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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Oct 30, 2023 4:53:09 GMT 1
Part XLIX: WWF Backlash 2001
WWF Backlash 2001April 29th, 2001 - Allstate Arena - Rosemont, IllinoisSunday Night Heat1.) The Samoan Destruction Squad (Rosey & Jamal) def. Kai En Tai (Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki)2.) Chris Candido def. Too Cold ScorpioPPV1.) Six-Man Tag - The Brothers Of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker) & Vampiro def. X-Factor (Albert, Justin Credible, & WWF Hardcore Champion X-Pac)2.) Mask vs. Hair Match - Hayabusa def. Steven Richards3.) WWF Light Heavyweight Title - Scotty 2 Hotty def. Kid Kash (c)4.) Jeff Jarrett & Psycho Sid def. The Legion Of Doom5.) Triple H def. Lex Luger6.) Steve Austin def. Big Bossman via DQ7.) Last Man Standing Match - Shane McMahon def. Vince Russo8.) Winner Takes All - WWF Champion Hulk Hogan & WWF Intercontinental Champion Shawn Michaels (with Vince McMahon) def. WWF World Tag Team Champions The APA (Bradshaw & Faarooq with Jacqueline)Well, we're coming off one of the biggest PPVs in WWF history, which featured two of the biggest matches in WWF history. However, as the seventeenth edition of WrestleMania came to a close, we saw the formation of a new force headed by WWF Owner and Chairman Vince McMahon. Surrounding him are WWF Champion Hollywood Hulk Hogan, Shawn Michaels, and McMahon's new personal bodyguard, Big Bossman. These four men kicked off the RAW Is WAR the night after WrestleMania, and McMahon explained that while he did enjoy fighting alongside (and winning the WWF World Tag Team Titles with) his son Shane McMahon against the forces led by Vince Russo, he hated the fact that he had to fight alongside Steve Austin and The Rock, the two men who've given him so much trouble over the last three or so years. Once he got backstage after what he called a "decisive victory" over Jeff Jarrett and Vince Russo in Houston, he decided that it was time for him to take back control of his company from everyone (Austin, Rock, and the Russo/Jarrett faction) that's been giving him trouble. So, he decided to bring together two of the biggest names in the industry to back him in his cause.....the biggest WWF star of the 1980's in Hulk Hogan, and one of the biggest stars of the 1990's in Shawn Michaels. McMahon stated that his new force wasn't going to be as bloated as The Corporation was years earlier. Himself, Hogan, and Michaels were the best of the best....they were elite. So, Vince christened his new faction The Corporate Elite.Shane McMahon came out to confront his dad, as he tried to understand what this meant for their relationship. Shortly after he finished speaking, Big Bossman leveled him, while the rest of The Corporate Elite (which also included Vince's longtime henchmen Gerald Brisco and Pat Patterson) went to town on the younger McMahon. Steve Austin then came out to make the save, but he was cut off with a nightstick shot from Bossman. The Rock then came out and was finally able to clear the ring. As The Corporate Elite retreated to the stage, Vince took the mic again and announced that tonight, The Rock would be defending his newly won WWF Intercontinental Title tonight in a Steel Cage Match against Shawn Michaels. He also stated that both Shane McMahon and Steve Austin were to be removed from the building immediately. In that aforementioned main event, The Rock fought valiantly, but with Big Bossman, Gerald Brisco, and Pat Patterson outside the cage, sneaking weapons into Michaels whenever The Rock seemed to be gaining momentum, it was too much to overcome. Shawn Michaels regained the WWF Intercontinental Title, and following the match, the beatdown of The Rock continued (this would serve as his write-off from television, just like in OTL). The show ended with new WWF World Tag Team Champions The APA coming to The Rock's aid just as things were about to get really bad, but the damage had already been done. Annoyed by The APA getting involved in The Corporate Elite's business, Vince McMahon would announce a week later that the main event of Backlash would see Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels team up against The APA, with the WWF Title, the WWF Intercontinental Title, and the WWF World Tag Team Titles all on the line. A unique main event to say the least. The APA would put up a good fight in what was their first-ever PPV main event as a tag team. However, their best efforts weren't enough, as Hogan and Michaels would capture the WWF World Tag Team Titles. Going into the month of May, The Corporate Elite would seem to have all the power.What about Steve Austin and Shane McMahon? In order to keep Austin preoccupied, Vince McMahon set up a match for Backlash that would see Austin go one-on-one with Big Bossman. Just as Austin seemed to be on the verge of victory, Bossman brought out his nightstick and used it on Austin to cause the DQ. Vince didn't really care if Austin won or lost....he just wanted Bossman to injure Austin. He appeared to be on his way to doing that, but Austin fought back, and got the better of that brawl. As for Shane McMahon, on that RAW Is WAR after WrestleMania, he and Austin were being escorted from the building separately, and just as Shane was about to leave, he was jumped in the Parking Lot by members of Planet Jarrett, with Jeff Jarrett himself delivering the final blow with a guitar shot. Vince Russo, unsatisfied with what happened at WrestleMania, challenged Shane to a Last Man Standing Match at Backlash. This would mark the third PPV in a row that Shane McMahon and Vince Russo have faced off in some form (Russo won their Hardcore Title bout at No Way Out, while Shane won the Tag Team Street Fight at Mania), though