[2000-10-30-WWF-Raw] Steve Austin vs Rikishi (Cage)

[soup23]

This pretty much ends the run of Rikishi being a threat to Austin on his own. We see clips from SmackDown of a mystery man with a wrench hitting Austin and making him bleed. The cage match is essentially beating up Rikishi on the inside and outside of the cage. He slams the door against Rikishi’s face and Rikishi gets great color off of that. A stunner gives Austin the win in just over five minutes. This whole feud has been weirdly set up but Austin felt more like Austin here so that is promising. **1/4

 

[GSR]

Rikishi asks Tony Garea to pass a message onto the Rock telling him that he wants to see him, although it looks like Rock ignores that request as next thing we know he’s gone to his dressing room himself to speak with him.  The Rock informs him that he wants nothing to do with him and to stay out of his life.  Rikishi then questions “after everything I’ve done for you?”  He goes onto say that he’s never asked him for anything but tonight he needs a little help in this cage match with Steve Austin and wonders whether the Rock has his back.  Rock confirms “yeah, the Rock’s got your back” and that’s all Rikishi needed to hear.

‘Stone Cold’ is pacing back and forth in his dressing room as Michael Cole tries to get a word with him.  We get a recap of when he was blindsided by a mystery assailant on Smackdown, however Austin isn’t overly bothered by that at the moment as Commissioner Foley has lived up to his word of giving him Rikishi in a cage.  He goes on to invite ‘the coward’ to come down to ringside and watch him whip Rikishi’s ass. 

The fight gets going before they even make it into the cage, the two men swinging and exchanging punches in the aisle.  Austin’s getting the better of things so Rikishi tries to distance himself from him, although not sure entering a confined cage is where I would be going!  Thesz press by ‘Stone Cold’ followed by some piston like right hands.  Rikishi reverses the whip to the turnbuckles and then ‘backs dat ass up’ into him.  Austin collapses in the corner but before he can give him the stink face, a low blow stops him in his tracks.  A clothesline turns Rikishi inside out who is off on his travels again as he looks to get away from his opponent.  He doesn’t get very far, Austin slamming his head into the steel steps and then slamming the cage door into his face, twice.  Another low blow by Rikishi which appears to be his main ‘go to’ weapon at the moment.  Austin blocks having his head rammed into the cage and repeatedly rams Rikishi’s into it instead.  ‘Stunner’ and this one’s over, ‘Stone Cold’ doing what he said he would, leaving Rikishi battered and bloody.

As I thought, Rikishi stood no chance and it was primarily another one sided beating.  You would think turning heel and feuding with Austin would be a great move for someone, not Rikishi, his stock is plummeting.