RAW
April 1st, 2002
Pepsi Arena
Albany, New York
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. D-Lo Brown defeats Harvard Chris.
2. Justin Credible defeats the Inferno Kid.
 
4/7 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. The Big Show pins Goldust.
2. Jazz pins Jacqueline.
3. Scott Hall pins Crash Holly.
4. Shawn Stasiak pins Tommy Dreamer.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see Ric Flair holding a brand new title as he welcomes everyone to RAW and they will enter a new era tonight run by him as he promises it will be more exciting than ever before, and he says that he will do everything in his power to sign Steve Austin to RAW and he has the honor to present the new Undisputed Championship belt to the reigning champion, Triple H as the party is about to begin.
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Rob Van Dam pins Booker T with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 6:40 to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. RVD has been rolling as IC Champion and looks to have a successful defense here against Booker, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to become champion here. RVD gets a good pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Booker hooking a headlock and he goes behind RVD before going back to the headlock, and he knocks RVD down and RVD leaps over him as he then does a backflip over Booker and hits a hurricanrana. They lock up with Booker getting a knee in and he pounds on RVD who flips over his back as he catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick, and he rams the shoulder into Booker repeatedly and does a backflip only for Booker to hotshot him on the top rope. He hits a spin kick on RVD and then he hits a slam and a sidewalk slam for a two count as RVD tries to battle back and Booker hits a back elbow for a two count, and he hooks a submission on RVD who fights to his feet only for Booker to get a shot in as both men counter a whip and Booker hits a side kick for a two count. He goes back to the submission on RVD who again fights to his feet though Booker gets a shot in and RVD ducks a shot as he hits a spin kick, and RVD fires up on Booker and whips him into the corner as he does a front roll and hits a monkey flip on Booker. He goes up top and hits a side kick on Booker for a two count as Booker counters a whip and gets a knee in, and RVD avoids the scissors kick and hits a modified enzurgiri on Booker who ducks a shot as RVD blocks a German suplex and hits a legsweep. Booker avoids the Rolling Thunder and does the Spinaroonie as he hits a side kick on RVD for a two count, and he pounds on RVD in the corner and RVD reverses a whip into the other corner as Booker leaps over him and hooks a sunset flip for a two count. RVD hooks a rollup for a two count and Booker ducks a shot as he hits a side kick on RVD and puts him on the top rope before going up himself, and RVD blocks a superplex and knocks Booker to the mat as he sets himself on the top rope and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid title match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and had good chemistry as RVD gets a clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD retains the title over Booker and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, RVD celebrates with the title only for someone to attack him from behind and this person hits a powerbomb off the middle rope, and the person is revealed to be Eddie Guerrero as he pounds on RVD on the mat and goes up top before hitting the Frog Splash. He heads to the back and the official helps RVD to the back as Vince McMahon comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring, and he says he doesn’t mean to interrupt but he came out here for one reason which is to sign Steve Austin to a contract with Smackdown. He says that if he knows Austin, he wants to hear what he has to say as he wants to bring Austin down to the ring and talk about what he can do for him.
 
Commercial break
 
Vince is still in the ring as security surrounds the ring and Vince says he asked for Austin only to get security instead, and he says that they are pretty smart and if they want him, they can come in and force him out as he is not leaving the ring until Austin signs the contract to come to Smackdown. Just then, Ric Flair comes out on the stage as Vince says there’s an old expression in that money talks and fools walk, and he says that he’s doing the talking while Flair will do the walking because Austin will sign with him and Flair can’t do anything about it. Flair says that unless Vince bought a ticket, he’s going to have a small window of opportunity to get out the door and back on the street, and he says that this new set for RAW is doing his talking as Vince says that he’s not leaving the ring and Flair and his security can’t do anything about it. He says the last time Flair tried to do something, it was last week on Smackdown when he beat Flair in a match and he shouldn’t embarrass himself again, and he demands Austin to come out and Flair is preventing him from coming out as Flair says they need to do an informal survey on Austin. He asks the fans which show the fans want to see Austin on and they agree when he says RAW as he says he dressed up nice for this new era, and he doesn’t want to come down there and recreate the Royal Rumble for Vince as Vince says that no one is big enough or bad enough to take him out of the ring. Just then, the Big Show comes down to ringside and Vince says that he knows who he is as he needs to remember that he’s Vince McMahon, but then Show grabs Vince and puts him on his shoulders as he carries him to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of the Big Show forcing Vince McMahon out of the building.
 