it wouldn't be the only Planet Jarrett involvement on this PPV. Jeff Jarrett and Psycho Sid would take on the newly reinvigorated Legion Of Doom, and X-Factor would battle the trio of Kane, The Undertaker, and Vampiro. That match came about after X-Pac managed to win the WWF Hardcore Title from Kane on the April 18th SmackDown, thanks to involvement from the rest of X-Factor. Of course, Kane would have his brother The Undertaker to back him up, but they would find a new ally in the form of Vampiro, who decided to put his previous issues with The Brothers Of Destruction behind him in order to take on Planet Jarrett. They would win that Six-Man Tag, and later in the night, when X-Factor tried to help Vince Russo win the Last Man Standing Match against Shane McMahon, they would come out to help even the odds. Shane ultimately won that match after jumping off the top of the Backlash set (just like he did in OTL when he wrestled The Big Show) onto a prone Russo. The rest of the main card is made up of a couple of interesting matches. First, on the SmackDown after WrestleMania, Triple H came out to address his future following his loss to The Undertaker. However, as he was making his entrance, he was jumped by....of all people....Lex Luger, who was revealed as the newest member of Planet Jarrett. Luger was back in the WWF for the first time since 1995, when he famously jumped to WCW on the very first episode of Monday Nitro. Now he had returned almost five-and-a-half years later, he's back, and on orders from Russo and Jarrett, he was sent to take out "The Game". Unfortunately for Luger, Triple H would win their one-on-one match at Backlash, but a post-match attack by Luger would ensure that the feud continued. Kid Kash's long reign as WWF Light Heavyweight Champion came to an end at the hands of Scotty 2 Hotty in what was a spirited back-and-forth contest. Kash had turned back the challenge from a number of international stars during his reign, but it was a WWF mainstay who was finally able to wrestle the title from him. Finally, the leader of Right To Censor, Steven Richards, wound up with his head shaved after losing a mask vs. hair match to Hayabusa. That match stemmed from events following WrestleMania. On the April 4th SmackDown, the RTC lost the WWF World-Six Man Tag Team Titles to the trio of Hayabusa, Jinsei Shinzaki, and Tiger Mask. However, since the RTC was still reeling from losing the WWF World Tag Team Titles a few days prior, they went wild after the match, attacking the new champions. The beatdown included Steven Richards ripping off the mask of Hayabusa. This set up a rematch two weeks later on the April 18th SmackDown, where the winning side would not only be the WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Champions, but would pick the stipulation for the Hayabusa vs. Steven Richards singles match. The RTC won the titles back, and Richards would demand a Mask vs. Hair Match. At the PPV, it seemed that the RTC would have Hayabusa outnumbered at ringside, but Chyna, Rikishi and The Holly Cousins came out before the match and brawled with the other RTC members to the back, ensuring an even fight that Hayabusa ultimately won. He keeps his mask, and Richards gets his head shaved.On Sunday Night Heat, Chris Candido picked up a victory over Too Cold Scorpio, while the newly-signed Samoan Destruction Squad (Rosey and Jamal, who made up 3-Minute Warning in OTL) made their first televised appearance as they scored a quick win over Kai En Tai. Curious to see how quickly they can rise up the ranks in the tag team division.That's all I've got for Backlash 2001. Oh, and if you're wondering....no, it's not a coincidence that the WWF decided to run the Chicago area for a PPV a few weeks before WCW ran a PPV in Chicago (as you'll know from my Alternate History of WCW thread, Slamboree 2001 was at the United Center in Chicago, Illinois on May 13th, 2001). Up next is Insurrextion 2001 in early May, followed a few weeks later by Judgment Day 2001! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Nov 29, 2023 4:12:49 GMT 1
Part L: WWF Insurrextion 2001
WWF Insurrextion 2001
May 5th, 2001 - Earls Court Exhibition Centre - London, England
1.) Three-Way Tag - X-Factor (WWF Hardcore Champion X-Pac & Justin Credible) def. Vampiro & Tiger Mask and Kai En Tai (Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki)
2.) WWF European Title - Albert def. Rikishi (c)
3.) Eight-Man Tag - The Right To Censor (Steven Richards, Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, & Val Venis with Miss Molly) def. The Holly Cousins & Too Cool (WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty & Grand Master Sexay)
4.) Triple H def. Billy Gunn
5.) Steve Austin def. Chris Candido
6.) The Brothers Of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker) def. Jeff Jarrett & Psycho Sid
7.) WWF Intercontinental Title - London Street Fight - Shawn Michaels (c) def. Bradshaw
Well....there isn't that much to talk about with regards to this show, as it's taking place less than a week after Backlash, but I'll still run down the card as always. I actually had to rearrange some things as (for some reason) I left Steve Austin off the original card. At first, I had a cool and unique idea for Austin, but I realized that there was a conflict that couldn't make the match in question happen on this card (I'll probably discuss that in my next post). So, I decided to slot Austin in a singles match against Chris Candido. To my knowledge, that match hasn't happened before, so that's something unique. Meanwhile, Triple H is taking on Billy Gunn in a singles match. Those two bouts are mainly just about getting both Austin and Triple H in singles matches on the card to keep their momentum up following Backlash.
