RAW
February 18th, 2002
Allstate Arena
Chicago, Illinois
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Tazz and Spike Dudley defeat Brock Lesnar and Leviathan.
2. Billy and Chuck defeat Randy Orton and Shelton Benjamin at 6:17.
 
2/23 Jakked taping:
 
1. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) defeat Funaki and Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) at 6:19.
2. Test pins Crash Holly at 3:53.
3. Val Venis forces Scotty 2 Hotty to tap out at 6:11.
4. The Big Bossman pins Michael Shane at 4:07.
 
Actual Show:
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
Steve Austin comes down to the ring with a chair and brings a cooler of beer into the ring as he says that he’s really pissed off and last night, he had Chris Jericho where he wanted him and he told the world that he would give Jericho the Stunner and become champion. He says that 3 pieces of trash came into the ring and got involved as he is telling the nWo to come out right now, and he says that he has all night and if they wanted a piece of him last night, they can have a piece of him right now as the New World Order come out on the stage. Austin says that if they want a piece of him, he’ll whip their asses and give them Stunners as he tells them to come down to the ring right now, and they start to come down the ramp as Austin says that he will show that he’s the last person to mess with. Just then, the nWo turn around and head to the back as Austin calls them chicken shits and if they want to head to the back, he’s not moving from this ring until they come down and face as he says he will drink all the beer he has until he gets a piece of the nWo. He says that he’s got all night, 2 cases of beer, and a chair to swing as the nWo are just pissing him off more which is fine with him.
 
Commercial break
 
4 Weeks until WrestleMania X8
 
We see Steve Austin still in the ring sitting in the chair as he says he is going on strike and isn’t moving until the New World Order come out, and he says it doesn’t matter what color they wear he wants them to come out or he will run out of beer. Just then, Kurt Angle comes down to the ring flanked by security as he asks what Austin’s problem is and he might be crazy, but if someone deserves airtime it’s someone going for a title at WrestleMania as Austin throws two beer cans at him. Angle says that he understands Austin has a gripe though he blew it last night and it’s his time now as he can’t stand a crybaby, and he says that’s why he has security with him thanks to Mr. McMahon and he’s here in spirit. He says that his security are off-duty cops and Austin will go to jail if he keeps tossing cans at them which Austin does, and Angle says that Austin needs to do the right thing for the first time in his life and get out of the ring so he can make an announcement. He tells Austin to get out of the ring as this is his time and Austin flips him off as Angle tells Austin for the last time to leave the ring, and Angle gets in the ring and says Austin can be that way as he will still make his announcement. He says that all Austin wants is attention and after beating Triple H at No Way Out, he is going to WrestleMania and will become Undisputed Champion because only he deserves it. Just then, Austin tackles Angle to the mat and pounds on him until the security get in the ring and pull Austin off of Angle, and Austin knocks one of them down until the rest restrain him as Angle yells that Austin is finished and is going to jail. The security handcuff Austin as Angle says he’s going to WrestleMania and asks how the handcuffs are as he mocks the fact that Austin is going to jail, and he says that no one does that to him and he tells security to take Austin away as they escort him to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage of during the break of Steve Austin being put into a police car as the New World Order come up and mock Austin as the car drives off.
 
