WWF RAW 10/9/2000

Written by: Adam King

WWF RAW IS WAR
Monday, October 9th, 2000

Live from the Arrowhead Pond in Anaheim, CA

List of WWF Champions at the time:
●  WWF World Heavyweight Champion: The Rock (6/25/2000)
●  WWF Intercontinental Champion: Eddie Guerrero (9/04/2000)
●  WWF World Tag Team Champions: The Hardy Boyz (9/24/2000)
●  WWF European Champion: Al Snow (8/31/2000)
●  WWF Hardcore Champion: Steve Blackman (9/24/2000)
●  WWF Women’s Champion: Lita (8/21/2000)
●  WWF Light Heavyweight Champion: Dean Malenko (4/27/2000)

~ Raw comes on the air with hightlights from Smackdown of the Kurt Angle/Stephanie/Triple H saga Mick Foley suspending Steve Austin. After the intro Jim Ross welcomes us to the show along with Jerry “The King” Lawler and they start buzzing about the promise Mick Foley made last night on Heat to name the man that ran down Austin tonight. Also tonight The Rock & Rikishi will team up to take on Angle & Kane and Triple H & Chris Jericho will team up against Chris Benoit & X-Pac. Wait, Triple H and Jericho teaming up? Weird.

~ Things kick off with Foley coming to the ring for our opening talkathon, getting a somewhat mixed reaction from the Anaheim crowd. Foley gets on the mic and says not everyone gets why he had to suspend Steve Austin last Thursday. Foley feels he’s justified in his decision because Austin’s actions have been preventing him from doing his job when he is on Austin’s side. Foley mentions last night he promised to deliver the guilty person tonight and announces he’s brought another suspect in tonight at his expense. Foley mentions this guy is a fellow Texan and WWF Champion and as drops hints the crowd noise gets louder and louder. Foley calls this guy one of the greatest competitors ever and finally brings out … Shawn Michaels! Michaels struts to the ring and gets a great reaction from the fans as Foley welcomes him to Anaheim. Foley says he’s not out to accuse him of running over Austin but asks him where he was last November. Michaels thanks for Foley flying him in first class, putting him in a hotel, dusting off the old HBK music and so on but resents being accused of running Austin over. Michaels says he was in San Antonio on the day in question and didn’t get on a plane to Detroit just to run down Austin, plus his head wasn’t always there but he’d remember if he ran Austin over. Michaels tells Foley the man he’s looking for needs a motive and he didn’t have any against Austin but Foley disagrees and decides to show Michaels a refresher. Foley plays a clip on the TitanTron from Austin’s WWF Title win over Michaels atWrestlemania XIV including the finish. Foley points out the clip ends with Austin flipping Michaels off after he passed the torch, calling that HBK’s motive. Foley says he gets asked what his best match ever was and it wasn’t “Hell in the Cell” in 1998 but rather against Shawn at Mind Games in 1996, yet people don’t know what he’s talking about because 1996 is ancient history and the fans have forgotten everything HBK did back then. Foley adds if he got out of a hospital bed to “pass the torch” to Austin only to get flipped off in return, he’d have run Austin over himself. Michaels emphasizes his innocence saying he doesn’t like Austin but doesn’t hate him either, and if he had done it, he’d have already been back in the WWF basking in the spotlight. Michaels says he does have an idea who it was, mentioning someone who likes the spotlight more than him. Michaels adds he’s a young guy with the whole world wrapped around his finger, “If you smell-la-la-la-la-la … what I’m cookin’!” Michaels then departs and since it’s obvious who Michaels is pointing the finger at let’s just move on from this segment.

~ Back from break a replay is shown of Shawn Michaels accusing The Rock of being the man Foley is looking for.

