Raw is War

Chicago, Illinois
August 2, 1999

The atmosphere in Chicago was electric, so it was logical that the most electrifying man in sports-entertainment, The Rock, appeared as RAW kicked off live. The "Great One" was not happy after the Big Show attacked him on HEAT, and he took out his anger by making fun of the 500-pounder. The Big Show didn't think it was very funny, and he and the Undertaker appeared and put a beating on the People's Champ. The Undertaker and the Big Show continued their assault on X-Pac and Kane, who came out subsequently. It wasn't until Kane appeared that the demonic duo was forced to retreat.

Gangrel met his former faction mate Christian in a grudge match. Midway through the match, the Hardy Boyz showed up and interfered on Gangrel's behalf. While the referee was distracted Gangrel was able to spew the red viscous liquid into Christian's eyes. Gangrel got the victory, and after the match, he and the Hardy Boyz triple teamed Christian! Edge came out to rescue his brother, but with Christian down, Gangrel and the Hardyz ganged up on Edge! Michael Hayes finally arrived, and he tried to pull the Hardy Boyz off! But Jeff and Matt weren't listening, and they attacked Hayes from behind! Gangrel joined them, and the three superstars walked off together.

You could read his lips: "I'm back," said Jesse "The Body" Ventura as he made his way to the ring for the first time in years. Jerry "The King" Lawler interviewed "The Body," who insisted that at SummerSlam, the match would be decided in the middle of the ring and the best wrestler would prevail. Triple H hit the ring and got right in Jesse's face, but Commissioner Shawn Michaels appeared. Michaels said that if Triple H wanted a fight, he would get one later on RAW-a Triple Threat Match featuring Hunter, the Undertaker and Stone Cold Steve Austin!

In singles competition, Val Venis took on Jeff Jarrett, accompanied by Debra. As the adult film star had control, Debra stepped up on the ring apron and attempted to distract him. However, Val ducked as Jarrett attacked from behind. Then Val picked up Jarrett and dropped him into a modified powerbomb for the win. But Jarrett once again blamed Debra for the loss! As Jarrett verbally abused the blonde bombshell, Val came from behind and pummeled Jarrett until he retreated to the locker room alone.

During the match, Stone Cold Steve Austin was found unconscious near a flight of stairs, possibly the victim of an attack. Regardless of how it happened, the Rattlesnake was taken away via ambulance. While Commissioner Michaels tried to hold Triple H accountable for Austin's condition, Triple H insisted that he knew nothing about it. Michaels wasn't listening, and he changed the Triple Threat Match to a falls count anywhere match with the title of No. 1 contender on the line. Because Austin had been taken out, Commissioner Michaels appointed Chyna as his replacement! And he appointed himself as the special referee.

After X-Pac and Kane challenged them earlier on RAW, the Acolytes put the Tag Team Championship on the line! As Bradshaw and Kane battled outside the ring, X-Pac hit Faarooq with the X-Factor and covered him for the pin! The Road Dogg came down to celebrate the new Tag Team Champions, and for the first time, Kane spoke without the aid of his voice box enhancer as he told anyone not down with X-Pac and Kane as the new champions to "suck it!" But the celebration was short lived as the Big Show and the Undertaker seemed to come out of nowhere and attack all three superstars. They left with Kane, X-Pac and Road Dogg lying near unconsciousness.

In a tag team encounter, Steve Blackman teamed up with the sole surviving Mean Street Posse member, Joey Abs, to take on Test and Ken Shamrock. After Shamrock and Blackman battled through the crowd, Test finished off Joey with a pumphandle slam. After the match, Shane McMahon ran away from Test, leaving Joey Abs alone in the ring with Stephanie's boyfriend. Test grabbed a steel chair and shattered Abs' left ankle! With the other two Posse members out with injuries already, there's no one left to protect Shane!

Backstage, Steve Blackman challenged Ken Shamrock to a Lion's Den Match-with weapons positioned around the den!

Since the Undertaker was booked, The Rock challenged the Big Show to a singles match! But before the Big Show could make his way out … it was time for the Millennium! The lights flashed and then went out. A new video played on the Titan Tron and it turned out to be Chris Jericho's! Jericho said he has arrived to lead the Federation into the new millennium - he's not the "Y2K" problem, he's the "Y2J" problem. He said Federation fans have been treated to mediocrity, and he's here to deliver excellence. Of course, he said all this while The Rock was standing in the ring. The "Great One" was not impressed. He said he was fixing to take his size 13 boot, turn it sideways and … well, you know the rest.

The Hardcore Title was not on the line, but the Big Boss Man faced the Road Dogg in a hardcore rules match. The Boss Man seemed to have the advantage once he put Road Dogg through a table. But Al Snow came out of nowhere and clobbered Boss Man with a dog carriage. The D-O-double-G fell on top and got the non-title victory.

It was a big challenge as The Rock took on the Big Show one on one. Hardcore Holly had been frantically looking for the Big Show backstage, and once the match got underway, the "Big Shot" could easily find his target. The Big Show tried to get Holly to go away, and when he wouldn't, the Show headbutted him down. The Rock seized the opportunity and gave the Big Show a low blow from behind. He followed up with a DDT, but as he was fixing to drop the People's Elbow, Chris Jericho came out of nowhere, pushed him from behind and ran away. The Rock was shocked, and he chased after Jericho until Mr. Ass caught the "Great One" and dropped him with a jackhammer.

In order to keep his title shot at SummerSlam, Triple H needed to score a win in his Triple Threat Match with the Undertaker and Chyna. Shawn Michaels was the guest referee, and Jesse "The Body" Ventura provided commentary with Jim Ross and Jerry "The King" Lawler. During the match, Stone Cold Steve Austin returned to the arena and grabbed a steel chair! Austin marched out to the ring and clobbered Triple H, knocking him cold! He dragged Chyna on top and referee Michaels counted to three! Chyna became the No. 1 contender and apparently earned herself a title shot at SummerSlam!