In the semi-main event, it's a battle between two of the (current) top tag teams in the WWF, as The Brothers Of Destruction battle the newly-formed team of Jeff Jarrett and Psycho Sid. Kane and The Undertaker would get the win on this occasion, and there are some big things on the horizon for them going into Judgment Day. As far as the main event goes, that's actually a continuation of the main event from Backlash, as Shawn Michaels put his WWF Intercontinental Title on the line against Bradshaw in a London Street Fight. In a battle that would go all over the building (and even went outside of it), Bradshaw came close to winning on a few occasions, but ultimately, The Heartbreak Kid emerged victorious.
The first portion of the card saw a variety of multi-person tag team matches. The Right To Censor (featuring a freshly-bald Steven Richards) got back on the right track with a win in an Eight-Man Tag over The Holly Cousins and Too Cool. Meanwhile, the opener was an action-packed Three-Way Tag that saw WWF Hardcore Champion X-Pac and Justin Credible get the win over Kai En Tai and the makeshift due of Vampiro and Tiger Mask. Finally, the only title change on the show saw Albert capture the WWF European Title from Rikishi. I would imagine that the first two matches would be a "Paul Heyman Special", where one match bleeds into another (maybe Albert comes out and helps his stablemates beat down Vampiro...who is feuding with X-Pac....which leads to Rikishi making the save).
That's pretty much it for Insurrextion 2001. Again, not a ton to talk about with this show, as it's happening right after Backlash. It ended up being a nice little card for a UK PPV, but next time, we really get things going again as the WWF heads to Sacramento, California for Judgment Day 2001! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Dec 29, 2023 6:31:58 GMT 1
Part LI: WWF Judgment Day 2001
WWF Judgment Day 2001
May 20th, 2001 - ARCO Arena - Sacramento, California
Sunday Night Heat
1.) The Holly Cousins def. Kai En Tai (Taka Michinoku & Sho Funaki)
2.) Rikishi def. Justin Credible
PPV
1.) #1 Contender's Tag Team Turmoil - The Brothers Of Destruction (Kane & The Undertaker) def. Jeff Jarrett & Psycho Sid, The APA, The Legion Of Doom (Animal & Hawk), Right To Censor (Bull Buchanan & The Goodfather with Steven Richards & Val Venis), and Hakushi & Hayabusa 2.) WWF Hardcore Title - Vampiro def. X-Pac (c)3.) USA vs. Japan Eight-Man Tag - Team Japan (Magnum TOKYO, Dragon Kid, Genki Horiguchi, & Tiger Mask) def. Team USA (Chris Candido, Kid Kash, WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty, & Grand Master Sexay)4.) Stretcher Match - Steve Austin def. Big Bossman5.) Steel Cage Match - Triple H def. Lex Luger6.) WWF Women's Title - Chyna (c) def. Miss Molly7.) WWF Title - Chain Match - Hollywood Hulk Hogan (c) def. Kane8.) WWF Intercontinental Title - Special Guest Referee: Mick Foley - The Undertaker def. Shawn Michaels (c)After hosting their annual Insurrextion PPV in the UK, the WWF is back on home soil for it's second PPV in the month of May. It's Judgment Day 2001, and there's a fair amount of things to go over. The main characters for this PPV were Kane and The Undertaker, aka The Brothers Of Destruction. After Hollywood Hulk Hogan (the WWF Champion) and Shawn Michaels (the WWF Intercontinental Champion) captured the WWF World Tag Team Titles back at Backlash 2001, The Corporate Elite held all of the main titles in the company. However, Kane and The Undertaker were quick to step up to the plate to challenge them for their respective singles titles. Kane has had on-and-off issues with Hogan dating back to the tail end of 2000 and into 2001 (matches at Survivor Series and Armageddon, being part of the final few competitors in the Royal Rumble Match, and being part of a multi-person match at No Way Out) while Shawn Michaels and The Undertaker haven't crossed paths in a long time (certainly not since The Undertaker became The American Badass). So the matches were soon put together. Hollywood Hulk Hogan would defend the WWF Title against Kane in a Chain Match to finally settle their score, while Shawn Michaels would defend the WWF Intercontinental Title against The Undertaker, who has never held that title in his entire career.Now in the lead-up to the PPV, there would be a Beat The Clock Challenge, where Michaels and The Undertaker would each compete in singles matches on the May 9th SmackDown (against