Raw is War

Memphis, Tennessee
December 11, 2000

Just 24 hours after the breath-taking Hell in the Cell match at Armageddon -- and with a myriad of questions surrounding Mick Foley's future as World Wrestling Federation commissioner -- RAW IS WAR emanated LIVE from the Pyramid in Memphis, Tenn.! The show kicked off with the news that both Triple H and Rikishi were hospitalized after the Hell in the Cell match -- Rikishi with a ruptured spleen, and the Game with a herniated disc in his back.

After barely surviving Hell in the Cell with his title intact, World Wrestling Federation Champion Kurt Angle headed to the ring as RAW went on the air. He was accompanied by the new Tag Team Champions, Edge & Christian. Angle said that three things were certain heading into the holiday season -- Christmas is on Dec. 25, Elvis is dead, and the three men in the ring had just completed the most successful year in Federation history. Angle then spoke about the pure Hell he went though at Armageddon, and how it was a Christmas miracle come early that he survived. And after all that, Angle questioned what he still had to do to earn the fans' respect. 

The Rock then came out to the stage to a huge ovation! The Brahma Bull gave Angle credit for emerging from Armageddon as champion. But The Rock said he wasn't concerned with last night, he was concerned with tonight! He told Angle that in this season of giving, he wanted to give Angle three things -- milk, cookies and the ass-kicking of a lifetime! The challenge was laid out for a title match!

Angle said he'd love to face The Rock, but he said he wasn't 100 percent, and it would be unfair to all his fans to defend his title. He did agree to team up with Edge & Christian against Rock and two of his friends. Christian & Edge then said that Rock didn't have any friends, and they challenged him to a Handicap match! 

Surprisingly, that brought out the Dudley Boyz! Buh Buh Ray and D-Von stood on the stage next to The Rock. The People's Champion then agreed to team with the Dudleyz against Angle, Edge & Christian in a Tag Team Table Testicle Match -- even though he said his opponents didn't have any testicles!

Angle then told Rock that the Dudleyz weren't Rock's friend -- they were just jealous that Edge & Christian got the job done at Armageddon and they didn't. The Rock and the Dudleyz then walked towards the ring and got into it with the Federation Champion and the Tag Team Champions! 

Backstage, Edge & Christian worried about the match, but Angle said he had a plan.

In the first match of the evening, Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn took on the Hardy Boyz. Jeff Hardy hit the Swanton Bomb on Saturn, but the referee was too busy attending to melee between Lita and Terri. Jeff went outside the ring to stop the commotion, but he was knocked into the ringsteps. He was counted out, but after the match, Malenko went over to Lita -- who was also knocked out in the brawl -- and planted a big kiss on her lips!

In the locker room area, Pat Patterson asked Vince McMahon if he thought Mick Foley would resign as commissioner. Vince said that's why he was in the arena. He talked about Triple H's and Rikishi's injuries, and said that if Foley didn't resign voluntarily, he would force him to do so.

In a rematch from Armageddon, new Intercontinental Champion Chris Benoit took on the man whom he defeated for the title, Billy Gunn. As the match began, Eddie Guerrero strutted to ringside. Guerrero would put the Intercontinental Championship on the ring apron -- but his plan backfired, and Gunn nailed Benoit with the belt! But because of Eddie's stalling, Gunn only earned a two-count. Billy then hit the fame-asser, but Eddie broke up the pinfall, causing a disqualification. When "The One" went after Latino Heat, Benoit took him down with a Crossface.

Michael Cole approached Mick Foley and asked if he planned to resign as commissioner. Foley said he had mixed feelings. He asked Cole to excuse him and Lt. Commissioner Debra, since he said they had a show to run. 

Cole then talked to the Undertaker about Hell in the Cell. Taker said he didn't feel at all guilty about injuring Rikishi, just as he injured Shawn Michaels and Mankind in the past. He said he was just doing what he does -- hurt people. Cole then asked Taker if Commissioner Foley should retire. Taker said he didn't give a damn about Foley, although he did find it ironic that Foley could lose his career twice because of the same match. He said it wasn't Foley who tortured him in the Cell at Armageddon -- it was Rikishi. At that moment, said the Underaker, winning the title was secondary to making Rikishi suffer. He said that when he was in Hell in the Cell, he was home. 

Al Snow then approached Foley and Debra, and said that the Hell in the Cell match reminded him of his reigns as Hardcore Champion. He asked Foley for a hardcore match against Raven. Although Al had a broken wrist, Foley gave him the match.

Next up, The Rock and the Dudleyz faced Edge, Christian and Kurt Angle in the TTTT Match (Tag Team Table Testicle Match). Edge, Christian and Angle did a great job of isolating D-Von, but ultimately The Rock made the tag! As Rock and Edge battled on the outside, the Dudleyz brought two tables into the ring. Buh Buh Ray and D-Von then gave Christian the Dudley Device -- but luckily for Christian, Angle moved the table! Moments later, The Rock moved the table as Angle tried to put Buh Buh through it!

Eventually, The Rock won the match by giving Edge a Rock Bottom through a table! After the match, Buh Buh powerbombed Christian through the other table! As Edge & Christian laid in the ring, Angle gabbed his title and left the ringside area.
Vince McMahon watched the match from his locker room and lamented about Commissioner Foley making a Table Match just a day after Hell in the Cell. Vince asked the associates if his papers had arrived. He said that the sooner the papers arrived, the sooner he could oust Foley as commissioner. Gerald Brisco went to check if the papers had arrived.

During the commercial break, Stone Cold Steve Austin arrived at the Pyramid!

