SummerSlam
August 19, 2001
Compaq Center, San Jose, CA
August 19, 2001
Compaq Center, San Jose, CA
After a major setback in the war against WCW and ECW (now referred to as the Alliance) with the defection of Stone Cold Steve Austin, the WWF looked to fire back and swing things back in their favour as the Invasion storyline raged on. The defection of Austin forced Mr McMahon to resort to bringing back the man he had suspended indefinitely after WrestleMania, the Rock! Tonight, the Rock looks to take WCW's ultimate prize as he battles their champion, Booker T. Also, Kurt Angle looks for retribution for Austin's double cross as the two men meet for the WWF Championship. Its the biggest show of the summer, so lets dive right in. Please share all your thoughts with me in the comment section below.
The opening video package is to the famous tune "Bodies" that has become associated with ECW. We get clips hyping the matches before heading into the arena for our opening pyro. Our announce team this month is back to the great pairing of Jim Ross & Paul Heyman, so we have a representative of each the WWF and the Alliance in the booth going forward.
WWF Intercontinental Championship:
Lance Storm (c) vs Edge
These two men kick off the show for the second month in a row, but this time its in singles action after last month's tag. Since being on the losing end of the tag opener at Invasion, Lance Storm regained some momentum by defeating Albert the very next night on Raw is War, bringingmore gold to the Alliance in the process. This feud fired up when Storm cost Edge a Hardcore title match against RVD on Smackdown a few weeks before this PPV, and Edge wants some payback tonight by taking Storm's title. Anyway, Storm gets on the mic before the match and wants to be serious for a moment, but he's interrupted by the challenger, who is out on his own. We see the WWF locker room in the back cheering Edge on before the match gets under way. After some initial back and forth, Edge builds some offence taking Storm to the outside. After a crossbody from the top gives Edge a near fall back in the ring, the champion takes over with knee shots to the mid-section, capitalising on Edge's ribs after sending him into the barricade moments earlier. Edge looks to fire back with a Spear, but he ends up missing and the champion takes over yet again. Edge gets back into the match by catching and slamming Storm mid-air. Some more back and forth ensues, with Edge hitting the Edge-O-Matic, only for Storm to break the pin via the ropes. Storm takes control by locking Edge into the Canadian Crab, however Edge gets to the ropes and puts the hold on Storm instead! Storm fights out and sends Edge into the ref, which brings Christian out to ringside. Christian sets up for a Spear to Storm, but he "accidentally" nails Edge instead. Nonetheless, Edge recovers and delivers the Impaler DDT to get the three as the ref recovers at 11:16. Edge is the new WWF Intercontinental Champion and this was a pretty good opening match. Anyone who was familiar with Lance Storm's work could tell you he was very solid in the ring, but Edge was no slouch either. Winning the title here was essentially the arrival of his singles push. Storm was really a transitional champion here to get the title onto the King of the Ring winner. Edge looks strong winning despite the accidental Spear from Christian, which will set up his next feud as the new champion. The crowd was hot as well, which would continue throughout the night.
Grade: ***
Lance Storm (c) vs Edge
These two men kick off the show for the second month in a row, but this time its in singles action after last month's tag. Since being on the losing end of the tag opener at Invasion, Lance Storm regained some momentum by defeating Albert the very next night on Raw is War, bringingmore gold to the Alliance in the process. This feud fired up when Storm cost Edge a Hardcore title match against RVD on Smackdown a few weeks before this PPV, and Edge wants some payback tonight by taking Storm's title. Anyway, Storm gets on the mic before the match and wants to be serious for a moment, but he's interrupted by the challenger, who is out on his own. We see the WWF locker room in the back cheering Edge on before the match gets under way. After some initial back and forth, Edge builds some offence taking Storm to the outside. After a crossbody from the top gives Edge a near fall back in the ring, the champion takes over with knee shots to the mid-section, capitalising on Edge's ribs after sending him into the barricade moments earlier. Edge looks to fire back with a Spear, but he ends up missing and the champion takes over yet again. Edge gets back into the match by catching and slamming Storm mid-air. Some more back and forth ensues, with Edge hitting the Edge-O-Matic, only for Storm to break the pin via the ropes. Storm takes control by locking Edge into the Canadian Crab, however Edge gets to the ropes and puts the hold on Storm instead! Storm fights out and sends Edge into the ref, which brings Christian out to ringside. Christian sets up for a Spear to Storm, but he "accidentally" nails Edge instead. Nonetheless, Edge recovers and delivers the Impaler DDT to get the three as the ref recovers at 11:16. Edge is the new WWF Intercontinental Champion and this was a pretty good opening match. Anyone who was familiar with Lance Storm's work could tell you he was very solid in the ring, but Edge was no slouch either. Winning the title here was essentially the arrival of his singles push. Storm was really a transitional champion here to get the title onto the King of the Ring winner. Edge looks strong winning despite the accidental Spear from Christian, which will set up his next feud as the new champion. The crowd was hot as well, which would continue throughout the night.
Grade: ***
Backstage, Michael Cole is standing by with recent Alliance defector, Test. Cole asks why Test turned his back on the WWF, and Test says that it was the WWF that turned on him.
Elsewhere, Lillian Garcia gets a word with Chris Jericho about his match with Rhyno. He says tonight will be the night that he finally defeats Rhyno, before making slut insinuations about Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley.
Spike Dudley & APA w/Molly Holly vs Test & Dudley Boyz
This match really stems from the recent heel turn of Test. For weeks since Invasion, there were rumours that there was a mole inside the WWF attempting to bring them down from within. On numerous instances Test would be accused of being that person. It was actually not the case, but Test became frustrated by the accusations and ended up costing the APA their WWF Tag Team Championship on an episode of Smackdown, joining the Alliance in the process. Now, down the line the constant side swapping of guys would become a problem in the Invasion storyline, but the Test one made sense, especially considering his long standing friendship with Shane McMahon. Meanwhile, Spike and the Dudley Boyz continue to have their issues so they fill out the rest of this match. Molly is still dating Spike by the way. Faarooq starts this one off with Bubba Ray Dudley, and the Dudley Boyz work over him with some double teaming in the early going. Faarooq foghts back which leads to Test tagging in. Bradshaw also comes in and the two big men trade blows. Spike eventually comes in and does battle with D-Von, but with Test tagging back in, the little guy's momentum comes to an end as Test beats him down. Meanwhile the Dudley Boyz set up a table outside the ring. Spike avoids going through it, countering a press slam from Test, but some heel triple teaming puts the match back in the Alliance's favour. Bradshaw gets the hot tag and cleans house on his opponents. After delivering a powerbomb to Test, Bradshaw looks to have the match won, but Bubba pulls him out of the ring, breaking up the pin. Meanwhile Spike comes in and goes for the Dudley Dog on Test, but the defector counters by sending Spike through the table on the outside! Bradshaw returns and hits the Clothesline from Hell on Test, but the ref is busy tending to Spike. The distraction allows Shane McMahon to run down, and he nails Bradshaw with a chair shot, which Test capitalises on to get the win at 7:19. The match was fine for what it was. Test gets the win to continue his heel push, and Spike was fun getting thrown around in there always.
