RAWCap

Another Wrasslin’ recap, RAW IS WAR 29th March 2010.

Opens with  HBK/Taker promo about last night and it’s announced that tonight is HBK Farewell Night. Emotional.

Batista is first to come out, great LOSER and YOU TAPPED OUT chants. He bangs on about wanting a rematch when he can get a second between the fans chanting at him. Cena comes out to an actual pop, Cole remarks that he is a happy champion (I’m not sure what other types there are?) Cena cuts a good promo, offering Batista a rematch tonight, be he turns it down like a pussy, they have a brief brawl then..

Swagger sneaks in after Batista has left, knocks Cena over and demands a ref come out as he is cashing in his title shot, Cena recovers before the ref starts the fight, so Swagger cancels it. GREAT MOVE. Makes it unpredictable about when he will try to cash it in, I can see there being a mix up costing him his title shot though.

HBK MOMENT ONE.

The Rockers vs The Fabulous Rougeaus

Awesome, I used to love The Rogeaus, and old tag wrestling.

ADVERT

Old geezers come to the ring! ;

TED motherfucking DIBIASE

Pat Paterson, Rowdy Piper, Ricky Steamboat!, The King Lawler..

IRWIN R SCHYSTER

SLAUGHTER!

Plus, two old codgers I didn’t know. What a group though.

Two douchesbags from that Hot Tub movie came out and said they were hosting, and the main event would Cena and a mystery partner of his choice vs Swagger and Batista. Plus, the Hot Tub chaps will have a hot tub thing with some divas, thrilling. The Hot Tub guys just weren’t funny and the crowd realised it, brilliantly, no response.

Turns out the old guys are out to Limberjack a Christian/Dibiase JR match. Awesome.

ADVERT

Cole remarks that they’ve brought back 80s wrestlers because of the Hot Tub film,. IRS was a 90s wrestler, moron Cole. As was Slaughter, idiot Cole. Anyway, I really like Christian, I always have really, he’s funny and a good wrestler. Dibiase JR seems like he’ll be okay too. Both wrestlers end up outside, a BRAWL ensues between the old blokes, Dibiase JR gets distracted and Christian hits him with the Unprettier, which like The FU has a new name now too, the Killswitch, I think they said. Disgraceful.

Father and son stare down in the ring, JR pushes The Million Dollar Man. Kill him Ted! Dad looks like a sad bear, in the best way possible. I love Ted Dibiase.

EVERYBODY’S GOT A PRICE.

HBK MOMENT TWO

Michaels puts Jannety through Brutus’ Barbershop Window! AWESOME!

Fantastic moment, one I remember so vividly from growing up, and falling in love with Michaels.

HEENAN, MICHAELS. AMAZING. Chicks did me, I can’t help it.

ADVERT

I hate David Haye, what a smug wanker. Also, had that Homebase advert at Carlisle Train Station, amazing. Heenan, Carlisle and Michaels within five minutes of each other.

A pretty cool Mania week/media thing round up, it’s great seeing the kids so excited by wrestling really, it’s how it should be I guess. Reminds me of the 80s when I was first watching it.

More stuff from the Hot Tub chaps, Santino in an Italy footy shirt is the highlight, but he barely says anything. The Hot Tub dicks sit in a tub with some Divas (apparently). Meh. DULL and POINTLESS.

HHH comes out, now we’re talking, who needs women when you can have Trips and a mic? Comes out to chat about HBK, end of an era, mocks his mullet, references the Kliq.

HBK chant from the crowd, HHH is clearly getting emotional. PRO. As HHH prepares to tell Shawn something in front of the whole world, Sheamus attacks him with a pipe from behind (ooh-er), ruining the moment. A little. Whilst HHH is down, some geezer shouts ‘What were you going to tell him?!’ which was fantastic. Really loud HHH/Sheamus Sucks chant, great crowd tonight.

ADVERT

A woman heads out, well, turns out it’s women. A rematch of last nights clusterfuck match. Brilliant. I would rather be watching Babestation. Luckily the match lasts about five seconds, Guerrero’s team loses so she fronts up, before realising she’s on her own and running off. Pointless waste of ten seconds.

HBK MOMENT THREE

WRESTLEMANIA TEN. LADDER MATCH VS RAMON. YES.

What a match, innovative and just seemed unreal at the time. Showstopper is the absolute perfect tag for Michaels. So apt.

Hitman up next. Intriguing.

ADVERT

Apparently HBK/Taker photos have been loaded 10million times on WWE.com, that is properly mental.

HBK MOMENT FOUR

Best match ever. Ever. WRESTLEMANIA XII. IRON MAN vs Hart.

That entrance.

The match itself

Sudden Death! Perfect Ending!

Intense Emotional

Just the perfect wrestling match anyone could wish for. Two great wrestlers going at it for over an hour with the perfect outcome.

When it goes back to the arena, seen someone in a Bayern Munich shirt, amazing. COME ON BAYERN.

Bret Hart comes down, I thought he’d be done after Mania. He’s wearing a nice Owen/Bret tee, a nice Thank You Bret chant breaks out, lovely.

He starts out by congratulating HBK on his career, wishes him well. References that his mum, dad, Owen and Davey Boy are sending high fives from heaven, emotional. Massive and wonderful OWEN chant, Bret shows off his tee, really emotional moment. It’s mental to think how long it has been. Anyway,Bret says cheers and he’s off, when Miz and Show come and call him a pussy essentially for being in a 25 on 1 Handicap match against Big Vinny. Miz is great, saying he’s 1-0 at Mania, only 17 away from Taker and telling Bret not to laugh as the Miz is awesome.

