[WWE signature intro playing]
[Chimel] Ladies and gentleman of the Combined Joint Task Force 7
in Iraq,
would you all please rise and salute for our national anthem?
♪ Oh, say can you see ♪
♪ By the dawn's early light ♪
♪ What so proudly we hailed ♪
♪ At the twilight's last gleaming ♪
♪ Whose broad stripes and bright stars ♪
♪ Through the perilous fight ♪
♪ O'er the ramparts we watched ♪
♪ Were so gallantly streaming ♪
♪ And the rockets' red glare ♪
♪ The bombs bursting in air ♪
♪ Gave proof through the night ♪
♪ That our flag was still there ♪
♪ Oh, say does that star-spangled ♪
♪ Banner yet wave ♪
♪ O'er the land of the free ♪
♪ And the home of the brave ♪
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] You are looking at Camp Victory, Baghdad, Iraq,
home of the Combined Joint Task Force 7.
Welcome to a special presentation of SmackDown,
Christmas from Baghdad.
I'm Michael Cole alongside Tazz.
[Chimel] Ladies and gentleman,
the Chairman of World Wrestling Entertainment,
Mr. McMahon.
[Tazz] And, Cole, we are thrilled, honored, and privileged
to entertain the real heroes of our great country.
It's amazing, Cole, Christmas in Baghdad, SmackDown style.
[Cole] Thousands of soldiers from the 5th Corps of the US Army,
and the Combined Joint Task Force 7 greeting Mr. McMahon.
Here on Christmas from Baghdad.
On behalf of World Wrestling Entertainment,
on behalf of my fellow Americans…
[crowd cheering]
On behalf of freedom-loving people all over the world,
we have come here on this very special day in Iraq
to simply say thank you.
[crowd cheering]
Thank you for allowing us the privilege to perform before you.
Thank you for serving in the Armed Forces.
Thank you for providing the sacrifices that it takes for that service.
We thank you for protecting our great nation.
[crowd cheering]
We thank you for defending her freedoms.
And most importantly,
we thank you for having the courage to fight for what you believe in.
[crowd cheering]
We thank you for kicking ass, taking names,
and capturing Saddam.
[crowd cheering]
This special holiday season is the embodiment
of the spirit of celebration.
And even though you men and women here in Iraq
cannot be back at home with your loved ones and your family,
we've decided here in the WWE
to bring a little slice of Americana to you here today.
[crowd cheering]
That slice of Americana is known as the WWE,
so I say let the celebration begin.
[crowd cheering]
-Uh, there is one more thing… -[festive music playing]
What the hell?
-[Cole] Hey! -[Tazz] Look at this, Cole.
-[Cole] Old St. Nick in Baghdad. -[Tazz] Santa is everywhere.
Oh, it's Santa Claus!
[Cole] What do you think he's got in the bags?
-[Tazz] A little bit of a gut on him. -[Cole chuckles]
[Cole] Obviously, he hasn't been in basic training.
[Vince] Looks like Santa is a little bit out of shape this year.
Somebody help Santa get in the ring, will you?
Hold the ropes for him.
Easy there.
Okay. Look at the size of the belly on Santa.
Oh, that's a whopper.
Yeah. [chuckles]
I'm sure the reason Santa Claus is here
is because you came out to give Mr. McMahon
his Christmas present, right?
Well, that means that what's in those bags
must be a Christmas present for somebody else?
-The troops, right? -[crowd cheering]
Well, then, go ahead, give them out but save one for me.
Go ahead, Santa.
-[Cole] How great is this? -[Tazz] But what's in the bags?
[Cole] I don't know, we're gonna find out.
-[Tazz] Well, I want one, whatever it is. -[Cole] Christmas presents for the troops.
What did Mr. McMahon call this?
A slice of Americana being brought to Baghdad.
[Tazz] What's in the bags, though, Cole, maybe he's got a…
[Cole] Will you stop? You sound like a kid around the Christmas tree.
[Tazz] Well, I know, it's Santa Claus. I mean, it is Christmas.
What's in the… What's in the bag?
Santa looks like he might be half in the bag.
[Cole chuckles]
[Tazz] He's giving out.
[Cole] Oh, this is gonna be some show, Christmas from Baghdad.
[Vince] Santa's making his rounds.
[Cole] Where are the reindeer, the sled?
-He should use camels, right? -[Tazz] There's definitely no snow here.
What about Rudolph with the red nose and all?
[Cole] Yeah, camel with a red nose on it.
[Tazz] A camel with a red nose on it?
You've been drinking. Too much eggnog.
[Cole] Hey, remember, that's what the three kings used.
-They rode camels. -[Tazz] Three who?
[Cole] The three kings, you know, when they brought the gifts and stuff?
[Tazz] Yeah, I like queens.
[Vince] Save one for me, Santa, don't give all that stuff out now.
I want the biggest present you've got.
[Cole] Don't worry, Mr. McMahon, I'm sure Tazz bought you a gift.
[Tazz] Santa's giving out some T-shirts.
Probably the crown blue of the SmackDown brand,
SmackDown T-shirts probably.
[Cole] Santa Claus making his way
through this sea of troops here at Camp Victory.
And throughout the show, you're gonna meet troops
from all over the United States. In fact, all over the world.
[Tazz] Well, look back, isn't that tanks back there on the hill there?
We got tanks surrounding the ring, and the Humvees, I mean…
It's an amazing setup here we got.
[Cole] Yeah, later on, on this show, we're gonna tell everybody
how the US Army joined the WWE for the past three days
to put this arena, for a lack of a better term, together.
-[Vince] Let's hear it for Santa Claus. -[crowd cheering]
[Tazz chuckles] It's Santa.
[Vince] Hey! Hey, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa!
Hey, Santa! Hey, Santa, I'm talking to you.
[Cole] I think Santa was…
[Vince] Back in here, you forgot one thing.
[Cole] I think Santa was leaving.
You forgot the most important thing.
Come on up here, I got a bone to pick with you anyhow.
Now, where's my present?
Must have it there somewhere hidden in that big belly of yours, right?
You… you don't have a present for Mr. McMahon?
That's not good.
And you know, Santa?
I want an explanation from you, I mean, when I was a little kid,
you passed over my house every year.
You never stopped at my house, and I really wasn't that bad a kid.
[Tazz] Oh, I don't know about that. [chuckles]
I would suggest then you turn your big fat ass around
and get out of my ring.
[Cole] That's no way to talk to Santa.
-[Tazz] McMahon just dissing St. Nick. -I don't shake Santa's hand.
You don't bring me a gift, I don't shake your hand.
[crowd booing]
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Hey!
You see, that's what happens
when you disrespect Mr. McMahon, all right?
-[crowd cheering] -[Tazz] Whoa, uh-oh!
I'll kick Santa Claus's ass, I'll kick your ass,
it doesn't matter whose ass I'm gonna kick.
I'll tell you that right now.
-[Cole] Is that…? It isn't! -And as for Santa Claus, as far as I'm--
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Stunner!
[Tazz] Well, Santa Claus is from Texas now, not the North Pole.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin!
[Cole] Oh, wait a minute, this is SmackDown,
Stone Cold is from Raw.
This really is a WWE Christmas in Baghdad!
[Tazz] The Texas Rattlesnake on Christmas right here in Baghdad!
And our US troops are going nuts.
Mr. McMahon fell victim to the Stunner.
[Cole] Hey, Tazz, if you think about it, Stone Cold sort of embodies
what the Armed Forces are all about…
Kicking ass and taking names.
[Tazz] And our US troops, man, they are going bananas.
Bananas for this surprise right here,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin
in Stone Cold fashion
dropping Mr. McMahon like a bad habit.
[Cole] Good ol' happy, jolly St. Nick,
guzzling some brewskies.
[Cole] What a shocker. Take another look.
Mr. McMahon looked like he had… he'd seen ghost.
[Tazz] Yeah, a bald ghost. Way to go!
That move will put you out quick too.
[Cole] The Stunner heard 'round the world.
[Tazz] And Mr. McMahon obviously was on Santa Claus's naughty list.
[Austin] Let me clear my throat.
I was back in the back singing Christmas carols,
I got a little hoarse.
-You heard, I got a little hoarse. -[crowd] What?
-I can't sing that good anyway. -[crowd] What?
-So I probably guess… -[crowd] What?
-…that you don't wanna hear… -[crowd] What?
-…old Stone Cold singing songs. -[crowd] What? What?
-So I thought I'd come out here. -[crowd] What?
-Maybe try to sing a little song. -[crowd] What?
-But then after I drank a few beers… -[crowd] What?
-I figured… -[crowd] What?
-…I'd hold off on Christmas carols… -[crowd] What?
-Go right to the back… -[crowd] What?
…and drink some more damn beer.
[crowd cheering]
And if you're cool with Stone Cold going to the back drinking some more beer,
-give me a "hell yeah." -[crowd] Hell yeah!
[Austin] I didn't hear you, I said, "Hell yeah."
[crowd] Hell yeah!
And one more damn time…
[all] Hell yeah!
All right.
Now, we got all the what's out of the way.
I just want to say on behalf of myself,
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin and World Wrestling Entertainment,
it's been our pleasure and our privilege
to come out here and hang out with you guys,
to see exactly what you do
and I know Vince McMahon along with the WWE,
and especially "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
has always supported the United States Armed Forces.
