Bad Blood
June 15th, 2003
Compaq Center
Houston, Texas
 
Note: Starting with this show, all PPVs going forward would be brand specific aside from the Big 4 show (Royal Rumble, WrestleMania, Summerslam, and Survivor Series) and RAW goes first here.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/26 RAW, Eric Bischoff challenged Steve Austin to a competition for the PPV which Austin accepted, and on the 6/2 RAW Bischoff and Austin ended up coming together and decided to compete in a Redneck Triathlon. On the 6/9 RAW, Bischoff unveiled a wheel with numerous events on it as he said they would spin the wheel to determine the events, and he would spin the wheel to determine the first event which landed on “Pie Eating” as Austin would then specify it would be a Poontang Pie Eating contest. On Heat earlier tonight, they would spin the wheel to determine the event they would start the contest with and it would land on a burping contest.
 
Sunday Night Heat:
 
1. Ivory pins Molly Holly at 3:21.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Bad Blood.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Rodney Mack (w/ Theodore Long) and Christopher Nowinski defeat the Dudley Boyz when Nowinski pins Bubba Ray at 7:08.
 
One-Time Debut: Rodney Begnaud trained to be a wrestler under the Junkyard Dog and made his debut in 1998 as Redd Dogg, and he would work the indie scene and briefly worked in ECW in 2000 as part of Da Baldies. In 2002, he would sign with WWE and trained in OVW while winning the tag titles with Shelton Benjamin, and in January he would debut on Smackdown as John Cena’s new running buddy though he was quickly taken off TV. In April, he would make his debut on RAW under the name Rodney Mack and took D-Lo Brown’s spot with Theodore Long, and he would do what he called the White Boy Challenge where he had white wrestlers try to last 5 minutes with him. Aside from a backstage appearance in 2004, this would be his only PPV appearance as his White Boy Challenge would end after a squash loss to Goldberg on the 6/23 RAW, and he would team with Mark Henry towards the end of the year before suffering a knee injury. He would return to OVW briefly in 2004 and worked dark matches before returning to TV though he would be released in November, and he would work the indie scene before being re-signed by WWE in 2006 as part of ECW though he would never make it to TV as he was released in 2007. He would return to the indie scene and competes there to this day aside from a few hiatuses and he currently competes in the NWA as a masked wrestler named Damage, and he would also have two MMA matches in 2008.
 
Farewell: This is Christopher Nowinski’s final WWE PPV as he would make his last TV appearance in July before retiring in 2004 due to effects from concussions, and he would write about a book about the impact of concussions in football and was one of the first to examine the effects of CTE in football players. He would help found the Concussion Legacy Foundation which he still heads up to this day and would also reveal the effects of CTE on Chris Benoit’s brain following his double murder/suicide in 2007.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/19 RAW, Spike Dudley accepted Mack’s White Boy Challenge and nearly lasted the 5 minutes only to tap out to Mack with 1 second left, and on the 5/26 RAW Bubba took part in the White Boy Challenge and lost after Nowinski got involved only for D-Von to make the save. On the 6/9 RAW, this match was made as Mack defeated D-Von in a match after Long provided a distraction, and on Heat earlier tonight Long, Mack, and Nowinski would confront D-Von and tell him he was being held down in his own team and they would offer a spot in their group.
 
