Mega Powers Running Wild!

The legendary 'Macho man' Randy Savage teams up with 'The Immortal' Hulk Hogan to take on Ted Dibiase and Andre The Giant in the first ever WWF Summerslam!

Shawn Micahels vs. Mankind

The Heartbreak Kid defends the WWF Championship against Mankind in a thrilling main event at WWF In Your House: Mind Games.

The Birth of the nWo

From Hulk Hogan's shocking turn at WCW Bash at the Beach 1996 to the addition of Ted Dibiase, THe Giant Syxx and more, relive the very beginning of the New World Order.

Austin 3:16 Says I Just Kicked Your Ass

It's one of the most famous promos of all time; Stone Cold Steve Austin wins the 1996 King of The Ring and serves notice on all the WWF superstars. Check it out in our complete review

Wrestlemania 12 Review

The boyhood dream comes true as Shawn Michaels battles champion Bret 'The Hitman' Hart in a classic 1-hour iron man match. Plus, Diesel vs. Undertaker and more.

WCW Fall Brawl 1996 Review

Was Sting in cahoots with the New World Order? Would Lex Luger be able to get along with the Four Horsemen as they faced the nWo in War Games? Find out in this review

Showing posts with label Sean Waltman. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sean Waltman. Show all posts

Thursday, 15 July 2021

PPV REVIEW: WWF Insurrexion 2002

May 4, 2002
Wembley Arena, London, England

Like most UK-exclusive PPVs, WWF Insurrexion 2002 may never be remembered for anything that took place in the squared circle, yet regardless, it's still an event that holds a unique place in the history of professional wrestling. 

For one thing, it was the last ever PPV of any type by Vince McMahon's sports entertainment empire to be branded as a "World Wrestling Federation" event. 

Technically, Backlash 2002 was the company's last WWF Pay Per View on American soil, but since Insurrexion took place a few weeks later, it holds the distinct honour of being the last major event to take place before the company became WWE. 

Still, that's not the only reason why it's important. 

After all, it was following this event that the WWF superstars boarded a plane and embarked on what would go down in history as the infamous Plane Ride From Hell

That tumultuous journey has already been covered in great detail by just about every pro wrestling site on the web, so for today, let's simply head down to London for the World Wrestling Federation's last hurrah. 





The Battle Has Crossed the Ocean 

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Jerry Lawler & Jim Ross

We began tonight with a simple video which spliced footage from moments from some of the bigger storylines going on at the time with a generic vocice over which told us that all of the stars who hated each other had crossed the ocean to continue their battle.

As opening videos went, this was hardly the greatest, but let's face it, nobody watches a pro wrestling event purely for the opening videos.

When it was over, we got the customary crowd shots and introduction from Jim Ross and Jerry 'The king' Lawler

King was on one as he promised to teach JR all about how to speak the Queen's English and then spent the evening demonstrating how to do so by tossing out phrases like "It's all gone Pete Tong" which, honestly, I don't think I've heard anybody say in about 20 years.

It means "it's all gone wrong," in case you were wondering.

With that, it was on to our opening match.

World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championship
WWF Intercontinental Champion Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Eddie Guerrero vs. Rob Van Dam
I've mentioned multiple times before that no matter how good the performer, they always seemed to turn it down a notch or two when they came over to jolly old England. That was still the case with two talented wrestlers like Eddie Guerrero and Rob Van Dam, as their intercontinental championship match here paled to in comparison to the excellent encounter they'd had a fortnight previously at Backlash 2003.

Still, RVD and Guerrero at their worst was still better than many others best and this was still a fine effort nonetheless.

After a very good opener, Eddie Guerrero tossed the referee into the corner to get himself disqualified. 
Your Winner via Disqualification: Rob Van Dam (Eddie Guerrero retains)

Afterward, Eddie chased the official around the ring, only to get whacked in the face by one of Rob Van Dam's 'educated' feet. RVD then proceeded to wallop his rival with the title belt and finish him off with a crowd-pleasing frog splash before basking in the glory of the fans, making this the perfect way to start off the show.

