RAW
March 18th, 2002
Molson Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Randy Orton defeats Justin Credible.
2. Billy Kidman and Tommy Dreamer defeat Brody Steele and Bobby Roode at 5:13.
 
3/23 Jakked taping:
 
1. The APA defeat Mr. Perfect and the Big Bossman at 5:05.
2. Val Venis pins Lance Storm at 5:45.
3. Test pins Tajiri (w/ Torrie Wilson) at 5:36.
4. Scotty 2 Hotty and Albert defeat Crash Holly and Funaki at 6:00.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
“Hollywood’ Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring to a massive pop and he says that he loves the fans as he says that last night, he expected a lot of things including that he would go into WM and have the greatest match of all time with Rock as well as proving that he was the only icon of the WWF. He says that he didn’t expect 70,000 people to be with him every step of the way and for those same fans to chant his name, and he says that for that he wants to thank everyone here and he also wants to thank Rock as he says that he when he came to the WWF, he came here to take Rock out and embarrass him. He says that he was going to run wild all over Rock and when they were in Chicago a few weeks ago where he ran him over with a semi, he didn’t think Rock would come back but he did and last week when he pinned Rock in the handicap match, he didn’t think Rock would come back but he did. He says that last night at WM where he gave Rock the big boot and the legdrop, not only did Rock kick out but he came back and beat him in front of everyone as he says that he’ll admit Rock beat him fair and square so he was man enough to shake his hand after the match. He says that it might be tonight or next week, but someday he and Rock will face off one more time as the Rock comes down to the ring and says that finally he has come back to Montreal, and then he says that finally Hulk Hogan has come back to the Hulkamaniacs. He says that after WM, everyone congratulated him on the greatest match of all time and he was asked how it felt when 70,000 were chanting for Hogan, and he says that the same passion Hogan has and that he has, the fans have as well which allowed the fans to stand on their feet for 30 minutes straight and watch the greatest match of all time. He says that for that passion, he thanks the fans and Hogan as he says that as far as Hogan’s challenge goes, it would be an honor to face him again though he says that despite what happened last night with the Outsiders turning on Hogan, Hogan still is wearing nWo colors. He says that concerning the nWo, he wants Hogan to tell them how he feels as only he can as Hogan tears the shirt off to a big pop, but then the Outsiders come out on the stage as Kevin Nash says that Hogan sure showed them in a big act of defiance. He says that Hogan turned on them before they did and they were brought in to be the poison of the WWF, and he says that the plan was simple as they were to pick off Steve Austin first though the plan didn’t work because Rock had to challenge Hogan at WM. He says that Hogan had to agree to it and they would’ve beat Austin last night 3-on-1 which would’ve let Hogan have his match with Rock, and he says that Hogan couldn’t let his ego jump out of the way and he had to have his night at WM. He says that they were worried about being poison in the WWF only to realize Hogan was the poison of the nWo, and he says that it was never about the people and they weren’t brought in for the people as Rock says that Nash can run his mouth all he wants and he is acting like a bitch. He says that they interrupt him and Hogan to talk about poison though they can try to inject it in them tonight, and Scott Hall asks if Rock and Hogan really want some of them tonight and Rock asks if Hall is stupid as he says the Outsiders can face him and Hogan tonight and they will inject their boots in the Outsiders’ asses. Hogan says that like his partner says, just bring it as Nash asks if Hogan is ready to choke again like he did last night, and Rock asks what the Outsiders are going to do when he and Hogan team up for the first time ever and run wild on them.
 
