Tonight's Special Episode Of 'WWE RAW' Is In The Books

- An emotional Vince McMahon stood in the ring (at Corpus Christi, Texas' vacant American Bank Center) and addressed the "alleged" demise of his character (Mr. McMahon), separating that from the very real demise of Chris Benoit and his family. McMahon went on to offer his condolences, and introduce a tribute to the life and career of Benoit. This segment again aired at each of the remaining hours.



- Most of the footage came courtesy of 'Hard Knocks: The Chris Benoit Story,' including that used in a video tribute (to the tune of Finger Eleven's 'One Thing'), so in many cases, I won't go into specifics.

- Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, sitting in their usual spots, spoke about how difficult tonight's show was for them, then introduced footage from 2004's 'Royal Rumble,' where Benoit earned a spot in the 'WrestleMania' main event.

- Steve Austin pit over Benoit's work ethic, saying no matter how big or small the crowd, he'd work to the fullest extent of his ability. Austin closed by speaking of his love for Benoit.

- Michael Cole and JBL, sitting in their usual spots, spoke about Benoit's love for his family. JBL, in particular, appeared to be hit hard by the loss, speaking about how he and Chris had recently spoke about turning back the clock.

- John Cena (fighting tears) said this was probably the most-difficult thing he's ever had to do, and he wasn't sure how to react. Cena believed it was best to celebrate Benoit's life, as he was a good man and he lived for the sport. Cena hoped, as he has learned to do, appreciate everything Benoit had done. He regrets not telling Chris how much he loved him.

- Joey Styles and Tazz, sitting in their usual spots, spoke about how excited they were to hear about Benoit coming to ECW in 1994, and after the recent draft. They introduced last Tuesday's bout, the last of Benoit's televised bouts, where Benoit faced Elijah Burke (to earn his ECW title match at 'Vengeance,' which he ended up missing, as he hadn't returned from Atlanta or updated the company on his status, getting us to today's discovery of the bodies).

- A crying CM Punk spoke of his disappointment (because he didn't get to wrestle Benoit at the pay-per-view) and guilt (after learning of his death), saying he hoped to please Benoit, whom he considered a hero of his.

- Ross and Lawler spoke about Benoit's passion to have good matches, and one of his favorite opponents (and good friends) was Dean Malenko. They then introduced a match between Benoit and Malenko, which took place at 1996's 'Hog Wild.' If you recall, Nancy was at ringside for this bout, which was acknowledged by Ross and Lawler.

- Malenko was next to speak on Benoit, saying Benoit enriched his life, and he'll miss the support Benoit provided him in fifteen-years of friendship. People often thought Benoit was arrogant, but Malenko said he was just a very private and quiet individual. Malenko said Benoit was unselfish and one of the best he's met in the ring. Malenko also talked how it was to lose two (Benoit and Eddie Guerrero) of his best friends, as he called them, "The real three amigos," in reference to the triple suplexes. It was Malenko's idea for Benoit to use the 'Cripple Crossface.' Malenko said Benoit and Guerrero were back together and probably arguing.

- Cole and JBL spoke about the high level of respect Benoit had earned from his peers and the audiences, and what a privilege it was to call Benoit's matches. JBL said Benoit wasn't a great talker, but he was a great talker, and he was so happy to face his friend in April 2006, where the US title was up for grabs on 'SmackDown.'

- Stephanie McMahon (choking back tears) said Benoit was an amazing wrestler, and was passionate about the sport and his family. Benoit was genuinely happy for her, when she married Triple H, and for the couple, when they later had a child. Steph considered Benoit to be her friend.

- Chavo Guerrero (also fighting tears) spoke about how close Benoit was to him and his family. Benoit was the first person Chavo called in the wake of Eddie Guerrero's death. Chavo thought it was almost as difficult to tell Benoit, as it was to hear the news, because of how hard it was for Benoit to hear what happened. Just before Eddie's death, Chavo was lucky to be with him, and just a few days ago, Chavo was lucky to be with Benoit and hid family in Atlanta. Chavo also loved working with Benoit, crediting and thanking Benoit for teaching so much. Chavo doesn't say this to many, but he loves Benoit.

- Styles and Tazz spoke about Benoit's reputation in Japan, especially in matches against Jushin Liger, then introduced footage of Pegasus Kid (Benoit) beating Liger for the IWGP Junior-Heavyweight title (which took place in 1990).