The UK is Full of Trash...And So is Terri Runnels

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Terri interviews Molly Holly & Jazz
Backstage, Terri continued to settle into her new role as a backstage interviewer by asking Molly Holly and women's champion Jazz for some comments about their upcoming match.

Playing the puritan, Molly lambasted Trish Stratus, Terri, and other models for exposing their bodies and then turned her attention to the UK tabloid newspapers which featured topless models on Page 3.

According to Molly, Trish Stratus was trash, the Page 3 models were trash, and the whole UK was trash.

Terri then stood up to Molly by claiming that The Hurricane's former sidekick was jealous that she didn't have good boobs. As if to prove that she, Terri did have good boobs, she proceeded to get her kit off and stand around in her bra. 

Don't get me wrong, Terri was all kinds of gorgeous, but that was a pretty trashy move. 

WWF Women’s Champion Jazz & Molly Holly vs. Trish Stratus & Jacqueline 

The ‘Divas’ era wasn’t exactly known for producing five-star classics, but it has to be said that all four women worked hard in this match and did the very best job they could with what they had.

Though it wasn’t spectacular by any stretch, it was a fairly enjoyable wrestling match in which Trish, Jacqueline, Molly, and Jazz were able to show off their wrestling prowess rather than their boobs.

Naturally then, the crowds all chanted for puppies.

In the end, Trish and Jacqui hit a couple of matching tornado DDTs for the three count.
Your Winners: Trish Stratus & Jacqueline 

Backstage, X-Pac twiddled his nun-chucks and boasted to Scott Hall about destroying Kane so bad that he was able to steal The Big Red Machine’s mask.

Tonight, ‘Pac promised that he’d never return to England again if he couldn’t beat Bradshaw.

“I don’t know why you’d want to come back here anyway,” scoffed Hall.

Cheeky.

X-Pac vs. Bradshaw

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - X-Pac faced Bradshaw
This wasn’t as random a match as it sounds.

Bradshaw had been jumped by the nWo on a previous episode of Raw and found himself loosely aligned with Stone Cold Steve Austin in a war with the black-and-white rebels.

Tonight, he went up against X-Pac in what was a reasonably entertaining match.

Prior to the bell, ‘Pac -who always came to the ring wearing Kane’s mask now- loosened the padding from a middle turnbuckle and later used the exposed buckle to beat Bradshaw into a bloody pulp.

That wasn’t enough to put the Texan away, but plenty of outside interference courtesy of Scott Hall certainly was.

Though this was never going to earn Match of the Night honours, it was a perfectly serviceable undercard match that this fan enjoyed.
Your Winner: X-Pac

Out in the back, a pissed-off Undertaker told Jonathan Coachman that he was going to destroy Triple H tonight just like he destroyed Hollywood Hulk Hogan on that week's episode of Raw.

'Taker didn't care about The Game's passion for the wrestling business. All he cared about was kicking ass, and that's exactly what he was going to do tonight.

This was standard stuff from Booger Red, but that didn't make it any less of a convincing promo.

World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Championship
WWF Hardcore Champion Steven Richards vs. Booker T

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Steven Richards faced Booker T for the hardcore title
Pac/Bradshaw may not have been as random as it appeared, but this match certainly seemed to be thrown together at the last minute. 

Steven Richards had beaten Bubba Ray for the Hardcore title on Raw with an assist from Jazz and here put it on the line against Booker T, who, despite being a heel, was very popular with the London audience.

"I guess they like a sucka over here," quipped a puzzled JR as he tried to figure out why 'T was getting such a positive reaction.

The crowd response helped elevate what was a good match in its own right and probably the best thing this writer has ever see that had Steven Richards involved.

The hardcore stuff was kept to a minimum in favor of some honest-to-goodness pro wrestling and was all the more enjoyable for it.