• WWF Women’s Title: Lita © vs. Jacqueline – Hardcore Rules Match

These two have been battling over the past week, but instead of building this fued to the pay-per-view, here we are with the blowoff. Jackie brings out a shopping cart full of plunder when Lita attacks her on the ramp and throws her in the ring. Lita whips Jackie and hits a bulldog then goes for the cart but Jackie nails her from behind and whacks her with a cookie sheet. Jackie throws Lita in the ring along with plunder from the cart then breaks a broom over Lita’s back. Jackie wedges a trash can in a corner between the ropes then whips Lita face-first into it for a two count. Jackie cracks Lita with a hair dryer then brings a fire extinguisher in but can’t seem to get it to work, allowing Lita to hit her below the belt. Lita slides a ladder in the ring and sets it up in a corner but Jackie nails her from behind and DDT’s her into a cookie sheet for two. Jackie climbs up the ladder while Lita climbs the other side and goes for a superuplex but Jackie shoves her off to the mat. Jackie leaps off the ladder for a crossbody but misses and Lita grabs the fire extinguisher and is able to spray CO2 in Jackie’s face. Jackie is swinging around blindly when Lita whacks her with the cookie sheet and covers for the three to end this feud. (3:53) Eh, not the worst ladies’ match I’ve seen. *

~ Backstage Chyna is walking somewhere when she bumps into … Debra. (Who had recenlty became Mrs. Steve Austin in real life around this time) After some small talk Chyna asks Debra if she’s seen Eddie Guerrero and Debra says she hasn’t. Debra then mentions she’s looking for Mick Foley for some reason and Chyna points her in Foley’s direction. Chyna then tells Debra to inform Eddie they have a match tonight and they both walk off as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break we find Mick Foley welcoming Debra into his office (which is in the laundry room this time). Foley asks Debra how Steve Austin is doing and Debra says Austin is pretty ticked off with him and he knows why. Foley says he was doing some thinking and asks Debra if Austin getting run over was really a bad thing, that he may have needed someone to be there for him and bring him back to health. Foley then suggests that Debra may have hated Austin being on the road so much and wanted to do something about it. Debra is insulted by this accusation and denies it saying she loves Austin and had to watch him hurt everyday. Debra storms out of the office and Foley tells her to stick around the building until the show’s over.

~ Elsewhere Triple H is fuming to Stephanie about having to team with Chris Jericho after beating him in Last Man Standing matches the past month, plus he and Jericho have to wrestle against his friend X-Pac. Triple H feels the only good thing about this arrangement is that he gets a piece of Chris Benoit. Stephanie tells him he can’t trush Jericho so he definetley needs her out there and tries to talk Triple H into reconsidering his ban of her at ringside. Triple H stands by his decision and also tells Stephanie he’s glad she’s decided to turn down Kurt Angle’s offer to be in his corner. Triple H then departs and Stephanie makes a face.

~ Out in the garage a limo pulls up and out comes WWF CEO Linda McMahon. JR and Lawler are wondering what she’s doing here as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break we see Mick Foley greeting Linda, who’s apparenly going to be Foley’s next suspect.

• Steve Blackman © vs. Raven – Non-Title Non-Hardcore Match

Yes, for whatever reason Raven requested a straight-up match with Blackman instead of going for the Hardcore Title. Raven starts off with a waistlock, Blackman switches it and goes for an O’Connor roll but Raven holds onto the ropes. Raven charges at Blackman but Blackman trips him and hits a thrust kick. Blackman hammers Raven in a corner and goes for a whip, Raven reverses and goes for a leapfrog but Blackman counters with an Atomic Drop and comes off the ropes with a right hand. Raven throws Blackman over the roeps then leaps over them and hits an odd-looking plancha on the floor. Raven rams Blackman into the barricade then goes for a whip but Blackman reverses him into the barricade. Blackman swings Raven into the ringsteps with a gutwrench but Raven then trips him into the steps. Raven rolls Blackman back in and whips him into a corner then comes off the ropes with a clothesline for two. Raven whips Blackman and connects with a discus punch for another two count. Raven snapmares Blackman and goes for another snapmare but Blackman counters into a backslide for a two count. Blackman goes for a suplex but Raven counters in mid-air and falls onto Blackman for another near fall. Raven goes for a whip, Blackman reverses it and Raven leapfrogs over him but runs into a pump kick that gets the three. (2:57) This really should have been a hardcore match plus Raven has jobbed in two of the four WWF matches he’s been in so I guess he’s still paying dues. After the match Raven clotheslines Blackman over the ropes but Blackman comes back in with his fighting sticks and works Raven over with them. *½

