Smackdown
August 1st, 2002 (taped July 30th)
Charlotte Coliseum
Charlotte, North Carolina
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Chavo Guerrero and Bull Buchanan defeated David Flair and Dan DeNucci.
 
8/3 Velocity taping:
 
1. Molly Holly defeats Torrie Wilson.
2. Hardcore Holly pins Albert.
3. Billy and Chuck defeat Shannon Moore and the Hurricane.
4. Faarooq pins Mike Awesome.
5. Billy Kidman pins Funaki.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Rey Mysterio pins Tajiri with a hurricanrana off the top rope at 7:15.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty interesting matchup. Mysterio made his debut the week before and looks to get another win here over Tajiri, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get a win here. Mysterio gets a good pop from the crowd while Tajiri had decent heat as a heel. Mysterio wastes no time and hits a baseball slide on Tajiri to start the match as he hits a springboard moonsault onto Tajiri on the floor, and he throws Tajiri into the ring and hits a slingshot headscissors as he pounds on him until Tajiri reverses a whip. Mysterio ducks a shot and Tajiri goes behind him as Mysterio escapes a back suplex attempt and ducks a shot, and he hits a wheelbarrow bulldog on Tajiri for a two count as Tajiri counters a whip and hits a short clothesline on Mysterio. He stomps on Mysterio who slides under him and Tajiri catches a kick attempt as Mysterio does a backflip and Tajiri hits a superkick, and he chokes Mysterio on the ropes and pounds on him as he hits a flapjack and hooks a rollup for a two count before hooking a submission on. Mysterio powers his way up and attempts a sunset flip as Tajiri rolls through and slingshots Mysterio over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron, and he gets a shot in only for Tajiri to catch him with a superkick and he shoves him to the floor before coming off the apron with an axehandle. He rams Mysterio’s back into the apron and barricade as he throws him back into the ring and he wraps his body around the post, and he rolls back into the ring and gets a two count as he rams Mysterio into the buckle and puts him in the tree of woe. He hits a baseball slide on Mysterio for a two count and pounds on him as he hooks a submission on and Mysterio escapes a tilt-a-whirl, and he ducks a shot and they trade blows with Tajiri reversing a whip and Mysterio flips onto his shoulders before hitting a DDT for a two count. Tajiri reverses a whip into the corner and Mysterio leaps over him as Tajiri avoids a charge and he hooks the Tarantula on Mysterio, and Mysterio ducks a kick and trips Tajiri up as he hooks a sunset flip for a two count and Tajiri reverses a whip. He counters a hurricanrana with a sitdown powerbomb for a two count and shoves Mysterio to the mat as Mysterio escapes a slam attempt, and he hits a dropkick to the back that sends Tajiri into the ropes and he hits the 619 as he attempts a springboard sunset flip though Tajiri sits on top of him for a two count. He whips Mysterio into the corner and catches him on a leap as he sends Mysterio over the top with Mysterio landing on the apron, and Mysterio goes up top only for Tajiri to kick him in the head and he goes up himself as he pounds on Mysterio. Mysterio battles back and shoves Tajiri to the mat as he sets himself on the top rope and hits a hurricanrana which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Mysterio looked good for the second week in a row while Tajiri was hitting his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Tajiri got a lot of offense in before putting Mysterio over. The crowd was into the match and popped for Mysterio when he won. Mysterio gets the win over Tajiri and both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
We see Kurt Angle walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring and says that he wants to tell everyone he’s sorry for giving everyone a scare last week, and he says that he realizes if you’re a loyal Smackdown viewer, the thought of him leaving the show would be terrifying. He says that if he wasn’t on the show, there would be no reason to watch and last week was a big mix-up as he left the arena to let off some steam, and he says that he did that because of the actions of Brock Lesnar who calls himself the next big thing and is a former NCAA Champion. He says that he’s been winning NCAA Titles since Lesnar was a kid and he knows Lesnar has talent, but he asks how many gold medals Lesnar won though he knows Lesnar has none and he had the nerve to get him DQ’ed last week. He says that Lesnar then had the nerve to tell him his days as being the top dog are over and he says if Lesnar thinks he’s the No. 1 man, he can come down here and they can find out who really is the best as Hulk Hogan comes out on the stage and mocks Angle. He says that Angle needs to shut the hell up and seeing how Angle missed most of last week’s show, he’ll give him an update in that he was trying to regain the tag titles with Rock only for Lesnar to take him out with the F-5. He says that Angle needs to leave the ring now because if anyone is going to take on Lesnar tonight, he will be him and Angle says this has to be a joke as he asks Hogan what he could do against Lesnar. He says that he’s facing Lesnar and if Hogan has a problem with it, he can come down here and do something about it as Hogan comes down to the ring and he gets in Angle’s face. Just then, Stephanie McMahon comes out on the stage and says that she loves the competitive spirit which separates this show from RAW, and she says the most aggressive Superstars can be found on Smackdown and that’s why Lesnar signed with her to face the likes of Angle and Hogan. She says that since they all want to face each other, there will be a match tonight between Hogan and Angle with the winner facing Lesnar next week as she wishes them luck, and Angle says he’s fine with that as he will do what he did at King of the Ring which is make Hogan tap out. He says that he does feel sorry for Hogan and he’ll make it quick as Hogan pounds on him and Angle catches him ducking with a kick, and he charges only for Hogan to backdrop him over the top to the floor and Hogan poses for the crowd.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Charlotte Coliseum.
 