Commercial break
 
1. Rob Van Dam pins Christian with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 2:45 to retain the WWF Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. RVD won the IC Title last night and looks to have his first successful defense here against Christian, who came close to winning the European Title last night and looks to become champion again. RVD gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian had solid heat as a heel. Christian gets a kick in and pounds on RVD to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, but RVD catches him with a back elbow and hits a springboard kick as he kicks at Christian in the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly. He does a backflip only for Christian to catch him with a boot to the face and he hoists RVD up for a suplex before dropping him on the top rope, and he knocks RVD off the apron into the barricade and goes outside as he throws RVD back into the ring. He stomps on RVD repeatedly and RVD tries to battle back only for Christian to get a knee in and he pounds on him, and RVD hits a spin kick and kicks at Christian as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. He does a front roll and hits a monkey flip on Christian who ducks a shot and he looks for an inverted DDT though RVD blocks it, and he hits a legsweep and the Rolling Thunder on Christian for a two count as Christian rakes the eyes and hits the inverted DDT. He rolls outside and grabs the belt as he heads to the back only for Diamond Dallas Page to come out and throw Christian back into the ring, and Christian ducks a spin kick and RVD catches a kick attempt as he hits the spin kick before going up top and he hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the time they got and put on a basic title match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they had decent chemistry as Page ends up costing Christian the title. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD retains the title over Christian and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Chris Jericho arrive to the arena as he passes by a security guard who says that he’s excited to see him and can rub his loss in his face, and Jericho asks if the guard is from Montreal and he says he is as Jericho assaults him and says no one will have the chance.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Lita pins Trish Stratus with the moonsault at 2:31.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. These two women both came close to winning the Women’s Title last night and now they face off here to settle their issues. Both women get a good pop from the crowd with Stratus getting a slightly bigger pop from her home country. Stratus shoves Lita back to start the match and Lita tackles her to the mat as she pounds on her until Stratus catches her ducking with a kick, and she hits a clothesline on Lita for a two count and hooks a submission on as Lita fights to her feet and escapes the hold with a back suplex. She ducks a shot and pounds on Stratus who reverses a whip and Lita hits a headscissors as she gets a kick in and looks for the Twist of Fate, but Stratus shoves her off and gets a kick in as she hits the Chick Kick on Lita and looks for the Stratusfaction only for Lita to toss her off. She goes up top and hits the moonsault on Stratus 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. Lita was hitting her peak by this point while Stratus was getting into a groove as well, and they had good chemistry with Lita getting the clean win. The crowd was into the match though are not that happy when Lita won. Lita gets the win over Stratus and both women move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Jazz runs down to the ring and nails Lita from behind as she stomps on her repeatedly and looks for the fisherman’s brainbuster, but Stratus nails her from behind and they pound on Jazz until Ivory runs down to the ring and nails Lita before throwing her to the outside. Jazz gets a shot in on Stratus and Ivory gets a kick in as she hits a facebuster on Stratus and offers a handshake to Jazz who accepts it.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside WWF Headquarters and we go inside where Linda McMahon says that she wants to thank the fans and WWF Superstars for making WM a big success, and she says that she wants to inform everyone that the board of directors have reached a decision as they fear the tension between Vince McMahon and Ric Flair will only get worse without action. She says that they are proposing a brand extension where Flair would control RAW while Vince will control Smackdown, and she says that next week there will be a draft where each co-owner will draft talent for their brand with the exception of the Undisputed Champion and Women’s Champion who can be on both shows. She says that this is an exciting venture for the WWF and they feel this is the only solution where the feud between Flair and Vince will become a positive for the company and the fans.
 
We see Vince McMahon walking backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Molson Centre.
 
