Smackdown
September 12th, 2002 (taped September 10th)
Target Center
Minneapolis, Minnesota
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Val Venis defeats Horace Hogan.
2. Mark Jindrak and Lenny Lane defeat Bull Buchanan and Doug Basham.
 
9/14 Velocity taping:
 
1. Rev. D-Von defeats Shannon Moore.
2. Albert defeats Funaki.
3. The Hurricane and Crash Holly defeat Jamie Noble and Tajiri.
4. Randy Orton defeats Billy Kidman.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Hardcore Holly with the F-5 at 6:12.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty interesting matchup. Lesnar was preparing for his title match at Unforgiven and looks to get a win here over Hardcore, who was floating in the midcard and looks to get an upset win here. Hardcore gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match with Hardcore shoving Lesnar back and they trade blows until Lesnar shoves him away, and they continue to trade blows until Lesnar shoves Hardcore into the corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex. He hooks a front facelock on Hardcore who reaches the ropes to force a break and Lesnar gets a knee in only for Hardcore to hit a spear that sends both men to the outside, and they trade blows until Lesnar gets a knee in and pounds on Hardcore as he stomps on him and gets a pair of knees in. He rams Hardcore’s back into the post and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on the floor as he throws him back into the ring and gets a two count, and he stomps on Hardcore and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly in the corner as Hardcore gets a shot in. Lesnar blocks a shot and hits a legsweep on Hardcore as he stomps on him and hits a delayed suplex before pounding on him, and Hardcore tries to battle back until Lesnar gets a knee in and he again rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly in the corner. He whips Hardcore hard into the other corner and hooks a bearhug on as Hardcore tries to escape only for Lesnar to hit a back suplex for a two count, and he rams the shoulder into the ribs and whips Hardcore into the other corner only for Hardcore to catch him with a boot to the face twice. He goes up to the middle rope only to miss a missile dropkick and Lesnar stomps on him as he hits a backbreaker and hoists Hardcore onto his shoulder, but Hardcore slides off though Lesnar gets a kick in and looks for a powerbomb though seemingly loses his grip and he drops Hardcore on the back of his head. He kicks at Hardcore and attempts a second powerbomb though Hardcore escapes and ducks a shot before hitting a dropkick, and he holds Lesnar’s legs up while he’s on the ropes and kicks him in the groin though Lesnar ducks a shot and Hardcore blocks a German suplex attempt. He hooks a rollup for a two count and pounds on Lesnar who counters a whip and hoists Hardcore onto his shoulders, and he hits the F-5 on Hardcore 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. Hardcore was hitting his peak by this point while Lesnar was hitting his stride as well, and they had decent chemistry as Hardcore ends up getting hurt from that botched powerbomb though he manages to finish the match. The crowd was into the match and Hardcore, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Hardcore and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
We see the Undertaker and Sara arrive to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Eddie and Chavo Guerrero defeat Edge and John Cena when Eddie pins Cena at 7:04.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. Edge and Eddie have continued to have issues and look to settle things here with Cena and Chavo as their partners. Edge and Cena get a good pop from the crowd while Eddie and Chavo had solid heat as heels. Eddie wastes no time and hits a clothesline on Edge to start the match as he stomps on him and Chavo knocks Cena off the apron, and Eddie pounds on Edge who reverses a whip and Eddie leaps onto his shoulders as Edge hits an electric chair flapjack. He hits a flapjack on Chavo as Cena gets in the ring and hits a clothesline on both Guerreros with Edge clotheslining Chavo over the top to the floor, and