[2005-08-22-WWE-Raw] John Cena vs Chris Jericho

[Loss]

Talk about it here.

[ohtani's jacket]

This was another good match between these two. It differed from the PPV match in that it was more of story-driven bout with the stipulation being that Bischoff would fire the loser. They worked a tight about under the circumstances. Eric paraded around ringside like a dime store Vince McMahon trying to help Jericho win. The most exciting news was that Angle attacked Cena after the bout and absolutely brutalized him. Rampaging Kurt Angle is a scary mofo. I guess he's out of the doghouse and ready to tear Cena a new one. 

[Superstar Sleeze]

WWE Champion John Cena vs Chris Jericho - WWE RAW 8/22/05 Loser Leaves Town

The night after Summerslam where Cena defeated Jericho. I thought they got the most out of Jericho before he left. He was a great first challenger for Cena. High level upper midcard, low main eventer that can take the losses, is leaving anyways. The only issue is that the heel turn was rushed and he was very popular. This began the issues for Cena with crowd reactions which was seen more the night before at Summerslam but existed here as well. They would continue to be exacerbated by Kurt Angle being very over and HHH's promo saying Cena Cant Wrestle. The problem was that the 90s/turn of the Millennium guys were still very over but Vince was correct in that it was time to make new stars with Cena, Batista and Orton. Being a teenager at this time that was too cool for school I rejected Cena because everything I read said he cant wrestle. Thats hogawash he was a great wrestler in 2005. However, I am partially vindicated because as I have bee watching these hype videos he is so off-putting on the mic. He is doing some sort of weird hybrid Mark Walhberg/Adam Sandler/Southern high pitched accent that is terrible. He is just deep unlikeable from a promo/character perspective. I would fall in love with Never Give Up/Rise Above Hate Cena, but Ruck Fules/Chain Gang Cena sucks. 

As for the match, I liked this better than Summerslam. In essence it is a very similar match, Jericho works a cutoff-heavy match. He gives Cena a lot of hope spots and cuts him off with dropkicks, spin heel kick etc. I really liked the missed Cena Cross Body from the top rope. I will give Jericho credit that he does work as a heel, it is a lot of choking, shin on the throat jawing at the ref, grinding offense, clawing at him. It is nothing flashy. I do think it is solid work, but not extraordinary work. He doesnt elevate, but what helps him relative to Summerslam is the presence of Eric Bischoff on the outside. Bischoff tripping Cena, and the ballshot really gives the Jericho act that extra boost. Cena's comeback offense looked great that Meat Hook Clothesline I wish they kept that in his comeback sequence. Interesting no Five Knuckle Shuffle either night. They mirror the Summerslam Finish but turn into the Walls of Jericho, classic Jericho playing off the previous match. Cena's sell of the Walls and how he has to fight so hard to get the FU was the best part of the match. Of course he FUs him too close to the ropes and Bischoff puts Jericho's foot on the ropes. Great stuff. The only thing that bothered me about the match was that Bischoff gave Cena knuckledusters and they did KO spot and Cena kicked out. Like a ballshot, I feel like you need to respect that. Thats they type of shit that fueled Super Cena. I think swing and miss with the Knux, shove Jericho into Bischoff on the apron, FU would have been cleaner and more impactful. We get the kick out and then they do that sequence except they add the title belt in Bischoff's hands so Jericho's head collide with the belt for protection. FU 1-2-3!

I remember the dirt sheets were all over Jericho's departure so I wasnt surprised but I was disappointed. I was a huge Jericholic at the time. I am going to skip the Angle feud because I watched No Way Out 2005 match and that considered their best match. I remember this is when the cracks really started to show with Cena so they did a bunch of weird shit like Davari to get Angle over as a heel and none of that gets good reviews. I liked this more than Summerslam but it is in the very good camp, not a must watch. OH! Jericho does a great job milking and selling being thrown out of RAW. Really great chickenshit heel stuff. *** 1/2