Great-ing Gimmicks of the Past: Right to Censor – WWF, 2000
History
In 2000, the WWF seemed to be coasting on cloud 9. But just as everything was coming up roses, a cloud appeared on the horizon in the form of L. Brent Bozell’s Parents Television Council. The PTC began contacting WWF advertisers and pressuring them to pull their support of WWF programming due to the WWF’s more adult-oriented storylines. In fact, the WWF sued the PTC in November of that year for false claims, libel, and slander. The case would be settled out of court in 2002.
But in 2000, Vince McMahon decided a statement needed to be made. And Stevie Richards would be the perfect one to make it.
The June 26, 2000 Raw saw Dean Malenko (with Terri Runnels) taking on Jerry Lawler (with the Kat) in an “Over the top, off with the top” match. Basically, the stipulation said that every time a wrestler was thrown over the top, the woman with them had to remove an article of clothing. Finally Lawler dumped Malenko, which meant that Terri had to lose her bra. Just as she was undoing it, Stevie Richards (with short hair and wearing a shirt and tie) came out with a large cardboard square with a censored logo on it, which he used to block everyone’s view.
On Smackdown, the Godfather was preparing to take on Bull Buchanan, when an alarm cut off the Godfather’s traditional pre-match spiel. Richards (now going by Steven) came out and ordered the Godfather to stop promoting sexuality under threat of censorship. By the way – Buchanan won the match.
Raw saw the Godfather taking on Test. As the match was going on, Richards made his way out with large bags that he forced the Godfather’s hos to wear. Test took advantage of the distraction, and Godfather got another loss.
The Dudley Boys were wrestling Chaz (Warrington – Headbanger Mosh) and D’Lo Brown on Smackdown. Bubba Ray was preparing to powerbomb Chaz through a table when Richards ran down, grabbed the table, and left. Still, the Dudleys were able to recover from the distraction of the missing table and win the match.
Trish Stratus and Lita were in a street fight on Raw. Lita pulled off Trish’s top and that was Richards’s cue. He came down and put a robe (with the censor symbol on the back) on Trish, then declared the display over.
Dean Malenko had Al Snow on Smackdown. Dean, suave man that he is, had two women with him. Snow, suave man that he is, also had two women with him – of the inflatable variety. Richards deemed this unacceptable and confiscated all the women as Malenko won the match.
Raw saw the Dudleys taking on the Hardys. As D-Von set up a table in the ring, Bubba Ray set one up at the base of the ramp, which Richards confiscated as T & A (Test and Albert) ran in to decimate Lita.
But Richards’s night wasn’t over. Next, the Godfather was scheduled to take on Steve Blackman in a Hardcore championship match. Richards came out and told the Godfather he could not be accompanied by scantily-clad women or Richards would continue to censor him. Godfather had had enough and headed up the ramp after Richards. Suddenly, Godfather was jumped by Bull Buchanan – who was now dressed identically to Richards.
Richards had more to say on Smackdown. He talked about how Mr. Buchanan also stood against depravity, just like he did. That brought the Godfather out to offer counterpoint and challenge Buchanan to a match. During the match, the hos drove Richards into the ring, and it looked like the Godfather would get his hands on the censor. Instead, Richards landed a Steviekick, and a scissors kick from Buchanan scored the win.
The following Raw saw a rematch with a stipulation – if Godfather won, Richards could no longer censor. If Buchanan won, Godfather would stop pimping. Needless to say, Buchanan got the win.
Richards had a surprise on Smackdown. He unveiled the newest member of his movement – the Godfather. Or, as he was now known, the Goodfather. Goodfather apologized for the hos, and also said that Steven Richards was right. He then shook hands with Buchanan and Richards.
On Raw, we saw a clip of hos picketing the arena and chanting “Save the hos.”
Richards, Buchanan, and Goodfather came out later in the night. The hos jumped the rail and started another “Save the hos” chant, which caused Goodfather to call for security to eject them. The stable was then given the name Right to Censorship, and they threw out a challenge to anyone who disagreed with them.
