Smackdown
June 6th, 2002 (taped June 4th)
Cox Convention Center
Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
 
Dark Matches:
 
1. Albert defeats the Prototype.
2. Shelton Benjamin defeats Rob Conway.
 
6/8 Velocity taping:
 
1. Test defeats Randy Orton.
2. Chavo Guerrero defeats Funaki.
3. The Godfather defeats Hugh Morrus.
4. Ivory defeats Linda Miles (w/ Jackie Gayda).
 
Actual Show:
 
We see the opening video for Smackdown.
 
Your hosts are Michael Cole and Tazz.
 
We see 16 men in the ring as Triple H, Chris Jericho, Kurt Angle, and Hulk Hogan also come down to the ring, and then Vince McMahon comes out on the stage and says that everyone is wondering why all the Superstars are in the ring ready to compete. He says that right here in Oklahoma City, we are going to have a battle royal and the winner will be the Number One Contender for the Undisputed Title, and he says that a Superstar is eliminated by being thrown over the top to the floor until one man is left standing and that man will go to King of the Ring and face the Undertaker as the battle royal begins now.
 
1. Triple H and “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan co-win a Battle Royal at 8:14.
 
Participants: Triple H, Hogan, Kurt Angle, Chris Jericho, Test, Rev. D-Von, Lance Storm, Christian, Val Venis, Hardcore Holly, Mark Henry, Faarooq, the Godfather, Hugh Morrus, Chavo Guerrero, Al Snow, Billy Kidman, Randy Orton, Albert, and the Hurricane
 
Stipulation: The winner would earn a WWE Undisputed Championship match at King of the Ring
 
Analysis: We kick off this edition of Smackdown with a pretty big matchup. These 20 men were looking to stake their claim at being the next Number One Contender and they face off here to see who will get that shot. The faces get good pops from the crowd with Triple H and Hogan getting the biggest while the heels had solid heat with Angle getting the biggest heat. The 20 men waste no time and brawl to start the match as Hogan tries to dump Jericho until Test and D-Von attack him, and everyone continues to brawl as Triple H eliminates Godfather and Faarooq pounds on D-Von who backdrops him over the top and eliminates him. Angle chokes Hardcore with his boot in the corner and tries to eliminate him until Kidman pounds on him as everyone continues to brawl, and Hogan tries to dump Test as Triple H sends D-Von over the top and eliminates him as Storm backdrops Kidman over the top with Kidman landing on the apron. He nails Storm and Jericho only for Test to hit the big boot and he eliminates Kidman while Christian eliminates Venis, and he celebrates and goes after Hogan while Triple H stomps on Snow repeatedly in the corner as Hogan eliminates Christian who throws a tantrum on the floor. Storm stomps on Hurricane in the corner until Hardcore nails him from behind as Triple H, Storm, and Test go through the ropes to the floor, and they pound and stomp on Triple H as Orton pounds on Angle in the corner while Hardcore stomps on Hogan in the other corner. Storm rams Triple H into the steps and Orton hits a dropkick on Angle who backdrops him over the top and Orton is eliminated, and Hogan tries to eliminate Hardcore as Jericho backdrops Snow over the top with Snow landing on the apron. He pounds on Jericho who battles back as he knocks Snow to the floor and eliminates him while Triple H throws Storm back into the ring, and Henry clotheslines Storm over the top and eliminates him as Chavo pounds on Henry who presses him up and tosses him onto Storm on the floor to eliminate him. Angle pounds on Hurricane who ducks a shot and he grabs Angle by the throat only for Angle to hit a back elbow, and he sends Hurricane over the top and eliminates him as he ducks a shot and clotheslines Morrus over the top to eliminate him. Jericho pounds on Hogan in the corner and chokes him as Albert tries to dump Hardcore while Test pound on Henry in the corner, and Angle dumps Albert over the top and eliminates him as he sends Hardcore through the ropes to the outside. He pounds on Henry who presses Angle up and sends him over the top though Angle hangs on and gets on the apron, and he pulls the top rope down as Henry tumbles over the top and is eliminated as Hardcore rolls back into the ring. Triple H kicks at Angle and pounds on him while Test and Jericho pound on Hogan in the corner as Angle ducks a shot and Triple H hits the high knee, and Hardcore throws Angle over the top and eliminates him as Test hits the big boot which sends Hardcore over the top and eliminates him. Test knocks Triple H down and stomps on him while Jericho continues to pound on Hogan in the corner, and Test comes over and stomps on Hogan along with Jericho and then both men pound on Triple H. Hogan starts to hulk up and pounds on Jericho and Test as he knocks Test down and hits the big boot on Jericho, and then he hits the big boot on Test and throws Jericho over the top to eliminate him while Triple H eliminates Test at the same time. Triple H and Hogan have a staredown as Triple H tells him to bring it and Hogan tears his shirt off until Triple H gets a kick in and pounds on Hogan, and Hogan reverses a whip and hits a clothesline on Triple H as he pounds on him until Triple H ducks the big boot. He ducks a clothesline and hits one of his own which sends both men over the top to the floor at the same time, meaning the match ends in a draw. The match itself was good as all 20 men worked hard and put on a solid battle royal. They all worked hard and had good chemistry as it came down to Triple H and Hogan which made sense, and the tie at the end was interesting as they could’ve had just one of them win. The crowd was into the match and Triple H and Hogan, but are not happy with the ending. The match ends with Triple H and Hogan hitting at the same time and we will see who is named the contender. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, the referees declare each man the winner and they argue about the decision.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Triple H, Hogan, and numerous officials in the ring as they try to keep Triple H and Hogan apart until Vince McMahon appears on the Titantron, and he says that they have a dilemma on their hands with both men going over the top at the same time and no proof as to who actually won. He then asks the fans who should face the Undertaker as the fans seemingly side with Triple H slightly over Hogan, and Vince says that he’s not going to let the fans influence his decision and he spoke to Taker during the break as Taker said he didn’t care who he faces since he considers both men losers. He says that Taker beat Hogan at Judgment Day and beat the hell out of Triple H last week on Smackdown, and he says that Triple H and Hogan will face off in a match to determine who the Number One Contender will be.
 
