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RAW is WAR (April 1st, 2002 Edition)
All of the WWF RAW Superstars are gathered on the stage as the show opens with Ric Flair in the ring.
Ric Flair thanks everyone for coming to the first night of the new WWF RAW. He then says he would especially like to thank all the superstars he drafted for showing up. He then goes on to say that later tonight, Stone Cold Steve Austin will come to the ring to make his announcement on which brand he will be joining. "Whether or not Stone Cold chooses RAW or SmackDown!, the truth is that with the superior talent of WWF RAW, the Nature Boy will thrive while Vince McMahon's SmackDown! will take a back seat."
Flair then goes on to announce that since RAW had drafted three of the six championships to be exclusive to RAW, all three will be put on the line tonight: "First, our Intercontinental Champion RVD (loud pop), will put his title on the line against Jeff Hardy (loud pop as well). Second, Maven will put his WWF Hardcore Title on the line against Raven. And finally, Billy and Chuck (jeers) will put their WWF Tag Team Championships on the line against Bubba Ray and D-Von, The Dudley Boyz (loud pop)."
Flair is then interrupted as WWF Undisputed Champion Triple H's music hits and he walks to the ring to a pretty nice pop and gets a mic. "It's nice seeing you, Ric, and it's certainly nice to be here on RAW on such a big occasion. I'm not gonna take up too much of your time, but I felt that, since Stone Cold will be announcing what show he'll be joining tonight, I should come out here and do what I can to make an impact as well." Triple H goes on to say that no matter what show Stone Cold joins, it will make no difference to Triple H, because HHH pledges, "Triple H is THAT DAMN GOOD and Stone Cold is TOO DAMN OLD." Flair steps out of the ring as Triple H goes on about Stone Cold, saying that, as the Undisputed Champion, he will not allow any washed up excuse of a champion to face him for the title in any respect.
The glass breaks and the crowd goes wild as Stone Cold's music plays. Triple H turns around, set to face Stone Cold as he expects him to come down to the ring, but instead, nothing happens. Triple H turns around to talk to Flair, but is met with a vicious chair shot from the Nature Boy. The crowd goes wild and Flair locks in the Figure Four Leglock. The RAW talent stares from the stage, amused at the champion's agony as he tries to fight out of the submission hold. Triple H taps out and Flair eventually lets go before taking off his jacket and tie and grabbing the mic again.
"WOOOOOOOOO!!!" Goes Ric, and the crowd echoes. "I'll tell you what, Triple H! You wanna show up on Monday Night RAW? You go right ahead, but you'd better be sure to face the consequences!" Triple H rolls out of the ring and stares at Flair in disgust from the stage, just several feet from the RAW superstars. Flair then says that his #1 Goal is to bring the Undisputed Championship to RAW!, "and I'll do it TONIGHT!" Flair then makes Triple H vs. Ric Flair for the Undisputed WWF Championship for the main event, saying that when he wins, "RAW will take the biggest title in the WWF and make it RAW Exclusive! WOOOOOOO!!!"
COMMERCIAL BREAK......
Back from the commercial, JR and King are talking about what a great main event tonight will be, especially with such implications in the feud between Ric Flair's RAW and Vince McMahon's SmackDown! Rob Van Dam's music then hits, and the crowd erupts as he walks down to the ring, WWF Intercontinental Championship in hand. The bell sounds.
Ring Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Making his way to the ring first, from Battle Creek, Michigan. Weighing in at 235 pounds, the Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam!
The crowd echoes RVD as he does his signature pose, and he takes a seat on the turnbuckle as Jeff Hardy's music hits. The Charismatic Enigma makes his way to the ring in true Jeff Hardy style, and takes a good long time to do it, too.
Ring Announcer: And the challenger, from Cameron, North Carolina, weighing 225 pounds, Jeff Hardy!
Hardy slides into the ring through the bottom rope and poses up in the opposite turnbuckle as the ref grabs the IC Title. He holds it up in the air to signify the prize of the match, and then rings the bell.
Match 1- Rob Van Dam (c) vs. Jeff Hardy for the WWF Intercontinental Championship
Van Dam and Hardy start the match with a lock-up, and Van Dam backs Hardy into a corner, the ref calling for a clean break. JR comments on how the match is definitely a matchup of high flyers, and Hardy and RVD lock up again. This time RVD takes advantage with an arm drag, putting Hardy on his back as Van Dam torks the shoulder. Hardy quickly gets up and reverses it into an arm drag takedown, and as RVD gets up and charges, Hardy hits a nice dropkick to take him down.
Hardy follows up with a nice jawbreaker and gets a quick one count on the champ. Hardy and RVD have a momentary staredown before locking up once again. Van Dam goes back to the armbar, and ducks an elbow to plant Jeff with the Northern Lights Suplex for a quick one count. Van Dam whips Jeff into the ropes and goes for a hip toss, but Jeff counters with a nice small package for yet another one count. RVD gets up swiftly and charges Jeff again, but Jeff manages another rollup for another one count. RVD gets up, a bit overwhelmed by Hardy's speed, and locks up with Jeff again. This time, Jeff manages the armbar, but RVD counters and sweeps Jeff's legs out from under him for a one count yet again.
Van Dam catches Hardy near the ropes with a couple of rights before whipping him through the ropes again, but Hardy catches himself and hits a springboard move, but is caught in mid-air with a nice kick by Van Dam. RVD covers, and manages a two count.
Van Dam then goes on the offensive with kicks in the corner, and then hits a sharp tornado DDT out of the corner on Hardy for another close two count.
JR hypes the rest of the match as we go to commercial...
As we return, Hardy has RVD in a reverse dragon hold and the crowd is cheering, trying to will RVD out of the hold. RVD then raises his left hand, as if to grasp the crowd reaction, and uses his left leg to deliver three sharp kicks to Hardy's head, breaking the hold. Van Dam then waits for Hardy to get up, and delivers a standing dropkick, sending Hardy through the middle rope and to the outside. Hardy crashes and burns on the outside, and Van Dam sets up and nails a suicide dive from the top rope to Hardy on the floor.
