RAW
March 11th, 2002
Joe Louis Arena
Detroit, Michigan
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert defeat Johnny Destiny and an unknown.
2. Brock Lesnar pins Spike Dudley at 5:05.
 
3/16 Jakked taping:
 
1. The Hurricane pins Funaki at 6:21.
2. Lance Storm pins the Godfather at 4:25.
3. Val Venis forces Perry Saturn to tap out at 5:05.
4. Tajiri pins Crash Holly at 3:42.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Rob Van Dam and the Hardy Boyz defeat William Regal and the Dudley Boyz when RVD pins Regal at 3:52.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with a big 6-man tag match. These 6 men have been going at it for the last few weeks and they face off here to settle their issues while continuing to build to WM. RVD and the Hardyz get a big pop from the crowd while Regal and the Dudleyz had solid heat as heels. RVD wastes no time and hits a slingshot plancha onto Regal on the floor to start the match as the Dudleyz pound on RVD, and the Hardyz go outside and brawl with the Dudleyz as Regal kicks at RVD and throws him back into the ring. He kicks at RVD and pounds on him as RVD reverses a whip into the corner and does a front roll before hitting a monkey flip, and then he hits a somersault senton onto Regal for a two count and pounds on him until Regal gets a knee in. He hits a running kneelift on RVD and tags Bubba who pounds on RVD as RVD ducks a shot and Bubba ducks a spin kick, and RVD hits a legsweep on Bubba and tags Jeff who hits a dropkick on Bubba as he pounds on him in the corner. He knocks Regal off the apron as D-Von pulls a table out from under the ring and Jeff stomps on Bubba in the corner, and D-Von puts the table on the apron only for Jeff to hit a baseball slide that drives the table into D-Von and Bubba dumps Jeff over the top to the floor. He knocks RVD and Matt off the apron as Regal kicks at Jeff and throws him back into the ring as Bubba hits a slam on Jeff, and he holds Jeff’s legs up as D-Von goes up top and hits the diving headbutt to Jeff’s groin as he pounds on Jeff in the corner. He whips Jeff into the other corner as Jeff goes up top and hits Whisper in the Wind on D-Von as Matt gets the hot tag, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Regal and ducks a shot as he kicks at Bubba and hits a DDT before knocking D-Von off the apron. He pounds on Regal in the corner and whips him into the other corner as Jeff comes in and they hit Poetry in Motion on Regal, and Matt hits the Side Effect on Regal for a two count as D-Von breaks it up and RVD kicks at D-Von before kicking Bubba out of the ring. Jeff pounds on D-Von who reverses a whip as Bubba gets in the ring and they hit the 3-D on Jeff as Matt gets in the ring, and he kicks at D-Von and hits the Twist of Fate as Bubba hits a clothesline on Matt and RVD makes a blind tag. Bubba ducks a shot and hits the Bubba Bomb on Matt as RVD goes up top and hits a side kick on Bubba, and he hits a spin kick on Regal and goes up top as he hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic 6-man tag match. RVD and the Hardyz had good chemistry together as did Regal and the Dudleyz and they worked well together, and RVD gets some momentum as he pins Regal to win the match. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD and the Hardyz when they won. RVD and the Hardyz get the win over Regal and the Dudleyz as these issues aren’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
We see footage from earlier tonight of an emergency meeting of the Board of Directors with Vince McMahon and Ric Flair there as Vince makes the argument that Flair is not fit to be co-owner due to his actions the last few months and there must only be one with full power and control.
 
