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Post by darbicus on Jan 24, 2023 22:46:24 GMT 1
WWE Armageddon December 15, 2002 Office Depot Center Sunrise, FL
*A-Train d. Edge by Pinfall Albert, who had been a dancing fool as the "Hip-Hop Hippo" partnering with Scotty 2 Hotty in recent months, had turned on his tag partner and been rechristened as the A-Train. Facing off against Edge, A-Train seemingly was at a disadvantage given that Edge had been on a winning streak. However that advantage was gone thanks to the newfound ferocity of the A-Train, who stopped Edge cold in his tracks, even no-selling a Spear from the former IC Champion. A-Train then finished off Edge with the Derailer to pick up the upset win.
*Ric Flair & Batista d. The Island Crue [Jamal & Rosey], and The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley] in a Triple Threat Match to Win the World Tag Team Titles This match was initially set to be a match between longtime rivals The Island Crue and The Dudley Boyz for the World Tag Team Titles. It turned into a triple threat match when Ric Flair and Batista beat the Dudleys in a tag match on Raw (albeit with help from Evolution Team Mate Randy Orton), causing Raw Interim GM Jim Cornette to agree to add them to the match, making it a triple threat. Batista dominated much of the contest, forcing the rival tag teams to temporarily set aside their differences to handle Evolution's Animal. It was to no avail though, as Batista hit a Batista Bomb on D-Von to pick up the win and score the pinfall victory to win the world tag team titles.
*Jeff Hardy d. Christian, Rob Van Dam & William Regal in a Fatal Fourway Match by Pinfall A Fatal Fourway match had been announced by interim Raw GM Jim Cornette to crown a new #1 contender for the World Heavyweight Championship, with the four men involved in the match each winning qualifying matches to put themselves in the fatal fourway. Christian and Rob Van Dam walked in as the favorites in the match, but Hardy was viewed as the crowd's favorite. However Hardy was seemingly taken out through his own actions when he attempted a Swanton Bomb through an announce table on Christian, only for Captain Charisma to duck out of the way at the last minute, causing Hardy to crash and burn and leading to him being led to the back by medical personnel. The match then turned into a triple threat for a short while, with Van Dam struggling to get the victory over Regal and Christian. After taking out Regal with a Van Daminator, RVD succumbed to a Killswitch from Christian. It looked as if Christian would win, only for Hardy to rush back to the ring and hit a Swanton, breaking up the pinfall. Hardy then pinned Christian to pick up the sentimental win and go on to the Royal Rumble to challenge for the gold.
*Rikishi & The Big Show Wrestled to a Double Countout Since debuting on Smackdown in October and becoming US Champion, The Big Show had literally thrown his weight around and bullied the roster of Smackdown. Someone he couldn't bully however was Rikishi, who stood up to the seven footer and was able to hold his own. In their US Title contest, the 400 pound Samoan was able to stand toe to toe with the Giant, leading to the Big Show getting frustrated quickly. This anger was even more incensed after Rikishi celebrated after hitting a Stink Face on The Big Show. The Giant lost his temper and threw Rikishi out of the ring. He hit a Chokeslam on the outside as both men were counted out, before Big Show grabbed a wooden stool from under the ring. He then smashed it over the head of Rikishi, causing it to splinter into a thousand pieces as he KO'ed the Samoan, celebrating afterwards.
*Randy Orton d. Bradshaw by Pinfall to Win the Intercontinental Title Evolution looked to continue their dominance over Raw by having Randy Orton win the Intercontinental Championship from Bradshaw. The Texas Cowboy controlled the match early on, easily besting Orton with his power moves and taking advantage of the youngster's rookie mistakes. However a surreptitious lowblow turned the tide for Orton, and eventually Randy hit a cutter he calls the RKO out of nowhere to surprise Bradshaw and pick up the win, becoming the Intercontinental Champion at a young age.
*Los Guerreros [Eddie & Chavo Guerrero] d. Matt Hardy & Shannon Moore by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Tag Team Titles Cruiserweight Champion Matt Hardy sought to dominate Smackdown even more, teaming with his "Mattitude acolyte" Shannon Moore to try and win the WWE Tag Team Titles from Los Guerreros. The champions bested Hardy and Moore at first, but Team Mattitude took advantage after Chavo missed a suicide dive to the outside. Moore then worked over Chavo's neck, with Hardy only interjecting himself briefly. Eventually Chavo made a comeback, forcing Hardy in when he made a hot tag to Eddie. Eddie cleaned house, but Chavo being down allowed Hardy and Moore to have a 2 on 1 advantage. Eventually the referee was knocked down inadvertantly when Chavo came in to make a save, leading to Hardy attempting to KO Eddie with a tag title belt while Moore held him. Eddie however ducked, causing Matt to hit Moore. Chavo took out Matt while Eddie climbed up and hit the Frogsplash on Shannon to pick up the pinfall and retain the titles.
*The Prophecy [Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire] w/Raven d. Kane by Pinfall At Survivor Series, Raven finally delivered on his "Prophecy", with two of his acolytes debuting in former WCW Tag Team Champions Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire. The two men laid waste to The Undertaker at Survivor Series during the brand warfare Survivor Series match, leading to his elimination. This beatdown attracted the attention of The Undertaker's brother Kane, who came over from Raw briefly to take on the two in a Handicap Match. Despite the best efforts of the Big Red Machine, Jindrak and O'Haire proved too much to handle, with Jindrak hitting a Powerbomb followed by O'Haire hitting a move called the Widowmaker to pick up the win. Afterwards, the two acolytes allowed Raven to continue the beatdown, as he hit Kane with an Evenflow on a Steel Chair and left him lying.
*Kurt Angle d. Chris Jericho by Pinfall to Win the WWE Championship Chris Jericho had won the WWE Championship at Survivor Series in controversial fashion, with Paul Heyman turning on his client Brock Lesnar and helping Jericho win. Jericho claimed that he had no knowledge of Heyman's turn, which Lesnar didn't believe, as he attacked the new champion on Smackdown with such ferocity, he would be suspended by Smackdown GM Shane McMahon. Another man who didn't believe Jericho was Kurt Angle, who set out to prove the collusion between Heyman and Jericho. Y2J continued to deny the connection, especially when he didn't show up to ringside for his title match with Angle with Heyman in his corner. The two had a highly competitive match that turned controversial when Heyman showed up towards the end with the referee down. He got in the ring, tossing the WWE title at Jericho's feet. Jericho refused to use the belt, yelling at Heyman. However, Angle picked up the title belt and decked Jericho from behind with it. He then smiled at Heyman and pinned Jericho as the ref came too, Angle turning heel again and winning the WWE title in the process. After the match, Heyman called on Angle to do more damage to the former champion, only to be chased off by Brock Lesnar coming through the crowd. In a promo segment backstage, a deflated Jericho encountered Shawn Michaels, with the latter giving words of encouragement to the former champion.
*Triple H d. Shawn Michaels in a Ladder Match to Win the World Heavyweight Championship After Shawn Michaels surprisingly won the World Heavyweight Title from Triple H inside the Elimination Chamber, Triple H was quick to cash in his rematch against his former best friend. Michaels then defeated Ric Flair in a non-title match to gain control over what the stipulation for their title rematch, making it a Ladder Match. The two former Kliq members had a highly competitve match, with one of the highlights being Michaels hitting an Elbow Drop off the top of the Ladder to Triple H through the unbroken announce table. In the end though, Michaels would be undone by interference from Randy Orton, as the new IC Champion came out and hit an RKO on HBK from off the ladder, taking him out of the match and allowing Triple H to climb the ladder and regain the World Heavyweight Title.
Off-Camera Title Changes:
January 6: Booker T & Rob Van Dam d. Ric Flair & William Regal (substituting for an injured Batista) to Win the World Tag Team Titles |
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Post by darbicus on Jan 26, 2023 16:43:19 GMT 1
WWE Royal Rumble January 19, 2003 Fleet Center Boston, MA
*Booker T & Rob Van Dam d. William Regal & Christopher Nowinski by Pinfall to Retain the World Tag Team Titles Booker T and Rob Van Dam had teamed together to wrestle away the World Tag Team Titles from Evolution's Ric Flair and Batista, though the Animal had been replaced by William Regal due to Batista suffering a torn tricep injury before the match. Despite not technically being an official tag team champion, Regal still availed himself in the match, and also wasn't the man who got pinned, leading to him finding his own partner in the form of Harvard graduate Christopher Nowinski to challenge the new champions for the belts. Booker and RVD clearly had their minds elsewhere at the start of the match, as both men were scheduled to be included in the Royal Rumble match later on in the night. However despite the early advantage that Nowinski and Regal managed to get, it was overcome when Booker tagged in Van Dam, allowing RVD to clean house. He hit Rolling Thunder on both men and eventually hit Regal with a 5 Star Frogsplash to pick up the victory and retain the titles.
*Matt Hardy d. Shannon Moore by Pinfall to Retain the Cruiserweight Title Shannon Moore had finally broken free of Matt Hardy and his doctrine of "Mattitude", claiming that he was his own man and he would defeat Hardy for the Cruiserweight Title. Moore came out like a house on fire, and easily bested Hardy in the early going, right until Matt was able to counter a DDT into a Side Effect to take control. Matt then slowed down the match and kept Moore mostly trapped to the ground. Moore came back with a moonsault off the top rope, but whiffed on a springboard dropkick that Matt followed up with a Twist of Fate to pick up the win and retain the title.
*Los Guerreros [Eddie & Chavo Guerrero] d. The Prophecy [Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire] w/Raven by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Tag Team Titles Raven's team of The Prophecy had dominated Smackdown since their debut at the Survivor Series. So much so that they would earn a WWE Tag Team Title shot against Los Guerreros. O'Haire and Jindrak dominated much of the match, but failed to put the Guerreros away, with Chavo perservering throughout the match. In the end, the referee was taken out by Raven out of frustration, leading to a 3 on 2 beatdown of the champions. The champions were saved however by a returning Undertaker, who laid out the Prophecy and sent Raven scurrying to the back. Eddie then hit a frogsplash on Jindrak as the referee came too, picking up the win.
