Peoria...November 1, 2004...Noon

Vince McMahon: Thanks for showing up early for this meeting today, everyone. As you know, tomorrow is Election Day and our "Smackdown Your Vote Campaign" goes on hiatus for a while. Because of this, we need to get a new philanthropy underway. Since all of you, the WWE Superstars, participate in these charity campaigns, I thought it would be best to gather you all for the pitch on the new ideas. Yes Coach, you have a question?

Coach: There's no more Smackdown Your Vote Campaign?

Vince: No. It's all over. Election Day is tomorrow.

Coach: Don't people vote on other things too?

Vince: Like what?

Coach: Umm....the weather?

Vince: (shaking his head in amazement) No. No they don't. Nature makes the weather. People don't vote on it. Just play your Gameboy and be quiet. Acey, can you hit the lights, pop in the tape, and explain the first ad.

Johnny Ace: Sure thing. Before anything, I fined Chris Jericho. I just wanted to tell everyone who didn't hear it already. OK. This tape is for "Tolerance: Your Only Choice." It's the campaign to accept others that are different from you. Let me pop it in.

Ace inserts the tape. It begins with the American Flag waving in the background.

John Bradshaw Layfield: Hi. I'm John Bradshaw Layfield, WWE Champion. In today's society, there's many different ethnic groups that contribute to our overall success. As a group, we need to embrace these diverse groups and accept our differences. Whether you're a...­

Triple H: ...Tiger Woods-looking mulatto.

Teddy Long: ...­cracker-ass Cracker.

Tyson Tomko: ...dress-wearing f*gg*t.

J.B.L.: ...­or even your run-of-the-mill lazy Mexican. We need to work together and find a way to get along. So on Tuesday, December 28th, raise your right hand in the air and goosestep through your town to show support for WWE's Smackdown Your Tolerance Campaign. Remember, Tolerance is your only choice. Because you can't kill people that are different than you...­legally.

Tape stops and is ejected. Bradshaw is ecstatic, running around the room screaming.

J.B.L.: Yeehaw! How was that? Awesome! Awesome, I tell ya! Go fetch me a Tough Enough kid. I need a foot rub!

Vince: Well, that was interesting. How about we just move on to the second one?

Ace: OK, This one is for WWE's Bodyslam on Sexual Harassment.

Ace inserts the second tape. It begins with a close-up on the star.

Jerry Lawler: My name is Jerry Lawler. Nowadays, things aren't as simple as they once were. For a woman in the workplace, times have changed. Today a simple pat on the ass or a squeeze of her thigh isn't simply an accepted "How are ya?" In fact, it's called "Sexual Harassment." If someone makes you feel uncomfortable in the workplace, it's your right to tell him to stop. Do like the WWE Divas do. Simply tell him to not touch you, not make lewd comments, and never rub your breasts with his crown again. It's a global problem, one that effects millions of women every year. Anyone can be a victim, whether you're an older woman or even in grammar school wearing a little school girl outfit - mmmm grammar school girl outfits...

Lawler stares into space and starts to drool

Voice off Camera: Jerry!

Lawler: (startled) Oh! Uh, uh¡, sorry. Uh...yeah, so show your support for WWE's Bodyslam on Sexual Harassment. Together we can win this battle! Remember what the King says and shake them puppies when you fight Sexual Harassment!

Tape stops and is ejected.

Vince: That was one of the most disturbing things I've ever seen. Why was there such an extreme close-up on your face, King?

Lawler: I had no pants on.

Vince: Figures. Do we have one more video?

Ace: Yes sir. This one is for...never mind. It's too hard to explain. Just watch.

Ace inserts the final tape. It begins with Ric Flair in his underwear.

Ric Flair: (sweating profusely) Vir - ­by God - ­gins! Virgins! Whooo! The Nature Boy! Whooo! Virgins! You see, you look at me and say Legend! I look at you and say virgin! Whooo! I am a jet flying, whooo! Virgins! By God, virgins!

Kane: It only takes one time to get pregnant - just one forced sexual encounter with a demon. That's all. Know the facts. You can get pregnant if you have sex immediately following your period. You can get pregnant even if you have sex even with contraception. You can get pregnant if I hold you down and then force you to marry me.

Flair: Even if it's your first time, you can get pregnant. Just because you're a virgin! Whooo! Virgin, virgin, virgin! You can still have a little Flair in the oven. There's only one sure way to avoid teen pregnancy.

