WWE RAW
APRIL 28, 2002
LIVE FROM BOSTON, MASS. AT FLEET CENTER

WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW

-Linda McMahon told Eric Bischoff that due to his inappropriate conduct in recent weeks, she was assigning a co-general manager to share power 50/50 with him - Steve Austin. Austin came out and gave Bischoff a Stunner.

-Triple H & Ric Flair challenged Kane & RVD for the tag titles. Hunter would have won if not for Kevin Nash coming out with a sledge hammer and chasing him away.

-Chris Jericho debuted a new segment called "Chris Jericho's Hi-Lite Reel" and interviewed Goldberg. Goldberg acknowledged that fans booed him at the PPV, but said he doesn't care, he's just in WWE to beat people up.

RUNDOWN OF THE SHOW

-Johnathan Coachman and Jerry Lawler introduced the show.

-Chris Jericho came to the ring which had two chairs set up in mid-ring. He said he is hosting a new segment called "Chris Jericho's Hi-Lite Reel" as a way to offset Smackdown dragging Piper's Pit out of the '80s. He said his first guest would be a friend of his from his WCW days, a guy who wiped the mat with Rock at the PPV the night before - Goldberg. A fan held up a sign that said: "Goldberg begins: 1 and 0." Goldberg sat on a chair in mid-ring as fans chanted "Goldberg, Goldberg." Goldberg sitting was as tall as Jericho standing (even with the lifts in his boots). Jericho asked Goldberg why he never answered his challenges in WCW. Goldberg didn't really answer the question, but did say he would be glad to "kick his ass right now." Jericho said this is talking time, not fighting time, and he said he had a series of questions for him. He began: "Who in the hell do you think you are? You walk into WWE unannounced. You spear the Rock for no reason. You walk around like you own the place. Why didn't you stay in Japan or at home with your 57 animals or whatever in the hell it was that you were doing?"

Just as Goldberg was about to answer, Christian's music began and he walked out onto the stage and interrupted. Christian said Rock named him his favorite wrestler so he is the new People's Champion. "Since I am so close to the peeps, I ask you Bill, how did it feel when half the people booed your ass out of the arena," he said. Goldberg stood with his arms crossed and smiled. Christian then took a shot at the Red Sox (which meant nothing to 95 percent of the viewers, other than drawing cheers in New York). Goldberg said fans can cheer him or boo him. He's said he was cool with that, he was just in WWE to earn his stripes. He said his way of doing that is to destroy anyone who gets in his way. He said: "If I remember correctly I got one hell of a response when I speared your ass three weeks ago." Jericho interrupted and said he hears in the back that nobody wants Goldberg in WWE.

Christian said he heard the same thing, and then welcomed onto stage Rico, Steven Richards, Victoria, and Three Minute Warning. Christian said everybody in WWE deserves that PPV main event slot more than he does. He said he's held numerous titles. Goldberg interrupted and said: "It's plain and simple. Any of you punks have a problem, you bring your ass to the ring and do something about it." Richards said they're not scared of him. He told the others to charge the ring with him to show Goldberg how they're not scared of him. Richards got in the ring first, and none of the others followed. Goldberg then speared Richards just as Richards realized he was standing alone. Goldberg asked the others to get in the ring, but none of them did. This should do wonders for Rico & Jamal's reps as tough guys.

I liked that segment. It was probably a week or two too late. It showed Goldberg actually being his own man rather than standing around while Rock stole the show. It also set the stage to a degree regarding what Goldberg is in WWE for. This segment answered several of the criticisms I wrote about in last week's Torch Newsletter regarding Goldberg's initial few weeks in WWE. Jericho was good in the role of interviewer, also.Christian has gained new life by interacting with Goldberg (and more so Rock), too.

[commercial break]

-They showed Richards being stretchered from the ring.