Marc Lloyd interviews Kurt Angle, who says that he got screwed tonight and he got screwed last week as well thanks to Hulk Hogan, and he says that Hardcore Holly screwed him tonight and he asks if Hardcore must be teaching the Tough Enough trainees how to cheat. Just then, Hardcore comes up to him and says that if Angle keeps stressing out, he’ll lose his hair and Angle says that he’ll kick Hardcore’s butt tonight in a match as Hardcore says he’s never backed out of a fight.
 
We see Billy and Chuck watching footage from last week as Rico comes in and asks if they’re still mad about last week, and he says that it wasn’t his fault and they have let themselves go as they say they have one last shot at getting the titles back tonight and they might be looking for a new stylist.
 
Commercial break
 
2. Billy and Chuck defeat Rikishi and Rico in an Elimination match to win the WWE Tag Team Championships.
 
Eliminations:
1. Rico taps out at :24.
2. Billy pinned by Rikishi at 1:59.
3. Rikishi pinned by Chuck at 4:05.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone title match of the night. Rikishi and Rico have been rolling as unlikely tag champions and look to have a successful defense here against Billy and Chuck, who keep getting screwed by Rico and get one last shot here. Rikishi gets a good pop from the crowd while Billy, Chuck, and Rico had decent heat as heels. Rico starts off the match with Chuck who hits a drop toehold and he works the arm as Rico quickly taps out and is eliminated, and Rikishi pounds on Chuck as Billy tags in and they pound on Rikishi who ducks a double clothesline attempt and he hits one of his own. He sends Billy over the top to the floor and hits a Samoan drop on Chuck as Billy gets in the ring and Rikishi hits a superkick, and he splashes Chuck in the corner and looks to give him the Stinkface before pressing Billy up and he hits a cutter which gets the three and Billy is eliminated. Chuck pounds on Rikishi and sends him to the outside as Billy rams Rikishi into the steps and Chuck goes outside as well, and he pounds on Rikishi and throws him back into the ring as he continues to pound on Rikishi in the corner and stomps on him. Rico takes the pad off the buckle and Rikishi battles back on Chuck who hotshots Rikishi on the exposed buckle and he gets a two count, and Rikishi reverses a whip and Chuck attempts a sunset flip as he avoids a sitdown splash while Rico distracts the ref. Billy gets in the ring only for Rikishi to hit a Samoan drop on him and then he hits a Samoan drop on Chuck as Rico gets in the ring, and he hits a spin kick on Rikishi and Chuck hits the Jungle Kick which gets the thee and we have new champions. The match itself was nothing more than a handicap match as Rikishi worked the whole match by himself though the numbers became too much and Billy and Chuck regain the titles. The crowd was into the match and Rikishi, but are not happy when Billy and Chuck win. Billy and Chuck regain the titles from Rikishi and Rico as both teams move on. Grade: 1
 
