RAW
February 11th, 2002
Jonesboro Convention Center
Jonesboro, Arkansas
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Shelton Benjamin defeats Leviathan.
2. Rico Constantino and Randy Orton defeat Brock Lesnar and Ron Waterman.
 
2/16 Jakked taping:
 
1. Billy and Chuck defeat Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert at 5:15.
2. Val Venis forces Crash Holly to submit at 4:10.
3. Lance Storm forces Funaki to tap out at 3:21.
4. The Big Bossman pins Perry Saturn at 5:43.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
The Undertaker comes down to the ring and says that he got quite the ovation as he didn’t know what to expect and the people appreciate the man who finally shut the Rock’s mouth, and he says that it’s more of the backwoods disrespectful response that he would get from a bunch of hillbillies. He says that he didn’t expect much because he learned to not look for much from people who don’t respect themselves, and he says that last week on Smackdown a man showed him no respect while having nothing but respect for himself. He says that the smell is starting to get to him as we see highlights from Smackdown last week and Taker says that was an unprovoked attack from Rock, and he says that it’s one thing not to show him respect but no one disrespects him like Rock did because if you do, this is what happens as we see more highlights from last week on Smackdown. He says that’s what he calls an ass-kicking though it won’t end with that because they are just getting started, and he says that the beatings will continue until he teaches Rock respect and he won’t be singing it like Aretha Franklin. He says that he will beat the word “respect” into Rock’s head until he is singing it as Ric Flair comes down to the ring, and he says that he wants to follow through on something Taker said because he may be the most respected wrestler of all time. He says that he’s saying that on behalf of the locker room and the fans though his actions last week lost everyone’s respect, and he says that Rock has a concussion and a neck injury as well as nearly end his career as Taker asks who the hell Flair is to say that he doesn’t respect him. Flair says that he’s the 50% owner of the company and Taker says when the real owner gives him the word, he will bust Flair’s ass and Flair says that until that happens, he has bad news for Taker in that Rock will be at No Way Out this Sunday and he will bring everything he has for Taker though he has more bad news as tonight, Taker will face Steve Austin in a match.
 
We see Chris Jericho walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
1. Chris Jericho pins Edge with an inverted Russian legsweep at 3:57.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with a pretty big matchup. Edge was looking to get the IC Title back from William Regal and looks to get a win here over Jericho, who was preparing for his title match in 6 days and looks to get a win here. Edge gets a good pop from the crowd while Jericho was pretty hot as a heel. Edge wastes no time and knocks Jericho over the top to the floor to start the match as he goes outside as well and pounds on Jericho, and he rams Jericho into the steps and the announce table as he pounds on him and throws him back into the ring. Jericho drops an elbow on Edge as he slides into the ring and pounds on him as Edge holds the ropes on a whip and hits a clothesline on Jericho, and he pounds on Jericho who ducks a shot and Edge hits a spin kick as he hits a modified facebuster on Jericho for a two count. Jericho shoves the ref in between them and rakes Edge’s eyes as he pounds on him and hits a back elbow before dropping an elbow on him, and he stomps on Edge and hits a backbreaker as Edge shoves him away only for Jericho to kick him in the ribs twice. He chokes Edge with his boot in the corner and pounds on him as he whips him into the other corner only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post, and Edge knocks Jericho down and pounds on him as he hits a clothesline and Jericho reverses a whip. Edge catches him on a dropkick attempt and slingshots Jericho into the corner as he hits the Edge-o-Matic for a two count, and Jericho catches him ducking with a kick and hits the running bulldog only for Edge to avoid the Lionsault. He looks for the spear only for Jericho to send him into the corner and he trips Edge up as he looks for the Walls of Jericho, but Edge counters with a rollup for a two count and ducks a shot as he gets a kick in though Jericho blocks the Edgecution with a pair of knees. He hoists Edge up for a suplex and drops him on the top rope as he goes outside and brings one of the belts into the ring, but Edge hits the spear for a two count only for Jericho to hit him in the ribs with the belt before hitting the inverted Russian legsweep which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the 4 minutes they got and put on a solid match. The crowd was into the match and Edge, but are not happy when Jericho wins. Jericho steals the win over Edge and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Michael Cole interviews Vince McMahon, who says that he’s here because he’s fond of hogs and swine though he is also a co-owner of the WWF, and he says that maybe he wanted to be here as this is the last RAW before the New World Order arrive this Sunday and a perfect storm is brewing though he might also be here to walk his daughter down the aisle.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
M&Ms Rewind: Kurt Angle defeating Triple H in the handicap match last week on Smackdown
 
