RAW
December 15th, 2003
St. Pete Times Forum
Tampa Bay, Florida
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Mideon pins Billy Peters.
2. Jim Steel and Mike Barton defeat Carly Colon and Brent Dail.
 
12/21 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Victoria pins Ivory.
2. The Hurricane and Rosey defeat the Shane Twins.
3. Steven Richards pins Test.
4. Garrison Cade and Mark Jindrak defeat Val Venis and Lance Storm.
 
Actual Show:
 
Evolution are on the stage as Triple H says that he promised that Evolution would change the face of sports entertainment, and he says that last night at Armageddon they fulfilled that promise as they took all the gold in one clean sweep. He says that Goldberg’s fans wanted to believe the hype though he is Triple H and with him, there is no hype necessary and tonight everyone will learn to live under their golden rule which is they have all the gold so they make the rules.
 
We see the opening video for RAW.
 
Your hosts are Jim Ross and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
1. Trish Stratus and Lita wrestle Chris Jericho and Christian to a no contest at 4:12.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of RAW with a rematch from Armageddon. These two teams fought last night with Jericho and Christian getting the win and now Eric Bischoff forces Stratus and Lita to face them again. Stratus and Lita get a good pop from the crowd while Jericho and Christian were pretty hot as heels. Stratus starts off the match with Jericho and they have a staredown only for Jericho to tag Christian and they square off, and Lita slaps Christian in the face from the apron and Stratus hooks a rollup for a two count as Christian grabs her and throws her into the corner. Lita tags in and Christian nails her coming in as he throws her in the corner and taunts her and hoists her onto his shoulder, but she slides off and gets on his back as she tears at his face until Jericho pulls her off by her hair from the apron. He tags in and hits a slam on Lita as Christian tags in and rams her into the buckle before putting her on the top rope, and he goes up himself though Stratus distracts him as Lita hits a series of back elbows and knocks him to the mat. She sets herself on the top rope and hits a moonsault on Christian as Stratus tags in and goes up top before hitting a crossbody on Christian for a two count, and both women pound and stomp on Christian who hits a double clothesline and he gets a two count. He hits the Unprettier on Stratus only for Jericho to pull him off the pin and he tells the ref to call the match off which he does. The match itself was nothing much as it was basically a squash and was more about Jericho not wanting to compete against Stratus. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy with the ending. The match ends with no winner and both teams move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Christian tries to reason with Jericho who shoves him to the mat and Christian slides out of the ring as officials check on Stratus, and then Eric Bischoff comes down to the ring and asks what Jericho thinks he’s doing stopping this match. Jericho tells him to shut up and he asks if Bischoff knows how much of a jackass he is as he’s been trying to tell him this match shouldn’t happen, and he says that he’s been trying to get out of it and now Bischoff has done it twice as he asks if this is how Bischoff wanted it to end. He says he hopes Bischoff is satisfied and heads to the back as Bischoff says he made this match for Jericho and this is how he repays him, and he says that Jericho is angry and frustrated as he doesn’t want to compete against girls so he can compete against someone equally as angry and frustrated in Kane. Bischoff says that he has other business to attend to which concerns Mick Foley and he has an idea that will shake the face of RAW forever, and he wants Foley to come down to the ring and hear what he has to say.
 
