WWF Rebellion (November 2001)

From Manchester, England; Your Hosts are Jim Ross and Paul Heyman

Opening WWF Intercontinental Title Cage Match: Edge v Christian: Escapes or pinfall rules here. Christian attacks as the champ enters the cage, but gets backdropped, and choked with Edge's jacket. Edge whips him around for a bit, but a shot into the cage gets blocked, and Christian hits an inverted DDT across the knee. He climbs, but Edge pulls him down, so Christian just LAUNCHES the poor guy into the steel for two. Ouch. Backbreaker gets two, and Christian decides to climb, but Edge pulls him down again. Serves him right! Who climbs when the guy just kicked out? Christian works him over with a kneelift for two, and goes for the door, but Edge dives onto the ankle. Again, the guy just kicked out... maybe try beating him down some more before attempting an escape? Christian decides to try a superplex (top rope, not cage), but Edge shoves him down, and hits a flying bodypress for two. Impaler, but Christian counters with a slingshot into the bars for two, and he slaps on a chinlock. Edge fights free and hits a lariat, but Christian side suplexes him down for two as he tries to escape. Challenger with some chops in the corner, but a ten-punch count leads to him getting speared, and Edge follows with a spinheel kick that a bad camera angle exposes for being looser than a truck stop hooker. Bulldog gets two, and they do an amateurish reversal sequence that ends in the Edge-o-Matic for two. Edge tosses him into the cage a few times before climbing (see, the guy kicks out, so Edge beats the shit out of him, THEN tries climbing), but Christian is hot on his heels for a slugfest on the top. Edge ends up getting crotched on the top rope out of the deal, and Christian pulls himself up and over, only for Edge to reach through the bars, and untie his challenger's shoelaces - using them to tie him to the cage! With Christian hanging upside-down (ala Owen Hart at SummerSlam '94) Edge climbs, and retains at 12:49. That ending was really cool, and really should be lifted for a more high profile cage match sometime. The match was significantly less cool, however. *

The Hurricane v Scotty 2 Hotty: They trade headlocks to start, and a couple of criss crosses go Hurricane's way with some basic stuff (shoulderblock, fireman’s carry). Reversal sequence goes Hurricane's way with a clothesline, so he decides to toss Scotty, but Scotty skins the cat, and attacks with a headscissors takedown followed by a running forearm smash for two. Scotty goes for the bulldog, but Hurricane is ready with a sidestep, and he grabs him in a neckbreaker for two. Vertical suplex gets two, and a buff blockbuster is worth two. Wow, ballsy spot for a WCW guy in 2001. Nervehold, but Scotty wrestles to a vertical base, so Hurricane hiptosses him for two. Who covers after a hiptoss? Camel clutch, but Scotty won't give, so Hurricane tries a flying axehandle, but gets gutpunched out of the air, and Scotty DDTs him. Both guys stagger up for a Scotty-won slugfest, and he hits a jumping backelbow, followed by a superkick for two. Suplex, but Hurricane blocks, and slugs him down. He sets up his own Worm, but Scotty kips up, so Hurricane superkicks him instead for two. Schoolboy (with two feet on the ropes!) for two, but Scotty escapes the Eye of the Hurricane, and bulldogs him. Worm finishes at 8:55. I guess the Too Cool act was still really over in the UK, because that booking would make no sense in the States at the time. Were they getting RAW on a six month delay over there, or something? But don't worry fret, Hurricane fans! I'm sure he'll be huge in 2005! * ¼

Big Show v Diamond Dallas Page: Page tries to talk his way out of things, but Show isn't having it, and swats him down. Into the corner, Show unloads kneelifts, so Page tries sticking and moving, but stupidly tries a standing side-headlock, and gets tossed out of the ring. Show presses him right back in, so Page cuts him down to size with a series of clips at the knee, followed by a flying clothesline. Figure four, but Show shrugs it off, and clotheslines him a few times. DDP cuts him off with the Diamond Cutter for two, but Show has had enough, and Chokeslams him into oblivion at 3:15. Pretty much a total squash. ¼*

WCW World Tag Team Title Triple Threat Match: The Dudley Boyz v The Hardy Boyz v The Acolytes: Could the bookers get an lazier? Does every fucking tag team match have to be a three or four way? Bubba Dudley starts with Matt Hardy, and dominates with power stuff, but walks into a series of armdrags. Bradshaw comes in and DDTs Matt for two, but a superplex is countered with a tornado DDT for two. Tag to Jeff Hardy with a tandem suplex for two, but quickly gets swatted, and  Faarooq tags in with a powerslam for two. Dominator, but Jeff counters into a backslide, but can't muscle Faarooq down, and opts for a dropkick instead, then tags D-Von Dudley. D-Von charges in with a swinging neckbreaker for Faarooq, but walks into a spinebuster for two. Bubba runs in and the match turns into a brawl between all six guys - Faarooq taking a Twist of Fate from Matt at 5:28. The Hardy's throw a bunch of tandem stuff at the champs, but walk into a cheap shot, and the Dudley's cut the ring in half on Jeff, as I ponder just how many times I've seen the Dudley's wrestle the Hardy's in my lifetime. It's gotta be triple digits. The heat segment drags until Jeff manages to bring Bubba down off the top rope with a rana for two, then gets the tag to brother Matt. Crack house of fire, four-way brawl, and the Death Drop retains for the Dudley's at 12:01. To give you an idea of the effort involved here, Jeff Hardy wore a baseball cap for much of the duration. ¾*

