Smackdown
February 20th, 2003 (taped February 18th)
Conseco Fieldhouse
Indianapolis, Indiana
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Doug Basham and Danny Hollie (w/ Jackie Gayda) defeat Brian Kendrick and Chad Collyer.
2. Nick Dinsmore and Rob Conway defeat Lance Cade and Rene Dupree.
 
2/22 Velocity taping:
 
1. Billy Kidman pins Shannon Moore at 4:02.
2. Bill DeMott pins Funaki at 3:16.
3. The F.B.I. (w/ Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli) defeat Nova and Johnny Jeter at 5:34.
4. Los Guerreros defeat Team Angle by countout at 6:48.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
The Rock comes down to the ring and he starts to say that he has finally come back to Indianapolis, but instead says who gives a crap and that no one seems to care what he has to say, and he says that he was going to do his whole routine though believes the people don’t want to hear it tonight. He says that they are not feeling what he is saying and it might be his imagination, but he heard some people boo him and he heard different chants as well though he’s fine with it because he will still be the most electrifying person they have ever seen. He says that he doesn’t understand why they want to boo him as he is committed to being here because of the fans, and he says that he is focused on the people and the company as he gets a phone call from his personal assistant which he answers. He tells the fans to keep it down as he tells his assistant he won’t stay long in a town full of hicks, and he tries to cover by saying he’s talking about the hickory trees which stink as he tells his assistant he has to go. He says that everyone has to ask themselves one question which is do they really want to boo him, and he says that they need to understand the line they will cross and the ramifications of booing him. He says that they will make a decision right now and he asks if they want to boo him as he gets a mixed reaction, and he says that they’ve made their decision and he says they boo him because he sold out and might have too big a head. He says that they have no idea what is about to happen because at No Way Out, they will get a different Rock as he makes more money in a night than they do in a year and he will make Hulk Hogan his bitch. He says that he can run his mouth all night though he won’t because he is a man as he knows Hogan isn’t here, and he says that when Hogan gets here he will confront him like a man and tell him what he’s going to do to him at No Way Out if you smell what he is cooking as he says sing-a-long with him is over.
 
Commercial break
 
We see two giant crates on the stage.
 
1. Chris Benoit pins A-Train with a rollup at 1:54.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty big matchup. These two men fought last week with Benoit making A-Train tap out and now A-Train looks to get revenge here. Benoit gets a big pop from the crowd while A-Train had decent heat as a heel. A-Train wastes no time and sends Benoit into the corner to start the match as he rams the knee into his ribs repeatedly and pounds on him, and he whips Benoit into the other corner only to miss a charge and Benoit pounds on him until A-Train shoves him to the mat. He hits a clothesline on Benoit and throws him into the corner as he puts him on the top rope and hits a Muscle Buster for a two count, and he hoists Benoit up in a choke only for Benoit to take him to the mat and he hooks the Crossface on. A-Train fights to his feet and hoists Benoit up in the air only for Benoit to take A-Train back to the mat and hooks the Crossface back on, and A-Train fights to his feet again and Benoit goes behind him as he hits a German suplex though A-Train blocks a second one with a series of back elbows. He gets a knee in only for Benoit to hook a rollup which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both men did what they could for the 2 minutes they got with Benoit getting another win over A-Train. The crowd was into the match and popped for Benoit when he won. Benoit gets the quick win over A-Train and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Hulk Hogan arrive to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
Funaki attempts to interview the Rock only for his security to tell him Rock is not giving any interviews.
 
