Smackdown
May 16th, 2002 (taped May 14th)
Molson Centre
Montreal, Quebec, Canada
 
Dark Match:
 
1. Christian defeats Sylvian Grenier.
 
5/18 Jakked taping:
 
1. Albert defeats Hugh Morrus.
2. The Godfather defeats Funaki.
3. Billy Kidman defeats Chavo Guerrero Jr.
4. Test and Christian defeat Faarooq and Mark Henry.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
Triple H comes down to the ring and says that Vince doesn’t get it as Vince thinks he can knock him down and just go away, and he says that Vince thinks he can send 6 guys to kick his ass and send Chris Jericho to split his skull open as well as putting him in the Hell in a Cell and he will just go away. He says that Vince thinks he will just scurry off though the reality is he is here and that’s the way it will be, and he says that if Vince knocks him down, he will get back up and get in Vince’s face as he will get much closer to Vince every time. He says that he will get close enough to chew Vince up and spit him out as he says this Sunday, he will take Jericho straight to Hell and since Jericho’s never been there before, he wants to give him a taste and Jericho should come down to the ring so he can give him a feeling as to what Sunday will be like. Just then, Edge comes down to the ring and says that Triple H gave a stirring speech though he forgot to mention that he hit everyone with a sledgehammer, and he says that he was one of them and he didn’t enjoy it as he says they are supposed to be good guys and not have problems with each other. He says that he doesn’t care and on Sunday, Triple H may take Jericho to Hell and he will shave Kurt Angle bald, and he says that he’s had a feeling in his stomach in that he’s been feeling that he wants to play the game. Triple H says that he is a lot of things as he is everything he says he is though the one thing he’s not is a good guy, and he says that if Edge wants to play the game he’s standing right here and Edge pounds on him until Triple H gets a knee in and he pounds on Edge. They trade blows on the mat until Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho run down to the ring and attack both men, and Angle hits a German suplex on Edge and stomps on him as Triple H knocks Jericho down and goes after Angle. Jericho hits a low blow on Triple H and they stomp him to the outside as they go outside and continue to pound on Triple H, and Angle gets in the ring and hits the spear on Edge as Jericho pounds on Triple H and Angle goes outside. They whip Triple H into the steps and roll back into the ring as Jericho holds Edge from behind and Angle pulls out a pair of scissors, and he cuts a bit of Edge’s hair off until Triple H rolls back into the ring with a chair and clears them from the ring.
 
Commercial break
 
We see an ad for Judgment Day.
 
We see Vince McMahon and Stacy Keibler in Vince’s office as he says she will be victorious in her swimsuit contest and asks for a peek which she obliges to, and he asks to give her some good luck as Chris Jericho and Kurt Angle come in and Angle shows off the hair he cut off. They say that Triple H and Edge were fighting each other and they jumped them as they took advantage of it, and Vince says tonight will be fun as Angle and Jericho will face Triple H and Edge in a tag match.
 
1. Val Venis and Randy Orton defeat Lance Storm and Hardcore Holly when Orton pins Storm at 2:16.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first tag match of the night. Venis saved Orton from Hardcore and Storm last week and now the two teams face off here to settle their issues. Venis and Orton get a good pop from the crowd while Storm and Hardcore had decent heat as a heel. Storm wastes no time and attacks Orton to start the match as Orton holds the ropes to avoid a dropkick, and Hardcore hits a clothesline on Orton from the apron and tags in as he kicks at Orton and pounds on him in the corner. Orton turns it around and pounds on Hardcore in the corner as he knocks Storm off the apron and Hardcore gets a shot in, and he hits a dropkick on Orton who leaps over Hardcore and he hits a dropkick of his own as Venis gets the hot tag. He fires up on Storm and hits a clothesline before hitting a backdrop as Hardcore gets a kick in and Venis counters a whip with a spinout sitdown powerbomb, and he hits a spinebuster on Storm and tags Orton who goes up top and hits a crossbody on Storm for a two count. He ducks a shot and gets a kick in as he hits a modified neckbreaker on Storm for a two count as Hardcore breaks it up, and Venis pounds on Hardcore and sends him to the outside as Storm ducks a shot and hits the superkick for a two count as Orton hooks a rollup 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. Venis and Orton looked decent together as did Storm and Hardcore, and they had decent chemistry as Orton gets the win to get some revenge. The crowd was into the match and popped for Venis and Orton when they won. Venis and Orton get the win over Storm and Hardcore as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
We see highlights from RAW 3 nights ago.
 
