RAW
January 6th, 2003
America West Arena
Phoenix, Arizona
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Sean O’Haire pins Horshu.
2. The Navajo Warrior and Keiji Sakoda defeat Mike Knox and Don Yates.
 
1/12 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Steven Richards pins Spike Dudley.
2. D-Lo Brown defeats Maven.
3. Tommy Dreamer defeats Ty Wheeler.
4. The Hurricane pins Jeff Hardy.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
The Dudley Boyz come down to the ring for their match and then Eric Bischoff and Chief Morley come out on the stage, and Bischoff says that as this is the first RAW of the new year, there are going to be some changes including one in attitude as he shows highlights from RAW 2 weeks ago. Bischoff says that the stunt the Dudleyz pulled was a slap to the face for everything he stands for and it will stop now, and he says that this will be his year which means everyone in this company and all the fans will show him the respect he deserves. He says that if they don’t, they will suffer the consequences as the Dudleyz will get their lesson in a handicap no-DQ match against 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista.
 
1. 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista (w/ “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Eric Bischoff, and Chief Morley) defeat the Dudley Boyz in a Handicap match when Batista pins D-Von at 4:27.
 
Analysis: We kick off the first RAW of 2003 with a big handicap match. The Dudleyz helped Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler 2 weeks ago and now they are forced to face 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista in a handicap match. The Dudleyz get a good pop from the crowd while 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista had solid heat as heels. 3-Minute Warning and Rico waste no time and attack the Dudleyz to start the match as the Dudleyz battle back with D-Von backdropping Jamal over the top to the floor, and Bubba pounds on Rosey in the corner while Rico pounds on D-Von and Bubba sends Rosey over the top to the floor. D-Von reverses a whip and the Dudleyz hit the 3-D on Rico as Batista gets in the ring and he hoists D-Von up in a choke before slamming him to the mat, and Bubba pounds on Batista who reverses a whip and he hits a spear on Bubba as 3-Minute Warning get in the ring. They stomp on the Dudleyz and Batista sends Bubba over the top to the floor as Morley pounds on him and 3-Minute Warning hit a double tackle on D-Von, and they drop a pair of elbows on D-Von and go outside as they pound on Bubba and Batista hits a spinebuster on D-Von. He goes for a pin though the ref hesitates counting as Bischoff and Morley get in the ring and Bischoff threatens to knock him out and then fire him if he doesn’t count. The ref makes the count though Batista pulls D-Von up before the three as Bubba gets in the ring and pounds on Batista, and Rosey gets in the ring and nails Bubba from behind as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex and Flair gets in the ring. He hooks the Figure-4 on Bubba as Jamal goes up top and hits the big splash on Bubba while Rico gets in the ring and D-Von struggles to his feet, and Rosey splashes D-Von in the corner and whips him into a pop-up Samoan drop from Jamal as Batista hits the Batista Bomb which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was basically a squash as the Dudleyz got a few shots in, but 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista dominate them for the majority of the match. The crowd was into the match and the Dudleyz, but are not happy when 3-Minute Warning, Rico, and Batista win. Batista, 3-Minute Warning, and Rico get the win over the Dudleyz though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, they continue to stomp on the Dudleyz as Morley holds D-Von up and Bischoff says that 2003 will be his year before slapping D-Von in the face and they head to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
The Dudley Boyz are still laid out in the ring with the ref checking on them as Lance Storm and William Regal confront Ross and Lawler at the announce table, and Regal says that it will show in the record books that Ross pinned him and Storm says that they disrespected Eric Bischoff. They say that they will make Bischoff proud though won’t waste their time with Ross and Lawler as they have other business to take care of, and they head to the ring and Regal pulls out the brass knuckles as he hits Bubba in the face with them which busts him open while Storm hooks the Sharpshooter on D-Von.
 