We appreciate the sacrifices you make, allow us to do what we do,
and we are behind you 120%.
[crowd cheering]
Let me go off record here
and let me see a display of middle fingers.
Now, Saddam Hussein can take that and shove it straight up his ass.
[crowd cheering]
And that's the bottom line…
[with crowd] 'Cause Stone Cold said so.
[Cole] Now, that is a Stone Cold salute.
[Tazz] No doubt. No doubt.
Well put. Well put by The Rattlesnake.
[Cole] What else is gonna happen on Christmas from Baghdad?
[Tazz] But you know what, it's great seeing "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
right here on SmackDown.
But even better, checking him out on Christmas in Baghdad. Awesome.
[Cole] Well, ladies and gentleman earlier this week,
the WWE Superstars had a briefing with the Army
on the safety concerns in Camp Victory.
And that's when the gravity of the situation really began to settle in.
I'm Sgt. Palmer, this is Maj. Newlander.
I'm the anti-terrorism NCO or the non-commission officer.
And he's the OIC.
If there happens to be sniper fire, which probably won't happen
because we got hundred and hundreds and hundreds of soldiers out there
protecting you guys from the show.
You won't realize it right off the bat until it starts happening…
Just get down like everything else.
Find a hard shelter,
find cover where you can hide behind something,
and just wait until it subsides,
and we come out and say, "Let's move to the van."
You can have the mortars that we typically get on this base,
my building got hit four days ago,
the guy was sitting, sleeping eight feet away from it,
but he was down low.
Good thing I'm from Atlanta, I'm used to ducking.
-Yeah. -[laughter]
Ladies and gentleman, get ready to lay the smack down
in Baghdad, Iraq.
This is unbelievable, these guys are incredible.
This is like small potatoes compared to what they do on a normal basis.
This is Truck Squad from Baghdad, Iraq,
and you're watching SmackDown.
[Miller] We get things done around here like pretty much twice as fast.
It's like double time with these guys, it's amazing.
It looks pretty cool, man. We got plywood ramp running down there.
The monitors set up backstage.
Looking forward to entertaining these troops out here.
[all] SmackDown in Iraq! Hooah!
[Cole] Well, the Army became part of the WWE for three days,
Captain Mike Kepner and 47 people in charge of this entire setup.
[bell rings]
[Chimel] The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall.
Approaching the ring at a combined weight of 489 pounds,
Charlie Haas and Shelton Benjamin.
The self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team.
[Cole] Well, Captain Kepner's telling me the communication section
in charge of the video,
the day laborers in charge of setting up the ring,
and all those guys that helped out, Tazz,
sitting in the front row right here tonight.
[Tazz] And they should be. This place is amazing. I mean, look at this?
There's tanks, I mean, soldiers are sitting on tanks and jeeps and Humvees.
It's just an amazing setup.
["Acolytes Protection Agency" rock theme playing]
[Chimel] At a combined weight of 576 pounds,
Bradshaw and Faarooq, the APA.
[Cole] I'm surprised that Faarooq isn't the one wearing a flak jacket.
He didn't wanna take it off all week long.
And look at Bradshaw,
he really looks at home with the helmet and flak jacket.
[Tazz] Well, I'm telling you Cole, Bradshaw…
John Bradshaw played a major role in helping to put this huge event together.
I mean, this guy Bradshaw has made more trips for our troops
and visit our troops than anyone on the SmackDown roster.
A major supporter of the US troops.
He's just so happy to be here, I'm telling you.
[Cole] Well, Tazz, in fact, even when we're done with SmackDown
this Christmas from Baghdad,
Bradshaw is gonna stay here in the Middle East,
he's gonna be traveling with Sergeant Major Jack Tilley
and Command Sgt. Maj. Kenneth Preston
to visit some more troops throughout Iraq.
So set for our first mat action here,
we already had a surprise with Raw's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
stunning Mr. McMahon,
but it's the APA versus the World's Greatest Tag Team.
Faarooq and Shelton Benjamin kicking this off.
[Tazz] Yeah, I don't think… Speaking of kicking off, I don't think
Mr. McMahon's Christmas has been that good already.
Fell victim for that Stunner. But right now,
a tie-up by Faarooq and Shelton Benjamin here.
-[crowd chanting] APA! -[Cole] You hear the troops chanting APA.
And Shelton Benjamin, shot to the midsection.
Talking to Benjamin and Haas over the past couple of days,
telling us that they really learned what these men and women are all about.
That the WWE Superstars aren't the stars in this theater here,
that the Armed Forces are.
And they're so… they're so excited to be entertaining the troops.
Faarooq off the rope, cover, hooked the leg. Kickout by Shelton Benjamin.
[Tazz] Well, here comes Bradshaw now.
I tell you, this guy's been here so much, he's damn near like he's a troop himself.
[Cole] Shelton Benjamin off the top turnbuckle.
And Bradshaw with a big knee to the midsection.
And Bradshaw hasn't just visited the troops here in Iraq.
At one point, he visited our troops who are…
who are still engaged in battle in Afghanistan.
[Tazz] Right there, rake to the eye by Sheldon Benjamin on Bradshaw,
and Charlie Haas just got clubbed across the back.
[Cole] You think Bradshaw's fired up for Christmas from Baghdad,
special presentation of SmackDown?
Take down, Bradshaw off the ropes delivering a forearm
into the small of the back. Here's the cover, shoulders down.
And a kickout by Charlie Haas.
[Tazz] Bradshaw now dominating Charlie Haas.
-Got him in a backbreaker. -[both exclaim]
[Cole] What a boot to Shelton Benjamin.
[Tazz] That will shake off the jet lag.
[Cole] And there's the slam to Charlie Haas as well.
Cover, shoulders down. And Charlie Haas rolls the shoulder out.
Big thumbs up for the Director of the Air Force Services
in conjunction with the Armed Forces Entertainment,
Art Myers for helping us all put this together
and inviting us to perform here in Baghdad on this Christmas.
[Tazz] Here we go, Faarooq now going for a Dominator.
But, oops, countered.
[Cole] And Shelton Benjamin cheap shot,
Faarooq walked into the clothesline from Charlie Haas.
[Tazz] Referee had his back turned
and the self-proclaimed World's Greatest Tag Team,
ever the opportunist, took advantage of it.
[Cole] Now, Shelton Benjamin with the right hands to Faarooq.
Here's the cover, hook to the leg, shoulders down.
And Faarooq rolls the shoulder out.
We talked about the arena here, Tazz, M1 Abrams tanks,
M2 Bradleys, Australian vehicles called Piranhas, Humvees,
trucks, field ambulances,
all encompassing the perimeter of the ring here at Camp Victory.
[Tazz] Yeah, as we pointed out earlier, Cole,
it's just an amazing atmosphere here.
You could just look around and see it.
[Cole] Cover again, hook of the leg! And Faarooq just kicks out.
[Tazz] I mean, this isn't Madison Square Garden,
that's pretty obvious.
I mean, this is a… this is a war zone. And we're here doing a show.
And again, to reiterate, it's our privilege and pleasure
to do this in front of our proud and tough troops,
applauding that right now.
[Cole] We're talking about Captain Mike Kepner and his crew
that made this all possible,
working for three and a half days to set this up.
Faarooq off the big back body drop, really needs to make a tag to Bradshaw.
And I'll tell you, if Bradshaw tags in, this place will explode.
[Tazz] Yeah, well, Faarooq has closed Bradshaw a couple of feet away,
Boom, there's your tag.
[Cole] And here comes the big Texan with a shoulder knockdown to Charlie Haas,
World's Greatest Tag Team's in trouble.
Shelton Benjamin might think twice about coming into the ring.
[Tazz] Second boot to Shelton's face.
[Cole] Oh, man! That's like running into a tank.
[Tazz] Bradshaw. Wow, what a DDT. Bradshaw's on.
[Cole] Goes into the cover, hook of the leg…
Shelton Benjamin saving the matchup for the World's Greatest Tag Team.
And Faarooq into the ring as well, double-teamed by the APA.
[Tazz] Wow, with a double shoulder block there,
two ex-football players knocking Shelton Benjamin right out of the ring,
now, Charlie Haas.
-[Cole] Where is he going? -[Tazz] He's going down. Last Call maybe.
-Last Call from the… -[Cole] Oh, man!
The Last Call delivered by Bradshaw.
[Tazz] Thanks for coming. I'm telling you, Haas might be done.
[Cole] And Faarooq and Benjamin going at it outside the ring,
Shelton Benjamin back into the ring.
And a kick to the face of Bradshaw echoing through the desert.
[Tazz] You just took the words right out of my mouth,
I was about to say that.
[Cole] Faarooq with a slam to Shelton Benjamin.
And there's Charlie Haas knocking Faarooq through the second rope,
and on the assault of Bradshaw.
Whipped across the ring, here comes Bradshaw,
Clothesline From Hell!
[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] There's the salute and there's your pin cover,
It's done, see you later, Haas.
-[bell rings] -APA picked up the win.
[Chimel] Here are your winners, the APA.
[Cole] That's an explosive way to start things off on Christmas from Baghdad,
a special presentation of SmackDown.
