Raw is War

Atlanta, Georgia
June 10, 2002

No sooner had the pyrotechnics fizzled away than Ric Flair strolled down the entrance ramp as RAW kicked off live from Atlanta!

The Nature Boy grudgingly told how he had lost to Stone Cold just one week ago, and he is not proud of it. Under the match's stipulations, Flair must become Austin's personal assistant and must do whatever the Rattlesnake orders him to do. Flair said he didn't like it, but he was prepared to take it like a man. The only problem is that Austin didn't show up. 

Suddenly, Mr. McMahon walked out from beneath the the TitanTron and joined Flair in the ring! Vince said he knows that as the SmackDown! owner, he was not supposed to be on RAW. But the fact is that he created that show 10 years ago. Vince said that Flair is the sorriest excuse for an owner he has ever seen in his life. He accused Flair of taking the show he created and driving it right down the toilet. Vine said Flair may be a 16-time World Champion, but as an owner, he sucks!

Flair said he's sorry he hasn't lived up to Vince's expectations and asked what Vince and he should do about it. Vince reiterated that Flair sucks, then went on with his proposal. Vince said he doesn't have to work for a living, as he is a certified billionaire. He chooses to work because of his ego, and his ego cannot stand having Flair as one half an owner of his company. Therefore, Vince proposed a No Holds Barred match between the two with the winner becoming 100 percent owner of WWE! Flair called Vince a Nature Boy wannabe and accepted the challenge!  

Backstage earlier in the day, X-Pac found Kevin Nash reading a newspaper when Big Show walked in. He said Shawn Michaels wanted to see them. Show left to hit the bathroom when Booker T raced in. Booker was all excited and said he wanted to talk to Michaels about his music. X-Pac told Booker he needed to cut down on the caffeine. Booker remained in a frenzy and began singing alternative versions of his theme song.

The nWo's Big Show and X-Pac came to the ring, followed by Booker T to his own theme song, as the group faced a six-man tag team showdown against Spike Dudley, Tommy Dreamer and Shawn Stasiak. Cameras spotted Tough Enough I finalist Chris Nowinski watching from a ringside seat. X-Pac threatened to make this a short match as he powerbombed Spike to the canvas and got a two-count. 

The nWo continued to dominate, and cameras caught Shawn Michaels and Kevin Nash watching on TV backstage. Nash hurriedly shut the door so the cameras couldn't see. Back in the ring, Tommy Dreamer picked up his puke bucket and threw its contents at Booker T. Instead of a a stream of vomit, though, a shower of confetti sprayed the Bookerman. Soon after, Booker nailed Spike with a kick and got the pin. When the nWo's music hit, Booker took the microphone and demanded his music be played so he could execute a spineroonie!

Backstage, Booker T was still pumped when Goldust approached him dressed as the Undercover Brother! Goldust said he didn't want to be in the nWo, he wanted Booker to quit the group! Booker refused, but Goldust said that he was good friends with Shawn Michaels, and Michaels isn't a fan of what Goldust called, "our kind."

Terri caught Molly for a backstage interview. Molly said it was impossible to take Terri as a serious journalist with such revealing photographs of her and a sex column appearing in RAW Magazine. Trish snuck up behind Molly and said that Molly had a reason to be bothered because she has a huge ass! Molly said that the Women's Champion should be pure and wholesome, and she challenged Trish to a match. Trish accepted, but she said if Molly lost, she would have to wrestle in a thong!

Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero found Ric Flair in his office. Guerrero and Benoit were concerned about Flair's match for that evening. Flair said he's be all right, but Eddie should concentrate on his King of the Ring qualifying match against RVD that night.

