World Wrestling Entertainment – McXal’s WWE TV 2000-2002 Compilation
It was during the 2000-2002 period that I would consider myself a pretty dedicated WWE fan. I watched all the ppvs, taped Raw and Smackdown every week to watch and caught up with the secondary shows (Heat/Velocity/whatever else they were calling it). Unfortunately the product pretty consistently declined during that time and in mid-2002 I discovered Ring Of Honor (the promotion I have been following and writing ever since). Once I started university in 2003 I didn’t have the channels that carried WWE anymore, and have never really consistently watched the company ever since. However, from my time taping the broadcasts of Raw and Smackdown from 2000-2002 (they aired Friday and Saturday nights in the UK - I didn't always watch as it went out) I actually put together a little compilation of some of my favourite moments and matches. Whilst clearing out some old stuff I actually found this old VHS tape – and since I’ve just finished reviewing the ppvs from 2000-2002 it felt appropriate to check this comp out too. Looking at my match-listing, some of the stuff everyone will remember rather well. It has the Power Trip vs Jericho/Benoit quad tear match, the Angle/Benoit Steel Cage Match, the Austin/Benoit WWF Title matches, TLC 3 and TLC4, the Guerrero/RVD fan-invades-the-ring Ladder Match, Guerrero vs Edge in a No DQ Match and the memorable Edge/Mysterio vs Angle/Benoit Tag Title 2/3 Falls Match. There are also some matches I really don’t remember at all, and can’t wait to check out – like Edge vs Chris Jericho in a Cage from July 2002. The ‘memorable moments’ include HHH screwing Jericho out of the WWF Championship in April 2000 and the Heyman/Vince confrontation right before Survivor Series 2001. This should be fun, albeit fun had it rather shaky, VHS-quality image and sound. Commentary will come from the likes of Jim Ross, Jerry Lawler, Michael Cole, Paul Heyman, Tazz and more…
Triple H vs Chris Jericho – WWF Title Match
Raw (17th April 2000) – Holy sh*t was Jericho ever over at this point! This was actually the opening segment of this particular episode of Monday Night Raw, so it’s a pretty hot start. Hunter is defending the ‘honour’ of his wife after Y2J had persistently called Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley all manner of inappropriate names…and is then lured into defending the championship as well.
Jericho grabs a microphone to run down Stephanie some more then skips merrily out of the ring to make sure HHH can’t attack him before the match. He’s also invested in the APA to make sure no-one else from the McMahon-Helmsley regime interferes! Having thoroughly outsmarted the ‘Cerebral Assassin’ so far Y2J enjoys a hot start to the match. The springboard dropkick to the apron knocks Helmsley to the floor, with the deafening crowd right behind him. Triple H’s power starts to come to the fore though – with him repeatedly punching and striking at the challenger to gradually halt his momentum. Chris’ mouth is busted open from repeated blows to the face…and has his skull drilled into the mat with a running DDT soon after. ROPE RUN ARMDRAG by Jericho! A missile dropkick floors the champ again seconds later, and the crowd pops for Jericho’s comeback are literally so loud you can’t hear the commentators at all. WALLS OF JERICHO! Referee Mike Chioda is accidentally bumped as Hunter escapes…and he doesn’t see Shane McMahon crotch Y2J on the top rope seconds later. The Acolytes pursue Shane out of the arena as Steph slips her husband the title belt! Jericho grabs it and nails Hunter with it! Earl Hebner runs in (even he gets a deafening pop) to assume the officiating duties despite having serious issues with the McMahon-Helmsley regime. LIONSAULT! IT’S OVER! Jericho wins the WWF Championship at 08:37!
Rating - *** - Obviously it was more basic than the Last Man Standing Match they had at Fully Loaded 2000, but for a free TV match this was heaps of fun. HHH’s moveset hasn’t changed a whole lot, but compare his lean, mean, purposeful and snappy heel performance here against the top-heavy, lumbering, so-injured-he-can-barely-walk performance at Armageddon 2002 and you can clearly see how much he deteriorated after the first quad tear. Of course it helps that the World Wrestling Federation was still peaking in early 2000, meaning the crowd went batsh*t over everything. Jericho could easily have been WWF Champion at this stage, such were his responses from the live audience. He gave a commanding, Rock-esque performance as a babyface opponent to the dominant champion.
Of course, people don’t really remember too much about the match itself - just the angle that followed. The pop for Jericho’s win is incredible, but it’s short-lived. When we comeback from the commercial break HHH intimidates Earl Hebner into reversing the decision. Two weeks after his heel victory in the WrestleMania main event this segment made sure Hunter was so crazily over as the bad guy people were literally salivating at the prospect of The Rock taking the belt from him at Backlash. As an aside, some of the wildly personal insults being hurled between HHH and Jericho seem a little too close to the bone for a kayfabe exchange.
Triple H vs Tazz
Smackdown (20th April 2000) – I seem to remember including this one for the historical significance of the WWF Champion and ECW Champion squaring off. Mike Awesome had just signed for WCW whilst still holding the ECW Title, and it was only all manner of legal injunctions which stopped him actually taking the belt to WCW with him. Scrambling around in turmoil, Paul Heyman and Vince came to an agreement where the WWF would loan Tazz back to ECW – providing a hugely memorable moment for ECW on TNN when the Human Wrecking Machine returned to his old stomping grounds to dethrone Awesome and regain the ECW Championship. Both companies hated WCW so it was certainly of mutual benefit. Unfortunately it also meant that Vince for the ECW Title on HIS show instead…and promptly booked this match so he could put his champion over ECW’s – in Philadelphia no less.
Tazz looks like he thinks this is pretty sh*tty business, and it’s compounded by Jerry Lawler completely burying ECW on commentary. HHH blocks some of Tazz’s signature suplexes but the tenacious ECW Champion chases him out of the ring to slam him on the floor. Back in the ring he hits a Saito suplex after a few minutes of getting outwrestled. Overhead Tazplex countered…so Tazz hits a northern lights instead for 2. TAZMISSION! Stephanie is on the apron to distract the ref as Helmsley frees himself with a low blow. Tommy Dreamer is here!! Loud EC-DUB chants for that! He accidentally whacks Tazz with a chair though – handing HHH victory at 05:49
Rating - ** - The match was much more competitive than most of Tazz’s matches with upper echelon WWF performers at that stage…but that was pretty much the shallowest of lip service when you are burying another company’s champion both in the ring and on commentary. I seem to remember Vince admitting during the ‘Rise & Fall Of ECW’ DVD that he actually regretted booking this. It really soured what was a super-cool move by the WWF to loan Tazz to ECW whilst they got the belt off Mike Awesome. The ECW half of this angle is far better. Tazz’s comeback and title win is such a cool moment. As was the moment Dreamer beat him for the belt…then instantly dropped it to Credible.
Hardy Boyz vs Edge & Christian – WWF Tag Title Ladder Match
Raw (25th September 2000) – This was a huge match designed to create some buzz for Raw’s debut on TNN after the move from the USA Network. The Hardyz had just defeated Edge & Christian for the Tag Titles in a violent Steel Cage Match the previous evening at Unforgiven 2000 so none of them go into this rematch particularly healthy. Can they recreate their No Mercy 1999 magic?
