World Wrestling Federation – No Mercy 2001 – 21st October 2001
WWF simply had to put the belt on Kurt Angle at Unforgiven. After an extremely traumatic September for the American nation, there really was no option but to give their fans the feel-good moment of Kurt – clad in the red, white and blue – dethroning maniacal champion Steve Austin in his hometown, in front of all his family. It was one of the more memorable moments of the completely lacklustre Invasion angle…but that’s all it was – a moment. The title was put back on Austin a couple of weeks later on TV, the Invasion angle continued to suck with more and more WWF guys moved to The Alliance as buyrates continued to sink without a trace and the bulk of the talent they’d acquired from WCW and ECW now too buried to take as a serious threat. Essentially despite handling their product around the 9/11 tragedy with genuine dignity, the actual product itself was still in the toilet and as October came around it became very apparent. I think this was also around the time the WWF took out their much-maligned ‘new direction’ marketing campaign in the US, which was a giant lie as there was no ‘new direction’ whatsoever which presumably anyone who believed the newspaper or radio ads quickly found out. Having said all that, whilst it’s easy to bash the WWF’s sheer idiocy during this period – this ppv doesn’t have the worst line-up. The Rock defends the WCW Championship against Chris Jericho, who in the midst of the botched Invasion crap started producing a killer angle amongst themselves. Steve Austin defends the WWF Title against Kurt Angle and Rob Van Dam, who’s popularity was such that WWF decided to test the waters on a main event run for him. Below the two title matches it’s a mixed bag though. Edge and Christian contest the IC Title in a Ladder Match, Booker T gets the DDP treatment from Undertaker plus a load of thrown together sh*t. Jim Ross and Paul Heyman are in St Louis, MO.
Hardy Boyz vs The Hurricane/Lance Storm – WCW Tag Title Match
When we last saw the WCW Tag Titles on ppv they were being contested by the lumbering, clumsy foursome of Undertaker, Kane and Kronik, so this should be a serious change. Presumably the Hardyz won the titles in one of the thousands of pointless title changes during the Invasion, and the Alliance won’t be happy about ‘their’ tag titles being in WWF hands. Storm and Hurricane look to regain them for their faction tonight. Molly Holly has, by this point, joined with Hurricane to become Mighty Molly. For reasons I cannot explain, Ivory is dressed up like Francine and in the Alliance corner.
Speaking of pointless title changes, Hurricane is European Champion, which I believe he won from Matt Hardy. He starts with Jeff, throwing in plenty of superhero poses despite getting roundly beaten down. DOUBLE TEAM TKO by Storm and Hurricane for 2, and amusingly Hurricane will only tag Lance if he gives him a superhero ‘fist bump tag’. Francivory distracts the Hardyz on the floor, as in the ring Mighty Molly fastens Hurricane’s cape – getting him ready for the suicide dive from the top rope! Back on the ring he and Lance hit a suplex/front slam combo for another nearfall as they start isolating and working Jeff over (with the help of some mighty cheapshots from Mighty Molly). Whisper In The Wind floors Storm and sets up the hot tag to Matt. Poetry In Motion knock the Canadian out of the ring before Matt hops to the middle rope for the needless-amount-of-screaming guillotine leg drop. DOUBLE SUPERKICK from the Alliance members stops him hitting the Twist Of Fate. Lita runs in to spear Molly, as Jeff leg drops Ivory in the vagina. MAPLE LEAF ON JEFF! LITA-CAN-RANA saves the match! Twist Of Fate/Swanton combo on Storm wins it at 07:41
Rating - *** - For the second ppv in a row we get ourselves going with a strong tag team match featuring some really talented performers. In fact, every ‘Invasion’ ppv thus far has featured a creditable opening match performance from Lance Storm, which is probably why he was still getting booked. These four could have phoned it in and had a decent match, but Matt and Jeff noticeably went the extra mile to make their opponents (featuring their old friend Greg Helms) look good. There were enough high-flying spots and crisp double teams to keep this one exciting throughout. You’ll notice that Storm and Hurricane had started developing serious chemistry as a team, and had started getting over. Naturally WWF couldn’t allow too many ‘non-WWF’ guys to get over, or outshine the guys already on the roster (i.e. embarrass the Acolytes with their shamefully crap tag team performances) so their team would be quietly split up soon afterwards.
