Submitted by Rajah on April 15, 2002 at 23:28:09

- Clips from last week's Smackdown! are shown where Vince McMahon announced Triple H's title defense against Hulk Hogan.

- The RAW video plays and the pyros hit with the show coming to us live from Phoenix, Arizona.

- Undertaker's music hit and the "Deadman" makes his way to the ringside area on his bike. Taker grabs the nearest mic and stares down the crowd. He asks someone to explain to him what the hell is going around here. He's confused and pissed off because after his match with Triple H was confirmed and sanctioned by Ric Flair, he is now out of the picture and Hulk Hogan instead gets the title shot against HHH. That is unacceptable according to Taker - in fact, it's a bunch of BS. He says that RAW will stop right now until someone comes down to the ring and explains to him what is going on. Ric Flair's music hits and the Nature Boy slowly walks down the ramp to the ring. Flair grabs a mic of his own and says that last week on RAW he was a bit too ambitious on his first day on the job. But he was wrong and Vince did have the right to make the first match at Backlash. However, he wants to make one thing clear - he runs RAW, not Undertaker. Even though Vince got to make the championship match at Backlash, Flair gets to make the first match AFTER Backlash and he tells Taker to calm down. Taker says that Flair is a liar, he's a no good son of a bitch. Taker says that Flair is just tore up over how he beat him up at Wrestlemania. According to Taker, Flair has one option - Ric has to make him the #1 contender for the match after Backlash. Nobody deserves it as much as him. Before Flair can respond, Stone Cold Steve Austin's music hits and out comes Austin heading straight to the ring. After acknowledging the audience, Austin confronts Flair asking him if he's about to give Taker a championship match after Backlash. Cause of what Taker is wearing? Cause Flair is scared? Why? Austin rolls through tons of reasons giving the fans a chance to chant "what". Austin says that his watch is telling him that it's time for Ric Flair to make a decision. Is it gonna be Stone Cold or Undertaker? Taker chips in and asks him the same thing. Flair contemplates both men as the #1 contender out loud. But before he makes his decision, we need to get one thing straight. They've both got off on the wrong foot. To Undertaker, he says that ever since he was drafted, Taker has made his life hell. He doesn't appreciate any of it. And to Austin, he says that in one of the greatest moments in the history of RAW last week, while he was celebrating, Austin turned around and gave him the Stone Cold Stunner. He wants to make one thing clear - He is Ric Flair and from now on, anyone puts their hand on him or even thinks about it, there will be hell to pay. But as for tonight, there will be TWO #1 contender matches. The Undertaker will face Rob Van Dam in a non-title match while Steve Austin will face Scott Hall in a Wrestlemania rematch. Taker takes the mic and says that Flair is full of crap. He deserves the title match and Austin doesn't. Austin only deserves to get his ass kicked. Taker says that if Flair doesn't make him the #1 contender, there will be hell to pay from him and there won't be a damn thing that Austin can do about it. Austin immediately attacks Taker and throws him to the outside. He fakes the Stunner on Flair but stopped short. Officials come down and hold back Taker as Austin is left in the ring by himself.

Bubba Ray Dudley vs. Booker T
- We come back live to see Bubba Ray Dudley, the reigning Hardcore champion, makes his way to the ring after which the challenger, Booker T, heads down as well. The two staredown as Booker takes the mic and says that the only thing the people came to see is to see Booker T and the most electrifying move in sports entertainment - the Spinaroonie! And then he goes ahead and showcases it as Bubba looks on. Booker asks Bubba what he has? Bubba asks the guy to put some music on for this white boy after which Bubba busts some dance moves. The match starts and immediately shifts to the outside. Booker T gets Irish whipped into the steel steps and then gets thrown back into the ring as Bubba raids the ring and throws in a garbage can, a stop sign and a trumpet! Bubba lays Booker in the corner and goes for a Vader bomb but misses. Kicks by Booker T but Bubba rakes the eyes and fights back. Booker T reverses it and nails the scissors kick and then nails Bubba on the head with a stop sign and a garbage can. Bubba ends Booker's momentum by Samoan dropping him and then takes control with a clothesline and a bodyslam. Two elbow drops and a sledgehammer by Bubba keeps Booker down, allowing Bubba to head outside for the table. Booker though catches Bubba with a spinebuster and then proceeds to set up the table himself but from behind Goldust comes running in and nails Booker T with a trash can lid. A DDT on Booker by Goldust but as he turns around Bubba powerbombs him through the table and gets the 1-2-3 to retain his Hardcore title. At the top of the ramp, Bubba starts dancing again.
- Backstage Coach interviews Trish and asks her how her head is feeling. Coach asks her how she feels about last week's attack by Molly Holly and we see the clip. Trish says that Molly got her good from behind but tonight Molly has to face her in the ring. She's pissed and... William Regal interrupts her and says that no one cares about Trish. Molly just put her in her place. He is about to start talking about Spike Dudley but Trish grabs the mic and says that if you want to talk about people being put into their place - Spike did it to Regal last week. Regal says that Spike degraded his reputation - but it was a fluke, just like Spike was to his mother. He will not only put an end to Spike's winning streak but he will turn him into a vegetable.

