RAW
May 13th, 2002
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
5/19 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Goldust defeats Crash Holly.
2. Spike Dudley defeats the Big Bossman.
3. D-Lo Brown defeats Justin Credible.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. The Hardy Boyz defeat Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) by disqualification in a handicap match at 3:28.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with a big handicap match. The Hardyz have continued having issues with Lesnar and they both face him here in a handicap match to get some revenge. The Hardyz get a good pop from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. Jeff wastes no time and attacks Lesnar from behind to start the match until Lesnar rams Jeff into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and Jeff ducks a shot and hits a dropkick to the knee as he kicks at it repeatedly and pounds on him. He hits a flying forearm on Lesnar who catches him in a powerslam and he hoists Jeff onto his shoulder though Jeff slides off, and he hits a dropkick to the knee and tags Matt who goes up top and he drives the elbow into Lesnar. He pounds on Lesnar who gets a knee in and he tosses Matt into the corner as Matt ducks a shot and puts Lesnar’s leg in the ropes, and he kicks at Lesnar’s leg repeatedly until Lesnar kicks him away and Matt charges at him only for Lesnar to hit a pair of belly-to-belly suplexes. He stomps on Matt and whips him hard into the corner as he pounds on him and rakes his face across the top rope, and Matt tries to battle back until Lesnar gets a knee in and he hoists Matt onto his shoulder though Matt slides off and rams Lesnar into the corner. Jeff gets the hot tag and ducks a shot as he fires up on Lesnar and ducks another shot before hitting a botched jawbreaker, and the Hardyz whip Lesnar into the corner and hit Poetry in Motion as they whip Lesnar into the other corner and hit a double flapjack. They go up top and hit a double team on Lesnar for a two count as Heyman pulls the ref out of the ring which draws the DQ and the Hardyz get the win. The match itself was decent as Lesnar controlled much of the match until Heyman saved him at the end which was a bit weak. The crowd was into the match and the Hardyz, but are not happy with the end. The Hardyz get the win over Lesnar by DQ though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Lesnar grabs Jeff and pulls him back into the ring as he puts him on the top rope and pounds on him before going up himself, but Matt hits a low blow on Lesnar and gets a kick in as he hits the Twist of Fate while Jeff sets himself on the top rope and hits the Swanton. They head to the back as Heyman gets in the ring and says that as Lesnar’s agent, he is challenging the Hardyz to a handicap rematch at Judgment Day though he then says he has one better as it will be a tag match with the Hardyz against Lesnar and himself.
 
We see the nWo in Ric Flair’s office as Flair comes in and says that it’s a new era as there is no room for failure between them, and he says that Scott Hall dropped the ball repeatedly and he had no choice but to fire him and they will get bigger and better. He says that Nash is no longer suspended, but is recovering from surgery and will be back soon as he will announce a new member of the nWo tonight and only he knows, and he says that they will launch it tonight.
 
Commercial break
 
Ric Flair and the Big Show come down to the ring as Flair asks if there’s a problem and they should be in agreement that his name is Ric Flair, and he says that if you know anything about the business, he deserves respect as he is a 16-time World Champion which makes him 15 times better than the Maple Leafs. He says that he has a real enforcer behind him and he owns ½ of the WWE as he is the RAW owner, and he says that he is a very powerful man and there’s a problem between him and Steve Austin as he drafted Austin in good faith only for Austin to stun him. He says that he tried to be Austin’s friend and that he liked him while also giving him carte blanche on RAW, and he says that Austin continues to screw with him and he says that Austin is trash and to hell with Austin, the fans, and the Maple Leafs as for the first time since he’s been back, he sympathizes with what Vince McMahon went through. He says that trying to deal with Austin is a pain in the ass so he handled it the way it could and Austin is outside looking in, and he says that Austin is out of luck and at Judgment Day, Austin should kiss his ass and be his best friend only to deal with a giant and the Nature Boy. He says that Austin will pay the price of a wrestling lifetime in one night and some say power has gone to his head, and he says that tonight there will be an Undisputed Title match tonight as it will be legend vs. legend with Hulk Hogan defending the title against himself.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Air Canada Centre.
 
We see footage from moments ago of Hulk Hogan arriving to the arena.
 