*Triple H w/Ric Flair d. Jeff Hardy by Pinfall to Retain the World Heavyweight Championship Jeff Hardy had earned a World Heavyweight Championship match against Triple H courtesy of his victory in a Fatal Fourway the month before at Armageddon. Throughout the build to the Royal Rumble, Hardy had been classed as the underdog, with Triple H discounting him entirely, at least until Hardy pinned him clean on the January 6th episode of Raw in a non-title match. Despite his outward confidence though, it was clear Triple H didn't want Hardy to get close to the World Title. En route to the ring during the match, Hardy was assaulted by Randy Orton and Ric Flair, who laid out the Extreme Enigma. Hardy struggled to compete once the bell rang, only getting limited offense off until being pinned by Triple H following a Pedigree.
*Scott Steiner d. Triple H by Submission in a Non-Title Match After the match with Hardy, Raw Interim GM Jim Cornette came out and said that Triple H's night wasn't done yet. Though he wouldn't have to defend the title again, he would have to face Raw's newest signee in the form of Big Poppa Pump Scott Steiner. Steiner made his way to the ring and quickly dispatched Orton and Flair before turning his attention to Triple H. The Game tried to hit him with the world title belt, but Steiner ducked and hit a belly to belly suplex on Triple H. After a couple of power moves, Steiner then locked him in the Steiner Recliner, winning the imprompty non-title match quickly.
*Victoria d. Jacqueline by Pinfall to Retain the Women's Title In a standard title defense, Victoria defeated Jacqueline by pinfall after delivering a Widow's Peak. After the match, Victoria was attacked by Trish Stratus, but was then saved by a returning Jazz, who made a motion to Victoria that she was coming for her title as well.
*Kurt Angle w/Paul Heyman d. Chris Benoit by Submission to Retain the WWE Championship Following Kurt Angle winning the WWE Title from Chris Jericho and turning heel by aligning himself with Paul Heyman, he immediately entered a feud with the Next Big Thing Brock Lesnar. However, Heyman revealed that he had screwed Lesnar out of his automatic rematch for the title, forcing him into the Rumble match to try and earn an opportunity against the Olympic Hero. Smackdown Gm Shane McMahon made a triple threat match for the #1 contendership between Chris Benoit, Rey Mysterio and Edge, with Benoit winning via submission. The match at the Royal Rumble between Angle and Benoit was reminiscent of earlier encounters between the two submission specialists, with each trying to find a way to make the other man tap out. Angle eventually ducked out of the way of a diving headbutt from Benoit, before locking in an Ankle Lock which eventually got the Wolverine to tap out.
*Brock Lesnar Won the 30-Man Royal Rumble Match The Royal Rumble match was the stage for a couple of major returns, as both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin made their return in the big match. The Rock had arrogantly returned insisting that he would win the Royal Rumble with no difficulty, while Austin was looking for one last Wrestlemania run, knowing his time in the WWF was coming to an end. The two rivals would meet towards the end of the match, before locking up once again, with Austin seemingly eliminating Rock. However Rock managed to save himself and, while Austin's attention was turned, came from behind and eliminated Austin, only for The Rock to quickly be tossed out by Brock Lesnar. The Rumble also saw the return of Goldust, who targeted Randy Orton and eliminated the Intercontinental Champion as retribution for a series of attacks against the Rhodes family with Evolution. Another story saw Chris Jericho try to emulate the performance of Shawn Michaels, who famously won the Rumble from the first position, only to be cut short by Michaels himself. This drove Jericho crazy, and caused Y2J to run back into the ring and attack Michaels from behind before storming off. In the end the match came down to Lesnar, who was seeking to earn a rematch against Kurt Angle for the WWE Title, and The Big Show, who had been on an impressive win streak since coming to Smackdown. The US Champion seemed poised to eliminate the Next Big Thing, but Lesnar was able to muscle Big Show up to his shoulders and literally dump the Giant over the top rope to the surprise of many, as Lesnar won the Rumble and punched his ticket to Wrestlemania XIX to close out the show.
Royal Rumble Entry/Exit Order (2:00 Intervals)
1. Chris Jericho
2. Rey Mysterio
3. Jamie Noble
4. The Hurricane
5. Randy Orton
- The Hurricane Eliminated #1 by Randy Orton
6. Jamal
7. Nicos Arion
- Jamie Noble Eliminated #2 by Chris Jericho
8. Goldust
- Randy Orton Eliminated #3 by Goldust
9. Rob Van Dam
10. Mark Henry
- Goldust Eliminated #4 by Mark Henry
- Nicos Arion Eliminated #5 by Mark Henry
11. Spike Dudley
- Spike Dudley Eliminated #6 by Mark Henry
12. Kane
13. Tommy Dreamer
14. Test
- Mark Henry Eliminated #7 by Kane
- Jamal Eliminated #8 by Chris Jericho
15. Rico Constantino
16. John Cena
- Test Eliminated #9 by Rob Van Dam
17. Bradshaw
18. Shawn Michaels
- Chris Jericho Eliminated #10 by Shawn Michaels
19. Booker T
- Rico Constantino Eliminated #11 by Rey Mysterio
- Shawn Michaels Eliminated #12 by John Cena
20. Brock Lesnar
- Tommy Dreamer Eliminated #13 by Brock Lesnar
21. Kidman
22. Rosey
23. The Rock
- Rey Mysterio Eliminated #14 by The Rock
- Bradshaw Eliminated #15 by Brock Lesnar
24. Lance Storm
- John Cena Eliminated #16 by Kane
25. The Big Show
- Booker T Eliminated #17 by The Big Show
- Rob Van Dam Eliminated #18 by The Big Show
26. Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Rosey Eliminated #19 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
27. Maven
28. Val Venis
- Kane Eliminated #20 by The Big Show
29. Edge
30. Christian
- Christian Eliminated #21 by Edge
- Lance Storm Eliminated #22 by Stone Cold Steve Austin
- Maven Eliminated #23 by The Big Show
- Val Venis Eliminated #24 by Brock Lesnar
- Stone Cold Steve Austin Eliminated #25 by The Rock
- The Rock Eliminated #26 by Brock Lesnar
- Kidman Eliminated #27 by The Big Show
- Edge Eliminated #28 by The Big Show
- The Big Show Eliminated #29 by Brock Lesnar
Off-Camera Title Changes
January 27: Thuggin & Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown & Mark Henry] d. Booker T & Rob Van Dam to Win the World Tag Team Titles
February 20: Team Angle [Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin] d. Los Guerreros to win the WWE Tag Team Titles |
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Post by darbicus on Jan 30, 2023 1:08:48 GMT 1
WWE No Way Out February 23, 2003 Bell Centre Montreal, Quebec, Canada
*Chris Jericho d. Rob Van Dam by Submission After being eliminated from the Royal Rumble match by the man he had tried to emulate his entire career, Shawn Michaels, Chris Jericho had arranged a transfer to Raw in order to get revenge on HBK, delivering a surprise attack to him on his debut episode and trying to put Michaels back on the shelf. Having temporarily accomplished his goal, Y2J took on Rob Van Dam in his first Pay Per View as a member of the Raw Roster, and resumed his winning ways by locking RVD in the Walls of Jericho and picking up a submission victory after a very competitive match.
*Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown & Mark Henry] w/Theodore Long d. The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley] by Pinfall to Retain the World Tag Team Titles In late 2002, Theodore Long had transitioned from being a referee to being a manager in the WWE, lamenting that "black folk" were kept down by "the white boys in the back." He aligned himself with a newly turned heel D'Lo Brown to form "Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises". This new faction became stronger with the surprise return of the World's Strongest Man Mark Henry at the Royal Rumble, and the two former Nation members quickly won the World Tag Team Titles on Raw. They faced the Dudley Boyz after D-Von Dudley refused to join Long's group. The multiple time tag champions did there best in the early going against D'Lo, but were stymied once the World's Strongest Man entered the fray. Henry and D'Lo isolated Bubba Ray and dominated the match until Bubba was able to hit a cutter on Brown and tag D-Von back into the match. D-Von and Henry then fought it out briefly, before Bubba recovered and told D-Von to Get the Tables. Theodore Long interjected himself and found himself suddenly powerbombed through a table by Bubba Ray on the outside. This however allowed Henry to hit D-Von with the World's Strongest Slam while D'Lo dealt with Bubba Ray on the outside, giving the champions the victory.
*Matt Hardy d. The Hurricane by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Cruiserweight Title With Matt Hardy having dominated the Cruiserweight Division for much of 2002, The Hurricane decided to step up and defeat the "foul evildoer". Despite not having his Mattitude acolyte with him anymore, Hardy was still able to beat The Hurricane, pinning him after hitting a Twist of Fate.
*The Big Show d. Rey Mysterio by Pinfall to Retain the WWE United States Title The Big Show was originally scheduled to face Edge for the United States Championship at No Way Out, but a neck injury (which would sideline Edge for over a year) suffered on Smackdown forced a change, as Edge's tag partner Rey Mysterio substituted in. The David vs. Goliath story played up briefly, with Mysterio running circles around the giant, but Big Show eventually caught Mysterio with a stiff right hand which KO'ed him, before finishing off with a Chokeslam. The Big Show looked to make more of an impact, calling for another Chokeslam this time to the outside, when Mysterio was saved by a recently returned Hulk Hogan, who chased the Big Show off with a steel chair.
*Jazz w/Theodore Long d. Victoria by Pinfall to Win the WWE Women's Title Theodore Long had continued to add individuals to his stable of wrestlers, signing former Women's Champion Jazz to a contract shortly after her return to Raw from injury. Jazz challenged Victoria for the Women's Title in this rare heel vs. heel title match, with Long on the outside to provide "moral support." It would however be former champion Trish Stratus who was the major difference in the match, as she delivered a hangman's neckbreaker to Victoria behind the referee's back while the champion was against the ropes. This allowed Jazz to hit the Jazz Stinger and pick up the pinfall victory, Trish having gained a measure of revenge against her rival Victoria.