2. Rikishi pins Johnny “The Bull” Stamboli with a superkick at 1:46.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Rikishi was attacked last week by this new group led by Nunzio and now he comes here looking for revenge by facing Stamboli. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Stamboli had decent heat as a heel. Rikishi wastes no time and attacks Stamboli on the outside to start the match as he rams him into the apron and throws him into the ring, and he pounds on Stamboli who blocks a belly-to-belly suplex with a headbutt and he hits a press slam on Rikishi for a two count. He leaps up top and hits a legdrop on Rikishi for a two count as he rams him into the corner and rams his shoulder into the ribs repeatedly, and he stomps on Rikishi repeatedly and pounds on him only for Rikishi to send him into the corner and he pounds on Stamboli as he hits a Samoan drop and superkick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as Stamboli got a few shots in, but he puts Rikishi over in just under 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Stamboli though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Chuck Palumbo runs down to the ring and Rikishi ducks a shot as he pounds on Palumbo and sends Stamboli to the outside, and Nunzio runs down to the ring and goes up top only for Rikishi to catch him coming in and he hoists him onto his shoulders. Palumbo gets in the ring and hits the Jungle Kick on Rikishi as he and Stamboli pound and stomp on Rikishi, and they hold Rikishi as Nunzio takes his jacket off and puts it over Rikishi’s head as he pounds on him.
 
We see Team Angle warming up in their dressing room as they say Kurt is the champion and Kurt says that he will show leadership by example, and he says that he will live up to the three “I’s” and he will accept Lesnar’s challenge because he is a true champion and he will break Lesnar’s ankle.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside Conseco Fieldhouse.
 
We see a vignette for Los Guerreros meeting up with a woman and her baby as they steal several items from her.
 
3. Matt Hardy and Shannon Moore defeat Billy Kidman and Rey Mysterio when Matt pins Kidman at 5:03.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone tag match of the night. Matt was preparing for his title match against Kidman in 3 days and looks to get a win here with Moore teaming with him while Mysterio teams with Kidman. Kidman and Mysterio get a big pop from the crowd while Matt and Moore had solid heat as heels. Mysterio starts off the match with Moore and they lock up with Moore working on the arm as Mysterio flips through though Moore gets a kick in, and he pounds on Mysterio who slides under him only for Moore to hit a spin kick for a two count and Mysterio escapes a back suplex attempt. He goes behind Moore who turns it around and Mysterio blocks a rollup attempt as Kidman tags in and gets a shoulder in, and he flips over Moore’s back and they hit a double hiptoss on Moore as they hit a double team for a two count. Moore gets a knee in and tags Matt as Kidman pounds on him until Matt rams him into his corner though Kidman fights out, and Matt ducks a shot and hits the Side Effect as he pounds on him on the mat and hits a slam before dropping an elbow on him for a two count. He rams Kidman into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him and hits a back suplex for a two count, and he hooks a front facelock on Kidman who fights to his feet and breaks the hold as Matt counters a whip and gets a kick in. Kidman escapes the Twist of Fate and hits a dropkick as Mysterio gets the hot tag and hits a springboard senton on Matt, and he hits a tilt-a-whirl backbreaker on Moore and Matt reverses a whip as Mysterio ducks a shot and hits a springboard crossbody. Moore gets a kick in and hoists Mysterio up for a powerbomb only for Mysterio to pound on him and send him over the top to the floor, and Matt gets a shot in and attempts an inverted suplex back into the ring though Mysterio escapes and dropkicks Matt in the back which sends him into the ropes. He hits the 619 on Matt only for Moore to grab at his foot and Mysterio kicks him away as Matt avoids a springboard and Mysterio lands on his feet, and he flips onto Matt’s shoulders only for Matt to hit a slingshot sitdown powerbomb for a two count. He hoists Mysterio up for another powerbomb though Mysterio pounds on him and Kidman tags in as he goes up top, and Matt tosses Mysterio to the mat and Mysterio slides under him as Kidman hits a missile dropkick on Matt only for Moore to go up top and hit a legdrop to the back of Kidman’s head. Matt gets a two count and he hits a slam on Kidman as Mysterio pulls Moore out of the ring and pounds on him, and Matt goes up to the middle rope though Kidman nails him first as Mysterio gets in the ring and Kidman launches him into a hurricanrana on Matt. Kidman knocks Moore off the apron and backdrops Mysterio onto Moore on the floor only for Matt to get a kick in, and he hits the Twist of Fate on Kidman 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 decent tag match. Kidman and Mysterio still look good as a team while Matt and Moore were gelling as a team, and they had good chemistry as Matt gets the clean win over the Cruiserweight Champion. The crowd was into the match and Kidman and Mysterio, but are not happy when Matt and Moore win. Matt and Moore get the win over Kidman and Mysterio as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
We see footage from earlier this week of Michael Cole conducting an interview with Nathan Jones who talks about serving time in jail and he will make his debut next week as he teases going after the Undertaker.
 
