In 2001, the World Wrestling Federation purchased their competition, World Championship Wrestling, and officially became a wrestling monopoly. In doing so, it spawned one of the most interesting eras in wrestling history, as for the first time ever, all of the top-shelf talent in the profession were under one roof. The WWF had a real opportunity to take advantage of their talent surplus and create a great television product.
Did the WWF make the most of this opportunity? Not necessarily. Did they need to make the most of this opportunity? Not necessarily. But it was a landmark period of wrestling history and it is one that should absolutely be looked at by anybody remotely interested in the concept of pro wrestling.
Beginning with this week, I will be reviewing major WWF/WWE Raws, Smackdowns, and Pay-Per-Views from that. This will allow us to do a few different things, but most importantly, create a dialogue for how the wrestling landscape has changed over the last decade and a half. Hindsight may be 20-20, but that doesn’t mean we can’t learn anything from the way things were.
So without further ado, I give you my review, with time cues of the April 2, 2001 edition of Monday Night Raw. Feel free to follow along on the WWE Network for a more authentic experience!
(0:00) The Raw intro from this era, even with lower production values, still kicks the crap out of the intro from today. Maybe I’m nostalgic. Maybe I hear “Tonight is the Night” in my head more than I’d like to admit.
(1:29) “Why has The Rattlesnake sold his soul to Satan himself?” questions Jim Ross as the shows opens. JR is, of course, referring to “Stone Cold” Steve Austin making the “deal with the devil” and aligning himself with the evil Mr. McMahon. In retrospect, this was quite a big deal, as the idea of the Wrestlemania main event is (usually) to send the fans home happy. Makes sense, no? Wrestlemania 17 was the last noted Wrestlemania where the ending left a sour taste in the fans’ mouths, so to speak. Nobody wanted to see Austin turn heel, yet that’s exactly what they got. I like to excuse the Roman Reigns nonsense from the past couple years from this discussion for obvious reasons.
And remember, this was about the time when Jerry Lawler exiled himself from the company in protest of the firing of The Kat. The point of it all is that Paul Heyman replaced The King on commentary, and alongside Jim Ross, was really quite good.
(1:38) So Stephanie McMahon opens the show to the tune of her husband’s “My Time” entrance theme. She’s got a leather strap in her hand. Steph says that Trish Stratus had the nerve and audacity to slap Mr. McMahon right in the face. Steph questions how ungrateful Trish can be after everything her father has done for her. “And to her,” chimes in Paul Heyman. Steph adds that she doesn’t just plan on kicking Trish’s ass, but also plans on whipping it in their “whipping match” later in the night. Steph goes on to say that the night is really all about her dad, Vince McMahon, who makes his way down to the ring in with a big red gift box in his hands. They embrace in the ring before Steph heads to the back.
(5:41) Vince pleads the crowd for a little respect. Vince says the reason why he’s been smiling is because he has the privilege of handing the WWF Championship to Stone Cold Steve Austin later tonight. Vince addresses Trish’s slap from the night before in addition to Linda kicking him in the “go-nads” as well as Mick Foley’s attack on him, all leading up to his son Shane cracking him with the Coast to Coast with a garbage can wedged in front of him. But Vince also adds that there is a saying that “all’s well that ends well” and the Wrestlemania ended just fine with him. He says that he made good on his promise to give the fans something shocking. Vince then gets out of the ring and approaches J.R., asking him if he did or did not call Steve Austin an S.O.B. At first, Ross denies before admitting to it. Vince then returns to the ring to a loud “asshole” chant. Vince denies that he is the devil, but adds that the devil is a pretty powerful individual, so at least they have that in common. Vince goes on to say that Texas did approve of Steve Austin last night and that some of those fans chipped in to buy him a gift, which he reveals to be a white cowboy hat. Vince struts around the ring and mocks the crowd with a southern accent. “Hell, I can step in some cow crap. Hell, I can chew tobacco. I got some red all down the back of my neck back in the back. Yeah. I’m a real Texan. But you know, whoever gave me this hat, let me just say this is what I think of Texas.” McMahon goes on to stomp on the hat before being met The Rock’s entrance music!
