411’s WWE Raw Report 06.23.03

411’s WWE Raw Report 06.23.03
Live From MSG
Announcers are JR & The King
Report done *EXCLUSIVELY* for 411MANIA by Jacob Ziegler

OPENING MONTAGE

UNION UNDERGROUND SONG

JR welcomes us, says the show is sold out, and hypes the main event of Kane vs. Triple H for the World Heavyweight Title. Scott Steiner’s music hits, and he and Stacy are on their way to the ring for a tag team match.

Scott Steiner & Booker T vs. Test & Christian

They show a recap of Test beating up Mae Young last week. Which makes him a bad person, but it’s ok for Austin to give her the stunner? Ok, whatever. Anyway, Booker and Christian start. Christian slugs away, and Booker reverses an Irish whip and gets a knock down and a scoop slam for two. Christian goes to the eyes and pushes Booker into the corner and slugs away, then tags Test who always slugs away. Irish whip to the corner followed by a clothesline. Test does the same move again, then mocks Steiner’s pushups. Test sets up for the pumphandle but Booker goes out the back and hits Test with a side kick and tags in Steiner, who manhandles both men and gives Test a reverse DDT. Christian accidentally elbow drops Test, and Steiner presses Christian over the top rope to the floor. Steiner goes to work on Test in the corner. Test goes for the Flair pin in the corner for two. Test argues with Stacy, who slaps him in the face. Steiner comes to Stacy’s rescue, and ends up getting pushed into Stacy. Big boot misses, and Steiner clotheslines Test. Booker gives Christian a side kick, and Christian and Booker head outside. Test hits Steiner with a big boot and gets the three count. Stacy appears to have a sprained ankle or something.

WINNERS – Test & Christian

Kane is looking into the mirror, contemplating his huge matchup tonight. This leads to a clip of Kane’s debut on October 5, 1997.

JR & King welcome us back, and further hype the main event. While not my favorite two wrestlers, it’s nice to see a lot of hype going into a match. Tonight’s poll is who we think will win the title match.

Teddy Long wants to holla at us players. He’s here to talk about the injustice that has been brought on Nowinski. He should have won Tough Enough, belee dat. Long says Nowinski is discriminated against because he is smart. Long says light skinned bothers went out years ago, ha ha, referring to Maven. Time for thuggin and buggin.

Christopher Nowiski vs. Maven

Maven charges the ring, and Nowinski takes advantage. Suplex reversed into a rollup by Maven, and that’s it. Well, that was short.

WINNER – Maven

Earlier tonight, Evolution got out of the limo. Orton & Flair take on Nash & HBK later on tonight.

Ad for the new Shawn Michaels “From the Vault” DVD.

Chris Jericho’s Highlight Reel welcomes us back to Raw. Jericho has a new AWESOME t-shirt. Jericho has major babyface heat. Then he makes fun of New York and becomes an instant heel. Jericho is too great. Jericho then targets Stone Cold Steve Austin. Jericho says Austin was way out of line last week in his treatment of Lance Storm. Well, hard to argue with Jericho there. Jericho calls Austin a bully, among other things. Jericho then introduces his guest, the great athlete, Lance Storm. Crowd is chanting boring. Lance thanks Chris and wants to read a prepared statement. Storm says no one enjoys a good laugh more than him, and that last week Austin overstepped his bounds. Storm says he is an athlete, and that his abilities inside the ring should be more than enough to entertain the fans. If they want bells and whistles, go to the circus, Lance says. Lance asks the fans nicely if they would stop chanting boring. The crew comes out and starts dismantling the Highlight Reel set. Austin comes on the Titan Tron and accuses Jericho and Storm of boring MSG to death. Y2J says Austin is jealous, bringing up the night he became the Undisputed Champion. Austin calls Jericho a bitch. Austin says he was trying to help Lance last week, and he just took it the wrong way. Austin makes a match, with Jericho & Storm against The Dudley Boyz. I was hoping for Jericho vs. Storm, but I’ll take it. THRILLSEEKERS REUNITE!