After the match, Billy and Chuck regroup on the floor as Rico celebrates in the ring with the titles until Rikishi splashes him in the corner, and then he goes up to the middle rope and hits the Banzai Drop as Billy and Chuck pull Rico out of the ring and head to the back.
 
We see the Hurricane backstage as he finds another note which tells him to head to his dressing room.
 
Commercial break
 
We see a shot outside the Cox Convention Center.
 
The Hurricane arrives in his dressing room where we see Nidia sitting in a chair and she mocks his catchphrase as he says she’s the last one he wanted to see, and she says he should be thanking her for the best sex he’s ever had and he says that she has a high opinion of herself. He says that he doesn’t care what her play is though their relationship is long over and he doesn’t need her messing him up, and she says that his days as Cruiserweight Champion are numbered and she’ll never forgive him for dumping her. She says that her boyfriend is coming to take the title from him and he says that she’s limiting herself to one, and he says that the boyfriend can take his best shot and he wants her to leave before he throws her out. Just then, someone attacks Hurricane from behind and beats him down while Nidia cheers him on and she introduces him as Jamie Noble, and they share a kiss and tell Hurricane to remember them as they leave.
 
3. Val Venis pins Christian with a spinout powerbomb at 3:22.
 
Note: This is a King of the Ring Qualifying matchup
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is our lone KOTR qualifier match. Both men competed in the battle royal earlier in the night and now they face off here to see who will advance in the tournament. Venis gets a good pop from the crowd while Christian was pretty hot as a heel. Christian wastes no time and attacks Venis from behind to start the match as he stomps on him in the corner, and Venis reverses a whip and hoists Christian up as he hotshots him on the top rope and gets a kick in. He hits a neckbreaker on Christian for a two count and stomps on him in the corner as he pounds on him until Christian sends him into the buckle, and he whips Venis hard into the other corner and stomps on him as he pounds on him in the corner and whips him into the other corner. He hits a dropkick for a two count and Venis tries to battle back as Christian blocks a suplex attempt and hits a modified backbreaker for a two count, and Venis again tries to battle back and Christian gets a shot in as Venis hits a flying tackle and a pair of clotheslines on Christian. Christian escapes a slam attempt and Venis blocks the inverted DDT by pounding on Christian and he hits a fisherman’s suplex for a two count, and Christian catches him ducking with a kick and Venis catches him in a spinebuster as he hooks an inverted Figure-4 on. Christian grabs the rope to force a break and he ducks a shot as he hits the inverted DDT on Venis for a two count, and Venis ducks a shot and Christian escapes a back suplex attempt as he catches him with a kneelift though he looks to have hurt his knee. He looks for the Unprettier though Venis escapes and hits a spinout powerbomb 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. Venis was getting back into a groove by this point while Christian was hitting his groove, and they had decent chemistry as Venis gets the win in a bit of an upset. The crowd was into the match and popped for Venis when he won. Venis gets the win over Christian and advances in the tournament as both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
We see Vince McMahon in his office on the phone with the Undertaker talking about the match tonight as Linda Miles and Jackie Gayda come in, and they wanted to introduce themselves to him and he says he knows who they are as Ivory comes in and chastises them for barging in on Vince. Ivory apologizes on their behalf and they have to follow by the rules as they did something stupid, and she says that she wouldn’t stand for this if they were still training under her and they apologize to Vince. He says that he doesn’t see it as disrespect though he feels tension between them and they are all about opportunity, and he says that this Saturday on Velocity Linda can face Ivory in a match and they agree to it as he welcomes them to WWE.
 
