Smackdown
February 7th, 2002 (taped February 5th)
Staples Center
Los Angeles, California
Celebrity Appearance: Will Sasso
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Val Venis defeats Randy Orton.
2. Ron Waterman defeats Rico Constantino.
 
2/10 Sunday Night Heat taping:
 
1. Lance Storm defeats Tajiri.
2. Test pins Spike Dudley at 2:55.
3. Scotty 2 Hotty pins the Hurricane (w/ Mighty Molly) at 2:39.
4. Kane pins Christian at 4:39.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Jerry “The King” Lawler.
 
The Rock comes down to the ring and says that if the Undertaker wants to hit him with a lead pipe and teach him about respect, he says that he knows Taker is here and will face Maven tonight though that has to wait because he wants him to come out. Just then, Booker T comes out on the stage and says that there’s one thing that he can’t stand which is a sucka with a big ego and head like Rock, and he says that he beat Triple H last week and kicked his ass on RAW as he is also the one that will make an example out of Rock. Rock says that he can dig it because if Booker wants to try and make an example of him, he can come down and they can a movie right now as he says Booker can be a leading man in his movie about him whipping Booker’s ass all over L.A. and Booker runs down to the ring.
 
1. The Rock pins Booker T with the People’s Elbow at 4:29.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with an impromptu matchup. Rock was looking to get revenge on Taker for what happened on RAW, but gets interrupted by Booker and they decide to go at it right now. Rock gets a huge pop from the crowd while Booker was pretty hot as a heel. Rock wastes no time and pounds on Booker to start the match as Booker reverses a whip and Rock ducks two shots, and he hits a flying clothesline on Booker and pounds on him until Booker hits a pump kick and stomps on Rock repeatedly. He pounds on Rock in the corner until Rock turns it around and pounds on Booker who counters a whip and hits a side kick, and he stomps on Rock and pounds on him on the mat as Rock reverses a whip and Booker catches him ducking with a kick. Rock sends Booker over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he pounds on Booker who reverses a whip and he sends Rock into the barricade, and he hits a clothesline on Rock and hotshots him on the barricade as he pounds on him and throws him back into the ring. Rock ducks a side kick and gets a kick in as he hits a DDT on Booker and then he fires up on him until Booker ducks a shot, but then Rock knocks Booker down and then he hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count as he pounds on him. Booker counters a whip with a clothesline and gets a kick in as he hits the scissors kick on Rock and does the Spinaroonie, but Rock nips up and hits a spinebuster before hitting the People’s Elbow which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a solid, quick match. Rock was hitting his peak by this point while Booker was hitting his stride as well, and they still had good chemistry as Rock gets a clean win over Booker. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rock when he won. Rock gets the win over Booker and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
We see a shot outside the Staples Center.
 
We see footage from earlier today of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley meeting with a doctor who shows them the results of the ultrasound of their baby.
 
We see Kurt Angle pushing a baby stroller down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
XBOX Slam of the Week: Kurt Angle attacking Triple H after his match on RAW 3 nights ago
 
Kurt Angle comes down to the ring with the baby stroller and says that he’s going to WM as he’s not a suckup like most people in this city, and he says that when he made his argument to Vince McMahon that Triple H cheated at the Royal Rumble proved that he deserved the title shot at WM. He says that Vince saw it his way and he now has the title shot at WM once he beats Triple H at No Way Out, and he says that should’ve been the big news of the week though it was overshadowed by the other announcement of Stephanie having a baby. He says that he never felt sorry for a baby until last Monday and he knows Stephanie will be a great mom, but he can’t imagine having Triple H as a father and the kid is already smarter than his dad. He says that while he’s not a scientist, but given what Triple H looks like he is clearly not a man, he is something else and he knows that Triple H saw a doctor about the baby though he knows exactly what the baby will look like. He pulls out a stuffed monkey dressed like a baby from the carriage and calls it “Triple H Jr.” and he tells it to say hi, and he says that his Uncle Kurt got him a gift which he opens up to reveal a bundle of baby bananas. He peels one and tries to feed it to the monkey as he says that he takes after his mother who has manners unlike his father, but then Triple H comes down to the ring and Angle tells him to meet his baby who even smells like him. He says that they do look alike a lot until Triple H knocks him down as he picks up the stroller and slams it down on Angle’s back, and he stomps on Angle repeatedly and picks up the stroller again only for Angle to roll outside to avoid it and he heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an invitation for the renewal of Triple H and Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley’s wedding vows on RAW this Monday.
 