Chris Jericho & Lance Storm vs. The Dudley Boyz

Storm and Jericho attack right away. Dudleyz take an advantage, as Bubba charges both men in the corner and throws both Jericho and Storm to the outside. Bubba brings Storm back into the ring and drops an elbow for one. Sideslam by Bubba gets two. Irish whip by Storm, and Jericho trips Bubba, and tags in. Jericho chokes Bubba with his foot in the corner. Back suplex by Jericho blocked, Bubba slugs away, but Jericho gets the suplex on the second try. Storm is tagged back in, and they hammer away on Bubba in the corner. Cover by Storm gets two. Storm slaps on a chinlock. Bubba gets up and gets a sunset flip for two, and Storm knocks Bubba down again and tags Jericho. Jericho chops Bubba in the corner, and Bubba tries to make a tag but Jericho stops him. Bubba goes for a Samoan drop, but Jericho reverses it to the Walls of Jericho, which D-Von breaks up. Storm comes in and gets two on Ricky Morton, I mean Bubba Ray Dudley. Modified sleeper by Storm. Bubba fights out, but then Storm grabs a traditional sleeper. Bubba back suplexes hi way out of it. D-Von gets the tag finally and cleans house. D-Von is an Akeem, I mean a One Man Gang. Neckbreaker off the second rope by D-Von on Storm gets two. Bubba does his Dusty Rhodes impression on Jericho, as this one has broken down into a pier-4 brawl. Flapjack on Jericho, and D-Von goes up for the Wazzup headbutt on Storm. Bubba says it’s time to get the tables, but Jericho breaks it up. Storm with a springboard clothesline on D-Von for two. Heel miscommunication leads to the 3D on Storm. So, I guess they’re pushing Storm, but he still can’t win any matches.

WINNERS – The Dudley Boyz

JR hypes Nash & HBK vs. Flair & Orton for later. Lots of tag matches.

Ad for Vengeance, the Smackdown only PPV is shown.

We come back with more hype for the main event, as we see a clip from 5 months ago when Evolution took Kane’s mask off. Kane is pacing back and forth backstage. We cut to Randy Orton reading Foley’s new book. Flair and Orton mock Foley and his writing. Flair says they have to make sure HHH retains his title.

La Resistance is on their way out for a non-title match. La Resistance steals Nikolai Volkoff’s gimmick, as they are going to sing the French national anthem. We cut to commercial, as Grenier and Dupre appear to not know the words.

We’re back, and Grenier and Dupre are still singing. The Hurricane’s music hits, and he has a microphone. Hurricane accuses La Resistance of disrespecting the USA. I’m not sure how that works, since they didn’t even mention the USA. The Frenchies challenge Hurricane to a tag team match. Hurricane brings out Sgt. Slaughter. Great.

La Resistance vs. The Hurricane & Sgt. Slaughter, non-title match

Sarge and Hurricane attack right away. Hurricane flies to the outside, as Sarge works on one of them in the ring. The crowd is way into Slaughter. Slaughter puts the cobra clutch on Dupre, and Grenier breaks it up, only to receive a cobra clutch himself. Grenier reaches the ropes. Dupre hits Slaughter with one of the belts and gets the pin. Well, that was pointless. I understand what they were going for, but Slaughter has no business wrestling anymore.

WINNERS – La Resistance

Kane is still looking in the mirror, as we cut to Austin’s motivational speech from 3 weeks ago.

