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Post by dhk1989 on Jun 27, 2022 2:54:46 GMT 1
Kinda weird seeing ECW's roster outnumber WCW.
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Post by tomo on Jul 15, 2022 22:06:18 GMT 1
What's up guys, Mark Garcia Reports hitting you with the latest updates from the past week in the WWF. Of course, the BIG NEWS of course is the return of Stone Cold Steve Austin as a face, after his dramatic return on Smackdown! last week saw him tear through the ECW locker room. Backstage, they did toy with the idea of having Austin remain as a heel and become the in-ring leader of ECW but plans have seemingly changed. We're hearing Terry Funk will play a major part of this after he announced his intentions last week, with that sick attack on Shane McMahon. Mick Foley also makes a return to the ring on Smackdown (we'll get there), but this may just be a one time thing.
Vince opened the show on Raw, and while he was delighted to have Austin back, he was devastated at Terry Funk's attack on Shane, which left him hospitalised. He dressed down Mick Foley and Vince blamed for taking his eye off the ball. He demanded a five on five match in the main event to teach ECW a lesson and warned Foley he was an inch away from being fired.
The Rock wasn't convinced of Austin's apparent face turn, and was not happy when he was asked to team with him in the main event. Vince also picked The Undertaker, Kane and Big Show to complete the team but ultimately, the match ended in a handicap 5-on-2 match when all but Rock and Austin were taken out of the picture by ECW. Thanks to Tazz orchestrating a beat down, Juventud Guerrera somehow got a 24/7 victory over Big Show and won the WWF Hardcore Title, while Undertaker chased ECW out of the arena after they had kidnapped Kane and stolen his mask. Before the match, it got heated between Rock and Austin, with The Rock insulting Debra. Austin got his revenge by offering a WWF Title match to Rob Van Dam, noting he was the number one contender after RVD pinned The Rock on Smackdown. Despite the numbers being against them, The Rock and Stone Cold worked together and got the victory, but it wasn't enough to keep them from fighting each other, with The Rock hitting a Rock Bottom after the match, allowing Rob Van Dam to hit a 5 Star Frog Splash.
Despite not being ECW originals, the team of Test and Albert regrouped this week, defeating The Hardy Boyz in a number one contenders match to a choice of tag titles. They were managed by Francine, who made her presence felt, costing The Hardy Boyz. When chased by Trish and Lita, Francine lured them into a trap where they were attacked by a debuting Jazz. Jazz took both women out and went on to squash Ivory later in the night. The WWF haven't put over a female wrestler so strong since Chyna. The attack would take Trish and Lita off television for the rest of the week.
Raven cut a promo on the Boston crowd, trying to hawk his manifesto but was interrupted by Chris Jericho, with a feud between these guys clearly on the cards. Jericho even offered Raven a chance to fight for the WWF Intercontinental Title but Raven refused, instead sending Stevie Richards into the fight against Y2J. Jericho got the win and stole the manifesto after the match, infuriating Raven.
The show was punctuated with a number of entertaining segments of Triple H and Stephanie's therapy sessions in which they bonded over all of the horrible things they have done together over the years. The therapist was horrified and suggested they break up but the session seemingly brought them back together. And in a turn that has been telegraphed for weeks, Tajiri turned on William Regal during their WCW Tag Team Title match with Lance Storm and Mike Awesome, joining ECW and hitting a Buzzsaw Kick to Regal. Regal has been softening up recently, while Tajiri has acted like a pouting teenager since his loss to Jericho at King of the Ring. It's a slight shame, as these two had great chemistry backstage together but hopefully that will continue into the ring as opponents.
On Smackdown, Vince opened the show again in a much better mood. Not only was Shane set to be discharged from hospital, Triple H and Stephanie were back, their marriage magically fixed (don't you just love wrestling?), but Vince was delighted at how comfortably Rock and Austin dismantled ECW. He challenged Paul Heyman to another 5-on-5 match at Fully Loaded, with ECW having to leave for good if they lost, while ECW would get Raw if they won. Vince was uneasy about offering up his flagship show but was so confident of victory he agreed to the match. The segment ended with Tazz choking out Vince McMahon, stating he would lead ECW into battle. Before this, Vince pointed out that the steel cage above the ring was to keep ECW wrestlers out of the WWF Title match between Stone Cold and Rob Van Dam later in the night. Austin was hot with The Rock for his post match attack and Rock continued to show he may be tempted to go to the heel side, when caught in conversation with Paul Heyman about a contract offer. Later, The Rock flatly refused to sign Vince's latest contract, while Austin did agree to a new offer. The Rock even refused to join the WWF team at Fully Loaded, which left Vince in a crisis.
Vince then had the bright idea for Mick Foley to lead his team at Fully Loaded and went as far to set up a match for him later in the show. Foley would later call Austin and Rock to his office, where he was stretching ahead of his match. However, it wasn't to get them to bury the hatchet, simply help him uncramp his leg from all the stretching. Foley's opponent was revealed to be Sabu and before the match started, Vince drove an ambulance down to ringside, declaring the match would only end when the victor put their opponent inside. Foley was seemingly holding back in his match and definitely had one foot off the gas. Before the match, Heyman taunted Foley, claiming they would never recruit a has-been like him and the only reason Terry Funk had spent so much time in his office was to distract him from the arrival of ECW. All of this combined allowed Sabu to get the victory, bundling Foley into the ambulance. One thing The Rock and Austin did agree was that Vince had been irresponsible putting Foley in the match, when he was clearly not ready for such an encounter.
Tensions were high in the Commissioner's office, with William Regal furious at Tajiri's betrayal. He was even more angry at Terry Funk's continued presence in the office and demanded Foley remove him. Funk showed glimmers of the violence of last week, and was only calmed when Regal received unexpected backup from Al Snow, who was just as pissed at Foley's inability to deal with Funk. They would go on to team up, in a losing effort to Tajiri and the in-ring return of Terry Funk. Paul Heyman had cut a promo before the match, alluding to why Tajiri had turned on Regal, with the biggest factor being Regal had put milk in the expensive Japanese tea Tajiri had gifted to Regal.
The rivalry between Edge, Christian and The Radicalz continued, with both teams getting individual wins over their opponents, seemingly solving nothing in their quest for the money. Terri suggested they put it all on the line at Fully Loaded, winner take all, minus her cut of course. This would include Perry Saturn and Dean Malenko as well who were confident with the numbers advantage but Guerrero and Benoit look like they are out for themselves.
Big Show would win back the WWF Hardcore title in a backstage segment with Juvi, while The Undertaker and Kane retained against Test and Albert. Kane was in a furious mood, uncomfortable at having to use a new mask after Dreamer and Sandman had stolen his on Raw. However, it went missing again and conveniently showed up in a package Chris Jericho presented to Raven, claiming he was returning his manifesto. Raven was quickly dispatched by Kane, chokeslammed through a table. It's rare to see Raven get his comeuppance these days.