The ref begins his count as RVD propels Hardy in a catapult fashion straight into the ring post, his head cracking on the impact. Van Dam then picks up Hardy and irish whips him hard into the steel ring steps, the steps rolling over with the whiplash. Van Dam then rolls Hardy back into the ring and covers him for a two count. With Hardy on his back, Van Dam ascends to the top turnbuckle and comes off for a split-legged moonsault, but Hardy manages to dodge, and covers Van Dam for a two count. Hardy then picks up Van Dam and whips him into the turnbuckle, and then charges into the corner to hit the Whisper in the Wind. He pulls Van Dam to the center of the ring for yet another two count.
Hardy then keeps Van Dam on the mat with a headlock/sleeper move. Van Dam struggles for a few moments before managing to get to his feet. He lands a couple of elbows on the back of Hardy's head and tosses him over his shoulder and locks in a headlock of his own. Hardy manages to get to his feet and walks over to the ropes and uses them as leverage to hit a Stratusfaction-like maneuver on Van Dam for a close two count. Van Dam manages to kick out, but is once again locked in the headlock maneuver. Hardy clenches down on Van Dam, trying to make him submit, but Van Dam simply makes it to his feet and backs Hardy hard into the turnbuckle, breaking the hold.
Van Dam then turns around, grabs Hardy, and connects with a big time monkey flip. He then follows it up with the Rolling Thunder, followed by him looking to both sides of the crowd, taunting with the R-V-D salute, and then heading to the top rope for the Five Star Frog Splash. He comes off for the splash, but Hardy moves and rolls out of the ring. He rolls back in the ring and covers Van Dam for a two count, and then does his own taunt and heads to the top rope himself, setting up for the Swanton Bomb. He dives off the rope for the Swanton Bomb, but RVD manages to return the favor with a dodge of his own. Both superstars are down as the ref begins his count.
As the ref gets to six, Van Dam manages to use the ropes to help himself to his feet, and Hardy manages to use the turnbuckle to do the same. RVD charges at Jeff in the corner, but Jeff moves and RVD hits the turnbuckle face first. Hardy rolls Van Dam up, but Van Dam reverses the small package and gets a two count of his own. Hardy then dropkicks Van Dam sharply in the face and covers for another two count. Hardy then picks Van Dam and goes for the Twist of Fate, but Van Dam reverses it, sending Hardy face first into the turnbuckle. Hardy comes back into a sharp spinning heel kick. Van Dam then pumps the crowd up with the R-V-D maneuver and then goes up top for the Five Star again. This time, Hardy charges up the turnbuckle as well and hits a huge hurricanrana, sending Van Dam halfway across the ring.
Hardy crawls into a cover, but Van Dam manages to kick out once again after a close two count. Hardy then sets up to hit the Swanton again, but this time, Van Dam gets his knees up as Hardy comes down, and Hardy's ribs crack across the knees. Van Dam covers, and gets a two count, before Hardy gets a foot on the bottom rope. Van Dam picks Hardy up and goes to whip him through the ropes, but Hardy reverses it into a Twist of Fate. However, to avoid the pin, Van Dam instead rolls outside the ring. Hardy manages to pull himself up with the ropes as the ref's count gets to 3, and goes to hit a springboard splash on Van Dam on the outside, but Van Dam rolls out of the way just in time, and Hardy crashes onto the unpadded floor. Van Dam heads up to the top turnbuckle as the ref's count reaches 6, and flies off with a risky Five Star Frog Splash, and connects with it on the outside. Van Dam then struggles to get up after the maneuver, and crawls towards the ring as the ref's count reaches 8. He manages to will himself to slide into the ring at 9, and Hardy doesn't budge as the count reaches 10. The crowd erupts, the ref rings the bell, and RVD is declared the winner.
Ring Announcer: Here is your winner by a countout and STILL the WWF Intercontinental Champion, Rob Van Dam!
Winner- Rob Van Dam
Van Dam is helped up by the official and handed his championship belt. His hand is raised as JR looks over the Frog Splash to the outside again via instant replay.
We are then directed to a backstage shot, showing RAW owner Ric Flair sitting in his office, looking over paperwork as we hear a door open, somewhat violently, and into the shot walks Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and X-Pac, the nWo. Flair looks over and then rises out of his chair quickly, locking eyes with Nash. Flair asks them what they're doing in his office, "I'm a little busy at the moment if you didn't notice." Nash quickly responds, "oh don't worry about that. We know about your abuse of power that you've got going on."
"Abuse of power," asks Flair. Nash explains that Flair giving himself a title shot against Triple H instead of awarding to some other RAW superstar is an abuse of power. Flair then gets in Nash's face. "If you have such a problem with it, why don't you do something about it, Big Daddy Cool." The crowd "woooos" and Nash simply smirks. "Who said we weren't gonna do something about it?" The nWo then laughs and exits behind Nash, X-Pac taking the time to mock Flair. Flair looks a bit outraged at the apparent nWo ploy.
We then head into a commercial with JR and King plugging both the Maven/Raven match, which is up next, as well as the Triple H/Ric Flair match that comes tonight in the main event.
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As we return from the commercial break, we hear Raven's all too familiar music play as he enters the arena, shopping cart along the way as usual. We hear the bell sound.
Ring Announcer: The following hardcore contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the WWF Hardcore Championship. First, the challenger, from The Bowery, weighing in at 244 pounds, Raven!
Raven slides into the ring with a trash can in hand, and simply looks towards the stage, waiting for Maven to come out. Maven's music hits, and he's seen coming out on the stage, Hardcore Championship belt held high in the air as he slowly treks to the ring.
Ring Announcer: And from Charlottesville, Virginia, weighing in at 220 pounds, he is the WWF Hardcore Champion, Maven!
Maven slides into the ring just in time to be cracked by a trash can shot from Raven as the bell sounds to begin the bout.