(12:53) The Rock comes out onto the stage and says he’s demanding a rematch for the WWF title against Steve Austin. He cuts right to the point and says he’s demanding it tonight. McMahon immediately refutes the challenge on Austin’s behalf. The Rock responds that if he doesn’t get his return match, he’s going to find a way for McMahon to change his mind. With that, The Rock makes his way down to the ring. McMahon tells him to calm down. The Rock takes McMahon’s microphone and says he’s giving him one more chance to change his mind. McMahon gets back in Rocky’s face and gets met with a flooring punch! The Rock then grabs McMahon’s legs and ties him up in the Sharpshooter. After McMahon taps out, The Rock grabs the microphone once more and asks for the rematch once again, to which McMahon replies, “Yes dammit, yes!” With that, The Rock makes his way to the back, having gotten his way, only to be interrupted by Mr. McMahon one more time to inform The Rock that he’ll get his championship match inside a steel cage!
Jack’s Take: Say what you want about the heel turn itself, but at least in the immediate aftermath, the heat for Austin was real and they could have made the whole thing work. That said, it was a really long opening segment. At the end of the day, it did the job of setting the stage post-Wrestlemania, but it also dragged of the three entrances and Vince’s improve comedy. Not that it wasn’t entertaining!
(17:48) Coming back from the commercial, the European Champion “Latino Heat” Eddie Guerrero (and perhaps my favorite wrestler of all time) is making his way down to the ring for some six-man tag action. Test comes out to a reasonably large pop. Apparently, he lost the European Championship to Guerrero the night before, per Eddie’s pre-match promo. He notes that Test is missing some friends, but he is soon followed out by Bradshaw and Faarooq, the Acolytes Protection Agency.
(19:30) Bradshaw and Faarooq quickly double-team Perry Saturn to begin the match. Seems like he’s going to sell for the majority of this match. As I say that, Dean Malenko tags in to take a Fallaway Slam from Bradshaw. Eddie tries a sneak attack and he too takes a fallaway slam. Eventually, the numbers get to the Texan, as the Radicalz take control of the match. Finally, Bradshaw gets to Test, who spurns a handshake from Eddie before unleashing his offense. We got a whip to the corner, a power slam and a Gutwrench Powerbomb ala Jack Swagger. Eventually, the Radicalz get involved again and Perry Saturn is now the legal man. He kicks out of a Full-Nelson Slam from Test before Terri Runnels gets involved. Test grabs her by the hair and hoists her up, but Perry rescues her before turning around right into a Big Boot from Test.
Winner: Test and the A.P.A. via pinfall
Jack’s Take: Looks like Test has his eyes set on regaining the European championship. It was a short match, but Dean Malenko’s technical prowess probably stood out the most. If I were to compare him to a guy from today’s era, it would be Roderick Strong. Incredble technical wrestlers with little charisma and not much of a look for their respective companies to market. It’s kind of a shame, but when you look at their best matches at face value, you tend to find that there’s really not much to complain about
(24:06) Commissioner William Regal is in his office. It’s really not much of an office. It looks like a cross between an elementary school guidance counselor’s office and something out of the American Revolution. Turns out he’s on the phone with his mother as Steph walks in. She wants to make sure she has full assurance that Trish will not be able to “weasel” out of their whipping match. Regal questions if Steph still wants to go through with it. Steph responds by shrieking and whipping some of the items off Regal’s desk with her leather strap.
Jack’s Take: What was really noticeable here was that even back in 2001, Steph had some nice triceps. Other than that, I’m not sure why we had this segment.
(25:17) Jim Ross once again plugs the whipping match set for later tonight. Meanwhile, Paul Heyman has his face buried in one of those old WWF Divas magazines. Lita’s on the cover. Paul makes it known that he is personally volunteering to rub sand on the wounds of the loser of the whipping match later tonight.
Alrighty then.
J.R. starts recapping the night that was Wrestlemania, and begins to highlight the now-revolutionary ladder match between the Dudleys, Hardy Boyz and Edge and Christian, the eventual victors and new WWF Tag Team Champions. If you’re a true wrestling fan and haven’t seen that match, I suggest you get on it.
(27:15) Vince McMahon storms into Commissioner Regal’s office. He says he’s got some things to do because Stone Cold will be here any minute, but asks Regal if he knows what to do in regards to the whipping match for later tonight. Regals responds by saying that he does know what he’s talking about.