Grade: **1/4
This match really stems from the recent heel turn of Test. For weeks since Invasion, there were rumours that there was a mole inside the WWF attempting to bring them down from within. On numerous instances Test would be accused of being that person. It was actually not the case, but Test became frustrated by the accusations and ended up costing the APA their WWF Tag Team Championship on an episode of Smackdown, joining the Alliance in the process. Now, down the line the constant side swapping of guys would become a problem in the Invasion storyline, but the Test one made sense, especially considering his long standing friendship with Shane McMahon. Meanwhile, Spike and the Dudley Boyz continue to have their issues so they fill out the rest of this match. Molly is still dating Spike by the way. Faarooq starts this one off with Bubba Ray Dudley, and the Dudley Boyz work over him with some double teaming in the early going. Faarooq foghts back which leads to Test tagging in. Bradshaw also comes in and the two big men trade blows. Spike eventually comes in and does battle with D-Von, but with Test tagging back in, the little guy's momentum comes to an end as Test beats him down. Meanwhile the Dudley Boyz set up a table outside the ring. Spike avoids going through it, countering a press slam from Test, but some heel triple teaming puts the match back in the Alliance's favour. Bradshaw gets the hot tag and cleans house on his opponents. After delivering a powerbomb to Test, Bradshaw looks to have the match won, but Bubba pulls him out of the ring, breaking up the pin. Meanwhile Spike comes in and goes for the Dudley Dog on Test, but the defector counters by sending Spike through the table on the outside! Bradshaw returns and hits the Clothesline from Hell on Test, but the ref is busy tending to Spike. The distraction allows Shane McMahon to run down, and he nails Bradshaw with a chair shot, which Test capitalises on to get the win at 7:19. The match was fine for what it was. Test gets the win to continue his heel push, and Spike was fun getting thrown around in there always.
Grade: **1/4
Backstage, Edge is being congratulated by some WWF guys on his title win, but Christian comes in. He enthusiastically tells Edge that he has a European Championship match against Matt Hardy on Raw the following night. He suddenly gets a phone call from his grandmother, but she wants to speak to Edge. After she congratulates him, he hands the phone back to Christian, but she hangs up.
Elsewhere, Shawn Stasiak wants to apologise to Stone Cold for recently screwing up in doing the Alliance's bidding. He instead comes across Debra, who says Austin is busy preparing for his match, but if Stasiak wants to impress him, he should kick someone's ass.
WWF Light Heavyweight Championship vs WCW Cruiserweight Championship:
Tajiri (c) vs X-Pac (c)
First off, despite what many may think, this was not a unification match. Both titles are on the line however. Its also not an inter-promotional match, as both guys are with the WWF, although X-Pac is basically a heel despite his affiliation. There's been some changes in the title scene, as last month, X-Pac was the reigning Light Heavyweight Champion. He would lose that title to Tajiri the next night on Raw, and the Japanese Buzzsaw enters with the gold tonight. X-Pac would not be without gold for long however, as he would defeat Billy Kidman the following week to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Tajiri gets a big pop here as he was really over through this stretch. Anyway, X-Pac takes control early on, but Tajiri fights back and hits a standing moonsault on his opponent. X-Pac briefly goes back on offence, but Tajiri sends him out of the ring with a hurracanrana and follows up with a moonsault to the floor. X-Pac fights back by sending Tajiri into the ring post and he is back in control as the action returns to the ring. After choking Tajiri with his boot in the corner, X-Pac attempts the Bronco Buster, but Tajiri catches him in the Tree of Woe instead. Tajiri builds momentum from here, delivering a Buzzsaw kick to X-Pac and following up by locking in the Tarantula, but breaking before five. Some fast paced action takes place from there, with X-Pac rolling through a diving crossbody, but quickly being taken down by Tajiri once more. X-Pac ends up sending the Japanese Buzzsaw to the outside once more, and follows with a plancha to the floor, before getting him back in the ring and nailing him with the X-Factor. Tajiri kicks out at two, but speaking of X-Factor, out comes Albert. Tajiri spits the red mist in his face to pre-empt any interference, but the distraction allows X-Pac to hit a low blow. He follows up with a second X-Factor and that gets the win at 7:33. The match was decent and fast paced, although it would have made more sense for Tajiri to win here with him being the fresher guy and all. X-Pac could still go in the ring, but the fans were tiring of him at this point. He wins both titles here, and whilst we will see the Cruiserweight Championship again (more on that in future reviews), X-Pac would still be holding the Light Heavyweight Championship when he suffered an injury shortly down the line. He would be off TV until the new year, by which time the Invasion storyline was long over. With the Cruiserweight title still around, the decision was made to retire the Light Heavyweight Championship, and when X-Pac returned to action, the gold was nowhere to be seen.