Commercial break
 
Lugz Boot of the Week: Kurt Angle attacking Kane and dropping a garage door on him on Smackdown last week
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and says that he wants to take this time to talk about something that the people of Detroit are familiar with which is crime, and he says that this is more important in he wants to talk about robbery, specifically him being robbed of his WrestleMania title shot. He says that he was about to win the WWF Title for a third time only for Kane to cost him the title and he asks Kane who he thinks he is, and he says that Kane experienced first hand what happens when he cost him the title shot and Kane may be the Big Red Machine, but he’s the Big Red, White, and Blue Machine. He says that if that chair shot last week was bad, he’s not seen anything yet because he spoke to Vince and got his approval to face Kane at WM, and he says that he’ll make Kane’s childhood look tame and he realizes that it’s not Kane’s fault that he’s not wrestling for the title at WM. He says that there’s another reason for that which is the stupidity of the WWF fans and every time he walks out here, the crowd chants “You Suck” at him and he calls them morons and idiots as he wants someone to tell him how the fans got so stupid. Just then, Booker T comes down to the ring and says that he is sick and tired of Angle running his mouth and calling the people stupid, and he says that he’s pissed off because the people here tonight aren’t stupid though they are actually beyond stupid. He says that they are brain dead and they are the reason why he lost his endorsement deal let alone any title shot, and he says that this is his first WM and he has no title shot or even a match which isn’t right as Angle agrees that it’s not right. Just then, Edge comes out on the stage and says that he can’t believe Booker is complaining about not having a title shot as he is the dumbest man in the company, and he says that someone with the name “book” in his name hasn’t read one though Booker can cheer up because if he wants an opponent for WM, he’s looking at him. Booker says that he can dig that and Edge says that Angle doesn’t realize that he’s just really white as he shouldn’t try to be cool, and Angle says that “cool” is his middle name and he has more soul in his pinky than the whole arena combined. He then does his own version of the Spinaroonie and Edge says that they just witnessed the first Dork-a-Roonie as Angle asks if he’s jealous, and he says that he knows Booker can beat Edge at WM though they should get some practice tonight by teaming up against Edge and a partner of his choice tonight. Booker says that he can dig that and Edge can find a partner as Edge says that even though Kane isn’t here, he can find someone to team with as he wants Angle’s music to play so they can practice the “You Suck” chants which the crowd does.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office with Triple H’s bulldog Lucy as she says Lucy is the ugliest dog she’s ever seen in her life and she’s more like a pig, and she says that she hopes Lucy like being in a cage because that’s where she’ll be for the rest of her life. She says that Triple H might love her, but she hates him as Triple H comes in and takes Lucy as he fawns over her as he says that he appreciates her bringing the dog, and Stephanie says that Lucy isn’t his dog anymore as according to a court order, Lucy belongs to her as she went to the judge and told him how much Triple H mistreats her. She says the judge issued Lucy to her until the divorce is finalized and she asks who the bitch is now, and Triple H warns her not to screw with Lucy and he dares her to try her as he hands Lucy back to Stephanie and walks away as Stephanie says she will introduce Lucy to the Undisputed Champion who hates dogs more than her.
 
2. Test pins Rikishi with the big boot at 1:57.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Rikishi had saved Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert from Test and Mr. Perfect last week and now Test looks for revenge here against Rikishi. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Test had solid heat as a heel. Rikishi ducks a shot and pounds on Test to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner until Test battles back, and he whips Rikishi into the corner and splashes him as he whips him into the other corner and splashes him again. He stomps on him repeatedly and chokes him with his boot as Rikishi reverses a whip though Test blocks a belly-to-belly suplex with a shot, and Rikishi ducks the big boot and hits a superkick on Test as he hits a Samoan drop and the Earthquake Splash on Test. He splashes Test in the corner as Mr. Perfect runs down to the ring only for Rikishi to get a shot in and he slings Perfect into the ring, and he clotheslines Perfect over the top to the floor only for Test to hit the big boot which gets the three and he wins the match. 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. Rikishi was slowly getting back into a groove while Test was hitting his groove, and they had decent chemistry as Perfect helps Test get the win. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi, but are not happy when Test wins. Test gets the win over Rikishi and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: .5
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office with Lucy as she tries to force the dog off the couch and then Chris Jericho comes in, and she tells Jericho to take the dog off the couch which he does and she says that the look on Triple H’s face when she showed him the court order was priceless. He says that she’s screwing with his mind and she says that maybe he could have Lucy in his corner as the mascot, and they both smell something and realize the dog pooped on the carpet as she hands him the leash and tells him to take the dog for a walk while bringing someone in to clean up the mess.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Joe Louis Arena.
 
We see Chris Jericho walking Lucy to the garage as Jericho rants about what he is doing and he asks if Lucy likes playing games, and he says that he has a game for them as he ties the leash to a limo door handle and says that he’s going to leave her out here.
 
We see Diamond Dallas Page talking to a stage hand in catering as Christian walks up with a big smile on his face and compliments his headset, and Page says that Christian needs to be more natural as Billy and Chuck walk up and say they are those kind of people. They say that Christian hasn’t won a singles match in forever and never will as he says Page is a bigger loser, and Christian says that he’s not a loser and will prove it as he’s ready to snap his losing streak tonight against Billy who he says was once called the “Ass Man” as Billy says he will see him in the ring and Chuck says Christian should throw a hissy fit which is what he does best.
 
