Smackdown
October 17th, 2002 (taped October 15th)
Air Canada Centre
Toronto, Ontario, Canada
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Charlie Haas and Sylvain Grenier defeat Bull Buchanan and Red Dogg.
2. Scott Vick defeats Tyson Dux.
3. Val Venis defeats Shelton Benjamin at 6:10.
 
10/19 Velocity taping:
 
1. Tajiri pins Funaki at 3:55.
2. Albert pins Scotty Cruz at 4:41.
3. Crash Holly pins Shannon Moore at 5:31.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Edge and Rey Mysterio defeat Rev. D-Von and Ron Simmons when Edge pins D-Von at 4:37.
 
Note: This is a semifinal match in the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first semifinal match. These two teams got through their first round matches in the tournament and now face off here to see who will head to No Mercy. Edge and Mysterio get a big pop from the crowd while D-Von and Simmons had decent heat as heels. Edge starts off the match with Simmons and they lock up with Simmons backing Edge into the corner and he gets a kick in, and he pounds on him in the corner until Edge battles back and he hooks a headlock with Simmons whipping him off and neither man goes down when they collide. Edge ducks a shot and hits a flying forearm on Simmons who reverses a whip into the corner and Edge catches him with a back elbow, and he goes up to the middle rope and hits a missile dropkick on Simmons who catches him with a jawbreaker and D-Von tags in. Edge hits a flapjack on him and tags Mysterio who hits a springboard seated senton on D-Von and he gets a shot in on Simmons, and he ducks a shot and kicks at D-Von as he hits a snapmare and low dropkick while Simmons gets in the ring. He catches Mysterio on a spin kick attempt though Mysterio escapes and he hits a headscissors on Simmons, and he kicks at D-Von who reverses a whip into the corner and Mysterio hits a drop toehold that sends D-Von into the ropes. D-Von avoids the 619 and Simmons hits a spinebuster on Mysterio as the two men stomp on him and D-Von pounds on him, and Mysterio ducks a shot only for D-Von to hit a press slam and he goes up to the middle rope though he misses the elbow. D-Von recovers first and grabs Mysterio’s leg only for Mysterio to hit a spin kick and Edge gets the hot tag, and he goes up top and hits a flying clothesline on D-Von as he hits a clothesline on Simmons and a pair of dropkicks on both men. He hits a backdrop on D-Von and a modified facebuster on Simmons as he ducks a shot and hits the Edge-o-Matic on D-Von for a two count with Simmons breaking it up, and Mysterio hits a springboard dropkick which sends Simmons to the outside and then he hits a slingshot plancha onto Simmons on the floor. D-Von pounds on Edge in the corner and Edge reverses a whip into the other corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs, and he puts D-Von on the top rope and launches Mysterio into him as Mysterio hits a hurricanrana on D-Von for a two count. Simmons kicks at Mysterio and hits a powerslam on Edge only for Mysterio to pull the top rope down as Simmons tumbles over the top to the floor, and he hits the 619 on D-Von and attempts a springboard only for Simmons to catch him and he hits a powerbomb on Mysterio. Edge hits the spear on Simmons and D-Von gets a shot in only for Edge to escape the Saving Grace, and he gets a kick in and hits the Edgecution which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Edge and Mysterio have been gelling as a team as have D-Von and Simmons, and they had decent chemistry as Edge and Mysterio get the clean win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Edge and Mysterio when they won. Edge and Mysterio get the win over D-Von and Simmons and move onto the finals as both teams move on. Grade: 1.5
 
After the match, Los Guerreros come out of the crowd and attack Edge and Mysterio from behind as Chavo sends Mysterio to the outside and Eddie stomps on Edge along with Chavo, and Chavo hits a brainbuster on Edge as Eddie goes up top and he hits the Frog Splash before heading to the back.
 