~ Backstage Foley is talking with Linda McMahon who guesses their meeting has to do with Austin and Foley explains he’s just wants to cover all the bases as commissioner. Linda looks Foley in the eyes and denies running Austin down when Foley points out he found a hotel registry from Detroit with Linda’s name on it the night in question. Linda explains she conducts a lot of business on pay-per-view nights and a lot of people knew she was in Detroit. Foley also mentions Austin has beaten up and humiliated Vince, Shane, and Stephanie on many occasions but Linda simply says they control their own business and handle themselves well. Linda also feels that as the CEO, taking out the WWF’s top star wouldn’t be good business. Foley then asks Linda which WWF superstar sold the most merchandise since Austin went down and Linda says the Rock. Foley seems a little disppointed by the answer, as if he’s trying to find something to prove Rock didn’t do it but having no luck.

~ Chris Benoit is shown heading to the ring for the first big tag match as we go to commercial.

• Triple H & Chris Jericho vs. Chris Benoit & X-Pac

It still seems unnatural to have Triple H and Jericho on the same side, doesn’t it? But that’s what sometimes happens when you combine two on-going feuds for a tag match. Once all four men are in the ring X-Pac taps Triple H on the shoulder despite being on opposite sides and Triple H exchanges words with Jericho even though they’re partners tonight. The bell sounds and all four men pair off with their respective opponents. Triple H throws Benoit through the ropes and the two fight on the floor with Triple H ramming Benoit into the ringsteps. Triple H throws Benoit back in but Benoit stomps him down as he rolls in. Benoit goes a whip but Triple H reverses and hits an elbow followed by a suplex. Triple H backs up for a kneedrop when Jericho slaps his back to tag himself in. Jericho goes for a whip, Benoit reverses it but Jericho comes back with a flying forearm. Triple H slaps Jericho to tag back in and hammers Benoit in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner and charges but eats a boot. Benoit unloads on Triple H and whips him into a corner but Triple H comes out with a neckbreaker. Jericho tags himself in and the two start shoving each other when Benoit knocks Jericho into Triple H. Benoit works Jericho over with chops and whips him into a corner then goes for a back suplex but Jericho flips out of it and dropkicks Benoit into the corner. Jericho gets in his chops then comes off the ropes with the bulldog for a two count. Jericho goes for a whip, Benoit reverses him into a corner and charges but eats an elbow. Jericho hops to the middle rope and goes for a missle dropkick but Benoit swats him down. X-Pac finally tags in and chops away on Jericho who goes for a whip, X-Pac reverses but Jericho hits a shoulderblock. Jericho comes off the ropes and X-Pac leapfrogs over him but Jericho chops him down. X-Pac goes for a whip when Jericho reverses him into his corner and charges but X-Pac lifts himself up and over and Jericho ends up knocking Benoit off the arpon. Jericho pops X-Pac but Benoit trips Jericho and pulls him into the ringpost by the legs. Benoit tags in and plants Jericho with a back suplex for a two count then follows up with a backbreaker for another two count. X-Pac tags back in and kicks Jericho down in a corner then goes for the Bronco Buster but Jericho comes out with a clothesline. Both men crawl to their corners and X-Pac tags in Benoit while Jericho tags in Triple H. Triple H clotheslines Benoit several times then whips him and hits the high knee. Triple H goes for a whip, Benoit reverses but lowers the head and Triple H hits the facebuster for a two count. Triple H and Jericho take turns hitting Benoit when X-Pac runs in and knocks Jericho off the apron. Triple H pummels Benoit in a corner while Jericho comes back in and knocks down X-Pac. Jericho whips X-Pac into a corner but X-Pac comes out and connects with a spin kick. X-Pac then bumps into Triple H, who doesn’t see who it is and drops him with a right hand! Triple H is shocked at what he did when Benoit grabs him into a bridge suplex for a near fall. Benoit sets Triple H on the top rope and goes up for a superplex but Triple H headbutts him to the mat. Jericho knocks X-Pac over the top rope but that causes Triple H to straddle the top turnbuckle. Triple H slumps to the mat and Benoit quickly covers him for the 1..2..3! (6:43) Benoit pins Triple H who suffers another big loss. Despite the odd pairings a pretty good match for the most part. X-Pac and Jericho duke it out on the floor and X-Pac manages to lay out Jericho. Benoit then walks up the ramp grinning at the furious Triple H in the ring. **½