We see footage from earlier tonight of Hulk Hogan arriving to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Torrie Wilson walking backstage as Maven comes up to her and wishes her luck tonight as he saw what happened last week, and he says that if she’s free they could go on a date tonight and she agrees to it before walking away. Just then, Rev. D-Von and Deacon Bautista walk up to Maven as D-Von says he knows what Maven is thinking, and he says that Maven has impure thoughts and lustful thinking as he calls Wilson a jezebel and he sees it written in Maven’s face. Just then, Al Snow walks up to them and asks if there’s a problem as D-Von says he wanted to wish Maven luck in their match tonight, and he says that Maven will get salvation from him.
 
We see Funaki in the dressing room as Greogry Helms walks up to him and says that Hurricane has been receiving evil notes as he asks if Funaki practices evil things, and Funaki says he’s busy and Helms says he’s looking out for Hurricane as he sees a note taped on Funaki’s back. He pulls it off and reads it as he hands the note back to Funaki and runs off.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Chris Jericho, who says that his actions tonight were meant to send a message to Triple H as everyone thinks Triple H has the advantage in the Hell in a Cell match, and he says that on Sunday the man behind the image will pull the mask off and expose the merciless competitor that he is. He says that when Triple H tore his quad, he’s the one that put Triple H on the shelf for 8 months and last week, he beat down Triple H 3 times and busted him open as he says on Sunday, Triple H will face the real him inside the Cell.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Molson Centre.
 
2. Rev. D-Von (w/ Deacon Bautista) pins Maven (w/ Al Snow) with the Saving Grace at 1:54.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty basic matchup. These two men had a confrontation moments ago and now they face off here to settle their issues. Maven gets a decent pop from the crowd while D-Von had solid heat as a heel. D-Von wastes no time and attacks Maven to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him repeatedly, and he continues to pound on Maven and hits a snapmare as he drops an elbow on Maven and stomps on him repeatedly. He chokes Maven on the ropes and hits a slam as he goes up to the middle rope only to miss the elbow and Maven hooks a small package for a two count, and he ducks a shot and hooks a rollup for a two count as he gets a kick in and hits a DDT on D-Von for a two count. He hits a German suplex on D-Von as Bautista gets on the apron and D-Von hits a low blow on Maven to block a second German suplex, and D-Von gets a shot in and hits the Saving Grace which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was basically a squash as Maven got a few shots in, but he puts D-Von over in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and Maven, but are not happy when D-Von wins. D-Von gets the quick win over Maven and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, D-Von stomps on Maven repeatedly until Snow gets in the ring and pounds on D-Von as he hits a flying forearm, and Bautista gets in the ring and hits Snow in the face with the collection box.
 
We see Stacy Keibler looking at herself in the mirror as a midget pops out and says that he’s certain Keibler will win the swimsuit contest tonight, and he says that he wants to film it with his new camcorder and he wishes her luck as she walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
Tazz is in the ring as he says that everyone’s been waiting for this and he is here to host the swimsuit contest, and he first brings out Stacy Keibler who comes down to the ring and then he brings out Torrie Wilson who comes down to the ring. Tazz says that the fans will get to pick the winner as each girl will show off their swimsuit and whoever gets the louder cheers wins, and he says that Wilson can go first and she goes to take her robe off only for Tajiri to run down to the ring with a bigger robe. He covers Wilson up and drags her to the back as Keibler says the competition just left and she’s the winner by forfeit, and Tazz says that Keibler should show us what she’s got anyway and she teases taking her robe off though refuses to do so. Just then, Trish Stratus comes down to the ring and Keibler asks why she’s here as Stratus says that the people wanted to see a competition, and she asks if Keibler is scared of competition and she might have forgotten her bikini, but has something else as she takes her jacket off to reveal she is wearing lingerie. She shows off for the crowd as Keibler winds up her shoe behind her only for Stratus to duck the shot and she kicks Keibler to the outside, and Tazz announces Stratus as the winner and she poses for the crowd as Keibler storms off to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
Clearasil Smack of the Night: Trish Stratus winning the Women’s Title on RAW 3 nights ago
 
