Armageddon
December 14th, 2003
TD Waterhouse Centre
Orlando, Florida
 
The Buildup: On the 12/1 RAW, Mick Foley made his first appearance since June as he announced that Linda McMahon had named him an outside consultant to oversee RAW, and he would name himself the new co-GM and announced he was starting a petition to bring Steve Austin back to RAW.
 
Sunday Night Heat:
 
1. Rico (w/ Miss Jackie) pins John Heidenreich at 1:30.
 
Actual Show:
 
Lilian Garcia performs “The Star Spangled Banner”.
 
We see the opening video for Armageddon.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Booker T pins Mark Henry (w/ Theodore Long) with the scissors kick at 9:22.
 
The Buildup: On the 11/17 RAW, Booker defeated Henry in a match by using the ropes for leverage and on the 11/24 RAW, Henry would defeat Booker in a Salt Lake City Street Fight as selected by RAW Roulette. On the 12/1 RAW, Booker defeated Test in a match and celebrated with Stacy Keibler until Henry attacked him afterwards and gave him two World’s Strongest Slams as this match was made, and on the 12/8 RAW Henry teamed with Scott Steiner and Test to defeat Booker, the Hurricane, and Rosey as Henry put Booker in the bearhug after the match.
 
Analysis: We kick off the last PPV of 2003 with a pretty big matchup. These two have been going at it since Survivor Series and now they face off here to settle their issues. Booker gets a big pop from the crowd while Henry was pretty hot as a heel. Booker wastes no time and pounds on Henry to start the match as Henry shoves him back only for Booker to continue to pound on him in the corner, but Henry hits a clothesline and a slam on Booker as he chokes him on the ropes and clotheslines him over the top to the floor. He goes outside as well and Booker gets a kick in though Henry reverses a whip and sends Booker into the steps, and he throws him back into the ring and gets on the apron only for Booker to hit a baseball slide that knocks Henry to the floor. He hits a slingshot plancha onto Henry on the floor and rams him into the barricade as he throws him back into the ring and goes up top, and he hits a missile dropkick on Henry for a two count and Long gets on the apron as Booker scares him to the floor and Henry knocks him down. Henry hits a backbreaker on Booker for a two count and hooks a submission on as Booker fights out of the hold only for Henry to get a shot in, and he chokes Booker on the ropes and slams down on his back as both men fall to the outside and Henry throws him back into the ring. He gets a two count and hooks another submission on Booker who fights to his feet only for Henry to get a shot in, and he hooks a bearhug on Booker who fights out of the hold only for Henry to hit a clothesline though he misses the legdrop. Henry blocks a shot and nails Booker as he whips him into the corner and Booker leaps over him before hitting a pump kick, and he hits a side kick on Henry and pounds on him until Henry gets a shot in and Booker ducks a shot. He hits a flying forearm on Henry and gets a kick in as he hits the scissors kick for a two count and Henry reverses a whip, and he hits a spinebuster on Booker for a two count and whips him into the corner as he splashes him and he whips him back into the other corner. He hits a clothesline on Booker and then he hits a legdrop for a two count as he hits a sloppy powerbomb for a two count, and he whips Booker into the corner only to miss a charge and Booker gets a kick in as he hits the scissors kick again 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. Booker was hitting his stride by this point while Henry was getting into a groove as well, and they had decent chemistry as Booker gets the clean win though you could argue Henry needed it more. The crowd was into the match and popped for Booker when he won. Booker gets the win over Henry and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see Eric Bischoff in his office watching the monitor as he says that’s not how he wanted to start the show and we see Chris Jericho and Christian in his office, and Bischoff says that he knows he can count on them to get the job done as Jericho goes to say something though Christian interrupts by thanking Bischoff for the match. He says that last week, Stratus and Lita embarrassed them and cost them the tag titles as he was also about to win the bet, and Bischoff says that the only reason Lita is here is so they can embarrass her and Jericho says he still wants to talk to him about this match.
 
Mick Foley comes down to the ring and says that he usually watches the PPVs at his friend’s house though tonight he is here in Orlando, and he says that this is first PPV as co-GM of RAW and he believes it will be a great show as he has some news to share. He says that the petition to bring back Steve Austin has reached 1 million signatures which shows everyone how bad they want Austin back on RAW, and he says that the news is cause for celebration and he wonders if anyone in the back could join him. Stacy Keibler comes out dressed as a cheerleader and does several cartwheels as she calls for Foley to do one and he ends up doing a front roll, but then Randy Orton and Ric Flair come down to the ring and Orton says that Foley has one hell of a cartwheel. He says that he’ll need that hand to count the three when he beats RVD though he wants to talk about that the party is over, and he says that Austin is gone for good because he won the match at Survivor Series and Foley’s stupid petition is over. He says that it’s time for him to collect the Intercontinental Championship and Foley says that Orton is clearly ready to go, and he takes off his jacket and shirt to reveal a referee shirt as he says there’s no reason they can’t have the match right now.
 
2. Randy Orton (w/ “Nature Boy” Ric Flair) pins Rob Van Dam with the RKO at 17:59 to win the Intercontinental Championship.
 
Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley
 
The Buildup: On the 11/17 RAW, RVD defended the IC Title against Flair with the 5-Star Frog Splash being banned and Orton would be on commentary, and RVD would win the match by DQ when Orton got involved and hit the RKO on RVD off the top rope. Later that night, Orton would cash in his Survivor Series favor to get a title shot at the PPV and on the 11/24 RAW, Orton defeated Sgt. Slaughter in a match and attacked him afterwards until RVD made the save. Later that night, Orton would spin the RAW Roulette and forced RVD to face Test and Scott Steiner in a Handicap Singapore Cane match which he lost, and on the 12/1 RAW RVD, Shawn Michaels, and Goldberg defeated Evolution and Kane in a 6-man tag when RVD pinned Orton with Mick Foley counting the fall. On the 12/8 RAW, Batista defeated RVD in a non-title match and later that night, Foley would come out and announce that he would be the guest referee for the match.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our first title match of the night. RVD has been rolling as IC Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Orton, who has been gaining momentum since Survivor Series and looks to become champion here. RVD gets a big pop from the crowd while Orton was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match as RVD catches a kick attempt and he hits a legsweep on Orton before pounding on him on the mat, and Orton rolls outside to regroup and returns to the ring as they lock up with Orton hooking a headlock and he goes behind RVD. RVD turns it around and Orton escapes a slam attempt only for RVD to hit a snapmare and he hooks a headscissors on, but Orton quickly escapes and goes back to the headlock as RVD escapes and neither man goes down when they collide. RVD ducks a shot and Orton ducks a spin kick as they have a standoff and Orton gets a knee in as he pounds on RVD, and RVD flips over Orton’s back and hits a spin kick as he pounds on him and Orton reverses a whip into the corner. RVD hits a dropkick to the ribs and goes up top as he hits a crossbody on Orton for a two count and pounds on him, but Orton battles back and RVD sends him over the top with Orton landing on the apron and RVD ducks a shot. He hits a spin kick that knocks Orton to the floor and then he hits a slingshot somersault plancha onto Orton on the floor, and he throws Orton back into the ring and hits a slingshot legdrop for a two count as he stomps on him and pounds on him. Orton reverses a whip into the corner only to miss a charge and RVD goes up top though Orton shoves him off with RVD landing on the barricade, and Orton goes outside and hits a standing dropkick on RVD as he throws him back into the ring and gets a two count. He stomps on RVD repeatedly and drops an elbow on him for a two count as he chokes him on the ropes repeatedly until Foley pulls him off, and Orton kicks at RVD repeatedly and stomps on him in the corner as he whips him hard into the other corner. He rakes his boot across RVD’s face and RVD tries to battle back as Orton gets a knee in and RVD ducks a shot, and he hits a high crossbody on Orton for a two count and Orton hits a clothesline on RVD as he pounds on him and rams him into the buckles repeatedly for a two count. He hooks a submission on RVD who fights to his feet and breaks the hold though Orton gets a shot in and whips him into the corner, and RVD leaps over him only for Orton to hit a clothesline for a two count and he hits a snapmare as he hits a low dropkick for a two count. He goes back to the submission on RVD and grinds down on him as RVD fights to his feet only for Orton to get a knee in, and RVD hooks a rollup for a two count and he hits a front powerslam on Orton as he hits the split-legged moonsault for a two count. Orton gets a kick in and hoists him onto his shoulder as he hits a neckbreaker for a two count and goes back to the submission, and he grinds down on RVD who tries to fight out only for Orton to take him back to the mat and RVD again fights to his feet and breaks the hold. The two men trade blows with RVD catching a kick attempt and he spins Orton around as he hits a spin kick, and he fires up on Orton and kicks at him repeatedly in the corner as he pounds on him and whips him into the other corner. He hits a monkey flip on Orton and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly as he does a backflip and ducks a shot, and he hits a springboard side kick on Orton and then he hits a clothesline as he pounds on him and whips him into the corner. He hits a Northern lights suplex for a two count and Orton rolls outside to regroup as RVD rolls outside as well and he hoists Orton up for a suplex before dropping him on the barricade, and he gets on the apron and hits a legdrop to the back of Orton’s head as he throws him back into the ring. Orton catches him coming in with a kick and hits a stiff draping DDT for a pair of two counts only to miss the knee, and Orton catches a kick attempt and ducks a spin kick only for RVD to hook a rollup for a two count and he ducks a shot as he hits a side kick. RVD hits a low dropkick and the Rolling Thunder on Orton as he hits a low dropkick on Flair though Orton hooks a rollup for a two count, and RVD catches a kick attempt and hits a spin kick as he goes up top and Flair puts on a pair of brass knuckles. He gets on the apron only for Foley to knock him off the apron though Orton hits a dropkick that crotches RVD on the top rope, and RVD falls to the mat and Orton hits the RKO which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was very good as both men worked hard and put on a good title match. RVD was hitting his stride by this point while Orton was also getting into a groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Foley did a good job as ref and this was a huge moment for Orton. The crowd was into the match and RVD, but are not happy when Orton wins. Orton gets the win over RVD and is the new IC Champion as both men move on. Grade: 3.5
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
3. Chris Jericho and Christian defeat Trish Stratus and Lita when Christian pins Stratus at 6:38.
 