Shane was attacked by Mike Awesome and Lance Storm at the hospital, after Dawn Marie, disguised as a nurse, led him into a trap. They looked set to crush him under the elevator until Booker T, DDP and Stacy Keibler arrived to even the score. Back in the arena, Triple H and Stephanie cut a promo in the ring, declaring themselves fully on the side of the WWF. Triple H is definitely a face at this point, while Stephanie will find it harder to get back on the good side. They called out The Dudley Boyz and after some verbal sparring, suggested a match. The Dudleyz told them a match would be on their terms and sent out Dreamer and Sandman instead. Stephanie revealed she had secured Triple H a partner and Chris Jericho teamed up with The Game, in a winning effort. After the match, Spike Dudley chased Stephanie to the back, leaving Jericho with The Dudleyz and a furious Raven who powerbombed him off the apron, through a table. When they looked set to inflict more damage, Triple H and Stephanie returned to save Jericho.
On Heat, Kaientai came within a whisker of beating Mike Awesome and Lance Storm for the WCW Tag Team Titles, which saw Sunny and Dawn Marie brawl on the outside. They were saved by Booker T and DDP who demanded a title shot themselves at Fully Loaded. They agreed on the condition that Booker T defend the World Heavyweight Title on Raw against them in a handicap match, to which Booker T agreed. Kaientai joined in the Spineroonie celebration.
Meanwhile, the rivalry between X-Pac and Justin Credible continued, with Justin costing X-Pac and The A.P.A. in their match on Metal, while X-Pac would accidentally kick Bradshaw in the face on Heat, to allowed Credible and Lynn to get the win. X-Pac is seemingly on his last straw with the A.P.A. who told him it's time to pay up. Jazz would continue her domination, beating Molly Holly despite a spirited performance.
Finally, Triple H and Stephanie got the better of Spike Dudley when Stephanie tricked him into meeting her alone in the ring for a face to face. It was ruse and Stephanie revealed she was wearing a referee's shirt and Spike had walked right into a WWF Hardcore Title match with Big Show. Big Show squashed Spike and an interfering Juventud, stacking them on top of each other for the pin. After the match, he demanded ECW to show give him a real challenge, which Tazz said he would arrange on Raw.
09/07/01
Boston, Massachusetts - TD Garden (13,948)
Announcers - Jim Ross & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = B
TV RATING = 3,535,641
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Test & Albert | The Hardy Boyz | C |
| Tag Team | Pinfall | | Chris Jericho | Stevie Richards | B- | WWF Intercontinental | Singles | Submission | | Chris Benoit | Christian | B- | | Singles | Submission | | Jazz | Ivory | E | | Singles | Pinfall | | The Awesome Storm | William Regal & Tajiri | B- | WCW Tag Team | Tag Team | Pinfall | | The Rock & Steve Austin | Tazz, RVD, The Dudleyz & Spike | B+ | | 5 on 2 Handicap | Pinfall |
09/07/01* (Aired 11/07/01)
Boston, Massachusetts - TD Garden (13,948)
Announcers - Kevin Kelly & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = C-
TV RATING = 1,384,807
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Jerry Lynn | Perry Saturn | C |
| Singles | Pinfall | | Shane Helms, Stasiak & Bill Demott | X-Pac & The A.P.A. | D |
| Six Man Tag | Pinfall | | Rhyno | Billy Kidman | C- |
| Singles | Pinfall | | Kaientai | The Natural Born Thrillers | D |
| Tag Team | Pinfall |
12/07/01
Portland, Maine - Cumberland County Civic Center (14,869)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = B
TV RATING = 3,461,014
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Edge | Eddie Guerrero | B |
| Singles | Pinfall | | Terry Funk & Tajiri | Al Snow & William Regal | C | | Tag Team | Pinfall | | The Undertaker & Kane | Test & Albert | B- | WWF Tag Team | Tag Team | Pinfall | | Chris Jericho & Triple H | Tommy Dreamer & Sandman | B- | | Tag Team | Pinfall | | Sabu | Mick Foley | B- | | Ambulance | Locked In | | Steve Austin | Rob Van Dam | A- | WWF World | Cage | Escape |
12/07/01* (Aired 15/07/01)
Portland, Maine - Cumberland County Civic Center (14,869)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = C
TV RATING = 1,436,933
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | The Awesome Storm | Kaientai | C+ | WCW Tag Team | Tag Team | Submission | | Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn | The A.P.A. | C |
| Tag Team | Pinfall | | Jazz | Molly Holly | E |
| Singles | Submission | | Big Show | Spike Dudley | C | WWF Hardcore | Singles | Pinfall |
No change on the championship side of things, although the Hardcore Title did change hands this weeks, Big Show holds it again. So, Fully Loaded is indeed taking shape with that huge 5 on 5 match up. Vince is banking on The Undertaker, Kane and Austin but will still hope The Rock and Foley will come round, although if Tazz leads out ECW, Big Show will surely want to be part of that. Jericho and Raven and Triple H against The Dudley Boyz will surely be on the card somewhere while Edge and Christian and the Radicalz is confirmed. Booker T has to get through Mike Awesome and Lance Storm before he and DDP get their shot at the WCW Tag Team Titles and Regal and Tajiri will surely be facing each other too. Fully Loaded is coming out of Toronto and hopefully we'll have all the matches confirmed by next week and I can't wait!
See you on the darkside,
MGR
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Post by tomo on Aug 2, 2022 21:22:33 GMT 1
Hey guys, Mark Garcia Reports here and Fully Loaded is round the corner breathing down our necks. We've got all the match ups confirmed now as well as a huge return to the WWF. Let's see what went down this week on Raw and Smackdown before we do our predications!
This week's Raw and Smackdown came out Canada, ahead of Fully Loaded in Toronto, with those in the Great White North psyched to see the WWF come to town. ECW opened the show, with Paul Heyman revealing his team to face the WWF at Fully Loaded. He picked Terry Funk, Rob Van Dam, Rhyno, Sabu and requested Tazz lead out the team. Vince openly mocked Heyman's choices but was quickly cut off by Mick Foley who in no uncertain terms told Vince he would not be joining up with Team WWF at Fully Loaded. He noted that his beating at the hands of Sabu showed him just how out of pace he was. Vince was annoyed but told him that he didn't need Foley on the team anyway, so confident of victory, and added himself into the match. However, he demanded that Mick Foley prove his loyalty, acting as a special guest referee in the main event, in which Vince and friends would face Terry Funk and ECW.
There were still issues with The Rock and Steve Austin, but The Rock finally signed a new WWF contract, entertaining offers from both Paul Heyman and Stacy Keibler, who stood in for Shane while he was still out injured (or so we thought). The Rock only signed when Austin grew bored and scribbled a WWF Title shot onto the bottom of the contract. As with all signings, it would only end when someone ended up going through a table, with The Rock sending Austin through the contract table courtesy of a Rock Bottom, before finally pledging his future to the WWF and formally agreeing to join the team at Fully Loaded. However, Rock insisted that his contract only meant teaming with Austin at the PPV and not in the main event. However, Shane McMahon would return, saving Booker T from Lance Storm and Mike Awesome after his victory in their handicap match. With Austin still feeling the effects of the Rock Bottom through the table, a delighted Vince teamed up with Shane and The Rock in the main event, against Terry Funk, Tazz and Rob Van Dam.