That brought out the APA (Bradshaw and Faarooq). As Richards and Goodfather beat down Bradshaw on the outside, Faarooq managed to pin Buchanan. That sent Goodfather into the ring to help Buchanan get revenge.
On Smackdown, the RTC paid a visit to the APA’s office. They confiscated the Acolytes’ beer, cigars, and playing cards. They then stuck censored stickers all over the furniture and left with Richards declaring that the APA was closed.
The Acolytes were less than pleased, and went off looking for the RTC.
They caught up with them and had a match, with the protesting hos near ringside. Richards passed a stick to Goodfather who blasted Faarooq with it, and then Buchanan hit his scissor kick for the win.
The RTC came out on Raw (from Madison Square Garden) and praised Mayor Rudy Giuliani’s work in cleaning up New York City. Then they called out anyone who disagreed with them.
That brought out the Dudleys. Again, the hos were ringside. The RTC was DQ’d after Richards broke up a pin attempt and got caught. Bubba called for a table and the hos jumped the rail for a better look as Bubba hoisted Richards for a powerbomb. Goodfather and Buchanan stole the hos’ signs and blasted the Dudleys with the sticks from the signs. Then Goodfather hoisted a ho (who just happened to be Victoria) and powerbombed her through the table.
The RTC (now just Right to Censor) took on Too Cool (Scotty Too Hotty and Grandmaster Sexay (Brian Christopher (Lawler)) on Smackdown as Richards joined Jerry Lawler and Michael Cole on commentary. As Richards talked about how Scotty’s Worm finisher needed to be censored, Buchanan caught him with an axe kick and got the win.
Also, Victoria had an interview from her hospital bed. She stood up for her right to dress like she wished and said that she would sue Steven Richards for Goodfather’s attack.
On Raw, the RTC (Buchanan and Goodfather) were taking on the Hardys and Lita in a handicap match. The RTC had control for most of the match, but it was cinched when Richards caught Lita with a Steviekick and rolled her into the ring for another RTC win. After the match, Edge and Christian came out to obliterate the Hardys and Lita.
On Smackdown, the RTC had another target. They did an interview where they ordered more censorship – this time, of Rikishi’s rear end.
Raw saw Rikishi taking on Kane. After Kane got disqualified for his use of a steel chair, Too Cool started to run in to save Rikishi. They were jumped by the RTC, and managed to escape only to get attacked by Kane. Richards nailed both members of Too Cool with Steviekicks, and then Buchanan hit Rikishi with a scissors kick.
Later in the night, the RTC came out to defend their actions in censoring Rikishi. Commissioner Mick Foley interrupted and made a match for Summerslam – all three members of the RTC vs. Rikishi and Too Cool.
Rikishi was set to take on the Goodfather on Smackdown. Rikishi came out with backup – the hos. Goodfather attacked while Rikishi was on the ramp, and the two headed to the ring. Too Cool ran down to the ring to keep the other RTC members from interfering. In the end, Rikishi won, and the RTC barely kept Richards from getting a Stinkface.
That brought us to Summerslam. To make a long story short, Richards wound up catching Scotty with a Steviekick and got the win.
Richards took on Rikishi the next night, as Rikishi brought hos Victoria and Mandy as well as Too Cool back down to ringside with him. Rikishi dominated Richards and was preparing to go for the Stinkface when Buchanan rescued him again.
Buchanan had the Road Dogg (BG James) on Smackdown. Dogg hit a pumphandle slam for the win, and then cleared out just ahead of the rest of the RTC.
Later in the night, Rikishi was taking on Val Venis. Goodfather and Buchanan distracted Too Cool as Richards hit the ring with the ring bell and clocked Rikishi with it, then draped Venis over him to give Val the win.
On Raw, Richards introduced the RTC’s newest member, Val Venis. Two problems – nobody told Val about this and he wasn’t interested.
That led to a match later that night between Goodfather and Buchanan vs. Val and Road Dogg. While Road Dogg got the win, Buchanan leveled Val on the outside and then he and Goodfather left, dragging Val with them. They all climbed into a white van (driven by Richards) and left.
