RAW
December 16th, 2002
TD Waterhouse Centre
Orlando, Florida
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Brent Neil defeats Andy Anderson.
2. The Shane Twins defeat Bruce Steele and Sly.
 
12/22 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli defeats Al Snow.
2. Spike Dudley and Tommy Dreamer defeat Michael Shane and Scoot Andrews.
3. Jacqueline defeats Molly Holly.
4. The Hurricane defeats Raven.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Test (w/ Stacy Keibler) and Trish Stratus defeat Steven Richards and Victoria when Test pins Richards at 4:09.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with a big tag match. Stratus and Victoria battled the night before with Victoria escaping with the Women’s Title and now they face off here with Test and Richards as their partners. Test and Stratus get a good pop from the crowd while Richards and Victoria had solid heat as heels. Stratus wastes no time and hits the Chick Kick on Victoria to start the match as she knocks Richards off the apron and pounds on Victoria in the corner, and Victoria reverses a whip into the other corner and Stratus catches her in a headscissors as she leaps onto Victoria’s shoulders and hooks a victory roll for a two count. She pounds on Victoria who reverses a whip and Richards gets a knee in from the apron as he tags in and he hits a suplex on Stratus, and Victoria tags in and hooks a submission on Stratus as she drives her knees into Stratus’ back and tags Richards who gets a shot in on Test. He holds Stratus from behind as Victoria pounds on her and Richards hits a sidewalk slam on Stratus for a two count, and Stratus tries to battle back until Richards rakes the eyes and hoists Stratus onto his shoulder though she slides off and hooks a rollup for a two count. He gets a knee in and goes up top only for Stratus to crotch him on the top rope and she knocks Victoria off the apron, and she hits the handstand hurricanrana on Richards and Test gets the hot tag as he hits a pair of clotheslines on Richards who counters a whip and gets a kick in. Test ducks a shot and Richards escapes the full nelson slam as he gets a knee in though Test escapes a hold and gets a knee in himself, and he hits the pump handle powerslam on Richards as Victoria gets a shot in and he blocks a slap before setting her up for the pump handle powerslam though Richards saves her. Test hits a double clothesline on both and looks for the big boot only for Richards to pull the ref in the way and he hits a modified facebuster for a two count, and Keibler gets on the apron and tries to distract Richards who goes outside and chases her into the ring as Test hits the big boot which gets 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. Test and Stratus looked decent as a team while Richards and Victoria were growing as a team, and they had good chemistry as Test and Stratus get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Test and Stratus when they won. Test and Stratus get the win over Richards and Victoria as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Eric Bischoff talking to Triple H from outside his locker room as he says tonight will be outstanding and he walks away before running into Chief Morley who is on the phone with someone, and Morley says everything is ready for tonight as he hangs up and Bischoff says that he and Triple H need to get on the same page. He says that he will be holding a Triple H Appreciation Night tonight to honor the new World Heavyweight Champion and it will be in the main event spot, and Morley says that he kind of promised the main event spot to Scott Steiner to sign his contract and he thought Bischoff would be happy. He says that Steiner is on his way to the arena and he won’t be happy about this as Bischoff says he’s not happy and Morley needs to fix this mess.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Booker T backstage as Goldust walks up to him dressed as Santa Claus and he asks if Booker has been a good boy, and he says he has a present for Booker as he pulls out one of the World Tag Team Championship belts and hands it to Booker. He takes out the other belt and thanks Booker for believing in him as Booker says they’ve been through a lot and this makes it worth it, but then Christian walks up to them and says they shouldn’t get comfortable being champions as he and Chris Jericho are invoking their rematch clause next week. He says that tonight, he is facing Goldust while Jericho faces Booker and Booker says he doesn’t have time for this as he walks away, and Goldust says he knows Christian has been naughty though he has a gift for him as he hands him a jar of ass-cream with 35% more ass and Christian says that he doesn’t use this stuff before walking away.
