No Way Out '02

Legacy Review

No Way Out '02

February 17, 2002 from the Bradley Center in Milwaukee, WI

 

Commentary: Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler

 

We're on the road to Wrestlemania 18, and this year's will be one of the bumpy, windy ones. A full on road course even, with several hairpin turns. The intro video for this show has been cut off the Peacock copy, I'd assume due to music rights issues. The stage is made up of two 18 wheelers that are being used as projection screens for what would usually be the trons, which is an interesting choice. 50/50 WWF co-owners Vince McMahon and Ric Flair had a match at the Royal Rumble that Flair won, which sent Vince off the deep end. Even more than usual. In the weeks that followed he came to the conclusion that the only way to "save" his creation was to kill it off entirely, and to that end he was going to inject a "LETHAL DOSE OF POISON" into the company. As he made that declaration he turned around the chair he was sitting in to show on the back was......the NWO logo. They're coming, and they're coming tonight.

 

The show starts right up with the NWO's music and they make their way out. This is the original NWO trio of Hollywood Hogan, Kevin Nash and Scott Hall. All ex-WWF guys, but most notable is Hogan making his return, his first WWF appearance since losing to Yokozuna and his trick photographer at King of the Ring '93. All three guys look genuinely happy to be there, with Nash especially looking very emotional. Didn't know he had it in him. Nash talks first and says "You wouldn't believe how much heat we have with the boys backstage". Oh great, we're still doing the insider talk stuff then. That stopped being cool and edgy years ago. He takes offense at all the horrible things people have said about the NWO and plays up to the fans, saying all they want is a clean slate. Hall then takes the mic and drops the "Hey yo". He says they're not the bad guys, but "a bunch of marks" just like you. Please stop with that stuff. Hall says they don't want any trouble, just to have a chance to sign some autographs and drink some beers with the boys (not Hall, as the other two make clear, which is a bit funny but also very true). Hogan then takes the mic and the crowd makes it clear he's the one they wanted to see. He says they're not here to kill the WWF, they're here to make it better and all they want from the fans is a chance. He then thanks Vince for giving the NWO that chance, which gets some boos. "God bless Vince McMahon, God bless all of you and God bless America". They all hug, pose and end scene. Well that didn't come off all that well. It's so obvious it's just a setup for them to turn into what we all expected them to be later.

 