Funaki interviews Tajiri, who calls both Noble and Nidia crazy while speaking in Japanese until Nidia comes up to him and asks why he thinks she’s crazy, and she says that she will come out on top and have Noble begging for mercy as Jamie Noble walks up to them and asks if she wants to do this. He says that this is going to be rough like their sex life and Nidia responds saying the harder, the better as she slaps him in the face.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Jamie Noble pins Nidia with a rollup at 2:03.
 
Special Guest Referee: Tajiri
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. These two had a huge argument the previous week and now they look to settle their differences here with the wild card being Tajiri as the ref. Neither get a pop from the crowd as both had solid heat as heels. The two argue to start the match with Nidia shoving Noble back until Noble shoves her to the mat only for Nidia to hit a low blow, and she pounds on Noble who shoves her away and she leaps on his back as she chokes him until Noble slams her to the mat. He offers to pick her up only for Nidia to hook a small package for a two count and Noble tackles her to the mat, and Nidia turns it around and pounds on Noble who turns it around though he hesitates hitting her and she hooks a sunset flip for a two count. She hits a drop toehold and a dropkick on Noble though he avoids a second dropkick and yells at her until she rakes the eyes, and she pounds on Noble who reverses a whip and she catches him ducking with a kick as she gets another kick in. Noble counters a whip and hoists her onto his shoulder as she escapes and attempts a sunset flip, but he sits on top of her which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Noble got no offense in until he gets the win at the end. The crowd was in and out of it for the match and are not happy when Noble wins. Noble gets the win over Nidia and both move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Tajiri tries to help Nidia up only for Nidia to slap him in the face and he stalks her until Noble stops him and gets a kick in, and he pounds on Tajiri and stomps on him along with Nidia as he hits the Tiger Bomb on Tajiri.
 
We see the Undertaker being prepared for an interview.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Air Canada Centre.
 
Cole and Tazz interview the Undertaker, who says that he’s never been a liar in his life and he wants to set the record straight, and he says when he was accused of being a cheater he did lie as he does know the woman though he knew a lot of women like her back in the day. He says that this was years before he met Sara and he was surprised that he was being accused of cheating by this woman, and he says that all he saw was his wife watching this woman make these accusations and he says he hasn’t seen this woman in 7 years. He says that he doesn’t know what she wants and if Lesnar and Heyman paid her off though he knows this last week has been hell thanks to Lesnar and Heyman, and he says the hell he’s been through is nothing compared to the hell he will put them through at No Mercy.
 
We see Los Guerreros walking down the hallway and they go into their dressing room where Chris Benoit is waiting, and they relax as they thought he was Kurt Angle and they ask why he’s here as he must think they are the ones that jumped him last week. They say that they can’t believe that as they are family and they were with him when they came to WWE from WCW, and they say they came to Smackdown from RAW together and they traveled together for a long time as Eddie says Benoit was there for him when he was dealing with his personal demons. He says that Benoit is hurting his feelings and he knows what he’s trying to do as he wants to hit him and he dares him to do it, and he demands to fight him now as Chavo tells him not to stoop to his level and they leave.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Tracy arrive as she rants about what Taker said and Lesnar says Stephanie McMahon will be interested to hear what they have to say.
 
