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Chris Masters is out for something which probably won't resemble a match on any level. Coach would like to embrace Chris Master's entrance. Hey, Justin Roberts getting paid tonight! Your announcers are Coach (back in black) and Todd. "This kid is going to be a star!" Todd wants to talk about the Gold Rush tournament, Coach wants to talk about "the huge bombshell" from RAW. Masters is shocked he's getting booed. Wow, what happened to his face? He's got a bruise under the right eye. Todd encourages Coach to try, but sadly no. Masters picks a guy who really doesn't want to do it, but he's talked into it. Skinny guy. He's in the ring - he's thinking about and he's leaving. Masters stops him and somehow convinces him to say. It's Gary from PA. Some boos in the cheers. Chad Patten is your ref. Todd is urging Gary to run for his life. It's up for $5000. Heels overdoing the mock concern. It's on, he's being shaken like a ragdoll, he's thrown down. Masters is really red. How exciting this was.

Tonight: William Regal vs Antonio - in a revenge match
Also: Bad Man AGAIN.

RAW 2 Weeks Ago: HHH loses only because Batista prevented him from reaching the ropes. (:30)
RAW Last Week: HHH walked out and promised never to return  - for the third time since it became the Triple H show? Lost track. (4:27)

WWE Rewind presented by the Longest Yard: Flair beats Tomko

Val Venis (Las Vegas, 244 pounds) vs C.M. Punk (238 pounds, already in the ring) - Wow, Punk's just one person this time! Amazing. Todd does a "We've seen CM Punk before, he's really great (sorry for screwing up your name last time.)" For the second time this weekend, an announcer has said "very successful on the independent circuit" - acknowledging people besides the WWE do wrestling is so unlike them. Coach theorizes Punk might be the kind of guy who could get signed after the draft? Huh. Why is Earl Hebner here? Circle. Lockup, Val with an armbar, into a hammerlock, Punk with a headlock. Shot off, shoulderblock by Punk. Off the ropes, over, under, shoulderblock by Val. Over, Punk hiptoss blocked, Val's not. Todd: "What do you know about CM Punk?" Coach: "Well, I know he's a kid from the South." Okay, moving on. Armdrag by Punk, armdrag by Val, trio for zero, trip for zero, standoff. Announcers have now kissed up Punk for a minute straight. Val wants a handshake - and gets it. Clean, even. Val tries to get the crowd clapping - and Punk clips him! Punk is very proud of him. Kicks to the hamstring. Elbow to the inside of the lg. Elbow to the inside of the leg. Elbow to the inside of the leg. Cranking the leg - actually, trying to pull off the knee pad. Toe hold and kicks to the inside of the leg. Elbow to the inside of the leg. Leg scissors. I think he's working the leg, Bob. Val punches his way free, Punk up before him but Val punching him away. Coach and Todd must be getting an extra $20 every time they say C.M. Punk; they are now millionaires! Val chopping away. Punk wisely slides out, trips Val, and slams the unpadded knee into the post. Smart! Kneesmash into the mat. Stomp. MOCKING THE HIP SWIVEL. Sit down on the knee. I'm not even fooling anymore, they're seriously talking about Punk so much, you'd think he was the WWE signed guy in this match. Toehold. Val's shoulders are down - one two no. Val manages to kick Punk away. Val in the corner, Punk walks over and gets a knee to the face. Punk over again, and gets clothesline. Back elbow. Whip, backdrop. Val with a chop, ten clotheslines in the corner - they count all the way thru this time. Val pumped, but limping. Reverse neckbreaker. One two no. Coach: "You ask some of the dumbest questions - 'Is this it?' No, it wasn't it! It was painfully obvious it wasn't it!" Punk trying to crawl out of the ring, but Val has him by the tights. Val working over Punk's back with forearms. Whip, quick reverse into a sleeper, quick reverse into the back suplex powerbomb one two NO. Seamen suplex - no, Val's left leg hurts too much to pull it off. Punk works in a drop toe hold, sets up his next move while telling the crowd to be quiet - reverse kneebreaker! Half crab! If it didn't break all the laws of this world, I'd almost believe Val was going to give up here. Val crawling for the ropes, stopped, crawling, got it. Punk taking a full four count to let go. Punk argues with Hebner. Punk grabs Punk's left leg, short clothesline ducked and reversed into Val's full nelson slam. Val looking around and limping. Gong up oh so slowly. Punk trying to get up, can't. Money Shot. Val grabs his knee, and covers one two three (6:38)

Bad Man (4:24)

RAW Live
Monday - Omaha, NE [RAW]
Friday - Albuquerque, NM [RAW WM Revenge]
Saturday - Loveland, CO [RAW WM Revenge - someone's got a wicked sense of humor to use Viscera for this town]
Sunday - Colorado Springs, CO [RAW WM Revenge]
Next Monday - Green Bay, WI [RAW]

Semifinals of Gold Rush. This is quite holiday-ish music. (1:31)
RAW: Kane (w/Lita) vs Edge in the finals of the Gold Rush Tournament
RAW: Christian vs Ric Flair
RAW: Chris Jericho & Shelton Benjamin vs Muhammad Hassan and Daivari
That's three more matches for RAW than usual.