~ Back from break they show a replay of Benoit pinning Triple H in the preceding tag match. Backstage Micky Foley is speaking with Edge and Christian when Triple H barges in demanding a match with Benoit. Triple H says Benoit headbutted his wife, cost him the #1 Contendership, and busted his head open so he wants a one-on-one match with Benoit. Foley agrees to book the match for No Mercy and Triple H seems satisfied and walks off with E&C saying that was uncool of The Game. Foley then asks Edge & Christian about Survivor Series and they try to suck up but Foley won’t have it. So E&C explain they were backstage preparing for their tag match when Austin was run over then start cracking some jokes. E&C then take off saying they have surfing lessons and Foley bangs his commissioner gavel in disgust, not in the mood for anyone’s hijinks tonight.

~ Elsewhere Triple H storms into his dressing room where Stephanie is waiting for him. Stephanie asks Triple H to consider that he’s had nothing but bad luck since he stopped letting her come out with him.

~ Back from break JR and Lawler update us on the Smackdown Your Vote campaign which has not registered 120,000 new voters. They also mention George Bush and Al Gore still refuse to take up the Smackdown Challenge. Maybe they should just admit the canidates aren’t coming.

• WWF World Tag Team Titles: The Hardy Boyz © (w/Lita) vs. Lo Down

I know, Chaz and D’Lo Brown not only wrestling on Raw but getting a tag title shot as well? Chaz and D’Lo Brown rush then ring and immediately exchange punches with the champs until Matt Hardy throws Chaz through the ropes. Matt helps Jeff whip D’Lo into a double suplex then leaves Jeff to work him over. Jeff goes for whip and D’Lo reverses him into a corner but Jeff lifts himself up and hits the headscissors. Jeff comes off the ropes but runs into an elbow and Chaz tags in but runs into a backdrop. Jeff tags in Matt and takes down Chaz then the Hardys hit their legdrop combo. Matt tees off on Chaz and D’Lo comes in but Matt knocks him through the ropes with a discus punch. Chaz charges at Matt but gets backdropped over the ropes then Matt leaps off the apron and connects with a flying clothesline. Matt throws Chaz back in the ring but D’Lo pulls Matt off the apron and drops him onto the barricade. D’Lo rolls Matt in and Chaz covers him but only gets a two count. Chaz tags D’Lo and whips Matt into a dropkick from D’Lo for a near fall. D’Lo whips Matt but lowers the head and Matt kicks him in the face then comes off the ropes but runs into a spinebuster for a near fall. Chaz tags in and beats down Matt before choking him on the middle rope then distracts the referee while D’Lo gets in a choke. Chaz whips Matt but Matt comes back with a Sunset Flip for a near fall. Chaz nails Matt with a forearm and stomps him in the chest for a two count then brings Matt to his corner and tags in D’Lo for a double-team. D’Lo chokes Matt in a corner then whips him into the opposite corner and charges but eats a boot. D’Lo clotheslines Matt then slams him to the mat and follows up with the shaky legdrop for a two count. Chaz tags in and hits a Fireman’s carry into a slam thenb covers but Jeff makes the save with a baseball slide. Chaz misses a legdrop and Matt crawls toward his corner but Chaz knocks Jeff off the apron to prevent a tag. Chaz goes for a whip, Matt reverses him into a corner and charges but eats a boot. While the referee checks on Matt Lita trips Chaz from the floor and pulls him into the ringpost. Both men crawl to their corners and Chaz tags in D’Lo while Matt makes the tag to Jeff. Jeff ducks a clothesline and hits a crossbody on D’Lo followed by the headscissors. Both Hardys whip D’Lo into a corner, Matt drops to the mat and Jeff hits the Poetry in Motion. Chaz tries to come in and the Hardys double-team him in a corner then Matt drops to the mat again and Jeff hits the Poetry in Motion on Chaz. Matt clotheslines D’Lo over the ropes while Jeff slams Chaz to the mat. Jeff climbs to the top rope and readies for the Swanton Bomb when … two guys dressed in gold outfits and masks run out to the ring? One of the gold guys shoves Jeff off the ropes to the floor and the other throws him back in before they depart. Chaz sets Jeff on the top rope and hits a superplex while D’Lo also climbs to the top rope and follows up with the Lo Down! D’Lo covers Jeff but the referee is too busy getting Chaz out of the ring to count. Matt climbs to the top and hits the guillotine legdrop on D’Lo and Jeff rolls on top to get the three. (7:00) Solid enough tag match that gives the Hardys another good win under their belts. However Chaz comes in and clocks Matt with one of the tag title belts then holds it up before throwing it down and Lo Down leaves the Hardys laying to get their heat back. Plus those two gold guys looked very familiar, more than resembling another tag team around that time. Just sayin’ **½