1 -- HURRICANE vs. CHIEF MORLEY

Jerry Lawler asked Coachman what superpower he could have, what would it be. Coachman didn't know what to say, but said probably superhuman strength. Lawler (of course) said X-ray vision. At 4:45 Morley blocked the Shining Wizard and reversed Hurricane into a powerbomb. He scored a two count, then went for the Money Shot, but Hurricane moved. Hurricane then nailed Morley with the Overcast for the win.

WINNER: Hurricane at 5:39.

STAR RATING: * -- Pretty basic match. Nothing special, but steady.

-Triple H entered a locker room to talk to Ric Flair. Flair congratulated Hunter for being on the cover of yet another magazine, WWE Raw. Isn't that a bit like congratulating Oprah for being the cover of "O"? Flair wanted to know why Hunter asked him to put his gear out. Hunter said Flair knows more about wrestling than he'll ever know, and he said he's been helping him out, so it's time for him to get gold so he lined up a tag team title match for them later. Flair got happy and began strutting. There's something else I complained in this space about a couple weeks ago which seems to have been addressed, which is Hunter actually acknowledging Flair's accomplishments and not treating him as J.J. Dillon or Arnold Skaaland.

[commercial break]

-Teddy Long came out and said to the Boston crowd that Larry Bird would have never made it if he was black.

2 -- RODNEY MACK vs. THE WHITEST WRESTLER SINCE RUSTY BROOKS

Again, Mack's "Whitey Challenge" opponent went unnamed, but he was very pale.

WINNER: Rodney Mack at 1:58.

STAR RATING: n/a -- Just a squash. Rodney showed good aggression.

-After the match Long reiterated "once you go black, you never go back." He then invited Jazz to come to the ring to celebrate her WWE Women's Title win over Trish the night before. No one bothered to mention that title change any sooner, which pretty much cements it as a non-drawing title. They showed Trish in the back watching on a monitor Jazz's celebration. Tommy Dreamer and Jonah from Tough Enough were in the background.

[commercial break]

-Backstage, Trish barged into Bischoff's office while he was… one guess... You got it - he was talking on the phone because that's what movers and shakers do all the time. Trish said she wanted a title rematch. Bischoff said that she didn't have a rematch clause in her contract, but he would book her in a different match - against him. He said if she won, she could get a title shot next week, but if she lost, she'd have to go to his hotel room with him after the matches. Rather than get on the phone to her lawyer regarding sexual harassment, she agreed to the stips as if it were a fair and reasonable (if not generous) offering. Ahh, the women of the new millennium.

-Test told Stacy he knows she doesn't have eyes for Scott Steiner "because why would you when you have me?" He said the same applies to him and Torrie Wilson. Stacy told him that she wants him to team with Scott Steiner because "Scott will be good for you." Test got upset and said he didn't need help. He said he thought she already considered him her "little champion in the bedroom." Test said he just wants her to trust him. She said she wants to, then walked away.

-They showed Hunter & Flair approaching the entry for their tag title match. Then they shifted to a shot of RVD & Kane.

[commercial break]

Ric Flair [photo by Torch editor Wade Keller (c) PWTorch]

3 -- KANE & ROB VAN DAM vs. RIC FLAIR & TRIPLE H - WWE Tag Team Title match.

This match deserved more hype than it received. It's a bigger deal than just Hunter mentioning it to Flair a few minutes before match time. Coachman did his best to talk up Flair's past, but he still gives off the impression that he's never actually seen a Flair match prior to 2000, much less 1990. If he has, his words about Flair sure come across as manufactured rather than heart-felt. They cut to Shawn Michaels backstage who told someone on a cell phone that he had him just where he wanted him. Then they cut to a break. It was near the top of the hour, so that "cliffhanger" was placed in there to keep viewers from switching to whatever comes on at 10 p.m.