Chyna then headed to the ring, and she was a woman on a mission. The Ninth Wonder of the World addressed the Right to Censor, specifically Women's Champion Ivory. She challenged Ivory to come out -- not for a title match, but just so she could beat the morality out of her! Steven Richards tried to attack Chyna, but the Ninth Wonder of the World simply tossed him from the ring and started beating on Ivory! Val Venis soon ran down, and he and Ivory delivered a spike piledriver onto Chyna! Chyna had to be stretchered out of the ring. As she was put into an ambulance, Billy Gunn screamed at Commissioner Foley that it was all his fault.

Watching the action on a backstage monitor, Vince McMahon said that Billy was right -- it was Foley's fault.

T&A -- accompanied by Trish Stratus -- took on Bradshaw and Faarooq, the Acolytes! The APA was out for revenge against the men who put them out of business for a few months. The match was nothing but a Pier 6 brawl. The Acolytes picked up the win when Bradshaw pinned Albert after a Clothesline from Hell. After the match, Bradshaw ripped the "T&APA" shirt off his opponent!

Gerald Brisco then went into Mr. McMahon's office with the papers he was waiting for. It turned out to be a letter of resignation! Vince vowed to get Foley's signature on the papers before the night was over!

Jerry Lawler had promised a big surprise the whole night -- and the only clue he gave was that it involved puppies! Lawler then presented to the crowd the XFL Memphis Maniax cheerleaders! But as The King busted a move with the cheerleaders in the right, the Right to Censor came out to the stage! The Goodfather -- who used to know a thing or two about beautiful women -- and Bull Buchanan said they wouldn't allow such perversion to continue. Steven Richards then talked about other evils of society, including rap music. Then, out came Road Dogg and K-Kwik! Steven, Goodfather and Bull went at it with Dogg, K-Kwik and Lawler in an impromptu match! After a huge right hand from the second rope, Memphis' own Jerry Lawler pinned Steven Richards!

After what happened to Chyna earlier in the night, Commissioner Mick Foley approached his friend Al Snow and said he didn't want to jeopardize his health in a hardcore match. Snow promised he wouldn't do anything crazy, and Foley said he would allow the match to happen.

Kevin Kelly then interviewed Stone Cold Steve Austin. He asked how Austin felt, and the Rattlesnake said he felt like beating somebody's ass! He said he did feel good about the fact that Triple H was in traction. He promised to herniate every disc in the Game's body when Triple H returned. He promised that he would find some trouble on RAW!

As Al Snow walked to the ring for the hardcore match, he was attacked from behind by his opponent, Raven. The two men battled on the side of the TitanTron before the action spilled onto the floor and into the backstage area! Al soon stuffed Raven into a dumpster and ran him full speed into a car! Now outside the arena, Al was attacked by Tiger Ali Singh and Lo Down -- the trio broke a cinder block over Snow's head! Raven then easily pinned him. Al wasn't moving after the match, and referees quickly asked for some medical help for the former European and Hardcore Champion.

Al still wasn't moving after a commercial break. EMTs quickly put him on a stretcher and into an ambulance. Commissioner Mick Foley was going to ride with his good friend Snow to the hospital, but Vince McMahon came outside and started screaming at him. McMahon told Foley that Snow's injury was his fault, and anything else that would happen on RAW was also his fault. Unsure what Vince was talking about, Mick then thought for a moment, got out of the ambulance and returned to the Pyramid.

So the list of hospitalized superstars at Armageddon and RAW reads as follows: Triple H, Rikishi, Chris Jericho, Chyna and Al Snow.

Vince McMahon then walked down to the ring, accompanied by Pat Patterson and Gerald Brisco. Vince said that much had changed since last Thursday, when he demanded a divorce from his wife. He thanked all the fans for their sympathy during this trying time in his life -- his traumatic divorce. He said that billionaires have feelings too. 

Vince said that, for the first time ever, he wasn't proud of the World Wrestling Federation -- or at least its commissioner. He said it was clear that the fans weren't proud of Foley either, and that it was time for a change. He demanded that Foley walk to the ring and resign in front of the world.

A very heavy-hearted Mick Foley headed down to the ring. Vince and Mick stared at each other with amazing intensity and hatred. Vince told Foley that as a human being, he was an OK guy, but as commissioner, he sucked. He ran down Foley's list of decisions as commissioner, specifically putting six superstars in harm's way inside Hell in the Cell. Vince said that Mick had given the commissioner's job his best efforts, but he didn't know what he was getting into when he took the position. Vince then talked about Foley's pregant wife, and his two beautiful children, who would get to spend more time with their dad if he resigned as commissioner.

Vince then got to the most important reason why Mick should resign -- the commissioner's promise to quit if anyone was seriously injured inside Hell in the Cell. Vince said that Mick had always been a man of his word, and with Triple H and Rikishi laid up in a hospital, he asked him to keep his promise and sign the letter of resignation. 

The crowd clearly didn't want Mick to sign the letter. Vince asked Foley to ignore the fans and to instead listen to his conscience. Foley contemplated signing, agitating Vince to the point where he screamed, "Dammit, I said sign it!"

Foley then said that every word out of Vince's mouth was true. He said he might sign the letter, but there was one act he wanted to do first. But before he could tell the fans that act, William Regal came to the ring.

Regal said the barbaric acts which have happened as of late disgusted him. He said he spoke on behalf of the Federation Superstars -- including Stone Cold Steve Austin -- in saying that Foley should resign as commissioner. That brought out the Texas Rattlesnake!

Stone Cold demanded that Regal give him the microphone, and said he didn't need anyone to speak for him. He said that if the crowd wanted Foley to tear up the letter of resignation and remain commissioner, to give him a Hell Yeah! Austin then stunned Regal, Patterson and Brisco! Foley then took out Mr. Socko and gave Vince McMahon the mandible claw! With the owner nearly unconscious, Foley tore up the letter of resignation and threw the pieces on top of Mr. McMahon!