An Alternate History Spinoff - WWF (1998 and Beyond)
May 1, 2024 3:56:59 GMT 1
Asaemon, dhk1989, and 2 more like this
Post by dxvsnwo1994 on May 1, 2024 3:56:59 GMT 1
Part LV: WWF Unforgiven 2001
WWF Unforgiven 2001
September 30th, 2001 - Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sunday Night Heat
1.) Six-Pack Challenge - Kid Kash def. Julio Dinero, Justin Credible, Slash, Super Dragon, & Tiger Mask
2.) Rico Constantino def. Gran Apolo
PPV.)
1.) WWF World Tag Team Titles - Three-Way Tag Team Match - Steve Austin & Triple H (c) def. The Disciples Of The New Church (Malice & Vampiro with Father James Mitchell) and X-Factor (Albert & X-Pac)
2.) WWF Light Heavyweight Title - No Holds Barred - Rikishi Is Banned From Ringside - Brian Christopher def. Scotty 2 Hotty (c)
3.) WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles - Jeff Jarrett & KroniK (with Vince Russo) def. Dustin Rhodes & The APA (with Jacqueline) (c)
4.) Ambulance Match - Psycho Sid def. Kane
5.) Hulk Hogan & The Undertaker def. Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan (with Big Al)
6.) WWF Intercontinental Title - Triple H (c) def. Ken Shamrock
7.) #1 Contender's Ladder Match - The Rock def. Shawn Michaels
8.) WWF Title - McMahon Rules - Steve Austin def. Vince McMahon (c)
Just want to make a quick note before I get started. Because I ran WCW Fall Brawl 2001 on September 23rd, 2001 (which was the same date as Unforgiven 2001 in OTL), I decided to move Unforgiven to September 30th.
SummerSlam at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum came to a close with Steve Austin once again holding the WWF Title, as he defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan in a Hell In A Cell Match. However, that title reign wouldn't last very long. On the next night's RAW Is WAR, a furious Vince McMahon confronted Stone Cold during his championship celebration, with the end result being Austin getting beaten down by a newly expanded version of his security force, consisting of Big Bossman, Bull Buchanan, and Big Al (the former 911 of ECW fame). Two days later on SmackDown, the show kicked off with Austin vs. Big Al in a singles match. Just as Austin appeared to be on the verge of victory, a returning Ken Shamrock appeared from out of nowhere and brutally attacked Austin. Vince then announced that, in the main event of the show, Austin would defending his title.....against Vince! Even at well under 100%, Austin would take the fight to Vince, but with all of Vince's cronies getting involved, it proved to be too much. Vince McMahon, for the second time, is WWF Champion. This move was very much a "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" type of move, coming off Hogan's failure at SummerSlam and the ongoing issues with Shawn Michaels.
With Austin on the shelf for the moment, an angry Mick Foley entered the picture, and after a series of back and forth promos, a title bout between Vince McMahon and Mick Foley (a No DQ Match, of course) was set up for the September 10th RAW Is WAR. Vince would use his usual tricks to retain the title, but the show ended with Austin's big return, and a rematch between Austin and McMahon for the WWF Title was booked for Unforgiven. One week later on RAW, after the tribute show on SmackDown for the victims of the 9/11 Attacks put all storylines on a pause for one night (and the WAR part of the name was dropped from RAW), Vince revealed that his title match with Austin would be held under McMahon Rules, which basically meant that Austin would have to score not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE falls (a pinfall, a submission, a knockout, putting McMahon through a table, and forcing him to say I Quit). The first four of those falls could be in any order, but the final fall was the I Quit stipulation. Meanwhile, all Vince had to do was beat Austin by pinfall. He would stack the odds even more against Austin by forcing him and Triple H to defend their WWF World Tag Team Titles in a Three-Way Tag Team Match, which ended up involving The Disciples Of The New Church and X-Factor, two factions that had just started a feud of their own. While Austin and Triple H managed to retain their titles there, how would they fair in their own respective title bouts later in the night? More on that in a moment.
A variety of other stipulation matches were scattered throughout the card. The Rock and Shawn Michaels (who's been flirting towards a babyface turn for the last month or two after disagreements with Vince McMahon) decided to take their rivalry to the next level in the form of a Ladder Match that would determine the new #1 Contender to the WWF Title. In what was an incredible battle, The Rock ultimately emerged victorious, thus securing a title shot for himself at No Mercy 2001. Meanwhile, Kane and Psycho Sid's feud continued on, with an Ambulance Match on this PPV being labeled as the final chapter in their rivalry. In an interesting result that wouldn't become clear until a little later, Sid managed to pull off the win after powerbombing Kane through the roof of the ambulance.
