RAW
May 27th, 2002
Skyreach Centre
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
 
6/2 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Matt Hardy defeats Justin Credible.
2. X-Pac defeats D-Lo Brown.
3. Steven Richards defeats Crash Holly.
4. Raven defeats Shawn Stasiak.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
Chris Benoit comes down to the ring and says that it feels good to be back as he says that a few months ago, he was drafted to Smackdown though there was no way that WWE would come through his hometown without him showing up. He says that he’s a few weeks away from coming back to doing what he does best which is being the best wrestler in the world today, and he says that there’s a good reason he’s here tonight as Eddie Guerrero comes down to the ring. He says that it’s good to see Benoit and he’s missed him as he says that what he missed most of all of Benoit’s jealousy, and he says that Benoit was always jealous of him because out of all the Radicalz, he’s the one with the talent and the charisma. He says that he’s the only one with Latino Heat and Benoit’s jealousy has blinded him as he was trying to hold him back, and Eddie says that since Benoit’s been gone, he’s accomplished a lot as he is the IC Champion and he beat Rob Van Dam though last week, he was able to do what Benoit never could which is take out Steve Austin. Benoit says that Eddie is the IC Champion which is a reality he can’t change though tonight, RVD can change it and as far as him being better than him, he says that they will find out if he has a better ladder match than him and what Eddie did to Austin takes a tough guy to hit someone from behind and run. Eddie says that he wants to hit Benoit right now and they square off until Ric Flair comes down to the ring, and he says that Benoit can’t do anything civilized and he let him come out here to suck up to his hometown fans. He says that Benoit wanted to start a fight which is typical of Canadians and he’s not going to let them fight tonight, and he says that Austin isn’t going to be here tonight as his wife Debra had a family emergency though if Austin was stupid enough to show up, he has a welcoming committee for him. He says that Austin is benched though Benoit isn’t and if he thinks he will let a Smackdown wrestler fight with a RAW Superstar, he’s wrong and unless Benoit has a ticket which he knows he doesn’t, he wants him out as Eddie tells Benoit to get out of his ring. Benoit shoves him to the mat and stalks him in the corner as Flair calls for security and they escort Benoit to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Chris Benoit being escorted out of the arena by security.
 
1. Spike Dudley and Trish Stratus defeat William Regal and Molly Holly when Stratus pins Molly at 3:05 to retain the WWE Women’s Championship; Regal’s WWE European Championship was also on the line.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. Stratus was having issues with Molly while Spike was still having issues with Regal and they face off here in a tag match with the European and Women’s Titles on the line. Spike and Stratus get a good pop from the crowd while Regal and Molly had solid heat as heels. Spike wastes no time and attacks Regal to start the match as Regal reverses a whip and Spike ducks a shot before hitting a flying forearm, and he hits a pair of dropkicks on Regal and goes up top as he hits a seated senton on Regal for a two count. He pounds on Regal in the corner and Regal reverses a whip as Spike ducks a shot and hits a high crossbody for a two count, and he hits a headscissors on Regal and hooks a rollup for a two count as Molly tags in and slaps Spike in the face. Stratus tags in and ducks a shot as she pounds on Molly and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner, and Molly reverses a whip into the corner and Stratus hits a clothesline for a two count as she pounds on her. She hits the Chick Kick on Molly for a two count and pounds on her as Molly reverses a whip and Regal yanks her to the mat by her hair from the apron, and he comes in and hits a running kneelift on Stratus as Molly gets a two count and she chokes Stratus on the mat with her knee. She chokes Stratus on the ropes and rams her head into the mat as she drops a pair of elbows on her, and she hoists Stratus up by the hair and slams her to the mat only for Stratus to hook a backslide which gets the three and she retains the title. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Both teams looked good together and had decent chemistry as Stratus and Molly work most of the match with Stratus getting the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Stratus and Spike when they won. Stratus and Spike get the win over Molly and Regal with Stratus retaining her title, but her issues with Molly aren’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Spike helps Stratus up while Regal and Molly are left stunned until he hands her the brass knuckles, and Regal nails Spike from behind and Stratus gets in his face until Molly nails her in the back of the head with the knuckles.
 
Commercial break
 
Terri Runnels interviews Steven Richards, who says that Jazz is doing ok despite having a serious knee operation and she is recovering nicely, and he says that she and Jazz have gotten close as Jacqueline walks up to him and says there’s no Jazz is cute and cuddly. Richards says that Jacqueline wants to get with him and she says he’s half right as she kicks him in the knee, and she takes the mike from Runnels and hits Richards in the head with it as a ref comes up and she gets a two count. Just then, Shawn Stasiak comes over and throws Jacqueline aside as he gets a two count until the Big Bossman comes up and hits both men with a nightstick, and he and Stasiak brawl while Runnels gets the three on Richards and is the new Hardcore Champion as she celebrates until Richards hooks a rollup which gets the three and he wins the title back before running off.
 