mystery opponents who wouldn't be revealed until match time), and whoever won their match in the quickest time would get to select the Special Guest Referee for their match at Judgment Day. Shawn Michaels would face Hayabusa, while The Undertaker would face WWF European Champion Albert. In the end, The Undertaker won his match in the shorter amount of time, so the Special Guest Referee choice would be his. On the May 14th RAW Is WAR, in a big surprise, The Undertaker would reveal the Special Guest Referee to be none other than Mick Foley, who was making his return to the WWF after a nearly nineteen month run in WCW.When it came time for the PPV, Hogan would manage to retain his title in the Chain Match against Kane (thanks to some involvement from traditional Hogan cronies Dennis Rodman and Brother Brutus), but in the main event, Mick Foley was able to prevent any shenanigans from taking place, and The Undertaker defeated Shawn Michaels to capture the WWF Intercontinental Title for the very first time. That wasn't the only scalp that night for The Brothers Of Destruction, as they won a #1 Contender's Tag Team Turmoil in the PPV opener to earn a shot at the WWF World Tag Team Titles (held, of course, by Hulk Hogan and Shawn Michaels). They weren't originally announced for the match, but were revealed as the mystery team that was added to the match on Sunday Night Heat by Shane McMahon. In the Tag Team Turmoil match itself, The Right To Censor were a big story during the bulk of the match. They were set to start alongside Hayabusa and Hakushi, but the whole stable jumped them before the match, and weakened them to the point that the match itself was pretty much an extended squash (this would serve as a write-off of sorts for the team of Hayabusa and Hakushi, who would join WCW a short time after this). They would then defeat The Legion Of Doom before coming up short against The APA. Angry at their loss, The Right To Censor would beat up Bradshaw and Faarooq, leaving then vulnerable for Jeff Jarrett and Psycho Sid to pick the bones and eliminate them. This, of course, set up the final segment, with Kane and The Undertaker revealed as the mystery team, and defeating Jarrett and Sid to earn the shot at the WWF World Tag Team Titles.In terms of the undercard, there are a number of matches that are either finishing off feuds or continuations of them. Triple H put his feud with Lex Luger to bed after beating him in a Steel Cage Match, while Steve Austin scored a decisive win over Big Bossman in a Stretcher Match. Meanwhile, Vampiro managed to regain the WWF Hardcore Title with a win over X-Pac (though the issues between those two aren't over just yet). The WWF Women's Title would also be defended on this card, as Chyna would have a successful title defense against Miss Molly from The Right To Censor. Chyna's been feuding with the RTC on-and-off for most of the year, and this was just an extension from that. Unlike OTL, Chyna won't be leaving the WWF after this PPV....at least not yet.Finally, to wrap up the main card, there would be a special showcase for the Light Heavyweight division, as a contingent of wrestlers from the WWF (representing the United States) would take on a team from Japan. Representing Team USA were Too Cool, Chris Candido, and Kid Kash, while Team Japan was made up of Tiger Mask and Toryumon representatives Magnum TOKYO, Dragon Kid, and Genki Horiguchi. Team Japan would emerge victorious after some miscommunication between WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty and Grand Master Sexay. There's been some tension starting to come to the surface between the longtime partners, which really began after Scotty 2 Hotty captured the WWF Light Heavyweight Title. This result, and the way things went down, will only serve to further those tensions.As far as Sunday Night Heat goes, The Holly Cousins picked up a win over Kai En Tai (who are also on their way to WCW shortly after this PPV), while Rikishi scored a victory over Justin Credible as looks to get back on track after losing the WWF European Title to Albert.That's all for Judgment Day 2001! The Undertaker is the new WWF Intercontinental Champion, Mick Foley is back in the fold, and the King Of The Ring Tournament is on the horizon! |
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Post by Ryan Kelman on Dec 30, 2023 0:33:08 GMT 1
I mean, it’s obvious we’re getting Hogan vs. Michaels at Summerslam.