RVD arrives and is met by Alliance Commissioner William Regal (yes, another WWF guy now on the Alliance team). Regal wants Van Dam to apologise for frog splashing Steve Austin – a request which is unsurprisingly declined by the Hardcore Champion
Michael Cole greets Vince McMahon in the parking lot, wanting an answer to the rumours that RVD has defected to the WWF.
Test vs Kane
One of the few WWF-to-Alliance defections that was explained with any logical sense was Test. Tonight he faces Kane, who is looking for revenge after Test helped Booker T pin his brother, the Undertaker, on a recent Smackdown.
JR and Heyman seem very aware this is going to be a ‘hard sell’ on commentary from the get-go. Kane muscles Test over his head and PRESS SLAMS HIM TO THE FLOOR! That was undeniably impressive. Test retorts by levelling him with the ring bell – an act which goes unpunished by dastardly WCW referee Nick Patrick. We have several minutes of Test manhandling Kane which are largely quite dull – and end when he misses the Macho Elbow. Pumphandle Slam blocked into the millionth sidewalk slam of the match for 2. Big Boot floors the Big Red Machine on the floor – but the delay caused by getting him back in the ring means Test can’t win it there. Kane gives him a Chokeslam, but is so woozy from the Big Boot that he can’t pin right away so again it’s just a 2. He nearly drops Test on his head hitting a powerslam then misses his top rope lariat leaving him in position for Test’s Pumphandle Slam. Macho Elbow lands second time around…still just 2 though. Test is fed up of Kane kicking out of his finishers, so retrieves a chair. KANE DROPKICKS IT IN HIS FACE! I did not see that coming! After a brief altercation with Nick Patrick, Kane tries to swing the chair in Test’s face – only to take a kick to the balls. Big Boot wins it for Test at 10:09
Rating - * - The right man won, and credit to Test because he was obviously working extremely hard here. Ten minutes was simply too long for these guys though, and it felt extremely boring in the middle portion. Test’s career in general is a really tragic case of missed opportunity. He had the size that Vince likes, he was over with the crowd, and he genuinely wasn’t horrible in the ring. The problem was, he spent much of 1999-2002 working with guys like Kane, or playing second fiddle to Trish Stratus in T&A. He didn’t get much chance to improve his in-ring skills by working with the likes of Jericho, Benoit, Guerrero, Angle etc. We saw plenty of examples of his potential here, but if you don’t ever produce exciting matches people want to see then you’ll never be truly over and never be a draw for the company. This was an impressive win, but the preceding match was dull enough that nobody will remember it – rendering it worthless.
The Coach wants an interview with Stone Cold – who sends his wife/lackey Debra in his place (whilst audibly shouting at her and feeding her lines). This segment would have been funnier if Debra wasn’t so horrible
Stacy Keibler asks Matt Hardy for his opinion on her lingerie. He likes it…and is nearly busted by Lita.
Stacy Keibler vs Torrie Wilson – Lingerie Match
There aren’t any specific rules to this particular stipulation match. The competitors will wrestle in lingerie which, given who they are, was not a particularly big deal to the vast majority of WWF’s fanbase. These two came in as part of the WCW buy-out, and were so hot that they got seriously over and Vince actually had to find something to do with them. Stacy became the chief diva/b*tch of the Alliance, whilst Torrie formed a surprisingly sweet cross-factional relationship with Tajiri. Stacy and the Alliance didn’t approve, leading to a feud between the two. It was around this time that they happened to toss Stacy in with the Dudleyz (another lucky move which really snowballed), and she enlisted their help in putting poor Torrie through a table.
Both these girls’ entrance themes sound like backing tracks to a porno. Stacy is a tease, and takes her time revealing her lingerie selection from under a back silk robe. A riding crop is part of it, and she uses it to whip both Torrie and the referee. They trade nearfalls (mostly for the cheap pops of putting them in compromising positions rather than to showcase legitimate wrestling skill)…and Wilson hits a rather alarming looking snapmare from the second rope which puts Stacy on her ass. A ‘version’ of Tajiri’s handspring elbow wins it for Torrie at 03:06
Rating - N/A - I’ve ‘N/A’d this because they kept it short, both women looked absolutely beautiful and, as JR said, whatever the merits and inherent chauvinism of booking a match like this, you have to respect the courage of them to actually go out and wrestle in this attire. They obviously went out with a positive attitude and a desire to have a little fun with it, and their enthusiasm really showed.