And throughout the show, you're gonna see shots of the troops
interacting with the WWE Superstars,
not only here at Camp Victory,
but at Camp Anaconda and also in downtown Baghdad.
What a night it's gonna be! Christmas from Baghdad,
smack middle of the desert.
-You ready, man? -Oh, I'm ready.
Did you see what just happened? "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
goes out as Santa Claus, dishes out a few presents,
turns back into "Stone Cold" Steve Austin, and, wham!
You get 5,000 troops out there, man, they're ready for a hell of a match.
-You got Eddie Guerrero, are you ready? -Oh, I'm on, I'm ready.
I got something for Eddie Guerrero as well.
-Do you? -Oh, yeah.
You're gonna give him a little Christmas present?
I've seen you work a million times.
Go out there and you get 5,000 people out there
who appreciate what we do, and you know why we're here.
So go out there and whoop some ass, that's what I got to say to you.
-All right. I'm gonna show him. -Go get it.
You got that right.
[Cole] That was Stone Cold psyching up our troops.
[Tazz] Look at that, that's about as large as that Humvee,
look at that ass on Rikishi.
[Cole] I hope the Armed Forces are battening down the proverbial hatches.
[Tazz] Yeah, look at that.
[Cole] It's rump-shaking time in the desert.
-[Tazz] Oh, my God. -[Cole] Rikishi is next.
That's my daughter. She was born on June the 21st of this year.
I heard she's growing like a weed, she said "Dad" for the first
time three days ago. So she didn't say it over the phone
but my wife was telling me about it. It's very hard.
Me and my wife, we've known each other since we were a lot younger.
We've been married for, uh… going on four years.
So it's hard, but we learned not to let it eat you alive.
The time has drawn shorter.
It's closer to us going home so that makes a little bit easier.
Just try to focus on what you're doing,
and keep them in the back of your thoughts and in your heart,
and carry on with your mission.
Hi, my name is Jackie Huber,
I'm a captain with the North Dakota Army National Guard.
I'm at LSA Anaconda in Iraq.
I'm with HSC of the 142nd Engineer Battalion from North Dakota.
I would like to give a special holiday greeting to my family back home,
my husband, Lane Huber, my two sons, Jacob and Joey.
Hi from Iraq.
I'm Sergeant First Class Petroni from Detroit, Michigan
Station 4, Carson, Colorado.
I want to say Merry Christmas and Happy New Year
to my wife and my children, all my loved ones back home.
See you soon.
[Cole] And merry Christmas to all of you.
[Tazz] Well, Christmas from Baghdad being brought to you by Lugz
who presents the latest Funk Master Flex, driving shoe advantage.
Lugz, the streets are on.
[Cole] And Paramount Pictures presents the new film Paycheck,
now playing in theaters everywhere, rated PG-13.
[Tazz] And brought to you by Tony Hawk's Underground.
Put your face in the game, and go from punk to pro.
Available on all gaming systems.
That ain't no game right there.
Those crossing sabers… Oh, speaking of games.
-Santa's little helper. -[crowd cheering]
-How would you describe that, Cole? -[Cole] Uh, hot?
-[Tazz] Check. -[Cole] Well, Torrie Wilson, Sable,
and Dawn Marie,
all gonna be a part of Santa's Little Helper competition
a little bit later on tonight.
-[Tazz] Well, that should be a doodad. -[Cole] Oh, man.
[Tazz] Doodad, you like that?
[Cole] Not talking about any elves there.
-[crowd cheering] -[bell rings]
[Chimel] The following contest is scheduled for one fall.
Approaching the ring weighing in at 350 pounds,
Rikishi.
[Cole] 350 pounds of rump-shaking fun,
Rikishi heading to the ring
as we'd like to take this opportunity to thank Armed Forces Entertainment
for making this trip happen.
What an honor and what a privilege it is for the WWE
to be here in Baghdad performing for the troops here on Christmas.
-There's nothing like this! -[Tazz] Now, this is amazing, Cole.
This is a career highlight for all of us from SmackDown,
and the WWE as a whole.
It's a great opportunity,
it's a great moment for us to come here
and see these young men and women protecting our country and our freedom.
["Tusk" playing]
[Chimel] And from Detroit, Michigan, weighing in at 275 pounds,
Rhyno.
[Cole] And who's ringing the bell, the timekeeper?
-[Tazz] Who? -[Cole] Name's Maddy.
He's a 19-year-old private from Atlanta, Georgia.
When the war began, he was involved in those house-to-house searches.
-[Tazz] Cole, you hear that? -[Cole] I hear it.
[Tazz] Check it out, man, those Black Hawks, those helicopters,
that's part of the security detail here.
Look at that, man, that's real stuff right there, my friend.
[Cole] We do want to remind everybody that the Camp Victory Arena, so to speak,
is in the middle of an active war zone here in Baghdad, Iraq.
And those helicopters, a reminder of what is going on here
in the middle of the desert.
[Tazz] Those helicopters are watching our back, bro.
[Cole] So it's Rikishi and Rhyno, set to go one-on-one in this matchup.
And Rikishi, we had an opportunity to speak with him a little bit earlier on,
and he really said some things to us about…
which really hit home for what's going on here in Baghdad.
It happened down at the 28 CSH Hospital in downtown Baghdad.
Rikishi actually saw a young child,
an Iraqi child walking down the street on one leg.
[Tazz] Yeah, and, you know, Rikishi, like you and I, as a parent,
as a father… It hit hard for him, and it's just…
It's a different world here. It's a dangerous world, and our US troops…
Our US troops are letting us in their dangerous world.
We're proud to do it… And Rikishi having a good time
shaking that big rump of his.
[Cole] Rhyno and Rikishi lock up again, center of the ring.
I'd like to take this opportunity to thank the 34 people
who came to Baghdad and put this all together,
Eighteen Superstars and 16 production people.
Now, what you see at your bottom of your screen here
are the 16 production people who did the work of 150 people
that would normally work on a SmackDown event.
Can you believe it? 16 people did the work of 150 here in Baghdad this week.
[Tazz] Oh, wow, can you believe that? Oh!
Rhyno almost got splattered right here in the desert.
Well, I don't know why is Rhyno kicking the ass of Rikishi.
You don't wanna hit that, that's armored, man.
That's like a Sherman tank or one of those Bradley Fighting Vehicles.
-[Cole] I just noticed something. -[Tazz] What?
[Cole] You're not in a suit and tie.
[Tazz] It's hot as hell out here, what do you expect?
[Cole] I never thought I'd see you in desert camo.
[Tazz] Yeah, me either.
[Cole] The Man Beast driving that shoulder into the midsection of Rikishi.
Rhyno saying he was overwhelmed by the outpouring of support
that the troops had for the WWE Superstars all week long,
just an honor to play in front of them here, Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] Rhyno just caught a real, real tight kick right in the face.
Rhyno might be a steak out of straw real soon. Oh, no.
And Rikishi up to the second rope.
[Tazz] Uh-oh. Uh-oh, it's rump-shaking time.
And the troops feel it!
[Cole] And Rhyno countered with a low blow apparently to Rikishi.
I was gonna say Rhyno might want to eject at this point in time.
[Tazz] Caught one in the yam bag. Here comes Rhyno.
[Cole] Nobody home.
[Tazz] Missed with the Gore. Uh-oh…
-[Cole] Samoan Drop. -[Tazz] What a Samoan Drop it was.
[Cole] Cover, hook of the leg, he got him.
[bell rings]
["U Look Fly Today" playing]
[Chimel] Here's your winner, Rikishi.
[Cole] Rikishi picks up the win, some rump-shaking fun.
Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] Big Kish getting it done right here in the desert, in the war zone.
And that was a… That was a war between two big bulls right there.
But the Big Kish got it done.
-Uh-oh. -[Cole] Oh, my.
[Tazz] Can you hear the troops saying "Stinkface! Stinkface!"
[Cole] And Rikishi backing it up!
[Tazz] Oh, no, poor Rhyno.
[Cole] Stinkface to The Man Beast!
I'll tell you what, they should have shoved Rikishi down that damn hole
where Saddam Hussein came from.
[Tazz] Well, I don't know if Rikishi would have fit in that hole, Cole.
But Rikishi fits right in here with the US Army.
They're loving the Big Kish here in the desert.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Where is he going?
[Tazz] It's like he's getting ready to leave but then he stopped.
[Cole] I think he forgot something.
[Tazz] Well, he already Stinkfaced Rhyno.
There's nobody else in the ring except Referee Brian Hebner,
his face is too small to Stinkface.
-[Cole] It's dance time. -[Tazz] How do you know?
-[Cole] Rikishi always dances. -[Tazz] 'Cause it's Christmas?
[Cole] Right, that's what the soldiers want.
[Tazz] So he only dances on Christmas?
[Cole] No, he dances all the time.
-Check this out. -[Tazz] Oh, look at this.
[Cole] Rikishi taking members of the Army here at Camp Victory…
[Tazz] I hope that she puts that M16 down.
[Cole] …into the ring.
[Tazz] The Big Kish is gonna have a good time here
with these two young ladies, these two proud soldiers.
[Cole] Notice how Rikishi picks the young ladies out of the crowd?
[Tazz] You know, it's not you in there, Cole.
