WWF 2002 Year in Review: Smackdown: 01-03 & Raw: 01-07

WWF Year In Review 2002: Raw & Smackdown Week 1

Introduction:
Welcome everyone to a new project here at CrazyMax. What I am starting here is a Year in Review series where I choose a specific company and a specific year and do all the major shows as well as some TV to give you the complete year in review. To start this off I plan on doing every Raw, Smackdown, Pay Per View, and UK Show from WWF in the year 2002. Instead of going into major detail with the shows I am just going to recap the matches, give you more of the segments, and then a show recap at the end. I will also be combining all of the Raws and Smackdowns for the week into 1 post so you will get both shows in one review. I will then do the Pay Per View once it comes up and so on and so forth. It is quite the task that I am embarking on but it should be a fun one that I am really looking forward to. So without further ado lets get right to it with the first WWF TV from 2002 and that is Smackdown from January 3rd.

Smackdown Event Information:
Date: January 3rd, 2002
Location: MCI Center in Washington, DC
Main Event: The Rock vs. Booker T (#1 Contendership Match for Undisputed Title)

Show Opening:

Show opens up with your typical Smackdown video and they pan across the crowd and show off the signs. We get right into the action as the Dudley Boyz music hits to get this one started.

Match 1: WWF Tag Team Title Match: Dudley Boyz (c) vs. Spike Dudley/Tazz

Match starts off with just Spike out there taking on both Dudleys until Tazz comes out and joins his partner. Dudleys keep control of the match early until Spike gets his feet up in the corner and then a double foot stomp on to D-Von. Tazz and Bubba get tagged in and Tazz comes in and dumps Bubba and D-Von with some nice suplexes and judo tosses. Stacy gets up on the apron to distract Spike and Spike ends up pulling down Stacy’s skirt and she shows off her wonderful ass in some nice blue panties.

Bubba runs into Stacy on the apron but D-Von catches her as we head toward the finish. Tazz gets Bubba in the Tazzmission from behind but Bubba hits a low blow on Tazz. Spike goes for a Dudley Dog on D-Von but D-Von catches him and puts up on Bubba’s shoulders. Bubba then power bombs Spike off the middle rope for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall and still WWF Tag Team Champions….The Dudley Boyz!

Backstage Interview: Jazz

Lilian welcomes Jazz to the WWF and she says it is so exciting to finally have her in the WWF. Lilian just keeps rambling and Jazz finally interrupts her and asks if she is done. Jazz says she isn’t here to get interviewed but she is here to make a statement. Jazz says tonight it all begins with Mighty Molly. Jazz says she is not like all the other bleach blonde sluts here in the WWF who sleep their way to the top. Jazz says she fights her way to the top because she can and because she will and there is no woman in this federation that can stop her. Jazz says the interview is over and Lilian starts talking again so Jazz goes after her and asks her if she thinks she is funny or amusing. Jazz says she might just forget about Mighty Molly and make an example out of Lilian and then she calls her a bitch as she pushes her.

WWF Slam of the Week:

They show what happened between Ric Flair and Vince McMahon from last weeks show. Flair said he looked over the contract and McMahon is not only the owner but he is a wrestler so Flair challenges him to a match at the Royal Rumble. Vince asks who has the balls to step into the ring with him and Flair decks him with a right hand and says he does.

In Ring Segment: Vince McMahon & Stone Cold Steve Austin

Vince comes out and wishes everyone a happy new year. Vince says his primary new year’s resolution is to embarrass Ric Flair at the Royal Rumble, to annihilate Ric Flair at the Royal Rumble, to beat Flair beyond recognition at the Rumble. The crowd is doing the What chant and it is already annoying as shit. Vince then says his next order of business is the Time Magazine Person of the Year. Vince says he was in consideration for Time Man of the Year as well. They then show a picture of Vince McMahon on the cover of the magazine. Vince then goes off on the fans and says he is going to take action if they say What again.

Vince says he dares the fans to say it again and they do so he starts turning the lights off in certain sections of the crowd. Vince has all of the lights off in the building and he cuts the rest of his promo. This is classic and awesome. Vince dares them to say What again and they do and all of the lights are now out in the building. Vince is going on and on how he is powerful and he can make them all watch in darkness. Then Stone Cold’s music hits and he is already in the ring behind Vince who has no idea he is in the ring with him. Vince finally has the lights back up and Austin is standing behind him with his What shirt on.

Austin gets on the mic and just says what over and over and over and over again. Austin then asks Vince if he called himself the Person of the Year. Austin then says if you think Vince is the jackass of the year then give him a hell yeah. He runs through the what gimmick about dumb stuff. Austin made some new years resolutions of his own and it is drink more beer, whiskey, tequila, vodka, and even red wine. Austin says the first time he saw Vince this year he was going to knock Vince flat on his ass. Austin tells McMahon to take his jacket off but Booker T and the Boss Man come out to help out McMahon.