WWF Tag Team Championship #1 Contenders Tag Team Turmoil Match- The winners of this match, in theory, will get a tag title shot at WM. Opening up are two fairly newly formed randomish teams: Scotty2Hotty and Albert against the Canadian team of Lance Storm and Christian (right back in the tag ranks mere months after breaking up with Edge). Scotty and Storm start with some basics. After a counter sequence Scotty gets a roll up for 2. Albert tags in, gorilla presses Storm, then catches Christian coming in and gives him the giant swing. Bicycle kick on Storm for 2. The Canadians use distraction and double teams to get Albert down. Double clothesline from Albert. Christian accidentally backdrops his own partner over the top to the floor, then he and Scotty counter each other's signature move setups. Albert goes for a double squash avalanche but the Canadians dodge, then clothesline Albert 360 to the floor with Storm also going with him. Scotty runs in and gets Christian down in the drop zone. The W O R M is cut off by Storm! Christian hits the Unprettier and pins Scotty to move on. The next team out is the Hardy Boyz. They charge in and we're quickly donnybrooking. The Hardyz double faceplant Christian. Matt goes for the second rope legdrop but Storm knocks him off. That lets the Canadians get Matt trapped in their half of the ring. Matt gets Christian with a hot shot and tags out to Jeff. Hot tag run from Jeff. Storm takes the low blow legdrop. Russian leg sweep from Jeff into a stack up for 2 as everyone starts brawling again. Storm drop toe holds Jeff into the half crab! So smooth. Matt comes in to break it up. He goes for the Twist of Fate but Christian cuts that off. Storm accidentally dropkicks Christian! Twist of Fate/Swanton Bomb combo on Storm and the Canadians are out. Next up, the Dudley Boyz. One more time for these forever rivals. Quick Poetry in Motion on Bubba Ray. They try for one on D'Von but Bubba Ray cuts it off and they get Jeff in peril. Bubba Ray gets Jeff down and puts him into a unique new quasi-figure four somewhat Indian Death Lock type hold that Matt quickly breaks up. Back elbow from D'Von for 2. Jeff dodges a Bubba Ray senton off the second rope. Both sides tag and Matt runs wild. He hits the legdrop off the second rope on D'Von for 2 as we go EVERYONE IN THE POOL again. Matt sets up for a Twist of Fate on Bubba Ray. Stacy Keibler comes in and pulls him off by the hair! Lita spear on Stacy! Bubba Bomb on Matt! Lita hurricanrana off the top rope on Bubba Ray! He goes to the floor and Jeff hits him with a senton off the top! Matt rolls up D'Von with a handful of tights....er, pants and gets the pin! The Dudleyz 3D Jeff on the floor on their way out for some revenge. Next up, the quickly ascending new team of Billy and Chuck, making their PPV debut as a team. Matt tries to fight alone but the numbers quickly become too much. Superkick from Chuck. Billy hits the Fameasser and gets a quick pin. Our final team in this match is the APA. Another quick 2v2 brawl outside and inside the ring. Faarooq hits a tackle off the second rope on Chuck for 2. Bradshaw comes in and absolutely unloads on Chuck with some seriously stiff shots. We don't take kindly to your type around here.... Billy's pigtails don't help any I'm sure. Chuck manages to slug back and get Bradshaw down. Fallaway slam from Bradshaw. Double tackle from the APA for 2. Billy comes in and neckbreakers Faarooq. Faarooq tries to fight out but B&C get him stuck in their corner. Billy runs into a spinebuster and Faarooq tags out. Big boot from Bradshaw on Chuck. Corner clotheslines and Chuck gets tossed over the top to the floor. Clothesline from Hell on Billy and the APA get the win and, theoretically, the WM title shot! Which they would get, but in a four way match with three of the other teams that lost in this match, one of which will win the tag titles between now and WM (I'll leave you in suspense which team for now). Which made this whole exercise kind of pointless. Still, not too shabby a match overall. The Hardyz/Dudleyz portion was their usual goodness and APA definitely brought the stiffness for their final segment. **3/4

 

In the back with Michael Cole, WWF co-owner Flair thinks the NWO aren't on the up and up. Gee, I wonder why. Taker interrupts and warns Flair he's got his eye on him. 

 