Analysis: We kick off this PPV exclusive to RAW with our first tag match of the night. These two teams have been going at it for the last few weeks and now face off here to settle their issues. The Dudleyz get a good pop from the crowd while Mack and Nowinski had decent heat as heels. D-Von starts off the match with Mack and they lock up with Mack backing D-Von into the corner until Bubba shoves him away, and they lock up again with Mack backing D-Von into the corner and D-Von ducks a shot as he pounds on Mack. Mack gets a knee in and whips D-Von into the other corner as he misses a charge and D-Von hits a flying clothesline, and he hits a back elbow on Mack and knocks him down for a two count as Mack catches him with a jawbreaker and Nowinski tags in. D-Von hits a drop toehold and works the arm as Nowinski quickly escapes and Bubba tags in with the two men locking up, and Bubba hooks a headlock and knocks Nowinski down as he pounds on him in the corner until Long distracts him. Mack hits a clothesline from the apron and Nowinski stomps on him repeatedly as he pounds on Bubba in the corner, and Bubba turns it around and pounds on Nowinski as he hits a back elbow and slams the back of his head into the mat repeatedly. Mack gets in the ring and Bubba gets a shot in as he whips Mack into Nowinski in the corner and he splashes both men, and Bubba sends Nowinski over the top to the floor as D-Von clotheslines Mack over the top to the floor. Bubba pulls Nowinski onto the apron and slings him back into the ring as Nowinski gets a kick in and he pounds on Bubba, and D-Von makes a blind tag as Bubba catches a kick attempt and D-Von hits a clothesline on Nowinski. Bubba hits a big splash on Nowinski and D-Von gets a two count as he whips Nowinski into the corner, but Mack pulls Nowinski out of the way of a charge and D-Von knocks Mack down as Nowinski gets a shot in. D-Von counters a whip and Nowinski rakes the eyes as he whips D-Von into the corner and D-Von catches him with a boot to the face, and Mack trips D-Von up from the floor and crotches him on the post as Nowinski drops an elbow on him and Mack tags in. He stomps on D-Von in the corner and hits a snapmare as he drops an elbow on him for a two count and hooks a submission on, and D-Von fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he gets a shot in on Nowinski only for Mack to hit a spinebuster for a two count. Nowinski tags in and hits a big splash on D-Von for a two count as he goes up to the middle rope only to miss an elbow, and Bubba gets the hot tag and knocks Nowinski down as he hits a clothesline and backdrop before hitting a back elbow on Mack. He sends Mack to the outside and hits a sidewalk slam on Nowinski for a two count as Nowinski counters a whip and Bubba ducks a shot, but Nowinski escapes a Bubba Bomb attempt and whips Bubba into the corner as Bubba catches him with a boot to the face. He goes up to the middle rope and hits a crossbody on Nowinski for a two count as Mack breaks the pin up, and D-Von hits a flying tackle on Mack and both men roll out of the ring as D-Von pounds on Mack and Nowinski catches Bubba ducking with a kick. He takes the face mask off only for Bubba to duck a shot and he pounds on Nowinski as he drives the elbow into his head, and Mack gets in the ring and hooks the Blackout on Bubba who escapes and he sends Mack into Nowinski who gets knocked off the apron. He hits a slam on Mack and holds his legs up as D-Von goes up top and hits the diving headbutt to Mack’s groin, and Bubba calls for the tables as Long gets on the apron and distracts D-Von as Mack clotheslines him over the top to the floor. Bubba knocks Mack to the outside and Nowinski hits Bubba in the face with the mask 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, but sloppy tag match. The Dudleyz were hitting their stride as a team while Mack and Nowinski looked decent as a team, but they didn’t have good chemistry as it felt choppy until Nowinski uses the mask to win. The crowd was into the match and the Dudleyz, but are not happy when Mack and Nowinski win. Mack and Nowinski get the win over the Dudleyz and both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
We see footage from RAW last week and from Heat earlier tonight.
 
Terri is with Eric Bischoff and Stone Cold Steve Austin in their office as it is time for the first event in the Redneck Triathlon, the Burping Contest as she runs down the rules and then each man delivers 3 burps with Austin being named the winner.
 
2. Scott Steiner pins Test with the STO at 6:28.
 
Stipulation: The winner would earn the managerial services of Stacy Keibler.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/19 RAW, Test and Steiner lost a Judgment Day rematch to La Resistance and argued after the match as Keibler tried to separate them, and both men attempted to leave with her though she ended up leaving both of them in the ring. On the 5/26 RAW, it was revealed that Keibler would manage both Test and Steiner separately and during a match with Booker T, Test would pull Keibler in the way of a baseball slide and Steiner would help Keibler which distracted Test and cost him the match. On the 6/2 RAW, Keibler tried to tell Test that they were done only for Test to remind her she is still under contract with him, and later that night Bischoff announced this match with the winner earning Keibler as their manager. On the 6/9 RAW, Steiner defeated Lance Storm in a match while Test did commentary only for Test to try and take Keibler with him to the back though Steiner prevented it, and after the match Test attacked Steiner with a chair and intimidated Keibler as he planted a kiss on her.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men have been going at it for the last few weeks and now they face off here to see who will get Keibler as their manager. Steiner gets a good pop from the crowd as does Keibler while Test had decent heat as a heel. Steiner tries to bring Keibler into the ring though Test pulls her to the floor and Steiner tries to come off the apron, but he slips and just misses Test to start the match as he pounds on him and rams him into the barricade. He throws him into the ring and Test begs off as Steiner kicks at him and pounds on him before hitting a clothesline, and he drops an elbow on Test and does a set of pushups as Test rolls outside and Steiner stalks him until Test uses Keibler as a shield. He shoves Keibler into Steiner and knocks him down as he whips him into the steps and throws him back into the ring, and he stomps on him repeatedly and poses for Keibler as he knocks Steiner down and pounds on him on the mat. He pounds on Steiner in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he splashes him and hits a slam, and he does pushups to mock Steiner and pounds on him as he hooks a sleeper on and Steiner fights to his feet and breaks the hold. He whips Test into the corner and Test catches him with a back elbow as he goes up top only for Steiner to catch him coming in with a belly-to-belly suplex, and Steiner hits a pair of clotheslines on Test who reverses a whip and Steiner catches him in a powerslam. Test begs off in the corner and Steiner stomps on him as he pounds on him repeatedly and Test counters a whip, and he hits a full nelson slam on Steiner for a two count and Steiner escapes a pump handle powerslam attempt as he ducks a big boot and hits an inverted DDT for a two count. He hoists Test onto his shoulder and Test slides off as he sends Steiner into the corner and he hits the pump handle powerslam for a two count, and he goes to take the pad off the buckle as Keibler gets on the apron and Test grabs her though she slaps him in the face. He avoids a charge from Steiner who avoids hitting Keibler and Test hits the big boot for a pair of two counts, and Test goes outside and grabs a chair as Keibler tries to take it from him and he shoves her down before bringing the chair into the ring. Steiner ducks two swings as the chair bounces off the ropes and hits Test in the face as Steiner hits the STO 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 getting back into a groove while Test was hitting his groove as well, and they had decent chemistry with Steiner getting the win despite Test’s best efforts. The crowd was into the match and popped for Steiner when he won. Steiner gets the win over Test and earns Keibler for himself, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Keibler gets in the ring and celebrates with Steiner as they head to the back.
 
