Post by Slade on Dec 19, 2020 9:08:49 GMT -5
Date: December 14, 2020
From: Scotiabank Arena in Toronto, ON
Commentary Team: Michael Cole, Tony Schiavone and Jim Cornette
Ring Announcer: Lillian Garcia
***
JIM “THE ANVIL” NEIDHART vs. CHRIS JERICHO
The show opens hot with a singles match between The Anvil and Le Champion. The referee will allow only one member of the Inner Circle and Hart Foundation at ringside, so Jake Hager and Bret Hart stay and everyone else leaves. The Anvil uses his power to hurt Jericho, but he doesn’t get enough big power moves in before Jericho finds a way to escape the ring. Anvil chases Jericho around the ring and back in. However, on his way in, he receives a code breaker and lionsault. Anvil kicks out, but when he gets up, Jericho gives him the Judas Effect to get the win. As soon as the match is over, Jericho has Hager come into the ring to stomp on Anvil. It is a set up to draw the Hitman into the ring for a five-on-two beat down of Neidhart and Hart by the entire Inner Circle. The rest of the Hart Foundation is nowhere in sight. An unexpected saviour arrives in the form of the MUW Men’s World Champion – Samoa Joe! He gives Guevara, Santana and Ortiz suplexes and sets his sights on Jericho, who runs for cover behind Hager. He stands his ground until Jericho urges him to leave. (7:05)
Winner: Chris Jericho
***
Coming back from the break, Jonathan Coachman catches up with Bret “The Hitman” Hart and Jim “The Anvil” Neidhart backstage. They don’t have time to stop and talk to Coachman. They are on a mission. However, Coach asks Hart what his thoughts are on being saved by Samoa Joe, and he stops, looks at Coach, and tells him that he didn’t ask for Joe’s help and he doesn’t need it. He has his family and that’s all he needs. He keeps moving and stops to find a dumpster in front of his dressing room door, with a forklift parked behind it, pinning it in place. The dressing room door is open, and Hart’s brother, Owen, and his brother-in-law, Davey Boy Smith are heard shouting for help getting out.
***
ROWDY RODDY PIPER vs. ANGEL GARZA
Piper comes into this match with a message for Kevin Owens. You’ve got the Hot Rod steaming under the hood. What he does to Garza will serve as an example of what he’ll do to him. Piper brutalizes Garza as soon as the bell rings. Early into the match, Garza tries to get the advantage by removing his tearaway pants, but Piper catches his pants when they are thrown at him and strangles Garza. Zelina Vega protests and Kevin Owens sneaks into the ring and gives Piper a stunner. Garza takes advantage of the situation, giving Piper the Wing Clipper and pinning him for the upset victory. (2:41)
Winner: Angel Garza
***
Jonathan Coachman finds Kevin Owens on his way out of the Scotiabank Arena. He asks him for comments on his actions from just a few moments ago. He says that Piper took him out of the WWE Universal Championship tournament, so he took Piper out of the tournament. It’s as simple as that. Coachman tries asking him follow up questions, but Owens tells him get lost or else he’ll give him a stunner. Owens gets in a car and drives away.
***
RICKY STEAMBOAT vs. SHELTON BENJAMIN
These two work rate darlings put on a clinic inside the ring. The advantage switches back-and-forth between both grapplers several times. After many 2-count pinfalls, Shelton Benjamin attempts to hit Paydirt on Steamboat, only to have it countered into a crucifix pin for a very long two-and-three-quarters. A sequence of quick pinfall attempts and reversals starting with Steamboat giving Benjamin a backslide leads to many more 2-count pinfalls. The sequence ends when Benjamin executes a superkick and goes for the pin. Steamboat shoulders out at two. Benjamin goes to the top rope and tries for a frog splash. Steamboat moves out of the way, then goes to the top rope and lands a diving crossbody for the win. As Steamboat celebrates his win, Charlie Haas comes out to attack him. It doesn’t take long for Daniel Bryan to show up and give both Haas and Benjamin the running knee. (18:44)
Winner: Ricky Steamboat
***
Jonathan Coachman catches up with our World Champion, Samoa Joe, to ask him why he came to RAW tonight and why he saved his Royal Rumble opponent, Bret Hart, from an attack by the Inner Circle. Joe says that he saved Hart because he doesn’t want him to have any excuses for why the so-called best there is, was and ever will be couldn’t beat the Samoan Submission Machine at the Royal Rumble. Also, he heard Jericho calling him out the last few weeks, so he came here to answer his challenge, only to find out what he suspected all along – he’s too much of a coward to face him. Joe says he isn’t going anywhere tonight. In fact, he’s going to stick around, and at the end of the night, he’ll walk out to the ring prepared for a fight with Jericho or any one of the other members of the Inner Circle – whichever one of them has the cajones to go toe-to-toe with the World’s Champion may be his guest.