Rob Van Dam def Goldust in 12:15- This is one of those old school Goldust feuds where Goldust has been "showing interest" in his opponent, but minus the obvious homosexual vibes from those early Goldust days. Lawler mentions he doesn't like watching movies "in that letterbox way" at home which doesn't surprise me a bit. Back in those early DVD days I would preach to all my friends how widescreen was the correct way and fullscreen was for fools, to the point they'd be sick of me banging on about it. But I was right, as now everything is in its correct aspect ratio and every damn TV show has gone cinematic widescreen now. Anyway, Goldust jumps RVD as soon as he's in the ring and clotheslines him 360 right back out. Back in RVD goes to the educated feet to turn things around. The corner shoulderblocks plus backflip hit. Cartwheel moonsault for 2. Goldust bails to the floor and chest puffs at RVD. He stalls on the floor and decides he's had enough of this and starts to leave, then changes his mind and slowly walks back. Lawler says his favorite movie line is from American Pie. Another not shocked. But I loved that movie too back then, I was most definitely in the right age demographic. Again anyway, RVD has enough of Goldust's stalling and attacks him on the floor. The spinning legdrop off the apron hits. A knee to the head from Goldust puts RVD off the apron back to the floor, then Goldust hits an elbow off the second rope down to the floor. JR: "I wonder if that was a bionic elbow. Probably not". Wild and fairly stiff punches from Goldust on the floor. Back in Goldust hits a hip attack (with more ass than hip) for 2. More pretty straight and stiff looking punches from Goldust and he stretches RVD across the top of the corner. He slingshots RVD throat first into the top rope. Running kneedrop for 2. Another slingshot into the ropes and this time he lets RVD fall back first onto his knees. Goldust goes to some wear down chinlocks and drops on RVD's back to keep him down. After a couple of those RVD turns around and Godust crotches himself on RVD's knees, but he quickly comes back with a clothesline for 2. RVD blocks a hiptoss into a backslide for a long 2. Quick kick from RVD and both guys are down. Spinning heel kick from RVD. Handspring monkey flip, RVD springs up top and hits a flying kick for 2. Rolling thunder hits for 2. Goldust ducks down and hits the uppercut from the mat, but RVD shrugs it off and counters with a quick senton. He goes up top again. Goldust dodges the frog splash! DDT from Goldust! RVD just kicks out! Goldust hooks up for the Curtain Call. RVD flips over and hits another heel kick for 2. They exchange some shots and RVD counters a Goldust bulldog attempt. Another heel kick and RVD springs up top again. FIVE STAR FROG SPLASH! That gets the pin. Another rock solid match. It was a bit dangerous letting Goldust control so much, but old Dustin looked as good as he had in years and RVD got his stuff in. **3/4

 

In the back, Austin walks right into the NWO. Hall offers a peace offering, some ice cold Steveweisers from the NWO. Uh, should Hall even be touching those? Knock him right back off the wagon. Austin's not thirsty and tosses them away. The NWO lets him pass without incident. Guess they're playing the long game.

 

WWF Tag Team Championship: Spike Dudley & Tazz (c) def Booker T & Test in 7:58- Test and Booker were teammates in the Alliance during the Invasion so this isn't a completely random team up. They also held one or other of the tag titles during the Invasion but hell, who didn't. After getting firmly and completely buried during the Invasion for the simple crime of being the final proper WCW World champion Booker's going to be stuck in the tag division and middest of the midcard for a while now. Another jump start. Jeez, what is this, the Attitude Era? Test pounds on Tazz in the ring. Tazz comes back with a back elbow and clothesline. Tag to Spike and he hits a missile dropkick off the top. Test tries for a powerbomb but Spike punches out. Then Spike counters a press slam into a roll up, but Booker has ref Jack Doan distracted. Clothesline from Test and he pounds Spike on the mat. Test holds Spike up in a Hart Attack like position and Booker hits a side kick. Chops from Booker on Spike. The heels work Tazz and his quick temper to double team. Corner clotheslines from Test. Spike dodges a Test elbow drop. He goes for the Dudley Dog but Test dumps him over the top to the floor. Booker hits the scissors kick and we get a spinaroonie. Cover and Tazz breaks the pin up as JR continues to try to figure out what the spinaroonie is supposed to accomplish. Spike uses Booker putting him on the second rope to hit a DDT. Tags on both sides and Tazz runs wild. Northern lights suplex on Booker for 2. He ducks Test's big boot of death, dumps Booker over the top to the floor, and tries for a Tazzmission but Test headbutts free. Spike comes in and hits the Dudley Dog! Tazz covers for 2. Test tries for an illegal leverage pin the corner but Doan catches him. Test doesn't like that and gets in a shoving match with Doan. The Tazzmission is on! Test taps out! Decentish. **

 

So there's no more suspense, it would be Billy & Chuck that win the tag titles on the Smackdown after this show, their first tag title win and they'd carry them to WM, the start of their run as the dominant team in the division for most of the year. 

