WWF RAW 1/28/2002

Credit to: Rajah.com

We start with video from Vince’s speech throughout SmackDown, when he announced to himself that he will kill his own WWF with the nWo.

The video rolls and the pyros explode, as we are underway LIVE from Richmond, Virginia. Tonight, Maven gets a shot at the Undisputed Championship, Triple H faces Booker T, and of course, Austin faces Angle with the winner going to No Way Out as the #1 Contender.

Kane vs. Big Show
BOOM! The fires of hell erupt, as Kane comes out for his grudge match, after eliminating Big Show from the Rumble, only to be conincidentally cost matches by the aforementioned Show, who also makes his way out. Show gets in the ring and immediately shoves Kane away. Knees and clubs to the back by Show. Show hits a clothesline, but Kane sits right up. Show hits an elbow drop 1-2-shoulder up. Stomps by Show, followed with a sidewalk slam 1-2-shoulder up. Show locks in a sleeper, but Kane fights out and punches away. Clothesline by Kane, but Show isn’t phased. Show hits Kane with a Big Boot, but misses the splash in the corner. Kane reaches down and manages to hit Show with a clean scoop slam! Kane calls for the end and goes up top for the Flying Clothesline, but Show catches him and hits the Show Stopper 1-2-shoulder up! Show goes for an elbow drop, but Kane rolls away. Show hits a back elbow, but Kane locks in his choke. Show elbows out, but then Kane elbows him as well. Big Boot by Kane, which allows him to hit the Chokeslam 1-2-3!

In the back, Ric Flair is on the phone, telling someone about Vince and the nWo, when the WWF’s favorite three-letter acronym, the aPa burst in. They say that they won’t allow Vince to kill their company. Bradshaw says that if this is who they think it is, then they’re just no good, lying, egotistical, back-stabbing sons of bitches. And that’s the best they can say about them. Fade Out.

“The greatest trick the devil every played was convincind the world he didn’t exist.” Rest assured, Goldust really does exist, a reality that He is one step closer to getting a taste of. He saw him last week, and was very impressed. The people rose to their feet in admiration. Congratulations, the people like you. Well Goldust likes you too. He likes how you have no idea what is coming, how you will look back and realizes that your life was forever changed by the name you will never forget…ooooooh…Goldust.

In the back, Michael Cole asks if it’s true that Jericho granted Maven this Title shot. Oh it’s true. Because Jericho is the fightingest Champion, but also because everyone talks about how Maven was never officially eliminated and now everyone whines about that instead of praising his win over The Rock. After he beats the hell out of Maven, he’ll watch Angle and Austin beat the hell out of each other, so he can give one of them at No Way Out what he will give Maven tonight: an Undisputed Beating. Fade Out.

Rob Van Dam vs. William Regal
As RVD comes down, Teddy Long is busy searching the ringside area for Regal’s brass knuckles. As Regal comes down, Teddy takes the belt away and checks everything from his boots to his kneepads, but RVD attacks before he can finish the search. RVD smashes Regal into the ringpost and then into the stairs. RVD beats on Regal and tosses him back in the ring. RVD with a step-over spinning heel kick 1-2-kickout. Backflip splash by RVD 1-2-shoulder up. RVD hits Regal with some Rolling Thunder 1-2-kickout. Regal gets up and kicks RVD square in the testicles, causing Teddy Long to immediately call the DQ bell on the oft rule-breaking Regal. Regal takes his belt and starts up the ramp, but RVD attacks him from behind. The Dudleys run down and start picking RVD apart, when Edge runs down and Spears BuhBuh and Regal down, tossing D-Von outside. RVD goes up top and nails BuhBuh with a crossbody to the floor, as Edge hits a flip splash to D-Von outside. Edge gets on the apron, but Regal slips on his brass knuckles. Edge gets a shoulder thrust and goes up top, but Regal nails him with the knuckles. RVD goes up top and hits Regal with a leaping kick, but the Dudleys run in and 3D him down. Fade Out

In the back, Stephanie enters Ric Flair’s office, asking who the hell he is to book Triple H against Booker T tonight. She had plans tonight, but Ric didn’t take her plans into account. Flair apologizes for not bowing down before her every step, but if she wants to know why her husband is fighting, she needs to ask her father, the one who booked the match.