Unforgiven featured three other title bouts outside of the main event and the opener. As I mentioned earlier, Triple H (much like Austin) would be pulling double duty, as he would have to defend his WWF Intercontinental Title not long after he had defended the WWF World Tag Team Titles alongside Austin. Ken Shamrock would be awarded the title shot by Vince McMahon after his role in helping Vince win the WWF Title from Austin. Shamrock would prove to be a tough opponent, but Triple H ended up getting the victory in the end. The WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles were on the line on this card, as the heel contingent of Jeff Jarrett and KroniK (with Vince Russo in their corner) defeated Dustin Rhodes and The APA to win the titles (Russo would play a role in that title change, as you might've guessed). Finally, the WWF Light Heavyweight Title was on the line in a No Holds Barred Match, as former partners collided. After his heel turn at SummerSlam 2001, Grand Master Sexay had gone back to being known as Brian Christopher, and his more serious attitude ultimately led to him capturing the WWF Light Heavyweight Title from Scotty 2 Hotty. An additional stipulation in this one was that Rikishi was banned from ringside, so that two former tag team champions could fairly decide who the better man really was. On this night, it was Brian Christopher.
Closing out the main card was a special tag team match that would see The Undertaker and a mystery partner battle the aforementioned McMahon Security Force of Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan (with Big Al in their corner). The match wasn't set in stone until after the 9/11 Attacks had happened, and when the music hit, the choice for The Undertaker's partner proved to be very obvious in hindsight. Hulk Hogan came back out in the red and yellow, waiving the American Flag as he was revealed to be the mystery partner. This was seen as mainly a one-night return for Hogan, who had been on hiatus following SummerSlam (he didn't appear on the SmackDown after 9/11, so this was the next best spot for him to come back as the All-American babyface in the aftermath of the September 11th Attacks). He would go back to his hiatus after this event, but I'm sure it won't be too long before The Hulkster is back in the mix.
As for Sunday Night Heat, there was a Six-Pack Challenge that was won by Kid Kash, while Rico Constantino picked up a win in singles action over Gran Apolo.
Last, but not least.....the main event. How did it turn out? Well, the match proved to be a wild spectacle that saw a variety of Vince cronies get involved (including the aforementioned security force, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, and....in a surprise....Psycho Sid). Mick Foley, Triple H, and a returning Shane McMahon would help fight those forces off. In the final stage on the match, Austin was on the verge of getting McMahon to say I Quit, when Shawn Michaels (still feeling the effects of the Ladder Match) came out. As McMahon was begging for Michaels (who stopped just short of getting in the ring) to help him, Michaels slowly backed away, and eventually turned his back on Vince. The Heartbreak Kid clearly had enough of being aligned with Vince. That pretty much sealed Vince's fate, as he said the words I Quit. With that, Steve Austin is once again the WWF Champion, and with Vince in the rearview (for now), he can turn his attention towards No Mercy and a major clash with The Rock.
Speaking of No Mercy, that will be my next post, so tune in next time!
September 30th, 2001 - Mellon Arena - Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Sunday Night Heat
1.) Six-Pack Challenge - Kid Kash def. Julio Dinero, Justin Credible, Slash, Super Dragon, & Tiger Mask
2.) Rico Constantino def. Gran Apolo
PPV.)
1.) WWF World Tag Team Titles - Three-Way Tag Team Match - Steve Austin & Triple H (c) def. The Disciples Of The New Church (Malice & Vampiro with Father James Mitchell) and X-Factor (Albert & X-Pac)
2.) WWF Light Heavyweight Title - No Holds Barred - Rikishi Is Banned From Ringside - Brian Christopher def. Scotty 2 Hotty (c)
3.) WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles - Jeff Jarrett & KroniK (with Vince Russo) def. Dustin Rhodes & The APA (with Jacqueline) (c)
4.) Ambulance Match - Psycho Sid def. Kane
5.) Hulk Hogan & The Undertaker def. Big Bossman & Bull Buchanan (with Big Al)
6.) WWF Intercontinental Title - Triple H (c) def. Ken Shamrock
7.) #1 Contender's Ladder Match - The Rock def. Shawn Michaels
8.) WWF Title - McMahon Rules - Steve Austin def. Vince McMahon (c)
Just want to make a quick note before I get started. Because I ran WCW Fall Brawl 2001 on September 23rd, 2001 (which was the same date as Unforgiven 2001 in OTL), I decided to move Unforgiven to September 30th.
SummerSlam at the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum came to a close with Steve Austin once again holding the WWF Title, as he defeated Hollywood Hulk Hogan in a Hell In A Cell Match. However, that title reign wouldn't last very long. On the next night's RAW Is WAR, a furious Vince McMahon confronted Stone Cold during his championship celebration, with the end result being Austin getting beaten down by a newly expanded version of his security force, consisting of Big Bossman, Bull Buchanan, and Big Al (the former 911 of ECW fame). Two days later on SmackDown, the show kicked off with Austin vs. Big Al in a singles match. Just as Austin appeared to be on the verge of victory, a returning Ken Shamrock appeared from out of nowhere and brutally attacked Austin. Vince then announced that, in the main event of the show, Austin would defending his title.....against Vince! Even at well under 100%, Austin would take the fight to Vince, but with all of Vince's cronies getting involved, it proved to be too much. Vince McMahon, for the second time, is WWF Champion. This move was very much a "if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself" type of move, coming off Hogan's failure at SummerSlam and the ongoing issues with Shawn Michaels.