~ Backstage Mick Foley is playing checkers with Al Snow and notices he wearing a blonde wig so he figures Snow may be sending a subliminal message that he may be the criminal. Snow says he’s wearing his wig because he’s representing Sweden tonight and Foley says the driver may not have been blonde, but may have worn a blonde wig. Snow asks about wigs and Foley sends him on his way, thanking him for his “help”.

• WWF European Title: Al Snow © (w/Head) vs. Test (w/Trish Stratus)

William Regal once again joins the commentary to observe the man that embodies Europe. However Snow must have changed his mind about Sweden because he’s now representing Greece. Only Snow comes out wearing a T-birds jacket and soap on a rope while throwing combs to the crowd and gives Lawler a picture of John Travolta and Olivia Newton-John, the stars of Grease. See, that’s the joke but Regal doesn’t find it funny and calls Snow a disgrace. Both men lockup to start and Test shoves Snow down but Snow manages to trip Test. Snow goes for a leglock and Test kicks him away but Snow comes back with an armdrag. Snow whips Test but lowers the head and Test throws him back to the mat then slams him twice and clubs him in the back repeatedly Test whips Snow but Snow dropkicks Test in the knee then comes off the ropes but Trish trips him up from the floor. Test goes for a big boot but Snow sidesteps and Test catches himself on the top rope and falls to the floor. Snow goes out and chases after Trish who leads him into a clothesline from Test. Test throws Snow back in the ring and Snow attacks him as he rolls back in then comes off the ropes but Test connects with the big boot for a two count. Test whips Snow into a corner and charges but eats an elbow. Snow lands a pair of rights but Test ducks a third and hits a gut-wrench powerbomb for a near fall. Test climbs to the top rope but Snow bumps his legs causing him to straddle the turnbuckle. Snow goes up and hits a superplex but can’t make the immediate cover and only gets a two count. Snow works Test over in a corner then goes for a whip, Test reverses it and Snow slides to stop himself but runs into the full nelson slam for a near fall. Test goes for the pump-handle slam and Snow floats over him into the Snowplow but only gets two! Snow crawls over and grabs Head (which has a beehive on) but Trish tries to take it from him. Test charges at Snow but misses and knocks Trish off the apron. As the referee tends to Trish, Snow clocks Test with Head and that gets the pin. (4:45) Snow celebrates and Regal continues to express his disgust on how the match went down. Yawner of a match and the crowd didn’t seem to care much. *

~ Backstage Chyna is still waiting for Eddie Guerrero in their dressing room when Eddie finally appears and Chyna chews him out for taking their match for granted but Eddie is insulted that Chyna doesn’t trust him. Eddie tells Chyna he never let her down and does everything for her especially since they’ll be married soon. Eddie grabs his Intercontinential Title belt and storms out of the room and Chyna follows after him frustrated as we go to commercial.

~ Back from break we cut over to WWF New York and find Road Dogg holding a dance contest.