Edge & Christian amusingly try to climb up the ladders before the Hardyz even get into the ring. The champions have to sprint to the ring to hit a LADDER ENFORCED double Poetry In Motion! Matt, heavily bandaged, then dropkicks the ladder into both of their groins before Jeff makes a dash for the belts! The challengers drive Matt into a ladder, right onto his injured ribs to cap off a chaotic opening two minutes. LADDER SANDWICH BODY AVALANCHE ON JEFF! E&C climb for the gold only to be simultaneously smashed off their ladders by the Hardy Boyz wielding one massive super-ladder! Matt climbs the huge ladder – only to be shoved ribs-first into the top rope. Jeff hangs from the belts…as Christian removes the ladder and catapults him into a SPEAR OFF ANOTHER LADDER BY EDGE! Think the WrestleMania 17 finish only not botched! Lita runs in swinging a chair at Edge, only to be decked with Christian’s reverse DDT. Matt has had a head wound sustained at Unforgiven opened up…as on the outside Edge flies off another ladder into a diving clothesline on the younger Hardy. Christian inches towards the belts only to be ambushed with a BACK DROP DRIVER OFF THE LADDER! Both guys nearly wiped out on the ropes there too! ACE CRUSHER OFF THE LADDER from Edge to Matt! LIGERBOMB OFF A LADDER BY MATT! He has a chair jabbed into his busted ribs before he can climb though! The challengers position ladders either side of Matt’s ladder now…and climb up after him looking for a Con-Chair-To. JEFF AND LITA SHOVE THEM OFF! Matt grabs the belts, and the Hardyz retain at 11:22
Rating - **** - Compared to some matches in the TLC era this may come off as underwhelming…but this was free television. It was also the night after they’d kicked the crap out of each other in a pay-per-view Cage Match. To ask these four to go out there in a Ladder Match, knowing what they’d have to do to their bodies to live up to the legacy of Summerslam 2000, WrestleMania 16 and No Mercy 1999, seems a little inhumane to me. Credit to them, they once again risked their bodies and unleashed a barrage of stunning high spots and sickening bumps. Clever wrestling and sensible production meant they were actually bumping several rungs further down the ladders than they usually would – but that doesn’t mean it wasn’t still another brutal instalment in this rivalry. A forgotten Ladder Match which deserves a lot more praise than it gets. It’s also where the finish to TLC2 at WrestleMania 17 that everyone remembers was born…
Triple H/Chyna/Billy Gunn/Road Dogg vs Chris Benoit/Eddie Guerrero/Dean Malenko/Perry Saturn
Raw (6th November 2000) – This was a one-night-only reunion for D-X, before HHH turned on Austin and revealed himself to be the mastermind behind the Survivor Series ’99 hit and run later in the show. I remember liking this almost solely because Chyna was included. It’s easy to bust on her given some of the choices she went on to make in her life, but I still think her part in D-X’s legacy is unfairly diminished by the WWE machine. She, HHH and the New Age Outlawz formed the second incarnation of the D-Generation X stable (along with X-Pac) which ran from 1998-1999 in the aftermath of Shawn Michaels’ loss to Steve Austin at WrestleMania 14. They face The Radicalz, whom (in kayfabe) HHH had helped to bring from WCW earlier in the year. They also use a pretty bad ass mash up of the classic D-X theme and Run DMC’s ‘The Kings’ to make their entrance.
Gunn and Road Dogg (who hadn’t teamed for several months at this point) enjoy the reunion and joke amongst themselves as they decide who will start. Billy starts with Guerrero – who the crowd hate so much they would rather slate him than cheer D-X. Gunn quickly brings Chyna in as she looks for some revenge on her former fiancé. A swinging neckbreaker sends Eddie scuttling to his corner. Benoit takes over on RD with a crisp backbreaker and shows off his array of super-stiff, extremely crisp spots and wrestling holds. The Radicalz start isolating Dogg – prompting him to make a hot tag to Gunn. JR’s commentary reminds me that this was around the time WWF tried calling him ‘Billy G’ which was hilariously awful (though no better than ‘The One’ – which they ran with for far longer). He hits Malenko with the Fame Asser for 2 before everyone starts piling in for a bit of a brawl. HHH hits the Pedigree on Malenko for the win at 05:10
Rating - ** - Insignificant of course, but rather fun for a filler multi-man tag on Raw. The D-X reunion was warmly received, the crowd nearly blew the roof off the arena anytime Eddie and Chyna were in the ring together, Benoit got to look like a machine before HHH (who was the biggest star by some distance at this point) predictably finished things off. More of a moment than a match anyway…
Steve Austin vs The Rock – WWF Title Steel Cage Match
Raw (2nd April 2001) – This was the Raw after WrestleMania 17. The Rock had been screwed out of the World Wrestling Federation Championship the previous evening after Austin joined forces with Vince McMahon. It essentially brought the ‘Attitude Era’ to an end with Austin back on top of the company in an alliance with Vince, whilst Rocky was set to depart for Hollywood. He had one more date though, and tonight looks for revenge and looks to get his belt back as he once again faces the Rattlesnake…this time inside a cage.
The cage can’t confine the hatred between these two it seems…as Austin slams the door into Rock’s face and the brawl spills straight out to ringside. Rock looks angrily down at the title belt before clubbing Stone Cold with it to bust him open in the first minute. It means that the defending champion is a bloody mess before the two men even make it into the ring. He succeeds in driving Rocky into the mat with a spinebuster and wildly pummels him…with Vince scuttling around the ring to get him a steel chair. He tries to recreate the WrestleMania finish except this time Rock COUNTERS to the Sharpshooter! Austin taps but it isn’t seen as Mr McMahon had the attention of the ref! PEOPLE’S ELBOW! This time Vince lunges into the ring to break the count, making you question what the point of a Cage Match actually is. ROCK BOTTOM! Vince breaks the count again before decking the ref – so Rock tosses the boss into the Cage then locks him in the ring with them. The Rattlesnake saves his new friend from a Rock Bottom by smacking Rocky in the balls…and starts beating the sh*t out of him as Vince abuses the ref. HHH’s music hits and he storms in through the door brandishing the signature sledgehammer! HE HITS ROCK! Considering how intense the Austin/HHH feud was the crowd are suitably shocked then loudly jeer as Vince and the Two Man Power Trip assault The Rock. They all drink beers over the broken body of The Rock as the show goes off the air. I guess this goes down as a non-finish at 10:28
Rating - *** - The problem after WrestleMania 17 wasn’t the Two Man Power Trip. This was a seriously hot angle, the crowd were into it and it was probably preferable to another Austin/HHH feud so soon after their epic clash at No Way Out 2001. The problem was that they chose to feud them with Undertaker and Kane, who weren’t over as main eventers and couldn’t deliver the goods in the ring. Obviously this isn’t a patch on their WrestleMania clashes, but for a free TV rematch and a vehicle to deliver a couple of crucial plot points that would shape the product over the coming months (the formation of the Power Trip and Rock being written out) it was extremely effective.
Steve Austin/Triple H vs Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit – WWF Tag Title Match
Raw (21st May 2001) – From the formation of the Two Man Power Trip we leap forward to this, the last night of their existence. To set the scene, we are a night removed from Judgment Day 2001. At that ppv Jericho and Benoit formed an unlikely team and emerged victorious from a #1 contendership tag gauntlet (despite Benoit having competed in a Three Stages Of Hell Match with Angle earlier in the show). The same evening saw HHH lose his Intercontinental Title to Kane in a Chain Match, but Austin retain the WWF Championship in a snoozefest against Undertaker. Finally we got the feud people wanted to see when the Power Trip formed after WrestleMania. Finally we had Jericho and Benoit in the main event slots they’d seemed destined for. Can they succeed where the Brothers Of Destruction failed and rescue the Tag Titles from the Power Trip?
Considering what Benoit went through at Judgment Day he quite rightly allows Jericho to start the match for their team…though Austin flies out of the gates and quickly beats him into the corner. The Crippler makes his way in to kick lumps out of HHH then turns to give the same treatment to the WWF Champion as well. The Power Trip try to join forces to take out Benoit…and very nearly see Austin succumb to the Crossface! HHH saves with a chair shot to the spine whilst the ref is preoccupied arguing with Y2J in the opposite corner. Hunter also throws the Wolverine into the ring steps to do yet more damage, once again out of sight of the official. The champions are rampant now, looking to grind Benoit into the dirt in a sea of hard-hitting moves and near-constant rule breaking. Triple H starts working submissions as the crowd rallies behind Benoit. They are at a fever pitch as Benoit lands a desperate German suplex then lunges into the hot tag to Jericho…only for the ref to miss it! PEDIGREE ON BENOIT! But Earl Hebner is on the outside trying to control a wild brawl between Austin and Y2J! Jericho saves Benoit with a missile dropkick and screams at him to finally tag him in! Here comes Y2J, countering the Thesz Press into the WALLS OF JERICHO! HHH SAVES! AND SNAP GOES THE QUADRICEP! The Game can’t walk so hops over to the announce table and hauls Y2J onto it! WALLS OF JERICHO ON THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! ON A MAN WITH A TORN QUAD! FLYING WOLVERINE ON AUSTIN! STONE COLD STUNNER! JERICHO SAVES! LIONSAULT GETS KNEES! STUNNER COUNTERED TO THE LIONSAULT! HHH ACCIDENTALLY BLASTS AUSTIN WITH THE SLEDGEHAMMER! NEW CHAMPIONS! Jericho pins Austin to win the Tag Titles at 13:55
Rating - **** - A red hot formula tag match, with one of the most incredible conclusions to a match in the history of Monday Night Raw. The last few minutes were completely insane and, though folklore seems to further exaggerate the extent of HHH’s injury (by this point people tell it like he wrestled an hour draw with two broken legs and one arm tied behind his back) his courage to power through with his involvement in the finish despite such a devastating injury is commendable. The pain on his face as Y2J applies that Walls Of Jericho on the announce table is oh so real. There are some legal man issues, and I’ve seen a lot of people over-rate this due to its historical significance or HHH’s gutsy performance. Those are some minor criticisms, this is a strong match – and one of the most famous American televised matches of all time.
Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit vs Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian – WWF Tag Title TLC Match
Smackdown (24th May 2001) – After defeating the Power Trip on Raw, Benoit and Jericho were immediately punished by being booked to defend their newly-won Tag Titles in the first ever free-to-air TLC Match. They were joined in TLC3 by all the veterans of the first two so stand across the ring from a plethora of multi-time Tag Champions infinitely more experienced as a unit and in the environment they’ll be competing within. For Benoit it caps off a brutal few days (remember Smackdown is taped on Tuesday nights) which saw him compete in what amounted to FIVE matches at Judgment Day, a draining main event on Raw and now one of the most dangerous matches the WWF has. And people wonder why his neck gave out on him during this match.
The three TLC veteran teams all surge across the ring to attack Benoit and Jericho – the invaders into ‘their’ match. Of course, E&C break away and try to sneak the belts without anyone noticing. Bubba blocks Poetry In Motion by THROWING a ladder into Jeff’s flying body…before Benoit grabs him for a SNAP SUPLEX on the same ladder! Matt powerbombs Christian off a ladder and is then shoved off it into the top rope alongside Edge by the Wolverine. This is being fought at a frenetic pace at present, as Benoit scales the ropes…AND GOES THROUGH A TABLE MISSING A FLYING WOLVERINE TO THE FLOOR! Jericho appears to be fighting solo now, and grabs Bubba Ray for a FLYING BULLDOG FROM THE TOP OF A LADDER! Tazz has abandoned commentary and gone to check on Benoit, who has apparently suffered injured ribs on that table bump and is about to be stretchered out. Back from commercials with Jericho chasing Edge up the ladders looking to grab the belts. WALLS OF JERICHO ON THE LADDER! Christian saves by hurling Y2J all the way to the turnbuckles. CHRISTIAN TOSSED TO THE FLOOR by the Dudleyz! D-Von then takes out Matt with a hiptoss off the ladder. SUPERPLEX OFF A LADDER FROM BUBBA TO JEFF! With everyone down Benoit hobbles back down the aisle clutching his injured ribs. He is ambushed by Christian and Edge with a CON-CHAIR-TO TO THE RIBS! Wassup Headbutt on Edge by the resurgent Dudley Boyz. Jericho comes at them with chair shots, but they survive that and set Christian up for a 3-D OFF A LADDER THROUGH A TABLE! Matt socks Bubba with a TV monitor whilst Jeff wrestles with a colossal ladder on the outside. He climbs up a smaller ladder next to it…LADDER LEAPFROG LEG DROP THROUGH THE F*CKING ANNOUNCE TABLE! The hang-time on that was insane. In the ring Matt levels D-Von with a TWIST OF FATE OFF A LADDER! Jericho rushes the ring just as Matt looked set to grab the belts for the Hardyz then climbs the ladder himself. EDGE JUMPS FROM ONE LADDER TO ANOTHER WITH A SPEAR! Benoit scuttles into the ring with his ribs in agony – and climbs up to grab the belts, winning the match for his team at 18:27 (shown).
Rating - ****1/2 - This will be controversial but I actually prefer this to TLC2 from WrestleMania 17. It didn’t have the multiple run-ins, and everything was clean as a whistle. Despite getting more time they seemed to move FASTER, with spots and bodies flying at you non-stop for almost twenty minutes. The addition of Jericho and Benoit also helped freshen things up. I loved the start with the TLC veterans attacking them as invaders in their match, and I thought Jericho brought plenty of the awesome spots he’d used at his Royal Rumble ’01 Ladder Match (with Benoit) into play well. The use of Benoit was fantastic too. He sold the ribs superbly well, and looked a bedraggled mess as he struggled up the ladder to finally win the match. Spot of the match goes to Jeff’s leapfrog leg drop through the announce table though. That was absolutely amazing and should be included in all the highlight reels you see for TLC Matches.
Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit – WWF Title Match
Raw (28th May 2001) – We are now in Calgary, a week removed from Benoit and Jericho’s emotional Tag Title win and physical destruction as part of TLC3. HHH is on the shelf, but Vince and Austin still want to get revenge on the plucky Canadian duo. Since they survived TLC with their Tag Title reign intact Stone Cold takes matters into his own hands tonight. He defends the WWF Title against Benoit in his home country. The challenger has his ribs taped to sell the injury he sustained in the last match.
Fink gives us super-special in-ring introductions for some reason. Austin instantly kicks, shoulders, stomps and knees at the ribs – quickly resorting him to a writhing and heaving mess on the canvas. Benoit is keen to end it early and locks the champion in the Crossface! Perhaps because his ribs prevent him from wrenching back on the hold Stone Cold is able to find the ropes. Austin recovers by sending him ribs-first into the steps…but to the delight of the crowd the Wolverine bounces back to apply the SHARPSHOOTER! Austin has suffered in that hold many times before and has to flee the ring to recover from it. Perhaps foolishly Benoit gives chase…then gets punished with a gourdbuster over the guardrail. SUPLEX INTO THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! Austin smirks as the table doesn’t break beneath them before hauling the challenger back into the ring for an abdominal stretch. COUNTERED TO ROLLING GERMANS! AVALANCHE GOURDBUSTER BY AUSTIN! He blocked a superplex and dropped the Wolverine from the top rope straight onto his battered ribs. And it’s followed with a superplex from the champ for 2. STUNNER! But Vince is arguing with Hebner and inadvertently stops him counting the pinfall…so Benoit comes back by nailing Austin with his Tag Title belt! Stunner COUNTERED TO THE CROSSFACE! Vince tries to get Stone Cold disqualified by dragging Hebner out…but the ref refuses and shoves him on his ass! Knee to the ribs by the Rattlesnake! CRIPPLER CROSSFACE ON BENOIT! The bell rings! It’s a Calgary screwjob, Vince has ordered the bell to ring even though Benoit didn’t tap…and Austin retains at 11:13
Rating - **** - Everyone remembers the fantastic Smackdown rematch (rightly so), but this one gets overlooked. Granted the Survivor Series ’97 finish was a little irritating but the match before it was awesome. Austin was SO good in 2001, and worked the ribs like a motherf*cker. Benoit sold them so well, and was such a natural babyface in his own country, that they were drawing monster pops for pretty much everything they did. This truly was an amazing few weeks of television.
Chris Jericho runs in and puts Austin in the Walls Of Jericho, as Benoit slaps Vince in the Crippler Crossface. Both of them tap wildly as Raw goes off the air!
Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit – WWF Title Match
Smackdown (31st May 2001) – We are now in Edmonton (Benoit’s hometown), where Austin granted him an immediate rematch after the controversial ending to his first challenge in Raw – despite Vince trying to give Stone Cold the night off. It’s been a gruelling two weeks for the Crippler and he comes in with both rib and neck injuries to contend with. Can he cap off one of the hottest periods of his career with a WWF Title win in his hometown? Before the match his task becomes even more difficult as Vince McMahon inserts himself into proceedings as ‘guest enforcer’.
