Two Years Ago, In the midst of hype and hope for Fully Loaded, Alex Beckers saw Kaientai earn a split (TAKA over Essa, Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman defeats Funaki), Dean retain his title over Crash and Dudleyz go over Lo Down.

One Year Ago, the hour before Invasion features lots of ads and Chavo beating Scotty featuring an actual WWE Brainbuster and the debut of Brian Hebner as a WCW referee. Al Snow: "This is not your normal McMahon dysfunctional family feud." Why couldn't you've been right?

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Earlier today, Lillian Garcia talked to Bradshaw: "Excuse me, Bradshaw, I know that you have your  hardcore title match against Raven later on, but I understand you have something to show me?" "Yes, I do, something you're gonna love, something good and hard that I promise you're gonna like. See, I've never been more proud of a place like the United States of America, but there's one place, one place that's a special place in my heart, and that's my beautiful home state of Texas. So I redid the Hardcore belt [new, unbroken belt, looking nothing like the old and having a big ol' Texas flag decal on the front] - so here it is, I told you'd like it. Shows my pride, my heritage." And then he goes on about comparing his and Chris Nowitiski's college days and how Chris got a 4.0 and if you multiply his by 2 or 3, you've got a 4.0 as well. Then talking his achievements on and off the football field, but this has nothing to do with Raven. Anyway, Bradshaw blanks on Raven's catchphrase but promises to win. YEEHA. Look at the new belt - that's the only point here; I guess it's under the Smokin' Skull precedent that Bradshaw can pay for a new belt if he wants.  

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Raven (w/shopping cart o' weapons) vs Bradshaw (c, w/lasso and cowbell) for the WWE (Texas) Hardcore Championship - Your announcers will always be D'Lo and Coach and they greatly dislike Raven. Live shot talks about nWo taking "Tough Love" to a new level - oops. I think the opening line on the Anti-Americans winning the Hardcore Title and putting their own logo on it at Vengeance is 3:2. KEEPING IT REAL. The story that we're going with here is that Raven challenged for this match because he figures if he's Hardcore Champion, they'll have to let him back on RAW. Fair enough. Garbage Lid by Raven to start, LId, off the ropes and he gets shoulderblocked. Bradshaw with the lid. Raven out. Bradshaw out. Bradshaw slams Raven in to the desk head first. Steps picked up, and rammed hard into Raven. Chop. Right. Head first into the other steps, chop, everyone in. Forearm. Grabbing the cowbell - cowbell to the head. MOO. Making a lasso motion - he's gonna hog tie Raven up. Well, first, he'll do a gutwrench, then he'll tie him up. Coach regresses to life on the farm back in KC. Raven's legs are tried, but he doesn't stop - lid stops him. Perhaps you gotta rethink this Raven. I guess it wasn't tied to tight because his legs are free, even if he's walking right over for Bradshaw to beat him up - powerbomb? No, Raven goes down. Try again? No he goes down again. Raven goes for the fire extinguisher but Bradshaw knocks it out of his hands before he can use it, and there's a shot with it to the head. Right. Sign by Raven. Sign. Sign. Bradshaw finnaly goes down on that one. Potter plant to the midsection! Why was there a potted plant? Choking him with the lasso, but Bradshaw is up and walking around. Now sitting on Bradshaw's back for more pressure - so Bradshaw runs him back first in the corner. Again. Choking still, though now off his back, so Bradshaw pulls out a back suplex. Bradshaw with rights, whip, back elbow. Corner clothesline. Corner whip, clothesline misses, well Raven's not that smart if he's gonna cross body. Blockbuster slam. Bradshaw's not to smart if he walks right into a drop toe hold onto a chair. Raven picks up the chair, runs, and gets it kicked in the face. Bradshaw wraps the lasso and cowbell around his arm - there's the Clothesline >From Hell, one two three. (4:17) Back to the drawing board, Raven. Replays. Still to come (in 50 minutes), Matt vs Big Show.

The nWo's message to Triple H. This would be better if it was a paid announcement, maybe. (:51)

Sean Stasiak (w/ads) vs Sean O'Haire - Last week, I did the PBP for a Stasiak match. I don't know what I was thinking either. Same music, I wonder if he's a face or heel this week. The new game is for Coach and D'Lo to talk about how much they really like and use the sponsors product. Oh no Sean O'Haire got crappy Neurotica ("All My Friends Crush You" - who, Jindrak and Palumbo?) music. Sean's got unresolved feeling about the Thrillers break up, obviously. O'Haire's armdrags look very mechanical. He's growing his hair out more. D'Lo's nickname for this broadcast team: "Collective Soul." Hey, he stole that move from Albert! I guess we've got Miss Jackie vs Molly for the title later. Stasiak's working on the back again. Wow, two chinlocks in 3:45, that's some great stamina. Coach confuses a float over with a roll up. These dropkicks are supposed to look impressive but end up looking awkward. If he's not going to do the Seanton Bomb anymore (and he shouldn't), why push the high flying aspect anyway? The psuedo-martial arts stuff made him more distinctive and seemed easier not to look bad, but they're all gone. There's O'Haire's finisher (this week) Coach calls it Cruel Intentions - looks like a reverse Death Valley Driver to me. (5:07) Matt vs Big Show is about 35 minutes away now.