But Rikishi just wants to have a good time.
Oh, check it. What the hell?
Well, these people have been here a long time, you know.
[Cole] You know, Rikishi said earlier,
his hat really goes off to the Armed Forces,
really get a feeling for what they're going through
when you're over here in Baghdad.
And Rikishi just wants to give a little bit back.
A little dance routine coming.
[Tazz] It's a great release, Cole.
And these men and women here from our US troops,
they need a release, nothing like this to do it for them.
They're having a great time right now with the Big Kish.
[Cole] They're getting down! Christmas from Baghdad.
[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] That's a lot of booty there, my man.
-["U Look Fly Today" continues] -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] You mentioned it before, couldn't have said it better myself,
a tremendous release for these troops the past three days have been.
[crowd cheering]
Go get 'em, Rikishi!
[Tazz] Rikishi's been in a lot matches, but he ain't never gonna forget this.
[dramatic music playing]
[soldier] Yeah, this is the 709th MP Battalion.
As part of the 18th MP Brigade,
Col. Spann is the commander of all the MPs that's in Baghdad here.
[speaking in Spanish]
-[in English] What's up, all? -[troops cheering]
I'm more excited about this than when President Bush came over.
Thanks. And that's no kidding.
[crowd cheering]
Stone Cold!
We'll just get some of these Humvees, man, cut them down a little,
put some hydraulics in them.
Yeah. All right.
I wanna make a presentation to Mr. McMahon.
[crowd cheering]
On a very serious note, there's 13 MPs that gave their life for this right here.
So you're staying with a bunch of heroes. I appreciate it very much.
-Thank you. -Thank you, it's an honor.
This is my wrestler right here.
[laughter]
[all] SmackDown right here.
The 18th Military Police Brigade. Hooah!
[cheering]
I'm Specialist Conroe. I'm gonna be the crew chief on this bird.
It should be a 30-minute flight.
There's gonna be no moving in the helicopter unless I say so.
Let's do it.
[funky music playing]
[Conroe] In the unlikely event that anything will go wrong,
we got survival kits in the back here.
It's got food, water, whatever you need to survive out here
if you're gonna be out there for a little while.
And we're gonna be manning these weapons.
[gunfire]
And in case anything happens to us,
whoever is the closest is gonna be manning the weapon,
if anything happens.
[Cole] The Superstars flying to Camp Anaconda in Balad, Iraq,
70 miles north of Baghdad.
[helicopter whirring]
[troops cheering]
Well, it's the Big Show.
Oh, my God.
This isn't everyday. For a lot of these people, it's a dream.
[all] Merry Christmas!
[crowd cheering]
Happy New Year!
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And coming up in a little bit, Tazz, we're gonna show everybody
some other things that happened at Camp Anaconda.
[Tazz] But right now, my man, it's time for the Doctor of Thugonomics
to invade Baghdad.
[Cole] How much fun has John Cena had all week long with the great Armed Forces.
Everywhere we went,
John Cena had to get into rap-offs with all the soldiers!
Some of the soldiers were pretty damn good.
[Tazz] John Cena was telling me that he almost lost with those rap-offs too.
[Cole] I think he lost a rap-off to one of the guys
from his hometown of Springfield, Massachusetts.
[Tazz] John Cena, a young proud SmackDown star.
John Cena is in his prime.
I mean, John's age, most of these soldiers in the audience right now
are probably the same age as Cena. They're probably younger.
[Cole] And some of the guys who've been escorting the WWE Superstars
all over Baghdad this week are 19 years old.
-Can you fathom that? -[Tazz] You have to get it done.
-I'm about to freestyle up in here. -[crowd cheering]
For real.
Being here with you today
fulfills every dream on my Christmas checklist.
[crowd cheering]
Now, all I got left to do is give Torrie Wilson a pearl necklace.
[crowd cheering]
But first, I got Big Show trouble.
That dude is making my blood hot.
I'ma bust his face up and look like Saddam Hussein's mug shot.
They say I can't beat the Big Show.
I say go ahead and watch.
I maybe wrestling a giant but the real big show is in my crotch.
Yo, no doubt.
This match is huge, but come on, y'all, let's be honest.
I ain't losing to Big Show. This ain't no pie-eating contest.
And he can't see us, bro. This game is tight.
Man, you can't see me?
He can't see me? That's right
He can't see me 'cause this game is tight.
Big Show beating me is like trying to get the French to fight.
[crowd clamoring]
He picked the wrong freakin' day to start some beef with me.
I got Air Force, Navy, Army, and USMC.
[crowd cheering]
For real, Saddam never had a chance with troops like you around.
[crowd cheering]
We should bury that bastard in the same hole that you found him.
[crowd cheering]
I wanna say thanks for protecting me
and my children's children,
and for fighting for the people who lost their lives
on the day of the falling buildings.
Y'all are the real heroes.
I place nobody above you.
This is coming from my heart. Peace, y'all.
-I love you. -[crowd cheering]
["Basic Thugonomics" playing]
[Cole] Later on tonight, John Cena will entertain the troops
as he goes one-on-one with the Big Show.
[crowd cheering]
John Cena saying earlier this week, Tazz,
that no one deserves this night more than the US Armed Forces,
and I echo that statement.
[Tazz] Oh, I do too. John Cena is correct.
This is a great Christmas right now.
We're going down in history, and we got to be a part of it, Cole.
This is great.
[Cole] John Cena speaking from the heart.
That's for them. That's for them.
It's Stone Cold! What's up, homes?
It's always a pleasure to see you, ese.
Simón, man, what's up? What's going on?
-You're happy to see me? -I'm always happy, ese.
You are the baddest guy in Baghdad, ese.
I got a question for you. When we're in Baghdad, Iraq,
it's Christmas night.
Did you… I don't speak Spanish. Did you bring one of them lowriders?
[scoffs] Ese, they wouldn't let me bring it, man.
-Couldn't get it across customs? -No, man.
I don't know why, ese, maybe they thought I was gonna do
the hydraulics on Saddam's head or something, you know.
I just want to tell you, I was talking to Chris Benoit earlier.
And he said that he's gonna lie, steal, cheat.
Lie, steal, and cheat? Ese, what are you talking about, man?
That's my stuff, ese.
-That's what he said to me. -Órale.
-Lie, cheat, and steal. Órale. -Good luck, man.
Ese, tell Benoit I'm gonna be his Scrooge.
I'm Captain Mike Kepner from Athens, Pennsylvania.
I'm currently the Headquarters Company Commander
for the 5th Corps, Combined Joint Task Force 7
here in Baghdad, Iraq.
I'd just like to say Merry Christmas to my wife and my kids.
Mom and Dad, I miss you, I love you.
Hi, my name is Specialist Danelle Tate, and I'm from Grandin, North Dakota.
I'm with the 142nd Engineers over here in Balad, Iraq.
And I want to say hi to my family and my boyfriend.
And all of my friends at home, and thank you everybody for supporting me.
You've been great through all of this. Thank you.
[festive music playing]
Everybody got their tickets?
-The tickets to the what? -The tickets to the gun show, baby.
Gun show!
[cheering]
♪ You keep on gummin' And bringing that crap ♪
♪ I'm gonna kick in a boot And give you away one strap ♪
[crowd cheering]
-Viva la raza! -Viva la raza!
[all yelling]
I'm saving him, I'm saving him, I'm saving him. He's good, he's good.
[laughter]
Nothin' but love, nothin' but love. Give it up, nothin' but love.
-[crowd cheering] -Latino Heat, Latino Heat!
[all] Merry Christmas!
-["We Lie, We Cheat, We Steal" playing] -♪ Viva la raza! ♪
[Cole] The first entertainment tour to visit Camp Anaconda.
The WWE Superstars, and what a thrill for those soldiers,
Torrie smack in the middle.
[Tazz] Well, you know what? I heard Eddie talking earlier.
I really think the lowrider should be here.
We take one of those Humvees, put some hydraulics
and Eddie was saying, you know, you just go up and down on a Humvee.
A Humvee lowrider.
[Cole] How about "Stone Cold" Steve Austin trying to start things,
stirring up between Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit here tonight?
[Chimel] Making his way to the ring from El Paso, Texas,
weighing in at 228 pounds,
Eddie Guerrero.
[Tazz] Well, a moment ago, we got a shot above the entranceway there, Cole,
that bunker there.
Some of those soldiers are standing up there, and…
[Cole] Again, free stations. Free bunker stations had been built on stage.
Armed guards are in those bunkers. Remember, we're in an active war zone
but you really can't tell by the big smiles on the faces of the troops here.
[Tazz] Look at that, there's the shot, my man.
No pun.
[Chimel] And from Edmonton, Alberta…
[Tazz] Look at that scope.
[Chimel] …Chris Benoit.
[Cole] "The Rabid Wolverine" Chris Benoit
said that this visit to Baghdad was beyond description.
That it was his greatest experience in his sports entertainment career,
and I think all of us at the WWE will echo that sentiment.
[Tazz] As Chris pointed out, and I've known Chris a very long time.
Benoit has been wrestling professionally for 18 successful years.
Chris, you heard him say, Chris said
this is something that he's never gonna forget.
It's the highlight of those 18 years.
That's big from a man like Benoit,
an athlete like Benoit to say.