Grade: **3/4
Tajiri (c) vs X-Pac (c)
First off, despite what many may think, this was not a unification match. Both titles are on the line however. Its also not an inter-promotional match, as both guys are with the WWF, although X-Pac is basically a heel despite his affiliation. There's been some changes in the title scene, as last month, X-Pac was the reigning Light Heavyweight Champion. He would lose that title to Tajiri the next night on Raw, and the Japanese Buzzsaw enters with the gold tonight. X-Pac would not be without gold for long however, as he would defeat Billy Kidman the following week to win the WCW Cruiserweight Championship. Tajiri gets a big pop here as he was really over through this stretch. Anyway, X-Pac takes control early on, but Tajiri fights back and hits a standing moonsault on his opponent. X-Pac briefly goes back on offence, but Tajiri sends him out of the ring with a hurracanrana and follows up with a moonsault to the floor. X-Pac fights back by sending Tajiri into the ring post and he is back in control as the action returns to the ring. After choking Tajiri with his boot in the corner, X-Pac attempts the Bronco Buster, but Tajiri catches him in the Tree of Woe instead. Tajiri builds momentum from here, delivering a Buzzsaw kick to X-Pac and following up by locking in the Tarantula, but breaking before five. Some fast paced action takes place from there, with X-Pac rolling through a diving crossbody, but quickly being taken down by Tajiri once more. X-Pac ends up sending the Japanese Buzzsaw to the outside once more, and follows with a plancha to the floor, before getting him back in the ring and nailing him with the X-Factor. Tajiri kicks out at two, but speaking of X-Factor, out comes Albert. Tajiri spits the red mist in his face to pre-empt any interference, but the distraction allows X-Pac to hit a low blow. He follows up with a second X-Factor and that gets the win at 7:33. The match was decent and fast paced, although it would have made more sense for Tajiri to win here with him being the fresher guy and all. X-Pac could still go in the ring, but the fans were tiring of him at this point. He wins both titles here, and whilst we will see the Cruiserweight Championship again (more on that in future reviews), X-Pac would still be holding the Light Heavyweight Championship when he suffered an injury shortly down the line. He would be off TV until the new year, by which time the Invasion storyline was long over. With the Cruiserweight title still around, the decision was made to retire the Light Heavyweight Championship, and when X-Pac returned to action, the gold was nowhere to be seen.
Grade: **3/4
We now cross to WWF New York where Perry Saturn is standing by. He's gone a little insane since the last time we have seen him, and he can't find his friend "Moppy". More on that in a future review.
Back at the arena, Stephanie McMahon fires Rhyno up for his match against Y2J. We go to a video package leading to the match up next.
Chris Jericho vs Rhyno w/Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley
This stems from Chris Jericho renewing one of his favourite past times heading into this show, insulting Stephanie McMahon. He would frequently make comments about her newly enhanced breasts and led the crowd in calling the ECW owner a "filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom feeding, trash bag hoe". The insults would lead to Stephanie turning to the last ever ECW Champion to exact revenge on Y2J. After brawling from week to week, Rhyno would memorably Gore Y2J through the set on Smackdown, marking the end of the Attitude era style Oval set, which would be replaced by the Fist set from the following week. After being on the receiving end of numerous beatings heading into SummerSlam, Y2J is looking to take down the Man Beast tonight. Rhyno starts off by ploughing into Jericho, but the popular WWF superstar fights back with a cross body and begins to build momentum from there. He ends up locking the Walls of Jericho in on Rhyno, but the Man Beast escapes to the outside. Jericho goes up to the top, looking to dive out onto his opponent, but Stephanie grabs his foot, which allows Rhyno to recover and subsequently catch Jericho with a Gore mid-air. Rhyno now takes control as he works over Jericho's ribs back in the ring. Stephanie adds insult to injury by slapping Jericho as Rhyno continues to beat him down. After some quick bursts of Jericho offence not going anywhere, Rhyno heads up top and misses a splash, and from there, both men go down courtesy of a double clothesline. Jericho starts building some momentum as both men get to their feet, but Stephanie starts distracting the ref. Y2J responds by kissing her, which causes the Billion Dollar Princess to freak out. Jericho follows up with a Lionsault to Rhyno, but he kicks out at two. Rhyno takes the opportunity to fire back and locks in the Walls on Jericho himself. Y2J gets to the ropes to force the break, but Rhyno takes him back down with a belly to belly, and looks to follow up with another Gore. Jericho has a burst of energy and gets out of the way, sending Rhyno into the ring post. Y2J follows by locking in the Walls once more and Rhyno taps out at 12:34. The match was actually pretty solid, but this was really just thrown together to give Jericho the win to set him up for big things down the line. Stephanie is furious over the result.
Grade: **3/4
This stems from Chris Jericho renewing one of his favourite past times heading into this show, insulting Stephanie McMahon. He would frequently make comments about her newly enhanced breasts and led the crowd in calling the ECW owner a "filthy, dirty, disgusting, brutal, bottom feeding, trash bag hoe". The insults would lead to Stephanie turning to the last ever ECW Champion to exact revenge on Y2J. After brawling from week to week, Rhyno would memorably Gore Y2J through the set on Smackdown, marking the end of the Attitude era style Oval set, which would be replaced by the Fist set from the following week. After being on the receiving end of numerous beatings heading into SummerSlam, Y2J is looking to take down the Man Beast tonight. Rhyno starts off by ploughing into Jericho, but the popular WWF superstar fights back with a cross body and begins to build momentum from there. He ends up locking the Walls of Jericho in on Rhyno, but the Man Beast escapes to the outside. Jericho goes up to the top, looking to dive out onto his opponent, but Stephanie grabs his foot, which allows Rhyno to recover and subsequently catch Jericho with a Gore mid-air. Rhyno now takes control as he works over Jericho's ribs back in the ring. Stephanie adds insult to injury by slapping Jericho as Rhyno continues to beat him down. After some quick bursts of Jericho offence not going anywhere, Rhyno heads up top and misses a splash, and from there, both men go down courtesy of a double clothesline. Jericho starts building some momentum as both men get to their feet, but Stephanie starts distracting the ref. Y2J responds by kissing her, which causes the Billion Dollar Princess to freak out. Jericho follows up with a Lionsault to Rhyno, but he kicks out at two. Rhyno takes the opportunity to fire back and locks in the Walls on Jericho himself. Y2J gets to the ropes to force the break, but Rhyno takes him back down with a belly to belly, and looks to follow up with another Gore. Jericho has a burst of energy and gets out of the way, sending Rhyno into the ring post. Y2J follows by locking in the Walls once more and Rhyno taps out at 12:34. The match was actually pretty solid, but this was really just thrown together to give Jericho the win to set him up for big things down the line. Stephanie is furious over the result.
Grade: **3/4
In the back, Commissioner Regal checks on the Rock's condition after he was attacked by Booker T on Smackdown. Rock says Booker only pissed him off, but he's interrupted when Stasiak runs in to jump him. Rock gets out of the way and Stasiak takes himself out. Funny spot.
