Rebellion 2000

Legacy Review

Rebellion 2000

December 2, 2000 from the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England

Commentary: Jim Ross and Tazz

There's a few different things happening for this second UK exclusive PPV of the year. Firstly, it's been moved from its usual October time slot a couple of months later to December. It's also just a week before the next main PPV, Armageddon. Second, it's one of the rare times they get out of the London area for one of these shows, heading up north to Sheffield in South Yorkshire. Third, Tazz is making his PPV debut on commentary as Jerry Lawler didn't make the trip, not too long after he started dabbling in commentary as his body broke down due to injuries. I assume that whole Tazz trying to murder JR thing from over the summer has been cleared up.

The show opens with a black cab driving up with a "Commish" license plate. How do you put a license plate on a cab? The door opens and out comes.....Debra. Ugh. With a camera angle that's supposed to make her look attractive, like we're checking her out. Don't waste my time. Anyway, she's recently been appointed as Assistant or Lieutenant (pronounced leftenant in the UK) Commissioner to real Commish Mick Foley. Foley himself comes out of the cab after. After the requisite pyro and ballyhoo, with enough pyro to do a decent recreation of the Blitz, Foley's music hits and the Commish and his bit of tail come out and make their way into the ring. Foley hypes the main event, then says Triple H demanded to be in the main event and if he couldn't he's not making the show. Complete with Foley Trips impersonation. Foley said that's fine, he can stay home. After what happened to him in Survivor Series, shouldn't he be dead? Or at least still in hospital? Foley then makes the main event no DQ and no countout. Aren't all Fatal Four Ways? Debra manages to get her two lines and four words right so it's a good night for her. Angle comes out to protest and gets brushed off. That took a lot of time to accomplish very little.

Triple Threat Elimination Tables Match: The Dudley Boyz def Edge & Christian and T&A (w/Trish Stratus) in 9:55- Now THERE'S a woman I'd appreciate a "camera slowly checks her out" angle of. T&A are still wearing APA gear to celebrate injuring both of them. Somehow there's still pyro left for the Dudleyz' entrance. This is like the previous Dudleyz' Invitational match, you only have to put one team member through a table to eliminate them. Albert and D'Von start with a quick Albert edge. D'Von hits clotheslines to try to chop the big tree down. Double suplex from the Dudleyz. Bubba Ray chops only piss Albert off. Double back elbow from T&A. They get the first table out. The Dudleyz don't appreciate that. E&C are the smartest team, just parking it on the apron and watching the other two punish each other. The Dudleyz lift the table up. Albert kicks it and it breaks in half! For the record, that doesn't count for an elimination. I also don't think that was intended. Test chokes Bubba Ray in the corner a long time while a replacement table is brought in. T&A try to double backdrop Bubba Ray into the table but D'Von moves the table out of the way. Edge tags himself in on Test. Bubba Ray hits him back, so Edge runs over and tags Test back in. Bubba Ray gets a boot up on Test coming off the second rope and tags D'Von. D'Von suckers Albert in and the Dudleyz reverse 3D him. Things break down into a full on DONNYBROOK. Albert gets on the second rope with Bubba Ray. E&C come from behind and pull Albert down into the table! T&A are eliminated. The Dudleyz and E&C take the fight to the floor. E&C double team D'Von on the floor, putting him in peril. Russian leg sweep from Christian. Edge tells Christian to grab a table, then runs over and pops Bubba Ray on the apron. D'Von baseball slides the table, knocking both E&C guys down! Hot tag to Bubba Ray! Or not, ref Tim White didn't see the tag. That allows the beatdown on D'Von to continue. D'Von ducks a Christian clothesline and side suplexes him. Real hot tag to Bubba Ray! Backdrop for Edge. Hot shot for Christian. Edge gets a spear! E&C want to give Bubba Ray the Whazzup drop! Bubba Ray rolls Christian up and Edge falls into Christian! The real Whazzup drop hits on Edge. Get the tables time. Christian literally tackles Edge to save him from a 3D. Christian takes the 3D through the table and it's over! Reasonably fun match from three teams that knew each other very well. **3/4

Michal Cole is in the back with Lita, but I can't pay attention to the promo, I'm too distracted by the giant stack of beer kegs behind her. That's something you normally didn't see in backstage shots.

 

WWF Women's Championship: Ivory (c) (w/Steven Richards) def Lita in 2:57- Richards gets drowned out by boos at the start of his promo before getting into it. There was a woman in the UK named Mary Whitehouse he'd probably want to take a meeting with. The National Viewers and Listeners Association was the original Right to Censor. Lita spears Ivory as she gets in the ring! Armdrag and shotgun dropkick. Snap mare and dropkick to Ivory's back for 2. Lita comes to almost a dead stop waiting for Ivory to get her boots up in the corner. Back suplex from Lita for 2. Richards gets on the apron and Lita snaps him over the top rope by his tie. Ivory hits some chops in the corner. Lita gets tossed around and choked. Legdrop for 2. Ivory hooks up an arm wringer and hits a northern lights suplex for 2. Flying headscissors counter from Lita! One foot dropkick. Or just a very sloppy one. Twist of Fate! Richards distracts again. Tope suicida from Lita on Richards! She tries to sunset flip Ivory. Ivory drops down, gets leverage help from Richards, and gets the pin! Not particularly good, but it's better than their Survivor Series match. Ivory's game, but her style is very '80s women's wrestling. Lita needs to be in there with someone more modern. *1/2

The beer keg stack does not outshine the Rock. Switching to "candy bum" is a nice local twist.

 

WWF Hardcore Championship: Steve Blackman (c) def Perry Saturn in 6:02- Saturn jumps Blackman before the bell. Blackman reverses a corner whip and dropkicks Saturn in the back. Tazz tries to make "rocketbuster" a thing. Saturn ducks an enzuguri, leading into standing switches, Saturn blocks a roll up and tosses Blackman over the top to the floor. Plancha! Cover on the floor for 2. Blackman suplexes Saturn on the floor. He goes under the ring and gets a trash can, then a couple of pieces of metal that look like inbox trays or something. Saturn takes a couple of shots from them. Blackman wedges the trash can in the corner. Reversal and Saturn drop toe holds Blackman into it! Couple of counters and Blackman takes a shot from one of those metal objects right in the head for 2. Blackman gets a backslide for 2. In a hardcore match? Saturn crucifix for 2. In a hardcore match? Blackman gets tossed again. He tries to skin the cat but Saturn whacks him with the piece of metal again. Saturn goes for a tope suicida but Blackman nails him with the metal as he's coming down! Saturn gets a fire extinguisher out and sets it off in Blackman's general vicinity. That didn't work very well. Now Saturn gets a good old chair and sets it up in the ring. Blackman drop toe holds him into it! Blackman goes out and gets his short sticks. He goes nuts on Saturn with them and hits a side suplex for a long 2. Saturn gets a stick and low blows Blackman with it! Small package for 2. Blackman kicks the chair in Saturn's face and that gets the pin! Solid hardcore stuff. **1/2

Both JR and Tazz call Regal "Steven Regal" before the next match. Regal's prematch promo sounds really genuine and not in character at all.....until he starts running down other British sports icons that don't stack up to him. I like how he says he'll proudly represent Great Britain to those loser Americans, even if they're all on the dole and too skint to have any dosh for Christmas food or presents.

Undertaker motorbikes in.

 

WWF European Championship: Crash Holly (w/Molly Holly) def William Regal (c) in 4:59- After the longish backstage promo Regal takes a mic again after intros. He's a bit cross he's not exactly getting a warm home country welcome. I remember when WWF got Vinnie Jones in for a UK PPV a couple of years prior, he'd be so perfect for a run in right now. After a bit Crash jumps from behind and we're on. Flying headscissors and dropkick from Crash. Regal tosses Crash shoulder first into the corner and hits a powerbomb for 2. Wave! European uppercut. Back elbow and another wave. Tazz tries to say Regal's in "fine fickle". He means fettle. Don't try to speak British if you're from Brooklyn. Crash fights out of a chinlock and gets a nice cradle counter to a hiptoss attempt for 2. Regal puts him back down with a straight kick. Kneedrop for 2. Another European uppercut. Straight lefts in the corner. Back suplex for 2. Another Regal chinlock with some rope leverage game playing. Crash ducks another uppercut into a backslide for 2. Flash roll up for 2. Flying back elbow for 2. Hurricanarana from Crash for 2. Crash tries to float over in the corner but Regal straight drops him. The ref counts 3, but Crash had a foot on the rope. Molly protests to the ref, then sneaks behind Regal and hits a missile dropkick! Crash covers and gets the pin while Chimel was announcing Regal as the winner! Regal stomps Crash down, takes the belt and leaves, apparently oblivious the match was restarted and he was pinned. Crash's win would stand and he did go into the record books as a European champion, albeit a short lived one. Regal would settle any controversy by defeating Crash on the next Raw. Decentish match, but I would have played more into the "Regal can't focus because the crowd is bothering him" angle than doing the swervy finish. **

Angle begs Chris Benoit for some help tonight.