***
DAVEY BOY SMITH vs. ORTIZ
Davey Boy Smith has Owen Hart in his corner. Ortiz has Santana in his. That have a very competitive contest. Smith controls the action most of the time, but Ortiz finds openings to counter and take over for spurts. Surprisingly, neither Hart nor Santana interferes. The match comes to its conclusion when Ortiz goes to the top rope and Smith trips him up, then pulls him down onto his shoulder to give him the running powerslam and make the pin for the win. After the match, Santana tries to attack Hart, but he cuts him off with a spinning heel kick. Then, he gives him an enzuigiri kick and Smith lifts him up and gives him a running powerslam. (8:51)
Winner: Davey Boy Smith
***
BIANCA BELAIR & RED VELVET vs. THE IICONICS
Red Velvet makes her RAW debut teaming with Bianca Belair, who has a grudge against Billie Kay and Peyton Royce for helping Tenille Dashwood to beat her in singles competition last week. Belair shows off her athleticism in a dominating performance against The IIconics. She gives Billie Kay the K.O.D. and pins her, but Royce breaks it up to save her partner. Belair misses a spear on Royce and goes through the ropes, landing hard on the floor. This happened after Red Velvet tagged in. Velvet clotheslines Billie Kay out of the ring but gets a kneeling jawbreaker and then a spinning brainbuster from Royce, thus causing her team to suffer the pinfall loss in her debut. (11:35)
Winners: The IIconics
***
Jonathan Coachman is standing by with Bayley, who tells Coach that Tenille Dashwood and The IIconics can talk all they want about the spotlight being on them, but the fact of the matter is that the spotlight on the women’s division shines brightest on her because she is the Golden Role Model for young girls and boys all over the world and she’ll gladly prove it by taking on anyone next week. Then, Ember Moon walks onto the interview set and says that she’s be looking for an opportunity to get into the ring since the Survivor Series and she’ll gladly take this one. Moon tells Bayley that she’ll see her next week.
***
Jericho comes out with Jake Hager. He says that he isn’t afraid of Joe, rather Joe is afraid of him – why else would he challenge him to a match when he already had one? Next week, maybe Joe would think about showing up in Ottawa for a match against Jericho when he’s fresh. Jake Hager takes the mic and says it is lucky for Joe that Hager hasn’t had a match yet and he’s ready for a fight. If Joe wants a fight, he’s got it.
SAMOA JOE vs. JAKE HAGER
Samoan Joe and Jake Hager have a hard-hitting affair. They both work stiff, giving each other wicked chops, forearms, and in Hager’s case, giving his opponent the occasional hook from a clenched fist. Both men throw each other around with a variety of suplexes and make pinfall attempts that fail to earn a 3-count. There are also a number of submission attempts made, for as much as they’re both very capable brawlers, they’re also submission specialists. Hager even gets Joe in an ankle lock, but Joe escapes by turning on his back and kicking Hager away. Later, Joe gets Hager in a Coquina Clutch, but Hager backs Joe into the turnbuckles a few times to break out of the hold. Later, Hager gets Joe down on the mat with a running big boot that he follows up with a gutwrench powerbomb for a 2-count. Hager drags Joe into position near the corner to go for a Hager Bomb, but Joe gets up to stop him, and after an exchange on the turnbuckles, Joe manages to lift Hager up and drop him into the mat with a Muscle Buster. He covers for the 3-count. Immediately following the match, Chris Jericho enters the ring and hits Joe with a steel chair. The Inner Circle and Hart Foundation flood the ring for a brawl. When Joe gets up, he takes shots at everyone in sight until the ring is cleared of everyone except for Joe and The Hitman, who find themselves in a standoff as the show goes off the air. (16:21)
Winners: Samoa Joe
***