RAW
April 29th, 2002
HSBC Arena
Buffalo, New York
 
5/5 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Mr. Perfect defeats Tommy Dreamer.
2. D-Lo Brown defeats the Big Bossman.
3. Trish Stratus defeats Molly Holly (w/ Crash Holly).
4. Rob Van Dam defeats Justin Credible.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Eddie Guerrero pins Jeff Hardy with the Frog Splash at 6:50 to retain the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. Eddie has been rolling as IC Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Jeff, who was cruising in the tag division and looks to become champion again. Jeff gets a good pop from the crowd while Eddie was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Eddie hooking a headlock and he takes him to the mat as Jeff escapes with a headscissors, and Eddie escapes with a nip up and they lock up with Jeff backing Eddie into the corner and Eddie trips Jeff up for a one count. Jeff hits a pair of armdrags on Eddie and works the arm as Eddie tries to escape with an armdrag though Jeff hangs on and continues to work the arm, and Eddie backs Jeff into the ropes and pounds on him as Jeff reverses a whip and leaps over him before hitting a hooking clothesline for a two count. He stomps on Eddie in the corner and Eddie reverses a whip into the other corner as Jeff catches him in a headscissors, and Eddie rolls outside to regroup before returning to the ring and he hits a dropkick to the knee as he stomps on it. He pounds on Jeff in the corner and hits a side dropkick as he continues to pound on him and he hits a back suplex, and he goes out to the apron only to miss the slingshot somersault senton and Jeff trips him up as he hooks a rollup for a two count. Eddie hits a clothesline and a brainbuster on Jeff as he goes up top only for Jeff to pound on him and he goes up himself, and he hits a superplex on Eddie and catches a kick attempt as he ducks a shot and kicks at him before hitting a jawbreaker. He pounds on Eddie who reverses a whip and Jeff hits a flying forearm as he rams Eddie into the buckle and stomps on him in the corner, and Eddie reverses a whip into the other corner only for Jeff to kick at him and he trips him up as he hits a legdrop to the groin. He goes up top only for Eddie to crotch him on the top rope and he goes up himself though Jeff shoves him to the mat, but he misses the Swanton though he ducks a shot as Eddie avoids hitting the ref while Jeff goes up top and hits Whisper in the Wind that takes both Eddie and the ref out. Eddie hits a clothesline on Jeff and goes outside as he grabs the belt and Jeff hits a low dropkick on Eddie, and he attempts a slingshot plancha only for Eddie to hit him with the belt and he throws him back into the ring. He goes up top and hits the Frog Splash on Jeff which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid, if somewhat sloppy title match. Eddie was slowly getting back into a groove while Jeff looked fine in this solo outing, and they had decent chemistry as Eddie uses the belt to advance. The crowd was into the match and Jeff, but are not happy when Eddie wins. Eddie retains the title over Jeff and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see highlights from RAW last week.
 
