Raw is War
Charlotte, North Carolina
December 6, 2004
WORLD HEAVYWEIGHT CHAMPIONSHIP
VACATED
DEC. 6, 2004
Chris Benoit and Edge both claimed to be the rightful World Heavyweight Champion
on Monday Night RAW, but WWE Chairman Mr. McMahon had different plans.
Mr. McMahon studied the footage from last week’s Triple Threat Match. Concluding
that the match ended in a tie, Mr. McMahon did what he considered the only
reasonable course of action: vacate the Championship.
And by clarifying the situation, Mr. McMahon added another layer of mystery to
the World Heavyweight Championship picture. Before RAW, only three men could
legitimately be declared the titleholder. Now, anything goes. That fact
certainly wasn’t lost on Randy Orton, who contractually could not challenge
Triple H while he held the World Heavyweight Championship. Now a very happy
Orton, along with a host of other RAW Superstars, could conceivably soon be
Champion.
Ultimately, it will be up to returning RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff to
determine how and when the next champion will be crowned. But Mr. McMahon made
on thing quite clear: Triple H is no longer World Heavyweight Champion — a fact
that launched The Game into a full-blown rage backstage.
That fury boiled over into a tag-team match later in the evening, as Triple H
hit everyone in sight with a steel chair — including the referee and,
accidentally, Batista.
Edge was no happier with Mr. McMahon’s decision, and he called out Randy Orton
to take out his aggression. As a result, a match was made between Edge and Orton
for next week’s RAW from Huntsville, Ala.
But that’s next week. This week in Charlotte, N.C., RAW was Jericho. Y2J took
over as GM-for-a-day, and his stint in charge left a lasting impression on the
Women’s Division. Jericho forced Trish Stratus into a match against Lita. Much
to Trish’s disgust, Lita became the new Women’s Champion despite a
heart-stopping suicide dive to the outside. Lita was able to recover, then
finish Trish off with a Twist of Fate and top-rope moonsault.
Jericho put another title up for grabs by making a match between Christian and
Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin. But in order to earn a shot at the
title, Christian had to agree to dress up as “Captain Charisma” for the duration
of the match. After initially hesitating, Christian did appear in the pink mask
and attire. And it looked like Christian might just pull the match out, but
Benjamin caught Charisma with the T-bone suplex with the Captain blinded by his
own mask, then got the pin.
Maven and Eugene had it out in a full-fledged match after Maven’s sneak attack
last week. But Maven snapped again, stepping on Eugene’s throat beyond the count
of five and causing a disqualification. Maven followed that up by smashing
William Regal with the ring bell.
Simon Dean joined the ranks of RAW’s Superstars, taking on The Hurricane. RAW’s
resident Superhero couldn’t overcome the Simon System, as Dean rolled him up
with a handful of tights for the victory. Simon then displayed his patented
powder as he celebrated up the entrance ramp.
And it wouldn’t have been Jericho’s night running RAW without “the biggest party
in the history of RAW.” So, Fozzy performed during Y2J’s Rock & Roll
Limbo-A-Go-Go featuring sizzling Divas Candace, Maria, Melina and Stacy Keibler.
Christy won the limbo, but the fun was stopped short by Muhhamad Hassan and
Khosrow Daivari, who let everyone know that Hassan’s debut would come next week
on RAW.
MATCH RESULTS
Eugene def. Maven (DQ)
Christy wins the Rock & Roll Limbo-A-Go-Go
Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin def. Captain Charisma
Simon Dean def. The Hurricane
Chris Benoit & Chris Jericho def. Triple H & Batista (DQ)
Lita def. Trish Stratus (new Women’s Champion)