Raw is War

San Diego, California
May 3, 1999

The atmosphere at the San Diego Sports Arena was electric for RAW IS WAR, but the cheers quickly turned to boos as the Corporate Ministry made its way to the ring. After Triple H and the Undertaker promised to beat The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin at Over The Edge, Shane McMahon demanded that Vince come out to the ring, but instead four superstars-Mankind, The Big Show, Test and Ken Shamrock-showed up. Carrying 2x4s, the foursome called themselves the "Union of people you outta respect" (U.P. Y.O.R.s). To prove that their alliance required respect, the Union walked down to the ring and pummeled the entire Corporate Ministry! As his group retreated to the back, Shane promised the Union that it had not seen the last of the Corporate Ministry.

In the ultimate grudge match, Badd Ass Billy Gunn took on X-Pac. The Tag Team Champion went for the Bronco Buster, but Billy Gunn got his leg up and countered it, recovered, and got the pin after a Fame-Ass-Er. After his victory, Gunn picked up a chair, but the Road Dogg came down to make the save. After knocking Mr. Ass out of the ring, Road Dogg kneeled over to attend to X-Pac. Gunn climbed back in the ring and clobbered the Road Dogg with the chair! Then the lights went out and Kane emerged. Mr. Ass quickly left the premises, and the Big Red Machine picked up his fallen tag team partner and carried him back to the ring.

After a little meeting in the locker room, the Corporate Ministry re-emerged, and Shane had a new itinerary for RAW. He ordered a Fatal Four Way match involving Midian, Viscera and Boss Man--and in the other corner, Test! He forced Mankind into a Hardcore Match against BOTH of the Acolytes. He ordered Ken Shamrock to take on Triple H, with Chyna as the special referee. After seeing the stooges, Gerry Brisco and Pat Patterson, in the back, Shane said he wanted the Posse to take care of them. Shane also ordered The Big Show into a match against the Undertaker, and "for my own personal amusement", he assigned Debra to take on Sable in an Evening Gown Match. That left two other superstars-Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock-who he ordered to face off in a Lumberjack Match. The members of the Corporate Ministry would be the lumberjacks, of course.

After his game of matchmaker was complete, Shane's father Vince McMahon came out from the back with Stephanie and Shane's mother Linda. Vince said that if Shane wouldn't listen to him or Stephanie, maybe he would listen to his mother, but after Shane told Linda to shut her mouth, Vince attacked him! But cooler heads prevailed and Vince took Linda and Stephanie and headed back toward the locker room. However, as they walked away, Shane revealed that he was the one behind Stephanie's kidnapping! Knowing that Vince would be weakened if Stephanie were in danger, Shane figured it was his opportunity to take over. Upon hearing the blockbuster news, Vince sprinted back to the ring and went after his son, but the entire Corporate Ministry ganged up on him. As the Corporate Ministry retreated to the back, Vince agreed to meet his son later on RAW!

The Posse came out right away and called out the stooges. Although Patterson and Brisco were wearing suits and ties, when Rodney and Pete Gas shoved them, the stooges responded-and taught the young punks from Greenwich a lesson! Patterson stomped Pete Gas below the belt, took of his own belt and whipped the youngster and then sent him flying into the steel steps. Meanwhile, Brisco manhandled Rodney, tossing him into the crowd. Referee Earl Hebner raised the arms of Patterson and Brisco in victory.

Next up, Test had the unenviable task of taking on Viscera, Midian in the Big Boss Man in a "Fatal Four Way Match," that was no more than a glorified three-on-one Handicap Match. As Viscera distracted the referee, the Big Boss Man grabbed his nightstick, but Test ducked and Boss Man nailed Midian instead. Test quickly covered Midian and scored a major upset! The Corporate Ministry ganged up on Test, but the Union came to the young superstar's aid.

Back in the dressing room, Triple H, Chyna and the Undertaker assaulted Vince McMahon right before his match with Shane! Knowing that the Corporate Ministry had left Vince lying, Shane came out and talked a little trash. Shane said that Vince didn't have the guts to come out for the match, and that if Vince came out Shane would annihilate him! Vince had apparently had enough and he tried his best to get out to the ring, but Vince was so battered that he could barely walk. Shane kicked him while he was down and dragged him to the ring to beat on him some more. Somehow Vince mustered enough energy to hit his son with a clothesline and then drop him with a Stone Cold Stunner! Vince covered his son and got the win and then slowly walked back to the locker room as a bruised but victorious man. So for, none of the matched Shane had ordered had gone as planned for the "Boy Wonder."

Mankind came to the ring with a 2x4 for his Hardcore Match with both the Acolytes. Bradshaw, who came to the ring with a shovel, quickly dropped the Deranged One by clobbering him in the spine with the steel end of the shovel. But Mankind got up and he kept getting up, proving once and for all that he's the King of the Death Match. Finally though two men were too much for Mankind, and he was pinned by Bradshaw after a tandem powerbomb through two chairs!

The odds were once again stacked against a member of the Union as Ken Shamrock took on Triple H, with Chyna as the special referee. The Ninth Wonder of the World repeatedly helped Triple H, giving Shamrock a low blow from behind one on occasion, setting up HHH for the Pedigree and the win!

Two of the largest and most prominent superstars in the business squared off next and The Big Show took on the Undertaker. The Undertaker was overpowered for perhaps the first time in his career, but the Lord of Darkness compensated for his size disadvantage by deliberately breaking the rules. First Paul Bearer drenched the Phenom's elbow pad with ether alcohol and the Undertaker attempted to knock out The Big Show by jamming the pad right under his nose. But that planned failed as The Big Show was able to throw the Undertaker over his head. Bearer and the Undertaker turned to plan B-Bearer grabbed the baseball bat and handed it to his protégé. Undertaker shattered it over The Big Show's skull! The Big Show was knocked unconscious and busted open, and the Undertaker climbed on top of him saying, "this is my show!"

In an Evening Gown Match signed for Shane McMahon's own personal satisfaction, Debra was scheduled to take on Sable. But via satellite, Sable appeared on the Titan Tron and said she couldn't be there because she was at the Playboy mansion preparing for her next photo shoot. The Federation Women's Champion announced that she had a replacement, though-Nicole Bass! Bass emerged in a long black evening gown. Upon seeing the sight of Bass, Debra "forfeited" by stripping down to her bra and panties on her own! Bass grabbed her from behind and was set to take off Debra's bra, but Jeff Jarrett ran from the back and broke his guitar over Bass' head! Val Venis came out-perhaps to the aid of Bass-and ran off Jarrett. The Big Valbowski then picked up Debra and carried her back to the locker room as an angry Jarrett chased after. In the backstage area, as Debra and Val got a little more comfortable, Jarrett attacked the adult film star from behind.

What was scheduled to be a Lumberjack Match between Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock turned into an all-out brawl. The "lumberjacks," all members of the Corporate Ministry, jumped into the ring and attacked Austin and The Rock. However, Vince McMahon showed up and directed practically every other member of the Federation roster to the ring. They all battled the Corporate Ministry through the crowd, leaving only Triple H, Chyna and the Undertaker on the entranceway with The Rock. Eventually Stone Cold Steve Austin reappeared and faced off with the Undertaker. HHH and Chyna threw The Rock off the entranceway and down onto the concrete floor, and then the Undertaker tossed Austin down and through a table as RAW went off the air!