We see footage from moments ago of Steve Austin arriving to the arena and he tells a stagehand to tell Ric Flair that he wants to see him in the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
Steve Austin comes down to the ring and says that he’s not in a good mood tonight as he says that he’s pissed off though he wants to tell a story, and he says the story is about himself and he had a match at Backlash with the Undertaker with Ric Flair making him the referee. He says that he had his foot on the rope and Flair still counted three as he tried to apologize and said he made a mistake, and he says that Flair put him in a tag match with Bradshaw against the New World Order only for Bradshaw to get attacked. He says that Flair named Big Show as his new partner though Show ended up turning on him during the match, and he says that he wants Flair to come out and tell him that he has a match against Show tonight as Flair comes out on the stage. Austin says that Flair needs to come down to the ring and look him in the eye as Flair says the reason he’s on the stage is because he doesn’t want anything to happen where he has to suspend Austin or worse, and he says that he doesn’t appreciate Austin saying that he had something to do with what Show did last week. Austin flips him off and Flair says that’s the second time he’s done that as he’s come out here to say that he’s sorry, and Austin says that Flair still hasn’t given him what he wants and Flair says that when Bradshaw went down, he wouldn’t see Austin stand alone against the nWo which is why he got him the best partner he could find. He says that he’s looked everyone in the eye and said Austin is the man as he likes and respects him, and he says that everyone wants to take him on and Show wants to be where Austin currently is as he says that the match sounds great. He says that it can’t happen and he knew Austin would be a lunatic tonight as he took the liberty of sending Show to India on a promotional tour, and he says he didn’t want Austin to get in trouble because he respects him and he wants to make it up to him tonight. He says that he will have Austin and Bradshaw team up again against the nWo as Austin says that’s the same match made last week, and Flair says it will be different this week as he will appoint a guest referee that will make sure justice prevails and that is him. Austin says that Flair is going to be in the ring and Flair says that Austin might be the man, but if he lays his hands on him there will be hell to pay and Austin says he will touch him anytime he wants and if Flair screws him, he will open up a can of whoop-ass on him which is the bottom line because he said so.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Booker T looking at himself in a mirror as Goldust walks up to him and Booker says they’re not teaming up tonight as he is facing RVD tonight, and Goldust says that he feels abandoned as they are the greatest tag team ever assembled though he will now face Spike Dudley in a singles match. Booker tells him to get out of his face before he kicks his ass and Goldust says he has no choice as he takes his wig off and puts it on Booker, and Booker looks in the mirror and says he doesn’t look like that as Goldust says Booker looks like the child of Denzel Washington and Lil’ Kim.
 
2. Rob Van Dam pins Booker T with the 5-Star Frog Splash at 3:17.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. RVD was looking to get back on track after losing the IC Title and looks to get a win here over Booker, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Booker backing RVD into the corner and he stomps on him repeatedly as he pounds on him, and he continues to stomp and pound on RVD who ducks a back elbow and he flips over Booker’s back as he hits a spin kick. He pounds on Booker who counters a whip by getting a knee in and RVD catches him with a spin kick for a two count, and RVD pounds on Booker who reverses a whip and RVD does a backflip over him only for Booker to counter a hurricanrana with a powerbomb. RVD rolls outside to regroup and Booker goes outside as well as he rams RVD into the steps and throws him back into the ring, and he hits a side kick on RVD for a two count and hooks a submission on as RVD fights to his feet only for Booker to get a shot in. He whips Booker into the corner and RVD leaps over him as he ducks a shot and hits a springboard crossbody for a two count, and he catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick on Booker as he hits the Rolling Thunder for a two count. Just then, Goldust comes down to ringside as they trade blows with RVD taking control and he whips Booker into the corner, and Booker blocks a monkey flip attempt and hooks a rollup while using the ropes for leverage for a two count. RVD escapes a suplex attempt as Goldust gets on the apron and RVD ducks a shot with Goldust nailing Booker by mistake, and RVD kicks Goldust to the floor and hits a spin kick on Booker as he goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and still had good chemistry as Goldust ends up costing Booker the match. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD gets the win over Booker and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the HSBC Arena.
 
Terri Runnels interviews Bradshaw, who says that he’s unstable and pissed off as he knows it was Big Show who attacked him and he’s never heard of a fair fight, and he says that when Show comes back from India, he will learn there’s no such thing as a fair fight as he will take out Show like he was left. He says that since Show is not here, he and Austin have a present for Buffalo as they will light up the nWo like a fireworks display and he doesn’t care what side Flair is on though he better stay out of the way.
 
We see Jazz doing pushups backstage as Molly Holly walks up to her and says that she’s the toughest woman she’s met, and she says that Jazz must be crazy challenging for the Hardcore Title as Bubba put her through a table once and Jazz isn’t as tough as Bubba. Jazz stands up and stares her down before walking away as Molly says maybe she is.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews Shawn Stasiak, who says that many think he’s not up to the task of facing Brock Lesnar and his world doesn’t rotate on the same axis as Earth, and he says that Lesnar is big but the power of Planet Stasiak will overcome him.
 
