RAW
August 18th, 2003
Van Andel Arena
Grand Rapids, Michigan
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Jonathan pins Jason.
 
8/24 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Rico (w/ Miss Jackie) pins Spike Dudley.
2. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak defeat two unknowns.
3. Mark Henry (w/ Theodore Long) pins Tyson Vicks.
4. Steven Richards and Victoria defeat Tommy Dreamer and Ivory.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
It’s time for another edition of the Highlight Reel as Chris Jericho welcomes us to RAW and says this will be a busy week for him, and he says that it starts tonight when he beats Kevin Nash and cuts that frizzy and brutal hair off his head. He says that he will introduce everyone to Big Daddy Bald and then on Sunday at Summerslam, he will once again become World Champion by beating all 5 men in the Elimination Chamber as it’s been a long time since he’s been World Champion. He says that every single waking moment he’s been thinking about becoming champion again and it’s the most important thing in his career, and he says that’s why he’s willing to put himself through the Chamber which is the most violent, brutal, bloody match he’s ever been in. He says that coming this close to winning the title last year only to have it stolen from him is something he will never forget, and he now wants to introduce the man who stole the title away from him which is Shawn Michaels who comes down to the ring. Jericho says that Michaels won the Chamber last year to become champion though asks if lightning will strike twice for Michaels, and he says that he has no time for Michaels as he has a big match set for tonight and he doesn’t want to risk his hair. He says that he gave Michaels a chance to be on the show so he some special guest co-hosts for tonight, and he brings out Evolution who come down to the ring and Triple H says that he wanted to talk to Michaels. He says that Flair and Orton don’t understand what the Chamber match is all about though he and Michaels do, and he says that whoever was in the Chamber won’t forget it and it’s the kind of match that takes a piece of your career. He says that last year, 6 men walked into the Chamber and they bled and paid the price though he lost the most because when it was over, he was in a hospital for 48 hours and also lost the World Title to Michaels though this year will be different. He says that Evolution will make sure he leaves World Champion and the other difference is that Michaels will be the one spending time in the hospital, but Michaels attacks all three men and hits a backdrop on Flair as he pounds on him on the mat until Orton gets a shot in. He pounds on Michaels and Flair drops a knee on Michaels’ groin as they stomp on him until Kevin Nash runs down to the ring, and he fights off Evolution until Flair rakes the eyes and he stomps on Nash while Orton stomps on Michaels. Just then, Bill Goldberg runs down to the ring and no-sells Flair’s shots as Orton clotheslines Michaels over the top to the floor, and Goldberg clears Orton and Flair from as he stalks Triple H who avoids the spear with Goldberg hitting Nash by mistake.
 
We see Stacy Keibler putting her makeup on as Test walks up to her and asks her to hear him out as he says when he beats Steiner tonight, they will be back together and she can’t be happy about that as he was a terrible person though things will be different. He says that he won’t be like he was before and after tonight, he will treat her like the slut she is.
 
Commercial break
 
1. Molly Holly defeats Trish Stratus by disqualification at 2:35 to retain the WWE Women’s Championship.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with our first title match of the night. Stratus came close to winning the Women’s Title last week and now she gets another shot here against Molly. Stratus gets a good pop from the crowd while Molly was pretty hot as a heel. The two women lock up to start with Molly working on the arm and she yanks Stratus to the mat by her hair, and Stratus nips up and pounds on Molly who gets a knee in only for Stratus to hit a Lou Thesz press and she pounds on Molly on the mat. Molly counters a whip with a short clothesline and she snaps Stratus to the mat by her arm for a two count, and she hits a sidewalk slam on Stratus and then she hits a shoulderbreaker for a two count as she goes up top only for Stratus to crotch her on the top rope. She hits the handstand hurricanrana on Molly and then she hits a dropkick as she pounds on Molly who catches her ducking with a kick, and Stratus catches her in a spinebuster as Gail Kim runs down to the ring and Stratus knocks her down with a Chick Kick. She goes out to the apron and hits a clothesline on Kim that knocks her to the floor as she goes up top only to miss the crossbody, and Molly goes for the pin only for Kim to break it up which draws the DQ and Molly retains the title. The match itself was nothing much as both women did what they could and put on a basic matchup. Both women were hitting their stride by this point and still had good chemistry, but this was more about Kim getting involved and costing Stratus the match. The crowd was into the match and Stratus, but are not happy with the ending. Molly retains the title over Stratus by DQ and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Kim and Molly continue to brawl outside the ring as officials come out and break them up.
 