1. The Hardy Boyz (w/ Lita) defeat Lance Storm and Christian when Matt pins Christian at 4:45.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first tag match of the night. These two teams fought the night before with the Hardyz eliminating Storm and Christian in the turmoil match, and now Storm and Christian look to get revenge here. The Hardyz get a big pop from the crowd while Storm and Christian had solid heat as heels. Matt starts off the match with Storm and they lock up with Storm working on the arm until Matt turns it around, and Storm gets a knee in and pounds on Matt as both men block a hiptoss attempt and Matt ducks a shot. He gets a kick in and hits a swinging neckbreaker on Storm as Jeff tags in and they pound on Storm in the corner, and they whip Storm into the other corner and hit Poetry in Motion as Jeff hits a dropkick that knocks Christian to the floor. He trips Storm up and hits a legdrop to the groin as he stomps on him in the corner and Storm reverses a whip into the other corner, and Jeff goes up top only for Christian to hang him up on the top rope and Jeff falls to the mat as Christian slides into the ring and stomps on Jeff while Storm holds him from behind. Christian kicks at Jeff and hoists him onto his shoulders as he hits a gutbuster on Jeff for a two count and hooks an abdominal stretch on, and Jeff escapes the hold with a series of back elbows only for Christian to hold the ropes on a dropkick attempt as Jeff lands on the mat. Christian looks for a suplex only for Jeff to hook a small package for a two count and Christian pulls Jeff to his corner, and Storm tags in and rams the knee into Jeff repeatedly as Jeff tries to battle back until Storm hits a drop toehold and grabs at Jeff’s leg. Jeff hits a modified enzurgiri on Storm and Matt gets the hot tag as he fires up on Christian and he hits a clothesline on Storm, and he hits a backdrop on Christian and Storm reverses a whip into the corner as Matt catches him with a boot to the face. He hits the Side Effect on Storm and Jeff comes in as they hit a double team on Christian for a two count with Storm breaking it up, and Jeff sends Storm to the outside only to miss a slingshot plancha as he hits the floor and Matt pounds on Christian until Storm trips him up from the floor. Christian hits an inverted DDT on Matt for a two count and throws a temper tantrum as Storm tries to calm him down until Jeff pulls him off the apron to the floor, and Lita comes off the steps with a hurricanrana on Storm as Christian continues to freak out before looking for the Unprettier on Matt. Matt escapes and hits the Twist of Fate on Christian as Jeff goes up top and hits the Swanton which allows Matt to get the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. The Hardyz were hitting their peak as a team while Storm and Christian continued to gel well as a team, and they had good chemistry as the Hardyz get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for the Hardyz when they won. The Hardyz get the win over Storm and Christian as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her dressing room as Kurt Angle comes in and she says that she wants to congratulate him on having Steve Austin arrested and defeating Triple H last night, and she says that Triple H will never get a title shot as Angle says that she was great at the guest referee despite the circumstances. She says that she was only fair and impartial due to Angle defeating Triple H clean as Ric Flair comes in and says they are the hottest topic of the WWF, and he says that Vince’s bias was absolute genius and he was inspired to do something as Angle will face Triple H tonight for the WrestleMania title shot. Stephanie says that’s unfair and Flair says that what’s fair is the match will take place and if Stephanie gets involved, Triple H gets the shot automatically and he leaves as Stephane yells he can’t do that.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Allstate Arena.
 
We see the Undertaker walking down the hallway as he asks a worker where Ric Flair’s office is and he is pointed in the right direction.
 
We see Ric Flair in his office talking to someone on the phone as the Undertaker barges in and says he should kick Flair’s ass after what he did last night, and Flair says that he was just being a man and Taker says that they aren’t even as he says he thought about beating Flair down tonight though talked himself out of it. He says that he wants to face Flair at WrestleMania and we’ll see what kind of man Flair is as he will beat him down in front of the world, and Flair says that he respects Taker and is the flagship of the company though he is focused on being an owner and not a wrestler as Taker says he’ll see what he can do to change Flair’s mind.
 
Commercial break
 
Sour Skittles WrestleMania Moment: Kane giving Pete Rose the Tombstone at WrestleMania XIV
 
We see the New World Order in the parking lot bragging about what happened to Austin and their work is done, and they look to get in their car though Hogan says that they can leave as he has something personal to take care of first.
 