We see Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) defeats Shawn Stasiak when the referee stops the match at 1:50.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Lesnar has been gaining steam since debuting and looks to get another win here over Stasiak, who was looking to re-establish himself and looks to get an upset win here. Stasiak gets a tepid reaction from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. Stasiak wastes no time and tackles Lesnar to the mat to start the match as he pounds on Lesnar on the mat, and he goes behind Lesnar and takes him to the mat only for Lesnar to catch him in a spinebuster. He slides outside and pulls Stasiak to the floor as he hoists him up and rams his back into the post twice, and he throws him back into the ring and rams him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly. He hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Stasiak and then he hits a gutwrench suplex as he hoists Stasiak onto his shoulders and hits the F-5, and then he hit a spinning powerbomb on Stasiak as the ref calls the match off and awards it to Lesnar. The match itself was basically a squash as Stasiak got a few shots in, but he puts Lesnar over strong in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and are not happy with the ending. Lesnar gets the win over Stasiak and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
We see Ric Flair on the phone with someone as he says he will prove he’s telling the truth and then Debra comes in, and he says that he wants her to help him make Austin believe him as Debra says that Austin had a message for him and she slaps Flair in the face before telling him not to trust anyone and she leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the Undertaker backstage as he walks up to Sgt. Slaughter and says that Hogan and Slaughter go back a long way and they had many battles, and he says that they’ve become friends and have respect for each other as he wants Slaughter to give Hogan a message in that he’s here and will call him out to the ring as they have some things to get straight.
 
4. Stone Cold Steve Austin and Bradshaw defeat the New World Order when Austin pins X-Pac at 7:32.
 
Special Guest Referee: “Nature Boy” Ric Flair
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. These two teams were supposed to face off last week though didn’t after Bradshaw was attacked and Show took advantage to attack Austin, but now they will face off here with the wildcard being Flair as the ref. Austin and Bradshaw get a big pop from the crowd while the nWo were pretty hot as heels and Flair gets a mixed reaction from the crowd. Bradshaw tosses X-Pac into the ring and pounds on him to start the match as he rams him into the buckle and gets a knee in, and he pounds on X-Pac in the corner and X-Pac ducks a shot as Bradshaw hits a big boot and he knocks Hall to the floor. He rams X-Pac into the buckle and whips him into the other corner as he splashes him and pounds on him, and X-Pac ducks a shot and hits a spin kick on Bradshaw as Hall tags in and pounds on Bradshaw in the corner. Bradshaw battles back on Hall in the corner and Hall reverses a whip as Bradshaw knocks him down and he drops an elbow on him for a one count, and Austin tags in and teases a test of strength with Hall as he gets a series of kicks in and he works on Hall’s arm. Hall backs Austin into the corner and Austin blocks a shot as he rakes the eyes and rams him into the buckle, and he stomps on Hall repeatedly in the corner as X-Pac comes in and Austin knocks him down before sending him to the outside. He hits a clothesline on Hall for a two count and Bradshaw tags in as he pounds on Hall and he hits a suplex for a two count, and he rams Hall into the buckle and whips him into the other corner as he splashes him and hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Austin tags in and kicks at Hall who catches him ducking with a kneelift and he tags X-Pac only for Austin to hit a clothesline, and he hits a back suplex on X-Pac and whips him hard into the corners as he pounds on him and chokes him on the ropes. He gets a knee in and tags Bradshaw who gets a kick in as he puts X-Pac on the top rope and he goes up himself, but X-Pac shoves him to the mat and sets himself on the top rope as Bradshaw catches him on a crossbody attempt and hits the fallaway slam. He looks for a powerbomb only for Hall to get a shot in and Bradshaw knocks him down as X-Pac hits a dropkick to the knee, and Hall hits the fallaway slam on Bradshaw for a two count and tags X-Pac who kicks at Bradshaw’s knee and drives his knee into it repeatedly. He pounds on Bradshaw who catches him on a spin kick attempt and he hits a powerbomb as Austin gets the hot tag, and he fires up on the nWo and hits a backdrop on X-Pac as Hall ducks a shot and Austin hits the Lou Thesz Press before pounding on Hall on the mat. He drops an elbow on Hall and X-Pac catches Austin with a spin kick as Austin reverses a whip and hits a spinebuster, and he hits a spinebuster on Hall and kicks at X-Pac who blocks the Stunner only for Austin to hit a double clothesline. Bradshaw rams Hall into the buckle and sends him to the outside as X-Pac reverses a whip and Austin holds the rope to avoid a dropkick, and Austin gets a kick in and hits the Stunner on X-Pac which gets the three and wins the match even though Hall put X-Pac’s foot on the rope. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Austin and Bradshaw looked good as a team while the nWo were hitting their stride as a unit, and they had good chemistry as they call back to Backlash with Flair missing X-Pac’s foot on the rope. The crowd was into the match and popped for Austin and Bradshaw when they won. Austin and Bradshaw get the win over the nWo though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
We see Ric Flair in his office as the New World Order barge in and Flair is sorry that they lost though they say X-Pac’s foot was on the rope, and they say that Flair is lucky that he’s the owner because they would take him out if he was wrestling as Flair tells them to be careful what they wish for.
 