We see Evolution bragging about what happened earlier as Steve Austin walks up to them and says they’re all about strength in numbers, and he says that he got an idea for the main event of tonight’s show as Randy Orton will face Bill Goldberg and Orton says he hopes no one gets hurt. They say that all hell can break loose and Austin says that there will be a guest enforcer for the match which will be him.
 
Commercial break
 
Shane McMahon comes out on the stage and says that he might not be 100%, but he’s here for two reasons with the first being there won’t be a match between him and Eric Bischoff at Summerslam, and he says that when that parasite gets here tonight he’ll drag him to the ring and beat him beyond recognition. He says that Bischoff won’t make it to Summerslam and the other reason he’s here is because of Kane who isn’t here yet, and he says that tonight he has a special present for Kane that he wants to deliver personally as he heads to the back and comes back out with a can of gasoline as he says Kane isn’t the only one who likes to play with fire.
 
We see Goldust and Lance Storm backstage as Storm says this isn’t working and he’s boring as Goldust says the key to not being boring is being unpredictable, and Storm says the most unpredictable thing he’s done is watch a tape and return it without rewinding it. Goldust asks what’s wrong with him and they need to speed things up as he wants Storm to go into the women’s locker room, and he says that he wants him to talk nasty to the first Diva he sees and give her a big kiss as Storm says he doesn’t think he can only for Goldust to send him in.
 
We see a shot of Linda McMahon in her home office in Greenwich.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Test pins Scott Steiner (w/ Stacy Keibler) with the big boot at 4:49.
 
Stipulation: The winner would earn Stacy Keibler’s services
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men continued to go at it since Bad Blood and now they face off here with Test getting a chance to reclaim Keibler. Steiner gets a good pop from the crowd while Test had solid heat as a heel. Test wastes no time and stomps on Steiner to start the match as he pounds on him only for Steiner to catch him on a leap and he hits a powerslam, and he pounds on Test on the mat and continues to pound on him in the corner as he hits a back elbow and stomps on him repeatedly. He pounds on Test in the corner and hits a spinning belly-to-belly suplex as he pounds on Test on the mat and drives the elbow into him repeatedly, and he pounds and kicks at Test who counters a whip and Steiner ducks a shot as he hits a clothesline on Test. He drops an elbow on Test and does a set of pushups as he pounds on Test in the corner and whips him into the other corner, and Test catches him with a back elbow only for Steiner to avoid the big boot as Test seemingly tweaks his knee. He struggles to stay on his feet and the ref checks on him as more officials and the trainers come out to check on him, and they start to help him out of the ring only for Test to hit the big boot on Steiner which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Steiner dominated the match until Test outsmarted him to win the match. The crowd was into the match and Steiner, but are not happy when Test wins. Test gets the win over Steiner and gets Keibler back, but this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Van Andel Arena.
 
La Resistance come down to the ring and Rene Dupree says that last week, everyone saw the death of one of the most dominant teams in history in the Dudleyz courtesy of them and they would like to give a moment of silence in their honor, and Sylvain Grenier says that at Summerslam, they will bury the Dudleyz again and show the world that they are the best tag team ever. They turn their attention to a serviceman sitting in the front row and go outside as Greiner asks if he fights for the military, and he asks the serviceman how many innocent people he killed last year though he says it was a joke and they are not violent. He wants him to shake their hands which he goes to do though Dupree pulls his hand away and Grenier says they’re having fun, and Dupree shoves the serviceman back as the Dudley Boyz run down to the ring with the American flag and chase La Resistance up the ramp. The Dudleyz bring the serviceman into the ring and thank him for his service as they salute him and hand him the flag, and he waves it around as the Dudleyz turn their attention back to La Resistance only for the serviceman to attack the Dudleyz with the flag. La Resistance return to the ring as the serviceman chokes Bubba with his shirt and La Resistance hit a double team on D-Von, and then La Resistance hit their double team on Bubba as the serviceman rips the flag from the pole and buries the Dudleyz with it.
 