Match 2- Maven (c) vs. Raven - WWF Hardcore Championship
JR points out the hilarity behind their rhyming names as Raven tees off on Maven, hitting him with the trash can around six times before picking up the Hardcore title belt and cracking him with it. Raven covers Maven, who manages to get a foot on the bottom rope to break up the count. Raven stands over Maven in the corner and lights him up with kicks and stomps, and then chokes him with his foot in the corner until the ref forces a break.
Raven then walks back into the corner and is met with a low blow from Maven, who picks up the trash can and bashes Raven across the skull with it, busting the challenger wide open. Maven then slides out of the ring and searches around in the shopping cart for something effective to bring into the match, eventually settling on a screwdriver. Maven slides into the ring with the screwdriver, and proceeds to carve out Raven until Raven counters with a mule kick. Raven then picks up the screwdriver himself and goes to hit Maven with it, but Maven hits a drop toe hold, sending Raven to the floor on the outside. Maven then hits the top rope and goes for a suicide dive onto Raven, but Raven dodges and Maven connects jaw-first with the barricade.
Raven then makes his way to the steel stairs and picks the top set up and charges at Maven, connecting with Maven's skull. Maven, now bleeding crimson, is thrown back in the ring by Raven, but kicks out of a pin at two. Raven then picks Maven up and puts him in the corner, setting the trash can on his lap. Raven then walks to the opposite side of the ring, and charges at Maven, sharply dropkicking the can into his face. Raven then tosses the can out of the way and goes for a pin, but comes up short by almost a milisecond.
Now frustrated, Raven puts Maven up on the top rope and sets up for a superplex, but Maven counters with a poke to the eye, and then headbutts Raven off the top rope, and Raven falls right onto the trash can. Raven rolls around the ring in agony as Maven returns to the outside of the ring, shuffling through the shopping cart. He starts throwing all assortments of weapons into the ring, including trash can lids, a kendo stick, a 2 x 4, and even a lead pipe. As Maven rolls back into the ring, he's met by repetitive stomps by Raven, who then wanders off to collect the 2 x 4.
Raven then swings the 2 x 4 at Maven, who dodges. Raven then chases Maven around the ring with the 2 x 4 until Maven slides out of the ring, then running around the ring area. Raven chases, but is surprised by a huge Clothesline from Hell by none other than Bradshaw of the APA. Bradshaw stomps Raven on the outside, and is then followed by Maven, who teams with him, stomping the challenger. However, Maven then shakes hands with Bradshaw, who pulls him into a heavy hitting Clothesline from Hell. Bradshaw then shoves Maven into the ring, picks up the 2 x 4, and cracks Maven in the skull with it. Bradshaw covers, but Raven manages to break up the count with a big kick to the side of Bradshaw's head. Raven then tees off on Bradshaw, but is stopped by none other than Faarooq, who manages to land Raven with the Dominator.
Bradshaw shakes Faarooq's hand, but then pulls him into a Clothesline from Hell, causing the entire crowd to jeer at his move. Maven then rolls Bradshaw up from behind for the three count and retains the Hardcore Championship.
Ring Announcer: Here is your winner, and STILL the WWF Hardcore Champion, Maven!
Maven then grabs his Hardcore Title belt and takes off, hauling ass out of the ring and then out of the arena.
We then find ourselves backstage, with a shot of the recovering Triple H, sitting in the locker room, pacing back and forth with a big angry look across his face. We hear a door open, and into the shot walks none other than the former Undisputed Champion, Chris Jericho. Jericho and Triple H stare each other down, face to face, nose to nose, and Jericho simply says, "Tonight, I'm gonna be sitting back here, biding my time, and waiting to see if the man that I relinquished my title to, is truly THE MAN. Because if you lose your title to Ric Flair, and I lost my title to you, then that makes me unsuperior to an old, washed up piece of WCW trash." The crowd boos loudly, berating Jericho for his angry comments. "So I'm here to tell you this: you'd better not let that out of shape monkey walk out of here with your Undisputed Championship. Because if he does, I'll guarantee you this: you're ass will be nothing more than past your prime!"
Jericho walks off, The Game staring into the distance angrily as we cut to a commercial break.
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As we return from commercial, we see Lillian Garcia standing in the middle of the ring, ready to announce the opponents for the next match.
Ring Announcer: The following tag team contest is scheduled for one fall and is for the World Wrestling Federation Tag Team Championships.
You are...so-oh good to me.... hits in the arena, and Rico accompanies the WWF Tag Team Champions, Billy and Chuck down the ramp and into the ring.
Ring Announcer: Introducing first, at a combined weight of 534 pounds, they are the WWF Tag Team Champions, Billy and Chuck!
Billy and Chuck slip off the tag belts and hoist them high as the pose in opposite corners, earning mostly jeers from the crowd.
Just in time to get a major reaction from the crowd, the Dudley Boyz music hits and they make their way to the ring, carrying the cheers along with them.
Ring Announcer: And the challengers, from Dudleyville, at a combined weight of 585 pounds, The Dudley Boyz!
The Dudley Boyz slip into the ring, and are ambushed as soon as they set foot in the ring by Billy and Chuck as the bell rings.
Match 3 - Billy and Chuck (c) vs. The Dudley Boyz - WWF Tag Team Championships
Billy is all over D-Von and Chuck is all over Bubba Ray as the bell sounds to begin the title defense. Billy takes care of D-Von in one corner, while Bubba Ray is pounded by Chuck in the opposite corner. Billy and Chuck then try to irish whip Bubba Ray and D-Von into each other, but both Dudley counters, and Billy and Chuck end up colliding head first into one another. Chuck falls out of the ring and D-Von and Bubba focus their double team efforts on Billy, irish whipping him into a corner, followed by D-Von irish whipping Bubba in the corner for the big crash, followed by Bubba whipping Billy into D-Von as D-Von hits a big dropkick.