We see Steve Austin and Eric Bischoff backstage as they discuss the burping contest and Bischoff says he wants to talk about the Pie Eating contest, and he says that he believes he’ll win hands down and he’s done some research as they head into their office where four women are waiting for them. Bischoff says that he did some hands-on interviewing and since he took the time to select the “pie”, he should go first and Austin says they’re in his home state so he should go first as Bischoff says Austin should be a great host by letting him go first. Austin calls him selfish though say he’ll let Bischoff go first only if he gets to select the “pie” Bischoff will eat and Bischoff agrees.
 
3. Booker T defeats Christian by disqualification at 7:53; Christian retains the WWE Intercontinental Championship.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/19 RAW, Christian bragged about winning the IC Title and later that night, Booker would attack Christian after his tag match, and on the 5/26 RAW it was announced that Booker would face Christian for the IC Title here as the two men had a confrontation with Booker promising to win the title in his hometown. On the 6/2 RAW, Christian took over the Highlight Reel and dubbed it the Peep Show as he had the Rock as his guest and Rock would run him down, and Christian would attack Rock along with Chris Jericho until Booker made the save and he had Rock do the Spinaroonie. Later that night, Booker and Goldust defeated Christian and Jericho in a tag match with Booker pinning Christian and on the 6/9 RAW, Christian would challenge Booker to a Spinaroonie contest with Christian doing his own though he would try to hit Booker with the belt when he attempted to go only for Booker to clear him from the ring and Christian would hit him with the belt on the stage.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. Christian won the IC Title last month by screwing Booker in the battle royal and now Booker gets a chance to become champion here. Booker gets a big pop from his hometown crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Booker backing Christian into the corner and he gives a clean break, and they lock up again with Christian hitting an armdrag and they lock up a third time with Booker going behind Christian as he hooks a headlock. He knocks Christian down and Christian leaps over him as Booker counters a hiptoss and hits one of his own, and he hits a slam on Christian and goes back to the headlock as Christian tries to escape only for Booker to take him to the mat. Christian backs Booker into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly as he whips him into the other corner, but Booker leaps over him and hits a backdrop for a two count as Christian holds the ropes to avoid a side kick. Booker hits a spinebuster on Christian for a two count and Christian slides out to the apron as he rakes the eyes and hotshots him on the top rope, and he pulls Booker to the outside and rams him into the steps as he throws him back into the ring for a two count. He hooks a submission on Booker who fights to his feet only for Christian to get a shot in and he pounds on Booker who reverses a whip into the corner, but Christian catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope only for Booker to catch him coming in with a flapjack. He starts to fire up on Christian who ducks a shot and Booker hits a flying forearm as he hits a clothesline and sidewalk slam for a two count, and he pounds on Christian and both men counter a whip as Booker hits a side kick for a two count and Christian escapes a slam attempt. He pounds on Booker who hotshots him on the top rope and hits an inverted DDT for a two count as Christian reverses a whip into the corner, and Booker leaps over him and attempts a sunset flip as Christian rolls through and hooks a rollup while using the ropes for a two count. Christian ducks a shot and hits the Bookend on Booker for a two count as Booker surprises him with a small package for a two count, and Christian sends Booker over the top with Booker landing on the apron and he gets a knee in as he hits the scissors kick which hotshots Christian on the top rope. Booker goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Christian for a two count as Christian rakes the eyes and Booker reverses a whip, and he hits a side kick on Christian and does the Spinaroonie as he gets a kick in only for Christian to roll outside. He grabs the belt and goes to leave only for the ref to declare that Christian will lose the title if he gets counted out, and Christian returns to the ring only to slide back out as Booker goes outside and chases him into the ring with Christian hitting him with the belt which draws the DQ and Booker gets the win. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid title match. Booker was hitting his groove by this point while Christian was also getting into a groove as well, and they had good chemistry though it was a bit deflating that Booker didn’t win the title in his hometown. The crowd was into the match and Booker, but are not happy with the ending. Booker gets the win by DQ and Christian escapes with the title as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
We see Kevin Nash preparing for his match.
 