We see Vince McMahon with Rev. D-Von and Deacon Bautista in his office as Vince congratulates D-Von on his success and he is very impressed with Bautista, but then Stacy Keibler storms in and complains about what Trish Stratus just did and Vince says he’ll make it up to her. She says that she wants Stratus at the PPV for the Women’s Title and Vince agrees to it though he suggests that D-Von and Bautista protect Keibler as he knows Bubba Ray will be in Stratus’ corner, and D-Von says that he and Bautista would be happy to provide their services.
 
3. Rikishi pins Rico (w/ Billy and Chuck) with a sitdown splash at 2:04.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Rikishi has been having issues with Billy, Chuck, and Rico as he will face Rico here to finally settle these issues. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Rico had solid heat as a heel. Billy and Chuck distract Rikishi and Rico attacks him from behind to start the match as he gets a kick in only for Rikishi to knock him down, and he tosses Rico to the mat and knocks him down as Rico ducks a shot and Rikishi presses Rico up before hitting a cutter for a two count as Chuck pulls Rikishi off from the floor. Rico rolls outside to regroup and Rikishi goes after him as Billy hits a clothesline and both men roll back into the ring, and Rico stomps on Rikishi repeatedly and kicks at him in the corner only for Rikishi to catch him in a belly-to-belly suplex. He whips Rico into the corner and looks to splash him only for Rico to pull the ref in the way as Billy and Chuck get in the ring, and Rikishi knocks Billy down and Chuck gets a shot in as he holds Rikishi from behind only for Rikishi to avoid a dropkick from Billy who hits Chuck by mistake. Rikishi hits a superkick on Billy and Rico hits the spin kick on Rikishi for a two count as he pounds on him, and Rikishi reverses a whip and Rico attempts a sunset flip only for Rikishi to hit a sitdown splash which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was pretty much a squash as Rico got a few shots in with Billy and Chuck’s help, but he puts Rikishi over in 2 minutes. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi gets the win over Rico though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Rikishi heads up to the stage and dances for the crowd.
 
We see an ad for Judgment Day.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Vince McMahon and Stacy Keibler in Vince’s office as he says she should’ve won the contest tonight until Billy, Chuck, and Rico barges in, and they complain about losing to Rikishi and Vince says he’s ashamed of them being the tag champions as he says they will defend the titles against Rikishi and an opponent of his choosing at the PPV.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Triple H, who says that Jericho needs to understand that no one will be helping him and Jericho will be left alone in the Cell with him, and he says that Jericho should ask Mick Foley about what Triple H can do inside the Cell and he ended Foley’s career in the Cell. Just then, Edge comes up behind him and says that they still have a problem as Triple H says he admires Edge’s guts, and he says that Edge should win a few World Titles before trying to jump on him and Edge says he could sleep his way to the top like Triple H did. Triple H says Edge can start tomorrow as they have unfinished business tonight with Jericho and Angle.
 