Hardcore Champion Bradshaw came to the ring wearing a 10-gallong hat and swinging a rope. William Regal, the European Champion, followed as the two readied for a singles match.  The ref made sure to search Regal for foreign objects before the action got underway. Bradshaw took over early on by dropping an elbow on Regal and getting a two-count. Regal stormed back with a series of shots to Bradshaw's face. The match continued to go back and forth until Chris Nowinski suddenly dashed up to the ring! The Tough Enough finalist was carted away by security, but not before causing a distraction that allowed Regal to nail Bradshaw with brass knux that he supplied. Afterwards, Chris and Regal exited up the ramp together. 

Trish Stratus and Molly Holly got off to a fast paced start to their match next. Molly whirled into a series of backhandsprings and drove an elbow straight into Trish's chest. The champion retaliated and went for the Stratusfaction, but Molly turned the move into a suplex. Molly then hit the Molly-Go-Round and won the match to secure a title shot! After the action, Molly produced a thong that Trish had used against her last week and choked her with it!

Backstage, Arn Anderson confronted Vince and said there's no better business man that Mr. McMahon. Anderson said Vince must be crazy, though, to be putting his ownership role on the line in the ring. Vince shoved Arn and said he takes calculated risks. Anderson collected himself and told Vince to get ready for an early retirement.

Intercontinental Champion Rob Van Dam headed to the ring for his King of the Ring qualifying match against Eddie Guerrero. The match started off full of quick offense. Eddie went to work on RVD's leg, grasping him in a knee lock that Mr. Monday Night squirmed out of. Van Dam mounted a rally and eventually hit a modified Frog Splash from the ring apron down onto Guerrero on the floor outside the ring. 

Guerrero seemed intent on getting a submission win over RVD. He latched a painful arm bar on RVD and refused to let go. RVD contorted his body and managed to break the hold by reaching the ropes.  Guerrero continued to assert control by hitting a superplex. The move took a lot of his energy, and Van Dam was able to slowly recover. The champ tried a split-legged moonsault, but Guerrero rolled. Latino Heat then tried a hurracanrana, but RVD rolled through it and got a quick three count to advance in the King of the Ring tournament!

Before cutting to commercial, cameras spotted the Undertaker rolling into the arena on his motorcycle.

Backstage, Coach knocked on the nWo's locker room door in hopes of getting a word with Shawn Michaels. Nash said that Michaels was busy.

The Undertaker roared to the ring. The Dead Man ordered a crew member at ringside to hold his championship up for all to see. Taker said that as Undisputed  Champion, he deserved to be treated in a certain manner. He said that the people in Atlanta aren't known for being smart, but even they knew he deserves respect.  Taker then turned his attention to Triple H. The Dead Man said that Triple H's blood is in the water and Taker is the great white shark. Taker said that the only shot Triple H has at King of the Ring is getting his head kicked in. 

Taker continued by saying that Jeff Hardy also needed to learn a bit about respect. Last week, Jeff kicked Taker and forced the champ to land in a puddle of human vomit. Taker asked if Jeff was ready to die in the moment. Taker said that Jeff could come to the ring and get smacked around like a bitch and then walk away. But if he had to be hunted down, Taker would inflict more pain on him than was ever thought possible. Suddenly, the Hardy Boyz music hit and Matt - not Jeff - appeared beneath the TitanTron dragging a ladder. Matt said that last week Taker had disrespected him. Without warning, Jeff Hardy raced in behind Taker, but was caught with a huge chokeslam. Matt sprinted in and attacked Taker, but was also rendered helpless. Taker went up to smash Taker with the Last Ride, but Jeff recovered and took Taker's legs out!

Jeff ran and got the ladder which the two used to smash into the champion. Jeff then set up the ladder, climbed the top turnbuckle and vaulted the ladder to land a crunching leg drop onto the Undertaker! A dazed Dead Man slowly rose from the mat and cast an evil star up the ramp toward Team Xtreme.