 
2. Christopher Nowinski pins Maven with a rollup at 4:58.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last few weeks and finally face off here to settle their issues. Maven gets a decent pop from the crowd while Nowinski had solid heat as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Maven backing Nowinski into the corner and Nowinski begs off as he gets a kick in, and he pounds on Maven who blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits one of his own as he hits a pair of armdrags and works on the arm. He whips Nowinski into the corner and Nowinski catches him with a back elbow as he hooks a rollup and uses the ropes for leverage for a two count, and he sends Maven into the corner and stomps on him repeatedly as he chokes him with his boot and gets a knee in. He pounds on Maven and hits a gutwrench suplex for a two count as he hooks a submission on Maven who fights to his feet and breaks the hold, and Maven ducks a shot and hooks a rollup for a two count as Nowinski hits a clothesline for a two count. He hits a backbreaker on Maven for a two count and goes back to the submission as Maven fights to his feet and rams Nowinski into the corner, but Nowinski blocks a rollup attempt and hits a spinebuster on Maven for a two count as Maven escapes a suplex attempt and ducks a shot. He hits a dropkick on Nowinski and fires up on him as he hits a backdrop and a pair of clotheslines before hitting a flapjack, and he hooks another rollup for a two count and pounds on Nowinski in the corner as Nowinski catches him in an atomic drop and gets a kick in. He hits a spinning double underhook slam for a two count and pounds on him in the corner as Maven reverses a whip into the other corner, and Nowinski blocks a monkey flip attempt and puts Maven on the top rope as he pounds on him and goes up himself. Maven battles back and shoves Nowinski to the mat as he sets himself on the middle rope and he attempts a sunset flip, but Nowinski rolls through and hooks a rollup while grabbing the tights which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic matchup. Both men were slowly getting into a groove by this point and they had decent chemistry as Nowinski steals the win. The crowd was into the match and Maven, but are not happy when Nowinski wins. Nowinski gets the win over Maven and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
Shawn Michaels comes down to the ring and says that last week, Ric Flair said that he didn’t have it anymore and his best days were behind him as Flair said it was time for him to realize that he needs to pass the torch to Triple H, and he says that Flair said that guys like them need to look in the mirror and tell themselves the truth. He says that the truth is that the Heartbreak Kid is alive and well though he will admit he is no longer World Champion, and he says that last night at Armageddon he stole the show in the 2-out-of-3 falls match as he talks about everything that happened in the match. He says that he went down in a blaze of glory and last night was brutal though he feels pretty good tonight, and he says that maybe they should try 3-out-of-5 right now and he wants Triple H to come out here so he can beat him up. Just then, Chris Jericho comes down to the ring and takes the mike from Michaels as he says he needs to listen to him, and he says these people didn’t come to see Michaels as they came to see him and he’s more athletic and charismatic than Michaels. He says that he’s also better looking than Michaels has ever been and he is the true sexy boy as he says in all seriousness, no one was happier to see Michaels return to the ring than him as the 2-out-of-3 falls match was incredible. He says that Michaels showed great heart and courage though it was also sad because the HBK of old would’ve defied the odds and he would’ve silenced the skeptics. He says that the old HBK would’ve left Armageddon as World Champion though he lost and Michaels is nothing but a loser, and he says that it’s embarrassing for him because Michaels is the main reason why he wanted to become a WWE Superstar. He says that Michaels is the reason he wanted to be a champion and Michaels was his hero though now he’s been reduced to this and he’s finished, and he says Michaels isn’t the Showstopper anymore and his show is over as he is damaged goods and vulnerable. He says he could kick his ass right now if he wanted to though he’s not going to waste his time as last night, Michaels proved that HBK stands for Has-Been Kid as Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Jericho and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Christian pins Goldust with a rollup at 3:44.