Austin is waiting in the ring for them but McMahon hits Austin from behind but Austin turns around and floors McMahon. Booker and Boss Man then attack and they end up leaving Austin laying and they bust him open with the microphone. These shots by Boss Man with the microphone are some of the worst things I have ever seen. It just looks terrible.

Match 2: Jazz vs. Might Molly

Jazz gets in the ring and goes right after Molly and drops him with a short arm clothesline. Molly hits a terrible head scissors take down and gets a 2 count. Jazz does a couple of moves where she drops Molly throat first across the top rope and then we get a head lock before Jazz hits three straight double under hook suplexes. Molly gets the upper hand with a drop kick but she goes for a body slam that Jazz slides out of and quickly picks up Molly and drops her with a brain buster DDT for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Jazz!

Backstage Segment: Stephanie McMahon Trying to Get Into Building

Theres a guy allowing people into the backstage area. Stephanie says she forgot her pass and then the guy tells her that she is no on the list. Stephanie tells him to look again but he says she is not on the list. Stephanie said that Flair and her spoke earlier in the week and they were working on a business proposition and she tries to get in but the guy stops her. He tells her two more times that she can’t get in the building and there is nothing else he can do. Stephanie then says that Triple H is coming back in 4 days and in case that dude didn’t realizes it he is the husband of Stephanie. Stephanie says she is going to be in a position of extreme power and the first thing she is going to do is fire this guy.

Backstage Segment: Test, Christian, Lance Storm, & Chris Jericho

Test said he hooked up with this hot Swedish broad. Christian asked him what her name was and Test said like he even asked her. Test then said he told her that it doesn’t matter if she speaks any English because he has a language she can understand as he acts like he is about to unzip his pants. Storm ends up stopping him before he can expose himself. Storm asked what we are doing here and they have no clue until Chris Jericho comes in. Jericho says these 3 are the Undisputed Champions best buddies.

Jericho has gifts for each of his friends. Jericho says he couldn’t ask for a better bunch of guys. Jericho then gives each of them their gifts. Christian asks Jericho if this festive joy is because Triple H is coming back on Raw is it? Jericho says that Christian is a kidder and a whack job. Jericho says that is not why he is giving them gifts but it’s because they deserve them. Jericho then runs down the accolades of Test, Christian, and Lance Storm. Jericho says he has a match to get ready for so he asks his friends to leave.

Backstage Interview: Undertaker

Coach runs through everyone that Undertaker has run through since he became Hardcore champion. Coach then reminds Taker what happened after he destroyed Tajiri when Big Show came out and challenged him to a match. Coach says Taker responded by just driving away. Taker gets offended by this and asks Coach if he thinks he is some kind of smart ass. Taker asks Coach if he thinks he is afraid of the Big Show. Taker says it is called psyching your opponent out and Taker wants to know who the hell is the Big Show to be calling Taker out. Taker says he has been around for 11 years and for 11 years he has been taking people like the Big Show and busting them up.

Taker says that there are a lot of people around here like Coach and the Big Show that need to learn some respect. Taker says he is going to ride his bike down to the ring and then get in the face of the Big Show and teach him the word respect. Taker says after it is over we will find out who is scared of whom and then he asks Coach if he makes himself clear.

Backstage Segment: Test and Torrie Wilson

Test tells Torrie that he got her a new years present. Test tells her to open it up and check it out. Torrie opens it up and it is a Jericho shirt. Test says it is the thought that counts anyways. Test then asks Torrie if later on she would want to go up to the nations capitol and partake if she knows what he means. Torrie declines and tells him that she is already taken. Test says he doesn’t want to be her boyfriend. Test then tells Torrie to check him out and asks her if she is going to pass him up and he tells her that if once she gets Test then she will forget about the rest. Torrie restates that she has a boyfriend and his name is Tajiri. Test then tells Torrie to tell Tajiri to meet him in the ring later and he will show him what a real man is all about.

WWF Boot of the Week:

They show the destruction that Undertaker has left behind the last few weeks to Spike Dudley and the Hardy Boyz.

Match 3: Hardcore Title Match: Undertaker (c) vs. Big Show

Undertaker is on his bike heading back up the ramp and Big Show goes chasing him while he is on his bike. Big Show grabs Taker off of his bike as this one gets going quickly. We head back to the ring and Big Show starts throwing in all of the weapons as Taker regroups. We head outside where Big Show goes for a big boot in the corner but Taker moves out of the way and Big Show gets hung up on the post where Taker rams the steps into the knee of Big Show.

Big Show hits a chokeslam but he can’t get all of it because of his bad knee so Taker kicks out. Big Show punches the chair into the face of Taker and then Big Show drops the straps. Big Show is going for the Last Ride but Taker hits a low blow on Big Show and then gets him in a Dragon Sleeper, or TCB (Taking Care of Business) as Big Show taps out. Your winner by submission and still WWF Hardcore Champion….The Undertaker!

