RAW
December 10th, 2001
Arrowhead Pond
Anaheim, California
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) pins Rico Constantino.
 
12/15 Jakked taping:
 
1. Al Snow pins Funaki at 3:20.
2. Ivory pins Jacqueline at 2:11.
3. The Hollys defeat Frankie Kazarian and Mikey Henderson at 4:40.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
Ric Flair comes down to the ring with the WWF Title and the World Title as he says that last night at Vengeance, he promised that he would present the Undisputed WWF Championship to the winner and he brings out Chris Jericho who comes down to the ring. Jericho says thank you and it’s a historic evening as he has some many people to thank so he made a list of everyone so he doesn’t forget anyone, and he pulls out a piece of paper and says that no one thought he had a chance to be Undisputed Champion. He says that only one person had the faith in him and believed in him as that person is himself, and he says that he wants to thank himself for being so strong, athletic, and talented to be able to prove all the doubters wrong. He says that the next person he wants to thank are the two competitors who gave a great effort last night in Rock and Steve Austin, and he says that they are two of the biggest icons in the industry and the two biggest stars in the WWF today. He says that to be able to beat the both of them back-to-back in one night in the course of 45 minutes is quite an honor, and he says that they shouldn’t feel bad because they gave it their best though were beaten by the better man last night. He says that he wants to thank all the little people around the world because without them, he wouldn’t be standing here and if it wasn’t for him realizing that entertaining the fans meant nothing, he wouldn’t be the skyrocketing supernova he is today and he also wants to thank one of the owners of the WWF who has true class and dignity which is Vince McMahon. He says that Vince gave him the opportunity and came to ringside to make sure there was no outside interference, and he says that Vince made sure it was a fair fight and he thanks him as the last person he wants to thank is Ric Flair. He says that Flair is a man of his word and said he would present him with the titles as he knows why he wanted to do it, and he says that Flair won titles all over the world and always wanted to be near a larger-than-life superstar like him. He says that Flair always wanted to be in the ring with a living legend and now his dream is coming true, and he says that the time has come for Flair to present him with the Undisputed WWF Championship which Flair does. Flair says that Jericho must feel like a champion because he will defend the title tonight in a steel cage against Steve Austin and he should try that on for size.
 
Commercial break
 
1. The Undertaker pins Spike Dudley with the Last Ride on a trash can at 2:36 to retain the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. Taker won the Hardcore Title the night before and looks to have a successful defense here against Spike, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to become champion. Spike gets a good pop from the crowd while Taker was pretty hot as a heel. Spike throws numerous weapons into the ring and gets on Taker’s bike to mock him to start the match as Taker goes outside, and Spike quickly slides into the ring and attempts a slingshot plancha though Taker catches him and rams his back into the post. He throws Spike back into the ring and pounds on him as he hoists him up and drives him into the corner, and he puts Spike in the tree of woe and stomps on him only for Spike to catch him with a low blow as he frees himself. He grabs a Singapore cane and hits Taker in the knee with it only for Taker to block another shot as he tosses Spike to the mat, and Spike grabs a pair of trash can lids and hits Taker in the head with them only for Taker to kick one of the lids back in Spike’s face. He grabs the lid and hits Spike with it repeatedly as he grabs a can and places it on the mat before grinding his forearm into Spike’s face, and he hits the Last Ride on Spike onto the can which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Spike got a few shots in, but he puts Taker over strong in 2 and a half minutes. The crowd was into the match and Spike, but are not happy when Taker wins. Taker easily retains the title over Spike and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Taker picks Spike up and grabs him by the throat as he chokeslams him over the top to the floor.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Booker T arrive to the arena flanked by security and guard dogs as Ric Flair comes up to them, and Vince asks how Flair’s jaw though he wants to apologize about last night and Flair asks why Booker is here. Vince says that Booker is his guest tonight and they are going to be up in Vince’s personal suite to watch Flair run the show, and Flair tells him about the main event and Vince says he had other plans for Austin and says that Rock and Trish Stratus will face the Dudleyz tonight. Flair says that he doesn’t care about apologies as Vince will be apologizing to him after tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
We see security leading Vince McMahon and Booker T to Vince’s personal suite as they take their seats.
 