*The Undertaker & The Prophecy [Mark Jindrak & Sean O'Haire] w/Raven Wrestled to a No Contest The Undertaker had returned at the Royal Rumble, costing Raven's Prophecy a chance at the WWE Tag Team Titles in the process. The Phenom continued his one man war against the Bowery Prophet and his Disciples, leading to this Handicap Match at No Way Out. Despite holding his own briefly, the numbers game quickly came to overwhelm the Deadman, as Raven and his group set out to end the Undertaker once and for all. However before they could, The Undertaker was saved by his brother Kane from Raw, who had also been targeted by The Prophecy in the past. Together the Brothers of Destruction stood tall, sending Raven and his cronies scattering.
*Jeff Hardy d. Randy Orton by Disqualification [Orton Retains the IC Title] Jeff Hardy's opportunity of a lifetime at the World Heavyweight Championship turned into a nightmare, when he was attacked before his World Title match could even begin by Evolution's Randy Orton and Ric Flair. Orton in particular had done his best to hurt the challenger, leading to Triple H having an easy title defense. Hardy returned the favor by attacking Orton before one of his matches on Raw, leading to Interim General Manager Jim Cornette to make a match between the two at No Way Out. Orton methodically tried to take apart Hardy's knee, grounding the high flyer, but the Daredevil came back and hit his own version of the Twist of Fate for a near two count. After dodging the RKO and hitting a Whisper in the Wind, it seemed like Hardy was primed for victory, when Batista came out of the crowd with his injured arm still in a sling. Batista slid into the ring and delivered a low blow to Hardy, causing a disqualification. The two Evolution members continued to put the boots to the challenger, only to be chased off by Goldust, who had a steel chair in hand. Hardy would pick up the win, but Orton would retain his title.
*Kurt Angle w/Paul Heyman d. Eddie Guerrero w/Chavo Guerrero by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Championship With Angle awaiting his challenger for Wrestlemania (thanks to Paul Heyman's contractual trickery), Smackdown GM Shane McMahon ensured he would have to defend his title along the Road to Wrestlemania, putting the Olympic Hero in a match with Eddie Guerrero. The feud between the two picked up steam on the go home episode of Smackdown, when Angle's handpicked proteges Shelton Benjamin and Charlie Haas (also known, effectively enough, as Team Angle) defeated Los Guerreros for the WWE Tag Team Titles. Eddie surprisingly matched Angle in a wrestling match early on, both men jockeying for position in repeated amateur positions, with Angle eventually forced to powder to the outside to collect himself. Guerrero didn't let up, and quickly the two engaged in a high paced match for over 15 minutes with a lot of back and forth. Haas and Benjamin attempted to get involved, only to be thrown off by Chavo on the outside. In the end though the distraction allowed Angle to catch Guerrero on the top rope as the challenger was attempting a Frogsplash. Angle then delivered a Top Rope Angle Slam to pick up the win and retain his title.
*The Steiner Brothers [Rick & Scott Steiner] d. Triple H & Ric Flair by Pinfall At the Royal Rumble, the newest signee of Raw, Big Poppa Pump Scott Steiner, had defeated Triple H (and the whole of Evolution for that matter) in a Non-Title contest set up by Interim GM Jim Cornette. This naturally made Steiner the next challenger for Triple H's World Heavyweight Title, but The Game insisted that Steiner "earn" his championship shot. He challenged Steiner to a tag match, himself and Ric Flair against Scott and a partner of his choosing. Scott's partner wound up being his brother Rick, and the legendary Steiner Brothers were reunited for one night only. Triple H and Flair worked over Rick as much as possible, trying to keep Scott out of the ring. Eventually though Scott was able to get in the ring and overpower both Flair and the World Heavyweight Champion, pinning the latter after a massive belly to belly suplex out of the corner to earn his title shot at Wrestlemania XIX against The Game.
*Brock Lesnar d. The Rock by Pinfall to Retain his Wrestlemania Title Shot The Next Big Thing Brock Lesnar had won the 2003 Royal Rumble in order to earn a shot at his stolen WWE Championship at Wrestlemania the previous month, eliminating The Rock en route to said victory. However Lesnar still had to contend with the fact that his previous manager, Paul Heyman, had limited power of attorney over Brock's contract for a remaining few days, allowing Heyman to "sell" his Wrestlemania title shot to The Rock for an ungodly sum. Smackdown GM Shane McMahon overturned this decision, and when The Rock threatened to sue, Lesnar stepped in and said he would put the shot on the line in a match against The Great One at No Way Out. Running parallel to this story was the ongoing feud between the two archrivals The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin had been eliminated from his final Rumble match by The Great One, and it appeared that Austin's career might be over (so much so that The Rock actually held a funeral for Austin on Smackdown). In the main event match, The Rock tried to play hard to get, consistently using the referee to keep Lesnar at bay while attacking with his own offense at times. The Rock worked on Lesnar's knee after Brock missed a top rope clothesline on The Great One, even applying the Sharpshooter at one point. Lesnar over powered the hold and tried to deliver an F-5 to the challenger, but the referee was inadvertantly knocked down. The Rock then delivered a low blow followed by a Rock Bottom to Lesnar as the Next Big Thing was checking on the referee. When The Rock tried to add insult to injury by delivering the People's Elbow, he was attacked by a returning Austin who beat the snot out of the Brahma Bull and left him lying with a Stunner in the center of the ring. Lesnar came too and hit another F-5 to The Rock as the referee woke up, registering the pin and keeping Brock in the main event of Wrestlemania XIX. Lesnar celebrated to close the show.
Off-Camera Title Change:
March 20: Chris Benoit & Rey Mysterio d. Team Angle by Pinfall to Win the WWE Tag Team Titles |
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Post by darbicus on Feb 1, 2023 22:24:13 GMT 1
WWE Wrestlemania XIX March 30, 2003 SAFECO Field Seattle, WA
*Kick-Off Show: A-Train d. Bradshaw by Pinfall in an Interpromotional Match In a standard match, the A-Train kept rolling with a victory over the Texan Bradshaw, pinning him following a Derailer.
*Kick-Off Show: Ultimo Dragon d. Matt Hardy by Pinfall to Win the Cruiserweight Title Matt Hardy showed up unannounced on the Wrestlemania kickoff show, lamenting that there were no cruiserweights left on Smackdown who could legitimately challenge him for his title. He was seemingly prepared to retire the championship and declare himself "cruiserweight champion for life" when the challenge was answered by the debuting Ultimo Dragon. The former WCW and international star had been hinted at for weeks, and his surprise debut at Mania caught Hardy off guard. After a short match, Dragon pinned Matt Hardy with the Dragon DDT, winning the Cruiserweight Championship on his first night in the company.
*The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley] & Booker T d. Thuggin & Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry & Rodney Mack] w/Theodore Long by Pinfall The feud between The Dudley Boyz and Theodore Long's Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises had grown more intense with the addition of Rodney Mack to Long's portfolio of clients. The Dudleys teamed with Booker T to counteract this new addition to their rivals, and early on Long's group focused on Booker as the seeming "weak link" in the Dudleys tandem. Eventually Booker was able to make a hot tag to Bubba Ray who cleaned house, with him and D-Von hitting their signature offense on the tag champs. Rodney Mack came in and cleared out the Dudleys, locking D-Von in his Blackout submission, only to be taken out by Booker T to the outside. This allowed the Dudleys to come back and hit the 3-D on D'Lo to pick up the victory over the tag champions.
*The Brothers of Destruction [Kane & The Undertaker] d. The Prophecy [Raven, Sean O'Haire & Mark Jindrak] by Pinfall in a "Whoever is Pinned, Leaves WWE" Handicap Match For months both The Undertaker and Kane had been engaged in an ongoing battle with Raven and his "Prophecy", the tag team of Mark Jindrak and Sean O'Haire, with the last chapter at No Way Out being Kane coming to his brother's aide to prevent yet another beatdown from the group. Raven challenged the two to a handicap match, wanting to end the war and "end the myth of the Phenom" once and for all, adding a stipulation to the match that whomever was pinned would leave the WWE forever. Throughout the match, it was clear that Raven and his group were most interested in seeing The Undertaker vanish from the company, focusing all their attention on the Deadman. However Undertaker and Kane eventually overcame the numbers advantage and, after Jindrak and O'Haire abandoned Raven to save their own skins, quickly turned the tide. After a Last Ride from Undertaker and a Chokeslam from Kane, Taker finished off the Bowery Prophet once and for all with a final Tombstone Piledriver to win and keep his career and Wrestlemania streak in tact.
*Rob Van Dam d. John Cena by Pinfall in an Interpromotional Match Shortly after No Way Out, Raw owner Linda McMahon named a permanent General Manager to Raw (as Jim Cornette had only been serving in an interim basis) in the form of former WCW Executive Eric Bischoff. Eric immediately tried to make Raw the dominant brand of WWE, leading an "invasion" on an episode of Smackdown. To counter this, John Cena led a counter invasion of his own, disrupting an episode of Raw. This led to Cena and Rob Van Dam facing each other in an interpromotional match. The brash Cena was surprisingly able to withstand much of Van Dam's offense, but was unable to put Mr. Monday Night away, leading to RVD hitting a 5 Star Frogsplash to pick up the win.
*Jazz w/Theodore Long d. Victoria & Trish Stratus by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Women's Title Since her return in January, Jazz had dominated the Women's division, winning the title from Victoria the month before (albeit with help from former champion Trish Stratus) and then later beating Trish in a title match, albeit with help from Victoria. This would set up a triple threat match at Mania. The two enemies, Victoria and Trish, were forced to team up in an attempt to counter the strength advantage that the champion had, but the hatred Victoria had for Trish eventually won out, as the two challengers started fighting viciously amongst themselves. Trish eventually caught Victoria with a Chick Kick, but before she could make the pin, Jazz hit the Jazz Stinger and pinned Victoria, retaining her title.