Realising the odds are stacked against him, Benoit doesn’t wait for Austin to complete his normal entrance routine and quickly stomps him to the ground. Austin hits back at him with a few shots at the neck, then a swinging neckbreaker. Clearly he is aware that the Wolverine’s neck is starting to become an issue…and Benoit defends that body part savagely by going straight to the Crippler Crossface! He repeatedly applies his signature hold until the champion leaves the ring clutching his shoulder in pain. Austin tries to get himself disqualified by using the title belt, but after the ref is knocked aside Benoit DDT’s him onto the gold! FLYING WOLVERINE…but Austin shoves the belt into his face a’la Chris Jericho at Backlash 2000! With the challenger knocked loopy Stone Cold turns on the Canadian crowd (and targets Benoit’s ribs) as he cranks the Crippler into a Sharpshooter. There are some brilliant facials from Steve here, portraying his deranged, crazy and frantic desire to keep the title perfectly. Chris fights out but is knocked back to the ground again with a low blow at ten minutes. SUPERPLEX by Benoit, drawing a massive pop from his hometown fans! Stone Cold cranks up the intensity by hauling him out of the ring for a gourdbuster into the announce table. It causes obvious damage to the already-injured ribs…and when the Canadian crawls out he is picked up again. HEAD DROP GOURDBUSTER INTO THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! Next he is tossed ribs-first into the steel steps as more punishment is piled onto the injury. WALLS OF JERICHO on Benoit! And when the challenger crawls out of that Austin is on hand to deliver a succession of hard shots to his head and neck too. ROLLING GERMAN SUPLEX FLURRY! TEN GERMAN SUPLEXES! CROSSFACE! Vince has to act to save the match…but as he runs into the ring with a chair Benoit kicks him in the balls and wears him out with it! Austin snatches Benoit for a roll-up, with the tights, to take the win at 19:39
Rating - **** - If I gave quarter stars this would obviously get an extra quarter. It’s a phenomenal match, complete brilliance from both wrestlers and also excellent work from both the TV network and WWF’s producers to get all of this match onto the television broadcast unedited. Austin was on another level at this point, giving one of the best in-ring showings of his entire career in this match. The way he carried his character, the way he attacked Benoit’s injuries – EVERYTHING he did was absolutely perfect. You seriously couldn’t find a thing to fault about him. In truth it was only the crappy finish which stopped me giving this an extra half star. Everyone loves this match, and I’ll add my voice to the massive list of internet critics who wish this would have been non-title so they could have given Benoit a popular victory in his hometown. The pop for his win would have been such a memorable moment.
SIDENOTE – Up next is more of Chris Benoit. The man was on a phenomenal run before the injuries he’d been collecting finally caught up to him at King Of The Ring 2001. Watching all these great matches of his, one after the other, has been tough to sit through though. As tremendous as his in-ring skills are, the horrifying circumstances surrounding the deaths of himself and his family do cast a shadow over proceedings every time you see him. I do my best to compartmentalise things when I see his matches. Steve Austin produced one of the greatest performances of his career in that last match. Many of Kurt Angle’s finest moments were produced with him too. Is it fair to those guys that we no longer enjoy THEIR brilliance inside the ring because of the way their opponent chose to end his life? However, being pummelled with one Benoit match after another in this compilation has made the aforementioned compartmentalisation increasingly difficult. Seeing him on repeat like this has made me more and more distressed with every match that passes. Your heart breaks for the innocent lives he took. And for the professional wrestling industry which Benoit sacrificed so much for and contributed so much to…only to leave a stinking black mark over it. I need a break before watching anymore of his matches...
Kurt Angle vs Chris Benoit – Steel Cage Match
Raw (11th June 2001) – These two had spent the spring months of 2001 locked in an intense feud. They’d shared wins at WrestleMania, Backlash and Judgment Day and tested each others strengths in a variety of special stipulation matches by this point. Just two weeks ahead of Benoit’s WWF Title shot at King Of The Ring (along with his partner Chris Jericho in a triple threat), he is thrown into a Cage to settle the score with his old rival Angle. Steve Austin is at the commentary table, almost corpsing and breaking out into big grins as he tries to intimidate Jim Ross.
Angle takes Benoit DOWN as soon as he gets into the cage. It was a mere glimpse into how lethal the man can be as an amateur wrestler, and he follows it with a succession of belly to belly suplexes. He then repeatedly tosses the Canadian’s face into the cage. Benoit recovers with rolling snap suplexes, so Kurt focuses on his suspect ribs – delivering a flurry of gutwrench suplexes. Angle wants to escape the cage but is caught on the top rope (not turnbuckle) for a BOUNCING GERMAN SUPERPLEX! Foolishly Chris tries to climb the cage himself, only to be caught and shoved to the ground. That was a needlessly big bump for a guy who’s neck was hanging by a thread. Angle Slam scores but rather than win Kurt opts to put an exclamation point on it by climbing up the cage. MOONSAULT OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE…MISSES! Both men are slow to their feet before Benoit snaps into action with the ROLLING GERMANS! It’s the Crippler’s turn to scale the cage now…but as he looks to escape he is confronted with the sight of Austin standing beneath him brandishing a steel chair. Benoit turns around instead. FLYING WOLVERINE OFF THE CAGE NAILED! Stone Cold then tries to prevent him from walking out the cage door to win too…as Angle recovers to apply the ANKLELOCK! Austin slams the door in Benoit’s face as he looks set to escape! Kurt doesn’t want to go near Austin either, and opts to climb over the other side of the cage to win at 14:29
Rating - **** - Low end 4* rating for this one. I’d not seen it in years and it wasn’t actually as good as I remembered. However, for free television this was absolutely crazy stuff. The real selling point of this was that it was a strong match in it’s own right, but it was also doing a great job of selling the forthcoming pay-per-view. Austin was so entertaining on commentary he almost became a distraction, and the inventive ways he found to interfere in the match without actually barging into the cage were lots of fun. Inside the ring the cage didn’t really add much to the usual levels of Benoit/Angle goodness, but it did provide the platform for two absolutely ridiculous high spots which people still remember to this day. Kurt’s missed moonsault off the cage looked beautiful (in the most painful of ways), whilst Benoit’s diving headbutt was an almost moronic thing to do considering how bad his neck was. Plenty of fun to be had here, albeit the quality of the actual wrestling isn’t what I recalled.
Kane/Chris Jericho vs Lance Storm/Mike Awesome
Raw (9th July 2001) – I believe this is the match which triggered ECW’s entrance into the Invasion angle. Otherwise I have no idea why this is included. It was originally supposed to be Undertaker in a handicap match against Storm and Awesome (of WCW) but he has gone to hospital with his wife after DDP gave her a Diamond Cutter. Kane replaced his brother…and Y2J stepped up to represent the WWF and partner him. Awesome is Hardcore Champion at this point.
Kane and Jericho start strongly against Awesome…until Y2J gets distracted going after his former friend Lance Storm on the apron. Thanks to Heyman, Jericho and Storm’s history is really emphasised as the WCW team join forces to start isolating Y2J. Chris does for a Lionsault but gets Storm’s knees in his gut…and is tossed across the ring with a belly to belly from Awesome moments later. Tag to Kane who powerfully beats down both opponents. Walls Of Jericho on Storm! TOMMY DREAMER AND ROB VAN DAM ARE HERE! It’s a DQ win for the WWF guys as ECW attack at 07:05
Rating - ** - A perfectly competitive formula tag. Jericho and Storm looked brilliant whenever they got into the ring together, and Awesome looked perfectly decent too. How he didn’t make a career for himself in WWE remains a mystery to me. He had what seemed like the perfect mix of size, power and athleticism needed to be a huge star.
Van Dam and Dreamer soon join forces with the WCW guys (both former ECW wrestlers of course) to attack Kane and Jericho. The ‘WWF cavalry’ arrives to the aid of their comrades. It’s Raven, Rhyno, Tazz, the Dudleyz and Justin Credible. What might they have in common?? Paul Heyman screams in delight as they ALL TURN ROUND and maul Jericho and Kane. The crowd rapturously chant ‘ECW’ which adds to the frenzied atmosphere. Paul E. gets into the ring and calls himself a ‘sell out’ for sitting next to JR on commentary and talking about ‘WWF Attitude’…then proclaims that the ‘Invasion’ is now being taken to the extreme.