2. Spike Dudley pins William Regal with the Dudley Dog at 3:44.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Spike has been floating in the midcard and looks to get back on track here against Regal, who has been rolling as European Champion and looks to get a win here. Spike gets a good pop from the crowd while Regal was pretty hot as a heel as he hides a pair of brass knuckles in the top buckle. The two men lock up to start with Regal hitting an armdrag and he rides him on the mat as he goes behind Spike and works the neck, and he hits a snapmare and continues to ride Spike as they lock up again with Regal getting a knee in. He pounds on Spike in the corner and Spike gets a shot in as he hooks a rollup for a two count and hits a dropkick to the knee, and Regal knocks Spike down for a series of two counts and Spike catches him with a jawbreaker as he hooks a crucifix for a two count. Regal hits a drop toehold and pounds on the back of Spike’s head as he hits a suplex for a two count and Spike escapes a back suplex attempt, and he ducks a shot only for Regal to avoid a dropkick and he hits a modified German suplex on Spike who rolls outside to regroup. Regal goes outside and bounces Spike off the ropes as he throws him back into the ring and drives his throat into the apron, and he rolls back into the ring and pounds on Spike in the corner as he whips him into the other corner only for Spike to hit a headbutt to Regal’s ribs repeatedly. He pounds on Regal in the corner until Regal shoves him off and looks for the knuckles though they aren’t in the buckle, and Spike gets a kick in and hits the Dudley Dog which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as Regal dominated most of it until Spike gets the upset win at the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Spike when he won. Spike gets the win over Regal and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
We see the New World Order walking backstage as they rant about Flair and his recent actions until they find the APA’s old office and take it over.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Bradshaw and Jacqueline talking about missing Faarooq as Crash Holly comes up to them and says Bradshaw has a problem, and he tells him that the nWo has taken over the APA office and Bradshaw shoves him away before storming out.
 
We see Trish Stratus and a seamstress working on her jacket as Terri Runnels comes up to her and asks if she’s too good to talk to her, and she says since Stratus has been on the cover of the Divas magazine she’s gotten a bad attitude and she calls herself the ultimate Diva. Stratus says that there’s always next year for Runnels and tells her to get out of her face or else as Ric Flair walks up to them, and he gives them props for the magazine and says they need to resolve their tension as the fans wants to see them wrestle in bikinis and to have it be a paddle on a pole match.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Debra, who says that Austin has a big decision to make in what show to go with and he’s not yet made a decision though he will make it tonight.
 
We see the New World Order in the APA’s office as Scott Hall sprays “NWO 4 LIFE” on the door and joins Kevin Nash and X-Pac at the table, but then Bradshaw kicks the door down and attacks them until Nash hits a big boot on Bradshaw and X-Pac hits him in the back with a chair as Nash says he can have the office back.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Bubba Ray Dudley pins Raven with the Bubba Bomb at 4:06 to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. Raven won the Hardcore Title last week on Smackdown and looks to have a successful defense here against Bubba, who was now on his own following the draft and looks to become a singles champion. Bubba gets a good pop from the crowd while Raven had decent heat as a heel. Raven avoids a crutch shot and gets a shoulder in to start the match as he pounds on Bubba who turns it around and pounds on Raven in the corner, and he yanks Raven to the mat by his hair and drops a trio of elbows on him as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor. He goes outside and grabs a bag of oranges as he juggles a few of them and hits Raven in the face with one of them, and he grabs the shopping cart and shoves it at Raven who avoids it and the cart hits the steps as Raven grabs a crutch and hits Bubba with it repeatedly. He throws Bubba back into the ring and Bubba counters a whip as he ducks a shot though Raven blocks the Bubba Bomb with a low blow, and he pounds on Bubba in the corner and tries to whip him into the other corner only for Bubba to collapse to the mat. Raven grabs a pair of trash cans and hits Bubba in the head with them repeatedly as Bubba falls to the mat and Raven grabs a STOP sign, and he hits Bubba in the head with the sign for a two count and counters a whip as he hooks a sleeper on Bubba. Bubba grabs the sign and hits Raven with it to break the hold as he fires up on him and hits a clothesline, and then he hits a Samoan drop on Raven for a two count and grabs a lid as Raven reverses a whip into the corner and Bubba catches him with a back elbow. He goes up to the middle rope only for Raven to spray him with a fire extinguisher though Bubba recovers and hits Raven in the head with the lid, and he hits a senton on Raven for a two count and sets a chair up on the mat as Raven reverses a whip and hits a drop toehold that sends Bubba face first into the chair for a two count. He looks for the DDT though Bubba escapes and ducks a shot as he hits the Bubba Bomb which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic title match. Bubba looked decent as a new singles star while Raven was starting to slow down a bit, and they had good chemistry as Bubba gets a huge win and becomes a singles champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Bubba when he won. Bubba gets the win over Raven and is the new Hardcore Champion as both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Vince McMahon in his limo on the phone with someone as he says that he’s still in the parking lot and before he leaves, he will have Austin sign with him and he will do so before the night is over.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Pepsi Arena.
 