Austin is on his way out as we are at the top of the hour. Austin congratulates MSG about the upcoming WrestleMania, as a bunch of fireworks go off and the new logo is revealed. But Austin has something else on his mind. He brings up the referee for the Hell in a Cell match, Mick Foley of course. Austin calls Foley out. Loud Foley chant goes up. Austin calls Foley a genius and asks for an autographed copy of his new book. Austin wants Foley to have something, and Foley anticipates a stunner in a cute moment. RVD leads a brigade of Bubba, D-Von, Spike, and Al Snow. They have the old hardcore title on a case. Austin then introduces a video of Foley’s accomplishments. WOW, the WWE production team is nothing short of incredible. Crowd chants Foley loudly. Foley says he forgot how good he really was. Vince McMahon’s music comes on, and Vince has his full-on strut going tonight. Vince has something to say to Mick. Vince threatens to turn Foley into a puddle of ooze, from a personal standpoint. But from a professional standpoint, Vince says the two words that he says everyone is thinking tonight: THANK YOU. Wow, Vince just said that. He shakes Foley’s hand, and Foley gives Vince a big hug, and the look on Vince’s face is priceless. Foley says that video brought tears to his eyes. Foley says it’s an honor to be in this ring, in this building, and then gets his official cheap pop. Then he makes a cheap Al Snow joke, saying it was great to be in the ring with so many great competitors, and Al Snow. Foley then brings up the Jimmy Snuka match. Foley says that MSG is another home, and says that he loved working for Vince. Foley has one final thought, trying to quote some famous poet, author, or philosopher. Foley uses Frosty the Snowman: “I’ll say goodbye, but don’t you cry, I’ll be back again someday.” The crowd is going nuts, as the guys in the ring continue to show their appreciation. Everyone else should be doing the same. What an awesome segment.

The Extreme Blast of the Night is the finish of the Flair vs. Michaels match from Bad Blood.

Shawn Michaels & Kevin Nash vs. Randy Orton & Ric Flair

Wow, Nash gets almost no response from the audience. The new music and video for Evolution is pretty cool. Wow, Orton is cut. That guy just looks like a star. Flair and HBK start off, and Shawn hammers away. But Flair backs Shawn into the corner for chops, which Shawn reverses, then gets an Irish whip and a back body drop. Flair knocks Shawn down and tags Orton. Orton hammers away on Shawn and throws him into the ropes. HBK fights back and tags Nash, who gets a side suplex for two. Short-arm clothesline Jake Roberts style by Nash, who then misses an elbow drop. Flair is tagged in and chops Nash in the corner, and Nash no-sells and knocks Flair down. Nash brutalizes Flair in the corner, and does that thing when he frames his opponent before hitting him in the face. Back body drop by Nash, and throws Flair to the outside. Orton comes in and gets the same treatment. Shawn is tagged in and scores with a cross body to the outside.

Shawn dominated Flair during the break, JR informs us. Flair takes advantage, as he tells the referee to kiss his ass. Orton got a blind tag, as Nick Patrick is confused. Orton comes in officially this time and puts the boots to Shawn. Hard Irish whip by Orton, and a single-arm DDT. Armbar on Michaels, trying to wear the arm, and this kid totally looks like he belongs. Shawn down. Flair comes back in and continues to work on the arm. Flair then mocks Michaels. Shawn fights back and goes for a backslide, but Flair tags Orton. Orton works on the arm, and this kid really looks like he belongs. Shawn fights back, and both men get knocked down. Flair and Nash both tag in, and Nash is a house-a-fire. Big boot to Flair, and one for Orton as well. Nash pulls the straps down, and he means business. Nash sets up for the jackknife on Orton, but Flair breaks it up with a low blow. Double team on Nash, who clotheslines both men. Shawn tags in, and fights off both Flair and Orton. Back body drop to Flair, and one for Orton as well. Shawn signals for the Sweet Chin Music, but Flair blocks it. Shawn throws Orton over the top rope, and hits Flair with a flying forearm, and then he nips up. Scoop slam and Michaels goes up to the top rope and hits a flying elbow drop. The band tunes up again, and this time hits the Sweet Chin Music for the 3-count. Gotta know Shawn had to get that job back.

WINNERS – Shawn Michaels & Kevin Nash

They show the coming together of tonight’s main event, which is Kane vs. Triple H, title vs. mask match. The poll results are in, and JR is surprised. 56% said that Kane would win the championship. Kane is warming up backstage.