SIDENOTE – Still an incredible moment, even when you know how crappy the whole angle eventually became. Sadly ECW had their balls chopped off soon afterwards when Stephanie McMahon was positioned as the new ‘owner’ and they joined forces with WCW.
Austin Appreciation Ceremony
Raw (20th August 2001) – This was the night after Summerslam 2001, where Austin barely escaped with the WWF Championship via an extremely contentious DQ decision after a superb clash with Kurt Angle. The Alliance, despite losing control of the WCW Title to The Rock (as it was THEIR top belt surely that should have been their biggest priority??), decided to celebrate by giving Stone Cold his own ‘Appreciation Ceremony’. The results were rather amusing and an unlikely highlight of the Invasion angle.
Paul Heyman, Stephanie McMahon and Debra are inside the ring, whilst the majority of The Alliance roster are at ringside ready for Stone Cold to make his entrance. Hurricane, Kanyon and Debra all have amusing gifts for their ‘leader’, before Heyman reveals a video montage of some of his greatest moments since joining the Alliance. The centrepiece of the ceremony is Stephanie McMahon, who has arranged for the entire Alliance to sing him a song to show their gratitude. It is a hysterically bad (Raven nearly steals the show with his line) modification of ‘Wind Beneath My Wings’ led by Steph and her shrill voice. Austin isn’t happy that Tazz (who was starting to pack on the pounds) is wearing one of his shirts rather than Austin merch…as Kurt Angle’s music hits and he drives a milk truck down the aisle. Channelling Austin himself in the Attitude Era, he hoses the entire Alliance down with milk.
SIDENOTE – I still laugh when I see this skit. It’s pretty juvenile, but it’s good fun without being overly tasteless, debauched or extreme. In terms of this compilation it’s also a welcome break after over an hour of constant Benoit…
Paul Heyman/Vince McMahon Confrontation
Smackdown (15th November 2001) – This was the go-home Smackdown before the ‘Winner Takes All’ Survivor Series of 2001 which ended the Invasion angle. By this point everyone was well aware the whole thing had tanked. Heyman, though, managed to retain a shred of his dignity by being given a live microphone and authorisation to air as many grievances as he wanted at Vince McMahon. The result was an absolutely breathtaking promo, packed with emotion and heart. A CM Punk-esque ‘Pipe Bomb’ years before those became a thing – and it truly deserves to be seen. It must be on Youtube somewhere and is well worth checking out.
SIDENOTE – Imagine how much more vicious this would have been if ECW had been kept as a separate entity in the ‘Invasion’ storyline – and WWF had forked out to bring Bischoff in to front the WCW faction. Seeing Paul E. rip Bischoff apart would have been electric. We’d have to wait until One Night Stand in 2005 to see that…
Undertaker vs Rob Van Dam – WWE Undisputed Title Match
Raw (20th May 2002) – As I’m such a documented hater of Undertaker’s Undisputed Title run, you’re probably wondering why this one is included. It isn’t a great match, but I am a big RVD fan, so the finish has something to do with its inclusion…more on that later. To set the scene, the rosters had been split, the Raw brand was desperately low on wrestling talent and Undertaker’s main focus was two Smackdown guys (HHH and Hulk Hogan). To keep him over, they threw popular young Raw superstars in front of him on Monday nights – albeit with the dangled carrot of ‘helping them get over’. At this point he was 24 hours removed from winning the belt from Hogan at Judgment Day ’02.
RVD doesn’t wait for Taker to get into the ring and instead flies at him with a pescado. The match officially begins with him snapping the champ’s knee over the top ropes then propelling himself at him with a springboard heel kick for 2. Jumping guillotine leg drop off the guardrail scores next in a dominant start for Mr Monday Night. Last Ride blocked but Rob still finds himself levelled with a big boot to the face. The Phenom had already inflicted a facial injury to Van Dam earlier in the night, and starts attacking the injury again with repeated punches and some rakes across the face. The addition of facial bruising actually gives psychological depth to Undertaker’s plodding, predictable ‘barely sell then use minimal offence outside of punches and kicks’ formula. Rob tries to trade strikes with him in the corner…and after easily getting outpunched he switches to his lethal kicks – nailing a spinning heel kick into Rolling Thunder. VAN DAM WINS! The match is over at 05:57! Unfortunately Undertaker’s foot was on the ropes…and Raw GM Ric Flair runs in to demand the match be restarted. Remember he was heel by this point, so this is supposed to be ironic considering he allowed a defeat against Austin at Backlash to stand despite the same thing happening. Van Dam socks Flair in the mouth, but turns around into the Last Ride! Now Taker retains at 06:12 (total).
Rating - ** - An energetic performance from RVD, and to give Undertaker some credit I’ve seen him produce much lazier performances than this. He certainly wasn’t working very hard to HELP Van Dam, but it seemed like was ok with Rob bumping around like crazy to get over. Pretty much the only reason I included this is because I was a huge RVD mark, and seeing him get announced as Undisputed Champion was really cool. At this point I never believed WWE would ever actually give him the WWE Championship (as they eventually did in 2006) so I thought this was as close as you’d get to seeing it. I seem to remember they pulled the same finish with Van Dam again later in the year, except with HHH and the World Heavyweight Title. Flair’s cameo was amongst the most entertaining parts of the match though – because the crowd was totally on board with the self-referencing, ironic humour considering the Austin/Undertaker finish at Backlash.
Eddie Guerrero vs Rob Van Dam – WWE Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
Raw (27th May 2002) – A week after coming agonisingly close to becoming WWE Champion, Van Dam’s consolation prize was another shot at regaining the Intercontinental Title from his rival Eddie Guerrero. Latino Heat made his ppv return at Backlash 2002 and took the IC belt from RVD – and retained it in rather unsatisfactory fashions at both Insurrextion and Judgment Day. This was the end to their rivalry (it was more of a rivalry than a heated ‘blood feud’ so to speak)…
Keep your eyes on the crowd for this one. As usual these two start at a blistering pace and the fight is soon outside the ring where the challenger escorts Eddie straight into the ringpost. Corkscrew leg drop off the apron scores…so Guerrero responds by whipping Van Dam HARD into a nearby ladder! The force of the impact actually breaks the ladder making it extremely difficult for Eddie to use it as a weapon as he attempts to do so. He settles for whacking RVD’s knee with a chair instead. Guerrero spends several minutes on offence, and has weakened his opponent so much that Rob visibly struggles to execute his tumbling monkey flip spot…and is quickly powerbombed into the canvas seconds later. BASEBALL SLIDE INTO A LADDER! MOONSAULT OFF THE APRON – THROUGH THE LADDER! Van Dam explodes back into the contest with two huge moves…as Chris Benoit marches through the crowd brandishing a ticket so he can watch the conclusion of this one from ringside. Back from commercials with Guerrero crashing a ladder into Van Dam’s face. He tries to go for the belt only for RVD to springboard kick THE LADDER, causing it to collapse under the defending champion. Cartwheel moonsault on the ladder next…and then it’s Rob’s turn to climb for the gold. Eddie chases up the other side…SUNSET FLIP BOMB OFF THE LADDER! Eddie tries to climb for the ladder, but a FAN runs into the ring and shoves him off! Guerrero looks pissed and punches him in the face before security drag him out. A potentially dangerous situation ends rather comically…and Eddie is off up the ladder again. SLINGSHOT SOMERSAULT SENTON FROM THE TOP! Once again he hammers down on RVD’s legs with a chair. Silly old Rob sells that by SURFING A CHAIR into Guerrero’s face! SPLIT-LEGGED MOONSAULT THROUGH THE LADDER! MONKEY FLIP INTO THE LADDER! Then it’s time for some ladder-enforced Rolling Thunder as well! Guerrero dropkicks his leg from under him as he tries to climb again (psychology!). This time RVD’s method of selling is to deliver a VAN DAMINATOR! He climbs the ladder for the Five Star…but the ladder and his knee give out under him! Eddie covers for him by going to the top rope, where Rob can jump and kick him all the way to the guardrails! Van Dam then grabs the belt at 17:52 (shown)
Rating - **** - I can't pretend this one didn’t have its problems. The equipment malfunctioned meaning the climactic spot was blown. Van Dam’s selling, despite Eddie’s best efforts, was it’s usual shade of dreadful. And they even had to contend with a lunatic fan doing a run-in as well. Plenty of people mark this one down as a result – but personally I still find this to be a hell of a match. Thanks to the TLC-era trio (and later the Money In The Bank concept) singles Ladder Matches can now be extremely difficult to pull off successfully. Benoit and Jericho had a good one at the start of ’01 – mostly by beating the absolute sh*t out of each other, but more often than not they wind up like Edge/Christian at No Mercy ’01 – i.e. perfectly decent but flat and heatless because they don’t have a whirlwind of suicidal high spots. The singles Ladder Matches that work tend to be ones where the two workers try to tell a story to add significance to the spots, since they can’t compete with Jeff Hardy doing a Swanton off a super-huge ladder, through a stack of tables at WrestleMania. Eddie and Rob did that extremely well. The first half of the match referenced their feud superbly, with familiarity counters, their trademark fast-pace start and a gradual increasing of the violence-factor before the ladders finally came into play. They kept dialling up the intensity, they had a number of innovative ladder spots pre-planned (Eddie’s slingshot ladder hilo was utter brilliance), Guerrero working Rob’s knee was a great idea even if RVD sucked at selling it. There was a lot to like through the majority of the match. At a stretch, Eddie’s work on the leg even made the blown finish make sense. What I’m getting at is that, whilst I understand why plenty of critics have marked this one down, I thought it had a lot of the hallmarks of a really strong Ladder Match and deserved to be rewarded as such. It’s fun to watch Eddie at his very best despite multiple circumstances conspiring against him if nothing else.