Ric Flair comes down to the ring with the new Undisputed Championship belt and says that he’s said this a thousand times, but he couldn’t say it more meaningly than now as the Undisputed Title is the most coveted belt in sports. He says that he’s here to present the title to the Undisputed Champion Triple H and he says that Triple H came back from big injury as he trained to be to a level that helped him win the Royal Rumble, and he says that Triple H won the title at WM and he wants Triple H to come out right now only for the Undertaker to come down to the ring. He says that this is how it’s going to be by Flair trying to embarrass him whenever he feels like it and Flair thinks he’ll sit back and let it happen, and he says that Flair thinks he’s going to just watch Flair hand that title to Triple H though he wants to let him know about Triple H. He says that a few weeks ago at WM, he beat Flair down and left him in a puddle of his own blood as it was the most pain Flair has ever felt, and he says that the year before he did the same thing to Triple H and everytime he wrestles Triple H, he beats his ass which he can’t help. He says that now Flair wants him to sit back and watch him hand the title to Triple H which sounds like someone is trying to show him up and disrespect him, and he says that he told Flair if he drafted him, he would make every moment of his life like WM and he now has to live up to his promise until Triple H comes down to the ring. He says that Taker is right in that he beat him at WM last year though that was then and this is now, and he says that right now he is the Undisputed WWF Champion and he has 15 pounds on gold that says Taker can’t beat his ass again. Taker says that Triple H should put his money where his mouth is at Backlash in a match for the title which Triple H agrees to, and Triple H says that he doesn’t see why they have to wait and they can do it right now as Taker says that Backlash will be fine with him. He takes the new belt from Flair and says it’s a fine looking title even with Triple H’s name on it as he puts it on Triple H’s shoulder, and he says that Triple H should hold it while he still can and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
4. The Hardy Boyz defeat the Big Bossman and Mr. Perfect when Jeff pins Bossman at 3:54.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. The Hardyz have been cruising in the tag division and look to get a win here over Bossman and Perfect, who have been gaining steam as a team and look to get a big win here. The Hardyz get a good pop from the crowd while Bossman and Perfect had decent heat as heels. Perfect and Bossman waste no time and attack the Hardyz to start the match as Bossman throws Jeff to the outside and Perfect pounds on Matt, and Matt ducks a shot and kicks at Perfect who blocks the Twist of Fate by sending Matt into a hotshot from Bossman. Perfect hits a neck snap on Matt and rams him into Bossman’s boot as he tags in and pounds on Matt in the corner, and he tosses Matt to the mat by his hair and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner. He hits a sidewalk slam on Matt for a two count and throws him into the corner as Perfect chokes him from the apron, and Perfect tags in and kicks at Matt as he stomps on him repeatedly and tags Bossman who nails Matt while Perfect holds him from behind. Bossman stomps on Matt repeatedly and tags Perfect who pounds on Matt in the corner as Matt tries to battle back until Bossman tags in, and he pounds on Matt and whips him into the corner only to miss a charge and Jeff gets the hot tag as he fires up on both men. He hits a flying clothesline on Bossman and a jawbreaker on Perfect as he hits a legdrop to Bossman’s groin and Matt comes in, and they whip Perfect into the corner and hit Poetry in Motion which sends Perfect over the top to the floor. Bossman hits a big boot on Jeff and then he hits a spinebuster for a two count as Perfect pounds on Matt on the floor, and Bossman puts Jeff on the top rope and looks to go up himself until Matt nails him from behind and pulls him down. Both men counter a whip and Matt gets a kick in as he hits the Twist of Fate on Bossman while Jeff sets himself on the top rope, and he hits the Swanton on Bossman which gets the three and he wins the match. 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 Bossman and Perfect were gelling well as a team, and they had good chemistry as the Hardyz get a clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for the Hardyz when they won. The Hardyz get the win over Bossman and Perfect as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, the Hardyz celebrate as Brock Lesnar gets in the ring and nails them from behind as he hits a spinebuster on Matt, and he hoists Matt onto his shoulders and hits the spinning flapjack as Jeff goes up top only for Lesnar to catch him on a leap and he hits a trio of powerbombs.
 