Kane: That's to make sure you stay out of my path. Don't come near me. Most importantly, make sure you don't have sex for the first time until your married.

Flair: And in order to stay pure until your married¡­.stay away from me. I make 'em all bleed! Whooo!

Announcer: Keep yourself safe and remember - Sex with Ric Flair and Kane is Whacko...if you're a teen.

Tape stops and is ejected.

Vince: What the f**k was that?

Ace: It sends a clear message, I think. It tells youngsters how to avoid teen pregnancy.

Gene Snitsky: (raising his hand) Hey! How can you say it teaches people how to avoid teen pregnancy when we sold out WrestleMania in less than a minute?

Everyone stares at Snitsky. After three minutes, he realizes that he doesn't really understand what everyone's talking about and leaves the room with his head hanging down.

Vince: Fine. I'm looking at the numbers here and the budget for the third video is lowest. Let's go with the Ric Flair sex thing.

Flair: Yeah? You got it, Vince! Bring yourself over here! I'm gonna make you bleed - ­the hard way! Whooo!

Vince: No! No! You misunderstood me! Help!

Everyone leaves the room while Vince is­ "assaulted."

Looks like Vinnie Mac is Smacking down something, if not his vote. Speaking of which, on Election Day Eve, will La Resistance embarrass the United States by winning the tag team titles? Probably not, because the tag champs are from Canada, but whatever. Also, does Gene Snitsky plan on making Eugene his baby tonight and killing him? Can Eric Bischoff return from his week off and reclaim his make-believe authority over Raw? Do the 500 wrestlers chosen to feud with Evolution have a plan that will finally take down the most powerful threesome since Superman 2? Has Maven finally crossed the path from midcard afterthought to upper-midcard afterthought? The answers are on Spike Lee TV tonight. So, step up, close the curtain, punch your chad, and let the Supreme Court decide. Tomorrow's the real Taboo Tuesday, but tonight's Monday. Yeah, baby, you like it Raw.

Recap of last week's conflict between Evolution and everyone else on planet.

Raw Theme Plays. The Raw Theme, Across the Nation," was originally supposed to be Test's theme song. The song is still with the company, but Test isn't. That's gotta be rough. Cruel fate. In 1999, he was one "I do" away from immortality. Now he has to take his Testicles and go home.

Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler are kicking it live and they're so excited they could just punch you in the face. We're live from Peoria, Illinois and on the street to Survivor Series. As Gene Snitsky's music plays, Jim Ross says "This man belongs in an Asylum!" (JG Note: You got that right! I agree with you, J.R. You messed up though. They don't wrestle in the Asylum anymore. You should say that he belongs at Universal Studios in Orlando. That's where their cards are now. I agree with you though. He belongs definitely belongs there.)

Backstage William Regal is talking some pep to Eugene. He asks his protege if he knows that his next match is a Hardcore match. Do you know the rules, Genie? Anything goes! Master Eugene won't let his Lordship join him for the match though. He needs to do this for himself. Dinsmore leaves the confused Brit behind and heads to the action. Considering that according to Hardcore rules Eugene could legally bring Regal, a shotgun, two pit bulls, and an ax to the ring, I'd say it was a bad move for him to just go out there alone. That's just me.

(1) Gene Snitsky pinned Eugene after a Pumphandle Slam I guess that now that Kane is gone for a while, Lita doesn't care about the guy that killed her baby anymore. Wouldn't it be great if life was like that? You're upset with someone for killing your baby. You fight him. You lose. You move on. Ah wrestlers with short term memories. God bless em. Must be all those bumps. Snitz references his fetus hatred by beating Dinsmore with a number of objects, including a "No Babies" sign. The crowd was solidly behind Eugene, which is expected when you consider that it's a handicapped underdog against a baby killer. You don't get much more black and white than that story. The fans rallied for Dinsmore, but it was all for naught. After a failed attempt at a chairshot, Bischoff's nephew found himself locked in the Pumphandle Slam and pinned by the guy with the funny name.

Following the bell, to further perpetuate the audience's amnesia, Snitsky placed a chair around Eugene's head and climbed the turnbuckle. The announcers cried for someone to stop the act of violence before Snitty could kill Master Dinsmore. The irony of all this is that the chair around the head thing was Kane's shtick. It was what prompted Snitz to hit the Monster with a chair, setting up the dead baby thing. Now Gene does it. Now it's his move. Whatever. To stop this insanity, William Regal rushes up the ramp and climbs into the ring. He stops the Big Red Babykiller from jumping and beats him with his brass knuckled fists. Gene retreats up the ramp, holding his ribs and watching Eugene receive make-believe medical attention.

