Uncensored '99

Legacy Review

Uncensored '99

March 14, 1999 from Freedom Hall in Louisville, KY

 

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay

 

It's WCW's annual night of gimmick matches, and unlike the last couple of years they're returning to fully embrace the concept this year.

 

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Kidman (c) def Mikey Whipwreck in 14:57- Whipwreck is making his WCW debut here, and has no music. He's one of two ECW stars that recently made the jump to WCW, bypassing the ECW to WWF pipeline that had been pretty firmly established by this point. The other will be on later in the show. Heenan amuses us, or at least himself, by going all Blast Hardcheese on Whipwreck's name the whole match. Tenay mentions Whipwreck had made a name for himself "on the east coast", skirting around naming ECW directly. Good high octane start with a bunch of counters. Whipwreck counters a Kidman tiltawhirl attempt and reset. Kidman counters a hiptoss and works into a dropkick that sends Whipwreck to the floor. Whipwreck gets whipped into the guardrail. Kidman hits a crossbody off the top rope back in for 2. Whipwreck leg lariats Kidman 360 over the top to the floor. He uses the apron to wheelbarrow Kidman into the guardrail! That was nasty looking. Roll in and cover for 2. Whipwreck snap mares Kidman into an Indian death lock, then transitions into a reverse Mutalock. Guillotine legdrop from Whipreck on the apron. Kidman reverses a corner whip, hits a clothesline, and goes nuts with stomps in the corner. Whipwreck counters into a powerbomb for 2. He hooks on a sort of dragon sleeper, then goes into a chinlock. Kidman counters a slingshot suplex attempt and goes up top. Whipwreck knocks him down to the floor. Kidman dodges a dive off the top rope and Whipwreck flies into the guardrail. Kidman gets backdropped over the guardrail into that walkway WCW always manages to have people land in. He dodges a Whipwreck over the rail cannonball attempt! Whipwreck drop toe holds Kidman into the stairs. Another roll in cover for 2. Whipwreck Russian leg sweep for 2. Kidman gets a corner clothesline. Whipwreck dodges in the corner, then makes the mistake of jawing with the crowd. Kidman rolls him up for 2. Clothesline from Whipwreck and he hits a suplex for 2. Another counter run and Kidman gets a powerbomb for 2. Swinging neckbreaker from Whipwreck. He goes up top, fights off Kidman's attempt at a superplex, and hits a clothesline off the top for 2. Kidman hooks up and does a sit out pedigree for 2. Whipwreck gets a back superplex for 2. Reverse DDT for 2. Kidman does his usual powerbomb counter into a faceplant. He goes up top, hits the shooting star press, and it's over. Not too shabby. It's got some of the crazy shit you'd expect from an ECW alum, but the second half also broke down into a move, move, move spotfest with no real connecting material. The Cruiserweight division of '96-'97 is dead and never coming back. ***1/4

 

Harlem Street Fight: Stevie Ray def Vincent in 6:30- These two had been butting heads over who would be the leader of NWO Black & White so this match was set up to settle it. Let's take a minute to marvel at the fact the best choices the NWO has are STEVIE RAY and VINCENT.....I've also stopped being able to keep track of these NWO factions since they re-merged after the NWO civil war ended. I guess the Wolfpac are all the top guys now while the Black & White are the B or even C team. No one really gives a damn anyway because, again, it's Stevie Ray and Vincent. After the bell Vincent jaws, Ray shoves, Vincent eye pokes and slugs away. Ray gets a big boot. Vincent low bridges Ray to the floor. After some rail shots Vincent flops over the guardrail and it's crowd brawl time. They work up into the taped up section just below hard camera, where Vincent flops all over the folded stadium seats a bunch of times. Coming back Ray gets backdropped over the rail back to ringside. Vincent stays in control back in the ring. Elbow off the second rope for 2. He goes again and Ray gets a boot up. Corner beatdown. Corner clothesline on the other side. They then go into an atrociously bad corner sequence. Ray barely nudges Vincent in the back and goes down in a heap. I guess they were supposed to hit heads. Vincent then comes down gently in the vicinity of Ray's crotch in what I guess was supposed to be a low blow. Both guys are down so cue the obvious run in. It's Horace, who also wants to claim leadership (not that'd excite anyone any more than these two do), who slides in the SLAPJACK OF DEATH. Vincent gets it but Ray cuts him off, drops Vincent face first onto the slapjack with another pedigree like move (wonder whose tape WCW guys have been watching) and gets the pin. I was going to go easy on it because most of the match managed to slightly exceed my sub-basement low expectations, but that end sequence was so ugly I have no choice. DUD

 

Kevin Nash (w/Lex Luger and Elizabeth) def Rey Mysterio Jr in 6:19- How long has it been since Nash was this low on the card? Mysterio lost his mask in a tag match against Nash and Scott Hall at Superbrawl. Since then he's taken to calling himself the "giant killer", even getting an upset win over Nash on Nitro (with a ref fast count I believe, probably the only way Nash would do the job). Which means everyone knows what's coming here. Mysterio's also changed his look up for this maskless phase. It's a cross between his buddy Konnan and WWF era Dudley Boyz. Nash flashes the too sweets after the bell, then Mysterio runs right into a big boot. Nash tosses Mysterio across the ring. Another toss attempt and Mysterio counters into a bulldog! Springboard legdrop. He leg lariats Nash 360 to the floor. Baseball slide from Mysterio. Nash dodges a second one and sends Msyterio flying into the guardrail. Back in Nash does the usual corner knees. He puts Mysterio on the top rope and measured elbows him to the floor. More manhandling from Nash, including the largest inverted atomic drop ever. Mysterio spins and manages to hit a low blow kick. Dropkick for 2. He does the bronco buster. Mysterio goes for the moonsault but Nash catches him. Luger trips Mysterio and he takes another Nash big boot. Straps are down, jackknife hits and good night. Nash beat a guy a third his size so congratulations I guess. The match was pretty much what you'd expect. Nash sold as much as he was possibly going to, especially considering he'd already lost to Mysterio on Nitro. *1/2

 

Handicap Match: Jerry Flynn def Ernest "The Cat" Miller and Sonny Oono in 7:08- Another "does anyone care" match. The heels cut Flynn's ponytail off on weekly TV. That'd be a smart move if that's where his strength came from. There's really not a lot to say about this one. Flynn attacks before the bell. He tries to go for Oono, Miller ambushes. Oono refuses to tag in, annoying Miller. Miller gets tossed to the floor and Flynn hits a wild out of control plancha. After Miller karates Flynn down Oono tags in, hits some weak cheap shots, and nearly gets murdered but quickly tags out again. After a bit more of Miller in control Oono gets on the bottom rope from the apron. Flynn throws Miller into Oono, which somehow the ref calls a tag, Oono falls in the ring, and Flynn pins him. Next. DUD

 

Raven's Rules: Hak def Bam Bam Bigelow and Raven (w/Chastity) in 14:29- Hak (pronounced hack) is the artist formerly known as Sandman in ECW, possibly the biggest ground up built star in the company's history, making his WCW PPV debut. Chastity was Raven's valet in ECW. She'd also recently jumped companies, and is being presented by WCW as Raven's sister. All three guys have ECW experience so this match type is not new to them. Officially this is a falls count anywhere match, but they never get out of the ring so what's the point. Hak gets jumped by both opponents at the bell. Chastity leaves and comes back with a hamper full of hardcore toys. Why not bring them right at the start? Anyway, among the usual things we've got an ironing board, a gas can (empty), a snow shovel, a mailbox, and a couple of oars. Raven gets trash cans and it's can and lid shots all around. Bigelow breaks one of the oars on Hak. Oh, I've done this Monkey Island 2 puzzle. The carpenter on Scabb Island will fix that right up with an advanced splint. Raven drop toe holds Hak into a can. Hak dishes out some ironing board shots. Bigelow waffles him with a cookie sheet. Hak gets whipped into the ironing board, goes through it head first and breaks it in half. That gets an ECdub chant from the Kentucky crowd. Hak's bleeding a bit. Raven stacks some cans up in the corner but then gets whipped into them. Bigelow and Hak whack each other with a box fan. Raven takes the other oar and runs it into both guys' nads. Hak and Raven both try to sleeper Bigelow, then BOTH try at the same time! It doesn't work out. Hak finds a clear spot and hurricanranas Raven off the top rope. Then he goes under the ring and gets a table. Bigelow sets Hak up on the table and goes up to the second rope. Hak tries to escape, but Raven grabs him and hands him to Bigelow for a Dudley style powerbomb! The table doesn't break! Ouch. Bigelow splashes Hak off the second rope and THAT breaks the table! Raven sneaks over and covers Hak for 2. Hak dumps the table out. Bigelow squashes Raven with a couple of avalanches. Hak gives Bigelow a shot with his trusty kendo stick. Chastity tries to protect Raven from it. Hak doesn't care. Bigelow goes out and gets a couple of fresh tables. And a fire extinguisher. Bigelow gets double whipped into a through one table set up in the corner. Raven hits Hak with the Evenflow! He doesn't go for a pin. Instead, he gets electrical tape and tapes Hak's hands together. He then gives Hak FOUR unprotected chairshots to the head. I don't mind a bit of violence in my wrestling, but that makes even me uncomfortable seeing that. Bigelow gets up and plants Raven with Greetings from Asbury Park! Again no cover. Instead he sets up the last table. He uses the extinguisher to push Chastity into the hamper, then climbs up top. Chastity comes out with an extinguisher of her own! Bigelow falls off the top rope and through the table! Three for three on Bigelow going through tables in this match. Chastity gives Raven a blast from the extinguisher! Then, to make sure her turn is understood, low blows him. Zero crowd reaction for any of that. Hak covers, gets the pin, and leaves with Chastity. It was certainly stiff. All three guys laid into each other with every shot, again a product of their shared ECW experience. It wasn't much more than that though, just three guys hitting each other in the head with objects a whole bunch of times. The whole finish also hinged on a turn no one gives a damn about. **

 

Commentary vamps while the ring is cleaned up. Heenan turns his chair toward Tony and Tony says "You want to turn around and listen to us?". In protest Heenan very animatedly turns his chair the long way around to face the crowd and have his back to the camera. Tony visibly has to fight to hold a laugh in.

 

Lumberjack Match for the WCW World Tag Team Championship: Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko def Curt Hennig and Barry Windham (c) in 15:58- Hennig and Windham defeated the Horsemen team to win the vacant tag titles at Superbrawl, in large part thanks to Windham using his belt to choke Malenko. To play off that, the twist for this match is all the lumberjacks have belts to use as whipping straps and will use them anytime anyone gets out of the ring. After some discussion Benoit and Hennig start. But wait! Here comes Arn Anderson. He's got his belt and he replaces one of the lumberjacks. Windham and Hennig try to walk but are strap whipped back in. Back to Benoit and Hennig. Rough lockup and Hennig slaps. Benoit slaps back more effectively. Hennig falls out, eats the straps and quickly gets back in. Tag to Windham. Benoit hits chops. Windham also tries to go out and faces the punishment. More chops as Windham goes in peril. He gets a boot up on Benoit, plants him with a DDT, and tags. Hennig deliberately tosses Benoit out to get strapped. Benoit back suplexes out of a chinlock. Windham cuts the tag off. Diving clothesline from Windham for 2. Standing dropkick for 2. Benoit slugs back and hits a clothesline. Another tag is cut off. Benoit ducks a Hennig clothesline and plants him with a German suplex. Tag to Malenko. DONNYBROOK! Benoit tries to get the crossface on Windham but Windham blocks it and tosses Benoit out. Meanwhile, Malenko blocks Hennig's perfectplex and hits the perfectplex himself! Hennig kicks out. Malenko then gets the cloverleaf on but Windham breaks that up. A Hennig shot sends Malenko to the floor as he now goes in peril. Hennig hooks on a sleeper. He holds onto it for a while and jaws with Arn at the same time, but Malenko won't go out so he lets go. Guess it wasn't applied perfectly. After some more FIP run Malenko fights out of a Windham back suplex attempt and gets the tag. Benoit goes wild and soon it's everyone in the pool time again. Benoit takes Windham's belt off. They fall to the floor and fight in the middle of all the lumberjacks. Hennig wraps a belt around his hand and waffles both Benoit and Arn with it. That's enough for Arn. He gets the tire iron out and nails Hennig with it! On the other side, Windham's attempt to superplex Benoit is cut off and Windham falls to the floor. Benoit's on the top rope staring at Hennig and the runway is clear. Headbutt off the top rope! Benoit covers, gets the pin, and FINALLY wins his first title in WCW! A good correction to the mistake made at Superbrawl. Like their first match at Superbrawl this was a solid, old school style affair with the lumberjacks used well. Windham continues to show more in the tank than I thought he would have at this point of his career, and I say that as a fan of his. Don't know how well he'd handle a singles match, but he looks just fine in tag matches. **3/4

 