On Smackdown, Rikishi was taking on Chris Benoit when Goodfather and Buchanan attacked. Benoit got the win, and then RTC attacked, which brought out Too Cool. Benoit accidentally clocked Too Cool, and the RTC continued their beatdown.
Later that night, Too Cool took on Goodfather and Buchanan in tag team action. Rikishi wound up sneaking into the ring and dropping Goodfather, which gave Scotty the win.
Buchanan and Goodfather had a match against the Acolytes on the following Raw. Suddenly, Val Venis appeared at the head of the ramp with a chair in his hands. Goodfather got the win, and then Val hit the ring and leveled both Acolytes before shaking hands with the rest of the RTC.
The RTC came out on Smackdown and gloated about Venis joining them, and then went into a match with Venis, Goodfather, and Buchanan taking on Rikishi and Too Cool. In the end, Eddie Guerrero sprayed Rikishi with mace, which let Venis hit a powerbomb on Scotty.
Raw opened with Buchanan and Goodfather wrestling the Dudleys. The match ended when Richards sneaked in a Steviekick and Buchanan got the pin. Things got interesting as the Dudleys and RTC were brawling post-match when the Acolytes ran in on the side of the Dudleys.
On Smackdown, Val had Scotty Too Hotty. Sure enough, it didn’t take long for Goodfather and Buchanan to join Richards at ringside, which brought out Grandmaster Sexay to (kind of) even the odds. Venis won, and then the entire RTC beat down Too Cool.
Later, Buchanan and Goodfather took on the Acolytes. It didn’t take long for Too Cool to come down and observe from ringside. Bradshaw got the pin before a brawl started, and that brought out the Dudleys and all three teams ran the RTC out of the ring.
That brought us to Unforgiven, where the Dudleys and Acolytes teamed up to take on the RTC. Richards hit a Steviekick, and Val got the win. After the match, Richards was put through a table.
The next Monday was Raw’s debut on TNN, and Chyna was in the ring to promote her Playboy issue. The RTC hit the ring to tell everyone not to buy it, and that brought Eddie Guerrero out to back Chyna up.
Later in the night Val had an Intercontinental title match against Eddie. After Chyna ripped Richards’s pants off on the outside, Val was caught in a rollup by Eddie, who kept his title. A furious Richards covered himself up with his shirt as Eddie and Chyna grinned all the way up the ramp.
Chyna had a match against Richards on Smackdown, and Richards was prepared with a censorship robe. Chyna stripped to her underwear and then pinned Richards with a DDT.
Eddie and Chyna took on Richards and Venis on Raw. The RTC wound up disqualified after Venis dumped Eddie to the outside, where Buchanan and Goodfather were waiting. Then Austin wandered out and stunnered Goodfather. And Buchanan. And Richards. And Eddie.
Smackdown saw Buchanan, Goodfather, and Venis vs. Eddie and the Acolytes. Goodfather wound up catching Guerrero with a clothesline for the win, and then Chyna and the Acolytes ran the RTC out of the ring.
On Raw Eddie and Chyna took on Goodfather and Val. Things were going well until GTV took over the Titantron and aired a video of Eddie leaving the shower – where Victoria and Mandy still were. Chyna left the ring, and Eddie was easy prey for the RTC. Then Venis and Goodfather set up Chyna for a Steviekick, but she was able to counter with a low kick on Richards. That brought Billy Gunn out to even the odds.
The main event of Smackdown saw the Rock defeating Val to retain his World title. He wasn’t able to celebrate for long, however, as Kurt Angle ran out and attacked the champion after the match.
Val had Road Dogg on Monday night. Richards tried to interfere, but Naked Mideon ran out and kept him from it. Still, as the referee investigated what was going on, Val hit a low blow and got the win.
Smackdown saw Eddie trying to do two things – call out Billy Gunn, and reconcile with Chyna. Chyna slapped him, and then the RTC showed up to again chastise her for the Playboy spread. A Steviekick later, Chyna was on the ground. Billy Gunn tried to help, but it didn’t take long for the RTC to take him out of the equation.