- Backstage, Terri is interviewing Kane. Kane is reading the Divas magazine and says that just because his face is burned, it doesn't mean the rest of his body isn't functioning properly. Ha. All his life, he has been called a monster but when he was teaming with Rock and Hogan last week and 17,000 Kane-o-nites rose to their feet he realized that freaks are cool. Tonight he faces X-Pac in a Last Man Standing match but is X-Pac cool? Just like a lion roars and a chicken clucks, it's a fact that X-Pac sucks.

- Backstage, X-Pac is getting ready for his match. He tells the other nWo members to stay behind cause he has something to prove. After he leaves, Hall and Nash comment agree that X-Pac is a giant killer.

Kane vs. X-Pac
- We come back live as Lilian announces the upcoming "Falls Count Anywhere" match between X-Pac and Kane. Pac and Kane come out in that order. X-Pac gets the upperhand attacking Kane in the corner. But his offense doesn't last long as Kane starts dominating. The match shifts to the outside and spills to the crowd with Kane pummeling X-Pac all the way to the back. Repeated punches by Kane but from behind come Scott Hall and Kevin Nash who attack him with a pipe and a 2x4. X-Pac capitalizes and pins Kane but the nWo continues their assault breaking the 2x4 over his back. X-Pac takes off Kane's mask and nails him in the face with the chair. Bradshaw comes to Kane's rescue but the nWo run off.
- We come back and see a replay of what just happened in the Kane/X-Pac match.

- We cut back live and see EMTs helping Kane. His face is covered with a black towel.

- Backstage, the nWo are making fun of Kane with X-Pac wearing Kane's mask. Ric Flair interrupts their fun and says that they can't do this anymore. Nash challenges Flair and asks him what he'll do about it. Flair responds by suspending Nash without pay, obviously to explain his upcomin absence while he recovers from bicep surgery. He asks the other nWo members if they want any of the same medicine but they shake their head no.

William Regal vs. Spike Dudley
- In the arena, William Regal comes down to the ring for his title defense against Spike Dudley. Regal accidentally drops the brass knuckles but the ref sees it and takes it away. However, Regal has another pair of knucks that he hides in the turnbuckle. Spike comes running in and takes the same knucks and hits Regal with it knocking him out cold. Cover and 1-2-3, Spike is the new European champion!
- Backstage Coach catches up with Spike and congratulates him for winning the title. Tommy Dreamer shows up and congratulations him as well, dumping some juice over his head. Jackie hugs Spike and Big Show congratulates him as well. Bubba Ray Dudley shows up and after a few tense seconds, the two shake hands!