We see Triple H looking at himself in the mirror as Ric Flair comes in and Triple H says he will smoke Steiner, and Flair says that Batista is coming along nicely and Triple H says that he’s sick of everyone talking about Steiner and he competed in an arm wrestling match despite an injured arm. He says that he’s the champion and he deserves respect as Flair says he’s the best thing going today and he will humiliate Steiner, and Triple H says that Steiner was never on the cover of a magazine until Scott Steiner comes in and says that he kicked Triple H’s ass two weeks ago in the arm wrestling contest. He says that he will kick his ass tonight in the pose down and then he will kick his ass at the Rumble, and he tells Flair that if he tries to get involved, he will rip his head off.
 
We see Jacqueline and Trish Stratus walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the America West Arena.
 
2. Molly Holly and Victoria (w/ Steven Richards) defeat Trish Stratus and Jacqueline when Victoria pins Stratus at 3:04.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. These four women have been going at it for the last few weeks and they face off here to settle their issues. Stratus and Jacqueline get a good pop from the crowd while Molly and Victoria were pretty hot as heels. Jacqueline starts off the match with Victoria and they lock up with Victoria hooking a headlock and she knocks Jacqueline down, and Jacqueline hits a hiptoss on Victoria and kicks at her as Victoria reverses a whip and Molly gets a kick in from the apron. Victoria knocks Jacqueline down and stomps on her as she rams the shoulder into her ribs repeatedly and tags Molly, and she goes up to the middle rope and hits an axehandle on Jacqueline as Victoria whips her into the corner and Molly hits a handspring elbow for a two count. She gets a shot in on Stratus as Victoria comes in and they hook stereo submissions on Jacqueline briefly, and Victoria hits a slam on Jacqueline and goes up to the middle rope only to miss a moonsault and Jacqueline crawls to her corner though Victoria pulls her away. She holds Jacqueline as Molly goes up top only for Jacqueline to ram Victoria into the corner which crotches Molly on the top rope, and Stratus gets the hot tag and she hits a backdrop on Victoria as she hits the handstand hurricanrana on Molly. She hits a pair of clotheslines on Victoria and ducks a shot as she hits the Chick Kick for a two count with Molly breaking it up, and Jacqueline hits a spear on Molly which sends both to the outside and Victoria pounds on Stratus who ducks a shot and she pounds on Victoria. Richards pulls Jacqueline to the floor and Victoria gets a kick in as Stratus ducks a shot and gets a kick in while the ref gets distracted by Molly, and Victoria escapes a Stratusfaction attempt and Stratus hooks a rollup though Richards gets in the ring and rolls Victoria on top of Stratus which gets the three and she wins the match for her team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic match. Stratus and Jacqueline looked decent as a team as did Victoria and Molly, and they had decent chemistry as Richards helps Victoria get the win. The crowd was into the match and Stratus and Jacqueline, but are not happy when Victoria and Molly win. Victoria and Molly get the win over Stratus and Jacqueline as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
Terri Runnels interviews Booker T and Goldust, who say that they saw what Bischoff said and they ask if he really said that, and they say that they will be in trouble if 2003 is Bischoff’s year unless you like having your ass kissed by Chief Morley or having Brock Lesnar leave for Smackdown and they say that this will be their year if you can dig that.
 
We see Eric Bischoff and Chief Morley watching on the monitor as Bischoff says that’s the disrespect that he won’t put up with, and he says that Storm and Regal can try to impress him by facing Booker and Goldust for the tag titles.
 