Vince McMahon comes down to the ring and says that the board of directors have suggested a brand extension which he takes as that he can no longer be on the show he created in RAW, and he says that his sole reason for being here is to give everyone a simple goodbye as he asks if everyone likes that. He says that everyone will miss him and his presence on RAW as he says he won’t miss the fans though instead of having him, the fans will have Ric Flair who isn’t bad though Flair isn’t him and he believes Flair lacks qualities like killer instinct, marketing savvy, and mind manipulation. The fans start chanting “Goodbye” to Vince as Vince says he predicts Flair will be a miserable failure and then Flair comes down to the ring, and Vince says it’s like the Canadians associating themselves with a failure and Flair is here to try and steal his spotlight. He says that Flair can’t stand up straight and he’s not surprised due to the beating he took last night thanks to the Undertaker, and he says that he’s not the kind of guy to hold a grudge though he says he enjoyed every moment of Taker beating Flair down last night. He asks Flair what’s wrong and says the fans can’t sing in tune as he knows Flair’s knees are shaking and asks what he has to say for himself, and Flair says that every time he’s in Vince’s presence he's overwhelmed though he will say what’s on his mind. He says that RAW is Vince’s baby and he created it though he also used it to flaunt his wealth and shove his daughter down their throats, and he says that Vince used the show to make people kiss his ass though he never understood RAW was about the Superstars who busted their asses every week to put on the greatest show ever. He says that he promises Vince that the brand will continue on without Vince’s ass on the show every week, and Vince goes to leave but changes his mind and says that to prove his point he knows they will have a draft on Monday. He says that he will prove that he can draft better than Flair and he will have better Superstars on Smackdown as he proposes they decide right now who will go first with a coin toss, and Flair takes the coin and tells Vince to call it as he flips it with Vince calling heads and we see the coin lands on heads. Vince says Flair should get accustomed to that because starting next Monday, he will win every week while Flair will lose as he knocks Flair down and does a strut to mock Flair. Flair gets to his feet and pounds on Vince as he knocks him down and hooks the Figure-4 on him briefly before heading to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Edge and Kane defeat Booker T and Kurt Angle when Edge pins Angle at 3:49.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first tag match of the night. These four men fought the night before at WM in singles matches and now they face off here in a tag match to finally settle their issues. Edge and Kane get a good pop from the crowd while Angle and Booker were pretty hot as heels. Kane pulls Booker into the ring to start the match as he stomps on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, but Booker catches him with a back elbow and Kane catches him in a sidewalk slam as he goes up top and hits a flying clothesline on Booker for a two count as Angle breaks it up. Booker hits a side kick on Kane and tags Angle as he taunts Kane who grabs him by the throat only for Booker to nail him from behind, and they pound on Kane and hit a double suplex as Kane avoids the scissors kick and hits a clothesline on Booker. Edge tags in and hits a pair of clotheslines on Angle as he hits a backdrop and then he hits an atomic drop on Booker, and he hits a clothesline on Booker and a spin kick on Angle as he goes up top and Angle runs up top only for Edge to shove him back to the mat. He hits a missile dropkick on Angle for a two count as Booker breaks it up and Kane throws Booker over the top to the floor, and Edge ducks a shot only for Angle to block the Edge-o-Matic by hitting a drop toehold and he hooks the Ankle Lock on. Kane gets in the ring and grabs Angle by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam only for Booker to get in the ring and he pounds on Kane, and Kane battles back until Booker ducks a shot and he clotheslines Kane over the top to the floor before going outside himself. Edge gets a kick in though Angle blocks the Edgecution as he gets a kick in only for Edge to escape the Angle Slam while Booker gets in the ring, and Edge avoids a side kick from Booker who hits Angle by mistake and he avoids the spear from Edge who hits Angle for a two count as Kane pulls Booker outside and rams him into the steps. Angle catches a kick attempt and looks for a German suplex though Edge hooks a rollup for a two count and he avoids a charge, and Kane gets a shot in from the floor and Edge kicks at Angle as he hits the Edgecution 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 solid tag match. Both teams had good chemistry together and put on a basic match with Edge getting a huge win by pinning Angle. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge and Kane when they won. Edge and Kane get the win over Angle and Booker as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
4. Maven and Al Snow wrestle to a no contest at 1:56; Maven retains the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. Maven managed to leave WM as Hardcore Champion despite the title being bounced around throughout the night and he looks to have a successful defense here against his mentor Snow. Both men get a good pop from the crowd though they side with Snow over Maven. Snow wastes no time and hits a clothesline on Maven to start the match as he pounds on him and gets a knee in before whipping him into the steps, and he continues to pound on Maven who reverses a whip and he sends Snow into the barricade as he hits a dropkick. He grabs a trash can lid though Snow avoids the swing as he gets a knee in and pounds on Maven before ramming him into the barricade, and he throws him into the ring only for Maven to catch him with a lid shot repeatedly until Snow hits a drop toehold with Maven going face first into the lid. He grabs the lid and hits Maven in the head with it repeatedly as Spike Dudley runs down to the ring with a STOP sign, and he hits Snow in the head with the sign as the ref calls the match off and there is no winner. The match itself was nothing as both men did what they could for the 2 minutes and it dragged until Spike ran out. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and could care less when it ended. The match ends with no winner and Maven retains as something big was about to happen. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Spike pounds on Maven as someone jumps the barricade and gets in the ring as he is revealed to be Brock Lesnar, and he hits a spinebuster on Snow onto a trash can as Maven backdrops Spike over the top to the floor only for Lesnar to hoist him onto his shoulders and he hits a spinning flapjack. We then see Paul Heyman at ringside yelling instructions at Lesnar as Spike goes up top with a stick and breaks it over Lesnar’s head, but Lesnar no-sells it and hits a clothesline on Spike as he grabs him by the legs and hoists him onto his shoulders. He blocks a hurricanrana attempt and hits a trio of powerbombs as Heyman gets in the ring and raises Lesnar’s arm.
 