Jerry “The King” Lawler is in the ring to host the second stage of the Redneck Triathlon which is the Pie Eating Contest and he says that Austin is up 1-0 over Bischoff, and he brings out both Bischoff and Austin who come down to the ring and Austin asks if Bischoff remembers their deal from earlier. He asks if Bischoff is feeling lucky and he remembers Bischoff saying he was into mature women which Bischoff confirms, and Austin says that looking at Bischoff he asks if he knows how to please a woman and Bischoff says it comes naturally for him. Austin says that he’s a jerkoff as we see the women in the office and Austin says they are all beautiful as this will be a tough decision, and Austin says that he’s made a change of plans as they tend to make decisions without consulting the other and he says none of those women will be picked. He says that he has someone more fitting for Bischoff as the Fabulous Moolah and Mae Young come out on the stage, and Young comes down to the ring while Moolah heads to the back and Austin says that she looks wonderful. Bischoff says he’s not doing this and Austin asks if he’s going to be a quitter as he says anyone can do the pretty ones, and Bischoff continues to refuse as Austin says that this will make him the winner of the Triathlon. He tells Lawler to announce him as the winner though Bischoff stops him and says that they’re adults so they should get it over with, and Young plants a kiss on Bischoff much to his chagrin though he tells Austin to top that and Austin asks what he’s talking about. He says that Bischoff just kissed her and this is a Pie Eating Contest as Young hits a low blow on Bischoff and removes her skirt, and she hits the Bronco Buster on Bischoff who rolls outside though he then tells Austin that it’s his turn. Austin says that he has to think about this and he won’t play second fiddle to Bischoff though he gets a kick in and hits the Stunner on Young, and he says that he forfeits the contest and it’s now 1-1 as they will have one more contest and they head to the back.
 
We see Kane looking at himself in the mirror.
 
We see highlights from RAW last week.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews La Resistance, who say that tonight is a big night for them and they don’t like being in Texas as they hate this place since it’s the home of George W. Bush, and they say that they are dedicating their match to their home country of France.
 
