TV PG LV entertainment open fireworks

Maven (Germansville, VA, 235 pounds) vs Vinny Valentino (Queens, NY, 235 pounds) - a MAVEN SQUASH? You miss one week, you miss a lot. They're still not bothering not to get different jobbers for different tapings. Circle. Lockup - no Vinny with a kick. Forearm. Forearm to the back. Right. Chop. Chop. European Uppercut. Whip, hiptoss is blocked and Maven hits his own. Clothesline. Corner whip, rebound out into a Maven backdrop. Whip, Vinny grabs the ropes and pulls himself to the apron, but Maven is out after him - hiptoss in. Vinny begs off, Maven comes after him and gets a drop toe hold. Vinny at least has two sets of tights. Knee choke on the bottom rope. Forearms to the back. Northern Lights Suplex one two no. Maven with right hands to battle up but Vinny hits a better one to take him down. Forearm to the neck. Corner whip, reversed, Vinny rebounds out into a kick, suplex is blocked, Vinny with knee lifts, suplex, no Maven lands behind, Vinny stops with a back elbow, Vinny misses with a right, Vinny with a T-Bone suplex one two no. Well I guess it isn't a Maven squashed. Back suplex - Maven seems to try and punch out of it and both men are down. Lita: "We've seen Maven come from underneath before." Anyway, Maven kicks ducks a clothesline (he wanted to block a punch but there was none to be head), reverse neckbreaker. Coach points out this must be a big match because Earl Hebner is in there. Why IS Earl here - someone had the week off? Maven with a right, right, right, right, yell, clothesline. Whip, I guess we're calling that a flapjack but it didn't look so good one two no. Maven goes for a powerbomb but Vinny blocks, backdrop but Maven holds on for a sunset flip, but Vinny rolls through - both up, Vinny small package one two no. Vinny with a kick, corner whip, Vinny charges but Maven flips to the apron. Vinny hits corner, maven to the rope - missile dropkick. One two three (4:25) Hey, he's got a finisher. I'll make a note of that.

Lita and Coach are your announcers - only 2 more days before the new year. Also, one last RAW - well, kinda. Best of RAW on Monday.

Tonight - Jeff Hardy vs Steven Richards.

Lugz Tag Team titles retained of Monday

Johnny "the Bull" Stamboli (Brooklyn, NY, 248 pounds) vs Gabe Roach (Dallas, TX, 265 pounds) - he's a heel this week - he's doing the dismissive hand signals. When did he become the Bull again? I probably didn't notice. Hey I got a Stamboli squash match every week, I'm not paying attention to it. Lita discusses what exactly Jeff was trying to do makeup wise for that title match against the Undertaker. ForgetAboutIt is not the finish - we bring back the leaping to the top rope floor the off the top rope turning legdrop (4:27) just to increase his injury chances. 

Backstage, the Hurricane talks with Raven - we appear to join in halfway.

Hurricane: To be honest, Raven, that goes against everything the Hurricane stands for
Raven: Look, all I'm saying is 'think about it' - just think about it.
[Hurricane looks at Raven, and exits stage left while rubbing his chin thoughtful like. While Coach wonders about what we just saw, enter stage right Chief Morely]  
Chief: Raven, I need to speak to you about your Masterpiece
Raven: Ahhh, the wayward flock returns to the Shepard.
Chief: Uhhh, yea. Listen, administration is a little concerned is with the way your masterpiece has progressed
Raven: Concerned about what?
Chief: Some of the things we've seen, quite frankly, disturb us and we'd like to nip this thing in the bud before it get, you know, too far out of control
Raven: Wait a minute - what are you saying, Chief?
Chief: What am saying is that I'd like to make you an offer.
Raven: Really - what kind of offer?
Chief: Two weeks ago, I saw you in the parking lot on RAW. I know you want back in, Raven. What would you say if I offered you the chance to get back on "RAW" so long as you ended your masterpiece right now?
Raven: All right, what do I got to do for this - if I'm so inclined
Chief: You have to win a match.
Raven: No problem.
Chief: You would have to defeat the man that got you banned from RAW in the first place -
Raven: Tommy Dreamer
Chief. Tommy Dreamer. You beat Dreamer tonight, you're back on RAW.
Raven: So you're saying - give up my masterpiece, give up my shot at immortality, by beating Dreamer and then I'm back on RAW. [thinks - quickly.] I'll do it. I'll do it.
Chief: Good stuff.
[Chief exits, as Raven psyches himself up.]

Wow, I didn't think they'd actually clear up the plot threads before putting him back on RAW.

RAW Live
Thursday Night - Honolulu, HI
Friday Night - Honolulu, HI
Saturday Night - Anaheim, CA
Next Sunday - Colorado Springs, CO
Next Monday - Phoenix, CA [RAW]
Next Tuesday - El Paso, TX 

Triple H/Steiner on RAW (3:08)

Next - Jeff Hardy vs Steven Richards

Steven Richards (w/Victoria) vs - "You wanna know what I think about my relationship with Victoria? [moans] oh she's [moans] oh she's [moans] oh she's [moans] oh [moans]" well you get the idea. This is one time I'm glad they didn't pan down.