Backstage Segment: Stephanie McMahon Trying to Get Into Building Part 2

Stephanie shows up again this time with James Dudley, the McMahon limo driver, and she knows that Dudley is on the list but Stephanie still is not on the list. Stephanie then starts hitting on the guy saying that what he is doing is turning her on. Stephanie says that if he lets her in then she will make it worth her while. Billy and Chuck then show up with their bags and the Event Staff guy marks out for them. He then says if Billy and Chuck ever come out with a calendar it would be unbelievable as Stephanie scampers off angry as hell.

Match 4: Chris Jericho/Kurt Angle vs. Rob Van Dam/Edge

This one starts off with Edge vs. Angle. We start off quickly with Edge and RVD making some quick tags but Angle quickly puts a stop to it before RVD shows off the athleticism and hits a nice rolling spring board cross body for a 2 count. RVD was so smooth and so good in the ring. RVD heads up top for the 5-Star Frog Splash but Jericho ends up pushing RVD off the top rope as Angle and Jericho get control of the tag match. Angle and Jericho continue to work over the midsection area of RVD for the majority of the match here.

Angle goes for a belly to belly off the top but Angle gets pushed off and RVD hits the 5-Star but after it was over Jericho grabs RVD and drops him across the top rope to slow down Rob. We get the hot tag to Edge while Angle ends up tagging in Jericho. Edge comes in and takes out both guys until Edge gets Angle in the Ankle Lock but Jericho breaks it up. Jericho then hits the bulldog and goes for the Lionsault but Edge moves out of the way and Edge drops him with the spear but Angle breaks up the pin. RVD comes in and misses the split legged moonsault. Edge then hits Jericho with the Edgecution and then Angle hits the Angle slam on Edge. RVD clotheslines himself and Angle over the top rope as Jericho gets the pin on Edge. Your winners by pinfall….Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle!

Backstage Segment: Ric Flair and Arn Anderson

Arn says he doesn’t want to put Flair down and then Arn asks Flair where he has been. Arn tells Flair that McMahon, Booker, and Boss Man injured Austin. Flair confirms that Vince did all of this and then he says watch this and he tells Arn he is heading out to the ring.

In Ring Segment: Ric Flair & Stephanie McMahon

Flair asks the crowd if Vince has been acting up again. Flair says he endorses the Rock tonight in his campaign to fight Jericho at the Rumble. Flair tells McMahon to get in front of a monitor and listen to the Nature Boy. Flair says McMahon has a date with destiny at the Rumble when he faces the Nature Boy. Flair says that Vince thinks he can live in an ivory tower and play with peoples live’s like pawns and he says that’s fine but now he has to walk that aisle. Flair says McMahon is going to get poked in the eye, kicked in the balls, and get his nose broken.

Flair says it is time for McMahon to pay the price to be a wrestler. Flair asks McMahon what makes him think he could be like the Nature Boy. Stephanie then jumps the rail but Security stops her immediately. Flair then tells the security guards to back off and to let her in the building. Flair asks Stephanie if she wants to talk to him and Stephanie says she does. Stephanie says that she is impressed with Flair. Stephanie says that she has been impressed with Flair for a very long time and that she is a Ric Flair fan like a lot of the fans here. Stephanie says when she was a little girl she had a crush on the Nature Boy. Stephanie says as she got older that crush turned into respect.

Stephanie then sings the praise of Flair and Stephanie says that she respects him so much that she and Shane sold their shares to him. Stephanie says Flair is a general in the ring but in business he isn’t very good. Stephanie says when it comes to business she is the man. Stephanie says that Flair needs her to be there business wise. Flair then drops elbows and knee drops on his jackets. Flair then grabs the mic and tells Stephanie to tell everyone that she came here to get a shot at the title. Flair is sliding all over the place and Stephanie just nails him with a vicious slap and Flair goes stumbling backwards. That was an awesome sell job by Flair there.

Flair gets up like he is about to deck Stephanie. Stephanie asks what Flair thinks this is one big party. Stephanie reminds Flair that Vince will take a chance to slit his throat and end up. Stephanie then tells Flair that he needs her again but Flair only has 4 days left to make his decision. Stephanie then reminds us that Triple H will be back in the WWF and come this Monday the Game will really begin.

WWF Blast of the Night:

They show what happened between Test and Rikishi from Sunday Night Heat. Test was about to do something to Molly but Rikishi ends up coming out and dropping Test with a big kick and Hurricane picked up the win.

Match 5: Test vs. Tajiri

Test gets in the ring and starts clubbing Tajiri in the back and getting control early. Test then goes out after Torrie as she takes off running. Tajiri slows him down with a kick to the face and then throws him back inside. Tajiri goes for his spring board elbow but Test catches him and drops him with a nice full nelson slam. Tajiri ends up going for the Tarantula but Test blocks it and drops him across the top rope stomach first. Test goes for the big boot but Tajiri ducks and hits Test with a back kick for a 2 count.