WWF Hardcore Championship - Ladder Match:
Jeff Hardy (c) vs Rob Van Dam
Our next match of the evening is a rematch from Invasion as these two popular superstars face off in a ladder match for the Hardcore Championship. Now on our last PPV, Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff to bring the title to the Alliance, however he enters as challenger again on this night. This stems from a recent episode of Raw, where Jeff took advantage of the 24/7 rule to pin RVD during a title defence against Kurt Angle, to win back his Hardcore title. The ladder stipulation was a natural fit for these guys so the rematch was set for the PPV. RVD gets another big pop here. They start off trading shots and kicks but neither man gets a distinct advantage at first. Jeff eventually sends RVD to the floor and follows up with a springboard dive out on top of him. As the action continues on the floor, both men go for the ladders. RVD takes Jeff down with a legdrop to the head of his opponent at the barricade, but before RVD can enter the ring with the ladder, Jeff fires back with his usual run of the barricade spot. Jeff gets into the ring and grabs the top end of the ladder, looking to set it up, but RVD jumps off the barricade onto the other end to send the ladder flinging into Jeff's face. Jeff repays the favour by doing the same to RVD as the match continues and we get some more spots involving both men using the ladder to inflict damage to their opponent. RVD ends up putting the ladder on top of Jeff and delivering the Rolling Thunder, but the champion recovers and thwarts a climb attempt by the challenger by dropkicking the ladder over underneath him. Jeff follows up with a DDT and goes for the Swanton, but RVD gets out of the way. His luck is not much better though, as he fails to connect on the Five Star Frog Splash when Jeff rolls away. Both men now struggle to their feet and climb the ladder together, but RVD sends Jeff face first into the top. He then superplexes him off the top to send both men crashing down to the mat. As they recover we get another climb attempt, and this time Jeff gets his hands on the title. He loses his footing and is unable to unhook the belt though, when RVD takes the ladder away from under him. RVD attempts to springboard Jeff down, but ends up missing the spot. Jeff covers by losing his grip and falling back down moments later. Jeff is the first man back to his feet though, and he attempts to climb up yet again. This time RVD tips the ladder over, sending Jeff down and getting tangled in the ropes. RVD takes advantage by climbing up and he grabs the title to win the match at 16:33, becoming the new Hardcore Champion for the second time. This was an even better match than their previous bout last month. The ladder match fit both guys styles and told a good story as they beat each other down using the weapon before moving into the climbing phase of the match. Sure, the ending was messed up a little, but it doesn't detract from the whole match being great. Another impressive PPV victory for Rob Van Dam whose momentum continues to grow by the week.
Grade: ****
Jeff Hardy (c) vs Rob Van Dam
Our next match of the evening is a rematch from Invasion as these two popular superstars face off in a ladder match for the Hardcore Championship. Now on our last PPV, Rob Van Dam defeated Jeff to bring the title to the Alliance, however he enters as challenger again on this night. This stems from a recent episode of Raw, where Jeff took advantage of the 24/7 rule to pin RVD during a title defence against Kurt Angle, to win back his Hardcore title. The ladder stipulation was a natural fit for these guys so the rematch was set for the PPV. RVD gets another big pop here. They start off trading shots and kicks but neither man gets a distinct advantage at first. Jeff eventually sends RVD to the floor and follows up with a springboard dive out on top of him. As the action continues on the floor, both men go for the ladders. RVD takes Jeff down with a legdrop to the head of his opponent at the barricade, but before RVD can enter the ring with the ladder, Jeff fires back with his usual run of the barricade spot. Jeff gets into the ring and grabs the top end of the ladder, looking to set it up, but RVD jumps off the barricade onto the other end to send the ladder flinging into Jeff's face. Jeff repays the favour by doing the same to RVD as the match continues and we get some more spots involving both men using the ladder to inflict damage to their opponent. RVD ends up putting the ladder on top of Jeff and delivering the Rolling Thunder, but the champion recovers and thwarts a climb attempt by the challenger by dropkicking the ladder over underneath him. Jeff follows up with a DDT and goes for the Swanton, but RVD gets out of the way. His luck is not much better though, as he fails to connect on the Five Star Frog Splash when Jeff rolls away. Both men now struggle to their feet and climb the ladder together, but RVD sends Jeff face first into the top. He then superplexes him off the top to send both men crashing down to the mat. As they recover we get another climb attempt, and this time Jeff gets his hands on the title. He loses his footing and is unable to unhook the belt though, when RVD takes the ladder away from under him. RVD attempts to springboard Jeff down, but ends up missing the spot. Jeff covers by losing his grip and falling back down moments later. Jeff is the first man back to his feet though, and he attempts to climb up yet again. This time RVD tips the ladder over, sending Jeff down and getting tangled in the ropes. RVD takes advantage by climbing up and he grabs the title to win the match at 16:33, becoming the new Hardcore Champion for the second time. This was an even better match than their previous bout last month. The ladder match fit both guys styles and told a good story as they beat each other down using the weapon before moving into the climbing phase of the match. Sure, the ending was messed up a little, but it doesn't detract from the whole match being great. Another impressive PPV victory for Rob Van Dam whose momentum continues to grow by the week.
Grade: ****
In the back, WCW owner Shane McMahon has a present for Booker T. Its a bookend made from pieces of a broken announce table. Of course, Booker had put Rock through the announce table with his version of the Rock Bottom, known as the Bookend so thats the explanation there. We now go to a video package looking at the upcoming tag team cage match.