The Buildup: Beginning in October, Jericho and Christian began pursuing Stratus and Lita respectively and on the 11/17 RAW, Jericho had Lita on the Highlight Reel as he revealed Matt Hardy had moved from Smackdown to RAW much to her delight and he looked like he was going to propose. Molly Holly would interrupt which led to a match with Molly and Eric Bischoff against Lita and Matt with the stipulations that Lita would earn a title shot if her team won and she would be fired if her team lost, and Bischoff and Molly would defeat Matt and Lita after Matt betrayed Lita and announced they were done. Christian would then approach Lita afterwards and let her know he used his Survivor Series favor to get Lita’s job back, and Stratus confronted Jericho about what happened to Lita and Jericho denied being involved in it as he said that he cared about her and they would share a kiss. On the 11/24 RAW, Lita would be forced to face Victoria in a Steel Cage match via RAW Roulette and Matt would cost her the match as he stalked her until Christian made the save, and later that night Christian and Matt were forced to team up against Bubba Ray Dudley and Garrison Cade and Matt would walk out on Christian to cost them the match. On the 12/1 RAW, Stratus and Lita talked about their relationships with Jericho and Christian as Stratus showed Lita a custom jersey that she made for Jericho, and later that night Jericho and Stratus defeated Rico and Jackie while Matt defeated Christian who was distracted by Molly attacking Lita. Later that night, Jericho and Christian talked about their relationships as it was revealed that they had a bet going on over who would get their respective girl in bed with the winner getting one Canadian dollar, but it was then revealed that Stratus had overheard the conversation. On the 12/8 RAW, Jericho and Christian came out with flowers and apologized to Stratus and Lita though they rebuffed them and cost them a match against the Dudleyz, and Jericho and Christian would confront Bischoff who made this match in a “Battle of the Sexes” match though Jericho seemed hesitant about it.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a very interesting matchup. It seemed like Jericho and Christian were genuine in their wanting to be with Stratus and Lita only for the ladies to find out it was all a bet, and now they are forced to face Jericho and Christian here per Eric Bischoff. Stratus and Lita get a good pop from the crowd while Jericho and Christian were red hot as heels. Stratus starts off the match with Jericho who tries to reason with her and he blocks a slap attempt only for Stratus to slap him in the face, and she pounds on him and gets a kick in as Jericho catches a crossbody attempt and puts her over his knee as he spanks her repeatedly. She kicks him away and pounds on him until he sends her into the corner and she hits a headscissors on Jericho, and she hits a pair of dropkicks on Jericho as Christian tags in and he shoves her into the corner as Lita tags in. He grabs her arms only for Lita to hit a headbutt and he chases her out of the ring as they return to the ring, and she stomps and pounds on him coming in until he shoves her away and he gets a knee in only to miss a charge. Lita hits a monkey flip on Christian and ducks a shot as she hits a headscissors on Christian for a two count, and she pounds on Christian until Jericho gets a shot in from the apron and Christian hits a slam on Lita. Jericho tags in and hits another slam on Lita as he steps on her hair and pulls her up by the arms, and Lita tries to battle back only for Jericho to hoist her up for a powerbomb though she hits a hurricanrana for a two count. He catches her with a back elbow and tags Christian who kicks at Lita and pulls her shirt off as he taunts her with it, and she hits a low blow on Christian and Stratus gets the hot tag as she fires up on Christian who reverses a whip and she ducks a shot. She hits the Chick Kick on Christian and sets up for the Stratusfaction though Christian blocks it and she escapes a back suplex attempt, and she avoids a charge as he sails through the ropes to the outside and Jericho goes up top only for Lita to crotch him on the top rope. Stratus attempts the handstand hurricanrana though Jericho shoves her off and Christian gets in the ring as he gets a two count, and Stratus does the back bridge to avoid Christian who knocks Jericho off the apron and Stratus hooks a rollup for a two count. Christian hits a clothesline on Stratus as Lita goes up top and hits a headscissors on Christian only for Jericho to trip her up and pull her outside, and he rams her into the barricade and gets in the ring as he checks on Stratus only for Christian to hook a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was nothing much as both teams did what they could and put on a decent match. Stratus and Lita did what they could while Christian did most of the work with Jericho hesitant to get involved, and they did have decent chemistry as Christian gets the win much to Jericho’s dismay. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy when Jericho and Christian win. Jericho and Christian get the win over Stratus and Lita as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
We see a shot outside the TD Waterhouse Centre.
 
We see the buildup to the next match.
 