Dog Collar Match: Perry Saturn def Chris Jericho (w/Ralphus) in 11:50- To summarize this feud to this point: Jericho defeated Saturn in a loser wears a dress match at Souled Out thanks to suddenly evil ref Scott Dickinson. Saturn then continued to wear dresses because he was never right in the head. In their rematch at Superbrawl, Saturn had the match won but then walked out before finishing it off and took a countout loss. Again, never right in the head. Tenay on Ralphus: "The only thing that should be censored at Uncensored is that midriff". Who said Tenay doesn't have a sense of humor? Saturn's got a chain link dress that, again, wouldn't look out of place at the Blue Oyster. Or, as Tony mentions, Rocky Horror Picture Show. Never been into that. He's also wearing contact lenses for effect now. Saturn comes in with the collar already on. Jericho does the usual heel stalling refusing to put it on. He then offers to have Ralphus put it on. Even Ralphus isn't dumb enough for that. Jericho gets pissed and tosses him out, but not before getting a mouthguard from him. More stalling. Jericho tries to attack Saturn with the chain but gets exploder suplexed instead. Belly to belly suplex from Saturn. He puts the collar on Jericho against his will. Jericho tries to run but, naturally, can't get very far. He tries to hide behind the ref but Lil' Naitch is having none of that. Chain tug of war. Saturn steps on the chain to pull Jericho in and clotheslines him. Again Saturn outmaneuvers Jericho and knocks him around the corners. Chain shot off the second rope. Chain choke from Saturn. Jericho's got a little nick on his head that's probably from taking a straight shot from the chain. Clothesline/legdrop combo from Saturn. He crotches Jericho on the top rope, then yanks him down with the chain into the guardrail! Another chain yank into the rail. More chain choking in the ring. Jericho slides under Saturn and crotches him with the chain to finally get on offense. He 360 clotheslines Saturn to the floor, then uses the chain over the ropes to try to hang him. Jericho goes for the springboard dropkick and does it as well as the chain allows. He powerbombs Saturn from the apron back into the ring, but the chain causes Jericho to flip over the top back in too. Now Jericho does some more chokes with the chain. Saturn works around to a small package (in a dog collar match?!) for 2. Jericho gets Saturn back down and gives us the arrogant cover for 2. He goes up to the second rope but takes his sweet time, allowing Saturn to yank him down with the chain. Saturn tosses Jericho around by the chain. Jericho gets a spinebuster and tries for the Liontamer. Saturn chokes Jericho with the chain to try to counter, but Jericho is still turning him over. Jericho gets him over! But he's also choking himself and finally has to let go of the hold. Saturn pulls Jericho in and hits the DVD. Jericho kicks out! Jericho blocks a hurricanrana off the top and hits an avalanche powerbomb for 2. Somehow Jericho gets the chain unhooked from Saturn's collar. He wraps the chain around himself and goes up top. Moonsault! Saturn is supposed to dodge but moves wrong and still takes some of it. Saturn grabs at Jericho but Jericho takes him down into a pin for 2. Think they're starting to lose the script a bit. Jericho goes up top again, chain still wrapped around him. Saturn dodges a splash attempt. The DVD hits again, and it's over. Bleh. *

 

That would turn out to be the last PPV match for Jericho in WCW. He'd make his final TV appearance in early April, work some house shows in June, and then pack his bags northeast bound for his big WWF debut.

 

WCW World Television Championship: Booker T def Scott Steiner (c) (w/Buff Bagwell) in 13:30- Little did anyone know this would be a main event level matchup in short order, and that it'd be one of the very few good things WCW would have going for them then. Steiner grabs a fan's replica Big Gold belt and tosses it on the ground before the match! Gotta say, that's what people get bringing them to the show. That guy in particular had been draping his belt over the rail all night so he was kind of asking for it. Steiner goes into full heel stalling mode after the bell. Finally we get a lockup. Booker holds Scott down in the corner before breaking. Off the next lockup Booker gets an armdrag. Steiner is doing max level heel 101 bitching at the ref. It's like LeBron James when he doesn't get a call. After that Steiner gets some shots in and fully lets Booker know about it. More speed and Booker hits a dropkick. Nice punch combo from Booker. He goes for the side kick but Steiner bails to the floor to avoid it. Steiner's platonic partner Bagwell tries to calm him down. They want the ref to check Booker's gloves and he does. Steiner uses that opening to attack. Booker gets a boot up in the corner and lays in some ground and pound. Steiner blocks a suplex. Booker floats over and hits a side kick. Inverted atomic drop/clothesline combo from Booker. Snap mare into a cover for 2 and Steiner rolls out again, having difficulty navigating the bottom rope while doing so. Another inverted atomic drop from Booker back in. He goes up top and hits a reverse crossbody for 2. Bagwell pulls Booker out to the floor and attacks him. Bagwell takes a guardrail shot, but off camera Steiner hit Booker from behind. He knocks Booker around ringside and dumps him into the crowd in that same aisle section they've been using all night. Clothesline/elbow drop combo from Steiner back in. Bagwell gets some more cheap shots in. Huge gorilla press from Steiner. That genuinely looked awesome. Cocky one knee cover for 2. Belly to belly suplex for 2. Booker gets a comeback flurry, shrugs off an eye rake and hits a superkick. He goes for another side kick but Steiner ducks and Booker crotches himself on the ropes. Overhead belly to belly from Steiner. Flying forearm from Booker. Ripcord knee and kick combo. Scissors kick! Flapjack. Spinaroonie! Steiner ducks another side kick right in front of the ref, but Booker's kick goes over the ref's head too! How was that not a ref bump? Booker then pulls the ref aside and hits the side kick. Not sure what that was about. Booker goes up top. Bagwell runs over and pulls him back down. Superplex from Steiner. Bagwell comes in with a chair. Booker ducks and Steiner gets it! Chair assisted side kick to Bagwell! Booker covers and gets the pin for the title! Not mentioned on TV, it's Booker's 6th TV title win, setting a new record. Solid match, but unusually great booking from WCW. It's a win/win. Booker gets to overcome all the odds, get a rare for this era of WCW big face win, and winning the title back finally gets him back on track post-injury. On Steiner's side, he only dropped the title to move on to bigger things. **1/2

 

Barbed Wire Steel Cage First Blood Match for the WCW World Heavyweight Championship: "Nature Boy" Ric Flair def Hollywood Hogan (c) in 14:19- We're encroaching gimmick overload here. The first blood portion was apparently just added tonight. In addition to the title being on the line, if Flair wins he'll be WCW President "for life" (as long as the bookers' attention holds), while if Hogan wins Flair will be banned from WCW for life. Funny bit as Flair makes his entrance, he gestures to Buffer that he wants the mic. Problem is Buffer's only a quarter of the way through his usual overwrought intro, and NO ONE is going to stop him midstream. Once Buffer's finally done Flair pulls ref Lil' Naitch aside and tells him he doesn't want the match stopped for a little trickle of blood. The cage lowers after both wrestlers are in the ring. With full musical accompaniment. It's mostly a normal cage, but with two important differences: there's no door, and the top is covered with barbed wire. In theory, no one should be getting in or out of this thing. In theory. Hogan powers out of the first lockups. Shoulderblock from Hogan as Flair remains cautious. This is feeling more like a face Hogan/heel Flair match right from the off. Hogan was even looking more face-ish in his mannerisms during his entrance. Flair supports that by eye poking out of knucklelock and hitting the first chops. Hogan reverses a corner whip and hits a backdrop. Clotheslines. Yeah, this is 100% face Hogan. OK, here's some chokes. He remembered. Flair hits some more corner chops. Hogan responds with a flurry of his own. Corner clothesline. Flair Flop! Even commentary points out how face like Hogan looks. Hogan solves the, to him, complicated puzzle of putting a figure four on Flair. Flair gets a pretty quick rope break and hits some gut shots. Flair takes the first cage shot. Mounted punches and bite from Hogan. Another cage shot for Flair. I can't see clearly but I think he's bleeding a bit. Flair tries to climb and Hogan pulls his tights down. Moon over Kentucky. Hogan joins Flair on the top rope. Punches sends Flair tumbling down crotch first in the ropes. Commentary notices the blood and is already debating "referee's discretion". Hogan pulls down some of the barbed wire and grinds it into Flair's head. The guy is full on bleeding now. I thought this was a first blood match. Hogan finally remembers he's, in theory, supposed to be the heel here and starts laying in the weightlifting belt whips. One catches Flair right in the face. Another cage shot for Flair. Cheese grater time. Flair Flop 2! Hogan big boot. Legdrop! Cover. Naitch doesn't count! Hogan points out the blood covering Flair's face but Naitch won't call it. Flair's got his knucks out and waffles Hogan with them. Hogan gets run into the cage. Now Hogan's bleeding and Flair goes to work on it. David Flair, who turned on his dad to join the NWO at Superbrawl, and his unnamed blonde tart make their way out. Flair hits the kneedrop, then yells at his son to go away. Flair drops an elbow and covers. Hogan does the full Hulk Up. No sell of Flair's chops. Point! Three punches. Big boot. Legdrop. Cover. Naitch very reluctantly counts and Flair rolls a shoulder up. Flair fights back and hits the delayed suplex. Hogan pops back up. He runs Flair into the cage again. Naitch tries to block Hogan and gets run over. Hogan tries to pick up him back up. Naitch low blows Hogan! Arn Anderson comes out and decks David Flair! I have no idea what side anyone is supposed to be on anymore. The blonde tries to jump Arn and gets tossed off. Arn gives Flair the tire iron and he waffles Hogan with it. Flair hooks on the figure four with Hogan unconscious, Naitch fast counts, and Flair wins world title #14. Flair leaves with Arn while David Flair checks on Hogan. That was one of the dumbest matches I've ever seen. First off, you get a double turn no one wanted. I mean no one. But not just that, the way they did it was so stupid. No groundwork, no teasing, just right from the start Hogan's the face and Flair's the heel again with zero buildup. Then there's the rules. WCW often has trouble sticking to their own rules in gimmick matches, and I get Naitch is supposed to be on Flair's side and screw Hogan, but you make this a first blood match, then both guys clearly bleed more than half the match, and it ends by pinfall? Only late '90s WCW could come up with a multi-level mass of conflicting ideas turning into a mush of pure stupidity like this. DUD

 

If you want a positive, at least it's not the worst main event ever on an Uncensored. Looking at you, Doomsday Cage.

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- In keeping with the last thought, at least it's not the worst Uncensored ever. Which isn't exactly saying much. The Horseman tag title and Booker TV title wins are positive developments, but man that main event was an absolute booking disaster even if it did get the World title off Hogan and onto Flair.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D

WrestleMania X-Seven

Legacy Review

WrestleMania X-Seven

April 1, 2001 from the Astrodome in Houston, TX

 

Commentary: Jim Ross and Paul Heyman

 

Welcome to, for all intents and purposes, the grand finale of the Attitude Era. Only a week prior to this show the biggest business transaction in the history of professional wrestling took place: WWF bought WCW. The go home Raw turned into a simulcast of Raw and the final Nitro, with Vince McMahon crowing about buying his competition and saying "The fate of WCW is in MY hands", and culminated with Shane McMahon appearing on the Nitro side to do the famous reveal, "The contract to buy WCW says McMahon....SHANE McMahon!". It would be a bit before WWF settled on how to use their newly acquired property, and unfortunately when they did it was with the intention of just burying WCW more. But that's in the future. As a wise man once said, tonight is about tonight, and tonight is WWF taking a well earned victory lap on the biggest show of the year to celebrate their triumph in the Monday Night Wars.

 

It's appropriate that this is the first WM to be held in a stadium since WM 8 at the Hoosier Dome back in 1992. On top of that this is the first WM with an official four hour runtime (older large card WMs, mostly the 4-7 run, all ran in the 3:30 neighborhood). It's also the first WWF PPV for Paul Heyman, who's replacing Jerry Lawler on commentary. Lawler left the company in solidarity with his then-wife The Kat, who either quit or was fired depending on who's telling the story (see my No Way Out '01 review for the details). Heyman, fresh off WWF's purchase of ECW's assets in late January, made his full time WWF debut replacing Lawler on Raw in February. The opening video is appropriately epic, taking the old "WWF; What the world is watching" tagline and turning it real. This is one of my favorite WM stages too. I love how it manages to be both epic and understated at the same time. The atmosphere for this first WWF stadium show in nearly a decade is appropriately off the charts electric. You could probably run a small third world country off it for a year.

 

WWF Intercontinental Championship: Chris Jericho (c) def William Regal in 7:40- Regal is still WWF Commissioner here. He and Jericho had been butting heads over that, resulting in Regal putting Jericho in multiple handicap matches. In response, Jericho peed in Regal's tea. Really. They tease a proper lockup but go into a quick back and forth start. Jericho hits a flying forearm and does some ground and pound. After taking a leg lariat Regal ducks out to the floor. Jericho plancha! He almost overshot Regal on that. Like a QB hyped up at the start of a big game that sails all his passes too high. Back elbow off the top from Jericho coming back in for 2. They go into a nice counter for counter sequence ending with Jericho trying to put the Walls on. Regal punches free, then runs Jericho's bad shoulder he'd worked on during the build into the post. Regal starts working on the shoulder. Jericho manages to get a back elbow and tries a flash Lionsault but Regal gets his knees up. Regal cradle for 2. He hits a German suplex that Jericho does a crazy flip sell of for 2. Regal takes a top turnbuckle pad off, then runs Jericho's bad shoulder into it. Jericho counters with a pair of enzuguris. Missile dropkick off the second rope for 2. Regal dodges in the corner and Jericho flies into the post. Regal goes up and hits a double underhook superplex! Slow cover for 2. Jericho gets a double leg takedown and goes for the Walls again, but his hurt shoulder gives out. Regal counters with a drop toe hold and hooks on the Regal Stretch! Jericho crawls and just manages to get a rope break. He hits a flurry of chops with his good arm. Regal finally cuts it off with a kick to the bad shoulder. Quick reversal and Regal gets run into the exposed buckle. Bulldog from Jericho. Suplex. The Lionsault hits! Jericho gets the pin! Bit of a sudden finish there, but psychologically sound with Jericho's shoulder being hurt too much to put the Walls on. Good match, but you know they could have done even better with more time. The crowd is red hot right out of the gate too. ***1/4

 

A limo with the license place WCW 1 arrives at the arena and Shane McMahon exits it. Elsewhere, in the APA office native Texan Bradshaw gives an extensive history of sports in the Astrodome before saying "Fuck all this, we've got a match!".