Commercial break
 
Eric Bischoff is still in the ring as he says that Foley needs to be in the ring to hear what he has to say and he doesn’t want to miss out on this, and then Mick Foley comes down to the ring and says that he’s not sure what Bischoff’s idea is though it’s not as important as his. He says that his idea pertains to the return to RAW of Steve Austin as the petition has over 1 million signatures and in 2 weeks, he will meet with the board of directors to plead his case for Austin’s return and he’s invited Austin to that meeting as well to make his case. Bischoff congratulates Foley and says he’s making a difference though at the end of the day, Foley’s a disappointment even though the fans love him and they love him not as co-GM, but as the Hardcore Legend. He says that Foley felt the energy with the Rock last week and for one shining moment, he gave them the man they know and love as opposed to the guy in the suit and tie and then he presents a video package highlighting Foley’s career. He says that the problem isn’t him, it’s Foley because the people don’t want to see Foley as co-GM, they want to see him as the Hardcore Legend and an active wrestler which is what everyone wants to see. Foley says that he sees what Bischoff is doing by challenging him to compete while he’s not prepared and out of shape, and he says that he’s thinking about returning to the ring one day though it will be under his own terms. Bischoff says he knew he would go there and he had to put up with Steve Austin for 6 months as he made his mind up that he wouldn’t do it again, and he says that he proposes a match between Foley and not himself, but an opponent of his choosing which is Randy Orton and if Orton loses, he’ll walk away and quit as co-GM though if Foley loses, he’ll have to walk away. He says that the company isn’t big enough for both of them and Foley re-iterates Bischoff’s idea though he doesn’t accept and he knows that Bischoff wants the match, but he knows how the match will go in that Evolution would get involved and he would lose the match. He says that if Bischoff wants the match, he wants a referee of his choosing which is Earl Hebner and Bischoff agrees to it, and Foley says he wants Evolution banned from ringside which Bischoff also agrees to. Foley says that he needs one more thing which is for Bischoff to also be banned from ringside and if he agrees, we will see the return of Foley the wrestler as Bischoff agrees and they shake hands. Foley then says that he saw his career pass before his eyes and he realizes that he’s never been Intercontinental Champion, so as the co-GM of RAW he is making the match a title match and he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Booker T and Maven defeat Mark Henry (w/ Theodore Long) and Matt Hardy when Booker pins Matt at 4:38.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second tag match of the night. These four men had gone at it last night at Armageddon and now they face off here in a tag match to settle their issues. Booker and Maven get a good pop from the crowd while Henry and Matt had decent heat as heels. Maven starts off the match with Matt and they lock up with Matt going behind Maven while working the arm and he shoves him away, and Maven gets a kick in and pounds on Matt who reverses a whip and Maven ducks a shot as he hits a standing dropkick and pounds on him on the mat. They trade blows with Matt reversing a whip into the corner only to miss a charge though Henry hits a clothesline on Maven from the apron, and Henry tags in and pounds on Maven as he shoves him into the corner and tosses him to the mat. He pounds on Maven and Matt tags in as he continues to pound on Maven who tries to battle back only for Matt to hit the Side Effect for a two count, and he hooks a submission on Maven who fights to his feet and breaks the hold by kicking at Matt only for Matt to hit a clothesline for a two count. He rams Maven into the buckle and hits a pair of back elbows as he pounds on him and whips him hard into the other corner, and he kicks at Maven for a two count and Maven tries to battle back as Matt gets a kick in only for Maven to escape a move and he hits a Russian legsweep. Booker gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines on Matt who reverses a whip and Booker hits a flying forearm, and he knocks Henry to the floor and Matt gets a shot in as Booker counters a whip and hits a spinebuster on Matt. He does the Spinaroonie as Henry gets in the ring only for Booker to pull the top rope down and Henry tumbles over the top to the floor, and Maven goes up and hits a crossbody on Henry on the floor as Matt gets a kick in and looks for the Twist of Fate. Booker escapes and gets a kick in as he hits the scissors kick on Matt which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Both teams looked decent together and they had decent chemistry as Booker gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Booker and Maven when they won. Booker and Maven get the win over Matt and Henry as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Jonathan Coachman is outside Goldberg’s locker room as he says that he’s going to get the scoop on what it’s like to not be champion anymore when he interviews Goldberg.
 
Commercial break
 
Coachman looks to go into Goldberg’s locker room though Goldberg slams the door shut and Coachman says no one disrespects him like that, and he goes inside the locker room and we hear loud noises as Coachman is launched out of the locker room and Goldberg steps over him.
 
La Resistance come down to the ring for their match and Rene Dupree asks if anyone was hoping to see the Rock again, and he says that everyone saw them kick Rock’s ass last week and there was one thing Rock said that upset them as they are real men. Rob Conway says that Mick Foley is just like America in that he’s loud, obnoxious, and sticking his nose where it doesn’t belong as they are pledging their full support to Randy Orton, but then Bill Goldberg comes down to the ring as Conway charges at him with the flag only for Goldberg to get a kick in. He gets in the ring and Dupree pounds on him only for Goldberg to hit the spear as Conway gets in the ring and Goldberg hits the spear on him, and then he hits the Jackhammer on Conway and goes outside as he grabs the French flag and breaks it in half before taking an American flag from a fan. He gets in the ring with it and waves it around until Eric Bischoff comes out on the stage and says that he’s touched by Goldberg’s patriotism, but he comes out uninvited and ruined this match as well as assault his top announcer and he is out of control. He says that he can’t have that and so for the next 30 days, Goldberg is deactivated from the main roster.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Mick Foley in his office as he says he’s about to do something he swore to never do and he asks if it’s possible to step back in the ring for just one taste, and he asks if the business is like an addiction you need to constantly feed as we see he is talking to Shawn Michaels who says that Foley is preaching to the choir. He says that he came back at SummerSlam in 2002 for one more match and now here he is as he says this place is like the mob, and he says that when you think you’re out, they pull you back in and Foley asks when Michaels felt it in the match if it was worth it and Michaels says it was. Foley asks him to hand him his flannel shirt which he does and he says he has a match to prepare for.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Shawn Michaels and Rob Van Dam defeat Evolution in a Handicap match when Michaels pins Triple H at 19:08.
 