- William Regal said, for now, he just wanted to say Benoit worked harder than anyone in pro wrestling and was the absolute best.

- Ross and Lawler spoke about another of Benoit's great rivalries (this one, with Chris Jericho), and Benoit's idolization of Dynamite Kid, then introduced Benoit's ladder match (for the Intercontinental title) against Jericho, which took place at 2001's 'Royal Rumble.' After the bout, Ross spoke about how upset Jericho was to learn of Benoit's death. Lawler spoke about how Benoit didn't wrestle for the money, and how intense he could be in the squarde circle. Soon, we would receive a look at Benoit's winning of the World title (at 2004's 'WrestleMania').

- Styles introduced Edge's thoughts on Benoit's death. Fighting back tears, Edge said he'd now lost two of the three people he could turn to in pro wrestling (Eddie and Benoit?). Edge said he remember seeing Benoit in Stampede Wrestling, and was happy to later work with him. When Edge had personal issues of his own, he was able to go to Benoit for comfort. Edge couldn't think of one person with a bad word to say about Benoit. When they last wrestled (a couple of weeks ago on 'SmackDown'), Benoit smiled while coming through the curtain. Edge recently saw Daniel in Dothan, Alabama, and Edge thought Benoit was lucky. Edge doesn't understand these type of things, and knows Benoit would be upset at him for crying, but he misses him.

- Cole and JBL spoke about how emotional Benoit could be about his work, and how Benoit had once ejected those without that same respect, then introduced more another music video (which may not have come from the 'Hard Knocks' DVD), although I didn't recognize the tune.

- A teary HHH spoke about how difficult to sum up Benoit's life in a few minutes. In his opinion, Benoit was all about respect in all aspects of his life. HHH recalled a story, where Benoit made a young wrestler do one-thousand squats, because he had some unkind words for Shawn Michaels. Benoit did the squats with the wrestler, then, the next day, made him do five-hundred more. HHH felt everyone respected Benoit, including himself, more than anyone else, and they'd meet again.

- Ross and Lawler seconded HHH's thoughts about respect, then closed the program by introducing Benoit's World-title defeat of HHH and Michaels (at 'WrestleMania 20'). Lawler said he'd remembered Chris as a great competitor, mentioned how tragic the loss of the entire family was, and said everyone should tell their family how important they are to them. Ross said he'd remember Benoit's passion and ability, and talked about how important the finish of the match was.

PS: Because I know I did not do the best job of recapping the program, I've provided links for the testimonials and 'Finger Eleven' video. I'm sure wwe.com will soon have even more from the show.

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'The Ultimate Fighter 5 Finale' Is In The Books

The lowdown from Las Vegas' (sold-out) Pearl:

- I'm stepping in for Casey, who has torn both of his groins and broken both of his necks. We're not sure how long he'll be out of action, but we wish him a speedy recovery.



- Lightweights: Roger Huerta defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 3:30 - round 2) Doug Evans. Three words: Action, action, action (and no way am I even attempting to describe all of it). Great fight, with Evans presenting one hell of a challenge before Huerta was on Evans' back and raining down blows, prompting the ref to step in. Evans (who may have taken the first round) very much impressed me, and were he not brought back to television, it would be a damn shame. After the fight, Huerta thanked God. I don't like the sound of that.

- In the house, the cast of some show on Comedy Central. So?

- Middleweights: Thales Leites defeated (head-and-arm-choke submission @ 3:50 - round 1) Floyd Sword. Another good fight, although not quite at the level of the opener. Leites' poise and generalship in getting Sword to tap were beautiful things to watch.

- Lightweights (taped earlier in the evening): Gray Maynard (G) and Rob Emerson battled to a no-contest. They never bothered giving the time, which will make sense to you in a little bit. For a description of the first round, see my thoughts on the opener, although these guys spent a lot more time on the ground. First round definitely went to Maynard (G). Maynard (G) hits fucking hard for a lightweight! Some of the body shots he dished out were just brutal. So brutal, this fight will forever be remembered for its Matt Hughes-Carlos Newton-like finish. The second round opened with Maynard (G) slamming Emerson to the mat, which, because of the earlier punishment his body took, caused Emerson to tap, but Maynard (G) KO'ed himself, so the ref declared it a no-contest. The fans were pissed, and so was Maynard (G), who claims to not have been knocked out. I'm pretty sure he was. Emerson claimed to have a preexisting rib injury, and said Maynard (G) was definitely out. The fans also hated that, because Emerson claimed to be nice enough to not want to beat his "friend" in that manner. Well, that would be fine, except you tapped out, you fucking goof! Overworked Steve Mazzagatti, in my opinion, made a bad call, and the fight should've went to Maynard (G). It took the announcers all of about three-seconds to begin pushing the rematch.

