RAW
March 24th, 2003
Arco Arena
Sacramento, California
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Chad Collyer defeats Bobby Quance.
2. Tommy Dreamer and Maven defeat 3 Minute Warning.
 
3/30 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Christopher Nowinski defeats Al Snow.
2. Test defeats Rico.
3. Rodney Mack defeats Spike Dudley.
4. Jazz defeats Jacqueline.
 
Actual Show:
 
Lilian Garcia performs the National Anthem.
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
Steve Austin comes down to the ring and a referee tells him a match is about to start as he says he doesn’t care, and he says that last week he was minding his own business until the Rock came out and gave him both the Stunner and the Rock Bottom. He says that’s something you don’t do to him and he’s going to stand here until Rock comes out and they will get things straight, and he says that they could’ve had a great match at WrestleMania though Rock has now pissed him off. He says that Rock can bring his guitar out and sing him a song as he’s not going anywhere until Test and Stacy Keibler come down to the ring, and Test says he doesn’t mean to disrespect him and Bischoff sent him out here to have his match only for Austin to get a kick in and he hits the Stunner. He goes outside and sits down at the timekeeper’s table as he says he’s not going anywhere and Lance Storm runs down to the ring, and he calls for the ref to get in the ring as he goes to pin Test though Austin rolls inside himself and counts two. He flips Storm off and gets a kick in as he hits the Stunner and then Eric Bischoff comes out on the stage with numerous police officers, and he says that he’s had enough of Austin and he is the General Manager of RAW which means this is his show. He says that he’s going to make sure Austin doesn’t lay a finger on him again because he has a restraining order, and he says that this order states that Austin is ordered to leave the arena under the threat of being arrested. He has the officers go to ringside and asks Austin what he’s going to do as he says it’s all about choices, and Austin goes outside and the officers escort him to the back as Bischoff says he’s always liked that Austin is sensible. Austin gets in his face and Bischoff says if Austin hits him, he’ll be arrested and everyone can thank him for getting rid of that distraction because tonight is a special night, and he says that if you saw RAW last week, you know that tonight we are going to see the first-ever Rock Concert.
 
We see Steve Austin being escorted by the officers to the arena exit.
 
Commercial break
 
1. Trish Stratus and Jeff Hardy defeat Victoria and Steven Richards when Stratus pins Victoria at 2:33.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first tag match of the night. Stratus and Victoria were set to face off at WM and first meet in here with Jeff and Richards as their partners. Jeff and Stratus get a good pop from the crowd while Victoria and Richards were pretty hot as heels. Jeff starts off the match with Richards who gets a kick in and he pounds on Jeff as he hits a snapmare only for Jeff to kick him away, and he ducks a shot and trips Richards up as he hits a legdrop to the groin and Richards rakes the eyes before pounding on Jeff. He rams Jeff into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as Jeff reverses a whip back into the corner and hits a slingshot dropkick, and Victoria tags in and gets in Jeff’s face as she shoves him twice and he tags Stratus who ducks a shot and pounds on Victoria. Victoria reverses a whip and Stratus ducks a shot as she hits the Chick Kick though Richards comes in and distracts the ref, and Jeff comes in and Richards catches a kick attempt as Jeff hits a reverse enzurgiri and sends him to the outside. Jeff hits a slingshot plancha onto Richards on the floor and Victoria catches Stratus ducking with a kick as she hoists her onto her shoulders, and she hits a spinning sidewalk slam on Stratus for a two count only to miss a standing moonsault as Stratus pounds on her and whips her into the corner. Victoria catches her with a knee to the face and goes up to the middle rope only for Stratus to hit the handstand hurricanrana, and Richards gets in the ring and Stratus hits a backdrop on him as she kicks off of him and hits the Stratusfaction on Victoria which gets the three and she wins the match. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Jeff and Stratus looked decent as a team while Richards and Victoria were gelling well as a team, and they had good chemistry as Stratus gets a clean win over the Women’s Champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Jeff and Stratus when they won. Jeff and Stratus get the win over Richards and Victoria as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Jeff and Stratus head to the back and stop at the entrance only for Jazz to run out and knock Stratus down, and Richards runs up the ramp and attacks Jeff as Jazz stomps on Stratus and Victoria yells at her only for Jazz to kick her in the head.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eric Bischoff in his office on the phone with someone as Jonathan Coachman comes in and tells him that security needs him urgently as they leave the office.
 