After a good battle, Booker T decked Big Stevie to win the hardcore title.
Your Winner and NEW Hardcore Champion: Booker T

As Booker was celebrating, Crash Holly ran out and rolled him up for a flash victory.
Your Winner and NEW Hardcore Champion: Crash Holly

Crash's joy was short lived as Booker almost immedietly got up, decapitated him with his patented scissor kick and regained the title.
Your Winner and NEW Hardcore Champion: Booker T

Not that he'd have much chance to celebrate either. Tommy Dreamer and Justin Credible rushed out next and began an attack, only to get their butts whooped and sent packing.

Finally, Steven Richards returned to the ring wih Jazz, whacked Booker from behind and took the title back.
Your Winner and NEW Hardcore Champion: Stevie Richards

Honestly, there was more title changes in this one segment than there had been in the entire history of UK-based WWF PPVs.

Brock Visits Planet Stasiak

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Paul Heyman and Brock Lesnar confront Shawn Stasiak
Up next, we got a look at newcomer Brock Lesnar's feud with The Hardy Boys, which was based on nothing more than Matt and Jeff repeatedly getting their asses kicked by The Next Big Thing.

Tonight, they'd team up to fight Brock and Shawn Stasiak in what was supposed to be a tag team match. Paul Heyman, however, had other ideas.

Backstage before the match, he urged Shawn to stay on the apron and have an easy night, essentially letting Brock do all the work.

The Hardy Boys (Matt & Jeff Hardy) vs. Brock Lesnar & Shawn Stasiak (w/ Paul Heyman)

So of course, Stasiak didn't stay on the apron, he rushed to the ring ahead of his partner and took the fight to Matt and Jeff, only to inevitably get beaten up. 

Eventually, Big Brock managed to tag himself in and commence with the dismantling of his opponents, but when he attempted to shoulder tackle Matt in the corner, Hardy moved out of the way. That allowed the man from Planet Stasiak to tag himself back in and swiftly eat a Twist of Fate and Swanton Bomb to technically give Brock Lesnar his first official taste of defeat in the World Wrestling Federation.
Your Winners: The Hardy Boys

Afterwards, Brock F-5'd everyone in sight.

As a side note, I want to register how much I enjoyed Shawn Stasiak. 

I know that's not a popular opinion, but the time he tried to attack The Rock at Summerslam 2001 and ran straight into a wall was absolutely hilarious, and the whole Planet Stasiak thing, if given enough time, could have gotten over.

Anyway, that being said, let's move on with the show.

William Regal: Britain’s Last Great Hope

Backstage, William Regal spoke to Jonathan Coachman about challenging Spike Dudley for the European Championship.

Trying to make sure he was still very much the heel, Regal put down his own countrymen and insisted that he was a role model to all the “dossers” in the audience.

World Wrestling Federation European Championship
WWF European Champion Spike Dudley vs. William Regal 

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Jonathan Coachman interviews William Regal
The match itself was pretty good, not necessarily because of the actual wrestling but because it was very cleverly done.

After a few minutes of decent action, Spike Dudley appeared to bust his ankle. Presenting it as legitimate, the champion spent a long time agonizing in the corner until a trainer arrived on the scene, cut Spike’s boot off and began helping him to the back.

The crowd gave Spike a genuine ovation, believing that the whole thing was real, but then Regal attacked him from behind to show that it wasn’t. 

Back in the ring, the challenger dominated but made the mistake of being too cocky, making a pin attempt and then breaking it at the count of two so that he could punish his opponent even further.

That was to be Regal’s downfall.

Spike got up, caught his rival off guard with a small package and that was that.
Your Winner and Still European Champion: Spike Dudley 

Afterwards, Regal blasted Spike with his trusty brass knucks.

This was followed by a video pacakage detailing the story behind our next match.