We see Chris Jericho preparing backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from last month of Kane giving Linda McMahon the Tombstone on the stage.
 
We see a shot of Linda in her home office in Greenwich
 
3. Chris Jericho pins Kevin Nash after a shot with brass knuckles at 9:52.
 
Stipulation: The loser would have their head shaved bald
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men were set to be part of the Elimination Chamber in 6 days and they face off here first with both men putting their hair on the line. Nash gets a good pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and Jericho slaps Nash in the face as Nash rams him into the corner, and he hits a series of back elbows on Jericho and whips him into the other corner as he hits a backdrop and gets a knee in. He hits a gutwrench suplex on Jericho for a two count and Jericho catches him with a pair of back elbows as he goes up top, and Nash catches him coming in and hoists him up in a choke as he slams him to the mat for a two count. Jericho escapes a slam attempt and hits a dropkick to Nash’s knee as he kicks at the knee repeatedly only for Nash to backdrop him over the top to the floor, and Nash goes outside and hotshots Jericho on the barricade only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. Jericho rolls back into the ring and hits a baseball slide that drives Nash into the barricade as he goes out to the apron and comes off with an elbow to Nash, and he kicks at Nash and throws him back into the ring as he goes up top and hits a missile dropkick for a two count. He kicks at Nash twice and pounds on him on the mat as he takes the pad off the buckle only for the ref to catch him, and he tries to put the pad back on and Nash hooks a rollup for a two count as Jericho hits a low dropkick on Nash. He drops a series of elbows on Nash for a two count and chokes him on the ropes as he slams down on his back, and he pounds on Nash in the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly only to miss a charge as he rams his shoulder into the post. Nash hits a short clothesline on Jericho for a two count and then he whips him into the corner as he hits a sidewalk slam for a two count, and Nash hoists Jericho onto his shoulder only for Nash to slide off and he sends Nash into the exposed buckle. Jericho hooks a pair of rollups for a pair of two counts and he kicks at Nash who catches him with a clothesline for a two count, and he whips Jericho into the corner and Jericho catches him with a boot to the face as he hits the running bulldog. He hits the Lionsault on Nash for a two count and he hooks the Walls of Jericho on as Nash reaches the ropes to force a break, and Nash gets a knee in and hits the Jackknife on Jericho for a two count with Jericho getting his foot on the rope. Jericho ducks a shot and Nash hits the big boot as he looks for a second Jackknife only for Jericho to rake the ref’s eyes and he hits a low blow on Nash, and he pulls out a pair of brass knuckles and hits Nash in the face with them which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Jericho was hitting his stride by this point while Nash was starting to slow down a bit, and they had good chemistry as Jericho cheats his way to the win. The crowd was into the match and Nash, but are not happy when Jericho wins. Jericho gets the win over Nash and Nash will lose his hair as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Jericho goes outside and brings a pair of scissors into the ring as he cuts Nash’s hair himself, and he rolls outside with a bunch of Nash’s hair and taunts him with it.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from earlier today of Rosey saving a cat from a tree for a little girl and then the Hurricane comes in, and he tells a story to the girl as the cat attacks Rosey and he throws the cat away much to his horror.
 
4. Rosey (w/ the Hurricane) pins Rodney Mack (w/ Theodore Long) with a spinning sidewalk slam at 1:39.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Rosey was continuing to establish himself as a superhero and looks to get a win here over Mack, who was in a bit of a slump and looks to get back on track here. Rosey gets a good pop from the crowd while Mack had decent heat as a heel. Mack wastes no time and attacks Rosey from behind to start the match as he pounds on him only for Rosey to battle back, but Mack gets a shot in and kicks at Rosey’s knee repeatedly as he rams the knee into him repeatedly and kicks him in the head. He chokes Rosey on the ropes twice and Long gets on the apron only for Hurricane to pull him back to the floor, and Mack gets a shot in on Hurricane only for Rosey to catch him in a Samoan drop and gets a shot in. He splashes Mack in the corner and hits a spinning sidewalk slam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Mack got most of the offense in until Rosey gets the win in the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rosey when he won. Rosey gets the win over Mack and both men move on. Grade: .5
 
We see highlights from RAW last month of Kane giving Linda McMahon the Tombstone on the stage.
 