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Post by dhk1989 on Dec 30, 2023 4:33:37 GMT 1
I mean, it’s obvious we’re getting Hogan vs. Michaels at Summerslam. Here's hoping neither one tears their quad in the near future... |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Jan 8, 2024 5:35:37 GMT 1
I mean, it’s obvious we’re getting Hogan vs. Michaels at Summerslam. |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Feb 1, 2024 5:05:25 GMT 1
Part LII: WWF King Of The Ring 2001
WWF King Of The Ring 2001June 24th, 2001 - Continental Airlines Arena - East Rutherford, New JerseySunday Night Heat1.) Non-Title - WWF Hardcore Champion Vampiro def. Super Dragon2.) WWF European Title - Rikishi (with WWF Light Heavyweight Champion Scotty 2 Hotty) def. Albert (with Justin Credible) (c)PPV1.) King Of The Ring - Semi-Finals - Triple H def. X-Pac2.) King Of The Ring - Semi-Finals - Steve Austin def. Jeff Jarrett3.) WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles - The APA & Dustin Rhodes def. The Right To Censor (Bull Buchanan, The Goodfather, & Val Venis with Steven Richards & Miss Molly) (c)4.) Kane def. Psycho Sid via DQ5.) WWF Women's Title - Jazz (with Vince Russo) def. Chyna (c)6.) Tag Team Street Fight - Mick Foley & Shane McMahon def. The Corporate Elite (Shawn Michaels & Vince McMahon)7.) King Of The Ring - Finals - Steve Austin def. Triple H8.) WWF Title - Hollywood Hulk Hogan (c) def. WWF Intercontinental Champion The UndertakerSo we're into the month of June, which means it's King Of The Ring season! This year, the tournament would be all about two guys, who just so happen to be former King Of The Ring winners themselves....Steve Austin and Triple H. Following Judgment Day, both Austin and Triple H declared that they wanted a shot at Hollywood Hulk Hogan's WWF Title. However, Vince McMahon wasn't going to make it easy for them. He said that Austin and Triple H could get their title shot.....but only if they win the King Of The Ring Tournament. The 2001 edition of the tournament would feature sixteen wrestlers, but Austin and Triple H wouldn't exactly have the easiest path. Steve Austin's first round opponent would be Big Bossman (the Corporate Elite's enforcer), but per Vince, it would be a No DQ Match for Bossman only. As for Triple H, Vince would force him to face another person who declared intentions to challenge for the WWF Title....Shane McMahon. By putting them in the first round against each other, Vince felt he'd be killing two birds with one stone. Things wouldn't get any easier for either of them. Triple H's second round opponent would be the big monster known as Albert, while Austin would go up against another fellow Texan in Bradshaw (a hard-hitting contest that would weaken Austin even if he won). This would set up the semi-finals at the PPV, where Triple H would take on former DX stablemate X-Pac, while Austin would battle the defending King Of The Ring winner Jeff Jarrett. Double J got a little lucky on his side of the bracket, as the first round match between Kane and Psycho Sid (the winner would've faced Jarrett in the second round) went to a no contest when the two wouldn't stop brawling on the floor. So Jarrett is coming into the PPV fresh, having had one less match than Austin.Bracket A
Triple H def. Shane McMahon / Albert def. Rikishi || X-Pac def. Faarooq / Scotty 2 Hotty def. Kid Kash
Triple H def. Albert / X-Pac def. Scotty 2 Hotty
Bracket BJeff Jarrett def. Vampiro / Kane vs. Psycho Sid (No Contest) || Steve Austin def. Big Bossman / Bradshaw def. The GoodfatherJeff Jarrett vs. N/A (bye) / Steve Austin def. Bradshaw
As you might expect, Steve Austin and Triple H both won their matches early on in the PPV, and went on to face each other later that night in the Finals. The bout wound up being a grueling back-and-forth affair, but in the end, it would be the Texas Rattlesnake who emerged victories. So Austin now has a future shot at the WWF Title coming his way.
Speaking of the WWF Title, the actual main event of the PPV would see Hollywood Hulk Hogan defend that title against WWF Intercontinental Champion The Undertaker. Back at Judgment Day, in addition to their individual title matches, The Brothers Of Destruction won a Tag Team Turmoil to earn a shot at the WWF World Tag Team Titles. The duo would get their title shot against The Corporate Elite the very next night on RAW Is WAR, and when the dust settled, Undertaker pinned Hogan to capture the titles! In the ensuing weeks, The Undertaker declared that he would challenge Hogan for the WWF Title at King Of The Ring based off his pinfall on Hogan, and he would try to do something that's never been done before in the WWF....hold three separate championships simultaneously. Hogan would ultimately emerge victorious after members of The Corporate Elite got involved, but Steve Austin, Triple H, and Kane would run out to make the save, and the babyfaces stool tall to close the PPV.
Last month saw Mick Foley make his return to the WWF, and his first major role was serving as the Special Guest Referee for the Undertaker/Shawn Michaels Intercontinental Title bout at Judgment Day. Furious at the result of that match, Vince McMahon would target Mick Foley as well. Foley soon found an ally in the form of Shane McMahon, and this would lead to a tag team Street Fight at the PPV with Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels teaming up against Shane McMahon and Mick Foley. This would be a bloody affair that would (much like in OTL) see Shane go through the glass that was part of the KOTR set (though not with the same ferocity as Kurt Angle when he tossed Shane through that glass repeatedly). Foley would eventually score the victory for his side after pinning Vince.