Eddie levels RVD with the ladder after the match so he doesn’t get to celebrate…before Guerrero’s own moment of triumph is ruined by Steve Austin – who comes out and stomps lumps out of him. Flair and Arn Anderson take some licks too…before Chris Benoit hops into the ring to take out Stone Cold! The Radicalz have reunited! If only Austin hadn’t have left to see this feud through!
SIDENOTE – Last time we saw Benoit he had been feuding with Austin over the WWF Championship. He absolutely hated Austin, then missed a year of his career thanks to neck injuries he sustained largely through battling the Rattlesnake. It made absolute sense that he’d return to assault Austin. Surprisingly solid long term booking from the creative guys here.
Kurt Angle vs Edge – Steel Cage Match
Smackdown (30th May 2002) – So with Raw’s major undercard feud settled with a Ladder Match on Raw, we go over to Smackdown for their equivalent. Whilst the ‘old guard’ of Austin, Hogan, Undertaker, HHH and Flair were sucking the life out of main events these two had saved two consecutive pay-per-views with a couple of brilliant matches. Just as RVD and Eddie enjoyed on Raw, they now get their chance to shine with a main event grudge match on television. Angle successfully defeated Edge at Backlash, only for the Canadian to win the return Judgment Day match – earning the opportunity to shave Angle bald in the process. Who wins the rubber match?
The Hart family are at ringside as guests of the WWE a week after Davey Boy Smith’s death. They witness Edge surprisingly out-wrestle Angle in the opening exchange then continually knock him off his feet as the pace quickens too. Kurt, still wearing his whacky toupee here, takes the first trip into the cage but recovers strongly and dodges Edge…who was looking for a Spear so subsequently charges shoulder-first into the mesh. Belly to belly suplex by Edge though – he just keeps beating Kurt at his own game it seems! Angle breaks out the big guns and grabs his opponent by the waist to toss him around with a trilogy of German suplexes. He then repeatedly brains him against the cage causing his forehead to lacerate. Edge-O-Matic scores, as does the Faceplant even though Edge’s blood is starting to form noticeable pools on the white canvas. He inadvertently strikes the ref meaning he’s on the mat as both competitors scramble up the ropes. FLIPPING BACK SUPERPLEX BY EDGE! He tries to escape the cage only to be dragged back with an AVALANCHE OLYMPIC SLAM! Angle climbs out and wins the match…but there’s no ref to see it! Hulk Hogan comes out, stumbles like an idiot down the aisle and begins slamming Kurt’s face into the cage! He then deposits him back inside – and with the official still unconscious it means the match continues. Back from commercials with Kurt landing the Angle Slam for 2 (having nearly lost to a Spear during the break). OLYMPIC SLAM BY EDGE! ANKLELOCK! Unfortunately Kurt knows how to escape his own submission hold and easily does so before tying Edge’s leg in the ropes! The Canadian barely frees himself in time to stop Kurt climbing out…and crotches him on the door! ROPE RUN BELLY TO BELLY SUPERPLEX COUNTERED WITH A TOP ROPE SPEAR! Edge wins at 14:35 (shown).
Rating - *** - I didn’t like the overbooking in this, and the cage actually served to restrict what they could do together rather than enhance it. This was still an enjoyable addition to their feud, but unlike the Guerrero/RVD feud, they had their best matches on pay-per-view. I didn’t buy into this as a ‘blood feud’ as it had always been about the wrestling before this. Hogan’s involvement was embarrassingly slow and clumsy and, whilst the eventual finishing spot was AMAZING, it took far too long to set it up. Good stuff, but definitely check out Backlash 2002 and Judgment Day 2002 before you see this.
Edge vs Chris Jericho – Steel Cage Match
Smackdown (25th July 2002) – A couple of months since the last match, and once again Edge is inside a Steel Cage. This time he is looking for revenge on Chris Jericho, who interfered in his match at the Vengeance pay-per-view, helping the Un-Americans defeat he and Hulk Hogan, therefore taking the Tag Championship they’d so popularly won earlier in July.
Edge brings a shoulder injury into the match, which Jericho indicates that he will target even during his entrance. A quick cut to commercials interrupts though, and when we return we see that Y2J’s attempt to attack the aforementioned shoulder with a chair was thwarted by Edge, who baseball slid the cage door into his face. It’s enough to convince the ‘King Of The World’ that he’d rather try to sprint up the cage and leave the match now! He finds himself tangled in the ropes…but frees himself and hurls Edge shoulder-first into the cage as he lines up the Spear. He cuts Edge’s forehead on the mesh as well so it’s almost a carbon copy of the assault Kurt Angle deployed in the previous match on this compilation. The bloody head is pummelled…until Jericho makes the same mistake Edge did earlier, sprints at his opponent and is spiked into the cage to leave them both on the deck. Lionsault countered to the Edge-O-Matic for 2! SIT-OUT AVALANCHE EDGECUTION! Edgecution blocked…Walls Of Jericho blocked too! Y2J reacts quickest and catapults Edge’s bloody face back into the steel before making a break for the door. He manages to drag a chair into the ring at least – and rattles Edge’s skull with a massive swing for 2! SPEAR gets 2! Once again both men fight up the ropes, with Jericho managing to grab his rival to nail a SPRINGBOARD SUPER BULLDOG! Chris is on the way over the cage but has his hair grabbed at the last moment. ELECTRIC CHAIR DROP FROM THE TOP ROPE! Edge busts out a brutal way of hauling an opponent back into the ring! It’s a straight race now with Edge trying to climb the cage before Jericho crawls towards the door. EDGE WINS! It’s over at 13:10 (shown).
Rating - **** - An enormously fun little Cage Match, and so much better than the Angle/Edge match that preceded it on this comp. Jericho had been extremely badly treated up to this point in 2002. His Undisputed Title reign was booked so appallingly that, by the end, being WWE Champion actually HARMED his career more than it helped it. He’d been bumped off ppv, jobbed out multiple times over and was a week removed from having to lose to an extremely green John Cena on pay-per-view too. He looked like he was carrying a little too much weight, had a bit of a gut and clearly wasn’t enjoying his wrestling all that much. But it was also clear that this match lit a fire in him and he was determined to produce a good performance. Free from overbooking, and getting to work with a young, energetic up and comer whom he could really help get over, he produced a delicious heel performance. His sneak attack failed, but as soon as he’d cut Edge open he dominated. Almost everything he did involved injuring Edge’s face in some way – in an assault so good you actually FORGOT that Edge initially came in with a bad shoulder. The way they built to the high spots was great, with the electric chair from the top back into the ring being a particular highlight. It’s a shame these two didn’t get to feud to ppv at this stage because it really would have helped both of them. Unfortunately Jericho was soon switched to Raw where once again he could remain well down the card as a secondary heel…
Chris Jericho’s allies the Un-Americans attack Edge literally as soon as he reaches the floor. He is hauled back into the ring where Jericho, Test, Storm and Christian all get their licks. John Cena tries to save but is beaten up too…so in comes Rey Mysterio! CROSSBODY OFF THE TOP OF THE CAGE! Rey and Cena battle the Un-Americans as Y2J flees to higher ground!