Tajiri goes for another kick but Test moves and ends up tripping up Tajiri. Tajiri then hits the ropes but Test gets up and drops Tajiri with a brutal sounding big boot for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Test!

Backstage Segment: Vince McMahon, Boss Man, & Booker T

Boss Man asks McMahon if he is concerned if Flair brings Stephanie back into the fold. Vince wants to know what that serious business Flair was talking about. Booker T then walks into the locker room and Vince starts hyping him up. Booker says he is going to out and become the #1 contender. Booker then asks Vince McMahon who he is facing. Booker then says who like 4-5 times. Booker asks if they are getting it and then Booker says he is going to go out and become the #1 contender and introduce his new catch phrase all in the same night. Booker says t-shirts are going to be selling like hot cakes. Booker then leaves and Vince says Who while Boss Man says What.

Backstage Interview: The Rock

Coach asks the Rock how his New Year was and the Rock just stares him down like what the hell are you asking me. Finally the Rock has come back Washington, DC. Rock says his new year was simply electrifying. Rock asks the Coach how his new year was. Rock asks Coach if he sat around all day playing pocket pool like he usually does or if he watched himself on excess like he usually does. Rock asks the Coach if he sat around and listened to music and he asked if he liked some of the Rocks favorites like Mystikal, Jay-Z, and Destinys Child. Coach then says that he likes Barry Manilow. Rock asks the Coach if he likes the Copa and Coach says yeah he does so the Rock tells him to Copa his ass on out of here.

Rock says that he is going to start the new year like he ended the last one and that is stopping at nothing to become the WWF Champion again. Rock says that Booker T is failing to realize that the Rock is ready to roll, that he was born to roll, and that he came out of his momma’s womb ready to roll. Rock says the doctor held up the baby Rock and he was about to spank his bottom but the Rock stopped and said this isn’t just any baby bottom but this is the people’s baby bottom. Rock said he turned around and the nurses were gawking at the Rock and there eyes were wide with amazement. Rock says he looked at them and said that it is not the umbilical cord but it is the people’s strudel. Rock says Booker won’t be seeing the baby’s bottom, the peoples strudel, but he will be seeing the people ass whooping if you smell what the Rock is cooking!

Match 6: #1 Contenders Match: The Rock vs. Booker T

Booker goes after the Rock early but Rock ducks and starts laying in the right hands as this one is off. Rock starts off quickly with a big clothesline and then a samoan drop for a 2 count. Booker slows the momentum with a nice spine buster as he gets control of this one. Booker continues control of the match after he drops the Rock with a nice side kick when the Rock was on his way back in control. Booker goes for the ax kick but Rock moves out of the way and lays in 4-5 right hands and the last one sends Booker up and over to the outside.

Vince comes out of no where and attacks the Rock from behind while the ref checks on Booker in the ring. Vince hits Rock with a low blow and then throws Rock back into the ring as Booker hits the ax kick but he only gets a 2 count. Rock hits a float over DDT as both men are laid out. Rock goes for the pin but Vince pulls the ref out and then Flair comes out and he nails Vince with a big time right hand. Vince and Flair continue to brawl on the outside. Vince ends up getting busted open with the right hand right under his eye. That didn’t look good. Flair and Vince continue to brawl all the way through the crowd and to the back.

Rock hits a flying clothesline on Booker and then the spine buster. Rock goes for the People’s Elbow but Boss Man comes out and distracts the Rock as Booker nails him with a clothesline. Rock then throws Booker into the Boss Man and then drops him with the Rock Bottom. Rock goes for the cover and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and #1 Contender for the Undisputed Title….The Rock!

After the match is over Boss Man attacks the Rock and drops him with the Boss Man slam. Booker then hits the Rock with a Book End. Austin then comes out and cleans house of Boss Man and Booker T. Booker then heads outside and gets a chair and he comes in and floors Austin with it as the show heads off the air with Austin and Rock both laid out in the ring. This helps set up the main event on Raw where its Rock/Austin vs. Boss Man/Booker T.

Show Recap:
This was a solid show where they continued all of their storylines. I am a fan of a lot of segments that help progress a story instead of having long drawn out matches on television. To me you do storylines on TV so you make people pay for the matches. Thats one of the big issues with todays WWE, every show is the same and nothing makes Raw different than a Backlash PPV. You need to take your TV time to develop stories, characters, and anything else that would make people tune in to the product. After you get them to tune in then you make them want to pay to see the goods. When you give it match after match on Raw every week it becomes meaningless. Thats why watching these shows now make them entertaining. They do a good job of advancing stories as well as reminding you what happened leading up to the episode that you are in.