William Regal v Tajiri: One guess who goes over here. Regal tries to turn it into a wrestling match early on, but Tajiri enzuigiri’s him out of the ring, and follows with a baseball slide. Back in, Tajiri backdrops him and hits a standing moonsault for two, but walks into a shoulderblock for a series of two counts, and William slaps on a modified cobra clutch. Tajiri escapes and tries a bodypress, but William catches him and crotches him across the top rope, and hits a double-kneelift. Tajiri throws a dropkick and rushes to the top with a missile version for two, then snaps off the handspring elbow as he turns the tide. Tarantula, but a flying moonsault misses, and Regal slaps on the Stretch to finish him at 5:45. Crowd slept through it, but it was a perfectly decent TV match. *

WCW World Title Match: Chris Jericho v Kurt Angle: They trade off to a stalemate on the mat to start, until Jericho pops him with a forearm across the jaw, and follows with a backelbow. Kurt responds with a quick fireman’s carry, but is disoriented, and Jericho manages to come at him with a spinheel kick, and a pair of kneelifts to set up a three-alarm rolling vertical suplex for two. Kurt fires back with a German suplex, but goes for the Olympic Slam too early, and Chris is able to counters into the Walls, but Kurt's in the ropes. Jericho responds with a springboard dropkick to put his challenger on the outside, and he follows to chop him out there, then adds a shot into the post for good measure. Chris with a flying bodypress on the way back in for two, but Kurt grabs him in the Anklelock as he goes to follow up, but Jericho is ready with a swift kick to the punim, and he posts Kurt's shoulder a couple of times as punishment. Angle tries a sunset flip, but Jericho counters it into an armbar, then blasts him with chops. Kurt tries a belly-to-belly suplex, but Jericho elbows at the sore shoulder, so Angle's forced to settle for a stungun instead, then an overhead suplex on the dazed champion. Boston crab, but Jericho fights free before he can lock it on - only for a 2^nd rope axehandle attempt to be blocked with a release belly-to-belly suplex for two. Short-clothesline and a snap suplex get two, and Kurt works a chinlock. Chris escapes into a schoolboy for two, but gets leveled with a lariat as he tries to follow-up, and Kurt snapmares him back to chinlockland. Anklelock, but Jericho enzuigiri’s him to block, and hits a diving forearm. Swinging neckbreaker and a rana are worth two, and he disorients Angle with a victory cradle into his own anklelock, but Kurt makes the ropes to escape. Vertical suplex, but Angle counters into the three-alarm rolling German suplexes for two, then goes for the Anklelock, but Chris counters into the Walls! Kurt's in the ropes, so Jericho bulldogs him, but the lionsault is blocked with lifted knees, and Kurt tries for the Olympic Slam - only to have Jericho counter into a schoolboy to retain at 14:55. Never really clicked up to that next level, but still a hard-hitting, pay per view worthy outing, if a little light on meaningful psychology. ***

Lita and Torrie Wilson v Stacy Keibler and Mighty Molly: Trish Status acts as the special guest referee. Torrie starts with Stacy, and Keibler snapmares her right away, but an Irish whip is countered with a cartwheel. Stacy follows suit, so Torrie dropkicks her, and schoolgirls her for two. Tag to Lita with a bodyslam for two, and a corner clothesline sets up a side suplex. Back to Torrie, but Molly fires a cheapshot from the apron to turn the tide, and they briefly cut the ring in half on Wilson, until Molly splats while trying the Molly Go Round, and Lita gets the tag. Crotch of fire, and the Twist of Fate finishes Molly at 4:16. Well, the WWF gals were far better wrestlers, but the WCW girls were significantly hotter. Call it a wash. ¼*

Main Event: WWF Title Match: Steve Austin v The Rock: Austin goes right at him with rights, but Rock rebounds out of the corner with a lariat, and hits a swinging neckbreaker to setup the Rock Bottom, but Steve elbows to block, so the challenger tosses him. Rock follows for a brawl around ringside, then over to the entrance set, where Rock vertical suplexes the champ. Austin tries a piledriver on the set but gets backdropped, then back to ringside, Stone Cold manages a slingshot into the post, followed by a bodyslam on the floor. They brawl over to the announce table, and Steve chokes him with an electrical cable, then we finally head in. That's my main beef with Rock/Austin matches, and why I'm generally the one spoilsport who doesn't like them... way too much time spent on the floor brawling. We're halfway through the match, and they're basically just getting into the ring now. And yeah, sometimes that's fine, but these two made it a cliché. Steve with a Thesz press and a pointed elbowdrop for two, so Rock responds in kind for two. Austin with a sleeper to dramatically slow things down for a bit, but Rock reverses, so Steve spinebusters him for two. Boston crab, but he stupidly applies it only inches from the ropes, and of course Rocky grabs 'em. Rock with a jumping clothesline and a release belly-to-belly suplex for two, but the referee goes down during a scuffle in the corner, just as Rock spinebusters Austin into the sharpshooter! Rock lets off to go revive him, and ends up in a sharpshooter from Austin, but Rock manages to reverse. Still no referee though, so Kurt Angle runs in and breaks it up with a chair. Chris Jericho is hot on his heels to chase him off, but then Rock sees Chris there holding a chair as he recovers, and blames him for it. So, they fight, of course, and Austin sneaks over for the Stunner, but Rock is ready with a counter into the Bottom. STILL no referee though, so Angle breaks it up, but Rock kicks his ass too. Austin takes the spinebuster, but Angle cuts off the People's Elbow, and the Stunner retains at 21:30. Too much brawling, too much outside interference, and the booking was a TV level copout to save either guy from jobbing. *

BUExperience: Eh. Jericho/Angle is good, but only to a point. Pretty much everything else is just phoned in versions of better matches from US pay per views.

DUD