2. Kane pins Mr. Perfect with the Chokeslam at 2:10.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Kane has been cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Perfect, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track here. Kane gets a good pop from the crowd while Perfect got a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two men lock up to start with Perfect going behind Kane who hits a back elbow and Perfect ducks a shot as he hooks a headlock, and Kane whips him off and knocks him down as he pounds on Perfect and hits a big boot before knocking him over the top to the floor. Kane goes outside as well only for Perfect to ram him into the post and he pounds on him as both men roll back into the ring, and Perfect hits a clothesline and a neck snap on Kane who sits up and he grabs Perfect by the throat. Perfect pounds on Kane who reverses a whip and Perfect catches him ducking though Kane blocks the Perfect-Plex by pounding on Perfect, and he hits a clothesline on Perfect and whips him into the corner as he splashes him and hits a sidewalk slam before going up top. He hits a flying clothesline on Perfect and grabs him by the throat before hitting the Chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Perfect got a few shots in, but he puts Kane over strong in just over 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kane when he won. Kane gets the win over Perfect and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Hulk Hogan walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
“Hollywood” Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring and says that it’s great to be back in the WWF as this company made him a legend, and he says that it feels better to be out in front of the fans as they’ve been through everything together. He says that they fought the Russians, the monsters, and even Andre the Giant at WrestleMania III as they picked him up and slammed him in the ring, and he says that something then happened and the fans turned on him as they took him for granted. He says that he never wanted to leave the WWF and wanted to end his career here as they no longer respected him and drove him out of the WWF, and he says that it’s the same thing that they did to Michael Jordan in Chicago as they took him for granted and drove him out of the city. He says that ever since the fans drove him out of the WWF, he’s wanted to say something and now that he’s back in the WWF thanks to Vince McMahon, the only thing he has to say to the fans is that they can kiss his ass and he’s the reason everyone is here tonight as he put the WWF on the map. He says that he made wrestling as big as it is today and there is no one in the business that’s a bigger icon than him, and he says that he sold out more arenas than everyone and he will go down in the history books. He says that he’s the biggest star, past or present in the world today and there will never be a bigger star in wrestling than him, but then the Rock comes down to the ring and says that he has finally come back to Chicago as he says that no one ever thought they would see the two of them in the same ring. He says that he heard what Hogan said and he agrees with him on some things as he asks if Hogan really thinks it was the fans that drove him out of the WWF, and Hogan goes to answer though Rock says it doesn’t matter what he thinks as the only thing that matters is that the fans loved and believed in Hogan. He says that even he believed in Hogan and what happened was it was years after years of Hogan doing his routine, and he says that the fans eventually ran to the toilet and took a big crap whenever Hogan opened his mouth. He says that he will give Hogan this in that he is a legend and an icon as well as possibly the best ever, and he says that since he is back in the WWF thanks to Vince McMahon, he has one thing to say as Hogan was talking about headlining numerous WrestleManias and he asks how Hogan feels about headlining one more WrestleMania with him. The two men have a staredown and look out into the crowd as Hogan says that there’s a word for guys like Rock which is the flavor of the month, and he says that he’s seen plenty of guys like Rock as they are a dime a dozen and he asks what makes Rock think he’s in Hogan’s league. He asks what makes Rock think he’s close to being as big a star as him only for Rock to put his hand in Hogan’s face, and Rock says that he wants to paint a picture in that this is the fantasy match no one thought they would see. He says that this match will determine who will go down in history as the best ever though he says that it isn’t up for Hogan or him to decide, and he says that maybe it’s up to the people as he asks if everyone wants to see Hogan and Rock face off at WM and the crowd pops huge. Rock asks one more time what Hogan’s answer is and Hogan says yes to a pop as he says it will be a pleasure to kick Rock’s ass at WM, and he offers a handshake which Rock accepts as Hogan wishes Rock luck as he says he will need it. He goes to leave though Rock keeps hold of the handshake as he says not as much as Hogan before giving him the Rock Bottom, and Rock heads to the back only for Scott Hall and Kevin Nash to attack him on the stage as they throw him back into the ring. Hogan takes his belt off and whips Rock with it repeatedly as the Outsiders get in the ring and Hall hits the Outsider’s Edge on Rock, and then Nash grabs Rock and hits the Jackknife as Hogan goes outside and pulls out a toolbox from under the ring. The Outsiders hold Rock up as Hogan brings a hammer into the ring and he hits Rock in the back of the head with it, and Nash pulls Rock to the center of the ring and Hogan hits the legdrop on Rock as he goes for a pin with Hall making the three count. Hogan goes outside and pulls out a pair of cans of spray paint as the Outsiders turn Rock onto his stomach and rip his shirt off, and Hogan sprays “NWO 2 Sweet” on Rock’s back and the nWo head to the back as EMTs come down to ringside with a stretcher which they put Rock on and they help him to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the EMTs bringing Rock to an ambulance backstage and they put him in it as it drives out of the arena only to be cut off by a semi, and then a car pulls in behind the ambulance as Hogan gets out of the semi while the Outsiders get out of the car. They scare the EMTs out of the ambulance by beating on it with a tire iron as Hall wraps a chain around it, and Hogan says that Rock wanted him to bring it and now he’ll wish that he could take it back as he tells the Outsiders to stand back. He gets back in the semi and backs it up as he says he’s going to lay the smackdown on Rock’s crippled ass nWo style, and he drives the semi into the ambulance repeatedly and gets out of it as they mock Rock and look in through the window before getting in their car and driving off.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the EMTs surveying the damage to the ambulance and trying to check on Rock.
 
