in from the Raw House Show in Birmingham, Alabama. It was a good show, and there were some interesting things to report.
  
  - Match 1: Lance Storm v.s. Rene Dupree
  
  - Crowd was hot for Storm, although they started a USA chant which seemed to confuse both of the superstars. Despite interference from Rob Conway, Storm picked up the victory with the Maple Leaf. He celebrated by dancing for the crowd afterwards.
  
  - Match 2: Jindrak and Cade v.s. The Dudleys
  
  - Before the match, Teddy Long came out and announced that he was the GM of Raw tonight, and that he was going to be keeping an eye on the competitors to see if there was anyone he'd like to associate himself with.
  
  - By far, this was the worst match on the card. The Dudleys looked sluggish, and Jindrak and Cade looked worse than many indy workers I've seen. Fortunately, Bubba wore pants instead of those goofy shorts he's been wearing on tv lately. Jindrak and Cade picked up the pin on D-Von after Bubba was distracted by Teddy Long.
  
  Match 3: Matt Hardy V.1 v.s. Horshu
  
  - Horshu is a hoss. He looks a lot like Matt Morgan, and a little like Goldberg. Hardy played the face in the match, and Horshu roughed him up for the better part of the match. Hardy managed to get in most of his big spots before taking the match home with the Twist of Fate.
  
  Match 4: Val Venis v.s. Nick Dinsmore
  
  - Dinsmore has a crazed look. His hair is wild, and he has a funky goatee. The two had a decent match. Val picked up the win.
  
  Match 5: Christian v.s. Chris Jericho
  
  - NOTE: WWE Referee Tim White was the assigned official for this match. White came out, and the crowd definitely recognized that he had been absent from tv. About two minutes into the match White began favoring his right shoulder, and Mike Chioda came to ringside. White didn't seem to want to be relieved, but after attempting a few times to make counts with his left arm he was relieved by Chioda. I'm not sure if this was White's first appearance in a WWE ring since his injury, but it definitely appeared to be something of a homecoming.
  
  - Christian and Jericho had a decent match, precipitated by Christian bragging about the way he manhandled Trish Stratus on Monday's Raw. Jericho picked up the win with the Walls of Jericho.
  
  INTERMISSION
  
  - When we got back from intermission there was an encounter between Teddy Long and Chris Benoit which resulted in Long receiving the Crippler Crossface. One of my friends and I have decided that Chris Benoit is physically incapable of looking in an upward direction. His neck is just too damned big.
  
  Match 6: Kane v.s. Hurricane
  
  - Kane roughed up Hurricane for the better part of the match. Kane attempted a chokeslam, but he was interrupted by the Undertaker's gong, followed by the sound distortion that usually preceeds the return video package. Kane turns around and almost catches a Hurri-Chokeslam, but he counters into the Chokeslam from Hell. End of match.
  
  Match 7: RVD and Booker T v.s. Randy Orton and Batista
  
  - For the record, Batista is a monster, and Orton looks a little softer in person. This was one of the better matches on the card. RVD and Booker T had matching gear, and they seemed to function well as a tag team. Apparently, Flair was pulled from the card by the WWE due to his recent neck injury. Orton definitely played to the crowd. A girl in the front row licked his nipple. That was bizarre, to say the least. On numerous occasions he made fun of RVD's stretching and kicks, and Batista got in on it as well. He attempted the most ridiculous RVD-esque kick ever. It had to be seen to be appreciated.
  
  - RVD and Booker T picked up the win after a great match thanks to the Axe Kick, followed shortly by the 5 Star Frog Splash.
  
  Match 8: Torrie Wilson and Sable v.s. Stacy Keibler and Miss Jackie
  
  - Sable looks much younger in person than on television. As a matter of fact, the two Playboy cover girls were by far the more attractive of the two teams. Miss Jackie has a lot of wrinkles under her eyes, and apart from her legs there isn't much to Stacy Keibler. Molly Holly came out and questioned whether or not the Birmingham faithful wanted to see the four Divas go at it. The Divas took the side of the fans, and the match proceeded.
  
  - Torrie scored the pin for the Smackdown team.
  
  Match 9: Chris Benoit v.s. Triple H for the World Heavyweight TItle
  
  - Triple H came into the ring and got some heat for himself. The Birmingham crowd popped big time for The Game, but he quickly manipulated the crowd into cheering for Benoit.
  
  - Benoit and Triple H had a very strong match. For the record, if anyone says Benoit was carrying The Game they're lying, or they don't know much about wrestling. They had a very well-balanced match. They teased the Sharpshooter a number of times, and the crowd popped big when Benoit finally sunk in the move. The Rolling German Suplexes were over with the Birmingham crowd as well.
  
  - Randy Orton ran in and was quickly dispatched by Benoit. Benoit then hooked in the Crippler Crossface on The Game, but he was distracted by the appearance of Batista. Benoit turned around after disposing of Batista and was caught by Triple H with a quick kick to the gut. Pedigree. 1.2.3. End of show.
  
  OTHER NOTES
  
  - Arn Anderson was present for much of the show. There's a stage in Boutwell Auditorium, and Anderson would dart in and out from behind the curtain to chat with the sound tech, and he watched a good portion of the matches.
  
  - Jazz and Victoria were also sighted near the stage area.
  
  - When Tim White re-injured his right shoulder the WWE trainers were quick to respond. They met him at the ring to help him to the back. Mike Chioda stayed crouched in the entrance way for the beginning of the match. It seemed as though the staff and officials of the WWE were keeping a close eye on Tim White in the ring, and at the first sign of trouble they were ready to relieve him.
  
  - White definitely didn't want to leave the match. He tried to continue even though it was obvious he couldn't use his right arm, but he finally conceded and turned the match over to Chioda. Many fans gave White a standing ovation as he departed.
  

  
  

  
  
  

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