We see Goldust in his dressing room looking at Torrie Wilson’s Playboy spread as Booker T comes in and Goldust tells him not to sneak up on him like that, and Goldust says that he’s proud of Booker fighting for the World Title at WM and Triple H sounds like a dictator. He says that at WM, Booker will become the new World Champion and Booker asks if he’s really ok as he doesn’t sound too good, and Goldust says that when the crowd is chanting Booker’s name at WM, don’t hate the player, hate the game.
 
We see Eric Bischoff and Jonathan Coachman go into the security office as the security guard shows him footage of outside the arena where Steve Austin’s truck is and Austin is pacing by it, and Bischoff wants to know why he’s there and the guard tells him the restraining order doesn’t apply to outside the arena as Bischoff tells Coachman to tell Austin he must leave or he will make Austin’s life a living hell. Coachman says he doesn’t feel comfortable going out to Austin and Bischoff says he sees his point though he has a choice, and he says he can either tell Austin what Bischoff said or he can be fired and Coachman says he’ll do it.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot of Steve Austin outside the arena.
 
2. Scott Steiner pins Christian with a Samoan drop off the middle rope at 4:17.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Steiner was looking to regain some lost momentum and looks to get a win here over Christian, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Steiner gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Steiner shoving Christian to the outside and Christian regroups before returning to the ring, and he goes behind Steiner and hooks a headlock on as Steiner whips him off and Christian ducks a back elbow only for Steiner to hit a clothesline. He drops an elbow on Christian and does a set of pushups as he gets a knee in and hits a press slam on Christian, and he kicks at Christian in the corner and pounds on him as he hoists him onto his shoulder and rams him into the corner. Christian slides off his shoulder and hits an inverted DDT for a two count as he stomps on Steiner and chokes him with his boot, and he pounds on Steiner and gets a kick in as he hits a neckbreaker for a two count and chokes him on the mat. Steiner blocks a ram into the buckle twice and gets a back elbow in as he pounds on Christian who catches him ducking with a shot, but Steiner catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex and hits a pair of clotheslines on Christian who reverses a whip and Steiner catches him on a leap before hitting a modified suplex for a two count. Christian rakes the eyes and Steiner reverses a whip into the corner as Christian catches him with a boot to the face for a two count, and he charges at Steiner who backdrops him over the top though Christian lands on the apron and he hotshots Steiner on the top rope. He goes up top only for Steiner to nail him first and he goes up himself as he hits a Samoan drop 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. Steiner was slowly getting back into a groove while Christian was hitting his groove as well, and they had decent chemistry with Steiner getting the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Steiner when he won. Steiner gets the win over Christian and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Steiner takes the mike and says that this goes to all his freaks as he is their hookup and they can holla if they hear him.
 
We see Steve Austin in his truck as Jonathan Coachman walks up to him and says that he has a message from Eric Bischoff, and he says that Bischoff wants Austin to leave or Bischoff will make his life a living hell and Austin stares him down as Coachman says he’ll tell Bischoff he got the message and leaves.
 
Commercial break
 
Snickers Cruncher WrestleMania Moment: Shawn Michaels winning the WWE Championship at WrestleMania XII
 
Terri Runnels interviews Chief Morley and Lance Storm, who say that due to William Regal’s illness, the World Tag Titles haven’t been defended in 30 days so Regal and Lance Storm are no longer tag team champions. Morley says that Eric Bischoff has given him the power to name new champions which will be Storm and himself, and Storm thanks him and wishes Regal a speedy recovery as Rob Van Dam and Kane walk up to them. RVD says he wants to congratulate them on becoming the new champions and they should get a title shot after defeating them last week, and Morley says that they’ve had no time to prepare and RVD says he thought Morley would have more balls. Morley says that they aren’t afraid of them and there’s another team worthy of a tag title shot which are the newest members of the Bischoff Administration in the Dudleyz, and Kane says they have a score to settle with the Dudleyz and proposes a match with them with the winners getting a tag title shot at WM which Morley agrees to.
 
We see Triple H and Ric Flair walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Arco Arena.
 
We see Steve Austin in his truck.
 