The match would end with Mick Foley counting everyone out as they brawled to the outside, but things got hairy after the match with ECW taking control and Terry Funk threatening to chop Vince up with a chainsaw, while Foley stood by, frozen in fear. Luckily, Austin rushed out for the save and he and The Rock had to to work together to keep Vince from attacking Foley for his lack of action.
As mentioned, Booker T retained the WCW Heavyweight Title in his handicap match, meaning he and Diamond Dallas Page get a shot at them for the WCW Tag Team Titles at Fully Loaded. Big Show lost the Hardcore title when Tazz tricked him into a fatal fourway with Dreamer, Sandman and Sabu, with Sabu getting the winning pin. Vince was furious with the off-the-cuff title defences and sent The Undertaker and Kane home in case they felt compelled to do the same, but not before Kane issued an open challenge to ECW, losing to Rhyno as they put him over ahead of Fully Loaded.
Stephanie told Triple H to remember the advice from their therapist, not to rush into things and fight battles alone, and convinced Kaientai to team with him against The Dudley Boyz and Spike. Triple H pinned Spike but after the match, The Dudleyz put Sunny through a table, which put Taka and Funaki firmly on the side of Triple H going into Fully Loaded. Raven made himself a new enemy in Commissioner Regal when he demanded Jericho return his manifesto. Regal booked a Singapore Cane match between Al Snow and Stevie Richards which Stevie won, thanks to a bunch of interference from Raven and Tajiri and Regal had some unlikely aid in Chris Jericho, who ran down to the ring to save him. Jericho told Raven he would return his manifesto, only if he faced him at Fully Loaded and even offered to put the WWF Intercontinental Title on the line. Regal signed off on the match and also booked himself and Tajiri into a match.
On Smackdown, all four McMahon's headed to the ring, united ahead of Fully Loaded. Vince wanted to fire Foley for his lack of action on Raw, but Linda was sympathetic however admitted that due to his lack of focus, his position as Co-Commissioner was no longer required. Linda noted that Foley had had the desired effect of having a positive effect on William Regal who would now remain the sole Commissioner. Foley requested a change of heart, insisting that Mick Foley was a WWF guy through and though but it was no use. Linda tried to encourage Foley to reconsider and join the team but Heyman came out to talk trash about Foley and called him a coward. Linda noted that the referee between WWF and ECW would need to be impartial so booked WCW owner, Shane McMahon as the referee of the main event match. Heyman was furious but Linda would not back down. Terry Funk suggested as a peace offering, the WWF Title should be defended tonight which brought out Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin said he was sick of Funk sticking his nose in to other people's business so challenged him to a match for the title later in the night. Vince tried to argue but took a Stunner for his troubles but Austin did stick around to help him to his feet and share beers with the McMahon's. Throughout the night, The Undertaker, Kane, Austin and The Rock would try to encourage Foley to reconsider and join the team, highlighting their past wars. It was only after The Rock caught Foley trying to sneak out of the arena that Foley finally seemed to come round to the idea. It looked to be all in vain after more goading from Funk and Heyman, Foley did indeed leave the arena, telling everyone he was not the guy to make a difference. In the WWF Title match, which Commissioner Regal had made a First Blood match, ECW took advantage of the no-DQ stipulation, rushing the ring and attacking Austin, locking Undertaker, Kane and The Rock into Vince's office. It all looked hopeless until Foley did return as Cactus Jack, running off ECW with a barbed wire 2x4, chasing off the ECW team and announcing that Cactus Jack would be joining the WWF team at Fully Loaded. However, in the melee, Austin accidentally hit The Rock with a Stunner, which is sure to play into the story going into that huge main event. Speaking of that match, the ECW team has been reshuffled. Earlier in the night, Tazz and Big Show finally looked set to face off, with Tazz agreeing to face Big Show for the WCW United States Champion. Shane interrupted, noting that the belt was WCW property so the match would be a triple threat and include Kanyon. It all got a bit complicated when two referees ended up in the ring, each declaring a different winner. Kanyon submitted to the Tazzmission, just as Big Show pinned both men which lead Shane to vacating the WCW United States Championship and booking a rematch between Tazz and Big Show at Fully Loaded. Tazz accepted, which led to Heyman kicking him off the team at Fully Loaded, not wanting anyone pulling double duty in the 5 on 5. Heyman booked a Battle Royal, which came down to just two men; Tazz and Test. Test eliminated Tazz, meaning he will take his place on the team. Test has been cocky in the ECW locker room recently, suggesting he should be the main guy instead of Tazz. Test will join Terry Funk, Rhnyo, Sabu and Rob Van Dam in the ECW team at Fully Loaded.Jazz won a number one contenders match for the WWF Women's Title against Lita. Trish was on commentary but the sight of Francine, Beulah and Dawn Marie attacking her, was enough to distract Lita. Ivory, Molly and Jacqueline ran down for the save. Terri had enough of the arguing between The Radicalz and Edge and Christian, after Vince gave her the cash ahead of the PPV, telling them it's up to them to figure out. Terri carrying a big bag of cash did not go unnoticed by a number of the roster, including X-Pac who tried to steal it from her as his debt with the A.P.A. continues to mount up. Commissioner Regal was angry at Raven for his attack on Raw and booked him a match against The Rock as a tune up, noting his lack of ring time in recent months. Regal also revealed that his match with Tajiri at Fully Loaded would be a Gentleman's Match, a pure wrestling match, which would render the Tarantula and Green Mist ineffective. However, Regal announced that after the match they would shake hands as gentlemen and put their rivalry behind them. As revenge for the attack on Sunny, Kaientai challenged the Dudley Boyz and got a famous win, thanks to interference from Triple H and Stephanie. The Dudleyz were furious and tried to exact revenge but Kurt Angle made his return to save Stephanie. Later, Stephanie once again encouraged Triple H to remember their therapy, and The Game reluctantly requested Kurt team with him to face The Dudleyz at Fully Loaded. 16/07/01
Montreal, Quebec - Molson Centre (13,491)
Announcers - Jim Ross & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = B
TV RATING = 1,401,713
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Triple H & Kaientai | The Dudley Boyz | C |
| Six Man Tag | Pinfall | | Sabu | Big Show / Tommy Dreamer / Sandman | C | WWF Hardcore | Hardcore Fatal Fourway | Pinfall | | Rhyno | Kane | B- | | Singles | Pinfall | | Stevie Richards | Al Snow | D | | Singapore Cane | Pinfall | | Booker T | The Awesome Storm | B | WCW World Heavyweight | 2 on 1 Handicap | Pinfall | | The Rock, Vince & Shane McMahon drew | with Terry Funk, Rob Van Dam & Tazz | C+ | | Six Man Tag | Count Out |
06/07/01* (Aired 18/07/01)
Montreal, Quebec - Molson Centre (13,491)
Announcers - Kevin Kelly & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = C
TV RATING = 1,401,713| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | The Hardy Boyz | Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn | C |
| Tag Team | Pinfall | | Jazz | Terri | E |
| Singles | Submission | | Kanyon | Juventud Guerrera | C+ |
| Singles | Pinfall | | Edge | Albert | C- |
| Singles | Pinfall |
Ottawa, Ontario - Corel Centre (12,429)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = C+
TV RATING = 3,434,719
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Big Show & Tazz | Kanyon | C- | WCW United States | Triple Threat | Pinfall/Submission | | Test | | D | | Battle Royal | Last Man | | The Rock | Raven | B+ | | Singles | Pinfall | | Jazz | Lita | E | | Singles | Pinfall | | Kaientai | The Dudley Boyz | C | | Tag Team | Pinfall | | Steve Austin | Terry Funk | B+ | WWF World | First Blood | Blood |
And we are on the homestretch! Fully Loaded will be coming out of the Air Canada Centre in Toronto and I gotta know your predictions below. I gotta say, when WWF brought out WCW, Mick Foley returning to in ring action was one of the last things I expected but I do like to be surprised. And WCW still have a lot to do, even struggling to keep the pace with ECW at the moment who are looking great. Everyone on their team has been booked strong recently so I'm excited to see this match take place. Even so, on paper, even with The Rock and Austin against each other, the WWF team should have enough in the tank to take on ECW. Although, with Shane McMahon as the referee and it only coming down to just one pinfall, there could be some shenanigans coming in to play.