 

WWF Intercontinental Champion "The One" Billy Gunn and Chyna def Dean Malenko and Eddie Guerrero in 7:26- Gunn recently defeated Guerrero for the IC title on Smackdown, his one and only run with the belt as part of yet another futile, and short, attempt at a Billy Gunn singles push. Chyna's in some really different gear tonight. Almost like she accidentally left her regular gear at home. Guerrero jumps Gunn before the bell. Guerrero flips out of a tiltawhirl attempt and hits a basement dropkick. He works on Gunn's knee a bit. More speed and this time Gunn gets the tiltawhirl slam. While Gunn's arguing with ref Teddy Long about a corner break Guerrero slowly sneaks behind Gunn. Gunn turns around and Guerrero begs off, then offers a handshake. Gunn takes it, then levels Guerrero with a clothesline. Malenko runs in and it's EVERYONE IN THE POOL time. Guerrero and Chyna try to work out their former relationship differences with fists. There's some places that encourage that kind of couples therapy. Stereo press slams from the faces and the Radicalz powder. Malenko gets in the ring with Chyna while Guerrero and Gunn fight on the floor. Hiptoss and clothesline from Chyna for 2. She counters a cloverleaf attempt into a small package for 2. Handspring elbow. Guerrero trips Chyna from the floor. Somehow that was all it took to kill her momentum. Guerrero beats Chyna down in the Radicalz' corner. Double elbow on Chyna for 2. Malenko hooks on a front facelock. Gee, I wonder what's coming. No, they flip the script. Instead of the phantom tag spot Chyna sunset flips Malenko, causing everyone else to run in. The Radicalz double up on Chyna while Long gets Gunn out. Same result, different path. While Malenko is floating over in the corner Chyna puts her foot up and he gets low blowed. DDT from Chyna. Tag to Gunn and we're quickly donnybrooking again. Gunn double clotheslines both Radicalz. Powerslam on Malenko for 2. Jackhammer from Gunn. Fameasser. Guerrero breaks the pin up! Chyna tosses him out again. Sleeper neckbreaker from Gunn on Malenko and that gets the pin. *3/4

 

Kane def Chris Jericho in 8:06- A reminder that this feud started over a spilled cup of coffee. After a standard fare promo Jericho charges in and attacks. Kane weathers the storm and hits a big boot. Jericho dodges an elbow drop and hits a dropkick, then Cactus clotheslines Kane to the floor. The springboard dropkick hits. Jericho tries a crossbody off the top but gets caught and powerslammed for 2. Faceplant backdrop from Kane. He hangs Jericho on his back and stretches him out. Jericho uses the corner to flip over and gets a small package for 2. Kane quickly gets back on offense and goes into slow punchy chokey mode. Side suplex. Kane goes up top. Jericho crotches him and also goes up. Kane fights him off and comes off the top into a dropkick counter. Would have been more impressive if they hadn't done the exact same thing their last match at Survivor Series. Jericho has a comeback flurry and hits an enzuguri. Missile dropkick for 2. Kane goes for what looks like a snake eyes. Jericho slips out and pushes Kane into the corner into a roll up for 2. Walls attempt! Kane fights and Jericho can't turn him over. Goozle! Jericho kicks free and hits a bulldog. Lionsault! Into Kane's knees! He didn't even get his knees up, that was into his knees. Chokeslam and it's over. Meh. This is a textbook wheel spinning feud that didn't do either guy any favors. **1/4

As Kane's leaving Jericho attacks him from behind with a chair! We get a Tony Garea sighting as the refs try to get Jericho away. He hooks on the Walls on the stage! Kane taps. Jericho lets go and leaves.

Trish tries to mouth off at Lita backstage and gets a drink in the face. Lita knocks her around backstage and pulls her top off. No one's complaining. They continue fighting into Ivory's locker room, who's also in her bra. That's less good. Better than Mae Young though.

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: Right to Censor (c) (w/Val Venus) def The Hardy Boyz in 8:08- Tazz tries "rocketbuster" again. Still going nowhere pal. After intros the Hardyz get up on the ropes to pose and let the RTC jump them from behind. They maneuver around to get the RTC on the floor and hit stereo planchas! Now we finish posing. Buchanan loses his tie and untucks his shirt. That has to be a violation of RTC bylaws. We settle back in with Buchanan knocking Jeff around. Jeff tries a couple of flash moves that don't work but manages to get a flying headscissors. Goodfather MURDERS Jeff from the apron with a clothesline. I'll say it again, in this period Jeff was the best there was at taking a beating since Ricky Morton. Jeff stays in peril as the RTC quick tag him. He and Buchanan have a collision in the middle of the ring that Buchanan didn't seem to know was coming. Matt also blind tagged himself in and takes it to Buchanan, who looked so beyond lost there. Matt hooks up for the Twist of Fate. Venus gets on the apron to distract ref Teddy Long. Goodfather comes in with a tag belt, but takes Buchanan out! Legdrop off the second rope from Matt. Goodfather pulls Matt out of the pin and whips him into the post. Matt gets double teamed in the RTC corner. Goodfather works on Matt's arm for a bit, then everyone forgets about it. Matt manages to get a DDT counter. Matt leaps for a tag but Goodfather catches him to just cut him off. Matt dodges the no more hos train, which was in the RTC corner and also takes out Buchanan. Tag to Jeff. Shotgun dropkick. Buchanan comes in for more double teaming. Jeff springboard moonsault on both of them! Everyone in. Poetry in Motion hits on both RTC guys. Jeff low blow legdrop. Matt hits the Twist of Fate on Goodfather! Jeff swanton bomb! Long's distracted in the corner, allowing Venus to hit a Money Shot on Jeff. Goodfather covers and gets the win. The RTC might be the hot heel gimmick of the moment, at least among the decision makers backstage, but they're quickly outliving what little usefulness they ever had in the ring. *1/2

E&C use Christian's hurt ribs from going through a table earlier as an excuse to not help Angle tonight. At least the excuse is plausible this time. Elsewhere, Taker is walking. He turns a corner and there's Benoit. The other Radicalz jump Taker from behind! They all attack Taker's knee.

 

The Undertaker def Chris Benoit in 12:18- Kind of amazing, this is the only PPV match and only one on one match Benoit and Taker ever had. Taker's music hits but no one comes out. Benoit takes the mic, says the American Bad Ass left his ass in America, and demands a forfeit. The music hits again. Still nothing. Chimel starts to declare Benoit the winner. Music hit #3 and Taker limps his way down the ramp. I'm relieved he left the Godfather's gold pants he wore at Survivor Series in the US, those just looked wrong on him. As soon as Taker hits the ring Benoit attacks the knee. He drapes Taker's leg over the middle rope and goes nuts on it. Taker tries to slug back. Benoit runs into a back elbow and a boot up in the corner. Gorilla press from Taker! Not a usual move from him. He pounds Benoit in the corner while still selling the knee. Benoit kicks back on the knee but Taker shrugs it off. Old school hits with Taker still fighting the knee after. Benoit drags Taker down from the floor in the corner but Taker pulls him into the post with his legs. As Taker's getting back in Benoit tackles him back to the floor. Dive off the apron. Taker catches him and posts his back. Cover back in for 2. Taker continues to stay focused on Benoit's back. Bear hug! Another not typical move from Taker. Benoit headbutts out but runs into a big boot for 2. Taker tiltawhirl scoops Benoit up. Benoit wiggles free and basement dropkick's Taker's knee, then goes back to trying to pick the knee apart. Benoit wraps up a step over toe hold and gets a couple of near falls off it. Taker hits some gut shots and starts to slug back until he takes another dropkick in the knee. Another step over toe hold. Taker counters free and plants Benoit's knee on the mat! Benoit does a kind of enzuguri on Taker's bad knee to get him back down. This time he puts on the full figure four! I've been waiting for that. More near falls. Taker fights and reverses it. Benoit crawls over for a rope break. Slugfest that Taker wins. Benoit ducks a punch and hits a back suplex, then gets back on the knee. He goes up top. Diving headbutt into the knee! He goes for the figure four again. Taker wraps up a Paul Smackage to get the shock win! Classic finish, I love it. It's a shame these two never had a shot on a regular PPV. This wasn't anything like a blowaway great match, but they had a solid game plan and good chemistry and likely a much better match in them. Bonus points for that finish too. ***