We see Stephanie McMahon head into her office where Eric Bischoff is waiting as he says it’s good to see her and she tells him to get out of her office, and he says that he has friends in Charlotte and has business to take care of as they can still be friends despite being competitors. She says that she doesn’t like him and he says he doesn’t like it when she’s upset as he wanted some alone time with her, and he says that he thought he would be at a disadvantage against her though she’s disappointed him as he’s taken more stars from Smackdown than she has from RAW. She calls for security who come in and he says he’ll go though he wants to say he loves her peaches as security escort Bischoff out of the office and arena, but he asks about the main event which she says is Rock and Edge in a match as she demands he be kept out.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Mark Henry with the F-5 at 2:42.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Lesnar made his debut on Smackdown last week taking out Henry and now Henry comes here looking for revenge. Henry gets a good pop from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with neither gaining an edge and Lesnar goes behind Henry who blocks a German suplex, and Lesnar gets a shot in and hooks a headlock as Henry whips him off and neither man goes down when they collide. Lesnar catches him with a clothesline for a two count and stomps on him as he pounds on him and whips him into the corner, and he rams the shoulder into Henry’s ribs and Henry blocks a suplex attempt as he hits a delayed one of his own on Lesnar for a two count. He slams down on Lesnar’s back and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and hoists him up in a choke. Lesnar escapes by raking the eyes and he rams Henry into the corner as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex, and then he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Henry was getting back into a groove while Lesnar was hitting his groove as well, and they had decent chemistry as Lesnar gets a clean win. The crowd was into the match and Henry, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Henry and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Lesnar and Heyman head to the back as they run into Hulk Hogan and Lesnar says he hopes Hogan wins tonight because he really wants to face him next week, and he and Heyman walk away from him and walk past Billy and Chuck who are arguing in the hallway. Rico comes up to them and says that they need to stop with this nonsense as they are a great team and even though the tag titles are now on RAW, everything will work out and Billy and Chuck walk away while continuing to argue as John Cena comes out of the dressing room. He says that it seems like Rico’s boys are in trouble and Rico says that Cena is the one in trouble based on his looks, and he says the women are screaming out of horror by seeing Cena and Cena asks if Rico’s look is based on Liberace meeting the Wolfman. Rico goes to slap Cena who blocks it and Cena fakes Rico out with a slap before walking away as Rico storms down the hallway, and he bumps into Kurt Angle who asks what is wrong with him and he walks up to Lesnar and Heyman as Lesnar says he hopes Angle wins tonight so he can face him next week.
 
Commercial break
 
3. “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan defeats Kurt Angle by disqualification at 10:32.
 