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men faced off the night before with Goldust and Booker T winning the tag titles from Christian and Jericho, and now Christian looks to get some revenge here against Goldust. Goldust gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. The two men exchange shoves to start the match and Goldust hits a drop toehold on Christian as he hooks a headlock and knocks Christian down, and he catches Christian on a leap and hotshots him on the top rope as he hits a running bulldog on Christian for a two count and he pounds on him on the mat. Christian rakes the eyes and rams Goldust’s shoulder into the post as he works on the arm until Goldust fights out of the hold, and Goldust ducks a shot and Christian gets a kick in as he hits an armbreaker on Goldust for a two count and pounds on the arm. He stomps on him repeatedly and Goldust tries to battle back only for Christian to get a shot in and he goes up to the middle rope, but Goldust catches him coming in with a sidewalk slam and they trade blows with Christian taking control until Goldust hits a clothesline. He pounds on Christian who reverses a whip and Goldust hits a flying clothesline as he ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker for a two count, and Christian gets a knee in and Goldust avoids a dropkick as Christian lands on the mat and Goldust hooks a rollup for a two count. He hits a powerslam on Christian for a two count and whips him into the corner as Christian avoids a bulldog and hits an inverted DDT for a two count, and Goldust escapes a second inverted DDT attempt and rams Christian into the corner as he pounds on him and ties him up in the corner. He looks for the Shattered Dreams though Christian pulls the ref in the way and he catches Goldust with a boot to the face, and Goldust escapes the Unprettier with a rollup though Christian rolls through and uses the ropes as he gets the three and wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a pretty basic matchup. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they had decent chemistry as Christian ends up stealing the win over Goldust. The crowd was into the match and Goldust, but are not happy when Christian wins. Christian steals the win over Goldust and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Triple H in his dressing room as Eric Bischoff comes in and says that he put on a great performance last night which illustrates why Triple H is the man, and he says that Triple H shouldn’t have to wait until the end of the night as they should just have the ceremony right now. Triple H asks if Bischoff is hiding something from him and Bischoff says that they were also thinking about having Scott Steiner sign his contract, and Triple H says Steiner is a jacked-up piece of trash who can’t hold his jock on his best day and if Bischoff is thinking about giving Steiner his spot, he better think again as he threatens to do what Steve Austin did and walk out on RAW while taking the World Title with him as Bischoff says they will work it out.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the TD Waterhouse Centre.
 
We see footage from earlier tonight of Ric Flair and Batista telling 3-Minute Warning to follow them in their match.
 
We see Chief Morley in the parking lot and he walks up to Terri Runnels as he asks if Scott Steiner has shown up yet and she says she doesn’t think so, and he asks her to tell Steiner that he is looking for him when he does arrive and to come right to him.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Rob Van Dam and Kane, who say that after what happened at Armageddon, they are ready to unleash hell and are quite disturbed about the situation as they look forward to working their issues out in the spirit of competition.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Kane and Rob Van Dam defeat Batista and 3-Minute Warning (w/ “Nature Boy” Ric Flair) in a handicap match when Kane pins Jamal at 4:51.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big handicap match. Kane and RVD saved each other from Batista and 3-Minute Warning last week and now they team up here to face the three men in a handicap match. Kane and RVD get big pops from the crowd while Batista and 3-Minute Warning had solid heat as heels. Batista wastes no time and nails RVD from behind to start the match as he stomps on him repeatedly and chokes him on the ropes, and he rams RVD into the buckle and hits a back elbow as he grinds his elbow into RVD’s face and whips him into the other corner. RVD catches him with a boot to the face and attempts a springboard moonsault which Batista avoids and RVD lands on his feet, and Batista hits a clothesline on RVD for a two count and rams him into the corner as Jamal tags in and stomps on RVD in the corner. RVD catches Jamal ducking with a kick only for Jamal to hit a clothesline for a two count and he pounds on RVD as he rams him into the buckle, and RVD avoids a dropkick as Jamal lands on the mat and RVD hits the Rolling Thunder before hitting a spin kick on Jamal. He reaches for the tag only for Jamal to get a shot in and he tags Rosey who pounds on RVD and hits a pair of headbutts in the corner, and he whips RVD into the other corner only to miss a charge and RVD hits a springboard side kick on Rosey. He reaches for the tag again only for Rosey to hit a falling headbutt to his back and Jamal tags in as he pounds on RVD and hits a short clothesline, and Batista drops to the floor and heads to the back with Flair as Jamal grabs RVD’s foot and avoids an enzurgiri though RVD hits an inverted enzurgiri. Kane gets