- Joe Rogan talked to Shannon Lee, daughter of Bruce Lee. Jesus, does everyone and their kid have a fucking show to promote?! Rogan definitely had a hard-on for her.

- Lightweights (taped earlier in the evening): Joe Lauzon defeated (triangle-choke submission @ 2:09 - round 2) Brandon Melendez (who, at one-hundred-fifty-seven-pounds, couldn't make weight). Another exciting, action-packed fight. I gave the first to Lauzon, who kept the majority of it on the ground. Melendez was definitely game, though, escaping more than one attempt at a submission, reversing position, and even making it back to his feet. In the second, Lauzon scored another quick takedown, waited until the time was right, and secured the choke, which caused Melendez to tap.

- Rachelle Leah (and some Dana White-looking guy, who made sure he was glued directly to her side) was in the house. I wonder what she sees in him?

- TUF5 final: Nathan Diaz defeated (tap-out submission @ 0:20 - round 2) Manny Gamburyan. Both of these guys are related to accomplished fighters, but I forget their names. On an unrelated subject, free Nick Diaz! I gave the first to Gamburyan, because he was able to quickly grab Diaz, he was able to control the pace and keep most of it on the ground. I swear, once Gamburyan got a grip, he never let go, even for the few seconds Diaz was able to get to his feet. In the second, Gamburyan shot in for a takedown, a bone was visibly popped out in his shoulder, and he quickly tapped. Tough break for Gamburyan, but I'm just glad Diaz (who had the crowd's support) didn't let me down. I have to admit, even while Dana White was presenting him with his prizes, Diaz looked like he couldn't wait to (take another) toke. Gamburyan said his shoulder popped out, which has happened in the past, including in his fight against Lauzon.

- Lightweights (taped earlier in the evening): Cole Miller defeated (ref-stoppage-TKO @ 1:10 - round 1) Andy Wang. This took about forty-seconds longer than I expected. Wang spent the entire first round on his feet... Until taking a high-kick, which floored his goofy ass. Miller pounced on Wang and rained down punches, causing the ref to step in. Wang protested the decision, but he was hurt (and is an idiot). An emotional Miller dedicated the fight to his late grandfather.

- Lightweights: BJ Penn defeated (rear-naked-choke submission @ 3:12 - round 2) Jens Pulver. Among those looking on, were some wussy, Robbie Lawler, and Matt Hughes. Enjoyed the first round (which I barely gave to Penn), which saw Penn get Pulver on the ground and try for an armbar, which Pulver escaped. Pulver managed to reverse position, but Penn still had to fight out of a triangle. Penn eventually got to his feet, and while there wasn't a great deal of action, definitely held his own in the standup. In the second, Pulver defended his ass off, but it wasn't enough to prevent a rear-naked choke, which caused Pulver to tap. Hughes shown great disappointment at the finish, which must've been like déjà vu. Speaking of déjà vu, like in the second Hughes-Frank Trigg fight, Penn wasn't exactly quick in letting go, although he and Pulver went on to make amends, to the point where Pulver if they could train together, and Penn said yes. Pulver confirmed his move to one-hundred-forty-five-pounds and the WEC. Penn simply said, if you want to know how he feels, go to his website (www.bjpenn.com). Unlike Euan (and his mustard) Penn continues to be the fucking man!

Casey's a fucking warrior, so he'll fucking give you the fucking rest of the prelim results, fuck.

Another of the UFC's good outings, maybe their best of the year. Luvved the (Bill) Goldberg walkouts they gave the four main-eventers, as it created an amazing atmosphere, but it still paled in comparison to 'Shamrock vs. Baroni,' which was a better overall show.

