[video=youtube;7rivf9yfRtE]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7rivf9yfRtE[/video]
The fans are on their feet as "This Fire Burns" by Killswitch Engage roars over the PA system. A "C.M. Punk!" chant begins until someone they weren't expecting walks through the curtain, none other than one of the Pokemon that got involved in the Gastly versus Pikachu match at the beginning of XXVII: The Super Dose, the Red Version representative, Charizard.
Charizard looks very serious as he makes his way down the ramp to the ring, turning and walking up the steel steps, making his way across the ring apron and stepping through the ropes. He asks for a microphone and is granted one as "This Fire Burns" fades out to silence.
Charizard: Before I get down to business, I want to welcome you all to this week's edition of The Dresden Dose: Red Version, or as I like to call it, The Charizard Dose!
The camera cuts away to the titantron screen where the graphic is displayed.
Ever since I've been given this gig, I've tried to do nothing but have fun with it, however, last week is when all of that came to a screeching halt. Pikachu is a friend of ours, we've known him since I was a Charmander and Blastoise was a Squirtle, so when he saw he was in danger, we interfered. What we weren't counting on is Venusaur getting involved on behalf of the bad guys. So here's what I'm suggesting, no, here's what I'm demanding. I'm calling out Gengar, Electabuzz, Machoke, and Venusaur to take on me, Blastoise, Pikachu, and a partner of our choosing on next week's edition of the Red Version. Whaddya say, Gengar?
Charizard and everyone look to the stage, awaiting the theme music of Gengar to begin playing, but nothing happens. Suddenly the titantron screen lights up and Pikachu is seen in the backstage getting beaten down by Gengar, Venusaur, and Electabuzz. Charizard drops his microphone and goes to exit the ring but is pulled backward by someone that has grabbed his wings. Charizard is thrown into the ropes and as he comes off of them, there's Machoke waiting as he catches the fire lizard and plants him with a hard spinebuster. Machoke begins laying stomps to Charizard, when suddenly Blastoise comes sprinting down the ramp, sliding into the ring with a steel chair in hand, clobbering Machoke with it. Blastoise and Charizard exit the ring and run to the backstage. Venusaur goes after Charizard, and Blastoise locks up with Gengar as Pikachu is left to tussle with only Electabuzz. Machoke comes running in to join the fray but is stopped dead in his tracks by a clothesline from an unidentified Pokemon. As he reveals himself, the fighting stops, and the Pokemon speaks.
Mewtwo: Charizard, you've just found your partner.
The crowd comes alive as Mewtwo walks off. Charizard, Blastoise, and Pikachu leave as well, the camera zooming in all the laid out Pokemon as things fade to black and this graphic is seen.
Just thought I'd get the
official graphic in here somehow. It seems we've got ourselves another brawl on our hands as next week on the Red Version it will be Blastoise, Charizard, Pikachu, and Mewtwo taking on Gengar, Venusaur, Electabuzz, and Machoke. As for this week, we've got ourselves another red hot edition of Tuesday Night Raw to review, so let's get to it!
OPENING
Raw opens up with the usual pyrotechnics and an outside shot of the arena tonight's show will be held from, the American Airlines arena, before being sent over to our esteemed commentating team, Michael "I still break out the heel schtick from time-to-time" Cole and Booker T is once again gracing our show. Guess Austin really put a hurting on the King, huh? Ironically, they don't touch on that, they act as though it's business as usual and run down the card for tonight. There's nothing wrong with that, it's kind of funny actually, I just don't think it would've hurt for either of them to say something about it.
IN-RING PROMO: CHRIS JERICHO
We are now joined by none other than Chris Jericho, who, as Cole as Booker allude to before he comes out, hasn't been seen since Starrcade. Jericho begins by reminiscing about what all he's accomplished, or hasn't accomplished according to him, in his UWF career so far and goes on to explain why it is that he went after the NWO, and laments about failing to stop them, warning everyone that the NWO can be just as destructive now as they were back in WCW, even though it's a different trio of guys. He warns the NWO will expand and spread over UWF, bending Teddy Long to their every whim and taking every superstar in their path down. Jericho says he is done fighting the NWO, he is done being the savior, and is retiring.