2. Rikishi defeats Kurt Angle by countout at 2:01.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Angle suffered a tough loss the night before and looks to get back on track here against Rikishi, who made his return the previous week and looks to get a win back in his first match back. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. Rikishi wastes no time and pounds on Angle to start the match as Angle catches him ducking with a kick and he ducks a shot, and he hits a German suplex on Rikishi and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner until Rikishi shoves him to the mat. He pounds on Angle who rakes the eyes only for Rikishi to hit a Samoan drop and Angle catches him with a back elbow, and he pounds on Rikishi and attempts a sunset flip only for Rikishi to sit down on him for a two count and he splashes Angle in the corner. He looks for the Stinkface only for Angle to roll outside to regroup though he heads up the ramp and gets counted out which gives Rikishi the win. 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 with Angle taking the countout. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Angle and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Rikishi puts a hat on and dances as Angle runs back down to the ring and nails Rikishi from behind, and he pounds on Rikishi in the corner and Rikishi reverses a whip into the other corner as he splashes him and gives him the Stinkface. Angle rolls outside to regroup and Rikishi goes back to dancing for the crowd as Angle brings a chair into the ring, and he hits Rikishi in the back with it and jabs it into him repeatedly before heading to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
The Dudley Boyz and Stacy Keibler are in their dressing room as Bubba is pacing back and forth and D-Von asks what’s wrong, and Bubba says that D-Von should know why he’s nervous as they face their toughest battle to date tonight after defeating Kane and the Big Show last night. He says that they are now put in a match with an undefeated tag team and they are the greatest team in history, and he says that they could lose the tag titles tonight to Rock and Trish Stratus as they start laughing and D-Von says there’s no way they can win as they should maybe forfeit the titles and Bubba says they will take out Rock before taking care of Stratus.
 
We see Ric Flair in his office as Lance Storm comes in and says that he’s a former IC Champion as he has too much talent to be a busboy, and he says that he’s ready to compete tonight and Flair says no as Storm storms out.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Edge, who says that he can’t take anything away from William Regal and he almost won the title last night as he mocks Regal for kissing Vince’s ass only for Regal to hit him in the back of the head with the brass knuckles.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Arrowhead Pond.
 
We see Ric Flair backstage as he runs into Lance Storm who says he will make an exceptional addition to the roster, and Flair says the answer is still no as he walks away.
 
3. William Regal pins Kane after a shot with brass knuckles at 2:24.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Kane was coming off a tough loss the night before and looks to get back on track here against Regal, who was also coming off a tough loss the night before and looks to get back on track here. Kane gets a good pop from the crowd while Regal was pretty hot as a heel. Kane wastes no time and knocks Regal down to start the match as he pounds on him and whips him into the corner before splashing him, and he whips Regal back into the other corner and hits a backdrop as he knocks Regal down and rams him into the buckle. He pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him as Regal gets a kick in and he pounds on Kane who hits a sidewalk slam for a two count, and he rams Regal into the buckle and whips him into the corner only for Regal to catch him ducking with a kick. Kane hits a clothesline on Regal who rolls outside to regroup and Kane goes up top only to miss the clothesline as he lands hard on the floor, and Regal grabs a pair of brass knuckles from the timekeeper’s table only for Kane to hit a big boot and he throws Regal back into the ring. He goes up top again and hits the clothesline as he grabs Regal by the throat only for Regal to nail him in the ribs with the knuckles, and then he hits Kane in the face with the knuckles which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Kane dominated the whole match until Regal steals the win with the knuckles. The crowd was into the match and Kane, but are not happy when Regal wins. Regal steals the win over Kane and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Vince McMahon and Booker T in the suite toasting to Regal’s win.
 