Ross interviews Linda McMahon from her home in Greenwich as she says that it’s a pleasure and she is suffering from two herniated discs in her neck, and she says that she’s been rehabbing and getting a lot of rest as the doctors are confident she won’t need surgery. She says that even though she has to wear a soft collar at night and while driving, she’s hopeful she won’t have to wear it for much longer and she says that she was traumatized that day as she doesn’t think she can be in Kane’s presence again. Just then, the doorbell rings repeatedly which Linda acknowledges and she stands up as she notices someone and asks how they got in, and we see Eric Bischoff come in the room and he says that Linda looks shocked to see him though not nearly as shocked as Shane must be. He says that Shane is in Grand Rapids looking for him while he is in the McMahon estate and he just let himself in, and he says that there’s no one else home and she is looking exceptional this evening.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eric Bischoff hold up the soft collar in front of Linda McMahon as he says that neck braces get in the way, and she says that she doesn’t know what he’s doing here and she wants him to leave as he says he’s not here to hurt her. He says that he’s here to please her and she says she will call security as he stops her and reiterates that he’s not here to hurt her, and he says that he will hurt Shane at Summerslam and Shane is a spoiled bastard that took WCW from him. He says that he built WCW from nothing with his sweat, tears, and sacrifices as Shane swoops in and has WCW handed to him on a silver platter, and he says that he’s going to break Shane’s legs and when Shane is begging for him to stop, he will beat him to a bloody pulp. He grabs Linda’s hands and puts them behind her back as he tells her not to try anything and she complains about her neck, and he tells her not to fight it as she’ll enjoy it more and he’s enjoyed the time they’ve had together. He asks her to show him the bedroom and plants a kiss on her.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of Shane McMahon leaving the arena.
 
5. Rob Van Dam and Christian wrestle to a no contest at 9:00; Christian retains the Intercontinental Championship.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second and final title match of the night. Christian has been rolling as IC Champion and faces a tough challenge here in RVD, who was preparing for his match at Summerslam and looks to become champion again. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Christian hooking a headlock and he knocks RVD down as RVD leaps over him and hits a monkey flip, and they lock up again with Christian backing RVD into the corner and he gets a shot in as he stomps on RVD repeatedly. RVD flips over Christian’s back and hits a spinning dropkick as he hits a pair of armdrags and kicks at Christian, and he works on the arm for a two count and Christian backs him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly. RVD reverses a whip into the other corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly as he does a backflip, but Christian sends RVD shoulder first into the post and he hooks a rollup for a two count as he stomps on RVD. He goes out to the apron and hotshots RVD’s arm on the top rope as he returns to the ring and stomps on RVD, and he works on the arm and RVD battles back only for Christian to get a kick in and he hits an armbreaker for a two count. He whips RVD into the corner and RVD hits a springboard crossbody on Christian for a two count as Christian kicks at him twice, and he steps on RVD’s back and stomps on him as RVD tries to battle back only for Christian to get a knee in. He hits a gutbuster on RVD for a two count and RVD again tries to battle back only for Christian to pound on him, and RVD catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick on Christian as he ducks a shot and hits another spin kick. He hits a clothesline on Christian and pounds on him in the corner as Christian reverses a whip into the other corner, but RVD flips over his back and hits a spin kick for a two count as he hits a spinning legdrop to the back of the head. Christian gets his knees up on a Rolling Thunder attempt and hooks a rollup for a two count as RVD reverses a whip into the corner, and he attempts a rolling monkey flip though Christian shoves him off and RVD ducks a shot as Christian avoids a springboard side kick with RVD hitting the ref by mistake. Christian hits an inverted DDT on RVD and goes outside as he brings a pair of chairs into the ring and he sets up for the one-man Con-Chair-To, but RVD avoids it and hits the Van Daminator on Christian as he goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash. Just then, Kane comes down to the ring only for RVD to hit a low dropkick that knocks Kane off the apron and he grabs the chair, and he hits a running baseball slide driving the chair into Kane’s head and then he attempts a suicide dive only for Kane to hit him with the chair as the match is thrown out. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. RVD was hitting his stride by this point as was Christian and they had good chemistry, but this was more about Kane getting involved and attacking RVD. The crowd was into the match and RVD, but are not happy with the ending. The match ends with no winner and Christian escapes with the title as both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Kane hoists RVD onto his shoulder and takes him up the ramp to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Test and Stacy Keibler in the locker room as Test says he won her services and she has to do what he says, and he is with Steven Richards and Rico as he welcomes and says this is on him as he has Keibler dance for them.
 