Commercial break
 
We see highlights from earlier tonight.
 
We see Matt Hardy and Lita backstage kissing until William Regal walks up to them and says that this is quite enchanting to see two young people in love, and he says that with the draft next week the Hardyz could be split up and there’s also a chance that Lita goes to one brand while Matt goes to the other and they won’t see as much of each other which would end their fairy tale.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Billy and Chuck defeat the Dudley Boyz (w/ Stacy Keibler) by disqualification at 1:21 to retain the WWF Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our third and final title match of the night. Billy and Chuck managed to retain the titles the night before and look to have another successful defense here against the Dudleyz, who came close to winning the titles last night and look to do it here. Both teams were pretty hot as heels though the crowd sides more with the Dudleyz. The Dudleyz waste no time and attack Billy and Chuck to start the match as D-Von pounds on Chuck who gets a knee in, and D-Von blocks a back elbow and both men clothesline each other as Bubba tags in and hits a pair of clotheslines on Billy. He hits a sidewalk slam on Billy and a backdrop on Chuck as he clotheslines Chuck over the top to the floor and Billy gets a shot in, and he gets a kick in only for Bubba to hit a slam and he holds his legs up while D-Von goes up top and hits the diving headbutt to the groin. Bubba gets a two count as Chuck breaks it up and Bubba knocks him to the outside as D-Von pounds on Billy, and he whips Billy into the corner and Billy catches him with a back elbow as Keibler gets on the apron to try and distract Billy who waves her off. He hits the One and Only on D-Von as Keibler brings one of the belts into the ring and hits Billy in the back with it which draws the DQ and Billy and Chuck retain. The match itself was nothing as both teams did what they could for the 81 seconds they got and Keibler ends up costing the Dudleyz the match. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy when Billy and Chuck win. Billy and Chuck get the win by DQ over the Dudleyz and retain the titles as both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, the Dudleyz hit the 3-D on Billy until the ref tells them what happened as Keibler gets in the ring and they confront her, and she tries to blow them off and walk away until Bubba grabs her by the hair and he tells D-Von to get a table. D-Von goes outside and pulls a table out as he slides it into the ring and sets it up while Bubba goes up to the middle rope, and D-Von hands Keibler to Bubba and he hits a sitdown powerbomb which puts Keibler through the table.
 
