Friday, April 8, 2022

Ruthless Aggression Era Project: WWE Monday Night Raw Review - June 16th, 2003

WWE Raw
June 16th, 2003
Dallas, Texas 

World Heavyweight Champion: Triple H (since 12/15/02)
Intercontinental Champion: Christian (since 5/18/03)
World Tag Team Champions: La Resistance (6/15/03)
WWE Women's Champion: Jazz (since 4/27/03)

Commentators - Jim Ross & Jerry "The King" Lawler


Bad Blood was last night. Mick Foley was the special ref in the Hell in a Cell match and he comes out to start the show and plug his new book. Or as Foley said it.. a cheap plug and a cheap pop.. is the reason he’s here. He talks about last nights match and how he was a man of his word. Foley says in the midst of it all, he remembered exactly who he is. Before he can continue, EVOLUTION INTERRUPTS. It’s the first official entrance for them, but they don’t have the Motörhead music yet which is weird, but the music they have is similar and not bad at all. So yeah, it’s still cool as fuck. Also, Batista isn’t with them. It’s just H, Flair, & Orton. They look pissed and surround Foley in the ring. Orton takes the lead and talks a bunch of shit to Foley.

Foley cuts an awesome promo on Orton saying all he’s seen him do so far in his career is sit at home and whine about little injuries to his arm and his leg. Foley says he wants to see Orton grind night in night out, week in week out, month in month out, year in year out THEN he might respect him. Great, great shit. Orton says he’s not an ordinary guy like Foley and takes his shirt off to show off his body. This turns into a brawl as expected. Foley gets the upperhand at first until the numbers catch up to him. Maven (?) and Al Snow make the save for Foley and Evolution backs away from the ring. Awesome opening segment.  

Backstage, Eric Bischoff is screaming at Mae Young and Fabulous Moolah for putting their crotch in his face last night. Eric says he will slap Mae Young’s dentures out and that she has a match tonight. 

Gail Kim vignette airs. HELL YEAH!!

1) The Dudley Boyz & Ivory vs. Christopher Nowinski, Rodney Mack & Jazz (w/ Theodore Long) 

Hot start with Bubba using Ivory as a weapon and tossing her to the floor onto Jazz. This is pretty fun and doesn’t overstay it’s welcome. Ivory gets herself another flash victory over Jazz and all the heels lose their shit and it rules. Bubba picks up Ivory and they celebrate up the ramp. 

Match rating - **1/4

Rob Van Dam walks up to Kane backstage to talk about strategy for their tag team title rematch tonight. Kane goes off telling him that he should worry about himself. RVD says Kane needs to relax and that he’s changed. Kane says if he doesn’t like it, he doesn’t have to stick around. So, tonight, if they lose, they will go their separate ways. 

They show a Bad Blood relay package highlighting everything that happened on the show. Fuck, man. These videos are so nostalgic for me. 

Al Snow & Mick Foley are talking backstage. Maven walks up and says he’s tired of Evolution and tired of being on the sidelines so he went to Stone Cold and he’s got a match with Randy Orton tonight. Foley tells Maven he’s not going alone and that he & Snow will accompany him to ringside. 

Evolution are in their locker room. Apparently they’re scouting for a new member to join the group tonight and there’s a poll on WWE.com where you can vote on who you think it will be. 

“I was outside earlier watching the grass grow. Watching the paint dry. I was bored and I was wondering what could be more boring.” 

2) Lance Storm vs. Garrison Cade 

Stone Cold comes out and says he’s had trouble sleeping the last few says so he figured he’d bring some blankets out and watch a Lance Storm match LMAO. I think this may be where “boooring” chants started because Austin came out chanting it during Lance Storm’s entrance. But yeah this is funny as fuck. Austin talks over the mic during the match the whole time and makes a pallet (shout out Mike, if u know u know) and lays down. This distracts Storm which allows Cade to roll him up for the win.