That brought us to No Mercy, where the Dudley Boys were hosting a table invitational. It opened with Too Cool vs. Lo-Down (D’Lo Brown and Chaz). D’Lo accidentally putting himself through a table brought out Raven and Tazz. Sexay went through a table and the Dudleys came out to eliminate Tazz. That brought out Goodfather and Buchanan, and the Dudleys wound up putting Goodfather through a table for the win.
Later that night Gunn and Chyna took on Val and Richards. Eddie wound up blasting Chyna with a loaded bouquet of flowers to give the RTC the win.
Raw saw Lita and Trish competing in a bra and panties match for the Women’s title. The RTC interrupted the post-match fun to introduce their newest member – Ivory, who talked about what women should be.
Val took on Billy Gunn later in the night. Despite Eddie Guerrero and Richards’s best attempts at interference, Gunn still took the win.
The RTC came out on Smackdown and discussed the Rock’s “pie” catchphrase. That brought out the Rock, Chyna, and Billy Gunn and the match was on for later that night.
Later, Richards, Venis, Goodfather, and Buchanan took on Rock, Gunn, and Chyna. Rock finally wound up locking the Sharpshooter on Buchanan for the win.
On Raw, Chyna was taking on Eddie Guerrero for the Intercontinental title. Richards sneaked in and blasted her with a Steviekick to give Guerrero the win. That brought Gunn out to attack Eddie, who cleared out with his new manager Chynette (the Kat).
Later, Buchanan, Goodfather, and Ivory took on the Hardys and Lita. A Stevenkick gave Ivory the win over Jeff.
Later still, Richards challenged Gunn to a match, and if Richards won, then Gunn could no longer call himself Mr. Ass. An IC title shot from Eddie gave Richards an easy win.
An emboldened Richards took another chance on Smackdown as he asked the Undertaker to join them. Undertaker gave Richards a Last Ride and then took off up the ramp – nearly running over the rest of the RTC with his motorcycle in the process.
Next we had a four-way match for the Women’s title – Lita vs. Trish Stratus vs. Jacqueline vs. Ivory. Edge & Christian slipped in and leveled Lita, which gave Ivory an easy win and the belt.
Venis and Eddie took on Chyna and Gunn later in the night. Val started the match by ordering Gunn to change his music, since his name was already censored. Chyna wound up pinning Eddie for the win.
Raw opened with Venis taking on the Undertaker to seek revenge for Richards. Venis soon fell prey to the Last Ride and the Undertaker had the win.
Later in the night, Goodfather and Buchanan had a Tag Team title shot against the Hardys. Edge and Christian’s interference was immediately stopped by the Hardys. Jeff was going for his Poetry in Motion move when Richards held up a title belt and Jeff ran into it. Goodfather covered him for the win and the belts.
Buchanan and Goodfather defended their belts against the Dudleys on Smackdown. Things looked bleak for the censors until Venis nailed Bubba Ray with the title belt. Goodfather got on top of him for the win.
Raw saw the Hardys and Lita taking on Goodfather, Buchanan, and Ivory with the Tag Team and Women’s titles on the line. Jeff had a pin when Goodfather pulled the referee outside and punched him to earn a DQ. Val then joined the fun as the RTC obliterated their opponents.
Steven Richards, however, wasn’t there. He was at WWF New York, spreading the RTC message to the fans.
The Dudleys and Hardys had the RTC on Smackdown. Matt wound up getting the win, then Richards Steviekicked a title belt into Bubba Ray’s face. The RTC leveled their opponents then celebrated in the middle of the ring.
That brought us to the Survivor Series. The RTC’s first match saw Ivory successfully defend her title against Lita after Lita missed with a moonsault.
Then we had a four-way tag team match. Buchanan and Goodfather vs. Edge and Christian vs. the Dudleys vs. the Hardys. Jeff pinned Goodfather, and then the RTC wound up put through tables.