I really hope this is just a storyline, as it would really suck to lose Chase. If it is just a storyline, it can go one of two ways in my opinion. On the one hand he comes back to participate in some sort of multi-man match where he's on the team opposing the NWO, so that the fight continues but he's not alone. On the other hand, well he spoke of the NWO expanding, which suggests additional members, which means Jericho joins the NWO. However, with the Aries and Orton match having the stipulation it now does, more on that later, it may be difficult to expand the NWO.
COMMERCIAL ONE
Raw's first commercial of the night is for their official Diva, AJ Lee, more dressed down than usual as she's sporting a bikini this week. I'm not complaining, but as a married man, I will try to abstain from gawking. Speaking of AJ, more and more questions have been raised surrounding the Money in the Bank pay-per-view match between Punk and Bryan, would you not agree? I just hope they have an actual payoff and aren't winging it as they go.
ENGLISH TIDE VS. ALMOST FAMOUS
Back from commercial, it's time to decide one half of the UWF Tag Team Championship match at the Great American Bash. I am still calling the team of Shark Boy and William Regal the "English Tide", because just about every other team in this tournament has a name and I think the "English Tide" sounds cool, albeit simple. Almost Famous is also a cool tag team name, as I've stated before. It kept reminding me of something, so I researched it, and it is indeed a film. Not a film I've seen, but it is a film, so my thinking was correct. Anyhoo, incessant rambling over, time to get to the match.
I enjoyed several things about this contest, like the bullying early on by Regal, utilizing his size advantage to keep in control of the match. The early near fall by Bourne was also great, can you imagine if that's how things ended? Pete would've succeeded in beating a team played by two trash talkers and earning himself the very first shot at the UWF Tag Team Championships in his first match, which would've been impressive.
I also love the hot tag spot, it's been awhile since I've seen that, very fitting for a match with these implications, it suitably captures the excitement surrounding it. Shark Boy wins it with an unexpected Chummer though, and the English Tide advance to the Great American Bash! Overall, this was a great tag team match, and though they were defeated, Almost Famous gave a very strong showing here, I'm impressed with the potential of this duo.
BACKSTAGE PROMO: CODY RHODES
This promo is so incredibly captivating, I absolutely love it. Cody Rhodes is portrayed in this promo as the most mentally unstable person in the company, and he very well may be. Not to make a comparison, but I'm reminded fondly of my Mankind days in CWA by Cody Rhodes. The singing to himself is what put this promo over the edge for me. It was great on its own, but adding that to it was brilliance. Attacking the cameraman was cool, as well as unexpected, and the subtle hints of tension in the NWO is interesting, not to mention the usage of a specific date to capture historical accuracy, this added with the clever way of avoiding outright breaking the fourth wall makes this a strong contender for Promo of the Week.
BACKSTAGE/IN-RING PROMO: STONE COLD
It's beginning to upset me that no one ever says anything about my promos, especially because of how long I make them and the quality I feel they possess. I mean, let's take a look at the ground covered here. Runs into Vince McMahon, who tries to fire him. Claims credit for all the revenue UWF has made since signing him, and the very existence of Smackdown. Brings up UCW past again, expressing frustration over never winning either of the big titles until he came to UWF. Tears into Smackdown for their talent no-showing last edition, putting the Legion of Doom in a squash match, suggesting Jarrett is a gay cowboy and referring to Batista by a combination of his old OVW gimmick and his early WWE gimmick.
Lets Roddy Piper have it for complaining about Blastoise, taking a shot at The Dresden Dose and Effective Thinking with EoR. Lets Wolfe have it, comparing him to the rapper Pitbull and referring to him by his former last name, McGuinness. Lets them have it for the King of the Mountain match, insulting all the participants. He takes a shot at a debut that's set to happen on the July 6th edition, mentions Triple H's departure as him wanting to get away from Smackdown, references my prior runs as Guerrero when insulting him for no-showing as well as PegKidFan's last run, mentions Anderson's no-show, then shifts his focus to Raw.
He insults the returning Bully Ray, the departing Barrett and Cesaro, and the debuting talent: Flair and Ziggler, Almost Famous, Christopher Daniels, and Shark Boy. THEN he takes a shot at Robert Roode before shifting his focus to tonight's tag match against two-thirds of the NWO. Sorry if it seems like I'm complaining, but it sucks when hard work goes unnoticed. I mean, is Captain the only one that read it?