 

Fatal Four Way Match for the WWF Championship: Kurt Angle (c) def The Rock, Rikishi and "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 8:51- Never a good sign for your title reign when you're the champ and come out second out of four guys. Rock gets a big pop. Austin's just about blows the roof off the damn place. Austin's in and it's on, Austin with Angle in the ring while Rock and Rikishi go to the floor. Austin hits a spinebuster on Angle for 2. Suplex for 2. Rikshi trips Austin from the floor so Austin slugs away on him. Rock gives Angle a Samoan drop for 2. He momentum tosses Angle out to the floor. While Angle's still in the air Rikishi transfers into the ring. Rock and Austin pound away on him. Angle tries to sneak away while that's happening. Rock sees and charges him down on the ramp. Austin Thesz Press on Rikishi. Elbow drop for 2. Rock rolls Angle back in the ring and Austin Thesz Presses him! Angle and Austin go back to the floor while Rock slugs on Rikishi in the ring. Austin chokes Angle with a TV cable. Rikishi gets Rock in the corner and gives him an avalanche. Rock's in position. Rikishi goes for a stinkface but Rock pushes him away. Spinebuster! Pad off! People's Elbow! Angle breaks the pin up! Angle covers Rikishi! Austin breaks that up. Now AUSTIN covers Rikishi and Rikishi kicks out. For the first time in the match the heels take the edge. Austin and Rock drags themselves up and slug back. The heels are tossed out. Rock and Austin are in the ring alone. They realize this and stare down. Here they go! Kind of Hogan and Warrior facing off in the '90 Rumble vibes. Austin hits the Stunner! With a classic insane Rock oversell. Angle breaks the pin up. Rikishi legdrops Angle while trying to cover Rock! Rikishi covers and Rock kicks out. Angle and Rikishi try to double up on Austin but Austin clotheslines them both. Mudhole stomps on Angle. But Rock's waiting behind him. Rock Bottom on Austin! Rikishi pulls Hebner out of the ring just before 3! Angle Slam on Rock! Hebner's still on the floor. By the time he gets back Rock kicks out! Austin rolls Angle up for 2. Here come Edge and Christian. Austin quickly fights them off. Rock Bottom on Rikishi! Edge just barely gets in the ring in time to grabs Rock's foot to break the pin up. Now the Radicalz are out. Stunner on Rikishi! The Radiclaz drag Austin off. Angle Slam on Rikishi! Rock and Austin are still fighting on the floor and Angle gets the pin! And quickly gets the hell out of town. Fun, if short, house show style four way main event. ***1/2

Austin and Rock fight the Radicalz off, with Benoit and Guerrero both coming back for seconds, to send the crowd home happy. Austin and Rock argue a bit. Rock starts to leave but Austin brings him back in to plead his case. Then Austin says fuck it, let's have a beer. Rock thinks about it then joins in. That war is coming, but not today.

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Another fairly fun UK house show on PPV. After a big rough patch near the start of them they've settled into a decent groove for these shows. JR and Tazz sounded like they were having fun with each other on commentary their first time out, which always helps.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C+

World War 3 '98

Legacy Review

World War 3 '98

November 22, 1998 from The Palace of Auburn Hills in Auburn Hills, MI

Commentary: Tony Schiavone, Bobby Heenan and Mike Tenay

After a four year run this would turn out to be the final World War 3 60 man three ring battle royale. The concept never really took off, mainly due to too many people being involved and it lacked the hook that the Royal Rumble had with surprise entries during the match. The November PPV would become Mayhem starting the next year.

The opening video actually tries to list off every single wrestler that'll be in the big battle royale. They're making more of an effort than I will. Then we get footage of Goldberg arriving in his limo. They want to prove he's in the building since he inexplicably doesn't have a match scheduled tonight. In the open Tony mentions that Hogan is strangely *not* in the building tonight. It's not strange for Hogan to miss a B PPV, but it is strange he's missing a chance to earn a world title shot. Mean Gene forgot his bow tie, which is a weird look.

One more thing before we dive in, it's difficult to pinpoint exact dates for these things and reports conflict based on who's telling them, but multiple sources say this is the first PPV with Kevin Nash officially on WCW's creative team. Based on how things play out here and the shows immediately after I'd say that's likely accurate.

Wrath def Glacier in 8:22- Glacier's getting back on PPV for the first time in exactly a year, and it's right back against one of his old foes from one of '97s biggest Feuds That Will Never End. Wrath has been getting a return from injury undefeated push, mainly thanks to his new finisher the Meltdown (a nod to his WWF days as Adam Bomb). The crowd reactions show the face/heel alignments have swapped since the previous feud, confirmed by Glacier stalling like hell at the start. Lockup and Wrath pushes Glacier right out of the ring. More Glacier stalling on the floor. Wrath no sells some shots and hits a big chop. Glacier powders again. A running knee sends Glacier off the apron into the guardrail. Wrath then whips Glacier over the barricade into the crowd. Chops in the crowd. Clothesline with a 360 sell back in. Mudhole stomps in the corner. It continues to be all Wrath while commentary gushes over all his body parts. Another clothesline for 2, and for some reason Wrath puts his feet on the ropes for leverage. Why? Back to the floor and Wrath chokes Glacier with a TV cable. I've got a lot of questions for whoever laid this match out. Glacier ducks in the corner and gets a hook kick in that Wrath actually sort of sells. Another kick that barely makes contact. An Ice Pick attempt is blocked. The Meltdown hits and we're done here. Complete and total squash. I give it two more months max before this big Wrath push stalls out. 1/4*

Extended Bret Hart video package where he rants about everyone he hates (in WCW) that desperately tries to channel awesome '97 heel Bret Hart but never gets anywhere close.

 

Stevie Ray (w/Vincent) def Konnan by DQ in 6:55- NWO Hollywood vs NWO Wolfpac here. Both guys play to the crowd before locking up. Ray quickly pounds Konnan down in the corner. Konnan pops out with his rolling clothesline. Basement dropkick and Konnan wraps Ray up on the mat with a sort of sitting abdominal stretch. Ray superkick that Konnan clearly blocks half a foot from his face. Clothesline for 2. Konnan gets tossed out and Vincent gets some shots in. Ray kills time with a chinlock. Konnan slowly works his way into a backslide for 2. Another Ray clothesline. Konnan dodges an elbow drop to kick off the comeback. Vincent gets on the apron. Whip reversal and Ray gets hit with the SLAPJACK OF DEATH. Konnan doesn't cover, instead choosing to lay in some extended ground and pound on Ray. He ignores the ref's call to break, and quick trigger ref calls for a DQ. Missed the slapjack shot, DQ's over some punches. Sheesh. Booker T, back from injury, runs in and backs Konnan off. Booker helps his brother up, but Ray shoves him off, says he doesn't need his help, and walks away. If you told someone "Stevie Ray vs Konnan" and nothing else this would be pretty much what they'd expect, with the added bonus of a stupid shit finish. DUD

 