Godfather & Diamond Dallas Page vs. Christian & Lance Storm
Godfather dances out, then introduces his World Class Escorts, helping them down to the ring. Yo, it’s he, it’s he, it’s D..D..P! Welcome to the Godfather’s Escort Service. Service, Class, and a Lot of Fine Ass. There’s no doubt about it. Just ask DDP, a satisfied customer. Page was completely satisfied last night. In fact, he hasn’t been able to stop smiling since last night. That’s not a bad thing, that’s a good thing. Oh, and Christian and Storm come down, but with decidedly less escorts. Godfather and Storm start out, with Godfather clubbing him down. Back elbow by Godather, then a scoop slam and an elbow drop. Kick to the midsection by Godfather, but when he goes off the ropes, Christian pulls them down and Godfather flies to the outside. Back inside, Lance gains the advantage with a standing dropkick 1-2-kickout. Tag to Christian. Stomps by Christian, then a choke by Storm as Christian distracts DDP. Punches by Christian and a tag to Storm, who pins 1-2-kickout. Legdrop by Storm, then another 1-2-kickout. Tag to Chrisitan. Christian hits a Russian legsweep 1-2-kickout. Christian smashes Godfather into the turnbuckle, but gets tossed shoulder-first into the steel. Tag to STorm and DDP. Page with knockdown punches to Storm and Christian, then a clothesline to Storm. He goes for the Diamond Cutter, but Storm pushing him into Christian, who cheapshots him and Storm rolls him up 1-2-broken by Godfather. Christian goes up top as DDP beats on Storm. DDP whips Storm into the turnbuckle, ‘buckling Christian. Godfather hits the Ho Train on the prone Christian while DDP hits the Diamond Cutter on Storm 1-2-3!

In the back, a limo pullsu p, and out walks Vince McMahon. He looks around paranoid, when the driver apologizes for being late. Vince merely nods and pats him on the shoulder before walking in the arena. Fade Out.

Ric Flair/Vince McMahon Interview
Ric Flair makes his way out to the ring. A lot of memories from here in Richmond for Flair. But there is something much more important than himself to talk about tonight. He left the Rumble on such a high after beating Vince McMahon. Then he watched Vince’s meltdown on SmackDown, and saw Vince bring in the nWo. There is so much about Vince, his father, the WWF that no one understands. Vince spoke about it, without even knowing it himself. So how do you impress a billionaire? He went to Stamford and got them to put together the greatest WWF video of all time. Stills and video are shown from the WWF of Vince Sr.’s time through today, from Andre to Piper to Hulk to Warrior to One Man Gang to Hacksaw to DiBiasi to Slaughter to Mr. T to Rock to Bret to Owen to Doink to Bulldog to Taker to KAMALA! to HBK to Yokozuna to Razor to Scott Hall and Kevin Nash trashing Vince as the nWo on Nitro to Bret’s Screwjob to Tyson and DX to Taker’s Ministry to Debra turning on JJ to Moolah to Chyna to Lita to Trish to Rock to Macho Man and Liz to Matt and Lita to Foley to Triple H to Angle to Jericho and to Vince McMahon Jr. and back to Vincent McMahon, Sr. Vince Sr. had a vision, and Vince took the whole WWF to the level it is today: the greatest sports-entertainment company in the world. If Vince is anywhere and can hear him, Flair would like Vince to come out and have a word. “No Chances” hits, and Vince comes out and down to the ring. Every time we step over the line, we talk about what makes he and Vince different. On SmackDown, no matter who he was talking to, Vince was speaking the truth: this is his baby. These people are here because Vince made it. If Flair has done something so wrong that he would bring “those people” in, then he owes Vince a huge apology. This is Vince’s work; he took his father’s vision and made it bigger than anything. If Vince wants him to do anything, just ask before he screws everything up. It’s the best sports-entertainment company in the world, damnit! Punch him in the mouth, hit him with a pipe; anything to keep him from bringing in the nWo. What in the hell did he do to deserve it? And what can he do to heal it? Vince takes the mic from Flair’s hands and says that he wants 100% of his company, and he wants Flair out. He’ll do the right thing as long as Flair does. The right thing to do is for Flair to sell his stock back to Vince for the price he paid for it. But if Flair does the wrong thing, then the fate of the WWF lies in his hands. If Flair’s answer is no, then the poison of the nWo will flow through the WWF’s veins, destroying the fan interest and thus the career of every WWF Superstar and the WWF itself. But it’s all in Flair’s hands. He’ll give Flair a few days, but if the answer is no, then he’ll see us all in hell! Why? Because on the nWo killing fields, he’ll be the last to survive. Fade Out.