4. Shawn Michaels pins Batista (w/ “Nature Boy” Ric Flair) with Sweet Chin Music at 12:21.
 
The Buildup: On the 11/17 RAW, Michaels confronted Eric Bischoff about being power hungry though Bischoff reminded Michaels he lost the match at Survivor Series before having him ejected from the building, and on the 11/24 RAW the two had a confrontation as Bischoff would make a match between the two at the PPV. He would also make a match via RAW Roulette which landed on Bischoff’s Choice and he forced Michaels to team with Chris Jericho against Batista and Ric Flair, and in the main event Michaels and Jericho defeated Evolution only for Batista to assault Michaels after the match. On the 12/1 RAW, Batista cut a promo vowing to put Michaels out of his misery and later that night, Michaels teamed with Rob Van Dam and Goldberg to defeat Evolution and Kane in a 6-man tag match.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two have been going at it since Batista cost Michaels his match at Survivor Series and now they face off here to settle their issues. Michaels gets a big pop from the crowd while Batista was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Batista backing Michaels into the corner and Michaels ducks a shot as he pounds on Batista, and he avoids Batista and continues to pound on him as Batista gets a kick in and pounds on Michaels. He rams Michaels into the buckle and Michaels catches a kick attempt as he kicks at Batista’s leg and pounds on him, and Batista reverses a whip and Michaels ducks a shot as he slides under Batista and out of the ring before knocking Flair down. Batista goes outside and chases Michaels back into the ring as Flair regroups with Batista who returns to the ring, and he rams Michaels into the corner and rams the knee into him repeatedly as he knocks him down and chokes him with his knee. He hoists Michaels onto his shoulder though Michaels slides off and Batista blocks a rollup attempt as Michaels ducks two shots, and Batista hits a clothesline on Michaels for a two count and then he hits a suplex on Michaels for a two count. He rams the shoulder into Michaels’ back repeatedly in the corner and pounds on him as he whips him hard into the other corner, and he grinds his elbow into Michaels’ face and drives his knee into the back twice as he whips him hard into the corner. He chokes Michaels in the corner and Michaels tries to battle back only for Batista to get a knee in and he whips Michaels into the other corner, but Michaels catches him with a boot to the face and Batista ducks a shot as he hoists Michaels up and puts him on the top rope. He pounds on him and goes up himself though Michaels hits a series of back elbows and knocks Batista to the mat, and Michaels sets himself on the top rope and hits a moonsault on Batista for a two count as he pounds on him. Batista reverses a whip and Michaels ducks a shot as he hits the flying forearm and nips up though Batista quickly gets up and hits a clothesline, and he whips Michaels inside out in the corner and drives his knee into the back repeatedly as he throws him to the outside. He goes outside as well and whips him into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and gets a two count, and he hits a backbreaker on Michaels for a two count and then he hits another backbreaker as he hooks a submission on. Michaels tries to fight out of the hold only for Batista to get a shot in for a two count and Michaels escapes a backbreaker attempt, and they trade blows with Michaels taking control until Batista reverses a whip and Michaels catches him ducking with a kick. Batista reverses a whip and Michaels hits another flying forearm as he nips up again and he hits an atomic drop on Batista before pounding on him, and Batista reverses a whip and grabs Michaels in a choke only for Michaels to hit a DDT and he goes up top as he drops the elbow on Batista. He sets up for Sweet Chin Music only for Batista to catch him in a spinebuster and he hits a second spinebuster as he sets up for the sitdown powerbomb, but Michaels escapes and hits Sweet Chin Music 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. Michaels was hitting his stride by this point while Batista was getting into a groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Michaels gets the win though Batista still looks strong in defeat. The crowd was into the match and popped for Michaels when he won. Michaels gets the win over Batista and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
After the match, Michaels heads to the back as Flair checks on Batista as Maven comes down to the ring for his match, and then Matt Hardy comes out as he trades blows with Maven and he rams him into the barricade. Maven reverses a whip and sends Matt into the barricade only for Matt to hotshot him on the barricade, and he throws Maven into the ring and Batista hits a pair of clotheslines on Maven as he rams him into the corner and rams the knee into him. He hits a pair of sitdown powerbombs on Maven and heads to the back with Flair as Matt gets in the ring, and officials check on Maven as the match is cancelled only for Matt to count his own pin on Maven and he declares himself the winner.
 
We see Batista and Ric Flair backstage as Batista continues to freak out saying he’s better than Michaels and Flair tells him he’s got it, and he says that Batista is a man’s man and will be better than everyone as they will get Michaels later and they will leave tonight as champions.
 
5. Evolution win a Tag Team Turmoil match at 21:32 to win the World Tag Team Championships.
 
Decisions:
1. The Hurricane and Rosey defeat La Resistance when Hurricane pins Rob Conway at 3:18.
2. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak defeat the Hurricane and Rosey when Jindrak pins Hurricane at 3:35.
3. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak defeat Val Venis and Lance Storm when Jindrak pins Venis at 10:55.
4. The Dudley Boyz defeat Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak when Bubba pins Jindrak at 12:19.
5. The Dudley Boyz defeat Test and Scott Steiner when D-Von pins Test at 19:27.
6. Evolution defeat the Dudley Boyz when Batista pins D-Von at 21:32.
 
Note: Evolution were not originally part of the match and were added at the last minute
 
Debuts: Lance McNaught grew up a wrestling fan and trained to be a wrestler under Shawn Michaels as he made his debut in 1999, and he would compete in FMW under the name Lance Cade and he would sign with WWE in 2001 as he was sent to HWA for further training. He would win the tag titles and HWA Title before being relocated to OVW and he would form a team with Rene Dupree, and he would join the main roster over the summer under the new name Garrison Cade and he makes his PPV debut here. Mark Jindrak trained to be a wrestler in 1999 at the WCW Power Plant and worked as a jobber throughout 1999, and in 2000 he would join the Natural Born Thrillers and won the tag titles with Sean O’Haire before forming a team with Shawn Stasiak. When WCW closed in 2001, he was one of the contracts picked up by WWE though he would not take part in the Invasion, and he would work dark matches and the C-Shows before being assigned to HWA at the end of the year. He would then be moved to OVW for further training and it was rumored he would take Batista’s spot in Evolution, and he would make his main roster debut over the summer as Garrison Cade’s partner and he makes his PPV debut here.
 