Note: Bill Goldberg was set to be in the match as a partner to Michaels and RVD, but was removed after being suspended
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a big handicap match. Evolution stood tall the night before holding all the gold and were set to face Michaels, RVD, and Goldberg here, but with Goldberg deactivated Michaels and RVD are now forced to go it alone. Michaels and RVD get a big pop from the crowd while Evolution were red hot as heels. RVD starts off the match with Batista who calls for Michaels and Michaels tags in as Batista gets a kick in and pounds on Michaels, and he drives Michaels’ face into his knee and pounds on him as Michaels ducks a shot and escapes a slam attempt. He nails Flair and Triple H as he ducks a shot and pounds on Batista before backing off as Flair gets in the ring and the ref forces him out, and Batista charges only for Michaels to hit a drop toehold and he hooks a front facelock on as Batista hoists him up and rams him into the corner. Triple H tags in and rams Michaels into the buckle as they trade blows with Michaels taking control and he knocks Triple H down repeatedly, and Triple H begs off in the corner as Michaels does a strut to mock Flair and they lock up with Triple H sending Michaels into the corner. Michaels ducks a shot and knocks Triple H down as he grabs the arm and tags RVD who kicks at the arm and continues to work on it, and he drives his knee into Triple H’s arm and slams down on it as Triple H rakes the eyes and Flair tags in. He grabs the arm and pounds on RVD before knocking him down only for RVD to hit a spin kick and he works on Flair’s arm, and Michaels tags in and goes up to the middle rope as he nails Flair and they trade blows with Michaels taking control. He whips Flair into the corner and hits a backdrop as Flair rakes the eyes and knocks Michaels down only for Michaels to escape a back suplex attempt, and he attempts a rollup only for Triple H to get a shot in from the apron and he tags in as he pounds on Michaels. Michaels tries to battle back only for Triple H to reverses a whip and Michaels ducks a shot as Triple H hits the high knee for a two count, and Batista tags in and he kicks at Michaels as he grinds his elbow into his face on the mat and he hits a short clothesline for a two count. He rams the shoulder into Michaels’ ribs in the corner repeatedly and tags Flair who kicks at Michaels and whips him hard into the corner, and he rakes his boot across Michaels’ face and pounds on him in the corner as he knocks him down and goes up top only for Michaels to toss him to the mat. They trade chops and RVD gets the hot tag as he fires up on Batista and ducks a shot before hitting a pair of spin kicks, and Triple H comes in and catches a kick attempt as he avoids an enzurgiri only for RVD to hit a reverse enzurgiri. He knocks Flair off the apron to the floor and catches a kick attempt as he hits a spin kick on Batista who falls into the ref in the corner, and RVD rams the shoulder into Batista’s ribs in the corner twice and does a backflip only for Batista to send RVD into the ref in the corner. He gets a shot in only for RVD to escape the sitdown powerbomb and he takes Batista to the mat as he hits a spinning legdrop, and he hits the Rolling Thunder on Batista and knocks Triple H off the apron to the floor as he goes up top and hits the 5-Star Frog Splash on Batista. Flair gets in the ring and drags the ref around as Triple H gets in the ring and hits the Pedigree on RVD as he throws Michaels out of the ring, and he puts Batista on top of RVD and revives the ref though Batista only gets two and Flair tags in as he hooks the Figure-4 on RVD. He uses the ropes for leverage until the ref catches him and forces a break as Batista tags in and gets a two count, and Triple H tags in and slams down on RVD’s knee as he drops the elbow on the knee twice and hooks a submission on. Flair tags in and pounds on RVD in the corner as RVD tries to battle back and Flair hooks a headlock before knocking RVD down, and RVD hooks a sleeper on Flair who escapes with a back suplex and Batista tags in as he hits a pair of short clotheslines for a two count. Triple H tags in and pounds on RVD as he grabs the leg only for RVD to hit a spin kick and Flair tags in as he stomps on RVD, and the two men trade blows until RVD hits a spin kick and Michaels gets the hot tag as Triple H also tags in. Michaels ducks a shot and fires up on Triple H who reverses a whip and Michaels hits the flying forearm as he nips up, and he hits an atomic drop and clothesline on Triple H as he hits a clothesline on Flair and nails Batista who reverses a whip. Michaels hits the flying forearm on Batista and nips up again as he nails Triple H and hits a slam before going up top, and he drops the elbow on Triple H and tunes up the band only for Batista to grab him and hit the sitdown powerbomb. RVD comes in and pounds on Batista as he hits a dropkick that sends him to the outside and goes up top, and he hits a crossbody onto Batista and Flair on the floor as Triple H and Michaels both fight to their feet. Triple H sets him up for the Pedigree only for Michaels to escape with a backdrop though Triple H catches a Sweet Chin Music attempt, but Michaels ducks a shot and hits Sweet Chin Music which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid handicap match. Michaels and RVD looked good as a team while Evolution were hitting their groove as a unit, and they had good chemistry as Michaels pins Triple H to win the match and set himself up for a possible title shot. The crowd was into the match and popped for Michaels and RVD when they won. Michaels and RVD get the win over Evolution as both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
Commercial break
 