*Randy Orton d. Goldust by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Intercontinental Title Back in October, Randy Orton along with the rest of Evolution had viciously attacked then Raw General Manager Dusty Rhodes, putting him out of action. They performed a similar attack to Rhodes' son Goldust in November. Since his return at the Royal Rumble, Goldust had made it his mission to get revenge on Evolution's youngest member, Intercontinental Champion Randy Orton, leading to this title match at Mania. Adding to the mix was the stipulation put on by Raw owner Linda McMahon that if Orton was disqualified or counted out, he would lose the title. Goldust came out like a house of fire, and easily overwhelmed Orton at first. However the IC Champion took advantage of a mistimed top rope splash from Goldust and assumed control, slowing the match down. A back and forth then ensued, with Goldust getting the advantage briefly. Before he could hit the Curtain Call for a win though, Orton countered the move and hit an RKO out of nowhere to pick up the hard fought victory.
*Team Angle [Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin] d. Los Guerreros [Eddie & Chavo Guerrero] and Chris Benoit & Rey Mysterio by Pinfall to Win the WWE Tag Team Titles The WWE Tag Team Titles had suddenly changed hands just before Wrestlemania, with the makeshift team of Chris Benoit and Rey Mysterio defeating Team Angle with an assistance from former champions Los Guerreros. This led to a competitive triple threat match at Wrestlemania for the titles. Mysterio took most of the competitors out with a dive to the outside early on, only for the dive to be matched by one from Shelton Benjamin, leaving all six men sprawled out on the outside. Benoit and Eddie were the first two to get in the ring, having a match between the two of them briefly before being interrupted by Charlie Haas. All six men eventually got back in the ring, hitting finishers between all of them. In the end, when Benoit locked Chavo in the Crippler Crossface, Eddie broke it up by hitting a Frogsplash. This allowed Shelton Benjamin to hit a T-Bone Suplex on Eddie and sneak away with a win, regaining the titles for Team Angle.
*Hulk Hogan d. The Big Show by Pinfall to Win the WWE United States Title The Big Show's run of dominance faced its toughest challenge as he stepped up against a returning Hulk Hogan, who had come back to Smackdown the previous month to prevent Big Show from injuring Rey Mysterio. The announcers were quick to make comparisons to Hogan's legendary match with Andre the Giant, though they noted that Hogan was no longer in his prime. For the first part of the match the Big Show completely dominated the Hulkster with relative ease, but Hogan perservered and never gave up to the Big Show's lackadasial pin attempts. This bought Hogan the time he needed to get his second wind, hulking up and mirroring his match with Andre, slamming the Giant. He then hit the Legdrop to win the United States title.
*Shawn Michaels d. Chris Jericho by Pinfall For months Chris Jericho had pointed out that he had spent much of his career emulating the career of the Heartbreak Kid Shawn Michaels. After HBK eliminated Jericho from the Royal Rumble though, Jericho's jealousy shone through and he repeatedly attacked Michaels, attempting to end his career. Michaels returned following No Way Out to challenge Jericho to a match at Wrestlemania. The two had a very competitive match with several counters between the two of them. In the end Jericho appeared to have the match won after hitting the Lionsault, but Michaels was barely able to kick out at two. As Jericho argued with the referee, he turned around into a jackknife pin from Michaels which garnered the three count. After the match, Michaels offered his hand as a sign of respect, only for Jericho to hug him...before kicking him straight in the groin with a low blow as he stormed off.
*Shane McMahon & Eric Bischoff Wrestled to a No Contest After Eric Bischoff and Shane McMahon had each led opposing raids on the other's show, they agreed to settle their differences in a confrontation at Wrestlemania. However, this was interrupted by the WWE debut of Goldberg. Vignettes about Goldberg had been airing for several weeks leading into Wrestlemania, with much speculation as to which brand he would appear on. As Goldberg made his way to the ring, he first speared Shane McMahon out of nowhere. However, he also speared Bischoff, standing tall to the delight of the crowd with his future still in the air.
*Triple H w/Ric Flair d. Scott Steiner by Pinfall to Retain the World Heavyweight Championship Since Scott Steiner's debut at the Royal Rumble, he had seemingly had Triple H's proverbial number. He had defeated him in virtually every confrontation between the two men, only for the title to have never been on the line in any of them. In this title match, Triple H operated at a firm disadvantage early on, as Ric Flair was dismissed from ringside by referee Earl Hebner. Steiner unleashed a barrage of suplexes at the opening bell, catching the champion off guard and nearly pinning him in the first minute. A high knee from Triple H stalled Big Poppa Pump's momentum, which the Game then followed up with by targeting the knee of Steiner, even borrowing a page out of the Nature Boy's handbook and locking Steiner in the Figure-4 Leglock briefly. The submission attempt failed, and soon after Triple H found himself on the defensive once again. Steiner was going to set up for a Screwdriver, only for Flair to return to the entryway, drawing the attention of the referee. Orton then jumped in the ring and hit a springboard RKO to hit an RKO out of nowhere on the challenger. Triple H then followed up with a thunderous Pedigree to get the hard fought win.
*The Rock d. Stone Cold Steve Austin by Pinfall Both The Rock and Stone Cold Steve Austin made their respective returns to the WWE in the Royal Rumble match. The Rock, still wrestling with the Hollywood persona he had adopted the previous year, had cost Austin his supposed final chance to compete for the WWE Title at Wrestlemania by eliminating him from the Rumble match. Austin then returned the favor by costing The Rock a match against Brock Lesnar that would have sent The Great One to Wrestlemania instead of the Next Big Thing. This led to Austin challenging The Rock to "One More Round" at Wrestlemania XIX, inticing the Hollywood Star with the fact that he had never beaten Austin at the biggest stage of them all, Wrestlemania. The match started off quickly, with the Rattlesnake going for a Stunner early and The Rock ducking out of the way. Neither man could retain an advantage for long, but Rock was able to gain some control by working over Austin's back and neck area, even locking him in a Sharpshooter at one point. In the end the two old rivals traded finishers a couple of times, before The Rock hit two consecutive Rock Bottoms followed by a People's Elbow to finally put away Austin. Rock left to the back as Austin saluted the crowd, an acknowledgement that this was likely his final match.
*Brock Lesnar d. Kurt Angle by Pinfall to Win the WWE Championship Brock Lesnar and Kurt Angle had seemingly been on a collision course since Lesnar was screwed out of the WWE Championship at Suvivor Series by his former manager, Paul Heyman. Heyman had aligned himself with Angle (after some duplicity with Chris Jericho) and had done everything in his power to prevent Brock from gaining a title rematch, namely using his power of attorney over Brock's contracts until Smackdown GM Shane McMahon nullified this contractual clause. Eventually however Heyman and Angle ran out of legal tricks, and with Heyman barred from ringside, The Next Big Thing would finally get his one on one rematch for the title. The two former amateur wrestlers put on a clinic at the start, each trying to outmuscle the other for leverage. Lesnar's power was on full display, but Angle's natural instincts and speed were able to outmanuver the challenger in the early going. Angle targeted Lesnar's leg, trying to hook him in the Ankle Lock early, but Lesnar was able to counter everytime Angle attempted to go for the move. Halfway through the match the referee went down, causing Haas and Benjamin to appear at ringside. Angle however chased his own flunkies away, wanting to beat Lesnar clean, only to turn around into an F5 that garnered a near fall. Angle then followed up with an Angle Slam that also generated a near fall. Both men appeared exhausted when Lesnar countered a top rope Angle Slam attempt into a powerbomb off the top rope. Lesnar then climbed to the top himself and hit an awe-inspiring Shooting Star Press (unlike in real life, he doesn't concuss himself with the spot), but this still only garnered a two count. Lesnar attempted another F-5, only for Angle to finally fight out and lock on the Ankle Lock. Lesnar made it to the ropes as Angle attempted his top rope Moonsault. Lesnar caught Angle on the top, hitting an F-5 from the second rope to finally put the Olympic Hero away and regain his championship. After the match, both men shook each other's hand as a sign of respect, before Lesnar began celebrating to close the show.
Off-Camera Title Changes
March 31: The Dudley Boyz d. Thuggin & Buggin' Enterprises by Pinfall to Win the World Tag Team Titles |
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Post by darbicus on Feb 2, 2023 4:37:48 GMT 1
Note: Brand Exclusive Pay Per Views start slightly earlier than in real life. They will also extend a bit longer, but we will get to that when we get that far. WWE Backlash 2003April 27, 2003Worcester CentrumWorcester, MARAW Exclusive Show*Chris Jericho d. Scott Steiner by Pinfall
On an episode of Raw following Wrestlemania, Chris Jericho appeared on his new interview segment, the Highlight Reel, complaining about the loss he had suffered at the hands of Shawn Michaels at Wrestlemania XIX. The guest for the interview segment, Scott Steiner, interrupted his "therapy session", telling Jericho to man up and take a loss like a man. Jericho pointed out Steiner's own loss to Triple H at the big event as well, saying at least he didn't choke in a World Title match. When Steiner challenged Jericho to a fight, Y2J seemed to back off, only to sneak attack Steiner from behind, setting up this match at Backlash. Steiner easily dominated the match in the early going, with Jericho only gaining an advantage after using dirty tactics. Steiner never let his foot off the gas though, and appeared ready to pull out the victory after Jericho feigned a knee injury, causing the referee to check on him. At that moment a hooded figure jumped out of the crowd and attacked Steiner, hitting him with a modified facebuster. Jericho then "miraculously" recovered and hit the Lionsault for the win, as the hooded man revealed himself to be Christian. The two celebrated up the rampway, a new alliance seemingly having been formed.