4. La Resistance defeat Rob Van Dam and Kane when Sylvain Grenier pins RVD at 5:49 to win the World Tag Team Championships.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/26 RAW, Steve Austin hosted a special Memorial Day celebration and had Lilian Garcia sing “America the Beautiful”, but La Resistance would interrupt and continue to run down America until Austin came out and gave both men the Stunner before joining Garcia in finishing the song. Later that night, Grenier would defeat RVD in a flag match after interference from Dupree and Kane which earned La Resistance a title shot at the PPV, and on the 6/2 RAW Dupree would defeat Kane in a singles match after Grenier interfered. After the match, Austin would get in Kane’s face and claim Kane was weak as he tried to provoke Kane into attacking him, but Kane would refuse and Austin would give Kane the Stunner. On the 6/9 RAW, RVD would defeat Dupree in a match only for La Resistance to beat him down after the match and Kane wouldn’t come out to help, and afterwards RVD confronted Kane backstage only for Kane to walk away.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. RVD and Kane have been rolling as tag champions and face a tough challenge here in La Resistance, who have been gaining steam as a team and look to become champions. RVD and Kane get a good pop from the crowd while La Resistance were pretty hot as heels. RVD starts off the match with Dupree and they lock up with RVD going behind Dupree who turns it around and he shoves RVD away, and they lock up again with RVD hooking a headlock as Dupree escapes with RVD ducking a shot and he hooks a rollup for a two count. They exchange shoves and RVD catches a kick attempt as he hits a spin kick on Dupree and kicks at him only for Dupree to reverse a whip into the corner, and RVD catches him with a back elbow and hits a springboard crossbody for a two count as he kicks and pounds on Dupree. He hooks a small package for a two count and rams the shoulder into the ribs in the corner as he does a backflip, and he attempts a monkey flip only for Grenier to hotshot him on the top rope and Dupree hits a DDT for a two count. Grenier comes in and stomps on RVD repeatedly as he drops a pair of elbows on him for a two count and pounds on him, and he rams RVD into the buckle and tags Dupree as they stomp and pound on him in the corner as Dupree hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on. RVD fights to his feet only for Dupree to yank him back down to the mat and grabs his leg until RVD catches him with an enzurgiri, and Kane gets the hot tag and fires up on La Resistance as he hits a big boot on Grenier and tosses Dupree over the top to the floor. He whips Grenier into the corner and splashes him as he pounds on him and knocks him down while Dupree goes up top, and Kane catches him coming in by hoisting him up in a choke and slamming him to the mat as he hits a sidewalk slam on Grenier for a two count. He knocks Dupree down and goes up top as he hits the flying clothesline on Grenier for a two count with Dupree breaking the pin up, and Kane knocks Dupree down only for Dupree to catch him ducking with a kick and La Resistance hit a double team though Kane sits up. He hits a double clothesline on La Resistance and tags RVD who goes up top and he hits a side kick on Dupree, and Grenier rakes Kane’s eyes and rams him into the post as RVD hits a legdrop on Dupree and a baseball slide on Grenier. RVD backdrops Dupree over the top to the floor and Kane grabs both men by the throat as RVD hits a somersault senton onto all three men, and La Resistance throw RVD back into the ring and hit a double spinebuster which gets the three and we have new champions. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic title match. RVD and Kane were at their peak as a team while La Resistance were slowly growing as a team, and they had decent chemistry as La Resistance get the surprise clean win to become champions. The crowd was into the match and RVD and Kane, but are not happy when La Resistance win. La Resistance get the win over RVD and Kane and are the new World Tag Champions as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
