Raw is War

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
July 8, 2002

World Wrestling Entertainment Chairman Vince McMahon opened RAW by saying that he was giving the Undertaker a well-deserved night off. However, due to the controversy surrounding Taker's match against Kurt Angle, the main event at Vengeance will be Kurt Angle vs. The Rock vs. The Undertaker in a Triple Threat Match for the Undisputed Championship!

Fireworks exploded and RAW kicked into high gear live from Philadelphia! Booker T came to the ring and said the only thing he heard all week was how the nWo was going to come after him after what he did to X-Pac. Booker said they could do whatever they wanted to them, and the faction to attempt their revenge right there in the ring. But neither Shawn Michaels nor Kevin Nash nor any other New World Order solider came out. Instead, Eddie Guerrero sauntered out and faced Booker. 

Guerrero stated that if anyone is a sucka, it's Booker T. Eddie said that after Bubba Ray screwed him out of a win last week, he decided to take out his frustration on the first person he came across, and that would be Booker. The Bookerman struck first with a series of blows to the head as an impromptu match began. The crowd chanted, "Eddie sucks!" as Latino Heat began to take over. While Booker nursed an injured leg, Eddie turned two suplexes and a flying neckbreaker to get a near fall. But Booker caught Eddie with a crafty rollup and got the pin! He began to celebrate with a spineroonie, but Chris Benoit raced in and assaulted him! That prompted Goldust to rush to his friend's aid, but he too was overpowered. Spike and Bubba Ray Dudley sprinted into the fray with steel chairs to clear Guerrero and Benoit from the ring!

Backstage, Goldust told Booker that the two were once again victorious. Booker said that just meant the nWo would get them later. Goldust said if he's going down, he'd go down in a blaze of glory. As Goldust left, Booker spotted someone who he though was X-Pac. He kicked the sucka in the head and began pummeling him until Booker realized that it was not in fact X-Pac, just an arena worker!

Coach found Trish Stratus and Jackie Gayda. The Tough Enough Champion accused Trish of being jealous of all the attention she was getting. Trish said Jackie is living in a fantasy world. Christopher Nowinski stepped in and said if anyone's living in fantasy, it's Trish with her little-girl cowboy hat. Trish said they should settle things in the ring with a mixed tag match. Christopher asked if Trish planned to get Buck Rogers as a partner. Actually, Trish said, she'd team with Bradshaw!

Eddie Guerrero and Chris Benoit returned to the ring where the Rabid Wolverine would take on Bubba Ray Dudley in singles action. Backstage, Spike and Bubba Ray found Goldust dressed as Benjamin Franklin. He said the Dudleys should join forces with Booker T and Goldust to take care of the nWo. Bubba said the two didn't even like those two. Goldus... er, Ben Franklin said he understand because sometimes he wants to smack Thomas Jefferson in the gonads, but he doesn't. Bubba and Spike shook their heads and headed out to the ring. 

Bubba laid right into Benoit with a big belly to back suplex. Benoit retaliated with his own powerful suplex and a few slaps across the chest. Bubba nailed a Bubba Bomb soon after, but Eddie threw Spike in the ring to break up the ref's count and Benoit latched on the Crossface to force Bubba to tap! Eddie and Benoit continued to bash the Dudley Brothers after the ring bell sounded, but Booker T and Goldust raced down to return the favor from earlier!

Cameras showed Ric Flair congratulating Jeff Hardy earlier in the night for Jeff's tremendous Ladder Match last week against the Undertaker. After Jeff left, Stevie Richards clapped and said Flair's speech was very moving. Richards said that lately Flair hasn't looked quite so legendary. He said that the only thing Flair did was take away TV time from people like him. He told Flair to realize his time is over and step aside. Flair responded by challenging Richards to a match, which was accepted by Stevie and punctuated by pushing Flair to the ground. 

Trish Stratus teamed up with Hardcore Champion Bradshaw for an intergender tag team match against Jackie Gayda and Christopher Nowinski. Nowinski crouched down and tried to get Bradshaw into a football stance but then rose into a Heisman Trophy pose! Nowinski fled the ring and tagged in Jackie who began to tanle with Trish. The boys began to clash soon after, with Bradshaw giving Nowinski a sidewalk slam. Nowinski rolled out of the ring and Bradshaw gave chase, leaving the women to duke it out alone. Trish hit Jackie off the top rope and got the pin on the Tough Enough Champion!

Backstage, a fuming Benoit screamed to Guerrero that Booker T and Goldust would pay. While they yelled, the nWo approached and told them to take it easy. Kevin Nash told them to remember that there's strength in numbers. Before walking away, Shawn Michaels told them that Nash had some important things to say and they might want to listen

As promised, the New World Order arrived at the ring where Shawn Michaels took the mic. Michaels said that you're either with the nWo or against the four of them. He showed footage of King of the Ring where the four reminded Triple H that they were there for him if he needed them. Michaels said that they had extended him an offer to join them but had yet to hear a response. He said that they would not be ignored, and The Game needs them more than they need him. Michaels set a deadline of two weeks for Triple H to give a response. He said that long before the nWo, there was the Kliq, but unlike the Kliq the nWo is for life. Michaels said Triple H would either make the best decision of his life, or the last.