*The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley] d. Thuggin & Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown & Mark Henry] w/Theodore Long & Rodney Mack in a Street Fight to Retain the World Tag Team Titles
The night after Wrestlemania saw The Dudley Boyz win their 6th World Tag Team Championship by defeating D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry. However, the trio of Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises refused to go quietly, viciously assaulting the Dudleys the following week on Raw in an attempt to put them out of action once and for all. The Dudleys withstood the beatdown however, and challenged Brown and Henry to a Street Fight for the belts at Backlash. Both teams came dressed to fight in what was essentially a 3 on 2 Handicap match, as Rodney Mack was on hand to lend help to his stablemates. However the help was all for nought, as the Dudleys hit 3-D's on Mack & Brown, and then finished off the World's Strongest Man with a double powerbomb off the stage through a table, pinning him for the victory.
*Trish Stratus d. Victoria by Pinfall
With Jazz having managed to survive a triple threat match at Wrestlemania with her Women's Title in tact, both Trish Stratus and Victoria were jockeying to be the next top competitor for the title. Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff decided to settle the issue by having the two fight it out at Backlash, with the winner receiving a title shot later in the night. The two rivals had another competitive match between the two of them, with Victoria taking advantage of a supposedly injured knee that Trish suffered early in the match. Stratus was able to fend off the former champion though, catching her with a Chick Kick that stunned her and then rolling her up for the victory.
*Trish Stratus d. Jazz w/Theodore Long by Pinfall to Win the WWE Women's Title
Jazz however wasn't content to wait to defend her title, as she immediately entered the ring and attacked Trish in an attempt to gain an advantage on her new challenger. Jazz focused straight on the injured knee of Trish, locking her in a single leg Boston Crab in an attempt to get a submission victory. However Trish fought through the pain and escaped to the ropes. While the referee admonished Jazz for refusing to break the hold, Theodore Long attempted to choke Trish on the bottom rope. The referee turned around and saw this, ejecting Long from the ringside area. Jazz continued to control the match despite her manager being gone, but Trish hit another Chick Kick with Jazz on the top rope, stunning her, before delivering a superplex for a near fall. Trish then had a long sequence of back and forth with the champion before hitting the Stratusfaction and regaining the Women's Title.
*Randy Orton d. Booker T & Rob Van Dam by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Intercontinental Title
Former World Tag Team Champions (and former competitors to Triple H's World Heavyweight Championship) Booker T and Rob Van Dam had both set their sights on dethroning the youngest member of Evolution in Randy Orton and taking his Intercontinental Title. During a #1 contenders match on Raw, Orton interfered, resulting in a no contest. Initially Raw General Manager Eric Bischoff said that Orton wouldn't have to defend his title, but was overriden by his co-general manager Stone Cold Steve Austin. Austin instead made Orton defend the title against both men in a Triple Threat match. Booker and RVD teamed up to try and take out Orton, but quickly had to fight amongst themselves to try and win the title. Orton was able to pick his spots and lie in wait, and win Van Dam tried a Five Star Frog Splash on Booker T, Orton jumped up and hit him with an RKO instead, pinning Van Dam to retain the title.
*Shawn Michaels d. Test by Pinfall
Several superstars had changed brands after Wrestlemania, among them former Team Canada member Test, who was looking to make a name for himself on Raw. To do this, he challenged Shawn Michaels to a match at Backlash. Test fought well in this relatively standard match, but was beaten by the veteran Michaels after HBK hit Sweet Chin Music. After the match, Michaels joined Jim Ross and Jerry Lawler on commentary, given the competitors in the World Title match to come.
*Triple H w/Ric Flair d. Kevin Nash by Disqualification to Retain the World Heavyweight Championship
The night after Wrestlemania XIX saw the surprise return of Kevin Nash to the WWE. The former Diesel immediately confronted Triple H and Evolution, laying out Ric Flair with a Jackknife Powerbomb while Orton and Triple H scattered. The following week, Nash explained himself, citing Triple H's backstage politics and his refusal to "get a job for Scott Hall" as the reason he was coming to take out his former Kliq Running Buddy. Triple H confronted Nash and called him a sellout for leaving for WCW years earlier while he stayed and made more money for this company than "Shawn, Scott or Kevin ever had combined." This feud between Kliq members brought out the afore mentioned Michaels, who backed Nash in the dispute given his previous issues with the Game. Triple H accepted a challenge from Nash for the World Heavyweight Title, wanting to put his past behind him. The larger Nash was able to overpower Triple H most of the time during the match, but Triple H's underhanded tactics combined with Ric Flair's presence at ringside were able to even the score. The match ended when Triple H intentionally threw a glass of water on the announce table at Shawn Michaels before getting into the ring, only to walk right into a Boot from Nash. Michaels' temper got the better of him and he began attacking Triple H, resulting in Nash being disqualified. Nash and Michaels began to argue at ringside as Triple H grabbed his sledge hammer and attacked Nash from behind, causing him to fall onto HBK. He then hit Michaels with a Pedigree and left both men lying in the middle of the ring.
*Goldberg d. The Rock by Pinfall
At Wrestlemania Goldberg had made his debut by attacking both Raw GM Eric Bischoff and Smackdown GM Shane McMahon, leaving it up in the air which brand he would compete on. It was later revealed that Goldberg was officially a "free agent" and would make his decision later on, challenging various individuals from both brands in the meantime. The first person Goldberg challenged was The Rock the night after Wrestlemania, declaring that The Great One "was next," before Spearing him. The Rock returned the favor by showing up on Smackdown and attacking Goldberg as he was headed towards his rental car, running into him with a golf cart and then stomping him down on the ground. The Rock was able to hit a flurry of moves on Goldberg early on, but Da Man was able to withstand the offense and quickly countered with his own power move set. At one point The Rock hit a Rock Bottom and went for the People's Elbow, only for Goldberg to nip up and hit a spear that knocked Rock nearly out of his boots. Goldberg then hit The Jackhammer to pick up his debut victory on Pay Per View to close the show.
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Post by darbicus on Feb 3, 2023 22:32:06 GMT 1
WWE Judgment Day May 18, 2003 Charlotte Coliseum Charlotte, NC SMACKDOWN Exclusive Event
*"Mr. Personality" Lance Storm d. Tajiri, Brian Kendrick & Jamie Noble w/Nidia by Pinfall Four cruiserweights competed for an opportunity to challenge Ultimo Dragon for the Cruiserweight Championship in this opening match. This included two former champions in Tajiri and Jamie Noble, a newcomer in Brian Kendrick, and former tag champion Lance Storm, who had adopted the moniker of "Mr. Personality" at the behest of Smackdown General Manager Shane McMahon, who lamented Storm's lack of "energy." Storm's more carefree demeanor translated into a victory for him, as he pinned Noble following a Missile Dropkick from the top rope after Tajiri and Kendrick had taken each other out.
*The F.B.I. [Johnny Stamboli & Chuck Palumbo] w/Nunzio d. The APA [Bradshaw & Faarooq] by Pinfall Former tag team champion Chuck Palumbo had joined up with a couple of his "cousins from Jersey" in order to form a new stable called the FBI (the Full Blooded Italians), seeking to dominate the Smackdown tag division and beyond. The group had first targeted Faarooq with 3 on 1 beatdowns, but Faarooq soon received backup from his longtime friend and tag partner Bradshaw, who had been transferred to Smackdown following Wrestlemania, reforming the Acolytes Protection Agency in the process. The two teams met in a knock down drag out fight, but there was a numbers game at play as Nunzio continually tried to interject himself into the match. In the end, Bradshaw nearly decapitated Nunzio with the Clothesline from Hell, only to be clipped in the knee by Stamboli. The FBI then hit Faarooq with a combination backbreaker and legdrop they call the "Faghedaboutit" to pick up the victory.
*Ultimo Dragon d. Billy Kidman w/Torrie Wilson by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Cruiserweight Title In another collision of former WCW cruiserweight legends, Kidman challenged Ultimo Dragon for the WWE Cruiserweight Title. It was a fast paced, high flying match that saw Kidman hit a Shooting Star Press to the outside that nearly resulted in both men being taken out permanently. In the end though, Dragon pulled through by hitting the Asai DDT to pick up the win and retain the title.
*Chris Benoit d. A-Train w/Paul Heyman by Submission Paul Heyman had made it his goal to finish off Brock Lesnar once and for all following Lesnar's victory over Kurt Angle at Wrestlemania. To that end (since Angle was taking time off to heal a neck injury), Heyman hired two new clients in both The Big Show and A-Train to take out Lesnar. A-Train was used mainly as an enforcer, and had cost Chris Benoit a shot at the WWE Title during a #1 contenders tournament on Smackdown, leading to this confrontation at Judgment Day. A-Train used his size against the smaller Benoit, also taking advantage of Heyman's outside interference at an early turning point to keep control of the match. However, before A-Train could finish him off, Benoit had a Herculean surge of strength and executed a hat trick of German suplexes to the larger A-Train to even things out. Benoit hit the Diving Headbutt and went for a cover, only for Heyman to again distract the referee. Off the distraction A-Train grabbed Benoit and went for the Derailer, but Benoit countered into the Crossface and got the larger man to tap out, winning the match.
*Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio d. Team Angle [Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin] in a 2 out of 3 Falls Match to Win the WWE Tag Team Titles This contest was originally set to be a rematch between Los Guerreros and Team Angle, but Chavo was injured on an episode of Smackdown prior to Judgment Day. This left his uncle Eddie facing a 2 on 1 handicap situation, but Eddie found a partner in Rey Mysterio for this 2 out of 3 Falls match. The champions earned the advantage early, with Haas rolling up Mysterio for a quick cheap first fall. They then worked over Rey, with the luchadore refusing to give up as Haas and Benjamin worked over his knee. A mistimed double team move from the champions allowed Rey to make the tag to Eddie, who hit a Frogsplash on Benjamin to even the score. The two teams then had a highly competitive match as they fought for the decisive fall, with Rey hitting the 619 on Haas and then Eddie following up with a second Frogsplash to score the pinfall and win the titles.