Eddie rolls outside to regroup only for Cena to pull him onto the apron and Eddie escapes a suplex attempt back into the ring. Cena tries to go behind Eddie who gets a pair of knees in and he trips Cena up as he works the arm until Cena bridges up, and Chavo comes in and grabs the other arm only for Cena to do a backflip and hits a double armdrag on both men. The Guerreros duck a double clothesline attempt only for Edge to come in and hit a double clothesline on both men, and Cena pounds on Eddie who reverses a whip and Chavo pulls the top rope down as Cena tumbles over the top to the floor. Eddie goes outside as well and the Guerreros stomp on Cena as they throw him back into the ring and Chavo knocks him down, and he stomps on Cena and grabs the arm as he hits a short clothesline and rams him into the buckle. Eddie tags in and stomps on Cena in the corner as he rams him into the buckle and pounds on him before whipping him into the other corner, and Cena ducks a shot and hits a press slam on Eddie as he looks for a second one only for Chavo to hit a chop block on Cena. Edge gets the hot tag and hits a pair of clotheslines on Chavo as he hits a superkick on Eddie and a backdrop on Chavo, and he looks for the spear only for Eddie to trip him up from the floor and he pulls him crotch first into the post. Chavo hits a low dropkick on Edge and knocks him down for a two count as he rams him into the buckle and tags Eddie, and he pounds on Edge and hits a suplex for a two count as he gets a shot in on Cena and the Guerreros stomp on Edge. Eddie rams Edge into the buckle and kicks at him as he pounds on him and goes up top before hitting a headscissors on Edge for a two count, and he knocks Edge down and tags Chavo who hits a slingshot knee to Edge as Edge tries to battle back only for Chavo to catch him with a knee to the ribs. He stomps on Edge for a two count and Edge again tries to battle back until Chavo gets a kick in though Edge ducks a shot and hits the modified facebuster, and Eddie tags in only for Cena to duck a shot and he nails Eddie before getting the hot tag and he hits a pair of clotheslines. He hits a backdrop on Eddie and kicks at Chavo who reverses a whip and Cena hits a flying forearm on Chavo, and he ducks a shot and hits a back suplex into a sidewalk slam for a two count as Chavo breaks the pin up. Edge goes up top and hits a clothesline on Chavo as he rams the shoulder into his ribs in the corner, but he misses a charge at Eddie and rams his shoulder into the post as he falls to the floor and Cena attempts a suplex on Chavo. Eddie blocks it and nails Cena as Chavo hits a brainbuster on Cena while Eddie goes up top and hits the Frog Splash which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid tag match. Edge and Cena looked good as a team as did the Guerreros and they had good chemistry as the Guerreros get the win. The crowd was into the match and Edge and Cena, but are not happy when the Guerreros win. The Guerreros get the win over Edge and Cena though Eddie’s issues with Edge aren’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Eddie pulls Edge back into the ring and pounds on him as he stomps on him while Chavo pulls his tights down, but Edge hits a low blow on Eddie and shoves his face into Chavo’s ass before heading to the back with Cena.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the Guerreros arguing backstage as Chavo tries to apologize while Eddie is dousing his face with water and he says he’d kick Chavo’s ass if he wasn’t blood.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews the Undertaker, who says that Sara has friends and family here in Minneapolis that she wanted to see, but then Matt Hardy walks up to him and congratulates him on his wife being pregnant as he says he might have children someday. Taker says that they should have this conversation some other time and Matt says that he’s serious in what he’s saying as he wanted to offer his congratulations to Sara as well, but Taker says that she doesn’t Matt’s congratulations and tells him to leave as he shoves Matt into a door and goes back into his locker room as Matt says someone needs a Mattitude adjustment.
 
