Smackdown
May 30th, 2002 (taped May 28th)
Pengrowth Saddledome
Calgary, Alberta, Canada
 
6/1 Velocity taping:
 
1. Mark Henry defeats the Godfather.
2. Albert defeats Hugh Morrus.
3. Rev. D-Von defeats Val Venis.
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
1. Rikishi and Rico defeat Billy and Chuck when Rico pins Chuck at 2:16 to retain the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with our first title match of the night. Rikishi and Rico shocked the world by winning the tag titles from Billy and Chuck at Judgment Day, and now Billy and Chuck look to get the titles back here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Billy, Chuck, and Rico had solid heat as heels. Rikishi wastes no time and hits a superkick on Chuck to start the match as he sends Billy over the top to the floor, and he splashes Chuck in the corner as Rico sneaks up on him only for Rikishi to catch him and he stalks him. Billy and Chuck sneak up behind him and hit a double flapjack on Rikishi as Billy stomps on him repeatedly and chokes him with his boot, and Chuck pounds on him from the floor and tags in as he stomps on Rikishi repeatedly and tags Billy who drops an elbow on Rikishi. Rikishi ducks a double clothesline attempt and hits one of his own as Rico gets in the ring and hits a standing enzurgiri on Rikishi, and Chuck gets a two count as Billy gets a kick in and hits a DDT on Rikishi who no-sells it and he hits a superkick on Chuck. He hits a Samoan drop on Billy and tags Rico as he slingshots him into the ring and Chuck attempts a sunset flip only for Rikishi to hit a sitdown splash, and he ducks a spin kick and hits a superkick on Rico who falls on top of Chuck which gets the three and they retain the titles. The match itself was nothing as it was pretty much a handicap match with Rikishi fighting off all three men though he and Rico still get the win. The crowd was into the match and popped for Rikishi when he won. Rikishi and Rico retain the titles over Billy and Chuck though this issue isn’t over yet. Grade: .5
 
After the match, Rikishi heads to the back as Billy and Chuck argue with Rico in the ring and Rikishi dances on the stage.
 
We see Hulk Hogan arrive to the arena.
 
Commercial break
 
Panasonic Smack of the Night: Maven pinning Christian in the tag match last week on Smackdown
 
We see footage from moments ago of Torrie Wilson and Maven meeting up backstage with Wilson giving Maven a kiss while Tajiri watches from behind a door.
 
2. Christian pins Maven with the Unprettier at 2:08.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Maven had pinned Christian the previous week in a tag match and Christian looks to get revenge here. Maven gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. Christian wastes no time and stomps on Maven to start the match as he pounds on him until Maven ducks a shot and slides under Christian, and he hits a hiptoss on Christian and pounds on him as he sends him over the top to the floor and then he hits a slingshot plancha onto Christian. He throws Christian back into the ring and gets a two count as he ducks a shot and Christian escapes a back suplex attempt, and he hits a modified backbreaker on Maven and chokes him on the mat as he stomps on him repeatedly and puts him on the top rope. Christian goes up himself only for Maven to slam him to the mat as he sets himself on the middle rope and hits a bulldog for a two count, and he goes up top again only for Tajiri to come down to the ring and he kicks Maven in the head as Christian hits the Unprettier which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was nothing much as both men worked hard and put on a decent match. Maven was slowly getting into a groove while Christian was hitting his stride, and they had decent chemistry as this was more about Tajiri costing Maven the match. The crowd was into the match and Maven, but are not happy when Christian wins. Christian gets the win over Maven and both men move on. Grade: 1
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office on the phone with someone arguing about the situation with Chris Benoit when a young woman comes into his office, and she introduces herself as Dawn Marie Psaltis and that she’s a paralegal for Vince’s attorneys as she has papers for him to sign. She says that Stacy Keibler is not here as Vince says that she’s co-hosting the Tough Enough season finale and he says they can sit down and get acquainted. He says that he needs to review the documents before signing them as Chris Jericho barges in and says he has a big problem, and he says that Vince put him in a match against Faarooq and he’s still beat up from Hell in a Cell as Vince says that Jericho thinks he’s taking advantage of him. Vince says that Triple H does have a match tonight with Test and he won’t let Triple H outdo Jericho as Jericho says he’s tougher than Triple H, and he leaves as Vince sits back down as he says they can get back to reviewing things.
 