The RTC had a unique match against the Dudleys on Raw – the RTC put up the Tag belts, and the Dudleys put up their tables. Richards wound up pulling D-Von off Goodfather, which the referee saw and DQ’d the RTC.
Later in the night, Ivory defended her title against Molly Holly. A Trish Stratus DDT on the floor put Molly out, and Ivory got the easy win.
Smackdown started with Val taking on K-Kwik (Ron Killings). Buchanan and Goodfather came down to neutralize Kwik’s partner Road Dogg, and then Venis got the pin after a Richards DDT on K-Kwik.
Richards and Venis had K-Kwik and Road Dogg on Raw. K-Kwik won with a superplex on Richards.
Smackdown saw Kwik and Road Dogg rewarded with a Tag title shot against Buchanan and Goodfather. The referee wound up ejecting Richards, but still missed a title belt shot from Ivory that gave Buchanan the win.
Buchanan and Goodfather had a title defense against the Hardys on Raw. Before the match, footage was aired from the same match at the Rebellion European pay-per-view, where Venis had interfered to ensure the RTC kept the belts. The referee started the match by sending all extra RTC members to the back. The RTC got the win after the Dudleys made their way down to the ring wearing shirts and ties like the RTC.
Later, Val had an Intercontinental shot against Billy Gunn (now going by The One). The match ended when Chyna got caught clotheslining Venis. That led to a brawl where Ivory wound up choking Chyna out.
Venis and Ivory had Chyna and Billy Gunn on Smackdown. Ivory wound up blasting Chyna with her title belt, and Val got the win.
Richards and Venis came out to celebrate the addition of the Dudleys later in the night. It was a trick, however, as the Dudleys wound up putting Richards through a table.
That brought us to Armageddon. Val had Chyna to start the RTC’s night and wound up winning after she got distracted by Ivory.
The next event was a four-way Tag Team title match – Buchanan and Goodfather vs. Edge and Christian vs. the Dudleys vs. K-Kwik and Road Dogg. Edge wound up pinning Bubba Ray for the win and the titles.
Later, Ivory defended her Women’s title against both Trish Stratus and Molly Holly. It ended when Molly powerbombed Trish but Ivory picked up the pin to retain.
Chyna called out Ivory on Raw, and that led to a Women’s title match that ended when Venis and Richards hit a spike piledriver on Chyna. The RTC celebrated as she was stretchered out.
Later in the night, Jerry Lawler took advantage of the opportunity to introduce the Memphis crowd to their franchise’s XFL cheerleaders. The RTC came out to break that up, and then they found themselves in a match against K-Kwik, Road Dogg, and Lawler. Lawler’s fist drop wound up giving another victory to the King.
Smackdown saw Ivory defending her title against Lita. Lita was doing well until Dean Malenko made his way down to ringside to observe. Malenko wound up helping Lita back into the ring – and an Ivory suplex for the win.
Val took on Billy Gunn later. Ivory wound up trying to blast Billy with her title, but he shoved her down, kept the belt, and clocked Val with it – in front of the referee. Oops.
Buchanan, Goodfather, and Venis had Gunn and the Dudleys on Raw. Ivory distracted Gunn long enough for Venis to put him away.
On Smackdown, Ivory defended her belt against Jacqueline. Jacqueline had just gained control of the match when Richards, Goodfather, and Buchanan made their way out. As the referee threw them out, Jacqueline was distracted enough to fall victim to an Ivory schoolboy. After the match, the Acolytes came out and ran the RTC off.
Buchanan and Goodfather had the Acolytes on Raw. Venis wound up appearing and DDTing Bradshaw, then Buchanan hit his scissors kick for the win.
Also, Jim Ross talked with Chyna, who was in a cervical collar. She talked about how the piledriver had injured her, and hoped she would be able to come back.
Smackdown had a unique look at the RTC. Venis was dressed as Jim Ross and Ivory was Chyna as they redid the interview from their point of view.