Maria talks to the Heartthrobs, week two in an ongoing series.
A: "Good evening Maria!"
R: "How are you today!"
A: "He's Romeo!"
R: "He's Antonio!"
B: "And we're the Heart Throbs!"
R: "And we're really really really really mad. 'Why' you ask? [turns Antonio's face to camera - big black mark underneath the eye and a couple elsewhere on that side of the face, and his eye socket looks about two sizes too big for his eye -  about a 8.6 on the sickening bruise meter.] "Because there are two places on our bodies that we don't like to get hit. And last week, we got hit in one of those places! Ain't that right, Antonio!"
A: "William Regal, take a look at this! For the last week, I've had to cancel appearances, I've had to cancel interview, I've had to cancel photoshoots with every national teen magazine!"
R: "You even had to cancel your date with what'shername - was it Louise, Louise? No, that was last week. Mary? Was it Rose?"
A: "It doesn't matter. 'cause tonight, William Regal, you go one on one with Antonio. And it's not going to be your heart that's throbbing, it's going to be your whole body."
R [by himself]: "'cause when the Heart Throbs are in town, we'll have everybody saying 'whoa whoa whoa!', the ladies screaming 'oh oh oh' [Maria shakes along]-"
A: [grabbing the microphone] "and William Regal screaming NO NO NO!"

Antonio (Panama City, FL, 225 pounds, w/Romeo) vs William Regal (Blackpool, England, 230 pounds, w/Tajiri) - longish main event? Panama City was the location of the last Nitro - I don't know what that has to do with this, but that's the first thing that comes to my mind when they say it. Clips start attribute the welts to Regal's kneelifts, but then we're given the Heart Throb collision spot where Antonio hurt his eye - and in slow motion! Here's the zit pics. Gross. Antonio doesn't want to take off his hat, preferring to shade his eye. Coach says Eric called him to let everyone know Regal may get suspended if he does something like Antonio's bruise again. Coach: "Antonio could not go clubbing!" Antonio letting Regal know he's going to pay. Lockup. Regal forces Antonio into the corner while Coach whines about ECW buying ad time on WWE programming. Eric is going to squash ECW, Coach: "the ECW PPV is not going to happen." Antonio hiding in the ropes to evade punches. Your ref is Choida. Lockup. Antonio manages an armbar. Regal reversing into a headlock. Shot off, back with a shoulderblock. Is Tajiri wearing a towel? So odd. Coach feels Regal and Tajiri are over the hill and should hang it up. Headlock by Regal. Antonio turns out of it, bending Regal all the way back, Regal spinning around it into a drop toe hold (not the face!) and Regal floats around into a front facelock. Antonio tries to armbar out, but Regal rolls away. Lockup, no Antonio with a kick. Right. Headlock. Obviously taking. Todd: "Multi-time time champion." He's owned many clocks and defended them successfully. Against low batteries. Coach calls Todd on it, good for him. Shot off, Regal with an elbow to face (not the face!), European Uppercut (not the face!), knees to the face (Not the face!), headlock. shot off, head down too soon and the midsection kicked - off all things, that makes Antonio grabs his face, roll out, and discuss this with Romeo. Romeo wants a piece of Regal, but we're taking a break. (3:42)

Regal working over Antonio with left hands, but luckily they're in the chest. Corner whip, backdrop. Snap mare, knee to the head (not the face!) one two no. Headlock. Regal shot off into the corner, Antonio waves Choida over to be distracted, and Romeo trips up Regal. Antonio slips in an elbow drop. Regal rolls out, and Choida is too busy with Tajiri and Antonio to notice the stomping going on. Antonio comes out to help ram Regal chest first into the apron. Regal thrown in. Tajiri is finally over to run off Romeo as everything gets back inside. Romeo with a choke. Rinse and repeat. Is Antonio biting Regal? I think so. Oh, I bet Tajiri is wearing Regal's T-Shirt oddly, that's what that is. Antonio backed off, and Regal gets in a double chop when he comes back. Lefts to the face (not the face!) Coach: "I don't think he actually wanted to bite the ear off - I think he just wanted to taste it a bit." Coach is creepy. Antonio with a whip, back elbow one two no. Boot choke. Antonio distracts, Romeo chokes - till he sees Tajiri coming and runs for his life. The chase is on, though everyone ends up where they started. Antonio with a reverse neckbreaker. Chinlock. Regal with knees from the mat to try and break free, working so far. Regal with a left forearm, European Uppercut. (not the face - eh), whip, quick reverse to a Russian legsweep, one two NO. Kneeling chinlock. Regal rallying back with the crowd. Regal with knees, knocking Antonio down. Waiting for Antonio to get up, almost getting distracted by Choida but still landing the European Uppercut. Whip, Regal dropkick! Tajiri's excited one two no. European Uppercut. And then they dance for a bit, not sure where they wanted to go but ended up with an Antonio knee, then a corner whip, with Regal turning around in the corner, pushing back, and giving Antonio and inside cradle as Antonio charges him. Butterfly suplex one two no. Regal back elbow, back elbow. T-Bone suplex! One two Romeo breaks it up - that seems vaguely illegal. Tajiri in and kicking Romeo, but I think the match is over. (DQ 4:56, 8:38) Former champs run the Heart Throbs out of the ring. Mike Choida is notable not raising Regal's hands, instead just trying to prevent the fight from continuing. Couple that with no music being played, and Coach deciding this is some how a victory for Antonio, and I'm thinking they almost want us to think of this as a No Contest. Antonio: "There'll be another day! This ain't over! This ain't over!"

RAW: 3 big matches!

They're not going to stop playing his music, are they? That's it.