The Miz and Bret front up after Miz calls Bret and his family overrated, now, then and always will be. Show warns Bret to just leave, but Dynasty (who?) come out and Miz/Show bottle it, for a bit, then decide to wrestle The Hart Dynasty.

ADVERT

I really do miss tag wrestling, it’s nothing like it was in the 80s/90s when wrestlers could be defined by who they tagged with, The Nasty Boys, LOD, The Rockers, Money Inc etc, not just tag with anybody like The Big Show/Kane. Pointless.

The Dynasty girl it turns out is Neidhart’s daughter, I prefer Jim. The Miz has a great wrestling look and charisma, very well suited. One of Dynasty get Miz in a SHARPSHOOTER OMG, but Show pulls him out the ring and they just walk off, getting counted out. Seems to be friction in the team. Bring back the Barber Shop.

HBK MOMENT FIVE

DEEEE GENERAAAAAATION X

Just a great roundup of HHH/HBK hijinx, featuring Vinnie, Shane-o and Slaughter! DX was so good, fresh, fun and innovative. Certainly not PG.

ADVERT

Another Hot Tub bit, blaah. Although, Darryl from The Office appeared on a video, as the other two had screwed him from being a Guest Host, so he did it from where he was, declaring the girls were both winners and the Hot Tub guys had to share the tub with Mark Henry in his trunks (what a sight). And, as it turns out, Hornswaggle who was hiding under the water, biting one of the Hot Tub geezers. Midgets are terrifying.

More banging on about Sheamus attacking Trips, dull.

Swagger comes out, carrying his briefcase with him everywhere, cuts a pretty dull promo, made good by the crowd giving him the ‘WHAT?!’ treatment. Fantastic work. Great crowd.

ANOTHER ADVERT

Batista comes out as it’s announced that Extreme Rules will be sponsored by KFC and the Double Down, that meat and no bun thing. I can’t believe that caught on, it’ll surely be UK bound soon. Fingers crossed.  More ‘You Tapped Out’ chants for Batista.

Cena comes out and announces his partner, Randy Orton, I didn’t really think of him for some reason. It’s weird really, I guess these are the big three stars of the post attitude era, all in the same match. Apparently Cena has now won NINE world titles. That’s ridiculous. The crowd chant RKO.

ANOTHER ADVERT

Okay tag match, classic double tag bring Orton and Swagger in, Orton goes to town and opens up, eventually RKOing Batista then the same for Swagger and pins him. Victory! Orton celebrates alone, quite sad that the new World Champion can’t get the ring to himself even after winning the title at Mania the day before.

HBK MOMENT SIX

MANIA 25, TAKER/HBK.

After my time, so I have no huge interest in this, other than Michaels being called Mr Wrestlemania, fantastically.

ANOTHER ADVERT

I still hate David Haye, and confused.com now too.

HBK comes out, bloke, legend, geezer, The Show Stopper. Massive HBK chant, Taker comes out and tilts his hat to Shawn before leaving again, nice touch.

‘Please Don’t G’ chant starts followed by a loud ‘THANK YOU SHAWN’, Michaels starts crying and says he needs to thank them as the ring was the only place he felt happy for a long time, and they were the only people who made him like himself and feel good.

He doesn’t want to thank people and miss names, but needs to thank Hunter for being his only friend when lots of people weren’t interested and didn’t like him, to thank Hunter for never leaving his side, that, in this business it’s tough to have true friendships, but that is what they’ve had for sixteen years.

Thanks the production staff, Cole, King and The Best, JR for making him seem better than he was. A red headed kid called Adam too, who does the promo videos, thanks him for making him look like a Superstar.

‘One More Match’ chant starts up, he mentions there will be career ending sceptics (a jibe at Flair, probably) but  doesn’t want to go back on his word for the fans or for Taker, for over twenty years he has been honest in the ring and wants to honour his word, says he does appreciate the chant but will do everything in his power to make sure he doesn’t come back. Another ‘Thank You Shawn’ chant starts up.

He’d like to thank Bret Hart too, for driving him crazy during the 90s and that Bret had every right to say whatever he did, he appreciates his friendship and his forgiveness.

Vincent Kennedy McMahon. He couldn’t work for anyone else after this Crazy Son of a Gun, and thanks Vince for having faith and making sure he made less mistakes than he did.

Thanks the fans again, a third ‘Thank You Shawn’ chant starts up, remarks that he spent more time with his fans than family in his adult life and says it without regret. Thanks them for the honour and privilege of being able to show off in front of them every night. Big HBK chant.

Finally thanks Jesus and his family. Tells his kids that Daddy is coming home. Remarks that the HBK, Shawn Michaels has left the building, drops his hat onto the mat and leaves up the aisle. Touching hands with fans on the way.

Once he gets to the top, he turns to face them. there are people in the crowd full on crying. Claps his fans, as HHH embraces him from behind, they hug, for a while. HHH holds up two glowsticks into an X and leaves them at Shawn’s feet, HHH leaves Shawn to soak it in.

Very classy exit, very emotional night.

I might be naive but I genuinely believe that is Michaels done. I hope he comes back in some capacity though, he’s too good to not have around.

It’s great that some of my favourite Michaels matches weren’t even mentioned, I’ll mention those at a later date, I’ll try to find them on youtube/torrents. I do now that there will never be another Shawn Michaels though, so versatile, charismatic and a fantastic wrestler, willing to put his body on the line time and time again. The one true Show Stopper.