COMMERCIAL TWO?
The end of my promo references Raw heading to commercial, but there is no commercial, so I'm going to interject my own. Please welcome my first, and possibly last, Testing Ground challenge, Lance Storm.
Lance Storm: If I could be serious for a moment, I would like to address just exactly what it is I see when I look around this company. Your UWF Champion is an alcoholic with no respect for authority, and brings no prestige to the title. Your World Heavyweight Champion is a garbage wrestler that wouldn't recognize the term "catch-as-catch can" if it swatted him across the face with a steel chair. You have allowed yourself to be represented by poor excuses for human life, and you have not learned from WCW's sins, as the NWO has found their way to the Raw brand in the form of an established young talent, an up-and-comer, and a fellow Canadian.
UWF needs someone like Lance Storm on its roster, to clear out the stench of American hypocrisy and recklessness. It's time to restore professional wrestling to what it was when it was first established, an art form. Never have I been so disgusted by the state of this business, but once I arrive, bit by bit you will see it returned to its former glory.
EDDIE GUERRERO VS. CHRISTOPHER DANIELS
As referenced above, PegKidFan no-showed his match this week, making the outcome obvious. However, the contest is not a throwaway, the writer still gave us a good match despite the lack of participation, and I thank them for it. I was expecting Daniels to win with the Angel's Wings, but he surprises me by getting the submission victory via the Koji Clutch.
BACKSTAGE PROMO: TRISH, EDGE, AND CHRISTIAN
Honestly, I thought this promo would be the UWF return of Edge, but that doesn't appear to be the case. Edge is speaking with Trish when Christian shows up, causing Stratus to leave so the two former tag partners may speak. Edge states he doesn't want any trouble, to which Christian responds he doesn't either, he's just checking in on his best friend. Edge states they are no longer best friends because of what happened on Raw last month when the NWO beat him down, announcing Cody Rhodes as their newest member.
Christian asks Edge is he's heard the good news, which is when Edge responds he hasn't watched Raw since he left UWF three weeks ago. Christian tells him what's going on and wants Edge to be excited for him, but he isn't as he attempts to leave, but Christian stops him. The conversation leads to Edge revealing he doesn't think Christian will win at the Great American Bash, sending Christian off in frustration.
This was a good segment. Christian's alignment as a heel is highlighted by the fact that he thinks he and Edge are still best friends, claiming to recall nothing of the beatdown several weeks ago and having Edge doubt him in his quest to capture the UWF Championship adds a dimension of interest.
THE ROCK VS. DOLPH ZIGGLER
I wish some sort of reference to Ziggler's open challenge promo last week would've been made, it would've added some continuity to the situation. Anyhoo, this match went down like you would want a debuting heel calling out anyone to take him on to go down, one of the mega faces answers the challenge and beats the cocky youngster in his first match. Surprisingly no interference by Flair, or mention of him being ringside for that matter, he's included in the entrance and that's it. By the way, Dolph used a Stinger Splash. Good taste in moves, kid.
COMMERCIAL THREE
Raw's third commercial of the night urges you to vote for the Monthly Awards. Well since voting is over by now, I'll just post the results.
Raw Superstar of the Month: Christian
Smackdown Superstar of the Month: Dean Ambrose
Brand of the Month: Raw and Smackdown
Champion of the Month: Cody Rhodes and Stone Cold
Best Trashtalker of the Month: rawisrey
Underrated Trashtalker of the Month: Lubaninho
Most Improved Trashtalker of the Month: Andrew
Tag Team of the Month: NWO
Member of the Month: Chris Dresden
Most Helpful of the Month: Cwalker and EoR
Writer of the Month: SBS
Feud of the Month: Dean Ambrose and Daniel Bryan
OMG! Moment of the Month: Ted DiBiase wins and loses the WHC in the same night
Match of the Month: Dean Ambrose vs. Daniel Bryan III
Congratulations to all of the nominees and the winners, and thank you for making me the Co-Champion of the Month and the Member of the Month. Much love, guys!
IN-RING PROMO: AUSTIN ARIES
Austin Aries cannot be denied right now, the passion that this man oozes from every word. When Chriss gets his championship rematch, if it's against me, we're bringing the house down. We're going to match the effort we put in the past few times and then crank it up. Aries/Austin will be the feud of the month for July, I'm saying it now.