A couple other title matches round out the card. For the first time in a number of months, the WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles would be on the line on a PPV card, as Right To Censor would end up losing the titles to the trio of The APA and Dustin Rhodes. The issues between these two sides goes back to Judgment Day, when Right To Censor attacked Bradshaw and Faarooq after being eliminated by them in the Tag Team Turmoil Match. Meanwhile, on Sunday Night Heat, Rikishi managed to regain the WWF European Title from Albert.
Finally, the WWF Women's Title changed hands, as Jazz (the newest member of Planet Jarrett) captured the title from Chyna, in part thanks to help from Vince Russo (he's been starting to have issues with Chyna as of late). So in something that's much different from OTL, Chyna actually lost the WWF Women's Title in the ring.
Two more matches to round things out. After their first-round King Of The Ring Match went to a No Contest, a rematch between Kane and Psycho Sid was booked for the PPV. Just as it looked like Kane was on the verge of winning, Jeff Jarret (still reeling from his loss earlier in the night to Steve Austin) ran out and smashed him with a guitar. The two would then put a beating on the Big Red Machine until Undertaker made the save (this would build up to something I'll talk about in the next post). Meanwhile, on Sunday Night Heat, WWF Hardcore Champion Vampiro would compete in a non-title match against a newcomer to the WWF who's been making some waves on the West Coast independent scene....Super Dragon.
That's all for King Of The Ring 2001! See you next time for....not Invasion....but Fully Loaded 2001! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Mar 1, 2024 4:52:21 GMT 1
Part LIII: WWF Fully Loaded 2001
WWF Fully Loaded 2001
July 22nd, 2001 - Gund Arena - Cleveland, Ohio
Sunday Night Heat
1.) Four-Way Tag Team Match - Dragon Kid & Ryo Saito def. Crazy MAX (Big Fuji & CIMA), Hot Commodity (EZ Money & Julio Dinero), and Maximum Force (Simon Diamond & Johnny Swinger)
PPV
1.) WWF Light Heavyweight Title - Scotty 2 Hotty (c) def. Magnum TOKYO
2.) Bar Room Brawl - If The Right To Censor Lose, They Must Disband - The APA (Bradshaw, Faarooq, & Jacqueline), Chyna, & Dustin Rhodes def. The Right To Censor (Bull Buchanan, Miss Molly, Steven Richards, The Goodfather, & Val Venis)
3.) WWF European Title - Kid Kash def. Rikishi (c)
4.) WWF Hardcore Title - Five-Way Ladder Match - X-Pac def. Vampiro (c), Big Bossman, Chris Candido, & Super Dragon
5.) The Rock def. Lex Luger
6.) Steel Cage Match - Shawn Michaels def. Shane McMahon
7.) WWF Title - Hollywood Hulk Hogan (c) def. Mick Foley
8.) WWF World Tag Team Titles - Three-Way Tag Team Match - Steve Austin & Triple H def. Planet Jarrett (Jeff Jarrett & Psycho Sid) (c) & The Brothers Of Destruction (Kane & WWF Intercontinental Champion The Undertaker)
With there being no WCW/ECW invasion in this timeline, there's no need for an Invasion PPV. Instead, it's Fully Loaded 2001, and there's some pretty fascinating matches littered throughout this card.
It's a double main event for this PPV in Cleveland, Ohio. Closing out the show officially is a three-way tag team match for the WWF World Tag Team Titles. The Brothers Of Destruction had been the WWF World Tag Team Champions, but the night after King Of The Ring 2001, they lost those titles the next night on RAW Is WAR in Madison Square Garden to Jeff Jarrett and Psycho Sid (thanks to some help from Vince Russo and Tank Abbott). While they now held championship gold, Jarrett in particular wasn't satisfied. He had been beaten by Steve Austin in the semi-finals of the King Of The Ring Tournament, and he wanted another crack at Austin. That match took place a week later in Tacoma, Washington, and just as Austin appeared to be on the verge of victory, Psycho Sid and Tank Abbott attacked him for the DQ. A few moments later, Kane and The Undertaker ran out to make the save. Other members of Planet Jarrett came out to tip the scales in their favor, and then Triple H came out to help the rest of the babyfaces clear the ring. It would later be confirmed that Fully Loaded would see Jeff Jarrett and Psycho Sid defend the WWF World Tag Team Titles against The Brothers Of Destruction AND the duo of Steve Austin and Triple H. The bout wound up being a wild main event, and when the dust settled, Austin and Triple H emerged victorious. So a nice little inversion of history here, where Austin and Triple win the WWF World Tag Team Titles in 2001 as babyfaces (the two hottest babyfaces in the company, arguably) instead of heels.
