(Sources: WWE.com)
It was only fitting that on the Fourth of July, The Real American, Hulk Hogan, would be on RAW live from Sacramento, Cal. Everyone knew that the immortal one himself would be on Carlito’s Cabana, but no one expected that he would don the red and yellow for the second week in a row for a match. And no one thought that they would see their hero, The Hulkster, laying on the canvas, staring up at the lights after some Sweet Chin Music.
After being attacked by Carlito and Kurt Angle on the Cabana, Shawn Michaels made the save and demanded retribution. RAW General Manager Eric Bischoff gave in to HBK’s demands and set up a tag team match that was sure to provide enough Fourth of July fireworks to last a lifetime – Shawn Michaels & Hulk Hogan vs. Kurt Angle & Carlito.
This match had all the makings of a classic, and boy did it deliver. After some back and forth action, Angle and Carlito had HBK caught in their half of the ring. Time and time again, Michaels faught to make the tag, but Carlito and Angle kept cutting him off. But the Showstopper would not be denied. With the entire crowd at the Arco Arena behind him, Michaels made the tag to the Hulkster as the entire building erupted. Hogan went to work on Carlito and delivered the big boot. Angle tried to make the save, but Hogan disposed of him. Hogan then worked the crowd into a frenzy before dropping the big leg drop for the 1-2-3.
The crowd’s reaction to the pin seemed louder than any Fourth of July fireworks display, but the silence that was to follow was just as amazing. Hogan and HBK began appeasing the crowd’s demands for a round of posing, and then it happened.
As Hogan finished up another round of his legendary posing routine, Shawn Michaels shocked the world and laid out the WWE Hall of Famer with perhaps his most devastating Sweet Chin Music ever. The entire Arco Arena fell silent, not believing what they had just seen, before erupting into a chorus of boos as Michaels just stared at Hogan’s motionless body on the canvas. How could HBK have betrayed his “favorite tag team partner?” What could possibly have been his motivation? Tune in to RAW next week as this story develops.
On a lighter note, however, the Fourth of July was also the first night that voting began for the 2005 RAW Diva Search. The 8 finalists engaged in Sgt. Slaughter’s first ever Bikini Boot Camp. The Bikini Boot Camp was an obstacle course that consisted of the following: 10 jumping jacks, climbing over a wall, slithering underneath a net in the ring, hopping in a potato sack, jumping rope and climbing a final wall before crossing the finish line. Elisabeth finished in the quickest time, which earned her immunity for the first round of voting. One of the other 7 remaining finalists will be going home next week, but you decide who! Go to http://divavote.wwe.com to vote for your favorite RAW Diva Search finalist.
There was also a rousing edition of the Highlight Reel as Chris Jericho’s guest was none other than WWE Champion John Cena. Jericho admitted that John Cena has been on a roll of late, but Jericho is the far more successful Superstar. After showing clips of his band Fozzy performing in front of more than 50,000 fans in England, Jericho seemed pretty proud of himself. Cena, however, saw things differently and said that Jericho has cheapened everything he has accomplished. Then, inevitably, the two Superstars engaged in some brutal fisticuffs before being separated by officials.
Last week, Big Show was supposed to team up with Kane to take on Edge & Snitsky, but Kane chased Lita and Edge away before the match could begin. This week was a different story as the tag match was on! During the match, Kane chased Lita off once again, but he returned in time to hit Snitsky with a monster Chokeslam for the pin. It appears as though Kane’s fun is just beginning.
The Heart Throbs, Antonio & Romeo, were also in action. They came to the ring trying to woo a still-heartbroken Lilian Garcia, but the lovely ring announcer didn’t seem interested. They tried to win her over by taking on Viscera, the same man that had denied Lilian’s wedding proposal at Vengeance, in a handicap match. The Heart Throbs got carried away, however, and were disqualified. They made one last attempt to gain Lilian’s affection, but seemed unsuccessful.
Rene Dupree was also in action for the first time since being involved in the blockbuster trade that involved 11 Superstars in the last night of the Draft Lottery. Dupree did everything he could, including using the ropes, to score a victory over Val Venis.
Chavo Guerrero also told Maria that he was denouncing his Hispanic heritage and would now be known as Kerwin White during a backstage interview. World Tag Team Champions The Hurricane & Rosey along with Super Stacy also gave everyone a demonstration on proper fireworks safety.
Thank you for choosing TBL!
Joe