WWF Tag Team Championship vs WCW Tag Team Championship:
Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon (c) vs Undertaker & Kane (c) w/Sara
Yep, this whole stalker feud is still going on. Like our previous champion vs champion match, this is not a unification match, but both sets of titles are on the line. Of course, we have new champions on both fronts compared to the previous month. As I alluded to earlier, Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon defeated the APA on an episode of Raw, thanks to some interference by the defecting Test, becoming the new WWF Tag Team Champions in the process. Kanyon is also the WCW United States Champion here, as Booker T would give him the title to focus on his World Championship. Sadly, this would also be Kanyon's last PPV appearance as he'd get injured in a few months and end up being released in 2004 after returning but only making the minor shows. He would pass away in 2010. Anyway, due to the WWF Tag Titles being under Commissioner Regal's jurisdiction, he would force the new champions to defend their titles against the Brothers of Destruction inside a cage at the PPV. A week later, Undertaker & Kane would defeat Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo to become the new WCW Tag Team Champions, so both titles were now on the line. The week before this show, the heels would get the final advantage by luring Taker to a shrine DDP had set up for Sara. DDP and Kanyon would jump the American Bad Ass, so the Brothers of Destruction are out for revenge in this match. The match can be won by pinfall, submission, or both team members escaping the cage. The heels attempt to escape right away, but the Brothers of Destruction stop them in their tracks and Taker goes right after DDP. Sara has the key to the cage by the way. DDP hits a low blow out of desperation and starts to pound on Taker, using the cage wall against him, but Kane comes to his brother's aid. We get more domination by the Brothers until Kanyon fires back on both his opponents. Taker & Kane sit up together moments later though as the heels go to escape once more. Taker stops DDP in his tracks, but in a spot that actually makes a lot of sense, the American Bad Ass tells Kane to let Kanyon climb out. Kanyon escapes, and now DDP has to face both the Brothers of Destruction on his own. He's the one that Taker has an issue with anyway. From here its all Brothers of Destruction as they double team as you would expect. Taker ends up beating him down himself and Kane just looks on. After dishing out a beating, Taker tells DDP he can go, but he better not ever look at Sara again. DDP goes to climb, but Taker was just messing around as he chokeslams the stalker back down to the ring. He follows up with the Last Ride to DDP and scores the pinfall to win the match for his team at 10:13. Undertaker & Kane are now both the WWF and WCW Tag Team Champions. The match was really just a glorified squash and destroyed any credibility DDP had left at this point. He really could have brought some WCW star power, but it was not to be. This was not even the worst for him, that would come the following night on Raw when he was pinned by Sara to put this whole mess of a feud to bed. Things would not get much better for the Brothers of Destruction next month either.
Grade: *
Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon (c) vs Undertaker & Kane (c) w/Sara
Yep, this whole stalker feud is still going on. Like our previous champion vs champion match, this is not a unification match, but both sets of titles are on the line. Of course, we have new champions on both fronts compared to the previous month. As I alluded to earlier, Diamond Dallas Page & Kanyon defeated the APA on an episode of Raw, thanks to some interference by the defecting Test, becoming the new WWF Tag Team Champions in the process. Kanyon is also the WCW United States Champion here, as Booker T would give him the title to focus on his World Championship. Sadly, this would also be Kanyon's last PPV appearance as he'd get injured in a few months and end up being released in 2004 after returning but only making the minor shows. He would pass away in 2010. Anyway, due to the WWF Tag Titles being under Commissioner Regal's jurisdiction, he would force the new champions to defend their titles against the Brothers of Destruction inside a cage at the PPV. A week later, Undertaker & Kane would defeat Sean O'Haire & Chuck Palumbo to become the new WCW Tag Team Champions, so both titles were now on the line. The week before this show, the heels would get the final advantage by luring Taker to a shrine DDP had set up for Sara. DDP and Kanyon would jump the American Bad Ass, so the Brothers of Destruction are out for revenge in this match. The match can be won by pinfall, submission, or both team members escaping the cage. The heels attempt to escape right away, but the Brothers of Destruction stop them in their tracks and Taker goes right after DDP. Sara has the key to the cage by the way. DDP hits a low blow out of desperation and starts to pound on Taker, using the cage wall against him, but Kane comes to his brother's aid. We get more domination by the Brothers until Kanyon fires back on both his opponents. Taker & Kane sit up together moments later though as the heels go to escape once more. Taker stops DDP in his tracks, but in a spot that actually makes a lot of sense, the American Bad Ass tells Kane to let Kanyon climb out. Kanyon escapes, and now DDP has to face both the Brothers of Destruction on his own. He's the one that Taker has an issue with anyway. From here its all Brothers of Destruction as they double team as you would expect. Taker ends up beating him down himself and Kane just looks on. After dishing out a beating, Taker tells DDP he can go, but he better not ever look at Sara again. DDP goes to climb, but Taker was just messing around as he chokeslams the stalker back down to the ring. He follows up with the Last Ride to DDP and scores the pinfall to win the match for his team at 10:13. Undertaker & Kane are now both the WWF and WCW Tag Team Champions. The match was really just a glorified squash and destroyed any credibility DDP had left at this point. He really could have brought some WCW star power, but it was not to be. This was not even the worst for him, that would come the following night on Raw when he was pinned by Sara to put this whole mess of a feud to bed. Things would not get much better for the Brothers of Destruction next month either.
Grade: *
In the back, the trainer is checking on the Rock's injured ribs when Shawn Stasiak attempts another charge attack on the Great One. Rock steps aside so that Stasiak takes himself out again, before guaranteeing a victory in his match later on. From here we go to a video package highlighting our WWF title match.