In the Angle locker room, Michael Cole wants Kurt’s thoughts on Vince returning to WWF television and seemingly supporting Rob Van Dam rather than him. Mr McMahon’s ears must have been burning, because he drops in to wish Kurt luck.
Christian gets heat by running down local sports. He’s a better promo guy than that
Christian vs Edge – WWF Intercontinental Title Ladder Match
Given their status as masters of the TLC Match, it makes sense that these two would meet in a ladder match as part of their singles feud, albeit by this point the gimmick was growing rather stale and losing it’s drawing power. Christian cheated to win the IC Title at Unforgiven, and would become another WWF defector to the Alliance on the ensuing weeks of television. He placed a hoax call to Edge implying their mother had been in an accident (when did WWE stop referring to them as brothers?), setting him up for a gang assault helped by his new friends from WCW (Palumbo, O’Haire and Morrus playing glorified extras), which was the big catalyst for this grudge rematch.
The opening minutes are intense, albeit slightly aimless, with both athletes showing real determination as they pile into each other. Christian is the first to make a move for a ladder, but he gets it swiftly dropkicked into his own chest by his brother/best friend. They spill into the crowd with Christian taking some hefty bumps on the floor and against the hockey advertising hoardings. Looking decidedly uncomfortable after those, he manages to flapjack Edge into a ladder bridged between the steps and the rails…but his discomfort is increased still further when he gets CROTCHED into the metal rungs moments later! Is he wearing a cup? How do you protect yourself on a bump like that? Speaking of struggling to protect oneself, Christian SENTON SEESAWS the same ladder wildly back into Edge’s face which looks absolutely brutal. The 2001 King Of The Ring is pinned into the corner using the bottom rungs of the ladder, almost unprotected as Christian stands over him on the top rope wielding a chair. He busts out a last-second counter to an ICONOCLASM ON THE LADDER! He follows that with an electric chair hot shot onto the hardware as well before they both slump to the canvas. With his ribs apparently hurting him, Edge is slow to follow up allowing his former tag partner to whip him chest-first into the ladder. A second ladder is brought into play which leads to a race up to the belt. EDGE-O-MATIC OFF THE LADDERS NAILED! Seconds later Christian returns the favour with the INVERTED DDT from almost exactly the same spot on the ladders! He pulls out a couple of chairs only to be knocked away with a kick as he sets the challenger up for a solo Con-Chair-To. Edge opens up those chairs and positions a ladder between them. UGLY ASS FROG SPLASH into Christian on the elevated ladder. That looked pretty backyard and does as much damage to Edge as it did to the champion. We now have three ladders in the ring – one in Christian’s hands as he uses it to bash his brother to the ground as he makes a desperate dash for the gold. The champ climbs a ladder going after his belt…TOP ROPE SPEAR OFF THE LADDER saves the match for Edge, albeit again his execution left a little to be desired. Together the weary former Tag Team Champions drag their bodies up the ladders again…this time to fall all the way to the floor in stereo! Seemingly it’s Christian who came off better there as it’s he who makes it back to the ring first and heads back up the ladder once more. Edge dives in to save the match at the last by jabbing a chair into Christian’s balls just as he did to him at Unforgiven! He brings chairs up to the top! SOLO CON-CHAIR-TO ON TOP OF THE LADDERS! CHRISTIAN IS DEAD! Edge wins back the title at 22:15
Rating - *** - This match doesn’t have the best reputation, and whilst I understand the reasons for that, I was actually pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it. As they desperately tried to halt sliding ratings and buyrates WWF kept breaking out the supposed ‘draw’ of the Ladder Match. By this point, to my memory we’d already had Benoit/Jericho at Royal Rumble, TLC2 at Wrestlemania, TLC3 on Smackdown and RVD/Hardy at Summerslam (and that’s not including other matches, like Benoit/Angle at Judgment Day which heavily featured a ladder or ladder-related stipulation). In essence, by going to the well so many times in such a short period of time it was starting to run dry. Edge and Christian were the unfortunate victims of that, so whilst they were working extremely hard and taking some really unpleasant spills, the obvious step down in class compared to some of those previous matches meant this is a bit of an acquired taste. In the end I felt they got so preoccupied with performing elaborate, specific stunt-bumps that they completely forgot to actually tell a story with the match. I liked Christian attacking Edge’s ribs, but it didn’t really go anywhere. And I loved Edge using Christian’s low blow from Unforgiven to set up the win – but again that was a fleeting attempt at psychology amongst a plethora of extremely courageous, obviously very painful but ultimately rather shallow spots. Of the TLC trilogy, E&C were always the story-line driving force. They were the arrogant heels, the cocky idiots who you wanted to see get their comeuppance but whom always seemed to find a way to survive. The Dudleyz brought the brawling and violence, whilst the Hardyz brought the bumps. I wish they’d wrestled this match to their strengths, rather than trying to wrestle it like the Hardy Boyz. It’s not bad, and is unfairly crapped on by a lot of people. It’s just unfortunate that it came in a very strong year for ladder matches, making this one look weak in contrast.