3. John Cena pins Billy Kidman with a backslide and using the ropes for leverage at 5:38.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. These two teamed up in the tournament though lost in the first round which led to some issues, and now they face off here to settle their issues. Kidman gets a good pop from the crowd while Cena got a mixed reaction from the crowd. The two men lock up to start with Cena working on the arm as Kidman rolls through and takes control on Cena’s arm, and Cena backs Kidman into the corner and Kidman counters a hiptoss with an armdrag as he goes behind Cena. Cena escapes and goes back to the arm as he goes behind Kidman who escapes with a snapmare and he hits a hurricanrana, and Cena gets a kick in and Kidman slides under him as he escapes a slam attempt and Cena blocks a rollup attempt. Cena blocks a hiptoss attempt and Kidman gets a knee in as Cena trips him up and slingshots him over the top to the floor, and he goes outside and throws Kidman back into the ring for a two count as he stomps on him and whips him hard into the corner. He pounds on Kidman and hits a back elbow for a two count as he stomps on him repeatedly and continues to pound on him, and he hits a back suplex on Kidman for a two count and Kidman tries to battle back until Cena rakes the eyes and hits a delayed suplex for a two count. He hooks a submission on Kidman who fights to his feet only for Cena to get a kick in though Kidman hits a pair of dropkicks, and Cena reverses a whip into the corner and Kidman catches him with a boot to the face as he goes up to the middle rope and hits a back elbow for a two count. Cena escapes a hold and spikes Kidman with a DDT for a two count as he looks for a powerbomb only for Kidman to escape with a sunset flip for a two count, and Kidman ducks a shot and Cena catches a kick attempt as Kidman hits an enzurgiri and goes up top. Cena gets a shot in and tries to toss Kidman to the mat only for Kidman to slam his head into the mat for a two count, and he whips Cena into the corner and Cena ducks a shot as he hooks a backslide while using the ropes which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Kidman was hitting his groove by this point while Cena was still getting into a groove, and they had good chemistry as Cena ends up stealing the win. The crowd was into the match and Kidman, but are not happy when Cena wins. Cena gets the win over Kidman though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
We see Stephanie McMahon in her office as Brock Lesnar, Paul Heyman, and Tracy come in as Tracy says Taker is a liar and she claims that they were together 10 days ago, and Stephanie says that Tracy has no respect for anyone here and tells her she is no longer welcome here as Heyman escorts her out. Heyman says that Stephanie has done a great job as General Manager though Brock Lesnar is the future of Smackdown while Taker is not, and he says that Stephanie is having Lesnar face Taker in Hell in a Cell and she should be smarter than this as he says that she must force Taker to take the cast off before the match. She says that she doesn’t appreciate his patronization though she will take it under consideration and will make a decision later, and she says that Lesnar has aggression to take out and he faces Chuck Palumbo next as they leave.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the Undertaker in Stephanie McMahon’s office as he rants about Tracy and she tells him to calm down as he says first he has to answer to false accusations about his personal life, and he says Lesnar is the one who broke his hand and she says that she needs to take everyone’s points into consideration as she mentions he has been using the cast as a weapon. He says that everything he’s done has been offensive and he can show her as he uses the cast to break a lamp and he walks out.
 
4. Brock Lesnar (w/ Paul Heyman) pins Chuck Palumbo with the F-5 at 6:30.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Lesnar was preparing for his match in 3 days and looks to build momentum here against Palumbo, who was cruising in the tag division and looks to get an upset win here. Palumbo gets a decent pop from the crowd while Lesnar was pretty hot as a heel. Palumbo ducks a shot and pounds on Lesnar to start the match until Lesnar drives Palumbo into the corner and rams the shoulder into his ribs repeatedly, and he pounds on Palumbo who reverses a whip into the other corner as he hits a discus punch and big boot on Lesnar. Lesnar blocks a shot and hits a legsweep clothesline on Palumbo as he stomps on him and whips him hard into the corner, and he slides outside and pulls Palumbo into the corner as he rolls back into the ring and stomps on him in the corner. He chokes him with his boot and pounds on him as Palumbo tries to battle back only for Lesnar to get a knee in, and he hits a pair of short clotheslines on Palumbo who tries to battle back only for Lesnar to get a knee in again and he chokes him on the ropes. He pounds on Palumbo and hits a suplex for a series of two counts as he continues to pound on him and stomps on him repeatedly, and he whips him into the corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex as he hooks a side bearhug on Palumbo and takes him to the mat. We see Palumbo bleeding from the mouth as he grabs the rope to force a break and he tries to battle back only for Lesnar to hoist him onto his shoulder, and he rams him into the corner and puts him in the tree of woe as he stomps on him repeatedly and rams the shoulder into the ribs. Palumbo catches him charging with a pair of boots to the ribs and he avoids another charge as he sends Lesnar’s shoulder into the post, and Palumbo rams the shoulder into Lesnar’s ribs repeatedly and pounds on him as he hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Lesnar. Lesnar ducks a shot only for Palumbo to hit a pair of Jungle Kicks for a two count and he stomps on Lesnar repeatedly on the mat, and he pounds on Lesnar who hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Palumbo and he catches a kick attempt as he hits a clothesline on Palumbo. He hits a backbreaker on Palumbo and hoists him onto his shoulders as he 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 solid match. Palumbo was still pretty serviceable by this point while Lesnar was hitting his stride, and they had good chemistry as Lesnar gets the clean win. The crowd was into the match and Palumbo, but are not happy when Lesnar wins. Lesnar gets the win over Palumbo and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, the Undertaker runs down to the ring and hits a big boot on Lesnar as he stomps on him repeatedly in the corner, and he hits Lesnar in the head with the cast as officials come out only for Taker to take them out with the cast as well. He hits Lesnar in the head with the cast again as we see Lesnar is busted open and Taker drives a knee into him repeatedly, and security runs down to the ring and Taker scares them off as Heyman pulls Lesnar outside and they head to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Torrie Wilson warming up as she sees her dad down the hallway and comes up to him as he says that he couldn’t miss seeing her compete, and she says that she knows he’s divorced and saw what Dawn Marie did last week though she knows he told her nothing happened. She says that Marie is a predator as he hands her a bouquet of roses and she thanks him as she says she’ll see him in a few minutes.
 