Rob Van Dam vs Tommy Dreamer – WWE Intercontinental Title/Hardcore Title Unification Match
Raw (26th August 2002) – The competitors alone should tell you why this one was included. The IC Title had already been unified with the European Championship at this point (RVD defeated Jeff Hardy in a decent Ladder Match which I haven’t included for some reason), and whomever wins tonight will absorb the Hardcore Title and simply be the Intercontinental Champion. RVD had only just regained the IC Title from Chris Benoit at Summerslam, and now faces off with another ECW-alum in a fitting conclusion to the Hardcore Title. For what it’s worth, I loved Dreamer (and Bradshaw’s before him) custom, personalised title belts.
RVD applauds Tommy to the ring which is a nice touch. Despite it being a Hardcore Match they start trading wrestling holds, then move into a near-miss exchange which the crowd absolutely LOVE. Dreamer looks really emotional, but it doesn’t stop him popping Van Dam in the face with a dropkick. He then pulls out a Singapore cane for a WHITE RUSSIAN LEGSWEEP! The Hardcore champ tries to bring a ladder into the match too…only to get it superkicked into his face for 2. SPINEBUSTER ON THE FLOOR by Tommy! He bridges the ladder between the apron and the rails, but as he looks to Ace Crusher RVD off the apron through it he finds himself shoved face-first onto the metal! Van Dam helps himself to the ladder platform and uses it to hit a flying heel kick. Split-legged moonsault attempted only for Dreamer to get a chair up to block it. Spiccoli Driver blocked…DREAMER DDT INSTEAD! That’s followed with a sidewalk slam on the ladder! SECOND ROPE ELBOW GETS LADDER! ROLLING THUNDER THROUGH THE LADDER TOO! Five Star blocked though, with Tommy making a ladder platform in the ropes now! Dreamer gets CROTCHED in the rungs of the ladder! He then hangs there in a horrifying tree of woe as Van Dam lines up the CHAIR SURF DROPKICK! FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! RVD wins at 08:05
Rating - *** - Dreamer would have gotten way more over as a mainstream WWE star if he’d have been allowed to wrestle ECW guys every week. Here he got to work with Van Dam, who knew and respected Tommy so allowed him to do all kinds of crazy stuff. Innovating violent moves and showing an inhuman ability to absorb punishment and keep fighting was what got him over in ECW. In WWE that gimmick really would have worked too, but mostly he was a jobber who served a useful purpose because he was so good selling a beating that he made other guys look awesome. The emotion in his face as he got to wrestle an ECW-style match, with another ECW star in front of an enthusiastic crowd (in Madison Square Garden too by the way) was extremely touching. I’m not sure he had too many better matches in his entire WWE tenure.
Rob and Tommy hug as Dreamer bursts into tears in the middle of the ring.
Eddie Guerrero vs Edge – No DQ Match
Smackdown (26th September 2002) – This feud became extremely popular with both casual fans and wrestling purists alike. Edge was over as the rising star babyface, Guerrero was coming into his own as the bastard heel. Together they produced engaging, psychologically sound matches which were a pleasure to sit through at both Summerslam and Unforgiven. Tonight they settle their feud in a No DQ Match.
Guerrero is the aggressor from the start but pays for his over-enthusiasm by getting dumped on his neck with a monkey flip. He tries to pin Edge using the ropes much to the disdain of the crowd, but the commentators put over his wrestling intelligence as he scoops him into a brainbuster for an early nearfall. He shows the intellect again soon after as he catches Edge on the top rope and rocks him with a superplex. He makes a mistake though, attempting a reverse rana and finding it countered into a hot shot over the ropes. Edge brings a ladder into play…and accidentally MURDERS the ref with it! Guerrero capitalises with a chair shot to the back of the head then a second to the ribs. Frog Splash misses though! Despite that setback, Latino Heat appears to have regained the initiative and is riding Edge in a sleeper hold. Faceplant to escape that, leaving both men on the ground…but once again it’s Guerrero who recovers quickest to hit a frankensteiner. He looks for a rope walk flying headscissors only for Edge to COUNTER WITH A LIGERBOMB! Edge goes for the ladder again, and this time gets it dropkicked into his face! Apparently Eddie wants his own ladder, sandwiching his opponent between them. SLINGSHOT HILO THROUGH THE LADDERS! It seems like he wants to follow it with a Frog Splash off the ladder…but when Edge chases him up there he changes his approach. SUNSET FLIP BOMB OFF THE LADDER gets 2! BACK BODY DROP INTO A LADDER BY EDGE! Eddie seriously landed right on top of his head on that too. They fight up the other ladder now! EDGECUTION FROM THE TOP OF THE LADDER! Edge wins at 16:40 (shown)
Rating - **** - A really great match, though I do feel it is over-rated by some. The highspots after the commercial break are ridiculously good and you seriously can’t take your eyes off the screen. The first half, however, isn't anywhere near as good. Sure it’s fun watching Eddie dominate Edge…but there’s no real logic or focal point to it. He’s not really cheating too much, and he’s not really constructing any kind of story around his control. The first half does little more than point out how much better than his opponent Guerrero was. That’s not a good thing when he’s the heel and you want people to route for Edge. Nonetheless, this one is rightly regarded as one of Smackdown’s finest matches and a whole heap of fun. Guerrero was FLYING by this point in his comeback year.
Eddie gets a standing ovation, despite being a heel. That should give you an idea how awesome he was throughout this match.
Kane/The Hurricane vs Bubba Ray Dudley/Spike Dudley vs Chris Jericho/Christian vs Jeff Hardy/Rob Van Dam – World Tag Title TLC Match
Raw (7th October 2002) – Hurricane isn’t actually competing in the match so don't expect to see him. He was written out with a backstage assault earlier in the show so Kane would look stronger by defending their Tag Titles by himself. This was part of the ‘Raw Roulette’ episode, and Eric Bischoff made Kane defend the belts against all three of the TLC veterans currently on Raw. Bubba Ray, Christian and Jeff were all allowed to pick their own partners as well. Bubba’s other half brother Spike was an obvious choice for him, as was Jericho for Christian as they’d been friends and allies for a while. Hardy picked RVD as they’ve had several Ladder Matches together in the past, so he knows he can bring the goods.
Everyone attacks Kane as soon as he gets into the ring…and he pretty easily fights them all off. Jericho and Christian slink away and go after the belts before being dragged down. GUARDRAIL RUN LARIAT from Hardy finally knocks the Big Red Machine off his feet for the first time as Bubba Terry Funk’s the ladder inside the ring. The Canadians unsuccessfully try to negate his threat, before Christian is wiped out by Kane (yep, he’s up again) mows Christian down with his flying clothesline. Chokeslam on Bubba, then Spike gets PRESS SLAMMED to the floor! REVERSE DDT ON THE FLOOR from Christian to Kane! He and Y2J then take too long setting up a ladder, allowing Van Dam to SOMERSAULT SENTON SEESAW it into both their faces! LEG DROP OFF A LADDER THROUGH A TABLE by Jeff takes out Kane! As Bubba Ray simply dumps a ladder straight into Jericho’s unsuspecting face! Christian powerbombs Bubba off a ladder right before commercials! Van Dam, Bubba and Jericho all climb ladders in pursuit of the belts. BULLDOG OFF THE LADDER from Y2J to Bubba! Then Van Dam is taken out with a REVERSE DDT OFF A LADDER by Christian. Spike is hauled off a ladder too, before being body slammed over the top rope. Kane has recovered from his table bump too and scoops Hardy up for a powerslam. Little Spike frantically tries to stop him climbing…and EATS ladder as punishment. In the end Y2J stops Kane by chair-ing a ladder into the Monster’s face. Poetry In Motion by Jeff and Bubba! RVD is climbing the ropes too! VAN TERMINATOR ON KANE! Hardy then suplexes Jericho on a ladder for kicks in what amounts to a filler spot in this kind of match. TOP ROPE PRESS SLAM ON A LADDER for Christian! Hardy and Bubba climb for the gold next…SUPERPLEX OFF THE LADDER! Jeff pretty much convulses on the canvas after that rough landing and has a prime spot to watch as Bubba Ray climbs back up the ladder seconds later to stop RVD winning. Jericho tries to get the belts…ONLY FOR SPIKE TO KNOCK HIM OFF THE LADDER TO THE F*CKING FLOOR! Spike attempts the Acid Drop on Christian and is HURLED through another table on the floor. Before he can make the belts he gets the now-obligatory BUBBA BOMB OFF THE LADDER! They’ve done that in pretty much every TLC and it still looks awesome! FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH ON CHRISTIAN! But Hardy misses the Swanton on Bubba! BACK BODY DROP THROUGH A TABLE ON THE FLOOR! VAN DAMINATOR ON BUBBA! Jericho cracks Rob in the back just as he gets fingertips on the belts, then climbs after him for the WALLS OF JERICHO! Kane re-enters the fray for a CHOKESLAM OFF THE LADDER! Kane wins at 22:03 (shown)!