the hot tag and goes up top as he hits a flying clothesline on Jamal and then he hits a clothesline on Rosey, and Rosey reverses a whip and Kane catches him ducking with a DDT as he whips Jamal into the corner and splashes him. He splashes Rosey in the other corner and hits a big boot on Jamal as he hits a slam on Rosey and grabs Jamal by the throat, but Rosey hits a clothesline on Kane as RVD goes up top and hits a side kick on Rosey only for Jamal to get a shot in. RVD escapes a slam attempt and hits a spin kick on Jamal as Kane grabs him by the throat and hits the Chokeslam which gets 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 handicap match. Kane and RVD looked good as a team while Batista and 3-Minute Warning also looked decent until Batista walked out of the match, and they had good chemistry as Kane and RVD get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Kane and RVD when they won. Kane and RVD get the win over Batista and 3-Minute Warning as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Scott Steiner arrive to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Lance Storm and William Regal defeat the Dudley Boyz when Regal pins D-Von at 5:17.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. These two teams faced off last night at Armageddon with each team costing the other the tag titles, and now they face off here to settle their issues. The Dudleyz get a big pop from the crowd while Storm and Regal were pretty hot as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match with Bubba sending Regal to the outside and Storm rakes the eyes on D-Von, and D-Von reverses a whip and the Dudleyz hit a double flapjack on Storm as D-Von clotheslines him over the top to the floor. Regal gets on the apron and Bubba slings him into the ring as Regal begs off and Bubba pounds on him in the corner, and D-Von splashes Regal in the corner and Bubba hits a sidewalk slam for a two count as he rams Regal into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner. He hits a clothesline on Storm that knocks him to the floor and he whips Regal back into the corner though Storm pulls Regal away from a splash attempt and Bubba hits the corner, and Regal hits a clothesline to the back of Bubba’s head and pounds on him as Storm tags in and stomps on Bubba before pounding on him in the corner. He chokes Bubba and hits a snapmare as he hooks a submission on Bubba who fights to his feet and breaks the hold, and he gets a shot in on Regal only for Storm to hit a side dropkick for a two count and Regal tags in as he stomps on Bubba. He rams his knees into Bubba’s face repeatedly for a pair of two counts and Storm tags in as they hit a double backdrop on Bubba for a two count, and he goes back to the submission on Bubba who fights to his feet and escapes the hold with an armdrag though Regal tags in and drops an elbow on Bubba. He hits a snapmare and drops a knee on Bubba for a two count as he rams the knee into his face and Bubba catches him ducking with a kick, and D-Von gets the hot tag and knocks Storm off the apron as he fires up on Regal who reverses a whip and D-Von hits a flying clothesline. He knocks Storm down and hits a powerslam on Regal for a two count as Storm breaks it up and D-Von gets a shot in, and Bubba hits a slam on Storm and holds his legs up as D-Von goes up top and hits the diving headbutt to Storm’s groin. Bubba catches a kick attempt from Regal and they hit a double team for a two count as Storm breaks the pin up again, and Bubba sends Storm to the outside as Regal pulls out a pair of brass knuckles and hits D-Von in the face with them which gets 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 Dudleyz had gotten back into their groove as a team while Regal and Storm were gelling well as a team, and they had good chemistry as Regal uses the knuckles to steal the win. The crowd was into the match and the Dudleyz, but are not happy when Storm and Regal win. Storm and Regal get the win over the Dudleyz as these issues aren’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
6. Jeff Hardy pins D-Lo Brown with the Swanton Bomb at 3:28.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. These two men faced off last night on Heat with Jeff stealing the win and now they face off here in a rematch with Brown looking for revenge. Jeff gets a good pop from the crowd while Brown had jobber heat. Jeff ducks a shot and pounds on Brown to start the match as Brown counters a whip only for Jeff to hit a hooking clothesline, and he pounds on Brown in the corner and Brown reverses a whip into the other corner as Jeff catches him in a headscissors which sends Brown to the outside. Jeff goes outside and runs the barricade as he hits a clothesline on Brown though he hurts himself more and Brown throws him back into the ring, and he stomps and pounds on Jeff as he rams the knee into him twice and knocks him down before hitting a snapmare. He hooks a submission on Jeff who fights to his feet and breaks the hold though Brown catches him ducking with a front suplex for a two count, and he hits a slam and legdrop on Jeff for a two count only for Jeff to catch