2. William Regal and the Dudley Boyz defeat Edge, Rob Van Dam, and Rikishi when Bubba pins Rikishi at 5:07.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a big 6-man tag match. Edge and Regal were continuing to have their issues and they face off here with RVD, Rikishi, and the Dudleyz as their partners. Edge, RVD, and Rikishi get a good pop from the crowd while Regal and the Dudleyz were pretty hot as heels. The two teams waste no time and brawl to start the match with Edge and Regal brawling to the outside while Rikishi sends Bubba over the top to the floor, and Edge rams Regal into the announce table and D-Von hits a spinning back elbow on RVD as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. He catches a boot attempt though RVD ducks a shot and hits a hurricanrana on D-Von as he hits a springboard crossbody for a two count, and D-Von ducks a spin kick only for RVD to hit it on the second attempt and he tags Edge who hits a spin kick on D-Von. He stomps on D-Von who reverses a whip into the corner and Edge catches him with a boot to the face, and he goes up to the middle rope and hits a missile dropkick on D-Von for a two count as D-Von gets a shot in and whips Edge into the corner. Edge hits a pair of back elbows on Regal and Bubba as he catches D-Von with a boot to the face, but Regal and Bubba trip Edge up and crotch him on the post as Regal tags in and he stomps on Edge repeatedly in the corner. He pounds on Edge who ducks a shot and he hits a high crossbody on Regal for a two count only for Regal to get a knee in, and he hits a running kneelift on Edge for a two count and whips him into the corner as he hits a forearm to the back of the head. Bubba tags in and pounds on Edge as he drops a trio of elbows on him for a two count and D-Von tags in, and he pounds on Edge who tries to battle back only for D-Von to pound on him in the corner though Edge escapes an inverted suplex attempt. He ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster on D-Von as Rikishi gets the hot tag and ducks a shot before knocking Regal and Bubba down repeatedly, and he hits a Samoan drop on Bubba for a two count and he sends Regal over the top to the floor as he hits a superkick on D-Von. Bubba hits a clothesline on Rikishi that sends both men over the top to the floor as RVD goes up top and he hits a side kick on D-Von, and then he hits the Rolling Thunder on D-Von as Regal gets in the ring and kicks at RVD before hitting a double underhook powerbomb. Edge gets in the ring and hits the spear on Regal as Bubba gets in the ring and rams Edge’s shoulder into the post, and Rikishi gets in the ring and splashes Bubba in the corner before giving him the Stinkface only for the Dudleyz to hit the 3-D on Rikishi which gets the three and they win the match. The match itself was good as both teams worked hard and put on a solid match. All 6 men were hitting their stride by this point and they had good chemistry as Regal and the Dudleyz get the win. The crowd was into the match and Edge, RVD, and Rikishi, but are not happy when Regal and the Dudleyz win. Regal and the Dudleyz get the win over Edge, RVD, and Rikishi as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Regal crawls up the ramp only for Edge to attack him until the Dudleyz attack him from behind and hold him up, and Regal puts on a pair of brass knuckles and hits Edge in the ribs with them before hooking the Regal Stretch on as Edge starts bleeding from the mouth.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
Chris Jericho comes down to the ring and says that after he beat Rock for the 6th time on RAW that he would finally begin getting recognition and the respect he deserves, and he says that everywhere he goes it’s the same thing which is at No Way Out, Steve Austin will kick his ass and become Undisputed Champion. He says that to hell with No Way Out, Austin, and waiting because he wants to fight Austin right now and if Austin has any guts, he dares him to come down here right now and calls him a coward only for comedian Will Sasso to come down to the ring dressed and looking like Austin. Jericho asks if he’s ready for a beating and Sasso simply says “What?” as Jericho asks if he’s ready to fight him right now, and Jericho calls him a stupid redneck and says that he will prove that he is better than Austin as he is the living legend and the Undisputed Champion. He says that he will give him an undisputed beating and Sasso says that his watch is telling him it’s time to face the facts, and he says that it’s time to realize that Jericho is the better man and he can’t beat him at No Way Out as Steve Austin comes down to the ring. Jericho slides out of the ring as Austin takes the mike from Sasso and sizes him up before saying “What?”, and he asks what is going on here as he calls Jericho a piece of trash and asks if Jericho put Sasso up to this. He asks if Jericho finds this funny and he says that at No Way Out, the titles are coming with him and Jericho can’t do a damn thing about it, and he turns to Sasso and asks for a favor as Jericho gets in the ring only for Austin to pound on him and send him out of the ring. He tells Jericho to take the belts and get out of here as Sasso tries to leave the ring though Austin tells him to come back into the ring which he does, and he asks if Sasso thinks he’ll win an award and is proud of himself for his impersonation of him as he says that he doesn’t smell like beer. He asks if Sasso wants to drink a beer with him and Sasso says it would be great as Austin says it would be a great time and he asks for some beer, and he gets a few cans tossed to him as he hands one to Sasso and Sasso promises not to do this again. They do a toast and drink beer only for Austin to get a kick in and he hits the Stunner on Sasso before stomping on him and he drinks some more beer.
 