This is great for all of us to be here in front of these proud American troops.
[Cole] And Benoit and Eddie Guerrero set to go one-on-one in this matchup.
I'd like to offer a big thank you to Lt. Sergio Rios
from El Paso, Texas
who grew up in the same neighborhood as Eddie Guerrero.
[Tazz] That's right and Lt. Rios just found out he's gonna be a daddy,
they're gonna have a baby.
So congratulations.
[crowd chanting]
[Cole] And these troops having fun, alternating chants
between "Eddie, Eddie, Eddie" and "Benoit, Benoit, Benoit."
[Tazz] Well, these are two of the greatest athletes in World Wrestling Entertainment.
[Cole] And, Tazz, with that thought,
the millions of people watching this at home on Christmas
and also those on the Armed Forces Network all around the world,
what can they expect out of this matchup between Guerrero and Benoit?
[Tazz] Well, technique, technique, technique.
Both these men are two… Like I said, just two phenomenal athletes.
They're gonna go down, in my view,
as two of the greatest WWE Superstars in the history of our great sport.
[Cole] And onetime great friends, Benoit and Guerrero.
[Tazz] That's right, they were inseparable, but right now,
they're going at it right here in Baghdad on Christmas.
Nice headlock takedown by Eddie Guerrero.
[Cole] Eddie Guerrero going to work on Chris Benoit, center of the ring.
And what I learned about Chris Benoit over the past few weeks
from all the Superstars here is that he is a pretty big snorer.
[Tazz] Well, Benoit is… You know, he's a wolverine.
Wolverines snore, you know? Come on.
[Cole] And look at this now, Chris Benoit. Backbreaker by Eddie Guerrero.
Hook to the leg, shoulders down. And a kickout.
[Tazz] Yeah, nice tilt-a-whirl backbreaker.
[Cole] Again a cover, and again a kickout.
All the Superstars and the production folks,
stayed at the Al-Faw Palace,
one of Saddam Hussein's 300 palaces here in Iraq.
[Tazz] And let's get this straight, you hear the word palace,
you think plush, you think nice, you think beautiful.
Well, I'll tell you what, these were not plush.
There was no furniture in these palaces, no hot water.
I mean, these athletes, the SmackDown Superstars
along with the production staff and Vince McMahon
slept on cots in these palaces.
[Cole] Thirty-four people divided between two rooms
here over the past few days in Baghdad.
As Benoit, really taking it to Eddie Guerrero here.
[chuckles] Look at Eddie.
[Tazz] You were talking about the living conditions we had to put up with.
That's nothing compared to what these troops had to endure.
But not only here in Baghdad, but in tents in the desert.
[Cole] And, listen, there are the helicopters again
providing around-the-clock security here at the Camp Victory Arena.
Again, this is an active war zone.
We showed you the shot of those bunkers in the entranceway.
Check out Eddie Guerrero.
[Tazz] Well, as far I know, it is a little nerve-wracking. But Guerrero…
[Cole] Think he's putting on the flak jacket 'cause it's a war zone
or because he's scared of the chops from Benoit?
[Tazz] Well, probably a little bit of both.
Referee telling him to take it off, I don't know why.
-[Cole] Well, it's against the rules. -[Tazz] What rules?
[Cole] You're right. Maybe the rule book is thrown out in Baghdad.
[Tazz] What rule book, there's a rule book?
[Cole] Eddie doesn't want to hear it. Maybe he doesn't understand Canadian?
[Tazz] Are they saying "hit the ref"? Maybe the ref is French.
Referee Jim "Pierre" Korderas, ladies and gentlemen.
[Cole] Referee Jimmy Korderas saying he's gonna disqualify Eddie Guerrero.
And look at Guerrero, just shoved the flak jacket into the face of Benoit.
And there's a little bit of that lying and cheating and stealing
Eddie Guerrero has made a name of.
[Tazz] Well, it's a family tradition. Chops echoing through the desert here.
-[Cole] I used that already. -[Tazz] Did you?
-[Cole] Yeah. -[Tazz] Okay.
[Cole] Listen to it again.
[Tazz] I guess your words were echoing in my head, my ears.
[Cole] Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit going at it here,
Christmas from Baghdad.
Benoit lands on his feet, shot to the midsection.
And look at Eddie Guerrero and Benoit,
dumped out right in front of the bunkers here at ringside.
[Tazz] Yeah, both men over the top rope, hard landing for Eddie Guerrero.
[Cole] Following in the footsteps of the Thanksgiving Day visit
by President Bush in the capture of Saddam Hussein,
the SmackDown Superstars are here in Baghdad
celebrating Christmas with the Armed Forces in their own unique way.
Welcome back to Christmas from Baghdad.
Benoit, Guerrero, one-on-one.
[Tazz] And Chris Benoit is in total control right now
over Eddie Guerrero,
bending both those arms behind Eddie's back.
[Cole] Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero, longtime friends going at it
here in Baghdad.
This is Camp Victory. And look at Benoit,
off the top turnbuckle, Guerrero is in control.
[Tazz] And right now, Eddie Guerrero is trying to get a victory over Benoit.
Like that segue? That announcer's segue talk in Baghdad.
[Cole] I like that. And look at Benoit from behind
shot to the small of the back. Eddie Guerrero, top rope,
high-rent district here, high-risk maneuver.
Eddie Guerrero!
Benoit in trouble!
Shoulders down, and Benoit kicks out before the count of three.
[Tazz] And as you pointed out, both Guerrero and Benoit are such good friends,
They know each other so well in that ring, they can counter each other's moves,
but soon as they're wrestling each other, being up and down the roads together,
I don't think that they never thought that it would come here to Baghdad
in a war zone in front of our troops.
Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit going at it.
[Cole] Eddie Guerrero off the suplexes, spinning the hips,
going for a hat trick here.
And Benoit countered, going for the crossface, has it locked in.
Eddie Guerrero, quickly to his knees.
[Tazz] Oh, Eddie is in trouble, Eddie knows it. He rolls through,
but Benoit, the pitbull, Chris Benoit.
[Cole] And Eddie Guerrero wisely gets to the bottom rope
forcing Benoit to break the hold.
Heard the story of Private Cheney, who over the past three days, Tazz,
hasn't slept, so excited about the WWE being in here.
What he would do is he would come help set up for the show,
then he'd go work his normal tour of duty,
come back and help set up the show some more.
He hasn't slept in three days, and he's here at the show today.
[Tazz] Well, that's just the great support that we here in the WWE
have gotten from all these great troops here,
all these great soldiers, but they don't realize,
it's full circle for us because we asked, you know, people at the…
From SmackDown, for the WWE,
the support that we're giving them and they're giving us.
We love being here. We love performing in front of these
great, great Americans here.
And we got a hell of a battle going around in the ring here.
[Cole] Here's the reversal, Eddie Guerrero, off the rope.
Face-first goes Guerrero, Benoit quickly in control again.
German suplex. Arms wrapped along the… around the waist of Eddie Guerrero.
[Tazz] Yeah, Benoit got a lot of height in that suplex.
Eddie looked like one of those Black Hawks.
[Cole] And another German suplex.
Again, we are here at Camp Victory in Baghdad, Iraq,
home of the Combined Joint Task Force 7.
[Tazz] And right now, Eddie's shooting off Chris Benoit,
going for a… he's going for a tilt-a-whirl but…
[Cole] What strength by Benoit!
-[Tazz] Piledriver tombstone position. -[Cole] Actually, a shoulder breaker.
-[Tazz] Yep, very good shoulder breaker. -[crowd cheering]
[Cole] And Benoit is set to fly like one of those Black Hawk helicopters here.
[Tazz] Yeah, I'm telling you, like a… Like one of those big old fighter jets.
Benoit, he's going up top for that flying head butt.
Benoit, top rope--
[Cole] Misses as Eddie Guerrero just rolls out of the way.
And these two Superstars know each other so well.
[Tazz] Both athletes are down, turning point of the matchup.
Referee Jimmy Korderas begins the count.
Eddie Guerrero trying to make it to his feet quickly here.
[Tazz] You don't really think he's French, do you?
-[Cole] Jimmy Korderas? He's Canadian. -[Tazz] Same thing.
French-Canadian from Montreal.
Well, Eddie Guerrero now…
Eddie's maybe looking for that frog splash possibly.
[Cole] The crowd chanting for Eddie Guerrero. Up to the top rope,
Eddie Guerrero frog splashing. Benoit rolls out of the way this time.
Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit leaving it all out, center of the mat
for all these great troops here on Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] Right now, who's gonna get the upper hand here?
Another German standing switch by Eddie Guerrero, another switch.
[Cole] Eddie Guerrero, elbow to the side of the head.
Chris Benoit. Look at this. Reversal by Benoit.
Shot to the midsection. Eddie Guerrero in trouble.
Chris Benoit lifted Eddie Guerrero up high.
Rolls through, sunset flip. Shoulders down.
Eddie using the ropes. And picks up the win.
[Chimel] Here is your winner, Eddie Guerrero.
[Tazz] Even in the desert, the family tradition continues.
The lying, the cheating, the stealing.
Guerrero stealing a victory over Benoit by using the ropes for leverage.