The matches themselves were quick and entertaining for the most part but they were nothing special. The tag match was a decent opener and then the main event was decent as well. If you are going to watch these shows and expect classic after classic then you are going to be in for a rude awakening because you are not going to get that. If you want stories that are coherent and progress week to week, with some of the biggest names the company has ever had, then you would want to tune into this. So far I really like the feud with Flair and McMahon. I also like the fact that Stephanie is trying to get her power back by offering her services to Flair but only until Triple H comes back. Theres a lot of layers to the stories they have going and they are interesting and they make me want to tune in to find out what happens.

I feel like this was a good set up to Raw to where you want to see what the Rock and Austin were going to do to get their revenge against Booker and Boss Man. Also, I want to know what’s going to happen between Flair and Stephanie. At this point that is all TV was meant to do and that’s bring you in to the next show and I feel like this show accomplishes that. So with that being said, lets get to the Raw!

Raw Event Information:
Date: January 7th, 2002
Location: Madison Square Garden in New York City
Main Event: Stone Cold Steve Austin/The Rock vs. Booker T/Big Boss Man

Show Opening:

Show opens up with the opening video and then they show us that The Rock and Stone Cold will team up to take on Booker T and the Big Boss Man. We then head back into MSG when ‘No Chance’ hits and out comes Vince McMahon.

In Ring Segment: Vince McMahon & Ric Flair

Vince comes out holding a Christmas gift. He gets in the ring and says he has something to talk about that is more important than Triple H’s return and it’s his match with Flair at the Rumble. Vince says a lot of people feel that Flair shouldn’t be in the ring with a guy the caliber of himself. Vince says that a lot of people think that Flair is not only not the same caliber as Vince but he is not worthy of being in the ring with him. Vince says he doesn’t agree with that.

They then go to a highlight video on Ric Flair where they are showing some of his most memorable moments in his career. The dubbed in music for this is terrible from the network version.

We head back to Vince and he says it is pretty impressive. Vince says Flair was not content in having one of the best careers of all time but he also wanted to change his career. They then show Flair’s return to the WWE from November 19th, 2001. They show Flair challenging Vince to a match at the Rumble from 2 weeks ago on Smackdown where Flair dropped Vince with a right hand. They show Flair attacking Vince from last weeks Smackdown. Vince says he got 5 stitches on the outside and 3 stitches on the inside.

Vince says Flair has the expression that to be the man you have to beat the man. Vince says he is already the man and he is going to prove it. Vince then opens up the box and puts on a Flair type wig and a Flair robe and starts strutting around the ring. This prompts Flair to come out to go after Vince. Flair steals the mic from McMahon and tells McMahon every time he takes a moment and makes a video on Flairs career he ends up finding the soft spot in his heart for McMahon again. Flair then says that after that Vince ends up doing something stupid like putting that wig on and the Flair robe on. Flair asks Vince who the hell he thinks he is. Flair says Vince will never make fun of him or mock him.

Flair tells McMahon to take off the damn wig and Vince just stands there so Flair slaps it off. Flair then tells McMahon to take off his “God damn” robe or he will beat him from one side of Manhattan to the other. Vince ends up taking off the rope but he takes out a pipe and blasts Flair in the head with it. Vince then stomps on the robe of Flair while Flair tries to get up. Flair is busted open bad. Vince then throws Flair out of the ring and Vince goes out after him and throws him into the steel steps. McMahon starts laying in the boots to Flair as he talks shit to him the whole time. Vince throws Flair back into the ring and then walks off calling Flair a piece of crap as we head to a commercial break.

Match 1: Rob Van Dam vs. Test

Crowd is really pumped up for RVD’s debut inside of MSG. RVD starts off quick with some kicks and some attempted pin falls but he goes for one to many kicks as Test catches him and drops him with a slam. Test controls a portion of the match with some high impact clothesline and a couple of rest holds before RVD drops him with a spinning leg kick. RVD jumps up to the top rope but Test shoves the ref into the rope and causes Red to rack himself on the ropes. Test goes for a cheap pin by putting his feet on the ropes but RVD kicks out anyways.

Test goes for his big boot but RVD gets out of the way and hits Test with a front kick to the face. Test gets frustrated and goes out and grabs a chair. The ref tries to stop him but Test throws him down. RVD then hits Test with the Van Daminator and then nails the 5-Star Frog Splash for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall….Rob Van Dam!

Backstage Interview: Kurt Angle

Coach is down in the parking lot awaiting the arrival of Triple H when Kurt Angle shows up behind him and he finally cuts off the Coach. Angle asks Coach what the heck he is doing and Coach tells him he is waiting for Triple H. Angle is confused as to why he is waiting for Triple H. Angle asks the Coach to interview someone who has the decency to show up on time. Angle asks where Triple H is anyways. Angle says the way people are acting then Mayor Rudy Giuliani gave him the key to the city or something. Coach corrects Angle and tells him it is Mayor Bloomberg now and Angle tells the Coach to shut up and tells him not to correct him.