We see the New World Order in their dressing room as they say they are ready for tonight and it’s a new night for them, and they each have matches tonight as they are not going to get any help and if any of them lose, they will be out of the nWo and get their asses kicked as all they have to do is win and Booker says he has to feel what he is doing through his own music as we see Goldust hiding in a tub.
 
We see Jonathan Coachman in the parking lot.
 
Commercial break
 
2. The New World Order defeat the Hardy Boyz when X-Pac pins Jeff at 3:41.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. The Hardyz have been cruising in the tag division and look to get a win here over the nWo, who look to have gotten their issues settled and look to get a win here. The Hardyz get a good pop from the crowd while the nWo were pretty hot as heels. Matt starts off the match with X-Pac and they lock up with X-Pac hitting an armdrag as they lock up again with X-Pac hooking a headlock, and he goes behind Matt who turns it around and hooks a rollup for a two count as they have a standoff. They tease a test of strength with X-Pac getting a kick in and he pounds on Matt as he kicks at him repeatedly in the corner, and he whips Matt into the other corner and Matt catches him with a boot to the face as he goes up to the middle rope and hits a legdrop on X-Pac. Booker tags in and Matt hits an armdrag as Jeff tags in and they hit a double back elbow before hitting a double team on Booker for a two count, and Jeff pounds and stomps on Booker in the corner and Booker reverses a whip into the other corner as Jeff goes up top and hits Whisper in the Wind for a two count as X-Pac breaks it up. Matt tags in only for Booker to hotshot him on the top rope and X-Pac tags in as he hits a spin kick on Matt for a two count, and Booker tags in as Matt ducks a double clothesline attempt and he hits one of his own on the nWo. Jeff gets the hot tag and ducks a double clothesline as he hits a double dropkick and then he hits a jawbreaker on Booker, and he trips X-Pac up and hits a legdrop to the groin as Matt come in and the Hardyz whip Booker into the corner before hitting Poetry in Motion. Matt pounds on X-Pac and whips him into the corner as the Hardyz hit Poetry in Motion and Matt knocks X-Pac down, and Jeff pounds on Booker who counters a whip and hits a side kick on Jeff before getting a kick in and X-Pac makes a blind tag. Booker hits the scissors kick on Jeff and knocks Matt to the floor as X-Pac hits the X-Factor on Jeff 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 tag match. The Hardyz were hitting their peak as a team while the nWo looked good as a team, and they had decent chemistry as the nWo get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and the Hardyz, but are not happy when the nWo win. The nWo get the win over the Hardyz and both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Booker asks for the mike and has the music cut as he says he wants to give the people what they want, and he has his music played and he does the Spinaroonie.
 
We see Paul Heyman walking down the hallway as he approaches the trainer’s room while Tony Garea walks out of it and Heyman asks about Trish Stratus as he says he’s worried about her, and Heyman goes inside only for Bubba Ray Dudley to be there as well and he stalks Heyman who says that he understands why he is angry. He says that they go back a long time until Bubba grabs him and throws him up against the walls as he says he’s waited 8 years to do this, and he says he will rip Heyman’s tongue out as he tells him to stay away from Stratus and he has something for Lesnar tonight before tossing Heyman to the floor.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Skyreach Centre.
 