 

The APA and Tazz (w/Jacqueline) def Right to Censor (w/Steven Richards) in 3:56- Big brawl on the floor to start. Jacqueline DDTs Richards in the ring. Things eventually settle in with Faarooq and Buchanan. Tazz gets caught in the RTC corner and goes in peril. He badly loses his footing while getting whipped and nearly collapses into the ropes. Then he nearly does it again on a corner whip. He does not look right. Goodfather hits the No More Hos Train. Instead of covering, he tries for a Vader bomb. Tazz dodges that and tags Bradshaw. After barely getting Goodfather over for a backdrop Bradshaw starts going nuts on everyone and it's quickly DONNYBROOK time. Bradshaw back superplexes Venus. Goodfather and Buchanan give Bradshaw a double powerbomb. Bradshaw dodges another Goodfather Train attempt, hits the Clothesline from Hell, and good night. Short and inoffensive WM multi-man undercard tag match. *1/2

 

Triple Threat Match for the WWF Hardcore Championship: Kane def Raven (c) and The Big Show in 9:28- Among the unusual items in Raven's cart of hardcore goodies tonight: a plant (possibly a shrubbery), a Frankenstein's monster doll that looks like Halloween decoration, and some kind of construction in progress roadblock sign. BIG pop for Kane on his entrance. Raven attacks Kane with the construction sign when he gets in the ring, then Show makes his entrance. Kane presses Raven down onto Show! Then Kane comes off the top with a clothesline to the floor. After that they go right into the crowd brawl. All the way up the floor toward the stage, then past it into a tunnel and into the back. Kane tosses Raven into some rooms that weren't at all set up just for this match and puts a hole in the wall. Show slams Kane on a stack of pallets. Show and Raven go into an area walled off with a chain link fence and Show tries to lock the door, but Kane gets it open anyway. Said area looks like janitorial supply storage and they completely trash it. Kane tosses Raven through a window! Show then runs Kane through a door, needing two tries. Kane and Show pound each other all around a small office before crashing through a wall. Raven hops on a golf cart. Show gets on the back of it and Raven crashes before he barely started moving! Shades of bad years Ernie Irvan or Robby Gordon for my fellow old school NASCAR fans out there. Kane then gets his own golf cart, loads the ref in the back, and takes off. He almost runs Raven over and has to slam on the brakes! I don't think much of anything in that sequence went as planned so they ditch the carts. A drinks table gets trashed as JR says "There goes the Snapple". They brawl up the steps to Gorilla and come back out on the stage. Show presses Raven up. Kane kicks Show and both Show and Raven go off the stage into the base! Kane then dives onto both of them! Kane covers, gets the pin and is the new Hardcore champ! Fun stuff, the best Hardcore match they'd done in quite a while. It threatened to break down after the golf carts didn't work out but they got it back together for the end run. ***

 

Kurt Angle is in the back obsessively watching videotape of Chris Benoit putting him in the crossface. His buddies Edge and Christian come in and suggest a big victory party after the show tonight. Instead, Angle poses them a philosophical question: If a man taps the mat, but it wasn't an official match, with no official bell, and no official referee, did that man really tap out? Ponder that as we go into the next match.

 

WWF European Championship: Eddie Guerrero (w/Perry Saturn) def Test (c) in 8:32- Guerrero, Saturn and the soon to retire Dean Malenko are still keeping the Radicalz thing going minus Benoit. Saturn's raided Buff Bagwell's silly hat closet before coming out tonight. Might as well, not like Bagwell's ever going to be wearing them for WWF. Guerrero tries to jump before the bell but Test was ready for him. Test powerbomb for 2. Guerrero powders. They brawl on the floor a bit before Guerrero gets the edge in the ring. Test presses Guerrero and snake eyes him on the top turnbuckle for 2. Guerrero sets up for a top rope hurricanrana but Test grabs the ropes to block it, then hits a back elbow off the top for 2. Guerrero low bridges Test over the top rope. While going over Test's foot got caught in the ropes and he's trapped upside down! Saturn takes a couple of shots before realizing Test's REALLY trapped. The peewee spaghetti armed ref working this match can't get Test free no matter how hard he tries, so Guerrero has to break character and go over to free Test himself. Sarcastic applause from the crowd once Test finally gets free. Guerrero runs with it, starting to work on Test's ankle that got trapped. After a bit of that he hops on Test's back for a sleeper. Test fades down but won't go out completely so Guerrero lets go. Speed run and Test gets a tiltawhirl slam. Blue thunder bomb from Test for 2. He grabs a full nelson that Guerrero immediately low blows out of. Saturn comes in while Guerrero has the ref distracted and gives Test a swinging neckbreaker, or a "moss covered three handled family gredunza" according to Heyman, a nice little nod to Jericho's List of 1004 Holds. Guerrero covers for 2. Brain buster. Guerrero goes up top. He sees Test dodging the splash and rolls through, then ducks a Test big boot. Test grabs Guerrero and hits the pumphandle powerslam. Saturn distracts the ref *just* long enough for Guerrero to kick out. Saturn comes in and takes a big boot. Big boot for Guerrero. Now Malenko runs out and pulls Test out of the cover. While Test is tied up with him Guerrero gets the belt, nails Test with it, and covers for the pin and the title. Both guys did their thing and it came together fine. **3/4

 

Kurt Angle def Chris Benoit in 14:10- Both guys made the other tap out to their submission hold leading up to this match (no matter how much Angle denies it), leading many to expect that's how both are going to try to finish it tonight. Staredown, circle, lockup and we go right into a crazy mat wrestling sequence. Stalemate, reset, Angle gets a leg takedown and another round on the mat that Angle seems to have the edge on. Straight lockup and we get a clean but forceful corner break. Angle picks Benoit up by the legs, carries him, and drops him down into more amateur mat grappling. He almost gets Benoit in a pinning position before they both roll into the ropes. Angle gets a single leg takedown. Benoit counters into a crossface attempt! Angle quickly gets to the ropes. Another Angle leg takedown into another Benoit crossface try. Angle backs up this time, past the ropes and all the way to the floor to have a think about this. When he gets back in Benoit almost gets him in the crossface again and Angle has to take another rope break. Angle punches Benoit over the ref! Think the amateur wrestling portion of the match is over. He tosses Benoit out to the floor and knocks him around a bit out there. Suplex from Angle back in for 2. Back suplex for 2. Benoit chops back. Angle belly to belly suplex! Ripcord into another Angle belly to belly. He tries another ripcord but Benoit turns it into a short clothesline. Long chop exchange in the corner. Benoit gets a short knee to the gut. Back elbow for 2. Snap suplex from Benoit for 2. He puts Angle up and hits a superplex! Slow cover for 2. Angle Bret bumps off a corner whip and it's ROLLLLLLLLLLLLLING GERMANS time. Benoit only gets up to 2. While trying to wear Angle down for 3 Angle counters with a drop toe hold into the ankle lock! Benoit counters into his own ankle lock! Angle hits some stiff kicks right on Benoit's ear to get free. Benoit gets the crossface on! Almost. Angle blocks it, then counters into his own crossface! Benoit gets a foot on the rope. Angle goes for another ankle lock. Benoit kicks free, sending Angle back into ref Jack Doan, who goes down in a heap. Crossface! Angle's tapping! But there's no ref. Benoit goes over to wake Doan up. Angle Slam! Benoit kicks out! Setup slam from Angle. Moonsault! Benoit gets his knees up! He says that's it. The top rope headbutt hits! I like how Angle was still laying on his side when that hit instead of being on his back like usual. The little things. Angle kicks out! Benoit grabs a waistlock. Angle quickly low blows him to get free. They go into one more counter exchange on the mat. Angle gets Benoit cradled, grabs a handful of tights, and gets the pin! Fantastic stuff. The only goal here was for two great wrestlers to go out on the WM midcard and put on a kickass wrestling match. They succeeded. We're also continuing to slowly see the pieces of what would become an Angle style match come together. ****1/4

 

Commissioner Regal comes across Kamala denigrating his office and orders Kim Chee to get him the bloody hell away. At least he's not pissing in Regal's tea. Might have pooped in his chair though. After that we get a long video package of some wrestlers visiting Fort Hood for a "Wrestlemania kickoff" celebration. We then cut to Angle with Kevin Kelley. Angle says he won the match, he doesn't have to respect anybody. Benoit attacks and puts him in the crossface again! Angle taps again! This isn't over.

 

WWF Women's Championship: Chyna def Ivory (c) in 2:38- This is Chyna's big return after having her neck broken at Ivory's hands at the Royal Rumble. An agreement was made before the match that the RTC would be barred from ringside, but also that Chyna would sign a waiver that she couldn't hold Ivory legally responsible if her neck gets hurt again. Ivory nails Chyna with a belt shot behind the ref before the bell. She goes right for Chyna's neck. Chyna grabs a kick and tosses Ivory away. Corner beatdown. Hiptoss and clotheslines. Backdrop. She plants Ivory with a huge powerbomb. Chyna covers, but then lifts Ivory back up. Gorilla press slam. Casual cover from Chyna and it's over. The women's title seems like a bit of a comedown for Chyna after wrestling the men and even holding the IC title for a time, but with WWF about to go more mainstream they were ditching any intergender wrestling. Not much wrestling or drama wise here, but for the story it was exactly what it needed to be. 1/2*

 

In the back, Vince checks with Trish and Steph that catatonic Linda is on double medication, and makes sure Trish knows to wheel Linda out when Shane is down and out. Michael Cole interrupts and asks Vince for a comment on Shane's shocking undercutting of him to buy WCW. Vince promises you'll see shocking tonight.

 

Street Fight: Shane McMahon def Mr. McMahon (w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley) in 14:11- This had already been booked before the WCW purchase as the big finale of all the McMahon family drama the past year plus, but that purchase kicked this up to an even higher level. Getting them their own match instead of messily intertwining it all with the main event like last year's WM is absolutely the right call. During the build Vince uttered the immortal line to Shane: "I will never forgive my wife for giving birth to you". Before the match Shane gives a shout out to a half full skybox of "WCW wrestlers". No names, just generic WCW wrestlers. Mick Foley, who Vince fired as Commissioner late last year, is making his return to guest ref this match. Completely impartially. Vince slaps Shane before the bell and goes into a quick punch flurry, then chokes Shane in the corner. Shane comes up with a clothesline. He tackles Vince into some ground and pound. Steph gets in the ring to try to stop Shane....then slaps him! She takes off while Shane catches a running Vince with a baseball slide. Shane beats him down in the aisle and gives him a bunch of shots with one of the "Keep off" signs from the aisleway. Cable choke. Diving clothesline off the barricade from Shane. He goes under the ring, gets a kendo stick, and goes to town with Vince on it. Foley makes sure to tell commentary it's all legal because it's a street fight. Thanks, Mick. After that Shane starts laying in the dancing punches. He sets the Spanish announce table up and hits Vince with a monitor to get him set up. Shane climbs up to the top rope. Steph gets in the way and pleads with him to stop. Shane launches. Steph pulls Vince out of the way and Shane crashes through the Spanish announce table! Trish takes that as her cue to wheel Linda out. Trish goes over and checks on Vince....then slaps him! SWERVE! She's sick of being treated like shit and used! Steph slaps Trish! CAT FIGHT! Hell of a job by Linda, her expression never changes even with all this insanity going on in front of her. They go all the way into the ring. Foley looks on amusedly for a bit, then pulls Steph off when she's on top. Steph then slaps Foley. She's got slaps for everyone tonight. Steph runs away, all the way up the aisle with Trish chasing her as fast as she can in her giant bedazzled platform boots. Back to Vince. He's staring daggers at Linda and mouths "You bitch". Foley backs Vince off and tries to get Linda away. Vince gets a chair and nails Foley with it. He rolls Linda back toward the ring, lifts her up, places her in the ring, and sits her down in a chair in the corner. He says he's going to make her watch. Vince rolls Shane back in, then gets a bunch of trash cans from under the ring. He wails away on Shane with the cans while providing running commentary for Linda between shots. Vince sets up for another shot. LINDA STANDS! She's alive! The crowd goes absolutely NUTS for that. Linda kick right in the McMahon grapefruits! Another huge pop. Foley comes in and punches Vince down in the corner. Running knee! Shane puts a trash can on Vince sitting in the corner, then climbs up the opposite corner. No way, he can't. COAST TO COAST! The first one Shane ever did and it was absolutely mind blowing. Cover and Shane gets the pin! Is it a great wrestling match? Absolutely not. Is it tremendous entertainment and a great story payoff? You bet your ass. I love traditional wrestling, but man I feel sorry for people that can't enjoy the wrestling equivalent of a popcorn flick like this (a good one, not a Michael Bay one, the story actually matters here). It hit every beat exactly right. ***3/4