We see Al Snow and Maven in the dressing room as Snow says this is the moment that Maven has been working towards and this is his opportunity, and he says that he doesn’t want anything to affect him as this is a Hardcore match and he knows how tough Taker is though Maven must do whatever it takes and he is proud of him.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
We see Chris Jericho walking down the hallway as he runs into Ric Flair and says that Jericho said he wanted to wrestle Austin tonight, but he says that instead of that he will have Jericho face off against Triple H tonight.
 
3. Maven (w/ Al Snow) pins the Undertaker after a Rock Bottom from the Rock at 5:34 to win the WWF Hardcore Championship.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our lone title match of the night. Taker brutalized Maven as revenge for Maven eliminating him at the Rumble and now Maven looks for payback here while also becoming champion. Maven gets a good pop from the crowd while Taker was pretty hot as a heel. The two men square off to start as Taker stalks Maven in the corner only for Maven to roll away and Snow slides a trash can lid to him, and he hits Taker in the head with it repeatedly until Taker catches him with a back elbow and he tosses Maven into the corner before pounding on him. He whips Maven into the other corner and hits a clothesline only to miss the elbow as Snow slides a trash can to Maven, but Taker punches the can back in Maven’s face and picks the can up himself only for Snow to pull Maven out of the ring. Taker goes outside and pounds on Maven as he rams him into the steps and continues to pound on him before hitting a back elbow, and he gets a knee in and throws Maven back into the ring as he stomps on him and grabs the can before hitting Maven in the head with it repeatedly. Snow pulls Maven out of the ring again and Taker goes outside as he nails Snow and sends him over the barricade into the crowd, and he throws Maven back into the ring as we see Maven is busted open and Taker sets Maven up for the Last Ride. Just then, Snow gets in the ring with the bell and he hits Taker in the ribs with it before pounding on him, and then Maven hooks a rollup for a two count and Taker hits a big boot which sends Snow over the top to the floor. Maven goes up top only for Taker to catch him coming in by the throat and he hits the chokeslam on Maven for a two count, and he grinds his forearm into Maven’s face and hooks the Dragon Sleeper on as the Rock runs down to the ring with a chair. He hits Taker in the head with the chair and then he hits the Rock Bottom on Taker before heading up the ramp as Maven gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as it was pretty much Taker dominating Maven until Rock cost him in the end. The crowd was into the match and popped for Maven when he won. Maven gets the shocking win over Taker and is the new Hardcore Champion as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
Jerry Lawler is in the ring as he holds up the Billy & Chuck calendar and says a challenge was accepted as they will have a posedown, and he talks about what lead to this as he first brings out Torrie Wilson and Stacy Keibler who come out wearing robes. He then brings out Billy & Chuck who come down to the ring wearing robes as Lawler says Billy & Chuck will go first, and they take their robes off as do Keibler and Wilson and Lawler says that both teams will do three different poses from the calendar. He says that they will strike the poses and the crowd will pick the winner as Billy & Chuck do the three poses first, and then Wilson and Keibler do the three poses and Lawler polls the crowd as they overwhelmingly vote for the ladies. Lawler declares the ladies the winners as he raises Wilson’s arm much to Keibler’s dismay and she nails Wilson from behind, and she jumps on Lawler’s back and chokes him as Wilson grabs at her until Lawler and officials keep them apart.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for No Way Out.
 