5. Bill Goldberg pins Chris Jericho with the Jackhammer at 10:59.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/12 RAW, Goldberg was arriving to the arena in a limo as a car nearly ran him down and on the 5/19 RAW, Austin interrogated Lance Storm who eventually admitted to being the wheelman though claimed he was set up. Later that night, Goldberg defeated Storm in a squash and forced Storm to admit that it was Jericho that put him up to it, and as Jericho was leaving the arena he admitted that he was behind it and he would have Goldberg on the Highlight Reel the next week. On the 5/26 RAW, Jericho explained himself as he talked about their time in WCW and how Goldberg never wanted to face him, and then he would challenge Goldberg to a match at the PPV and Goldberg would accept as he tried to attack Jericho only for Jericho to spray him with mace and hit the spear. On the 6/2 RAW, Goldberg arrived to the arena in one of his classic cars and Jericho would dump paint on it to taunt Goldberg, and later that night Goldberg would try to get Jericho only for Jericho to pull a referee in the way of a Goldberg spear. On the 6/9 RAW, Goldberg defeated Rosey in a match despite interference from Jericho though Jericho would again escape before Goldberg could get his hands on him, and later that night Goldberg would say that Jericho was next only for Jericho to hit him in the back with a chair though Goldberg would smile about it.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is the first of our three big main events. Jericho has been tormenting Goldberg for the last month and now they finally face off here with Goldberg looking to get revenge. Goldberg gets a big pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. Jericho avoids Goldberg to start the match and they lock up with both men falling to the outside and Goldberg pounds on Jericho, and he throws Jericho back into the ring and Jericho uses the ref as a shield as Goldberg moves the ref aside and gets a knee in. Jericho ducks two shots and Goldberg catches him on a crossbody attempt as he hits a front powerslam and sends him into the corner, and he kicks at Jericho and hits a hiptoss out of the corner as he gets a knee in and Jericho holds the ropes on a whip. He avoids a charge and pounds on Goldberg in the corner until Goldberg shoves him to the mat and Jericho gets a knee in, and Goldberg again shoves him to the mat and catches him with a back elbow as he presses him up and crotches him on the top rope. He kicks Jericho over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he presses Jericho up again and hotshots him on the barricade, and he sets Jericho up for the spear only for Jericho to avoid it and Goldberg crashes through the barricade. Jericho pounds on Goldberg and throws him into the post as he throws him back into the ring and goes up top, and he hits a missile dropkick on Goldberg for a two count and stomps on the arm as he drops an elbow on the arm and wraps it around the rope. He stomps on Goldberg who knocks him down and he gets a kick in as Jericho catches him ducking with an armbreaker, and he hooks a submission on the arm as Goldberg tries to roll through only for Jericho to stomp on him and he pounds on him. Goldberg reverses a whip into the corner and Jericho leaps up to the middle rope only for Goldberg catch him coming in with a kick, and he gets a knee in and knocks Jericho down as he hits an atomic drop and spin kick on Jericho only for Jericho to counter a hiptoss with a DDT for a two count. Goldberg reverses a whip into the corner and Jericho catches him with a back elbow only for Goldberg to hit a hiptoss slam, and Jericho ducks a shot and hits a standing dropkick on Goldberg as he hits the running bulldog and Lionsault for a two count. He hits another running bulldog on Goldberg only for Goldberg to catch him on a Lionsault attempt and he hits a slam, and he hits the spear on Jericho and sets up for the Jackhammer though he can’t hoist him up due to his shoulder. Jericho rakes the ref’s eyes and hits a low blow on Goldberg as he trips him up and hooks the Walls of Jericho on Goldberg, and Goldberg spins Jericho out of the hold and hits another spear as he then hits the Jackhammer 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. Goldberg was getting back into a groove while Jericho was hitting his stride by this point, and they had good chemistry as Goldberg gets a clean win over a game Jericho. The crowd was into the match and popped for Goldberg when he won. Goldberg gets the win over Jericho and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
We see the hog pen set up near the stage.
 