Triple H is standing in front of a blue curtain and he...is...­so...pissed...off...­right...now. Last week he was pummeled by a bunch of angry Raw stars. How could they attack the man that leads Raw? How could they attack the man that has made Raw? Because of this act of anti-Huntership, the Game is not at the arena tonight. Let's see how Raw does without Triple H! (JG Note: Shut up. No Hunter? Seriously. Shut up! For real? No way! Shut up!) Helmsley says that when he returns next week, he expects a hero's welcome. For you see, without the Gamy One¡­Raw is nothing! Wait, Hunter's not here? Really? Is it my birthday?

Commercial Break. WWE Smackdown vs. Raw for Playstation 2 comes out tomorrow. In the game, you have a chance to take over the reigns of WWE. Marriage license sold separately.

Jerry Lawler has his own copy of WWE Diva magazine and it's stuck to his hand. On the cover is Christy Hemme, the winner of the Raw Diva Search. On the inside is Maria, one of the losers of the Raw Diva Search. Guess what, though. Just to further prove that the competition meant absolutely nothing, she works here now too! Yup! Maria is the newest member of the announce team.

She's also not very good. She stumbles through a question to Tajiri about Triple H's statements. It really sounded like she was one of those computer programs that says what you type. Very robotic. Tajiri responds that...

"We are mad as he-wl and we are not going take it anymore. Triple H can stay home. We don't care if we never see him again."
   - Tajiri, 9:19pm

(JG Note: I couldn't understand one line of what Tajiri was saying. I kept rewinding it over and over again. Finally, my fiancee, who works for TDK and has Japanese co-workers, said "Oh, he's saying Triple H can stay home." She wanted me to mention that she translated. So noted.) The irony of all this is that Tajiri has a better grasp on the language than Maria. Suddenly Ric Flair interjects himself. He asks the Japanese Buzzsaw for a handshake and offers to let "bygones be bygones." That's the cue for Dave Batista to attack. He slams Taj into the ground and Jim Ross says, "Bygones be bygones my Oklahoma backside." With that, Slick Ric and Deacon Dave take their backsides to the ring.

Clad in suits, Batista looks like a Miami Gigolo and Ric Flair looks like the president of a condo board in an elderly Miami community. Anyway, the Miami Vice are here to tell you about their current plight. What happened to Tajiri is just the start. Flair enunciates his way through the pro-Triple H promo, telling us that we are not worshiping the right God and all that. Even when Hunter's not here, he's here. We have Ric Flair. Naitch demands that Eric Bischoff restore order to this show. If not, he and Davey B. will smash up the locker room! Get out here now, Easy E...

Ha ha! Did you see that, lowly backstage gopher? Eric Bischoff has gray hair! Ha ha!

Uh, Mr. McMahon, you have gray hair.

Ol' Uncle Eric Bischoff is here to confront Ric Flair. Look here, Nature Boy, Eric's here to announce the Survivor Series matches. Here's what we have. Christian meets Shelton Benjamin for the Intercontinental Title! Little reaction. Boos if anything. That happens when you announce the challenger for a baby face champion. Unless they hate the baby face, the crowd tends to boo title defenses. Trish Stratus¡­"finally" versus Lita! The crowd cheers. I was kind of surprised. With the "finally," I expected him to say Stacy Kiebler. Glad it's Lita since she's an actual, you know, wrestler. Then in the Main Event, we have a classic Survivor Series Elimination Match! It's Chris Jericho, Chris Benoit, Maven, and Randy Orton facing Triple H, Dave Batista, Edge, and Gene Snitsky! Incredulous, Slick Ric asks if his name was accidentally omitted. Bisch says that it wasn't accidental. It was on purpose! You see, Bischoff enjoyed last week's Evolution-Everyone conflict. From this point on, Eric will decide what he likes. To prove he's not turning baby face, Schoff cites Eugene's beating at the hands of Snitsky as something he liked to see. The inmates will run the asylum more often according to ATM Eric. Why? Well, where was Evolution when Sleazy E had his head shaved at Taboo Tuesday? Not there! What has kissing your Evolved Asses done for the Bisch? Nothing! From now on, E.B. listens to himself and himself only! (JG Note: ¡­and Vince McMahon, but that's understood. He lost the Monday Wars.) Here's the plan. Following the pay-per-view, Uncle Eric is taking a month long holiday. In his absence, each member of the winning team will serve as General Manager of Raw for a week each, filling the month long void.