While Austin is now one-half of the WWF World Tag Team Champions, his main goal was still getting the WWF Title back, and that title shot would take place at SummerSlam. Who would be the WWF Champion be going into SummerSlam though? That question would be answered in the other half of the double main-event, as (in what I believe is a first-time ever match) Hollywood Hulk Hogan defended the WWF Title against Mick Foley. This mainly stemmed from Foley and Shane McMahon's win over Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels in a Tag Team Street Fight at King Of The Ring. Unsurprisingly, Hogan would retain, but I just find the idea of this match super fascinating. What would Hulk Hogan vs. Mick Foley even look like? I do have a note on the post-match here, but more on that in a little bit.
Also spinning off that aforementioned Tag Team Street Fight from King Of The Ring was Shane McMahon vs. Shawn Michaels in a Steel Cage Match. Basically what's going on here is that Vince McMahon had been questioning Shawn Michaels commitment to The Corporate Elite (not only the King Of The Ring loss, but losing the WWF Intercontinental Title to The Undertaker at Judgment Day, and losing the WWF World Tag Team Titles a day later). He wanted to see some more ruthless aggression from the Heartbreak Kid, and that led to an angle on July 4th SmackDown where he brutally attacked Shane McMahon, leaving him in a bloody heap. This would set up the Steel Cage Match for the PPV, with the specific stipulation that the only way either could win was by pinfall or submission (of course, this was done so Shane could do a stunt off the top of the cage). Shane put forth an incredible effort, but ultimately, it wasn't enough, and Michaels scored the victory (much to the delight of Vince McMahon).
Right before that Steel Cage Match, we got the in-ring return of The Rock. Essentially what happened here is that The Rock hadn't been seen since the night after WrestleMania (the same absence he had from the WWF in OTL, where he doing The Scorpion King). Following King Of The Ring, we got angles for weeks and weeks where Lex Luger would mock The Rock, and this eventually led to him challenging the former WWF Champion to a match at Fully Loaded. So the big draw here was "would The Rock show up?", and of course, he did, and got the win over Luger. Nothing too fancy here. Just an angle that led to the return The Rock. That win over Luger wouldn't be his only appearance on this show, however. After the WWF Title bout, Shawn Michaels and Vince McMahon came out to help out their stablemate Hogan continue a beatdown on Foley, and that led to The Rock coming out to make the save. The Rock 'n' Sock Connection are officially back together!
A series of title bouts helped make up the first half of the card. In a Five-Way Ladder Match, X-Pac won the WWF Hardcore Title from Vampiro in a bout that also involved Big Bossman, Chris Candido, and Super Dragon. Ultimately, fellow X-Factor members Albert and Justin Credible assisted X-Pac in this one, as he feud with Vampiro raged on (more on that in the next post). Scotty 2 Hotty would retain his WWF Light Heavyweight Title against Magnum TOKYO, and Kid Kash would capture the WWF European Title from Rikishi.
The other match on the main card was a Bar Room Brawl with a big stipulation. Back at King Of The Ring, The APA and Dustin Rhodes won the WWF World Six-Man Tag Team Titles from The Right To Censor. As their issues with the RTC continued following the PPV, the new champions decided that it was finally time to put a stop to their antics once and for all. So....the two sides agreed to a match at Fully Loaded, where if Right To Censor lost, then they would be forced to disband. All five member of The Right To Censor (including Miss Molly) would take part, and for the babyface side, it'd be Bradshaw, Faarooq, Jacqueline, Dustin Rhodes, and their fifth partner....Chyna. Yes, Chyna is still in WWF at this time (she's not done quite yet). In an out-of-control bout that was definitely befitting of the stipulation, the babyfaces would emerge victorious, and The Right To Censor are officially no more.
Finally, the one match for Sunday Night Heat, would feature more talents from the Toryumon promotion in Japan. Dragon Kid and Ryo Saito would pick up a win in a Four-Way Tag Team Match that also featured the Crazy MAX team of Big Fuji and CIMA.
Well, that's about it! Tune in next time where I go over one of the biggest shows of the year. It's the 2001 edition of SummerSlam! |
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Mar 30, 2024 5:25:50 GMT 1
A teaser for SummerSlam 2001:
I should have that post done sometime Sunday Night, at the latest (fingers crossed lol).