Jack’s Take: They’re really plugging the hell out of this whipping match. Will it deliver? It’s no Charlotte vs Paige.
(27:53): Triple H is walking around backstage with sunglasses looking like one of those Guitar Hero characters. He’s met by a frosted-tipped Michael Cole who asks for his thoughts on, (AND I QUOTE) something that rarely occurs: a loss by Triple H to the Undertaker. Hunter asks Cole how many days are in a year, to which Cole replies, “365.” Triple H says that for 364 days this year he had been kicking everyone’s ass and that he had one bad night. He’s not taking anything away from the Undertaker. Hunter says he loved every punch, every kick, every second of the match. He guarantees that when they step in the ring again, the outcome won’t be the same. When it’s all over, the Undertaker will know that Triple H is… The Game. Cole also asks for his thoughts on Austin winning the title, more specifically if he knew anything about it. Hunter replies by saying, “What do you think?”
Jack’s Take: Far cry from those semi-weekly sit-downs we get between these two in 2016. It was a fine promo. Not very heel-like of Triple H to no-sell the loss, but this was right about the time where he was entering that era of him just dominating Raw to the point that it may or may not have been “best for business.” So this was pretty par for the course.
(29:37) Trish is walking backstage armed with a leather strap of her own. Paul Heyman, perhaps accidentally or on purpose, refers to the whipping match as the “spanking match.”
(29:57) Steven Richards is talking to himself backstage. He talks about how Right to Censor lost every match at Wrestlemania and how they need to continue to “fight the good fight.” One thing they did not lose is their convictions and that tonight they would go after the title they despise the most, the Hardcore title.
Jack’s Take: The way the camera was set up here was kind of creepy, and I have to say Val Venis kind of looked like a Mall Cop in his Right to Censor attire. Maybe it had to do with that awful mustache. But it was another fine promo. Richards, a South Philly native was a really good talker who never really got his due, probably due to not being much of a politicker.
(30:40) Time for the whipping match! J.R calls it a “leather strap match,” and the Lillian Garcia announces it as a “whipping match.” Whatever match it is, it’s coming up next!
(32:03) Stephanie jumps out of the ring as Trish is making her way down and lunges at her like a house cat. Trish, who was facing forward, never saw it coming! The two ladies roll down the rampway and throw each other around the outside of the ring. Trish turns back around to get her leather strap and brings it in the ring. Before she can use it, Steph stops her dead in her tracks and starts to choke Trish with one of the two straps. Paul Heyman says Steph wants to make Trish a “helpless victim” before she begins the whipping makes sense, buts Steph starts whipping Trish seconds after that. Trish obtains a full mount, but gives it up to hit Steph with a bulldog before grabbing the strap. “Go to commercial!” shrieks Heyman. Trish starts beating Stephanie all around the ring and onto the announce table. Steph then grabs Lillian Garcia and uses her as a human shield. Steph hit the Rainmaker on Trish back in the ring before grabbing both straps. Sure enough, J.R. gets in his “government mule” line. All of a sudden, Trish has Steph hanging over the top rope and is whipping her in the behind before Commissioner Regal comes out and plants Trish with some sort of wacky move. It’s now a two-on one. Regal has Trish in a full-nelson as Steph continues the whipping, but Intercontinental Champion Chris Jericho runs in to even the odds. He knocks Regal out of the ring before chasing Steph around the ring in a full-on sprint. Steph runs to the back as Jericho’s music hits.
Winner: Nobody?
(37:42) After the match, Steph is berating Regal backstage. She’s hitting him while complaining about Chris Jericho interfering with the their plan. Some things never change I suppose! Regal, fed up, exclaims that he will put Jericho in action against Regal and… Kurt Angle, whose name seems to randomly come to mind in what I think is a handicap match.
Jack’s Take: The match was kind of dull. The Stephanie-Trish rivalry, the way I understand it was kind of like a subtext for the Vince-Shane feud. It made sense, but because women weren’t properly deployed like they are now, the crowd was just never able to buy into it because it never got enough heat. Although I will say, the chemistry Jericho and Steph had at the end there was undeniable. I am very excited to see how far they push the envelope on that feud.