2. Eddie Guerrero pins Shawn Stasiak with the Frog Splash at 1:08.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Eddie has been rolling as IC Champion and faces a unique challenge here in Stasiak, who has been floating in the midcard and looks to get an upset win tonight. Stasiak gets a tepid reaction from the crowd while Eddie was pretty hot as a heel, but then Rob Van Dam comes out and takes a seat at ringside to watch the match. Eddie wastes no time and attacks Stasiak to start the match as Stasiak reverses a whip and hits a clothesline on Eddie, and he hits a press slam on Eddie and drops an elbow on him for a two count as Eddie rakes the eyes and pounds on Stasiak. Stasiak ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits a gutwrench suplex for a two count as Eddie escapes a suplex attempt, and he hits a dropkick to the knee and stomps on it repeatedly as he hits a brainbuster on Stasiak before going up top and he hits the Frog Splash which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Stasiak got a few shots in, but he puts Eddie over strong in 68 seconds. The crowd was into the match and are not happy when Eddie wins. Eddie gets a quick win over Stasiak and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, RVD gets in the ring and pounds on Eddie as he kicks at him repeatedly and hits a spin kick before throwing him to the outside, and he heads to the back as Eddie gets back in the ring with the mike and asks who RVD thinks he is getting involved in his match. He says that he will show everyone who’s Frog Splash is better and who is the better wrestler in the WWE, and he again asks who RVD thinks he is and RVD answers by saying he’s RVD.
 
We see a shot outside Steve Austin’s dressing room as Jonathan Coachman knocks on the door until Debra comes up behind him, and she says that Austin is willing to talk and she will bring him out.
 
Commercial break
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Steve Austin, who says that Flair was running his mouth like a jackass because he is one and Flair thought Austin was supposed to be his friend, and he says that he doesn’t trust Flair and doesn’t care how many times he’s been champion as he’s not impressed with Flair or Big Show. He says that Flair started messing with him and he’s not going to change as Flair gave himself a title shot tonight, and he says that Flair doesn’t deserve a title match though he will watch the match and Flair will find out that you don’t screw with him because he said so.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette of Tommy Dreamer doing various activities including brushing his teeth and his dog’s teeth with the same toothbrush, drinking water out of a urinal, and putting hairspray on his tongue.
 
William Regal comes out to do commentary for the next match.
 
3. Molly Holly pins Terri Runnels with a small package at 2:27.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Molly attacked Terri during their bikini contest last week and now Terri looks to get revenge here. Terri gets a good pop from the crowd while Molly had solid heat as a heel. Terri wastes no time and knocks Molly off the apron to start the match as Molly gets in the ring and Terri stomps on her, and she rams Molly into the buckle repeatedly and tosses her to the mat as she slams the back of her head into the mat repeatedly. She chokes her on the mat and threatens to slap the ref as she hits a slam on Molly for a two count and Molly hits a drop toehold that sends Terri throat first into the ropes, and she hits a clothesline and a snap suplex on Terri for a two count as she stomps on her and chokes her on the ropes. She slams Terri’s face into the mat twice and hits a backbreaker as she goes up top only for Terri to crotch her on the top rope, and she slaps Molly in the face and goes up herself as she hits a hurricanrana on Molly for a two count. She looks for a suplex only for Molly to hook a small package which gets the three and she wins the match. The match itself was decent as both women worked hard and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and Terri, but are not happy when Molly wins. Molly gets the win over Terri and both women move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Molly kicks at Terri and tosses her to the outside as Regal gets in the ring and says that it’s nice to see a lady who doesn’t have to show off her body to be famous, and he says that he would be his pleasure to escort her out of the arena which she agrees to and they head to the back.
 