Commercial break
 
Chris Jericho comes down to the ring and says that since WrestleMania last year, he’s had a dream which he has every night and in it, he returns to the main event of WM and become World Champion again and he will make that dream come true this year. He says that it’s the most important thing in his life because it’s not about proving anything to himself or the fans, he says that it’s about being regarded as the best in the world and he doesn’t need the title around his waist to be know as the best. He says that he will always be Chris Jericho though he wants his title shot and the best way to get it is to win the Royal Rumble, and he says that he talked to Eric Bischoff today and he is now entered in the Rumble match as Shawn Michaels comes down to the ring. He says that he realizes that they got off to a rocky start and he didn’t come out here to upset Jericho, and he says that he came out here to take issue with the idea that Jericho is the best as he is not here to dispute that. He says that they are a lot alike and have more in common than Jericho thinks as Jericho thinks he’s the best and he won’t dispute it, and he says that Jericho needs what he always needed because being the best just enough good enough for guys like them. He says that Jericho needs all the fans and Superstars to acknowledge him as the best just like he did and for that to happen, Jericho needs to be the #1 entry in the Royal Rumble and outlast all 29 Superstars to win the Rumble. He says that Jericho then needs to win the World Title at WM and after that, everyone including him will have no choice but to recognize Jericho as the best, and Jericho says that he knows what Michaels is trying to do and he shouldn’t patronize him as he wants to remind everyone that Michaels was the only man to win the Rumble from the #1 spot. He says that Michaels is trying to insinuate that he has to do what Michaels has done to be great, and he says that he became Undisputed Champion by beating two men that Michaels has never beaten on the same night. He says that Michaels has no right to tell him how to be the best as he calls him a self-centered SOB, and he says that Michaels says he’s done it all though he’s done it all too and Michaels tells him to prove it by volunteering to be #1 in the Rumble. He says that if Jericho doesn’t, he will and he’ll volunteer to be #1 so he can show Jericho how it’s done, and Jericho asks if Michaels is saying he’s entering the Rumble and Michaels confirms it as he says if Jericho wants to prove he’s the best, he’ll have to go through him to do it. Jericho says that if he has to go through Michaels, why wait until the Rumble and he can kick his ass tonight as they square off until Randy Orton comes down to the ring, and he says that it is big news that Michaels is in the Rumble though the real big news is that his shoulder is up to 93% mobility. He says that Michaels seems a bit jealous that his comeback is more inspirational than his and Michaels thinks he’s a good looking guy, but he says that the ladies will agree in that there’s a new Sexy Boy in town and the guys may feel the same way. He says that when he is at 100%, Michaels doesn’t want to be anywhere near a guy like him only for Michaels to knock him down, and Jericho knocks Michaels down and pounds on him as he looks for the Walls of Jericho until Rob Van Dam runs down to the ring and he hits a spin kick on Jericho. Orton nails RVD from behind and they stomp on RVD as Christian runs down to the ring and joins in on stomping on RVD, and Jericho pounds on Michaels until Kane runs down to the ring and clears Jericho, Orton, and Christian from the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Lance Storm and William Regal defeat Booker T and Goldust when Storm pins Booker at 14:14 to win the World Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Booker and Goldust have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in Storm and Regal, who attacked the Dudleyz earlier tonight and look to become champions. Booker and Goldust get a big pop from the crowd while Storm and Regal were pretty hot as heels. Booker starts off the match with Storm and they lock up with Booker hooking a headlock as he goes behind Storm and works the arm, and Storm backs Booker into the ropes and hits a pair of back elbows as Booker blocks a hiptoss attempt and hits a clothesline. He hits a slam on Storm and drops a knee on him as he tags Goldust who goes up to the middle rope and nails Storm, and he grabs the arm