Temp. Farewell: Aside from a backstage appearance at the next show, this is Test’s last PPV until 2006.
 
Farewell #1: This is Val Venis’ final WWE PPV as he would mainly work on Heat for the next few years and would also form a brief team with Viscera, and he would be used mostly as a jobber and competed in the pre-show battle royals at WrestleMania 21 and XXIV before being released in 2009. He would work in New Japan and also participated in Hulk Hogan’s Hulkamania tour in Australia, and he would join TNA in January 2010 though would only last until March and he would spend the next decade working the indie scene before retiring in 2022.
 
Face Turn/Farewell #2: On the 6/16 RAW, Storm was facing Cade in a match when Steve Austin came out and continuously called Storm boring while pretending to sleep, and Storm would spend the next few weeks explaining why he wasn’t boring and joined the crusade against Austin. But in September, Storm would confide in Goldust and admit that he was boring as Goldust would work to get him out of his shell which turned him face, and in November he would reunite with Venis as it was revealed that Storm was well-endowed. Aside from an appearance in 2005, this is Storm’s final WWE PPV as he would turn heel again in 2004 though would decide to retire shortly after, and he would leave WWE in 2005 and opened his own wrestling school while making sporadic appearances on the indie scene. He would briefly join TNA in 2019 as a producer before returning to WWE in 2019 as a producer though was furloughed in 2020 due to the pandemic, and he would return to Impact in 2022 once again as a producer which he still does to this day.
 
Face Turn/Repackaging: After 3 Minute Warning disbanded, Rosey would briefly join Theodore Long’s stable only to be attacked by Rodney Mack and the Hurricane would make the save, and Rosey would offer to be Hurricane’s sidekick which turned him face and he would become the “Super Hero in Training”.
 