Commercial break
 
4. The Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) defeat the Rock and Trish Stratus when Bubba Ray pins Stratus at 11:50 to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. The Dudleyz retained the titles the night before and look to have another successful defense here against Rock and Stratus, who are forced into this match by Vince as punishment for what happened last week. Rock and Stratus get a big pop from the crowd while the Dudleyz were pretty hot as heels. Rock starts off the match with D-Von and he gets a kick in as he pounds on D-Von and hits a back elbow, and D-Von gets a knee in and pounds on Rock who reverses a whip and he hits a backdrop on D-Von before clotheslining him over the top to the floor. He knocks Bubba off the apron to the floor and goes outside himself as he rams D-Von into the announce table repeatedly, and he pounds on Bubba and sends him over the table as he knocks D-Von over the table and rams Bubba into the table before throwing him into the ring. He pounds on Bubba who reverses a whip and he hits a back elbow on Rock as he drops an elbow on him for a two count, and Rock reverses a whip and hits a Samoan drop on Bubba for a two count as Bubba gets a knee in and rams Rock into the buckle. D-Von tags in and pounds on Rock in the corner only for Rock to hit a clothesline on D-Von and he pounds on him, and Bubba makes a blind tag and D-Von reverses a whip as Bubba hits a clothesline on Rock and then he hits a neckbreaker. D-Von tags in and they choke Rock on the rope as D-Von pounds on Rock and stomps on him while Bubba gets a shot in from the floor, and Keibler chokes Rock from the floor as well and D-Von gets a shot in as Bubba tags in and they hit a double flapjack on Rock. Bubba pounds on Rock and whips him into the corner as Rock fires out with a clothesline and Bubba recovers first with a suplex for a two count, and D-Von tags in and pounds on Rock who reverses a whip and he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on D-Von. Keibler pulls Stratus off the apron to the floor as Bubba comes in and hits another neckbreaker on Rock for a two count, and he hooks a sleeper on Rock who escapes the hold with a back suplex and D-Von tags in as Rock battles back until D-Von ducks a shot. He knocks Rock down and pounds on him until Rock ducks a shot and pounds on D-Von who ducks a shot and Bubba hits a clothesline on Rock, and he hits a suplex on Rock and tags D-Von as Rock ducks a shot only for D-Von to hold the ropes on a whip. Bubba comes in only for Rock to avoid him as Bubba hits a clothesline on D-Von by mistake and Rock gets a kick in before hitting a DDT on Bubba, and he fires up on the Dudleyz until Bubba gets a knee in and Rock hits a flying double clothesline on the Dudleyz. He sends Bubba over the top to the floor and pounds on D-Von in the corner as he hits a spinebuster and hooks the Sharpshooter on D-Von, and Bubba comes in and breaks the hold up as he stalks Stratus only for Rock to hit the spinebuster and People’s Elbow on Bubba. He gets a two count as he avoids an elbow from D-Von who hits Bubba by mistake and Rock hits a clothesline as Stratus demands a tag and Rock tags her in, and he hits a slam on D-Von and holds his legs up as Stratus goes up top and she hits a flying headbutt to D-Von’s groin. Keibler gets on the apron and Rock tosses her into the ring as he hits a slam on her and holds her legs up, and Stratus goes up top and hits a diving headbutt to Keibler’s groin as she kicks at her and stomps on him. Just then, Test runs down to ringside as Rock goes outside and pounds on him while the Dudleyz get in the ring, and they hit the 3-D on Stratus which gets the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was good as it was pretty much a handicap match with Rock doing most of the work until the Dudleyz took out Stratus in the end. The crowd was into the match and Rock and Stratus, but are not happy when the Dudleyz win. The Dudleyz retain the titles over Rock and Stratus as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Rock runs back down to the ring and knocks D-Von to the outside as he hits the Rock Bottom on Bubba, but then Test gets in the ring and hits the big boot on Rock before heading to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince McMahon and Booker T in the suite as Vince says they are having a good time tonight and they want to say hello to everyone, and he says that it is official that his Kiss My Ass Club is closed for good when he had his face put in Rikishi’s ass by the Rock. He says that last night, he laughed last which means he laughed the loudest and while the Club might be closed, a new club has been opened which is the Vince McMahon Kick Your Ass Club which already as a few members including Ric Flair, Steve Austin, Rock, and even Trish Stratus. He says that in this club, people can join more than once with higher dues to pay and you join by crossing the boss, and he says that Flair has crossed him and he is the boss as he introduces Booker to the crowd.
 