Stipulation: The winner would face Brock Lesnar next week on Smackdown
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men were both looking to get a shot at Brock Lesnar and now they face off here to see who will face Lesnar next week. Hogan gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Hogan shoving Angle to the mat as they lock up again with Hogan again shoving Angle to the mat, and Angle trips Hogan up and floats over into a front facelock as Hogan fights to his feet and Angle works on the arm. Hogan turns it around and works the arm as Angle pounds on him until Hogan reverses a whip and he hits a pair of clotheslines, and he pounds on Angle who reverses a whip and Hogan blocks a hiptoss attempt before hitting one of his own on Angle. He clotheslines Angle over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he pounds on Angle and rams him into the barricade, and he whips Angle into the post and then he rams him into the steps as he throws him back into the ring and rams him into the buckle repeatedly. He knocks Angle down only for Angle to ram him into the corner and he rams the shoulder into Hogan’s ribs repeatedly, and he pounds on Hogan and stomps on him as he goes outside and he drives his elbow into Hogan’s throat twice. He rolls back into the ring and knocks Hogan down as Hogan blocks a suplex attempt and he hits one of his own, and Angle ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits a short clothesline on Hogan for a two count. He chokes Hogan on the ropes and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly, and Hogan battles back until Angle rakes the eyes and he hits a back suplex for a two count as he hooks a submission on and uses the ropes for leverage. Hogan fights to his feet and breaks the hold only for Angle to get a knee in and he hits another back suplex on Hogan, but Hogan no-sells it and fires up on Angle as he hits a backdrop and then he hits a slam on Angle. He drops a trio of elbows on Angle for a two count and Angle rakes the eyes as Hogan ducks a shot and pounds on Angle, and Angle blocks the big boot and trips Hogan up as he hooks the Ankle Lock on until Hogan kicks him off to break the hold. Angle pounds on Hogan who reverses a whip and he hits the big boot though Angle gets a kick in and hits the Angle Slam for a two count, and he hooks the Ankle Lock back on Hogan who tries to reach the ropes only for Angle to pull him back to the center of the ring. Hogan kicks Angle off the hold only for Angle to take the ref out by mistake and he goes outside as he brings a chair into the ring, and he charges only for Hogan to kick the chair back in Angle’s face and he hits the legdrop though the ref it still down. Just then, Brock Lesnar runs down to the ring and Hogan knocks him to the floor as Angle grabs the chair and hits Hogan in the back with it which draws the DQ and Hogan wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match that was a slight notch below their match at KOTR. Hogan was starting to slow down by this point while Angle was hitting his stride, and they had good chemistry as Angle screws himself and Hogan gets his win back. The crowd was into the match and Hogan, but are not happy with the ending. Hogan gets the win over Angle by DQ and will face Lesnar next week as both men move on. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Angle argues with the ref and stomps on Hogan who starts to hulk up and he no-sells Angle’s shots as he pounds on him and hits the big boot, but Lesnar trips Hogan up from the floor and gets in the ring as he hoists Hogan onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 before heading to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Rikishi pins Rev. D-Von (w/ Batista) with the Banzai Drop at 3:23.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. Both men have been cruising in the midcard and they face off here to see who will get a win. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while D-Von had decent heat as a heel. D-Von wastes no time and attacks Rikishi to start the match as Rikishi battles back until D-Von reverses a whip into the corner, but Rikishi comes out with a clothesline and he looks for a sitdown splash though D-Von rolls away and he ducks a shot only for Rikishi to pound on him. D-Von reverses a whip and Batista trips Rikishi up from the floor only for Rikishi to send D-Von over the top onto Batista on the floor, and Rikishi goes outside and nails Batista as he pounds on D-Von and throws him back into the ring. Batista grabs at Rikishi’s foot as he tries to slide back into the ring and D-Von hits a legdrop to the back of Rikishi’s head, and he goes outside and pounds on Rikishi as he rams him into the steps and pulls the padding off the barricade. He rams Rikishi into the exposed barricade and throws him back into the ring as he goes up to the middle rope and hits a legdrop for a two count, and he stomps on Rikishi repeatedly and pounds on him as Rikishi reverses a whip and D-Von ducks a shot as he hits a back elbow. He goes up top and attempts a diving headbutt though Rikishi catches him coming in and he grinds D-Von’s head into his groin, and he hits a Samoan drop on D-Von and gets a kick in as he hits a DDT and he drags D-Von to the corner. Batista gets in the ring and Rikishi catches him with a superkick as he goes up to the middle rope and hits the Banzai Drop on D-Von which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and they had decent chemistry as Rikishi overcomes the odds and gets the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over D-Von and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Rikishi splashes D-Von in the corner and looks to give him the Stinkface only for Batista to get a shot in from the apron, and he gets in the ring and hits a spinebuster on Rikishi as D-Von goes up top and hits the diving headbutt.
 
