WWF RAW 2/25/2002

Credit to: Rajah.com

The video opens with the nWo’s not-quite-heartfelt apology, Austin’s nWo chasing, and catching and beating of Scott Hall. The pyros explode, and we are LIVE!

nWo Interview
The screen dissolves into black and white, as the nWo come out, Hall pushing a wheelbarrow. They leave the barrow outside and go into the ring as the screen switches back to color. Hogan asks how we like what he did to the Rock. He’s sure Rock didn’t like it either. Rock’s injuries are a lot more severe than the report the WWF released. Now, maybe he did get a little carried away, but it still felt real good. Hogan has it on good authority that Rock will be here tonight, and when he gets here, Hogan’s going face-to-face with him. But he won’t “finish Rock off” or “lay the smack down on him”. He can wait until WrestleMania for that, so that all of the Rock’s fans can wonder what they’re going to do while Hulkamania runs wild on Rock. Nash gets on the microphone and has to remind everyone that they are three of the biggest stars in the history of wrestling. Hall says that Austin went too far. He attacks him with a crowbar and tried to run him over in a truck. He ran for his life, only for Austin to capture him, tie him up, and drag him around like an animal. Well no one has a beer party at Scott Hall’s expense. No one embarasses Scott Hall. He is not an animal; he is a man, all man. The question is: how much of a man is Stone Cold? Hall wants Austin one-on-one at WrestleMania, so he can embarass Austin and make him feel like an animal at the biggest show on earth. If Austin accepts, he’ll call a truce until then. But either way, Austin is screwed. They leave the ring, and Hall takes the wheelbarrow back up the ramp. Fade Out.

Hardy Boyz vs. Billy & Chuck
Lita, Jeff, and WWF Fear Factor Champ Matt come down first, followed by those two who look so good to me, Billy and Chuck. Chuck and Jeff start off, with the Hardys quickly resorting to a double beating and a Matt suplex after a quick tag 1-2-broken by Billy. Matt hits Billy to the outside. Chuck goes for a Superkick, but Matt blocks and looks for the Twist of Fate, but Chuck pushes him into a Billy clothesline. Stomps by Chuck in the corner. Roundhouse by Chuck. Matt floats out of a running powerslam attempt and pulls Chuck down. Tag to Jeff and Gunn. Jeff clotheslines Palumbo, then Gunn, then Palumbo again, hitting the double leg drop. Poetry in Motion to Palumbo. They go for the move on Gunn, but he ducks. Jeff leaps up top as Matt hits a Tornado DDT. Jeff looks to fly, but Chuck pulls him off the top. Gunn hits the One and Only, but Lita hits him with the Litacanrana and Jeff hits the Swanton. Chuck runs in before he can pin and Superkicks the hell out of Jeff. Matt pulls him outside, but Gunn is able to get his hand on Jeff 1-2-3!

In the back, a limo pulls up and the Undisputed Champion steps out. He gets the door for Stephanie. They complement each other on their looks. Jericho gives the driver a truck to go to the production team, saying it’s a special surprise for Triple H. Fade Out.

In the back, Cole asks Debra if Austin heard what Scott Hall had to say, but she says that Cole should ask him himself.

In the back, Arn calls Flair, finding that he’s on his way. Christian comes in and says he wants to sign his resignation papers. He throws a quit tantrum, when DDP sneaks up behind him. He tells Christian that he doesn’t want to quit. Christian has been losing because he has too much negative energy. The only way he’ll get to the top is to turn his negativity into positive energy. He tries to get Christian to smile, but he looks stupid. DDP says that it’s a start, but they need to go somewhere where he can teach Christian that being positive is a good thing.

In the back, Michael Cole catches up to Austin and asks him about Hall’s match at WM and the truce. Austin asks about what a truce is, saying that it doesn’t look like he wants to stop. He called Stone Cold an animal, but Hall’s an animal: a jackass. Austin will accept Hall’s challenge for WrestleMania. He’s the last sombitch Hall wants to see, and that’s the bottom line. Fade Out.

RVD vs. Lance Storm vs. Big Show [#1 IC Contender Match]
As we come back, we see that Regal is already at the table, ready to see who the top contender for his belt is. Storm attacks RVD from behind before Show can get to the ring. He dives at Show, who catches Storma nd tosses him back in the ring. RVD gets clotheslined by Show, who then Big Boots Storm and sidewalk slams him 1-2-broken with a dropkick from RVD. RVD hits the still down Storm with Rolling Thunder 1-2-broken by Show. Show rams RVD into the corner and then clotheslines Storm down. Chops by Show, then a toss. He pulls RVD into the corner and chops away on him, and then throws him just as he did to Storm. He goes for a double clothesline, but they duck and dropkick him at the same time, but he doesn’t fall. They run at Show, who catches him, but they hit out, only for Show to suplex them both down. Headbutts to RVD. Storm rushes in with a chair, but Show punches it into his face. Show picks up the chair, only for RVD to hit him with the Van Daminator! RVD goes back up top and hits the Five Star 1-2-3! RVD is going to WrestleMania!