As well as the matches we know about, I'm hearing Taka Michinoku will defend the WWF Light Heavyweight Title against Stevie Richards on Heat, while there will also be a Gauntlet Match with a bunch of tag teams, with the winner becoming the number one contenders to a tag title of their choice. Looking forward to hearing your thoughts.
Too Cool v The Natural Born Thrillers v Albert & Juventud Guerrera v Kanyon & Billy Kidman v The Hardy Boyz v Tommy Dreamer & Sandman
Taka Michinoku v Stevie Richards (WWF Light Heavyweight)
X-Pac v Justin Credible (WWF European)
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Chris Jericho v Raven (WWF Intercontinental)
The Awesome Storm v Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Tag Team)
William Regal v Tajiri [Gentleman's Match]
Edge & Christian v Benoit & Guerrero v Saturn & Malenko
Tazz v Big Show (WCW United States)
Jazz v Trish (WWF Women's)
Triple H & Kurt Angle v The Dudley Boyz
Team WWF (Cactus Jack, Rock, Austin, Undertaker & Kane) v Team ECW (Terry Funk, Sabu, Rhyno, Rob Van Dam & Test)
Predictions? Any twists and turns? Let me know!
See you on the dark side
MGR |
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Post by Asaemon on Aug 3, 2022 7:27:11 GMT 1
Too Cool v The Natural Born Thrillers v Albert & Juventud Guerrera v Kanyon & Billy Kidman v The Hardy Boyz v Tommy Dreamer & Sandman
Taka Michinoku v Stevie Richards (WWF Light Heavyweight)
X-Pac v Justin Credible (WWF European)
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Chris Jericho v Raven (WWF Intercontinental)
The Awesome Storm v Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Tag Team)
William Regal v Tajiri [Gentleman's Match]
Edge & Christian v Benoit & Guerrero v Saturn & Malenko
Tazz v Big Show (WCW United States)
Jazz v Trish (WWF Women's)
Triple H & Kurt Angle v The Dudley Boyz
Team WWF (Cactus Jack, Rock, Austin, Undertaker & Kane) v Team ECW (Terry Funk, Sabu, Rhyno, Rob Van Dam & Test)
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Post by gregorvich on Aug 3, 2022 23:33:12 GMT 1
Too Cool v The Natural Born Thrillers v Albert & Juventud Guerrera v Kanyon & Billy Kidman v The Hardy Boyz v Tommy Dreamer & Sandman
Taka Michinoku v Stevie Richards (WWF Light Heavyweight)
X-Pac v Justin Credible (WWF European)
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Chris Jericho v Raven (WWF Intercontinental)
The Awesome Storm v Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Tag Team)
William Regal v Tajiri [Gentleman's Match]
Edge & Christian v Benoit & Guerrero v Saturn & Malenko
Tazz v Big Show (WCW United States)
Jazz v Trish (WWF Women's)
Triple H & Kurt Angle v The Dudley Boyz
Team WWF (Cactus Jack, Rock, Austin, Undertaker & Kane) v Team ECW (Terry Funk, Sabu, Rhyno, Rob Van Dam & Test)
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Post by dhk1989 on Aug 3, 2022 23:37:38 GMT 1
Too Cool v The Natural Born Thrillers v Albert & Juventud Guerrera v Kanyon & Billy Kidman v The Hardy Boyz v Tommy Dreamer & Sandman
Taka Michinoku v Stevie Richards (WWF Light Heavyweight)
X-Pac v Justin Credible (WWF European)
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Chris Jericho v Raven (WWF Intercontinental)
The Awesome Storm v Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page (WCW Tag Team)
William Regal v Tajiri [Gentleman's Match]
Edge & Christian v Benoit & Guerrero v Saturn & Malenko
Tazz v Big Show (WCW United States)
Jazz v Trish (WWF Women's)
Triple H & Kurt Angle v The Dudley Boyz
Team WWF (Cactus Jack, Rock, Austin, Undertaker & Kane) v Team ECW (Terry Funk, Sabu, Rhyno, Rob Van Dam & Test)
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Post by tomo on Aug 22, 2022 23:21:14 GMT 1
On Heat, The Hardy Boyz became the number one contenders to the tag belts of their choice, winning in the elimination match, last pinning Sandman and Tommy Dreamer. Elsewhere, Taka Michinoku retained against Stevie Richards while Justin Credible won the WWF European Title from X-Pac. After the match, The A.P.A. chased X-Pac away, with the Acolytes now fully out of pocket having not been paid in weeks. Paul Heyman wormed his way into Shane's ear, ahead of his crucial role as the referee in the main event, telling him that a victory for ECW would do wonders for WCW's fortunes, encouraging healthy competition. Shane made no promises, only to call the match right down the middle.
Paul Heyman opened the show, demanding some balance on the commentary team and introduced Joey Styles who joined up with Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler. Styles and Lawler sniped at each other all night, while J.R. kept the peace. The opening match saw Chris Jericho face Raven for the WWF Intercontinental title and in a huge shock, Raven got the win over Y2J. Jericho had made Raven tap out to the Walls but the referee was down but WCW's Kanyon interfered and attacked Jericho. Raven's victory sent the ECW locker room into chaos as they celebrated, while over with the WWF, Vince McMahon told The Undertaker and Kane to take out Rock or Austin if they tried to go into business for themselves in the main event. The Rock and Undertaker did get into it later in the night during an interview segment, leaving a very tense WWF team heading out to the ring.