3. Booker T pins the Godfather with a side kick at 2:18.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Booker was coming off a tough loss the night before and looks to get back on track here against Godfather, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Godfather gets a good pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Godfather backing Booker into the corner and the ref tries to force a break as Booker gets a shot in, and he pounds on Godfather in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as Godfather reverses a whip and hits a back elbow. Booker avoids the elbow and hits a spin kick on Godfather as he pounds on him only for Godfather to duck a side kick, and he hits a clothesline on Booker and stomps on him as he hits a sidewalk slam and pounds on Booker. Booker counters a whip by getting a knee in only for Godfather to catch him in a powerslam and he hits a spinning legdrop, and he looks for the Ho Train though gets distracted by his ladies and Booker hits a side kick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both men did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and Godfather, but are not happy when Booker gets the win. Booker gets the quick win over Godfather and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see firefighters and police pull up towards the destroyed ambulance as they work to get Rock out of it.
 
Commercial break
 
Lugz Boot of the Week: The APA winning the tag team turmoil match at No Way Out last night
 
4. Rob Van Dam and Edge defeat William Regal and Goldust when Regal taps out at 3:32.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second and last tag match of the night. These four men faced off the night before in singles matches and now they face off here in a tag match. Edge and RVD get a good pop from the crowd while Goldust and Regal had solid heat as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match as Goldust and Regal pound on RVD and Edge in the corners, and Edge and RVD reverse whips and send Goldust and Regal into each other as they hit stereo spin kicks on Goldust and Regal. RVD kicks at Goldust and pounds on him as Goldust reverses a whip into the corner and RVD catches him with a back elbow, and he hits a springboard side kick and a standing moonsault on Goldust for a two count as he pounds and stomps on him. Goldust catches him ducking with an uppercut and hits a clothesline as Regal tags in and kicks at RVD before pounding on him, and RVD ducks a shot and hits a high crossbody on Regal for a one count as Regal gets a knee in and hits a running kneelift on RVD. Goldust tags in and hits a butt slam on RVD as he pounds on him on the mat and rams him into the buckle, and he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he hits a snapmare and drops an elbow on him for a two count. RVD tries to battle back only for Goldust to rake the eyes and RVD escapes a slam attempt as he catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick, and Edge gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines on Regal as he hits a back elbow on Goldust and he hits another clothesline on Regal. He goes up to the middle rope and hits a missile dropkick on Regal for a two count as Goldust breaks it up and RVD knocks Goldust to the outside, and Edge pounds on Regal in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he hits the spear and RVD sends Goldust into the post while Edge hooks a modified submission on Regal who taps out and Edge and RVD win. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. RVD and Edge looked decent as a team as did Goldust and Regal, and they had decent chemistry as Edge and RVD get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge and RVD when they won. Edge and RVD get the win over Goldust and Regal as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Goldust gets back in the ring as Edge ducks a shot and hits the spear on Goldust before stomping him to the outside, and RVD goes up top and hits a side kick on Regal who rolls outside as RVD and Edge stand tall.
 
We see the firefighters, police, and EMTs see off a new ambulance which has Rock inside and it drives away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from earlier tonight.
 
