Raw Deal - Raw recap for January 31, 2000

RAW

Before the next match, "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman tells Al Snow that he is tired of all the team names and that they have tag team titles to win. Snow proposes "Snow Storm," but Blackman is irritated when Snow provides a Sesame Street child's umbrella. Blackman walks away before Snow can propose "Snow Balls," complete with a black jock strap.

"The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero - all fresh out of World Championship Wrestling - show up and seat themselves in the front row. They also shake hands with Al Snow before the match begins. Jim Ross states on commentary that it was "radical" for the four of them to leave, and that it is "radical" for them to be here. (During the episode, they are all referred to as "radicals.")

Al Snow and "The Lethal Weapon" Steve Blackman vs. The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) ends in a no-contest. During the match, Road Dogg is clotheslined over the barricade and into the laps of "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero by Al Snow. The foursome respond by attacking Road Dogg when he strikes at them, then they get into the ring to attack Billy Gunn. Road Dogg is the recipient of a top rope frog splash from Guerrero while Billy Gunn receives a top rope diving headbutt from Benoit. The four of them them walk up the ramp to the backstage area. The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) retain the WWF Tag Team Championships.

Backstage, "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero are seen with Cactus Jack, asking them if they heard the crowd and if they accepted his invitation to come to the World Wrestling Federation. Saturn says he has not had fun in a long time, and Cactus Jack then asks them what it is like to actually see people out in the crowd. He then tells then that to get over in the WWF, they have to make a lot of noise. He also tells them that the fun is just beginning, as they are going to have fun all night long.

Kurt Angle shows up. He mocks The Rock, saying "your Olympic hero" has come back to Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He insists he is still undefeated in the World Wrestling Federation, and tonight, he will face The Rock. He says that if history has taught anything from their previous encounter, The Rock is no match for him, and since Pittsburgh has very little to cheer about, he is officially naming himself Pittsburgh's new hometown hero. He says it is not Mario Lemieux anymore, and if Lemieux had a little more courage, maybe he would still be playing hockey today and he would still be able to save the Pittsburgh Penguins. However, he will gladly start where Lemieux left off by beating The Rock tonight.

We see the first of three WWF commercials from the Super Bowl.

Backstage, The New Age Outlaws ("Road Dogg" Jesse James and "Bad Ass" Billy Gunn) tell Triple H and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley about what happened earlier with "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. Triple H reminds them that Road Dogg hit one of them, and that this is their problem. Suddenly, Big Show - now with a much shorter haircut, which Triple H makes fun of - shows up and says he has proof in the form of WWF head of security. Dotson tells Triple H that The Rock's feet touched the ground first, but Triple H wants even more tangible proof in the form of video footage. He tells Big Show to bring video proof Thursday, and Big Show tells Triple H that if he does not give him what he want afterwards, he will take his anger out on his face.

Christian beats D-Von Dudley. During the match, Buh Buh Ray Dudley distracts the referee, but Edge gets in the ring and kicks D_Von in the match to help Christian get the win. After the match, The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von) attack Edge and Christian, thn pull a table out from underneath the ring before hitting Christian with the double-team headbutt to Christians crotch. Buh Bh Ray then throws a steel chair into the ring. As Buh Buh Ray puts Edge on the table and places the steel chair on top of him, The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy) show up and fight off The Dudley, and Matt Hardy hits D-Von with a DDT from the corner into the table. Edge and Christian strike back, and lay Buh Buh Ray on a table at ringside. Jeff puts Buh Buh Ray through the table with a senton bomb from the top rope, then referees and officials show up to try to restore order.

Backstage, The Mean Street Posse (Rodney, Pete Gas, Joey Abs) show up as Cactus Jack talks with Edge, Christian, The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy), "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. They brag that they are not to be messed with. Not surprisingly, the Posse get beaten up by Benoit, Malenko, Saturn and Guerrero as everyone else watches.