5. Matt Hardy and Dawn Marie defeated Rikishi and Torrie Wilson when Marie pins Wilson at 3:59.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our second tag match of the night. Wilson and Marie have been having issues for the last few weeks and face off here with Rikishi and Matt as their partners. Wilson and Rikishi get a good pop from the crowd while Marie and Matt had solid heat as heels. Wilson starts off the match with Marie though Matt tags in and challenges Wilson who quickly tags Rikishi, and Matt tags Marie who steps up to Rikishi and slaps him in the face as she ducks a shot only for Rikishi to press her up and he tosses her onto Matt. He knocks Matt down and tags Wilson who hits a swinging neckbreaker on Marie for a two count and she pounds on her, and she whips Marie into the corner and Marie catches her with a boot to the face and she hooks a rollup while using the ropes for a two count. She stomps on Wilson who catches her ducking with a kick and she gets another kick in as she hits a slam on Marie, and Rikishi tags in though Marie avoids the sitdown splash and tags Matt only for Rikishi to pound on him and Matt looks for a sunset flip. Rikishi teases the sitdown splash and Matt slides away as Rikishi hits a clothesline and pounds on him until Matt counters a whip, and he hits the Side Effect on Rikishi for a two count and goes up to the middle rope only to miss the legdrop. Matt ducks a shot and gets a kick in though Rikishi blocks the Twist of Fate by shoving him off and he hits a urinage slam, and he hits a superkick on Matt as Marie gets in the ring and jumps on Rikishi’s back while trying to choke him. Rikishi splashes her into Matt in the corner and Wilson tags in as she splashes both of them in the corner and then Rikishi does the same, and Matt holds Marie in front of him as Rikishi gives her the Stinkface and Wilson hooks a small package only for Matt to turn it around and Marie gets the three to win the match for her team. The match itself was decent as both teams worked hard and put on a basic tag match. Both teams looked decent together and had decent chemistry as Matt helps Marie get the win. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi and Wilson, but are not happy when Marie and Matt win. Matt and Marie get the win over Rikishi and Wilson as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Matt grabs Wilson who hits a low blow and she slaps Marie in the face as Rikishi splashes Matt in the corner, and Wilson looks to give Matt the Stinkface who gets excited about it only for Rikishi to instead give him the Stinkface.
 