We see Triple H in his dressing room watching the monitor and he goes to leave until Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley walks in, and she begs him not to go after Angle and he promised her as she assures she and the baby are fine and he can take Angle out at No Way Out as Triple H says he does have something to take care of and he won’t break his promise.
 
2. Goldust defeats Rikishi by disqualification at 1:31.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Goldust was preparing for his match in 6 days and looks to get a win here over Rikishi, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Goldust gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. Rikishi wastes no time and attacks Goldust to start the match as Goldust reverses a whip and hits a butt slam on Rikishi, and he pounds on Rikishi who reverses a whip though Goldust blocks a belly-to-belly suplex by pounding on Rikishi. He hits a clothesline on Rikishi and stomps on him as he pounds on him until Rikishi reverses a whip and hits a Samoan drop, and he hits a clothesline on Goldust and drags him to the corner as he goes up to the middle rope only for Goldust to get his knees up on the Banzai Drop. He whips Rikishi into the corner and then he rams him into the corner twice as Rob Van Dam runs down to the ring, and he goes up top and hits a side kick on Goldust which draws the DQ and Goldust wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as this was more about furthering the RVD/Goldust feud. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi, but are not happy with the ending. Goldust gets the win over Rikishi by DQ and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, RVD pounds on Goldust on the mat as Goldust turns it around and he pounds on RVD in the corner, and RVD reverses a whip and Rikishi hits a superkick on Goldust as RVD hits a spin kick and Goldust rolls outside to regroup.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Triple H walking down the hallway as he runs into Arn Anderson who says that he’s happy for both him and Stephanie, and he says that a package arrived for him at Ric Flair’s office which he has and he hands it to him before walking away.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Steve Austin, who says that he rolled into town excited and ready to go though he was a bit worried and scared because he learned this was a dry county, and he says that he got anxious so he took Debra and went to the liquor store as he loaded up on numerous liquors and beer because he was going to drink all night long. He says that he’s now excited to be here because he is facing the Undertaker as he will open up a can of whoop-ass on Taker, and he says he will disrespect all over Taker and then at No Way Out, the Undisputed Title is coming with him because he said so and that’s the bottom line.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Jonesboro Convention Center.
 
We see the minister reading from a book of vows while the wedding singers practice.
 
3. Kurt Angle forces the Godfather to tap out at 1:10.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Angle was preparing for his big match in 6 days and looks to get a win here over Godfather, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get an upset win here. Godfather gets a good pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. Angle wastes no time and attacks Godfather to start the match as he pounds and stomps on him repeatedly, and Godfather reverses a whip and hits a big boot on Angle as he fires up his ladies only for Angle to hit a chop block on the knee. He stomps on the knee repeatedly and drops an elbow on it as he drags Godfather to the corner and goes outside, and he rams Godfather’s knee into the post and rolls back into the ring as he continues to stomp on the knee and drops an elbow on it before hooking the Ankle Lock on as Godfather taps out and Angle gets the win. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Godfather puts Angle over strong in 70 seconds. The crowd was into the match and Godfather, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the quick and easy win over Godfather as both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, the ref pulls Angle off the hold though he quickly hooks the Ankle Lock back on Godfather before scaring the ref out of the ring, and he stomps Godfather out of the ring and takes the mike as he says that tonight is supposed to be Triple H’s special night though he thinks Stephanie could do better. He says that he’s here to make a vow of his own as he vows to take the match at No Way Out and kick Triple H’s butt and take his WM title shot, and he vows to become Undisputed Champion as long as they both shall live.
 