3. Booker T and Goldust defeat Triple H and “Nature Boy” Ric Flair when Booker pins Triple H at 15:46.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second tag match of the night. Booker and Triple H were set for their match in 6 days and face off here with Goldust and Flair as their partners. Booker and Goldust get a big pop from the crowd while Triple H and Flair were red hot as heels. Goldust starts off the match with Flair and they lock up with Goldust backing Flair into the corner and he slaps Flair in the face, and he knocks Flair down twice and whips him into the corner as he hits a backdrop and Flair stalls in the corner. They lock up with Flair backing Goldust into the corner and he gets a shoulder in as Triple H tags in and Goldust battles back on both men, and Booker tags in and they lock up with neither getting an edge as they lock up again with Triple H hooking a headlock. Booker whips him off and Triple H knocks him down as Booker leaps over him and hits a hiptoss with Triple H begging off in the corner, and they lock up with Triple H getting a knee in and he pounds on Booker who counters a whip with a side kick. He pounds on Triple H who catches him ducking with a kick and Flair tags in as he pounds on Booker in the corner, but Booker turns it around and pounds on Flair in the corner as Flair flops to the mat and Booker hits a sidewalk slam for a two count. Flair rakes the eyes and tags Triple H as Booker ducks a shot and hits a spin kick only for Flair to hit a chop block, and Triple H drops an elbow on the knee and they trade blows with Booker taking control until Triple H counters a whip by getting a kick in. He sends Booker to the outside and Goldust checks on him as he helps Booker back into the ring and Flair tags in, and he stomps on Booker’s knee and hooks the Figure-4 on until Booker turns the hold around on him and Flair releases the hold. They trade blows with Booker knocking Flair down and Goldust gets the hot tag as he fires up on Flair and whips him into the corner, and he hits a backdrop on Flair and ducks a shot as he hits a butt slam on Triple H and a clothesline on Flair though he hurts his arm. Triple H knocks him down as he and Flair attempt a double team only for Goldust to hit a double uppercut, and he hits a pair of atomic drops on both men and hits a double clothesline as he pounds on Triple H who reverses a whip. Both men duck a shot and Triple H avoids a crossbody attempt as Goldust falls to the outside and Triple H goes outside as well, and he rams Goldust into the post and throws him back into the ring as Flair tags in and hits a low blow on Goldust while Triple H distracts the ref. Flair chokes Goldust on the mat and tags Triple H who stomps on Goldust in the corner and chokes him with his boot, and Flair chokes Goldust from the apron and Goldust tries to battle back until Triple H ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker for a two count. Flair tags in and knocks Goldust down as he drops a knee on him for a two count and pounds on him in the corner, and Goldust battles back and knocks Flair down though Flair trips Goldust up and keeps him from tagging. Booker eventually tags in though the ref misses it and forces Booker out as Triple H throws Goldust into his corner and stomps on him, and he pounds on Goldust and whips him into the other corner only for Goldust to catch him with a boot to the face. He avoids a charge and Booker gets the hot tag as he fires up on Triple H and hits a spin kick before hitting a side kick on Flair, and he hits a side kick on Triple H and a spin kick on Flair as he pounds on Triple H in the corner until Flair nails him from behind. He kicks at Booker’s knee and grabs his leg as he pounds on him only for Booker to reverse a whip and he sends Triple H over the top to the floor, and he pounds on Flair in the corner and whips him into the other corner with Flair going face first into the middle buckle. Booker goes outside and rams Triple H into the steps twice which busts him open as Goldust pounds on Flair, and Booker throws Triple H back into the ring and Triple H begs off as Booker pounds on him and Triple H reverses a whip. Booker hits a flying forearm and pounds on Triple H in the corner until Flair grabs him from behind and pounds on him, and Booker counters a whip and gets a knee in as he hits the scissors kick on Flair and goes for the pin though the ref tells him Flair isn’t the legal man. Triple H gets a shot in and sets Booker up for the Pedigree though Booker trips him up and slingshots him into the corner, and Booker gets a kick in and hits the scissors kick which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Booker and Goldust still have great chemistry as a team while Triple H and Flair looked good as a team, and they had good chemistry as Booker gets the clean win over Triple H to build momentum to WM. The crowd was into the match and popped for Booker and Goldust when they won. Booker and Goldust get the win over Triple H and Flair as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 3
 
Commercial break
 
We see Triple H and Ric Flair backstage as Flair tells Triple H he is the World Champion and he is the better man, and he says that Triple H is the best that the world has to offer and Booker doesn’t stand a chance at WrestleMania as Triple H no one told Booker that and he walks away.
 