(38:16) Light Heavyweight Champion Crash Holly is in the ring. It’s funny, when we think of the word “Light Heavyweight Champion” today we think of Jon Jones, who, for all his woes is a total badass. And here, the WWF had a title by the same name, and with all due respect to Crash, he’s kind of the posterboy for this part of the card. Looks like he’ll be facing off against Rhyno.
Rhyno vs Crash Holly
The two men start by trading punches, but surprisingly Crash gets some early offense in. All of a sudden, Rhyno hits the Gore out of nowhere, and that’s that.
Winner: Rhyno via pinfall
Jack’s Take: They had a match.
(39:59) Crash’s storyline cousin, Molly Holly, goes up to the top rope looking to catch Rhyno off-guard, and she does! She hits Rhyno with a very clean looking Molly-Go-Round before tending to Crash. But Rhyno no-sells it! He gets back up to his feet, hits the Gore on Molly before trudging away. “The audacity of this man!” screams J.R.
(40:55) Kevin Kelly is backstage with Debra, asking her how it felt watching Vince McMahon help her husband, Steve Austin, become WWF Champion at Wrestlemania. Debra claims she was just as surprised as anyone and that she can’t talk about it. That’s that.
(41:55) Vince McMahon is coming back out to the ring, and he’s got the WWF Championship with him! This must be the big segment that bridges the gap between the two hours. McMahon is out to present the belt to Austin. McMahon says he is still perplexed by the crowd’s hypocritical reactions between Wrestlemania and Raw. Apparently, they cheered Austin at Wrestlemania and, of course had a lot of heat on him on Raw. McMahon is giving the ole’ Authority promo where compares Austin to the people because everybody kisses their boss’ ass, except he was far more effective than Steph and Hunter. Vince introduces Austin, who comes down to the ring to the tune of Disturbed’s cover of his theme song. Interestingly, Austin’s demeanor hasn’t immediately differed from his normal attitude as he makes his way down to the ring. Vince calls Austin the only wrestler deserving of the championship. Austin snatches the belt from McMahon’s hands, takes the microphone and says that now that he’s gotten what he wanted and Vince McMahon in the ring by himself, if the crowd wants him to whip “this sum-bitch’s ass, give me a hell-yeah!” But Austin follows up by saying it ain’t gonna happen tonight. Austin calls the fans parasites that he sponged off of. He says doesn’t owe the people a damn thing, let alone an explanation. He says that when The Rock put McMahon in the Sharpshooter, it’s just something you don’t do. Austin takes some of The Rock’s lines, and then McMahon takes the microphone and says, “And that’s the bottom line, because Mr. McMahon said so!” Triple H is then shown backstage shaking his head in disgust. The Rock is also shown watching on a monitor.
Jack’s Take: I see no reason as to why this segment couldn’t have just opened the show. It was fine, served the purpose of building toward the match later in the night and solidified Austin as a heel. I think if this show were done in 2016, this segment would have opened the show, but regardless this was a perfectly fine segment. You can’t really go wrong with Austin and McMahon in the same shot.
(51:36) Right to Censor time! Don’t you just love that music? I use that word loosely.
Val hits Kane with a trash can to open the match, but Kane no-sells it. Paul Heyman goes on a tirade about how much he hates censorship. Back in the ring, Kane is manhandling the ex-porn star Val Venis. Steven Richards eats a Big Boot, and then the trash can lid, but it allows Venis to take control with the trash can. Kane eats a DDT in the middle of the ring and Venis is getting a good bit of offense in mid-match. Finally, Kane goes on the comeback, counters a Russian Leg Sweep but then eats a shoulder block from Venis, who has since taken control back. Venis wedges a trash can between the top and middle ropes, but it comes back to haunt him when Kane Irish Whips him into that same corner. Kane jump off the top with the diving clothesline, and pins him!
Winner: Kane via pinfall
After the match, Kane gets jumped by the rest of the RTC faction, but the Undertaker comes out to even the odds in what turned out to be a nice little thing to conclude the segment. The Brothers of Destruction clean house with a couple of chokeslams and celebrate in the ring.
Jack’s Take: This was not a very good match, but I suspect they were just looking to fill time and give the crowd something to cheer for coming of of the Austin segment. I will say that this particular era of Kane, the Big Red Machine might have been his best as far as him being in shape and looking like a legitimate monster. He looked absolutely shredded.