Angle says he is the one with the big announcement to make. Coach asks him what his announcement is but Angle tells him that he is not going to stand here and answer his pity question. Angle says when Triple H shows up then Coach needs to start spreading the word that tonight is Angle’s night.

WWF New York Segment: Trish Stratus & Terri

Trish says what’s up New York and Lawler says that he is up. Terri then comes out and interrupts Trish. Terri says it is great to be back in New York and Trish is upset that she interrupted her. Terri says she is the brand new and better host of Excess. Trish asks Terri what she is doing here. Terri says that Trish is pathetic with her Women’s title strutting around. Terri says that Trish doesn’t measure up to her and that she is more talented than her, better looking than her, and more athletic than her. Terri says she is here to challenge Trish.

Trish asks Terri what sort of challenge she has for her. Trish asks if it is a bra and panties match, a lingerie match, or the ever exciting mud wrestling match. Trish says every challenge she has accepted she has delivered 100% Stratusfaction guaranteed. Terri then challenges Trish to a wet t-shirt contest unless Trish is afraid she is going to lose. Trish then accepts the challenge.

Match 2: Billy & Chuck vs. Scotty 2 Hotty/Albert

Before the match starts Billy hops on the mic and asks if he heard it right that Trish and Terri are going to have a wet t-shirt contest. Billy says if anyone should be in a wet t-shirt contest then it should be Billy and Chuck because of their fabulous physique. Billy then says if you don’t believe then then Chuck can pull out his hose and show all these people. At this point Scotty 2 Hotty’s music hits and interrupts them. What a gimmick Billy and Chuck were. They were pretty damn awesome and their gimmick really did work.

Billy and Albert start this one off with a head lock but Albert just picks him and tosses him. Albert ends up whipping Chuck into the corner and then Billy into the same corner. Albert then splashed Chuck into Billy and this caused Chuck to fall down backwards. Billy then gets wobbly and ends up falling head first into the penis area of Chuck. What a great spot with the gimmick involved. Hilarious.

Scotty comes in and works over Palumbo and hits him with a neck breaker for a 2 count. Billy ends up distracting Scotty and this allows Billy and Chuck to get the advantage of this one. Scotty drops Chuck with a DDT and then we get the dual tags as Albert comes in and just destroys both guys over and over. Scotty gets the tag and he goes for the Worm on Billy. Chuck ends up breaking up the pin and then comes in and nails Albert with a brutal looking super kick. Billy comes in and drops Scotty with the Famouser for the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….Billy & Chuck!

Backstage Interview: Chris Jericho

Jericho tells Sharmell to address him the way he deserves to be addressed and that is as the “living legend, larger than life, Undisputed Champion…Chris Jericho.” Jericho then talks about how great it was to see Vince leave Flair laying in his own pool of blood. Jericho says Flair was the one who named the Rock the #1 contender. Jericho says he gets the opportunity to beat The Rock for the unprecedented 5th time. Jericho also said Flair is the one who booked him in a match with a Rikishi tonight because everyone wants to see him get a stink face.

Jericho then tells Sharmell to check out his profile and how great it is. Jericho calls it a picture perfect Picasso. Jericho says he will not get a stink face. Jericho says all of the people who get on their knees and pray to God asking him to make them look half as good as him will be disappointed when he doesn’t get the stink face.

Backstage Interview: Stone Cold Steve Austin

Michael Cole is talking about how great it has been so far here in MSG but Austin interrupts and keeps on saying What. Austin says he has 3 things he wants to talk about. First thing he wants to talk about is the man he saw backstage tonight and it was Triple H. Austin says he is not here to wish Triple H good luck. Austin said he had to return under the same sort of circumstances and that Triple H’s career was nearly over. Austin says he can’t wait to look at him right in the eye face to face.

Austin then says he is entering himself into the Royal Rumble. Austin says he is going to throw a man over the top rope, then another, then another, then another, another, another…you get the idea. I hate this what shit. Austin tells Cole that he gets the picture and he is going to throw 29 sumbitches over the top rope and go on to Wrestlemania. Austin then talks about his match tonight where he is teaming with the Rock. He says they are going to open up a big ol can of whoop ass on Booker T and the Big Boss Man. Austin says tonight 2 sumbitches at least 4 or 5 times are going to get their ass kicked because that’s the bottom because Stone Cold said so.

Match 3: WWF Intercontinental Title Match: Edge (c) vs. Lance Storm

This one starts off fast with Storm hitting some stiff shots to the back, a right to the face, and a clothesline in the corner. Storm goes for a slingshot clothesline but Edge drops him with a drop kick. Lawler on commentary talking about the wet t-shirt contest says “I’ve wanted to squirt on Terri and Trish forever, this is going to be wonderful.” Lol classic. Edge ends up blocking a roll up in a pin but Storm kicks out and Storm quickly turns that into his single leg Boston Crab but Edge gets into the ropes to break it up. Edge then drops Storm with the Edgecution out of no where for the 1-2-3. Your winner by pinfall and still Intercontinental Champion….Edge!