Big Show beats Too Cool (Grandmaster Sexay and Scotty 2 Hotty) in a 2-on-1 handicap match. It is announced that Rikishi is suffering from a severely sprained ankle after his match with The Rock on last week's SmackDown. After the match, The Rock is on the TitanTron. He congratulates Big Show on his victory, then makes fun of his haircut and says he is now a short-haired "seven-foot, 500 lb. of stinking, steaming monkey crap" as opposed to a long-haired one. If Big Show wants to run his mouth about having evidence The Rock did not win the Royal Rumble Match, he is tired of hearing him whine, bitch, cry and moan like a baby, then says he has something for Big Show to hear in the form of the millions of his fans chanting his name (during which Big Show covers his ears). He then tells Big Show to go back to Supercuts and get his five dollars back before calling him a jabroni, then focuses on Kurt Angle. He says Angle has never, ever beaten him, and tonight, he will will win a gold medal for kicking his candy ass all over Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

The Rock beats Kurt Angle. During the match, Kurt Angle chews out the fans for booing him when he was he was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and The Rock punches him before telling him "It doesn't matter where you were born!" Later on in the match, Kurt Angle tries to walk out of the match, but Tazz shows up, grabs him from behind and tosses him back into the ring. The Rock then gives Kurt Angle his first pinfall loss. After the match, The Rock goes after Angle, but so does Taz, and Tazz inadvertently clotheslines The Rock after Angle ducks. Tazz then chases Angle to the back.

Backstage, The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw) are playing a card game when The Mean Street Posse barges in, giving them a bunch of money in exchange for protection after being beaten up earlier by "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. They take the money and do just that, but if they hear one peep out of them, the deal is off. This gives Bradshaw the idea of turning The Acolytes into a protection agency as a side business.

Backstage, "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero meet with D'Lo Brown, The Godfather, Test and Val Venis. Perry Saturn wants to know where the women are at.

Chyna and Chris Jericho walk side-by-side to the ring backstage.

This week's issue of Newsweek features Chyna and The Rock on the cover and features an article about the success of The World Wrestling Federation and why America is hooked on wrestling.

WAR ZONE

Before the next match, Chris Jericho welcomes everyone to "Raw Is Jericho," then tells X-Pac he is thrilled that he has hooked up with Tori, as he has finally got to kiss a girl for the first time in his life. Also, he says X-Pac has found the one girl who is stupider than he is, and that he can con her into giving him a full massage after he gives him a beating he will never, ever forget.

X-Pac beats Chris Jericho. During the match, referee Jack Doan catches Chyna punching X-Pac in the face from ringside, and as Jack Doan is dealing with Chyna, Tori gets on the apron as Jericho has X-Pac in the Walls of Jericho to hit him with the Intercontinental Championship. X-Pac then hits the X-Factor to get the win. Chyna then punches Tori in the face before checking on Jericho.

We see The Kat backstage, then we see her opponent in the next match: Hervina, who looks a lot like a man dressed as a woman.

We see the second of three WWF commercials from the Super Bowl.

Bradshaw builds on the protection agency idea - which he now calls the "Acolytes Protection Agency" - to Faarooq. Suddenly, The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley) show up, wanting the protection services of as well, as they have just gotten attacked backstage. They don't have any money, but they will cut them a check. Faarooq tells them that if the check bounces, so will they.

Hervina beats The Kat in a Lumberjill Snow Bunny Match - complete with a snow ring near the stage - to become the WWF Women's Champion! After the match, Michael Cole interviews Hervina, who sounds very much like a man. Hervina is actually Harvey Wippleman, and while Michael Cole finds it funny, the rest of the women around the snow ring do not, and they go on the attack.

Cactus Jack, "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero head to Triple H and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley's office backstage.

We see some of the fans at WWF New York in Times Square in New York City, New York.

Backstage at Triple H and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley's office, Cactus Jack introduces Triple H and Stephanie to "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero. Cactus tells them they want to work here and that he is offering the deal of a lifetime, but Triple H is irritated with Cactus Jack for not telling them he would be bringing guests as well as the "radicals" for their behavior during the show. He also says that the "radicals" should be the ones asking for a job. Stephanie says he has heard the rumors that they have not played nice with management and have participated in back-biting in World Championship Wrestling, and wants to know how she can expect them not to do the same thing here. Benoit says they want an opportunity, but Triple H says he will think about it and let them know, and he will deal with Cactus Jack later.