Tommy Dreamer is in the ring as he says that he came here to clear up some misconceptions about him and he is just a normal guy, and he goes outside and asks a fan for a bite of his hot dog though the fan ends up dropping it on the floor. Dreamer picks it up and takes a bite of it as he hands it to another fan and rolls back into the ring as he says he is a normal guy, but then the Undertaker comes down to the ring with a spit cup and says that Dreamer is just an average guy. He says that he’s the Undisputed Champion and Dreamer’s on his time so he has a suggestion for him, and he says that Dreamer should hit the bricks or he will kick his ass as Dreamer says he was just trying to tell everyone who he is. Taker says that Dreamer is on his time as even Hulk Hogan, who he retired, didn’t take up his time and last week on RAW, Rob Van Dam didn’t take up his time even though he beat him with no trouble at all and he asks what makes a circus freak like Dreamer think he can take up his time. He tells Dreamer to get the hell out of here and Dreamer says he’ll leave though Taker says that since he’s out here, and he asks if Dreamer wants a title shot and Dreamer says he would love a shot as Taker says he’s not getting one. He says that Dreamer isn’t worthy and there’s a dressing room full of wrestlers who aren’t worthy either as none of them pose a challenge to him, and he says that since he is a nice guy and since Dreamer loves entertaining the people by doing disgusting things, he has one for him. He grabs his spit cup and says he wants Dreamer to entertain him and the fans by drinking his tobacco spit, and Dreamer says he can’t do that and Taker says he misunderstood him as he’s telling Dreamer to do it. Dreamer says that’s gross and Taker says that either Dreamer drinks the spit or he’ll be taking his meals through a tube the rest of his life, and Dreamer takes the cup and goes to drink it until Taker takes it back and says he wants to add more flavor as he spits the chaw into the cup. He tells him to drink it as he hands Dreamer the cup and Dreamer gulps it down much to Taker’s disgust and Dreamer says it was pretty good, and Taker knocks him down and pounds on Dreamer in the corner and whips him hard into the other corner. He grabs Dreamer by the throat and hits the chokeslam as he throws him over the top to the floor and he goes outside as well, and he grabs a chair and places it against Dreamer’s throat though he hits a back elbow and puts Dreamer’s head in the chair. He drives it into the post and gets back in the ring as he says that’s disgusting and heads to the back.
 
We see Brock Lesnar in his dressing room as Paul Heyman comes in and says that he knows Bubba better than anyone, and he says that Bubba was thinking about Lesnar when he threw him down the hallway and Bubba punked Lesnar out because Bubba thinks Lesnar won’t do anything about it.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Bubba Ray Dudley with the F-5 at 5:50.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men had a confrontation the previous week and now they face off here to settle their issues. Bubba gets a good pop from the crowd while Lesnar had solid heat as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and Lesnar shoves him back as they lock up with Lesnar shoving him back, and Bubba gets a shot in as Lesnar kicks at Bubba and pounds on him before ramming the shoulder into his ribs repeatedly in the corner. He whips Bubba hard into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs again as he chokes him until Bubba tries to battle back, and Lesnar holds the rope on a whip and slides outside to regroup as Bubba goes outside as well and they trade blows. Lesnar gets a knee in and Bubba reverses a whip as he sends Lesnar into the steps and throws him back into the ring, and he pounds on Lesnar who reverses a whip and Bubba ducks a shot as he pounds on Lesnar and drives the elbow into Lesnar’s head. He gets a kick in and hits a hangman’s neckbreaker for a two count as Lesnar reverses a whip and Bubba ducks a shot, and Lesnar escapes a Bubba Bomb attempt and knocks Bubba down as he pounds on him on the mat and hits a suplex. He whips Bubba hard into the corner and hooks a side bearhug on as Bubba tries to fight out of the hold only for Lesnar to grind down on him, and Bubba fights out of the hold though Lesnar hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count and Bubba catches him ducking with a kick. He goes behind Lesnar and hits a German suplex as he fires up on Lesnar and hits a flapjack before hitting a clothesline, and he hits a sidewalk slam on Lesnar for a two count and whips him into the corner as he ducks a shot and hits the Bubba Bomb. Heyman gets on the apron and distracts the ref as Bubba goes outside and chases Heyman into the ring, and he stalks Heyman in the corner and avoids a charge from Lesnar who hits Heyman by mistake as Bubba hits a second German suplex for a two count. Lesnar reverses a whip and Heyman trips Bubba up from the floor as Lesnar hoists Bubba up and hits the F-5 which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Bubba was getting into a groove as a singles star while Lesnar was continuing to gain steam as well, and they had good chemistry as Heyman helps Lesnar get the win. The crowd was into the match and Bubba, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Bubba though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
We see Jonathan Coachman in the parking lot as he notices Raven there and asks if he’s heard about what happened with Steve Austin and Debra, and Raven says that the emergency did not involve Debra’s family, but Austin himself as he can’t conceal his pain no longer and his reflection is there to stare back at him. He says that Austin sees a troubled, tormented soul and this is his destiny as he feels his pain.
 