To sum up, Ric Flair had been the special guest referee for Steve Austin’s match at Backlash 2002 against The Undertaker. Flair had inadvertently counted a fall on Austin not realising that The Rattlesnake’s foot was on the rope.

Flair then tried to make things right by giving Austin a tag team match pitting him and Bradshaw against the nWo, but someone had knocked Bradshaw out so Big Show took his place.

Big Show then proceeded to make heel turn #824 by turning on Austin and rejoining the nWo for the first time since the late 90s.

The two would clash next.

The Big Show vs. Stone Cold Steve Austin 
Special Referee: Nature Boy Ric Flair 

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Stone Cold Steve Austin vs. Big Show
Prior to the bell, Ric Flair came out and made himself the special guest “second” referee, meaning he’d be on the outside of the ring while Retro Pro Wrestling favourite Nick Patrick would officiate on the inside.

The match was...I mean it was as good a match as you were going to get out of a bloated Big Show at this stage of the career and was very formulaic (Austin worked his opponent’s legs, Big Show beat up Austin, Austin made a comeback and won) but it was entertaining in its own right and pretty enjoyable.

Towards the finish, Nick Patrick got bumped and Scott Hall and X-Pac came out, only for Flair to see them off.

Kevin Nash then turned up but Stone Cold gave him a stunner, followed up with one for Show and won the match.
Your Winner: Stone Cold Steve Austin 

Post match, Flair returned to the ring and tried sucking up to Austin by boasting about how he’d gotten rid of the nWo. Unimpressed, Stone Cold gave Flair a beer then stunned him into oblivion.

A video then reminded us of the moment The Undertaker cost Triple H the WWF title at Backlash, leading to tonight’s main event.

The Game was a Smackdown star and had no business being on a Raw show like this one, but that didn’t fit the narrative so nobody mentioned it.

The Undertaker vs. Triple H

WWF Insurrexion 2002 - Triple H prepares to Face The Undertaker
There was nothing particularly remarkable about this match, not that you’d know that if your only experience of it was from JR’s commentary.

Doing his job perfectly, Ross sold this like it was the greatest match of all time and that both The Game and The Dead Man had waged an absolute gruelling war on each other.

The truth was that they took everything down a notch from their usual standards and delivered a match which, while enjoyable in its own right, was nothing more special then you might see on an average episode of Raw.

Triple H went over with the Pedigree.
Your Winner: Triple H

Afterwards, HHH and ‘Taker had a post-match staredown as the latter walked backstage, forgetting to take his motorbike with him.







These UK PPVs were never stand out classics, but give to give credit to the Raw roster, Insurrexion 2002 was better than average.

Nothing outright sucked, almost everything was watchable, and the wrestling-starved UK audience were pumped up enough that it created a great atmosphere.

All in all then, a resounding success of a show. It’s just a shame that what would happen on the plane ride home was anything but a success.

Friday, 22 January 2021

PPV REVIEW: WWF Summerslam 2001

August 19, 2001,
Compaq Center at San Jose, San Jose, California

Finally...The Rock had come back...

...To the World Wrestling Federation.

After losing the World Wrestling Federation title to Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event of Wrestlemania 17, The Great One had been "suspended" by Vince McMahon, allowing him to wander off and film The Scorpion King for a few months.

Then, on the July 30th edition of Monday Night Raw, The People's Champ returned to a company that was now at war with the WCW/ECW Alliance.

With both sides vying for his services, Rock had first hit Vince McMahon with a Rock Bottom, teasing an allegiance with The Alliance, only to then do the same thing to Alliance boss Shane McMahon and pledge that he was, no matter what, a WWF guy.

Tonight, he would look to prove that by taking on WCW mainstay Booker T in a match for the WCW title as the Invasion storyline continued and WWF Summerslam 2001 came live from San Jose, California. 






Here's what went down.

 Let the Bodies Hit the Floor

For the past few weeks, Stephanie McMahon and her Alliance cohorts had been using the Drowning Pool hit, Let the Bodies Hit the Floor as their theme song.