Ernest "The Cat" Miller and Sonny Onoo def Perry Saturn and Kaz Hayashi in 8:04- It's a borderline miracle Saturn isn't wrestling ex-Flock members anymore. I have no idea what the story is here and why manager Oono is in the match but I'm confident in saying it's not worth remembering. From what I can glean from commentary Hayashi was aligned with Miller but turned on him to turn face, and Saturn is the rando not doing anything else he picked up as a tag partner tonight. Works for me. Oono and Miller have their own karate entourage with them but they thankfully never become involved in the match. Miller and Hayashi start. Miller does his stupid "you have five seconds to leave before I beat your ass" thing. Saturn swaps in while Miller's back is turned. Miller turns around into a Saturn punch and quickly bails. Hayashi tags in and wants Oono. Oono still has sunglasses and a towel on while on the apron. He doesn't want to get in. Hayashi says screw it and attacks Miller. Miller hits a slam and celebrates. Back kick from Miller. Another slam and now Oono tags in, still with sunglasses on. He lays in some kicks that Hayashi no sells. Oono pulls some money out and offers it to Hayashi. Hayashi kicks it out of his hands. Oono crawls through Hayashi's legs and tags out. Miller kicks Hayashi back into his corner and he tags Saturn in. Chops and half and half suplex from Saturn. Miller does some more heel punchy kicky stuff and acts like it's something amazing. His sweep kick underneath a Saturn high kick attempt wasn't bad, I'll give him that one. Miller tags Oono. Oono wants nothing to do with Saturn. Miller forces him in. Oono hits one kick and tags back out! Miller refuses to get in so I guess it's no tag. Oono walks into a Saturn STF. Now Miller gets in. Guess it was a tag. Double dropkick on Miller from the faces. Miller begs off to give Hayashi an eye rake. Oono gets a bunch more kicks in on Hayashi. Commentary has no idea who's supposed to be legal on the heel team as Miller kicks Hayashi from the apron. Hayashi jawbreakers Miller and tags out. Saturn snap suplex on Miller. Hayashi tags right back in and immediately ends up in the heel corner again. Even commentary says that was a dumb move to tag back in so quickly. Hayashi rolls away from Oono fist drops and tags Saturn. Oono begs off. Miller tries to come from behind but takes a belly to belly suplex. Saturn grabs Oono. Miller hits Saturn with a roundhouse kick to the face, Oono falls on top of him, and gets the pin. Freaking hell what a mess. DUD

We're off to a rocking start tonight, folks. I don't think this will break WCW's recent streak of bad PPVs.

Mean Gene stops Juvy during his entrance for the next match to check out the shirt he's wearing as a cape and sees it's an LWO shirt! LWO leader Eddie Guerrero comes out and says Juvy has seen the light and joined the group. Rey Mysterio, also an LWO member, then comes out pissed off thinking this is the reason Juvy got a title shot instead of him. Eddie asks Mysterio if he has a family and kids, Mysterio says he does, and Eddie says sometimes you make sacrifices for them. He tells Mysterio this is what's best for the LWO family. Mysterio still isn't convinced and leaves in a huff.

 

WCW Cruiserweight Championship: Kidman def Juventud Guerrera (c) in 15:27- Juvy defeated Kidman for the title on the last Nitro, the third title swap between these two since August. The crowd isn't sure what to make of Juvy after that last bit. Some basic back and forth to start. Juvy bragging over a shoulderblock leads to some slugfest. Fameasser from Juvy. He's definitely trying to heel it up with the crowd. Juvy dodges Kidman in the corner and gets a flying headscissors, but then runs into a Kidman spinebuster. Slam and slingshot legdrop from Kidman for 2. Counter roll up from Juvy for 2. Alabama slam and elbow drop for 2. Kidman reverses a corner whip with Juvy doing a Bret bump and Kidman follows up with a clothesline. Top rope fight. Juvy fights Kidman off. He goes for a tornado DDT. Kidman blocks it so Juvy snaps him over the top rope instead. Juvy tries coming off the top rope but Kidman dropkicks him in midair for 2. Kidman tosses Juvy out. Plancha! Juvy goes up top and flying headscissors Kidman off the apron to the floor! Slow cover back in for 2. Juvy hits a brain buster for 2. Basement dropkick. Springboard missile dropkick and Kidman goes to the floor again. Juvy kinda weak springboard dive to the floor. They were on the wrong side to do too much. Slingshot legdrop back in from Juvy for 2. Juvy tosses Kidman into an adjacent ring. He DOUBLE springboards into a dropkick! He damn near slipped off the second rope but managed to keep it together just enough. Pop up dropkick from Kidman. He hits a back suplex for 2. Juvy dodges a wild corner dive. Inverted atomic drop. He calls for the 450. Juvy starts to climb one side, then decides to walk across to the other corner and Kidman has to follow. Commentary tries to say he was adjusting to Kidman's rolling away but Juvy definitely moved first. Kidman crotches Juvy on the top rope. He uses the ropes to headscissors Juvy back to the middle ring! That's why Juvy had to move. Now Kidman walks across both sets of ropes into a crossbody for a LONG 2. Juvy backdrops Kidman over the top rope and he lands gut first on the adjacent ring's top rope! Juvy walks across the ropes into a hurricanrana off the top. Kidman kicks out at ONE! Juvy calls for the Juvy driver. Kidman counters, Juvy recounters and hits the driver! Juvy takes forever to get up then doesn't cover. He drags Kidman to the corner. He goes for the 450, sees Kidman dodging and lands on his feet. Hurricanrana with a cradle from Juvy for another very long 2 that I'm not sure Kidman really kicked out of or not. Juvy let go before 3 as much as Kidman kicked out. Juvy argues with Lil' Naitch and even slaps him a little. Kidman counters a powerbomb into a faceplant for 2. Wheelbarrow German from Kidman! He drags Juvy into the corner. Kidman goes up top for the SSP but gets crotched. Mysterio sneaks behind while Juvy positions on the top. Mysterio grabs Kidman's pants to keep Juvy from hurricanranaing him! Shooting star press! Kidman gets the pin and wins the title back! The first half of the match was a bit disjointed due to Juvy trying to play heel now but they got rolling good like they know how in the second half and using all three rings was a nice touch. ***1/4

The entire LWO comes out to see what the hell's going on. Man, I don't remember there being this many in the group. They always did keep a lot of Mexican wrestlers on the roster though. Pissed Eddie gets a mic and tells Mysterio either you're in or you're out, tell me now. Mysterio tears off his LWO shirt and throws it in Eddie's face! He runs away as the whole LWO chase him to the back. See, if Mysterio had just learned to sacrifice for the sake of family a bit better in these early days maybe Dom wouldn't have turned out so bad. Eddie tried to teach him. Multiple times.

The next scheduled match is, once again, Rick Steiner vs Scott Steiner. This match has become Lucy pulling the football away from Charlie Brown. Scott makes his entrance with his platonic partner Buff Bagwell, in one of his silly hats, and also some goof in a ref shirt that also has a whistle and is wearing a ref beanie that I guess Scott's hired to ref this match that somehow got WCW's permission. Rick's music hits and no Rick. We cut to the back and the rest of NWO Hollywood are beating him down. Giant drags Rick to the ring and Scott and Bagwell do a two on one beatdown on him with the ref goof hopping around and blowing his whistle. Rick gets some shots back on Scott. The ref pulls him off and Scott low blows him. The beatdown on Rick continues and I wonder why the hell this is still going on. This ref guy somehow is managing to be even more annoying than Bagwell. That's a hell of an accomplishment. Finally GOLDBERG runs in to make the save! Scott gives him a middle finger! Goldberg spear! He hooks up for the jackhammer. Bagwell hits him with a chair from behind. Bad move, dumbass. The ref leaps on Goldberg's back and tries to choke him. Goldberg easily fights him off, presses him and tosses him into the adjacent ring. Rick and Goldberg hug and end scene. If this was at the start of the feud this might have been OK, but it's been MONTHS of this shit. Any way to try to avoid Rick and Scott having a proper one on one match they've taken. Yes they got one in at Halloween Havoc but it was so interference filled it barely counts. The only positive thing about this is it would be the last time they'd try to fool us that this match might actually happen. And it showed that Scott vs Goldberg is a potential money match.

Didn't like the last bait and switch "match"? Well here's another one. NWO Hollywood's music hits again and Scott Hall comes out. He's scheduled to take on former Outsiders partner and NWO Wolfpac leader Kevin Nash again, a rematch from Halloween Havoc where Nash had the match won but walked away and took a countout loss for no discernible reason instead. He's got all of NWO Hollywood with him. After they all get in the ring Eric Bischoff comes out. He and Hall had been butting heads lately. Bischoff says it's survey time, and survey says.....GET HIM! NWO Hollywood attack Hall! Nash runs out to save his buddy. He clears the ring out with Hall's help until they're the last two in the ring. The crowd chants "Outsiders". Nash and Hall look at each other. Hall puts up a too sweet. Nash thinks about it, shakes his head, and walks away. Hall's a sad red nosed puppy. Seriously, how much did he drink before the show? This was the first real sign the NWO civil war was starting to peter out.