4. Rico (w/ Miss Jackie) pins John Heidenreich with a neckbreaker at 4:23.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. These two men faced off on Heat last night with Rico getting the win and Heidenreich comes here looking for revenge. Heidenreich gets a decent pop from the crowd while Rico had decent heat as a heel. Rico goes behind Heidenreich to start the match and Heidenreich turns it around as Rico freaks him out and causes him to release the hold, and Heidenreich hits a clothesline and a back elbow on Rico as he whips him hard into the corner and hooks a bearhug on. Rico embraces Heidenreich who tosses him into the corner and Rico rakes the eyes as he hits a spin kick and a side kick on Heidenreich, and he stomps on Heidenreich repeatedly and drops a pair of elbows on him as he hits a legdrop and drops another elbow on him for a one count. He drives the elbow into Heidenreich and uses his feet to snap his neck as he pounds on him and hits a springboard kick in the corner, and he hooks a rollup for a two count and Heidenreich tries to battle back as Rico gets a shot in and hits a swinging neckbreaker for a two count. He hooks a submission on Heidenreich who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he whips Rico into the corner, but Rico catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope as he jumps on his back and hooks a sleeper on. Heidenreich rams Rico into the corner twice to break the hold and catches him in a sidewalk slam as he hits a pair of clotheslines and a back elbow, and he hits a backdrop on Rico for a two count and Rico gets a kick in though Heidenreich escapes a backslide attempt and he knocks Rico down. He pounds on Rico and hits a kneelift for a two count as he whips him into the corners and splashes him, and Heidenreich counters a whip back into the corner only to miss a charge as Jackie gets on the apron. She hotshots Heidenreich on the top rope and Rico hits a neckbreaker which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a decent matchup. Rico was still serviceable by this point while Heidenreich was slowly getting into a groove, and they had decent chemistry as Jackie helps Rico win. The crowd was in and out of the match and are not happy when Rico wins. Rico gets the win over Heidenreich and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Chris Jericho outside the women’s locker room and he knocks on it as he asks if Trish Stratus is in there and he wants to talk to her, and the door opens and she comes out as he asks if she’s ok and she says she’s not ok because she knows the real Jericho. She says that he is an asshole and it will make her feel better if he never talks to her again as she slams the door in his face and he walks away.
 