We see the crates being put in the ring.
 
We see the Undertaker walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the crates in the ring as the Undertaker comes down to the ring and sizes up the crates before opening up the smaller one, and a puppy comes out of it as Taker picks it up and hands it to a nearby tech before breaking open the bigger crate. Just then, the Big Show comes out of the crowd and gets in the ring as he hits a clothesline on Taker and pounds on him before ramming him into the crate repeatedly, and he knocks Taker down and grabs him by the throat as he hits the Chokeslam.
 
Commercial break
 
We see footage from during the break of the Big Show leaving the arena.
 
4. Nidia (w/ Jamie Noble) defeats Torrie Wilson at 1:50.
 
Stipulation: A paddle would be on a pole and whoever retrieved it first would win the match and be able to use it on their opponent.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Nidia tried to attack Wilson last week only for Wilson to embarrass her and now they face off here with a paddle being on the line. Wilson gets a good pop from the crowd while Nidia had decent heat as a heel. The two women lock up to start with Nidia getting a knee in and she pounds on Wilson as she whips her into the corner, and Wilson leaps over Nidia and stomps on her in the corner as she whips her into the other corner and Nidia catches her with a boot to the face. She hits a clothesline on Wilson and drops a pair of elbows on her as she stomps on her only for Wilson to catch her ducking with a kick, and she hits a swinging neckbreaker on Nidia and goes for the paddle as Noble gets on the apron and she hits a clothesline that knocks him to the floor. She kicks at Nidia and hits a snap suplex as Dawn Marie gets on the apron and Wilson knocks her to the floor, but Noble gets in the ring and hits a sloppy powerslam on Wilson as Nidia climbs up and retrieves the paddle to win the match. The match itself was nothing much as Wilson dominated the match until Noble helps Nidia win. The crowd was into the match and Wilson, but are not happy when Nidia wins. Nidia gets the win over Wilson and both women move on. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Noble gets in the ring and holds Wilson as Nidia spanks her with the paddle until Funaki runs down to the ring, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Noble and pounds on him as he hits an atomic drop and slingshots him over the top to the floor before checking on Wilson.
 
We see Hulk Hogan walking down the hallway as he walks up to the Rock’s dressing room though security prevents him from going in and he says Rock will want to hear what he has to say out in the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring and takes a mike only for the Rock to come down to the ring himself and they have a staredown, and Rock takes a mike and says that he has something to tell him as he asks for a bottle of water. He says that he came out here to confront Hogan and he wants to clear the air as he believes an apology is in order, and he says that rude things have been said and disrespectful things were done as he’s thought about it and Hogan should apologize to him. He says that Hogan said some rude things about him and called him a Rock-a-Jabroni after everything Rock did for him, and he says that Hogan should know his role and shut his mouth so he should apologize as a year ago, Hogan was nothing and worthless until he challenged him to a match at WM. He says that Hogan became popular again because of him and this rebirth of Hulkamania isn’t because of Hogan, and he says that this is thanks to him and he took pity on Hogan as a friend as everything Hogan has is because of him. He says that he’ll give him one more chance to apologize and Hogan says hell no because Rock is not responsible for the rebirth of Hulkamania, and he says that it’s because of the Hulkamaniacs and Rock says that everyone loves Hogan as he says Hogan may not remember last year. He says that this is the biggest rematch in history and Hogan doesn’t remember because he whooped his ass so bad last year, and he says that the millions of fans remember and he mocks Hogan as Hogan starts to tear off his shirt and Rock retreats to the apron. He says that he knows what happens when Hogan does that and he didn’t mean what he said as he has respect and love for Hogan, and he says that they will electrify this Sunday like only they can and he offers a handshake which Hogan goes to take only for Rock to spit in Hogan’s face and he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see highlights from Smackdown last week.
 
John Cena cuts a freestyle rap from his home as he talks about Lesnar injuring him and vowing revenge.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Brock Lesnar defeats Team Angle (w/ Paul Heyman) in a Gauntlet match.
 