We see more footage from earlier today of the emergency board meeting where Vince shows the footage from Smackdown last week and tells the board members to keep that in mind when making a decision.
 
Commercial break
 
Skittles WrestleMania Moment: The Undertaker winning the WWF Title at WrestleMania 13
 
3. Al Snow pins Goldust with the Snow Plow onto a trash can at 1:01 to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Goldust has been rolling as Hardcore Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Snow, who was focusing more on Tough Enough and looks to become champion again. Snow gets a decent pop from the crowd while Goldust had decent heat as a heel as he brings out various golden weapons. Snow avoids a trash can toss to start the match as he pounds on Goldust and throws him into the ring, but Goldust catches him with a trash can lid to the face and he rams Snow into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner. He whips Snow into the other corner and ties him up in the ropes though Snow avoids the Shattered Dreams, and he grabs a fire extinguisher and sprays Goldust with it as he hits the Snow Plow onto a trash can which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match was nothing as both men did what they could for the 61 seconds they got and put on a quick brawl. The crowd was into the match and popped for Snow when he won. Snow gets the win over Goldust and is once again Hardcore Champion as both men move on. Grade: .5
 
We see Lucy still tied up to the limo as Chris Jericho is on the phone with Stephanie as he asks if everything is taken care of, and he asks the limo driver if they can go somewhere to get some air freshener and the driver lets him in. He backs up though the driver says that they hit something as they get out and they realize that they ran over Lucy as Jericho says the driver needs to take care of it and he walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Triple H go out to the parking lot as he confronts the limo driver who tells him he accidentally ran over his dog though she is still alive as Triple H calls out for her and demands someone get help.
 
4. Kurt Angle and Booker T defeat Edge and the Big Show when Show taps out at 4:38.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. Edge and Booker were now set to face off at WM and they face off here with Booker teaming with Angle and Edge teaming with Show. Edge and Show get a good pop from the crowd while Angle and Booker were pretty hot as heels. Show starts off the match with Booker who ducks a shot and he kicks at Show before pounding on him, and Show counters a whip with a clothesline and then he whips Booker into the corner as Booker catches him with a boot to the face. Angle tags in and pounds on Show who hits a double clothesline and he whips Angle hard into the corner as he hits a press slam, and he pounds on Angle in the corner and hits a headbutt as he then hits a hiptoss on Angle and hits a second headbutt. He rams the knee into Angle in the corner and hoists him up only for Angle to slide off and he rams Show into the corner, and he hits a chop block on the knee and hooks the Ankle Lock on Show who kicks Angle off and sends him over the top to the floor. Booker comes in and Show sends him over the top to the floor as Edge goes up top and he stands on Show’s shoulders, and he leaps off of Show and hits a crossbody onto Booker and Angle on the floor as he throws Angle back into the ring. He ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster on Angle for a two count as Angle rakes the eyes and whips Edge into the corner, and Edge catches him with a boot to the face only for Booker to hotshot him on the top rope and Angle hits a German suplex on Edge. Booker tags in and rams Edge into the buckle as he stomps on him in the corner repeatedly and Edge ducks a shot before hitting a spin kick, and Show gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines on Angle as he hits a pair of big boots on both men. He grabs both men by the throats though both men kick at him and Show blocks a double suplex attempt by hitting one of his own, and Edge hits a clothesline on Angle and clotheslines Booker over the top to the floor as he kicks at Angle. Angle blocks the Edgecution and sends Edge over the top to the floor as Show grabs Angle by the throat and hoists him up, but Booker comes in and hits a side kick on Show as Edge comes in and hits the spear on Booker. Angle hits the Angle Slam on Show and then he hooks the Ankle Lock on as Show taps out and Angle wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a decent tag match. Edge and Show looked decent as a team as did Angle and Booker and they had good chemistry as Angle gets the win going into WM. The crowd was into the match and Edge and Show, but are not happy when Angle and Booker win. Angle and Booker get the win over Edge and Show as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Stephanie McMahon freaking out in her office as Chris Jericho walks in and she yells at him for what happened as he says Triple H will kill her and he cares too much about the dog, and Jericho says that he will take care of Triple H and tells Stephanie to relax.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside WWF New York and we go inside where Torrie Wilson, Jacqueline, and Terri Runnels pose for the fans in bikinis.
 