 

Brass Knuckles on a Pole Match for the WWF Intercontinental Championship: William Regal (c) def Edge in 11:18- Putting a bow on this fairly long running feud before everyone moves on for WM. After months of trying Regal finally took the title from Edge at the Rumble thanks to the POWER OF THE PUNCH, aka brass knuckles. Because of that, we're putting the knucks on the good old pole tonight. Usual rules, whoever gets the object off the pole can legally use it in the match. Before he gets in the ring ref Jimmy Korderas wants to make sure Regal doesn't have the backup knucks anywhere. While that's going on we get another jump start as Edge couldn't wait. He pounds Regal all around ringside. Clothesline and suplex from Edge back in the ring. Backdrop for 2. He goes for the pole but Regal hits him from behind. Regal then climbs but gets pulled back down. Dropkick from Edge. Regal tries to momentum toss Edge over the top but Edge lands on the apron and goes for the pole. Regal just stops him before he gets the knucks. Some more ringside and crowd brawling follows. Edge goes for the knucks, fights Regal off, then says the hell with it and hits a missile dropkick instead for 2. Regal lifts Edge and drops him gut first on the top rope. Abdominal stretch from Regal with the rope leverage game. Edge hiptosses out and tosses him out to the floor. Edge climbs again. Regal pushes him off the top rope down into the barricade! Double underhook powerbomb on the floor from Regal. Back in Regal hooks on the Regal Stretch. Edge has blood in his mouth but I'm pretty sure that's capsule blood for drama, nothing real. Edge slowly drags himself over and gets a rope break. Another double underhook powerbomb from Regal for 2. Regal turns, smiles, and decides its time for the knucks. Edge crotches Regal on the top rope! Regal lifts Edge up for a powerbomb on the apron but neither of them can hold their grip or balance and they both tumble down to the floor. Oof. Not good. We get a replay and it looks like Regal lost his grip and dropped Edge, then fell down himself. Edge slowly drags himself back in the ring and up the pole. Regal cuts him off from the apron. He punches Edge down into the ring and Regal gets the knucks! Edge goes up and back suplexes him off the ropes. The knucks are down in the ring. Edge tries to get the knucks but Regal kicks them away. Edge DDTs Regal for 2. Spear! Edge goes out to get the knucks and puts them on. Regal low blows Edge and hits him with the backup knucks! Knew they were in there somewhere. Like the Rumble, I don't know where Regal was keeping them. That gets Regal the pin to retain. Not too great a match to start with but that botch off the apron really hurt too. *3/4

 

The Rock def The Undertaker in 18:20- Pretty textbook "these two top guys have nothing else going on right now, throw them together" match before their separate WM programs begin. Taker already teased his earlier tonight. That's not to say there's no feud at all. After the Rumble Rock mocked Taker for getting eliminated by Maven, which set heel "everybody better respect me or else" Taker off. As part of the build Rock helped Maven beat Taker for the Hardcore title. After that Taker Tombstoned Rock on top of a limo. Rock charges in and guess what, jump start again. Did someone sneak Russo back in the building? Rock fights off a goozle but runs into a Taker big boot for 2. Rock hits a really sloppy swinging neckbreaker but Taker is quickly back on top. Rock takes advantage of Taker stalking the ref trying to get Taker out of the corner to slug back. Taker cuts it off again with a side suplex for 2. Taker slows things down already with a chinlock. After Rock fights back up Taker hits some knees to the gut and an elbow. Rock ducks another big boot near the ropes and clotheslines Taker out to the floor. During the usual ringside knockaround Rock eyes the Spanish announce table. Taker gives Rock a stair shot, looks at the Spanish table and goes "Yeah, I can use that". First he crotches Rock on the barricade, then sits down on the stairs and lets him know about it. He punches Rock over the barricade and it's crowd brawl time. The Spanish announce table sitting over there "So, we're not doing this then?". Back to the ring and Taker hits elbows on the apron, then an apron legdrop. Cover for 2. Another Rock comeback is cut off with a huge Shinya Hashimoto like leaping DDT from Taker. Another cover for 2. Taker hooks on a bear hug. Well this is different. Rock slowly fades down. After arm drops Rock fights back up and hits a flying clothesline. Stand up slugfest. Rock finally gets some momentum and hits a DDT. Spinebuster! Elbow pad off. Taker cuts off the People's Elbow with a goozle! Low blow from Rock to get free! Smackdown punches in the corner. Taker wrings Rock's arm into another goozle. Chokeslam! But Taker's slow to cover because of the damage received and Rock kicks out. Taker goes out and sits on his bike. Ref Mike Chioda goes out to see what's what and Taker throws him into the stairs! Guess that was the plan. Taker then gets his trusty lead pipe out from his bike. Flair runs out! He attacks Taker! Taker no sells a chop and kicks Flair right in the face. Rock ducks a pipe shot. World's Shittiest Sharpshooter! Chioda is up and back in. Now Vince runs out. He distracts the ref. Rock releases the hold and flips Vince in the ring. Smackdown punches for Vince! Taker hits Rock from behind and scoops him up. Flair hits a pipe shot on Taker! Rock Bottom! Rock gets the pin! Flair leaves with Taker's pipe. That's not over. OKish match that took forever to really get going, and when it did the runs ins happened. Easily Rock's weakest PPV match in a long time. **1/4