Decisions:
1. Charlie Haas pinned by Lesnar at 2:43.
2. Shelton Benjamin pinned by Lesnar at 10:02.
3. Kurt Angle disqualified at 10:20.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. It looked like we were going to get Lesnar and Angle one-on-one before their match at WM, but Angle pulls a swerve and forces Lesnar to face Team Angle in a gauntlet match. Lesnar gets a big pop from the crowd while Team Angle were red hot as heels. Lesnar starts off against Haas and they lock up Lesnar hitting a modified suplex as Haas gets a kick in and trips Lesnar up, and he hooks a front facelock on and pounds on Lesnar who fights to his feet and escapes with another modified suplex. He drives Haas into the corner and rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly as he whips him into the other corner and Haas catches him with a back elbow, and Haas ducks a shot and hits a German suplex on Lesnar who no-sells it and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Haas. He rams the shoulder into Haas’ ribs repeatedly in the corner and drives the knee into him twice as he pounds on him and rams him into the buckle, and he hits a hiptoss out of the corner and again rams the knee into Haas repeatedly in the corner as he whips him hard into the other corner. He hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Haas and then he hits a backbreaker as he presses Haas up onto his shoulders and hits the F-5 which gets the three and Haas is eliminated, and Benjamin comes in as Lesnar catches him with a series of knees to the ribs and pounds on him. He hits a double underhook suplex on Benjamin and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner as he pounds on him, and he hits another double underhook suplex on Benjamin and then he hits a delayed suplex on Benjamin as he pounds on him. Benjamin counters a whip and hits a dropkick to the knee as he hits a superkick on Lesnar and then he hits a running kick, and he stomps on Lesnar repeatedly in the corner and wraps his arm around the rope as he hits an armbreaker for a two count. He works on the arm and hooks a cross armbreaker on Lesnar who fights to his feet as he hoists Benjamin up and hits a powerbomb, and he hits a pair of clotheslines on Benjamin and shoves him into the corner as he rams the shoulder into the ribs repeatedly. He whips him into the other corner and hits a belly-to-belly suplex as he rams the knee into Benjamin and hits another belly-to-belly suplex, and Angle gets on the apron and Lesnar scares him to the floor as he catches a superkick attempt from Benjamin and hits a clothesline. He then hits the Angle Slam on Benjamin which gets the three and Benjamin is eliminated as Angle argues with Heyman and stalls on the outside, and he gets in the ring and they square off until Heyman brings a chair into the ring and hits Lesnar in the back with it which draws the DQ and Lesnar wins the match. The match itself was decent as it was mainly Lesnar facing Team Angle and we get teased with Lesnar/Angle though don’t get it. The bulk of the match was Lesnar and Benjamin which was solid as Haas is the sacrificial lamb and Heyman prevents Lesnar from getting at Angle. The crowd was into the match and Lesnar, but are not happy with the ending. Lesnar gets the win and runs the gauntlet as this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Lesnar goes after Heyman only for Angle to attack him from behind and he hooks a sleeper on Lesnar while jumping on his back, but Lesnar sends Angle over the top to the floor and grabs Heyman as he hoists him onto his shoulders only for Angle to hit a chop block. Team Angle get in the ring and they stomp on Lesnar until Angle hooks the Ankle Lock on Lesnar, but then Chris Benoit and Edge run down to the ring and clear Team Angle from the ring as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid episode to serve as the final build to No Way Out. Both brands had solid cards for that show though Smackdown had probably the biggest match with Hogan/Rock, and their undercard also looked to be a tad bit stronger than RAW as well. We had no title matches on this show as Benoit, Rikishi, Matt, Moore, Nidia, and Lesnar get big wins, and in terms of the matches they were pretty average for TV as the focus was on the confrontation between Hogan and Rock. 2003 has been an interesting year to this point as Smackdown was still rolling and was looking to have a great night at No Way Out, and we will see if their card ends up delivering on the final stop to WrestleMania XIX. As for this show, it is a pretty basic show to serve as the go-home show to No Way Out. Final Grade: C-