We see Rico speaking on the phone with someone arguing about the cake as he goes into Stephanie McMahon’s office and he asks if she would reconsider her decision to attend the ceremony tonight, and she says that it’s not that she doesn’t want to be part of it but she seems to have bad luck at weddings and doesn’t want to be a jinx. He says that a lot of things are not going right with this ceremony and he’s not sure what to do as he needs a witness for this ceremony, and he goes crazy until Stephanie tells him to calm down and if he really needs a witness, she would be honored to be part of it and he says this will be a night she’ll never forget.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Target Center.
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring for his match and says that it’s fitting he’s in Minneapolis as he is facing a midget in Rey Mysterio, and he says that what he’s saying is funny unlike what happened last week when he received the Stinkface. He tells Chris Benoit that if he ever laughs at him again, there will be two unions tonight with one being Billy and Chuck, and the other being his fist in Benoit’s face as he tells Mysterio that he’s a boy in a man’s world.

Commercial break
 
3. Kurt Angle pins Rey Mysterio with an Angle Slam off the top rope at 8:26.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty big matchup. These two men faced off at Summerslam with Angle getting the win and now Mysterio looks to get his win back here. Mysterio gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they lock up with Angle hitting a slam and they lock up again with Angle grabbing the leg, and he trips Mysterio up and spins around on his back as he slaps the back of Mysterio’s head repeatedly. They lock up a third time with Angle attempting a hiptoss though Mysterio lands on his feet and hits a drop toehold, and then he hits a fireman’s carry on Angle who shoves Mysterio to the mat and Mysterio slaps Angle in the face. Angle chases Mysterio around the ring and Mysterio spins around in the ropes as Angle flies through the ropes to the outside, and Angle quickly returns to the ring and Mysterio ducks a shot as he hits a headscissors and he pounds on Angle in the corner. Angle reverses a whip into the other corner and Mysterio flips inside out with Angle ramming his shoulder into the post, and Mysterio goes out to the apron and hits a double springboard moonsault on Angle for a two count as Angle gets a knee in. Mysterio escapes an Angle Slam attempt with an armdrag and he flips onto Angle’s shoulders with Angle flipping him off and Mysterio lands on his feet, and Mysterio sends Angle into the corner and hooks a sunset flip for a two count as he attempts a wheelbarrow though Angle gets a shot in. He hits a big release German suplex on Mysterio and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner as he hits a pair of backbreakers for a two count, and Mysterio escapes a suplex attempt and ducks a shot as he hits a spin kick on Angle and ducks another shot. Angle catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count and hooks a submission on Mysterio who flips into a rollup for a two count, and Angle catches a kick attempt and ducks an enzurgiri as he hits a pair of German suplexes on Mysterio who blocks a third one with a bulldog. He catches Angle with a boot to the face and slides under him as he kicks him into the corner and Angle launches him into the corner, but Mysterio lands on the top rope and hits a moonsault on Angle for a two count as he hits a crossbdy that sends both men over the top with Angle landing on the floor. Mysterio rolls back into the ring and hits a slingshot twisting crossbody onto Angle on the floor as he throws him back into the ring, and he hits a springboard legdrop on Angle for a two count as Angle rolls through and hooks the Ankle Lock on Mysterio who escapes by kicking Angle away. He hits a drop toehold that sends Angle into the ropes and then he hits the 619 though Angle avoids a springboard with Mysterio landing on his feet, and he hits a hurricanrana on Angle for a two count and goes up top though Angle runs up top and hits the Angle Slam off the top 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 that was just a bit behind the Summerslam match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had great chemistry as Angle once again gets the clean win over Mysterio. The crowd was into the match and Mysterio, but are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Mysterio and both men move on. Grade: 3
 
We see a limo pulling into the arena as security stops them and he finds out they are part of the ceremony so he lets them through.
 
Commercial break
 
4. Chris Benoit defeats Rikishi by disqualification at 3:05.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. These two men faced off the previous week in the 6-man tag and now they face off here in a singles match. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Benoit had solid heat as a heel. Rikishi wastes no time and pounds on Benoit to start the match as he knocks him down only for Benoit to get a shoulder in, and he gets a kick in and pounds on Rikishi who reverses a whip though Benoit blocks a belly-to-belly suplex with a headbutt. Rikishi ducks a shot and hits a sitdown spinebuster on Benoit who catches him with a low blow and he pounds on Rikishi, and he knocks him down for a two count and hooks the Crossface on Rikishi who fights to his feet and shoves Benoit off. He hits a flapjack cutter on Benoit and drags him to the corner as he goes up to the middle rope though Benoit gets a shot in, and he puts Rikishi on his shoulders and hits an electric chair drop before going up top only for Kurt Angle to run down to the ring and he shoves Benoit to the mat which draws the DQ and Benoit wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both men worked hard for the 3 minutes they got and this was more about Angle getting payback on Benoit. The crowd was into the match though they are not happy with the ending. Benoit gets the win over Rikishi by DQ and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Angle gets in the ring and attempts the Angle Slam on Rikishi who escapes it and hits a superkick which sends Angle to the outside, and he splashes Benoit in the corner and Angle holds Benoit from the outside as Rikishi gives Benoit the Stinkface while Angle laughs at Benoit.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the ring being set up for the commitment ceremony.
 