Bubba goes for the cover right away, but gets only two. Bubba picks Billy up by the hair and lands two quick rights before taunting Billy and nailing a forearm to the top of the head. Bubba drags Billy his corner and tags in his brother D-Von as the two whip Billy into the ropes and connect with a double hip toss. D-Von goes for the quick cover and manages a two count. D-Von then gets Billy up and goes for a suplex, but Billy counters and connects with a nice neckbreaker. Billy then goes for a cover and gets a two count. Billy drags D-Von back to his corner and tags in Chuck, and the two hit a double team flapjack on D-Von, and Chuck covers for a two count. Chuck then locks in a side headlock on D-Von, attempting to deprive D-Von of oxygen to the brain.
Chuck holds D-Von onto the mat to increase the amount of pressure applied in the hold, but D-Von quickly rises back up, elbowing Chuck repeatedly in the chest. Chuck then breaks the hold and hits a reverse DDT on D-Von to put him back on the mat. Chuck then covers and gets a two count. JR continues to hype the match as we go to a quick commercial break.
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As we come back from the break, we see Billy holding D-Von in the center of the ring in a side headlock, still trying to drive the nail into the coffin, but the crowd wills D-Von as D-Von manages to fight out of the hold, elbowing Billy in the ribs repeatedly before hitting a kick and then another. D-Von then charges Billy, who dodges, and D-Von ends up in the ropes, and is then hit with a superkick by Chuck Palumbo. D-Von falls back in the ring, and Billy covers, but D-Von manages to get a foot on the rope. Billy drags D-Von back into his corner and tags in Chuck, and the two attempt a double team flapjack again, but D-Von counters it into a double DDT. D-Von and the team of Billy and Chuck are then down on the canvas and the referee begins his count.
After the ref's count gets to five, D-Von tries to extend to his corner to tag in Bubba, but Chuck grabs him by the ankle. D-Von then hits an inziguri on Chuck and tags in Bubba, who runs buck wild. Bubba connects with rights on Billy and then rights on Chuck, and then rights on Billy, and then more rights on Chuck. Bubba whips Chuck into the rope and catches him with a big spinebuster. Billy then comes in behind Bubba and hits him with a forearm shot to the back of the head. Billy tries to whip Bubba into the corner, but Bubba reverses it and takes Billy out with the Bubba Bomb. Chuck then knees Bubba in the spine, and picks him up, going for the superkick, but it's dodged, and D-Von comes in, picking up Chuck by the legs and Bubba crashes him into the canvas with the 3D! Bubba goes for the cover, and the ref counts one-two- but before the three, D-Von shocks the crowd by kicking Bubba in the side of the head. D-Von tosses Chuck out of the ring, and then goes after Bubba, stomping him and stomping him over and over again, giving the ref no choice but to ring the bell.
Winner- No Contest (Billy and Chuck retain the WWF Tag Team Championships)
D-Von doesn't relinquish his assault, instead going to the outside of the ring, grabbing a steel chair and bringing it back into the ring to crash into Bubba's skull, busting him wide open. D-Von continues to hammer away on Bubba with the steel chair until the referees from the locker room rush down to the ring and seperate the two, D-Von electing to simply stomp off to the back as Bubba lies helpless and bloody in the ring.
We return to the backstage area, where Triple H is drinking his bottled water, preparing for his encounter with Ric Flair later in the night, when once again, another superstar comes into his room to confront him. This time, it's none other than the Olympic gold medalist, Kurt Angle.
Angle simply laughs in Hunter's face, before saying, "You know something, champ? The only reason you're facing Ric Flair instead of me tonight is because I showed up a little late." Triple H asks, "oh is that right?" Angle responds, "that's right. So consider yourself lucky, because if I had come to that ring tonight and challenged you, instead of Ric Flair, I would be walking out of Phoenix with the WWF Undisputed Championship." Angle then turns to leave, but turns back to the Game, "oh, and by the way, good luck. You're gonna need it." The Game once again looks on, pissed, as Angle walks out of his dressing room.
We then fade into a commercial.....
As we come back, JR and King show the replay of D-Von absolutely going berserk on Bubba Ray, leveling him with a steel chair after their match with Billy and Chuck for the Tag Titles.
We then go backstage again, with Ric Flair walking up to D-Von, saying, "hey, D-Von! What the hell is your problem, man? What the hell did you take out Bubba for?" D-Von simply gets right into Ric Flair's face, stares him down, and says, "you should know, Flair. It's time for D-Von Dudley to make an impact all on his own, and step out of the Dudley Boyz shadow. Forever." Flair just looks shocked as D-Von walks away.
We return at the announce table with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler, who are still racking their brains to think of a reason why D-Von would do such a thing. As they're doing so, the music of The Hurricane hits in the arena, and out comes the green superhero for the next bout. The bell rings.
Ring Announcer: The following 6 man tag team contest is scheduled for one fall. Making his way to the ring. First, from Raleigh, North Carolina, weighing in at 215 pounds, The Hurricane!
The superhero leaped in the ring and posed for the crowd as Shawn Stasiak's music hit.
Ring announcer: Second, from Planet Stasiak, weighing in at 245 pounds, Shawn Stasiak!
Stasiak made his usual, nothing special entrance, becoming part of a three-man team that was made up of some of the strangest faces in the WWF.
And finally, the all too familiar music of Goldust hit, and out came the Bizzare One himself.
Ring Announcer: And from Hollywood, California, weighing in at 285 pounds, Goldust!
The three conversed in the ring as they awaited the arrival of their opponents.
Backstage, we get a view of their opponents as they walk to the ring. They're none other than the New World Order.
The nWo's music hits and the trio come to the ring to a chorus of jeers and boos.
Ring Announcer: And their opponents, weighing in at a combined weight of 812 pounds, Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and X-Pac, the New World Order!
As the New World Order steps in the ring, Stasiak, Hurricane, and Goldust charge after them, the bell ringing as they do.