*Hulk Hogan d. John Cena by Pinfall to Retain the WWE United States Title Since winning the US Title at Wrestlemania, Hulk Hogan had issued several open challenges to young competitors in the back to try and take out the Hulkster. He had beaten back all of those challenges, including from Kidman, Lance Storm and Matt Hardy. His latest challenger was the brash youngster John Cena, who cut several raps making fun of the Hulkster on road to this match. Cena came out guns blazing, catching Hogan off guard and even hitting an FU for a near two count. Hogan withstood the initial onslaught and began to hulk up, hitting his leg drop as well, but Cena managed to kick out of that much to Hogan's surprise. The two continued to trade moves, with Cena coming the closest of anyone thus far to beating Hogan's US Open Challenge, but in the end Hogan hit a second Leg Drop and picked up the victory to retain the title.
*Goldberg d. The Undertaker by Pinfall After defeating The Rock as part of his investigations of the competition on Raw, Goldberg turned his attention to Smackdown, where he was immediately challenged by the "Big Dog" of the Yard in the Undertaker. In another dream match, the Phenom and Da Man had a short but brutal match, with Goldberg kicking out of a Last Ride and Undertaker kicking out of two Goldberg Spears. In the end, Goldberg hit a third spear and a Jackhammer after fighting out of a Tombstone attempt to pick up the hard fought victory.
*Brock Lesnar d. The Big Show w/Paul Heyman by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Championship After recruiting The Big Show to take out his former client Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman helped the Giant win a #1 contenders tournament to become the #1 contender to the WWE Championship. However, Heyman's antics had quickly annoyed Smackdown General Manager Shane McMahon, who allowed Heyman at ringside during this match only with the stipulation that if Lesnar beat The Big Show, then Heyman would be permanently banished from Smackdown. The much larger Giant had his way with the Next Big Thing throughout the match, dominating him in a way that Lesnar wasn't used to being dominated. However the strength of Lesnar was on full display, as he was able to slam the Big Show and even got him on his shoulders for an F5 at one point, only for Heyman's distraction to cause him to drop him. The end came in a most surprising and spectacular way, as Lesnar caught The Big Show climbing to the top rope. He then shocked everyone by hitting a top rope superplex on the 500 pounder, causing the ring to literally implode into a collapsed heap. Lesnar had to wherewithall to roll over and cover the Big Show, getting the three count, retaining the title and ridding himself of the Paul Heyman Problem once and for all.
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Post by darbicus on Feb 5, 2023 1:19:22 GMT 1
WWE Insurrextion June 7, 2003 Telewest Arena Newcastle, England RAW Exclusive Show
*Rodney Mack w/Theodore Long d. Maven by Submission In a standard match, Rodney Mack defeated Maven cleanly by locking him in the Black Out submission hold.
*The Basham Brothers [Doug & Danny Basham] w/Shaniqua d. Val Venis & Steven Richards by Pinfall The Basham Brothers had recently made their debut on Raw, paired off with their "manager" Shaniqua, though the relationship between her and the brothers was somewhat "more than business related" as inferred by commentator Jerry Lawler. The two had been on a winning streak against local competitors, and in their first real test as a tag team they easily bested the makeshift team of Val Venis and Steven Richards, hitting a double brainbuster on the latter to pick up the win.
*HurriKane [The Hurricane & Kane] d. Thuggin & Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown & Mark Henry] w/Theodore Long by Pinfall The Big Red Machine Kane had recently struck up an unlikely friendship with the supposed Super Hero Hurricane, the two forming an odd couple tag team. They took on former tag team champions D'Lo Brown and Mark Henry in this match, with both teams vying for a position in trying to challenge for the World Tag Team Titles. Henry easily dominated The Hurricane (despite the super hero comically trying to chokeslam the World's Strongest Man), throwing him around the ring with little difficulty. Once Kane got in the ring though, he was able to clear house, eventually hitting a chokeslam on D'Lo to pick up the victory.
*Randy Orton w/Ric Flair d. Booker T by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Intercontinental Title Booker T had won a Fatal Fourway to earn a title shot at IC Champion Randy Orton, which he cashed in on this show. The overconfident champion was nearly done in by his arrogance, as Booker hit a flurry of moves culminating in a huge missile dropkick that nearly garnered him a three count. Ric Flair was able to help his stablemate turn the tide, tripping up Booker when he went for his Scissor Kick, with the distraction allowing Orton to catch Booker with a quick power slam. A back and forth ensued towards the end of the match, with the end coming when Orton countered an attempted Book End into an RKO, which he then used to pin Booker to score the hard fought win.
*The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley] d. Chris Jericho & Christian by Countout to Retain the World Tag Team Titles The newly formed alliance of Chris Jericho and Christian had set their sights on The Dudley Boyz tag team titles. The two Canadians attacked the Dudleys before the bell even rang, attempting to gain a quick advantage over the champions. However the 6-time champions were easily able to adapt, hitting their trademark double team moves on both Christian and Jericho in short order. After a short back and forth, Christian and Jericho decided discretion was the better part of valor and baled on the match, giving the Dudleys an easy Countout victory.
*Scott Steiner d. Billy Gunn by Submission In a standard match, Billy Gunn was easily outpaced by Big Poppa Pump Scott Steiner, who defeated "Mr. Ass" after locking him in the Steiner Recliner.
*Kevin Nash & Shawn Michaels d. Triple H & Ric Flair w/Randy Orton by Pinfall Despite their being some miscommunication problems between Kevin Nash and Shawn Michaels following Backlash, the two old friends seemingly patched things up ahead of this tag team match. After HBK and Nash dominated the early going, Triple H and Flair isolated the big man and worked over his previously injured knee, with Flair even locking Nash in a Figure-4 Leglock. Nash however powered out of the move and tagged in Michaels, who cleaned house of Evolution. Randy Orton tried to interject himself, only to get blasted by a Sweet Chin Music from HBK. Nash intercepted Triple H when he attempted to use a sledge hammer on Michaels, leveling him with a big boot. Nash then powerbombed the World Heavyweight Champion and pinned him, picking up the victory. The two friends then celebrated to close out the show.
Off-Camera Title Change:
June 9: Gail Kim d. Trish Stratus to win the Women's Title |
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Post by darbicus on Feb 6, 2023 1:31:17 GMT 1
WWE Bad Blood June 15, 2003 Compaq Center Houston, TX
*Shawn Michaels d. Ric Flair by Pinfall The feud between Triple H and Kevin Nash had grown to encompass Shawn Michaels as well, with HBK on the side of his current best friend Nash. The two men were set to fight in a Hell in a Cell match later on in the night, with Triple H "strongly suggesting" to Raw co-GM Eric Bischoff that Ric Flair be made the special guest referee for that match. Bischoff initially agreed, but was overruled by his co-GM Steve Austin, who suggested that Michaels be made the referee. It would be settled in this opening match, with the winner going on to referee the main event. Flair tried to use every trick in the book against the more agile Michaels, zeroing in on Michaels knee to set up the Figure-4 Leglock. Michaels fought out of the attempt, even hooking Flair in his own hold briefly. In the end, HBK finished off Flair with Sweet Chin Music, setting up his spot in the main event of the evening.
*Scott Steiner d. Christopher Nowinski by Submission Scott Steiner had entered a brief feud against the Harvard educated Christopher Nowinski over the beginning of the Iraq War, culminating in a "debate" segment on Raw in which Nowinski attacked Steiner from behind. Big Poppa Pump quickly gained the upper hand though, locking the Ivy Leaguer in a Steiner Recliner and picking up the relatively easy win.
*Gail Kim, Trish Stratus & Jacqueline d. Jazz, Victoria & Molly Holly by Pinfall This six woman tag match gained a bit of intrique when Gail Kim defeated Trish Stratus (with some unwanted help from Jazz) to win the Women's Title on the Go Home episode of Raw. Despite the tension of whether or not Trish and the new champion could coexist, the faces managed to pick up the win after Kim hit a power bomb on Molly after she tried her Molly-Go-Round finisher.
*HurriKane [The Hurricane & Kane] d. The Dudley Boyz [Bubba Ray & D-Von Dudley], Chris Jericho & Christian and The Basham Brothers [Doug & Danny Basham] w/Shaniqua by Pinfall to Win the World Tag Team Titles The Dudley Boyz had been feuding with the combination of Chris Jericho and Christian since the latter's formation in April, but this match was made a Four Corners elimination match by Raw Co-General Manager Steve Austin, adding both The Basham Brothers and the odd-couple team of HurriKane into the mix. Much to their chagrin, Jericho and Christian were the first team eliminated when Kane chokeslammed both men to earn a pinfall. The Basham's were eliminated next, with Doug Basham being hit with a 3-D. The Dudleys fought against Kane and The Hurricane to close out the match, with both teams engaged in a back and forth. Jericho & Christian would return however, with Y2J distracting D-Von long enough for him to caught with another Chokeslam and for Hurricane to hit a Big Splash off the top rope for the odd couple team to pick up the win.
*Goldberg d. Thuggin & Buggin Enterprises [D'Lo Brown, Mark Henry & Rodney Mack] w/Theodore Long in a 3 on 1 Handicap Match Goldberg was continuing to explore his options as to which brand he was going to join. On an episode of Raw, he was confronted by the World's Strongest Man, Mark Henry, who challenged him to a match. That match ended in a disqualification when Henry's stablemates attacked Da Man and left him beaten down for the first time in his career. Afterwords, Goldberg challenged all three members of Thuggin and Buggin Enterprises to a Handicap match at Bad Blood. To the shock of many, Goldberg ran through all three men with relative ease, ending with a massive Jackhammer to the 400 pound Mark Henry to pick up the win.
*Rob Van Dam d. Randy Orton by Disqualification [Orton Retains the Intercontinental Title] After Booker T had failed to win the IC title in previous weeks, Rob Van Dam took a turn at trying to win the title from the young member of Evolution. Orton's slowburn offense was easily countered by RVD. Orton however wouldn't give Van Dam a chance to try and capitalize on his momentum, deliberately kicking him low in front of the referee to garner a disqualification loss, but keep his title reign in tact.