5. Christian (w/ Diamond Dallas Page) pins Billy (w/ Chuck) after a Diamond Cutter at 2:08.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Christian has been looking to get back on track thanks to Page and looks to get a win here over Billy, who was preparing for his title match at WM and looks to get a win here. Christian gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Billy had decent heat as a heel. Chuck distracts Christian to start the match as Billy pounds on him and Christian ducks a shot before catching him ducking with a kick, and he pounds on Billy who catches him in a tilt-a-whirl powerslam for a two count and he rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner. He stomps on him repeatedly and continues to pound on him as he whips him into the other corner and splashes him, and he gets a kick in and hits the jackhammer on Christian who avoids the Fameasser by rolling outside to regroup. He throws a tantrum as Page tries to calm him down until the ref forces him back and Chuck hits a clothesline on Christian, and he throws Christian back into the ring and Billy hits the Fameasser as Page gets in the ring and hits the Diamond Cutter on Billy which allows Christian to get the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Billy pretty much dominated until Page helps Christian win. The crowd was into the match and did pop for Christian when he won. Christian gets the win over Billy and breaks his losing streak as both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Chuck helps Billy to the back as Page gets in the ring and celebrates with Christian who then gives him an inverted DDT, and he pounds on Page on the mat and stomps on him as he hits the Unprettier and heads to the back.
 
We see more footage from earlier today of the emergency board meeting as Vince continues to make the case that he should have full control due to Flair’s actions which he calls humiliating and the board needs to do the right thing.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Jazz and Stacy Keibler defeat Trish Stratus and Lita when Jazz pins Lita at 2:24.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our third tag match of the night. Lita and Stratus were set to face Jazz at WM for the Women’s Title and they team up here to face Jazz and Keibler. Lita and Stratus get a good pop from the crowd while Jazz and Keibler had decent heat as a heel. Jazz wastes no time and hits a spinning sidewalk slam on Stratus to start the match as she and Keibler stomp on Stratus repeatedly, and Stratus battles back on Jazz who gets a shot in and she hits a backdrop on Stratus as Lita tags in and they lock up with Jazz hooking a headlock. Lita whips her off and hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam for a two count as she pounds on Jazz who catches her ducking with a kick, and Lita gets a shot in only for Jazz to hotshot her on the top rope and she hoists her up in a double chickenwing before slamming her to the mat. Keibler tags in and stomps on Lita in the corner as she chokes her with her boot and Jazz gets a shot in from the apron, and Lita ducks a spin kick and hits a spinout powerbomb on Keibler for a two count as Jazz breaks it up. Stratus comes in and pounds on Jazz as she stomps on her in the corner and pounds on her while Lita whips Keibler into the other corner, and she catches Keibler on a leap and tosses her over the top to the floor as Jazz pounds on Stratus in the corner. Lita nails Jazz from behind and they hit a double flapjack on Jazz as they pound on her until Lita holds her from behind, but Jazz avoids the Chick Kick from Stratus who hits Lita by mistake and Jazz hooks a rollup which gets the three and she wins the match for her team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard for the time they got and put on a basic match. Stratus and Lita looked decent as a team as did Keibler and Jazz, and they had decent chemistry as Jazz gets the win after the mistake from Stratus. The crowd was into the match and Stratus and Lita, but are not happy when Jazz and Keibler win. Jazz and Keibler get the win over Stratus and Lita as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Triple H storm into the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
Triple H barges into Stephanie McMahon’s office though she is nowhere to be found and he leaves.
 
Stephanie McMahon comes down to the ring and says that she knows Triple H is here as what happened to Lucy was an accident, and she says that neither she nor Jericho had anything to do with what happened as she says she would never wish harm upon her. She says that she knows how much Triple H loves her as Triple H comes down to the ring and he chases her around the ring and up the ramp until he grabs her by the hair. He throws her back into the ring and she tries to crawl out of the ring though he pulls her back in as he sets her up for the Pedigree, but then Chris Jericho runs down to the ring with the sledgehammer and he hits Triple H in the leg with it. Triple H gets to his feet and goes after Jericho who hits him in the leg again with the sledgehammer as officials come out, and Jericho and Stephanie head to the back as officials help Triple H to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see officials and EMTs checking on Triple H backstage.
 
We see more footage from earlier today of the emergency board meeting where Flair confirms he will face the Undertaker at WM and Linda McMahon declares that the board will grant temporary full control to Vince until after WM, and Flair tells Vince that he will settle the score with Taker at any cost.
 