Despite losing Kanyon, WCW did have a slightly better night than the WWF when Booker T and Diamond Dallas Page won the WCW Tag Team Championships from Mike Awesome and Lance Storm. The ECW team tried their best to cheat but Stacy Keibler was on hand to even the score, taking out Dawn Marie in the process. It wasn't all doom and gloom for the ECW women who got some measure of revenge, helping Jazz to victory over Trish and the WWF Women's title. Jazz was helped to victory when Jacqueline hit Trish with a DDT.
William Regal defeated Tajiri in their Gentlemen's Match, a very technical affair but after the match Tajiri sprayed red mist into Regal's face. Not green mist, red mist. According to Joey Styles, it's 10 times more painful than the green stuff? Elsewhere, Terri overheard Benoit and Guerrero talking about stiffing Saturn and Malenko but when she went to tell them, she heard them saying exactly the same thing, so Terri bailed with the cash during their match with Edge and Christian. It was a victory for the hometown boys, with Edge and Christian getting the win. Despite Terri's Houdini act, she did leave £50k in a locker room them. Before this all came out, The Radicalz had to separate Benoit and Guerrero from fighting each other.
And then the WCW United States Championship match between Tazz and Big Show. Big Show was dominant, while Tazz's suplex were not hugely effective. Tazz did manage to lock in the Tazzmission and took the big man down to the ground, forcing Big Show to tap out. However, Tazz refused to break the hold, trying to choke out Big Show, forcing the referee and timekeeper to reverse the decision and award Big Show the victory and the belt. Big Show didn't know anything about this, owing to being unconscious. This makes Big Show a Grand Slam Champion, having held the WWF World, Tag Team, Hardcore and now WCW United States Championship, which is seen as being a secondary title similar to the WWF Intercontinental Title. Tazz was furious with the decision, chasing Charles Robinson up the ramp. ECW and Paul Heyman were furious with Tazz.
Triple and Kurt Angle were able to put their past behind them to get a victory over The Dudley Boyz. Triple H once again recruited Kaientai to keep Spike Dudley away from the ring. After the match, Stephanie encouraged the two WWF wrestlers to shake hands, declaring their feud over.
And finally, the aforementioned main event in which the ECW team picked up the victory thanks to Cactus Jack turning on his team mates however only after The Rock and Austin failed to work together, with The Rock hitting a Rock Bottom on Austin just before Jack turned on The Rock, forcing Shane McMahon to make the pin. It was an unbelievable scene as the unlikely ECW team of Terry Funk, Sabu, Rhyno, RVD and Test got the victory over a stacked WWF line up. Cactus Jack took out Shane McMahon after the match for good measure as ECW and Paul Heyman celebrated in the ring, much to Vince McMahon's horror.
Fully Loaded card scores;
22/07/01 Toronto, Ontario – Air Canada Centre (20,511)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman SHOW RATING = C
TV RATING = 1,428,958
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | The Hardy Boyz | - | C |
| Tag Team Gauntlet | Pinfall | | Taka Michinoku | Stevie Richards | C | WWF Light Heavyweight | Singles | Pinfall | | Justin Credible | X-Pac | D+ | WWF European | Singles | Pinfall |
22/07/01 Toronto, Ontario – Air Canada Centre (20,511)
Announcers - Jim Ross, Jerry 'The King' Lawler & Joey Styles
SHOW RATING = B+
TV RATING = 1,350,386
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Raven | Chris Jericho | B- | WWF Intercontinental | Singles | Pinfall | | Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page | The Awesome Storm | B- | WCW Tag Team | Tag Team | Pinfall | | William Regal | Tajiri | C |
| Gentleman's Match | Pinfall | | Edge & Christian | The Radicalz / The Radicalz | B |
| Triangle Tag Team | Pinfall | | Big Show | Tazz | C | WCW United States | Singles | Referee Reversal | | Jazz | Trish | E | WWF Women's | Singles | Pinfall | | Triple H & Kurt Angle | The Dudley Boyz | B |
| Tag Team | Pinfall | | Team ECW | Team WWF | A |
| Ten Man Tag | Pinfall |
CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
Wow, can you believe that Cactus Jack is back and fighting for ECW? Anyone telegraph this? I thought maybe having Shane in there as the guest referee might be the ruse, as well as the Austin / Rock drama but in the end it was Mick Foley who ended up costing the WWF. And don't forget, WWF lost a lot of gold last night, with ECW now holding four WWF belts. Where's this going now? And what's going to happen with Tazz? He looked good in his match, but still lost while his replacement on the ECW team, Test, helped the team to a huge victory.
And, as always thanks for the predictions, let's check out our rankings. dhk1989 got 7/11 on the night, beating Asaemon (6) and gregorvich (4). Can of coke for you!
Ultimate Mark Fans
Asaemon (23/36)
dhk1989 (18/22)
gregorvich (4/11)
Thanks again all, I'll see you on the darkside
MGR |
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Post by Mike Haggar on Oct 2, 2022 13:15:01 GMT 1
Great stuff so far!
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Post by tomo on Jan 8, 2023 23:15:54 GMT 1
Welcome back, it's certainly been a minute but in actuality it's only been a single week. Mark Garcia Reports coming back with another recap of this last week's WWF action. Or should be say ECW action now? The show has certainly had a revamp now ECW are in charge of Raw, or as it is going these days, RAW HARDCORE. The set is different, the entry way is different, with that murky, grimy ECW feel that we all used to love so much. There's still the same WWF polish but all matches are now contested under ECW Rules, i.e. no disqualification.
Joey Styles joined Jim Ross to call Raw Hardcore, as Paul Heyman and the ECW roster indulged on their victory at Fully Loaded. Heyman was obviously most thankful to Cactus Jack who he immediately put into a WWF Title match with Stone Cold Steve Austin in the main event. Heyman also hyped Raven, Justin Credible and Jazz for their recent title victories but wanted to take down the WWF even further, booking The Undertaker and Kane and Taka Michinoku into title matches later in the night. Vince and Linda McMahon came out to challenge ECW, with Linda especially critical of Mick Foley who told her that while 'Foley was a WWF guy, Cactus Jack was always an ECW guy.' The Rock interrupted the back and forth, going straight for Cactus Jack. The numbers game was too much and he needed the help of The Undertaker, Kane and Triple H to help him. The Rock was joined in the medical bay by Austin when Terry Funk organised a welcoming committee to soften him up when he arrived at the arena.
Paul Heyman revealed he had found a loophole that meant if ECW captured all of the WWF belts, ECW would absorb the WWF, putting the McMahon's out of the picture, which horrified Vince and made the title belts feel really important. The idea of losing the company fed down to Shane McMahon who wanted to get WCW out of the firing line, but when Shane requested Big Show return the WCW US Title, the 7'2 giant laughed in his face. Despite wanting to stick with Booker T and DDP, Shawn Stasiak revealed that the majority of the WCW roster felt ignored and wanted to prove themselves. Shane accepted but Stasiak was unable to get the victory over Big Show.
ECW were unable to gain more ground on this night as Taka Michinoku defeated Jerry Lynn while The Undertaker and Kane retained against Lance Storm and Mike Awesome. After their match, The Dudley Boyz cut a promo demanding the Brothers of Destruction return the WWF Tag Team Titles, feeling they were owed the belts after being stripped by Vince McMahon a few months prior.