We see Chris Benoit in Stephanie McMahon’s office as he complains about what happened earlier and he wants a match with Angle at Unforgiven, but then Matt Hardy comes in and demands to speak to Stephanie though she tells him to wait as she grant’s Benoit request for a match with Angle. Benoit says that Angle will feel his pain and walks out of the office as she asks what she can do for Matt, and he says that he wants a match with the Undertaker tonight and she says that since he’s so full of “Mattitude”, she will give him what he wants and he says that he guarantees victory.
 
We see Rico come down to the ring as he has a mike on and he criticizes everything from the singers to the priest in the ring and even complains about the set as he says that he has a headache.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Rico and Stephanie McMahon in the ring as Rico introduces Billy and Chuck who come down to the ring while the singers perform “It’s Raining Men”, and then the priest begins the ceremony as he says they are here to witness a pledge of commitment. He says that he understands Billy and Chuck have written their own vows as Chuck starts by saying when he first met Billy, he knew he was a great tag wrestler and his name was Mr. Ass as he knows Billy has won numerous tag titles. He says that Billy has captured something bigger which is his heart and Billy says that Chuck is even more corny than usual, but he says that’s what makes him special and that’s why he wants Chuck to be his tag partner permanently. Rico beams with pride as he presents a video he personally made of Billy and Chuck’s union which plays on the Titantron, and Rico starts crying as he demands applause and says that everyone has been waiting for this moment as well as him. The priest says that before they continue, he asks if there is anyone that believes these two people shouldn’t commit to each other, they must speak now or forever hold their peace as the Godfather comes down to ringside with several women. He says that he’s sorry though when he heard a party was happening tonight, he knew that Minneapolis was the next stop for the Ho Train and he wants the good times to roll as he is back in business. He says that he digs Rico’s fashion sense though that won’t stop him from stopping this ceremony because the truth must be heard, and he asks Billy what happened to him as he knows the pimp is still in him and he remembers these fine ladies used to like him so much he asked him to stay away. He asks Chuck what’s up with him as he was a legendary skirt chaser being one of the Palumbo brothers, and he says that Chuck used to like the heftier ladies and he wants to ask what in the hell is going on here. Rico says that he won’t take this interruption and no one in the building wants to see Godfather or his good time girls, and he says that he wants him to leave the building now and if he won’t, he’ll have security escort him out as he tells Billy and Chuck that he’s got it under control. Godfather says that if Rico can’t use his services, he has one thing to say to him in that Rico doesn’t know what he’s missing as he and the ladies head to the back, and Rico tells them to get back in their places and asks the priest to continue as he wants to get right to the end. The priest asks Billy if he will pledge to commit himself to Chuck and Billy hesitates briefly before saying yes, and then the priest asks Chuck if he will pledge to commit himself to Billy as Chuck also hesitates though Rico tells him to do it and Chuck says yes much to Rico’s delight. The priest says that by the power vested in him, but then Chuck interrupts and says that it wasn’t supposed to go this far as Billy asks Rico what this really is, and he says that this was just a publicity stunt and they are not gay though they have nothing against gay people. He says that if he was gay, he wouldn’t marry Chuck and they aren’t going through with this as Rico says he knew they would back out and all this was his idea as they are screwing this for him, but the priest tells them to stop arguing as he says he’s been doing this for a long time and he knows that commitment is a special thing. He says that Billy and Chuck’s bond is sacred and it will never change no matter if it last 50 years, 16 months, or 3 minutes, but then he takes glasses off as he asks if he just said three minutes as he rips off the prosthetic face and reveals himself to be Eric Bischoff much to Stephanie’s horror. Billy goes after Rico who gives him a low blow and Chuck grabs at Rico while Bischoff holds Stephanie in the corner, and then Jamal and Rosey come out of the crowd into the ring as they attack Chuck and destroy the set. Jamal hits a Samoan drop on Chuck and Rosey splashes Billy in the corner as Bischoff throws Stephanie into Jamal who hoists her up and hits a Samoan drop, but then the Smackdown locker room run out and chase Bischoff, Jamal, Rosey, and Rico into the crowd while some check on Stephanie.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Torrie Wilson pins Nidia with a neckbreaker at 1:42.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. These two women have been going at it for the last few weeks and face off here to settle their issues. Wilson gets a good pop from the crowd while Nidia had decent heat as a heel. Wilson wastes no time and hits a baseball slide on Nidia to start the match as she pounds on her and throws her into the ring, but Nidia hits a clothesline on Wilson for a two count and Wilson catches her ducking with a kick as she hits a slam for a two count. Nidia catches her with a jawbreaker and gets a knee in as she knocks Wilson down and slams her head into the mat, and she kicks at Wilson and slaps her in the face as she rams her into the buckle and whips her into the other corner. Wilson leaps to the middle rope and jumps over Nidia who catches her with a boot to the face though Wilson ducks a shot, and she gets a kick in and hits a swinging neckbreaker which gets the three and she wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both women did what they could for the 2 minutes they got and put on a basic match. The crowd was into the match and popped for Wilson when she won. Wilson gets the win over Nidia and both women move on. Grade: .5
 