We see Stacy Keibler getting her makeup done as Stephanie McMahon walks up to her and she asks how Keibler can sit there when Eric Bischoff was in her office, and Keibler says she didn’t know and Stephanie gave her a job last week only for Bischoff to make it into the arena. She says that if Bischoff shows his face again or if Keibler fails her again, she will face the consequences as she walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
Jamie Noble and Nidia are in the ring as he says that he wants Nidia to look at the North Carolina trash in the arena and he’s glad he’s the Cruiserweight Champion to prove that they are better than these rednecks, and he says that Nidia came from the neatest trailer in the Carolinas though she’s now a rich woman and doesn’t have to worry about that anymore. He says that they need to be treated like royalty though are treated like trailer trash as he might as well be a Tar Heel, and he says that’s going to change as they leave the ring and go to the announce table as he says they don’t mess with Tazz because he’s a street thug. He says that Cole talks about the matches and makes the wrestlers look good though he’s noticed Cole staring at Nidia and knows he wants her, and he says that tonight’s his lucky night and he tells Nidia to give him some sugar as she climbs onto the table and plants a kiss on Cole while Noble narrates it. He says that the perverts are liking this too much and he tells Cole that the fans are to blame for trying to turn foreplay into a porno, and he says that Cole better start talking good about them and he’ll make sure she gives him some more loving as he tells Nidia that this is what being Cruiserweight Champion gets them and they make out.
 
We see Billy Kidman, Hardcore Holly, and Mike Awesome watching footage from RAW 3 nights ago as Stephanie McMahon walks up to them and turns the TV off, and she asks them why they were watching RAW as Eric Bischoff will try to recruit them and she wants to know why they aren’t watching their own show. She says that they don’t pay attention to their own product which is why they aren’t in the main event and she doesn’t want them watching RAW again.
 
Commercial break
 
5. John Cena pins Rico with a spinout powerbomb at 2:12.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. These two men had a confrontation earlier in the night and now they face off here to settle their issues. Cena gets a good pop from the crowd while Rico had decent heat as a heel. Rico spits water at Cena and catches him with a kick to start the match as he slaps him in the face and kicks at him repeatedly in the corner, and he hits a short clothesline on Cena and rams the knee into him repeatedly as he hits a kneelift for a two count. Cena battles back until Rico gets a kick in and he hits a side kick on Cena who catches him in a spinebuster for a two count, and Rico hits a superkick on Cena and goes up top only to miss the moonsault and Cena hits a clothesline and a dropkick on Rico. He hits a tilt-a-whirl powerslam on Rico for a two count and Rico reverses a whip as Cena ducks a shot only for Rico to catch him with a dropkick, and Cena surprises him with a small package for a two count and Rico drops a pair of elbows on him as he hits a sitdown splash. Cena ducks a spin kick and hoists Rico up for a back suplex before hitting a spinout powerbomb which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the time they got and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Cena when he won. Cena gets the win over Rico and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Cena pulls Rico up and slaps him in the face as Billy and Chuck run down to the ring and attack Cena, and Chuck puts Cena on his shoulders as Billy goes up top and they hit the Doomsday Device on Cena.
 
