In this WWF RAW 4/1/02 review, it’s the official start of the brand split era after the inaugural draft.
Let’s jump in!
– Ric Flair says the Ric Flair era has begun. He’s on a mission to sign Steve Austin to a contract. Flair also has the new Undisputed Championship to present to Triple H.
– ACROSS THE NATION hits to lead us into RAW. I absolutely loved that RAW theme. And we’ve got a new stage set. Another gem.
Booker T vs. (c) Rob Van Dam – Intercontinental Title
Flair booking hot matches right off the bat. Good stuff. Hell of a counter sequence to start the match. I don’t recall many matches between these two, and that is actually one of the best parts of doing these reviews years later. I’ve watched a lot of wrestling and remembering a random Booker T/RVD match on RAW in 2002 is tough to do. But it’s fresh and exciting upon rewatching it. It’s actually a clash of styles, with Booker working more methodical offense while RVD goes the high-flying route. The fans lose their shit at the Spinnerooni from Booker. Safe to say that move was over. JR says Booker T is not Buckwheat on crack, and that’s quite a line. But Booker is also not the new IC Champion, as RVD hits the Five Star Frog Splash for the win.
- Rating: Solid opener between two future Hall of Famers. Again, I don’t remember many matches between them, but the chemistry was there. **1/2
– After the match, Eddie Guerrero hits the ring and destroys RVD and hits his own Frog Splash. Is Eddie on RAW? It looks like it. BATTLE OF THE FROG SPLASHES.
– Vince McMahon comes in right after with a contract in hand. He wants to sign Austin to SmackDown. Vince calls for Austin to come out and we go to break while Vince is still talking. After the commercial, security is ringside, and Vince challenges them to come get him. He’s not leaving until Austin signs. Flair comes out and Vince taunts him and says he can’t stop Austin from signing. The Nature Boy tells him to hit the road, and Vince reminds him he beat him on SmackDown. Flair polls the crowd and they want Austin on RAW. Vince says no one is big enough and bad enough to remove him from the ring. Welllllll it’s the Big Show. Show grabs Vince and carries him to the back.
– We get the action during the break, which was Show throwing Vince out of the building.
William Regal vs. Spike Dudley
Nick Patrick checks Regal for weapons before the match, and like a true champion (Regal is the European champ), Regal hides the brass knucks in his armpit. Of course, what Regal doesn’t know is Patrick takes the knucks from the corner without Regal seeing him. There’s a “Jazz is my dad” sign in the crowd, and I don’t think that individual is telling the truth. Regal in complete control early on as Lawler makes runt jokes. Regal looks for the knucks in the corner and realizes they aren’t there. That allows Spike to hit the Dudley Dog to get the upset victory.
- Rating: Obviously, the pre-match shenanigans and pushing this as a non-title match hinted at the outcome. Good for Spike. **
– Scott Hall, Kevin Nash, and X-Pac stroll in the back and enter the APA’s old hangout and make it their own.
– Bradshaw and Jacqueline are talking when Crash Holly tells him the nWo has taken over the office.
– Trish Stratus is working on her wardrobe and Terri thinks she’s too to talk to her. Why? Because she’s on the cover of the Divas swimsuit magazine. I never bought that one. Not at all. They are about to fight when Flair walks up and grabs the magazine and flips through some pages. NAITCH! He sets up a match between the two. But it’s not just any match – it’s a Paddle on the Pole Match with both wearing bikinis. The Flair era is off to a thong….ummm….strong start.
– Debra says Austin will make a decision on his future tonight.
– Hall spraypaints APA’s door and Bradshaw comes in swinging. Nash knocks him down and X-Pac hits him with a chair shot.
Bubba Ray Dudley vs. (c) Raven – Hardcore Title
RAVEN HAS THE SHOPPING CART. That’s how you know business is about to pick up. It’s not every day you see a wrestler juggle oranges in a hardcore match, but that’s what Bubba does here. JR then said “freshly squeezed” to clearly foreshadow the eventual stardom of Orange Cassidy. Lots of trash can lid shots to Bubba’s head, then it’s the stop sign. I loved grabbing the stop sign from the crowd in WCW/NWO Revenge on the Nintendo 64. A true classic. Lawler is basically verbally erect thinking about the upcoming Trish/Terri match. Several near falls lead to Bubba hitting the Bubba Bomb to win the title.
- Rating: Your typical hardcore match during this era. It was freshly squeezed. **
– Vince is on the phone in his limo. He says he’s not leaving until Austin signs.
