Post by DTP. on Apr 23, 2008 11:31:26 GMT -5
"Thorn In Your Eye" by Such a Surge hits the arena as the RAW is WAR video plays on the titantron. It ends as we go to the arena and RAW's secondary theme hits. A firework falls from the roof and falls onto the stage, creating a large firework display before the crowd. The camera scrolls throughout the arena as the crowd cheer, showing off their signs before we zoom into the RAW is WAR logo on the tron. Jim Ross and Paul Heyman recap what previously happened at Backlash, reviewing how we had two new champions as the Rock won the WWF title from Steve Austin and Tazz winning WWF European title gold from Eddie Guerrero.
The commentators finish as the theme of the new WWF Champion, the Rock approaches the arena and walks down the people's ramp and steps into the people's ring. He poses his newly won gold before electrifyng the arena with his prescense and charisma. He jokes about how Steve Austin put up a good fight to get into his trunks before moving on to the subject of his next number one contender, Triple H. He tells the Game about their past and compares Steve Austin and Triple H from last year, being enemies to this year being 'close' friends. The Game's theme hit the arena as he came out to the stage and told him that he would go down in the history books as the man who beat the Rock, only to be interrupted by the theme of his partner, Stone Cold! Austin tells Triple H about their friendship before telling Rock about his rematch clause. Rock looks suprised as Austin challenges him for the belt again at Judgement Day. However Triple H feels a little peeved about how he was next in line and that Austin can't push in front of him when it took the Game half a year to get there. Austin whispers in Triple H's ear before agreeing with Austin, before making a triple threat match to main event Judgement Day, May 20th!
In the back, Triple H is caught on his own by Johnathan Coachman, wanting to get a word with Triple H about what Austin said to him and his emotion about his title shot at Judgement Day being changed into a triple threat match. Triple H claimed he had no problem whatsoever with it and that his and Austin's business were none of Coachman's business. HHH then left Coach behind, holding the microphone.
Chris Jericho vs. Dean Malenko
Pre match, Jericho made mention of the Internet Wrestling Community and had a laugh about how the IWC loves using slang. He went on to say that he especially loved how people flipped out and made predictions for new guys when reading an error on WWF.com, making mention of the preview for RAW stating he would take on a mystery man. Jericho told the community that there was no need to make predictions as he knew he was going to win. It turned out that the mystery man was Dean Malenko who got a suprisingly large amount of boos compared to the fact that he got hardly any boos or cheers whilst wrestling on Sunday Night Heat. The match had great structure and the fans enjoyed it too, both men having a war of submission and technical moves. When the dust settled however, Jericho came out of the six minute match the champion. However the Canadian had little time to celebrate as Y2J fell victim to the assault of the 'Phat Man', Rikishi! Rikishi planted Jericho with a Phatu Driver and left Jericho unconscious, the Intercontinental Championship lying by his side.
Winner - Chris Jericho
We head to the back were we once again see Johnathan Coachman standing by in front of the RAW is WAR set. Coach tells the audience that the two men who were about to get interviewed got lucky at Backlash before announcing them as the WWF Tag Team Champions, Edge and Rhyno. Coachman was interrupted and kicked off set by the two cocky champions before the champs laid the Smack-eth Down on Bradshaw and Faarooq, telling them that they will beat them like they did twenty-four hours ago.
Non-Title Match If Bradshaw and Faarooq win, they get a Tag title shot at Edge and Rhyno on SmackDown
Edge and Rhyno (c) vs. APA
This match was a minor letdown compared to the two teams' previous battles on April 2nd edition of RAW is WAR and Backlash. The match seemed a little too short for the fans liking and for a large percent of it, Edge and Rhyno had the advantage. Faarooq and Rhyno started and Faarooq came out with momentum with the strength factor being on their side. However Rhyno gave Faarooq a cheap low blow and just like that, Edge and Rhyno were working away on the legs of Faarooq. However Bradshaw got the tag and went crazy, delivering shoulder tackles to the champions. Faarooq and Bradshaw double team powerbombed Rhyno to eliminate him from the persuasion before Bradshaw planted Edge with the Clothesline from Hell with a suprising victory. After the match, the APA celebrated with the WWF Tag Team Championships before dropping them, signalling that they will come out of SmackDown as Tag Team Champions. Briefly following this, however, we saw Billy Gunn and Road Dogg sat in the front row enjoying an ice cold beer each. The two cheered on the APA and booed Edge and Rhyno, ending at the point where the APA had left the arena and Rhyno gave Road Dogg a right hand before security took Gunn away.