 

One month after his big WWF return Mr. Perfect has been relegated to the WWF New York stand up segment. They tried with him in the Rumble, giving him a late run, but he's just not peak Perfect anymore. Far from it.

 

The next match is going to need a bit of a setup. Triple H came back from injury as a full face, but during the time he was out Steph had gone full evil again, so they weren't compatible anymore. Trips started to break it off, but Steph convinced him to stay by telling him she was pregnant and they agreed to renew their vows instead. But a tape from Linda McMahon proved to Trips it was all a RUSE and Steph was never pregnant. After that Trips used the vow renewal to break up with Steph entirely, which gave us the famous angry Steph roaring moment. In revenge, Vince has appointed Steph as the special guest ref for this match.

 

Ironically despite what's happening on screen Trips and Steph had gotten closer than ever during his injury recuperation and were a very solid real life couple by this point. 

 

For the Undisputed WWF Championship Match at Wrestlemania: Kurt Angle def Triple H in 14:55- Angle was the last one eliminated by Trips when he won the Rumble so he's the one getting this shot as the McMahons screw with HHH. Don't have any illusions about what the real feud is here. Steph comes out first to Trips' old pre-Game music. She has words with Fink and he corrects himself, it's just Stephanie McMahon. No more Helmsley. The YOU SUCK chant for Angle with his music is here! I honestly thought that started later in the year after or during his Edge feud. It's pretty amazing no one is referencing the old love triangle between these three from the summer of 2000, especially with Steph openly being on Angle's side. While Steph is reminding HHH she's the ref Angle sneaks behind and tries to roll him up. More flash cradles from Angle but HHH counters them all before Steph can count. Angle pounds HHH down in the corner with Steph cheering him on. HHH pops out with a clothesline and stomps Angle down in another corner. Short clothesline from HHH. Angle grabs HHH's arm and pulls him into a back suplex. HHH ducks and Angle clotheslines Steph over the top rope to the floor! Man, he was going full speed on that. Huge pop from the crowd for that too. Timekeeper Mark Yeaton checks on Steph as she's dead on the floor. A group of refs run in to check on her as HHH clotheslines Angle to the floor on the other side of the ring. He looks down at Steph not really caring. Angle comes back in with chops. Swinging neckbreaker from HHH as Steph is carried out and Tim White takes the match over. HHH puts Angle in the corner, climbs up, and waves at Steph before commencing mounted punches. Angle ducks under and goes to ROLLING GERMANS. HHH tries to block but Angle hits all three and covers for 2. Back elbow from Angle for 2. An "Angle sucks" chant distracts Angle and HHH takes advantage of it. Angle hits a belly to belly suplex! Cover for 2. Another belly to belly for 2. A third. Sleeper from Angle! HHH slowly fades down, but gets back up at just one arm drop and tries to back Angle into the corner to get free. That doesn't work, so HHH runs him forward instead. That works. HHH uses Angle mounted punches to powerbomb him. Angle ducks a clothesline but HHH hits the high knee. Spinebuster from HHH for 2. Facebuster for 2. Angle backs up and begs off, going all the way to the floor. As they go back in the ring Angle straight up hits Tim White in the back of the head! HHH hits a hangman's neckbreaker then goes to check on White. Low blow from Angle. Angle Slam! Steph runs back in to count. HHH kicks out! Far from fast counting, Steph's actually counting slow. Guess it's her hurt neck. The straps are down! Angle's, not Steph's. Wouldn't that be something. Ankle lock! HHH quickly counters and Angle squashes Steph in the corner. She's out again. Kick wham DDT from HHH. Cover but both refs in the ring are down. HHH drags White back up. Angle hits HHH from behind and that sends White tumbling out to the floor. This is getting ridiculous. Another German from Angle. Angle goes out and gets a chair. HHH ducks a chairshot. Pedigree! White drags himself back in to count. Steph elbow drops White! Then kicks him in the general area of his crotch. HHH stares her down. He grabs Steph and sets her up for a Pedigree! Chairshots from Angle! Angle Slam! Angle covers and gets the pin, winning the WM title shot. There's almost no way for HHH and Angle to have a bad match, but this damn sure tried with all the Steph and ref shenanigans. Fortunately the talent of the guys involved still made it just about work. It would also all be rendered meaningless the next night on Raw, as HHH got a rematch and won his title shot back. I said the road to WM would be a curvy one this year. ***