We see Kane walking backstage.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Kane defeats Chris Jericho by disqualification at 3:40.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. After confronting Bischoff about having to face Stratus and Lita last night and tonight, Jericho is now forced to face Kane here. Jericho gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Kane was red hot as a heel. Kane chases Jericho out of the ring and back into the ring to start the match as Jericho hits a dropkick to Kane’s knee, and he kicks at Kane’s leg repeatedly as Kane grabs Jericho by the throat and throws him into the corner. Jericho ducks a shot and pounds on Kane in the corner until Kane shoves him away and hits a clothesline as he stomps on him, and he pounds on Jericho and whips him into the corner as Jericho escapes a back suplex attempt and hits a dropkick to the knee. He kicks at the knee only for Kane to hit a flapjack and he chokes Jericho with his boot on the mat as he pounds on him, and he chokes Jericho in the corner and rams the knee into him as he pounds on him and whips him into the other corner. Jericho catches him with a boot to the face and hits a drop toehold that sends Kane throat first into the middle rope as he slams down on his back, and he goes up top and hits a missile dropkick on Kane for a two count as he hits the running bulldog. He looks for the Lionsault only for Kane to block it by grabbing Jericho by the throat though Jericho escapes the Chokeslam with a sunset flip, and he looks for the Walls of Jericho only for Kane to kick him off and he splashes Jericho in the corner. He hits a sidewalk slam on Jericho and then he presses him up as he tosses him over the top to the floor and he goes outside as well, and he rams Jericho into the barricade and Jericho grabs a chair only for Kane to knock him down and he throws him back into the ring. Jericho rolls back outside and grabs the chair as Kane grabs at him and Jericho hits Kane in the head with the chair which draws the DQ and Kane gets the win. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a fairly basic matchup. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had good chemistry as Jericho ends up getting DQ’ed. The crowd was into the match and Jericho, but are not happy with the ending. Kane gets the win over Jericho by DQ and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Jericho brings the chair into the ring only for Kane to hit a big boot and he hoists him up as he puts him in the tree of woe in the corner, and he stomps on Jericho repeatedly and goes outside as he grabs a cord and chokes Jericho with it. He gets back in the ring and grabs Jericho by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam and heads to the back, and then Christian comes down to the ring and helps Jericho to his feet only to shove him to the mat and he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the St. Pete Times Forum.
 
We see footage from earlier today of the Superstars visiting MacDill Air Force Base.
 
We see Eric Bischoff in his office as Randy Orton comes in and Bischoff says that they have a lot on the line in this match, and he says that this is a game of chess as Orton is in great condition and he needs to make Foley chase him. He says that he needs to ignore the rumors going around the locker room and Orton asks about that as Bischoff says he needs to trust him, and Bischoff says that people are saying Orton doesn’t have what it takes and Orton says that everyone knows that he’s the man as he beat RVD last night to win the IC Title and Bischoff says that Orton will step out of his family’s shadow. He says that Orton will cast his own shadow and Orton says that he will not only beat Foley, he will annihilate him as he leaves.
 
We see Mick Foley walking down the hallway as numerous Superstars wish him luck and the Dudleyz say they need to talk about the tag titles, and Foley says that he will make it right for them as he then passes Shawn Michaels and tells him that in 2 weeks, Michaels will face Triple H for the World Title as he continues walking.
 
Commercial break
 
Randy Orton comes down to the ring for his match and then Mick Foley comes down to the ring as they circle each other, but then Foley goes outside and slaps himself repeatedly to psych himself up as he walks around ringside only to walk up the ramp and head backstage. Orton grabs the belt and heads backstage as we see Foley go into his office and come out with his bags, and then Eric Bischoff walks up to him and asks if he’s really leaving as he reminds Foley the stipulations are still in effect and he will be out as co-GM and consultant. Foley walks away from him as Bischoff yells out if this is how it’s going to end and then Orton catches up to Foley, and he asks if he’s really leaving and they are supposed to have a match as he asks if Foley is crying. He says that legends don’t cry and they don’t walk away as he says that Foley isn’t a legend, he’s a coward and he spits in Foley’s face and Foley walks past him as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of RAW was a pretty solid edition that was carried around what was supposed to be the main event. Coming off what was a fairly decent PPV in Armageddon, this was a good chance for RAW to build off of that as we soon start the build to the Royal Rumble. We had no title matches as Booker, Maven, Michaels, RVD, Rico, and Kane get big wins, and in terms of the matches the handicap match was the best while the show is best remembered for Orton spitting on Foley and Foley walking out. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point and RAW has had a lot of ups and downs throughout the year, and we will see if they can end the year on a high note with the final RAW of 2003 in two weeks. As for this show, it is a pretty decent show coming off a decent PPV and 2003 is nearly at its end. Final Grade: C+