Ruthless Aggression Era Project: WWE Monday Night Raw Review - December 9th, 2002

WWE Raw

December 9th, 2002

University of Tennessee 

General Manger Eric Bischoff & Chief Sean Morley are in the ring to start the show. They announce that Shawn & Triple H's World Heavyweight Title Match at Armageddon will now be a 2/3 Falls Match with the first match being a street fight, the second match being a steel cage match, and if neccessary, the third match will be a ladder match! Shawn & Hunter watch on from the titan tron as this announcement is made.

1) Booker T & Goldust vs. William Regal & Lance Storm

This is decent because Book & Goldust are so on fire and over. Regal & Storm hold their own are the perfect opposite for them. This is pretty quick and to the point. Goldust is forced to tap by Storm and after the match, he & Book have some dissension. Goldust is upset and says he is gonna tell Bischoff to find Booker a new partner for the four way tag title match at Armageddon because he knows he has held Booker back.. poor Goldy ::((((

Backstage, Jericho walks up on Trish Stratus reading Hulk Hogan's new book and tries to flirt, but gets shut down and Trish makes a small dick joke about him regarding when he was running around in a towel the other week.

Rob Van Dam is in Bischoff's office on the phone. Morley & Bischoff are pissed and kick him out and tell him to go get ready for his match with Batista. RVD reveals the person he was on the phone with that they hung up on was.. Scott Steiner !!! Bischoff is panicked and tries to call him back.

2) Steven Richards vs. Jacqueline 

It’s an intergender match just because. Well, actually because Steven and Victoria are fuckin or something and Vic is in a triple threat involving Jacqueline at Armageddon. Best part of this is a suplex Jacqueline hit on Richards. Rest of this is just bad and down hill. Richards wins. 

Match rating - *1/4 

Terri backstage compares Jeff to a young HBK. Tonight Jeff faces Triple H. HBK himself comes up and Hardy asks him for advice. Shawn gives him some and Hardy says if he makes it to the ladder match portion of the Armageddon title match that he’s got his back on some advice too.

3) Batista (w/ Ric Flair) vs. Rob Van Dam 

This is fun for a second then Kane interferes acting Big Dave for the DQ finish. Kane & RVD send Batista & Flair packing.

4) Maven & Al Snow vs. D’Lo Brown & Chris Nowinski 

Traaaaash, not sorry bout it. Bye. Snow eats the pin from D’Lo. 

Match rating - *1/2 

Backstage, Chief Sean Morley bitches Kane out for interfering in Batista/RVD. Kane mocks him and his old gimmick and gets put in a match against 3 Minute Warning as “punishment” 

Booker T catches Goldust before he goes into Bischoff’s office about the replacement partner thing from earlier and we get a heartwarming moment between the two with Booker saying Goldy is the best tag partner he’s ever had and talking him up to stick with him and go win the tag titles on Sunday at Armageddon. THEY BETTER WIN AFTER THIS GOD DAMMIT. 

5) Triple H (w/ Ric Flair) vs. Jeff Hardy 

We all knew Hardy had no chance so this was kind of deflating. Hardy has a flurry or two and the crowd is into it, but we all knew what was gonna happen. Two pedigrees and Jeff eats the pin. 

H doesn’t stop assaulting Hardy after the bell. This brings out Shawn Michaels who walks slowly towards the ring before Flair and H eventually coax him into coming inside. Flair cuts an AWESOME promo about how he knows where HBK is right now. Flair says back in the day, he had to face the fact that Shawn Michaels was the new Ric Flair. Now Shawn needs to face the fact that he isn’t who he used to be because he doesn’t have it in his heart and his head. He says Shawn needs to understand that there’s a new guy in town and he’s the best and it’s Triple H. Flair says H will do Shawn a favor on Sunday and force him to go back home & face that fact and take his World Heavyweight Title. Shawn just walks away :/ 

6) Kane vs. Jamal & Rosey (w/ Rico) 

Kane gets beat down for a second but ultimately wins a super short squash handicap match. Post match, the fighting continues. Rob Van Dam comes down to even the odds and hits a damn coast to coast on Jamal. 

Backstage, Stacy is decorating the Christmas tree with “testicles” and makes out with Test. 

Shawn Michaels runs up on Ric Flair backstage and tells him to tell Triple H that he will be waiting for him in the parking lot. Guess Shawn had a change of heart and wants to whoop ol H’s ass! 

7) Trish Stratus & The Dudleys vs. Chris Jericho, Christian, & Victoria - Tables Match 

It’s an inter gender tables match! And it’s pretty damn fun. Can’t really go wrong with any of these people at this point in time and with such a rare, albeit sorta random situation, it was a very enjoyable main event. Trish powerbombs Victoria off the top rope with help from Bubba & DVon which was an awesome finish. 

Match rating - **3/4

Backstage, Triple H & Ric Flair go to look for Shawn Michaels in the parking lot. This leads to Shawn jumping H from behind and throwing him in a dumpster and hitting a damn flying elbow drop off the top of a tractor trailer onto H in the dumpster. This was... funny but felt weird. They meet Sunday at Armageddon in the 2/3 falls match where each fall has a different stipulation.