Match 4- The New World Order vs. Shawn Stasiak, The Hurricane, and Goldust
Nash, X-Pac, and Hall quickly gain the advantage over their three opponents, with Nash hitting a big boot on Goldust, Hall hitting a dropkick on Hurricane, and X-Pac hitting the spinning heel kick on Stasiak. Nash and Goldust become the legal men, with Nash using his amazing strength to overpower the Bizzare One, lifting him up and slamming him into the turnbuckle face first. Nash whips Goldust hard into the opposite turnbuckle, and Goldust crashes to the mat on impact. Nash then picks Goldust up and drops a powerfull forearm to the spine, before elbowing him in the back of the neck to reduce him to his knees.
Nash then leads Goldust over to the nWo's corner and tags in X-Pac. Nash holds Goldust and X-Pac hits a nice spinning heel kick on him. X-Pac covers for a two count, and then picks Goldust up and whips him into the turnbuckle again. As X-Pac charges into the corner, Goldust dodges, and X-Pac crashes face first in the turnbuckle. Goldust catches him coming out of the corner with a big spinebuster for a two count. Goldust takes X-Pac back to his corner and tags in The Hurricane, who comes off the top rope with a crossbody, but Hall ends up breaking up the pin attempt with a stomp to the back of the head. Hall and X-Pac then double team Hurricane with a double flapjack slam, and X-Pac gets a pin for a two count. X-Pac whips Hurricane into his corner and tags in Hall, who comes off the top with a flying boot to the side of the head. Hall covers, but Stasiak breaks up the pin. Nash comes in the ring and hits a giant boot to the face of Stasiak. All hell breaks loose as Goldust comes into the ring and hits a clothesline on Nash, but is then taken out by a big spinning heel kick. Nash then gets up and Hall tosses Hurricane right to Nash, who drops him with the Jacknife Powerbomb. Hall covers, and after a big clothesline on Stasiak to keep him out of the ring, Hall collects the three count to end the bout quickly.
Ring Announcer: Here are your winners, the New World Order!
Nash then collects Goldust from the outside of the ring and hits a giant Jacknife Powerbomb right onto the steel stairs. The Bizzare One rolls on the floor in agony from the impact. X-Pac grabs a stick in the ring, and shouts, "Monday Night RAW is now, officially, and forever POISONED!!!" The NWO's music hits and they exit the ring with their heads held high.....until....
The fans erupt as the GLASS BREAKS, and the music of Stone Cold Steve Austin plays. Hall, Nash, and X-Pac stop dead in their tracks, ready to face the Rattlesnake. However, just as earlier events predicted, the Rattlesnake did not show up. Instead, out from the curtain came RAW owner, Ric Flair. Flair earns the distaste of the New World Order, and then grabs a microphone and says:
"There's a reason I drafted the N-W-O, and it has nothing to do with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, or X-Pac." The members just stand, watching Flair, astonished at his nerve, "you see, for the longest time now, there has been a poison eating away at the very fabric of not only Monday Night RAW, but also the World Wrestling Federation itself. And the reason that this has happened, has everything to do with Kevin Nash, Scott Hall, and X-Pac. So, by my order, I hereby announce that the three of you are immediately...WOOOO!!!"
The crowd echoes the WOOO and cheer at the words they think they are about to hear. Flair struts and then yells out, "YOU'RE FIRED!!!!"
Nash, Hall, and X-Pac look on, infuriated, and then charge at Flair, who simply slips backstage, and security shows up in his place. Nash lands several punches on the guards, as does Hall, but security doubles and begins shooting taser guns at Nash and Hall, as well as X-Pac who is already large group of men carry Nash, Hall, and X-Pac away in handcuffs as the crowd goes crazy.
We then fade out and go into a commercial.....
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Once we return, we find Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler looking over footage of the New World Order being fired by Ric Flair, laughing and saying, "well don't let the door hit you on the ass."
We then hear the all too familiar (again) music of the Olympic Gold Medalist, Kurt Angle, as the former WWF Champion makes his way to the ring. Kurt Angle hears his usual chorus of jeers as he steps in the ring, stick in hand, and poses heelishly for the Phoenix, Arizona crowd.
Kurt begins his promo by mocking the Arizona Diamondbacks and the Arizona Cardinals in traditional heel fashion, and then announces, "I figure that the best way to ring in the new RAW is to issue an open challenge to any new RAW superstar in the back who's eager to get their feet wet against an Olympic Gold Medalist."
Immediately, Edge's music blares over the PA, and the crowd in Phoenix gets on it's feet and goes crazy for Edge. Edge appears through the smoke, and poses on the stage before tossing off his shades and charging to the ring. The bell sounds as Angle meets Edge in the ring with right hands.
Match 5 - Kurt Angle vs. Edge
Angle starts out the match with the right hands on Edge, and then goes for the belly to belly suplex, but Edge reverses it into a belly to belly suplex on Angle over the top rope. Edge then uses this time to recover, but as Angle raises himself up on the apron, Edge runs through the ropes and delivers an amazing spear to Angle, knocking him off the apron and to the floor below. JR says, "It's Edge, it's Angle, an amazing showdown that will continue, when we come back."
We then fade into a commercial with a shot of Edge taunting Angle in the ring.
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When we return, we see a shot of Angle holding Edge in a triangle choke in the middle of the ring with the referee checking Edge for consciousness. JR and King replay a clip from the break with Edge being driven shoulder first into the steel stairs after missing a spear on Angle on the outside of the ring. Angle then used the ropes for leverage to choke Edge out even more, but Edge retaliated by using his strength to drag Angle closer to him and grabbed his legs and rolled into a jacknife pin for a two count. Edge then hit Angle with a standing dropkick, sending Angle out of the ring and to the floor outside.
Angle tries to use the chance to recover, but Edge ends that possibility by diving from the top rope onto Angle. However, Angle catches him in a powerslam position, quickly sets him up on the apron, and Angle Slams him into the barricade behind him, crashing Edge ribs-first into the barricade. Angle lays on the floor for a moment, before rolling back into the ring as the referee begins his count.