 

WCW World Television Championship: Chris Jericho (c) (w/Ralphus) def Bobby Duncum Jr in 13:22- Duncum had just made his WCW debut the week prior and defeated Jericho by countout, signalling the potential for a big introductory push. He didn't exactly have a huge pedigree, having spent time in GWF, ECW and All Japan but never doing much of note. He's got a look that's kind of a cross between Barry Windham, Stan Hansen and Magnum TA. His dad was also a wrestler, a longtime territory heel in the '70s and '80s and was even part of the early Heenan Family in the AWA. That lets Heenan gush about Duncum Sr from the booth. Jericho has some fantastic maroon red tights for this match. Lockup and Duncum gets a slap in. Another lockup and Duncum tosses Jericho out, where he takes solace in the large folds of Ralphus. Standing switches and Jericho gets a leg takedown. He rolls Duncum into a bow and arrow. Another stalemate reset. This feels like an '80s match, but not in a good way. Jericho tries to flippydo out of an arm wringer but Duncum takes him out with a clothesline. Apron suplex from Duncum. Jericho jawbreakers out of a chinlock. Kick exchange that Duncum wins. He straight up tackles Jericho into the ropes. Jericho gets tossed to the floor. Duncum grabs his bullrope, decides he'd rather not, then pushes Jericho over the guardrail. Jericho diving clothesline off the guardrail! Missile dropkick from Jericho back in for 2. Duncum lifts chinlocking Jericho on his back and drops him on the top turnbuckle. Shoulderbreaker from Duncum for 2. He starts working on Jericho's arm and tries a cross armbreaker. Jericho locks his fingers and gets to the ropes. Jericho gets a hot shot. Springboard dropkick! Jericho gives Duncum some shots on the floor and runs him into the stairs. Arrogant cover! Jericho hooks on a front facelock that's barely on the face. Duncum pops out of the corner with a clothesline for 2. Jericho hits some chops in the corner that wake Duncum up. He responds with his own chops. Faceplant and clothesline on Jericho for 2. Duncum blocks a sunset flip and spinebusters Jericho for 2. Clothesline from Jericho. Quick Lionsault! That gets a 2 count. Senton. I like the "Jericho 4, Goldberg 0" sign someone has. Facts are facts. Duncum hits a superplex for 2. Roll up from Jericho into a Liontamer attempt! Duncum is able to fight him off and flat *plants* Jericho in the corner. Vader bomb elbow drop for 2. He lifts Jericho up. Ralphus grabs Duncum's foot, causing Duncum to drop Jericho on the top rope and down to the apron. I'm not sure Ralphus did Jericho any favors there. He was always a bit thick. Duncum grabs Ralphus but has a hard time lifting all of Ralphus' girth up. Jericho comes from behind, nails Duncum with the belt, and gets the pin. Man, that was as unmotivated as I've ever seen Jericho outside his recent elder years. Duncum did not look ready for prime time either. He'd be depushed pretty quickly before the West Texas Rednecks came together in early '99. **

 

World War 3 Battle Royale- First time the WW3 match doesn't main event the show. As in previous years the winner of this match will earn a World title shot, and this year it will take place at Starrcade. An added rule this year like other battle royales WCW has had this year is you can be eliminated by pin or submission as well getting tossed out of the ring, over the top rope or not. Good luck with that with so many guys in the rings. It never happens anyway. As always I'm not going to list everyone in this thing, it's the whole damn roster and there's no notable ringers that have been brought in this year. As usual with so many guys and the total chaos that brings I'll just skim the match until we get down to the final 10. For the first time ever there's a counter on the screen to show how many guys are left. An overdue idea, but I'm dubious how well it'll work. Things get going a little quicker this year, thanks to Kevin Nash almost singlehandedly clearing out his entire ring, tossing over a dozen guys himself in a serious Superman run. Did I mention that Nash is on the creative team now? Just thought I'd bring it up again. No reason. After that things bog down again like usual. I like how Giant gently sets Alex Wright on the apron and commentary is amazed that Wright "held on" to keep from being eliminated. Everyone left in Giant's ring try to gang up on him but he fights them off. When it gets down to 20 the bell rings and everyone is told to go to the center ring. They're sticking to that better than previous years. Giant eliminates a bunch of guys then tosses Kidman on top of them. Nash and Hall team up to pound away on Giant to the delight of the crowd. Slowly we get down to 10: Nash, Hall, Giant, Lex Luger, Chris Benoit, Wrath, Booker T, Konnan, Dean Malenko and Scott Steiner. Bam Bam Bigelow comes in through the crowd! Everyone gangs up to get him out of the ring and security come out to get rid of him. Goldberg runs in and attacks Bigelow! There's a massive scrum of Bigelow, Goldberg and about 20 security guys. While that's happening the counter went from 10 to 8. Commentary says it was Wrath and Steiner eliminated. Heenan then praises the camera work. The camera work that completely missed those two eliminations? Security is still dragging Bigelow away. Booker gets eliminated, again missed by the cameras. Everything stops again as those remaining break up into their respective groups: three Wolfpac, two Horsemen, and Giant and Hall. You'd think Hall would be a little more peeved at Giant after his Hollywood excommunication earlier. Or maybe he drunk enough in between he doesn't remember it now. Hall ducks and Konnan pretty much eliminates himself. Nash calls for everything to stop again. He wants everyone to gang up on Giant. They do and, despite Giant's best efforts, dump him. The crowd was happy about that. Five left. Luger finally takes his shirt off. Guess he's serious now. Luger and Nash eliminate Benoit. Hall tosses Malenko. It's down to Nash, Luger and Hall. The Wolfpac guys try to corner Hall....until Nash hits Luger right before Hall attacks. No alliances here. Luger puts both Nash and Hall down with the formerly steel plated forearm. Torture Rack attempt on Hall. Nash charges from behind and knocks both of them out! Nash wins and will get the title shot! He's never gotten a real World title shot in WCW yet so it's not a horrible pick, even taking his role in booking into account. The match overall was a pretty typical WCW battle royale, as in nothing special at all. It's not the *worst* World War 3 match at least. 3/4*

 

WCW United States Heavyweight Championship: Diamond Dallas Page (c) def Bret "Hitman" Hart in 18:31- After coming oh so close to dethroning Goldberg at Halloween Havoc DDP turned his attention to the US Title, defeating Bret for the title on Nitro. As I mentioned in my Halloween Havoc review, I would have had DDP win WW3 to get a rematch and then be the one to take Goldberg down at Starrcade because the crowd was clearly wanting it. DDP comes in with the belt on upside down. If this was Bret Hart from just a year or two prior this would have the potential to be a classic, but a year into WCW it's clear Bret is mentally broken from what happened in Montreal and would never be the same again. Bret tries to stall on the floor so DDP kicks things off with a plancha! Guardrail shots for Bret. Slugfest back in that DDP wins. He tosses Bret out again and we get some more ringside knockaround before switching rings. Bret snaps DDP over the top rope. Elbow to the back of the head. DDT from Bret for 2. DDP blocks a suplex into a small package for 2. Bret does some more heel WCW punchy chokey stuff and hooks on a chinlock. DDP blocks a hiptoss and hits a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Bret quickly escapes from a Diamond Cutter attempt. DDP goes for a baseball slide. Bret kinda dodges, eye rakes DDP and gives him a stair shot. Inverted atomic drop and clothesline back in. Russian leg sweep. Bret scoops for a tombstone. DDP reverses and hits it for 2. Backbreaker from Bret, followed by the snap legdrop for 2. Gut headbutt. European uppercuts. Whip reversal and soft Bret bump. DDP grabs a waistlock. Bret tries to fight it but DDP hits a belly to belly suplex. Discus clothesline and front piledriver from DDP. Bret ducks a clothesline and slow motion Cactus clotheslines DDP out to the floor. Bret gets something out of his tights. DDP comes in with a tackle off the top rope for 2. The international knucks fall off and Lil' Naitch picks them up. DDP gets Bret down and hooks on his own Sharpshooter! Or at least tries to. Still better than Rock's though. Bret gets to the ropes. DDP limps around a little bit. Bret straight low blows DDP to get free in the corner. Come on Naitch. Gut stomp. Bret starts working on DDP's knee, which commentary reminds us Bret had previously injured. Post shot for the knee. Post wraparound figure four! A Bret Hart staple. After some more softening up Bret hooks on the figure four proper in the ring. With some extra rope leverage that Naitch quickly catches. The knee work continues. DDP uses that to push Bret over the top to the floor. Another stairs shot for Bret. DDP put on the post wraparound figure four! After he figures out which side goes where. DDP gets a chair and brings it into the ring. Naitch grabs it away and Bret pushes both DDP and Naitch down. Bret gets the knucks back. Oh hell, that freaking goon with the ref gear from the Steiners thing is back in trying to take the chair away. After DDP gets rid of him Bret waffles DDP with the knucks. Sharpshooter on. The NWO ref calls a submission and THE FREAKING BELL RINGS?! For frak's sake there is no way this guy is an official ref. Fire that damn timekeeper. A proper ref runs in takes the belt away from Bret. Diamond Cutter! Naitch counts 3! Mostly OK match with a way overcooked ending. Bret would stay on DDP and defeat him to win the title back on Nitro a week later. **1/2

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- The run of crap PPVs continues. Only one borderline good match, several duds, and if that wasn't bad enough they pulled a full bait and switch on not one but two previously booked matches, and not minor ones either.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: D+

Survivor Series 2000

Legacy Review

Survivor Series 2000

November 19, 2000 from the Ice Palace in Tampa, FL

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

The big news going into tonight is, exactly one year after the attack, Triple H has admitted that he is the one that paid Rikishi to run Steve Austin over at least year's Survivor Series to try to protect his WWF Championship. Presumably losing said title to Big Show later that night was all part of the plan. Turning on Austin to do the reveal also cut Trips' burgeoning face run short, but there really wasn't room for him on that side of the aisle. As long term reveals go it's one of the worst ones, Austin himself has called it the worst angle he was ever involved in and that's from someone that spent years in WCW, but it does get the ball rolling on the Austin/Trips story so in that it's not *completely* useless.