With Austin on the shelf for the moment, an angry Mick Foley entered the picture, and after a series of back and forth promos, a title bout between Vince McMahon and Mick Foley (a No DQ Match, of course) was set up for the September 10th RAW Is WAR. Vince would use his usual tricks to retain the title, but the show ended with Austin's big return, and a rematch between Austin and McMahon for the WWF Title was booked for Unforgiven. One week later on RAW, after the tribute show on SmackDown for the victims of the 9/11 Attacks put all storylines on a pause for one night (and the WAR part of the name was dropped from RAW), Vince revealed that his title match with Austin would be held under McMahon Rules, which basically meant that Austin would have to score not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE falls (a pinfall, a submission, a knockout, putting McMahon through a table, and forcing him to say I Quit). The first four of those falls could be in any order, but the final fall was the I Quit stipulation. Meanwhile, all Vince had to do was beat Austin by pinfall. He would stack the odds even more against Austin by forcing him and Triple H to defend their WWF World Tag Team Titles in a Three-Way Tag Team Match, which ended up involving The Disciples Of The New Church and X-Factor, two factions that had just started a feud of their own. While Austin and Triple H managed to retain their titles there, how would they fair in their own respective title bouts later in the night? More on that in a moment.
A variety of other stipulation matches were scattered throughout the card. The Rock and Shawn Michaels (who's been flirting towards a babyface turn for the last month or two after disagreements with Vince McMahon) decided to take their rivalry to the next level in the form of a Ladder Match that would determine the new #1 Contender to the WWF Title. In what was an incredible battle, The Rock ultimately emerged victorious, thus securing a title shot for himself at No Mercy 2001. Meanwhile, Kane and Psycho Sid's feud continued on, with an Ambulance Match on this PPV being labeled as the final chapter in their rivalry. In an interesting result that wouldn't become clear until a little later, Sid managed to pull off the win after powerbombing Kane through the roof of the ambulance.
Unforgiven featured three other title bouts outside of the main event and the opener. As I mentioned earlier, Triple H (much like Austin) would be pulling double duty, as he would have to defend his WWF Intercontinental Title not long after he had defended the WWF World Tag Team Titles alongside Austin. Ken Shamrock would be awarded the title shot by Vince McMahon after his role in helping Vince win the WWF Title from Austin. Shamrock would prove to be a tough opponent, but Triple H ended up getting the victory in the end. The WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles were on the line on this card, as the heel contingent of Jeff Jarrett and KroniK (with Vince Russo in their corner) defeated Dustin Rhodes and The APA to win the titles (Russo would play a role in that title change, as you might've guessed). Finally, the WWF Light Heavyweight Title was on the line in a No Holds Barred Match, as former partners collided. After his heel turn at SummerSlam 2001, Grand Master Sexay had gone back to being known as Brian Christopher, and his more serious attitude ultimately led to him capturing the WWF Light Heavyweight Title from Scotty 2 Hotty. An additional stipulation in this one was that Rikishi was banned from ringside, so that two former tag team champions could fairly decide who the better man really was. On this night, it was Brian Christopher.
Closing out the main card was a special tag team match that would see The Undertaker and a mystery partner battle the aforementioned McMahon Security Force of Big Bossman and Bull Buchanan (with Big Al in their corner). The match wasn't set in stone until after the 9/11 Attacks had happened, and when the music hit, the choice for The Undertaker's partner proved to be very obvious in hindsight. Hulk Hogan came back out in the red and yellow, waiving the American Flag as he was revealed to be the mystery partner. This was seen as mainly a one-night return for Hogan, who had been on hiatus following SummerSlam (he didn't appear on the SmackDown after 9/11, so this was the next best spot for him to come back as the All-American babyface in the aftermath of the September 11th Attacks). He would go back to his hiatus after this event, but I'm sure it won't be too long before The Hulkster is back in the mix.
As for Sunday Night Heat, there was a Six-Pack Challenge that was won by Kid Kash, while Rico Constantino picked up a win in singles action over Gran Apolo.
Last, but not least.....the main event. How did it turn out? Well, the match proved to be a wild spectacle that saw a variety of Vince cronies get involved (including the aforementioned security force, Pat Patterson, Gerald Brisco, and....in a surprise....Psycho Sid). Mick Foley, Triple H, and a returning Shane McMahon would help fight those forces off. In the final stage on the match, Austin was on the verge of getting McMahon to say I Quit, when Shawn Michaels (still feeling the effects of the Ladder Match) came out. As McMahon was begging for Michaels (who stopped just short of getting in the ring) to help him, Michaels slowly backed away, and eventually turned his back on Vince. The Heartbreak Kid clearly had enough of being aligned with Vince. That pretty much sealed Vince's fate, as he said the words I Quit. With that, Steve Austin is once again the WWF Champion, and with Vince in the rearview (for now), he can turn his attention towards No Mercy and a major clash with The Rock.
Speaking of No Mercy, that will be my next post, so tune in next time!