Batista can't believe what he's hearing! Ay Carumba! Benoit, Jericho, Maven, and Orton will just book themselves if they win power! They'll all book title matches against Triple H! Tista sort of gives away the finish of the Survivor Series by saying that Orton can't book himself in a World Title match if he wins Survivor Series because Ric Flair defeated him last week in a "No Title Match Ever Match," for lack of a better term. However, Ortles will book Helmsley against other babyfaces! The reason being, according to Dave, that if H loses the gold, Randall can challenge his successor. Essentially, if the prospect of allowing Ort to win the GM position for a week was thought through enough to make it feasible that his match with Hunter is still pushed off, the outcome seems pretty certain. Why explain that Randy can't challenge Helmsley when he's G.M. if the match to determine if he's even allowed to serve as G.M. hasn't even taken place yet? Either Batista has a really bad self-defeating attitude or else WWE wants to get that little logic hole filled in now so we don't ask questions later. He then threatens Bischy and tells him to change the stipulation. Bischoff stands on his laurels and tells Tista to buck up and get ready for the Survivor Series. Schoff points out that while Hunter says that Raw is nothing without him, he is nothing without the World Title. I'm ba-ack plays and the GM leaves. I guess Eric's a tweener now. It's the gray hair that makes him serious. Same in WCW. He was all cocky, but when he got the gray hair, he started wearing glasses and appearing "via satellite."

Commercial Break. Skittles sure makes their candy seem insane with these Rainbow hallucination commercials. Whatever happened to real candy advertising? What happened to simply messages like the Bonkers Candy Commercials? You ate a Bonker and a big piece of fruit fell on your head. That I could understand.

(2) Christian pinned Hurricane after an Unprettier So I've given up on Hurricane. Remember the heel tease a few weeks ago? Forget it. It's over. I suppose that when Cane took his mask back from a young kid, he was just having a bad day. Christian on the other hand is above the position that he was put in tonight. With an Intercontinental Title match on the horizon, the last thing Tian needed was to roll around in headlocks while a performer uses his match to deliver a monologue on the microphone. That's what happened, though. Big Brother Edge showed up with his new book, Adam Copeland "On Edge", and spoke about its contents. It was a good segment for the Edgeman, but a bad one for everyone else. The CLB looked silly exchanging rest holds while the E-Man delivered a promo. Edgy finally got off the house mic by going to Jim Ross's spot at the announce table and giving him an autographed copy of his memoirs. He thanks Peoria and then leaves. As luck would have it, the ring action picks up as soon as Edge takes off. What a weird coincidence! Hurricane rushes in for a Shining Wizard and misses. Captain Charisma tosses him into the ring post and delivers the Unprettier. Splat. 1,2,3.

After the three-count, Shelton Benjamin arrives. Christian is livid. He leaves the ring and accuses Shelly of stealing his Taboo Tuesday votes. That's cool. Sister Christian has a back up plan. Tyson Tomko might be injured, but the CLB has a bodyguard for the night - a stiff in waiting, if you will. Out comes Viscera. No joke. Viscera. Ross says that Vis is a free agent and he's here to take out Benji. Mable and Christian beat down the Intercontinental Champion and talk trash while he writhes in pain. Billy Gunn and Test couldn't be used well enough to warrant employment, but Viscera has spots on both brands? The industry is going through a very strange era.

Commercial Break. Spike TV presents Japan's number one show, "Hey! Spring of Trivia." I wasn't aware that Spike TV was the first network for Japanese men.

Edge meets up with Todd Grisham backstage. The Edgeman tells Grishy that tonight he will fulfill his Tag Champ duties with Chris Benoit. If the Wolverine can defeat the Resisters on his own, imagine what he could do with a partner. Benoit shows up and Copeland takes one of the tag straps from him. The duo get into a tiff and this uneasy alliance looks rocky. Edge threatens to leave the Crippler on his own against the evil French Canadians. (JG Note: At this point, if Benoit doesn't expect Edge to walk out on him, he deserves to get beaten up.)