WWF Hardcore Champion Steve Blackman, Crash Holly and Molly Holly def T&A and Trish Stratus in 5:06- Molly had just made her WWF debut a couple of weeks prior and is being billed as yet another Holly cousin. Nothing but cousins in that family apparently. T&A all come out wearing APA shirts to remind us they're responsible for knocking the APA out of action. This is "Chyna rules", meaning anyone can wrestle anyone else regardless of gender. Blackman and Albert start with some spunky back and forth. Blackman gets his sweep kick in. Albert catches Crash coming off the top rope but Blackman dropkicks him down into a 2 count for Crash. Albert murders Crash with a clothesline. A double team attempt goes awry as Trish kicks Albert in the little A-Trains. Molly tags in and Trish bails. Chase around the ring and Trish tags Test coming back in. Molly quickly backtracks and tags Crash. Crash hurricanrana for 2. Test gets a big boot. Double faceplant from T&A. Test goes for a pumphandle slam. Crash escapes and pushes Test into Albert. Trish tags herself in, much to Test's dismay. She goes for an elbow drop but Crash dodges it. Tag to Molly. Hiptoss and slam on Trish. Molly drops some elbows. Chops. Test pulls Molly down by the hair from the apron. Molly recovers to suplex Trish and tags Blackman. Or not, ref Teddy Long supposed tag team expert didn't see the tag. They did a good job not making that obvious. Trish works Molly over. Albert tags in and presses Molly. Crash and Blackman run in to save her. DONNYBROOK! The guys quickly take their fight to the floor while the women stay in the ring. After some maneuvering Trish hits Molly with a bulldog off the top rope for 2. Molly goes up top, hits a sunset flip, and that gets the pin. Nothing hugely special but it had energy throughout with no dead spots. **

WWF Champ Kurt Angle asks his buddies Edge and Christian if they're OK in these warmer climes, then checks to see if they're available for some help tonight. E&C back out by claiming Christian got mono from some bad chili. Angle's not worried because he has Taker's number anyway. Meanwhile, earlier tonight on Heat Lo Down and Tiger Ali Singh were denied access to the arena because they weren't on the list. Yeah, I'd keep Singh out any way possible too.

 

Survivor Series Match: The Radicalz (w/Terri) def "The One" Billy Gunn, Chyna, Road Dogg and K-Kwik in 12:41- After coming into the WWF together just after the Rumble, then feuding with each other and splitting off, the Radicalz are now back together. Quite the ride for them this year. They're also now working as Triple H's cronies. Eddie Guerrero is still the Intercontinental champ, while Dean Malenko continues to tote around the virtually ignored Light Heavyweight belt. On the other side, even though they're all teaming together all traces of DX have mercifully finally been erased. We wouldn't see it again until the first Triple H/Shawn Michaels DX reunion tour in 2006. K-Kwik, who you might know today as R-Truth, had spent about a year in the short lived WWF developmental territory Memphis Championship Wrestling and had just made his main roster debut, forming a new tag team with Road Dogg. With that move, Dogg has transitioned from country to rap. And finally, with a renewed Billy Gunn singles push we get a new Billy Gunn gimmick. Out is Mr. Ass, in is The One. Spoiler: it won't help. I like the Radicalz' coordinated black and yellow gear. Saturn and Gunn start. Lockup! Saturn pounds Gunn down in the corner. Gunn responds with a clothesline. Gunn/Chyna double suplex. Chyna hits some forearms. Powerslam for 2. Flapjack. She goes for the handspring elbow. Saturn catches her and goes for a suplex. Chyna low blows to get free. She goes over and pops her ex Guerrero off the apron just because. DDT on Saturn. The pin breakup leads to everyone running in. In the confusion Guerrero nails Chyna with the IC title belt, Saturn covers and Chyna is gone. Dogg comes in, gives Saturn a weak ass slam and covers for 2. He really can't be bothered anymore. Saturn hits a back suplex. Guerrero comes in with a slingshot senton. Dogg gets trapped in the wrong corner. Guerrero hits a basement dropkick to cut off the dancing jabs. The Radicalz work on Dogg's knee for a bit. Dogg gets a superplex on Guerrero and tags Gunn. Gunn quickly also gets trapped in the heel corner but manages to fight his way out. Press slam on Guerrero. Sleeper/reverse neckbreaker from Gunn and he eliminates Guerrero. Gunn gets Malenko up in a press but Saturn clips his knee. Kwik tags in. He goes right into dodge mode, bouncing and flipping all over the ring. He really could move in his younger days. He and Malenko lose their place for a second before Kwik hits a leg lariat. Flying headscissors and Japanese armdrag. Benoit plants Kwik with a German suplex and gets a pin, ending the K-Kwik highlight tape. Dogg comes in and again quickly goes in peril. Saturn hits a northern lights suplex for a pin and Dogg is eliminated. It's Gunn vs 3 now. Gunn tries to fight all three guys but the numbers are too much for him. After a bit he hits a fameasser outta nowhere on Malenko and pins him. Jackhammer from Gunn on Saturn. Benoit breaks the pin up. Benoit's headbutt off the top rope hits. Gunn kicks out! Benoit's furious. Gunn gets a back elbow. He lifts Benoit up for a suplex, but Saturn grabs his foot from the floor and we get the Wrestlemania 5 finish to end it. I'm pleasantly surprised, I figured a Gunn's singles push would mean he'd buzzsaw through all three guys. Perfectly solid and average Survivor Series match. SURVIVORS: Dean Malenko and Perry Saturn **1/2

 

Kane def Chris Jericho in 12:35- This all started because, I kid you not, Jericho accidentally spilled some coffee on Kane. He should be used to hot things on him. After that it became Kane got jealous of Jericho's good looks because of his hideous scars that no one could ever see. Quick slugfest to start with Kane getting the upper hand. Jericho does a dropkick that barely brushes Kane in the chest and Kane goes 360 to the floor. Baseball slide from Jericho. Jericho goes for a running dive, but gets himself all tangled up in the ropes and damn near goes down head first on the floor! It's a freaking miracle he didn't. Kane was right there for emergency protection too. Typical ringside brawl follows. Jericho's springboard dropkick kinda hits and Kane kinda sells it. Jericho throws the stairs into Kane. Interesting reversal of the usual. Back in Kane catches Jericho coming off the top and powerslams him for 2. Faceplant and Kane beats Jericho down in the corner. Jericho fights out of a back suplex attempt but a clothesline puts him back down. Big boot from Kane. He hangs Jericho from his back by the mouth, then goes over and takes a top turnbuckle pad off. Jericho fights out of a buckle shot, then Kane blocks it. Goozle and Kane tosses Jericho over the top to the floor. More typical ringside brawl. Kane presses Jericho back in. He goes up top but Jericho crotches him. Kane fights Jericho off the top rope, then comes off. Jericho dropkicks him in midair! He blocks a Kane big boot and gets a leg takedown. Missile dropkick from Jericho for 2. Kane takes a shot into the exposed turnbuckle and Jericho rolls him up for 2. Walls! Kane fights, then gets to the bottom rope. Jericho drags him back to the center. He goes into a weird transition of leg holds on the mat before Kane fights him off. Not sure what that was supposed to be but it was a mess. Bulldog from Jericho. He goes for the Lionsault. Kane has to visibly move over several feet to get in position, but then he goozles Jericho on the landing! Chokeslam! It's done. Very strangely sloppy and disjointed match from two guys normally known for their smoothness in the ring. *3/4