Michael Cole interviews Kurt Angle, who says that everyone saw earlier and it was the worst news of the year to see Ric Flair make this match for tonight, and he says that Stephanie being banned from ringside isn’t right and he feels bad for Rock though he’s got the title shot at WM and he will make it right by beating Triple H.
 
Chris Jericho comes out to do commentary for the main event.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Triple H pins Kurt Angle with the Pedigree at 12:01.
 
Stipulation: The winner would receive the WWF Undisputed Championship match at WrestleMania X8
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Angle defeated Triple H the night before to earn the WM title shot thanks to Stephanie and now Triple H looks to get his shot back. Triple H gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. Triple H wastes no time and pounds on Angle to start the match only for Angle to nail Triple H and stomp him to the floor, and he goes outside and pounds on Triple H who blocks a ram into the barricade and he rams Angle into the barricade. He pounds on Angle who reverses a whip and he sends Triple H into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and pounds on him in the corner, and he stomps on him repeatedly and hits a suplex for a two count as he kicks and stomps on Triple H before stomping on him in the corner. Triple H tries to battle back only for Angle to catch him with a knee to the ribs and he stomps on Triple H as he hits a backbreaker for a two count, and he pounds and stomps on Triple H in the corner as he catches him with a knee to the ribs again for a two count. He hooks an abdominal stretch on Triple H and uses the ropes for leverage until the ref catches him as Triple H turns the hold around on Angle, and Angle escapes the hold with a hiptoss and ducks a shot though Triple H blocks a German suplex with a pair of back elbows. Angle ducks a shot and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Triple H for a two count as he counters a whip and hits a second belly-to-belly suplex for a pair of two counts, and he pounds on Triple H in the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. Angle falls to the floor and regroups before rolling back into the ring as Triple H fires up on him and Angle reverses a whip, and Triple H ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker as he pounds on Angle who catches him ducking with a kick. He ducks a shot and Triple H hits the high knee for a two count as he ducks a shot and gets a kick in before hitting a DDT for a two count, and he stomps on Angle repeatedly in the corner and Angle reverses a whip as he ducks a shot and Triple H avoids hitting the ref. Angle gets a kick in and pounds on Triple H who reverses a whip into the corner and he hits a spinebuster for a two count, and Angle reverses a whip and Triple H catches him ducking with the facebuster as he gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree. Angle trips him up and slingshots him into the corner as he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex on Triple H, and he goes up top only for Triple H to follow him and put him on his shoulders as he hits an electric chair off the ropes for a two count. He charges only for Angle to backdrop him over the top to the floor and he rolls outside himself as Triple H gets a kick in, and Angle hits a belly-to-belly suplex on the floor and then he rams Triple H into the announce table as he taunts Jericho. The ref goes outside and holds Jericho back as Angle grabs one of the belts and hits Triple H in the head with it, and he throws Triple H back into the ring and gets a two count as he hits a trio of German suplexes on Triple H and then he hooks the Ankle Lock on. Triple H reaches the ropes to force a break and he sends Angle into the corner as he gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree, but Angle escapes and trips Triple H up as he hooks the Ankle Lock back on until Triple H escapes by sending Angle to the mat. He ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits the Pedigree on Angle which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Angle was hitting his stride by this point while Triple H was slowly getting back into a groove, and they still had good chemistry as Triple H gets his win back from the night before. The crowd was into the match and popped for Triple H when he won. Triple H gets the win over Angle and earns back his WM title shot as both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Jericho gets on the table and has a staredown with Triple H as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty memorable episode coming off a fairly average No Way Out. Despite the fact that show didn’t deliver like it could, the Road to WrestleMania still felt pretty hot especially with a mega match being announced for that show on this night. We had no title matches as the Hardyz, Kane, Booker, Edge, RVD, and Triple H get big wins, and the matches were pretty secondary as the big story of the night was Rock and Hogan making their match for WM official. 2002 has been an interesting year just two months in and the arrival of the nWo has already shaken things up, and we will see how the rest of the WM card comes together in the coming weeks. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show overall though best remembered for the Rock/Hogan interaction. Final Grade: B-