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and then the 10 man tag - watching it now, it's cool to see how much work Shawn did in making everything coming together, down to telling the ring bell guy when to end the match. (3:39) With Kevin Nash out, they need Triple H even more, so they say.

Coming in Two Weeks to Smackdown.

Your special referee for the next match is Crash (yellow). 

Molly Holly (c) vs Miss Jackie for the WWE Women's Championship - Crash some how convinced Coach that he was gonna call this match right down the middle - I want to know why Miss Jackie would sign to this match? Maybe a title chance is a title chance. Circle, lockup, Jackie with a headlock, hammerlock, inside cradle one two no. Hey, fair count. Don't suppose it'll last. Circle. Lockup, Jackie with a headlock, Molly with a back elbows, push Jackie in the ropes, Jackie comes back with a shoulderblock. Jackie off the ropes, over, Molly hiptoss blocked, Jackie hits her own, hiptoss, armdrag, hard forearm. Right. Right. Warned about the closed fist. Jackie goes after Molly, but gets a drop toe hold onto the middle rope. Stomp. Molly has some good elbow drops. Swinging neckbreaker. One two NO. Forearm. Whip, Jackie comes off with a bodyscissors rollup, one two no. Molly up with a shoulderblock. Yanking the face - she gets a fine count and lets go at three. Choking on the ropes, one two three four she lets go again, but argues with Crash this time. D'Lo keeps thinking Crash is looking at him and trying to start something. Side backbreaker. One two no. Jackie fighting back with rights, but gets a knee, then thrown down by the hair. Warned about it. And another. Crash argues with her about it again. Snap mare, one two no. If she won on snap mare, that'd be something. Forearm, forearm, whip, reversed into an atomic drop by Jackie. Right, right, corner whip, Jackie picks her up in fireman's carry - forward roll slam! Senton! Kick to the midsection, kick to the midsection, spinning heel kick one two no. Jackie going all the way up - Molly getting up, Crash standing behind her - and pushing her out of the way of a cross body! Crash takes it, then holds on to Jackie as Molly goes out of the ring, grabs her belt, comes back in - shot to the back of the head, rolling her over to cover one two three (4:16) nice to have a fast count just to rub it in. She's still champion.

Next, the Rock returns on some other show.

The way to get people to watch RAW is to show all the cool people on Smackdown (2:44) Triple threat at Vengeance. Matt vs Big Show is actually next!

Eight Legged Freaks Title Change of Last Monday

Big Show (w/no one) vs Matt Hardy (w/no one) - It's good the nWo doesn't come out for this show. Lockup, Matt's pushed hard into the corner. Matt thinks it over, takes off his shirt, and throws it at Show. Right right right right - thrown into the corner. Show tries a corner clothesline, Matt ducks, right right right right, thrown in the corner, Show tries a corner boot but misses, kick to the thigh. Right, Whip, no he's got the ropes and he's not going, okay he will only if he clotheslines Matt. Headbutt. Open hand slap. Hanging suplex. Off the ropes, elbow drop but no one's home. Matt goes for the Side Effect! When did Matt become such an idiot? Show easily picks him up and goes for a slam, but Matt slips behind and hits a dropkick to the back of the knee. Off the ropes, into a powerslam. One two no. Whip, bearhug by Show. Why did he do a whip to set it up? Matt trying to draw from the fans - Mongolian chop. Lots of forearms to escape, off the ropes, right into a boot. Wow, Show's got quite a gut. Corner whip, Show charges into a boot. And again. Going to the second rope - Side Effect off the second rope! one two NO! Big Kickout. Announcers complain about Nick Patrick's count. Matt with a kick wham Twist-no, pushed off, grabs the ropes. Show charges, Matt goes low, Show goes out. TOP ROPE ASAI MOONSAULT!  Leave him outside and go for the countout Matt? No, he doesn't. Punches but Show pushes him away. Show back in, Matt going up - top rope, yell, jump right into goozle (one of those times when they're going for nothing and it shows) - CHOKESLAM! One two three. (4:19) Well, we know who's the better brother now. Replay of the moonsault.

See you on RAW. And Smackdown. And Vengeance! But nowhere else.