Terri is with Eric Bischoff and Steve Austin as she says the Triathlon is tied so they will have to spin the wheel to determine the final event, and they spin the wheel which lands on Sing-Off and Bischoff is excited as he says he’s heard Austin sing and Austin asks Terri if he’s a good singer before saying he knows he sucks and Bischoff says he has a great set of pipes as he will beat him in his home state.
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
6. “Nature Boy” Ric Flair pins Shawn Michaels after a chair shot from Randy Orton at 14:20.
 
The Buildup: On the 5/19 RAW, Steve Austin told Triple H he would have to defend the World Title against an opponent of Triple H’s choice though they had to be a former World Champion, and Triple H would pick Flair with the pretense that Flair would lay down for him. Michaels would talk to Flair and told him he needed to give his all and Flair would take that to heart as he would take Triple H to the limit though lost to him in the end, and on the 5/26 RAW Michaels brought Flair out and talked about what he's meant to him as he would challenge him to a match that night. Triple H would come out and confront Flair about last week as he reminded Flair of what he did for him, and then Eric Bischoff would come out and make a handicap match with Triple H facing Flair and Michaels while also making Michaels/Flair for the PPV. Later that night, Flair would turn on Michaels during the match and he would beat Michaels down along with Triple H and a returning Randy Orton, and on the 6/2 RAW, Flair cut a promo insulting Michaels and calling him a wannabe as Michaels said he took the torch from Flair. Later that night Flair would team with Triple H and Orton to defeat Michaels, Kevin Nash, and the Hurricane in a 6-man tag, and on the 6/9 RAW Orton defeated Hurricane in a match and attacked him along with Flair only for Michaels to make the save.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty big dream match. These two legends have been going at it for the last month and now they finally face off here to see who is the greatest. Michaels gets a big pop from the crowd while Flair was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Flair hooking a headlock as he goes behind Michaels before shoving him away, and they lock up again with Michaels hooking a headlock and he goes behind Flair as he trips him up and walks across his back. He slaps Flair in the face and they lock up with Flair going behind Michaels as he takes him to the mat and rides him, but Michaels escapes and goes behind Flair as he rides him until Flair reaches the ropes to force a break and Michaels slaps him in the face again. He hits a drop toehold and floats over into a front facelock as Flair backs him into the ropes only for Michaels to turn it around, and Flair shoves Michaels back and Michaels knocks him down as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor. He hits a slingshot plancha onto Flair on the floor and throws him back into the ring as Flair begs off in the corner and gets a kick in, and the two trade blows with Michaels hooking a headlock and he knocks Flair down as he catches him dropping down with another headlock. Flair backs Michaels into the corner and pounds on him until Michaels turns it around and pounds on Flair in the corner, and he blocks an atomic drop attempt and knocks Flair down as he continues to pound on him in the corner until the ref forces him back. Flair hits a chop block on Michaels’ leg and stomps on it as he drops a knee on the leg and pounds on him in the corner, and he stomps on the knee repeatedly and drives his knee into Michaels’ repeatedly as he slams down on it. He hooks the Figure-4 on Michaels and grinds down on him until Michaels reaches the rope to force a break, and Flair knocks Michaels down and stomps on the knee repeatedly as he grabs the leg only for Michaels to hit an enzurgiri. Flair recovers first and rams Michaels into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and Michaels battles back, and he hits a backdrop on Flair and whips him into the corner as Flair catches him with a back elbow and goes up top. Michaels nails him first and tosses him to the mat as he sets up for Sweet Chin Music though Flair blocks it, and he trips Michaels up and looks for the Figure-4 again only for Michaels to hook a small package for a two count. Michaels trips Flair up and hooks the Figure-4 on Flair who rakes the eyes to break the hold and Michaels escapes a back suplex attempt, and he rams Flair into the ref in the corner and hooks a rollup for a two count as Flair turns it around and grabs the tights for a two count. Michaels knocks Flair down and whips him inside out in the corner with Flair landing on the apron and he goes up top again, but Michaels nails him coming in and he puts Flair back on the top rope before going up himself and he hits a superplex. He goes outside and pulls a table out as he sets it up at ringside and Flair nails him coming in before looking for a suplex, but Michaels blocks it and knocks Flair down as both men go outside and Michaels rams Flair into the steps. He puts Flair on the table and pounds on him as Randy Orton jumps the barricade only for Michaels to catch him with Sweet Chin Music, and Michaels returns to the ring and goes up top as he hits a splash that puts Flair through the table and he throws him back into the ring for a two count. He pounds on Flair on the mat and grabs at him in the corner only for Flair to hit both Michaels and the ref with a low blow, and Michaels knocks Flair down and hits a backdrop as Flair reverses a whip and Michaels hits the flying forearm before nipping up. He hits a slam on Flair and goes up top as he hits the elbow on Flair and then he hits Sweet Chin Music on Flair, but Orton brings a chair into the ring and hits Michaels in the head with it before putting Flair on top which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a fairly solid match. Michaels was back in a groove by this point while Flair was slowly getting back into a groove, and they had good chemistry as Orton makes the difference and helps Flair win. The crowd was into the match and Michaels, but are not happy when Flair wins. Flair steals the win over Michaels thanks to Orton and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
Eric Bischoff comes down to the ring and says that it’s time for this Triathlon to be wrapped up as they will now have a singing contest and he is about to treat them to one of the greatest songs they’ll ever hear, and he says that he can’t think of a better song than his own theme song as he has the song played and he is clearly lip-synching. Just then, we see Steve Austin on the Titantron as he has the song stopped and he calls him out for lip-synching, and he says that he wants Bischoff to be fair and he wants Bischoff to actually sing as the music starts up again and Bischoff actually sings the song. Austin demands he stop as Bischoff says he was good and Austin says he sucks and is a loser though admits he can’t sing better, and he says that as a fair man he proposes they spin the wheel one last time and he spins it around to have it land on “Pig Pen Fun”. Bischoff says he can smell the pen from the ring and Austin says that whoever throws their opponent into the pen will win the Triathlon, and he tells Bischoff to wait for him and if he tries to run off, he is deputizing the fans to ensure that they keep Bischoff from leaving and Bischoff says he isn’t doing this. He tries to leave though keeps getting blocked by fans as Austin comes down to ringside and Bischoff begs off, and Austin knocks him down and throws him back into the ring as he rams him into the buckle and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner. He gets a kick in and hits the Stunner on Bischoff as he throws him to the outside and he drags him up the ramp to the stage, and he knocks Bischoff down and tosses him off the stage into the hog pen to win the Redneck Triathlon as he returns to the ring and has a beer bash.
 
