Wow, I’m actually caring enough to do up one of these things! It’s amazing, it really is! Anyway, after last night’s Backlash PPV, I’ve got a whole new feeling about Randy Orton, as I’m sure most of you do too. Last night’s match with Foley was huge for this guy’s career. All I can say is that Foley’s at it again…putting over the younger, up-and-coming talent. He did it for Triple H, he’s done it for the Rock & now he’s doing it for Orton in the one way that he can do it the best…by taking a beating & taking it like a champ.
Last night’s match was unbelievable, the bumps that Orton took, the re-emergence of the barbed wire board, Foley’s threatening of lighting the barbed wire bat on fire, the tacks bump that Orton took, the dive off the stage followed by Foley’s elbow from the stage…this one was damn good pretty much from top to bottom. Just as Foley gave Triple H’s character toughness in the fans’ eyes, he’s already well on his way to doing it for Orton too.
Foley/Orton was my main reason for even bothering to write up one of these, but I suppose I should run down some of my other observations/thoughts on the other matches on the card. First off, the title match, while not as good as the first triple threat between these three, did have it’s own priceless moments. The Edmonton fans were unreal with their “You Screwed Bret” chants aimed at both Shawn Michaels & Earl Hebner, but also their “Let’s Go Benoit” chants were just about equally thundering even on TV. What an excellent atmosphere for a main event. I bet most, if not all the fans there will never forget that night. There’s just something about the Canadian fans that is different, they just have this deep love for wrestling, it’s happened quite a few times recently…Rock/Hogan I at WrestleMania X-8, the following night on RAW (where the fans cheered so loudly for Hogan in Montreal that he not only couldn’t speak, but also got teary-eyed in the ring on national TV) and last night at Backlash. Even though they’re sometimes a little backwards with who they cheer, they may very well be the best fans in wrestling.
What an amazing sight, seeing Benoit locked in the sharpshooter in the middle of the ring by Michaels with Hebner waiting to make the call to ring the bell. Everyone was just begging for Bret to show up right then & there to stop the possible screwjob from happening. Great stuff!
Benjamin & Flair had a nice little match, as did Lita & Victoria. The handicap match was equally fun to watch as Jericho & Christian wrestled most of the match with Trish getting in her kicks here & there, then scurrying out of the ring before Jericho could really get his hands on her. The Coach/Tajiri match ended in a huge surprise when Garrison Cade made distraction run-in to give Coach his first win. I’m kinda surprised Al Snow didn’t show up for that one at all. Kane & Edge was kind of flat, but given the lack of buildup or storyline to go along with this match, what do you expect? But overall, a fun night to be a wrestling fan.
Tonight, RAW emanates from the Pengrowth Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Needless to say someone could make an appearance who used to use the finisher that Benoit beat Michaels with last night who was the victim of the famous Montreal Screwjob. But I’m not mentioning his name as it could jinx things here. Personally, I’d love to see this Canadian Guy show up, he’s such an amazing performer, even if it’s just a short bit to put over Benoit, so be it. Just show up, Mr. Clark…that’s all I need to be happy.
There’s already a match set up for tonite, Chris Jericho vs. Christian, which should get over real well with the Canucks up there. There was decent crowd appeal in the match last night, I just kinda think the crowd is drawn as to which canadian to cheer, being that there are three of them in this match and since they never are real happy when a canadian loses. But anyway, there should be something with Shelton Benjamin as he continues on his quest to the top and with Randy Orton in some kind of “I got beat good, but am still the champ” interview. So when it’s 9:00 tonite, don’t forget about RAW, hell….it’s really been on a roll lately & if last night’s PPV is any sign of anything, it’s that RAW should continue to roll right along.
Good show last night, have fun with RAW tonite! I’m outta here.
Marcs Two Cents 
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