• Eddie Guerrero & Chyna vs. Val Venis & The Goodfather (w/Steven Richards)

Eddie starts off with Val and works him over in a corner but Val jabs the eyes and gets in his shots. Val goes for a whip but Eddie reverses him hard into the corner. Suddenly “GTV”(!) appears on the TitanTron and shows Eddie taking a shower earlier… along with Mandy and Victoria! Yikes! Busted, Eddie tries to explain himself but Chyna is totally crushed at her man cheating on her. Although some in the crwod actually dig it. The RTC members attack Eddie while Chyna sits out on the ringsteps with her back to the ring. Val whips Eddie into a slam from Goodfather and hits a splash while Goodfather follows up with a legdrop. Goodfather whips Eddie into a shoulderblock and beats him down then tags Val in and Val hits a butterfly suplex followed by a delayed vertical suplex. Goodfather tags in and Eddie tries to fight back but Goodfather beats him down while taunting Chyna, who refuses to turn around. Goodfather plants Eddie with a suplex for a near fall the tags Val in to take over. Val slams Eddie to the mat but misses an elbowdrop and Eddie looks for a tag from Chyna but doesn’t get one. Val plants Eddie with a Blue Thunderbomb and gets the three in a near-squash.(4:32) Looks like that storyline is back on. NR

Steven Richards then gets in Chyna’s face on the floor but she slaps him. Val and Goodfather bring Chyna in the ring and hold her as Richards threatens to slap her but Chyna kicks him below the belt. Billy Gunn then runs in for the save and clears out the RTC members then hugs Chyna to console her.

~ Back from break we get a replay of Eddie getting caught cheating on Chyna.

~ Michael Clarke Duncan (“Armageddon,” “The Green Mile”) is shown in the crowd tonight.

~ Backstage Foley is on a pay phone when Crash Holly walks by all worked up about Chyna. Foley tells Crash he talked to Hardcore Holly over the weekend and Hardcore said he’s going to beat Crash up. Foley notes that Crash used to have blonde hair and Crash says there’s too many blonds and bad drivers then departs just as Scotty 2 Hotty comes walking by. Foley asks him about Survivor Series and Scotty claims he was in the lockerroom with Grandmaster Sexay and Rikishi getting ready to par-tay with The Rock. Foley notes that the Rock’s name has come up again and Scotty says he’s just covering his own tracks. Scotty heads out and Foley feels he may have just given him the help he needed.

~ Elsewhere an angry Chyna makes her way to her rental car with Eddie following behind trying to apologize. Chyna won’t have it and tearfully pulls off Eddie’s ring and throws it at him. Eddie begs Chyna for forgiveness, saying without her he’s nothing but Chyna replies “You’re already nothing, Eddie!” and roars away. Eddie looks around for his ring but finds Billy Gunn instead and Billy tells him to pick up his $20 ring and take it back to the pawn shop because he’s never getting close to Chyna again as long as he’s around. Eddie says okay, then scoops up a beer bottle off the ground and smashes it over Billy’s head! Eddie has words with Billy then picks up the ring and walks off.

• The Rock & Rikishi vs. Kurt Angle & Kane

We’re at the main event which means Foley is running out of time to make good on his promise. Kane and Angle come out first when Kane attacks Angle and uppercuts him over the ropes, getting even for the chairshot on Smackdown. Angle hops on the apron but Kane boots him back off. Rikishi comes out and Kane attacks him as he climbs through the ropes and pounds away on him. Rock finally charges in the ring and goes right to work on Kane and comes off the ropes but runs into a big boot. Kane hammers Rock in a corner and goes for a whip, Rock reverses him into a corner and charges but eats a elbow. Kane comes out of the corner but Rock catches him with a clothesline. Rikishi tags in and whips Kane into a corner but Kane comes out with a clothesline for a two count. Meanwhile Angle has decided to let Kane fend for himself and watches the action from the floor. We also get a shot Stephanie watching this match in the back, just as she did with Triple H’s match. Rikishi plants Kane with a Samoan Drop before he tags Rock back in but Kane hammers away on Rock in a corner. Rock reverses positions and hits the Smackdown but Kane no-sells it and nails Rock with a powerslam. Kane chokes Rock on the middle rope then whips him and hits a clothesline followed by an elbowdrop for a two count. Angle still refuses to get on the apron as Kane hits a legdrop for a near fall and Rock starts to fight back but runs into an elbow. Kane chokes Rock with his boot and hits a suplex for another two count then applies a chinlock. Rock tries to hold on but starts to fade as the referee checks the arm and it drops once, twice, but Rock keeps it up the thrid time. Rock fights out of the hold but runs into a sidewalk slam for a two count as Angle looks on. Kane pops Rock with several shots but Rock comes back with a spinebuster and both men are down. Rock manages to crawl over and tag in Rikishi just as Kane sits up. Rikishi whips Kane but lowers the head and Kane uppercuts him but Rikishi comes back with a clothesline. Rikishi follows up with a leg drop for a two count then whips Kane but lowers the head and Kane hits a DDT followed by the chokeslam. Angle finally hops onto the apron and offers to tag in and Kane obliges … by grabbing Angle by the throat and chokeslamming him in the ring. Kane then leaves the ring and walks out of the arena abandoning his partner. Angle manages to hit an Olympic Slam on Rikishi but Rock comes in and hits Angle with the Rock Bottom and Rikishi follows up with the sitdown splash that gets the pin. (9:26) Rock and Rikishi celebrate their win while Stephanie is disappointed in the back. Decent main event even though it was mostly a handicap match. Also I feel Angle took a big hit in his credability, getting pinned within minutes after sitting out much of the bout. **½