 

TLC II for the WWF Tag Team Championship: Edge & Christian def The Dudley Boyz (c) and The Hardy Boyz in 15:50- Just as this show is essentially the grand finale of the Attitude Era, this match is the finale for everything these three teams have done, in pairs and all together, the past 18 months. After this there will never be another match between these three teams without someone else involved. There's been T, L and C laying across the entire aisle all night, and as we get to entrances the ring crew sets up a bunch of it around the ring. That'll save some time during the match. Once all three teams are in the ring they let the atmosphere soak a bit before jumping into the big brawl. The Dudleyz double flapjack Edge. The Hardyz hit Poetry in Motion on both Dudleyz. E&C come in with the first ladder and run everyone over with it. Matt gets put in the tree of woe and E&C grind down on his nuts. They drop toe hold Jeff into a chair. Edge sets the ladder up and makes the first climb. Matt pulls him down, still selling his sore nads. Edge clotheslines Matt off the ladder. Jeff Poetry in Motion dropkicks Edge off the ladder. The Hardyz baseball slide another ladder into the Dudleyz. Christian tries a climb and gets pulled down. The Hardyz bring a second ladder in. Setup slam on Christian. The Hardyz climb the ladders and give Christian a splash/legdrop combo! The Dudleyz toss the Hardyz out and Edge takes the Whazzup Drop. Table time. D'Von seems a bit confused at first, looking for a table under the ring when there's like three standing right next to him, but he figures it out. Two tables are put in the ring, one normal, one propped in the corner. Bubba Ray powerbombs Jeff onto Edge through the standing table! The Dudleyz go out and set up the double wide, double high table stack on the floor while Heyman tells a silly little story of Big Daddy Dudley being big time in the construction business. A third ladder gets in the ring. All three are set up in the middle. Everyone climbs, fights, and everyone goes down. Christian went off the ladder all the way down to the floor! As everyone slowly recovers it's time for the newly involved thirds to run in. First is Spike Dudley. Dudley Dog on Edge off the ladder! Spike Dudley Dogs Christian off the apron and through a table on the floor! Now Rhyno, who had recently come over from dead ECW and was now aligned with E&C, runs in. He takes the Dudleyz out. Gore on Matt through the corner table! Now here's Lita. She pulls Edge down off the ladder (or "jerks Edge off.....the ladder" as JR couldn't resist saying, if he only knew the future there). Rhyno grabs Lita by the hair and presses her. Spike low blow on Rhyno. Lita goes up top and hurricanranas Rhyno! Edge tries to climb again. Spike chairshots Rhyno, who falls into the ladder knocking Edge off. Dudley doomsday device on Rhyno. Lita gives Spike a chairshot. The shirt is off! Dudley 3D on Lita! E&C use chairs to clear the ring. They go outside and bring out the Jeff Hardy Suicide Ladder. Jeff grabs it from them, has to stop it from falling into the crowd, then sets it up. He climbs to the top, with Rhyno and Spike waiting on tables down below. 20 foot Swanton Bomb through the tables! It's still cool, but it's also lost its shine a bit since that's been in all of these matches. It feels mandatory now. E&C bring the big ladder into the ring and set it up in the middle, where the top of it is almost touching the tag belts. Christian and D'Von climb. Both grab the belt hook. Matt takes the ladder away and they dangle there! They try to continue fighting but slowly both drop down into the ring. Jeff stands on the top rope and tries to walk across the three smaller ladders onto the large one! The middle ladder doesn't hold and he has to reset a bit. Very tricky spot, no foul there. He gets back to plan by grabbing the belt hook himself. Bubba Ray takes the ladder out from under him. Meanwhile, Edge climbs up the big ladder that had been set up in the corner. SPEAR OFF THE LADDER TAKING JEFF OFF THE HOOK AND DOWN TO THE MAT! To this day that is still one of the most iconic WM shots ever. Now Bubba Ray and Matt fight up a regular ladder toward the belts. Rhyno pushes the ladder and they go down, DESTROYING the big table stack on the floor! Wow, that was a table explosion. Absolutely perfect. The large ladder is set up in the middle again. D'Von tries to climb one side, but Edge holds him down. On the other side, Rhyno lifts Christian on his shoulders and carries him up Mount Doom the ladder right to the belts to give E&C the win! It's E&C's 7th tag title win, already well surpassing the New Age Outlaws' old record. They are also now 3-0 in all three big gimmick matches with all three teams. I think most people cite this as their favorite match of the trilogy, and fair dos to them. Wrestling's an art, we're all going to have our own perception and opinion. For me, I still prefer TLC I to this one. Don't get me wrong, this is great, but to me TLC I was tighter and more streamlined without a second or move wasted, while this one was slightly flabby in the middle and I don't think all the extra people running in really added anything to it. ****1/2

 

Next up is a video package of Axxess highlights. I hope the new WWE World is just as good, because I remember well going to Axxess at WM 32 and man it was incredible. After that Fink gets the honor of announcing tonight's official WWF count attendance (I'm not getting into a ticket count debate) of 67,925. It was an Astrodome record, but would only last about a year before being broken by a George Strait concert.

 

Gimmick Battle Royale- And now for something completely different. To kick this off, Mean Gene Okerlund and Bobby "The Brain" Heenan, both making their WWF return after their years of WCW exile, come in to do commentary for this match. I think this was Heenan's last major commentary job before the throat cancer started to take hold so that makes it extra special. The entrances are most of the fun here so I'll go through them all: the Bushwackers (in their Men from Down Under gear from Heroes of Wrestling), Duke "The Dumpster" Drose (looking in better shape than when he was a regular), The Iron Sheik (moves so slow Heenan says "By the time he gets to the ring it'll be Wrestlemania 38!"), Earthquake (who'd recently worked for WWF as Golga of the Oddities), The Goon, Doink the Clown (sadly face Doink), Kamala and Kim Chee (plus Harvey Wippleman as manager), Repo Man, Jim Cornette, Nikolai Volkoff, Michael PS Hayes (BADSTREET USA, still one of the greatest entrance songs ever), One Man Gang, the Gobbeldy Gooker (Heenan to Okerlund, "Didn't you use to date her?", and we get footage of Gooker's hatching at Survivor Series '90), Tugboat (putting both Natural Disasters in the match), Hillbilly Jim (somehow still looking the same age as he did in the '80s), Brother Love ("I LOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE YOU!"), and Sgt. Slaughter. Slaughter barely gets his hat off before it kicks off. Considering the ages in there they do a nice, pacey battle royale brawl. Guys get tossed out quick and the whole thing only lasts a few minutes. The final four are Slaughter, Love, Sheik and Jim. Slaughter tosses Love, Jim tosses Slaughter, and Sheik tosses Jim to win it! Sheik won because he physically could not go over the top rope. No joke. Slaughter comes back in and puts him in the Cobra Clutch to get a bit of revenge and give us some more memberberries. Pure, harmless nostalgia joy. Anyone who hates this has no heart. Heenan on commentary gives it a bit more of a bump too, overall call it **1/2.

 

The Undertaker def Triple H in 18:27- This is the first ever one on one PPV meeting between these two. It won't be the last. In lots of ways this has become the forgotten Trips/Taker match given the historic weight of their other WM matches a decade later. Good news: Trips gets his first live Motorhead play in. Bad news: Lemmy forgot the song. Not just the lyrics, his rhythms, his notes, almost everything is wrong. It's the grumpy old Luke Skywalker "Every word you said was wrong" meme come to life. Taker takes a quick second to pose in the ring before the brawl starts on the floor. HHH tries to bump on the replacement Spanish announce table and breaks it again! JR mentions Taker is 8-0 at WM. It's starting to become a small but noticeable thing. Back in HHH hits the Harley Race high knee. Taker pops right back up, tosses HHH in the corner and lays in the punches. Backdrop. Corner clothesline and elbows. Taker is really laying into everything hard. HHH does his wobble selling. Taker scoops and powerslams him. HHH dodges an elbow drop. Taker hits the flying clothesline. He calls for old school, but takes too long and HHH pulls him down off the ropes. Clothesline duck and neckbreaker from HHH. He hits some elbows on the apron. Swinging neckbreaker. HHH covers for 2 several times and shoves ref Mike Chioda after. Taker comes back with rapid fire body blows and an uppercut. HHH hits the facebuster. He goes out, tosses Mark Yeaton aside, and gets Mr. Sledgehammer. He loads up to take a swing at Taker but Chioda grabs it away. Taker tries to jump but HHH ducks the punch. Kick wham Pedigree hookup, Taker counters into a slingshot that sends HHH right into Chioda. Chokeslam! Chioda's there to count. HHH kicks out! Taker punches Chioda out! Trips flip in the corner. Taker backdrops HHH over the barricade. Crowd brawl time. They work up to an area we almost never see, the main tech/audio area and hard camera tower. They slowly climb up the structure with Taker still in full control. HHH manages to grab a chair, nails Taker with it, and unloads with a ton more chairshots. Taker responds with a goozle. He lifts HHH, pauses, then drops him down off the hard cam tower! We don't see HHH land, he just disappears, which makes it look even better. Taker poses while medics run in to check on HHH. Taker climbs the rail and comes down with an elbow on HHH! He pushes all the medics away to lay in more punishment. They start working back toward the ring. Chioda's still dead by the way. Hasn't moved a muscle that entire time. As they get back in the ring Taker sees the sledge. He takes it. HHH begs off. Taker loads up. HHH low blow! He goes for a sledge shot but Taker cuts it off with a big boot. They start slugging it out in the middle of the ring, first slowly but then faster. HHH ducks a punch and scoops. Taker reverses it. Tombstone! But Chioda's still dead. Taker goes over and pokes him and he finally starts to stir. Taker sets up for the Last Ride. But as he lifts HHH up HHH picks the sledge up. Right before Taker can drop him HHH nails him in the head with the sledge! Cover and Chioda's alive. Taker kicks out! Hell of a near fall, that could have easily been it. Taker's bleeding. HHH goes right for it with punches. He climbs up for mounted punches. Taker uses that to get him in Last Ride position! Taker hits it and gets the pin! Great finish. Taker goes to 9-0 at WM. Out of all the matches Taker had before the Streak became a really big deal, this is probably the one he was most likely to lose, especially with the run HHH had been on since the start of 2000. It was a great long term call to have Taker get an almost surprise win here. ****

 

For the first time, WWF has a WM main event that can rival or maybe even surpass Hogan/Andre at WM 3. Austin won his record third Royal Rumble to get this shot just a few months after returning from near career ending neck surgery that put him on the shelf an entire year. Rock ended the improbable first title reign of Kurt Angle at No Way Out in February to make this highly anticipated rematch of the WM 15 main event official. WWF immediately started printing money. The entire build for this epic main event can be summed up in one simple line from Austin: "I need to beat you, Rock. I need it more than anything you could ever imagine."