Later, Buchanan, Goodfather, and Ivory took on the Acolytes and Jacqueline. Venis tried to climb into the ring, but Jacqueline stomped his hand. That gave Ivory the opening she needed to get the pin. After that, everything broke down into a brawl until Billy Gunn came out to help the Acolytes clear out the RTC.
Raw saw the Acolytes and Gunn taking on Buchanan, Goodfather, and Venis. Gunn wound up getting the pin, and then tried to get Venis up for a spike piledriver, only to have Val saved by the RTC.
Smackdown saw the Dudleys taking on Buchanan and Goodfather in a match to determine the #1 contenders that would face Edge and Christian at the Royal Rumble. D-Von got the win after outside interference from Edge, Christian, and Richards.
Val also took on Gunn later in the night. Val got the win, and then the RTC prevented a piledriver on Ivory.
On Raw, Chyna did another interview where she discussed her therapy, and then we got a lumberjack match between Venis and Gunn. Gunn wound up with the win, and the RTC cleared out.
The Hardys and Billy Gunn took on Goodfather, Buchanan, and Venis on Smackdown. A Steviekick put Matt down for another RTC victory.
Raw opened with the Hardys and Lita taking on Richards, Venis, and Ivory. The match opened with footage from Heat where Ivory issued a challenge to Chyna. Chyna wound up coming out and distracting Ivory, which gave Lita the win. Chyna then accepted the challenge for the Rumble.
On the January 18th Smackdown, Val took on Test. William Regal, on commentary, wound up blasting Test with a chair, then rolling him back in for a Venis victory.
Next, Lawler introduced us to the Chicago XFL cheerleaders. RTC representatives Richards and Ivory broke that up and then Chyna came out and leveled Ivory while Lawler kept Richards busy.
That brought us to the Rumble. Chyna faced off against Ivory, but wound up aggravating her neck injury and being stretchered out again.
In the Rumble match, Buchanan (#2) found himself being quickly eliminated by Jeff (#1) and Matt (#3) Hardy. Goodfather was #14, and was almost immediately eliminated by the Rock. Val made his way in at #20, and got eliminated (along with almost everyone else) as Undertaker (#25) made his entry.
The next night Ivory defended her title against Molly Holly. Ivory wound up getting the win with a little help from Richards.
Smackdown saw Buchanan and Goodfather taking on Hardcore and Crash Holly. Ivory accidentally blasted Buchanan with her belt, which gave Hardcore the opening he needed for the win.
Val Venis faced off against Steve Blackman on Raw. With a little help from Richards, Venis got the win. That brought out Buchanan and Goodfather to help in the beatdown, but Hardcore Holly made the save.
Later, the Acolytes, Hardys, and Buchanan and Goodfather had a match to determine who got a title shot on Smackdown. The Hardys wound up with the win.
Later still, Jacqueline and Lita were wrestling for a shot at Ivory’s Women’s title on Smackdown with Ivory on commentary. Both women suddenly stopped the match and attacked Ivory instead.
That meant we had a three-way dance between the women on Smackdown. The match ended when Lita hit a moonsault on Jacqueline and got pitched out of the ring by Ivory, who got the pin.
Later, the Kat came out and said that she would give the crowd what they wanted – full frontal nudity. She made it to her underwear before the RTC interrupted and put the censorship robe on her.
On Raw, the Kat came out wearing a raincoat and accompanied by the Acolytes. She talked about the Right to Nudity and then started to drop the coat. The RTC hit the ring, and the Acolytes intercepted them all except a furious Richards. The Kat kissed him and then got clocked by Ivory before getting up and chasing her to the back.
On Smackdown, Richards explained the RTC’s point of view to Kevin Kelly just before the Acolytes, Jacqueline, and the Kat faced off against the RTC (minus Val). Ivory wound up pinning the Kat.
On Raw, the Kat was at WWF New York, entertaining the crowd. The rest of the RTC confronted Richards about her, and Richards only told them that he had a plan.
Raven was defending his Hardcore title against the Big Show on Smackdown. First Raven’s Ninja (Tori, AKA Terri Powers) ran in. Then the 24-hour defense rule kicked in as Kaientai (Taka Michinoku and Funaki) came in for a shot. Then Albert. Then K-Kwik. Then Val. Then Tazz. Then Hardcore Holly. Then, finally, Steve Blackman. Raven cleared out without losing the belt.