William Regal and Chris Nowinski were stopped by Terri backstage. Regal said that Chris was the first WWE Superstar to graduate from Harvard. Without warning, Jeff Hardy raced in and interrupted the interview before speeding away. Regal and Chris complained about Jeff's lack of class

Bubba Ray Dudley and Brock Lesnar clashed in a KOR qualifying match next. Bubba took Brock down early and went to get the tables! But Paul Heyman jumped Bubba outside the ring, allowing Brock to catch Bubba and hit him with a painful belly to belly suplex. Back in the ring, the former NCAA Champion continued to demolish Bubba Ray. Bubba Ray managed to mount a comeback by felling Brock with a waistlock takedown. Bubba almost had the match won soon after, but Paul Heyman broke up the count. Hayman had to run away from Bubba, but that only helped Brock. Lesnar scooped Bubba Ray up in the to the F5 and won the KOR qualifying match!

Mr. McMahon was stretching out backstage when Paul Heyman raced in. Heyman said he knew Vince was going to win and that his mind is on Stone Cold. He told Vince to stop thinking about Stone Cold and start thinking about The Next Big Thing, Brock Lesnar. Heyman said after Vince wins, give him a call because he has an idea about Brock Lesnar and King of the Ring! 

Shawn Michaels stepped out of his locker room and began the trek to the ring. 

The newest addition to the nWo skipped down to ringside to address the crowd next. Michaels said that sports entertainment is a funny business. Back in his day, there were all kinds of gimmicks running around. But there was one thing that was very real: himself. He said he literally gave his body to the business. Then, at WrestleMania XIV, Vince decided to give the business attitude and put a huge promotional machine behind Stone Cold. Michaels said Austin had to problems stealing his spotlight. Michaels said that because the fans dictated the direction the company takes, it was the fans that cast him aside and embraced Austin. 

Michaels said he would never let the fans do that to him again. A few weeks back on Confidential, Michaels said that HBK was dead. He said that while he was kicked to the curb, one man stood behind him the whole way: Kevin Nash. The rest of the nWo came down and joined Michaels in the ring. Michaels said that Nash is one of the biggest names the industry has ever known, but more importantly, he is the leader of the most powerful faction the business has ever seen. But still, Michaels said something is missing in the nWo. He said one stands out., the 7-foot-2, 500 pound Big Show. Michaels said the nWo wouldn't be messed with when the Big Show was around. Michaels then pointed a finger at X-Pac and said that he's the most talented performer in the business. Suddenly, Michaels clocked Booker T with some Sweet Chin Music! Michaels accused Booker of trying to steal the spotlight from the nWo, just like Austin! He guaranteed that nobody would ever steal his spotlight again! The remaining  members of the nWo celebrated as Booker T lay prone on the mat!

In a battle for complete control over WWE, Ric Flair and Vince McMahon came to blows in a No Holds Barred match. The brawl began outside the ring and soon entered the crowd. Flair bodyslammed his partner onto the hard concrete floor. Flair tossed Vince over the ring barrier and the action spread back inside the ropes. Vince soon grabbed the ring bell and smacked it into Flair's head, perfectly legal in this sort of match. Vince then shoved the ref out of the way and continued attacking Flair. He tossed the Nature Boy into the ring post. 

After some back and forth action, Flair assumed some control with a series of chops onto Vince's chest. Vince retaliated with a clothesline and got a two-count. Vince then dropped Flair with a low blow but again only got a two-count. Mr. McMahon grabbed a steel chair from ringside, but Flair kicked Vince in the face then smashed the chair across the SmackDown! owner's back. While Flair was continuing his assault, Arn Anderson arrived at ringside. 

By this time, the brutal match had taken its toll and both competitors were a bloody mess by the time Flair latched on the Figure Four! Arn Anderson got right in Vince's face and screamed for him to submit! But Brock Lesnar with Paul Heyman raced in and took down Anderson then whirled Flair into the F5! Vince rolled over and covered Flair for the 1-2-3 to become the 100 percent owner of WWE! Vince gloated over his victory as RAW drew to a close!