Lorillard Tobacco Company Whack of the Night: Jazz defeating Trish Stratus to become the Women’s Champion on RAW 3 nights ago
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office on the phone with someone as Triple H comes in and says that he wants Vince to understand how much he hates his guts, and he says that he blew out his quad putting money in Vince’s pocket and he was called a piece of meat by Vince. He says that he put himself through hell for 8 months and endured more pain than he ever could for one reason which was to come back, and he says that he has a passion for this business and he was going to WM to become WWF Champion. He says that he came back early to win the Royal Rumble and guarantee a shot at immortality as he did what the doctors said he would never do, and he says that he earned his title shot at WM though now Vince decides to try and take it from him so he can give Angle a chance. He says that he gave Angle a shot to take everything away from him as this is not about him and his wife has a soft spot in her heart for Vince, and he says that she wanted him to speak about Monday night as she wants nothing more than for Vince to walk her down the aisle when they renew their wedding vows. Vince says he’ll think about it and Triple H tells him that whether he does it or not, Vince will never get near his child as he calls Vince “Grandpa” and Vince says that Triple H needs to think about the fact that he is now facing Jericho and Angle in a handicap match.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a vignette for the New World Order.
 
Jonathan Coachman interviews the Rock, who says that Taker cost him a shot at the Undisputed Championship and they will never be even despite what he did tonight, but then Taker attacks Rock from behind and rams him into his limo as he grabs him by the throat and hits the chokeslam onto the hood of the limo. He climbs onto the limo and drags Rock onto the roof as he hoists him up and hits the Tombstone on the limo.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Rock being checked on by EMTs as they put a neck brace on him and then they put him onto a stretcher.
 
4. Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle defeat Triple H in a Handicap match when Angle pins Triple H at 6:43.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Triple H had attacked Angle earlier in the night and now Angle looks to get some revenge as he also has an advantage with Jericho as his partner. Triple H gets a big pop from the crowd while Angle and Jericho were red hot as heels. Triple H wastes no time and hits a baseball slide on Jericho to start the match as he slides outside and pounds on Jericho, and Angle comes over only for Triple H to pound on him and he rams him into the post before avoiding a charge from Jericho who hits the post. Triple H clotheslines Jericho over the barricade into the crowd and throws Angle into the ring as he gets a kick in and hits a DDT for a two count, and he rams Angle into the buckle and stomps on him in the corner as Jericho gets in the ring only for Triple H to pound on him. He stomps on Jericho repeatedly in the corner and Angle ducks a shot as he hits a German suplex on Triple H who blocks a second one with a series of back elbows, and Jericho hits a clothesline on Triple H and pounds on him as Triple H reverses a whip and hits a back elbow on Jericho. Angle nails Triple H from behind and stomps on him out to the apron as Triple H gets a shot in only for Jericho to hit a springboard dropkick that knocks Triple H to the floor, and Jericho and Angle go outside and they ram Triple H into the announce table twice as they stomp on him repeatedly. Angle rolls back into the ring as Jericho whips Triple H into the steps and throws him back into the ring with Angle getting a two count, and he rams Triple H into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly and tags Jericho. He rams Triple H into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner as he stomps on him repeatedly until Triple H hits a spear on Jericho, and he pounds on Jericho on the mat and Jericho ducks a shot as he hits a flying forearm on Triple H and he trips him up. He looks for the Walls of Jericho which Triple H blocks as he shoves Jericho off and Jericho knocks Angle off the apron to the floor, and Triple H hooks a small package for a two count and Jericho kicks at Triple H’s leg as he pounds on him and tags Angle. He kicks at Triple H and pounds on him in the corner as he whips him into the other corner and Triple H catches him with a boot to the face, but Angle catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex and looks for the Ankle Lock though Triple H flips him over to escape. Jericho tags in and he kicks at Triple H as he hits a slam and drops an elbow on him for a two count, and Angle tags in and they stomp on Triple H repeatedly in the corner as they whip him into the other corner only for Jericho to miss a charge and he rams his shoulder into the post. Triple H ducks a shot and hits the high knee on Angle as he pounds on him in the corner and Angle reverses a whip into the other corner, and Triple H ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker on Angle as Jericho gets in the ring and Triple H hits a clothesline and spinebuster on him. He sends Angle over the top to the floor and trips Jericho up as he hooks the Walls of Jericho on him until Angle gets in the ring, and Triple H catches a kick attempt and hooks the Ankle Lock on Angle only for Jericho to nail Triple H from behind to break it up. He pounds on Triple H who catches him on a dropkick attempt and he slingshots Jericho over the top to the floor, and Angle pounds on Triple H who catches him ducking with the facebuster and he gets a kick in as he looks for the Pedigree. Jericho goes up top only for Triple H to put Angle in the way of a missile dropkick and he clotheslines Jericho over the top to the floor, and he gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree on Angle again as Jericho brings a chair into the ring though Triple H avoids the swing. He gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree on Jericho only for Angle to hit the Angle Slam on Triple H on the chair which gets the three and he wins the match for his team. The match itself was good as all three men worked hard and put on a solid handicap match. Triple H was getting back into a groove while Angle and Jericho were hitting their stride, and they had good chemistry as Triple H can’t overcome the odds and Angle gets the pin on him. The crowd was into the match and Triple H, but are not happy when Jericho and Angle win. Jericho and Angle get the win over Triple H though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Stephanie McMahon-Helmsley comes down to the ring and checks on Triple H until Jericho stalks her in the corner, but then Triple H grabs the chair and hits Angle in the back with it before hitting Jericho in the head with it. They roll outside as Triple H and Stephanie embrace and share a kiss until Angle slides back into the ring, and he nails Triple H from behind with Triple H falling on top of Stephanie and Angle heads to the back while Triple H checks on Stephanie as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show that focused a lot on promos and segments while the matches seemed to take a back seat. Obviously, the bulk of this show was focused on the impending arrival of the New World Order, but we did see plenty of build for other matches at No Way Out. We did get a title match as Maven now rules the Hardcore Division while Rock, Regal, the Dudleyz, Jericho, and Angle get big wins, and again the focus on this show was the promos between Angle bringing out the stroller, the segment with Jericho, Austin, and Sasso, and the posedown taking up most of the time. 2002 has been pretty solid to this point coming off a very strong Rumble and we will see if No Way Out can deliver and keep the Road to WrestleMania going strong. As for this show, it is a pretty solid show to continue the build to No Way Out. Final Grade: C+