The Hollys (Hardcore and Crash Holly) beat Viscera in a 2-on-1 handicap match after Crash Holly holds on to one of Viscera's fet after a top rope cross body from Hardcore Holly. After the match, Viscera tosses Hardcore Holly out of the ring before body slamming Crash and hitting him with a splash.

We see a third commercial for WWF involving old people in a retirement center, which was rejected by ABC for air during the Super Bowl.

As we see fans in WWF New York in Times Square in New York City, New York, m it is announced that Jim Ross' interview with "Stone Cold" Steve Austin from Halftime Heat is coming up next.

At WWF New York at Times Square in New York City, New York, Lilian Garcia announces there will be a big news conference, this Thursday, and it will involve the WWF and pro football.

The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw) show up to watch from ringside for the next match.

Buh Buh Ray Dudley beats Matt Hardy by disqualification. During the match, D-Von Dudley tosses a steel chair to Buh Buh Ray, but Matt catches it instead. After missing with the first swing, Matt nails Buh Buh Ray on the head during the second, ending the match. After the match, The Acolytes (Faarooq and Bradshaw) attack The Hardy Boyz (Jeff and Matt Hardy) along with The Dudley Boyz (Buh Buh Ray and D-Von Dudley), then Edge and Christian show up just before Matt Hardy falls victim to a Dudley Death Drop. The Acoltyes make quick work of them at ringside, and Christian is thrown into the ring to become the next victim of a Dudley Death Drop. The Acolytes and The Sudleys then pull two tables out from underneath the ring, and as a third table is stacked on top of the first two, Buh Buh Ray repeatedly tells The Acolytes to do as he says, as he is paying them. The Acolytes lay Matt Hardy on top of the third table, then steel steps are placed nearby in the ring. D-Von and Buh Buh Ray then powerbomb Jeff Hardy into Matt, sending the Hardys through three tables from the steel steps. Referees and officials check on The Hardy Boyz.

Backstage, Cactus Jack tells "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero that Triple H and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley show up, overhearing their conversation, and Triple H says the four of them are not quite ready to hang in the WWF and that they should leave. Triple H and Stephanie call for security, but the "radicals" leave peacefully despite security following them. Cactus Jack tells Triple H he just made a big mistake.

It is announced that SmackDown has set an all-time ratings record during United States President Bill Clinton's 2000 State of the Union Address.

Kane fails to show up for the next match. Triple H says he knows Kane is back there, shakig like a leaf and crying, and he cannot blame him and says he would not want to get in the ring with himself. After the week Kane has had, Kane cannot hang with X-Pac and Tori has to "dump [his] burnt little ass and go with a real man." He says Kane has been beaten up, humiliated and now has to come out to the ring before The Game, the man and the World Wrestling Federation so he can have his ass handed to him on national television. He gives Kane a chance to come out to the ring and be a man, and if he does not, he will go backstage and drag him into the ring. He then gives Kane ten seconds to come to the ring. Triple H counts down, but stops at five and decides to go to the back. Suddenly, Cactus Jack shows up, and says he invited four guests at his request to the WWF, and he and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley had the gall to throw them out. He says he has bled and sweated with "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero, and says they can bring down the house anywhere in the free world. He also says that he likes these four men. If Triple H has done some thinking, he has done some thinking of his own, and while he considered letting bygones be bygones, he has decided to take a piece of Triple H's ass. Stephanie is on commentary at this point, and Cactus Jack gets in the ring and brawls with Triple H. Triple H eventually manages to roll out of the ring, and WWF co-owner Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley is about to join him when "The Canadian Crippler" Chris Benoit, Dean Malenko, Perry Saturn and Eddie Guerrero show up and throw Triple H back into the ring to beat him up for not hiring them. Triple H is then whipped into the WWF Championship, then the "radicals" take the boots to Triple H before whipping him into the WWF Championship again to end the show.