We see Eric Bischoff coming through the crowd as he pays off a fan in the front row to take his seat.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Eric Bischoff leading the fans in chanting “RAW” as Stephanie McMahon comes down to the ring and she asks if Bischoff is actually there at ringside, and she says that Bischoff is clever to purchase a ticket to come back in and says that the main event is not what she had announced earlier. She says that instead, Edge and Rock will be teaming up to face her newly acquired talent from RAW, Eddie Guerrero and the IC Champion Chris Benoit who come down to the ring, and Bischoff jumps the barricade and tries to get in the ring only for security to grab him and drag him out of the building.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Chris Benoit and Eddie Guerrero defeat the Rock and Edge when Rock taps out at 13:00.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. After initially thinking that Rock and Edge would face off in a match, they now will team up against Smackdown’s newest acquisitions in Benoit and Eddie. Rock and Edge get a big pop from the crowd while Benoit and Eddie were red hot as heels. Eddie wastes no time and attacks Rock from behind to start the match as he stomps on him repeatedly and pounds on him, but Rock battles back on Eddie who reverses a whip and Rock catches him ducking by slamming his head into the mat. He hits a Samoan drop on Eddie for a two count and Eddie rakes the eyes as he rams Rock into the buckle and tags Benoit, and they pound and stomp on Rock in the corner until Rock reverses a whip and he hits a clothesline on Benoit. Both men counter a whip and Rock gets a kick in as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Benoit for a two count, and he pounds on Benoit who reverses a whip and Eddie gets a shot in from the apron as Rock knocks him to the floor. Benoit nails Rock in the back and hits a back suplex as he stomps on him and he rams him into the buckle, and Eddie tags in and both men stomp on Rock repeatedly in the corner as Eddie pounds on him and chokes him on the ropes. Benoit tags in and he whips Rock into the corner as he pounds on him until Rock battles back only for Benoit to hit a back elbow, and Eddie tags in and gets a two count as he stomps on Rock repeatedly and rakes his boot across the face. Rock catches Eddie with a flapjack and Edge tags in as he goes up top and hits a clothesline on Eddie before hitting a clothesline on Benoit, and he knocks Eddie down and Benoit reverses a whip as Edge hits a flying forearm on Benoit and a monkey flip on Eddie. He rams the shoulder into Eddie’s ribs in the corner and he whips Benoit into the other corner as he rams the shoulder into his ribs, and he ducks a shot and hits the Edge-o-Matic on Eddie for a two count as Benoit breaks it up with a low dropkick. Eddie grabs Edge in a front facelock and tags Benoit who kicks at Edge and he catches him with a knee to the ribs, and he whips Edge into his corner and hits a headbutt as Eddie chokes him from the apron and Benoit pounds on him. Eddie tags in as Edge battles back on both men and he knocks Benoit down only for Benoit to hit a drop toehold, and Eddie hits a slingshot somersault senton on Edge for a two count and he pounds on him as he hooks a submission on Edge. Edge reaches the rope to force a break and Eddie slams down on his back as Benoit tags in and kicks at Edge, and he hits a backbreaker on Edge for a pair of two counts and stomps on him as he pounds on Edge who blocks a ram into the buckle and he rams Benoit into the buckle. Edge ducks a shot from Eddie and knocks him down as Benoit ducks a shot and hits a trio of German suplexes on Edge for a two count, and he hooks a half Boston crab on Edge who escapes the hold by kicking Benoit off only for Benoit to drop an elbow on him. He drags Edge to his corner and tags Eddie who stomps on Edge and hits a brainbuster for a two count as he stomps on him, and Benoit tags in as they put Edge on the top rope before going up themselves only for Edge to knock Benoit to the mat. He hoists Eddie up and drops him on top of Benoit as he sets himself on the top rope and hits a sunset flip on Eddie for a two count, and Edge ducks a shot and both men attempt a crossbody as Benoit knocks Rock off the apron and he pounds on Edge. Eddie continues to pound on Edge and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner until Edge hits a sitdown powerbomb, and Rock gets the hot tag and he fires up on Benoit as he sends Eddie over the top to the floor and he ducks a shot before getting a kick in and he hits a DDT on Benoit for a two count as Eddie breaks it up. He stomps on Rock as Edge gets in the ring and hits the spear on Eddie only for Benoit to avoid it as Edge rams his shoulder into the post and falls to the floor, and Rock nips up and pounds on Benoit as he hits a spinebuster on him and the Rock Bottom on Eddie. He stalks Benoit as Brock Lesnar comes down to the ring with a chair and Rock gets distracted as Benoit takes him to the mat, and he hooks the Crossface on Rock who taps out and Benoit and Eddie get the win. The match itself was very good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Rock and Edge looked good as a team while Benoit and Eddie were hitting their stride as a team, and they had great chemistry as Lesnar ends up costing Rock the match. The crowd was into the match and Rock and Edge, but are not happy when Benoit and Eddie win. Benoit and Eddie get the win over Rock and Edge as both teams move on. Grade: 3.5
 
After the match, Lesnar heads back up the ramp to the stage as Hulk Hogan comes out with a chair and he hits Lesnar in the back with it, and he hits Lesnar in the back two more times with the chair as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show with a few good matches and some more surprises in defecting Superstars from RAW to Smackdown. Since Bischoff and Stephanie became GMs of their shows, they have been trying to constantly one up each other in terms of poaching talent and we saw some big jumps between the last two shows. We had no title matches on the show as Mysterio, Lesnar, Hogan, Rikishi, Cena, Benoit, and Eddie get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was easily the best as the big moment from the show was Eddie and Benoit defecting from RAW. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as we’ve seen many jumps over the last few weeks and as we head towards Summerslam, we will see how that show gets built up. As for this show, it is a pretty good show to continue what has been a chaotic summer. Final Grade: B-