Spike Dudley is sinking brews at WWF New York to get over being dumped by Molly Holly.
Dudley Boyz vs Big Show/Tajiri – WWF Tag Title Match
The reason Spike is at WWFNY is that he was injured being launched through a table by his WWF Tag Champion half-brothers on Smackdown. Spike was teaming with Big Show at that point, so apparently Show has recruited another ECW-alum in Tajiri to help him challenge for the gold. Tajiri himself is obviously pissed that the Dudleyz put Torrie Wilson through a table on TV recently too.
The Japanese athlete is so intent on getting revenge for Torrie that he demands to start the match for the challengers. He succeeds in landing a few of his potent kicks and a standing moonsault before finally unleashing the Big Show. The 7’2 monster drives the champions from the ring, and they’re still not safe there as Tajiri flies at them with a somersault plancha. At last a Bubba Bomb drops the tenacious Buzzsaw, handing the Dudleyz a serious advantage for the first time. They spend several minutes working Tajiri over and keeping him as far away from Show as possible. The hot tag comes after he plants Bubba Ray with a spinning DDT…with Big Show moving quickly to mow the champions down. The Dudleyz manage to knock him out, but Tajiri still takes the fight to them with kicks and the Tarantula on D-Von. 3-D COUNTERED into the Handspring Elbow! GREEN MIST! But it inadvertently goes into the referees eyes causing him to miss Big Show having the match won with a massive chokeslam on Bubba. Rhyno runs in to GORE Big Show as Tajiri comes close to winning it with the Buzzsaw Kick. 3-D wins it at 09:18 – the Dudleyz retain.
Rating - ** - Big Show took about two bumps all match, and the Dudleyz were on total autopilot. What made this match entertaining to watch was a corking performance from Tajiri. He was awesome on offence, believable and sympathetic as the babyface and broke out some awesome little spots down the stretch. Even with everyone else calling it in his workrate really elevated this.
Rhyno marches backstage to be congratulated by William Regal. The Man Beast says he’s fed up with the Alliance being treated like a joke.
SIDENOTE – I presume asking Rhyno to say that line was, in fact, part of the joke
In the WCW locker room Test and Shane McMahon are psyching up Booker T for his showdown with the Undertaker. Booker calls Taker a ‘dead sucka walking’.
Booker T vs Undertaker
Since he was entertaining, charismatic and competent in the ring, WWF fans were really starting to buy into Booker T – with a loud pop for his entrance music in the arena here. Remember, nobody the WWF picked up in their talent acquisition can be allowed to flourish without being re-branded as WWF-guys first. After months of being presented as a (mostly) creditable heel in his feud with The Rock, Booker is now next in line to get smacked into his place by the Undertaker – who has been b*tch-slapping WCW invaders around since King Of The Ring with consummate ease. Dallas Page and Kanyon have been beaten onto Sunday Night Heat and other b-shows, whilst Kronik were smashed straight out of the company. Can Booker survive the wrath of the Deadman?