Tonight, our show opened with the music video for that nu-metal banger interspersed with footage of the biggest stars from both sides of the battle for brand supremacy.


Heading live into the arena, pyro exploded and Jim Ross told us that the fans were hanging from the rafters. Sadly, JR didn’t pay tribute to Gorilla Monsoon by using the word literally.


The announcer was joined by Alliance man Paul Heyman to call this one, and with that, it was down to ringside.


World Wrestling Federation Intercontinental Championship
WWF Intercontinental Champion Lance Storm vs. Edge

WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Lance Storm wanted to be serious for a minute before his match with Edge
As we kicked things off, Lance Storm wanted to be serious for a minute but challenger Edge wanted no part of that.


He interrupted the champion’s pre-match promo and rushed straight into a solid opening contest.


A perfect choice to kick off the show, this was a very good back-and-forth battle in which both men worked hard.


Christian came down towards the finish, but his attempt to spear Storm went awry and he drilled his own partner instead.


One superkick later, Lance got the cover only for Edge to kick out, drill his adversary with a DDT and capture his second Intercontinental Championship.

Your Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Edge


Post-match, Christian handed his brother the title. Edge wanted to talk about that rogue spear, but Christian bailed, leaving the new champion to pose with his gold.


Treacherous Test


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Michael Cole interviews Test & The Dudley Boyz
Early in the invasion, the superstars of the WWF has suspected Test of planning to betray them and so had beaten him up even though he had no such intentions.


As a result, he had defected to the other side and was now set to team up with The Dudleyz for our next contest.


Before the three of them got there, however, they were accosted by Michael Cole. Hilariously, Test called Cole a ‘little bitch’ before telling him all about how he was loyal to The Dudley Boyz.


Across the arena, Chris Jericho was supposed to be talking about his match with Rhyno but instead spent most of his promo talking about how Stephanie McMahon was a little promiscuous.


The APA (Farooq & Bradshaw) and Spike Dudley (w/ Molly Holly) vs. Test and The Dudley Boyz (Bubba Ray & D’Von Dudley)

Most of this match was a decent yet unremarkable brawl until it suddenly exploded into an exciting finish.


Test picked up Spike Dudley and launched him to the outside through a table in a genuinely impressive spot. Looking to get revenge for his teammate, Bradshaw attacked but, with the referee distracted, Shane McMahon was able to get involved, waffling the Acolyte with a chair.


Test made the cover and that was all she wrote.

Your Winners: Test & The Dudley Boyz


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Debra gives Shawn Stasiak a telling off
Out in the back, Edge was busy being congratulated by his peers when Christian arrived to announce that he has a European championship match against Matt Hardy on the following night’s Raw.

He was so excited about his title shot that he called his Grandma, but Grandma Edna was only interested in talking to Edge. 


Dissension loomed large in Team E&C.

Elsewhere in the arena, Shawn Stasiak burst into Debra’s dressing room to bemoan his lack of success in impressing Stone Cold Steve Austin.


The former Meat was convinced that Austin wasn’t taking him seriously because he was wearing pink tights with the word ‘Mecca’ written on the back.


“I don’t even know what Mecca means!” exclaimed Stasiak.


Debra didn’t either, nor did she care. 


She simply wanted Stasiak gone, and ordered him to go to the ring and kick some butt.


Title Unification Match
WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Tajiri vs. WCW Cruiserweight Champion X-Pac


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - X-Pac faced Tajiri with both the WWF Light Heavyweight title and WCW Cruiserweight title on the line
This was another very good match. 

Tajiri was always a joy to watch, but X-Pac was certainly no slouch, bringing out his A-game and working much harder than he had done in a long time.


A fast-paced contest with plenty of unique spots, this one came to an end when ‘Pac’s buddy Albert got involved.


Tajiri was able to see off the intruder by blowing mist in his face but the distraction was enough for his opponent to land the X-Factor and win the match.