We see Ric Flair walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
4. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan pins “Nature Boy” Ric Flair with the legdrop in a No-Disqualification match at 8:46 to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. Hogan was preparing for his match on Sunday and looks to have a successful defense here against Flair, who turned on Steve Austin last week and looks to become champion one more time. Hogan gets a huge pop from the crowd while Flair was pretty hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and Hogan knocks Flair down as they lock up with Hogan hooking a headlock and he knocks Flair down again, and they lock up again with Flair backing Hogan into the corner and Hogan shoves him to the mat as Flair goes outside and brings a chair into the ring. The ref takes the chair from Flair and they exchange shoves before having a standoff with Hogan and they tease a test of strength, and Hogan squeezes on Flair’s hand as Flair backs him into the corner and pounds on him though Hogan no-sells his shots. Hogan gets a kick in and pounds on Flair in the corner as Flair flops to the mat and Hogan whips Flair inside out in the corner, but Flair rakes the eyes and goes up top only for Hogan to toss him to the mat and Flair begs off as Hogan kicks at him. They trade blows until Hogan grabs Flair in a choke and Flair hits a low blow as he pounds on Hogan in the corner, and he brings Hogan to his knees and continues to pound on him as he stomps on him and kicks at him before tossing him to the outside. He goes outside as well and Hogan blocks a ram into the post as he gets a back elbow in and he rams Flair into the barricade, and he pounds on Flair and rams him into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and whips him into the corner. He hits a backdrop on Flair who begs off and he rakes the eyes as he kicks at Hogan’s knee and knocks him down for a two count, but Hogan blocks the kneedrop and hooks the Figure-4 on Flair who grabs the rope to force a break and he rolls out to the apron. Hogan pounds on Flair and hits a suplex back into the ring for a two count only to miss an elbow and Flair pounds on him as Hogan starts to hulk up, and he no-sells Flair’s shots and pounds on him as he hits the big boot and legdrop for a two count as X-Pac runs down to the ring and breaks the pin up. He pounds on Hogan who knocks him down and X-Pac rolls outside as the Big Show runs down to the ring, and he nails Hogan from behind and hits a pair of headbutts as Bradshaw runs down to the ring and pounds on Show. He clotheslines Show over the top to the floor and goes outside as well as he chases X-Pac into the crowd and Flair stomps on Hogan’s knee, and he looks for the Figure-4 as Steve Austin runs down to the ring and kicks at Flair before giving him the Stunner. He heads to the back and Hogan hits a second legdrop on Flair which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic title match. Both men were getting back into a groove and they still had good chemistry though this was a far cry from their previous battles from years past, and this was more about Austin costing Flair the title. The crowd was into the match and popped for Hogan when he won. Hogan retains the title over Flair and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
We see Ric Flair and the nWo in Flair’s office as Flair flips out and they say Flair should be champion as Flair says he should be a 17-time champion, and he says that Bradshaw has pissed him off and he will face the nWo in a handicap match as he wants him dead or alive. He says that as far as Austin goes, he will be in a lumberjack match with handpicked lumberjacks and Austin will face the newest member of the nWo as they will have Austin’s ass tonight.
 
5. Trish Stratus and Bubba Ray Dudley defeat Jazz and Steven Richards when Stratus pins Jazz in a Hardcore match at 4:10 to win the WWE Women’s Championship; Richards’ WWE Hardcore Championship was also on the line.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. These four have been going at it for the last few weeks and they face off here with both the Hardcore and Women’s Titles on the line. Stratus gets a big pop from her hometown crowd while Bubba also gets a good pop and Richards and Jazz were pretty hot as heels. Bubba presses Stratus up and tosses her onto Jazz and Richards on the floor to start the match as she pounds on Jazz, and Bubba goes outside and pounds on Richards as Stratus rams Jazz into the apron and throws her into the ring. She whips Jazz into the corner and splashes her as she pounds on her and avoids a charge from Richards who splashes Jazz, and Bubba gets in the ring and splashes both in the corner as Richards falls to the mat and Jazz hits a falling headbutt to Richards’ groin. Bubba and Stratus go outside and throw various weapons into the ring as Stratus gets in the ring and hits Jazz in the head with a trash can, and Richards grabs at her only for Stratus to duck a shot as Bubba gets in the ring and pounds on Richards. He knocks him down and Stratus grabs a STOP sign as she slams it down on Richards’ groin while Bubba grabs a hockey stick, and he slams it onto the STOP sign and Richards’ groin as Richards gets a kick in and he pounds on Bubba. Bubba ducks a shot and hits the Bubba Bomb on Richards as Justin Credible runs down to the ring and hits Bubba with a Singapore cane, and he hits a superkick on Richards for a two count as Crash Holly runs down to the ring and breaks the pin up. He throws Credible to the outside and grabs a trash can lid as he hits Richards in the head with it while Credible brings a fire extinguisher into the ring, and he sprays Crash in the face with it as Bubba brings a guitar into the ring and he breaks it over Credible’s head. He avoids a charge as Richards knocks Stratus off the apron and Bubba pounds on him until Richards holds the ropes on a whip and tags Jazz, and he runs to the back with Bubba chasing after him as Jazz slings Stratus over the top into the ring. She hoists Stratus up in a chickenwing and slams her to the mat as Stratus ducks two shots and hits the Stratusfaction which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as it was basically a squash with Richards avoiding numerous people trying to take advantage of the 24/7 rule and Stratus finally gets revenge to regain the title. The crowd was into the match and popped big for Stratus when she won. Stratus and Bubba get the win over Richards and Jazz with Stratus becoming the new Women’s Champion as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Stratus celebrates with the title as Bubba comes back down to the ring and celebrates with her, and Stratus ducks a shot and hits Jazz in the head with the belt as she calls for a table and Bubba goes outside. He pulls out a table and slides it into the ring as he sets it up and Stratus picks Jazz up while Bubba goes up to the middle rope, and Stratus hands Jazz to Bubba who hits a powerbomb which puts Jazz through the table.
 