On Raw, the Acolytes had taken the Kat to DéjàVu, a local strip club. She joined another dancer on stage, then Ivory and Richards covered her up while Val, Goodfather, and Buchanan took care of anyone who disapproved of this course of action.
Later, Richards and Ivory dragged the Kat out to the ring to confront her. Lawler left the commentary booth to try and help her. In the end, the RTC offered him a match at No Way Out – if Lawler won, she could get naked without any repercussions. If the RTC member of Lawler’s choice won, then she belonged to the RTC. Lawler accepted and chose Richards as his opponent.
The Kat had a Women’s title match against Ivory on Smackdown. The Kat was distracted as Goodfather, Buchanan, and Venis came out. Lawler left the commentary position and was swiftly Steviekicked by a familiar-looking member of security. The RTC beat down Lawler before security could break it up.
That brought us to No Way Out. Richards wound up getting the pin and the RTC quickly took custody of the Kat.
On Raw, Lawler and the Acolytes took on Venis, Goodfather, and Buchanan. As the rest of RTC was distracted by keeping the Kat in line, Lawler was able to hit the fist drop for the win.
That was it as far as the Kat and Lawler were concerned, as the Kat was released from her contract and Lawler quit the WWF to support his real-life wife.
On Smackdown, Richards was interrogating Val Venis. The RTC finally came out to the ring and Val confessed that he’d slipped up with a woman. The RTC offered their forgiveness, and then the Acolytes offered a beatdown.
Ivory defended her Women’s title against Lita on Raw despite massive interference from both the RTC and the Hardys.
Chris Jericho defended his Intercontinental belt against Val on Smackdown. The Acolytes came out and helped even the odds against RTC, which helped Jericho to retain.
The RTC had Jericho on Raw in a handicap match and easily won.
Buchanan and Goodfather had Grandmaster Sexay and Blackman on Smackdown. Tazz locked Richards in the Tazmission, which left an easy win for Blackman.
Richards took on Tazz on Raw. Val Venis dropped the referee and got locked in a Tazmission. Then Tazz switched and locked it on Richards. Then the Rock ran in and leveled Tazz.
Later in the night, Ivory taunted Chyna in preparation for their upcoming match at Wrestlemania. Chyna dropped Ivory with a DDT, and then cleared out before Goodfather and Val could make the save.
On Smackdown, the RTC said that Tazz would be the next to be censored. Tazz bounced Richards’s head off the commentary table, and locked on a Tazzmission. Goodfather and Buchanan tried to break the hold, but the Acolytes came out to send the RTC packing.
Tazz took on Val in a lumberjack match on Raw. Tazz wound up getting the win.
On Smackdown, the Acolytes were taking on X-Pac and Justin Credible. Right to Censor hit the ring as Tazz left commentary to help out the Acolytes. X-Pac wound up with the win (after an RTC attack), then the RTC turned their attention to roughing up Tazz.
At Wrestlemania, everything fell apart for the RTC. The Acolytes and Tazz defeated Venis, Goodfather, and Buchanan. Also, Ivory lost the Women’s title to Chyna.
The next night on Raw, Val was taking on Kane for the Hardcore title. Kane got the win, and then Buchanan and Goodfather hit the ring to attack. That brought out Undertaker to even the odds.
Kane and Undertaker took on Richards, Buchanan, and Goodfather on Smackdown. Regardless of the odds, Undertaker got the win.
On Raw, the RTC tried to convince Raven to join them, but he refused. Because of that, Val had Raven in a match later on, and wound up winning after a Buchanan scissor kick.
Chyna defended the women’s title against Ivory on Smackdown. Needless to say, Chyna won easily, and then disposed of Richards.
Test took on Val later, and wound up winning. After the match, Buchanan and Goodfather got into a fight. Then Val and Richards got involved and we had a four-way brawl.