After the ref reaches six, Edge starts to budge, willing himself to try and get back in the ring. Edge finally manages to roll under the bottom rope at nine, and Angle goes right on the attack with stomps and rights. Angle picks Edge up and shoves him into the turnbuckle, teeing off with right hands to the jaw. Angle then whips Edge hard into the opposite turnbuckle, but Edge catches himself, and Angle charges into the turnbuckle hard, and Edge rolls him into a pinning position, but only manages to get two as Angle utilizes a grip on Edge's ankle to break out of the hold. Angle then drags Edge by his ankle to the center of the ring and attempts to lock in the Ankle Lock, but Edge shakes him off by shoving him shoulder first into the steel ring post. Edge then rolls Angle up, and gets yet another two count. Edge then sets up Angle for the Edgecution, but Angle counters it into an attempted Angle Slam, which Edge also counters into a downward spiral for yet another two count.
Edge then gets up, goes to whip Angle into the turnbuckle, but Angle reverses it and goes for the Angle Slam again, but once again Edge counters it into a rollup, which Angle then counters into the Ankle Lock. Angle holds Edge in the center of the ring, but Edge quickly heads to the ropes and uses the leverage to send Kurt head first into the steel ring post. Edge falls back to regain his composure as Angle is shown to have been busted open. Angle then freaks out at his bleeding head and hits Edge with a low blow to end the match as he rolls out of the ring and walks toward the back.
As Angle walks to the back, Edge simply sits in the ring, holding his crotch in disgust, and seemingly confused at why Angle would get himself intentionally disqualified just because he had started bleeding. Edge finally gets up as his music plays and wonders off to the back as JR plugs the WWF Championship Match that is coming up later tonight.
We then fade into another commercial.
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When we return, we hear "BREAK THE WALLS DOWN" over the PA and the crowd comes to their feet, mostly jeering Y2J as he takes his sweet time waltzing to the ring, taunting the Phoenix crowd. As he slips into the ring, he grabs a mic and a steel chair. He unfolds the chair in the ring to take a seat.
He starts out his promo by saying that he is the acquisition that changed the face of Monday Night RAW. "Could you imagine how RAW would have ever survived without someone like me to run the show?" Jericho then goes on about the WWF Title Match between Flair and The Game, saying that "if Flair DOES win tonight, it will not only be a travesty to Monday Night RAW, but also to the entire WWF. So I surely hope, with all my heart and soul, that the washed up has-been that drafted me to RAW will get put into his place by the roid monkey that stole my championship."
The crowd boos loudly, chanting "you're an asshole," over and over, building Jericho's rage. "So back to important matters for the time being, since drabbling on about Flair can get a bit boring. Let's change the subject a little bit and talk about Backlash, can we?"
Jericho goes on to say that Backlash deserves a WWF Title Match that rocks the foundation of the World Wrestling Federation. "So, I see no reason why Triple H vs. Chris Jericho, or god forbid Ric Flair vs. Chris Jericho couldn't realistically take place. Because you see,"
Jericho is promptly and thankfully interrupted by Voodoo Chile, and the entire crowd rises to their feet, holding up their Hulkamania signs up in the air as the Red and Yellow-clothed legend, strumming his air guitar with a microphone, walks out of the curtain and on to the stage.
Jericho stops Hogan in his tracks, "well well well, I was just talking about washed up has-beens. You've got awesome timing, Hogan." Hogan simply smirked from the stage, shaking his head.
Hogan called Jericho out for being nothing but a little punk who thinks that everything should just be handed to him. "The WWF Title is one of the most sacred jewels of our business, brother, and you think that just because you've held it once, that you can just take a shot at it whenever you see fit? I don't think so, brother."
Jericho laughed from the ring, saying "and just what in the hell would you know about the WWF Title? You haven't held the championship in over a decade."
"Brother I'll tell you this: in this business, no matter what you're background is, you never get shots or matches just by demanding them. Respect is an earned perk, and as far as I'm concerned, you haven't earned a single bit of it."
The crowd cheers loudly as Jericho's smirk turns to a furious look, taking his time to pace back and forth in the ring. "Well 'brother', I'll tell you this much, 'brother', I don't care about your respect, 'brother', cause I am the TRUE Undisputed WWF Champion! And there's nothing you, Ric Flair, Roddy Piper or any of your other washed up friends can do to take that away from me."
The crowd lets Jericho hear it, chanting "you're an asshole" again, as Jericho leans up on the top rope and says, "now go back to your wife and kids, old man. This ring ain't for you anymore."
A chorus of "oooooooohhhhhhhs" echo throughout the crowd as Hogan tears off his shirt on the ramp and makes his way to the ring.
Jericho grabs the steel chair he was sitting on and goes to hit Hogan as he gets in the ring, but Hogan ducks, and the chair ricochets off the top rope and right back into Jericho's face. Jericho then turns around to Hogan and gets three right hands to the face, before he's whipped into the ropes and given the Hulk Hogan Big Boot. Hogan then wakes up the crowd and goes for the Atomic Leg Drop, but Jericho manages to slide out of the ring, moving quickly to get to the back. Hogan's music plays as he poses in the ring for his thousands of Hulkamaniacs, and Jericho simply slips behind the curtain, holding his sore head.
JR and King have a field day, with JR calling Jericho a swine, and King saying that Hogan interrupted a good showing by Jericho. Nonetheless, they hype the Undisputed Championship Match, which is coming up NEXT, as we go to a commercial.
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As we return, Lillian Garcia stands in the ring, holding a mic. The bell rings.
Ring Announcer: The following contest is scheduled for one fall, and is for the World Wrestling Federation Championship!
"Time to play The Game" hits in the arena, and the fans come to their feet, holding signs echoing Flair's disposition towards the Game. Triple H appears on the ramp, head down and water bottle in hand. He makes his way down the ramp as his music continues to blare, and as he reaches the ropes, does his trademark water spit and strength showing as he flexes his unbelievable muscles. He poses in the ring, holding his WWF Title high in the air. The fans continue to jeer until they hear the music of the RAW owner go off, ending Triple H's entrance.
Ric Flair struts his way from the curtain to the ring, collecting high fives from the fans at ringside on his way up the steel stairs, staring down the man that he hopes to take the WWF Title from to end the night. Both men stare eachother down as Flair's music cuts off, and the referee takes Triple H's WWF Championship belt and hoists it in the air to signify the prize of the match.