Commercial break
 
3. Chris Jericho pins Faarooq with a sleeper slam at 3:59.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. These two men had a confrontation the previous week and now they face off here to settle their issues. Faarooq gets a decent pop from the crowd while Jericho was red hot as a heel. The two men waste no time and brawl to start the match as Faarooq gets a knee in and he pounds on Jericho, and he hits a back elbow on Jericho and clotheslines him over the top to the floor as he goes outside himself and rams Jericho into the steps. He rams Jericho into a chair and Jericho gets a kick in as he pounds on Faarooq and whips him into the barricade, and Faarooq hotshots him on the barricade and pounds on Jericho as he rams him into the announce table and throws him back into the ring. He kicks at Jericho and rams him into the buckle as he whips him hard into the corner and hits a snapmare, and he drives his elbow into Jericho’s back for a two count and goes up to the middle rope only for Jericho to catch him coming in with a dropkick. He drops a trio of elbows on Faarooq and kicks at him as he pounds on him and chokes him on the ropes, and he slams down on Faarooq’s back and takes the pad off the buckle as Faarooq catches him with a clothesline for a two count. Jericho escapes a Dominator attempt and hits the running bulldog on Faarooq who avoids the Lionsault and he hits the spinebuster for a two count, and he pounds on Jericho who avoids a charge as Faarooq runs into the exposed buckle and Jericho hits the sleeper slam which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Jericho was hitting his stride by this point while Faarooq was starting to wind down, and they had decent chemistry as Jericho steals the win. The crowd was into the match and Faarooq, but are not happy when Jericho wins. Jericho gets the win over Faarooq and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Pengrowth Saddledome.
 
We see Rev. D-Von reading his sermon as Lance Storm comes up to him and says he has to confess something, and he says that he has sinned in that he is Western Canadian and D-Von says that is a very nasty sin though he can help him and his sins are forgiven. Storm thanks him as Deacon Bautista comes up and D-Von tells him that he needs a donation which Storm gives one Canadian dollar coin and walks away as D-Von calls him cheap.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Hulk Hogan, who says that last Thursday was a turning point when he poured his heart out and he knew his time was winding down, and he says that he wanted to bow out gracefully only for Vince McMahon to claim that he owns him because he has a contract with him. He says that Vince can take the contract and stick it where the sun doesn’t shine as he has a size 15 Vince can stick, and he says that he will retire though it won’t be now as he has new priorities in that he has one thing to do which is face Vince in a match. He says that he’s going to tear Vince’s black heart out as Vince comes up to him and asks if that’s what Hogan will do, but then Kurt Angle hits Hogan in the back with a lead pipe.
 
Commercial break
 
Stacker 2 Burn of the Night: Undertaker destroying Tommy Dreamer on RAW 3 nights ago
 