Your Winner and NEW Light Heavyweight Champion: X-Pac


Over at WWF New York, Perry Saturn put out a public appeal for the safe return of Moppy. Apparently, somebody had kidnapped the cleaning appliance and Saturn was desperate for ‘her’ safe return because he -and I quote- missed her so much.


Meanwhile, back in the arena, Stephanie McMahon demanded that Rhyno gore Chris Jericho into oblivion. The ECW star promised Steph that he would end Y2J once and for all.


Rhyno (w/ Stephanie McMahon) vs. Chris Jericho


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Stephanie McMahon backed Rhyno in his match with Chris Jericho
The big story here was that Jericho and Steph hated each other, so McMahon recruited Rhyno -a man Y2J had never been able to beat- to destroy him.


Alas, it wasn’t to be Stephanie’s day. Nor Rhyno’s for that matter.


Despite punishing Jericho from pillar to post, the Man Beast failed to connect with a gore,l and went crashing into the corner before being rolled up and forced to submit to the Walls of Jericho.


Before that, the whole match was a solid effort that proved to be way better than this writer had anticipated.


Sure, it might not have been the best match of either man’s career, and I’m sure nobody mentions Rhyno/Jericho in any list of all-time classic Summerslam matches, but it was still an enjoyable bout nonetheless.

Your Winner: Chris Jericho


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - The Rock confronts William Regal
Backstage, William Regal stopped The Rock to ask whether The Great One was ok to compete after being Rock Bottomed through a table by Booker T on Smackdown.

The Rock swore that despite hurting, he was ready to kick Booker’s ass and become the WCW champion.


As the two were talking, Shawn Stasiak charged at them, screaming and ready to attack. Regal and Rock merely sidestepped and Stasiak crashes into the wall without the two WWF stars even acknowledging him once.


It was such a random move that you couldn’t help but laugh.


World Wrestling Federation Hardcore Championship Ladder Match
WWF Hardcore Champion Jeff Hardy vs. Rob Van Damn


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Rob Van Dam faced Jeff Hardy for the Hardcore title
Summerslam had a history of great ladder matches in the form of Shawn Michaels vs. Razor Ramon at Summerslam 1995 and HHH vs. The Rock -a match that’s still one of this fan’s all-time favourites- at Summerslam 1998.


Meanwhile, Rob Van Dam and Jeff Hardy had given us one of the most entertaining matches at the previous month’s Invasion PPV, so to say expectations were high for this one would be an understatement.


This match might not have been quite as good as HBK/Razor, but it was still a damn good effort and probably the best match you’ll ever see contested for the hardcore title.


Seriously, a belt that had been treated as a bit of a joke and which is perhaps better known today as the inspiration behind the 24/7 title was fought over here like it was the world title...OK, if not that then at least the IC.


Both men lay it all on the line, using their own bodies as weapons in what proved to be the kind of match that ‘Holy Sh*t’ chants were made for.


After an intense, spot-heavy battle, RVD retrieved the belt, but not before taking it to the limit with a Valiant Jeff Hardy.

Your Winner and NEW Intercontinental Champion: Rob Van Dam


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Shane McMahon presents Booker T with a special gift

Backstage, Shane O’Mac gave Booker T a very special gift - a pair of bookends (geddit?) made from the actual WWF announce table that Booker had Bookended The Rock through on TV recently.


Elsewhere, WCW tag team champions The Undertaker & Kane marched through the backstage area with Sarah in tow.


This led us to a video package highlighting their rivalry with WWF tag champs Chris Kanyon & DDP.


Both teams would meet in a title unification match next.


WCW & WWF Tag Team Title Unification Cage Match
WCW Tag Team Champions Diamond Dallas Page & WCW US Champion Chris Kanyon vs. WWF Tag Team Champions The Undertaker & Kane w/ Sarah.