The Buildup: On the 11/17 RAW, Cade and Jindrak defeated La Resistance and later that night, the Dudleyz defeated Steiner and Test to retain the titles and on the 11/24 RAW, Bubba and Cade were forced to team up and they defeated Matt Hardy and Christian after Cade stole the win from Bubba. On the 12/1 RAW, the Dudleyz defeated Cade and Jindrak to retain the titles though Cade and Jindrak demanded a rematch due to the controversial finish, and later that night Storm and Venis defeated La Resistance in a match as Mick Foley would fire La Resistance for not reciting the Pledge of Allegiance though it was revealed at the end of the night that they were not actually fired as this match was announced. On the 12/8 RAW, Cade and Jindrak defeated Storm and Venis in a match and later that night, Foley would cut a promo saying the Steve Austin petition was at 500,000 signatures only for La Resistance to come out and they demanded Foley salute the French flag, but the Rock would make his first appearance since Backlash and saved Foley from La Resistance before signing the petition.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second title match of the night. The Dudleyz have been rolling as tag champions and face their toughest challenge to date as all of the teams on RAW get a shot at the titles. The face teams get big pops from the crowd while the heel teams were pretty hot as heels. Hurricane and Rosey start the match off with La Resistance and Rosey and Conway lock up with Rosey working the arm and he hits a short clothesline, and Hurricane tags in and they hit a double team on Conway as Hurricane hits a baseball slide that knocks Dupree to the floor. Conway pounds on Hurricane who ducks a shot and attempts a springboard onto Dupree on the floor though botches it, and Dupree pounds on Hurricane and throws him back into the ring as Conway hits a snapmare and hooks a full nelson on. Hurricane escapes and pounds on Conway who gets a pair of kicks in and he hits a swinging neckbreaker on Hurricane, and he pounds on Hurricane in the corner and tags Dupree who kicks and pounds on Hurricane as he rams him into the buckle. Hurricane tries to battle back only for Dupree to get a knee in and he whips Hurricane into the corner as he catches him on a leap attempt, and he hits a powerslam on Hurricane for a two count and Hurricane escapes a slam attempt as he fires up on Dupree. Dupree rakes the eyes and Hurricane catches him ducking by slamming his head into the mat as Rosey gets the hot tag and knocks Conway down twice, and he hits a pair of backdrops on both men and a Samoan drop on Dupree as he hits a spinning sidewalk slam on Conway for a two count with Dupree breaking it up. He pounds on Rosey who counters a whip and sends Dupree over the top to the floor as Conway kicks at Rosey, but Rosey hits a spinebuster and tags Hurricane who goes up top and comes off Rosey’s shoulders with a splash which gets the three and La Resistance is eliminated. Cade and Jindrak are next as they come out of the crowd with Cade knocking Rosey to the outside and Jindrak rolls Hurricane up, getting the three and Hurricane and Rosey are eliminated as Storm and Venis come out next and Venis and Jindrak lock up with Venis hooking a headlock and he knocks Jindrak down. He slides under Jindrak who knocks him down and Venis leaps over him as he hits a hiptoss and they trade armdrags, and Jindrak trips Venis up for a one count and Venis trips Jindrak up for a one count as Jindrak slaps Venis in the face. Venis pounds on Jindrak and hits a back elbow as he slaps him in the face and works the arm before tagging Storm, and he hits a springboard elbow onto Jindrak’s arm and continues to work on it as Jindrak gets a knee in and Cade tags in. Storm hits an armdrag and works on Cade’s arm as Cade turns it around and hooks a headlock before taking Storm to the mat, and Storm escapes with a headscissors and Cade escapes as Storm takes Cade to the mat with the headlock and Cade escapes with a headscissors. Storm escapes and Cade gets a kick in as Storm slides under him and catches him with a back elbow before hitting another armdrag, and he goes back to the arm until Cade turns it around and Storm pounds on him as he leaps up top and does a springboard backflip to escape. He ducks a shot and attempts another springboard only for Jindrak to get a shot in from the apron and Cade gets a two count, and Jindrak tags in and pounds on Storm as he stomps on him and hooks a submission on with Storm fighting to his feet and he gets a knee in twice. Jindrak gets a shot in and whips Storm into the corner only to miss a charge as he lands on the top rope and Venis tags in, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Cade and kicks at Jindrak as he hits a spinebuster on him and gets a kick in on Cade. He hits a neckbreaker on Cade and a half nelson slam on Jindrak for a two count with Cade breaking it up, and Storm pounds on Cade and whips him into the corner as Venis splashes him and Storm hits a clothesline on Cade that sends both men over the top to the floor. Venis ducks a shot and hits a back suplex into a spinout powerbomb for a two count as Jindrak rolls out to the apron, and Venis attempts a suplex back into the ring only for Cade to hit a chop block with Jindrak falling on top of Venis which gets the three and Venis and Storm are eliminated. The Dudleyz come out next and the two teams brawl with the Dudleyz taking control as D-Von throws Jindrak over the top to the floor, and Bubba pounds on Cade in the corner and Cade ducks a shot as he gets a kick in and hits a clothesline. He pounds on Bubba who reverses a whip into the corner and avoids a leap as he gets a shot in and knocks Cade into the corner, and he puts Cade in the tree of woe and pounds on him as he knocks Jindrak off the apron and D-Von tags in. They hit a double clothesline on Cade for a two count and Cade gets a knee in as Jindrak tags in and pounds on D-Von, and D-Von ducks a shot and hit a spinning back elbow on Jindrak for a two count as Jindrak ducks a shot and hits a clothesline for a two count. D-Von escapes a slam attempt and attempts a rollup only for Cade to get a shot in from the apron and Jindrak stomps on him, and he rams D-Von into the buckle and tags Cade as he pounds and stomps on D-Von in the corner with Jindrak choking him from the apron. Cade hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on D-Von who fights to his feet and breaks the hold only for Cade to catch him with a back elbow, and he goes up top only to miss the elbow and Bubba gets the hot tag as he hits a pair of clotheslines and a hiptoss on Jindrak. He hits a backdrop on Cade and splashes both men in the corner as D-Von tags in and Bubba throws Cade over the top to the floor, and D-Von pounds on Jindrak in the corner and whips him into the other corner as he splashes him and Cade sends Bubba into the steps. He nails D-Von from the floor and Jindrak hooks a rollup for a two count as D-Von ducks a shot and hooks a rollup for a two count with Cade breaking it up, and D-Von catches Jindrak ducking with a kick and sends Cade over the top to the floor as Jindrak gets a shot in. D-Von holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick with Jindrak landing on the mat as Bubba gets in the ring and they hit the 3-D which gets the three and Cade and Jindrak are eliminated, and Cade nails D-Von from behind and hits a clothesline on Bubba as Test and Steiner come out last and they pound on the Dudleyz. Steiner sends D-Von to the outside and Test stomps on Bubba repeatedly as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him hard into the other corner, and they whip Bubba back into the other corner only for Test to miss a charge as Bubba nails Steiner and hits a clothesline on Test. Steiner gets a kick in and hits a modified suplex on Bubba as he throws him to the outside and Test rams his arm into the post repeatedly, and he throws him back into the ring and Steiner hits a clothesline on Bubba as he drops an elbow on him for a two count and he does a set of pushups. He chokes Bubba on the ropes and Test does the same from the floor as Steiner takes Bubba to the mat and hooks a submission on the arm, and Test tags in and stomps on Bubba repeatedly as he chokes him on the mat and goes back to the submission on the arm. Bubba fights to his feet only for Test to get a knee in and he puts Bubba on the top rope as they trade blows with Test taking control, and he goes up himself only for Bubba to shove him to the mat and he hits a senton on Test as D-Von gets the hot tag. He knocks Steiner to the floor and hits a pair of clotheslines on Test who reverses a whip and D-Von hits a flying tackle, and he ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker on Steiner as he ducks a shot and kicks at Test before hitting a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. Test reverses a whip and Steiner gets a kick in as he hits a modified suplex on D-Von and Test hits a sidewalk slam for a two count, and Steiner knocks Bubba to the floor and D-Von avoids the big boot from Test who hits Steiner by mistake. D-Von hooks a rollup for a two count and Test counters a whip as he gets a knee in and D-Von escapes the pump handle, and Test ducks a shot and hits the full nelson slam on D-Von as he uses the ropes for leverage for a two count. Test goes outside and throws one of the belts into the ring before bringing a chair into the ring and he hits D-Von in the back with it, and he gets a two count with Bubba pulling him outside only for Test to hit a clothesline and he throws Bubba into the ring. Bubba ducks a shot and hits the Bubba Bomb on Test as D-Von gets the three and they seemingly retain the titles, but then Eric Bischoff comes down to the ring and announces there is one more team in the match as Evolution come out last. They assault the Dudleyz as Flair stomps on Bubba repeatedly and Batista drives the knee into D-Von repeatedly, and Flair hits a chop block on Bubba and slams down on his knee as Batista chokes D-Von with his boot on the mat. Flair drives his knee into Bubba’s and hooks the Figure-4 on as Batista hits the sitdown powerbomb on D-Von which gets the three and we have new champions. The match itself was good as all the teams worked hard and put on a fine match. All the teams looked good with Cade and Jindrak as well as the Dudleyz looking the best, but this was more about Bischoff screwing the Dudleyz and Evolution winning more gold. The crowd was into the match and the Dudleyz, but are not happy when Evolution win. Evolution win the turmoil and are the new tag champions as all seven teams move on. Grade: 3
 