4. The Undertaker pins Randy Orton with the chokeslam at 5:20 to retain the WWE Undisputed Championship.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and final title match of the night. Taker was rolling as Undisputed Champion and faces an interesting challenge here in Orton, who was still relatively new on the scene and looks to get the biggest win of his young career. Orton gets a decent pop from the crowd while Taker was red hot as a heel. Taker offers a handshake to start the match which Orton accepts and they lock up with Taker backing Orton into the corner and he gives a clean break, and they lock up again with Taker shoving Orton to the mat and they lock up a third time with Orton hooking a headlock. Taker whips him off and knocks Orton down as they lock up with Taker hooking a headlock and he knocks Orton down again, and Orton hits a hiptoss and an armdrag on Taker as he hits a backdrop and clotheslines him over the top to the floor. He hits a slingshot plancha onto Taker on the floor and throws him back into the ring as Taker gets a kick in and Orton escapes a suplex attempt, and he hooks a rollup for a two count and Taker hits a clothesline as he drops an elbow on Orton and takes the pad off the buckle. He pounds on Orton in the corner and Orton begs off as he ducks a shot and pounds on Taker in the corner, and he hits a pair of dropkicks on Taker who catches him ducking with a DDT for a two count as he grinds his forearm into Orton’s face on the mat. He toys with Orton in the corner and Orton reverses a whip into the other corner as Taker rams his back into the exposed buckle, and Orton gets a kick in and hits the Overdrive for a two count as Taker reverses a whip into the corner and hoists Orton up. He hits Snake Eyes and a big boot on Orton for a two count as he argues with the ref and Orton hooks a rollup for a two count, and then Taker catches him in a chokeslam which gets the three and he retains the title. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard and put on a basic title match. Taker was hitting his stride by this point while Orton was getting into a groove, and they had decent chemistry as Taker gets a fairly easy title defense. The crowd was into the match and Orton, but are not happy when Taker wins. Taker retains the title over Orton and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Taker knocks Orton to the outside and goes outside himself as he grabs a chair and wedges Orton’s head in it, but then Triple H runs down to ringside and pounds on Taker as he rams him into the steps and continues to pound on him. He clotheslines him over the announce table and rams him into the table as he rams him into the steps and throws him back into the ring, and Taker nails him coming in and Triple H catches him ducking with the facebuster as he clotheslines him over the top to the floor. He grabs the belt and a mike as he says that Taker wants to give someone an opportunity and he deserves the opportunity, and he says that if Taker gives him the shot, he will be the new Undisputed Champion as he tosses the belt to Taker who heads to the back.
 
Commercial break
 
5. Tajiri and Chavo Guerrero defeat Billy Kidman and the Hurricane when Tajiri pins Hurricane at 4:10.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our second and last tag match of the night. Hurricane has been dealing with a mysterious stalker and looks past that as he teams with Kidman against Tajiri and Chavo. Hurricane and Kidman get a good pop from the crowd while Tajiri and Chavo had decent heat as heels. Hurricane starts off the match with Tajiri and they lock up with Hurricane hitting a fireman’s carry as Tajiri bridges up and kicks Hurricane in the ribs, and he pounds on Hurricane who reverses a whip and he leaps over Tajiri as he catches a kick attempt and ducks an enzurgiri. He picks Tajiri up and rams his head into the bottom buckle repeatedly as he hits a superkick for a two count, and he hits a suplex on Tajiri and tags Kidman who hits a slingshot legdrop on Tajiri for a two count and he works the arm. Tajiri turns it around and tags Chavo who goes up top only for Kidman to nail him coming in and he hits a sitdown spinebuster for a two count, and he pounds on Chavo who reverses a whip and Tajiri kicks him in the back from the apron as he hooks the Tarantula on Kidman. Chavo pounds on Kidman and hits a dropkick for a two count as he continues to pound on him and tags Tajiri, and he kicks at Kidman who counters a powerbomb attempt by slamming Tajiri’s head into the mat as Hurricane gets the hot tag. He hits a clothesline on Tajiri and a back elbow on Chavo as he pounds on Tajiri who reverses a whip into the corner, and Hurricane catches him with a back elbow and goes up to the middle rope as he hits a neckbreaker for a two count with Chavo breaking it up. Hurricane ducks a shot and hits another neckbreaker on Chavo as he whips Tajiri into the corner and blocks the Tarantula by sending him over the top to the floor, and he hits a slingshot somersault senton onto Tajiri on the floor and Chavo hits a baseball slide on Hurricane as Kidman goes up top and hits a Shooting Star Press on Chavo and Tajiri. Hurricane throws Tajiri back into the ring and looks for the chokeslam only for the stalker to show a message on the Titantron saying they will reveal themselves next week, and then Tajiri kicks Hurricane in the head 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 match. Both teams looked good together and had good chemistry though this was more about the stalker costing Hurricane the match. The crowd was into the match and Hurricane and Kidman, but are not happy when Tajiri and Chavo wins. Tajir and Chavo get the win over Hurricane and Kidman as both teams move on. Grade: 2
 