(1:00:02) Triple H and William Regal are backstage. Regal is dressed in wrestling gear. Hunter demands to know where Vince is. Regal calls Hunter “sunshine” and tells him to calm down because he doesn’t like the tone of his voice. Hunter replies by saying if he finds out Regal is lying that he will kick his ass. Regal points Hunter in the right direction.
Coming back from commercial, Triple H has found Vince in catering. Hunter bats a cup of coffee from Vince’s hand and demands answers. Vince simply says that Stone Cold asked for his help while Hunter didn’t and that Stone Cold was also a winner at Wrestlemania while Hunter wasn’t. Triple H is beside himself.
(1:02:17) Back in the arena, Chris Jericho is making is way down to the ring to take on the duo of Regal and Angle.
Jericho uses his speed to isolate his two opponents. Early on, he counters Angle into the Walls of Jericho before Regal breaks it up. Regal and Angle had Jericho contained, but Jericho gets loose, knocks Angle off the apron and hits the Lionsault on Regal before Angle breaks it up. Angle gets knocked off the apron again, and this time Jericho throws Angle into the steel steps. Angle gets up and hangs Jericho up on the top rope in prime position for a Double Underhook Suplex from Regal. Angle hits the Angle Slam on Jericho and tags in Regal to make the cover. Regal only gets a two-count however, and Jericho’s coming back! The referee doesn’t see Angle nail Jericho in the back with a steel chair to set him up for a Regal Cutter for the pinfall.
Winner: Regal and Angle via pinfall
After the match, the beat down of Jericho continues. Angle has him in the ankle lock before Chris Benoit runs down to the ring to even things. The Rabid Wolverine successfully cleans house, and it looks like we’ll be heading towards a tag team match down the road… that is, unless Benoit and Jericho don’t destroy each other first! The two partake in a staredown as the segment comes to a close.
Jack’s Take: The psychology of this match was great. Paul Heyman’s reality-laced commentary was a plus and for what it was, this was a very good match.
(1:11:20) Shane McMahon is seen hopping out of a limo at WWF New York sporting a black eye that looked eerily similar to the one he sported on Raw a couple weeks ago. He’ll address the fans later in the show.
(1:12:12) “The One” Billy Gunn is on his way to the ring for what seems to be a match with X-Pac, who at this point is a faction with Justin Credible and Prince Albert. The X-Pac heat in this match is real.
The match begins with a few solid grappling exchanges before Gunn takes control with a Russian Leg Sweep. Gunn is taking it to X-Pac in spite of the uneven odds on the outside. As I write that, X-Pac takes out Gunn with a baseball slide. X-Pac hits a wheel kick and gets a near fall. He follows it up with the Bronco Buster, but Gunn takes control back with a tilt-a-whirl slam. He hits the Fame-Ass-er on X-Pac, but with the referee distracted by Justin Credible, Albert is able to run in and hit the Baldo Bomb for X-Pac to steal the win.
Winner: X-Pac via pinfall.
After the match, the beatdown on Gunn continues as X-Pac’s generic music plays in the background.
Jack’s Take: Not a ton of time in this one, but it was fine. Didn’t take away from the show. Given that neither guy really amounted to much after this point in their careers, it’s essentially a moot point in the show.
(1:18:25) Back in the ring, production cuts to a shot of the road crew setting up the steel cage in the ring. This was a nice touch. Meanwhile, J.R. and Heyman recap Vince vs Shane from Wrestlemania. Speaking of Shane, Shane’s with the guys live from WWF New York! Shane says Wrestlemania was spectacular. He talks about how it’s unnatural for sons and fathers to beat on each other, but he’s proud of what he did because Vince deserved it. He cuts a promo on Vince for not loving Shane’s mother Linda unconditionally, but instead loving himself more than anybody else, well, except for “Stone Cold” Steve Austin. Shane then addresses WCW (which he “purchased” the Monday prior. Shane says things are going to get very interesting and that everybody will just have to stay tuned.