Commercial break
 
Stacker 2 Burn of the Night: Shawn Michaels making his return as the newest member of the New World Order on RAW 3 nights ago
 
4. Kurt Angle pins Hardcore Holly with a rollup and using the ropes for leverage at 6:59.
 
Analysis: Our next match on the card is a pretty interesting matchup. Hardcore eliminated Angle in the battle royal earlier tonight and now Angle comes here looking for revenge. Hardcore gets a mixed reaction from the crowd while Angle was pretty hot as a heel. The two men lock up to start with Angle hooking a headlock and he knocks Hardcore down as Hardcore hits a dropkick, and he ducks a shot and pounds on Angle who rakes the eyes and Hardcore escapes a slam attempt as Angle blocks a rollup attempt. Hardcore hotshots Angle on the top rope and hits a clothesline for a two count as Angle reverses a whip and Hardcore catches him ducking with a kick, and Angle catches him in a belly-to-belly suplex and then he hits a short clothesline for a two count as he rams Hardcore into the buckle. Hardcore battles back until Angle ducks a shot and he hits a German suplex on Hardcore who again tries to battle back, and he whips Angle into the corner and Angle avoids a charge as he hooks a sleeper on Hardcore and brings him to his knees. Hardcore fights to his feet and whips Angle off as he hooks a sleeper of his own only for Angle to escape with a back suplex, and he charges and Hardcore catches him with a boot to the face as he avoids a charge with Angle ramming his shoulder into the post. Hardcore ducks a shot and pounds on Angle as he hits a backdrop and a pair of clotheslines only for Angle to reverse a whip, and Hardcore ducks a shot and hits a powerslam on Angle for a two count as he goes up top only for Angle to run up top and hits a belly-to-belly superplex on Hardcore for a two count. Hardcore escapes an Angle Slam attempt and Angle gets a kick in as Hardcore ducks a shot and hits a belly-to-belly suplex for a two count, and he hangs Angle up in the ropes and kicks him in the ribs as he hits a powerbomb on Angle for a two count. He hoists Angle up for the Alabama Slam only for Angle to escape as he trips Hardcore up and he hooks the Ankle Lock on, and Hardcore reaches the ropes to force a break and Angle ducks an enzurgiri attempt as he looks for a German suplex. Hardcore counters it with a rollup though Angle rolls through and grabs the ropes for leverage which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was good as both men worked hard and put on a solid match. Both men were hitting their stride by this point and they had good chemistry as Angle gets some revenge and steals the win. The crowd was into the match and are not happy when Angle wins. Angle gets the win over Hardcore though won’t get to celebrate. Grade: 2.5
 
After the match, Angle celebrates until Hardcore hits a clothesline and pounds on him until Angle rakes the eyes, and Hardcore escapes the Angle Slam and gets a kick in as he hits the Alabama Slam on Angle. He goes to take the wig off only for Angle to hit a low blow and he rolls outside as he grabs a chair though the ref takes it from him, and Angle brings the bell into the ring though Hardcore ducks it and gets a shot in as he grabs the bell and hits Angle in the face with it.
 
We see a shot outside a hospital and we go inside where Maven is laid up in a bed with his leg in a cast as Torrie Wilson comes in, and she says that she wanted to come there and cheer him up as she hands him a stuffed animal and suggestively eats a banana. Just then, the nurse comes in and says she wanted to check on him as she says he needs to keep his leg elevated, and he says that he’s real elevated and Wilson asks if they could be alone as Maven tells the nurse to take her time and she leaves as Wilson takes her shirt off and pulls the curtain back.
 
We see Tajiri entering the same hospital and he asks the receptionist where Maven is as one of the nurses talks Maven up to Tajiri’s frustration, and she mentions that Wilson arrived and they are in room 600 as he thanks them and walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
We see the conclusion of the battle royal from earlier tonight.
 
We see Tajiri dressed in scrubs as he walks down the hallway and comes to room 600 only for two other doctors to come up to him and tell him they need him for an emergency surgery as they escort him away.
 