We see the doctors tending to Brock Lesnar’s cut as Paul Heyman rants that this would happen and Lesnar wants Heyman to go to Stephanie and demand she make Taker take the cast off.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Paul Heyman in Stephanie McMahon’s office as he says that Lesnar is getting stitched up and he has blood on his jacket, and he says Lesnar’s blood will be on her hands if Taker is allowed to wear the cast in Hell in a Cell and she says that she will make a decision later tonight as he continues to demand the cast be removed.
 
We see Chris Benoit and Kurt Angle in their dressing room as Angle asks why Benoit has that look and he says that Benoit is jealous of his gold medals, and then he says that Benoit thinks he had something to do with what happened last week and he asks how gullible Benoit is. He says that if he was going to go after him, he would do it to his face and they are facing the Guerreros next as the tag titles and a 1 year suspension is on the line, and he says that he doesn’t need a year training for the Olympics as he walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the World.
 
We see Torrie Wilson walking down the hallway as she walks up to the makeup lady who tells her that the flowers her dad gave her were actually for Dawn Marie, and she looks for her dad as she goes into the women’s dressing room and sees his jacket and shoes on the floor. She runs into the shower room and hears voices as she pulls back the curtain and we see Al Wilson with Marie in the shower, and Wilson freaks out and rushes out of the room.
 