 

No DQ Match for the WWF Championship: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin def The Rock (c) in 28:08- Fink announces this as no DQ, which is a last second addition that surprises commentary. Austin gets a Texas sized Austin pop. Rock's is still decent, but it won't be long into the match that he'll start getting booed by the partisan Texas crowd. While Rock's posing in the corner Austin pulls him down and here we go! Rock ducks a belt shot. Austin Thesz Press! He drops the elbows after. Rock gets a swinging neckbreaker. Both guys fight off finisher attempts. Austin momentum tosses Rock over the top to the floor. The replacement Spanish announce table is still destroyed. Good call to not even bother setting up another replacement. They go over the rail and do a bit of a crowd brawl in a section that hasn't gotten one tonight. By the announce tables Austin gets a short clothesline, and stays in control back in the ring. He sets Rock up top and hits a superplex! Not a usual move from Austin even before the last neck surgery. Cover for 2. Austin takes a top turnbuckle pad off. Speed run and Rock gets a flying clothesline. Japanese style armdrag from Rock for 2. He 360 clotheslines Austin to the floor. After some ringside knockaround Austin gets run into the bell. Hebner trips backwards over the stairs. Rock stops to check on him. When he gets back up Austin waffles him with the bell! Rock's busted open. Now Austin knocks him around ringside. Rock lays on the English announce table and it collapses! Premature breakage. Happens to all tables at a certain age. Guess they have to scrap whatever was going to happen there. Austin slugs Rock down in the ring, lays in some straight ground and pound and even chokes Rock. Rock blocks an exposed buckle shot and tries to come back. Austin gets a swinging neckbreaker for 2. More ground and pound. Corner stomps. Rock pops out with a clothesline! That gets some loud boos. He lays in some smackdown punches and runs Austin into the exposed buckle. Then Rock goes out, gets the bell, and gives Austin a receipt shot with it. Now Austin's busted open. Cover for 2. Rock bounces Austin off the ropes on all sides with punches but Austin refuses to stay down. Rock elbows Austin off the apron and gives him some floor shots again. Austin drops Rock on the barricade, then slingshots him into the post. Monitor shot for Rock. Austin rolls him back in and covers for 2. Double bird in Rock's face, kick wh...no, Rock blocks it. Leg takedown into the World's Shittiest Sharpshooter! Shades of WM 13 here, right down to Austin's face being covered in blood. In fact both guys are bleeding very nicely. Austin nearly gets to the ropes but Rock drags him back to the center. Another effort from Austin and this time he gets to the ropes. Rock puts a middle finger right in Austin's face and goes for the Sharpshooter again. Austin eye rakes free. Leg takedown and Austin puts on a Sharpshooter! Rock manages to power free. Austin smashes Rock's leg, gives him a gut stomp and gets the Sharpshooter back on. Rock gets to the ropes. When Rock gets up Austin hooks in the Million Dollar Dream! Going all the way back to his hated Ringmaster days. He wants this bad. Next thing he'll be trying a Stun Gun. Rock fades down and we get the arm drops. Rock powers back up, climbs the ropes, and flips Austin over into a pin! Austin *just* gets free before 3! Another callback, to how Bret Hart beat Austin in their first match at Survivor Series '96. Rock reverses a whip and hits a Stunner! Slow cover for 2. Vince makes his way out to the ring. Slugfest and Austin hits a spinebuster for 2. Rock spinebuster! Pad off. People's Elbow! Vince pulls Rock out of the cover! What? Rock is shocked, then chases Vince. Austin gives Rock a Rock Bottom! Rock kicks out! Rock blocks a Stunner and knocks Hebner out of the ring. Low blow from Austin. He tells Vince to get a chair. What? Austin hold Rock for Vince and Vince gives Rock a chairshot! The hell is going on? Cover. Vince gets Hebner back in the ring. Hebner slow count. Rock kicks out! Austin's furious. Middle finger, Austin loads up another chairshot. Rock Bottom! Vince distracts Hebner! Rock flips Vince in the ring and gives him the smackdown punches. He turns around....STUNNER! ROCK KICKS OUT! Amazing near fall. Nuclear doesn't even come close to what the crowd is right now. Vince hands Austin the chair and Austin waffles Rock in the head with it. Another cover. Another kick out! What the hell will it take? Strange thing is, Austin's getting so frustrated he's going into an almost zen like trance now. Austin takes the chair and proceeds to absolutely pulverize Rock with it. Shot after shot after shot after shot after shot. If Rock was a horse he'd be glue right now. Austin covers again, and finally Rock stays down for a 3 count! Austin gets the title back! It's his 5th WWF Title win, tying him with Bret and Hogan one behind Rock's recently acquired 6. The win does get a pop. At first. Austin and Vince stare down.....and shake hands! JR: "AUSTIN IS SHAKING HANDS WITH SATAN HIMSELF!". Austin and Vince have a beer celebration over Rock's carcass as the crowd finally starts to clue in on what's really happening here. When Rock finally gets up Austin gives him one last belt shot for the road, then leaves side by side with his mortal enemy. End show. That wasn't the prettiest wrestling match. In fact it was downright ugly at times. It was a fight, and a pretty masterful one at that, one of the best brawl style matches ever. On top of that, the storytelling was sublime. As Austin said himself, he needed this win more than life itself, and he proceeded to use every single weapon he had available to him, right up to, as JR put it, selling his soul to Satan himself, while Rock refused and refused to go down and in the end had to be virtually murdered to finish it. Now, history will show in the long run the Austin heel turn was a mistake, both creatively and for business. But on the night, it was the biggest shock anyone could imagine. ****3/4

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- If you ask 50 random but knowledgeable longtime wrestling fans, likely at least 40-45 of them will say this is the greatest WM, possibly the greatest PPV, of all time. I'm not going to go quite that far. I will say this is the first of a run that has my top three favorite WMs, in no particular order, happening within a four year span (19 and 20 being the others). But that's not to undersell the greatness of this show. WWF was at its absolute zenith. The entire wrestling world was theirs, and this show is a worthy encapsulation of that and as a culmination of the entire Attitude Era. The rest of the year will be one of transition, mostly headlined by the ill-fated Invasion angle, before 2002 kicks off the next big era of WWF/E history: Ruthless Aggression.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A

Superbrawl IX

Legacy Review

Superbrawl IX

February 21, 1999 from the Oakland Arena in Oakland, CA

 

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay

 

WTF is this intro video? Did I accidentally turn on the wrong channel or order the wrong PPV? This is a Skinimax opening, not a wrestling PPV. To summarize, there's a decent looking blonde wrapped in bed sheets in a hotel room apologizing for "hurting you" and the anti-Goldberg shock stick is nearby, then she gets all excited when you present her with Superbrawl tickets. End scene. Who the hell thought of this and how the frak did it get actually made? The show proper thankfully starts after that. During the usual overlong ballyhoo we see the tag title belts are in a glass case on the entrance stage. More on that later.

 

Booker T def Disco Inferno in 9:19- Disco's recently become the newest member of NWO Wolfpac. Heenan likens him to the dog that keeps showing up to be fed and you eventually have to take him in. Not the worst analogy. Booker's singles breakout was one of the few bright spots of '98 for WCW, but he's been working back from an injury and hasn't been as featured since. As usual Disco stalls and hides at the start and they take forever before locking up. Basic start with Booker getting a hiptoss. Big "Disco sucks" chant from the crowd. Booker almost falls over giving Disco a shoulderblock. Kick and swinging neckbreaker from Disco. After a reset we get an arm wringer exchange. Booker gets a scoop slam, then sells I guess a kick from Disco that was nowhere near hitting. Disco gets an armdrag and poses. Booker nails him upside the head. Backdrop. Corner chops. Corner clothesline. Flying forearm for 2. Disco counters a backdrop with a knee and hooks on a sleeper. Booker flips him over to get out. Disco ducks the Harlem side kick and 360 clotheslines Booker to the floor. Back in Disco hits a setup slam and elbow off the second rope for 2. Booker comes back with a knee/kick combo. Scissors kick. Disco gets an inverted atomic drop. Spinebuster from Booker. Disco avoids another side kick and hits a clothesline with a 360 Booker sell. Booker counters a Chartbuster attempt and his a back suplex. Spinaroonie! The Harlem side kick hits. Booker goes up top to finish it. Disco joins him. Booker pushes him back down, hits the Harlem Hangover with his leg falling right on Disco's forehead, and gets the pin. Very disjointed match where they struggled to get on the same page, not uncommon in Disco matches. Booker didn't look overly interested in being in there with Disco, which I won't hold against him. *1/2

 

Chris Jericho (w/Ralphus) def Perry Saturn by countout in 11:17- Last month at Souled Out Jericho defeated Saturn in a "Loser Wears a Dress Match" with the help of suddenly crooked ref Scott Dickinson. For some reason Saturn has continued to wear dresses since even though I'm pretty sure the stipulation was for just one night. He was always an odd guy. Speaking of odd guys, Ralphus is also wearing a dress. Even put earrings on, the whole nine yards. Well, they're not too far from San Fransisco. He'd fit right in there. I think "bear" would be the correct term but I don't exactly frequent those circles. Ref Dickinson is also with Jericho on his entrance, making his return from a 30 day suspension to ref this match. Commentary isn't too clear, a common WCW issue, but I think the stip here is if Saturn wins Jericho has to start wearing the dress in perpetuity or until the booking committee loses interest. Is Saturn wearing eyeliner along with his dress? Guess he's going all in too. Jericho takes a mic before the bell and says all the usual stuff, nothing of note. Saturn jumps him with a clothesline and hits a backdrop. Jericho bails. Saturn hits a clothesline off the apron and whips Jericho over the guardrail into the crowd. They do a short crowd brawl. Coming back over Jericho tries to throw a cup in Saturn's face but it does nothing. Back in Saturn puts on a full nelson into an exploder suplex. He gives Jericho some trapped arm headbutts and hits a release northern lights suplex. Saturn avoids a Jericho dropkick and slingshots him back down to the floor. Plancha! Saturn decides to go after Ralphus. He tosses Ralphus in the ring and tears his dress off. Ralphus covers up his gut like he's covering up his boobs! OK, that's chuckle worthy. Jericho uses the distraction to dropkick Saturn in the back. Delayed suplex. Arrogant cover! Saturn uses that for a leg takedown and pounds Jericho's face into the mat. Back outside Jericho hits a dropkick off the top rope down to the floor. Setup slam back in. Jericho goes up top and does some kind of crazy corkscrew dive that Saturn easily avoids. I think that was Jericho having a laugh as much as anything else. Back kick and slam from Saturn. He hits a splash off the top rope and calls for the Rings of Saturn. Jericho rolls him up and tries to use rope leverage for 2. He flips out of a Saturn powerbomb attempt and hits a German suplex. Top rope fight. Jericho hits a crossbody. Saturn rolls over and hooks on the Rings! Jericho fights over and just gets a toe on the bottom rope. Saturn hits a falcon arrow. He tries a Lionsault that Jericho easily dodges. Jericho hits the proper Lionsault to Saturn's back. Cover for a long 2. Jericho eye pokes out of a DVD attempt. Saturn ducks a kick, scoops, and hits the DVD! No cover. Instead Saturn decides to DVD Dickinson for revenge too, then he leaves. The hell? After coming to Dickinson calls for the bell. It could be a DQ or a countout but the results online all say countout so whatever. The match was OK, but the finish was dumb and this whole angle is so freaking stupid. It's little wonder Jericho's about to bail for the WWF. **

 

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Kidman (c) def Chavo Guerrero Jr in 8:26- After some lockup shenanigans Chavo gives Kidman an eye rake over the ref. Kidman gets a flying headscissors, armdrag and dropkick. Chavo rolls out to think. Back in Kidman gets an atomic drop and clothesline and Chavo bails again. Back in Chavo begs off and offers a handshake. Kidman uses it for a short clothesline. They both end up on the apron and slug is out there. Chavo tights, er, jeans pulls Kidman down into the guardrail. Brain buster from Chavo back in for 2. A wild back elbow sends Kidman out to the floor again. Somersault plancha! Back in Chavo does some corner stomps and boot washes. Kidman dodges in the corner and hits a crossbody off the top for 2. Chavo gets a tiltawhirl backbreaker. Backdrop from Kidman. Back suplex from Chavo. He comes off the top rope but Kidman dropkicks him in midair. Chavo drop toe holds him into the middle turnbuckle. Hurricanrana off the top from Chavo for a long 2. Kidman spinebuster for 2. Chavo crotches Kidman on the top rope and hits a hangman's DDT for 2. Kidman counters a powerbomb into a faceplant. He goes back up top. Shooting star press! That gets the pin to retain as Kidman's unlikely underdog title reign continues. Fun little sprint. ***1/4

 

Before getting into the next couple of matches I need to take some time to set them up. The tag titles had been mired in some of the stupidest shit you've ever seen since the fall of '98. So stupid even I won't bother going into detail over it and I'm Mr Detail. For once it was a good thing they weren't defended on PPV for months so I could ignore it all. Long dumb story short, they were vacated in January when Rick Steiner got injured and WCW set up a tournament to fill the vacant titles. It was initially a normal tournament, but partway through the first round it was suddenly decided to make it double elimination, to my knowledge a first for a wrestling tournament. Might have been some NWO shenanigans, I don't remember. The NWO team of Curt Hennig and Barry Windham got to the finals from the winner's bracket, while the Four Horsemen team of Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko survived the loser's bracket to make it here (they lost to Hennig and Windham in the first round). Because it's double elimination if Benoit and Malenko win each team will have a loss, so a deciding second match will be held immediately after.