Over at WWFNY, Nidia tells us that she is so happy for Maven because he’s already proven that all their work in Tough Enough has paid off.

Maven vs. Chris Jericho
In the arena, Maven comes down to the ring. The Y2J Countdown hits 0.00, and out comes the Ayatollah, the Living Legend, the Undisputed Champion Chris Jericho. Jericho gets in Maven’s face and smacks the rookie, but once he turns his back, Maven attacks him. Clotheline by Maven, then that beautiful standing dropkick 1-2-kickout. Outside, Jericho chops away on Maven, smashing him into the barrier and then dropping him on it. Maven smashes Jericho’s head into the stairs and then tosses him back into the ring. Kicks to the gut by Jericho, who rams Maven’s shoulder into the ringpost. Jericho starts exposing the turnbuckle while the ref checks on Maven. Maven explodes up and attacks Jericho, but gets clotheslined down. Jericho looks for the Walls, but Maven twists Jericho down to the mat. Jericho goes to hit a dropkick, but Maven catches him and catapults him into the exposed turnbuckle. Cradle by Maven 1-2-shoulder up! After another roll-up, Jericho rolls through and applies the Walls of Jericho. Maven crawls towards the ropes, but Jericho really leans back and applies the pressure, forcing Maven to tap out. As Jericho’s victory is announced, “Rollin” hits, and the Undertaker marches down. Jericho takes a seat at the announce table as Taker steps into the ring with the already hurt Maven. Taker puts on his gloves and confronts Maven, punching him in the gut. Maven throws a punch, causing Taker to explode in a fury of punches. He rams Maven into the exposed turnbuckle, locking him into the Tree of Woe and stomping away. Taker tosses Maven out of the ring and goes out to get a chair. He shoves the chair against Maven’s neck and then smashes it into the floor, crushing against Maven’s throat. Fade Out.

In the back, Coach asks Taker what it is about these attacks. Taker asks if those are Coach’s teeth. They are. Would he like to keep those teeth in his mouth? He would. Then Coach had better not say the name Maven anymore, or else Taker will be wearing Coach’s teeth as a necklace. As for Maven, he paid at the Rumble, he paid tonight, and he’ll continue to pay until Taker feels satisfied. As for Rock, who is he to talk about who eliminated Taker? Maybe Rock will learn to keep his mouth shut and respect him.

In the back, Jazz hears Billy making some suggestive noises. She walks in and sees Chuck helping Billy stretch.

In the back, Steph asks Trips where his wedding ring is. Trips says that he always takes it off when he wrestles. Anyway, Steph tells him that Flair didn’t make the match; Vince did. Trips says that he said what he said because that’s what he believes. But it doesn’t matter who made the match, or who he’s fighting against, because Trips is out to kick some ass. Steph thinks that Trips may need some help, but Trips says he’ll be just fine by himself. Fade Out.

Trish & APA vs. Jazz, Chuck & Billy
Trish and Jazz start off, with Jazz choking Trish and slapping her down. Clothesline by Jazz, then a shoulder block. Trish with a kick that sends Jazz out of the ring, but Jazz pulls her out of the ring and smashes her into the apron. Back inside, Jazz underhooks Trish and lifts her up, but Trish cardles her 1-2-broken by Chuck. Chuck tags in, as does Bradshaw. Big Boot by Bradsahw, and a backelbow. Chuck crawls over and grabs Billy by the waist, but Billy gets knocked off the apron. Billy runs in and hits Bradshaw with a dropkick. Tag to Chuck. Punches and kicks by Chuck, but Bradshaw hits a side suplex and tags in Faarooq. Punches by Faarooq, and the Acolytes hit a double shoulder block 1-2-shoulder up. Chuck hits a Superkick 1-2-shoulder up. Kicks by Chuck, but Faarooq catches him with a spinebuster and a headbutt 1-2-broken by Billy. Trish runs in and knocks Jazz off the apron, as Billy gets beaten by Faarooq and Bradshaw outside. Inside, Trish attacks Chuck in the corner, so Chuck lifts her up and powerbombs her down. He makes a pin without touching much of Trish 1-2-3! Afterwards, he appears to be brushing off Trish’s cooties or something. Fade Out.