him with a jawbreaker and he charges at him. Brown backdrops him over the top with Jeff landing on the apron and he leaps up top as he hits Whisper in the Wind on Brown, and he hits a flying forearm on Brown and hooks a rollup for a two count as he pounds on him and hits a dropkick as Brown falls over the ref and tumbles to the outside. Jeff then leaps off the ref’s back and hits a slingshot plancha onto Brown on the floor as he throws him back into the ring and goes up top, and he hits the Swanton on Brown and gets the three to win the match even though Brown’s foot was on the rope. The match itself was nothing much as both men worked hard and put on a pretty basic matchup. Jeff was hitting his peak by this point while Brown was still serviceable and they had good chemistry as Jeff gets back-to-back wins though one could say Brown was screwed both times. The crowd was into the match and popped for Jeff when he won. Jeff gets the win over Brown and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Scott Steiner warming up backstage as Ric Flair comes up to him and says that he doesn’t know what was promised to him, but tonight is Triple H’s night as he’s the World Champion and nothing will ruin Triple H’s ceremony tonight. He says that Steiner isn’t half the man Triple H as Steiner grabs him and throws him up against the door, and he says that Flair should tell Triple H that he’s the main event from now on and he better get used to it.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the referee from the last match looking for D-Lo Brown as he finds him in the locker room and apologizes for missing Brown having his foot on the rope, and Brown says that he knows it was a honest mistake though he still lost the match and won’t get the money as he knows what is going on in that the ref is a white boy and he is a black man.
 
We see Stacy Keibler on the phone with someone as Test comes out to meet her and she says that she got him a deal to be the new spokesman for Bod men’s deodorant, and she pulls out a sample spray and sprays it on him which they both like and they walk away as we see Raven watching from behind a truck.
 
Commercial break
 
7. Booker T defeats Chris Jericho by disqualification at 5:46.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men faced off the night before with Booker and Goldust winning the tag titles from Jericho and Christian, and now Booker and Jericho face off here to settle their issues. Booker gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Jericho wastes no time and attacks Booker to start the match as he stomps on him and pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Booker into the other corner only for Booker to hit a clothesline and pounds on Jericho as he hits a back elbow. He hits a slam on Jericho for a two count and gets a pair of knees in as he hits a sidewalk slam and goes up top, but Jericho shoves the ref into the ropes which causes Booker to get crotched on the top rope and Jericho pounds on him. He goes up himself and hits a superplex on Booker for a two count as he stomps on him and pounds on him on the mat, and he starts to get cocky as he pounds on Booker who catches him with a side kick though Jericho recovers first and drops an elbow on Booker. He hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on Booker who fights to his feet and breaks the hold though Jericho catches him ducking with a kick, and Booker catches him on a leap only for Jericho to hook a sunset flip and he looks for the Walls of Jericho. Booker blocks it with a small package for a two count and he fires up on Jericho who reverses a whip and Booker hits a flying forearm, and he ducks a shot and hits a side kick on Jericho for a two count as he pounds on him until Jericho reverses a whip into the corner. He hits the running bulldog on Booker who avoids the Lionsault and Jericho lands on his feet as Booker hits a spinebuster for a two count, and he pounds on Jericho in the corner and Jericho reverses a whip into the other corner as Booker attempts a sunset flip though Jericho sits on top of him for a two count. Booker pounds on Jericho who escapes a suplex attempt and Booker ducks a shot though Jericho blocks the Bookend with a series of back elbows, and Booker ducks a shot and hits the Bookend for a two count as Jericho gets his foot on the rope and Booker hits a flapjack. He does the Spinaroonie as Christian runs down to the ring which draws the DQ and Booker wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and had good chemistry, but the ending was a bit weak even though it was clearly to build to the match next week. The crowd was into the match and Booker, but are not happy with the ending. Booker gets the win over Jericho by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Booker hits a side kick on Christian and Jericho as he pounds and stomps on Christian while Jericho rolls outside and brings a chair into the ring, but then Goldust runs down to the ring and attacks Jericho as Booker clotheslines Christian over the top to the floor and then Goldust whips Jericho into Booker who backdrops him over the top onto Christian.