Commercial break
 
Jonathan Coachman attempts to interview the Undertaker who simply walks away.
 
We see an ad for Judgment Day.
 
We see Goldust in the dressing room as he says that he’s excited that Flair has given them a chance to be part of the lumberjacks, and he sings the lumberjack song as we see Booker T dressed like a lumberjack and he says he looks like a fool. Goldust says Booker looks ravishing and Booker says that Goldust can wear it if he likes it so much as Goldust complains about all his plans ending like this.
 
Commercial break
 
6. The New World Order defeat Bradshaw in a handicap match when X-Pac pins Bradshaw at 4:32.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second handicap match of the night. Bradshaw assisted Hogan earlier tonight against Flair and the nWo, and now he is forced to face the nWo in a handicap match. Bradshaw gets a good pop from the crowd while the nWo were pretty hot as heels. Bradshaw starts off the match with X-Pac and they lock up with X-Pac hooking a headlock and Bradshaw whips him off as he knocks him down, and he whips X-Pac hard into the corner and Show tags in as Bradshaw pounds on him and neither man go down when they collide. Bradshaw ducks a shot and X-Pac gets a kick in from the apron as Show catches Bradshaw with a back elbow and X-Pac tags in, and he pounds on Bradshaw in the corner until Bradshaw knocks him down and X-Pac ducks a shot only for Bradshaw to hit a powerslam for a two count. He pounds on X-Pac and whips him into the corner as X-Pac catches him with a boot to the face only for Bradshaw to hit a backdrop, and he drops an elbow on X-Pac for a two count as Show breaks it up and Bradshaw pounds on him until X-Pac nails him from behind. They pound on Bradshaw in the corner as Bradshaw tries to battle back until Show yanks him to the mat by his hair, and he pulls Bradshaw outside and rams him into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and tags in. He hits a slam on Bradshaw and drops an elbow on him as he pounds on him and hits a headbutt before driving the elbow into the back of Bradshaw’s head, and he gets a knee in and pounds on Bradshaw as X-Pac tags in and they stomp on Bradshaw in the corner. X-Pac hits a snapmare and a legdrop on Bradshaw for a two count as Show tags in and Bradshaw again tries to battle back, and he hits a big boot on X-Pac and pounds on Show as he hits another big boot which knocks Show to the floor. X-Pac goes up top only for Bradshaw to catch him on a crossbody attempt and he hits the fallaway slam as X-Pac reverses a whip into the corner, and he misses a charge and Bradshaw looks for the Clothesline from Hell only for Show to hit him in the back with a chair from the floor. Show gets in the ring and grabs Bradshaw by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam and then he picks him up before hitting a second Chokeslam, and X-Pac tags in and gets the three to win the match for his team. The match itself was decent as all three men worked hard and put on a basic handicap match. Bradshaw was getting into a groove as a singles star while the nWo looked decent as a team, and they had decent chemistry as Bradshaw can’t overcome the odds and the nWo win. The crowd was into the match and Bradshaw, but are not happy when the nWo win. The nWo get the win over Bradshaw and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the World.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Hulk Hogan, who says that he’ll take care of the Undertaker at Judgment Day and Flair proved he was a player, and he says that he is thankful for Austin’s help and he was preparing to take a ride around Toronto though instead he will be one of the lumberjacks tonight to watch Austin’s back. Just then, the Undertaker hits Hogan in the back with a crowbar and beats him down with it as he ties a rope to Hogan’s motorcycle, and then he ties Hogan’s feet together and gets on the motorcycle as he drives off dragging Hogan behind him.
 