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The Undercard Of EliteXC's 'Strikeforce: Shamrock Vs. Baroni' Is In The Books

The lowdown from San Jose's HP Pavilion:

- Middleweights: Seth Kleinbeck defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 2:55 - round 2) Sam Spengler. I didn't score the first round, as they did such a good job of hiding the stream, I couldn't find it until about 7:34 PM, and nothing fucking happened. I know Gina Carano and Todd Keneley. were on commentary, and both of them sucked. Both displayed their lack of MMA experience, which didn't bother me as much as the fact neither seemed to have a personality. Oh, and that geeky rapper was back. Just before the finish, Spengler took an accidental low-blow (which he was given time to recover from), which may or may not have affected the outcome, then was mounted and punched until the ref stepped in to put a stop to the bout. I originally had picked Kleinbeck to win, but was hoping Spengler could pull off the upset.



- Bantamweights: Chris Cariaso defeated (unanimous decision of 30-27, 30-27, 29-28) Anthony Figueroa. Everyone else was given fifteen-minutes, while these guys only got nine. Yeah, nobody wants to see the lighter guys get equal time. Cariaso worked an impressive ground-game, considering his experience is in Muay Thai, and definitely took the first round. The second was a bit harder to score, but I still gave it to Cariaso. No, I'm not going into why, as I'm still a little perturbed by this whole shitty stream (which took forever to find and isn't providing me with the clearest picture). As the fight wound down, Cariaso seemed unwilling to engage, as Figueroa had started to figure out his style, but for Figgy, it was too little too late. I had it 29-28, Cariaso. So far, for my picks, I'm 2-0.

- Super heavyweights: Rex Richards defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 0:34 - round 1) Ray Seraille. Seraille took the fight on short notice, although I haven't been paying enough attention to know more than that. Guess I was wrong about that fifteen-minutes thing, as these guys were also given only nine. Richards' size (three-hundred-five-pounds) was way too much for, and a series of punches dropped Seraille, who was merely covering up as Richards continued to reign down blows, when the ref stopped in to end the bout.

- Catchweight (one-hundred-seventy-three-pounds): Jason Von Flue defeated (ref-stoppage TKO @ 2:17 - round 3) Luke Stewart. Early in the first, Von Flue took an accidental low-blow, which seems to be the "in" thing on this card. Stewart's mix of kickboxing and grappling ability seemed to fluster Von Flue, and although he didn't dominate, I gave the first to Stewart. Carano didn't realize how good Von Flue in on the ground, and kept thinking it was over, but Von Flue was never in any real danger. Early in the second, Von Flue received another accidental low-blow, this one costing Stewart a point. To be fair, Von Flue should've lost at least one-point for grabbing the fence, which he repeatedly did in both rounds. Stewart definitely did enough in the latter half to win the second, even getting Von Flue's back, but time expired. I'd have scored it 10-9, but since Stewart lost a point, I considered it a draw (9-9). In the third, Stewart gained early control of Von Flue's back, then took it down and secured full mount. Herb Dean gave Von Flue seemingly forever to fight back from a shitload of blows, before stepping in for the finish. I'm now 1-3, which sucks, but impress me Stewart do.

- Geeky rapper interviewed Shogun Rua, who said he's more nervous about watching his brother fight, than he is about fighting. Geeky rapper also got to be mounted by Carano, and even correctly picked more winners than me. He's now officially even wussier than Casey.

- Welterweights: Mike Pyle (cornered by birthday-boy Randy Couture, among others) defeated (unanimous decision of 30-27, 29-27, 30-27) Aaron Wetherspoon. Wetherspoon, now a born-again Christian, was supposedly once in a gang. Sure, me too, pal. For some reason, these guys were allowed to use elbows on the ground. During intros, some really loud chick was given a close-up. Gee, thanks, guys. Exciting round, which I barely gave to Pyle, who kept it on the ground for a while. Wetherspoon got up and controlled the standup, although he didn't get to tee-off, like he wanted. In the second, Pyle's game plan was to pick apart Wetherspoon in the standup, but that didn't exactly work. I gave the second to Wetherspoon. In the third, Pyle used a diverse attack of boxing, kickboxing, and wrestling to bloody Wetherspoon and dominate the round. I gave the fight to Pyle (29-28), but finished the broadcast with a lot of respect for Wetherspoon (and, as far as my picks, at 2-3).

- I'm sure there were some other fights, but I don't give a fuck, so maybe second-wussy-in-command will provide those results for you.

Eh, not bad, but nothing to persuade me to purchase the pay-per-view.

PS: Go, Shamrock!

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