Commercial break
 
Edge comes down to the ring with his arm in a sling and he says that he’s been in the business for 9 years as he’s been lucky to not suffer injuries, and he says that his luck ran out as he tore his shoulder in the cage match last week to the point he needs surgery and won’t be around for a while. He says that he’s been thinking about the match way too much though he’s pissed off at himself and his body for giving out on him, and he says that he was given the ball and he can’t hold onto it though he would take the risk again if he could. He says that risk helped him beat Kurt Angle and he would do it again because he loves the business which kills him the most, and he says that he can’t do this for a while and he can’t defend his KOTR throne this year as he has to forfeit his match tonight against Chris Jericho. He says that he will come back better than ever and has one goal which is to be the Undisputed Champion as Chris Jericho comes down to the ring, and he says that Edge makes him sick and the fans also make him sick as everyone is crying for Edge and are sad for him. He says that what makes him sad is that Edge had to forfeit as he was set to beat the hell out of him and he is already king of the world, and he says that he will now be King of the Ring and if Edge wants to make him happy, he can raise his hand as the victor of the match and Edge is a loser. He tells Edge to raise his hand right now only for Edge to get a shot in and he kicks at Jericho who pounds on the injured shoulder, and he rams the shoulder into the buckle and goes outside as he pulls the padding off the barricade and he whips Edge into the barricade. He rips the sling off of Edge and chokes him with it as he rams him into the post and he adjusts the steps, and Edge tries to battle back only for Jericho to pound on him and he rams him into the steps as he grabs a chair. He gets on the steps and slams the chair into Edge’s shoulder which drives it into the steps as he gets in the ring, but then Val Venis runs down to the ring and pounds on Jericho who reverses a whip and he hits a tackle on Jericho. He clotheslines Jericho over the top to the floor and Jericho heads to the back as Venis checks on Edge.
 
Commercial break
 
We see Dawn Marie walking up to Vince McMahon’s office as Stacy Keibler comes out and says if she has papers for Vince, she hands them to her though Dawn says Vince told her to bring them to him specifically and Keibler says she should button up her shirt because she looks desperate. Dawn says that Keibler is just jealous that she has something Keibler doesn’t and Keibler storms back into Vince’s office.
 
We see Billy Kidman in his dressing room as Lance Storm walks up to him and says he’s heard that the office thinks Kidman is boring and takes himself too seriously, and Kidman says he appreciates that because not everyone is as exciting and captivating as Storm. He says that Storm has the greatest haircut in WWE and walks away as Storm is left stewing.
 
We go back to the hospital where Maven looks satisfied and Wilson asks if he feels better as he says he feels much better, and then a doctor comes in as they say they’re fine though he reveals himself to be Tajiri as he sprays the mist in Wilson’s face. He pulls Maven to the floor and stomps on his injured leg repeatedly as he slams the door on the leg and taunts Wilson in Japanese before leaving.
 
Commercial break
 
Atari Smack of the Night: The Undertaker costing Triple H his match against Test last week on Smackdown
 
5. Lance Storm pins Billy Kidman with the superkick at 2:44.
 
Analysis: Our last match before the main event is a pretty basic matchup. These two men competed in the battle royal earlier tonight and now they face off here to build momentum. Kidman gets a good pop from the crowd while Storm had decent heat as a heel. Kidman wastes no time and attacks Storm to start the match as he pounds on him in the corner until Storm gets a pair of knees in, and Kidman ducks a shot and hits a hurricanrana on Storm as he pounds on him in the corner and Storm reverses a whip into the other corner. Kidman leaps over him and rams Storm into the buckle as he goes up top only for Storm to hit a dropkick that knocks Kidman to the floor, and he goes outside and throws Kidman back into the ring as he hits a springboard clothesline on Kidman for a two count. Kidman escapes a slam attempt and they trade momentum as Kidman drops down and hooks a rollup for a two count, and Storm rolls through for a two count and he hits a pair of back elbows as Kidman hits a sitdown spinebuster for a two count. Storm escapes a hold and gets a kick in as he hits a stiff DDT on Kidman for a two count and Kidman escapes a back suplex attempt, and he hits a tornado bulldog on Storm who attempts a rollup though Kidman blocks it only for Storm to counter into a half Boston crab. Kidman grabs the rope to force a break and hits an enzurgiri on Storm as he goes up top only for Storm to get a shot in, and he goes up himself only for Kidman to hit a sunset flip powerbomb for a two count and Storm catches him with a jawbreaker. Kidman blocks a superkick and whips Storm into the corner as Storm ducks a clothesline and hits the superkick which gets the three and he wins the match. The match itself was decent as both men worked hard for the time they got and put on a solid match. The crowd was into the match and Kidman, but are not happy when Storm wins. Storm gets the win over Kidman and both men move on. Grade: 1.5
 
Marc Lloyd attempts to interview Triple H who simply walks away.
 