We see Matt Hardy preparing for his match as Lita is next to him and she says that she didn’t do anything on purpose, and she says that Matt put her in that position as the ref and she doesn’t want to be in this handicap match as she loves him. He continues to ignore her and she walks away until he says that she is trying to make him feel guilty for not talking to her, and he says that she should’ve said she didn’t want to be the ref and he asked for this handicap match so she and Jeff can try to beat him face-to-face. He says that they are breaking up and slams the door in her face as she breaks down crying when Jeff Hardy comes up to her, and she tries to explain herself as Jeff embraces her.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Matt Hardy defeats Jeff Hardy and Lita in a handicap match when he pins Lita at 4:39.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is an interesting handicap match. Jeff defeated Matt the night before after Lita missed Matt’s foot on the bottom rope and now Matt looks for revenge by facing Jeff and Lita in a handicap match. Jeff and Lita get a good pop from the crowd while Matt gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two men have a staredown to start the match as Lita tries to separate them only for Matt to shove her to the mat, and he pounds on Jeff who battles back and they brawl on the mat as they trade blows until Matt pounds on Jeff in the corner. He stomps on Jeff repeatedly and yells at Lita as Jeff rams Matt into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner, and he stomps on Matt and continues to pound on him as Matt catches him with a boot to the face and he tosses Jeff to the outside. He goes out to the apron and hits a clothesline on Jeff as he pounds on him until Jeff blocks a ram into the apron and he rams Matt into the apron, and he tackles Matt over the barricade into the crowd and pounds on him as he sends Matt over the barricade back to ringside. Matt blocks a ram into the steps and he rams Jeff into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and drops a fist on him for a two count, and he hotshots Jeff on the top rope and hits a clothesline as Jeff tries to battle back only for Matt to knock him down. Jeff knocks Matt down and ducks a shot as he hits a flying clothesline and Matt reverses a whip into the corner, and Jeff goes up top and hits Whisper in the Wind on Matt as he hits a legdrop to the groin and pounds on him on the mat. Jeff gets a kick in though Matt blocks a Twist of Fate and he sends Jeff over the top to the floor as Lita goes up top and hits a hurricanrana on Matt, and Jeff goes up top only to miss the Swanton as Lita tries to help Jeff up only for Matt to hook a rollup on Lita which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as it was basically a rematch form the previous night until Matt steals the win by pinning Lita. The crowd was into the match and Lita and Jeff, but are not happy when Matt wins. Matt steals the win over Lita and Jeff as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
We see Ric Flair in his office as Lance Storm comes in and says this is too important as he just wants one chance to prove himself, and Flair says that he’s tired of seeing him and this is the WWF so if he wants a match, he’s got it though he’ll never come back if he doesn’t win.
 
Commercial break
 
6. The Big Show pins Lance Storm with the Chokeslam at 2:34.
 
Stipulation: If Storm wins, he earns a WWF contract
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Storm was looking to get his job back and gets the chance here against Show, who was coming off a tough loss the night before and looks to get back on track. Show gets a decent pop from the crowd while Storm had solid heat as a heel. Storm wastes no time and hits a baseball slide on Show to start the match as he attempts a slingshot plancha only for Show to catch him, and he presses Storm up and tosses him back into the ring as Storm pounds on him coming in until Show shoves him away. He tosses Storm into the corner and rams the knee into him twice as he hits a hiptoss on Storm who rolls outside to regroup, and Storm returns to the ring and rakes Show in the eyes as he pounds on him until Show counters a whip with a short clothesline. He pounds on Storm and shoves him into the corner as he stomps on him and whips him into the other corner, and he catches a boot attempt and pounds on Storm as he whips him back into the other corner only to miss a charge. Storm pounds on Show who shoves him away and he hits a headbutt only for Storm to avoid a big boot in the corner, and he hits a dropkick to Show’s knee and rolls outside as he tries to pull Show to the corner only for Show to shove him to the floor. Storm rolls back into the ring and hits a side dropkick to the back of Show’s head as he goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count, and Show blocks a kick attempt as he grabs Storm by the throat and hits the Chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Storm got a few shots in, but he puts Show over strong in 2 and a half minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Show when he won. Show gets the win over Storm and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Vince McMahon and Booker T in the suite talking about the cage match when the waitress comes up with a plate of sandwiches, and Booker says it might be a trap and has the waitress try one which she does and he takes the plate from her as he and Vince each take a sandwich.
 