We see the Hell in a Cell being lowered around the ring.
 
We see the buildup to the main event.
 
7. Triple H pins Kevin Nash with the Pedigree in a Hell in a Cell match at 21:03 to retain the World Heavyweight Championship.
 
Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley
 
The Buildup: On the 5/19 RAW, Steve Austin assured Nash that he was the Number One Contender and in the main event, Triple H defeated Ric Flair to retain the World Title until Nash scared him off and Austin would announce Triple H would face Nash inside Hell in a Cell at the PPV. On the 5/26 RAW, Triple H tried to suck up to Austin to get out of the match though Austin told him the match was still on, and later that night Nash was attacked by a masked man though he would make his way out to try and help Shawn Michaels only to be beaten down by Triple H, Flair, and the masked man who was revealed to be Randy Orton. On the 6/2 RAW, Triple H would remind the referees of the dangers of Hell in a Cell as they all told Bischoff and Austin none of them would referee the match and Austin said he had someone in mind, and later that night Triple H, Flair, and Orton defeated Nash, Michaels, and the Hurricane in a 6-man tag only for Nash to give Triple H the Jackknife after the match. On the 6/9 RAW, Austin brought out the man who volunteered to be the referee for the match at the PPV which was Mick Foley who cut a promo about being back and his history in the Cell, and Triple H would come out and reminded Foley that he was the one that retired Foley in the Cell as Foley said he still walked away on his own power and said all he had to do was count the three. Triple H would demand Foley that he remove himself as referee and would give him an hour to make the right decision, and Austin would confront Foley about it and Foley admitted he was afraid as Austin said that Foley made him sick. At the end of the night, the Cell was lowered around the ring as Foley confronted Triple H and said he would not back out, and the two men brawled in the Cell with Triple H laying Foley out though Foley would just count “1, 2, 3” and Evolution would assist Triple H until Nash and Michaels made the save with Nash pinning Triple H and Foley counted three.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Nash has been hounding Triple H since returning in April and now gets him in the Cell for the title, and the wild card of the match is Foley as the ref. Nash gets a good pop from the crowd as does Foley while Triple H was red hot as a heel. Triple H argues with Foley to start the match as he gets a kick in and pounds on Nash who hits a big boot, and he sends Triple H to the outside and goes outside himself as Triple H blocks a ram into the Cell and gets a back elbow in. Both men return to the ring and Nash knocks Triple H down twice as Triple H rolls out to the apron and Nash pounds on him, but Triple H hotshots him on the top rope and returns to the ring as he pounds on Nash in the corner until Nash shoves him off with Foley getting knocked down. Nash hits a pair of back elbows in the corner and rams the knee into Triple H repeatedly as he hits another pair of back elbows, and he hits a third back elbow and clotheslines Triple H over the top to the floor as he goes outside himself and Triple H gets a kick in. Nash blocks a ram into the Cell and gets a back elbow in as he rams Triple H’s back into the post and whips him into the Cell, and he pounds on Triple H and whips him into the Cell again as he rams him into the apron and whips him into the Cell a third time. He hits a backdrop on the floor and throws him back into the ring as he drives the elbow into the back of Triple H’s head, and he pounds on Triple H in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he hits a sidewalk slam for a two count. He drops a pair of elbows on Triple H for a two count and rolls outside as he brings a chair into the ring and jabs it into Triple H’s ribs, and he hits Triple H in the back with it and Triple H rolls outside as Nash goes outside as well and pounds on Triple H. He hoists Triple H up and rams his back into the Cell repeatedly as he whips him into the steps and he picks up the steps, and he tosses them at Triple H who avoids them and the steps bounce off the Cell as Triple H pounds on Nash and rams him into the steps. Nash gets a kick in and sets up for the Jackknife only for Triple H to block it and he pounds on Nash as he pulls out a toolbox, and he empties it out and grabs a sleeve only for Nash to get a kick in and he pounds on Triple H who grabs a hammer. He hits Nash in the knee with it and then he hits Nash in the head with it as he rolls back into the ring and Foley takes the hammer from him, and they exchange shoves as we see Nash is busted open and he gets on the apron as Triple H pounds on him and Nash falls to the floor. Triple H goes outside and rakes Nash’s face across the Cell as he rams him into the steps and the Cell before raking his face across the Cell again, and he throws Nash back into the ring and brings a screwdriver into the ring as Nash blocks him from using it until Triple H gets a kick in. He jabs the screwdriver into Nash’s face and goes outside again as he pulls out a 2x4 wrapped in barbed wire, and he hits Nash in the ribs with it and he charges only for Nash to get a shot in and he pounds on Triple H. He grabs the 2x4 and hits Triple H in the face with the barbed wire which busts him open and he hits Triple H in the head with it again, and he puts the 2x4 on the top buckle and Triple H begs off as Nash pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner before splashing him. He whips Triple H back into the other corner and splashes him as he hoists him up and hits Snake Eyes on the 2x4 for a two count, and Nash goes outside and tosses the steps into the ring as Triple H begs off and rolls outside with Nash reaching for him. Triple H pulls out a wooden crate and breaks it over Nash’s head as he pulls out the sledgehammer and brings it into the ring, but Foley takes the sledgehammer away from him and Triple H knocks him down as he grabs the steps only for Nash to hit a drop toehold with Triple H landing face first on the steps and Nash gets a two count. He grabs the chair and winds it up only for Triple H to kick him in the knee and he grabs the chair as he hits Nash in the head with it, and then he hits Foley in the head with it which busts him open and Foley pulls out Mr. Socko as he hooks the Mandible Claw on Triple H. Triple H hits a low blow on Foley to break the hold as Nash grabs the steps and Triple H pulls Foley in the way with Nash nailing both men, and Nash goes for the pin though Foley is still recovering as he rolls out to the apron and Nash argues with him. Triple H nails Nash and sends him into Foley who gets knocked off the apron into the Cell as Triple H gets a kick in, but Nash blocks the Pedigree by tripping Triple H up and he slingshots him into the 2x4 in the corner as he gets a knee in. He hits the Jackknife on Triple H as Foley gets back in the ring though Nash only gets two and Triple H crawls for the sledgehammer, and Nash grabs at him only for Triple H to hit him in the head with the sledgehammer and he hits the Pedigree which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a pretty solid match. Triple H was hitting his groove by this point while Nash was slowly getting back into a groove, and they had good chemistry as they delivered some good violence with Foley also getting involved and Triple H gets the clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and Nash, but are not happy when Triple H wins. Triple H retains the title over Nash and both men move on. Grade: 3.5
 
After the match, Evolution come down to the ring and help Triple H as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, RAW’s first PPV of this new era of brand-specific shows is a pretty dull show that is at least saved a bit by the last few matches. After the brands split back in the spring of 2002, you figured they would eventually do brand-specific shows to showcase more guys that normally don’t get featured on co-branded shows, but we also see a downside as there is more show to fill with a smaller roster. Triple H is still the man while Christian still rules the midcard and La Resistance now rule the tag division, and Mack, Nowinski, Steiner, Goldberg, and Flair get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best with Michaels/Flair behind it and the rest ranged from good to below average as most of the show was filled by Austin and Bischoff with the Redneck Triathlon. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as RAW had some decent things going on though it didn’t show completely here, and we will see how Smackdown fares at their first PPV. As for this show, it is a pretty average show and not a good start for RAW when it comes to the brand-specific shows. Final Grade: C-