*Stone Cold Steve Austin d. Eric Bischoff in a "Redneck Triathlon" The co general managers of Raw had been engaged in a game of oneupsmanship ever since Stone Cold Steve Austin was appointed as Eric Bischoff's new power sharing partner. Along this way, Austin challenged Bischoff to a "Redneck Triathlon", a series of events to determine who the best man for the job would be. To the surprise of everyone, Bischoff won the first event, a Three-Legged Race (though this was likely because Austin intentionally lost, tripping over the foot of his "partner" Jackie Gayda so that the two tumbled over each other). The second event, riding the mechanical bull, was easily won by Austin after Bischoff fell off after only two seconds on the machine. The third and final event, a beer drinking contest, ended when Austin hit a Stunner on Bischoff after the former head of WCW accidentally "wasted good beer" by spitting it out all over Austin. Austin then celebrated in the ring to the crowd's delight.
*Triple H d. Kevin Nash by Pinfall in a Hell in a Cell Match to Retain the World Heavyweight Championship With Shawn Michaels installed as the Special Guest Referee (despite a decree from Eric Bischoff forcing Michaels to call the match down the middle, lest he be fired), it seemed as if Kevin Nash was primed to win the World Heavyweight Championship from his former Kliq-mate Triple H. However The Game was experienced in Hell in a Cell matches, something that Nash had never experienced. In a brutal match, Triple H used every weapon he could to try and slow down the giant, while Nash attacked with near reckless abandon. In the end, Triple H countered a jackknife powerbomb with a sledge hammer shot to the skull of Kevin Nash, which he then followed up with a Pedigree. Michaels was then reluctantly forced to count the fall, with Triple H once again retaining the World Heavyweight Title. As Triple H celebrated with Evolution however, Goldberg appeared on the rampway staring down the World Heavyweight Champion, seemingly indicating that he was coming for The Game and his title next.
Off-Camera Title Changes
June 26: The Big Show d. Brock Lesnar to Win the WWE Championship
June 30: Chris Jericho & Christian d. The Hurricane in a Handicap Match to Win the World Tag Team Titles
July 3: A-Train d. Hulk Hogan to Win the WWE United States Title
July 10: The World's Greatest Tag Team d. Eddie Guerrero & Rey Mysterio to Win the WWE Tag Team Titles
July 21: Victoria d. Gail Kim to Win the WWE Women's Title
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Post by darbicus on Feb 8, 2023 20:11:59 GMT 1
WWE Vengeance July 27, 2003 Pepsi Center Denver, CO
*Lance Storm d. Ultimo Dragon by Pinfall to Win the WWE Cruiserweight Title For many weeks the Cruiserweight Champion Ultimo Dragon had been fending off two Yakuza henchmen named Akio and Sakoda, who were apparently targeting the Dragon for an unknown reason. The champion had tried to conduct his business without any interruption, but it all came to a head in this title match against Lance Storm. Despite a highly competitive match, Ultimo Dragon was setting up Storm for his Asai DDT when Sakoda came to ringside and took out the referee from behind. Dragon fought them off, suddenly receiving aide from Tajiri. However Tajiri then turned on the Dragon and sprayed him with the Green Mist, leaving him blinded. Storm, unknowingly, then pinned Dragon as the referee came too, winning the title.
*The APA [Bradshaw & Faarooq] & Spike Dudley d. The FBI [Johnny Stamboli, Chuck Palumbo & Nunzio] by Pinfall The feud between the APA and the FBI had continued to cover most of Smackdown, with the Italians and the Acolytes trading victories on numerous occasions. It finally came to a head in a No Holds Barred six man tag, which saw the APA team with Spike Dudley against the Italians. Despite the FBI isolating Spike after putting Faarooq through a table, Bradshaw was able to nearly single handedly take them out, pinning Nunzio after nearly decapitating him with a Clothesline from Hell.
*Sable d. Torrie Wilson w/Billy Kidman in an Evening Gown Match Former WWE Women's Champion Sable had returned to the WWE to promote her latest edition of Playboy, which was on store shelves the previous month. She entered into conflict with another Playboy Bunny in Torrie Wilson over who "the most beautiful woman in WWE" truly was. This led to an Evening Gown match between the two, which Sable won after stripping off Torrie clothes. However, Wilson would have the last laugh, stripping off Sable to her underwear and causing her to have a near "wardrobe malfunction" live on Pay Per View, forcing her to the back.
*Rey Mysterio d. Chavo Guerrero by Pinfall Chavo Guerrero had returned from injury to find Rey Mysterio having taken his place in a tag team with his uncle, Eddie Guerrero. Both Eddie and Mysterio had success, winning the WWE Tag Titles in May and defending them since then. Chavo confronted Rey and Eddie, targeting the former for "replacing him" in the Guerrero family and going after Eddie for allowing it to happen. Things became even more heated when Chavo "accidentally" cost the pair the tag titles to the self-professed World's Greatest Tag Team on an episode of Smackdown. This led to a match between Chavo and Rey at Vengeance. Chavo availed himself well, especially compared to their match they had the year before at Rey's debut in the company, but Mysterio capitalized on a missed springboard plancha from Chavo to catch Guerrero with the 619 and then follow up with a West Coast Pop for the victory. After the match, Eddie and Rey confronted Chavo and asked him to shake their hands. At first Chavo appeared to do so reluctantly, before hugging both men, with the three celebrating in the ring.
*Chris Benoit d. A-Train by Disqualification [A-Train Retains the US Title] A-Train had continued his dominant streak of victories, despite losing Paul Heyman as his manager, defeating Hulk Hogan to win the US Title and seemingly putting the Hulkster on the shelf (which was merely writing him off TV, as Hogan left the WWE due to being unable to reach a new contract.) However, one man who had managed to beat the A-Train was Chris Benoit, who challenged him for the US Title. Like their match at Judgment Day, Benoit used his quickness to keep A-Train off kilter and prevent the big man from dominating him with power moves. However Benoit was unable to put A-Train away, as the champion simply decided to try and end the Wolverine's career by hitting the Derailer through the announce position at ringside. This gave Benoit a DQ victory, but left him to be hauled off to the back on a stretcher.
*The World's Greatest Tag Team [Charlie Haas & Shelton Benjamin] d. John Hennigan & Matt Cappotelli w/Hardcore Holly by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Tag Team Titles The last two winners of the WWE Tough Enough competition had recently been announced that they were signed to Smackdown exclusive contracts and had begun appearing as a tag team in recent weeks. Confrontations with the WWE Tag Team Champions, the former Team Angle now referring to themselves as the World's Greatest Tag Team, had followed, setting up this title match. The young rookies availed themselves well, drawing support from their trainer Hardcore Holly (who was still not cleared to compete due to a lingering neck issue), but eventually the well oiled machine that was the champions overwhelmed them, with Benjamin hittong a T-Bone Suplex on Cappotelli to pick up the pinfall victory and retain the titles.
*The Undertaker d. Brock Lesnar & John Cena by Pinfall in a #1 Contenders Triple Threat Match On an episode of Smackdown at Madison Square Garden, Brock Lesnar had lost the WWE Championship to the Big Show, largely due to being attacked by the World's Greatest Tag Team in the moments leading up to his title defense. The next week Kurt Angle returned for the first time since Wrestlemania, having healed a neck injury he sustained in the build to that match. Lesnar immediately confronted Angle about the attack, although Angle denied any involvement. It set up a #1 contenders match that night which Angle won. This left Lesnar relegated to another #1 contenders match, which had been set up previously between the already feuding Undertaker and John Cena. Undertaker and Lesnar teamed up in the early going against the brash Cena, but quickly their alliance devolved until all three men were brawling with each other. Lesnar hit Cena with an F5 to seemingly win the match, only for Cena's foot to catch the bottom rope at the last minute. The confusion allowed the Undertaker to sneak in and hit Lesnar with a Last Ride before delivering a Tombstone to Cena to pick up the victory and earn a title shot.
*The Big Show d. Kurt Angle by Pinfall to Retain the WWE Championship After Brock Lesnar had lost the #1 contenders match without being pinned, he had gone crazy at ringside and officials struggled to reign him in as Kurt Angle came out for his title match with The Big Show. Angle also tried to rationalize with Brock, only for Brock to snap again and deliver an F5 through the announce table to the challenger. The Big Show then came out as Lesnar was taken away by security and attempted to get a quick pin on his challenger for the evening. Angle kicked out though and attempted to fight back, but was clearly hurt from the Lesnar assault. This led to the Big Show picking up the win with a Chokeslam to Angle, as the announcers lamented Angle's shot as having been tainted by Lesnar's actions.
Off-Camera Title Changes:
August 7: Tajiri d. Lance Storm for the WWE Cruiserweight Title
August 7: Chris Benoit d. A-Train for the WWE United States Title
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Post by darbicus on Feb 9, 2023 4:54:22 GMT 1
WWE SummerslamAugust 24, 2003America West ArenaPhoenix, AZ*KICKOFF SHOW: La Resistance [Sylvain Grenier & Renee Dupree] w/Jacques Rougeau d. John Hennigan & Matt Cappotelli w/Hardcore Holly by Pinfall
In a standard tag team match, the French-Canadian team of Sylvain Grenier & Renee Dupree defeated the Tough Enough Rookies, when Dupree pinned Hennigan following a distraction from Jacques Rougeau on the outside.
*KICKOFF SHOW: A-Train Won a 16 Man, Interpromotional, Battle Royal
In a Battle Royal that had 8 men from Smackdown and 8 from Raw, A-Train was victorious when he last eliminated Booker T from the match. *Rey Mysterio d. Matt Hardy by Pinfall
In this opening contest the "Cruiserweight Legend" Matt Hardy attempted to reestablish himself at the top of the division by taking on Rey Mysterio. Though the luchadore hadn't competed for the Cruiserweight Title much in the year since his arrival in WWE, Mysterio had always been respected as one of the best premier cruiserweights in the company. This fast paced match saw Hardy struggle to keep up with the faster Mysterio, and Rey eventually countered a Twist of Fate into a 619 followed by a springboard splash for the victory in a well-fought opening match.