 

WWF European Championship: William Regal (c) def Hardcore Holly by DQ in 5:06- Holly had just made his return after his arm was accidentally legit broken by a wayward Kurt Angle moonsault. He ducks the lockup and slugs away. Regal responds with some European uppercuts. Nice Regal drop toe hold into some mat riding. Regal hiptoss, Holly armdrag and stalemate. Reset lockup. Regal runs Holly's shoulder into the post, then posts Holly's bad arm. He starts picking away on it. Holly tries to counter into a suplex but Regal cranks the arm again. Wave! Cross armbreaker from Regal. Holly slowly inches his way over to the ropes. Regal stomps Holly out of the ring, waves again and struts a little. Top wristlock from Regal back in. Speed run and Holly gets a crossbody for 2, but his arm is still hurt. He gets behind Regal and tries a German suplex. Regal gives him a sneaky style low blow out of the ref's view. He ties Holly in the ropes and pounds away on him. Holly fights free and hits some clotheslines. He tosses Regal over the top to the floor. Holly gets the belt, whacks Regal with it right in front of the ref, and we have a DQ. Holly continues some ground and pound and tosses the ref away before leaving. This never came together and that finish is weak sauce. I guess Holly knew he couldn't win and didn't want his arm broken again/they didn't want Holly to lose so soon after coming back. The crowd didn't give a shit about any of it either. *

In the back clueless Angle lets another attempt by Trish to flirt with him sail right over his head.

 

The Rock def Rikishi in 13:00- This is the big blowoff match for "I did it for the Rock". Rikishi initially claimed all credit for the attack on Austin a year ago, and said he was only trying to help fellow Samoan Rock out. Rock did not at all appreciate that. Rikishi then tried to help Rock in his title match with Angle at No Mercy. Rock lost the title that night and blamed Rikishi for it. Since then Rikishi's been attacking Rock with his HHH appropriated sledgehammer every chance he got. Now you want some crazy history? This is not really their first PPV singles match. Then IC champ Rock, as Rocky Maivia, defended against a masked Rikishi as the Sultan back at Wrestlemania 13. That was the match the Chicago crowd turned hard on plucky rookie babyface Rock and WWF finally realized he wasn't working and needed a course change. On his entrance Rock sprints in like the Ultimate Warrior and it's on! Belly to belly suplex! Rock goes out and gets a chair. Ref Tim White takes it away from him and Rikishi hits a superkick. Rock's comeback is cut off with a back elbow and legdrop. Slow Rikishi beatdown. Another comeback gets killed with a side suplex. Measured stomps from Rikishi. Speed run and Rock momentum tosses Rikishi to the floor. They do the usual ringside knockaround and White ends up getting squashed and going down. Rikishi goes under the ring and gets the sledgehammer. Rock cuts the shot off with a punch. Rock Bottom! Very slow crawl by both Rock and White and Rikishi kicks out. Rock starts laying in the smackdown punches. Rikishi cuts it off with a headbutt. Diving headbutt. Samoan drop from Rikishi. Butt splash for 2. Corner avalanche and Rock is in position. After much moment milking Rikishi gives him a stinkface. Rock pops up with a clothesline that Rikishi 360 sells! Rock ducks a superkick. Spinebuster! Pad off. People's Elbow! Again Rock is slow to cover because of all the damage, but when he does Rikishi still stays down for the 3 count. After the bell Rikishi gives Rock a superkick, hauls him into the corner, and gives him one, two, THREE Banzai drops. Rikishi goes Ken Shamrock and knocks out a couple of refs, starts to leave, then comes back for a fourth Banzai drop because why the hell not. Despite the postmatch attack this was pretty much the end of the ill-fated attempt to try to turn Rikishi into a top heel. He and Rock would cross paths a few more times the next few months but nothing on this level. The match itself was OK but no more, though Rock was again clearly working hard to try to make it all work. **1/2

Commissioner Mick Foley crashes the Triple H/Radicalz locker room to let them know that the Radicalz are banned from ringside in the main event, and that match is now no DQ. Trips is cool with all of it.

 

WWF Women's Championship: Ivory (c) def Lita in 4:55- Ivory defeated Lita for the title in a four way match on Smackdown at the start of the month. She's now with Right to Censor and is in her Scariest Amish Schoolmom Ever phase. Jump start as Lita tosses Ivory around. Hiptoss. After a very poor speed run Lita gets a kick and enzuguri. Counters and Ivory blocks a roll up. Lita clothesline for 2. Ivory gets Lita down in the corner and we see Lita is bleeding bad over her left eye. Commentary thinks one of Ivory's giant platform boots might have busted her open. Ivory legdrop and elbow drop for 2. Northern lights suplex for 2. Lita gets a flying headscissors counter, then hits a standing hurricanrana for 2. We get a replay showing it was actually an accidental straight punch that busted Lita open hardaway. RTC leader Stephen Richards comes out. Ivory gets tossed out right in front of him. Lita goes to the top rope and dives onto both of them! Crossbody off the top back in from Lita for a long 2. She goes up top for the moonsault. Richards pulls Ivory out and Lita splats on the mat. Richards distracts the ref while Ivory gets the belt. Lita ducks the belt shot! She hits a side suplex. Shirt off! She goes for the moonsault again. Ivory puts the belt up as a shield! Cover and Ivory gets the pin. Lita's probably legit loopy after, she's slow to get up and gets help to the back to an ovation from the crowd. The first half was all kinds of slow and sloppy but the stretch run saved it a bit, and it's still sadly by far the best women's match on PPV in a good long while. Lita gushing blood, intended or not, made her look like a badass. *1/4

Kane is walking backstage. Jericho jumps him with a chair! Noisy pipes falling! Jericho uses those and a 2x4 Jim Duggan left lying around as weapons before the officials gaggle drags him off.

 

WWF Championship: Kurt Angle (c) def The Undertaker in 16:55- Kurt Angle is hitting his one year anniversary in WWF and is celebrating, rightly and truly, the greatest rookie year in WWF history to this point (it will be topped in a couple of years by a guy whose name rhymes with Bork Laser). It's mentioned in passing before the match that this is also the 10th anniversary of Taker's WWF debut. This is actually their second PPV match, they had a very underwhelming one back in July at Fully Loaded. Taker's got some weird ass gold pants on tonight. Those look like he swiped them out of Godfather's wardrobe because he's not using them anymore right now being in RTC. Angle stalls forever on the floor before the bell. Taker hops out, gets a chair, and tosses it at Angle's feet. Angle takes it. Hebner gets it away, but Angle takes it back and whacks Taker with it! Bell to start. Angle beats Taker down in the corner, but completely punches himself out and has to back off to catch his breath. Taker easily weathered the storm and slugs away on Angle. Big boot. Legdrop (Hogan combo). Taker covers but pulls Angle up at 2. Too soon. Slam, elbow drop, another cover and again he pulls Angle up at 2. Old school hits. Angle grabs the ropes off a whip and bails. Back in Angle ducks a punch and hits a German suplex for 2. Taker gets 360 clotheslined to the floor. Angle comes off the apron but Taker catches him and posts his back. Back in Angle dodges a boot in the corner and attacks Taker's leg, wrapping it around the rope. Taker tries to slug back but Angle stays on picking the knee apart. Taker gets a takedown into a Fujiwara armbar! Here come Edge and Christian. Good to see Christian got over his mono. Angle's tapping but Edge has Hebner distracted. Christian snaps Taker over the top rope. Taker shakes it off. Goozle on Angle! Angle kicks the leg he's been working on to get free. Leg takedown into a leg scissors. Diving clothesline from Angle for 2 and he wraps the leg up again. After several attempts Taker manages to fight out, but then he decides to hop out to go after E&C. Hebner then goes out to toss E&C out. Taker chokeslam on Angle! Cover but Hebner's still in the aisle. He runs back in but Angle had enough time to kick out. Taker's pissed. Angle comes behind and rolls Taker up for 2. Taker clothesline for 2. Russian leg sweep for 2. Angle gets back on the knee with some apron shots. Figure four! Angle gets some nearfalls before Taker reverses. Angle screams at almost a Ric Flair level and crawls to the ropes. Taker does a nice scoop, swinging Angle from a side suplex position up into a powerslam for 2. Another scoop. Angle wiggles off Taker's shoulder and gets another leg takedown in the corner. Post wraparound figure four! Hi Bret Hart. After Hebner forces a break Taker lays in the rapid fire body shots. He hot shots Angle onto the top turnbuckle for 2. Angle hits a blatant low blow that there's no way Hebner could have missed but JR tries. Angle scoops Taker into Tombstone position. Taker reverses it! Angle fights it, flips over the ropes and onto the apron. Taker punches him off. Angle goes under the ring. Taker grabs his foot and drags him out. Or did he? Last Ride! Taker covers. Hebner stops at 2! What? He seems to be pointing to Angle's face. Angle comes out from under the other side of the ring! Roll up on Taker! Handful of weird ass gold pants and Angle gets the pin! Commentary is flummoxed. The other Angle gets up and we see that he's almost but not quite entirely unlike Angle. It's not mentioned on TV, but it's Angle's younger but larger brother Eric, who was also an amateur wrestler and had just signed into WWF's developmental system. The match was definitely better than their last time out. It was good to see Angle get out of all brawling mode and start to do some more proper wrestling. You can see the pieces slowly being put together for their future classics. Can't back that finish up though, but like this card placement that's pretty much Angle's first title reign in a nutshell. **3/4

Angle runs down the aisle, right past the altar, down the ramp, out the door, straight into his car and tears off.