In the back, Michael Cole asks Angle about the rumors that Austin is going to take out his frustrations on Angle tonight. Tonight, he’ll either win the easy way or the hard way. The easy way is that Austin will get so frustrated and get DQed. The hard way will be if he must fight, but even then he’ll apply the AngleLock and make Austin tap tap tap. Fade Out.

Booker T vs. Triple H
Trips and Booker attempt to wrench each other’s arms, going back and forth, but Booker catches Trips with a back elbow. Trips Spears Booker and hits the mounted punches. Clothesline by Trips, who goes second rope for the 10 Punch, but only gets 6 before Booker drops him on the turnbuckle. Spinning heel kick by Booker, but Trips fights back, only to get a flying forearm 1-2-kickout. Booker looks for a kick, but Trips ducks it and hits a spinebuster. Punches by Trips and a high knee. Trips hits the falling neckbreaker and covers 1-2-kickout. Clothesline by Trips that sends Booker to the outside. On the outside, Trips clotheslines Booker again. Trips tosses Booker inside, and as he gets in the ring, Christian runs down and gives Triple H the Unprettier on the floor. He rolls Trips in the ring and Booker covers 1-2-shoulder up! Booker kicks Trips and goes for the Scissors Kick, but Trips stands in time and hits the knee-to-face. Christian runs back down and tries to get in the ring, but the ref holds him up. Steph runs down and onto the apron, slapping Christian. Christian grabs Steph, causing Trips to knock Christian off the apron. He yells at Steph, but Booker nails him from behind and he in turn knocks Steph from the apron. Booker rolls him up 1-2-3! After the match, Steph cries that she is sorry, but Triple H explodes in a fit of rage at his first loss since returning and storms up the ramp. Fade Out.

During the break, Steph continued to cry that she was trying to help, but Trips shuts the door in her face. Trips comes back out, stares at her, gives her her bags and slams the door again.

Kurt Angle vs. Steve Austin
In the arena, “Medal” hits and Kurt Angle comes out. The glass breaks, and Austin comes down, rushing right at Angle. Angle chops away and goes for the Lou Thesz, but Austin ducks and powerlsams him 1-2-kickout. Angle looks for the AngleLock, but Austin rolls through 1-2-kickout. Austin hits the Lou Thesz Press and hits the punches that follow. Elbow drop 1-2-kickout. Angle hits an overhead belly-belly 1-2-shoulder up. Stomps by Angle, then a hard whip into the corner. Angle hits a clothesline 1-2-shoulder up. Austin comes back with a spinebuster 1-2-shoulder up. Angle floats over a suplex and hits a German on Austin, then another, then a third. Austin elbows out of the hold and ‘buckles Angle. Chops by Austin, who then goes second rope, bites Angle and then hits a SuperPlex 1-2-shoulder up. Angle tries to escape to the outside, and Austin chases after him. Chops by Austin as they make it to the ramp, but Austin beats him back down into the ring. Angle immediately goes out the other side, but Austin catches him and drops him onto the stairs. Austin smashes Angle’s head into the stairs. Back in the ring, Angle rushes at Austin, who sidesteps him and Angle nails the ringpost. Inside, Austin stomps away on Angle, who gets in a low blow. Angle goes outside and gets a chair. He tosses it inside and rolls in, but with Hebner holding him back, Austin picks up the chair. He rears back with the chair, Angle begging him to hit him with the chair in order to get the DQ win. But Austin tosses the chair away and stomps on Angle. He goes for the Stunner, but Angle pushes him back and into Hebner. With Hebner down, Angle nails Austin with the chair again and again and again and again. As Hebner stirs, Angle tosses the chair outside and covers 1-2-shoulder up 1-2-shoulder up! Angle goes for the mounted punches and then the AngleLock. Austin tries to flip over, but he can’t. He tries to get to the ropes, and succeeds. Angle hits the Olympic Slam 1-2-foot ont he ropes! Angle celebrates as if he’s won the match, doing his little spinny dance and getting on the turnbuckle. As Hebner tells Angle he hasn’t won, Austin stirs and hits the Stunner 1-2-3! Jericho runs down to get an early attack in, but Austin spins and hits him with the Stunner! End Show.