[Cole] Eddie Guerrero picks up the win. Chris Benoit says,
"Come on, Eddie. I don't believe we're through here."
[Tazz] Oh, Benoit was going for a powerbomb,
and Eddie Guerrero floated over behind him into a sunset flip roll-through there.
And Eddie's back to that flak jacket.
And he got the helmet and everything.
[Cole] Viva la raza.
Eddie's gonna head back into the ring but he's gonna make sure he has protection.
[Tazz] He's got the helmet, he's got the flak jacket, the whole deal.
Look at Eddie.
What's the matter?
You know, if Benoit hits one of those German suplexes,
Eddie will land on that helmet, it probably wouldn't hurt any.
[Cole] That flak jacket's got to offer some protection for his back as well.
Well, Jimmy Korderas is asking him if he used the ropes.
[Tazz] That's enough for him, the match is over.
What the hell is the matter with you?
Come on, ese, we're in Iraq, homes.
Saying we're in Iraq, let's shake.
USA!
[crowd chanting] USA! USA! USA!
USA! USA! USA!
[Cole] Eddie wanting to wave the white flag.
No hard feelings here.
-That's cool. -[Tazz] There you go.
Great show of sportsmanship.
[Cole] Well, earlier tonight, Mr. McMahon came out with a message
for the troops, didn't realized he was on somebody's naughty list.
Even though you men and women here in Iraq cannot be
back at home with your loved ones and your family,
we've decided here in the WWE
to bring a little slice of Americana to you here today.
Oh, it's Santa Claus.
[Cole] And what a shocker!
A visit from old St. Nick for the troops here in Baghdad.
[Tazz] Why is it a shocker? It's Christmastime, for God sakes.
That's when Santa shows up, Christmastime, Cole.
[Cole] Yeah, but Santa Claus was actually in for a shock of his own.
A belligerent Mr. McMahon mouthing off and even attacking Santa.
[Tazz] He's naughty.
And you know, Santa, I want an explanation from you.
I mean, when I was a little kid, you passed over my house every year.
You never stopped at my house, and I really wasn't that bad a kid.
And I would suggest then you turn your big fat ass around and get out of my ring.
[crowd cheering]
I don't shake Santa's hand. You don't bring me a gift, I don't shake your hand.
[crowd booing]
[crowd cheering]
You see, that's what happens when you disrespect Mr. McMahon, all right?
I'll kick Santa Claus's ass,
I'll kick your ass, it doesn't matter whose ass I'm gonna kick.
I'll tell you that right now.
Therefore, Santa Claus, as far as I…
[Cole] But Mr. McMahon would actually receive some coal in his stocking
courtesy of Raw's "Stone Cold" Steve Austin.
[Tazz] Coal in his stocking? Of course it wasn't even wrapped.
Stone Cold coming out here and Stone Cold fans, that's like
good old, jolly, fat St. Nick on Christmas.
[Cole] "Stone Cold" Steve Austin
having fun with the troops here at Baghdad.
He would even offer up an old Stone Cold salute
for the fighting men and women in the Armed Forces.
[Tazz] No doubt, US troops having a great time here.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin also having a great time.
Everyone, except the Chairman of the Board was having a great time.
Hi, I'm Sgt. Vasquez from Fort Bragg, North Carolina.
I want to shout out to my lovely wife, Rebecca, and my two knuckleheads,
Blake and Hayden. Boys, Daddy loves you. Happy New Year and Merry Christmas.
WWE SmackDown in Baghdad. Merry Christmas!
[yelling]
I'm PFC Holloway from Dallas, Texas.
I'm Specialist Bailey from Washington D.C.
Staff Sergeant Cruz of South Carolina.
Specialist Elias from Brandon, Mississippi.
Specialist Green from Jacksonville, Florida.
Specialist Hales from Rocky Mount, Virginia.
[all] And we're representing 318. Merry Christmas.
[all] Seasons greetings from 30th Medical Brigade in Baghdad.
[all cheering]
[Tazz] Well, SmackDown and Raw presents WWE Royal Rumble
sponsored by PlayStation 2.
Royal Rumble will be live Sunday, January 25th
from the Wachovia Center in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
and exclusively on pay-per-view.
[Cole] Merry Christmas, everyone. This is Christmas from Baghdad.
Here at Camp Victory, and it's been a life-altering experience
for all the WWE Superstars who made this trip.
[rock music playing]
I feel awesome.
It is an honor and a pleasure just to be here,
just to be with the troops, man.
[speaking in Spanish]
What's up, homes?
[crowd cheering]
They were happy to see us, and we're happy to be here.
We're in the entertainment business and these guys are defending our country.
So, like I said,
man, when you go in front of the people who appreciate what you do, it's fun.
To be able to come here and to meet the soldiers
that are putting their life on the line to defend our freedom
and help establish freedom for the Iraqi citizens,
it really just shows you what these people are really about.
There guys here live a rough life out here.
Just to be able to be here personally to see things that
you see on the news, when you finally get here,
it really gave me a personal feeling like, "Man, my hat goes off to them."
♪ Yeah, you're hopping I'm stompin' in my jumbo boots ♪
♪ You tried to play me But you a prostitute ♪
Experience in Baghdad has been great.
The number one thing was meeting all the soldiers.
Telling them how thankful we are for what they're doing over here.
Big ups on the beatboxing. Big ups on the rhymes.
Come out here in Iraq and some of these people came out here for a few months,
now they've been for over a year, so I know they're ready to go home.
So I feel for them and we appreciate everything they do.
They're sacrificing a year or more away from their family,
so it's the least we can do.
[Cena] The popularity and the reaction has been great.
That makes our job easier, but it also makes you
more thankful at the end of the day.
Springfield, Mass is holding down the hood right here.
Marilyn, say hello to your folks back home and everybody.
Hello, Mommy.
If we can make their day a little bit easier,
that's all we got to do.
You know, Mel Gibson and Sly Stallone, they don't play us,
they play these guys 'cause they're the heroes in our society today.
And, you know, since 9/11, there hasn't been a major terror attack on America.
And the reason of that is 'cause these guys are doing an unbelievable job.
[country music playing]
It's been beyond description.
I've been wrestling for 18 years.
And it has been, hands down, the most memorable,
the most meaningful experience I've ever had in my career.
They look at us as stars, but they're the ones that are the actual stars.
They're putting their lives on the line.
We're proud to be here, they're not going overlooked,
and I hope they enjoyed everything.
We just want to let them know that we love them.
I bust and move every night for the people out here in Iraq.
-Much love. [indistinct] -Come home safe yourself.
And come back and have a beer with us.
Thank you. God bless to everybody in the Armed Forces, man.
What you do for my family
and the way of life that you provide for all of the United States.
God bless you.
[Cole] God bless you and God bless us.
[Tazz] Oh, whoa!
[Cole] Coming up next!
-[Tazz] Oh, man. -[Cole] Santa's Little Helper competition.
Sable, Torrie, and Dawn Marie.
Imagine getting that under your Christmas tree!
[Tazz] Wow.
I'm Lt. Mackall from the 64th Full Support Battalion in 4th ID.
I wanna say Merry Christmas to my wife Michelle and my baby Michaela.
Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
Happy New Year.
-Seasons greetings. -Happy Hanukkah.
Sgt. Wilson, mope easy. I love you guys.
Pvt. Weir, Hanukkah, keeping it down.
Stay safe. Baghdad.
-Peace. -Yeah, yeah.
[man] Basic rule in handling weapons,
I'm sure a lot of you folks have handled weapons,
please keep 'em pointed downrange where the paper's at
and not where any live bodies are at.
If for whatever reason we're out here and you hear stuff whistling in,
that doesn't sound like right, just hit the ground and we'll go from there.
You did say hit the ground and not hide behind me.
[laughter]
Yeah, this is beautiful, baby!
[soldier] Hey, it was a pleasure working with you guys,
and no matter what anybody says,
I still think Big Show's the best right out here.
He wasn't saying that earlier.
[laughter]
[Chimel] All right, ladies and gentlemen,
it's time for our Santa's Little Helper contest.
All of you, our great troops, are gonna be the judges.
But first, let's bring out the girls.
[crowd cheering]
Our first contestant…
-Torrie Wilson. -[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] I guess Tony Chimel had to catch his breath…
But here comes Torrie.
And you know she's gonna be smoking, Cole.
[Cole] The Playboy cover girl, Torrie Wilson.
-[crowd cheering] -Oh, my.
As Torrie makes her way to the ring,
we'd like to thank the Armed Forces Entertainment for making this all happen,
Christmas from Baghdad.
How great does Torrie look?
[Tazz] Well, Torrie Wilson is a Playboy cover girl.
And all these young men here and young women are getting to witness this.
A great treat for them and a great…
great treat-- [indistinct] great treat.
[Cole] Oh, this is a treat for the troops.
I'd love to be Santa Claus about right now.
[Tazz] That means you'd be "Stone Cold" Steve Austin,
he's Santa Claus.
And that's Torrie, and she's Santa's Little Helper.
And she looks phenomenal. Phenomenal.
[Cole] I don't think that they made elves like that in the North Pole.
[Tazz] So what is the story with this competition, Cole?
What's the rule? I know you got the breakdown.
[upbeat hip-hop music playing]
[Chimel] Our next contestant, Dawn Marie.