Kevin Nash stepped up and announced that he'd been medically cleared to return to action. During his rehab from a torn biceps, he'd worked up a lot of aggression and wanted some physical contact. Big Sexy invited Benoit and Guerrero to join the group for a 10-man tag team match against Booker T, "Fairy Dust," The Dudleys and whoever else they wanted to bring in. Nash said he knows Triple H is watching and he wouldn't turn his back on family. But if The Game turned his back on the nWo, Nash would do to him what he does to Booker T that night!

Ric Flair and Stevie Richards squared off and the legendary Nature Boy began pounding away on his younger opponent. Flair sliced into Stevie with his trademark chops that elicited cries of, "Whoooo!" from the crowd. Stevie fought back with a back body drop, but Flair soon dropped an elbow into Stevie's chest. Stevie went for a suplex, but Flair countered into his own suplex and followed with the Figure Four Leglock to make Stevie tap out!

Paul Heyman and 2002 King of the Ring, Brock Lesnar, entered the ring with Heyman saying he fears no reprisals from his enemies when he walks with Brock. Heyman said that whoever leaves Vengeance with the WWE Undisputed Championship would be the sacraficial lamb at SummerSlam. Heyman said that Brock would not only destroy Rob Van Dam at Vengeance, but he would walk out the new Intercontinental Champion. Heyman said that right there in Philadelphia, he made RVD. Not only did he create RVD, but he exploited him just like he exploited the Dudleys, Tajiri, Rhyno and others just to satisfy the bloodthirsty animals in that city. Heyman said the people there called him a genius which made it possible for him to sign Brock Lesnar. 

Heyman was suddenly cut off by Tommy Dreamer, who appeared on top of the entrance ramp. Dreamer, carrying a kendo stick, said Heyman didn't make anyone in ECW. ECW's stars made themselves because they loved performing for the fans. Heyman told Dreamer to go backstage and eat something wacky. Dreamer responded that before he was known for eating strange things, he was known as the Innovator of Violence, and there's no beating Brock could give that he can't take. Dreamer challenged Brock to take it to the extreme, and raced down to assault Brock with the stick! He brought Brock to his knees with several shots with the weapon. While Dreamer set up steel chairs in the ring, Heyman attacked from behind. Dreamer countered, but Brock got to his feet and smacked Dreamer from the ring and hit him with the F5 onto the hard floor! Without warning, RVD appeared behind Heyman and nailed him with a spinning heel kick before taking out Brock. RVD finished off Heyman with an amazing Van Daminator with a steel chair!

Coach found former Philadelphia 76ers President Pat Croce in the crowd. Croce is behind a new extreme basketball television show that will be broadcast on TNN.

William Regal defended the European Championship against Jeff Hardy. Regal controlled the Team Xtreme front man with his stiff style. Regal put Jeff in a neck vise to attempt to get a submission but Jeff broke the hold. Regal tried to take one of the turnbuckles off, but was blindsided by Jeff. Jeff climbed to the top rope and hit a Swanton Bomb and got a three count to become the new European Championship!

Coach found the now former European Champion backstage, but all William Regal could do was cry and sink to his knees! Christopher Nowinski came over to console him and helped him to the locker room. 

Bubba was trying to convince someone to get in the ring as part of the 10-man tag team match. Bubba reminded this person of their days in ECW when this person was known as one of the most hardcore in the business. The camera panned and showed the man Bubba was talking to was RVD! Van Dam shook his head after Bubba's emotional speech and agreed to take part in the match!

With boxing hall of famer Joe Frazier watching from ringside, 10 superstars streamed to the ring for the huge tag team match. RVD and X-Pac started things off. RVD scored a kick to the face and tagged in Goldust. Goldust slapped X-Pac in the corner and unleashed a huge powerslam. Bubba Ray got a chance to let loose some fury on X-Pac too. Bubba tagged in his brohther Spike who twirled X-Pac into a hurracanrana. X-Pac managed to tag in Chris Benoit, who dismantled Spike and kept him in his corner for Guerrero.

Spike brought RVD back in to contend with Guerrero. RVD dropped Latino Heat with a high monkey flip, but Eddie tagged Benoit back in. Benoit slammed RVD and made Big Show the legal man. Show tossed the IC Champion around with relative ease, highlighted by a vertical suplex that suspended RVD in the air for a good 10 seconds.

Eventually, Bubba Ray took on Big Show but was also suplexed to the mat as RVD chased an interfering Shawn Michaels up the ramp. Once RVD reached the TitanTron, he was blindsided by Brock Lesnar! Lesnar completely demolished RVD to take him out of action.

Now working with his team down a man, Booker T began to clean house on the opposing team, but once Kevin Nash stepped in, Big Sexy leveled the Bookerman with a boot to the face! Nash injured his leg, though, and chaos erupted in the ring! The ref concerned himself with Nash, allowing Shawn Michaels to drop Booker T with Sweet Chin Music! The Big Show covered Booker and got a three count!

Shawn Michaels took the mic and told Triple H he had just seen his future. He said that at Vengeance, Triple H would either stand tall with the nWo or fall like the rest! Kevin Nash needed to be helped off, but the nWo walked away proud as RAW came to a close!