Commercial break
 
4. The Hurricane defeats Tajiri and Billy Kidman in a Triple Threat match when he pins Tajiri at 2:21 to win the WWE Cruiserweight Championship.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is our lone title match of the night. Tajiri has been rolling as Cruiserweight Champion and faces a tough challenge here in former champion Kidman as well as Hurricane who beat Tajiri last week. Hurricane and Kidman get a good pop from the crowd while Tajiri had solid heat as a heel. Tajiri wastes no time and attacks Kidman from behind to start the match as Kidman battles back and then Hurricane finally comes down to the ring, and he gets between them and gives them both a thumbs up as Tajiri kicks at him and Hurricane and Kidman attack Tajiri. They hit a double hiptoss on Tajiri and Kidman gets a two count as Hurricane pulls him off and gets a two count himself, and Kidman drops an elbow on him and pounds on Hurricane as he whips him into the corner and Hurricane ducks a shot. He grabs Kidman by the throat only for Tajiri to kick him in the back of the head and he pounds on Kidman who escapes a slam attempt, and he hits a sitdown spinebuster on Tajiri for a two count and Hurricane hits a neckbreaker on Kidman as he goes up top only for Tajiri to get a shot in. He goes up himself and Hurricane shoves him off as Tajiri lands on his feet and Kidman hits a tornado bulldog on Tajiri while kicking Hurricane off the top to the floor, and he goes up top and hits the Shooting Star Press on Tajiri for a two count as Hurricane pulls Kidman to the floor. He rams Kidman into the corner and rolls back into the ring as he gets a two count on Tajiri who gets his foot on the rope, and he pounds on Tajiri as Kidman gets on the apron and Tajiri hits a handspring which knocks Kidman to the floor. He ducks a shot and kicks at Hurricane who ducks a kick and hits the chokeslam which gets the three and we have a new champion. The match itself was decent as all three men worked hard and put on a quick triple threat. All three men were hitting their groove by this point and they had good chemistry as Hurricane wins in an upset to become champion. The crowd was into the match and popped for Hurricane when he won. Hurricane gets the win over Tajiri and Kidman as he is the new Cruiserweight Champion and all three men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Hulk Hogan walking down the hallway.
 