After the match Edge is walking up the ramp when William Regal returns and lays Edge out. Regal then got the brass knocks out and floors Edge with them and knocks him out as the refs send him to the back.

Backstage Segment: Kurt Angle & Christian

Angle is in the back talking to Christian about how he doesn’t understand what the big fuss is about Triple H coming back. Christian doesn’t see it either. Angle asks who is the guy who saved the WWF at Survivor Series. Christian says it was Angle. Angle asks who is the guy that brings happiness and joy to all the little children across the world every single day. Christian says it is Angle. Angle asks where Triple H was during the invasion anyway. Christian says that he was probably at home spinning U2 albums or something. The network version suddenly leaves that and goes straight to Booker T’s music. Seems like something was cut out there.

Match 4: Stone Cold Steve Austin/The Rock vs. Booker T/Big Boss Man

This one starts off quickly as Rock goes out of the ring after Booker and Austin goes out after Boss Man. Austin gets Boss Man into the ring and he hits the Thesz press and then an elbow. Austin then dumps the Boss Man out of the ring with a clothesline. Booker gets tossed into the ring as Austin ends up catching him and drops him with the Stun Gun. Booker goes for an atomic drop but it doesn’t work as Austin flips him off and drops him with a clothesline before throwing him out of the ring.

Rock finally gets tagged in and he lays in some rights and a flying clothesline on the Boss Man for a 2 count. Boss Man ends up pulling down the top rope and this sends the Rock over the top rope and back first into the announce table. Boss Man then goes out and blasts the Rock with his night stick to the gut. Rock ends up getting in control with a toss and then a spine buster on Booker T. Rock then goes for the People’s Elbow but Boss Man trips him up and Booker T hits the Book End on the Rock but Austin comes in and hits Booker with a big time spine buster before Booker could tag the Rock.

Boss Man comes in and works the mid section of the Rock. Booker comes in and he lays in some chops on the Rock but Rock turns it around and lays in the chops of his own. Booker goes for the scissors kick but Rock moves and ends dropping Booker with a DDT as both guys are laid out. Boss Man and Austin both get the tag. Austin comes in and lays out both guys with big time clotheslines and a back drop on Boss Man.

Booker ends up missing a side kick as Austin goes after Boss Man with kicks in the corner. Rock takes care of Booker and sends him flying over the top rope with a right hand. Austin then drops the Boss Man with a Stone Cold Stunner and gets the 1-2-3. Your winners by pinfall….Stone Cold Steve Austin and The Rock!

After the match Austin gets in the face of the Rock and ends up handing him a beer as they celebrate their victory.

Match 5: Chris Jericho vs. Rikishi

This one starts off with Rikishi dominating the match and eventually tries to go for the stink face but Nick Patrick stops him from doing so. They head outside where Rikishi bashes Jericho’s head into the announce table and tries to do it in the post but Jericho ends up pushing Rikishi into the post to get control. Jericho gets Rikishi back into the ring and ends up hitting him with a missile drop kick off the top rope for a 2 count. Jericho hits the running bulldog and goes for the lionsault but Rikishi moves out of the way and hits him with a clothesline and then an Alabama slam to stop Jericho’s momentum.

Rikishi is heading up to the middle rope for his bonsai drop but Jericho moves out of the way and Rikishi misses. Jericho then grabs his title from the outside and tries to hit Rikishi with it but Rikishi ducks and hits Jericho with a super kick right into the ref in the corner. Rikishi goes for stink face but Jericho moves and Rikishi does it to Nick Patrick instead. Jericho then hits Rikishi with the WWF Title and gets the 1-2-3. Your winner and still WWF Undisputed Champion….Chris Jericho!

Backstage Segment: Big Show, Tajiri, Torrie Wilson, & Kurt Angle

Big Show says since HHH is back the competition is going to go up. Torrie said she has never met Triple H but she is excited to. Big Show says he has had his ups and downs with Triple H and Triple H sets the bar for everyone in the company. Kurt Angle then walks in and says that these guys are acting like teenagers at a Ricky Martin concert. Angle doesn’t understand why everyone is freaking out over Triple H being back. Angle asks if he is the only one that remembers that Triple H made life miserable for everyone in the WWF before he got injured. Angle says they are unavailable. Tajiri then gets excited over Ricky Martin and starts dancing and singing his song.

Backstage Segment: Dudley Boyz, Spike, and Tazz

They show Spike working out in the back. D-Von and Bubba show up and try to bully Spike until Tazz shows up. Bubba asks Tazz if he should be getting ready for Sunday Night Heat or choking out his mother or something. Tazz says the Dudleys have held the tag titles a million times but still have massive chips on their shoulders. D-Von asks Tazz to come and knock the chip off their shoulder. Bubba says they can’t do that because they are too small. Bubba says that Tazz’s problem is he forgot where he came from. Tazz says next he is going to take the Dudleys back where they came from. Bubba says see if you remember this and he says beat us if you can as Tazz says survive if I let you. That was pretty damn awesome.