6. Kurt Angle and Chris Benoit defeat Los Guerreros when Angle pins Eddie at 10:45.
 
Note: This is a semifinal match in the WWE Tag Team Championship tournament
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two teams got past their first round matches and face off here to see who will face Edge and Mysterio for the titles. All four men were pretty hot as heels though Benoit does get a good pop from the crowd, but then Edge and Mysterio come out and attack the Guerreros before the match begins as Benoit and Angle then attack Edge and Mysterio. Edge hits the spear on Angle and Mysterio reverses a whip as Edge hits a drop toehold that sends Benoit into the ropes, and Mysterio hits the 619 on Benoit and he and Edge head to the back as Eddie rolls into the ring and pounds on Angle to start the match as he stomps on him repeatedly. Eddie continues to pound on Angle and stomps on him as Angle reverses a whip and hits a back elbow on Eddie, and he hits a hiptoss on Chavo and pounds on Eddie in the corner as he stomps on him and whips him into the other corner. He hits a clothesline on Eddie for a two count and knocks Chavo off the apron as he hits a suplex on Eddie for a two count, and Benoit tags in and kicks at Eddie as he pounds on him and hits a headbutt before stomping on him in the corner. He hits a back elbow on Eddie for a two count and then he hits a backbreaker for a two count as he rams him into the buckle and tags Angle, and he stomps on Eddie in the corner and pounds on him as Eddie reverses a whip and hits a back elbow before tagging Chavo. He stomps on Angle repeatedly and hits a short clothesline for a two count as he pounds on him until Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex, and Benoit tags in and kicks at Chavo as he catches him with a knee to the ribs and hits a back suplex for a two count. He hits a short clothesline on Chavo for a two count and Chavo ducks a second clothesline as he hits a back suplex on Benoit, and he hooks a submission on Benoit and tags Eddie who stomps on Benoit repeatedly and he pounds on him. He looks for a suplex only for Benoit to take him to the mat and he hooks the Crossface on though Chavo breaks it up, and Chavo tags in and kicks at Benoit in the corner as Benoit battles back until Chavo gets a kick in and he pounds on Benoit in the corner. He hits a snapmare and hooks a submission on Benoit who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as he pounds on Chavo, but Eddie catches him with a knee to the back from the apron and Chavo hits a dropkick for a two count. Eddie tags in and hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Benoit as he kicks at him and stomps on him repeatedly, and he knocks Angle off the apron as Chavo chokes Benoit from the floor and gets in the ring before stomping on Benoit along with Eddie. Chavo goes back to the submission on Benoit who fights to his feet and drives Chavo into the corner as he whips him into the other corner, but Chavo catches him with a back elbow and goes up top only for Benoit to crotch him on the top rope and he goes up himself. He hits a superplex on Chavo and Angle gets the hot tag as he hits a pair of clotheslines on both men and then he hits a backdrop on Eddie, and he hits a German suplex on Chavo and Eddie gets a kick in as Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Eddie for a two count as Chavo breaks it up. Angle gets a knee in and Chavo counters a whip as he ducks a shot and hits a dropkick only for Benoit to stomp on him, and he whips Chavo into the corner and hits a German suplex only for Eddie to get a shot in though Benoit goes behind him and hits a German suplex. He goes up top and hits the diving headbutt on Eddie as Angle gets a two count with Chavo breaking it up again, and he hits a brainbuster on Angle and then he hits a clothesline on Benoit which sends both men over the top to the floor. Eddie gets a two count on Angle and goes up top as Angle runs up top as well only for Eddie to shove him to the mat, and he hits the Frog Splash on Angle for a two count as Benoit breaks it up and he hooks the Crossface on Eddie. Chavo gets in the ring and breaks it up as Benoit escapes a suplex attempt and he hits a back suplex that sends Chavo over the top to the floor, and Eddie escapes an Angle Slam attempt and sends Angle into Benoit as well as the ref who gets knocked to the outside. Eddie hits a chop block on Angle and hooks the Lasso from El Paso on as we see he is busted open above his eye, but Angle escapes and hooks the Ankle Lock on as Eddie taps out though the ref is still on the outside. Chavo brings a chair into the ring and Benoit comes in after him as he takes the chair from Chavo who begs off only for Benoit to offer a handshake which Chavo accepts. Angle releases the hold as Benoit stalks him with the chair only to hit Chavo in the head with it and then he hits Eddie in the back with it, and Angle hits the Angle Slam on Eddie as Benoit throws the ref back into the ring and Angle gets the three to win the match for his team. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid match. Angle and Benoit were gelling well as a team while the Guerreros were also gelling as a team, and they had good chemistry as Benoit outsmarts the Guerreros and helps Angle get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Angle and Benoit when they won. Angle and Benoit get the win over the Guerreros and both teams move on. Grade: 3
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Stephanie McMahon, who says that she has made a decision and she is going to make the announcement in the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
Stephanie McMahon comes down to the ring and says that before she makes her decision, she would like to bring out Brock Lesnar and Paul Heyman who both come down to the ring, and she says that she has an interesting decision to make in whether Taker will wear the cast in the Hell in a Cell as she mentions Lesnar broke Taker’s hand to begin with and Hell in a Cell is anything goes. She says that Taker’s behavior over the last two weeks has resulted in Taker using the cast as a weapon, and she says that in Hell in a Cell Taker will be allowed to wear the cast as Lesnar and Heyman flip out. She goes to leave though Lesnar stops her and backs her into the corner as the Undertaker runs down to the ring only for Lesnar to catch him in a spinebuster, and he stomps on the cast as Heyman gets in the ring and yells that Taker will get hell at No Mercy before slapping him in the face. Lesnar gets out of the ring and Heyman goes to kick Taker who catches it and he hits Heyman in the face with the cast, and Lesnar gets back in the ring only for Taker to hit him in the head with the cast and he rolls back outside. We see Heyman is busted open as Taker pounds on him in the corner with the cast and stomps on him, and Lesnar gets on the apron only for Taker to knock him back to the floor twice and he continues to beat on Heyman with the cast as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown right before No Mercy was a pretty solid episode to serve as a final build to that show. Looking at No Mercy, it was clear that the big matches on Smackdown seemed to have more heat that the big RAW matches and there was a lot of excitement going into the show. We had no title matches as Edge, Mysterio, Noble, Cena, Lesnar, Marie, Matt, Angle, and Benoit get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was the best while the rest was pretty standard as most of the show was spent doing the final build for the main event of No Mercy. 2002 has been a great year to this point as Smackdown has clearly proven to be the superior brand over RAW, and we will see how both brands do at No Mercy and who has the better night. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to serve as the final go-home to No Mercy. Final Grade: B-