We see the Undertaker walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
We see several stylists working on Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley as Triple H comes in and asks for a minute of privacy, and he says that he has something he wanted to give her as he hands her a gift which she opens to reveal a new ring and she says she loves it as he puts it on her finger.
 
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin defeats the Undertaker by disqualification at 4:19.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. Both men were preparing for their matches in 6 days and they face off here to see who builds momentum. Austin gets a huge pop from the crowd while Taker got a mixed reaction from the crowd, but Chris Jericho attacks Austin on the ramp and pounds on him until officials come out and force him to the back. Taker goes outside and pounds on Austin to start the match as he chokes him with his shirt and throws him into the ring, and he stomps on Austin repeatedly in the corner and hits a back elbow as he pounds on him and goes outside. He pounds on Austin and chokes him on the rope before rolling back into the ring as Austin battles back and Taker ducks a shot, and Austin hits the Lou Thesz press on Taker and pounds on him on the mat as he drops an elbow on him and Taker ducks a shot before hitting the flying clothesline. He clotheslines Austin over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he rams the knee into Austin twice though Austin reverses a whip and sends Taker into the steps, and he stomps on Taker repeatedly until Taker reverses a whip and he sends Austin over the barricade into the crowd. He goes into the crowd and pounds on Austin as he drives the elbow into the back of the head and tears at Austin’s face, and he clotheslines Austin over the barricade back to ringside and scratches his back as he throws him back into the ring and stomps on him for a two count. He grinds his arm into Austin’s face and stomps on him as he rams him into the buckle and whips him into the other corner, and he grabs Austin by the throat and hoists him onto his shoulder though Austin slides off and ducks a shot. He gets a kick in and hits the Stunner on Taker though Jericho comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring as he attacks Austin which draws the DQ and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as Taker pretty much dominated all of it until the end when Jericho gets involved. The crowd was into the match and Austin, but are not happy with the ending. Austin gets the win over Taker by DQ and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Jericho stomps on Austin repeatedly and goes outside as he brings one of the belts into the ring only for Austin to catch him in a spinebuster, but Taker hits a big boot on Austin and heads to the back as Jericho pounds on Austin on the mat and stomps on him. He grabs the belt and hits Austin in the head with it as he goes outside and grabs a cooler which he throws into the ring, and he gets in the ring and takes a can of beer out of the cooler as he takes a drink from it and hits Austin in the face with it. He takes out another can and drinks from it as he spits the beer at Austin and then hits him in the face with the can, and then he picks up the cooler and hits Austin with it as he grabs some more beer and mocks Austin by drinking it before spitting it on him.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Chris Jericho leaving the arena.
 
5. Booker T (w/ Test) pins Tazz (w/ Spike Dudley) after a big boot from Test at 2:13.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Tazz was rolling as one half of the tag champions and looks to get a win here over Booker, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Tazz gets a good pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match as Booker gets a kick in and he pounds on Tazz in the corner, and he stomps on Tazz repeatedly in the corner only for Tazz to turn it around and he pounds on Booker in the corner. Booker rakes the eyes and hits a clothesline on Tazz for a two count as Tazz battles back and hits a modified suplex on Booker, and he hits a clothesline and another modified suplex on Booker for a two count as Booker counters a whip with a back elbow. He gets a kick in and hits the scissors kick on Tazz as he does the Spinaroonie though Tazz escapes a Bookend attempt and hooks the Tazzmission on, and the ref gets distracted by Spike as Booker escapes with a low blow and Test gets in the ring as he hits the big boot on Tazz which allows Booker to get the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and Booker steals the win thanks to Test. The crowd was into the match and Tazz, but are not happy when Booker wins. Booker gets the win over Tazz and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Test gets in the ring to celebrate with Booker until Spike gets in the ring and jumps on Test’s back as he chokes him, but Test snaps him to the mat and hits the big boot on Spike as he and Booker stand tall.
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York and we go inside where the Dudley Boyz are as D-Von says that Stacy Keibler embarrassed Torrie Wilson last week and she will embarrass her again, and Bubba says that he wants to know why they haven’t gotten a tag title match as Spike and Tazz need to worry about them.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
6. Stacy Keibler pins Torrie Wilson with a rollup at 1:17.
 