BACKSTAGE PROMO: MVP
Grisham thought he was going to interview Robert Roode, but instead he gets the man that has decided he despises him, MVP. MVP gets a lot of good shots in here such as referring to the title Roode carries around as fake and calling Roode a nobody he only knows something about because of a Google search, more or less. Like I said last week, I was expecting Roode/Rhodes, but I'll gladly take Roode/MVP after this promo.
U.S. TITLE CONTENDERSHIP: C.M. PUNK VS. MATT MORGAN
Let me say that while it's been done before, the champion on commentary for the contendership match is brilliant. It's interesting that the video is for Matt Morgan's TNA theme, but the entrance states the music above as "Click Click Boom", I'm assuming the Saliva song. I looked it up to make sure the TNA theme isn't called, "Click Click Boom", and it isn't, so I guess there was some miscommunication.
Cody was a nice addition to this, as I noted, and the referee stopping the match was an interesting finish, especially since Punk's opponent is a large human being like Matt Morgan, a very strong statement and dominant way to win the contendership. Dom has been on fire since returning, and his post-match Go To Sleep on Rhodes cements that statement.
COMMERCIAL FOUR
Raw's fourth commercial of the night is for the Great American Bash, coming to you live on July 22nd!
ANDERSON VS. ROODE
Please tell me that giant picture won't be a regular part of Roode's entrance. Anyway, Anderson no-showed and was suspended so we all know how this one ends. Another win by a debuting superstar via submission, I'd like to note. By the way, in case I haven't asked it before, why are we going along with this NWA World Heavyweight Championship nonsense, to make him stand out? That's the only sensible reason I can think of for it. Post-match, MVP tries to attack Roode but pays for it. Roode claims he is better than Austin and Ambrose because he's the NWA World Heavyweight Champion and says that at the Great American Bash, MVP will find out why it pays to be Roode!
COMMERCIAL FIVE
Raw's fifth and final commercial of the night is for the "Rise & Fall of WCW". I've heard criticism regarding the release, but it gets praise here, so I'm going to go with it being an enjoyable DVD set.
ORTON & CHRISTIAN VS. AUSTIN & ARIES
Another week, another single trash talk from Dres. I've really been slipping lately, but fear not, because the real Chris Dresden is back, so to speak, and you won't see just one trash talk from me unless my opponent(s) no-show. Christian picks up more momentum heading into the Bash, but that won't be enough, I'm not giving up my belt yet.
OVERALL THOUGHTS
Well cut promos, greatly written matches, a nicely structured show. The stage continues to be set for the next pay-per-view, and everyone couldn't be more excited, except those that no-show, inspiring the writing team to consider doing away with second characters, which I hope doesn't end up happening, I love playing two characters. Plus, if I win both my matches at the Bash, I'll be a dual champion.
July 10th Card
Cwalker's taking a bit of a break to enjoy his birthday, so Raw will be brought to you by RiR, Fetter, EoR, SBS, and myself this week. They created the card, I made all but one of the match threads, and will be writing one of the matches. Let's see what's in store!
vs
Bully Ray's back in UWF and he's pissed off and looking for a fight. Christopher Daniels, fresh off a successful debut, looks more than happy to give him one as these two former TNA stars will do battle on Tuesday night. Will Ray come back with a vengeance, or be the next to submit to the Koji Clutch?
So far, Rated R Superstar has kept his word, he has not disappointed me as Christopher Daniels. I wish Lewb all the success in the world as Bully Ray, I've always been interested in playing that character since it was introduced. So far only Lewb has TT'd. *shakes head*
vs
Ziggler is none too happy after losing his debut match to The Rock. This week, Dolph will be someone else's debut opponent, as Curt Hawkins is looking to make a name on Tuesday nights. Will Dolph Zig-Zag his way into the win column, or will the former Edgehead keep him on a losing streak?
So happy to see Tapout back in action, I look forward to seeing what he does with Curt Hawkins, but The Wrestling Addict will surely be out to redeem his loss last week, so really it's anybody's match. So far only Tapout has TT'd. *shakes head*
vs
MVP on commentary
So far, The Rock is electrifying without fail, but Robert Roode is also on a winning streak, having won his debut match last week. When the People's Champion collides with the NWA Champion, who will come out victorious?