WWF Championship:
Steve Austin (c) vs Kurt Angle
This stems from Austin double crossing Kurt Angle last month in the inaugural brawl, turning his back on the WWF in the process. The following night on Raw, Stone Cold would explain his defection, stating that Vince was giving Angle more attention and grooming Kurt to replace him as the face of the company, whereas in the Alliance, he would be appreciated as its leader. He would attack Angle later in the night which would lead to the Olympic Hero challenging the Rattlesnake to a WWF title match later in the week on Smackdown. Austin would instead make Booker T put his WCW title on the line against Angle. Angle would actually win the WCW Championship on that night, but would lose it back to Booker T on the next episode of Raw, thanks to some Stone Cold interference. Angle would challenge Austin yet again following the loss, and this time Austin would accept and the match was set for SummerSlam. As the weeks went by, the two would assault each other, with Austin doing a number on Angle's ankle with a chair on an episode of Smackdown. Angle gets a good pop here and he was getting over big time as a face since this feud got started. He jumps Austin in the aisle right from the get go, and they brawl on the outside before getting in the ring to start the match. Angle builds momentum back in the ring until Austin goes for his knee. Before he can inflict too much damage however, Kurt counters into the Ankle Lock, but the champion gets to the ropes to force the break. The action goes to the outside and Austin throws Kurt into the barricade before continuing his assault back in the ring. After taking a few suplexes from the Rattlesnake, Angle counters into a German Suplex combo and follows up with more of a suplex frenzy on the champ. Austin avoids the Angle Slam with a thumb to the eye though, and follows up with a Stunner for a near fall. Austin responds with a second Stunner, but Kurt falls out of the ring. Austin decides to inflict more damage on the outside by sending his opponent into the ring post and busting him open in the process. The assault continues over to the announce table as Kurt refuses to stay down, but Kurt comes back and sends the champion into the crowd. After trading some more offence, Kurt gets Austin in the Ankle Lock at ringside, but he releases the hold as a submission doesn't count outside the ring. Back inside, Kurt locks the move on again, but this time Stone Cold gets to the ropes. After some more action on the outside, Austin goes on offence in the ring and busts out the old Million Dollar Dream, but Kurt rolls through in the corner into a pin. Austin kicks out but keeps the hold locked in until Kurt gets to the ropes. Austin fires back with a third Stunner, but Kurt shockingly kicks out as the crowd explodes! Angle recovers and hits an Angle Slam out of nowhere. Austin kicks out at two and takes out his frustration on the ref moments later with a right hand. He turns right into a DDT from Kurt, and a second ref runs out to count the two before Austin kicks out. This time he decks the new ref with a Stunner. Austin grabs his title belt, but a third ref stops him in his tracks before he can use it, so Austin lays him out as well! Angle then connects with another Angle Slam, but there's no ref in sight. Angle clearly has the Rattlesnake beat, but out comes WCW ref Nick Patrick. He starts to count the pin, but then decides to award Angle the match by DQ for Austin's actions at 22:30. Of course, this means that Austin retains the title. This was an excellent match between two of the greats. After getting the crowd behind him big time last month, Kurt looked awesome out here as he took everything Austin threw at him and would have won the title if Austin didn't resort to getting disqualified to save his title. Normally I'm not a fan of PPV title matches ending in a DQ but it makes sense here to keep Angle strong and setting up a rematch. Great stuff. After the match, Angle takes out his frustration on the WCW officials and JR is furious over Austin's antics.
Grade: ****1/2
Steve Austin (c) vs Kurt Angle
This stems from Austin double crossing Kurt Angle last month in the inaugural brawl, turning his back on the WWF in the process. The following night on Raw, Stone Cold would explain his defection, stating that Vince was giving Angle more attention and grooming Kurt to replace him as the face of the company, whereas in the Alliance, he would be appreciated as its leader. He would attack Angle later in the night which would lead to the Olympic Hero challenging the Rattlesnake to a WWF title match later in the week on Smackdown. Austin would instead make Booker T put his WCW title on the line against Angle. Angle would actually win the WCW Championship on that night, but would lose it back to Booker T on the next episode of Raw, thanks to some Stone Cold interference. Angle would challenge Austin yet again following the loss, and this time Austin would accept and the match was set for SummerSlam. As the weeks went by, the two would assault each other, with Austin doing a number on Angle's ankle with a chair on an episode of Smackdown. Angle gets a good pop here and he was getting over big time as a face since this feud got started. He jumps Austin in the aisle right from the get go, and they brawl on the outside before getting in the ring to start the match. Angle builds momentum back in the ring until Austin goes for his knee. Before he can inflict too much damage however, Kurt counters into the Ankle Lock, but the champion gets to the ropes to force the break. The action goes to the outside and Austin throws Kurt into the barricade before continuing his assault back in the ring. After taking a few suplexes from the Rattlesnake, Angle counters into a German Suplex combo and follows up with more of a suplex frenzy on the champ. Austin avoids the Angle Slam with a thumb to the eye though, and follows up with a Stunner for a near fall. Austin responds with a second Stunner, but Kurt falls out of the ring. Austin decides to inflict more damage on the outside by sending his opponent into the ring post and busting him open in the process. The assault continues over to the announce table as Kurt refuses to stay down, but Kurt comes back and sends the champion into the crowd. After trading some more offence, Kurt gets Austin in the Ankle Lock at ringside, but he releases the hold as a submission doesn't count outside the ring. Back inside, Kurt locks the move on again, but this time Stone Cold gets to the ropes. After some more action on the outside, Austin goes on offence in the ring and busts out the old Million Dollar Dream, but Kurt rolls through in the corner into a pin. Austin kicks out but keeps the hold locked in until Kurt gets to the ropes. Austin fires back with a third Stunner, but Kurt shockingly kicks out as the crowd explodes! Angle recovers and hits an Angle Slam out of nowhere. Austin kicks out at two and takes out his frustration on the ref moments later with a right hand. He turns right into a DDT from Kurt, and a second ref runs out to count the two before Austin kicks out. This time he decks the new ref with a Stunner. Austin grabs his title belt, but a third ref stops him in his tracks before he can use it, so Austin lays him out as well! Angle then connects with another Angle Slam, but there's no ref in sight. Angle clearly has the Rattlesnake beat, but out comes WCW ref Nick Patrick. He starts to count the pin, but then decides to award Angle the match by DQ for Austin's actions at 22:30. Of course, this means that Austin retains the title. This was an excellent match between two of the greats. After getting the crowd behind him big time last month, Kurt looked awesome out here as he took everything Austin threw at him and would have won the title if Austin didn't resort to getting disqualified to save his title. Normally I'm not a fan of PPV title matches ending in a DQ but it makes sense here to keep Angle strong and setting up a rematch. Great stuff. After the match, Angle takes out his frustration on the WCW officials and JR is furious over Austin's antics.
Grade: ****1/2
We now go to a video package looking at the second half of our double main event.