and hits a snapmare on Storm as he drops a knee on him for a two count and Storm catches him with a jawbreaker. Regal tags in only for Goldust to hit a backdrop and he works on the arm as Regal rolls through and turns it around, and he hooks a front facelock on Goldust who escapes and snaps Regal to the mat as he hooks a headlock and he knocks Regal down for a two count. Booker tags in and pounds on Regal as he rams him into the buckle and continues to pound on him in the corner, but Storm hotshots him on the top rope from the apron and Regal knocks Booker down as he drops a knee on him. Storm tags in and stomps on Booker as he rams him into the buckle as he hits a back elbow for a two count and hooks a submission on, and Booker fights to his feet only for Regal to tag in and he kicks at Booker as he pounds on him and knocks him down for a two count. He goes back to the submission on Booker who fights to his feet only for Regal to get a knee in and he hits a running knee, and Storm tags in and gets a two count as Goldust breaks it up and Storm goes back to the submission. Booker fights to his feet only for Storm to hit a drop toehold and he hooks another submission on Booker, and Booker fights to his feet and Storm gets a shot in as Booker counters a whip and hits a side kick on Storm. Goldust gets the hot tag and fires up on both men as he hits a clothesline on Storm and an atomic drop on Regal, and he hits a clothesline on Regal and a snap powerslam on Storm for a two count as Regal breaks it up and Booker pounds on Regal in the corner. Goldust pounds on Storm in the other corner and Storm reverses a whip as he hits the butt slam on Regal, and Booker and Goldust hit a double team on Storm for a two count as Regal kicks the ref to stop the count and the ref falls to the outside. Regal kicks Goldust and Booker knocks Regal down as he hits a clothesline on Storm that sends both men over the top to the floor, and then Chief Morley runs down to the ring in a ref shirt on and takes over as the ref as Storm throws Booker back into the ring. He pounds on him in the corner and Booker reverses a whip into the other corner as Storm catches him with a boot to the face, and Booker catches him in a spinebuster for a slow two count from Morley and Booker argues with him as he pounds on Storm. Storm reverses a whip and Booker catches him ducking with a kick as Storm avoids the side kick and Booker hits Morley instead, and he hits the Bookend on Storm as another ref runs down to the ring and Booker gets a two count as Goldust tags in and he pounds on Storm. He knocks Regal off the apron and Storm holds the ropes on a whip as he slides outside to regroup and Goldust goes after him, and Regal hits a clothesline on Goldust and throws him back into the ring as Storm gets a two count and Regal tags in. He kicks at Goldust and hits a modified suplex for a two count as Booker breaks it up and Regal pounds on Goldust’s back, and Storm tags in and hits a snapmare on Goldust as he drives the knee into his back and hooks a submission on. Goldust fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he knocks Regal down and he hits a sidewalk slam on Storm, and Storm grabs at Goldust’s foot and Goldust kicks him away as Booker gets the hot tag and he fires up on both men. He hits a backdrop on Storm and knocks Regal down as he pounds on Storm in the corner and Storm reverses a whip into the other corner, and Booker leaps over him and hits a flapjack on Storm as he does the Spinaroonie and hits the scissors kick for a two count as Morley pulls the ref out of the ring. Regal pulls out the brass knuckles and nails Booker with them as well as Goldust as Storm rolls on top of Booker and Morley gets in the ring to count the three and we have new champions. The match itself was pretty good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid title match. Booker and Goldust were hitting their peak as a team while Storm and Regal were hitting their groove as a team, and they had good chemistry as Morley ends up screwing Booker and Goldust by helping Storm and Regal win. The crowd was into the match and Booker and Goldust, but are not happy when Storm and Regal win. Storm and Regal get the win over Booker and Goldust and are the new tag champions as both teams move on. Grade: 2.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eric Bischoff, Chief Morley, Lance Storm, and William Regal in Bischoff’s office as they congratulate Storm and Regal and they are proud to have defended Bischoff’s name.
 