Match rating - *1/2

3) Booker T & Goldberg vs. Chris Jericho & Christian 

I’ve never really thought about it before, but tags really are the best place for Goldberg. Hides his weakness and allows him the small window needed to showcase his strengths. So, yeah, this was good. Jericho & Christian are such great heels together. They isolate Booker. This builds to a Goldberg hot tag and he cleans house only to have the numbers slow him down. Booker gets in and starts firing off, but gets cut off. Lionsault and some trash talk from Jericho and SPEAR FROM GOLDBERG TAKES JERICHO OUT. As the ref is distracted getting Goldberg out of the ring, Christian tries to use the belt on Booker BUT BOOKER USES IT ON HIM INSTEAD AND GETS THE WIN. YEAHHHH. 

Match rating - **3/4

Eric Bischoff is out to introduce Mae Young’s opponent for the night. It’s Test. Stone Cold comes on the screen and says the special ref will be Scott Steiner. Before Steiner can get to the ring, Test pump handle slams Mae Young. Test & Bischoff flee as Steiner & Stacy and the EMT’s check on Mae. Steiner tries to coax Test back in the ring to fight him as JR goes the fuck off about how hideous what Test did is. 

Meanwhile, Rico says “come here, sexy” to Jackie Gayda backstage. She hands him body products and stuff while he’s getting ready. He tells Jackie to grab her umbrella because as of today, it’s raining Rico. Rico is dolled up and headed to the ring?! JR says “what in the hell?”

Stone Cold sends a lady to get RVD and Kane for a meeting in his office. 

4) Rico (w/ Jackie Gayda) vs. Spike Dudley

“Look, it’s raining Rico, JR!” -Jerry Lawler 

Moments later Lawler would say “it’s pouring? Looks like Jackie is about to pour out of that top” lmAO. What a fuckjng goof. I lowkey fuck with Rico so yeah, fuck you if ya don’t. Unfortunately this wasn’t too good. They tried some stuff and had a cool exchange here or there, but all in all it had no flow and went too long. 

Match rating - *1/2

Stone Cold gives RVD and Kane a speech in his office. He tells them they need to get it together and be a cohesive team again if they want to win the titles back tonight. And if not for them, FOR AMERICA. What??! Lmao. I guess cause they’re facing La Resistance or whatever, but that’s still funny as fuck. 

5) Randy Orton (w/ Ric Flair) vs. Maven (w/ Mick Foley)

Oh this was a blast! Orton has improved so much since he’s been gone. Last week, we saw the debut of the RKO. Well, the move itself, not the name. And here, we see the stalling DDT for the first time (I think). Maven is great working under and has some fire. It translates thanks to how hot Evolution are as heels. I really enjoyed this and super happy to see them giving two young guys this kind of time. Orton wins in cheap fashion and Foley chases him out of the ring with Mr. Socko. 

Match rating - **3/4

6) La Resistance (Sylvan Grenier & Rene Dupree) (c) vs. Rob Van Dam & Kane - Raw World Tag Team Title Match 

A good La Resistance match?!?! It’s about fucking time and bud, this was good. Yes, it ends in DQ, but it still rocked. You’ve got the story of Van Dam & Kane not getting along. Rene & Grenier isolate Van Dam well and Rob is a great face in peril. Dupree continues to look super good. Plus, the crowd is into the match big time. Everything here just clicked, man. The DQ comes when Van Dam gets shoved into Kane and Kane loses his mind and grabs a chair and starts destroying everyone. 

Match rating - **3/4

After the match, Triple H comes out and tries to talk Kane into joining Evolution. Stone Cold comes out and tells Kane that H just wants him to join because he’s a threat to his title. Austin gives Kane the option to join Evolution or have a title match against H next week on RAW IN MADISON SQUARE GARDEN!!! Aw hell. IM BAAACK. Eric Bischoff is here now to hop in. Eric says Austin isn’t the only who makes decisions around here. He says if Kane takes the title match, it will be mask vs. title and if Kane loses, he must unmask in FRONT OF THE WORLD. Bischoff asks if it’ll be Austin or H? Kane grabs them both by the throat and looks like he’s gonna let H go, but instead CHOKESLAMS HIM. ITS KANE VS TRIPLE H MASK VS TITLE NEXT WEEK LETS FUCKKNG GO!!! Kane sets his pyro off to end the show. 

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