Booker is apparently keen not to go out like DDP and attacks Undertaker before he even gets off his motorcycle. Unfortunately the bell hasn’t even rung yet and already we’re in the pattern of Booker T getting in a couple of offensive moves only for Undertaker to shake them off as completely ineffective and start flogging him with ‘soupbones’. JR tells me I won’t be getting any hurricanranas in this match. We also won’t be seeing Booker T emerge with much credibility either Jim, so hurricanranas really aren’t my main concern. Once again he puts together a few fleeting offensive flurries…only for Taker to dismiss him into the ringpost with ease. At least the Phenom is going out of his way to make his own offence interesting for once, as he systematically picks apart T’s arm with some clever wrestling rather than wrestle like a five year old repeatedly bashing the ‘punch’ button on a video game. Unfortunately that all goes nowhere and is swiftly abandoned in favour of him slapping Booker around in the crowd. Back in the ring Booker lands a missile dropkick…but of course Taker is straight back up punching him in the head moments later. Undertaker f*cking SUCKED during this period of his career. He lowers himself to staying down long enough for T to hit a solitary knee drop and actually lets the WCW guy counter a powerslam with a neckbreaker. Naturally he has no intention of selling those moves though…back to punch-kick-punch we go. ‘This match has had a tremendous ebb and flow’ – JR. I’ll have whatever he’s smoking. I’m not sure when they changed the definition of ‘ebb and flow’ to ‘one-sided, no-selling beatdown’. Taker clears the ring so Booker can execute the Spinaroonie, and returns to ignore Booker’s Axe Kick and line-up the Chokeslam. Booker blocks that, but gets the Last Ride and slumps to defeat at 12:12
Rating - * - If you take out the Wrestlemania match with HHH, Undertaker had an utterly dire year on pay-per-view in 2001. He has no business being in the ring if he has absolutely no interest in making his opponent look good at all. In fairness, this was at least better than the massacres of DDP and Kanyon at King Of The Ring and Summerslam (Booker was at least allowed some offence), but it’s so tedious and uninteresting to watch Undertaker plod around the ring making everyone he opposes look like sh*t because he wants to work like he’s f*cking Superman. Book had been enjoying a decent start to his WWF career, having been allowed to showcase his personality, get over with the fans, and getting to work with The Rock, who was a lot more generous inside the ropes than Undertaker. Having failed to win a handicap match at Unforgiven, and now endured the public hazing of a squash match against Taker, he’ll be left hoping he still has enough credibility and favour with the fans to attempt to rebuild his WWF career (he did, albeit he was never really a viable or consistent main event guy for them as he could have been, or indeed was in WCW).
As he heads to the ring, Chris Jericho tells The Coach that he’s going to ‘win the big one’ tonight
With a straight face, before his match JR actually criticises the bookers of WCW for not pushing Chris Jericho into the main event/World Title scene during his three year tenure with the company. Are WWF really in any position to criticise someone else for not pushing Jericho?
The Rock vs Chris Jericho – WCW World Title Match
This feud became one of the highlights of the 2001 Invasion angle, and ironically it was barely even related to the Alliance vs WWF festivities. Rock and Jericho misfired as a tag team on a post-Unforgiven episode of Raw, with Y2J hitting the WCW Champion with a chair by mistake, causing him to be pinned by Rob Van Dam. After Jericho beat RVD to become #1 contender to Rock’s belt, this was booked for No Mercy…and the issue got increasingly personal between them even as the fight for the World Wrestling Federation’s very existence raged all around them. Rocky pointed out that Jericho had never been a world champion, and consistently failed to deliver the goods when put in main events against the top guys in the company – i.e. he couldn’t win the ‘big one’. Tonight Jericho looks to shake off the ‘choker’ tag and secure his first World Championship.
It’s advantage Rock in the early exchanges, as he demonstrates his power advantage by easily headlocking the challenger – then hanging with him when Jericho tries to increase the pace. The champ’s size and strength is an imposing match for Y2J, who has to bend the rules and choke him in the ropes in an effort to soften him up. Both have attempted finishers evaded so Jericho knocks Rock out of the ring with his springboard dropkick. He wants to work on Rock’s chest and ribs it seems, dropping that body region over the rails then flying into it from the top with a flying reverse elbow for 2. Repeated backbreakers and a senton across the chest soon follow. There is a vocal portion of the audience who are cheering him on over The Rock now, and they roar with approval as he shuts down a comeback attempt from the champion by hot-shotting him chest-first into the ropes. Rocky manages to deliver a superplex but rolls away and lies on the canvas alongside his fallen opponent – apparently rendered totally immobile by the force of delivering that manoeuvre. In the end they make it to their feet at the same time…and it’s advantage Rock as he hoists Jericho into a Samoan drop then punches him all the way into the laps of Ross and Heyman. Having spent several minutes being out-wrestled by the challenger Rock has clearly decided to unsettle him by brawling on the outside. It works a treat, killing Jericho’s momentum and enabling The Rock to slow down the pace and start using his size to control proceedings.