Rating - **** - This was voted the best match in Raw’s first decade of existence, largely by virtue of it happening about two weeks before the award ceremony. It was comfortably the worst of the four TLC’s to this point, but don’t let that take away from another stunning, death-defying and tremendously innovative display from everyone involved. In some ways things actually felt a lot fresher, as bringing plenty of new blood into the TLC environment definitely meant we got to see plenty of new spots, rather than a lot of the ‘classics’ the original trio had developed. RVD was obviously at home here, whilst Spike was actually as entertaining on offence as he was getting the crap kicked out of him. Even Kane worked damn hard. It was actually the booking which really caused me to mark this one down. I hated Kane going solo and winning here. I understand the reasons for it, but I still don’t like them. I don’t think it’s fair to ask the likes of Bubba, Christian and Jeff to go out and kill themselves in another TLC (once again on TV rather than ppv) simply as a vehicle to put Kane over. Particularly when Kane himself is just another act to be thrown under the bus to get HHH's World Title reign over too. There are better ways to put Kane OR Triple H over than risking serious injury to talents who you don’t have any direction for so therefore are expendable. Remember, right after Kane won this HHH came out to kick off the infamous ‘Katie Vick’ angle too. Superman booking, no Hurricane and a lack of regard for hard-working talent who deserved a lot more respect do detract from this a little bit.
Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit vs Edge/Rey Mysterio – WWE Tag Title 2/3 Falls Match
Smackdown (7th November 2002) – Fittingly our final match on the compilation is another visit to the Smackdown Six. The WWE Tag Title tournament final between these four was comfortably WWE’s MOTY for 2002, so naturally people were clamouring for a rematch. After Edge and Rey dispatched Los Guerreros to become #1 contenders the WWE finally got this thing booked. This time it’s under 2/3 Falls rules, and given how tough it was to separate them over one fall back in October this one could go all night!
Benoit and Angle aren’t getting along at all and immediately start to argue over who gets to start. They settle on Kurt…who is promptly bamboozled by Mysterio’s unreal speed. He also doesn’t want to wrestle Edge so rather aggressively tags out as soon as he enters. The champions do finally join forces as Kurt tugs Edge’s hair from the apron, distracting him so Benoit can jump him. EDGECUTION to counter Benoit’s Rolling Germans! Mysterio follows by Dropping The Dime for 2! Spear on Angle, then the Wolverine is hoisted upstairs. LEAPFROG SUPER RANA! ANGLE SAVES! POWERBOMB/SPRINGBOARD SENTON COMBO! Edge and Mysterio take a 1-0 lead at 05:59. Kurt isn’t happy and rushes the ring to toss Rey around with an assortment of suplexes. Benoit supplements those with a gutbuster to pile more pressure onto the little man’s midsection. He tries the same move from the second rope as well, but this time sees it countered with a second rope bulldog. Hot tag to Edge, who comes in with such fire even cameramen are getting sent flying! Spear ducked…and Benoit whacks him with one of the title belts! ANKLELOCK! As Benoit chucks Rey off the top rope! Edge taps at 09:24 to even it at 1-1. Despite more friction between then the champions stay in control as fall three begins in earnest. They have Mysterio isolated, his ribs and back in real pain, whilst Edge struggles to recover from his loss at the end of the second fall. In fact, even when Edge gets the tag and starts taking it to Angle he still stumbles around the ring clutching his head and looking disorientated. Kurt isn’t a man you should show weakness against and he promptly takes him down with a suplex. The Crippler tags in and starts working over his back. The spine is absolutely ravaged after a back superplex…so Rey hits back for his team by driving Kurt’s shoulder into the ringpost then giving him the Bronco Buster. GERMAN SUPLEX from Benoit to save! Angle Slam blocked! 619 DUCKED! Angle back drops Rey…WHO LANDS STANDING UP ON THE TOP ROPE! BACK INTO A VICTORY ROLL! REY WINS! It’s over at 15:58 (shown), despite the fact that Angle had the bottom rope during that pin. After another ad break the match is formally restarted with Rey leaping into a springboard dropkick on Angle. Benoit drills him into the mat with a back suplex to hand the advantage back to the champs. As they have done with both opponents all match, once again they start attacking the back and ribs to quickly neutralise Rey. WHEELBARROW DDT from Mysterio to escape a front facelock! He gets a crucial tag, bringing Edge in for yet another hot tag. Kurt goes straight back to the Anklelock which already had Edge tapping once! This time Edge kicks him away…INTO A 619 FROM THE FLOOR! SPEAR NAILED! BENOIT ACCIDENTALLY GETS KURT WITH A FLYING WOLVERINE! Edge wins at 20:35 (total shown)!
Rating - **** - The overbooking meant it’s not as good as No Mercy, but this was still another awesome tag team match from these four. Benoit and Angle were a phenomenally good tag team. Their styles compliment each other so well, and they looked so fluid and aggressive working over opposition body parts it’s a surprise that WWE didn’t actually try to milk a little more mileage out of them as a duo. The 2/3 Falls stipulation, combined with the rather unnecessary Dusty finish in the middle detracted from the action somewhat – but actually my biggest complaint about the lay-out was how weak it made the challengers look. I understand that Edge and Rey were strong babyfaces so the 'money' was on their peril segments then subsequent hot tags...but after the second or third lengthy beatdown on Rey, then hot tag to Edge sequence it got a little repetitive. In a 20+ minute match they didn’t spend enough time on offence so, even in victory, came off looking lucky rather than more skilled than their opponents. Minor criticisms though, as this was a hot rematch.
Tape Rating - ****1/2 - It isn't really that necessary to give this compilation a rating. It’s not for sale, and it is just a random compilation VHS tape I threw together myself more than ten years ago because I was clearing out my room before starting university and didn’t want hours of Raw and Smackdown on video tape anymore. That said, I am extremely happy that I still own a VCR, hooked up in my office. I was overjoyed when I pulled this tape out of a box and thoroughly enjoyed reviewing it. Some stuff hasn’t aged that well, the sheer amount of Chris Benoit made me increasingly uncomfortable, and some of the segments weren’t that great…but on the whole this was a great comp which packs in several of the most iconic televised matches and moments from the three year period it covers. I’ve included dates in my review so you can go out and track them down yourself, and check out any you might not have seen.
Top 5 Matches
5) Steve Austin/Triple H vs Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit (21st May 2001 - ****)
4) Kurt Angle/Chris Benoit vs Edge/Rey Mysterio (7th November 2002 - ****)
3) Kane vs Chris Jericho/Christian vs Jeff Hardy/Rob Van Dam vs Bubba Dudley/Spike Dudley (7th October 2002 - ****)
2) Steve Austin vs Chris Benoit (31st May 2001 - ****)
1) Chris Jericho/Chris Benoit vs Hardy Boyz vs Dudley Boyz vs Edge & Christian (24th May 2001 - ****1/2)