Commercial break
 
6. Triple H pins “Hollywood” Hulk Hogan with the Pedigree at 6:43.
 
Stipulation: The winner would earn a WWE Undisputed Championship match at King of the Ring
 
Analysis: After a fairly quick and interesting night of wrestling, we come to our main event. Both men landed on the floor during the same time in the battle royal and as a result of that, they now face off here to see who will go to KOTR. Both men get a big pop from the crowd and they were pretty split for the whole match. The two men lock up to start and they jockey for position as Triple H backs Hogan into the corner and pounds on him, and he whips Hogan into the corner and Hogan hits a clothesline on Triple H as he pounds on him and hits an axehandle. He pounds on Triple H and sends him through the ropes to the outside as he goes outside himself only for Triple H to get a kick in, and Hogan blocks a ram into the steps and he rams Triple H into the steps as he rams him into the barricade and pounds on him. Triple H reverses a whip and sends Hogan into the post as he throws him back into the ring and pounds on him in the corner, and he stomps on Hogan and chokes him with his boot as he continues to choke him in the corner and pounds on him. He hits a back elbow on Hogan and drops an elbow on him for a two count as Hogan tries to battle back only for Triple H to reverse a whip and he hooks a sleeper on, and he takes Hogan to the mat and grinds down on him as Hogan fights to his feet and whips Triple H off before hooking a sleeper of his own on. Triple H escapes with a back suplex for a two count as Hogan starts to hulk up and he no-sells Triple H’s shots, and he pounds on Triple H and hits the big boot only to miss the legdrop and Triple H gets a kick in though Hogan escapes the Pedigree with a backdrop. He hits the legdrop on Triple H for a two count though Hogan thinks he won and he argues with the ref, and Triple H gets a kick in and hits the Pedigree on Hogan 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. Triple H was back in his groove by this point while Hogan was starting to slow down a bit, and they still had good chemistry as Triple H gets his win back from Backlash. The crowd was into the match and popped for Triple H when he won. Triple H gets the win over Hogan and is the Number One Contender as both men move on. Grade: 2
 
After the match, Triple H tries to help Hogan up though Hogan pushes him away and Triple H heads to the back, and Hogan takes the mike and tells Triple H to come back to the ring as he’s not done with him and Triple H comes back down to the ring. They have a staredown and Hogan says he has no problem shaking the better man’s hand as he offers a handshake and Triple H accepts it, and they embrace as Hogan goes to leave though Triple H stops him and says that they have unfinished business. The two men pose for the crowd until Kurt Angle comes out on the stage while the Undertaker comes out of the crowd, and he attacks Triple H from behind and Hogan pounds on him until Angle runs down to the ring and attacks Hogan. Taker and Angle pound on Triple H and Hogan in the corners as Angle chokes Hogan with his boot and Taker continues to pound on Triple H, and he grabs Triple H by the throat and hits the chokeslam as Angle hits the Angle Slam on Hogan and Taker hits the Last Ride on Triple H as we go off the air.
 
Final Analysis: Overall, this edition of Smackdown was a pretty solid show as we continue the build to KOTR. Coming off a fairly solid Judgment Day, Smackdown was still on a solid roll and that continues here with this episode. We did have a title match as Billy and Chuck once again rule the tag division and Venis, Angle, Storm, and Triple H get big wins, and in terms of the matches they were pretty standard for TV and the theme of this show was beatdowns as the debuting Noble, Jericho, Tajiri, Angle, and Taker look strong. 2002 has been an interesting year for WWE to this point as the brand extension was continuing to gain some steam and as we head into the summer, we will see how things play out as some big things are coming. As for this show, it is a solid show to continue the build to KOTR. Final Grade: B-