 

Survivor Series Match: The Dudley Boyz and The Hardy Boyz def WWF Tag Team Champions Right to Censor and Edge & Christian (w/Val Venus) in 10:04- The RTC team of Bull Buchanan and the Goodfather dethroned the Hardyz as tag champs on Raw a couple of weeks prior. Jeff comes out wearing a long sleeve shirt that's practically a sweater and he's clearly favoring one of his arms. He lost to Venus in the preshow match. I'm not sure if it's a legit injury or just selling something from earlier but he gets through the match fine though he definitely has dangly arm a few times. Buchanan and Bubba Ray start with their usual back and forth. D'Von hits his back elbow and tackle. Big boot from Buchanan. D'Von gets caught in the wrong corner and goes in peril. He manages to hit Christian with a reverse DDT. Edge and Matt tag in. Matt takes all the heel team out. Neckbreaker on Edge for 2. EVERYONE IN THE POOL! The face team hits a chained quadruple DDT. The Hardyz shirts are off and they have Dudleyz camo shirts on under! Proper teammates. They hit Poetry in Motion on Edge. Now the undershirts are off. Venus pulls Matt off the top rope. Edge hits Matt with the Edgeomatic, a new move then, and eliminates him. D'Von and Jeff double up on Edge. D'Von clothesline for 2. Christian blind tags in but D'Von double clotheslines E&C. Off a Buchanan distraction Christian hits the Unprettier and D'Von is gone. Bubba Ray flies in and attacks Christian. I can see why he'd be pissed, there's no one to get the tables now. Backdrop and clothesline. Jeff hits a springboard moonsault. Christian throws Jeff into the post. Buchanan press slams him. Jeff dodges in the corner and tags. Bubba Ray has moves for all of the heel team. Dodge and Edge spears Buchanan! Bubba Ray covers to eliminate Buchanan. Bubba Bomb on Edge. Christian's splash off the top rope hits Edge! Cover and Bubba Ray eliminates Edge. Back to even numbers. 2v2 donnybrook with Jeff's arm still seeming to be a minor issue. Goodfather hits Bubba Ray with a DVD and eliminates him. Jeff tries to fight but the two on one quickly wears him down. The match gets a bit sloppy for a minute. Christian gets posted. Swanton bomb! Christian is gone! Goodfather goes for the no more hos train. Jeff dodges. Venus gets on the apron. He and Goodfather take each other out! Jeff covers Goodfather and gets the improbable win! It's short for a Survivor Series match, but fun. They fit in all they could, and Jeff looked great in getting the comeback win injured arm or no. SOLE SURVIVOR: Jeff Hardy ***

All of RTC jump Jeff after the bell. Well, not Ivory. The rest of the face team runs into make the save and we get all the moves they didn't get to in the match. Twist of Fate. 3D. Whazzup Drop. Then the tables are out, RTC go through them, and everyone's happy like Honma's dishing out Kokeshis. Kokeshi make you happy.

 

No DQ: "Stone Cold" Steve Austin and Triple H no contest in 35:09- Austin looks calm on his entrance but is all business. Vest off in the aisle, up the steps, double finger to HHH, in the ring and it's on. It's all Austin to start. HHH goes to the ol' eye poke to turn the tide. Knee to the gut from Austin. He starts going after HHH's back, which has apparently been as issue lately. HHH hits the facebuster. Austin Thesz press! Right hand flurry and elbow drop. HHH rolls out for some space. Austin doesn't want to give it. HHH gets knocked around up the aisle. Austin lifts up some metal girding sitting on the floor as part of the stage and goes for HHH. HHH blocks it to knock Austin down. Now it's Austin's turn to take some shots around the stage and tech area. They go through a curtain into the backstage area. Well, for a second, then Austin slugs HHH back through the curtain. HHH blocks and hits a suplex on the floor. Back to ringside and Austin goes into the stairs. Austin gets tossed over the Spanish announce table. Whip reversal and HHH takes a stairs shot. Austin takes the entire timekeeper's corner apart to stomp a mudhole in HHH there. Monitor shot for HHH. HHH is busted open. Austin picks up the beer cooler (which has leaked or dumped over and poured water all over that area), decides nah and mudhole stomps HHH some more. Austin opens the cooler, retrieves a beer, cracks it open, hits HHH with the cooler, then sits down and takes a swig. Well he has been out a while, probably needs to pace himself. Austin crunches the empty beer can on HHH's head. Another beer out and another drink. HHH takes some more shots into the stairs. And we're finally back in the ring. Austin gets the bell. HHH jumps him coming back in. Roll around brawl in the ring. Quick low blow from HHH. Coming off the ropes Austin ducks a clothesline. Kick wham STUNN....NO, HHH reverses it into a neckbreaker! Very nice. Measured elbows from HHH and he squashes Austin's head against the ring post. Clothesline from the apron. Cover for 2. Austin's comeback is cut off with a swinging neckbreaker for 2. Austin spinebuster! HHH dodges an elbow off the second rope. Back out to the floor. HHH tosses the bell back in the ring while he knocks Austin around. He sets up a Pedigree on the stairs, but right next to the announce table so we can see what's coming. Austin backdrops HHH through the announce table! He slams HHH on the remains of the table! HHH begs off back in the ring. Austin blocks a kick and hits more stomps. HHH drags himself up by the ropes while Austin waits to strike. STUNNER! Austin doesn't cover. He goes out and gets a chair. He wraps it around HHH's ankle. We've seen this before. Austin invented Pillmanizing. Then Austin changes his mind and puts the chair around HHH's head! HHH rolls out before he can be killed. Slugfest up the aisle back toward the stage. Through the curtain to backstage again. HHH gets whipped into a vending machine. The Radicalz attack! Well, it's not ringside. While they attack Austin HHH escapes the building. All the refs and officials come in to try to break it up. We cut to a shot of HHH getting in his car to leave. Austin and Benoit slug it out while all the other Radicalz get held back. Benoit runs outside and Austin follows. HHH is still there in his car while Benoit and Austin continue to fight in the parking lot. Benoit runs away, but loses track of Austin. HHH tells Benoit to find him. Benoit runs back into the building. HHH peeks out of the passenger side of his car and gets back in. A forklift grabs HHH's car and lifts it up! Austin's got a forklift! He drives HHH's car across the parking lot, then says he's got a ride for HHH. He lifts the car up more! And more! HHH is begging Austin not to. "Austin don't....HOLY SHIT!" Austin drops HHH's car down on its roof! That's it, HHH is dead. Or at least seriously, seriously injured. End show. I suppose that means the match is over too. Does "death of opponent" count as a referee's decision? Second straight Austin PPV match that's ended with attempted vehicular homicide. They definitely wanted that to be more of a fight than a match, which both fit the story and was needed with Austin being more mobility hampered than ever after this last injury. They mostly pulled it off fine but it was nothing near spectacular. They definitely have a great match in them, as they'll prove in the not too distant future. The ending definitely lets it down, that's another one for the "legendary crap in wrestling" highlight reel. **3/4

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- In contrast to the great run Summerslam has been on, this continues the recent trend of less than stellar Survivor Series. Part of that is due to the less than conventional stories that they've done the past few falls. This one does come out a bit better than the last couple, but that's more due to the fact most everything on the show falls squarely in the average category with nothing really good but nothing really awful. They need to move on from the Austin being run over story pronto because it's drug everything down the past couple of months.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C