Albo2 on commentary will make this match all the more interesting. EoR and Hoov have the potential to steal the show, honestly, and so far both men have shown up with one a piece. Keep it up, guys!
vs
One of them is gunning for the United States Championship, the other is gunning for the UWF Tag Team Championships. When these two do battle, will Punk continue his impressiveness or will the veteran from Blackpool put the Straight Edge Pipebomber away?
Dom versus Doink, I don't think the e-fed world has ever seen that match, though I could be wrong. Either way, it's an encounter I look forward to. So far neither man has TT'd. *shakes head*
vs
Robert Roode on commentary
Roode gets his turn on commentary as the Ballin' Superstar takes on the genetically jacked, athletically stacked Hardcore Champion Matt Morgan. Morgan is hungry to avenge his loss to C.M. Punk, while MVP is hungry for momentum. Who will have their hunger satisfied?
The Red still has the chance to remain impressive if he shows up to get his win back, meanwhile, Albo has already shown up to battle, being the only one to TT so far. *shakes head*
vs
The man that will get his shot at disbanding the NWO when he takes on Randy Orton at the Bash will take on Cody Rhodes, who has been recently vocal about his stablemates and his position in the group. Will the United States Champion show Aries he's not on any championship level, or is this just a preview of the main course for Austin?
Chriss and Rey are going to war in this match, thank you for waving the Raw flag proud, gentlemen.
So all but two matches have been no-showed, and one of those has one a piece. It's Saturday guys, please pick up the effort and act like you care about fedding. But wait, there's a bonus match!
The past few weeks my participation has been sucky, as I pointed out earlier. Well this week that changes, which is why I issued an open challenge, at first to people that'd been left off the Raw card, but interest has expanded to others that have matches and are even part of Smackdown. So far Christian has said he'll be ringside and Almost Famous, Randy Orton, and Shark Boy have answered the challenge. I'm interesting in seeing what the format of this match will be. TT'ing will have to step up though.
Promos
Steve Austin-On whether or not he can actually beat Christian
Christian-Gives his thoughts on closing in on the UWF Championship
Cody Rhodes-On the budding rivalry between himself and CM Punk
Shark Boy/William Regal-On what it would mean to be World Tag Team Champions
From The Vault
It is now time for the official debut of "From The Vault", where each Red Version, I will include a match I've written in the past, to both clear space on my computer and give you guys something else to read in the Dose each week. Not all of them are classics, but I will feature them anyway. This week is King Booker vs. Scotty 2 Hotty, a UCW Raw match that I'm pretty sure was a squash. Anyhoo, here's the match:
Justin Roberts: The following contest is scheduled for one-fall! Introducing first...
[video=youtube;7DTuUvIytoY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7DTuUvIytoY[/video]
The entrance music of Too Cool played as Scotty 2 Hotty, Grandmaster Sexy, and Rikishi came out onto the stage dancing in traditional fashion. They got a positive ovation from the crowd as they danced down the ramp and to the ring, stopping at the bottom. Scotty looked to his left at Sexay, then too his right at Rikishi, then looked forward and nodded his head, assuring himself that he was ready to do this as he slid in under the rope. He got up and danced a bit for the crowd and then got up on the turnbuckle and posed to another good pop. Justin Roberts finished the introduction as this was going on.
Justin Roberts: Being accompanied to the ring by Rikishi and Grandmaster Sexay,from Westbrook, Maine, weighing in at 209 pounds and making his UCW Raw debut...Scotty 2 Hotty!
Rikishi and Grandmaster Sexay walked away from the bottom of the ramp and went to the top side of the ring to stand and support Scotty from. The Too Cool theme quit playing.
Justin Roberts: And the opponent...
[video=youtube;7amDzcUgp_c]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7amDzcUgp_c[/video]
The music of King Booker began to play as he came out dressed in his royal attire, with William Regal walking by his side.
Justin Roberts: Being accompanied to the ring by William Regal, from Houston, Texas, weighing in at 250 pounds and also making his UCW Raw debut...King Booker!