WWF Tag Team Title Match: Dudley Boyz vs. Spike Dudley/Tazz

Tazz and Spike head right out after the Dudleys as they are walking down the ramp. Bubba takes a trash can lid and just smashes Tazz with it on the outside. Bubba and Spike are in the ring going at it while D-Von and Tazz brawl on the outside. Spike goes for a sunset flip but Bubba uses the fire extinguisher on him. D-Von does the what’s up drop to Tazz while Spike is outside laid out. Bubba tells D-Von to get the tables. Spike gets back in the ring and hits a diving head butt into the gut of Bubba. He then goes for the Dudley Dog through the table but Bubba moves the table out of the way so he only gets the Dudley Dog on the mat.

Tazz gets in the ring and gets met with an elbow. Spike takes the stop sign and blasts Bubba in the face with it and then Bubba falls face first on to the sign. Spike goes for the Dudley Dog again but Tazz moves the table and Bubba just launches Spike across the ring. Tazz is working on the table when Stacy gets on the apron and lifts up her skirt to distract Tazz but Tazz moves and Bubba gets distracted instead. Tazz then hits a suplex on Bubba on to the table but it didn’t break so Spike hits the Dudley Dog on Bubba through the table and gets the 1-2-3. Your winners and new WWF Tag Team Champions….Tazz & Spike Dudley!!!

Backstage Promo: The Undertaker

Undertaker says tonight is the big night for Triple H. He says the hype has been off the charts with all of the special videos. Taker says the mere mention of Triple H’s name makes the crowd go crazy. Taker says Triple H must think that the people really respect him. Taker says that they don’t respect him because they don’t respect people like us because they use them. All the people want from people like them are his blood and their pain. Taker says the people just want Triple H to re-injure his leg. Taker says he is not here to rain on his parade but Triple H needs to remember who runs the yard. Taker says at the Rumble he will be the last one standing and he will be the only dog in the yard.

Wet T-Shirt Contest: Trish Stratus (c) vs. Terri

There really isn’t much to this. Lawler gets all his jokes in and then sprays down Terri with the super soaker. She prances around the ring looking pretty hot with her wet shirt and thong. Trish is about to go for her turn but before she can get her jacket off, Jazz attacks her from behind and leaves her laying. Instead of just talking about this I will just show you it in gif form. Enjoy!

Royal Rumble Replay

They show Drew Carey being in the Rumble from 2001. They show the interaction between he and Kane.

Triple H Returns

The pop Triple H gets when his music hits and he walks out is insane. The fact it lasted as long as it did was awesome as well. You get goosebumps every time you see it. I am not a huge Triple H guy but I still remember this show from when it aired because of the response he got. What a better place to come back than Madison Square Garden? Just awesome shit all around here.

“Just in case you’ve forgotten, let me tell you who just the hell I am. I am the Game and you can bet your ass I am back.” What a great returning line. He then enters himself into the Royal Rumble and after doing that Kurt Angle’s music comes on and he comes out to interrupt Triple H. Kurt Angle asks Triple H who the hell he is. Angle says the quad injury kept him out for 8 months while he won a gold medal with a broken freakin neck.

Angle says that he deserves this time and not Hunter and that Hunter is on Angle’s time. Angle says his announcement is bigger than Triple H’s return. Angle then tells us all that he will be in the Royal Rumble as well. It will be his first ever Royal Rumble. Angle says he wasn’t in the Rumble last year because he was busy pinning Triple H to the mat. Angle then asks Triple H what he thinks of that and then Hunter attacks Angle. They brawl for a little bit until Triple H nails Angle with the Pedigree as the show goes off the air.

Show Recap:
This was a solid show from start to finish. They always went a little above and beyond while being inside of MSG and this show as no different. It started off hot with the Vince McMahon/Ric Flair angle to start the show and ended with Triple H coming back. They developed some storylines that will head into the Royal Rumble such as Taker, Hunter, Austin, and Angle all announcing they will be in the Rumble match. They also continued the feud between the Dudleys vs. Tazz/Spike Dudley with them getting the title win here. Everyone who needed to be on the show was on the show and did something that was useful so you can’t really complain there.

This show is obviously memorable because of the return of Triple H but there are some other things on here that are worth checking out as well. Its an entertaining hour and a half and one worth checking out every once in a while to get a reminder of the good ol days of the WWF Attitude Era. I hope you have enjoyed this run down of the week in WWF Television from 2002. I like this format and I feel like I can get things done a lot quicker doing it this way so we will see how far we can take this. Look forward to the next set of Smackdown and Raw as we head down this long journey of the Year in Review for WWF in 2002.