Chris Jericho comes down to the ring and says that everyone has been talking about this Sunday and the match between him and Michaels at WrestleMania, and he says that a lot has happened between them since last December in that they’ve attacked each other numerous times. He says that if Michaels is a real man, he will come down to the ring and talk to him as he has something to say to him, and Shawn Michaels comes down to the ring and Jericho says that last week, a video was played highlighting Michaels at WM which got him emotional. He says that it hit him hard because it made him remember why he wanted to become a wrestler because he wanted to be Shawn Michaels, and he says it was to the point that he patterned himself after Michaels as he shows footage of the two of them side-by-side. He says that no one was doing moves like that aside from the two of them and he did everything to be like Michaels, and he says that he had the same desire and heart that Michaels had and people were saying he would be the next Michaels. He says that at the time, it was the ultimate compliment though not anymore because he grew out of wanting to be the next Michaels and concentrated on being himself. He says that he is better than Michaels which is what he wanted and he took the spotlight after Michaels left, and he says he became the backbone of the company and the man that everyone paid to see every night. He says that the Showstopper was replaced with the Highlight of the Night and while Michaels was becoming a father, he was making history by becoming the first Undisputed Champion and with all the great competitors he faced, there is no one that he is more excited about wrestling than Michaels. He says that he’s excited about beating and humiliating Michaels because their match will be a classic and something special, and he says that when he is declared the winner, Michaels will be forced to look him in the eye and admit to everyone that he is better than him. He says that his skills have surpassed Michaels’ and he tells him to look at him when he is speaking as he slaps Michaels in the face, and Michaels laughs about it and slaps Jericho in the face as Jericho laughs about it and they have a staredown.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eric Bischoff in his office on the phone with security telling them to keep an eye on Austin as the Rock comes in, and he says that they will have fun tonight and he has an idea as Bischoff says all of Rock’s ideas have led to him getting his ass kicked by Austin. Rock says that this is about Austin as he knows Austin won’t leave because he doesn’t want to miss this concert, and he says that Austin wants to hear him sing so he wants Bischoff to set up speakers outside so Austin can hear it and he can have Chief Morley do it because he wants Austin to hear every note of the concert.
 
We see Rob Van Dam and Kane walking down the hallway.
 
We see the Dudley Boyz warming up backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Rob Van Dam and Kane defeat the Dudley Boyz when RVD pins D-Von at 5:49.
 
Stipulation: The winning team would earn a World Tag Team Championship match at WrestleMania XIX
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. The Dudleyz attacked RVD and Kane last week to get their jobs back under orders of Chief Morley and now the two teams face off here for a WM title shot. RVD and Kane get a big pop from the crowd while the Dudleyz got a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match with RVD hitting a spin kick on D-Von and Kane hits a clothesline on Bubba, and Kane pounds on Bubba in the corner and knocks D-Von off the apron as Bubba ducks a shot and hits a German suplex on Kane. D-Von tags in and pounds on Kane who reverses a whip as D-Von ducks a shot and hits a flying clothesline, and he drops an elbow on Kane for a two count and Kane hits a big boot as he hits a slam on D-Von and tags RVD. RVD hits a slingshot legdrop on D-Von for a two count and pounds on him in the corner as D-Von reverses a whip into the other corner, and he blocks a boot attempt and RVD ducks a shot as he hits a hurricanrana on D-Von and D-Von avoids a spin kick though RVD hits a second one. He hits a slam and the Rolling Thunder on D-Von for a two count as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner, and D-Von avoids a leap as RVD lands on the middle rope and D-Von gets a shot in before hitting a neckbreaker and Bubba tags in. He drops a trio of elbows on RVD for a two count and hits a snapmare as he hooks a submission on RVD, and RVD fights to his feet and breaks the hold only for Bubba to yank RVD to the mat by his hair and RVD counters a whip. He catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick on Bubba as Kane gets the hot tag and he hits a pair of clotheslines on D-Von, and he hits a backdrop on D-Von and whips him into the corner as he splashes him and he knocks Bubba off the apron. He hits a powerslam on D-Von for a two count and then he hits a big boot on Bubba as he goes up top only to miss the flying clothesline, and Bubba knocks RVD off the apron and pound on Kane as RVD makes a blind tag and the Dudleyz hit a double flapjack on Kane. RVD goes up top and hits a side kick on D-Von as he hits a spin kick on Bubba and kicks at him until Bubba reverses a whip, and he hits a hiptoss into a neckbreaker on RVD as he whips him into the corner and RVD hits a springboard side kick on Bubba. Just then, Chief Morley runs down to the ring and distracts the ref as Lance Storm gets in the ring as does D-Von, and RVD avoids a side dropkick as Storm hits D-Von by mistake and RVD dropkicks Bubba to the outside while Kane hits a big boot that sends Storm to the outside. Kane grabs D-Von by the throat and hits the Chokeslam as RVD goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash which gets the three and he gets the win for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. RVD and Kane have been gelling well as a team while the Dudleyz were back in a groove as a team, and they had good chemistry as RVD and Kane overcome the odds and get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for RVD and Kane when they won. RVD and Kane get the win over the Dudleyz and earn a title shot at WM as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
We see techs setting up speakers next to Steve Austin’s truck as Austin asks about it and they tell him Bischoff told them to set them up so he can listen to the concert, and Austin gets a phone call as he gets back in his truck.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Arco Arena.
 