Flair and Triple H simply stare at each other as the bell rings.
Match 6- Triple H © vs. Ric Flair – WWF Championship
Triple H backs up a little bit before charging Flair and locking up in the collar and elbow tie up. Triple H overpowers Flair and pushes him into the corner, the referee trying to get in between the two to break it up. After the clean break, Triple H mocks Flair with a "wooooo" in his face, but Flair answers with a poke in the eye, and the fans cheer behind him on that one.
Flair and Triple H then lock up again, and this time, Flair manages to set up Triple H in the corner with four, loud forearm chops. Flair thengrabs The Game and whips him hard into turnbuckle, but charges into a boot from Hunter. Triple H then goes on the offensive, with right hands that reduce Flair to his knees and then choking Flair in the ropes with his boot until the ref's count reaches four. Triple H then picks Flair up and whips him into the ropes, and ducks for the backdrop, but Flair catches The Game with one of his own moves, the facebuster.
Flair then charges Triple H and clotheslines him over the top rope with emphasis, and the crowd goes crazy as it's clear that Ric Flair holds the momentum in the match. JR hypes the continuation of the match as we go to the final commercial of the night.
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When we return, we find Triple H working over the ribs of Ric Flair in the ring, with a knee in the back of the Nature Boy. JR goes over what happened during the break, showing a clip of Flair attempting to piledrive The Game on the floor, but Triple H reverses it into a backdrop that landed Flair right on his ribs.
Flair manages to fight out of the knee hold with a few elbows to the temple of Triple H, weakening the Game, but Triple H locks the hold back on, this time applying a little more pressure to the neck. Flair again manages to fight out, this time using his expert leg muscles to kick Triple H on the top of the dome, breaking the hold. Flair then walks up to Triple H in the corner as he's recovering from the sharp kicks, and lands another forearm chop, before attempting to whip him into the corner, but coming up short as Triple H reverses it and Flair's ribs collide hard with the turnbuckle. Flair then walks right into a devestating spinebuster by Triple H and The Game covers for a two count.
After the failed pin attempt, Triple H picks up Flair, locks him in a headlock and then proceeds to fire off on him, the referee making him break the hold at four, but Triple H just continues after the fact. Eventually Flair manages to break the hold by hitting a backbody drop on The Game for a two count. Flair then mocks The Game by doing the exact same thing that Triple H did, locking him in a side headlock and firing off on him. Triple H manages to break out of the hold by shoving Flair so hard that he flies through the middle rope and to the floor on the outside.
Flair crashes and burns on the floor, and Triple H picks up him on the outside and irish whips him right into the steel stairs, his shoulder colliding with the steel and making a big impact. Triple H then rolls back into the ring to break the count, but then returns to the outside where he drags Flair over to the announce table and goes to slam him face first into the table, but Ric reverses it and lands to hit a big forearm chop. Flair then connects with a big backbody drop on The Game, who lands rib-first on the announce table. Flair then rolls into the ring to break the count and returns to the outside with Triple H.
As Flair goes to pick up The Game, Triple H manages to trip Flair nose-first into the corner of the announce table, buying himself some time to recover. Flair's nose then begins to bleed from the major impact that his face made on the table. Triple H then follows it up by knocking Flair to his back with a Harley Race high knee that catches him right on the nose. With the count at 8, Triple H rolls Flair back into the ring and goes for a cover, but only manages to get two.
As Triple H stands, Flair tries to back up, and backs right into a corner, where Triple H takes advantage, stomping Flair and choking him with his boot until he's forced out of the corner by the ref's count. Now with the match totally under his control, Triple H motions for Flair to get up and come get some more. Flair uses the ropes to pull himself up, and even though he's bleeding profusely, he walks right up to Triple H.
Triple H and Flair then exchange right hands, with Flair substituting his next few rights with forearm chops, making The Game's chest beet red. Flair manages to top the game in the hand-to-hand brawl and then tries to irish whip him, but Triple H reverses it and catches Flair with an elbow to the nose, making him bleed even more. Triple H then charges through the ropes and hits a falling knee drop on Flair, and covers for a two count.
Triple H then picks Flair up and shoves him into the corner, delivering some forearm chops of his own. Flair manages to escape the assault with a thumb to the eye, and then goes down low and hits a chop block on Triple H's left leg, bringing The Game to his knees. Flair then focuses his assault on Triple H's left knee, torking it and yanking it to make The Game scream in agony. Flair then struts around the ring as Triple H lies on his back, and picks up Triple H's left leg to go for the Figure Four Leglock. However, Triple H manages to use his remaining leg strength to shove Flair back-first into the turnbuckle.
Triple H then approaches Flair in the corner with another flurry of rights, and the ref manages to break the assault up after a count of four. However, when the ref turns his back to scold Triple H for breaking the rules, Flair uses the ropes to help himself up, and then un-ties the turnbuckle cover, exposing the steel. Triple H then walks back over to Flair in the corner, and Flair catches him with an elbow to the face. Flair then charges but is met with a backdrop. Triple H then sets up for the Pedigree, kicks Flair in the gut, but Flair manages to catch Triple H's legs and reverse it. He then changes his direction and catapults Triple H face-first into the exposed turnbuckle.
Triple H hits the turnbuckle hard, and falls flat on his back in the center of the ring. Flair then covers and gets a near fall.
Flair stands Triple H up, and then hits another chop block, and this time finally is able to lock in his most deadly submission move, the Figure Four Leglock. Triple H twists and turns in agony, and tries to use his strength to pull himself and Flair to the rope to break the hold. After about twenty seconds, Triple H manages to grab onto the bottom rope. Flair breaks the hold immediately, and pulls Triple H back to the middle of the ring, and tries to lock in the hold again.