We see the New World Order in their dressing room as they say it’s 6 days until WM and they will show who deserves to be called a legend, and they say that in 6 days they will take out Rock and Austin though it starts tonight as they will be in a WWF ring for the first time and they will make history.
 
Commercial break
 
7. The New World Order defeat Stone Cold Steve Austin and the Rock in a handicap match when “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan pins Rock at 9:13.
 
Analysis: After a long and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Rock and Austin have been going at it with the nWo since they arrived last month and they face off here in a handicap match to build momentum to WM. Rock and Austin get huge pops from the crowd while the nWo were red hot as heels. Rock starts off the match with Hall who gets a shot in and he pounds on Rock who battles back until Hall reverses a whip, and Rock catches him ducking by slamming Hall’s head into the mat and he hits a clothesline as he gets a shot in on Nash. He calls for Hogan to come in and he knocks Hall down as he pounds on him until Hall reverses a whip and Nash gets a shot in from the apron, and Rock nails Nash only for Hall to hit a clothesline for a two count as Nash tags in and he pounds on Rock. Rock ducks a shot and pounds on Nash who gets a knee in and he hits a sidewalk slam on Rock for a two count, and he hoists Rock onto his shoulder and hits Snake Eyes as Hall hits a clothesline from the apron and Hogan tags in. He pounds on Rock and hits a clothesline as he pounds on him on the mat and hits a back suplex before tagging Hall, and he stomps and pounds on Rock in the corner as Rock tries to battle back only for Hall to hit a drop toehold. Nash tags in only to miss the elbow and Austin gets the hot tag as he fires up on the nWo and he hits the Lou Thesz Press on Nash before pounding on him on the mat, and he kicks at Hall and hits a spinebuster as he stomps on him repeatedly and rams him into the buckle. He whips Hall into Nash and hits a double clothesline on the Outsiders as he gets a knee in and rams Hall into the buckle again, and Nash reverses a whip and hits a big boot on Austin as Hall tags in and he stomps on Austin repeatedly. He pounds on Austin in the corner and stomps on him as he hits the fallaway slam on Austin for a two count, and Nash tags in as Hogan chokes Austin from the apron and Nash rams the knee into Austin repeatedly in the corner. He pounds on Austin and hits a pair of back elbows as Austin battles back until Nash gets a knee in and tags Hall, and he kicks at Austin and pounds on him as both men block a hiptoss attempt and Hall hits a clothesline for a two count. Hogan tags in and hits a slam on Austin as he chokes him on the mat and pounds on him before ramming him into the buckle, and Hall tags in and pounds on Austin in the corner as he stomps on him and hits a chokeslam for a two count. He looks for the Outsider’s Edge though Austin escapes with a backdrop and he fires up on Hall as he gets a kick in, but Hall blocks the Stunner and Austin gets a shot in on Nash only for Hall to hit a clothesline and Rock gets the hot tag. He fires up on Nash and ducks a shot as he hits a flying clothesline and he kicks at Hall before hitting a DDT, and Nash hits a clothesline on Rock and tags Hogan as Rock nips up and squares off with Hogan until Nash nails him from behind. Hogan rams Rock into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as Rock tries to battle back only for Hall to nail him from behind, and Austin knocks Hall to the outside as Hogan pounds on Rock and hits the big boot before hitting the legdrop which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was pretty good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid match. Rock and Austin looked good as a team while the nWo looked good for their first big match in several years, and they had good chemistry as the nWo are able to win thanks to the numbers advantage. The crowd was into the match and Rock and Austin, but are not happy when the nWo win. The nWo get the win over Austin and Rock as these issues aren’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Austin returns to the ring and tackles Hogan to the mat as he pounds on him on the mat until Nash drops an elbow on Austin, and Hall kicks at Austin and hits the Stunner as the nWo stand tall and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty solid show as we head down the final stretch to WrestleMania X8. Obviously, the big matches for that show were already set and while we did get a few more announced for the show, there was no question that most of the focus was going to be on the big matches. We did get a title match as Snow rules the Hardcore Division while RVD, the Hardyz, Test, Angle, Booker, Christian, Jazz, Keibler, and the nWo get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest was standard for TV as more matches for WM were made. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as there seemed to be a lot going on and as we get to WM, we will see if that show delivers given the hype going in. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to serve as the go-home RAW to WM. Final Grade: C+