We see Terri Runnels walking backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Trish Stratus defeats Terri Runnels at 1:16.
 
Stipulation: A paddle would be placed on a pole and whoever got it first would win
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. These two women got into an argument earlier in the night and now they face off here to settle their issues. Both women get a good pop from the crowd as they will compete in bikinis. Runnels wastes no time and slaps Stratus in the face to start the match as she tosses her to the mat by her hair, and she slams Stratus’ head into the mat repeatedly and then she rams her into the buckle as she steps on her back and climbs up the pole. Stratus grabs Runnels and blocks a hurricanrana attempt only for Runnels to pound on Stratus and she slaps her in the face again, and Stratus gets a kick in and hits a running bulldog on Runnels as she climbs the pole and grabs the paddle to win the match. The match itself was nothing much as both did what they could for the time they got and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Stratus when she won. Stratus gets the win over Runnels though won’t get a chance to use the paddle. Grade: DUD
 
After the match, Stratus stands over Runnels and prepares to use the paddle only for Molly Holly to run down to the ring and she kicks at Stratus, and she yanks Stratus up by the hair and slams her to the mat as she kicks Runnels out of the ring and grabs the paddle which she breaks over Stratus’ head.
 
We see Vince McMahon in the parking lot on the phone with someone as he knows Austin will be here and he will get to him as he can’t get in the building because the Big Show is guarding the door, and he says that he will get back in the building and make his case to Austin.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for the WWF Forceable Entry CD highlighting “The Game” by Drowning Pool.
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York.
 
We see Ric Flair in his office on the phone with someone as Steve Austin comes in and they shake hands as Austin asks why Flair isn’t letting Vince in the building, and Flair says he doesn’t want Vince screwing up the show and Austin says he wants Flair to let Vince in as he thinks it’s only fair to hear what Vince has to say. Austin says that after the next match, the three of them will be in the ring and he will listen to both of them before making a decision and he leaves the office.
 
We see highlights from Smackdown last week.
 
We see Kane walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Kane defeats X-Pac (w/ the Outsiders) by disqualification at 5:31.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Kane pinned X-Pac in the 6-man tag last week on Smackdown and now the two men face off here in a singles match to settle their issues. Kane gets a big pop from the crowd while X-Pac was pretty hot as a heel. Nash distracts Kane from the floor and X-Pac nails him from behind to start the match as he pounds and kicks at him in the corner, and Kane reverses a whip and hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on X-Pac as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. X-Pac catches him with a boot to the face and Kane gets a kick in as he hits a press slam on X-Pac and pounds on him, and X-Pac ducks a shot and Kane catches a kick attempt as X-Pac hits an enzurgiri and kicks at him though Kane no-sells his shots. He reverses a whip into the corner and splashes X-Pac as he hits a sidewalk slam and goes up top only for Hall to get on the apron, and he distracts Kane and X-Pac hits a dropkick that knocks him off the top to the floor and Hall pounds on Kane. X-Pac attempts a slingshot plancha only for Kane to catch him and X-Pac slides off his shoulder as Nash hits a big boot on Kane, and X-Pac rolls back into the ring and Hall rams Kane into the steps as Kane rolls back into the ring and X-Pac drops an elbow on him repeatedly. He pounds on Kane in the corner and Kane battles back as X-Pac ducks a shot and hits a spin kick for a two count, and Kane sends X-Pac to the outside and Hall gets a shot in from the floor as X-Pac goes up top and hits a missile dropkick. Kane quickly sits up and pounds on X-Pac as he whips him into the corner only to miss a charge and X-Pac stomps on him repeatedly, and he chokes him with his boot and Hall holds him from the floor by his hair as X-Pac hits the Bronco Buster on Kane. Kane recovers and hits a pair of clotheslines on X-Pac as he hits a flapjack and X-Pac ducks a shot only for Kane to catch a kick attempt, and he hoists X-Pac onto his shoulder and hits a powerslam as Hall grabs at his boot from the floor only for Kane to hit a big boot. He goes outside and knocks Hall down as he goes up top and hits a flying clothesline on X-Pac before grabbing him by the throat, but the Outsiders get in the ring and attack Kane which draws the DQ and Kane wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Kane was hitting his groove by this point while X-Pac was getting back into a groove, and they still had good chemistry as it was clear this was continuing due to the ending. The crowd was into the match and Kane, but are not happy with the ending. Kane gets the win over X-Pac by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Bradshaw runs down to the ring and helps Kane clear the nWo from the ring as they stand tall.
 