Steven Richards (w/Victoria) vs Jeff Hardy (Cameron, NC, 218 pounds) - Victoria gives Steven a pre-match pep speech. Circle. Lockup. Steven with a headlock, shot into the ropes and back with a shoulderblock. Steven celebrates. off the ropes, over, into a hiptoss, armdrag, armdrag, Jeff scares him with a weird stare and pose. Steven's confused - here thought he was the weird one here. Steven with a kick, it's caught, Jeff with a right, right, whip, kick, whip, reversed, Steven with a hiptoss. Steven imitates whatever the heck Jeff with doing and Jeff punches him in the face. Corner whip, reversed, Jeff with kips up and out, Steven is slow to realize, what happened, Jeff jollily skip runs to the other corner [what the] with Steven in pursuit - this time the legs are caught and Jeff is thrown to the floor. Steven throws him in - stomp. Stomp. Stomp. Jeff with a kick. Steven with a boot choke. Chop. Corner whip, charge in but no one's home - inside cradle one two no. Steven with knee lifts to stop it, then knees to the back while Jeff is on the mat. Yelling Suplex works! He pulled him up! Full Nelson Camel Clutch is apparently called the Rat Trap. Lita (who brought up the name) "I wonder if this is the maneuver that Steven used to get in the relationship with Victoria?" Jeff is fighting out, back elbows, drops tot eh mat and kicks Steven away. Steven mangos to try to slam Jeff, but Jeff slips behind for the reverse Twist of Fate. One two three four five six. Steven with a right. Jeff with a right. Steven with a right. Jeff with a right. Steven with a bunch of rights, off the ropes, kick is caught, Jeff hits the reverse enzugiri. Whip, jumping forearm. Whip, reversed, Steven with a dropkick but Steven has the ropes - double low blow legdrop. NO Victoria reaction shot? Compactor one two no. Lita: "Completely Compacted, but no." That's ALMOST calling it, wow. Jeff with a corner whip, reversed Jeff with the Whisper in the Wind, Steven gets kicked right in the face, Jeff slow to cover one two no. Jeff with the corner punches one two - Steven lifts Jeff off and four, but Jeff reverse to a facebuster on his shins. Lita reads a prepared line to call it "Shin City." Jeff goes up - but Victoria is up on the apron yelling at the referee for allowing Jeff to go up top. Jeff is distracted - and Steven crotches him off. StevieT one two three (5:17) Lita wants revenge on Victoria but can't do anything. Wow, Steven is bleeding pretty bad from the nose - must be from the Whisper in the Wind

RAW Retro - JR kisses butt, 11/26/01 (1:04)

And then on RAW. Hey, does Chief wear that shirt every day? (4:46)

Next - Raven vs Tommy Dreamer for Raven's shot to get back on Heat

PS2 Raven Gone From RAW FOREVER (06/24/02)

Raven (248 pounds, the Bowery) vs Tommy Dreamer (Yonkers, NY, 230 pounds) in a "if/when Raven wins, he can be on RAW" match - oh wow, we'll never know how the Masterpiece was to end. Which is probably for the best. What does Tommy get out of this? Probably getting a match this week. Circle. Lockup, Raven with an inside cradle one two no. Raven laughs. Circle. Lockup, Raven with a headlock, cranking it, shot into the ropes, off the ropes shoulderblock, one two no. Break. Kick, Right. Whip, clothesline misses, Dreamer with a kick, DDT no Raven drops to his knees and backs off quick, grabbing his chest in shock of how close that was to being over. RAVEN TAKES OFF HIS SKIRT! He's wearing normal black trunks underneath - and he runs right into a punch. Dreamer is leveraged out of the ring. Raven measures him - right is blocked and Dreamer is back with his own. Barricade smash. Raven thrown in. Dreamer with a look to the front row, Raven with a running knee as he comes in. Stomp. Corner whip, rebound clothesline is ducked, Dreamer with a reverse neckbreaker one two no. Whip, revered, Raven's head down too soon, Dreamer with a sunset flip one two no. Lita and Coach say - if Raven happens to win - he's welcome to come visit Heat every now and then but please don't stay.. Clothesline by Dreamer. One two no. Right hands. Whip, Corner whip, Dreamer charges but Raven moves and Dreamer goes into the post shoulder first. Raven arm smash into the post. Smashing the arm around the post again. Stomping that bad shoulder. Smashed into the steps. Cover one two no. Raven pushes Tommy into the corner, kick to the gut, second rope knee driver to the that shoulder. Step over armbar on the bad shoulder. Dreamer battling up with rights but Raven pulls him down by his hair. Armbar takedown! One two NO. Back to the armbar. After a bit, Dreamer battles to his feet but Raven keeps it on. Wow, Raven tans. Lita sounds so insincere talking about how great the HHH/Steiner arm wrestling match was. Twist, crank, and Dreamer clotheslines out of the hold. Clothesline with the good arm. Swinging neckbreaker one two NO. Corner punch one two three BITE. Whip, reversed, I don't know what was supposed to happen here but Raven kinda just hit a running shoulderblock as Dreamer started to rebound out and now they're both standing around a bit. Dreamer recovers first - bulldog! One two NO. Coach: "That's a modified Dudley Dog!" Well I guess that's a way of looking it. Dreamer with a corner whip, Raven rebounds out, Dreamer scoops up Raven into a fireman's carry but Raven grabs the ropes to escape the DVD, kick wham Dreamer sneaks out and hits his own DDT one two foot on the ropes! Raven hooks his leg around so Dreamer can't pull him out in the middle of the ring till he's ready. Charles Robinson checks on Raven, Tommy pushes him away, Raven hits the low blow one two three. (4:42) Raven is ECSTATIC about being back on Raw. Well, for Raven anyway. Too bad he won't be on this week - Best of RAW tomorrow. "I'M BACK! I'M BACK ON RAW!"

Next.