Rob Van Dam vs. Undertaker
- As we return from commercial, Rob Van Dam heads down to the ring in the first of the #1 contender matches tonight which again is NOT for the IC title. Undertaker follows him down and soon thereafter, the match starts. Taker corners RVD and goes nuts with several punches and knees to the gut area. Taker swings Van Dam to the corner and comes charging in with a clothesline. Cover but only a two count. Taker grabs Van Dam's hair and corners him yet again and delivers two solid right hands before swinging him to the other side. He charges in but RVD puts his foot up and catches Taker in the face. He swings off the ropes but Taker hits a sidewalk slam and goes for the pin again, but RVD manages to kick out at two. Taker continues his great offense (sarcasm) with kicks and some more shots to the head area from outside of the ring. Taker tries a leg drop but Van Dam moves and hits an Asai moonsault from the mat to the arena floor. Punches and kicks by RVD but Taker comes back with a knee to the lower midsection. Taker tries to bodyslam Van Dam into the ring post but it is reversed. Back in the ring, Van Dam attempts a kick from the second rope but totally misses it. Rolling thunder and RVD heads to the top but Taker pushes the ropes, causing Van Dam to fall. From the top rope, Taker hits a superplex and goes for the count but Van Dam gets a shoulder up before three. Taker again for a cover but Van Dam refuses to stay down and again kicks out at two. Taker heads to the outside and grabs a chair but before he can use it, RVD hits the Van Daminator. He heads to the top but Eddie Guerrero comes running down and Van Dam instead five star splashes Guerrero who is by the end of the ramp. The two tussle around outside before Van Dam heads to the inside only to be greeted by a Taker chokeslam. Cover but Van Dam again kicks out. Taker signals for the Last Ride but Van Dam reverses it and takes down Taker by kicking his leg. RVD heads to the top and hits a martial arts kick from the top followed by the Five Star Splash from the top. By the time all this happens, Guerrero gets back up and hits Van Dam with the IC belt behind the referee's back. Taker turns around RVD but AGAIN gets only a two-count. Yet again he goes for the Last Ride except this time he hits it. Cover and 1-2-3, Taker wins.
- After the commercial, we see a replay of what happened.

- Back live and WWF women's champion Jazz joins Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler at ringside for commentary except she isn't talking. Jazz is sporting a wicked black eye which JR tells us happened at the Salt Lake City house show over the weekend. Trish Stratus makes her way to the ring and Jazz gives her a long stare.

- Backstage, Terri interviews Molly Holly who is sporting a new hairdo and a new hair color. Terri asks her why she attacked Trish last week. Molly says that she's one of the best women wrestlers and instead of showcasing her talents, she had to sit and watch the Paddle on a Pole Match last week. Terri says that she kind of detects some hostility and Molly responds by saying that unlike some divas (stares at Terri), she is pure.

Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus
- Molly heads down to the ring but is attacked by Trish before she can even enter the ring. The two women fight into the ring and Trish dominates with chops and kicks in the corner. Monkey flip attempt by Trish but Molly counters it and lands on her feet. Molly bails to the outside and starts heading back up the ramp but Trish runs out and brings her back. Molly with a chop and a kick to the face, followed by a clothesline. Choke by Molly and she hits her patented hand spring elbow. Pin attempt but Trish kicks out. Jazz is still refusing to speak. Meanwhile, Molly continues to control the match but can't get the three count. She heads to the t op but Trish shakes the rope and Molly falls. Trish does a modified (handspring) hurricanrana on Molly before heading out and confronting Jazz. As the two argue, Molly comes from behind but Trish sees her and goes for the Stratusfaction. However, in mid-move, Jazz nails her with the belt, knocking her out. Molly then throws her back into the ring and gets the 1-2-3.
- Backstage, Brock Lesnar is with Paul Heyman. Heyman tells Lesnar to calm down because they are moments away from walking down to the ring infront of the worst audience in the world. He tells Lesnar not to attack any fan, while also revealing that he is Lesnar's agent.

- We return live with Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman emerging from the back. JR re-iterates that Heyman is Lesnar's "agent". Heyman says he will talk about some historical facts that caused Lesnar to hire him as his agent. He talks about how he once managed Steve Austin and groomed him to be a former champion. He says it's also a fact that helped Undertaker become the Dead Man. He says that his ECW helped Vince build his ECW empire into a billion dollar company. The next big thing is Brock Lesnar - he's invincible, indestructable, he's the next big thing. However, he tells the fans not to take his word for it. He cues some footage on the Titan Tron to prove his point. We see clips from the past few weeks showing Lesnar destroying various superstars. Also included is footage of the draft where Vince and Flair both coveted his services. Heyman tells us to ask Rikishi, Spike Dudley, the Hardys about Brock Lesnar. The Hardys come out of nowhere and attack Brock from behind. But Lesnar eventually fights them both off and Gorilla Presses Matt and throws him on top of Jeff. The Hardys attempt to storm Brock with two chairs but Lesnar turns them away. Both Hardys hit Lesnar square in the head with two BRUTAL chair shots but Lesnar does not fall and instead jumps to the outside as Heyman restrains him, preventing him from coming back in. Lesnar walks away smiling at the Hardy Boyz as JR and the King are left to ponder how much of a monster Brock is.