 

Elsewhere, the NWO storm into the Rock's locker room. Hogan says Rock is "my son's favorite wrestler".  Hall takes a picture of Rock and Hogan with his disposable camera (remember those?). Hogan then says "So much for the people's taste". Rock takes issue with that and goes into a detailed explanation of the journey that camera can take across all three guy's posteriors. The best part is Rock completely destroying the old Diesel character with his mocking little "honk honk".

 

Undisputed WWF Championship: Chris Jericho (c) def "Stone Cold" Steve Austin in 22:24- I genuinely wonder how much of a chance people thought Austin had at the time, I really can't remember. Angle's win definitely would have put a bit more doubt into this as to what the final WM setup would be. Angle/Jericho was pretty much a non-starter because they didn't have the combined star power for a WM main event yet, and Angle had gone back heel after the Invasion. Austin/Angle was unlikely because they'd faced each other so much in '01, but Austin/HHH was pretty plausible even with both guys currently faces. Commentary straight up talks about Jericho being a transitional champion, which is a perfect nutshell for how this title reign went. They go nose to nose after the bell and discuss things. Jericho gets ahead of Austin by telling Austin he's #1. Austin, naturally, responds with the same. Lockup! About time tonight. Neither guy gets an early edge. Jericho hits the first punch, which almost amuses Austin. Austin hits some shots and tosses Jericho out to the floor. Speed run coming back in and Austin hits a back elbow. Chops in the corner from Austin. Lots of chops. He then gives Jericho a ton of buckle shots all the way down the corner. Suplex from Austin. Another one. More chops in the corner. Jericho's going to have full on hamburger chest. Jericho turns things around with a swinging neckbreaker and hits some chops of his own. He tries coming off the top rope but Austin catches him coming down, then 360 clotheslines him to the floor. Yet more chops from Austin on the floor. Back in Austin hits some corner shoulderblocks. Jericho dodges on the other side and Austin goes shoulder first into the post. Austin actually walks halfway up the aisle trying to get some space and shake his arm off, but ambushes Jericho when he gets close. Attitude Era style stage brawl time. Austin tosses Jericho into both 18 wheelers in the stage. He continues knocking Jericho around coming back down the aisle. Jericho drops Austin on the barricade ringside. Back in Jericho goes up top but Austin hits the ropes to crotch him. More chops and Austin hits a superplex. He puts Jericho back up top on the opposite side and hits another superplex. Austin then puts Jericho up in another corner. We're going for all four corners. The third one hits! Austin's wearing down, that one didn't land very well. Austin seems to agree, as he doesn't go for corner #4 and covers Jericho instead. He whips Jericho back and forth across the corners, then pops out with a clothesline when Jericho tries to reverse. Jericho tries to hide behind Hebner, then hits a sneaky low blow on Austin. He pounds away on Austin on the mat and hits more chops in the corner. Austin ducks under and tries a kick, but Jericho grabs it for a leg takedown into a Walls attempt. Austin fights it off before it's on. Jericho chops Austin down in the corner. I think Austin's knees are bothering him, he has a most definite hitch in his step every time he tries to run off a whip. He manages to get Jericho up and hit him with