We see footage from the press conference about the first-ever Tribute to the Troops.
 
6. Molly Holly pins Ivory with a rollup at 4:24 to retain the Women’s Championship.
 
Farewell: Aside from sporadic appearances, this is Ivory’s final WWE PPV as she would move to OVW and worked as a trainer while also serving as co-host of the WWE Experience before leaving in 2005, and she would work the indie scene before retiring in 2006 though she would appear at the first Evolution in 2018 and also competed in the Women’s Royal Rumble in 2022. Ivory was inducted into the WWE Hall of Fame in 2018 by Molly Holly.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our third title match of the night. Molly has been rolling as Women’s Champion and faces a tough challenge here in Ivory, who was floating in the Women’s Division and looks to become champion again. Ivory gets a decent pop from the crowd while Molly had solid heat as a heel. The two women lock up to start with Ivory going behind Molly and hooks a full nelson before hitting a snapmare for a one count, and she trips Molly up for a one count and hits a dropkick as she hooks a rollup for a two count and Molly gets a knee in. She whips Ivory into the corner and catches her on a leap as she sends her over the top with Ivory landing on the apron, and she gets a shot in and goes up top as she hits a crossbody for a two count and she slingshots Molly over the top to the floor. Ivory goes out to the apron and hits a somersault senton onto Molly on the floor as she throws her back into the ring, and she gets a shoulder in only for Molly to hit a baseball slide that knocks Ivory to the floor and she goes outside as she throws Ivory back into the ring for a two count. She hits a Northern lights suplex for a two count and hooks a submission on the arm as Ivory gets to her feet only for Molly to get a knee in, and Ivory fights to her feet and breaks the hold only for Molly to hit a drop toehold sending Molly throat first into the bottom rope for a two count. She hits a snap suplex on Ivory for a two count and tears at her face as she whips her into the corner and hits the handspring elbow for a two count, and she stomps and pounds on Ivory as she slams her head into the mat twice and takes the pad off the buckle. Ivory blocks a ram and rams Molly into the exposed buckle as she hooks a rollup for a two count and Molly hooks her own rollup which gets the three and she retains the title. The match itself was nothing much as both women did what they could and put on a basic match. Molly was hitting her stride by this point while Ivory was still serviceable, and they had decent chemistry with Molly getting a fairly clean title defense. The crowd was into the match and Ivory, but are not happy when Molly wins. Molly retains the title over Ivory and both women move on. Grade: 1
 
We see a shot outside the TD Waterhouse Centre.
 
We see the buildup to the main event.
 
7. Triple H defeats Bill Goldberg and Kane in a Triple Threat match when he pins Goldberg at 19:30 to win the World Heavyweight Championship.
 