Maven is wearing his shiny orange skivvies and he's on the prowl for Evolution. Captain Courageous runs into the Miami Sound Machine and mocks them. Don't they know what they have coming to them? Aren't they aware of the danger that awaits them. Dave Batista lowers his sunglasses and prepares for battle. Before Ric and Dave can attack the Tough Enough Alumni, Chris Jericho and Randy Orton appear behind them. For Flair and Tista to have not heard them, Y2J and Orton had to have tiptoed into the room. It's a funny visual. Jericho tells the remaining Evolvers to come and show what they've got. Randy then chimes in and tells them that after the Series, Evolution won't have a future. The Legend Killer lets out a "Whoo" of his own and everyone leaves. Sure didn't take long for Randy Orton to become just another baby face in the bunch, huh?

Commercial Break. "You'll never forget the people you hurt when you're high." Don't you remember all the people you hurt whether you're high or not? Hey man, remember when you killed that guy? No? It's probably 'cause you weren't high.

Center ring sits the Simon System with it's guru Simon Dean. Bodydonna Simon tells the lucky audience that one of them will receive his patented system. This is when things get weird. The idea is to cycle through the crowd, insulting fat people, and then getting to the plant. The only problem is that he points out people who are obviously real audience members and calls them fat on cable TV. It was painful. He tells one woman that she smells. She shoots him the middle finger twice, forcing the camera to shift. (JG Note: They have every right to do this. WWE live event tickets basically state that they could use your image anyway they see fit forever. Essentially, they could focus the camera on one fan for two hours and repeat "Look at that fattie. You're a fattie, fattie" over and over and it would be ok. Sad.) Anywho, cut to the chase. Dean picks the toothless plant out of the crowd, mocking his dental work and weight. The "fan" gets into the ring and, at Simon's prompting, removes his shirt. Dino laughs at his man boobs and jiggles them for fun. Enraged, the fake spectator shoves him and tosses over the table of supplements. Uh oh. Sy responds by attacking and slapping on an arm bar. Nothing special here. The jury on Simon Dean is still out.

Commercial Break. With a new Juicebox, you can watch videos on long car rides. Mattel - Helping To Kill Human Interaction One Car Ride at a Time.

We're back and Jerry Lawler has his own Juicebox. He loves it. I'm not sure if he realizes that they don't make porno cartridges.

(3) La Resistance defeated Chris Benoit & Edge to capture the World Tag Team Titles when Sylvan Grenier pinned Benoit The Rob Conway make-overs continue. I don't know what's up with this guy. Maybe he's waiting for the office to tell him to stop changing his look, then he'll know he's important. This week he had big sideburns and stringy wet hair. Next week he's going to be bald with a spike through his head. The match itself was good with Benoit playing the predictable solo Champion. Edge watched from afar and sat most of the match at the announce table. When he finally decided to join his partner, Edgy served to distract the referee while Conway and Sylvan double teamed Crips. One Au Revoir later and La R¨¦sistance were once again tag champs.

After the decision, Edge snatched one of the titles back from the new champions. He stared at the strap before plastering Chris Benoit in the head with it, prompting a deep blading from the Wolverine. Edgeman tossed the title back to the champs and turned his attention to the bloody Benoit. He lifted Chris and viciously pounded on his head. The Former Brood Member seemed to have lost his mind. Suddenly the Toothless Aggressor regained his bearings and turned the tide. He landed some punches of his own, but ultimately fell to a Spear. Edge laughed and looked as though he was leaving, but came back. After some more punches and insane stares, he locked the Rabid One in a Crippler Crossface. With his face contorting into evil positions, the Edgeman forced his former partner to tap out before leaving to a chorus of boos. Great segment for Edge. The scene was done well and the reaction was great. It was arguably his most memorable moment in WWE to date.

Commercial Break. Now the Truth.com is nailing big Tobacco because they don't sell Fire Safe Cigarettes. I get the "tobacco causes cancer" commercials and the "you'll get heart disease" commercials, but "you can start fires" commercials? Aren't we stretching at this point? What's next? The packs are made out of paper and cardboard. Can't we blame Big Tobacco for killing trees while we're at it?