RAW Retro Moment: Sable in the potato sack from the 12/8/97 RAW
 
4. Test (w/ Stacy Keibler) pins Christopher Nowinski (w/ D-Lo Brown) with a spinning inverted neckbreaker at 2:03.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. Test has been gaining steam in the midcard and looks to get a win here over Nowinski, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get the win here. Test gets a good pop from the crowd while Nowinski had solid heat as a heel. Brown stalks Keibler only for Test to sling Brown into the ring and he hits a back elbow on Nowinski to start the match, and he chases Brown out of the ring and back into the ring as Nowinski hits a clothesline on Test and pounds on him. He rams Test’s shoulder into the post and pounds on the arm as he rams the shoulder into the post again and hooks a submission on the arm, and Test escapes the hold with a sidewalk slam and Brown again stalks Keibler until Test slides outside and scares Brown away. Nowinski pulls Test onto the apron and Test hotshots him on the top rope as he gets in the ring and hits a pair of clotheslines, and he rams Nowinski into the buckle and Nowinski reverses a whip into the other corner as Test catches him with a back elbow. Brown gets on the apron and Test hits a clothesline as he ducks a shot and hits a full nelson slam on Nowinski for a two count, and he looks for the big boot though Brown grabs his foot from the floor and Test pulls him onto the apron. He avoids a charge from Nowinski and sends him into Brown which knocks him to the floor and he hits the spinning inverted neckbreaker on Nowinski which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Nowinski got a few shots in, but he puts Test over strong in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Test when he won. Test gets the quick win over Nowinski and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Brown gets in the ring and hits the Sky High on Test as he taunts Keibler and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Chris Jericho in his locker room stewing as Christian comes in and says that he talked to Bischoff and is now in the Rumble as well, and Jericho says that Christian can help him win the Rumble though Christian says it’s every man for himself and he wants to win himself. Jericho says that he’s the first Undisputed Champion and will win as Christian says he’s won every title except the World Title, and Jericho says Christian’s a 9-time loser and Christian says Jericho’s beard is stupid as he didn’t get kicked by Shawn Michaels. Just then, Randy Orton comes in and says that they need to focus on Kane and RVD as they walk away and Orton admires himself in the mirror.
 
We see highlights from RAW 2 weeks ago.
 
We see Triple H warming up in his locker room as Ric Flair says that he’s the man.
 
We see Scott Steiner warming up backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
Jonathan Coachman is in the ring to host the special pose down challenge as Triple H and Ric Flair come down to the ring and Triple H says that since he’s sick and tired of everyone saying that Steiner is going to kick his ass at the Rumble, he says that he will show the world how it’s going to go as he will kick Steiner’s ass to remain World Champion and will prove superior to him at his own game. He says that both men will pose and he can’t let the fans be the judges since they are clearly jealous of him, and he says that he’s going to pick 6 people that he thinks qualify to be judges for this event as he picks out 6 fans from the front row and they get in the ring. He says that he will have Coachman call out 3 different poses and both he and Steiner will do them as the judges will then choose the winer, and then Coachman introduces Scott Steiner who comes down to the ring and Coachman reveals that each man will have 15 seconds to do their pose as he tells the judges they are voting for the best body. Triple H takes off his jacket and Steiner takes his shirt off as they have a staredown and Coachman calls for the lights to be dimmed, and Coachman reveals the first pose which is the front double bicep and both men do the pose as they try to one-up each other. Coachman then reveals the second pose which is the side chest and both men do that post as they again try to one-up each other, and then Coachman calls for the final pose which is most muscular and they both do the pose as they get in each other’s faces until Coachman separates them. Coachman then asks the judges for their decision and all 6 judges vote for Triple H as Steiner takes the mike and asks if they seriously all voted for Triple H, and he says that this is clearly a setup and asks if Triple H knows the judges as he says he’ll let all his freaks decide who the real winner is. Triple H takes the mike back and says that he doesn’t need a bunch of idiots telling him what he already knows as the judges picked him, and he says that he knows Steiner is embarrassed that he got beat clean as bodybuilding is a subjective sport and it’s based on opinion. He says that they can come up with something more objective and he challenges him to a pushup contest which Steiner agrees to, and Triple H says he can smoke Steiner in pushups and Coachman starts to talk only for Steiner to tell him to shut up. They get into position and start doing a series of pushups until the judges attack Steiner while Triple H and Flair go outside, but Steiner battles back and hits a double clothesline on two of the judges as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on another judge and a press slam on another judge.
 