The crowd gave Booker a mixed reaction since his popularity hadn't yet been decided as he made his way to the ring. He entered through the ropes as Regal walked to the bottom side of the ring to watch the match from. King Booker handed his crown and sceptor to Regal, as well as his cape as the ring bell was sounded
Jim Ross: And this one looks to be a slobberknocker, Roddy.
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper: You say that about all of the matches, Jim.
Scotty and Booker lock up in a test of strength with Scotty being on the losing end as he was brought to his knees. Booker kept pushing down but Scotty managed to get his hand free and get a throat thrust in. Booker grabbed his neck as Scotty went running into the ropes, connecting with a cross body that got Booker hung up on the ropes behind him. Scotty took advantage of this and began unloading with right hook after right hook until Booker got free and caught his punch. Scotty went for a left hook but Booker slapped him across the face and whipped him face first into the turnbuckle. Booker hit him in the back of the head with a clubbing blow when he bounced off that sent him back into the corner. Booker spun Scotty around and hit him with a few elbows until he slouched to a sitting position in the corner, looking dazed.
Jim Ross: What's King Booker looking to do here?
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper: Put me to sleep if he doesn't pick up the pace of this match.
Booker brought Scotty to his feet in the corner and brought him and himself gradually to the top turnbuckle and hooked Scotty in position for a superplex. Booker fell back and connected with tremendous force, both men crashing to the mat. Scotty lay there as Booker got up and went over to where he was and just stared down at him. He delivered a stomp to the chest of Scotty, then a stomp to the abdomen, then a stomp to the face, then another one to the chest. Booker connected with a knee drop and stayed on his knees, laying into Scotty with a series of punches. Booker brought Scotty to his feet again and irish whipped him into the ropes, but Scotty came back and dropped Booker with a spinning elbow!
Jim Ross: Business is about to pick up!
Booker sat up but Scotty came off the ropes again with a dropkick to the face that left Booker flat on his back. Scotty went to the top rope and measured his opponent, waiting for him to get up. Booker stood and Scotty went for a cross body but Booker timed a kick just right and hit Scotty in the stomach region as he was coming down. Scotty was hunched over in pain as Booker went to the ropes and came off quickly, connecting with the axe kick!
"Rowdy" Roddy Piper: Looks like it's out of business for Scotty!
Booker covered Scotty as the referee counted.
1!
2!
Kick Out!
Booker couldn't believe it as he picked up Scotty from the mat and charged forward, driving him into the corner. Booker began hitting his opponent with chop after chop, putting another second between each the more of them he connected with. Booker waited about five seconds for the next one, but that was too long as Scotty got a good kick in that sent Booker stepping backwards in pain. Scotty quickly ascended the turnbuckle, leaping off and connecting with a headscissors that put Booker flat on the mat. Scotty was up in no time, adrenaline pumping as he began his signature stomping dance, the crowd cheering because they knew what that signified.
Jim Ross: We've seen this before!
Scotty began hopping as the audience shouted out each letter, but when he got to the ropes he was tripped up by William Regal, who had moved to where Rikishi and Grandmaster Sexay were. Regal argued with the referee and the other members of Too Cool as Booker crawled on his stomach and reached under the ropes to the side of the ring where Regal was and grabbed his crown. Booker and Scotty were both up. Scotty charged at him going for a clothesline but Booker laid him out with the crown and then tossed it out of the ring. Regal quit making a fuss then as the referee returned his attention to the match. Rikishi and Sexay were trying to get his attention again to tell him what had happened but Booker had covered Scotty.
Jim Ross: Not this way!
1!
2!
3!
THIS ONE'S OVER!
Justin Roberts: Here is your winner as a result of a pinfall, King...Booker!
And with that, that's going to do it for this week's edition of the Red Version. Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for this week's Blue Version, and don't forget to like this, rep me if you can, and comment. In those comments you can give me feedback on the Testing Ground, my match for From The Vault, my review, the Pokemon stuff, all of it. Also, need a suggestion for the next Testing Ground if you deem my Lance Storm passable, that is.
As for next week's From The Vault, instead of choosing, I will leave it up to you the readers from now on. Choice one is Beer Money versus the Straight Edge Society, choice two is John Cena vs. Rick Rude. Feedback on all of this would be awesome guys, and I expect to see rey this week. The Dose misses its number one fan.
Until next time, the doctor is out!