The Undertaker comes down to the ring and says there’s an old expression that goes the more things change, the more they stay the same which goes for Hogan because he remembers his first run in the WWF. He says that he remembers the fans cheering for Hogan and wanted to see their hero though back in the day, when he came to the ring the fans would frown and cry as those same fans hid in fear like Hogan is afraid of facing him. He says that Hogan needs to realize is he’s not like everyone else like Rock or Triple H as he’s not impressed with Hogan, and he says that he’s beaten Hogan before and he knows that he is better than Hogan now as well as in his prime. He says that Hogan knows the pain he is capable of inflicting on anyone he chooses and that’s why Hogan ran away from the WWF, and he says that Hogan knew if he stayed, he would get hurt and Hogan doesn’t want a part of him which is why he’ll lose on Smackdown to Chris Jericho. He says that he can do much more than take the title as he can take a living icon and make him a bloody shell of a man, and he says that Hogan just has to ask Ric Flair as Hogan needs to come to grips with the fact that when you face him, the party is over and that’s why he hopes Hogan beats Jericho as he wants Hogan to be champion at Judgment Day. He says that’s why he helped Hogan at Backlash because he wants to see the look on the fans’ face when he destroys the legend of Hulk Hogan, and he says the scariest part about it is there’s nothing Hogan can do about it as Hogan comes down to the ring. He gets in Taker’s face and Taker says that he sees in Hogan’s eyes that he wants a piece of him as he might have something to say, and he says that he knows what Hogan wants to say which is when Hulkamania runs wild on him, he will beat him down like the bitch he is and Hogan nails him as Taker goes outside and heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from earlier today of Bubba Ray Dudley’s thoughts about Jazz challenging him to the Hardcore Title.
 
5. Bubba Ray Dudley wrestles Jazz to a no contest when Steven Richards pins Bubba at 4:00 to win the WWE Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second title match of the night. Bubba has been rolling as Hardcore Champion and faces a unique challenge here in Jazz, who was rolling as Women’s Champion and looks to become a double champion. Bubba gets a good pop from the crowd while Jazz had solid heat as a heel. Jazz wastes no time and pounds on Bubba to start the match as Bubba blocks a whip and Jazz gets a series of kicks in, and Bubba grabs Jazz and puts her on the top rope as he blows her a kiss and she jumps on his back to choke him. He tosses her to the mat and they lock up with Jazz working the arm which he no-sells and he works on Jazz’s arm before doing a dance with her, and she attempts a short clothesline though he knocks her down and he does a dance as she challenges him to a test of strength. He toys and mocks her until she hits a low blow and she rolls outside as she throws various weapons into the ring, and she hits him in the head twice with a trash can lid and then she dropkicks the lid in his face as she hits a pair of legdrops for a two count. He catches a kick attempt and bites Jazz on the ass as she slaps him in the face and he catches her in a sidewalk slam, and he grabs a trash can and puts it over Jazz as he pounds on her and uses the elbow to drive the can into Jazz’s head. He goes outside and pulls out a table which he slides into the ring and he sets Jazz up for a powerbomb, but then Steven Richards runs down to the ring with a guitar only for Bubba to block the shot and he gets a kick in. Jazz grabs a shovel and hits Bubba in the head with it as Richards breaks the guitar over Bubba’s head which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was nothing much as Bubba toyed with Jazz for the most part until Richards takes advantage and becomes champion. The crowd was into the match and Bubba, but are not happy when Richards win. Richards gets the win over Bubba and is the new Hardcore Champion under the 24/7 rule as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Richards takes the title and runs to the back with Jazz.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Jazz and Steven Richards leaving the arena and getting into a car as they drive off.
 