4. The Big Show pins Bradshaw with the Chokeslam at 1:59.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. Bradshaw was still having issues with the nWo and looks to take out Show here, and Show looks to get the win to keep his spot in the group. Bradshaw gets a good pop from the crowd while Show was pretty hot as a heel. Bradshaw ducks a shot and hits a chop block on Show to start the match as he drops an elbow on the knee and stomps on it, and he pounds on Show who blocks a whip by hitting a short clothesline and he hits a pair of headbutts on Bradshaw. He stomps on Bradshaw in the corner and pounds on him as he tosses him to the mat and he hits a clothesline on Bradshaw, and he hits a headbutt and continues to stomp on Bradshaw in the corner as he pounds on him and hits another headbutt. He hits a slam on Bradshaw and drops an elbow on him as he hits another headbutt and whips him into the corner, and Bradshaw catches him twice with a boot to the face and they trade blows with Bradshaw taking control as he hits a big boot. He hits a clothesline on Show who avoids the big boot and Bradshaw crotches himself on the top rope, and Show grabs him by the throat and hits the Chokeslam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as Bradshaw got a few shots in, but he puts Show over strong in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and Bradshaw, but are not happy when Show wins. Show gets the win over Bradshaw and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
Commercial break
 
We see Booker T and X-Pac in their dressing room as they celebrate their victories and they say the nWo is back, and Booker says they’ve been hot thanks to him as Goldust comes in wearing nWo colors and he congratulates them on their win. X-Pac says Goldust is disrespecting the colors and Booker says Goldust means no harm as he looks like a freaky Oreo cookie, and X-Pac says that he’s going to tell Nash what Goldust is doing and he leaves as Booker calls him a stooge.
 
We see a shot outside the World and we go inside where Al Snow and the Tough Enough 2 finalists are, and Snow has them compete in a pair of arm-wrestling contests with Jake defeating Kenny and Linda defeating Jackie.
 
Terri Runnels interviews Rob Van Dam, who says that he wants to congratulate Runnels on winning the Hardcore Title and a ladder match is extremely dangerous though it’s worth it, and he says that Eddie’s Latino Heat will burn him because he will climb the ladder of success as no one gets as high as him.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Jonathan Coachman in the parking lot as a truck pulls up and Howard Finkel gets out of it as he apologizes for being late and complains about the troubles he had.
 
5. Goldust pins Crash Holly with the Curtain Call at 1:03.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic match. Goldust was looking to join the nWo to stay by Booker T’s side and looks to get a win here over Crash, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Goldust gets a mixed reaction from the crowd as he comes out in nWo colors while Crash had jobber heat. The two men lock up to start with Goldust hitting a pair of armdrags and he taunts Crash as they lock up again with Goldust raking the eyes, and he knocks Crash down and rakes his boot across his face as he pounds on Crash who ducks a shot. He hooks a small package for a two count and hits a clothesline before hitting a dropkick on Goldust who catches him ducking with an uppercut, and then he hits the Curtain Call on Crash which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Crash got a few shots in, but he puts Goldust over strong in 63 seconds. The crowd was into the match and did pop for Goldust when he won. Goldust gets the quick win over Crash and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Kevin Nash comes down to the ring and Goldust slides out of the ring as Nash hits the big boot on Crash and stands over him.
 
We see Ric Flair on the phone with someone as Eddie Guerrero walks in and says this ladder match could be dangerous, and he says that he’s not worried about the match as he asks about Austin and Flair says he has the welcoming committee in place for Austin.
 