Batista and Ric Flair still haven't learned their lesson. They're demanding that Eric Bischoff do something to stop Maven, Chris Jericho, and Randy Orton for trespassing in the Evolved dressing room earlier. As expected, Bisch says no. He tells Ric that rather than accept this demand, he'll book a match for tonight. It'll be Jericho, Maven, and Orton versus Ric Flair, Batista, and Triple H! Tista objects, citing that Hunter is not in the house this evening. That's too bad, laments Eric. If H isn't here, then it's going to be a handicap match - three on two. Good guy/Bad guy Bischoff's reign of heroism/terror continues.

Muhammad Hassan introduces himself and Khosrow Daivari to the audience via pretaped vignette. Hasaan explains that he is an Arab American persecuted since 9/11. He's no terrorist, but he's treated as one. The character makes sense and has potential until he says "Praise Allah" in a way that elicits boos from the crowd. He then has Daivari translate. Horrible. It's not that being Arab is a touchy subject. It's not that current events are off limits. WWE isn't parodying current events. This isn't a terrorist team (JG Note: Although that would be a different debate altogether.) Innocent people go through persecution for their religious beliefs everyday. There's good and bad in every group. What WWE is doing is taking the good segment of a particular group and making them heels for no other reason that that they are different. It's very irresponsible, not to mention plain wrong. You have Simon Dean call individual fans fat and now you mock your Muslim audience. Keep going. By the end of the year, I'm sure we'll push away some more people. How about another miscarriage angle?

Commercial Break. Spike TV presents "Untold: Terry Brashaw." Of course after the show, it'll be told. Thereby making the show's own title false advertising.

(4) Intercontinental Champion Shelton Benjamin pinned Viscera after a spin kick. Five star classic. This is the type of match that people will be talking about for years to come. Seeing Viscera do a moonsault is really a sight to behold. I'm only kidding. It was Shelton Benjamin versus Viscera. Does it sound like it was good? No? You're right. Christian showed up on the ramp, but it didn't help. Benji scored the pinfall after a spin kick. Following the official word, Christian tried to attack, but Shelt fought off both the Creepy Little Bastard and the Creepy Man on a Mission.

Commercial Break. WWE Slam of the Week is brought to you by the Simon System. Don't the sponsors of these things usually pay WWE money? Having one of your made up products sponsor your commercial break recaps is a bad idea since, you know, it's a fake company and doesn't pay money. It just seems logical to me.

Trish Stratus is in the ring and all her friends are sad over the prospect of her facing Lita at Survivor Series. Why? Because Leets is the Walking Kiss of Death. That little tramp sure has gotten around. Don't believe it? Well, Miss Stratus presents a video package detailing Lita's past failures and relationships:

Essa Rios Lita's first client -  "Adios. Essa Rios is never seen or heard from again." (TNA Note: Ouch.)

The Hardy Boys "Team Extinct. Once Lita sank her claws into them, T.L.C. you later."

Fallen Angel "Cult Favorite. Up for an Emmy. They decide to bring in Lita to guest star and - click - the show immediately gets canceled.

Matt Hardy "V1 needs an IV as he's sent to the hospital, his career in jeopardy."

Kane "Then Lita decides to settle down and marry the one man she claimed to hate more than life itself, Kane. A few weeks later, ding dong the Freak is dead."

All these things are true and Stratus continues to become one of my favorite performers on the payroll. She asks her redneck fans to not be concerned. After all, Lita is more than a kiss of death. She's a chubby loser. She'll lose at Survivor Series, just like she lost her baby.

This prompts Lita to show up and rush the ring. She attacks Strats, but is attacked from behind by Gail Kim. Along with Miss Trish, Kimmy pounds on Miss Amy. Satisfied with the beat down, Stratus hold her title and smiles. No sign of Stacy Kiebler. Guess that whole push is over.

Smackdown Your Vote. In other words, vote. Adding the word "Smackdown" makes you think of wrestling. Hopefully fans will equate wrestling with voting and get excited. Not for nothing, but if you need to make people think about wrestling in order to vote, maybe it's better they don't vote. Some people are apathetic for a reason¡­.they don't care about the outcome of the election. If they want to vote, they can, but I'm tired of begging them to.

We're back and talk turns to Election Day. Jerry Lawler utters the line of the night.

"That's right. Some countries have kings, but here we have a president. Tomorrow's the most important day of the year. Vote!"

- Jerry Lawler, 10:48pm

This has been a brief lesson in Social Studies starring Jerry Lawler. We'll be back after a word from our sponsors.

Commercial Break. The Club premiers on Spike TV November 10th. There's nothing lazier than watching people at a club... on TV.