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Who Better Than Kanyon?
Jim Ross kept talking about The Undertaker’s string of successes in a cage, starting with his ear against Shawn Michaels at Badd Blood ‘97, continuing with the infamous match with Mankind at King of the Ring ‘98, and finishing up with the time he threw Rikishi off the roof at Armageddon 2000.


I’d point out that they were all Hell in a Cell match and thus not technically the same thing, but I won’t be so pedantic.


The rules here allowed for the classic pinfalls, submissions and cage escape means of victory, though that’s just about the only thing that was classic.


This would have worked so much better if they’d given Kanyon and DDP any opportunity to look like credible champions.


Instead, they basically got battered from pillar to post in what was essentially a long squash match. Seriously, there were jobbers on early 90s episodes of WWF Superstars who got in more offence against their opponents than Kanyon and Page did against Kane and The Undertaker.


After this overly-long, one-sided affair, Kanyon escaped the cage and left his partner high and dry. Dallas got his ass kicked by Undertaker, was powerbombed, pinned, and had any chance of ever being seen as a credible star again killed for good.

Your Winners and NEW Unified Tag Team Champions: Kane and The Undertaker


Prior to the next match, we got a video package highlighting the rivalry between Stone Cole

Steve Austin and Kurt Angle, part of which was set to Rey Mysterio’s old theme.


World Wrestling Federation Championship
WWF Champion Steve Austin vs. Kurt Angle


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - Kurt Angle puts Steve Austin in the ankle lock
Speaking of theme music, Austin had yet another new theme that I’d never heard before.


As for the match itself, it was quality stuff.


Sure, both men would have better matches in their careers, that fact only speaks volumes about their respective talents.


After all, this was still very good and, had Austin and Angle been lesser workers, it may well have been their finest hour.


As it was, it was an impressive brawl which amped up the drama to 11.


Austin battered his challenger to a bloody pulp, but the resilient Angle battled back, displaying a level of emotion and intensity that was off the charts and really added a sense of realism to the whole thing.


Honestly, you’ve never seen drama in a wrestling match until you’ve seen Kurt Angle, his face awash with blood, pain, passion, and tears, trying to rip Steve Austin’s ankle off.


Sadly. It wasn’t to be Angle’s night.


The cowardly champion beat up several officials, deliberately getting himself disqualified by WCW referee Nick Patrick.

Your Winner via Disqualification: Kurt Angle (Steve Austin retains the title)


Afterwards, a distraught Angle slapped Patrick in the ankle lock. It delighted the crowd but was nowhere near enough to console the crestfallen Olympian.


World Championship Wrestling World Heavyweight Championship
WCW World Heavyweight Champion Booker T (w/ Shane McMahon) vs. The Rock


WWE / WWF Summerslam 2001 - The Rock wins the WCW title
And so it all came down to this - another entertaining match for a championship title, this time with Booker T putting The Big Gold Belt on the line against The Rock.


The match was a solid effort, though you got the feeling that the crowd were a little burned out after Austin/Angle as some parts of the contest definitely felt flat.


A cameo from the APA in which they took out Shane McMahon certainly livened things up, as did a number of the very entertaining spots Rock and Booker put together, but alas this one simply failed to top the previous contest.


After a good outing, Booker -who had spent a large percentage of the match in charge- took a moment to prematurely celebrate with a spinarooni, only to walk straight into a Rock Bottom and lose his title.

Your Winner and NEW WCW Champion: The Rock


Post-match, The Great One celebrities with his newly won gold.







On the whole, Summerslam 2001 was a stellar show from start to finish.


The Invasion has been heavily slated over the years, but it gave us the tremendous Jeff Hardy/RVD feud, and tonight, it gave us the excellent Austin vs. Angle match and strong outings from Edge and Storm, Rock and Booker, and X-Pac/Tajiri.


Only the tag team title cage match was actually bad. Everything else ranged from OK - Awesome and made this show if not a must-see then at least recommended.





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