 
We see Scott Steiner walking down the hallway as Chief Morley runs up to him and says he made a mistake by promising him the main event spot while Bischoff promised it to Triple H, and he says that Steiner is a main event player and they should wait until next week to sign the contract as the fans don’t deserve to see Steiner tonight. He hands Steiner the contract and says he can still sign it tonight if he wants but tonight is about Triple H, and Steiner says that they want Triple H to have his moment and he has no problem with that as Morley says he won’t regret this and walks away as Steiner says Triple H will get a moment that he’ll never forget.
 
Commercial break
 
Eric Bischoff and Chief Morley are in the ring as Bischoff says this is the moment everyone has been waiting for and he wants to introduce a man who they owe a great deal of gratitude and respect to, and he says that this man has done so much for the business and brings out the World Heavyweight Champion Triple H who comes down to the ring with Ric Flair. Bischoff says that he has something special for Triple H as he has a tribute video of Triple H played for him, and Triple H thanks Bischoff and says the fans should be thanking him as he says he should be more humble though it’s hard when you’re Triple H. He says that it’s hard to be humble when you’re this good and he says he’s the best which he has proven time and time again, and he says that last night was no different and you can name anyone in the business today and he’s beaten them all. He says that includes Shawn Michaels, Hulk Hogan, Kane, Kurt Angle, the Undertaker, Steve Austin, and the Rock, and he says that’s why Rock is making movies and he even retired Mick Foley as he says the fact is he will beat anyone in front of him. He says that he is what he says he is which is the best and whether anyone likes it or not, he is that damn good as Scott Steiner comes down to the ring with his contract, and Steiner says that Triple H has beaten a lot of guys but he can’t beat him as Bischoff says he thought they had an understanding. Steiner says that he will only sign the contract if he gets a World Title shot and Triple H says that Steiner thinks that he deserves a shot at the World Title, and he asks why Steiner should get a shot and he knows where he came from as he knows how they did business there. He says that here, Steiner must earn his shot at the World Title and he hasn’t proven a thing to him so Steiner will not get a title shot, and Steiner says that he didn’t come to WWE to start at the bottom as he’s watched him talk trash and he doesn’t like it. He says that he’s the greatest of all time and now that they are standing face-to-face, he sees that Triple H is scared because he’s not lying when he calls himself the genetic freak and now Triple H doesn’t want to fight him. He says that Triple H calls himself the Game though he thinks Triple H has no balls and Triple H says that if Steiner wants a shot so bad, he can have it though it’s his funeral and he says that he knows Steiner has been a big fish in a small pond. He says that once Steiner signs the contract, he will jump in the ocean with the biggest shark in the world and he will eat him up as Steiner signs the contract, and Bischoff says that Steiner is now a part of the RAW roster and he will face Triple H for the World Title at the Royal Rumble. Steiner says that Triple H calls him a big fish in a small pond though he doesn’t know what Triple H is talking about, and he says he has the largest arms in the world and as long as he’s around, he’s the man and not Triple H. He says that he wanted a title shot and Bischoff said it would be at the Rumble though he wants it tonight, and he says he should bitch-slap him right now and there’s not a damn thing he can do about it as he says Triple H can take the first punch though he will rip him from limb to limb. Triple H takes his jacket off and gets in Steiner’s face only for Triple H to back away and head to the back with Flair, and Steiner says he’s the big bad booty daddy and he will kick his ass as this goes out to his freaks in Orlando. He says that Big Poppa Pump is their hookup and he stands tall as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW coming off a solid PPV was a pretty interesting show as it was centered around the last segment. We didn’t get much of the fallout from Armageddon aside from the tag title situation and they quickly pivoted Triple H into something new, and it seems like a bunch of guys are in cruise control and have no real direction. We had no title matches on the show as Test, Stratus, Nowinski, Christian, RVD, Kane, Storm, Regal, Jeff, and Booker get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as the big moment was the showdown between Triple H and Steiner. 2002 has been a great year to this point as RAW has had some good moments though they’ve also had some weak moments, and we will see how 2003 ends up for the brand. As for this show, it is a pretty basic show coming off Armageddon. Final Grade: C