Hey, nothing beats WWE Live.

We’re back at MSG, as we learn that “So Far Away,” from Staind’s album 14 Shades of Grey was Foley’s tribute song tonight.

During the break, Foley was signing a copy of his book for Vince. Flair attacks Foley, and Orton kicks the crap out of Foley, who still takes the best bumps in the business. Foley fights back, but Orton busts a bottle on Foley’s head. Vince calls for “help,” in the form of a janitor. Classic Vince there. Rodney Mack and Theodore Long are in the ring.

Long wants to holla at us again. Long says he and Mack will have a smile on their face when the night is over. It’s time again for the 5 minute white boy challenge. This should be Goldberg, who has yet to appear on the show. And right on cue, there he is.

Rodney Mack vs. Goldberg

Mack goes right after Goldberg, but he gets speared right out of the gate. This is Goldberg’s MSG debut, by the way. Goldberg knees Mack a few times, and sets up for the jackhammer. He hits it and gets the pin in 26 seconds. Classic Goldberg, whether you like him or not.

WINNER – Goldberg

RVD comes in to Kane’s dressing room to tell him to kick some ass. Kane looks into the mirror, and smashes it.

The WrestleMania recall is Stephanie getting the pedigree at WrestleMania X8. HHH vs. Stephanie was the main event that year, right?

Triple H’s music hits, and the main event IS ON.

Triple H vs. Kane, World Heavyweight Championship vs. Kane’s Mask

Kane back body drops HHH and pounds away in the corner. Hunter fights back, but Kane is too strong and lifts Hunter with a two handed choke. Kane with a whip to the corner and they go to the outside. HHH gets thrown into the stairs. Kane is dominating, but HHH hits Kane with a chair as we go to commercial, at 5 minutes to eleven.

We’re back, as HHH hits the spinebuster. Is he trying to imitate every Horseman? Is he going to call his next opponent a dirty egg-sucking dog? Anyway, the match continues, as both men slug away at each other. Kane hits a DDT, but HHH hits a neckbreaker and Kane sits right up. HHH with straight right hands to the face and Kane is not feeling it at all. He asks for HHH to hit him harder. Kane throws HHH into the corner and mauls the World Champion. Clotheslines in the corner by Kane. Big powerslam gets two. HHH gets thrown to the corner, and a side suplex by Kane. Kane to the top rope and hits a clothesline, and the ref goes down. But Kane hits the ref with a big boot by accident, and Ear Hebner is down. Flair is in the ring, and Kane takes care of him. Kane grabs the belt and is preparing to hit HHH with it, and he does. A new referee is out, and Kane only gets two. Kane tosses the second ref over the top rope. HHH hits a low blow and then hits the pedigree. This could be it, as Hebner crawls over, and it’s a long two count as Kane kicks out. The crowd is getting into it. Another pedigree attempt is reversed to a back body drop. Flair runs in and gets a choke slam for his troubles. Kick to the gut, and Kane sling-shots HHH into Flair. Choke slam on the way, and HHH walks into it. Orton runs in and hits Kane with a low blow and a diamond cutter. HHH hits the pedigree, and this will be it. And it is. Let’s see the return of Isaac Yankem!

WINNER, and still World Heavyweight Champion – Triple H

Bischoff comes down and demands that Kane remove his mask. As Kane pulls off the mask, Evolution attacks Kane. HHH wants to take Kane’s mask off himself. RVD comes out to defend Kan’s honor. Orton gets a choke slam. RVD hits a 5-star on Orton. Kane signals for the turnbuckles to flare up, but he pauses. Here it comes … Kane is stalling. The mask comes off, and Kane has short hair. He choke slams RVD, and lights up the corners. Well, Kane is an ugly dude.

Decent show tonight, good effort all around. PK will be back next week, send him an e-mail telling him how much you missed him.

JZ