Commercial break
 
6. Test pins Triple H with the big boot at 5:47.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty interesting matchup. Triple H made a statement against the Undertaker earlier tonight and looks to get a win here over Test, who was cruising in the midcard and looks to get an upset win here. Triple H gets a big pop from the crowd while Test was pretty hot as a heel. The two men waste no time and brawl to start the match with Triple H taking control as he hits a back elbow on Test, and he stomps on Test repeatedly in the corner and pounds on him as Test reverses a whip into the other corner and Triple H takes him to the mat with a choke. He clotheslines Test over the top to the floor and goes outside himself as he rams Test into the barricade and pounds on him, and Test gets a shot in and rams Triple H into the announce table as he hoists him onto his shoulder though Triple H slides off and sends Test into the post. He hits a clothesline on Test and whips him into the barricade as he throws him back into the ring and then Lance Storm comes down the ramp, and Triple H rolls back into the ring and Test catches him with a legdrop to the back of the head as he pounds on him in the corner and Storm comes down to ringside. Test hits a series of back elbows on Triple H in the corner and Triple H gets a kick in as he pounds on Test in the corner, and Test reverses a whip into the other corner and splashes Triple H as he whips him back into the other corner only to miss a charge. Triple H pounds on Test who reverses a whip and Triple H catches him ducking with a kick only for Test to catch him in a sidewalk slam, and he sends Triple H to the outside and Storm hits a superkick on Triple H as he throws him back into the ring and Test gets a two count. He pounds on Triple H on the mat for a two count only for Triple H to catch him with the high knee and he hits a clothesline, and he pounds on Test in the corner and Test reverses a whip into the other corner only for Triple H to hit another clothesline. He hits a spinebuster on Test as Storm gets on the apron and distracts the ref before blocking a shot and he hotshots Triple H on the top rope, and Test gets a kick in and hits the pump handle powerslam for a two count as Triple H avoids the big boot. He kicks at Test and looks for the Pedigree as Storm goes up top only for Triple H to nail him first and he tosses him onto Test, and he pounds on Storm in the corner and avoids the big boot from Test who hits Storm by mistake. Triple H gets a kick in and looks for the Pedigree again as the Undertaker runs down to the ring only for Triple H to knock him off the apron, but then Test hits the big boot on Triple H which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a basic match. Triple H was getting back into a groove by this point while Test was hitting his groove as well, and they had good chemistry as Taker costs Triple H the match. The crowd was into the match and Triple H, but are not happy when Test wins. Test gets the upset win over Triple H and both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Test and Storm head to the back as Taker gets in the ring and knocks Triple H down before pounding on him in the corner, and he grabs Triple H by the throat and hits the chokeslam as he goes outside and he brings a chair into the ring. He hits Triple H in the head with the chair and jabs it into the ribs as he hits Triple H in the back with the chair twice, and officials run down to the ring as Taker jabs the chair into Triple H’s ribs as the officials hold Triple H at bay and Taker jabs it into his throat which sends Triple H to the outside. Taker goes outside as well and jabs the chair into Triple H’s throat again before being forced to the back while the officials check on Triple H.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the steel cage being lowered around the ring.
 
We see Edge in his dressing room as Val Venis comes in and says that he wants Edge to promise to take the wig off of Angle, and Edge says that everyone here deserves to see Angle bald and ugly as Angle will be trapped in the cage with him and he can’t hide.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Kurt Angle, who says that he’s not bald and has a head of natural hair though is shown the footage from Judgment Day, and Angle tells him not to ever show that footage again as he was bald for 24 hours though his hair has grown back. He says that he hasn’t forgotten that Edge tried to humiliate him and disgrace him though tonight in the cage, Edge also doesn’t have anywhere to run as he will humiliate Edge in front of his home country.
 