Commercial breaks
 
5. Rob Van Dam and Kane (w/ Shawn Michaels) defeat Chris Jericho and Christian (w/ Randy Orton) when Kane pins Christian at 7:09.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These 6 men got into a brawl earlier in the night and now they face off here in a tag match with Michaels and Orton in the corners. RVD, Kane, and Michaels get big pops from the crowd while Jericho, Christian, and Orton were pretty hot as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match with RVD and Kane taking control as RVD clotheslines Christian over the top to the floor, and Kane presses Jericho up and tosses him onto Christian on the floor as RVD hits a somersault senton onto both men on the floor. He kicks at both men and throws Jericho back into the ring as he kicks and pounds on him repeatedly in the corner, and he whips Jericho into the other corner and Jericho catches him with a boot to the face only for RVD to hit a spin kick. Orton gets on the apron and distracts the ref as RVD goes up top only for Christian to shove him off the top to the floor, and Christian tags in and pulls RVD back into the ring as he kicks and pounds on him before stomping on him repeatedly. He grinds his face into the mat and tags Jericho as they stomp on RVD in the corner and Jericho hits a back suplex, and he drops a trio of elbows on RVD for a two count and hits a snapmare as he hooks a submission on. RVD fights to his feet and breaks the hold only for Jericho to yank him to the mat by his hair and Christian tags in, and RVD tries to battle back and Christian catches a kick attempt as he ducks an enzurgiri only for RVD to hit a reverse enzurgiri. Christian prevents RVD from tagging and hooks a front facelock on as RVD makes the tag though the ref was distracted by Jericho and he forces Kane out, and Christian throws RVD to the outside and Orton stomps on RVD repeatedly as he pounds on him until Michaels hits Sweet Chin Music on Orton. Jericho goes outside and knocks Michaels down as he rams him into the steps and he throws RVD back into the ring, and he and Christian stomp on RVD in the corner and whip him into the other corner as RVD flips over Jericho who rams his shoulder into the post. He hits a clothesline on Christian and a spin kick on Jericho as Kane gets the hot tag and he fires up on both men, and he whips Christian into the corner and splashes him as he hits a big boot on Jericho and a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Christian for a two count with Jericho breaking it up. He gets a knee in and they attempt a double suplex on Kane who blocks it and he hits one of his own on both men, and Kane goes up top and hits a flying clothesline on Christian as he grabs Jericho by the throat only for Christian to hit a low blow. He hits an inverted DDT on Kane for a two count and knocks RVD off the apron as Jericho brings a pair of chairs into the ring, and they look for the Con-Chair-To though Kane avoids it and Michaels trips both men up with Christian’s face bouncing off the chair. Michaels pulls Jericho out of the ring and pounds on him as they brawl into the crowd while RVD goes up top, and Kane avoids a chair shot and RVD hits a side kick on Christian as Kane grabs Christian by the throat and hits the chokeslam. RVD then goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash on Christian as Kane gets the three and wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Kane and RVD have been gelling well as a team while Jericho and Christian were hitting their stride as a team, 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 Jericho and Christian as both teams move on. Grade: 2.5
 
We see Eric Bischoff, Chief Morley, Lance Storm, and William Regal in Bischoff’s office as Bischoff says that’s the way he wanted to start the year though next week will be even better, and he says that Regal will face Jerry Lawler and he feels in charge of RAW as he gets a phone call and he starts getting worried by what he is being told. He hangs up and tells them that the person on the phone was Vince McMahon’s secretary as he says that Vince will be at RAW next week and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, the first RAW of 2003 was a pretty decent episode as we really kickstart the build to the Rumble. After taking the last week off to recap the year that was 2002, we kick off 2003 with a pretty solid show as the brand looks to start on a strong note after playing second to Smackdown for most of 2002. We did have one title match as Storm and Regal now rule the tag division while 3-Minute Warning, Rico, Batista, Victoria, Molly, Test, RVD, and Kane get big wins, and in terms of the matches the two big tag matches were the best though the highlight was the weird pose down between Triple H and Steiner. 2002 was a great year for the WWE and it was going to see how 2003 would play out as the young group of talent that broke out in 2002 look to stake their claim in 2003. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show to kick off what is going to be a very interesting 2003. Final Grade: C+