We see Kane handcuffing Rob Van Dam to something as he asks if he’s with him and he has something to wake him up, and he picks up the gasoline can and says that Shane left it for him as he douses RVD with gasoline and asks if he’s with him now. He stuffs his towel in RVD’s mouth as he says RVD wanted to know what made him tick and he could take him out anytime he wanted, and he says that it’s time for RVD to feel his pain as he pours more gasoline onto him and pulls out a pack of matches. He asks RVD if he remembers what happened to Jim Ross as he lights the matches on fire and says no one is coming to help, but then he says that this is what they want and he won’t do what they want as he blows the fire out and says that he’s only going to do what he wants before walking away.
 
Commercial break
 
Triple H and Ric Flair come out to do commentary for the main event.
 
6. Bill Goldberg pins Randy Orton with the Jackhammer at 5:03.
 
Special Enforcer: Stone Cold Steve Austin
 
Analysis: After a long and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men were set to face off in the Chamber on Sunday and face off here to build momentum. Goldberg gets a big pop from the crowd as does Austin while Orton was pretty hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match as Goldberg chases Orton out of the ring and he chases him back into the ring, and Orton ducks a shot and Goldberg hits a clothesline as he gets a kick in and pounds on Orton in the corner. He whips Orton hard into the other corner and rams the knee into him repeatedly as he pounds on him and whips him back into the other corner, but Orton catches him with a boot to the face and hits a standing dropkick before hitting a clothesline that sends Goldberg over the top to the floor. Orton goes outside and pounds on Goldberg as he whips him into the steps and throws him back into the ring, and he gets a two count and pounds on Goldberg on the mat as he drops a pair of elbows on him for a two count. He stomps on Goldberg repeatedly and hits a snapmare as he hooks a submission on Goldberg who fights to his feet and escapes with a snapmare, and he gets a kick in and hits a press slam on Orton as he hits a backdrop only for Orton to rake the eyes. He looks for the RKO though Goldberg shoves him off into the ref who gets knocked to the outside and Goldberg hits a powerslam on Orton, and Austin gets in the ring and Goldberg gets a two count as he takes Orton to the mat and hooks a submission on the leg. Flair leaves the table and runs down to the ring as he pulls Austin outside and gets in the ring where he rakes Goldberg’s eyes to break the hold, and he stomps on Goldberg repeatedly and Austin gets in the ring as he knocks Flair down and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner. Orton grabs at Austin who pounds on him and catches a kick attempt as Goldberg hits the spear on Orton, and Austin gets a kick in and hits the Stunner on Flair as Goldberg hits the Jackhammer on Orton which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the 5 minutes they got and put on a basic match. Goldberg was hitting his groove by this point while Orton was getting into a groove, and they had good chemistry as Goldberg overcomes the odds and gets the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Goldberg when he won. Goldberg gets the win over Orton and this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Triple H gets on the stage and stares Goldberg down as Kevin Nash comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring, and he nails Goldberg from behind and hits the Jackknife as Triple H watches until Shawn Micheals comes out from behind. He hits Sweet Chin Music on Triple H and he holds the belt up until Chris Jericho comes out with a chair and hits Michaels in the back with it, and he holds up the belt and poses with it while Nash watches as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty decent episode to serve as the final build to Summerslam. Looking at that show, RAW was clearly the more highlighted brand given they had one more match on the card than Smackdown and this was their chance to show why they deserved the top billing. We had two title matches on the show as Christian and Molly retain their titles while Test, Jericho, Rosey, and Goldberg get big wins, and in terms of the matches Nash/Jericho was the best while the rest were pretty basic and the focus was building to Summerslam though the segment with Bischoff and Linda was very bizarre. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as RAW was very weird in that they had good weeks and bad weeks, and we will see how their side of Summerslam plays out given how strong it’s been built. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show and RAW goes into Summerslam looking to have the best night. Final Grade: C