WCW Championship:
Booker T (c) w/Shane McMahon vs The Rock
Due to the ending of our previous match, and also the fact that this is the Rock's first PPV match since WrestleMania, our main event is for the WCW Championship. The then-heel Mr McMahon would suspend Rock indefinitely the night after Mania, but after the double cross at Invasion, Vince decided to reinstate the Rock. Of course, in reality the Rock had been out filming as his Hollywood career was picking up. The Great One would make his return a week later on Raw, but the question was would he put his issues with Vince in the past, or would he also defect to the Alliance. Rock would end up laying both Vince and Shane out with a Rock Bottom each before proclaiming that "finally the Rock had come back...to the WWF". With Rock back on Team WWF, he would get in a confrontation with WCW Champion, Booker T later in the week on Smackdown and was challenged to a match at the PPV. Rock would accept the challenge provided the WCW title was put up for grabs. As I mentioned earlier, Booker actually briefly lost the WCW title to Kurt Angle in the weeks leading this show, but he would quickly win it back to enter as the champion here. Booker & Shane would double team the Rock on various instances heading into the PPV, most notably on the Raw before SummerSlam. After a tag match pitting Rock & Jericho against Booker & Rhyno, the WCW Champion would deliver the Book End on the Great One. Later that week on Smackdown, Booker would strike yet again, delivering a Book End to the Rock through the announce table, thus keeping the momentum heading into their showdown. Rock gets the big pop you expect here, and he starts out on fire with a series of right hands before chasing the interfering Shane McMahon around ringside. The distraction allows Booker to jump the challenger, but he goes right into Shane instead, before Rock nails him with a Samoan Drop. We go back and forth with Rock gaining control once more when the action heads to the outside. The fight spills out over to the announce area and into the crowd, but Booker takes over by sending Rock's injured ribs into the barricade. After some Booker offence back around ringside and Shane removing one of the turnbuckle pads, the match goes back into the ring. Booker remains in control for the most part, locking in a chinlock to slow things down before the Great One comes back and applies the Sharpshooter. Shane distracts the ref once again, so Rock releases the hold and goes after him, but the Great One turns right into a superkick from the WCW Champion. Rock turns the tide again with a DDT, but Shane proves to be a factor yet again by bringing in a chair. Booker takes the chair and the ref attempts to take it from him, but this allows the resourceful Shane to nail Rock with the title belt instead! Suddenly the APA come out, deciding they've had enough of Shane's shenanigans. Bradshaw nails the WCW owner with a Clothesline from Hell before leaving with his partner, but back in the ring Booker its the Book End on Rock. The Great One kicks out and after some more trading blows, he hits Booker with the Spinebuster and follows with the People's Elbow. Shane recovers in time to pull the ref out, stopping the count, so Rock takes him out once and for all with a Rock Bottom. Booker gets the chance to recover though, and he hits the challenger with the Scissorkick and follows up with a Spinarooni, whilst Heyman is overjoyed on commentary. Nonetheless, Rock kicks up and finally puts Booker away with the Rock Bottom to win the match at 15:19. The Rock is the new WCW Champion, so now both sides hold the other's respective world title. It was a solid match to end the show, and it was good to see the Rock back. The WWF title match was better, but I completely understand why this went on last. Rock's issues with Booker T would not end here.
Grade: ***
Booker T (c) w/Shane McMahon vs The Rock
Due to the ending of our previous match, and also the fact that this is the Rock's first PPV match since WrestleMania, our main event is for the WCW Championship. The then-heel Mr McMahon would suspend Rock indefinitely the night after Mania, but after the double cross at Invasion, Vince decided to reinstate the Rock. Of course, in reality the Rock had been out filming as his Hollywood career was picking up. The Great One would make his return a week later on Raw, but the question was would he put his issues with Vince in the past, or would he also defect to the Alliance. Rock would end up laying both Vince and Shane out with a Rock Bottom each before proclaiming that "finally the Rock had come back...to the WWF". With Rock back on Team WWF, he would get in a confrontation with WCW Champion, Booker T later in the week on Smackdown and was challenged to a match at the PPV. Rock would accept the challenge provided the WCW title was put up for grabs. As I mentioned earlier, Booker actually briefly lost the WCW title to Kurt Angle in the weeks leading this show, but he would quickly win it back to enter as the champion here. Booker & Shane would double team the Rock on various instances heading into the PPV, most notably on the Raw before SummerSlam. After a tag match pitting Rock & Jericho against Booker & Rhyno, the WCW Champion would deliver the Book End on the Great One. Later that week on Smackdown, Booker would strike yet again, delivering a Book End to the Rock through the announce table, thus keeping the momentum heading into their showdown. Rock gets the big pop you expect here, and he starts out on fire with a series of right hands before chasing the interfering Shane McMahon around ringside. The distraction allows Booker to jump the challenger, but he goes right into Shane instead, before Rock nails him with a Samoan Drop. We go back and forth with Rock gaining control once more when the action heads to the outside. The fight spills out over to the announce area and into the crowd, but Booker takes over by sending Rock's injured ribs into the barricade. After some Booker offence back around ringside and Shane removing one of the turnbuckle pads, the match goes back into the ring. Booker remains in control for the most part, locking in a chinlock to slow things down before the Great One comes back and applies the Sharpshooter. Shane distracts the ref once again, so Rock releases the hold and goes after him, but the Great One turns right into a superkick from the WCW Champion. Rock turns the tide again with a DDT, but Shane proves to be a factor yet again by bringing in a chair. Booker takes the chair and the ref attempts to take it from him, but this allows the resourceful Shane to nail Rock with the title belt instead! Suddenly the APA come out, deciding they've had enough of Shane's shenanigans. Bradshaw nails the WCW owner with a Clothesline from Hell before leaving with his partner, but back in the ring Booker its the Book End on Rock. The Great One kicks out and after some more trading blows, he hits Booker with the Spinebuster and follows with the People's Elbow. Shane recovers in time to pull the ref out, stopping the count, so Rock takes him out once and for all with a Rock Bottom. Booker gets the chance to recover though, and he hits the challenger with the Scissorkick and follows up with a Spinarooni, whilst Heyman is overjoyed on commentary. Nonetheless, Rock kicks up and finally puts Booker away with the Rock Bottom to win the match at 15:19. The Rock is the new WCW Champion, so now both sides hold the other's respective world title. It was a solid match to end the show, and it was good to see the Rock back. The WWF title match was better, but I completely understand why this went on last. Rock's issues with Booker T would not end here.
Grade: ***
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Despite the overall reputation of the Invasion storyline, this was actually a very good show - yet another one in the SummerSlam lineage. The match of the night was the awesome war between Austin and Angle for the WWF title. Despite the lack of a decisive finish, it set things up down the line for a rematch. Meanwhile the Rock being back gave the WWF side some needed star power after losing Stone Cold to the Alliance, and he pulls out a decent performance in his first PPV since April. Outside of the cage match, there was really nothing bad on this show. The ladder match was a
also excellent. Check this show out. The mess that the Invasion would become had not set in yet, at least on this show.