[commercial break]

During the body of the match the heels took turns working over RVD, as you'd expect given the four involved in this match. At 12:00 RVD hot-tagged Kane which got only a mild pop. A minute later, after some double-teaming, Flair locked Kane in the figure-four. RVD nailed Flair with an illegal Rolling Thunder, but then Triple H gave RVD a DDT. Triple H followed up with a Pedigree on Kane and went for a cover, but then Kevin Nash's music played and he came out with a sledge hammer. Hunter bailed out of the ring and ran to the back. Nash methodically walked after him with the sledgehammer in hand. Hunter ducked inside a limo and Nash bashed in the back and side windows with the sledgehammer before the limo could tear off. Meanwhile, in the ring RVD and Kane finished off Flair.

WINNERS: RVD & Kane at 15:42 to retain the WWE Raw Tag Team Titles.

[commercial break]

4 -- SCOTT STEINER & TEST (w/Stacy) vs. RICO & CHRISTOPHER NOWINSKI

Steiner bled from the forehead at the start of the match. Lawler's words of wisdom of the week: "You know how women are. When they get jealous, they try to make you jealous." Test got upset because Steiner got to score the win.

WINNERS: Steiner & Test when Steiner pinned Nowinski at 3:56.

STAR RATING: *1/2 -- Basic TV tag match. Not sure why Nowinski is doing the job instead of Rico, who is basically in a manager role for Three Minute Warning.

-After the match, the evil Frenchmen, Rene Dupree & Sylvain Granier, walked out onto the stage. The crowd immediately gave them more heel heat than Hunter has received in the last six months combined. I exaggerate only slightly. The crowd began a "USA" chant. They introduced footage of Steiner's pro-war speech from two weeks ago when he told those who don't support the troops that they can "go to hell or France, same difference." They said that if they were Americans, they would respond with aggression, but since they are French, they won't. They said they are lovers, not fighters. They approached the ring and told Steiner "don't be afraid." It feels so great to be an American and have Steiner representing my country. They hit Steiner first, so he fired back with some punches of his own. They fought to ringside where they eventually clipped Steiner's leg from behind and took control, then shoved him into the ringside stairs. The crowd engaged in a loud "USA" chant. They left Steiner lying in the ring. Lawler said he doesn't even eat French fries anymore.

-Bischoff was warming up for his match against Trish later. He told Chief Morley that he called the hotel to tell them to put a "Do Not Disturb" sign on the door. I'm sure hotel management loves calls like that.

-Backstage, Booker approached Goldberg backstage. He told him he knows how he feels about feeling like an outsider upon arriving in WWE. He said it took a while, but now the fans have made him feel really welcome. He told Goldberg he has to earn his keep, but once he does, "Gawg, it's all good." Goldberg twitched, blinked, and looked a bit uncomfortable despite attempting to act totally hip.

[commercial break]

-They showed Army Unit 772 that just returned to the U.S. after over seven months in Afganistan sitting in the front row cheering.

5 -- BOOKER T vs. CHRISTIAN

At 2:00 Christian hit Booker with a nice dropkick as Booker rebounded off the ropes, but then settled into a chinlock. Lawler and Coachman talked about Goldberg for several minutes. Lawler said he is on the Goldberg bandwagon because he believes he'll be the talk of WWE for months to come. Lawler blamed skepticism from Coachman on Coachman being buddies with Rock. At 4:45 Booker went for a scissors kick, but Christian avoided it. Booker immediately sidewalk slammed him for a two count. Booker followed with a scissors kick that hit Christian on the back of his head. He then did the Spinarooni. Rico, Rosie, and Jamal attacked Booker for the DQ. Goldberg made the save and gave a Spear to Rico and the Jackhammer to Jamal. Goldberg then celebrated with his throat slash hand gesture. Christian then attacked Goldberg from behind, and Rosie attacked him. Goldberg reversed him into the ringpost and then Speared him into the ringside barrier, knocking a section of it over. Cool visual. Goldberg then retreated through the crowd (copyright Dallas Page, 1997), shaking hands with fans.