In the back, Booker T is learning Japanese form a book. Test comes in and mocks Booker’s trying to learn Japanese for a shampoo commercial. But tonight, Rikishi is going sayonara. Fade Out.

In the back, Bradshaw comes up to Faarooq, saying that they don’t have any match tonight. But the good news is, they got an invitation to the Friendly Tap! Free beer! Bradshaw says he knows a place with nekkid women where they can stop first and have some “practice beers.”

Booker T vs. Rikishi
Booker pounds Rikishi into the corner, clubbing him in the back. Chops by Booker, but Rikishi reverses and clotheslines him back, then hits a powerslam 1-2-kickout. Punches by Rikishi, but Booker takes him down and stomps away. Chops by Booker, but Rikishi clotheslines him down and hits a Samoan Drop. Belly-belly by Rikishi, followed by the Back That Ass Up, but Booker sidesteps him and hits the scissors kick. Booker gets secret messages from the glove, does some Japanese stretches, only for Rikishi to hit him with the Superkick. He falls into StinkFace position, but Booker blocks himself with the ref, then hits the jumping calf kick out of the corner 1-2-3! Fade Out. The Y2J Countdown hits 0.00, and out comes the Ayatollah and the Billion Dollar Princess. Jericho asks if Steph felt that buzz, the buzz that Jericho is a Living Legend who beat Rock, Austin, and is now aligned with a certified genius. When it comes to “playing the game”, Steph is a hall-of-famer. Jericho is no slouch either. Trips may claim that he’s never beaten Hunter, and that may be true, but he did something much worse than that. Jericho gets them to roll the tape of the match where Triple H’s quad tore and yet Jericho still gives him the Walls on the announce table. Jericho may not have gotten the 1-2-3! that night, but he did knock 1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8! months off of his career. Maybe if that hadn’t happen, Trips could have spent those eight months with his wife, and his marriage wouldn’t have fallen apart. And maybe Trips would have been man enough to to get his wife pregnant. Steph says that she doesn’t think so, because The Game always came up a little short in that department. Triple H’s music hits, and he comes to the ring. He says that maybe it wasn’t The Game being short; maybe the field he was playing on was too damn big. She doesn’t understand, so he reiterates: even a 747 looks small when you’re flying it into the Grand Canyon! Jericho wants to prove how tough he is? Why not prove it tonight? It just so happens that Trips isn’t doing anything tonight, so why not have a match tonight? He doesn’t even have to put the Titles on the line. It’ll be just Jericho, Trips, and The Great Wide Open, referring to Steph. “Medal” hits, and Kurt comes out on stage. In case Triple H forgot, he doesn’t make the decisions: McMahon does. And guess what Vince just told him on the phone? Since Angle was robbed of his WrestleMania Title Shot, he gets Chris Jericho for the Undisputed Title! And after he beats Chris Jericho, he’ll be more than happy to have Steph as his partner when he takes on Triple H at WrestleMania. As Angle leaves, Triple H jumps Jericho, beats him down and then tosses him over the top. He forces Steph from the ring as well. Fade Out.

Coach starts to ask Mr. Perfect about his match, but Perfect says that no one wants to hear Coach’s imperfect voice. Perfect never asked Austin to beat him down after the Rumble, but maybe Austin is asking for a perfect asskicking. He says his match with Kane was just an exhibition, so he’s still the only one with a Perfect record.

Jazz vs. Mighty Molly
Jazz attacks Molly and shoves her outside. She smashes Molly into the apron and rolls her back in. Jazz takes Molly’s cape and tries to tear it, but ends up throwing it away, only to be hit with an armdrag from Molly. She goes for a crossbody, but Jazz catches her and slams her down. Legdrop 1-2-shoulder up. Chops by Jazz, but Molly comes back with chops of her own. Spinning heel kick by Jazz, then a vertical splash 1-2-shoulder up. Jazz tosses Molly onto the ropes, then again. Clubs by Jazz, into a double underhook suplex, then another. She hooks Molly’s arms and lifts her into the air. Molly hits the inside cradle 1-2-kickout. Backslide 1-2-kickout. Rolling bridge 1-2-kickout. Molly catapults Jazz onto the ropes and then goes for a flying crossbody, but Jazz ducks and hits the Fisherman’s Buster 1-2-3! After the match, Jazz punches Molly down and locks in the STF, then hits Molly with another DDT. EMTs rush out as we Fade Out.

As we come back, the EMTs help Molly out of the ring. “Rollin” hits, and Taker marches out. He goes past Molly and the EMTs, but turns and punches Arn Anderson down! Taker continues to beat on the now-bleeding Anderson and tosses him into the ring.

In the ring, Taker gets a mic. He told Flair that he wouldn’t accept no for an answer. This is on Flair’s head. He gets Arn to look at one hand, and punches him with the other. Mounted punches by Taker. More punches from Taker, before yelling at Arn to tell Flair. Taker walks off, but sees Arn standing back up. Taker comes back and Big Boots Arn down again before finally walking to the back. Fade Out.

We come back to see Arn loaded into the ambulance for stitches.