 

Tournament Final for the Vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship (Match 1): Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko def Curt Hennig and Barry Windham in 19:34- After the usual requisite heel stalling Malenko and Windham start. Quick takedown from Malenko. Windham tries to bail but Malenko cuts him off. Drop toe hold from Malenko into a mat exchange. Malenko back elbows out of a hammerlock. Reset with both sides tagging. Benoit and Hennig exchange chops. Test of strength with a nice Benoit bridge up into a straitjacket. Hennig takes a rope break. Pissed off shoving and slapping exchange and things break down into an out and out brawl. Hennig does a 180 sell (as much as he can do now) off a Benoit chop and goes to the floor. After some recovery time Windham tags back in. Big Benoit corner chops. The NWO work to double team Malenko. Windham hits a suplex. Mounted punches and hiptoss from Windham and the NWO team hit a double clothesline for 2. After a mat exchange with Hennig Malenko ends up in the wrong corner. He fights out, rolls and tags. Benoit comes in hot. Hennig does a nice almost classic Mr. Perfect sell off a corner whip. Backbreaker from Benoit. Snap suplex for 2. Malenko back suplex for 2. Benoit clotheslines Hennig and back elbows Windham off the apron. Throat slash, Benoit goes up top and the headbutt hits! Windham breaks the pin up. Malenko straddles Hennig on the top rope then dropkicks him off. After Windham helps him back in Hennig gets a low blow on Malenko. Tag to Windham and he hits a gutwrench suplex for 2 as Malenko goes in peril for a bit. The crowd starts to chant what sounds like "boring". Malenko gets the message and instantly fires off a comback and tags. Benoit does the snot blow on Hennig. With extra snot. Allergies. After a bit in peril Hennig gets an inverted atomic drop on Benoit. Windham gets Benoit up and hits the superplex. Malenko breaks the pin up. NWO double suplex for 2. Hennig does the classic snap mare/neck snap combo. Kneelift. Back suplex from Windham. Benoit slips out of a slam attempt and hits a German suplex on Hennig. Tag to Malenko. Hot tag run with Windham doing a great Shawn Michaels-esque spit sell off a dropkick. DONNYBROOK! Malenko gets Windham in the Cloverleaf! Hennig breaks it up. Benoit tries harder to make sure he has Hennig tied up and Malenko puts it on again! Windham taps! With all the talk from commentary about bringing back the tradition of the old NWA/WCW tag titles and division that was a fairly nice old school style matchup, even getting the longer time those matches tended to get. Not great, but solid. **1/2

 

Tournament Final for the Vacant WCW World Tag Team Championship (Match 2): Curt Hennig and Barry Windham def Chris Benoit and Dean Malenko in :20- Theoretically there's supposed to be a 30 second rest period between matches. In practice, this is WCW. Benoit and Malenko continue to beat Hennig down in the corner while behind them Windham slips his belt off. Oh hell, we're back to Skinimax. While the ref is tied up by Benoit and Hennig Windham wraps his belt around Malenko to choke him! Windham gets Malenko in a pinning position with the belt still around his throat covered by Windham's arm, the ref gets back, and counts the pin for the NWO team to win the titles. For fuck's sake. And that's how you piss away whatever goodwill you got from the first match. The crowd is pissed. Once again Benoit loses in a title match, which was becoming a recurring frustrating joke. Also the bell never rang to start the second match so your guess is as good as mine on the time. NR

 

Hair vs Mask Match: The Outsiders (w/Lex Luger and Elizabeth) def Rey Mysterio Jr and Konnan in 11:00- This was originally supposed to be Kevin Nash and Luger teaming up but Luger got legit hurt the week before so Scott Hall is stepping in even though he has another match later. None of the NWO wrestlers' hair is on the line here, if they lose it's Elizabeth that gets shaved bald. Kind of telegraphs the finish. Commentary makes a rare good point, it was exactly one year ago at this same show that Juventud Guerrera lost his mask in a match. After some typical prematch squabbling/stalling things settle down with Hall and Mysterio in to start. Hall mocks his size and tosses the toothpick. Mysterio spits back. Lockup and Hall easily tosses Mysterio into the corner. Another lockup and another toss. Third try and this time Mysterio gets an armdrag. Drop toe hold from Mysterio. He speeds around Hall and hits a springboard guillotine legdrop. Springboard butt splash and Mysterio knocks Nash off the apron. Hall catches a crossbody attempt and hits the fallaway slam. Tag to Nash. He tosses Mysterio across the ring. Mysterio desperately tries a sunset flip but Nash easily fights it off and tosses Mysterio again. Hall tags in and goes into mocking mode. Corner chops on one end, corner clothesline on the other. Hall calls that's it. Mysterio fights out of a Razor's Edge attempt and tags. Konnan with a fired up hot tag run. Nash hits him from behind on the apron and Hall drops Konnan with a clothesline because the Outsiders had already done 10 of the maximum 20 seconds of selling they'll do per tag match. Gotta spread it out. Nash hits the measured corner knees and elbows. Hall clotheslines Konnan from the apron. Konnan gets beat down in the wrong corner but manages to fight out. Hall ducks the rolling clothesline. Double clothesline. Both sides tag. Mysterio hits a pair of springboard dropkicks. He launches off Nash to dropkick Hall! Konnan then monkey flips Mysterio into Nash. Mysterio bronco buster on Hall. No no no no, don't do that. Hate that move. Luger trips Konnan and pulls him out into the guardrail. Mysterio moonsault on Nash. He's covering but the ref is distracted by Elizabeth. Hall comes in, plants Mysterio with the Razor's Edge, drapes Nash over, and Nash gets the pin. Meh. Mysterio worked his ass off if nothing else. *3/4

 

Per the stipulation, Mysterio has to unmask. Konnan helps him get the knots undone, then honorable Mysterio willingly finishes the job himself. For the rest of his WCW run Mysterio will wrestle unmasked, something WWE does not want you to remember even in this day and age when it's cool to bring back all the history again. After the mask is off Nash tells him to put it back on, then, as usual with Nash not taking anything or anyone seriously, puts the mask on himself and mugs for the camera.

 

WCW World Television Championship: Scott Steiner (c) def Diamond Dallas Page in 13:53- This seems like a pretty big step backward for DDP after the run he had at the last part of '98. On the other side, after an injury stalled his momentum right after his heel turn Steiner is now getting serious traction with his new Big Poppa Pump character. Both these guys will be World champs in fairly short order, and they should be. Steiner hit and injured Kimberly on TV, while also hitting on her, to turn this from a simple title match into a more personal feud. During his entrance Steiner brings a totally normal fan and not at all a plant into the ring. He's got a better eye than Godfather, I'll give him that. Tony: "Let's get a shot of her walking out again". TONY! It's a family show........And yes. DDP comes in hot. Steiner tries to run but DDP cuts him off and pounds on him. More shots in the ring and DDP shouts "Here's your hook up jack off!". They brawl on the mat in the ring and trade guardrail shots on the floor. Steiner back kicks DDP into the rail, then back elbows him off the apron back down into it. DDP snaps Steiner's throat over the top rope coming back in. Clothesline off the top rope from DDP. Russian leg sweep and Steiner bails again. Steiner's platonic partner Buff Bagwell makes his way out. They try to corner DDP in the ring. DDP pushes ref Lil' Naitch back and says bring it on. Inverted atomic drops from DDP on both. Double clothesline. Bagwell hits DDP from behind to stop his momentum. That starts off the next few minutes of Steiner and Bagwell trading off taking shots on DDP in the ring and on the floor. Steiner hits the clothesline and elbow drop combo for 2. He puts DDP in the tree of woe and chokes him upside down from the floor. DDP pulls up in the corner and tries to fire back. Steiner gets hits boots up in the corner and hits a belly to belly suplex for 2. He grounds DDP on the mat while Bagwell places a chair in the ring. Chairshot to DDP's back. Bagwell gets wire cutters and takes off the top turnbuckle pad, then starts to unhook the middle one. Meanwhile, Steiner tries for the Steiner Recliner but DDP low blows him. Lil' Naitch catches Bagwell Yano'ing the buckle pads and tosses him out. While Steiner's arguing that DDP 360 clotheslines him to the floor from behind. Plancha! Steiner whips DDP into the stairs. He tries another chairshot but Lil' Naitch takes it away. Steiner chases him around the ring and runs into a DDP clothesline. Coming back in Steiner crotches DDP on the top rope. Top rope Frankensteiner! DDP kicks out! DDP counters a hiptoss into a DDT! Slow arm drape cover for 2. Steiner counters a Diamond Cutter attempt and pushes DDP into the exposed turnbuckle. Steiner moves the middle pad off, then runs DDP upside down into the exposed corner three times, right on his shoulder and back. He goes for the Steiner Recliner. DDP does his best to fight it but Steiner gets it fully on. DDP won't give up, but he passes out and Lil' Naitch has to call it. Good stuff. The double team beatdown with Bagwell was a bit much, but it was isolated to a section of the match. You can always count on DDP for a great layout and for him to execute it well, and Steiner hadn't become completely useless in the ring just yet. ***

 

The stretcher comes out for DDP. Steiner turns it over before DDP can be put on but then leaves without further incident. DDP gets stretchered out.

 

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Scott Hall (w/Disco Inferno) def "Rowdy" Roddy Piper (c) in 8:19- Piper defeated Bret Hart for the title a couple of weeks prior on Nitro in one of the most ridiculous farces of a match you'll ever see, yet more proof they signed Bret with zero idea what the hell to do with him. That and I'm sure Hogan politicking against him. Hall takes so long on his entrance his music resets. Guess he needed a couple of extra drinks after already working a match tonight. Piper's music then starts up when he's barely halfway to the ring. Shoves and a Piper slap after the bell. Piper takes his sweet time getting his entrance gear off, then swirls his kilt around Hall's head to attack him. Piper tosses Hall with the kilt. Then he chokes Hall with his shirt. All with Hall's insane goofy selling of course. Short jabs from Piper. He hits a slooooooooooooow swinging neckbreaker. Hall grabs an arm and starts his usual early match arm stuff. Both guys pull hair. Piper is more effective. Disco gets on the apron. Piper muffs his hair and pops him back off. Both sides atomic drops from Piper on Hall as the goofy selling gets cranked up to 11. While Hall wobbles we get an eye poke exchange. Hall grabs Piper's tights and pulls him. I think Piper was supposed to go to the floor but the ropes got in the way. He gets there eventually. When he does he eye pokes Disco, but Hall jumps from behind. Stair "shots" for Piper with his head clearly a foot away from hitting anything. Back in Hall lays in more punches. Piper wants more. He gives Hall about the worst low blow ever to zero crowd reaction. Hall responds with his own low blow. The ref, of course, lets it all go. Hall puts Piper in the tree of woe and stomps away. Disco comes over and chokes before Piper gets himself free. Abdominal stretch time, with Disco assistance. The ref eventually catches it. Hall dodges a Piper elbow drop. He puts Piper on the top rope, but Piper uses that to climb up and gets the sleeper on. The crowd is absolutely comatose. Piper has his finish on and you could hear a penny drop, and it wouldn't be the start of Okada's music. Disco comes in and gets popped. Nash runs in and that finally wakes the crowd up a bit. While Nash has Piper distracted Hall pops him in the back of the head, gets some rope leverage, and gets the pin for his first ever WCW singles title. Talk about farces. That was utter trash, borderline MINUS FIVE STARS territory. DUD

 

After the bell Piper refuses to give up the belt. Hall gets it and takes a swing but Piper ducks it. Piper and Disco have a tug of war over the belt that Disco wins. Hall and Nash try to attack but Piper escapes, screams something totally unintelligible on the mic, and leaves.

 

Goldberg def Bam Bam Bigelow in 11:39- Bigelow made a surprise return to WCW in late '98 with one singular focus: Goldberg. Finally they get their match tonight. Undefeated streak over or no the crowd is still bonkers for Goldberg. Don't worry, WCW will take care of that before long. They let it soak a bit before chest to chest jawing, circling and locking up. Stalemate. Next lockup the ref has to force a break and Bigelow takes a cheap shot. Goldberg no sells a shoulderblock, catches Bigelow leaping and gives him a powerslam. Bigelow takes a powder. Back in Goldberg hits a tackle. He gives Bigelow a fireman's carry slam into a cross armbreaker. Bigelow gets to the ropes. Crazy standing dropckick from Goldberg that goes mostly over the top of Bigelow's head. He missed, but still damn impressive athletically. A 360 clothesline puts Bigelow back on the floor. Bigelow grabs Goldberg's leg and whacks it on the apron. He targets the knee on the floor and back in the ring. After a few minutes of knee work Bigelow drops a couple of his headbutts then puts on....a chinlock? Think we have submission hold ADD here. Goldberg's comeback is cut off with a knee shot, then Bigelow goes back to the chinlock. Ugh. Goldberg back suplexes free. Bigelow is still up first and hits a slam. He goes up top. The headbutt hits! Goldberg kicks out! Bigelow climbs up again, looking for a moonsault. Goldberg pulls him down before he can try it. Bigelow *just* dodges a spear. Speed run, Goldberg ducks a clothesline, spear! He hooks up for the jackhammer, then changes his mind. Superkick. A second spear. NOW he goes for the jackhammer, hits it, and good night. The more decent length matches Goldberg works the more he gets exposed as a two move guy. *

 