*Molly Holly d. Victoria, Gail Kim, Trish Stratus, Jazz & Shaniqua in a Championship Scramble Match for the WWE Women's Title
The Women's Division on Raw had seen much upheaval as all of the women in the division jockeyed for position, each trying to earn the next shot at the title. Tired of dealing with the arguments, Raw Co-General Manager Eric Bischoff made a 6 Woman Championship Scramble match, where whoever was champion at the end of 20 minutes would be the official champion. It didn't take long for Jazz to pin Victoria to become Interim Champion during the match, but Jazz herself was also outmuscled by newcomer Shaniqua, who looked like she would hold the title in the end. Gail Kim managed to finally pin Shaniqua with less than a minute to go in the match, only to be rolled up from behind by Molly Holly in the last 10 seconds, giving Molly the surprise win and the Women's Title.
*Ultimo Dragon d. Tajiri w/Akio & Sakoda by Disqualification [Tajiri Retains the Cruiserweight Title]
After Ultimo Dragon lost the Cruiserweight Title, it was revealed that Tajiri was the man behind the two Yakuza henchmen who had been attacking the former Japanese star. Tajiri followed this up with a quick win over Lance Storm to secure the Cruiserweight title himself. Dragon challenged Tajiri for the title, and despite Akio and Sakoda being on the outside, it appeared as if the Dragon would in fact regain his title. However Tajiri got himself intentionally disqualified by using the Green Mist on Ultimo Dragon, blinding him. Tajiri and his henchmen then beat down the challenger, until they were chased off by Kidman and Rey Mysterio.
*Randy Orton d. Rob Van Dam by Pinfall to Retain the Intercontinental Title
Despite his 9 month long Intercontinental Title reign, Randy Orton had won many of his matches with either help from his Evolution teammates or by getting himself intentionally disqualified or counted out. Raw co-general manager Stone Cold Steve Austin decided to "even the playing field" by stripping Orton of his championship advantage, as well as banning Evolution from ringside, for his Summerslam title defense against Rob Van Dam. RVD took full advantage of Orton's predicament, hitting several moves early on designed to keep the champion off balance and end the match early. Orton however managed to hit a Hangman's DDT on Van Dam to take control and wear down the challenger. At one point, Orton almost seemingly lost his temper when he grabbed the IC Title belt to hit Van Dam with it, but tossed the belt away to distract the referee in order to hit a low blow on Van Dam behind the ref's back. This however only garnered a two count. Van Dam fought back and seemingly had the match won when he hit the 5 Star Frog Splash, but Orton managed to get his foot on the ropes just as the referee counted three. As Van Dam celebrated while the referee was forced to explain to him the miscommunication, Orton came back up and hit an RKO out of nowhere on the challenger before cinching in the pin and retaining his title yet again.
*Kane d. The Hurricane by Pinfall in a No Holds Barred Match
In late June, Kane had fought Randy Orton for the Intercontinental Title in a Mask vs. Title match, which he lost due to outside interference. Kane thus was forced to unmask for the first time ever, and went on a tear, turning on his tag partner The Hurricane and abandoned him the following week, which caused him to lose the tag team titles to Chris Jericho and Christian in a tag match. Kane had disappeared for the month of July, before returning to attack Evolution during one of the groups attacks on Goldberg, only to attack Da Man as well. Kane became a one man army, destroying everything in his path. His former tag partner attempted to appeal to him, challenging him to a match at Summerslam to try and "calm the monster." This turned out to be a bad idea, as Kane laid waste to The Hurricane and easily beat him, pinning him with one foot after two chokeslams and a Tombstone Piledriver and then stalking off to the back after medics came down to tend to the super hero.
*Los Guerreros [Eddie & Chavo Guerrero] d. The World's Greatest Tag Team [Shelton Benjamin & Charlie Haas] in a Ladder Match to Win the WWE Tag Team Titles
With the Guerreros seemingly having put their differences aside and reunited as a team, the two set their sights on regaining the WWE Tag Team Titles from their long time rivals, the World's Greatest Tag Team, challenging them to a title rematch. On an episode of Smackdown, Chavo defeated Charlie Haas on an episode of Smackdown in order to choose the stipulation for the title match, with the Guerreros challenging the champions to a Ladder Match. What followed was another great contest between two of the best teams of the day, with several double team spots involving the ladders, including a spot where Benjamin lept from the top of the ladder to the outside of the ring with a suicide dive. In the end Chavo delivered a Tornado DDT to Benjamin from the top of a Ladder, giving Eddie enough time to climb up and secure both belts, giving Los Guerreros the WWE Tag Team Titles once again.
*Chris Jericho & Christian d. Kevin Nash & Shawn Michaels by Pinfall to Retain the World Tag Team Titles
Chris Jericho's feud with Shawn Michaels had reignited after Jericho had won the World Tag Team Titles with Christian. Y2J and his partner, Captain Charisma, had begun attacking Michaels in 2 on 1 assaults, leading to HBK calling in backup from his best friend Kevin Nash. Michaels reminded Jericho that, 9 years prior at this very event, Nash and Michaels had won the World Tag Team Titles. It looked as if they would duplicate that feat again, as Michaels and Nash controlled the early part of the match. Jericho managed to regain control by targeting the knee of the 7 footer, even trapping him in the Walls of Jericho briefly. Nash was able to power out of the move though and make the hot tag to Michaels, who cleared the ring of the champions. Michaels was caught in a 2 on 1 advantage against Jericho and Christian until Nash came back in, bad knee and all. The four men continued to fight, with Michaels dispatching Christian with a clothesline to the outside. He then tried to hit Jericho with Sweet Chin Music, but Jericho ducked, causing Michaels to hit Nash instead. Jericho then rolled up Michaels for the win. After the match, HBK tried to apologize to Nash, who simply snapped and hit Michaels with a Jackknife Powerbomb before stalking off to the back.
*Goldberg d. Triple H w/Ric Flair by Pinfall to Win the World Heavyweight Championship
At Bad Blood, Goldberg had made known his decision to permanently commit to the Raw brand and to target World Heavyweight Champion Triple H. The two men first met in Madison Square Garden on an episode of Raw, with Triple H ending Goldberg's undefeated streak and retaining his title thanks to Evolution interference and a sledge hammer shot to the challenger. Triple H then refused to grant Goldberg a title rematch, which was supported by Raw co-GM Eric Bischoff as no rematch clause was included in the contract. Triple H finally relaxed his stance after threats from the other general manager of Raw, Stone Cold Steve Austin, agreeing to grant Goldberg a title shot if Goldberg went through a series of Evolutionary Challenges. This included beating Randy Orton and Ric Flair in back to back weeks, surviving a Raw Gauntlet of 9 men that Goldberg had to beat one at a time, and then finally surviving more than 10 minutes in the ring with Triple H himself while handcuffed. Goldberg survived all these challenges, forcing Triple H to grant him a title shot. Early on Goldberg was targeted by Ric Flair, who chop blocked him on the outside. Steve Austin then made his way to ringside and "ejected" Flair from the area (mainly by hitting him with a Stone Cold Stunner). Triple H worked over the knee of the challenger and locked him in a Figure-4 to try and get a submission victory, but Goldberg reversed the hold. He then hit several power moves and set up Triple H for his Spear. Goldberg was intercepted by Randy Orton, who took the Spear for the game instead. Triple H then tried to get intentionally disqualified, but Austin overturned the decision and forced the match to restart. While Triple H was arguing with Austin (as was Eric Bischoff, who had come to ringside), Goldberg speared the champion from behind and then speared Bischoff. Goldberg then followed up with a second Spear to the champion and a Jackhammer to pick up the win and become World Heavyweight Champion.
*Brock Lesnar d. The Big Show, Kurt Angle, The Undertaker, Chris Benoit & John Cena in an Elimination Chamber Match to Win the WWE Championship
The Undertaker had earned a title shot at The Big Show at Vengeance, but his title match quickly went south as there was constant interference from John Cena, Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar in the match. With all 5 men becoming intertwined in the title picture, Smackdown General Manager Shane McMahon ordered an elimination chamber match for the main event of Summerslam. Chris Benoit would become the 6th man in the match after defeating the A-Train (and becoming US Champion in the process). Throughout the build to the match, the participants would each gain victories over the others in singles competition. The match played out as laid out below, with the end coming after, to the shock of everyone, Smackdown owner Vince McMahon made his return. He ordered the Chamber door opened and snuck a steel chair into the ring, looking at Lesnar as he did. Lesnar nodded his head and picked up the chair, only to nearly be caught by an Angle Slam in the process. Lesnar powered out and then belted Angle with the chair. He then delivered an F5 onto the chair and pinned Angle, becoming WWE Champion once again, much to the seeming approval of Mr. McMahon.
- Kurt Angle and Brock Lesnar entered the match at #1 and #2 respectively
- Chris Benoit entered the match at #3
- The Undertaker entered the match at #4
- John Cena entered the match at #5
- The Big Show entered the match at #6
- The Undertaker d. John Cena by Pinfall with The Last Ride on the outside.
- Kurt Angle d. The Big Show by Submission with an Ankle Lock
- Brock Lesnar d. The Undertaker by Pinfall with an F5
- Kurt Angle d. Chris Benoit by Pinfall with an Angle Slam
- Kurt Angle d. Brock Lesnar by Pinfall with an F5 onto a steel chair to Win
Off-Camera Title Change:
August 25: Gail Kim d. Molly Holly for the Women's Title
September 1: The Basham Brothers d. Chris Jericho & Christian in a Fatal Fourway Match to win the World Tag Team Titles
September 18: Sean O'Haire d. Chris Benoit for the United States Title
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