He deposits him on the top rope and exposed to a volley of punches…but Chris knocks him away for a MISSILE DROPKICK TO THE CHEST! Apparently Jericho didn’t like JR’s guarantee that we wouldn’t see hurricanranas in the Booker/Undertaker match, as he throws himself into one on Rock for a 2-count. ROCK BOTTOM on The Rock! LIONSAULT NAILED! FOR 2! Jericho is in disbelief as Paul E. brands him a ‘choke-artist’ after another failure right there. He drives Rocky onto his chest again with a bulldog…and stands over him ominously looking for the Jericho-holics Elbow! It misses and Rock drags him to the ground for a Scorpion Deathlock! Notice that Rock isn’t arching his back to maximise the damage, having taken such a beating on his midsection already! When Y2J refuses to submit there Rock seemingly loses his patience and drags him out of the ring with the Spanish announce table in his sights. ROCK BOTTOM THROUGH THE ANNOUNCE TABLE! BOTH MEN DOWN! The Rock is the first to recover and he leads his opponent back to the ring looking to finish the job. Rock Bottom blocked…PEOPLE’S ELBOW COUNTERED TO THE WALLS OF JERICHO! Jericho screams in desperation…and boos fill the arena as Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley runs in with a steel chair looking to thwart her eternal nemesis in his hour of glory. She drops the chair in the ring…ROCK BOTTOM ON STEPHANIE! BREAKDOWN ON THE CHAIR! JERICHO WINS! He finally wins the ‘big one’, and is WCW Champion at 23:42
Rating - ****1/2 - Stephanie’s involvement at the end was admittedly frustrating, but I’d still put this up there with HHH/Austin from No Way Out, Austin/Rock from Wrestlemania and Benoit/Jericho from Royal Rumble as one of the very best matches of 2001. The overbooking on the finish let it down, but before that this was an incredible contest, featuring some of the best in-ring story-telling the WWF had done in months. Having taunted Y2J for being a choker, Rock obviously wanted to dominate him from the outset, and used his obvious size advantage (an indication of his success as a main eventer in contrast to Jericho’s shortcomings in both height and success) well. Jericho, acknowledged as an experienced and world-travelled competitor, had to use his guile to outfox the champion – and did so first by some moderate cheating then by showcasing his wrestling superiority by picking apart Rock’s ribs. The Rock sold Jericho’s offence like death (without hindering his own offensive ability) - a lesson Undertaker would do well to learn. Jericho’s strategic success was such that Rocky had to go to desperate measures (i.e. the Rock Bottom through the table) in pursuit of the victory. The way they teased Jericho choking again was also masterful. Having failed to win with the Lionsault, stolen both Rock’s finishers and been unsuccessful in a submission attempt with the Walls Of Jericho, there really seemed like Y2J had run out of options and would ‘lose the big one’ again. Even with Stephanie’s interference this remains an awesome, MOTYC-level match that you need to check out.
Jericho celebrates by taunting Stephanie, as behind him Rock recovers and picks up the chair Y2J used to beat him with. He hands over the ‘smoking gun’ as a reminder that Jericho couldn’t defeat him cleanly, then walks out
Steve Austin vs Kurt Angle vs Rob Van Dam – WWF Title Match
By this point RVD had become so over that WWF almost had no choice but to experiment with him at main event level. He stepped up to become the de facto leader of the Alliance when Stone Cold vanished after losing the WWF Championship at Unforgiven – and after William Regal joined WCW/ECW by helping Austin win back the title, newly reappointed WWF Commissioner Mick Foley tested Van Dam’s ambition by booking him into a title shot alongside the Rattlesnake and the Olympian. Austin, consumed by paranoia after losing to Angle in September, desperately appealed to RVD to help keep the title in Alliance hands (notice how the invaders don’t care about their own belt being under WWF control, and treat the WWF Championship as the ‘big prize’) – and Rob initially proved his loyalty in an incredible moment when he jumped most of the way across the ring, OVER Austin to Frog Splash Kurt. Vince McMahon, pretty-much absent from television since the Inaugural Brawl loss at Invasion, returned – conducting shady limousine meetings with the popular Hardcore Champion which pushed Austin’s paranoid rage to breaking point. He attacked Van Dam on Smackdown, so RVD gave him a Frog Splash…and the go home show ended with Vince on the Smackdown stage doing the signature ‘RVD’ thumbs. Has RVD joined the WWF? Having lost to him at the last two ppv’s, is Austin capable of beating Kurt Angle? Can Kurt get revenge for being cheated out of the WWF Championship he worked so hard to win in his hometown?