Commercial break
 
Triple H comes down to the ring and says that self-doubt can be your worst opponent as he suffered a career threatening injury last year, and he says that during the rehab he doubted if he could come back and if he would be as good as he once was. He says that last night at WM in front of 68,000 people, he defeated Chris Jericho to become Undisputed Champion and all the doubt went away because he proved to himself and the world that he is the Game and he is that damn good. He says that he now stands here a happy man and he likes to spread the joy around as he wants to show everyone footage from WM last night which he knows will put a smile on everyone’s face, and we see footage from last night of Triple H giving Stephanie McMahon the Pedigree as Stephanie comes out on the stage wearing a neck brace. She says that Triple H thinks he’s funny though she says Jericho wants his title rematch next week on RAW, and he says that Jericho thinks he smells blood and doesn’t want to face him at 100% as Stephanie asks if Triple H is scared. He says that they should up the ante as he wants it to be a handicap match with Jericho teaming with a partner to face him for the title, and she says that’s fine with her and he says that Jericho’s partner will be Stephanie as he also says if he beats her, she leaves the WWF. He says that he is sick of looking at her and listening to her whine as well as her bitch attitude and he wants her out of his business and life, and she says that he’ll have to find another way and she won’t get in the ring with her as she says the people don’t want to see her leave. She says that everyone tunes in to see her every week and he says that she has a point as he asks the fans if they want to see Stephanie stay in the WWF and no one agrees, and he asks how many want to see her leave as everyone cheers and she says that the fans don’t know what they want. He says that everyone wants it and she doesn’t have a choice because if she doesn’t accept the match, Jericho will have to wait until after the draft and one of the owners give him a title shot. She says they need to think about this and she’s sick of his quips as he is on and in one week, she will team with Jericho and face Triple H for the Undisputed Title and she will leave if she gets pinned though she vows Jericho will once again be Undisputed Champion and will leave Triple H a crippled mess. He says that he hopes she has matching neck braces because she will need them and in one week, he will remain Undisputed Champion and he will make her leave the WWF as she will play the Game one more time though if she loses, it’s Game Over.
 
We see the Outsiders walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan and the Rock defeat the Outsiders by countout at 6:09.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. After having one of the most iconic matches in history, Rock and Hogan now team up here to face the Outsiders as Hogan looks for revenge from last night. Rock and Hogan get big pops from the crowd while the Outsiders were red hot as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match as Hall stomps on Hogan repeatedly while Rock pounds on Nash, and he clotheslines Nash over the top to the floor as Hogan battles back on Hall and hits a clothesline before hitting a slam. He rakes his boot across Hall’s face and gets a shot in on Nash as he rams Hall into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner, and he bites Hall in the face and scratches his back as Rock and Hogan trade shots on Hall until Hogan knocks him down. Rock tags in and pounds on Hall who reverses a whip only for Rock to catch him ducking by slamming his head into the mat, and he gets a shot in on Nash and hits the spinebuster on Hall as he looks for the People’s Elbow only for Nash to trip him up from the floor. Hall hits a clothesline and tags Nash who hits a sidewalk slam on Rock for a two count and he rams the knee into Rock in the corner repeatedly, and he pounds on Rock and hits a trio of back elbows as he chokes him with his boot and Hall hits a clothesline from the apron. Hall tags in and stomps on Rock as he pounds on him and Rock tries to battle back only for Hall to catch him on a crossbody attempt and he hits the fallaway slam for a two count, and Nash tags in and pounds on Rock as he chokes him on the ropes and Hall does the same from the floor. Nash slams down on Rock’s back and Hall comes in as he stomps on Rock repeatedly and Nash tags in, and Hall pounds and stomps on Rock in the corner as Nash pounds on Rock who tries to battle back only for Nash to hoist him onto his shoulder. Rock slides off and hits the Rock Bottom on Nash as Hogan gets the hot tag and he hulks up before pounding on Hall, and he gets a shot in on Nash and continues to pound on Hall while Rock comes in and pounds on Nash. He knocks Nash over the top to the floor as Hogan hits the big boot and legdrop on Hall for a two count as Nash pulls Hall out of the ring, and they head to the back and are counted out which gives Hogan and Rock the win. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Rock and Hogan looked decent as a team while the Outsiders were getting back into a groove, and they had decent chemistry as the Outsiders take a walk and allow Hogan and Rock to get the win. The crowd was into the match, but are not happy with the ending. Rock and Hogan get the win over the Outsiders by countout though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, the Outsiders head to the back as Rock and Hogan stand tall in the ring and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty good show and was one of the first big RAWs after WM that we would come to know going forward. The last couple of years has seen the RAW after WM either be pretty memorable or rather forgettable, but this one was definitely memorable and as mentioned, this would be the norm going forward. We did have a few title matches as RVD, Billy, Chuck, and Maven retain their titles while Lita, Edge, Kane, Rock, and Hogan get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as the big moments was the announcement of the draft and brand extension next week as well as the big debut of Brock Lesnar. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point and as we begin a new era next week, the next few months are going to bring much change and a lot of turmoil. As for this show, it is a very solid show coming off a pretty good WM. Final Grade: B+