Stipulation: Both women would wrestle the match in bikinis
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Keibler attacked Wilson the previous week after their posedown with Billy and Chuck and now they face off here to settle their issues. Wilson gets a good pop from the crowd while Keibler had solid heat as a heel as both women show off their bikinis. Keibler wastes no time and slaps Wilson in the face to start the match as Wilson returns the favor and she attempts a throw only for Keibler to do a cartwheel, and Wilson hits a clothesline and stomps on Keibler repeatedly as Keibler reverses a whip and Wilson attempts a sunset flip. Both women trade pin attempts and Wilson ducks a shot as she tackles Keibler to the mat and they brawl before rolling over the ref, and Keibler argues with the ref and Wilson slaps her in the face as she pounds on her and whips her into the corner. She misses a charge and rams her shoulder into the buckle as Keibler hooks a rollup which gets the three and she wins the match. The match itself was nothing as it was just about both women competing in bikinis with Keibler getting the win. The crowd was into the match and Wilson, but are not happy when Keibler wins. Keibler gets the win over Wilson and both women move on. Grade: .5
 
We see Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley in their dressing room as she says that it’s time for her to get dressed and she laments that her dad won’t walk her down the aisle, and he says that tonight is about them and they share a kiss as she leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
We see Mr. Perfect playing a game of chess with the 1999 National Amateur Chess Champion and they trade moves until Perfect knocks a chess piece off the table, and the champion goes to pick it up as Perfect moves around a piece and then he makes a move which leads to checkmate as he calls him a loser and he is perfect.
 
7. Rob Van Dam pins Christian with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 6:28.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. RVD was preparing for his match in 6 days and looks to get a win here over Christian, who had lost the European Title two weeks ago and looks to get back on track here. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. Christian wastes no time and attacks RVD from behind to start the match as he pounds and stomps on him in the corner, and he chokes him with his boot and continues to pound on him as he whips him into the other corner only for RVD to catch him with a back elbow. He pounds on Christian in the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs twice as he does a backflip and he fakes Christian out, and he hits a spin kick on Christian who sends him shoulder first into the post and he hoists RVD up for a suplex before dropping him on the top rope. He pounds on RVD and knocks him off the apron into the barricade as he goes outside himself and he rams RVD into the steps, and he throws RVD back into the ring and stomps on him repeatedly as RVD tries to battle back only for Christian to rake the eyes. He pounds on RVD in the corner and chokes him as he whips him into the corner only for RVD to hit a springboard crossbody for a two count, and Christian hits a clothesline on RVD and chokes him on the mat as he pounds on him for a two count and then he hits a powerslam for a two count. He hooks a submission on RVD and kicks at him as he chokes him on the ropes and hits a snapmare before going back to the submission, and RVD fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he pounds on Christian who gets a knee in and he pounds on RVD. RVD ducks a shot and hits a spin kick on Christian as he kicks him in the head and pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Christian into the other corner and hits a monkey flip as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits a rolling senton. He hits a springboard moonsault for a two count and catches a kick attempt as he hits a spin kick on Christian, but Christian gets his knees up on a Rolling Thunder attempt and hooks a rollup for a two count as he ducks a spin kick and looks for an inverted DDT. RVD escapes and Christian catches a kick attempt as he ducks an enzurgiri attempt and hits the inverted DDT for a two count, and he argues with the ref and throws a temper tantrum while RVD goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash on Christian which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. RVD was hitting his groove by this point while Christian was also hitting his groove and they had good chemistry as RVD gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD gets the win over Christian and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, RVD heads up the ramp as Goldust appears on the Titantron and says that it’s stuff like that which made RVD a star and everyone is talking about him, and he says while what he did earlier was impressive, No Way Out will be the feature presentation when they face off and RVD will never forget the name of Goldust.
 