(1:22:36) Back in Texas, The Rock is backstage with Michael Cole. Cole can’t finish his question before The Rock chimes in by saying he knows why Stone Cold did what he did at Wrestlemania. The Rock claims it’s because Stone Cold knew he couldn’t beat The Rock. The Rock claims he saw the panic and fear in Austin’s eyes as well as the look of relief when Vince McMahon came down the aisle. He says with the state of mind he’s in, he believes he owes the people an Austin-ass whipping in the Lone Star State. Cage match coming up next!
(1:24:37) The Rock makes his way down to the ring first for his steel cage rematch with Steve Austin. Then Mr. McMahon comes out to introduce Austin. Did I mention this act had some serious heat? Austin hesitates on getting in the ring before slamming the door on The Rock’s head as the bell sounds.
The action begins with both wrestlers trading right hands on the outside. The Rock eventually gets the upper hand by laying out Austin over the announce tables. He gives him a low blow for good measure, followed by a shot to the head with the belt. Austin’s already busted open! The Rock flings Austin into the cage as the blood continues to flow. Finally, The Rock gets Austin into the ring. The Rock attempts the first cover of the match after a crossbody. Austin kicks out at two. Austin takes back control and slingshots The Rock into the turnbuckle before giving him a Spinebuster. Austin follows it up with a series of mounted punches and a low blow of his own. McMahon hands Austin a steel chair through the cage door to batter The Rock with the tip of it. However, The Rock shrugs it off and locks in the Sharpshooter. McMahon had the referee, Tim White, distracted as Austin tapped out! When the referee turns his attention back to the match, The Rock hits the People’s Elbow on Austin, but before he can count to three, Vince runs in a yanks the White out of the cage. White responds by shoving McMahon to the ground. The Rock has Austin set up for The Rock Bottom, which he hits! White tries counting to three again but McMahon this time attacks him. Meanwhile, The Rock has seized Mr. McMahon, shut the cage door and is beginning to go to work! But Austin has since recovered and hits another low blow on The Rock, grounding the People’s Champion. He proceeds to stomp a mudhole in him before delivering a third low blow. At that point, Triple H’s music hits as he storms down to the ring in what appears to be an attempt to even the playing field, sledgehammer in hand. McMahon pleads Hunter to stop. The Game and the Rattlesnake have a staredown in the center of the ring before Hunter cracks The Rock with the sledgehammer! J.R. has come to the realization that Triple H, Mr. McMahon and Steve Austin are all in cahoots and couldn’t be more disgusted. Together, the trio proceed to destroy The Rock with their signature moves. Together, the trio celebrated in the ring with a round of alcoholic beverages. “I cannot believe this,” J.R. said as the show went off the air. “The Rattlesnake, The Game and the Boss on one vile, nasty, ugly page, and what can we do about it?”
Winner: No contest
Jack’s Take: Paul Heyman added that we, the people had witnessed history on this particular night, and he couldn’t have been more right! The match was very, very good like one would expect when you throw two of the Attitude Era’s biggest stars inside a steel cage. The real story here would be the dawning of the Two-Man Power Trip. Triple H entered the fray as something of an insurance policy in case the crowd continued to cheer Austin coming off of Wrestlemania. Triple H had already established himself as one of the top heels in the company, so it only made sense to lump him in with Austin and McMahon, especially when you consider that Vince McMahon is his in-law. Of course, the angle goes on to be a pretty big failure, but that’s not because anything done immediately following the turn. It’s to my understanding that Austin’s turn was handled well for at least a month or two before things went south, but it’s questions like these that are precisely why we have this new series on here Wrestledelphia!
Overall opinion: I thought it was an overall good show coming off Wrestlemania 17. It was not a great show, but it served the purpose and the booking made sense. It’s important to remember this was before the time that it became cool to chant wacky things on the Raw after Wrestlemania. However, there was not a ton of storytelling, and the only storylines that really saw any kind of development were McMahon-centric. No appearance from Edge and Christian after they won the tag belts is also a concern, but I have to say, I think the lack of storylines had to do with the timing of the way everything happened in 2001. Even before WCW folder, an exodus into the WWF began to take form, so what the company had was a lot of talented guys without any immediate direction. They could go out and have good matches and fight over tertiary titles, but I want to believe the thinking was that everybody was kind of being made idle so that when the Invasion angle took form, nobody would be tied down to other stories. Still, this particular Raw was not bad in the slightest, and I would definitely recommend it if for no other reason but the main event.
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