Cactus Jack's arrival in the ECW locker room did seem to rub some the wrong way, with Tazz being especially put out having being demoted as ECW's leader without warning. Heyman pointed to Tazz's loss by referee reversal at Fully Loaded, while Test continued to needle Tazz. Tazz sulked backstage, attacking the Hardy Boyz before challenging them to a match with Sabu and Rob Van Dam later in the night. Team Xtreme were joined by surprise partner, The Rock in their match and despite getting a win for team WWF, Tazz took down The Rock with a Tazzmission before telling the crowd that he was done with the disrespect he's been shown.
Elsewhere, Triple H hired the A.P.A. to keep an eye on Stephanie after Cactus Jack reminded them both it was they who ended his career, while Chris Jericho lost to Kanyon with the ECW Rules element being showcased, when Raven and Stevie Richards continuously interfered in the match.
Before the main event, The Rock told Cactus Jack he thought he was more deserving for a title match and despite his beef with Austin, did come to his rescue when ECW once again tried to make the ECW Rules count in their favour. Ultimately, Austin got the victory over Cactus Jack when Tazz seemingly accidentally hit Cactus with a chair. After the match, Rock and Austin had a staredown, with Tazz and Cactus argued outside the ring.
On Smackdown, all four McMahon's and Triple H put on a united front as they opened the show. Vince requested a WWF member put down Cactus Jack once and for all and Triple H was keen to oblige. Paul Heyman said that ECW's new plan was to take out the McMahon's, starting with Triple H and they had walked right into his trap. When Vince asked for more soldiers to get his belts back, Kurt Angle, who has recently been reflecting his role in the company, following his episode with Stephanie and Triple H, wanted to show he had it in him to win back the WWF Intercontinental Championship. Vince would later tell The Rock his services were not required on Smackdown, having failed to answer the earlier call out. When The Rock was interviewed by Lilian Garcia, Tazz interrupted, noting that he too felt disrespected by his company and the two would meet in the ring later.
Vince had given the holders of WWF belts the night off, but not as a reward, simply to stop them handing out unnecessary title matches, which explained the absence of The Undertaker, Kane and Austin.
After Sabu, with help from Rob Van Dam, was able to beat Matt Hardy to retain the WWF Hardcore Title, Vince sent the Radicalz (minus Guerrero who is taking some time off) to act as bodyguards for Kurt Angle during his match with Raven. However, it was a setup, as Perry Saturn turned on Benoit and Malenko to allow The Flock to get the tainted victory, with Raven clocking Angle with the Intercontinental Title. After the match, Raven and The Flock put the boots to them until Chris Jericho made the save. It was an odd sight, seeing Jericho, Angle, Benoit and Malenko all on the same page and they seemed hesitant about the alliance themselves.
Meanwhile, Commissioner Regal, who is now 'blind' following Tajiri's red mist, wanted to thank Al Snow for his recent assistance, offering him a chance at the WWF European Championship, which he won against Justin Credible. However, during his time in the ring, Tajiri snuck into Regal's office to attack him further. When Regal later tried to exact revenge, the Commissioner unknowingly attacked Funaki, after only hearing his voice.
Vince was desperate to get more of his title's back, giving Trish a bottle of pepper spray to use on Jazz in her WWF Women's Title rematch. However, as she's a babyface, she refused to use it, but this did not stop Jacqueline trying to use herself, only to spray Jazz accidentally, giving her the DQ victory.
Triple H told the A.P.A. to be on high alert ahead of his match with Cactus Jack, especially after he upped the ante, suggesting they cap off their trilogy of matches with an I Quit Match. Bradshaw and Faarooq were distracted, having purchased several mod-cons for their office now the McMahon's were their clients, with a new pool table their favourite addition. This would prove to be decisive when the A.P.A. took their eyes off Stephanie to play pool with Francine and Beulah.
Tazz and Test continued to cause unrest in the ECW locker room, with Tazz unhappy that Cactus Jack was to be offered another shot at Austin's WWF Title next week on Raw. He believed he was worthy of the title shot and would prove it in his match with The Rock. Test told him he would be more use sat on his ass as the Smackdown announcer. Tazz would get a victory over The Rock, thanks to Test's interference, with Test trying to claim victory after his Big Boot was the decider in their match. Before they could come to blows backstage, Terry Funk whipped them in line, telling them something was about to happen.
That something was an unbelievable I Quit match between Triple H and Cactus Jack. It was just as violent and gory as you can imagine, with thumb tacks and Cactus Jack's old reliable barbed wire 2x4. Before Cactus could use it, Stephanie rushed into the ring, to plead with him. Cactus laughed off her efforts and he looked set to attack Stephanie with the 2x4 until Triple H hastily quit, so long as he wouldn't harm Stephanie. Cactus Jack would immediately go back on his word and only Vince & Linda McMahon's arrival stopped Stephanie from being busted open, with the A.P.A. arriving just in time to bundle her out of the arena just before the ECW wolves arrived to make good on their promise to take out the McMahons. The ECW roster handcuffed Vince to the ropes and he had to watch as Cactus Jack destroyed Triple H's knee with a cinder block (Tazz had wanted to use the cinder block, the same way he had taken out Rikishi and Buff Bagwell, but Cactus wanted to prove a point). It would be worse when Linda McMahon tried to intervene, only for Cactus Jack to put the Madible Claw on Linda. The cavalry finally came when The Rock led a few WWF wrestlers out to the ring to chase off ECW before they could use the 2x4 on Linda, with Michael Cole declaring all out war on the commentary desk.
On Heat, Shane, who had left Smackdown mid-show at the request of Linda, called out ECW, demanding retribution. Terry Funk answered the call to reveal that most of ECW had left but set up a WCW Tag Team Title match between Tommy Dreamer and Sandman against Booker T and DDP, while it was revealed that Vince had fired the A.P.A. for their lack of action on Smackdown. Meanwhile, Funaki got a victory over Tajiri, after Sunny demanded an apology for Regal's attack. Taka Michinoku got involved when Tajiri looked set to spray Sunny with green mist in what the commentators suggested may have been Funaki's first ever singles victory. Edge and Christian crashed Perry Saturn's Flock initiation which set up their match.