[Cole] Well, since our ringing announcer Tony Chimel,
didn't tell us what the rules are, I guess we have to figure out as we go along.
[Tazz] I don't think the rules matter,
and I don't think the United States Armed Forces here in full effect
cares about the rules.
[Cole] I do wanna talk about Specialist Donna Renee Moore
from Jacksonville, Mississippi for just a moment, though.
You know, her time in the Army was over, Tazz, she went home.
She decided to come back, but she would only be reenlisted
when "Stone Cold" Steve Austin was here for the entire ceremony.
How great is that!
[Tazz] That's phenomenal, man, that's awesome.
Wow. That's big.
[Cole] Danna Renee Moore is stationed at Camp Anaconda.
[Tazz] Anaconda. All right.
-Well, there's Dawn Marie. -[crowd cheering]
Well, that's the second… Let's go to Tony Chimel.
[Cole] I'd like to be Crocodile Hunter and Dawn Marie be the crocodile.
[Tazz] Tony Chimel's frozen stiff.
[crowd cheering]
[Cole] Look at Dawn.
[Tazz] Well, yeah, yeah, look at Dawn, look at Torrie.
You can't see her right now but you looked at her before.
[crowd cheering]
[Chimel] And our third participant, Sable.
[Cole] You know Mr. McMahon's sitting in the back
watching Sable make her way to the ring.
[Tazz] Mr. McMahon's probably got some ice on his neck,
and he might wanna move that ice bag. Look at Sable!
[Cole] You know, all these troops in the audience here are off-duty.
But we've been told, Tazz, that troops are coming in and out
whenever they get their ten-minute breaks.
So the troops are actually on-duty now and when they
get a 10-minute break, they're running over to the Camp Victory Arena
to check this out.
I hope they're getting a chance to check out Sable, Dawn Marie, and Torrie
in Santa's Little Helper competition.
[Tazz] Well, I'm sure all of these military men's
scopes on their M16s
are directed towards the squared circle as they call it.
Well, not for nothing, I mean, Torrie, Dawn Marie, Sable, beautiful.
All outstanding beautiful WWE SmackDown Divas.
But they get an opportunity
and a privilege to entertain all our US troops?
And it's just phenomenal. Right now, they're just having a great time.
It's Christmas in Baghdad. And that's what should be going on.
And we're having a good time.
Chimel's still standing in the same spot. By the way, he just moved.
[Cole] Well, Chimel can… Chimel can use the sun.
[Tazz] Sun? Hey, I don't want… I don't want to talk about Chimel, Cole.
We got Sable in there waving.
Nice garland by the way. That's the silver stuff around her neck.
[Cole] So whose boots do you like? I like the white stocking on Sable.
-[Tazz] Right. -[Cole] The black boots on Dawn Marie.
And the black boots on Torrie.
All right, troops, this is how it's gonna work.
One by one, each of Santa's Little Helpers are gonna dance for you.
When they're done, we're gonna ask for your applause.
Whoever receives the most applause will be our winner.
-All right. Up first, Sable. -[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] Let's see. So, here are the rules, right, Cole?
-[upbeat music playing] -Right, Cole?
You're just staring with your tongue hanging out?
[Cole] I'm sorry. Wow!
[Tazz] She's got to impress the crowd. I think she might have won already.
I don't know about Sable's little… I've seen elves and stuff,
and I never saw them doing anything like this.
[Cole] She may be Santa's Little Helper…
I think she's really Mr. McMahon's little helper.
[Tazz] No kidding.
Some of these men, ladies and gentlemen, have not been home in many months.
-So, uh… -[Cole] Point well taken.
[Tazz] Check! Another Playboy cover girl, Sable.
How many times you think the troops overseas
have been entertained by two Playboy cover girls at the same time?
[Tazz] That's a good question, Cole. But Sable is just lighting it up here.
Our military… Well, they're going off the charts here.
Our next contestant, Dawn Marie.
[Tazz] All right. Dawn Marie is up.
[Cole] Well, if you like brunettes.
[Tazz] Yeah, I like brunettes. My wife is a brunette, what about it?
-[Cole] Wow. -[Tazz] Yeah, yeah. Well…
-What the… -[crowd cheering]
Well, who would you put in the lead right now?
[Cole] Well, how about all three of them?
[Tazz] Really, you think all three of them?
Oh, okay, I'm down with that. That's a good idea.
[crowd cheering]
Sometimes actions speak louder than words, Cole. And, uh…
[Cole] Our Armed Forces let their actions speak louder than words.
That's what Dawn Marie is doing right here.
[Tazz] God bless America, my friend.
Look at Tony Chimel.
[Cole] ♪ Here comes Peter Cottontail Hopping down the bunny trail ♪
[Tazz] Cole, it's not Easter, it's Christmas, you goof.
And our third contestant, Torrie Wilson.
[crowd cheering]
-[Tazz] Here's Torrie, same song. Anyway… -[Cole] Look at Torrie.
-[Tazz] Look at Sable. -[Cole] Look at Dawn Marie.
[Tazz] Look at Torrie.
Come on!
-[Cole] Look at Chimel. -[Tazz] What are you, nuts?
Who's your big daddy? [laughs]
-[Cole] Oh, my. -[Tazz] Are you gonna say anything, Cole?
[Cole] Not at all.
Talk about your Operation Desert Shield.
[Tazz] Well, I think the cannons are pointing towards the ring,
ladies and gentlemen.
All right, troops, it's time for all of you to be our judges.
Remember, whoever receives the most applause
will be declared the winner.
Let's hear it first for Sable.
[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] Is that a response, people? It's Mr. McMahon's little helper.
Up next was Dawn Marie.
[loud crowd cheering]
And finally, Torrie Wilson.
[cheering, whistling]
[Cole] What do you think?
I think you made it clear, our winner is Torrie Wilson.
-[crowd cheering] -[Tazz] There you go.
[Cole] Torrie Wilson wins the first ever Santa's Little Helper competition.
-And look at this. -[Tazz] Whoa.
[Cole] Sable and Dawn Marie, obviously not good… not good losers.
[Tazz] A little holiday hi-jinx here with the hotties.
-[Cole] And Torrie. -[Tazz] Whoa! Oh, what the… Wow.
Torrie with those big combat boots.
-[Cole] And look at this! -[Tazz] What the…
-[Cole] Torrie, did she just take the… -[Tazz] Yes, she did.
[Cole] Torrie Wilson getting some revenge.
Santa's Little Helper with a present for all the troops here at Camp Victory.
[Tazz] Ho-ho-ho.
[funky music playing]
[Cole] I didn't think the desert could get any hotter.
[Tazz] Well, Torrie Wilson's the winner.
And Torrie, Dawn Marie, and Sable entertaining these troops.
The troops were impressed
and I'm telling you, I think our lovely young ladies
are just as impressed with the troops.
And they should be. This was great, it was a lot of fun.
Santa's Little Helper winner, there it is, Torrie Wilson, Cole.
[Cole] Well, we'd like to thank the 1st Armored Division
who protected our perimeter.
[Tazz] And the 10th Mountain Division, our personal escorts
when the WWE entered Baghdad earlier this week.
My name is Mike Hester. I'm with Task Force 77.
We'll be going towards downtown Baghdad in the area known as the Green Zone.
A lot of things have been happening down there lately,
we don't expect anything to be happening today.
We're gonna be leaving Victory Base, going straight to the 28th
Combat Support Hospital, we call it CSH.
They've seen a lot of trauma.
-The MPs from the 168th MP Battalion. -[Hester and troops] Hooah!
They're gonna be here, they will be in the gun trucks.
They will be leading you everywhere.
With that said, we're gonna unload the buses,
and then we're gonna head down to the 28th Hospital.
If for whatever reason we take fire, if something happens,
we're still mobile, we're gonna push through.
Wear your helmets, wear your body armor, it will save your life.
[dramatic music playing]
Through all this that's going on, they still got heart.
And you can see it in their face, and for me to be able to see that,
that's all I need, that's a wonderful feeling.
-Get well, man. -Yeah, I will.
I got to be back out there. I got soldiers to take care of.
-I appreciate what you guys do. -Thank you.
[Cena] Their work is not going undone.
We really appreciate what they're doing here,
-that's the most important thing. -[all] Merry Christmas.
The last few days have been remarkable.
I mean, I have never seen these troops this motivated.
This was the best of my entire career.
WWE put on a major performance for all the troops,
and that's why on this tour,
they reached many, many more than anyone has ever met before.
This was really unique and the first of its kind.
Commanders and senior NCOs said they've never seen bigger smiles on the troops.
The troops said even though they're gonna be away for Christmas,
this is gonna give them the comfort that they need.
In my 43 years, this is the best tour I've ever seen.
[emotional piano music playing]
May God bless all of you and have a safe and happy holiday season.
And let's do this again in 2004.
Hi, happy holidays, my name is Specialist Harvey.
I'd like to say hi to my husband, Wade, and my children, Justice and Kara.
Merry Christmas, I miss you.
Hey, I'm Sgt. Lanford of 240 Quartermaster Company.
Sgt. Pedinez, 240 Quartermaster Company.
Specialist Scott, 248 Quartermaster Company.
[all] We wish you all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
-[laughing] -We ain't good.