Mr. Perfect vs. Big Show
- We're back live on RAW with Mr. Perfect heading down to the ring in anticipation of his upcoming match. Perfect's opponent, the Big Show, enters the arena next. Perfect attacks Show before he can get in but his chops have no effect on Show who throws Perfect into the corner and nails a chop of his own. Perfect goes flying to the outside but Show grabs him back up and chops him again. Outside the ring, Perfect pokes Show in the eyes but Show shakes it off and throws Perfect back into the ring over the ropes. Show continues to dominate before running into a leg. Perfect low blows Show and then actually hits the Perfect Plex on him but Show kicks out easily at one. Show then grabs a shocked Perfect and chokeslams him for the 1-2-3.
- Backstage, Steve Austin is walking in the hallway before barging into Flair's empty office. He sits in Ric's chair and puts his feet up on the desk, apparently waiting for Flair to come back.

- Back live, Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler hype the #1 contender situation. They wonder what will happen if Steve Austin also wins his upcoming match. A bunch of replays are shown from earlier in the night where Taker defeated RVD.

- Backstage, is still in Flair's office when Ric enters. Austin wants to know what is going on seeing as how Undertaker has also won. Ric Flair says that if Austin wins tonight, he will face Undertaker at Backlash with the winner becoming the new #1 contender. Austin thanks Ric for explaining it to him because he was confused.

Scott Hall vs. Steve Austin
- We return from commercial to see the nWo (Scott Hall and X-Pac) make their way down to the ring. X-Pac is still carrying Kane's mask. The glass shatters and out comes Steve Austin. Stone Cold goes after Scott Hall immediately, chopping away in the corner. Irish Whip followed by an elbow and Hall is down. Austin uses his vest and chokes out Hall and then chokes him on the second rope. Bodyslam and a pin attempt but Hall kicks out at one. Arm wring and clothesline by Austin and a cover but Hall again kicks out. Austin throws Scott to the outside and then chops him several times before Hall is able to put up some sort of challenge. Back in the ring, Austin continues to dominate but Hall sidesteps a lunge and threw Austin back to the outside where a waiting X-Pac started assaulting Stone Cold. Austin fights him off and then turns his attention back to Hall. The two go back into the ring with Austin controlling all the offense before Hall responds with a low blow. Austin falls to the outside where X-Pac again attacks him as Hall distracts the referee. Punches by Scott Hall and the action once again shifts to inside the ring. Hall with a couple chops and an Irish Whip followed by a clothesline. Cover by Scott, but only a two count. I guess Hall is already getting tired cause he busts out the Sleeper Hold next, slowing the match to a crawl. Austin finally counters it and suplexes him. Austin's attack is short lived as Hall once again regains control kicking away. Hall misses an ax drop and Austin uses it to fight back but a double clothesline levels both men. Referee with the count now and even more interference from X-Pac follows. Both men get up but Austin takes down Hall and then whips him into the ropes and catches him with a Lou Thesz press. Elbow drop, Stunner attempt, ref bump. With the ref out cold, spinebusters to both Hall and X-Pac after which Undertaker comes running down attacking Austin and chokeslaming him. Bradshaw then barrels down to the ring and he and Taker battle on the outside. Back in the ring, the referee gets back up while Hall has Austin down and out. 1...2...but Austin gets his shoulder up. Yeah, like Austin would lay down for Hall. Another ref bump allows both nWo members to beat down Stone Cold, prompting Ric Flair to come down. He confronts X-Pac, punches him and then Austin ends up Stunning both. Ref gets up and counts the 1-2-3. Austin wins. Ric Flair tries to raise Stone Cold's hand but Austin doesn't appreciate it and Stuns him too for good measure. Austin gets the beer out and celebrates as RAW goes off the air.

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