Richards had a talk with Jonathan Coachman on Raw where he assured Coachman that everything was fine and that he would be taking the Hardcore title later that night.
Needless to say, despite the best efforts of the entire RTC, Richards didn’t have a prayer once Undertaker got involved.
The RTC took on the Acolytes and Kaientai on Smackdown, and lost. Val Venis, in particular, seemed extremely frustrated by that.
Richards pumped up the troops on Raw. It didn’t help, as Buchanan and Goodfather lost again to Kaientai.
On Smackdown, Vince McMahon made a special handicap match – Venis, Goodfather, and Buchanan vs. Undertaker. Richards wound up getting himself added as well. In the end, Richards got pinned after a Last Ride, and the rest of the RTC walked out and left him laying.
Analysis
For a one-note gimmick like the RTC started to be, it had a long run. Everything seemed to be going well until the Kat angle had to be dropped. After that stumble, the group (which had just about run its course anyway) never really seemed to recover.
(As an aside, the Kat angle was rumored to be that she would seduce each member of the RTC to shatter the group.)
However, the run was not perfect. After Goodfather and Buchanan dropped the tag belts, they never got near them again. Instead, they wound up feuding more with the Acolytes (which is a pairing that makes sense).
Ivory had a good run as the Women’s champion, but didn’t really have any feuds of note.
As for Val, he would have been interesting as the Intercontinental or Hardcore champion. Perhaps especially Hardcore – as he could find new, moral ways to defend the belt each week.
Overall, the RTC had a good run as a top heel group. Unfortunately, in 2001 they had to disband to make way for the new heel group. WCW was coming.
Where are they now?
Steven Richards returned to his Stevie name and became Kronik’s manager during the Invasion. After they were released, he became a multi-time Hardcore champion. By 2002, Richards had joined forces with Victoria and proclaimed himself the General Manager of “Stevie Night Heat.” In 2005, Richards was injured during the debut match of Chris Masters. He returned for the ECW One Night Stand pay-per-view as Big Stevie Cool and reformed the Blue World Order. Today, Richards remains with the WWE as part of the ECW roster.
Bull Buchanan was sent back to Ohio Valley Wrestling after the RTC broke up. He would briefly return to WWE programming in 2002 while teamed with John Cena as B2 (B Squared). He was released soon thereafter and now competes in All Japan Pro Wrestling. He is part of the Roughly Obsess and Destroy faction with Taka Michinoku, Jamal, D-Lo Brown, and Taiyo Kea.
The Goodfather returned to WWE programming at the 2002 Royal Rumble as the Godfather. Later that year he was released and now is the general manager of a Las Vegas gentlemen’s club.
Val Venis also returned at the 2002 Royal Rumble. During the brand extension, he found himself drafted to Smackdown. By the end of the year, Venis had begun tagging with Chuck Palumbo, but soon went out due to injury caused by a gym accident. He returned to Raw as Chief Sean Morley, GM Eric Bischoff’s assistant. Morley was later fired by Bischoff, but rehired by co-GM Stone Cold Steve Austin as Val Venis. Today Venis remains on Raw, sometimes tagging with Viscera.
Ivory returned as part of the Alliance, managing the Hurricane and Lance Storm. In 2002, Ivory served as one of the trainers on the second Tough Enough. She was drafted to Smackdown during the brand extension and began appearing at various locales to promote local house shows. In November, she was traded to Raw for the Big Show. She spent the rest of the year tagging with Victoria. During 2003, she also served as a trainer on the third Tough Enough. In 2004, she spent time working as a trainer at Ohio Valley Wrestling, and also began hosting WWE Experience with Todd Grisham. After Experience was cancelled in 2005, Ivory was released. Today Ivory continues wrestling on the independent scene under her given name of Lisa Moretti.
The Kat (Stacey Carter) continued to manage Jerry Lawler on the independent scene until they separated in July of that year. They later divorced. Today Carter has left the wrestling industry completely and is now involved in real estate.
Next Week
A WWF tag team makes a surprise return after nearly a decade.