WCW World Heavyweight Championship: Hollywood Hogan (c) def "Nature Boy" Ric Flair in 12:00- Again commentary and recaps aren't helpful here but I'm pretty sure Flair got this match for himself while he still had WCW Presidential powers. He still might. If he does it's never mentioned. Hogan comes out to Wolfpac music and is wearing split gear to represent he's the leader of all NWO factions now. Well, not NWO Japan. Flair's got a small bandage on his face from attacks during the build. He comes in I want to say all business, but honestly he looks more checked out than anything else. Hogan quickly hits a couple of shoulderblocks and tosses his bandana at Flair. Flair works into a hammerlock, gets Hogan in the corner and pops the first chop. "WOOOOOOOO!". Hogan gets shots in the corner and backdrops Flair. Corner clothesline. Flair Flop! Hogan tries his chops. Flair turns around and shows him how it's done. Snap mare/kneedrop combo. Hogan comes out of the corner with a clothesline. Flair Flip! Hogan gives Flair a guardrail shot and gets a chair. He taps Flair in the head with it. What is it with Hogan and weak ass chair shots? They then have a bit of a sloppy exchange on the floor as we see Flair, weak shot or no, is of course busted open. Hogan pounds the cut on the floor and bites it. Suplex from Hogan on the floor. Back in Flair gets slammed off the top rope. Hogan drops elbows and does some ground and pound. That fires Flair up! He hits more chops until Hogan decks him with a right. It's weightlifting belt whipping time. Flair fires up again. He goes for a leg tackle that doesn't come off well at all. Hogan swings the belt right into Flair's face! More belt shots. Belt wrap punch from Hogan. We go into another chop/punch exchange with both guys no selling. That gets the crowd fired up as much as they've been during any Hogan match in years. Flair goes into Dirtiest Player in the Game mode, giving Hogan an eye poke and a series of low blows. He takes the weightlifting belt off Hogan and gives him some whip receipts. Yapapi! Sorry, I don't know why I said that. Flair does a belt wrap punch, then tosses the belt down to the floor. Now Hogan's bleeding. Flair goes to work on it. A blonde woman makes her way down the aisle. This is a "mystery woman" that's been involved in the feud for reasons unknown. In fact it's Torrie Wilson, but we don't know that yet. She gets on the apron and slaps Flair. Flair catches Hogan's ambush attempt and back suplexes him as the woman parks it ringside. Flair gives Hogan mounted punches and hits a delayed suplex. Cover. Hogan's kickout squashes Lil' Naitch under Big Naitch. Hogan then drops an elbow on the ref for good measure. Big boot. Slam. Flair dodges the legdrop. Now a masked man makes his way down to the ring. Heenan thinks it's Bischoff. Meanwhile Flair's softened Hogan's knee up a bit and hooks on the figure four. The masked man gives Flair a stun gun shot! That thing's getting around. Hogan covers and gets the pin. Same. Old. Shit. Thanks to Flair the match wasn't horrible. Hogan, as usual with guys getting paired with Flair even in these days, seemed to be trying more than usual. **1/4

 

The woman hugs the man in the ring, then unmasks him.......oh bloody bollocking frelling hell it's David Flair. With an NWO shirt on. I swear I hear commentary groan before they kick into selling it mode. Think "It's me Austin!" and JR's "Aw son of a bitch" reaction, but with mostly silence and more pronounced at the same time. David Flair and the woman kiss as we thankfully get a truncated NWO celebration since the show's already out of time. So, that giant beatdown the NWO put on David Flair at Souled Out.....convinced him to switch sides? Pretty pathetic honestly. I don't think I really need to spell it out, but the "OH MY GOD HE'S NWO NOW" shocks had worn well past their sell by date. It also didn't help that David Flair hadn't shown a modicum of natural wrestling talent or charisma to this point. Think it's easy to see why Flair looked so checked out going into the match now.

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- The sad thing is, this could have been a decent show. Not only that, it could have been the reset WCW desperately needed with some better booking decisions. Instead, it's all the same playbook they've been running ad nauseam since mid '96 no matter how stale it was now and how tired the fans had gotten of it. The NWO win everything they're in (except Disco but who cares about him), the heels win all the title matches that matter (sorry Cruiserweight title, you peaked in '97), and no one has anything to cheer for outside another expected Goldberg non-title win. '99 is starting out much like '98 ended.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+

No Way Out '01

Legacy Review

No Way Out '01

February 25, 2001 from the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, NV

 

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

 

After an all time great Royal Rumble the road to Wrestlemania X7 continues. This would turn out to be the final PPV put on by WWF while WCW was still a going concern. The end of an era is almost here. In fact it had already started, as a week after the Rumble WWF purchased the assets of nearly bankrupt ECW from their parent company.

 

WWF Hardcore Championship: The Big Show def Raven (def Billy Gunn def Raven) (c) in 4:20- Big Show made his surprise return from injury remedial OVW training in the Rumble. Raven brings out the usual shopping cart full of toys. Among the usual hardcore props I can also spot a partially deflated basketball (I didn't know Tom Brady played basketball), a Ouija board, and.....a stuffed monkey? When Show comes out a woman in a catsuit and mask tries to attack him but he cuts her off. Apparently this is an unknown woman who's been helping Raven recently, who would later be revealed to be Tori. Raven charges up the ramp with the classic oversized stop sign but Show cuts that off too and whacks Raven with it multiple times back down the ramp. That giant stop sign *never* worked for the Flock in WCW, why should Raven expect any different here? As they work toward the ring Raven dodges a charge and Show goes into the post. He hops on Show's back but Show easily flips him back off. Raven sets a fire extinguisher off in Show's face. Running baseball slide. A popcorn vendor runs in and attacks Raven! There's popcorn everywhere! Crunchy thumbtacks. The vendor is wearing a wig and fake mustache but is obviously Crash Holly. He gives Raven a bulldog for 2. 24/7 rule, it's allowed. Show powerslams Crash. He hits Raven with a GTR. Now Steve Blackman and Hardcore Holly run in! Both attack Show. From the other side Billy Gunn comes in and gives Raven a Fameasser! Gunn pins Raven to win the title! Crash rolls Gunn up for 2. Blackman and Hardcore double team Gunn until Show takes them both out. While they're fighting Raven covers Gunn and pins him to win the title back. Again Crash tries a roll up but can't get the pin. Show gorilla press slams Crash. The masked woman runs in again, this time followed by Molly Holly. Molly takes her out. Raven pummels Show with trash can shots. Show shrugs it all off, chokeslams Raven through a can, and pins him to win the Hardcore title for the first time. I appreciate them trying to do something different with the hardcore/24/7 rules, but this came off as a bit too much chaos. *1/2

 

After the bell Gunn tries to attack Show and they both completely fluff an over the top rope spot. Show looks legit pissed as he's walking out. The ring crew has its work cut out cleaning up that huge mess of popcorn in the ring between matches.

 

Fatal Four Way Match for the WWF Intercontinenal Championship: Chris Jericho (c) def Chris Benoit, Eddie Guerrero and X-Pac in 12:18- Not the worst idea for an IC title match on a B PPV, throw together three of your best in-ring workers and let them go at it. And Pac. Even after nearly a year of off and on feuding watching Jericho and Benoit go at it never gets old. This is an odd four way as it's three heels against Jericho rather than an even split. Benoit and Guerrero are going in trying to work together as a team as the Radicalz were still nominally a thing at this point. Quick 2v2 jump start with Jericho and Guerrero in the ring and Benoit and Pac going to the floor. Benoit comes in to pull Jericho out of a pin attempt and nails the first big chops. The Radicalz team up on Jericho while the crowd chants "X-Pac sucks" just because he exists. Jericho gets a comeback flurry but runs into a Pac spin kick. The Radicalz pound Pac down. They seem to agree on a plan. Guerrero goes up top to hit the frog splash, but while he does Benoit counters Pac's offensive attempts into the crossface. Guerrero gets up top, sees that, and looks put out. Jericho pops back up to crotch Guerrero on the top rope and break the crossface up. Guerrero fights off a Pac superplex attempt. Flash frog splash! Jericho breaks the pin up. Benoit hits a short clothesline on Jericho for 2. Guerrero, behind Benoit's back, put Jericho's foot on the bottom rope. Benoit snap suplex on Pac for 2. Pac hits a leg lariat on Benoit. He goes for the bronco buster. Jericho cuts it off with a missile dropkick. Benoit runs Jericho over and plants him with a German suplex with a bridge. Guerrero breaks that up and doesn't even try to hide it this time. The Radicalz slug it out with each other! No more teamwork there. Guerrero counters a Benoit powerbomb attempt into a hurricanrana. Jericho suplexes Pac on the floor. Guerrero plants Benoit with a wicked Saito suplex for 2. Regular suplex from Guerrero and he goes up top again. Benoit fights up with him and hits a superplex. Pac and Jericho each cover for a simultaneous 2 count. Guerrero gives Pac a Cactus clothesline. Jericho double underhook backbreaker on Benoit for 2. Chop exchange. Jericho cradles Benoit for 2. Benoit hits a clothesline. Jericho tries the misdirection bulldog. Benoit blocks it and tries to counter into a German. Jericho fights it, but Benoit pounds back and hits it for just a 1 count. Benoit goes for another (not rolling Germans, he let go) but Jericho counters and rolls all the way into the Walls! Guerrero and Pac both run in and both get hooked in the Walls as well but no one taps. Former ECW star Justin Credible, who recently returned to WWF and formed an alliance with Pac, runs out and immediately gets popped off the apron. Benoit hits a dragon suplex on a distracted Jericho for 2. Pac and Credible take Benoit out. Jericho hits Guerrero with the Lionsault but Pac breaks the pin up. Pac low blow on Jericho. X-Factor! Benoit breaks the cover. Crossface on Pac! Guerrero breaks that up with a running neckbreaker. Benoit back suplex on Guerrero. The headbutt off the top hits! Pac takes Benoit out with a swing kick. Jericho comes up, cradles Pac, and gets a pin to retain! No less than you'd expect from these guys. ***3/4

 

Vince is in the back with William Regal, who since the Rumble has been named the new WWF Commissioner. Vince is unhappy with regal for booking Steph and Trish in a match with each other, then tells Regal "You'll know what to do". Regal indicates he does, but as soon as Vince leaves says "How the bloody hell should I know what he wants me to do?". I can picture a lot of Vince real life backstage talks going that exact same way.

 

Stephanie McMahon-Helmsely def Trish Stratus in 8:32- Evil Steph helped Vince drive Linda McMahon into a sanatorium so all was right in McMahonland....until Vince started shacking up with his new secretary Trish. Steph didn't like how that took attention away from her so here we are. This is Steph's first singles match since her women's title reign ended back in October. She charges in a half spears half leg takedowns Trish at the bell. Trish tries to get away so Steph pulls her off the ropes. Clotheslines and the mandatory women's hair toss follow. Steph pulls some more hair out of Trish's head, then tosses Trish out. Trish throws Steph over the barricade. Steph comes back up with a forearm and a clotheslineish off the barricade. Trish blocks an apron suplex and snaps Steph over the top rope. She slaps Steph in the corner and stomps her down. Running bulldog for 2. Lawler tries to dub it the "Trishdog". They'll come up with a MUCH better name for it using Trish's last name later. Steph tries to punch back. Trish DDTs her for 2. She climbs up and hangs Steph from the top rope in a straight choke hold. Steph uses that to flip Trish off the top rope. Trish gets tossed out again. Steph gives her some shots on the announce table, then grabs a pitcher of water and tosses it on Trish! Lawler gets all excited about a "wet t-shirt", but....Trish is wearing black. You're not going to see anything. That sets Trish off and she runs Steph into the announce table. Back in Trish runs into a Steph powerbomb for 2. Now things break down into Attitude Era T&A land as Steph pulls Trish's trunks down to spank her, then tries to rip Trish's top off. Both women charge and give each other a double faceplant. Regal makes his way down. He takes the ref out, puts Trish on top of Steph, wakes the ref up, but then seems to change his mind and puts Steph's foot on the rope. Again Regal puts the ref down. Trish gets in Regal's face, asking what the hell he's doing. That seems to set Regal's mind. He neckbreakers Trish, puts Steph on top of her, and Steph gets the pin. You know, most of that match before the T&A and overbooking kicked in was shockingly watchable. Decent even. Steph hit all her marks with no major issues, while this was the first real indication that Trish was developing into a pretty good worker. **1/4

 

Back in the back, Vince is PISSED at Regal. "I THOUGHT YOU KNEW WHAT I WANTED!". Again, people not reading Vince's mind the way he wanted, I imagine a lot of real life meetings ended up this way. Vince's revenge is to book a tag match for Raw tomorrow night: Vince and Trish vs Regal and Steph.

 

Three Stages of Hell Match: Triple H def "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 36:31- Putting a bow on this feud as we head into the home stretch of Wrestlemania season. For now. Austin picked up his record third career Rumble win last month and has a date with the WWF Champion in the main event at WM no matter what happens tonight, the title shot is not on the line. This is purely personal. For those not familiar, Three Stages of Hell, being done as far as I can remember for the first time ever tonight, is a best 2 out of 3 falls match, but each fall has a different stipulation.

FIRST FALL (normal rules)- After a short think Austin, as usual, charges in and we're on. HHH is the first one down. Austin does the mudhole stomps in the corner, then goes for mounted punches on the other side. HHH tries an inverted atomic drop counter but Austin blocks that into a clothesline. HHH then tries to hide in the ropes. They have a miscommunication or something not going right, ending up with Austin trying a Thesz Press too close to the ropes and clotheslining himself on them. HHH goes for an early Pedigree. Austin grabs an arm during the hook up and counters it with an armbar slam. Nice, that's a new one. Austin posts the arm and goes to work on it. Back in HHH tries for the Pedigree again but his arm gives out and Austin is back on it. The proper Thesz Press hits. Elbow drop for 2. Austin just gets HHH over for a spinebuster in another rough looking spot. He tries coming off the second rope but HHH gets a boot up. Swinging neckbreaker from HHH, then a hangman's neckbreaker. His target is clearly Austin's recently surgically repaired neck and he starts picking it apart. Then HHH shits gears and clips Austin's chronically bad knee. Knee post shot from HHH. He goes for another one but Austin pulls him into the post. Another clip to Austin's knee back in. After some more softening up HHH hooks on a figure four! He works his way over to get added rope leverage behind Hebner's back. After a bit Austin drags HHH back to the center, then slowly fights over to reverse it. HHH quickly grabs a rope break. Elbow drop from HHH and he's back on the knee. While grounded Austin pummels HHH in the face with the bottom of his good leg/knee brace. Buckle shots for HHH. Another Thesz Press/elbow drop combo for 2. HHH grabs a kick but Austin spins him into a clothesline. HHH blocks a Stunner and hits another neckbreaker for 2. Roll up exchange for near falls. HHH gets a low blow kick in the corner. He comes off the second rope....right into a Stunner! Fantastic. Austin gets the pin for the first fall!