(5) Randy Orton, Chris Jericho, & Maven defeated Batista & Ric Flair when Orton pinned Batista. I was surprised that Triple H didn't come running out at any point to join the match, a suspicion that WWE was counting on. It added to the match and really made you question Eric Bischoff's new role. When you realized it wasn't a setup on his part to help Evolution, you wondered where he stood. Ultimately, the feud here has been done well for what the eventual payoff is. With the four-on-four Survivor Series match announced, the conflicts leading in have been great. All WWE needs now is to incorporate Gene Snitsky into things to have a strong addition to the pay show. The biggest concern will be WWE eliminating the lesser names early at the Series and focusing on Hunter, Flair and Benoit. They should use this rare opportunity to make the newer names look strong. (JG Note: Unlike they did two years ago with the early eliminations of Rob Van Dam and Booker T in the Elimination Chamber.) As the match looked bleak for Flair and Tista, Hunter's music blared on all looked to the curtain. Rather than Triple H, we saw Tajiri dressed as the game. With a blonde wig on his head, the Cerebral Buzzsaw spit out his green mist and smiled. Thrown off their game, the villains are easy prey for their foes. With Maven and Y2J perched on opposing turnbuckles as back-up, Orton pegs Batista with an RKO and scores the pin.

The good guys join their Japanese Gamesaw and raise one another's arms. What will happen when Triple H returns? What? What, I ask you!? In the ring, an angry Batista shoves Ric Flair and looks at the curtain in anger. Flair is confused and Dave is mad as we fade to black.

All in all...Tonight's Raw was one of the brand's better efforts lately. A good amount of time was focused on developing characters besides those with three Hs in their name. Most prominently featured was Edge, who really had a break-out night in terms of setting up for his character's future on the show.

As a heel, Adam Copeland has great potential. As a baby face he doesn't. It's a lot like Randy Orton, who unfortunately was turned and fizzled. Edge has the chance to pick up where Ort left off and play the arrogant and slightly insane villain. His post match beating on former partner and fellow Canadian Chris Benoit was enough of a visual to leave you eager to see what's next for the suddenly loony Edge.

Viscera. Ugh. In fact, the Christian-Shelton Benjamin feud as a whole took a hit. Although it did a lot to help build up Edge as a heel, the Hurricane-Christian match really hurt the CLB. Having the contest go on autopilot while Copeland delivered a monologue made both wrestlers look like prelims. WWE had someone take the microphone and talk through a match where one of the wrestlers involved is challenging for the Intercontinental title on the upcoming pay show. Not a good idea. Introducing Viscera into the mix was another big hit. It did nothing for these two and by the end of the night, I was less sold on their Survivor Series Match than I was before.

Even without Hunter, there's still plenty of Hunter. Triple H wasn't there live, but delivered a pre-taped speech and was booked in the main event. I'm not saying that they overdid it. In fact, Trips was kept on the backburner and allowed some others to be showcased. The show still did a good job of continuing last weeks' angle between Evolution and the roster's forces of good. The setup for Survivor Series is also intriguing now. Adding an Elimination match for post-Series control of Monday Nights does a lot to make the event and it's ensuing Raws seem more interesting.

I hate the Arab-American gimmick. To present two characters as persecuted Americans of Middle Eastern decent and then lead your audience to boo them based on their Muslim heritage is beyond reprehensible. Keep in mind that I live in New York. I lived here on September 11th. To exploit the bad feelings that the event created between races and perpetuate that hate of differences is disgusting. It's shocking to imagine the people that book this programming. I can understand pushing the envelope now and then. I understand that people overreact when WWE presents a gimmick that's offensive. Lots of the silly satire the company does is laughable. This isn't really laughable. World Wrestling Entertainment is asking you to boo this team not because they are terrorists (At least that would be something worthy of booing.) They don't ask you to boo them because they are from another country like the Iron Sheik (By their own admission, they are U.S. citizens with an Arab heritage.) No. WWE is asking you to boo them for being Muslim. Using the term "Praise Allah" as the kicker line meant to evoke a reaction as enough to make things obvious to even the most loyal WWE defender. Just horrible all around.

In a nutshell, this was a pretty good show. While I was dead against the new UnAmericans and return of Vis, I was happy with the setup for the rest of the night. Survivor Series can be a good card if it's promoted right. Tonight, for the most part, it was. Until next week, be well and shake them puppies when you fight Sexual Harassment!