[loopydate]

SEPTEMBER 8, 2003 - Monday Night Raw
The night kicks off with Tommy Dreamer hoping to bounce back from last week's loss to Christian. Looks like he might get his wish as the match is announced as a Hardcore Match! Unfortunately, his opponent is the always-dangerous Boss Man! Chairs and ladders both come into play, and Boss Man works over Dreamer's head and neck with several DDTs. But, in the end, Tommy lands his own signature DDT to win the match.

Two of the most underrated stars on the RAW roster do battle next as Hurricane takes on Christian. Hurricane managed to get in a few licks, but Christian controlled most of the action, picking up another victory with the Unprettier. Christian's winning streak continues, while Hurricane picks up a second consecutive loss.

Backstage, Matt Hardy Version 1.0 went off about not being considered for the World Title tournament.

The new Tag Team Champions the Dudley Boyz team with their little brother Spike to take on all three members of La Resistance. As was the case last week, the Dudleyz pick up the win, this time with D-Von pinning Grenier following his lifting reverse DDT.

After the match, the Dudleyz put themselves over in an interview, talking about how in just two weeks, they've beaten everybody in the Tag Team division.

The Divas are up next with a tag team match pitting Lita and Trish Stratus against Gail Kim and Jazz. The heels double-team Lita through much of the early-going before Trish gets a hot tag. However, amidst the confusion, the psychotic Victoria runs in and assaults Trish with a chair, allowing Gail Kim to pick up the win. Afterwards, the three-on-two advantage continues.

Kane, one week away from a #1 contenders match, faces a tough challenge against Mister Monday Night, Rob Van Dam. RVD gets control midway through, hitting a top-rope frankensteiner, but he wasn't able to put the Big Red Machine away. In the end, Kane proved to be too much, hitting a chokeslam for another big win. Afterwards, Kane continued to pound on RVD. As Kane leaves the ring, JR and the King are left to speculate - can either Goldberg or The Rock beat Kane next week?

Last week, Chris Jericho took a cheap shot at Booker T after they fought to a time-limit draw. This week, they must put aside their differences to face Evolution's Batista and Randy Orton. Evolution double-teams Booker through most of the early-going, keeping him away from Jericho. Kicks, clotheslines, tackles, the young guns throw everything at the veteran. Booker finally manages to reverse a sleeper hold into a jawbreaker and tag in Jericho. He gets in a couple of kicks, but again Evolution takes control. After taking some abuse, Jericho tags Booker back in, who surprises Batista with a small package. Jericho, however, rolls Batista on top of Booker! The referee has no choice but to count the pin. After the match, Evolution holds Booker back, so that Jericho can taunt him. The three then pummel him before leaving the ring. What does this mean for Unforgiven?

Triple H is backstage, talking about his history with Shawn Michaels and how tonight, H is going to retire his old friend. Again.

The semifinals for the #1 contender tournament are next as Goldberg and The Rock go one-on-one! Last week, Goldberg knocked off the Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton, while The Rock beat Rob Van Dam. The winner of this match will face Kane next week for a shot at Triple H's World Title at Unforgiven. These two start to put on what would have been a match for the ages, including Goldberg kicking out of two Death Valley Drivers before Kane interjected himself. After last week's confrontation, Kane makes a beeline for Goldberg and chokeslams him behind the referee's back! The Rock gets the pinfall. After the match, Kane returns to the ring, but gets Jackhammered for his troubles.

It's time for our main event as the World Champion Triple H takes on Shawn Michaels in a non-title match. Shawn still hasn't quite found his rhythm in the ring yet, as H controls most of the match. Just when HBK starts to mount some offense, the Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton hits the ring! Orton hangs HBK out to dry on the top rope, allowing HHH to lock in the Main Event Sleeper for the submission victory. Afterwards, the Evolution teammates continue to pound HBK as the show goes off the air.

With just three weeks to go until Unforgiven, the pieces are starting to fall into place. The Rock will face off against Kane next week on RAW. The winner will receive a shot at Triple H's World Heavyweight Title. Shawn Michaels was attacked tonight by Randy Orton. Will HBK be able to put the Legend Killer out of mind and concentrate on his match next week against Chris Jericho? And speaking of Jericho, Booker T is almost certainly going to be out for revenge after being betrayed in their tag team match. Trish Stratus will also be looking for revenge when she goes one-on-one with Victoria. Expect more matches announced for the Unforgiven PPV, plus exciting action featuring all your favorite RAW superstars!