The Rock comes down to the ring with his guitar and we see the ring is set up like an acoustic stage as Rock welcomes everyone to the first-ever Rock Concert, and he says that he’s happy to be in Sacramento though he will be happier when he leaves Sacramento. He says he has the best song to start off with as he sings “Kansas City” with lyrics insulting Sacramento and the Kings, and we cut outside where Steve Austin is in his truck listening as Rock says it’s not his fault Shaquille O’Neal called the Kings the “Sacramento Queens”. He says that they are running out of time and if Austin can hear him, he has a special song for him as we cut outside and see Austin roll the window up on his truck, and Rock sings “Hound Dog” with lyrics calling Austin a redneck and he told Austin not to mix beer with those funny cigarettes. He wants to see Austin on the big screen as he asks if Austin is selling bootleg Rock shirts and he mentions that Willie Nelson signed his guitar, and he sings “On the Road Again” with lyrics talking about what he’ll do to Austin at WrestleMania. He says that he has one more song which is a special one and he wants everyone to show him respect by keeping it down, and he says he wants Austin to pay special attention as he sings “My Way” with lyrics talking about their match at WrestleMania. We cut outside where an ambulance pulls into the arena and then Austin drives the truck in behind it, and Rock calls for security as numerous police officers come down to ringside as Rock reminds them of the restraining order and asks who wants an encore. Just then, the truck drives into the arena only for the Hurricane to come out of the driver’s seat and the officers grab him before taking him to the back, and Rock insults Hurricane and prepares to sing another song as a figure stands up in the bed of the truck and reveals himself to be Austin. He gets in the ring and attacks Rock as he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner and he hits a clothesline, and he grabs the guitar and scares Rock from the ring as Rock starts to head to the back until Austin teases breaking the guitar. He puts the guitar on the mat and stomps on it, breaking it apart as Rock looks on from the stage.
 
We see Vince McMahon walking backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
Vince McMahon is in the ring and he says that he’s proud of all his accomplishments as he’s done more than everyone in the arena put together, and he says that he’s most proud of what he did last Thursday as we see footage from Smackdown last week. Vince says that he’s proud of himself, to be an American, a McMahon, the creator of Hulkamania, and at WrestleMania he will be proud to destroy Hulkamania.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from Smackdown last week.
 
Ross and Lawler hype WrestleMania as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty solid show that served as RAW’s go-home show to WM. With WM only 6 days away, this was the last chance for RAW to really hype up their side of the card as it looks like the Smackdown side was fairly stronger, but I thought they did a good job hyping up the matches they had for the big show. We had no title matches as Stratus, Jeff, Steiner, Booker, Goldust, RVD, and Kane get big wins, and the matches were pretty standard as the highlight was the Rock Concert as most of the hype was behind Austin/Rock for WM. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as RAW was still lagging a bit behind Smackdown and we will see if they can deliver strong at WM. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to serve as the final build for RAW going into WM. Final Grade: B-