-["Big" by Jim Johnston playing] -♪ Well, it's the Big Show! ♪
[Cole] You know, Tazz, a big thanks go out to General Art Myers,
the Director of Air Force Services
who put this great event together, Christmas from Baghdad.
[bell rings]
[Chimel] The following non-title contest is scheduled for one fall.
Making his way to the ring, weighing in at 500 pounds,
he is the WWE United States Champion,
the Big Show.
[Cole] And we were talking about the WWE Superstars
staying in one of Saddam's 300 palaces.
Well, Big Show actually tried to sleep on a cot,
couldn't quite fit, so he had to put a makeshift bed together.
Can you imagine Big Show on a… on an army cot?
[Tazz] Well, you have to reinforce the legs on that bad boy.
This is the largest man in sports today, the Big Show.
[Cole] Seven-foot, 500 pounds,
almost the size of one of those M1 Abrams tanks
that surround the ring here in Camp Victory Arena.
[Tazz] If you had Big Show sit in one of those Black Hawks,
he could just fit himself, I think it'll probably make the thing go…
[imitates helicopter whirring]
You'd have a hard time getting it up, getting it off the ground.
[Cole] Big Show raising that US Title
high above his head for this non-title matchup.
[Tazz] And there's some issues here with Big Show and John Cena, you know,
especially from last week.
["Basic Thugonomics" by John Cena playing]
[Chimel] And from West Newbury, Massachusetts,
weighing in at 248 pounds, John Cena.
[Cole] Well, John Cena wasting little time, charging the ring,
going to work against the man who cost him a chance
at the WWE Championship a few weeks ago, the Big Show.
And John Cena who came out here earlier on tonight
to entertain these great troops.
Look out, Cena, chokeslam!
Big Show looking to make short work of John Cena.
[Tazz] Yeah, John Cena might be entertaining
the infirmary in a little while.
He's gonna need a medic out here to bring him to the back.
[Cole] You know, 25 soldiers enjoying the show
made a two-hour trip in a convoy of Humvees
on an explosive-laden road
just to experience Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] You know, Cole, nothing on these roads is run over by our troops.
Often the Iraqi soldiers, they place mortars or bombs
on either side of the road, underneath garbage, even under roadkill,
so a Humvee, you know, you got to be careful
when you're driving around here.
[Cole] John Cena hanging up the Big Show on the top rope
but runs into a clothesline.
So much anticipation surrounding this event,
one of the soldiers telling me that, "I don't know if you realize this,
but this is the best Christmas present ever given to us soldiers."
And I'll tell you, this is our best Christmas present ever
just to have the opportunity to perform here at Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] Absolutely, no doubt about it.
And Big Show is putting a hurting on the Doctor of Thugonomics
right now, right here in the desert.
You got to figure conditioning might take into play here.
The Big Show has got a head the size of a tank.
-[Cole] From what I understand, Tazz. -[Tazz] What?
[Cole] The soldiers here, part of the Combined Joint Task Force 7,
the envy of all the US forces not only in Iraq,
but all over the world,
all wanted to be a part of Christmas from Baghdad.
[Tazz] And I'm sure Raw, Raw is probably envying us, Cole.
Well, you don't think JR and King, they'd love to be sitting here
watching this right now, but SmackDown is doing it.
[Cole] And speaking of JR,
one of his Oklahoma homies was a driver for the WWE this week,
Sergeant James Robert Duke from Milburn, Oklahoma.
He's been in Iraq since March, wasn't there for the birth of his baby,
but he's heading home in February.
He's gonna see his baby Harley for the very first time.
[Tazz] Oh, that's great, that's good news, and that's great stuff.
[Cole] And Big Show really giving it for referee Brian Hebner,
and the troops all over the Big Show here.
[Tazz] Big Show again, just dominating John Cena.
Now going for that abdominal stretch. You got to wonder, it's Christmas now,
and one of the big moves that the Big Show has in his arsenal is the Hog Lock.
I wonder if he's gonna rename it the Yule Log.
-[Cole laughs] That's pretty good. -[Tazz] That was a nice phony laugh.
[Cole] That's why you're the best color commentator in the business.
[Tazz] You're damn skippy, and I'm in the desert with you nits.
And right now, this abdominal stretch is on John Cena.
[Cole] Big Show. Oh, and a rake to the eyes by John Cena.
And the Doctor of Thugonomics
receiving a headbutt courtesy of the Big Show.
[Tazz] Oh, man!
[Cole] With a big boot inadvertently to the referee.
[Tazz] Yeah, these soldiers, they love it, they love seeing the ref getting dropped.
They love to seeing authority figures getting hurt, I like that.
[Cole] And Big Show is in control of John Cena.
But referee Brian Hebner has been knocked down.
[Tazz] Well, Hebner got dropped of that big boot by the Big Show.
And now, that chain from John Cena's… It's John Cena's…
[crowd clamoring]
That's John Cena's chain, the referee don't see it.
[Cole] Wrapped around the fist of the Big Show.
John Cena to his feet, Big Show fist full of chain,
misses, John Cena with a low blow.
Chain in hand of his own. Off the skull of the Big Show.
[Tazz] Well, turnabout is fair play.
Referee is down, Cena just used that chain and knocked out the Big Show.
[Cole] John Cena into the cover, shoulders down.
There's two, Big Show kicks out.
[Tazz] Wow.
Big toughness there by the Big Show.
[Cole] Showing toughness that the US Armed Forces show every day of their life.
[Tazz] No doubt. Uh-oh! Goozled now.
[Cole] John Cena, Big Show went for the chokeslam,
John Cena, kick to the midsection. Check this out!
-Five hundred pounds! -[Tazz] F-U!
[Cole] F-U to the Big Show!
Cover, hook of the leg…
Got him!
-[bell rings] -John Cena wins!
["Basic Thugonomics" playing]
[Chimel] Here is your winner, John Cena.
[Tazz] Big victory right there for John Cena over the Big Show
here in Baghdad with that big F-U.
But before that, the chain hit to the head that had to weaken up the Big Show.
[Cole] Just like the US troops laid the smackdown on Saddam Hussein,
Cena laid the smackdown to the Big Show.
But here comes Stone Cold!
[Tazz] Well, we saw "Stone Cold" Steve Austin earlier
playing Santa Claus, stunning Mr. McMahon.
What the hell's The Rattlesnake doing out here now?
[Cole] What's Austin want?
[Cole] Back on Christmas from Baghdad, and this is a peculiar situation.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin face to face with John Cena.
-[Tazz] What's gonna happen here? -[Cole] You can't see me, Cena--
Wait a minute! Stunner!
A Stunner to John Cena!
[Tazz] John Cena getting nailed there by The Rattlesnake,
and now the Big Show doesn't even realize who's behind him.
-Oh, no. -[Cole] Big Show has no clue.
Stunner again!
-And a second one! -[Tazz] Big Show is down and out.
"Stone Cold" Steve Austin has struck again right here,
right here in Baghdad.
[Cole] The Texas Rattlesnake making his presence felt.
Christmas from Baghdad.
["I Won't Do What You Tell Me" playing]
Camp Victory has come unglued!
Bring down them Santa's Little Helpers one more time.
[crowd cheering]
[Tazz] Stone Cold.
[festive music playing]
Here they come. Come on down, girls, Santa needs a little help down here.
[Cole] This is what I'm talking about.
[Tazz] I'm telling you, Merry Christmas.
[Austin] If you think Santa's Helpers look like a million bucks,
-give me a "Hell yeah!" -[crowd] Hell yeah!
-[Cole] Hell yeah! -Bring all the damn WWE Superstars down.
Come on in, ladies.
I want everybody, come on back out here in this ring.
[Cole] Chris Benoit and Rhyno.
Eddie Guerrero, the World's Greatest Tag Team.
All the Superstars making their way down to the ring,
Rikishi, Bradshaw, Faarooq.
[Austin] Come on down, guys.
[Cole] Mr. McMahon.
What a privilege it's been for all these Superstars.
I want everybody in this damn ring.
Ron Simmons bringing up the rear. Come on, Faarooq.
He'll be all right. He just had a laxative.
Ladies and gentlemen, he's not my favorite person in the world,
but the guy who helped to make all this possible,
Mr. Vince McMahon.
[crowd cheering]
Go ahead, go and step through the ropes,
bring your little ragged carcass to the ring,
I ain't gonna stun you.
I promise.
You know, I give my promises out all right.
I just thought we'd come out here and salute all the troops.
Whoa! Get your damn hands off him.
You're starting to make me wonder if you're a little, you know, funny.
[laughter]
Well, anyway, what I was gonna end up saying was I just…
-[Cole] Stunner! -[Tazz] Oh, man.
Like I was saying, we just wanted to say thank you very much
for everything that you men and women do for us.
We love you to the death and that's the bottom line
because Stone Cold said so.
-[crowd cheering] -["Glass Shatters" playing]
[Tazz] Well, a little touch of home is brought to Baghdad
and our troops from SmackDown.
[Cole] All of us in the WWE honored to be here,
and to bring these troops a slice of Americana.
We hope we provided a distraction from their dangerous world
and brought color to this theater.
Thank you for letting us be a part of all of this.
We are so proud and privileged to be here.