– Flair comes out with the new Undisputed title. He wants Triple H to come out but it’s The Undertaker instead. JR goes to his BOOGER RED line and can you imagine if that would’ve been Taker’s name when he debuted in the WWF? Taker pretty much says he’s not taking any shit from Flair and reminds him of their WrestleMania 18 match. The crowd keeps saying “what” and Taker tells them to keep saying it if they like to sleep with their own sister. They do. CLASSIC. Taker notes every time he wrestles Triple H, he beats his ass. Taker is about to throw down when Triple H joins the mix. He says he’s the champ and Taker can’t beat his ass again. A lot of ass beating on this show with the paddle match coming up in a bit. Taker challenges Triple H at Backlash and the champ accepts. Let’s see if they follow through with that (spoiler: they won’t). Triple H wants to fight but Taker backs off and grabs the title and puts it on Triple H’s shoulder.
The Hardy Boyz vs. Boss Man and Mr. Perfect
Boss Man and Perfect team?! This is awesomeness. I doubt Boss Man and Perfect had teamed before this, but I could be wrong. Talk about new school vs. old school with this matchup. Early on, all Lawler can talk about is Trish vs. Terri. VERBALLY ERECT. Good teamwork from Boss Man and Perfect until Boss Man lands in a “neutered state”. That means he racked his mini Boss Man. The action breaks down from there, and Matt hits the Twist off Fate on Boss Man. Jeff then hits the Swanton Bomb for the victory.
- Rating: The chemistry wasn’t quite there with these two teams. However, that’s probably to be expected in Boss Man and Perfect’s first match as a duo. **
– Brock Lesnar hits the ring and absolutely destroys both Matt and Jeff. This is how you get someone over. It’s pretty simple. Paul Heyman is once again with Lesnar, and JR is pissed at the potential relationship between the two.
Terri vs. Trish Stratus – Paddle on a Pole Bikini Match
Listen, if Ric Flair’s goal was to win week one of the brand split, you can’t blame the guy for adding this match to the card. Ratings bonanza in the key 18-49 male demo. Lawler makes a joke about having wood, and I don’t even know if he was joking. The best word to describe Terri’s attire is thin. Trish showcases some nice power, then quickly grabs the paddle for the win.
- Rating: It was a spectacle. NR
– After the match, Molly Holly attacks both Trish and Terri, then hits a BRUTAL shot to Trish’s head with the paddle. Ouch.
– Vince is back on the phone outside his limo. He says somehow he’ll get back in the building.
– It’s WWF New York! Hell of a crowd in attendance.
– Austin enters Flair’s office and wants to know why Vince can’t come in the building. Austin wants Flair to let him in to help him make his decision. Flair doesn’t seem thrilled about it.
– We get a video recapping Kane cutting his hilarious promo on The Rock and Hulk Hogan. So great.
Kane vs. X-Pac (w/Scott Hall and Kevin Nash)
Honestly, I enjoyed the feud these two had in 1998. It’s a little different setup for this match but they’ve always had great chemistry. Any time I rewatch an X-Pac match, it’s a reminder of how good that dude was in the ring. He could work with pretty much anyone. Hall and Nash get involved and attack Kane on the outside while X-Pac distracts Earl Hebner. More shenanigans from Hall and Nash, but Kane battles back with some power moves. Kane has had enough of Hall and pops him. Then Kane flies off the top and seems to be in compete control, but Hall and Nash hit the ring to force the DQ. Bradshaw runs in to make the save.
- Rating: Solid stuff until the DQ. It sets up a storyline moving forward, so at least it served a purpose. **1/2
– Flair and Vince make their way to the ring with contracts in hand. Vince once again taunts Flair and talks about his INTELLECTUAL SPERM launching the pro wrestling boom. Vince also takes credit for introducing Austin’s character. Austin is clearly tired of listening about sperm and makes his way out. He even says he doesn’t give a rat’s ass about the INTELLECTUAL SPERM. Austin then plays up the “What” chants to absolute perfection. Sure, it would become annoying, but damn could Austin make it work. Vince tries to suck up to Austin, so Austin gives him the finger. Austin then lures Vince into thinking he’ll sign and says April Fools before hitting the Stunner on his ass. Flair loses his mind and jacket and drinks beer with Austin. Flair also hits a KNEE DROP on a beer can. Absolute legend. Flair struts and then Austin hits the Stunner on Flair before signing the contract. Vince gets up, so Austin stuns him again.
Blake’s RAW 4/1/02 Awards
- Best Match: Booker T vs. Rob Van Dam
- Overall RAW 4/1/02 Rating: 6.0/10
- Thoughts: Solid start to the Flair era on RAW. The matches were mainly about advancing storylines, which makes sense early in the brand split. Yes, there was the ridiculous paddle bikini match, but you know what you’re getting with this era. I enjoyed the Austin/Flair/Vince segment, as despite it being predictable, those three in the ring together is gold. We also had the furthering of the hatred between Undertaker and Flair. An enjoyable episode with a lot of star power.
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