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Post by dxvsnwo1994 on Apr 1, 2024 0:29:11 GMT 1
Part LIV: WWF SummerSlam 2001
WWF SummerSlam 2001August 19th, 2001 - Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum - Los Angeles, CaliforniaSunday Night Heat1.) Six-Man Tag - Samoan Destruction Squad (Rosey & Jamal) & Rico Constantino def. Hot Commodity (Chris Hamrick, EZ Money, & Julio Dinero)2.) Super Dragon def. Kid KashPPV1.) Six-Man Tag - The Disciples Of The New Church (WWF Hardcore Champion Vampiro, Malice & Brian Lee with Father James Mitchell and Slash) def. X-Factor (Albert, Justin Credible, & X-Pac)2.) Dustin Rhodes def. Jeff Jarrett via DQ3.) KroniK (Brian Adams & Bryan Clark with Steven Richards) def. The APA (with Jacqueline)4.) WWF Light Heavyweight Title - Special Guest Referee: Rikishi - Scotty 2 Hotty (c) def. Grand Master Sexay5.) Last Man Standing Match - Kane def. Psycho Sid6.) WWF Intercontinental Title - Triple H def. The Undertaker (c)7.) Tag Team Grudge Match - The Rock 'n' Sock Connection (The Rock & Mick Foley) def. The Corporate Elite (Vince McMahon & Shawn Michaels)8.) WWF Title - Hell In A Cell Match - Steve Austin def. Hollywood Hulk Hogan (c)Before I begin, I hope everyone out there had a Happy Easter!As for this show, I posted that teaser a day or so ago, and yes....this show is indeed taking place in the famous Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum. Why go to that specific venue for this show? Well, a larger venue was needed for a rematch of the main event of WrestleMania. That's right....it's Austin/Hogan II with the WWF Title once again on the line, as Austin cashes in the title shot he earned after winning the King Of The Ring Tournament. This time, however, things are going to be a little different. In order to ensure that there would be no outside interference, the rematch will be taking place inside the infamous Hell In A Cell. Hogan would have nobody else to turn to, and Austin would be free to get his hands on Hogan without worrying about others getting involved. While I'm sure it wouldn't be the most exciting match in the world, Austin would ultimately emerge victorious to become the WWF Champion once again.This show would prove to be a pretty bad night for The Corporate Elite on the whole, as in the semi-main event, Vince McMahon and Shawn Michaels would lose a tag team encounter against the reunited Rock 'n' Sock Connection of Mick Foley and The Rock. A pretty straightforward match here as two of the most popular stars in the WWF come back together to vanquish McMahon and Michaels. The main event wasn't the only WrestleMania rematch on the card, as Triple H would challenge The Undertaker for the WWF Intercontinental Title. Things are a little bit different this time around, as Triple H is a full babyface at this point, meaning it was a face vs. face matchup. This hard-fought battle would see Triple H score the victory to win the WWF Intercontinental Title. What's that resulted in is a fun little inversion of history. The two guys who (in OTL) were known as the Two-Man Power Trip now hold the WWF Title, the WWF Intercontinental Title, and the WWF World Tag Team Titles, but in this alternate version of events, they're both holding all of these titles as babyfaces instead of heels. Certainly a big accomplishment for the both of them, but that just means that they'll both have BIG targets on their backs.
Another new group had made it's way to the WWF. For months, Vampiro has been battling X-Pac, and the number have always been on the side of X-Pac thanks to the rest of X-Factor. Now, Vampiro has finally found a new crew to back him up. Brian Lee (known for his runs in ECW and WWF in the 90's), Malice (who, in OTL, had a run in WCW where he was known as The Wall), Slash (the former Wolfie D...one-half of PG-13), and The Sinister Minister himself....Father James Mitchell. Collectively, they're known as The Disciples Of The New Church. They would battle it out in a Six-Man Tag where any of the other two members would join Vampiro. In this case, it would be Brian Lee and Malice teaming with Vampiro, and the new stable would manage to score the victory in their PPV debut.The final match on the main card sees a major clash between the two members of Too Cool. For months, Scotty 2 Hotty has been the WWF Light Heavyweight Champion, and as that reign has gone on, Grand Master Sexay had grown increasingly jealous. Eventually, in the weeks leading up to SummerSlam, those frustrations spilled over. While Grand Master Sexay hadn't turned full year yet, he was visibly upset, and expressed his frustration towards Scotty 2 Hotty when he challenged him to a title match for the PPV. Scotty's response was simply that if Sexay wanted a title shot....all he had to do was ask. In order to ensure that everything was fair, he suggested that Rikishi serve as the Special Guest Referee (very funny to see the visual of a large man like Rikishi being the referee for a match involving the WWF Light Heavyweight Title). The bout wound up being a back-and-forth affair, which Scotty eventually won after a flash pin exchange. Afterwards, Grand Master Sexay begrudgingly shook Scotty's hand (at the behest of Rikishi), but then Sexay turned around and kicked Scotty in the balls! Rikishi chased him off, but it appears that Too Cool (at least the variation with Scotty 2 Hotty and Grand Master Sexay) are officially done as a tag team.Finally, to finish things off, there were two matches on Sunday Night Heat. First, Samoan Destruction Squad, alongside their new ally Rico Constantino, defeated all three members of Hot Commodity in a Six-Man Tag. Then, Super Dragon (who, of course, is from Southern California) scored a victory over Kid Kash.That's all for SummerSlam 2001! Tune in next time for Unforgiven 2001. |
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