We see Rob Van Dam walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Rob Van Dam defeats Eddie Guerrero in a Ladder match at 20:27 to win the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Eddie retained the title at Judgment Day over RVD by using the ropes and they face off one more time here in a ladder match. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Eddie was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they trade blows until Eddie gets a knee in and RVD reverses a whip, and Eddie flips over RVD’s back and ducks a spin kick as he ducks a shot and goes behind RVD who turns it around. Eddie hits a pair of back elbows only for RVD to hit a spin kick and Eddie rolls outside to regroup as RVD attempts a slingshot plancha, but Eddie avoids him as RVD lands on the floor though RVD reverses a whip and sends Eddie into the post. He pounds on Eddie and rams him into the apron as he hoists him up for a suplex and drops him on the barricade, and he gets on the apron and hits a spinning legdrop to the back of the head as he stomps on Eddie and pounds on him. Eddie reverses a whip and sends RVD into the ladder as he stomps and pounds on him before hitting a suplex on the floor, and he slams the ladder down onto RVD as we see the ladder is broken and Eddie tries to sandwich RVD’s head in it though he struggles with it and tosses the ladder to the side. He throws RVD back into the ring and pounds on him as he hits a back elbow and he drives the elbow into the back of RVD’s head repeatedly, and he rolls outside and drags RVD to the corner as he rams his knee into the post and grabs a chair before ramming the knee into the post again. He hits RVD’s knee with the chair against the post and he rolls back into the ring as he stomps on him repeatedly and pounds on him in the corner, and he hits a back suplex on RVD and rams him into the buckle as they trade blows with Eddie taking control. RVD reverses a whip into the other corner and hits a monkey flip on Eddie who rakes the eyes and he gets a kick in, and he hits a powerbomb on RVD and goes outside as he pulls a second ladder out from under the ring. He looks to put it in the ring only for RVD to hit a baseball slide that drives the ladder back into Eddie and then he leaps onto the apron, and he hits a standing moonsault that drives the ladder into Eddie as we see Chris Benoit come down through the crowd. He reveals that he has a ticket and he is taken to his seat which is in the front row as Eddie rams the ladder into RVD’s face, and he slides the ladder into the ring and sets it up as he climbs while RVD goes up top and hits a side kick that knocks Eddie off the ladder with Eddie narrowly avoiding hitting the ladder. RVD kicks and stomps on Eddie as he pounds on him and hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker before putting him on the ladder, and he hits a cartwheel moonsault onto Eddie and the ladder as he hits a baseball slide on Eddie and sets the ladder up. Both men climb up the ladder and trade blows until Eddie rakes the eyes and he rams RVD’s face into the ladder repeatedly, and then he hits a sunset flip powerbomb off the ladder on RVD and he sets him on the mat before climbing back up. Just then, a fan jumps the barricade and gets in the ring as he tips the ladder over though Eddie lands on his feet as the ref gets in the ring and tackles the fan to the mat, and security come over and drag the fan out of the arena as Eddie pounds on RVD and hits a clothesline. He sets the ladder up and climbs it as he hits a somersault senton onto RVD and he rolls outside before bringing the chair into the ring, and he hits RVD in the back and the knee with the chair as he props it in the corner though RVD blocks a ram into it and he rams Eddie into the chair twice. He stomps on Eddie repeatedly in the corner and grabs the chair as he hits a running dropkick that drives the chair into Eddie’s face, and he hits a spinning legdrop on Eddie and puts the ladder on him as he hits the split-legged moonsault that drives the ladder into Eddie. He sets the ladder up and climbs it only for Eddie to pull him back to the mat and he hits a suplex on RVD into the ladder, and he sets the ladder up in the corner and pounds on RVD as he rams him into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner. RVD reverses a whip and sends Eddie into the ladder as he rams the knee into him twice and whips him into the corner, and Eddie blocks a monkey flip attempt and puts him on the middle rope as RVD gets a shot in and Eddie avoids a side kick though RVD lands on his feet. He hits a monkey flip that sends Eddie into the ladder and then he puts the ladder on top of Eddie as he hits the Rolling Thunder which drives the ladder into Eddie, and he pounds on Eddie and hits a pair of side kicks as he sets the ladder up only for Eddie to hit a dropkick to the knee. He grabs the chair only for RVD to hit the Van Daminator on Eddie and he sets the ladder up in the corner, and he climbs to the top of the ladder though it gives out and RVD crashes to the mat as Eddie goes up top. RVD nails him first and kicks him off the top into the barricade on the floor as he sets the ladder up, and he climbs up and manages to retrieve the belt as we have a new champion. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a solid ladder match though it was a bit sloppy due to the ladders getting bent. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had great chemistry as RVD finally gets some revenge on Eddie and regains the title. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD when he won. RVD gets the win over Eddie and is IC Champion again though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 4
 
After the match, RVD celebrates with the title until Eddie gets in the ring and hits RVD in the back with the ladder which sends him to the outside, but then Steve Austin runs down to the ring and stomps on Eddie repeatedly in the corner as he pounds on him until Ric Flair and Arn Anderson run down to the ring. Austin fights all three of them and hits a backdrop on Flair as he stomps Anderson to the outside and Eddie rolls outside as well, and then Chris Benoit comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring as he stands by Austin’s side only to attack him from behind. He stomps on Austin repeatedly and pounds on him on the mat as Eddie goes up top and Benoit hits a slam on Austin, and Eddie hits the Frog Splash on Austin and they stand tall as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty solid show that was basically carried by one match. After a few weeks of decent matches and promos carrying the show, this was a week that was entirely focused on one match with the others being standard TV fare. RVD once again rules the midcard along with Regal and Stratus still rules the Women’s Division as the nWo, Lesnar, Show, and Goldust get big wins, and obviously the ladder match was the best though we did have a big return with Benoit which is a big boost for the roster. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as RAW was still growing their identity and as we head into the summer, we will see how they continue to grow as their roster solidifies itself. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show best remembered for Benoit’s return and the ladder match. Final Grade: B-