We see Vince McMahon being let into the arena and he heads to the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
Ric Flair is in the ring and says he told everyone that they would make an offer to Steve Austin that would ensure his services on RAW forever, and he says that it is his privilege to introduce only for Vince McMahon to come down to the ring and says that Flair looks upset. He says that Flair is upset that Austin insisted he come out here and he hopes Flair is prepared to lose again, and he says that Austin is looking for leadership, business savvy, and he wants to remind everyone that he was him that grew professional wrestling into sports entertainment. He says that it was his acumen and his ability to see into the future in that the fans could watch these events on pay-per-view, and he says that he recognized the WWF wouldn’t be a national phenomenon, but rather a global brand of entertainment. He says that those are things Austin is contemplating before signing the contract and it was him that the Ringmaster wouldn’t cut and he introduced Stone Cold to everyone, and he says that Austin will sign his contract to join Smackdown as Steve Austin comes down to the ring. Vince says that he likes Austin’s shirt and Austin says he doesn’t care about Vince as all he cares about are the contracts, and he says that Vince wants him to walk away from Flair and join him instead as he wants him to say something. He says that he doesn’t know how good Vince’s hearing is, but the fans are calling him an asshole and Vince made his life a living hell for a long time as well as humiliated him, and Vince wants him to forget about all of that and he asks Flair if he wants to sign with him as Flair says yes. Vince says that Flair shouldn’t interrupt Austin and Austin says he’s intrigued by both offers as he respects Flair for his in-ring accomplishments and he respects Vince for what he’s done with the WWF, and he says that he was successful due to Vince being the boss and he’s still a bad son of a bitch as he offers Vince a handshake and says he will sign with him. Vince accepts the handshake and says Austin won’t regret this as he is now the property of Smackdown and Austin says he and Flair have no issues. He says that business is business as they shake hands and he asks Vince for a pen as Vince hands him one, and Vince says that he hopes Flair has no hard feelings in that Austin saw the light and Flair says he will always hate Vince’s guts. Vince says that’s too bad as he confirms the contract is official and Austin says he has one more thing to say, and he says “April Fools” as he kicks Vince and hits the Stunner as Flair says that Austin is now on RAW and he calls for beer. He brings a cooler into the ring and they share several beers until Austin gets a kick in and he hits the Stunner on Flair, and he grabs the RAW contract and signs it before putting it on Flair as Vince struggles to his feet. Austin hands him a beer and gets a kick in before hitting a second Stunner on Vince as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, the first edition of RAW as part of the brand extension was a pretty solid episode. With the rosters now locked in and the brand extension in full effect, it was going to be interesting to see how the brands would establish themselves and look to differentiate themselves given the rosters they have. We did have two title matches as RVD still rules the midcard and Bubba now rules the Hardcore Division while Spike, the Hardyz, Stratus, and Kane get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as this was more about Austin joining RAW and the big return of Eddie. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point and now with the brands being separate, we will see how the build to Backlash looks. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show and a good start to the brand extension. Final Grade: C+