The celebration is cut short when Mick Foley comes out with an interesting look on his face and here’s the moment we’ve been waitiong for. Foley gets on the mic and says he’s going to fulfill his promise and deliver the man who ran down Steve Austin which will conclude the worst week of his professional career. Foley addresses Rock about all the evidence pointing to him, saying it was his rental car that ran down Austin and only his DNA was found in it. Foley adds the Rock was the one who stood the most to gain from Austin going down since he sold the t-shirts, had all the media appearences, and had a #1 bestselling book. Because of all that Foley finds The Rock … not guilty. Instead Foley says the man who ran down Steve Austin is …… Rikishi.

Rikishi is stunned as Foley says he figured it out when Scotty 2 Hotty told him that he was partying with him in the back that night. Foley explains Rikishi wasn’t supposed to be there, having not made his TV debut yet. (Actually Rikishi did, on Jakked the night before Survivor Series, but since very few people watched Jakked we’ll overlook it) Foley adds being close to the Rock meant Rikishi could have gotten his car keys then reveals the car seat and mirrors were configured for a larger-sized person. Rikishi’s look melts away to one of guilt as he takes the mic and admits that yes, he did run over Austin. The Rock is shocked at his firend’s confession while the crowd boos, more out of disapointment than anything else.

Rikishi explains himself by saying he did it for The Rock, not himself. Rikishi says that night he had taken the Rock’s car to go back to the hotel but when he saw Austin in the parking area he saw an opportunity. Rikishi goes into how the WWF has always been about the “great white hope” after Bruno Sammartino, Bob Backlund, Hulk Hogan, and Steve Austin all got pushes and were champions. Rikishi claims the WWF always let the “island boys” in but held them back and claims how Rock’s grandfather, High Cheif Peter Maivia, was denyed the chance to be WWF Champion and that Jimmy Snuka, the Tongan Kid and Afa and Sika were also held back. Rikishi believed that by taking out Austin, Rock would ascend to the top of the WWF, which he did, but assures everyone Rock had nothing to do with it. Rikishi says he doesn’t expect any thanks or payback because the Rock being WWF Champion was enough. Rikishi then departs but not before saying he ran over Austin and would do it again. Rock is left looking devistated, his whole world having been turned upside-down as Raw goes off the air.

Conclusion: A good eventful episode of Raw that also serves as another turning point for the WWF, but not necessarily a good one. The matches were mostly okay with a couple of sore spots but the build to No Mercy really kicked into high gear with the different angles being advanced. Of course what everyone remebers most is the end segment with Rikishi being ‘revealed’ as the mystery driver which didn’t quite work out in the long run. With all the build to the big moment, many were disappointed that it wasn’t someone big like Triple H or Shawn Michaels or Vince McMahon, plus Rikishi was having a good babyface run and this heel turn ruined it forever. Not to mention Rikishi played the race card which is always a turn-off. Of course this whole issue would take some turns down the road but we’ll get to them in later reviews. Overall a nice historical episode but as I said pretty much where things started to go wrong for the WWF in 2000.