Kurt Angle vs. Chris Jericho
Angle takes Jericho down immediately and starts stomping away. Short-arm clothesline by Angle 1-2-shoulder up. Chops by Angle, then a German suplex 1-2-kickout. Stomps in the corner by Angle, but Jericho gets a Big Boot, only for Angle to hit an overhead belly-belly 1-2-shoulder up. Angle runs at Jericho, who back bodydrops him over the top. On the outside, Jericho leaps off the apron and elbows Angle. Stomps by Jericho, who drops Angle on the barrier. Jericho tosses Angle back in the ring and goes up top, hitting a flying elbow 1-2-kickout. Knees to the face by Jericho, then an elbow drop and another 1-2-kickout. Boot choke by Jericho. He hits some chops and then elbows Angle down. Jericho trips Angle and looks for the Walls, but Angle blocks and cradles him 1-2-kickout! Angle rams Jericho into the corner and Fireman’s Carries him out. Kick by Angle, but Jericho flapjacks him into the ropes. Jericho goes up top, but Angle leaps up with him and Superplexes him down 1-2-shoulder up! Exchange of punches by the two men, but Angle ducks and hits a German suplex. He looks for more, but Jericho grabs the ropes. Angle pulls him off the ropes and hits another German. He goes for another, but Jericho rolls through and looks for the Walls, but Angle flips and goes for the AngleLock, but Jericho gets to the ropes! Jericho looks for a bulldog, but Angle turns and clotheslines him down and gets a two count. Angle looks for the Olympic Slam, but Jericho shifts his weight and falls to the mat, taking Angle down and locking in the Walls. Angle manages to get to the ropes to break the hold. Jericho grabs his Title belts and tosses them in the ring, as well as the bell. Jericho picks up the ringbell, but the ref tries to take it away. Jericho pokes him in the eyes, but Angle hits Jericho with a Title belt! Finally the ref recovers and counts 1-2-shoulder up! AngleLock on Jericho, but Y2J manages to get to ehr ropes. Enziguri by Jericho that knocks Angle to the outside. Suddenly Kane appears from the crowd and press slams Angle into the ring, while Steph distracts the ref. Breakdown by Jericho 1-2-3! Kane comes in and clotheslines Angle over the top. Outside, Kane grabs a chair, but misses Angle. He grabs another chair, but Angle runs out through the crowd, with Kane in chase.

During this match in the back, Ric Flair arrived, apparently unaware of what happened. Earl Hebner told him, and Flair jumped back in his limo, seemingly to get to the hospital.

In the back, Hogan goes into Rock’s lockerroom. Fade Out.

Hogan stands next to a cut-out of Rock. He complements Rock on looking so good after that beating. Hogan asks the cut-out if it thinks anyone will remember Rock’s name in 10-20 years. Hitting Rock with a hammer and then smashing the ambulance is what legends are made of. Why hasn’t Rock thanked him yet? Does he realize how many people would love to have “The” Hulk Hogan take them out? Rock may not be a nobody, but he’s not in Hogan’s league. When the Battle of the Icons goes down, he’ll find out what the difference between a wanna-be and the real thing is. With that, Hogan smacks the cut-out down with his belt.

We cut to the Friendly Tap, where the aPa see that it’s “Men’s Night”, but think that means drinks are cheap for guys. They come in and start drinking, until Faarooq notices that all the guys are dancing with each other, or in drag. One approaches Bradshaw, but Bradshaw passes him off on Faarooq, but Faarooq won’t dance with him either. The guy starts throwing a fit, when Billy and Chuck sneak up from behind and start beating Bradshaw and Faarooq down. Bradshaw gets tossed into a pinball table and beaten with a pool stick, while Faarooq gets tossed over a rail and hit with a beer bottle.

In the hall, Mr. Perfect comes up on Hogan, Hall, and Nash. Hall wishes Perfect luck, and they let him through. As Perfect walks by, we see Hall still has his wheelbarrow. *dun dun dun*

Steve Austin vs. Mr. Perfect
The glass breaks, and Austin comes down, tire-iron in hand. Perfect makes his way down, perfectly. Perfect goes behing, but Austin reverses, then Perfect reverses and pulls Austin into the corner. Headlock by Perfect, then a shoulder block. Snapmare by Perfect, but Austin quickly pops back up. Shoulder block by Perfect, but Austin clotheslines him down. Chops in the corner by Austin, but Perfect ducks one and lays in with chops of his own. Austin hits a hard spinebuster and stomps Perfect in the groin. Whips by Austin, then a clothesline 1-2-shoulder up. Austin goes for the Stunner, but Perfect elbows him back down and stomps away. Chops by Perfect, but Austin thumbs Perfect in the eye and poundds away. Lou Thesz Press by Austin, then the elbow drop. Austin goes mudhole stomping. Austin picks Perfect up and hits him with the Stunner 1-2-3! As Austin celebrates with some beer, Scott Hall runs down with the wheelbarrow, which is filled with cinderblocks. He beats on Austin, and then Hogan and Nash come out to help with the beatdown. They toss him into the ring and tie his legs around the ringpost. Hall gets one of the cinderblocks and smashes it into Austin’s knee! They leave the Rattlesnake rolling in pain and walk up the ramp. End Show.