Commercial break
 
Steve Austin says “What” repeatedly as he says Chris Jericho is the new Undisputed Champion and Vince McMahon and Booker T screwed him, and he says that after last night he thought about it and said to himself that there’s no use in crying and whining. He says that he asked himself if he wanted Jericho or Booker and while making the decision, he drove to a local Sonic where he ordered several sandwiches, sides, and several beers as well as a shot of whiskey, a margarita, and a Bloody Mary. He says that he decided that he wanted both as Booker shows up with Vince and they have their security guards in their suite to watch him kick the crap out of Jericho in a cage, and he says that Jericho is calling him a little trooper though tonight he will make Jericho a superstar. He says that Jericho will get the starring role in the ass-whooping he will get tonight and he will take the Undisputed Title tonight because he said so.
 
We see the cage being lowered around the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York.
 
7. Chris Jericho defeats Stone Cold Steve Austin by escape in a Steel Cage match at 11:02 to retain the WWF Undisputed Championship.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Jericho defeated Austin last night to become the Undisputed Champion thanks to Booker T and now Austin looks to become the champion again here in the cage. Austin gets a huge pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Austin wastes no time and attacks Jericho on the floor to start the match as he pounds on him and hotshots him on the barricade, and he continues to pound on Jericho and kicks at him as he rams him into the announce table and grabs a chair only for the ref to stop him from using it. Jericho climbs up the cage into the ring as Austin also gets back in the cage and Jericho tries to climb back up the cage, but Austin grabs him and pulls him down as he hotshots Jericho on the top rope and hits a Lou Thesz press before pounding on him on the mat. He drops an elbow on Jericho and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly, and he whips Jericho into the other corner as Jericho leaps up top and tries to climb the cage only for Austin to pull him back down to the mat. Jericho crawls for the door though Austin stops him and continues to pound on him in the corner as he hits a back elbow, and Jericho reverses a whip and sends Austin into the cage as he stomps on him and pounds on him on the mat. He pulls the padding off the buckle though Austin blocks a ram into the exposed buckle with a series of back elbows and he pounds on Jericho, and Jericho catches Austin ducking with a kick only for Austin to backdrop him into the cage and he looks to climb up the cage though decides against it. He rams Jericho into the cage twice and chokes him with his boot as Jericho rakes the eyes and pounds on Austin, and he gets a kick in though Austin blocks the Stunner as he trips Jericho up and looks for the Walls of Jericho though Jericho blocks it. Austin stomps on Jericho’s groin and rams him into the buckle as he whips him into the corner and splashes him, and he whips back into the other corner only for Jericho to catch him with a boot to the face and he hits a running bulldog on Austin. He hits the Lionsault on Austin and climbs up the cage as Austin climbs up behind him and pounds on him, and he crotches Jericho on the top rope and hits a superplex as Jericho crawls for the door only for Austin to grab his foot. Jericho hits an enzurgiri on Austin and crawls for the door again though Austin grabs his foot again and pulls him back to the center of the ring, and Jericho ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits the Stunner on Austin and tries to crawl out the door again. Austin grabs his foot and pulls him back in again as Jericho slaps him in the face and gets a kick in, but Austin blocks the Stunner and sends Jericho into the cage repeatedly which busts him open and then he rams Jericho into the exposed buckle repeatedly. He rams Jericho into the cage again and then he slingshots him into the exposed buckle as he hoists Jericho up and hotshots him on the exposed buckle, and he stomps on Jericho and looks to exit out the door though Jericho flips Austin off and Austin gets back in the ring. Austin grabs Jericho and flips him off as he gets a kick in and hits the Stunner before looking to get out the door again, but then Booker T comes out of the crowd and slams the door into Austin as Jericho crawls out the door to the floor and retains the title. The match itself was pretty good as both men worked hard and put on a solid cage match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and still had good chemistry, but this was more about Booker again costing Austin the title while giving Jericho a solid title defense. The crowd was into the match and Austin, but are not happy when Jericho wins. Jericho retains the title over Austin and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Booker heads to the back and Jericho celebrates with the belts as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW coming off a pretty good PPV was a pretty solid show. After a fairly historic show which saw the first Undisputed Champion crowned, this was a fine show to keep that going as a few of the issues from that show were still fairly unresolved. Jericho is still the man while the Dudleyz and Taker retain their titles and Rikishi, Regal, Matt, and Show get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest was pretty standard for TV. 2001 has been a great year for the WWF as we are nearing the end of the year and we will see if 2002 can maintain the momentum. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show coming off a good PPV in Vengeance. Final Grade: C+