We see William Regal at a table surrounded by Hulk Hogan merchandise as he watches a clip from “Hulk Hogan’s Rock ‘n’ Wrestling” cartoon and he says that it’s quite disturbing, and he says that people have a certain passion in their life and many are passionate about Hogan. He says that they are the lowest of the low and asks why they would follow a man like Hogan as it was bad 18 years ago, but it is quite sad in 2002 and people still buy the merchandise as he mocks the fans and he doesn’t understand. He says that it’s a travesty that the fans can’t respect someone like him and it’s a worldwide phenomenon as he is someone that should be respected, and he says that things will change tonight as Hulkamania will run wild no more and he asks what Hogan will see when the power of the punch runs wild on him.
 
We see Steve Austin and Bradshaw in their dressing room as Ric Flair comes in and asks if he’s made things right between them, and Austin says that he won’t forget about Backlash and he proved nothing to them as Flair says next week, the 3 of them will team up against the nWo as he leaves the room.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Spike Dudley pins Goldust with the Dudley Dog at 1:42 to retain the WWE European Championship.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Spike has been rolling as European Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Goldust, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to become champion. Spike gets a good pop from the crowd while Goldust had decent heat as a heel. Goldust throws his wig at Spike who puts it on to mock Goldust to start the match and Goldust slides out of the ring while Spike slides into the ring, and Goldust avoids a baseball slide and hits a clothesline on Spike as he throws him back into the ring and stomps on him. He hits another clothesline on Spike and pounds on him as Spike catches him ducking by slamming his head into the mat, and Goldust catches him with a knee to the head and rams him into the buckle twice as he ties him up in the ropes. He teases the Shattered Dreams only to pound on Spike and the ref helps Spike as Booker T runs down to the ring, and he hits a side kick on Goldust and leaves the ring as Spike hits the Dudley Dog on Goldust which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was nothing much as Goldust dominated until Booker cost him the title in the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Spike when he won. Spike retains the title over Goldust thanks to Booker and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
Commercial break
 
William Regal comes down to the ring for his match and then Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring as Regal goes outside, and we see Regal has a table with a tea set at ringside as he asks Hogan to join him for tea and Hogan goes outside. Regal hands him his cup and they each take a sip as Hogan spits the tea in Regal’s face and hits him in the head with the tray, and then he picks up the table and slams it down on Regal’s back as he rams him into the steps and pounds on him. He rams him into the announce table repeatedly and then he rams him into the post before ramming him into the barricade, and he rams the knee into Regal twice and throws him into the ring as Regal begs off and Hogan pounds on him. Just then, the Undertaker runs down to the ring and nails Hogan from behind as he pounds on him in the corner, and he whips Hogan into the other corner and splashes him as he stomps on him repeatedly and he takes Hogan’s weightlifting belt off. He wraps the buckle around his fist and pounds on Hogan with it which busts Hogan open and he whips Hogan with the belt repeatedly, and he stomps on him repeatedly and continues to whip him with the belt as he gets a kick in and knocks Hogan down. He stomps on him and continues to whip him as he knocks him down again and chokes him with the belt, and he grabs Hogan by the throat and hits the chokeslam as he puts the Undisputed Title on Hogan and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty decent episode as we really start the build to Judgment Day. There were still some lingering issues from Backlash that did continue on, but for the most part we did get some focus on Judgment Day, particularly on the main event. Richards now rules the Hardcore Division while Eddie and Spike retain their titles and RVD, Lesnar, Austin, and Bradshaw get big wins, and in terms of the matches the opener and main event were the best while the main thing on the show was Taker beating down Hogan. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as it was still surreal seeing Hogan as the champion, but we will see how that continues to look going into Judgment Day. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show to continue the build to Judgment Day. Final Grade: C-