Commercial break
 
7. Edge pins Kurt Angle with a spear off the top rope in a Steel Cage match at 17:00.
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. These two men have been going at it for the last two months and face off here in the cage to finally settle their issues. Edge gets a huge pop from his home country while Angle was red hot as a heel. The two men have a staredown to start the match and they lock up with Angle going behind Edge who hits a pair of back elbows as Angle grabs the leg, and he avoids the enzurgiri only for Edge to avoid the elbow and Angle ducks a shot as they have a standoff. They lock up with Angle hooking a headlock and Edge goes behind Angle as he takes him to the mat and rides him, but Angle escapes and works the arm as Edge fights to his feet and escapes by hitting a slam on Angle. He hits a drop toehold on Angle who begs off in the corner and he gets a kick in as he pounds on Edge and hits a back elbow, and Edge blocks a ram into the cage and gets a back elbow in as he pounds on Angle and hits a dropkick. He throws Angle into the cage and looks for the spear though Angle avoids it as Edge rams his shoulder into the cage, and Angle stomps on Edge repeatedly and rams him into the buckle as he pounds on him in the corner and stomps on him before choking him with his boot. He hits a suplex on Edge for a two count and hooks a front facelock on as Edge fights to his feet and breaks the hold, and Angle ducks a shot and Edge hits a belly-to-belly suplex as he climbs up top and Angle grabs his foot only for Edge to kick him away. He hits a flying clothesline on Angle for a two count only for Angle to go behind Edge and he hits a trio of German suplexes for a two count, and he looks to go out the door as Edge grabs at his foot and Angle stomps on him repeatedly before ramming him into the cage repeatedly. He pounds on Edge on the mat as we see Edge is busted open and he hooks a submission on as he knocks him down, but Edge trips Angle up and slingshots him into the cage as he hits the Edge-o-Matic for a two count and he fires up on Angle. He hits a backdrop and a clothesline on Angle as he ducks a shot and hits a modified facebuster for a two count, and Angle reverses a whip and avoids a flying forearm as Edge takes out the ref by mistake and Angle hits another German suplex. He goes up top only for Edge to nail him as he goes up himself and hits a back superplex with Angle landing on his stomach in a nasty spot, and Edge climbs up the cage only for Angle to grab his leg and he hits a low blow as he goes up himself and pounds on Edge. He hits the Angle Slam on Edge off the top rope and he climbs up the cage as he goes over the top and makes it to the floor, but the ref is still out as Hulk Hogan runs down to the ring and rams Angle into the cage repeatedly before throwing him back into the cage. Edge gets to his feet and ducks a shot as he hits the spear on Angle for a two count before getting a kick in though Angle escapes the Edgecution, and he gets a kick in and hits the Angle Slam for a two count as he looks for a spear though Edge avoids it and sends Angle into the middle buckle. He hits the Angle Slam on Angle for a two count and Angle trips him up as he hooks the Ankle Lock on Edge, but Edge escapes the hold by sending Angle into the cage and he hooks the Ankle Lock on Angle who escapes by kicking Edge off. He knocks Edge down and Edge gets hung up in the rope as Angle stomps on him repeatedly and tries to go out the door though Edge keeps him from doing so, and Hogan closes the door as Angle climbs the cage and makes it over the top with Edge following him up. He rams Angle’s head into the cage twice and Angle crotches himself on the door as Edge pulls him over the top of the cage back into the ring, and he tosses Angle to the mat and Angle charges only for Edge to hit the spear off the top which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was great as both men worked hard and put on a really fun cage match. Both men were hitting their groove by this point and still had great chemistry as we do get a false finish with Angle escaping while the ref was down, but then Hogan ends up costing him with Edge getting the win to end this feud. The crowd was into the match and popped big for Edge when he won. Edge gets the win over Angle and both men finally move on. Grade: 4
 
After the match, Hogan gets in the ring and rams Angle into the cage repeatedly as he goes for the wig only for Angle to rake the eyes, and he gets out of the cage and heads to the back as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty good show with a lot of matches and not much backstage stuff, though one match was easily the highlight which was the main event. Similar to RAW 3 nights ago, this show was centered around the main event though this show did have more matches than RAW did, and both shows definitely delivered on their main events and were about even in that sense. We did have two title matches as Taker is still the man while Rikishi and Rico still rule the tag division and Christian, Jericho, Tajiri, Chavo, Test, and Edge get big wins, and in terms of the matches the main event was easily the best while the rest ranged from solid to decent for TV. 2002 has been an interesting year to this point as we have seen some new talent come in while also getting some big returns, and as we head into the summer we are going to get some unexpected turmoil. As for this show, it is a solid show carried by the main event. Final Grade: B-