Raw is War

Uniondale, New York
May 8, 2000

Edge and Christian issued another open challenge as RAW IS WAR kicked off from Long Island, N.Y. The Tag Team Champions even hired the Acolyte Protection Agency just in case the team that took them up on the challenge tried any "funny business." However, when the young Canadians insulted Faarooq and Bradshaw, the Acolytes promised a full refund - because they intended to give the champions an ass whoopin'! It was the APA that took Edge and Christian up on the open challenge, but Faarooq and Bradshaw lost by disqualification when the referee caught Bradshaw clobbering the champions with the ring bell. Of course, Christian was the one who grabbed the bell, and used it to hit Faarooq, but the referee didn't see that. After the match, Bull Buchanan and the Big Boss Man attacked the APA!

After the break, Triple H, Stephanie and the rest of the McMahon-Helmsley regime hit the ring. Obsessed with winning back the World Wrestling Federation Championship from The Rock, Triple H challenged the champion to an Iron Man Match at Judgment Day. The superstar who scores the most falls within 60 minutes will win the match and be declared the undisputed Federation Champion. Business picked up when Chris Jericho hit the ring and insulted Shane, Stephanie and Vince. Mr. McMahon threatened to go after Y2J, but the Dudley Boyz, Rikishi Phatu and the Big Show came out to back up Jericho. Vince forced Y2J into an Intercontinental Title Match against Kurt Angle, and Mr. McMahon guaranteed that Jericho would not leave Nassau Coliseum with the Intercontinental Championship. Meanwhile, Shane McMahon promised the Big Show that "one way or another, you and I, we're going to settle this." In other matches, Vince McMahon ordered the Dudley Boyz into a Table Match against Gerald Brisco, and Rikishi into a singles encounter against Pat Patterson. Brisco and Patterson seemed throroughly confused about Vince's action, but Mr. McMahon assured everyone that "there's a fine line between insanity and genius" and by the end of the night everyone would understand his actions.

Jericho immediately defended the Intercontinental Title against Kurt Angle. Unfortunately for the McMahon-Helmsley regime, Y2J finished off Angle by forcing him to tap out to the Walls of Jericho. Backstage, Shane McMahon watched on a monitor. The Big Show stormed into his dressing room and grabbed Shane by the throat. Shane seemed to change his tune from earlier in the night; the "Boy Wonder" claimed he was just trying to get under the Big Show's skin to bring out his more intimidating side. Shane reminded the Show that he had led him to the main event at WrestleMania - back before he "went Hollywood." Shane said he wanted the Big Show to compete for the Intercontinental Championship against Chris Jericho. After much cajoling by Shane, the Big Show agreed to the match.

In singles competition, Eddie Guerrero, with Chyna, took on the Godfather, with some of Long Island's most beautiful ladies. While Chyna distracted the referee, D'Lo Brown seemingly came out of nowhere and dropped the Godfather with a Sky High. Guerrero promptly finished off the popular pimp with a missile dropkick.

In an unusual table match, both Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley were scheduled to face Gerald Brisco. Brisco, however, announced that he wasn't going to be facing the Dudley Boyz alone - he had Test and Albert on his side. While D-Von and Test battled inside the ring, Buh Buh Ray and Albert went at it outside. But Buh Buh snuck back in the ring just in time to help D-Von deliver the 3-D on Test, sending him crashing through the table, and winning the match for the Dudleys. After the match, the Boyz got their hands on Brisco, but X-Pac, Road Dogg and Tori ran from the back, and they help set up Buh Buh on another table. Brisco jumped off the top rope and splashed Buh Buh through the wood.

Chris Jericho defended the Intercontinental Championship for the second time in less than one hour as he took on the Big Show. The Show was acccompanied by Shane McMahon, who was trying to convince him that everyone wanted a more serious, more monsterous Show. Big Show was ready to finished off Y2J with a chokeslam, but all of a sudden footage of Shane popped up on the Titan Tron. The footage was of Shane talking on his cellular phone about how he had Big Show "wrapped around his finger." Upon seeing the footage, Big Show snapped. He chased Shane back toward the locker room -- earning himself and countout loss -- and all the way back toward the parking lot, where Shane commandeered a limosine and drove himself away.

Backstage, Stephanie complained to her father that Vince had guaranteed that Jericho would lose the Intercontinental Title on RAW. Vince assured Stephanie that his guarantee was still valid - and Jericho would be defending his title once again against Chris Benoit.

Just before the commercial, video footage was shown revealing that Kid Rock would soon be appearing on RAW IS WAR.

It was speed and agility against size and strength as Too Cool battled Big Boss Man and Bull Buchanan. In spite of the fact that they were outweighed by a few hundred pounds, Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty Too Hotty picked up a huge win, catapulting themselves to the top of the tag team ranks. After the match, the Acolytes ran Boss Man and Bull back to the locker room.

There was definitely tension in the air among the Radicals - particularly between Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn. Ironically, it was Malenko and Saturn in tag team action against the Hardy Boyz. The match ended after Saturn accidentally superkicked his own tag team partner. Jeff Hardy finished off Malenko with the Swanton bomb. After the match, Malenko and Saturn went toe to toe. Chyna and Eddie Guerrero tried to separate them, but Malenko floored both with a clothesline, and Dean and Perry had to be separated by Federation officials.

Next up, it was another unusual match ordered by Mr. McMahon as Rikishi took on Pat Patterson. Vince McMahon appeared and announced that Patterson had a few tag team partners for the match - the Road Dogg and X-Pac - in essence making the match three on one. The contest ended promptly when Patterson grabbed a steel chair and bashed Rikishi right in the skull, earning a disqualification. After the match, Road Dogg and X-Pac held Rikishi in a corner, and Patterson gave Rikishi a taste of his own medicine - a stinky face. The trio celebrated until Too Cool came from the back and ran them off.

In the final match of the evening, the Intercontinental Title was on the line once again as an exhausted Chris Jericho took on Chris Benoit. Before the match got underway, Shane McMahon returned to the arena, but only after he was assured that the Big Show had left. Back at ringside, Triple H appeared dressed in referee stripes and named himself a special enforcer. After the regular referee was knocked out, Triple H assumed sole officiating duties. Jericho locked on the Walls of Jericho, but Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley appeared and "distracted" her husband. Jericho broke the hold and stomped and slapped the champion/referee, ordering him to turn his attention back to the match. Triple H turned around and shoved the champion, knocking him into Benoit, who immediately locked on the Crippler Crossface. It didn't appear that Jericho had tapped out, but Triple H ordered the bell to be rung, and awarded the match and the Intercontinental Title to Benoit. After the match, the entire McMahon-Helmsley regime assaulted Y2J. Mr. McMahon was about to clobber him with a chair, but the Big Show, Rikishi, the Dudley Boyz and Too Cool ran the regime off as RAW came to an end.