SECOND FALL (Street Fight)- Austin tosses HHH to the floor and suplexes him twice on the ramp. HHH gets knocked around ringside and Austin nails him with a Spanish announce table monitor. He tosses a few chairs in the ring, including one right out from under one of the ringside officials. It's a padded chair so I figure that was pure Austin messing with him. HHH tries to escape through the crowd. Austin follows, pounds away on HHH on the arena steps, then tosses him back over and in the ring. HHH gets one of the chairs but Austin cuts it off. He takes the chair and goes NUTS on HHH with repeated chairshots. It's a small preview of him completely snapping at WM. One last chairshot to HHH's sternum for 2. Austin goes out and gets the bell. After some more ringside knockaround Austin gets a new toy: the barbed wire covered 2x4! It was one year ago at this PPV that HHH (theoretically) retired Mick Foley, this is a nice callback. HHH cuts of a shot, gets the 2x4, and nails Austin with it. Austin's bleeding. And getting it all over the announce table. A HHH punch sends Austin flopping over the announce table, sending JR and Lawler scrambling and cutting JR completely off the air. HHH pounds Austin on the table, then sets him up for a Pedigree. Austin backdrops HHH through the Spanish announce table! Absolute full speed on that. JR is back on. Austin gets a beer, pops it open, and smashes it over HHH's head. He pounds away on HHH on the floor and pushes Hebner away. "Get the fuck outta here!". Back in HHH whacks Austin with the bell! Arm drape cover for 2. HHH neckbreakers Austin onto a chair! Cover for 2. Another one onto the chair and another cover for 2. Austin hooks on a sleeper. HHH quickly back suplexes him onto the chair. HHH sets up for a Pedigree onto the chair. Austin backdrops him over the top to the floor! Chairshot to HHH's head! Now HHH is busted open. Austin picks up the stairs and runs them into HHH. HHH drop toe holds Austin into the stairs. He goes under the announce table and gets his trusty sledgehammer! He got that right from where JR is sitting. Lawler logically asks JR where the hell that came from and JR hilariously loses his shit over Lawler asking. Austin cuts a sledge shot off. He does some more mudhole stomps back in. Another sledge shot cut off. HHH counters a Stunner and off the rebound gets Austin with the sledge! Pedigree and HHH evens the match up. Nice booking with both guys beating each other at the other's perceived strength, even though anyone that watched his WCW years knows Austin was a TREMENDOUS technical wrestler before his body broke down, and HHH was a damn good brawler when he needed to be.

THIRD FALL (Steel Cage)- Hard to imagine what these guys can still do to each other after that last fall. They both take time to recover as the cage is lowered and quickly hooked on. Austin tries to attack first but HHH runs him into the cage. HHH does some ground and pound and sends Austin into the cage again. He gets the 2x4 and digs it into Austin's head! Austin paws around, manages to get a chair, and blind swings it at HHH to get free. Now HHH goes into the cage. Austin gets the 2x4 in his face! HHH goes down and Austin straight drops the 2x4 into his face, then digs it in again. HHH gets around and gives Austin a DDT into a chair! Both guys are doing great selling pure exhaustion this deep in and after what they've done to each other. HHH gets an arm drape cover for 2 before Austin slugs back. HUGE Austin punch flurry in the corner. Trips flop! Austin covers for 2. HHH climbs up the cage. JR notes that this is pin only, no escape rules. Austin follows and they take turns ramming each other into the top of the cage. Austin goes down first and gets crotched on the top rope. HHH stays up top. Austin gets up and gives him the Flair slam off the top rope! Another Stunner attempt is countered. Pedigree! Austin kicks out! HHH is shocked. He gives Austin a chairshot and hooks up for another one. Austin gets free and slingshots him into the cage! Stunner off the rebound! Austin's slow to cover and HHH kicks out! Austin gets the 2x4. HHH gets the sledge. They hit each other at the same time! HHH falls on top of Austin, and pins him! What a finish. That win got a bit of a pop too, which HHH also got during his entrance. This, to me, is a forgotten and criminally unheralded classic. For some reason whenever anyone talks about HHH or Austin's best matches this never gets mentioned, and it should. Now, did they have a couple of rough spots in the first fall? Yes. Were they calling spots so loud at points people down the road at the casinos could hear them? Also yes. But the pure awesomeness of the last two falls and the perfect structure of the match as a whole more than made up for it. *****

 

Both guys take a long time to recover after that war. Once they finally get some footing Austin gives HHH a Stunner for the road. But as Austin's leaving, he looks back from the top of the ramp at HHH with a look that is very clearly newfound respect. Intentional or not, it's great foreshadowing of where these two will be going after WM.

 

Tazz makes his full entrance to take Lawler's place in commentary before the next match.

 

Steven Richards (w/Ivory) def Jerry "The King" Lawler (w/The Kat) in 5:31- Cool down match, activate. The stipulation with this is, if Lawler wins, Kat gets to "express her nudity". I'd have no complaints. If Richards wins, Kat has to join Right to Censor. They jaw at each other after the bell before Lawler gets the first shots in. Richards powders but comes back in hot. Lawler blocks a hiptoss and hits a clothesline. Slam and fistdrop combo. Richards bails again. He rips his shirt off! Flagrant disrespect of the RTC uniform. When he gets back in Lawler tosses him back out. Lawler holds Ivory for Kat to slap her. Richards uses the distraction to push Lawler into the post, then rolls Lawler in and covers for 2. Richards loads up for the Goodfather's no more hos train. Lawler dodges and hits an excessive amount of mounted punches (25ish). Bulldog from Lawler for 2. Richards gets a suplex for 2. He goes out and gets a chair. Lawler low blows him and hits a pair of DDTs. Ivory distracts ref Teddy Long. The match degrades into a bunch of running in and Lawler dodging women's title belt shots from Richards. Finally Kat gets the belt, swings at Richards but hits Lawler instead, and Richards covers for the pin. All of RTC come in, wrap Kat up in a large sack, and carry her away screaming. 1/2*

 

Unfortunately, or fortunately, this angle wouldn't go anywhere else. Kat, according to various reports, either quit in disgust over this angle or was fired for being hard to work with backstage. Probably truth in both. In solidarity with his then real life wife Lawler would walk out with her. He wouldn't return until November. Kat would never be seen in WWF/E again. Which begs the obvious (storyline) question: What the hell did RTC do to her?

 

Triple Threat Tables Match for the WWF Tag Team Championship: The Dudley Boyz (c) def The Brothers of Destruction and Edge & Christian in 12:04- Unlike past tag tables matches you only have to put one guy through a table to win this one. Tazz remains on commentary in Lawler's place for the rest of the show. Taker and Kane are kind of slumming it here. Kane's debuting, at least for PPV, some new all black gear. During entrances E&C get caught between the other two teams on the ramp. Being the smart ones they escape sideways and let the other two teams duke it out. Taker tosses D'Von off the ramp while E&C set a table up ringside. They charge but run right into the BOD buzzsaw. The next few minutes are BOD dominating E&C all around ringside. The Dudleyz run back in with chairs and take BOD out. Finally in the ring for the first time the Dudleyz pound on E&C. E&C get Bubba Ray in the tree of woe and literally squash hits nuts with their feet. Double flapjack on D'Von. E&C go out and get chairs. Bubba Ray ducks a conchairto. He slingshots Edge into Christian, then Edge takes the Whazzup Drop. Get the tables time! Plenty to choose from. While he does BOD attack. Christian hits Bubba Ray with the Unprettier. E&C try to fight BOD but get overwhelmed again. Stereo clotheslines off the top rope from BOD. They then fight the Dudleyz to get a couple of tables in the ring. The crowd chants "We want tables". THEY'RE IN THE FRAKKING RING. And it's a TABLES MATCH for frell's sake. I loathe that chant. The Dudleyz and E&C put their issues aside to try to take the two monsters down, but naturally that alliance doesn't last long. Bubba Ray hot shots Edge. Christian gets set up for a 3D through a table. Taker cuts it off. He sets up to chokeslam Christian but get tackled down. E&C double suplex Taker, but Kane pulled the table out of the way to save the match. BOD chokeslam everyone and set the tables back up. Rikishi and Haku run in and attack BOD! They all brawl on the floor, essentially eliminating BOD from the match. I don't really get why you'd put BOD in the match in the first place when you know they'd be overwhelming favorites, just to find a reason to have them not win it. Anyway, Bubba Ray and Edge slow slug it out in the ring. Bubba Ray dodges an Edge charge and Edge crashes into a corner table, which doesn't break! Ouch. Not sure if that was supposed to be the finish or not, everyone looks kind of surprised. The Dudleyz recover, improvise by giving Christian a 3D through the other table, and it's over. Fine but nothing near spectacular. **1/2

 

WWF Championship: The Rock def Kurt Angle (c) in 16:53- During the build for this match Angle debuted a brand new submission finisher: the ankle lock. The crowd is NUTS for Rock. They take their time staring down and jawing to let the crowd soak in. Angle takes the belt off and tries to hit Rock with it. Rock ducks, slugs, and here we go. Clothesline out of the corner from Rock. Angle hits a knee to the gut. Rock gets a Russian leg sweep. I just noticed that the ring mat is all taped up and coming apart. This is well before the days when the mat was changed between every single match. Angle hits a clothesline and goes into the brawling mode he was in a lot during this first title reign. But then he does a drop toe hold into the ankle lock! Rock quickly grabs a rope. Some more back and forth brawling. Angle gets a ripcord belly to belly suplex! A second one! Rock responds with his own Owen Hart style snap belly to belly! Diving clothesline from Rock. He hooks on the World's Shittiest Sharpshooter! Angle crawls over and gets a rope break. Rock Samoan drop for 2. We get a glimpse of security literally manhandling someone out of the arena. The crowd boos but I have little doubt he deserved it. Angle tosses Rock over the top to the floor. Rock hurt his leg on the landing. Back in Rock gets a kick wham DDT! Big Show's music hits. I guess we're getting into the period where someone's music has to play whenever they run in. I'm not a fan of that. Show comes in, chokeslams ref Mike Chioda, chokeslams Angle, chokeslams Rock, and leaves. Well. Thanks for coming I guess. Hebner runs out to take over. Angle crawls over and covers Rock, but Hebner's with Chioda and by the time he sees and gets in Rock kicks out. He then goes out to help Chioda again. Rock uses that to get the belt and nail Angle with it! Cover for a long 2. Rock's still limping. The ankle lock is on! Rock tries to crawl to the ropes. Angle lets go and SMASHES Rock's leg into the mat, then puts it back on! "Tap out you son of a bitch! I'll fucking break your ankle!". Oh yeah, we're seeing the birth of KURT FUCKING ANGLE right before our eyes. Rock fades, but just manages to grab a rope for a break. They slug it out again. Rock spinebuster! Pad off. People's Elbow! Angle kicks out! Oh yeah, the crowd bit HARD on that. There's even a small "bullshit" chant. Angle gives Rock a low blow behind Hebner's back, then takes a top turnbuckle pad off. Angle counters a Rock Bottom and Rock goes into the exposed buckle! Angle Slam! Rock kicks out! Another great near fall. Rock tries to lay in the smackdown punches. Angle cuts it off by kicking Rock's bad ankle! Angle charges. Rock dodges and Angle goes into the buckle! Rock Bottom! That was supposed to be the finish, but Hebner fucks up and only counts 2 even though Angle didn't kick out. Small reset, Rock hits another Rock Bottom, gives Hebner a death stare, and gets the pin to win the title back! It's Rock's 6th WWF Title win, which strangely isn't celebrated on TV even though it breaks a tie with Hulk Hogan and Bret Hart for the most ever to this point. Of course, most of Rock's were the hotshots he and Mick Foley were doing in early '99 so that might have something to do with it. That was another fantastic match that doesn't get talked about as much as it should. They did a great job of working in real drama even though bacteria on Europa knew Angle was a dead champion walking. Rock is at his absolute peak in every way. He worked hard to help make Angle look good, and Angle is really starting to put the pieces together by this point. His first reign might not have been a booking success, but he clearly took everything he learned from months of working main events with the top guys to continuously get better and better. Hebner's screw up hurt but that shouldn't detract much from the amazing work these two guys did. Take away that and Show's pointless run in and we might be talking about two full monty matches on one show. ****1/2

 

It's now official. Wrestlemania X7, Houston Astrodome, Rock/Austin II. The perfect match to culminate an entire era.

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Another fantastic show from one of the greatest Wrestlemania seasons ever. There is some junk on the undercard, and also several angle culs de sac (the correct plural) that didn't pan out (Rikishi and Haku attacking Brothers of Destruction, the Kat/RTC stuff, Show's interference in the main event), but the top matches delivered in spades. Like the Austin/Triple H match, I think this show as a whole doesn't get remembered as well as it should simply due to the sheer weight of the shows before and after it.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: A-