We see the Undertaker driving the motorcycle with Hogan being dragged behind him as Hogan gets flung into a stack of boxes and pipes, and Taker says that Hogan is now in his world as he walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see EMTs tending to Hulk Hogan backstage as they put a neck brace on him and put him on a stretcher.
 
We see the lumberjacks around the ring.
 
7. Stone Cold Steve Austin pins Booker T with a rollup in a Lumberjack match at 5:25.
 
Lumberjacks: The New World Order, “Nature Boy” Ric Flair, Goldust, the Big Bossman, Justin Credible, Crash Holly, Raven, Brock Lesnar, William Regal, and Eddie Guerrero
 
Analysis: After a long and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Austin had cost Flair the Undisputed Title earlier tonight and Flair punishes him by putting him in this lumberjack match against a hand-picked opponent with the lumberjacks being hand-picked as well. Austin gets a big pop from the crowd as he wastes no time and attacks the lumberjacks to start the match, but then the nWo and Flair beat Austin down and throw him inside as Flair reveals the newest member of the nWo is Booker who gets in the ring. He kicks at Austin and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and continues to pound on him, and he hits a side kick on Austin and pounds on him as Austin ducks another side kick and pounds on Booker before hitting a spinebuster. Bossman pulls Austin out of the ring and Austin pounds on him as he sends him over the barricade into the crowd, and he ducks a shot and clotheslines Raven over the barricade into the crowd only for Lesnar to get a shot in as he rams Austin’s back into the post. He rams Austin into the apron repeatedly and throws him back into the ring as Booker hits the side kick for a two count, and he pounds on Austin who ducks a shot and he pounds on Booker who catches a kick attempt though Austin ducks a shot. He pounds on Booker who ducks a shot and Austin hits another spinebuster as he pounds on Booker on the mat, and Show pulls the top rope down and Austin tumbles over the top to the floor as the nWo and Flair attack Austin who tries to battle back. They throw Austin back into the ring and Booker gets a kick in as he hits the scissors kick on Austin and he does the Spinaroonie, and Austin hits a pair of clotheslines on Booker who ducks a shot and he hits a superkick on Austin for a series of two counts. He throws Austin to the outside and the nWo and Flair again pound on Austin as Show hotshots Austin on the barricade, and he throws Austin back into the ring only for Austin to catch Booker with a low blow and several lumberjacks get on the apron. Austin knocks them to the floor and he knocks Booker down as X-Pac gets on the apron and he holds Austin from behind, but Austin avoids a charge and Booker knocks X-Pac off the apron as Regal gets in the ring and Austin gives him the Stunner. He ducks a shot though they almost trip over each other until Austin hooks a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as Austin got beaten down for most of the match until he steals the win at the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Austin when he won. Austin gets the win over Booker though his issues with Flair and the nWo aren’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Austin rolls out of the ring and knocks Raven down as he heads up the ramp only for Arn Anderson to come out and nail him from behind, and Lesnar throws Austin back into the ring and Show grabs Austin by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam. X-Pac chokes Austin on the mat and Show drops a trio of elbows on Austin as he drives the knee into Austin repeatedly, and he picks Austin up and hits another Chokeslam as Flair pounds on him on the mat and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty standard episode serving as the go-home for the RAW side of Judgment Day. It feels like we’ve gone through some changes since the month started as things do feel different since Backlash, and the RAW side of the PPV looked to be fairly solid for the most part. We did get two title matches as Stratus rules the Women’s Division while Hogan and Richards retain their titles and the Hardyz, Eddie, Molly, Bubba, the nWo, and Austin get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard for TV as a lot of the build was done through segments and interviews. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as we were seeing some new faces show up on Smackdown, but RAW was going hard with their current roster as we will see if their matches deliver at the PPV. As for this show, it is a solid show serving as the go-home for RAW going into Judgment Day. Final Grade: C