the basket is good. open.
Goldust (Hollywood, CA, 260 pounds) vs Rob Conway (Atlantic City, NJ, 220 pounds) - Coach threatens to fire Todd if he doesn't bring his A-game on the road to Wrestlemania. Conway has new trunks? That would seem to be an unwise investment. Todd is good at faking the drop-in this week. Your ref is Mickie Jay. Goldust is doing his kneeling thing, so Conway will entrain him with a series of poses. Goldust tells him to kiss it, kiss it. Conway with a headlock, off the ropes, shoulderblock for two. Back on the headlock. Shot off, ducking a clothesline, into a Goldust butt bump. They exchange punches, and Goldust wins that, Conway begging off and getting stomped down in the corner. Goldust sets him up in the corner, but Mickie's not going to let him do it. Yep, he cuts him off, and Conway gets in an eye poke. Conway clothesline, slow mounted punches. Crowd is far less excited than they were a couple minutes ago. Whip, back elbow, elbow drop, elbow drop, pose, elbow drop. One two no. One two no. Todd suggests either of these men may have matches on WrestleMania. Chinlock. Goldust rallies, crowd behind him. Elbows and punches to escape, but one knee stops that. Right. Whip, head down too soon, there's the slap. Conway charges into an inverted atomic drop, and Goldust punches him down. Into the corner for the corner punches - Goldust is still the only one can get to ten, though he uses an elbow to get there. Calling for the bulldog, maybe he should just do it? Conway shoves him off into the corner, Conway gets in a forearm to the back and inside cradle one two no. Conway on Goldust with strikes. Whip, clothesline misses, Goldust back with a inverted bulldog clothesline one two three. (4:03) That was odd.
RAW Magazine ad.
WM Big Time Moment: Butterbean KOs Bart Gunn
Matt Striker (no introduction) vs Matt Ciastro (already in the ring) - oh no, he's doing a promo and talking. The ring is his classroom, blah blah blah. Striker uses big words for fourth graders - neither Coach and Todd (pretend! to) know what 'nefarious' means. Striker does basic chain wrestling, leading to a slap to the other Matt. Step over inside cradle for two, and another slap. Your ref is Chad, by the way. Ciastro rallying back, whip, back elbow, clothesline, worst looking bodyslam in the history of humanity. One two no. CIastro misses a corner charge, and it may be over for him there. Striker works him over in the corner. Running boot to the face. Hammerlock DDT (1:26) How the hammerlock helps, I don't know. Ciastro is bleeding from the nose.
WM ad for the two titles match.
RAW clips from the last two weeks - Marty and Shawn and Vince. They do edit Stephanie's promo into some level of lucidity (4:15)
Lance Cade (Nashville, TN, 265 pounds) vs Val Venis (Las Vegas, NV, 244 pounds) - After the announcers discuss Cade threatening to murder Todd (Coach passed on Todd's "he looks like Big Bird" comment), Coach does his usual Val bashing. He suggests Val should go join the cruiserweight division, which is harsh. Towel handout, check. Cade too busy fixing his hair to start wrestling. Okay, circle. Lockup, Cade with an armdrag, Cade celebrates and - walks out to get the towel. "Where is she? Let's see her get a kiss from a real wrestler." Cade's very animated, though he doesn't get that kiss, and Val is apathetic. Lockup, Val with a headlock, shot off, back with a shoulderblock. Off the ropes, over, into a hiptoss. Cade pauses the point at the women, and gets kicked away. Armdrag, chop, turnbuckle smash. Whip, back elbow, elbow drop, off the ropes, knee drop. One two NO. Step over armbar. Less standing, more kneeling over Cade's back. Cade pulls himself up, and backs Val into the ropes. Whip, Val tries to slide under, it doesn't really work, he gets up anyway, and Cade murders him with a clothesline. Val's folded all up. Elbow drop, as the announcers wonder why Cade didn't just cover. Beating Val down in the corner. Cade fired up, but not following up. Short clothesline, one two no. Neck vice. Val rallying up, Val with right hands, off the ropes, into a Cade sleeper. Val tries to get the ropes, but ends up with a back suplex instead. Both men down. Cade up first at four. Val blocks his punch and lands many strikes. Whip, reversed, Val back with a diving shoulderblock, clothesline, back elbow. Chop. Whip, reversed, Cade puts his head down too soon, Val kicks him up and half nelson slams him now. Val calling for the big move. Too far to go, and Cades 's getting up - so Val tries a top rope crossbody. Cade rolls thru, gets a foot sorta on the ropes, one two three. (5:08) Val can't believe it. That's a sorta surprise.
SNME event.
Gene Snitsky (Nesquehoning, PA, 300 pounds) vs Chavo Guerrero (el Paso, TX, 210 pounds) - Todd: "You talk about contrasting styles." You ref is Mike. This time, the ref prevents Chavo from getting punked out when he poses on the corner. Eddie chant. Chavo ducks under an opening clothesline. Ducks another. Eddie chant again. Ducks again, forearms to Snitsky's back. Chavo - rolls out? He's thinking about something. Snitsky out after him, Chavo back in, Chavo pounds him as he comes in. Snitsky powers out of that and shoves Chavo down. Chavo rolls to the apron, shoulder to Snitsky gut, slingshot plancha is caught cleanly by Snitsky. Snitsky tries pressing him up - and gets it! but Chavo slips free into a sunset flip. Snitsky blocks and lifts Chavo up in a double choke. Bearhug, ramming Chavo into the corner. Right. Snitsky tells him to get up, and then shoves him down. That doesn't seem quite right. Turnbuckle smash. Stomp. Face yank, which seems to hurt Chavo massively. Snitsky poses, which the crowd does not appreciate. Coach: "Chavo Guerrero can not compete with a guy like Snitsky." Snitsky connects on an elbow drop. Stomp. Chavo with rights, and Snitsky pounds him down. Snitsky doing the Eddie dance? Huh. Bearhug. Chavo rallying back with help from the crowd. He forearms his way free. Off the ropes, back into the bearhug. Chavo fading again. Coach tries four different clichés in about five seconds. Crowd chanting for Eddie again. Chavo with right hands, and then a face rake. Dropkick to the knee takes Snitsky down, dropkick to the side, one two no. Chavo off the ropes, into a spinning headscissors. Chavo with w hip - no, Snitsky's got the ropes and is too strong. Snitsky punches him down. Off the ropes, into a dropkick. Chavo pointing up. Snitsky starts to get up, but then lays back down. Pointing up again, and Snitsky's over to meet him. Right hand, and Chavo's thrown off the top rope. Pump handle, , Chavo slips free and behind, big boot, Chavo rolls under, and Snitsky runs him over with a big shoulderblock. Hammering clothesline knocks Chavo down. Powerbomb? King Kong chest pound before hand. Lifting in him up, but Chavo squirms free - whoa, that's an ugly looking spinning DDT! One two three. (6:28) I think Snitsky had no idea how to take that without breaking his neck, so at least he didn't break his neck.
That's it.