23/07/01
Buffalo, New York - HSBC Arena (12,159)
Announcers - Jim Ross & Joey Styles
SHOW RATING = B+
TV RATING = 3,456,230
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | The Undertaker & Kane | The Awesome Storm | B | WWF Tag Team | Tag Team* | Pinfall | | Big Show | Shawn Stasiak | D | WCW United States | Singles | Pinfall | | Kanyon | Chris Jericho | B |
| Singles* | Pinfall | | Taka Michinoku | Jerry Lynn | C | WWF Light Heavyweight | Singles* | Pinfall | | The Hardy Boyz & The Rock | Tazz, Rob Van Dam & Sabu | B | | Six Man Tag* | Pinfall | | Steve Austin | Cactus Jack | B+ | WWF World | Singles* | Pinfall |
23/07/01* (Aired 25/07/01)
Buffalo, New York - HSBC Arena (12,159)
Announcers - Kevin Kelly & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = C+
TV RATING = 1,810,203
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Justin Credible | Faarooq | D | WWF European | Singles | Pinfall | | Tajiri | Bill Demott | C- |
| Singles | Pinfall | | The Dudley Boyz | Natural Born Thrillers | D+ |
| Tag Team | Pinfall | | Kurt Angle | Albert | B- |
| Singles | Submission |
East Rutherford, New Jersey - Continental Airlines Arena (15,215)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = B
TV RATING = 3,434,719| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Al Snow | Justin Credible | C | WWF European | Singles | Pinfall | | Sabu | Matt Hardy | C | WWF Hardcore | Hardcore | Pinfall | | Raven | Kurt Angle | B | WWF Intercontinental | Singles | Pinfall | | Jazz | Trish Stratus | E | WWF Women's | Singles | DQ | | Tazz | The Rock | B+ | | Singles | Pinfall | | Cactus Jack | Triple H | A- | | I Quit | Quit |
26/07/01* (Aired 29/07/01)
East Rutherford, New Jersey - Continental Airlines Arena (15,215)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = B-
TV RATING = 1,292,707
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Big Show | Alex Wright | C- | WCW United States | Singles | Pinfall | Booker T & DDP
| Tommy Dreamer & Sandman
| B- | WCW Tag Team
| Tag Team
| Pinfall | | Funaki | Tajiri | C |
| Singles | Pinfall | | The Flock | Edge & Christian | B |
| Tag Team | Pinfall |
And there you have it, ECW's first week in control and this is what we were served. It looks like Triple H is being written off for a while, especially as that move with the cinder block that Tazz uses has been very well protected in recent months. How will Vince respond after the attack on Linda and will it be Cactus Jack who gets another shot at Stone Cold and the WWF Champion or someone else? We're 4 weeks out from Summerslam and that event is going to be incredible!
See you on the darkside!
MGR |
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Post by tomo on Apr 5, 2023 23:25:53 GMT 1
Mark Garcia Reports is back! And we have a huge week in the WWF after that heinous attack by ECW on Linda McMahon and Triple H. Triple H has been written off TV with a shattered knee in kayfabe, which gives both he and Stephanie some time off. Triple H has had a pretty heavy schedule over the past few years and it seems to be the way these days for wrestlers to be given 4-5 weeks away from the ring to heal up. Early reports suggest that Triple H may be away for longer than this.
On Raw, Stone Cold opened the show to let Cactus Jack and ECW know that while he and Vince McMahon hadn’t always seen eye to eye, the attack on Linda McMahon was a step too far for Austin and pledged himself to defeating ECW. Heyman and ECW came out to gloat, with Heyman indicating he was going to setup another match between Austin and Cactus Jack for the WWF Title as he made several other title matches for the night. However, Shane McMahon burst out through the crowd, attacking Cactus Jack with a shovel. With Booker T and DDP as backup, Shane caused chaos and in the melee, Austin hit Heyman with a Stunner. Shane was still not done and did not take kindly to Big Show mocking him for his reaction, which led to Shane challenging Big Show for the US Title later in the evening.
The Dudley Boyz challenged The Undertaker and Kane to a match for the WWF Titles, attempting to stack the deck against them, adding Rob Van Dam and Sabu into the match. However, The Hardy Boyz cashed in their number one contender opportunity (earned at Fully Loaded) to equal the score. The Undertaker got the win, pinning Bubba Ray Dudley after a Last Ride, in a chaotic match that saw ladders and tables used. These matches are all being contested under ECW Rules, remember!
That shovel shot from Shane McMahon sent Cactus Jack even more deranged than normal. He was adamant that he was to face Austin, even though both Test and Tazz put their names forward. During a frosty interview, Cactus Jack lost the plot, putting the Mandible Claw on the Lilian Garcia. Cactus wasn’t finished, then getting involved in the match between Shane McMahon and Big Show, costing Shane his chance of winning. Big Show took out Booker T and DDP as they tried to help Shane. The attack on Lilian did not go unpunished and The Rock defended his interviewer friend ferociously, attacking him and taking to the streets in a car chase.
We got a live video package from Connecticut to recap Triple H’s injury. Vince, Linda and Stephanie were stood around his bed as he explained he would be out for some time. Linda said she was too frightened to return while ECW were around while Vince guaranteed revenge.
Edge and Christian revealed that they have invested their money from Fully Loaded into a t-shirt company. When they later found the abandoned A.P.A. offices, the decided to call their company the Awesome Promo Agency. Lance Storm and Mike Awesome derided the new venture, with Storm claiming it made him ashamed to be Canadian. Storm later went on to win the WWF European Championship from Al Snow.
Heyman tried to get one over on Sunny and Kaientai by revealing that Taka’s opponent was Sunny’s husband, Chris Candido. Heyman told Sunny to think wisely, as Candido would have the opportunity of a job with ECW if he won. After interference from Tajiri, Sunny broke up a pin. The two argued but Candido pulled her aside and took a face full of green mist from Tajiri which allowed Taka to get the win, as Funaki bundled Tajiri out of the ring. Sunny was in tears after the match, having cost her husband a huge opportunity.
At Raven’s request, Heyman booked Jericho, Angle, Benoit and Malenko into a match against each other in an attempt to drive them further apart. He seemed to succeed as both Angle and Jericho forced Malenko and Benoit to submit simultaneously, but the referee only saw Malenko tapping, declaring Angle the winner. After the match, Benoit and Malenko had to hold Jericho and Angle apart as they argued.
With Cactus Jack being chased around Pennsylvania by The Rock, there were no shortage of challengers in the main event. Both Test and Tazz wanted to face Austin for the WWF Title so Heyman booked a Triple Threat match. Tazz actually looked to have the match won, locking the Tazzmission on Austin, only for Test to hit a Big Boot onto Tazz, breaking the hold. Austin recovered to hit a Stunner on Test and retain. After the match, Tazz was furious with Test.
On Smackdown, Vince challenged Cactus Jack to a match but before ECW could answer, both Shane McMahon and Steve Austin hit the ring to tell Vince they had his back. Cactus and Heyman did come down to the ring accepting the challenge of a match tonight but agreed to put the forced title matches on hold with the provision that every title would be defended at Summerslam with each match to be contested under an extreme stipulation. He also announced that the losers of the matches are never eligible for a rematch while the winner holds the belt, regardless of the length of the reign. When The Rock arrived a little later on, he was annoyed that he had been left out of the match in the main event and let Vince McMahon know he wanted to face Austin at Summerslam. Vince was furious with The Rock and let know that since he’d done nothing for the WWF in recent weeks, his services were no longer needed.