Despite the overall reputation of the Invasion storyline, this was actually a very good show - yet another one in the SummerSlam lineage. The match of the night was the awesome war between Austin and Angle for the WWF title. Despite the lack of a decisive finish, it set things up down the line for a rematch. Meanwhile the Rock being back gave the WWF side some needed star power after losing Stone Cold to the Alliance, and he pulls out a decent performance in his first PPV since April. Outside of the cage match, there was really nothing bad on this show. The ladder match was a
also excellent. Check this show out. The mess that the Invasion would become had not set in yet, at least on this show.
Three Stars of the Night:
1. Kurt Angle - yet again the Olympic Gold Medallist takes first place after a phenomenal war for the WWF Championship. Kurt looked great here and had Austin beat to the extend that the Bionic Redneck had to get disqualified to save his title. You'd normally think Angle would be the heel in a feud with Austin, but his babyface run here was great.
2. Steve Austin - played his part well in the WWF title match, getting increasingly frustrated that he was unable to put Kurt Angle away. People criticise the Austin heel run but I really enjoyed his work in this stretch. 2001 was a good year for Stone Cold.
3. Rob Van Dam - the momentum continues to build with another victory in a great ladder match.
1. Kurt Angle - yet again the Olympic Gold Medallist takes first place after a phenomenal war for the WWF Championship. Kurt looked great here and had Austin beat to the extend that the Bionic Redneck had to get disqualified to save his title. You'd normally think Angle would be the heel in a feud with Austin, but his babyface run here was great.
2. Steve Austin - played his part well in the WWF title match, getting increasingly frustrated that he was unable to put Kurt Angle away. People criticise the Austin heel run but I really enjoyed his work in this stretch. 2001 was a good year for Stone Cold.
3. Rob Van Dam - the momentum continues to build with another victory in a great ladder match.
FINAL GRADE: 8 out of 10
ALL TIME PERFORMANCE TALLY:
What I do here is add the three stars of the night with each review so as to keep track of who we can say overall is the greatest PPV performer to any given time. First place scores 3 points, second 2 and third 1.
What I do here is add the three stars of the night with each review so as to keep track of who we can say overall is the greatest PPV performer to any given time. First place scores 3 points, second 2 and third 1.
Steve Austin = 101
Bret Hart = 83
Shawn Michaels = 67
The Rock = 52
Triple H = 51
Mick Foley = 38
Randy Savage = 28
Undertaker = 26
Kurt Angle = 25
Owen Hart = 21
Hulk Hogan = 18
X-Pac = 18
Chris Benoit = 16
Jeff Hardy = 16
Diesel = 15
Chris Jericho = 14
Matt Hardy = 14
Ultimate Warrior = 13
Vader = 13
British Bulldog = 12
Christian = 12
Edge = 11
Ted DiBiase = 10
Razor Ramon = 10
Vince McMahon = 10
Ric Flair = 8
Jim Neidhart = 7
Bubba Ray Dudley = 7
D-Von Dudley = 7
Jerry Lawler = 6
Dynamite Kid = 5
Arn Anderson = 5
Roddy Piper = 5
Mr Perfect = 5
Marty Jannetty = 5
Bob Backlund = 5
Shane McMahon = 5
Ricky Steamboat = 4
Ax = 4
Smash = 4
Bobby Heenan = 4
D’Lo Brown = 4
Rikishi = 4
Kane = 4
Rob Van Dam = 4
Greg Valentine = 3
Tully Blanchard = 3
Tanaka = 3
Bam Bam Bigelow = 3
Sato = 3
Jake Roberts = 3
Hakushi = 3
Yokozuna = 3
Savio Vega = 3
Ken Shamrock = 3
Chyna = 3
Brutus Beefcake = 2
Paul Orndorff = 2
Andre the Giant = 2
Rick Rude = 2
Sgt Slaughter = 2
Jeff Jarrett = 2
Jesse Ventura = 1
Texas Tornado = 1
Tito Santana = 1
Virgil = 1
Scott Steiner = 1
Rick Steiner = 1
Lex Luger = 1
The Roadie = 1
Billy Gunn = 1
Bart Gunn = 1
Marc Mero = 1
Flash Funk = 1
Animal = 1
Hawk = 1
Taka Michinoku = 1
Test = 1
Big Show = 1
Dean Malenko = 1
Scotty 2 Hotty = 1
Rhyno = 1
Bret Hart = 83
Shawn Michaels = 67
The Rock = 52
Triple H = 51
Mick Foley = 38
Randy Savage = 28
Undertaker = 26
Kurt Angle = 25
Owen Hart = 21
Hulk Hogan = 18
X-Pac = 18
Chris Benoit = 16
Jeff Hardy = 16
Diesel = 15
Chris Jericho = 14
Matt Hardy = 14
Ultimate Warrior = 13
Vader = 13
British Bulldog = 12
Christian = 12
Edge = 11
Ted DiBiase = 10
Razor Ramon = 10
Vince McMahon = 10
Ric Flair = 8
Jim Neidhart = 7
Bubba Ray Dudley = 7
D-Von Dudley = 7
Jerry Lawler = 6
Dynamite Kid = 5
Arn Anderson = 5
Roddy Piper = 5
Mr Perfect = 5
Marty Jannetty = 5
Bob Backlund = 5
Shane McMahon = 5
Ricky Steamboat = 4
Ax = 4
Smash = 4
Bobby Heenan = 4
D’Lo Brown = 4
Rikishi = 4
Kane = 4
Rob Van Dam = 4
Greg Valentine = 3
Tully Blanchard = 3
Tanaka = 3
Bam Bam Bigelow = 3
Sato = 3
Jake Roberts = 3
Hakushi = 3
Yokozuna = 3
Savio Vega = 3
Ken Shamrock = 3
Chyna = 3
Brutus Beefcake = 2
Paul Orndorff = 2
Andre the Giant = 2
Rick Rude = 2
Sgt Slaughter = 2
Jeff Jarrett = 2
Jesse Ventura = 1
Texas Tornado = 1
Tito Santana = 1
Virgil = 1
Scott Steiner = 1
Rick Steiner = 1
Lex Luger = 1
The Roadie = 1
Billy Gunn = 1
Bart Gunn = 1
Marc Mero = 1
Flash Funk = 1
Animal = 1
Hawk = 1
Taka Michinoku = 1
Test = 1
Big Show = 1
Dean Malenko = 1
Scotty 2 Hotty = 1
Rhyno = 1
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