WINNER: Booker via DQ at 5:37.

STAR RATING: 3/4* -- Blah match. It just never got going. It didn't really have a sense of purpose to it, and the wrestlers seemed to realize it. Just going through the motions with the obligatory WWE mid-match resthold that kills the crowd.

[commercial break]

-Just to drive home the impact of Goldberg's spear through the barricade, they showed security putting up yellow police tape in it's place.

6 -- TRISH STRATUS vs. ERIC BISCHOFF

Bischoff announced that the match was no-DQ. Bischoff mocked Trish with some karate fake-outs. When he played to the crowd, she kicked Bischoff in the side of his head. Victoria then came out and blindsided Trish. Trish fought back on her own and tossed Victoria out of the ring. Jazz then came out and beat up Trish, slamming her face-first onto the mat, then throwing her back into the ring. Bischoff said he wanted Trish to remain conscious. "We want to make sure tonight is as much fun for her as it's going to be for me," he said. He leaned over and told Trish that he can teach her a few things given his years of experience. He caressed her back and said it will be one of the more memorable occasions in her short and illustrious career. Bischoff covered her. Lawler was even grossed out, saying he felt he needed a shower.

WINNER: Bischoff at 3:20.

STAR RATING: n/a.

-After the match, Bischoff said he bit off a little more than he can chew. They cut to the back where a black limo drove up and the chauffeur let Linda McMahon out. Bischoff got the fear of god look in his face. Bischoff immediately ordered the ref to help Trish up. "This is Trish Stratus, you can't just stand around. Be careful with her," he said, trying to make it seem as if he was out for her best interests since Linda was there. Coachman wondered what she was doing there.

[commercial break]

-Linda walked to the ring. She was introduced as the CEO of WWE. She said she was present to speak on behalf of the board of directors. She said her job is to monitor the performance and actions of upper-management, "and that includes the general manager of Raw, Eric Bischoff." She said since Bischoff chooses to conduct his business in public, she is going to insist Bischoff come to the ring right now. Bischoff walked to the ring in his black karate outfit. He entered the ring and forced a big kiss-ass smile. Fans began singing the "Na Na Na Nah, Hey Hey Hey, Goodbye" song. Bischoff asked the crowd, "Isn't she just beautiful? I've never seen you look more elegant." Elegant is what you call women when they're past the age where you refer to them as "beautiful" or "stunning." Bischoff said he isn't interested in Trish, he's interested in a more mature woman. Linda laughed and said Bischoff is "just charming."

She said Bischoff made her job tonight "so easy." She said his actions this past month, including tonight, are unprofessional. Bischoff wanted to explain himself, but she interrupted and continued with superlatives: "abusive, harassing, and dare I say bordering on egomaniacal." Hey, that word is reserved for Vince McMahon. She said there are members of the board who don't believe he is qualified to be G.M. at all. Lawler said, "Yeah, Bischoff is getting the pink slip," which gave away that Bischoff wouldn't be getting a pink slip after all. She said the board has reached a compromise and starting tomorrow he would share duties with a new G.M. on a 50/50 basis. She said the new G.M. would be sensitive and would recognize the difference between right and wrong. "Dare I say, it will be someone who will keep you in mind," she said. Then out came Steve Austin to his music. The crowd popped huge.

Bischoff looked like his kitten just got run over. Austin saluted the crowd and shook hands with Linda. Linda then left the ring. Austin stared down Bischoff and asked, "How you doin' Eric, you all right, nervous, scared? What's the deal?" The crowd engaged in the whole "what?" thing. Austin offered a handshake and said they can work together "as a team." Bischoff said this isn't exactly a match made in heaven. Austin acted offended that Bischoff didn't trust him. Bischoff said he wants it to work. Austin then shook Bischoff hand, but then said , "The key word was 'tomorrow'!" and then gave Bischoff a Stunner. Coachman wondered how Austin and Bischoff could co-exist on Raw.

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