The Buildup: On the 11/17 RAW, Eric Bischoff forced Goldberg to face Evolution in a handicap match which Evolution won when Triple H pinned Goldberg, and he would challenge Goldberg to a title match next week only for Kane to come out and scare Evolution from the ring before giving Goldberg the chokeslam. On the 11/24 RAW, Triple H got another title match against Goldberg which ended in a DQ when Kane got involved and he would attack Goldberg again, and Triple H would confront Bischoff and demand another shot as Kane also demanded a title shot and Bischoff would make this match for the PPV. On the 12/1 RAW, Goldberg teamed with Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam to defeat Kane and Evolution in a 6-man tag as Mick Foley announced Goldberg would face Kane next week, and on the 12/8 RAW Bischoff made the match a Lumberjack match with Evolution and Mark Henry being the lumberjacks and the match ended in a no contest with Booker T, RVD, and Michaels getting involved and they would stand tall with Goldberg.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Goldberg has been rolling as World Champion and faces a tough challenge here in both Triple H and Kane. Goldberg gets a big pop from the crowd while Triple H and Kane were red hot as heels. The three men have a standoff to start the match as Kane and Goldberg have a staredown until Triple H nails Goldberg from behind, and Kane pounds on Goldberg in the corner until Triple H comes over and pounds on Goldberg as he stomps on him repeatedly. Kane chokes Goldberg with his boot on the ropes and pounds on him as Triple H whips Goldberg into a clothesline from Kane, and Kane kicks at Goldberg and Triple H rams him into the buckle as they pound on him in the corner and Triple H whips him into the other corner. Goldberg hits a clothesline on Triple H only for Kane to hit a clothesline on Goldberg who ducks a shot and he hits a flying tackle on Kane, and he hits a clothesline on Triple H and a powerslam on Kane as he clotheslines Triple H over the top to the floor and Kane sits up. Goldberg and Kane trade blows with Goldberg taking control until Kane gets a shot in and he rams Goldberg into the buckle, and he whips Goldberg into the other corner and splashes him as he hits a short clothesline for a two count. Goldberg blocks a suplex attempt and hits a modified neckbreaker as Triple H gets in the ring and Goldberg kicks at him, and he hits a single underhook suplex on Triple H and Kane gets a shot in as he hits a sidewalk slam on Goldberg. He goes up top only for Goldberg to grab him and toss him to the mat as he grabs Triple H by the throat and presses him up, and he hits a powerslam on Triple H and sets up for the spear only for Kane to hit the big boot and he chokes Goldberg on the mat. He pounds on Goldberg and Triple H chokes Goldberg on the mat before pounding on him as well and Kane chokes him with his boot, and he stomps on Goldberg and goes outside as he pounds on Goldberg and he returns to the ring before he and Triple H hit a double suplex on Goldberg. Triple H gives Kane a thumbs up and Kane hits a running powerslam on Goldberg as Triple H gets a two count with Kane breaking it up, and Triple H begs off and grabs Goldberg who gets a shot in only for Kane to nail Goldberg from behind. Goldberg ducks a shot and Kane clotheslines Triple H over the top to the floor as Goldberg pounds on Kane who reverses a whip, and Goldberg catches him ducking with a kick only for Kane to hotshot him on the top rope and he grabs Goldberg by the throat. Triple H brings a chair into the ring and hits Kane in the head with it as Goldberg gets a kick in and he hits a powerslam on Triple H, and he grabs the chair and puts it on Triple H’s foot as he goes up to the middle rope only for Kane to get a shot in. He sends Goldberg to the outside and goes outside as well as he rams Goldberg into the steps and clears off the announce table, and he grabs Goldberg by the throat and Goldberg fights out as he gets a knee in and hoists him up for a suplex. Triple H jabs the chair into Goldberg’s ribs and Kane grabs Goldberg by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam onto the table which doesn’t break, and Kane puts Goldberg on the table and Triple H gets on the barricade as he drops an elbow on Goldberg which puts him through the table. He grabs the chair and poses with it until Kane gets in his face and Triple H begs off as Kane grabs at Goldberg, but Triple H sends Kane into the steps and sets up for the Pedigree only for Kane to escape with a backdrop on the floor. He chases Triple H into the ring and hits the big boot as he tosses him into the corner and pounds on him before whipping him into the other corner, and he splashes him and hits a sidewalk slam as he goes up top and hits the flying clothesline on Triple H. He grabs Triple H by the throat only for Triple H to rake the eyes and he gets a kick in as he hits a DDT though Kane sits up, and Triple H ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker for a two count as Kane sits up again and no-sells Triple H’s shots. He knocks him down and clotheslines him over the top to the floor as he goes outside as well and pounds on him, and they head up the ramp as Kane hoists Triple H onto his shoulder though Triple H slides off and Kane grabs him by the throat. He hits the Chokeslam on the ramp and drags Triple H down the ramp back to ringside and he throws him back into the ring, and Goldberg returns to the ring and hits the spear on Kane for a two count with Triple H breaking it up. All three men trade blows with Goldberg taking control until Triple H gets a shot in and Goldberg hits a double clothesline, and Kane sits up and Goldberg hits another spear on Kane as he hits the spear on Triple H and then Evolution come down to the ring. Orton gets on the apron and Goldberg knocks him to the floor as Flair gets in the ring and Goldberg knocks him down, and he hits another spear on Triple H for a two count with Kane breaking it up and he pounds on Goldberg who reverses a whip. He grabs Kane by the throat and Kane does the same as they jockey for position until Triple H hits a low blow on Goldberg, and Kane hits the Chokeslam on Goldberg only for Batista to trip him up and pull him outside as Triple H gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was good as all three men worked hard and put on a solid Triple Threat. All three men were hitting their groove and they had decent chemistry as Kane looked the strongest, and while you could argue Goldberg deserved a longer reign it made sense for Triple H to win given Evolution’s night. The crowd was into the match and Goldberg, but are not happy when Triple H wins. Triple H gets the win over Goldberg and Kane and is once again World Champion as all three men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Evolution head up to the stage and pose with all the belts as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, the last PPV of 2003 ended up being a decent show and was easily RAW’s best PPV of the year though that’s not saying much. Given that RAW had 3 solo PPVs this year as opposed to Smackdown’s two, there was no question that Smackdown still had the best show of the year with Vengeance and you could argue even No Mercy was better than all of RAW’s PPVs. Triple H is once again the man while Evolution hold all the gold and Molly retains her title and Booker, Jericho, Christian, and Michaels get big wins, and in terms of the matches the IC Title match was the best while the rest ranged from good to below average though nothing was outright bad. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as RAW has had some good moments, but for the most part has been fairly forgettable and we will see if they can turn it around in 2004. As for this show, it is a fairly decent show and closes out what was a very unusual year that was 2003. Final Grade: C-