We see the Undertaker and Sara in their dressing room as he warms up and says he won’t be long before leaving.
 
We see Matt Hardy walking down the hallway as he goes to Brock Lesnar’s dressing room and he and Paul Heyman step out and the three men walk down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Matt Hardy (w/ Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman) defeats the Undertaker by countout at 4:30.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men had a confrontation earlier in the night and now they face off here to settle their issues. Taker gets a big pop from the crowd while Matt had solid heat as a heel as he has Lesnar and Heyman by his side. The two men square off to start the match with Heyman trying to distract Taker and he even slides a chair into the ring, and they lock up with Taker shoving Matt to the mat and he hits a series of back elbows in the corner. He gets a kick in and whips Matt into the other corner as he hoists him onto his shoulders and hits a powerslam, and he looks for the Last Ride as Heyman again gets on the apron and Taker scares him to the floor with the ref sending Heyman to the back. Matt hits a low blow on Taker and pounds on him as Taker reverses a whip and hits a big boot only for Lesnar to trip Taker up from the floor, and Matt clotheslines Taker over the top to the floor and Lesnar hits a clothesline on Taker as he throws him back into the ring only for the ref to send him to the back as well. Matt pounds on Taker on the mat and stomps on him as he continues to pound on him in the corner and stomps on him, and he splashes Taker in the corner and continues to pound on him as Taker reverses a whip and Matt catches him ducking with a shot. He looks for the Twist of Fate though Taker shoves him off and hits a clothesline as they trade blows with Taker knocking him down repeatedly, and he rams Matt into the buckle and whips him into the other corner as he splashes him and whips him back into the other corner. He hoists Matt onto his shoulders and hits Snake Eyes before hitting the big boot as we go backstage where Heyman enters Taker’s dressing room, and Taker sees this and runs to the back as he gets counted out and Matt gets the win. The match itself was basically a squash as Matt got a few shots in, but Taker dominated him until he walked out of the match. The crowd was into the match and Taker, but are not happy with the ending. Matt gets the upset win over Taker by countout and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, we go backstage as Heyman says that women are at their most beautiful when pregnant though he never realized how attracted Sara is as she tells him to leave, and he says that he tried to reason with Taker last week and now he’s trying to reason with her as he asks how she will take care of their baby after what Brock Lesnar does to Taker. Just then, Taker barges in and grabs at Heyman only for Sara to scream as Taker turns around and Lesnar hits him in the head with a chair, and he backs Sara against the wall and puts a hand on her stomach as he says life’s a bitch and leaves with Heyman while Sara checks on Taker and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty memorable show given the hype being the “season premiere” of the show. With the show now having been on the air for 3 years, it has provided many memorable moments and matches and tonight was no different though it was memorable for a different reason. We had no title matches as Lesnar, the Guerreros, Angle, Benoit, Wilson, and Matt get big wins, and in terms of the matches Mysterio/Angle was easily the best while the rest were standard for TV though the show is easily remembered for the Billy and Chuck commitment ceremony that was crashed by Bischoff and RAW. 2002 has been a memorable year to this point as we have had a lot of big moments and new stars making their marks, and as we head into Unforgiven we will see how that show ends up playing out. As for this show, it is a very memorable show and continues a hot run for Smackdown in 2002. Final Grade: B