a hot shot, or more accurately a stun gun, his old WCW finisher, and drops an elbow for 2. Jericho momentum tosses Austin out to the floor, then follows and gets a chair. Austin kicks to block a chairshot and Hebner takes the chair away at almost the exact same time. Austin seems to have a real hard time deciding where or what to throw Jericho into. Jericho reverses and Austin kind of meekly collapses toward the timekeeper's area. They seem to mutually decide to give up on that and get back in the ring. Austin dodges a Lionsault. Sleeper from Jericho. A really crappy one, he does not have the top arm on right at all. A sleeper doesn't involve palming Austin's bald head like a basketball. Austin goes down and it looks more like a chinlock than anything. They stay in it for a long while too. Austin fights back up, dodges a dropkick, and goes for a Boston crab/Walls! Jericho fights that so Austin slingshots him into the corner instead. Jericho fights off a Stunner. Clotheslines from Austin and he plants Jericho with a spinebuster. He catches Jericho leaping and powerslams him for 2. Misdirection bulldog from Jericho. The Lionsault just barely hits, Austin was a long way away. Jericho goes for it again and this time was slightly better. Austin kicks out! Austin tries a Thesz press but Jericho blocks it into the Walls! Austin slowly crawls over and gets a rope break. Jericho goes out and get the WWF Title belt. Austin attacks him before he can do anything with it, but Hebner goes down in the exchange. They kind of weakly brawl around as they seem to lose their place again, then Austin spinebusters Jericho onto the belt. Cover and Jericho just kicks out. Jericho counters a Stunner into a Breakdown onto the belt! Austin kicks out! Jericho goes for another misdirection bulldog but Austin ducks and Jericho clotheslines Hebner right out of the ring. Ref bumps have been ridiculous tonight, and not in a good way at all. Austin hooks a Boston crab on. Jericho taps out but there's no ref. Again. Every match this run Jericho's tapped out with no ref present. Jericho tries a belt shot but Austin counters with a Stunner! Here come the NWO. You knew this was coming. Austin tries to fight them all off but the numbers eventually become too much. Hall Stunners/cutters Austin and they leave. Austin drags Hebner back in, covers Austin, and gets the pin to continue the awful title reign. Even before all the ref bumps and interference kicked in that was a very schizophrenic match. At times it was as good as you know these two could be, but there were also lots of little hitches and issues that really held it back, particularly in the second half. I did enjoy chops being so prevalent during the match though. **1/2

 

After the bell the NWO attack again and Hall lays Austin out with another Stunner. Hogan gets the spraypaint and they do the classic NWO spraypaint on Austin's back. End show. None of the NWO stuff during the show really hit the mark, and you can tell by the lukewarm crowd reactions. I'm not sure if it was NWO fatigue in general, or poor timing and they should have been brought in at the start of the Invasion rather than after. Regardless, it's not working as well as anyone would have hoped.

 

OVERALL SHOW THOUGHTS- Average matches across the board equals an average at best show. There's not a lot of good to speak of outside the base match quality either, as none of the big angles heading into Wrestlemania seem to be hitting and all three of the top matches ended with tons of ref bumps and interference.

OVERALL SHOW GRADE: C-