This time, however, Triple H manages to reverse it, sending Flair into the corner. Triple H uses this as a chance to recover, but Flair charges Triple H on the ropes and clotheslines him over the top and to the floor. Flair takes a minute to catch his breath before following Triple H to the outside. Flair stands on the apron and attempts a forearm smash on Triple H, but The Game counters with a shot to the ribs. Triple H then rams Ric ribs-first into the apron, dehabilitating for a moment, allowing Hunter to regain his composure. Triple H then sets Flair up on the apron, but Flair counters with shots to Hunter's ribcage. Triple H then tries to block it, but Flair manages to ram Triple H ribs-first into the steel ring post. Flair falls back into the ring to break the count. After resting for a couple of seconds, Flair returns to the outside.
This time it's Triple H with the thumb to the eye, and then with a charging clothesline, knocking Flair down once again. Triple H the picks Flair up, kicks him in the gut, and goes for the Pedigree, but Flair reverses it into a backdrop, sending Triple H right back to the floor. Flair then drags Triple H back to the ring apron, and stands him up, facing his back, but Triple H manages to blind the referee momentarily to hit Flair with a mule kick right in the groin. With Flair on his knees, Triple H sets up for and nails the Pedigree right on the ring apron. Flair simply goes limp and falls off of the apron and to the floor, as Triple H himself falls back into the ring.
Triple H orders the referee to count Flair, which he does after his vision returns. Flair doesn't budge a bit until the count reaches seven, by which time he's using the ring apron and the ropes to help himself to his feet. Miraculously, at the count of nine, he manages to roll himself back in the ring, but he rolls right into a vicious onslaught by Triple H. The ref manages to break up the assault, but Triple H simply grabs Flair up, and drags him to the center of the ring, kicks him in the gut, and goes for the Pedigree yet again.
This time through, Flair manages to reverse it by tossing Triple to his back by grabbing his legs, and then locks him into the Figure Four Leglock once again. Triple H manages to squirm over to the ropes and break the hold, but Flair is resilient, dragging Triple H back to the center of the ring and trying to lock in the Figure Four again, but Triple H uses his leg power to shove Flair right into the referee, squashing him in the corner. Flair then turns around into another attempted Pedigree, but this time Flair answers with a low blow.
Triple H crumbles following the shot to the groin, and then slowly rolls out of the ring. Flair walks over to see what Triple H is doing on the outside of the ring, but is caught with a surpise right hand. Triple H then searches under the ring for a weapon, and finds his trusty sledgehammer. Triple H slides back into the ring with the hammer, but Flair manages to hit a drop toe hold on Triple H, sending him face first into the second turnbuckle and the sledgehammer flying out of the ring. Flair then reaches into his tights and pulls out a pair of brass knuckles, and then decks an unsuspecting Triple H with them.
Flair then goes for the cover, but there is no referee. The crowd counts with him, "one, two, three, four", and so on as the referee is incapacitated. However, none other than the New World Order charge down the ramp and into the ring, their numbers over powering Flair.
Nash hits the Jacknife Powerbomb on Flair, and Hall picks up Flair and goes for the Crucifix Powerbomb, but once again.....
The GLASS BREAKS, and down from the ramp, finally, comes none other than Stone Cold Steve Austin. The crowd goes insane at the sight of the Rattlesnake, and Nash, Hall, and X-Pac are shocked to see him. Austin gets into the ring and tees off on the three, hitting a big stunner on X-Pac and another on Hall.
Nash, though, manages to kick Austin in the gut and set up for the Jacknife Powerbomb, but Austin dodges it with a low blow and then kicks Nash in the gut and drops him out of the ring with the Stunner.
JR and King are going wild at the sight of Austin, and Stone Cold looks at Flair and Triple H laying in the ring, and then goes to the outside of the ring and grabs none other than Triple H's sledgehammer!
Austin gets back in the ring with the sledgehammer, and waits for the WWF Champion to get up. When he finally does, Flair gets up behind him, unaware of Austin's presence.
Austin charges at The Game with the hammer, and swings it at him, but Triple H manages to duck out of the way. Ric Flair isn't as lucky, and Austin drives the sledgehammer right into Flair's gut.
Austin realizes what he's done quickly, and turns around to hit the Game, but Triple H simply drops to his knees and hits Austin with a low blow, making him drop the hammer. Triple H then tosses Austin out of the ring and walks over to Flair, puts him in position, and drops him with the Pedigree.
Triple H then goes over to the referee to revive him, and covers Flair for the pinfall, and Triple H retains the WWF Championship!
Triple H's music hits in the arena as Triple H lies in the ring, exhausted yet victorious.
Ring Announcer: Here is your winner and STILL the World Wrestling Federation Champion, Triple H!
Winner- Triple H
Triple H rolls over and picks himself up with the ropes as he's handed the WWF Title, but he can't celebrate for long, as Austin meets him back in the ring with a vicious onslaught of right hands. The referee tries to break Austin off of Triple H, but Austin simply stuns him.
Austin absolutely brutalizes the Game before taking him down with the Lou Thesz Press, teeing off on him even more. Austin then grabs the sledgehammer again and swings at The Game, but Triple H slips out of the ring and flees towards the back, leaving his WWF Title belt behind.
Austin grabs a microphone and points to the Game, "you son of a bitch. You think you won this match? Eh-eh!" The crowd goes wild at Austin, and Austin finishes up by saying, "you and me are gonna meet somewhere down the road, and I don't care if it's on RAW, I don't care if it's on SmackDown!, I don't care about Monday or Thursday or Saturday or Sunday, but I guarantee that when I get my hands on you, that WWF Championship is coming home to Stone Cold Steve Austin!"
"And that's the bottom line, 'cause Stone Cold said so!" The crowd goes wild as Austin's music is played again, and Triple H simply walks behind the curtain, and Austin poses with The Game's WWF Championship belt. JR thanks everyone for watching as the show fades out and we go off the air.
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Thank you all so much for taking the time to read this. I've been working on it for a couple of days now, and I believe I'll be updating almost every week. That includes RAW, SmackDown!, and all the upcoming Pay-Per-Views, starting with Backlash. Please review!