Commercial break
 
Hulk Hogan comes down to the ring and the crowd gives him an extended ovation as he says that they are overwhelming, and he says that he had one goal which was to get to WrestleMania and he came out the night after to say thank you. He says that because of the fans, he can’t go home now and they are awesome as he says that he finds himself on the eve of Judgment Day to say thank you again, and he says that his dreams have come true and he hopes the dream never ends as he says that he never wakes up to reality. He says that every night, he watches the news and sees what’s happening in the world as he says that reality sucks, and he says that when he’s in the ring, he’s in his own dream world and he hopes it never ends as he says that he wanted to say he hopes. He says that now, he knows Hulkamania will live forever and with that being said, he asks the Undertaker what he will do only for Vince McMahon to come down to the ring and he gets in Hogan’s face. He takes the mike from Hogan and says that Hogan says reality sucks though he thinks different as reality doesn’t suck, and he says that in his opinion, Hulkamania sucks and he enjoyed what happened on RAW when Taker dragged him behind his own motorcycle around the arena like he was a big bag of roadkill. He says that at one time, he agreed with him in that Hogan was an icon and at one time, Hogan was immortal though no more because as he looks at Hogan, he says that he sees an empty shell of what he used to be. He says that he senses it and Hogan doesn’t realize that Hulkamania is diseased and has a terminal illness, and he says that Hulkamania has cancer and that’s why at Judgment Day, Taker will stuff the remains of Hulkamania in a cardboard box and bury it. He says that Hogan needs to get that look off his face and the fans need to say goodbye to Hogan and Hulkamania, and he says that he is Dr. Frankenstein in that he created Hulkamania and he can destroy what he creates. He says that he’s figured Hogan out in the red stands for the blood that will flow from Hogan’s body, and he says the yellow is like the yellow streak that goes down his back and he slaps Hogan in the face. Hogan nails Vince and knocks him down as he hits the legdrop and he poses for the crowd with the belt.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Kurt Angle and Chris Jericho defeat Triple H and Edge when Angle pins Edge at 8:48.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These four men were set for their own matches in 3 days and face off here to build momentum. Triple H and Edge get a big pop from the crowd while Angle and Jericho were red hot as heels. Edge wastes no time and attacks both men to start the match as they pound and stomp on him until Triple H comes out, and he pounds on Angle and sends him to the outside as Edge battles back on Jericho and stomps on him repeatedly in the corner. He chokes Jericho with his boot and Triple H hotshots Angle on the barricade as he hits a clothesline and Edge rams Jericho into the buckle, and he pounds on Jericho who ducks a shot and Edge hits a flapjack as he hits a flying forearm and pounds on Jericho on the mat. Triple H gets a shot in from the apron and tags in as he rams Jericho into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner, and Jericho rakes the eyes and tags Angle only for Triple H to hit the high knee and Edge tags in as he kicks at him. He pounds on Angle who battles back as Edge reverses a whip and he hits a spin kick on Angle before going up top, and he kicks Jericho to the floor and Angle runs up top as he hits a belly-to-belly superplex on Edge for a two count as Triple H breaks it up. Jericho comes in and stomps on Edge repeatedly as he rams him into the buckle and pounds on him in the corner, and he hits a snapmare and dropkick to the back as he stomps on Edge and tags Angle who kicks at Edge. Edge tries to battle back as Angle reverses a whip and hits a belly-to-belly suplex on Edge before tagging Jericho, and he kicks at Edge and hits a back elbow only to miss the Lionsault and Angle tags in as he pounds on Edge. Jericho tags back in and hits a trio of suplexes on Edge for a two count as he stomps on him in the corner, and he chokes him with his boot and pounds on him as he puts him on the top rope and goes up himself. Edge battles back and shoves Jericho to the mat as he sets himself on the middle rope and hits a missile dropkick, and Triple H gets the hot tag and fires up on Angle as he ducks a shot and hits a neckbreaker on Jericho. He hits the spinebuster on Angle for a two count as he avoids an elbow from Jericho who hits Angle by mistake, and he pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and Triple H catches him ducking with the facebuster as he gets a kick in. He looks for the Pedigree only for Angle to nail him from behind and they stomp on Triple H repeatedly, but Triple H hits a double clothesline and tags Edge who goes up top and hits a double clothesline on both men. He pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and Edge catches a dropkick attempt as he slingshots him over the top to the floor, and Angle nails Edge from behind and Edge escapes an Angle Slam as he ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster. Jericho brings a chair into the ring and Edge hits the spear on him as Angle gets a shot in and hits the Angle Slam, but Triple H gets a kick in and hits the Pedigree on Angle for a two count as Jericho breaks it up and Triple H sends him to the outside before going outside himself. Jericho sends Triple H into the post and pounds on him as the ref tries to pull him off only for Triple H to send both men into the barricade, and he hits a clothesline that sends both men over the barricade into the crowd and they brawl into the crowd. Edge pounds on Angle and hits a belly-to-belly suplex as he looks for the spear only for Angle to hit him in the head with the chair, and he hits a second Angle Slam on Edge 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 match. Edge and Triple H looked decent as a team as did Angle and Jericho, and they had good chemistry as Angle gets the pin on Edge to build momentum before their match. The crowd was into the match and Edge and Triple H, but are not happy when Angle and Jericho win. Angle and Jericho get the win over Edge and Triple H as these issues isn’t over yet. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Angle stands tall over Edge while holding the lock of hair he cut off and we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a solid episode to serve as the final build to Judgment Day. Comparing the two brands, Smackdown’s matches seem to be bigger than the RAW matches which isn’t surprising given that two Smackdown matches have gimmicks attached to them. We did get a title match as Hurricane now rules the Cruiserweight Division and Venis, Orton, D-Von, Rikishi, Jericho, and Angle get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was easily the best while the rest were standard and it was mainly promos building to Judgment Day. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as we head into our second PPV since the brand extension, and we will see if this PPV can improve on the previous one. As for this show, it is a solid and decent show to put out the final hype to Judgment Day. Final Grade: C