Winners - APA
WWF Hardcore Championship
Raven (c) vs. Rikishi
It was very predictable that Chris Jericho was going to return to the ring and get revenge on Rikishi somewhere during this match. Rikishi dominated the early goings of the match, not even Raven's weapons could knock the Phat Man down on one knee let alone onto the canvas and floor. Rikishi and Raven had some pretty amazing high spots during this scrap as Rikishi scoop slammed Raven into the shopping cart and took him for a ride up the ramp before riding him off the stage through a table, face first onto the floor. Rikishi also had a moment where he hit a Banzai Drop but missed Raven and fell onto an upright singapore cane. Raven got a cut above his eyebrow thanks to a stiff shot from Rikishi. Rikishi got Raven in the position for the finishing Banzai Drop but predictably, Chris Jericho ran down the ramp and nailed Rikishi with a steel chair to the skull! Rikishi fell to the canvas and Raven picked up the victory!
Winner - Raven
The camera follows Raven as he heads up the ramp and into the backstage area, clutching his ribs and barely hanging onto the WWF Hardcore title in his left hand. He leans up against a cart until Commissioner William Regal confronts Raven, not looking very happy at all. Regal glances at his right at the WWF Hardcore Championship and threatens that if he ever won that title he would dump the piece of crap and replace it with a better looking Hardcore title and would defend it with pride and honor and dignity. Regal smiles and looks at the ground before Regal goes to punch Raven in the face but Raven blocks it and pulls Regal by the forearm rib first into the cart, leaving Regal on the floor, holding his ribs telling Raven that he will get the title and that he will make sure of it.
WWF European Championship
Tazz (c) vs. Big Show
At first, the crowd and the reporter himself thought this match was a huge mismatch, there was a gigantic size difference in this match and that is really what wrecked it. The match was short but it was probably short for the whole purpose to either fit in the time for the RAW show or because everybody thought that Tazz would lose the WWF European Championship only one night into his reign as champion. Show threw Tazz around like the preverbial rag doll and really just wore him out. However, the mistake Show made during this match is that he didn't go for the win, he wanted to get all of the anger out of him from the night previous. Tazz got the Tazzmission locked in and Show fell backwards, squashing the champion. Tazz turned onto his feet and applied the camel clutch-style Tazzmission but Eddie Guerrero ran to the ring and attacked Tazz only seconds away from making his first successful European Championship defense. Guerrero gave Tazz a dropkick and pounded away on him as Big Show revived and went to join in on the destruction of Tazz however Ken Shamrock made sure that it wouldn't happen. Ken ran into the ring and gave Show a terrible belly-to-back suplex before scaring Eddie away. Shamrock helped Tazz to his feet, belt in hand and actually stared down Tazz's belt for a few moments.
Winner - Tazz
We head to the back once again where we see Kurt Angle standing at the RAW is WAR set with Johnathan Coachman by his side. Coachman asks Angle why he did what he did and cost Undertaker his match at Backlash before asking him if he's ready to face the consequences and if he fears Undertaker. Angle responds by asking Coachman what he meant by the words 'ready for the consequences he will face'. Angle reminds Coachman and the viewers that he was the man who defeated Undertaker at Survivor Series last year and that he doesn't fear the Taker because he is only human, a beatable human to say the least.
Chris Benoit vs. Kurt Angle
This match was fantastic, the crowd was into it to the max and this will most probably end up as one of the best matches on RAW is WAR of the year in 2001. Benoit and Angle mat wrestled all the way throughout the fifteen minute classic. Both men wrestled until they were too exausted to continue and even then they only needed a minute before diving back into the match. Benoit and Angle were pretty even throughout the match, Benoit focusing on the arms and Angle trying to wear out the ankle of the Rabid Wolverine, Chris Benoit. The Olympian seemed to control some parts of the match and that was when he applied the figure four leglock or a grapvine bear hug onto the ankle. Benoit however went for the Crossface but Angle reversed it into an oklahoma roll but just before the three, a dong was heard, the lights went out and the Undertaker's theme hit the arena, the lights returned to the arena with Angle taking a dive out of the ring and into the crowd, waiting several minutes, getting counted out in the process. A screen appeared on the screen, telling Angle to watch his back.
Winner - Chris Benoit
Triple H vs. Kane
A decent main event while it lasted, the bout itself was a little overcast by the Angle vs. Benoit match. The match had eight long good minutes filled with no rest holds and alot of action spanning from a superplex from the top by Kane to a spinebuster onto the announce table by Triple H. Both men brawled on the outside ringside area for the first several minutes of the match, that is until Kane nailed the number one contender with a steel chair. Kane rolled Triple H into the ring but Triple H had the advantage from that point. The Game took out Kane in the ring and out of the ring until Kane regained the advantage. Kane hit Triple H with the Tombstone Piledriver, a move he hadn't used since 1999 but only got a near fall as Triple H got a foot on the bottom rope. Kane hit the Chokeslam and went for the cover but Stone Cold Steve Austin ran to the ringside area and pulled Kane to the outside just to get shoved on his ass on the ramp. Kane however re-entered the ring to get a Pedigree from Triple H and just like that, the match was finished. After the match, Austin climbed into the ring and stomped away on Kane that is until however the WWF Champion, the Rock ran down the ramp and into the ring and cleared house, countering all of the two-man Power Trip's moves, helping Kane to his feet as RAW is WAR went off the air.
Winner - Triple H