We see Triple H in his dressing room as Arn Anderson comes in and tells him that Linda McMahon has been calling Ric Flair’s office, and he says that she’s been looking for him and he should give her a call as Triple H says he’ll do it right now.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Triple H on the phone with Linda McMahon as he says he wishes she could be here and she says she’s sorry she’s not there, and she says that she has something important to tell him as she asks him about the package saying it was forwarded to her by someone and she sent it to him. He opens the package and finds a videotape as she asks if he has a VCR to watch it and he says he does as he puts the tape in the VCR, and he turns on the TV as she says that the guy he talked to last week isn’t a real doctor but rather an actor. Triple H questions this as he watches an ad for a travel agency and realizes that the actor in the ad is the same man who claimed to be the doctor, and Triple H gets upset as she says that Stephanie has been lying and isn’t pregnant as she says she’s truly sorry and Triple H says he’s sorry too.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley meeting with the wedding singers showing off her dress and she says that it’s great to have a couple singing at her wedding, and she says that she and Triple H are renewing their vows and are expecting a baby as Vince McMahon walks up next to her wearing a tuxedo. He says that she looks nice and she says he does too as he says that he won’t forget what Stephanie did to him and said to him, and he says that he will forgive because he knows that she’s a McMahon and no matter what, she’s his little girl and he will walk her down the aisle tonight as she says this is the happiest night of her life. Just then, Howard Finkel runs up to them and says he needs to talk to Vince immediately though Vince tells him to get lost and he doesn’t care what news he has, and he says that nothing will stop him from doing this and Stephanie says he’s her hero.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the ring set up like a chapel as Triple H comes down to the ring and then we see Vince McMahon walking Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley down to the ring, and the minister begins the ceremony as the crowd chants “What” and Vince tells everyone to show a little bit of respect for this ceremony. The minister continues and concludes his opening words as we see the wedding singers on the stage and they sing “Together”, and the minister continues the ceremony and asks Stephanie to read her vows as she says that she takes Triple H as her husband again. She says that she wanted to do it in front of the world because of how she feels about him right now as his smile lights up her heart, and she says she feels safe by his touch and his words give her encouragement as he’s the only one who hears her. She says that they were destined to be together and she feels blessed as no other words can sum up how she feels other than “I love you”, and the minister asks Triple H to read his vows as Triple H says that what Stephanie said was beautiful and he’s overwhelmed. He says that he wants to stand here in front of everyone and say how he truly feels about her since they met and how he feels right now, and he says that they’ve been together for over 2 years and they’ve had their ups and downs though despite all that, when she told him last week that he was going to be a father it was the greatest moment of his life. He says that since then, he looks at her in a different way as he doesn’t see her as just his wife, but the mother of his child and he loves her more than ever as standing here right now after hearing her words, he sees her in another different light and he sees her now for what she truly is which is a no-good, lying bitch. He asks how she could do this to them and she wanted this so bad that she would lie and use his emotions against him, and he says she wanted this so bad she would hire an actor to play a doctor and show him a picture of their unborn child. He says that he’s done bad things in his life and he admits he’s an asshole though even he wouldn’t stoop this low, and he says that she disgusts him and she only cares about herself as she never cared about them and it was always about her. He says that she doesn’t have to worry about them anymore because as of this moment, their marriage is over and they are through as Vince gets in his face and Triple H knocks him down. He destroys the chapel and blocks a shot as he pounds on Vince before getting a kick in and he hits the Pedigree, and she gets in his face and yells at him only for Triple H to shove her to the mat and he takes off his wedding ring which he throws down at her. He heads up the ramp while she checks on Vince and screams in anger as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty solid episode with a major segment to close the show and continue the build to No Way Out. While the 3 big matches for the PPV are set and being built well, the rest of the card doesn’t feel that fleshed out aside from one or two matches and all of the focus was on the big matches. We had no title matches as Jericho, Goldust, Angle, Austin, Booker, Keibler, and RVD get big wins, and the matches were pretty secondary as the main moment of the show was Triple H ending his marriage with Stephanie in dramatic fashion. 2002 has been an interesting year only two months in and as we continue through No Way Out, we will see how things play out on the Road to WrestleMania especially with the New World Order coming in. As for this show, it is a solid show with a big moment at the end. Final Grade: B-