Austin tries to intimidate RVD into toeing the line and siding with him…and as they discuss business Kurt sneaks up on them and unleashes suplex after suplex. The Alliance members join forces to stave off Angle’s advances, then get into each other’s faces with the crowd raucously in Van Dam’s favour. The champion tries to beat both his challengers down at once but doesn’t have eyes in the back of his head and is soon trapped in Kurt’s Anklelock. Rob breaks it by POTATO-ING Angle hard with a dropkick, and looks to catch him nastily again when he uses a superkick to set up the Rolling Thunder. The Olympian slumps out of the ring, presumably checking the welts RVD’s sloppy kicks have caused on his face, meaning it’s Stone Cold alone in the ring looking to dominate the Hardcore Champion. He targets the leg looking to cut out Van Dam’s aerial prowess and kicking ability. It proves futile as Mr PPV scales the ropes for a SOMERSAULT PLANCHA TO THE FLOOR whilst Austin and Angle brawl on the floor. In one fluid motion he pops up and perches on the remaining standing announce table to drop a leg on the WWF Champion. MOONSAULT BY ANGLE! All three men are down and breathing hard, such is the frenetic pace of the match. RVD heads upstairs again, missing a Five Star Frog Splash as both his opponents move. German suplex on Van Dam…STUNNER ON ANGLE! Split-legged moonsault from Rob to Stone Cold…only for Kurt to drag him off into the ANGLE SLAM! The Rattlesnake drags Angle outside and onto the announce table…where Kurt blocks a piledriver to back drop him onto it. RVD wildly dives off the apron to wipe Angle out – and with all three men down once again Vince McMahon takes this as his moment to enter the fray. Angle very obviously STIFFS THE SH*T out of Van Dam – venting frustration after weeks of getting caught by his sloppy kicks. FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH COUNTERED TO THE ROPE-RUN BELLY TO BELLY SUPERPLEX! Austin crawls in to hit Kurt with a STUNNER…and he falls out of the ring! Vince levels Austin with a chair! FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH ON AUSTIN! On the floor Vince is feverishly trying to revive Angle and sends him back into the ring to stop RVD winning the title. ROLLING GERMANS…INTO THE ANGLE SLAM! Shane McMahon runs in too, tossing Kurt into the ringpost just when he seems like he had it won. VINCE AND SHANE ARE BRAWLING! STUNNER ON RVD! Austin retains in a chaotic 15:15
Rating - **** - After the cerebral complexities of Rock/Jericho, this was an unashamedly uncomplicated main event. We had three guys, all in one of the hottest periods of their career, tearing it up tossing frantically-paced spots around in a relentless fifteen minute offensive splurge. Unlike Stephanie’s appearance in the WCW Title Match, the presence of Vince and Shane definitely contributed positively by adding to the sheer mayhem of the final few minutes. RVD certainly didn’t look out of place headlining a WWF ppv, and was very possibly the most popular babyface on the whole roster at this stage of his career. Unfortunately his nasty habit of clumsily stiffing his opponents was very much apparent here – and he’d soon find out that the consequences for being a clutz in the ring with main event talent like Austin and Angle were far higher than when he was taking lumps out of poor Jeff Hardy’s skull.
Tape Rating - *** - Up there with Summerslam as the best ppv of the Invasion angle and post-Wrestlemania 2001 slump season. Summerslam’s card was probably a tad more consistent (this one was pretty up and down), but this one has a genuine MOTYC in Rock/Jericho and a better main event. This is a card which also shows a lot of the problems WWF had at this point. They had workhorses doing all they could to produce the goods in the ring consistently (such as the Hardyz, Storm, Hurricane, Edge, Christian, Tajiri, Rock, Jericho, Austin, Angle and RVD tonight) but those guys being dragged down by constant crappy booking and dead-weight like Undertaker or the Test/Kane match. The good outweighs the bad here, so this pay-per-view is definitely one of the few 2001 shows after Wrestlemania it’s actually worth going out of your way to check out…but already it was plain to see that the stubborn WWF creative machine was starting to sink no matter how fast the better workers tried to bucket the water overboard.
Top 3 Matches
3) Christian vs Edge (***)
2) Steve Austin vs Rob Van Dam vs Kurt Angle (****)
1) The Rock vs Chris Jericho (****1/2)