This lit a fire under The Rock who immediately got to work, saving Jeff Hardy from a post match beatdown in his WWF Hardcore Championship match with Sabu. He and RVD had already taken Matt out before the match and had plans to do the same to Jeff but The Rock made the save, beating up the ECW wrestlers. The Rock pinned Sabu to become the WWF Hardcore Champion (this makes The Rock a Grand Slam Champion if you’re counting a home). The Rock immediately vacated the belt, handing it over the Vince in exchange for getting put on the team in the main event. Austin said he hadn’t decided if The Rock was worthy of a match at Summerslam but would let him know after the main event. Vince wanted nothing to do with the WWF Hardcore Title and let Benoit and Malenko decide the winner via a coin toss, which Benoit won.
With Shane preoccupied with Cactus Jack, Stacy set Chuck Palumbo and Sean O’Haire on Big Show in an effort to regain the WCW US Title but they were no match for the giant. After the match, Big Show tried to taunt Shane some more but was quickly dispatched by Booker T and DDP in revenge for the attack on Raw.
Spike Dudley, who had demanded a match from Undertaker and Kane on Raw for his brothers, was told to pick his own partner to face the Brothers of Destruction and they quickly dispatched Spike and Rhyno in a Tables match. However, after the match, Bubba and D’Von made their presence known, as The Dudleyz put The Undertaker through a table with a 3D. It’s not often you see Undertaker take a big hit like that. The Undertaker and Kane would later challenge The Dudleyz at Summerslam, with the stipulation to be revealed later on.
There’s some friction in ECW between Tazz and Test, with Tazz blaming the latter for costing him the WWF Title on Raw. Tazz didn’t understand why Test broke up the Tazzmission as while it was a Triple Threat match in name, he understood it was a handicap match. Heyman managed to diffuse the tension for now, teaming Tazz up with Test, Cactus and Terry Funk in the main event.
Vince tried to get Angle and Jericho on the same page, agreeing to put them in a tag team match against a team picked by Heyman. However, Heyman pulled a fast one, picking Benoit and Malenko to face them. Due to a miscommunication, Benoit was able to pin Angle to get the win but when The Flock attacked, trying to get Benoit’s Hardcore Title, it galvanised the four men to fight them off together.
Elsewhere, Commissioner Regal set a trap for Tajiri, trapping him in antique stocks and bringing him out to the ring where Kaientai, Al Snow, Sunny and Chris Candido encouraged fans to throw tomatoes at him, while Edge and Christian’s promo agency, The Awesome Promo Agency made an enemy in Mike Awesome when they served him with a cease and desist notice. Mike Awesome is no longer allowed to use the name Awesome as it’s a breach of copyright. Awesome took out his frustration by trashing a load of Edge and Christian’s stock only to find out that it was new ECW merch Paul Heyman had ordered. Trish and Lita got some revenge over Jazz and Jacqueline, beating them in a tag match.
And then in the main event, The Rock, Austin and the McMahon’s got the victory over Cactus Jack, Tazz, Test and Terry Funk. After the match, Heyman brought out a shopping cart of weapons, informing Vince and Shane that they were the next McMahon’s on the hit list only for Linda McMahon to appear on the titantron, informing them that she had informed the ring crew to leave some weapons of their own under the ring, four shining sledgehammers. This was enough to ward off the ECW team who retreated backstage. The night wasn’t over just yet as while the WWF team celebrated, The Rock told Austin he’d had enough of waiting for him to make a decision and he would make it for him. The Rock hit Austin with a Stone Cold Stunner.
On Heat, Commissioner Regal promised Sunny that Chris Candido could get a job for the WWF if he could beat Lance Storm for the European Title but Tajiri once again interfered to cost him his job. Meanwhile, Billy Kidman beat Mike Awesome, now known simply as ‘Mike’ while Booker T and DDP retained the WCW Tag Team Titles but complained to Shane that being sat on the sidelines in his feud with Big Show was a waste of their talents. 30/07/01
Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center (15,239)
Announcers - Jim Ross & Joey Styles
SHOW RATING = B+
TV RATING = 4,217,144 | Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | The Undertaker & Kane
| The Dudleyz / RVD & Sabu / The Hardy Boyz
| B | WWF Tag Team
| Four Corners Tag Team*
| Pinfall | Lance Storm
| Al Snow | B- | WWF European | Singles* | Pinfall | | Big Show | Shane McMahon | B | WCW United States | Singles* | Pinfall
| | Taka Michinoku | Chris Candido | D | WWF Light Heavyweight | Singles* | Pinfall | Kurt Angle
| Chris Benoit / Dean Malenko / Chris Jericho | A | | Fatal Four Way* | Submission | | Steve Austin | Test / Tazz | B | WWF World | Triple Threat* | Pinfall
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30/07/01* (Aired 01/08/01) Grand Forks, ND – Alerus Center (15,239)
Announcers - Kevin Kelly & Jonathan Coachman SHOW RATING = C TV RATING = 364,834
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | The Flock | Bill Demott & Shawn Stasiak
| C |
| Tag Team
| Pinfall | | Billy Kidman | Funaki
| D+ | WCW Cruiserweight
| Singles
| Pinfall | Jazz
| Ivory
| D- | WWF Women’s
| Singles
| Submission | Mike Awesome
| Too Cool
| C+ |
| 2-on-1 Handicap
| Pinfall |
02/08/01
Minneapolis, MN - Target Center (14,992)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jerry 'The King' Lawler
SHOW RATING = B+
TV RATING = 4,663,968 | Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | Sabu
| Jeff Hardy
| B- | WWF Hardcore
| Hardcore
| Pinfall
| Big Show
| Natural Born Thrillers | C- | WCW United States | 2-on-1 Handicap | Pinfall | | The Undertaker & Kane | Spike Dudley & Rhyno | A- | WWF Tag Team | Tag Team Tables | Table
| | Trish & Lita | Jazz & Jacqueline | D+ | | Tag Team | Pinfall | Chris Benoit & Dean Malenko
| Chris Jericho & Kurt Angle | A | | Tag Team | Pinfall | | The Rock, Steve Austin, Vince & Shane McMahon | Cactus Jack, Test, Tazz & Terry Funk | B | | Eight Man Tag Team | Pinfall
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02/08/01* (Aired 05/08/01)
Minneapolis, MN - Target Center (14,992)
Announcers - Michael Cole & Jonathan Coachman
SHOW RATING = C+
TV RATING = 806,923
| Winner | Loser | Grade | Title | Match | Finish | | Rob Van Dam | Edge
| B |
| Singles
| Pinfall | Booker T & Diamond Dallas Page
| Justin Credible & Jerry Lynn
| B- | WCW Tag Team
| Tag Team
| Pinfall | | Billy Kidman | Mike Awesome | C |
| Singles
| Pinfall | Lance Storm
| Chris Candido
| D | WWF European
| Singles
| Submission |
CHAMPIONSHIP RECAP
And that rounds up the week. Summerslam is two weeks away coming out of Miami and we already have our first match on the card as The Undertaker and Kane will face The Dudley Boyz for the WWF Tag Team Titles. All of the matches are set to have some kind of 'extreme' stipulation. What matches are do you think will happen and what kind of stipulations? It looks like they're doing something with Rock and Austin again but surely that won't be the match with ECW involved, unless one jumps over I guess. Let me know your thoughts and as always;
See you on the darkside
MGR |
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